How Green Becomes Wood

Daizi made it through security fine. Typically, guards didn't think twice about the blind woman, although they took her cane as she passed through the metal detector. The diaper bag had to be scanned, and they had them take Ivy from her carrier so it could be scanned too, but of course Ivy herself was just carried through the machine without incident. The guards did certainly show more suspicion towards Dark, who looked both annoyed and like he fully expected this to happen. Finally, they all made it through and were sitting outside on the bench.

When they had been there for just a little while, Cooger came up so he could sit with them. Although adoption hearings were closed to the public, family and friend were allowed to be there, and he was going to be--mostly, admittedly, so Ivy could be there, but he felt very strongly he had a different role in the family than the other aunts and uncles did. He had, for once, actually dressed sort of nice. There was no chance he was going to risk getting them in trouble by showing up in blue jeans, although he hadn't put on a tie.

Soon, also, their attorney joined them to briefly go over one last time what they should expect.
 
"Hey, Cooger," Alec whispered to him, leaning over Xander so he could whisper to their uncle. "I'm really glad you could be here! You look good."

"Same," Xander grunted, pushing Alec off him.
 
"Excited and nervous and excited," Alec confided. "It's so amazing! And unbelievable! But it's happening!"

"Yeah, it's really happening," Xander agreed with a little grin.

The courtroom doors opened, and people started filing out. It was a shockingly large group, and they were all chattering and laughing together with several children cavorting happily. They were maintaining their inside voices, but clearly excited as they headed out the way the twins and their family had just come from. The doors closed again briefly. After a few minutes, they opened, and a young man stepped out.

"Dark-Wahid family?" he asked, looking over the group.
 
"It was a long time coming," Cooger agreed with a bright grin, "But it's a good thing. And clearly not a moment too soon, with the pair of y'all sitting there dressed like him."

When the young man stepped out, Dark and Daizi both stood, looking at him.

"That is us," Dark said, swallowing all of his nerves to somewhere deep down inside of himself, "Is it time?'
 
"Yes," the young man smiled. He stepped back and indicated to them. "Follow me, please"

The guard held open the door, giving them ample room to walk into the court room. The young man asked for Cooger to sit behind the others and for Dark, Daizi, and the twins to sit right up front as the judge shuffled through some paperwork on his podium. He was an older man with deep forehead wrinkles but a kind look in his eye when he looked up at them.

"Good morning to you all," he greeted them, "Dr. Wahid, Mr. Dark, Xander, and Alec. This is an informal meeting, so you are not under oath, but I still expect you all to be truthful. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, sir," the twins said instantly.
 
"Yes, your honour." Dark answered, standing still and unreadable with his hands clasped behind his back. Despite his true belief nothing would go wrong, he still felt uneasy in a place like this. Beside him, Daizi was just trying not to beam, squeezing tightly to her cane. She, too, answered in the affirmative.
 
"Very good, you may be seated." The judge gave them a moment to sit down before addressing Dark and Daizi. He covered the basic details, like how long they had been fostering the twins, if they were married, to whom, how long, if they had any felony convictions, and other things. He knew all the answers, having them in the papers in front of him, but it was procedural, and he moved through them quickly and calmly, making little marks next to the questions as he asked them. Then he moved on to more specific questions about the twins, peering down at Dark and Daizi seriously with each question.

"Do you understand that if adoption is granted, your adopted children will be treated the same as your natural-born children would be, both at home and in the eyes of the court? Including inheritance?"

"Do you understand you will have the obligation to support the child(ren) until they reach the age of 18?"

"Are you financially able to do so?"

"Do you understand that if you ever separate or divorce that you will continue to have that obligation?"

"Knowing all of that, do you want the court to grant your petition for adoption?"

"Do you believe it is in the child’s best interest that the petition for adoption be granted?"
 
As the questions became more serious, Dark and Daizi found themselves holding hands firmly. Not for the first time in their lives did they pledge openly and unwaverly that yes: this is the life they choose. This is what they wanted, this is what should be, and this is what they would commit to, fully aware of the burden and permanence of it. They answered with complete conviction, without needing to pause to consider. Dark did not so much as look away from the Judge.
 
"Only if it's what they want, your honour." Daizi answered immediately. Names didn't mean much to her. She and Dark had different surnames. They kept talking about finally hyphenating to match Ivy, but they hadn't gotten around to it. If the twins wanted to be Wahid-Darks like their sister, she'd take it warmly, but she would never force it onto them.

"We do not want them to feel in order to be part of our family they need to reject their own." Dark added.

After a moment, Daizi added, "And we certainly would not ask the court to change their first names." Just to cover her basis. If it wasn't so serious, she'd make a joke about how actually she and Dark were going to change their names to match their sons, but even she knew this was not the time.
 
The twins glanced at each other. They took hold of each other's hands and gripped tightly. They'd made a decision last night that they hadn't shared with their parents. They'd only talked to one person about it, Ciara. They figured Dark and Daizi expected them to keep their name. They had a different idea.

"Your honor, we want to change our name," Alec said, his voice shaking.

"We want to have a hyphenated name, Wahid-Dark," Xander announced.

"Can you spell that for me?" The judge asked, writing it down.
 
Dark, Daizi, and Cooger turned rapidly towards the twins, stunned into silence.

"What?" Dark asked, because he just couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You don't have to," Daizi murmured when she found words again, much of her expression blocked by her sunglasses, "You're welcome to, but, I..." Then, the words escaped her again.
 
Alec smiled at them. "We're family," he said softly. "I don't, we don't want anyone questioning that ever, and we don't really have a legacy to carry on, so... we talked it over a lot, and if it's okay with you, we want to have your names. It was this or add on another name to the list and make three names long. It seemed... excessive."
 
"It's okay with us," She replied, reaching out for his shoulder as her voice broke. Names didn't matter until they did, and knowing these boys who had come to her cold, stubborn, and feral wanted to write their signatures with her name, and her husband's name, for the rest of their lives, she couldn't find the words for it.

Staring at both of his boys, Dark contemplated how for so many years he would be the first and last in his lineage to be called thus. He thought about how he had changed his name to escape his family. Now these to had, by entirely their own volition, chosen to live under it also. "I would be honoured," he said at last, "to share my name with you."
 
"Then that's what we want to do," Xander said firmly.

The judge nodded and made some notes. "I'll have you fill out a form," he said, gesturing to the security guard, who came over to pick it up, "and we will send that out with the adoption form."

The twins took the forms and quickly filled it out, checking each other's work to make sure they spelled everything right. Both kept their first and middle names but added Cunningham as a second middle name and Wahid-Dark as their last name. That took them only a moment, and they handed the forms back to the guard, who took it to the judge.

"Thank you, boys," the judge said, looking over the forms. "So. I do not normally get teens in my courtroom for adoption. How do you feel about all this?" he asked warmly.

"Very excited! Very happy! We've been really looking forward to this!" Alec assured him happily.

The judge asked a few more questions to the twins, asking each of them specific questions just to ensure they were both really happy with everything. He did not really doubt that they wanted to be adopted by these adults, but it was his job to cover all the bases, and bad things could happen if he didn't. He kept everything light, and everything he saw pleased him.

"And finally," he said, making a few more notes, "Mr. Corporal, you are the agent in charge of these two's case, yes?"

Both twins turned in surprise, not having realized their social worker was there. Lance stood up from where he was a couple of seats behind their family and said, "Yes, Your Honour."

"Is there any reason you know of that these two should not be adopted by this family?"

"No sir. This is one of the best matches I've ever witnessed with families, sir."

The judge asked him a couple more questions, but then he was satisfied and stamped the paperwork. "Mr. Dark, Dr. Wahid, I will send these out to be officiated, and you will receive the final documentation confirming your adoption sometime in two to six weeks, depending on how quickly the paperwork moves. For now, here is your official document confirming that this court approves of your request for adoption."

The security guard carried the certificate of adoption to Dark and Daizi and handed it to them.
 
Daizi held onto Alec's shoulder until it was time for him to answer more questions, at which point she let go, not wanting it to look like she was coercing him.

They all knew it would be approved, but still Dark's breath caught in his throat when he was handed the adoption certificate, and he stared at it with the same pride and reverence with which he had looked at Ivy's birth certificate or his wedding certificate. Daizi was unable to see it, but she still squeezed his arm and traced her fingers over the paper.
 
The judge smiled at them. "Let me be the first to congratulate you on your new family."

"Thank you, sir," Xander said hoarsely while Alec squeaked wordlessly. "This just cements it. We've been a family for a while now."

"That's good to hear, son. Now, under judge's orders, go celebrate. Court dismissed!" He tapped the gavel lightly qnd rose to go.

That was it. They were an official and legal family! Alec held tight to Daizi's arm, feeling he was about to pass out from relief qnd excitement.

Lance came forward and offered his hand. "Congratulations!"
 
At the sound of the gavel, Daizi turned and buried her face in Alec's shoulder, squeezing him so tightly it was a wonder he could breathe. Really, it was a good thing she and not Dark was such a hugger. Completely hunched over to bury her face there, her rounded back shook, feeling too much to find words.

Dark turned to Lance, surprised by how stunned he felt. It actually happened. Nothing went wrong. Even with Ivy things had gone wrong, technically. But not this time. This time it was easy. It was without strife or catastrophe. It didn't even seem like it should be possible. But he was the first to shake Lance's hand, "Thank you."
 
"We made it, Mama, we made it!" Alec whispered to Daizi. He'd have said it louder, but her hug was restricting his air intake. He didn't care. He hugged her back just as tightly. They'd done it!

Lace grinned as he shook Dark's hand. "It was an honor, sir! An absolute honor. By the way, something came up so I can't make it to the after party, but I wanted to give the boys these." He handed over two envelopes. Then he added a third saying, "and that's for the upcoming birthday for your littlest."

Xander stayed seated staring at nothing. Like Dark, he was struggling to believe that it had happened so smoothly. No last minute objections. No shenanigans. No unhappy surprises. Not even a ridiculously long delay like many cases had. It just... happened. Just like that. Done. They'd succeeded. Was it real?
 
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