How Green Becomes Wood

Dark and Daizi showed up. They couldn't always, but now that Dark had quit his job and Daizi was still working fewer hours and remotely, they attended much more often. Cooger, also, attended, because he told them on the 4th that he would, so he did. Plus he liked spending time with his friends, especially now that Dark was sober.

Sloan came that night, because she tried to every so often, but Milo texted back that he couldn't that night, but he'd try to make it soon.
 
The twins and Peter went through their usual round, this time focusing bit more on older songs. Songs that might show up on the classic rock station or similar, plus one or two they thought Cooger would enjoy. They'd expected him to come and had planned for it. They were having a lot of fun, especially Alec who was engaging with the small but enthusiastic crowd and keeping them excited. He loved this job! Even though it wasn't exactly a job.

Just before their break, Alec said, "This song we'd like to dedicate to a special couple. Two people who see beyond the surface to help notonly each other through every storm in life, but everyone around them, too." He winked at Dark since Daizi couldn't see. Then he started the song.

You're the soul who understands
The scars that made me who I am
Through the drifting sands of time
I got your back and you got mine

If you bear a heavy load
I'll be your wheels, I'll be the road
I'll see us through the thick and thin
For love and loss until the end

'Cause you carried me with you
From the highest of the peaks
To the darkness of the blue
I was just too blind to see
Like a lighthouse in a storm
You were always guiding me
Yeah, it's true
You carried me with you

From the day it all began
Yeah, you were there, you took my hand
And when I hurt a bit too deep
You watched me as I fell asleep

And when my head was in the clouds
You found a way to pull me out
You picked my heart up off the ground
And it showed me love was all around

Yeah, you carried me with you
From the highest of the peaks
To the darkness of the blue
I was just too blind to see
Like a lighthouse in a storm
You were always guiding me
Yeah, it's true
You carried me with you

Oh, we'll be sittin' on the world together (Ooh-ooh)
Watchin' as the days turn into night (Ooh-ooh)
We know how to brave the stormy weather (Ooh-ooh)
And we're never givin' up without a fight

If you should ever bear a heavy load
I'll be your wheels, I'll be the road
I'll see us through the thick and thin
For love and loss until the end

'Cause you carried me with you
From the highest of the peaks
To the darkness of the blue
I was just too blind to see
Like a lighthouse in a storm
You were always guiding me
Yeah, it's true
You carried me with you
Oh, you carried me with you
 
When Alec began his dedication, both Dark and Daizi put together they were the ones it was for almost immediately, but at the wink, Cooger calmly got up and left them alone together. Dark leaned over towards Daizi as she leaned towards him, grabbing each other simultaneously.

By the end of the song, Daizi had her face pressed into Dark's shoulder, because with how madly in love she had been with Dark recently, and the fact that her boys performed a song for them, it made her more than just a little bit emotional, but Dark was bouncing Ivy in his lap, and she knew if she was caught crying, Ivy would cry too.

Dark felt similarly touched, but being less emotive, he rested his cheek against Daizi's hair, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and he watched the performance proudly.
 
The song ended to applause, and the band took their bows. Alec assured the audience they'd be back after their break, and they stepped off the stage for a bit of food and a drink.

Alec went straight to Dark and Daizi's table, smiling almost shyly. "Are you enjoying the show?" he asked innocently.
 
Daizi raised her head, wiping her eyes, "Yeah," she said, "It's great. That was a really beautiful song."

Nodding in agreement, Dark said, "You have been performing wonderfully tonight."
 
"Thank you," Alec chirped, bouncing slightly. "The song wasn't my idea, but I meant it. I'm glad you liked it." He turned to look for Cooger as Peter and Xander came over with their food and drinks.
 
"Whose was it?" Daizi asked, guessing it was not Peter. Sally must have been right earlier. And that was thrilling.

"It was a very welcome surprise," Dark said, holding his baby against his chest.

When Cooger saw Alec looking at him, he returned to the table, "What's up, lil' Sage? Great show tonight, kid, you're basically a star already."
 
Alec didn't want to answer Daizi, though he figured Daizi could easily figure it out. Xander had asked him not to say. So, when Cooger spoke to him, he seized on the chance to be "distracted" and "forget" to answer her. "Thanks! I think I am definitely the brightest and best star here in this pizzeria, that's for sure." He grinned at Cooger, totally teasing.

"Sup, Mini?" Xander greeted Ivy as he sat down. "This meet your approval? Got any requests?"
 
"Be careful Tarot," Cooger leaned over to Daizi, "Sounds like he's a budding Diva. Soon he'll strike on his own like Beyonce or Michael Jackson."

Turning her head towards Xander, Ivy smiled sleepily at Xander and reached out to him, cooing relatively quietly, much trusting Dark would support her body however she flopped.

"She is a bit tired," Dark said, rubbing Ivy's back. "It is late for her."
 
"Don't worry. I'll never forget where I came from," Alec told Cooger, pretending to flip his hair over his shoulder.

Peter snorted. "Right, and you'll keep your band members no matter what?"

"Absolutely!" Alec told him.

"Sorry about that, Mouse," Xander said to Ivy. "Next time, we'll do an earlier gig for sure."
 
"Oh, sure you will." Cooger chuckled, "That's why we all know the members of NSync and not just Justin Timberlake, right?"

"I do think she enjoyed it, though. She loves music." Dark said, adjusting how Ivy lay against his arm.

The following Saturday, the day Ivy was officially nine months old---a date which Daizi found a bit complicated, because on one hand, her baby girl was another month older, but on the other, it reminded her that she never got to reach nine months with her before--they all said goodbye to Enkidu, Neith, and the rats, before piling into a rented mini van. They had discussed taking Xander's, but Dark decided he felt uncomfortable putting so many miles onto Xander's car, but his was frankly too small to be comfortable. As it was, the trunk was full, and they had a cooler wedged in the back near whoever sat in the back row of seats full of drinks and snacks.

When the car was fully packed, and Dark was backing out of their driveway, he wondered how this would go and if it was perhaps a bit premature, but Daizi was absolutely confident it'd be perfect. She was probably right, he thought, but suddenly it felt like a lot of pressure and a potential catastrophe.
 
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Neither Alec nor Xander had ever been on an actual road trip before, and they were incredibly excited. Of course, Xander tried to play it off as he shared his space with the cooler. Alec didn't even try to hide his excitement as he looked from window to window and sang along with all the songs and entertained Ivy. The car ride kept going. And te excitement waned. Yet, that was a tree out the window. And another tree. And some rocks. And sitting with a cooler was kind of squishy, but at least it offered the fastest access to snacks. The snacks had to be rationed, though. And still the road kept rolling. Alec plastered his face to the window and searched for something interesting while Xander contemplated the benefits of trying to nap with a cooler as a head rest.
 
Both adults had experienced enough car rides to know how to handle it, and they did their best to make it easier for them. It was a silly game, but Dark had Alec and Xander point out license plate states they passed, purely as an activity. Daizi had set up a baby-safe essential oil diffuser to try to keep the car calm and relaxing.

Ivy was fine at first, but by the end of the first hour, she was frustrated, bored, and (her parents guessed), stiff. Daizi reached into a bag by her feet and presented her with a brand new toy, which helped calm her down.

One benefit, or flaw, depending on how one viewed it, was that because of Ivy, they needed to take a number of stops to change Ivy, or feed her, or, at one point, take a long walk around a rest stop to soothe her sufficiently.

When Ivy napped, though, there was some level of peace. They couldn't really blame her for getting cranky, and glancing back at Xander, Dark told him Ivy had the right idea about napping.
 
Xander grumbled but did end up dozing off for a while. Alec kept staring out the window and reporting state license plates and anything else he saw of interest in the same monotone. He wasn't completely bored yet, but it was getting close. He hadn't had to stay this still since school! At least he wasn't being forced to decipher the secrets hidden in the symbolism of literature. He always hated that class. Symbolism could be incredibly cool, or it could be incredibly far-fetched. Sometimes the curtains stood for deep depression, and sometimes they stood for curtains. He just wanted to read the story and see what the obvious message was before diving into what it may or may not say on a between-the-lines level.
 
"Imagine if we were planning to do the full drive in one day," Daizi said, hearing Alec squirm. "This actually isn't so bad, once we had to make a twelve hour drive in one day. We brought Cooger along really just so that Dark had someone to switch driving with."

"They have not had time to work up travel endurance. We are used to flights to Egypt," Dark mentioned.

"Still, you should give Ivy some thanks, she's why we've taken so many breaks, and is why we aren't making the full drive in one day."
 
Alec peeled his face away from the car window. "How do you do trips like that all in one go?" he demanded in disbelief. "How could anyone possibly sit in a car and focus on driving for twelve full hours? Or in the passenger seat, which might be worse! It's just... inhumane!" He put his nose back on the glass. "Oh, there's another California."
 
"Sheer force of will." Dark answered.

"Podcasts." Daizi answered, but then sighed, tipping her head against the glass, "but since having Ivy, I find my favourite crime podcasts more upsetting than I used to. I love them, but I can't listen to them, I keep thinking about her!"

"I had to turn off a nature documentary because a baby flamingo was eaten." Dark complained with a heavy frown.

"That's why we've just been listening to music."
 
"Nature documentaries are always - Indiana again - always depressing and tear-jerking," Alec said. "I don't know how you can listen to crime podcasts. I tried once, and Xander said I wasn't allowed anymore because I kept thinking I saw murderers. Indiana. His last straw was when an older lady dropped a book and I screamed."
 
"They make me feel safe. I hyper fixate on horrible things anyway, being able to listen to those cases is a healthy way for me to process those anxieties, I think." Daizi explained, leaning back, "I'm also just curious. I prefer cults to serial killers, but I also think it is important to keep in mind what happened in those stories. So many times in cases of serial killers, the reason they were able to get so many victims i
wasn't because they were 'genius masterminds,' but because of police incompetence and their refusal to investigate when people of certain demographics are murdered or go missing."

"Have you been marking off somewhere what states we have seen?"
 
"I don't really see the sense, but if that is what works for you, then I'm all for it!" Alec told her cheerfully. "Although if you're only thinking of Ivy now, I guess it might be time to find a different processing method. Or at least a different topic." He held up his sheet absently, knowing neither Dark nor Daizi could actually look at it. "Most of them. I've been forgetting some."
 
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