Above it all (I'll always love you)

4

"A picnic?" Yelena asks as she peeks over the counter, watching as Maria cuts up a bunch of peanut butter sandwiches before placing them into some plastic tupperware.

Maria nods, "Yes sweetheart. We're going to have a picnic in the garden. Would you like strawberries or watermelon?" She asks as she heads to the refrigerator.

"Watermelon please." Yelena murmurs as she glances at her sister. Natasha was sat at the dining room room doing some drawing, and she'd initially joined her but had gown bored about ten minutes in.

"Such good manners," Maria praises as she playfully ruffles the girls hair, and Yelena grins shyly.

"Natasha? Would you like watermelon or strawberries?" She calls as adds a some chips to the growing pile of food. Doritos, and Pringles.

"Can I have both?" Natasha's voice was still a mere murmur, but Maria hears her just fine.

"Of course honey. Yelena? Can you go be a big girl and grab a few boardgames from the storage closet in the hallway?" They were all ones aimed at children, so she had no trouble in letting the child pick which ones looked good.

Yelena nods, and twenty minutes later, they were all sat in the garden. Beneath them was your typical checkered picnic blanket, the food spread out around them. Yelena was munching on her sandwich with her puppy on her lap, and Natasha was still drawing, a sketch pad on her lap and her pile of fruit next to her. Maria was simply watching her girls, a content smile on her face. It had only been a week, and yet both had already come far. Natasha was more vocal, and she easily accepted gentle touches and hugs so long as you asked first. Yelena was doing exceptionally well too, but her night terrors were still causing major issues.

Maria knew she was going to have to get in touch with a children's therapist. The poor girl was barely sleeping at night and had taken to napping in the afternoon. Maria wanted to be okay with that, but both girls were going back to school in a few weeks, and she was well aware Yelena wouldn't be able to nap there. She was allowing it for now to prevent any meltdowns, but it was something she was going to have to tackle sooner rather than later.

"We're both upside down." She hears Yelena giggle, and she brings herself out of her thoughts only to see both girls doing backbends. Although a little startled at the turn of events, she watches the two with a wide grin on her face.

"And I bet you're gonna fall down first." Natasha responds, her voice the loudest Maria's ever heard.

"No, you will." Yelena argues with an adorable look of concentration on her face.

Seconds later, Yelena falls, but instead of Yelena getting upset at losing, both girls laugh happily. Natasha brings herself back to her feet with ease, and she grabs her sister and hugs her right. The little one hugs Natasha back, and Maria watches the two with a now soft smile on her face. It was obvious they both loved each other very much, and it was the sweetest thing ever.

"Maria?" Yelena asks as she crawls onto Maria's lap, and the woman easily welcomes her. By now, she'd gotten used to Yelena's constant want to be held, and she herself was growing quite attached to all the cuddles she receives on the daily.

"Yes baby?" The woman asks as she brushes away the messy hair from the girls face. Natasha settles next to her moments later, and she holds up her arm with an eyebrow raised in question. The girl nods, and Maria wraps an arm around her and pulls her close.

"Can we have ice cream?" Yelena begs, and Maria raises an eyebrow in amusement.

"You just ate lots of yummy food, and now you want ice cream too?" She gasps playfully as she tickles her sides, and Yelena nods with a giggle as she pushes Maria's hands away.