TEN
Natasha and Wanda have been with the Bartons for weeks now and Wanda noticed that Natasha was still the same as she was when they were in the cabin. She spends a lot of time with the kids playing with them and helping them out with school work, she would help out with Laura and Wanda from time to time and even train with Clint sometimes. She was trying to live her life normally as she used to whenever she spends time with Clint’s family. Wanda could tell that she was trying hard to be okay and she commends her effort, but the loneliness in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed by her, and the longing stares that lingers whenever she looked at the kids hurt her all the more. She understood those longing looks, something that they both have in common. Whenever she looks at them she can’t help but long for the future she could’ve had with Vision and she’s sure that Natasha was feeling the same, she could’ve had all of these with Steve.
She was somehow feeling indifferent about Steve now, how could she not when it was that easy for him to forget about Nat. She could only imagine her pain, yes she knows how it feels to lose the ones you love but losing him to someone else must’ve been a different kind of pain after all the betrayal of a loved one cuts deep more than anything else, and all she can do for Nat is to be by her side in this hard times.
They were in the backyard and they just had dinner Laura and the kids just headed in and tucked the kids to bed while the three of them were outside having a drink when Natasha shocked them with something.
“I’m going back to Russia,” she said nonchalantly not looking at any of them, and hearing that somehow hurt Wanda, she feels like she was being left alone again, but before she could even protest Nat beat her to it.
“I’m heading there with Wanda that is if she wants to come with me,” Natasha said looking at her as if pleading with her to come. This warmed her heart and swallowed the hurt she felt earlier and covered it with a cough and nodded agreeing to come.
“What are we gonna do there?” she asked curiously.
“You finally catching up with them huh?!” Clint started smirking at her and this confused Wanda even more.
“Catching up with what?” and the two just laughed at her, before Natasha explained what they were talking about.
“My family back home,” she stated, and that caused Wanda to choke on her drink and looked at her with wide eyes like she had just grown another head.
“Family? How come I never knew about this?”
“Well, we weren’t really on talking terms for a while and just got reunited when we finally took down the red room, and that’s why I’m bringing you with me to Russia. I want you to officially meet them.”
“You’d let me meet them?”
“Well, you’ll be the first one to meet her so-called family Wanda I haven’t even met them yet, and I don’t think I’ll ever meet them. Not after how her sister threatened to torture me before killing me slowly. Her threats still give me nightmares Nat.” Clint tells them acting like Yelena’s threats caused him to shiver and give him goosebumps.
Natasha just gave him a cocky smile, she could only imagine the detailed threats Yelena made to him and looked at Wanda with amusement because her face lit up after listening to Clint.
“Well I think it’s time to see her again, Yelena is a bit of spitfire and impatient at that or she might make good on those threats. We don’t want that now, do we?” She told Clint teasingly and all Wanda could do was look at them contently as they interact.
A few days after that Natasha and Wanda took off with the quinjet in Clint’s garage Natasha could sense the excitement and nervousness in Wanda’s eyes and smile at her reassuringly. “No need to get nervous Wanda, but I have to warn you they are anything but normal,” and they both smiled at that and headed inside her apartment.
Natasha warned her to stay behind her for there might be some unwanted objects thrown once they reach her floor. The moment she opened the door a knife flew right in front of her which she was ready to dodge but Wanda beat her to it and the knife remained floating in midair.
“Woah, that is awesome.” They heard Yelena as she started heading for the door, when she saw Natasha her stone-cold face suddenly lit up and was filled with joy and relief.
“Sestra!” she called out and ran to her enveloping her in her arms. “You are alive! I missed you so much, Nat.” She poured out her emotions in that hug and found themselves crying realizing how much they have missed each other as Wanda watched in awe of their reunion.
“Why didn’t you come sooner? Yelena whined like a little to her sister and that filled her with guilt, making her sister worry about her.
“I’m sorry I just had to deal with things, but I’m here now sestra you don’t have to worry about me.”
“I see that you still got the vest, it’s amazing, isn’t it? The pockets are very cool too.” Yelena said swaying the topic not wanting to deal with emotions anymore and extended her look behind Natasha and looked at Wanda from head to toe measuring her up and silently challenging her. Wanda just looked at her timidly understanding the protectiveness she was giving off.
Natasha noticed the look she was giving Wanda and knew she had to intervene “Play nice Yelena,”
“What? I didn’t say anything that’s not fair,” she reasoned feigning a hurt look which Natasha knew was a pure act, and just smiled at that. “Who is she, is she one of your Avengers family?” she added as if mocking her other so-called family.
She let it slide knowing that she was a little jealous of them for spending more time with them than her. “Yelena this Wanda, Wanda this Yelena my sister.” She introduced the two and Wanda extended her arm humbly for a shake which she let hung in the air for a few seconds until finally taking it for a firm shake.
Natasha was relieved and truly happy that her two sisters had finally met and hoped they would get along just fine.
“So, are you like her sister in the Avengers?” She referred to Wanda this time initiating a conversation and Natasha took this as a sign of her warming up to Wanda and headed to the kitchen leaving the two.
“Kind of, she is like a sister to me and her to me,” Wanda answered honestly.
Yelena appreciated the honesty and Yelena being Yelena started getting excited and wanted to know more about her and started bombarding her with questions Natasha could see from the kitchen that poor Wanda was being overwhelmed by her chatty sister. “I can hear an accent where are you from? And that thing with the glowing red light thingy, how do you do that?” “Are you some kind of magician? Can you do some more tricks?” Yelena asked giddily and Wanda couldn’t find herself to answer one of her questions as she just keeps on talking and on. She made Wanda show her float some more stuff and she was amazed by it. “That is so cool, how about.”
Yelena stopped midsentence when she saw Natasha handing her a plate of blini and got her to stop talking and dug in with the food.
“I can see you’ve warmed up to her, but slow down with the questions and let her answer Yelena, you are overwhelming Wanda here.” She said, taking a seat next to Wanda who smiled gratefully at her for the food and for saving her from the chatty Yelena.
As the night grew deeper Natasha noticed the exhausted Wanda and asked Yelena to help her settle down in the room. After doing so she saw Natasha looking out the window carrying something in her arms. It was a midnight black cat with shiny healthy fur it was Liho the cat which she notices that only shows up whenever Natasha was around.
They were silent for a while and the only thing that could be heard was the deafening silence of the night and the constant purring of Liho in Nat’s arms. Natasha knew that at some point they had to have the talk and just waited for Yelena to start knowing that her patience could only last long.
“Why did you do it?” She asked her with full of hurt in her voice, still not understanding why she did what she did.
Natasha swallowed the lump in her throat and faced her this time, “how could I not? I tried reaching out and looked for you after the snap and couldn’t find you anywhere. For the last five years, that’s all I did, finding ways to get you back, all of you back. I did what I had to do Yelena.”
“When the rest of us found a way, I told them that we’ll bring you back whatever it took and that’s what we exactly did.” She told her caressing her cheek and wiping off the lone tear she shed.
“You didn’t have to do that Nat.” she told her sister with uncontrollable tears, “It shouldn’t have to be you, it could’ve been someone else. I thought I’d lose you again.”
“It could only be me, Yelena. I wouldn’t let anyone else be in that position.” Knowing all too well what has happened to Gamora when she led Thanos on that planet, she deliberately left that information out of the rest of the team and brought Clint with her even after Steve had insisted to go with her she didn’t budge knowing that she could never outfight Steve when it comes to sacrificing one’s self, she knows how much of a self-sacrificing idiot he was.
“I could’ve lost you, Nat,” she said sobbing as Natasha gathered her in her arms.
“I know mladshaya sestra (little sister) and I would do it in a heartbeat again if it means you could get a shot at life once again.
“Promise me you’d never do that again.” She didn’t respond to her and just tightened her embrace to reassure her that she was here with her. She couldn’t promise her that because she would lay her own life for her and any of her family.
They stayed in that position for a while until Yelena broke it, “I went after Barton.” She confessed to her and she just smirked at her.
“I know, I heard from Clint. I heard a lot from him.” She told her arching her brow and heard Yelena muttering to herself and just laughed at that.
“What a snitch, such a cry baby,” she muttered to herself.
The day after that, the trio flew to Melina’s farm to introduce Wanda and spend some quality time with the rest of her family.