CHAPTER FIVE, honey we're home

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

THERE'S A SPECIFIC moment that Ivanna could never forget. Steve Rogers influenced her life from day one, and she hid everything from him because of that reason. But, shortly after he woke up in the hospital, Ivanna was able to be alone with him. That was the moment she told him whatever she could, and he listened. And then he gave her comfort and didn't think the worst of her as others had. That was how Ivanna knew who she wanted to be her person, but now as she sat in a helicopter ready to confront that past; Ivanna wasn't so sure.

Alexei was babbling, and it was thoroughly annoying all three women as Yelena and Natasha piloted. Ivanna was sending constant glares in his direction, as there was never a way she'd let him get away with what happened so long ago, so quickly. He came up behind Yelena, earning him a punch in his face.

"Why the aggression, huh?" He questioned dumbly. Ivanna rolled her head with an eye roll, averting her eyes back to the screen she held in her hands to help get them away from the prison, "Is it your time of the month?"

"I don't get a period dipshit, I don't have a uterus," Yelena spoke coldly.

"Or ovaries," Ivanna glared at him and rose to her feet, shoving him backward while Yelena kept speaking. She wanted to be beside Yelena and Natasha, Alexei was nothing but a barrier from that. Alexei eventually shut Yelena up, disgusted and uninterested with the topic choice.

"It means so much that you came back for me," he spoke with a grin. Ivanna glared back at him and ripped off her headset, then grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward her.

"We wouldn't have saved your ass if we didn't need you," Ivanna informed him, her eyes were raging and she was frankly holding back from shocking the man. He did deserve it after all.

"I don't understand," he said dumbly, his eyes drifting back and forth between her own and the cold look she was giving him.

"The Red Room," Ivanna stated, dropping him abruptly and walking around him to sit on the bench behind the pilot seats, "we want information and you're who we're going to get it from."

"Look at you Vanna, and Natasha," he looked between Ivanna and the redhead who kept glancing backward, "all indoctrinated into the Western Agenda."

"That has nothing to do with this," Ivanna said bluntly, her annoyance growing by the second, "but if it counts, they treated us like family. They didn't just let Natasha and I be taken by some organization."

"And where is that family now, huh?" Alexei gave her a cold smile and tilted his head.

Ivanna fell silent. She clenched her jaw and glared at Alexei, then got to her feet in an instant and stood in front of him, "I'd love to sit here and chat about that, but I've got something better to do. Where is the Red Room?"

Alexei scoffed, "I have no idea."

"Bullshit! You and Dreykov were like best friends!"

"Dreykov?"

"Yes Dreykov," she mocked and exchanged a glance with Natasha, shaking her head.

Natasha soon stood and walked over, letting Ivanna join Yelena and taking over talking with Alexei. Ivanna had other thoughts while she flew the helicopter. She wanted to get this over with, she wanted to return to Steve even if it meant being on the run for as long as they needed to be.

Ivanna pulled her hair back into a braid while she made her way toward the room that Steve and Natasha were in. She had a bandage wrapped around her forearm, covering a wound she had received when the explosion went off. She could hear Steve's voice, as well as Natasha's. She entered the room and leaned against the doorframe, bringing Natasha's eyes to her.

"Vanna,"

"Nat,"

Steve turned around in his spot, curious about the woman behind him. Steve smiled faintly in her direction, and Ivanna was quick to return it. Natasha and Steve finished their conversation and then Natasha excused herself, leaving Ivanna to talk to Steve on her own. Ivanna watched after her friend before she looked back at Steve and walked around him to sit across from him.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," Steve grinned and looked her over, "are you doing okay?"

"I should be asking that about you,"

Steve chuckled softly, and sat back in his chair while folding his arms over his chest, "Well I'm concerned about you, Vanna."

"And I'm worried about you," the blonde woman countered and tilted her head to study Steve. He had only a few scrapes from the explosion, all of which had been cleaned up, and was only wearing a tank top and his jeans.

"I thank you for that," Steve smiled, "not many people always have been."

"I know the feeling,"

"Can we throw him out the window now?" Yelena's voice pulled Ivanna back to reality and to the conversation Natasha and Alexei were having.

"I think we should wait until we get to a higher altitude," Natasha called back.

Ivanna grinned and nodded in agreement, "Gives it more of the effect we're looking for. Splat."

She heard Alexei mumble something in Russian, causing Yelena to perk up and glance back,

"Wait. Mom, Melina?" Natasha questioned, this grabbed Ivanna's attention almost instantly, "We thought she was dead."

Alexei scoffed and swung his hand in the air, "You cannot kill a fox that swift."

"Ew," Yelena grumbled and Ivanna scrunched her nose, both blondes disgusted in Alexei's word choice.

"What?" He asked cluelessly, "She was the scientist, the strategist. I was the muscle. She worked directly for Dreykov far more than I ever did."

"Melina is part of the Red Room," Ivanna glanced back and rested one of her arms on the black of the seat, tilting her head and staring at the man in disbelief, "present day?"

Alexei nodded, "She works remotely outside of St. Petersburg."

"Uhm," Yelena tilted her head back slightly, "I don't think we have enough fuel for St. Petersburg."

Alexei stood behind the two pilots and inspected the dial for fuel, "No. We're good. We'll make it."

"Okay," Yelena said doubtfully. Ivanna and Yelena exchanged dubious looks, both knowing what would come from this situation.

Ivanna glanced at the dial and frowned, this was going to get interesting.

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"Fuck," Ivanna spoke while the helicopter landed haphazardly on the ground, jerking all of the occupants in a said helicopter around. The women were the first ones to climb out, gathering their bags and weapons as they did so. Alexei followed after them,

"You should've brought the Avengers Quinjet," he spoke. Ivanna almost turned around to punch him in the face, but Natasha could read her too fast for her liking and placed a firm hand on Ivanna's shoulder.

Yelena sighed and looked in Ivanna's direction, "I swear if I hear one more word from him; I will kick him in his face."

"Let me help," Ivanna glared back at him, "maybe I can shock some common sense into the idiot."

Natasha hummed in agreement and the three continued walking, leading the way from the broken-down helicopter. Ivanna slung the bag she was carrying over her shoulder. Ivanna wasn't sure what was worse. Being apart from one of the only people to ever care about more than just her skill, going after the monster from her childhood, or dealing with the man who was selfish enough to let Dreykov take her, Natasha, and Yelena. Ivanna sighed as she heard the sound of Alexei speaking again.

"Natasha," Alexei's voice followed the girls, and all three tried their hardest to ignore him, "Natasha, Ivanna."

Ivanna soon felt her wrist being grabbed and her body being pulled backward. She stumbled backward and glanced at Natasha, both of them looking at one another with confused and annoyed looks.

"Come here. I want to ask you two something," he mumbled softly, Ivanna shook her head and turned to walk away once more. Alexei reached for her wrist again and Ivanna turned around, snapping it away and being stopped by Natasha from going a step further. Alexei looked at her with sad eyes, "come on, it's important."

"What?" Natasha asked coldly.

"Did he ever talk to you about me?" Alexei glanced between the redhead and the blonde as if who he was talking about was obvious.

"Who-Who are you talking about?" Natasha asked.

"Captain America," Alexei said, "My great adversary in this theater of geopolitical conflict. Not so much a nemesis. More like a contemporary, you know? Coequal. I always thought there was a great deal of mutual respect..."

Ivanna scoffed and shook her head, turning away from Alexei and rubbing her forehead. Ivanna's eyes scanned everywhere around them, but she refused to turn back to the super soldier behind her.

"Wait. You haven't seen any of us in over 20 years and you're going to ask us about you?" Natasha's voice caused her to spin back around. Ivanna folded her arms and stared at Alexei coldly, he only returned a dumbfounded look.

"What is with this tension? Did I do something wrong?"

"You are beyond stupid,"

"Is that a serious question?"

Alexei's eyes darted between both girls as they spoke at once, concrete disbelief written in his features at what the women had to say to him. Alexei shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.

"I only ever loved you, girls. I did my best to make sure you would succeed to achieve your fullest potential, and everything worked out," Alexei explained.

"Everything worked out?" Natasha stared at the man skeptically.

"Yes. For you, yes," Alexei sounded proud of himself as he continued speaking, walking toward Yelena as well with Natasha and Ivanna, "We accomplished our mission in Ohio. Yelena, you went on to become the greatest child assassin the world has ever known. No one can match your efficiency, your ruthlessness. And Natasha, not just a spy, not just toppling regimes, destroying empires from within, but an Avenger. And Ivanna, an avenger. You are no doubt known for your fighting skills and how well you handle a gun. You all have killed so many people. Your ledgers must be dripping, just gushing red. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Alexei stepped toward the three women and pulled them into a hug,

"Unbelievable," Ivanna gagged and pushed Alexei away from her, not wanting to inhale the scent any longer.

"Okay. You can...no," Natasha struggled out of Alexei's grasp and walked after Ivanna.

"So are we there yet?" Ivanna questioned, looking back toward Alexei quickly and walking beside Natasha.

The group continued walking for a while, Alexei babbling about whatever lies he could make and only annoying Ivanna and everyone else further. The walk seemed to go on forever the longer they had to put up with Alexei. Soon a small house came into sight and Ivanna picked up her pace, happy to be near someone else.

As they approached the house more, a familiar face came into view,

"Mom," Ivanna said softly under her breath as she grew closer to Melina and the fence separating Melina from the rest of the group.

Everyone stopped at the gate and Melina eyed them,

"Honey, we're home," Alexei smiled at Melina who barely gave him a second glance as she looked at the girls all standing in front of her. Melina eventually turned around, walking back toward the place she called home, Alexei spoke up once more, "Come on girls."

Alexei took a step forward and led the girls behind Melina and into the small home, it looked like the estranged family was getting back together after all.