The Shadow's Story

The Memories

Natasha's POV

Another point of view! What madness is this? Okay then, on with the story.

I left the door to Elena's room open and went across the hall to mine. I sighed, this was crazy. My daughter is alive. I sat down on the edge of the bed and shook my head. She was amazing. Elena Rebecca Barnes, 11 years old. She would be 13 if they hadn't put her in cryofreeze. She has shoulder length brown hair, it got wavy at the end and had split ends. A sharp jawline that she got from James. His eyes, an ice blue that was hard but at the same time young and playful. Freckles dotted her face one her cheeks and nose and all she had seen on her lips so far was a smile.

I smiled to myself, they kept my daughter alive. I remembered when she was born in the Red Room. I thought she was dead, they let me think she was dead.

The Red Room 2001

I was in pain. My water had broken and I was in the hospital they had in the Red Room. Madame B and Ivan were here along with some doctors and people from HYDRA. This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen.

James was gone. As soon as they found out he was wiped and continued on as if nothing had happened. I was the Black Widow, I had passed their tests but I didn't want this anymore.

(I'm very disappointed in you Natalia. We taught you better than this.) Madame B's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up at her. (We've made an arrangement with the Soldier's handlers. If the child is alive it will be trained by them but if it is dead then we will all let bygones be bygones.)

(Yes Madame.) They were going to train my child. They were going to end up as bad as me. I couldn't bear the thought. So I pushed it aside as I delivered my baby.

(It's a girl.) I looked at the doctor. (What is her name?)

I looked at Madame B and she nodded. (Elena, Elena Rebecca Barnes.)

Just then doctors started rushing around and I heard one thing. The sentence that crushed me. (Time of death 3:43 am. Date 3/14/01.)

My body shook as I finished thinking about that day. Just then the door opened and James came inside. He stood there awkwardly.

"Come in James." He moved to sit next to me on the bed.

"Do you need anything? Your bedroom's down the hall and the bathroom is across from it." I looked up at him.

"No." He stood up and walked away. I let him go, he needs time to remember and figure out who he is. I can give him time.

He was still the Winter Soldier but in a way he always would be. He would never be Steve's friend Bucky again. He's more of the James that I knew in the Red Room and Elena's dad combined with the Winter Soldier. Once he figures out his mind then he'll figure out who he is now and wants to be in the future.

I stopped thinking about that and now I remember when I met Elena.

I knew someone was following me after James shot me. He didn't kill me. He should have killed me.

"Who are you?" I turned around to face the girl.

"Who are you?"

She took off her goggles and mask. My breath caught in my chest, ice blue eyes and dark brown hair. She was a mirror image of the Winter Soldier.

"I wish I knew, all I know is that my name is Elena." Elena Rebecca Barnes.

"Elena Rebecca." It pained me to think that my daughter could be alive.

"Maybe, but you never answered my question, who are you?"

I sighed. "I'm Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow." Her mother.

"So you know who I am then."

"You're my daughter, you were taken away from me at birth so I didn't get attached. I was only allowed to give you a name. Elena, meaning shining light, because you were my light. Rebecca because that was your dad's sister's name."

She smiled at me. "So what should I call you, mom? If you're okay with it."

"Of course."

Elena smiled at me and then started putting her mask and goggles back on.

"I have to go but I promise that we will get out. Where should we meet you?"

"I'll meet you at the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian, by the Bucky Barnes panel. I hope I'll see you there."

I watched her go back to James when I heard Steve say. "Bucky?"

"Who the hell is Bucky?"

I picked up James' grenade launcher that he dropped and fired it at the car next to him and Elena. Just then Rumlow showed up and put us in the back of a truck with HYDRA guards.

"It was him. He looked right at me like he didn't even know me." Steve was traumatized.

"How is that even possible? It was like seventy years ago."

"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in '43, Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped Bucky survive the fall. They must have found him and..."

"None of that's your fault, Steve."

He wasn't the only person that wasn't recognized but I should be used to it by now. They had wiped me from his mind and I wasn't sure if I would ever get him back.

I sighed. He didn't remember me. I was gone from his mind and that means he wouldn't remember anything, not even Vegas. The last mission we were sent on together before I escaped.

I went into the kitchen to get a drink and I noticed James sitting on the couch staring blankly at the wall. He looked lost in his mind and so I walked past him and didn't ask him how he was doing.

I walked right by him again on my way back to my room and once I got there I put the drink down on my side table and tried to get some sleep and eventually I got some sleep that night but I'm sure James didn't.