Date: January 1, 2024
Words: 2740

~ Author's Note ~

Lyrics belong to Ruelle, The Other Side

Happy New Year!! 🎊

WARNINGS: Dreykov.

Is it fair, or is it fate?
No one knows

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January 10, 2017–7:23 AM

It's funny — after so many hours spent searching and casting in favors — the team finds Rose by chance. In a donut shop. It wasn't some big planned operation where everyone had a role and a set of commands to follow — the whole team wasn't even there. Peter. Natasha. Steve. Tony. The others had chosen to stay at the compound — or in Clint and Scott's case, with their families. It's only been three and a half weeks since the Rogue Avengers were allowed home, and the public hasn't been completely welcoming. But Peter had wanted to introduce Natasha to MJ.

So the group agreed to a short trip.

But none of them expected anything like this...

Natasha and Peter were talking to MJ — the teens smiling brightly as they converse with the spy, even as the redhead struggled to wipe the strawberry jelly off the corner of her lips while making sure her hat was firmly placed over her fiery hair. She's thirty-five weeks pregnant — and luckily, it seems MJ didn't even bat an eye at the appearance of her bump, choosing instead to inform the spy of how much she has influenced the young teen. And wisely, no one has chosen to mention the hormone-infused tears shining within her emerald orbs.

Then two individuals walked into the shop.

Nothing was unusual. The brunette — who couldn't be older than fourteen — was talking about the new custard flavor she wanted to try, while the older teen had an amused smile lingering across her lips. MJ had moved forward to take their order, and Natasha had switched her focus toward Steve and Tony who had been quietly watching the exchange. Tony's darkened sunglasses had been resting dramatically against his face, while his head tilted knowingly toward MJ. And Peter groaned, blushing in embarrassment, causing the other two individuals in his group to burst out laughing.

At least Sam wasn't there — then Peter would be horrified.

And Sam would never let him forget it.

"Don't get the cream cheese all over your face, Kate." The older teen instructed gently, grabbing a couple of napkins off the counter. "Or your uniform. We still need to drop you off at school."

"Do I have to go to school?" The brunette complained, taking one of the offered napkins without protest. "I want to work on my archery. My next competition is in two weeks."

"And you will practice," the older one informed, "After school. Now come on, you can't be late for school. And I don't want Mrs. Elenanor mad at me. Do you?"

"Well, no."

"Okay, then let's go." The young teen shoved the extra napkins into their bag, quickly flashing a smile toward MJ, while sparing the group a subtle glance. "Bye, MJ. And thank you."

"No problem." MJ smiles, "Bye Kate. Rose."

And it was the name that led Natasha toward the present time. Her attention snaps toward the young teen in question — her auburn hair and dark blue eyes hauntingly familiar — but it's the way she moves that gives her way, at least to Natasha's trained eye.

She's light on her feet, always positioned between the young brunette — Kate — and their group, while her free hand is placed at her belt, concealing a knife. Natasha's hand falls forward against the table, ready to push herself to her feet, but Steve is faster.

His fingers wrap around her forearm, shooting her a gentle, but firm glance. And Natasha wants to protest, heart beating frantically in her chest, while the young teen — her little rose — continues out the door.

"Not right now," Steve whispers quietly, gently pulling her against his strong form. "Not here. We don't have the antidote or a plan. And you can't fight."

"It was her," Natasha insists weakly, as if those words are reason enough, while she ignores the tears beginning to leak down her cheeks. And Steve doesn't hesitate to wipe them away, softly using his palm over her flesh. "It was her. I know it was."

"I believe," Steve whispers.

And he does. The resemblance between the teen and the woman before him is undeniable. It's the hair and the cheekbones, but most of all, it's the smile. He wakes up to that smile, loves that smile with every piece of his soul, and it's an unspoken mission of his to always see the smile at least once a day. He could recognize it anywhere.

Steve shifts, sharing a knowing glance with Tony, mutually agreeing to leave and come up with a plan of action with the team. He pulls Natasha into his chest, drawing circles over her bump with his thumbs, while catching Peter's attention. The young teen is glazing at Natasha worriedly, but doesn't make a move to ask if she's okay, instead picking up their trash off the table and moving to say goodbye to MJ. Luckily — since Tony and Steve are too preoccupied — Peter thinks to ask a very important question.

"Hey, who was that? They look familiar."

"Oh, the little one was Kate Bishop," MJ responds, as she helps Peter with the trash. "And the older one was Rosalie Roland." 

XX

"She's been in New York for months."

Clint sighs, glancing at the redhead sitting beside him on the roof. It's a perfect position to see into the Bishop penthouse, all the exits are covered, and it's away from the combat — though that pro only applies to Natasha. But it's definitely not helping her nerves. The widow craves being in the fight, and to have to sit and watch everyone else take action is torture — especially when the mission involves her daughter.

"Nat, you're gonna have her back after today," Clint begins calmly, "Once we give her the cure, you're going to have all the time in the world to catch up. And I'm not going to say it will be easy — parenting is not supposed to be easy. But at least you are getting a chance to make memories with her. It might not be the ones you wished for. But it will be better to have some than none at all."

"Thanks," Natasha comments, smiling lightly, "I needed that."

"No problem, kid."

Natasha shakes her frantic thoughts away, before shifting her focus onto the tablet lying on her lap. Based on the thermal imaging, Kate and Rose are the only two home, which is one point in their favor. But it also means Kate could get caught in the crossfire — it really depends on what orders Rose is working off of: use the daughter to get close to the family or protect the daughter from her parents less than friendly friends.

"Team two in position," Yelena comments clearly through the comms. Her team — herself, Tony, and Sam — are to come in through the roof access, meanwhile team one — Steve, Melina, and Vision — are approaching from ground level. The goal is to get Rose and keep quiet. Don't allow people to become aware of their presence. It's easier said than done.

"Team one in position. Approach on three."

Yelena glances at her companions, sharing a brief nod of acknowledgment, before she reaches for the door handle. She takes a deep, shallow breath, preparing herself for the battle ahead. It's not easy watching young Widows struggle through the confusion as the cure washes within their veins. She remembers that feeling all too well.

"Two."

Steve clenches his fist, wishing he had his shield in his hand, but for the sake of being subtle, all the flashing gear is left at the compound and Tony's suit is left in stealth mode. He raises a quick tilt of his head toward his teammates, silently warning them to be ready, before reaching forward to grab the door handle. It's now or never. There is no going back.

"One."

Yelena quickly slips through the entrance, hearing the footsteps follow behind her, as they travel down the halls. She notices Stark scanning for signs of life as they pass, choosing to operate on the side of caution in case the thermal imaging had an error. It didn't And so, it doesn't take long to reach the family room. The blonde notices team one's approach from the stairs, sharing a nod in acknowledgment before taking a subtle step forward.

But that's all it takes.

Yelena watches — the air stilling in her lungs — Rose visibly tense from her place on the couch, as her hand slips beneath the cushion for the stashed knife. She doesn't waste any time, lifting the younger girl off her place on the floor with surprising strength, before shifting her body in front of the brunette's. Her fingers tighten around the blade, eyeing the two exits darkly, before releasing a slow, measured breath.

"You guys should leave," Rose comments darkly.

"I'm sorry," Steve replies, shaking his head, while commanding the courage to move closer. "But we can't do that."

The air is thick with tension. Neither group wanting to be the one to make the first move. And it's Kate who breaks the overbearing silence. With her frantic breaths, eyes wide with tears, and her arms are clenched painfully around Rose's waist. She trembles, whispering, "Rosie?"

It's hauntingly familiar to Yelena.

Blonde strings of hair whisks in front of the little girl's face, her arms tightening around her sister, while the guards continue to press forward. She feels her sister tremble beneath her grasp, and it doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense. Nothing ever scares Nattie. Why is she crying — Nattie never cries — at Daddy? Who are these men? Why do they have guns?

"Nattie?" Yelena whispers, tears slipping down her flushed cheeks.

Yelena shakes herself out of her thoughts, just as Rose starts to make her move. She heads toward Steve first — or at least seems to — at the last second, darts to the left with Kate in her tracks, and pushes a button on the side of a table. The bookshelf moves to the side, revealing a concealed panic room, and Rose shoves Kate toward the new exit.

"Go, Kate!" She calls urgently, before trying to follow after the young brunette. But Steve moves forward, using the distraction to his advantage. He tries to go for her legs, but she jumps back in defense, quickly righting her form and swinging the knife toward his head. Yelena reaches out to grab the young teen's arm — quickly releasing the attempt at defense is not going to go her way — but Rose counters, using Yelena's weight against her, before shoving her against Steve. 

The two collide with the floor, momentarily distracted, but Tony and Sam take their chance. Sam is quick, grasping her wrist as she swings the knife forward, but isn't prepared for her kick to his gut. And she gasps, sensing movement from her left, while Melina seems to appear on her right in formation with Tony.

Vision suddenly shifts in view on her left, securely placing his arms over her sternum, ignoring her struggles to free herself. Melina takes the opportunity to try and send the cure in Rose's direction, but as the woman gets closer, Rose slips her fingers around one of the Widow's electric disks and activates toward Vision's face.

Though it doesn't do damage, the surprise from the action is enough for his grip to loosen. Rose slips around the android's body, sensing Tony from the side, while simultaneously noticing more movement from Yelena and Steve. She takes a deep breath, knowing the possibilities of winning this fight are slim to none, but she's not about to go down easy. And there's no hesitation as she pounces forward, her grip tightening around the blade.

The redhead slips around Tony, quickly swiping the blade into Sam's shoulder, before she sends a sharp kick toward Melina's shin — while ignoring the cries of pain slipping past his lips. Her blue orbs watch the blonde widow grab a vial of an unfamiliar substance from her pocket, but she still forces herself past her unease and toward her new goal.

Her phone.

The soldier — Captain America, her brain supplies robotically — is positioning closer, his hands out in front of his body, while shifting his weight on the tip of his toes. Go for the feet. But it's Yelena, who reaches her first, and the blonde is quick and rough. It's a challenge — one Rose isn't sure if she could win. The widow isn't holding back, unlike the majority of them. Yelena slams her down against the table, taking the chance to knock the weapon out of her grasp, before sending a kick into her abdomen.

Rose gasps, forcing the air through her wheezing lungs, before quickly reaching for the lamp. It doesn't knock the blonde down, but it allows the teen to shove Yelena off her feet, and though it is obvious the attackers expect her to dive for the knife, she dives for the couch instead. But the man of Iron sends a sharp shrill through his blaster. The redhead grits her teeth through the pain and presses her hands against her ears, luckily it gives Melina the chance to secure the red vial in her palm.
But right as the chemical is released into the air, Rose is able to activate her phone.

The device strikes immediately, just as the young teen wanted. Suddenly, the phone sparks and trickles to life, sending a spark wave across the room. The TV, tablet, and surprisingly, Tony's suit as well, activates from the connection. Every single electronic in the room short-circuits and powers off.
But Melina ignores Tony's sudden shouts in alarm, focusing on the redhead before her. Her dark blue orbs are glowing red, a frown of confusion forming across her face, while her body relaxes its previous fighting stance. Tears begin flowing through her orbs, a vivid reminder of how young the widow before her truly is, as soft mumbles begin to slip past her lips.

"Sush, it's alright," Melina whispers gently.

Yelena presses herself forward, lowering to her knees, while raising a hand toward the strands of red flowing wildly. "I know, it'll be alright. I know it's confusing, just give it a minute."

"Yelena?" Natasha's voice hesitantly cuts through the comm.

"We got her, Natasha," Yelena confirms softly, hands trailing through Rose's locks, as the young redhead leans into the touch. "You can come down."

It only takes the older woman a couple of minutes to enter through the entrance, with Clint steps behind her, but Rose still hasn't moved. Her body trembles with the shock, while she rocks back and forth with her knees pulled to her chest. The sound of people approaching doesn't even pull her out of her frantic thoughts, nor does the sudden loud exclaim from the young brunette.

"Rosie?" Kate asks loudly, slipping past the unfamiliar people with unexpected grace, heading to the young redhead in question. But Yelena is quick on her feet, her arms wrapping over the little girl's waist to hold her in place.

"Alright, Kate Bishop, you need to give Rose a moment," Yelena comments quickly, as the child countries to struggle in her grip. "We aren't going to hurt her. I promise."

"Rose?" Natasha takes a deep breath, forcing herself forward, "I'm Natasha... I'm your m–."

"Mother. I know," Rose interrupts softly, suddenly raising her tear-stained glaze, "I know. He always liked to talk about you."

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It hurts just the same
And I can't tear myself away

XX

~ Author's Note ~

Any questions? Ideas? Opinions?

XX

Next Chapter:

You lift your chin a little higher
Open your eyes a little wider
Speak your mind a little louder

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Rose shakes her head, trying to find a balance in her frantic thoughts. It's like everything she's wanted to tell her mother for so long is finally coming to the surface.

"He said I wasn't good enough. That you left because you had me, because you didn't want me. But I know now why you left the room — it's the same reason all of us wanted to leave. So, I guess, my question is, what was wrong with me that you couldn't take me with you or what did I do? What was wrong with me?"