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"No, no, Y/N," Melina called out your name, making you stop in your tracks, "Those don't go there, honey,"

You were helping Melina in the lab to make more of the counteragent gases to free the widows that were under Dreykov's control worldwide. Yelena would tag along with a fellow Widow, Sonya, and track them down one by one, exposing them to the counteragent.

"Then where do I keep these?" you adjusted the box of chemicals you were holding, looking at the elder widow for instructions.

"On that corner for now,"

"Da-da-da—" Alexie strode into the lab to see you and Melina, dressed in his Red Guardian suit.

"You know, we get that you and Mom were the Crimson Duo back then," you sighed, placing the box on the said place, turning to face him, "You don't have to catwalk around the house with it,"

Melina was working on shifting a liquid from one test tube to another and smiled to herself when she heard you mention her as 'mom'

"It's the Red Guardian," he corrected you and you and Melina rolled your eyes simultaneously.

"When was the last time you took a shower?" you frowned up him, scrunching your nose when his stench wafted towards you.

"I keep telling him," Melina gestured a hand about in frustration, sparing a glance at you over her shoulder, "He doesn't listen!"

"I'm fine," Alexie lifted his shoulders in a shrug, "It's not I'm gonna die if I don't take a shower,"

"But we will," she retorted, making you snort, "You're smelling like one of the pigs I named after you,"

"I'm going to head up," you informed, making your way out of the lab.

"I made mac and cheese if you want some," Melina informed.

You hummed at her in acknowledgment, jogging up the stairs towards the room where you were staying for the time being.

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The next step you took made you stumble forward, and reach for the railing at the side. The walls had a thin layer of moss covering them and the carpet on the steps seemed worn out.

This was not how you remembered the house to be.

You up looked from the floor as your heart rate picked up and your defensive senses screamed at you to keep a guard.

Taking slow steps down the stairs, you held your charged Widow's bite in front of you in caution.

You pressed you back next to the door that led into the living room and frowned when you heard Melina and Alexie speak to each other.

In one swift move, you stepped in front of the door; the wooden floor let out a loud creak as you did so.

Both the adults turned around at your sound of arrival and you furrowed your eyebrows together seeing their worried expression, letting your raised fist fall to the side.

You didn't get to speak at all as Melina had strode forward and embraced you, cradling the back of your head in her palm.

"You're okay, you're okay," Melina muttered under her breath, reassuring herself as she rubbed your back, making sure you were real.

"Wha—I—" your voice was muffled and she pulled back to let you speak, "Something doesn't feel right. What's going on?"

Alexie handed you a burner phone, "Yelena is on call. She said she wanted to speak to you first,"

You took the phone from him as he caressed the top of your head, letting it sink in him that you were alright and in front of him, "Yelena?"

"Oh my god,"  Yelena closed her eyes in relief, hearing your voice, "Y/N, are you alright?"

Yelena had explained how she too had faced the same dilemma as you when she went with Sonya to free Ana, a Widow who was in the Red Room by her side.

When she told you that five years had gone by just like that, you asked her to repeat once, twice; not believing her at all and kept side talking to Alexie and Melina as they kept questioning what your sister was saying

"I— I— yeah, god, this is such a mess," you stammered, still processing everything you were told, "You? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay,"  Yelena replied, though her tone didn't seem as though she was.

You adjusted the phone in your shaking grip, "Did you speak to Natasha? We need to tell her we're okay,"

You frowned when you heard a sniff from the other end of the line and a gust of trembling breath.

Melina noticed your frown and gave you a questioning look, resting a hand on your shoulder.

"Yelena," you swallowed meeting her eyes, feeling your heart drop for some reason, "What happened?"

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