Yelena and I get dressed in our black suits and throw coats over them for a party that Kate and Clint will be at tonight. I'm wearing a red coat and Yelena is wearing a green coat. Yelena put her hair in a fancy braid and she put mine in my usual French Braids. We're on comms with each other in case we get separated.
Yelena and I arrive at the venue and a man says "Wanna check your coats?" "No thank you," says Yelena. "Ok, then," says the man as Yelena and I walk past him. A little while later, some shots are fired. Everyone is freaking out. Yelena and I are watching the chaos from behind a pillar. Yelena and I make our way to an elevator as the lights go out.
"So, I know you're chummy with my mom, but I gotta say, I didn't think you'd make the cut for the Christmas party," says Kate. "Kate Bishop. We're not here to ruin anything. We're just going to kill Barton, have some appetizers, and then we'll go," says Yelena. "I hope you enjoy the bruschetta, 'cause it looks like you already lost him," says Kate.
"You sure about that?" I say sarcastically. "He's in the elevator," says Yelena. "Yeah, what, out of 65 floors, you think you're just going to magically guess which one he's on?" says Kate.
The elevator dings and displays a floor number. Yelena says "Twelfth floor." "I could guess and get it right if I wanted to anyways," I say. "Damn it," says Kate.
I snicker. "Enjoy the party," says Yelena and I as we step into the elevator. Kate tries to join us. I'm already in the elevator when Yelena says "No, no, Kate, stay." Yelena presses close on the elevator and Kate slips in just in time.
"Ah," says Yelena annoyed. When she thinks we aren't looking, Kate tries to press a button and Yelena and I stop her. "No," says Yelena.
Kate tries again and she and Yelena fight. I step back so I don't get hit by flying limbs. Kate tries again and Yelena puts her on the floor. They stand up and Kate hits Yelena in the head.
"What was that?" says Yelena. "I don't know," says Kate. I hit Kate in the head in return saying "Don't touch her."
Kate tries to hit all of the elevator buttons and Yelena stops her. Yelena grabs Kate's coat and Kate gets out of it revealing her suit.
"Oh, my God. What is happening? Did you plan that?" says Yelena. "Yes. No, no. Yes," says Kate. Kate tries to hit the buttons again and I attempt to stop her only to be thrown into the buttons hitting some of them. "Sorry," I say. "Come on, that is so annoying," says Yelena.
Yelena speaks some Russian and I laugh as we take off our jackets, revealing our suits. We throw them at Kate as the elevator opens and I run out just before Yelena does.
We sprint down the hall with Kate behind us. We end up fighting in someone's house. We move room to room fighting. Kate blocks a doorway.
"What are we doin'? I mean it's Christmas Eve. Let's grab a drink, huh?" says Kate out of breath. "Okay. Yeah. Sure," says Yelena. "Cool," says Kate. "After we kill Barton," says Yelena. "No. No, that's not what... Come on. You don't need to..." says Kate.
I slip under Kate and keep running and Yelena fights Kate. I'm a room or so ahead of Yelena and Kate. They stop in a room and Yelena throws her baton to break the window and Kate throws something which hits Yelena's hand.
"Ow," says Yelena as she shakes her hand. "That really hurts!" says Yelena. "Yeah. Yeah, well, so did the kick to the ribs," says Kate. "Hey! You're one to talk. You threw me into a wall! I might be a trained thirteen year old assassin, but come on!" I say.
"Oh, yeah. That was a good one. That was good form. But, you did the really cool body throw," says Yelena. "That really cool body throw hurt!" I complain. "You're so dramatic," says Yelena.
"Right back at ya! Besides, I lost 19 years of my life. Cut me some slack. Anyways, you both had some cool moves," I say. "Yeah, thank you. Stop making me like you," says Kate. "I'm sorry, I can't help it. That was really fun. Bye," says Yelena.
The two of us attach wires and we jump out of the open window and we run down the side of the building. We see Clint on the twelfth floor and we both shoot him and miss.
We get to the ground and I unclick my harness before I hit my head really hard against the building three times.
"Lizzie!" says Yelena and she pulls me away from the building. "What was that?!" says Yelena. "I missed. I never miss. I'm not allowed to miss. I had to punish myself," I say. "Lizzie, this isn't the Red Room. This isn't even your special Red Room program. This is a personal mission. There are no punishments for messing up," says Yelena. "Ok," I say. Yelena hugs me and my anger with myself disappears.
Yelena and I make our way to the ice rink and watch Clint and Kate fight the tracksuits. Clint dismisses Kate and Yelena and I tackle Clint from behind. He can't even get up from the ground.
"Before we kill you, I need to ask you one question," says Yelena. "It's nice to finally meet you, Yelena," says Clint and he sits up. "I need to know what happened," says Yelena.
"Look, Yelena, Lizzie, if I told you what really happened, you'd never believe me. But what you need to know, is your sister sacrificed herself, and she saved the world. I'm sorry," says Clint.
I kick him in the chest and he groans in pain. Yelena holds me back from issuing another blow.
"You're lying," says Yelena. "What?" asks Clint. "You're pathetic. You're so pathetic," says Yelena. Then she kicks him, knocking him over.
Yelena, Clint, and I start fighting. "Nobody killed her. She made a choice," says Clint. "Stop lying!" yells Yelena and I together.
The Natasha I knew wanted to spend the rest of her life with Yelena and I. She didn't want to die. Unless Nat was keeping secrets from me, Clint's lying.
We take the fighting up to standing and Clint puts me in a choke hold. "You're not listening to me. She sacrificed herself, understand? I couldn't stop her," says Clint. "She would have stopped you, so why didn't you stop her?" I say.
Yelena frees me from Clint and I gasp for air from the choke hold. Part of me believes Clint and part of me doesn't. I guess I'm stuck in the denial part of the five stages of grief.
"Why would she sacrifice herself for you? Why do you deserve it?" asks Yelena. "I don't," says Clint. "So she died because you let her?" says Yelena. "I fought her for it. But she was better than me," says Clint.
"Yeah, no kidding. She's a Red Room assassin, but still, you could have tried harder. She was your best friend. You two were almost like brother and sister," I say. "You should've fought harder," says Yelena.
She whips out her baton and I'm hesitant to do the same. Yelena hits Clint in the face with her baton. She hits him in the head again.
"Wait," says Clint. Yelena hits him again and again. I don't hit him. I'm better than that.
One of Yelena's blows knocks Clint to the floor. Yelena drops her baton and pulls out her gun. I pull mine out too so she doesn't find out that I'm not going to help her kill Clint.
Clint does a whistle that I recognize. He does three whistles total. Yelena and I freeze. Those are our secret special whistles that we did with Nat. How does Clint know them? They're a secret between my sisters and I.
"How do you know that?" asks Yelena. I'm standing frozen with shock. Clint sits up and says "Your secret whistles with Nat. She talked about you two all the time, Yelena and Lizzie." "She did?" asks Yelena and I. Clint nods.
"What did she say?" asks Yelena. "She told me about how you got separated as kids. She was flying that plane," says Clint.
Yelena and I are holding hands at this point. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The night Nat was flying that plane was the last night in Ohio. It was the night before we got separated.
"I asked her if she was scared. All she could think about is that you were safe. That never changed, Yelena and Lizzie. She loved you. And always wanted you safe," says Clint.
Yelena and I are crying and I'm hugging Yelena to comfort her like she and Nat always have done for me.
Yelena looks at Clint and says "You got so much time with her." "Yes, I did," says Clint.
"It shouldn't have gone this way. If I was there, I could have stopped it. I could have... I could have changed it," says Yelena.
"Nat forbid me from coming. It's my fault. I should have used the suit that was already made, and I should come with you guys. It could have been me instead of her. It should have been," I say.
"Nothing was gonna stop her, Yelena and Lizzie. You know Natasha. She made her choice. We're gonna have to find a way to live with that," says Clint.
"I loved her so much," says Yelena. "Me too," I say. "Me too," says Clint. Yelena and I put our guns away and Yelena reaches her hand out for Clint to take. She helps him stand up and he says "I'm sorry."
Yelena and I look at him for a few seconds before we hold hands and walk away.