Closed: What about her?

[rkdavies]

After they'd done the home visit with Chelsi, there had been a small amount of paperwork that involved giving her their references and then reading over the home study she'd completed and sent to them. There were classes that they were meant to be doing that hadn't started yet. Chelsi had promised those could be waived and fast tracked if there was

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[lavender_x]

Lavender had done absolutely everything that Chelsi had 'suggested' they do after the first home visit. She furnished the nursery in all neutral colors, warm gray walls and white furniture with yellow and green accents, wanting to be completely prepared for either a baby boy or girl. Every cabinet, door, and outlet was now baby proofed and there were baby gates all over the house, or at least in storage and ready to be put up when the time arose.

There would be absolutely no misunderstanding just how serious the Davies were about adopting, about how much they wanted a child to call their own, and how much they were going to love whoever joined their family.

That didn't s top her from being a bundle of nerves every day, knowing that they had only just gotten over the first hurdle in this process.

She felt no differently coming into Chelsi's office now.

"We've talked extensively," Lavender assured her, crossing one leg over the other, "We were talking about an infant or toddler-"

[rkdavies]

Nodding, Chelsi marked on her page. "So we'll say up to three years old, then?"

Roger looked over at Lavender, watching her for a moment. They had talked about this, both before and after the last meeting, but it was suddenly starting to feel more real, more concrete. "Sounds right."

"Boy or girl?"

"Either," Roger told her without pause. It wasn't exactly a secret that he sort of hoped for a girl, but the idea of having a little boy to raise was actually exciting in its own right. They would definitely be happy either way.

"Good, good." Chelsi nodded. "Now, just so you know." Her tone of voice said that this wasn't the part she liked. She was still pleasant enough, but she was giving them the real lay down of everything, which was appreciated. "Under four is harder. Over five is a little easier. If you wanted a school age, around eleven, I could have a child ready to come stay with you today. I just want you to know there could be a bit of wait. Everyone wants a baby."

[lavender_x]

Now that was something else she had been worried about, knowing just how much other couples preferred a baby over an older child. And she was the same, as much as she felt guilty about it, but Lavender wanted the experience of raising a child from infancy.

"We're willing to wait," Lavender said quickly, leaning forward in her seat as her hand went out for Roger's, as if she was looking for his support in the fast response.

"How long could it be? Months, years?"

She at least had to know for timeline purposes. There was already a nursery all set up, waiting for the newest Davies to join them.

[rkdavies]

"As long as it takes," Roger added, lacing his fingers though Lavender's. He'd know and everyone had said that there would be waits involved. They were willing to wait, they really were, but he wondered just how long something like that may take

[lavender_x]

Now that idea alone was heartbreaking to Lavender. She knew that the foster system and the families did a great service to the children but that was something she didn't have in her.

It was hard enough seeing other happy pregnant women and mothers with their children from day to day. She couldn't imagine having these kids coming in and out of her home, no idea how long they'd stay and knowing it would be just as difficult to say goodbye to each of them.

"I'm sorry I just don't think-" she started, voice quiet as she shook her head.

Lavender turned to Roger, almost apologetically but she was sure he knew what she meant. It would be difficult for them both.

"When there's a baby available, we'll be ready. I already furnished the nursery like you suggested and we baby proofed the house-"

[rkdavies]

Roger shook his head right back. He could appreciate what foster parents did, but that wasn't for them. They could only take so much heartbreak at a time. Taking in children just to give them up over and over again sounded devastating and miserable.

"Good, good," Chelsi nodded. "That's fine. You'll be ready when the time comes, right? That's what - "

"Ms. Chelsi! Ms. Chelsi!" A little ball of energy came bursting into the room, a harried looking woman trailing behind her.

"Yes, Dahlia?" Chelsi cut off to ask the little girl with dark hair. She sounded patient and amused, long-suffering even.

She climbed up onto a chair at the large table and dropped a pink backpack onto it. "I formally request no one over a thousand anymore. The house was a museum and not the fun kind with the stuff that goes - " She made an expansive gesture with her little arms.

Roger barely stifled a laugh. The attention made the little girl - Dahlia - make the gesture again, puffing her cheeks out and making a sound he was pretty sure was supposed to sound

[lavender_x]

The little girl burst into the room without an notice and completely took Lavender by surprise, leaving her speechless, wide eyed, and smiling as she watched the interaction. She could hear Roger laugh, but very quietly as he tried to hold it in, but she couldn't take her eyes off of Dahlia.

She was this huge presence in the room and yet somehow still completely adorable. She made Lavender just melt.

When she left the room she finally turned to her husband and then back to Chelsi.

"Um- who was that? Is she-" Lavender started, looking for the right words. Suddenly she was so curious.

"Is she in the foster system?"

[rkdavies]

Roger could already tell before Lavender said anything that she was smitten. She might as well as have heart in her eyes. He could relate. That little girl was a bit of a force, commanding attention and still following direction fairly well for her age, which Roger put somewhere around five or six at best guess.

"She is," Chelsi nodded, flipping back to the inventory and shaking her head. "Dahlia Webb. She's five. We've had her since she was three. She just became adoptable and we sent her on a pre-placement visit. It didn't go all that well." She laughed a little and looked up at Lavender. "As you can tell, she's very picky. Which is good. Fewer placements disrupt when the kids are on board."

[lavender_x]

"Dahlia-"

The name rolled off her tongue, fitting there perfectly. Of course, she was named Dahlia. A flower.

Roger had to make the connection himself, she knew that he would. It was almost too perfect and Lavender found herself leaning forward in her seat.

"Do you think- well, she just seems like such a special little girl-"

She turned towards Roger, a brightness in her eyes, hoping he'd finish her question, praying he wanted to.

[rkdavies]

"A flower name," Roger whispered, mostly amused by the absurdity of it. Of course there was a spitfire of a little girl running around with a flower name. She had the best possible timing because Roger could see the look on Lavender's face.

She was completely smitten and he wasn't far behind her.

Roger nodded. "Do you think ... we could officially meet her? See if she likes us?"

Chelsi's eyebrows shot up. Very seriously, she settled her papers down. "She's outside your age range. We'd expect tutoring or pre-Hogwarts education starting in the fall. She's opinionated. There haven't been any real behavioral problems, but she's in placement and older and has been in placement so they might be there the way behaviors aren't with infants."

[lavender_x]

It was actually a relief to Lavender to hear that Roger was on the same page as her, though that wasn't exactly surprising. It felt like the two of them could practically read each other's minds at time, now more than ever.

"That's alright. We can try-" she said, looking more hopeful and just as nervous as she had that very first meeting with Chelsi that already felt like a lifetime away.

"And education. Yes, of course. She could start at Lily's school. There's another bedroom that's a little bit bigger-"

[rkdavies]

"The bedroom is up to you. Older children need fewer very specific things than infants." Changing tables and cribs weren't something Chelsi needed to point out someone needed when there was a five year old involved.

"We'll let her help pick things. That way it feels more ... " Roger wasn't sure where that sentence was going, but that's what they'd done with Lily so she could feel more a part of everything.

"Real for her?" Chelsi nodded and smiled, but it was dimmed by a sigh. "Look, if it's a disaster, I want to know. But I also don't want to hear about it if she cries over things your daughter didn't. It sounds crass, but I get a lot of panics from people who simply can't deal. They try. They fail. They want me to fix all the problems on kids that don't actually need to be fixed. So you have to be sure that you want to try this before I introduce her."

When Roger opened his mouth, Chelsi stood and held up her hand. "I"m going to check on Dahlia. Let you two talk this over. I'll be back in a few minutes."

[lavender_x]

In a way Lavender had been lucky with Lily, who was well mannered and always so incredibly polite. Her step daughter had accepted her instantly and with out a second thought, the three of them forming a happy little family.

She knew that not every child would be as easy as that, especially one with a past like Dahlia had, only five years old and no home or family of her own. But not every bump in the road was a disaster and she wanted to try to work through them.

"Roger, I know it might not be what we wanted but none of this really is. Maybe it's all falling into place-" she started, turning towards her husband once they were alone.

"I think we should at least try. We could be the right family for her."

[rkdavies]

Nothing in their lives really went to plan. Things sort of happened to and around them. Their entire lives had been reacting to a lot of chances.

This could be another one of those.

Roger had to admit that it could also go terribly, terribly wrong. They were great with Lily, and he had no doubts that Lavender would be wonderful, but what if this five year old had more problems than they could handle?

"The only thing I'm worried about is if we can't do it? We're taking in this girl, then sending her away. And that's terrible." It would be terrible for Dahlia, for Lily, for them. Roger didn't want to say it that way, but they needed to consider it.

[lavender_x]

Lavender had always been the type to act on her impulses, especially when she was younger and didn't know anything about getting hurt or how bad consequences could be. It was one of the reasons she ended up turning back to Roger again and again, unable to deny that gut feeling she had even when her heart had been broken.

She still thanked her lucky stars that she had bumped into him at the reunion, no matter who messy that entire night had been.

This could be one of the moments, a shot in the dark that she just had to take.

"We won't know until we try, right?" Lavender reasoned, taking his hand in her own as she shifted closer.

"What if we just meet her and see what happens? I have a feeling about her, Roger-"

[rkdavies]

Roger didn't want to say no about it anyway, though he was a little worried about how Lily might react to them bringing a little girl in that was closer to her age than the baby they'd initially thought about.

But Lavender was right. They wouldn't know until they tried. And there was still the chance that Dahlia wouldn't even like them, which seemed to be a sticking point - as it should be - with Chelsi.

"Okay." Roger nodded, meeting Lavender's eyes and not looking away. "Let's meet her."