- Things have been busy around here for the last couple of weeks and so it wasn't easy for me to find the time to work on this chapter. I still find it amazing that I was able to write it at all.
- I can't wait to see the Obi-Wan Kenobi tv mini series when it comes out in May. Fortunately, it won't be too long of a wait for the first episode to be released.
Enjoy.
...
Peter carefully looked over the clothing once more before he put them into a box. The spy suits Yelena requested for him to make were ready. All that needed to be done now was to bring them over to her and Antonia. He just hoped they didn't decide to leave for Barcelona early.
"FRIDAY? I'll be heading over to Ukraine." The young Spider said as he put a lid on top of the box. "Could you let the others know if they ask for me?"
The A.I.'s smooth Irish voice spoke from above. "Of course. When will you return?"
"Soon. I'm not going to stay there for too long. Thanks, FRIDAY."
"You're welcome, Peter. Have a good trip."
He held out his left arm and began to spin his right hand around clockwise. Golden sparks of mystic energy flickered in midair before they linked together to form a portal. On the other side was the pathway that led to Melina's and Alexei's home. Lowering the sleeves of his sweater, Peter tucked the box beneath his arm and walked through the portal. The weather had grown a little colder around here since they left two days ago, making the goosebumps on his arms rise from the low temperatures.
He walked up to the front door and pressed the door bell once. A couple of excited barks could be heard coming from inside, making him smirk. Leave it to Fanny to be the first one to realize he was here. That sharp nose of hers must've recognized his scent the second his feet touched down on their driveway.
Alexei was the one who answered the door. Upon seeing Spider-Man, he immediately pulled him in for a big bear hug. "Greetings, Peter!"
He awkwardly patted the older man on the back. "Hey, big guy."
"What brings you here?"
"I came to deliver this to Yelena and Antonia. Are they home?"
The old super soldier pointed his thumb backwards. "They're in the tool shed, preparing the gear that will be needed for their mission. Come wait inside. I'll get them for you."
Peter entered the house, closing the door behind him. Alexei told the web-slinger to make himself comfortable before he headed for the tool shed out back. He sat down on one of the couch in the living room and put the box to the side. Fanny came running in a few seconds later, jumping up to greet him with her tail wagging.
"Hey, girl. How you doing?" He greeted, scratching her behind the ears.
The golden Akita licked his face a couple of times before she hopped onto the couch too and laid down next to his knees. Petting Fanny on the head, he relaxed against the soft cushions. She reminded him a lot of Fenris in New Asgard. Both of them were very affectionate canines once they got the chance to know someone they liked.
"Good afternoon."
Peter opened his eyes to see Melina waving at him from the doorway. She just came downstairs from her bedroom. "Hello. Uh, sorry for showing up so suddenly. I probably should've called you first."
She shook her head. "It's alright. Would you like some tea?"
"Oh no, that's okay. I won't be staying long. I'm just here to give this to your daughters."
The back door in the kitchen opened and a trio of footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. Yelena was the first to arrive in the living room. Dressed in light traveling attire, she carried a duffle bag over her shoulder. Packed inside was presumably some of her extra clothes...and the weapons she'd be using to kill that dirtbag leader of the Hydra cell.
The sight of Peter and her dog sitting together on the couch brought a warm smile to Yelena's face. "Welcome back. It's great to see you."
Rising to his feet, he grabbed the box. "Likewise. I'm glad I got here in time before you two left."
"How's my sister and the others?"
"They're fine. Wanda and the kids are still sleeping. Natasha's doing her morning workout with Maria in the training room."
Her younger sibling soon joined them with a backpack in her hands. She noticed the web-slinger right away and waved to him in greeting. "Hi, Peter."
"Hey, Antonia. Where's Alexei? I thought he came back with you two."
"Our father's in the kitchen, eating some of the leftover turkey sandwiches from our lunch."
Spidey chuckled. "I see. Anyways, I've finished making the suits that your sister asked for. Here you are."
He passed the box over to Yelena, who thanked him with a grateful nod. She removed the lid and found the two stealth bodysuits folded neatly inside. They looked similar to the one that Natasha wore during missions but there were a few subtle differences in their appearances. The first suit was light grey in colour while the second was mostly a dark shade of blue.
"Whoa...these look so cool." She murmured, touching the smooth protective fabric. "Which suit is mine?"
"The light grey one. Natasha said you wore a white stealth suit back when your family took down the Red Room. I figured it was best to stick to a similar colour...unless you want me to change it?"
"No, this is perfect. I like it. I've always looked better in light colours anyways."
Antonia grabbed hers from the box and held it up with both hands. Looking over the dark blue suit from top to bottom, she smiled at the overall design. The vibranium plating woven into the fabric was what made them bulletproof and protected the main vital areas of their bodies. It wouldn't hinder their movements in any way either, allowing them to hide and sneak through an enemy's base of operations with ease.
Her mother nodded in approval after she examined the outfit for herself. "They certainly look a lot nicer than our old spy suits. You've got a good sense of style, Peter."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. All I did was copy the one I made for Natasha and change the original design a bit."
"I think you're selling yourself short. Perhaps you could make one for me in the future."
"Uh, yeah. I can make another for you. Just let me know when."
Antonia smirked at their conversation as she carefully folded her new suit into a neat square. Yelena put her own back in the box and stuffed it into her duffle bag. She spared a glance at her watch. It was almost time for them to depart. They were heading for a private airstrip first and it would take at least an hour for them to drive there.
As the blonde Widow closed the zipper of her bag, she remembered there was a much faster method of traveling to Spain. "We really appreciate all your help. May I ask you to do us one more favour?"
Peter didn't hesitate to offer his assistance. "What do you need?"
"...Could you conjure up one of those magical portal to Barcelona? It'd save Antonia and I the trouble of having to travel long hours just to get there. We'd be able to begin our assault on the Hydra cell a lot sooner."
"No problem, though I think it's best if you arrive in a vacant part of Barcelona. Opening a portal right in the middle of the city would attract a lot of unnecessary attention."
Melina had a suggestion in mind. "There's an old safehouse just five kilometers outside the city. Alexei and I used it once while we were on a recon mission there a long time ago."
"That'd be perfect, мать. Do you have a picture of the place?" Her daughter asked, knowing what he needed to make those magical portals of his work.
The eldest Widow nodded and reached into her pocket to grab her phone. It took a few seconds for her to find the digital photo and display it on the screen. Made out of old bricks and wood, the safehouse appeared ordinary and inconspicuous. Most people would assume it to be little more than an abandoned building from a distance.
Spidey studied the image for a moment before he held out his left arm. "I think I got it."
Visualizing the details in his head, he spun his right hand around in a clockwise circle. Melina and Antonia watched in awe as a swirling gold portal suddenly appeared in their living room. The very same safehouse from the picture on her phone could be seen on the other side. It looked a little more aged than before but the house had been built to last and was fortunately still standing.
"There you go. All you both need to do is step through the portal and it'll close behind you."
Yelena pecked a chaste kiss on Peter's face before she hoisted her bag over her shoulder. "Thank you. I'll bring you back something cool from the city."
Peter smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. Good luck over there and be careful."
Nodding her head, she entered the portal. Her boots instantly touched down on the worn path that led to the safehouse. Antonia gave both her mother and Spidey a firm hug before she moved to follow her sister. Once their gear was unpacked and they were all settled, the two Widows would begin their hunt for those Hydra bastards.
...
"I can't believe how big your kids have grown."
Wanda looked up from her baby boy, who was suckling away at her breast. Sitting beside her on the couch was the CEO of Stark industries herself. There was a gentle smile on Pepper's face as she watched William feed on his mother's breastmilk. She and Morgan had driven over to the Avengers Compound for a visit. Tony didn't come with them. Apparently, he already made plans to hang out with Rhodey for the day.
The Scarlet Witch adjusted her arms a little so her son could be more comfortable. "I could say the same thing about your daughter. It won't be long before she's taller than her dad."
Just a couple meters away from them on the carpet floor were their daughters. Maybelle sat cozily on Morgan's lap as they read a storybook together. Her baby daughter seemed to like the seven year old girl a lot. She was sitting close to her without raising a fuss.
Pepper quietly laughed. "I don't doubt it. Just don't let Tony hear you say that. He's pretty sensitive about his height...or the lack of it."
Wanda chuckled along with her. She never would've thought the retired Ironman was self conscious of his height. William let out a quiet belch, his stomach feeling stuffed from all the breastmilk he just drank. The young Sokovian mother used the bib around her son's neck to wipe some stray milk off his lips.
"Would you like to hold him?"
"I'd love to."
The boy babbled something as Wanda passed him over to the Stark CEO. William immediately tried to grab onto her long red hair but she wisely moved her head back enough to be out of his reach. She knew from experience that it would be nearly impossible to free her locks from her surrogate nephew's grip if he ever got hold of even a single strand.
"Hello, sweetheart." Pepper kissed William on his forehead, making him giggle. "...How are you finding the responsibility of being a mother?"
Wanda looked at her twin children with a warm smile. "Challenging but definitely worth it. Peter and I do our best to be the good parents that our kids need. I think we're doing okay so far...though there's been a few moments where it felt like we didn't know what the hell we were doing."
"I know the feeling. Back when Morgan was still a baby, Tony and I stumbled our way through most of the problems that we couldn't prepare for."
"Like the occasional sleepless nights?"
The redheaded woman sighed as she nodded her head. "Morgan used to cry a lot during her first week home with us. Nothing we tried worked to calm her down so Tony and I could only take turns holding her through the night until she finally got tired. We later learned swaddling our daughter in a thin warm blanket was the best way to comfort her."
Wanda reached over to pat Pepper on the shoulder. "That must've been rough. Maybelle and William only wakes up in the middle of the night from nightmares or if they need to be changed. Peter and I just soothe our kids back to sleep by singing lullabies to them. That usually works most of the time."
"Lucky you two...have their powers come in yet?"
"No. We did discuss it with Dr. Cho and Hilde a few times. They weren't sure either but Helen believes our children's powers won't manifest until they're at least four or five years old."
Pepper's expression grew thoughtful. "Interesting. I wonder which abilities your kids will inherit from you and Peter."
"We wonder about that a lot too." The Scarlet Witch murmured, brushing some lint off her son's shoulder. "Peter thinks it's possible William and Maybelle might have a combination of both our powers."
"If that's the case, I feel bad for anyone that's stupid enough to try to bully them in the future."
Morgan stopped reading as a sudden bad smell wafted past her nose. The seven year old girl sniffed the air for a second...before she promptly held her nose. "Mommy?"
The Stark CEO focused her eyes on her daughter. "What is it, honey?"
"I think Maybelle just pooped herself."
Wanda rose to her feet and walked towards the two girls. Gently lifting Maybelle off of Morgan's lap, the strong horrible scent that met her nose almost made her throw up. Morgan was right...her daughter was in immediate need of a new diaper.
"Could you look after William while I go change Maybelle?" The young Sokovian mother asked.
Pepper nodded as she tightened her arms around the little boy. "No problem. Do what you need to do."
"Thank you. I'll be back in a minute."
She turned around to leave for the nursery but barely moved her right foot forward when a golden portal appeared. Her boyfriend stepped into the middle of the lounge area. It seems he just finished delivering those new stealth spy suits over to Yelena and Antonia. The portal barely closed when Morgan rushed forward to give him a big hug.
"Hi, Peter!" She greeted with a joyful smile on her cute face.
Spidey lifted the little girl up and hugged her close. "Hey, Morgan! It's great to see you. You're so tall now."
"I eat my vegetables and go to bed early everyday like mommy tells me to. They still taste icky though."
"Perhaps but vegetables are good for your growth and health. What's that smell?"
The Scarlet Witch stepped forward with their daughter in her arms. "That would be Maybelle...she just dirtied her diaper. I was about to go change her before you came back."
He placed Morgan back down on the floor. "I could do it if you want. You already changed William late last night so it only seems fair."
"I appreciate that. Thank you, Peter."
She carefully passed Maybelle over to him. The baby girl was happy to see her father and snuggled her small head into his neck. Wanda and Peter shared a brief kiss with each other before he turned around to make his way to the nursery.
The seven year old child followed her older brother. "Can I go with you?"
"Sure. Just hold your nose when I say so though...it's not going to smell great once I take off Maybelle's dirty diaper."
"Okay."
The young Sokovian mother smiled as she watched Morgan and Peter leave...it was always nice to see them spending time together. She turned her attention back to Pepper, who had an odd expression on her face.
"Is everything okay?" Wanda asked.
She nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm just a little envious of you and Peter. Changing diapers isn't pleasant but he's willing to do it for your kids. Tony was the exact opposite...in fact, he always tried to find ways of getting me to handle diaper duty all the time. I pretty much had to threaten him into changing Morgan at least once a day."
...
In Barcelona...
A quiet yawn escaped Yelena's lips as she leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms. It was almost time for her to turn in for the night. Antonia was already asleep in one of the two small bedrooms upstairs. She had just been doing some last minute cleaning of the firearms they'd be using. Reassembling the guns, the blonde Widow checked to make sure the safety switches were on before she placed them in their holsters. The bottle of gun oil and tools she'd been using were returned to their rightful places.
Melina kept this place well organized during her previous stays here and there was no way she'd do anything to mess that up.
The only thing on the table now was the box Peter gave her before they left their home in Ukraine. Their new suits that had been kept inside were now hanging in their closets. She and Antonia already tried them on earlier after they arrived at the safehouse. They were pleased to find that the stealth suits fitted well and were very comfortable to wear.
Yelena reached over to put the box away. Her arm paused in place when she felt some weight to it...there shouldn't be anything left inside. She removed the lid and found two leather sheathes sitting against the corner. Stored inside were a pair of new combat knives. There was also a small note taped on one of the handles. Her curiosity piqued, the Russian woman grabbed the bit of paper and read what was written on it.
'Natasha told me how you're both fond of using knives in battle so I made these for you as well. The blades have been laser sharpened to their finest edges and are well-balanced for throwing should the situation call for it. I hope they'll come in handy.'
Yelena set the note down before she unsheathed one of the knives. The blade was roughly twenty one centimeters in length and dark silver in colour. She tossed the knife around with nimble fingers. It traced graceful arcs through the air a few times before the blonde Widow caught the weapon by the handle and threw it at the wall.
It swiftly flew towards the spot she aimed at with almost no resistance. To her slight surprise, half of the blade easily embedded itself through the wall. Her lips curved into an excited grin...she could carve through an entire base of bad guys with this. Yelena went over to reclaim her new weapon from the wall before she placed it back into the leather sheath. These knives and the new suits were perhaps the coolest gifts both her and Antonia have ever received.
"Спасибо, Peter." Yelena whispered, thinking of her older sister's boyfriend. She swore to find a really awesome present for him in Barcelona after their mission was over.
...
- Swaddling is an age old practice of lightly wrapping a blanket around a baby. Apparently, it's an effective method of calming a upset child down enough so they'd be able to fall asleep.
- Till next time, folks. Take care.