How Green Becomes Wood

"Ehhh," Cooger leaned forwards, "I couldn't tell you, my memory went hazy around the time I was asking the bartender where the nearest gas station was so I could buy him," he nodded towards Dark, "a bag of frozen peas for his eye, and the last thing I remember was spotting the slushies inside the 7/11."

"I do not like to think about that night."

"We might do that, yeah," Daizi agreed, "I don't know. I'm really not so bothered, and I can't even think that far into the future right now."
 
"I don't suppose I'll be invited to this festivity?" Peter asked hopefully.

"You still have a couple of years yet, dear," Sally said mildly.

Alec paused to do the math. "Seventeen is legal?"

"Eighteen in Australia and most other European countries, with some having it set younger," Sally told him.

"So depending on where I'm living at the time, my eighteenth birthday is going to be a right basher!" Peter said cheerfully.

Sally didn't say anything, just raised her brow.

Peter wilted a little. "A place of responsibility where drinking is a privilege to be approached with caution," he corrected himself.
 
"I think you'd probably have a better time having a very responsible, privileged, cautious drinking event with people your own age rather than us," Daizi told Peter with a mischievous grin, "Unless you want a party where Dark discusses the horror of war and the two of us commiserate over life under a dictator, with some discussions of occultism. As a treat."

"I like your witchy friends." Cooger said, and then looked at the twins, "Tarot's got friends besides myself. Dark does not." Hearing this, Dark made no expression that wouldn't have been perceptible to Sally, Jack, Peter, or Ciara, but to the rest of them, he seemed just a tad sarcastic, but pleased. He said nothing.

Daizi reached across Dark to lightly whack Cooger's shoulder, but said, "Ciara, do your friends have a gender bias? Because I do not know how I have survived for so long with these two." She gestured to Dark and Cooger, although it was true she did truly have friends outside of them.
 
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Xander muttered around a bite of cookie, "I knew it."

Alec just laughed and told Cooger, "You are a lot of friend to have, so no wonder he doesn't need more."

Ciara looked a little surprised at being addressed but said, "I believe I have more male friends than female friends, but I had not really thought about it. I tend to meet them at work functions, and my job is quite a male-dominated field. Not as much as some would believe, but the difference is still apparent."
 
"That makes sense," Daizi nodded, "most of my friends outside of these two are women for a similar reason, but I don't visit with them as much as I used to. Have you found work friends hard to keep? So often it feels I lose my closest friends because they grow so much as professionals they seek employment elsewhere, and I'm always so proud, but it's hard to keep in touch."
 
"Hmm, I can't say I do find issues in that department," Ciara mused. "Quite a few of my friends are promoted or transferred, but the closer ones, we keep in touch. Plus, after working in that business for long, you learn to spot the ones likely to be moved along in some way or another. Some still develop friendships with them - genuine or for network reasons - but I tend to avoid creating personal ties and stick to professional ones."

"Mmm!" Alec said, swallowing a bite of green santa. "Aunt Ciara, you haven't had a turn to sing yet! Nor has Mrs. Hollis. They should take a turn."

"I think the, uh, conversation topic has moved on from there," Ciara said uncertainly.
 
"Yeah, that makes sense," Daizi agreed, "I should be better about that. Dark's great at it, he says he can tell within thirty minutes of meeting a new teacher at the school if they'll make it, and most of the time he's correct. That's part of why he's infamous for being closed off at work, teachers either stay there forever or quit after a year," Dark nodded solemnly to confirm what his wife was saying, but otherwise said nothing, "And also he---I love him so much, I'm sorry if me saying so is uncomfortable for you, I know the twins hate it-- he's a bit of a social vampire, not because he's draining," She squeezed his hand, "but because just like how a vampire won't enter your house unless you invite them in, Dark, for the most part, won't initiate conversation, you have to speak to him first until he is very comfortable with you, and I'm told he can be very intimidating."

Again, Dark said nothing, but looked at his wife with the softness which seemed only to be reserved for her and their children. It wasn't until Alec brought up Ciara singing that he said, "You do not need to sing for us if it is something you are uncomfortable with or would not enjoy. I would not have sung if it were not for the fact she was singing alone in our language, I am not someone who enjoys performing. There is no pressure on anyone else here."
 
Ciara nodded vaguely, not sure what she was supposed to do with this information about her nephews' foster father. It didn't make her uncomfortable, she just didn't know why it was relevant to her. She wasn't used to taking in information without ascertaining its relevance. When Dark assured her that she wouldn't have to sing, she relaxed a little. "Thank you, I would really rather not. I am not much of a singer."
 
"Neither am I," Dark assured her before leaning over to check on his daughter, who had finally fallen completely asleep, "You can try laying her down if you would like to."

"Nah, I'm alright. I'd hate to test it and be wrong, don't wanna do that to you." He replied, settling in. Apparently, he expected to be there for awhile yet.

"Do you have a Christmas song, Sally, or do you also prefer to skip singing? It's alright either way," Daizi said, feeling her exhaustion creeping in again but not wanting to shoo anyone away because the whole party was for her boys, and she wanted it to be perfect for them, "I'm not sure what's the other Christmas activities, the songs on the radio are full of them but they all blend together when you aren't raised to celebrate it."
 
"How about I sing our last song for the evening?" Sally suggested. "Unless you wished a turn, Xander?"

"Nah, I'm good," Xander assured her.

Sally nodded and said, "I will sing our last song, and then Jack, Peter, and I should be heading out and to home. I'd like to sing 'A Spaceman Came Traveling.' A group called the Celtic Woman have a lovely rendition, but it is actually from an Englishman. One Chris... Oh, dear, what was his name?"

"Chris de Burgh," Jack supplied.

"Thank you, dear, Christ de Burgh. It was apparently a bit of a flop when it first came out, but I quite like it." She paused to collect herself and began to sing.

A spaceman came traveling on his ship from afar
'Twas light years of time since his mission did start
And over a village, he halted his craft
And it hung in the sky like a star
Just like a star

He followed a light and came down to a shed
Where a mother and child were lying there on a bed
A bright light of silver shone round his head
And he had a face of an angel
And they were afraid

Then the stranger spoke, he said, "Do not fear
I come from a planet a long way from here
And I bring a message for mankind to hear"
Suddenly, the sweetest music
Filled the air

And it went
La-la-la-la, la-la-la la-la-la
La-la-la-la la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la la-la-la
Peace and a goodwill to all men
And love for the child

La-la-la-la, la-la-la la-la-la
La-la-la-la la-la-la
La-la-la-la, la-la-la la-la-la
Oh-oh-oh

She missed a few notes here and there, but it turned out Sally was not a bad singer. Her gentle voice and English accent went perfectly with the haunting melody. She allowed the last note to draw out fade away naturally.
 
"I can make coffee if anyone would like any," Dark said, once again moving to stand. If it was about time for the party to end, he wanted to be certain everyone was fully awake for the drive.

"He makes really good coffee," Daizi confirmed, "and I'm not really much of a coffee drinker." Then she scooted closer to Alec and held onto his arm while Dark slipped off to brew coffee for those who needed it, "Your mom liked Celtic Woman, didn't she? Do you know this song?" Then she settled in on the couch, still holding onto her son, and listened to the song. By the time it finished, the coffee wasn't quite ready, but Dark fully expected 'we'll just sing a song and head home' to be stretched out somewhat. Nobody ever left on time, goodbyes were always drawn out.

"That song was lovely, Sally," Daizi said, sitting up straight, "Thank you... Really, I didn't realize just how many Christmas songs there are."
 
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"I'd love a cup of coffee if you have some to spare," Jack said. Ciara and Peter both agreed with him that coffee sounded good.

Neither Alec nor Xander had caught what song Sally meant, having lost it in her explanation of the history of the song and the unfamiliarity of the real artists' name, but when the first words started dancing out, they both stiffened. They knew this song. Alec just nodded and sat leaning slightly into Daizi, his eyes never leaving Sally. He hadn't listened to this song or any Celtic Woman or anything that he linked directly to his mother since her passing. It had not been a conscious choice, but now he realized that he had been avoiding it. It was a shock to hear one of his mother's favorite songs suddenly being sung by someone else.

Xander said nothing, his face a complete mask. He kept his eyes on the coffee table, his body absolutely still. He didn't want to react. He thought he was over this pain, thought he'd lain it all to rest, but it rose up suddenly and stabbed his chest like the thorns of a rose. It had been over a year. How long until he could stop feeling this pain and emptiness whenever something reminded him of his mother? Sometimes he would go for weeks without thinking about her lose, and then all of a sudden... here it was again.
 
Feeling him stiffen, Daizi quickly changed from holding Alec for her own comfort to holding him. She released his arm and instead protectively wrapped him up in hers, but she sat up a bit straight, not knowing how Xander was feeling, knowing he didn't like to be touched, and not being able to look at him. Or at Ciara. And she wanted to yell out for Dark to forget about the coffee and get back in here, but she didn't want to call attention to any of the three, so she just rested her cheek against the top of Alec's head, very much pretending to the rest of the guests like she was just tired and cuddly, while holding Alec with a firmness that proved to him it was more than that.

Then, all at once, she remembered what she had tried with Xander earlier, and, while still holding Alec, gingerly stretched out one finger and tugged on his shirt, just to remind him she was there, and he wasn't alone. They could talk about it later, if they needed to, and wanted to, but it wasn't the time to process when they were all around their guests. But she wanted him to know she knew.
 
Alec leaned into Daizi and tried to smile, trying not to drag the mood down. It was just a song. A nice song, too, but just a song. Xander felt the little tug on his shirt. He reached toward it and brushed his fingers lightly across Daizi's, appreciating her attempt and grateful that she still acknowledged his boundaries.

Ciara was not as deeply impacted as the twins. It was not a song that was connected to her sister in her mind, but she did feel a bit of sadness as she did know how Tara liked that particular group. She sat quietly listening, appearing no more or less affected than by any other song.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the song," Sally said in response to Daizi's earlier statement. She glanced over Daizi and Alec, sensing something was going on but not certain what it was. "Dark, darling, do you need any help with the coffee?" she asked instead, choosing to give Daizi her privacy as much as was possible in the situation.
 
Briefly, she intertwined her fingers with Xanders, but not for more than a second or two. Then she gently leaned in and kissed the top of Alec's head, still not saying much.

Cooger glanced over at them, but shrugged and said, more broadly, "Did you know the song Rocketman comes from a Ray Bradbury story?" to try to change the topic to something lighter, "It's not Christmas-y at all, and a real bummer of a tale, but that's what I think of when I hear a song about a spaceman. But I'm more into Sci-Fi than I look." When Sally moved past him, though, he lightly took her arm and said, "Try to convince Dark not to drink any coffee, the man needs sleep, not caffeine."

"Oh, hm?" Dark asked, from the kitchen, "No, I am alright, thank you. But you can help get mugs ready, if you would like."
 
"Ray Bradbury?" Ciara repeated curiously. "I recognize the name, though I cannot recall if I have read anything by him. I am not much of a reader, I am afraid. I am not familiar with a song called 'Rocketman.'"

"Understood," Sally murmured as walked into the kitchen. "Let's see, I would like some, as would Jack and Peter. Did Cooger or Daizi mention if they wanted any?" She got out the mugs as she spoke.
 
"He wrote Fahrenheit 451," Cooger said, sitting up a bit straighter, although not too much, since he was still holding Ivy and the thought of her waking up and causing trouble for Dark and Daizi was a nightmare, "and Something Wicked This Way Comes, he's why the three of us call Dark's tattoos his 'illustrations,' 'cause of the Illustrated Man. He's got some great stories. And I bet you'd know Rocketman if you heard it, it's the one that's like, 'I think it's gonna be a long long time, till touch down brings me around again to find I'm not the man they think I am at home.' You definitely know the song, it's famous."

Dark rested against the counter and crossed his arms, waiting for the coffee to steep in the briki, but keeping a close eye on it to remove it when it began to foam, "Daizi would not, she likes my coffee but still does not drink it. We could make her tea, though... We probably should, actually." Saying this, he took the electric kettle, filled it with water, and turned it on in a smooth motion, "Cooger will take coffee. And myself."
 
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"Oh, yes, I did read Fahrenheit 451. It was quite thought-provoking," Ciara said, nodding. "I do not recognize the words of the song, but I will remember to look it up when I get home."

Sally set out the mugs but put out one less than needed. "You will be having decaf, then?" she asked offhandedly.
 
"I'm certain you'll know it when you do," Cooger said, not imagining a world where she hadn't heard it, even in passing. "And I liked that book fine, but to be honest, it's not really my favourite of his."

"We do not even have decaf," Dark replied, taking a quick glance at her, but turning to the stove to lift the briki as it began to foam.
 
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