LRS-Episode II: Black Widow and Hawkeye

Chapter 7

YELENA'S P.O.V.

Yelena overheard Kate's voice downstairs, startling her into sitting bolt upright in her guest bed.

"Lena! No!"

Yelena frowned, hearing the young archer scolding the child before talking harshly to someone else. Curious about how hairy the situation was, she tossed the bedsheets aside and walked out, looking over the railing. Immediately, she ran downstairs from Kate's loft toward the doorway.

"Stay behind me, kid."

Yelena saw Kate with her new dark-colored folding bow, a few more arrows held at the nocks between the first and middle fingers of her draw hand. She swiftly nocked one onto the string—using the forefinger to separate it from the others first—and pulled back to her ear using the thumb draw.

"YOU STAY BACK!"

But Yelena also noticed who Kate was aiming at; a young woman with dark close-cropped hair and a Black Widow suit, standing near the door. Like Natasha and herself previously were, she also held a baton in each hand. But with Kate aiming an arrow at her throat, she put them both in her belt and raised her hands in peace.

Yelena's breath caught in her throat when she recognized who it was, who she had been separated from since the 'Blip.'

"Kate! What are you doing?" she exclaimed at the sight of the arrow pointed at the young Widow, her niece standing behind the archer. She carefully told Kate, "Stand down."

"She's a widow." Kate growled, tightening her horizontal fist that held the extra arrows. She kept the bow canted slightly to the left, the arrow perched on her left thumb and locked into place.

"I know. She's a friend." she assured her while scooping scared little Lena up. She quickly turned away from Kate towards the other widow. "It's really good to see you, Sonya." she smiled, welcoming her into the apartment.

"You too, Yelena." Sonya smiled, almost awkwardly. Her Filipino accent was recognizable from when they last saw each other. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to scare your friend or the little one."

She just waved her hand. Yelena couldn't blame Kate for reacting like that after everything she had told her about Black Widows. And she was thankful that the archer was so willing to protect the little girl. Right here, Yelena was really seeing another level of tenacity in Kate that was harder to spot when they ran into each other on Christmas Eve. At least it was to protect, that she saw a widow and was using her new stronger bow to PROTECT little Lena.

"What are you doing here?" Kate questioned Sonya harshly, still not trusting her or lowering the bow.

"Kate..." Yelena sighed in annoyance. Despite it being a positive trait when protecting people from danger, there was no need for being so hostile.

"It's okay." Sonya assured her before staring at the archer. "I wanted to catch up with a friend."

"Oh, just that?"

Sonya looked at her with a confused frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. You tell us."

"Kate. That's enough." she glanced at Kate warningly. "Sonya is one of the first widows I rescued. I trust her, okay?" she told her, seeing how the black haired girl just nodded slightly before lowering the bow, her stink eye still on Sonya. One arrow still remained on the string with the others in her right hand.

"Fine. But I'm keeping my eyes open."

"That's alright, I'm not hiding anything." she said pleasantly. Sonya pointed to the little girl who was shyly hiding her face in her aunt's shoulder. "You have a kid now?"

"This is Yelena—or Lena." She gently caressed her niece's blonde hair. "She's Natasha's daughter." she explained as Lena peered at the woman that was in front of them. She said to the girl quietly, "Do you say hi, malyshka?"

There was a smile on Sonya's face as the kid waved at her slowly, clearly reluctant just like Kate. "Hi there, sweetie."

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Yelena suggested.

Kate Bishop did NOT look happy, though.

-/-

Sonya looked over at Lena who was helping Kate in her kitchen corner.

"So Natasha adopted..."

There was a huge grin on Lena's little face as Kate stained her nose with flour from the chocolate chip cookies they were making for dessert—only getting the kid to stand on her toes, trying to do the same to her in between giggles. But she couldn't reach, which got them both laughing.

"Yeah, she did." Yelena nodded with a smile.

"And now you're raising her." the widow said before looking back at her. "Before being sterilized, did you ever wish for kids?"

When her friend asked that, Yelena couldn't avoid frowning. That was the same question she had asked Natasha years ago.

"Not really." She shook her head. "Never really thought about it, I mean. My desires were simpler. I just wanted a dog, and I got Fanny." The akita was sitting next to Lena, probably waiting for the kid to drop some food for her. "But Lena... She's the best thing that has ever happened to me." Yelena couldn't stop a huge smile from spreading across her face.

"She seems like a special kid." said Sonya.

"She is." Yelena nodded. With a hint of sadness, she added, "But her life could change at any moment."

"What do you mean?" her friend asked, a little confused.

"As far as I know, the Red Room is operating again." she explained, looking down. "She's the Black Widow's daughter, so now they're after her."

Sonya sighed, seeming a bit upset by the news. "I'm sorry, Yelena. At least she has you now to keep her safe." her friend told her.

"Of course I will." she promised. "I would do anything to keep her safe. And so will Kate Bishop."

"THAT part, I figured out when she aimed her bow at me. And don't worry, no hard feelings. Especially because of why."

-/-

During the rest of the evening, little Lena was really clingy and not leaving her aunt's side at any time—not even when the dogs came running to play with her. It wasn't until after she finished dinner that the five-year-old finally sat down underneath the metal stairs that rose up to the loft from the solid block of cement steps. With two of the fresh-baked cookies in her hand, she stayed there to snuggle with Fanny and Lucky on their squashy beds. The five-year-old was staying far from where Sonya was sitting on the couch.

"Something's off." Kate approached Yelena in the kitchen corner, looking both worried and suspicious. "Look, I know she's your friend and that you trust her, but something doesn't feel right. I WANT to trust her because you do. But it's just... What does it say that Lena, who's basically an extrovert for her age, is frightened by her?"

"Sonya had a really hard time adjusting after being released from the Red Room. She barely had any social skills back then. And the last time I saw her was right before the Blip." she explained. "Kate, we're trained to blend in, to imitate. It's hard for her as it was for me." she pointed to herself and said apologetically, "And I probably scared you too much with my stories. But I know her."

"Okay." Kate nodded, reluctant but willing. "Can't promise, but I'll do my best. Only because I trust YOU."

"Thank you." she smiled. "Give her a bit of time, you'll warm up to her."

Thanks so much for reading, let us know what you think,

Ayrin and Derek