1 January 2004 - So it's been five years to the day since I started writing my fourth fan fic, 'Happy New Year' during a rather boring New Year's Eve. I thought I'd commemorate it by writing another fic.
Double Dutch
+++++
'Look about last night.' Chris said.
'Just don't Chris.' Tc replied not making eye contact with his wife.
'But I really think we should talk about this…'
'There is nothing to talk about. You made your opinions very clear last night.'
'It's no my opinion Tc. I just can't give up on my career and stay home for the next eighteen years while our child grows up. I want to have a life of my own.'
'Fine.' Tc snapped.
Chris rolled her eyes. 'You aren't fine about this.' Tc scoffed. 'And I know you don't understand my predicament but put yourself in my shoes. I'm the one that has to get pregnant and give birth which means serious time off work. I want a career. I want to be something other than a housewife.'
'You also said that you wanted children.'
'Eventually. Maybe when I make lieutenant and have my own station and I'm sitting behind a desk all week then maybe I'll have a baby then.'
'We'll both be old and grey by the time that happens.'
Chris gaped at him. 'Are you saying I won't become lieutenant?'
'No Chris, I'm saying it will take a long time because everybody wants to advance. You have stiff competition,' he gave her a loving look, 'even though you are talented, and beautiful, and sexy, and…'
'All right Romeo, I get the picture.'
'I just wish you'd change your mind that's all. I think you'd like being a mother.'
'Only as much as you'd like getting up in the middle of the night to feed him or her…'
But Tc had zoned off. He was watching a little girl wander aimless down the boardwalk. As they two officers rode past he realized she was crying.
'Check that out.' He said, stopping his bike.
Chris stopped besides him. 'What?'
'That girl. She's crying.' Tc nodded in the girl's direction.
Chris laughed. 'She probably fell over and scraped her knee or something. Little girls cry all the time.'
Tc ignored her comment. He got off his bike and wheeled it over to where the girl was walking. Chris had no choice but to follow.
He knelt down in front of her. 'Are you okay? What's your name?'
The little girl sniffed. 'Maartje.' She sobbed.
'Are you lost Maartje?' Chris asked.
The girl just looked up at her and sobbed.
'Where are your parents?' Tc asked. Again the girl just cried.
Chris took the radio off her belt. 'This is 1PB5. We have a lost girl on the boardwalk. Has anybody called in a missing child, brown hair, brown eyes, about four years old, name of Maartje?'
'Roger 1PB5, we'll check.' Dispatch replied.
Maartje stared into Chris's eyes as she cried. Chris tried to resist the urge to frown, not at all understanding why this little girl was staring at her so intently.
After a few moments the dispatch radioed back to Chris. '1PB5, that's a negative on any missing children matching that description.'
Chris and Tc exchanged looks.
'What do you say young lady?' Tc asked Maartje. 'Want to go for a ride in a police car?'
Maartje looked from Tc to Chris and back again before nodding slowly.
Tc stood up. 'Dispatch, this is 1PB5 requesting transport for lost child on the boardwalk just south of the pier.'
'Roger that 1PB5. Transport en route.'
Tc picked up Maartje and let her sit on the bike bag. She held onto the seat and he wheeled the bike around in circles around Chris until the patrol car arrived. Chris stood there rather unamused but Maartje's was having fun, squealing and laughing, tears having vanished.
Tc stopped the bike and lifted Maartje back to the ground when the patrol car pulled up. 'You ride Madam.' He led the little girl by the hand to the passenger side and introduced her to the officer. 'Maartje this is Officer Bennet. He'll take you back to the station where you can wait for your parents.'
Tc went to shut the door but Maartje dove out of the car, running over to Chris and wrapping herself around her leg. She buried her face in Chris's thigh.
Chris tried to move away but Maartje had a tight grip on her. 'Help!' She mouthed Tc.
He laughed to himself and went to Chris's aide. 'You don't want to go for a ride to the police station?' Tc made his voice sound very disappointed.
The girl looked at him, then looked up at Chris, then buried her face back in Chris's leg again.
'Take it that's a 'no'.' Chris said sarcastically.
Tc ignored his wife's comment. 'We'll be at the station too. We just can't fit our bikes in the car.'
This gave little Maartje food for thought and she pried herself from Chris's leg before offering her hand to Tc. He again led her toward the car but this time she allowed him to close the door.
Maartje was still watching them through the window as she was driven away.
'Looks like you made a friend Lieutenant Callaway.' Chris teased.
'Me?' Tc looked innocently at her. 'I nearly had to call the jaws of life to separate the two of you.' He nudged her before mounting his bike and riding back towards the station.
+++++
Jamie flew out to Chris and Tc the moment they arrived at the station. 'That little girl you brought it,' she said hurriedly, 'hasn't stopped screaming since she got here. She ran up to Monica, wrapping herself around her leg, then looked up at her and screamed.'
Chris laughed. 'Well she does have that effect on people.'
'I'm serious. Nobody can get any work done in there.' Jamie put her hands on her hips and shook her head. 'I am NEVER having children.' She flounced back into the station leaving Chris and Tc to put their bikes away.
'Don't say a word.' Tc muttered to Chris.
'I didn't say anything.' She was silent for a moment, then, 'but you have to expect that from kids.'
'How would you know?' He said.
They walked their bikes into the bike shop and leaned them against the racks.
'I've been to the mall on a Saturday. I've seen the crying, screaming and the tantrums and that was only the parents.'
'But have you seen them when they are asleep in your arms. Or when they tell you they love you. And the way they look at you as if you are the most important thing in the world.' He sighed. 'Maybe if you spent more time around Teddy's kids you'd feel differently.'
'I doubt it.'
They walked into the main part of the firehouse. There was no screaming, crying child to be seen or heard. Then Chris felt something attach to her leg. She looked down and was met by a tear stained face looking up at her.
Chris looked at Tc who hid a smirk. 'I'd better get back upstairs.' He said. 'I have a lot of important lieutenant stuff I've gotta do.'
'What about her?' Chris motioned to the 'thing' attached to her leg that had gotten hold of the material of her bike shorts and was pressing it to her cheek.
'You're a detective. Find her parents.' Tc chuckled to himself as he went back upstairs.
Chris huffed. She needed to look up the computer database to check names and details…only there was one problem. 'Do you think you could let go so I can go back to my desk?' She asked Maartje.
Maartje just looked up at her and grinned but remained firmly attached to her leg.
Chris tried to pry the girl's arms from her but she resisted and ended up sitting on Chris's shoe with her arms and legs wrapped around Chris's calf.
Chris gave up and dragged her foot behind her, much to Maartje's delight who giggled and hung on for the ride.
'Cory, help!' Chris said as she reached her desk and sat down. Maartje unattached herself and jumped up and down in front of Chris with her arms flailing. Chris looked at her oddly.
'She wants to sit on your lap.' Cory told her.
'Can't she sit on your lap?' Chris asked. 'You like kids more than I do.'
'Yes but you see, it's not about whether I want or what you want. It's all about what she wants. And she wants to sit on your lap.'
Chris spotted Bobby across the other side of the room. She dug in her desk drawer and pulled out a penny. She held it up for Maartje's inspection. 'Look.' She pointed. 'There's Bobby. He has a little sister. I'll give you a penny if you go bug him.'
Maartje looked at the penny, then slowly reached up and took it.
'Good.' Chris said triumphantly.
Maartje then started jumping up and down again.
Chris groaned and Cory laughed. 'You aren't getting out of this one.'
Chris reluctantly put out her arms and the girl dived forward to be picked up. Chris pulled Maartje to her lap. 'Happy?'
Maartje grinned and sat in Chris's lap playing with her penny.
Chris accessed the database on her computer. The dispatch was right, no listings for any missing children called 'Maartje' and no children that matched her description. She also did a random search for names on the general database. There was only one other Maartje listed who was African/American with Dutch decent.
'Nothing.' Chris said allowed.
'Well maybe she's on holiday. Maartje's not a common name here. Maybe her parents came to the beach and she wandered off.' Cory suggested.
'In which case we'll probably have to wait until they find us right?'
'Not unless this girl knows her last name or the hotel she's staying at.'
Chris picked Maartje up off her lap and sat her on the desk next to the computer. 'So. You don't happen to know where your parents are staying do you?'
'Maartje.' She replied.
'I know your that's your name honey. But what about a last name?'
'Maartje.'
Chris looked at Cory who was laughing to herself. 'Don't worry Chris. I mean, her mother's probably fallen asleep sunbaking or something and won't wake up for say two hours. You'll have plenty of quality time together.'
'Funny Cory, real funny. What's the betting she doesn't even speak English?'
'Possible.'
Maartje reached over and randomly pressed buttons on the keyboard. A message appeared on the screen, 'Do you wish to delete this file?'
'No!' Chris yelled and dived for the 'n' key, subsequently scaring Maartje who started to cry again. 'Oh, don't cry. I didn't mean it.' Chris said.
The girl cried louder.
'Do you want another penny?' Chris dug through her drawers again. 'Or an eraser?' She said when no pennies were in sight.
Maartje still cried and didn't take the eraser but held out her arms to be held.
Chris picked her up and put the girl back into her lap. Maartje curled herself into a ball and put her head on Chris's chest but still cried.
Tc looked down over the railings of the stairs. 'Problem Officer Kelly?'
'Everything's fine.' She said. Tc went to walk back into his office. 'Hey wait. Maybe you could come down here and look after her for a while. Then she'd stop crying…and I could get a really strong coffee.' She muttered the last part under her breath.
'I'm not the one whose leg she wrapped herself around.' He disappeared at the top of the stairs.
Maartje was still crying loudly so Chris started patting her on the back in a vain effort to make her stop. The patting on her back disrupted the girl's breathing so her cries came out as jagged noises. After a while of this Chris got bored and started patting the girl's back to the rhythm of a song. This made Maartje laugh despite herself so Chris kept it up until the girl was giggling instead of crying.
Chris smiled and rubbed the girl's back. Maartje stuck her thumb in her mouth and sat there sucking it while she had her back rubbed.
Chris carefully got out a pad of paper and started writing up the report about Maartje's case.
After about half a page of writing she looked down and found Maartje asleep in her lap. It was so cute. She was just lying there, leaning against Chris's stomach with her face snuggled against her shirt, thumb still in her mouth.
Chris looked across at Cory who grinned. 'They're so cute when they're asleep.'
+++++
About an hour and a half later Tc came downstairs and over to Chris's desk. 'Any luck?'
Chris shook her head. She'd been back on the database a couple of times searching for different things. She'd also called the lifeguard headquarters to see if they'd been approached about a missing child.
'It's nearly three. If the parents don't show soon we'll have to call social services.'
'But she's only missing.'
'Well she can't stay here the night.' He replied.
Chris stroked the girl's hair as she pondered other options. She really didn't feel like calling social services and turning this otherwise sweet and innocent and not to mention cute little girl over to a harpy just to be put in a shelter.
Maartje stirred at Chris's touch and woke up, slowly sitting up and looking at her surroundings. She then looked back at Chris with a puzzled look on her face.
'Don't you remember where you are?' Chris cooed and smoothed the girl's hair away that had fallen in her face in her sleep.
All of a sudden Maartje screamed and jumped off Chris's lap running full pelt towards the door.
Everyone in the firehouse turned to look at her as sprinted across the floor and only slowed down enough not to break the glass when she ran into it and pressed her face to the glass. 'Maartje!' She yelled at the top of her lungs.
A few seconds later another little girl came running in the front door and they two hugged and babbled to each other.
A woman came in a few steps behind the new girl, apologizing profusely. It was only after the two girls stopped hugging that Chris got a good look at the new girl…it was Maartje, or at least an identical copy. The 'new' Maartje turned towards the woman but pointed at the 'old' Maartje.
'Ana.' She said.
Chris came over. 'What's going on?' She asked the woman.
'I'm not sure.' She replied before talking to New Maartje in another language. Maartje responded and the woman looked rather shocked before answering Chris. 'Maartje tells me that this is her twin sister Ana.'
'But when we found her on the boardwalk she told us her name was Maartje.' Chris said.
The woman spoke to Old Maartje before answering again. 'No, her name is Ana. She was looking for Maartje.
Chris looked confused. 'So you are their mother, right?'
The woman shook her head. 'I am Maartje's foster mother. Her real mother abandoned them years ago. The agency tells me the woman was still a teenager. Maartje was placed with me but has told me numerous stories about Ana. I always thought it was her imaginary friend.'
Tc was standing nearby with an equally confusing look on her face. 'I'm going to call social services. What's the name of Maartje's officer?'
'Maria Smith.'
Tc went off to make a call.
Ana said something to Maartje's foster mother and the foster mother translated for Chris. 'Ana says she thanks you for looking after her and that she wants to stay with you. She doesn't like her foster home. They wouldn't let her call her sister so she ran away.'
Chris smiled. 'Thank you Ana.' She asked the foster mother, 'How did the two girls end up separated?'
The woman shrugged.
Tc came back downstairs. 'They didn't have any families that had enough placements for two children.' He came to stand next to Chris. 'A Dutch family was looking at adopting both girls but have been tied up by legalities for the last three years. The adoption fell through a few months ago which is when they were put into foster care. Maartje's officer will be here shortly to talk with you.' He said to the foster mother. 'Apparently you have another place just come up and she wants to keep the girls together.'
The woman nodded.
Ana made an unexpected but excited squeal and dug in her pocket and pulled out her penny, showing her sister. By the look on Maartje's face she thought it was pretty cool as well.
+++++
Maria Smith arrived at the firehouse a short time later with papers for Maartje's foster mother to sign with gave her care of Ana as well. The sister were excited to be going home together but Ana wasn't so eager to leave. She ran back over to Chris and hugged her.
Chris sighed and picked her up. After all, it had been nice have a little admirer for the day. 'You have fun with your sister won't you?'
Ana kissed Chris lightly on the cheek. 'Ik zal je missen.'
'I wish I knew what that meant.' She said and planted a kiss on Ana's forehead before putting her down.
Ana ran back over to Maartje only stopping to wave before she left with her sister.
Tc came over and put his arm around Chris's waist. 'See, kids aren't so bad.'
Chris leaned into him. 'You know how you want kids Tc?'
'Yeah.'
Chris pointed after Ana. 'I want that one.'
'Problem. There are two of them.'
'So we take both of them.'
'And, we don't speak Dutch.'
'We'll learn.'
Maria Smith was backing up the files into her briefcase. Tc called to her. 'Maria, before you leave…'
+++++
The next year Chris and Tc were awoken early one morning by two little girls jumping on their bed. 'Beach! Beach! Beach!' They chanted.
Tc moaned and held a pillow over his face to drown out the noise.
Chris picked up her pillow and it him with it. 'Come on Dad. Time to get up.'
'Beach Dad?' Maartje asked.
The girls were quickly learning English, much more quickly than Chris and Tc were learning Dutch. They'd were going to start in a normal primary school after the summer holidays.
Maartje had proved herself to be the noisy twin, constantly talking and not always about relevant items. Ana was quieter and preferred cuddling with Chris rather than Maartje's game of tackling Tc and play fighting. But even she could be loud when stirred up by here sister.
Tc pulled the pillow off his face. 'Give me another hour to sleep and then we'll go to the beach.'
This didn't please the girls. 'Beach!' They demanded.
Ana stopped jumping and sat down next to Tc's head, patting his face. 'Alstublieft Papa? Ik hou van je.' She said.
He sighed. These girls were masters of emotional manipulation. 'Ok then.'
'Yeah!' They squealed and ran into their room to get their togs on.
Chris stripped off and got into her bathers as well. 'Push over.' She said.
'Did you see that?' He asked, referring to Ana. 'How could I say nee?'
+++++
Double Dutch
+++++
'Look about last night.' Chris said.
'Just don't Chris.' Tc replied not making eye contact with his wife.
'But I really think we should talk about this…'
'There is nothing to talk about. You made your opinions very clear last night.'
'It's no my opinion Tc. I just can't give up on my career and stay home for the next eighteen years while our child grows up. I want to have a life of my own.'
'Fine.' Tc snapped.
Chris rolled her eyes. 'You aren't fine about this.' Tc scoffed. 'And I know you don't understand my predicament but put yourself in my shoes. I'm the one that has to get pregnant and give birth which means serious time off work. I want a career. I want to be something other than a housewife.'
'You also said that you wanted children.'
'Eventually. Maybe when I make lieutenant and have my own station and I'm sitting behind a desk all week then maybe I'll have a baby then.'
'We'll both be old and grey by the time that happens.'
Chris gaped at him. 'Are you saying I won't become lieutenant?'
'No Chris, I'm saying it will take a long time because everybody wants to advance. You have stiff competition,' he gave her a loving look, 'even though you are talented, and beautiful, and sexy, and…'
'All right Romeo, I get the picture.'
'I just wish you'd change your mind that's all. I think you'd like being a mother.'
'Only as much as you'd like getting up in the middle of the night to feed him or her…'
But Tc had zoned off. He was watching a little girl wander aimless down the boardwalk. As they two officers rode past he realized she was crying.
'Check that out.' He said, stopping his bike.
Chris stopped besides him. 'What?'
'That girl. She's crying.' Tc nodded in the girl's direction.
Chris laughed. 'She probably fell over and scraped her knee or something. Little girls cry all the time.'
Tc ignored her comment. He got off his bike and wheeled it over to where the girl was walking. Chris had no choice but to follow.
He knelt down in front of her. 'Are you okay? What's your name?'
The little girl sniffed. 'Maartje.' She sobbed.
'Are you lost Maartje?' Chris asked.
The girl just looked up at her and sobbed.
'Where are your parents?' Tc asked. Again the girl just cried.
Chris took the radio off her belt. 'This is 1PB5. We have a lost girl on the boardwalk. Has anybody called in a missing child, brown hair, brown eyes, about four years old, name of Maartje?'
'Roger 1PB5, we'll check.' Dispatch replied.
Maartje stared into Chris's eyes as she cried. Chris tried to resist the urge to frown, not at all understanding why this little girl was staring at her so intently.
After a few moments the dispatch radioed back to Chris. '1PB5, that's a negative on any missing children matching that description.'
Chris and Tc exchanged looks.
'What do you say young lady?' Tc asked Maartje. 'Want to go for a ride in a police car?'
Maartje looked from Tc to Chris and back again before nodding slowly.
Tc stood up. 'Dispatch, this is 1PB5 requesting transport for lost child on the boardwalk just south of the pier.'
'Roger that 1PB5. Transport en route.'
Tc picked up Maartje and let her sit on the bike bag. She held onto the seat and he wheeled the bike around in circles around Chris until the patrol car arrived. Chris stood there rather unamused but Maartje's was having fun, squealing and laughing, tears having vanished.
Tc stopped the bike and lifted Maartje back to the ground when the patrol car pulled up. 'You ride Madam.' He led the little girl by the hand to the passenger side and introduced her to the officer. 'Maartje this is Officer Bennet. He'll take you back to the station where you can wait for your parents.'
Tc went to shut the door but Maartje dove out of the car, running over to Chris and wrapping herself around her leg. She buried her face in Chris's thigh.
Chris tried to move away but Maartje had a tight grip on her. 'Help!' She mouthed Tc.
He laughed to himself and went to Chris's aide. 'You don't want to go for a ride to the police station?' Tc made his voice sound very disappointed.
The girl looked at him, then looked up at Chris, then buried her face back in Chris's leg again.
'Take it that's a 'no'.' Chris said sarcastically.
Tc ignored his wife's comment. 'We'll be at the station too. We just can't fit our bikes in the car.'
This gave little Maartje food for thought and she pried herself from Chris's leg before offering her hand to Tc. He again led her toward the car but this time she allowed him to close the door.
Maartje was still watching them through the window as she was driven away.
'Looks like you made a friend Lieutenant Callaway.' Chris teased.
'Me?' Tc looked innocently at her. 'I nearly had to call the jaws of life to separate the two of you.' He nudged her before mounting his bike and riding back towards the station.
+++++
Jamie flew out to Chris and Tc the moment they arrived at the station. 'That little girl you brought it,' she said hurriedly, 'hasn't stopped screaming since she got here. She ran up to Monica, wrapping herself around her leg, then looked up at her and screamed.'
Chris laughed. 'Well she does have that effect on people.'
'I'm serious. Nobody can get any work done in there.' Jamie put her hands on her hips and shook her head. 'I am NEVER having children.' She flounced back into the station leaving Chris and Tc to put their bikes away.
'Don't say a word.' Tc muttered to Chris.
'I didn't say anything.' She was silent for a moment, then, 'but you have to expect that from kids.'
'How would you know?' He said.
They walked their bikes into the bike shop and leaned them against the racks.
'I've been to the mall on a Saturday. I've seen the crying, screaming and the tantrums and that was only the parents.'
'But have you seen them when they are asleep in your arms. Or when they tell you they love you. And the way they look at you as if you are the most important thing in the world.' He sighed. 'Maybe if you spent more time around Teddy's kids you'd feel differently.'
'I doubt it.'
They walked into the main part of the firehouse. There was no screaming, crying child to be seen or heard. Then Chris felt something attach to her leg. She looked down and was met by a tear stained face looking up at her.
Chris looked at Tc who hid a smirk. 'I'd better get back upstairs.' He said. 'I have a lot of important lieutenant stuff I've gotta do.'
'What about her?' Chris motioned to the 'thing' attached to her leg that had gotten hold of the material of her bike shorts and was pressing it to her cheek.
'You're a detective. Find her parents.' Tc chuckled to himself as he went back upstairs.
Chris huffed. She needed to look up the computer database to check names and details…only there was one problem. 'Do you think you could let go so I can go back to my desk?' She asked Maartje.
Maartje just looked up at her and grinned but remained firmly attached to her leg.
Chris tried to pry the girl's arms from her but she resisted and ended up sitting on Chris's shoe with her arms and legs wrapped around Chris's calf.
Chris gave up and dragged her foot behind her, much to Maartje's delight who giggled and hung on for the ride.
'Cory, help!' Chris said as she reached her desk and sat down. Maartje unattached herself and jumped up and down in front of Chris with her arms flailing. Chris looked at her oddly.
'She wants to sit on your lap.' Cory told her.
'Can't she sit on your lap?' Chris asked. 'You like kids more than I do.'
'Yes but you see, it's not about whether I want or what you want. It's all about what she wants. And she wants to sit on your lap.'
Chris spotted Bobby across the other side of the room. She dug in her desk drawer and pulled out a penny. She held it up for Maartje's inspection. 'Look.' She pointed. 'There's Bobby. He has a little sister. I'll give you a penny if you go bug him.'
Maartje looked at the penny, then slowly reached up and took it.
'Good.' Chris said triumphantly.
Maartje then started jumping up and down again.
Chris groaned and Cory laughed. 'You aren't getting out of this one.'
Chris reluctantly put out her arms and the girl dived forward to be picked up. Chris pulled Maartje to her lap. 'Happy?'
Maartje grinned and sat in Chris's lap playing with her penny.
Chris accessed the database on her computer. The dispatch was right, no listings for any missing children called 'Maartje' and no children that matched her description. She also did a random search for names on the general database. There was only one other Maartje listed who was African/American with Dutch decent.
'Nothing.' Chris said allowed.
'Well maybe she's on holiday. Maartje's not a common name here. Maybe her parents came to the beach and she wandered off.' Cory suggested.
'In which case we'll probably have to wait until they find us right?'
'Not unless this girl knows her last name or the hotel she's staying at.'
Chris picked Maartje up off her lap and sat her on the desk next to the computer. 'So. You don't happen to know where your parents are staying do you?'
'Maartje.' She replied.
'I know your that's your name honey. But what about a last name?'
'Maartje.'
Chris looked at Cory who was laughing to herself. 'Don't worry Chris. I mean, her mother's probably fallen asleep sunbaking or something and won't wake up for say two hours. You'll have plenty of quality time together.'
'Funny Cory, real funny. What's the betting she doesn't even speak English?'
'Possible.'
Maartje reached over and randomly pressed buttons on the keyboard. A message appeared on the screen, 'Do you wish to delete this file?'
'No!' Chris yelled and dived for the 'n' key, subsequently scaring Maartje who started to cry again. 'Oh, don't cry. I didn't mean it.' Chris said.
The girl cried louder.
'Do you want another penny?' Chris dug through her drawers again. 'Or an eraser?' She said when no pennies were in sight.
Maartje still cried and didn't take the eraser but held out her arms to be held.
Chris picked her up and put the girl back into her lap. Maartje curled herself into a ball and put her head on Chris's chest but still cried.
Tc looked down over the railings of the stairs. 'Problem Officer Kelly?'
'Everything's fine.' She said. Tc went to walk back into his office. 'Hey wait. Maybe you could come down here and look after her for a while. Then she'd stop crying…and I could get a really strong coffee.' She muttered the last part under her breath.
'I'm not the one whose leg she wrapped herself around.' He disappeared at the top of the stairs.
Maartje was still crying loudly so Chris started patting her on the back in a vain effort to make her stop. The patting on her back disrupted the girl's breathing so her cries came out as jagged noises. After a while of this Chris got bored and started patting the girl's back to the rhythm of a song. This made Maartje laugh despite herself so Chris kept it up until the girl was giggling instead of crying.
Chris smiled and rubbed the girl's back. Maartje stuck her thumb in her mouth and sat there sucking it while she had her back rubbed.
Chris carefully got out a pad of paper and started writing up the report about Maartje's case.
After about half a page of writing she looked down and found Maartje asleep in her lap. It was so cute. She was just lying there, leaning against Chris's stomach with her face snuggled against her shirt, thumb still in her mouth.
Chris looked across at Cory who grinned. 'They're so cute when they're asleep.'
+++++
About an hour and a half later Tc came downstairs and over to Chris's desk. 'Any luck?'
Chris shook her head. She'd been back on the database a couple of times searching for different things. She'd also called the lifeguard headquarters to see if they'd been approached about a missing child.
'It's nearly three. If the parents don't show soon we'll have to call social services.'
'But she's only missing.'
'Well she can't stay here the night.' He replied.
Chris stroked the girl's hair as she pondered other options. She really didn't feel like calling social services and turning this otherwise sweet and innocent and not to mention cute little girl over to a harpy just to be put in a shelter.
Maartje stirred at Chris's touch and woke up, slowly sitting up and looking at her surroundings. She then looked back at Chris with a puzzled look on her face.
'Don't you remember where you are?' Chris cooed and smoothed the girl's hair away that had fallen in her face in her sleep.
All of a sudden Maartje screamed and jumped off Chris's lap running full pelt towards the door.
Everyone in the firehouse turned to look at her as sprinted across the floor and only slowed down enough not to break the glass when she ran into it and pressed her face to the glass. 'Maartje!' She yelled at the top of her lungs.
A few seconds later another little girl came running in the front door and they two hugged and babbled to each other.
A woman came in a few steps behind the new girl, apologizing profusely. It was only after the two girls stopped hugging that Chris got a good look at the new girl…it was Maartje, or at least an identical copy. The 'new' Maartje turned towards the woman but pointed at the 'old' Maartje.
'Ana.' She said.
Chris came over. 'What's going on?' She asked the woman.
'I'm not sure.' She replied before talking to New Maartje in another language. Maartje responded and the woman looked rather shocked before answering Chris. 'Maartje tells me that this is her twin sister Ana.'
'But when we found her on the boardwalk she told us her name was Maartje.' Chris said.
The woman spoke to Old Maartje before answering again. 'No, her name is Ana. She was looking for Maartje.
Chris looked confused. 'So you are their mother, right?'
The woman shook her head. 'I am Maartje's foster mother. Her real mother abandoned them years ago. The agency tells me the woman was still a teenager. Maartje was placed with me but has told me numerous stories about Ana. I always thought it was her imaginary friend.'
Tc was standing nearby with an equally confusing look on her face. 'I'm going to call social services. What's the name of Maartje's officer?'
'Maria Smith.'
Tc went off to make a call.
Ana said something to Maartje's foster mother and the foster mother translated for Chris. 'Ana says she thanks you for looking after her and that she wants to stay with you. She doesn't like her foster home. They wouldn't let her call her sister so she ran away.'
Chris smiled. 'Thank you Ana.' She asked the foster mother, 'How did the two girls end up separated?'
The woman shrugged.
Tc came back downstairs. 'They didn't have any families that had enough placements for two children.' He came to stand next to Chris. 'A Dutch family was looking at adopting both girls but have been tied up by legalities for the last three years. The adoption fell through a few months ago which is when they were put into foster care. Maartje's officer will be here shortly to talk with you.' He said to the foster mother. 'Apparently you have another place just come up and she wants to keep the girls together.'
The woman nodded.
Ana made an unexpected but excited squeal and dug in her pocket and pulled out her penny, showing her sister. By the look on Maartje's face she thought it was pretty cool as well.
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Maria Smith arrived at the firehouse a short time later with papers for Maartje's foster mother to sign with gave her care of Ana as well. The sister were excited to be going home together but Ana wasn't so eager to leave. She ran back over to Chris and hugged her.
Chris sighed and picked her up. After all, it had been nice have a little admirer for the day. 'You have fun with your sister won't you?'
Ana kissed Chris lightly on the cheek. 'Ik zal je missen.'
'I wish I knew what that meant.' She said and planted a kiss on Ana's forehead before putting her down.
Ana ran back over to Maartje only stopping to wave before she left with her sister.
Tc came over and put his arm around Chris's waist. 'See, kids aren't so bad.'
Chris leaned into him. 'You know how you want kids Tc?'
'Yeah.'
Chris pointed after Ana. 'I want that one.'
'Problem. There are two of them.'
'So we take both of them.'
'And, we don't speak Dutch.'
'We'll learn.'
Maria Smith was backing up the files into her briefcase. Tc called to her. 'Maria, before you leave…'
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The next year Chris and Tc were awoken early one morning by two little girls jumping on their bed. 'Beach! Beach! Beach!' They chanted.
Tc moaned and held a pillow over his face to drown out the noise.
Chris picked up her pillow and it him with it. 'Come on Dad. Time to get up.'
'Beach Dad?' Maartje asked.
The girls were quickly learning English, much more quickly than Chris and Tc were learning Dutch. They'd were going to start in a normal primary school after the summer holidays.
Maartje had proved herself to be the noisy twin, constantly talking and not always about relevant items. Ana was quieter and preferred cuddling with Chris rather than Maartje's game of tackling Tc and play fighting. But even she could be loud when stirred up by here sister.
Tc pulled the pillow off his face. 'Give me another hour to sleep and then we'll go to the beach.'
This didn't please the girls. 'Beach!' They demanded.
Ana stopped jumping and sat down next to Tc's head, patting his face. 'Alstublieft Papa? Ik hou van je.' She said.
He sighed. These girls were masters of emotional manipulation. 'Ok then.'
'Yeah!' They squealed and ran into their room to get their togs on.
Chris stripped off and got into her bathers as well. 'Push over.' She said.
'Did you see that?' He asked, referring to Ana. 'How could I say nee?'
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