Part 2 of "Getting the twins"
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"Are they out?" Stef whispered to her wife who was still sitting in the back of the car next to their newest foster daughter. Brandon had fallen asleep after being in the car for about a half hour, which was typical for the 6-year-old.
Lena looked at the little girl next to her and then at the girl's twin. She smiled at Mariana, who was still awake. "Well, Jesus is out. But our little princess is still awake." Lena informed her wife as she winked at the girl.
"We're almost home, sweetie" Stef said as she glanced back through the mirror. They had been on the road for over an hour and a half and Stef was about to get off the highway to make it the last 15 minutes back.
Stef waited for a response, though she truly didn't expect one. After a few moments of silence, Lena smiled and squeezed the girl's hand. "Mari, love what would you like for dinner?" She was hoping to get the girl to say something. But, after Lena asked the question and turned to look at the girl, her brown eyes filled with tears and she shrank back further into her car seat.
"It's ok, sweetie. We can pick something when we get home, how does that sound?" She asked, smiling sadly at the frightened little girl.
Lena sighed at the lack of response and leaned her head on the seat. She knew it would take a while to gain the trust of a foster child, but she had a feeling it was going to be a lot more difficult with Mariana. Her heart broke as she thought back to her file and everything she had been through in her short little life. Reminding herself of what she and Stef could provide to the girl and her twin was what kept her going and forced her to push harder to bring comfort to their two newest family members.
"Are we home?" A sleepy Brandon asked as Stef began to unbuckle him from his booster.
"Yup, buddy. We're home. And I need you to help mommy and carry the bag of toys in. You think you could do that for me?" She asked as she set the boy down on the ground and grabbed the bag from the floor of the car.
"Yes I can!" Brandon responded with a smile. He loved being a helper- which Stef and Lena used for their advantage often.
"Good boy." Stef praised as she handed her son the bag. "Just wait right here and I'll walk with you to open the front door." She continued as she climbed into the back of the car. Jesus was still sleeping and Stef was planning on just carrying him inside.
"Hi, my love!" She whispered to the Latina, who still hadn't closed her eyes. Stef winked at the girl, and even with no response, she continued towards her younger boy. "Jesus we're home." She whispered, deciding to tell the boy what she was doing before she actually did it to ensure he was aware. "I'm gonna unbuckle you and carry you inside, ok?" She continued and waited for an acknowledgment.
Jesus began to stir and his eyes slowly opened. He blinked them a few times before smiling at Stef.
"I'm gonna unbuckle you and take you inside, ok?" Stef asked again and this time she was rewarded with a slight nod of the still exhausted boy's head. Smiling, Stef unbuckled the boy and carefully lifted him out of the carseat. She had a little difficulty backing out of the backseat, but eventually was able to get out, with Jesus in her arms, who had managed to fall back asleep.
Lena smiled at her wife. She knew that these two kids were the missing pieces to their family.
As soon as Stef began to walk towards the house, Lena could sense Mariana beginning to panic. She figured that the twins had not been apart for very long and from her behavior, it seemed that Mariana relied heavily on her brother. In an attempt to relax the girl, Lena decided to follow her wife in.
"Ready to go inside, sweetie?" Lena asked as she unbuckled her own seat. The young girl nodded eagerly but did not move until Lena had gotten into a position where she was in front of the girl. Mirroring her wife's technique of explaining what she was doing before doing it, in order to bring ease to her foster daughter, Lena waited before reaching over towards the booster. "I'm gonna unbuckle you, ok my love?" She asked and waited for a faint nod before unstrapping the girl. Even with the warning, Mariana flinched slightly and closed her eyes.
Lena backed out of the car and resettled the girl on her hip before smiling. "Let's go inside! I'll bet Jesus is waiting for you so you can both see your new rooms!" Lena exclaimed.
Mariana's response was to rest her head on the woman's shoulder and shove her thumb into her mouth.
"Brandon, slow down." Stef's voice echoed through the house as Lena opened the front door.
"But mommy!" Lena could hear Brandon whine.
"Oh look! Mama and Mariana are here!" Stef announced as she peeked towards the front door.
Within seconds, Brandon ran down from the kitchen towards Lena with Jesus following close behind.
"Slow down, buddy." Lena warned, holding out her arm to halt the boy.
"Mommy said we can show Jesus and Mariana their rooms when you came inside. Can we? Please? Come on!" Brandon grabbed Lena's free arm and began to pull her up the stairs while talking a mile a minute.
"Gimmie just a second, B." Lena said with a slight chuckle. She was happy that Brandon was taking so well to the twins.
"But mommy said!" Brandon began before Stef intervened.
"Why don't you and Jesus and I go on upstairs and Mama and Mariana will meet us there?" Stef suggested. She knew that typically they didn't condone whining, but Brandon was so excited that it was understandable. He had been waiting for a long time to have someone to play with him and to share his toys with.
"Ok!" Brandon yelled as he grabbed Jesus's hand this time and made his way back to the stairs. "Come on, 'Zues!" He exclaimed and the two boys made their way up the stairs, Stef following close behind.
Lena waited for her wife and sons to make it up the stairs before continuing to walk into the kitchen, Mariana still on her hip.
Hoping to put some of the snacks away before heading upstairs, Lena shifted the girl on her hip and bent her head in the attempt to meet the young girl's eyes. "Mari, sweetie. I'm gonna put you down for a minute so I can put these snacks away, ok?" She asked as she lowered the girl towards the ground.
With only a slight whimper, the Latina tightened her grip on Lena and buried her head further into the women's chest.
Lena sighed and stood back up, the young girl still in her arms. The snacks could wait.
"You know what?" Lena asked and waited for the girl's interest to perk. Finally, she looked up with big brown wondering eyes. Lena smiled before continuing. "I think there is a princess room upstairs waiting for you."
At the word princess, the young girl smiled slightly- though it was the happiest she looked since they met up with her and Jesus, so Lena took what she could get.
"Wanna go see it?" Lena asked.
The girl quickly nodded her head before hiding her face in Lena's curls. She woman smiled and kissed the girl slightly on the head before heading upstairs, happy that Mariana had shown some interest.
"Remember, Brandon. These are Jesus' toys. Yours are in your room." Stef explained to the 6 year old who was going through the bins of assorted toys they had bought for their new son.
"But he has to share!" Brandon argued.
"You are right but you need to ask first." Stef reminded him. She was waiting for the first argument to begin- but she was pleasently surprised it was only one child and it was about something easily fixable.
"You can play wif toys." Jesus offered- hoping to please his new foster family.
Brandon smiled and went to grab a train before Stef stopped him. "What do you say?"
"Thank you!" Brandon responded quickly before continuing to play with the toy he had his eye on earlier.
Stef smiled at her new foster son. "Thank you, sweetie. That was very nice of you!" She praised.
Jesus beamed at the compliment and then a look of question covered his face. He eyes the bucket of toys, but didn't move.
Smiling gently, Stef said "Go ahead and play with your toys." Her smile widened when the boy lunged at the toys and let out a small giggle of happiness.
"Well we can see Jesus' room first." Stef heard her wife say moments before she walked into the room with Mariana sill glued to her hip.
"Hermana!" Jesus exclaimed from his place on the floor.
"Would you like to go play with Jesus and Brandon?" Lena asked, hoping the girl would be ok if she was with her brother.
A hesitant traveling of the eyes caused Stef to speak up. "We will be in the room the whole time. Go have fun, sweets!"
Finally, the girl loosened her grip on Lena and the woman knelt down, gently releasing the tiny Latina to the ground.
"Jesus why don't you show your sister some of your new toys?" Stef suggested.
"Hermana! Aqui!" Jesus responded and walked over, grabbed his sister's arm and dragged her over to where he and Brandon had been playing.
Lena looked up at Stef, who had sat down on the boy's new bed. Waiting just another moment for the girl to settle, Lena stood up to join the blonde.
Stef ran her hand up and down her wife's back and they had a silent conversation. This is what they had dreamt about. This was what they had always wanted. Their family was finally complete.
Though the night started out nice, it took only until dinner for things to become difficult.
Lena and Stef decided on pizza for dinner, hoping it would be liked by both twins and it would be the easiest to deal with. Neither one wanted to cook and clean dinner. However, as soon as Lena went to call the pizza place, Mariana's eyes widened and tears formed.
"I'm gonna order some pizza for us!" Lena explained, looking down at the girl.
"Lena will be right back, sweetie. You can keep playing!" Stef continued with a smile.
However, the girl was set in her decision. She put down the toy she had been playing with and scooted back towards the corner, pulled her knees up to her chest, and buried her head.
The moms looked at one another and sighed, this was going to be difficult.
"Hey Mariana! How about this? How about while Lena orders the pizza, we can check out your room!" Stef suggested hoping it would excite the girl. However, the only response she got was a shake of the head indicating she didn't want to move.
Stef sighed as she got on the ground and slowly crawled over to her foster could hear the girl sniffling- trying to hold back her tears. "Mariana, sweetie." She said quietly, hoping she wouldn't frighten the girl. When she received no response, Stef continued. "Why don't you want to go see your new room?" Stef asked. At the silence, Stef moved closer and ducked her head down slightly. "Can you look at me, love?" She asked gently.
Finally, Mariana lifted her head and Stef noted the large tears that were rolling down the girl's face.
"Oh sweetie. You're ok." Stef cooed and reached her arms out towards the girl. Mariana quickly gasped and pushed herself away from Stef, only getting onto her feet when she saw Lena. She quickly ran to the woman and latched on to her leg.
Lena looked down at the girl and then at Stef, whose face looked slightly hurt but more sad.
"You're ok, Mari." Lena said as she stroked the girl's dark hair. She could feel the tears begin to soak the bottom of her pants. Quickly, she handed the phone and the pizza menu to Stef before reaching down and lifting the crying girl into her arms. "It's ok. Shhh you're ok." Lena whispered as she rubbed the girl's back gently.
"Come on, boys. You can help me pick out what kind of pizza to get." Stef said, knowing Lena wanted to talk to Mariana and it would be easier if there wasn't an audience.
"It ok, hermana." Jesus said quietly as he stood up and walked over towards Stef.
At the sound of her brother's voice, Mariana looked at Jesus and more tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Come on, loves." Stef said gently as she looked sadly at her wife and new daughter who was apparently afraid of her.
Once Stef and the boys left the room, Lena sat back down on Jesus' bed and tried to get Mariana to look at her. "Sweetie, can you look at me?" She asked gently.
At the lack of response, Lena pushed the girl's body slightly away from her own so she would have no choice but to look at her. "Mariana you're safe here. You're ok." Lena said in a loving but firm voice. She wanted the girl to actually believe her.
"Can you tell me what you are afraid of?" Lena asked, hoping to get the girl to say something; anything.
Before Mariana had a chance to even think about a response, a loud bang filled the house. The Latina screamed- indicating that she did in fact have a voice- and jumped off of Lena's lap. She ran into the closet before Lena could register what had happened. She heard Stef's footsteps coming quickly up the stairs and she soon peaked her head in. "I'm sorry! Brandon knocked over a chair that had some books on it!" She began, but as she looked at Lena, she quickly realized that the woman was alone. "Where is Mariana?" Stef asked.
Lena looked towards the closet and then back to Stef. "I don't know what to do." Lena confessed with a sigh of defeat. "She won't say anything and she is so frightened."
"I know, love." Stef consoled her wife. "Baby steps."
Lena nodded her head before getting off of the bed and walking towards the closet.
"I'm gonna finish ordering." Stef said before leaving. Both women knew that having only Lena in the room would make it easier on Mariana.
Lena sighed and made her way over towards the closet. She crouched down and knocked softly. "Mariana. You're ok. Brandon accidentally knocked over a chair. It's just me. Just Lena. Come on out, sweetie."
When she heard no movement, Lena opened the closet door slightly. She smiled sadly when she saw the young girl curled into a tight ball in the corner. Lena scooted herself into the closet. "Hi, sweetie." She said gently.
Finally, Mariana picked her head up. Large tears were still falling and all Lena wanted to do was take the girl into her arms and never let her go.
Deciding to take another approach, Lena began to speak again. "We're going to eat dinner soon so I need you to come out from the closet so we can get ready. Do you think you can do that for me?"
Mariana sniffled but continued to stare.
"I'll be there with you the whole time, sweetie." Lena promised before beginning to scoot out of the closet- hoping the girl would mirror her.
When the girl still didn't move, Lena sighed and looked down. "Mariana, love I know you are scared. And it's ok to be afraid a little. But I promise that you are safe here. You see Jesus having fun with Brandon and Stef. He wouldn't let you be in danger, would he?" Lena asked, knowing the girl depended on her brother for everything and had most likely protected her before.
Lena could see the brunette nod slightly and she continued. "Ok so come on out with me. We can wash our hands and then see your princess room before we go downstairs for dinner." Lena reached a hand down to the girl.
After a moment of hesitation, Mariana reached up and grabbed Lena's hand, but she didn't move. She tugged slightly on the woman- silently asking her to stay.
Lena shook her head. "No, honey. We're going downstairs for dinner." Lena didn't want to reward the girl's frightened state. She knew it would be difficult, but the earlier she knew that she was safe, the better.
Lena had one more idea and she was praying that it would work.
"Ok. Well I'm going downstairs to have dinner with Brandon and Stef and Jesus." She pulled her hand away from the girl and began to walk to the door. Just like she thought, she heard tiny feet on the floor behind her and little arms wrap around her legs. Lena smiled to herself and bent down to pick up the girl. "Would you like to join us? I really hope you would!" She said and smiled. Mariana nodded her head slightly and snuggled down into Lena's hair. Smiling in satisfaction, Lena began to walk towards the stairs. She knew this clingy act could be difficult, but at least the girl was able to trust her.
Not long after Lena and Mariana washed their hands and got downstairs, Stef had the table set and both boys helping her set out the last of the napkins.
"Wow! Look at this table!" Lena exclaimed as she walked into the kitchen, Mariana on her hip. "Great work, boys!" She praised as she looked around.
"What? Just the boys?!" Stef faked a hurt voice which made the boys giggle.
"Mommy! Me and Jesus setted the table." Brandon said as he climbed up into his seat.
"You did?!" Stef pretended to be shocked and dramatically put her hand over her heart. "All by yourselves?! You two are amazing!" She scooped Jesus up and set him in his booster chair before tickling both boys.
Lena smiled as she walked over towards the second booster seat. However, as she tried to put Mariana into the seat, the girl clung tighter. "Mariana, sweetie you need to sit in your booster so we can eat dinner." Lena explained before trying again.
This time, Mariana whimpered and wrapped her legs tighter around Lena. Sighing and looking at Stef who shrugged her shoulders, Lena sat down in her own chair and turned Mariana around to face the table. "Just for tonight you can sit on my lap but when we eat, everyone gets to sit in their own chair, ok?" Lena explained as the girl tried to turn into Lena to hide.
Just as the boys began to sword fight with their forks- which Stef quickly put a stop to- the doorbell rang indicating that the pizza was there.
"I'll get it!" Brandon yelled as he scrambled down from his chair.
"Bran-!" Stef started but stopped when she saw he was already down and waiting for her. "Ok. Come on." She agreed and took his hand to get the pizza.
Dinner seemed so normal to the mothers who had only ever had three at the table. Brandon and Jesus talked about their lego towers that they wanted to build together after dinner and how much ice cream they could eat in one sitting. It made both moms smile to see their son bonding so well with their new member of the family.
"Have some pizza, sweetie!" Lena said as she took her own piece in her hands and began to eat in demonstration to the girl who hadn't touched her food.
Her response was to turn into Lena and burry her face into Lena's hair. Lena sighed and looked at Stef for help. They both shared a concerned look. So far, things with Mariana were much more difficult than they thought. They knew she was shy, but she had not said a word since they picked her up and now she wasn't eating.
"Is there something else you would like to eat?" Lena asked, hoping that she could get the girl to eat something. Mariana shook her head, still not looking up.
"Sweetheart you need to eat something or you could get sick!" Lena explained gently, her concern growing.
"Hermana! Necesitas comer!" Jesus whispered, telling his sister that she needed to eat.
At the sound of her brother's voice, Mariana looked up, tears pooling in her eyes. She shook her head at her brother before the tears silently fell.
"Ok. Well there is a surprise for anyone who eats all of their dinner." Stef said, hoping to spark some interest. It did spark interest- but not in Mariana.
"Where mommy?!" Brandon asked as he stood up on his chair.
"Umm no. We do not stand on our chairs, young man." Stef replied quickly and waited for her son to sit back down before continuing. "Well Lena and I thought it would be fun to go out for ice cream after dinner." Stef began but was interrupted by cheering from the boys. "But!" She continued. "Only if you are on your best behavior and finish your dinner." She looked over at Mariana as she explained the last part.
Lena shifted the girl in her arms and tried to make eye contact. "Did you hear that, love? Would you like some ice cream?" Lena asked gently.
Mariana slowly lifted her head and nodded.
Lena smiled at Stef before looking back down at the girl. "Can you eat some of your dinner for me and then we can get ice cream?" Lena continued.
After a few moments of waiting, the girl smiled and nodded her head before reaching over to grab a slice of pizza.
Lena and Stef both exhaled a breath they didn't know they were holding and smiled. They were going to be alright.