Chapter 20

29 November 2017, Small Latverian Cottage, Someplace Else

"You are too trusting, little sis."

Wanda glared at Pietro, but did not answer, as she returned to reading through the papers in front of her.

"We don't know who this woman is. Last time we trusted someone…"

"I probed her. It is fine, Pietro. This is what we need to do."

"I don't see why we need to get involved. We've been through enough, haven't we?"

"Have we? Are you really going to sit by and allow something like this to happen, Pietro? I cannot. If you don't want to come with me, then…"

Pietro was instantly at her side, as he replied forcefully, "I will always come with you, Wanda. I am just not sure that we should be trusting this weird woman who says the world is going to end if we don't go and fight some giant Titan."

"It won't just be us, Pietro. Ah, here is what we will need."

She handed the document to Pietro, who read it, then raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Well…that is unexpected."

"Dear Pietro, just what about our life in the last few years has actually been expected?"

"Sadly, sis, not much. So, if it isn't just us heading into this impossible fight, then how many people are going to be there with us?"

Wanda shrugged. "I don't know. I tried to read the woman's thoughts, but I could only see at most 10 faces. Many of them I didn't know. Thor was there. Vision. A woman with green skin. A rodent with a large gun. But I cannot be certain those are all actually fighting on our side. Surely there will be more than 10 of us, however."

"A rodent with a gun? Sis…"

"It isn't any weirder than this." She waved her fingers and the resulting red cloud surrounded them and lifted them outside over the ruined outer wall of the cottage. "This is, Pietro, a very strange world. Is it not?"

"I hate when you do that."

She laughed and hugged him. "No, you don't."

29 November 2017, Ste. 3800 B, Avengers Tower, New York City

As soon as the door to the flat closed, Dr Swanson commented, "Ms Romanova, your sibling bond with Mr Barton is unusually strong. You two have clearly worked quite hard at strengthening it."

Natasha nodded curtly. "It is beneficial."

"I will not pretend to understand your precise situation, Ms Romanova, but I can appreciate that, as a female, being a level-4 Alpha might prove difficult."

"Would it? How so, Dr Swanson?"

"Expectations. Your designation is so rare that there are only 23 registered female level-4 Alphas in the United States. There is only one registered level-5 female Alpha."

"You are surprisingly familiar with the statistics, Dr Swanson."

Shrugging dismissively, the analyst said, "I like numbers and I find that it sometimes helps my clients to visualise their best response when they can accurately quantify their situation. To compare to top-level female Alphas, Ms Romanova, the also extremely rare AAA Omega designation has 6169 registrations. That is more than 250 times the number of females with your designation, which is why schooling and nearly everything else has to be decided on a case-by-case basis for women like yourself."

Natasha tapped her fingers on her thigh several times before she replied sharply, "Perhaps so, however, I was not educated here, Dr Swanson. I learnt the expectations for my kind in my mother country and I learnt them very well."

"Were these traditional expectations, Ms Romanova, or a part of the programme that Enhanced and trained a child for their purposes?"

"I have no knowledge of any non-Enhanced top-level female Alphas in Russia or any of the former Soviet republics, Dr Swanson."

"I see. Would you like to discuss these expectations or would you rather move on?"

"It is not a secret, Dr Swanson. Romantic entanglements are not encouraged. Bondmatching is not a possibility. A life-partner bond is an unacceptable risk. I was not intended to have any emotional attachments, so meeting Clint changed everything. I am fortunate that my sibling bond—and that now includes the joint bond to Eleanor—provides me with most of the human connexion I need. I satisfy myself elsewhere when necessary."

The analyst took a deep breath and then sighed. "You are aware of my designation."

"You are at least a level-2."

"I am a level-3, yes. There are only 411 of us in America at present, in fact. I am sure you are quite aware how the government keeps extremely strict tabs on any female Alphas, but especially those who are not level-1. I have found this to be…annoying, shall we say? I have also struggled to find sufficient outlets for 'human connexion'. I do not like Betas and I do not trust men of any designation. Counselling difficult guardian-class cases is how I satisfy my drive to protect and guard. If having Mrs Barton as your sister is fulfilling this for you, then that is probably very stabilising and satisfying for you. However, you need to be very careful, Ms Romanova. The balance must be so fine. Your brother is dangerously unstable regarding the state of his bondmatch at the moment."

Natasha sighed. "Unfortunately, yes, he is."

"He has previously relied on you for his stability, am I correct?"

"Yes, he has."

Dr Swanson nodded almost sadly, "He can get stability from Mrs Barton's counsel and support, like he does from you, but he will gain a different kind from confidence from his match than from your bond."

Her aggression rising slightly, Natasha replied, "I agree. However, his insecurity is bone deep and until he truly believes that Eleanor loves him and that this will not change, then he is going to continue to act like the bull in a china shop."

"Yet Mrs Barton does love him, Ms Romanova."

Natasha snarled, "I am aware of that, Dr Swanson, but he is not."

"Yes. Honestly, I was surprised to learn of the strength Mrs Barton's attachment to Mr Barton, especially considering his reprehensible treatment of her since returning from his last mission. I do not think that all of his choices can be blamed upon the physician's recommendations. Yet, interestingly, Mrs Barton does not blame him. She blames herself for every mistake, which is all too common amongst women of her designation. However, Mr Barton absolutely must demonstrate complete trust towards his match, Ms Romanova, or else she will continue to flounder and feel unsafe. Do you understand why I am discussing this with you?"

Natasha blinked and then tilted her head as she said sharply, "Yes. You have a bonded sibling, too, don't you?"

"I do, yes. She is a level-4 like you. Maria and I have struggled with our bond at times over the years, especially since she decided to take on an Omega match."

Natasha allowed a startled look to pass over her face briefly. "That is…rare."

"It is. I was hesitant, admittedly partially because I did not want the bond to change or Maria's attention to be divided and partly because I do not get along with females in general. Nevertheless, I agreed to do a joint bond for Maria's sake. It has been a rough journey, but three years later I can say that I do feel very close to Andrea."

There was silence for almost a minute as Natasha seemed to consider something. Then she said cautiously, "I did not relish the change in the balance between Clint and myself when he alerted me that he had met Eleanor and intended to extend a Claim. However, he has always longed for a bondmatch, whereas I have never had an interest in one. Naturally, I did everything that I could to help him to procure her consent to bondmatch. Honestly, I am surprised at the degree to which I feel bonded to Eleanor."

"Are you?"

Natasha shrugged nonchalantly, but her body language clearly shouted discomfort and discontent as she said, "Yes. I feel attachment to very few people: Clint and, to a much lesser degree, our old handler at SHIELD. My socialising is limited to my team for the most part. I respect Captain Rogers and am somewhat fond of him, I suppose. Barnes, on the other hand, I dislike strongly. Stark annoys me, but is occasionally an interesting challenge. Wilson is a weak Alpha when he could be more, so I am generally frustrated by him. I find both the Storms and Richards to be nearly impossible to work with, although Grimm is quite competent. I have yet to meet more than two X-Mutants who I do not despise. For the most part, Betas are useless, with some Enhanced exceptions like Banner. So, Dr Swanson, I find few people that interest me socially and only slightly more with whom I wish to work professionally. Accordingly, I have not felt any emotional tie to anyone beyond Clint and my former handler before, so I did not expect the bond with Eleanor to be so immediate. In fact, I was forming an attachment to her before the ceremony even. The entire relationship has challenged me beyond anything I could have predicted."

"AAA Omegas produce quite powerful hormones, Ms Romanova. During the time when you first met her, I suspect that Mrs Barton was exuding distress, need, fear, and all the things that pull upon an unattached Alpha no matter what one's sexual orientation is. Initially, Andrea was so terrified to meet me that she was exuding heavily. It was a strange sensation, since it made me want to pat her on the head, give her a chocolate bar and a hug, then stand guard against an unknown threat. It was disorienting to say the least, especially as I did not find Andrea to be very compatible with me or even with Maria at that time."

"I felt the same desire to protect Eleanor—much like I would a child—although even more strongly than it sounds like you did with your sister's match. I definitely do not care for almost any females, so that made my surprise even greater."

The analyst nodded. "That is a common issue for female Alphas. In my case, the only woman with whom I have ever gotten along is Maria. Although I have a bond with Andrea, I have to work hard to keep it healthy. Her interests and needs are still nearly incomprehensible to me, which has caused significant friction between Maria and me. I think that you have a much more natural understanding of your sister, Ms Romanova. You also seem to be working to improve your understanding of the motivations and needs of female Omegas compared to Betas or we Alphas. Very few Alphas make that effort, unfortunately, so I am impressed with how much time you have put into it, Ms Romanova."

Natasha raised her eyebrows as she regarded Dr Swanson for a moment. Then she said simply, "I have not done as well as you may think, Dr Swanson. The original situation that led to Eleanor harming herself could have been averted if I had understood her better and had more reasonable expectations. I do not like admitting fault, but it would be foolish not to do so here."

"Perhaps so, Ms Romanova. Yet, the change in the sibling bond between you and Mr Barton is a significant stressor, which it would be unwise to discount. I do want to be certain that you are aware of the unusual degree to which your sister hero-worships you, Ms Romanova. She seems to place immense trust in your judgement; therefore, I want you to be conscious of both the power you hold over her and the risk that Mrs Barton's attachment to you might damage your sibling bond with Mr Barton if you and he are not careful. Jealousy is a pernicious influence for anyone, but especially for we Alphas."

Natasha raised one eyebrow as she replied coldly, "That is simply part of our designation, Dr Swanson."

"Yes, however, I feel a particular concern regarding Mr Barton at the moment. If I had not previously met Sergeant Barnes, then I would say that I have never before experienced such an incredibly potent explosion of hormones as those I do coming from Mr Barton whenever his match is present. Additionally, the antagonism that I have witnessed today between you both is quite significant, Ms Romanova."

"We are used to it, Dr Swanson. Do not concern yourself."

"Ms Romanova, you and Mr Barton engaged in an Alpha confrontation in the corridor less than an hour ago."

Natasha shrugged, but the tension in her body increased dramatically as she watched the analyst warily.

"Mrs Barton has been quite insistent that Mr Barton has rarely even raised his voice to her. However, I cannot ignore the fact that he is naturally extremely aggressive. I have mentioned this to Mr Barton, but I feel that you should be aware that I am monitoring the situation."

Her eyes glinted with fury as Natasha sat forwards in her seat and stated coldly, "Clint is an assassin, Dr Swanson. Aggression is a required personality trait."

"Yes, but we are not dealing with the professional in these sessions, but the personal. I would like to ask you to consider that Mrs Barton is just as able to sense Mr Barton's scent as you and I are. Yet, she is less likely to comprehend the meaning or direction of it. How do you imagine that your sister would feel being overwhelmed with the sense of his anger, aggression, intense physical attraction, and extraordinary possessiveness?"

Dropping back her veil of control, Natasha said flatly, "Alright. I understand your point, Dr Swanson."

"I am glad that you do. I genuinely wish to help your sister, Ms Romanova. I even believe that there is a high likelihood of a very satisfactory outcome, but only if all parties take this seriously now."

Natasha stood up, as the door to the apartment was opened with a marked thud, and said, "I am glad to hear it." Looking over as Clint stalked towards her, she asked, "Well, Yastreb, is Lenochka doing ok?"

Clint nodded tightly. "I think that she is finished with therapy for the day. She was nearly asleep by the time I left to come back down here."

"That is surprising."

He shrugged as if apathetic, but Natasha narrowed her eyes warily. She could sense the underlying storm of emotions and sighed as she realised that a further argument was unavoidable. They had not yet finished their confrontation, it seemed.

The analyst said carefully, "This was a particularly difficult session for everyone. Mrs Barton has communicated quite clearly that she wants to do almost anything that she can do make everything right, however, she is uncertain what that should be. That is something that the two of you must determine soon. I can help you if you like, but the critical points will be communication, consistency, and unanimity."

5 December 2017, Bonding Suite at the Peninsula Hotel, New York City

"But there were so many guests! It was overwhelming."

Eleanor laid a hand on her friend's shoulder and smiled slightly as she replied, "Only eight and didn't you expect that Steve's friends would want to honour something this special, Clémence?"

"I don't know. I suppose that I didn't think it would be a public ceremony, to be honest. Bondmatches are so private."

Emilie shrugged. "That they are, but this is different, Clémy. A shifting of the bond is so unusual that it was important for everything to be witnessed by several unassailable Alphas and guardian-class Omegas, so as to be incapable of legal challenge."

"Yes, but it was just as critical that they be trustworthy." Eleanor frowned and added, "Scent-control is so controversial and heavily classified. The Avengers cannot risk the wrong information getting out. Speaking of control, I have never met an Alpha life-pair bond before."

Immediately looking up from adjusting her longest layer of curls, Emilie exclaimed, "Yes, they were odd, weren't they?"

Clémence sighed sadly. "At first, I just thought Dr Storm was really beautiful, but then I realised that she never even spoke to me. I almost felt like she was looking right through me when she stood there talking with Steve for nearly 10 minutes. I could scent that she's very high-rated."

Eleanor nodded. "She is a level-4 like Natalia. I asked Clint. Dr Richards is only a level 3. I can only imagine how difficult that must be for them to navigate."

Her eyes wide as she considered the power dynamics of a higher rated female Alpha life-bonding to a lower-level male Alpha, Emilie gasped, "I cannot. Alphas need such control over everything. How can any male Alpha bear being the lower-ranking one? I cannot imagine it."

Clémence stammered, "Well he is clearly very in love with her, so it must be ok. And if an Alpha forms a life-pair bond, then they must be already comfortable with very different romantic dynamics than the usual bondmatch."

"Maybe. Or maybe that is simply one of the few decent options available to female Alphas, Clémence. Do you think that Natalia would ever form a Alpha life-pair bond, Eleanor?"

"No. Natashenka has very clearly told me that she has no interest in ever doing so. Apparently, Clint is her only exception when it comes to trusting male Alphas enough to have anything other than a professional relationship."

Emilie patted the last of her perfect curls that laid along the back of the vanity bench and sighed. "Alpha life-bonding seems very unnatural anyway, doesn't it? But girls, what did you think of that Omega who is bondmatched to Captain Storm?"

Eleanor flushed bright red and said cautiously, "Not everyone can attend places like North Shore or Lynchburg, Emilie."

Laughing unkindly, Emilie replied, "No, but she looked like someone dragged her from the smallest small town in America and pointed her towards the first big city Omega boutique they saw and said, "Go!""

Clémence suggested tentatively, "Don't you think that perhaps she just doesn't have anyone's guidance? She wasn't inappropriately dressed and she seemed to have a very nice demeanour. Her clothing was only a bit gaudy and a style intended for mature Omegas. You could see from her hair that she is Trastamaran school and those girls tend to prefer a lot more sparkle, too."

"Trastamaran protocol via some little school out west, perhaps. I would have thought that Captain Storm could do better."

Almost pleading with her cousin, Clémence replied, "Emilie, please. Perhaps Captain Storm loves her. She had a very nice smile and it is clear that she's at least AA, so he could make a very good deep bond with her, I'm sure. It would be very overwhelming to bond someone so public like that if you didn't have the training, wouldn't it?"

Shrugging carelessly, Emilie snorted with disdain. "That is exactly what we go to school for, Clémence. That poor girl will be eaten alive by New York society. Captain Storm is being unfairly selfish to put her in that position without arranging for further training to help her."

Eleanor interrupted, "That is his responsibility alone, Emilie, so I am not going to judge their bondmatch. She is now registered as the second Omega witness of your bond-shifting, so you will need to treat her kindly. I most certainly will."

"Oh, you two are too nice. Now I feel guilty. Fine. Why don't you invite her back then, Eleanor? She will be miserable out there with all those Alphas wandering around."

Nodding approvingly, Eleanor got up and left the preparation room to find Captain Storm's match and bring her back with them.

In the meantime, Clémence asked unhappily, "Do you think it went ok, Emilie?"

"It was incredible. No wonder you get all mushy-brained about Steve, dear. He produces scent on par with my Bucky. I actually physically felt the bond shift. It was much more dynamic than I ever expected."

Sighing deeply, Clémence replied, "It was the same for me. I'm so relieved. Perhaps now that we have a joint bond, then things will go better for you with Bucky. He can feel more secure."

"I really think that he will. It is unlikely that Bucky will ever really be able to let go of the jealousy completely, but if he could just trust a few Alphas on the team…right?"

"He trusts Eleanor's match."

"Yes, he does. That is quite the surprise really, but Bucky strongly approves of Clint."

"Clint is as much in love with Eleanor as Buck is with you. I think that has a lot to do with Bucky's perspective. Don't you?"

"Yes. Definitely. Ah, here is Eleanor and Mrs Storm."

The petite red-headed girl who was following Eleanor had such an anxious expression on her face that Clémence immediately stood up and crossed to greet her. "Thank you for joining us, Mrs Storm."

Alice Storm's voice betrayed a strong Texan accent, as she replied quietly, "Thank you for inviting me, Mrs Rogers. You are very kind."

"Not at all. Won't you sit and talk with us? It is at least a half-hour before the dinner will start."

"Thank you. Y'all are very kind. The bonding suite here really is exquisite, isn't it?"

Eleanor nodded and smiled warmly. "It is, yes. All three of us were bondmatched here, so it is particularly special to each of us. Where did you bondmatch?"

"At my family's hotel back home in Dallas. John wanted to come back to New York, but my father had other ideas. Are all of you originally from New York?"

Emilie replied with a slight smile. "Yes, Clémence and I are. Eleanor is from Virginia. We all attended school together here, however."

"I have not had much time to get used to the Byzantine protocol so many of y'all use yet, but I have enjoyed it here so far."

"Is it all Trastamaran where you grew up?" Clémence asked politely.

"A mixture. Dallas is all Angoumousine. However, my father insisted on the Trastamaran school in Houston, since he felt that I'd be better prepared that way. That meant that I couldn't go to the same school as Mama, which was a bit disappointing."

Passing on a legacy to a good school was so unusual that Eleanor commented sympathetically, "I also did not attend my mother's school. However, I found that North Shore was such a wonderful experience that I am not too disappointed, after all."

"Where was your mother's legacy?"

"Lynchburg."

"Yeah, that would be a hard school to pass on, wouldn't it? But y'all's North Shore wit is famous, so I'm sure you enjoyed your time there, right? My school, San Raphael, is mostly known for its serious discipline and a reputation for producing good hostesses."

Clémence nodded her head encouragingly. "That is good then, isn't it? You will be able to support Captain Storm well, I'm sure."

"John isn't much for social gatherings, to be honest. He's a dear, but he isn't your typical Alpha. Probably a lot like y'all's matches, I imagine."

Eleanor answered, "Enhanced or topped-out Alphas are probably outside of the norms taught in any school, I imagine."

"That is certainly true in my experience. It is very evident from everything I saw earlier that all three of you have particularly devoted matches."

Emilie reacted in a slightly friendlier manner, as she answered, "I am sure that Captain Storm is equally attached."

Alice laughed. "Yes, he is, but he isn't going to stop being outrageous nevertheless. He needs very, very clear boundaries. Fortunately, I have no problem providing them. John is a wonderful Alpha."

Surprised, Emilie responded, "You are happy with him, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am. He is ridiculously fun and wonderfully passionate. I turned down three other candidates to choose John—very much against my father's wishes—since I was sure that I would never be bored with him. Texas Alphas are all the same and I really couldn't choose that once I'd met John."

Eleanor nodded with understanding. "You had already begun to make your bond, I suspect. That is how it was with Clint. I didn't understand it then, but I did realise later that I had already begun to make the bond during Courtship."

"I've wondered about that. John is a little crazy and when he wants something, then he puts everything into getting it. He was scenting the whole time much to my chaperone's horror. I didn't care, to be honest. I knew that I was going to acknowledge his Claim. Fortunately, John knows that he has to keep working to keep things happy with me."

Both Clémence and Eleanor were deeply shocked, but Emilie nodded in agreement. "Some Alphas are like that. My cousin is. That is why he chose a Beta, since he needed the challenge."

"Poor dear, did he have to give up bondmatch to find his challenge?"

"Yes. But Sebastien has always been difficult, hasn't he, Clémence?"

Mortified, Clémence blinked at Emilie, but did not reply other than to nod very slightly.

"John told me that he'd never wanted to bondmatch, actually. That was what he said during our Introduction. Can you believe that? I immediately cancelled the Introduction."

Eleanor gasped. "Oh!"

"Exactly. So, he pleaded for a secondary Introduction, which I eventually agreed to allow. Funny, I never did hear anything more about not wanting to bondmatch. And he sure seemed in a rush to make the Claim after that. That was why it seemed wiser to wait a few days. You never know."

Emilie laughed. "Oh, my goodness, you were bold."

"No, I just knew John needed to know that I'm not soft. He's like that."

"My match would have gone mad." Emilie looked over at Eleanor and said, "Can you imagine?"

Nearly as shocked as Emilie, Eleanor shook her head. "No. However, Bucky has never had any trouble finding a way to obsess over you, dear. He doesn't need extra challenges."

"No. No, he doesn't." Emilie's expression was very firm and she looked over at the door, as if concerned that Bucky might come through it at any moment. "It sounds like you are just what Captain Storm needed though, Mrs Storm."

Alice smiled slightly. "Well, certainly he is just what I always wanted, so I want to make him the happiest Alpha in the world."

Clémence commented, "I think that we all feel the same about our Alphas then, which is lovely. We are very lucky, don't you think?"

"Yes, we are. And all three of y'all have joint bonds now too, which is rare." Emilie and Clémence both started blushing deeply, which made Alice add kindly, "I am glad that I was able to be present. It was a very special ceremony."

12 December 2017, Extremely Northern Location, Someplace Else

"Cap!"

Rogers looked over at Wilson and nodded, before he jogged over and took the phone from him. Putting the phone to his ear, Rogers said, "Hello?"

"Is that machine gun fire and circus music? Where the h*ll are you?!"

"Uh…are you sure that you want to know, Maria?"

Maria Hill laughed throatily and answered, "Not really, no. But I do need to know if you are going to make the next window. If you don't, then it will be well into the new year before I can try again. Perhaps even February."

"The earliest we can be in Vancouver is the 20th. Will that be soon enough?"

"No. I need you and Barnes somewhere in Canada by the 18th. The other two can meet you sometime after that. You could cross over on the 23. Barnes will enter the same day, but elsewhere. The other two on separate days yet to be determined. Can you make that work?"

Rogers considered for a moment and then said, "Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Natasha and Sam can stay behind to finish off and Bucky and I will get to Vancouver on the 18th."

"I'd still prefer Yukon Territory."

"Can't do it, Maria. We cannot risk being that close to Alaska right now."

Clearly annoyed, Maria said, "Fine, I'm not going to ask why. Vancouver it is. Make certain that you follow the pattern we discussed. I will have everything to you within 12 hours of your arrival. Please do not let Barnes cut his hair. You need to keep the beard. Tell Romanoff that blondes don't have more fun, so she needs to take that look back to the drawing board. If Wilson can pull off a beard, then he should start growing it now."

"Ok. I'll take care of it."

Maria hummed thoughtfully and then added, "And Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"I know how Barnes gets about his weapons, but he isn't going to be able to bring them in."

Rogers almost laughed. "Huh. That's going to be a hard sell, Maria."

"Well it is either that or you pass into the country and he stays behind. He can take it or leave it."

"Honestly, Maria, you'll be lucky if you can convince Buck to let me pass into the country at a different checkpoint than him."

Her voice hard, Maria replied aggressively, "Actually, Steve, he can get as difficult as he likes. When it comes time, he won't even be conscious."

"Jeez, Maria. Remind me not to ever piss you off."

"Sure. Hey Rogers?"

"Yeah?"

She hissed, "Don't piss me off."