Things Are Almost Perfect

Chapter 19 ~ No Promises

"You are not coming with us," Natasha repeated for the twentieth time.

"Yes I am," Yelena replied once again.

They were in the den, arguing while some of the others prepared to go after Inaya once again. Tony had managed to somehow track down where she was between testing his stupid ideas of how to get Natasha back.

Natasha was going to take Captain America, Bucky, and Sam and go after her. Wanda wanted to go too, but Bruce vetoed that because of her shoulder. Bruce was going to veto Yelena going as well, but gave up on that after Yelena threatened him a couple times.

"No you're not!" Natasha said, "It's too dangerous."

"But you need me to come!"

Natasha raised an eyebrow, "And why's that?"

"Clint's gone, Wanda can't go, Peter can't either, Bruce and Tony are going to stay here and try to figure out more ways to bring you back," Yelena listed, "which leaves just four of you going after her. Last time we went after her there were seven of us and we still lost. Which means you need me to come so I can help!"

"She has a point," Sam added, as he entered the room.

A quick glare from Natasha sent him scurrying away.

"Why do you want to come so badly anyway?" Natasha asked, "and don't give me any bullcrap about wanting to protect me. We both know I can protect myself just fine."

"I just...." Yelena trailed off. She could be vulnerable with her sister, and no one else was around.

Vulnerability is weakness. The dark voice hissed. Weakness gets you killed.

"I....." Yelena pushed the voice into the back of her mind, "I need to go after Inaya."

"Why?"

Yelena searched for the right words, "I need to free her. I need to show her that she doesn't have to live by the Red Room's rules anymore, that she can make her own life."

"That's not the only reason is it?"

"....I promised the Black Widows I would free them all. If I fail with just one of them then I've broken that promise," Yelena replied. I don't want to disappoint them.

Natasha knew that promises have always been important to her younger sister, it had been that way since they were kids. A promise, to Yelena, was an oath. And she didn't take breaking oaths easily.

"...Okay, you can come," Natasha relented, "but, you have to listen to me! Which means if I say you go back to the ship, you go back to the ship!"

Yelena grinned at her, "No promises."

"I thought you were going to go back home with Clint to drop off your brothers."

Lila looked away from the TV and to Peter instead, "Oh, I was."

"But you're not anymore?" he asked.

She nodded, "I realized that if I went home, Mom would have killed me for sneaking into the car, then she would have brought me back to life and grounded me forever. So I hid in a closet until Dad gave up and left without me."

Peter nodded, "Smart move."

"Thank you."

"If you've been here for a while, why didn't you go after Inaya with the others?" he asked.