emmylou | natasha romanoff

post-credit #2

2024
Manhattan, New York

Yelena sat in a restaurant in New York, eating a New York Styled pizza on her own. She looked out of the window, watching as families and couples passed by. She looked away from the window with a sigh.

Over the last year, there'd been a weird feeling of loneliness, with Anya being with Kate, Wanda, and Reagan being together and Kennedy and Natasha being parents. She felt weirdly like an outsider in her own family.

"Yelena Belova."

Yelena looked across from her as a woman slid into the booth. She wore a false friendly smile, which set off alarms in Yelena's mind. She knew that she could not trust this woman or whatever she was about to say to her.

"Who are you?" Yelena asks.

"I'm Valentina," she states, "I'm a friend of your sisters."

Yelena scoffs, "I know all of Natasha's friends and you certainly aren't one of them."

"Not Natasha," Valentina says, "Your sister-in-law. Kennedy."

Yelena's brows furrow as she looks at the woman seated across from her. Sure, Kennedy had a lot of friends, but Valentina did not seem like the type of company Kennedy Allen would keep. No, she definitely was not the type of company Kennedy would keep.

"You don't seem like the type of friend Kennedy would have," Yelena says, and Valentina tilts her head indicating that she agrees with Yelena.

"Yes, well I helped her out with the Dreykov situation and now I'm here to help you," Valentina says, putting on her fake smile once again.

"What Dreykov situation?" Yelena asks as she leans forward in her seat, "Because I was there. I helped her with the Dreykov situation. So did Natasha and Anya."

Valentina, not intimidated by Yelena in the slightest leans forward in her seat as well, hands clasped on the table, "If not for me giving her the super-soldier serum, your precious Kennedy would have been killed by Dreykov the moment he took her. I made her valuable. I gave him a reason to keep her alive."

Yelena's eyes narrow, "What do you want?"

Valentina leans back in her seat, smiling again, "I want to help you."

"You cannot help me," Yelena responds quickly.

"No?" Valentina asks as she looks around the restaurant, "You know your life hasn't been all that great since you came back. Natasha's a mother now, Anya's in love, even your Melina has made a life for herself in the Springfield suburbs."

Yelena laughs, "Oh no poor Yelena, all alone. Do you think I'm weak? I went through the Red Room. I was taught to be alone."

"But that's not what you want," Valentina states, "To wander around aimlessly alone. With no purpose? I mean you were saving widows! You were going around the world and you were their savior. And then you were gone and what were the widows without their leader?"

Yelena's brow furrows as she looks at Valentina, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Valentina reaches into her bag before setting several folders on the table. Yelena stares at Valentina and the woman glances down at them indicating that she wanted Yelena to read them. She looked down at the files and licked her lips anxiously as she slid them toward herself.

She opened the first file to see a photograph of one of the girls she'd gone through the Red Room with. She didn't read over the file much before seeing the word deceased. She set the file aside before opening another one. It was another widow she'd known. Deceased was written under her photo as well.