Chapter 10: The Russian Sisterhood
Anya was enjoying a quiet evening at home with her pet fox, Vixie, and the child she and Winter conceived twenty-four long years ago, Stephanie. The red-haired Russian woman had been waiting for Winter to return from yet another mission alongside her daughter, but it had been almost two months since they last saw him. Last time they saw each other, he made Anya and Stephanie a solemn promise that he wished to fulfill until his dying day. Anya smiled at the fond memory as she grinned at her daughter, who looked up from polishing a knife her father gave her to grin back at her mother.
Now, Stephanie had blossomed into a beautiful young woman since her birth in 1990 on the fourth of April. She had auburn-red hair that looked dark brown with slight copper hues when wet and scarlet red like blood in sunlight, and it reached her shoulders blades. Her hair was even wavy enough to match that of her parents and it complimented the silver-blue eyes she inherited from the Winter Soldier. Stephanie was elegant and thin with enough meat on her bones to not be a 'tooth-pick' and yet be as petite like her mother. She also had the blood of super soldiers coursing through her veins, which heightened her senses to that of an animal, and her telekinesis improved over time during Anya's tutelage. Once, she danced with her parents in the snow and even had a snowball fight with them when she was a little girl. She remembered pegging her father in the jaw and getting snow all in his hair, but she also remembered using telekinesis to soar the frigid, wintry zephyrs of Russia with her mom, which prompted the two girls to let Winter join too. Even though Stephanie knew who her mother and father were and knew their love story since she was about eleven, she didn't hate them for being the Winter Soldier or the Siberian Vixen because they were her loving parents. They cared about he, loved her unconditionally, and their past was in the past. All she worried about was the present and future. It seemed that Stephanie was kind with a bright white smile and gentle, motherly personality like her mother but she could be stubborn and even cold like her father if she or her parents were hurt. Like her parents, she loved children and innocents, and also like her parents, she hated bullies and smug, evil, or dishonest individuals. Stephanie had a good childhood and she was an overall good kid. She was raised right and that was saying so something.
In the meantime, Anya went into her bathroom and stripped naked before entering her shower. The water cascaded down her bare, fair-skinned body as she rubbed the rose-scented soap into her body. Her soothing trademark fragrance, according to Winter and his heightened nose, filled the room like fruity lotion or body mist from Bath & Body Works as Anya took in its comforting scent. Oh, how she could feel Winter's nose buried in her crimson hair and stroking the silky tresses as Anya ran the rose-scented shampoo and warm water through her hair. As Anya thought about her and Winter's promise, she smiled tenderly as she saw the image flash in her mind.
It was at least six months after Winter comforted Anya during their first-year anniversary when they made their promise. Anya still remembered how she cried so openly in Winter's strong arms years ago as she told him how she got her scars and how her mother died after she left the Black Ops. Winter was surprisingly calm the whole time as he comforted her and promised to protect her because he loved her. How his soft lips gently nipped and kissed at her neck when she told him she loved him back and how his soft raven hair felt in Anya's artistic fingers. How she missed his gentle smirks and laughs, even the feel of his hair in her fingers. Anya just wanted Winter back so she could feel his warm body pressed up against her again because, oh, how she missed his warmth and gentle nature. His gentle nature was nothing like his cold assassin side, so for Anya to see this was a rare treat. It seemed as though Anya made him feel less like a tool or an asset and more like a real human. Anya thought about the night he came to make such a loving promise and how protective he was of her.
They went back to Anya's home, ate supper, then cuddled on the couch together by the fireplace as they made out in the crimson light while Vixie rested on the armrest of the couch. They made out for several moments before Winter and Anya stopped. They looked at each other with a fiery passion in their bright eyes as Winter stared down at the floor before looking back up at Anya. He looked like he wanted to tell her something important but was afraid to. He was used to being submissive and asking for permission first, so he looked at Anya like a child who wanted to speak up but was too shy to do so. Anya could sense what Winter wanted as she fingered his bangs out of his face to calm him and see his beautiful face better. She looked towards her Winter as she smiled gently, "What is it, love? You can tell me anything and I'll gladly listen."
"Anya, we've been together for almost two years and I have come to realize something."
"What?"
"You and I both know that our love for one another is great, and you know that we'll always look after each other. You know I'll protect you, no matter what anyone says."
"Yes, I know, you silly goose." Anya replied as she stroked Winter's scalp. Winter nuzzled into the touch as he stifled a moan with all his might before he reached into his back pocket. Anya thought he brought her back another souvenir from his travels, and what a souvenir it was! Anya literally gasped as she held her hand over her mouth, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as Winter looked at her hopefully with an innocent look. In his hand was a simple ring made of silver that had three bands joined together and a flower of diamond with six petals also made of diamond. Anya gasped as Winter held the ring out to her and explained, "This is how much I love you and need you, if you'll have me."
"How did you afford that? It must've cost a fortune."
Winter thought carefully about his answer. To be honest, he had stolen the ring from one of his unfortunate assassination victims, but he dared not tell Anya that. She might leave him if she knew the truth, so Winter came up with a little white lie, "No, there are some perks to being someone like me. Consider it a special souvenir, if you'll take me as your husband." Winter stared up hopefully, hoping Anya would accept his marriage proposal. Anya just gasped in surprise at the gesture as she stared into Winter's sapphire eyes with her own baby blues. No one had ever truly loved Anya for being herself excluding her mother, Aleksandra, but the woman was dead now and had been for at least six or seven decades. No one had ever truly accepted Anya for who she really was until Winter came to her, and thank God he did. Anya didn't know what she'd do without him; he had saved her life so many times that she couldn't keep track, and in return, she saved him. Anya knew that her mother WOULD approve if she were still here and in Anya's mind, Winter was the perfect candidate for marriage. He had the looks, the brains, and even the protective, fatherly spirit. No one would ever touch Anya or even look at her funny unless they wanted Winter to land their butt in a hospital or a coffin. Anya wanted to accept the proposal but she was crying so much that the tears choked up her voice and made her unable to speak.
Winter was utterly confused. He knew a lot about human emotion but even HE thought humans were complicated specimens. He was worried that Anya was in great pain or didn't want to accept him and his proposal. This scared him because he GENUINELY loved her with all of his heart and soul and he also hated to see her in any kind of pain, even if it was just a minute injury. He looked on in worry, trying to hold back tears of fear and sadness, as he extended his hand out to the girl. He stroked her delicate cheek with his metal digits as she grabbed his hand and pressed it closer to her porcelain face. Winter kissed Anya's forehead tenderly before he wiped away her tears, sighing, "Anya, please don't cry. I hate to see you in pain."
"I'm not in any pain, love. They're tears of joy because you are the first one to accept me for who I am…I only have one answer to your proposal and it's a yes. I want to be your wife and bear all of your children. There's no one I'd rather be with than you because I love you." Anya replied as she hugged Winter. Winter felt complete joy, knowing that Anya had accepted him, as he slipped the ring onto her finger and explained, "From now until the day I go to the grave, wherever that may be, I will make a promise to you to prove my love for you…Anneliese Rose Jablonsky, I promise to free you from your Russian prison and take you and Vixie someplace safe. Wherever you wish to go, I will take you there, even if I have to steal money to do so. Once you're in a safe place, I'll fake my death and go to your safe haven so we can share a safe, happy life together, a life where we'll never have to run or hide from your pursuers. A life I know you've always wanted for years."
"I'd love that…Thank you. You're my true friend and you're all I have. I don't know what I'd do without you and if I ever lost you, I don't think I could live. Just promise me you'll stay safe until we keep to that promise."
"Of course. I'd do anything for you because you're the only one who has ever accepted me and loved me. You showed me kindness when others didn't. You could've abandoned me, but you didn't. So to me, that's a luxury that I don't often get. Thank you," Winter replied before he showed Anya his own silver ring on his right ring finger. Again, the rings came from his unfortunate assignation victims, so Winter lied again as he declared with a gentle smile, "This is my engagement ring too so we'll always be together and keep the promise no matter what. I'll never take it off unless someone pries it from my dead carcass."
"I won't take mine off either, I promise."
"And I'll hold you to it, for I know you're an honest girl…I love you."
"I love you too, Winter." Anya smiled gently before she and Winter resumed making out. Nothing happened between the couple, except kissing and cuddling, but there was great love in the room nevertheless.
Anya exited the shower feeling clean and refreshed as she pulled on some simple yet warm clothing to match some black combat boots before she smiled fondly at the memory. She looked down at her left hand and saw the same ring Winter had given her upon her finger. Yes, it was old and looked like it had some slight wear and tear, but overall, it was still in pretty good condition. Anya smiled again before she heard a knock at the door. The only person she was expecting was Winter, but this presence she could feel with her powers was not her loving husband. Anya grabbed a handgun and hid it in her back pocket as she, Stephanie, and Vixie headed downstairs to answer the door. If all heck was going to break loose, then these three would end the fight.
Anya looked outside the door through her peephole and saw a young red-haired woman standing in the freezing cold snow of Russia. She was wearing dark clothing and she looked heavily armed, so Anya was ready to pick a fight. However, Anya opened the door gently for her anyways as she asked, "May I help you?" The woman stared into Anya's sapphire eyes with her green ones as she grinned gently. The woman was very beautiful but looked a little menacing (except not to Anya for that girl feared no one but her Russian pursuers) as she answered in an American accent, "Yes, I'm Amelia Trebunskaya. Do you know if an Anneliese Jablonsky lives here?"
"Why do you need to know? It's none of your business."
"It's just a 'yes or no' question. Does she live here or not?"
"Yes, she does. What do you want with her?"
"My group has heard so much about her…Shame if the powers of the Siberian Vixen were to be in the wrong hands." The woman replied with a smirk before she suddenly felt like her body was going against her will. All of a sudden, the strange woman collapsed on her knees to the floor. This woman had no time to react or even reach for her weapons as Anya stared down the woman murderously. The young woman desperately gasped for air, clutching her chest as if she were having a heart attack. Then, Anya held her own handgun to the woman's head and protected Stephanie by putting her hand over the girl's waist while the telekinetic mother asked, "Who are you and who do you work for? How do you know about the Siberian Vixen?"
The woman began to gasp as she choked out her words, "I'm no village idiot…I know the Siberian Vixen when I see her…and you definitely live up to the legend."
"Answer my question, Amelia…Or should I say, Black Widow?" Anya replied with a grotesque snarl as Natasha Romanoff laughed, even while she was being choked by Anya's telekinesis, "I see my reputation proceeds me…I'm impressed you could recognize me."
"I'm an ex-assassin from Russia. It's what I was trained to do."
"I'll tell you what you want to know if you let go of me."
"I don't trust strangers. Last time I did that, I lost everything I cared about."
"You know you can't kill me or else you'll never know why I'm here…Your choice and your move." Natasha smirked as she was choked more. Anya began to think about her decision. Natasha was right: Killing this woman would probably blow Stephanie and Anya's cover and she couldn't risk that or else she'd have to leave Russia and Winter. She wasn't going to risk that. Also, this woman knew too much about Anya and the telekinetic was curious to find out how that was even possible. Anya huffed deeply with a sigh before she stopped choking the woman with her powers as she sat down in the living room with Stephanie. Anya gently patted the seat beside her as Natasha rubbed her throat before sitting down. Vixie death-glared the woman to make sure she wouldn't hurt Anya or Stephanie before awkward silence followed.
Both older red-haired women stared off into space, unsure of what to say or do, before Anya spoke up first, "Sorry I attacked you. I was expecting someone but then I saw you and thought you were an intruder." Natasha brushed it off as nothing as she shook her head, "That's okay. I get that a lot…So, if you weren't expecting me, then who were you expecting?"
"My husband. He's away on business a lot, so my daughter Stephanie and I only see him every few weeks or so."
"How long have you and your husband been married?"
"A very long time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love him and he loves me; that's all that matters…So, how do you know so much about me?"
"My boss knows a lot about you and plus, I'm native to this area."
"I know…Who's your boss?"
"Director Fury."
"Odd name for a man, but a well known name at that, " Anya nodded before Stephanie asked the woman, "Mom and I know about him. He's the director of SHIELD, right?"
"Correct. That's why I came here. We know a lot about your mother and her plight, so we've come to help you both escape Russia. Come work for us and we can help this world thrive."
"Why are you helping me?" Anya asked, confused. She didn't really know this woman and how could she ever trust again after what happened to her as a child? The ONLY people she trusted was Stephanie and Winter, but her husband wasn't here to protect her or their daughter right now so they were on their own. If Winter saw this young woman hurt Stephanie or Anya, he would've killed her in a heartbeat, but he wasn't here so Natasha was safe…for now. Anya thought about her options before Natasha replied, "There's another reason why I came."
"And that reason is?"
"I found out my father had another wife before he met my mother. According to your file, your father was Mr. Romanoff, right?"
Anya just shrugged nonchalantly as she sighed, "Sounds vaguely familiar, but I hardly knew the dude so I can't really say much about him. All I know is he was a brown-eyed brunette womanizer during the World War II era and beyond that had a red-haired, light-eyed gene he carried every time he had children."
"Well, that 'dude' is my biological father, which to an extent makes me your younger half-sister and your daughter's aunt…I want to help you two because you're my flesh and blood, not because of an order from my boss. It's nice to finally meet you after so long, Sis." Natasha replied gently before Anya stared at the woman. There was no way they could be sisters, right? It was true that Mr. Romanoff was married to Aleksandra Jablonsky before leaving when Anya was two for another woman. What Aleksandra and Anya both didn't realize was that he left to marry Natasha's mother and conceive a daughter, Natasha, with the second wife before leaving again. Plus, both girls inherited crimson red hair with light eyes, had a Russian heritage, and were agile gun-shooters, spies, and combat fighters, so was that a coincidence too? Part of Anya wanted to kill the woman for lying but the other part, Anya's logical side, wanted to believe Natasha. As Anya stared at the SHIELD employee, she saw no dishonesty in this woman's gestures or eyes as tthe telekinetic accepted the woman as her sister and the aunt of Stephanie.
Anya was ready to get out of this snowy prison and say goodbye to the Russian shores, but she thought about Stephanie and Winter. Anya's dear husband would never be able to find her if she just abandoned ship and left him for a new homeland. He had to know where she and Stephanie were so he could find them and be with them in a safe place, just as they promised each other years prior. Anya began to explain her qualms about leaving as she faced the Black Widow, "I can't just pack up and leave without telling my husband where my daughter and I are going. He would die of grief because of that and I can't do that to him. We don't keep secrets from each other, ever."
"Write him a letter and leave it here for him to find. Just tell him where you're going and then let's go…Trust me." Natasha replied as she placed a gentle hand on Anya's shoulder. For one time in Anya's life, she trusted someone other than her sweet Winter. With a gentle smile, Anya and Natasha embraced, including Stephanie too, before Anya packed up all of her mother's blankets and photographs in a box. She also packed up a backpack filled with her clothes (which was only two outfits, including the one she was wearing right now) as Stephanie followed suit. She left all of these items in front of the door (using her powers, of course) while Natasha waited up for Anya as the girl grabbed some paper and a pen to begin writing a note for Winter. Finally, Anya , Stephanie, and Vixie said their last nostalgic goodbyes to the cottage before they left for SHIELD with the Russian agent.
Not too long after Stephanie and Anya left, Winter came across the cottage and found his wife and daughter weren't home. He called out their names softly, but when no answer came, he began to think a little. Winter thought nothing of it but decided to investigate anyway as he found the spare key under the front door's rug. He unlocked the house and found it dark and cold, not a light or sign of life in sight. The cottage looked so barren, there was no life here, and from Winter's nose, he could smell Anya's rose scent and even his daughter's sweet vanilla scent fading away. Winter searched through the whole house desperately as he began to fear the worst before he began to sink into a depression. Winter was genuinely perplexed. Anya and Stephanie wouldn't just leave him, would she? Anya and Stephanie loved him too much to leave. This was just a coincidence because they'd be back. They were probably in Moscow running errands, so Winter thought nothing of it, but then, why were all of their belongings gone?
Winter began to ponder on this dreadful thought before he smelled an unfamiliar scent. The scent was Natasha's but Winter didn't know that. This caused Winter to believe that Anya and Stephanie had been kidnapped, killed, or worse. The thought brought Winter to a state of great pain as he slumped on the couch, burying his weary head in his callused hands as his broad shoulders shook with painful sobs. Anya and Stephanie couldn't be dead, could they? They hadn't fulfilled their promise together, so they couldn't die, they just couldn't! Winter cried deeply for several moments in grief, thinking Anya and Stephanie were surely dead, until he looked up in rage. Whoever did this to Stephanie and Anya would pay…even if the price was their own life.
Winter began to think such murderous thoughts until he noticed something lying on the kitchen table. He blinked his red eyes at the item as he began to calm down. Winter dried his compassionate tears with the back of his hand as he neared closer to the item before he smelled Anya's rose scent and Stephanie's vanilla scent again. Winter saw the handwritten letter on the table as he clutched it in his hands before he sat down in a wooden chair and read its contents. Winter read the note carefully, scanning each word meticulously and understanding its meaning. He recognized Anya's beautiful handwriting anywhere as he believed every word of the literature. The letter said the following message:'My dearest Winter,
I'm so sorry Stephanie and I had to leave you, even after we made that marriage promise years ago. I promise to make it all up to you once we meet again. We're safe and sound and we're not hurt or dead, promise. A young woman found our cottage and introduced herself as Natasha. She's Stephanie's aunt and my younger half-sister because we have the same stupid father (emphasize the word stupid), but this girl's not too bad once you get to know her. She's actually a very nice young woman and I hope that when you come see Stephanie and I, you and her meet. I think you'd really like her.
By now, we've left for Washington D.C. in America. America, I wonder if it's any better than this snowy prison we both call home? I've only heard about it from stories and I've heard it's only snowy during the winter, not year-round. I hear it's warm and full of wonder. A melting pot of all cultures, as I've heard it be called! I don't know where we'll be staying in Washington D.C., but if you just follow your nose (literally), you'll find us. I hope we'll see each other again and please forgive us. I wish she could've met you first so we could go together, but she knew of my plight and wanted to help Stephanie and I as soon as possible. I hope you're not too mad, and when we meet again, I promise I'll make it up to you in any and all ways possible. We send you my sincerest luck on your future missions before you see us again and we also send you all of my love, even our hearts. I love you, my dear Winter Soldier.
From your loving wife,
Anneliese Rose Jablonsky.'
Winter could never be angry with Anya or Stephanie, not after he tried to kill his wife out of fear when they first met. She saved his life when he was drowning and he had spared her. Whoever this 'Natasha' was, she must've been a nice woman if she was willing to risk life and limb to help Anya and Stephanie get to a safe place. Winter would have to thank Natasha for her help after he saw his family again. This letter gave Winter hope because it was official that they were alive and well. They were safe, and that's all that mattered to Winter. Stephanie and Anya's wellbeing and safety were his top priorities, besides the orders from his annoying, yelping master, and it didn't matter how they got out, just as long as they got out of Russia. At least that was one less thing for Anya to worry about, never having to run and hide from the men who pursued her everyday for years since she was sixteen. This made Winter happy as he left the note on the table and headed back to his base, satisfied that one part of his marriage promise was kept to Anya.
He would always find her and Stephanie for the Winter Soldier never missed a target and that included his family. Anya was his love and his life and if she or even Stephanie died, he'd love to die to be with them. This assassin really did have a warm heart of gold under that cold exterior, and it would show more when obstacles stood in their way. The question was, could they face those obstacles? Only God and Fate would help them now. This was only the beginning for this couple, and it would only get more challenging as they faced their obstacles. Were they ready? Of course. Were Anya and Winter so in love that they'd protect each other from certain death? You think? Of course. They were ready for their life to begin because now was the time to take back their fate…