BEAUTIFUL CRIMES ▹ Mama!Nat

THREE. in which the black dahlia escapes

The Widow allows the agents to sit her in an interrogation room and tie her to a chair. It's all very James Bond; she's secretly pleased, the fact that they all know she's a threat. The three agents are quickly replaced with one head of red hair. She sits in front of Adelina. Her eyes are kind, the exact opposite of Adelina's cold ones. There's a long, horizontal mirror behind her. Other agents and Avengers are definitely on the other side.

"I'm sorry we had to keep you in that cell," Natasha is honest, the humility covering her entire being. Adelina's hands shake. "They're not exactly comfortable. But, enough beating around the bush. I've been where you are now. We both know it's not a fun spot to be in. I wanna help you get out of it."

She knows Adelina will probably clap back with some sarcastic comment. She doesn't expect what comes next. "Soldat misses you." She tells Natasha. Adelina can see her break. Natasha's calm demeanor is replaced with shock for just a moment before composing herself yet again. Civilians wouldn't see it. The way her eyes widen for just a second, her jaw tensing momentarily. Adelina knows she's hit Natasha where it hurts. She wants to see how far she can go before the redhead cracks.

"You're aware of all the people who want you dead." She continues. They both know Soldat is a sensitive topic. All Natasha can do is keep her guard up. "And I'm not saying that we can fully sway their opinion, but there's a way to get out of this, Valieva." She looks at Adelina's hands. They're trembling nonstop. "It'll take a while. I know you wanna scratch that itch, but I can't let you."

Adelina thinks. "Soldat says he still misses that pretty red hair of yours. Especially when you braided it into those crown braids you used to do."

Natasha's heart stops pumping. The only identifier that she heard the news is the slight raise of a brow. "You're hurting. Look, no one is forcing you to side with us. But if you choose to go your own way, there's not a guarantee that we can protect you."

Again, silence. Adelina scoffs, and Natasha's eyes narrow. "I get it," She cocks her head to the side. "You don't want to help me, you're guilty. You're weak and guilty." A small smirk pulls at her lip. "You feel bad. Y'know, for the mindless orphan on the streets of DC. Or maybe, Natalia, you feel bad for leaving."

She expects Natasha to jump to defend herself. When she doesn't, Adelina continues. "You left the Red Room. You escaped. No one else did. And that still forces you awake at night, no?"

"And you stayed? You're back in Russia right now? Do you think those girls feel-"

Her eyes widen at Adelina's bark of laughter. "Feel? Are you serious?! You've gotten soft- there is no feeling!" She strains against the cuffs around her wrists and ankles. Natasha's hand rushes to her gun. "There is no emotion other than misery! You think you had it bad? Dreykov upped the measures after his precious little Natalia ran away. See, the difference between me and you, Natalia, is that you could've ran away. You were conditioned into staying in that hell. You merely broke the cycle. He psychologically tempered with our minds after you, and not just with Snow White. You could just go rogue on a mission- the rest of us had to sever nerves to even think about running away! Nobody cares about my absence because we can't care about anything!"

Her voice bounces off of the walls. "So don't you dare try to compare us, like we have some sort of sisterhood because we were abused and tortured by the same man, because we do not! Don't try to use me as your scapegoat, don't try to make me feel bad! You and I both know that they don't feel jackshit!"