Widow Sisters and Friends (Restoring Our Broken Hearts)

Miss American Pie

Summary: When Yelena wakes up from a horrid nightmare, Natasha is left to pick up the pieces of her heartbreakingly terrified and scarred baby sister. As Yelena grows increasingly inconsolable, Natasha soon realizes that there's only way she can pull Yelena from this state. 

   Natasha was snatched into the waking world by a hideously horrid scream ripping through the night. Natasha immediately recognized the sound, turning quickly to the person lying in bed next to her. Yelena was sitting straight up, gasping for breath as she stared straight ahead.

Natasha immediately sat up next to her, leaning forward toward her but not touching her just yet.

"Yelena, sweet girl, look at me, it wasn't real. You're here and safe," Natasha spoke, and Yelena's eyes immediately snapped over to her as she jerked away with the realization that someone was so close to her. Despite the fact that her heart was breaking, Natasha just held her gaze, raising her hands to communicate the fact that she was unarmed and that she was no threat.

It took Yelena just a moment to recognize her. As soon as she truly laid eyes on her and understood who was sitting before her, she launched forward at such a speed that she almost knocked Natasha off of the bed. Natasha swiftly brought one arm around Yelena as she caught herself with the other.

"It's okay. You're safe," Natasha assured her as she moved them back a bit so that her back was close to the headboard and that she could not fall backwards if Yelena lurched forward again.

"They're here," Yelena whispered over and over, her entire body shaking as she cowered in Natasha's arms, trying to hide herself as she crumpled up in as small of a ball as she could muster.

"No, no one's here. We're here in our little house. Just me and you."

"They're here, I saw them," Yelena insisted.

"No, they're not. That's not real, rooskaya. It's just us."

"They're going to hurt me," Yelena choked out, sobs shuddering through her with every breath, and Natasha felt so much pain rushing through her with the words.

"No, they won't. I'm here and I'll keep you safe. No one's touching you," Natasha promised, pushing forth every inch of resolve that she had within her.

"You don't understand, they—they'll kill you to hurt me," Yelena cried hysterically in a pure panic, and Natasha shook her head, shushing Yelena carefully as she stroked her hair. Natasha's chest was hurting from the intense stabs to her chest that grew worse with every word Yelena fearfully breathed out.

"No, they're not going to kill me. We're home, and they're not here. They're nowhere around here. They're gone, Yelena," Natasha told her, feeling a bit of fear rising in her as Yelena remained almost completely inconsolable, still whispering things about them being there.

It broke Natasha's heart to do it, but she carefully pried Yelena away from her so that they were looking at one another eye to eye. It was a fight to get Yelena to stay there, but Natasha knew that the girl needed to listen to her somehow and eye contact was the only thing that Natasha could think of to connect to the girl with.

"Yelena, they're not here. There's no one here. They're gone. We destroyed the Red Room, remember? We did it together. Me and you. They all died. They're never coming to bother us again," Natasha repeated over and over, Yelena leaning into her heavily as she grabbed at Natasha's clothes and tried to drag herself closer despite the forced distance that Natasha made between them.

However, once she seemed to be calm enough to at least comprehend the words that Natasha kept repeating, Natasha let her draw near once again. Yelena collapsed against her, grabbing on as if she was drowning and Natasha was her only lifeline. Natasha held her in return just as strongly, rocking her and whispering as many reassurances as she could possibly think of.