She threw a widow bite to Clint, Kate was holding her bow against Yelena. The young archer could read the pain, the anger and the desire of revenge in the eyes of the blond woman. Clint was struggling to get rid of the widow bite, Kate didn’t know what to do, what Clint told her was spinning in his head, ‘the one I didn’t took’.
Yelena moved her head, saying no, knowing that she wasn’t gonna shoot her. Kate put down her bow, knowing it was the right thing to do. Yelena looked in the eyes of the young black haired girl, she could read that Kate wasn’t afraid of her, but there was no time to do that. The Russian girl threw her grapple on the ground, so she could jump and escape. Kate gave a last look at Yelena but by the time the woman turned around, Clint was up, and he knocked her out, violently.
Kate looked at Clint with a worry look.
-what did you do? And who the hell was that?
- there’s a lot of things you don’t know kid, come here, help me
- well, at least you could tell me why she attacked us and why we are taking her?
- she’s a widow
-What? Like black widow? Like natasha romanoff?
-yes and I won’t let her here
- you know her
- no, but I think she would tell us who hired her to kill me and I don’t want to make this on this roof, unless you aren’t cold.
-where are we going?
-to my apartment
- you’re taking a widow to your apartment?
-well, that wouldn’t be the first time
-so we gonna carry her to your apartment?
-what, you got a better idea? She won’t stay out for long, come on.
When Yelena woke up, literally 15 min later, she was tied to a chair, her head was still hurting, as her ears. She looked for the blade concealed in her pocket, the same her mother gave her, but she couldn’t find it. She heard voices coming from the kitchen, it was Clint and the other girl, she was in Clint’s apartment. She dislocate her thumb from the rope that was holding her and put her both hands out. She looked for her gun but obviously, he took it, but she didn’t need a weapon to kill someone, she though in her head. She was in a room, Clint’s room looking at the pictures of his family. Carefully, she moved toward the kitchen, the two archers were drinking coffee, and stitching their wounds, and the dog was eating a slice of pizza. She was hid behind the wall, ready to attack.
-if your looking for your gun and your blade, they’re in a safe place, don’t worry, said Clint.
Yelena was still behind the wall, why wasn’t he attacking her, she just escaped.
- you can come, I’m not gonna kill you, and neither she.
Yelena show up.
-you need to clean your wounds, come here said Clint
- hey, said Kate hesitantly
Yelena didn’t moved and she was looking at them with a dark and angry gaze.
-why didn’t you kill me, she finally said, with a thick accent, angry could be feel in her voice.
Clint shrugs.
-i don’t know, ask to Kate why she didn’t shoot you
-What do you want?
- I should ask you the same question, why do you want to kill me? Come on, you can kill me right now, go, I know you can kill me in 15 different ways, go on, do what they taught you.
Kate could feel the tension growing between the two, Clint had touch a sensitive point and he knew it.
-don’t talk about them, they are dead.
- but you’re wanna kill me, do you?
- I’m not an assassin anymore, we destroyed the Red Room, we did what you failed.
Kate looked at Yelena and Clint confused, this wasn’t gonna end up well.
-you killed her, I’m gonna kill you
- I don’t know what you’re talking about
-you killed my sister, you killed her.
Clint stopped moving, he realized the situation, it cannot be true.
-it was supposed to be me, it was supposed to be me Yelena, he said tears falling on his face, flashbacks of Vormir in his head. -and she jumped for that goddamn stone.
-you know my name, you know me
- I do
-then why, why is she isn’t here, WHY?
-she wanted to bring everyone back
- tell me the truth Clint, said Yelena, tears on her cheeks, she couldn’t control her emotions, not now.
-he’s saying the truth, said Kate trying to calm down everyone, I don’t know him since a long time, but he wouldn’t lie about that, not about Natasha.
Yelena looked at both of them, it was true, he didn’t kill Natasha. Yelena left the kitchen to go to the roof, she needed to realize the whole situation. The man she wanted to kill brought her in his apartment, and he didn’t kill her sister.
-let her a few minutes Kate,
- but what if she leaves?
- at least, she will know the truth.
Yelena was sat on the edge of the roof, looking at the streets down. The air was cold, but she didn’t mind, she was only thinking about Natasha, the only one who ever truly loved her, the only one who tried to protected her from the Red Room swearing to kill each person that will touch her, the only one who saved her from falling, and now she’s gone, forever. Pain only makes us stronger, she though, but the pain was too strong. The feeling of hate was now replace by grief and sorrow. She was everything to her, and now she has no one, she was free, but people are still seeing her as an assassin, a life she didn’t choose. Her thoughts were broke when she heard footsteps coming toward her, she was on her guards ready to fight.
-it’s just me, I don’t want to kill you and even if I wanted I couldn’t, said Kate, you still wanna kill me?
- I never wanted to kill you
-oh nice to know, uhm, I brought your some ice and stitches and disinfectant, for your wounds, Clint knocked you a little bit harshly.
- thank you, she said taking the ice and putting it on her head
- you’re okay?
-I’ve been better but I’ve been worse so yes I’m okay.
There was a moment of silence between them, Yelena cleaning her cuts.
-why didn’t you shoot me? Finally said Yelena breaking the silence between the two
-i couldn’t
-why? You shot on the other girl, I saw you.
-because, I knew you, look, Clint said to me that the best shot he ever took, was the one he didn’t take, he didn’t killed your sister.
-he made a different call
- and I don’t know, I just saw in your eyes, that you were in pain, so I didn’t do it.
Yelena looked at kate with an understanding gaze. She turned away from Kate to put a stitch on her cut on her shoulder.
-here, let me help you, said Kate,
she took the stitch from Yelena’s hand and put it on the cut.
-there you go
-thank you
- can I ask you something? If you don’t wanna answer it’s okay
- go on
- you’re Natasha’s sister right, then why you never became an avenger?
- when I was a kid, I was taken by the Red Room, just like Natasha, and we had a mission in Ohio, an undercover mission, we were a family, Nat was my sister, my mother was an other widow and my father the red Guardian, we stayed for 3 years, I was the only one who thought it was real. We were separated during 21 years and when I was freed from the Red Room, Natasha found me, and with my family, we took down the Red Room. That’s when she told me it was real to her too.
- I’m sorry, you must miss her
- I do, and sometimes, grief just takes over everything,
Yelena was trying to hold her tears, but she couldn’t hide them anymore. Kate put her arm on her opposite shoulder as a sign of comfort and trust, and Yelena did the same. They stayed like that for a minute, none of them talking.
-so what are you going to do right now?
-i don’t know, I’m working for someone, this person lied to me, and want to broke away.
- well, a mafia is after us and my mom’s fiance is the CEO of this mafia, and we have to finish this before Christmas so I guess we aren’t gonna rest soon.
- I could help you, but I don’t know if you want it.
- don’t think that, and you could teach me some cool stuff, so after we could celebrate Christmas
- I never celebrated Christmas
- well, I could solve this, starting with putting an ugly sweater.