"Oksana," Eve whispers, gently stroking the blonde's cheek, "wake up, baby."
Oksana's eyes flutter lightly, and she murmurs, curling herself back into the pillows.
"Oksana, honey, the easter bunny was here."
Abruptly her eyes open and she's wide awake, sitting up in the bed. Her eyes twinkle with excitement. "Really?"
Eve nods and, knowing Oksana has difficulty containing herself when excited like this, offers , "If you want, you can go look what he hid for you now and get dressed and brush your teeth afterwards."
Oksana beams, wildly nodding her head, immediately scrambling to get out of the tangled sheets. Eve chuckles softly, seeing the enthusiasm of her little girl. She holds out her hand for Oksana to take, already holding a small empty easter basket in the other to put the hidden treasures in and leads the blonde out into the garden.
It's a sunny day, perfect for an easter egg hunt, and warm enough that it doesn't matter the girl is still in her pajamas.
Oksana looks at Eve uncertainly. The older woman smiles, partly with reassurance and partly with sadness.
Despite how excited Oksana was, she was also unsure of what a real easter morning actually meant. Her mama would've never put in the effort of hiding eggs or candy or toys around the garden to make her and her brother happy. She did vaguely remember her dad trying to do it for them once. But mama had found out. Oksana didn't know what had happened after but she and Pyotr had been ordered to stay in their rooms for almost the entire day. There had been shouting, though she'd tried to cover her ears to block it out. In the evening, her dad had come in to say goodnight. He'd told her to close her eyes and open her hands. Then he'd dropped a few small chocolate eggs into her palms, winked at her and told her to hide them from mama. They'd been her little treasure, and she'd been so careful about eating them. She'd kept the foiled wrappers afterwards, as a means to remember. After the disappearance of her dad, they'd been one of the few things that made him feel close. Until one day, she forgot to hide them and mama found them and threw them away. Little Oksana had searched through the garbage cans for them, arms deep in trash. Tatiana had the spectacle unbeknownst to her for almost 30 minutes. Only to finally tell her she wouldn't find them because she'd burned them. Maybe, Oksana thought, that's why she had that affinity for setting things on fire. She burned her sins like Tatiana had burned the connection to her father.
"Oksana?" Eve says, the slight pressure between her tone indicating she'd tried to reach her a few times. Oksana blinks, confused. She'd zoned out, momentarily trapped in her memory. But Eve's warm voice and gentle touch ground her, anchoring her back in the present.
"Are you okay, baby?" Even though, Oksana’s not always very good at recognizing emotion, she knows the one behind her mommy's words. Worry. She doesn't want to worry her mommy. This was supposed to be a happy day, wasn't it?
Oksana nods weakly, " 'kay, mommy. Just no... no know how..."
She shrugs and points to the garden, looking at Eve helplessly. Her mommy smiles, that kind smile that always makes her feel small and at ease.
"Do you want mommy to help, honey, hm?"
Oksana blushes. Eve can read her so easily. She nods sheepishly and grips Eve's hand tightly. The older woman guides her through the garden, giving subtle hints at where something might be hidden. She never once lets go, even crouches down with her and scoots around on her knees when the little girl crawls around in the dirt, looking for a possible hiding place. It's what Oksana loves about her mommy. Recognizing when what she needs more than anything is just to know she's close, always there to depend on.
It's why Oksana's confidence grows with every found egg and small toy that lands in the little basket, filling it up nicely.
"I think you found everything the easter bunny left for you. Good job, baby!" Eve praises, making Oksana giggle happily. She takes the basket from Eve as they make their way back to the door, admiring her treasure. "Or well, actually, I know there's one last thing."
Oksana looks at her mommy with wide eyes, the silent question written on her face. Eve smiles, and tugs at her hand, leading her to the living room. She doesn’t have to search, the thing Eve referred to is presented on the coffee table already. Oksana lets out an excited squeal and lets go of her mommy's hand to rush to the table, immediately kneeling down. It's a plush bunny. Except it's not just one - it's a big one holding a small one in its arm.
"Mommy and baby!" Oksana exclaims in a high pitched voice, making Eve laugh.
"Yes, yes it is a mommy and her baby. Just like you and me."
Oksana smiles sheepishly and nods, stroking the soft fur of the two plushies. Eve comes to settle down next to her. For a moment, she just watches her little girl interact with the new toy. Then she can’t help but ask, "Oksana, baby, do you know what easter means?"
Oksana stops in her tracks, pursing her lips in thought. She knows that the information is in her head somewhere - she learned it during her time at church once. But that's from Villanelle's memories and too far away for a small girl like her to reach. So she shakes her head.
"Well, it's said that it's the time Jesus came back to life. Whether someone actually believes that is true or not is up to them. You know I'm not christian, so I never really cared about that part. Something I always liked about easter though," Eve explains, "is that it's a symbol for miracles. A reminder that they exist. And I know for a fact that they exist."
"Why, m'mmy?" Oksana asks, tilting her head. Eve's heart melts at how adorable she looks. She reaches out to brush a blonde strand of hair out of the girl's face, her hand lingers cupped around her cheek. Her thumb gently strokes the soft skin beneath it.
"Because I have my very own little miracle sitting right here next to me."
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