𝐖𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒━︎━︎ S. Rogers 【︎ 𝐨.𝐡.】︎

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
CHANGE THE WORLD

SEEING THAT PICTURE OF KATRINE made her heart stop. She wasn't expecting the photo of her dead parents, but that had happened so long ago, and if she was being honest she didn't know how it happened, she just assumed it had―︎because what parent would send their child off somewhere that they knew absolutely nothing about? Maybe they deserved to die for sending her away, they were the reason she had ended up there in the first place so she had a little right to be mad. However, when Natasha slid the photo of Katrine's dead body across the table, her heart stopped.

The memory was so fresh. Sure it had happened a couple of years ago, but she remembered it more than she did her parents. Katrine had been her best friend. Liliya even saw the woman as her sister. Natasha had no right to bring that up and shove it in her face. Her jaw was clenched as she felt her anger take over. She had no right. No right. She held the photo tightly in her hand, trying her best not to show how much it bothered her, but it wasn't working out so well.

Liliya stared at the photo, slowly turning her head to look up at Natasha. Tears were in her eyes, and though you could barely see them, she knew that Natasha would. She hated that she was letting the infamous Black Widow get under her skin, but she couldn't help it. Liliya liked to believe that she didn't have a weakness, but whenever Katrine was brought into the conversation, everything that the Murder House trained her to be slipped away and in replacement was the old her. The one that showed emotion, the one that cared, the one that felt her heart break at the memory of stabbing her best friend.

     "Where did you get this?" Liliya softly asked, holding the photo up as she looked at Natasha. She paused, swallowing thickly as she forced herself to calm down, keeping the shakiness from her voice. She repeated the question once again, impatiently waiting for Natasha to answer her. Who had this information about her? "Where did you get this?"

     Natasha looked at her calmly, not at all bothered by the pain she had brought the blonde. "I'll tell you, but first I want to know why and who."

     Natasha didn't have to repeat the question for Liliya to understand what she was talking about. She scanned Natasha for a moment, something familiar about the woman that she couldn't put her finger on. "I have a feeling you know the answer to at least one of those questions." Natasha didn't say anything. Liliya glanced over towards the glass, knowing that Steve was standing on the other side of it. She looked back at Natasha. "The Murder House. If I'm being honest, I don't really know why. All I know is that my boss handed me several files, and I'm supposed to kill all of you."

     Natasha nodded. "You must be really good if they thought you could take out the Avengers."

     "Well, I was the best of my class." Liliya muttered. She nodded towards the photo of Katrine. "She was the last one. A twisted part of me hoped someone else would kill her so that I wouldn't have to. But of course, that didn't work out."

     "She meant a lot to you, didn't she?" Natasha softly asked. The memories of her and Yelena being ripped apart when they were little flashed through her head. She clenched her jaw before forcing herself to relax. She watched Liliya nod her head.

     "She was like my sister." Liliya answered her. She looked at Natasha, scanning her again before she straightened her posture. She cocked her head slightly. "Something tells me that you know exactly what it's like. To lose someone that was never related by blood, but it felt like they were your actual family." Natasha didn't answer her, giving Liliya her answer. The blonde sat back in her seat. "You know, the Murder House is best friends with the Red Room, they took us on a field trip there once."

     Suddenly, Natasha remembered. A flash of recognition ran through her green eyes. "I remember." She remembered the group of kids passing by, remembering how she was supposed to be going to her next class when she caught the group walking through the hall. "You were the little blonde that strayed from everyone. The one that. . ."

     "Talked to you." Liliya finished.

     "And then a brunette came and dragged you away." Natasha remembered.

     A faint smile pulled on her lips as she nodded. "Katrine." Natasha glanced down towards the photo that now laid on the table. "She kept me human."

     "Well, you're doing a lot better than I did." Natasha told her.

     "Thanks." Liliya whispered. She paused. "You know, she's not here anymore, but she still keeps me going. She left this note, thanking me for killing her." Liliya let out a scoff, shaking her head. "She told me that I was going to be important one day, that I was going to change the world. I guess she was wrong about that."

     "There's still time for you to change the world, Liliya."

     Liliya smiled sadly. "Let's be honest with one another, Romanoff. You are either going to kill me or chain me up. I won't stop until my mission is completed. If I come back empty handed, I get killed either way. It's just a matter of when it's going to happen, and where it's going to take place." She leaned forwards, her eyes never leaving Natasha's. "And between you and me, I have a feeling that it's going to happen right here, right now."

     "You don't have to do this, you know." Natasha told her, her shoulders tensing. She had heard the sound of the handcuffs unlock five minutes ago.

     "I think you know that I do." Liliya nodded. "It was nice while it lasted, Romanoff. But now. . ." She ripped her hands free form the cuffs, rubbing her wrists. ". . . now it's a fight to the death. May the best assassin win." And then, she charged forwards.