❝She's a lot stronger than she lets on❞

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Natasha

I had been told that Aurora had died three times before she became stable. Thankfully, she came back after just a minute of CPR every time. It had been decided - and the decision backed by Fury - to keep her in a medical coma until the doctors were sure she would be okay. Currently, nobody knew how long she would be kept in the coma. It was all down to how quickly she recovered - if she recovered.

"They weren't even doing anything when we got there!" Maria exclaimed, half-amused, half-annoyed. "If you were on board with us, you'd have been pissed."

Noticing she was looking at me expectantly, I nodded and replied absently, "Yeah."

I heard the brunette beside me sigh, and I flinched involuntarily as she placed her hand on my knee. She quickly removed her hand, but I reached for it and held it tightly in mine.

"Aurora'll be okay," Maria told me softly. "She's a lot stronger than she lets on. And she lets on that she's incredibly strong."

I couldn't help but chuckle and agree at that.

"Y'know she got shot when she was sixteen?" Maria inquired.

"No," I replied, intrigued. "What happened?"

My girlfriend laughed, before beginning, "The girl thought that she was invincible. She snuck on board a Quinjet that was leaving to go on a mission. Nobody realised she was there until it was too late. The mission went wrong when we encountered more people with weapons than we realised. Aurora had shadowed me and Agent Morse, and managed to take down multiple of our enemies until one of them shot her."

My eyes widened with shock.

"Agent Morse found her by following a trail of blood. She had retreated back into the jet and was trying to patch up the wound by herself. Of course, one can't fix a bullet wound themselves. Morse ended up removing the bullet there and then on the jet, and thankfully all Aurora has to show for it is a scar on her shoulder," Maria continued. "When we got back, Coulson went off on one at her. He grounded her for a week - no training, no sparring, no weapons handling. It taught her not to go on a mission without asking."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sounds like something she'd do now," I commented.

"Oh she would," Maria nodded with a smile. "That's why Fury keeps such a close eye on her. She's 100% trustworthy, but she's too ready to give herself up in battle. Too selfless, if you will."

I shook my head slowly.

"There's being selfless, then being so selfless you'd risk your life constantly," I commented.

"Oh I know," my girlfriend replied. "I've had more than enough arguments with her about not going and almost dying."

"That's the funny thing," I said, in a sort of dreamy state. "She's so skilled she could easily avoid a bullet to the head or a knife through the heart, but she's all to ready to give herself up to save others."

"I know," Maria scoffed. "Ironic."

I leaned back on the bed and sighed loudly. Maria crawled beside me and sat on her knees beside me, gently brushing my auburn locks away from my face, a mildly concerned look upon her face, dark brows furrowed, chocolate brown eyes watching my own emerald eyes carefully.

"Something's confusing you," she commented softly. "What is it?"

"The Red Room don't take a girl like Aurora when she's almost an adult," I replied. "They condition and train girls from a young age, not someone as accustomed to the West like Aurora."

Maria's brows furrowed further.

"I think I know where you're going with this," she commented. "What's your theory?"

"I think Aurora may have had more of a history with the Red Room than we know," I said. "More than anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D knows."

Silence fell over us, blanketing the room thickly for a few moments.

"Aurora was brought here for killing her dad, right?" I asked.

Maria nodded.

"She was protecting herself and her strength and fury just gave her the edge. Fury found out and wanted to at least talk to Aurora before she was thrown into juvie. I heard that he signed a deal with the Swedes to train Aurora in the ways of S.H.I.E.L.D to serve a good cause, in return for her freedom."

I bit my lip, thinking hard.

"Do we know who her parents are?" I inquired.

"I don't know off by heart, no, but I'm sure they're in her file somewhere."

I nodded slowly.

"I could be wrong," I stated. "But I think she's a Red Room baby."

Aurora

Many years ago...

I let out a shaky sigh as I slid my back down my closed bedroom door, listening to my parents yelling at each other. They had been arguing more and more recently. I hadn't understood much of the arguments however because they were speaking in another language. This really puzzled me - why were they talking in a different language?

Reaching for my stuffed bunny toy, I covered her large, floppy ears and held her close to my chest.

"Vi kommer att klara oss," I whispered. (we'll be okay.) "Det är bara ett argument." (it's just an argument)

The yelling became more intense and louder, dominated by the harsh, screaming voice of my dad. For the first time in the argument, he spoke in Swedish.

"Hon måste tillbaka!" he yelled. (she has to go back)

I drew in a short gasp, my heartbeat speeding up.

"Gå tillbaka vart?" I whispered quietly, feeling the tears well in my eyes. (go back where)

I heard my mum's voice, high pitched with fear. My dad's voice overlapped hers, angry and determined. For a few seconds, the yelling was more intense and loud than it had ever been. A loud crash echoed through the house.

And then, silence. Utter and total silence. Slowly, I got to my feet, heart thumping in my chest, gripping my stuffed bunny anxiously. Opening my bedroom door, I made my way downstairs, the house still shrouded in an eerie silence.

"Mamma?" I dared to ask as I reached the bottom of the stairs. "Pappa?"

When silence greeted me, I made my way to the kitchen, where the argument had happened.

"Var är du?" I asked. (where are you)

As I stepped into the kitchen, I gasped, seeing my mamma on the floor, slumped against the kitchen cabinets, blood trickling down her head.

"Mamma!" I cried out, running towards her.

Crouching down beside her, I took her hand in my empty one.

"Aurora," she murmured, fear present in her eyes. "Spring och kom aldrig tillbaka hit." (run and never come back here)

"Men mamma, varför?" I questioned, tears brimming at my eyes. (but mum, why?)

"Gå, bara gå, nu!" mamma rasped. (go, just go, now)

I stood back up, in conflict. Why was I being told to run? Why did I have to run? What was so bad that- A pair of arms wrapped around my body and lifted me into the air. Letting out a scream, I kicked my legs and started trying to get out of the person's grasp - dropping my bunny in the process.

"Du kan inte bekämpa detta Aurora," my dad's voice spoke as he held me tightly, carrying me out of the kitchen. (you can't fight this)

"Nej! Nej!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face.