Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 37:

Natasha turned off the television, having watched Yelena’s great escape. She had forgotten how many times she had watched it. She was impressed, amused and terrified. The girls pulled off some death defying stunts she would have had difficulty pulling off. Their attack was brash, fearless and on the surface may have seemed reckless but Nat knew it wasn’t. Everything was planned to the last detail, even the spot on the highway they would reenter the Quinjet.

Someone knocked on her door.

When she opened the door she found Naomi and Ingrid in the hall.

“Yelena is only an hour out.”

Nat nodded. “Great. Thanks for the update.”

Naomi crossed her arms. “She said she wanted you gone when she got back.”

Nata shrugged. “Yeah, that’s the thing. I’m going to be here. She is my sister. We had a fight and we will work it out. I left her before. I’m not leaving her again. So if you want me gone, you are going to have to carry my dead body out of this place. If you do want to kill me, take some advice. Get more help. Now, I’m going back to watching television. Are we done here?”

Nat closed the door without waiting for an answer.

She changed into a nightgown and was about to lay under the covers when there was another knock on the door. She swung it open quickly.

“If we are going to do this, can we at least go to the mats?!”

Wanda raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Mats… not really my thing. Working out, running, not my things either. I’m not allowed to have widow bracelets or shock batons because I usually shock myself. I can’t shoot a gun or throw a knife with any accuracy. I never use my powers on Red Widows. Taking all that into account I don’t think I would last long in a fight with you.”

Nat looked her over closely wondering if Wanda was looking into her own head. She said she never used her powers on Red Widows but did that mean her?

“You want somebody to talk to or do you have Steve hidden away in there?”

Nat opened her mouth but said nothing. Wanda grinned. “I’m joking. I just came to talk. I have had Steve on one side of my bed and Stannic on the other all day, asking me to talk to Yelena. I understand it was a very loud, very violent fight. I thought you might want to talk. I am probably one of the few girls here that doesn’t want to hurt you at the moment. Oksana is asleep, Agatha is asleep and you wouldn’t want to talk to her anyway. She would tell you more fun stories about her days as Elvis’s number one groupie. If you want to go to bed that’s fine too.”

Nat shrugged and stepped aside. She hadn’t seen Wanda like this before. Instead of tight leather pants and tight cleavage baring tops, she was in sweatpants and a Mickey Mouse oversized t shirt. She had no rings or bracelets or necklaces on. She wore no makeup and her hair was tied in a messy ponytail. She didn’t’ look like the scary intimidating bad ass Nat knew she could be.

Wanda sat down on Nat’s bed and sat back against the backboard. Nat slowly sat next to her.

“What is up with you and Steve?” Wanda asked.

“What is up with you and Bucky?”

“I asked first. If you say there is nothing, I’m leaving. I won’t conjure up ice cream from the kitchen freezer.”

Nat raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were banned from magic for a few days?”

Wanda huffed. “I’m the Scarlet Witch. I do as I please. Beside as long as Agatha is asleep she won’t know. So, ice cream?”

Nat nodded.

“First, you tell me what the deal is with you and Steve. The real deal, not the stock answer you always give.”

Nat started at her for a moment then relaxed. “Ice Cream first.”

Wanda snapped her fingers and a bowl of fudge swirl ice cream and a spoon was in her hands.

“Nice.”

“What else are nexus beings for? We either protect the universe, destroy the universe or kick back in our pajamas while we eat ice cream and watch late night television. Now spill. The truth.”

Nat took a bite to buy her time but she had promised the truth and she didn’t want to play games with Wanda after the day she had.

“I love him. That’s why I refuse to tell him.”

Rather than telling her it was stupid, Wanda nodded. “You want an icepack for your face? There is still a lot of bruising. The ice cream must feel good on that busted lip.”

Nat glared at her for a moment until Wanda grinned. “Too soon?” she asked.

“I could have taken her. So what did Stannic want?” Nat asked.

Wanda shrugged and began eating her ice cream she had conjured. “She wanted me to ask Yelena to let you stay. She wanted me to make you stay. She told me to fix everything. Stannic has this idea that I can do anything no matter how much I tell her it’s not true.”

“And what did you tell her this time?”

Wanda chuckled. “I told her it would take more than one violent fist fight to keep you two apart. Things would work out and she needed to step back and let you work this out yourselves. I told her the fight wasn’t really about her anyway. We both know it wasn’t. Maybe that was a trigger but it wasn’t enough to send Yelena over the edge like that.”

Nat was surprised by Wanda’s opinion. She and Wanda had never been close. Despite being so important to Yelena, Natasha had never wanted to know her. She had even angered her in Germany. Nat had been used to people doing as she said and Wanda verbally sparring with her had come as a shock during a stressful situation.

“I’m not going anywhere. They let me in. If she wants me out she can throw me out herself but I’m not…” Nat sighed… “sometimes I don’t even know why I am trying. I did leave her. That is what this is all about. She told me she blamed Melina and Alexie but she didn’t blame me. She does though. She may have convinced herself that she didn’t but she did.”

Wanda nodded. “That’s what I suspect.”

“You suspect?”

Wanda looked slightly offended. “I don’t read her mind. I just know her.”

“Better than anyone.” Nat mumbled.

“Don’t do that. Don’t be jealous. I was once a very jealous person. Anytime Pietro gave attention to someone else, especially girlfriends, I became angry. I tried to scare them off and I was good at it. He was all I had in the world and I wasn’t going to share my twin with some girl he thought was hot. I was talking one night to Eleanor on the phone. We talk about my life sometimes. I talk and she listens. She told me when she was my age she was always a jealous person and it probably came from both of us being poor. That changed when she had Kate. She told me if you really love someone then you want everyone in the world to love them as much as you do. That made sense to me. I want everyone to love Yelena the way I do. She deserves it.”

Nat had never thought of herself as a jealous person. She never held onto anything tight enough to feel possessive over. She always expected to be left so never became attached. Clint was the first person she truly felt would be there for her and never leave. But he was living life on a farm with a beautiful family and she was here, not having a clue what she was doing.

“If it makes you feel better, Eleanor hates that I drink too.” Wanda said in a teasing tone. “She reminds me all the time that I need to be a role model. I’m no role model.”

“I was angry. How much did you hear?” Nat asked, wondering what else Wanda had heard.

“Sasha was outside the library door listening. If Sasha hears something…”

“Everyone knows it.” Nat finished, having become used to some of the colorful quirks of the Red Widows.

Wanda sighed seeing Nat’s countenance and noticing her depression. “Did you think it would be easy?”

Nat shook her head. “I just didn’t think it would be this hard. I’ve built myself into someone and now I am having to change who I am and I don’t mind but it’s difficult. I screwed up in how I approached Stannic but I… I couldn’t just… I didn’t expect the others to think I was purposely making her… Yelena is right, I don’t know how to handle these girls but I can’t sit by and watch a fourteen year old drink whiskey on a roof! I get that I am new here but the others, Ingrid, Sonia and Naomi approached Yelena because they thought I was abusing her… that hurt, Wanda.”

Wanda nodded. “They don’t trust easy. They think the worst because they have grown up with the worse. If they see Stanic leaving your bedroom and she doesn’t tell them why, they are going to assume the worst. It didn’t matter if it was you or Captain America or Mother Teresa. Eat your ice cream before it melts so much you have to drink it. You are cleaning these bowl s by the way.

“Look at the past month Yelena has had. Kate nearly died. She was in a coma. Yelena had to leave her because of the mess in Germany and then you three move in. Maybe some buried resentment surfaces every time you question her or offer an opinion that isn’t asked for. She is running ops, finding Osborn, I’m driving her crazy with how many times I almost die and Kate can’t sleep and when she does, she has horrible nightmares and Yelena doesn’t know how to comfort her. Then she finds out her parents never gave her up, love her and have been searching and she has no idea what to do about that. I’m really glad you angered her. She needed to take her frustration out on someone.”

Wanda gave a small salute with her spoon and Nat gave her an irritated look. “Glad my face was of some assistance.”

Wanda waved her irritation off. “You fought aliens and super robots. You can take some shots to the face… and ribs… how are your legs?”

Nat began laughing, wondering if she felt worse physically than Wanda after having three grand mal seizures. They were both moving stiffly.

They sat in silence, eating ice cream and Wanda turned the television on. She found a basketball game and left it there despite not knowing anything about the game or caring to know.

“When we first moved into the Sokovian base, Yelena and I slept in the cell I had when I was trained by HYDRA. I had a difficult time moving around due to the hole in my abdomen. I was on a liquid diet and hated it. One day I said I wanted a cheeseburger out loud. I didn’t say it to anyone. I just said it aloud to myself. Anastasia and Zarola overheard me and went into what was left of Novi Grad. It took them four hours but they brought a cheeseburger and fries to my room. I have no idea where or how they got it but they did because I said I wanted one. That scared me.”

Nat nodded.

“It isn’t easy. It took me a while to be seen as one of the girls. Now, they bitch when I sneak my laundry in with theirs. They tell me what to do on missions. Anastasia hit me in the head with a water balloon. They laugh about men with metal parts being attracted to me. It was not easy. They saw me as a savior and I had to watch everything I said to get that notion out of their head. When first met Everett he asked me if the Red Widows were my followers or some kind of cult. I became very angry and I choked him. Do you know why?”

Nat nodded. “Because it would be very easy to make them into a cult that worships you?”

Wanda nodded, pleased Nat got her meaning. “It scares me to this day. So many things scare me. Sometimes I think everything scares me and other times I think nothing scares me. Do you ever feel like that?”

Nat smiled but didn’t meet her eyes, giving Wanda the answer she suspected.

“Have you ever wanted to kill yourself?”

Nat frowned and shook her head.

“I have. Life is funny though. Do you realize if Pietro had not died, the Barton kids would have no father, a boy would have lost his life and Yelena would still be in the hands of the Red Room? If not for Zemo trying to start a war and taking innocent lives you would likely not be here and Bucky would still be living on the run afraid of triggers in his head. Steve wouldn’t have his brother back. This world is so crazy. Time, cause and effect… but Pietro did die and I can’t change that. Yelena is free and I thank whatever higher power there is that she is. They are all free. I love them all so much. I love that despite it being nearly one in the morning, Staci is trying to talk Anastasia into cutting and coloring her hair to look like Anastasia from the Disney movie. I love that Annie will eventually give in and do it before we go to the park.

“I love that Aino snores and when Fanny licks her cheek while she sleep she laughs without waking up. I love that Antonia and Lerato have this love story that is so unbelievable not even Hollywood would touch it.”

Wanda paused.

“I love them and I love so many different things about them and I love that you helped Stannic feel better. I love that you care this much about Yelena that despite being surrounded in a house of women who are mostly angry at you, you are still here. Yelena is going to be on an adrenalin high. Leave her alone tonight. She will be more reasonable in the morning. Get some sleep and talk to her then. Actually she will probably find you.”

Wanda stood from the bed and walked to the door.

“How am I supposed to sleep?” Nat asked.

Wanda shrugged and grinned. “Do what I do. Get so drunk you can’t stand. I told you I wasn’t a role model.”

---

Two hours later, Reaper 1 descended onto its landing pad within the underground compound. Chloe had changed into jeans, sneaker and a black t shirt the Widows had bought her before the operation. She hadn’t been able to sleep all the way back. She listened to stories of Yelena and Wanda Maximoff. She remembered the more her haze lifted that the HYDRA agents posing as her parents saw Maximoff on TV and were afraid of her but she didn’t really understand what they were talking about. She listened to them talk fondly of who they called Aunt Agatha, a nearly four hundred year old witch!

Wanda’s powers shocked her. She listened to stories of assaults on A.I.M. and widow rescues including invading an Iranian prison and a battle at an airport in Germany against hundreds of armed flying robots.

She was a part of this now. She had more sisters than this. She had a life.

Now she would be introduced to very important people in her new life.

They were all waiting for her.

She expected most of them to be asleep as it was two A.M. local time. Rather than wearing Black Widow combat suits like the ones who had rescued her, these girls were dressed in normal clothes. Some wore old jeans and band shirts, others wore leather pants and red or black tops along with combat boots. Some wore matching pajamas and others wore shorts and oversized t shirts.

Ava was the first to walk up to her. Chloe had seen photos of them on the flight over but still didn’t remember all their names. It wasn’t hard to remember Ava since she was dating a real life sorcerer.

“Welcome home, Chloe.” Ava told her and brought the girl in for a hug. “You will have time to learn names. Don’t worry if you forget a few. The next few days are going to be tough as more of your memories clear. No matter what you decided to do, we are your family now. Yasmine and Rachel recently joined us as well.”

“I’m from California too!” Rachel said, pushing her way to the front and hugging Chloe who was surprised but did not tense. “Your room is next to mine. You won’t believe the Mansion. It is huge and the rooms are so cool…”

“Perhaps we should give her some time to rest Rachel?” Naomi suggested. “We can talk more in the morning. She no doubt needs sleep. Let’s show her to her room. If you have trouble sleeping there is a cot in the medical infirmary next to Wanda. We have been keeping an eye on her all night, making sure she hasn’t left the bed. She had a magical mishap. Don’t be frightened if you find yourself in a world of black and white. It still happens from time to time when she is very tired and dreams about the Dick Van Dyke show.”

Chloe walked to the elevator with Ava and Mika. When she reached the top floor and walked out into the main living area of the Mansion she gasped. The girls had told her the place was huge but she had no idea.

It was gorgeous. Everything was clean, everything looked expensive and it also felt like a home. There were framed photos on the walls of the widows goofing off with one another.

As they left the room and entered the foyer the other widows fell in behind them after leaving the staircase up from the compound. When she reached the stairs a sleepy eyed brunette with thick dark hair was running down.

“I heard the jet land. Yelena?”

Yelena pushed through the crowd and climbed the staircase. She put an arm around Kate’s waist and led her back up the stairs.

“That is Kate Bishop?” Chloe asked. “She lives here?”

“She is staying with us, probably through the summer.” Ingrid told her. “She is going through… it is a long story and not ours to tell. Let us go to your room. We have clothes ready for you including sleepwear. We put white sheets on the bed but we will be in Paris soon and you can shop for more personalized items there.”

Chloe entered the large room and couldn’t believe her eyes. “You all did this for me?”

“I told you, we are your family.” Ava reminded her. “We take care of each other. Relax. If you have trouble sleeping pick up the phone and dial 2. That’s my number. I can escort you to Wanda in the med bay or if Yelena is sleeping by her I can bring Fanny up. She is good for keeping away the nightmares. I can also sit with you. Trust me, you will have nightmares. We all do but you don’t have to face them alone. Good night, Chloe. Welcome home.”

While Chloe was trying to come to grips with her new reality, Yelena was holding Kate in her bed from behind with her arms wrapped tightly around the brunette.

“I couldn’t believe those stunts you were pulling. Pretty cool.” Kate said sleepily.

“You expected less?” Yelena teased her.

“Nat is still here.”

Yelena closed her eyes and said nothing, only pulling Kate tighter. “I have to take a trip soon. I know we haven’t spent much time alone since you have been here. I promise that will change but I need to take care of something first.”

“I want to come.” Kate whispered.

“We will talk about it later.”

Yelena waited until Kate fell into sleep and Lucky was tucked into her side. She quietly got off the bed and went to the desk. She wrote a short note and left it on Kate’s desk then went to her room. She threw some clothing and weapons in a duffel bag and quietly made her way outside. Near the tree line, sat three large troop carrier aircrafts that once belonged to the Red Room. They were covered in very large camouflage tarps. Yelena sat her bag down and began pulling. She had to climb the jet multiple times to finally uncover it. It was five A.M. before she finished her preflight check.

Thirty seconds after she lifted off, Rachel’s voice came on the radio.

“Uh… I see Widow 1 has lifted off. Who is flying?”

Yelena smiled at the unsure tone of her voice.

“This is Red 1. This is Yelena. I’m taking her for a test flight to make sure all systems are operational.”

“Copy. Who is your copilot?”

Yelena hated to lie but she didn’t want the entire compound waking up. The jet was silent on take offs and landings. Not as silent as the Stark jets but stealthy and far enough away from the Mansion that it shouldn’t wake anyone.

“Why are you up, Rachel?”

“I like it down here. I like listening for alarms. Who is your copilot?”

Yelena shook her head and smiled. “No need for a copilot. I’m just taking her for a test flight.”

Yelena didn’t mention that the test flight would be all the way to Russia.

“Oh… okay. I mean copy Red 1. I’ll keep an eye on you in case you run into trouble.”

“Negative Rachel. Go to sleep. I will be back.”

Rachel didn’t respond and by this point it didn’t matter. Yelena was over fifteen thousand feet and climbing. When she hit twenty thousand she would begin accelerating until she reached Mach 2. She hoped to make it to Russia in three hours. She had done her research. She knew where they lived. She hadn’t found photos of them but that wasn’t unusual. Judging by the area they lived in, social media was likely not important.

Once she had leveled out and hit speed she relaxed.

“Want a chip?”

Cool headed Yelena nearly screamed. She looked to her right and saw Wanda holding an open bag of potato chips toward her.

“They are dill pickle flavor. You know they are your favorite. Don’t be shy.”

Yelena opened her mouth, not sure what to say.

“You sneaky witch!” she finally yelled.

Wanda rolled her eyes and pulled the bag back, taking a chip for herself. “One day you are going to accidentally call me a bitch.”

“It will be no accident, bitch! What are you doing here! How did you get here!? How long have you been here?!”

“I’ve been in this seat since you began pulling off the tarp. I didn’t think you were ever going to get it off. I didn’t want to interrupt you while you were lying to Rachel about breaking rule number two, a day after breaking rule number six. Now that I am certain you won’t crash us, I thought I would offer you a chip. I have sodas in back and brought chocolate covered peanuts. Its going to be a long flight.”

Yelena closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead in frustration. “It’s a three hour flight. That is not long.”

“Tell my ass that. I hate these seats.”

I need to do this alone.”

Wanda nodded. “Of course we do. There is no I in Wanda and Yelena. Three As but no I. So we are going to Moscow. Do you have an address or are we going to get information there?”

Yelena shook her head and considered turning back. “You are supposed to be on bed rest.”

“And you are supposed to be setting a good example by following the rules and not traveling alone. Natasha was right. We aren’t very good at leading by example. She isn’t leaving by the way. You are going to need to do more than beat her to make her go away. I think you are stuck with her.”

Yelena sighed, already knowing this. She had managed not to think of it while the mission was going on but now…

“I’m too tired to think right now. How did they not notice you?”

Wanda winked at her. “Once Agatha and Oksana went to sleep I just set up an illusion of my sleeping in bed. Walked right past my guard widows who were trying to be discrete. As you said, I am a sneaky bitch… I mean witch. Go to sleep. Take a nap. I can fly.”

Yelena shook her head. “You cannot fly. You fly worse than you drive.”

Wanda snorted. “Of the two of us, who can actually fly?”

Yelena rolled her eyes.

“Why are we taking this one anyway? The Quinjets are so much more comfortable.”

Yelena wondered if Wanda was going to complain the entire trip. “If something happened and I had to ditch the jet to find other means of leaving Russia, then the government would only have outdated Red Room technology, not arc reactor tech. I’m going to land it in the woods outside of Obninski, then steal a car and drive into the Kapotnya District. My… my father works in the Moscow Refinery. He is forty years old. My mama is thirty six. I am not sure what she does. It is my papa’s job that has likely kept him from being called up to army.”

“You’ve been putting more work into this than I thought. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit offended that you didn’t include me.”

Yelena shrugged. “I meant no offense. You are just shit at computers and I wasn’t sure I was even going to come. I didn’t decide until… Kate told me to stop. I stood off Natasha, saw the blood and realized what I had done. I saw the look on Stannic’s face and I couldn’t meet her eyes because I was ashamed. I saw the fear of me in Kate’s eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen her afraid because of something I did. I am angry at Natasha. I am angry she never came to look for me. I am angry at so much. I will never get over this anger if I do not face some things about me. I am tired of being angry. My parents had their child taken from them. I think of the children we saved and what would have happened to them if we failed. I think of all the ones still out there. How they must feel and how their parents must feel. It is wrong of me to let my own parents feel this way when I can stop it. I have to face myself.”

Wanda nodded, not surprised and having guessed as much. “I guess we will face it together like everything else. Stannic is scared Nat will leave. You should probably give her a call. You know Stannic has a hard time becoming attached to anyone. I had a talk with Naomi, Ingrid and Sonia as well about assuming the worst. I have been stuck with damage control from my hospital bed while you have been playing action hero. I always get shit jobs while you have fun.”

Yelena nodded. “I owe Stannic big apology. I suppose… Natasha and I need to have a talk. I may be too hard on her.”

Wanda laughed quietly. “Too hard? You? No, I think you were very reasonable as always. Calm, cool and collected Yelena. You spit on the floor. Guess who has the next mopping duty? I think Nat was okay once she reset her nose. When Stannic wasn’t at my bed, Steve was, asking me to intervene like some negotiator between warring nations. When did I become the calm one? I am the queen of chaos. I am supposed to thrive on crazy.”

Yelena huffed. “Speaking of crazy, how does the wooing of Bucky Barnes going? Has he been comforting while I was away?

Wanda was quiet for a moment, not sure how to answer it. Bucky had always been near but at times they still struggled to talk to one another about anything meaningful. He made her laugh so easily. Yet beside their serious conversation while watching the sunset, neither had approached anything remotely serious. He even asked her what she thought of the weather and she reminded him she was on forced bed rest in a giant underground fallout shelter.

“Bucky isn’t the best at… comforting. I’m not the best at being comforted. I think…”

“I think we suck at romance.” Yelena finished. “You are an emotional wreck most of time, always defensive and clueless and I scared the woman I love to the point she begged me to get off someone so I wouldn’t kill her. She has been at compound for few days now and Antonia has spent more time with her than I have. We both suck. I am putting jet on autopilot and having nap in back. Do not touch anything! This is very important. Repeat what I said.”

“Touch everything.”

“Yes… no! That is not what I said! Touch nothing!”

Wanda nodded and kicked her feet up on the console.

“Put your feet down.” Yelena grumbled as she walked to the back and fell asleep quickly.

Wanda rolled her eyes and kept her feet up, digging back into her bag of chips.

Yelena woke after a couple hours as they were entering Russian airspace to find Wanda at the cockpit with her feet still on the dash, snoring and drool coming out of her mouth and onto her chin. Yelena found fourteen missed calls to her phone and checked Wanda’s to see seventeen unanswered calls.

“Pilot, wake up!”

Wanda sat up quickly then moaned, the stiff and damaged muscles from her seizures and the position she slept in catching up to her.

“We had many missed calls. I think we have angered some. I will call Kate and you can call… whoever you want.”

Wanda waved off her concern. “Agatha will just tell me I should have stayed in bed and not use magic. I’ve already gotten out of bed and we both know I can’t help using magic. How else would I open doors? You should call Kate.”

Yelena took her advice and called her girlfriend.

“Hello beloved. I am sorry I missed your call. I was sleeping.”

“Sorry? Sorry? I woke up with a note from you saying gone to Russia, be back soon! Now you tell me you were asleep while flying?! Damn it, Yelena!”

“I told you I had to take a trip soon before you went to sleep.”

“I didn’t know by soon you meant immediately. The girls are not happy! You broke rule number 2! Your rule. Widows do not travel alone! Remember?!”

Yelena sighed. “I have broken no rules. Wanda is with me.”

Yelena heard Kate take a deep breath and hiss. “Do not lie to me, Yelena Belova. We are all downstairs and Wanda’s room has a glass wall! She is asleep!”

Yelena laughed. “Has anyone checked on her?”

Kate was quiet for a moment. “No… Oksana said seizures take a lot out of the body and she didn’t want to disturb her… that little bitch!”

“Would you like to say hello to Wanda? See, no rules broken. How is everything there besides the girls incorrectly believing I broke one of the rules I made myself?”

“Wonderful! Everything is so calm. Steve and Bucky are staying outside, Nat came down to cook breakfast. Stannic wanted to help her and Naomi and Ingrid almost stopped her but then told her to do as she wished. Everyone sat at the table, answering Chloe’s questions while Ingrid, Naomi, Sonia and Nat had a stare off in between bites. I think Nat won, but it was probably because she really makes great poached eggs. Mom called and wanted to check in with you but I didn’t want to tell her you decided to go to Russia in the middle of the night, so I told her you were training. Fanny is whining and won’t leave your bed because she gotten hardly any attention from you and neither have I for that matter!”

Yelena was quiet for a moment, waiting to see if Kate had anything else to add.

“You are upset with me.” Yelena said when she was fairly certain Kate was not going to complain or yell anymore.

“Sometimes your intelligence astounds me.” Kate told her.

“It is true, I am more than pretty face.”

Kate laughed quietly. “Yelena, things are tense here. That fight with Nat, Stannic is upset… and the others are… and Chloe keeps laughing and then crying, then back to laughing again. Yasmine said she is still doing the same thing. You are needed here. You both are. Is this the best time to find them?”

Yelena was not surprised Kate knew why she was going to Russia. It was pretty obvious.

“I… I don’t know if it is the best time but I can’t move on… I can’t forgive my past if I am afraid to face all of it. I have to… I want to.”

Kate said nothing but Yelena knew she understood.

“I get it. You know Nat isn’t leaving. You two are going to have to talk it out.”

Yelena huffed. “I will let Wanda handle Stannic situation. She is part of Wanda and Yelena as she has made clear.”

“Stannic wasn’t what the fight was about. Not to you. Maybe to the others but not to you. I heard what you said to her. About it being fake. Is that what you believe?”

Yelena was quiet for a moment. “I’m not sure what I believe anymore. I hit her because she said… and I kept hitting her because it made me angry that she… she thinks we are Avengers who she leads and she is… but that isn’t it. I’m just…”

Kate stopped her. “Baby, relax. I get it, okay. Do what you have to do. Just hurry back. I miss you. Mom has been gone a few days and we haven’t even made out all night yet. You promised to keep licking my neck once she was gone. Besides seeing you on the news on that motorcycle got me hot.”

“I will be home soon. I love you, Kate.”

“I love you too. Be safe. Both of you.”

Yelena ended the call and took the jet off autopilot. An hour later, the jet landed in an open area of woods. They exited the craft and Wanda stared at it for a moment.

The craft disappeared.

“There, no… whoa… !”

Wanda stumbled and Yelena caught her. “Stay in bed for a few days, don’t use magic. You never listen.”

“If you hadn’t been about to break the rules I could have stayed in bed. I just got a little dizzy. My barriers are confused as to which ones are supposed to be up and which ones are supposed to be down.” Wanda told her. “I will rest for a few days when we get back. Until then, no more magic.”

Yelena snorted.

“What?”

“No more magic. You don’t know how to live without magic. I bet you all your jewelry against my vest that you cannot go one day without using magic of any kind.”

Wanda smiled. “That’s perfect. You never let me borrow the vest of many pockets. I will wear it with pride.”

Yelena thought of asking Wanda to change clothes and the witch would do it magically as second nature, but for once she was dressed for the scenery. She wore worn jeans, a baggy t shirt and an oversize green plaid button up shirt with her well worn combat boots. She also had a faded green cap in her pocket.

They walked for thirty minutes before finally reaching Obninsk. Wanda had begun complaining fifteen minutes before that.

“You could always fly ahead.” Yelena suggested.

Wanda grinned at her poor attempt at trickery. “I don’t think so. I can handle it. I’m just saying maybe we could have landed closer. I am supposed to be resting.”

Yelena shook her head and smirked. “Do you think you can have sex with Barnes without stopping in the middle and having a nap before you finish?”

Wanda furrowed her brow. “That’s a good question. Of course I’m not the one with a girlfriend living in a separate room while her mommy is halfway across the world.”

“Eleanor trusts me. I will not break that trust. Kate is in no emotional state for something like that.”

“Are you?” Wanda asked.

Yelena slowed her walking and looked to the ground then shook her head. “No, I am not. I love her, I love touching her but I have never had one good experience with sex. I don’t know what I am doing. I am not ready… not the point. The point is you should start running in the morning if you are thinking of banging the bionic man. You need to build stamina. Oh look, a car.”

Wanda wasn’t impressed. “It’s a crap car.”

“You are picky?”

Wanda crossed her arms, not liking this idea. “Yeah I guess I am. The worse the car the poorer the driver. If we steal a very expensive car the driver is likely an asshole or heavily insured. We tend to wreck things.”

Yelena frowned, not having thought of that. “A good point. Do you see any you like?”

Wanda looked around and decided to walk further down the road to a hotel parking lot. The streets were strangely empty for the morning.

“Its like a ghost town.” Wanda said. “Look in the hotel parking lot. There aren’t a lot of choices but I think we should steal the red one.”

“Which red one? The LADA or the Toyota?”

“That one.”

“They are both red.”

“Follow my finger.”

“I am following your finger! They are right next to each other! Send a ball of light to point it out.”

“Nice try. Just look where I am pointing. How can you not see?”

“Because you suck at this. Always suck at picking cars. I want red one, Yelena. We can be at fire department you would say I want red and expect me to know which fire truck you want.”

“You would see where I am pointing if you were taller! Follow me!” Wanda said, frustrated that she would have to walk farther.

“Now she wants me to follow her. You wanted me to steal car and bring it back here so you wouldn’t’ have to walk.”

“My feet hurt and I am supposed to be on bedrest! Just follow me.”

An hour later, the criminal duo were on the road and entering the Kapotnya District. They drove through the city and even inside the sealed tight Camry, they could smell the foul air from the refinery. They drove along the streets the large pipes ran beside from the refinery and saw the homeless living in horrid conditions. The houses in the city were one level and identical, most white but covered in soot that had drifted from the giant refinery. The area was horrible. Smog hung low in the air blocking out any sunlight. Here were more closed down businesses than empty ones and on citizens just out for a walk or drive.

“There is hardly anyone here.” Wanda observed.

Yelena noted the same but wasn’t surprised. “Most of the men have been conscripted to go to war and die or have escaped country with their families. Maybe we make a couple of assassinations while we are here and do world a favor, huh?”

Wanda thought for a moment and shook her head. “We should probably not start any coups on a day trip. That seems like it should be more planned out. Do you know which one they live in? These all look the same.”

“They are the same. I’m not sure of the number. I just had the address and that was hard to find. I had to break into Moscow DMV. No public transit here, so there are many car owners. I got this complex…”

Yelena stopped speaking and her eyes widened. She was looking at a woman across the street walking down the sidewalk with a bag of groceries in her arms. She was a blonde woman, roughly Yelena’s height with a slim frame, probably caused by not eating enough. She looked gaunt and her eyes appeared tired even from across the street.

“Yelena?” Wanda asked. “Is that her?”

Yelena nodded and whispered, “Anya Belova.”

The two stared at the woman, both feeling surreal. Anya stopped in front of the house on the right. She knocked on the door and a man opened it and let her in. He had dark hair and was stocky and strong. He wore a full beard. Neither had high fashion clothes. They were dressed like typical Russians one would expect in this class. Kapotnya was not known for the rich and famous living there. There were homeless and the poorly paid workers who inhabited the area.

She went inside and the doo closed behind her.

“What now?” Wanda asked.

“You should read minds and find out if I have any brothers and sisters.”

“Does telepathy count as magic?”

Yelena winced. So close. But her ploy hadn’t worked and her mind could no longer put off the decision she had to make.

“What do I do Wanda?”

“You could start by knocking on the door.”

Yelena clenched her jaw and began trembling. She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m scared.”

“We have been scared before.” Wanda reminded her. “But…”

“We did it anyway. We are stupid like that.” Yelena finished. “I just need some time. Give me a moment.”

The moment lasted all day. Yelena had almost stepped out of the car six times before stopping herself. Wanda never commented, but instead patiently waited for her to be ready.

As the sun was going down Yelena closed her eyes and reached for the door handle. This time it opened.

Wanda got out of the car and rushed around to the driver’s side. Yelena stepped forward and it was Wanda this time who reached out and steadied her. Yelena took a deep breath to stop trembling and steady her legs.

She nodded slightly to Wanda, took a deep breath then walked the short distance to the front door holding Wanda’s hand.

“I never thought we would be here.” Yelena whispered.

“I never thought I would be the most powerful being in the universe. What is it Americans say? Shit happens. I will step back. They should see you first. You have this. I’m right behind you.”

Yelena raised a shaky fist to the door and knocked lightly.

She heard footsteps.

The knob turned and the door swung open.

She was face to face with her mother for the first time in almost fifteen years.

Yelena stared at her as if in a dream. The woman was two feet away. Yelena knew she should speak. She expected the woman to speak but she was staring at her with wide eyes.

“I am Yelena. I am your…” she said in Russian.

“You are my daughter !” she said and placed her hand over her mouth. Tears began to stream down her face. She reached out and touched Yelena’s cheek. “You are real? I have dreamed about you for so long… are you real?”

Yelena swallowed the lump forming in her burning throat. Her mother was touching her. “You recognize me ?”

“I dream of your eyes every night. You are my baby.” Anya took her hand away from Yelena’s cheek and pulled her into a hug, surprisingly hard for someone so small. “Dima! Dima come quickly! She found us! She came home!”

The man came to the door confused at his wife’s shouting. “Who found us… Yelena? Is it really you ?”

“I’m so sorry I lost you!” Anya said. “I am so sorry. I just took my eye away for a second and… I never stopped. I never stopped looking for you. Now you found us. Come in! Come in!”

Anya pulled her in and didn’t try to stop or even question the crying woman who followed them inside. Wanda closed the door and the man picked up Yelena in a hug pulling her feet off the floor. Yelena was overwhelmed, hugging him back.

“Sit… sit… please !” Dima told her and guided her to an old couch. He sat beside her and held her hands while Anya kissed and her cheeks and firmly gripped her while memorizing her.

After a minute, the two adults looked to Wanda.

“You are Wanda Maximoff .” Dima said.

Wanda was surprised he knew her.

“We sometimes get pirated internet to help with search. A young boy helps us. We were without clues for so long but then we heard tales of the witch and the widows .” Dima explained. He got up and went to the wall across from them. On the wall was a wooden frame that had a wood cover. The frame was huge, covering most of the wall and obviously hand made from second hand lumber.

He pulled the over back and both girls were shocked by what they saw.

There was a world map on the wall. On the map were widow sighting and an internet article that had leaked the name Yelena Belova and Red Widows. There was a Red Widow symbol, articles about Germany, Boston, Poland, Warsaw, and recently New York. Threads connected dots on the world map.

“We knew it had to be you” Dima told her. “Those Federal Security Service bastards took you. They think they hide so much but we heard about Red Room. I lost job because I asked too many questions and had to take job at refinery but we kept looking. There is computer at community center. We thought if we tracked you we could figure out where you were before we moved. But you found us!”

“How did you find us?” Anya asked.

Yelena took a deep breath and faced a decision. They knew about the Red Room. They knew about the Red Widows. They had put so much work into this. Almost fifteen years and they never stopped looking. She was shocked at the work they did and couldn’t help but notice one area among a few circled was in France. It wasn’t the right area but they at least got the country right.

“I found the woman who took me .” Yelena told them.

They were both silent, turning red with anger.

“Do you know where she is now ?’ Dima asked.

Yelena nodded. “We tortured her and we crushed her bones, drove her insane and then I drowned her slowly.”

Dima smiled grimly. “Good. I wish I could have seen this. You found out about us from her?”

Yelena nodded towards Wanda. “Wanda took your names from her mind. I found you through… we have technology. We have… I found you and… I’m different than… I just… I’m not sure if I am someone you want to know. But I couldn’t stay away and…”

Yelena began to cry again and Anya held her close.

“I have my baby back .” She whispered over and over again.

“What did you mean you were moving?” Wanda asked.

Dima furrowed his brow. “The war is going badly and foreign sanctions are causing our refinery to produce less. We were told a rumor that half of us would be conscripted next week. We had planned to leave tomorrow. The army is watching the borders closely but we have a friend who has been smuggling people. We have some money saved. We thought if we had a general location, we could find our way there and search. Maybe get a message in papers to widows somehow. ”

“They took you, didn’t they ?” Anya interrupted. “That Red Room they lied to our people about. They turned you… but you escaped. You and Wanda. You are famous. Even people in Russia have heard of Red Widows. Then we heard your name after Germany. You rescue children .” Anya said. “I am so sorry I lost you. They hurt you, didn’t they?”

Yelena shook her head fiercely. “It wasn’t your fault. She was a professional and they needed a child. It wasn’t… at first I grew up in Ohio in America until I was six then I was taken… I can explain all this later. You must leave quickly. You don’t know when military might come.”

Dima and Anya looked at each other and shook their heads. “That can wait.” Anya told her. “We have you. You must have dinner. I have dreamed of making you dinner. Every time I cook I think would Yelena have liked this?”

Yelena stood up and took a breath. Both her parents stood as well holding onto her as if they were afraid she would disappear.

“Do you have a car ?” she asked.

“Yes. ” Dima said.

“Pack light. I can buy everything you need when we get there. I saw a place for rent in a small village in France. It is very nice. I live not far from it. I will take you there now.”

“You have that kind of money?” Dima asked.

Yelena nodded. “We steal a lot of money. Dreykov, Osborn, slavers, they make us very rich. We have little time. You don’t know when military will come for you. It is okay. Wanda can stop them but she has a tendency to catch bullets with her body and its best not to cause a scene. Do you have anyone to say goodbye to? Mamas or papas?”

“No. Your grandparents all died years ago .” Anya told her. “We have everything ready. We have your baby clothes and pictures and your favorite toys. We kept everything. Will we have room? How will we get out of Russia?”

Wanda smirked. “Trust me. It won’t be a problem. Follow us in your car. Take your time and pack everything important to you. You can follow us to our ride out of Russia.”

Anya and Dima took their hands off Yelena and began moving quickly, wanting to leave with her before she disappeared. Yelena was smiling but still had tears running down her face. Wanda wrapped an arm around her.

“They love you, Yelena.”

“They will love all my jewelry too.”

Wanda snorted. “I have not used magic and I won’t.”

“Then how did you understand what we were saying? How did they understand what you were saying? A translation spell, no?”

Wanda’s shoulders sagged.

“Damn it.”

The next morning as the sun was rising, Widow 1 landed outside the small village thirty miles away from the compound. They walked into town, leaving the bags in the jet. Yelena met with the man she had met once who owned the general store and rented the house she had seen pictures of in the store. Not having new people move in the village he was eager to let it go.

At the Widows’ compound, Natasha’s phone rang. She was surprised to see it was Yelena.

“Hello?”

“I have not scared you off.”

Nat laughed quietly. “No. You can fight me again if you want. I’m still not leaving and this time I will win.”

Yelena sighed. “I don’t want to fight. You put up poor showing last time. I am sending you address in village thirty miles away. I need Captain America to look over house and make sure wiring is good and it will not burn down. You and Kate must come as well.”

Nat was quiet for a moment, not sure what was going on and wondered if Yelena wanted to banish her to a rented cottage.

“Why do you want me and Kate there?”

“My Mama and Papa want to meet my girlfriend and the big sister who taught me secret whistles, to see the world upside down and protected me when I was little girl.”

“You found them.” Natasha said, eyes filling with tears.

“I found them.”