How Green Becomes Wood

"Goodnight, sweethearts," Zeinab said, leaving the rest of them downstairs downstairs to talk while Enkidu scarfed down his dinner like he hadn't been fed in a year.

"Why exactly were you talking about faking my death?" Daizi asked, sitting on the counter top while she waited.
 
"Various ways to escape horribly awkward social situations," Xander lied. "Alec says it should be one of the last resorts. I say it should be higher up on the list."

"Surely a good faked emergency phone call would do it," Alec said, smoothly continuing the lie.
 
"I have to agree, faking your death should be a last resort, only because once you play the card once, it's really hard to use a second time. Once you fake your death, you more or less have to completely start your life over, and at some point you're just at risk of getting caught or running out of money." Daizi replied, not suspecting they were lying, "and you have to sacrifice the good parts of your life, too."
 
"Yeah, but if you do it often enough and you have at least one person who knows what you're doing, you basically create a running joke in your own life," Xander pointed out.

"That's an extreme joke," Alec sighed.
 
"That's true, but for me to be happy, if I faked my death, I'd have to fake your deaths, Dark's death, and Ivy's death, and Dark is already on his second name and Ivy only just learned hers. And I'd have to find some new career, and that training is never easy, and we'd lose this house," She gestured, "If you did have a reason to have a new name, a new first name, what would you pick?"
 
"Nah, all you'd have to do is stay away for like two weeks and then come back dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt. No one would believe it was you," Xander said promptly. "It'd give the neighbors a lot to talk about, though."

Alec laughed and then considered. "I don't know. I'd have to think about that."
 
"But then I'd have to dress in jeans for the rest of my life," Daizi sighed forlornly, hopping off the countertop, "and I'd sooner die for real. I'm going to walk Enkidu, Ivy should stay asleep, but keep an ear out for the baby monitor just in case. Or maybe I should've moved it into my room so we could monitor your father," She joked, walking to the front door and grabbing Enkidu's leash.
 
"Styles change. You could slowly morph back into yourself and confuse people," Alec teased.

Xander stepped closer. "Mind if I take Enkidu out? A walk sounds nice, and I could run with him a bit."
 
"What happened to you saying it's a last resort?" Daizi teased right back, leaning in towards Alec before handing the leash to Xander, "If you insist, just be careful. It's a safe neighborhood, but you never know."
 
Alec shrugged. "Fair point. But it is a funny idea. Oh, and Tom can't come to the birthday party Saturday. He got grounded."

"Will do." Xander called Enkidu over and leashed him. "Come on, let's go trot around the neighborhood, yeah? Let's go!" He headed out with Enkidu and took him aroud the block a few times, stretching his legs.
 
"I'll be sure to take a note of it, thank you for telling me," Daizi said, hanging out around Alec until Xander made it home safely. Then, after she locked the door personally, she said, "I'm going to go say goodnight to Amty Zeinab like she requested, you two both sleep well, okay?"
 
"Night, Mama. Sleep well," Alec said, hugging her tight. "I love you, Mama." He kissed her cheek lightly and went to get ready for bed.

Xander took Daizi's sleeve and tugged on it gently, holding it a little longer than usual. "See you tomorrow."
 
Daizi squeezed Alec back, kissing him ontop of his head. She could tell there was something different about how they were this night, but she didn't know why. "I love you too," She murmured, finding Xander's sleeve and tugging it in return. Once she was released, she took a breath and then went upstairs to speak with her aunt.

Zeinab was sitting on the bed, loosely braiding her silver hair and Daizi came to sit beside her, "Do you always stay up so late?"

A bit shyly, Daizi admitted, "I might. Normally Dark is awake with me, it's how we find time together these days."

"That's why you're so tired. Come here, let me brush your hair," Zeinab said, picking up her hair brush and angling Daizi's back towards her.

"I think having an infant, teenagers, and a full-time job has more to do with it," Daizi replied, shivering as she felt the brush run through her hair, "If I went to bed earlier, then I'd be fussed at for not making time for myself and my marriage."

"Do you take time for yourself?"

"Yes," Daizi answered, slumping her shoulders, "Who have you been speaking to?"

Zeinab halted, "Why do you think I was talking to someone?"

"Amty, have you been speaking to my husband?"

"I haven't been speaking to anyone," Zeinab replied firmly and honestly, setting down her hair brush and beginning to braid her niece's hair back, "If I'm saying things which seem familiar..."

"Then maybe other people have noticed them too," Daizi grumbled, rubbing her hands over her face and wishing her aunt didn't have her literally by the hair so she could walk away.

"Don't take that tone with me, Daizi."

"I'm not taking a tone."

"Daizi."

Gritting her teeth, Daizi sat silently fuming until she forced herself to say, "I'm sorry, Amty."

"I forgive you," Zeinab replied, tying off Daizi's braid and taking her hand in hers, "We just worry about you, habibti. It's been a hard few years for you, I see it in your face. It's normal, Daizi, it's not an easy adjustment, especially for..."

"Don't you dare say 'for someone like you.'"

"Again, don't take that tone with me."

"Amty," Daizi groaned, turning towards her aunt, "If it's difficult for everyone, then why is everyone talking to me like there's something wrong with me? Like there's something broken in me that needs babying when everyone else who finds it difficult could just manage? Why does everyone I love think I can't manage?"

"Maybe because we did have help," Zeinab replied, squeezing Daizi's hand gently.

"Did you?"

"Or wish we had."

Daizi sat in silence, feeling her aunt's thumb rub against the back of her hand. Her throat closed tightly and her face felt hot. When she could force herself to speak she coldly said, "I said I would do whatever it took. That's what I'm doing."

"But you don't have to do it alone," Zeinab promised her.

"I'm not alone."

"Daizi..."

"I have my husband, and if him quitting his job to take care of the home and our children leaves me doing it on my own then I don't know what having help looks like." Daizi replied, pulling her hand back and standing, "Amty Zeinab, I love you, and I'm sorry you're worried, but people didn't trust me when I was pregnant, and people don't trust me now, and I'm just figuring everything out. You should get some sleep, I know you're not normally awake this late."
 
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Downstairs, the twins made up their couch bed and argued briefly over who got which end before settling down in the same configuration as the previous nights. For them, it was a quiet end to a slightly stressful day. If this kept up, though, they were going to need a vacation from their vacation.
 
"Why do you think people don't trust you, habibti?" Zeinab asked softly, watching as her niece stood proud and angry by the bedroom door. She certainly looked like her mother, but she had so much of her father in her. This stubbornness came from him.

"I'm treated with kid gloves. Like I'm so much more breakable than anyone else, on my best days and on my worst days I'm questioned and interrogated and told to rest. You don't know how exhausting. People keep telling me how tired I look? Maybe they should stop telling me to rest if I dare try to wash a plate. That's what's tiring. I'm told I'm not who I used to be, but before any of this I didn't have a million giving me their input on what I should or shouldn't do." Daizi said, holding tightly to the doorknob. "And when I'm not gracious to a chorus of conflicting advice, I'm told but we care about you, we love you, don't you see that? And of course I do! Of course I know that, but that doesn't change how it feels when I feel proud of what I've done that day only to be told what I should have done differently."

"But, tifla, you can't do everything yourself." Amty Zeinab said gently.

"But I'm not doing everything," Daizi replied, turing around to face her aunt, "Dark does most of the housework, my twins do most of what's left. Dark takes care of Ivy while I work. I'm doing less than half and people still tell me it's too much. How little am I meant to be capable of?" She shut herself up, waiting to hear what answer her aunt would give to this, and Zeinab was really trying to think of something, but she was too stunned by how deeply her niece was hurting to answer her quickly enough. Swallowing hard, Daizi raised her chin, a queen carved from marble, and opened the door, "I have to go to bed, Amty. We have a lot to do tomorrow. Thank you for talking to me."

Then she shut the door behind her, blinking away the tears that stung her eyes as she crept downstairs and fetched a bowl. Returning to her bedroom, she changed into her pajamas, filled the bowl with cool water, and after crawling into bed, she gently nudged Dark onto his back so she could press a damp washcloth to his forehead.
 
The twins slept well but a little uneasily on their couch bed. Alec finally fell into a deep sleep about an hour before they were supposed to get up. Xander got up half an hour early, dressed, and stuck a note to the fridge that he had gone out running. He invited Enkidu to come with him and headed out to try to out run his dreams. Tomorrow was the big day. Today was a stress day. It wasn't going to be fun, but it was going to be worth it.
 
Daizi stayed up, cooling her husband's brow until eventually he rolled over and, feeling the shape of her, snuggled in. Sighing softly, Daizi set the bowl and washcloth on her bedside table and lay back, falling into a deep sleep warmed by her furnace of a husband.

Come morning, she was only just waking up while Dark was dressing himself.

"Mmpm..." She yawned, pressing herself up on her elbows, "Are you feeling better?"

"My arm is sore, but much better, yes. Thank you for looking after me." Dark answered, checking the inside of his bicep, "I wish you could see it. Right now it is bruised horribly, but it is beautiful."

"It's been a long time since you've reacted like that," Daizi yawned, flopping onto her back and enjoying the pleasant sounds of fabric flapping as Dark pulled on his shirt.

"It has been a long time since I have gotten one this size," He replied, buttoning his shirt. Then he looked over at her lying there with her arms spread and one knee up, her shorts almost completely covered by his t-shirt. Dropping his voice softly, "You know, I had a dream about you last night."

"Did you?" Daizi asked, propping herself up again as the sound of his heavy, steady footsteps brought him closer.

"Mmhm," He replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed and resting his weight on one arm which crossed over her body, but meticulously placed so that he didn't touch her at all.

"What about?" She asked, inhaling the scent of his cologne.

"Oh, tempting, tempting things," He purred, leaning in closer to her. Bet or not, she shut her eyes and leaned towards him. Nobody was around anyway, who would know?

Nobody would know. "Tell me."

Milimeters apart, Dark stopped, smirking, and said, "I would--- but I have not forgiven you for denying me soup."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Daizi snapped out of whatever dream this snake-oil salesman had put her into, "What?"

"You heard me." Dark teased, standing up.

"You're going to play with my feelings over that!?" She laughed.

"I had a fever!"

"You bastard!" She shrieked, throwing a pillow at him. When she didn't hear the thump of it against his body, she kept throwing them towards where his footprints are until one finally hit him, at which point the very same pillow thumped against her chest.

Walking towards the kitchen, Zeinab glanced back towards their bedroom and thought... at least Daizi was laughing again.
 
Alec woke when Zeinab came down and rolled (deliberately) off the couch, landing on the floor with a quiet grunt. He lay there for a minute before worming his way up to his feet and sleepily wandering in her direction, blanket around his shoulders. "Good morning, Amty," he greeted her sleepily.
 
Alec yawned and pulled the blanket around his shoulders tighter. "I had a dream I was being basted in butter in preparation for the high school talent show where I had to show everyone I could slide as well as a penguin."
 
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