necromancy | avengers 1

VI- Confessions

While Steve and Stark were helping Celestia to medical, Fury's voice comes through the earpiece. "Agent Coulson is down." Steve pauses his steps, one of Celestia's arms thrown over his shoulder, making her pause too. An Agent's voice then also comes through the earpiece, responding to Fury, "A medical team is on its way to your location."

"They're here. They called it." Fury spoke once more. Celestia sighed in sadness. He seemed like a really good guy. She wasn't usually religious, but at this moment she prayed he was somewhere better.

She took her arm off of Steve's shoulder saying, "You go get cleaned up. I can go to medical myself." Stark stopped staring at the wall, and looked at Celestia. "Don't. Don't even. We're taking you to medical and that's final." She mumbled out a fine before being walked to medical by the two men.

**

After Celestia got settled into the medical bed (which was basically just a bed but in the medical wing), had some stitches put in and got changed into a hoodie and some sweats, she waved Steve and Stark away saying she would be be fine alone.

After a half an hour of Celestia lying there trying to sleep so her pounding headache would leave, she heard a knock at the door. She sat up and called out, "Come in." To whoever was on the other side of the door. A red-head came walking in with a small smile on her face, but that did nothing to ease Celestia's nerves.

"I came here to visit Clint but he's out like a light so I came to see you instead." Romanoff spoke sitting down in a chair near the bed. Celestia nodded her head slightly, before Romanoff continued, "If you want me to go you can say so. I won't be offended. I just want to know why you hate me. I mean, did I do something to you?" Romanoff questioned Celestia who chuckled disdainfully.

"Do you seriously not remember?" Celestia exclaimed. Romanoff shook her head. It was silent for a few minutes before Celestia spoke out.

"11th of October 2002. I was on a walk with my little sister...y'know, I wasn't sure what happened at first. I used to randomly get chest pains as a child, but it was nothing. I just thought it was one of those. But then I dropped to the grass, and all I saw was my 6 year old sister crying over me. Well, that and you standing on a rooftop not too far away. I guess you didn't really care if I saw you because you assumed I was dead. But then again, I guess you weren't wrong. I was pronounced dead at the scene and then the next thing I know I'm waking up a few hours later in a hospital bed so my parents could say goodbye. The doctors said it was because the bullets were laced with something to stop my heart- or at least slow it down until it was almost stopped." Celestia confessed.

She thought it was really lucky she didn't start crying through all of that until a salty tear ran into her mouth. She wiped at her face getting rid of all the tears. She looked at Romanoff, who was just staring at her, with pity? Guilt? Both? Celestia wasn't quite sure.

Celestia took a breath in, and said, "I think that if you hadn't done it in front of Adrienne I wouldn't hold a grudge against you as much as I do. I mean, what's there to be mad at? I'm alive, aren't I? But you traumatised my sister. She wouldn't even let me go to school for months let alone go to school herself. That cheerful 6 year old girl was gone, and I think that's why I blame you so much. Again, even though, I know it's not even your fault. Fury explained to me you were part of some Red Room thing that trained girls to be assassins ever since they were children, and I feel horrible about that, but I just can't help it." Celestia thinks she has spoken more today than she has in her life. But it felt good to get off her chest, even if it was to Romanoff.

"I'm." Romanoff started, but then paused. "I don't need to hear you say sorry. I know you are. And like I said, I'm alive, I can't be mad at you for too long." Celestia spoke while Romanoff had paused.

"I just, I don't think it's fair I don't even say sorry to you-" and before she could finish her sentence with an apology, Celestia cut her off. "Like I said. You have no reason to apologise. I'm alive, I have Adrienne, and I'm a freaking Avenger. I'm happy." Celestia smiled softly at the redhead.

The two women sat in silence for a few moments before Romanoff spoke. "I've read your file. More than once, and yet it never mentioned that which is strange considering it dates back to when you were born until the day we boarded this boat." Celestia chuckled.

"Maybe Fury was worried that me cheating death would fall into the wrong hands. And as we've seen, he can't have him weapons escaping him." Celestia joked. Romanoff grinned before furrowing her brows.

"Wait, you said 'cheating death' but the doctors said the bullets were laced-" Celestia cut the woman off, smiling softly, "The bullets weren't laced with anything Romanoff. Just simple, normal bullets."

"But, if I didn't succeed they would've gotten rid of me and sent someone else after you." The Widow was very obviously confused.

"Well, I'm not too sure what happened with you, but yes, I had someone else after me. I'm not sure what took them so long, but the 19th of November 2004 was the next time I died. I can't seem to remember much from that either, except from the fact that he killed my parents before me. I woke up because I heard my sister screaming, and then suddenly I'm getting shot in the head. It didn't take me as long to wake up that time. It was only an hour before I woke up, and saw little Adrienne crying in her room on her Princess bed. That time she wouldn't even let me out of her sight." Celestia explained her second death, luckily not crying this time.

"What happened to you and your sister?" Romanoff asked.

"We jumped around between sleeping on friends couches and sleeping down alleyways. I knew it wasn't safe for an 8 year old but I couldn't bear to be put in the system with Adrienne." Celestia cleared her throat, and said, "Now let's end this before it becomes even more depressing." She half-heartedly chuckled. "Thank you for coming to visit me. And I'm sorry I've been so rude to you." She finalised.

Romanoff smiled lightly, saying, "You don't need to be sorry. Not in the slightest. I'm going to go visit Clint. He's just next door, if you wanna come over soon and meet him."

"Adrienne would kill me if I didn't." Romanoff laughed before leaving Celestia's room waving to her.

Celestia felt as though there was a weight lifted off her chest, and she fell asleep in seconds.