forgiveness

— ; ❛❛ there goes my heart beating, 'cause you are the reason i'm losing my sleep, please come back now ...                  A L A R A              K Ö Z E N       thirty, social worker, downtown

[alarakczen]

colt winslow​

—

“I stole it outta your nightstand,” Colt said with a grin. That was after he got the intel from Liv on that she was good with her old rings. But, he wasn’t gonna tell her that, his secrets could be his own secrets. “We’re off to a good start that you can speak, this time around,” he said with a wink and pulled the ring outta the box, and place it back on her finger. He’d gotten it resized to fit too, so it was right. Another tip of the hat to Liv for that as well. Otherwise it would’ve been a little — actually, a lot — embarrassing. Standing up was easier than getting down, believe it or not, so he was on his feet without so much as an ounce of pain. 

In a fluid motion, one they’d practiced a thousand times on the dance floor, he spun her and dipped her into a kiss. There was something about a yes, both times around, that made him feel like he was an invincible giant. He liked to feel like that, because he didn’t often feel like it. At her question of his knee, he looked down at it. “Feels good now,” then, he was running high off the yes, so, that was suspect at best. “Horse kicked me at the practice. Was a bit of a rough day for the mare,” he said with a nod. “She was barefoot, and it was a graze. Better me than Trevor.” Colt didn’t like it when his employees got hurt, no matter if they knew that came with the job. He’d always been like that though. 

Taking the keys out of his pockets, he moved to unlock it. “Locked the door so you couldn’t foil my plans,” he said with a grin. Opening the door, he turned around and before she could protest, he scooped her up into his arms, and walked her through the door. “New living room,” he said, not giving her up. “We need a new couch too,” Colt said with a nod, and looked up at her. 

     Her chest swelled as he mentioned her nightstand, hand shaking as she held it out for him. Alara laughed as he slipped the ring on, a motion that triggered the memory of the first time he did the same thing. Back then she was in shock, but just like then Colt knew exactly the right time to ask the question. Big gestures and theatrical performances were wasted on her, "I'm so happy—" She whispered, looking down to the ring once more. "My answer is always yes. Do you want to marry me again, too?" She never asked the first time, it took her long to answer back then, but Aly had always wondered how it felt to be the one with the question.

Their years together and the lonely ones apart, all sewn together with a year of trauma and healing, with this being the peak of the climb. She watched him carefully as he stood up, massaging his shoulder to ease any discomfort from his knee. Her mouth curled into a smile and his answer came in the form of a dip and a kiss. "I miss dancing with you," She mumbled as he lifted her up and frowned as he admitted to being kicked. "I would rather it wasn't you, or Trevor." It came with the career, she knew that, but seeing him in pain caused her some, too. "Just tell the mare that you need to stand to say I do again," She teased.

"First day in the new house and you're already locking me out?" Alara joked as she went to step inside, making a mental note to bring knee straps on her first trip back, just as her weight shifted to be supported by him, "Colt!" She laughed, letting him take her weight to carry her through the door. It reminded her of their house in Atlanta, except this door was wider. Everything was bigger, there was so much space and still, she couldn't believe it was theirs. "We have so much room, we're never going to see each other—" Alara laughed, her arms wrapped around his neck. "You'll never complain about not having enough room on it again," They needed a lot of new furniture, but most of it would have to wait a few months. "Take me to the kitchen, chauffeur." With her foot, she pointed in the direction of their new kitchen.

[harlsquinn]

[alarakczen]

evren kozen​

—

“Well, Dad’s not here and Mom hates me, so,” Evren raised a fake glass to his sister. The dynamic of their family wasn’t lost on him. His father’s death was hard on him, he was always the parent that actually liked and stood up for Evren, his death was the death of his biggest supporter and biggest ally in his life. It was an excuse, but Evren started to loose grip on reality of his life and then it went all went to hell. Or maybe it just all caught up with him. “What’s the line from Lion King? When they turn your back on you, you turn you back on them? I’m doing that,” Evren snickered, he thought his joke was funny.

As he watched his sister’s face change, he knew the thoughts going on her head. Some times, she really believed that everyone was conspiring against her, that everyone talked behind her back about her. The truth was that his sister was easy to read, which wasn’t a bad thing, she just wore everything on her sleeve and her particular brand of helicopter parenting came from a place of loss, so while he understood it — better than she knew — he had a different way of looking at it. “I get to do the, uh, court ordered therapy because the assault means I have anger issues,” Evren smiled at that. He loved to be told who he was by his superiors in court. “The thing that I can personally attest to, is the moment you start to let your issues affect your kid, you start to mess with them.” He paused, clearing his throat, because their mother was a sore subject for him. “Mess with them in other ways, like telling them up is down and down is up.” He waved a hand. “Also, I can read you like a book, bacı,” Evren chuckled, he used the rural form for older sister as a joke between them, when she got all maternal.

His mind drifted back to his family. There was no point on attempting to repair the relationship with his mother. What she knew was the tip of the iceberg. As soon as the rest of it came out, she’d surely continue to fully disown him. Then tell their relatives in Turkey to do the same. So far, they didn’t know out there. He’d seen them before he was arrested, a weird serendipity. “So, go have fun dancing with your groom and leave me and the small human to do what we do. Model what having a healthy relationship and marriage looks like for her. Model being a good parent.”  

"I think mom hates me, too." They hadn't dived into the nuances of their relationship when he went to prison, how she isolated herself further and offered nothing in the wake of losing Fallon and her marriage. While he could raise a glass, Alara only managed a frown. It was the tip of that iceberg, a small forlorn gesture that could crack into an endless cavern below; she didn't want to go there, not tonight. Visiting those wounds was a cruel form of torture, "She hates me less since Willa came along."

Was it jealousy, or envy? Alara still hadn't been able untangle the emotions she had surrounding their mom, but for the time being she was content with pushing it aside to make room for Willa. "Things would be different if dad was here." That had always been her conclusion, but neither of them could bring him back. "Hey, therapy is a good thing. It's hard, but it's saved a lot for me." Her life being one of them. She breathed out and smiled, "I'm just glad you're here."

Missing him had become a part of who she was and slowly, as each week went by, the memory of that pain got easier. "I know... I don't want to pass on my anxieties to her, but she's ours. I want us to do a good job. I want her mom to be happy that we got her." There was an added pressure she put on herself that Aly couldn't quite shake, but she hoped it would ease once things got back to normal. "You're the best, you know that?" Groom. God, she got butterflies from that even after all this time. Her husband, soon-to-be once more, their niece. A family. "Hmm," This reminded her. "Would you maybe want to give me away, again?" Alara asked quietly.

[liv-li-deactivated20230327]

"I'm sure. Kids are quick to adapt. Rubber minds, rubber bones," Liv said with an easy smile. She was no pediatric nurse, but she did run into her fair share of kids. Kids who took more than a tumble, or ate something they shouldn't have, or shoved something tiny up their noses or ears -- all of them seemed more at ease than their parents each and every time.

She looked away from Willa with a little smile at the thought of the festivities Aly and Colt put on for her. In that way, they had similar childhoods. Gwen was not the festive type despite being a Christian. If anything, the holiday season was just a reason for Gwen to drag all of them to service and it was after the services that they enjoyed decorations and dinner at someone else's house. Even now, she didn't have much reason to go all out. Maybe one day, Liv thought, eyes glancing over to Willa, then to Aly handing her a mug. "Thank you -- and, yeah, I did. Rhett's place is surrounded by woods so it's nice and quiet, but not boring," she trailed off when Aly groaned.

The sight of missing cap made Liv bite back a laugh. She accepted the new bottle, still trying not to grin, and fixed her coffee. When Aly leaned over, smiling, Liv looked up eyes narrowing slightly. "Go on," she tilted her head, waiting, "Wait...it is good news, right?"

[alarakczen]

     Alara wondered if drinking from the carton was some kind of gene written into the male biology, or just something that she would never get over. It was gross when they were dating, it would still be gross in fifty years time. Fortunately, dwelling on one of the few annoying habits he had was short-lived as her lips curled into a smile, “It would be super weird if it was bad news ...” 

In her back pocket she kept the ring, slipping it into her finger as she reached back and then, presented her hand on the island counter. “It is the best news—” Aly couldn’t help but focus on the ring, re-sized and cleaned for the occasion. “The day we moved in, he got down on one knee. I even managed to say yes this time,” She chuckled and heard a thud coming from the other side of the room. Her eyes darted upwards to Willa, who had accidentally knocked the television remote onto the floor. Oopsie! Alara called out, which was met with a smaller oopsie from Willa. “I don’t even know how he knew it was too small, I keep wondering if his best friend told him. He got it re-sized and everything.”

[suttontinslcy]

As soon as they entered the building Emery released her hand to go play with friends. Her eyes became so big and full of excitement at being able to go to the class. It was also a great way for her or Camryn to have one on one time with the little girl. It was tragic what had happened to her and Sutton hoped that in the future it wouldn't affect her mental development. She had been in their family for almost a year now and Sutton really couldn't imagine their family without her. She made their family feel complete.

" Hey. " Sutton replied with a huge smile as Alara and Willa approached her. " Happy New Year and thank you. I have a card for you as well and a small little gift that Emmi picked out. I left it in the car, maybe after I can go grab it. " Sutton had meant to grab it but Emmi had been so excited for the class that she hadn't given her the chance. " We did, always chaotic but I am grateful every year. It's always better to celebrate when you have kids, you know? " Sutton said as she watched Willa run off to Emmi who hugged her immediately. " How about you guys? Did you do anything? " Sutton asked as she took the card sliding it into one of the large flat pockets so it would not get smushed.

[alarakczen]

There was something comforting about other parents, ones who had more experience than Alara and Colt. Their insight was a welcome avenue or relief for Aly, who had spent most of the past four years convincing herself that her inability to have children was because she would be a bad mother. Turns out, none of them knew what they were doing. Each day presented a new challenge and, no matter how many you had, it didn't get easier. "Oh, Sutton you didn't have to get us anything—" It reminded her though, "Willa made cards for everyone but she wants to give them to you on her own." They were going through an independent stage, it was adorable to watch. "It's our first one with a kid, you should have seen her." Instinctively her eyes moved to watch over her from a distance, picking up a block and handing it over to Emmi. "I've never seen a child so overwhelmed with joy and excitement," They assumed that Willa hadn't experienced the holidays like other children before, so it was a first for them all.

With a laugh, she turned to Sutton and nodded. "Is it bad that we told everyone we were busy, but actually we just spent time together?" Aly felt the engagement ring on her finger, another precious moment that sealed the end of the hardest year she had since Fallon. "We moved into the new house, Colt proposed to me again and we just wanted to enjoy the holidays with her." About to dive into the more detailed version of their Christmas, Alara's mind moved to a different though, "Oh! I forgot to tell you that I met your wife." She smiled, "She was at the dog park, I joined all the dots together. She's so talented, I'm trying to convince Colt to have a family portrait session with the animals."

[alarakczen]

selin turan​

Selin set the gift bag beside her and sat down, having decided that this was probably the best place their friendship would get for the time being. It was neutral ground and they could share without having to bring up subjects that were touchy to the both of them. It was refreshing. “It’s not the worst addiction to get into, but not the best, probably just necessary with a toddler in your life.” Especially one that had been dropped into their laps and they were trying to adjust and raise the new child. She would have been more shocked to find that Aly had gone through it without caffeine. Folding her arms, she couldn’t help but laugh at the image that came to mind at Aly trying to wrestle with a toddler. “I’ve heard it isn’t cheap to baby proof an house. They get into things you wouldn’t even think about.”

“Hopefully you get a good night sleep.” It was likely the little girl did sleep through the night apart from nightmares and missing her mother but it was a little blessing that Aly had missed the night shifts even if she knew her friend would have given anything to go through that with many of the times she had tried. “Thank you. I like my job even if I feel like walking out and never coming back too many times in a shift.” She laughed and turned her phone upside down when she saw a text message come through. “Nothing too crazy, I just went out to a bar to ring it in.”

—

     Alara laughed, “You’re telling me. I think we need to nap more than she does, six o’clock every morning she’s ready to go.” Fortunately Aly had never slept well, at least not to memory; waking early was her thing, but with the nights getting later introducing a little coffee had been a life saver. “Everything, oh my gosh—” Uncrossing her legs, Aly scooted her chair closer to the table and dived into the things she had caught Willa getting into. “The laundry basket, even full of laundry she loves. Anything in floor-level cupboards is her play park, the trash can, her and Pike had a party of toilet roll. I think Trippy helped, too.” She paused to take a sip of coffee, “We’re not keeping little things in bottom cupboards in the new place.”

Nodding, Aly sighed and thought about where Willa had come from. A single mother working to the bone to keep food in their fridge, she was beyond her years when it came to a lot of her routine. “She slept through the first night we got her and hasn’t stopped,” Her teeth sunk into her lower lip, they were lucky, in so many ways. “I feel like that too, sometimes.” Alara had been thinking about it more now that they had Willa, "Has it been stressful down there lately?” She hadn’t been to the hospital in months, but Aly assumed that the holidays were busier than usual. “That’s nice, did you go on your own? I was asleep by, I think, eleven.”

[alarakczen]

     Pike was behaving, sat calmly beside her as Alara looked over the photos and laughed. "I'd have to convince my husband—" Fiancé, Alara reminded herself. They were married again, not yet anyway. "This one has been a little out of the sorts the past few months, huh Pike?" The German Shepherd looked up to her, tongue hung out one side of his mouth and nudged against Aly's hand. "We just moved into a new house, I want to make this photo wall in the entrance hall, it would be nice..." She murmured, scratching behind Pike's ears. "You have twins?" Alara smiled, wondering if biological children were in her future. "That's amazing, you and your wife sound like a lovely couple. We had a little girl, too. Her name was Fallon."

In the past it had seemed like an unfair bomb to explode around people, but Alara was learning that their daughter wasn't someone to hide away. She was a person, just like the rest of them. "We've got our niece now, she's three. Been with us a few months, she's amazing. We're still figuring out the work thing, but I'm desperate to have more time to spend with her." Alara sighed and looked back to Pike as he yawned and decided to lay down. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" She also didn't have her contacts in, so being able to read it would be hard. "I'm Alara, if you have a business card I would love to take one."

[camrynmichaels-deactivated20230]

"Of course, of course. I know how that goes." Camryn laughed, nodding. She was thankful that Sutton didn't take much convincing in most ways, however, she liked to also ask before she just assumed that she'd be okay with it, especially when it came to things with their family. However, as someone who took pictures every single day for work, she couldn't imagine Sutton ever saying no to an opportunity like animals in family portraits. "I totally understand, and if he agrees, we can choose whatever location works best for you all." Camryn tried to ignore the correction of her significant other's title - it wasn't any of her business after all - and at the end of the day it didn't matter. The two were in a committed relationship, and it was obvious by her comment that they communicated, which was half the battle with most people's relationships. Smiling down at the dog, Camryn squatted so she was eye level with him, watching as he nudged the other's hand as she pet behind his ears. "Well, he seems to be doing pretty well today. Did you put him in training?" she questioned, letting herself watch the dog before she stood. "I don't advertise it quite as much, but I do do pet portraits for Holidays and such, and I also have helped clients in the past with photo walls like what it sounds like you're doing." she admitted. "So, if you need help - or even just someone with an extra eye - you can give me a call. Even if it's not my photos I'd still love to help." she laughed. Just as Camryn was about to thank her for the compliment on her family, she mentioned that the two had had a daughter, and despite not wanting to pry, Camryn offered her a warm but sad smile. "I'm sorry to hear that." she apologized, even though she didn't know the story behind the couple's child. It sounded like a sad situation, and she knew that if it were her she'd be absolutely devastated, as she imagined anyone would be. Though, from the sound of it they were doing well, almost even getting a second chance with her niece. "Oh, that's great. My wife Sutton and I have my niece also. Emery. She's three and we've had her about a year. It was.. an adjustment, but I'm thankful she's safe and happy." Camryn smiled, nodding. "I know that it may not seem like much, and it may not be much help, but if you ever need someone to help out with her, my wife and I would love to. My work schedule is pretty flexible, so I'm available a lot more now that I have my own family." she nodded. There was a sense of comfort in knowing that you have community to help you in times of need and while the community had always helped Camryn build her business, she wanted to give back however she could. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Camryn. Camryn Michaels." she smiled. "I do have a business card. Email, business phone is on there, but I can give you my personal number too if you'd like."

[alarakczen]

When it came to persuasion, Alara had a few tricks up her sleeve to get him on side; food and lingerie, he was a simple caveman when it came to those things. She laughed at the thought and nodded, "Our house." That would be best for them all and something to remember, "We just moved in, I have some ideas." Watching carefully as the woman crouched down in front of Pike, she breathed out and nodded. "My partner works with animals, horses mainly these days but when we got this guy, he trained him pretty good." Pike enjoyed the attention, especially from women. "Past few years have been difficult though, we've moved around a lot. People coming and going, it's been hard for him." Then Willa came into their lives and he needed to change, "We put him back into training before the holidays, sent him away for few weeks." Being without him had been hard, the decision to send him even worse. "He's always been a good boy, you just needed a little fine turning, didn't you?" Pike looked up to her and she crouched down too, fussing him with a big kiss on the face.

"Oh, thank you. That's really kind, I'm not much of an artist—" Fortunately her brother was, he had been a big help in getting the house up together. A polite nod was all Alara could muster up for the condolences, but that was still five steps ahead of where she was a few months ago. Fallon was with her with every breath she took, "Shoot..." Standing back up, Aly tilted her head and laughed. "You're Sutton's wife? Hi— I mean, sorry, I'm Alara. Emery and my niece are, like, best friends." She chuckled, "They've been hanging out since the first week she came to us." It had only been a few months, but they had grown fond of each other in that short time. "Yeah, she's an amazing little girl." Aly nodded, "Your wife is a wonderful woman too. She's been so helpful since Willa came to us," And it would seem like Camryn was too. A lovely couple, Aly thought. "Thanks, that's really generous of you. I think we're gonna' put her into some kind of kindergarten this year. We just wanted her to be settled first."

It raised the question, what was she doing right now? Breakfast, Aly assumed. Learning to drink from the carton, like Colt did. "Yes, it's lovely to finally meet you. I've been meaning to ask Sutton if Emery would like to come over for a playdate, but we only just moved into our new place a few weeks ago." Before then, playdates were out of the question. "All of those things would be amazing, thank you." She pulled her phone out and opened a new contact, "You can plug it in right there. I'll speak to my husband tonight."

[liv-li-deactivated20230327]

The house was beautiful and so very Aly and Colt. Liv followed Aly through the impromptu tour observing all the current design features and decor in place. In another life, Liv insisted she was an artist or an interior designer. All of the little details were perfect. Especially, the ones that were picked specifically for Willa. "She seems to be doing well," she said, watching Willa play peacefully across the room.

"Coffee sounds great, thanks -- I worked on the actual holiday, but celebrating a few days later was great. Heavily recommend it since all the holiday food's on sale," Liv smiled. Holidays for her tended to depend on whether or not she was seeing someone and if they were close enough to spend it with his family. This year her and Rhett met up in the 27th to celebrate and it was simple but peaceful. She did wonder if maybe they'd decorate next time as she looked at Aly's lights and tree. "I say keep them up for a week past New Year's. Get the full effect for the work you put in and the motivation -- I never want to do anything after the 25th through the first week of January."

[alarakczen]

Willa was doing more than well, it finally felt like she had settled. Or, maybe they had all settled — Out of them all, the toddler seemed to be the only one unfazed by the moving. Things were calmer here, there was more space and less people. Alara smiled, "She's been amazing with everything going on." Resilient, brave, they were two of the words Colt had uttered the night she came to them. He was processing a lot back then, half-asleep on Aly as she ran her fingers through his hair. He repeated the words on and off all night and they were true, even all these months down the line.

Hopping onto the counter, Alara grabbed two mugs from the above cabinet and brewed the coffee. They were a little too tall for her, but the steps weren't finished just yet. "Colt and I don't celebrate every year, I never did as a kid anyway so some years we just skip the whole thing." It was a homage to their differing religions, "But we did it this year, for her." Nodding in Willa's direction, Aly smiled and poured two cups. "Did you have fun?" She asked, grabbing milk from the fridge to see the cap missing. "Colt—" Alara groaned, taking a fresh bottle for Liv. "Yeah, I think I'll keep them up a little longer. Willa likes them, it's her first proper Christmas, we think." Turning around, she leaned over to give Liv her coffee and made herself a milky one. "So, I have some news..."

[alarakczen]

evren kozen​

—

“Oh, is the dancing to Frozen 2 getting old for you two?” Evren said with a joke. “Olaf is not good enough for a toddler and family dance party? I see how it is,” he snorted a laugh at the picture. He’d seen Colt dance before. The man was a force to be reckoned with on a hardwood floor but when it came to anything other than country dancing? He was goofy, big and goofy. “But good, get out. Quit worrying so much about the kid, me and her will hang out, I will teach her the fine art of making poor man’s macaroni and cheese, as well as all sorts of other meals that would give you an anxiety attack, and otherwise we’ll just be buddies until bath time when she wants to yell at me for washing her hair.” That was the pain point these days, he heard it from Colt and Willa bitched all the time about it, but Evren wasn’t the parent so he tended to not give a damn. 

“I mean this as tenderly as I can, but you gotta get over it. Leaving her, I mean. She’s three, yes, but she’s not going to be three forever. She needs to treated like she’s a normal kid, a normal daughter. She’ll be fine,” Evren nodded. Kids rebounded quickly. Quicker than a lot of adults did. He wondered when they got so messed up that the rebound wasn’t as quick. “Plus, you guys want to send her to a Montessori, so she’ll have to get used to other people without you both. She needs to know she can be independent and have a safety net… not a helicopter.” He gently poked her, trying to not be mean but sometimes his sister needed a little nudge, as sometimes he needed a little empathy.

  "You joke, but they do a version of Frozen at Steeldriver and we're pretty good at keeping up." That was before Willa came along, these days she assumed they would ace every step. She laughed, "There's only so many times we can dance to the same song before both of us go insane." It made her wonder what song it would be next — They had missed the Baby Shark phase, which was a blessing, but undoubtedly there would be something new around the corner. Alara rolled her eyes, "I just want her to have a good diet that's all. Mom and dad would have killed the babysitter if she made us poor man's macaroni."

They almost did kill the neighbour that tried to give them pork sausages one evening, "But—" Aly got up from the island and held her hands up, shrugging. "I won't kill you this one time. You're doing us a favour." Like their parents, Aly wanted her children to grow up eating a varied diet. Colt too had been raised the same way. "I got this de-tangling spray for her hair and a special comb, Colt almost died when he saw the price of it." Grimacing, she walked over to the window and looked out to the house. Biting down on her lower lip, she wondered if him and Colt had been talking. It wasn't a bad thing, but Aly would tell him what Colt already knew, "I'm never gonna' get over leaving my kids. We already lost too many, so that's not going to happen—" She didn't expect him to understand, "But I know I have to leave her. I'm just not gonna' do that with someone we don't know, or trust." Alara shrugged again, "We trust you."

[camrynmichaels-deactivated20230]

Camryn was someone that loved animals. While she'd always been more of a 'one pet' kind of person - it wasn't that she didn't like having more than one, her career just made it hard to have that dedication. Add in kids and that made it even more complicated. However, she was thankful that now her and her wife had two dogs; Camryn's beloved dog Kodi - a beautiful pit bull - being one of them. Kodi was a calm dog, and never met a stranger. It was one of the many reasons she loved bringing her out here so much and watching her play. She was thankful; while she had gotten Kodi as a puppy, she was a great dog. Training had been easy - it was nothing extensive, just the basics that most dog owners tried to teach their dogs - sit, stay, put them on a food schedule, walk them regularly - the things that were important when owning a pet, and despite how much the shelter had addressed that Kodi 'wasn't great with kids' when Sutton, Eloise and the twins came along, Kodi had proven herself by snuggling in the floor of the kids' room every night, refusing to leave until morning. It was one of the many things about the animal that Camryn loved the most, and partially why she'd started capturing memories like this one with animals. Add in people actually paid for memories with their fur babies and she knew she'd taken the right leap. As the other approached her, Camryn offered her a smile, letting herself nod at the other's statement. "I would love to do family photos with animals." she smiled. "It's actually not something I've done before; I do animal portraits and family portraits all the time, but never combined the two. You'd be the first, and I can reassure you it'd be fun." She looked out at the crowd of dogs again, smiling as Kodi moved to her side, taking a drink of water before running off to play with the other dogs again. "This is all I've ever known. I majored in photography in college, started my career basically after graduation. I used to do a lot of traveling, but after my twins were born, my wife Sutton and I moved here so now I try to stick to more local things so I don't miss out on any family time."

[alarakczen]

     Pike was behaving, sat calmly beside her as Alara looked over the photos and laughed. "I'd have to convince my husband—" Fiancé, Alara reminded herself. They were married again, not yet anyway. "This one has been a little out of the sorts the past few months, huh Pike?" The German Shepherd looked up to her, tongue hung out one side of his mouth and nudged against Aly's hand. "We just moved into a new house, I want to make this photo wall in the entrance hall, it would be nice..." She murmured, scratching behind Pike's ears. "You have twins?" Alara smiled, wondering if biological children were in her future. "That's amazing, you and your wife sound like a lovely couple. We had a little girl, too. Her name was Fallon."

In the past it had seemed like an unfair bomb to explode around people, but Alara was learning that their daughter wasn't someone to hide away. She was a person, just like the rest of them. "We've got our niece now, she's three. Been with us a few months, she's amazing. We're still figuring out the work thing, but I'm desperate to have more time to spend with her." Alara sighed and looked back to Pike as he yawned and decided to lay down. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" She also didn't have her contacts in, so being able to read it would be hard. "I'm Alara, if you have a business card I would love to take one."

[selinturan]

The brunette had been given time off after the holidays since she had been working throughout them. Without any family of her own, it was an easy decision to go in while her coworkers celebrated with their children and significant other. Plus, the extra money wouldn't hurt either. Though she was ready for a bit of time off for herself to relax and regain her strength after long stretches.

The idea of meeting her friend was one she was looking forward to as she entered the small cafe with a gift bag of her own. A few things for her, some items for the little girl, and a few toys for Pike. Small gifts that she'd picked up during the few months before the holidays and had recently packaged for whenever she would see her friend. Their visits were few and far in between with their busy schedule these days. Selin waved when she walked over, smiling wide. "Happy New year — I got you something too."

Placing the bag by Aly's side, she smiled at her own gift and moved it to the seat beside her. "I didn't think I would see the day but it makes sense. Just make sure that you don't get too far into that addiction because it's easy to go from one to four." And she could vouch for that. "Not really but it was good. Work is a life saver during the holidays. It keeps me busy." But she was sure happy it was done.

[alarakczen]

Sitting down, Alara smiled and took the gift bag from her. "This is so sweet, thank you." There were shades of their former years, except private settings had become public, which was a leap beyond where they were a year ago. Yelling in grocery stores wasn't how she pictured their friendship, but meeting in coffee shops and exchanging gifts felt more familiar. "I don't think this is a bad addiction to get into..." Aly chuckled and took a sip, "relieved that caffeine was finally "Have you ever lived with a three year old?" She asked, knowing full well that neither of them had ever lived with a child they were legally in charge of. "The moment she wakes up, she runs. Everywhere." Alara was a runner, but chasing after a toddler required a whole new level of stamina she hadn't trained for.

"It keeps me awake all day too, which is good. Means I don't fall asleep on the couch at seven anymore," Quality time was hard to come by when your entire life was consumed by children. Colt missed her, she missed him too. Since moving they had been working on getting that time together, "I know it does. You're good at your job too, which makes all the difference." With a smile, she breathed out and asked about the new year, "Anything exciting happen on New Years Eve?" Unlike the one before, Alara was asleep before midnight.

[alarakczen]

STARTER FOR: @crisxperez LOCATION: Bone & Play

     Crisp winter mornings had always been Alara's favourite outside of summer evenings, the earlier the better to ensure Pike could run off some steam before it got too busy. Usually they would go running, but with his training back in full force and the move still fresh in her mind, Aly didn't quite trust that he wouldn't run off again. Pike hadn't always been unruly, he had just been dragged through four years of change. Until Willa came along he was naughty, but when she entered their lives he became a liability. Willa's safety came first and they couldn't risk him attacking anyone.

It's why they sent him to Eddie's place, almost a month of re-training for both him and them. A lesson in authority for Alara and patience for Colt, practices they were implementing into their new home. Baby steps were fine Aly and being at the park was another one of them. Six months ago, she wouldn't have him off-lead in a place like this, fearing that he would run into the street. Now, he was darting off into the distance and looking back to check Aly was still there.

Steaming coffee in hand, Alara walked at a slow pace and watched as Pike got distracted by a dog walker in the distance. Siktir, she muttered beneath her breath and called for him, each step gaining speed as she began to call out an apology. "He's harmless, I promise!" Alara's vision only got clearer as she got closer, Pike jumping around in excitement. "I'm sorry — Pike!" She kept her voice controlled and he listened, sitting down next to... "Cris?" This was why she needed her contacts, "Blue? Hi—" Aly's mouth curled into a smile seeing the Cane Corso, as well behaved as she remembered him.

[alarakczen]

STARTER FOR: @liv-li LOCATION: Alara & Colt's house

Of course, nobody had really seen the house since they moved in. A handful of close friends and family, but they made it clear to everyone that this year was about the three of them. Quality time was hard to come by when you had a toddler, even more so when you lived in close quarters to your brother, too. The house was complete, they had been in for almost three weeks and in that time, they had gotten engaged too.

Willa was playing with some new toys and she showed Liv around briefly, always keeping one eye on the toddler and their German Shepherd who was learning his new boundaries. It wasn't an in-depth tour, but when they did a small housewarming later in the year, there would be time for that. "How were the holidays?" Aly asked, looking over at the small tree they had got last minute. "I don't know when it's customary to take decorations down. I can't remember what we used to do in Atlanta." They alternated, one year to celebrate, the next to not. "Thanks for coming over, by the way. I've got coffee on the go, if you would like one."

[alarakczen]

STARTER FOR: @suttontinslcy LOCATION: Iron River Community Centre

     Yeah? That's awesome, thank you for getting this for me. I'll keep it safe, I promise. Alara was crouched down when Willa ran over to her with a small petal that had come from the outside. She wanted her to have it, so Aly took it for safe keeping before watching her run off to find Emmi. Another little girl the same age, whose guardian was much in the same boat as Colt and her. "Hi, happy new year—" Alara was a hugger, she always had been once a formal introduction had been made. She hugged Sutton and handed over a card, ones decorated by Willa and her brother one afternoon over the vacation period. "Just a little card from Willa, Colt and I for the family."

They didn't celebrate Christmas every year, with Alara growing up a Muslim and Colt a Catholic, it meant they alternated. The previous one had been hard, so they chose to not celebrate, but with the new addition to their family it felt like they had something to this year. Plus, they had got engaged. Again. Same ring, same promises, but this time it needed sizing up. "Did you have a good Christmas?" She asked, waving at Willa who still looked up to make sure Alara was there after all these months.

[alarakczen]

STARTER FOR: @selinturan LOCATION: The Heights Coffee Shop

     Coffee, it was new. She had dipped her toe in that pond in college, but after becoming reliant on it, Aly scaled back to her normal herbal and Turkish tea's. Since then, she had only been guilty of ingesting it by association thanks to her partner; he was a triple shot man, every morning without fail. It kickstarted his otherwise zombie self and since the new year, Alara had been finding herself taking a sip. Or three.

Unlike him she was a single shot woman and usually, even that was hard to finish, but it was becoming routine. She enjoyed the burst of energy first thing and with a few hours to spare, meeting Selin for one seemed like a good way to begin the week. "Happy new year," Alara smiled hoping that it would be a good one for their friendship. "I got you a little something for the holidays—" It was nothing big, just some spa goodies and chocolates. "You don't have to open it now, but Merry Christmas". It felt weird celebrating again, but doing so for Willa had been more than worth it.

"I'm drinking coffee now," She announced proudly like she should be her engagement. Except her ring was still being resized and Alara knew that it wouldn't be a celebration for Selin. "Toddlers take it out of you, so I'm onto weak ones to get me up in the morning." She chuckled, "I know the holidays are hard for you, but did you get up to anything except work?"

[alarakczen]

evren kozen​

—

“If I wasn’t comfortable, I would do something about it. You’ve got enough to worry about without adding me to your list. You, little sister, need to focus on making sure you are good, and not catering to everyone else around here. Husband included,” Evren said with a wave of his hand. The way he saw it, they were all adults here. There was a difference between caring about someone and bending over backward to care for them and thus strip them any independence or responsibility. “This inside and the colors are what makes it nice, Alara, do not cut yourself short,” he said, full naming her, ending with a joking tsk and a light roll of his eyes to play with her a slight amount. “I have evenings off and all I do is color, so really, me and her are more suited for company than you’d think. We’re homies, anyway, me and her.” Evren said. Most of his tattoos were black and white, so armed with a set of washable markers, Willa tended to color in his tattoo while he laid there. “That’s my way of saying yes. What night? Dare I ask what you’re doing?”

—

     “I know and I am, future husband included.” She paused, letting the feeling sink back in again. “Does it feel weird to know that you’ll be the only Közen to carry Dad’s name?” Alara asked, once again thinking about that. “I can’t decide if I should double barrel mine or not.” When they got married the first time Aly had never thought about it, but now it was something constantly in the back of her mind. She sighed, “I know. Thank you. Everything we need is done so the rest can wait, I need a break.” The woman laughed and sat back, picking up her glass of water, head shaking. “You know she runs outside in the morning to try and wave to you? Could barely get her snow boots on fast enough the other day, she gets so excited when you’re around.” It’s another reason she liked having him there, not just for herself, but for Willa too. “She adores you, especially when the markers come out.” Her mouth lifted back into a smile and Alara hopped off the stool, moving to run her finger along one of the window edges. “I don’t know what night yet, I need to talk to Colt. He wanted to go dancing, like, two months ago but with everything going on we just never got around to it.” Sighing, she wondered who she could speak to about this. Liv, maybe. Her cousin, too. “Just want to do something for him, you know? I hate leaving her, but we need some quality time together.” 

[mneverland]