A/N: Hey all! Before you yell…. I haven't given up on my other story – this just popped to mind while I was working on my other story and demanded I pay attention. Please forgive any horrible screw ups I have made with any of the Russian. I know I should go easy on it, but several just seemed fitting.
XOXOXO
Bratstvo – brotherhood (apparently links to violent or mob ties)
durak neschastniy – unlucky fool; stupid idiot
lyubimaya – darling, sweetheart, *favorite*
malyshka – little girl
Rough translations at best… sorry for any mistakes
XOXOXO
Red was walking with Nicky towards the yard outside, as the younger woman prattled on about something that had amused her. Red wouldn't admit it, but she hadn't heard a word Nicky had said.
Something felt off. She had felt it since she'd first woken up. Red had good instincts and she trusted them. Things were too still and that meant trouble. Well, too still except the firecracker walking next to her.
As they continued through the hall, dodging the various women scattered throughout, a voice broke through and caught Red's attention. "...he's not an eggplant; he's retarded."
This voice was different though. It was low and rough. Not rough like Nicky's. Rough like home. Rough like Russia.
Red had once told the joke to Nicky. Nicky, never one to pass up on cracking a joke, had told it to the other inmates often. Red knew that her girl always needed to fill silence.
It was both endearing and irritating. It was the reason she tried not to snap at the younger woman when she began to grate on her nerves and it was the same reason why Nicky's enthusiasm and eagerness made her smile and comforted her.
But that voice… Those words… It wasn't a punch line now. It was a mockery. A painful reminder of when she didn't fit in. An introduction that came with harsh edges and promises of darkness.
Red stopped in her tracks, taking a moment to look around. Nicky kept walking until she realized Red wasn't behind her. "Ma?" she called back confused.
Red had her back to Nicky and just held up a hand to quiet the girl. Her gaze swept across the women nearby, finally landing on a young woman. The smirk was unmistakable, she looked just like her father.
"Stesha," Red said quietly.
Nicky moved beside her, quiet now, knowing this was a silence that was dangerous to fill. She could feel the tension from Red coming off in waves and looked between the two in confusion.
"Hello Galina. It's been a long time," the young woman said. Her accent was not as strong as Red's, but you could hear the familiar voice patterns. There was no mistaking that she had Russian lineage.
Red arched a brow at her. "Not long enough if you ask me. What are you doing here Stesha?"
Stesha shrugged her shoulders with a casual air of indifference. "I got in a bit of trouble, like you. Papa has a message for you - he said I should tell you to watch your back. Accidents have a way of happening, even when you're locked up."
The older woman laughed. Nicky knew that very little scared Red. She wouldn't show fear in front of this girl, in front of anyone, but this felt different. Nicky could tell that the girl's message upset her, maybe frightened her. She moved a little closer to Red and stared the girl down.
"You should stay out of grown-up's business little girl. None of your brothers are here to protect you and your father doesn't run this prison. Even his reach doesn't go that far. I remember when you were no taller than my knees, Stesha. Your father was a fool for sending you here to deliver a message like that." Red stared at her for a moment, taking the girl in and scrutinizing the details.
"Papa knows what he's doing," she snapped, "And you better know what you're doing too. One wrong step and things might get very messy for you." She swallowed hard, her bravado leaving her under Red's strong gaze. "Things are changing in the neighborhood. He said you could be a problem. That it would be a shame to have to clean up old messes."
Red leaned closer to the young woman. "Listen to me child. You're just a messenger. The fact that your father sent you in here means only one thing: you're expendable. I don't know what you did to piss him off, but you better hope that you can fix things. Bad blood in bratstvo never ends well. You would do well to take your own advice."
"I will be fine inside, it is you who needs to tread carefully." Stesha had taken on a snotty tone, one that Nicky knew Red would never abide.
She winced at the thought of what Red could do to Stesha if she lost her temper, but Red didn't lose her temper – not over things like this. The girl across from them didn't know that and her confidence was waning by the minute.
"We are from the same place Galina. You know my family will protect me. I wouldn't go around making idle threats. There is always a cost. Prison doesn't frighten me. I was raised to be a survivor. My family is strong, as am I."
Red's voice dropped down low, a tone Nicky had never heard. "You are alone here Stesha. There is no family to back you. No power to hide behind. Prison has a way of breaking you. It's not easy to form allies here and I doubt you would know where to start. Me, I have a lot of family here. They are loyal and they are powerful. Family, you understand? You are just another stranger, durak neschastniy. Welcome to my neighborhood."
Red spun on her heals and nodded for Nicky to follow. Nicky walked with Red, but tossed a glare over her shoulder. How dare this kid show up and threaten Red like that. Nicky was fiercely protective of her family, Red most of all.
She wanted to go back and say something. If Red hadn't been acting so strangely, she would have turned right back around and showed that girl exactly how things worked around here. Nicky, for the most part, stayed out of fights. She'd rather be a spectator than sent down to SHU every other week. She'd fight for Red though.
Stesha, Red thought. She was harmless on her own, but her father was powerful. He was one of the main reasons she was in here. Not many in their circles worked with him directly, but Red had been deep enough that she knew Stesha's father personally. How dare Adrik send a little girl to threaten him. Why now? Why like this? It had all been so long ago. Surely he didn't see her as a threat.
"Ma, let me go back. She can't talk to you that way." It wasn't like Nicky to ask for approval, but Red had responded so darkly that she didn't know what was going on beneath the surface.
Red grabbed Nicky by the arm, stopping her from going back. Instead she pulled Nicky closer next to her and kept walking. "Do not give her a reaction Nicky, just keep walking. Trust me, I know how to deal with my kind."
"But?" Nicky questioned.
Red shot her a warning look. "This is not the time for you to throw a tantrum Nicky. I know you mean well, but just do as I say."
Nicky sighed, but allowed herself to be dragged along like a scolded child. The fact that she knew she was pouting only made it worse. "What do you think she meant? All that stuff about being careful and not stirring things up? After all this time?"
Red was angry. She was upset. Having Nicky nearby only seemed to make it worse. She was a weak point to Red – that made her a target. She wanted Nicky to stop drawing attention to herself and letting Stesha see the truth.
"Nicky! Stop," Red snapped.
Nicky stiffened beside her and tried to pull her arm away. To say that it hurt to have Red snap at her was an understatement. "I guess… I guess I should just go. Sorry, ma." Nicky was starting down at the floor, trying to hide how jittery she felt. "I only wanted to help," she added, defeat coating her voice.
Red sighed. "I'm sorry, lyubimaya. I just need to think. These are dangerous men and I don't know what they are planning, but if they went through the trouble of sending Stesha in here it must be bad."
She could still see that Nicky was upset. She was trying to hide it, but there was no mistaking the tears in her eyes. "Nicky," she said softly, bringing one hand to the girl's cheek. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Come on now, brush it off."
Nicky swallowed hard and blinked her eyes several times. She wasn't sure why this had gotten to her so much. It wasn't the first time Red snapped at her. Normally Nicky could just laugh it off or take it with a grain of salt, but today that hadn't happened. She met Red's gaze and was greeted with a smile full of warmth and concern.
"There now," Red said, wiping the one tear that had managed to escape, off Nicky's cheek. "Okay?"
Nicky grabbed Red's hand against her face. "Yeah, it's just not often I see you get spooked. I just wanted to help," she whined. Her defenses were down and Red could see the inner child within that Nicky tried to keep so hidden.
Red nodded. "You do help, but right now I need to figure out what is going on first. I don't need you starting up trouble with that girl. Leave her be, until I know what to do."
"Okay," Nicky said quietly.
Red sighed. "Nicky," she said, drawing the girl's name out. "Tell me."
Nicky looked up at her and conceded her defeat. "I will leave her alone and stay out of it." She meant it, but she still sounded frustrated. She was dragging her heels, but she wouldn't break her promise.
Red pulled her into a hug. "Good girl." She felt how tense Nicky was and just held her tighter because of it. Nicky tried to pull away, but Red didn't let her go. "Not yet,malyshka. Not yet," she murmured gently.
Eventually Nicky slumped against her and tucked her face against Red's shoulder. She felt Red stroke the back of her hair and gave into the comfort. She felt better - more secure, but she couldn't shake the interaction and the way Red had responded.
Seeing Red so freaked out had scared her. Red was supposed to be the strong one. Nicky knew she would always be strong when Red needed her to be, it was just that something felt off. She didn't know how to process that. For just a few minutes though, she could enjoy this comfort and pretend things weren't changing. She could pretend that everything was okay.
They heard footsteps running down the hall and both turned to see Chapman running towards them. "Red, you've got to come look at this. The news, there's… you just have to come see."