Widow Sisters and Friends (Restoring Our Broken Hearts)

From the Start

Summary: Natasha might could actually keep to this role of playing a daughter and a real child if it were not for the fourth member of their nice, fake, little family that completely left her uncertain of what to do.

If it were not for Yelena.

   Natasha could not figure it out. It was a complete and utter puzzle to her.

For a little less than two days, she, the Iron Maiden, and the Red Guardian had been in Ohio for the newest mission assigned by the Red Room and Dreykov. Natasha was honestly struggling a little, but she refused to let anyone know that. After all, she knew that the Iron Maiden... Or Melina... Or Mom as she was forced to call her per mission requirements, was making reports directly to the Red Room and she knew that anything she did in opposition to the mission objectives would be met with severe punishments.

However, she might could actually keep to this role of playing a daughter and a real child if it were not for the fourth member of their nice, fake, little family that completely left her uncertain of what to do.

If it were not for Yelena.

That little, tiny three-year-old that the Red Room had somehow magically come up with when they were being debriefed for their mission requirements. She was a scrawny, mewling thing and she could hardly make a good sentence, but it still shocked Natasha how much that she talked.

When she had been dragged into the room, she had been crying and sobbing. As she had been handed from Alexei to Melina to Natasha, it was only when Natasha was holding her that she stopped crying and she got the strangest look on her face as her eyes got really big and filled with wonder. Natasha had the oddest feeling at that moment, and she immediately pushed the feelings away, the sensations uncomfortable in their unfamiliarity.

However, she had not been able to stop her mind from totally going blank when Yelena had reached her little hand up to touch Natasha's face, her words small as she spoke something that sounded suspiciously like the word "pretty." Of course, it was then that Natasha immediately handed her back to Melina and while the girl grew a little fussier, she was almost completely focused on Natasha, would not take her eyes off of her, and had not stopped staring ever since they were first introduced.

Which led her back to what she could not understand whatsoever and what she could not figure out for the life of her.

The child could hardly walk without stumbling a little in that horribly uncoordinated, ridiculous fashion, and she was always talking about something and repeating something that their "parents" had said. But the most insane part that really confused Natasha was that the only thing that Yelena chose to do when she managed to stay on her feet without tripping over something was follow Natasha around and grab at her legs whenever she could.

It was weird and it made Natasha uncomfortable. She had never been the center of anyone's attention and when she had been, it generally never bade well for her. She found that remaining in the shadows and out of sight was the best course of action except for when it came to fight for dominance.

Natasha was currently seated on her bed that evening, examining a knife while keeping a very close eye on the door as she allowed herself to get a little lost in her thoughts about this new way of life and these people surrounding her.

After all, she did not want Melina or Alexei to find out that she was breaking character right now. It would result in severe punishment, and she did not aim to go home to the Red Room as a failure and a disgrace.

Everyone knew what happened to girls that were disappointments.

But if Natasha was completely honest with herself, she knew that it might also have something to do with the fact that she was intrigued by the smallest member of this strange mission's team. She was enamored and enchanted and although she had been raised to hate vulnerability and a complete lack of tolerance for weakness had been ingrained in her very being, she found herself strangely captivated by this small, strangely soft creature that had touched her face and called her pretty when she first saw her.