How Green Becomes Wood

"Okay, if you're sure!" Alec agreed with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. He climbed into the front seat and buckled up. "It's so much taller than your car, Ba."

Xander waited until everyone was buckled up before starting the car. He supposed he could have waited to turn off the car, but he wasn't certain Dark would want to go again. He was oddly pleased that his foster dad did want to go again. Seemed eager to go. Well, as eager as Dark ever seemed.
 
"It is," he agreed, "but I think I am plenty tall enough as is. It is weird being in the backseat, though, I almost never am." He looked around the back of the car, "Daizi is right, I would fit comfortably if I sat in the back row and the middle row was put down."

Daizi stood on the side of the street and waved until the car sounded like it was at a distance, then she took Ivy inside and upstairs to her office, because if she had a break in emotion, she wouldn't be right there if she couldn't reign it in when they came inside.
 
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"Oh, yeah, you'll have plenty of space," Alec agreed. "Other than your actual seat. That's a bit squishy."

"Middle seats are always squishy," Xander pointed out as he drove the other direction around the block. "I think that's part of the definition of being a middle seat."
 
"I could never be comfortable in the middle seat between two other people," Darks told them, "My shoulders are too broad. But leg room is nice, flights to Egypt are miserable. And we are booking them on Daizi's family's money, so they are not economy seats."
 
"I guess you could always take a boat," Alec suggested with a grin.

"And get there by the next year," Xander muttered.

"Oh, come on! Boats aren't that slow anymore," Alec protested.

Xander shrugged, smiling to himself as he maneuvered the turns. "Slower than flying."
 
"We've discussed it, but they are slower, which takes up the days we could be spending with her family." Dark pointed out, "when we get unlimited days off, we may use boats more, but right now... A ship is... about eleven days, I think? We looked into it, once, 11 days there, 11 days back, compared to an 11 hour flight. Daizi is not so fortunate to get a month off of work, except for, obviously, when she had Ivy."
 
"I bet in a year or two she could, and then we could go on a family vacation! All of us!" Alec grinned.

Xander glanced back at him briefly. "You just want to go on a ship."

"Maybe."
 
"She already wants to go on a family vacation," Dark told them, "she knows it's probably premature, with Ivy as young as she is, but she really wants to drive to the ocean, and I know she didn't feel like she got to swim as much as she wanted to last year, because of everything." It wasn't something he was going to say, but typically he and Daizi spent a lot more time at Cooger's cabin in his lake, but with Xander's discomfort with pregnancy... she didn't feel particularly comfortable with the idea of being in a bathing suit around him then, and they didn't feel right leaving the twins home alone that often, especially not with everything that was going on that summer.
 
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"I forgot! She did mention that," Alec said. "We should do that soon!"

"Yet, and now Tabbi can take us there with plenty of room," Xander said.

Alec gave him an odd look. "Tabbi?"

Xander made a face and shook his head. "Nope. Definitely not."
 
"It might be nice..." Dark said thoughtfully, looking out the window, but then focused back in on the conversation, "Of all the names, that is what you first went with? What happened to 'getting to know' the car?"
 
"I saw a tabby cat, and I used to know a babysitter named Tabbi," Xander grumbled.

Alec snapped his fingers. "That's where I know the name from!" Then he frowned. "The car reminds you of our babysitter from when we were five?"

Xander sunk down, ears reddening, and grumbled something about "mom vibes" and "carrying stuff."
 
"That is as fair a reasoning as any I have heard." Dark remarked amicably, "but you need not forclose on anything too rapidly. Nobody expects the perfect name in a couple of hours." He looked out the window again as they approached the house, "It looks like Daizi went inside."
 
"I guess Mous got tired of having sun in her eyes," Xander said as he pulled into the driveway and carefully parked the car.

Alec unbuckled and leaned forward to pat his shoulder. "That was excellent and careful driving! I'm very proud of you."

Xander grinned to himself. "Thanks." He got out and opened the door for Alec, letting his brother hop out before closing the door.
 
"Or she felt strange waiting outside for us to finish a simple lap around the neighborhood," Dark said, whistling for Enkidu to follow him out of the car and stretching. "We need to figure out dinner, it is a bit late to cook but we can order in. Unless you would like to drive to pick something up instead, to show off your new car."
 
"Nah, the smell's starting to get to me," Xander said, wrinkling his nose. "Ordering in sounds fantastic!"

"Maybe you could name her something like 'Rose' or 'flower' or something," Alec grinned, petting Enkidu vigerously.

Xander glared at him. "You lost food-picking privilege."

"Worth it," Alec snickered. "What do you want, then?"

"Chinese! With like the pork fried rice and stuff," Xander said, heading for the door.
 
"Rose is the name of your music teacher," Dark reminded them as he followed them inside, looking around with surprise when Daizi didn't greet them, even if greeting was just calling out from a different room, but then again: the events of the afternoon may have thrown off Ivy's feeding schedule, and with the twins home, she would go up to the nursery rather than breastfeeding in the living room, since both twins felt uncomfortable with it--much to both his and Daizi's chagrin. Months ago, when they had had the conversation, Dark had pointed out Daizi wouldn't like feeling like she needed to hide feeding her baby, and he was right about it, but he was wrong in believing Daizi wouldn't accept the burden of staying out of their way. "Chinese food is nice. You can always name the car something like Khalaty or Amty, one of the Arabic words for Auntie, if you want something with those vibes, but it feels a bit strange."
 
Alec looked around as confused as Dark and headed for the stairs. "I can ask Mama if she doesn't mind Chinese real quick." He planned to approach slowly with deliberate noise so she could hear him coming and alert him if she was in a compromising position. He deeply appreciated her willingness to go elsewhere with Ivy and wanted to make it as easy as possible for them both. Or not wake Ivy if she'd dozed off.

"I'm not naming the car Aunty,," Xander said flatly.
 
It hadn't taken Daizi long to begin to cry after she was alone, and Ivy, seeing her mother cry, began to cry too, and at a volume that obscured the sounds of Daizi's tears, since she was trying to be subtle to begin with.

She was trying, desperately, to get it together anyway, since it was upsetting her baby so much, but while it was just the two of them, it was a task easier said than done, so she just held Ivy close and rocked her, stroking her hair and back, while taking every bit of comfort she could from her warm, gentle baby daughter, until the sounds of footsteps in the hallway made her stop and listen.

~~

"You wanted maternal and 'carries stuff.' You saw Daizi's aunties purses." Dark teased lightly.
 
Alec slowed and cocked his head. Was he hearing crying? Ivy seemed very upset. That seemed unusual, and he thought he heard Daizi crying. That didn't seem right. "Mama? Are you alright?" He tapped lightly on the door and started to open it very slowly, averting his eyes just in case.

~~

"Fair point," Xander agreed.
 
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