The Crime of the Widow

10|. Did He Love Us?

I STARED AT the man, emotionless, aggravation filling me. He tried to look everywhere but my eyes, which was quite amusing.

We didn't make it.

"You should have brought the avenger's super jet." Alexis muttered to the three of us, and once again, not thinking about what was coming out of his mouth. I stared even more intensely at him with annoyed expression. "What is your problem Marnie?"

The name made me shake with anger. A chuckle escaped my lips and I sped up to my younger sister who was trying her best to ignore the man too. "I swear, if I hear one more word from him, I will kick him in the face." The blonde breathed out with a shake of her head. I playfully bumped my shoulders into hers to try lighten the mood, which I did. Her smile brighten up everything.

"Natasha. Natasha. Natasha. Come here, I want to ask you something. Come, it's important." Alexei waved over the red head who was very skeptical of the whole thing. I gazed over to Yelena with a questioning look, she responded with a shrug of her shoulders while speeding up just slightly.

I caught up to the blonde and looked back momentarily to see Natalia rolling her eyes at the aggravated man. "It's probably something stupid." My Russian voice spoke to the girl beside me. She let out a little chuckle and looked back at the two as well.

"Knowing Alexei it's probably about the Red Guardian or something." Yelena breathed out with her eyes popped out in annoyance. She focused on the trial ahead of her as we entered silence for a moment. "I have a question." She carefully said with caution.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and nodded for her to continue. "So does your Fanny pack come with extra pockets or...." She trialed off, staring at me for an answer. My eyes squinted at her for a moment deciding on what to say. Now I could answer with a sarcastic phrase, or respond politely to her.

"Is this what we are asking?" I said to her.

"Yes. Just.. answer.." Yelena shooed me off.

"Fine yes. My turn. You still like Mac and cheese?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh my god!" Yelena ball up her fist, pulling them down as she closed her eyes. "I love it. Especially with hot sauce. So delicious." She hummed aloud thinking about the food she loved so dearly. A chuckle escaped my lips as I stared at her for a moment with a smirk on my face, trying my best not to just fall into laughter.

"Wait." Natalia abruptly spoke, causing the two of us to turn aliens to face the red head and the old man. "You haven't seen all three of us in twenty years and you're going to ask me... about you?"

Alexei looked around with furrowed eyebrows and a questioning look. "What is with this tension?" The man walked away from us with his hands in his pockets as we all stared at him. "Did I do something wrong?" I chuckled aloud with a smile as I looked at a nearby tree, trying my absolute best not to spiral.

The blonde looked over to me for a moment then to the father, looking at him as if he was absolutely crazy. "Is that a serious question?" She asked in disbelief.

"I only ever loved you girls. I did my best to make sure you would succeed to achieve your fullest potential, and everything worked out." With a wave of his arm the man spoke in a questioning manner. Another chuckle escaped my lips and I finally met eyes with him, trying to figure out if the stupidity had built up since I had last seen him.

"Really?" I ask with no amusement on my face and Yelena can already tell what is going on. As I made my way forward to him she gently placed a hand on my shoulder as if she was trying to stop me, but I abruptly took it off and made my way to the man. "Because Natasha begged you to not take us, to never go back. She pointed a gun to everyone while Yelena and I hid behind her. If you truly loved us, then why did you let them take us, huh?" I asked him.

Alexei looked at me, hurt of some known reason, and Natalia wasn't having it. "Everything worked out?" The red head tilted her head.

"Yes. For you, yes." Alexei laughed aloud as he made his way to Yelena. The man towered the girl, but this didn't make her feel any different. "We accomplished our mission in Ohio. Yelena, you went on to become the greatest child assassin the world has ever known. No one can match your efficiency, your ruthlessness."

"Marina." The annoying old man walked over to me, placing his hands on my shoulders much to my dismay. "Marina. Marina. You were Dreykov's favorite. You were speedy, fast, so fast, huh? You were a ghost, no one ever could stop you." I carefully picked up his hands as if they were a piece of garbage and took them off of my shoulders with a disgusted look on my face.

"And Natasha," Alexei looked at the eldest with such adoration written in his voice and on his face." not just a spy, not just toppling regimes, destroying empires from within, but an Avenger."

The man slowly picked up all three of our hands and waved them in the air. Yelena was staring at her arm being thrown around, not amused at all while Natalia and I were staring off in the distance, having a hard time believing this was possible. "You all have killed so many people. Your ledgers must be dripping, just gushing red. I couldn't be more proud of you."

Suddenly, and surprisingly, the man pulled us into a tight hug. A groan escaped my growing lips as I tried to escape his grip, but I guess Natalia beat me to it. The red head quickly punched him in the chest and walked away, leaving the two of us behind. Alexis was still happy he had the two of us still in his grasp, kissing the both of us on the head and fighting his grip.

"Okay. You can... No. Let go of me now. You smell really bad." Yelena let go of him and caught up to her eldest sister.

"At least I have you Marnie." Alexei happily spoke to me, smiling as big as he could.

"It's Marina and I agree with Yelena. You smell really bad." I slapped him across the face and left him all alone, feeling the broken, disappointed, and hurt stare on us.

"So are we there yet?" Yelena asked.

"You'll know when we are there." A snort noise came out of the man.