How Green Becomes Wood

"Oh," was all Dark said, regarding the phones. It seemed like another red flag to him, but he supposed, in theory, it were plausible. He had definitely seen Crystal use her phone in class, but it was also easy to, when at home, set the phone down and forget where it was. Although, he suspected Crystal didn't live with her friend, so... It was different than texting Xander to get ahold of his brother, especially since he only had the one number.

"Do you think they both would have been at the park, then?"
 
Alec paused thoughtfully. "I don't know," he admitted. "I thought it was just Crystal, but I guess Bernadette could have been there, too. Anyway, we rescheduled for this weekend. It's supposed to be a nice day, so maybe we could all go? You three - or four, I suppose - could sit at the nice pavilion on one end of the park, and then Crystal and I would be at the other. Still kind of in view, but then if something bad happens, we're all together."

"Sounds like a weird date to me," Xander grumbled, "but better than you going alone."

"It's not a date, it's getting to know each other," Alec corrected firmly. "I told her that, too."
 
Dark almost made a comment about how Alec really seemed keen on getting to know her, but resisted, guessing it would be taken the wrong way, "It might be uncomfortable for me to be there observing, since I have also been her teacher," Dark commented, "but if you feel better with me there, I will go. It seems like a smart plan." He was being honest: considering the red flags, bringing the family with to keep an eye was smart, and his concern about the boundaries of being Crystal's teacher were a true feeling, and not one come up with to try to dissuade Alec, "When Daizi comes home we can let her know about it."
 
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"I would feel more comfortable," Alec admitted. "I wasn't sure at first, but the more I thought about it, I think it would be better. I was going to try to talk Xander into coming with me tonight so he could skulk around in the shadows and keep an eye on things."

"I do not skulk!" Xander protested. "But I would go with you if you were boneheaded enough to try going tonight."

"Which has already been ruled out, so let's try to think of a family and teacher-friendly method instead," Alec pointed out.

Xander turned to Dark. "He's a lot more clear-headed away from her than with her."
 
"Well that is normal," Dark replied, "I am more clear-headed away from Daizi than I am with her."

Speaking of her, not too long after she came up the steps and came inside, carrying the vase of flowers Dark had sent her. When Daizi came inside, she touched the salt first, but waited to take off her shoes until after the had set the vase down, "Hello!" She said happily, feeling, for once, not totally exhausted and sore at the end of the day."
 
Alec gave Dark an odd look. "I don't feel about Crystal even close the way you feel about Daizi. I just want to give her a chance because she reminds me of someone."

"Oh yeah? Who? Evil Barbie?" Xander retorted.

"No." Alec looked at Xander. "You."

Xander started spluttering, turning red in the face as he tried to protest, but Daizi had arrived home, and Alec went running to greet her. Xander stayed in the kitchen, growling and fuming.

"Hi! Welcome home!" Alec greeted Daizi, going to hug her. "You look like you're in a good mood."
 
Dark couldn't help but chuckle at the way Xander spluttered. He had known, of course, that the way Alec felt wasn't similar, but he couldn't help but tease him. Just that once.

"I am, I feel pretty good today. But it's a big day for the two of us, you know that. Or, three of us, I guess, I suppose it's a big day for Dark too." Daizi said, "Dinner smells amazing."

"Oh you suppose," Dark said sarcastically, "It is only also my child."

"Yeah but it's not the same," Daizi argued with her bright, crooked grin.

"No, I know it's not the same, but I'm not only technically involved either," He replied, trying and failing to seem annoyed or forgotten, "What is that sweet girl going to grow up to think?"

"I guess we'll find out!" Daizi replied, and laughing kissed her husband, "Dark sent me flowers."
 
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"Oh, that's lovely! Those are some really nice roses and lilies. Should we put them in the center of the table?" Alec asked, looking them over.

"Why? What did I miss?" Xander asked, sauntering in. "I'm guessing he didn't sent you flowers because Alec got himself a girlfriend."

"I did not!" Alec snapped, picking up the flowers. "It's just a potential friendship."
 
"It's the start of my third trimester," Daizi said, believing that is what Xander meant by 'what did I miss,' but then turned towards Alec, "You have a girlfriend?!"

"No, he has someone he might become platonic friends with," Dark corrected, not wanting to entertain the thought of Alec actually dating Crystal.

"Oh, right of course," Daizi nodded, handing off the vase so she could bend awkwardly and uncomfortable to take off her shoes, "But, still, what? It still feels like a big new development."
 
Alec took the vase to put it on the table, leaving Xander to tell the story. Xander filled Daizi in on the basics, trying (and mostly succeeding) in keeping his personal feelings out of the story. He did add that Sloan was not a fan. He and Sloan might not always get along perfectly, but as she wasn't the type to bad mouth everyone and anyone who crossed her path, he took note of the one person she did dislike.

Alec took his time setting up the vase and the flowers. Everyone was asking him about Crystal, about if he liked her, why he was interested in giving her a chance, and to be honest, he didn't have an answer to that. He didn't know why he wanted to give her a chance. The sensible, logical side of him told him he should listen to his brother and friend. The survival part of him said the same. Everything they said made sense, so why, then, did some keep part of him keep thinking about her? Was he attracted to her and he just didn't realize it? He didn't think so. He really didn't, but when she spoke to him, there was something in her tone, something that made him want to do what she asked. He was beginning to wonder if he was going insane, but far more terrifyingly... he was curious. He wanted to explore this strange power she had. Besides, Daizi said you had to experiment and make mistakes to grow. Well, something along those lines. He could always say no at any time. Whenever he wanted, and he knew Xander would be there to back him up.
 
Daizi listened carefully to the full story and came away from it a lot less jovial about it. Even without Xander's personal feelings strongly coloring it, the way Crystal approached Alec, and what she had said, bothered her. Going through her life looking the way she did and being the way she had, Daizi had met many girls and women who were, to put it mildly, unkind. And although Daizi did not believe for an instant that Alec was easily manipulated--he had seen through Declan immediately, after all-- she absolutely believed people who didn't know him would think that about him.

"Well," She said calmly, "we'll all be there this Saturday. So we can keep a close watch. Or, you two can. I'll keep a close listen."
 
"Sounds good to me," Xander agreed and sauntered toward the kitchen. "Was I supposed to get you something for the milestone party?"

"You can't even talk about what the milestone is. What would you get her for a gift?" Alec challenged.

Xander thought a moment. "A cupcake?"
 
"No, you didn't need to get me anything," Daizi assured him as she followed him into the kitchen, "It's enough to know everyone is really excited. Or, at the very least, very neutral about it," she said that sentence a bit hesitantly, trying to subtly trick the twins into letting her know a bit more about how they were feeling about it, "but I would have loved a cupcake nonetheless. As long as I'm pregnant, you never need a reason to bring me a cupcake."

She laughed lightly as Dark turned back to them, ready to serve dinner. He stopped himself suddenly, staring at the flowers, and with true irritation he says, "I should have added three flowers of a different type. 28 weeks, 7 months, to celebrate the third trimester, but I didn't add flowers for the third trimester."

"Aw, it's okay, Goose, I still love them. I still cried when they arrived, you did good."

"No, but," He began serving dinner, "it is not as nice as it should have been."

Daizi sat up straighter and reached out to him, "You've been stressed too, don't beat yourself up. We can go out and pick three flowers from the garden to add, and then it'll be more meaningful because it'll be three that we grew." Dark sighed, still deeply annoyed with himself, but took his usual seat anyway, choosing to accept Daizi's suggestion.
 
Xander rolled his eyes and started eating. Alec smiled, touched by their interaction. Flowers were definitely something important to Daizi, so Dark took an interest in them. Dark liked - loved - carnivals and fairs, so Daizi took an interest in them. Alec wondered what Crystal was interested in. She'd commented on his clothes, so she cared about that, but was she the type of person to take an interest in things because someone else was interested in them? Sloan was interested in things he liked, as was Peter, and he liked to think he showed an interest in things they liked. What would it be like to have that but on another level like Dark and Daizi? He wasn't sure he wanted that with Crystal, but since she was on his mind, it was an easy comparison to make.
 
As they ate, Daizi reached one hand up to rub against the back of Dark's neck and through his hair, and he sort of leaned against the palm of her hand which made her smile. They just seemed happier together, more at peace maybe. But that wasn't new, and even when she dropped her hand they still sat with one leg pressed against each other's without even really realizing it. Every so often, and this wasn't new either, Dark would sneak a long look at his wife, and then take a brief glance down at his wedding ring and smile, or Daizi would bump her shoulder against his, and it was all intermingled with their normal conversations.

At some point in their meal, Daizi made a face and shifted in her seat, before saying, "I think I'm going to go lie down after the dishes are all cleaned up."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah," She nodded, truthfully, "she's just pressing weird, I need to stretch out."
 
"We can help with the dishes," Alec offered. "You can go stretch out. It'll be good for you."

Xander made a face at getting volunteered to do dishes but didn't argue. He didn't really mind.
 
"If you're sure..." Daizi said hesitantly, and Dark rolled his eyes.

"Seven months of this conversation!" He huffed, "Go, relax."

She felt inclined to argue, but the pressure on her sciatic nerve convinced her not to, so she forced herself to her feet, deciding to allow them to do the dishes, but before she left, Daizi asked, "Oh, did anybody check the mail today?"

"There was nothing important in it," Dark replied.

"Oh. That's disappointing," she frowned, and then explained to the twins, "Seven is a big number in Egypt, so at the seventh month, the mother's family normally starts giving gifts like seven sets of clothes and socks and jewelry and prayer scrolls, and so I am waiting for when my family start sending all of it."

"They probably have, but if they have made it across the ocean they are held up at customs while they call the packages 'suspicious' and test them because where they are coming from," Dark replied.

"If they ruin the nabat I will raise hell." Daizi huffed.
 
"They do that with all packages from foreign companies," Alec pointed out.

"You mean countries," Xander mumbled.

"Right, countries. You should hear Peter complaining about the packages from his grandparents. Apparently, it took his birthday gift two months to arrive when it was supposed to be express mailed."

"It makes you wonder where customs were at when all of those invasive species got imported over here, accidentally or otherwise," Xander grumbled.

Alec winced. "Like the geese. Those are scary."
 
"That is true," Dark agreed, "but nobody can convince me our packages are not held longer. Especially since her family inevitably writes a little prayer on the side of the box."

"I keep telling them not to, I can't read it anyway, and the wrong person will look at it and immediately call it a suspicious package. But I don't care how long it's stuck in customs as long as it's not destroyed and it arrives before I'm 8 months. It'll ruin everything otherwise." Daizi said, not believing like her husband did that it was definitely targeted and unfairly held, "but be kind to Canada Geese, we're only expected to dislike them because they're an animal who has decided they are going to live as they please regardless of if it's convenient for humans. They're actually very good birds, and are very protective of their babies. Right, Goose?"

He smiled when Daizi kissed his cheek, but said, "You did not name me after a Canada Goose."

"No," She agreed, holding his hand, "but you're still a very good Goose."
 
"Good thing you didn't say the brown rat," Xander told Alec dryly. "I'd be scared to know how they'd make that cute and sweet."

Alec stuck his tongue out at him and stood to start cleaning up the table. Xander moved to help him, and in no time at all, they had the area cleaned up and tidy. They stood side by side with Alec washing the dishes and Xander drying as they speculated on how to make a brown rat sweet and sexy.
 
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