Way We Go Down ｡ Natasha Romanoff

20 - CONSPIRACY THEORIES

"Alec is alive."

Three tiny words. They weren't remotely complicated or impressive words. They didn't hold much meaning on their own but when placed together, they changed everything. Natasha Romanoff stared across at the girl she had taken under her wing years ago and promised to love and protect like her own flesh and blood. Natasha didn't have a family but Poppy Thayer was indeed the closest thing she had to a sister and truly did believe in her. She would die for Alec's little sister but right now, the words that tumbled from her lips made her laugh.

"Poppy, come on." Natasha started quietly, turning away from her and dipping her hands into the soapy water to continue cleaning up from their dinner party. Tilda and Sam Hardings were long gone by now and it was just them alone in a house full of old memories. "This sounds insane. A bracelet left on the front porch? Anybody could have left that."

The sixteen year old circled around the kitchen. The cold charm bracelet sat in her palms, catching the dim lighting. The letter A caught her eye again, her heart aching a little bit more. "It wasn't just anybody. It was Alec." Poppy confirmed sternly, not really understanding why Natasha, who loved Alec more than anybody else, was ignoring the cold hard facts. "It's not such a crazy idea. We don't know what really happened to him. Maybe he found his way home."

Natasha dropped a plate into the kitchen sink, water splashing up. "Alec died on a mission, okay? Tragic things like that happen in our world, Poppy. That's the life of a soldier, the life of a spy and an agent."

"But we don't know that for sure." Poppy tried again, tears springing to her eyes. "We never found a body. We buried an empty coffin four years ago. Which means, maybe Alec is still out there somewhere. It's not some crazy conspiracy theory, Nat. Why don't you believe that?"

The Russian spy turned to face her slowly, pain dripping from her words. "Because we can only hope he did die behind enemy lines. That's the best case scenario, do you understand that, Poppy? If Alec didn't die years ago, then he went through unimagined torture. He would have suffered something greater than death." Natasha let out a shaky breath, the tone in her voice shifting. "Alec Thayer died. End of story."

Poppy stared teary eyed after Natasha, who had left the kitchen without finishing the cleaning up. Now lonely, little Poppy glanced back down at the charm bracelet. Deep down, she knew Natasha was right and that they could only hope her brother had died. But there was something stirring in her golden heart and she wasn't about to let go of the hope that he hadn't left her.

***

The sunlight was dying in the sky when Poppy Thayer found her way to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters the very next day, a place she had only visited once or twice when Alec had officially been labeled missing in action. She had been through a few debriefs in that time and thankfully, had remembered the place quite well. She knew Natasha had been called in for a new mission, something about the Lemurian Star, which meant nothing to Poppy. But it did mean she had an afternoon without a babysitter and found herself heading towards the one place where she might find answers.

Inside the headquarters, agents alike milled around, nobody taking any interest in her. Thankfully, the ability to fly under the radar came in handy. Poppy somehow managed to find her way through main security without hassle, which was indeed odd. But she pushed away those thoughts and roamed through the busy hallways until she found a familiar office. Director Fury.

"Excuse me, miss!" A voice sounded from the desk set up outside the office. The assistant was glaring down at her, not very impressed. Poppy was already backtracking, knowing that bossy tone anywhere. "These offices are for personnel only. Are you lost?"