Why do I feel this way?

Chapter 96: Her Arrival

The two women walk into the spare bedroom and pull out a basket filled with snacks, juice, water, small stuffed animals and a flashlight. Siobhan placed it on the bed while Vivian gathered a towel and washcloth, toothbrush and toothpaste to add. They stood together at the foot of the bed. Vivian wrapped her arms gently around Siobhan, "I can't believe we are doing this." She kissed her blonde on the cheek. Siobhan rested her head on Vivian's shoulder, "I can't either, honestly."

After several minutes passed, they made their way down the stairs. Siobhan walked past Vivian as she sat on the couch. "Tea or coffee?" The brunette smiled, "Coffee, please." Siobhan let out a short chuckle and began to prepare their cups of coffee. Everything got quiet. All they heard was the hum of the refrigerator and the soft splashing sound of the tires of passing cars. Every soft swoosh made their hearts skip a beat. Until finally an hour later, they noticed the repeated sound change as a car pulled into their driveway. It was time.

Vivian and Siobhan walked out onto the porch. Vivian's arm wrapped behind Siobhan and her hand rested on her waist. The brunette couldn't help but have a flashback to the day she arrived at Athena and Beckett's home. For a moment, she was back in that 14 year old mind reliving the first night with the Clarks. "Bon, the next few days might be rough. We don't know what she has really been through." Siobhan nodded, "I know, but we can do this... together."

As Vivian watched the young girl step out of the backseat of the car, she remembered how she felt seeing Athena and Beckett holding each other. It made her feel like she was safe and she hoped their actions would do the same for this little girl. She remembered the pain she felt after losing her mother, the struggle of staying sober after it all happened. But, she also remembered the healing that came with being accepted into the Clark home.

The young girl's caseworker walked her to the porch. Vivian leaned down at eye level with her and spoke softly, "I'm Vivian." She looked up towards Siobhan before turning back to Ciara, "This is my wife, Siobhan. We also have a son named Jamie, but he is already asleep." The young girl nodded slowly. Her eyes glistened with tears, her face almost frozen in a frown holding the heaviness of the events that night. "My name is Ciara."

Siobhan smiled softly, "Nice to meet you, Ciara. Would you like to come in?" Ciara looked up at Siobhan as a tiny bit of the weight lifted from her tiny frame. Her voice was barely a whisper, "Yes." The blonde led her inside to the living room. The young girl had only a small backpack with a couple outfits, a blanket and one stuffed Teddy bear. Vivian stayed outside with the social worker to discuss the paperwork she brought and try to get any helpful information.

Inside, Siobhan did her best to make Ciara comfortable. "Would you like me to show you around tonight?" Her sad brown eyes lifted slightly as she shook her head no. "Okay, no worries. I will show you where your room is and help you get settled, okay?" Siobhan extended her hand for Ciara to hold. The young girl clutched her book bag tightly to her chest as she took Siobhan's hand.

They quietly climbed the stairs and shuffled to the bedroom. As they walked by the master bedroom, Siobhan stopped and pointed. "That's me and Vivian's room. If you need anything, you can come get us." Ciara let a small smile through as she whispered, "Okay, Mrs. Siobhan." The blonde's heart skipped a beat hearing the soft response.

When they entered the bedroom, Ciara walked over to the bed and looked through the basket. She picked up the flashlight examining each part before pressing the button testing to see if it worked. Her expression lightened even more as the light shone bright. She turned it off and walked around the bed to the side table and gently laid it down.

Siobhan looked on as Ciara touched each item in the basket. As the younger girl rubbed her hand slowly over the towel, Siobhan asked, "Would you like to take a bath? I can show you how everything works." Ciara kept her gaze downward as she shook her head. Siobhan spoke with understanding, "We can show you all of that tomorrow, but if you need to use the restroom at all during the night, it's right across the hallway."

While Siobhan is doing her best to settle Ciara in for the night, Vivian is listening intently to the social worker. "Ciara has 5 siblings. We had to split them into 4 different homes." Vivian's eyes widened as her chest tightened thinking of the effect that would have on Ciara. The other woman continued, "We tried to keep them together, but many we called already have placements and only had room for one." Vivian nodded with understanding, but her heart still hurt for the young girl who just arrived at their home.

"I'm not sure what happened tonight, but basically the children were roaming around and the police were called. From what I gathered, the mother was unresponsive on the couch. She was breathing and everything just wouldn't wake up." Vivian looked up from the paperwork she was reading and asked, "Are drugs a factor?" The worker nodded, "That's what happened last time, so she might have relapsed. I just don't know. Now, with all this happening so quickly, this is all the paperwork we have for you."

The social worker gave her a business card with her name and number. "Call me if there are any issues with the initial check ups. Don't forget to try your best to get them done in the first 48 hours." Vivian stood frozen for a moment, staring at the piece of paper and the business card. It was a letter just stating that Ciara was in the states custody and placed with Vivian and Siobhan Serpent-Clark. That thin piece of paper felt like an anvil. The reality weighed heavy— the responsibility sunk in quickly.

The brunette opened the front door and laid the card and paper on the kitchen table before walking up to Ciara's room. She leaned quietly on the doorframe before knocking gently on the wall. "May I come in?" A soft smile again slipped through the heaviness on Ciara's face, "Yes." Siobhan turned to look at her wife. Her eyes were calm and loving, "Ciara was just showing me the things she brought with her."

Vivian walked forward, taking Siobhan's hand in hers. "Oh really, well, keep going. I want to hear too." Ciara smiled even bigger. She felt seen and could tell these two women in front of her genuinely wanted to listen. "This is my favorite teddy bear. It was my mom's when she was little and she gave it to me!" She hugged it tight and held it under her arm as she continued to pull the items from her bag.

"These are the best pair of leggings. They are really comfortable." She folded them on the bed as she returned to remove the shirt that goes with them. "My favorite color is pink and I like butterflies a lot." The young girl held up her shirt showing Vivian and Siobhan the butterflies that decorated the front. "My mom is a good mom. They think she is bad and took us away, but she's not. She takes care of us and is really nice."

Vivian and Siobhan sat on the floor as they listened to Ciara ramble. She told stories of her mom and siblings as she removed the contents of her bag. The clothes she folded neatly and laid on the bed before noticing the chest of drawers. As she picked up her clothes to place them in the drawer, the two women quickly wiped the tears that built up in their eyes away. It was heartbreaking hearing the young girl's interpretation of the events from that evening.

The last thing she pulled from her bag was a little slip of paper. "My brother wrote my mom's number down for all of us. Here—" She handed the paper over to Siobhan, "so you can put her number in your phone. We can call her tomorrow." Siobhan looked at Vivian then back at Ciara. "How about we get you settled into bed for the night? Do you want us to read you a story?"

Ciara's eyes lit up just the slightest bit, "I love stories!" Siobhan and Vivian chuckled at the excitement. Ciara crawled to the top of the bed and slid between the covers. She wriggled into a comfortable position and waited for the two women to start reading. Before they even made it halfway through the story, she fell asleep. Vivian and Siobhan looked at each other and quietly stood to leave the room. They left the door cracked and turned on the bathroom light on the way to their bedroom.

They laid down in their bed. Siobhan shifted her body as close to Vivian as she could get. Vivian wrapped her arms around Siobhan pulling her even closer. She whispered in her ear, "One of us needs to talk to Jamie first thing in the morning." Siobhan turned her head and kissed Vivian lovingly, "He is going to be so excited."