Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 42:

Paris France

Yelena and Kate walked hand in hand from their hotel room. Yelena had a large bag with her while Kate carried Yelena’s small handbag.

The two were dressed for a night of clubbing. After convincing Eleanor that Kate needed to get out into civilization once more, Yelena decided to take them for a weekend trip to France. Steve and Natasha were also in the hotel but were off doing their own thing.

Yelena finally had an excuse to wear the red dress she had modeled for Kate in a New York hotel. Kate dressed differently than normal. She wore black leather pants and boots a grey halter top corset she had borrowed from Amanda and a wig that was long, straight and violet and grey colored. She wasn’t very worried about people recognizing her in Paris.

The two were going to the club where they first met. Kate wasn’t thrilled to be going into such a crowded area but was happy that she had Yelena to herself for the first time in weeks. The girl had been training nonstop and spending time with Kate at night but also split time with her parents. They slept together almost every night and it was beginning to bother Kate. Sleeping with your hot girlfriend every night sounded fun, but together in a room with someone else could be annoying. The most they got was a little making out when they could steal the time. Kate wanted to push for more but Yelena was hesitant. She treated Kate as if she were breakable and it drove the brunette crazy. She hadn’t had the easiest time lately and knew her courage was all but gone but not when it came to Yelena. Her love for Yelena was the only thing that made sense and made her feel safe and happy.

The valet had their rented Renault convertible waiting for them in front. The Megane Coupe had a retractable glass roof and Yelena thought Kate may enjoy driving around Paris after hours and taking in the lights while the breeze blew through her hair once she took off the wig. Packing her thick hair under that thing hadn’t been easy.

Yelena tossed the large bag in the back seat and took the driver’s seat. Kate sat inside and kept her girlfriend’s handbag in her lap.

Her eyes strayed to Yelena often, mostly her legs that were on show thanks to the very short dress.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked.

“Of course. We have special place. I first killed someone for you at this club.”

“Exactly.” Kate pointed out.

Yelena brushed her concern away. “What are chances of something happening again in same place? The world thinks you are broken down cripple recluse in New York City penthouse. No kidnappers would think to find you here.”

Kate winced at the description but supposed it was accurate. This gave thought to what she had been doing lately and how her life had changed.

“I don’t know how I am going to do it.” Kate said quietly.

Yelena reached over and took her hand. “You have me. There is no reason to be afraid of people when you have me.”

Kate knew that was true for the most part but it didn’t ease her tension nor was it what she meant.

“I mean going back to school. School is letting out in a few weeks. I’ve been here a month and will be here all summer. I’ve taken walks in the French wilderness, gotten closer to my dog than is probably healthy. Lucky and I are developing separation anxiety. I get to watch you work out every morning and watch you and the girls train all afternoon on giant screens showing body cam footage. I’ve listened to Bucky Barnes give training sessions on how to stay quiet in the wild and how to use a tree as a killing advantage. I’m not sure how I am supposed to go to high school in five months and get back into a normal routine.”

Yelena frowned. “Normal is good. I would think you would crave normal. I would not mind normal.”

Kate huffed. “Yeah, normal is great. I’m supposed to worry about the next archery or gymnastics meet while you are saving child soldiers in Rwanda and carrying out important missions all over the world. Normal seems insignificant now. I told you I never got along with my peers but my best friends now are Red Widows, teenage assassins and heroes. I get along great with them. I’m supposed to go back to school and pretend people are interesting. I am supposed to listen to Kasey complain about Brett not asking her to a dance or needing a new pair of shoes for a new dress to match her new car? I will also have to deal with pity looks. People will either treat me like glass because I got shattered like glass or want to know every detail of the worst thing that ever happened to me. School counselors are probably fighting each other to get assigned to me so they can publish academic papers on the girl who was nearly killed by a serial rapist. You know a lot of people think I got raped also? I saw a few posts on social media!”

Yelena knew Kate was right. After what she had gone through and was now experiencing, normal was long gone. High school things Yelena found so fascinating would be meaningless to Kate now. Despite Yelena’s promise to herself that Kate would live a normal happy life untouched by this, it was a fool’s errand. She was never destined to be normal.

“You will figure it out, Kate. I know you will. We will figure it out together, all right?”

Kate sighed. “Yes, together. I get to go back to seeing you as a face on a phone screen. We hardly have any time now in person and when… I’m whining, aren’t I? I’m that needy girlfriend who whines.”

Yelena chuckled. “I like you needing me. But you don’t. You are Kate Bishop. You have forgotten how strong you are but you will remember. I know I have been shit girlfriend. I haven’t give you time you deserve. I have…”

“Yelena stop.” Kate told her, placing a hand on the blonde’s bare leg and squeezing. “I knew what I was getting into when I realized I was falling in love with you. You told me what I was getting into. It isn’t your fault. Let’s focus on having fun. I won’t whine anymore. At least tonight.”

The two drove in silence for another ten minutes before Yelena pulled up to the club. She took out her phone from the bag in Kate’s lap and with the push of a button turned the club’s security cameras off. It would take them a few hours to work out the bug and turn them back on. Yelena doubted anyone would be looking for them here but it was better to be safe. She thought of asking Kate to use a veil but she wanted to look at her girlfriends face, not some false one.

“How did you get in last time?” Yelena asked.

“Gave the doorman five hundred euros. What about you and Wanda?”

“Wanda’s breasts got us in.” Yelena told her. “We should probably go with your method.”

The two walked past the long line to the doorman. The man looked the two up and down and smiled, taking note of their beauty.

“Vous êtes toutes les deux chaudes mais jeunes”

Yelena reached under her dress top into her cleavage and pulled a wad of bills out.

“One thousand euros. Do we look old enough now?”

The man took the cash and grinned then stepped aside. “Welcome. Enjoy your night.”

Yelena and Kate made their way to a small table near the bar and had a seat. Kate asked if she wanted a drink but then stopped herself.

“If you want to drink you can, Kate.” Yelena told her. “Just because I am not, does not mean you cannot. Wanda has certainly not stopped drinking no matter what she said.”

“Yeah, her and Mom have been talking but…”

Yelena raised her hand. “No, no talking about my brooding, bitter, moody witch. I deal with her another time. This weekend is about us. Let us dance.”

“I’ve never actually danced with you.”

“Then you are in for an erotic, exciting and life altering experience, Kate Bishop.”

The two stepped out on the floor and for the next thirty minutes danced to techno and hip hop music, surrounded by people.

Kate was apprehensive at first, remembering what happened last time and being near so many people, but Yelena pulled the two of them close and danced as if they were one. She forgot about all that was around her and focused only on her hot girlfriend.

They stepped to the bar and ordered glasses of water then went back onto the dance floor. Kate’s mind was already on what club they could go tomorrow night and concentrated on the feel of Yelena’s hands roaming her body.

After another hour, water was needed once again. The bartender slid Yelena a shot glass of vodka and she drank it without thinking. Kate’s eyes widened as did Yelena’s. “Habit.” she said, shrugging. Kate narrowed her eyes at the blonde then waved for one herself.

She shot it and nodded… then began coughing and holding her throat.

“It burns! It burns, it burns, it burns!!”

Yelena grinned as she offered Kate her water to chase it down. “Another reason we do not drink. What did you drink last time you were here?”

“Lemony shots and some fruity shots. I also had a drink that was blue and red ice with a tiny umbrella.”

Yelena scowled. “No wonder they thought you were easy target. Come back to dance floor or break time?”

Kate shook her head and ordered a soda to get the strong taste from her mouth.

“I’m going to the bathroom. Make sure he doesn’t roofie my drink.”

Yelena frowned, not liking that idea. She looked at the packed club and the bathroom on the other side. There would be at least five hundred people between her and Kate and she wouldn’t be able to see over the crowd to watch her.

“I got this, Yelena. Please? Don’t let me become the girl who is scared to go to the bathroom by myself. Stay here and I will be back in ten unless there is a line. If it takes me more than twenty come find me.”

Yelena had promised herself she wouldn’t hover so she wouldn’t. This wasn’t a dangerous bar. There had been bad men here once but that was then and they had been there specifically for Kate. Nobody knew Kate here. Yelena had kept an eye open for danger all night.

Kate was relieved Yelena agreed. She was secretly terrified but needed to do this. The line was minimal and she got in fairly quickly. When she came out the wall of humanity seemed impenetrable. She slid around the walls and was pushed back, then pushed forward, only to be tossed back.

She finally found an opening but heard something. She heard a scream from behind the door at her back.

The door said employees only.

Another scream followed by a grunt. An employee could be hurt. An employee could be getting robbed. Or an employee could be having sex which made her cringe. She should at least have a look though. If someone were really hurt and no one could hear them… Yelena had cut off the cameras when they entered. What if they were unable to move and no one knew they were there.

She opened the door and her eyes widened. A man in a suit was on his knees. She didn’t have time to get a good look at him. He was middle aged, Asian, short dark hair and clean shaven face, a bit on the thin side.

He was being held down by two men. One was Asian but the other was Caucasian and huge, with short hair on top, shaved on the sides and back and a full beard. He was also missing half an arm. The half that should have been there was replaced by a very large glowing blade.

The man on his knee’s eyes widened when he saw her. He reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled a small flash drive, tossing it to Kate who instinctively grabbed it.

“Run.” he told her.

The two men looked at her. The one with the long sword for an arm shoved it through the back of the man and out his chest.

Kate froze for a moment, shocked at the violence in front of her.

The large man pulled out the sword and walked towards her. “Hand it over and maybe you walk away from this.”

Kate’s fight or flight instincts lit up. The smart thing to do would be to throw the flash drive at them and run.

She didn’t do exactly the smart thing but she did run. This time she pushed her way through the crowd, kneeing and stomping feet as much as she needed to in a desperate bid to get to Yelena.

After cutting a rapid, uneven path through the crowd she saw Yelena by the bar where she had left her.

“I was about to come looking… what is wrong?”

Kate opened her mouth. “I heard something so I opened a door and this beat up guy was on his knees and he tossed me this flash drive and I put it in my pocket because he was killed by a guy with a glowing sword for an arm and then I hurt a lot of people to get to you did I mention the dead guy, because he was dead. Sword guy shoved his sword arm right through his body. Dead guy tossed this thing to me and told me to run but that was before the sword was shoved through his chest. I think he is behind me!”

Yelena pulled Kate behind her and looked over the crowd. “Amazingly, I understood that.” The blonde told her girlfriend.

She reach under her dress and pulled a gun from a thigh holster. Despite her panicked state, Kate was impressed.

“How high up was that thing?”

“I was hoping you would find out tonight. We are going to slowly make our way out of the crowd towards the door. I don’t want to open fire… uh oh.”

“Uh oh? Oh shit.” Kate whispered, seeing him.

The large man pushed his way through the crowd and walked up to Yelena.

“Bartender, a bottle of vodka please.” Yelena ordered.

The big man pointed at her with his stub of an arm. “You! Yelena Belova!”

“Mattias. Its been a few years. You aren’t still angry about that little dust up we had. It was nothing personal. I was mind controlled to kill your boss.”

“You cut off my arm!”

Yelena winced. “So… still a little sore about that. I was mind controlled. As I said it was nothing personal.”

“You laughed at me, said my new lover would be my left hand and then kicked me in the groin. Was that in your programming?”

Yelena took the bottle the bartender handed her. “I’m afraid that was my own contribution. I admit I was a bit of a bitch but I had a lot going on at the time. Let’s let bygones be bygones, yes?”

Mattias nodded. “As soon as your friend gives me that drive and I take her arm.”

Yelena sighed. “So that’s a no then. Okay.”

She took a long drink from the bottle, spit it in his face and then smashed the bottle over Mattias’s head. The man stumbled back, blinded by the alcohol in his face while Yelena grabbed Kate and the two dashed for the door.

“Are you going to kick his ass outside?”

Yelena shook her head and continued running. “I heard he is with Ten Rings now. They are bad news and never alone.”

As she suspected, Mattias was not the only one to pursue them out of the club. Others loitering outside the club noticed his running and joined him by the time Yelena reached the car. They took off but only had a few minutes before motorcycles and cars pursued them.

“This is great. We were having so much fun.” Yelena grumbled. “What are the chances, Yelena? Pretty damn high, Yelena. Now maniac wants to hurt my Kate Bishop.”

Yelena took a few turns and stayed on side streets trying to make her way out of city. She began to retract the roof.

“Kate in the large bag in back, there are weapons. Your expandable bow is in there along with arrows. Take out the large SUV following us.”

“You brought my bow? Why? I told you I didn’t want to use it anymore.”

“I brought it in case something like this happened!”

“What are the odds of something like this happening?!”

“Very, very high apparently! Take bows and trick arrows Antonia made. Take out SUV.”

Kate unzipped the bag and found her bow, arrows, a few guns, some grenades, widow bracelets and knives.

She took the quiver and began pulling out arrows.

“Stay down! Only rise to shoot.”

Kate did as told then took care of the other problem, wanting to take initiative. She wondered how she would figure out what did what and was relieved that Antonia had labeled them. Dangerous seemed like a good place to start. Without thinking about the situation she was in, she expanded her bow as if it were second nature, sat up and fired an arrow into the pursuing SUV.

The explosion was loud and shocking. It flipped the SUV over and the fire knocked two of the motorcycles to the side of the road.

“Holy shit!” Kate exclaimed.

“Very good!” Yelena said approvingly. “There are three more and two bikes.”

Yelena made a tight high speed turn and lost two of the cars but the motorcycles stayed in pursuit. Acting on instinct, Kate fired a regular, very sharp arrow at each driver, burying it in their shoulders and causing them to crash.

“You think I killed the guys in the SUV?” she asked, the situation finally dawning on her.

“They killed themselves when they chased Hawkeye. No, I am sure the SUV is well built inside. Tough vehicle. They are fine.” Yelena said, not mentioning that they and the motorcycle riders were likely more burnt than Natasha’s breakfast bacon if not dead.

They came to a business district that seemed empty at this time of night. Kate fired an arrow into the pavement behind them, causing an oil slick and sending two motorcycles into spins, throwing their drivers from them.

“Kate, reach into my handbag and grab my phone.”

“Don’t worry, I already handled it.”

Yelena wasn’t sure what she meant by that but had a suspicion she didn’t like.

“Did you text Natasha?”

“No, I tossed it, like a pro.” Kate said as she ducked down and went through the arrows.

Yelena groaned. “Why did you do that?”

“It was the first thing you did during our last chase. You tossed my phone out the window.”

“That was because your phone was trackable. Did you bring yours?”

“No, its at the hotel. I thought we wouldn’t need it since we had yours… I probably shouldn’t have tossed the phone. I am so sorry!”

Yelena smiled despite the situation. “Don’t worry, beloved. We can handle this. I need some space. How many are in pursuit?”

“Three SUVs just came out of nowhere. What is the deal with bad guys and black SUVs?”

“They blend in, have large spaces and carry at least eight people comfortably with weapons. Any motorcycles?”

“Two.”

“Take care of them please.”

Kate grabbed two restraining arrows and fired, wrapping around the chests of the drivers and causing them to let go of the handlebars and crashing to the pavement headfirst.

“I don’t think those guys are going to be okay.”

Yelena shrugged. “They must have good medical insurance. Look what they did to Mattias’s arm. Sit down and grab steering wheel.”

Kate did as told, keeping it straight. Yelena stood and twisted, firing two shots into the drivers’ heads.

The last SUV slowed while the two in front crashed.

“Did you shoot the engines out?” Kate asked from her spot near Yelena’s legs as she held the steering wheel steady.

“Something like that.” Yelena said noncommittally. She sat back down and took the wheel.

The two girls pulled up to a very tall building. It appeared to be still under construction mostly, though some floors had walls.

“Let’s go.” Yelena told her. “Bring your bow and arrows.”

Yelena took an extra clip and stuffed it in Kate’s back pocket and the two raced inside. She shot the lock and they ran up the stairs.

“They are going to know we are here.” Kate pointed out.

Yelena knew this. “They would not stop following us. There are more out there. The Ten Rings is huge. We have to take them out then we escape the building on foot. We go to top floor and set up kill zone when they find us. We work our way down, then leave out the back. The reinforcements will think we are still inside and we escape on foot.”

Unlike Yelena, Kate was out of breath by the time they reached the twentieth floor. It had been a very long time since she had done any serious cardio work ad she was feeling it.

“You said kill zone. Does that mean…”

“I will handle it. You just watch my back and use trick arrows to incapacitate them. You are doing good Kate. I am so proud of you.”

Kate shivered. “I’m scared. I’m sweating, these pants were not built for fighting or running stairs, I think my boobs are going to bounce out of this top every time I take a step, and my wig is screwed up. I bet it looks stupid, doesn’t it? Look at you. Torn dress, barefoot, hot as hell. How do you do it?”

Yelena shrugged. “Practice. Your wig is fine and if your boobs pop out I not mind so much. Make sure no one else sees. Look around the area. What do we have?”

“Cubicle walls, stacks of lumber, an elevator shaft, dry wall sheets… vents.”

Yelena smiled. “Good job. We will fire into stairwell as they come up. You fire smoke arrow and I will fire metal bullets. Perfect combination. Do you have any knockout gas?”

“One of them is labeled sleepy.” Kate said, then swung the quiver over her shoulder.

“Good, save that for emergency. Simple smoke will do. Once we kill the first coming up, we take to the vent over the stack of lumber. Then we slide down to next floor and sneak around. Maybe we can make a few floors before we attack through ventilation grate. Keep the gas arrow handy… I hear them coming. Let’s get ready.”

They stayed behind a four foot stack of lumber waiting for the men. Yelena listened intently to the footsteps. They were hesitant and rightly so. They had already taken out more than their share of enemies on the streets. Thankfully Yelena had kept it too a less populated area and the police were not on them all in seconds. It was only a matter of time before they became involved and found them or at least the burning SUVs and injured or dead motorcycle drivers.

A few walked into the room with guns drawn, searching the mostly vacant area. Kate loosed an arrow into the wall behind them that covered them in smoke. Yelena fired, dropping two and blowing one man into the stairwell with a shot to the chest. The two girls hopped into the wood stack and Kate climbed up first, reaching down to pull Yelena up. They hurried to the end and found the drop, sliding down as quietly as possible.

The Ten Rings were many things but quiet was not one of them. Not surprising considering they had Mattias as an enforcer. Many were talking over each other and it made the sounds of Yelena and Kate bending over from a standing position into the vent that much easier to do so without being heard.

They listened to the men argue and two were chosen to go to the floor they had just left.

The two girls continued to move. Each floor had men on it but they weren’t paying attention.

Then Yelena heard one say vent.

“Time to go.”

She dropped out of a vent cover and landed on her feet, firing at the three men on the floor, striking them all. Kate rushed over to the stairway and as the group came down she fired a sonic arrow into the middle of the staircase, causing quite a bit of screaming and bleeding ears.

Yelena dove down the descending case, taking out three men with blows and kicks, moving in a blur, faster than they could react. Kate followed her down and fired another smoke arrow over Yelena’s head when they reached the next floor. They both lay on the floor on their bellies and waited for the gunshots. Four men fired, the rounds going above them and Yelena, having their positions fired. When they came out of the smoke, four men were dead.

“Good work.” Yelena said.

“Thanks.”

“I meant me. You were not so bad either. Where would I be without my Hawkeye?”

Yelena saw a pair of welding gloves. She put one on and grabbed Kate, pulling her to the elevator shaft.

“You have to be kidding.”

“Hold on to me and don’t let go. You understand?”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Yeah, it won’t be a problem.” she said shakily.

Yelena took the elevator cable with the gloved hand and her gun in the other. Kate placed her bow around her back and held onto Yelena’s waist tightly.

They jumped, Yelena using her hand to slow their decent and Kate keeping a foot on the cable as it burned through the sole of her boot.. On their way down Yelena fired into the floors, taking out six more enemies.

Because of Kate’s longer legs, she hit the top of the elevator first and bent down. Yelena took of the welding glove quickly.

“Ouch! That was easier in my mind. My hand will cramp for weeks now. I can’t believe we did that. It was stupid. Where did you get that idea?” Yelena asked.

“Me?!”

“You didn’t talk me out of it!” Yelena pointed out. “Cool shooting though. I won’t be using my hand for a while but it was worth it. We should invest in one of those GoPro cameras and start YouTube channel.”

Kate ignored her and tore off the top of the elevator, jumping down and guiding Yelena when she dropped.

“Why do you make me feel so short?”

“You are short.” Kate said.

She heard a noise and fired a regular arrow into a man’s shoulder, pinning him to the wall behind him.

Yelena shot him in the head.

“Really?”

Yelena shrugged. “Habit. Sorry.”

They took off running out the back and through some more partially constructed skyscrapers. Off in the distance they heard sirens and wondered if police were on the way.

They had made it six blocks turning over and over again, backtracking and zig zagging to lose any tails.

They eventually settled into a convenience store that had been closed for a while judging by the dust, cobwebs and empty shelves.

Yelena and Kate had a seat behind some shelves and tried to catch their breaths.

Kat began laughing quietly. Her laughter grew until she was doubled over with tears in her eyes. Yelena joined her, loving the sound of her laughter and taking in the ridiculousness of the night.

When Kate calmed down she wiped her eyes. “I haven’t felt like that in so long.”

“Panicked?” Yelena asked.

“Alive.” Kate told her. “I was terrified but I felt alive. I felt like we could take on an army and… I actually feel good. Like really good, not putting on a brave face good.”

Yelena sighed. “I should have made you feel like this sooner.”

Kate looked skeptical. “You should have arranged a car chase and a gunfight with the Ten Rings sooner?”

Yelena shook her head. “I should have made you feel alive without this. I have been torn in so many directions I forgot my most important one.”

Kate squeezed her hand. “I missed you.”

Yelena grinned. “I missed you too. No more, right? We should be together. The Red Widow and the purple Hawkeye. We are much better than original pairing.”

Kate reached over to Yelena and touched her cheek. The two stared at each other for a moment then were on the floor together, releasing all the adrenalin and passion the night had given them and that had been stored up since they fell in love. All thoughts of not being ready fled Yelena’s mind. It felt right.

An hour later they lay spent, Yelena in Kate’s arms.

“I like this store. We should buy it and make it a bar. We can call it the Lucky Fanny.” Yelena said, realizing she could have picked a more romantic place for their first time but deciding it didn’t matter. The two of them made it special.

“I like that. So who is the waitress and who is the bartender?”

Yelena shrugged. “No matter how I answer that, there is no way I won’t be wrong.”

“You are really getting this girlfriend thing down. That was amazing. Wow. I can only get better right? You are awesome but when I have more practice we are going to be even more mind blowing. Want to practice more right now?”

Yelena felt something then. A warning sense that she had learned to rely on over the years. Something was wrong.

“Get dressed.” she whispered and hurried to do the same. In less than a minute they were prepared, Yelena with her gun and Kate with her bow ready.

They looked out the back and saw no one. They didn’t hear sirens or cars driving up and down the road.

Something was off.

Above.

Yelena looked up and saw a man jumping from the roof over them. Some sort of light came from his arms and softened his landing.

He turned to the two and smiled. Yelena raised her gun.

At that moment Mattias stepped from the side of the building, his blade glowing and Kate aimed a sleeping gas arrow at him.

“Put you blade away Mattias.” The man ordered him.

“She took my arm! Sir.” he added.

The man grinned and leaned back against the fence, kicking a foot up and crossing his arms. “Is this true?”

“Very true.” Yelena said, watching him closely and trying to determine what those bracelets were on his arms and how much of a threat they were.

“How long ago was this? Mattias you had lost your arm weeks before I found you. That was two years ago, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“You told me it was a HYDRA commando you killed in a fight. So how did a mind controlled black widow who was maybe fourteen, take your arm? Did you carry a sword on missions, young lady?”

Yelena shook her head. “I used his. It was very sharp, a nice piece of work. He swung at me and I used a disarming move and then disarmed him. Ha! Do you see what I did there? I disarmed him. I crack myself up.”

“Yelena, not the time!” Kate whispered. “I have sleep gas arrow ready.”

“There is no need to use an arrow, archer.” he said. “I believe the violence is done for the night. Mattias, you lost a fight to a mind controlled fourteen year old girl. That was your fault, wasn’t it?”

The large man dropped his head. “Yes sir. But they killed many of our men tonight!”

The man nodded. “Yes, two girls killed many of our men tonight. The men who died deserved to die. They lived as warriors and were killed by better warriors whom they greatly outnumbered. Actually the Widow killed twenty or more but the archer disabled many. A very nice performance. Something tells me you are not a widow like Yelena and are too young to be battle hardened but you performed admirably tonight. You should be very proud. I am over a thousand years old and have seen many warriors. You show great potential. I am glad to see what happened in New York has not broken your soul, Kate Bishop. I suspect this one has a lot to do with that.”

“You know who we are?” Yelena asked.

“Forget that. You are over a thousand years old?” Kate asked.

“Does that surprise you?” he asked.

“No.” both girls answered.

“Nothing surprises us anymore.” Yelena told him.

He stepped forward and offered his hand. Yelena looked at it, holstered her gun and took it.

“I am Wenwu, leader of the Ten Rings.”

“Yelena Belova, as you already know.”

“Leader of the Red Widows. I am very impressed with your organization. I detest human slavery and sex trafficking. I apologize for tonight’s misunderstanding. Mattias is sensitive about losing and let his emotions cause a bigger scene than I prefer. He also should not have killed that man in front of Kate. I do not wish for there to be any hostility between us. I am glad you were not injured before I arrived. I am a very powerful man but I have no desire to quarrel with the Scarlet Witch.”

Yelena didn’t let the surprise show. “You know of the Scarlet Witch?”

Wenwu nodded. “I have lived a long time and know many things. I have even run across the Ancient One a time or two. We spent a few decades as close friends before she founded Kamar-Taj. I have managed to avoid quarrels with nexus beings during my existence and would like that to continue. Please give my apologies to Miss Maximoff as well. The Ten Rings has nothing but respect for your organization. The flash drive you were given contained information the man did not want me to have. Information that he was honor bound to protect. He worked for a Yakuza weapons dealer. He didn’t care who got the information as long as we did not. It is heavily encrypted and a teenager in a club would run with it, not give it to us.”

“What information?” Yelena asked.

Wenwu shrugged. “He cheated me on an arms deal. I want my money back and all of his. The man tried to close out an account at a Paris international bank and account codes are on that disk. They are a map to where the money was sent to keep it out of our hands. I would be glad to provide a finder’s fee to your organization.”

Yelena laughed quietly.

“Kate, give me the drive.”

Kate reached in her pocket, relieved she still had it and handed it to Yelena.

Yelena offered it to Wenwu. “No finder’s fee necessary. One professional to another, we do well for ourselves and have been known to empty an enemies bank account more than a few times. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

Wenwu smiled widely. “Thank you very much. I feel horrible about what has been done and the numerous attempts on your life. Allow me to give you my card. If you ever need a favor or help, give me a call. It was very good to meet you, Yelena Belova.”

“You as well, Wenwu. Perhaps one day you could tell me about those bracelets?”

Wenwu laughed. “Ask Agatha Harkness. She tells stories much better than I do. Tell her I said hello. May I offer you my car to drive your hotel? I can ride with Mattias and have one of my men pick it up later. I’ve already had your weapons loaded from your rental into mine.”

Kate nodded. “My feet are killing me.”

Yelena figured if he wanted to kill them he would have already and had no doubt he already knew the hotel they were at. “I accept. Thank you. You are very kind and I am glad we met, Wenwu. Goodbye Mattias. This has been fun.”

The man handed her the keys and her and Kate began walking away.

“It’s Razor Fist!” Mattias shouted.

A beyond tired Kate and Yelena turned around.

“What?” Kate asked.

“I go by Razor Fist now.”

“Why? Half your arm is a sword. That name makes it seem like you have some sort of blades embedded into your knuckles.” Kate pointed out.

“Sword boy? Captain sword, like Captain Hook but you have a sword for an arm?” Yelena suggested.

“It’s Razor Fist.”

The two shrugged. “It’s a stretch but whatever makes you feel good, I guess.” Kate told him and continued to walk off beside Yelena.

“I’ll see you again, Belova.”

“Try not to cut off your other arm before then, Razor Arm. Maybe you accidentally cut off your leg and I call you Razor Toes.” Yelena told him, not bothering to turn around.

“Is it weird I kind of like him a little?” Kate asked.

Yelena shook her head and opened the door for her. The two drove off ready to go to the hotel and sleep for the next twenty four hours.

The Peninsula Hotel

Steve laid back in bed with wide eyes. He had an arm around Nat who was curled into him with her head on his chest.

“Yelena was right.” he admitted.

Nat smirked. “About?”

“She said you would give me a new religion. I believe you did.”

Nat slapped his chest and laughed. “Very funny. Listen, when we get back, do you think we could keep this between us just for now?”

Steve nodded. “Whatever you want.”

He hadn’t planned on this. The two had gone to the park in front of the Eiffel Tower, laid a blanket on the ground and lay back, watching the beautiful structure light up the night sky. They began talking about their pasts, their adventures together, the girls at the house, Wanda and Bucky and Stannic. Nat opened up to him in a way she never had before.

When he told her he loved her it hadn’t been planned. It had just came out. She was silent for what felt like an eternity then told him she loved him as well.

Emotions from the past few years rose to the surface and they began talking about things they had never spoken of before. They talked about hopes and dreams and maybe a future where there was no more fighting. They weren’t sure it would ever happen but wished for it anyway.

They walked all night until they were back to the hotel where they went immediately to Nat’s room. There was no hesitancy or awkwardness over the next hours. Now the lamp was on, and they were more relaxed than either could ever remember being.

“I want to adopt Stannic. At least give her my name if she wants it. I think maybe one day, I could talk her into going to college. Maybe having a good life that doesn’t involve violence.”

Steve sighed. He wished that for all the girls but the fourteen year old was close to Nat’s heart and had worked her way easily into his.

“It would mean taking her away from the widows.”

Nat nodded. “I’m not saying today or tomorrow but one day. If they stick to what they decided, she has a few more years before she can go into the field. Maybe I can have talked her out of ever going to battle. I guess I’m bringing it up because…” she sighed.

“I left Yelena. I shouldn’t have and I did and that is and always will be the biggest regret in my life. No matter how close we are or how much we love each other, that will always be between us. But Stannic is relying on me now. I can’t leave her. I won’t. I think I need her as much as she needs me. She is mouthy and cocky and hot headed and reminds me of… me. I guess what I am saying is if we do this, we are a package deal.”

Steve held her tighter. “I never thought any different.”

“Have you ever thought of this before? Us?”

“Every time I have looked at you. If I had to point out a moment, I would say it was when I threw you into the air and you caught onto a Chitauri sled and drove it to the top of Stark Tower. I watched you fly off and thought what kind of woman is this? Brave, reckless, strong, tough. You have always blown me away.”

Nat smiled despite the terror of the day and the destruction that was caused.

“Yeah, I think it was after the battle I got hooked on you. You were helping with cleanup, pulling people out of debris and you held this kid in your arms who was lost. You looked for an hour before you finally found his mom. You told him you would find her. You didn’t pass him off to a fireman or police officer. You gave him your promise and you kept it.”

Steve sighed. “I gotta ask, what was with you and Bruce?”

Nat frowned, not liking to think about it. One more life on her conscience.

“Bruce was broken like me. You weren’t. I didn’t want to break you. But what was it? Nothing because when he wanted me to leave with him, I put the mission first. If I had gone to fight it would have been one thing but I pushed him into being the Hulk. I literally pushed him and now he is gone. That’s on me.”

Steve disagreed. “Bruce knew what he was getting into. He knew the risks. He is fine somewhere. After what happened, after Wanda set him loose on the city… I don’t think he ever planned to come back to civilization. He had enough.”

“And what if he is dead? What if that jet crashed into the ocean and the Hulk couldn’t swim and he turned back to Bruce and Bruce drowned, died alone thousands of miles from anyone? That’s not on me?”

Steve sat up in bed and pulled her up with him. “Then because I saved Bucky, everyone he killed in the Counterterrorism center was on me.”

“That was Zemo.” Nat countered.

“And Sokovia was Ultron. We can play the blame game forever. You know the risks and the second guessing that comes with the job. This Rwanda mission isn’t going to be simple. Some hard choices between life and death are going to be made. Lives will be lost. But we don’t have a choice. That drug cannot be allowed to exist. It’s the job. Bruce wasn’t your fault. Even if he was, you had to make a choice and you sacrificed his wishes for the greater good. You made the hard call even though it hurt. You always do, Nat. It’s something not many people are strong enough to do.”

Nat dropped the subject. She was in too good of a mood tonight. She may ruin his life with her own baggage, but he was willing to take the chance and she was tired of turning down good things in her life. It was selfish and Nat figured she deserved to be a little selfish.

“I am so relaxed but I don’t think I can sleep. Its only midnight. Do you want to go to the bar and have a few drinks? Or at least drink soda while I have a few drinks?”

“Yeah… that sounds like a good idea. Have you gotten any messages from Yelena tonight? I’m hoping her and Kate might want to do something with us tomorrow night.”

Nat reached to the floor where her jeans were and took her phone out of her pocket. “No messages, no texts. Not unusual. She isn’t exactly the check in with big sister type of person. You have to be Eleanor Bishop to get her attention. Its kind of cute how much she kisses Eleanor’s ass so she will like her. Wanda acts like a moody brat who wants to bang the older bad boy and Eleanor can’t get enough mothering her.”

Steve laughed. “Eleanor is a mother. She recognizes kids in need. Kate and Wanda need it the most from her. You and Wanda haven’t talked much lately?”

“Nope. She hasn’t really talked to anyone. Her and Eleanor have been having late night discussions but the idea that she quit drinking is laughable.” Nat stopped speaking for a moment. “Wanda hates me.”

Steve shook his head. “That is not true. She is just different. She has had a hard life and… she has grown up with a lot of hate inside and it seems at times like she hates the world but she doesn’t. Its just how she comes across at times. All the girls have a lot of anger but Wanda has genuine hate. Its made her different but it doesn’t make her bad.”

Nat chuckled. “You have such a soft spot for her. Rooftop bar or lounge?”

“Lounge.” Steve answered. “Maybe we can see Yelena and Kate when they make it in.”

Natasha tossed him his cap and put her blonde wig on. “Stay low, Captain America. The last thing we want to deal with is drunk patrons asking for autographs from you and your hot sidekick in black spandex, the Black Widow. Don’t forget the jacket either. Those guns tend to attract attention. Maybe tomorrow we can find some shirts that fit you instead of the ones Agatha keeps giving you.”

They ordered drinks, taking advantage now since by some miracle the widows had agreed to turn the Mansion into a no alcohol zone. Perhaps it wasn’t a miracle. Antonia’s word carried a lot of weight with the girls and Yelena saying her parents were alcoholics and she was in danger of it sealed the deal. The widows always rallied around each other. The only alcohol there was the alcohol Wanda conjured up and consumed before making the bottle disappear. She had no proof of this and didn’t care to. It wasn’t her problem.

Nat received a text from Stannic and smiled.

“Stannic has stolen Lucky and Fanny for the night to sleep with her.”

“She still sleeping in your bed every night?”

Nat nodded. “Probably not healthy but she doesn’t have nightmares. I offered to bring her a separate bed but she said no. She would never admit it but she likes cuddling.”

“She hates affection from everyone but you, Nat.” Steve pointed out. “I ruffled her hair and I thought she was going to bite me. I’m not sure what you did and I know you went through hell to do it but she really loves you. It looks good on both of you.”

While they sipped their drinks, a news report caught Nat’s attention.

“What is it?” Steve asked, seeing the television had captured her attention.

“You know we will be living in France for who knows how long. You need to learn French eventually.”

Steve shrugged. “I’m not going to learn it tonight. What is it?”

“Reports of a car chase… no video… mostly reports from witnesses, not police. Exploding SUVs, motorcycle wrecks… and some people wondering if Hawkeye is in Paris.”

Steve wasn’t sure he heard that right.

“Clint was seen in Paris?”

“No, but the news reporters and witnesses on scene of some of these wrecks swore an arrow blew up an SUV.”

“You think Kate…” Steve started.

Nat shook her head. “Of course not. Where would she get trick arrows? She is afraid of her own shadow, much less firing explosive arrows, the poor kid.”

“Yeah, but doesn’t Antonia have trick arrows?”

Nat called Yelena. The call didn’t connect. She tried to text but it didn’t deliver.

“Yelena’s phone is shut down.” Nat realized. “If it cracks, breaks or someone enters the wrong passcode the memory chip fries immediately. Because it is untraceable that means its like it never existed. Either the phone was broken or someone entered the wrong code and destroyed it. We need to find them now.”

Nat stood up and Steve didn’t argue. They took the elevator to her room where she threw on a jacket and holster, put her widow bites on and armed herself. Steve took a gun for himself and put it inside his jacket. When the reached the lobby and exited the elevator they stopped, shocked at what they saw.

Yelena and Kate walked inside. Kate’s pants were torn at the knees and her wig was askew. Her grey top was covered in dust as well as her face. Yelena’s hair was wild, her cheeks were covered in dust, her dress was split so high up her leg you could see the gun holstered near her groin and she was barefoot. Kate was carrying a small bag and Yelena had a large bag that was no doubt full of weapons.

They both looked exhausted.

“What happened?!” Nat said in a harsh whisper, her eyes wide scanning the two for injuries.

“Our room.” Yelena told her.

They took the elevator up and entered the room Yelena and Kate were staying in. When they entered they dropped the bags on the floor and then had a seat in the armchairs.

“Explanation time?”

Yelena waved her away. “Bah… can’t you see I am tired? Club was very busy, very wild. We have danced and danced. I lost my shoes, big mess. We need sleep. We are okay. Go away now… wait, did you two have sex?”

“No!” they both shouted.

Yelena sat up and smiled. “You did! Nat never has that husky tone of voice. She has been screaming tonight and her throat is scratchy. I can tell by your face, Natalia! Steve is as red as our belt buckles! You had sex! Did she give you new religion, Captain America?”

Neither Nat nor Steve was sure what to say so Nat turned her attention on Kate.

“Bishop. What the hell did you two get up to?”

Kate sat up beside Yelena and smiled.

“Okay so I went to the bathroom at the club and on my way back to Yelena I heard this guy yelling in the back. It was some Yakuza dude being held down and beaten by these two guys. He tossed me a flash drive and told me to run. I ran because what else are you supposed to do in that situation, right? But the biggest guy named Mattias killed him. He had a sword for an arm. Like a glowing blade that came out of his elbow. I’m still trying to figure out the mechanics of where he keeps that thing when it isn’t extended. It can’t always be extended right?”

“I don’t think so, beloved.”

“Yeah, its weird. Anyway, the guy followed me to Yelena and guess what? They knew each other! Yelena is the one who cut off his arm! So he has a grudge and he’s like he is going to cut off my arm. Yelena knows he is with the Ten Rings organization so she figures there are more around. She orders a bottle of vodka and shatters it over his head and we take off.”

Nat shook her head and almost asked a question but Kate was not done talking.

“They start chasing us and Yelena told me she brought my bow and trick arrows so I am taking out cars and motorcycles and in all honesty I probably caused some third degree burns and broken bones, maybe even killed some guys but I doubt it. Anyway, we drove around but no matter how many we took out more kept coming. I had already thrown Yelena’s untraceable phone away so we couldn’t be tracked. Yes, it sounds stupid but I’m not exactly a pro in these situations. Anyway Yelena decided we would go into this building under construction and we ran to the top floor. We were going to set it up like a kill box and bottle neck them. So we did that. I shot a lot of them but I don’t think I killed anyone. Yelena killed like thirty or so, but I provided the cover. Then we did some hand to hand fighting, and we swung down an elevator shaft while Yelena shot guys on the way down.”

“I can do that too.” Nat interjected, then shook her head. Of all the things she could say when given a chance by Kate, her competitive nature took over.

“That’s nice. Then we went out the back and found this abandoned convenience store and hung out there for a while until things cooled down.”

“Okay so…”

“But then Yelena and I got a bad feeling and we left. Only the leader of the Ten Rings, this guy called Wenwu who was actually kind of nice jumped off a building in front of us. He had these like power ring things but we didn’t really see much of them. But then Mattias, the guy with the sword for an arm came up as well and was complaining about Yelena taking his arm and killing everybody but Wenwu was like grow up, its your own fault. He asked for the drive so we gave it to him because we learned it was a Yakuza guy who gave it away anyway. He thanked us, apologized for the whole thing and let us take his car to the hotel. He knows the Ancient One and Agatha and he knows about the Scarlet Witch. That was pretty much it. You know Mattias calls himself Razor Fist?”

“Fist?” Steve asked. “Wouldn’t something with a sword be more appropriate?”

“Exactly! Anyway that was our night.” Kate finished.

Nat took a breath and composed herself.

“Anything else happen?”

Kate smiled. “I’m not a virgin anymore. It was amazing! I never thought my first time would be on the floor of a closed down convenience store in Paris but it kind of fits with my life. It will be a great story to tell our dogs when they are older. We were caught up in the moment and it just seemed the time…”

Yelena put her hand over Kate’s mouth.

“No need to tell her everything. Steve isn’t a virgin anymore either. We all had very exciting night. It would be good to go to sleep, yes. Maybe we can shower first.”

Kate nodded. “I am very down with that. I’ll get the water started, Night Nat, Night Steve.”

After Kate ran to the bathroom, Yelena stood up and stretched.

“What?” she asked, irritated with the way Nat was looking at her.

“Tomorrow night, maybe we all go out… together?”

Yelena shrugged. “Sure, as long as dancing is involved.”

Kate called Yelena’s name and Steve had just a spilt second to turn before Yelena pulled her dress off and walked to the bathroom once again showing no modesty.

“Good night you two.”

“Take your gun off before you get into the shower!” Nat called after her.

“You’re such a mom!”