The Pig Pen
Fall, it seemed, had come to an end early in Russia as Maria looked at the vast open space that belonged to the Iron Maiden. The rolling hills were barely a shade above grey as she watched Natasha slowly bring them down to land in an open pasture. As they touched down, the Commander’s phone began to vibrate.
“I have to take this,” Maria flipped the device around to show the screen, “he’s been silent for the last 45 days.”
“Want Ellie to hang back with you?” Natasha glanced back to the two in the back row.
“Can you,” Maria weighed her options and answered the phone, “take her?”
The redhead nodded as they landed, in Ellie’s mind, the man calling was still dead. If she even had a guess that Fury was on the other end of the call, things would start to unravel before they were able to explain to her what was going on.
“Nice of you to call,” The Commander answered the phone and covered the receiver, “be in as soon as I can.”
The Russians stood up and stretched in unison as they waited for the door to open. Ellie squinted as she stepped off the quinjet, immediately looking up at Natasha who sighed and stuck her hand out.
“I don’t want to be here either,” she grumbled as her sister walked towards the house.
The smell of livestock and forest was abundant as they followed, Natasha had been around enough to start to associate the scent with Melina. She also knew that their every move was being tracked from the time they were a mile out. The oldest widow had a knack for setting up security systems. They were expected.
Melina’s front door opened automatically as Yelena got closer, the younger woman continued into the house without hesitation. Natasha on the other hand lagged slightly until Ellie tugged on her sleeve and looked up at her.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” she took another breath and walked into the house.
Yelena had already seated herself in the kitchen, opening a bag of cookies from where she sat at the table. Natasha took a seat next to her sister, allowing Ellie to sit in her lap and take in the new environment. A minute passed before the door at the end of the hall closed and Melina emerged, pulling off latex gloves and a pair of goggles as she did so.
In a shift that no one saw coming, Elizaveta went stiff before swiping a butter knife off the table and moving towards Melina with speed no one expected. The child yelled in a combination of languages as she lunged toward the woman, making threats that rivaled girls twice her age.
“How dare you show your face around me? Look around now because this will be your last chance to use your eyes!” The girl launched herself at Melina, wrapping her legs around the woman's torso, “You are the work of evil. Pure Evil!”
Natasha sat with her mouth agape, unable to move, Yelena started laughing loudly, Melina moved quickly and calmly to subdue the girl. In a move that Ellie would have learned at a later date, the older woman broke free of the child’s hold and wrapped her own arms around the girl, pinning her and causing her to drop the knife at the same time.
The child thrashed as Yelena continued to laugh, “That was impressive Rat!”
Ellie kicked harder for a moment before whining and admitting defeat as Melina hummed at the specimen in her arms, “Are you able to be calm?”
The girl huffed, waited for a moment, and then nodded once. The older woman released her immediately and she scrambled back into Natasha’s lap.
“I did not expect you to bring a small attack dog,” Melina commented.
“Ya know, I didn’t either,” the redhead smirked and looked at the child who was still trying to stare Melina down.
Melina stared back, intensely at first before softening her gaze and giving an almost smile, “Ah yes, the Romani girl. The traveler.”
“I will travel. I travel to your grave when I put you there,” Elizaveta spat out.
Yelena barked out a laugh and handed the child a cookie.
“Don’t eat too many, you’ll ruin your supper,” Melina chided before looking at Natasha, “And Natalia, don’t slouch you will set a bad example for the youngest.”
“We didn’t come for dinner, we came for the-” The redhead sat up straighter before definitely slouching once more and being cut off by the older woman.
“Yes, and you will receive it but the four of you have been traveling and I will not just send you away before you eat,” Melina huffed before looking at the door where a skeptical Maria walked in.
The brunette scanned the room, taking in everything she could before her eyes finally fell on Ellie who looked… disgruntled as she took a bite of a cookie.
“Maria Hill,” the woman next to her did not offer a hand.
“Melina Vostokoff,” Maria gave a brief nod.
“The young widow in your care is quite ferocious,” the older woman stared openly at Ellie.
It was news to her, but still, she would take the girl’s side every time. Even as she watched her squirm uncomfortably in Natasha’s lap.
“My daughter knows the difference between being defensive around those who are deserving, and those who are not,” she emphasized the word.
“Daughter,” Melina mulled the word over, “yet you did not give birth to her, you merely took her once she had started to train. A killer who could be controlled.”
“You should know better than others, birth doesn’t make you a mother.”
It was something Maria and Natasha had discussed once before, the older woman still viewed Yelena and Natasha as her own children, even if they did not. Melina was pushing to see where the Commander's breaking point was, but after years of dealing with Barton, this wasn’t even close.
“Perhaps,” the woman dismissed her with a small wave of the hand, “I will continue creating antidote, where is the device?”
Yelena reached into a pocket of her vest and pulled out the small metal tube Tony had created to spray powder from a distance. She handed it over to the older woman who eyed it and pressed various buttons until there was a faint hissing noise.
“This will work with the new antidote, not the old,” she looked up to the room where 4 pairs of eyes were on here, “The particle size on the previous powder will cause obstructions through this tubing.”
The small kitchen stayed quiet as the woman continued to analyze.
“I will need to send out the updated version to all widows as you distribute this,” Melina sighed and held up the metal tube, “It will be a tedious process replacing and issuing what has already been given to others. I will need to stay up late and-”
“Oh no, you might lose some hours of sleep. We can’t have that,” Natasha mocked.
“Natalia you misinterpret-”
“No, you’re worried about how much sleep you’ll get while there are women out there who don’t sleep for days on end because of the horrors of something you created!”
“You are not letting me explain-” Melina tried again.
“You say you’re our mother,” Natasha whipped around to face her sister, “Yelena, how many days have you gone without sleep while under subjugation. Can you even remember?”
The blonde swallowed and looked at Ellie who sat impossibly small on Natasha’s lap, “Come on Rat, let me show you the pigs.”
The girl looked at Maria who gave a small nod and signed <it’s okay, go.>
It was a delicate situation that was quickly unraveling as Ellie signed back <come with>
And so the three left the kitchen, the door was barely closed before Natasha’s voice raised and the argument started once more. It wasn’t hard to see where the pigs were kept, in fact, it was hard to find a place in the large plot of land that wasn’t dedicated to the animals.
“Now you must be careful when you feed them,” Yelena walked over to a large bucket and pulled out a number of vegetables, “they can bite fingers, all the way off.”
Ellie’s eyes widened.
“But I will teach you how to not have that happen. It is very fun, they will,” the blonde began snorting much to the delight of the little girl.
Maria watched as the two approached the fence and Yelena knelt down to show the little girl how to keep her fingers safe. True to her word, the pigs began to oink much to the green-eyed child's delight. They continued until the blonde stood to full height and let Ellie continue on her own.
“The two of them, they fight every time,” Yelena sighed, “less each time, but it always happens.”
“I think it would be hard to find a family that doesn’t fight,” Maria shrugged.
“Do you come from a large family?”
“No, but I created one,” she smiled and watched as Ellie squealed back in delight as one of the larger pigs nuzzled her arm.
Eventually, even Yelena called it too cold outside and the trio made their way back into a tense house. Natasha was still eyeing Melina from where she sat at the table, the older woman stirring something on the stove.
“You all eat meat?” Melina barely glanced up to see Maria and Ellie both nod, “good, Yelena set the table. Little one wash your hands.”
Maria wasn’t sure how to regard the comment, it wasn’t rude, it was simply stated as if it was something she had been saying for most of her life. While she stayed quiet, the other three parties spoke up all at once.
“She’s not your kid, you can’t control her the way you controlled all those-” Natasha started before being cut off by Yelena.
“Why do I have to set the table? Natalia never has to-” The blonde was also cut off, this time by Ellie.
“will not even take off the smell of your sour soul,” the little girl furrowed her brows in disgust.
“Hey rule 5!” Maria got the attention of the youngest, who glanced once more at Melina before giving a slight nod at the reminder, “Now, drop the attitude, she only asked you to wash your hands.”
Ellie sighed but not before narrowing her eyes and following Yelena who took her into the bathroom down the hall.
“Sorry,” Maria muttered, “unless you deserved that.”
“Deserve or not deserve, it is a matter of opinion,” the woman waved her hand dismissively before turning off the heat on the stove, “I have heard much worse. Now Natalia help me drain the potatoes, you are stronger than myself.”
The redhead opened her mouth to protest before rolling her eyes and getting up, strainer in hand. It was as if Maria had been transported to another world, one where her daughter was vicious, where Yelena was relaxed, and Natasha was a begrudgingly helpful daughter. She took her spot at the table and watched as it continued to unfold.
Dinner was a noticeably less tense affair, Ellie had scarfed down her first serving before asking (reluctantly) for seconds, Melina was quick to add more food to her plate. Yelena talked about previous widows and asked who would be coming to the farm soon for her to catch up with. Natasha stayed quiet for the most part, her eyes drifting mostly from Maria to Ellie until Melina had fully cleared the table.
“If you all would not mind feeding the pigs, I have to go work on the antidote,” the older woman placed the last of the leftovers in the fridge.
The four remaining people at the table stood to do what had been asked of them. However, at the last second Melina caught Maria’s arm.
“She will follow you, I just need a word.”
Natasha opened her mouth to protest but not after the blue-eyed woman gave a small nod. The room fell into silence.
“I know that it appears we all have differences and that hatred runs deeply,” Melina stated carefully, “however, I know what you have done for both of my girls. I want you to understand that the farm is incredibly secure.”
“I understand,” Maria kept it short.
She had seen the security measures in place on her way in from the jet, and then again when they had been around the pigs that afternoon.
“From,” the woman paused, “from one mother to another, I would not put any of you in danger. Especially the youngest.”
“You sure about that? She seems real pissed at you,” the Commander raised an eyebrow.
“From a lifetime ago when I was forced to make decisions that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
It was quiet as they both took in what Melina was saying.
“There are 5 bedrooms, you are free to choose to sleep in any configuration that works best for you all,” the older woman said nothing else as she walked down a small set of stairs that led to, what Maria would only assume, was a basement laboratory.
“Mommy,” Ellie laughed as two pigs ate from a bucket in her arms, “can we have a pig?”
“I have a feeling Tony wouldn’t love that,” she shook her head.
“No,” Natasha smiled, “he would. Pepper on the other hand.”
The rest of the night came quickly as jet lag set in, both Ellie and Yelena fell asleep on the couch as old movies played on the TV. For the first time since they got there, Natasha leaned into Maria’s side, finally relaxing.
“She went after Melina with a butter knife when we first got here,” Natasha mumbled as Maria chuckled. The girl had a knack for swiping objects. “Threatened to cut out her eyes.”
It went from funny to something that would need to be brought up with a child psychologist, once they could find one that saw clients that included child soldiers in the New York area. She sighed and glanced down at the woman in her arms.
“I didn’t know they had history.”
“I didn’t either,” Natasha sighed, “sorry I brought her here.”
“I’m not,” Maria sat up fully, “other than that, she’s having a great time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her eat more in one sitting plus she loves flying on the jet.”
Natasha stayed quiet.
“Tomorrow you’ll go back into town and you’ll show her around, right?” She tried to lighten the mood, “I have a few hours of work I need to get done.”
The redhead nodded, “Yelena knows the area pretty well, I think there’s a park and a coffee shop she’ll like.”
“She’ll love it.”
“How do you know?” Natasha looked up.
“It’s Ellie, she loves everything you do,” Maria smiled and brushed a stray curl out of the woman’s face.
It was the truth, anything the sisters did, Ellie immediately wanted to do. While the girl was still nervous and would follow a few steps behind, the women had a shadow and pair of eyes on them at all times. Maria had caught Ellie eyeing vests the last time they went to the store, she knew exactly who the child was thinking about.
“You really think that?” green eyes met blue.
“I know that,” she nodded.
Natasha opened her mouth to say something before her eyes cut to her sister, “Stop eavesdropping.”
“You too,” Maria spoke up from where she saw Ellie’s mouth quirk.
The two adults subtly untwined themselves from each other before Maria scooped up her daughter from where she still pretended to sleep, “Time for bed, little bear.”
“Movie is not over,” a sleepy voice protested.
“We can finish it tomorrow,” she kissed the girl on top of the head.
“And then park and shop?”
Maria rolled her eyes, “I knew you were eavesdropping.”
“Mommy, I still do not know Eve or what she is even dropping.”
The next morning, Maria woke up to a knee in her spleen and an inbox full of emails from various members of the House of representatives, congress, and Senators. She internally groaned before slowly extracting herself from Ellie’s tangle of limbs. Her hoodie was worn and loved (making it a hot commodity for Natasha to steal) as she pulled it over her body and padded down to the kitchen.
“I will assume you drink caffeine with no additional cream or sweetener,” Melina was tired looking from where she stood by a coffee maker.
Maria nodded and took a seat at the kitchen table, watching as the older woman poured a mug and handed it over.
“Army,” she looked at Maria’s hoodie and nodded as if confirming something, “A career you left?”
“Something like that,” she didn't want to give any other information, not that Melina needed it. The woman was a widow, she could put the pieces together.
“When did you join SHIELD?”
“A few years before Natasha.”
“Ah, she does not… it is not a time that I have been privy to the knowledge of,” Melina drank from her own mug.
It wasn’t surprising. By the time SHIELD took Natasha in, the woman was a shell of a person with a reactive personality and trust issues a mile long.
Before Maria could respond, her phone began to vibrate, another call from a senator.
“I’ll have to take this,” she looked at the woman in front of her who nodded and disappeared back into the basement, “This is Hill.
Which is how she spent most of the day, fielding questions about things she didn’t have answers to, or wouldn’t divulge. There were quick breaks where she had breakfast with Ellie and Natasha (while Yelena slept well past 10 a.m.), got properly dressed, and got her daughter ready for the park. Other than that, it was call after call, email after email, and cup after cup of coffee.
She was answering another email when Melina came into the kitchen, patiently waiting behind Maria’s laptop screen.
“One second,” she huffed while crafting a particularly cold email to the shrill congresswoman from the hearing, “Okay. Yes, Melina.”
“I wanted to inform you that my radar picked up one of the planes from a group of widows, they will most likely stay for 2 days and be here within the next-” Whatever Melina was about to say was cut off by Ellie who was falling (or rather, crashing) into the room.
The little girl stood up, slightly wild-eyed as Maria’s phone began to ring. She glanced at Ellie who gave a thumbs up before answering, “Safe.”
“Thank you,” Natasha sighed, “some other widows just landed, I think she got freaked out.”
“No problem, see you soon,” she hung up the phone and looked at Ellie who gave a lopsided grin before shutting down as Melina got closer, head cocked to the side.
“This- this is not work of the Room,” the woman squinted.
“No,” Maria closed her laptop and pulled her daughter onto her lap protectively, “it is not.”
“Interesting.”
It was all Melina could say before the front door opened and a scene of chaos filled the house as young women spilled in.
Ellie’s face was very serious as she pulled on Maria’s sleeve, “they know me. From before.”