Fifteen - Mind
Avengers Facility, Upstate New York - Earth
2023
When you had lived for one hundred years, you had a lot on your mind, as Sascha knew.
She knew this very well.
"I'll see you soon."
"Yup, you can count on it."
Sascha caught the moment between departing girlfriends, Captain Danvers and Nora Bane, as the captain left for yet another space mission. But she would be back; she always came back.
"You two are very sweet." Nora turned at the Russian accent to see her Russian Doppelganger.
The two ladies had bonded, not only because of being two semi-outsiders at the Avengers facility, and because of the mystery of their likeness of appearance, but because both were proudly in love with other women. Sascha had lost her love, Yelena, a few years prior and Nora's heart went out to her. She had lost Carol before because Carol had left to go back to space and that had been bad enough - she couldn't even begin to imagine losing Carol for good, and yet Sascha was living that reality every day in the wake of Yelena's death.
Sascha had always been nothing but supportive when it came to Nora and Carol's complicated relationship, and Nora found the Russian woman to be a close confidant.
"Thank you." Nora smiled, still blushing from her goodbye with Carol.
"I was just heading to check on Natalia - don't want her working herself too hard again."
"She's asleep in the boardroom."
"Ah. So I'm already too late."
"Nice thought though."
"Perhaps."
"Well I was just about to head to the kitchen and make myself a cup of tea - want to join?"
"Thank you." Sascha followed the other woman to the kitchen where Nora put the kettle on.
"Tell me about her, about Yelena." Nora paused, as though she regretted asking. "You don't have to, if it's too painful. Sorry, I wasn't thinking, asking that-"
"No, no, I love talking about her. She was my everything. We went through a lot together, survived a lot together. But, as Natalia says, nothing lasts forever - even the good things, the best things, unfortunately..."
Nora nodded sympathetically.
Footsteps signaled someone else's arrival - turned out it was Captain Rogers.
"I'm looking for Nat."
"She's asleep in the boardroom."
He nodded. "Again."
"Again."
"Have a good night you two," said Nora, taking her tea with her back to her room.
"Goodnight."
"Bye, Eleanora."
Cap took her place sitting across from Sascha, and the two super soldiers sat together in a strangely comfortable silence.
"People say the older you get, the quicker time moves. But these last few years have passed by like a snail." he broke the silence.
"Tell me about it." She could relate, of course.
He chuckled a little. "I thought there was no one like me. No one who could really understand."
"Oh, I do. More than you think." He was fiddling with his old compass, which he placed on the counter between them. She nodded to it. "Only I didn't leave my love behind in the past - I met her in the future. But I lost her as well."
"I'm sorry."
"I am too." She nodded, heaving a sigh. "Even a few years ago, it would have seemed impossible to be dealing with what we are now."
"Agreed."
"I had this mind thing - have this mind thing. I used to think it had something to do with the serum they used on me - maybe some of it did. But now with these Stones I know it's something different, something bigger - I didn't realize there could be something bigger."
"The future is full of surprises."
"It most certainly is."
And, according to her latest visions, the biggest surprises were still yet to come.
Nothing lasts forever.
Following Yelena's death, Sascha had thought she would never feel more lost than she had then. Or alone. Now, following Natalia's death, which she had allowed, that feeling was back.
Mama.
Papa.
Vera.
Misha.
Babushka.
Alexei.
Melina.
Natalia.
Yelena.
Her family. Her families.
She had thought she was alone before, but now she really was alone. Natalia had been the last link to her old life, and now she was gone as well.
She hadn't always felt so alone. Hadn't always been alone. Before the Red Room, before becoming a Black Widow, she had had a family, a mother, father, grandmother, brother and sister. The Aslanovs. But then her mother, father, grandmother, brother and sister had all been killed and she had been recruited. They had been at war then. Then, later, much later, she found Alexei, Melina, Yelena and Natalia. Natasha, as she was known here to her new family. But Sascha had always known her as Natalia. She had always been Natalia to Sascha and Yelena.
They became friends, and eventually more - they became a family of their own. And she and Yelena even managed to fall in love along the way.
But, as Natalia said, nothing lasts forever.
She barely had any time to mourn Yelena, and now barely any time to mourn Natalia. Her sister and her love, both dead and gone. Why was she always left the only one still standing? The last one standing?
But one of them had to die, had to sacrifice themselves in order to obtain the Soul Stone, and Sascha had tried but her sacrifice was not accepted. Only Natalia's was. And so here they were, here she was.
Nothing lasts forever...
Again, a little difficult writing this chapter on Sascha as I'm writing a full story for her as well (on hold because COVID delayed the release of the 'Black Widow' movie :( ), but here's a little something more for her!
And, on that note, I have reworked Sascha's backstory (as seen a bit here) which I'm going to add to her own story, so stay tuned for that! That way I can add something sooner to that story than waiting for the release of the movie to do so :)
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)
