Chapter 3
Constanța Romania
Bobbi Morse rang the bell at a beautiful beachside villa while wondering if she had the right address. When she had managed to get in touch with Sharon Carter, she expected her old colleague to give the location of a safehouse or apartment for them to meet.
The villa that sat on the beachfront with the Black Sea for a view was not some rundown safe house. Bobbi knew it must have cost upwards of three million U.S. dollars.
The door opened and Sharon Carter was there with her charming smile, the one that exuded confidence and comfort. The smile that showed the world a lamb and hid a lion underneath.
“Bobbi! Welcome. Did you have any problems finding me?”
Bobbi stepped inside. “No, I found it easy enough. Believing it though… this is yours?”
Sharon laughed and guided her into the living room then out onto the deck where the ocean breeze blew softly and only the sound of gentle waves could be heard. Sharon poured them both a glass of wine.
“Yes, it is mine. I bought it last year. I have made improvements to it. I do most of my research from home and only visit places of interest when I have verifiable leads, so I am able to spend quite a bit of time here. I think I have finally found the right amount of work life balance.”
Bobbi shook her head.
“How much are they paying you?” she said jokingly but was interested and hoped she would answer.
Sharon shrugged. “Are you asking because you are interested in a new job? Everett always did like you.”
Bobbi shook her head. “I’m good. I’m just…impressed.”
“The Red Widows do well for themselves. They recently had a couple more billion dollars fall into their laps. Of course you know that. How is Mr. Chavez?”
Bobbi laughed lightly. “He told us whatever we wanted to know so long as we promised not to let the Red Widows near him. You are happy with what you are doing?”
“I am. It is nice to get paid for what I am worth, appreciated, have no red tape to go through and most importantly, I never have to wonder if I am on the right side. Not many people in our line of work know the answer to that question or even bother to ask it. Every lead I find on missing kids and dirt bag sex traffickers gives me a feeling that is indescribable. The perks aren’t bad either as you can see.”
“You like Romania?”
Sharon sipped her wine. “It is an ally. It has close ties with the Red Widows thanks to them handing over that bitch CIA director. Most in the government know me and work with me freely. It’s close to Sokovia. The Black Sea is beautiful. If you are wondering, no, I don’t know where the Red Widows hang their widow bites. No one in the Sokovian government knows. I don’t want to know.”
Bobbi raised her hands. “I wasn’t going to ask.”
Sharon wasn’t sure she believed her, but let it go. Bobbi Morse could beat her in a fight but no one could beat Sharon in an interview and this was a chance to find out information on the new agency that could potentially be a rival to the Red Widows one day.
“What is this new SHIELD like? Are you happy with how it’s going?” she asked, portraying a look of innocent curiosity.
Bobbi was quiet for a moment.
“I missed the action. Not that I didn’t get plenty of it before but…a lot of stuff happened working with Coulson during those years SHIELD was defunct. Things didn’t end so well for me or Lance but I’m in the clear now. I suppose it…is different. I trust Coulson a lot more than Fury.”
Sharon smiled. “I’m glad you are happy. Of course, if you ever get tired of going after weapons dealers and want to save kids in trouble for a million or so a year, give me a call.
Bobbi was quiet for a moment, thinking Sharon was joking. Sharon wasn’t laughing though.
“You make a million a year?”
Sharon laughed. “Of course not.”
“Oh.”
“That’s what I could get you. I have seniority. I make much more than a million a year. Yelena is a big fan of Power Point so if you are good at presentations she will probably pay you more.”
Bobbi stared at her for a moment.
“That was a joke. Yelena hates Power Point and spreadsheets. I thought we would get business out of the way before dinner. If you could stay the night here, we can catch up and I can have my jet give you a lift back to the U.S. tomorrow.”
Bobbi nodded. “That sounds great…you have a damn private jet?!”
Sharon chuckled. “Sable keeps one of hers at the airport for me to use. She is very generous in her support of our endeavors obviously.”
Bobbi caught that. “Our endeavors? You have really gone all in. Do you have widow bites as well?”
Sharon was quiet for a moment. “Everett told me you saw the girls they rescued from Chavez. Young, terrified, traumatized, right?”
“Yes.”
“But they were holding on to the girls in black who carried weapons. They looked for comfort from the ones who saved them. They have new homes now and families, psychologists, everything they need to have a life that isn’t completely defined by their past. I get to be a part of that. Like I said, I never have to wonder if I am on the right side. Coulson has his crew now. The brand-new SHIELD Avengers. The Widows deal with less popular but very real threats. They may not have saved the whole world in Venezuela, but they saved the world of five little girls.”
Bobbi smirked. “The Widows aren’t as popular as the Avengers? Saving the Universe wasn’t popular? Wanda Maximoff is huge around the world.”
“Yet they weren’t saving the world, were they? They were saving children. That won’t make the news. Just something to think about, Bobbi. You have much more experience than I do, and I spent a lot of time as an analyst before I made it into the field. How many surgeries have you had? You are a great investigator. SHIELD has you leading strike teams in the Venezuelan jungle. Why isn’t May? What about Mac? Hunter? They must have a hundred operatives. Why you?”
“I’m the best…okay what the hell is going on here? Did you bring me here so I could meet with Belova or to recruit me?”
Sharon grinned. “I can’t do both? Just give it some thought. We are finding more pipelines every day. The world knows about the Widows, but the traffickers never think it will be them that are hit and keep business as usual. We are getting more leads than I can follow up on. I’m having to rely on Sable intelligence assets, sending Widows into investigations instead of doing what they do best. I can use a great investigator. I can offer you a million a year. I could probably get you another half million if that is what it takes. Everett wants you and Yelena and Wanda trust Everett.”
Bobbi was quiet for a moment then drained her glass and took the bottle of wine, turning it up until it was empty.
“Business. Let’s get business out of the way. Were you able to talk them into meeting with me?” Bobbi asked.
“That was a $600 bottle of wine.” she said, irritated. Sharon picked up her phone and made a call.
“She is here.”
Bobbi jumped when a bright red light lit up the inside living area and opened wide. She knew Maximoff could do this but had never seen it.
Out of the red glow in the air stepped out…
Bucky Barnes.
Bucky sat down next to Sharon and stared at Morse.
“Yelena?” Bobbi asked.
“Busy.” Bucky told her.
“Wanda?” Morse hoped for.
“Busy.” Bucky answered.
He continued staring at her, not saying a word after his brief explanation.
“You must scare the hell out of people with that stare.” Bobbi said. “Coulson told me he saw you at Steve Roger’s farmhouse wrestling with your twins on the ground. He said you let them tickle you. You even laughed. That’s what I am imagining right now so if you are trying to intimidate me with that stare it isn’t working.”
Bucky looked at Sharon and shrugged.
“He isn’t trying to intimidate you. That’s his resting face.” Sharon explained.
“Oh…sorry.”
Bucky cleared his throat. “You wanted a meet. What do you want?”
Bobbi thought about how to approach this. She had planned to speak to Belova and read everything about her that was known to get a feel for her. She had also studied up on Maximoff paying special attention to her quirks that others picked up. She hadn’t prepared for a conversation with the stone-faced Winter Soldier. She wondered if they had sent him to throw her off. Of course they had.
“We, SHIELD, want to look at the Red Room records.”
“No way in hell. I would burn SHIELD to the ground before I let them or anyone else have those records.” Bucky answered.
Bobbi wasn’t sure how to respond to that or what approach to take. She was cursing Coulson in her head for sending her. He thought her straightforwardness may be appreciated by Belova and Maximoff.
Sharon saw Bucky was going to offer nothing else so stepped in.
“Bobbi those records have sensitive information on every Widow in the world. They have information some Widows don’t even know about themselves. If someone had those records they would have a huge strategic advantage over the Red Widows. That would be the same as letting us look around SHIELD databanks.”
“You haven’t been looking into our records to find out about Jessica Drew and what makes her so special?” Bobbi challenged.
Bucky snorted. “We haven’t actually. We don’t care. Do you know why we don’t care?”
Bobbi nodded. “Because Wanda could kill her with a snap of her fingers.”
“She would probably need to wiggle her nose also but yeah that’s the general idea. You want to know about the Russians, right?”
Bobbi nodded. “We have nothing.”
Bucky sighed and did his best to look less intimidating. “I’m sorry to say we have very little. They are in the Red Room records but not much is known. As you know Zemo killed the remaining Russian Super Soldiers. There is evidence that the plan was still being used in the present day but nothing about any super soldiers beside the older ones Zemo killed. There is a record of some of the Russians volunteering for military and HYDRA group experiments. The names of these Russian Avengers are in them. They were all assigned to a Professor Phobos within the last five years and were never heard from again. This is the only mention of Professor Phobos, and it is obviously a code name. If I had to guess, he would have been involved in early Russian Super Soldier program from ten years ago and probably branched out.”
Bucky pulled a drive from his jacket and handed it over. “This is all that is in the records about the enhanced and this Phobos. It isn’t much. Coulson is going to have to take our word on it. Nobody gets to see those records.”
Bobbi took the drive. “I got it. Thanks for this. I do appreciate it. I can understand not wanting anyone to see the records. It means a lot that you would give us this.”
“Thank Yelena. It was her idea. I need to get back. Sharon, a pleasure as always.”
“Bye, Buck.”
“Bobbi… Everett says we will be seeing you around. I’ve read up on you and can tell you would fit right in with our organization. You seem like the kind of woman who would be tired of politics and red tape bullshit and would enjoy saving kids. I look forward to working with you.” Bucky told her.
A red light lit up in the living room and Bucky Barnes disappeared into it.
“Nice way to travel.” Bobbi said, not commenting on his words.
Sharon smiled. “I don’t know. I like my private jet. There is alcohol aboard. If I ever do need to get somewhere in a hurry Wanda can give me a door, but I don’t like to bother her.”
Bobbi laughed. “Buck, huh? You tight with the Winter Soldier? Last I heard he was kicking your ass in a UN building.”
Sharon waved it off. “The man jumped on Thanos and stabbed him. I was not in his league. Not many on Earth are. He went through Nat and two Red Widows also that day. More wine? Please promise not to turn the bottle up. I have an extra swimsuit. Why don’t we take a walk on the beach and talk about the future. Hopes, dreams, that sort of stuff.”
Bobbi nodded. “That is the best offer I have had in a very long time. Are you going to recruit me the entire time?”
“Doesn’t it feel good to be wanted?”
Bobbi said nothing but admitted it did. Out of all of SHIELD, she was the one they wanted. Maybe it was Everett Ross who only wanted her, but she doubted Sharon would be making an offer solely on his word. After their encounter Yelena Belova no doubt looked into her.
Saving kids. Little orphans, who would have been sexually assaulted, exploited, now living in a new country with new parents who would love them.
“One more thing to think about while we walk the beach.” Sharon told her.
“What is that?”
“722.”
“722? What does that mean?”
“It’s the number of children, not including mind controlled black widows that the Red Widows have directly saved since they started. Seven hundred and twenty two. Who knows how many they saved in the future by stopping AIM, the Red Room pipelines, the Samson Group, the Hand and now Chavez. Another number is zero. That is the number of collateral damage. No lives lost, no innocents injured. They are precise. Give it some thought, Bobbi. The offer won’t be there forever.”
Bobbi thought for a moment. “What is Maximoff like?”
Sharon grinned. “She is Captain America without the speeches. That is the kind of loyalty she inspires. People don’t follow her because of her power. They follow her because of who she is. C’mon, I want to walk the beach. You can tell me all about how great your relationship is going with Hunter.”
Red Widow Mansion
“Ahh boo boo! Who’s the best sister in the world? It’s Yelena, right big boy? You want to fly?”
The boy’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “Fly!”
“Then you have to say my name. You can do it. You say mama and papa so now you say Yelena.”
“Aee…na?”
“Yes! Close enough! Stumble over here and I will help you fly.”
Erik walked as best he could, making three steps before falling forward into Yelena’s arms.
“Oh, such a big boy. Your sister is proud of you. Who is your sister?”
Erik pointed at her and giggled.
Yelena lifted the boy in the air by his waist and ran him around the room making airplane noises.
Her parents had gone out to dinner in Novi Grad for a date night and she had assured them she could handle Erik. She had changed thousands of diapers so it shouldn’t be a problem.
After letting him down so she wouldn’t tempt fate and be vomited on, she walked them both into Wanda’s room without knocking.
She was breast feeding. For such a small baby, it seemed Becca was always hungry.
“Ugh, put that thing away. I swear it seems like your boobs are the one constant in my life since I have known you. First always trying to pop out of your tops and now as an all you can eat buffet. How much can one tiny stomach handle in a day?”
“A lot.” Wanda said. She sounded tired but the joy on her face was a constant when she was awake. The twins had been particularly happy. They were now in their own room, playing with dolls.
It was something Yelena hated to see. A week after Billie’s birthday, they would be thirteen. They were still small though they had come a long way physically. Emotionally most girls from what Yelena understood stopped playing with dolls between the ages of 7 to 10. Claudia and Tanya also still played with dolls despite being close to 14.
“Imi says they go at their own pace.” Wanda told her.
“Am I thinking out loud?”
Wanda shook her head. “No, but I can read you like a magazine. They never got to play with toys or use their imaginations. They are a few years behind but are catching up. Nadeja wants to start playing sports with the girls and Nela is getting a green house before winter so she can learn to grow her own flowers. They are doing well with schoolwork and Nadeja doesn’t lose her temper… often. There was the one incident with Denise, but I doubt there will be a repeat of that.”
Yelena shrugged. “You don’t have to defend them. I know how well they are doing, Wanda. Relax. I just brought this big boy to visit.”
“Sorry.”
“What about the rest of the Widows? You picking up any negative emotions?”
“Aren’t the team leaders reporting on issues within their teams?” Wanda asked.
“Of course. I am speaking of the general feeling of house. How is everyone doing?”
“Optimistic. Hopeful. The grief is still there, but our recent ops are having a positive effect on them. The movie nights and the sporting events are bringing them together even more. I understand some fights broke out during a football match.”
Yelena waved it off. “Put twenty two Widows on a field with one ball and two goals, fights are going to break out. Nothing major. Baseball seems to be doing well. Nobody fights in baseball, and I haven’t heard any fighting in volleyball. Maybe football wasn’t such a good idea.”
Wanda wasn’t concerned. “Widows are going to fight. No one has been seriously injured and the argument is over soon. If they are going to fight and let out some aggression I would rather it be over fouls and offsides and whatever else is involved in the game. So, what is next?”
“Balkans are still out there. We also have a list of targets in Saudia Arabia and T’Challa believes he has found a weapons dealer who is hijacking a few of the vibranium shipments. What about the magic side. Any sign of Mordo?”
Wanda shook her head. “He killed two more sorcerers. The entire order is looking for him, but he is covering his tracks well. As soon as I am in somewhat better shape I can help more and perhaps we can get lucky. The man has no one, no family, and nothing he loves. It makes him difficult to track.”
“Yes, a shame.”
Yelena put down her brother who promptly began crawling into the next room, drawn by the sounds of Nadeja and Nela playing.
“What do you truly think of these new Avengers?” Yelena asked, having a seat on the bed.
Wanda cradled her baby, rocking her to sleep now that she had fed.
“Did you think it would never happen? We knew Fury and Coulson were going to make a new team when we were at Barton’s home. I’m surprised it took this long and that they made it public.”
Yelena agreed. The method they introduced the new team had started something. She doubted Russia would be the only country to gather a group of enhanced to counter the new Avengers.
“I think we should hack into SHIELD servers and find out what this Jessica Drew can do. All Everett knows is she was a SHIELD field agent and disappeared after the agency fell. We need to know where she went and what powers she has.”
“I disagree.” Wanda said.
Yelena frowned. “Yes, I am aware.”
Wanda sighed. “Yelena whatever she can do, she can’t be more powerful than Carol Danvers. What is the point? These Russian Avengers work in our favor. They have more to focus on than us. I just told you the Widows are doing well. Therapy is going well; our kids are developing slowly but Imi is happy with their progress. We have babies in the Mansion now. If we are discovered looking into their system, they might see it the same way as us if they hacked into our system. How would we respond if we found them crawling around our system?”
“I would see them as our enemy.” Yelena admitted.
“I am just saying, there is no point in starting a fight we don’t have to fight. We have more important things to worry about, right?”
Yelena took her in, rocking her baby and listened to the delighted squeals coming from the next room as the twins were playing with Erik. Yelena understood. Wanda was no longer the hothead. She wanted peace. She wanted the Widows to continue doing what they did best and Sokovia left alone. She wanted her kids to grow up without war.
“Motherhood has made you soft. What happened to my badass witch?”
Wanda smirked. “She is there when she is needed. Kate will start at a fancy college in New York in a few months. Do we really want to pick a fight when she is on American soil? You know what that college means to her.”
Yelena shook her head, admitting she didn’t want to start a fight or do anything that would cause her trouble. Like it or not Bishop Security was still an American company.
“So, we just sit back and watch these new Avengers and these new Russian Avengers.”
“What else do you want to do? Attack them with no cause? If they go after us or Sokovia I’ll light them up but until then, there is no point.”
Yelena had nothing. As much as it killed her to sit back and do nothing, she knew Wanda was right. Motherhood made her soft, but it also made her more reasonable.
“We keep saving kids.” Yelena said. “Sharon Carter is recruiting Bobbi Morse. SHIELD may not be happy with us.”
“I said I didn’t want to pick a fight. If they can’t keep their own employees that is not our fault. Sharon needs help and I don’t like relying on Sable so much. We need our own intelligence in case Sable is ever compromised. I trust Sable but who knows what her soldiers are thinking. She does recruit mercenaries. Everett says out of all possible SHIELD agents we can trust Morse. If we get her, great, and if not, we keep searching.”
“Searching where?”
Wanda shrugged. “You are the master spy. You tell me.”
“You think it was a good idea to send Bucky to talk to her?”
Wanda nodded. “It will throw her off balance. Bucky handing over the limited information we have is another sign that we trust her. If the Winter Soldier is willing to work with her and play nice then she has nothing to fear.”
Yelena raised an eyebrow. “Will he play nice?”
“If he wants sex in six weeks he will.”
“You should bring little Becca outside. It is nice weather and in a couple months will be very cold. Bring her out. The girls want to see her. Movie night tonight. The twins need to be there.”
Wanda laughed. “Telling me how to treat my daughters now, Red 1?”
“Yes. We are watching Moana 2. We stole an early copy. The kids liked the first one. Don’t hole up in here Wanda. If you need a wheelchair, I will bring you one, but Oksana said you can walk.”
Wanda nodded.
“Enjoy this time of peace. I have a bad feeling.” Yelena told her.
“You always have a bad feeling.” Wanda pointed out.
Yelena shook her head. “Not like this. I think this peace we have cannot last. These new superhero groups, no matter how much we stay away from them we will get pulled in somehow. We are the most dangerous and we are in the middle of Europe, at least Sokovia is. Russia wants Sokovia and with Sokovia not part of NATO, we would be on our own.”
“They can’t get past Belarus and the Ukraine. Belarus won’t start a war on Russia’s behalf to go through Poland. Poland won’t turn on us. We are their number one supplier for Neodymium. Poland turning on us puts them in a bad situation. That would be NATO and the United States. We know the U.S. is afraid of us and Romania will turn on Poland. The Turks will not turn on us and because of Wakanda most of the African Union would be on our side. It would be disaster and start World War 3. That is not good for business and money rules the world.”
Yelena waved it off. “You spend too much time with Zengler and Josef. Do not forget the world is not always reasonable.”
Wanda winked at her. “I am not relying on humanity’s reason but on their greed. The world is not always reasonable, but it is always greedy. That is something you learn when you are homeless. Do not forget I found a spell that can disarm all countries I consider an enemy in seconds. No nukes, not even a bullet.”
Yelena shrugged. “I am only saying we must pay attention. We cannot rest yet.”
“You realize you are bugging me about seeing an advanced copy of Moana 2 and telling me I can’t relax? Do you see the irony in this?”
Yelena shrugged. “I think it is closer to hypocrisy than irony. On your feet and bring little Becca out. The girls want to hold her, and little brother wants to see bright cartoon lights.”
“Where is Kate?”
“Her mother wanted to have dinner with her, just the two of them. Kate probably needs to spend more time at home. It will be good for her.”
Kate Bishop’s Home
Kate and Lucky stepped out of the magic doorway Wanda had set up in her closet, one of only a few permanent doorways in the world. Only a few could use it, and they were all Red Widows or dogs and a few cats. The only others set up were in Aino’s closet in New Zealand and Ava’s room in Symkaria. Wanda had planned to make more but hadn’t gotten around to it, not wanting to use more magic than necessary in the later months of her pregnancy.
“Mom?” she called on her phone.
“Kate. I am in the elevator on my way up. I picked up dinner for us. What time will you be there? It’s just you, right? There is something I wanted to talk to you about before any others know.”
Kate wasn’t surprised. When Eleanor had asked her to have a dinner between the two of them, she had suspected it had to do with her going on the recent mission and wondered if Wanda had told her mother she killed…again.
“Yeah, I’m by myself. I’m already here.”
“You said seven.”
“So, I’m a couple hours early. Am I not allowed in my home anymore?”
“Kate there is someone…”
Kate dropped her phone and attacked the man in the suit, striking him in the jaw and sweeping his leg. As his body flew through the air she placed a hand on his chest and slammed him to the ground, charging up her widow bracelet to stun.
She moved to strike but hesitated when her mother shouted.
“Kate, stop!”
“Stay back Mom. We have an intruder.” she said calmly, ready to strike the wide-eyed man on the ground.
“I invited him! I thought I would be home before you got here!”
Kate backed up and her mother ran to the guy on the floor.
“Jack are you okay?” she asked, helping him up.
“That was amazing! She moves like lightning. Bravo, Katherine, bravo!”
Eleanor shook her head in frustration at his excitement.
“Why was he here alone?” Kate asked. “Who the hell is this guy?!”
Eleanor turned to Kate and smiled awkwardly. “He has a key. Kate, this is Jack Duquesne. He is…you know the family. You have met them before. I think he was at the Christmas party five years ago.”
Kate looked in disbelief. “I’ve been through a lot since then. Why does he have a key?”
“Jack and I have been seeing each other…for six months. I didn’t want to tell you until we knew it was serious, but I thought you should be introduced. I thought it best to leave others out of this for now.”
Eleanor knew Wanda would read his mind.
“Six months? You never told me? How have you been going out with someone for six months and kept it a secret?"
Eleanor smiled sadly. “It isn’t like you have been around often Kate.”
Kate nearly cringed, knowing her mother was right. She showed up in the morning to go to school and when school was over, she went straight back to the Widow Mansion and slept with Yelena every night. When she saw her mother it was because the two of them actually planned to meet to shop or go out for dinner. She never just hung out at her house.
“Does he know you know are involved…”
Eleanor nodded.
Kate smiled at Jack. “Would you excuse us for a moment? We need to powder our noses.”
Kate grabbed Eleanor by the elbow and pulled her to her bedroom.
“Do you see what is on my wall?”
Eleanor looked up. “Yes, the vibranium spear T’Challa gave you.”
“Vibranium. Not something that just anyone should be around. What does he know?”
Eleanor looked around as if looking for an escape. “Not much. He has asked me about the rumors that have been going around since Lang’s damn video. He wanted to know if you were the archer. I told him I couldn’t really talk about it…”
“Which is basically saying yes and please don’t call me that. Ugh. Archer. That’s my damn code name on missions. Bucky doesn’t get called Tin Man anymore. He gets called Wolf. Me? I’m Archer. That’s it. That’s what they got. Except for Ingrid. She gets a kick out of calling me Hawkette.
“Wait, I’m off on a tangent. So, he knows I was there? On Titan?”
“Yes.”
“Which means he knows I am connected to the Widows which means you are connected to the Widows. This guy could be a plant. SWORD, SHIELD, CIA, maybe some other letters we don’t know. I mean c’mon, look at his mustache. It screams villain. All he needs to do is twirl the end of it.”
Eleanor frowned. “I like his mustache. Kate, he isn’t a plant. I’ve known him for a very long time. He asked me out for coffee…”
“It always starts with coffee.”
“Kate, please give him a chance. You beat the hell out of him, and he is still here. Let’s have dinner.”
Minutes later, Kate sat across the table from Jack with Eleanor in between the two. Kate was trying to do her best impression of Bucky Barnes.
“Katherine…”
“Kate.”
“Of course, Kate. You must tell me. Your mother is rightfully tight lipped but now that we are face to face, I have to know, were you on that alien planet in that vicious fight?”
“Yes.” Kate answered seeing no reason to lie since most of the world already suspected, even her admissions counselor.
Jack smiled and tipped his head down. “I thank you. What was it like?”
“Hell. Demons, explosions, screams, my friends dying. Girls I loved like sisters being crushed. It was hell, Jack. What do you think it would be? You saw the same video the rest of the world saw. I don’t like to talk about it.”
“Of course. Your mother talks often of your bravery. I knew you were very brave even before that battle. I have always admired what you did.”
“What did I do Jack?”
Jack looked at Eleanor then back. “I was speaking of saving that girl in Central Park from that vile creature.”
Kate sighed. “I don’t talk about that either. Jack, what do you do for a living?”
Jack reached over and took Eleanor’s hand. “I am a dealer of antique weapons with a particular interest in swords. I understand you are quite the fencer. Will you be fencing at Barnard?”
“Yes.”
“Wonderful. I must see your matches. I am sure we will have much to talk about. What of your archery? Will you compete as well in college?”
Kate nodded. “That is the plan. Plans have a way of getting fubar after the first shot is fired. That’s what Buck says.”
“Buck…Bucky Barnes? Of course you know the Winter Soldier! You must know Wanda Maximoff then!”
“What is it to you?”
“Kate!” Eleanor hissed.
Jack laughed. “No, she is right. Being around the heroes she associates with; she must be careful.”
The trio were quiet for a while, enjoying their food. At least Eleanor and Jack were enjoying the food.
“Kate.” Eleanor whispered. “Stop staring.”
Jack waved it off. “It is fine, Eleanor. She sees me as an interloper and has many secrets to keep. I take no offense. I understand talking about your life you must be careful. Do you have any interests outside of fencing and archery?”
Kate nodded. “I like to travel.”
Jack clapped his hands. “Excellent! More subjects we have in common! Have you traveled lately?”
Kate nodded. “I went to Venezuela recently. Margarita Island.”
Jack grinned. “I hear there are beautiful beaches there! Did you travel with friends?”
Kate nodded once again.
“Did you have a wonderful time?”
“I did. I shot an arrow through…”
“This food is delicious. I love Thai food. We must buy from them again!” Eleanor interrupted and turned to Kate so Jack couldn’t see her with wide eyes and a frown. Kate simply smirked and shrugged.
“He asked.” She defended herself.
The rest of the dinner, Kate remained quiet. She did not learn much about Jack. He had a strange accent she couldn’t place but it was possibly rich guy accent. He also seemed to be very into her mother.
“I should go.” Kate finally said.
“Go? To bed so early?” Jack asked.
Kate cleared her throat. “I’m spending the night with a friend.”
Jack stood and offered his hand. “It has been a pleasure to meet you. Now that we have broken the ice I hope we see more of each other. I especially look forward to seeing you fence.”
“That won’t be for months.” Kate pointed out.
Jack looked at Eleanor and smiled. “Of course. I still look forward to it.”
“You plan to be with Mom…”
“Okay! Kate let’s say good night. I’m sure your friend is waiting on you.” Eleanor told her.
The two walked to Kate’s room.
“He is a nice guy. He is a good guy.” Eleanor told her. “Give him a chance.”
Kate stared at her then smiled. “Of course, Mom. He does seem like a nice guy. He asks a lot of questions.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Do you not think you are going to be asked questions in college, Kate?”
Kate sighed. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
Eleanor let out a breath. “Let’s keep this to ourselves for now, okay? I don’t want to involve anyone else. It can be our secret. We can have a secret together. Don’t tell Yelena because you know she will tell Wanda and Wanda has enough going on right now. Promise?”
Kate nodded. “Sure Mom. I’ll even stay here tonight and we can talk, you can tell me everything.”
“That would be so great.” Eleanor told her.
“I’m just going to get my book bag from Yelena’s room and I will be right back.”
Widow Mansion
The alarm rang out five minutes later
“All widows report to the control center.” Rachel called out.
When they arrived, even Wanda hobbling along as Bucky carried their baby, and the youngest stayed with Meg, Kate was ready to give a briefing which was unusual in itself.
Kate pointed to the screen.
“Mom’s new boyfriend Jack Duquesne. She has been seeing him for six months. We need to know everything about him.”
“Eleanor has a boyfriend we did not know about. How did this happen?” Yelena asked.
Kate knew but shrugged her shoulders. “She asked me tonight to keep it a secret from all of you so you cannot let her know you know. As you can tell by his mustache, he is likely a villain of some sort.”
“It is very villainous.” Yelena admitted. “Mika, find out what his favorite color is, what drawer he keeps his underwear in, if he leaves the seat up or down. I want to know everything. Bridgette are you up for a mission?”
The beautiful assassin smiled. “Oh yes.”
“Excellent. Let us begin operations.”
Yelena walked away while the others got to work. She found Wanda staring blankly at the monitor and the picture of Jack.
“Are you alright?” Yelena asked after taking Becca from Bucky.
“Six months. She was in the room when I gave birth. Six months and she never told me.” Wanda mumbled. She then turned and left.
Bucky shrugged. “She will be alright.”
“Really?”
“No.”
Iowa, Stannic’s High School
Sheoka Sanada, code named Snapdragon stayed in the shadows of the concession stand, with her eyes never leaving Natasha Romanoff. She was still having trouble believing this was where the woman had moved. There was nothing here. She had gotten lucky and caught her on facial recognition at a Wal Mart an hour away and searched the surrounding counties. The people were very tight lipped about the presence of former Avengers in their town but were poor liars. Their hesitance told her all she needed to know.
She picked up her phone and called Damin Dran.
“I have found her. She is at a small high school and appears to be watching a teenage girl doing some sort of cheer practice. She has colored her hair blonde, but it is definitely her. Captain America and Hawkeye are with her.”
“Stay vigilant. Do whatever it takes. I want her in Russia and with the state’s new heroes, the Red Widows will be hesitant to come after her even if they find out where she is.”
“I have heard Maximoff can find anyone anywhere.”
“Then ensure she does not know. Do whatever it takes. Use the child if you must. Bring her to me.”
“I could kill her now.”
“No! She is my kill. I only want her brought to me. She thought she had killed me. She will find out how wrong she was before I put a bullet in her head.”
Snapdragon nodded, knowing she would use the girl to keep Captain America and Hawkeye from interfering and involving the Widows. Natasha Romanoff would be hers soon enough.