Retnikopf: Widow Of Siberia (old Version)

Chapter 14 - A Choice

A stand off. Two parties waiting for the other to make the first move. Both with weapons drawn.

"Where did you come from?" Natasha demanded, Yelena standing just behind her shoulder, both with guns pointed towards Eric.

"Took an opportunity," Eric shrugged, his own pistol clutched in his hands, "stepped through a door."

"You're a ghost in her life," Yelena snapped at him, her fist tight around the handle of her gun, "You don't belong here."

"You don't know Red like I do," he glared down at them, "I was there when you weren't. I was there when she needed her family most but they were no where to be found."

"You're from another universe right?" Natasha asked, continuing when she received a frown which told her she was right, "you've never met this... Red before. And her name is Vienna, the red widow is not who she is."

"It's everything she is," Eric told her firmly, "and if you don't get that, you don't know her at all."

Eric only managed to click off the safety before a loud crash and a hard slice knocked the gun out of his hands.

"Are you okay?" Vienna asked her sisters, not even turning to look back at Eric.

"Do air vents follow you around or something?" Natashe asked, lowering her gun as she frown at her youngest sister. "Just so you can make your dramatic entrance from above, scare the shit out of everyone."

"I engineer each moment specifically," Vienna nodded.

"You cut the gun in half," Eric mumbled, bewildered by the two halves of his gun laying at his feet.

"The sword is sharp," Vienna told him, turning to face him finally, "remember what I told you about the archer?"

"You don't even like these people," Eric frowned at her, his confusion evident, "if you're you, you hate them, with everything you have."

"That doesn't mean I don't love them," Vienna smiled softly as she turned back to her sisters, "No one kills them but me."

"Vienna," Natasha warned, lifting her gun a little as she backed off, "right now, you make a choice. Him or us. Now you don't know him at all, whoever Eric Killmonger was to you, however much you loved him, that's not him. He died. We're real, we're the people you've know your whole life."

"Vienna," Yelena said, dropping her gun, "whatever you choose now-"

Before Yelena could finish her sentence, Vienna flipped the sword in her hand and plunged it into Eric's chest, leaving him shocked and on his knees. He tried to speak but his lungs filled with his blood before he could.

"It's you," Vienna told them both, "over everything, without hesitation, it's you. Always."

The sight of Eric laying on the floor hurt, but she didn't regret her choice. Family over love, every time.

"So, that archer huh?" Natasha asked, nudging her sister in the arm, "has the baby got a crush?"

"How many soldiers was it?" Vienna countered, an eyebrow raised in defence, "your husband and his best friend?"

"Shut your mouth," Natasha told her, pointing a finger at her, "me and Steve were never a thing, we were just friends. And how would you even know about this anyway?"

"Sure," Vienna nodded, giving Yelena a sarcastic look which made her laugh, "do you drop your little sister when she's beaten and broken for all your friends or just for him?"

"You're hilarious," Nat said dryly, folding her arms after putting her gun away, "funniest person I know."

"I should have been a comedian," Vienna smiled at her, "now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta see about a girl."

With her last comment, Vienna handed her sword to Yelena as it dripped blood onto the floor.