Natasha's Plan
“You’re leaving me with her?!” Carol exclaimed with a glare and scowl.
Natasha rolled her eyes and continued packing her bag. “I’ve got a mission, I can’t refuse to go because you and my sister can’t get your heads out of your asses.”
“I hate her Nat! And she hates me!”
Natasha briefly looked up to raise an eyebrow at her fiancée before stuffing the last of her clothes into her bag. “I’m going to say goodbye to our daughter,” Natasha said, completely ignoring Carol’s mini tantrum.
Carol groaned but followed Nat out of their room.
“Do you have to leave Mama?” Katarina asked, her big green blue eyes filled with tears.
“Oh моя любовь, you know I do,” Natasha said, pulling her daughter in for a hug, Katarina clinging to her, sniffles escaping her tiny body. (my love) “Sweetheart, I promise I’ll be back soon,” Natasha said while pulling away. “You take care of Mommy and Auntie Lena, ok? Make sure they don’t get into trouble. Can you do that for me?”
Katarina nodded her little head rapidly with a small smile. “Ok Mama. Я люблю вас.” (I love you)
“Я тоже тебя люблю, дорогая, так сильно. I’ll see you when I get back.” (I love you too darling, so much)
Kat nodded with another sniffle and ran off to her room. Natasha’s heart broke every time she had to leave her family, but she didn’t have a choice.
“She’ll be fine. You know she will,” Carol said in an attempt to convince her fiancée that everything would indeed be fine.
“She will, especially if you and Yelena can get along for once in your lives,” Natasha said, a small smirk at the corner of her lips.
“Haha,” Carol replied dryly.
“I love you honey, and I’ll see you when I get back,” Natasha said, giving her fiancée a kiss on the lips before leaving the house, though not before Carol told her she loved her.
When the redhead left, Carol groaned aloud while begrudgingly retrieving her phone so she could text her acquaintance, if she could even call her that.
Nat’s on a mission and she wants you to come over to help with Katarina.
She doesn’t trust you with her daughter apparently.
Carol growled angrily at her phone.
No! That’s not why, and Katarina is OUR daughter.
Legally, she’s Natasha’s. I’m coming over for her and Natasha’s sake, not yours. I’ll be there in ten.
Fine.
Fine.
Carol had to refrain herself from throwing her phone across the room when Yelena said Katarina wasn’t her daughter. Yes, Natasha may have had her before they started dating, but they had discussed it and Natasha wanted Carol to adopt Katarina, and Carol wanted it as well. Katarina was just as much her daughter as she was Natasha’s, and that’s the truth. She would do anything for Katarina, including putting up with Yelena. For whatever reason, Katarina adored her “Auntie Lena.” Carol didn’t understand what she saw in that monster, but Katarina loved her, so Carol had to play nice when it involved her daughter.
“Mommy?”
Carol looked at her daughter who was in the doorway to her and Natasha’s bedroom, clutching her stuffed spider, Bitsy, with teary eyes.
“Yes sweetheart?” she asked softly, beckoning Katarina to her.
Katarina flung herself into Carol’s arms, and Carol easily scooped her up and placed her daughter in her lap.
“How long is Mama gonna be gone?” the mini-blonde asked, looking at her mother with doe eyes.
Carol sighed, wrapping her arms around her daughter that much tighter. “I don’t know honey. Mama will be back whenever she defeats the bad guys.”
“And Mama always beats the bad guys,” Katarina said with a big smile.
“Yes she does,” Carol chuckled.
“Mama said Auntie Lena is coming.”
Carol held back her sigh. “She is.”
“Why don’t you and Auntie Lena like each other?” Katarina asked, her childish curiosity getting the better of her.
“We like each other.”
Katarina gave Carol a patented Natasha Romanoff I don’t believe a single word that just came out of your mouth look. “Mommy, I love you, but I don’t believe you.”
Carol chuckled awkwardly. “Mommy and Auntie Lena just don’t get along honey.”
“Why?”
Before Carol could even think of a response, the doorbell rang.
“Is that Auntie Lena?!” Katarina exclaimed, and hopped off of Carol’s lap and made a dash through the living and dining room to reach the door.
Carol got there right before she could open the door. “Kat, remember what Mama and I said?”
“To have you check the peephole before I open the door,” she mumbled, feeling a bit ashamed.
“That’s right,” Carol said while looking out the peephole, seeing Yelena with a duffle bag, looking a little miffed at being kept waiting.
Just as Yelena was about to knock, Carol swung the door open, making Yelena stumble a bit before righting herself. She glared at Carol while Carol was trying to hide a smirk.
“Auntie Lena!” Kat yelled, launching herself at her aunt.
Yelena knelt down and caught her exuberant niece, smiling to herself.
“Are you gonna be here until Mama comes back?” Katarina asked, looking between her mom and her aunt.
“I am,” Yelena smirked while Carol growled lowly.
“Come here Auntie Lena! I have to show you my new animals! Mama and Mommy got them for me ‘cause I did good in preschool!” Katarina exclaimed, tugging on her aunt’s hand to get her moving.
“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” she said, tossing her duffel bag in Carol’s direction before following her niece.
Carol huffed, but nonetheless, being the gracious host she was, brought the bag to the guest room that was unofficially Yelena’s. She tossed it onto the bed and retreated back to the living room to continue watching the movie she and Nat had started before the redhead had been called by Maria Hill. Since Fury was “dead,” Maria became the new director of SHIELD. She had gotten about ten minutes further into the movie before she heard Katarina’s screams and Yelena cursing in Russian. She sped through the living room to the backyard, pausing in the doorway to take in the scene.
“Mommy! Help!” Kat cried, running to her mom, tears streaming down her face.
“Are you alright sweetheart?” she asked, trying to calm Kat while figuring out how to help Yelena. She felt Kat nod against her neck, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
“What happened?” she asked nobody in particular.
“Come help me,” Yelena said through gritted teeth, trying not to show just how much pain she was in.
“Ok Kat, I need you to go to Mommy’s phone in the living room and dial 9-1-1. Can you do that for me?”
Katarina nodded her head rapidly, so Carol set her down and Kat took off.
“Is she alright?” Yelena asked.
“She’s fine. You should be concerned about yourself. What the hell happened?” Carol asked, trying to figure out the best way to approach the hunched over blonde without getting her head bitten off.
Yelena hissed when Carol gently took hold of her clearly broken arm, prodding it to see if her blood flow had been compromised and if she could still feel everything. “сука,” Yelena growled at a particularly harsh prod. (bitch) “I was playing with Kat when she fell from the tree. I caught her and she landed on my arm.”
“Alright, come on,” Carol said, standing by Yelena’s side and watching her carefully on their trek to the living room. “Sit on the couch and I’ll be back,” Carol said before dashing to her and Nat’s bathroom for the emergency kit. She was hoping it would have everything needed to splint Yelena’s arm. They had boxes in the house, and Carol ripped off a large portion, then headed back to Yelena, who was doing her best to keep a brave face for her niece.
“Kat sweetheart, I’m gonna need you to do something really important for me.”
Katarina looked at her mom and eagerly nodded her head.
“I want you to go tell Mrs. Sanders what happened and have her wait for the ambulance with you. Can you do that?”
“Yes Mommy.”
“Ok sweetheart. Now go,” Carol said, shooing her daughter out the front door and making sure she made it to their neighbor’s. When she saw Mrs. Sanders’ door open, Carol headed back to Yelena in the living room.
She sat down in front of Yelena and gingerly took her arm to measure the size of it. Yelena winced but made no noise.
“It’s definitely broken,” Carol said.
“Oh ya think?”
Carol shot Yelena a look while cutting the cardboard so it would fit Yelena’s arm. Yelena rolled her eyes but fell silent and patiently watched Carol work. Once she had finished cutting the cardboard, Carol began shaping it. She placed a few towels that she knew Nat wouldn’t mind losing in the splint, then looked to Yelena while carefully reaching for her arm. Yelena made no effort to resist Carol, so she gently placed Yelena’s arm inside the splint. She had Yelena hold an extra roll of gauze with her broken arm, and continued packing the splint. She quickly finished up by using tape to secure the splint, asking Yelena to try and move her arm. Satisfied she couldn’t, she headed to the kitchen, wrapped some ice in a towel, and placed it on top of Yelena’s arm in the splint.
“Did Natasha teach you how to do this?” Yelena asked, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them since Carol started.
Carol shook her head. “Air Force,” she said, a small and wistful smile coming to her face as those memories of her, Maria, and Monica came flooding back.
“You were in the Army? How did I not know?”
Carol shrugged indifferently. “You never cared to ask.”
They fell silent again as Carol started to pack up the stray materials from the kit. “I can feel your eyes on me, Yelena. Just ask.”
“Why do you put up with me?”
Carol turned to Yelena with an eyebrow raised. “What do you mean?”
Yelena sighed, scratching the back of her head with her good arm. “Natasha and my family are the only ones who can stand me. Yet despite everything I've done to piss you off, you've never uninvited me into your life. Why?”
It was Carol’s turn to sigh. She sat on the table and looked Yelena dead in the eyes. “You're Natasha’s sister. I love her, and loving her means putting up with her little sister, no matter how pissed off I get at her.”
Yelena looked away from Carol, blinking away her tears before turning back. “I'm sorry.”
“What?” Carol asked, dumbfounded.
Yelena rolled her eyes. “I’m not repeating myself. You heard me.”
“I think I misheard,” Carol said.
At that moment, the sirens got loud until they were right outside the house. Carol went out front to greet the medics and to direct them to Yelena, thanking Mrs. Sanders for waiting with Katarina.
“Anytime dear. I hope your sister gets better.”
“Thanks. So do I,” Carol said, surprised at herself.
She and Katarina headed inside, Carol hiding her smirk from the medics as she heard Yelena arguing that she didn't need to go to the hospital.
“Ma’am, your arm is clearly broken. We need to take you to the hospital so they can set it properly.”
“Yelena, come on,” Carol interrupted.
“Please Auntie Lena? I want you to feel better,” Katarina said.
Yelena sighed, knowing she couldn't refuse her niece. “Alright,” she grumbled.
Katarina smiled at her aunt while Carol informed the medics they would be following the ambulance.
“Oh, and make sure you treat her right. She’s Natasha Romanoff’s sister,” Carol told them before gathering Kat and a few things for the car. The medics looked at each other, pale as ghosts. They swallowed down their fear and silently vowed to make sure everything went as smoothly and painlessly as possible.
Time skip to after the hospital (because the author was feeling lazy and didn’t want to write a bunch of medical procedures)
“Here Auntie Lena!” Kat exclaimed, holding the door open for her aunt.
“Thank you принцесса,” Yelena chuckled. (princess)
“Yelena, go rest on the couch. I’ll make dinner,” Carol instructed.
Yelena scowled. “I’ve got a broken arm, I can still help.”
Carol stared at Yelena. “You know as well as I do that if you want to heal you’re going to have to listen to me.”
Yelena groaned in annoyance. “Fine,” she huffed, stomping to the living room like a child throwing a tantrum.
“Katarina, please go watch your aunt and come get me if she tries to do anything she shouldn’t be.”
“Ok Mommy!” Kat exclaimed, rushing off after her aunt to do what was asked of her.
Carol went through their pantry, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. She gave up after only seeing a half-filled carton of eggs, a partially eaten block of cheese, broccoli, milk, and a few other stray items in the fridge and pantry. The freezer had no meat so she just decided they would have pizza tonight. She made a mental note to go shopping and asked Yelena and Kat what toppings they wanted on their pizza.
“Cheese!” Katarina exclaimed while bouncing in her spot, causing her curly gold locks to fly in her face, not that she cared.
“Yelena?” Carol asked, looking up from her phone to see Yelena had a thoughtful look on her face.
“Hmm?”
“Toppings?”
Yelena snapped out of the trance she was in. “Oh, umm, the supreme one. You know, with vegetables and meat?”
“Got it,” Carol confirmed. She ordered a pepperoni for herself and confirmed the order. “Should be here in about twenty minutes. What are you watching?”
“Auntie Lena has never seen Frozen!” Kat said, looking horrified at the mere thought of not knowing her favorite movie ever.
“Really?” Carol asked, a bit surprised.
“Yes, Kat and I were about to start before you asked about pizza. Join us?”
“Please Mommy?!” Kat asked, producing her big puppy eyes.
Carol was a bit shocked that Yelena was the one who extended the invitation but agreed, both of the adult blondes smiling softly at Kat who was twirling around the living room with joy.
“Alright принцесса, come on up here between me and Mommy,” Yelena said, patting the sofa with her good hand. (princess)
Katarina hopped on the couch between her aunt and her mom, grinning from ear to ear. Mommy and Auntie Lena were finally getting along! Kat didn’t know what happened, but she was happy they weren’t fighting anymore.
“Wait!” Kat shouted before the movie started. She scrambled off the couch and went through the blanket box before proudly pulling out her Olaf blanket. She clambered back up and spread the blanket over herself and Auntie Lena. “So you don’t get cold,” Kat smiled at her aunt.
“What about me?” Carol asked, faking hurt.
Katarina turned to her mommy. “You can freeze,” she said before cuddling next to her aunt.
Yelena shot Carol a smirk over Kat’s head, and Carol rolled her eyes playfully before they started the movie back up. About twenty minutes in, the doorbell rang. Carol assumed it was the pizza but grabbed the gun Natasha had stashed in the desk next to the door to be safe. She looked out the peephole and saw the pizza boy. She tucked the gun into her waistband and opened the door to the bored kid. She handed him $10 as a tip and wished him a good day while taking the pizza, proceeding to shut the door in his face.
“Yelena, Kat, pause the movie and come get your pizza!” Carol yelled, opening the boxes and grabbing plates for everyone.
She heard the movie stop and two sets of footsteps coming her way. She grabbed her own plate and four slices just as Kat and Yelena entered the kitchen.
“What do you want to drink sweetheart?” she asked Katarina.
“Can I have water Mommy? Please?”
“Sure Kat. Yelena?” Carol asked while pouring Kat some water.
“Water for me too.”
Carol nodded and rummaged through the cabinets, smiling triumphantly when she found two clean glasses.
“You’re very proud of yourself, aren’t you?” Yelena asked, hiding her laughter from Carol at her antics.
“Yup,” Carol said, balancing her plate, Yelena’s, and their two glasses as she carefully made her way back to the living room.
“Carol, I can carry my own glass,” Yelena slightly whined.
Carol ignored her and set everything on the table. Once everyone was situated, they started the movie once more. Kat fell asleep just before Anna turned to ice.
“She’s out,” Yelena said.
Carol looked at her sleeping daughter and smiled softly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Kat’s ear. Katarina murmured something in her sleep and cuddled closer to her mom, sighing in content as Carol wrapped an arm around her.
“I was wrong,” Yelena said quietly, so quietly that Carol would’ve missed it if it wasn’t deathly silent in the room.
“Wrong about what?” Carol asked in a whisper.
“I never should have said Katarina wasn’t your daughter. She is, and I’m sorry for saying otherwise.”
Carol couldn’t keep her laughter in, earning a glare from Yelena and some shifting from Kat.
“What?” Yelena asked angrily.
“No, it's not bad,” Carol said, still letting the occasional chuckle loose.
“Ok, then what?”
“You should’ve seen your face. It looked like it physically pained you to say that,” Carol said with a shit-eating grin.
Yelena grumbled in annoyance and turned back to the tv, side-eyeing Carol.
“But in all honesty, thanks. You’re not too bad yourself,” Carol replied.
She received a whack in the face from a pillow for that. Carol shot Yelena a look, and she was the one now sporting the shit-eating and smug grin.
A few days later
“Here Auntie Lena! Mommy said it was time for you to take your medicine,” Katarina informed her aunt, handing her a glass with orange juice while Carol placed a plate with breakfast in front of her, the medicine on the side.
“Thank you принцесса. You would make a good nurse,” Yelena said, smiling at Kat’s enthusiasm about the idea. (princess)
She looked at her plate and had to admit it both looked and smelled delicious. Three pancakes, a few slices of bacon, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, and biscuits. Yelena’s mouth quirked up as she noticed the pancakes were already cut, but nobody had said a word, and she was thankful for that. It was hard only having one arm, but she thought she was doing alright. She was brought out of her thoughts when Carol and Katarina joined her, Carol with about double the amount Yelena had and Kat with only one pancake and a small portion of eggs. Yelena went to ask for the syrup when it was placed in front of her. She shot Carol a small smile, conveying her thanks, and the blonde nodded before going back to her food, swallowing it whole.
“This is a nice surprise,” Natasha said as she entered the kitchen.
“Mama!” Kat exclaimed, scrambling from her seat and leaping into Natasha’s open arms.
“Hi дорогая,” Natasha said, a loving smile on her face as she finally had her daughter in her arms. (sweetheart)
“I missed you,” Kat said.
“I missed you too моя любовь.” (my love)
“Auntie Lena had an accident. She broke her arm,” Kat casually informed her mom.
Natasha’s eyes swiveled over to her sister, her brow furrowing in concern as they landed on Yelena’s arm, which was in a cast.
“And how did this happen?”
Carol and Yelena exchanged looks, acting as though they were siblings about to be scolded by their parents.
“I fell out of the tree and Auntie Lena caught me.”
Natasha brought her attention back to her daughter, annoyance clearly written on her face. “Katarina, how many times have I told you not to climb that tree without me?”
Katarina hugged her mom tighter and buried her face in the crook of Natasha’s neck. “Прости мама.” (sorry Mom)
Natasha sighed. “It’s alright Katarina, I think you’ve learned your lesson. Go play while I talk to Mommy and Auntie Lena.”
Kat pouted, not wanting to leave her mama after she just got back.
“It’ll only be for a few minutes sweetheart. Go,” Natasha encouraged, placing her daughter on the floor and gently nudging her to her room.
“Ok,” Kat whined, following her mama’s instructions anyway.
Natasha stood back up and stared the two blondes down. They were visibly nervous, which made her gleeful, but she didn’t let it show. She walked over to Yelena and gave her sister a hug. “ты в порядке?” (are you okay?)
“Ничего, с чем я не справлюсь,” Yelena replied. (Nothing I can’t handle)
Natasha pulled away and shot her sister a smile. She walked over to where her fianceé was seated and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before taking a seat next to Carol. She began piling her own plate of food and instructed the two blondes to tell her everything, start to end. And they did just that. The whole time, Natasha had to do her best to hide her happiness that they were finally getting along. The thing is, she didn’t actually have a mission.
Natasha had gotten so tired of two of the people she loved most arguing at every turn that she decided to take matters into her own hand. She had told Carol she had a mission, but in reality, she had been in a hotel about an hour away, pampering herself with SHIELD money Nick had given her for her “mission.” It had killed her to lie to her family, but it was worth it. Natasha thought of it as a win-win in her book. Her sister and her fianceé were now friends, and she had gotten a few days to herself, something she hasn’t had since Clint first brought her to SHIELD after refusing to kill her despite his orders to do so. She would forever be grateful to him for sparing her that day, because she wouldn’t have anything like the life she has now if he hadn’t. She wouldn’t have her friends, her team, her job. She certainly wouldn’t have her fianceé, daughter, or sister. She owed it all to him. She made a mental note to check in on him and his family. She hadn’t done so in a while, and thought that maybe, now that Carol and Yelena got along, she could bring Yelena to properly meet him and his family without having to worry about keeping an eye on Yelena and Carol.
Natasha returned to the conversation, and smiled deviously to herself when Yelena and Carol were arguing over some part of the story they were trying to tell her. Not the angry and tension-so-thick-you-could-cut-it-with-a-butter-knife arguing. No, the arguing that siblings did. The playful jabs and teasing one another to mess around and to have fun. Perhaps she would be able to go away more often now that they got along. Now wouldn’t that be something? Natasha gave herself a silent pat on the back for this plan. It had been one of her most successful plans involving friends and family. She was going to have fun with the next one on her list. Yes she had a list, and next in line was to get Nicholas Joseph Fury to go on one goddamn date. It would be tricky, but Natasha had a feeling she could get him to bend to her will. He always did eventually, and he owed her for faking his death and letting her believe it was real.
“Nat?”
Natasha snapped back to attention to see both Yelena and Carol looking at her with concern.
“Are you alright?”
Natasha smiled at them and intertwined her and Carol’s hands. “Yeah, I’m perfect. Everything is perfect.”