Once upon a December
In ecstasy, the heart is beating,
Old joys for it anew revive;
Inspired and God-filled, it is greeting
The fire, and tears, and love alive.
—Alexander Pushkin
Yasha sat beside Natya on the park bench.
Lada and Lida were playing on the teeter totter.
Olga was playing in the sandbox. She was chatting to a little boy—
“Is she yours?” A woman asked.
Yasha nodded.
“Peter’s usually very shy,” she continued. “It must be nice to have an outgoing one. Are you new to the neighborhood?”
“Yes,” Yasha replied. “We’re still looking for a house.”
“Well, there are a few places on our block.” She smiled at him. “I’m Mary Parker.”
“Yasha Ivanoff.” He shook her hand.
“Is it just the two?” Mary asked.
“Four,” Yasha replied.
“Heavens! Your wife must be a saint!” Mary exclaimed.
“I am a widower,” Yasha explained.
It was a cover story.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Mary said.
Yasha shrugged. “You didn’t know.”
“Daddy! Daddy!” Lada and Lida jumped onto his knees. “Can we have ice cream?!”
Yasha shook his head. “It’ll spoil your dinner.”
The girls pouted. “Please?”
Olga and Peter had heard the commotion. “Ice cream!”
Natya sighed.
Mary chuckled. “How bout you come to ours for dinner? We can have ice cream for dessert!”
Yasha shook his head. “No, you don’t have to—”
“I insist!” Mary grinned.
The Parkers were friendly if a bit nosy.
"So, where did you say you were from originally?" Richard asked.
"Ukraine," Yasha said.
It was a lie, but it was close enough.
Hydra had trained all of them to speak with a perfect American accent, so to make themselves harder to find, they mixed it up.
Sometimes, they were American. Sometimes, they were Russian. Sometimes, they were Ukrainian.
"My job has us moving a lot," Yasha said wiping Olga's face clean.
Olga sighed dramatically.
"It must be very hard on the girls," Mary said.
"We make do," Yasha said. He couldn't help but envy the Parkers just a little. He'd give anything to give his girls a normal life.
"Well, I hope you stay in the area for a while," Mary said. "It'd be wonderful for Peter to have some friends."
Yasha smiled. "Well, I better get them home."
"It was very nice to meet you!" Mary and Peter waved goodbye.
Yasha scooped Olga into his arms.
Natya was holding the twins' hands.
"I like 'em," Olga mumbled.
Yasha chuckled. "That Peyta seems to like you too."
Olga giggled. "That's gross, Daddy!"
"They're too nice," Natya said.
"They're normal," Yasha explained.
"And we're not?" Olga asked.
"We're different," Yasha said. "But that's not bad."
Whether or not Olga understood, he couldn't be sure.
That night once the twins and Olga were sleeping soundly, Yasha sat next to Natya.
"Why do they get to be normal?" She asked.
Yasha frowned. "I do not know."
"Why did H-Hydra take you? Why us?" Natya held her pain so tightly that Yasha did not know how to cauterize her wound.
Yasha wished he had answers, but he did not remember how he became the Asset. He did not know why Natya, Lada, and Olga had lost their innocence...
Natya sniffed. "I guess it doesn't matter."
"It does matter," Yasha hugged her.
Mushka jumped onto Natya's lap.
"Will we ever be free?" Natya asked.
"We are free," Yasha reminded her. "And one day, we won't have to run anymore."
***
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