The Date
Maria had gone with Ellie the week before to talk to the restaurant, it wasn’t uncommon for any of the Avengers to get noticed in public but it seemed Natasha picked up more attention than her male counterparts. She had talked to the manager to ensure a table in the back where they wouldn’t be bothered. Neither of them felt the need to bring more attention to the woman who was a spy for a living and were thankful when the table was out of sight of other patrons.
“This is nice,” the redhead took a seat at the table first, looking out of the window that sat next to her, “no diner?”
“Laura said I couldn’t take you there for your birthday,” Maria joked, taking the seat across from the Russian.
“Good evening, can I take your drink order,” a young waiter watched the two of them with excitement, clearly recognizing Natasha.
“Bourbon, please,” the Deputy Director cleared her throat.
“And for you?” he stood up straight.
“A glass of cabernet,” she eyed the menu in front of her for a moment before handing it to the young man who nodded.
“A great choice,” he concluded before scurrying off.
“He doesn’t even know what you’re having,” Maria squinted, “how does he know it’s a great choice?”
“He doesn't,” Natasha laughed, “he’s just some kid who gets to tell his friends that the Black Widow smiled at him.”
“Does it bother you?” She questioned.
“It used to,” Natasha waited until the waiter put her over-full glass in front of her before speaking again, “I had been under the radar my entire life, and then all of a sudden I’m on T-shirts and little kids are dressing up as me for Halloween and… I don’t know, I think it’s hard to see people idolize you without knowing who you really are.”
“Who are you then? Really?” Maria took a drink and smiled, knowing that she was one of the only people lucky enough to know the real Natalia Romanov.
“I’m just a girl, sitting in front of another girl, asking her to share a bread basket,” the redhead batted her eyelashes.
“I truly believe you can’t go more than 10 minutes without referencing a pre-2000s movie,” she leaned back and took a sip of her drink.
“How do you think I perfected my accent?”
Maria immediately thought of Ellie, the girl’s accent hadn’t decreased over time even as her English improved.
“And so you chose sappy movies?” She smiled.
“And Bond movies, of course.” Natasha drank from her glass, “Besides, it’s better than Lena, kid’s watched so many Gangster movies from the 50s I’m surprised he doesn’t sound like an old mobster.”
“How is she?” Maria was genuinely curious, it seemed like they were off to a rough start when the sisters first left her apartment.
“She’s… she’s doing a lot better,” the spy glanced down and smiled, “it’s been hard, coming down from so many years of subjugation but she seems like she’s been better recently. I think helping free other widows helps, gives her a sense of purpose.”
“Is she still getting the antidote from Melina?”
“Yeah, but I’m having Fitzsimmons look at it so she doesn’t have to go to the farm anymore,” she took a deep drink, “I hate that woman.”
It was a strained relationship, to say the least, but Maria got it. She hated her father for the pain he caused, but at the end of the day he was still her father, and he had his own reasons for acting how he had.
“I know, I’m sorry you still have to deal with her,” Maria reached out and held the redhead's hand, hoping to offer support.
“Thanks, Ria,” she intertwined her fingers and visibly relaxed, “it’s just been a lot of change in a very short amount of time.”
“Tell me about it, I now have a kid- a kid who dressed up as you for Halloween.”
“Shut up, no she didn’t,” Natasha laughed a deep belly laugh.
“Oh yeah, I mean I don’t think that she really got that it was you and not just a Widow but-” the brunette pulled her phone out and showed the woman, “her and Cooper made a pretty cute duo.”
The Russian took the phone and smiled, “I’m just glad they didn’t have to go through it all.”
“Me too, but I will say, if anyone was going to make it out of the Red Room and Circus and somehow find their way to each other, it would have been them.”
“Really?” she handed the phone back and gave a soft smile.
“Mhmm,” Maria took another sip of her drink, “those two are glued at the hip.”
“Yelena said Ellie was ruthless in The Room, but Coop? He wouldn’t last 2 hours in the circus,” the redhead joked and then paused as the waiter returned for their order.
Natasha went to pull her fingers back from where they were laced between Maria’s. Maria held on tighter in a move of courage. She may have been the Deputy Director, but it was moves like this that made her feel the most courageous, especially as she felt the Russian relax once more.
“Why hasn’t this ever worked?” Maria looked down at their fingers after the waiter left.
“Because you’re a workaholic,” Natasha raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, right,” the Commander took a sip of her bourbon and nodded, “and you’re a flight risk.”
“I’ve gotten better,” she shrugged.
“So have I,” Maria paused and took in the sight in front of her.
The Black Widow, a sex symbol who shared the hourglass shape painted on the arachnids torso. Her tapered waist and wonderfully sculpted arms still viable through the loosely fitted white blouse she wore were what everyone assumed would draw people in, close enough to kill. Maria was sure Natasha’s figure was what most people saw, or perhaps her flaming hair, reminiscent of fire yet perfectly tamed. But not to her. No, for the Commander it was the intensity of Natasha’s eyes, green and inviting, that would have been her downfall if she had encountered her in the wild.
“You’re staring,” the Russian gave a small smile and batted her eyelashes. Yeah, Maria thought, that’s what would have killed you.
“I- sorry,” she could feel her cheeks blush as she racked her brain for something suave to say, “You’re just admiring the view. I mean- No, I meant I’m admiring- no wait… you're the beautiful.”
Natasha laughed, “how is it that you are the smoothest person I have ever met at work, and then I get you alone and you’re a pile of mush as soon as you open your mouth?”
“Only with you,” Maria took another drink. Only ever with you. “Besides, work is work. Everything is planned out and executed with at least 3 backup plans. And before it was well… it was really just sex so I didn’t have to think. It feels different this time.”
“I like it,” Natasha drank from her glass.
The two continued to talk about life as they ate their dinner. Maria had learned that Yelena was currently in Prague freeing widows but that she was looking to take classes on fashion design and management. Natasha was back full-time at SHIELD and trying to figure out how to juggle her younger sister and work effectively while keeping the former a secret from the latter. She and Steve just bought a new couch after 2 months of the blonde complaining about how their current one had gone “out of style”. By all accounts, the date was a raging success.
“I told her I would pick her up before 9,” Maria glanced down at her watch, knowing she had just enough time to get there.
“Don’t let me keep you then,” Natasha inclined her head.
“I was actually wondering if you’d want to walk back to our place? Ellie may have made you something for your birthday,” her heartbeat quickened as she tried to pretend like it was no big deal.
Ellie had made a small ceramic box for Natasha in her art class at school after Maria told her that she was going to take the woman out for her birthday. What the child didn’t know was that the Commander had added new cartilage cuffs to the box after she picked them up at a jewelry stand in the park a few weeks prior.
“Trying to get me home by using your kid as leverage?” the Russian quirked an eyebrow.
“Never,” Maria chuckled, “but if I was, did it work?”
“Maybe,” Natasha smirked.
The Commander picked the bill up and handed it back to the waiter with her card.
“You should have let me get that.”
“We’re out for your birthday, Tasha,” the brunette shook her head, “besides, we never do this. I’m not like Stark.”
“Thank God for that. Have you heard from him recently?” Natasha finished the rest of her drink.
“No, but we’ve been keeping tabs since he told the world where he lives. SHIELD is all over that Mandarin guy. There’s something about him that isn’t sitting right with me..” Maria took the check back and signed it.
“Clint and I going to get sent in?”
“No, it’s the strangest thing,” she stood up and started to exit the restaurant, “we got orders from higher up not to engage.”
“Higher up?” Natasha walked through the door Maria held open for her, “You’re the Deputy Director, who’s higher? Nick?”
“No, actually,” she dropped her voice, “the Vice President was the one who told us to stand down. As I said, something about this isn’t sitting right with me.”
The winter air nipped at the back of Maria’s head as she fastened the buttons of her coat and tucked her scarf into the collar. It was only a few blocks to the late-night bakery where they were meeting the Ruiz’s, but still, Maria offered her arm out.
“Ever the gentleman,” Natasha smiled as she looped her arm into the one Maria held out.
The brunette hummed in agreement as she tried her best not to mess up the remainder of the night. They were waiting at the final crosswalk when Maria felt lips softly press to her cheek.
“You’re cute when you overthink,” the Russian pulled them into the walkway of a business that had closed for the night.
“I just don’t want to mess this up,” she looked down at the woman in front of her.
“I know,” Natasha smiled as she looked up.
Maria bit her own lip as she looked at the perfectly shaped smile in front of her, she met the gaze of green, and in a moment of bravery ducked her head down, “Happy Birthday, Tasha.”
It started off quick, innocent, leaving room for the redhead to pull back, to pull away. But as the Commander slid her fingers around Natasha’s jaw, she felt the Russian deepen the kiss, pulling her in until it was hard to tell where Maria’s lips ended and hers started.
“Thank you,” Natasha pulled away and dragged her thumb across the bottom of Maria’s lip to get rid of any traces of lipstick.
She wasn’t sure if the nice words were for the kiss or the birthday wish, either way, she wasn’t going to complain as they started back down the street. It was just before 9 as they rounded the last corner and the girl came into view from where she was seated next to a large window. Liam was at her side, talking as he handed her a piece of the cookie from his own plate, both adults were talking to each other, and Ellie was nodding along to which conversation it was hard to tell.
“Okay, you have to remember, she’s 5,” Maria looked at the woman next to her, “so what she made you was… well it was made by a 5-year-old.”
“What,” Natasha raised a single eyebrow, “You think I’m going to criticize her art?”
“No no… I mean not on purpose. You were just raised-” the Deputy Director shrugged.
“We.”
“What?”
“We,” Natasha corrected once more, “We were raised by the Red Room.”
Of course, Maria knew that. She knew that both of them had been raised in the Red Room, but it wasn’t until that moment that it totally hit her. These two knew each other fundamentally better than anyone else, even if they scared each other in the process of figuring that out.
“Right,” she nodded.
“Come on, I won't give her art a scathing review,” Natasha laughed, “I do have a heart, ya know?”
“I do,” Maria followed her into the bakery.
“Mommy,” Ellie’s face lit up as she crawled over her friend.
“Oh Ellie don’t-” Maria winced as she pushed Liam out of the way, “sorry buddy.”
“That’s okay, Miss Maria,” he smiled, showing off his missing teeth, “Woah, you’re the Black Widow!”
“Liam-” it was now Liam’s mother’s turn to be embarrassed on behalf of her child.
“No, no that’s okay,” Natasha waved from where she stood against the booth, “I am, how are you?”
“Oh I’m good, Ellie and I were trading cookies and she had chocolate chip and I had a brownie kind but we both liked both of them so then we started sharing,” the boy started to ramble, “but you’re the black widow, you’re pretty much my favorite or maybe Thor. I used to like Captain America the best but Mommy says that he burns the coffee at work and that smell is NOT my favorite so I think it’s probably you.”
“Sorry,” Agent Ruiz winced, her husband looking just as starstruck as his son. Ellie picked up on this, as she always did, and snickered from behind Maria’s leg.
“No, you're not wrong,” she laughed, “try living with him. He says that’s how they used to drink it in the 40s but I’m pretty sure he just forgets about the pot as soon as he puts it on.”
“Thanks again,” the Commander interjected.
“Of course, she’s seriously such a good kid,” Ruiz waved to Ellie who smiled, “she’s always welcome to hang out.”
“I appreciate that,” Maria smoothed out the hair on top of the girl's head, “are you guys going to the library next week?”
“We’re going to try to, see you there?”
“We’ll be there,” the brunette nodded, “Say thank you, Ellie.”
“Thank you,” the girl smiled and fist-bumped her friend.
The three left the shop, Ellie making sure that she was on the other side of Maria’s body so she could dictate how often to look at Natasha. The spy obviously noticed and continued to talk to Maria so the girl didn’t get overwhelmed. After a few blocks, l Ellie slowly came out of her shell and smiled before signing to Maria.
<School, tomorrow?>
“No,” Maria signed and spoke at the same time, “two days.”
Ellie took this in and nodded before whipping her head around as Natasha signed.
<Do you know the days?> the redhead asked.
The girl looked at Maria and smiled before shaking her head and signing <no>. The rest of the walk home Natasha signed each day, trying to show her exactly how to move her fingers. With the knowledge that she could communicate with the woman in a number of ways, Ellie relaxed and became more engaged.
It was a short walk back to the apartment where Ellie waved hi to the doorman before racing to push the button on the elevator. She waited until all three occupants were in the space before speaking to Natasha.
“Birthday?” the girl asked in her mother tongue, making it clear she remembered who Natasha was from their short time together on the carrier.
“Yes,” the Russian nodded, flipping to the language with practiced ease.
<Me too> Ellie signed as the elevator started to climb.
“No, sweetie, it’s only one person’s birthday. We don’t all get older on the same day,” Maria tried to correct the confusion.
Ellie squinted and turned her head to the side, “am not wrong, Kyra said it when we leave.”
Maria suddenly had a pit in her stomach, “are you saying we missed your birthday, little bear?”
The child shrugged and smiled as the doors opened onto their level, immediately she took off down the hall. Maria looked at the woman next to her who just gave her a soft, knowing smile.
“Don’t feel bad, you didn’t know,” Natasha rubbed a small circle on her back, “plus, she’s never celebrated her birthday before so I promise she wasn’t disappointed when there wasn’t a party.”
It did little to make her feel better as she reached the door where Ellie stood guard.
“Today is your birthday?” She asked the child as she got her key out, feeling like she was the worst parent in the world.
“No, November thirty,” the girl brushed past as she held up her hands once the door was opened, “stay.”
The Commander knew that because the gift wasn’t technically wrapped, the girl would want to bring it out from where she had stashed it on the kitchen island that morning. Both adults waited in the doorway as the child darted into the dark apartment.
“I’m the worst,” Maria hung her head as she waited, “the absolute worst.”
“You’re not, not even close,” Natasha shook her head, “Listen, I’ll go down to the Russian bakery on 28th and we-” the spy inhaled sharply.
Maria looked up as she heard the distinct sound of ceramic shattering, “Shit, she’s going to be so mad at herself.”
Natasha drew her Glock from inside her coat and walked into the apartment, eyebrows furrowed as she inhaled again.
“Ellie?” the brunette walked towards the kitchen, “I’m sure Tasha isn’t going to mind… Ellie?”
She looked around the room, but the girl was nowhere in sight.
“It smells like gunpowder,” Natasha walked towards the living room, “Ellie?”
“Elizaveta?” panic crept into her as she turned on the lights in the apartment and pulled her own service weapon, “Bear?”
She could feel her pulse quicken, her breath coming in short gasps as she ran to her room and scanned the spot in front of her closet. Empty.
“She- she knows-” the brunette sucked in breath after breath, “she knows to go here as soon as she’s in troub- Tasha.”
“It’s okay,” the Russian continued to look through the apartment, opening each door she came across.
Maria pulled her phone out of her jacket and unlocked it with shaking hands before clicking on Laura’s number.
“Hey honey,” Laura answered after the third ring.
“Is she-” she swallowed, knowing the answer before she even asked the question “is she there?”
“No,” the woman answered, “Clint, kids, have you seen Ellie?”
The Deputy Director forced herself to search alongside Natasha as she heard murmuring from the other side of the phone.
“They haven't seen her, what can we do, Commander?” Laura brought her back to the present, causing her to flip the switch into work mode.
“Call Natasha, I need to call this in.” she hung up before saying goodbye, immediately using her phone to dial the number for the head of security.
“Deputy Director, I’m sure you’re aware it's 9:30 pm on a Friday?” the man’s voice cut through.
“I am aware General Stoner, this is an emergency situation,” she let out a deep breath, “I am requesting STRIKE team presents at SHIELD building 443.”
“Right now?” Stoner questioned
“Hill,” Natasha stood next to a window that had been fully removed next to the kitchen.
Her breath hitched, “Yes, for a kidnapping.”
“Who is the missing person?” He gave Maria his full attention now.
“My-” she swallowed, pulling herself back to Deputy Director mode, “my daughter, sir. Elizaveta.”
“I can’t give you STRIKE,” he sounded apologetic, “but seeing that this is a SHIELD building and that it's your daughter, I can get you a task force and will sign off on any additional volunteers you can wrangle.”
“Thank you, sir,” she stood next to the open window, peering over the side that seemed much higher up than it ever had before.
“I’m sorry, Hill, I hope she’s home safely soon.”
She could vaguely hear Natasha talking on the phone next to her as she made the next call. It felt like an eternity before the line was connected.
“Give me task force one.”
“Connecting now, Commander Hill.”
“This is Agent Gerber,” Maria was immediately agitated, knowing Gerber was not her biggest fan.
“Gerber, who’s on your force right now?” she gritted out, listening as the agent slowly listed off the other 5 members, “Send out a memo, we have a break-in and- and a kidnapping in building 443, apartment 1608. I want all six of you here ASAP.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the younger agent responded, “we can be there in fortyyyyyyy-six minutes.”
Once again, the Commander hung up the phone without saying goodbye. Knowing that if she opened her mouth again either an explosion of anger or a sob would escape her lips, neither of which would be useful. She scrolled through her contacts one last time to make the phone call she was dreading the most.
“Fury,” the man answered, his voice causing her to waver immediately.
“Nick she’s- someone-” she sucked in a breath and stopped as Natasha stuck her arm out to prevent her from walking further.
Maria looked down and saw the redhead and blocked her from stepping on the reminisce of the ceramic box that had shattered.
“What happened?” Fury pushed.
“Someone kidnapped Ellie from the apartment and she hasn’t come back and-” tears began to fall as she felt like she had let down not only her daughter but Nick as well. He would have kept her safe, he always kept her safe.
“I’ll be there in ten.”
Her knees buckled from under her as she dropped in front of the shattered gift, Natasha’s arms wrapped around her to lessen the blow as she hit the floor. Sobs ripped through her as she wracked her brain for answers to questions she couldn’t fully formulate. The whole time, firm hands kept her together.
“The cops are on their way, so are Steve and Barton and anyone else who I could get,” the Russian spoke softly.
Maria glanced up, her vision landing first on the rules still taped to the fridge before looking at the girl's medication on the counter, “She doesn’t have her meds, she can’t go without her meds Tasha and her Aлена is here so she’s probably so scared because it’s dark outside and she hates-” she gasped for breath, “it’s rule one, I keep her safe. That’s rule one.”
“Ria, breathe,” Natasha stroked her thumb over the woman’s cheek, “just breathe. We’re going to find her.”
The two sat like that until there was a knock on the door, the Russian answered to give Maria a moment to stand and compose herself.
“Romanoff,” Fury didn’t sound surprised as he walked into the apartment, “details.”
Natasha relayed what had happened, first to the Director, then to the cops as they came to the door and asked. The officers took Maria aside and asked more questions which included obtaining court documents that proved Maria was her legal guardian, a DNA sample from the girl's hairbrush, and a copy of Ellie’s school picture. Maria walked the police out of the apartment and realized while she had been answering questions, more agents had shown up including the task force.
“I just think it’s fair for us to know what we’re up against, for the safety of my team,” Gerber started.
“For the safety of your team?” Natasha scoffed, “she’s a child!”
“An enhanced individual is an enchanted individual,” the agent shrugged.
“We’re not at liberty to say what she can do,” Rodgers stepped in, trying his best to keep the peace.
“I am,” Maria spoke up, suddenly all eyes were on her, “I am also at liberty to tell you that she is not who you are up against. The people who took the child are who you’re up against- who your team’s safety is up against.”
“My teams' safety is my highest concern.”
“Oh is it?” Maria was starting to lose her composure, “That’s funny because I don’t remember it being your highest concern when you put us on course to Greece and not Germany during the battle of New York, preventing us from helping teams in need. It sure as hell wasn’t your highest concern when you were caught hiding from a firefight on your 6th mission.”
“Hill,” someone warned.
“The only reason we’re here right now is because it’s your kid and everyone, including Stoner, knows that.” Gerber stepped closer to the Commander.
“You’re damn fucking right you’re here because she is my kid,” she was yelling now, “don’t you EVER question me when it comes to the task reporting for. Do you know who I am??”
“Yes, ma’am,” Gerber stepped back as she stepped closer.
“I SAID DO YOU KNOW WHO THE FUCK I AM?”
“Yes, Deputy Director Hill,” he whispered as she was less than an inch from his face.
“THEN YOU BETTER START ACTING LIKE IT BEFORE I-” she was cut off as arms nearly picked her up and pushed her out of her apartment and into the stairwell.
She continued to yell and break out of the grasp she was being held in until she was in another apartment, not hers but almost as familiar. It was another few minutes before she calmed down enough to glance around the living room she was standing in.
“You back with us?” Bobbi called out from where she had positioned herself in front of the door.
“Yeah, I-” Maria blinked a few more times before she realized where she was, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.
“Sorry,” the blonde cleared her throat, “I knew I had to get you out of there before you killed that asshole and…”
“You have a key,” Maria filled in. Of course, the woman had a key to Phil and May’s apartment, she was as close as family to them.
The agent nodded.
“I need to get back in there,” she braced herself and stood up.
“Or,” the blonde shrugged, “you can take a minute and let everyone else handle it.”
“Morse-”
“No, I know. I know you’re the best handler there is and that she’s your kid but… maybe you take a breather and let Fury take over.”
Maria took in a breath to argue, knowing that she wouldn’t let anyone work on a case involving her daughter until Bobbi one more spoke up.
“Or at least wait until Romanoff finishes kicking that kid's ass both physically and psychologically. That way you can claim plausible deniability and they’ll let you stay on the case.”
The agent had a point and so the Commander sat back down on the arm of the couch, trying her best not to think of how scared Ellie was probably feeling.
“She was supposed to be theirs, ya know,” she looked up and met Bobbi’s gaze.
“I do know,” the blonde spoke softly as she leaned against the door.
“They would have kept her safe,” Maria pushed the tears down, “Phil would know what to do.”
To her surprise, Morse laughed, “first of all, there’s no way they would have known she was going to get taken tonight. Just like you didn't, so don't go blaming yourself for something out of your control.”
It was in my control, I should have walked in with her, I should have turned on the lights, I should have-
“And second of all, May would have bolted already, and Phil would have nuked half the world trying to find her.”
Maria glanced up, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to bring Ellie back.
“Not saying you wouldn’t, just, you know to take a step back and do it logically before acting based on emotion.” Bobbi stood up straighter.
“Thanks, Doctor Morse.”
“Ew, you know I hate that,” the agent laughed, “alright, that’s probably enough time. Ready?”
“Ready.” Maria stood up and slammed the mask back on her face before leaving the apartment, prepared to destroy the earth to bring her daughter back home.