NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Hello everyone! I know it's been a long while since I posted but I wanted to wait until Black Widow was released to get new ideas for the direction I want to take this story, especially since I'm using Florence Pugh as inspiration for Natasha's daughter. I had that idea in mind since they look alike and I know they can pass as sisters but going the mother-daughter route on this one. I also started a new job and have been going through some personal things that prevented me from my creative writing. I feel like I'm ready to get back into my writing routine. I appreciate your patience.

In my storyline, Yelena doesn't exist since I'm not following the cinematic universe exactly as it is. Even though I loved Yelena's character and the Natasha-Yelena sister relationship I always envisioned a storyline that involved Natasha having a daughter. I'm pulling bits and pieces of the storylines from Marvel cinematic/comic universe to make it my own version however again I state, I do not own any of these characters or the Marvel content. Just having fun with one of my favorite characters aka Black Widow.

After watching Black Widow and reading the comics, I learned so much more about Natasha and the Red Room so that is going to change how I'm taking this story a bit. Here is the rewrite for chapter one, and I had chapter two written already but after seeing the movie, I def need to change it lol we get to learn what happened in Budapest - finally! Which is a key part in the first few chapters as we introduce Natasha's timeline before the first Avengers. I also made a change in Natasha's daughter's name after some thought and wanted something a little more unique.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that I do not take credit or own the any of the Marvel characters, photos, or the plot lines of the Marvel cinematic movies, television, or comic universe addressed within "The Life of a Romanoff." The only character I claim and created is Anastasiya Romanova/Sasha Romanoff. There will be changes made to the storylines of each movie to align with the concept I have planned for integrating Sasha's character into the universe from my perspective.

Preface to "The Life of a Romanoff"

During her time in the Red Room, sixteen year-old Natalia Alianovna Romanova agreed to be part of a test experiment for the Black Widow program. The experiment would entail artificially inseminating Black Widow agents to provide the program with children they could mold into the perfect assassin. General Dreykov strongly believed having one of their top Widows would be the best choice as their test subject to determine if the Red Room could breed future Widow assassins. The experiment known as, "Project: Widow Offspring," would be the start of a new era for the Black Widow program, if successful.

Natalia was inseminated with a sperm sample that Hydra had on file from a previous super soldier serum experiment. The Red Room had ties with Hydra and were able to get a hold of the sample for their experiment but kept it hidden otherwise Hydra would want to get involved too. Natalia was never told who the biological father was or where the sperm sample came from. The kept her in the dark every step of the way. After only one insemination session, she successfully became pregnant and orders took into place. The agreement stated Natalia would watch over the child for the first five years of its life, then enter the Red Room program just like she did years ago.

At the beginning, Natalia thought of the child inside her as nothing but an experiment and proof of her loyalty to Dreykov. Of course, her decision in having this child was somewhat forced due to the brainwashing and manipulated influence the Red Room had on their agents. But she truly thought she was doing what was best for the future of the program and her duty to provide the best assets. She didn't understand what having a child meant since she was so young and didn't have a mother of her own.

Natalia understood the idea of love but never felt it herself. However, over the nine months of carrying the child, she felt a protective instinct towards her…she believed this could be love. Natalia internally smiled at every at ultrasound appointment, the first time she heard her daughter's heartbeat, and the first time she saw her baby's movement on the screen. She would sing to her swollen stomach every night to settle her daughter down and talk to her when she felt alone. Each day that passed and her due date approached, the love she had for her child increased as did her fear. She knew she made a mistake in agreeing to the experiment and handing over an innocent child to Dreykov. She was no better than her own mother that abandoned her on the street.

Natalia was torn. The maternal side of her wanted to do everything she could to protect her daughter and find a way out of this situation, but the assassin in her knew that the child was nothing but a science experiment for the program. Her daughter belonged to the Red Room, just as she herself did.

For the reader's reference in this chapter:

Natalia Alianova Romanova (Age - 21) & Anastasiya Romanova (Age - 5)

malyshka = baby girl

Italicized words are spoken in Russian

PROLOGUE: RUSSIA, 2005

Anastasiya Romanova was quite the intelligent child for her age. At only four years old she had a variety of skills that took people years to master but she was a quick learner. She spoke fluently, read, and wrote in Russian, English, Spanish and French. Her academic skills were compared to that of a ten year-old and more importantly, she was showing small signs of physical enhancements as a result of the serum. She never got sick and healed as a fast rate when injured, however other expectations of her enhancements have not yet shown. The Red Room expected Project Widow Offspring, or Project WO-1, as they referred to her, to be the top of her academy training class since she was the child of their top Widow, Natalia, and her DNA contained the super serum.

While living at the Red Room facility, Anastasiya was not aware of the life that she was created for, nor did she think that it was strange what her to day-to-day life consisted of. The 'others' as Anastasiya called them, conducted weekly tests and physicals and never called her by her name. They simply referred to her as Project WO-1. Natalia explained to her that these doctor's visits were important for her health and left it at that. She knew better than to ask questions, and Natalia was strict when it came to that.

Anastasiya understood that Natalia was her mother but never referred to her as that, she's always just been Natalia. The only reason she knew what a mother was is because Madame B referred to Natalia as such. She was too afraid to call her mother since for as long as she remember, she had called Natalia by her name. She cared deeply for Natalia even thought the woman showed very little affection towards her and kept a hard demeanor with her a majority of the time. She didn't think anything of it since she had nothing to compare their relationship to. But the little girl would catch her mother smiling at her, she would hear her sing to her in the middle of the night, and felt her kiss her forehead when she was sleeping. She felt in her heart that her mother cared for her too.

Madame B began training Anastasiya in ballet at three years-old to get a head start for when it came time for her to join the other young girls who were recruited for the Black Widow program. Anastasiya was currently in the ballet studio with Madame B, practicing her Demi-piles. The little girl's dirty blonde hair was tied into a neat bun which she sported with a black leotard with pink ballet slippers. Her emerald green eyes showed pure exhaustion. She was growing tired now since they had been dancing for over five hours without a break but hid her exhaustion as best as she could. Madame B told her only the weak break, and weakness was not tolerated with the 'others.'

"Anastasiya, point your toes outward, how many times do I have to remind you?" Madame B scolded.

The child quickly adjusted her position, "Yes, Madame B."

"Sloppy work, just like your mother was at your age." Madame B scoffed before continuing to count the Demi-plies she was doing.

Both Madame B and Anastasiya did not know that Natalia was leaned against the doorway of the room watching them, she had just returned from a two week long mission and was eager to see her daughter to make sure she was okay.

"She's not sloppy. If anything, she's a better dancer than I was."

Anastasiya turned her head in the direction of her mother's voice and smiled seeing the red head but it quickly faded remembering one of her mother's rules. Never show any type of affection in front of the 'others'.

Madame B also looked at the red head, "Natalia. I did not know you returned from your mission. You can take your daughter. She's done for the day." Natalia kept her hard gaze at the woman that made her life a living hell and even after failing her academy exams, still forced her into the graduation ceremony. She was intentionally trying to fail every test and Madame B saw right through her each time.

The older woman looked down at the girl, "I expect improvement by tomorrow, Anastasiya."

"I will, Madame B."

"You're free to go. I will see you here tomorrow at 10AM sharp."

Anastasiya nodded and walked over to where her mother was standing. Natalia put her hand on the girl's shoulder to lead her out of the ballet studio, making their way to the courtyard to their living quarters. As the Romanova girls walked through the courtyard, they saw a group of girls, a few years older than Anastasiya, wearing matching outfits and were gathered in a circle fighting each other. Natalia only shook her head knowing what they were doing while the blonde girl stared in curiosity. She always wondered why the girls were always fighting or why she wasn't able to interact with them. She knew there were other children that lived on the premises but wasn't allowed to speak to any of them. Madame B, the 'others', and her mother were the only people she had contact all her life.

"Natalia, what are they doing? Why are they fighting each other?" Anastasiya asked a little too loud.

"Shh." Natalia looked around to make sure no one heard and yanked the girl a little too hard towards her. "What did I say about asking questions, Anastasiya?"

She wanted to keep her daughter's knowledge of the Red Room to a minimum as much as she could before her childhood would be ripped away. The Red Room normally did not let their graduated students live on the premises but since Natalia had Anastasiya, they made an exception in order to keep the asset close.

They entered their living quarters which was a small room in a separate building away from the other living areas but there was enough space for them both. Natalia had her own room as did Anastasiya, a kitchen, living room, and bathroom. This was hardly a home but the little girl loved it because this is where she was able to be with her mother and spend time with her alone. No tests. No trainings. No others.

Anastasiya was filling in her mother on the past couple weeks. The assassin did her best to listen to her talkative daughter, but her mind was elsewhere since she returned from her mission. She knew in less than a week, her time with Anastasiya would be coming to an end. Her daughter would no longer be hers and it made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it. Knowing what her child will have to endure in order to be part of the program and the pressure she'll have to experience since she was created for that exact purpose.

Natalia didn't remember much of her mother. Her whole life she was trained to be a cold-hearted assassin and that' all she knew but whenever she was with her daughter, a switch turned on. Her maternal instinct kicked in. She tried so hard to be a good mother and not worry about her aliases or her maintain her hard demeanor. But she feared showing affection towards her daughter would lead to punishment. So she kept her distance.

"Natalia, do you know what tomorrow is?" Anastasiya asked for the second time since her mother didn't respond initially.

Natalia pushed her thoughts aside and returned her attention to her daughter. "Sasha, I told you when it's just us you don't have to speak Russian."

"Oops, I forgot. Sorry," Anastasiya, Sasha, said with the same broken English accent as her mother. Natalia loved her daughter's name, the Red Room allowed her to choose her name but felt that giving her the nickname Sasha was more intimate since only she called her that. On paper and in the Red Room, she'll always be Project WO-1 or Anastasiya. But to Natalia, she was her little Sasha.

"It's okay. I know you're still getting used to our rules compared to the 'others'," Natalia reassured her and gave her a small smile."So what's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is October 23rd which means it's gonna be my birthday! I will be five years old!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Are you sure it's tomorrow? I could have swore your birthday was last year," Natalia playfully said.

The little blonde scrunched her face, "Birthday's happen every year! You know that."

Natalia chuckled, "I know, I'm just teasing. You think I would forget your birthday? I'm the one that gave birth to you." And boy were those eighteen hours of labor the most painful hours of her life. She pulled the girl onto her lap and wrapped her arms around her, burying her nose into Sasha's blonde's hair. It smelled like vanilla with a hint of lavender. She wanted to take in these moments knowing they'll soon come to an end.

"Natalia, I love you all the way to the moon and back."

"Wow! All the way to the moon and back? That's really really far."

"Yeah, and I that's how much I love you." Sasha held her mother tighter with a smile. She was used to not hearing her mother tell her that she loved her but never questioned it.

Natalia had not told her that she loved her even though she wholeheartedly did. But saying those words out loud felt real, and with that came heartbreak if she ever lost her. She had never said those words to anyone and did not want to knowing that her child was going to be ripped away from her in a short amount of time.

"You know what would be a good idea?"

"What?" Natalia asked as she pulled away from the girl to look her into her green eyes. One of the few physical traits the girl inherited from her.

"You know how people have secret handshakes? What if we had a secret way to tell each other 'I love you' in only a way we know?"

"That's a great idea, Sasha. What should our secret thing be?"

"Hmmmm," Sasha tapped her chin in deep thought. "We should cross our heart like this—" She used her pointer finger on her right hand to draw an X on her chest where her heart is, "—and then point to each other."

"Like this?" Natalia also used her right pointer finger on her right hand to draw an X on her chest where her heart is, and then pointed at Sasha.

"Yeah! It's discreet enough so the 'others' won't know."

"I like it. You have a deal, little lady. That will be our secret way to say — to say how we care about each other."

Sasha held out her right hand, "If this is a deal then we have to shake on it."

The red head rolled her eyes playfully, "It's a deal." They shook hands, and Natalia looked at the clock. It was almost ten. "Okay malyshka, I would love to stay up late and keep talking but it's time for bed," She lifted the girl into her arms to carry her to her own bed. "It's way passed your bed time and you have to wake up early to meet Madame B."

"Aw, Natalia, no! I'm not tired," Sasha whined and pouted.

Natalia knew from Sasha's whining that the girl was more than tired. She couldn't imagine the trainings and tests the four, almost five, year old endured while she was away that drained her. "Sasha the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you'll wake up and it will be your birthday."

Sasha gasped in realization, "You're right. Okay okay I'll go to sleep. But can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Yes you can," Natalia pulled back the covers and set Sasha on the bed. The girl slide under the blankets as her mother laid next to her. "Alright are you settled in?"

"Yes," Sasha smiled but then remembered something important. "Wait I forgot Luna!"

"Where did you leave her?"

"She's in my toy box. I hid her from the 'others'," Natalia nodded and got out of the bed to retrieve Luna from her daughter's room. Sasha wasn't allowed to have many toys since they were believed to be distractions but her mother brought back a stuffed Siberian Husky from one of her missions when she was three that she slept with every night.

"Alright, here's Luna," Natalia returned to her room and jumped back into bed. Sasha happily grabbed the stuffed animal and held it close to her chest. "Thank you."

Natalia planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead and held her close to her chest as she settled for bed. "You're welcome. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Sasha was shocked that her mother kissed her forehead and holding her, she normally did that when she thought she was asleep. The girl shrugged it off and smuggled closer. She yawned and looked at her mother whose eyes were closed.

There were a couple minutes of silence before Anastasiya said, "I'm still not tired."

"Close your eyes and count to a hundred," Natalia said without opening her own eyes.

"I don't wanna count to a hundred."

"Well then tough."

"Can you play with my hair?"

Natalia sighed and opened her eyes, "If I play with your hair will you go to sleep?"

Sasha smiled and nodded, turning around so her mother had a better angle of her hair. She did this from time to time. Whenever her daughter had trouble sleeping or wanted affection, Natalia ran her fingers through her hair. The young red head began combing her fingers through the girl's dirty blonde waves and in a five minutes she was fast asleep.

However, sleep didn't come easy for the young assassin. She spent her time awake staring down at her little girl, admiring her sleeping form and all her features that she was going to miss so much. Sasha's dirty blonde hair didn't resemble her red curls but her daughter inherited other physical traits from her such as her green eyes, nose, and mischievous smirk that often got them both into trouble.

Natalia was happy that despite the circumstances of the life they lived, Sasha was still a happy and optimistic child. It pained her to think that part of her daughter's life would soon be over. In a week, she would have to sign away her parental rights to the Red Room like they agreed. Tears shed from her eyes and she kissed Sasha's cheek before closing her eyes. She didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, she wanted to enjoy the time she had with the only person that truly made her happy.

MEANWHILE IN WASHINGTON D.C. …

At the Triskelion, Nick Fury sat at his desk and looked conflicted almost. He spent the past few hours reviewing various files, reports, and photos laid out on the table of one other than the Natalia Romanova, the KGB's most elite spies and top student of the Red Room. The Red Room had been on SHIELD's radar since the 1920s but they have yet had a breakthrough to take down the program.

Nick was impressed by the young woman's abilities and kill count at her age. He could pinpoint her to be maybe nineteen, or twenty years old? Impressive but dangerous. The red head caught his attention after hearing stories about her eventful missions and time with the Red Room. Natalia was on his radar for over a six months now and saw her as a threat globally. He had to do something about it.

"Agent Hill said you wanted to see me?" Clint Barton said and he entered Fury's office.

Nick nodded and closed one of the files, "Yeah. I need you to pack your bow and arrows, Barton. You leave tomorrow morning for Russia."

"Yes sir," Clint walked towards Fury's desk. "What exactly is my mission?"

Nick handed a file to Clint. He opened it and saw a photo of a young woman with red hair in a black leader jumpsuit, with a gun pointed at a man. He read the name on the file, "Natalia Romanova, Black Widow.' And looked up at Fury who simply said, "She is."