Chapter 1
"Why couldn't they have gone to Spain? Or France. Anywhere but fucking Iowa," Nikolai muttered in Russian. Anastasia rolled her eyes at him as she looked around for traps– Barton was more than paranoid enough to have littered the grounds with them. "Couldn’t they have sent us in fall, at least," he continued. "Hide in a corn maze, eh? Give them a good scare."
"Hush, Nik. This is a mission. Treat it like one."
"Mission, my ass. It’s just bringing home disobedient pups." Nik stepped away from her, peering through shrubbery. Ana frowned. She hardly wanted to admit, even to herself, that they’d been sent on such a minor task– but she couldn’t deny the truth of Nik’s words, however crass. The Maximoffs had been led astray, and if the orders were to bring them home, then Ana and Nik could do no less.
If only Nik could keep his mouth shut. "Come on, Ana," he said, voice just a touch too loud. "Let's just get them and go."
"Or not?" On instinct, Ana drew her sidearm, whirling around to face the source of the voice– none other than Hawkeye, arrow nocked and expression deadly. Confusion flickered across his face as Ana turned, eyes searching, but his aim remained steady. "...Nat?"
"I'm your worst nightmare, old man," Nikolai snarled in English. In one smooth motion, Nik pulled out a knife and lunged for Barton. Somehow the man was quick enough to swing at Nik, catching him off balance and sending him tumbling to the ground, booted foot firmly between Nik's shoulderblades. Barton kept his arrow trained on her even as he moved, and Ana rifled through her mind for memories, files she’d seen, videos she’d watched-- if he thought she was the Black Widow, the Widow he’ll get.
"You're not going to shoot me, are you, Clint?" she asked, an amused smile painting her lips. His eyes only narrowed.
"You are not Nat." His tone was pure certainty.
How does he know? was about all Ana had time to wonder before he shot her gun right out of her hand. In a blurring motion almost too fast to see he whipped another arrow out, had it fitted to the string and pointing at her heart. "Start talking, Red. Who are you, and why do you look like somebody cloned Nat?"
Shit. "Barton." Ana swallowed, then spoke again, adding a faint rasp to her voice as her mental riffling grew more frantic– what had she done wrong?– "This is all just a misunderstanding."
His frown only deepened in response, bow drawing tighter. Ana twitched her fingers, gauging the distance from her to Nik, calculating the movements necessary to dislodge the archer and retreat with her brother. She shifted back on her heel, just the slightest bit–
There was a sudden whoosh of air and then a very familiar face grinning at her. "Ah, Pietro. I was hoping for a miracle." Ana watched for a change in body language, a different glint in his eyes – something. Why isn't he responding? This is supposed to work.
"You were? Sorry, not today," was his answer, giving her a smug look.
Ana took a shaky breath, carefully controlling her expression.
"Nothing more terrifying than a miracle," Nik ground out from beneath Clint’s boot. Ana let her eyes drift to him for the briefest of moments, before returning her gaze to Pietro’s growing smirk. Well, all options haven't been exhausted.
Ana took a deep breath, ignoring the way Pietro darted around her like an irritating mosquito. Her eyes narrowed further at Barton as the man pressed his boot down more into Nik's back, the latter groaning in pain. If her brother was compromised, she would have the Avenger's head.
"Pietro," Ana said, voice low, injecting it with all the confidence she could muster. "Remember why you were chosen." He stopped his blur of movement, blinking back at her. Ana let a smile twitch to her lips with a surge of victory. Of course. She’d known they could never get rid of that one.
"I’m sorry for this, my dear." The soft, familiar voice came from behind her. Ana tried to turn as darkness descended around her, frantically calling out to her brother as it swallowed her.
~~~~~~~~~~
When Ana woke, she knew something wasn't quite right. She kept her eyes closed listening for anything hostile. Instead she heard...quiet laughter? Her hands tightened convulsively. Beneath her fingers she felt well-worn cloth...a quilt. She sat up slowly, cautiously opening her eyes. Nik was on the floor, wrestling with a large dog; it had golden brown fur and was missing one of its eyes.
"What's wrong?" Nik asked her. He gently pushed the dog away and knelt in front of Ana. She could see the worry in his eyes as he took her smaller hands in his, his expression descending into a frown as he took in the odd expression on her features.
"I feel...strange...?" Ana's voice was shaky, more vulnerable than she'd ever heard in her life. This wasn't her; she wasn't a scared little girl. She was the quick thinker, the one that got them out of tight spots. Why did her mind feel so heavy, so wrong?
"What the hell did she do to you?" Nik growled. Ana watched helplessly as her brother stalked out of the room. She slowly stood and followed, keeping her hand along the wall. This isn't right. There's something VERY wrong here...
He must mean Wanda, Ana finally pieced together as she trailed Nik down the hall. There was a faint memory of hearing Wanda’s voice behind her before the world went dark.... but what could Wanda have actually done to her? She felt no pain. Ana wracked her brain for a clue as she wandered down the stairs into what looked like the kitchen. To her horror, Nik was towering over Wanda, his expression one of loathing and rage.
Nothing seemed right here. This was a Nik she didn't know; the real Nikolai wouldn't threaten to hurt Wanda. They were friends. Allies. Ana tried to think-- there must be some logical explanation for why Nik was behaving the way he was.
She could recall that she and Nik had been here to recover Wanda and Pietro, but why? What had they done that was so bad?
Wanda turned to look at her then, ignoring Nik despite the way he loomed over her smaller frame, a small smile on her lips, her eyes searching."Do you remember, Ana?" she said in her soft, lilting voice."You need to remember." Red light flashed in her eyes, and Ana flung out a hand, bracing herself on the doorframe as reality slid out from under her.
All at once she found herself standing in the middle of a more modern kitchen, a woman she had all but forgotten watching her, concern in her eyes.
"What's wrong, golubka?" the woman asked. Ana stared, baffled. How long had it been since she’d seen this face–fifteen? Fifteen years since she had last seen the woman, lifeless at the feet of a HYDRA soldier. Ana cocked her head, not sure what to make of what she was seeing. This was Mama, the woman who had raised her and Nik during their youngest years.
"You're supposed to be dead. I saw you!" she shouted. Familiar footsteps came up behind her. Mama stepped toward her, offering a smile– no. They’d killed Mama.
"You don't remember, Ana? Mama outsmarted them, saved us from that horrible life." This was wrong. This was absolutely WRONG. This wasn't Nik, and Mama most definitely wasn't alive. Nik wasn't reasonable, not like this–Nik trying to convince her of something was loud, passionate.
A knock at the door startled her from her thoughts.
"Sounds like your konfetka is here. Why don't you invite him in?" Ana slowly moved towards the door. This was wrong. She had no one but Nik.
When she opened the door, her blood ran cold. “You found me,” she whispered.
"Hey, baby. Been lookin' all over for you." Ward's predatory smile as he stepped into the house was the last thing Ana saw as she was yanked back to reality.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ana stumbled forward as the vision disappeared, straight into Nik's arms. She was breathing heavily, eyes wide with fear. She stared at Wanda for a long few moments before burying her face in Nik's shoulder. I'm not supposed to crumble; I'm made of steel.
"Are you out of your mind? You've destroyed her," Nik snarled at Wanda.
"Hey! No fighting in the kitchen, kid, it’s a bitch to clean up." Nik's head snapped over to glare at Barton.
"You know what, old man? You need to butt out of my business," he growled. "Nobody asked you to ruin my mission."
Clint raised an eyebrow. "Here I thought it was supposed to be a joint effort. Looked like your sister was doing all the work."
That definitely hit a nerve. Gritting his teeth, Nik hauled Ana into a standing position. "We have to go. Now."
Ana nodded, grabbing her brother's arm. Instead of leading her by her arm, Nik picked her up into a fireman's carry. She would have protested, but some instinct told her not to resist, that she wouldn't be able to keep up. Nik stalked towards the door, almost there when Pietro blocked his way.
"Pietro, stop. He will not listen," came Wanda's voice. Ana lifted her head, looking at Wanda. She could see the conflicted emotions in the other girl's eyes. Barton only watched her, analyzing her. She couldn't blame him; she was a monster, a threat. No matter how much Wanda had changed, it didn’t mean Ana would ever be anything but a weapon.
Ana could feel Nik's body language soften minutely, the way the muscles in his shoulder relaxed. "Play along," Nik whispered to her, letting her slip to the ground.
"Come now, Nikica. Cool your head and think for once, eh?” Pietro’s tone was no less sarcastic than they remembered it, but there was something kind in it as well.
"I just want to protect her, Pietro. I can't do that here. Peace?" Nik rumbled. He stuck his hand, body-language carefully calculate to display cautious friendliness. Don't do it, Ana thought. Don't be stupid, Pietro, please.
Pietro took Nik's hand and was wrenched forward a moment later, nose connecting with Nik's forehead. He groaned, stumbling back.
Nik grinned just as Barton walked up behind him, an audible click sounded right behind his head. Ana's eye widened at the sight of Wanda's hands aglow, red light floating. "Ana, come with me. We can fix this," her brother said softly.
"Nik... I'm safe here," Ana said softly. "But if you need to leave…go. I understand." His entire demeanor changed as she spoke, the arrogant front falling, leaving behind only a lost boy.
"...you want me to leave…?” He covered the wounded look quickly, but Ana could still see it in his eyes. “Fine,” he growled as he backed towards the door “I hope you're right." With that, he turned and bolted.
"I think he broke my nose," Pietro grumbled, voice nasal and whistling. He stood as still as possible as his twin assessed the injury.
"I'm sick of HYDRA's punk-ass little shits," Hawkeye mumbled before taking off after Nik.
By the time he returned, Ana was seated at the kitchen table, a blanket draped around her shoulders and a mug of tea in front of her, Pietro sitting across from her with an ice pack held to his nose.
"Little fucker's too fast. What the hell did they pump him up with?" Hawkeye was addressing Ana, but Wanda answered.
"The usual enhancements given to HYDRA soldiers. His genetics only added to that."
Ana looked up at Wanda, clearing her throat. "What did you do to me? Something's wrong."
Wanda kneeled down in front of Ana, reaching for her hands. Ana hesitantly complied, looking between the three people surrounding her.
"I helped you, Ana. I... I sheltered you, from all that rage, that pain..."
"You taught me rage! Stark–"
"I learned. The people who sent us are wrong, dragi. They've always been wrong. I can help you see."
"You mean to change me more." Ana's eye hardened, untrusting of the girl she once considered her sister.
Wanda sighed, a sad sound. "Perhaps it was wrong, but would you have listened any other way?"
"I might not listen now." Ana pulled her hands from Wanda's grasp. She couldn't walk away, not yet. A base part of herself told her to listen, but she also didn't want to.
"But you're still here, sestra. If nothing else, I have that."
Ana couldn't say anything to that. She was still here, still listening. She didn't feel angry, though. That was Nik's job. She just wanted things to be back the way they were. It was simple, just her and Nik.
Wanda stood up and gestured to Pietro and Barton. Ana watched silently as the small group exited the kitchen. Whether it was for them to confer privately or to give her a moment of peace to reflect upon everything that had just occurred, she wasn’t entirely certain.
Staring down into her mug of tea Ana was lost in her own world, her mind whirling as she contemplated Wanda’s words. A loud knock echoed through the silent farmhouse, jerking Ana from her reverie. She waited to see whether or not one of her hosts would answer the door.
When they didn't, Ana slowly stood up, making her way over with the blanket still draped around her shoulders. Is this a test? Why aren't they stopping me? As she reached for the handle, the door swung open. For a moment Ana’s mind, still fuzzy, thought it was Barton and the Maximoffs; after a moment she realized she was staring up at Captain America. Her eyes darted to the figures behind him. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, and–
Ana stumbled backwards, eyes wide with fear. No. I'm supposed to be safe. Why is he here? No, no, no...
Captain America's eyebrows arched as he glanced from Ana to the Black Widow.
"I don’t suppose when he called that Clint mentioned one of his ‘guests’ could pass for you in a pinch?" he slowly asked Widow, voice tight.
"No, and we might need to have words about lack of information," the Widow responded, not taking her eyes from Ana’s. They were, Ana noted in the part of her mind not currently screaming, exactly the same color.
The third figure climbed the steps slowly, every heavy tread of his boots like a fist wrapped around her heart. She knew she should run, but her every muscle was locked, her fingers trembling where they held the blanket together. He hadn’t changed in seven years. His dark hair was tied back from his face, and he wore civilian clothes, but the same bright blue eyes stared at her. Ana swallowed against the terror rising in her throat, bile on the back of her tongue. The Winter Soldier leaned past Captain America and the Black Widow, mouth set in a hard line.
"...who,” he rasped, "the fuck is this?"
For a moment, the world was very still, and Ana felt as though she could feel time itself pause. She blinked back at him.
Then, for the first time in her life, Anastasia Lucaovna Ivanova dropped to the floor in a dead faint.