After both twins were upstairs, Dark lay his head down against Daizi's belly, since her lap was so much smaller than it used to be, and closed his eyes with a soft sigh.
"Are you okay?" Daizi asked, running her fingers through his hair.
"Mmhm... There has been a lot of emotion in the house today."
"I know... They seem to be coping well, at least."
Dark nodded, reaching up with one hand to hold Daizi's, "I took them to her grave. We all spoke to her... I told her about you, and about your family. The ones who are... And about Omar, our Omar, not your brother."
The fingers she had in his hair stilled for a moment and then started again. The grief of that name still gnawed at her, and always would, "She doesn't need to care for him, she deserves to rest."
"No, but she can visit. An aunt for him, if not... But I..." Dark opened his eyes and looked up at his wife. It was an awkward angle to see her at, but still lovely. He needed to see her, "I am glad their aunt is making an effort. I hope she stays."
"Me too... She reminds me of you, you know... Very reserved..."
"I wish the twins understood..." He began to say, and then stopped himself, shutting his eyes.
"What's on your mind, darling?" Daizi asked, and he rolled over onto his side, facing her, curling as close to her body as he could. Her hand he had dropped, and instead he wrapped his upper arm around her and folded the other tight beneath his body.
"I do not have family," Dark said softly, after some time had passed, "I know, I have you and Cooger, and now the twins, and her," He swiveled his head to kiss her belly, "but... She is the only one related to me, and I have no one from my past. From my country... No link from where I am from, no one who can answer my questions... And our daughter is going to grow up Iraqi-Egyptian-American, but I will be her only tie to Iraq. She will not know it."
"You will be enough..." Daizi suggested lightly, laying her other hand on his shoulder.
Dark paused again, "No I will not... Not in that way. And I just... I thought I would be okay, truly, I thought I had accepted that I am alone, but, seeing the twins with Ciara, even though it is stressful and uneasy for them... I would give so much to have an unknown relative arrive at the door. Even if it went badly."
Daizi swallowed, "Well... You might still have family out there. I am sure you had cousins... Aunts, uncles..."
"But I cannot find them, I do not even know if any of them survived, or if they are still in Iraq, or if, like me, they fled. And I changed my name, how would they find me?" He moved to sit up, but lightly she pressed him down. It wasn't time, he still needed her, and after he settled back down, his broad back began to tremble. In the way he described, he was alone. Slowly she allowed him to sit up, and he knelt beside her and pressed his face into the crook of his neck, and just like with Alec, she held him tighter than he held her.
"It is never over," he whispered. Desperately Daizi wished there was something she could do or say to fix it, but... This wound predated and would outlast her. She was making him more family, but not family who would bring him at all closer to home, a place he could not even visit. One he could never bring her to see. It was not an easy evening, for either of them, but the rest of the week went fine, and the next week came easily.
That Wednesday, Daizi's work gave them all a half day, so she was home early, and was content to relax in the warm light of her garden, with her feet up on the bench swing outside.