"Alexi?"
…
As he was led into the room, Natalia caught sight of his fiery red hair (which was much like her own) and she was immediately intrigued. She leaned forward in her seat, smoothing her curly hair back. No one had told her who the mystery-man she was meeting was. All she knew is that she was set to wed him. There was no way to refuse the plans, or else she'd be executed or punished severely.
Then, the man appeared from behind the two Red Room guards and smiled at Natalia. His grin was genuine, if not a bit hesitant. He was quite tall, even compared to the buff guards next to him. The thing that stood out to her the most was his bright blue eyes. They caught hers, sparkling as if they shared a secret.
That was the moment when Natalia knew she had fallen for Alexi Shostakov.
…
It had been seven months since they tied the knot. The ceremony was informal, not even a priest had been present. Only a high-ranked KGB officer was there and neither Alexi nor Natalia had to say any vows. A small, gold band was placed on both of their fingers and the deal was sealed with a small peck on the lips.
Alexi, as was told to Natalia, was the one of the Soviet Union's most acclaimed test pilots. She was told that Alexi had seen footage of her in the Red Room and was impressed. He wanted to meet her straight away and surprisingly, the KGB agreed. Of course, Natalia questioned the laxness of the KGB, but every time she asked Alexi, he would steer the conversation away.
Natalia stopped asking questions after a couple months. She was ever-so consumed in her love with Alexi, that she'd paused her Red Room training. For some reason, Bogrov never complained about it. The other girls in the academy looked at her enviously as she was allowed to skip all the grueling exercises. She hardly noticed it though, always having her thoughts on Alexi.
Deep inside, she knew that it wasn't good for her, being so focused on a man. But she couldn't help but push away all thoughts of concern. Those long years she'd had with the Red Room had made her long for a break, so she knew she had to cherish the moments with Alexi while she had them.
Then one day, a Soviet official had told her that her husband had died.
The pain she felt was hidden away and she took the news with a blank face. Instead, she had turned her sorrow and hurt into determination during her training. Whichever girl she was practicing with that day left almost in tears. She'd seen the smug looks that some instructors had exchanged with each other.
One time, Natalia had snapped, and smacked a girl across the face after she'd heard her make a comment about Alexi. James Barnes intervened before Natalia could do any real damage against the girl.
"What the hell, Romanova?" he hissed, pulling her out of the training room. He led her to an empty room, closing the door behind them.
"The little bitch was saying how she's glad Alexi is dead." Red clouded Natalia's vision. When she saw Barnes' unsympathetic expression, she scowled. "It is not like you care, Barnes. I saw the way you looked at Alexi; like he was a worm."
Barnes' jaw twitched. He took a deep breath. "If you knew the truth, you would not grieve so much over your husband."
"Ex- husband," she corrected. "The truth? I know the truth. He is dead."
Barnes shook his head. "You do not know anything, Natalia. You think you do, but you do not. Do not lay a hand on me," he said quietly, as Natalia had raised a palm, her eyes flaming. "I am still above you, and I can subject you to punishment. I have been lenient with you already."
"Why have you been so kind?"
"In time, you will know. But I cannot tell you." Barnes laid a gentle hand on her tense shoulder. "Promise me something, Natalia." She nodded. "Do not go looking for a fight. Being in the Red Room, you will gain many enemies who will come for you. When you become the Black Widow, you will be in even more danger. I know that you can fend for yourself, but one day, there will be a force that even you cannot defeat.
"Alexi is- would be- proud of you. Do him a favour and do not try to get yourself killed."
After a moment of silence, Natalia looked at Barnes. "Did he truly love me?" she whispered, in such a vulnerable voice that she surprised herself.
"Yes, Natalia, I believe so."
…
21:53 27-AUG-09, RED ROOM ACADEMY
"Yes, it is I."
Alexi Shostakov was standing before Natasha. He was wearing a black suit, looking as dapper as he had when they had gotten married so many years before. He looked the same as Natasha remembered, only with a look of weariness in his blue eyes.
In any other situation, it would have been rather comical; the fact that three men -that she may or may not have had romantic feelings for- were in the same room with her. Clint was looking between her and Alexi with a look of bemusement. Barnes was still on the ground, unconscious.
"I thought you were dead," Natasha blurted out before she could stop herself.
"Did you?" Alexi made a show of patting himself down before saying, "I think that I am very much alive."
"Quit the games." Natasha looked up at her ex-husband. "Where have you been these years? You were supposed to have died in a rocket test."
He shook his head. "Oh, no, my dear. That was just a lie. KGB is quite clever sometimes. I am, in fact, known as the Red Guardian."
While at SHIELD, Natasha had looked through all known-enemy files, and had skimmed across one labeled Red Guardian. There was no other name, as SHIELD didn't know who was in the suit. Natasha made sure to fill out the identity as soon as she got back to the Helicarrier.
Clint had stayed quiet the whole exchange, not sure exactly what was happening. He scanned their surroundings, and saw that that Alexi was alone. With his puppet, Barnes, unconscious, and the guards in the same condition, he was alone for the moment. He wasn't keen on letting Natasha get so close to the Red Guardian (seriously, KGB was terrible with thinking of names), but nonetheless, he let his partner try to handle the situation first.
"What happened to you?" Natasha muttered, staring into Alexi's eyes.
"Bogrov was an idiot," he stated. When Natasha looked confused, he grinned. "You truly are a stupid girl, aren't you? Bogrov wasn't the leader of the Red Room. The ignorant man thought that the KGB had made him the head of the academy, when all along, it was me. It was always me.
"You see, I had been the one who gave KGB the idea to begin the Black Widow program. I knew that whoever was appointed the title would be worthy to become my wife. I chose you, even before you become the Black Widow because you were the only one I saw potential in. But then you started asking questions. You weren't as brainwashed as I hoped you would be, so I faked my death. I knew that my death would drive you further into the program."
The first reaction Natasha had to the story was to backhand Alexi. The loud slap echoed through the empty halls.
Alexi chuckled darkly, rubbing his red cheek. "I forgot how feisty you were."
"You lied to me," Natasha hissed, leaning close to him. "You bastard. I thought that you loved me, but that was all a lie."
"Yes, it was, Natalia." He gestured to the unconscious man on the ground. "When Barnes found out that I was alive, he tried to run off to tell you, but I stopped him. I placed a chip in his head, so I could control him whenever I wanted. Pathetically weak, if I could say so myself."
Alexi snapped his fingers, and Natasha heard a footsteps descending down the hallways. Seconds later, girls poured in around them, at least thirty of them with silver lining their eyes.
"You're a monster," Natasha breathed, taking in the sight of the mind-controlled girls.
"I prefer to be called ruthless." With that, he clapped his hands, and the girls began to converge on Natasha and Clint.
...
A/N: Thank you so much for those reviews! They make me very happy :)
I haven't read the comics, and I'm sure the majority of you reading this have only watched the movie, but I've changed a few things to fit with my story. Like, I know Alexi wasn't actually the starter of the Red Room and such.
Anyways, thank you my lovely readers!