How Green Becomes Wood

"Hi," Daizi said, going up to the door, "Come in, come in! Ivy actually just woke up, Dark is upset changing her, so they'll be down soon. The boys are here, though." Daizi stood to the side to let everyone in, "You can put the food in the kitchen. It's really sweet you all wanted to come for this."
 
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"I wouldn't have missed it for the world!" Sally assured her, stepping out of her slip-on shoes while juggling a couple of boxes. She touched the salt before giving Daizi a one-armed hug. "I forgot that my phone was still set five hours behind from my last trip or else I would have given you much more advanced notice. Clearly, all of my planning efforts go into my work life, leaving my home life planning in utter shambles."

"Oh, I wouldn't say it was that bad," Jack said cheerfully as he followed his wife. "At least you know it and put it in your phone. Daizi, is it alright if I put these boxes down and come back to touch the salt?" He lifted the two large flat boxes as if to show Daizi then realized what he was doing and stopped. He did get his shoes off, though not as quickly and elegantly as his wife.

Peter grinned as he squished in behind his dad. "We brought way too much stuff."
 
"Sure, sure," She said, stepping to the side after returning the hug, "It definitely sounds like you brought a lot. It's too kind of you all."

As she spoke, Dark came downstairs, speaking sweetly to his baby in Arabic as he brought her back down. Of course, he was extremely careful on the stairs, but once they were on the flat ground, he found it rather difficult to not simply look into her tiny, lovely face. And she, being awake, looked directly back at him, since her eyesight was still only really good enough to see the exact distance from where she was in his arms to her faces. Still, when he made it to the group, he did force himself to look up, "Hello," he greeted them, "It was very kind of you all to do this."
 
"We were only to happy to do so!" Sally told him. She traipsed across the floor to the kitchen where she deposited her packages. Jack went next, and Peter last. "I am delighted to help you mark this special day with all the best dishes a kitchen could provide! Well, money could buy seeing as I have not yet become a miraculous cook."

"We brought bamya, kabab koobideh and kofta kebabs, ajil for later, khoresh, kunafa, and zulbia!" Peter announced proudly.

"My wife is certain you are all going to starve to death," Jack told them with a grin.

The twins came down but hung back, watching curiously.
 
"We might," Daizi joked, "but Ivy is doing just fine. But actually, my aunt made a lot of food before she left, and the boys have been really great about taking care of food. But they're wonderful, we couldn't have asked for better sons," She paused, turning, and since she hadn't heard them come down, said, "I thought they were around but they must have snuck back upstairs when I wasn't paying attention. But we shouldn't all stand in the foyer, come sit."
 
"We're here!" Alec assured her, walking forward. "We thought we'd let the adults talk a bit."

"Hey!" Peter grinned, going to greet his friends. "How's it going? Long time no see! We should have kept up our band, you know?"

"I brought you a gift, but I am not sure what the protocol for that is," Sally mused, following Daizi.
 
"I don't know the protocol either," Daizi replied, laughing softly, "I think normally this day is spent very differently, but thankfully that is six weeks in my past, and I think I'm mostly recovered from it. Physically, anyway... But you really didn't have to get me anything, I think Ivy is probably supposed to be present enough."

Dark watched Peter walk over to greet the twins, and wondered briefly if they had still been hanging out or if Peter was being ironic... He squinted down at Ivy, as if she could somehow give him the answer, but then, reflecting on how he definitely needed more sleep, if only he could get it, he bent and kissed her head. Then, murmuring something to her, followed Daizi and Sally, "I cannot believe it has already been six weeks," he added.
 
Sally chuckled and handed Daizi the box. "Well, this one is as much of a gift for Ivy as it is for you," she told her. "It's a traditional gift in England, and I wanted to share it with you."

Jack cleared his throat to catch Dark's attention and indicated the box in his hand. "This is not a traditional Australian gift, but I thought it might be useful," he told Dark with a grin.

"It's kind of hard to be a band when our schedules don't match up for practice, and besides, who are we playing for?" Xander pointed out.

"Ourselves!" Peter said cheerfully. "But we can talk about that later."
 
"Oh," Dark replied, surprised. Today did feel like a big day for him, because most of the major dates in Daizi's pregnancy had--They were a milestone for his wife, but also for his child and her development, and this one, which was supposed to be related to the pregnancy, but instead to her life, especially felt like it involved him, but being the father, he still felt sort of distant from it, and he definitely didn't expect anyone to give him a present, "Thank you."

Daizi was less hesitant, and while Dark unwrapped the book, a bit awkwardly because he was also cradling Ivy, she was already feeling the feeding set with a bright smile on her face, "Oh, this lovely. Thank you. Look, habibti, it's for you! When you're a little bit older! And it's also for your Baba," she smiled at Sally, "We've already agreed that when she's on solids, Dark gets to feed her," whispering slightly, she leaned towards Sally, "He's very jealous."

"You would be too," He replied, and as he tried to unwrap his gift with one hand, the book slipped, revealing just a bit of the money, and his eyes shot up to Jack, and softly said, "No, I cannot..."
 
Sally giggled softly and nodded. "I can understand why! Now, this is silver, so you'll need to polish it now and then to make sure it doesn't tarnish, and a very small percentage of babies do have a reaction to things like silver or copper, so introduce it to her slowly. Well, I suppose that's how you should introduce all new things to a baby, isn't it?" She smiled and patted Daizi's arm. "And when she outgrows it, it'll make for a lovely keepsake."

Jack just shrugged and grinned. "I couldn't find a gift card just for wood, so you'll just have to pretend."
 
"Oh don't worry, Dark will definitely polish it, probably every time it is used," Daizi replied, "and thank you for warning me about the allergy, that hadn't occurred to me." She smiled, leaning forward to set it down on the coffee table, feeling privately very pleased she could lean forward so easily like that again, since for the last few months of her pregnancy that was unheard of. And it just... it felt good to realize she had that range of motion again.

Dark, meanwhile, was still shocked by the money, "Yes, but..." He hesitated, "Thank you, but it is too much." Daizi, hearing this, leaned over to her husband and whispered something to him, and he replied quickly, before taking a moment and saying, more firmly, "Thank you. And thank you for the feeding set, it is beautiful." He did really appreciate the book, and the money stashed inside of it, but he was the only one amongst the adults, he was pretty sure, who hadn't grown up with wealth, so that much money being given away to him still seemed like more.
 
"We should eat before it gets cold, but first," Sally leaned closer, her tone teasing, "what do I have to do to get to hold little Ivy?"

Jack smiled, satisfied that Dark was going to accept his gift. "It's good to keep your hobbies alive, my friend. Oh, right, I almost forgot. Speaking of hobbies, I brought my camera so we can get a good family portrait."

The twins and Peter were in the kitchen sorting out the mounds of food and chatting idly with each other while the adults talked in the living room. Peter could tell something was a little off with them, but he didn't pry, figuring it wasn't his place.
 
"You have to wash your hands," Dark said. Daizi was able to detect that he was teasing, but his voice still remained his normal tone. Although, he was only half teasing, "We have hand sanitizer underneath the cradle, there's shelves beneath it."

Daizi smiled, getting up to catch the sanitizer, "We can eat. I'm sure we're all starving. I'm always thirsty now, anyway."

"I have done some sketching since her arrival, but I have not really made it out to my shed. I can put a baby monitor in there, but I would rather stick around for right now," Dark explained, waiting until Sally had cleaned her hands before passing Ivy over to her. She was awake, and peacefully sucking on her pacifier, looking around with wide eyes.
 
Sally used the sanitizer on her hands and gently scooped up Ivy, smiling and making happy little faces at her despite the fact that she knew full well the baby couldn't see her well. "Hello, little one! Hello! Oh, I am so delighted to see you again, precious. You are going to be such a big, sweet girl when you grow up. Yes, you are!"

"No shame in that whatsoever," Jack assured Dark. "You certainly won't regret spending extra time with her, that's for sure, just gotta make sure to take the occasional time-out for yourself." He chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, but I must be preaching to the choir by now! Never mind me. Just enjoy your kid."
 
"She's doing really well," Daizi said, grinning, "She had such a hard start to life, and it's still going to be tough for her, because all her development is going to be delayed for a little while," she reached over to find her baby's tiny hand, "but I'm really so glad to get to have had these extra six weeks with her."

Dark inhaled, looking at Ivy and then back at Jack, "I have been trying to. It would be easier if CPS were not constantly being called on us."
 
"She is such a precious thing," Sally sighed. "You almost have me wishing for another. Almost." She smiled and kissed the top of Ivy's head. "There's something special about the way they smell, don't you think?"

Jack frowned, his expression clouding. "They've still been happening? Really? No explanation or reason? Heh, cowardly people they are. They must have hearts of stone to keep hassling good folk like you like this."
 
"I know there is... I'm really going to miss it, some day. I don't think the twins have noticed, but I love the way she smells... I never used to particularly like babies, but she's different." She smoothed Ivy's hair, and Ivy squirmed just enough in Sally's arms to be able to stretch. If it weren't for the pacifier in her mouth, she would have yawned.

"They came this afternoon," Dark revealed. There had been some subtle softness in his face that, if Jack and Sally were particularly perceptive, they might have seen. But it was gone now, "No explanation. Last time, Daizi suggested it might be a result of racism or ableism, and at the time it was shrugged off, but now they think it may be the only option, since there is no way it is family calling. And there is no way it is one of the boys." He paused, "I suppose, in theory, one of my students, but they do not know my name, I doubt any would be so cruel, and Xander and Alec are not the type to publicly share any information about what is happening to keep the 'prank' going."
 
"Well, little one, are you tired of being held by strangers? Or have you gotten used to it?" Sally crooned to Ivy. "Would you like to go back to Mama or Daddy? Or are you ready to have some time on your own?" Addressing Daizi, Sally asked, "Is she big enough for one of those little reclining beds yet? The ones that have a tiny bounce to them? When Peter was little, I'd hold him until I felt like my arms would drop off, and then I'd put him in one of those so he could see me."

"That's some prank," Jack grumbled. "Sounds to me more like a neighbor, someone close enough to be able to keep an eye on whether or not anything has been done about their calls. Most ordinary people would call, be told it's being looked into, and that would be that." He huffed. "Some people." Then he shook himself. "I'm sorry, mate, I shouldn't be bringing this up when we're supposed to be celebrating. No more downer talk. Come on! Let's eat!"
 
"Mama and Baba," Daizi said softly, realizing she must never have told Sally what parental terms they were using, "I don't want to confuse her. And she's equivalent of being a brand new baby on her very first day, so... I don't know." In truth, she wasn't entirely sure she knew what Sally was trying to describe, "she might be getting tired, though. When she's asleep we'll put her in the cradle, and move it so she's within eye sight."

"We think it probably is, but we have no idea how to figure out which one it is, and with it getting colder, we are spending less time outside. Really we have only been able to say it almost definitely is not the Appelbaums. Blair is not our biggest fan, but Sloan, her daughter, is friends with our sons, and I think if she seriously thought we were a problem, she would not let her child visit." Dark said, less concerned about downer topics, since that was, more or less, all he had to tall about anyway. He had never been great at small talk, "Yes, we should probably go. If not, Xander may eat most of it before we have a chance, he is always hungry."
 
"Ah, Baba, yes," Sally nodded, rocking Ivy gently. "Sorry, that's what many English babies call their bottles, so it rather amuses me that that is what Ivy will be calling her father. Differences like that are so fascinating!" She stroked Ivy's cheek gently. "I must come visit more often so I can hold you while you are still willing to let someone hold you like this."

"Excellent!" Jack turned toward Sally and Daizi. "Sally? Daizi? Will you be joining us? Or shall we bring dinner to you?"
 
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