How Green Becomes Wood

"My Carnival," Dark answered simply, while a small voice in his head said, go home to Baghdad, but he shook it away. He would never accept that as an unrealistic wish. One day, he would see his country again.

"Second on his list is to be a vampire," Daizi added.
 
"That is an excellent unrealistic wish," Alec approved. He was actually surprised and a little puzzled that his father hadn't mentioned going to his birth country as a realistic wish, but the one that he had named had been much more immediate. "For my unrealistic wish... to be some sort of performance arts star! To be mildly famous. Not too famous, but just enough so that a decent number of people know what I can do. That'd be a lot of fun! For my realistic wish?" He smiled dreamily at the first thought that popped into his head, but he chose not to say that one. "To someday have a nice little house and a nice family. Maybe even a white picket fence!"
 
The desire to return to Iraq was an ever-present force in his life, and had been since the day he left. But he still had to live his daily life, and sometimes that dream needed to be set up on a shelf. It was always there in his heart, but on a day like this, when his wife and children were happy... His desire to be happy with them overwhelmed everything else, because so often he could not feel the sunlight on his face. His dream of his homeland was still there, but for now he was going to savor the warmth on his skin.

"What kind of performance would you like to be famous for?" Daizi asked.

Dark, meanwhile, feigned distress and exclaimed, "A white picket fence? Whose son are you?"
 
"It depends on the type of house, but I was thinking a nice, friendly pink," he said innocently. "Pink body with green trim! It'll be the cutest, friendliest house in the neighborhood!" His wide eyes and innocent smile completely hid the mischievous glint in his eye.

"I think I'd rather walk across broken glass," Xander said flatly.
 
"That's just the outside where I'll have to pay a professional to paint, and that can get expensive quick," Alec said cheerfully. "There's going to be a lot of different things in the yard. Like purple bird baths! Oh, and to answer your question, Mama, I'm thinking possibly Cyr wheel, or maybe dance, but I'd also accept singing. Maybe some kind of combination!"
 
"That is true, but you have an uncle who would give you a family discount," Dark pointed out.

"You'd have to do at least a little singing," Daizi said, "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to enjoy what you're famous for."
 
"Oh of course, how foolish of me," Dark replied, "What if, if you choose to marry, the person you choose wants something more muted?"

Daizi listened in on this for a moment and then turned softly to Xander, letting her husband and other son tease as was their want, "You haven't shared your wishes, habibi."
 
Alec stared at Dark and raised his eyebrows. "Ba. Do you really think I'd marry someone who would only do muted colors? It would never work!"

Xander paused in his attempt to chase down the last of his peas. "Me? Nah, I don't have anything as splashy as all that. Or deep."
 
"Perhaps not, but there is a vast gulf between muted colours and colours-more-muted-than-neon," Dark pointed out.

"It doesn't need to be deep or splashy," Daizi replied, "Any wish at all. Your father just wished for more time like this, that's fairly simple."
 
"Well." Alec tossed his head and gave Dark an angelic smile. "I'm afraid I'm just going to have to find someone willing to live with me in my rainbow sherbet of a house. If they don't like it, they can live with you part time. It'll work out fine!"

Xander wasn't sure that was a simple wish, all things considered, but he chose not to argue the point. "Oh, you know, that the business does well and stuff. Might be nice to get my own pet someday. Something like that, I guess."
 
"Surely your wife would live with her own parents part time, if such a joint-living arrangement would be necessary," Dark replied, "It would be torture for her to live with her in-laws."

"Those are good realistic wishes," Daizi agreed, her attention fully on him for the moment, "Do you have an impossible wish?"
 
"Ooo, good point!" Alec grinned, unable to keep his humor from coming through. "Still, it might be enlightening!"

Xander shrugged. "I've never really bothered with impossible wishes. They're impossible, so why bother? Sorry to be the downer."
 
"Enlightening," Dark repeated, turning to look at his daughter, "Do you hear that, Ivy-Qadira? Your brother claims it will be enlightening."

"Surely you have dreams, though," Daizi gently prodded, "Some things which seem impossible do happen."
 
"Everything about this family is enlightening," Alec teased, his eyes twinkling.

"Not really. Dreaming about the impossible just gets your hopes up, and then when they don't come true, which they won't because they are impossible, you get disappointed," Xander replied. "I prefer to skip the disappointment.
 
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