𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 || 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢

THEY HAD ENOUGH TO MAKE IT TO ST. PETERSBURG. But not enough to get to the exact location where Melina was staying. It might've as well been cursed when Alexei insisted on their trip being smooth sailing. Nova sure felt like it as it took everything in her power to not shoot the man that Andrei had warned her about. Yet, she had not heeded the warnings and now felt fucking stupid for not doing so.

Pulling open the cabin door, Nova stepped out with her suit morphing back into the black cube that rested in her palm. Shoving it into her pocket, she adjusted the strap of the G28 and slung it on her back. Trying to avoid direct eye contact with Alexei as temptations to handicap the man were growing in volume. Along with her already growing frustration with their mission that seemed like they weren't getting any closer to finishing. All they'd done was save a smelly ex-Soviet super soldier who just pointed them in another direction to the person who may have the answers.

She was tired, annoyed, hungry, and fed up with the man's snide remarks to his kids.

But for once being on the outside looking into a dysfunctional family, she wondered what Cooper or Natasha felt when she saw her fighting with Fury or Martin. Had Natasha ever contemplated punching Fury for some of the shit he's said to Nova in front of people without an ounce of care? From her point of view, Nova couldn't help but let her anger get the best of her. And it must've just been from her resentment toward parents who couldn't raise their kids. Or just didn't know how to.

Sometimes she could disregard it for the parent's lack of upbringing. But Nova just found Alexei to be an idiot and couldn't help but be annoyed by the man's mere breathing.

The group all stood outside the helicopter that was forced into the ground, its landing gears crushed under the weight of the crash. "You should've brought the Avengers' superjet." The offhanded comment from Alexei made the three siblings scoff in annoyance as they continued forward.

"I swear, if I hear one word from him, I will kick him in the face," Yelena growled in annoyance.

"He's the worst," Natasha agreed.

"My suggestion still stands. I have no problem leaving his body inside the helicopter," Andrei muttered, glancing at his two sisters who seemed to contemplate the option.

"Natasha," Alexei called out. "Natasha. Natasha. Come here, I want to ask you something."

Glancing at her wife, Nova simply clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on her rifle. A subtle warning for Natasha, who winked and faded in pace to walk by Alexei's side as the other three kept a dozen steps forward. Barely able to hear the conversation that was slowly becoming muddied in incoherency on Nova's ears as she marched forward. Allowing Yelena and Andrei to point lead a step or two ahead. She was just happy to not be near or hear what Alexei had to say.

But they weren't able to get far as Natasha's voice could be heard. "Wait. You haven't seen either of us in 20 years and you're gonna ask me about you?"

The three came to a stop and turned to Alexei who looked at each of them with a frown. "What is with this tension?" He asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

Yelena let out a laugh, scratching her forehead. "Is that a serious question?"

"Dad, do you have any idea what yours and Mom's decisions did to us? Like, any idea?" Andrei asked, raising a brow toward the man. "You two might as well have put a bullet in our heads and fed us to wolves. Might've been better than everything we did to survive."

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

"Everything worked out?" Natasha repeated.

"Yes," he said genuinely. "For you, yes."

Nova sniffled, brushing the back of her hand over her nose with her arms resting on her rifle as she stared at the man. Trying to see if there was actual love he so claimed to have for the three. Although he may be an idiot, she was sure that he was capable of having a brain capable of loving the three. Even if he had a terrible way of showing it.

"We accomplished our mission in Ohio." He turned to the youngest in the family. "Yelena, you went on to become the greatest child assassin the world has ever known. No one can match your efficiency, your ruthlessness."

Spinning around, he faced his son. "Andrei, the brute, the destroyer," he boasted with a laugh as he placed his hands on Andrei's shoulders. "You became the one and only person I'd be willing to give the title of Red Guardian to. So much potential and cold logic that nothing could stand in your way of getting the mission done."

He turned to the oldest, smiling. "And Natasha, not just a spy, not just toppling regimes, destroying empires from within, but an Avenger. Married to an Avenger." The mention of her, Nova snapped her gaze toward the man and scoffed.

"You three have killed so many people." Alexei grabbed his daughter's hands, nodding for his son to fall in, who rolled his eyes and turned away. "Your ledgers must be dripping, just gushing red. I couldn't be more proud of you"

The action of affection by hugging the two girls was something that seemed foreign as Natasha was quick to shove the man away from her entirely based on anger. Glaring at him before marching away and taking Nova's hand, continuing their trek to wherever Melina was hidden away.

Truly, Nova wanted to ask what she should be prepped for with Melina. If she was anything remotely close to dysfunctional like Alexei, then she needed to know. The last thing she wanted was to damn near kill someone important to them. Or engage in a fight with the woman who was a veteran of the Red Room. There was no telling how a fight like that may result.

Yelena sighed. "So, are we there yet?"

"You'll know when we're there." The man started snorting like a pig whilst the four looked at him unimpressed.

The trek was long. Longer than Nova was prepared for as the ache in her still slightly injured leg proved to be a growing detriment to their task. But she managed with the occasional assistance from Andrei. Still managing a resolute resilience to the pain when she declined the man's offer to carry her. He may be a supersoldier capable of carrying her long distances, but she was a stubborn woman. And the last thing she needed was for Melina to see her in a moment of weakness.

"That must be it, huh?" Nova asked, nodding toward the farm in the distance. A fence was built around the barn with barbwire curled around the top. The house disregarded off to the side. It wasn't what she expected considering this was an ex-assassin, but she shouldn't have been surprised considering it was low profile.

Andrei hummed from her side. "And if I'm sure of anything, she's likely experimenting on something from that barn."

They continued down a path toward the homestead and eventually walked along the line of the fence. Able to hear the faint snorting of pigs, much to what Alexei hinted at. And truthfully, Nova felt a bit anxious about meeting the woman. This was Natasha's fake mother. Someone who raised her and eventually had her sent away to be turned into a weapon. What kind of person was she?

Her thoughts were halted when she saw Melina through the chain-linked fence. Sniper rifle in her hands only making Nova's hands tighten around her DMR. She looked between each person, almost as if her mind was trying to recollect the three years she had spent raising them.

"Honey, we're home," Alexei announced softly, lips curved into a large toothy smile. And for one of the first times since meeting him, Nova saw genuine love found within his gaze. Something that could be seen with him and the three siblings, but his words discredited whatever he felt.

Melina said nothing, only walking out of the gated area, past the group and toward her house. Their eyes followed her closely, expecting something, but got nothing. Alexei stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and followed the woman. "C'mon, you guys."

They followed, Nova keeping hers and Natasha's hands interlocked in hopes of providing some comfort. Unrelenting with the grip she had on her wife's hand and squeezing softly repeatedly. Constantly reminding Nat of her presence and ready to comfort at a moment's notice. But Nova knew well enough that Natasha wouldn't do that. She didn't wear her heart on her sleeve like Nova did.

Entering the home, Nova already began to suffocate from the tight hallways she was greeted by. "Welcome to my humble abode," Melina announced, walking down the hall toward what looked like to be a kitchen. "Make yourself at home. Let's have a drink."

From that point, the group scattered in multiple directions. Nova lost in the small home, opted to follow Yelena and find a seat across the table from the blonde. Glancing around, allowing her eyes to take in her surroundings before her gaze landed on Yelena sitting quietly.

They hadn't talked much and Nova genuinely didn't see that changing. Not because she didn't want to but Yelena was more intimidating than Alexei and Melina combined. Nova just couldn't figure out how to start a conversation with her when she rarely started them herself.

"Was that where you sat when you were younger?"

Yelena blinked, looking at Nova who clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. When she motioned toward Yelena, the blonde nodded. "Yeah. Natasha would sit to your right, Andrei would sit to your left, Mom-" she paused, "-Melina would sit to my left and Alexei would sit at the other end."

Nova smiled. "When I was little, my mom always sat at the head of the table. Like, she was the head of the house or something," she laughed, glad to see a faint smile form on Yelena's lips. "It's one of those things that just are natural and have a certain order to it, you know?"

She nodded, glancing down for a moment and then back up at Nova. "D-Did your mother pass?"

"She did, uh, when I was 8. Died in a car crash that we got caught in," Nova explained with a nod. "Then my Dad left me to further his company. Left me nothing besides a blueprint of his work. I built up enough resentment that if hell froze over, I could spark a flame again." A shaky laugh tumbled from her lips, shaking her head as she stared into open space. "It took a while to forgive him. But if I learned anything, holding resentment for someone no matter what they did doesn't benefit us besides the resilience to prove them wrong. Makes us stubborn, hateful even."

Looking up, Nova reached across the table and hesitantly placed a hand over Yelena's. Offering a gentle smile to the blonde who stared at her in surprise. "Don't be like me, Yelena. The past doesn't define who you are now."

The conversation halted suddenly with both Natasha and Melina entering with bowls of food and a bottle of Vodka. Placing them between the two as they all took a seat. Andrei slinked out of a room with his Benelli not around his body. Sitting himself to Nova's left and sighing in exasperation.

No one said a word as an awkward silence filled the dining room, until Alexei's loud grunting and groaning from down the hall filled the air. Nova pursed her lips as she glanced at Natasha. She wanted to smile, crack a joke even, but feeling Melina's occasional gaze fall onto her made Nova clamp her lips shut.

"Let's drink."

As shot glasses were distributed, Nova gently moved hers away and crossed her arms over her chest. Staring at her shoes as someone cleared their throat, grabbing the group's attention.

Alexei stood by the entrance of the dining room, leaning against the wall and wearing his Red Guardian suit. "Still fits," he stated with a grin.

Melina let out a whistle that had Nova pursing her lips as she scratched the bridge of her nose. Ignoring the sounds of clapping and Alexei's grunts of excitement as she moved toward them. "I never washed it once. Come and drink."

Hearing that made Nova go back on her decision as she grabbed the shot glass and down it. Letting out a low guttural groan at the burning taste of the toxin that burnt the back of her throat.

When Alexei peeled off the helmet and sat down, he leant against the table, smiling. "Family back together again."

"Seeing as our family construct was just a calculated ruse that only lasted three years, I don't think we can use this term anymore, can we?" Melina asked, looking amongst the table.

Nova had to inhale deeply, nails digging into her palms as she glanced at Yelena who pursed her lips and clenched her jaw.

"Agreed. So, here's what's gonna happen-"

Before Natasha could finish, Alexei leant over grabbing a bowl. "Okay. A reunion then, huh? And, uh..." he tucked his scraggly strands of hair behind his ear and looked at Melina. "I want to say something right off the bat. You haven't aged a day, huh? You're just as beautiful and as supple as the day they staged our marriage."

That had been enough for Yelena and Andrei to down their shots with Andrei motioning Nova to grab the bottle, which she poured herself a shot before handing it off to the man. Already able to tell that she's going to need something to get herself through this "dinner".

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

"I just got out of prison. I, uh..." he glanced at the four before looking at Melina with a knowing look. "I have a lot of energy."

"Okay!" Nova exclaimed, snatching the bottle from Andrei's grasp and taking a swig of the drink.

"Please don't do that," Natasha groaned, looking at the pair in disgust before pulling the bottle from Nova's lips. Placing a hand on her thigh and squeezing gently. "So, here's what's going to happen."

"Natasha, don't slouch," Melina scolded.

The woman frowned. "I'm not slouching."

"Yes, yes, you are. You're going to get a back hunch."

"I don't slouch."

Alexei leaned over and squeezed her shoulder. "Listen to your mother."

"Oh, my god, this-"

"Up, up."

"All right, enough. All of you," Natasha interjected, looking at everyone.

Yelena frowned. "I didn't say anything. That's not fair."

"Here's what's gonna happen-"

"I don't want any food!" Yelena groaned, head lulling back in annoyance by Melina's insistence.

"Eat a little something, Yelena, for God's sake."

"You're gonna tell us the location of the Red Room."

That had been enough to silence the table. In the past 10 years, Nova couldn't think of a single time there had been this much bickering amongst a group at dinner that she had been in attendance for. It was astonishing, honestly.

Melina shook her head, turning her gaze to Alexei. "You know, it's like when you told them that they could stay up late to catch Santa Claus."

"What? That was fun. You know, "He come down the chimney, kids. Look out. Where is he?" You wait for him, and then when the cookies are gone, then you see he's there." The reminder made Melina shake her head, only making the man frown. "No, no. What? I want them to follow their dreams."

"No good."

"Reach for the stars, kids."

"Find Dreyokov is not a fantasy. It's unfinished business," Natasha stated.

"You can't find a man who commands the very will of others," Melina countered, taking a bite of her food. "You never saw the culmination of what we started in America. Nor did you." Melina stood to her feet and exited the room.

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

When Melina came back, she had a tablet in her grasp that she placed beside her as she sat down. Pressing down on something before saying, "Come in." The front door immediately swung open with the sound of snorting able to be heard.

A pig appeared, waddling over with Natasha staring at the farm animal wide-eyed. "Did that pig just open the door?"

"Yes. It did. Good boy, Alexei. Good boy," Melina praised, giving the animal a piece of food.

But Alexei glared at the woman. "You named a pig after me?"

Melina looked up at him confused. "You don't see the resemblance?" He glanced at everyone around the table, hopeful to find someone protesting the claim. "See, he sits just like dog. Amazing. Now, watch."

"It's a little weird, to me."

"Stop breathing." The moment Melina dragged her finger across the screen, the pig groaned and grew still. That alone had Nova looking at Andrei who seemed to sit up from his slump and stared at Melina.

Nova had never had an animal before that she could call her own. It had been something she bounced around after Sokovia with the team, but she never came to a definitive answer. But she loved animals. Out of everything in this world, they came as the most pure besides babies.

"We infiltrated the North Institute in Ohio. It was a front for S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists. Actually, it was HYDRA scientists at that time," she explained. "In conjunction with the Winter Soldier program, 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. Voluntary motor movements, procedural learning. We didn't steal weaponry or technology. We stole the key to unlocking free will."

When the pig groaned and hit the ground, Nova flinched and shut her eyes. Clenching her jaw, she bowed her head and tried to block out the sound of the animal's wheezes. "What are you doing?"

"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-"

A fist slammed down on the table as Nova breathed heavily. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to rid herself of the blossoming tears emerging from the edge of her eyes. "Enough!"

After a moment, Melina gave the animal its right to breathe and Nova stood to her feet. Shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes gifted by her father and moved around the table. "I need some air," was all she offered as the front door swung open and slammed shut.

Andrei downed his shot of Vodka and slammed it down onto the table with a growl. Pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek as he took notice of Melina's confused expression. "Oh, Natasha forgot to introduce her. That's Nova Romanoff," he announced, jaw clenched as he stared at the two adults that he once considered his beloved parents. "And you have shown exactly why Natasha never wanted her to meet either of you."

The scrapping of the chair legs filled the air with the man's heavy footsteps marched out of the house. Finding Nova stood a dozen feet away, and sat in the grass with the dancing smoke of a burning cigarette bellowing from in front of her.

Running a hand over his face, Andrei placed his hands on his hips and walked toward the woman. Scratching the back of his head as a smile flashed across his face. "You know, no one's given that type of tone to Melina before. You should be proud."

A soft laugh fell from Nova's lips as she carefully lifted the cigarette to her lips and took a drag. Inhaling deeply and allowing the smoke to fill her lungs till she had no choice but to exhale. She hadn't planned on getting so angry. Truthfully, she was saving it for later when things were a bit more calmed down. But it must've been the Vodka that threw her into the deep end. She was an emotional drunk after all.

"I should've asked Nat what to expect and prepared myself, but I guess my feelings got the best of me," Nova explained, gently tapping the cigarette and knocking the ash off the tip. "Just didn't think I would be so angry at someone I've never met."

Andrei grunted as he sat down beside the woman, taking the offered cigarette. "Natasha tries to hide it but she does care. She's just been conditioned to hate everything about that part of her past. She doesn't talk about it because there is so much taken from her that she will never get to experience."

"Kids," Nova muttered, glancing at Andrei who nodded. She still remembers the pain that swarmed Natasha's eyes with the harsh acceptance of it. It didn't take away that she could adopt but Nova guessed it was just the nature of it. To have her own child that shared the similarities of her and her partner. That's how Nova felt despite feeling a certain urge to adopt a child much like Fury had done with her and Booker. "She mentioned always wanting to have a little girl."

The man hummed, inhaling sharply as he passed the cigarette back to her. "I think that's why you are so angry." He exhaled heavily, placing a hand on his chest where he gently rubbed. "She never told you about Melina or Alexei, so you suspected they were terrible parents," he suggested. "It made you enabled to hate them–completely justified after what they did to us."

"I'm sorry for what they did to you. Sending you away like that," Nova sympathized, smiling sadly at the man.

Of course, Andrei smiled through it even with the pain drowning those brown orbs. "I accepted it a long time ago. It's just taking me some time to forgive them for what they did." Looking at the woman, he gently nudged her with his elbow. "But it's good to know that you have some experience yourself to bounce perspectives off one another."

Nova smiled, nudging the man in return. "Good to know someone was willing to talk for a bit."

"Anytime."

They stayed like that for a while, sitting in silence with the soft breeze bristling past them. A smoke being passed between them as they enjoyed the little time of peace offered. Unwilling to step back into that chaos that they both sought to avoid with every fibre of their being. But eventually, someone would come walking out and call them in. So, Nova decided to just settle into it and maybe catch up on sleep.

As they got to their feet, the sudden whirling and roaring of engines filled the air. Nova's balance faltered as multiple jets flew over her and lowered to an altitude 10 feet off the ground with lights casting down onto the house. 2 jets lowered to the ground with the cabins opening; soldiers marched out and began to surround the perimeter. It'd been so sudden that Nova couldn't help but suspect it to be Melina's doing.

"Nat-!" A hand clasped over her mouth with a large arm picking her up and pulling her back. Her muffled cries were lost within the engines of jets surrounding the house as she was pulled into the darkness of bushes and trees. She wrestled against the hold of Andrei, groaning and crying out as she saw guards march out with Natasha, Yelena, and Alexei. All unconscious with Melina leading the soldiers out and toward one of the jets.

"Natasha-!" Nova screamed, tears brimming in her eyes with her fingers curling into the dirt beneath her, tearing apart the green Earth in agony. Taking the cube from her pocket before allowing a part of her arm to be encased by the suit, firing a dart at the metal that embedded itself into the metal frame. But Andrei grabbed her arm and restrained it behind her back. Taking the cube from her grasp and stuffing it in his back pocket.

"Nova, we can't do anything for them. I'm sorry." Andrei's words fell on deaf ears as he kept a close hold on the woman. Painfully watching his family be loaded into the jets and taken away. And even when they were gone, Andrei held her still frame. It felt like hours later that he eventually let her go softly and followed her toward the house. Clenching his jaw at the choked sobs she repressed to the best she could.

They stepped inside to find glass scattered across the floor. It cracked underneath their feet as they found the home abandoned and in disarray. Natasha's bottom lip quivered with sharp exhales falling from her lips, making her way through the home in some kind of hope to find one of the three still there.

But she only found herself at the kitchen table. G28 in her grasp, she brushed her finger across its sleek frame. Unable to control the trembling of her hand, she clenched it into a fist. Her breaths were rapid and fierce as she pulled stock of every emotion bubbling inside of her and rapidly rising to a boiling. A controlled fury that could be the only reliable source in her arsenal.

Andrei glanced around and eventually found himself standing at the doorway of the room. Shotgun cradled in his arms as he let out a deep sigh, eyes unwavering to the woman's hunched frame. Just from the way she looked, the way she stared at her weapon, he already sensed the storm brewing. Could see the impurities of anger blossoming from her figure. Like she was a dark spirit planning on cutting a slew through the Earth just to get to who she needed. "You really plan on going through with this?"

Her entire body trembled with rage as she clamped her lips tightly together. Shifting the weapon to slam the butt of the rifle into the wooden floor. The sheer force of it able to made Andrei flinch as he continued to stare at the woman.

"I'm going to find Dreykov, and when I get my hands on him..." Her vengeful gaze snapped up to the man. "...there is no telling the things I'm going to do to him."