Two weeks had passed since the girls had arrived. Two weeks since everything had changed for the better. They were still getting used to the situation, all of them. These two weeks they had managed for the girls to be with at least one of them. It wasn't easy but they had somehow made it.
It could be said that they were better, Emma was much more comfortable around both women, she still looked at her sister for answers to be sure that everything was fine but you could see that she felt much safer when she was with them.
Now Luna was another story, the couple could see she was improving, she was talking a little more and she did not worry so much about having her sister in view at all times. But still they could notice she was tense, she slept very little and the hours that she slept she did it under her bed. Luna could feel an anxiety attack building. She didn't know what it was but she could feel it every time her chest clenched and the tears threatened to come out without any reason
"So... How are you?" Andy said coming into Maya's office "Everything all right?" she asked
"Good, I think, I don't know" Maya said. They had become closer these past two weeks, the blonde would keep her friend updated on the girls, she couldn't wait to meet them. While Andy helped Maya letting out her emotions, she knew her friend and although she loved Carina and trusted her completely, Maya didn't tell her everything. At least not right away
The truth is Maya was worried, worried about Luna. She understands the girl needs time to adjust to the new house and the new people but she felt like she was doing something wrong. Maybe she wasn't giving the girl what she needed. Also, What did she needed?
"She sleeps under the bed" Maya suddenly said staring at her desk. Andy stayed silent letting her friend talk "Luna" she said now looking up "Luna sleeps under the bed because she is scared" she finally said and her friend smiled at her because she knew where this was going "I don't know what to do about that or about the fact that she doesn't trust us enough to tell us what is she scared about" the blond took a breath and stood up "I want to protect her so bad and I can't because she won't let me so I don't know what to do"
"Well, sounds like someone I know" she said making the blond look at her "She needs time Maya, that's it" she said "Just show her you are there and that whenever she is ready she can come to you" Maya nodded and smiled "and what about Emma? How is she doing?"
"She is doing great actually" the blond said thinking about the toddler "She is just this tiny, little thing, god she's so cute" finally said whispering a little making her friend laugh
Meanwhile, at home, Carina was trying to get Emma to take a little nap. The kid needed it but she was resisting the slumber. The Italian picked the girl up and started walking around the room, humming a song, until she felt the girl relax in her arms. The woman brought the girl to her room and placed her on her bed. Luna could only see feet moving from where she was.
The little brunette spent most of her time under the bed, the couple called it her quiet time. At first she would just spend a couple hours a day under there, usually when Emma would take naps. But now that Emma was comfortable around the women, she would just come out from under there to eat and when they told her to.
Emma... that's the other thing, this was the first time Luna felt her sister didn't need her. She was happy her sister finally had someone she trusted and liked to be around but still it made her feel weird and kind of... alone
"Hey there" Carina said as she kneeled next to the bed once the toddler was fast asleep in her bed "You okay down here?" she asked to which she received a little nod as a response "Okay, I was thinking about making something to eat. Would you like that?" the Italian said trying to come up with something to make the girl come out from under the bed. The kid had spent almost all day down there. Luna thought about it for a little bit, the idea was tempting so she ended up nodding "Well, I need a little helper. Can you help me with that?" the woman asked but there was no response. She was about to leave when she saw the little girl crawling out from under the bed
In the kitchen, Carina placed a chair in front of the kitchen coutner and helped Luna climb on it "Well what should we make?" the brunette said and the girl made a confused face "a cake?" she asked and the girl tilted her head to the side looking at her "Nop, not a cake. What about cookies?" Bingo. She saw the little girl's face lit up "Cookies it is then. Good choice bella"
While they were making the cookies Carina could see a few strands of hair that fell on the girl's face. She struggled trying to keep it behind her ears, that just wasn't happening "Want me to help you with that?" she asked earning a nod from the girl "Okey then, turn around" she said. First she went to wash her hands and then started braiding the girl's hair.
Luna smiled as she felt the woman's hands stroking her hair, she remembers her mommy used to do that when she was little. Everyday her mommy would sat her down on the master bedroom's bed and run her fingers through her hair humming a song... but then she had to learn to do it herself.
"Who's that I see over there?" a woman said when she saw the little three-year-old picking behind the door "Well apparentely there's no one there. I'll go back to sleep" the brunette said laying again on the bed. The toddler couldn't help but giggle
"It's me mommy!" the little girl said running into the room towards the bed.
"There's my little moon" She said picking the girl up placing her in her lap "My little Luna" she said placing a soft kiss in the girl's cheek "Did you have a good night?" she asked to which the girl nodded
"No nightmares" the girl said smiling. She had been having a hard time with that so she was really happy about a full night without any bad dreams
"That's nice" she said starting to run her fingers through the kid's hair "What would you like today?" she asked
"Braids?" the girl said playing with her favourite stuffed animal.
"Braids? Again?" she asked tickling the girl's side with one hand making her chuckle
"Yes! I like t'em, they get my hair wavy" the toddler said shrugging
"Braids it is then"
Suddenly she felt overwhelmed and before she could stop it tears were running down her face. An involuntary sob scaped from the girl's mouth which made Carina stop and turn the girl around to face her
"What's wrong bella?" she said stroking the eight-year-old's arm. The brunette saw how the girl's breathing was unstable and before she knew it the kid started to cough "Come on bambina, deep breaths" the girl was really trying but she just couldn't bring her breathing back to normal. Her chest ached as well as her throat and she felt she couldn't breath. Then an idea popped in the brunette's mind, Carina grabbed one of the girl's hands and placed it on her chest so she could try and copy that.
Carina let out a sigh of relief when she saw the girl calming down, tears still run down her face but she was a little better. Luna wanted some comfort, the memory of her mommy left her craving to feel that again, she didn't want to be a big girl. She wanted to be held and be little just for once so reached her arms up towards Carina.
The brunette was a little shocked at first, Luna hadn't shown any signs of wanting to be close to neither her or her wife. So to say she was surprised was an understatement but still she didn't hesitated to pick the girl up "You are okay bella. I got you" the Italian said and felt the girl tightening her grip on her neck as she hid her face in the crook of her neck. She continued to hold the girl close and smiled when she felt the eight-year-old grab a lock of her hair and started playing with it.
They stayed like that for as long as the child needed, the brunette didn't know how long it had been but she was not complaining. Carina started walking around with the kid still on her arms. At some point she thought the girl had fallen asleep so she sat on the sofa placing Luna on her lap, but realized she wasn't asleep when she felt Luna's fingers still playing with her hair.
Sat on the sofa, the kid got comfortable placing her head on the woman's chest feeling that warm feeling for the first time in years. The brunette wiped the trail of tears from the kid's cheeks with her thumb while the other hand held the girl securely closer to her
"Feel any better?" she asked almost as a whisper and the girl slowly nodded "Well I believe there's some cookies we need to finish" she said, the brunette was comfortable but she didn't want to overstep the kid's boundaries. Luna hearing the woman decided she wasn't ready to let go of that feeling yet so she snuggled closer to Carina in hopes of this moment to last as long as possible "... or we could just stay here"
"I would like that" the girl said opening her eyes for a second but closing them again when she felt the brunette's hand softly caressing her face
"You would?" the Italian asked smiling to which the girl slowly nodded "Okay then, we stay here"
After a few minutes, the little girl fell asleep and just when Carina was about to go for the same path her phone rang. She quickly picked it up not wanting to wake up te sleeping child in her arms
"Hello bella" the Italian answered already knowing who was calling "How's work?"
"Hi" Maya said realising a sigh "Everything is fine... kind of" she said and the brunette couldn't help but frown "stressful call... but we are all okay"
"Glad to hear that" Carina said a little louder that expected making Luna stir a little "the we are all okay part I mean" she said whispering this time and it was the blonde's time to frown
"Well how are you and the girls?" she asked smiling at the clock knowing her shift was about to end and she would be able to see her wife and her girls soon
"Good, Emma's asleep in her room right now" Carina started explaining "and Luna is here with me... sleeping" she said smiling looking down. Maya felt a smile appear in her mouth, after her little talk with Andy, even though she felt better, she still felt like she needed something... anything that told her that she was doing a good job. This was that something, they were going to be okay