How Green Becomes Wood

"That is exactly what I am doing," Dark knotted the thread and pulled it tightly before adding a few additional stitches to make absolutely certain it was secure before adding the newest one to the pile, "They need to be sturdy. These are the size of bell the people in Daizi's support group recommend, but I do not want her to tumble a certain way and damage one, because then it may damage her. And they need to be sturdy on her clothes, so she cannot rip them off and try to eat them. Because she would try to eat them."
 
"She absolutely would," Alec agreed. He put the bells down. "I'm going to go read about flowers. Let me know if you need anything!" He headed upstairs, but Xander stayed put.

"Got an extra needle?" Xander asked Dark.
 
"I will," Dark promised. He only looked at Xander for maybe a second in surprise when he offered to help, but then took one of the extras out of the pin cushion and moved down slightly on the couch so he didn't need to reach so far, "I would be glad for your help. She has too many clothes."
 
Xander plunked down and picked up one of the onsies and the needle. He was more used to bigger needles with bigger stitching with what he did on his leatherwork, but the principle was the same. It took him a little bit to get the hang of things, but soon he had his first bell secured. He flicked it lightly with his nail. "Are you going to do this to all of them, or just her around the house things?"
 
"All of them, I think." Dark replied, looking over the stacks of clothing he had laid out--not only her current size, but the next one they had ready as soon as she outgrew her current wardrobe, "If we have someone over, we want her to look nice. If we visit someone's house, they may let her crawl there. And once she gets to a certain point, she may refuse to let us prevent her from moving around a place. I would prefer to be over-cautious. Although maybe if we need to put her in something particularly nice, we would not include it then."
 
"I think it is difficult to avoid," Dark admitted, holding up one of his onesies, "I put one on one of her toys. It seems to be fine about here," He pointed, "but we are rarely in the car for very long, so it should be alright regardless."
 
"Alright. Just so long as they're okay," Xander nodded. He checked Darks work so he'd know where to put his bells. He sewed on two more before asking, "You really think it's okay for him to be working for that guy? I mean, he gets any job he'll be working with strangers, and he's gotta pass the interview, but... you know. It's not just a stranger."
 
Running his tongue over his teeth, Dark attempted to answer him, "I do not know if I have an answer you will be satisfied with. Or if I have one I will be satisfied with. But he is not going to work with him, and just because they are related that does not mean they are identical. I doubt Ciara is identical to your mum. And I don't think that if Tristan wanted to claim custody, the courts would let him, at this point. If he tried, I am sure even Ciara would step in to fight it." He lowered the onesie into his lap, poking the needle through it, "I also do not believe it would all be some sort of ploy for Declan to worm his way back in. I suspect the worm is thrilled to be soon rid of child support payments."
 
Xander stabbed the onsie harder than necessary, narrowly missing his hand in the process. "I get that he's not him, but I just... I don't want him messing with Alec. In his own way. Apples and trees and all that. I just... I'm thinking... opposite world with him. He messed with me. I don't want this version messing with him."
 
"You are from the same tree." Dark pointed out as gently as he could mention, "and so is Alec. I am from my father's. Some trees are on hills, and the apples can roll. Anyway, if you plant one kind of apple from its seed, the apples that tree will grow will be entirely different from the first apple." He continued stitching the bell, taking time to be careful as he worked, "I understand why you are anxious, I do not mean to make you feel as if I am lassiez-faire about the matter. I am not, and I intend to keep a close eye on it all. Still. It is not a one-sided matter: from how it appears to me, you both are much more secure in yourselves and your place in our family than you were before. Secure people are more difficult to manipulate."
 
Xander hadn't realized an apple metaphor could stretch so far. He nodded as Dark talked, understanding. He did have to ask, "Lass-what? I can guess what it means. I guess you're right. He'll be alright. Right?" Xander nodded slightly. "He'll be fine." But Xander wouldn't be there to help if he wasn't fine. Alec was all on his own without backup, and Xander had sworn he'd never let his brother down like that again.
 
After explaining it meant 'hands-off,' Dark had to admit, "I think the fact he is willing to try to do things without you is a positive thing. It' is not easy for either of you, but it is good to stand on your own two feet. But that does not mean you cannot be concerned." He tipped his head back before settling his eyes on his son, "Do you trust your brother?"
 
"There is nothing wrong with worrying for him, and I understand why you are. But the hard truth is everyone has the potential to manipulate others, regardless of who they are. I do not disagree with wanting to stay more reserved with Tristan than with someone else because he is a relative, and so he may have a sense he is owed something--but I also think he has not shown a desire for that." Dark said, doing his best to juggle not confirming nor downplaying Xander's anxieties, "But even were he a stranger, that, unfortunately, does not mean he would become exempt from the ability to do that kind of harm. Sometimes, even if we are afraid, we have to trust the people we love to be able to make smart choices."
 
Xander grunted softly. Alec seemed like an empty-headed blonde under all that color and makeup and whatever other nonsense of the day he was into, but underneath all of that, he was usually suspicious just like Xander. He just played it off better. He'd have to trust his brother to spot his own trouble for a while.

He held up a finished onsie and stared at the bizarrely "normal" design and statement on the front. "Why do you have this?"
 
Dark looked over at the outfit Xander was holding up and shook his head, sliding down slightly on the couch, stretching out one of his legs, "What I have learned is when you have a baby, people love giving you clothes, and regardless of how much you think, 'I would never dress my child in that,' it inevitably ends up being the only clean thing in the drawer. That," he nodded at it, "is from Cooger's father and step-mother."
 
"Ah." Xander folded it amongst a bunch of jingling and apologized to Enkidu for the racket as he added it to the pile.

He'd just finished another one when there came a screech of breaks outside and just down the road. He was off the couch and at the window in the blink of an eye. Two houses down, someone had tried to pull out while a car came down the street. It seemed someone was banking on the fact that it was a quiet road and hadn't looked as well as he should have. No one had hit anything, everything was fine, but now the drivers - a pair of older teen boys - were yelling at each other about who's fault it was. It wasn't a big deal. Things like this had happened before, but Xander stood staring at the two nearly touching cars, one hand gripping the windowsill.
 
Dark got up at the screech, wanting to make sure things were okay, but was soon distracted by Xander' response to it. For a few moments he only watched him but then stepped closer, after shutting the curtains of all the nearby windows except for the one Xander was looking out of, "Hey," he murmured, "Take a breath."
 
A dark blanket wrapped itself around Xander. He couldn't hear anything but the screech of the tires. Couldn't see anything but the two cars. Touching. Almost touching. It was right there. Yet so far away.

Then Dark spoke. The darkness vanished like someone had turned on a light, sending the cockroaches scurrying. Xander blinked and took a deep breath. He turned toward Dark, not quite looking him in the eye. "Teen drivers," he grumbled. "A menace to the roads." He started back toward the pile of onsies, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he was resolutely ignoring it.
 
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