Disclaimer: Do not own Black Lagoon

Warnings for past rape and abuse and torture

Unexpected path

Balalaika knew better than most, that life could take you down the most unexpected paths.

Often down horrific paths that would mold you into a shadow of your former self.

One unexpected path too many, and you suddenly were torn out of your old life, in a warzone, seeing your comrades killed, captured, tortured, beaten, burned, raped….

And eventually, winding up in the city of the dead.

However, it appeared that Balalaika's life had taken another unexpected turn, hadn't it?

Balalaika looked down at the bed where her lover and…their children lay.

The bed was very large, and easily could accommodate all four Revy, the twins and Balalaika herself.

The twins, Hansel and Gretel were asleep and both of them were snuggled into Revy on either side of the gunslinger, and Revy was also asleep, one arm around each twin.

It was night now, and the few lights Balalaika had put on, to see Revy and the twins, didn't wake any of the occupants in the bed.

Then again, that fact didn't surprise Balalaika about Revy-Revy could probably sleep through a tornado.

But Hansel and Gretel were lighter sleepers. So, Balalaika had taken her high heels off, before entering the room and carefully switching on the lights.

She watched the three occupants in the bed-her family.

She never would have thought that she'd end up here in Roanapur, as a mob boss, with her comrades, who had fought alongside her in the Soviet and Afghan war.

But she never had thought that she'd end up being in a long-term relationship with the young woman that lay between the twin children, or her and this gunslinger adopting two traumatized Romanian children, either.

But here they were now.

Balalaika smiled, the expression far from being without a great deal of fondness and affection.

Something close to actual humanity sparked often when Revy was in her arms. Something she thought she would never feel again.

And when she and her men had captured these two traumatized children, children so like Revy, in a way, in how they were discarded and violated-perhaps in a way, they were so like Balalaika for that, as well, she had been hesitant at first, but still found herself asking Revy if she wanted the two of them to more or less "adopt" the kids.

This was Thailand, it wasn't legal for two women to be married or to adopt children.

But Roanapur, in a way, was its own country. And Balalaika, in a way, was a queen of that country. So, Balalaika and Revy, in a way, had been married. And they had in a way, adopted Hansel and Gretel.

Nothing was necessarily official here-but that was essentially what had happened.

To Balalaika's surprise, though she hadn't had any real doubts, Revy was a good parent.

Well, as good a parent as one could be when raising children in Roanapur.

Revy was attentive, affectionate, would remind them that if anyone, adult or another kid tried to touch them sexually, they were more than in the right to kill that individual, and promised the kids that even if the kids didn't do it, as soon as the kids told her or Balalaika about it, that person would either be riddled full of holes, or their body would never be found.

Revy and Balalaika also made it clear that no, the kids were definitely NOT to touch each other sexually. Ever.

Revy, to Balalaika's further surprise, had watched her violence. She would protect the kids and would do her job, but would be careful how much the kids saw when she went on her job, killing.

She and Balalaika both knew that Hansel and Gretel would always be damaged, always be traumatized.

But Balalaika seeing Revy making actual efforts to try to not to add onto the children's beliefs that death and violence were the only things that were important in this world, had only increased her intense, unflinching love for the young gunslinger.

Whenever the kids had a nightmare, and they would wake up, shaking, likely suffering from memories of what happened to them in the orphanage and of the people that bought them through the black market, memories of what the adults and the other kids did to them, Revy and Balalaika would go to their bedsides, but give the twins their space, knowing it probably wouldn't be a good idea to touch them, given the nightmares the children had, not wanting to make the children panic, thinking they were being attacked again.

And Revy often, was the one that could get them to calm down.

The first time this had happened, almost two years ago, Revy, much to Balalaika's surprise, had kept her voice soft and had instructed both kids to look around the room, and describe three things they could see, two things they could hear, and one thing they could taste, and for them to take deep breaths, and after ten seconds, release those breaths.

Hansel and Gretel had after a few seconds, done this, both of them inhaling deeply, then after ten seconds, releasing those breaths, and describing what they saw in the room, what they heard and what they tasted.

Eventually, they calmed down and let their mothers hold the two girls.

Yes, two girls-Hansel and Gretel, as it turned out, were both biologically girls, they had only called themselves "brother and sister" to fit one of the sexual fantasies of their captors had regarding the story of "Hansel and Gretel."

Hansel and Gretel weren't even their real names, needless to say, but they both had kept those names, deciding it fit them, good as any, after everything.

Balalaika was somewhat troubled by that, that the two children kept the names that the twins' abusers had called them, but she had chosen not to broach the subject with the twins, unless the children wanted to talk about it.

After Revy and Balalaika were able to get the twins back to sleep, thankfully this time, a peaceful sleep, Balalaika and Revy went into the hallway, where Boris, Matvei, Taras, Polansky and Eugene had stood at the ready, having arrived there as soon as they had heard Hansel and Gretel's screams.

They had witnessed the whole thing.

Revy had been around Balalaika's men long enough to be able to recognize emotions in their eyes and faces.

So, despite the men's strict faces, she had seen how impressed they were.

Balalaika knew they were impressed, because Balalaika recognized those expressions.

Matvei asked, "Where did you learn that? The way you calmed the children down?"

Revy shrugged, looking mildly awkward, as she said, "Uh, I sometimes looked up stuff on Benny's computer about calming techniques. Figured they'd be useful after we took the kids in."

Balalaika had chuckled.

She knew that Revy had learned those techniques long before they had taken in the twins.

Balalaika had had nightmares and panic attacks in the past, and Revy had soothed her much in the same way that she had the children.

It seemed that Revy always was full of surprises.

Balalaika watched Revy and the twins sleep, and she went to the bathroom to begin to change into her nightclothes.

This was never the path she thought she would end up on.

But it was something she would never give up.

Her men, Revy, the children-she would slaughter the entirety of Roanapur, if that was what it took, to keep them.