Shadow Cadet: Rising Shadows

8 {Second guessing}

Anastasiya wiped away the fog on the mirror as she stepped out of the shower at the safe house Clint had brought them to. It had been a very long and tense drive to get there and she was just grateful to have been able to take a hot shower. Quickly she threw on the clothes Natasha had brought for her before opening the bathroom door to release some of the steam. Once she could see herself better she'd begun to French braid her long, wavy red hair so it wouldn't become tangled. Much to her surprise, Natasha appeared beside her with a small smile.

"Can we talk?" She asked as she set down her stack of clothes to change into after she showered.

"I suppose so." Anastasiya looked at her through the partly fogged-up mirror.

"What Adrielle said- Anya I'm so sorry." Natasha looked at her sympathetically, making her turn around to look at Natasha.

"Nat it's fine really." Anastasiya shook her head but Natasha grabbed her hand.

"I thought they killed you. When I was planning to escape I knew getting you involved would cause you trouble-"

"But I insisted 'cause if one of us could get out I knew it needed to be you." Anastasiya sighed, her lips drawing into a thin line.

"Anya I'm so sorry for giving you that false hope. I was too scared to go back because I thought you were dead, and not knowing was easier than facing that reality. And you had to pay for my choice." Natasha looked down at the adjoined hands.

"Natasha what happened is in the past and there's nothing we can do to change what happened now. The only thing we can do is move forward." Anastasiya squeezed Natasha's hand as tears welled in both of their eyes. "You were my best friend. I would do it all over again for you. As long as I get this outcome."

Natasha pulled her into a tight hug, Anastasiya's arms wrapped tightly around her as the two cried into the other's shoulder. "Thank you for getting me a second chance," Anastasiya whispered as Natasha pulled back.

"You were my best friend. I wasn't gonna give up on you." Natasha shook her head with a smile. "Friends?" She took her hand out.

"Friends." Anastasiya smiled back as she shook Natasha's hand.

With a smile, Anastasiya left Natasha in the bathroom to shower while she walked to the kitchen to get some water. Clint stood bandaging up a small wound on Malcolm who sat on the counter. "S.H.I.E.L.D will be sending a ride for us, supposedly they'll be here at 4 tomorrow morning." Clint stated as Anastasiya walked over to the sink to fill up the glass she got from the cabinet.

Malcolm stayed quiet as Clint stepped away from him. It was evident he wasn't too keen on the idea of killing his mom. Anastasiya took a few swallows before setting the glass down and wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve. "She's gonna have a cavalry waiting for us." She said monotonously. Malcolm jumped off the counter and left without saying a word. 

"You think we can trust him?" Clint asked as he leaned back against the counter next to Anastasiya with crossed arms. She shrugged her shoulders before looking down at her glass and swirling the water around.

"I- He told me that he wanted out. His father and brother got him a ticket to the U.S trying to help him get his freedom but Adrielle- His own mother kept him from leaving, she caught him before he could get to the airport." She explained looking up at Clint who nodded. "So I think we can trust him but- I mean killing your own mother can't be an easy task. She's been his only form of stability his entire life." 

Clint looked down at the ground as silence surrounded them. "If it comes down to it-"

"I know-"

"Nat cares for you a lot. It will kill her to lose you again so don't do anything stupid. For her sake." Clint looked back up at her, there was a sort of softness in the way he spoke. A form of trust. 

"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Anastasiya nodded before she grabbed her glass. "Get some rest. It'll probably be all you'll get for a while." She made her way down the hallway and entered the room she and Aleksandr agreed to share. It had two beds on either side of the room as well as a dresser. 

"You good?" Aleksandr asked as he looked up from his bag.

"Yeah." She mumbled as she set down her glass on the dresser. "Clint said S.H.I.E.L.D will be here around four-ish." Her bed creaked slightly as she sat down.

"Ah. So he's Clint now?" He glared making Anastasiya roll her eyes.

"Yes. I learned his name a bit ago and I trust him." Anastasiya crossed her arms glaring back at him. Aleksandr shook his head before standing up.

"Don't you think this is all going a bit too far?" He said walking over to her. 

"You've got to be kidding me." She scoffed before getting up as well. "After everything she's done? You think this is going a 'Bit too far'" Her hands came up to make air quotes. 

"I think you're being too trusting of these people Anastasiya. What's to say they won't lock you up after you kill her? What then? You spend the rest of your life locked up in a cell? That's where you were before Adrielle got her hands on you-"

A loud slap echoed in the space around them, Aleksandr's head was forcefully turned to the side as Anastasiya glared up at him. "Shut the fuck up." She hissed watching his cheek turn red where her hand hit him. 

"I'm sorry. That was- That wasn't right." His voice was now low as his eyes softened with affection. 

"If you want out of this you gotta tell me now." She mumbled walking over to the dresser.

"I'm in if you're in Ana. I've always got your back, you know that." Aleksandr sighed walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her. He relaxed when he felt her sink into him. 

Anastasiya turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck as his hands fell to her waist. "I worry about you. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into." He continued as she pressed her forehead into his chest. 

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Around three-thirty, Anastasiya was roused from sleep by a loud knock on the bedroom door. She heard Aleksandr groan from his side of the room as she got up and threw on her discarded clothes from the previous night. She opened the door to be greeted by Natasha. 

"Time to go." She mumbled making Anastasiya nod. She closed the door again and turned on the lamp on the dresser. Anastasiya walked over to Aleksandr and gently shook him awake. 

"It's time," Anastasiya whispered as Aleksandr sat up. She handed him his shirt to throw on. Once they were both dressed and packed, the five of them loaded their belongings into the car before making their way to the airstrip. 

As the group sat in the car, Anastasiya reflected on the past week with how much had happened and how complicated her life had become. Her life was going to be drastically different going for. 

The car was quiet aside from the sound of the windshield wipers, pushing away the snow as it fell and the loud heater. "I'm sorry for lying to you guys about the project." Malcolm sighed as fiddled nervously with the zipper of his jacket. "It's just that she's my mom, she's all I've had for so long after my dad and brother left. And now I'm conspiring to kill-" His voice cracked at the end as he pitched the bridge of his nose. 

"Malcolm if you want out, this is your chance. No hard feelings, I get it." Anastasiya whispered as she gave his shoulder a small squeeze.

"You aren't alone," Aleksandr mumbled as he continued to stare forward. "She's all the three of us had. She got Ana and I from pretty shitty places and took us to less shitty places." He sighed looking over at Anastasiya and Malcolm. "But she's caused a lot of people a lot of pain. Someone has to put an end to it."