All for a girl named Rose

Dog tags

Natasha woke up to a scream. Again not a great way to wake up. She quickly sat up thinking that it had been Rose who had screamed. But when she actually looked it was Sam.

"I poked her because I didn't think she'd wake up!" Sam explained loudly and in a rush. 

Natasha glanced to right to see that Steve had also woken and sat up. She quickly got out of bed and walked over to the couch to see Rose, awake but clearly heavily drugged. Her eyes glanced around lazily and occasionally flickered close a couple of times.

Kneeling by the couch she heard Rose whisper in Russian with a scratchy voice. "Shto?" (What)

"Rose" Natasha said softly, moving another hair out of the girls face. Rose blinked.

"Shto za khren'?" (What the fuck?)

"Ты свободен." (You are free) Rose looked up at Natasha confused and shook her head.

"Нет Я никогда не будет свободным" (No, I will never be free) 

Steve walked towards them with a styrofoam cup filled with water. He handed it to Natasha who offered it to Rose.

"глоток" (Drink) She said while still holding the cup out. Rose shook her head though she must have been thirsty. Natasha knew and understood. She didn't trust it. Natasha took a long sip of the water before handing it back. "Это вода" (It's water)

Rose still looked suspicious but she didn't really have a choice so she let Natasha help her sit up and took the cup.

That's when Natasha noticed the chain around her neck, tucked under the collar of her dress so it was hidden. She had changed Rose's clothes for gods sake but she hadn't noticed the necklace? To be far she had put the sweater on over Rose's dress then removed the dress to respect her privacy.

"What's that?" Natasha asked in English, pointing to the necklace. Rose glanced down at the small part of the exposed chain.

"It's nothing." Rose said, in just as perfect English causing Sam and Steve to glance towards them.

"You don't have to tell me but you're going to have to trust me if you want this to work."

"What work?" Rose asked. "Who are you?" 

"Rose, we broke you out of the Red Room, if you truly want to be free from them you  have to trust me."

"And who are you?!" Rose asked again more irritated.

"Natalia Romanoff."

"Romanoff?"

"Yes, I am your mother."

"Why'd you do it?"  Rose whispered.

"Do what?"

"Abandon me! With them! Why?"

"Rose" Natasha said tenderly. "I didn't. They staged it to look like you died. I didn't know you were alive until a week ago. I came back for you, if I knew you were alive I wouldn't have left."

Rose turned away and stared off into a corner. Natasha stood and walked over to one of their bags and pulled out a plastic bowl and a box of cereal.

"It's a friend's dog tags" Rose said not looking back at them. Natasha turned around and saw Rose had pulled the necklace out of her shirt and was now holding the dog tags. Rose tried to stand up but wobbled. Natasha set down her bowl of dry cereal and rushed over to Rose, grabbing her arm. "I'm fine." Rose said when Natasha tried to get her to sit.

Standing Rose looked a lot shorter than Tony's estimation of 5'2". Nat was 5"3' and Rose was at least three or more inches shorter.

Natasha carefully grabbed the tag attached to another shorter chain with delicate fingers. Her mouth almost fell open reading the name on it.

"Steve, can you come look at this?" Natasha called out to him. Rose looked up and at the blonde man walking towards her and allowed him to also pinch the tag between his first finger and thumb. Steve paused and look at Natasha then back down then to Rose.

"Where did you get this?" He asked her.

"Like I said, it's a friend's."

"Why did he give them to you?"

"Why do you want to know?" She started to get defensive and took a step back.

"James Buchanan Barnes was my best friend."