How Green Becomes Wood

Inhaling, Daizi sat up straight in bed, "I just need you to take care of yourself, okay? I'm doing okay. Today I'm actually doing really well. But..." She wanted to get up and go over to him, but she didn't want to make him feel pressured or closed in, "Do you need anything?" She furrowed her brows, not so exhausted that she couldn't pick up on how Xander, clearly, had some upset somewhere. And nothing could happen that would make her not care about it.
 
"No, no, I'm good," Xander said hurriedly. "You just enjoy this day, okay? I'm alright. Just tired. I skipped my nap." He tried to make light of the situation, really not wanting to distract from how successful today had been.
 
"If you need to get some sleep before you go home..." Daizi offered again, trying to gesture towards the bed, really wanting to find something to help Xander, but unable to gage what he needed.
 
"Nah, it's okay. I wouldn't be able to relax here," Xander said, now feeling guilty he had Daizi so concerned. "Seriously, it's okay. I can last that long. I'll be alright."

"Daizi," Alec said, "I think Ivy might want to go back. Is it alright if I put her in the warming bed thingy?" Actually, she seemed fine, but it was a good distraction.
 
"Yeah, go ahead," Daizi replied, letting it drop. She knew better than to try to force someone to talk, so she figured it was, hopefully, enough to show that she both still cared and would try to help find solutions.

"I cannot relax here either," Dark said coolly, trying to keep things easy.
 
Xander relaxed a little when Daizi dropped the topic. He didn't know what to say, so he just stood awkwardly.

Alec carefully put Ivy in her bed and made certain she was comfortable. "Have you thought of a good costume for her yet?"
 
"No," She admitted, and then hesitated, "Well, actually, I thought it would be cute if we dressed her up as, like, a pomegranate, or something. And then Dark and I could be Hades and Persephone. I had said it sort of as a joke a few months ago, and only recently remembered it. But they don't really make pomegranate costumes."
 
"We could probably swaddle her in a red blanket and get a little hat for her. She will only be a little over two weeks old at the time." Dark suggested, but he didn't really like it as an idea.

"Oh, and we still have to figure out how we'll make ours," Daizi commented, "Normally we have so much more time to put it all together."
 
"We can help," Alec offered. "I'm sure we'll find something that works."

"We still don't have our own costumes, if we're doing any," Xander pointed out.

"We could dress up as each other."

"You'd have to cut your hair, I'd have to grow mine out, and if you say Thing One and Two or the Tweedles, I will smack you with a pillow."
 
The twins both shrugged before Xander answered. "It's not something we enjoy, but... a lot of stuff is different about it this year. Feels like a different holiday."

"Since it's so different, we thought we might give something a try," Alec told her. "The worst that can happen is that we both decide that we still don't like Halloween. The best that can happen is that it all comes out magnificent and we have a lot of fun."
 
"I'm glad you're willing to try." Daizi said with a bright smile, "I bet you'll have fun this time. If we could have a party over, it'd be more fun, but even just us, we can put on spooky music and bake pumpkin shaped cookies."

It was rare for Dark to want to invite guests, but he still said, "We could have a few people over. There is no harm in having Cooger and Sally, even if they just drop by," because that was how much he enjoyed the holiday, "There is not a lot Ivy can do, but there is a lot we can."
 
"I wonder if Peter likes All Hallow's Eve?" Alec mused aloud. "I wonder what he'd come as if he wanted to dress up."

"No idea," Xander said. "It's not something that's ever come up. Bet Sloan would like it, if she could come."

Alec smiled. "That would be fun." He snuck a glance at his watch, wondering when they'd be heading home.
 
"You are welcome to invite them," Dark said, and then with a sigh stood up, "Come on. It is approaching the end to visiting hours, I should probably take you two home." He went over to the cot and peered down at his daughter, "One day it will include you, Hummingbird. But not yet," he reached down to put his hand on her chest, and smiled a bit at the feel of her heartbeat against his palm, "But not yet. Keep Mama company, okay? Okay."
 
Alec went instantly to Daizi and gave her a big hug. "It'll include you, too. We can hardly wait for you to come home! Both of you."

Xander nodded. "You'll be home in a couple of days, you'll see. No time at all."
 
Daizi hugged Alec tightly, "I know. I'm waiting." She squeezed him lightly and then laughed, "It's kinda funny, isn't it? I gave birth at home to avoid a hospital stay, and still ended up in one. And," she tucked her hair back, and joking asked, "Will I see, Xander? Have you learned something I haven't?"
 
"Hardy har har," Xander said dryly. "Never heard that joke before. You'll feel it with your fingers that you're home, then."

Alec giggled and gave her a final squeeze before letting go. "Sleep as well as you can."
 
Dark drove the twins home and then the next few days went on in this new, somewhat awkward normal, with a very cramped, very Egyptian, hospital room. Saladin, of course, never cut Dark a break, although he was very kind (if unsure) with the twins. Ivy was putting on weight, and her blood pressure drops hadn't stopped, but they had become less frequent. Zeinab had decided she would extend her visa to stay and help out Daizi and Dark, finding it absolutely inconceivable to leave them alone to the transition. She could only stay one extra week, but it certainly seemed like enough.

The day before the rest of the family was set to return home, however, as Cooger and the twins approached the room, it was immediately evident things were not quite right. Nobody was yelling, but the voices from outside the door were certainly tense and unhappy, and since they were speaking in Arabic, it was obvious there wasn't a situation with Ivy.

"I don't care if you like him!" Daizi was saying, speaking too quickly and too seriously to give anyone a moment to interrupt her. When someone tried, she just kept talking until they stopped, "Baba, I love him, and nothing is going to change that, and, honestly, I don't care if that makes me sound like a sixteen year old, it's the truth. He is my husband, and, and more than that, he is the father of my children. That might've been easy enough to ignore when it was just the twins, because you don't know where to place them on the tree, but he is the father of your granddaughter, Baba. And what do you think she will think as she grows up hearing you talk that way about her Baba? How do you think it will make her feel? He is part of her, and nothing can change that, and do you know? She makes him a permanent part of your family. If the fact I chose Dark over anyone else wasn't enough, if our marriage wasn't enough, there is nothing that can happen that can remove him from your family, and I'm not going to let my daughter be around someone who will make her feel bad about who she is. It was hard enough for me to be raised that way."
 
"Um, I think, perhaps, we should give them a few minutes," Alec said, slowing.

Xander shook his head, his stride not slowing. "Nah, it's fine. I think they're about done anyway, right, Cooger?" He didn't wait for an answer before rapping on the door. He paused before opening it and stepping in. "Hey, it's us. How's everything? How's the mini?" He smiled as if he hadn't heard anything and walked into the room.

Alec followed awkwardly, feeling that perhaps two might make the intrusion seem less awkward. Maybe.
 
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