Barbara Moore was the newest Black Widow in a long line. Some had been evil, others had been good.
Barbara herself aspired to be like Natasha Romanoff, the best of the group.
Because, in fact, Natasha was her mentor, and her aunt. And her aunt was in the Avengers. Several times the conversation played out.
"Aunt Natasha?"
"Yes, Barbara?"
"When can I join the Avengers?"
"When you are ready. You are still very young."
"I AM ready! I've trained for years; you've taught me a lot!"
"Not enough. You need more experience."
Barbara slumped, dejected.
"But I promise," Natalia put a hand on her shoulder. "You will become a part of it soon enough."
Natasha herself wished she could admit Barbara into the group. She was powerful, very powerful. She could take out a group of soldiers by herself.
The thing is, she thought ruefully. She is ready for the Avengers. It's less stressful than SHIELD. Stark had said that she should wait to let her in. Captain Rogers had looked somewhat uncomfortable, and Bruce had looked a bit guilty at Stark's words: "No sidekicks. That's not for this group. At least not yet."
Come to think of it, Agent Barton had looked a bit disconcerted. So she had changed the subject, despite not agreeing with Stark's idea. But she had been trained not to ask questions. So she didn't.
Being a former master assassin, she had trained to be deadly. She had trained Barbara to be as deadly as possible. But Barbara Moore was not as deadly. Not as much experience and her experience was the last thing Natasha would wish on anyone, especially her niece. Being her aunt also meant that she had to look after her wellbeing and take extra care of her. Barbara had been orphaned at age seven by the people that Natasha was supposed to kill.
They had been loyal to each other for years. She should tell her the other part of the truth.
And soon.
"You have another protégé," Barbara said flatly.
Natasha tried not to show her surprise. "Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Well…I just wanted to see if you could work together. Do you mind?"
Natasha waited for an answer.
Barbara knew that she was her aunt's only soft spot, and that was the only reason she was getting asked. She sighed inwardly.
She supposed that she had to work with him/her, whoever it was. Her aunt would not have taken on another protégé without reason. She knew her aunt, and Barbara knew that she was all business. "I suppose I don't," she lied. Natasha nodded once, and spun and left the room.
Barbara sat back.
So, she has a new protégé, she mused. I do wonder why we aren't allowed in the Avengers. We have more than enough skill.
And then there's this other protégé. I wonder about them. What are they like?
The question was echoed in another person's head a few rooms away, and Ian Williams shook the though from his mind, and followed Black Widow out the doorway.