Him
Natalia Romanova
~~~
A few months passed with little intel for Natalia to bring back. The Count is a clever man and normally Natalia wouldn't mind a long mission with a domestic life attached but with Nova waiting in the Red Room she cannot wait to get back.
It's laughable really how much she wants to go back to the Red Room. Not even the thought of leaving Dawn with her hellish parents makes Natalia want to stay.
~~~
"Nova," Natalia whispers into the cell phone. Natalia makes time every week to call her little love
"Natalia you've called!" Nova squeals and Natalia grins.
"Of course I called. Now tell me sweet one how are you?" Natalia inquires as she opens her hidden laptop to enter the days findings. Often Natalia has to multitask when she calls Nova.
"I'm very good Natalia, everyone is taking care of me," Nova replies then pause before sucking in a deep breath. "There are seven new escorts here Natalia and they aren't nice." Natalia freezes and her blood runs cold. New escorts are never good.
"What happened to the old escorts?" Natalia asks even though she already knows.
"The ones that couldn't beat the new ones died trying," Nova responds and Natalia's breath hitches. "James made it out thankfully." A huge sigh of relief escapes Natalia's lips and she smiles.
"That's good."
"One of the seven has a mark," Nova says and Natalia furrows her eyebrows in confusion. The Red Room burns marks off.
"They do? How do you know?"
"He killed someone when they tried to burn it off. His soulmate is Dolly." Natalia hums at this new information. This can't be good for the Madams.
"Really? That's an interesting twist," Natalia muses.
"Dolly want to destroy the Red Room with him," Nova blurts out with a shaky voice and Natalia sits straight up. If they fail all the girls will be slaughtered and if they succeed the girls will disappear like they've been taught.
"Nova you stay with James or Wren if anything happens, promise me you'll stay with one of them." Nova pauses too long for Natalia who nearly screams in frustration. "Nova please promise you'll stay with Wren or James."
"Natalia I promise... But I want to stay with you." Tears slip down Natalia's cheeks at Nova's soft words and she manages a watery smile.
"I'll come for you soon Nova, I will always come for you," Natalia vows. "Always."
~~~
"Tell me about soulmates," Dawn prompts and Natasha chuckles. The pair are feasting on a breakfast of waffles and milk.
"What do you want to know sweetie?"
"When do you get your soulmark?" Dawn asks naively.
"When you turn eighteen," Natasha replies simply.
"What is yours?" The question is so innocent yet has such a long answer. Natasha pauses to long so Dawn asks again. "Do you have one?"
"I do yes," Natasha says. "Mine says 'Hello it's nice to meet you' rather generic unfortunately." Of course it's a lie, everything about Natasha is a lie. The Red Room has routine soulmark lies for the girls and even if needed temporary tattoos.
One of Natalia's real soulmarks will certainly be 'What's happening?Why am I here?' curtesy of Nova.
"So you haven't met your soulmate yet?" Dawn concludes and Natasha nods.
"I hope too meet them soon." It isn't a lie, Natasha does want to meet her soulmates, all of them.
Secretly Natalia is saddened by her inability to see them like Nova does.
Sometimes in the silence of night when Nova isn't there to keep her up with questions Natalia worries over them. She worries that she isn't really Nova's soulmate and she waders if she really has two other soulmates. What if she's too much of a monster to have a soul much less a soulmate?
~~~
"Nova are you alright?" is the first thing Natali asks when her girl picks up the phone.
"I'm okay, Wren is taking care of me and the other girls are too," Nova replies. "There hasn't been more talk of destroying the Red Room yet."
"That's good," Natalia sighs. She has to be there to protect Nova when it happens.
"It just feels unsettled here," Nova whispers.
"How so?"
"All the girls are here except you, none of them have gone on any missions lately, the Madams are barely around, the girls have stopped doing ballet all together, and Rena and Dana openly kiss each other."
The Madams are slowly losing control, not long now and the Red Room will completely fall apart.
"That's concerning," Natalia murmurs. "Keep clinging to Wren and James and you'll be safe. I'll come for you as soon as I can."
As she speaks Natalia enters her days entries and very much embellishes the intel. She need to be done with this missions before it all falls apart.
"I will Natalia I promise." Their conversation silences before Nova breathes in deeply. "I saw him."
Natalia doesn't have to even ask to know who she's talking about. Nova finally saw their second soulmate.
"What's he like?" Natalia asks curiously.
"He's strong, he has kind eyes, he's very soft, and he has amazing aim," Nova responds wistfully. "I just know he'll love us, all of us."
"He sounds amazing. Did you draw him?"
"I did yes, he's scared in the picture which was worrying but the in the next one I drew he's smiling. I can't wait to meet him," Nova replies and Natalia can clearly imagine the dreamy look she's wearing. Nova is just like any other twelve year old kid; wide eyed and wishing for their soulmate. It's refreshing really and quite endearing. "I can't seem to get his name though."
"I'm sure it will come sweet Nova. Till then how's Maria?" Natalia questions and smiles.
"I'd say she's doing well Natalia. In all the pictures she has her hair down and she wears a very no nonsense expression. I think she's a little older than us but I don't mind."
"I don't mind either." It's a lie, if she's older then that means she possible has the marks and she'll have to feel them get burned off Natalia.
Natalia squeezes her eyes shut and prays the Red Room falls and prays to keep her marks. Now that there's a chance she can keep them there's nothing she wants more, besides Nova's safety.