Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“It’s kind of crazy, looking back at it. The first three years of her life was an undercover assignment she wasn’t aware of. The rest was her training to be a Widow. She’s ten years old, and It took me five years to get back to save her,” Natasha frowns as she sits in the co-pilot seat.

“We’re getting her now, and you were just a kid yourself when you came to us, Natasha. Look at it this way, we found her location now and we’re getting her out now while she’s still young.” Clint says from the pilot seat.

The team of five were flying into Berlin. Maria Hill, Nick Fury, Bobbi Morse, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanoff. The intel that they had collected in trying to track down Natasha’s little sister lead them to this point after nearly five months of searching, and after realizing that her first shot at taking down the Red Room didn’t work they needed something else to fill the time while they came up with another plan to take down Dreykov and his army of Widow’s.

“Natasha, you’re going in alone, we are there for back up. May and Coulson are already stationed close to the apartment building where we found them to be staying.” Fury says.

“Yes Sir, and what about the older Widow and handler that are with her?” Natasha asks.

“We will give them options to defect and how that would look. They don’t have to become agents but we will bring them back to America.”

The team nods and gets all of their gear prepped. Outside the jet there are two motorcycles and a large SUV for the team to use. Natasha doesn’t hesitate, jumping on one of the bikes and driving into town to the coordinates that had been supplied to her. There are two Widows and a handler in the apartment, she’s going in with an antidote to break the mind control, two sedatives, and a handgun— so underprepared for what they’ll have.

Natasha doesn’t wait for backup when she arrives at the apartment building. She walks in, preps her gun, and picks the lock on the apartment door. They studied the floorpan on the jet, she knows where they will be sleeping and how they typically set up armoury’s in Red Room safe houses.

“Natasha, don’t go rogue,” Maria warns through their comms link.

Natasha hums her response, not wanting to be too loud and wake those in the apartment. The door opens easily, no sensor on the front door to alert those inside which is good. Natasha quietly moves towards the first room, the one with the handler that appears to be a Widow from Melina’s generation. She’s the first that Natasha releases then sedates, knowing that waking up from the mind control can be intense and should be done under supervision. The next bedroom up the hall is the other Widow assigned to their current task, she’s as quiet and quick as she was with the first.

When Natasha gets to her sister’s room she’s doesn’t see her in bed and she’s instantly on alert. Natasha puts her gun in the back of her pants before starting to look around the apartment.

“Did the General send you for us?” The child asks from somewhere in the darkness.

“No,” Natasha answers. “I came for you, Little One. I don’t know if you remember me, but I have been looking for you for a while. Do you remember Ohio?”

Natasha turns into the kitchen to find the small blonde girl with a gun in her hands pointed at Natasha’s chest. Without hesitation Natasha lets out the start of their secret whistle, and the child tilts her head in recognition. The gun tilts down and Natasha runs forward, spraying the antidote in her face before pulling the child into her arms while the effects take place. There’s an old Cossack lullaby that Melina would sing to them when they were in Ohio, that Natasha starts to sing while she waits for the others to arrive. The child squirms and cries for a while before settling into Natasha’s arms.

“Yelena I need to get the tracking chip out, okay? It is going to hurt for a moment but then you never have to worry about Dreykov or the Red Room again. I promise,” Natasha coos in their mother tongue. “Can you let me do that?”

“I do not want to go back there,” Yelena says, nodding.

Natasha picks the kid up and sets her on the table, grabs a knife tactile throwing knife and first aid kit from the apartment’s armoury, and then sits on a chair in front of her sister. She has to make a two inch cut in her thigh and pulls out a small circular chip that relayed all information about Yelena to the Red Room. Once that was done she quickly stitched her up before calling the team in for the others. Yelena clings to Natasha when the SHIELD agents enter the apartment.

“You got old,” Yelena whispers.

“So did you. You’re so big now.”

“You were bigger at my age. I remember.”

“I am so happy to hear you remember.”

Maria walks into the kitchen to let Natasha know that they have loaded the other two into the two vehicles that they have waiting downstairs. When she comes to take Yelena the girl leaps from Natasha’s lap and wraps her legs around the strangers neck. Natasha is immediately on her feet and pulling Yelena off Maria. Bobbi and May run into the room when they hear the scuffle, but stand by the entry when they see that Natasha has the kid handled but remain present to help Maria gainer bearings again.

“She’s not going to hurt you, Little One. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. You can ride on the motorcycle with me, okay? Then we’re going to fly on a jet to a ship in the sky.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t protect you for five years, and I am going to make up for it now. You are no longer his weapon, you get to be a kid.”

“I don’t know how. Don’t remember.”

“That’s okay, but you are going to stay with me now, for a while. Okay?”

“What about them? The Americans?”

“I’m living with them, so will you. They won’t hurt you. No more hurt or pain or punishment. I swear, and if anyone tries you will tell me and I will handle it.”

“I like fighting, and I like ballet.”

“We will figure something out. You will have to speak more English though, Little One.”

“Hate English, it is complicated.”

Bobbi snorts. “She’s not wrong.”

Yelena turns fast to look at the very tall blonde woman, not expecting any American to know Russian. The accent isn’t quite right, something Natasha has pointed out a number of times. Natasha makes sure she has a hold on her sister before standing up and walking over to the group.

“Yelena, meet Bobbi Morse, Melinda May, and Maria Hill,” Natasha introduces. “Guys, this is my baby sister, Yelena Belova.”

The women smile but don’t force interaction. They go to Yelena’s room so she can get dressed in a purple romper. Natasha quickly packs all of Yelena’s clothes, a couple children’s books that are in Russian, and all of her shoes before they head down to the cars. Maria carries Yelena’s things, not really keeping her distance like Yelena had thought she might of.

“Hold on front or back?” Natasha asks when she walks up to her bike.

“Front.”

Natasha climbs onto her motorcycle with Yelena holding on tight like a koala to her front. With a nod to the others she’s the first to take off, heading back to the jet where Clint would be waiting for them to return. Natasha speeds, she knows she does, but she wants to get back so that Yelena can meet Clint properly. Clint is the reason that Natasha was able to get out, and was able to get Yelena out. When they’re parked at the jet it seems to peak Yelena’s interest, the kid always had been interested in motorized things and how they work.

Clint greets them at the top of the ramp, Natasha moves carefully towards the first man that Yelena will meet that is not a target or soldier. Yelena doesn’t really acknowledge Clint, rather she watches Natasha and how she reacts to the stranger.

“Hey Yelena, I’m Clint Barton. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Clint smiles. “Natasha talks about you all the time.”

“She has said nothing about you, Clint Barton.” Yelena shrugs.

Clint laughs loud, throwing his head back in the process. Yelena tightens her grip on her sister, not wanting to flinch or show weakness but still startled by the man. Natasha rubs Yelena’s back to calm her before moving to a separate seating area and buckling her in when the others arrive. The two who had been with Yelena are strapped in on two of the three stretchers that are in the middle of the jet, Maria checks them over again before getting ready for take off. Fury walks over to Natasha and Yelena, he kneels down so he is lower than the child and not standing over her in any kind of threatening way.

“Yelena, this is Fury. He’s the Director of SHIELD. He helped me get out and he is going to help you and the other two we found with you.” Natasha says.

“You look like pirate man.” Yelena says. “Why does he only have one name?”

Fury smiles. “My name is Nick Fury, and I guess the eye patch does make me look a little like a pirate from a book doesn’t it.”

“Do you have an eye under it or is it missing?”

“It’s there.”

“Are you going to hurt them Nick Fury?” Yelena asks, suddenly very solemn.

“I am going to help them. They can choose to become agents or we will get them adjusted to life in America where they will be in a program where they will be safe.”

“And you sure he can be trusted?”

“Yes. He helped me get you.” Natasha smiles. “Fury can be trusted. Everyone on this jet I trust with my life and yours. You need anything and you can’t find me you can go to anyone here. The other man you haven’t met yet is Phil Coulson, he’s my supervising officer, S.O, kind of like a handler but they don’t act the same.” Natasha points at Coulson who is sat across from them. “He’s a bit of a nerd, but he is friendly.”

“Nerd?”

“Obsessive with comic books and superheroes.”

“Like a child?”

“You’re a child, but yes kind of. Like a kid.”

“I feel like I should be offended, but I’ll allow it for now.” Coulson says from his seat.

The jet soon takes off, Maria and Clint both up in the cockpit. The flight up to the helicarrier is about three hours, all of which Yelena spends watching everyone move about the jet. She wants the two Widow’s she was with are still asleep, she wants them to wake up so she can be around people she is used to. Yelena knows that when they are given the option they won’t chose to stay around and be soldiers. When they leave then Yelena is alone again, she knows that Natasha will only be around for so long.

The two sleeping Widow’s were quickly taken to medical when they landed on the helicarrier. Yelena tried to go with them but was held back by Natasha who takes her up to Maria’s office where a paediatrician is waiting to see her. Bobbi and Maria walk with them, part of the reason is solely so that Yelena can get used to them just in case. Yelena is fascinated by Bobbi, she holds a lot of similar skills of the Widow’s but is very tall. Most all Widow’s are petite, they are to appear delicate and non-threatening. Bobbi is very tall, something Yelena hasn’t really ween in a woman before. Bobbi smiles at Yelena whenever she catches her eyes, kind of entertained by the attention she’s getting from the child.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Bobbi asks.

“How are you so tall?” Yelena furrows her brows.

“How are you so short?”

“Widow’s are supposed to be short, small and thin, unexpected and non-threatening.”

“You’re short because you’re short, I’m tall because I’m tall. That’s how genetics work.”

“Genetics?”

Natasha translates and explains genetics and how they work. Widow’s don’t have a normal or formal education, they learn things if they need the knowledge for an assignment but otherwise their education is fight, ballet, language, and accent training. That’s going to be a topic that Natasha is sure Yelena will fight her on.

Yelena fights against Natasha when she sees the doctor in the white coat waiting in the office. The doctor, Dr. Harper Freeman, is sat on one of the two sofa’s with a soft smile on her face. Natasha hands Yelena to Bobbi, neither of who are prepared for the transfer, then talks to the doctor before she removes the white coat and tries to appear less threatening. Yelena is pouting when Natasha takes her back from Bobbi’s arms. Natasha sits on the sofa with Yelena in her lap, that was she can’t run away from being checked over. The doctor goes over medical histories with Natasha, they figure out vaccinations and a schedule that will get Yelena up to date on all shots she needs. The shots they need to get done today has Natasha and Maria pinning the small child down while Bobbi helps the doctor do shots at the same time in either arm.

Natasha has to hold and rock Yelena when all the medical stuff is done to calm the kid down. Maria then fastens a golden bracelet around her wrist that Yelena starts to fiddle with. It’s just a smooth gold cuff, beautifully simple and soothing.

“It is your ID badge here, or it works like one. It will get you through doors and food whenever you want in the cafeteria or canteen. It will log you into computers if you wish to use them, but stops you from getting into files or our database. This whole ship is available to you, so it will track you in case Natasha or we need to find you. Okay?” Maria explains.

“It will track and monitor you, but you have the same freedoms as Bobbi or Maria or me. I have a ID card, everyone does, but because you’re a child you can’t so we came up with this for you, okay?” Natasha explains when she sees Yelena is having a hard time with the English.

“Outside?”

“Well, it’s hard to go outside when we’re thirty thousand feet in the air, but whenever you want to go to a playground or something like that you can let anyone know and we will be sure to take you. Okay?” Maria smiles.

“I don’t play at playgrounds, Maria Hill.” Yelena frowns.

“Well, maybe you can learn.” Natasha smiles.

“Okay, now that this is all done, everyone who went out tonight is off the next couple days to help Yelena adjust. Breakfast will start in five minutes if you want to eat before heading to bed.” Maria says. “And I have you on my floor now Nat, two doors down from mine with your ID’s already paired. More space for the two of you.”

“Thanks Maria. Join us for breakfast? Clint is probably already waiting for us down there.” Natasha says.

The four of them go down a few flights and walk through the halls to the cafeteria. Natasha and Bobbi explain where things are to Yelena in Russian, earning strange looks from people who pass them. Clint is waiting for them by the entrance to the cafeteria, he smiles and waves at them as they get closer. Natasha gets two trays and follows the line through the buffet filling both up with food. Yelena puts her input in when they pass things that she knows that she doesn’t like.

“Juice?” Natasha asks.

Yelena shakes her head, juice isn’t allowed and Natasha should know that unless they’re already starting to test her. Natasha just sighs, getting a bottle of water for Yelena and a bottle of cranberry juice for herself. They move as a group to the table in the corner, Yelena gets the seat with her back to the corner so she can observe the space. Everyone is quick to eat except for Yelena, she doesn’t touch anything except the water bottle than came sealed.

“Are you not hungry, Yelena?” Clint asks.

Yelena shrugs. The food all looked familiar, smelled good, but even though it was Natasha who dished it up she didn’t want to trust it. There were a handful of times where her tray was out of sight where anything could of happened to it. Natasha looked over her sister and the way that she nibbled on her lip and fiddled with her fingers. Natasha takes her fork and takes a small bite of everything on Yelena’s tray to show that it’s safe to eat. Clint smiles, having done the same thing for Natasha a year earlier.

“If you’re ever nervous about the food you’re given anyone at this table will try it before you. Even those you met on the jet who aren’t here. Okay?” Natasha says, holding Yelena’s gaze.

Yelena slowly eats, enjoying the pancakes and eggs that Natasha picked out. She can fondly remember weekend breakfasts when Melina would make pancakes for them, but she would put bananas or chocolate in them. She doesn’t clear her plate, when Natasha sees that she’s starting to force herself to eat what she’s been given she pushes it across the table to Maria.

“I wasn’t done.” Yelena says.

“Were you full?”

Yelena nods. “But I wasn’t done. That’s not the rules.”

“Different rules here. We can go over rules later, for now we’re going to go rest for a bit. Sound good?”

Yelena nods and the sisters leave the rest of the group. Natasha explains how to get from the cafeteria to their room, and to other important rooms like Maria’s office, Fury’s office, and May’s office. Yelena’s bag of things is on the sofa in their room. Both of them change into sleep clothes before crawling into bed.

“Where are the cuffs?” Yelena asks.

“Little One, those aren’t used here.”

“I need them.”

“Okay. I’m going to make a call.”

Natasha reaches over her sister to grab her phone and text Maria to bring the quick release cuffs she used until she adjusted to being able to sleep without them. It wasn’t that hard of a transition, but Natasha was fully prepared for it to take longer. When Maria arrived with the cuffs Yelena was getting antsy from the lack of sleep and adrenaline leaving her system. Maria sits at the end of the bed, sharing a look with Natasha that Yelena plans to file away for later.

“These don’t require a key,” Maria explains. “The button releases the cuffs but also sets them so they don’t get tighter when you pull on them. Do you understand?”

Yelena nods slowly, watching Maria attach one cuff to the metal frame and leaves the other for the sisters to deal with.

“These are what I used while I got used to not having to sleep with them. I promise you that they are safe.” Natasha smiles.

Yelena crawls up the bed to the cuffs and gets under the covers before she places the one around her right wrist. Maria and Natasha watch her as she settles against the pillow and quickly falls asleep. The two women move over the the sofa. Maria sits on one end and Natasha lays across the sofa with her head in Maria’s lap. Soon Natasha succumbs to sleep with Maria gently combing her hands through Nat’s hair. Half an hour later Maria fell asleep, her head tilted back against the back of the sofa and wall.

Natasha and Maria woke up for lunch, leaving a note for Yelena on the pillow next to her letting her know that they would stay in the cafeteria that afternoon so when she wakes and is hungry she knows where to find them. That was the plan at least. Both had grabbed reports for them to work on while sat at the corner table, Clint and Bobbi both joining them after their afternoon training. When it came to dinner, and then dinner passed, Natasha grew concerned having not seen Yelena. There was no way that her sister had slept for that long.

Yelena read the note, she read the note multiple times. She understood what the note was saying for her to do, but the door was closed. When dorm doors are closed then Widow’s are supposed to stay in their rooms, they aren’t supposed to try and leave. There’s a television, radio, and laptop in the room but she doesn’t touch any of those. She grabs one of her books from her bags and reads the familiar story of Peter Pan. Reading is allowed, it’s not something that they have ever been punished for unless the book was contraband. Peter Pan shouldn’t be contraband, it was Natasha’s book from before. Her name was written on the inside cover, that’s why Yelena had it now. As she read she watched the clock, she watched it for hours as she read almost all of the book before the door beeped then opened at seven thirty.

Natasha was both elated and upset when she saw Yelena sat on the sofa with a book in her hand. She was dressed, hair re-braided, and quite alert— she had clearly been awake for quite a while. The note that she had left for her was on the coffee table in front of her, so she had read it and the instructions that Natasha had left.

“How long have you been awake?” Natasha asks.

“Since one.” Yelena answers, putting her book down.

“Why didn’t you come to the cafeteria?”

“Doors closed.”

“The door opens from the inside, it has a handle.” Natasha says calmly, moving to the door to show how it opens. She sighs when it is clear her sister is still sceptical. “It’s not a test Yelena. There are no tests here. You can come and go as you wish. If a door doesn’t open that simple means you’re not allowed to be there, that’s what the bracelet is for.” She watched Yelena for a sign of acknowledgment but receives none. “Okay, how about when I leave and you’re here alone I leave a shoe in the door so that the door is open and shows you that you can leave. This hall is for senior agents, no one would come in or harm you.”

“Okay.” Yelena whispers.

“Good. Now, are you hungry?”

Yelena gives the start of a nod before changing her mind and shaking her head no. Natasha holds out her hand for her sister to take, patiently waiting for Yelena to do so as she assesses every move made around her. The two go down to the canteen since there would be nothing left prepped in the cafeteria till morning. Coulson is there walking the aisles.

“I want you to pick out at least five things, anything you want.” Natasha says to Yelena before walking to her SO. “Coulson, I thought you were trying to stop eating so much chocolate.”

“There is only so much will power. What do you suggest, crunch bar or three musketeers?” He smirks.

“Neither.”

“How is she?” He asks, tilting his head towards Yelena.

“She sat in our room alone for six hours because she didn’t know she could open the door and leave. Everything is a test, like how I thought last year. How I still feel most of the time when things change or are new. It’s hard when you’re used to something, and it’s hard when none of you have been through anything similar.”

Yelena walks over with a frown and only a bottle of water. “Can’t read most of these things. I can speak English, but reading is hard.”

“Okay, how about we ask Coulson to help us?”

Yelena furrows her brows before looking over at Coulson who just stands still and tries not to present himself as threatening. She looks back at Natasha who is calmly waiting for an answer. “Will you help me read Phil Coulson?”

Coulson looks at Natasha where she nods, so he smiles and nods at Yelena who walks through the aisles and points at things. She gets him to read the labels and if she doesn’t understand how that would taste she gets him to explain that as well. Natasha stands by the entrance to the canteen, asking people to give them fifteen minutes before returning and most listen to her. When agents see Coulson in there they listen and leave the area. Bobbi walks down the hall and joins Natasha, the woman wasn’t planning on going to the canteen but she was curious to see the child interact with Coulson.

“How is she?” Bobbi whispers.

“It will be a process.” Natasha sighs.

“It was one with you, so now you get a taste of your own medicine.”

“Funny.”

“Nattie, Phil Coulson says no to these.” Yelena says holding a purple bag out.

Bobbi takes the bag. “You want to try Takis?”

Yelena nods and watches as Bobbi opens the bag with out paying for it. Bobbi eats a couple then holds them out to Yelena who just takes one and puts it in her mouth. The flavour is confusing, hot and sour, making her scrunch her face up and want to spit it out. Natasha holds her hand out for Yelena to spit the chip into her hand.

“Too spicy?” Coulson asks.

Yelena shakes her head then looks at Bobbi. “Why do they make food spicy and sour? Chips should not be sour.”

Bobbi and Natasha chuckle while Yelena returns to going up and down the aisles. The counter clerk hands Natasha paper towel to wipe down her hand and toss the ball of mush. Bobbi pays for the bag and eats them while they watch Yelena collect things. Coulson and Yelena have slowly been moving their way to the back of the shop where there is a collection of international food— since Natasha has been on bored there is a large collection of Russian and other Eastern European foods.

“Why aren’t you helping her with this?” Bobbi asks.

“I have at least one mission next week, she needs to learn to trust people who will be here with her. I was hoping you would help me with her and training.”

“She’s ten. Fury won’t be on bored with training her.”

“She has ADHD, it will be a good outlet for her unless you want to deal with the overly hyperactive child.”

“Okay, but you get to tell Fury and Maria. For the record though, I am not sparing with her at all.”

“Scared she could take you down?”

“She couldn’t!”

“I guess we will never know.” Natasha smiles, goading her on.

Yelena runs back to Natasha with her arms filled with familiar treats and a big smile on her face. Coulson follows after her, carrying a handful of American treats that she had picked out before finding the new section.

“I picked more than five.” Yelena smiles at her sister.

“I see that. How about we pay and then we can go back to our room and you can eat before we get ready for bed.” Natasha smiles back.

Yelena smiles and goes to the counter with Natasha. The clerk scans everything and puts them in bags like a grocery store. When it’s time to pay Natasha has Yelena bring her bracelet to the ID scanner where the machine accepts her payment.

“I do not have money.” Yelena frowns.

“I do, it comes from my account, and everyone who lives on this ship has a living stipend for essentials like food. Anytime you want something you can come here. It’s always open.”

“Without you?”

“Yes, or you can find someone you know and they will come with you.”

“Does the cafeteria ever have macaroni?”

Bobbi laughs. “If you ask Maria or Fury I am sure they will accommodate the request for you, and who doesn’t like macaroni?”

“Why would Nick Fury and Maria Hill do…”

Bobbi looks at Natasha who starts to walk faster up the hall leaving Yelena left behind and confused. Yelena’s hands feel sweaty and her heart is beating fast, she has never experienced anything like this. Bobbi stops with the girl when Yelena drops her bag of goodies. Natasha doesn’t notice right away, not until Yelena lets out a faint whistle to which Natasha immediately responds and rushes back to her.

“I want to go home,” Yelena whispers.

“No you don’t. You’re just having a small anxiety attack.” Natasha coos.

“No! I want to go home. Take me home. I do not like it here!”

“Yelena, you need to calm down.” Bobbi says, calmly texting the Yelena group chat.

“Take me home before I kill you all!”

“Yelena, calm down little sister.” Natasha says.

Bobbi moves to restrain Yelena, but she’s a step ahead and is able to move and flip Bobbi into Natasha. Natasha is quick on her feet, moving for Yelena. The sisters fight it out, the rest of the team blocks off the hall so no one can witness what’s happening. To be fair no one really knew what was happening. Yelena just had snapped and was for some unknown reason in Widow mode now. The team had seen it a few times with Natasha, some unknown trigger sets her off and it takes a while to subdue her.

“What triggered her?” Maria asks Bobbi.

“She was asking about macaroni, I told her to ask you or Fury. She just kind of flipped.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Bobbi frowns and watches Natasha just attempt to pin her sister. “I don’t know if they’ll be.”

Yelena notices the group that has gathered, notices Maria, and charges at the Deputy Director. Yelena isn’t fully in control, it’s like she the passenger of her mind and something else has taken over but not in the way before she was sprayed with the red mist. All she knows, the thoughts in her head at least, is that Maria is hurting Natasha and they need to leave.

Maria is pretty well trained to fight against the child, but like Natasha she pulls her punches because she doesn’t want to actually hurt the kid. It’s when Yelena gets her legs around Maria’s neck that everyone stops to move and get her off. Bobbi, being closest, starts trying to get Yelena off.

“No, let me finish this! I need to do this, she is hurting Natasha.” Yelena shrieks.

“What do you mean she is hurting Natasha?” Bobbi shouts back.

“Lena, Maria is not hurting me.” Natasha says, pulling at her feet.

“Just like every other handler, this place is not different. We can finish this and go home! Please!” Yelena shouts as they remove her from Maria’s neck.

“Maria isn’t like that, I’m dating her!” Natasha shouts, wrapping her arms around Yelena and sitting on the floor with her restrained. “Maria and I are in a relationship, she is not taking advantage of me or using me like the handlers of the Red Room. Everything is done with consent, which I know that makes no sense to you right now. It took me eleven months to learn. I swear that this is not the Red Room, I promise, and I swear that no one here is hurting me.”

“Yelena, when was the last time someone touched you that way? Was it either of the two we found you with?” Bobbi asks.

“Widows do not touch other Widows.” Yelena shakes her head. “Dreykov. I am his favourite. He has me home every weekend.”

Bobbi looks at the other adults and slightly shakes her head. Natasha lets go of Yelena letting Bobbi take her and hold her so she can freak out. The adrenaline is leaving Yelena so her small body is shaking as Bobbi tries to comfort her while Natasha gets her bearings. Natasha starts to swear and grumble in a nordic language that no one seems to know, Bobbi can understand the gist but it is not a language that Bobbi knows.

“If everything is handled, how about we go back to their room or my office.” Fury says.

“Your office is neutral ground.” Clint says.

“I’d like to get Maria to medical, just to check her over.” May says.

“I’m fine.” Maria coughs.

“Take her, once she’s checked we will probably still be in his office.” Natasha says.

May takes Maria away, leading her down the hall and away from the team. Bobbi stands when she’s sure she has a good grip on Yelena and moves with the rest of the team to Fury’s office, she makes sure she has the bag of goodies for Yelena because she still needs to eat.

Fury’s office is large and has the most window’s aside from the bridge on the deck the floor above. There are three sofa’s and two lounge chairs to create a sitting room for when he has meetings. Bobbi, Natasha, and Yelena sit on one of the sofa’s, Yelena moves over to Natasha and curls into her side.

“I need to know if there needs to be more security around her.” Fury says once everyone is settled. “I have two SciOp agents who need field training who could act as constant babysitter for her, or we can take her to one of the observation rooms until we are sure that this can’t happen again. I can’t have a kindergartener taking down my senior agents!”

“I’m not a kindergartener, Nick Fury,” Yelena whispers.

“I need to ensure the safety of everyone on board this ship. What I just saw makes me think she is more a danger then anything.”

“That’s not fair, Nat had her hang ups her first few months.” Clint argues.

“She would freak out in training sometimes, never in a hall and never fought you or Maria. Fury has a point, she was fine one moment and flipped which isn’t safe, especially when we don’t know the triggers.” Coulson calmly intervenes.

“Natasha was also in charge of her mind when Clint pulled her out of Budapest, she chose to come here and help us. She was fully conscious and aware of the choices she made that brought her to SHIELD.” Fury says. “We did this for you Romanoff, it was part of the deal you made when you arrived, but this agency isn’t just about you and your needs. This is a government organization, not a daycare!”

“Then just end me like Dreykov will.” Yelena says. “Knew here was the same.”

Chapter Text

May and Maria walk into the heavy aired office. Fury looks like he wants to jump out the window and Yelena is curled up in her sisters lap. Bobbi looks through the bag of goodies Yelena selected and unwraps a Russian chocolate bar before holding it out to her. Yelena turns her head to look at Bobbi and breaks off half the bar, then breaks her section into three and offers two of the pieces to Natasha and Bobbi.

“What did we walk into?” May asks.

“Short Stack wants to die, Fury wants to lock her up as a prisoner, and we were waiting to hear if Hill was gonna make it or not,” Clint teases.

“Well I’m fine. Today has been long. We can all go to bed, talk like adults in the morning. I don’t think getting worked up is helping anything.” Maria says. “Nick, you and I will figure out a plan tonight without everyone else.”

“Are you sure, Maria?” Natasha asks.

“I’m sure. I have your interest at heart, both of yours.”

Natasha stands up with Yelena, says her goodbyes and takes her sister back to their room. Yelena showers first then gets in bed while Natasha takes her turn. When Natasha crawls into bed the two just lay there and watch each other. There were many conversations that needed to happen between the two, but Yelena didn’t want to talk and Natasha would never push her to. Natasha helped Yelena lock her wrist into the cuff and watched her sister fall asleep before letting herself drift off.

Yelena is the first one awake, she gets out of bed and gets dressed. She knows she could leave, Natasha had said so many times, but she decides to wait for Natasha to wake up which doesn’t take that long. At seven there is a knock on the door, and this time Maria waits for Natasha to open it so she can be let in.

“Breakfast?” Maria smiles.

“I just need to get my shoes on and we’ll be good to go.” Natasha says. “Right Lena?”

“I’m allowed to go?” Yelena frowns.

“Of course. Nick and I figured something out last night we can talk about it after breakfast. Food first, that’s my motto.”

“Thank you, Masha.” Natasha blushes. “It means a lot to me.”

“Anytime.”

“No kissing in front of me please. That is gross.” Yelena pulls a face.

“Okay, no kissing in front of you. You’re okay with this now?”

“No, but you say it is not like handlers or Dreykov. I do not trust it though, I won’t let you get hurt. She has all of the power over you.”

“Are you saying I have none?”

“I am saying if she called you to her office and asked you to kneel you have to.”

“That is not how things work here. No one kneels and if anyone asks you to kneel I expect you to gut punch them. Deal?”

Yelena smiles and nods. The trio go down to the cafeteria where it is a lot busier than it was the day before because of the time they arrive. This time Natasha gives Yelena her own tray and lets her pick the food she wants. Yelena picks pancakes and eggs, Natasha adds meat to her tray, and this time Yelena grabs an orange juice. She remembers how Melina always would have orange juice at breakfast, and she feels pretty safe to try it.

“Better than eating kasha every day, right?” Natasha smiles.

Yelena nods. “Much better. Who are the new people at the table?”

“The two dressed more formally are Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz, they are scientists but not the human testing kind,” Maria explains. “The other is Daisy Johnson, she’s a field agent and hacker. The three of them mostly work with Coulson and May.”

“I thought Nattie worked with Coulson.”

“Coulson does a lot of things, he’s a senior agent.”

“In level and age,” Clint laughs, sneaking up behind them.

Yelena tosses her tray on the table, spins and kicks Clint in the shin before anyone else can react. He falls to the ground, laughing while holding his shin. Natasha helped him up then flicked his ear.

“Idiot.” Natasha says in German. “You know better than to sneak up on us.”

“I didn’t sneak, I was in the cafeteria when you arrived.” Clint argues. “Nice kick Short Stack, and nice toss. You didn’t spill anything.”

Yelena sits at the spot her tray landed at, beside Daisy who is actively typing away on a laptop. She’s curious as to what the new person is doing but knows better, she keeps her eyes on her tray as she slowly eat her food. While the group watched her withdraw while she ate no one said anything.

Not that the added trio wasn’t welcome, but Natasha was not a fan of new people being brought into her sister’s circle without her knowing about it. Fitz and Simmons were fine, honestly Yelena could eat them for breakfast. Daisy on the other hand doesn’t always have a filter and could be unpredictable in a way that could set Yelena off.

“Why am I getting glared at? I haven’t even done anything yet,” Daisy says.

“The fact that you said yet is once again concerning,” Simmons sighs.

Yelena looks up at Simmons. “You are British.”

“I am, so is Fitz.”

“I thought this was American intelligence.”

“It is, but they collect the best from around the world.” Natasha answers.

“Like the American want to be Interpol?”

Natasha smiles. “Yeah, they’re kind of like a wannabe Interpol.”

“We are better than Interpol!” Maria gasps.

“The Red Room is better than Interpol and SHIELD. You are dumb to assume otherwise.” Yelena says

“We got you out of the Red Room.”

“If you think that Dreykov was not aware of some plan. He has been on alert since Natasha left, and I am her weak spot as well as Melina and Alexei.”

“Do you know where Melina and Alexei are?” Natasha asks.

“Melina works from distance, doing science and tech for Dreykov. She was my handler on my last assignment. Alexei is somewhere I don’t know.”

“I thought Melina died.”

“Nope, Dreykov wouldn’t let that happen. She’s his favourite and a genius. Her tech and research has built the Red Room.”

“Why would Melina do that?”

“She’s been through the Red Room more than anyone I know, probably doesn’t know different. I also think she’s scared of him. Can I go get some of the jello?”

“Go ahead, Little One.”

Yelena takes her tray to the clean up station then gets back in the line to get a jello cup. Maria looks at Natasha who is clearly lost in thought, not knowing how the conversation started in one place and ended here.

“Who is Melina?” Maria asks.

“Melina Vostokoff, the Ohio mission when I was a kid with Yelena, she was my mother back then. She and Alexei infiltrated the North Institute for information.”

“North Institute was SHIELD.” Simmons says.

“I know. SHIELD chased us and almost shot down our plane as we escaped.”

Yelena walks up with a jello cup for everyone, hands them out with colours she has decided to associate with each person at the table. She makes sure that her and Natasha do not have the red jello though. Everyone is slightly shocked but takes the jello with words of thanks and appreciation.

After everyone is done eating and the table is cleared of food, Maria turns to business. She explains how Yelena has to do at least three hours a day of school, that they’re quite far behind in a formal education but that she has faith Yelena will catch up. It will start with placement tests to see where she is in subjects and where she needs to me. Simmons, Fitz, and Daisy have been assigned to oversee her schooling when they’re not assigned to anything— and if they’re busy she’ll be set up in Maria’s office. Natasha had made it clear before Yelena’s rescue that some sort of physical exertion was going to be necessary, so two hours a day she would have some sort of physical activity lead by Natasha, Bobbi, or Maria. One requirement is that she Yelena would be supervised everywhere, that she was now not allowed to move freely like was previously planned for and discussed.Everyone was easily on board with all of this, until Maria got to one of Fury’s requirements that was non-negotiable.

“Everyone who is close proximity with Yelena is going to be required to carry a sedative, in case she gets triggered. He was immovable on this,” Maria sighs. “I tried, Nat. I really did but it was this or she goes down to observation.”

“There’s something else you’re not saying.” Natasha frowns.

“He wants her to start the deprogramming on Thursday.”

“That’s two days from now.”

“Yes.”

“I spent five months here before I started deprogramming.”

“I know, Love.”

“That’s bullshit, Maria!”

Yelena flinches at her sister’s raised voice, unsure of what they’re arguing about. Clint catches the slight movement and pushes his chair out slightly in case the kid starts to freak out.

“You can try to talk to him, but he is set on this. I did what I could, and my focus was more on keeping her with you than anything else.” Maria calmly states.

“Yelena, stay with Maria.” Natasha orders.

Yelena watches her sister storm out of the cafeteria, still unsure of the situation. She looks over at Maria who looks back at her for an explanation to which she shrugs.

Natasha walks into Fury’s office where he is currently meeting with Coulson and May. All three senior agents look at the former spy with raise brows, though Coulson is more amused than anything. Coulson makes a show of looking at a clock.

“Took you longer than I thought it would,” He smiles.

“She’s not starting deprogramming in two days!” Natasha shouts.

“Then she is going to observation where we can monitor and note any triggers she has. This is the best solution.” Fury says.

“For you. You do this our deal is void and I will leave with her. I won’t help you or any of this and any information I have I will leave with.”

“You leave with her a huge target will be on you back from multiple governments.”

“You underestimate our abilities to go under deep cover. We can disappear, no one would find us.”

“And what would you do for money? Become a mercenary? Do the job you hated so much you defected to us?”

“I will do whatever it takes to protect her!”

“I’d like to side with Romanoff,” May says. “I think starting deprogramming so soon could be more detrimental than helpful. I say give the kid a month before the conversation is brought up again.”

“You have everyone carrying sedatives, Fury. You need to remember she’s just a kid and we need to treat her like one.” Coulson adds.

“Four weeks from today she starts deprogramming.” Fury says. “You are all dismissed.”

Coulson joins Natasha as she returns to the cafeteria. Yelena and Simmons are arguing over something. Yelena seems exasperated, rolling her eyes and slouching back in her chair. Bobbi had joined the table and is trying so hard to keep a straight face next to Maria, though Clint has failed and is chuckling at his end of the table.

“What did we miss?” Coulson asks.

“Jemma Simmons is wrong and will not admit it.” Yelena frowns.

“What is she wrong about?”

“The super soldier serum and its effect on muscle mass and growth.”

“I’m not wrong, I’ve studied the effects and all our data shows that the serum increases muscle mass, density, and growth as well as the growth of the subject.” Simmons says.

“Which is wrong! Whatever stupid school you went to taught you wrong!”

“I am not wrong. I have PHD’s in Biology and Chemistry.”

“Nat and I are proof that that is not true, bitch.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Natasha steps in. “You need to play nice, Yelena. They do not know about the Red Room’s use of serum and I was trying to keep it that way for a while.”

“Well they know now. Sorry.”

No one forces the sisters to explain, just lets the leave with Bobbi to the fitness center. Natasha gets Yelena set up on a treadmill and leaves her to run while Bobbi and her supervise. There are many other options for fitness on the helicarrier, but this was the option that would definitely tire Yelena out the fastest.

“What else does she like to do?” Bobbi asks as they watch Yelena from a bench.

“I don’t know. Climbing would be good and the obstacle course for days we don’t spar with her. She likes dance, she told me that, so I was going to see if I could find a ballet instructor that could teach her through video chat.”

“Cool. Does she play games or is she always so serious?”

“Games and fun aren’t a thing in the Red Room. I don’t think she knows how to play as a child. I know I didn’t, it took me a while to adjust when we were in Ohio.”

“You were her age when you went to Ohio. Right?”

“Yeah. Best years of my life, or I thought so. I don’t think she really remembers Ohio, but that doesn’t matter.”

“It just matters she’s safe.” Bobbi smirks. “God you should have seen her and Jemma start going at it earlier. Maria tried to calm her down and she started to question SHIELD’s hiring process for so called scientists, all in Russian so no one understood. Tiny human with a big personality.”

“Bobbi Morse, can we spar?” Yelena shouts, turning off the treadmill.

“I don’t think anyone is in a sparing mood today, Little One,” Natasha says.

“Can you find someone who will?”

“I say we sacrifice Rumlow.” Bobbi smiles.

Natasha nods and they call Rumlow to the senior fitness center. He doesn’t take them seriously when they say that he is going to spar with Yelena, nor does he take Bobbi’s advice when she says to treat it like any senior level spar. Yelena pins the head of the strike team three times before he starts to really fight her. Rumlow doesn’t stand a chance and after an hour of sparing he taps out and Yelena moves to her sister with a large smile on her face.

“I’m hungry.”

“Well, lunch is soon. How about we go wash up then head to lunch?”

Yelena nods.

The next two weeks consists of training, school placement tests, school, and Yelena tailing after whoever is available. It’s apparent that her favourite person, aside from her sister, is Bobbi then probably Maria. Bobbi doesn’t keep anything from her, answers all her questions, and when Bobbi gets bored or is trying to avoid paperwork actively looks for Yelena. Bobbi also provides a challenge for Yelena when it comes to languages and testing just random knowledge, which Yelena prefers over the school lessons they try to make her do. Maria talks about Natasha when Yelena asks her to, getting to hear someone else’s view of her sister is nice and also how she has been since she defected. Maria gives Yelena a whole new insight into her sister, though she still is not agreeable to their relationship. Yelena and Natasha fight semi regularly on the status of her relationship because Yelena is firm on it being an abuse of power, but still does not understand consent.

“Where does Clint Barton go on weekends?” Yelena asks Coulson.

“He goes home, some agents go home on weekends.” Coulson answers, looking over Yelena’s most recent history assignments. “Some people stay on SHIELD property all the time but others come and go from here as they please. I leave on holidays, Maria and Nat used to leave every other weekend.”

“They used to leave before I got here now I trapped them here?”

“No! No, no, no, no, no, shit. That’s not what I meant. Your sister and Maria want to be here for you. It’s their choice, and your sister has been wanting you here since she got here.”

“Can you order her to go out like she used to? Bobbi too?”

“You want me to order your sister and Bobbi to leave the helicarrier?”

Yelena shrugs. “If they used to they should not stop, Phil Coulson.”

“I can talk to them if you want me to.”

“They will listen to you more than me.”

“Thank you, Phil Coulson.”

He hands back her assignments. She types them in Russian and Bobbi or Natasha translate them to English for others to mark and assess. English is the hardest lesson that Yelena has, and is the one that she is required to have daily. Coulson gives her the current books she has been working on, she has to read at least a chapter out loud a day and highlights the words she does not understand. Yelena hates this part of her lessons, and if she was doing this with Jemma, Daisy, or Maria she would just distract them with a conversation in English, but unfortunately Coulson, Natasha, and Bobbi don’t fall for the distraction tactic.

“Do you want to try a different book?” Coulson asks when he sees Yelena pull a face. “I have three others you could choose from.” He sets the row of books out in front of her. “I would recommend either Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

“Do they have a bunch of dumb made up words like this last book?” Yelena frowns.

“No, not as many made up words.”

Yelena takes the book with Matilda on the cover, it’s a pink book that is not very thick. Coulson lets he read the first couple pages in her head before having her start reading to him aloud. When it’s time for dinner Natasha stops by to collect Yelena, the pair move together through the halls and join their table.

Fury sits at a table close to them but never with them, usually joined by May and Coulson. Yelena dubs it the adults table because they always look so serious compared to the table that she sits at. Fury hasn’t interacted much with the kid, he gets daily reports from anyone who has spent time with her and sometimes he watches her through the security cameras. It was easier for him to trust Natasha when she came, she was fully capable of communicating with them and what was going on— she also asked to defect and that meant a lot when dealing with the KGB. When removing someone from a situation without a choice makes them unpredictable and you can’t trust them.

“She knows you watch her, you could just talk to her,” May smirks.

Fury gets up and leaves the cafeteria. A lot of agents follow him with their eyes, and as soon as he is gone the room gets remarkably louder. Natasha and Maria leave shortly after, entrusting Yelena to the rest of the team.

“They are going off to fuck, right?” Yelena asks Bobbi.

“Probably.” Bobbi nods, trying not to laugh

“Gross.”

“Do you want to come to my room and play some video games? Daisy will probably join too if you want.”

“Okay. I’ve never played.”

Daisy, Bobbi, and Yelena go to Bobbi’s room that is about half the size of the one that Yelena shares with her sister. She sits on Bobbi’s bed with Daisy while they wait for her to set up the system. The screen reads Mario Party, and Daisy groans about how it’s a chance game more than skill, but Bobbi argues that it will better for Yelena’s first game. The trio lose track of time, Yelena falls asleep after the third game so Bobbi puts a movie so that they can sleep. 

It is Yelena’s first night sleeping without the cuffs, but it is her first night that she wakes up with such fear from a nightmare that it has her sneaking out of the room. She breaks one of the rules Fury has for her, she sneaks out of Bobbi’s room and goes up to the fitness room that Natasha takes her to. It’s empty so she has to find at least one light switch to turn on, which proves harder than she expected and only gets a couple of the wall lights on. Yelena moves to the treadmill and starts to run, and when she gets tired of that she goes to a punching bag without wrapping her hands.

The overhead lights turn on and she freezes, knowing that she has been caught but not prepared to turn around and know who has found her. Logically with the bracelet anyone could find her but she wasn’t really aware of who would look for her. From how Bobbi was sleeping she had hoped that she wouldn’t wake till breakfast to notice.

“You are not supposed to be here alone, Little One.” Fury says.

Yelena shrugs and holds her hands behind her back. “Didn’t want to wake anyone and as far as I know Natasha is having a naked sleep over.”

“And you didn’t think to wake anyone else?”

“Bobbi already had to share a twin bed with me, didn’t want to bother her or anyone.”

“Hmm. Can I see your hands?”

Yelena can feel how tacky they are with blood and can smell the iron in the air around her. “Is that an order, Sir?”

“Do you want it to be?”

Yelena sighs and holds out her hands out to him. Fury quickly crosses the mats and looks over her hands. He is surprisingly gentle with how he is handling her. She expected him to be rough in his grip and touches.

“You know that you should wrap and pad your hands first?” He asks, she nods. “Is there a reason that you didn’t?”

“It looks worse than it is.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“It doesn’t really hurt. I’ll be fine, Nick Fury.”

He hums and picks her up, taking her to medical without room for argument. When he arrives he has one of the agents stationed there to get word to Natasha as to where Yelena is, then requests an x-ray of her hands because he is pretty sure that she has broken something.

The doctor comes back with a grim face and Yelena knows she’s in trouble. They ask her questions on if it hurts when they poke her wrist or hot, and they ask her to move it which she does. Yelena does everything they ask of her, but no one seems happy. Natasha shows up in the clothes that she was wearing the night before, frantic and worried. She doesn’t get a moment to talk to Yelena before she’s pulled out by Fury and the doctor to talk about her. Yelena contemplates all her options, staying or running and trying to hide from everyone on the ship while she figures a way off. She knows the basics of flying a plane, but the jets and helicopters on the carrier are far different than what she knows. When Natasha walks in with the doctor and a frown, Yelena knows that whatever has happened cannot be good.

“Your right wrist is broken.” Natasha says.

“No, it is fine. I can move it and do things with it.” Yelena argues.

“I can show you the X-ray, it is broken. How is your pain really?”

“I do not feel any pain, Natasha. I swear. It does not hurt.”

Natasha looks back at the doctor and nods. “You and I are going to have a small competition. The doctor is going to bring in two bowls of ice water, we are going to see who will last longer with our hand inside. Then they are going to set your wrist and put it in a cast. Okay?”

“What do I get if I win?”

“It is not about winning.”

“But if I do?”

“No English class for three days.”

“Deal.”

The buckets are set in front of each of the girls, Fury comes in to watch with the doctor and counts them down before they each lower a hand into the ice water. Natasha lasts three minutes before she pulls her hand out, Yelena makes it to nearly seven when the doctor pulls it out and wraps the hand in a towel to warm it up.

“That didn’t hurt?” The doctor asks.

“We are built to be weapons, it is an asset when a Widow feels no pain so they turn it off.” Yelena shrugs. “They did it two years ago.”

“Did what two years ago?”

“Turned the pain off.”

A couple other doctors came in with the things required to cast Yelena’s arm. They give her a bunch of colors to choose from and don’t rush her when she keeps losing from the colours to her sister. Red, pink, and black go in the no pile quite fast. Bobbi and Maria join the crowded room and Bobbi immediately plops herself down on the end of the bed.

“You should get the glow in the dark one if they still have it. It’s fun and I like that one when I can get it because it looks cool when people sign it. The dark green one is nice because I don’t think you’re a kid after the bright colours.” Bobbi rambles.

“We’d have enough glow in the dark wrap for her since she’s small,” One doctor says. “I think you used up quite a bit after your last break, Morse.”

“Can I?” Yelena asks her sister.

“Anything you want, Little One. It’ll be on your for a month.” Natasha nods.

“A month! Are you kidding me? It does not even hurt.”

“It will probably be less because of you know what, but I will not make promises. For most kids it is eight weeks.”

“Well that sounds like bullshit.”

“Language, Little One.” Natasha smiles and scolds. “She’ll take the glow in the dark wrap.”

When they walk into breakfast Yelena is already dragging her feet and moping. She can’t carry a tray for herself, people she doesn’t know keep asking her if she’s okay and what happened, and she’s now tired after being awake for hours. When Natasha gets frustrated with the whining while they move through the line she sends Yelena to the table to wait for her to bring food.

“Awe, Short Stack, what happened?” Clint teases.

“My dominant hand is still fine, Clint Barton. I am also not afraid to hit you with the cast if it comes down to it.” Yelena says.

“Someone is tired and cranky. I get it, broken bones suck. Are you gonna let people sign it or leave it blank.”

“Don’t know yet, just want it off!”

Natasha sets the tray down in front of her. “Eat then we can go to bed.”

Yelena picks at her food more than she eats it but no one really says anything. They just let her mope about. When Natasha is done and they head up to their room she realizes how hard things are really going to be. She needs help getting in and out of her shirts, when she tries on her own she ends up whacking herself in the head before Natasha steps in.

“I hate this.”

“Well next time you will know to have someone supervise you, Lena.”

“I have trained on my own before.”

“Soldiers have always been around to intervene.”

“Sorry I did not want to intervene with your fuck fest, Natasha. I just needed to do something and I did not want to wake anyone because they are not my friends and I am not like them or like you. And the only reason Nick Fury found me is because he is always watching me and does not trust me, he probably has my heart rate on a computer.”

“He monitors you for your safety.”

“You do not monitor me, do you care for my safety?”

“Of course I do. Let’s just sleep okay?”

The pair sleep through lunch and even when they wake up in the afternoon they stay in bed together till dinner. Natasha talks to Yelena about her time after Ohio before she made the decision to defect. Yelena listens, absolutely enthralled by what she is being told.

“You saved me.” Yelena whispers.

“I did.” Natasha smiles, brushing hair from Yelena’s face.

“Can we save Melina?”

“I think we could, it will take a while though to track her.”

“But we could save her too?”

“We could.”

“What about all the other Widows?”

“Thats one of the deals I made in coming here, helping them take down the Red Room, and through that we will free the others there. Okay? We’re just having trouble finding it.”

“Where are you looking?”

“Russia, mostly.”

“But where?”

“Around St. Petersburg and Moscow.”

“The Red Room isn’t on the ground. It’s like this place. It’s in the sky.”

Chapter Text

Yelena doesn’t let anyone sign her cast except Natasha. Every morning Natasha adds a college level word to the cast that she has to figure out the definition of and how to use it by dinner. It has become a fun game for them to do while Yelena complains about how the cast impedes on her daily life.

Behind the scenes Yelena’s tip of where the Red Room was, or at least the general location, set Coulson’s team off to scan skies over Russia for it. It meant that all four of her educators were off ship and that her sabbatical from school would last longer, which was one of Yelena’s favourite parts. Bobbi was on distraction duty with her though, and it was something that was pretty obvious to Yelena. Natasha just didn’t want to get her sisters hopes up, so she opted for Bobbi keeping her busy while she worked with Maria, Clint, and Fury to come up with a plan for take down and also locate Melina.

“What do you want to do today?” Bobbi asks Yelena on their eighth day. “Anything you want, okay?”

“Can I use a computer?”

“You’re not supposed to without Daisy, Natasha, or Hill.”

“You said anything I want.”

“Fine, but you’ll tell no one.”

“After can we play Fortnite?”

“Sure kid.”

Yelena smiles at Bobbi before going with her down to her room. Bobbi opened her personal laptop and let Yelena on it while she sorted out some paperwork. Yelena was sure to have a few tabs open, one of them the video streaming app where she played videos of dogs. When she was sure that Bobbi was focused on her own work, Yelena logs into one of her old comm link sites that she used to use to communicate with Widows. It’s non-traceable but you can post like social media sites and reach out to contacts. She had a code with Melina when they were on their last assignment together, she uses that to reach out and crosses her fingers for a response before Bobbi forces her off the computer.

“Have you ever had a dog?” Yelena asks.

“No. Have you?”

“Pets aren’t allowed.”

“Would you want one?”

“Yes. A big one, not a stupid little one.”

“And what would you name it?”

“I don’t know. Depends on the type of dog.”

“If you pull puppy eyes Maria may be able to pull strings.”

“Puppy eyes?”

“Kid, this afternoon we are going to teach you to suck up and bat your eyes to get things you want. It’s a skill you need to have.”

“Why?”

“So you can get things you want.”

“All I have to do is ask you and you give me what I want.” Yelena smirks.

“Haha, so funny. Almost done on there?”

“Ten more minutes. They haven’t picked the puppy yet.”

“Ten more minutes.”

Yelena flips her tab over the the comms tab and wants to scream when she sees that there is a response. Melina is agreeable to an extraction and has sent coordinates that she is able to meet at with a time, her requirement is that Natasha and Yelena will be there which could read as a trap but Melina doesn’t trust and Yelena knows that it is more about familiar faces than anything sinister. She closes the laptop, awkwardly secures it under her good arm, and bolts from Bobbi who is quickly tailing after her. Yelena runs up and into Maria’s office where her, Natasha, and Fury are a bent over a table looking over schematics.

“Yelena, you knock before entering offices!” Natasha scolds. “What’s wrong? I thought you were with Bobbi.”

“Melina is willing to meet in four days in Narva, at the Jesus Resurrection Cathedral. Monday at ten in the morning, she’ll meet and come if both of us are there.” Yelena says, showing Natasha he communication with their former Mother. “She wants to leave Dreykov too.”

“Why were you on a computer without supervision?”

“You are not listening to me! Ma Melina wants to get out, come home with us!”

“I heard you and we can assess, but you know the rules Yelena. We don’t even know that we can trust her. You can’t just flaunt them whenever you want to get your way. If you don’t follow the rules that we have been set for you there will be punishments and consequences.”

Yelena flinches away from her sister, never having heard her talk like that before. Maria stands and moves towards them when she sees tears well up in the kids eyes. Yelena is strong though, she doesn’t let them fall and takes a deep breath before straightening her poster and bowing her head to her sister.

“Yelena,” Natasha sighs, realizing her mistake.

Yelena tenses up when she sees Natasha move towards her. Fury and Maria are both on standby, waiting for one or both to be set off and for there to be another fight. Bobbi enters the office, having checked Yelena’s room before heading here to look for her.

“Morse, can you take Yelena back with you. We’re going to keep your laptop for the day to go over what she brought us. Be delicate.” Maria orders.

“Of course. Come on kid, I have a few ideas for us today.”

Yelena nods and follows Bobbi out of the office, she keeps her head bowed, watching Bobbi’s feet as she moves through the halls fo the helicarrier. Agents who had gotten used to the kids presence looked to Bobbi with concern, no one had seen her so withdrawn that rumours of Natasha being seriously injured started to spread.

Their first stop is the canteen where Yelena watches Bobbi collect grocery items and not snack foods. The next stop is a lounge that Yelena has never been in before. The room is split up in three sections: living/games room, dining, and kitchen.

“Welcome to the level seven lounge, where no level sevens actually hang out.” Bobbi smiles. “Wash your hands kid, you’re gonna help me.”

“Help you what?”

“We’re going to cook.”

“Do you even know how to cook?”

“Of course, it’s just instructions.”

Yelena does not believe that this whole cooking this is going to be as easy as Bobbi is making it sound, but she is willing to play along. Bobbi gets everything that the recipe says she needs in terms of bowls and pots and supplies. They haven’t even started and the kitchen is a bit of a mess which makes Yelena let a small smile slip. It takes almost two hours, but soon they are pulling a casserole dish of homemade macaroni and cheese out of the oven. The mess that is all over the place, including their failed first attempt, decorates the kitchen.

“Ta-Da! Mac’n’Cheese!” Bobbi smiles.

“It is different from what Melina would make, hers came from a box.”

“Ready to try it?”

“We made a lot.”

“That’s what leftovers are for.”

Yelena nods and lets Bobbi dish up two bowls before pulling out some condiments from the fridge. Bobbi coats her bowl with hot sauce and Yelena watches before reaching for the same thing. Bobbi stops her and offers her to taste some from her bowl first before Yelena does the same. In the end Yelena goes for just the macaroni, wanting to eat it plain one time before trying with the hot sauce another time. She doesn’t even finish her one bowl, not for lack of being hungry or wanting to eat but Yelena can’t get the sinking feeling in her stomach to leave. Bobbi picks up on her mood and doesn’t question it. Yelena cleans up everything, she can, she struggles doing dishes one handed but she refuses to let Bobbi help. Yelena firmly believes that if she does more work and shows she can have a purpose that Natasha will be less mad at her.

“Do you still want to play Fortnite? I can bring things out here for us to play on if you’d like,” Bobbi asks.

“No thank you, Bobbi Morse. You can play or do work. I can just sit here or go to my room. I am sure you have things to do, I know you were supposed to travel with Phil Coulson and his team.”

“Is there a reason you’ve switched back to Russian?”

“I would like to return to my room now, Bobbi Morse. I will not leave it when you leave me there.”

“Kid, what happened in the office before I got there?”

“It is private matters, Bobbi More. I do not wish to tell you.”

“Okay. Well we can go back to your room, but I’m not going to leave you.”

Yelena nods and follows Bobbi to her room, even though she’s capable to lead them herself. Her head is bowed again, so she doesn’t see when they pass Maria and Natasha as they leave the cafeteria or the pleading look Bobbi gives them because she doesn’t know what to do.

Natasha turns to the closest wall and hits her head against it, heaving a deep sigh. Maria rubs her back, showing as much compassion as the public setting allows.

“We can follow them, you could check in on her, Love.” Maria suggests.

“No, she needs space and I need to figure out what I meant.” Natasha says.

“The longer you wait the more she is probably punishing herself on your behalf. You used to do that when you thought you crossed some imaginary line. We can pause all planning for the day for you two to sort things out.”

“It’s fine.”

“I don’t need either of you injured if you really plan on meeting with Melina. It may be good to bring Yelena up to the office seeing as we can’t crack the code she talks to this woman in and she hasn’t answered any messages you’ve sent.”

“So you want me to talk to her so we can talk with Melina.”

“She is also clearly scared out of her mind thinking about what you meant when you threatened her, Natasha. She is ten. She is a child. And I know none of us treat her like a child because she acts like an adult all the time but kids do shit like this. Kids make mistakes and she won’t learn that when she is scared out of her mind.”

Natasha sighs and nods. “Do you know if they were going to our room or Morse’s?”

Maria sends a message to Bobbi and waits for a response before leading her girlfriend up to her room where Bobbi said they should come as soon as they could. When they get to the room Bobbi steps out with a frown then sits on the floor against the wall across from the door.

Yelena is lying in bed with her good wrist in her cuff, but it is clear as soon as they enter the room that she has purposely made it too tight and there are going to be marks on her wrist from it. Natasha immediately unclasps the cuff and pulls Yelena into her lap.

“I am sorry. I will not do it again.” Yelena says.

“I don’t care about that. We’re okay. I am the one in the wrong Yelena, I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you.”

“I do not understand. I could be helpful.”

“You are helpful.”

“I could please anyone on this ship, have purpose, be good.”

“No. It’s not like that here. You know it’s not like that here.”

“I want Bobbi.”

“Bobbi is outside, she’ll come back in a minute.”

“What is the punishment? You said there would be one.”

“There isn’t, I was just frustrated, Lena. Sometimes when people get frustrated or scared they react poorly, they react in anger.”

“Widow’s do not feel fear. We are made of marble.”

“Lena, Little One, look at me please.”

Yelena shakes her head but Natasha puts her fingers under her chin and tilts her head to make her look up. Maria turns her back to give them a semblance of privacy but isn’t leaving until it’s asked of her.

“I love you, Yelena.” Natasha says and holds her sister still when she flinches and starts to try and pull away. “I love you and I am sorry that I scared you, it was never my intention to hurt you in that way.”

“You did not hurt me, Nattie.”

“I did, and if I hurt you again I want you to tell me. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Maria clears her throat, drawing attention to herself. “Yelena, would you be willing to help us communicate with Melina? Natasha has tried but she won’t answer.”

“I thought you said we could not trust her.” Yelena frowns.

“I thought you said we could.” Natasha smiles.

Yelena nods and gets to her feet to follow Maria. The four women go up to Maria’s office where Fury is sat at the conference table waiting for Maria and Natasha to return. He raised a brow when he sees the other two but makes no comment. Yelena sits in one of the big conference table chairs and Maria moves the laptop in front of here. Yelena takes a moment to read over what Natasha had been sending and rolls her eyes at her sister.

“You really thought Ma Melina would answer this?” Yelena teases.

“Oi, just message and say that the people we’re staying with have questions and need assurances in her defection.” Natasha says.

“Oh I think she understands that, you were quite direct.”

“Okay sass pants, type.”

Yelena starts to message Melina, apologizing for Natasha’s brash messages and SHIELD led questions. Melina responds with understanding and frustration which Yelena happily passes along. It is fun for Yelena to tease Natasha with how Melina will answer her, which she knows is childish but Natasha’s face is fun.

“She wants assurances from SHIELD too.” Yelena looks to Maria, too nervous to look at Fury. “She wants to still be able to do her research, to train, and she does not want to be held like a prisoner.”

“We can work with that.” Maria smiles.

“She will help you take down the Red Room, but she wants a chance to download her research from the mainframe so no one has access to it anymore. She is also asking some things about Alexei, but I do not understand so that may be questions for in person.”

“What do you not understand?” Natasha asks.

“It is in English,” Yelena says, pointing to the word that is giving her trouble. She looks to Natasha who is pulling a face which only confuses her more. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I am fine. Tell her we can work with all the requests but I won’t have an answer about her Alexei stuff until we see her on Monday.”

Yelena shrugs and conveys the message which Melina agrees to. They organize how everything will go down on Monday, how Yelena and Natasha will go into the church alone but there will be at least a dozen SHIELD agents in the immediate vicinity and how the extraction won’t happen until they are sure that everyone is safe and secure because they don’t want to lose anyone to the Red Room. When the formal stuff is done Yelena tells Melina how Natasha got her out in an ambush and how the other two widows who were with her now live in a SHIELD safe house somewhere in America. She also explains how she has a broken arm but she wants Melina to look at it and let her know if she can get the cast off because Yelena still thinks the doctors on the ship are dumb. When Yelena signs off she knows that she won’t be able to talk to Melina till Monday when they meet in person but she’s happy for the moment when it comes to thinking that their family is going to come back together.

Chapter Text

Monday morning came and the sisters hadn’t slept a wink the last two nights. Yelena sat at the desk chair while Natasha braids her hair into two matching plats. Both of them were nervous, Yelena though was more excited to see the woman who had taken care of her on two separate occasions in long term assignments. Natasha though, she felt ill with nerves, truly wanting to trust Melina but the last time she trusted her she was turned back over to the Red Room. Melina may have been bleeding out at the time that Alexei held her and Yelena while they were sedated and taken by the soldiers, but there was no way she didn’t know what was going to happen to them and she was willing to let it happen.

“Why am I not allowed to get dressed?” Yelena asks with a yawn.

“Maria is getting us undercover clothes, they are waiting for yours to arrive. You will be dressed way before we leave I promise.” Natasha answers. “You are sure about this?”

“I trust Melina. Do you not?”

“I trust you, Yelena. I trust you with this and if you say that we can then we will— we are. I just know that this is technically your first time leaving the ship since I brought you here and I know I was scared the first time I left.”

“I am more nervous but I cannot wait for her to be here.”

“Do you want to do my hair?”

Yelena nods and moves to the sofa so Natasha can sit on the floor in front of her. Yelena makes a few braids loose around her face before twisting Natasha’s hair into a pony and braiding a few more pieces together. Maria knocks and enters the room, something that Yelena has gotten quite used to, and even if she wasn’t nudity has never bothered her so she wouldn’t react even if it was Clint or Fury.

“Nice hair, girls,” Maria smiles and sets down two garment bags. “Fury wants me to ask you again Natasha bout the ingestible trackers because we will be removing the cuff from her while you’re out. It’s just a precaution.”

“Yelena, would you be alright with an ingestible tracker. It stays in your system for a week but if anything were to happen we would be able to find you.” Natasha explains.

“You will take one also?” Yelena moves to look in her sisters eyes when she asks.

“Yes.”

Yelena shrugs and nods before going to look in the garment bag with her name on it. The outfit looks like a school uniform with a white blouse, burgundy pinafore, and grey blazer with a school emblem on the breast; there are white tights and shiny new dress shoes at the bottom of the bag. Yelena frowns, some of the colours too similar to those of the Red Room but she accepts Maria’s help to dress in the clothes anyway, needing the assistance to get her cast through the sleeve of the blouse and blazer. Natasha has a business casual outfit, kind of like a rich mom on a television show or movie.

“You look like a mom,” Yelena smirks.

“Some days you make me feel like one,” Natasha tease back.

“Bitch.”

“Language. You ready to go?”

“I am always ready, you are just old and slow.”

“Oof. If I’m old what does that make Melina?”

“Very old.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her that.”

“No Nattie, don’t. That is mean!” Yelena whines and tugs on her sister. “I will tell you are the mean one to her!”

Yelena’s grammar slips when she gets emotional and speaks faster than she can rationally think things through. Natasha just laughs and takes the drinks that Maria is holding out to both of them. Natasha un caps both and hands one to Yelena, the both down the drinks pretty fast before pulling faces at the taste.

“Does it need to be so sweet?” Natasha frowns at Maria.

“I’ll let research and development know that you disapprove of the flavour, would that make you happy, Love?” Maria smiles.

“Delighted. Thank you.”

“Get a room, you guys flirting makes my stomach turn.” Yelena pokes her tongue out.

The trio head up to the flight deck where they meet Fury, Bobbi, Coulson, and Clint. The rest of their group has already left and set up in the surrounding area. Fury is the one to release Yelena from her gold cuff, reminding her that it is only a temporary freedom and that it would be back on her wrist by the time they get back. Yelena just salutes him before sitting next to Bobbi. She tends to drift to Bobbi in tense or high energy situations because Bobbi is always calm, and while she still fears disappointing her it’s not as much as with Natasha.

“Everything will work out, Lena.” Bobbi whispers.

“If it doesn’t I want you to promise to get Natasha out first before me or Melina. Dreykov will not hurt us but he will kill her.” Yelena whispers, making sure Natasha cannot hear.

“Are you planning on it going bad?”

“I do not know, Bobbi. I plan for it to go good and be success, I have a high success rate. I just did not do all the planning and organizing and there are many variables.”

“I understand, but you trust me and you trust Natasha, we trust Maria and Fury.”

“Promise me, Bobbie Morse. I need your word.”

“You have my word, Lena. I promise.”

Yelena smiles and waits as they close the ramp and prep for take off. Once they’re off the helicarrier and on the way to Narva, Coulson brings out some breakfast burritos and sandwiches that he was keeping warm in an insulated bag. Natasha preps Yelena’s burrito, picking out the red bell peppers, before handing it over to her sister. Yelena then copies Bobbi and adds hot sauce to the burrito, when Natasha raises a brow at the extra sauce Yelena offers her a bite. Natasha smiles and takes a small bite with a hum before going to sit with Maria.

When they land everyone is fed and ready. Yelena is given a backpack that has some weapons in it for them if needed and Natasha is given a side bag with a wallet and money. They get a cab from where they’re dropped off to the cathedral, arriving five minutes early. Natasha holds Yelena’s hand, like a mother, and they move to the front of the church to light a couple candles and pretend to pray. Yelena keeps looking up at Natasha, playing the curious child while it gives her a view of the door where Melina will enter. 

Melina walks in exactly at ten, dressed as a tourist with a map and camera. She catches Yelena’s eye before moving into one of the pews. They all stay in the spots while they wait and see if anyone follows her in, but no one comes and Natasha finally lets the kid run to their former mother. Yelena bounces on the balls of her feet in front of Melina, a large smile plastered on her face.

“I missed you,” Yelena signs.

“You have been practicing, Little Mouse?” Melina smiles.

“Just like you taught me, though I have had no one to practice with. Thank you for coming Melina. It is not as horrid as it seems at first.” Yelena smiles. “You can stay with me and Natasha in our room, Natasha can sleep on the couch and you can sleep with me in the bed and we can all be together.”

“Oi, I am right here you little booger.” Natasha smiles. “It is good to see you Melina. Are you ready to come with us?”

“The deal about Alexei.” Melina says. “I want confirmation on that before I go with you. He needs to get out of there, Natasha. No matter your views on him, he was your father and he did what he thought was best.”

“He held us down as they sedated and separated us. He had no remorse. He was an awful man who believes everything that the General says!” Natasha shouts.

“No. No Big Girl he didn’t. He was going to help me get you both out so we could live together but General Dreykov caught on, and he sent Alexei to the gulag in Siberia. He had me go through the Red Room programming twice before letting me out on my own.”

“Where you learned to chemically subjugate all the Widow’s.”

“Yes, but he had leverage to use over me if I disobeyed.”

“What leverage.”

“You and Yelena. We are not supposed to have weaknesses, but you both are mine.”

“I will make a call.” Natasha nods. “Yelena, stay next to here and do not move till I come back for you.”

Yelena salutes Natasha before she walks away. Yelena proceeds to update Melina on everything to do on the Helicarrier, and her relationships with everyone. She tells her how Fury is good, but very grouchy and serious all the time but that’s because he is protective. How Bobbi is her favourite because to Yelena she is a mix of Melina and Natasha. She then decides to let Melina know that Natasha is dating Maria, and then continues to explain that Maria is second in command but they both swear that there is no abuse of power.

“How do you feel on her relationship, Little Mouse?” Melina smirks.

“I do not know. Natasha I think really loves her, they get all gooey and gross. When they think no one is looking or paying attention they are always touching each other and whispering in each others ears. It is like stupid romance movies.” Yelena frowns, the excitement leaving her.

“What is the matter then?”

“In the Red Room we are taught that women are not supposed to be with other women, that it is unlawful and wrong. A few months ago two Widow’s were caught fucking and they were stripped and whipped to death in front of everyone as a lesson.”

“You are scared for her. You know in most of the world it is legal for same sex couples to be together. Russia is in the minority.”

“Bobbi Morse said in America where SHIELD is base and run out of, it is legal for them to be together and marry if they wish.”

“Do you not believe that?”

“I believe Bobbi Morse, but I do not remember America enough to believe it full.”

“Fully, little one. If you are to use proper grammar you would say fully or in full.”

“Oh. English is dumb with the rules and words meaning more than one thing.”

“It’s hard, but it’s pretty universal. You need to learn to use contractions though. I can help you if you’ll let me.”

“I will always let you help. You are always kind about it.”

Melina smiles, the pair fall into a comfortable silence while they wait for Natasha to return for them. Yelena pulls out one of the chocolate bars and breaks off a piece to offer to Melina. The two eat the chocolate bar pretty fast, Yelena eats the last piece when Natasha walks up with a fairly neutral expression on her face.

“It will be a small team of four, and if we get caught they cannot help us so you better have one hell of a plan Melina.” Natasha says.

“You, me, and two SHIELD agents then?” Melina asks.

“You, me, Bobbi Morse, and Melina May. We will go in three days.”

“Why not me? Why can I not come?” Yelena frowns.

“You are too little and you are not an agent or an adult. It will just be a day mission, you won’t even miss us.” Natasha tries to explain gently. “You can help run the op with Maria from her office.”

“I do not like it.”

“You never do.”

“What is the point of living on a secret base if I cannot be like you and do what you do?”

“To learn to be a kid and to be with family. Once things stabilize we can hopefully get an apartment and work from a distance, you will go to school and make friends. We could even get a pet. The helicarrier is temporary.”

“That sounds like propaganda,” Melina smirks. “The good American dream with a white picket fence and family dog.”

“I would like a dog. Natasha, can you promise me a dog?” Yelena smiles.

“If you behave.”

“Lame.”

“Come, Maria and Coulson are bringing the car around.”

The trio go through the Cathedral to a side exit. Natasha brings up the rear as she watches Yelena lead Melina outside. Coulson is waiting by the SUV, holding the door open for them to get in, Maria is in the drivers seat. The group moves quickly, heading back to the jet that will take them back to the helicarrier. The whole time Yelena holds Melina’s hand, showing her support in a way that can easily be hidden. When they get back to the jet, Yelena is sure to introduce Melina to Bobbi as fast as she can. Ten minutes into the relatively short flight Yelena falls asleep, slouching against Bobbi.

Melina moves across the jet to sit in the empty seat that is between Maria and Natasha. She keeps her back to Natasha, opting to face Maria and look her over.

“Yelena has to me a lot about you, she says you’ve ensure that there is no abuse of power in the relationship.” Melina says to Maria. “I would like to hear it from you.”

“I firmly believe in consent, Miss Vostokoff. I would never use my position to persuade Natasha into anything, and I never used it to enter this relationship in the first place.” Maria says.

“How did this relationship start?”

“Natasha pursued me, and I was against it since I was her superior officer. She wouldn’t relent until we had one date and I caved. I love her, I want you to know that.”

“And I appreciate that, thank you.” Melina smiles. “I understand that where you are from these types of relationships are more common; but I want to remind you, both of you, that where we are from it is seen as illegal and immoral. Take that into consideration around your sister, while logically she can understand some things have been truly engrained in her mind and it will take her time. Yes?”

Maria sits stunned for a moment. “I hadn’t considered that. When she found out and got upset it was the position of power and not the… I should have realized.”

“Did she tell you all of this?” Natasha asks.

“I made queries, she confirmed them. She’s seen Widows killed for having the relationship the two of you have. She does not know Maira really, and with Yelena knowing someone and having that trust is really important. Look at her and Agent Morse, she must really trust her to sleep like that.” Melina explains. “I think that once she really understands that she is safe, that you are safe Natasha, she will come to accept it all with time. She reminds me a lot of you when we first got to Ohio. You were her age, scared but trying to be brave to show your worth to Alexei and me. It was rather darling.”

“I wish you had picture of ten year old Natasha,” Maria smiles.

“I do. We had to make a photo album for our undercover time, and I’ve kept it all this time. When we get back to your base I would love to show you. I also have all of Yelena’s baby photos in there.”

“I can’t wait.”

“Good, now I am going to go back to your sister who is probably awake and has listened to everything I’ve said. Isn’t that right Yelena?”

Yelena doesn’t move or so any signs of being awake, Bobbi shakes her head at them so they know she is really out for the count. Melina still offers the couple a smile before moving back to Yelena and picking the girl up to move onto her lap for some comfort— though she is unsure of who the comfort is for. When they land on the carrier Melina refuses to part with Yelena and Natasha so the large group moves to one of the conference rooms. Melina assures the fairly large group that she is fine with them as long as her girls trust them, which seems to shock their one eyed director.

“You are not what I expected Miss Vostokoff.” Fury says.

“You are about what I expected Director Fury. Natasha trusts you, so I will, but you need to work on Yelena’s trust too. You would have no Widow’s on your side if it wasn’t for her and I don’t think you realize that.” Melina says before looking at Coulson. “I remember you from the North Institute, Phil Coulson. You were overseeing Project Scion.”

“Mel Carpenter,” Coulson says, recognition hitting him. “I remember you, you were, are absolutely brilliant. When you’re cleared I would love your input on some things if you’re willing.”

“Of course. I would like to offer my brain and assistance to your cause when you’ll let me. Science should be used for the betterment of people and not the destruction or pain of others.”

Yelena slowly stirs in Melina’s lap, looks around before moving to her own chair where she starts to spin in circles. The rest of the debrief goes smooth and soon Melina is carrying Yelena to medical with her. She wants new scans of her arm and to see the old ones, which Fury and Coulson allow as long as Melina gets checked while she’s down there which she is fine with— a far departure from Natasha and Yelena’s first medical visits.

“Behave or I will leave the cast on,” Melina warns with a smile.

Chapter Text

Yelena pulls Melina towards the cafeteria, showing her the way. May has been assigned to Melina so has been with them the whole time even though Yelena acts as if she isn’t there. Both women get a kick out of the child who clearly wants to show the most trusted adult in her life, what her life is like now.

“The food is different but not disgusting. Lots more grease in it though which is sometime uncomfortable in the mouth.” Yelena explains as they line up with their trays. “I think that the baked chicken is the best when they have it because there is no grease, and they do potatoes okay but yours are better.”

“This is the most I think I’ve ever heard her talk.” May comments. “In English and all.”

“She’s ten, she gets excited. It’s easier for her when she feels safe.” Melina smiles.

“You do that for her, it’s nice to see.”

They move down the line and get food, Melina is sure to add more vegetables to Yelena’s plate much to the child’s dismay. Melina just chuckles and grabs them both water bottles, even though Yelena has gotten used to be allowed juice or soda at dinner. They are earlier then the rest of their group, but still sit at the same large corner table.

“How is she with Natasha?” Melina asks. “I don’t trust either of them to be truthful.”

“I am truthful!” Yelena pouts.

“I think they’re both doing their best while also tiptoeing around each other. Natasha trusts and knows Yelena, but I think she still sees Natasha as a stranger.” May says.

“Natasha was right through thirteen when we were on that assignment, we brought Yelena home like you would if you adopted a child. I remember when Natasha brought her into class for show and tell. Natasha was determined to protect her and take care of her, we would find her in the nursery at night soothing Yelena till we could get there. Yelena was a newborn, she went to the Red Room when she was three, which is a year before they usually bring girls in. The ability to remember people and active memories from that time would be foggy for her at best.” Melina explains.

“So to Natasha, Yelena is her sister and her family.”

“And to Yelena she would have that emotional connection and bond, she has stories from me when we were on an assignment two years ago, but Natasha is a stranger to her.”

“You could have ended with Natasha is strange.” Yelena smirks.

“Behave, Little Mouse.”

“And am I right to assume that Natasha and Hill’s relationship doesn’t help.” May asks.

“Probably not, but Yelena won’t admit it.”

Yelena shrugs and picks at the roasted vegetables on her plate, she separates them by color and veggie, then proceeds to eat them by order of the rainbow but skips the red peppers.

“You should not be picky with your food, Yelena. I thought I’d taught you better.”

“Natasha does not make me.”

“I’m not Natasha, now eat. It’s good for you.”

Yelena whine as she eats the red peppers, forcing them down her throat because she doesn’t want to upset Melina. Natasha, Maria, Bobbi, Fitz, and Simmons arrive and join them at the table. Natasha’s brows shoot up when she sees Yelena eat the red peppers on her plate. Yelena turns to Bobbi who sits on her other side and shows off her now freed arm.

“Looks good, Kiddo.” Bobbi smiles.

“Your doctors were dumb and wrong, Melina said so.”

“I did not, don’t fib Yelena.” Melina scolds.

“You told them that they needed to get their heads out of their ass and assess each individual separately and not as a whole. You called them dumb with big words and phrases. It was so cool, they deserve it for putting me in the cast.”

Melina talks with everyone, making an effort to get to know everyone in their group and observe them. Melina also makes sure to watch how the SHIELD agents interact with both Natasha and Yelena. The two scientists challenge Yelena in a way that is quite entertaining since the child needs to make a point on how smart and capable she is. When Yelena argues, she does her best in English unless she gets stuck and fills it in with Russian which leaves Natasha and Bobbi to translate. Natasha on the other hand appears to be friends with everyone, though her body language says otherwise. She is open and expressive but keeps close to Maria and Clint as if to use her as back up and security. Melina is aware that the girls are intellectually mature, but emotional maturity isn’t even taken into consideration with the Red Room and that is showing with how they have made bonds here and who they find that security and safety with.

After dinner the three Russians return to their room. There are two bags of clothes for Melina that Natasha had ordered once they got her size. Melina notes how there is one set of cuffs connected to the headboard on the wall side of the bed— Yelena. Melina watches as Natasha helps Yelena brush out her hair then send her to the shower to get ready for bed. It was a similar routine to the one Melina had Natasha on in Ohio.

“I’m going to stay in Maria’s room, two doors down, so three of us aren’t in this room. I will stay here though if you want me to.” Natasha says.

“And where will Yelena be when Alexei is here. You will be with Maria, I would prefer to be with Alexei. Where will that leave her?” Melina raises a brow.

“There is a single room down the hall we can move her to, or the room next to Bobbi has been vacated in prep if she wants to go there.”

“Let me understand this Big Girl, you remove Yelena from her life with no warning just fly down in your ship like a hero, bring her there where she has very little freedoms and is comfortable around two people, and then you want to leave her and have me leave her alone at night in her own space. You do not think this spells out disaster?” Melina asks in German.

“The goal was to get her out and get her safe, that was successful. She is here, with family. She is ten years old, she will not be sleeping with us forever.” Natasha answers.

“You slept with me in Ohio until you were out of the cuffs, until you felt safe enough to be out of the cuffs. Are you even trying with her?”

“Of course I’m trying, but she has a fit when I try to take them away.”

“Were you rooming with Maria before you retrieved Yelena?”

“Yes. So?”

“So I can assume that Maria has full access to this room when she wants.”

“It will change when I move back to our room, but for now yeah.”

“So a woman that Yelena does not feel safe around can come in any time, and you are confused about why Yelena has cuffs still to feel safe? I am assuming you have taking some newer IQ and EI tests since being here, I would like to see them.”

“No, they’re private, and you’re treating me like a child!”

“I know, sometimes you need to be. You are an adult Natasha but there are a lot of things for you to learn still and that’s okay. It took me a while to learn, if you remember.”

“You were a mess for the first six months.”

“I think this is a discussion that needs to include her to be fair to her. Deal?”

“Yes Mama.”

Yelena walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. She looks up at the two adults who both look quite serious which is concerning but she just moves to the wardrobe and pulling out her pyjamas.

“You are acting off.” Yelena frowns.

“Is it okay if Natasha stays with Maria while we figure out rooms.” Melina asks.

“I’ll take the couch so you can have the bed. I was joking before. I sleep on the couch or the floor if you each want your own sleeping space.”

Natasha looks at Yelena who is trying really hard to not tear up then at Melina who has a knowing look on her face. She doesn’t have words to say, not wanting to trigger her little sister more, so she grabs the extra bedding from the wardrobe and starts to make the couch up as a bed. She’s not upset, not at anyone— maybe just a little frustrated with herself. Yelena feels the shift in the room and gets dressed fast, believing that one or two of the women with her are upset with her. When she’s dressed she awkwardly shifts on her feet not knowing where to go, which frustrates Natasha more.

“Yelena, for the love of god, just sit still for one moment,” Natasha sighs.

Yelena squeaks and looks up at Melina. Melina who is mad at Natasha has a frown on her face, her back is straight, and her arms crossed over her chest. This is one of the things that Yelena struggles with the most, she is brilliant at reading people and emotions but the closer she is with someone the more muddled it gets and she just assumes the negativity is directed at her. She drops to her knees, causing both women to shout at her not to, and she bolts.

Yelena runs down the hall and into Maria who was too busy looking at her tablet to see where she was going. Melina drops her tablet and grabs the girl before she falls over.

“Where’re you going, Yelena?” Maria asks. “What’s wrong?”

Yelena shakes her head and tries to move around Maria to get to the exit of the hall. If she gets around the commander then she just has to tun to Bobbi because Bobbi is never mad at her. Bobbi is good at reading Yelena, she knows what to say when she is panicky. Yelena just wants Bobbi, she wants to go back to dinner where everyone was happy, or this morning when everyone was happy to see each other.

“I want Bobbi Morse.” Yelena says.

“Okay, how about I take you there.”

“No. Just go get me sister and take her to your room so you can keep fucking and being happy. She is happier with you anyway.” Yelena shouts then kicks Maria’s shin so she can get away from her. “Leave me alone!”

Natasha runs into the hall to see Yelena pass through the doors and Maria shake out her leg. Melina is more calm in her movements, walking out of the room to see the commotion. She saw this coming and is prepared to talk to Hill and Fury about it sometime soon.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Natasha asks.

“Yeah I’m fine. Is Yelena okay? She hasn’t freaked out like that in weeks.” Maria says.

“It’s fine. She’s fine.” Natasha says. 

“They’re being sisters and not doing well at communicating. Will Agent Morse bring Yelena back when she’s calmed down?” Melina offers a truthful answer.

“Bobbi always bring Yelena back up once she’s calmed down or when she falls asleep. She’s good with her, trustworthy.”

“Good. I am going to get ready and go to bed, unless you would like to to handle Natasha. Though I think she would rather you care for her.”

“No, I’ll take her. You sure everything is okay?”

“I would like a meeting with you, Fury, and those they are closest with soon but it’s good. I just think that there are some things that need to change to help them out.”

“I’d be glad to talk with you if you think it will help them.”

Melina nods and turns into their room. Maria looks at Natasha with a slightly raised brow before taking her girlfriends hand and walking with her back to her room.

Yelena knocks on Bobbi’s door until it opens but not to Bobbi, to a man. Yelena pulls the gun that is in the strangers holster and points it at him. The man raises his hands and steps back into the room while holding the door open. Bobbi gets up off the sofa and moves towards Yelena. She is in pyjama shorts and a tank top, the bed is unmade and her hair is a mess, Yelena makes sure to look everything over before she unclips the safety.

“His name is Lance Hunter. He is not a threat, he is a friend. He just got back from a long mission and we were catching up.” Bobbi says. “Yelena, you cannot kill him. Fury will put you away and he will not let you see Melina or Natasha again. You need to give me the gun.”

“You said you would never lie to me.”

“I am not lying, Yelena.”

“I have eyes, Bobbi Morse. I also know what sex smells like. I have had it enough.”

“Give me the gun and we can talk. Why are you not with Melina and Natasha?”

“Natasha would rather fuck Maria, Melina was mad, and you would rather fuck this man who probably fucked a dozen women while out in the field like all soldiers do.” Yelena yells.

Yelena hands Bobbi the gun and turns to leave which Bobbi doesn’t allow. Bobbi grabs Yelena’s wrist to hold her in the room, she gets down on her knees so she can get closer to the kids eye level so she’s not so intimidating.

“Natasha and I would never pick people over you, especially not for sex. If you need us we will be there but you need to talk and communicate with us. You can’t just run away when it gets hard for you. Fighting and yelling is not okay, Yelena. Taking agents weapons is not okay. Running away is not okay.”

“I do not like you right now.”

“And that’s okay. Being hurt and upset is okay, that’s human. Lance is going to leave now, and we are going to talk more okay?”

Yelena nods. Bobbi hands Hunter back his weapon and locks the door when he leaves. Yelena stays where she’s left until Bobbi is done and the sit together on her small sofa. Bobbi turns on her television and Nintendo Switch, she sets up Super Smash Bros for them to play and hands Yelena her preferred controller. The kid was not in the mood to talk, there were too many emotions for one little kid, but games are a distraction and she could get her aggression out— or so Bobbi believes. It works for a bit, the longer they play together the more relaxed Yelena’s shoulders get.

“Do you want to tell me what happened yet?” Bobbi asks.

“Natasha is moving in with Maria, and I heard them talking about rooms and how they are going to put me in a single. I helped save Melina and she does not want me. Natasha brings me here and I did not want that. Why bring me here when they do not want me?”

“They do want you, Yelena. They love you so much.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I can see it when they look at you. I can hear it whenever Natasha talks about you, even before we got you out of there. It is common for adults to want their own room, for kids to want their own rooms even.”

“That is not a thing where I am from.”

“That’s okay. It’s okay to not know something or be used to something. I think tomorrow the three of you need to talk. I think you need to be honest.”

“I am honest. I answer every question anyone asks me with the truth.”

“You can be truthful without the questions. Unless you are asked directly you avoid the topics that you think will be hard on anyone.”

“I kicked Maria in the shin. She was blocking my exit as I was coming here and I kicked her. I was not really thinking when I did it.”

“That’s okay. I’m sure she understands.”

“I do not want to be all alone again.”

“You don’t have to be.”

Yelena shrugs. “I do not want to be close with anyone here anymore, or with Melina or Natasha. If I keep being close then when you all leave it hurts less. I was thinking that maybe Nick Fury should send me away somewhere. Better for everyone.”

“No, never. I would be hurt if Fury sent you away, and I don’t plan on leaving you ever. You are the kid sister I always wanted and you are never getting rid of me. Okay?”

Yelena nods.

“Nope. Not good enough. I need to here you say it. Say Bobbi will never leave me.”

“Bobbi will never leave me.” Yelena smiles.

“Good, now would you like to go to bed or keep playing?”

“Can I sleep on your sofa?”

“I think you should go up and sleep in your bed. It’s been a really long day, lots of emotions running rampant. We could all do with some much deserved rest, and I know you feel safer in your own bed.”

“Will you walk me?”

Bobbi nods and pulls on some sweat pants. The pair walk up through the halls, a lot of the residential wings have their lights dimmed at night which has Yelena walk just a little closer to Bobbi. Melina is waiting in their room, sat on the sofa looking over some of Yelena’s school work to see where she’s at.

“I’d like to talk to you tomorrow if possible, Miss Vostokoff,” Bobbi says.

“Of course. You cay join us in a meeting in the afternoon anyway but I can talk after breakfast if you’d find that amicable.” Melina smiles.

“Sounds good. Goodnight Lena.”

“Night Bobbi. Sorry for trying to shoot your boyfriend.” Yelena smiles.

“I mean it was better to get the attempted murder over with tonight, before you try it in front of everyone.” Bobbi teases and leaves.

Yelena crawls into bed and up to her cuff, only to find it missing. She turns to look at Melina who sets her things down on the coffee table and moves to the bed.

“You didn’t need them when we were in South Africa two years ago.” Melina says.

“I did at the start.”

“Then you got used to sleeping without them. We worked on it.”

“No one to work with me here, and Natasha lets me use them.”

“I’m not Natasha.”

“Of course not, you are much older and much bossy.”

Melina chuckles then gets in bed and under the covers next to Yelena, she gets comfortable on her side before taking one of Yelena’s wrists in her hand and holds it tight to simulate the feeling of the cuff.

“Sleep well, Little Mouse. Mama’s got you.”

Chapter Text

Melina sat in Fury’s office with Maria, Bobbi, Clint, Coulson, and May. They had just finished planning with the girls for the mission to go get Alexei that will happen on Friday. They were dismissed with Daisy while the rest of the team talked about them.

“I assume that you have tested their emotional intelligence and IQ,” Melina says.

“We did shortly after they arrived.” Fury says.

“And the results?”

“Both tested with genius level IQ’s, which was a shock given the lack of a formal education,” Coulson says. “Emotionally they test ears behind their peers. Natasha tested early teens, Yelena tested in the kindergarten age range. It is hard to tell sometimes when interacting with them, they’re very good and coving up and masking their emotions.”

“We’re taught to mask feelings and all that quite young. Can’t have an assassin going in out of control and all that.”

“Why are you asking about their emotional intelligence? What does that have to do with things here?” Bobbi asks.

“Because I can understand why they react the way they do, why they are bad at communicating and we can stop reactions of last night happening again.”

“What happened last night?” Fury asks.

“Yelena got overwhelmed by a situation she was reading wrong and ran off to Agent Morse. It is the small things that can set her off, like a little kid. It’s like kids science project volcano, there is a build up of emotions until she explodes. It is hard for her to sort through her own emotions and read everyone else at the same time.”

“She’s scared everyone is going to leave her or wants to get rid of her.” Bobbi admits. “I had a small talk with her last night. I just thought getting overwhelmed as a kid was normal. I was like that as a kid.”

“What do you suggest Melina?” Coulson asks.

“I know that you want Yelena to go through deprogramming. I would like to go before her. Yelena has to see things work and understand them to trust a process, it will be easier if you let me go first. After that is done she needs to have some sort of formal therapy, as does Natasha. I know that western therapists are trained in specialties, I would suggest trauma and children. It will help them learn that emotional control and communication that I am unable to teach them, as I am not trained.”

“We can do that. I don’t know how we hadn’t thought of that. We have standard SHIELD therapists, but we can bring specialists in to work with the girls, right Fury.” Coulson nods.

“Coulson, I want you to take point on that.” Fury orders. Coulson nods and leaves the room. Fury leans back in his seat. “Anything else you think we should know?”

“I expect more arguments between the two. I think everyone in this room needs to acknowledge that they are children. Natasha is legally an adult in all countries but she is a child. They both are, and eventually I think it would be a good idea for both to be away from an environment like this. I don’t know what your plan is for Natasha in the long term, but I think that even a couple of months in a house somewhere would be good. It could be one of your safe houses or one we buy with our own money.”

“You have money?”

“Once we start killing we get paid, no one can remove the money but us. Did Natasha not disclose this?”

“She did not.”

“If you just want a small trip off base, I have a farm that I am going to for some time off in a month for the summer. You would all be welcome to join.” Clint says. “The offer has been put out to Natasha many times.”

“I think we will have to wait and see until we have Alexei and see his plans. If you are offering after you meet him, and understand that Yelena will want to bring Agent Morse, we can talk then.”

Clint just laughs and tosses a pen cap at Bobbi. “You can room with the dogs.”

“If that is some fancy way of calling me a bitch, I’m telling my aunt on you.” Bobbi says.

The pair bickered while the others wrapped up the meeting. When they finished Melina left with Bobbi and May to find the girls in the cafeteria. Yelena was sneaking vegetables from her plate onto Natasha’s, an act that the older girl was clearly catching but didn’t say anything about. As Melina went through the line to get her food she gets an extra little bowl of broccoli that she sets on Yelena’s plate as she moves down the table to sit with the older crowd.

“Well that was uncalled for,” Yelena frowns.

Bobbi laughs as she sits next to her. “She’s definitely a mother. I like her.”

“I do not have to eat them.”

“Ma Melina will skin you alive if you toss it,” Natasha warns.

“No she will not. That is against the rules!” Yelena sticks her tongue out at her sister then turns to Bobbi. “What was your secret second meeting about?”

“The two of you and your bickering. Melina also solidified a schedule for your deprogramming and her own.” Bobbi answers truthfully.

“Is it soon?”

“Melina is going to go first and let you see how it’s done.”

“Okay. Can we go climbing after lunch?”

“Did you do any school while I was in the meeting?”

“Yes, with Jemma Simmons.”

“The argued most of the time, but with Jemma I count that as learning,” Daisy smiles. “I thought it was hilarious. She also turned in three math sheets today.”

“Yes we can go climbing later,” Bobbi smiles. “Want to join us Daisy?”

“Sure. I haven’t done it before. How bad can I be?”

The three of them finish lunch and go to their rooms to change into athletic gear before heading to the large multi floor gym that has a huge climbing wall. They had ordered a child harness and shoes when they realized how much Yelena loved to climb. The trick turned out to be getting Yelena into the harness and not giving her the opportunity to just free climb the thirty foot wall. The attendants of the wall knew to grab her before she could run past and just start climbing. It was a favourite activity for anyone charged with watching the girl, they could bring her to let her climb (even when she was in the cast) and do work from a bench at the bottom. 

Bobbi pulls Daisy aside, taking over for one of the attendants who were getting her in the harness so that there are two to wrangle Yelena.

“I am going to ask Yelena to teach you to climb,” Bobbi whispers.

“Why? Do I not just try to climb the wall and not fall.” Daisy smirks.

“When she has been taught in the past she’s been taught with violence. I want to see if she will do the same with you.”

“So I am the guinea pig to see if the kid will beat me when I fall?”

“Yes.” Bobbi smiles. “Yelena, come here I need to ask a favour!”

Yelena pauses as she runs for the wall and groans, she drags her feet as she move back towards Bobbi and Daisy with a pout.

“What?” Yelena asks.

“I want you to teach Daisy. Teach her to clip in, how to climb, how to boulder, and how to do everything safely. You are her teacher, do you understand?”

“How do I do that?”

“You have been taught many things. It is your turn to teach.”

“I have taught little Widows before.”

“Okay, now you’re teaching Daisy who will probably learn slower then them.”

Yelena giggles and nods her head. She looks over Daisy’s harness before pulling her to the wall to show her how to clip into the auto-belay system. There are four routes of the fifteen that require proper rope and a second person to be the belayer, but the easier routes all use the auto-belay system. Daisy makes a show of understanding, but she falls into dramatics when she elects to mess up to test Yelena. The first time Daisy tests her Yelena doesn’t respond well, she doesn’t hit or kick like Bobbi or Daisy expect— rather she makes sure to press on Daisy’s injuries to make them hurt more because ‘pain only makes you stronger’ and she says it will help her learn to not do it again. Bobbi moves to have her stop but Daisy waves her off.

“This doesn’t help me learn, Yelena,” Daisy says calmly.

“Yes it does. Pain helps show not to let it happen again.” Yelena counters.

“I learn through trial and error, yes. Pain doesn’t help though. Show me what I did wrong, where I went wrong.”

“But then you just know, you are not learning on your own. I do not understand.”

Bobbi moves over to the pair when she hears the Russian and sees the absolute frustration on Yelena’s face. Yelena clenches and unclenches her fists like she wants to hit something, Bobbie takes them in her hands so she doesn’t.

“What’s wrong, Kid?” Bobbi asks as calm and soothing as possible.

“She says I am wrong. You told me to teach and she says I am doing it wrong. I do not understand Bobbi. I do not understand!”

“Hey, hey you’re okay. It’s okay to not understand. I want you to breathe for me. No need to be upset. This wasn’t supposed to be upsetting. Go climb one of the hard ones okay, no more teaching today.”

⎊ ⎊ ⎊ ⎊ ⎊ ⎊

Friday morning came and saw Yelena in one of the communication control rooms with Daisy. Natasha had been sure to escort her there and make sure Daisy knew to tackle the kid if she tried to follow them. Natasha and Melina wore their Widow tactical suits in white while Bobbi and May wore their SHIELD tactical uniforms. Maria stood on the on ramp, the sky still dark as they were trying to travel in stealth.

“Keep coms open, Daisy and I will be there and if there is anything that needs translating Yelena is here with us. Yelena will be fine, I’ll look after her.” Maria says. “Fury will join us in comms once you’re there.”

“We’ve got this, Hill.” May shouts from the cockpit. “We need to leave if we’re going to stay on schedule.”

Maria smiles and nods, backing off the ramp so that they can close up and take off. Natasha sits next to Melina, they had yet to speak to each other and were more focused on their rituals before going out into the field. The flight wasn’t long, they had arrived at the prison’s scheduled breakfast and mail call. SHIELD had made sure to have a number of things delivered to Alexei this morning in preparation for the break out.

“You’re sure he won’t screw us over?” Natasha asks Melina.

“I know him more than you. I trust him. Give him a chance like you are giving me.”

“Bobbi won’t let him harass Yel, and Maria nor Fury will take any of his bullshit.”

“Why would he harass Yelena?” Bobbi asks.

“He’s… eccentric.” Natasha says, furrowing her brows. “He also doesn’t think before he speaks so the two of them will not get along.”

“Good to know.”

As they get closer Melina and Natasha harness up, prepared to drop in. When they’re hovering over the prison in stealth mode there is no communication from the helicarrier. Melina takes over the comms to talk with Alexei, and May has to take over the navigation within the prison. Bobbi gets harnessed up as back up, in case Melina cannot drop with Natasha. Melina warns Alexei through comms to not make a scene, that he needs to move quietly so that they do not draw attention to themselves. When they hear the riots start they know he blew that plan away. Natasha and Bobbi drop down onto the upper level of the prison yard, quickly knocking the surrounding soldiers out.

“Is this part of his eccentric personality?” Bobbi asks.

“This is the tip of the iceberg.” Natasha says, rolling her eyes.

Bobbi has a bullet wound to her shoulder and Natasha has some cracked ribs by the time they get Alexei up onto the jet. May has them out of Russia in thirty minutes, pushing the engine of the jet to get them to safety. Melina and Natasha patch Bobbi up as best as they can on the jet, but the bullet appears to have gone through which is good.

“It is so good to see you my Love, you are looking beautiful as ever. Such a sexy vixen after all these years,” Alexei smiles at Melina.

“Now I know how Yelena feels,” Natasha frowns. “Don’t do that in front of me.”

“Don’t do what?” Melina teases.

“The gross flirting. It’s disturbing.”

Natasha gets up and helps Bobbi to one of the seats where she can be strapped in and relax. Once Natasha is sure that Bobbi is alright she goes up to the cockpit to check on May who appears to be focused on flying. A video call comes in which May answers and sets the plane on auto-pilot.

“What the hell, Hill? Where were you guys?” May shouts.

Maria is still on her end, she has a bruise forming on the left side of her face and appears to be morose. “The helicarrier was attacked. We need to redirect you to the office in London while we organize ourselves up here, we will meet you there, hopefully by tonight.”

“Maria, what’s wrong?” Natasha asks. “Maria where’s Yelena. Where’s my sister?”

“Minutes after you all left we were boarded by four jets with strike teams. They moved in ways I have only seen a handful of times. They were quick and effective.”

Melina gets up off the floor and moves towards the screen. Alexei is shockingly focused, serious, as her follows his wife.

“They moved in a way similar to Natasha, Yelena, and myself. Correct?” Melina says.

“Yes.” Maria nods.

“No.” Natasha shakes her head and wraps her arms around her body. “No, that’s impossible. We took every precaution. No one followed us with Melina. No one followed us with Yelena. We were sure to get rid of all trackers.”

“I know, Fury is looking into it as we speak with Daisy.”

“What is the situation on injuries?” May asks.

“No deaths, we have a few dozen in medical who are critical and are getting airlifted to DC as soon as we deem it safe.”

“Lance?” Bobbi asks.
“Hunter is fine, he’s helping Fitz-Simmons fix up their lab that was trashed. Do I get a report on what happened here?”

“Bobbi got shot in the shoulder, we stitched her up but she’ll need x-rays and to be looked over by a proper doctor. I have four fracture ribs, possibly a mild concussion but I currently feel fine,” Natasha reports.

“You never answered the earlier question, strange picture lady,” Alexei says, accent thick.

“What earlier question?” Maria winces.

“Where is Yelena?”

“You need to understand they were in and out in forty minutes, destroyed so much of the communications and labs on the ship. We locked her in my office when we realized what was happening and who.”

“Maria, you’re not saying what I think you’re saying.” Bobbi frowns.

“When we got back to my office the door was destroyed and she was gone. We are currently searching the ship, every nook and cranny, Clint is even searching the vents.”

“But they were coming for something if they were in and out that fast.” Natasha sighs.

“If she’s gone, if they’ve got her, we will get her back. I swear. You have my word, Nat.”

“Your word means shit, you promised to look after her when I left!”

“Natasha, calm down. It is not Maria’s fault. Go breathe. Getting worked up will do nothing for us.” Melina coos.

“Yelena is gone. She is gone and she does not know if we are looking for her or not. I promised her she would never go back there.”

Chapter Text

——————————WEEK ONE—————————————

Natasha sat in Fury’s office with a frown. It was an assignment he had brought up to her before everything happened in Europe and she was hoping he would have forgotten or let her off the hook but he was more insistent than ever

“I can’t go Fury. I need to be here looking for Yelena.” Natasha frowns.

“You are the agent chose, you know what you signed up for Romanoff. Hill and Vostokoff are leading the search for Yelena. Morse will be on the team with Daisy once she’s back from medical leave. She is a top priority but your priority needs to be Stark right now.”

“Bobbi could do this job.”

“You are younger and more unsuspecting, you have the knowledge and qualifications— plus you are more trained in espionage. I need eyes on Stark starting next week and we have an in, in legal. Focus on the job and we will focus on your sister.”

“How long is this assignment?”

“Could be weeks, could be months. If we find Yelena we will pull you out to do that if it is necessary. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir.”

Natasha leaves Fury’s office to tell Maria and Melina the news. Alexei kept busy with the men, training and running tactical drills instead of focusing on the issue at hand. Melina had told Natasha that he was an avoider, but with Natasha leaving she was going to have to talk to him about stepping up.

—————————— MONTH ONE —————————————

Natasha had been gone three weeks, it had been four weeks since Yelena’s kidnapping and Alexei’s break out. Melina and Bobbi worked in twelve hour shifts, keeping the search going non-stop. Daisy split her time working with Coulson when he needs but the rest of her time is trying to track the Red Room and any online activity that could lead to them. That’s how they found their first video.

Yelena’s sat in a chair, arms and legs tied with rough rope. She is in her underwear, soaking wet and shivering. Someone, a man by the build but it’s hard to tell with the black tactical uniform and helmet, circles her with an electric cattle prod. The soldier goes between dousing Yelena in water and pocking her with prod— it leaves marks, burns on her pale skin. Yelena screams and cries every time the prod hits her, she fights against the restraints with no luck. When he stops circling her photos of Melina and Natasha are projected on the wall for a minutes before they disappear and the soldier starts to circle her. He douses her in the water again—

Daisy slams her laptop shut before anyone in the room can see what she’s seen. She has Maria follow her to Fury’s office where she shows it to her superiors.

—————————— MONTH TWO —————————————

Natasha had gotten back to the Triskelion a week ago. Maria was the one to sit her down and tell her about the videos that Daisy was being sent. She fights with Maria till she gives in and lets Natasha watch the six videos that they’ve collected. While Natasha sits at Maria’s desk watching the old videos, Daisy walks in with a new one.

Yelena is pale and skinny. Her bones are pressed against her skin. She is littered with bruises that are all over her body. She’s in a training room with an older Widow, both dressed in black shorts and red tank tops. There are four stools around the ring with different weapons. Yelena grabs a knife while the other girl grabs a set of widow bites. It’s a fight to the death with General Dreykov watching from the side with a smile. Yelena walks away from the fight, covered in the girls blood. She walks right up the General and bows her head.

“Has Melina seen these?” Natasha asks.

“Not yet. She hasn’t asked and we won’t force her,” Maria says.

“Don’t. Don’t let her even if she asks.”

“Okay.”

“How often do you get these?”

“I get sent them weekly, but I have found a few online that we have not been sent. Whoever runs tech on their end is smart though, slightly better than myself.” Daisy says.

—————————— MONTH SIX —————————————

There had ben a sting of murders in central Europe, all the scene descriptions had a little blonde girl on camera within a mile of each scene. The good quality camera’s would show clear as day that it was Yelena, always with another Widow. Bobbi was going crazy over the clues, the team had moved back onto the helicarrier to hover over Europe to keep an eye on everything there and so they could go down whenever there was a sighting.

Melina bought a house in Ohio where Alexei has set up life. Natasha has apartments in DC and New York. All of them have prepared rooms for Yelena for when they bring her home.

Chapter Text

Yelena had lost track of time a while ago. They kept her in the dark for a long time, then the light, then dark— the lights in the room were random, the meals were sporadic, and she was taken to training when no one else was there so she couldn’t judge time by the schedules of others. Every time she speaks, in Russian or English, she gets ten hits with the cane so she hasn’t said a thing in a while. They are more forceful with her, expect more, expect her to be perfect. Dreykov is more forceful with her perfection, one toe out of line and the punishments are severe. 

The other main difference is that they have had to return to old school training with Yelena, since she had been given the antidote for the chemical subjugation it had not been taking so they have been working on total psychological conditioning. They would show her pictures of Natasha and Melina and torture her, trying to force hatred into her heart so that when the time comes the goal is Yelena will kill those she once saw as her saviours. As a form of extended torture, videos of this conditioning was constantly being sent to SHIELD headquarters around the world so that Natasha and Melina would bear witness.

Yelena had just gotten in trouble with General Dreykov for being too good. It was a fight between her and four Widows from Natasha’s generation, and Yelena won which was both what he wanted and not. So she was kneeling in rice on the floor beside his desk, the little hard grains dig into her skin till she bleeds.

“I am sending you on another assignment, someone you may know from your short stint with SHIELD,” General Dreykov says and lowers a file to the ground for Yelena to look at. “His name is Lance Hunter, he has been poking around our affairs in Belarus. I want him dead by weeks end.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Go get cleaned up, you leave in an hour with Anna.”

Yelena stands up and leaves his office. The soldier who escorts her everywhere is waiting outside the office. They go to her room where she packs her tactical uniforms and gets dressed in her travel uniforms. She is ready to go in no time, but is lead to the armoury where she is able to pack a few guns and her favourite knives.

Anna waits on the flight deck, she is a senior Widow from Melina’s generation who acts as a handler in most cases and doesn’t take assignments of her own. She takes the file from Yelena to look over it herself while they fly to Minsk.

Yelena tries to remember Lance Hunter, how she knows him and what he means to her. Nothing really comes to mind. She has no fond memories of her time under SHIELD, everything is rather foggy but General Dreykov has told her how it was and that she was the one to call for a rescue. She wouldn’t do that though, that is something she knows— no matter what situation she is in she would never send out a rescue call. 

“We have an apartment close to the target. How fast do you think you can get this done? Do we need to keep transport close?” Anna asks.

“All I need is a max of twenty four hours.” Yelena answers

“Extraction will need to remain close to the city.”

“The General wants you to know that if Belova does not return you will be punished severely, he has invested a lot into the Widow.” A soldier says. “Her failures are yours.”

“I understand.” Anna nods.

They land in a field and get into the waiting Jeep. Anna gets behind the wheel and Yelena sits in the passenger seat. The drive to their building, across the street from Lance Hunter’s apartment, is twenty minutes. Yelena reviews the blueprints that they had of his apartment, the security of the building, and goes over the finer details recovered like the window and lock types. For a safe house it is not very safe.

Surveillance shows that Lance Hunter goes out for coffee every morning at six and dinner every night at eight. Yelena’s plan is to enter tonight when he leaves for dinner, catch him off guard when he returns. She goes over the plan with Anna so she doesn’t interfere when she leaves to execute the plan.

Yelena changes once they’re in the safety of their apartment and makes sure she has everything how she wants, making sure her most valuable weapons are easy to handle and get to. Anna brings in a new box and sets it on the table for Yelena who cautiously opens the gift. Set inside black velvet is a set of gold widow bites, which usually isn’t a thing until the upper levels but they are Yelena’s size. She puts them on and looks up at Anna for instructions. Anna shows her how to use them until it is time for her to go. Yelena likes them, she knows that they will be beneficial in future assignments but probably not for this one. She also feels really special, all widow bites she’s seen have been black to go with their suits— all except Dreykov’s best like Melina and Natasha, the traitors. Yelena will be better though, she won’t betray the Red Room or her country like those before her.

“Once you have killed him, return quickly and we shall depart.” Anna orders.

“I know how assignments go, this is far from my first.” Yelena states. “He will be home some time between nine and ten, be ready to go at eleven. Leave at eleven if things go wrong and I will get out myself.”

“I do not take orders from you. I am the handler.”

“And this is my assignment. You do as I say so this does not get messed up. That is your job, now you are holding me up.”

Yelena leaves their make shift hide out, heading across the street in the purple light of twilight. She loves moving about at times like this, the way the shadows play tricks on the mind. What people think they see at twilight is not always correct, so its best to use it to your advantage, it was an early lesson that Yelena remembers learning in the Red Room.

Getting into the apartment is easy, there are no cameras and no one was around to see her. The table is littered with files on twenty of Yelena’s recent kills, only about half of what she’s done since she’s returned to the Red Room and after recalibration. The Americans are trying to track her but they will never figure out where she will be or when, there is no pattern to her targets for them to follow.

Voices echo in the hallway, getting closer to the apartment. Yelena moves to be hidden but still have a view to the door. The lock switches open and two figures enter the apartment, which is unexpected but it doesn’t change her plan. The new figure is a woman, tall, something in Yelena’s mind tells her that she’s familiar and an ally but that seems wrong— she is one of the American’s.

“Do not move, I have clear shots on both of you. Kneel with your hands up,” Yelena orders from the shadows. “Move for your weapons I will only make it worse.”

Both of the Americans raise their hands. The man, Lance Hunter, looks up towards the woman though it is unclear if it is for her direction or something else. Yelena hits the woman with a widow bite, making her drop and writhe in pain.

“Help me move her to a chair. Cooperate and you will both get through this.” She orders Hunter. “Now.”

Hunter lifts Bobbi up and carries her to one of the dining chairs. Yelena locks the front door and grabs the duct tape that she had seen in the kitchen. She tapes Bobbi’s hands together behind her back and the chair in an uncomfortable way. She motions at Hunter to sit in the dining chair that has arms so she can tape each of his limbs securely.

“What can I help you with kid?” Hunter asks.

“You have upset the General, looking into things you should not. American’s never learn, never stay out of others business.” Yelena runs her hands over the files on the table. “If you were so smart you would not come to our territory. You would not come with only half the information, that is how you die.”

“And are you going to kill us?”

“Not us, just you. I was sent for you, but if she moves and tries anything then I will have to kill her too.”

Bobbi moves in the chair, waking slightly to an aching body and uncomfortable position. Yelena tilts her head, looking at the blonde who still has a weird connection in her head that she cannot figure out.

“Take the mask off, Kid. If you’re gonna kill me let me at least see your face when you do it. Unless you can only kill hidden behind a mask.”

Yelena removes the mask that she has with her uniform, revealing her face and hair. Hunter tries to act surprised but he’s not, he recognized her voice right away. Bobbi recognized her voice but was trying to deny it, her eyes widen when Yelena reveals herself.

“Come on Kid,” Bobbi says. “You know us. Don’t do this.”

Yelena grabs some papers and wads them into a ball before shoving the ball in Bobbi’s mouth to gag her. She pulls out her knife and cuts open Hunter’s shirt, she cuts off scraps that she shoves in his mouth to gag him.

“You can be as loud as you wish, this will hurt a lot.” Yelena smiles.

Yelena cuts into Hunter in precise moves. She’s practiced on both cadavers and living subjects, she’s been taught how to cut into someone to make sure they feel the most pain and die slow. Yelena is focused, ignoring Bobbi as she fights against her restraints because she’s not her target— though sending a message back to the American’s through the blonde could make the General proud.

Yelena moves to straddle Bobbi’s lap when she’s done with Hunter. She cuts open Bobbi’s top and bra. Between Bobbi’s breasts Yelena starts to carve the Widow symbol into her sternum. Tears run down Bobbi’s face, but that doesn’t stop her from working her way out of the duct tape holding her hands together.

“Do not be sad, this will be over soon and you will never have to see me again as long as you all behave.” Yelena says. “I would kill you too, but those are not my orders.”

Bobbie frees herself of her restrains and moves to pin Yelena. In one move Bobbi pulls out the gag and hits the panic button on her watch which will send a team down from the helicarrier that is hovering above the city. Bobbi knows she just has to stall fifteen minutes for their team to be deployed.

“You know who I am Yelena, I know somewhere in your head you know that you do not have to do this.” Bobbi says.

“I have no idea who you are.” Yelena spits.

Bobbi follows Yelena’s eyes to the windows, she knows that she has to keep Yelena away from any possible exit. Just for fifteen minutes.

“I know a lot about you.”

“You know nothing about me.”

“You were a newborn when you were brought into the Red Room. You were on assignment  in Ohio till you were three when you were brought to Russia and started your formal training. Your sister is Natasha Romanoff, mother is Melina Vostokoff, and father is Alexei Shostakov. You were not with them long but you have always seen them as family, and I can bring you to them. They have been looking for you for quite a while now.”

“They are not my family. Widows have no family, we live to serve the Red Room and Russia. Family is weakness, and I would never consider deserters my family.”

“I know you were not chemically subjugated this time, the antidote would not allow it to happen again so soon. This is psychological conditioning which is fixable because that was how Nat and Melina were trained.” Bobbi thinks aloud as she blocks some of Yelena’s hits.

Bobbi grabs a bookend from the side table and hits Yelena hard over the head, knocking her unconscious. Bobbi takes away all weapons she can see and lightly duct tapes her arms and legs together. She pulls her shirt off and puts on one of Hunter’s light grey SHIELD shirts. She then cuts his limbs free of the chair and lowers him to the ground.

The door is breached. Coulson, May, Maria, and Melina burst into the room and take in the mess. The take in the blood soaking through the top Bobbi is wearing, the tears on her face, and Hunter’s very still body on the floor. May moves towards Bobbi with Coulson. Maria and Melina go to Yelena.

“She’s deep in their programming, be careful if she wakes.” Bobbi says.

“How bad is the wound on your chest?” May asks.

“Not deep, stings like a bitch.”

“I’m going to call for Fitz-Simmons to bring a gurney so we can bring Hunter back to SHIELD and give him the burial he deserves.” Coulson says, getting up to make his calls.

“When we get up to the ship I’ll call Fury and Natasha.” Maria says.

“Isn’t she busy doing Avenger things right now?” Melina asks. “We need to assess Yelena, see where she is at, and when Natasha is done what she needs to do then we can figure things out from there.”

“Fury has the helicarrier, we only have the Bus, but we will head to DC once we’re all loaded in. Simmons can patch everyone up and if we need to we can have Yelena in holding to keep herself and everyone safe,” May says.

“When did he take the carrier? What have I missed in the week since I came down to Europe?” Bobbi frowns.

“God from space, Clint’s been compromised. Fury has instituted the Avengers Initiative. Coulson and I need to get back to the carrier soon.” Maria answers.

“May will be in charge of this crew on the bus, we will take the jet Bobbi had to met with Fury and his team.” Coulson says, rejoining the group. “Once everything is dealt with, with Fury we will fill Natasha in and meet back in DC. Fury wants to clear Yelena before she is able to leave so she will be in one of the secure wings with medical.”

“Yelena will not be happy with that.” Bobbi says.

“It’s not about her happiness or comfort. It’s about keeping everyone safe. I thought you would understand that Agent Morse,” Melina says. “She was closest to you and she attacked you, tortured you, and fought you. Until we know that her mind is her own she cannot and will not be trusted.”

Chapter Text

Coulson was left incredibly injured after New York and everyone was reeling. They had him at a SHIELD base out in the Rockies to get all the care he needed. It had rippling effects through the organization which left Yelena alone with no visitors except for the doctors, therapists, and the guards who took her to their deprogramming room. In the chaos following the Battle of New York and aliens, she had slipped through the cracks. She had been living this way for a month, heard the news through gossip between SHIELD staff. She knew that people could come visit, but no one chose to.

She sat on the couch across from the child psychologist brought in to work with her. She had to talk to the woman twice a day, something she wasn’t a fan of but was getting used to.

“I want to go home,” Yelena admits, tears forming in her eyes.

It was one of her least favourite parts about the therapy, she felt out of control and the smallest things would make her cry. The therapist would just say that the crying and the emotions just proved it was working.

“Where do you consider home Yelena? Is home with someone? Is home a specific place? Is home a feeling?”

“Home is Russia. Home is familiar.”

“But your family is here.”

“My family is fake, it is made up. They are not real.”

“Really? I think they act like real family. They spent half a year looking for you, using any SHIELD resource they could to find you.”

“They do not want me. No one does.”

“How can you be sure.”

“I have been here for thirty seven days, no one has come to see me. Not in the day, not when I sleep. I do not understand why I am still here.”

“You are here till Director Fury clears you to go anywhere else, to be moved of site or whatever plan he makes.”

Yelena shrugs. “I think he is leaving me alone, forcing me to talk to you and the other doctors till I am so numb it no longer matters what he does. Was I right? About the days.”

“You were close, you’ve been here forty one days.”

“Oh.”

“Why are you unsure?”

“I cannot tell when days pass. Lights are always on in the hall, no clocks, no windows. Not that any of that would help because the carrier is always moving.”

“I didn’t realize.”

“American’s do not take note of things that do not effect them. They do not care for Russians or defectors or people they cannot control.”

“That’s not true. We wouldn’t be doing all of this if we didn’t care.”

“Then the Red Room cared.”

“What?”

“This is not much different than the Red Room. Isolating, unable to track days, little food, but the only thing different is that I have not been made to kill anyone yet.”

“What do you mean little food. They are supposed to be feeding you three times a day.”

“I would like to go to my room now.”

The guards in her little wing wear full tactical gear with helmets, they carry guns and bats, very much like the soldiers at the Red Room. Yelena noticed this on her second day. No one has trust for her anymore, they probably blame her for Coulson’s death and her own kidnapping— the only death she is responsible for is Hunter’s and she wasn’t fully responsible for that because Dreykov was in her head.

The door is locked behind her when she is put in her room. She changes into shorts and a tank top and does ballet till her whole body aches. She showers and gets into bed, she uses a pillowcase that she had ripped up to tie her wrist to the headboard— though if she asks the guards they would probably gladly lock her in with real cuffs.

The next morning she’s woken by shouting, it’s the most noise she’s heard in a long time. She unties her wrist, stretches, rubs her eyes, and gets out of bed. She can’t leave her room but she sits on the floor by the door to try and listen.

“Fury, even I don’t approve of this. I was under the impression she was getting help not being treated as a prisoner.” Maria says.

“I don’t understand how no one told me you rescued her over a fucking month ago! What that absolute fuck!” Natasha shouts.

“It was Melina’s call.” Fury argues. “Melina made the plan and helped hire the staff here to help her adjust.” The door handle wiggles but the door doesn’t open. “Why the fuck is this door locked?”

“We were told to keep her secured, Sir. She is escorted everywhere and doors are locked. If she wants to leave she just needs to knock,” A guard says, lies.

“This whole fucking wing is secured, she can’t get out any exit doors for this hall. She is not a prisoner. Who the fuck gave these orders?”

“She killed Hunter!” A different guard shouts.

“Leave, you are dismissed and put on immediate leave. You are an agent, you are not judge, jury, and executioner.” Maria shouts. “Everyone who has been on roster here is on unpaid administrative leave and will be interviewed in two weeks.”

There is a lot of suffering and then the lock clicks open. Yelena crawls across the room and under the bed as the door opens. Natasha catches her foot before she makes it all the way under causing the kid to thrash, scream, and fight to get away from her. Natasha lets her go and watches her sister crawl far under the bed so she’s pressed against the wall.

“Little One, do you remember me?” Natasha asks, Yelena nods. “Why are you hiding from me then? I have been looking for you for months. I am so happy to have you home.”

“You do not need me. Do not miss me. You are one of the Americans now. You are a hero and I am the villain. They talk about it all the time. Melina hates me and wants me to rot. Alexei hates me. Bobbi hates me. You need to hate me too.”

“What are you talking about? Why does Bobbi hate you?” Natasha looks at Maria who only offers a frown. “Yelena, what have I missed?”

“Nothing if they have not told you. I am not supposed to be seeing any of you. The guards and doctors say so.”

“Masha, why does she think Morse hates her?”

“Natasha, you know that Lance Hunter was killed while out on an assignment in Belarus a while ago?” Maria frowns.

“Yes, I was at his funeral with you. It happened right before New York.”

“Nat, Yelena was the one who did it and Bobbi was made to watch.”

Natasha gets up off the floor and runs out of the room, shouting back at Maria to stay with Yelena and that she will be back. She runs through the halls of the Triskelion looking for Bobbi, finally finding the tall blonde woman with Daisy and Clint in one of the training rooms. Clint smiles but it quickly disappears when he sees Natasha’s face.

“Nat?” Clint says.

Bobbi turns to look at the very angry red head. Natasha gabs Bobbi and flips her onto the mats, everyone in the room who is not really part of that group leaves while Daisy and Clint take a moment to process what just happened. Natasha presses her knee into Bobbi’s stomach while she sits onto of the woman that she had previously trusted with her sister. Daisy sends a quick text to May and Maria, warning them that there is definitely a fight about to happen in the room they’re in.

“The fuck Romanoff?” Bobbi gasps.

“My sister’s back, you knew and didn’t tell me?” Natasha shouts.

“Yelena’s back? Is she okay?” Clint asks, trying to defuse the tension.

“For over a month. Bobbi was there.”

“Wait, what? No, Bobbi would have told us. Fury and Maria would have told us. They would have told you right away.”

“She’s been held prisoner upstairs in one of the secure wings for over a month.”

“It wasn’t my call to keep the information from you.” Bobbi says. “That decision came from higher up.”

“But it was your decision to treat her like shit. It was your decision to cut her out of your life for doing something that was not in her control. Her being a killer wasn’t an issue before!”

“It’s not like that!”

“She wasn’t in control!”

“I know that!” Bobbi shoves Natasha off and pulls off her shirt to show off the still red and puffy scar on her chest. “I know she wasn’t in control when she skinned and carved into Lance in front of me. I know she wasn’t in control when she did this to me. I understand that and I don’t blame her for it.”

“Nat, what’s all this about?” Clint asks calmly.

“She’s been held like a prisoner. Locked up, forced through god knows what. She sees me and hides under her bed, saying everyone hates her and how I should hate her. She’s underweight, I can see her bones even in the dark. SHIELD was supposed to be better, supposed to be the solution for us.” Natasha says.

“Come on Nat, that’s not fair.”

“As soon as I can I am taking her and leaving. I can’t be here around this bullshit. She is a child not a prisoner.”

“Okay. I understand and I hear you. I can only imagine. I would feel the same way if it was Laura or the kids.” Clint tries to soothe the angry assassin. “We get the clear from Fury, you and her will come to the farm for a while.”

“Can I see her?” Bobbi asks.

“Why would you want to do that?” Natasha frowns.

“I care about her, Nat. I may have fucked up but I would like the chance of redemption.”

“It will be her choice.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Well, now that that is all cleared up. Can I direct your attention to the three who are hovering by the door.” Daisy says.

Somewhere in the shouting and fighting Maria and May had responded to Daisy’s text and were now blocking the entry of the room. Yelena was in Maria’s arms, head tucked in her neck. It was the first time that Natasha was seeing her in decent light. Yelena was very pale and thin, she looked sick.

Natasha clambers to her feet and rushes over to them, Maria gently hands the child over to her sister and Yelena wraps her arms around Natasha tight. Bobbi pulls her shirt back on, covering up the ugly scar on her chest and then slowly moves towards the Russians. Yelena’s grip on Natasha tightens noticeably.

“I am sorry Bobbi,” Yelena says.

“I am sorry too. I would have come to see you sooner if I was allowed.” Bobbi smiles.

Yelena turns her head on Natasha’s shoulder to look at the tall blonde. Bobbi offers a small smile, even when she watches the kids eyes go down to where her scar is like she could see through the shirt. Bobbi rubs Yelena’s back, she can feel her spine through her shirt.

“Fury is going through all communication with staff who were working with her. He didn’t know what was happening.” Maria says. “I am getting legal to push the forms for you to have legal guardianship, they’re recommending adoption to have more security but I told them I would talk to you first.”

May leaves the room once she sees everyone is still alive and the women are apologizing to each other. She knows that if anything happens Maria and Clint can handle everything from then on. She nods at Daisy in thanks for the notification before she leaves.

“Can we talk about it later?” Natasha asks.

“Of course. How about you take her out to get some food.”

“She doesn’t have clothes that will fit.”

“She will be fine in this for a little while. How about a group of us go get her some clothes and get some food?” Clint offers. “I’m sure you will both feel safer if we go out together in a group.”

“You’re sure that’s allowed?” Natasha checks with Maria.

“Absolutely. I’ll even come.” Maria nods

“And you nabbed one of Stark’s credit cards last we left the tower, so you can put it to use on her.” Clint smiles.

“I don’t want to bring her back here.” Natasha looks at Maria again.

“Then you won’t. Sign the adoption papers, that’s my suggestion, before we leave. No one can stop you then.”

Natasha nods. The group goes together to legal where they spend forty minutes with Natasha and Yelena while she signs forms and submits name change request— keeping Yelena’s name, just adding Natasha’s to it. Once they’re done, and the lawyers promise Natasha to rush it and have it passed through courts by tomorrow, the group head down to the parking garage. Yelena had yet to release her grip on Natasha, which made getting in the car rather difficult. Clint got in the drivers seat, Bobbi in the passengers, and Maria was joining the sisters in the back.

“Yelena, you need to sit in the seat. I am not going anywhere but it is car safety.” Natasha tries to convince her sister with little progress. “Okay, how about you sit on my lap for the trip to the mall and then you can sit in your own seat on the way back.”

“Okay.” Yelena whispers.

“Go to the mall in Pentagon City,” Maria says. “More military in the area for safety and no one should question us.”

“Aye aye Hill,” Clint smiles and starts the SUV.

The drive isn’t that bad to the mall. When they get there Natasha takes off her hoodie and puts it on Yelena so she doesn’t get cold. The group move as a unit. Maria just in front, Clint to the back, and Bobbi stays on whatever side Yelena is being held in so she feels safe.

Yelena is extremely overwhelmed. Everything is loud and bright which Bobbi seems to catch onto. They make a quick detour to an electronics store where Bobbi buys over ear headphones and has the shop take them out of the package so she can put them over Yelena’s ears. Yelena sighs a quick thank you before nuzzling into Natasha’s neck.

Natasha and Bobbi do most of the shopping for the clothes while Maria holds Yelena. When they need to get her to try and size her pants they realize they realize they will have to get things tailored or with the weird stretch bands.

“I still do not like you with Natasha,” Yelena whispers.

“No?” Maria smiles.

“Maybe you can not date for like ten years or something.”

“Yeah? That’s your solution?”

“I do not know. I want her happy.”

“So do I.”

“You make her happy?”

“I try to.”

“You should do better than try, Maria Hill.”

“I strive to do my best when it comes to Natasha.”

“Okay. Just no getting married till like she is old and thirty.”

“Okay, Kid.”

“Maria?”

“Yelena?”

“I do not want to be around Melina. I do not trust her.”

“Then you won’t. I can one hundred percent promise that. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Yelena wiggles in her arms until she’s set down and walks over to Natasha who is collecting overalls and rompers. Yelena likes these kinds of clothes because they feel secure on her, something that she doesn’t even remember telling Natasha. Once they had too many clothes, in Yelena’s opinion, they paid and then Natasha took out a romper that she got to change into in one of the dressing rooms before they left for the food court where Yelena was quickly overwhelmed with the choices.

“Romanoff! Hey, I didn’t know you had a kid,” Steve Rogers says walking up. “Hey Kid, I’m Steve.”

Yelena backs against Natasha, unsure of what to do with the stranger. He stands like a soldier and is built like one, but his face is kinder than the ones in the Red Room.

“My little sister, but I adopted her today,” Natasha says. “Yelena, this is Steve. He was with me in New York, Captain America.”

Yelena just stares at him.

“What are you doing in DC, Cap?” Clint asks.

“Coulson was moved back today and I was sent to get things for his room at the Triskelion. I honestly think this is a modern times test, but it’s been interesting.” Steve smiles.

“Oh, that’s cool. We’re about to get food if you’d like to join.”

“Maybe another time. Thanks for the offer though.”

Steve waves as he walks off down another hall. Yelena watches him until he goes into a store so she can’t see him anymore and then looks back up at Natasha.

“Where is he from?” Yelena asks

“America, specifically New York. You’re confused by the modern times comment?”

“He talks different.”

“He’s from the forties.” Clint says.

“He doesn’t look that old, Clint Barton. You do.” Yelena rolls her eyes.

“No, I meant he is from the 1940’s. And I do not look that old!”

“You do, a little, it’s because you’re a dad and you are close to forty.” Maria smirks.

“Okay, enough of the beating down on Clint. What do you want to eat Short Stack?”

Chapter Text

Yelena kept looking to Natasha throughout lunch. She wasn’t really sure why, felt like for permission to eat and keep eating. She would take a bite and then look to her sister, and even sometimes Maria. They would encourage her to eat as much as she wanted, but Yelena wasn’t quite certain this wasn’t a trap. After a while Bobbi took Yelena to one of the ice cream shops in the food court so that Yelena could get a milkshake or other frozen treat that may be easier for her to eat.

Natasha was livid. She had a list made up in her mind of people she wanted to put through a special interrogation that would include a lot of knives and she would make them suffer as much as they made Yelena suffer.

“She doesn’t need to feel your rage.” Maria whispers.

“What are you talking about?” Natasha forces a smile. “I’m good.”

“Your not, I can feel it over here and when Yelena gets back she will feel it too,” Clint says. “She’s okay, you’ll protect her.”

“She’s scared of Melina. Doesn’t want to be around Melina. Doesn’t trust her. I promised we’d keep her away.” Maria says. “I trust the kids instincts, if she is fearful of Melina when she was so excited about her before.”

“I mean we saw the videos, they were trying to get her to hate both Natasha and Melina.”

“More so against me though, so I don’t know what is up with her not trusting Melina but we will take her lead on it.” Natasha sighs.

“How did no one know what was happening to her within SHIELD?” Clint asks.

“Melina was put in charge of her recovery plan, I didn’t think of anything of it and neither did Fury. We trusted her because Yelena trusted her. If we had thought it would go this way I would have taken point.”

“Romanoff!” Bobbi shouts from across the food court.

Yelena was sat on the floor, her knees clutched to her chest as she tried to bash the back of her head against the cement wall. Bobbi placed her hand between Yelena’s head and the wall so the kid couldn’t do any damage to herself. If it was safe, Bobbi would have picked her up and held her, but the safer scenario was to call Natasha.

Natasha ran through the food court, shoving people out of the way so she could get to her sister who had to be dying or in severe distress for Bobbi to call her like that. Natasha slides on her knees to come up right in front of Yelena, letting Bobbi still protect her head.

“Hello Little One, can you tell me what is wrong?” Natasha asks. “You are safe. You are with me and Bobbi and Maria and Clint. We all love you.”

“I killed Lance Hunter.” Yelena frowns.

“I know, but it is okay. No one here is mad. We all forgive you. Bobbi forgives you.”

“The man at ice cream looked like him.”

“That must have been scary for a moment, huh?”

Yelena nods. “I did not want to.”

“I know Love, I know. It’s okay. Come give me a cuddle.”

Yelena slowly moves forward into Natasha’s lap and wraps her arms around her neck.

“I do not want ice cream anymore.”

“Then we won’t have ice cream. How about we go to the toy store, get you some things. Yeah? It could be fun.” Bobbi smiles.

“Toy store?” Yelena frowns.

“Yeah, you can get anything you want. My treat. Think of it as a late birthday present.”

“I do not have a birthday, Bobbi Morse.”

“Your birthday was a couple months, Little One.  It was in some old files we found that had a bunch of your information in it. We thought it would lead us to you.” Natasha calmly explains. “Your birthday is June twenty-first, my Love. When and if you want we can have a late celebration for you.”

“I do not understand.” Yelena frowns.

“You don’t have to, but it would be a day to celebrate you. Whenever you want. People celebrate their friends and loved ones on their birthdays.”

“Why?”

“It’s to show that you are loved and cared for.”

“Did we do it in Ohio?”

“No, but we were always monitored by the Red Room so it wasn’t safe. Ready to go and check out the toy store?”

Yelena holds onto Natasha tighter and nods her head. Bobbi has to help Natasha to her feet when Yelena won’t let go of her sister. Clint takes all of the clothing bags to the SUV and plans to move the car closer to the toy store area of the mall so that it will be easier to leave.

Yelena starts to fuss as they get closer to the store so Natasha sets her on her feet and explains how she can move about freely but has to hold someones hand or be in eyesight of two of them— which isn’t that hard of task. Yelena holds Bobbi’s hand as they walk up and down the aisles, Bobbi explains what things are when Yelena asks and what their purpose is. Yelena tries to understand, but it doesn’t make sense to her. There’s no real point to the brightly coloured plastic, nothing to learn from or no tactical experience. The toys that make sense to get that tactical experience are the Nerf Guns, but Natasha says that those are the one thing she’s not allowed to get— that guns are not toys to Yelena, and the point of toys is play and being a kid.

“How about we get some Lego? We can get pieces and we can get some sets. Lego was one of my favourite toys as a kid,” Maria suggests.

“But what is the point of them?” Yelena walks over to Maria and looks up at her. “I do not understand the purpose.”

“Not everything has a purpose, Kid. Somethings are made to just play with. You build with them, can create things, it’s for play— no structured creativity and fun.”

“That still makes no sense to me.”

“It’s to build your imagination, that is the purpose.”

“I do not think I have one of those.”

“Then we can work on it. Okay? I think you have a fantastic imagination that is just waiting to be unlocked.”

“Okay, Lego then. Just for now.” Yelena nods.

Yelena points out the sets that look the most complicated and grown up, taking the boxes and putting them in the cart Natasha was pushing. Bobbi and Maria both were grabbing ones more directed to Yelena’s age group that had more characters and could be used in more play. Yelena would frown every time that she watched someone put a box in the cart that she hadn’t picked out, but they just smiled at herald would wink.

“You are all annoying grown ups.” Yelena rolls her eyes.

“You will enjoy this. I promise.” Natasha smiles.

The group moved to check out and once everything was paid with Stark’s credit card, a couple staff helped the group carry all the bags to the car. The trunk was filled to the brim, all for Yelena who stood outside of the car slightly confused. After the months she’s had she doesn’t understand why any of them would want to spend so much on her.

“Where are we off to Red?” Clint asks.

“My place is probably the safest.” Natasha shrugs.

“Your place? Isn’t that in New York? I thought you just stayed with Maria in DC.”

“I do, but I also got a safe house close by in case anything came up and I needed to go stealth but be close. Maria doesn’t even know where it is.”

“Does that mean your driving?” Clint frowns.

“It does, Maria and Bobbi with Lena in the back.”

Bobbi and Yelena mock salute Natasha before they get into the car and buckle up. It’s a forty minute drive in traffic to Natasha’s house. The adults in all stand in the driveway as they look up at the large house. The home is on historical land of George Washington and the house is in a great community that is safe for kids. Natasha has a lot of money saved up and stashed from her prior work.

“Come on, stop staring. Grab things so we can get her set up in her rooms.” Natasha says.

“Rooms? Like more than one?” Yelena asks.

“You have a bedroom and a playroom, both are safe places for you across the hall from my room. Eventually we can do some renovations and make them into one room but I thought you’d like a quiet safe space to sleep.”

Yelena takes Natasha’s hand as the pair walk up to the front steps to the sunflower yellow door. Natasha unlocks the door, and as they stand in the foyer taking off their shoes she disarms the security system she had installed. As she turned the system off she explained it to Yelena, how they would both be safe an no one would be able to get in unless they were approved.

“No Melina?” Yelena looks up at Natasha with hopeful eyes.

“No Melina, Love. I would like to talk about why though.”

“She made a deal, Nattie. Her freedom for my capture. She made a deal with General Dreykov to protect you and her by giving up me, that is why the Widows never did anything but get me. That is why she wants control of me. They did something Nattie. They did something I do not understand.”

Chapter Text

Yelena sat in the playroom with a book, it’s what she mostly did in the playroom which is why she referred to it mostly as her hideout. She was sent to the playroom for the eighth time this week while Natasha, Bobbi, May, Maria, Clint, and Daisy met in the dining room to talk about things that were about Yelena but she was never allowed to be included. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be included, whenever they mentioned the General or Melina she’d get tingles on her spine and she would check the locks on the windows and doors of her room to make sure no one could enter.

Yelena opens the door to the playroom and quietly walks towards the dining room, Natasha and May notice her and silence the current conversation before anything important is let slip. Natasha rounds the table and kneels down with her arms open, Yelena runs into her arms and holds onto her tight.

“I am hungry.” Yelena whispers.

“You’re hungry? I think Bobbi offered to order pizza for everyone. Would you like to go pick the pizza and order with her?” Natasha forces a smile.

“What is wrong, Natasha. You are being weird.”

“Melina is coming to Washington to meet with Fury who does not believe everything you have said. When she comes she will become aware of the fact you are not contained anymore, and we are unsure of how she will react.” Bobbi says.

“Why can we not just let Natasha kill her?” 

“Because May says no and she is the big boss lady.”

“I thought Maria was the big boss lady.”

“May is feared more than Maria.” Bobbi smirks as Yelena giggles. “Let us go pick some pizza, Kid. We will make sure to put it on your sisters card.”

Yelena nods and goes with Bobbi to the living room so that everyone at the dining table could clean up files and notes while they ordered pizza on Bobbi’s phone. Daisy joined the pair and then they decided to go out to the backyard to kick a soccer ball around— the one form of play that Yelena really liked was soccer. She likes playing with Bobbi and Daisy because they never went easy on her, Natasha and Maria would play but it wasn’t the same. Bobbi would knock her over if it meant getting the ball, so would daisy, and Yelena would try but it usually ended with her just kicking them hard in the shins.

“How would you feel about a holiday?” Daisy asks, passing the ball to Yelena.

“I thought this place was the holiday.” Yelena frowns. “I thought after a while we went back to the base or the ship.”

“You’re not a soldier, Kid. No more bases for you unless Natasha is on a mission and we need to watch you and for some odd reason we can’t do it here.” Bobbi smiles, taking the ball from her. “You get to be a kid.”

“I do not want to be a kid,” Yelena dives for the ball and scores on Daisy. “I want to use the skills I have and not lose them.”

“Well, when you’re eighteen you can fight with Natasha and join SHIELD.” Daisy smiles. “Eighteen you can go to one of the academies, or you could join the military. You could become a ballerina or gymnast or some sort of Olympian with your skills.”

“That is to notorious.” Yelena looks to Bobbi for translation, which she receives quick. “I do not think Natasha would be on board. Did you know that Maria said the adoption papers are all legal and in order now, and that we are Americans now like you.”

“You know what that means.”

“It means that you will start school sometime. You will go and be around other kids and eat in a cafeteria and sit in class for seven hours a day.”

Yelena freezes and looks between Daisy and Bobbi. No one had told her anything about having to be around other kids or school or anything like that. She was sure if any of that was true that Natasha would have had to have told her before today. Yelena turns and runs up the back steps and into the house where Natasha was pressed against the counters by Maria as they made out.

“Do I have to school with people?” Yelena shouts.

Natasha gently pushes Maria off and moves to look at her sister. “Eventually you will. It’s August right now, so a lot of kids are starting school but Bobbi is helping me hire a tutor who will help teach you and look after you in the day while I work.”

“No. No I do not want that. I get a say and I say no. We stay together and you no work and I no school. We can go back to Russia safe away from it.” Yelena starts to sniffle and tears well up in her eyes. “Melina will not follow us back to Russia or Ukraine or Belarus, so you and me would be safe. It will all be familiar and same and they can all visit. I do not want more change, Natasha. Everything changes too much and too fast.”

“Hey, nothing is going to change the fast. We are going to deal with all the situations, we are going to relax, we are not rushing anything. It will continue to go at your pace. I promise you this. It will all be okay. We can start with community activities. Get you used to being around a handful of other kids. What we cannot do is run, Yelena. Running will not solve any of these problems or fears. Melina will not get you, she will not hurt you. I promise.” Natasha says.

“You have promised things before.”

“If I break this one, we move back to Russia. We leave everyone behind. We do your plan. Only if I break that promise.”

“Maria?” Yelena looks at the other woman. “You make sure she keeps that promise.”

“I will,” Maria smiles. “I won’t let her break that promise.”

“Good. Now promise no more making out in the kitchen.”

Bobbi and Daisy walk in with five boxes of pizza, heading through to the back porch where May and Clint sat at the patio table. Yelena brings plates out to everyone as they enjoy the warm summer evening and eat dinner. Some western foods are a fight still with Yelena, and sometimes it is just because she’s tired. Today is a day where she fights the food because she’s just exhausted.

In the two weeks its been since Natasha got Yelena back for the second time, she had noticed the main change in the kid was her need for physical comfort. Yelena sat on Natasha’s lap, head resting on her shoulder as Natasha ate her pizza and tried to coerce the kid into finishing just one slice.

“Melina will not show her intentions until she sees me.” Yelena sighs.

“We are not using you as bait, Kid,” May frowns.

“It would work though. If I went to work with Nattie when Melina comes to base. I would always be with one of you.”

“She has a tactical point.”

“Well we can talk about this later, I’m going to get her ready for bed and then we can talk about how we will alter the plans.” Natasha sighs. “Clint, can you come with me?”

“Of course, Red.” Clint nods.

Natasha carries Yelena to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair before continuing onto Yelena’s bedroom to get her changed into pyjamas. She tucks Yelena in and turns the nightlight and baby monitor on, both needed due to Yelena’s nightmares she appears to be trapped in the last couple weeks.

“Call if you need me, okay?” Natasha coos.

“When everyone leaves can I sleep in your room tonight?”

“Maria is gonna stay the night, but if you’re okay with that you can.”

“I just don’t want to be in the middle.”

“Okay, Love. Close your eyes and rest. I promise everything will be okay.”

Natasha leads Clint to the playroom where she cleans up the handful of things left out, the lego on the floor definitely left by Bobbi or Daisy since Yelena had yet to try it.

“What’s up, Nat?” Clint asks.

“I want to check with you about the offer with the farm. I don’t know what will happen with Melina but I want to be able to go somewhere safe with her. I want to show her that kids aren’t as scary as she thinks. Please?”

“Of course, Laura has been bugging me about you visiting again and you know she can’t wait to meet Yelena.”

“Good. Good. Bobbi will probably be coming too, I’ll talk to her if that’s okay. I want Yelena to feel safe and Bobbi does that.”

“Of course, Bobbi is family and—”

The duo are interrupted by frantic knocking at the door. Clint and Natasha both pull out guns and move out of the playroom and towards the front door. May and Maria move inside from the back deck with weapons drawn for backup. The knocking stops and Natasha opens the door, gun raised to point at the trespasser.

“Holy shit, it’s just me!” Jemma shouts, raising her hands filled with files above her head in surrender. “I called and left messages with two of you. You didn’t answer your phones.”

“What are you doing here Jemma?” May asks, lowering her weapon.

“Melina arrived this evening at the Triskelion. She had a bit of a fit when she realized Yelena was off base.” Jemma explains, moving into the house and taking off her shoes. “She is meeting with Fury tomorrow at one. Yelena’s test results are back, and there is a lot we need to talk about. I know you were both injected with like a weakened super soldier serum, but her results are far different than yours or Steve Rogers. It appears to have an effect deep in her DNA and cell growth.” The team move to the dining room as Jemma explains. “She could take on and defeat the Hulk right now if I am reading this right.”

“So it’s not much like a super soldier, she sounds more enhanced than anything. That’s my understanding,” May says.

“Her growth physically will be slower, like her aging is slower which is common and something we noted with Natasha. There are many things that we have no clue about, but I thought you should know the differences we found. Does the same thing but is also more. I also wanted to get all my files out of the base in case Melina tried to snoop.”

“Good thinking Jem,” Daisy smiles. “So is the plan really to bring Yelena to Melina now? Like that is the goal?”

“What? No, I thought the goal was keeping Yelena safe from Melina.” Jemma frowns.

“Yelena made a point earlier, we need Melina to show her true colors and Yelena can do that.” May explains. “When we get to the Triskelion I will be with Vostokoff, Hill and Romanoff, Morse and Belova. Coulson has been kept up to date, he will be there tomorrow. Coulson’s team is leading surveillance. We will operate fast, get what we need from her and deal with her.”

“Rogers is on base, I was thinking of having him on stand-by with a jet in case we need immediate or quick extraction with me,” Clint says.

“Sounds like we have a plan.” Natasha nods. “Oh, Bobbi be prepared for a week trip. Once we are done at the Triskelion we’re heading inland.”

Bobbi nods.

“Pack lego and books, so she has some things to do and I know that Gin, Tequila, and Rum will be distractions but the extras will help.” Clint says, using the code names they came up with for his children. Daisy and FitzSimmons were not in the know with his family. “Nineteen also suggests swim clothes and such.”

Natasha nods and walks everyone to the door so she can lock up and set the alarms once they’re outside. Maria gets ready for bed with Natasha, the routine familiar as they work around the space. Natasha goes and retrieves Yelena, scooping up the sleeping girl and carrying her to the king sized bed in her room.

Yelena woke up in the middle, well half in the middle, she was draped across Natasha with her upper body in the middle. The clock reads five in the morning, an hour before the alarms go off that Natasha has set. She quietly crawls out of bed and tiptoes out of the room. She moves through he house to the kitchen and pulls out frozen waffles that she is able to do on her own, and she knows when one of them are awake they’ll make her eggs and usually turkey bacon. Waffles or cereal were always a first breakfast that she ate before someone who could cook came to help.

Maria was the next up at five thirty to see Yelena in the living room watching a Disney film where she tried to match the accents. It was a habit that Natasha was trying to break, but Maria wasn’t comfortable stepping in.

“Bacon or sausage today, Kid?” Maria asks.

“Sausage, but the flat kind please.” Yelena answers.

“The sausage patties, the meat-free ones or pork?”

“Meat-free.”

“Coming right up. Can you go get dressed for me while I cook?”

Yelena nods and turns off the television to go to her room. Natasha was already in there picking out clothes and packing them in a suitcase. Yellow shorts overalls and a white t-shirt were set out of the bed for her outfit today.

“When you’re done getting dressed, can you go pick out four lego sets, four books, and one other toy from the playroom and bring them back to me. Okay?” Natasha says.

“I thought we were just going to the Triskelion.”

“This is for a quick trip after.”

“Oh. Okay. English trip?”

“Laura speaks Russian, German, French, Spanish, and Italian if you know those.”

“Who is Laura?”

“Clint’s wife. We are going to see his wife and kids and his farm.”

“I knew he was that old! Wait, someone actually married Clint Barton.”

“Get dressed and pack the things you need. And you can’t say anything when we get to the base, only so many people know to keep his family safe. Deal?”

“Fine. I reserve all rights to tease him on the drive or flight. Is Maria coming?”

“Maybe, that is unclear. Bobbi is though.”

Yelena bounces slightly in excitement and gets dressed fast, skipping to the playroom to collect the things that Natasha asked of her. Natasha has everything packed for both of them by the time Maria calls them for breakfast. Yelena gets done first then stands behind Natasha’s chair on a stool so she can braid her hair back in one dutch braid. Then she looks to Maria for permission to do hers, a lot of the time Maria didn’t like others touching her hair but she would sometimes allow Yelena to do something during breakfast— today was one of the days she was given permission. Yelena did a French braid on either side of her head then in the back she twisted Maria’s hair into a tight bun.

Maria left shortly after breakfast, taking their luggage in her SUV so that Natasha could just bring them in on her bike later. While Yelena was left to watch television Natasha showered and dressed for the day, going over the plan multiple times in her head till she was sure there was no room for mistakes.

When it was time to leave Natasha helped Yelena into her leather pants and jacket before pulling her jacket on. The sisters go down to the garage and get on the motorcycle, heading into the Triskelion to initiate the plan and get down to the bottom of everything.

Bobbi, Clint, and Maria were waiting in the parking garage when they arrive. Natasha very reluctantly hands over the keys to her motorcycle to Clint so he could load it onto the jet. Bobbi helps Yelena out of the helmet and overclothes, giving those to Clint as well.

“You ready?” Bobbi asks.

Yelena shrugs, looking around at all the agents coming and going through the concourse. Maria handed out comms to the sisters, now their group could communicate in case there was a sudden change of plans.

Steve Rogers walks through the concourse to meet up with Clint. Yelena watches him as he greets everyone and hugs her sister. When he walks over to introduce himself she gets ready to kick him in the shin for touching her sister and is quickly picked up by Maria.

“Yelena this is Steve Rogers, Captain America. He worked with Natasha and Barton during the Battle of New York. They’re friends, he’s good people. No need for violence. He is also a super soldier so it wouldn’t hurt him,” Maria whispers in her ear.

“He looks like the poster child for boot scouts, poser.” Yelena grumbles, wiggling till she’s put down. “Did he come out of a stupid America poster?”

Bobbi laughs and Natasha chuckles.

“Steve this is my kid sister Yelena, Yelena this is Steve. Play nice,” Natasha smirks.

“I do not play mean, Natasha. I do not play.”

The adults laugh and talk until Coulson tells them they need to move up to Fury’s office, well Maria and Natasha went up to his office. Bobbi lead Yelena to Maria’s office just down the hall, they were to stay there till Melina was sent over. They had a dozen cameras set up to show a live feed that would be recorded, Bobbi would hide in the bathroom incase she needed to intervene or pull Yelena out.

While she was made to wait she took one of Maria’s giant European atlas books from the shelf and opened it on the coffee table. She liked looking at countries she had never been to, or can’t remember going to, and deciding where she would like to go.

Melina walked in hour later and pauses when she sees Yelena sat by the table all alone. Yelena looks up at her then back at the book.

“You look healthy.” Melina says.

“You sound American.” Yelena smirks.

“What have you told them?”

“I do not remember enough to tell them anything. You were there though, your voice was there. You would talk to him, tell him to do things. For a long time I thought it was you and Natasha making the plans to hurt me.”

“Natasha is too soft to hurt anyone anymore.” Melina scoffs. “She is too short sighted to see something larger, to see how great you could be. You were made to be the best, which I don’t think you can understand. Nothing should get in the way of greatness or progress.”

“That is why I am supposed to be in the Red Room?”

“They have the knowledge and science to ensure you stay on the right path, here you squander all of the work I have put into you since before you were born. You are the only one of your generation who survived in utero.”

“So I am a science project?”

“You are the greatest project that the Red Room and Russia has ever created. You could kill gods, let alone topple empires. Do you not see the power you have.”

“What does that mean for me now?”

“You need to go home Yelena, finish your purpose. You cannot ask Natasha, it needs to be your choice. Do so soon before they come and kill her. They will kill Natasha to get to you. They will kill anyone you are close with, anyone who makes you weak, so they can have you.”

“Do they know where I am.”

“Yes.”

Alexei walks into the room, something so far from the plan that no one know what to do. Yelena stands up and starts to move towards him, the man looks like Alexei but smells and stands wrong.

“Yelena stand down.” Natasha orders through comms.

“We have four helicopters flying in, I have the base going on a silent offensive,” Maria says. “Follow the plan kid, Bobbi is ready to intervene if you need it.”

Yelena signals them no behind her back, trying not to draw too much attention to her actions. She steps closer to the man, head tilted slightly to the side with her brows furrowed.

“You are not Alexei.” Yelena says.

“Very good, Little One. You have always been so good for me.” He says.

“Get out of there Lena, get out now!” Natasha screams in comms.

“Disregard, stick to the plan. No one act until I say,” Maria orders.

“Take the comms out of your ear Yelena, then we can talk and keep everyone nice and safe. That is what you want, to protect these Americans.” He smiles.

Yelena nods and takes out the ear piece, dropping it to the floor. He moves closer to her and she bows her head, dropping to her knees. 

The man chuckles. “I am sure by now you are aware of who I am and what I want.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good girl.”

The doors are breached, Bobbi from the bathroom and the others from the hall. Yelena leaps up onto her feet and climbs the man till her legs are wrapped around his neck. She taps his temple and removes the nano-mask to reveal the General. Natasha pulls Yelena off of him and presses a gun to his temple.

“If you kill him now he cannot suffer. I would rather him suffer,” Yelena whispers to Natasha. “He deserves to suffer and live the rest of his life in pain, Natasha.”

“We need him to get to the Red Room and bring the whole system down, Romanoff. He was not a part of the plan today, he was a bonus, but do not forget the main goal,” Fury orders.

“The perimeter is secured, helicopters all down.” Maria announces.

“We should go, Natasha,” Bobbi says. “Clint and Rogers are waiting at the jet, it will best for everyone if we leave and let Fury and Hill handle this.”

Natasha looks to Maria for confirmation and a bit of longing. She really wanted Maria to come with them to the farm. She wants everyone she cares about to be with her so she can make sure that they’re okay and not in danger.

“I will join you once things are cleared up here.” Maria says. “I promise.”

Chapter Text

Yelena had no interest in Captain America, especially when he kept correcting her English and the words she used. Natasha never controlled what words she used, so why should a man who doesn’t know her care to control her language. She stood in the cockpit though, ignoring Steve in favour of bothering Clint.

“But who would want to marry you,” Yelena rolled her eyes. “You are old and smell like shit half the time.”

“Natasha, we have forty minutes left of this flight, if you don’t grab your rugrat then I am tossing her in the muck pile when we land.”

“Yelena, stop bothering the pilot,” Natasha shouts from her seat by Bobbi.

“I could fly better than he is.” Yelena shouts back.

“Well, in America you have to be sixteen to fly.”

“Well that is bullshit.” Yelena frowns, covering Steve’s mouth before he can correct her or say something dumb. “Please tell me poser boy is not staying at this farm place with us.”

“He will be going back to DC when we are dropped off.”

“Good.” Yelena sighs and sits beside Natasha. “What is so special about Clint Barton’s family and his farm?”

“It’s a lot of land, private, lots of things to do. Have you ever been to a farm?” Bobbi smiles and Yelena shakes her head. “Well, they have horses, cows, sheep, goats, chickens, and a donkey. There is a pond for swimming which I know you like. The house is huge so I am sure you will get your own room if you want. Laura is amazing, best cook ever and loves to care for people and feed people.”

“How do you know so much about the farm, Bobbi Morse?”

“Laura, Clint’s wife, is my aunt. I have spent many holiday’s there because Aunt Laura thinks I cannot feed myself.”

“I have eaten your food Bobbi, unless it comes from a box or has very very very specific instructions you cannot cook. You set the macaroni on fire last time.”

“The time before it came out fine.”

“I was there for a week after you were taken, I wasn’t functioning well, and it was really nice. Everyone is really nice, it is safe. I don’t know why, but it feels safe.” Natasha says.

“Why did you make me bring the things from the playroom?”

“So you can learn their purpose. You are eleven Yelena, even though you like to pretend you’re in your twenties like me, you are eleven years old. You are a kid. You need to play and climb and explore. You can ride a horse, and I believe there is a dog that is pregnant, you may be able to see some puppies.”

“Puppies! Fly faster Clint Barton. I want to see the dog.” Yelena orders. “Fly faster or I will take over and do it for you.”

Yelena is extra squirmy the rest of the flight, pacing around and bouncing on her feet. Natasha has her run through basic ballet technique training to occupy her sister and stop bothering everyone for at least twenty minutes.

Clint lands the plane in the pasture closest to the house, when the back ramp is lowered a brunette slightly taller than Natasha is waiting with her arms crossed over her chest. Steve helps Natasha unload her bike and unloads all the luggage for them. Bobbi stays with Yelena, slowly louring her out of the jet towards the new woman. Yelena went from excited and bubbly to shaking with absolute fear. She could only take note of the woman’s shape, height and her hair.

“She looks like Melina,” Yelena whimpers in Hebrew.

Bobbi couldn’t understand so she stopped, not leading her out anymore and waving Natasha over. Yelena continued to mutter her phrase again and again until Natasha wrapped her arms around her and hummed a Russian lullaby to her sister till she calmed down.

“Laura does look a little like Melina.” Natasha says, making sure to speak in English so everyone can understand the problem. “Especially in this light I can see that. But if we all go to the sunlight you will see how different she is. Bobbi and I will stick with you until you’re comfortable. You won’t be alone till you say you’re ready.”

“Nothing like Melina,” Yelena whispers.

“Hey Kid, you remember that movie Enchanted where cartoons come to New York City? We watched it last week.” Bobbi interrupts and waits for Yelena to nod. “Laura is kind of like Giselle, whereas Melina is like the evil witch who turns into a dragon.”

Yelena searches Bobbi’s face for any sign of deceit, “Can we see the dog now?”

“Sure, Kid.” Bobbi smiles, leading her out of the jet. “Just say hi first.”

“Do I have to?”

“You do not have to Yelena, but I have looked forward to saying hi to you ever since your sister told me all about you,” Laura says. “I hope that you will be happy at the farm for your visit, I have been practicing Russian and Ukrainian dishes for your visit.”

“I forgot you speak Russian.” Yelena pouts then switches to Arabic. “Fuck.”

Bobbi whacks Yelena in the back of the head, “I speak Arabic.”

“Is no language sacred anymore?”

“Not in a house of spies,” Laura chuckles, Yelena looks her over. “I was before I had kids if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Yelena nods and runs over to Natasha who is saying goodbye to Steve before he takes off back to the east coast. Natasha picks her sister up and waves off her semi-friend with a bit of a chuckle. A wet spot presses against Yelena squeal and hold onto Natasha tighter before she looks down and sees a very pregnant German Shepherd. Natasha holds onto Yelena tighter when the girl wiggles to get put down.

“I will bite you if you do not drop me.” Yelena growls.

Natasha gently sets her sister down and watches Yelena slowly move towards the large dog with her hand flat and out. The dog sniffs at her hand before she moves closer to pet the dog that rubs against her and knocks her over. Yelena happily sits cross-legged and cuddles the dog that definitely weighs more than she does.

“Nattie, can we get a puppy?”

“We don’t know how to look after a dog let alone a puppy.”

“Yeah, but I could learn here. I will do all the work with the dog and help Clint Barton and Laura Barton with the dog the whole time to show I can get a puppy, and we do not live on the helicarrier anymore and we have a yard. Please Nattie, please.”

“This is the most I’ve ever seen her act like a kid,” Bobbi smiles, tilting her head to the side. “I’m shocked.” She then turns to Laura. “Hey Auntie, how our the rugrats?”

“They’re good Bobbi, can’t wait to see you.” Laura smiles. “Is she always so guarded and adult? I know how Natasha was when she visited the first time, but Yelena seems quite intense.”

“She’s been through more shit I think, at least recently. I’ve never seen her around other children though so that will be interesting.”

“So my kids are tests for her,” Laura asks, looking to her husband.

“They’re not a test, don’t say things like that around her. But it is a skill she is lacking and all three of ours are patient because they have to deal with me.” Clint says quietly. “She is a good kid, she has had a shit life. And like the good people we are, we are going to show her how to just let go and be a kid.”

“I trust you both, and I trust Natasha, otherwise she wouldn’t be here.”

“Good. Just be patient with her Laur, today has been hellish for everyone especially that little kid right there.”

“Well our kids are inside the house right now, looking forward to seeing Bobbi and Auntie Nat and Yelena— though I had little information to give them on Yelena.”

Clint, Laura, and Bobbi walk up to the house, carrying luggage with them while the girls play with the dog. Natasha watched the group head up to the house, nodding at Clint as he looked back from the porch.

“Lena, how about we go inside and meet everyone?”

“How about we just stay with the dog?”

“The dog isn’t going anywhere. We are going to go in and say hi to everyone, figure out rooms, and then eat lunch. After all of that you can come back out to the dog.”

“That is unfair.”

“That’s life, Yelena.”

Yelena gets up and walks with Natasha up to the house, the dog walks alongside them to the house. Natasha walks in, taking Yelena’s hand to pull her in the house after her. Natasha kicks her shoes off then helps Yelena out of hers. They could hear all the voices coming from the dining room and Yelena was nervous, though she wouldn’t admit to it if someone asked her. Bobbi was in the doorway of the dining room, keeping an eye out for the Russians while seeing her family. 

“I’m here and Bobbi is here, if it gets too much let us know,” Natasha says before pulling her into the dining room. “Hey everyone!”

“Auntie Nat?” A girl Yelena’s age screams and runs at the red head. “You came!”

Natasha let go of Yelena’s hand in favour of scooping the loud girl up. The smallest child was a boy in a high chair squealing and covered in food. The last child is a boy, older and bigger than Yelena and he also runs up to her sister. Bobbi crouches down by Yelena, gently using her fingers to tilt Yelena’s head to look at her.

“It’s okay. I know they’re loud. You’re okay. Natasha is good. They’re happy.” Bobbi says. “You’re okay.”

“I am fine Bobbi Morse, you do not need to care for me like I am an infant.”

A switch turns on in Yelena, the sure of her self child assassin was now who was in the room. The kid who doesn’t show emotions or react like a normal person would. The kid who that Bobbi saw in Belarus, she assess her environment and exits but really turns everything else off. Her body language was stiff and rigid, guarded. Yelena was really trying to guard herself from everyone in the room, or from the kids. Bobbi noted that the switch only happened when she saw the other kids, and the way that she watched Lila was intense.

“Romanoff,” Bobbi says, gathering attention.

Natasha drops Lila and moves away from the boy, coming towards Yelena who quickly corrects her posture so she is standing straight and tall.

“What is happening in your head, Little One?” Natasha asks.

“What do you mean? I am behaving and am fine.”

Natasha hums. “Yelena this is Lila Barton, she is one year older than you. Cooper is two years older than you. Nathanial is two, he is in the high chair. These are Clint’s kids.”

“I understand that Natasha. I did not think that he would have strange children in his house. I am not stupid.”

“Watch the attitude, Yelena. I want you to be honest and tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong Romanoff, back off!”

“Okay, how about I take you to your room?” Bobbi steps in. “We will go calm down and get ready for lunch.”

Natasha nods and steps away from Yelena, allowing Bobbi to take her child upstairs. She should feel happy that Bobbi is able to calm Yelena down, but this day has been hard on Natasha more than she’d like to let on.

“Does she hate me?” Lila asks.

“She’s never been around other kids, so she’s a little overwhelmed.” Laura answers.

“No,” Natasha interrupts. “Yelena has been around other kids, but those kids she was around were not allowed to be nice to each other. When you go to school you are taught to be nice and make friends. When she was where we grew up, if she made friends she would get in trouble and they were taught to be mean to each other. She is learning, like how you learn or how Nate learns. It just takes time, and apparently it will take more time than I thought it would.”

“So I need be be quiet and patient?” Lila furrows her brows.

“Yes. Just like Nate even though she’s close to your age.” Clint says. “Yelena has never been allowed to play or explore, so we are going to show her how but in her own time. She love animals so maybe you can take her when you feed the chickens later.”

“She wants to help out with the dog, so you guys would be a big help to me if you can show her how to take care of a dog,” Natasha smiles.

“We can do that, Aunt Nat,” Cooper smiles.

“Good. Now Aunt Nat and I are going to start on lunch if all of you can set the table and wash up that would be great.” Laura says, directing the Russian to the kitchen. “I made tomato soup and borscht, we just need to finish warming them and then we’re making grilled cheese.”

Natasha does what Laura asks of her, buttering the bread and slicing cheese while Laura did all the real cooking. Bobbi lead Yelena into the kitchen in jeans and one of Natasha’s pullover hoodies that drown Yelena. The sleeves of the hoodie are rolled up just over half way so that her arms are free.

“I am sorry for being upset earlier.” Yelena whispers, wringing her fingers together.

“It’s okay, Love. Do you want to tell me what happened?” Natasha smiles.

“You let go of my hand and it was loud and too many variables.”

“That’s okay. I’m sorry for letting go and not seeing you needed me. You need to tell me or any other grown up though if things get too loud or too much. Right? Just like back home.”

“It’s not back home.”

“It’s not, but you will like it here when you get used to it.”

“I will try.”Yelena nods and tries to look around Natasha at what is happening in the kitchen. “Why is she frying bread in a pan?”

“It is some type of sandwich they make, I assume it is American. She also made borscht that looks really good. Do you want to stay here and help me and Laura, or would you like to go to the living room with Bobbi where Clint is with the kids?”

“Stay with you.”

“Alright.”

Laura pulls out a step stool and has Yelena help he wash and cut carrots for lunch. She’s kind of shocked that Laura just easily hands over the knife, Maria and Bobbi don’t let her have any of the sharp knives. Yelena makes sure all the carrot sticks she cuts are uniform, all the same length and around the same width. She’s given cucumbers and celery next, she cuts the cucumbers in little discs and the celery into two inch long sticks. Yelena puts all her cut up veggies on an oval plate Laura gives her then gets off her stool and carries her tray to the dining room where she sets it on the table. There are four plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic bowls on the table, well one set is on the high chair. Natasha brings in a juice jug and water jug to set on the table to find her sister pouting.

“What’s wrong Bubs?”

Yelena frowns at her. “You have never called me that before.”

“What’s wrong Yelena.”

“Why is there four plastic places?”

“That’s what Clint’s kids are used to. Do you want me to change it for you?”

“Please.”

Natasha removes the set from the spot that she assumes is Yelena’s and takes them to the kitchen to trade them for the ceramic and glass counterparts. Laura raises a questioning brow which earns a gentle head tilt from Natasha towards Yelena. She gives Yelena the new place setting and she carefully takes it to the dining room.

“She is used to having the same plate as me, we don’t have a different set for her back home because she’s a kid. Shit, should I?” Natasha says to Laura.

“It’s okay. Cooper goes back and forth on kids and adult place setting. I want her comfortable.” Laura smiles. “She’s a good kid, timid and wary, but good. That goodness is what matters most. The trust she has in you and Bobbi is extremely important.”

“I forgot you went to school for psychology.”

“Most people do, and while you’re freaking out know that you are doing so good with her. I haven’t spent any time with her or know her, but she looks at you with absolute trust. Like a child looks at their parent.”

“I’m not, she’s just, do you think?” Natasha stammers.

“Time. Everything takes time.”

“Can I help more?” Yelena asks from the door.

Chapter Text

Yelena sat between Bobbi and Natasha. Laura and Clint were on opposite ends of the table and their kids sat on the other side from Yelena. Everyone had food on their plates, the kids and Clint also had mounds of ketchup beside their sandwiches. Natasha was curious how the grilled cheese would go over with Yelena, they were greasy and finger food which did not always go well with the kid. Yelena picked up a piece and immediately set it down and shakes her hand trying to get rid of the feeling on her fingers. Bobbi grabs a wet wipe to hand to Yelena who quickly wipes off her hand and moves onto the soup.

“You don’t like grilled cheese?” Cooper asks. “Who doesn’t like grilled cheese?”

There’s a bunch of things that Yelena wants to say, how smart people or people who care what they put into their body don’t. She wants the boy to back off but doesn’t want to upset Laura who has been really nice to her so far.

“Yelena has ADHD so she can be more sensitive to textures and sounds, greasy things are things she doesn’t like to touch,” Natasha explains. “Like Bobbi but she has different textures she doesn’t like.”

“Oh. Sorry Yelena.”

Yelena doesn’t understand why he is apologizing so she nods. She likes the borscht that Laura made, it tastes like home. When lunch is over Bobbi and Clint clear the table and clean up in the kitchen, Laura has her kids put on their shoes, well she puts the shoes on the baby. Natasha follows her lead and has Yelena put her shoes on and gets ready to go outside.

“What are we doing?”

“I think Laura wants to give you a tour of outside, boundaries that she has for her kids that I would like you to follow, and show you some animals.” Natasha smiles.

“The dog?”

“Belle will most likely follow us everywhere when we are outside,” Laura says.

Yelena is hot, but she refuses to take the sweater off, she feels safe in Natasha’s clothes even if they don’t fit and have not tactical or ballistic protection. Belle the dog follows them like Laura had said, going between walking beside Yelena and her owner. Laura lead the group around the property and explained the rules. How as long as they could see the house they could play there, except the pasture with the bull and the pond. They were only allowed to swim in the pond with adult supervision, which Yelena thought was really dumb. The barn and shop was off limits to play in, there were sometimes needs to go in and get things or do things in both but they were not places to play. Yelena didn’t understand those rules, how were her kids going to learn if they had no risk of injury. Kids learn best by learning how to do dangerous things safely on their own without adult interference.

“The perimeter of the property which goes far beyond what you can see all has sensors. Nothing and no one can come here without my knowledge or allowance.” Laura explains.

“You could block Clint from coming home?” Yelena smiles.

“If I wanted to stop him, yes. It is secure and safe.”

Lila shows off the chicken coop and the goats and sheep who are in the pasture beside them. Yelena isn’t sure how she feels about the chickens or how they kind of swarm people when they’re in the pen, but she likes the sheep and goats a lot. She has seen horses on shows and in fields far away, but when they’re close they are huge and intimidating, Yelena doesn’t know if she likes them or not. She likes the cows though, thinks they look stupid and that’s the charm.

When Laura sends he kids off to play Yelena stays with her and Natasha. Lila tries to get her to come along but she tells them she’s too grown up which makes Natasha laugh. Yelena sits under a tree in the shade with the dog. Natasha goes with Laura to the garden where they can still see all of the kids.

As Natasha helps Laura weed the garden before picking some vegetables and fruit for dinner she watches Yelena. Yelena watches Lila and Cooper run around the playground, swinging, climbing, and going down the slide. Yelena over time slowly moves closer, curious but not willing to actually join.

“If you want to swing I could push you,” Cooper offers when he sees Yelena close to the sanded area of their at home playground. “I’m really good at it, I push Lila and Nate all the time.”

“No thank you, I am good.” Yelena shrugs.

“You speak many languages like Mom and Bobbi. Lila and I learn Spanish is school.”

“If you can speak Spanish you can learn French and Italian easy, and Portuguese.”

“How many languages can you speak?”

“Less than Natasha, um, fifteen I think. Natasha can speak over twenty.”

“That’s so cool. You sure you don’t want to play something with us? We could play tag or grounders or something, though Nate can’t play but he will just keep playing in the sand.”

“I do not know what either of those are.” Yelena shrugs then turns to shout, “Natasha, what is tag and grounders?”

“They’re games Yelena, Coop can explain them.” Natasha shouts back with a smile.

Yelena looks to Cooper as he explains tag but doesn’t like the sound of that game— to easy and similar to tactical drills back in the Red Room. Grounders sounds like a challenge. It is like tag with one person it, and you can have your eyes open on the ground but if you’re it and on the structures you have to have your eyes closed. Those who are not it have to stay on the structure, if the it person thinks they’re on the ground they say grounders and if someone is caught they become it. Cooper leads Yelena around the playground, showing her different things and how to get up easy in certain areas. Lila joins them when Cooper says they’re going to play grounders and is happy when her brother says he’ll be it first.

Yelena is quick to figure out how to move fast and quietly on the structures so no one can feel her vibrations or hear her movements. Lila and Cooper run heavy and sloppy, easy to tell if they are on the structures or not. Yelena memorizes the structures and watches where the other two go and how they move. There is also a twelve foot gap from one structure to another and Yelena has been sizing up whether she could make the jump or not.

Yelena lets Lila tag her so that she can see if the strategy she has created will work. She is quick to climb onto the nearest structure and closes her eyes. She takes her shoes and socks off so she can feel the vibrations of movement in the metal. It isn’t against the rules, she is using her skills and abilities to win. She waits till the vibrations stop and calls grounders, getting both of them out. Every time she is it she gets them out in thirty seconds, and they get kind of frustrated with her abilities fast. When they seem done Yelena just shrugs, grabs her shoes to go back up to Natasha and Laura with Belle.

“Hey, were you having fun?” Natasha asks.

“They do not understand tactics. Heavy footed and breathe heavy. Easy game to win.”

“The point is not to win, it is fun Lena.”

“I do not understand fun.”

“I know you don’t.”

“Then why do you ask if I am having fun when I would not know how to identify it.”

“Did you want to smile and laugh while you played the game?”

“It was like tactical training, they failed.”

“Yeah, okay. We shall try something else later. How about we go inside so you can shower and change before we do anything else today?”

“Okay.”

Natasha takes Yelena inside and up to her room where she sends her to shower while Natasha gets her a change of clothes for when she’s out. While she waits for Yelena to finish washing up she texts Maria to see when she can join them— which will be soon according to Maria. 

News is that she will come and collect Natasha and Clint, they will go take down the Red Room, and then return for some decomp time at the farm. The other news is that Melina is bargaining and trying to make a deal with Fury, she helps take down the Red Room and gets all information to them and she is let off the hook to live with Alexei in Ohio. Not great news, but if Yelena never knows then everything should be good.

“You are acting odd. No normal person smiles at their phone that much.” Yelena frowns.

Natasha looks up at her sister, seeing her dressed and ready for the the rest of the day. Natasha’s room is across the hall from Yelena’s, Bobbi’s beside Yelena and connected to her through a shared bathroom. It’s the best set up with fast travel time in case Yelena has some of her notorious nightmares.

“Do you want to help with dinner or do you want to watch something or play a game with the Barton’s?” Natasha asks.

“What are you going to do?”

“You want me to stay with you?”

“Yes please.”

“You can choose and we will do that.”

“I liked cooking.”

The pair go downstairs and pass by the living room where everyone is lounging. Clint has the remote and is flicking through shows on Disney.

“Kid, do you want to pick what we watch?” Clint asks.

“Bobbi usually picks the movie if it comes from Disney.” Yelena shrugs. “I do not care what is put on, I was going to go with Natasha and help.”

“Laura won’t be starting dinner for a while, come sit. How does everyone feel about the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh? It is Nathanial friendly.”

Everyone agrees quickly. Yelena sits next to Bobbi, on the other side of the room of the other kids. She sees Lila and thinks of all the other girls in the Red Room, the ones she trained against and ones she had to kill when they failed their purpose. Lila is also a reminder of what her life could have been if she had a family, if she had a mom or dad or both and if they cared enough to keep her safe. Natasha is like a mom or dad, but she’s also just Natasha, the one who saved her and likes to remind her that they’re sisters from a time Yelena does not remember. Maybe if Natasha was a mother then the Red Room would have ended faster, but they had Melina as one and she was horrible.

“Are you okay?” Bobbi whispers.

“I am always okay. I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about things you should share?”

“Why do some kids get this and I had what I got?”

Yelena doesn’t speak that quietly, she speaks loud enough for Laura and Natasha to hear her from the couch they’re sitting on. Clint picks up on the change of mood in the room and quickly collects his kids for a quick trip to town for some ‘things’. The women in the room know that it is an excuse, Yelena is curious what he will bring home from town.

“Can you explain more for me?” Bobbi asks once Clint’s truck is far in the distance.

“Lila looks no different than half of the girls in my year or the years around me. No different than the girls I have fought and killed.”

“And she has this life which is one you have never seen before.” Natasha finishes the thought. “I understand, Yelena. You can’t be angry or upset with her though for that.”

“I am allowed to be upset, you said all feelings are okay.”

“You are allowed to be upset and angry and sad, but you are not allowed to be angry at someone over something no one can control. You know who we can be mad at? We can be mad at Dreykov. We can be mad at Melina. We can be mad at Alexei. Do you understand?”

“Here people understand things I do not. I do not like that either.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“You don’t have to feel pressured to hang around or play with Lila, she knows things were not easy for you where you came from. We want things easy for you considering this is all new, and new is scary. You do so good with Natasha and Bobbi, and I hope soon you can trust me and Clint enough to feel safe being here.” Laura says.

“And you are doing so good for this being your first day. I saw you playing with Cooper and Lila earlier on the playground. It looked like fun.” Bobbi says.

“They did not like the game when I won, but they were loud so it was easy.” Yelena sighs. “I do not understand why they want to play if they are not happy learning the tactical skills from playing the game.”

“How about we all make dinner, and after dinner and dessert we can play a game like Monopoly or Trouble.” Laura suggests. “You can see what fun and competition means here in America with us normal boring people.”

They move to the kitchen, though Yelena and Natasha are made to sit at the island while Laura makes Bobbi help the most. Yelena and Natasha get to help cut things up and Yelena sets the table all on her own.

While they waited for dinner to be done and for Clint and the kids to get back the alarm system was set off and Laura switched personalities right in front of Yelena. The calm and happy mother turned into a cold and aware spy, she went over to a tablet on the wall to bring up the cameras and sensors to see a quinjet flying above the property.

“Are we expecting company?” Laura asks.

“Maria, she is coming to possibly collect me and Clint for something. Nothing is in the books yet though.” Natasha sighs looking at Yelena.

“You are leaving?” Yelena frowns.

“No. Nothing is set yet.”

“I may be dumb with English, but yet means it will happen. Correct?”

“Correct.”

“I am going with you.”

“No, you are staying with Bobbi and Laura. This is not a conversation or argument we are having. Clint and I need to finish something with Maria. I need you safe.”

“No you don’t get to choose. I choose. I choose for both of us!” Yelena shouts.

Yelena runs out of the house through the side door in the kitchen and runs. She doesn’t run far because she doesn’t really want to break the rules or make anyone mad, so she goes to the side of the barn where there is just a few piles of hay and no animals and curls into a ball, Belle follows her and curls in next to her to keep her safe.

Chapter Text

Maria had been around for a week and Yelena wasn’t talking to Natasha. Every night when they though everyone was asleep Maria, Natasha, Clint, and Bobbi would talk about the plan and the intel that Fury was getting from Melina. The current plan was for them to leave within the next forty eight hours, gather the rest of the team from DC and then head to Russia. The problem with their plan is they believed everyone to be asleep when everyone was definitely not. Yelena had found that the grate in Nate’s room was the best, it was above the room the SHIELD agents talked in so she could hear them clearly and Nate never woke up once he was down. She would wait in her room till she heard Bobbi leave then sneak over to the nursery to stay up to date on all the details of their ill informed plan.

The next morning the group announce that the three of them would be heading out after breakfast, which had Yelena leaving the table in a huff. She finds a way to lock and block both doors that lead into her bedroom and then climbs out the window to get on the quinjet before any of the others can catch her. The night before she stole some throwing knives from Bobbi’s room and her gun, all of which she’s not supposed to have in her room according to Laura’s rules. Yelena finds a place in the quinjet that is hidden and secure enough she’ll be safe for take off and landing, now it’s just a waiting game.

Natasha tries to say goodbye, but when she can’t get into Yelena’s room Bobbi promises that once she comes out she’ll FaceTime her so that she can see Yelena is fine just mopey. Natasha can’t really blame Yelena for locking herself away, this wasn’t supposed to happen in the middle of the farm trip; however, the sooner she leaves and deals with the Red Room the sooner she can live her life with Yelena and do actual good for the world.

“Yelena?” Clint asks as Natasha boards the plane.

“Hiding in her room, won’t talk to anyone.” Natasha sighs and sits down. “Let’s head out, grab everyone, and get this over with. Steve was getting the team there for noon and Coulson is meeting us over the Atlantic with the Bus.”

“We can call Laura and Bobbi from the Bus, check in on her then so you’ll have a quiet space to see Yelena.” Maria says and she closes the ramp and takes off. “She’s in the best hands possible, Nat. Now we are going to make the world as safe as possible for her.”

“Yeah. Yeah you’re right.”

Yelena curled in further to herself. She is wholly aware that once she is found out that they will all be quite upset with her, but if they’re joining up with the Bus there will be hundreds of places to hide on it till Russia and then she can get out and help take everything down because by then no one can stop her or send her back when they’re in Russia. She falls asleep on the way to DC, only waking up when she hears voices she’s never heard before.

“Earth’s mightiest heroes, yet you have never moved against Russia before,” Alexei says.

“Why did we bring the oversized Russian bear?” Tony Stark asks.

“He knows the facilities Stark, we need as much of that as possible?” Natasha says.

“Which is why you’ve left the rugrat at some safe house when she’s the one who has been there most recently?”

“Fuck off, Stark. It’s for her safety.”

“Which is why I’m here?” Bruce Banner asks.

“You’re here to work with FitzSimmons on the Bus. We have the cure to the chemical subjugation but we need to take it from little vials to large scale mass area release. The original idea was stick some to a grenade or something but Simmons doesn’t want to dilute the formula we have.” Maria explains.

“Sounds good, I’ve heard a lot of good things about FitzSimmons.”

Thor and Steve were sat closest to Yelena’s hiding spot, from which she had the perfect vantage point through a crack to see Melina and Alexei. Both Russians had their hands cuffed in front of them, locking them into where they were sat.

“We’ll be meeting up with the Bus in an hour,” Clint announces from the cockpit. “It looks like Bobbi has been trying to reach us so we can call her back from there.”

“Do you think something’s wrong?” Natasha asks.

“It is Yelena, she is probably hiding in the smallest crevice she can find and will stay there until she needs to eat or go to the bathroom. She did it as a toddler and she did that when she was eight and we were in Tel Aviv. This is Yelena’s way of dealing with things she cannot control.” Melina says.

“You’re absolutely sure?” Natasha asks.

“She hides, she doesn’t run Natasha. You’re the runner.”

“I don’t like her,” Sharon Carter frowns at Melina.

“Join the club,” Clint and Maria both say.

“I am here helping, am I not?” Melina asks offended.

“You also sold Yelena back to the Red Room for your freedom. I don’t think you’re in the place to justify yourself. You are here because you fucked up and are trying to not live out the rest of your day in the RAFT like Dreykov. Piss off or anyone else on the right side of this team and I will make sure that you end up there anyways.” Maria shouts. “She is a child. You don’t sell children for your own personal gain, you take care of them and love them.”

“Breathe Masha, come sit with me,” Natasha steps in front of Maria so she doesn’t charge Melina. “You kill her you can’t send her to your underwater prison.”

“I have gone through the Red Room twelve times.”
“I don’t think anyone on the ship cares, Rasputin,” Stark says. “I’d stay quiet before anyone tries to kill you.”

Everyone falls quiet for the rest of the trip to the bus where they dock and then transfer to the main plane. Yelena waits till she’s certain everyone is gone before she crawls out of her space and looks around to see that the exit is through a ladder. Yelena climbs down and quietly moves around the bus, hiding when she hears people coming close.

“Why are you hiding?” Daisy whispers, coming up behind Yelena.

“Where did you come from?” Yelena stomps her foot.

“Watch your back. Why are you skulking around?”

“Why are you not mad?”

“Why would I be?”

“You were not a part of any briefings of the mission.”

“I skimmed.”

“I do not understand how you have this job when you never seem to take this seriously.”

“Ha ha.”

“Tell no one you saw me or I will mess with all the fun electronics where you tell me no.”

“Fine. People are looking for you though.” Daisy smirks, nodding down the hall.

“Shit.”

Yelena turns around to see the blonde from the plane with May. Daisy is blocking her exit and she seriously weighs the options of kicking her hard to be able to get away.

“Don’t do it, Yelena,” May warns.

“Way to ruin the fun.” Yelena pouts.

“I like you, spunky. You may be my favourite Romanoff.” Sharon smiles.

“Bobbi is my favourite blonde.”

“We have her down by the comms center,” May says into her mic. “Want us to bring her up or wait here?” May hums in agreement to something she hears then looks at Yelena with a raised brow. “You gonna walk with us or will we have to carry you?”

“Depends, on a scale of one to ten how mad is she?”

“Like fifty, at least.” Daisy snorts.

“Come now Johnson, don’t scare the kid,” Sharon teases. “She’s not mad she’s worried. She went into a frenzy when Bobbi told her you were nowhere at the safe house she tried to take over the Bus to turn around.”

“You still have the bracelet on kid, we just had to ping it to see you were here.” May smiles. “Now come, before she thinks we’re lying and comes down to us.”

Yelena follows May next to Sharon with Daisy following behind them.

“Who are you?” Yelena asks.

“Agent 13.” Sharon smiles.

“Daisy?”

“Sharon Carter, who also goes by Agent 13. She is related to the famed Peggy Carter.”

“Who?”

“Again, I think she’s my favourite Romanoff.” Sharon says.

“My last name is Belova. Natasha is my guardian sister person.”

“Like she’s your guardian or she adopted you?”

“Adopted.”

“So she’s your Mom.”

“Mom’s have to birth you, or be like Melina and pretend for missions and assignments.”

“Hey,” Daisy grabs Yelena’s shoulder making her stop and face her. “Is that what you think a Mom is?”

“Yes? Is that not correct?”

“Parent’s don’t just have to be those who gave you life. Adoption is someone choosing to be the parent of a child who has no one. I’m adopted and I call my adopted parents Mom and Dad because that’s who they are to me.”

“Who are your parents?”

“May and Coulson.”

“But you call them May and Coulson, and your last name is Johnson.”

“May and Coulson at work unless I want to bug them, and I kept Johnson as some of my history and they were okay with that.”

“Come on you two, heart to hearts can happen after I see Red’s head explode.” Sharon sings. “She’s asking what’s taking so long.”

Yelena rolls her eyes and starts to drag her feet the closer they get to the stairs to take them up to the lounge— so much so, that May gives up and hauls Yelena up over her shoulder and carries her the rest of the way while she wiggles and whines.

Natasha runs across the lounge when she sees the group enter and pulls Yelena into her arms and turns her so that she can look over the kid and make sure that everything is okay physically with her. Tears run down her cheeks which Yelena see and wipes away for her, she’s confused as to what made her sister cry.

“You are calling Bobbi and Laura and apologizing for sneaking off,” Natasha says.

“This is about me too. I deserve to be here.” Yelena pouts.

“I do not care right now. It is my job to look after you. Bobbi and Laura were going mental looking for you. You are a child, Yelena. You need to listen to us, to me.”

“Are you crying because you are mad?”

“I am crying because I am relieved. Before we pinged your bracelet I thought they had gotten you again. I thought something awful happened. My head kept coming up with all of these ideas of what could be wrong and the whole time you were just being impulsive.” Natasha nods at Daisy who video calls Bobbi. “She’s fine, safe. Just dumb and impulsive.”

“I am not dumb and impulsive. You are dumb to think you could stop me.”

“I’ll grab Laura.” Bobbi sighs. “It’s good to see you’re alright Yelena.”

Laura rushes into screen and sighs. “You scared us all to death Little One. You cannot do this to me again. I was so worried about you.”

“You were? Why?” Yelena asks.

“Yelena, what do you have to say.” Natasha interrupts.

“I am sorry for running away and barricading my room so you could not get in easy. The intention was not to upset you or anyone, it was to help.” Yelena says sincerely.

“We accept your apology, Yelena. We understand. Let’s just not make a habit out of this, alright? And come home safely. I want you to be here when the puppies are born.” Laura smiles.

“I’ll make May fly the plane faster or I will fly faster myself so we can get to Russia and back in time.”

“Daisy is going to patch me into Comms so I can help from here.” Bobby says.

Natasha makes Yelena take a nap and rest for the flight. An hour before they land in Ukraine she gets to join everyone in the conference room and is introduced to everyone she does not know. Yelena is determined to find a time away from Natasha to try and lift Thor’s hammer after she had firmly staunched her attempts during the meeting. Yelena is fascinated by Bruce Banner, bugging him with questions in the lab while she waits for Natasha to change. Yelena thought ahead and dressed in her Widow suit under her clothes, ready for anything.

Tony Stark and Yelena were not a pair than anyone was really prepared for. They were either a team of sass or arguing with each other— no in between. Yelena was truly fascinated by his brain and how he made things work, but was not a fan of his ego or arrogance.

Everyone who was going to the Red Room was loaded on the quinjet, the only ones staying behind were FitzSimmons and Bruce. Melina and Alexei were loaded into the quinjet first while Natasha and Maria made sure to keep Yelena away from the pair.

“We’re prepping for landing,” May announces to everyone in the back.

Yelena looks around and moves up to the cockpit and looks at the altimeter, “We’re too low to be landing.”

“What are you talking about, Kid. We’re at the coordinates,” Clint says.

“It is not on ground or underground. It is around twenty thousand ish feet.”

“It’s in the air?” May asks.

“Yeah. It is like a city in the clouds.” Yelena points up through the glass to a mass formation of dark clouds that when looked at closely are out of place. “The ones that are on ground are the schools in Sokovia, Ukraine, Belarus, St.Petersburg, Moscow, and Yekaterinburg.”

“Remind me again why the kid wasn’t in on the planning earlier?” Stark asks.

May corrects the flight path, taking them around and up till they come through the clouds to the the monolith of a station floating amongst the clouds. Natasha, Coulson, and Maria all threaten Melina to give up any other information she has been lying and hiding from the rest of the team. There wasn’t really anything else Melina had to offer that Yelena hadn’t said back on the bus. Natasha and Maria had the goal of getting to the General and his office.

“Melina, can you land the thing?” Steve asks.

“Yes, I helped design some of the mechanisms used.” Melina answers.

“If you weren’t evil and someone that is an enemy I would love to have you at Stark Industries for your brain.” Stark says, helmet open on his suit.

“Senior Widows will be in combat training, mid level will be in conditioning, and junior level will be in firearms which are all marked on the map. All Widows here will be over sixteen, all lethal,” Natasha reaffirms. “Everyone here has the antidote, which won’t help against guards or soldiers, but the goal is to free the widows. Guards will shoot to kill, all black uniforms with helmets so you cannot see their faces, and you cannot hold back with them.”

“Are we really setting the man of lightening free on a metal floating air ship?” Yelena asks. “I mean I am sure he is handy but it does not seem safe.”

“He knows his limits, and we may need him.”

“I feel like I have been waiting my whole life for this.”

“Me too.”

The jet lands on the long landing pad, and everyone moves to get ready.

Chapter Text

Yelena snuck away from Daisy fast once they were inside. She’d go back once she had what she was coming for. She would go back and help the others once she had the special serum that Melina had told her about. All serums, drugs, and medications are kept in the main hub of the Red Room— close to the General so he can remain in control and schools couldn’t over dose the girls in their care.

“Daisy, if you keep talking at me and expecting me to answer it stops the mission from being stealth. Shut up, I will talk when I am done.” Yelena whispers into her comms link.

Yelena finds cold storage and takes down four soldiers on her own, breaking their necks so it is fast and efficient with no mess. She finds a large bag and starts to put all the different serums she finds into it, and then she finally finds the one that she believes is hers, on a high shelf in a locked fridge. She makes sure to keep the pouches in the clear box they’re kept in once she’s broken into the fridge and makes sure everything is safe in the bag before heading back to Daisy. While on her way back she has to take down five more guards, two who tag team her and almost slit her throat but she manages. The best thing about fighting guards and soldiers is that they are much more reliant on their weapons than hand to hand combat, and when fighting they are heavy on their feet and slow in their movements.

Yelena walks up to Daisy with blood dripping down her neck and a bag the size of herself, leaving the adult staring at her with her eyes wide.

“I need you to take this back to the quinjet.” Yelena says.

“No, you take it.” Daisy argues.

“You need to take it and tell May it is utmost importance for keeping it safe. Melina cannot get her hands on it. I passed some Widows down in detention I need to get out, you can’t come. You need to help Daisy, teamwork and all that dumb stuff Phil Coulson says.”

“I heard that,” Coulson says through comms.

Daisy takes the bag and gives Yelena the rest of her antidotes before leaving for the jet. The whole complex shutters, jolts and rocks.

“Okay everybody, slight change of plans. I have completely demolished one of the engines and we are going into a controlled crash.” Melina announces through comms.

“None of what you said sounds controlled,” Yelena says.

Natasha finds herself outside of the General’s office hovering, the last time she was in there was nearly two years ago when she was assigned the mission that lead her to Clint and SHIELD. The large doors open in front of her and General Dreykov is sat at his desk, waiting for her. He has security cameras up on the screen watching SHIELD and Yelena move throughout his base and take down his empire.

“You know you cannot kill me Natasha,” He says.

“I’m not going to kill you. That’s much too kind.”

“Ah, I see, so what is the plan?”

“SHIELD has a prison cell with your name on it. You will never see the light of day again. You won’t hurt another girl again.”

“I’m sure.” He smiles. “All of this betrayal, betraying your country and your people, all for a child you went on a mission with a decade ago. I operate a system that utilizes the worlds most disposed of asset, girls. I gave you a use and a purpose. Most of these girls would be dead if I hadn’t stepped in. You would have died in the gutter. Yelena, the kid you have given up everything for, would have starved to death her first year of life. You would be nothing without me, you should be grateful.” Natasha raises her fist to hit him but freezes, unable to actually throw the punch. She pulls her gun and points it at his head but can’t find it within herself to pull the trigger. “Melina helped me create this, a pheromone that stops all Widows from being able to hurt me, even herself. It’s what lead us into the mission in Ohio with the North Institute, into the drug that allows us to control the hundreds of Widows under my thumb.”

“Good thing she didn’t come alone then,” Clint says from the door, shooting an arrow into Dreykov’s shoulder. “Why do bad guys love monologuing so much?”

Clint pulls the arrow out of his shoulder and handcuffs the general. Natasha removes his ring and logs into his systems and starts to download everything onto a hard drive that Daisy had given her.

Steve and Maria enter the office, Steve leaves quick with Clint to take the General up to the jets. Maria joins Natasha by the computers and watches as the download slowly moves towards complete. The whole building jolts before it feels like a free fall.

“Everyone needs to evacuate now if you haven’t. Clint and Steve each have jets filled with Widows and we let the older ones take their own.” May says through comms.

“I need two more minutes,” Natasha says. “Who has Yelena?” Natasha shares a look with Maria when no one answers. “Daisy, where is Yelena. She was paired with you.”

“She went to free someone. Told me to take some things back to the jet and protect them. She said it would be quick.” Days hesitantly says.

“Maria I need you to finish the upload and get to the jet. If we are not there in five minutes I need you to take off. We will be fine. When we’re safe I will send word for you to come and get us. I need you to promise me.” Natasha says, cupping the taller woman’s face.

“I’m not leaving you on a falling death thing.” Maria argues.

“Please. I swear I will see you soon. I love you.”

Natasha runs before she gets an answer, scared to not hear those three words back and scared that something serious has happened to Yelena.

“Nat, one of the girls with me says she was by secure unit A, if that means anything. She says she’s with Antonia.” Steve says through comms.

Natasha huffs and runs as fast as she can through the tilting halls. She’s praying Yelena is okay. She’s praying Maria gets out. She’s never prayed so she has no clue who or what she is praying to but she just wants it all to end. Natasha gets to the Secure Units and finds wing A, only to see Yelena sat criss cross on the floor in front of a glass door.

“What are you doing?” Natasha shouts.

“The antidote won’t work with her mask on, but she won’t take the mask off so I can’t let her out without her trying to kill me. I tried already,” Yelena offers. “It’s Antonia, we have to help her Nattie.”

“We will. Are there any parachutes in the area?”

Yelena nods and moves over to one of the guard cupboards and collects three parachutes and brings them over. Natasha first straps Yelena in, making sure she is secure before strapping herself in and letting Yelena check. Once both sisters are happy they set the third by the door and open it, freeing the tall and muscular Widow from her cell.

“You run and jump, once you’re on the ground make sure you are clear of everything before you wait for me.” Natasha orders as they run and lead Antonia to an exit. “I will find you, just wait for me.”

“The helmet controls are in her right arm.” Yelena says.

The complex is breaking apart and groaning, the left over engines giving up. Yelena dives through the air, attempting the weave and dodge through the metal and glass falling through the skies. The Red Room is breaking apart into pieces as it falls from the skies, the clouds that surrounded it earlier have dissipated to open up to blue skies.

Natasha is close behind, leading Antonia through the air as the Widow tries to kill her. She watches Yelena fall through the obstacle course of the sky and flinches when she sees her sister get clipped in the head by a piece of metal. Natasha can tell Yelena is conscious for a moment, long enough to pull her chute open before he whole body goes lax and she is no longer in control of her fall. Natasha tries to redirect to get to Yelena but is slammed into from behind, tackled in the air by Antonia.

“Natasha, if you can hear me we have eyes on Yelena and will get to her.” Maria says through comms. “Focus on you. We have Jemma and Bruce prepped in medical for both of you.”

Natasha wraps her legs around Antonia’s neck, very aware of how low they’re getting, and manages to grab her arm and open the helmet. She grabs one of the antidotes from her belt and sprays it in Antonia’s face before pulling the disoriented Widow’s chute. Natasha pushes away from Antonia to pull her own chute and controls her descent towards where she had last seen Yelena. The SHIELD quinjet is already on the ground when Natasha makes it there. Natasha lets out the first half of their whistle and bristles when she doesn’t hear anything in return. She eventually finds Yelena on the ground slightly tangled in the ropes of the chute. Natasha gently untangles her sister and brushes hair out of her face.

Yelena opens her eyes and looks at Natasha. “Why are you upside down?”

Natasha laughs and cries in relief, pulling Yelena into her arms. “You scared me to death out there.”

“Does that mean we cannot sky dive again? It was fun.”

“Lets get your head looked at first, and maybe when you’re sixteen.”

“My head hurts.”

“I bet, you took a pretty nasty hit to it.”

Yelena wraps her legs and arms around Natasha tight, holding onto her sister for comfort and security. Stark lands next to the sisters and opens his helmet so they can see his face. He has JARVIS do a full body scan on both of them to send to Bruce and Jemma in preparation.

“Looks like she’ll need some stitches,” Stark says.

“Thanks.” Natasha nods. “Ready to get back?”

“Did you help Antonia?”

“I did. I don’t know where she went though. We need to get to the quinjet and I want Simmons to look at your head.”

Maria and May run over to the them, through the rubble of what was a very impressive sky base. Maria wraps her arms around both sisters. Yelena can hear her whisper something into Natasha’s other ear but can’t make out what. The group heads to the quinjet and loads up, May explains how they saw Antonia get picked up by some of the other girls. Melina and Alexei both appear to be moderately injured which makes Yelena slightly happy but she won’t show it till they’re gone and she never has to see them again.

“Good to see everyone got out okay,” Natasha says.

“I am clearly injured.” Melina frowns.

“Not enough,” Yelena shrugs.

Chapter Text

The group decided to decompress and debrief in Kyiv while they waited for the helicarrier to hover over the city. Yelena was excited, more so than anyone else. She had spent three months in the Ukrainian capital a year ago to take out three marks. She lived in an apartment with an older Widow on Maiden Square, when she went to the McDonald’s there with the group she pointed it out. She was bright and animated, and had a list of a dozen things she wanted to do with Natasha, Maria, Daisy, Jemma, and May— the others could come to but they were the ones she was most interested in.

“Tomorrow we need to go to at least one church and maybe a museum. There is a restaurant that is over by St. Andrews descent that is one of my absolute favourites. The Mikhail Bulgakov museum is over there too, it is interesting and full of old things like Steve.” Yelena says. “I want it to be best trip ever. Then next time we come over we can bring Bobbi and Laura so they can see everything too.”

“Who gave her sugar?” Natasha asks, seriously.

“It was like four bites of my ice cream.” Daisy shrugs.

“You really like it here, Kid. Don’t you?” Maria smiles.

“We also need to go to the ballet. They are the best I have ever seen, and the only I have ever seen. I saw them do Nutcracker and it was the most spectacular. Nattie could be a ballerina like them. She has the talent for it.”

“How about you make a list of the ten things we absolutely have to do and we will do them, okay?” Stark offers.

“Well, some I do not want to do till Bobbi is here.” Yelena pouts.

“Regretting your choice of running away from her, Baby Assassin?”

“Regretting?” Yelena looks up at Maria.

“Sad or disappointed over something that has happened.” Maria explains. “Go run and catch up with Clint.”

Yelena shrugs and runs ahead. Leaving Natasha to look at Maria with a raised brow.

“You have called Fury and have requested Bobbi haven’t you?” Natasha smiles.

“Laura and the kids are coming too.” Maria says. “And before you say anything I checked with Laura and Clint first. They’ll be here tonight and will be here for a week, while the Avengers take down a Hydra base in Sokovia.”

“Why are we doing that now?” Thor asks.

“Because the base is connected to the Sokovian based Widow school, and Von Strucker is there right now.”

“Coulson and his team are staying here?” Natasha asks.

“They will be remote back up.” Maria nods. “They will look after her.”

“She’s going to be pissed.”

“Do we start taking bets now on if she follows us on this mission?” Stark smirks.

“She won’t.”

“Nattie come on! The music fountains will start soon!” Yelena shouts in Ukrainian.

“She really is in her element here,” Steve smiles.

“Yeah, she is.” Natasha smiles. “I think she was in the Kyiv school for a while before it was moved out of the city. Her Ukrainian sounds native, and the Matrons would have been locally sourced.”

Natasha leaves Maria and the group of Avengers to scoops up Yelena and hugs her tight, making the girl giggle and hug her sister back. Music starts to play loudly over the speakers, the fountains light up, and the water starts to dance. The large group hangs around and watches the fountains before they go to the hotel for dinner on the top floor. Tony had rented the fancy restaurant at double the cost so they did not have to follow a dress code and had more privacy and allowed Yelena to join everyone.

Yelena walks over to Tony and Steve by the bar and looks at what they have in their hands. She looks and the glasses that clearly have alcohol in them then looks up at Tony— who she has determined to be highly intelligent but also very dumb.

“Can I have that?” Yelena asks, offering her biggest smile.

“This has vodka in it kiddo, you’d have to ask Nat.” Stark says.

Yelena shrugs and takes the cup and downs its contents. Natasha runs over, takes the glass and smells it before glaring at the men who just stood by. Natasha picks her up and whacks Tony on the back of the head.

“She’s eleven.” Natasha scolds.

“She took it before I could do anything!” Tony pouts.

“Yelena you cannot drink what the adults drink.”

“I have had it before.” Yelena says. “I like it, makes my head and body buzz.”

“Which is why it is not allowed. It’s a rule. Next time you do this there will be a severe consequence like no Bobbi.”

“No Bobbi?”

“I’ll figure something out, but never again. Not until you’re of legal age. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Yelena frowns. “Can I still get tiramisu?”

“Yes you can still get the tiramisu. Go talk with Daisy and Jemma for a moment please, I need to talk to the boys about something.”

“Excuse you Romanoff, but we are men,” Stark teases.

Yelena nods and lets Natasha set her down to walk over to where Daisy and FitzSimmons sat at a table by the piano. There was no staff member around to play the grand piano so Fitz was trying to convince Jemma to play something. Daisy was bothering her just as much, curious to hear her friend play since she hadn’t before.

“I can play! I learned in ballet.” Yelena says.

“Then you could play.” Daisy smiles.

“My legs are too short for the peddles.”

“Okay, that settles it. You’re up Jem.” Fitz says.

“Okay, okay, fine.” Jemma sighs and sits at the piano. “What do you want to hear?”

“Chopin!” Yelena smiles.

Jemma plays while Yelena watches Natasha talk with Tony, Steve, Clint and Thor. Daisy scoots her chair closer to Yelena to see what she’s staring at, understanding her focus is somewhere else.

“What’s up?” Daisy whispers.

“I think they’re leaving somewhere again.” Yelena sighs.

“For a day, just a quick in and out to Sokovia. She’ll be gone before breakfast and back for dinner. We can go wherever you want that day too, maybe the circus or something.”

“They’re doing the school there?”

“I believe so.”

Yelena gets up and runs over to Natasha who moves her to cover her ears while she continues to talk with the male Avengers.

“I need to go with you to Sokovia. My friend is at that school. I need to be there and help her.” Yelena says loudly. “Please, I will stay on the jet, I will follow all the dumb orders, but I need to be there for her and we can bring her home. Please?”

“Yelena, now is not the time for this. You are doing to stay with Coulson and his team so you can be safe.”

“Please. She is a late admittance. She got separated from her brother and we did assignments together and she is like a sister like you. She looked after me like you. Please Natasha, I need to help her.”

“How do you even know she’s at the Sokovia school?”

“Because she is Sokovian originally, and that is where she was sent after our last assignment together last year.”

“And what if we find her and she doesn’t want to come with us. What if she wants to look for her brother instead?”

“Then I would appreciate the opportunity to say goodbye. Plus we both know that you can say no all you want but I will find a way to come even if you say no.”

“I will talk with Maria when you go to bed, but I make no promises. You will know at breakfast, okay?”

“As long as you promise to not leave in the middle of the night.”

“You can sleep in my bed tonight if you’re so worried.”

Yelena nods and goes back to Daisy so she can eat some food. Once everyone has had food and celebrated the success Tony and Clint leave them, telling Yelena it’s to get the desserts and ice cream ordered. The alcohol hit Yelena while she ate dinner, suddenly very cuddly and spacey with whoever was willing to hold her.

Tony walks into the room with a flourish. “Kid, I want you to remember who your favourite Avenger is. Ta-Da!”

Tony steps to the side and Bobbi walks into the room. Natasha wiggles in May’s hold reaching out for the blonde. Bobbi tilts her head in confusion but goes to May and takes the kid into her arms and hugs her close.

“What happened to her?” Bobbi asks.

“Stark let her down a grown up drink,” May says. “She’s been like this since dinner.”

“Why’d you do that?”

“Dunno, tastes like bees.” Yelena smiles. “Makes my head bubble.”

“Oh I see, and what did Natasha say to that?”

Yelena sits up a bit in Bobbi’s arms to point and gesture wildly. “Don’t you dare do that again Yelena. I say no. Do again and no Bobbi! Blah Blah Blah. Such a Mom.”

“No Bobbi? What the fu—dge does that mean?”

“It means it was the first thing I could think of when she doesn’t have a phone or computer, and she doesn’t like television or toys.” Natasha says, walking up. “By the way Lena, if you behave tomorrow and pay full attention during planning tomorrow night you and Bobbi can come with us to Sokovia.”

“Yes!” Yelena cheers, giving a little fist bump and wiggling happily in Bobbi’s arms.

Clint comes in with Laura and his kids, introducing them to everyone who did not know that they existed. Laura comes over and looks at Yelena before raising a brow at Natasha, having a non-verbal parent conversation.

“I want to hear how this happened later,” Laura says to Natasha before turning to Yelena with a smile. “How are you sweet heart?”

“Buzzy!” Yelena giggles. “What are you doing here? What about Belle?”

“Belle is staying with my friend who is a vet, and we came to surprise you and show the kids some place new. Teach them about a new culture. Do you think you can help me with that?”

“I can help. I know a lot about Ukraine and Russia.”

“I know you do. How about you let Bobbi and your Mom, Natasha, take you down to bed? I bet you’re tired.”

“Tiramisu first. Nattie promised.”

“Well if Natasha promised then we must go get some.” Bobbi smiles, taking Yelena to a seat with Daisy and Maria. Yelena starts to eat, slowly, making Bobbi quietly chuckle. “You need help there, Kid?”

Yelena shakes her head then nods. Bobbi takes the spoon and feeds her slowly, but Yelena doesn’t make it through the full dessert before she’s asleep with her head resting on Bobbi’s shoulder. Natasha joins the table and take Yelena from Bobbi, cradling her in her arms.

“So, I’m going on an assignment. I thought I was here to babysit and vacation with the family.” Bobbi says.

“Yelena made some points I couldn’t argue with. Honestly if she knows some of the Widows we could be facing, when they’re given the antidote it could be easier. There’s a girl there she considers a sister.”

“So we’re bringing more Russian assassins to SHIELD? Tell that to Fury yet, Hill?”

“He’s aware of the possibility. The older Widows and the main base were given the option and ten accepted, the rest have gone off in groups to start new,” Maria says. “If whoever this is wants to come back with us then she can.”

“And what if she wants to come just to be with Yelena? What happens then?”

“Then we take her in on a trial. We’d have rules to keep everyone safe, to keep Yelena safe.” Natasha says. “She considers the girl family, what am I to say to that?”

Yelena starts to toss and turn and huff in her sleep. Natasha cradles her head and pushes her chair back from the table so Yelena doesn’t hurt herself. The men clear out, Laura takes the kids away, and FitzSimmons trail after Coulson— all to give Yelena privacy.

“Lena, Love, you need to wake up my dear.” Natasha hums, rubbing her back. “You’re safe here with me. Love I need you to wake up okay. It’s just a nightmare.”

“No,” Yelena whines with her whole body going rigid. “No, Wanda no. Please. We will get out of here soon.” She cries in Sokovian, catching Natasha by surprise. “I will not let them hurt you again.”

“Yelena, I need you to wake up now,” Natasha says, trying to sit her up more.

“I need to save Wanda.”

Chapter Text

Yelena sat on the quinjet with Bobbi. They were not allowed to enter the field unless Natasha specifically called for them or the quinjet was under attack. It was the only way Yelena was able to join the team on this expedition, and quite frankly Bobbi and Natasha were wary of that— which is why it was Bobbi left with her and not Daisy.

Natasha moved through the base alone, having separated herself from the rest of the team physically so she could be more effective with the Widows and not Hydra— Tony and Steve were focused enough on Hydra. Clint was helping release a lot of the girls, the helicarrier was hovered above them, and Fury had sent five SHIELD teams to help move the kids— because this school had kids between the ages of eight and sixteen.

“We have enhanced in the field.” Steve announces through the comms link. “Just south of the quinjet.”

“What kind of enhanced?” Yelena asks.

“Out here, something fast.”

“I have something else unknown inside the north corridor upper level.” Stark says.

Yelena looks at Bobbi who rolls her eyes and sighs. The woman knows what is about to come out of the kids mouth but really does not want to deal with it.

“Bobbi I need to go.” Yelena insists.

“Not until Natasha says.” Bobbi shakes her head and crosses her arms.

Yelena ignore her and turns on her comms link, “Tony Stark I need your location, I need to get to who is by you.”

“I can put you on speaker kid, but until your mother says you may be released I can’t tell you.” He answers.

Yelena growls. “Fine. Put me on speaker.”

Bobbi hovers by the door, unsure really where to stand but wants to be in a good spot if Yelena gets fed up with this form of communication and tries to bolt.

“Okay Kid, if they’re around they can here you.”

“Wanda, if you can hear me it is Yelena. The tin man is Tony Stark, which you know and I know you hate him but that does not matter right now. I am in a jet in the woods north of the school, leave him and come to me please. Please, Wanda. I need you.” Yelena says in Sokovian, pleading. “I need you Wanda. Please. There is only one person here with me, she’s safe. Just please come to me. Please.”

“Romanoff, what is she saying? I’m only understanding bits?” Bobbi whispers into the closed communications link. “Should I be prepared?”

“I don’t know,” Natasha answers, the frustration seeping through.

Bobbi is knocked over in a blur, Yelena is grabbed and vanishes in the blink of an eye. When Bobbi gets back up she sends out word that she’s vanished and then runs off the jet to start look for her. There are tracks in the snow but with how fast whatever was moving before there is little to no chance of Bobbi actually catching up.

“Leave her, we have a tracker on her we can pick her up after,” Maria orders. “We need to finish what we came her to do.”

“I need Thor in the North Wing, Loki’s sceptre is here.” Tony announces.

“We’ve almost cleared the school. We will reconvene back in Kyiv, gather Coulson and his team, then go look for Yelena.”

Yelena holds onto the man for dear life as the world rushes past her. The speed makes her stomach flutter and ears hurt, but he is not hurting her really and when he sets her down he will see what she is really capable of. He stops in the middle of the city, in a dirty ally that has Yelena scrunching her nose. She punches him in the stomach, making sure to not pull her punch, and makes him fall over and clutch his stomach.

“Well that was uncalled for,” Wanda says, walking into they ally.

“Wanda,” Yelena smiles, running and hugging the teenager.

“That’s Pietro by the way, the brother I have told you about.”

“I thought you said he had brown hair, not white.”

“Well, things change.”

“Does your head still hurt? Is it still loud?”

“No, I’ve been learning to control it. What are you doing here? I know you haven’t been at this school since February.”

“I got back to Natasha, we took down the Red Room, Dreykov is going to rot in a prison in the bottom of the ocean, and I came to break you free.” Yelena pulls the antidote out of her pocket. “I do not know if you are under the subjugation, but in case you are I hope you do not freak out.”

Yelena sprays the red dust in Wanda’s face and is quickly tackled by Pietro who is panicking, thinking that the child has done something to his sister. Wanda pulls Pietro off of Yelena and sits next to the girl in the dirt.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Wanda asks in Sokovian.

“You can come home with me. Natasha already said it was okay. She might make you go to school, but Pietro can come too and it will be warm, and no fighting, and no bad punishments like no hitting,  and we can still stay together.”

“Melina would not allow it, she does not like that you and I are close.”

“Melina is in no good books, she is not allowed around me unless she wants to go to prison like the General.”

“You’re sure?”

Yelena shrugs. “I believe so. Tony Stark is friends with Natasha but we do not live with him, and I am sure if you explain what happened he will be sorry or something, which fixes nothing but he is not the absolute worst.”

“I’m sure we could try. Right Pietro?”

“Sure, sure. I’m hungry. You hungry?” He says.

“I could eat,” Yelena nods. “I also have lots of money so I can pay.”

“Where did you get money?” Wanda asks.

“It is called the bracelet is a tracker and Natasha will be here in at least an hour and she has a lot of money, and Tony Stark has a lot of money, and I think Maria has a lot of money, and Bobbi has some money.”

“So your rescue party has all the money?” Pietro clarifies.

“They will be coming for me, so I have it.”

Wanda holds Yelena’s hand as they move out onto the streets and towards the nicer part of town. Pietro followed the pair, not really trusting the child but he trusts his sister who does seem to know the kid. 

The twins had only been reunited for the past week, before that Wanda was strictly working with the Red Room and Pietro with Hydra. They had been apart for six years, since they were ten and decided somewhere was better than nowhere. Pietro too them being back together seriously and letting his sister go out and trust others, seeing her able to trust others, hurt more than it should. Seeing Wanda love and care for a kid he had never met was hard. It was clear that while they were separated she had people she had been able to click with and care for while he was alone.

Wanda walks over to her brother and whacks him upside the head, “No one is replacing you, you idiot. We just get a bonus little sister who is actually little.” She whisper scolds in Sokovian. “Do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you.” Pietro says.

“Then trust me. I would not be here, I would not be alive if it wasn’t for Yelena. She is the reason I made it through the stone trials last year. She is the reason I didn’t give up in January. I fought for you, but I equally fought for her because she’s ten. She deserves the chances we didn’t and she has that and she promises it’s safe.”

“And how do you think they will react to our abilities?”
“Well Steve Rogers is a super soldier who was froze in ice for like a thousand years. Bruce Banner turns green and mean. Thor is a lightning man from space. Speed and mind powers aren’t much compared to that,” Yelena says. 

“See, nothing to worry about. Now lets go eat and wait and see what happens.” Wanda smiles. “How do you feel about paprikash?”

“I do not know what that is.”

“It’s my favourite, come there is a restaurant ahead that has an amazing version. We used to celebrate out birthdays there.”

Yelena tentatively takes Pietro’s hand in her free one as the trio walk ten blocks to the restaurant that Wanda desired. The owner recognizes the twins, and they lie— they tell the man that they have been living with family and were showing their little cousin around where they grew up. The man believes every word, and Yelena is watching Wanda as she talks to see if she’s just become a really good liar or she’s using her powers.

Their food is being delivered when Natasha, Bobbi, and Clint walk into the restaurant and over to their table. The owner seems excited, believing that they’re the family that Wanda and Pietro were talking about and go to get them some dishes right away.

“You are going to put me in an early grave, Little Love,” Natasha sighs, hugging Yelena tight to her. “You cannot keep doing this to me.”

“I had no control of it this time!” Yelena says offended.

“Sorry, that was us. I thought you were making her say things so I thought it was safer to bring her to me. I had my brother, Pietro, grab her. He wasn’t supposed to hurt anyone, and if he did I am sure he is very sorry,” Wanda says.

Natasha looks at the teenager and offers a smile. “Wanda, I have heard some very nice things about you the last forty eight hours. I’m Natasha, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, she would talk about you a lot earlier this year. Melina though, she talked about you a lot.”

“Of course you know her, well I am sorry about Melina. Thank you for looking after her when I couldn’t.”

“We looked after each other. Three assignments together makes you close, whether the schools liked it or not.”

Yelena offers as spoonful of her food to Natasha who quickly eats it before it spills anywhere. Wanda and Pietro explain their abilities and how they got them to the adults when they get their food and eat. Wanda finds Natasha soothing, all of the adults at the table have controlled and organized minds that don’t give her a headache. She searches their minds for any cruel intentions and find none.

When everyone had finished eating Yelena looked up at Natasha, “I promised you guys would pay.”

“Of course, I still have Tony’s credit card. Do you two want to put in some orders to-go so you have some comfort food for the next few days while we get to know each other? We’re in Kyiv till the end of next week as a bit of a holiday.”

“We’re good, thank you Natasha.” Wanda smiles.

They walk to the quinjet where Maria and May are waiting for them. Natasha hands over food to the two woman who were waiting for them. Maria comes over and hugs Yelena, checking her over for any injuries like Natasha did. Yelena sits up with Maria while they take off and fly, determined to prove she could fly one if she was given the chance.

“You are more her mother than sister,” Wanda observes.

Clint and Bobbi snort and laugh, earning a glare from the Russian assassin. It was thing for that to be pointed out by her friends, but for a relative stranger to say that to her was a tad bit shocking. 

“I guess so,” Natasha says.

“It’s not you, if you think I was assessing you. It is how Yelena talks about you and looks at you. It is how I was with my mother before she died. It is sweet. Yelena needs that in her life, and I think you need that too. Family is important.”

“You’re quite wise for a kid,” Clint says.

“I’m sixteen with more life experience than most adults.” Wanda shrugs. “Both of us do.”

“You are coming of your own volition, right?” Bobbi checks in for the fifth time since the restaurant. “You aren’t doing this just because Yelena asked, cried, or begged.”

“It will be nice to be safe and not cold. She’s a factor but not a decider.” Wanda tries to reassure the woman. “Pietro is more of the decider, we’re a team. He had to be okay with it too.”

“Yeah, that.” Pietro says, lying on the bench seat by Clint. “Did you guys get Von Strucker while you stormed the base?”

“Who?” The three adults all say.

“Von Strucker, one of the heads of Hydra. He leads the science division that created me and Wanda. He was there this week, this morning before you lot showed up.”

Yelena runs to the back and climbs onto Natasha’s lap and nuzzles into her neck. She’s tired, cranky, and upset Maria won’t let her fly the quinjet. Natasha smiles and rubs her back while Yelena takes Wanda’s hand and plays with her fingers.

Chapter Text

Yelena, Wanda, and Pietro were sat on the floor in the hall outside the conference room that Fury had rented out to plan with everyone about Von Strucker. Laura had her kids in bed, and Yelena really should be in bed but she wouldn’t go far from Natasha after they day she’s had. She has her feet in Pietro’s lap and head in Wanda’s. Wanda goes between rubbing her back and running her finger down her nose till she’s slightly dozing off.

“How can we trust them when we are not in the room talking about Von Strucker when we are the ones who have the knowledge.” Pietro says.

“I’m listening in if that makes you feel better,” Wanda whispers. “Their Director Fury, he is worried in a political way, also says we need a guardian or two if we are going to America.”

“Can Natasha not do that? We’re going for the kid who is with her.”

“I don’t think she’s a citizen.”

“So who?”

“That’s what they’re arguing about now.”

“You guys are loud, and if not Nat then probably Phil Coulson or Clint Barton, both are good options.” Yelena whines. “It will be paperwork or if you need a doctor, but you will stay with me and Nattie cause I say.”

“Yeah? And they just listen to you?” Pietro asks.

“I have learned that if I pout or cry they usually do what I say.”

“Devious. I like it. I see why you keep her around.” Pietro teases.

Yelena flicks him in the nose, startling him. “What? You did not see that coming?”

Natasha, Maria, and Clint walk out of the conference room. Yelena make grabby hands for Natasha who quickly scoops her up. The lead the twins into the conference room where Fury and Maria ask them for if they have preferences or expectations. Sharon Carter walks into the room with Melina and Alexei, she had drawn the short straw on having to babysit the two Russians but Fury was talking them up to the helicarrier when he leaves after the meeting. Melina sees the twins and she kind of freezes, Natasha and Yelena catch the change in body language and move between Melina and the twins.

“You’re quite keen on collecting the most dangerous children from the organization aren’t you Natasha,” Melina sneers.

“Well I never let them take my heart.” Natasha says.

“Von Strucker will be after them, will do anything to get his hands on them. His two successes out of hundreds dead. They are to him what Yelena is to me.”

“Which explains why you have it out for me?” Yelena asks.

“I want forms signed before you all fly back next week,” Fury orders, quickly changing the focus. “Hill you have the month off base to organize the living situations.”

Maria stands at attention and nods when she’s addressed. Fury quickly escorts the unwanted Russians from the room before violence breaks out. Sharon sits in one of the seats and puts her feet up on the chair.

“We got more bonus kids, what did I miss?” Sharon smiles.

Steve knocks her feet off the table, “Wanda and Pietro Maximoff will be staying with one of us for the foreseeable future. They were experimented on by—”

“Hydra, I got that from the talk of Von Strucker.” Sharon nods. “So who is taking responsibility? Romanoff?”

“She can’t with how recent her citizenship is.” Maria says. “Clint and Steve have volunteered but both have been sent to talk to their partners before anything is set.”

Sharon nods. “I was thinking of heading out to a movie, anyone want to join?”

Natasha declines and leads the twins and Yelena out of the room and up to her suite with Maria. The suite is a two bedroom with a living room, but it was time to figure out sleeping arrangements. FitzSimmons had gone out and bought clothes for the twins that would get them through the first few days till they could go shopping, and once they were back states side then the twins could get whatever they want.

“So we can do this one of two ways,” Natasha says as the group sat around the dining table in the suite. “Yelena can move into my room with Maria and you two can share the other bedroom; or, Yelena and Wanda share the other room and Pietro can be on the couch. Tell me how you’d like it and we can do that.”

“Why does Yelena not get a say?” Yelena pouts.

“Because Yelena doesn’t care if she gets a cuddle.” Maria smiles. “Come on, let Nat figure them out. You’re dead on your feet and need to get ready for bed.”

“I am not dead, Maria Hill. I am alive, just tired.”

“I know Kid.”

Natasha smiles and kisses the top of Yelena’s head before sending her off with Maria. She then looks back at the twins who haven’t said anything but she knows they’re communicating in their own way. Natasha waits for them to give her a decision, putting on the kettle for some tea.

“I think we’d be more comfortable sharing a room,” Pietro finally speaks up.

“Of course. The clothes that Jemma and Fitz got you should be in that room, get ready for bed and then you can join me for tea if you’d like.” Natasha smiles.

All three of the kids get ready for bed and fall asleep before any of them return for tea. Natasha and Maria take the moments to just sit and cuddle on the sofa. The two women wanted to be close to the teens in case they needed anything and had their bedroom door cracked open so Natasha could have eyes on Maria. After a couple hours Maria goes to bed while Natasha forces herself to stay awake and make sure everyone is okay.

Yelena sits up in bed and looks at the clock to see it is only four in the morning. Maria is asleep beside her and she can see Natasha asleep on the sofa. Yelena crawls out of the covers and gets out of the bed, she pads across the living room to the other bedroom and sneaks in and walks over to Wanda’s side of the bed.

“Wanda. Pssst, Wanda wake up.” Yelena whispers and pokes Wanda’s face. “Wanda please, I had an idea.”

“What is your idea?” Wanda whispers with her eyes closed.

“You can do you mind thing and make Natasha get me a puppy.”

Wanda opens her eyes, looks at the clock then back at Yelena. “That is one of the worst ideas you have ever had.”

“No it is not!”

“It is, and you should be sleeping,” Natasha yawns from the doorway. “Go back to sleep Wanda, come on Yelena."

“Awe, but I am awake.” Yelena walks over to Natasha with a pout and closes the doors behind her. “I am not sleepy.”

“Then we will put the television on and cuddle.”

“Okay, but no sleeping.”

Natasha picks her sister up and lays down on the sofa, Yelena draped across her like a blanket. It’s not long till Yelena’s breaths have evened out and she’s back asleep.

The five sleep through breakfast and the teams morning activities, but join everyone for lunch at a cafe by the Golden Gate. Throughout the meal Yelena tells everyone the importance of the Golden Gate and the historical factors with Wanda’s help when she struggles with some of the English. Cooper is fascinated by Pietro, Lila is happy with Wanda because she is like a bridge to Yelena, and Laura is happy that all the kids are focused on the touristy things and not on the squabbling adults at the other end of the large table.

“There is a ballet tonight showing Sleeping Beauty, and I was thinking of getting tickets for everyone,” Stark announces.

“That sounds wonderful,” Natasha smiles. “Right Yelena?”

“I do not think I have seen that one.” Yelena shrugs the turns serious and looks up at her sister. “We do not have clothes for the opera house.”

“Yeah, missions to Russia did not include formal wear,” Natasha groans.

“That’s true, it means we have to go shopping!” Laura says, trying to make it sound exiting for her end of the table. “It will be so much fun.”

“Your idea of fun is wrong, Mom.” Cooper says. “Last month you said mucking the barn was fun. Before that homework was supposebly a game.”

“Supposedly,” Yelena corrects. “It is a d not a b.”

“Oi, be nice.” Natasha scolds. “You know better than anyone that English can be hard.”

“He grew up speaking English, so he should be able to speak it right. I know the word.”

“Be nice, Yelena. I am not liking the attitude. It is not nice to pick apart someones abilities, how would you feel if anyone at this table made fun of how you speak or your accent?”

They separate into a girls team and a boys team, which surprising does not upset the twins since Pietro really seemed to click with Clint and Cooper. Wanda trusted Natasha and Wanda, who seemed to really trust Clint and Coulson so she let her brother go off with the boys.

The girls went to the Gulliver, a large mall, to search for shoes and dresses or nice clothes if they did not want to wear a dress. Half way walking to the mall Yelena ended up on Maria’s back because she didn’t want to walk anymore and her argument was that everyone had longer legs than her so it was unfair to tire her out so fast.

Shopping lasts most of the afternoon with Maria and Yelena being the most picky with the clothes they wanted. Yelena liked a lot of the clothes that were in the stores, but she wasn’t used to having to dress like a kid and not as an object or idol for men. When they found something for her that she didn’t immediately object to it was a race to the register to buy it before the kid changes her mind. Maria struggles, leading to some very intimate discussions between her and Natasha tucked into corners. Ukraine isn’t exactly unsafe for the couple, but it is still unsafe for the couple— which has some of the other adults standing in front of them and blocking them from view of others.

“We can find a pant suit or formal romper for you, Love,” Natasha whispers. “I know you’re not the most comfortable in dresses.”

“I’m fine in dresses Natasha,” Maria sighs.

“You’re fine in work dresses, not formal when they show off your form more which is okay. Be you.”

Yelena runs over to them, wrapping her arms around Natasha unconcerned with the intimate moment the pair were having.

“Can I get my ears pierced?” Yelena asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet, then she looks up at them. “Are you okay? Do I get to beat someone up?”

“What? Everything is fine, and if you want your ears pierced when we get back to the states then yes. Piercings are not something you do on a whim.” Natasha says.

“Whim?”

“In the moment or spontaneously, without a lot of thought,” Maria defines.

“Oh.” Yelena shrugs then looks at Natasha. “I am the only girl here who does not have their ears pierced.”

“Lila does not.” Natasha says.

“Yes she does, Laura Barton is buying her new earrings for tonight.” Yelena stomps her foot. “Please.”

Yelena stomps over to Bobbi with a pout, not even letting Natasha answer he last plea. Natasha chuckles and looks at Maria who is slightly confused.

“She’s jealous, which is cute and something I’ve never seen before,” Natasha smiles at Yelena, who is being consoled by Bobbi and Wanda. “Let’s go pick out a pant suit for you, I saw a style in the last store that would look hot.”

Maria takes Natasha’s hand and goes with her to the store they had just left to find her an outfit. May and Sharon go with the couple to supervise and protect them, even though they’re fully aware that they can take care of themselves.

Laura and Bobbi lead the kids up to the fourth floor and to the food court. Wanda sat at one of the tables with Yelena in her lap and Lila sat next to them while Bobbi and Laura went to get some food and drinks— assuming that Yelena’s attitude is brought on by low blood sugar.

“Do you want to tell me what is going on?” Wanda asks.

“Natasha says no to ear piercing.” Yelena sighs.

“Did she say no, or just not now?”

“Everyone here has their ears pierced.”

“Natasha just wants you to think it through and not do it because others have it.”

“Lila got cool earrings, so did you.”

“How about, after we have a snack break, we go to a jewelry story and get you a necklace. It is not the same but then you have something special.”

“Natasha will say no.”

“I will talk to Natasha for you. How about that?”

“Okay.” Yelena nods and rests her head on Wanda’s shoulder. “Wanda?”

“Yes, Yelena?”

“I think I am hungry.”

“What? No.”

“Sarcasm is not a good look on you.”

Wanda chuckles and just hugs Yelena tight. Lila talks to Wanda about ballet and if she knows how to dance and what they will be seeing. Wanda happily entertains the other girl while she keeps an eye on their surrounding, not a fan of how loud it is or how many people. She focuses on Yelena’s mind so her powers don’t overpower her. Yelena can feel Wanda’s presence in her mind and takes her hand and holds it tight.

Daisy and Jemma show up with their outfits for the night and sits at the table. Daisy quickly takes note of the mood of the table and talks about a television show that she thinks that Yelena and Wanda should watch— Ducktales. It is a welcome distraction that covers until Bobbi and Laura return with two trays of drinks and two trays of food. Their timing lines up with Natasha’s group arriving at the table.

“How did the rest of shopping go?” Laura asks.

“Good, I think we’ve got everything,” May says.

“Actually, Natasha I need to go get something,” Wanda says.

“Okay, do you want to go now or wait for after the food break?” Natasha says

“Can we go now? Just the two of us.”

“Sure. Lena, are you good with Bobbi and Maria?” Yelena nods and moves over to Bobbi’s lap. “Bobbi, call me if she gets fussy again. Lots of stress and change in a handful of days takes its toll on her.”

Natasha waits for Bobbi to agree before she leaves with Wanda, letting the teenager lead her down to the first level to a jewelry store. On the way down Wanda explains the jealousy which Natasha was aware of, just no the extent of it.

“I said that maybe she could get a new necklace since she shouldn’t be getting her ears pierced, and I am really sorry if I overstepped.” Wanda says, playing with the rings on her fingers. “It just was the only idea I had.”

“Hey, it’s a brilliant idea. I feel bad I didn’t think of it,” Natasha smiles and nudges her shoulder. “Do you want anything?”

“No, I’m good. Thank you. Just want to get Yelena something special.”

“You’re a good sister to her.”

“Sister?”

“If you and your brother are going to joke and tease about me being her mother, then you are her sister.”

Wanda smiles. “I guess that’s fair.”

They don’t take long picking out the perfect necklace. Natasha slips the box into her pocket so that no one would be able to see. As they pass a watch stand Wanda slows down to look at some of the more masculine watches, some reminding her of the one that her father had before he died. It had been too damaged in the attack for Pietro to get it.

“My fake dad, Alexei, he had one when we lived in Ohio. It was a dad thing. The look on your face, someone close to you had one.” Natasha observes.

“We lost it when Stark’s missile killed out parents. It was always supposed to go to Pietro when we were old enough.”

“Do you want to get him one? Any one, just pick.”

“They’re expensive, and you’ve gotten us a lot already.”

“And I will continue to do so.” Natasha smiles and cups Wanda’s face to makes sure the girl is looking at her. “You have a whole team in your corner now, who wants to look after you and Pietro. All the adults upstairs, the men with your brother, we were all fighting over you because we care. Let us do that, don’t be Yelena.”

Wanda picks out a watch and they have it gift wrapped before joining everyone upstairs. Once everyone is collected and it’s certain that they have everything that they need for the ballet, the gang of girls return to the hotel to do each others hair, order room service, and get dressed.

Steve collects everyone when it’s time to go and the cars Tony hired are waiting downstairs. Natasha pulls Yelena back, leaving them alone in their room together. She pulls out the box from behind her back and holds it out to Yelena.

“What is this for?” Yelena asks.

“Open it, Little One.” Natasha smiles.

Yelena cautiously opens the box, unsure of what to make of it. Her eyes go wide and mouth falls slightly open when she sees the sapphire pendant on the gold chain. Natasha only wears gold jewellery so Yelena connects gold with her—making it feel extra special.

“It is beautiful.” Yelena sighs with a smile.

“Can I help you put it on?”

Yelena nods and smiles. “Thank you Nattie.”

“Of course, Yelena. If you need or want anything, you just have to let me know.”

Natasha moves around Yelena and fastens the necklace, making sure the pendant is falling nicely on her chest.

“I did let you know, about the piercing.”

“And I said yes, once we think and talk about it more and get back to the states.”

“But that is like forever away.”

“It is six sleeps.”

“Like I said, forever.”

Chapter Text

They had been back stateside for a two weeks. With it nearly being September the adults still had yet to sort out what to do with Yelena, Wanda, and Pietro in terms of school. Yelena sits on the dining table and watches the twins as they work through the proficiency tests that Maria brought for them to do. Yelena had a bowl of grapes and after either twin finished a question she would hold out a grape as a reward. It was her way of being a part of the group. Natasha sat at the other end of the table doing work for SHIELD, which Yelena was not happy with and was trying to ignore.

Maria comes up the stairs from the garage, having moved into the house when they got back. The house Natasha bought went from two and a half people to five, which she was fine with but was not what she was expecting. Steve was looking for an apartment with Sharon close by, the couple having won/agreed to being the legal guardians of the twins; however, Wanda refused to live away from Yelena and Pietro refused to be away from Wanda. Steve and Sharon were built in babysitters, would stop by daily, and had definitely been working on building their relationships with the twins.

“Can anyone help bring the groceries in from the car?” Maria asks from the entry.

Yelena brings her pointer finger to her nose, having learned ‘nose goes’ from Tony. Wanda looks up and then back at her papers, Pietro shrugs and focuses on his work, just slightly behind his sister.

“Now don’t you all jump up at once.” Natasha smirks, getting up to help herself. “I’m coming Love.”

Yelena turns herself on the table to watch Natasha and Maria bring the food up from the garage. Since the twins moved in the food has been different, Wanda or Pietro go with them normally and come back with things that Yelena is not on board with.

“Just because Wanda and Pietro are vegteblearians does not mean we have to be. I do not like falafel.” Yelena whines, crossing her arms and pouting. “Not fair.”

Wanda pushes back from the table and opens her arms to welcome Yelena into her lap. Yelena is slightly reluctant as she scoots off the table, abandoning her bowl of grapes, and into Wanda’s hold. Wanda is the one who really gets Yelena’s struggle with emotions and is one of three people who can calm her down— the others being Natasha and Bobbi.

“Feelings are really big right now, huh?” Wanda whispers, slightly rocking Yelena.

“I do not want to eat falafel or tofu again. You would eat the food given to you in the Red Room at meal times. We had meat there.”

“I know, I am sorry Lena. It is complicated.”

“Then un-complicate it!”

Yelena pulls away from Wanda and runs to her room. Natasha looks at Wanda from the kitchen with a slight look of concern then goes after Yelena. Yelena is on her bed, face buried in her pillow. Natasha sits on the edge of the bed and rubs her back until Yelena decides to roll over or climb into her lap. When she is having this hard of time regulating her emotions, Natasha knows that the night before she did not sleep well.

“How about you and I go out for dinner tonight, just the two of us. Steve and Sharon will be here with Maria and the twins. Just a Nat and Lena date.” Natasha suggests.

“We never done that before.” Yelena says into her pillow.

“I know, but how do you feel about doing that tonight?”

“Okay. Can I pick?”

“Of course you can pick. You can even pick how we go, motorcycle or car.”

“Motorcycle.”

“And where would you like to eat?”

“Chadwicks.”

“Okay, change into jeans, t-shirt, and grab one of your leather jackets. I will let Maria know the plan for tonight.”

Natasha leaves Yelena to get ready in her own time, not wanting to rush her when she’s already stressed. When she gets back in the kitchen the twins are helping Maria put things away and Sharon is sitting at the bar with Steve.

“Is Yelena okay?” Steve asks.

“She’s good. We’re going to go have a Nat and Lena date tonight,” Natasha smiles.

“Like a Mommy Daughter date?” Sharon smiles.

“Sharon, don’t, you know neither of them are ready to admit that’s what they are to each other,” Maria teases.

“Ha Ha,” Natasha rolls her eyes. “When she’s ready we’re heading out, we’ll be back later. I just wanted you to know that there are two less people for you to cook for tonight.”

“I didn’t know that change of food was so hard on people,” Pietro says.

“She’ll be okay. You look after yourself, I’ve got her.”

Yelena walks in all dressed, her eyes still a little puffy from crying. Maria sees that she’s in a leather coat and gives Natasha a look, not exactly liking that Yelena rides on the death trap that Natasha loves so much. Yelena pads over and hugs Maria before following Natasha downstairs to the garage.

“I mean, at least in some ways she acts like a kid,” Steve smiles. “Is she playing with any toys yet?”

“Nope, just looks at them.” Maria sighs. “I know it takes time but she’s so small. Some days I just want to make it all better for her and these two. So, tofu or falafel tonight?”

Natasha rolled her motorcycle onto the driveway and closes the garage door, she helps Yelena on the back before getting on herself. The restaurant requested is a short ride away, which is good because Natasha was hungry which meant Yelena was too but wouldn’t mention it.

The host at the front of the restaurant greets them with the smile and leads them to a quiet table in the corner. Yelena sits in the corner, Natasha beside her so that she can read and explain the menu— even though they’ve been to this restaurant a number of times. Yelena has the menu memorized but she enjoys when Natasha reads things to her. The pair both get steak, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables— although Natasha has to ask for just green beans for Yelena.

“You had said earlier that Wanda would eat whatever was given to her in the Red Room. Is the not eating certain things new?” Natasha inquires.

“When she first came we had shared meals times, and she was picky. It was certain meats and things she would not eat, but then if she would not eat them they would tube feed her. After a while she just ate was was given to her.” Yelena explains.

“Do you know any of her background?”

“Do you not have her files?”

“Maria is still working with Daisy to decode everything and get to the files on Wanda and Tony is looking into Hydra’s files on info on Pietro. Once we have all of that we can use that as information, but you may know something that Wanda and Pietro are not sharing with us. Do you understand?”

“I do not know much. She got yelled at a lot at the start, lots of punishments. That is all I know. She was different than a lot of the late entries.”

“Okay, thank you. Have you given any more thought into going to school?”

“I would rather eat dirt or live with Melina.”

Natasha sighs. “No need for the dramatics. School is not that bad.”

“How would you know? You never went!”

“I went when I was undercover in Ohio.”

Their waitress shows up with their food, cutting the school conversation short for the tenth time. Yelena goes about cutting up all of her food before she starts to eat, whereas Natasha cuts as she goes.

A group of four men are sat at a table ten feet from the duo, quickly drawing Yelena’s attention as she recognizes two of them. She wipes the steak knife off in her napkin and then sets it on the seat beside her. Natasha notices the move and tilts her head slightly down towards Yelena. Yelena taps Natasha’s hand three times, telling her that there is danger in the area.

“You know Clint is coming to DC next week,” Natasha says.

“Why?”

“He works here, Little Mouse. You know that.”

Yelena shrugs. “He is not moving in, is he?”

“He has his own apartment in the city, but he will probably visit quite a bit.”

Yelena nods, eating her food. They talk about home and how Yelena is doing in reading. Natasha asks about activities that she may be trying to do. Bobbi has really been encouraging Yelena to try different activities in the area, things that will keep her active and have some discipline. She wants to do some sort of martial art but Natasha turned that down fast, as they had no story or explanation why the eleven year old is a black belt and could beat all the adults.

When they’re done eating two of the men, the ones Yelena does not recognize, sit at their table. One of them presses a gun against Natasha’s knee under the table.

“We were hoping that you would bring the twins with you. This would have been much simpler if you had, then we wouldn’t have to do a trade.” One said with a heavy German accent.

“There will be no trading here, gentlemen. We will be on our way.” Natasha says in German. “Excuse us.”

“I do not think so, you can leave and bring the twins back, we shall keep the child. As long as you obey and return in thirty minutes we will not hurt her.”

Yelena hits the panic button on her bracelet then forces it off her wrist in a way that will send alerts out to pretty much everyone she knows. With a slight tilt of her head, a minuscule movement to get her hands on her knife. Yelena leaps over the table, wraps her legs around the mans arms and slits his throat. The man with the gun quickly fires off three shots, getting Natasha twice but it doesn’t slow her down. She gets the gun off the man and takes him out while Yelena handles the other two.

The pair move to leave the restaurant, only to be stopped by a dozen men standing up from around the restaurant and moving towards them.

Chapter Text

Maria pulled the short straw when the alerts went out. Steve and Sharon had her stay back with the twins, with a promise to send Daisy or Jemma over, while they took off to help. The three adults tries to stay calm, keep a brave face, but Maria could only fake it so much when she had a telepath to look after. Wanda was quick to pick up on the tension and mood of Maria, and her shift of mood set off Pietro. Twenty minutes after Steve and Sharon left there’s a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Pietro says.

“No!” Maria shouts, stopping him, then winces. “I’ve got it. Can you both start on dinner for me, I will be back in a minute.”

Pietro slowly nods then goes into the kitchen with Wanda. Maria waits, making sure they’re both in there, before pulling out her gun and moving towards the front door. She peers through the window beside the door to see Daisy and Jemma waiting to be let in. Maira unlocks the door and pulls both women inside.

“I have the twins files,” Daisy says once she has her shoes off. “I finished decoding the files right before we were sent here.”

“Have you heard anything? Do you know what happened?” Maria asks quietly.

“We know that it’s serious, Fury is on site. We were told to not say anything until May or Steve were here to debrief all of us.” Jemma answers.

“That’s fine, the twins are in the kitchen, we can go over their files up there.”

Jemma heads into the kitchen while Daisy and Maria sit at the dining table to look over what she had found. Daisy quickly connects to the home office printer and starts to print out the twins files so Natasha and Steve can both have paper copies.

“It has a ton of information on their backgrounds, medical assessments, and the same things we have on Yelena and Natasha about Red Room training and skills assessments.” Daisy explains. “Tony is still working on Pietro’s Hydra files though, so we don’t have all the information on him yet.”

Maria moves the computer over so she can read what’s on the screen. She first looks over the medical information on Wanda before looking at her history. Maria gets up from the table and walks into the kitchen where Wanda is instructing Jemma and Pietro on what to do.

“You’re Jewish.” Maria says.

Wanda flinches. “No we’re not.”

Maria looks over to Pietro who looks slightly confused by Wanda’s outburst and like he wants to say something but doesn’t. Maria walks around the island and pulls Wanda away from what she’s doing to get her attention focused on her.

“You’re Jewish, but I am assuming that it wasn’t allowed.” Maria says calmly. “You don’t have to answer, just nod or shake your head. You were raised to embrace that culture?”

“Yes,” Pietro says when Wanda remains frozen.

“It wasn’t allowed in the Red Room. Were you punished for it?”

Wanda slowly nods her head.

“It’s why you’re vegetarian, then you know what you are eating. Are you orthodox?”

“No,” Wanda whispers. “We followed many of the traditions and would go to temple, but we were not orthodox.”

“Okay, good. Thank you. Now, if we got kosher meats would you be willing to start eating meat? We can go through the grocery stores together, you can pick things out, and we can talk to Steve and Sharon about it too.”

Wanda turns to look at Pietro and shrugs. She’s not comfortable with this conversation and wants Yelena and Natasha. Yelena is as much her security blanket as she is to Yelena. 

“When are Yelena and Natasha coming home?” Wanda whispers.

“I don’t know.” Maria answers honestly.

“Can I call them?”

“Not right now. How about you help Jemma finish cooking and then we can have dinner in the living room and watch a movie. Okay?”

“I want Yelena.”

Everything on the counters starts to shake and move. Wanda had never really lost control of her abilities, she’s never showed them to anyone beyond Pietro and Yelena. Maria quickly hugs the trembling teenager and rubs her back, knowing that sometime applying deep pressure to someone can help them calm. Wanda slowly reacts into Maria’s hold and the kitchen stills. Without hesitation, Maria leads Wanda through to the living room and sits with her on the sofa.

Jemma and Pietro finish making dinner and bring everything into the living room, setting out plates and the food on the table for everyone to eat off of. Pietro puts Cars on because it’s a kids film and he doesn’t understand why the cars talk or the purpose.

Sharon walks into the house, no Steve or Natasha or Yelena. One look at her tells the group in the living room that something bad had happened.

“I need help packing some bags,” Sharon says cautiously.

“What kind of bags? What’s happened?” Maria asks.

Sharon motions towards the other room. Maria leads her down the hall to the master bedroom, wanting to be far from the twins so they don’t overhear.

“I need a hospital bag of comfy clothes and comfort items for each of them. It’s not bad, but it’s not good either. It was essentially twelve to one and a half, with Natasha being the half. Yelena held her own best she could but they’ll be in hospital for a few days.” Sharon explains.

“Do either of them need surgery?”

“Both are in surgery now. You can come to the hospital, the twins can come, and once they’re out of surgery they’ll be moved to the Triskelion’s medical wing for recovery.”

Maria spins around and punches the wall, leaving a dent next to a picture of Natasha and Yelena. She then starts moving around the room, packing comfy and soft clothes for Natasha. Sharon follows her to Yelena’s room where she packs pyjamas and a couple soft toys and the two blankets she seems to not be able to sleep without. Once the two bags are packed they go back to the living room where the four they left are waiting for an update.

“Nat and Lena are in hospital, now I would like you two to go get into some comfy lounge clothes, pack a back of activities and meet me in the car in five minutes,” Maria says. Wanda and Pietro run for their rooms, leaving the adults alone for a moment. She lets out a deep sigh. “Do you two want to come, or you can stay here?”

“We’ll stay, hold down the fort till you’re back. I’m assuming some of the Avengers will come down to see her so we can play host,” Jemma says. “Go look after your girls.”

“Yeah, yeah right. Uh, Sharon, can you drive?”

“I wasn’t going to let you drive,” Sharon gives a tense smile. “Come on, we’ll call with updates.”

Maria and Sharon go out to the garage where the twins are waiting in the car. Maria doesn’t really stay in focus during the drive to the hospital. Sharon gives a very short briefing to the twins about what happened. When they pull up at the hospital the media has gathered and Pepper is out front making a statement. Happy has a security team escort the group up four up to the private waiting room that houses their main SHIELD team and the Avengers.

“Natasha is out of surgery, Yelena is still in,” Tony says when they enter.

“Can I see her?” Maria asks.

“When she wakes up you can,” Steve says. “She’ll be happy to see you, she was asking for you on the way in.”

“Her surgery was short, yeah? That’s good.”

“Her surgery went well, she’ll be tender and will need time to rest and heal for the next little while though.” Bruce explains. “Her lack of uterus may have actually saved her life.”

“Has anyone told Clint?” Sharon asks.

“I called, no answer so I left a message at the house and on both Laura and Clint’s cells. Fury sent a jet for them though.” Tony says.

“Where is Fury?”

“Debriefing security, organizing transport back to the Triskelion. He’s setting up teams to go after who sent the men who did this.”

“Do we know why they did this?” Maria asks.

Steve and Tony nod but say nothing. Wanda picks up on the feelings of everyone around them while Pietro remains in the dark.

“It’s our fault. They were from Von Strucker, they were after us. Right?” Wanda frowns.

“No, it’s not your fault. It is no ones fault. It is and men following the word of a shit leader. You cannot take the blame,” Steve says. “We don’t blame you, and I know sure as hell that Natasha and Yelena don’t blame you— and they wouldn’t want you blaming yourself either. Do you understand?”

A doctor walks in with Fury, announcing that Natasha is awake. Maria leaves with the doctor, taking the bag she packed for Natasha with her. Natasha is propped up in the bed, a multitude of wires and tubes connected to her.

“Drugs here, so much better than Russia,” Natasha smiles.

Maria bursts into tears, seeing Natasha sitting up and joking. She cautiously sits on the edge of the bed and takes one of Natasha’s hands in her own.

“You scared the shit out of me,” Maria cries.

“Scared the shit out of myself. How’s Yelena?”

“In surgery. I haven’t been here long enough to know everything. I don’t even know what happened.”

“I think they’ve been watching us, waiting for an opportunity. Hydra with some Red Room operatives, looking for the twins fro Strucker. They wanted me to leave Yelena and get the twins to trade. I wasn’t fast enough for the first one with the gun, we’d only noted four to begin with, but there were twenty in total.” Natasha recalls. “If Coulson, Bobbi, Fury, and May didn’t show up when they did we would have been goners. We were unprepared. Had no weapons on us. It was stupid. I’ve gotten lazy and complacent here.”

“You’re okay and she is going to be okay.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you two are the most stubborn and strong people I know.”

“What happens now?”

“Now we wait for Yelena to get out of surgery, then we get you both to the Triskelion and into one contained room so when you both inevitably try to escape medical it will be easier to watch you both.” Maria says with a smirk. “You get better, and we get back to it. You don’t give up here, you don’t surrender, and you don’t over compensate for one mistake.”

“You seem so sure of it.”

“If I gave up or got more paranoid after a big mistake I wouldn’t be Deputy Director, and I wouldn’t have met you. We learn, we go on, and that is what we will teach Yelena too.”

“I love you.” Natasha smiles.

“I know. I love you too. Now rest. You need to rest to get better.”

“How did you—”

“Know what you were saying? Yelena and Bobbi have been teaching me, and Yelena was sure I would need to know that one.”

“Now who’s cheeky. Wake me when Yelena is done?”

“Of course. She’s gonna need her mama.”

Natasha relaxes her body into the bed. “I’m to tired to refute right now. I’ll argue with you later.”

Chapter Text

Yelena woke up alone and in a white room. This has happened many times before, but this time they were dumb and didn’t restrain her. The only thing keeping her in the bed is a couple IV’s, which won’t do much. Yelena struggles to sit up in the bed, who abdomen and chest aching, but not intolerable. The pain is not enough to contain her, and with no one in the room she has a limited opportunity to escape. She pulls off the heart monitors and yanks out the IV’s that go in either arm, and is wholly grateful that there is no catheter since she doesn’t know how to remove that one. She gets off the bed and bounces slightly on her feet twice to assess the pain and how she’ll be able to move and fight if she needs. Then she runs.

Alarms alert as soon as she leaves the room, lights flash and a code is put out over the speakers. Three men in suits try to stop her but she quickly takes them down, making her way to the elevator before she pauses and goes to and stairs. Elevators can be stopped, an easy way to get caught. She’s smarter than that. When she’s in a stairwell she stops for a moment and catches her breath. She plays with her wrist where her bracelet was, gone so she can’t call for help.

The building is older, she can tell by the windows and stairs, so there should be tunnels leading out of the building so she doesn’t have to go out through the main doors. In a place this bug there is no way she would make it out the main doors. She doesn’t really care how she gets out, just that it happens, and that she needs to get back to Natasha. For all she knows she’s dead by now and she didn’t get to say goodbye. She didn’t get to say goodbye to the best Mother she’s ever had, and now she’ll be alone.

She heads down, slowly so she can be quiet. She listens to her environment, every time a door opens or closes around her she stops. Sometimes it is not about who moves the fastest, it is about strategy. When you move fast you can be more predictable, slow movements with time to think can be option between life and death— it’s a lesson learned in the first months of training.

A door above her, where she came from opens, and she presses herself against the wall so they can’t peer down and look for her.

“Yelena! Yelena, if you’re here let me know,” May shouts.

Yelena presses herself further into he wall, knowing it’s a trap. They would pull games like this when they tried to lour new kids out. It’s an old tactic that Yelena learned quick never to fall for because the punishments were always the worst.

“Yelena,” Natasha’s voice rings over the intercom. “Yelena I know you’re so scared right now, and you’re not in the right state of mind. Honestly I don’t know what happened to you, and someone should have been there with you. I am stopping them from putting the hospital on lockdown so you don’t get trapped, but you need to stop running, you need to stop hiding.”

Yelena shakes her head. Natasha’s voice is the easiest one to fake, she spent so much time in the Red Room her voice would be fully in the system. Unless she can see her it is safest to assume that it’s fake.

She goes down to the bottom of the stairs and out the door to a dark hallway. The doors lining the hall don’t open for her, but they do open as she can hear them. She can hear them open but can’t hear footsteps. There’s a cart of surgical supplies by one of the doors, she grabs one of the scalpels and holds it tight in her hand.

Bobbi rounds the corner, moving slow and quiet on bare feet. Yelena holds up the scalpel to her friend, not sure it’s her friend. Bobbi sits cross legged on the floor with her hands up, letting Yelena come to her in her own time.

“How do I know you are you?” Yelena asks.

“You can ask me anything you feel like that will help.” Bobbi answers.

“What is my favourite spot on the helicarrier?”

“The climbing wall.”

“What is my favourite toy.”

“You haven’t touched one we bought you, except the stuffed bear you sleep with but I don’t think you consider it a toy as much as a comfort item.”

“What is Natasha to me?”

“Your sister, but more so your mother. She loves you and would do anything to protect you. She is upstairs stuck in a bed worried as fuck about you.”

“Fuck?”

“Shit, don’t repeat that to your sister.”

“But how does sex work with that sentence?”

“It doesn’t forget I said. Do not repeat that to May or Maria or Phil and definitely not Natasha. Okay? Deal?”

“Fine. I shall ask Laura Barton.”

Yelena drops the scalpel and runs into Bobbi’s arms. Bobbi hugs the girl before holding her at arms length and lifting her shirt to assess the damage brought on by her escape. Yelena lets Bobbi look her over without a fuss, then holds her arms up expecting to be carried to Natasha. Bobbi chuckles but lifts her up and cradles her so that she’s not pressing her wounds against anything. They ride the elevator up to the seventh floor and go to the private wing where everyone is waiting. Wanda is right at their side as soon as she sees Yelena.

“I am okay,” Yelena says. “Just got confused.”

“It is all my fault. Pietro and I should leave.” Wanda cries.

“No, there is nowhere safer for you than with the Avengers and SHIELD. It may just mean we have to go to New York where it is safer.”

“You getting hurt, in hospital and in surgery, that is on me.”

“So you are twenty white German men? That is news to me. It is not your fault, and if you keep thinking that I am bleaching your hair and putting fish oil in all of your food for a month.”

Bobbi continues on with Yelena to Natasha’s room where Maria is straddling her legs so she can’t get out of the bed. Yelena is set gently next to Natasha, letting Maria get down.

“You got a little confused, didn’t you Little One.” Natasha sighs, hugging Yelena gently.

“It felt like the Red Room, and no one was there.” Yelena frowns. “I thought you had died cause I was alone.”

“I’m sorry. Are you in pain?”

“Cannot feel it if I am.”

“I know, which is why you need to stay in bed and rest. How about we get the doctor in to look over you and make sure you didn’t do anything bad to yourself.”

“Bobbi already looked me over.”

“And when Bobbi shows me her MD then I will take her word, until then I would like you checked over. I’m sure Bobbi agrees.”

“No fair, grown ups always agree with each other.”

Natasha chuckles and holds onto Yelena while Maria calls for the doctors. A group of four doctors enter the room, forcing both Maria and Bobbi to the side. Yelena isn’t sure of the strangers so they look over Natasha first, announcing everything they do first before they do it. One of the doctors, when she sees that Yelena is really interested in what they’re doing, lets her try it or listen through the stethoscope. When it’s Yelena’s turn she is much more calm and okay with being looked over, and doesn’t get too upset when they want to fix some of the stitches. While the doctor that Yelena like starts to gently patch her up a bit, the other doctors explain to Natasha, Maria, and Bobbi the true extent of her injuries and how to make sure she doesn’t do anything to damage herself.

“She had open heart surgery, and I have never seen anyone move like she has. She needs to rest, she needs to let her heart and sternum heal.” One doctor says.

Yelena shrugs. “Doesn’t hurt.”

“She doesn’t process pain the same way, it’s something we’re working on,” Natasha says.

“Well then I would say constant supervision so she doesn’t damage anything.” The doctor frowns. “We have written out all our suggestions and all the notes for your transfers.”

“Thank you. I’ll make sure she stays in bed and rests, even if it means drugging her.”

“That is rude.” Yelena frowns.

“But honest. Thank you doctors, for everything you’ve done.”

The doctors all nod then leave. Yelena goes to sit up but is stopped by Natasha’s arm that crosses in front of her like a seat belt. Maria leaves to talk with Fury about transporting the girls sooner rather than later.

“Can we have ice cream?”

“When we get to the Triskelion I will get you any flavour you want,” Bobbi smiles. “I can’t believe you’re already hungry.”

“I am not hungry, I just want ice cream.”

“Okay, not hungry. You shall have ice cream in a bit. How about you rest and I go bring the twins here?”

“Please, I haven’t seen them yet. I can only imagine how they’re feeling,” Natasha nods.

Bobbi leaves, giving the pair of Russians a moment alone. Yelena curls around Natasha, resting her head over Natasha’s heart. It’s soothing, almost lulling her to sleep but she forces herself to stay awake, tapping out Natasha’s heartbeat in Natasha’s stomach.

Wanda and Pietro slowly walk into the room, both take in all the medical devices before looking at the two in the bed. Wanda tentatively goes up to Natasha and hugs her, tears running down her face. Natasha hushes and coos at the distraught teen, trying to calm her while looking over Pietro who stands stoically at the foot of the bed. Bobbi hovers in the doorway, keeping it open so Maria, who is hovering in the hall on her phone, can see into the room.

“We are okay, Wanda. We will be all healed by the next week.” Yelena says, patting her back. “Do not cry.”

“She’s right, Love Bug. We’re okay and heal faster than the standard. You know that. It will be okay. And we get to all stay at SHIELD for a bit before we head up to New York to stay in the tower.” Natasha smiles.

“What about Maria and Bobbi?”

“Maria is coming with us. She plans to work with SHIELD remotely for a bit while we settle and deal with the Strucker problem.”

“And Bobbi?”

“Bobbi will visit, but she also has a job to do. She is part of Coulson’s team and they have jobs to do.”

“So you get Maria but I do not get Bobbi?"

“They are not possessions. We do not have them. Their jobs allow different things, and Maria’s job allows her to come to New York with us. And Bobbi will still be in your life, she just can’t drop by at the drop of a hat like right now.”

“Maybe if I was fucking Bobbi like you fuck Maria she would be able to move with us and stay around too.”

“Hey,” Natasha scolds, sits up and holds Yelena’s chin to make sure the kid is look her in the eyes. “You can be mad and disappointed but you do not get to be crude and cruel.”

“I do not like you very much.” Yelena frowns with her eyes welling up with tears.

“I know.” Natasha sighs, lying back down and hold Yelena against her chest while the child cries. “How long till we are moved?”

“Half an hour, we’re just getting an ambulance cleared and hired,” Bobbi answers.

“Lena, can you let Bobbi help you change into your soft pyjamas? Then we can get ready to go sooner.”

“Wanda.”

“Wanda can’t carry you, Love, but she can go with you. Okay?”

Yelena nods and sits up, reaching for Bobbi. The trio leave the room with little fanfare. Pietro moves to the chair that Wanda was blocking and takes a seat. Maria walks into the room and sits on the edge of the bed.

“What was that all about?”

“She’s tired and is scared of losing one of her comfort people. Big emotions are hard for little kids, and we were never trained how to handle big emotions in the Red Room so she’s kind of like a—”

“Tired cranky toddler,” Pietro finishes.

“What did she say?” Maria asks.

“Something that really doesn’t need to be repeated. She was trying to hurt me.” Natasha says. “So what is the plan?”

“Jemma and Bruce are setting up your room, extra large hospital bed for the two of you to share and a bunch of cordless tech. They’ll meet us in the Triskelion. A room has also been set up across the hall for the twins to share and stay in while we are there. I’ll take them back to the house to pack bags.”

“And how long will we be in the Triskelion before New York?”

“A week or two.”

Natasha nods. A week is tolerable to be on mostly bed rest, but longer than that is not something she is capable of. This week is really going to be a test for Yelena. Natasha really hopes that someone has gotten a hold of Clint and Laura to let them know what has happened, because there is no way they can take on a puppy right now like planned.

Chapter Text

It was their third day in the medical unit of the Triskelion and Yelena, the non-star patient she is, was suffering from a number of complications because she couldn’t stay still. FitzSimmons and Bruce Banner were prepping in a procedure room to put in a chest tube and drain fluid build up from the kids chest. They had her on high doses of antibiotics because there was the start of an infection, and she just was not having a good time. Natasha on the other hand was primarily good to go, but still spent her time in the hospital room with Yelena.

“We’ll have her back in twenty minutes,” Jemma says.

Yelena is moved onto a gurney with a pout, holding Jemma’s hand as she is rolled out and away from Natasha. Yelena would say that she wasn’t exactly comfortable, but there is a long way to go before she admits she is uncomfortable. She can tolerate this for days or weeks, so she doesn’t quite understand why everyone is making a big deal out of some fluid and an infection if it’s not really bothering her.

“Will it hurt?” Yelena asks.

“I thought you didn’t feel pain,” Fitz says.

“I can feel acute pain, like a stab or shot or poke. For a moment before it goes numb.”

“It may feel tight, but we will do our best tomato sure it doesn’t hurt.” Jemma says.

“If it does you will get Bobbi?”

“We will get whoever you want. Now scoot onto the other bed for me.”

Yelena moves from the gurney to the operating table, way more calm than anyone expects. It really helps when you know and trust people, like how Yelena trusts Jemma. Bruce walks into the room pushing a cart filled with needles, scalpels and tubes. Yelena reads some of the names on the viles of clear and foggy liquids that she doesn’t understand the names of.

“We are going to numb the areas that we are working with.” Bruce explains. “I know that you don’t want to be sedated so we won’t unless there’s no other option. Okay?”

“You say everything before you do it.”

“Of course, Yelena.”

Yelena lies back on the bed and lets Fitz hold her shoulders down so she is restrained without actual restraints. Jemma starts by explaining that she is going to put a local anesthetic in several different locations to make sure that she won’t feel anything major. They count out loud together up to eight. Then Bruce hands Jemma the brown disinfectant, then the scalpel.

“It will be a one inch incision.” Jemma says before she cuts. “Let me know if you feel any pain or discomfort, even if it’s minor.”

Jemma inserts the chest tube and a rush of black fluid runs out of Yelena’s chest. Fitz moves one of his hands to Yelena’s head to hold it down. Bruce and Jemma just freeze and look at each other. The room is tense and Yelena can feel the change and tries to squirm.

“I want Nat,” Yelena starts to cry and shriek at the top of her lungs. “I want Nat! Nat! Natasha!” Pain beyond anything she’s ever felt before rubs through her body. “Mama! Mama!”

Yelena lets out an inhuman shriek, her whole body seizing up in pain, then she falls limp. Jemma and Bruce stand back for a moment before she falls into a seizure. Jemma shoves Fitz out of the way and braces Yelena’s head so it’s still.

Natasha and Bobbi run into the room. Wanda, Maria and Fury come next. Bobbi and Maria quickly grab and stop Natasha before she can intervene with anything.

“You said this would be quick. That she’d be fine!” Natasha snarls.

“These complications were unforeseen,” Jemma says.

Yelena’s body stills and Jemma and Bruce secure the chest tube and give her antibiotics. They move her to the gurney and collect some of the fluid that came out of her to run tests on what is causing it.

“She’ll need lots of rest, and if she has another seizure you need to call one of us and we will help.” Bruce says.

“I know how to handle a seizure, Banner.” Natasha says.

Natasha gets up on the gurney and lets the others push it. They all help get Yelena in the big bed in their room and get her comfortable. Wanda crawls into bed next to Yelena and holds her while Natasha steps out into the hall with Maria and Bobbi.

“I think we can all agree that was the most terrifying sound we’ve all heard come out of her.” Bobbi says.

“How long till we know what happened?” Natasha asks.

“It’s Dr.Banner and FitzSimmons. Probably by the end of the day.”

“Natasha, she is very warm.” Wanda announces. “I have seen this before, when I was sent on assignments.”

“You’er saying this is Red Room tech?” Natasha asks.

“We had a neurotoxin that would do this, Yelena would coat her knives in it. She would say that in doing so even the most non-lethal wound could become lethal.”

“Antidote?”

“Yelena would know. Knives and poisons were more her thing.”

“And what was your thing?”

“I favoured the sniper, sometimes strangulation.”

“I’m going to get some cool towels and see if FitzSimmons have anything else that we can offer her,” Bobbi says.

Natasha furrows her brow, not expecting Bobbi to walk away from Yelena given the situation. Bobbi surely know that Yelena will want her here when she wakes up, and what will Natasha say if she wakes up and Bobbi isn’t here for her. Maria takes Natasha’s hand and sits with her on the sofa that is along the wall in the room. Yelena starts to twitch in her sleep, sweat starting to soak through her pyjamas. Natasha gets up and pulls Yelena’s top and pants off, which seems to help for a moment. Natasha strokes Yelena’s hair, gently trying to wake her up.

“Yelena. Hey Sweet Girl. Can you open your eyes for me? I have a couple questions that I think you have the answers for,” Natasha coos. Yelena opens her eyes slowly. Natasha smiles when she sees her eyes. “Hey Little Love. Do you know of a poison or neurotoxin that turns blood black?”

“Yeah. I do not have antidote here. It is one of Melina’s creations, a week before death. I am sorry.” Yelena whispers.

“It is okay. Is it okay if we contact Melina for help?”

“I do not feel good.” Yelena groans, rolling to her side and vomiting all over Natasha’s pants. “I am sorry.”

The sick all over Natasha is dark red, almost black, and smells putrid. Maria helps Natasha out of her clothes and into a change of clothes Wanda lifts Yelena up and takes her into the bathroom to clean her up while they change the bedsheets. Yelena cries throughout getting cleaned up, although she like the lukewarm water that Wanda uses.

When Bobbi walks back in the room with a bin of cooling sheets and damp towels she frowns and the near black vomit on the floor. Bobbi freezes and does her best to compose herself, she can handle most things but this is just pushing her limits. There is a reason she keeps herself closed off to everyone, no one really broke through her walls till Yelena came along, and now she got close and bonded with the kid and this happens.

Maria takes the sheets and makes the bed, raising a brow at Bobbi’s odd behaviour. Wanda walks back in with a whimpering Yelena who starts to reach for Bobbi, who doesn’t come and take her like she normally does. Natasha moves towards Bobbi and pulls her out into the hallway, away from her sister.

“You’re okay, Lena. It’s okay,” Wanda tries to bounce her like she’s seen Natasha do when she’s upset. “They’ll be back. How about we get back in bed and cuddle?”

“No. I want Bobbi.” Yelena whines and squirms. “I want Mama.”

Maria comes over and takes Yelena from Wanda and rubs the child’s back as she slowly sways side to side. Yelena rests her head on Maria’s shoulder and lets the woman soothe her.

Natasha shoves Bobbi against the wall. “Get your head on straight. I don’t want you anywhere near her until it is. You clearly can’t handle whatever shit is going on in your head, but that will not be taken out on Yelena.”

“I’m not taking it out on Yelena.” Bobbi argues.

“Stay away from my daughter.” Natasha snarls before going back into the room.
Bobbi turns and punches the wall before walking away.

Yelena reaches for Natasha with grabby hands and then koala’s onto the woman. Natasha paces around the room until Yelena is asleep in her arms. Maria leaves the room to talk with Bruce, FitzSimmons, and call Melina in to help with the problem that they’re facing.

“She’s going to be okay, Right?” Wanda asks.

“We are going to make sure she’s alright.”

“But there is limited time. And we have wasted nearly four days of the seven. What if Melina has no antidote?”

“Then we are relying on Jemma, Leo, and Bruce to come up with something in seventy two hours.”

“You think they can accomplish it?”

“I do. How about you go spend time with your brother? Have a shower, complete your history placement tests. Go eat and be around other people.”

“But Yelena.”

“I’ve got her. If anything happens I’ll call you. Pietro is with Steve and Sharon in their apartment unit. Go be with them for a bit. Okay?”

“You will call me if anything happens?”

“I will call you if something major happens. I’ve got her, let us look after you too.”

Wanda sighs and nods, she kisses Yelena’s forehead then leaves the room to head out and find her brother. Natasha takes a seat on the couch with Yelena cradled in her arms. Maria returns with food for Natasha and a broth for Yelena if she felt like eating when she woke up.

“We have a jet collecting Melina right now, she will be here in two hours.” Maria says.

“She is never allowed to be alone with her.”

“I know Love, and she won’t be.” Maria wraps her arm around Natasha shoulders. 

“I can’t lose her.”

“We won’t. We’ve just got her back.”

“We?” Natasha blushes.

“We. I’m not letting either of you out of my life. You both mean too much.”

The two women fall asleep, both with hands on Yelena. They’re woken hours later to Yelena falling into another seizure. Natasha lays her down on the ground and supports her head. Maria quickly text Jemma about the seizure, timing it till Yelena’s body relaxes. Natasha moves Yelena to the bed and drapes a blanket over her.

Jemma walks in with Melina, both quickly go to the side of the bed and Melina starts to look over Yelena while Natasha levels her with a glare.

“You called me to help, or did you not want that?” Melina says with a raised brow.

“Can you help?” Maria asks.

“How long since the incident?”

“Four days, or more accurately ninety-seven hours,” Jemma answers.

“It will take me thirty hours at least.”

“Jemma and her team will help you with whatever you need.” Maria says. “Is there anything we can do to help her while we wait?”

“Keep the fever down. If she seizes for longer than five minutes sedate her.”

“If you do anything to harm her or kill her, I will take you somewhere remote and make you suffer for years. We both know I am capable.” Natasha threatens.

Maria nods and leaves with Jemma. Yelena groans and opens her eyes with a frown. She is uncomfortable and her head is fuzzy like she’s been drugged but also doesn’t feel drugged. Yelena carefully sits up and shivers slightly.

“I want ice cream.” Yelena says, rubbing her eyes.

“What flavour?” Natasha asks.

“Blue.”

“Blue? There’s blue ice cream?”

“Bubblegum or cotton candy?” Maria asks, smiling.

“Bubblegum.” Yelena yawns.

“Bubblegum,” Natasha translates.

“I’ll be right back, Squirt.”

Natasha gets into the bed with Yelena, “How often do you have ice cream without me to know there is blue ice cream?”

“When you are late at night Maria has secret ice cream in the basement that we try together while we wait for you for bedtime.”

“Oh, I see. And blue is your favourite?”

“Blue or strawberry.”

“Can you have a few mouthfuls of broth before ice cream?”

Yelena shakes her head. “No.”

“Come on, listen to your Mama,” Natasha smiles, grabbing the bowl and holding up the spoon. “Five spoonfuls before ice cream.”

Chapter Text

Melina throughs another beaker at the wall across from her as her third attempt doesn’t congeal the way it is supposed to. Jemma and Fitz have to duck and dive out of the way as the contents splatter everywhere. Melina starts over, swearing and criticizing herself in Russian. She has made the antidote half a dozen times, creating the neurotoxin was much easier than the antidote and she didn’t possess any of her lab notes from its creation.

“How about we take a break?” Fitz offers. “Take a step back and breathe?”

“Yelena does not have the time.” Melina runs a hand over her face. “Can one of you run her cultures again? I need like four more blood samples as well.”

Bobbi walks into the lab and up to Melina. “Let me help.”

“How would you do that? Are you not just the muscle?”

“I have my PHD in Bio-Chemistry, my minor focus was genetics. I did my first two years of my MD before I left that for SHIELD.”

“Fine.”

Melina keeps Bobbi at her work station, trusting FitzSimmons to run the tests she needs on their own. Bobbi keeps up with Melina, shocking the Russian with her ability to understand and execute what she asks of her.

Maria walks in with lunch for everyone and bile samples from Yelena throwing up her breakfast. She is slightly taken aback when she had heard that Bobbi was in the, fully aware of the woman’s background but had never seen her utilize her education in a way like this before.

“How’s it going?” Maria asks.

“Not to plan. How is Yelena?” Melina answers.

“Sleeping. She’s really weak, we wanted to ask if we should put in a catheter. Moving her to the bathroom is getting difficult when she can’t tell us when she needs to go.”

“I can do that,” Jemma forces a smile.

“Is she throwing up everything she eats? I think I’d like her on a feeding tube and IV combo so she doesn’t have to eat.” Melina orders.

“I can do both while I do the catheter.”

“What if it’s altitude?” Bobbi suddenly asks. “When you made the antidotes before were you on the floating death contraption or in you hut in rural Russia?”

“I was in the Red Room, which was at thirty thousand feet.”

“Altitude is known to be a major factor in certain things, it effects moisture which could be what is effecting this now.”

“We need to get up in the air, and we will need to bring Yelena because as soon as it is ready we need to give it to her. We are running out of time. Wasting time.”

“I’ll go get Yelena and Natasha, page Coulson and May to the Bus. We have to use the Bus since the carrier isn’t close enough.” Maria orders the group. “I’ll make sure the med pod is loaded in.”

“We need wheels up in thirty minutes max.”

Everyone nods and goes where they’re needed. Melina, Bobbi, and Jemma pack up everything that they need to work on the Bus. The group is in the air in just under twenty minutes, May bracing all of them for a fast take off. Once the Bus was flying around thirty thousand feet they immediately started to work in the lab.

“We will run four attempts at the same time.” Melina orders. “Each one of us will take on one, but you will all do what I say.”

Bobbi and FitzSimmons agree, each gathering their supplies and setting up around the table. Melina sighs and looks over the notes she had been taking while failing back at the Triskelion and decides to go back to how she was attempting it originally.

Natasha cradled Yelena in her arms and paced the length of the upper floor of the Bus, not wanting to set her down. Yelena was uncomfortable, that was easy to see, and Natasha was doing her best to make her as comfortable as possible. The child was only communicating in Russian, when she was communicating, which made Maria pretty in the dark in terms of helping.

“Wanda is on video chat in the conference room,” Coulson announces.

“No meetings,” Yelena whimpers.

Natasha chuckles. “No Baby, no meetings.” Natasha walks into the conference room to see a very angry Wanda on the screens. “Hello Love, sorry that we left you.”

“I could have come! I could help!” Wanda shouts, stomping her foot.

“It was fast, and we’re on a time crunch. There is a main focus here, Wanda.”

“But what if she dies, what if she gets worse and I cannot be there. What if it gets the absolute worse and I do not get to say goodbye.” Wanda bursts into tears.

Sharon steps in from off camera and wraps the teenager in her arms and sways to try and calm her down.“Wanda, love, we cannot think that way. Look, you can see Yelena right now. The best people we know are looking after her. That’s what we have to think of. Right?”

“Wanda no cry,”Yelena says before she slumps against Natasha in pure exhaustion.

Natasha quickly checks her pulse and sends a text to Jemma to let her know how she is acting. There is a Cossack Lullaby that the Red Room teaches that Natasha starts to sing, Wanda joins in over the video chat which seems to also help calm the teenager down.

“If things get worse, we will organize for you to join us on a quinjet, I promise. I do have faith in the team who are working on this.”

“Even Melina?”

“Yes Wanda, even Melina. I need you to trust me right now. Trust me and my instincts an ability to look after her.”

“I do trust you.”

“You do not fully trust me, you trust Yelena’s trust in me. That is different. I need you to have trust in me without Yelena.”

“I will try.”

“That’s all I ask. Now I’m going to go lay down with her. Do you think you will be okay? I will be sure to call you if anything changes.”

Wanda nods and hangs up the call on her end. Natasha gets a better hold on Yelena before going to one of the couches and laying down with Yelena draped overtop of her. Maria joins them in the lounge and sits in silence.

“It’s simmering now, has to for a few hours I’m told.” Maria says. “Bobbi wants to come see her, but didn’t know if you’d allow it.”

Natasha scoffs. “Yeah, not going to happen.”

“Do you want to tell me what is going on between the two of you, maybe I can help sort out that rift before Yelena’s better.”

“She ditched out on her as soon as things got hard. As soon and Yelena was sick, showing signs of illness Morse got weird.”

“Well, there is reasons for that.” Maria says carefully, treading on what she knows and what she can share. “Bobbi’s reasons for this are understandable, it is all I am comfortable saying. I think that when she is ready she will explain it all.”

“This shouldn’t be about her! She is not the one dying in my arms!” Natasha shouts. “For fucks sake! Bitch!”

Yelena whimpers and grips Natasha’s shirt tight. Jemma, Daisy, and Bobbi walk into the lounge to head for the kitchen. May walks back from the cockpit having gotten them on a safe flight plan at a steady altitude. Natasha shifts to hold Yelena tighter, prepared to take her into a different room. When Yelena lifts her head and sees Bobbi she tries to reach for her but is only held tighter by Natasha.

“Natasha, she clearly wants her,” Maria scolds.

“No. I told Morse what she needs to do before I let her near Lena again.” Natasha frowns.

Daisy loudly drops a few bowls in the sink and winces out an apology. May looks at everyone with a raised brow of disapproval then walks over and steals Yelena from Natasha then goes back up to the cockpit where Yelena won’t have to hear any yelling or the conversation that is about to be had. Natasha moves to go after May but is stopped by Maria who grabs Natasha’s shoulder holding her down.

“I had a kid Romanoff.” Bobbi says, slamming a mud down on the counter. Daisy and Jemma are just as shocked as Natasha is, all looking up at the tall blonde. “I had a kid who I got to watch die before they were three months old. Sorry for not wanting to watch another kid… I don’t chew you out when you don’t want to do certain things Romanoff. So far all this has told me how you view people not in your immediate circle.”

“You left her! You left her when she wanted you. I am not letting people leave and come back in her life when it pleases them.”

“I can’t do it again Romanoff! Normal people aren’t that comfortable around death. Normal people aren’t okay watching people die! Normal people have a heart!”

“Bobbi,” Jemma whispers. “That was harsh.”

“What’s harsh is watching your baby die over months and have no hope for a cure. But hey, I’m not Yelena’s mother. I don’t get a say on how Natasha cares for her. All I can do is help make a cure so she gets better.” Bobbi sighs. “I’m gonna call Fury for a transfer. Once this is done, once Yelena is okay, I’ll be sure to stay away as her highness wishes.”

Chapter Text

Maria follows Bobbi out of the room, leaving Natasha alone to think about what she said and how that whole even played out. Maria was hoping that they’d have a civil conversation and understand each other— their personalities really don’t allow for that though. Bobbi marches into her bunk and starts tossing her things into her bag as if she’s going to hop off the plane and leave now.

“Are you sure that completely leaving is the best course?” Maria inquires.

“Are you asking as my friend or as the Deputy Director?” Bobbi sighs.

“Which will get the truthful answer? I’m here as your friend Bobbi. If you’d rather me be here as Deputy, I will. If I’m Deputy right now I’d say you’re being rash and emotional which is quite unlike you. I’d say you’d be asking for a demotion if you left Coulson’s team.”

“I’ve gotten too close. I’ve gotten close enough to feel compromised.”

“Bobbi feeling, loving, isn’t you being compromised. You know that. You said some horrible things, as did Nat. This is a charged situation.”

“It’s a situation I want out of!”

“And who will tell Yelena? What will we tell Yelena? Hey Lena, happy you’re better, by the way Bobbi left because she felt too compromised by you.”

“That’s not—”

“No? Okay, so when she wakes up just let her know you requested a transfer far from her. We could have Fury break the news to her, he’s make it official. I could tell her, she is already upset with me. Do you want me to take the blame? I could tell her I sent you away because I felt it was better for your career.”

“Maria, stop.”

“Not until we come up with an option that doesn’t involve you running away.”

“No. You don’t get to take my choices away.”

“Go to the lab and finish working with Melina. Clear your head, Agent. That’s an order.”

Maria turns and leaves the room to see where everyone else is. Natasha is still sitting on the sofa, Daisy close to her holding out a glass of water that the red head is ignoring. Jemma is by the kettle, watching it boil and attempting to avoid the fuming Russian. Maria walks through to the cockpit and knocks, letting May know she’s overriding the system to come in.

May looks at Maria when she enters, locking the door behind her. Yelena is slightly awake, looking out at the clouds and the start of the sunset. Maria sits in the copilot seat, enjoying the calm that is always present in May’s cockpit.

“Can we go to Mexico?” Yelena whispers.

“Mexico? What’s in Mexico?” May asks.

“Water is supposed to be super blue. Want to see that before I go.”

May and Maria look at each other, not sure what the child has just said. Yelena reaches for Maria who takes the girl into her arms.

“I want Bobbi.”

“I know sweet girl. I know.” Maria sighs, holding her tight. “Do you want to go back to Natasha?” Yelena shakes her head then goes limp, black blood runs out of her nose and ears thick like maple syrup. “Call down to the lab, let them know what is happening and that we need something now.”

“And if they have nothing?” May asks.

“Tell them we’re running out of time faster than predicted.”

May nods and relays the information to the lab and doesn’t wait for a response.

“Are you going to take her back to Natasha?” May asks.

“I should. I might just take her down to the lab. We’re running out of time Mel, and I don’t think Natasha nor Bobbi will recover if we lose her.”

“I mean they were smart, hit the weakest link. Yelena herself is not the weakest one out of any of us by far; however, she is the one that any of us would give up our lives for. If Morse and Romanoff were not here they’d be off doing something stupid, if the twins were contained and locked in the Triskelion they would have made the trade themselves.” May analyzes. “How far did those two idiots push each other anyway?”

Maria checks to make sure Yelena is asleep. “Bobbi wants to leave, get stationed far from here. She very briefly talked about Daniel.”

“So she’s shutting down, which is expected. Bobbi has had a lot of losses lately. I say if she asks for space we give it to her.”

“So she wants to go to Australia, India, or a satellite station and we just let her.”

“Bobbi is an adult. Id she leaves I refuse to tell Yelena.”

“No, we will leave that to her Mother.”

“Mama?”

“Okay Kid, let’s go back to Natasha.” Maria sighs.

Natasha is on her feet moving towards the pair when she sees them coming. Maria carefully hands over the frail child and moves to check in on the lab. Natasha takes Yelena into their bunk and lays her out on the bed before getting a washcloth to clean Yelena up. She pulls out a new pair of shorts pyjamas for Yelena, pink silk with little llamas as the print. She frowns at the tags, a reminder of how tiny the elven year old really is. All of Yelena’s clothes are from kids sections, where she fits in the small sizes made for six and seven year olds. The last few days have taken their toll even more, she had just gotten Yelena up to a semi-healthy weight and now her bones were starting to be prominent against her skin again.

“You, Little One, are going to put me in an early grave.” Natasha admits. “I’ve fucked up so much the last few day, Yelena. I’ve fucked up looking after you, I’ve fucked up with Maria, I have been the absolute worst with Bobbi.” Natasha picks her back up and holds her. “I love you so much is scares me, and I was dumb and rash. When you wake up and are better you will hate me and I am fully prepared for that.”

Yelena starts to seize and then it abruptly stops. Natasha checks for a pulse and finds nothing. Natasha opens the door and starts to scream for help, drawing both Coulson and Daisy’s attention. Coulson orders Daisy to run to the lab and pushes Natasha out of the way to start CPR. 

Daisy runs into the lab panting, drawing five pairs of eyes to her.

“Yelena’s heart’s stopped.” Daisy says. “Coulson is with Natasha now in the bunk room.”

“Tell them to get her to the med pod, Jemma will hook her up and if we need to get her on life support we will,” Melina orders. “Now!”

Maria, Jemma and Daisy run out of the lab, separating at the stairs to go their different ways. Maria and Daisy go up to Coulson and Jemma goes to prep the med pod. When the pair enter the bunk room Coulson is pounding on Yelena’s chest delivering CPR, Natasha is in the corner on the floor with her head in her hands. Daisy and Coulson leave with Yelena, leaving the couple alone. Maria kneels down in front of Natasha and pulls the woman into her lap.

“We need to get Wanda here.” Natasha cries.

“We’re not there yet.” Maria shakes her head.

“We are. I know we are. We need to get Wanda here.”

“I’ll call Steve. Are you okay if I leave?”

Natasha nods and moves off of Maria’s lap to let her go. She collects herself before heading down to the med pod to be with Yelena. Jemma already has Yelena attached to all the bells a whistles, a machine is breathing for her and the beep of the heart monitor is music to her ears. Coulson and Daisy hover by the door, just outside the pod so they don’t take up any room.

“This will mostly sustain her till we can get her the antidote, and she will probably have to remain on the system for while the antidote works.” Jemma explains.

“How long till the antidote is ready?” Natasha asks.

“I’ll go check with Melina, but everything has been on track since we’ve been in the air. It shouldn’t bee that much longer.”

“You stay, I’ll go talk with Melina. Just, just don’t leave her alone.”

“The three of us will stay with her,” Daisy says from the door.

Natasha nods and heads down the hall to the lab where Melina and Bobbi are working in a bit of a frenzy. Melina looks at her and looks way more frazzled and upset than Natasha expected. Natasha sits on a stool beside Melina’s station, not really looking at Bobbi who is working just as hard.

“How long?” Natasha asks.

“We still have about two hours, and hour left of the simmer and then we need to bring the temperature down to a safe level for injection.” Melina answers. “Do you want to explain to me why you have been behaving like a bitch to those trying to help out? Just because I have been in the lab the whole time does not mean I have not heard the drama you have been causing.”

“Just because you pretended to be our mother does not mean you are.”

“Natalia Alianovna Romanova, you are being absolutely atrocious to people right now. You are not the only one is scared or in pain. You need to be more forgiving. You and I, we are very similar. When things get rough or emotional we are able to turn our emotions off, although that does not stop us from lashing out at others. Turning off your emotions is not helping Yelena and is not helping this situation. Grow up Natasha, you are better than me but are not acting it.”

“Where do you get off talking to me like this?”

“Someone has to. Someone has to before you burn all of your bridges. You act like this, like a child who cannot share a toy, and I understand because that is how we are raised, but that is not how the world works. That is not how the people here work. If anything, this team works as a family— so do your Avengers. You need to get back on board with that or you will ruin what you have here. You will ostracize yourself and you will ostracize Yelena.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It is the truth, Natasha. Now can you go get me some yogurt? I have not eaten in a while and I am getting light headed.”

Natasha rolls her eyes but gets up and goes over up to the kitchen to get a few yogurt cups and a spoon. She goes back down to the lab and holds it out to Melina who smiles and leans against the counter. Melina watches the different antidotes simmer and the two women who would clearly rather jump out of the plane than be in this room together.

“I have forty minutes to kill, and I am half tempted to lock the two of you in here since you cannot fight without ruining Yelena’s chances.” Melina smirks.

“You wouldn’t. She wouldn’t.” Bobbi frowns.

“She would.” Natasha groans.

“Once the color has faded to a light purple, lilac, then turn the heat off.” Melina instructs before she leaves the room. “Behave in there.”

Natasha and Bobbi watch Melina tie the door shut before she heads down the hall towards the med pod. Natasha turns back to look at Bobbi who has moved to the other side of the room where she can still watch the liquids simmer.

“I am sorry about your child,” Natasha says.

“It is fine. It was years ago now.” Bobbi shrugs.

“You cannot leave Bobbi Morse. It is not what I want, and it is not what Yelena needs.”

“We need to focus on the task at hand. We can deal with that later.”

“Bobbi, I am sorry.”

“I get it. I just, I want to focus on this please.”

Natasha nods and starts to fiddle with her hands, not really sure what to do other than sit on her stool in the corner.

Maria furrows her brow when she sees Melina walk into the med pod. Jemma and Melina talk for nearly forty minutes before Melina starts to do a full exam on the child and then start to do her own blood draw. She takes four viles of black blood before the lab where she unties the door but neither of the two who were inside move to leave.

“How long has the heat been turned off?” Melina asks.

“Twenty minutes,” Natasha answers.

“Bobbi, check the temp, I need them below ten degrees. Celsius not Fahrenheit.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Bobbi nods, getting the laser thermometer out and scanning all four of the antidotes. “Two are below ten and the other are around fifteen degrees.”

“Good, fill eight twenty five gauge, three mil syringes with the antidote from each attempt. We will test them before we give any to Yelena.”

“Test them on what?” Natasha asks.

Melina raises the viles of blood she has from Yelena and starts to label them with which antidote will go with which vile. “The antidote isn’t instant, though it will act faster than the neurotoxin, we will see slight differences in the blood immediately. It will turn lighter and more red as the cells are able to oxygenate more.”

“And if it works you will give this to Yelena right away?”

“Yes. She will get a syringe ever three hours for the next thirty six hours.”

Natasha sits back and stays quiet as Bobbi and Melina go through their testing, with one of the cooled antidotes working as it is supposed to and other does not. They wait for the other two to cool and test to make sure they will have enough before starting to give them to Yelena.

The testing phase lasted a little longer than Natasha liked, but it was clear that Melina wanted to be sure that it was going to work and not harm Yelena. Bobbi’s attempt and Melina’s were the two that were perfect, Jemma’s worked but was substantially weaker, and Fitz’s was a dud. Melina sorts all of the good antidote into viles and labels them so that they’re ready to go for all of Yelena’s doses.

Natasha and Bobbi follow after Melina to the med pod where Wanda has arrived and is sitting cross legged on the bed by Yelena’s feet. He cheeks are tear stained as she looks over to Natasha, not able to really say anything. Natasha quickly moves to hug the teenager and watches Melina as she delivers the first dose.

After Yelena’s third dose she’s removed from life support, able to breathe on her own. After the fourth dose they move her up to the lounge so everyone can comfortably hang around her without being all cramped in the med pod.

After her sixth dose she’s awake but not fully cognizant. Her eyes are open and she’s looking around and reaches for Natasha but doesn’t say anything. It doesn’t really change much up until the final dose. She’s weak and tired, her body going through the healing process.

Eventually they all return to the Triskelion. Melina returns to Ohio, leaving the rest of Yelena’s treatment to the doctors and medics of SHIELD. Jemma started working on physical therapy with Yelena after their second day back at the Triskelion.

“It can take a while for the brain to heal,” Bobbi says, more to herself than Natasha as they watch Jemma work with Yelena. “She’s young and kids are resilient. It will just take some time. We have time.”

“Did you talk to Fury about leaving?” Natasha asks in a whisper.

“He disapproved and sent me to therapy, which you can laugh at if you want. Says once I am done six sessions we can talk about it again, but also said he wants me with Coulson’s team. I do want to be here, and I want to help. I think I really just need time out of the field. No offence to you or your sister, but seeing how twisted the world is and what children are trained to do— how kids are stolen from home to be soldiers. It’s been quite eye opening and not in the fun way I guess.”

“What if you come up with us to New York?” Natasha offers. “Tony is just finishing the construction of the compound just north of the city, and your skills are super helpful.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good. I am sorry, and I am grateful that Yelena has you.”

“It’s funny how food and sleep help your mood.” Bobby teases.

“Ha Ha Ha.”

“Hey, peanut gallery, someone has a question for you,” Jemma shouts.

The two who had been sitting on the sofa move towards the bed where Yelena is sitting and kicking her feet back and forth. She reaches out for Natasha who scoops her up and hugs her.

“Bobbi, can we have macaroni and ice cream?” Yelena asks.

“Macaroni and ice cream?” Bobbi gasps. “I don’t know kid. Will you help me with it?”

Chapter Text

Natasha carries Yelena down the hall of the Triskelion, they were leaving for New York in four days and she was trying to wrap up as much as she could here. So many plans that they had set up kept changing, for everyone’s safety, but some things were making it much harder. One of those things was the fact Yelena was still only communicating in Russian, and she refused to be away from Natasha, Bobbi, Wanda, or Maria as a last resort. Natasha was late for a level nine meeting with Maria, and Yelena was not allowed to be there at all. Wanda was in her second lesson with Pietro and their tutor who would be going to New York with them. This left Natasha running through the halls with Yelena in her arms searching for Bobbi.

“Morse!” Natasha shouts when she catches sight of the elusive blonde. “I really need you to take Yelena.”

“I can’t, I have therapy.” Bobbi says, walking up to the pair. “Have Maria or Wanda take her right now.”

“Maria and I have a level nine meeting, Wanda is in school. You can sit her in a corner with the noise cancelling headphones in her bag. As long as she is close enough to see you she will be fine.” Natasha hands Yelena over to Bobbi, watching as the child holds on before she lets go and holds out her bag. “Please, I’m already late.”

“You owe me.” Bobbi sighs, shifting Yelena to get her more onto her hip. “We need to find a better option when we get to New York.”

“We will, this is temporary. Thank you Bobbi. Be good, Yelena. Listen to Bobbi, and do not get in the way.”

“You come back for dinner?” Yelena frowns.

“I will be back for dinner. We can all make something in the lounge.”

“Stroganoff.”

“I’ve got to go. Bye.” Natasha says before she kisses Yelena’s forehead and leaves.

Yelena looks at Bobbi and tilts her head with a sad smile She is fully aware that she is making things harder for everyone. She is aware that they just want her to be better and good and healthy. Yelena knows that everyone wants things to be how they were before, but she doesn’t want that. She remembers every feeling, everything that was said around her, every sense as she died and how people acted while it was happening. She remembers how easy it was for them to just leave her, and how that felt.

“Are you going to be okay if I have therapy? You can be in the room if you keep the headphones in and stay quiet.” Bobbi says.

Yelena nods, letting Bobbi heave out a deep sigh as she continues down the hall to her therapist’s office. The therapist is a lady, one Yelena has seen smile at Natasha before— so probably is also Natasha’s therapist. She definitely acts as though she recognizes and knows Yelena, which is odd when it comes from a stranger.

“She’ll sit quietly,” Bobbi says.

“No worries, I know what’s been up. My name is Kara. Yelena, how about you sit at my desk and listen to some music. I don’t have any toys but I do have some art supplies if you want.” The woman, Kara, offers. “How does that sound. Then you’ll be able to sit comfortably and see Bobbi the whole time.”

“Bobbi can I have my books instead of colouring?” Yelena asks.

Bobbi nods and sets Yelena down on the big chair behind the desk and sets the backpack on the desk. While Yelena digs through the bag for activities, Bobbi digs out the headphones and iPod they keep in there in case they need Yelena to not hear what is happening around them. Bobbi turns the music on and waits till she gets a thumbs up from the kid and moves to sit on the sofa to start her session.

Yelena reads one of Natasha’s novels that she has in Russian, it is a bunch of fairy tales that Yelena feels like she should know but doesn’t. She wats to go back to the way things were before America. She wants to go back to how things were in the Red Room, when she did not have to worry about people coming after her or trying to kill her. When she wasn’t falling soft or weak, and when she believed that Natasha was the bravest and strongest person she knew. Now in America they are weak, they lost their training and she almost died.

The chair is turned away from the desk and her headphones are removed. Bobbi cups her face and wipes away tears that are streaming down her fave.

“What is wrong, Yelena? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?” Bobbi questions.

“I am fine, Bobbi Morse. It is nothing.” Yelena says, trying to turn off her emotions.

Bobbi turns back to the therapist, “We’re done for the day, I need to take care of her.”

“Can I talk to her for a minute?” Kara asks.

“She won’t answer in English.”

“That’s okay. I know she’s capable of nodding and shaking her head.”

“Okay, I’ll just be on the sofa, Yelena. If you need anything just call for me and I will be right here and we can leave.”

“It is fine Bobbi Morse, if she does anything I can take her.”

“You can barely stand on your own, let alone fight someone. Just call for me.”

Bobbi sits on the far end of the sofa, giving them a semblance of privacy but is close enough to intervene if she hear anything unsavoury. While she trusts Kara as her therapist and confidant, it’s a stranger to Yelena and doesn’t feel right making this call without Natasha.

“You have a lot of thoughts and concerns, am I right?” Kara smiles.

Yelena nods.

“I have heard about what happened, the poison and how hard it was. It must have been hard. It must be even harder when you don’t feel comfortable talking about what happened with anyone. I mean not from your point of view. I am sure you’ve heard about how hard it was for everyone else and how what happened to you has effected them. Right? That’s got to suck.”

Yelena hesitates this time, she wants to shake her head but Kara is right so she slowly nods her head, sure not to glance at Bobbi.

“Yeah. I mean, it was hard for them but it happened to you. No one know yet what it felt like for you, or what happened from your point of view. Do they?”

Yelena shakes her head strongly.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so. I bet that’s why you’re only talking in Russian. Right?”

Yelena nods slightly, not wanting Bobbi to catch her answer.

“God, that must be lonely, even though you’re around people you love and care about all of the time.” Kara nods. “I’m going to ask something and I would like you to give me a big yes or a big no. Would you be okay if I talk to Natasha about you and I having some one on one chats. I wasn’t there, and while I have heard about what’s happened I would love to be the person you can talk to about what happened. Because it happened to you, and you deserve someone to listen and hear you out. How does that sound?”

“What I tell you does not go back to Natasha or Bobbi.”

“I’m sorry, Yelena. I don’t quite understand. Something, no to Natasha and Bobbi?”

“Bobbi! Tell her that she cannot tell you or Natasha if I talk to her. That if I talk to her it is just her to know, Maria if she is worried but it cannot be you or Natasha.”

“She wants to be sure that if she talks to you that it will be confidential. That you won’t tell Natasha or myself what she talks about.” Bobbi translates.

Kara smiles and nods, looking back at Yelena. “I would never. There is something here called doctor-patient confidentiality. Where unless you’re a danger to yourself or someone else anything you say is kept just between you and me.”

“We’re going to New York soon.” Bobbi says. “I don’t know if that will effect your plan.”

“I generally work out of Tribeca, I am only down here when high level agents need me, so we will work something out.” Kara smiles. “I’m going to send a quick message to Natasha, letting her know that you’d be willing to talk to me. We will get it all sorted by the time you all move to New York and I return there next week. You’re both free to go.”

Yelena packs up her bag and reaches up to Bobbi who scoops her up and leaves. They make their way down to the hanger where the Bus is parked, where FitzSimmons and Daisy have been hanging out so that Yelena can work on her physical therapy with the British duo.

Natasha marches into Kara’s office without knocking, something that does not surprise the young therapist. She has gotten used to the fact that the young Russian woman acts brash before she has all the pieces.

“She is not doing therapy, I don’t sign off on it!” Natasha yells. “She’s been through enough.”

“What is one thing that we have talked about, Natasha?” Kara asks.

“That as Yelena grows and starts to assert herself I need to support it instead of holding on too tight.”

“I think it will be good for her, to talk to someone who doesn’t already have a personal view on what happened the last two weeks. Now, I think I can work well with Yelena, but if you would rather her work with someone else that is fine and I have a few colleagues in mind. I have done a lot of work with children though, and I have two offices in Manhattan where one is dedicated to my work with children.”

“What if she doesn’t talk? Or what if she does and it is only in Russian?”

“Then at least she is talking. She doesn’t need to talk though, she needs to learn that she is safe now, which I do not think she knows.”

“Of course she knows she’s safe.”

“I think that’s somewhat true, but I think she is still scared. I think you feel that too. You all went through something absolutely traumatizing and terrifying. You’ve been seeing me daily since then, and she hasn’t had anyone to talk to yet.”

“She receives the same confidentiality as me?”

“Of course she will. I had this talk with her earlier.” Kara smiles. “And if we do this in my office in Tribeca you will be able to see her the whole time. You will not be able to hear anything she says but you can still see her.”

“Okay.” Natasha sighs. “I’ll sign off on it.”

Chapter Text

Natasha set Yelena down in the little waiting room outside of Kara’s office in the Triskelion. They were all packed up, most things from their house had already been moved courtesy of Tony and Pepper. Now all that was left to do was Yelena’s first therapy appointment with Kara then they were flying up to the new Avengers Compound.

Kara opens the door with a smile and leads the sisters into her office to go over some formalities before Natasha is sent to sit out in the waiting area.

“I need you both to sign this paper to tell me that you understand the rules here. Yelena is says that whatever you say here stays between you and me, but there are two exceptions. The first exception is if you are a danger to yourself or someone else and I need to let people know to keep you safe— they will not know details, but that you may need some help. The other exception is if there was anything legal and the courts subpoena my files, but the likelihood of that happening is very rare. Okay? This is standard, Bobbi and Natasha have signed this form for their own sessions.” Kara explains.

“You signed this?” Yelena asks Natasha.

“I did. It’s like a secret contract, but allows her to keep you safe if needed. It’s all standard. Can you sign it and I will sign beside you since you’re a minor.”

“She can tell Maria if she needs to, but I do not want her to tell you and Bobbi.”

“Okay, how about I write that along the edge so we all know that?” Natasha asks, and writes on the edge CAN DISCUSS CARE AND TREATMENT WITH DEPUTY DIRECTOR MARIA HILL. “Is that okay? All good now?"

Yelena takes a pen from the cup on the desk and signs her name followed by Natasha. Yelena tilts her head to look at the two signatures, noticing that Natasha signs her name in English now and not Russian. The last time Yelena saw Natasha sign her name she was signing in Russian still, it’s proof how Natasha is becoming more American.

“Okay, now that that’s all done, Natasha is going to wait outside, but Deputy Director Hill did set something up for you.” Kara says leading Yelena to the sofa where there is a tablet on the coffee table. One the screen is the waiting area. “It’s just video, no sound, but you will be able to see Natasha the whole time.”

“Thank you Kara, this is great.” Natasha smiles.

“Hey, it was Deputy Director Hill’s idea. She brought the camera system down this morning, said I could bring it to my office in New York too.”

“We’ll be sure to thank Maria then. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

Natasha kisses Yelena’s forehead before she leaves. Yelena watches the screen and can see Natasha enter the hall and look for the camera to wave at it before she sits down and pulls out a book. Kara brings out so paper and some art supplies that she set out on the coffee table.

“What is that for?” Yelena whispers.

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you’d be up to talk so I thought it could be fun to do some colouring or painting if you didn’t want to. It’s a way to get used to being together without you having to talk.”

“Painting and colouring is little kid stuff.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah. Crafts and toys are stupid kid stuff.”

“Okay, well would you be okay if I paint a little bit?” Kara asks, Yelena nods. “How about we work on something together?”

Yelena watches Kara set out a large canvas, paints, brushes, and a cup of water for cleaning. She moves the tablet to the side so it opens up most of the table and slides off the sofa to sit on the floor.

“No red or black.” Yelena says.

“Okay. Any other colors you don’t like?”

“The colors that you look at and they hurt the eyes, but you do not have those in paint.”

Kara chuckles. “Okay. What do you think we should paint?”

“A dog?”

“That sounds great.”

“Do you just want to paint or draw it out first?”

“Draw first.”

Kara smiles and hands Yelena a pencil and eraser. Yelena spends fifteen minutes drawing out the dog, while Kara sits quietly beside her. Yelena explains the colors and then both of them start to pain on the canvas.

“You like dogs?” Kara asks.

“I want a dog bad, Clint Barton has a dog that had puppies but I have not been able to see them. I do not think Natasha wants a dog though.”

“No? Why not.”

“Cause she already has to take care of me, and I am enough of a burden. Dogs need lots of space and work.”

“You think you’re too much work?”

“Natasha and Maria whisper about it at night sometimes when I am supposed to be asleep. Natasha cries about how tired she is and how hard things are.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s you though.”

Yelena bites her lip and shrugs. “There is no one else that it would be, and I am all the work she has as she has been on leave with SHIELD. It is okay though. I know how to be better. I know how to be good.”

“What does that mean, Yelena?”

“We are taught a lot of things. One of the things we are taught quite early is how to make things simpler for our handlers and caregivers. I got lazy and complacent here, and I can be better. The point it to make things easier for them, not be whiney and clingy.”

“Natasha is your mother, not your handler.”

“But she is tired. She says it at night. How exhausted she is. How she wants things better and how they used to be.”

“You know, sometimes us Moms say very stupid things because we have twice the amount of feelings. We feel for ourselves and we feel for our children. That can be tiring, because we see them in pain and can’t do anything to fix it.”

“Your a mom?” Yelena asks, scrunching her face up.

“I have three kids, one older than you and two younger.”

“Oh.”

They finish the painting and Kara moves things to the side to wash up later. Yelena slowly climbs back onto the couch, her muscles feeling stiff and weak. It was the thing she hated the most in the recovery, how her muscles had weakened so much that walking and moving was comparable to a days worth of ballet in less than a minute. Yelena was the best, and now she’s not. First year Widow’s would be able to take her out, which means that Natasha has to look after her more than normal.

“Hey Yelena, where’s you’re head. I can hear the gears churning.”

“I have no gears in my head, and my head is attached to my neck!”

Kara chuckles lightly. “They’re stupid American sayings, means I can tell you’re thinking hard and that you’re not really focused here.”

“I just do not like feeling so tired from simple things. I thought if by getting better I would be right back to normal but I am not. I thought people could stop worrying and babying me. I thought everyone would return to normal.”

“It sucks when things don’t go the way we have planned in our heads.”

“Yeah. It does.”

“Were you active before the incident?”

“Yeah. Dance at home, soccer with Bobbi and Daisy when they would play, climbing here. Natasha had bought Wanda, Pietro and me bicycles and we would ride around the neighbourhood every day.”

“That sounds really fun.”

“Yeah. I hope we bring the bicycles with us to New York.” Yelena looks at the tablet then over at the clock. “Are we done soon?”

“Yes, in about ten minutes.”

“Okay. We talk again though?”

“We will, you will be visiting me in my office up in New York.”

“Can we paint again?”

“We can, I also have a bunch of other activities there.”

“Okay. Are you not supposed to be asking me things to get in my head?”

“I thought it would be better to get to know each other first.”

“So we can do stuff with no questions more?”

“Hmm. How about we keep doing the fun stuff, but you answer two serious questions each time?”

Yelena taps her chin in thought. “Okay.”

“Can I ask two questions this time? Or would you like me to wait till next time?”

“You can ask.”

Kara moves to sit on the sofa beside Yelena, making Yelena shift to turn away from looking at the tablet so she’s focused on the therapist.

“I want you to be honest okay, and if you feel like you can’t be honest just tell me and we won’t answer that question. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay. Question one. Who do you blame for the incident?”

Yelena bites her lip and furrows her brow. She leans slightly into the sofa, deep in thought as she tries to come up with a honest answer.

“Natasha mostly. I obviously blame the people who coated the knife that poisoned me, but I blame Natasha for not letting us go out prepared like we were trained. I blame her for allowing the opportunity. For it being me and not her. I do not hate her, just blame her.”

“That’s good Yelena, thank you for being honest.”

Yelena smiles lightly at the compliment. “What about question number two?”

“Are you scared about going out in public and in busy places now?”

“I am a Widow, we are made of marble. I do not feel fear!” Yelena shouts.

“Hey now, there’s no need to shout. Deep breath Yelena, talk to me.” Kara demonstrates some deep breaths and Yelena copies her. Deep breath in through the mouth and out through the nose. “Good, that’s good Yelena. Do you want to try and answer that again for me?”

“I am not afraid,” Yelena whispers.

“Okay, can you tell me what you are feeling when it comes to being in a busy place or going out in public.”

“I do not know the words in English, but like chest shakes. I will go out and I am okay going out, but I do not feel like Natasha is good enough anymore to be aware or alert enough to look after me.”

“Can I try and explain the feeling?”

Yelena nods slowly, curious to see what the therapist will say.

“Do you know what anxiety is? It’s a feeling that can feel like tingles or electricity in you chest and fingers, it makes your heart beat fast and makes you not feel safe. And you know what? It’s okay. It is okay to feel anxious and unsafe because you almost died. You get to feel all these big and different feelings because what happened was big.”

“And can you make it stop?”

“I can help. It will be a team effort. Okay?” Kara smiles. “For now, time’s up. Do you want to take the painting out to Natasha?”

“Do you think she will want to see it?”

“I bet she will love it, maybe she’ll even hang it up somewhere.”

Yelena smiles and gets off the couch and carefully holds the canvas so she doesn’t get wet paint on herself and so it doesn’t smear. Kara opens the office door and watches as Natasha stands and nervously rocks on her feet.

“Mama, look what we made! I drew the dog and we painted it together!” Yelena smiles, showing off the painting. “Do not touch the paint, it is still wet.”

“Okay, I won’t touch the paint. Thank you Kara.” Natasha smiles.

“Of course. I will email you the details for both of your appointments next week. It was lovely talking with you Yelena, and remember that it’s okay to have big feelings. Right?”

Yelena nods and reaches up at Natasha. She is awkwardly picked up so that Natasha doesn’t touch the painting. The pair wave to Kara before heading up to Maria’s office where the New York group is meeting before they take off. Yelena carries her painting over to Bobbi when she’s set down.

“I did art with Kara.” Yelena smiles.

“This looks super cool, Kiddo. I love it. Are you going to hang it on a wall when we get up to New York?”

“I do not know. Mama?”

“I was thinking it could go up in my office so a bit of you is always with me even when I’m working. How does that sound?”

“Others will see it.”

“And I will get to tell them how cool my daughter is.”

“Okay.” Yelena shrugs and looks at Bobbi. “You are staying close in New York, like in the same building I can see you every day close.”

“Yes, I’ll be that close.”

Maria hangs up her phone and smiles at both Russians. “How was your first session with Kara, Lena?”

Yelena offers a thumbs up and signs thank you. She walks over and hugs Maria before going back to sit with Bobbi on the sofa. Clint walks in with Steve, Sharon and the twins. Yelena immediately makes grabby hands for Wanda who runs to scoop her up.

“I missed you this morning,” Wanda smiles. “You weren’t there to protect me from Pietro at breakfast. He stole some of my eggs.”

Yelena turns to look at Pietro with a frown and waves her finger at him. He laughs and runs around the room at full speed to poke her from surprise directions which has her giggling.

“Quinjet is ready, everything is loaded or already up at the Compound. Along with a few added surprises.” Clint says. “So come on you lot, some of us have lives and schedules.”

“Yeah, and lets not pretend that’s you,” Pietro laughs.

“Well I am wrapped up and am good to go. Yelena do you want to bring you art or do you want someone else to carry it carefully?” Maria says.

Yelena points at Natasha before holding onto Wanda so she’s not dropped on the way out to the quinjet. Everyone sits down and buckles up and Yelena feels her heart try to beat its way out of her chest. She doesn’t want to be in her own seat, but she doesn’t want to be held. Everyone is too far and too close and she doesn’t like it. Wanda quickly picks up on her feelings and holds Yelena’s wrist tight like a cuff, calming the child down without drawing too much attention to them. The tighter Wanda holds her wrist, the calmer she feels. Once they’re in the air the flight is just under an hour, having the group touch down before lunch.

Laura and Pepper are waiting on the edge of the landing pad when the ramp lowers. They both walk up and onto the quinjet, offering to carry something and Yelena is handed to Laura so Wanda can collect the bags she brought onto the jet.

“Did you bring your dog?” Yelena whispers to Laura.

“I did not, but that just means you will have to come visit us soon to see her.” Laura smiles. “It’s good to see you Yelena, but I think you need some sweets, which I did bring.”

“Like cookies and cupcakes?”

“Maybe, you’ll just have to wait and see.”

“No fair.”

Laura chuckles and carries her off the jet, when they’re standing in the grass she sets Yelena down and watches her wobble but hold herself steady. Laura thinks back to how Yelena was when they had first met, so similar yet so different. Yelena holds onto her hand like an anchor keeping her steady. Yelena keeps looking back over to the one building that is still under construction. The building will soon be a SHIELD building, a coop of resources between the agency and the Avengers. There are workers, strangers, that have Yelena on edge.

“Ready to go check out our new home?” Natasha smiles, walking over to the pair with Yelena’s painting. “Pepper and Laura made your room all up nice for you.”

“Is this the last place we will live? We have lived too many places.” Yelena pouts.

“Maybe, but maybe down the line we can get a house of our own again.”

“Maybe.” Yelena rolls her eyes.

Chapter Text

Yelena got in the elevator wit Natasha, Bobbi, Maria, Pepper, Laura, Sharon, and the twins. Steve would have joined them but wanted them to explore the space they’d have and he’d already see it and had help supervise some of the construction.

“We have all of you on the top floor, three above the common floor and two above everyone else’s apartments. The floor below is Avengers private offices, as well as mine, Bobbi’s and Maria’s. It has a couple guest suites, but they’ll be used rarely I assume.” Pepper says. “Tony has set up Jarvis to not allow anyone onto your floor who doesn’t have a code, all adults can also block certain people from coming onto the floor. He also set up an AI named NICO.”

“What does NICO stand for?” Natasha asks, knowing it has to stand for something.

“Nanny Interface and Child Operative.” A woman’s voice announces through the speakers. “I was built to ensure the safety of all minors, and assist the parents and guardians. I am accessibly through any Stark Tech though am connected specifically to this floor and the occupants of this floor.”

“He created a nanny bot?” Pietro frowns. “Fuck that.”

“It would be prudent of me to inform you, Mister Maximoff, that I have been coded to translate and communicate in all slavic and European languages.” NICO says.

Wanda and Yelena laugh as Pietro frowns deeper.

“So if needed, you could translate for Yelena?” Maria asks.

“Correct. I can translate for anyone.” NICO says.

The elevator doors open and the group steps out into a communal living area. There’s a kitchen, a group of sofas around a large television, large dining table, bookshelves along one wall, and a games area with ping pong, football, and three arcade games. Yelena walks with Wanda as they go and check out the arcade games. There was a time they had been following a target and were in an arcade for an afternoon, Wanda would play PacMan and Donkey Kong while Yelena kept sight of their target. It was weird seeing the games in a supposedly safe space.

“Do we need money to play?” Wanda asks.

“Nope, you should just be able to press start.” Pepper smiles.

“Oooo, I love Street Fighter!” Sharon cheers, running over to the game. “Who wants to play me?”

“I will,” Pietro smirks.

“I’m not going to go easy on you, Kid.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

Yelena slowly walks over to the kitchen where all the other adults have gathered to look through things. Yelena makes grabby hands and Maria who scoops her up and settles the girl on her hip.

“Four apartments in this wing, this common lounge, and then some bonus areas like we made a dance studio, a classroom, and a smaller training room so you can be close to the kids. The fourth apartment is set up but will remain empty, we figured it could be for Laura and the kids whenever they visit even though Clint has an apartment down on the boys floor. “Pepper explains. “You all have apartments that have enough rooms plus an at home study, each apartment has its own kitchen and living room to allow you all to cool for your own families and not just in the common area. All fridges have tablets build into the doors, you can order groceries and supplies there and those deliveries happen every Tuesday and Friday. Also, if there is any design that you do not like in your apartments then you can let us know and we can fix it.”

“Thank you Pepper.” Maria smiles.

“I will leave you all to explore, kitchens should be fully stocked with everything you should need till the next grocery delivery. Ask NICO or JARVIS to call for me if you need anything. Romanoff and Hill are in apartment one; Morse in two; Carter, Rogers, Maximoff in three; and Barton’s in four.”

Pepper heads back to the elevator, leaving the group to explore their new living spaces. Yelena looks over at Bobbi who seems very uncomfortable and reaches for her. Bobbi smiles and takes the girl from Maria. Natasha and Maria go and check out their apartment, Sharon is still plays with Pietro while Laura goes with Wanda to check out their new space. Yelena leans back in Bobbi’s arms to look up at her.

“I am hungry. Can we have snacks?” Yelena asks.

“I think that once we check out things here they’re having a big lunch for everyone down on the main common hang out floor.” Bobbi says.

“Please Bobbi?”

Bobbi carries her to the large fridge and opens the door to see what’s inside. She finds some pre cut fruit and pulls it out and sets the bowl and Yelena on the counter. There are fruits in the bowl that Yelena has never seen, so she holds each new fruit out to Bobbi to take a bite of before she willingly tries any of it. Most of the strange fruit is tropical, which she finds she does enjoy and starts to use her fingers to pick out the papaya, guava, mango, and dragonfruit.

“Hey Love, want to come see our new place? I think you’re going to like your room a lot. Pepper put a lot of thought into it,” Natasha says, walking up to the island.

“Bobbi comes too?” Yelena asks, looking between both women.

“Of course I’ll come. Do you want to walk or be carried?”

“Walk.”

Natasha lifts Yelena off the counter and sets her on the ground. Yelena holds onto Natasha’s hand tight as the trio slowly walk down the hall to the apartment with a large one on the door. Natasha pushes open the door and lets Yelena walk in on her own.

Their apartment is warm, it’s at least the best way to describe it. The walls are a soft yellow, and all the furniture is a mix of whites and a light wood color. It’s bright and warm, not sterile and monochrome like Yelena thought it could be. The living area is against the windows where the dining room and kitchen are on either side of the entry. It’s larger than Yelena thought it would be, like the size of what their house was. There’s a set of double glass doors leading off the dining room into the study, next to that is a door to the bathroom and then there’s the master bedroom in that corner off the living room. Across the living room is the door that leads to Yelena’s room which is what they slowly move towards as Yelena looks around the living space. There are three different toy stations in the living room, all nicely organized probably by Pepper.

“I do not play with any of those things,” Yelena says.

“I think it’s nice of them to have set it up for you in case you ever want to try.” Bobbi says. “They were thinking of you Yelena.”

“So it is pity toys?”

“No, it is not pity. They all love you so do nice things.” Natasha answers. “When people love and care for you, they do things that they think will make you happy because they want to. Not because of pity or guilt. Can you understand?”

“Like how you and Bobbi do not pity?”

“Yeah, but it’s all of the Avengers family and our SHIELD family. Are you ready to see your room?”

Yelena hesitates, looking between Natasha and Bobbi before she nods slowly and moves towards the door. She opens it, pushing the door open and slowly walks into he room. The room is large, like if her room and the playroom at their last house was made into one. The wall across from the door and the wall of the door had wallpaper that made it look like there were five ginormous sunflowers were on the walls, and the third wall was painted a light purple. The bed was huge, queen size, with light pink bedding and lots of fluffy accent pillows. The wood was the light wood like in the living room, a large open space was by the windows with more toy chests, a desk, and a bookcase that was already loaded with books. There was a hammock chair by the window and another by the solid wall. The carpet was plush, fluffy, and white. The room was very sensory friendly for her, like someone had studied ADHD and made the perfect little haven for her. There is a set of plastic drawers beside the desk that Yelena opens to find it filled with fidget toys like ones that the Barton kids had at their home. She pulls a couple pop it balls out of one drawer, one for each hand, and looks back at Natasha and Bobbi who have been hovering by the door while she explores.

“Do you like it, Little One?” Natasha asks.

Yelena nods, smiling big. “Can we get food now? I am still hungry.”

Bobbi and Natasha work hard on not reacting to Yelena choosing to speak in English, they just agree with her. Natasha picks her up and they go over to the elevator to head down to the common floor where most everyone is already there and setting up the food that had been delivered. Yelena is sat on the island counter and gets to point at what she wants to eat, which ends up being half a Subway sandwich, fries, so palak paneer and rice.

“Woah kid, you were really hungry huh,” Bobbi smiles.

“Did not eat breakfast Bobbi Morse,” Yelena rolls her eyes. “Was thinking about therapy too much to eat.”

“How was therapy, Yelena?” Laura asks.

“I painted a dog. Natasha has it somewhere.”

“It’s up in the apartment.” Natasha says, covering her mouth while she chews.

“Okay, good. Therapy is nice. We do things and can talk about whatever and I only have to answer two serious questions.”

“That sounds really nice. Are you ready for your surprise after lunch?”

“Is it your kids? They are not much of a surprise if both you and Clint are here, Laura Barton. They are kind of expected.”

Laura laughs lightly. “They are here, but they are not the surprise.”

“Does Nattie know the surprise?”

“Everyone knows the surprise.”

Yelena’s mouth falls open in offence. Wanda leans over the counter and taps her chin closed with a smirk. Yelena scoffs. “Everyone knows. That’s not fair.”

“Hey, we just need to offend the baby assassin to get her to contract her words. How adorable,” Tony teases.

“If you clean your hands and face we can get to the surprise,” Natasha says, offering a wet cloth. “Deal?”

Yelena takes the cloth and wipes her face and hands before holding it back out to Natasha. Natasha tosses the cloth in the sink and helps Yelena off the counter and to the middle of the room. She stands behind her and covers Yelena’s eyes, nodding at Clint who goes out onto the large balcony. Yelena tries to wiggle around so that she can get around Natasha’s hands but it is predictable moves and Natasha is ready for her to try and pull out these stops.

“Mama, I want to see,” Yelena whines.

“Keep whining and I will keep your eyes covered for longer.” Natasha teases.

“That is rude.”

Clint carries the ten week old puppy in with a large bow on its collar. Laura sets a treat on the floor by Yelena’s feet, making sure that the puppy sees the treat. Wanda counts down from three, when she hits zero Clint releases the puppy and Natasha releases Yelena. Yelena’s mouth falls open and she drops to her knees allowing the puppy to plow into her. The puppy wasn’t that large but Yelena was not that strong at the moment, and she was easily knocked over but just giggled and help onto the squirming puppy.

“I love him!” Yelena giggles.

“Him is a her, but that’s good Lena.” Natasha smiles.

“Do we keep her?” Yelena sits up and asks, holding the puppy in her arms.

“We are keeping her, we even have a puppy zone up on our floor.”

“We do?”

“Yeah, end of the hall away from the apartments there is a huge outdoor patio with fake grass so you can take the puppy out when needed, so you can be independent with the puppy and not have to ask us to take her out all the time.”

“Thank you Mama.”

“You’re welcome Baby.”

“What are you going to name her Yelena?” Clint asks.

Yelena sits up with a frown and nibbles on her lip. She has never had to name anything before, never had to have that responsibility. Everything that needed a name had already come to her with a name, even all her undercover names.

“I do not know.” Yelena whispers. “I do not want to do it wrong.”

“You can’t do it wrong, Honey,” Laura smiles. “I’m sure you’ll come up with the best name for her.”

Yelena furrows her brows. “How did you name your children?”

“Some were family and friend names, and we looked at meanings of names. We also went with names that we liked how they sounded.”

“That does not help me Laura Barton.”

Natasha chuckles. “Be nice. How about you think about it? We can all watch a movie and just hang out for the afternoon. There’s a theatre room around here somewhere.”

“Can I pick the movie?”

“Sure.”

Laura clips a leash to the puppy’s collar and hands it to Yelena. The group moves to the home theatre and Tony helps Yelena look through the different streaming services, mostly focusing on Disney as it was child friendly. Yelena picks out Pete’s Dragon from the seventies. After the first song most of the adults question the film, but Yelena is enthralled with the cartoon dragon and the story of the boy escaping the bad place to be saved by a kind woman. The puppy lays across Yelena’s lap throughout the whole film, the pressure is safe and comforting.

Wanda picks the next film, Cheaper by the Dozen, which keeps everyone entertained, then Pietro gets a turn and chooses The Fast and the Furious. It turns from a movie afternoon to a movie night. Yelena goes with Laura, Bobbi, and Natasha between each film to take the puppy out to the balcony to see if she’ll go to the bathroom. Dinner comes and passes with Tony ordering too many pizzas, then they move onto the original Star Wars films which are Bobbi’s picks for the night. 

When it’s time for bed Natasha is carrying Yelena up to their apartment, with Sharon leading the twins to theirs. Natasha and Yelena do the nighttime routine Laura had laid out for the puppy, a crate and all the toys having been moved into the kitchen/laundry area.

“Why can’t Elliot sleep with me?” Yelena frowns as Natasha tucks her in.

“Elliot?”

“The puppy.”

“You named the puppy after the green cartoon dragon?”

Yelena nods. “Yes.”

Natasha smiles and kisses her forehead. “She will be fine, Laura said its best to keep her on the same schedule she’s been on. Maybe when she’s all grown up. Now go to sleep please.”

“Fine. But I am not happy about it.”

“Alright. You know if you need me we are just across the living room. You can come get me or shout. Do you want the night light on?”

“I am not a baby.”

“I know, but it’s new and different here.”

“Yes please.”

Natasha smiles and plugs in the dim night light. She heads for the door and turns off the lights and smiles back at Yelena who seems so small in that bed.

“I love you Yelena.”

“I love you Mama.” Yelena yawns.

Yelena wakes a few hours later, the apartment is dark. Natasha and Maria have their bedroom door cracked so Yelena can see in and see that they’re both in bed asleep. She tip toes into the kitchen and frees Elliot from her crate and lifts the heavy puppy into her arms.

“It is okay Elliot, you are just coming to bed with me.” Yelena whispers.

Maria opens her eyes when she hears the commotion in the living room. She lifts her head to see Yelena awkwardly carry the puppy into her bedroom and closes the door behind her.

“She took the puppy?” Natasha whispers.

“She took the puppy.” Maria nods.

“You owe me fifty bucks.”

“I really thought she’d hold out longer.”

Natasha hums, a slight smile on her lips before she falls back asleep curled into Maria’s protective arms.

Chapter Text

There was a routine that formed over the first week spent in the compound. Breakfasts were usually in their individual apartments, Bobbi often joining Yelena; lunches were usually in the common space of the top floor for the kids; and dinners were down with the Avengers. Mornings were spent on school, and the afternoons were for independent hobbies and activities. A tutor was hired for the twins while Yelena worked with Natasha, Bobbi, Pepper, and Sharon. Sharon had a sit down with the twins to see if they wanted to start going to temple, so this afternoon when Natasha and Bobbi took Yelena to therapy, Sharon was taking the twins to check out a few temples in the area to see if they liked any of them.

“I do not want to go today,” Yelena whines during lunch.

“Well you were supposed to go on Monday, and now it is Thursday. We have put it off for a number of days.” Natasha says. “Finish your fruit, we need to get ready to go.”

“I want Elliot to come.”

“The puppy needs to stay, Maria is going to look out for her.”

“But she needs me.” Yelena yells, and throws her plate with enough strength for it to shatter against the wall. “She needs me!”

“Hey!” Natasha yells, grabbing Yelena’s wrist. “We do not shout and throw things in anger. Go sit in the corner.”

“No.” Yelena cries.

“Yes Yelena, now. Go before you get yourself in more trouble.”

Yelena slide off the stool to the floor and stomps her foot, tears flooding her cheeks. “I said no!”

“Hey now, what is going on?” Bobbi asks, walking out of the elevator.

“Maybe she’ll listen to you but we’re having a rather large melt down here at the moment.” Natasha says, nodding to the food on the wall and plate pieces on the floor.

Bobbi walks over and scoops Yelena into her arms, causing the child to scream, yell, and thrash about. Bobbi keeps a hold of her and starts to gently sway on the spot. Both adults look at Wanda for any clue and she just shrugs.

“I have never seen her act this way before.” Wanda says.

Bobbi walks over to the couch and grabs a soft throw blanket to drape over Yelena. Yelena shifts a bit in Bobbi’s hold to be able to touch and feel the plush blanket with her hands, telling Bobbi that her mood is at least somewhat sensory based.

“How about we go and fetch some fidgets for the drive?” Bobbi whispers, receiving a very small nod. “We’ll be right back, and we’ll be ready to go by then.”

Bobbi carries Yelena to her bedroom and crouches next to the drawers full of fidgets, letting Yelena pick things out without giving her the ample opportunity to run and hide. Yelena pulls out a couple pop balls, one clicker, two slimes/doughs, and a tangle. They put all the fidgets in a little bag to bring with them, but Yelena holds tight to the tangle toy. When they go back out to the common kitchen Bobbi looks over the food on the counter. Natasha usually tried introducing new foods at lunch, there were new fruits and a green pasta still on the plate that even Bobbi was confused by.

“How do we feel about a peanut butter sandwich? I’m feeling in the mood for a peanut butter sandwich and maybe some apply slices with peanut butter,” Bobbi says, more to Natasha than Yelena but still gets a nod from the kid. “Natasha?”

“I’ll get on it.” Natasha says, a slight frown on her face.

“Hey Kid, can you sit on the sofa for a bit while we get food ready to go for the car ride?”

“Okay.”

Bobbi sets Yelena down on the sofa, still wrapped up in the blanket, then she returns to the kitchen and leans against the counter next to Natasha.

“She sleep well last night?” Bobbi asks.

“She barely slept last night. God I’m happy the apartments are sound proof because her screaming from nightmares was horrific.” Natasha whispers.

“Well, she’s tired and seeking stimulation and I don’t think the new foods were a hit for her today.”

“Honestly, as long as you manage to get her in the car that’s all I ask.”

“Hey, you’re amazing with her. You just sometimes both suck at communication. She’s tired and emotional, and you’re her mother who worries and wants the world right for her.”

“I’ve just never seen her this way.”

“And that’s why she’s going to therapy today. Relax, everything will be okay.”

“How did you know what was happening?”

“She was seeking out the feeling of the blanket, sensory seeking. Kind of put two and two together from that.”

“Oh.”

Natasha finishes making up the two sandwiches and some safe snacks with Yelena before everyone heads down to the SUV. Sharon is driving with Bobbi in the passenger seat, the twins are in the middle row and Natasha is in the back with Yelena. Yelena quietly plays with her tangle and eats the pieces of sandwich Natasha holds out to her because she doesn’t want to touch the bread right now. Natasha sits there, helping Yelena get through the car ride, really hoping that she will be able to talk to Kara before Yelena’s session about what happened before they came in.

“Do we got to go?” Yelena asks.

“We’re almost there, and yes. You liked Kara when we were in DC. What happened between last week and this week?”

“I just do not want to anymore.”

“You’ll be okay, Love. Bobbi and I will be right there, well in the waiting room. You’re not locked in, if you want to leave our you want us with you you can come out. I want you to try though, give it a serious try instead of giving up before we get there.”

“Fine, but I do not promise to enjoy it.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

Yelena sets down her tangle and starts to eat the apples and peanut butter on her own.

“Wanda?” Yelena asks.

“Yelena?” Wanda smiles.

“Why are you looking at different buildings today?”

“It is not really the buildings, it is the people and set up of them. You know how Christians go to church on Sunday’s? Jewish people go to temple on Shabbat.”

“So like you go to pray and listen to a priest? And that is fun for you?”

Pietro laughs. “It is religion, it is not exactly fun but comforting and familiar.”

“We pray, but we have a Rabbi and read from the torah not the bible. Judaism is based in the first testament of the bible.” Wanda explains.

“Like Moses?” Yelena tilts her head.

“Yes, like Moses.”

“Can I go with you?”

“Maybe, but I will not make a promise okay?”

“Okay.”

“Can you promise to do good and try in therapy?”

Yelena smirks. “No promises.”

“Funny. Really, you’re hilarious.”

“I think so.”

Sharon pulls up along the curb outside of a giant skyscraper. Bobbi gets out of the front, Wanda gets out to let Natasha and Yelena out from the back seat and hug Yelena goodbye before she gets back in the car.

“We’ll call when we’re done, but there’s a few cafe’s around here we can hang out in until you’re all done,” Natasha says to Sharon.

“Sounds like a plan. Good luck.” Sharon smiles.

Bobbi scoops Yelena into her arms when a pair of school kids run up to talk to Natasha. The pair head into the building’s lobby to wait for Natasha in a slightly more quiet environment. It doesn’t take long for the red head to run into the lobby and lead the group to the elevators. They go up to the thirty-second floor and get out on the quiet floor. Natasha reads the wall directory before continuing to lead the team down the hall to Kara’s office. The sign on the door reads KARA CRUSTREK CHILD PSYCHOLOGY. Yelena furrows her brows and runs her finger over the letters of Kara’s last name, tracing the gold letters.

“I thought Kara’s last name was Bennett.” Bobbi says.

“I go by my maiden name at this office.” Kara says, walking out to the waiting room. “Come, step into my office where we can chat before we get started.”

Bobbi sets Yelena down to let the girl follow Kara on her own. The trio sit on the sofa in her office while Kara sits in a chair. There are curtains on the wall opposite the sofa, which is what has Yelena’s interest. There are curtains on the wall but not the window.

“So, how have things been this week? The move and transition good?” Kara asks.

“Mostly good. Today we had some challenges, like the worst I have seen, but that is okay. We made it here.” Natasha answers.

“What kind of issues?”

“Sensory, that’s what Bobbi said. We have had some issues with stimulation and being over stimulated but we work through it. And nightmares have been really bad the last three days.”

“What do you think about what Natasha’s said, Yelena?”

“I do not know. Accurate?” Yelena shrugs and plays with her tangle.

“Have you been more sensitive to smell, light, texture, taste?”

“Natasha made strong smelling and tasting food today. I didn’t like it. And sometimes the lights on the common floors of the compound are loud.”

“That must be hard. Maybe when we talk one on one we can figure out a plan for when things get to loud and overwhelming.”

“Okay.”

“Good. Now, Natasha and Bobbi will sit in here while we go into the next room. From our room we can control this curtain and a speaker, so they can see us and listen or not, you get to decide.”

“If they see us do we see them?”

“No, it looks like a mirror from our side but we have the tablet from the office at the Triskelion.” Kara says, and points to the camera above the door. “You will have that.”

“Okay.”

Kara smiles and gets up from her chair and goes to the door beside the curtains. Yelena gets up from the couch and follows her. The next room over is a child’s dream. There is an art table, the shelves around the room are filled with toys. There are four bean bags on the floor to sit on, a television, and a cd player with speakers. On the table there is the tablet from before, already on and showing the office behind them.

“Do you want the curtains open or closed?” Kara asks.

“Open.”

“Okay, hit the blue button.”

Yelena hits the blue button on the wall and goes into the office to watch the curtains open. Yelena sees that they can see in and then goes back into the room to join Kara. Kara closes the door and shows Yelena the difference between the speaker being on and off and makes sure its off before moving into the room.

“What would you like to do today?”

“Can we sit there?” Yelena asks, pointing to the bean bags.

“Of course. Would you like to play with anything while we sit?”

“I do not play.”

“No? Oh, well I do. Do you mind if I grab something and bring it over so I have something to do with my hands?”

“It is your office.”

Kara smiles. “Okay, well since we’ll be sitting on the bean bags I think that something to build would be nice.”

“Like blocks for a baby?”

“No. I was thinking Lego, or magnetic tiles, bristle blocks, and magnetic sticks. What do you think about those?”

“I will not play with you.”

“I still would like you to choose. They are labeled in the bins in the blue shelves. Pick one and bring it over, okay?”

“Okay.”

Yelena walks over to the bins and looks in each of them. She knows what Legos are because she has a hundred of dollars worth of the toy at the compound she’s never touched. She’s watched Bobbi play with it though, at least what’s in the yellow bins. Bobbi says she won’t touch the sets till Yelena wants to join. The bin of magnetic sticks is literally sticks and magnet balls and does not seem interesting. The magnetic tiles seem fun because of the colours and various shapes. Yelena really likes the look of the bristle blocks, she picks one up and plays with it in her fingers, feeling the texture of the block and smiles. She grabs the bin and awkwardly carries it to sit between the two bean bags. Kara has a soft smile as she watches Yelena take a large handful and sit down with them.

“You like the texture?” Kara asks.

“I like the spike touch.”

“English please, Yelena.”

“Yes, I like them.”

“That’s good. I like building with them because you can attach the pieces any way you’d like. See?” Kara demonstrates. “I think they are my favourite building toy, aside from lego. Can I ask you something?”

“Is it one of your two for the day?”

“How about I ask you, and then you decide if I have used up one of mine. Okay?”

Yelena nods.

“Why do you not like toys?”

Yelena looks at the blocks in her hands. It isn’t toys, not really. Though she does believe that this is going to have to be one of the big questions of the day.

“They have always been tests. They put them in front of you and if you show interest or you go for them the punishments have always been bad.”

“In the Red Room you mean?”

“Yeah. It is one of the first tests they put you through, and as you grow they repeat it twice a year. Sometimes they are a surprise, they would set them amongst weapons and if you glanced at them it would be a beating. Sometimes even if you did not acknowledge them, they would still beat you. We are weapons and soldiers, we are made of marble.” Yelena shoves the toys to the floor. “I want Natasha. I want Mama.”

“Okay, I’ll grab her.”

Kara gets up and brings Natasha in from the other room and turns on the speaker to let Bobbi listen because she doesn’t think she will get more from the session. Natasha picks Yelena up and sits down on the bean bag with Yelena in her lap. She takes interest in the bin of bristle blocks and starts to put pieces together and then hands them to Yelena.

“Yelena can I tell Natasha what we were talking about?” Kara asks, and gets a nod from the child. “We were talking about toys, and she was explaining some tests that the Red Room would do with her when it came to toys.”

“I don’t remember any tests with toys.”

“It was because of your years, and how you would adapt and be used to normal lives and were not strong and we needed to be weapons and marble.”

“I didn’t know that, Love. That must have been awful.”

“Worse things happened, tests were easy when you knew the right answer.”

“Yeah. It was always easy when we had the right answers already.”

“You’re not there anymore though, Yelena. You’re with Natasha and Bobbi, all of the Avengers and SHIELD.”

“Yeah, you’re with us and with Wanda, Pietro, and Pepper.” Natasha kisses Yelena’s head. “You don’t have to worry about the Red Room anymore, you were with us when we took everything down, and I know Daisy tells you about SHIELD’s progress in taking down the schools.”

“I thought I was out for good the first time you got me out and then I was back and then Melina captured me inside of SHIELD and then I got stabbed and died.”

“You’re worried that it could happen again?” Kara asks.

“It has proven to happen again, until it does not how can I be sure?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“Yelena no one is coming after you anymore. I have made sure of it, and Daisy is monitoring everything in case your names comes up so we can be prepared. You know this, you helped set that up.”

“Yelena, in English can you tell me if there is something else that scares you or worries you about toys or about the situation?”

“I do not understand them. I do not know how.  Widows are perfect, we are made of marble. We do not get things wrong.” Yelena says quietly. “I do not understand toys. I do not understand their purpose or how to use them. I do not understand why there are so many colours and textures, why some make sound while others do not.”

“You don’t want to try in fear of getting it wrong.” Kara ascertains.

“I know I will get it wrong, so why try for that outcome?”

“You liked painting, you were able to draw and paint on the canvas last time. I like to believe that was fun. What is different between painting and toys?”

“We took art classes in the Red Room,” Natasha and Yelena both answer.

“Ah, so you don’t feel unsure.”

“I guess.”

“Was the toy question one of my big questions for the day?” Kara asks and receives and firm nod. “Okay, that’s fair. How about we talk about coping strategies when things get too overwhelming and stimulating? I think that will be good for all of us to talk about, even Bobbi can join. Do you want to go get her?”

Yelena squirms out of Natasha’s hold and gets Bobbi from the other room, pulling the elder blonde to a bean bag and pushing her down into it. Yelena takes her spot back in Natasha’s lap and lets Natasha dump the bristle blocks in Yelena’s lap again. Both Russian take apart and put together pieces mindlessly while they talk about what being overstimulated and sensory seeking means and how it can effect Yelena and everyone around her.

“I would like to make a list of things that will help when it is all overwhelming, I assume since you like with Tony Stark that there is some sort of AI. I just think that if there is a quick program that could be build to immediately dim lights and put on some calming sound for her would be good.” Kara explains. “That on top of some of the other coping techniques will really help. I would like to open the door as well to possibly having some anxiety medication on hand. I don’t think she needs it daily, but I think it will help if she is having a major panic or anxiety attack. I would also like to prescribe her a low dose ADHD medication which could also help. If you would be willing to try.”

“I am not sick.” Yelena immediately puts the idea down. “I do not need medications when I am not sick.”

“I know you’re not sick, but sometimes it helps. The ADHD medication will help with the buzzy feeling in your brain and body. If you guys are willing, we can test it for a week or two and come back to the table and see how it’s going.”

“I think we could do that? Right Yelena?” Natasha asks.

“Fine, but you do not get your second question today.” Yelena says.

“Okay. I have some prescriptions filled for her in my main office, and I think we can be done for a day. We can meet again next week same time if that works for you, but if you need me I am just a call away.” Kara smiles. “I would also suggest, Bobbi, that you Maria and some of the other Americans prepare Yelena, Wanda, and Pietro for what American Halloween is like since that is just under two weeks.”

“Right, yeah. I can totally do that.” Bobbi nods.

Yelena and Natasha just share a look before cleaning up the blocks and putting the bin away. The trio leave Kara’s office, with two bottles of pills for Yelena, and head to the elevators. The session was shorter than planned and so they were going to have to wait in a cafe for Sharon and the twins to be done.

“Mama?” Yelena asks, tugging on Natasha’s arm.

“Yes Little Love?” Natasha smiles.

“Can we get bristle blocks?”

“Yes, we can get bristle blocks.”

Chapter Text

Tony went overboard when he found out there was a toy that Yelena actually enjoyed. Now between the two floors that Yelena would hang out on there were over five thousand pieces of bristle blocks. Tony worked fast in getting all the pieces to the compound, Yelena’s discovery of the toy wasn’t even forty eight hours old.

Yelena was on her second day of meds, and there definitely was a difference that everyone seemed to enjoy. Tony was working on making a program that Natasha had explained that would be done hopefully in the next couple of days. What was happening today though was a talk about Halloween.

Yelena sits between Wanda and Pietro on the sofa, Bobbi and Sharon decided to be the ones to explain halloween to the kids while Maria explained it to Natasha. The pair of Americans explained the holiday with a full on reenactment and videos that they brought up from YouTube. The three europeans just watched on with confusion. Sure they were aware of the holiday but it was much different in America, and Yelena had never actually celebrated it.

“So you go up to complete strangers houses and ask them for treats and tricks, and hope that it is treats and then you just hope that they do not poison you?” Yelena says.

“And everyone dresses up like they are acting or playing make believe?” Pietro adds.

“And American’s think Europeans are weird.” Wanda rolls her eyes.

“I do not understand this. Are we meant to participate?” Yelena asks.

Natasha walks in and sits on the arm of the sofa. “It could be interesting to try. Tony has volunteered to scope out a safe place and everyone here has already agreed to go in a huge group to make sure you are safe. Tony has a nerd kid he has taken under his wing that will come.”

“Will you guys dress up too?” Wanda asks.

“Sure. We can all go to the costume shop, we can get you guys costumes and you can pick out what all of us adults are wearing.” Sharon smiles. “I’ll have Pepper help me scope out the place and we can find time next week to go.”

Well, the three kids made a list of everyone in the compound, and Coulson’s team in hope that they would join them, and proceeded to assign costume idea’s to each adult. The one adult they had figured out, at least Yelena was set on it, was Thor was to be dressed as a pink bunny. Wanda just hoped the large man would be a good sport, she had yet to spend any time with the god and had no idea how he would react to the request.

“Are you three ready to go?” Maria asks, walking into the common room from their apartment. “Everyone is ready and waiting for us downstairs.”

“You are dressing up too, right Masha?” Yelena asks.

“I am, hope you can pick something out good for me.”

“I have ideas. Do you have my backpack?”

“I think Mama has your backpack down by the cars.”

The backpack was a lifeline that Kara had helped Natasha and Yelena organize that was an outing only bag during their session the day before. Everything in the bag was to help with Yelena coping in overstimulating or anxiety inducing situations. There were headphones, one of Natasha’s sweaters, and a dozen fidgets in the bag to help in a variety of ways. Maria was impressed that on day one of having the backpack that Yelena was asking for it.

“Do we need coats?” Pietro asks.

“Everything is down in the cars, so lets go,” Maria smiles.

Yelena carefully folds their list and puts it in her jeans pocket before going with the group to the elevator. When they get down to the lobby level Natasha and Steve are waiting with coats for the kids. Tony is outside by the cars with Pepper, ordering people to certain vehicles and assigning drivers.

“You have my backpack?” Yelena asks Natasha.

“It is already in the car. You ready to go?”

“Yes, I think so. Are other people going to be there?”

“No, Pepper paid the store to stay closed while we are all there to make sure everyone is safe and we are left alone.”

“Okay, then I am ready.”

“Good Girl, go get in the first car with the twins, you three are in the back seat.”

The kids all go out to the car and climb over the middle seat to get into the back. Natasha and Sharon were in the middle seat, Maria was front passenger, and Steve was driving. It’s a nearly two hours in the car till they pull up at the shop in Albany. The three in the backseat continued to whisper and plan costumes. Pietro and Wanda both have cell phones and are looking up costume ideas because they had yet to pick anything for the four adults in the car with them. The group has a short lunch break of sandwiches in the parking lot before they head into the store. The adults wander and look around but wait for the kids to bring them their costumes.

Pietro walks up to Yelena with two bunny costumes that would fit Thor. One that has a whole head cover and one that doesn’t. Yelena really hates masks and things that can hide peoples identities even if she knows who they are.

“Which one?” Pietro asks.

“No masks.” Yelena says.

“Half this store is masks, that is not fair and quite limiting.”

“That is an America problem, not my problem.”

“Are we saying no costume we pick will have masks?” Pietro whines. He then holds up slutty costumes of a genie and explorer. “How about these for Natasha and Maria? If I bring this to them I am a creep, but you do it and it is adorable.”

“Too far Pietro.” Wanda scolds. “What is is wrong with you?”

“You suck Pietro, and you are not funny!” Yelena shouts and runs to Natasha.

Natasha picks her up and holds her tight, rocking her slightly till she calms down. Maria grabs the backpack just in case and the three of them move to a quiet area of the store. As they walk down the aisle, Yelena’s head tucked into Natasha’s neck, Maria starts to laugh. Maria bends over with her hands on her knees laughs.

“Do you want to share what’s so funny or are you going to keep the joke to yourself there Masha?” Natasha smirks.

“Yelena, you could be Natasha for Halloween.” Maria says, pulling out a Black Widow costume complete with red wig. “It even has fake little widow bites.”

Yelena wiggles her way to the floor and takes the costume form Maria to look at it closer. She looks at the wall of costumes where Maria took this one from and giggles, seeing how every Avenger has a costume made from their signature looks. 

“All the boy costumes have fake muscles except for Clint!” Yelena laughs. “I have to show Wanda!”

Yelena runs away with the Black Widow costume. 

“This is hilarious.” Natasha says, looking over everything. “How is this legal?”

“That would be a question for Pepper or Fury, not me. I can’t wait to see how many kids dress up as you next week,” Maria smiles.

“Hopefully none. I’m not a hero Masha. I am not someone little girls should look up to or aspire to be. I am a killer and a spy, not a role model.”

“You’re Yelena’s role model, and Wanda looks up to you too. You are not who you were three years ago when we found you. You have changed a lot, Nat. You are someone that people can look up to. You left everything you know behind, you do everything you can to protect that little girl, and you sacrifice yourself for the care of others.”

“Lets agree to disagree, Masha.” Natasha says and tries to walk away.

Maria grabs Natasha’s hand, holding her back. “I love you, Natasha.”

“I love you too. Can we go chase after her now?”

Maria smiles and nods. The pair hold hands and walk around the shop to look at the various costumes, masks, and makeup. A while later they get back to the group and find Yelena handing costumes to Tony, Pepper, Thor, and Steve. Natasha tries really hard not to react when she sees a pink bunny costume in Thors hands. Steve has a seventies themed costume with bright colours and patterns. Tony and Pepper’s costumes look like a pair with a twenties mob boss and flapper dress, which seems like the most normal costume that has been selected. Wanda walks over to the pair and holds out two costumes.

“Yelena picked them, I am delivering them.” Wanda says. “No clue what they’re from but way better than what Pietro had picked.” Wanda hands Maria the Winnie the Pooh onesie and Natasha the Tigger one. “She was quite specific on who gets what.”

“Have you picked for everyone yet?” Maria asks.

“We just have Coulson, Daisy, FitzSimmons, and May left, oh and the three of us. Yelena doesn’t want the Natasha costume but she also won’t let go of it so who knows what she will actually pick.”

“Well, go back to picking,” Natasha smiles. “Don’t rush though. If she needs more time let her have it.”

“We will.” Wanda smiles and goes back to Yelena.

Natasha sits down by Sharon and Steve and looks at the costumes they have. Steve has a circus ring mans costume, and it looks like Sharon’s is a lion onesie. Natasha leaves her costume with Maria who takes her seat when she gets up to move and keep an eye on Yelena. 

Natasha watches Pietro put on a creepy clown costume in one aisle, complete with horrifying mask. The speedster could move fast but elects to move with caution, stealth mode. When Natasha understands his plan she’s moving too slow so shouts for Wanda. Pietro scares both girls, and Yelena pulls a knife out of her boot and turns to stab him. Thankfully Wanda is next to her and manages to disarm the kid before she’s able to do any real damage. Natasha runs up to Yelena and scoops her up into her arms.

“Why are you carrying a knife?” Natasha asks.

“It makes me feel safe.” Yelena frowns. “Why are you mad at me and not Pietro?”

“I am mad at Pietro, but you could have seriously hurt him.” Natasha heaves out a deep sigh. “Pietro, go sit with Steve and Sharon. Now.”

Pietro pulls off the mask and heads over to the group of adults. Yelena’s breathing is fast and heavy, close to hyperventilating. Wanda runs to get the backpack and bring it over while Natasha holds her tight and gently rocks her back and forth.

“Do not like masks, Mama. All the bad people wear masks.” Yelena whines.

“I know baby, I know.” Natasha coos.

“Wanda and I have told him no lots.”

Wanda walks up with a couple fidgets and Natasha’s hoodie which they struggle to get on Yelena while she’s clung onto Natasha like a koala. Natasha presses an anxiety pill to Yelena’s lips and waits for the child to take it on her own which she does with only minor prodding. Once Yelena is calmed down enough Natasha heads over to Pietro and the rest of the team, handing Yelena off to Bobbi so that Yelena and Wanda can still look at costumes.

“Did Wanda and Yelena tell you no masks?” Natasha asks the boy.

“Maybe.” Pietro shrugs.

Natasha looks at Steve and Sharon for help.

“Buddy, did the girls say no masks? Did they ask that of you today?” Steve tries.

“I mean, kind of. Neither gave me a reason why though.”

“Pietro, they don’t need a reason. Not everything has a reason, but when someone asks you something that clearly makes them uncomfortable then you listen. It is a break in trust, and I know that you went through shitty stuff too, so we have to learn with each other and listen when someone says no and stop. No is a full sentence.” Sharon says.

Pietro nods.

“How about you and I go pick something out for you?” Steve offers. “Something not so terrifying.”

Steve leaves with Pietro, hopefully for some more guy talk. Natasha sits down and rests her head on the back of the chair. Wanda walks over with a stack of costumes that she sets down on a chair there walks back to Yelena and Bobbi.

Bobbi walks up with a handful of costumes. “Yelena cannot pick one, so she has requested all of them”

“Lena! Love come here please!” Natasha calls for the child.

Yelena runs up in a fossil stegosaurus onesie with the hood part up, a giant smile on her face. Tony smiles and cheer, while some others giggle when the tail flops back and forth and the hood slightly falls down over her eyes.

“Do you know what type of dinosaur you are kid?” Tony asks.

“Stegosaurus.” Yelena answers in Russian. “Do not know English names of dinosaurs.”

“Stegosaurus.” Tony says, sounding it out for Yelena to copy.

“Mama, are we going now?” Yelena asks when she’s done learning the word.

“You want all the costumes Bobbi has and the one you are wearing?” Natasha asks.

“Yes please.”

“Will you wear them more than Halloween?”

“Yes, most are one pieces and feel like cozy pyjamas.”

“Okay.” Natasha turns to Pepper. “We’re all good to go.”

Pepper smiles and everyone gets ready to go out to dinner before the long drive back to the compound. Tony selects a buffet place that serves a variety of food, including kosher food for the twins. The large group took over the restaurant, which was nice for them and Pepper made sure that everyone was tipped at least twice their salary for dealing with Thor’s plate smashing antics— which encouraged Yelena to play along with the god.

“Natasha?” Wanda asks while Sharon is helping Yelena get dessert.

“What’s up?” Natasha smiles.

“Earlier Yelena asked if I could go with her to therapy. I said yes but only if you’re okay with it. I don’t want to effect her therapy or anything.”

“No, of course you can go. Not the upcoming one, but the one after halloween. That way I can talk with Kara about it, but I am sure she’ll be happy to have you.”

“Kara?”

“Kara Crustrek is Yelena’s therapist. She’s amazing, I’m sure you’ll like her.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Any time. Now go get dessert before your brother, Yelena, and Thor eat it all.”

“Okay. Can I get you anything?”

“I’m good, thank you though Wanda.”

Wanda walks away and Natasha slouches slightly in her seat, looking at the group of Avengers and kids who are just here and happy. These moment are what Natasha always hoped for and lives for. The time with her family that is all just pure joy, no fear and no pain.

Chapter Text

They had booked therapy on Halloween os that everyone was on the same. Yelena lived in her stegosaurus costume, but the morning of Halloween she had switched to an explorer costume, which included a super cool hat that seemed to be her favourite part. When they walked into Kara’s office they were both surprise by the therapist dressed up in a green and black one piece costume. Yelena stops and tilts her head to the side. 

“What are you?” Yelena asks.

“Oh, now that is disappointing. Have you never watched Kim Possible? It’s a kid’s show from Disney.” Kara says. “I’m Shego, the best cartoon villain out there. And you are a fabulous explorer.”

“I have twelve costumes, but I have only worn two.”

Yelena goes into the toy room, as she calls it, and pulls out the magnetic tiles. She likes the building toys are what Yelena likes to fiddle with, and she only really plays with the toys when she’s in session with Kara. Natasha hangs back with Kara, watching through the one way window. 

“Are you worried about trick or treating tonight?” Kara asks.

“I’m going to make sure that she has no weapons, everyone is going, and I went with Pepper to scope out where we are going which will be in Stamford, Connecticut. Coulson and the team came up yesterday.” Natasha says.

“But you’re still worried.”

“She hates masks. I mean I hate them too. All the soldiers in the Red Room wear full face masks, so I can’t blame her.”

“Wore.” Kara corrects.

“What?”

“They wore masks. The Red Room is no longer a thing Natasha. They can’t wear something if they don’t exist.”

“Right. Of course.”

“Sit, relax. I will go work with Yelena and if you need to we can talk after. I have time for you if you need it.”

Natasha sits on the couch while Kara goes in with Yelena. Yelena has a bunch of things laid out on the floor like a map or floorplan of something she had never seen but felt kind of connected to.

“Do you want to explain this to me?” Kara asks.

“ I do not know. Just feel it.”

“Feel what?”

“I do not know really. Just that something’s coming.”

“Well, you will be trick or treating tonight. That will be fun. We should talk about what to do if things get overwhelming so we don’t hurt ourselves or anyone else tonight.” Kara suggests.

“Okay. And Mama and Masha say it will be okay cause everyone is there and the will not let anyone hurt me, even if they are wearing masks like the bad people.”

“Yeah, like the soldiers in the Red Room?”

“The soldiers and the teachers.”

“What teachers?”

“The ones that teach us how to fuck and please adults. They always wore half masks to cover the top half of their face.”

“Those sound like awful people.”

“Yeah. Do not like them. Never going back.”

“You are never going back to the Red Room, Yelena. I can promise you that.”

“We killed Dreykov, but that does not mean we killed the idea. Strucker is still out there. Wanda is coming to next appointment.”

“She is, are you happy about that?”

“Yes. I think she will like it but I do not think she will talk much. Wanda keeps things stabbed by the chest, I think that is the saying.”

“Keeps things close to the chest,” Kara smiles and corrects.

“Yeah, that. She only talks to hands of people. Like me and Pietro and Mama and Sharon and sometimes Steve.”

“Having people is good.”

Yelena abandons the toys and moves up to the table and pulls over a paper and some markers to start drawing.

“I think I want to go to school.” Yelena says.

“Oh yeah? What makes you want to go to school?” Kara asks, moving to join her.

“Wanda and Pietro are starting school in January, and I want to go with them.”

“But they’ll be in high school, and you are in middle school.”

“I can do their school work easy! I can go with them.”

“Well, we can try and work towards that. Okay?”

“Okay. What are your questions today?”

“No questions, we’re going to work on coping mechanisms for tonight.”

Yelena and Kara talk and makes lists of steps to take if things go wrong tonight, and make a list of things to add to the backpack. When Kara sees that Yelena is talked out she leaves the child to colour and goes to the office to talk to Natasha about the plans for the evening.

“Should I start looking into schools? She still does all her school work with us, she hasn’t moved onto the tutor yet.” Natasha says, really worried she’s been doing it wrong.

“I’d say start her with a tutor, keep a schedule of when she can do other things and when she needs to be in school, more structure and see how she reacts. I think that the first step is introducing new people and a new environment.” Kara explains. “I do think she has a genius level IQ and she may need to work with people who understand that but there are a number of schools in the area who accommodate for these students. I have a friend who is a child speech therapist, not to work on her accent but to work on contracting words which will help with her flow of speech.”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“You are doing amazing. I feel like every time I see her she is a bit more of a kid and less of a soldier.”

“I am still worried for tonight, no matter how much we have planned for.”

“You have a group of about eighteen adults comprised of super heroes and SHIELD agents for six kids, that’s three adults per child.”

“Seventeen adults, the other person Tony is bringing in is sixteen. It’s to introduce him to Wanda and Pietro because the twins will be going to his school.”

“Well, that is still a lot of people. You will all be safe, she will be safe. Just go with the flow and follow her lead, and if you need me just call me.”

“Thank you, Kara.”

“Of course, lets go get Yelena before she gets covered in paint.”

The women go back into the toy room to find Yelena having written Kara’s first and last name over a dozen times on a paper and she keeps saying it out loud. It’s in a rhythm and pattern how she talks about it.

“Lena, what are you doing?” Natasha asks.

“What is Crustrek derived from?” Yelena asks, turning to the adults.

“I don’t know. I think somewhere in Europe.” Kara answers.

“I do not think so. Is it time to go?”

“Yeah, let’s go Yelena.”

Natasha takes Yelena’s hand and leads her out of the office and to the elevator. Kara takes the drawings that she has left behind and add them to Yelena’s file. She pulls out a polaroid camera from her office and takes pictures of everything Yelena had built to also add to her file. There is a knock on the office door before it opens and two men walk in. Kara sighs and goes into her office to meet them.

“The female Maximoff will be here with her on the fifth of November.” Kara says. “I know the goal is both Maximoff’s and Belova but I truly believe we have to settle for the one, and she is the most powerful one.”

“He wants all reports on Belova, the medications should be working by now and he wants to know what they have done so far.” One man says.

“I will call him tonight. Make sure the supplies are here for extraction on the third, just in case they move the date.”

“We will have everything delivered tomorrow evening.”

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Natasha stops at the small restaurant to get Yelena lunch, they sit at a booth in the corner and look at the menu. Yelena quickly picks out the kids cheeseburger but only wants cheese, pickles, and ketchup on it. Natasha has a salad and the pair just eat and enjoy the meal while they wait for Maria to come pick them up.

Yelena falls asleep on the ride back to the compound and is carried in by Maria. Coulson’s team arrived while the trio were out, and had been given their costumes to change into by Wanda and Pietro. Maria gently wakes Yelena up with Daisy walks into the room with a mock frown, dressed as a bee with a giant plush toy daisy in her hands.

“Please tell me someone has something worse?” Daisy says with a smile.

“Coulson is a unicorn and Thor is a bunny.” Yelena yawns.

Jemma walks out with a smile in her pink genie costume. “Don’t worry Daisy, just wait till you see Fitz. Do you know what you got him, Yelena?”

“The package said bear, so I think a teddy bear?”

“Not quite.”

“What did she pick out for him?” Maria asks, curious.

“Braveheart the lion from the Carebears.”

“Who has a phone on them? I need pictures.”

Coulson walks out dressed in a unicorn onesie. “May won’t come out of the bathroom. Yelena, I think you should go cheer her up.”

Yelena runs down the hall to the bathroom and knocks on the door calling for May till it is slightly open and she is yanked inside. May is wearing the fairy costume that Yelena had picked out, it’s deep purple with delicate beading— one of the most expensive costumes that she had selected.

“You look amazing,” Yelena says, her eyes lighting up.

May opens her arms for Yelena to hug her. “You know I would only wear this for you. Why did you pick this out?”

“Because you’re like a fairy godmother and protected me from Melina. I wanted you to be pretty and special.”

“That is very kind Yelena.”

“So why are you hiding in the bathroom?”

“Maybe I wanted you to see me first.”

“Okay. Should I go tell Daisy if she gets photos that you will kill her with post it notes?”

“Yes please.”

Yelena runs out into the common space and tackles Daisy to the ground and warns her of all the ways that May will make her life hell which Daisy seems to take to heart. May comes out with a smirk, kind of appearing like an evil fairy which is quite accurate.

“Quinjet is landing outside.” Jarvis announces.

“Quinjet? Who else is coming?” Yelena says.

Bobbi exits the elevator in her running gear with Elliot, the puppy runs for Yelena who is just as excited about the dog. Yelena heaves the puppy into her arms and berries her face in the fur, she giggles and laughs as Elliot turns around and licks Yelena’s face, causing a new round of giggles from the girl.

“Bobbi, we are getting changed now?” Yelena asks.

“I think you should wait to see who comes out of the elevator next.” Bobbi smiles.

“I do not like surprises Bobbi Morse.”

“Not my surprise, talk to Nat about it.” Bobbi smiles, holding her hands up in surrender.

Yelena sets Elliot down and makes sure that she has a hold on her leash so she doesn’t run at anyone who comes out of the elevator. Everyone watches Yelena as she stands still and watches the elevator numbers light up and come raise to their floor’s number. Her fingers tighten around the leash and lets Elliot rub against her legs.

The elevator doors open and the whole Barton clan walks out with their dog Belle. Belle runs out of the elevator and over to her puppy, tackling Yelena in the process which just has the girl laughing on the floor. Laura carry’s Nate out while Lila and Cooper run at Natasha to give her a hug. Clint is the last one out of the elevator and is lugging the suitcases with him. Natasha and Laura quickly wrangle kids and dogs back into the elevator to go up to their floor so that the group can start to get ready.

Natasha and Maria both put on leggings and tank tops to wear under the costumes that Yelena had picked for them. Yelena had stripped from her explorer costume and ran into the master bedroom in a tank top and her underwear.

“I do not know what to wear.” Yelena pouts.

“Maybe buying a dozen costumes was not the best idea,” Natasha sighs. “Let us go look through everything you have and decide. Remember Kara said to pack one or two back up costumes for comfort in case you would like to change later.”

“I know, I have those ones packed. I have the Eeyore and Piglet ones packed to match you later. I do not know what to wear now!”

“Hey, there is no need to whine. Whatever you decide will be fine.”

“I do not know what to decide, the explorer felt weird on my skin.”

“That is okay, it is a good thing we have options then.”

“I do not want explorer or you.”

“Or me?” Natasha asks then sees the Black Widow costume on the bed. “Okay, no me either, you have so many other costumes but I am sure that if you do not want to dress up you can still go trick or treating.”

“I want to dress up in costume.”

“Okay. Then we’ll dress up. Is it texture right now?”

Yelena nods. “Want soft but soft is warm.”

“Okay, well you don’t need to layer like Maria and I have underneath. How about we get you in a leotard, feel secure under whatever you’re wearing. And how about this white one with the shiny gold crown?”

Yelena takes off her tank top and steps into a white cotton leotard. “Bobbi picked that one out, but I do not know what a Max is and what it is from.”

Bobbi walks into the room dressed in the roman gladiator costume Yelena had picked out, her hair curled and down. “It’s from a kids book, Where The Wild Things Are. Max is a kid who is kind of wild and travels to the land of wild things where he makes friends and becomes the king of wild things. The costume is like a teddy bear material and will be a bit loose because that’s the style.”

“Do you want to try this one?” Natasha asks and gets a nod from Yelena so helps her get into the onesie. “How would you like your hair?”

“Like Bobbi’s.”

“I can do her hair if you need to finish organizing things.” Bobbi offers.

Natasha nods and leaves Yelena with Bobbi to grab Maria and head over to the Barton apartment. When the couple walk into the family apartment they’re greeted by a crying Nate, Lila covered in flour, and Cooper sitting on the sofa eating cereal from the box. Laura is pacing the room, have dressed in a costume, trying to soothe the toddler but looks quite frazzled.

“I’ll take Lila,” Maria offers.

Natasha goes up to Laura and takes Nate from her so that she can finish getting ready. Nate is confused for a moment but settles and then is set down so he can run around and tire himself out while the group waits to head out. When Laura comes out dressed as Lara Croft Natasha lightly teases her then helps the kids get dressed in their costumes. Cooper dressed up as Luke Skywalker, Lila was Raggedy Ann, and Nate was the Cookie Monster. Clint walked in dressed in black and was quickly handed a large brown mass that he pulls on so he is a chocolate chip cookie, to match the toddler in a way.

Bobbi shows up with Yelena and her bag of back up costumes. Once everyone is organized they all head down to the lobby where everyone is waiting to leave. Wanda and Pietro are with Sharon and Steve, dressed as a Greek Goddess and Gingerbread Man. Yelena runs over to the teens and is quickly picked up by Wanda in a big hug.

“You look beautiful,” Yelena smiles.

“Thank you, Lena. You look great. Who did your hair?” Wanda smiles.

“Bobbi.” Yelena looks to Pietro. “You are a cookie.”

“Have you not heard the story?” He smirks. “Run, run, run as fast as you can. You cannot get me I am the gingerbread man!”

Yelena, Cooper, and Lila all laugh. A black bus pulls up in front of the glass doors and Tony walks out and into the lobby with a big smile. A teen boy follows behind him, dressed up as some historical person, and he also has a smile.

“My newest investment, the limo bus! Twenty five people, fit, which is all of us.” Tony says. “And for those of you who have met him, this is Peter Parker or Spiderman. Peter meet the twins, twins this is Peter. Peter that is baby assassin, she bites.”

“I bite him once and he does not let it go,” Yelena mutters. “Bitch.”

“Language.” Natasha and Bobbi scold.

“Ooo, Baby Assassin is in trouble.” Tony teases.

“I will bite you again.”

“And you will deserve it. Play nice Tony.” Pepper scolds. “Everyone to the bus, we have an hour drive to get to where we’re going. I have two, two man security teams bringing two SUV’s in case anyone needs to leave or we need back up.”

Wanda sets Yelena down and watches her walk up to Peter and tilt her head to the side. Peter copies Yelena with a smile, also tilting his head.

“What are you?” Yelena asks.

“My costume?” Peter smiles. “I’m Nikola Tesla.”

Yelena turns back to Natasha with a slight frown. “Mama he is no fun, he is a geek nerd like FitzSimmons and Tony.”

Bobbi laughs, she tries not to but she laughs and quickly walks herself out to the bus. Pietro smiles and leads Peter out to the bus because he knows if he stays he will start laughing.

“Be nice, Yelena. This is a night of fun, so lets have fun.” Natasha says.

“I am being nice, I said truthful things. I do not say swears or bad words or anything mean towards Spider Boy.” Yelena crosses her arms and stomps her foot.

“Okay, Yelena, to the bus.”

The drive is a little over an hour and a half due to traffic, and the three kids who understood the holiday (Cooper, Lila, and Peter) were the most antsy. Yelena would move from adult to adult to sit and talk with them throughout the ride as they didn’t have to have their seatbelts on, the only one really contained was Nate who was buckled into his carseat. When the bus pulls up on the quiet community the Avengers are the first off, scoping things out before they unloaded all the kids. There are already kids filling the streets, the community association of this neighbourhood had closed off most roads to make them safer for kids which is why they had picked here as stop one to see how Yelena and the twins liked the activity.

Lila, Cooper, Peter, and Daisy run up to the first house, but don’t knock till Laura is up there with Nate and Natasha walks up with the twins and Yelena. Yelena hides behind Natasha when Cooper rings the doorbell and shouts ‘trick or treat’ with Lila. She goes up to the door with Natasha but doesn’t hold open the bag she was given to take the candy she was offered so the woman in the door hands the candy to Natasha. They walk down the path back to the sidewalk and Natasha holds the candy out to Yelena who just looks at it.

“We are not allowed it.” Yelena says.

She recognizes the orange wrapper, how the soldiers would have sweets in their pockets to trick them into breaking the rules and use it over the Widows to keep them quiet. If they took the candy, they would have to service the soldiers.

Natasha gently brushes hair out of her face. “You can have it, no tricks and nothing to do to earn it.”

Yelena takes the treat and goes over to May and hands it to her. That is how it goes, slower than the Barton children would like, but every house they would go to and every piece of candy that Yelena would get she would give it to one of the adults who were with them. She would make sure to distribute them evenly amongst the Avengers and SHIELD agents.

May was taking her turn, walking with Yelena, letting Natasha walk with the other adults. Maria walks next to the red head, holding her hand as they walk together.

“Do you want to talk about the candy thing?” Bobbi asks, walking up on the couple.

“Soldiers would use them to trade and trick the little kids in the Red Room. I do not think she likes the small packets of candy because that is what they would use.” Natasha says.

“On the way home we can stop at a 7-Eleven, let her pick out her own treats so she has something.” Maria suggests.

“That would be nice.”

Yelena runs up with a full size Reese’s and hands it to Natasha with a big smile on her face. “Mama, you love these. I got to pick so I picked for you.”

“Thank you sweet girl.” Natasha kisses Yelena’s forehead. “Are you having fun?”

Yelena shrugs. “Some houses give candy that Wanda and Pietro cannot have, so I said that maybe they can trade with what I have given to you so they can have all of what they got.”

“Of course, Little Love. That is very kind of you.”

“Mama?”

“Yes, Yelena.”

“I’m thirsty.”

“I think Pepper brought drinks. Lets go ask, okay?”

The group all has a quick drink break and snack break and move onto another neighbourhood. They manage to go through five neighbourhoods before the everyone is calling it a night. Yelena falls asleep on Natasha on the drive back to the compound, the Barton children fall asleep on their parents as well. Wanda sits between Natasha and Sharon and looks through her two bags of candy that she has, putting all the suckers she has into a pile on Sharon’s lap.

“Do you not like these?” Sharon asks.

“Yelena loves suckers. Pietro is going to give her his too but he’ll sort when we get home. I just want her to have something in her bag.” Wanda explains.

“Thank you Wanda,” Natasha smiles.

The drive back to the compound is quiet and when they pull up everyone tries to stay calm and not wake any of the kids who fell asleep. Natasha gets Yelena changes while she sleeps and gets into bed with the girl. Elliot hopped into bed with the Russians and curls up at Yelena’s feet. Natasha sighs, really wishing she could understand all the intricacies of Yelena’s mind.

“I love you, my daughter.” Natasha whispers.

“Love Mama.” Yelena yawns and curls into Natasha’s arms.

Chapter Text

Yelena, Wanda, and Pietro were all sitting at the communal kitchen of their floor, filling their plates with breakfast. Pepper had sent breakfast up to the floor when she had caught word of the flurry of activity, wanting to take away some stress of the adults. Maira, Sharon, and Bobbi had all been called back to DC, so they were packing and getting ready to go while they waited for the jet that was being sent to collect them. Bobbi drops her bags by the elevator and walks over to the kids, she picks up Yelena and sits with her in her lap.

“Do not want you to leave. Want you to stay.” Yelena pouts.

“I know, but with Coulson’s team down in Columbia we are the next ones that Fury trusts. If it means helping out and protecting you then I will go.” Bobbi says.

“I do not care. You need to stay.”

“I need to stay.”

“I feel weird. Like something bad will happen if you leave.”

“Awe, Kid. Nothing bad will happen. You get to go into the city today with Wanda and Nat for therapy, maybe you can both talk her into take you to the park or a movie after you’re done. That could be fun, a bit of a girls day.”

“Wanda?”

“I mean, it sounds fun. Something to look forward to and all that.” Wanda says.

Sharon is the next to deposit her bag by the elevator and joins the group at the island. She starts to fill her plate and looks at the time while filling one for Bobbi too, since she was kind of trapped under Yelena.

“Where’s Maria.” Sharon ask.

“Fucking Mama.” Yelena answers. The twins choke and Bobbi snorts. Yelena looks at each of them with furrowed brows. “What? She is. It is why I was kicked out of apartment.”

Maria and Natasha walk out of the apartment and over to the group at the table, their hair wet. Maria tosses her bag towards the elevator and leans against the counter. Bobbi and Sharon both start laughing, trying really hard to stop.

“What did we miss?” Natasha asks.

Yelena’s eyes go big and her mouth falls open, not sure what to say.

“We just were hearing about how you were having a fun morning,” Pietro says.

“Pietro!” Wanda scolds and elbows her brother.

“I don’t want to know.” Natasha sighs.

“Neither did we,” Bobbi teases.

“Yelena?”

“I have said nothing.” Yelena says. “Much.”

Natasha hums and joins the group for breakfast. Bobbi and Natasha talk about how to make the day special and distract the girls from the fact that some of their comfort people will be away for a bit. Bobbi makes sure to get a lot of cuddles in with Yelena before NICO is announcing the arrival of the jet. The whole group goes down to the landing pad so that they can say their final good-byes— more like see you laters with the kids. Bobbi hands a tearful Yelena to Natasha before getting on the jet. The pilot is a lower level SHIELD agent but that allows the trio to get on a call with Fury who had ordered them back.

“What is going on Nick?” Maria asks when he answers the call.

“I have Coulson’s team at a base in Colombia connected to Strucker, but it looks like it’s been emptied out. I am currently taking down a sleeper cell of Hydra in Saskatchewan. I have sent files to you three, but from what we’ve seen they’re all highly focused on the Maximoff’s and Belova.” Fury explains. “We are also learning more about Strucker, like his family. Looks like he has a son and daughter who are about in their early thirties but have little information on them. Hiss son was raised away from him with the mother, but his daughter looks to be brought up by him.”

“Do we have names?” Sharon asks.

“Not yet, I have Daisy doing a deep dive to find names and aliases that we can work off of. Once she has names she’ll send them to you.”

“Do we know what they’re interested in Sir, with Yelena?” Bobbi asks.

“I will send the information over to you, translation is not my specialty Morse it is yours. The question is, will I have to take any of you off of this? You cannot make this personal or we will fail.”

“We’re good Sir. We know how to separate our personal lives from work.” Maria answers. “We’ll be at the Triskelion in twenty minutes. I’ll message Daisy to work faster so we hopefully have something to work with when we get there and have access to more resources.”

“Good. Hill, you’re running point on this. And until we know anything Rogers and Romanoff can know nothing. Their lives have to continued unchanged so we don’t tip anyone off, and we don’t want to worry the kids. I have also called Melina in, she will be meeting you there because she may understand the files in a way we do not.”

Fury hangs up and all three women groan and the though of dealing with Melina. Bobbi starts to pace the length of the jet to try and calm down. She grabs her back and throws it across the room with a shout.

“Strucker is making us all looking like total jokes.” Bobbi shouts. “How is it that that psychopath is like three steps ahead of us?”

“Well, our goal is to figure it out before they make a move.” Maria says.

“And you feel comfortable keeping this from Natasha? That Yelena’s a target. We knew that Strucker was after the twins, there was no hint of him being after Yelena as well.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to preemptively scare them or set them off. If Natasha thinks Yelena is at risk, she’ll run. They will take off and if we don’t know where they are we can’t help them or protect them.”

“I think it was dumb to make us work from DC, we could be doing this from the compound.” Sharon says. “We could keep an eye on things better if we were up there.”

“We can let Banner, Stark, and Pepper know what’s up and they can set up something to up security levels.” Maria suggests. “I’ll message them when we get to my office and let them know that they can’t let Natasha or Steve know what’s happening.”

When the jet lands at the Triskelion the women head up to Maria’s office since it has an attached and secure conference room. Daisy and Fury had a bunch of files uploaded and ready for them to work on. Maria gets situated on her computer, being the deputy director she has more avenues when it comes to using SHIELD’s database. Daisy hacks her way through the system while Maria just casually walks through it.

“Daisy sent us info on an S&C corp, which seems familiar.” Bobby says.

Maria types the name into the database and comes up with a number of contracts that SHIELD has worked with that is linked with that company. There are links to research and development, security, transportation, translation, and psychiatry— most of the contracts are not states side, more based in Europe at remote offices.

“Are they connected to strucker, it looks like we contract out of them but nothing much. Nothing deep in the organization, surface level mostly in the EU.” Maria says.

“I don’t think they contract out of them, I’ll message Daisy. It does look like it is connected to this elusive daughter of his.”

“Right, Sharon get on tracking Strucker’s location twenty-five to thirty-five years ago. Maybe from there we can track down a love interest and hospital, get a name and from there a face so we know who we’re looking for.”

“You want me to track him over ten years?” Sharon asks.

“It’s one of your best skills, so yes.”

Maria’s cell phone rings and she pulls it out of her pocket. “Hill.”

“Masha, do you know where my white converse are?” Yelena asks. “We are supposed to be leaving soon and Mama can’t find them.”

“They’re in the laundry room, Yelena.”

“Okay. Thank you. What are you doing?”

“I am working on a top secret project. You should go meet up with Mama and Wanda, I am sure they’re waiting for you.”

“Can I talk to Bobbi first?”

“Bobbi is super busy, Love. How about I have her call you right after your session before you go to the movies?”

“Okay. Bye Masha. Love you.” Yelena says then hangs up.

Maria hands up her phone and sighs, now realizing that lying to Yelena is going to be hard. The ramifications that will come when she learns that they have lied to her are going to be huge. The kid knows how to hold a grudge. She only ruminates for a moment before getting back to work, doing as much of a deep dive as she can on S&C by starting at the top of the employees of theirs that they’ve worked with.

An hour passes before Sharon starts swearing, things clicking together on her section of the puzzle. “Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck.” She says and she pulls out her phone and dials Natasha only to not get an answer. “Maria I need to you call Natasha.”

Maria pulls out her phone and calls Natasha while Sharon calls Wanda, neither get a response. Bobbi goes over to Sharon’s work station while the others try to contact people up in New York.

“Odiel Kara Strucker, owns S&C corp, daughter of Strucker, she is thirty-four,” Bobbi reads off the screen. She scrolls down grazing the information until she hits the section of all known alias and her photo. “We should call Stark. He can get there faster.”

“What is going on?” Maria asks, still frantically calling Natasha.

“Kara is Strucker, Yelena’s therapist. We fed the girls to the beast.”

Bobbi calls up to the compound and sounds the alarm. Maria breaks the news to Fury. Melina walks into the office and quickly reads the room.

“What went wrong?” Melina asks.

“The therapist that has been working with Yelena is Strucker’s daughter. Yelena and Wanda had an appointment with her today,” Sharon says.

“Odiel? That is shocking, I thought she had died.”

“You know who she is?”

“Strucker has worked alongside Dreykov for years, so much so that he had put Odiel through the Red Room program twice between the ages of eight and fifteen. Good kid, high emotional intelligence which was not an asset as a widow. She had three university degrees by her twentieth birthday, haven’t seen her since then though.”

“Do you think she would hurt them?” Maria asks.

“Depends if she is working for her father, but she is emotional. If you need a weak point it is that. She never did good at the hurting or the killing.”

Maria looks at her phone then at the group. “There is a jet ready to take us, and so far both Natasha and Wanda’s phones have pinged at the office, so hopefully we can get there before they can catch onto us.”

“And if we don’t?” Bobbi asks, pessimistic as ever.

“We look for them. We look everywhere and trust that they will also do their best to get back to us,” Maria says, attempting to be the optimist. “Their goal is clearly not to kill them if they are trying to capture.”

“They are worth nothing to Strucker dead.” Melina says. “Sure tests and experimentation is not exactly ideal, but it is better than death, correct?”

“We would prefer our children to be safe and at home with us.” Sharon shouts.

“Okay, well it is not like they have been giving them medications or testing on them so far, they would wait to be more in control.” When none of the women look please with her comment Melina sighs. “What am I missing?”

“Kara, or Odiel, gave her meds to help with the ADHD and Anxiety attacks. She’s been on them for a few weeks.” Bobbi says.

“Interesting, they’re playing with brain chemistry. There are many things about Yelena that are different, she was genetically built and morphed to be the perfect little soldier. I would love to get my hands on the medications, if I can break down the compounds I should be able to get a read on what they have been trying to accomplish.”

“Steve says they’re leaving the compound now. He said that Yelena’s session started ten minutes ago and that Natasha called before they went in and that Wanda left her phone behind because it was dead.” Sharon says, holding up her phone.

“Are they still going to go into the city and check on them?” Bobbi asks.

“He says they can, but they’re schedule for two hours and he doesn’t want to interrupt the session.”

“We’re going up though, right?”

“Yes. We’re going up.” Maria nods.

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Yelena holds Wanda’s hand, pulling her down the hall towards Kara’s office. The whole drive into the city consisted of Yelena telling Wanda about all the activities and how there are usually two hard questions but then just talking.

“Yelena stop pulling on Wanda,” Natasha scolds with a smile.

“After at the movies can we get popcorn and slushies like in the movies?” Yelena asks.

“One thing at a time, Love. Let’s get through this first.”

Natasha opens the door and motions the girls in before following in after them. Kara stands up from her desk with a smile. The coffee pot is brewing in the corner which has never happened before and inside the toy room on the table there is a tray of snacks and drinks.

“Pulling out the red carpet for us today?” Natasha smirks.

“I figured two hours is a long time and these two may like snacks and drinks. Coffee is for you as well as the snacks on the coffee table. One of my co-workers at my other office just went on maternity leave and we had a party this morning for her and I figured we could do with the fancy snacks.”

“Is there cake?” Yelena asks.

“There are cupcakes. One for everyone.”

Yelena looks up at Natasha. “Mama I can have one?”

“Of course, Love.” Natasha smiles.

“I hope you don’t mind. I’m allergic to chocolate, so all of yours are chocolate while I am going to have the vanilla one.”

“That is okay, chocolate is best anyways. Right Wanda?” Yelena looks at her friend.

Wanda nods with a smile, still very unsure of how everything is supposed to work. It was suddenly a very overwhelming situation when she was going to be a part of therapy. Yelena pulls Wanda into the toy room and over to the building toys while the adults watch.

“I’m going to assume by the lack of calls that halloween went off well?” Kara asks.

“Yeah. She didn’t accept any of the candy except for the suckers that Wanda and Pietro gave her from their stash.”

“Is that Red Room related?”

“Yeah. Soldiers would use it on the little ones for sexual favours.”

“I’ll talk with her. Enjoy the coffee, treats, and there are some books on the shelf you’re welcome to read. The chocolate cupcakes are apparently really good, they have cherry in the middle or something.”

“Thank you, for the treats and seeing both of them.”

“No problem. I want them to be happy and the best they can be.” Kara smiles.

Chapter Text

Natasha watches the girls through the window while she makes her coffee and eats the cupcake. She pulls out her phone and text Steve, letting him know they just started the session and then turns her phone off. Natasha pulls out some files she brought to work on while she waited for the girls to be done. Thirty minutes in she can hear a hissing in the room, almost like a running tap, and her eyelids feel heavy like she’s about to fall asleep. She fights it, at least she tries to. She knows when she is being drugged but there is too much in her system and her movements are sloppy. She manages to turn on her phone but her fingers aren’t working well enough to call anyone. When she falls limp two men walk into the office and lift her onto the couch and lay her out comfortably as if she fell asleep and had a nap.

Inside the toy room was a different scene. Kara was constantly glancing at the clock as the girls painted and talked, offering them treats which they both excitedly take. Kara had bonded with Yelena, and Wanda’s trust in Yelena had her guard down easy but that may also have been due to their belief that Natasha was watching from the other room. It was all going to easy, but they had been planning for this for months. Yelena getting stabbed and poisoned was not a part of the plan but lead her into Kara’s hands, which is something they couldn’t have planned for but it was good.

Yelena fell asleep first, Wanda just a couple minutes behind her. Kara waits and makes sure that they are both for sure asleep before hitting the call button to have their extraction team come and get them. Two men walk in and Kara nods at them. The men both set two duffle bags on the ground and pull out three moving company uniforms that they change into and so does Kara, then they carefully stuff both Wanda and Yelena into the duffle bags. They leave the building as if they are just contract workers. Kara holds her breath as they pass through the building’s lobby, passing by Steve Rogers and Pepper Potts on their way out.

Steve and Pepper get into the elevator and head up to the floor they were told to go to, double checking the instructions that they had been given from Bobbi. When Pepper notices the camera’s she pulls out a pocket Jarvis and connects the AI to the building’s system and messages Tony so he can review footage and go over everything remotely. The pair continue down the hall to the office number that they have and walk in.

Pepper on comms to Tony. “We’re going to need medical to the office. Natasha is unconscious and the girls are gone.”

Tony, over comms. “I will let the SHIELD team know and pull up visuals. I will put the building on lockdown, so if they cannot leave if they’re still there.”

“We understand, Tony.” Steve answers. “Natasha seems physically fine, I believe they just sedated her. We should get and analysis on everything in here to make sure.”

Steve and Pepper start to look around the room and start to collect and mark evidence. Pepper goes into the toy room and looks at the drawings clearly done by Yelena. Pictures of her with various Avengers and doing different activities. There are cards that say to Bobbi and to Maria, all done in crayon. The drawings a crude and juvenile, proof of how young Yelena is in retrospect of everything she has been through. Pepper glances at Kara’s notes that have been left on the table, how Yelena was talking about what she was going to do with Bobbi and Maria when they came back from DC.

“Keep Hill and Morse away for as long as you can, Tony.” Pepper says. “They can meet Natasha at the hospital when we get her there, but they can’t be on scene.”

“I have messages out to the whole team, everyone is moving in. I have current photos of both Wanda and Yelena at all the local airports, dock, and train stations. If they try to move them through any major transit hub then we will catch them.”

“And if they are already out of the building and not using a major transit hub, then what do we do, Tony?” Pepper asks.

“Then we have to be very prepared for a very upset and violent Russian assassin.”

“Deputy Director Hill just landed with Agent Morse, Agent Carter, and Melina Vostokoff on the roof of the building,” JARVIS announces. “Police are currently clearing floors from the ground up, and EMS is in the elevator.”

“What happened to keeping Hill and Morse away Tony?” Steve asks.

“Stark doesn’t control me Rogers,” Maria answers through comms. “We’re almost at the office, so let us do our work alongside your work.”

Bobbi walks into the office first, glances at Natasha on the sofa before going into the toy room. Maria runs into the office and kneels by Natasha. Melina quickly joins Maria by Natasha’s side and looks for injection sights, and is slightly relieved when she doesn’t find one— going as far as to check between her fingers and toes.

“It is oral or aerosol,” Melina says, her accent thick. “I’d say a basic sleeping pill, just a high dose to make sure she stays asleep. I would assume that Yelena and Wanda were dosed as well. I can look into it, there was a certain sleeping agent that we used in the Red Room because it worked with the serum we were given.”

“So this could be Red Room retaliation?” Maria asks.

“I would say the likely factor is still Hydra, but in science we worked together fairly often. It could be a combination, but Strucker is interested in Wanda and I am sure there are a number of people interested in Yelena, but Strucker would be up there for her.”

“Can you wake her up?”

“I would rather get her to a hospital where they can take blood and we can assess what they gave her. From that we can approximate how far they could get with Yelena and Wanda on one dose.”

“What do you mean?” Sharon asks.

“I mean we could possibly be able to tell whether or not they kept them local or they took them further.”

“Does Hydra or the Red Room have a satellite bases in New York City?”

“Hydra had set ups on Long Island when before the ice,” Steve says.

“And the Red Room had a base downtown when we were based in Ohio, it made it easier for us to communicate and meet in person if ever needed.” Melina nods.

“I still don’t get it. I understand taking Wanda. We know that Strucker wants the twins back, but why Yelena. She is clearly separated from the ideas of the Red Room and has been for months, what use do they have for her?” Sharon questions.

“I would assume she’s an asset. There are many things I do not know about Yelena, gifts she has. They wouldn’t have told me anything if there were special things about her, it would risk the structure. I know that they always would say that Yelena was the best weapon that the Red Room ever had.” Melina says. “I don’t know what they meant by it.”

“Do you think there are things to do with Yelena that we are unaware of?” Bobbi asks.

“Absolutely.”

Four paramedics enter the already crowded office and get Natasha onto the gurney. Maria stands by her side as they strap her in and take her vitals. When it’s time to take her away Maria and Bobbi go with her and the EMT’s. Pepper and Steve both fight them till the two most emotionally involved leave while Coulson’s team arrived to take over. Sharon and Steve were sent back to the compound to break the news to Pietro, knowing that they would have to lock everything down when they tell him otherwise her could run off on his own in the blink of an eye. The last thing the team needs is for the boy to take off on his on revenge mission.

Maria and Bobbi sit in the chairs beside Natasha’s bed. They had been moved to a private suite as soon as they had arrived, blocking off the whole ward to keep the Avenger’s privacy. Natasha slowly moves and twitches as the sedation wears off, the more she wakes and becomes aware the faster her heart beats almost in a fear response. Maria wines as she watches Natasha flinch in a restless sleep, and has to hold her down when Natasha wakes fully and tries to lunge out of bed. Bobbi lifts her head to watch the couple but quickly buries her head in her hands again as she blames herself.

“Yelena?” Natasha pants, gasping for breath like she ran a marathon.

“We’ll get her back.” Maria forces a smile.

“If we find them,” Bobbi sighs.