She shall never be yours
Robin watches over Natasha as the young girl curls into her side.
The day had gone to absolute shit and Robin finally crossed a line.
She had thought that she was getting somewhere with Belka. She had thought that using Yelena would soften Belka.
It did but in the wrong way.
Belka tries to strike up a deal with Robin when the taller woman catches her snooping through Yelena’s things.
“I can make a deal with the General. You can keep your little Widow if I get the baby,” Belka said, running her fingers over one of the soft sleeper pajamas.
“What would you even do with her?” Robin demands and Belka frowns.
“She looks like me, doesn’t she?” Belka comments. “She could be mine.”
Robin stares at her for a moment. “What would you do with her?” She repeats. “What reason do you have for needing a toddler?”
Belka glances up at her. “They took away our chances of being a mother.”
“I still have my uterus,” Robin objects and Belka’s eyes widen.
“Why would you play pretend when you can have your own?” Belka demands, dropping the soft fuzzy sleeper.
“Because I’m not bringing a child into the world where all they will ever know is the Red Room. I’m not letting General Dreykov get another bargaining chip against him. I won’t let him hold my child over my head,” Robin shakes her head as she stares at Belka. “Do you really think that General Dreykov would let you have Yelena?”
“I’d take her if he wouldn’t,” Belka said and Robin inhales sharply.
“You wouldn’t. They’d hunt you down and they would drag you back and then kill her in front of you,” Robin said firmly. “You’re being foolish.”
Belka approached Robin quickly and Robin backs up at the brisk pace. “I deserve a reward. Countless years I’ve spent at the whim of the Red Room. If I want a baby then I can have one.”
“Yelena isn’t yours to have,” Robin leans away when Belka’s face moves a few inches from hers. “She’s not an object, she’s a little girl.”
“She’s mine,” Belka shakes her head and quickly grabs a fistful of Robin’s hair. “Mine. She’s not yours.”
Robin hated it when people grabbed her hair and she was sure that Belka must have known that as well.
Things descend from there. Robin and Belka get into a fight that turns physical. Robin orders Belka to call General Dreykov.
She refuses to fall asleep at night in fear that she’ll wake in the morning and her baby will be missing.
General Dreykov orders Robin to punish Belka by beating her until the stick breaks while he sends men to collect her.
Belka pleads to the General. She asks for forgiveness and to be able to own Yelena.
General Dreykov reminds her that she’s a Widow, not a mother. He crushes all of her hopes in a few harsh sentences and orders Robin to hit harder and harder.
Robin doesn’t remember exactly what happens. She remembers the smell of copper as she breaks skin. She remembers Belka pleading for mercy. She remembers sending a message off to Melina as her hands shake and she leaves bloody fingerprints on the phone.
The men sent to retrieve Belka leave behind a stack of files but waits patiently until the thin bamboo stick finally breaks.
The men have to carry Belka out of the house. Robin is left standing with blood splattered on her and clutching the broken bamboo stick.
Robin pulls herself out of her head and looks down at the copper-haired child that had fallen asleep curled against her.
Everything she did, she did for them. To complete her mission.
But she didn’t have to call General Dreykov. She could have let things be.
Belka was a person too. A human being subjected to the tortures of the Red Room who just wanted to be a mother.
She opened herself up to Robin and all she got in return was Robin beating her until the bamboo stick broke and blood was everywhere.
Robin wondered if she would snap one day and go too far with her girls.
Melina enters the bedroom with Yelena and Robin glances up at her. There’s worry on Melina’s face but Yelena’s face lights up when she sees Robin.
“Mama!” Yelena squirms excitedly from her place in Melina’s arms. Melina sets Yelena onto the bed and the toddler quickly crawls to cover the distance until Robin has to grasp the back of Yelena’s singlet to keep her from crawling right over Natasha.
“Hi little one,” Robin said softly, letting Yelena crawl up her body to situate herself along Robin’s chest. “Did you have fun out with mommy?”
“Saw a movie,” Yelena nods her head and Robin glances up at Melina before gesturing for her to join.
Melina slides up to lay next to Natasha and lay on her side to face Robin.
“Nattie taking a nap,” Yelena observes and glances up at Robin. “It’s naptime, mama?”
Robin lets out a low chuckle. “Are you sleepy, little one?”
Yelena wiggles to get comfy. “Gonna take a nap too, mommy?” Yelena looks up at Melina.
“Not right now, honey,” Melina reaches out to smooth back some of Yelena’s hair.
Yelena lets out a hum and reached her thumb up to suck on it so she could nap.
One Yelena is sleeping as well as Natasha, Melina speaks up. “Is she dead?”
“I don’t know,” Robin admits. She had been alive when the men dragged her away but Robin can’t even remember the damage she did. “She wanted to kidnap Yelena.”
Melina tenses up, her eyes flickering to look at the sleeping toddler on Robin’s chest.
“I didn’t want to hurt her.” Robin said quietly and Melina reaches out to smooth Robin’s hair back, gently scratching at her scalp.
“I know. You protected her,” Melina said and Robin takes a shaky breath in.
“I don’t like killing people,” Robin continues, closing her eyes to soak up the kind touch Melina offered.
“I hadn’t realized that you’d killed before,” Melina said softly.
“Not very often. I’ve lost a patient a few times but every so often General Dreykov will bring me someone. He tells me to ‘strip them’...” Robin swallows hard. “He wants me to dissect them while they’re alive until they die. I’ve seen a heart beating in a chest that I’ve cut open.”
“I’m sorry, my love,” Melina whispers and shifts around Natasha until she can get close enough to press a soft kiss to Robin’s lips. “I’m thankful for all that you do to protect us.”
“Even if I become a monster to do it?” Robin asked quietly.
“I’ve met monsters, Robin,” Melina pressed her forehead against Robin’s. “You’re not one of them.”