Things Are Almost Perfect

Chapter 2 ~ I Wouldn't Believe Me Either

"Natasha?" Yelena's head snapped up and she glanced around wildly.

"You... you hear me?!"

Yelena followed the bewildered voice and turned around. There in front of her was her sister..... sort of. It was definitely Natasha, but instead of what she usually looked like, she was slightly transparent and was floating a few inches above the ground.

Yelena's jaw dropped, "But, how? You... you died!"

"I know. It was painful," Natasha grinned, "But you can see me! This is great! Now we can—"

Natasha kept talking, not noticing Yelena backing away slowly. Yelena turned around, starting to walk back to her truck. "This can't be happening."

"Yelena?" Natasha floated after her younger sister, reaching out to lay her hand on her shoulder.

"I must be going crazy or something. This can not be happening," Yelena said, "You can't be here! You... you're dead."

Natasha drew her hand back, "I...." --she looked away-- "I'm sorry I left. I had to save my family."

"Your avenger family?" Yelena snapped, turning around to look at the phantom of her sister, before turning back around with a sigh, "What am I doing? Talking to myself like a чудак. (weirdo)"

"No, Yelena. I did it to save you," Natasha replied, "and even though I left for a little while, I am here now. Please believe me! No one else is able to see me, and everything has gone wrong and I need your help!"

"You're definitely aren't my sister then. She never needs any help with anything."

Natasha was silent for a while, just floating after her sister. Yelena shook her head, First, she died and now Yelena's brain just has to torment her with this.

"Thanks, for you know, the vest. The pockets were very. . . handy."

Yelena turned around, facing the phantom of her sister, a ghost of a smile flickering across her lips, "You wore the vest?"

"Of course I did! It was a gift from my младшая сестра! (little sister)" Natasha replied, she looked down at herself, "Seems like I'm still wearing it. Thank goodness for that, that leather outfit might have looked good, but it was not comfortable."

True to her word, the ghostly Natasha still had on the vest that Yelena had given her the last time they had seen each other in person. Yelena looked Natasha over for a second before she silently turned away and walked the last few steps to her truck.

"Fanny, come on, we're going home!" she called out, opening her truck door. The fluffy dog ran barking over to her owner, panting happily, but didn't hop in the truck.

Instead, Fanny was sniffing at thin air where Yelena had imagined Natasha to be, but no longer was. Yelena knew that her sister wasn't really there. Thank goodness her brain stopped tormenting her.

Then Fanny started barking.

"Is something there, girl?" Yelena asked, stepping closer and squinting at where the dog was barking at.

And poof, Natasha appeared again, making Yelena jump backward, slamming her hand against the truck in the process. She cursed under her breath and shook out the hand she'd hit.

"Oh calm down, you got shot and what do you do: keep running. You hit your hand and you say those words? Jeez." Natasha said.

Yelena shook her head, Fanny must have just seen a bird or something. The ghostly Natasha was just a figment of her imagination, and Fanny couldn't possibly be able to see that, could she?

Yelena told Fanny to get in the truck and climbed in herself after the dog was situated. Natasha silently floated into the truck and somehow sat in the vacant passenger seat.

"Are you just going to follow me everywhere?" Yelena asked as she put the truck into drive.

"Probably, I mean, you are the only person that can see me so..." she replied with a grin.

Fanny barked and panted softly, seemingly looking at the ghost.

"Hello," Natasha smiled, reaching out a hand towards the dog, "You finally got that dog you wanted, huh?"

Yelena glanced back at her dog to see Fanny sniffing at Natasha's outstretched fingers and wagging her tail. Natasha stroked the top of Fanny's head, and that made Yelena pause.

"You can pet Fanny?" Yelena asked, pulling the truck to the side of the road and parking.

"I think all animals can see me. I'm not sure how I can touch them though." Natasha smiled as she watched the dog, "Wait, you named her Fanny?"

"Fanny Longbottom."

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "After one of my fake IDs?"

"I thought it was perfect," Yelena replied with a shrug.

"How did you even know about that name?"

"Well I was looking through your stuff, like a good little sister must, and I came across your IDs. Therefore, being such a nice and absolutely amazing sister, I named her after you! Or, fake you."

Natasha chuckled, before noticing that they weren't moving anymore, "Why'd you stop the truck?"

"... I guess I can hear you out," Yelena glanced out the windshield, then back to her sister, "How are you here?"

Natasha's gaze grew troubled, "I don't know."

"How do you not know? I thought you knew everything."

"Oh I do, just not this."

"How about you talk about what you remember happening and maybe we can figure it out."

"I remember... letting go of Clint's hand and falling. It felt like I was finally free. Free of the ledger that had followed me around for so long. Then I hit the ground, there was a sharp pain, then nothing," Natasha looked at her hands, "Until I woke up like this. I watched as Clint got the stone and told everyone else what had happened. I watched them mourn for me, and fight for the world while I could do nothing..."

Natasha trailed off and Yelena stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. After a moment's pause, she did, "Peter, наш ребенок паук (our baby spider)... he snapped Thanos away," Natasha looked away and out the window, "his enhanced healing kept him alive, but he's in a coma. Yelena...."

Natasha looked back at her sister, her eyes shiny with unshed tears, ".....no one knows if he's going to wake up..... I can't do anything to help him and it's breaking me."

The ghost of Yelena's older sister let out a choked sob and Yelena found herself leaning forward and wrapping her arms around her.

Thank goodness the road was deserted, because Yelena was sure that it would look like she was hugging air to anyone passing by. And that would look very strange.

After a bit, Natasha pulled away, letting Yelena's hands remain on her shoulders, "Thanks."

The two sisters shared a smile, one tearstained, one comforting, before they realized what was going on.

"You can touch me," Natasha said slowly before letting out a laugh, "You can touch me!"

"I can touch you?!" A little part of Yelena still thought she was hallucinating. "Pinch me."

Natasha reached over and pinched.

"Ow! Not so hard!"

"So you believe me now?"

Yelena laughed. "Yes! Sorry I didn't before."

"It's alright, I wouldn't have believed myself either," Natasha said.

Yelena grinned at her. "So what's the plan? And this time, don't add the part where I almost bleed to death."