Little Widow

Macaroni for Breakfast

[AN- these brackets [] are for my notes and comments whilst these brackets () are just boring old brackets]

[Because let's be honest I have a lot to say and I'm not going to keep my mouth shut]

Yelena:-

"Yelena honey.. what is that?"

The voice spoke softly through the computer as Yelena sat down before the camera, contentedly stirring a bowl of steaming hot pasta. 

"Breakfast" she replied through her first mouthful, whilst glancing down at the ridiculously minuscule clock in the corner of her screen, reading 07.06, then back up at Melina's disapproving grimace.

"No... No Yelena, that is not breakfast"

"Yeah, it is" the blonde retorted, or tried to. The cheese sauce she'd stuffed into her mouth caused the sentence to come out as a jumbled mess of sound, that barely resembled any word in the English language.

Melina's eyebrows raised with a motherly disapproval.

"No, it is not" she insisted, "Alexei tell her"

A shaggy bearded face came into view, grinning like a praised dog. 

"Listen to your mother"

Yelena scowled at this. She wasn't Yelena's mother, she hadn't been Yelena's mother in a very long time and she wasn't allowed to pretend to be so again, simply to fill the void of guilt within her. 

Yet Yelena bit her tongue, allowing them their pathetic game of happy families just a little longer. With a resentful aggression, she stabbed her fork back into the bowl, and took another mouthful, savoring the taste and effectively avoiding the obligation to reply.

Melina shook her head, "Yelena that is dinner food, not breakfast" she scolded, blissfully unaware of her youngest's, her only daughter's, discomfort. (Or at least, she pretended so.)

"Did you call just to teach me how to feed myself? I'm a big girl, I'm sure I'll manage" 

Alexei chortled in appreciation, still crouching beside Melina. Who promptly slapped his shoulder in retaliation, causing him to withdraw, yelping in annoyance and muttering vague words of hurt. Melina ignored him, still facing Yelena, through the camera and sighing.

"No" she replied with a frustrated tone, as if holding back a continuous list of reprimands.

"I have a job for you."

Yelena perked up, her eyes immediately flicking back to the screen with newfound interest.

"Oh?"

Melina simply nodded, watching the screen as she typed, clearly looking for some file or document.

Yelena waited... And waited...

[But she's impatient so that honestly lasted about thirty seconds, be proud of her for managing so long.]

"So?" She prompted impatiently, placing the spoon back into her bowl as she listened.

"Hang on..." Melina replied absentmindedly as she continued typing.

"Here it is. So, Yelena, this one's slightly different"

Yelena raised her eyebrows, interested.

"In what way?"

"You remember how I told you we were keeping tabs on all released widows?"

Yelena nodded.