Chapter 6
WEEKS AGO
“Do what you think is best.” She heard Kate say and those words kept repeating in her head. An echo, over and over even after they had left the building. She was so sad, she was so mad. She was so confused, how could she understand that? She had never experienced anything like this before.
Losing Natasha.
Now losing Kate.
As she walked away her heart began to beat faster. Far from calming down, her pace seemed to quicken more and more. The black widow went into one of the alleys and jumped the huge trash container to go through the wall and fall into the other side of the street. The need to burn off all that adrenaline, feeling overwhelmed.
Kate saying that she should go, over and over again. And the voices in her mind saying: Everything you touch, you destroy.
‘Hey watch out, you idiot!’ yelled some random guy to another one, snapping Yelena from her thoughts. What was that excruciating pain? What was happening? Why was she she acting like this? She was a fucking spy. She was a Black Widow and acted like a hurt child after fighting with her best friend from kinder.
A drop landed on the tip of her nose and the light from a lightning let her know that she needed to find a place to spend the night and soon. The widow knew what she had to do, she knew that the best thing she could do was clear her head and get some rest, her ribs ached a little. Yelena took her phone and looked for the closest hotel with a good bath, a bed comfortable enough to sleep would be the solution for that night.
The sound of rain hitting the window, the thunder and lightning streaked the sky between the buildings, but she just kept staring blankly at that white ceiling. The TV was on some random channel, just making noise to avoid hearing the voices in her mind telling her that she was wrong to run away from her best friend.
With the lights out, it's less dangerous.
Loneliness surrounded her like her worst enemy, like an apex predator waiting for the moment when she was weakest to attack her. Natasha would know what to say right now. She would know to tell her the exact words she needed to hear, she would know what to advise her. She wished with all her heart that Natasha was there.
A few tears began to run down her cheeks, being erased by the back of her hand.
***
The days passed more slowly than she thought and New York became a completely monotonous and boring place to be alone.
It took five days for her to realize that there was no point in staying there if everything was going to remind her of Kate.
Yelena avoided calls from her private contractor, even though work used to be a very important source to free her pain, this time she couldn't even focus on it.
Friday night, the blonde was leaving New York with the Chevy truck she bought some time ago. She threw her backpack in the seat and took her phone to send a message before starting their trip.
To мама мелина: “Mama, I am okay. Leaving New York for a while, I’ll be there.”
And after about eight hours on that truck, some good playlists and junk food, Yelena finally arrived at that peaceful place surrounded by huge green oaks. The morning rays intruded through the leaves, making this place even more beautiful and peaceful.
So right for a graveyard.
The little Widow's boots caused the branches under her feet to snap as she walked toward that grave. The one that was a few meters behind the small bridge and under the biggest oak that at night, lit up with a swarm of fireflies. Yelena placed some flowers, removing the ones that Melina had surely left days before. With melancholy she watched some letters of random people, thanking Natasha for what she had done for them, leaving photos of their loved ones who came back in the blip thanks to her sister's sacrifice. More candles than she could count, some stuffed bears. Even an image of the Virgin Mary.
All thanks to my sister, who threw herself off a cliff so that half of the universe could come back.
“Good morning, Белочка.” The blonde greeted as she trimmed the ivy that threatened to grow and take over part of her sister's grave. Growing like the anguish in her heart. “Oh, I know. You will say I look like shit, but I drove all night to came here to see you.”
“I am sure that you want to know the reason for such a rush.” Yelena smiled sadly. She swallowed hard, trying to pass that angst in her throat that threatened to drown her. Her pain didn't let her say a word, just a pout.
“I miss you so much, sestra.” Yelena sobbed. “I wish you were here with me. I wish so much that you could answer me, I wish you would say that you love me.”
Her fingers began to caress that engraving on the stone. NATASHA ROMANOFF. DAUGHTER. SISTER. AVENGER.
“Sometimes, I need you more than breathing. I feel like I'm drowning in this huge ocean that drags me over and over again.” She cried. “And I thought that by killing Barton I would find some kind of peace and release from this pain. Feeling like I've finally avenged you, but I couldn't. I couldn't because… because inside I knew he wouldn't be able to kill you, he couldn’t. And yet, I needed a reason.”
Yelena cleared her throat, wiping away her tears with the back of that purple sweatshirt which clearly, didn't belong to her.
Sometimes she thought she hadn't even had a moment to mourn her sister. The little widow took the oath to free as many widows as she could until Valentina came at that very spot, giving her information about Barton. The pain blinded her, ended up kneeling in front of Natasha's grave.
“I needed a reason, a mission to accomplish and to let go of this pain but it is not possible.” Her voice became somewhat hoarse due to crying. “Because this pain grows inside my chest, telling me that I will lose everyone around me if I let them stay. That I don't deserve to be loved, because every person who comes closer to me, they go. Because if they don't willingly abandon me... then… it's because I'm going to let them die.”
Yelena placed the palm of her hand on that black and red logo, as if she expected to feel the warmth of her sister, but only received the cold of that stone.
“I miss you, Natasha. Why did you have to be the hero and save everyone? Drowning me.”
***
The hours passed and Yelena sat in front of that tombstone, longing for her sister's presence. And even if it wasn't her, she felt accompanied by the stories and the people who remembered Natasha with small gestures, leaving her love in the way they could.
“…And after that, she took care of me for weeks until I finally healed my ribs. Okay, it is not like they are completely healed, but she did a good job. She is good, very good. I wish you could meet her, you would like her very much.”
Yelena stopped talking suddenly, knowing someone was coming. The sound of the branches cracking made her wake up from that gloomy state, getting up to look around her, but she didn't have to do much work to find who was coming. A woman was walking towards her, she could see her reddish hair behind that hood. She came closer with her head down, but Yelena recognized her as soon as the woman showed her face.
“Hello.” The woman greeted with a thick accent but not as thick as hers. A Sokovian accent. “I didn't mean to interrupt your moment, I just wanted to visit her before going back to... Nevermind.”
“You don't interrupt. It is good to know that someone remembers her and values her enough to show up here.” Yelena nodded, noticing how the woman settled next to her in front of Natasha Romanoff's grave. One of the most important women in the lives of both, a friend and a sister.
“Sometimes I can't stop thinking how unfair it is.” Wanda dared to say with sadness. “Everyone is talking about Tony Stark's sacrifice, making statues and shields when no one would be here if it wasn't for her.”
The blonde Widow looked at her and nodded slowly, all the times she had said that and felt so guilty. That no one recognized Natasha's effort and sacrifice was as painful as knowing of her death.
“I’m sorry.” Wanda apologized after realizing how her words sounded. “That sounded very bitter. I'm trying to deal with the pain and anger little by little.”
“Don’t be. You are possibly the only person who has said what I truly believe.” Yelena smirked a bit, nodding.
“You must be Yelena.” Wanda smiled at her, keeping her hands in the pockets of her huge green jacket.
“You know who I am?” Yelena whispered somewhat surprised, almost as much as when she found out that Clint knew about her secret whistle.
“Of course. Nat has told me a lot about you.” The witch said it nostalgically, remembering shared moments before Thanos's attack. “Many times. The first time she did it was when she rescued me from The Raft, she told us that she had been making amends with her little sister. Rescuing lost Black Widows around the world.”
“That was the last time I saw her.” Yelena whispered, looking at the tombstone again. “We used to call each other but... I never thought I'd never see her again.”
“I'm really sorry about that, really. The last time I saw her was when Thanos first attacked earth and then just...” Wanda started, but Yelena finished that sentence:
“Thanos snap.” The little widow pouted sadly. “I keep missing her, needing her and I feel like this hole inside me keeps growing more and more, taking over everything.” She confessed, releasing that huge anchor in her chest. “It terrifies me to think that there will be no room for anyone in my heart, only this horrible pain. Because I can't forgive anyone for what she did, not even myself.”
After a few seconds of silence, Wanda spoke.
“A long time ago, someone told me something quite important and powerful and I haven't stopped thinking about it.” Wanda turned her gaze to the blonde next to her. “What is grief if not love persevering?”
“That's kind of sad but beautiful.” Yelena mumbled somewhat shocked by her words, which undoubtedly made a lot of sense. “Love… is something that terrifies me so much. I came here trying to find the right words, wishing that some kind of epiphany would come to me and solve the mess in my mind.”
She sighed, taking a moment before keep talking. Wanda just listened, letting the girl off her chest.
“I met a wonderful person, who does nothing but make my days better. Who has shown interest in me, when I think that everything in my life has been some kind of… ‘fiction’, she was really interested in me.” Yelena smiled through tears. “She has proven to be a beautiful human being, and I know it. My heart knows it because from the first moment I met her… something in me said it. Maybe it helped that she saved a dog when I saw her. ” Both smiled at that, Yelena tried to keep the tears from falling. “And all I did was run away like a little coward, because I don't know how to react to it. The affection of someone so honest, who gives it without wanting something in return. Friendship and sincere love, which terrifies me... because I feel like I'm going to lose it. And I thought that by coming here I could find some answer, that Natasha would have something to say to me, but… I just have all this silence.” She muttered.
Wanda kept quiet until she was sure Yelena wouldn't continue talking, she didn't want to cut off her confession.
“Maybe the closest way to honor Natasha's memory is to live on. Live for it, because it's all we have left. It’s the hardest thing in this world, but we must be brave and go on for her.” Wanda hesitated for a moment, but she brought her hand closer to caress the blonde's shoulder, showing her support. “I know… we both know Nat would want to see you happy. Give Nat that opportunity, give it to that girl and give it to yourself.”
Yelena was quiet again, knowing her words had nothing but the truth. She was right, Natasha would be kicking her ass at the mere thought of seeing her run away from happiness.
“Thank you, Wanda.” She smiled and dried her tears with the small tissue that Wanda offered her. “Where did you say you were going?”
“New York... Why?”
“Because that's where I'm going right now.”
***
NOW
“What do you want now, Yelena?” Kate asked a little bit annoyed. As if it could feel the tension of the moment, Lucky decided to get off the couch to get far away from the fight.
“What? I can't visit my best friend anymore?” The widow asked as she walked over to the table to see the leftovers from dinner, half-finished bottles of beer. “Dinner and a movie, huh? Americans.”
“What's your fucking problem?” Kate exploded. “You come back here, you make a scene being all jealous in front of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Wanda frikin' Maximoff.” She exhaled the air she was holding, walking over to the table to start putting the dirty dishes away in the sink. “I don’t understand you.”
Yelena took a moment to gather her courage before saying all she had to say.
“I needed to apologize to you.” Ugh, that cost more than she expected. And not because of pride. Once she started, there would be no going back.
Kate turned to see her, laying her back against the sink. “You are my best friend, Kate Bishop.”
'Oh, here we go again. She really came back to do that again?' Kate thought.
“I know.” The archer sighed, after all those days thinking about Yelena. She had also thought about the weight of her friendship, was it worth losing it? She was here, maybe Yelena cared about her friendship too. “You’re my best friend too.”
“And I'm sorry I treated you like that, I was out of place...”
“No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been mistaken out...”
“No, Kate. Please let me finish. I need to do this.” She said she raising her hand.
Yelena took a deep breath and began to move around the place, from one side to the other while Kate watched her, willing to keep quiet to find out what was happening to the blonde.
“All these days have been so difficult, you know? After I left, my head has not stopped thinking and thinking about everything that happened that night. And I know I hurt you, the way I acted and especially the way I left. But I think you have no idea what I feel and what I felt…”
Kate opened her lips about to said something about it but she stopped herself, knowing it was time for the blonde to speak.
“When you said that you liked me, I felt a great and deep terror.” She confessed before taking her coat off. “Look, Kate, I grew up in an environment where… love was not possible. The first time I felt that I belonged to a place, that I had a family… it was a lie. It was just a mission, it wasn't even my real family but nobody thought to tell me about it. I was only three years old when we got to Ohio, and six when they took us away.”
“You don’t know the whole story of the Red Room, I was indoctrinated there and brainwashed, they took control of my body completely.” She sighed, trying not to get emotional, fighting back tears again. “Natasha was the only person in the world that I could trust, she… she was my everything. Of course my mama and daddy are very important to me, they are my family but… they are the only thing I have left.”
Kate took a step forward, noting how Yelena's lips trembled for a moment as she searched for the right words with which to express herself. Her gaze couldn't stay still on one point. The archer just wanted to wrap her arms around her and protect her from the entire world, but she just kept quiet.
“And when I met you, you came to take over my world and shake it so hard. Like a snow globe, everything was… a mess inside of me.” Yelena laughed a little, bitterly. “I even waited for you with mac and cheese. What kind of elite assasin does that? Ever since I saw you save that dog with my own eyes, I knew you would make my life a beautiful mess, Kate Bishop.”
Yelena took a few steps closer to Kate, not very much but enough to have her face to face. “And I haven't stopped thinking about you, not even for a day. But the idea of… you liking me, meant pain. It meant I could lose you, that I would get attached to you, and then…” She fought the lump in her throat that wouldn't let her speak. “That I could lose you as I lost my sister. I could not resist that again. I can’t. So I ran as far as my legs would allow me, because I thought that this way all the pain would not follow me, but it was impossible.”
Yelena couldn't look her in the eye, Kate dared to close the distance between them, daring to gently caress the cheek of the blonde.
“And the worst thing is…” Yelena swallowed hard and finally looked up. “I never felt this way about anyone. You are the first person I can say that I am attracted to, because I never had the possibility to decide it for myself. I like you, Kate Bishop.”
“You like me?” Kate stammered this time, completely stunned to see that woman looking at her the way she did.
“This is the first time I've had control in my life, and I want to. I want to try new things, and I want to try this. Yes, I like you, Kate Bishop.” Yelena assured with her thick accent, smiling tenderly when she saw how a huge smile appeared on the archer's face.
“Oh my… can I kiss you? Is that too much?” Kate asked a little bit excited, which made them both laugh tenderly. Two women beginning to fall in love, confessing that they liked each other and asking if they could kiss. There was nothing more innocent and adorable than that right now.
“Are you seriously going to ask, Kate Bishop?” Yelena bit her lower lip.
“Yeah, that was stupid. Wait, is this your first kiss?” With her hand, Kate tucked one of the widow's blonde locks behind her ear, also taking the opportunity to caress her cheek once more. She was able to detail how beautiful Yelena was, from her eyebrows, to those beautiful green eyes. The shape of her nose and her smile, her little freckle on her upper lip.
“We kissed on New Years Eve, Kate.” She raised an eyebrow, amused as Kate watched her. Something intimidating but also charming. No one had seen her like this, ever.
Well, that she remembered.
“Shut up, this one is different.” Kate growled teasingly before leaning down to finally kiss the widow’s lips. Her hands cradled her face through her kiss became slow and passionate, sharing a unique and intimate moment between them.
Her lips moved seamlessly against each other, as if dancing in perfect coordination. The sweetness and warmth that she invited her to sigh once they parted, both with a small cute smile.
"That wasn't so bad." Yelena said hugging the archer's waist, noticing how Kate finally giggled.
“You're not such a bad kisser too.” teased the brunette before resting her forehead against Yelena’s for a few seconds. Yelena broke away for a moment so she could look around her.
“So, what's the thing with Agent Longshadow?” She asked, toying with the idea of being a little jealous. “Have you two been…?”
“Aidan? Oh, no. No, no no no, it's not what you think.” Kate shook her head as fast as physically possible. “She just tried to lift my spirit. It's like… an older sister that I always wanted to have.”
“I understand that.” Yelena said before giving her a short kiss before pulling away completely to walk over to the table and steal a small piece of bread with cheese. “But I hope it is just that, because I don’t like to share.”
“Are you saying that I am yours?” Kate arched her eyebrow playfully.
“Only if you want.” Yelena shrugged, trying not to smirk but it was impossible. “I can be for you too.”
“That would be amazing.” Kate smiled widely again, feeling her soul return to her body at last. She felt as if the beast inside her roared. as if that little badger inside her had turned into a hawk soaring the sky.
“But right now I'm exhausted, Kate Bishop. I drove about nine hours to Ohio and then another nine hours back.” Yelena exclaimed like a real drama queen.
“You can stay if you want, you know you don't have to ask.” Kate assured. “It's not like you haven't been staying with me for weeks and using my bed, remember? I mean, if you don't mind…”
Yelena giggled and nodded, you could see the tiredness on her face.
“Will you be okay with it?”
“Super okay with it. Now go upstairs and get comfortable, I'll give you some clothes to wear.” Kate waited for Yelena to go up to get her phone, she texted her neighbor asking for a favor that would save her life.
***
The taller woman opened the door of her apartment and let the redhead go in first, along with the small backpack that Wanda was carrying. It was a big enough place like Kate's, only maybe less destroyed.
Aiden left her jacket in the coat rack, asking for Wanda to hold out hers since it was a little warmer inside there thanks to the heater.
“Sorry to ruin your…” Wanda repeated as she took off her coat.
“It wasn't a date, I swear. First of all, she’s like… a friend, a little sister to me, I could never see her like that. Second, she's waaay younger than me.” Aidan clarified, ger eyes widening at how crazy that would be and how crazy it sounded. Not even in her worst nightmares, especially knowing the past that united her with Kate.
The agent headed towards the kitchen, this and the dining room were divided by the breakfast bar so Wanda followed her with her eyes, memorizing that place. There were no family portraits or photos of fond memories, just a few important objects. But the most interesting, two sais and a book with a kind of bright crescent moon inside a glass box.
“Does age seem important to you, agent?” The Scarlet Witch asked curiously, taking her eyes off that book to now see the brunette. She was testing her and the agent knew it.
“Of course not.” Aidan shook her head nervously but then looked up. “Unless there's some kind of leverage from the oldest one, knowing they're manipulating over someone younger.” She took the teapot from her and placed it on the stove. “I have been reading, one must learn more and more. Times are changing, it's interesting…”
“Are you a S.W.O.R.D agent?” Wanda seemed somewhat resentful at these words, seeing how the brunette took out two empty cups from one of the cabinets.
“S.H.I.E.L.D. agent” Aidan corrected turning to see Wanda, seeing how the witch sat in front of the breakfast bar watching her with some distrust. “Mucho mistrust, I see… I know you have some distrust of institutions like the one I belong to, but I assure you that S.H.I.E.L.D had nothing to do with the incident that you already know about. I know about Westview, Ms. Maximoff.”
“I know people were hurt and…” Wanda looked guilty upon hearing about that place.
“But I'm not here to accuse you, ‘cause if I were to say something, I'd like to make it clear that S.W.O.R.D. has been under the command of someone very incompetent and the situation with you, miss, was out of control. But not just because of you.” Aidan clarified herself as she waited for the kettle to boil, once ready she finished by pouring two steaming cups of tea. “I just want you to join me for tea while those two girls finish solving their love problems. I'm sorry I stole you from the apartment next door, but they need it.”
“I get it. I could feel that tension from across New York.” Wanda teased for the first time, taking the cup of tea that the brunette offered her. She now seemed a little more confident. “Yelena came too worried to talk to her throughout the trip.”
“Right? Kate was like a stray puppy for days, staring out the window to see her arrived. But those two girls love each other very much, they just… don't know how to do it.” Aidan sighed and stirred her tea after adding two teaspoon of sugar. “They just need a little push."
“Thanks … But about them, these are very complicated times for love.” The witch whispered, enjoying the warmth of the tea.
“Something like that.” Aidan whispered the same way.
Wanda was quiet for a while and looked around her apartment, then fixed her gaze on the agent. She tried to memorize her face, some details. Something about her made her special, or something different. Didn’t know what yet. “Do I know you?”
“Umh... I don't think so.” Aidan, looking down at her tea somewhat nervously. She knew Wanda Maximoff wouldn't recognize her at all. “But Miss Maximoff, I have talked to Laura and I know your reasons for being in New York and let me tell you that I have no reason to refuse, I know that...”
In that moment, Aidan's phone rang notifying a new message.
'You're going to kill me but I really need tonight.
Could you help Wanda get settled in a nearby hotel? Please, please, please!
Iknow I'm asking too much of you. You are the best!’ – Kate, a minute ago.
“It seems that things with those girls are good... or very bad.” Aiden put her pone away. “It's a bit late, you can stay here with me until Kate and Yelena can work out their problems and...”
“Oh, no. I don't want to bother, I can find a hotel.” Wanda said quickly ready to get up but Aiden spoke again.
“Please, stay.” Aidan insisted. The green of the witch's eyes colliding with hazel eyes of the Agent. She leaned to whisper. “The DODC is no longer our friend, Wanda. S.H.I.E.L.D is going through a complex situation while Nick Fury is on the Moon. I'm under the command of Maria Hill right now and the rest of the agents who truly believes in S.H.I.E.L.D. After Westview we can assure that S.W.O.R.D. was dishonest and fraudulent thanks to Hayward's dirty work. The United States Government haven't found anyone capable of taking charge yet, and the one person we trust isn't capable of doing it now. S.H.I.E.L.D. considers you an ally, not a threat. Please, I have an extra room for you and I promise the bed is not too bad and the shower has excellent pressure.” She waited. “Please, Wanda. I swear, I’m not a bad roomie.”
Aidan narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her nose as if expecting a big ‘no’.
She was right, where could she go? Clint had recommended that she should keep a low profile with Kate, both could keep each other company… without knowing that the girl now had a Black Widow and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D looking for her now. The witch took a few seconds before answering.
“Thank you, Agent Longshadow. That would be nice, tomorrow I'll think about what I'm going to do and I'll talk to Kate about my stay. IF I stay.” Wanda said after a few moments, smiling slightly.
***
“Are you feeling better?” Kate asked tilting her head to watch as Yelena slowly came back from the bathroom, tying her hair up in a small bun. She was wearing one of Kate's oversized sweatshirts.
“A lot better now.” Yelena whispered approaching the bed to lie down with her. Both tilted their bodies to be able to see each other, barely a few centimeters apart. Both smiled. “I'm sorry I left you alone.”
“I'm sorry I let you go.” Kate whispered in the same way, as if they didn't want to break this little moment together.
“What will happen now?” Yelena asked, somewhat curiously confused as she tucked her pillow under her head.
“Just… try.” Kate's voice sounded so calm and soft. There was no other way but to get carried away by the moment, without making it too formal. Both had to learn to love each other, to have each other and to discover what it was that they now had.
“This must have a very interesting story.” Kate looked down from her for a moment until she saw a scar on her Yelena’s right shoulder, a horizontal line about four centimeters. With her index finger she caressed over it, causing a pleasant shiver in Yelena.
“The time I saw Natasha again, since we were separated. We were attacked by a group of Black Widows who were chemically subjugated… brainwashed and some kind of cyborg? Half human.” Yelena tried to explain that by narrowing her eyes, but Kate's unusual look and her lips tightened as if she didn't want to laugh at how crazy that sounded. Yelena giggled. “Don’t look at me like that! I am telling the truth!”
“I’m sorry but that sounded so damn crazy!”
Neither of them could fall asleep quickly so they spent a long time talking, telling stories, telling their happy memories as well as some painful ones. But most of all, Kate heard about Yelena’s latest adventure with her family destroying the Red Room.
“REALLY? You guys shot down a floating station IN THE SKY?” Kate's eyes widened in surprise.
“We did.” Yelena smiled proudly.
“And then you jumped with a parachute? WHAT?!”
“Not really, but Natasha jumped behind me skydiving and then put one on me.”
“No way! That sounds so cool!”
“Right? It really was so cool.” Yelena couldn't wipe the smile off her face at the memories of her. Natasha, her mama Melina and Alexei. “There are still widows to free, not as many as before but a few.”
Kate was silent for a few seconds before speaking. “Maybe we should try... You know, help them.”
“What are you talking about? you and me? As a team?” Yelena remained lost in the brunette's gaze. If there was one thing she loved about Kate, it was that she wasn’t a selfish or cowardly woman, she always wanted to help. She always wanted to do better for others, even if it meant taking risks for herself. “It could be dangerous.”
“We're already living in 'dangerous,' don't you think? Let me help you.” The archer insisted caressing the blonde's jawline
Yelena didn't say a word, just leaned in and broke the distance to kiss Kate’s soft lips. A short, slow and sincere kiss; so many feelings.
“Is that a yes?” Kate whispered against her lips.
With a tiny smile, Yelena whispered too: “That is a 'tomorrow we will talk about it', Kate Bishop.”
***
THE NEXT MORNING
RYKER’S ISLAND
penal facility
The creaking sound of the gates opening didn't even seem to take her from her morning reading. Eleanor Bishop was lost reading a book when one of the guards approached her cell. She didn't look so elegant in her suits anymore, now Eleanor just wore a simple orange uniform like every inmate in that place.
“Bishop. You have a visitor.” The officer told her as she opened her cell for her to come out. Eleanor wasn’t a hard woman, and this part of the penitentiary wasn’t for dangerous criminals. Closing her book with an enviable tranquility, the woman got up from her seat in that cell sufficiently equipped thanks to the money she had left, accompanying the officer on duty.
It took about five minutes to get to the visitors room, after exhaustive checks making sure it was safe. It was a small room, with several bulletproof glass, only phones to communicate.
“Bishop, number six. You have fifteen minutes.” The guard exclaimed and pointed to the cubicle that belonged to her for now.
Stepping slowly and gracefully as always, Eleanor Bishop walked over to the cubicle and sat there, staring at whoever she had in front of the glass.
“What must a woman do to receive such a visit? I have tried to contact you, but you’re a very difficult woman to find.” Eleanor said to her visitor. Always with that intense look, such a cunning woman.
“I told you everything would be done on time.” Clarified the female voice on the other end of the phone, she looked as imposing as ever. “Do you have what I asked you for?”
“First, I want to get out of here.”
“That's impossible right now and you know it.”
“Then I want a better place, I have copies of everything that has happened in recent years. I can sink Wilson to the bottom of the ocean, but I won't if I go with him.”
“You will have to discuss that with your lawyer, not me.” Aidan replied seeing how the guard looked at her watch, they had the minutes counted. “Complex times are coming, Eleanor. If you want some advice, let me tell you that best thing is not to warn anyone and keep a low profile for now.”
“How’s Kate?” Eleanor asked, finally she was encouraged to ask about her daughter. Even her face had changed to a much softer and more concerned one. She had not heard from her since she had been taken away on Christmas Eve, when her last words had been: ‘Is this what heroes do, arrest their mothers on Christmas?’
“She’s fine” Aidan settled back in her seat and watched the guard out of the corner of her eye, noticing how she moved away from them. “She's dealing with her loss in her own way and time, she's a tough girl. She's still a little hurt with you, of course. Her mami has turned out to be a convicted criminal who worked for the scum that have brought this city to its doom.” Aiden muttered under her breath, causing Eleanor to narrow her eyes at her with disdain. “But more than anything: she's a little worried that you'll hate her, that's why she hasn't worked up the courage to visit you yet. I think her mother breaking her heart by rejecting her is not something Kate needs right now.”
“I can understand her, I wouldn't know how to face her right now.” Eleanor confessed, looking down for a second. “You have to look for her, if Wilson is on the loose, he won't forget my betrayal and will go after her. Especially if she's involved with an avenger.”
“She knows how to take care of herself, she doesn't need me at all and I can assure you of that. Now I can only protect her from S.W.O.R.D. and Valentina. That's what I'm here for. I'll try to talk her into visiting you. As far as legal issues, it looks like they might save Bishop Security thanks to Jack's testimony.” Aidan assured, sighing. “Now, Kate is more busy with lovebirds issues.”
That took Eleanor by surprise, her eyes lit up slightly. “My little girl has fallen in love?”
“Something like that. She's happy, that's all I can tell you for now. I believe that's up to her to tell you.”
“You’re taking care of her. I know it's not just for S.H.I.E.L.D, I know it's not... You do it for what you and I know.” She punctuated those last words, making Aiden clenched her jaw.
“But she doesn't know anything and she won't. Never.” Aidan said that in a direct way, noticing how the guard tapped on her watch indicating that she had five minutes left. “I will be watching her.”
“Look at you now… You sure have changed since we met, huh? I never thought that you would really care about her. Or anything.”
“Things have changed since then, Eleanor. The Cold War… aliens attacking New York, robots have destroyed Sokovia, half the universe has disappeared, the gods now are no longer a secret and half of the universe just came back with the snap of a finger.” Aidan murmured, smiling slightly from the other side of the glass. “Two undercover agents will be watching over you, but try to avoid trouble. If you want that, you have to keep giving me what we need.”
“TIME IS UP, INMATE.”
“Take care of my Kate, Aidan.” The oldest woman asked once more before the guard approached her, ready to take her to her cell again. “A goddess promise can't be broken, right?”
Those words made Aiden clench her jaw. “Take care, Eleanor. Don't make me come back here again.”