Elysium (Natasha Romanoff)

Twelve

Elias

I'd forgotten how pretty the outer reach is.

After I'd left Natasha's house, I'd shifted into my dragon form and flown here, to Dekon and Arnold's farm. While most of us lived in town and tended to stick together, there were a few families that decided to live in the 'wilds' of Elysium. Not that it was wild, there were no dangerous animals just miles and miles of forest, lakes and streams. Some people took extended hikes and went camping, but only three families actually lived away from town.

If Dekon and Arnold were surprised to see me they didn't say, they just welcomed me and set up the guest room. They also didn't ask why I was there, and I was grateful for that. I'm not sure I could have handled telling them what had happened and seeing the pity in their eyes. They both know who Natasha is to me. Dekon because he'd met her before in a past life and Arnold because his husband can't keep a secret to save his life.

And while they didn't ask any questions, they certainly wanted to. I could see them written all over Arnold's face as I helped him with supper. We were sitting on the front porch snapping green beans and watching the sun sink lower.

Dekon was out somewhere fixing a fence and the kids were presumably with him. I had to admit that I did enjoy the little boulders, even if they could knock me over easily.

"So," Arnold says, breaking the quiet.

"So," I mimic.

"How's town?"

I shrug, "town is town. Busy, noisy, crowded compared to here."

"Mhm mhm," he hums. We snap the green beans in silence for a few more minutes before he speaks again, "and uh how's Natasha?"

"She's.." I trail off, unsure on how to answer. She's not fine, no matter how much she pretends to be. She's depressed, moody, has explosive anger, anxiety, probably ptsd from something given how she's always reaching for a weapon that isn't there and thinks it's normal to dance until you can't stand.

But Arnold doesn't need to know all that.

"She's.. setting in," I tell him finally. "How's the kids?" I ask, changing the subject.

The kids answer for themselves as they come running around the side of the barn, laughing and yelling as a redheaded woman runs after them. For a split second I think it's Natasha, and my mind snaps back to all the times I've watched her play with her kids. Or, all her other lives kids. Natasha hasn't said anything about having kids in her last life, but then again I haven't asked.

I haven't asked her a lot of things, as it turns out.

"Who's that?" I ask Arnold as I look towards the redhead playing with the kids.

"That's Wanda," he tells me. "She showed up in the woods a few years back and we took her in."

"The woods?" I ask, confused. Anyone who came to Elysium had to go through the Rebirth Center.

He nods, "yeah. The kids and I found her in a patch of flowers unconscious and brought her home. Once she woke up she told us some story about falling through a portal."

"That shouldn't be possible," I say slowly. From what I understand about Elysium, it's outside the normal boundaries of space and time. Nobody should be able to simply portal in, no matter how powerful they are.

Arnold shrugs, "it's what she told us and we don't exactly have any way to check if it's true or not. Plus, we don't really care. She's a nice lady who's obviously been through a lot and she's great with the kids. We have the room for her and you know Dekon can't resist taking in strays."

The kids run up to the porch, followed closely by Wanda who stops when she sees me. I stand quickly and offer her my hand, "hi, I'm Elias."

"Wanda," she says in a thick accent as she takes my hand warily.

I happen to glance down as we shake and notice her fingertips are black. "You're a witch," I say matter of factly.

She wrenches her hand away and shoves them in her pockets, "I'm not a witch."

"I meant no offense," I tell her sincerely. "I've known a few over the years. Last one was Agatha I think. Now she was a witch and a bitch."

"You.. knew Agatha?" She asks cautiously.

"Knew is a strong word," I scoff. "More like avoided her at all cost after she cursed my shoes to drag me to the underworld all because I didn't want to go on a date with her." I motion to her hands, "her hands looked like yours."

Wanda shifts uncomfortably, "I used to be a witch," she admits. "I don't have any powers here."

"Well, used to be a witch Wanda," I say with a grin. "What are you now?"

She gets a far off look in her eyes before finally saying, "hungry."

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later supper is finally done. No thanks to me and Dekon and all the thanks to Wanda and Arnold. I'm no good at cooking, unless it's Greek food, something my mother would be proud of. She was known through her village for being the best cook and before she died she taught me everything. Not that I get to cook much anymore. I prefer cooking for a large group and it's been just me for a long time.

Dekon must have the same thought because about halfway through eating he says, "You should cook for Natasha. She would love your Greek food. It's like a taste of home. Might even help with her memory."

"We aren't exactly on speaking terms right now," I admit.

Arnold scoffs, "then apologize."

I look over at him, "what makes you think I did anything wrong?"

He shakes his head slowly, "that look on your face. Like a kid who was caught doing something they shouldn't be. You love her, yes?"

"Yeah," I tell him. "She's.. everything. She's always been my everything."

"Then apologize," he says again. "Tell Natasha that you're sorry for whatever it is that you did and beg for another chance."

I sigh, "it's not that easy."

"It is."

"What is Natasha's last name?" Wanda asks, startling us.

I look over at her, "Romanoff. Her name is Natasha Romanoff."

There's a clattering as her fork falls to her plate, "Nat is here?"