How Green Becomes Wood

Dark nodded, following Alec into the kitchen, thinking through it, "Have you spoken to him about it at all? He did seem... unlike himself. When is the last time he was given snacks and he did not eat them?" Despite the quality of the question, it was obvious Dark wasn't asking to try to make light of it, and his rarely unfurrowed brows developed an even more pronounced furrow, and although he did not speak his thoughts, they could be felt in his tone when he said, "There are no goodies in the kitchen for her, she cannot eat solids yet."
 
"I know she can't, but there are goodies for the rest of us!" Alec said. He sat on one of the chairs and held Ivy so she could stand on his knees or sit. "He doesn't want to talk about it. I know it's serious because he didn't even finish his lunch, but when Xander doesn't want to talk about things..." He shrugged. He was trying to maintain a happy demeanor for Ivy's sake, but it was slipping a little.
 
Dark began pulling out ingredients, deeply considering what Alec told him, "I will talk to him. Or I will try." He wasn't going to say it, although he suspected Alec already knew, but the fact Xander hadn't even spoken to his brother about it was especially concerning, and in conjunction Xander not eating... He almost wished he had decided to do leftovers, although he knew that, had he done so, then he wouldn't have learned this information from Alec in the first place. "It is okay to be upset about it, Alec. Even if you did not have the fight, it is still affecting you."

Ivy, meanwhile, sat in her brother's lap, not quite having the strength to put weight on her legs, and intensely watched his face, one hand in her mouth.
 
Alec sighed wearily. "I am upset," he admitted quietly, "but there's not a whole lot I can do right now, so I'm trying not to let Ivy see. I can be upset later." He smiled at Ivy. "Right? Being upset is for later!" He lifted her up and bounced her lightly, letting her feel the sensation of standing while fully supporting her weight. "Playing with cute, chubby babies is for now!"
 
"She will survive it if she does see," Dark told him, while Ivy squealed at being lifted. She reached out for Alec's face with one hand and for his hair with the other. Sometimes when Alec bounced her down, she was able to set herself down on her feet, but most of the time her legs just buckled and she enjoyed the game of going up and down and up again.

Dark had his back to her, because he was busy cooking, but just hearing those happy sounds, he did say, "She is cute. I have been saying so, if you lined up all babies, and had a vote, she would win the cutest baby. And the sweetest."
 
Alec drew her close, letting her almost touch his face and then pulling back, teasing her lightly. "Absolutely she would! Unless only the mothers and fathers of the entrees were the judges, then all babies would come out with cutest ever, huh?" he made a face at her and bounced her a few more times before setting her down gently on his knees. She was getting heavy!

Xander came down the stairs, swinging around through the kitchen toward the back door. "Going to my shop, later," he said in passing before he was out the door.

"Hello and goodbye to you, too," Alec grumbled.
 
"No," Dark argued, and somewhere deep down inside he knew Alec was right, but at the same time, he had seen the way Ivy smiled when she woke up and saw his face, "All the other parents would have to agree they did not have a baby as cute as she is. I mean, have you seen a cuter baby? I have not."

When Ivy was set back down on Alec's knees, Ivy was giggling like it was the greatest game she had ever played, and sitting in his lap, she flung herself forward to try to give him one of her big kisses, and since, obviously, she couldn't reach his face, she was content to vaguely hit where she could and then lay there against him.

While they were cooking, Daizi was outside, enjoying time alone in her garden, and hearing the steps outside, she listened carefully to hear who it was, and when she heard the shed door, she quietly asked, "Xander, is that you?"
 
"Oof," Alec grunted when she face-planted more or less into his stomach. "I suppose you are right," he agreed to keep the peace, amused by Dark's insistence. He lifted Ivy up and turned her around so she could lean against him and watch her father. "I think the real question is, is Baba the most handsome Baba ever? What do you think, Ivy?"

Xander jumped. He hadn't realized Daizi was out there. He paused, hand on the door, and answered her with only a hint of begrudging. "Yeah, it's me. Just heading to the shed."
 
With her back against Alec, Ivy grabbed at his arms and hands, exploring everything she possibly could, and when his hands got boring, she watched her father, and squeaked and cooed to try to get his attention. Anytime he would turn to look at her, or speak, she would giggle. When Alec spoke, she looked up at him, and would still try to grab his face, even though she definitely couldn't reach from where she was placed.

"I do not know if that is a fair question," Dark mused, "I am the only Baba she has met. Technically, she has met Daizi's, but I do not know if she recognizes that her Jaddi is her Mama's Baba."

Daizi walked up to him, "Yeah, I figured... Is everything okay? I know you said school sucked."
 
Alec made a face at Dark as he let Ivy turn him into a toy. "You are far too literal. The answer is Yes! If Ivy is the cutest ever, then you are the most handsome."

Xander shrugged, edging away from Daizi. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, you know, school stuff."
 
"Yes but I have met other babies," Dark pointed out, preheating the oven, "so I have evidence for her being the cutest baby. See? I am applying the same rules to myself that I apply to her."

"Okay," She replied gently, but didn't back up yet, "Did you like the snacks I had Alec bring up to you?"
 
Alex looked down at Ivy. "Your father is unfair. He uses rules to his advantage. I wonder what kind of lawyer he'd make?"

"I appreciated them," Xander said, which was true, even if he hadn't eaten them. "Thanks." He fiddled with the door, trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation politely. He knew Daizi was concerned and just trying to help, but he wasn't ready for that yet.
 
Ivy cooed, stretched out, and settled back in, completely content with her family. She was warm, and fed, and everyone was nice, so there was nothing to be upset about.

"Well..." She said, taking a breath. If there was anything she had learned to be good at, it was reading the room, "If you need anything, let me know, okay? You're only as isolated as you make yourself. I love you, Xander." She reached out to lightly tug his sleeve, then let go, "I'll text you when dinner is ready." Then she turned and walked back inside the house.
 
"You too." Xander hesitated almost too long before adding, "Thanks, Mama." He swung into his shed and started working.

"Look, Ivy! There's Mama!" Alec announced cheerfully when he saw Daizi approach.
 
Ivy squealed seeing her mother and Daizi grinned, following the sound, "Hi, ivy! How it Mama's baby!?" Knowing Xander was upset but being unable to help had drained her, slightly, but Ivy's pure joy leveled her feelings.

"I know Ivy would choose her Mama as the most captivating Mama in all the world," Dark told Alec, reopening their old conversation, "And she has met Sally and our new neighbor, who are both mothers, so I am not breaking my own logic."
 
"We are having a discussion about cute babies, handsome Babas, and captivating Mamas," Alec informed Daizi as he struggled to keep the squirming Ivy under control until her mother came to pick her up. "I think all babies are equally adorable! Once they've passed that stage where they looked like wrinkled prunes."
 
"Oh, well Ivy is the cutest baby and he's the most handsome Baba. Easily." Daizi replied immediately, lifting Ivy and showering her with kisses. "I'd come up with a category for you, but you're an identical twin, so I'm not really sure how to make it work. And I think Ivy is a unique kind of cute, it seperates her from the rest. Right, Ivy? Oh yes my dear. But handsomest Baba is easy. You've met your father," She walked across the kitchen to kiss her husband, "I read Alec's cards today."

"Oh really?" Dark asked, turning to look at Alec, "How was that?"
 
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"Did you know she has been paid to do those readings? There was a period of time where it made up a fairly significant part of our income." Dark informed Alec, while Daizi buried her face against Ivy's hair to hide the pride she felt when Alec called it informative.
 
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