Chapter 1
Yelena’s three when Natasha meets her. Natasha doesn’t interact with children younger than her and when she’s told she’s supposed to play the part of the girl’s older sister, she pauses. She doesn’t know how to be an older sister. She doesn’t know what they do.
When her fake mother goes over the details of the mission with her, she asks Natasha how she will accomplish her role as Yelena’s sister.
Natasha is quiet. She doesn’t know how to reply to Melina. She’d much rather be quiet and take the punishment than take a chance and guess wrong. Punishments for guessing were so much worse.
Sensing that Natasha didn’t know, Melina crouches in front of her. “Big sisters protect their younger siblings. They keep them safe and they want them happy.”
Natasha parrots the answer back to Melina.
Protect Yelena.
Natasha can do that.
Yelena is in the living room with Natasha, attempting to stack wooden blocks up into a tower. Natasha observes, unsure of if she’s allowed or expected to touch the toys as well. Melina had told her to watch over Yelena while she spoke with Alexei just upstairs.
Yelena lets out a frustrated grunt when her tower topples before she wants it to.
Natasha glances over at her, watching the toddler shove her half-crumbled tower over. Yelena once again starts to try and stack the blocks up before letting out a frustrated yell when her tower falls once again.
Natasha flinches when Yelena hurls the block as hard as her little body can muster and it smashes against a vase on the table, knocking it off and toppling it over onto the ground where it shatters.
Natasha bolts to her feet, darting toward the shards of ceramic and starts to collect them up until she finds the block and picks it up.
The sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs causes Natasha to tense up. Her hands sting from the shards of ceramic.
Yelena’s still sitting in the same place when Melina and Alexei barrel into the room.
Melina’s eyes scan the room and her eyes fall onto the shattered vase before she looks up at Natasha. “What happened?” She orders.
Natasha straightens up, her eyes falling onto the block she gripped tightly in her hand before replying. “I did it.”
She doesn’t know why she said that. But it’s already spoken so she sticks with it.
“I threw it. I broke it.” Natasha said as Melina strides across the room.
Natasha holds herself stiffly as the woman nears, readying herself for a hit. Melina’s hands reach out and Natasha braces herself.
Melina’s hands gently grip Natasha’s wrists. “Drop the shards.” She orders quietly. Natasha obediently opens her hands and lets the pieces she collected up fall to the ground, flinching slightly when they break into even smaller pieces.
“Alexei, clean this up,” Melina replies, her hands still gripping Natasha’s wrists as she tugs her forward. “Come.”
Natasha glances back at Yelena who watched the whole thing with a frown.
Melina takes Natasha into the kitchen. Natasha’s still waiting for punishment.
Melina’s hands shift to slide under Natasha’s armpits and Natasha barely has a chance to react before Melina lifts her up to set her onto the counter.
Natasha stays still, her hands still held out where Melina gripped them, watching as the older Widow moves toward one of the cabinets.
Melina approaches her with a small first aid kit, zipping it open. “You cut yourself on the ceramic.”
“I apologize,” Natasha replies quietly, bowing her head down just the way that her superiors had taught her.
“Would you like to explain why you chucked a block at the vase?” Melina questioned, gripping Natasha’s wrist so she can clean a few cuts on Natasha’s hands.
Natasha scrambles for an explanation. “I was practicing aim.”
Natasha can’t see Melina’s face from where she had ducked her head down so she can’t see the reaction.
“Is that so?” Melina lets out a hum, switching to clean Natasha’s other hand. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t break anything else in the house.”
“I apologize and will accept any punishment you wish to bestow upon me,” Natasha recites a phrase she’s repeated hundreds of times before.
Melina bandages the cleaned cuts on Natasha’s hands and lifts her off the counter to set her back down onto the ground. Natasha tenses up at the touch, anxious about the constant waiting.
Melina sets a hand onto the back of Natasha’s neck and walks her toward the corner of the kitchen and stands her in front of the corner. “Stare at the corner, don’t move, and think about why you will never throw things again in the house.”
Melina’s instructions make absolutely no sense to Natasha but she’s definitely not going to argue. Natasha focuses on the corner.
Perhaps Melina knew how unsettled Natasha felt with having her back exposed to the room.
Either way, Natasha stares at the corner until Melina’s hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. “Are you going to throw things in the house again?” Melina questioned.
“No ma’am.” Natasha replies quietly.
“Then go play with Yelena again,” Melina said, guiding Natasha out of the corner and back toward the living room. “And never pick up sharp edges of broken ceramic or glass again.”
Natasha looks up at Melina in confusion. That was it? All Natasha did was stand in a corner.
The broken vase had been cleaned up and Alexei was excitedly helping Yelena build a massively tall tower.
“And Natasha?” Melina adds on and Natasha glances back up at her. “The next time you lie to me, remember not to wring your hands.”
Natasha watches as Melina heads back into the kitchen.
“Nattie!” Yelena shrieks as Alexei scoops her up to set another block onto the tower that was rapidly growing. “Come stack!”
Natasha approaches the duo slowly.
She waits the rest of the day for punishment for lying.
It never comes.