We Are Defined By What We Do

Four

Yelena meets Kate back at the hotel, helping the dazed woman into the bathroom and giving her a spare change of clothes.

"It's alright. You'll be alright," Yelena coos, closing the door on her and turning to Kate. Her gaze holds daggers. Kate shrinks, still standing in her suit, knowing she messed up. Yelena speaks when she hears the shower turn on. "What was that? Why didn't you do as I say?"

"I just couldn't shoot her. She's already been through so much and she has so much more to go through. I couldn't give her any more pain, I didn't want to wound her-"

"I was asking for an arrow to the leg, not to the stomach. Wounds heal, Kate Bishop. She would have survived. I could have been killed. She blew the fuck out of my eardrum." Yelena cups her ear, popping her jaw slowly. She looks back up at Kate. "I asked you to do something and you failed. You will not fail me again."

"I'm sorry. I won't. I promise. Next time, I'll-"

"No, no. You will not fail me because there won't be a next time. You're done. This partnership, this teacher-student thing, it's over. When we drop her off at the hostel, I'm taking you back to New York."

"No, Yelena, please. Give me another chance, I promise I'll do better."

Yelena grabs her burner phone and walks out the door, shutting it on Kate's pleas.

"She almost killed me, Clint. That widow could have killed me. I was on a solo mission. You sent her with me to babysit. She's going home," Yelena says into the phone, pacing on the roof of the hotel, a blanket of stars above her.

"I thought you said you'd never talk to me again," Clint jokes. She hears the kids running around the yard, playing baseball.

"I could be dead," Yelena says flatly.

"But you're not. So she made a mistake. We've all made mistakes. Even you. She made a decision not to hurt your widow. See that as a silver lining. She has heart."

"This is not the business of hearts. It is life or death. I can't trust her."

"She didn't take the shot, Yelena. I remember doing the same thing a lifetime ago. Look what that gave us."

Yelena humphs. "Am I supposed to thank you for not killing my sister?"

Clint sighs. "It's a full-circle moment. She didn't take a shot at your widow, and I didn't take one at mine. It's something all Hawkeyes do. You can't fault her for that."

When Yelena doesn't respond, he continues.

"Give her another chance. She won't make the same mistake twice."

"What, not doing her job?"

"Disobeying you. She looks up to you. She looked up to all of us. The two of you are the next generation. Hawkeye and Whi-"

"Enough of all the sappy." Yelena sighs, taking the phone away from her good ear and looking up at the sky. She takes in all the stars, the wind blowing through her hair, across her face. She brings the phone back up to her ear. "Do you really believe she'll listen to me?"

"If she's smart she will. You're Yelena Belova."

"Then do you believe she's smart?"

"I know she is."

"I don't believe you're smart," Yelena blurts, returning to the room.

Sonya sleeps in Kate's bed, out like a light from the exhaustion of learning herself and the day she's had. Kate has been sitting at the desk, chin on her fist as she thinks over what to say to Yelena to convince her to stay, leg bouncing nervously. Now she stands, weaving her fingers together and apart.