All for a girl named Rose

Rotisserie chicken and apple pie

There's too much Russian to translate and I really don't want to write everything down twice so all Russian is now in « »

Rose walked outside and leaned against the fencing that connected the pillars which held up the overhang creating a small area almost like a deck. She looked out over the parking lot to the sun setting over the other side of the motel buildings. Natasha joined her, leaning beside her on the railing.

«What did you want to talk about?» Rose asked.

"Hmm?"

«I'm assuming you wanted to talk about something in private with me.» Rose said. «That's why we're out here, right?»

«Right.» Natasha turned to face her daughter. «Rose, I never meant to abandon you. Like I said, they staged it to look like you died, right after you were born. That place was living hell for me but I would have never left if there was a margin of a chance that you were still there.»

«But you did anyway.» Rose said.

«Yes, I did. And that's the worst decision that I've ever made. And I regret ever leaving without you. This is hard to put into words, but Rose, I know I barely know you but I want to be your mother. And I wish we got those years back. But a relationship can't be one sided, I need to know if you want that too.»

Rose looked away and fought back tears. She was mad, not at Natasha but at herself for feeling emotions. Especially this one and at this time.

«Rose?» Her mother said tentatively and softly. She touched Rose's lower back gently. 

Rose didn't pull away but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

«I'm not the nurturing type if you can't tell.» Natasha said and Rose chuckled.

«I hardly know you.» Rose said.

«I know, but I'd like to change that.» Natasha responded, Rose finally looking up at her.

«Mother and Daughter?» Rose said not quite sure.

«Not yet.»

«But someday?»

«Someday soon.» Natasha confirmed.

«It'll take a bit of work.»

  «And mutual trust.» Natasha said reaching into her pocket and pulling out a switchblade knife and holding it out to Rose.

Rose looked up at Natasha confused.

«You trusted me not to kill you, I trust that you won't kill me.» 

Rose took the knife.

«Is that step two?» She asked jokingly.

«Yes, it is.»

«And what's step three?» Rose asked.

«I guess we're going to have to find that out ourselves.» Natasha smiled at Rose. «I do have one more question though.»

Rose braced herself for more unwelcome emotions.

«Back in my day" Natasha started, mocking Steve. «In the Red Room they had us dance ballet  as a way to strengthen our muscles. They made us dance until our feet bled and legs strained to keep us up. But I enjoyed it. Did they still do that to the girls?» 

«Yes, the really classical and romantic stuff.»  Rose answered.

«Did you enjoy it?»

«Yes.» 

«If we ever settle down somewhere, I'll be sure to sign you up for some classes.» Natasha patted her daughter's shoulder, «Now get inside, we're going to have to pack up tomorrow, are you're helping.»

Natasha was right, the next day they packed and the day after that they set out early in the morning. They could have made it all the way to Lviv but they decided to stop an hour for lunch and again to sleep in the parking lot of a rest stop. They made it to Lviv the next day.

About a week and a half after that they were staying in another two start hotel when Christmas came around.

Steve set out on a solo mission for a ham and apple pie for Christmas dinner. Sam, Natasha, and Rose sat on the couch in that order, covered by a blanket. The TV played an American Christmas special that only Sam knew, and apparently liked. Steve returned after only 40 minutes.

"I couldn't find a Ham so I got a precooked rotisserie chicken, the apple pie might be a little cold but it's still pie. And look what else I got." Steve said with a bright smile, holding up a box of hot chocolate packets.

He put four glasses of water in the microwave, they didn't have milk so water would have to suffice. They didn't have mugs either so Steve wrapped a washcloth around each one to protect their hands.

They only had styrofoam bowls and plastic silverware so four bowls, plastic  knives, and plastic forks later Steve sat between Sam and Natasha with his arm around the latter.

Halfway through her second bowl of chicken Natasha looked over at her daughter whom she saw smiling. 

Rose noticed Natasha looking at her and in turn scooted a little closer to her before reaching for a slice of pie.

Sam had moved to the bed before falling asleep but the other three remained on the couch. Natasha sleeping in Steve's embrace while Rose leaned into Natasha's side.

«I had my doubts about living on the run but this, this is nice.» Rose whispered in Russian to her mother.

Maybe this was step three, or part of it at least.

Eventually the snow melted and they traded in one stolen car for another as they made their way across Europe. Never being able to stay in one place for more than three weeks.

That's how Rose found herself laying on a blanket in the back of a rusted blue pickup truck. Steve and Natasha slept close together in the back seat while her and Sam lay spread out in the truck bed.

The cool March breeze rustled her hair and made her contently sigh deeply as she stared at the dark night sky. 

She rolled onto her side, away from the snoring Sam, and closed her eyes. Tomorrow they would be boarding a train to America to see Clint, he was a close friend of Natasha and Steve who had three kids. This wouldn't be her first trip to America, but it would be her first trip free of the Red Room.

She wished every day was like this, content and comfortable. But sadly there was work to be done and violent gangs to be engaged with. 

After their first fight together Sam would sleep within a hundred feet of her for three weeks. If she slept in the motel he slept in the car. If she slept in the car he slept outside on the ground. She couldn't blame him though, she was scared of herself too. Scared that her mind might slip back into whatever state they had put her in, she feared she would kill the only people who cared for her.

However it wore off eventually and his next big concern was her education. However this didn't seem to be a problem. She didn't need Language Arts, she fluently spoke and wrote 42 different languages, Social Studies she had been educated on the culture and social norms of every country that mattered. Math she could do long devision and multiplication in her head, she could even find the radius and circumference of a circle. P.E.? She was in better physical shape than the majority of grown adults. Science, she was very familiar with biology, it helps to understand the human body to understand how to kill it. 

Rose's mind wanders off as she fell asleep.

She blinked open her eyes to the blinding sunlight filtering through the leaves.