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THEY WALKED FOR what it seemed like an eternity. (Y/N)'s legs started to feel sore and her throat was dry from not drinking anything for many hours, and she wanted nothing more than to take a break. Alexei insisted that they were close, so (Y/N) saved her complains to herself.

The four of them continued their long journey in silence when they spotted a farm a few feet away. (Y/N) sighed in relief when Alexei confirmed that they had arrived, but she couldn't help but feel anxious about meeting Melina again.

Once they got closer to the farm, (Y/N) spotted a familiar woman making her way up to them with a large gun in hand, a frown written in her features.

The four of them stopped across the fence of the farm, and there she stood, all safe and sound, the woman (Y/N) once called a mother; Melina.

(Y/N), Natasha and Yelena were careful to not meet her eyes, not knowing how she would react to see them all again, especially with that gun in her arms.

Alexei didn't care that much, since he flashed Melina a smile and said, "Honey, we're home."

Melina didn't say anything, she just walked right pass them, making her way to a small house beside the farm. (Y/N) and Natasha looked at each other as Alexei followed right behind her.

"Come on, girls." Alexei said as he walked away.

Natasha, (Y/N) and Yelena followed behind as Melina lead all of them inside her home, which was made out of wood and it seemed to be taken good care of. The inside looked cozy and simple, which (Y/N) thought it looked nice.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Melina said as she walked into her kitchen. "Make yourself at home."

(Y/N) continued inspecting the house, trying to spot any type of traps or anything that could lead to cause her harm, since she felt uncertain about meeting with Melina after all those years.

Once she felt that there was nothing to be afraid of, she made her way to the dinning room, where Yelena was already taken a seat in the table. Sighing heavily, (Y/N) sat down across from her while they waited for Natasha, Melina and Alexei to join them.

Melina and Natasha came into the room a few minutes later, where Natasha sat beside her and Melina was seated on Yelena's side. The air was filled with uncomfortable silence as they heard Alexei's grunts coming from the bathroom.

"Let's drink," Melina said finally, grabbing the bottle from the table.

The atmosphere felt so tense at the moment, waiting for someone to say a word when he walked into the room, wearing his old Red Guardian suit and helmet.

"Still fits." Alexei said, satisfied.

Melina wolf-whistled.

"Oh my god," Yelena rolled her eyes.

(Y/N) bit the inside of her cheek to fight back a laugh as Melina slowly clapped, making Alexei smirk and glow in pride.

"I never washed it once," Melina admitted. "Come and drink."

Alexei walked up to them and sat down in the head of the table, taking off his helmet and placing it on the ground.

"Rise, you workers of salvation," He started humming a tune of a song before he grinned at the women of the table.

"Family, back together again."

"Mmm," Melina sighed. "Seeing as our family construct was just a calculated rude that only lasted three years, I don't think that we can use this term anymore, can we?"

"Agreed," Natasha answered before (Y/N) could reply back. "So, here's what's gonna happen. . ."

"Okay. A reunion then, huh?" Alexei cut in. "And, uh, I want to say something right off the bat. You haven't aged a day, huh?"

Yelena and (Y/N) shared a look of disgust.

"You're just as beautiful and as supple as the day they staged our marriage." Alexei continued.

"You got fat." Melina answered. "But still good."

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

"Oh!"

"That's disgusting," (Y/N) groaned, Yelena and Natasha nodded in agreement.

"So, here's what's gonna happen." Natasha added.

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

"I'm not slouching." Natasha defended.

"Yes, yes, you are." Melina said.

"I don't slouch."

"You're going to get a back hunch."

"Listen to your mother," Alexei cut off.

"Oh my god, this. . ." Natasha sighed in annoyance.

"Up, up." Alexei continued.

"Wait until they notice you put your feet on the table," (Y/N) not-so-subtly added.

"You do what?" Melina asked incredulously.

"All right, enough, all of you." Natasha snapped.

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

"Here's what's gonna happen — " Natasha started.

"I don't want any food," Yelena protested.

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

"You're gonna tell us the location of the Red Room," Natasha finally said.

Melina sniffed and turned to Alexei.

"You know, it's like when you told them that they could could stay up late to catch Santa Claus."

"What? That was fun," Alexei said. "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."

"No good." Melina commented.

"Reach for the stars, girls."

"Finding Dreykov is not a fantasy. It's unfinished business." Natasha said.

"You can't defeat a man who commands the very will of others," Melina began. "You never saw the culmination of what we started in America. Nor did you."

Melina stood from the table.

"Natasha, always focus, focus. Get what you want." Alexei murmured.

Melina came into the room again and sat down on her seat, holding a tablet in her hands. After pressing a few buttons, she turned over to the door and called,

"Come in."

Without any warning, a pig walked into the room, snorting as it walked over to Melina.

"Did that pig just open the door?" Natasha questioned.

"Yes. It did." Melina replied. "Good boy, Alexei. Good boy."

"You named a pig after me?" Alexei asked.

"You don't see the resemblance?" Melina seemed deeply offended by that. "See, he sits just like dog. Amazing. Now watch."

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

"Stop breathing." Melina ordered before she tapped her tablet, causing the pig to let out choking noises.

"We infiltrated the North Institute in Ohio," Melina explained. "It was a front for S.H.I.E.L.D scientists. Actually, it was Hydra scientists at that time."

"In conjunction with the Winter Soldier 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."

(Y/N) and Natasha shared a look with Yelena.

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

The pig made one last choking sound before it dropped to the floor with thud, making (Y/N)'s eyes widen.

"What are you doing?" (Y/N) asked.

"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." Melina said.

"Okay, you made your point. That's enough." Natasha said.

"Yes, all right. Well, don't worry, Alexei could've survived 11 more seconds without oxygen." Melina said before she tapped on her tablet once more, making the pig jump back to its feet.

"Good boy. Now, you go back, back home where it's safe." Melina commanded. "You go. You go back home, back home where it's safe. Good boy, Alexei."

They all stared at the pig as it walked away casually as if it wasn't just about to die a few seconds ago.

"The world functions on a higher level when it is controlled. Dreykov has chemically subjugated agents planted around the globe."

"And do you know who they test it on?" Yelena asked.

"Hmm. . ." Melina hummed. "No. That's not my department."

"Ah, come on, come on." Alexei said. "Don't like to them. Hmm?"

"I'm not lying." Melina shrugged.

"You're Dreykov's architect, huh?"

"What were you?" Melina questioned. "If I was his architect, you were his partner. You were his business partner."

"No, no, no. I was patsy." Alexei snapped.

"Don't give me that — "

"He sell me ideology." Alexei started.

"Stop with the politics." Melina rolled her eyes.

"All the while, bigger — "

"Shut up!" Natasha yelled at Alexei. "You are an idiot."

She turned to Melina. "And you're a coward. You're a coward."

"And our family was never real, so there's nothing to hold on to. We're moving on."

Yelena lowered her head as she fought back tears. (Y/N) wanted to block her words from coming into her ears.

"Never family, huh?" Alexei said. "In my heart, I am a simple man. And I think that for a couple deep undercover Russian agents, I think we did pretty great as parents, huh?"

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

"See, that's the problem." (Y/N) snapped. "You filled all three of us into believing that you cared, that it was real. And it never was. It wasn't real. To no one of us."

Natasha nodded. "Exactly. Who cares? That wasn't real."

"What?" Yelena seemed like she could burst into tears at any moment.

"That wasn't real. Who cares?"

"Don't say that," Yelena said. "Please don't say that. It was real. It was real to me. You are my mother."

"You were my real mother," Yelena's voice cracked. "The closest thing I ever had to one. The best part of my life was fake. And none of you told me."

"And those agents you chemically subjugated around the globe? That was me." Yelena said to Melina, who looked shocked at her reveal.

"And you," she turned to (Y/N) and Natasha. "You two got out. Dreykov made sure no one could escape. Are you gonna say anything?"

"I — " (Y/N) began.

"No," Yelena said firmly, standing up from her seat, grabbing the bottle of vodka. "Don't touch me."

"Yelena," Natasha called.

"No."

Without another word, she locked herself in one of Melina's rooms, filling the air with tense and uncomfortable silence.

"I had no idea," Melina said.

"It's okay, it's okay." Alexei reassured. "I'll go talk to her."

He stood up from his seat and walked toward the room Yelena had locked herself in, leaving (Y/N), Natasha and Melina in the dinning table with a tense atmosphere.

Leaving it until here since next chapter it will explain a little bit of (Y/N)'s background, and I wanted to save that for a whole new different chapter.

-see you soon, bex