Cold as Ice - WinterWidow One-Shots

Once Upon a New York Dream

"Come with me, Natasya," he murmurs, pulling her as close to his chest as he can. He tries to be gentle, all too aware of the new bruise on her abdomen where Madam B had hit her too hard during class, shouting for her to suck in her gut more.

It's not the first time Madam B has hit Natalia and the way she treats the girls makes him sick, but he won't fight back again. The last time he tried, Natalia only got angry with him and Madam B made him stay late to run more drills.

"Don't ask me to leave, Yasha," Natalia whispers in return. Her hand winds up around his neck and she drags his lips down to hers. "I can't keep doing this."

It kills him, but he does stop asking. However, that does not mean his mother does.

Two weeks later, Natalia is helping Winnie clean up after dinner when the woman turns to Natalia with tears in her eyes.

"Winnie, please don't," she whispers, setting aside a plate.

"You can do so much more, Natasha," Winnie says, gently reaching for Natalia's hands. They're soaked from the dishwashing water, but Winnie doesn't seem to mind. "New York―it could give you new opportunities. The School of American Ballet is still accepting applications."

Natalia sighs and although she wants to argue, she can't. Winnie has always been too kind to her and she knows James's mother only wants the best for her. The least she can do is apply. When she gets accepted, she's so shocked that the only thing she can think to do is call Winnie and start crying.

"I was accepted," she cries. She's not sure if they're happy tears or not yet. "I was―Winnie, I can't do this―I can't leave―"

She's sobbing now. On the other end of the line, she hears Winnie speaking but can't make herself understand the words. Ten minutes later, Winnie is knocking on the apartment door.

Natalia answers the door with tears still rolling down her cheeks. Her stepfather isn't home which is good because she surely would have been hit for causing such a raucous. Winnie, however, doesn't care about the snot coming from her nose or the way Natalia shakes when she pulls her into a hug.

"Oh, Natasha," Winnie coos softly.

Natalia clings to her and keeps crying. It takes quite a while for her to calm down and by then, she's starting to worry that Ivan will return any minute. Winnie doesn't let her think about that, though.

"Come on," she says, pulling Natalia into her room. "Let's pack an overnight bag, yeah?"

Natalia can merely nod, choking back another sob. She watches as Winnie finds her little duffel bag and carefully folds Natalia's pajamas inside. She doesn't forget to grab Natalia's dance bag and even finds James's old hoodie for Natalia to wear.

"It'll be okay, honey," Winnie promises. She pulls the overnight bag over her shoulder and wraps her other arm around Natalia. Pressing a kiss to her head, Winnie says, "Let's just go home and breathe, okay? No more tears, no more worries. Just some tea and cookies, okay?"

Again, Natalia can merely nod. She lets Winnie guide her down the apartment hallways and into the elevator. Her car is parked just down the street and even though it's blistering cold out, Natalia hardly notices. In fact, she doesn't really notice anything until they step into the Barnes home.

"Mom?" James's voice echoes from down the hall and a second later, he steps into view. "Nata!"

As James tugs her into his arms, Natalia feels new tears make their way into her eyes. She buries her face in James's neck and chokes on her breath. She doesn't dare let him go.