Chapter 23
Yelena can spot Natasha texting Tony while they’re in the car. Tony is lighting up Natasha’s phones with texts, constant buzzing as he rants.
Yelena texts MJ. MJ is angry but understanding. She threatened Yelena to keep safe ‘or else’.
“You’re going to be doing most of the talking,” Maria spoke up and Yelena looks up at her.
“What? Why?” Yelena frowns, putting her phone away.
“To prove that you’re strong and independent. He’s not above taking weaknesses and holding them above your head,” Maria looks at Natasha. “No speaking for her. She can’t sit on your lap or hold your hand or anything.”
“Is that okay?” Natasha twists in her seat to look at Yelena.
“I guess it has to be,” Yelena fiddles with the zipper on her vest. “I can do this.”
“You can do this,” Maria and Natasha chorus.
They pull up at SHIELD headquarters and Yelena takes a deep breath before sliding out of the car. Natasha sets a hand onto her shoulder and Maria flanks Yelena’s other side.
Yelena takes another deep breath to calm her nerves as they head inside.
Director Fury was in his office when they arrived and there were already three chairs present.
“Hill. Romanoff.” Fury nods a greeting at each of them before his eye falls onto Yelena. “Belova.”
“Sir,” Maria speaks up. “We’re here to discuss the release of the files we have on Ross.”
“Sit.” Fury nods toward the chairs and Yelena sits in the middle one, Maria on her right and Natasha on her left.
Fury stares at Yelena but Yelena tilts her head up stubbornly, meeting his gaze. She refused to let him win this.
Fury grabs his tablet and slides it toward Yelena. “Go through these files that I have picked up and let me know if you identify anyone.”
Yelena glances at Maria before reaching forward and slowly pulling the tablet toward her.
Yelena slowly scrolls through the files until one picture popped up. “Him.” She said, holding it back out.
“Keep going,” Fury orders, and Yelena slowly pulled the tablet back.
Yelena shows him the four that she ends up identifying after what seemed like an hour of scrolling.
Maria takes the tablet from her before she can pass it back.
“The file,” Maria says and Fury raised an eyebrow at him. “Come on, then.”
Fury pulls a manila folder out from under the desk and holds it out.
Yelena reaches out for it and he lets her take it. Maria passes the tablet back and Yelena looks down at it.
THADDEUS ROSS is labeled across the lip of the file.
Yelena flips it open to ensure that there was actually content in the papers inside.
It’s a genuine file and Yelena glances up at Maria.
While Yelena trusted Natasha more than anything, Maria was the one she looked to regarding this situation because she knew SHIELD better than anybody.
Maria gives her a small nod and Yelena closed the file to keep it safe.
“Do you remember the very first day that we met?” Fury questioned her and Yelena looks up at him.
“I asked if you were a pirate,” Yelena said quietly, setting the file in her lap. “And you laughed at me but you didn’t disagree.”
“I want you to list every single time you moonlighted as Alyssa Daniel,” Fury orders, leaning forward in his chair.
Yelena glances up at Natasha who gives her a reassuring smile before she looks back at Fury.
Yelena tells him each and every time she remembered being Alyssa Daniel. Each interaction, what she did, who did what, what she found out, everything.
Then Fury starts to probe more and Yelena’s coming up with blanks in her memory.
“I don’t remember everything,” She admits when he’s trying to subtly inquire about a few specific instances. “They wiped me being Alyssa Daniel from my mind. I only remember some of it. Mainly of you and Ria--” Yelena shakes her head before quickly correcting herself. “Maria.”
Fury taps his fingers against the desk. “How about the last time I saw you?”
Yelena lets out a slow, jerky nod. “I remember.”
“Tell me.” He orders and Yelena clenched her jaw before her eyes fall to her lap in shame.
“You caught me trying to get files from your computer. You kept asking me to hand the USB over. You promised that everything would be alright if I just handed it over…” Yelena closed her eyes as she remembers. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t fail my mission because failure meant death. You lunged for it and I-- I shoved it into my mouth and I swallowed it.”
Yelena’s fingers move to play with the zipper on her vest nervously before she jerks her hands away. “You grabbed me by the front of my shirt and demanded to know what files I took. I lifted the gun from you and I… I threatened to shoot you.”
Yelena falls quiet for a moment, the sound of a clock ticking somewhere in the room echoes in her ears. “I didn’t know that there was a rookie coming to your office. I was… I was scared.”
“You killed him,” Fury tells her and Yelena flinched slightly.
“I did…” Yelena agrees, looking down at her hands. “I didn’t mean to-- didn’t want to. But I did. I killed him.”
Yelena looks back up at him. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t take back what you did,” Fury replies and Yelena nods her head.
“It doesn’t…” She agrees quietly. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
Fury raised an eyebrow and Yelena continues before he can refute the statement.
“You called me your little miss. Your right hand man. You kept hard candies in your pocket just for me and my favorite were the blue raspberries,” Yelena said softly. “You let me call you a pirate and you let me play in your office and you were kind to me. You never raised your voice or your hand at me. You let me be able to be a little kid for a little bit and I thank you for those moments.”
Yelena knew that Natasha and Maria were refraining from touching her to look strong but Natasha’s hand finally reaches out to grasp hers and Yelena clings to the contact.
“So I’m sorry for what I did,” Yelena looks him in the eye. “I’m sorry that I killed your men. I’m sorry that I broke your trust and betrayed you.”
“You are the reason that I hate children,” Fury said and Yelena curled in on herself. “Every single child that I came across after you had me wondering if they too were a spy. Every single child that I saw was regarded as though they were dangerous.”
“Sir--” Maria starts but Fury holds his hand up and she goes silent.
“You are dangerous, Yelena.” Fury finally said and Yelena meets his gaze. “Do you know what we do with dangerous things?”
“You put them down,” Yelena whispers, feeling the grip on her hand tighten as both Natasha and Maria stiffen.
“But, perhaps, one could regard me as dangerous in that aspect as well. Coulson. Hill. May. All dangerous,” Fury finally leans back in his chair, tapping his fingers together as his eye trained on Yelena. “Remind me, how old are you?”
“Sixteen… I started training when I was six,” Yelena tells him quietly. “Picked at three.”
“I won’t be so lenient next time I catch you on SHIELD property,” Fury said and Yelena looks up in surprise. “I remember a time when a pain in my ass showed up with the mark he was supposed to kill like he brought home a puppy. Coulson somehow convinced me that we should keep her and she ended up being one of the best agents I had.”
Fury’s gaze flickers to look at Natasha before looking back at Yelena. “The Black Widow had killed over twenty of our agents over the years and yet she loyally served me for six years before SHIELD crumbled. But I have no doubt that she’d still be loyal here at SHIELD had that not happened.”
Fury tilts his head to one side. “Who are you loyal to, Yelena?”
“My sister,” Yelena replies immediately. “I trust her more than anything in the world and I’d follow her to the ends of the earth.”
Fury glances at Natasha. “Clint Barton brought home his fair share of strays but he clung to you with the insistence that you wanted to do good. I waited for the day that you brought home your own puppy.”
“She’s not a puppy. She’s a girl. A human being,” Natasha finally opens her mouth.
Fury inclines his head before looking back at Yelena. “How are you going to prove you are no longer the assassin that killed my men?”
Yelena frowns slightly as she searches her mind for an answer. “I broke the biggest rule they ever set for me.” She finally replies. “They told me that I am a Widow made of marble and that love is for children.”
Yelena grins at him slightly. “I’m going to therapy and I have my people by my side supporting me. I have people that I love and I have things to lose and I let myself get attached.”
Fury nods his head before waving his hand. “Get out of my office and don’t come back.”
“Sir?” Maria spoke up. “About her identity--”
“As far as I know, Alyssa Daniel the assassin is dead. I don’t know this kid in front of me,” Fury grunts, spinning in his chair until he’s facing the wall. “Get out.”
Yelena jumps to her feet, the file clutched in her hands as she lets Natasha pull her out of the office, Maria following behind.
Once they’re out in the parking lot by the car, Natasha engulfed Yelena in a huge hug, pulling her close and whispering apologies to her before praising how well she did.
Yelena sinks into the comfort, taking a moment to ground herself with the scent and touch that she associated with safety and comfort.
MJ was waiting for her when she got back.
“Are you safe?” MJ demands and Yelena barely manages to get out a nod before MJ jumps on her, wrapping her arms around Yelena’s neck and then kissing her.
It was more than just a brush of the lips like the first two. This one told Yelena just how worried and scared MJ was.
Yelena pulls MJ close, feeling MJ bury her face into her vest when she realizes that they’re not alone.
“Interesting but not unexpected development,” Maria comments as she passes by Yelena. “Congrats kid.”
Yelena’s pretty sure her entire face turned red as Natasha passes by her and takes the file from her.
“Proud of you,” Natasha said as she passed by to head inside with Maria and lets them have a moment.
“You scare the shit out of me, Belova,” MJ breathes out when they’re gone. “Being with you is like riding a roller coaster.”
“In a good way?” Yelena asked nervously and MJ chuckled, pulling her head down to press their foreheads together.
“In a good way,” MJ agrees.