How Green Becomes Wood

When Xander pressed against him, Dark gently wrapped his arm around him, holding him a little less securely than he held Alec, so Xander could break away more easily. As worked up as he himself was, he took slow, deep breaths to encourage both boys to follow his example. He rocked slowly back and forth, doing everything he could to calm them and himself. The thought of Daizi came to his mind, at home, probably lighting a candle, probably singing. He wished she were here, but was glad she wasn't.

This time, when Alec flinched, he shushed him like he'd shush Ivy when he was rocking her to sleep at night. Unfortunately, he couldn't maintain the peace he was trying to maintain as the sirens drew closer. He didn't have a deep love for the police, and, admittedly, he felt some dread about having called them. It was the correct thing to do, he knew, and he knew he should've probably called them earlier... but he was still a large, brown, foreign man, and he didn't know how they'd react to him.

He stayed sitting when they pulled up, because he was still holding Alec closely, but he turned to look at them, rolling back his shoulders and did his best to prepare himself for this part, taking a quick look at Xander to try to gauge how he was doing.
 
Xander glanced at Dark, still holding Alec who seemed to be in shock or similar, and then nodded slightly. Alec was safe. That was what mattered. He pushed himself up to his feet and stood next to Dark, subconsciously moving to stand between him and the police as they pulled up and got out of their cars. Just one car with two officers and an ambulance was on its way down the street. Dax still lay on the ground, but he was starting to stir a little.

Xander looked straight at the police, still feeling quivery inside, and pointed to Dax. "He tried to kidnap my brother and I," he said before the officers could ask any questions. It was a little shorter and to the point than the full truth. "Our dad defended us."

One of the officers hung back, keeping an eye on Dax and reporting into his walkie talkie as the ambulance pulled up. The second officer walked forward, not fully putting his back to Dax, and looked things over.

"You're the kids' father?" he asked Dark, his tone an interesting blend of neutral and suspicious. These were minors he was dealing with. He had to make certain he got it right.
 
"I am their legal guardian," Dark replied. Despite not feeling the term applied to them, in this situation, he wanted to be direct, although he couldn't keep himself from adding, "We are beginning the process of adoption. That man," he nodded towards Dex, "had him by the hair when I came up to them. I teach at the high school. Their friend alerted me."

Then, a quiet, meek little voice spoke up, unnoticed and properly forgotten, "I've got pictures of it. Pictures and video, um, I started with my camera, but then I switched to my phone so I wouldn't have to, um, develop them, so. I have all of it."
 
The officer turned toward Milo, surprised. He looked like he wanted to ask Milo where he'd popped up from, but instead, he just asked, "You got a video of it? Can you show me a bit?"

Dax started to stir on the ground as the paramedics rushed over. "Hey. Hey, he hit me, he did," he slurred messily. "I was just trying to talk to my boys when he hauled off on me."

The officer raised his brows, but before he could ask, Xander answered. "The b******d used to date our mum and thinks we owe him something. He's not anything to us. He used to smack our Mum around, too."

The officer nodded and made a note of that before turning back to Milo.

The paramedic told him to hold still as she looked over his face. The second paramedic hurried over to kneel next to Dark and Alec, identifying them to be the next most serious injuries. Alec flinched away from the strange man before he could even reach out to him.

"Hey, love, it's alright," the man said gently, glancing up at Dark. "I just want to see if you've been hurt. Have you been hurt?"

Alec didn't answer, his grip tightening on Dark. He wasn't in a state to recognize friend from foe at the moment.
 
Milo nodded, hurrying over and taking out his phone to pull up the video. He had started recording just in time for Dex to yell, word with my boys here and he did not stop recording until a few moments after Dex was on the ground. The video was taken with impressively still hands, and when showing it off, Milo said nothing. He had experience with the police.

"It is okay," Dark murmured to Alec, rubbing his back with his left hand, a few of his knuckles split, "He wants to help you, Albuma, are you hurt? I know he had grabbed you, did he hurt you?" With his right hand, gently, he raised Alec's face to get a better look at him, "They are not going to hurt you." Then, he let Alec settle into whatever he felt comfortable, and he looked up at the paramedic, "He is very worked up. Do you have water?"
 
The officer watched wordlessly until he asked Milo to play it back again. He made a few more notes and asked Milo a couple more questions before securing the video for evidence. The video would go a long way to securing Dark's clear case of self-protection and defending his sons.

The paramedic nodded. "I'll go get it," he said, standing up slowly in order to not startle Alec any more than he already was.

Alec let Dark move his face to show that, no, he was unhurt. His arm hurt where Dax had grabbed him, but that was just going to be a bruise. He sat down with his legs tucked under him, not looking at Dark or anything else in particular. Words didn't want to come. Words... were terrifying. They made the nightmares into reality.

The paramedic with Dax suddenly let out a yelp, and the one coming back to Dark and Alec abandoned the water to run and help her. Dax started thrashing, snarling furiously and resisting them. The officers both ran over to lend their aid, and they got Dax up on a stretcher and strapped down securely in a matter of moments. The fact that his face was nothing more than a bloody pulp didn't seem to phaze him much, and then one of the paramedics found something in Dax's pocket. She handed it to one of the officers, he then conferred quietly with each other while the paramedics made certain Dax was safely contained.

Once Dax was contained, the paramedic returned to Dark and Alec with a bottle of water. "Alright, here we go. How about I start with your dad's knuckles, okay?" the paramedic said, addressing Alec. "You just sit here and drink your water, and we'll be right here next to you." He displayed the kit he was going to use on Alec.
 
When Dax yelped, and there was a scuffle there, instinctively Dark held Alec close and pivoted so that Alec was entirely shielded, just in case, not heeding the deep pain in his side, although it made him, for the first time, aware there was a pain there. But he didn't react to it. When the paramedic handed the water, he took the bottle and handed it to Alec, and then, attempted to sigh, but that hurt too. He looked up at the paramedic and briefly let go of Alec so he could take off his wedding ring and present his hand to be treated.

"I have tattoos on the backs of my hands," He said, "But I am required to cover them with foundation for my job: Do not worry if my skin seems to be removed. I do think I am okay, though, I am more worried about my other son."
 
"There's never enough care to go around, is there?" the paramedic asked, keeping his tone light as he quickly and professionally cleaned off Dark's knuckles. "Let's deal with this first, but I noticed you seemed to catch your breath a little. Are you injured anywhere else?"

Xander stood near Dark in Alec's line of sight, wishing there was something he could be doing other than standing with his arms folded, trying not to go insane. He felt a little lightheaded now that things were calming down. The officer came over to ask him more questions and got the number for Lance Corporal. Once he got all the information he could from Xander, he stepped aside to call the CPS to follow up on Dark's claim before he let the wrong person drive off with a pair of teens. Not that he believed Dax's claim for a second.
 
"I was hit twice," Dark answered. He wanted to claim there was nothing wrong, but he was trying to demonstrate for his sons to receive medical attention rather than act too strong for it. As he spoke his eyes flicked to Xander, and he nodded for him to come sit after the officer stopped speaking to him. To his eyes, Xander looked pale, he needed to sit. He should probably have some water, too. "My face and my side." He squinted up towards the sky, "I need to call my wife." Except, he had tossed his phone to Xander. He didn't know where it was, now.
 
The paramedic quickly and gently wrapped Dark's knuckles and made sure they weren't wrapped too tightly. "I would like to strongly recommend that you get checked out at the hospital. I'd offer to give you a ride, but I'm afraid our ambulance," he glanced toward the vehicle in question, "is a bit occupied at the moment. I can call another one, if you feel the need."

Xander caught Dark's look and hesitated, but sitting down did seem like a good idea, so he did so with great care. His ear still rang quietly, making it hard to hear on that side. It was really annoying. When Dark mentioned calling Daizi, he looked around for the phone. He'd dropped it somewhere around here. Giving up for the moment and intending to look more later, he handed Dark his phone.

One of the officers approached and crouched down to ask Dark for some ID and then waited patiently for Dark to make his call.
 
Dark took his wallet out, glad he kept it in the pocket of his suit jacket, and handed the office his driver's license. Then he took Xander's phone and called Daizi. Despite knowing it was probably for the best to speak English so everybody knew what he was saying, he was exhausted, and he wanted to hear her speak their language.

"Xander?" Daizi answered the phone casually, "Is everything okay, habibi? I thought you were getting ice cream."

"Everything is okay," Dark said, purely to stop her from immediately going into a panic, "There was a bit of a... situation, at the school. Not, the sort of situation we run drills for. Alec, Xander, and I are all safe, but we are going to be... a little late coming home."

Back at home, Daizi's mouth ran dry, "What are you talking about?"

"It is difficult to explain. There was a..." He took a deep breath to try to think it through, but had to stop before he inhaled fully, "Well, I was in a fight."

"What?!"

"I won," Dark informed her.

"That's not what I'm worried about!"

"Darling, I am okay, and our sons are okay, and I can tell you everything when I get home. I did not want you to worry about where I was."

"I'm worrying now," Daizi said. Even though the phone wasn't on speaker, her worried tone was audible, "Are you hurt? Are the twins hurt?"

"Only a little bit, but--"

"What does that mean!?"

"Spider," Dark said softly, trying to get her to focus back in, "There is nothing I can tell you about what happened which will not frighten you more. I am sorry. I just wanted you to know."

Daizi fell silent on the other side on the phone, hearing a shift in her husband's voice. There was nothing to do but force herself to be calm and patient for him, "Okay. I love you, Dark. Call me as soon as you can, okay? Come home as soon as you can. Tell our boys I love them. Actually, can I talk to them? Is that okay?"

"I love you too." Dark replied, lingering for a moment with the phone by his ear. Then he murmured something and spoke to Alec, "Do you want to talk to your mother?"
 
Alec hesitated a moment and then nodded. He took the phone carefully and held it to his ear. He didn't say anything at first, needing to work up to it. "Hi," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the phone.

The paramedic had turned his attention to Xander since Alec seemed to be coming down a little, and Xander stiffly let the Paramedic look at him, but he was having trouble letting the guy touch him even though it was barely even a fingertip touch. The paramedic didn't push it and turned to looking into Xander's eyes.

The officer handed Dark his ID back. "Okay, Mr. Dark, the ambulance is leaving with Mr. Clark now - Dale will be back to pick you up in ten, Briggs," he added to the paramedic, who grunted to show he'd heard. "I would advise you to file an Oder of Protection against Mr. Clark, just in case, but I doubt he's going to be an issue for a while. Turns out he's got quite a few offenses against him, and I doubt he's going to be seeing the streets again for some time once he's out of the hospital." He held out a card. "This is the online site for filing that kind of paperwork, but you are more than welcome to come to the station to fill it out in person."
 
"Hi, habibi," Daizi said softly, holding the phone close, "Are you okay, baby?"

Dark watched Xander and the paramedic, regretting calling Daizi before warning the paramedic Xander didn't like to be touched. It was too late now. He took the card and his ID from the officer, "Thank you. I was planning on doing so. Unless either of them are in need of further attention, I do not think we will need an ambulance."
 
There was a long silence as Alec pressed the phone tighter to his ear and listened for Daizi. Finally, he whispered out, "No. Sorry. But... safe." He bit his lip, wanting to say more, but it felt like his voice had died within.

The officer nodded. "Good. You've got a hell of a swing, Mr. Dark, and you did a good job protecting your boys. I or someone in my department will call you with any updates, but it'll be at least a few days while we get everything sorted out. If you have any questions, my number's on the back of that card." He stood and walked over to talk to Milo. "Mr. West."

"This one's got a light concussion," the paramedic told Dark as Xander leaned back away from his very light touch. "I don't think his cheek is damaged, though, which is good news."
 
"You don't have to be sorry," Daizi promised, feeling her heart shatter into a million pieces at how frail he sounded, "I'm glad you're safe. I love you, Alec. I love you. It's okay if you don't feel much like talking right now, habibi. I'll keep talking to you if you'd like that, okay?"

"Thank you," Dark nodded and then pushed his hair back as he redirected his attention to the paramedic, "Alright. Thank you. Xander, how are you feeling?" There was no way Xander could drive like that, but Dark was fairly certain he could still drive. "I am not sending either of you to school tomorrow."

Milo had returned to standing on the sidelines, not sure if he should stick around or not. There was so much happening and when the officer came to speak to him, he looked up but shrunk back, "Sir?"
 
"Yes, please," Alec whispered, closing his eyes. When Daizi spoke, he could pretend like he was sitting next to her. Maybe on the floor while Ivy played. Home safe and sound.

Xander shrugged. He didn't feel so good, but not awful. He felt like he could handle the slight headache.

The paramedic moved back to give Xander his space. "Keep a close eye on him, and if anything gets worse, cart him off to the hospital. As he is now, it looks like just a mild concussion. Quiet, low lights, and minimal stimuli will be good. He doesn't have to sit in a dark room and not do anything, but quiet and calm are your words for the next couple of days. I'd recommend one to two days out of school. I've got some pain meds in my bag, and whatever you have at home will be good." He fished around in his bag until he located the bottle of standard pain medication and a second bottle of water. "Now, Xander. That's your name, right? Xander? Don't play it tough or you'll end up in a worse place. If your headache gets worse, you pass out, feel really sick, or anything else, speak up, okay?" He handed over the pain meds, and Xander took them grudgingly.

"That was some fast thinking. Good job. Things would have been a lot worse without you," the officer told him. "I need to get your number just in case we need to get in touch with you, but everything should be fine from here on out."
 
On the phone, Daizi very softly told him all about her day, what she was planning to make for dinner, what she and Ivy had gotten up to, and when she ran out of things to say, she sung to him. Hopefully they would be home soon so she could hold him for real, but until then, she sat on the phone and sang.

Dark nodded, taking a shallow in breath before thanking the paramedic. "Fortunately or otherwise, I have familiarity with concussions, as does my wife. We will take care of him." He rubbed Alec's back one more time, "Can you check his head? That man had him tight by his hair."

Milo nodded awkwardly, and began saying the numbers to his phone number before shaking his head and just writing it down for him. It was easier.
 
"Absolutely," the paramedic said, turning toward Alec without a second of hesitation.

Alec looked up at the paramedic and wordlessly handed the phone back to Dark. He'd been nearly hugging it as he listened and did feel a lot better now, but far from "okay." He leaned over and let the paramedic look through his hair.

The officer took Milo's number, thanked him, and started walking away. He paused when he spotted a phone on the ground. "Did someone lose a phone?" he asked, holding up Dark's phone for the others to see.
 
Dark quickly murmured goodbyes to Daizi, thanked her, and then hung up and handed Xander back his phone. "That one is mine, thank you," he told the officer. Once it was back in his possession and tucked away, he waited for the paramedic to, hopefully, give them freedom to go home. Until then, he had to wait. The growing calm was worse than the violence, worse than when the cops and paramedics were swarming. Because now he had time to think. And a great number of thoughts crept back in.
 
After only a few seconds of examination, the paramedic cleared Alec. "Don't wash your hair for a couple of days, and be really, really gentle when you brush it. Beyond that, just let your scalp tell you what it wants," he told the teen, who managed a little nod. The paramedic's ride arrived, and the cops left, but before he left, with his ride waiting for him, the paramedic looked closely at Dark. "Are you sure you're okay to drive home, sir? I can get you a taxi or something."

Alec had finally managed to get himself to stand up, but he clung closely to Xander, eyes downcast.
 
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