A/N: Ahh here's the next chapter! I'm s1orry it's a bit later than I thought it would be out! We are nearing the end- only one or two chapters left
Its okay though, because I'm obviously planning on doing something else after I finish this story up!
Guys, I'm sorry if I got a little carried away with the swearing lol. I just feel like it fit, ya know?
TW: swearing and injury!
"You have a sister?"
It had to be at least midnight by the time Nat was calmed down enough to speak. After hanging up the phone from talking with Yelena, Steve and Nat didn't really know what to say. They had fallen to the kitchen floor crying, relieved their daughter was safe. Yelena was a lifesaver.
If only Steve knew who Yelena was.
Nat lifted her head to look at Steve.
"I thought she had died…." She trailed off, turning distant, and Steve was patient with her, rubbing her back in small circles until she felt comfortable again to speak about her. Steve may not have known much about Yelena, but he did know one thing; Her past was hard for her to talk about, and Yelena was clearly a huge part of it.
"It was a huge shock to hear her voice. Back in the Red Room, she was the only person I cared about, and she, me."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"When I was sixteen and Clint broke me out, S.H.I.E.L.D. had told him everyone else had died. I don't know how, but Yelena, I-I guess she was kidnapped by one of the guards. Her memories were erased, and she was forced into the Red Room again. I didn't think I'd ever hear her voice again…" She trailed off, and Steve could tell her mind wasn't really focused on her past with Yelena. The gears were turning on coming up with a plan to find her and Wanda, despite Yelena's advice to just stay put.
She stood up, wobbling for a moment before gaining her footing.
"JARVIS, bring up the last number called."
"Despite being listed as an unknown caller, I can tell you the area code. Is that what you would like?"
"Yes please, JARVIS."
"The number has a +7 499-area code. It is within the southern part of Russia, or Northern Part of Sokovia."
Nat took a shaky breath, and Steve squeezed her hand.
"Looks like we're taking a trip to Russia."
…
It was almost three am the next day when Yelena finally found it safe enough to see Wanda again. No one was around, and she roamed the halls, planning their escape beforehand by shooting out all the security cameras on the way to the nearest exit. She loaded her gun, again, hoping she wouldn't need to use it too much, especially in front of the already traumatized young girl, but she was defiantly prepared, just in case.
She made her way down the hallway, thankful for the silent way she was taught to walk in the Red Room all those years ago, shooting out each camera every few meters.
Yelena picked up her pace. She would have to be fast now. Once Dmitry noticed the broken security system, it was game over.
She pulled the stolen key out of her pocket, and her heart broke all over again for the girl, whose eyes lit up as soon as she noticed Yelena.
"Okay, Wanda," She whispered. "You ready to go home?"
A smile was plastered to Yelena's face, but Wanda could see in her eyes that she was trying to hide fear.
Wanda nodded, wringing her wrists as soon as Yelena let her wrists out. She fought the urge to hold them to her chest. They were so used to being forced there for so long, it felt like second nature.
Yelena knelt to her level.
"Okay, here's the plan. We have to move fast, because I already shot out all the security cameras and once Dmitry finds out, he'll come here looking for us. Hold my hand at all times, unless you have to use your magic, and follow me to the garage."
Wanda nodded.
"Okay, let's go." Yelena gave a final nod, pulling her out of the cell.
Дерьмо.
Ivan, one of the prison guards, noticed Yelena from a few metres away.
"Stay silent. I'll do the talking." Yelena whispered to Wanda in English, who nodded.
"Hey!" He roared in Russian, storming down the hallway.
"She is to be in restraints at all times, what the hell are you doing?"
"Dmitry's orders. I was to bring her to him unrestrained. He requested to see how far her training has come."
Ivan's lips thinned.
"Hm, that's very interesting, because I didn't hear it over the communications system," Ivan said. His eyebrows were raised as he eyed the walkie-talkie on his belt. His finger held the record button down. Their whole conversation was being broadcasted to every guard, as well as Dmitry.
Чёрт побери.
"Ivan, what is going on, over." She could hear Dmitry on the other end of the radio.
Чёрт побери, again. They would have to really move fast now.
"Wanda, close your eyes. Don't open them until I say." It felt stupid, because the girl had already seen so much in her life, but regardless, she wanted to try to prevent more death engraved into the girl's mind. It wasn't right. She knew that, because it had been engraved into her mind so much at that age, too.
Wanda obeyed, squeezing her eyes shut and bringing her hands to her ears.
It happened as quickly as possible, and Ivan's confused face turned to fear as he realised what was about to happen.
Bang. Bang.
Two shots. Weird. Yelena didn't seem like the person to miss the first time.
Wanda could feel the ground shake as he dropped to the floor. It was over a minute before she could open her eyes again, and when she did, the body was nowhere in sight. She had locked him in Wanda's abandoned cell.
Yelena reached for Wanda's hand.
"Come on, we've got to move fast, now."
But Yelena was walking strangely. No slower, but her gait was hunched. A dark patch could be seen through her black uniform.
"Yelena, you're hurt!" Wanda exclaimed. She tried to stop for a moment, but Yelena pulled her forward.
"I'm okay, детка. It's not serious. We have to keep moving, though."
Wanda nodded. Yelena's hand left her's as she brought it to her stomach, keeping pressure as she walked. Her other hand held a gun.
Wanda was scared. Yelena had been shot, and although she was trying her hardest not to show it, she was in a lot of pain, and she was losing a lot of blood.
They made their way to the garage, and Yelena hotwired the truck, getting it started as they hopped in. As the shed door finally opened enough for them to escape, the truck shot forward, but stopped as soon as she hit the terrain. She heard two pops, and she knew exactly what had happened
"Shit, the tires are shot." She mumbled under her breath. Her vision was cloudy to due the lack of blood, but regardless she pushed the gas and the truck shot forward. It struggled with the snow and two shot tires, and she placed it into four-wheel drive.
It was the only truck on the property; the fewer vehicles they had entering and exiting the building, the less attention was drawn, and thank God because it would take Dmitry a while to catch up, even if they had to ditch their truck.
The building, placed in the middle of a snowfield, wasn't even in sight by the time they actually had to ditch the truck when it couldn't even go anymore. Yelena stumbled out, clutching her stomach. She reached for Wanda's hand, and they trekked through the snow with Yelena in the lead. She only had a small idea of where she was going, but anywhere was better than back there. Hopefully Rec Cross was still in Novi Grad. They were there when she had snuck out to buy the burner phone the day before.
Neither of them were dressed for the weather, and they froze quickly, but the taste of freedom, and the small ounce of hope that still burned in their hearts, was enough to keep the two of them going.
But after only fifteen minutes, Yelena had collapsed to the ground. Rolling over, Wanda was scared to see the white snow now coloured red. She was losing a lot of blood.
"Yelena, we have to keep going. We're done the hardest part!" Wanda pulled her off the ground, but they only made it another hundred or so more meters before she collapsed again.
Wanda felt tears in her eyes. They were so close.
"Keep going, Wanda. I'm just going to hold you back. If you keep running that way for another three or so kilometres," she pointed west. "You'll find a Sokovian refugee camp. They can help you."
A few kilometres. That was it.
"I can't leave you, Yelena. I'm not going to. It's only a few more kilometres. We'll get help, we can do it." She cried, but it was obvious three kilometres would feel more like three hundred when you were injured that bad. In other words, impossible.
Yelena's eyes drooped shut, and Wanda's stomach dropped. She had fainted, and she didn't have to be an adult to know that was dangerous when you were hurt and cold.
Then, Wanda had an idea.
She fished into Yelena's pocket for the phone she knew Yelena had called her mother's on. It was a long shot, but there was only one number on the phone, so it had to be Nat's, right? Or at least someone from the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D.
It rang for what felt like forever, due to the limited service, but a voice finally picked up. Her Mama's voice.
"Yelena?"
The voice hit her like a tonne of bricks. She knew she missed Nat, but she didn't realise she missed her voice, too. Wanda had a hard time forming words. She broke out into sobs.
"Wanda, is that you? Wanda, milaya, can you hear me?" Nat sounded frantic on the other end of the phone. She could hear Steve yelling in the back, too.
"Mama."
"Wanda! Malyshka, where are you, baby?"
Wanda just cried, taking a look around.
"Take a deep breath, malyshka, it's okay."
"I missed you so much." Wanda choked out.
"I missed you too, milaya. So much. Do you think you could tell me where you are so we can come to find you?" Nat asked, her voice breaking. She was trying to be patient, but they didn't have much time.
"I-I don't know. Somewhere in Sokovia. We are in Sokovia, I think, Mama."
On the ground, Yelena nodded, her eyes half-closed. She was fading in and out of consciousness now.
Nat sighed in relief.
"Mama, Yelena is hurt so bad," She cried, and Nat could barely make out the words. Her heart shattered into a million pieces for what felt like the thousandth time in the past two weeks/. "I'm trying to keep her awake but it's so cold and she was shot, and our truck was shot in the tires, so we didn't make it far. Dmitry's gonna find us and I'm scared. I can't defend both of us."
Nat took a deep breath, willing away her tears. She had to be strong for Wanda.
"It's okay, Wanda. What does it look like? Are there buildings, rivers, anything?"
"Just a few trees. We are in a field with lots of snow."
That didn't really help.
Yelena motioned to Wanda to give the phone to her. She did, while Wanda kept a lookout for Dmitry.
"Nat?"
"Yelena, are you okay? Wanda said you were hurt."
Yelena grunted.
"I'm shot. In the stomach." Her words came out slurred.
"Hang in there, we are coming. Where are you right now?" Nat asked.
Yelena paused looked around, squeezing her eyes shut to think for a moment.
"Uh, about a few kilometres east of Novi Grad I'd say."
Nat's heart soared. This might actually work.
"Good thing I've got the whole team with me in Moscow. I could tell by the number on the phone you were somewhere in Russia, or Sokovia."
"Nat, what the hell?!"
"Lena, I may not have seen you in fifteen years, but you are my sister. I still know you like the back of my hand, and know you bit off more than you can chew. Always have. Now, how long do you think you have until Dmitry catches up to you guys?"
Yelena was dumbfounded, at a loss for words. Nat had just taken the words right out of her mouth.
"Uh, maybe a half-hour. I don't know. I can't go anymore, though. Maybe less. I can send Wanda in the right direction though, towards Novi Grad."
"No, it's okay. Everything's gonna be okay, Lena. Just hang in there. We're coming. We've got the jet, and we'll be there in fifteen. Tell Wanda." Nat went to hang up, but Yelena stopped her.
"Wait, Nat?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"No. Thank you, solnyshka. You just saved my daughter. And my sister."
Fifteen minutes passed, and Nat had stayed true to her words. Wanda felt the biggest rush of relief when she saw the Quinjet in the distance.
She shook Yelena awake, and she couldn't hold the smile off her face.
"Yelena. They're here! We can go home now! You have to get up!"
It was clearly enough to keep Yelena going, because with some help from Wanda she had managed to stand up again, leaning against a nearby tree.
Despite how much she wanted to run to the Quinjet and see her parents, she stayed with Yelena. She couldn't leave her, not after everything she did for her.
Nat and Steve came running out, with Clint not too far behind. They both looked like they had been crying, their eyes searching around frantically. When Wanda spotted them a few hundred meters away through some trees, she couldn't wait any longer, and she ran to meet them.
In her whole entire life, she didn't think she had run any faster than she did right now. She was so cold, so tired and weak, and injured, but it didn't matter. Being wrapped up in a desperate hug again by her two favourite people made it all worth it.
Wanda didn't say anything. She just cried more than she ever had before. She wanted to say so much, and so did Natasha and Steve, but they were at a loss for words. It didn't matter anyway though, because their actions showed so much more. Words were overrated.
Sam's voice echoed through her comms.
"I've got S.H.I.E.L.D at the building. You were right, Nat. It was a testing facility, much like the Red Room. It looks like they were only just getting it started, though. Wanda was the only victim. Your sister, too, I guess. Everyone else has either been shot down by S.H.I.E.L.D. or taken back to America for questioning. Fury's orders, don't ask."
Nat nodded, although Sam couldn't tell through the comms. Over her shoulder, she could see a figure stumble through the trees.
"Dmitry Vasilyevich is here. Tell them we have him covered."
"Roger that."
Dmitry noticed her.
"Natalia Romanova." He yelled, scoffing. "Never thought I'd see you again." He lied. Nat noticed his hands held a gun stretched out in front of his body.
Not intimidating at all for someone who grew up in the Red Room.
She didn't answer him, instead, marching up to him. He tried as fast as he could to pull the trigger, but she easily knocked it out of his hand, pressing her own into his temple. He struggled, but she kept him in a tight hold. One ironically, that she had learned from her time in the Red Room.
"I guess I'm turning myself in then." He scoffed in Russian.
Nat's eyebrows narrowed.
"You're just saying that because you know you've lost. All your people are either captured or dead. It's over." She spat back in the same language.
"Maybe."
Nat turned to Steve.
"Take Wanda onto the Quinjet. And Yelena, too. She needs medical. Clint and I can handle this."
"Nat-"
"Just go! Please, Steve." Her eyes were silently begging him to just go into the jet with Wanda and Yelena. They didn't need to see this. They had already been through so much.
He nodded, lifting Wanda up and motioning Yelena towards him. She stumbled, and he leant her against him.
"Bruce and Tony are inside. I think they can keep her stable until we get back to New York."
Nat nodded, keeping the gun pressed to Dmitry's head.
Nat kicked him to the ground. He landed with a thud in the snow.
She kicked his face as hard as she could.
Once for Wanda.
Once for her sister.
And once for her.
His blood dripped off his face, staining the snow as he begged for mercy.
"Not so tough now, are you?" She sneered, pulling the gun back out and pointing it directly into the centre of his forehead. Her hands shook in anger.
Dmitry opened his mouth to speak, but Nat didn't let him.
"I don't even want to hear your voice again. I hope you suffer in hell you sick, sick bastard." She cocked the thumb safety.
"Nat, listen to me. Don't kill him." Clint said as soon as Steve left with the two girls. He stood off to the side, his bow was drawn just in case, but he had no intention of killing the man. They had direct orders from Fury that if they found anyone, they were to bring them back for questioning.
"He deserves to have his life taken away, Clint. I've killed a lot of people back in my Red Room days. Almost none of them were justified. But this, this is…" She struggled to put her thoughts into words that wouldn't make Clint think she acting only on anger. She was, of course, but Clint didn't need to know that. "This is justified."
Clint tried to continue reasoning with her.
"Natasha, you take away his life, and you give him the satisfaction of no suffering. Let him rot in jail for the rest of his life. Let him suffer instead."
The gun didn't move. It was still held above his eyes, her arms shaking in anger.
Fear.
Clint slowly moved towards her, a tear escaped Nat's eye, but she allowed him to slowly lower the gun to the ground. He immediately pulled a pair of handcuffs out, kicking the man's knee caps for good measure. Dmitry howled in pain.
"I really wish I could just kill you right now, you bastard. But duty calls."
He brought him up from the ground to drag him back to the second jet, but a shot rang out. Nat and Clint flew to the ground in cover, but Dmitry dropped, lifeless. He was dead. Someone shot him.
Their heads flew back to the Quinjet, where Yelena stood a few meters away. One hand clutched her stomach as she leant against the side of the jet, and the other held her gun, still shaking with recoil. She had killed him.
Yelena fell to the ground, and Nat ran to catch her. She was losing so much blood, it wouldn't be long before she would faint again.
Nat and Clint stared at her blankly, processing what she had just done.
Clint just shrugged.
"Well, at least I didn't have to waste an arrow on that motherfucker."
Yelena put the gun back into her pocket.
"I'm sorry. I know you needed him for Director Fury, but-"
"Thank you, Lena. Now I don't need to tear a strip off Fury when we get back. Bring him back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, what the fuck was he thinking?" Nat hoisted her up off the ground.
Yelena's breaths became increasingly shallower.
"I just… couldn't bear to see him alive and breathing. I…"
She didn't continue, but Nat and Clint didn't need her to. They knew exactly what she was trying to say. That after everything that man had put her through, and Wanda through, she wanted to be the one to kill him.
"Lena, you don't have to try to justify your actions. I couldn't bear to see him alive, either so you did me a favour."
Clint nodded.
"Me too. But like, what do we do now? Bring the body?"
Nat shrugged, taking Yelena into her side. It wouldn't be much longer before she would pass out again.
"I don't know. But Yelena really needs medical. I'm taking her to Bruce."
They walked off, leaving Clint in the presence of the man.
He took one look, running to catch up with the two women. Honestly, the man didn't deserve anything but to lay in the snow, eventually freezing. No burial, no nothing. Never spoken of again. Maybe he'd get eaten by a bear or something if they were lucky.
On the way up the Quinjet, Yelena fell, losing consciousness.
"Shit," Clint said, picking her up. "She's gotta get to Bruce as soon as possible. I'll give her to him; you go with Steve and Wanda.
She nodded, squeezing Yelena's hand, and heading to the back of the plane where Steve sat with Wanda. She could hear her crying for Nat all the way from the front.
Her heart broke when she saw the sight. Wanda clung to Steve for dear life, tears rolling down her face as she sobbed. Her forearm was wrapped in gauze, and a red circle was starting to form from where the stitched from her poorly patched up bullet wound had ripped.
Wanda had reached her hands out towards Nat, and she took her from Steve, giving him a worried look. She was so traumatised.
"I thought Dmitry hurt you. I heard a shot." Wanda cried, barely forming words. Nat just held her as tight as she could without hurting her. She refrained from telling her what happened.
"Я здесь, дорогая. Ты в порядке. I'm so sorry, malyshka. I'm so sorry we couldn't find you sooner," She cried. Wanda just buried her head into her shoulder, frozen in place. "I'm sorry I let this happen in the first place."
Her voice cracked as she comforted the small girl, tears threatening to bubble over. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder, and one on Wanda's head.
"I'm so sorry, milaya. I'll never forgive myself for what has happened. Ever. But I promise it won't happen again. I promise I'll keep you safe from now on." She whispered into her hair.
Nat closed her eyes, finally letting a tear fall.
They finally had their daughter back.
She finally had her daughter back.
A/N:
Translations:
Дерьмо.- Shit
Чёрт побери.- Damn it
Детка- sweetheart, honey; a term of endearment
Я здесь, дорогая. Ты в порядке- I'm here, honey. You're okay.
-
We are nearing the end only one or two chapters left
Idk if anyone even reads my notes lol, but like I was saying at the beginning, I'm planning on writing another story after I finish this one up but I can't decide if I want to do a sequel to this story (aka plot) or just a compilation of Maximoff-Romanoff-Rogers one-shots set after this story, but are light-hearted and cute, kind of like how the beginning of this story was! Let me know what you guys think if you have a preference
Guys, once again, I'm sorry if I got a little carried away with the swearing lol.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a review!💖
xx