"So, are where there yet?" Yelena asked jokingly as they walked in the direction of Melina's house.

"You'll know when we're there." Alexei stated, and then proceeded to snort like a pig. Elena rolled her eyes, there were many more, more mature ways to get that point across.

"Congratulations Alexei, you're about as mature as a seven year old." Elena stated, he looked at her in offense.

Natasha pulled Elena back a bit from Alexei and Yelena, "Hey, I know this might be harder on you...seeing Melina."

Ellie pressed her lips together, "I'll be fine, Natasha. If this had happened eight years ago we would be having a different conversation. But I'm ok, now. I will be okay."

Elena sharply exhaled as they reached their destination. The only thing separating her from Melina was a chain link fence. She leaned slightly toward Yelena.

"Honey, we're home." Alexei stated softly.

Melina walked through the gate wordlessly, and Alexei turned towards the sisters, "Come on, girls."

They walked through the doorway of Melina's house, "Welcome to my humble abode. Make yourself at home."

Elena looked around at the patterned curtains and various items in Melina's home, "Let's have a drink." The woman sighed.

"Hey, no funny business." Natasha stated as Melina entered her pantry, which was actually some sort of security system and weapons closet.

"I'm putting away my weapon." She replied, Elena followed Yelena to the dinning table, and quietly pulled out a chair.

"Are there any boobytraps around here, or anything we need to know about?" Natasha asked looking out the sink window, "I didn't raise my girls to fall into traps."

"You didn't raise us at all." Natasha argued, "Maybe so, but if you got soft it wasn't on my watch."

Natasha walked over and sat beside Elena, and Melina took the seat besides Yelena. "Ok, let's drink."

Melina unscrewed the cap on the bottle of vodka, and moments later Alexei exited the bathroom, in his suit. Helmet and all.

"Still fits." He shrugged, Melina whistled, "Oh my god." Yelena spoke softly.

Melina began clapping and Alexei did a little dance. "I never washed it once. Come and drink."

Alexei sat down at the table, "Family. Back together again."

"Seeing as our family construct was just a calculated ruse that lasted three years, I don't think that we can us that term can we?" Melina asked.

Tears burned behind Elena's eyes, as she pressed her lips together. "Agreed." Natasha nodded.

Elena sighed reaching across the table for the bottle of vodka. She poured some into the shot glass and tossed it back the liquid burning down her throat.

"So here's what's going to happen," Natasha started, but was cut off by Alexei.

"Ok a reunion then, huh?" He reached across the table, "And uh, I want to say something right of the bat. You haven't aged a day, huh? You're just as beautiful and as supple as the day they staged our marriage."

Yelena took a shot, and Ellie poured herself another. She would much prefer not listening to Alexei speak.

"You got fat." Melina stated, "But still good."

"I uh, just got out of prison, so I have a lot of energy."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit," Elena whispered, "Please don't do that." Natasha spoke in utter disgust.

"So here's what's going to happen," Natasha started again, "Natasha don't slouch." Melina scolded.

And at that Elena immediately adjusted her posture. "I'm not slouching!" Natasha exclaimed, "Yes, yes you are."

"I don't slouch." Natasha argued, "You are going to get a back hunch."

"Listen to your mother, up, up." Alexei spoke.

"Oh my god this is..All right enough. All of you." Natasha spoke loudly, "Here's what's going to happen."

"Come on girls, eat a little something," Melina urged, "Elena you need to eat something."

"I don't want any." Elena whined, "You too Yelena." Melina instructed.

"That's not fair I didn't say anything." Yelena stated, "Hey! I didn't either."

"You're gonna tell us the location of the Red Room." Natasha stated, Melina inhaled sharply, dishing food out on to Elena's plate, "You know it's like when you told them they could stay up late to catch Santa Claus."

"What? That was fun. You know, 'He come down the chimney girls, look out where is he?' You wait for him and then when the cookies are gone then you see he's there. No, no what? I want them to follow their dreams."

Elena rolled her eyes at the statement, "Elena Luciana don't roll your eyes."

"Reach for the stars, girls." Alexei finished, "Finding Dreykov is not a fantasy. It's unfinished business."

"You can not defeat a man that commands the very will of others." Melina stated, "You never saw the culmination of what we started in America." Melina stood up suddenly.

"Natasha, always focus, focus, focus. Get what you want." Alexei shook his head.

Melina sat back down with a tablet, "Come in." The door creaked open and a pig entered. "Did that pig just open the door?" Natasha asked.

And Elena drank another shot, "A pig just opened the door." She repeated quietly.

"Good boy Alexei, good boy." Melina told the pig, "You named a pig after me?" Alexei asked.

"What? You don't see the resemblance?" Melina asked, "See he sits just like dog. Amazing now watch."

"It's a little weird to me." Alexei muttered, "Stop breathing." Melina instructed.

"We infiltrated the North institute in Ohio. It was a front for SHIELD scientists. Actually, it was hydra scientists at the time. In conjunction with the winter solider project, they had dissected and deconstructed the human brain to create the first and only cellular blueprint of the basal ganglia. Was the hub for cognition."

"Woah." Elena exhaled softly.

"Voluntary motor movement, procedural learning. We didn't steal weapon or technology. We stole the key to unlocking free will." Melina stated.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked panicked, as the pig toppled over.

"Oh, I am explaining that the science is now so exact, the subject can be instructed to stop breathing and has no choice but to obey."

"Ok! You made your point no, thats enough."

"Don't worry, Alexei could've survived eleven more seconds without oxygen." Melina stated, "Good boy, now you go back home. Back home where it's safe."

"The world functions on a higher level when it's controlled. Dreykov has chemical subjugated agents planted all over the globe." Melina explained.

"And do you know who they test it out?" Yelena asked, "No, that's not my department."

"Ah, come on, come on. Don't lie to them." Alexei stated. "I'm not lying."

"You're Dreykov's architect, huh?" Alexei spoke, "What were you, if I were his architect. You were his partner, you were his business partner."

"No, no, no. I was patsy! He sell me ideology" Alexei spoke, "oh stop with the politics."

"Shut up! You are an idiot." Natasha said to Alexei, "And you, you're a coward, you're a coward." She said to Melina.

"And our family was never real so there's nothing to hold on to." Natasha sated, and Elena took a deep breath, holding the tears back from falling.

"We're moving on." Natasha stated, "Never family, huh? In my heart I am simple man. And I think for a couple of deep undercover Russian agents. I think we did pretty great as parents huh?"

"I mean you were the best parents I ever had. And I went through them." Ellie mumbled.

"Yes, we had our orders, and we played our roles to perfection." Melina stated.

"Who cares? That wasn't real." Natasha spoke, "What?" Yelena asked.

"That wasn't real. Who cares?" Natasha repeated, "Don't say that, please don't say that. It was real, it was real to me. And what about Ellie, how could it be fake to her. You are my real mother. You were my real mother, the closest thing I ever had to one. The best part of my life was fake, and none of you told me."

Yelena took a breath, and Ellie took one last shot for good measure. "And those agents you chemically subjugated around the globe? That was me. And you," she looked towards Natasha, "You got out. Dreykov made sure no one could escape. Aren't you gonna say anything? No."

Melina gently reached over, "Don't touch me." Yelena spoke standing up, "Yelena," Natasha called out, "No."

Elena swallowed, "I'll go," she whispered, also standing up.

"Ellie."