How Green Becomes Wood

"I want to say it isn't too hard, but... you saw what you came home to," Daizi grinned, "but that's because I accidentally turned the mixer on too high too quickly."

"We are trying to figure what what cake to order for Ivy's birthday," Dark mentioned, nearly giving in and giving his daughter just a small bite of bread, but stopping himself short of it, "Do you two want a cake? For the adoption?"
 
The twins considered this carefully.

"Something sweet, yes, but maybe not cake," Xander said after a moment. "Cake is too easy. Simple. Unless it's decorated within an inch of its life."

"What about a cheesecake or a tart?" Alec suggested.

Xander nodded. "That's a possibility. Or we could do, like, fancy brownies."

"We could do cupcakes. I know they are cake-like, but small and easy for everyone to have their own individual treat without a bunch of extra dishes."

Xander shrugged. "That could be fun. What do you guys think?"
 
"A tart could be nice," Daizi said, "especially if it's served with ice cream."

"I do not particularly mind, since I do not generally eat much dessert, but I suppose what we decide on depends on how many people you want. Some desserts are easier to scale up than others," Dark pointed out, hiding his satisfaction at the fact Xander wanted something special for the occasion.
 
"Well, let's see..." Alec mused. "Aunt Ciara and maybe Uncle Tristan? Aunt Ciara for certain."

"Agreed. Uncle Cooger," Xander put in, "and Sloan."

Alec nodded. "Yes. Definitely. Becky and Tom?"

"Becky, I'll agree to. Not sure about Tom," Xander frowned. "Peter?"

"Peter! And his parents?" Alec asked, looking at Dark and Daizi.
 
"That sounds good," Daizi agreed, nodding with her chin on her fist, "Maybe your friend Milo? That sounds like everyone I'd think to invite."

"And where would you like to host them? We need to prepare here or book somewhere fairly quickly, not to mention send out invitations." Dark added, knowing from his mostly written invitations to Ivy's birthday all the steps included.
 
The twins exchanged glances and considered.

"I'll invite him, but I don't think he'll come," Xander finally said. "Parties aren't his thing. I'm fine with it being here, if that's okay for you."

"I like here," Alec agreed. "I was also thinking... Maybe Emma and... No, just Emma." He was going to say Claire, but he wasn't sure they were quite on the level of friendship that made inviting someone to your adoption party acceptable.

Xander frowned. "Who's Emma?"
 
"Of course we can have it here," Daizi promised, "We're conflicted about having Ivy's birthday party here. We think it may be crowded, with how much of my family will be here, but we also don't want to unsettle her by bringing her to an unfamiliar place, given how weird the day will already be for her."

"If we have it here, the adoption party, we also need to decide on food," Dark added, not knowing how to answer Xander's question about Emma.
 
"I think here might be good for Ivy, but it would be a lot of people and crowdedness," Alec mused.

"If the weather's good enough we can use some of the outdoor space, too, making it less congested. Who's Emma?" Xander asked again, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Alec.

"She's a friend from school. You met her twice in passing," Alec told him. "She's nice, but doesn't run in your circles. Like Tom and Becky. Are you sure we can't invite Tom?"

Xander mulled over that question, still studying Alec, but finally nodded. "Yeah, alright, bring in Tom. Why not? But no more than that!"
 
"That's what I was thinking," Daizi said, "the weather should be fine, by then. We can maybe move our coffee table upstairs temporarily to open up the living room, too... And I'd like to serve our foods for her birthday, which is easier if we do it here..."

"We need to rent a temporary wheelchair ramp if we invite Tristan, to either event," Dark commented, taking out his phone, "I already found a company which does so. But I do need you both to decide if we are having him or not for the adoption, because I will probably need to reserve it quickly. Are we having it immediately following the adoption or wait until the weekend?'
 
"I think immediately after the adoption," Alec said. He paused and swallowed, the weight of it hitting him again. He had no regrets or hesitations, it was just a really important life event.

"I agree," Xander said, keeping the conversation going. "Directly after, and... I can come up with a menu, nothing too big or exotic, but maybe we could mix the traditional foods? I think that'd be, I dunno, symbolic or something. And taste good. And I'm up for inviting Tristan."

"I can text him and ask him," Alec volunteered. "That way, you can know for ramp situations, and then we can get him a formal invitation later."
 
Daizi reached across the table and squeezed Alec's shoulder, hearing something in his tone. It was heavy for her, too, and she had wanted it so desperately. "I think a combination of both of our foods is a brilliant idea, Xander," She said, her hand lingering on Alec for a few moments before letting him go, "We were talking, just yesterday, about how nice it would be to have some sort of ritual to combine our families. All the best ceremonies involve sharing food."

"I can text Tristan for you," Dark said, "I need to ask about Ivy's birthday too, I may as well do it in one message."
 
Alec smiled at Daizi even if she couldn't see him, appreciating her touch and understanding what it meant. He rallied himself and thanked Dark. "That makes sense. And as much fun as some kind of ritual might be, I think just feeding everyone will do."

"Just feeding everyone?" Xander sniffed as if severely offended. "I intend to do a lot of that just work, you know, while you just decorate the house."

Alec laughed and nodded. "Okay, okay! I take it back. Feeding people is the best thing ever."
 
"We can do more than one thing," Daizi said, scooping up Ivy and kissing her on the head, "We can do something more private, too. Not all rituals are blood oaths and sigils, I was reading a bit today... Sometimes adoption ceremonies have vows, like at a wedding, but from parent to child, candle lightings or sand pourings, planting saplings, making time capsules... Or tying wishes to a tree, with all of the guests participating..." She sighed, "I saw one thing, with the candles, where you light one candle for Tara, one for your birth siblings, one for your birth relatives, like Aunt Ciara and Uncle Tristan, and for the social worker, and for your adoptive parents, and for your adoptive siblings, for your entire family, and for all of the people who have come in and out of your life, because they help to make you. And it's something you can modify however you want, if there are other people you want to mention, or any you want to avoid mentioning."

"Food is very important, too," Dark added, "I wonder if we made extra, if we could get in touch with Lance and he could help get some of the food to children who may need it more. That is very common in our holidays and celebrations, giving food to those in need. I was given a lot of food, that way. And of course you can decorate the house, but please do not take down what we have already put up."
 
Alec sighed wistfully and leaned on the table with his elbows. "I rather like the one with the candles. That sounds really sweet. If we could do that privately, I think I'd like that."

"I dunno. That sounds like a lot of candles," Xander said doubtfully. "If we stuck to the close family, I think it'd be okay, but don't go crazy. No father out than Lance and Uncle Cooger. And we should totally 'accidentally' make a heck ton of extra food to send with Lance."
 
"I think it's seven, eight if you use a helper candle," Daizi said, counting on her fingers, "That's presuming we leave out the one for everyone who has come in and out of our lives, which might stretch too far. It's not necessarily meant to name all of the birth relatives and adoptive family, you sort of lump them together. There was a suggested script for it you can look at... and really, a ritual like that, you can tweak it so it feels meaningful for all of us. Name those you feel it's necessary to name."

"And of course it can be in private," Dark promised.
 
"I think we should do that, and I'd like to look at the script," Alec said with a nod. "It's a lovely physical symbol and all of that."

"Sounds good to me," Xander nodded.
 
"Great," Daizi beamed, "I have lovely tall candles we can use. I'll be sure to pick the best ones. I'll send you the script when I can, but we can change whatever you both like. I figure you can light it together, and maybe Dark and I can light a candle to welcome you... Or," She shifted, "Dark and I can light ones to welcome your family, too."
 
Alec studied her for a moment and looked away. There were questions he wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure how to phrase them. How did you ask questions about such a sensitive topic?

Xander, in his typical way, bluntly asked, "Do you want to welcome our family? And how much of it would you welcome? Who and what is considered our family outside of you?"
 
Daizi blinked, surprised by this question. It took her a few moments to process, and then she asked, "What sort of a question is that, habibi? Of course I do. Anyone you consider family, anyone you hold in your heart, I want to hold in mine, too. All of them. You call Ciara your aunt, because she's Tara's sister. So she's my family. You call Tristan uncle, so he's family too. I don't know what I'm meant to call them, I don't know if they're adoptive siblings, or adopted cousins, but... If they're family to you, then they're family to me."

She reached one hand across the table, offering to hold Alec's hand. With a bit more hesitancy, she extended the same gesture to Xander, although she expected it to be rejected, "You don't have to feel the same way about mine, I know it's probably different for you, but to me: anyone who matters to you matters to me. And if you'll let me, I'll welcome them with open arms. And that includes relatives who may have been... disappointing, ones I may or may not have hexed, it includes ones who you may meet some day in the future, ones you may one day marry, if you choose to marry, ones you may father, or adopt, if you choose that, too. If you love someone, if they're your family, then they're my family. And that..." She took a breath, squeezing any hands she was holding, "That includes ones who are no longer with us, too."
 
Xander hesitated a moment when Daizi offered him her hand. Then, cautiously, he reached out and rested just his fingers on hers. The touch was light but there. He pressed her fingers lightly when he saw her squeeze Alec's hand.

Alec held her hand firmly, his grip tightening a little when she mentioned the "disappointing" family members. Tears pricked in his eyes, and when she squeezed his hand and mentioned the ones no longer with them, he nearly lost it all together.

Xander waited a moment to make sure his throat was clear before he spoke. "Thanks," he said quietly. He wasn't quite sure what to say to follow up with that. He cautiously continued, "I think of your family... some of them... as our family. It's harder sometimes since we're so far apart and it's harder to get to know them better, but some of the Khalaties and Amties - especially one - I don't know how we couldn't consider them family."

"I agree," Alec said, his voice wavering. "Your family is our family, too. I want to learn more about them, more and more, but even if they are strangers, I consider them family, too."

"And our family, thinking of Tristan and Ciara specifically, you can be whatever you want to be with them. Including..." His voice caught just a little, and he paused to let it pass. "Including our mum. I have no idea what kind of titles that would be or relationship, but I think it's right. Feels right."
 
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