A.N: As the weekend ends, you get one more chapter. This one is a filler to wrap up a few things.
I greatly appreciated all the comments on 76, but the vote was an equal split so you've all managed to make my life much harder (So thanks so much for that.) As the most indecisive person in the world, this will prove to be a challenge, I love them both so much.
I'm just going to consider Seven's character arc and what would make the most sense for her at this time. Feel free to comment or send me a message if you have any ideas!
Thank you all for reading it and being so lovely.
:)
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Wanda felt the small cylindrical vial in her hand before she could even blink. The stranger was gone and she was here alone, staring out at the field. How could she have even gotten that far without her being able to see her?
She shook her head and turned to go back inside.
"Maria? Natasha?" She called, trying to give them a warning of her impending presence. "I'm coming in."
She found them sat around the island, staring down at the notepad, Wanda moved closer to read it.
Red Serum is mind control. I couldn't say it, I'm sorry.
Please do something.
T.
p.s. Sorry about the broken window, promise I'll pay you back.
"She's gone?" Maria asked and Wanda nodded. "I have never been so confused as I am right now."
"Dreykov is actually chemically subjugating his agents now?" Natasha murmured, "Shit."
"What happened Wanda, did she do anything?" Maria questioned, then noticing the redhead's blush. "Did she do anything other than kiss you?" She made her inquiry more specific.
"She took her face off again, saying that her identity was complicated."
Natasha looked up at her, "Did you get a good look at her face?"
"Not really, she had blue eyes I think. That might not even be her actual face still." Wanda reasoned.
"She, uh- you know, and then she told me she couldn't tell me her name. She kissed me again and told me to 'be fast,' whatever that means. Then she was gone." Wanda shrugged, "She put this in my hand before she disappeared."
Wanda placed the vial carefully on the countertop and Maria and Natasha could only just stare, the redhead wanting to smack her for not leading with that.
"She want's us to synthesize an antidote?" Maria breathed out, staring down at the red liquid as if it were God.
"I think so, you saw what happened when she tried to explain what it was, she physically couldn't." Wanda sighed, "What spooked you? I've never seen you go so white."
Natasha closed her eyes and pinched her nose. "The branding."
Wanda realized where she had seen it before, "Oh god. She must've been in her class then, no?"
"Something like that." Natasha shrugged.
Maria typed something on her phone. "We need to go, who knows if her tracker pinged her location before she left."
"Okay," Natasha nodded, pocketing the serum. "Tell the team we've got things to discuss."
"Natasha?" Wanda asked, making the woman turn.
"Yeah?"
"You look like you had a wild time, I expect details later." She mocked, pointing back at Maria's neck which was decorated in purple splotches. She was going to have to work very hard at covering them up. Maria turned the same colour as the blood on the counter left by the widow.
Natasha just laughed, telling her to scram. Wanda made her way towards her room before turning back, "You too Hill! We're friends now." She disappeared around the corner and the two women could only hear a cackle that was stifled by the door closing.
Natasha was amused, Maria was beyond chagrined. "I never knew she was such a character," she commented meekly. "Do we need to be worried about that?"
"Who? Wanda? She wont say a single word to anyone. She's the best secret keeper at the tower by far." Natasha moved closer to the brunette who was still slightly pink. "You know, she was the first one to really know about Seven."
"Really?" Maria cocked her head, letting Natasha interlace her fingers.
"Mmhmm." Natasha pressed a kiss to her lips.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Maria asked. Natasha moved back to the brunette's neck, irritated that she couldn't kiss her if she was talking.
"Which part?" Natasha murmured, sucking gently on Maria's collarbone. She smiled as Maria made the same noise as earlier.
"Natasha," Maria warned, "you've made a mess of my neck already, don't go making it worse."
"I just want everyone to know that you're mine." Natasha continued, "Who could blame me? You're hot."
"Is that all I am?" Maria teased. Natasha pulled away, blinking.
"Of course not Masha, you're smart and funny and you're kind and a great leader, plus you're-"
"I was joking, Nat." She cut in. "Are you sure you're okay?"
The concern washed over Natasha in a tidal wave. She wasn't going to cry, not right now.
"You can cry, if you need to." Maria urged, pulling herself off of the stool and wrapping her arms around the redhead, "And you can talk about any of it, to answer your earlier question. I was going to before you started distracting me."
Natasha laughed a little at the comment, her head tucked underneath Maria's. "How did you know exactly what I was thinking?"
"I could see it in your eyes, I'm not a telepath."
"No, that's Wanda." Natasha pulled back. "Thank you." Maria smiled at her. "I haven't been called Natalia in a long time."
"I know Tash, I'm sorry she got under your skin."
"She didn't get under my skin." Natasha snapped before softening. "Sorry." She looked down at the ground.
"She's a widow, she's trained to get under your skin, just like you are." Maria put a finger underneath her chin and lifted it so they were eye-to-eye.
"I want it gone Maria, I cant let this keep happening. Not after what they did." She was holding herself together with straw now.
"I know."
"God, what is wrong with me." Natasha cried, furiously blinking back hot tears. Maria placed a hand on her cheek, wiping away the few that managed to escape.
"Nothing is wrong with you," Maria said firmly, "You're human."
"I'm broken, that's what I am." Natasha mumbled, still crying. "I'm in pieces."
"You're not broken Tash, you're just grieving, and tired."
"Steve was right, it's been a whole year. Why can't I just move on?" She looked up at the brunette, eyes sad and glassy.
"Steve's an ass. That's something him and Carter have in common." Natasha laughed between sobs at the dig at her ex. "You take as much time as you need, I'm not rushing you. I like each and every piece of you."
"All of them?"
"All of them." She nodded, "Even the ones you don't like."
"You're too good to me." Natasha sighed, leaning into Maria's palm.
"Maybe," Maria mused, "But you deserve it." She wiped away the last few tears.
"I am sorry Mash, about Coulson. You couldn't have known." Natasha pulled a smile onto her face.
"Thank you." Maria took a moment. "Let's go get ready, I'm going to have to use a tube of concealer to cover this up."
Natasha grinned, admiring her handiwork. "I don't think you even know how bad it is."
Seven finally started recognizing her surroundings almost an hour later. She made her way back to the hotel and padded up the stairs silently, legs heavy with exhaustion. Her side was still in pain, a throbbing ache settling in her body now she couldn't use any of her powers. She was going to wring Yelena's neck when she saw her.
She reached into her clutch for the key card and scanned it, relieved she had gotten the right room number when the light flashed green.
Anya had a knife to her neck the moment she had entered the room but she was too tired to fight her back. When the widow recognized her raven hair she backed off, leaving Seven to close the door and lock it.
"What the hell Seven?" She half yelled, half whispered. That was quite a talent, Seven had to admit.
Yelena looked up at the bustle, she had been drawing something with the crayons left in Seven's room. Of course.
"What?" Seven asked, throwing her heels into her small room and turning to face the oldest girl.
"Where the fuck were you for like two hours?"
"I got lost." Seven muttered, the lights were giving her a headache. She flicked on the lamp and moved over to the switch to dim the room.
"That's stupid." Yelena muttered and Seven's head whipped round faster than should be humanely possible.
"Don't you dare start, Засранец" Seven fired back, blunt. "It's your fucking fault that I got lost in the first place."
"Why? Were you too busy kissing the avenger?" She continued doodling.
"That doesn't even make sense!" Seven groaned, "You fucking shot me!"
Yelena's eyes trailed to the bandages taped loosely to Seven's side now that her dress had been pulled down.
"And you're lucky it was me and not some random civilian!" She continued, "I can't heal myself anymore because of this stupid serum so I had to break into some random house to patch myself up before I bled out in the middle of nowhere."
She was tired and angry. She couldn't remember the gravestone. She had kissed the avenger, she had shown her her face, why had she done that?
Seven Romanoff,
Widow, Daughter.... She couldn't remember it, it was slipping away from her.
She fought to regain the last word but it was already lost to her useless excuse of a memory. Seven wanted to punch someone so badly. She stormed up to Yelena with the full intent to do so before she caught a look at what she was drawing.
"Is that me?" She asked, pointing to one of the figures on the page.
"Yeah, that's you, that's Vik and Sof, that's A, and that's me." She pointed out each widow. Seven recognized the arrow sticking out of her shoulder and the shield on Anya's arm.
She smiled, and then she punched Yelena in the jaw.
"Ow" Yelena massaged her face.
"I feel better now, thank you." Seven climbed onto the bed and nestled up to Yelena's side.
Anya sighed and grabbed a towel, announcing that she was going to shower and that she didn't understand a damn person on the team.
When the water had started Seven felt safe to open her mouth again, she knew Anya's hearing was good, but it wasn't that good.
"I understand why you couldn't shoot her." Seven mumbled, watching Yelena pause from drawing.
"I didn't mean to shoot you, I am truly sorry." She said, "I just misjudged the shot."
"You didn't want to hurt her." Seven said, "I understand."
Yelena nodded.
"I guess you can't call that you're the best shot anymore though, and you owe me."
"Owe you? You punched me in the face fifteen minutes ago!"
"That was not even. I dragged my body for three miles before I could patch it up." Seven insisted.
Yelena huffed. "Yeah I guess that's fair."
"Damn right."
"Alright alright, don't push it."
Seven smiled but her mind was still full of unanswered questions. Who were the avengers really? Why were they everything that Ivan had said that weren't. Had she formed a death sentence by giving the witch the vial? What was the last word on the tombstone? Who the hell was Seven Romanoff?
Was it a coincidence?
She was naturally a redhead.
She decided to keep her interaction with the avengers a secret for now, deeming it safer for Yelena and the rest of the team to be kept in the dark.
Seven didn't even know why she had trusted them, maybe the faulty ass serum had broken her. Besides, if she was killed then they could really say that they had no idea.
By the time the quinjet landed back at the compound Wanda was confused and exhausted. Her last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind of mania and she hadn't slept once, adrenaline being the one thing keeping her awake.
Natasha too was exhausted. She had managed to shave two hours from their flight but it had still been five long hours. Maria had been sleeping peacefully in the seat next to her and Natasha couldn't help but keep glancing over at her, the one thing keeping her sane.
She shook the brunette awake with a gentle nudge.
"Maria, we're back." She whispered, moving a strand of hair from the brunette's face and tucking it behind her ear.
Maria opened her eyes slowly, muttering about being tired.
"We're home?" She asked, dumbfounded. "I thought we had an agreement to switch half way through!"
"You looked so peaceful," Natasha shrugged, "I couldn't do it."
"God Natasha," Maria stood, gathering her belongings and started walking away. "You must be exhausted, let's go find you some coffee."
Natasha grabbed her wrist. "I know a cure for exhaustion that doesn't include coffee." She smirked at the brunette.
"You're such a tease." Maria rolled her eyes, pecking the redhead on the lips.
"Absolutely," Natasha grinned.
"Come on," She sighed, interlacing their fingers and leading her to where the other redhead was gathering her own items.
"Hey Wanda," Maria greeted, "You okay?"
Wanda nodded, blinking.
The three women made their way out of the plane hanger. It was nearing eight AM and jetlag was the least of their problems. They looked ridiculous in three long dresses as they walked the hallways towards the conference room.
Wanda pushed open the door, eyeing the room filled with avengers who were watching her. She just sighed and made her way to a seat near Peter who was smiling at her.
Natasha followed Wanda in, Maria close behind. Natasha frowned when Maria dropped her hand before it could be seen but she quickly recovered, whispering to Maria to take a seat.
"Alright," Natasha stood at the front of the room, red vial grasped in her right hand. "Thank you for all being here, we have a lot to talk about."
She put the vial and note down and scanned their eyes. Peter shot up at the sight of the vial.
"What is that, Romanoff?" Fury asked.
"That, sir, is a designed vial of mind control." She pushed it towards the two scientists who inspected it. "It was given to us by a widow, who also gave us this note."
Natasha proceeded to retell the whole story, with help from the other two. She did, however, leave out a few details, which Maria and Wanda were both grateful for.
"Jesus," Fury sighed once she had finished. "Can you come up with some sort of antidote?"
"Maybe," Tony held it up to the light, "We have to try, right?"
"For her," Natasha nodded, "We owe her to try."