All the Colors of Earth (Natasha Romanoff)

3.8

June 5th, 2019

The next morning I'm on sub-level seven, watching my sister through a one way mirror. She's strapped to a chair, her blond hair a mess and sweat beading her face. Her eyes are distant but never still, taking everything in.

"It's time," Steve tells me gently as he hands me an earpiece.

Putting it in I go to the door and take a breath before going into the room. Yelena's eyes focus on me immediately and follow me as I go to the only other chair in the small room. "You grew up," I say softly.

"That's usually what happens," she scoffs. "I grew up and you turned traitor."

"I'm so sorry Lenny."

She strains against the straps, "don't call me that!"

"Stop, you'll hurt yourself." I get up and go over to her, gently taking her hand.

"Don't touch me!" She hisses, "you left me! You left me there!"

"I thought you were dead Lenny," I tell her as my eyes fill with tears.

She notices and laughs, "look at the big bad Widow now. Are you going to cry Natalia?"

"It is not weak to cry for my sister who has lost her way."

Her eyes darken, "it is you who has lost her way. Allow me to remind you." Somehow she got her hand free and punches me, sending me to the floor.

"Nat!" Clint yells in the earpiece.

"I'm fine," I tell him, getting to my feet.

Yelena has finished freeing herself and she laughs, "not for long."

Standing up I face her, "I won't fight you."

"Then you'll die."

Crossing my arms I give her an amused look, "you can't kill me."

She stares at me angrily, "why won't I?"

"Because then you'll never get to meet your niece."

I watch her anger melt away and turn to confusion, "my niece? We can't.. How?"

"Well I fell in love with an alien and got her pregnant," I say bluntly.

She's silent for a long moment and then suddenly she starts to laugh. "You would...get someone...pregnant...you show off," she laughs out.

"You want to see her?" I offer.

She stops laughing and gives me a look, "you'd let her near me?"

"Are you back?"

She pauses for a second, "I think so. It's been a while since my last injection and that just burned the last of it out of me."

"Let's go then."

Of course Yelena had to get through Wanda first.

After several long minutes of Wanda rooting through her head for any trace of the mind control, Wanda finally gave the all clear. The second that Yelena stepped into my house and saw Olympia I knew she fell in love. She hovered in the doorway watching her play, nervous energy bouncing off of her. "Why don't you go play with her," I suggested.

She looks at me excitedly, "really?"

"Of course."

She walks slowly over to Olympia, approaching her from the front like you would an unfamiliar animal, and sits in front of her. Olympia immediately sets herself in Yelena's lap and starts showing off all her toys.

I watch them for a few minutes before heading up to mine and Olympias room and grabbing some dirty laundry. The house was big enough for Olympia to have her own room but the one time I tried I just ended up sleeping on her floor.

Heading towards the laundry room I stop by the twins room and poke my head in, "laundry?"

Wanda looks over at me from where her and Pietro are snuggled on the bed, "I think we are good, thank you." She goes back to their movie and I hesitate in their doorway. "Something else?" She asks, turning back to me.

"Did you...see anything in Yelena's head?"

She sighs slightly, "I saw her entire life Nat."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Should I be concerned?"

"Natasha," she says slowly, "it's not my business to tell. You should talk to her if you want to know."

"Right, sorry," I say softly. "Thanks anyway," I tell her before heading down to the laundry room. The sounds of Yelena and Olympia laughing waft down to me and I stop and listen. I hadn't heard my sister laugh in years and I had missed the sound.

Heading back upstairs and into the living room I ask, "want to go to the park?"

"Park!" Olympia squeals.

"Is it safe?" Yelena asked with a slight frown.

"I wouldn't take her if it wasn't."

"Park!" My daughter commanded.

"Shoes," I tell her.

Olympia makes a face and Yelena laughs, "she has your attitude."

"Not just mine," I say softly.

"PAAAAAAARK!"

An hour later we pull up to our favorite park, and by favorite, I mean the one that Tony built for Agents of SHIELD on a stretch of private land surrounded by a tall fence. Call me paranoid or overprotective but there was no way I was risking my child's safety.

As we go through the gates the sounds of other children laughing makes Olympia pull on my hand as she tries to run off. When we get to the benches surrounding the playground I finally let her go and she races off towards her friends.

"You just let her go?" Yelena asks confused.

I motion around us at all the other parents, "all these people are SHIELD agents, nothing is going to happen to any of these kids with them around."

"Aren't you worried about them being mean to her? Since she's... alien?"

I nod slightly, "at first I was, but she's not the only cross species here and most of the kids are nice." Yelena makes a hmm noise but doesn't ask anything for a while. We sit and watch Olympia, her bright red hair making it easy to keep track of her. Every so often she runs over to us and begs for a snack or a drink. After the third time of me digging into her diaper bag Yelena starts laughing. "What?" I ask her.

Between laughs she manages to get out, "if only...mom and dad...could see you now. The great...Natalia Romanova...with a diaper bag!"

"Natalia Romanova died a long time ago sestra. Natasha Romanoff is very much a diaper bag person."

Yelena sighs, "it must be nice to be able to change who you are."

I nudge her gently, "you can too you know. You're free of the Red Room, you can be anyone you want."

"That's the problem. I've been so many people that I just want to be me, but, I don't know who that is."

Putting my arm around her shoulders, she leans into me, "you have time to figure it out little sister." I watch my daughter go down the slide and say, "we all do."