Widow Sisters and Friends (Restoring Our Broken Hearts)

Visions in the Night

Summary: When Yelena has a horrifying nightmare about a grave bearing her sister's name, she wakes up almost completely inconsolable. Natasha, however, is there with her to hold her and reassure her, but Yelena is terrified to open her eyes for fear that the nightmare is her actual reality.

   "Yelena, wake up!!!" a voice ripped through her consciousness, and Yelena screamed as she awoke, someone tightly holding onto her.

An intensely comforting and familiar smell washed over her, and she immediately latched onto the person, never opening her eyes as she just grabbed blindly. Some part of her knew it was Natasha despite the fact that she had just so clearly watched her die.

She remembered the past few moments clearly. Scenes of cold graves and old, ratty trucks. A beautiful, strong dog that led the way to an empty graveyard. A headstone clearly reading "Natasha Romanoff."

Yelena sucked in a huge breath as she sobbed loudly and brokenly. She never cried this loudly given that conditioning from the Red Room had restricted her ability to really let loose for fear of immediate and harsh punishment.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, little one," Natasha comforted, and Yelena whimpered in Natasha's arms, hating how weak she sounded, but treasuring the sound of Natasha's voice as it practically serenaded her ears. It was so much better than the chilly howl of the wind in the graveyard from just a few moments ago.

"I've got you," Natasha assured her, and Yelena just grabbed onto her tightly, scared to open her eyes in case it was all fake.

"You're dead," Yelena brokenly spoke, and she could feel Natasha shaking her head as she held her tightly, her fingers gently digging into Yelena's skin in a comforting sort of rigidity.

"No, no, sweet girl, I'm not dead. I'm right here," Natasha attempted to make her feel better, and Natasha shook her head insistently, remembering the grave stone clearly in her mind as if it were right in front of her.

"You were dead," Yelena repeated, changing the verbal tense as she recalled the scene from just a moment ago.

"And Fanny was grown... And I got out of this truck," Yelena told her, shaking a bit as she recalled the nightmare. Natasha just hugged her close, her hand pulling Yelena's head tight against her chest. Yelena repositioned slightly, pressing her ear against Natasha's chest over her heart as she listened to the steady beat. Her eyes were tightly closed as they had been since she found herself in Natasha's arms.

"I went through these trees, and there was a small graveyard... I stopped in front of a stone, and it was... It was your grave," Yelena choked out, her voice suddenly strangled as the scene replayed perfectly in her mind. Natasha ran her fingers through her hair soothingly.

"It's okay, it's okay," Natasha muttered softly, and Yelena locked her arms more tightly around Natasha, her hands coming up to dig into Natasha's shoulder blades a little. Yelena shuddered, her breaths painfully coming to her as she tried to control herself.

"I fixed all the little gifts and things at your grave, and," Yelena trailed off, sharply intaking a breath as she remembered the rest of the dream in its horrifying entirety in the brightest clarity. She felt the tears resurfacing tenfold as she desperately grasped at Natasha.

"I had to touch foreheads with a stupid headstone, and I whistled, and you didn't whistle back, and I was alone, and your body wasn't even in the grave," Yelena sobbed miserably, the entire weight of the dream crashing down on her like a ton of bricks.

"Sweet girl, shh, shh, shh, it's okay, I'm here," Natasha told her quietly, and Yelena felt Natasha's warm breath near her ear as she held her tightly.