The Big Brother eye
Robin should have known that General Dreykov was suspicious of her. She should have known when the others are out of the house and the doorbell rings. It’s a woman.
Robin knows immediately from the way that she carries herself that she’s from the Red Room. Her blonde hair is pinned back in a tight bun and her eyes glance upon Robin like she was nothing more than filth. She’s carrying a duffel bag. “The General has sent me for observation.”
Robin steps aside and the woman enters. “What shall I call you?”
“Madame Belka.” The woman replies curtly. “You are?”
“Robin.” That was her codename. What she was known as.
“You’re a doctor, not a handler. Not a Widow,” The woman sniffs, eyeing her. “You’re not trained to handle them.”
“You’re here to observe, not to nag on me about how I handle my Widows,” Robin eyes her. “You may be here on behalf of the General but I have higher clearance than you. Do not forget your place.”
The woman stiffens and gives a curt nod, her jaw clenching as she forces words out of her mouth. “Of course, ma’am.”
“There is no spare bedroom,” Robin eyes the bag. “How long are you staying?”
“For as long as the General needs me to,” Belka’s chin was tilted up but they both knew who held the power at the moment.
Belka accompanies Robin to go pick up the children. Yelena babbles on curiously to her and Belka constantly looks like she’s going to snap at the toddler.
Natasha freezes when she sees Belka, the color draining from her face. “Madame B.” She whispers in greeting and Robin had to get out of the car and physically set her into the booster seat.
Natasha doesn’t breathe a word the whole ride home. She sticks to Robin’s side once they return home.
“Why don’t you take Yelena upstairs and play that spelling game you like?” Robin suggests, needing to keep Natasha and Yelena away from the woman until she could speak with them.
Natasha doesn’t hesitate to grip Yelena’s hand and tug her upstairs. Belka makes an attempt to follow.
“How about I show you my office,” Robin interrupts, resting a hand on the back of Belka’s neck. It’s a warning. This is my home, not yours.
“Of course,” Belka replies, letting Robin take the lead upstairs and down the hallway.
Robin tries to put herself into the same mindset she had before the mission. The no-nonsense doctor. Robin shows Belka the reports that she’s made. The progress she’s tracked and the training schedules she had drawn up.
Belka makes a comment about the training seeming light. That she was being too soft on the Widows.
Robin walks toward the umbrella stand, watching as the Widow goes tense as Robin pulls one of the thin bamboo sticks from its spot. “This one is my favorite.” She idly comments, running her fingers along it. “Stings but doesn’t leave behind bruises. Good for keeping cover.”
Robin pulls a wide grin on her face as she looks up at Belka. She taps the thin cane against her hand.
“Wish I had these back at my office. It would have been good to keep Widows in their place,” Robin replaced the stick in the umbrella stand. “Anyway, what were we speaking about?”
Belka glances away from her to stare at the sticks for a moment before looking back up at her. Neither of them pretend they don’t know the power move Robin made was to remind them who was in charge. “Training, ma’am.”
“Right. Let me show you the garage where I oversee their training,” Robin keeps Belka preoccupied until Melina returns home.
The smile on her face drops in an instant when she sees the woman trailing behind Robin. “Ma’am.” Melina greets.
Dinner is a terse affair. Melina and Natasha sit stiffly in their seats while Yelena naively rambles on to Robin about the latest arts and craft project they did at daycare.
Robin doesn’t engage in the conversation as she usually does. She doesn’t ask on about what she did or if she had a good time. She doesn’t make Yelena laugh by asking silly questions. She doesn’t encourage Yelena at all and it hurts her heart when Yelena slowly trails off as Robin ignores her.
Natasha eats everything on her plate despite the fact she hated carrots with a passion and often compared them to biting someone’s fingers. She’s quiet and clears her plate and waits to be dismissed from the table.
Belka’s appearance gives everybody setbacks and Robin wants nothing more than to wrap her fingers around the woman’s throat and kick her out.
Instead, she dismisses everyone after dinner and sends Natasha to her room to do homework.
Natasha usually does her homework at the kitchen table after dinner where she can quietly ask Robin and Melina about things she didn’t understand. The Red Room didn’t exactly teach 3rd-grade science.
Natasha doesn’t question the change, slipping upstairs and into her bedroom.
Robin sends Melina off with Yelena to ‘practice languages’. It’s Yelena’s favorite game and she’s oblivious to the tension between the women in the room.
Robin asks for Belka’s help in clearing the table and washing the dishes up. She questions Belka on her training and position as a Widow.
The woman’s replies are short and clipped but she doesn’t tell Robin to shut up or ignore her. Belka is the oldest of them all at thirty-two years of age and had been training since she was twelve. She’d been training Widows since she was twenty-six.
Bedtime eventually rolls around and Robin offers Belka the couch.
“I would have prepared more but I was unaware of you coming,” Robin said, dumping a pillow and blanket onto the couch.
“I have slept in worse places,” Belka said.
Robin has a hard time leaving Yelena that night. She changes the toddler takes a few minutes along to snuggle her close and whisper apologies into her ear. “Mama’s so sorry for ignoring you, little one.”
Yelena curls her fingers into Robin’s hair and pressed her cheek against Robin’s shirt. “ ‘s ‘kay mama.” She whispers back.
“My sweet baby,” Robin pressed a soft kiss to Yelena’s blonde curls. “What did I do to deserve you?”
Robin rocks Yelena until she falls asleep and holds her for a few minutes longer. She peels Yelena’s fingers away from her shirt and her hair before setting her down in the crib and taking a moment to look at her before moving to Natasha’s room.
There were crumpled papers littered around where Natasha was sitting on the floor, the pages of her school workbooks were open and she looked frustrated to the point of tears. Robin shuts and locks the bedroom door behind her before she kneels down in front of Natasha.
“I don’t understand--” Natasha chokes out, gesturing to the homework she had probably been working on for hours now. Robin knew that the Red Room had molded a perfectionist and once Natasha sets out to do a task then she couldn’t stop until she did it perfectly.
“I know, sweetheart,” Robin keeps her voice low and hushed as she reaches out toward Natasha. “Come here.”
Natasha’s eyes flickered to look at the door in worry. “But--”
Robin shakes her head. “Come here.” She repeats and Natasha doesn’t hesitate to shuffle out of the messy stack of scribbles and attempts of 3rd-grade math, slamming into Robin.
Robin kissed the top of her head, pulling her close. “It will be okay.”
“This whole thing is my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten into the fight. I shouldn’t have broken my wrist. You didn’t have to--” Natasha starts to ramble, gesturing with her cast that Robin noticed had a childish scrawl on it and a picture of two stick figures holding hands.
“This isn’t your fault,” Robin smoothly interrupts her, gently grabbing Natasha’s forearm. “Let's get you changed into your pajamas and then I’ll help you with your homework.”
Natasha nods her head and Robin pulls away to pick out a set of pajamas.
“Do you want to change yourself?” Robin asked. What she really needed to know was if Natasha needed to feel small for a bit. To feel Robin’s touch and comfort and get help doing something she can do herself.
Natasha shakes her head quietly and Robin tells her to raise her arms up. She helps Natasha slip into her pajamas and then settles on the ground to help Natasha with her schoolwork.
Natasha sits in her lap and watches as she explains her way through the homework. Time drags on and Robin eventually writes out the solutions for Natasha to copy onto her paper.
It’s past ten at night by the time Robin tucks Natasha into bed. “Do not wander at night. If Yelena cries then let her cry out. Do you understand me?”
Natasha nods her head and Robin leaves to head to the master bedroom.
She locks the door behind her moments before she feels Melina grab the front of her shirt.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She demands in a low hiss. “Why is she here?”
Robin reaches up to gently set her hands over Melina’s. “I didn’t know she was coming. She’s here to report back to General Dreykov.”
Melina’s jaw clenched. “Madame B is in my home…” She breathes out.
“Natasha called her that too,” Robin gently rubs her thumb along the back of Melina’s hands. “You know her?”
Melina’s eyes stray to the floor. “She trained me. She was my handler for a little while. She’s known for her ruthlessness that results in perfect Widows.” She leans forward to rest her forehead against Robin’s chest. “She hurt me.”
“My sweet girl,” Robin breathes out and gently pries Melina’s fingers from her shirt and brings them up to her lips to press a gentle kiss to her fingertips.
Melina quickly moves to wrap her arms around Robin’s neck and pull her close. “Please, Robin…”
“Please what?” Robin cups the back of her head, pressing a kiss to her temple as she holds her close.
“Please don’t let her hurt me--” Melina whispers and Robin swallows hard.
“I will try my hardest,” She promised, pulling Melina close to kiss her forehead before kissing the bridge of her nose and each cheek. “Focus on me, sweet girl. Just me.”
Melina shoved her face against Robin’s neck.
“Let us go to bed. Come on,” Robin tugs Melina toward the bed. Neither of them bother changing into pajamas, stripping down to their underwear and climbing into bed. Robin brushes her fingers against the purple-yellow bruising against Melina’s chest and shoulders where she had left her marks. Melina does the same.
Melina tucks herself up against Robin’s chest, seeking out comfort and security that she was usually much better at hiding.
Robin wrapped around her and fell into an uneasy sleep.
She wakes up to shouting. It’s unfamiliar at first until the previous night hits her and she jumps out of bed, barely remembering to yank a shirt over her head before she unlocks the door and darts toward the yelling.
Belka is gripping a fistful of Natasha’s hair. The copper-haired child is twisting in discomfort, begging for forgiveness. Robin can tell immediately that the issue is Belka has caught Natasha wetting the bed.
“That is enough!” Robin rarely raised her voice. She never needs to.
“Robin--” Belka starts, her face contorted into a sneer.
“I said that is enough, Widow, do not forget your place!” Robin snaps at her and the confidence on her face wavers. “Let go of her immediately.”
Belka does and Natasha collapses to the ground like a puppet with their strings cut.
“Make no mistake,” Robin marches up toward Belka. “You are here to observe. Nothing more. These Widows are mine and mine alone. You do not get to place your hands on them.” Robin grabs the back of Belka’s neck and shoved her head down in a show of power. Belka doesn’t fight her, letting Robin bend her over and face the ground.
“Your Widow--” She starts but Robin cuts her off.
“My Widow will be dealt with by me.” Robin said coldly. “You dare to come into my home and try and take charge?”
Belka is quiet.
“Hmm?” Robin squeezed the back of her neck slightly. “I asked you a question, Belka.”
“No ma’am.” Belka replies meekly, the bravado and ego gone.
Robin takes a moment to look down at Natasha. The child has yet to pick herself up off the floor or move. Her hair is sticking up from where Belka grabbed it.
“You are to go into my office and select one of the bamboo sticks,” Robin tells the woman in her grip. “You will kneel quietly next to my desk and you will wait for me.”
Belka doesn’t tell her that Robin can’t punish her. She submissively nods her head. “Yes ma’am.”
Robin lets her go and Belka disappears from the room. Robin looks down at Natasha again. “Natasha?” She prompts.
“I’m sorry. You said not to get out of bed…” Natasha whispers and Robin feels guilt hit her. She had said that the previous night. Natasha needed to go to the bathroom but stayed in her bed as to not upset Robin.
“I know. Come on. Up,” Robin reaches for Natasha but the girl shrinks away from her touch and climbs to her feet herself. “Go find Melina and wash up.”
“Yes ma’am.” Natasha scoots around Robin and disappears.
Robin takes a moment to rub her face and debate about what she was going to do.
Does she finally be the monster that the others thought her to be and put Belka in her place so the woman will report back to General Dreykov on how she handled punishment? Or does Robin be lenient of her so that she the others don’t hear the wails of pain as Robin hits the woman hard enough to break skin?
Robin swallows hard before she turns sharply on her heel and marched down to her office.