Finding Them

Daniel got Darcy her medicine ready, but the entire time Dakota eyed him suspiciously. Daniel couldn't help but feel guilty as no child should be that scared of the world at such a young age. He was also proud of his youngest son for protecting his sister when the others didn't know about them and couldn't protect her. No three-year-old should carry the weight of the world on his shoulders though. "Here princess take this, it will help take the pain away in your ear and then we can have something to eat. What would you like?" Daniel asked. Both the twins shrugged their shoulders, all they had ever got was bread and nothing else. "Why don't we walk to the iHop across the road?" Mitchell asked. "Sounds good" Daniel replied.

Darcy took the medicine while holding Dakota's hand. She didn't like the taste at all. "Well done princess, I'm so proud of you" Daniel told his daughter while she was making faces cause of the taste. Mitchell handed her some water which she sipped slowly then handed some to Dakota. Whatever the twins had, they shared as they never had a lot. Daniel and Mitchell noticed how they shared everything and if they didn't know about the possible abuse it would be considered sweet. "How about after we eat, we go to Target and grab some toys, snacks and shoes?" Daniel asked to which Mitchell nodded and smiled. Darcy and Dakota had no idea what target was let alone toys and shoes.

Mitchell carried Dakota while Daniel carried his daughter this time. The twins still held hands but they were not as stiff and were looking around everywhere. Looking at the buildings and the trees and the people. They have never been out of the house they were in besides when they were locked in the backyard. This was all new to them and a little scary. When a lady stopped to comment on how cute the twins were Darcy hid her face in Daniel's neck. Daniel held her close giving her comfort. "My Cc" Dakota told the lady who just chuckled at the cuteness.

Mitchell smiled at Dakota. "Yes, bud she is our sister. She is safe with daddy and us" Mitchell assured his brother who was glaring daggers at the woman, if looks could kill the woman would be 6 feet under. Dakota nodded and then rested his head on Mitchell's shoulder while Mitchell rubbed his brother's back. Mitchell couldn't keep the smile off his face and neither could Daniel. The twins seemed to be starting to trust them and seek comfort from other people besides each other.

Darcy felt so safe in her father's arms that even when they entered the restaurant, she didn't move from her place. Dakota kept his head on Mitchell's shoulder but was curious about where they were. He liked to know what was going on around him so he could protect Darcy. "Can we get a table for four please with two high chairs?" Daniel asked the hostess. "Sure thing, will be a few minutes" the woman replied. "No problems. Can the high chairs be next to each other, please? These two won't let go of each other" Daniel stated. "Not a problem take a seat and I will get your table set up for you" the woman spoke before disappearing to set up the table.

The twins were unsure of the high hairs but soon settled holding onto each other's hand. The server placed crayons and kids' menus in front of the twins earning confused looks from them both. "Have you ever drawn before?" Daniel asked his children. They both shook their head no earning a deep sigh from Daniel. "Ok, this is a crayon you can use it on the paper to create something like this" Daniel said demonstrating how to use the crayon to draw. Darcy's eyes lit up and she had a huge smile on her face. Dakota was serious, he was watching as Daniel created something on the paper. He watched how he held the crayon and what he did. When Daniel put the crayon down Darcy grabbed it in her right hand and began to create scribbles on her paper squealing in delight as she saw the marks on the paper. Dakota cautiously picked up a crayon in his left hand and attempted to copy Daniel and what he had drawn. Dakota had his tongue slightly hanging out the corner of his mouth while drawing. Daniel snapped a photo of the pair while smiling. The twins were so different, Darcy was more innocent and took pleasure in simple things. Dakota was more careful and cautious. He calculated his movements and also observed everything around him.

Daniel ordered the twins' kids' meals, the silver 5 and the grilled cheese with fruit so they could try a few things to see what they liked. He ordered them both water to have with their food and he and Mitchell both had burgers with fries. When the food came he split the food between the two and even gave them some fries each. Dakota was cautious nibbling a little on the sandwich but he didn't like it making faces once he bit it "If you don't like it, just put it to the side and try something else" Daniel told the kids. He didn't blame them for not liking grilled cheese, he didn't really like American cheese either.

Darcy started on the fruit and liked that. Dakota picked up a piece of bacon and put that in his mouth slowly chewing it and smiling as he went. Daniel made a mental note of what the twins seemed to like and what they didn't. They both liked the pancake they had and the fruit. Darcy wasn't keen on the bacon but she liked the eggs. She refused to try the grilled cheese after seeing Dakota's face. When they finished they started to draw again waiting for their father and older brother to finish. When everyone was done the woman asked if they wanted the food boxed up to take away. They declined and Daniel ordered a car so they could head to Target. Daniel would get car seats for the twins when they got back to Australia as they would only be here for another week.