chapter fourteen, our chance — act two, the anger
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Location: outside at little eating area,
Budapest, July 9, 2016

LAUGHTER DROWN THE THREE sisters as they sat down in silence. Seeing children in their happiness, running around, being free. As the three of them moped in silence. Natasha was looking at a father who looked so happy with his child. Yelena finished patching up her arm, she stared at her older sisters. Yelena closed her eyes thinking how things would have been if they were never separated.

"The Sokovia Accords is under revision. As the fugitive avengers are allowed back to the tower and compound. In other news, international criminal Ian Doyle was killed in......"

Awkwardness filled the sisters. Well for one, Yelena told Natasha that the avengers were not her family and she was responsible for Ian's death.  Emily spared a glance at Natasha who looked so relieved that everything worked out for her. Emily put her head down, maybe Natasha was right, maybe they weren't sisters at all. But Emily could not just let it go.

Yelena took a deep breath as she broke the silence, "That gas, the counteragent, it was synthesized in secret by an older widow from Melina's generation. I was on the mission to retrieve it, and she exposed me and I killed the widow that freed me."

Emily gives her a small smile but behind that smile was all the guilt that keeps filling her up. Natasha also gave Yelena a small smile, "Did you have a choice?"

Yelena scoffs at that. Choice. She was never given the chance to make her own decision in life, to think for herself and it wasn't fair.

"What you experienced was psychological conditioning. I'm talking about alternering brain functions. They're two completely different things. You're fully conscious, but you don't know which part is you. I'm still not sure."

Emily did not know what to say nor did Natasha. I mean what could they say? Yelena barely got her life back while they were out there saving so many lives except they didn't come back to rescue their baby sister. Guilt filled up Emily even more, as she mumbled out, "I'm sorry."

Yelena gives her a small smile but her eyes say everything. All the pain that she went through. How she killed the one person who made this gas so she and others could be free. Her eyes filled up with tears but she will not cry not until she finds a way to fix this.

Yelena glanced up to Emily, "I was not the only one, Em. You might not remember it but during our time together you always took the punishment for me. Even with all the bullshit that is happening right now, I am so grateful for that."

Emily just gives her a small smile. Yelena should not have the need to feel grateful for that, she was the oldest sister she would do it over and over again if it meant Yelena was safe. She wishes that she can take both of her sister's pain. Also a small piece of her wishes that she remembers what happened. Maybe when she is comfortable enough to talk about it with her team, they can do a cognitive interview.

Emily turned to Natasha who was confused, "Wait what are you talking about? What does Emily not remember?"

Both Emily and Yelena stayed silent. Emily doesn't remember at all and Yelena does but she doesn't know if it is fair just to reveal all that Emily went through. So she gave Natasha a small answer, "When you left the red room, we were both going to be punished but Emily volunteered to take the punishment so I wouldn't suffer."

Yelena's voice cracked a bit as she stammered out, "Is not like you care, Natasha."

Natahsa does not answer Yelena. She knew what the red room was capable of, but what was so bad that Emily went through that she doesn't even remember her own pain? Natasha turned to see Emily who was avoiding eye contact and turned back to Yelena. "Believe it or not but I do care."

For what Natasha remembers everyone is separated as their own person. But Natasha put her head down in shame thinking about all the suffering her sisters could have gone through. Emily just stared at Yelena from her outburst, "Hey Lena is okay. Is not Nat's fault to begin with. We all had to do our thing to not go back there."

Emily takes a deep breath as she stares at her little sisters, "And I really should have done more for you and I'm sorry that I wasn't smart enough to keep my tabs on you. I really should have just talked out with both of you. But you both looked okay and I did want to ruin that."

Yelena did not say anything, she just gave Emily a small smile knowing that Emily's profile skills will picked up on what she was thinking; she was right as she felt Emily squeezed her hand. But her mind was screaming that at least Emily tried but did she really mean nothing to Natasha? Yelena turned to Natasha who was just staring at the sky.

Natasha did not know what to say. She should have known that in the beginning of all this that Dreykov was not easy to get rid of. That she really should have gone back to confirm the kill. Because it really was not fair that both of her sisters were suffering while she was out living her life. Natasha felt so guilty about the possible things Emily could have gone through.

The tension was so thick between the sisters. There was much left for them to say but it just was too much pain for all of them. Natasha decided to change the topic as her head turned to the rest of the vials, "Is that all there is left?"

Yelena turns to what Natasha was looking at and she hums in response. Yelena takes a deep breath, "It's the only thing that can stop Dreykov and his network of widows. He takes more everyday. Children who don't have anyone to protect them. Just like us when we were small. Maybe one in twenty survives the training, becomes a widow. The rest, he kills. To him, we are just things. Weapons with no face that he can just throw away. And no one's even looking thanks to you Nat and Alexei."

Natasha and Emily perk up at the mention of their father, "Alexei?"

Yelena chuckles at them, "Dad."

Yelena thought how they were all here and how Natasha came back because of the vials but why did Emily come back? Yelena looks at Emily, "Why did you come back?"

Emily just stares at her for a moment before answering, "I wanted to make things right for us and I found out Nat was on the run and I thought we can help but also fix the stuff between us."

Yelena and Natasha don't answer her because they honestly don't know what to say so they just give her a small smile of appreciation. Yelena wonders if they both found more about themselves. She knows Emily was the ambassador daughter so that must have been complicated, "Nat did you ever look for your parents? Your real ones?"

"Well, my mom abandoned me in the streets like garbage. So no," answered Natasha in such a monotone voice. Natasha and Yelena looked at Emily, they really wanted to know what her life was as a politician daughter.

Emily signed at them knowing what they were asking; she took a deep breath and gather her thoughts, "I guess it is obvious right, that my biological mother is the U.S ambassador but she will never be my mom. She did not want me in the first place. I came back and I don't even remember the process of them saying she was my mother."

Both Natasha and Yelena did not say anything. There was nothing for them to say anyways. Emily came back to her mother but the ambassador was not made to be a mother at all. Looking at it from a different angle it must have been difficult to be infused in a world that deals with politics. Emily just shook the betrayal feeling off and looked at Yelena, "What about you, Lena?"

Yelena just chuckled, looked back at her and Natasha, "They destroyed my birth certificate, so I never got the chance to see who my biological parents were, but it doesn't matter because I reinvented it. My parents still live in Ohio. Both of my sisters moved out west."

Both Emily and Natasha chuckled at that as Yelena continue, "My oldest sister, Emily became a journalist and works at the pluge.You are single because your bisexual ass can't deciede what she wants."

Emily just chuckles at that, "Hey! Why choose when you can have the best of both worlds."

Natasha lets out a little laugh as she looks at Emily, "Did you just quote Hannah Montana?"

Emily just sticks out her tongue at Natasha, and Natasha sticks her tongue back. Yelena was confused, who was this Hannah Montana person?

But she ignores the confusion and continues, "Natasha, the second oldest is a science teacher. Part time though because you just had your son. Your husband renovates houses."

Natahsa just looked at Yelena, did she really have that all thought out? She wishes her life would have been that simple. But she lets out a chuckle, "That is not my story."

Both Emily and Yelena let out a laugh. Yelena looks at both of them, "Then what is your story my dearly sisters?"

Emily was quiet. That was a good question, what was her story? Natasha answered it  quickly, "I never let myself be alone enough to think about it?"

Emily nodded her head at that. Maybe the whole reason she enjoys work so much is because she is alway occupied and she is not alone with her own thoughts. Natasha wishes she knew what her story was. She spent so much time making up for all the pain she caused, she never sat down and just thought about all the stuff that happened. Yelena was in the same boat as them. She just got out but it was just like the first time that she tasted freedom. It was a fear that this was just a dream and she would eventually go back to a life where she is not in control.

Yelena changes the topic as she asks another question, "Did you ever wish for kids? I want a dog."

Emily and Natasha smiled at thought. Yelena was always an animal lover and she always wanted a dog. But their smiles dropped as the mention of having kids.  Emily looked at Natasha and she saw her discomfort. So, Emily answered instead, "I don't know. That choice was taken from me and I just kinda accepted it, you know? But maybe in the future I can adopt, if it is meant to be."

Yelena and Natasha smiled at their older sister. They both knew that Emily would be an excellent mother, who protects her child no matter what. But Emily thought the same thing for her little sisters. Natasha would be the scary mom who will do anything for her child and Yelena would be the competitive mom making sure her kids are at the best at everything but she will teach them the most important thing in life is to never give up and never think you are better than someone because you have something that someone might not have.

Life works in mysterious ways and anything good can be taken away so you work hard and always be grateful for the small things in life.

When this is all over Natasha will go back to her avengers family and Emily back to her BAU family but where is Yelena going?  Natasha looked at Yelena, "Where you gonna go?"

Yelena signed, she really doesn't know, "I don't know. I don't really have anywhere to go back to, so I guess anywhere."

The two big sisters looked at each other then back at Yelena and gave her a small smile and Yelena looked at them "Don't."

The girls just stayed quiet but Yelena continued, "One of you is going to give me some big hero speech, I can feel it."

Emily and Natasha just chuckled at her and shook her head. Emily started first, "It was more an invitation to a party."

Yelena raised her eyebrow as Natasha went straight to the point, "To go to the red room and end this once and for all."

Yelena just looked at them. Were they for real? "Even though the red room is impossible to find and Dreykov is too slippery to kill?"

Both Emily and Natasha nodded their head in confirmation. Yelena just let out a tiny laugh, "That sounds like a shit load of work. Are we sure we want to do this?"

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notes!
This really is a long chapter :)
So our girls talked.... well not completely they still have a lot left to say but hey they got some talking done 🙂
REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND STAY HYDRATED!!! 🤎