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Description
Barnes made sure his hand was around Isla's little wrist as he trudged along the dark pathway, his eyes moving ever so carefully, trying to find out any danger in the area. That's what happened when he had a young girl to take care of. One no older than seven. But, this time, he couldn't just leave her back home.

Not after all the begging she had done to come and meet the Watches for the first time.

Speaking of the little blonde that he led, she was humming softly to herself. A tune that he recognized well. Something her mother used to sing to her, and he had carried it on after.. no, he shook that away. He had a little girl to protect and he wouldn't let her down.

Isla's head was bobbing and swaying gently as she went along with the song she was humming, using her dad's hand to sway them back and forth as she intertwined their fingers. The little girl was ecstatic to finally meet someone else!

She giggled lightly and tugged on her father's hand, and Barnes looked down to his daughter, meeting her icy blue eyes. "What's he like, daddy?"

Oh, her beautiful little heart. What her mother would give to see that smile on her face.

He smiled down at her, but made sure to keep a steady hold on her little hand. "The son?"

She gave a soft hum of agreement, her head dipping into a small nod.

Barnes went into thought for a moment, what was their adopted son like? He hadn't personally met the boy, but he had been talked of fondly. "I'm not sure," he admitted to her, but the smile on Isla's face didn't dampen at all. She only swung their hands again and looked up to him, brighter than ever. "But I'm sure he'll enjoy your company just as much as I do."

The little girl's nose scrunched up as she grinned fully, her little freckle-dotted nose flaring lightly. Her cheeks reddened slightly before she bumped her against her father playfully.

Barnes, chuckling at his daughter's antics, picked her up into his arms as they were nearing an obstacle that he deemed would be unsafe for her. As she didn't have her balance as down pat as he did.

But before going down the steep wall, he gave her nose a little Eskimo-kiss and she giggled, before wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head in the crook of his neck, watching out behind him.

"Silly daddy," she murred softly, nuzzling against her father's neck affectionately.

Her shirt a little a little too long for her little arms, but it kept her warm when she needed it. And judging by how small she was now, she wasn't going to grow all that much when it came into her adulthood. And that was okay, she'd be an adorable size, she already was. And Barnes was thrilled that his daughter was already as sweet and kind as her mother had been.

Using one hand to support the tiny blonde, he used his other to guide himself down the steep wall, making sure to keep his footing. When holding something so dear to him, he couldn't risk anything.

Soon, though, the ledge had come to an end and he let her back down onto her feet and she clutched for his hand again. He knew she wanted the guidance, and he'd always be there for her when she needed it.

Taking the lead once more, Barnes made sure that nothing was in the way. From now on, he knew that it was a straight walk leading right to them. And he knew that they were expecting him, but Isla would probably be a surprise. Neither Walt nor Mallory had met the girl before, although he had talked highly of her.

The trip he made to their home under the floorboards was usually a monthly one, and all of the times had he left Isla at home to stay safe, this time was a different one. It was time for her to meet the people he always left to catch up with. And she'd get to make her first friend.

Swinging their hands again, the teeny blonde had a sweet grin on her face as she hummed once more, and skipped slowly, keeping pace with her father, but bobbing her head to the song in her mind. It seemed to be on repeat.

The small hole that was situated under the floorboards came into view and Barnes felt her beginning to get jumpy and even more excited. He knew she'd be like this, never truly understanding why she'd been kept away from all these people. Never truly understanding why her father was so careful around everything.

She wasn't naive, no, but she didn't let many things go over her head. Seven or not, Isla was smart enough to realize that humans were an absolute no-go, but why keep her away from people her own size? And someone who could be a potential friend.

Tugging on her father's shirt, the young girl watched silently as he went over and gave a swift nod to the wood they used to keep rodents and bugs out. The same thing he did with their small home up in the roof.

It wasn't long before the wood was slid away and Walt revealed himself, and he almost looked taken aback at the sight of Isla, standing with her father. And suddenly shying away, she tucked herself behind Barnes.

A gentle smile pulled at the other man's face, before looking over to Barnes. "I see you decided to let her come along today, lucky as you are, Sam's just in his room. I bet she'd like to meet him."

Hearing the mention of getting to meet someone else, Isla's eyes lit up almost instantly again. She'd love to meet the other boy! She peeked her head out and smiled warmly. Watching as they were welcomed inside, she followed closely behind her father, still not exactly sure what to expect of all of this. She'd never known anyone else her size minus her father, but that was really a given.

She was led into the kitchen where Mallory was sitting down, just relaxing. But noticing Barnes and a special little guest, made her come to her feet quickly. "You've brought your darling little daughter, Isla," she smiled, as she watched the redness slowly dip into the blonde's cheeks. "What a precious little thing. Walt, why don't you go get Sam?"

"No need it seems," he replied, and at the hint, both Barnes and Isla looked over past a wall where a mop of brown hair was swiftly ducking out of sight. Her eyes were curious as she watched him peek out once more. Wide brown eyes met with hers and she tilted her head, almost mesmerized with seeing someone else like her. Another young child that shared the same curiosity.

"Sam, darling," Mallory said softly. "Why don't you take Isla, here, and bring her into your room. Show her around, maybe." She looked to Barnes to see if he agreed with the idea, and gently easing his hand from hers, he nudged her in the back towards Sam.

Isla wasn't exactly sure what to think of all this, but it was certainly thrilling. She'd never had reason to feel so nervous before and this was doing wonders on her nerves. Hesitantly, the little boy showed himself fully, his hands tucked behind his back and looked up at her from between long, brown bangs. Almost shyly.

Giving a gentle motion of his head, down the hall he had appeared from, he moved one of his hands and held it out to her. Seeing the invitation right there in front of her, she looked to her father once more, before reaching out and accepting his hand. It wasn't long before he had led her away from the adults as they began to talk and into a room that she supposed was his own.

Isla's eyes were sure wandering though, she'd never seen inside the house of someone else. The walls were almost like the ones back in her own home, except this time they were under the room, instead of on top.

She was almost so lost in looking around, she nearly missed what he had said to her. She blushed lightly before looking to him. "Could you repeat that please?"

Sam looked back at her from under his bangs, before nodding his head towards the door he was pushing open. "I was just saying that this is my room."

Stepping inside, followed by the other child, Isla found herself almost in awe at how different his room was from hers. In her room, there was almost always something covering the walls, whether it was a candy wrapper that she liked, or something that just caught her attention. His walls were a pretty bare, and his room was neat and orderly.

"Is your room like this?" Sam asked, moving to stand beside her, finally flicking his brown bangs from his dark eyes.

The young girl shrugged lightly. "I have a few more things covering my walls and my bed is on this side," she motioned to the opposite side where his bed was. "But it's pretty close, actually. My daddy says that we might be able to move some things around after the humans in the room leave."

Moving over, the little brunette took a seat on his bed and swung his legs back and forth for a moment, almost thinking of what else to say to her. It was obvious that he wasn't expecting someone to come along with Barnes this time. "Do you- do you like to write?"

She looked over to him before following what he did and taking a seat beside him. Isla had to look up to Sam slightly, but she shrugged again. "I don't really write, although daddy did teach me how, I like to draw more."

"I have some paper if you want to.." he offered, moving his hazel orbs down to the floor beneath them. "And some pencil leads that you could use if you wanted to."

Her eyes lit up at the mention of being able to draw something. "Really? You'd let me use your paper and leads?"

Sam gave a small shy nod, but there was a small smile on his face all the while. "Yeah, and then maybe you could tell me.. what you drew?"

Isla was over the moon happy with that idea. She loved drawing and then getting to explain what she drew for others because they seemed curious. It always made her giddy. Giving an excited nod, she watched as he grabbed a few pieces of paper for her and a few for himself and two leads. Handing one off to her, Isla laid on her stomach on the ground and began to sketch along the lines, holding the pencil lead a little awkwardly.

From there, Sam had been writing on his paper as the little girl would talk to herself and sometimes explain what she was doing, and why she was drawing it. He never seemed to mind completely and would instead and listen and bob his head along showing that he was hearing what she was saying.

~*~

It had turned out to be much later than Barnes had intended to stay, and he pushed himself up from the table where Walt and Mallory were currently sitting with him. "Well, I best be taking my little one and heading on home. Seems to be past her bedtime."

He headed down the hallway to where both the children had disappeared down, Walt following along behind to see what they had gotten up to, and instead of seeing the two still awake, the men were rather surprised to see the kids had conked out.

Isla's little head was resting against Sam's shoulder as she held a piece of paper with a drawing on it in her right hand, and a lead in the other, while the little brunette held a different scrap paper with words scribbled over it. The picture the girl had in her hands was of both her and her newfound friend and a smile overcame Barnes' face at seeing his little daughter so happy.

"Seems to me I'll have to bring her back more often," he chuckled quietly, taking a few steps into the room and slipping his hands under his daughter without waking her. "She's seemed to have taken a liking to him." Holding her bridal style, he watched silently as the paper fell from her fingertips and she cuddled closer to her father. He looked as if he wanted to pick it up, but decided against it.

Walt seemed to pick up on the subtly given hint and instead picked it up, and placed it on Sam's bed, before proceeding to lift the young boy and pulling back his own covers before tucking him in. He then lead the other two out and shut the door silently behind him. "It wouldn't be bad for her to visit Sam a little more frequently."

The flickering candlelight in the house was warm and welcoming, but it was time to leave and Isla was out like a light. Adjusting her so he could open the door to the Watches home, Barnes looked back to the both of them. "Well, have a goodnight Walt, Mallory, I'll make sure to keep in touch a little more often. I've enjoyed these times, once a month might not be enough anymore." He nodded towards the little girl sleeping on his shoulder, and smiles were shared all around.

"Safe trip back, Barnes," Mallory said sweetly.

"And you're more than welcome to come back anytime," Walt added on, before giving the other father a nod. After he had left and the door was shut for a final time that night, Barnes was back on his own.

The little girl in his arms moving a little to get comfortable, grasping loosely at her father's jacket. The young man had a gentle smile creasing his features, and he began to hum the song her mother sang her to sleep with, gently brushing his fingers through her hair. Tonight had been a night better than he expected. His little Isla had finally met someone else her own size, and it seemed to have gone well.

She met someone she'd never forget, and there was no better feeling for a young father to have.

Description
Barnes made sure his hand was around Isla's little wrist as he trudged along the dark pathway, his eyes moving ever so carefully, trying to find out any danger in the area. That's what happened when he had a young girl to take care of. One no older than seven. But, this time, he couldn't just leave her back home.

Not after all the begging she had done to come and meet the Watches for the first time.

Speaking of the little blonde that he led, she was humming softly to herself. A tune that he recognized well. Something her mother used to sing to her, and he had carried it on after.. no, he shook that away. He had a little girl to protect and he wouldn't let her down.

Isla's head was bobbing and swaying gently as she went along with the song she was humming, using her dad's hand to sway them back and forth as she intertwined their fingers. The little girl was ecstatic to finally meet someone else!

She giggled lightly and tugged on her father's hand, and Barnes looked down to his daughter, meeting her icy blue eyes. "What's he like, daddy?"

Oh, her beautiful little heart. What her mother would give to see that smile on her face.

He smiled down at her, but made sure to keep a steady hold on her little hand. "The son?"

She gave a soft hum of agreement, her head dipping into a small nod.

Barnes went into thought for a moment, what was their adopted son like? He hadn't personally met the boy, but he had been talked of fondly. "I'm not sure," he admitted to her, but the smile on Isla's face didn't dampen at all. She only swung their hands again and looked up to him, brighter than ever. "But I'm sure he'll enjoy your company just as much as I do."

The little girl's nose scrunched up as she grinned fully, her little freckle-dotted nose flaring lightly. Her cheeks reddened slightly before she bumped her against her father playfully.

Barnes, chuckling at his daughter's antics, picked her up into his arms as they were nearing an obstacle that he deemed would be unsafe for her. As she didn't have her balance as down pat as he did.

But before going down the steep wall, he gave her nose a little Eskimo-kiss and she giggled, before wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head in the crook of his neck, watching out behind him.

"Silly daddy," she murred softly, nuzzling against her father's neck affectionately.

Her shirt a little a little too long for her little arms, but it kept her warm when she needed it. And judging by how small she was now, she wasn't going to grow all that much when it came into her adulthood. And that was okay, she'd be an adorable size, she already was. And Barnes was thrilled that his daughter was already as sweet and kind as her mother had been.

Using one hand to support the tiny blonde, he used his other to guide himself down the steep wall, making sure to keep his footing. When holding something so dear to him, he couldn't risk anything.

Soon, though, the ledge had come to an end and he let her back down onto her feet and she clutched for his hand again. He knew she wanted the guidance, and he'd always be there for her when she needed it.

Taking the lead once more, Barnes made sure that nothing was in the way. From now on, he knew that it was a straight walk leading right to them. And he knew that they were expecting him, but Isla would probably be a surprise. Neither Walt nor Mallory had met the girl before, although he had talked highly of her.

The trip he made to their home under the floorboards was usually a monthly one, and all of the times had he left Isla at home to stay safe, this time was a different one. It was time for her to meet the people he always left to catch up with. And she'd get to make her first friend.

Swinging their hands again, the teeny blonde had a sweet grin on her face as she hummed once more, and skipped slowly, keeping pace with her father, but bobbing her head to the song in her mind. It seemed to be on repeat.

The small hole that was situated under the floorboards came into view and Barnes felt her beginning to get jumpy and even more excited. He knew she'd be like this, never truly understanding why she'd been kept away from all these people. Never truly understanding why her father was so careful around everything.

She wasn't naive, no, but she didn't let many things go over her head. Seven or not, Isla was smart enough to realize that humans were an absolute no-go, but why keep her away from people her own size? And someone who could be a potential friend.

Tugging on her father's shirt, the young girl watched silently as he went over and gave a swift nod to the wood they used to keep rodents and bugs out. The same thing he did with their small home up in the roof.

It wasn't long before the wood was slid away and Walt revealed himself, and he almost looked taken aback at the sight of Isla, standing with her father. And suddenly shying away, she tucked herself behind Barnes.

A gentle smile pulled at the other man's face, before looking over to Barnes. "I see you decided to let her come along today, lucky as you are, Sam's just in his room. I bet she'd like to meet him."

Hearing the mention of getting to meet someone else, Isla's eyes lit up almost instantly again. She'd love to meet the other boy! She peeked her head out and smiled warmly. Watching as they were welcomed inside, she followed closely behind her father, still not exactly sure what to expect of all of this. She'd never known anyone else her size minus her father, but that was really a given.

She was led into the kitchen where Mallory was sitting down, just relaxing. But noticing Barnes and a special little guest, made her come to her feet quickly. "You've brought your darling little daughter, Isla," she smiled, as she watched the redness slowly dip into the blonde's cheeks. "What a precious little thing. Walt, why don't you go get Sam?"

"No need it seems," he replied, and at the hint, both Barnes and Isla looked over past a wall where a mop of brown hair was swiftly ducking out of sight. Her eyes were curious as she watched him peek out once more. Wide brown eyes met with hers and she tilted her head, almost mesmerized with seeing someone else like her. Another young child that shared the same curiosity.

"Sam, darling," Mallory said softly. "Why don't you take Isla, here, and bring her into your room. Show her around, maybe." She looked to Barnes to see if he agreed with the idea, and gently easing his hand from hers, he nudged her in the back towards Sam.

Isla wasn't exactly sure what to think of all this, but it was certainly thrilling. She'd never had reason to feel so nervous before and this was doing wonders on her nerves. Hesitantly, the little boy showed himself fully, his hands tucked behind his back and looked up at her from between long, brown bangs. Almost shyly.

Giving a gentle motion of his head, down the hall he had appeared from, he moved one of his hands and held it out to her. Seeing the invitation right there in front of her, she looked to her father once more, before reaching out and accepting his hand. It wasn't long before he had led her away from the adults as they began to talk and into a room that she supposed was his own.

Isla's eyes were sure wandering though, she'd never seen inside the house of someone else. The walls were almost like the ones back in her own home, except this time they were under the room, instead of on top.

She was almost so lost in looking around, she nearly missed what he had said to her. She blushed lightly before looking to him. "Could you repeat that please?"

Sam looked back at her from under his bangs, before nodding his head towards the door he was pushing open. "I was just saying that this is my room."

Stepping inside, followed by the other child, Isla found herself almost in awe at how different his room was from hers. In her room, there was almost always something covering the walls, whether it was a candy wrapper that she liked, or something that just caught her attention. His walls were a pretty bare, and his room was neat and orderly.

"Is your room like this?" Sam asked, moving to stand beside her, finally flicking his brown bangs from his dark eyes.

The young girl shrugged lightly. "I have a few more things covering my walls and my bed is on this side," she motioned to the opposite side where his bed was. "But it's pretty close, actually. My daddy says that we might be able to move some things around after the humans in the room leave."

Moving over, the little brunette took a seat on his bed and swung his legs back and forth for a moment, almost thinking of what else to say to her. It was obvious that he wasn't expecting someone to come along with Barnes this time. "Do you- do you like to write?"

She looked over to him before following what he did and taking a seat beside him. Isla had to look up to Sam slightly, but she shrugged again. "I don't really write, although daddy did teach me how, I like to draw more."

"I have some paper if you want to.." he offered, moving his hazel orbs down to the floor beneath them. "And some pencil leads that you could use if you wanted to."

Her eyes lit up at the mention of being able to draw something. "Really? You'd let me use your paper and leads?"

Sam gave a small shy nod, but there was a small smile on his face all the while. "Yeah, and then maybe you could tell me.. what you drew?"

Isla was over the moon happy with that idea. She loved drawing and then getting to explain what she drew for others because they seemed curious. It always made her giddy. Giving an excited nod, she watched as he grabbed a few pieces of paper for her and a few for himself and two leads. Handing one off to her, Isla laid on her stomach on the ground and began to sketch along the lines, holding the pencil lead a little awkwardly.

From there, Sam had been writing on his paper as the little girl would talk to herself and sometimes explain what she was doing, and why she was drawing it. He never seemed to mind completely and would instead and listen and bob his head along showing that he was hearing what she was saying.

~*~

It had turned out to be much later than Barnes had intended to stay, and he pushed himself up from the table where Walt and Mallory were currently sitting with him. "Well, I best be taking my little one and heading on home. Seems to be past her bedtime."

He headed down the hallway to where both the children had disappeared down, Walt following along behind to see what they had gotten up to, and instead of seeing the two still awake, the men were rather surprised to see the kids had conked out.

Isla's little head was resting against Sam's shoulder as she held a piece of paper with a drawing on it in her right hand, and a lead in the other, while the little brunette held a different scrap paper with words scribbled over it. The picture the girl had in her hands was of both her and her newfound friend and a smile overcame Barnes' face at seeing his little daughter so happy.

"Seems to me I'll have to bring her back more often," he chuckled quietly, taking a few steps into the room and slipping his hands under his daughter without waking her. "She's seemed to have taken a liking to him." Holding her bridal style, he watched silently as the paper fell from her fingertips and she cuddled closer to her father. He looked as if he wanted to pick it up, but decided against it.

Walt seemed to pick up on the subtly given hint and instead picked it up, and placed it on Sam's bed, before proceeding to lift the young boy and pulling back his own covers before tucking him in. He then lead the other two out and shut the door silently behind him. "It wouldn't be bad for her to visit Sam a little more frequently."

The flickering candlelight in the house was warm and welcoming, but it was time to leave and Isla was out like a light. Adjusting her so he could open the door to the Watches home, Barnes looked back to the both of them. "Well, have a goodnight Walt, Mallory, I'll make sure to keep in touch a little more often. I've enjoyed these times, once a month might not be enough anymore." He nodded towards the little girl sleeping on his shoulder, and smiles were shared all around.

"Safe trip back, Barnes," Mallory said sweetly.

"And you're more than welcome to come back anytime," Walt added on, before giving the other father a nod. After he had left and the door was shut for a final time that night, Barnes was back on his own.

The little girl in his arms moving a little to get comfortable, grasping loosely at her father's jacket. The young man had a gentle smile creasing his features, and he began to hum the song her mother sang her to sleep with, gently brushing his fingers through her hair. Tonight had been a night better than he expected. His little Isla had finally met someone else her own size, and it seemed to have gone well.

She met someone she'd never forget, and there was no better feeling for a young father to have.