Retnikopf: Widow Of Siberia (old Version)

Chapter 7 - Disfunctional

Vienna had stuck with Kate, not seeing her family until they got back to the compound. Vienna would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous to see them.

They all sort of froze as she came into their view. Alexei was sitting with crutches leaning next to him, a large bruise on his face and a splint in his arm. Yelena barely looked up at her, her shoulder in a sling. Melina watched her with a small smile as one arm supported her ribs. Natasha stood in front, a deep frown on her face. She limped forward a step.

"Natalia," Vienna said softly, before receiving a hard slap against the bruised side of her face making her wince and flinch more than usual.

A small nod was all Vienna gave as she lifted her head back up, she deserved that one. She never asked why they were at the building, she likely didn't have to attack them like that. She turned and walked towards Melina who seemed to be the only one even a little happy to see her.

"You didn't die," Melina said, giving an approving nod.

Vienna lifted her top to show her the dressing she had bandaged to her abdomen from where Melina had shot her.

"Let me see," Melina said gently, coming forward and peeling the dressing back to see the messily stitched together part of her skin from where the bullet had ripped through her, "you did this yourself?"

"Does it look like I have any friends?" Vienna asked, a small frown on her face as she looked down at Melina.

"You shot her?" Natasha exclaimed, rushing forward to check on the wound herself. Seeing the shotty work, Vienna was lucky it didn't look infected. "Wait here, I'll do it again."

As Natasha all but stormed out of the room, Vienna let her top fall back down.

The one person she needed forgiveness from was the one that wouldn't look at her. Vienna crouched down so that she was looking up at Yelena as she moved her head to purposefully avoid Vienna's eyeline.

"Mne zhal' Yelena," (I'm sorry) Vienna said softly, gently holding onto Yelena's hand, resting her head onto it.

"You're a bad sister," Yelena told her, her voice shaking a little as she spoke, "I never know if you're going to try and kill me or give your life trying to protect me, it makes you hard to trust."

A single tear fell from Vienna's eye as she looked up at Yelena. Finally turning to face her, Yelena reached forward and wiped the tear away.

"I know you're in pain, your life has been shitter than most but," Yelena continued, resting her hand on the side of Vienna's face, "there are people around you that care for you and love you, and you need to stop hurting them. Not everyone is going to end up hurting you."

"YA budu luchshe," (I'll be better) Vienna said, leaning into her sisters hand, "ya obeshchayu." (I promise)

"No apologies for me?" Alexei asked, an eyebrow raised at his youngest.

"No." was all Vienna said as she stood up and walked away from them to go and find a seat somewhere. The wound in her side made moving around painful and she wanted a break.

Yelena let out a heavy exhale as she tried to stifle a laugh. Vienna and Alexei seemed to have turned out very similarly, they both cared very deeply but showed it terribly, often hurting the ones they cared about in the process of protecting their own egos.