So this isn't a part of my Mirage series. Just a deleted scene of sorts. I had this thought yesterday at work. Well, a thought that ties into one of my theories for the Black Widow.
So my theory is that at the end of the movie, when Ross is coming for Natasha, Yelena tells her to leave her behind so Ross has someone to capture. Which makes Natasha upset because she felt guilty about leaving her behind in the Red Room. But Yelena gets her way and Natasha escapes while Yelena gets caught.
Now wherever Yelena's at, that clip I think from the last trailer where she's strapped down, I think Tony comes and rescues her. But either Natasha or Yelena makes him promise not to tell anyone about Yelena, Melina, and Alexei. He promises. Cut to Endgame where Tony asks if she had any family. I think he asked that to see if Natasha ever told Cap and crew about her Widow family. Since Steve says us as in the Avengers, Tony doesn't say anything. Now considering Tony dies, there is no one to tell the Widow family about Natasha's passing. So my thought? How do they find out?
So by what I just told you, you can guess what you're about to read. Yes, you are right. A oneshot of the Widow family finding out about Natasha's death. It seriously made me tear up at work just imagining this. Read on!
The tremendous pressure on the brakes caused the truck slide to a halt on the side of the road as Alexei slammed the stick into park, fumbling for the radio as Yelena's sobbing voice seemed to echo in the cab from the phone's tiny speaker.
It couldn't be. He had just talked to her but a few days ago.
"…many knew Stark as the Merchant of Death for his involvement in warfare development but that all changed after his kidnapping in Afghanistan back in 2008 where upon his return he shut down the weapons division of his company. Now he is known as Iron Man, a member of the Avengers, formed back in two thousand-twelve along with Rogers. The third and last casualty was a member of the original Avengers as well but also one of the least known. Russia's very own daughter, Natalia Romanova, known to the rest of the world as Natasha Romanoff, was confirmed to have died in the battle for the Earth. Romanova was an former and unwilling operative of the now dismantled Soviet-run Red Room…"
The radio faded out as all of Alexei's strength left him. No. No. It couldn't…no. Just. No.
"I can't get a hold of Mama. She's not answering phone. I don't know what to do!"
Yelena's frantic voice snapped Alexei back into focus, making him push back the grief that threatened him. He needed to be strong for his girls.
"Lena, you come home." He did not mean for his voice came out gruff, his control barely holding on. He took a moment to calm, to soften his speech into something gentle, comforting. "I'll take of your mother. You just come home, yes?"
He could hear the small hitching breaths over the phone settling, slowing down enough that he was able to hear Yelena's response. "Yeh Papa. I'll…I'll be there soon."
The dial tone made him nauseous. Alexei snapped the phone shut, throwing it to the truck's floor. Now alone the large man grabbed the steering wheel, the plastic creaking under his grip.
Not again, he didn't know if they could do this again. That moment five years ago had frightened him to his core. Seeing people disappear at the job site, some reaching out for help. It still haunted him.
Once he'd been sure he too wouldn't vanish, Alexei had dropped everything and left. He couldn't go home to check on Melina, couldn't call Natalia or Yelena. He could only do what needed to be done, what everyone had agreed to. If something happened, they would go to ground, travel to the safe house to meet up. If they couldn't make it or were out of the country they would call, constantly checking in every hour until someone answered from their hideaway to confirm.
He had reached the empty home in the middle of nowhere after three hours of driving. There had been no cars or any indication that Melina had arrived first. He'd been terrified at the thought of waiting in the empty house by himself, wondering if Melina would show up or his daughters would call.
His breath had been stolen from him when he'd opened the door and Melina had thrown herself at him, trembling and in tears. Natalia had called half an hour later. She had tried, tried so hard, but it hadn't been enough she'd whispered to them. Some of her team had vanished but she was alive, shaken yes, but alive.
Yelena's call had never come.
They'd found her phone in a safe house she favored, empty for the ashes that remained.
And now years later, only a couple days ago, people began appearing. Those who had vanished. Natalia had told them that her and her team were making a plan. A plan to bring everyone back. To bring Lena home.
Alexei's lost child had finally called. Confused but alive. Melina and he had held each other, sobbing in relief, in joy. They had their daughter back.
And now, as he drove off the shoulder and toward home, they had lost the other one.
~~~Tali~~~
"Melina?" He called out, closing the front door. The house was near silent except for the low sounds coming from the living room. As he walked deeper into his home the noise, voices from the TV it sounded like, became clearer. It was a news report. Stopping at the doorway Alexei took in the scene.
"…press release from Pepper Potts-Stark, CEO of Stark Industries, confirmed that Steve Rogers, known to many as Captain American and her own husband Tony Stark, known as Iron Man, were killed in the attack. It was also confirmed that one of our own, Natalia Romaova, known outside of Russia as Natasha Romanoff, was also killed in the battle. It was the actions of the Avengers that was credited to the return…"
He looked away from the TV to the woman who stood frozen in the living room, laundry basket at her feet, folded clothes on the couch with one of Alexei's shirts clutched tightly in her shaking hands.
"Melina…"
His voice didn't startle her, she had no doubt heard his truck roaring toward the house, but she gave no reaction to his presence other than a further tightening of her fingers.
"Melina." Finally she turned slowly in his direction, eyes blank but red with tear trails curving over her cheeks to her jaw. He felt his chest tighten in pain. "Melina…"
He stepped forward, trying to ignore the flash of hurt when she took a step back, away from him. Her eyes started welling again, lips quivering and shaking her head as she took more steps away from him.
"No…"
He barely heard the whispered, broken plea even as he drew closer to the brunette. "Meli-"
"NO!"
It was shouted with such venom, such agony, it nearly sent him to his knees. The shirt she'd been clutching was thrown in his face but it did nothing to stop him as he wrapped his arms around the screaming woman.
"No Alexei! No!" She began hitting his chest, flailing and struggling to be released. "Let me go! Let me go Alexei! Let! Me! Go!"
He tried soothing her even as she smacked at his face. "Melina…"
"No! No Alexei! No! No! Please… please no!" Her angry denial tampered off, her hits weakening and changing into desperate clinging. Her angry ranting morphed into loud, heaving sobs as her knees failed her and he gently eased them to the floor together.
"No Alexei! Not-Not my Tali. Please…please not Tali! Alexei, please not my Tali!" Melina wailed, shaking her head in denial and taking gasping breaths as she screamed, quaking in his arms.
Alexei's own tears spelled over, pain lancing through him as he cradled his wife against his chest, the realization, the pain of losing their daughter settling and festering within them. "I..I have you Love. I have you." His voice breaking and hitching in grief.
She was deaf to his words, merely dug her nails into his back, holding on tightly as her hiccupping howls of anguish drowned everything out, seeping into the very walls, the foundation of their home. "Tali, my-my Tali Alexei. Not…not my Tali. Please, please not my Tali…"
So yeah. There you go. Funny thing is that as I was imagining all this, Alexei coming home and seeing Melina in the living room watching the news, her freaking out and just bawling on the floor. I didn't notice that I basically recreated the ending of La Bamba. That was not my intention. I was gonna change it because of that. Maybe her in the kitchen making food, the knife she's holding shaking as she watches the news. But I liked my original scenario, even if it was basically the ending of La Bamba, so suck it. Hope I ruin a few peoples days. That was kinda the point. Laters! -Mez