Winter's Widow

Chapter 29: Family

"Wait, what?"  Natasha had just broken me, Sam, Clint, Wanda and Scott off of the raft with Steve, and while the rest of the group was up near the front of the jet, Natasha had grabbed me roughly by the wrist, pulling me towards the back.
"They're all still there.  My family."  I blinked at her wide-eyed.  
"What the hell are you talking about?  You told me that you were raised in the red room."  I whisper-shouted back.  Natasha rolled her eyes in exasperation.  She was trying to get out too much information at once, resulting in a mumbled blur, rather than coherent sentences.  
"I was, I just..." she sighed and shook her head.  "There are probably some things I should explain."  I glanced towards the front of the jet.  Wanda was already sleeping.  Sam and Steve were arguing about something.  Scott was listening to headphones from the co-pilot seat, and Clint was flying the jet.  Natasha and I sat beside each other, and I glanced over at her, willing her to continue.
"Did you just get back from...Russia?"  I guessed.  She nodded.
"We took down the red room."  
"Who's we....wait what?" My brain belatedly wrapped itself around what it was that she was actually saying.  Natasha grinned at me.
"When I was younger, I was sent on a mission to America to recover some scientific intel." She began.  Her leg was bouncing up and down in excitement, like she was too eager to try to talk normally.  
"Okay."  I nodded that I understood that part of the story.
"The mission lasted for 3 years, and during that time I was with a family construct – Alexei and Melina were the father and mother figures and Yelena – she was only six and was my little sister."  I frowned, processing the information as quickly as possible.
"How old were you?" I asked softly.  For the first time, Natasha looked down at the ground, unable to keep eye contact.
"Eleven."  I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut briefly.
"Damn."  
"Anyway – I was hiding out in Norway after Ross almost caught me, and I received a package from the Budapest safe house where I used to live."  I nodded.  "I went to Budapest and met up with Yelena.  She's still alive.  She got out, and she found an antidote for what the red room was doing to its girls."  I frowned.
"What were they doing?"  Natasha took a deep breath, glancing around the interior of the jet before answering.
"Chemical subjugation," she shrugged, and my frown deepened.
"Mind control?  Like full mind control?"  She nodded sadly.
"Dreykov was able to force them to do anything – even kill themselves if they were injured."  I inhaled sharply and stared into Natasha's eyes.  "I...watched it happen." She murmured.  I immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her tight into my side.
"Tasha, I'm so sorry."  She nodded quietly.
"But it turns out Alexei and Melina were still alive too, and all of us took down the red room together."  I raised my eyebrows.  
"Your...family...infiltrated and took down a super-secret Russian mind control base?"  She nodded, a smile returning finally to her face.  I released her shoulder, pinching her in the side instead.
"OW!  What was that for?" She shrieked, loud enough to wake Wanda, who glared at us and seemed dangerously close to head-tilting.  I held up my hands.
"Sorry," I mouthed to the witch, who rolled her eyes and immediately lay back down, covering her face with her arm.  Natasha elbowed me roughly in the side.
"Ouch!"  She smirked and I chuckled at her lowly.  
"You went on an adventure without me."  I pouted.  Natasha smirked and rested her head lightly on my shoulder.
"Well you were in a floating prison, Winter.  You seemed like you were busy."  I smirked, leaning back against the seat, closing my eyes, and folding my arms across my chest.
"Yeah?  Well I'm still angry at you for leaving me out.  Goodnight Natasha."  She huffed but I could hear the faintest hint of a giggle at the end.  I cracked one eye open.
"Goodnight, Winter."  A few moments later, I broke the silence again.
"Thank you for coming to get me," I whispered softly.  Natasha softly kissed my cheek before nuzzling back into me contentedly.  
"Of course, I did.  You're family."
...
Ayo piloted the Wakandan jet to get Yelena and I to St. Petersburg.  Leaving Wakanda had been bittersweet.  They had patched me up far faster than any modern medicine in the States could provide, and they did it all just because they could, not because they wanted any compensation for it.  Shuri had hugged me a goodbye a little too long for Yelena's liking, but aside from a pinch to the side as we boarded the jet, she didn't mention it.  We touched down in a field that Yelena pointed out to us, allowing us to descend to the ground away from any prying eyes.  We both waved goodbye to Ayo with a smile – she doesn't hug – before slinging our packs over our shoulders.  I let Yelena lead the way.  I glanced down the hill we were descending into the field below, surprised to see lots of fencing, several buildings, and the unmistakable sounds of livestock.  I glanced at Yelena out of the corner of my eye, wondering what she was walking us into.  My fears were – at least partially – put to rest, however, when a tall man in a very red suit and a brownish-grey, messy beard emerged from the fencing and spread his arms open wide.  "Yelena!" He called, expecting a hug.  The blond moved right past him, continuing her journey towards the main building I assumed was the residence.  The man looked after her, mouth wide open at the snub before turning his attention back to me.  "Hello there.  I am Alexei, the Red Guardian.  You've probably heard of me."  I raised my eyebrows and tried not to smile to let on how amusing this was.  
"I'm Agent Kasey Winter, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you."  Alexei took one of my hands in his, shaking it excitedly.  
"Neither of my girls have ever brought anyone home," he murmured, and I felt a blush creeping across my face.  He gestured me forward and I followed Yelena's cute little butt...blush...into the house.  The site and sounds that greeted me, however, wasn't anything I could have prepared myself for in advance.  The house was absolutely stuffed with women.  They were everywhere.  Most of them looked to be around Yelena's age, some older some younger.  I glanced at the blond who was making her way around the room speaking to them in hushed greetings.  One by one they began to recognize my presence and turned to stare at me.  It was – no lie – rather intimidating.  
"What is all the fuss about?" An older voice piped up from behind me, and I spun around to see an older woman who had come up behind me so quietly that I hadn't even noticed.  
"мать, this is Kasey Winter," Yelena spoke up, and the other women fell into a tense hush.  The woman looked me up and down slowly.
"You brought another Avenger to this house?" She asked, looking past me directly at Yelena as if I wasn't standing right there.  I cleared my throat.
"I apologize, we didn't mean to intrude..." I started.  Yelena approached my position and – much to my surprise – took my hand.
"Right now, there are no Avengers, мать." She said.  My heart sank a little at the realization that she was mostly right.  "и она мне нравится (and I like her.)"  The woman in front of me frowned slightly, her gaze flipping rapidly between the two of us.
"Melina!" Alexei's booming voice from the door startled almost everyone.  We all spun to face the large man.  "Елена привела кого-то домой.  (Yelena brought someone home)."  Melina paused at his statement before looking back at me appraisingly.  
"Yes, then.  Right.  Come in, let's have a drink."  The majority of women crowding the house began to filter out as Alexei smiled widely and took his seat at the head of the kitchen table.  Melina sat to his right, and Yelena sat beside her.  I took my place across from Yelena and was almost immediately handed a shot glass that was full to the brim with what I thought was most likely Vodka."  
"ваше здоровье!" Alexei crowed victoriously.   "To family," he clinked his shot glass against mine, causing the liquid to overflow and spill slightly down my hand.  Melina and Yelena rolled their eyes in unison at his antics, but the four of us dutifully raised the glass to our lips, downing the alcohol.