➶ ｡˚ ° ➶ ｡˚ ➶ ｡˚ 
(𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐑)
CHAPTER EIGHT----

"Let's drink" Melina stated, and Rosalie arched an eyebrow at Natasha, who had yet to say anything else since sitting down at the table, the redhead shrugged, Alexei cleared his throat from the doorway, "Oh you've got to be kidding me," Rosalie muttered, taking a shot, Natasha sent her a look, "Don't look at me like that."

"Still fits." he spoke and Melina whistled, "Oh. My. God." Yelena muttered turning back around. "I never washed it once." the older woman noted, "Come and Drink." Alexei sat down at the table, "Family," he paused, "Back together again."

"Seeing as our family construct was just a calculated ruse that only lasted three years, I don't think that we can use this term anymore, can we?" Melina asked, "Agreed." Natasha answered, "So here's what's gonna happen..." Natasha started, but was interrupted when Alexei reached across the table, "Ok, reunion then, huh?" he sat back down, "I want to say something right of the bat. You haven't aged a day, huh? You're just as beautiful and as supple as the day they staged our marriage."

Natasha's face crinkled in disgust and Yelena's matched the same expression, Rosalie had to agree with both of them, this was gross. The blonde woman took a shot, offering another to Rosalie, which the brunette accepted gratefully, "You got fat but still good." Melina said, and that was where Rosalie would very quickly tune herself out of the conversation. "Please don't do that," Natasha said quickly.

"So," Natasha started, and Rosalie reached under the table to hold her hand in more effort to comfort her, "Here's what's gonna happen." she leaned forward, "Natasha don't slouch." Melina corrected pointedly, Natasha looked offendedly to her shoulder, "Wha..I'm not slouching." Rosalie smiled slightly, "Yes, yes you are." Rosalie spoke, "Ro..." Natasha warned.

"I don't slouch." Natasha spoke, looking back towards Melina, "You are going to get a back hunch." and Alexei reached over, "Listen to your mother, up, up." Natasha looked between the two of them annoyed, "Oh my god this- Alright enough all of you." she snapped.

"I didn't even say anything that's not fair." Yelena grimaced, "I don't want any food." Melina put some food on her plate, "Eat a little something, Yelena, For God's sake."

"You're going to tell us the location of the Red Room," Natasha spoke pointedly. "You know, it's like when you told them that they could stay up late to catch Santa Claus." Melina spoke, "What? That was fun. 'he come down the chimney girls. Look out! Where is he? You wait for him and when the cookies are gone, then you see he's there.' No, no I want, them to follow their dreams."

"No good." Melina spoke, "Reach for the stars girls." Alexei said and Natasha shook her head, "Finding Dreykov is not a fantasy. It's unfinished business." she said, "You can't defeat a man who controls the very will of others." Melina shook her head, "You never saw the culmination of what we started in America. Nor did you." she spoke, directing the last part at Alexei, before standing up.

"Natasha, always focus, focus. Get what you want." Alexei muttered, now that much was true, once Natasha's mind was set on an idea, she was going to get that done and there was no stopping her. Rosalie and she were alike in that way. Extremely stubborn.

Rosalie was partially zoned out as Melina walked through her presentation about the chemical subjugation, it's not that she wasn't interested in it. She was. Rosalie was just kind of out of it, it had been a long couple of days, and the time she had off from all of this was truly taking a toll on her.

She was familiar with the Winter Soldier project, and how the Red Room had previously worked, she had been on many assignments with both of them when she was working for Fury. Natasha reached over for Rosalie's hand, knowing that the brunette probably needed out of her head, "The world functions on a higher level when it is controlled." Melina stated, "Dreykov has chemically subjugated agents planted around the globe."

"Do you know who they test it on?" Yelena asked, Melina, hummed, "No, that's not my department." Alexei interrupted her, "Ah, come on, come on. Don't lie to them, hm?" Melina shook her head, "I'm not lying."

"You're Dreykov's architect, huh?" Alexei said, "What were you? If I was his architect you were his, you were his partner. You were his business partner." she shouted, "No I was Patsy!" he slammed his hand on the table. "Don't give me that." Melina spoke, "He sell me ideology." 

Rosalie looked between the two of them arguing, and gave Natasha's hand another squeeze, "Shut up!" Natasha exclaimed, "You are an idiot." she told Alexei, then she turned to Melina, "And you are a coward...You are a coward." she paused shaking her head, "And our family was never real so there's nothing to hold on to."

Rosalie wished she could stop Natasha from saying anything else she might regret, but knew she had to get it all out, all the anger and hurt. "We're moving on," Natasha said, voice firm but looking as though she could cry at any moment. "Never family, huh?"

"In my heart, I am simple man. And I think for a couple of deep undercover Russian agents, I think we did pretty great as parents, huh?" Alexei spoke, "Yes we had our orders and played our roles to perfection." Melina agreed. "Who cares? That wasn't real." Natasha spoke shaking her head, "Nat..." Rosalie tried, "What?" Yelena asked, "That wasn't real! who cares?" she shouted. 

"Don't say that. Please don't say that. It was real, it was real to me. You are my mother... You were my real mother, the closest thing I ever had to one." her voice broke, "The best part of my life was fake... and none of you told me." she spoke tears building up, "And those agents you chemically subjugated around the globe? That was me." Melina turned head sharply to look at the blonde.

"And you?" Yelena turned towards Natasha, "You got out, Dreykov made sure no one could escape. Aren't you going to say anything?" Natasha looked down, blinking away the built-up tears. "No." Melina reached over to Yelena, and the blonde shoved her hand away, "Don't touch me." she stood up swiftly, taking the bottle of alcohol with her. "Lena," Natash tried, "No."

"I had no idea." Melina spoke softly, "It's ok, it's ok. I'll go talk to her." Alexei spoke, Rosalie wanted to speak up, trying to warn them it probably wasn't the best idea. Rosalie already related to Yelena and could tell this may only make it worse. Though she figured this was a family matter. 

Natasha stared across the table at Melina, and when she thought she would start crying she stood up suddenly, "Where are you going?" the older woman asked, "To do this myself." Natasha answered, walking through the house, and Rosalie quickly followed her, "Don't. You won't survive." Melina spoke joining the two of them.

"I wish I could believe you cared," Natasha stated, walking through the house and switching on a light, "But you're not even the first mother to abandon me." Natasha turned to Rosalie, "You'd know something about that wouldn't you."

"I'm not gonna lie, Natasha, that hurt." Rosalie exhaled sharply, "You're trying to push me away, but I won't let you."

"You weren't abandoned, you were selected by a program that assessed the genetic potential in infants." Melina spoke, Natasha stepped forward meeting Melina's eyes, "I was taken?" Rosalie stood off to the side in the kitchen, leaning against the sink, she wanted to cry. This was all too much at once. 

"I believe a bargain was struck, your family paid off," Melina explained, "But your mother never stopped looking for you. She was like you in that way, she was relentless." Natasha blinked away some tears, "What happened to her?"

"Dreykov had her killed. Her existence threatened to uncover the Red Room. Normally the actions of one curious civilian wouldn't warrant an execution. But as I said she was relentless." Melina explained. 

"I thought about her every day of my life." she breathed, "Whether or not I admitted it to myself, I did," Natasha spoke, "I've always found it better not look into the past." Melina spoke softly, "Oh yeah?" she reached for the bookshelf, "Then why'd you save this?" she pulled out a photo album, by now Rosalie had made her way to stand beside her.

Rosalie smiled lightly at the pictures of young Natasha and Yelena, "I remember this day," Natasha pointed at the photo, "We shot Christmas, easter, thanksgiving, and summer vacation all in one day." she spoke, Melina stood looking over Natasha's other shoulder, "Different backdrops." She continued and Melina hummed in agreement. 

"I knew all the presents under the tree were just empty boxes, but I didn't care. I wanted to open every single one..." she smiled, "Just for a second it would feel real." Melina plucked the photo album away, "Let's stop this."

"Why are you doing this?" Natasha asked the woman, "Why does a mouse born in a cage, run on that little wheel?" Melina asked, "Do you know I was cycled through the Red Room, four times before you were even born? Those walls were all I know, I was never given a choice." Melina explained, "But you're not a mouse Melina. You were just born in a cage but that's not your fault." 

Melina scoffed slightly, shaking her head with tears in her eyes, "Tell me, how did you keep your heart?" she asked, Natasha, paused briefly, "Pain only makes you stronger. Didn't you tell us that?" recognition flickered through her eyes, "What you taught me kept me alive."

"I'm sorry I already alerted the Red Room. They'll be here any minute." Melina spoke, and Rosalie's jaw dropped slightly, "Damn...I mean I don't know why I'm surprised this is usually how this kind of thing works out...but damn, plot twist." Rosalie muttered, "Seriously, Ro?"

"One other thing," Melina spoke up, "You're Rosalie Nicole Barton correct?" the brunette froze up slightly, and Natasha looked at her curiously, "Uh, yeah. Why?" Rosalie asked, "Marylin is there, in the Red Room." Rosalie exhaled sharply.

"What?...How do you...What?"