Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 17:

The two women were mesmerized by the books lying side by side on the desk before them. They seemed like normal, old books that could be found in a rare bookstore.

They radiated power. Yelena had learned to recognize power in ordinary objects. She lived with Wanda after all. At first glance, no one would guess what Wanda was capable of doing to someone.

These books made her want to step back and leave the room, but she wouldn’t. Wanda had to be here, so she would be by her side as always.

“This book is the Darkhold.” The Ancient One pointed to the black, old, weathered book. “It is an ancient book of occultist lore, said to give its greatest devotees control over dark magic, written by the demon Chthon billions of years ago.

“It contains the most repugnant and terrifying spells imaginable. He left the book on Earth, so that it could serve as a conduit for him to influence the planet. There was no intelligent life at the time, but perhaps he foresaw the coming of man and the ability of creatures to harness magic, one day.”

Wanda shivered, listening to the description of the book but also frightened that it seemed to call for her. She almost itched to pick it up. It was ugly, dark, and she knew it was evil. Yet, it was so seductive.

Instead of reaching for the book, she grabbed Yelena’s hand.

“Seductive, isn’t it? With the chaos magic you can call on, along with the power granted to you by the Infinity Stone, it would be so easy to master the spells in this book. Your power would eventually exceed mine. There would be very few beings in the universe who could challenge you.” The Ancient One told her.

Yelena squeezed Wanda’s hand tighter. She did not feel good about where this was going.

“And the other one?” Wanda asked.

“The Book of Vishanti. Everything must have a counterbalance in the universe. This is the antithesis to the Darkhold. It is the book of light magic. Where the Darkhold will unleash your chaos magic on an unimaginable scale, this book will teach you to defend. It will teach you about life, healing, and restoration. It is said to have no set amount of spells. There is a spell for everything in this book but it is difficult to master. You will have to work so much harder to become what you are meant to be.”

“What am I meant to be?” Wanda asked.

“The Scarlett Witch of course.”

“You said I am the Scarlett Witch.”

The Ancient One shook her head. “Not yet. You have not unleashed your full potential. Both books have chapters dedicated to you. In the Darkhold it is written that you will destroy the Universe. In the Book of Vishanti, it is written the Scarlett Witch will be the savior of the Universe. One is always easier than the other. They are both yours for the taking but you can only choose one.”

“If one says she can destroy the universe, why show it to her?” Yelena asked.

The Ancient One nodded. “This one always asks the right questions.”

“And you compliment me, instead of giving me an answer. I do not need compliments. What game are you playing with her? Why take the risk? Why bring her the book you know she can destroy the Universe with?”

“Because there is one irrefutable truth in the universe. It is something every living creature strives for. Free will. You, of all people, know how important it is, Yelena Belova. If I only offered her one, she would find the other and be drawn to it. She must face the choice now. It is her decision. Neither of us can make it for her.”

Wanda took her eyes off the books. The Book of Vishanti felt different. It was powerful as well but did not give its power easily. It did not whisper in her ear like the Darkhold was doing.

“Light magic, healing, restoration, those are not who I am.” Wanda pointed out. “Do you know how many people I have killed. Do you know the hate in my heart? How could I learn from a book of light?”

“The Book of Vishanti is more than light. One does not need to be a saint to use it. Its spells are based on defense.” The Ancient One explained.

“Exactly. I am no defender.” Wanda reminded her.

The Ancient One chuckled softly. “Then why have you not taken over the world or even destroyed the United States you despise so much? Why do you use your powers to defend children, innocent victims who cannot defend themselves? If you are a conqueror, you are a very poor one. You have power and money and use it to keep searching for others to free.

“You believe light magic means you have no darkness. The light can balance the darkness in your soul. The dark will only increase it.”

Yelena’s eyes widened. “The Darkhold will possess her. The witch who owes you a favor, you freed her from this book, didn’t you?”

“She didn’t have chaos magic, or I would not have succeeded. Your intuitiveness continues to impress me.” The Ancient One said.

“Wanda, you have been inside my head, you know my darkest secrets. You know what it feels like to be controlled by something dark.” Yelena told her quickly but received no response.

The Ancient One shook her head. “She cannot hear you.”

Yelena’s eyes widened when she moved directly in front of Wanda. Wanda was in a daze, her eyes flitting back and forth between the books.

Wanda may as well have been in a different world and this time slapping her wouldn’t work.

“This was a set up.” Yelena told the woman, reaching for her gun behind her back and aiming at the sorceress’s face.

“Do you believe in her?” The Ancient One asked, showing no concern about the gun inches from her face.

“What?”

“Do you believe in her? Do you believe she is a good person?”

“She is the best person I have ever known.” Yelena told her with no doubt in her voice. “I would die for her.”

“Then you must have faith in her. This is a choice you cannot help her with. Put your weapon away, Yelena Belova. You and your sisters are good people. You defend the innocent, and you destroy the guilty. You won’t kill me because I am guilty of no crime.”

Yelena scowled at the woman but did as she said knowing it was true. Yelena would not kill her, at least not while Wanda was in this state. If something happened to Wanda because she picked the wrong book, things would change quickly though.

Wanda was lost to the conversations around her. The room had turned dark once again but no starlight appeared around her. No bookshelves were floating around the room. There were only two books in front of her. The Darkhold and the Book of Vishanti, floating in the air.

There was only one other person with her. Person may not have been the right description. Wanda knew it could be only the demon, Chthon.

He was tall, blue skinned, long horns extended from his head out the back of his skull. His teeth were black. He wore blood red pants and a matching cloak.

Wanda herself, was no longer casually dressed as she had entered the Sanctum. Her hair was lighter and wavier and she could feel some sort of crown on her head. Her red and black top was sleeveless. She wore gloves that left her fingers bare and extended past her elbows. Her pants were black with black boots that rose to her thighs.

Around her waist was a large red belt that had a cloak that covered her back from the waist down and almost brushed the ground.

Despite having never worn an outfit like this, she felt comfortable.

Then the demon spoke and all thoughts of comfort were gone.

“My Scarlett Witch. You look as lovely and fearsome as I foresaw. I have waited for you patiently. Are you ready to claim your power?”

Wanda felt no fear in front of him and that concerned her. She was no coward, but any reasonable person would feel at least an amount of apprehension. She recognized something of him in her. That made her feel ill.

“Chthon.”

The demon nodded. “I have waited for you. Take the Darkhold and let us begin your education.”

“You can offer me the power to destroy my enemies with a thought.” Wanda said, listening to the whispers from the book.

“I can. Take my book and you will become a goddess. A foolish woman tried to master its secrets not long ago. She was not chosen. She had no Chaos Magic. The Darkhold belongs in the hands of the Scarlett Witch. Only the one possessing Chaos Magic can tame the book and the book can make you more powerful. The book was written billions of years ago before humans appeared on this planet. Our patience shall be rewarded.”

Wanda looked toward the Book of Vishanti, curious if a demonic or angelic salesman would appear to plead its case.

“The book doesn’t want you.” Chthon told her. “No one will convince you to take it because it fears the beautiful darkness inside you. That book was written by light magic mages and added to over the centuries. A collection of spells, meant for weaker magic users. It fears you. Chaos Magic is the most powerful magic, granted to only a few throughout history. The Book of Vishanti is a poor attempt at stopping the inevitability that is the Scarlett Witch. They knew you would be the one who would rule the world. You are meant to be worshipped.”

Wanda shook her head. “I don’t want to be worshipped.”

“Of course you do! Everyone wants to be worshipped but so very few deserve it. You don’t enjoy your coven looking to you in awe and reverence? They are smart women, deadly, who are attracted to power. That is why they follow you. The world wants to control you, the Avengers want to use you, but the ones of your coven worship you, as they should. This is your time and these are your first steps. The Ancient One has given you access to this book, believing you will not take it. She should have hidden it from you, but her arrogance will be her undoing. Take what is yours.”

Wanda reached for the Darkhold but stopped inches before her finger touched it. It felt so right. It was calling to her, it wanted her and she wanted it.

“You say this can offer me so much power but give me nothing other than that. What can it teach me?”

“What do you want? It can give you anything. It can make you unstoppable. You can vanquish enemies with a thought, rewrite reality to your liking, control everyone around you, end violence, give humans the happy lives you believe they deserve. And those who do not, make them suffer in eternal agony.”

Wanda turned back to the Book of Vishanti.

“The Red Widows do not worship me. They are not a coven. They are my sisters by choice. We love each other. Would I lose my ability to love?”

“Nothing would be beyond you.” The demon told her.

“That isn’t an answer.” Wanda told him.

“Love is meaningless. The fealty to you, is what matters.”

“Love is for children.” Wanda told him.

“Exactly.”

“I heard that in my closest sister’s head, when I saved her from servitude. It was told to her by a demon as well.”

She closed her eyes, no longer wanting to look at the demon. On her left she had light. Did she have room in her life for light? What did light mean? The Ancient One believed she was light, despite the lives she had taken and would continue to take, simply because she used her powers to defend the innocent.

The dark was so beautiful. When a bomb took her parents away in front of her, she had felt it. She had felt it when Pietro died. She had felt it the first time she reached into Yelena’s mind and saw her life. She understood darkness. So many nights before she met Yelena, she stayed awake all night in that cabin, wishing the darkness would take her to her family. On nights the loneliness became almost too much, she craved darkness. She wanted to die. She had to talk herself out of taking her own life several nights and it was only the mission that kept her going.

Her sisters did not worship her. They were not her servants, they were her family.

She thought of Antonia, the girl that had been raised by a monster, disfigured, mind controlled, turned into an experiment. If anyone had a claim to darkness, it would be her. Despite that, Antonia had a huge heart and loved, comforted and cared for her sisters.

“Can the Darkhold teach me to heal?” Wanda asked. “Can it teach me to erase scars, repair eyes, comfort the sick? Can it teach me to calm the children we rescue, or tend to their injuries?”

The demon scoffed. “That is not power. That is weakness.”

Wanda sighed, having suspected as much. “Then, I suppose I am weak. I can feel what I can become with your book. I would be a goddess. I would be someone my parents and brother would be ashamed of and someone my sisters would fear. That is not who I am. I may be a killer but I am no monster. I understand that now.”

Wanda turned from him and grabbed the Book of Vishanti. He screamed and reached for her wrist but faded away when she touched the Book of Vishanti.

She was standing in a room with walls of white light and covered her eyes. Unlike the cold of the dark before, she was enveloped by warmth here. She felt complete peace as she held the Book of Vishanti close to her chest.

She still felt anger. She still wanted revenge on Ross. She still wanted to torture and kill those who harmed the innocent, but she felt accepted here. This book that had been so quiet, was only waiting for her to make her decision. It spoke to her now, where it had stayed silent before. This book was the key to everything. Every spell she could possibly need to learn, was in her hands and she would decide how to use it, not some demon who wanted her to be his. The book yearned to be used by her. It yearned to help, to defend, to strike down the wretched and protect the innocent.

The outfit she has been dressed in was gone and she was in the clothes in which she had arrived.

“You miss your outfit?” the Ancient One asked. “It is the garb of the Scarlett Witch. You will one day dawn it again, when you are ready.”

Wanda turned and noticed her for the first time.

Wanda dipped her head. “I wanted the Darkhold.” she said, her accent thick and voice choked with emotion. She held the Book of Vishanti tighter, as if it were a safety blanket.

“Of course you did. That is why I had to offer it to you. If I had not, you would have been susceptible to it in the future. Now you know its temptation. You know its promises of power and most importantly, you know who you are. You are not a conqueror, Wanda, you are a protector. You protect and care for those who cannot protect themselves. You all do. Let us return to the physical realm before Yelena shoots me.”

The lights disappeared and Wanda was back in the Sanctum’s library, one hand holding Yelena’s and the other holding the Book of Vishanti. The Darkhold was gone from the room.

The Ancient One took the Book of Vishanti from her.

“I shall speak to my friend Agatha, and she will contact you. Agatha is a witch who is many centuries old. She was corrupted and eventually possessed by the Darkhold. I gave her agency back to her and she told me she was in my debt. She is also fond of immortality and knows one day you will save her life. She will bring you the Book, when you are ready for her.”

“How can we trust her?” Yelena asked.

“I suppose a leap of faith will be required. I took a leap of faith on you, Wanda. I offered you the tool that could destroy the very planet I am sworn to protect, believing you would make the right choice. My faith has been rewarded. When you have decided where you wish to meet with her, call me.”

“Call you?” Wanda asked.

“Yes, our number is in the directory under Sanctum Sanctorum.”

The three women walked out of the library and Yelena and Wanda tensed seeing Wong and Ava gone.

“Ava!” Yelena yelled.

Wong and Ava walked into the parlor holding cups of coffee and chatting with each other.

“Do we have to leave already?” Ava asked.

Yelena let out a breath, relieved that Ava was okay. “Where were you?”

“Watching Wong of course, for security purposes. He has the best karaoke set up. Will we be visiting here often? You have to see the Cauldon of the Cosmos. I have been trying to convince him to give me a sling ring. It would be very useful to our mission. He let me try…”

Wong shook his head and coughed, cutting her off before she said anything else in front of the Ancient One. “She asked and I told her sling rings are not toys. It takes much training before one could, safely, try to use one.”

Ava nodded, looking between him and the bald lady. “Yes, that is true. It is not a very cool toy. Will we be coming back often?”

Yelena looked between the two, not quite getting the picture.

“We will likely return.” Yelena said carefully, wondering if Ava’s strange behavior was some type of magic spell.

Wanda turned to the Ancient One. “We have business to attend to. Thank you, Ancient One.”

The Ancient One smiled. “Thank you, Wanda Maximoff. We shall see each other again. Never hesitate to call if you need anything.”

Yelena and Wanda began to leave, but at the door noticed Ava was not behind them. Instead, she was speaking with Wong in a quiet but clear tone.

“I promise the next time I am in New York, I will call you. Maybe we can meet up in Europe since you have such a handy travel tool.”

Wong nodded. “Yes, I would like that very…” he stopped speaking when he realized Wanda, Yelena and the Ancient One were staring at him. “I mean, if our paths should cross again, I am glad we will not be at odds. Consider us friends.”

“Call me soon.” he whispered.

Ava grinned, lifted up to kiss his cheek and promised she would.

Once they were outside, a still smiling Ava finally stopped walking and turned to her sisters.

“What? He is cute!”

“He is cute?” Yelena asked.

“He is funny, has a beautiful smile, is full of neat tricks and he looks cuddly.”

“Does he know you are seventeen?” Wanda asked.

Ava shrugged. “I told him I was nineteen when he asked. We have been through so many covers, do we truly know our real ages? He is only thirty two. I have seduced and killed men, decades older than him.”

Yelena shook her head. “I am glad you kept such a close eye on the secondary danger in the building and were aware of any other potential dangers. Thank you for your support Ava.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “I had your back. Shouldn’t you be surprising a certain brunette soon? How did it go in there?”

Yelena tilted her head towards Wanda. “Wanda chose textbook that wouldn’t turn her into possessed, completely evil being, that will destroy universe. It was touch and go for a while, but all worked out.”

Ava frowned. “I hope that doesn’t mean you are going soft on us now.”

“Not a chance.” Wanda told her. “I’m already looking forward to tonight’s mission. I’ve never made someone kill themselves before. It should be interesting. Do we know where Amanda will be tonight?

Ava nodded. “She will be at home. Last night she sat at her desk, unmoving, until the female ordered her to lie down and sleep. I believe they only let her out of the house for school, since she has no target right now.”

Two hours later, just before noon, Yelena stood at the end of the school gym, watching Kate. She was well aware of Kate’s schedule and knew where she would be, even without the tracker on her phone.

It was Saturday. This meant Kate woke up at eight AM and took a five mile run to her school. Once there, she changed into her purple leotard with black sleeves and practiced gymnastics until lunch. She would then run back home, eat a grilled chicken salad and drink a protein shake, then relax. At five that afternoon, she would practice archery at a local indoor range or head to the Mixed Martial Arts gym for sparring.

Her routine was just as strict during the week. Kate was a brilliant student, but her focus was on her more physical pursuits.

Now she was cartwheeling and backflipping across the floor and then hopped onto a high bar, pushing herself up and twirling up and down, before she let go and landed on her feet.

Yelena was impressed. She had never seen Kate look like this. Her gorgeous, long hair was pinned in a tight bun and her face had no makeup. She was covered in sweat, her cheeks were red and she was catching her breath, no doubt preparing for her next run.

Yelena let Fanny off her leash and the dog ran towards the girl she had only seen on Yelena’s phone.

Kate hadn’t noticed Yelena, but she did turn to the dog that was running towards her and nearly jumped into her arms.

“Hey there, cutie. You aren’t allowed in the gym… Fanny?”

Kate looked up quickly and saw Yelena by the door, a large smile on her face, waiting to be acknowledged.

“Hello Kate Bishop.”

Kate put Fanny on the floor and ran to Yelena, wrapping her arms around her tightly. Yelena laughed and squeezed her back.

Kate stepped back and realized how she must look.

“No… you look beautiful. I like you like this. Purple spandex is very nice.” Yelena assured her, then stood on her toes. Kate met her halfway and they kissed.

“It is so good to see you. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Yelena shrugged. “I wanted to surprise you. We had business in the city. There is a widow here we came to free and we are following a lead on A.I.M. The others will free her tonight. Dani, Madison, Antonia, Ava and Wanda are here. They can handle it. I want to spend the day with you. Do you think you can break your strict schedule?”

Kate nodded happily. “For you, yes. How long are you in the city? I have to call my friend to cover for me.”

“We plan to leave Monday morning, depending on how Amanda is doing. Her fake parents will be murder suicide victims tonight, courtesy of Wanda, so she may be searched for. We will keep her hidden until Monday morning, drive her to our LZ before dawn and fly home. We may need to leave Sunday night, if she is not coping as well as we hope.”

Kate’s eyes widened as an idea occurred to her. “There is a mission happening tonight to rescue her?”

Yelena shook her head. “No.”

“I could just watch.”

“No.”

“I need to learn how this works.”

“We have many years to discuss how this works, before you need to put it in practice.” Yelena told her. “Change. As much as I love seeing you in that outfit, I doubt wearing it to an eatery for lunch, is appropriate. I was thinking we could eat in the park and then show Fanny the Highline. Does that sound okay?”

Kate poorly hid her disappointment at not being able to observe the operation. She hadn’t expected Yelena to agree but had to try. She longed to be a part of her life in more ways than a confidante over the phone. It was true, she knew more about Yelena than most people in the blonde’s life, but she wanted more.

She took a fast shower, changed into her running tights and t shirt and met Yelena outside.

“Perfect for eating in the park. Chili dogs?” Kate asked.

“Yes, I believe Fanny will like them very much.”

They found a taxi that would allow them to bring Fanny and reached the park an hour later. Kate and Fanny had become fast friends and the brunette was holding her leash in one hand and Yelena’s hand with the other.

“My friend is covering for me and I was thinking, maybe we could spend the night together. Stay up late, watch stupid TV shows and go to sleep holding each other. Does that sound okay?”

Yelena smiled and nodded. “Wanda insisted on us staying off radar. That means we are staying in a seedy motel with drug dealers and hookers outside our door. We can take the rental car to our jet and stay in the bunk. I do not like the idea of you surrounded by those types of people.”

Kate huffed. “I’m no shrinking violet or damsel in distress, Yelena. I can handle seeing a few pimps and drug dealers.”

“One may offend you and I would kill him. Then we would all be going to the jet. We can find another place. We could find a hotel.”

Kate smiled, liking the idea. “Okay. We are going to need an I.D. that says one of us is over 18.”

Yelena reached into her pocket and pulled out a New York Driver’s License that listed her as nineteen. Kate laughed at the picture. Yelena had an exaggerated smile and left her hair hanging around her in blonde curls, making her appear every inch of the college sorority girl.

They ate chilidogs from the same vendor as last time they had visited the park. Kate found a small rubber ball that said I love New York and her and Yelena played catch with Fanny for a while. They then made their way to the Highline.

Kate took a cab home, while Yelena found a pet friendly hotel and reserved them a room. Kate was back by six PM, dressed in comfortable pants and a purple t shirt.

Yelena was waiting for her in a small red dress.

“Oh… wow. I thought, since we were just going to watch television, we could order pizza and… I can go home and change. You look amazing… just wow.”

Yelena smiled brightly. “That was the reaction I hoped to get from you, Kate Bishop. No need to change. I just wanted your opinion. I bought this dress, thinking one day I will wear it to take you to very expensive restaurant. I don’t want that tonight, but I wanted you to see me in it. I am satisfied now. I will change into my pizza clothes. You must order.”

The two didn’t talk much. They sat against the headboard and watched Sex and the City and then real housewives, while Yelena listened to Kate’s explanation of the crazy women’s behavior. They watched another reality show that took place in the wild, where people volunteered to spend time, while naked, with a stranger.

“Americans are very strange, Kate.” Yelena said.

They curled up and pulled the covers over them, lying close, their faces inches apart and the room dark.

Yelena received a text that broke the moment.

“The mission was successful.” she told Kate. “The murder suicide worked but it seemed to have set off some self-defense trigger in Amanda. She was difficult to take down and Wanda had to use her power to hold her still.”

Kate didn’t see the problem. “What is wrong with that? It seems Wanda holding her still is safer than wrestling her to the ground.”

Yelena slightly nodded. “Wanda hates using her power on any of us. She feels it’s a violation. She comforts us when we ask, but she never enters our minds. She is very careful who she uses her power on.”

Kate could understand that. She knew Wanda would be very sensitive about, even accidentally, using her powers on girls who had been mind controlled for years.

Yelena turned back on her side and faced Kate. “I wish it could always be like this. Just the two of us, laying together in the dark.” The blonde told her.

“Maybe one day it will. We will have done enough, leave it all behind and find a cabin in the middle of nowhere. We could hide from the world. It would be just the two of us. You could listen to me talk all day. You love listening to me talk.”

Yelena chuckled. “I do love listening to you talk. Your voice is where I find my peace.”

Yelena touched Kate’s cheek and kissed her gently, then curled into her.

“Yelena?”

“Yes?” Yelena whispered, already drifting off in the comfort of Kate’s arms.

“Don’t do it.” Kate told her.

Yelena was wide awake, wondering what Kate was talking about. She had no intention of doing anything, other than falling asleep in each other’s arms. She now worried she had taken some wrong action.

“What? Am I doing something wrong? I thought we would sleep. I can sleep on the other side of the bed. Your breathing makes me relax but…”

Kate placed a finger on Yelena’s lips, happy that for once she got to stop the blonde from rambling.

“You are fine. I love this. That isn’t what I mean. I mean don’t leave me because you think it is some noble gesture for my own good.”

Yelena said nothing.

“I try not to think about it but at the back of my mind, it is always there. I wonder if the next time I call you, is the time you won’t answer and will never answer again. I know you think you aren’t good for me. You don’t want me to be caught up in your lifestyle. It won’t work. If you stop answering I won’t move on and find some nice girl to settle down with. I will be on my own until I find you again. Don’t make decisions for me.”

Yelena closed her eyes and kissed Kate’s forehead.

“I wouldn’t worry. I am not noble. I know I am not good for you, but I can’t imagine not answering. I doubt I will ever be strong enough. Do you know what a miracle this is? I am lying down with you and all I can think about is you. I don’t think of things that happened in the past, times I lay with others. I only think of you. That is what you do to me, Kate. Let us go to sleep before I say something to ruin the moment.”

For once Kate didn’t respond. She held Yelena closer, Yelena’s head nestled into Kate’s shoulder and stayed like that the entire night, neither waking for even a second.

It was the best night of rest Yelena ever had.

The next morning they parted reluctantly. Yelena needed to see Amanda and Kate asked to come along but Yelena refused. She promised Kate she would see her again that night before they left in the morning.

She and Fanny arrived and entered her motel room to find Ava, Dani, and Antonia eating greasy breakfast tacos.

“Madison and Wanda are in the next room.” Dani told her through a mouth full of food. “You want a taco?”

Yelena cringed when Dani offered her some sort of a roll, covered in a wrapping, soaked with grease.

“I’ll pass. Fanny may like one. I did not pick up her favorite treats this morning. She will likely have gas on the jet but these things happen.”

In the next room, Wanda sat next to the bed watching Amanda closely. The girl had put up a fight and even managed to land a few kicks on Antonia, before Wanda held her in place. After they had delivered the antidote, the fight had gone out of her. She seemed exhausted and on the verge of catatonia, until they were safely in the room. That was when the memories began rushing back to her. It was common. The widows who had been cured at the Red Room, had no time to deal with waking. They had missions. Amanda had no mission. She was screaming and the widows had to hold her head close to their shoulders to muffle her cries. Devastation gave way to fury, as memories of what her male handler had done to her. She wanted him dead and was in a blind rage that he had already been killed.

Eventually, the group had managed to calm her enough, that she had stopped trying to run from the room and listen. Amanda even agreed to allow Wanda to calm her, though she wasn’t sure how the others thought Wanda could.

The blonde girl, with a stylish pixie cut that parted and covered her right cheek, began to wake. Wanda reached out and took her hand.

“Good morning.” Wanda greeted her. “I’m Wanda and this is Madison.”

“I know.”

“I wasn’t sure how much you remembered from last night.”

Amanda sat up with a grimace, her entire body sore from the night before. “Where are the others?”

“Next door eating breakfast. We didn’t want to disturb your sleep. You needed the rest.”

Amanda huffed. “I feel like I have been asleep and stuck in a nightmare for years. Now, I’m awake. What happened? How am I free? I only remember hazy memories becoming clear, as if they are happening all at once. I was so angry. I think I still am.”

“It’s normal to be confused after you have been freed. I will explain what has happened. I will tell you everything but first, would you like some breakfast?”

Amanda shook her head.

“Tell me.”

There was a knock on the door and Yelena walked in. Madison smiled at Amanda and walked out, leaving Wanda and Yelena alone with Amanda.

“Hello Amanda. I am Yelena. I am sorry I wasn’t there with you last night.”

Amanda looked at her with a look that made it obvious she was assessing her.

“You are one of our leaders. Wanda and Yelena. I heard the girls say that.”

Yelena glanced at Wanda who sighed. No matter how many times they had talked to the widows, they constantly referred to them as leaders. Oksana had explained to the two that the need for widows to have a leader, would not be gone overnight. Even without the mind control, they needed someone to look to, to help make the decisions they never were able to, until they felt more in control. Like it or not, Wanda and Yelena were the leaders.

“The Red Widows are a family with equal say in decisions. We vote on most of our decisions. We are together by choice and are free to leave at any time.” Yelena explained.

“I was about to tell her our story. Perhaps you would instead?”

Yelena pulled a chair from the desk next to the bed and Amanda sat up, curling her legs underneath her, while Wanda sat on the bed next to her.

They spoke for the next hour, Wanda and Yelena alternating and only pausing briefly when Amanda had questions, which wasn’t often. The girl soaked up information and read behind the lines as well as any other Red Widow.

“When do we go to the base?” Amanda asked when they were finished.

Wanda and Yelena looked at each other then Yelena addressed the question. “We will leave before dawn. Our jet is hidden twenty miles from city limits. Escaping American airspace without being noticed, is embarrassingly easy. You understand once we are there, we can set you up with new identity, money, everything you need to start new life anywhere. We can do so here if you give us a few days, but you will have to wear disguise. You are likely being looked for right now. We can take you to another state or Central or South America. The coming weeks will be a difficult time as your memories return. Many of us still have difficulty. I recommend returning with us for a as long as you like but the choice is yours if you stay. All choices are yours now.”

Amanda frowned. “A new identity? Moving? I am a Red Widow now.”

“You don’t have to be.” Wanda told her.

Amanda shook her head. “After what you have all done for me, what you both have done for us, I will follow you through the gates of hell. I don’t need to think about it. I am coming with you, if you will have me.”

Wanda smiled. “We would be honored.”

The rest of the day was spent watching Amanda. The widows took turns watching her sleep and sometimes sleeping themselves. Yelena and Dani took the first watch, while Wanda slept. When she woke up, she had a suggestion for Yelena.

“You need to see Kate before you leave and you should see Natasha. Call her.”

Yelena shook her head. “I am sure Natasha is busy with Avengers stuff. I will see Kate tonight but not for long. I do not want her up late. I may meet her outside her building. She has school tomorrow.”

“No, I want to meet her.” Dani told her. Madison agreed.

“Why do you two want to meet Kate?” Yelena asked suspiciously.

Dani looked surprised at the question. “The one human we must protect at all costs and you get to steal all the time with her. It is not fair. We also want to meet Natasha Romanoff. After the Red Room was taken down, we were too busy to properly get to know her.”

Yelena sighed.

“I will ask Kate to dinner with us. Wanda has not seen her in a very long time. She is antisocial on American soil. I am not sure where to meet though.”

“A safe house.” Wanda suggested. “We can cook dinner.”

“We have no safe houses.”

“Natasha no doubt does.” Wanda reminded her.

Yelena walked out and made the call.

Natasha knew only a handful of people who contacted her from an unknown and untraceable phone and answered immediately. She was delighted and quickly agreed to meet them and gave Yelena an address.

Kate arrived in an Uber as the four Red Widows, Dani, Madison, Wanda and Yelena, pulled up in a taxi.

Dani and Madison were ecstatic to meet Kate and she was just as enthusiastic with them. When she first met Yelena and Wanda, she had no apprehension about their powers or deadly skills and it was the same here. Kate treated assassins as if they were dear family friends she had not seen in too long.

The group walked into the old apartment building and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. Natasha was waiting for them by the door.

She hugged Yelena tightly and the blonde returned the hug. She also heard Wanda whisper to behave but she wasn’t sure towards whom it was directed.

Nat greeted Kate. “Hello Kate. I’m sorry about our last interaction. I was worried and went out of line. I hope you can accept my apology.”

Dani looked to Kate. “What did she do?”

“She was upset I wouldn’t tell her where your base was and threatened to take my phone. She doesn’t have Yelena’s number. Only Yelena has her number. I wasn’t going to contact Yelena just because she told me too.”

Dani and Madison laughed. “Typical Avenger. Save the world and think others should do as they say.” Dani said.

Kate was taken aback by the, surprisingly, aggressive comment. “It’s no problem Natasha. I understand. If I lost track of this one, I would panic too.”

Nat smiled but looked less certain when Dani and Madison met her eyes.

“I made spaghetti.” Nat told them. “Have a seat around the table. I’ll open the wine.”

Wanda and Yelena both cringed at the thought. “I hope by wine you mean vodka.”

Nat smirked. “Of course. What kind of big sister would I be if I didn’t serve alcohol to minors?”

“You would have to ask Wanda. She is Yelena’s big sister.” Madison pointed out.

“Maddie!” Wanda said scoldingly.

“What? Let’s face it, who knows Yelena better than you? You two, literally, know everything about each other.” Madison pointed out. “I’m just stating the obvious. I’ll be quiet now.”

Natasha smiled awkwardly. “No, its fine. Yelena and I have a lot to catch up with. I am hoping one day, our lives might slow down, so we can spend more time together.”

Dani shrugged her shoulders. “We have all had strange lives. All our bonds are important. Kate, do you know the first day we were at the Sokovia base, Yelena showed us your picture on the big screen and said you must be protected at all costs? I see why. You are delightful.”

Kate leaned over and kissed Yelena on the cheek. “That’s so cool. You guys are the best. You can’t protect me forever though. One day, I will be fighting by your side, instead of being protected.”

The two widows looked at Yelena.

“I thought you wanted to be an Avenger one day, Kate.” Nat said.

Kate shrugged. “Not so much anymore. I’d rather be in the trenches with the Red Widows, freeing widows and kidnapped children and taking down evil organizations. The Avengers don’t really appeal to me any longer.”

Madison smiled widely. “I love her even more now. We have heard of your skill, Kate, and now we see your heart. We would love to have you as one of us one day.”

Natasha felt the anger radiating from Yelena and decided to break the awkward silence by bringing dinner to the table. Yelena stood and followed.

“I am sorry about them and what they said about me and Wanda. They said they wanted to meet you. I had no idea they would be so rude. I promise they are not all so negative. Ava even made friend with round Asian man yesterday. Kiss on cheek and everything. They may adopt round Asian babies someday.”

Nat laughed and pulled Yelena into a hug. “Oh, I have missed your humor, Yelena.”

Nat pulled back. “They are testing me. Stay calm. They adore you and are possessive. I can handle myself.”

Yelena took a deep breath and grabbed a salad bowl. Nat followed her with a bottle of Vodka and red wine in one hand and a pasta bowl in the other.

Dinner started off a bit awkwardly. Nat waited for her guests to begin eating. Kate made a move to eat but Dani held out her hand to stop her. Yelena closed her eyes in frustration.

“Something wrong?” Kate asked.

Natasha smirked. “Nothing is wrong. They are waiting for me to eat since they did not see me cook their food. It is a safe practice, one you could learn from Kate. They are very smart.”

Wanda and Yelena shook their heads and dug into their plates. Natasha smiled and followed then poured two glasses for herself, one of wine and the other of Vodka. She took large drinks from both, meeting their eyes with her smile remaining.

The two widows looked around the table and began eating.

“This is very good, Natasha.” Wanda told her. “Do you cook this for your teammates?”

“Occasionally. We stay together and train during the week at the Compound and then do our own thing on weekends. I like to stay in the city. I have a few apartments like this. This is the only one that doesn’t have security cameras, so I thought this would be more comfortable.”

“So what do Avengers do when not fighting aliens?” Dani asked. “Do you train all week?”

Natasha shook her head. “No, most of our time we spend investigating. We always are on the lookout for HYDRA bases but have noticed a trend in alien weapons, left over from the battle of New York, in the hands of arms dealers. We have been tracking down sellers and buyers and confiscating the weapons to hand over to Damage Control. The arms dealers put up quite a fight. I am very tired of being shot at by those weapons.”

“What is Damage Control?” Wanda asked.

Natasha sighed, obviously not happy with the organization. “It’s a joint venture between Stark Industries and the Federal Government that collects and stores alien artifacts left over from the Chitauri Invasion.”

“Tony Stark is the one entrusted with the storage of alien weapons.” Wanda said quietly, shaking her head. “He is a true American hero.”

Nat winced, knowing how Wanda would feel. She hadn’t wanted to answer the question but not answering would cause Wanda to trust her less. Honestly, Nat had no idea what Wanda’s feelings were toward her. They had gotten along in their last interaction, Wanda even apologizing, but Nat knew one word from Wanda and Yelena would be done with her. The widows were not wrong. Nat and Yelena may have spent three years growing up together, but she knew the bond between those two was stronger.

“He is watched very closely.” Nat assured her.

“Of course.” Madison said. “The Black Widow is watching him. May I ask a question?”

“No!” Yelena said at the same time Natasha said yes.

“Please feel free to ask me anything.”

Madison glanced at a scowling Yelena and went ahead.

“Why did you take the name Dreykov called us and claim it as your own to bring glory to it? Of all the, so called, superhero names you could use, you use the name Dreykov gave us. We see posters of you everywhere, proudly proclaiming the title of a group of killers. Why would you do such a thing?”

Nat looked down for a moment to gather her thoughts.

“I thought I was the last. I thought after Dreykov died it had fallen apart.”

“That would be when you only succeeded in blowing half of Antonia’s face off?” Dani asked. “When you didn’t think he may have used a body double and, rather than facing him and pulling the trigger, you caused much collateral damage by using a bomb? It would be when you just assumed Madame B or any other handlers, would not take over. You imagined we were all free, just like that.”

Nat nodded. “Yes. Everything you said is right. It was easier for me to tell myself it was over. I had done horrible things and I wasn’t mind controlled. I had a choice. I let them psychologically manipulate me and never fought back, until Clint Barton gave me a chance to do good.”

She paused a moment. “We used code names at SHIELD. Its why Clint is called Hawkeye. I was given a choice and I chose Black Widow. I didn’t know at the time what it would mean later. I chose it because I didn’t want to forget the bad I had done. I didn’t want to take some new name and pretend I didn’t do the horrible things I did. I used it as a code name to remind me, everyday, that I may never change who I was, but I can try to do good. I will never balance my ledger. It will always be dripping in blood. I nearly killed an innocent girl. I killed so many innocent people. If I ever think of giving up, I think of the name Black Widow and it reminds me that I owe it to the world to keep going.

“And I promise you, I have never posed for any of those posters and pictures in magazines. I know what I am. I am a Black Widow. I’m not you. I had a choice and I have to live with it every day. I choose to live with it. If it bothers you that little girls call me their hero, it bothers me even more. All I can do is keep fighting to try to one day be worthy of that title.”

The table was silent. Wanda had a tear running down her cheek and the rest sat still, taking in those words until Yelena broke the silence.

“Of course you don’t have to pose for magazines. You already have great fighting poses. Right ladies?” she asked.

The two widows nodded.

“I can’t pull them off and I’m a gymnast.” Kate admitted. “Not that I have tried. Okay I tried once and I nearly pulled a hamstring.”

They continued eating. They traded small talk and even shared reserved laughs. Wanda happily told stories of video game tournaments and Yelena’s temper when she lost at Mario Cart. Natasha didn’t ask about the visit with Agent Ross or A.I.M. and no one asked about the Avengers actions.

Dani did let slip that Ava had bought many Iron Man posters, hoping they might motivate Wanda to become a better shot, which Natasha found hilarious.

It was a good night and it seemed to Natasha, that it ended too soon.

Yelena walked Kate to the sidewalk to wait for her taxi and Wanda followed, to give the girl a goodbye hug before she left.

Dani and Madison hung back with Natasha at the front of the building.

“If you ever need a safe place to hide, call Yelena. She will tell you where we are and you can stay with us.” Madison told her.

Natasha hid her surprise. “She told me all would have to agree. I got the feeling that wouldn’t happen.”

Dani shrugged. “We have never put it to a vote, but you might be surprised. You are okay, Black Widow. We will talk to them. Good luck to you and watch your back.”