Black Widow

YELENA KEPT HER BREATHING STEADY, HER BODY TENSED IN ANTICIPATION OF AN ATTACK. Her mind raced, several strategies running through her head. If someone came on her from her right, she would focus on their pressure points and take them out quickly. However, if they came from the left, where they could see her if they caught a glimpse of her, she would take out the target with a single shot to the head. If they came out from anywhere else, for example, a ceiling vent (or a tree as she was outside), she would swerve out of the way, taking their legs out from them before they could stand up. 

If the mission required her to be merciful, she would simply knock them out. If she needed to kill the target, she would kill them with a single shot. Finger twitching on her gun, the girl listened closely for any sound. However, the click of the safety coming off from someone’s gun alerted her that someone was there. Pulling out her gun, she turned around calmly and met the amused gaze of Natasha. 

“This feels like a stand-off in a western movie — all we need is tumbleweed to really set the mood.” The blonde commented, her lips quirking up in a smirk. Natasha chuckled, moving forward slowly. “If only we were southern.” Without warning, Natasha struck. 

Shoving her leg forward, Natasha struck the young girl’s side. Mentally, Yelena knew that older girl was holding back, but damn — that kick to the ribs really hurt. Grunting in pain, the blonde hit the girl’s knee, throwing Natasha’s leg over her shoulder, knocking out the girl’s left leg. 

Using her free leg, Natasha swung her foot forward and hit the young in the face, quickly using her momentum to swing her other leg out and throw Yelena onto the ground. Flipping up into her signature pose, Yelena teased Natasha, “Poser…” before cartwheeling out the way of a knife to the calf. 

The Sisters seemed to have the same thought, grabbing their retractable batons and hitting them open. Letting out a yell, Yelena used the baton as a way to kick herself off the ground. Wrapping her thighs around the older girl, she used all of her upper body’s strength and hit the girl’s head. Grunting, Natasha flipped her body back, flinging the body off and into a pile of leaves. Coughing, Yelena rolled onto her side. Natasha stalked over to the blonde, her gun pointed out. Fickling safety back on, Natasha tucked the gun back into the elastic of her pants. Holding a hand out, Yelena huffed and moaned as she pulled her bruised body up. 

“You did pretty well, although you're very reckless with your moves, which resulted in you getting flung everywhere. You’re not gonna have weapons on you all the time, so I would’ve liked to see you improvise a bit. But all in all, you did well.” Natasha complimented, her hands tucked in the pockets of her yoga pants. 

Yelena flushed, her chest puffed in pride. She knew that she was reckless with her fighting, but… back when she was in the red room, that’s what they said was what made her so unique. Madame Red often said, “her ruthlessness will mold her into the perfect widow — the new face of the Black Widows.” 

Her mood dropped as she thought of her past, her lips forming into a frown. “Hey,” Natasha placed her hand on the shorter girl’s shoulder, a look of concern on her face, “You okay?” 

“Yeah…” 

Natasha was quiet, assessing the situation in front of her. Yelena always hated that about Natasha, her skill to assess a situation in seconds… It was annoying. “You wanna get some ice cream? I also have a gift card to the bookstore in Knockturn Alley — it’s got a lot of illegal shit.” 

Snorting, Yelena ran her fingers through her curly hair with an amused smile on her face. “You know how much I love illegal shit.” 

Sharing a look, the two girls clasped their hands together and made their way back inside. 

Natasha let out a sigh of annoyance, flopping onto her back as she stared up at the ceiling, her eyes trailing over the constellations that were charmed onto the ceiling. Her body was tense, her mind sharp. She felt as if something was wrong, her stomach flipping around. She listened for anything that could be a sign that something could be wrong, her fingers grasped at the gun underneath her pillow. She knew that a wand would probably be better if it was a wizarding world problem, but it was on her side table and she could potentially pull attention to herself if someone was watching her. 

At least with the gun, the pillow was at her side. She could also feel the comforting and cool touch of a pocket knife touching her thigh, which was hidden underneath her pajama pants. Hearing the faint sound of apparition outside the townhouse, Natasha turned her head towards the window, narrowing her eyes. 

Who the hell were they, the redhead thought. With her advanced eyesight, she was able to see the features of one of the members. Wild, curly hair was seen flowing from the wind. With curls the color of cinnamon and skin as pale as the moon, Natasha would’ve mistaken the woman as Bellatrix Lestrange in certain lights. However, it was the man next to her that calmed that thought. Natasha knew if it was Bellatrix, her husband would’ve been with her. 

However, a gentle-looking man was standing next to the woman, his hand on her back. Sitting up slowly, Natasha grabbed her wand and tipped-toe out of the room, staying away from the creaky steps. 

Making her way to the front door, Natasha looked out of the peephole, meeting grey eyes. “Sirius…?” The woman whispered, knocking on the door quietly. “Is that you?” 

Tilting her head to the side, Natasha unlocked the door cautiously and opened the door, holding her wand out in case the woman was a threat. “You’re not Sirius.” The woman commented, her face showing her confusion. However, it seemed the woman seemed to recognize her after a few moments. “You’re Natasha, Sirius’ daughter.” 

Raising an eyebrow, Natasha kept her face neutral, “And you are?” She asked, her skin forming goosebumps from the cold air flooding into the room. Natasha watched as the woman and her husband shared a look, before the man answered her question, “I’m Ted Tonks, this is my wife, Andromeda; she’s Sirius' cousin… may we come in?” 

The stairs creaked, announcing Sirius and Remus’ arrival. The Wards must’ve alerted them, Natasha realized. “A-Andy?” Sirius yawned, his hair wild. Remus leaned against him, half-asleep with drool falling down his chin. “What are you—,” a yawn interrupted him once more, his eyes trailing over to the Grandfather Clock, “—doing here at 5 am?” 

The woman gulped, gripping her husband’s hand. “May we come in?” The woman asked again, her voice sounding urgent, “This can’t wait, cousin.” 

Sirius's mood switched, looking more awake than he had a minute ago. “Yea, yea, come in…” Stepping into the townhouse, the Tonks shut the door behind them and faced the three, a serious look on their face. “We might wanna sit down for this…” Ted winced, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“I’ll…” Remus trailed off, tugging his robe around his figure tighter, “I’ll put on the coffee and tea.” Giving Sirius a kiss, the sandy-haired man made his way to the kitchen. 

Sirius was tense, his grey eyes flashing with worry. “What is it, Andy?” The man asked. 

“…Bellatrix has escaped — they’ve all escaped.”

The next few days were tense, an unspoken agreement between Sirius and Remus. Natasha thought it was ridiculous, how paranoid and protective the two were being. The twos girls weren’t allowed to go to school, their mail had to be checked multiple times before they could open it, and the two men constantly quizzed the girls on what to do if something bad happened – as if they weren’t assassins. 

Yelena started going stir crazy, something constantly going off in the house. Natasha tried to suggest for the family leave, to head to the states, but the two men weren’t in the right state of mind. Natasha tried to shield it from Yelena, to keep the young girl from watching the two men deteriorate in front of her. Natasha, for the first time in her life, didn’t know what to do. She was lost…

She couldn’t do anything but watch as Remus shook, his eyes wide and frantic. As Sirius drank himself to sleep, his appearance became more disheveled as the days went on. Clint tried to comfort her, to give her advice on what to do, but he was a bit clueless. All she could do at the moment was clean up after them, and make sure the men didn’t drink themselves to death. 

Her nails had been chewed down to the bub – her fingertips raw and angry. She felt herself losing her cool, her patience slipping through her fingers. Her eyes watched fire flicker in front of her, the heat becoming a bit unbearable. She could hear the pop of the bottle, the liquid refilling itself in Sirius’ glass. 

Twirling her cup of tea in her hand, she turned her gaze towards Sirius. His eyes were red, tear stains on his checks. His hair was in a messy bun and looked as if it hadn’t been brushed in days. The man yawned, stretching his back out with a satisfying pop. “You know,” He started, his voice groggy as it hadn’t been used in days, besides from the frantic whispers and mutterings, “I always wondered how my mother became the way she was, how Bellatrix became the way she was but… I think I finally understand the famed ‘Black Family Madness’ now…  I feel unstable, Natasha – like I’m on an edge of a cliff, and anything could push me off now.”

The redhead was quiet, letting that soak in the air. Sirius let out a sigh, dragging a tired hand down his face. “I always thought my family was batshit insane and paranoid, but… that was a bit hypocritical of me, now that it’s happened to me.” He licked his dry lips, taking a small sip of his liquor, “Reggie always said this would happen to me – that it would all come back to bite me in the ass. Alas, I was a foolish asshole who only saw the world in Black and White… Now, all I see when I look outside is different shades of grey; boring, dull grey.”

Faintly, Natasha could remember the name, Reggie, Sirius’ brother that Kreacher spoke praises of. Feeling her lips quirk up in a smirk, Natasha took a sip of her drink and replied, “The world really is dull, isn’t it? No matter how much hope we have for it, it will always find a way to disappoint us – to show us that the ending is the same, no matter how much we try to change it.”

“...How do you do it?”

Natasha tilted her head to the side, seemingly knowing what direction this question was going in, “Do what?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her shorts riding up slightly as she adjusted her position. 

“Live with yourself? How do get up every morning, knowing what you’ve done?” Natasha knew it was just an innocent question – something Sirius wouldn’t bring up if he was sober. However, it didn’t mean that it didn’t sting. The man leaned forward, grasping his glass of scotch with both of his hands. “Every day, I wake up and feel like my chest is falling in on itself. My guilt… it’s eating me up, Natasha.”

Taking in a deep breath, Natasha flicked her eyes over to the flames, watching as they grew smaller and smaller with each flicker. “Cruelty has been with us since the beginning of time. I’ve grown up with it, watched, and felt it. I get up every morning to remind myself that I survived – that the worst of it is done. I walk out that door every day to help people, to remind myself that these skills can be used for good – that I’m not just a mindless, killing machine. I do it for my friends, my family, and myself… I used to have nothing, and now that I do have something — I’m never giving it up.”

Tom tossed and turned in his bed, his body aching from the day’s activities. Turns out, hosting insane and batshit crazy criminals was not as easy as his original soul piece thought it would be. His muscles ached, his body begging for some type of relief from the pain. 

Bellatrix, one of his most trusted acquaintances, seemed less like a person and more like an animal as each day passed. Her eyes were wild, her wild mane of hair matted and tangled beyond repair, her teeth rotted and falling out. She was obsessed with him (and the original soul piece), throwing herself at any chance to prove that she was worthy — that she was still a ruthless killing machine, and the strategic general. 

Today, she had decided that he was the perfect dueling partner, and dragged him out to the dueling ring. He held his own until he had accidentally left an opening and was hit in the back with a spell, a crucio, to be specific. 

His body had fallen to the ground, falling onto the pile of glass from one of the broken windows, his body oozing out blood – dark as night, instead of being as red as wine. As Tom lay there, in his bed, he thought of his life – of all his mistakes. 

He had quite a few, he would admit that… However, becoming… whatever this thing is that he is now – that was his biggest. No matter how much he tried, no matter how much he pretended and put on an act, he wasn’t human. 

He was a tiny fragment of what was once a human – a small shard of shattered soul, broken beyond repair. His head throbbed, sweat dripping down his forehead. Merlin, it felt like his head was being hit with a hammer over and over again. His fingers twitched, his mouth parched for water. 

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves, hoping that his headache went away in a few moments. However, that didn’t seem to be the case. Opening his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his eyes flickered around. 

Where was he? What in the world was this sort of dream? He seemed very low to the ground, and if he listened close enough, he could hear a faint hiss flutter through the air. Muffled screams and yelps of joy could be heard, along with the slight creak of a swing. Without his consent, his body (?) moved towards the sound, his head bobbing up and down slightly as he moved.

Eventually, his body stopped in front of a blonde girl, hidden behind some tall grass. She was turned away from him, but from what he could see was that she was pretty short, but muscles could be seen through the thin sleeves of her shirt. Her hair was through up in a ponytail, several pieces having fallen out. She seemed to be playing poker with other children, dealing off goldfish and pieces of chocolate. 

“Hey! Keep your filthy paws off my goldfish!” The girl exclaimed with a slight accent there. It was familiar to Tom, something that he hadn’t heard in a while, ever since Natasha learned to conceal hers. One of the boys grumbled, rubbing his runny nose with his head. “But, Yelena! You said if I helped you win last recess, I could have some!” 

His head tilted to the side, his eyes widening slightly. ‘Yelena… Natasha’s sister,’ his brain supplied, still slightly shocked. Why was he dreaming of Yelena – and especially one of her playing poker… The blonde huffed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “No, I said if you kept the teacher’s eyes off of me, I’d think about giving you some. I never said you could have some.” She retorted, her lips curved up into a sneer. 

The little boy pouted, his beady eyes filling up with tears. “Fine!” He hissed out, his fists clenched together. “Be a meany, then!” With that, he pivoted around and marched away. Yelena raised an eyebrow, a look of disbelief on her face. Shaking her head in amusement and disbelief, she muttered, “Okay, then…” and picked up a handful of her goldfish, shoving it into her mouth. 

The rest of the kids Yelena was playing with got up, heading over to the jungle gym. He watched as the young girl reached over, grabbing a muggle newspaper and a ceramic mug, along with some paints as well. He would’ve shrugged it off if it wasn’t for the date he caught glimpse of on the paper. 

November 5, 2004.

With that, he gasped awake, jerking up from his laying position. Glancing over at his clock, he felt an awful feeling fill his stomach. Shoving his blanket off, he rushed over to his desk and quickly wrote a letter, hoping that Natasha was able to understand what he meant. 

He didn’t know why, but he felt as if something awful was going to happen. 

Natasha stared down at the letter in her hands, her lips parted in shock as she took in the information. Of course, she wasn’t shocked that it was from Tom, however, she was shocked by the information in the letter. The clock ticked beside her, the urge to apprate over to Yelena’s school growing stronger. It was only Yelena’s 3rd day back, and Natasha knew she had to be discrete. 

The two sisters had begged – hell, even got on their knees – and Sirius and Remus only agreed for the two girls to go, if they had multiple protections and wards on them. She knew, that if the two found out, they wouldn’t be able to leave the house for the next year. 

Keeping her steps quiet, the redhead rushed around her room and grabbed what she thought was necessary. What the hell was gonna attack her sister? Would it be like that weird monster, that went up into gold after she killed it, or a death eater? Her heart thumped inside her chest, threatening to burst out. After shoving a leather jacket over her shoulders, the redhead took in a deep breath and walked over to her window. Sirius and Remus were down for a nap, (which she forced them to take) and while she knew the wards were still up, they wouldn’t activate if she opened a window. 

Unhooking the necklace she was wearing, she placed it on her dresser, hoping that Sirius and Remus stayed asleep long enough so they didn’t notice she wasn’t wearing the tracker. Grabbing her grappling hook, she narrowed her eyes in concentration, holding her breath and keeping her body tense. Pulling the button, she watched as it stuck itself onto the tree across from her room. Hooking the other end on her wall, she pulled it to make sure it was secure enough.

Deeming it okay, Natasha grabbed one of her sturdier hangers. Taking in a deep breath, she prayed up to any god that would listen – that the hanger wouldn’t break on her. Mentally, she cursed herself silly as she scolded herself for calling Clint ‘weird,’ and ‘silly’ for ever having a bow. It would really be handy right now, damnit! 

Sliding down, she braced herself for the landing. Jumping onto the tree, she quickly made her way down the branches, landing in a pose. Grabbing her wand out of her holster, she thought of Yelena’s school – of her sister’s messy blonde hair and electric blue eyes. Before she knew it, she felt like she was being sucked up into a tube and dumped out of it in a matter of seconds. 

Luckily, she had landed out of sight. Grabbing her binoculars, she leaned out slightly to get a better look. The sun was bright, beating down on her back as she looked for her sister. Her heart calmed a bit as she caught sight of her sister, playing poker… just like Tom said she would. 

It continued to play out as Tom said it would, the little boy stomping away and the rest of the kids following in his footsteps. The tall grass next to Yelena shifted as if some large predator was stalking her. She continued to switch her gaze between her sister and the tall grass, which kept shifting as the thing got closer to Yelena. 

Gritting her teeth, she kept her hand on her gun as she made her way up to the thing. Yelena continued to hum, concentrating on whatever thing she was crafting. Once she was a few feet away from it, her eyes widened in shock. 

“What the fuck…” She muttered underneath her body, her body tense with fear and confusion. It was a snake – a large fucking snake. ‘How in the world did it survive in this climate,’ the redhead wondered. Pulling out her gun, she pointed it at the thing and flicked the safety off. However, it seemed the snake had great senses as it flicked its head towards her. It hissed, the tongue flickering around in a threatening manner.

It tensed its body for attack, however, it wasn’t able to do that as Natasha fired a shot into its forehead, the thing flopping onto the ground. Yelena yelped, scrambling her body away from the large snake as it twitched. “Natasha, what the hell–”

The Younger Girl wasn’t able to finish her sentence, as the words died down in her throat as she watched the thing reanimate, life coming back to the creature. The Young Assassin couldn’t help it – a scream was ripped from her throat as she rushed over to Natasha, hiding behind the redhead. Wasting no time, the redhead fired another shot. However, that didn’t work as the beast rose once more. 

Panicking, Natasha yanked out her wand and fired a severing spell at the creature, which bounced off the creature and back to the girls. Thankfully, her reaction time was quick enough as she threw up a shield. The snake hissed, its’ eyes glowing a malicious red. 

“Natassssha Romanoff…” The Snake hissed, in a very familiar voice. Goosebumps formed on her skin, and her lips parted in shock as the cold and high voice spoke once more, “Thissss issss your only warning – leave the Horcrux alone, or that annoying brat won’t be the only thing that’s hurt.” And with that, it slithered back to where it was from. 

The two girls were quiet, the loud screams and laughs of joy being produced by the schoolchildren. “Natasha…” Yelena’s voice was shaky, fear flashing through her eyes, “What just happened?”

Natasha said nothing, simply clenching her jaw and grabbing Yelena’s forearm, removing themselves from the scene. 

She was pissed – anger threatening to spill over, quickly forming into a homicidal rage. She knew, whoever tried to hurt her sister, would face a long and slow death. 

She would make sure of it.