Archive of Our Own

i

Kate wakes to thunder.

It wasn’t surprising, the weather had taken an awful turn, and clouds twisted the sky at all times of the day, turbulent and dark, rain thundering onto the people of New York almost constantly for a week now, with no sign of stopping.

And while the rattle of raindrops was soothing, Kate did find herself looking forward to the forecast changing. Tomorrow it was supposed to be warm, maybe even sunny, and Kate was already itching for it.

Her alarm was chiming from her phone, and she sat up to turn it off, wiping a hand across her face while quickly checking her notifications. She had an email from her assistant, confirming that everyone was attending, an email from a subscription service she needed to cancel, and some messages from Yelena.

Yelena [6:20 AM]

Good luck today. They will never know what hit them.

Yelena [6:20 AM]

I can meet you for lunch after, to celebrate your definite win.

Yelena [6:21 AM]

Fanny says good luck too.

Attached was a photo of her dog, lying on her back with her paws in the air, blonde hair and a green eye barely visible through the thickness of her fur. She liked this, the new closeness she found with Yelena. It was nice, and she didn’t hesitate to tap her lap to bring Lucky closer and take a photo with him to send back.

Kate [6:23 AM]

Thank you!!

Lunch would be so good rn

You pick the place!

She got out of bed and started the motions of getting ready. She was nervous, but she had to hold it in. Today, she wasn’t allowed to be Kate Bishop, Hawkeye. Today, she was Kate Bishop, CEO.

With that in mind, she showered, did her hair in a tail with her usual bangs on either side of her face, and got dressed. The tailored suit was black with grey pinstripes, which she paired with a black shirt.

Satisfied she looked no-nonsense enough, she went to her kitchen. While she missed her old apartment, her new one was much nicer, bigger, and seemed more fitting for her new mantle of CEO. Her mother had insisted she move, all the way from her prison cell, with concerns regarding people finding where she lived, and the poor state of her security. Something Yelena had agreed with wholeheartedly, much to her chagrin.

She sipped her breakfast, mentally planning on going to the gym later on, and her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Jason Chen [6:49 AM]

I am outside, Ma’am.

She replied and walked down the steps, picking up her briefcase on the way and quickly checking her notes and laptop were securely inside, which they were. Jason stood outside the car in his suit, with a soft yet professional smile, nodding his head a little as she approached, and opened her door. He was vetted by herself, and then Clint and even Yelena, as she still doesn't feel a need to learn how to drive.

Besides, Jason was nice, and definitely drove better than she ever could.

“Would you like the radio, ma’am?” he asked, and she shook her head.

“At this time of day it’ll either be JJJ badmouthing me or a JJJ wannabe doing the same thing.” she sighed, and he nodded.

“Spotify it is.” 

They get to Bishop Security with minimal trouble, which is good considering how bad the traffic could be, and she enters with one last smile to Jason, who would return to her later. She greeted the receptionist, the security, and the construction workers finishing a wall in the main entrance, and made her way to the elevator to finish her prep for the meeting.

You got this, Bishop. You got this.

She goes through the notes in her pad once again, the chicken scratch writing eligible probably only to herself, and the clock ticks closer to 8:30 AM. She had all the information she needed, evidence to back herself up, and she even had a friend in the room.

“Knock knock!”

Speak of the devil.

Angelina Davis was older than her, with tanned skin, dark eyes and her hair scraped back into a ferocious bun. She had worked with her mother for years and looked after Kate since taking her role at Bishop Security as the CEO. Kate was more than happy for the assistance.

“Are you ready for your big day?”

Kate stood from her desk and reclaimed her items, shrugging a shoulder. God, she missed her bow. Angelina looked a little stressed today, no doubt because of the same reasons Kate suffered, but she remained composed, meeting Kate’s grin with her own.

“As I’ll ever be!”

The conference room had tall wall-length windows, and a large black mahogany table in the centre. Around the table her advisors stood, waiting for her to enter, and some even smiled in greeting, while others remained blank-faced and unimpressed.

“Everyone,” she greeted, stopping to shake one man’s hand in greeting, and took her place at the front of the table, “Thank you for joining me today.”

They sit, and she gets comfortable. She had planned for this, she could do it.

“Okay, let’s get right into it. As I am sure some of you have been made aware, and I'm surprised it's taken this long to process. I am closing all accounts belonging to anyone operating outside of the law.”

Two of the older men in the room looked down, one clenched his fist, and another sat forward. She mentally took note of their names.

“With all due respect,” Richardson began, no doubt about to be incredibly disrespectful, “how would you even begin this… operation? They pay good money, have done so for years, and would just go to someone else anyway, so why act so rashly?”

Kate nodded slowly and laced her fingers together.

“You think it’s rash that I want to cut ties with known criminals? Kingpin was using this company for years to get away with… so much, and I’m sure I don’t need to remind you, almost caused Bishop Securities to shut down.”

He frowned, his pale blue eyes seething, and Kate mentally circled his name in red pen.

“Yes, they probably will go to other companies. But we are the best, others will not perform as well, and they will be caught out by the cops, or better. Plus, I am sure we could all sleep a little better knowing we aren’t aiding and abetting criminals, right?”

“Is this all because you’re an Avenger now?” he asked, and she tilted her head a little to the side, hiding her annoyance.

“That I don’t want to help people get away with criminal activity? Surely that is a sentiment we all share, Avenger or not.”

The others stayed quiet, but one man smiled into his drink, and a woman nodded in agreement. She kept her gaze on Richardson, though, who was now close to openly glaring at her.

“Maybe I should also implement a second process,” she mused, a small smile slipping across her lips, leaning back on her elbows, “and update the background checks.”

“We had those when we started the company.” Birkin, a stout man, complained, and she nodded.

“Yeah, when you joined. Things can change over the years,” she purposefully didn’t look back at Richardson, “loyalties and goals, morals even,” she laughed gently, not at all genuinely, “who knows the people you could become. In fact, yes. Angelina?”

The woman on her right sat a little taller.

“Yes?”

“Make a note to prepare a background check on all employees.”

She took a note, and Richardson huffed.

“That is not legal, I know my rights, you cannot go snooping into our histories without consent.”

“That’s true, but it does beg the question why wouldn’t you want me to look?”

They lock eyes again, and Kate gently knocks her fingers against the tabletop, calm as can be, while Richardson begins to sweat.

“Of course, if an employee wishes to be removed from this search, they can explain why, in a private environment with HR, myself and perhaps a few officers. Would that be fair?”

He looked down, now suitably pink from rage, clenching his fists and jaw. Kate nodded once again, and sat back in her chair, waving her hand to the others present.

“Are there any other complaints?” they shook their heads at varying speeds, “Good. Now, onto the rest of this meeting.”

They take one break at 11:00, and manage to wrap everything up by 13:00. Kate has a headache in the back of her eyes, and touches her forehead before remembering her mother doing this exact pose, and forcing her hand away to stop herself. She makes her way to her office and pulls out her phone, sitting on her desk and going through the notifications.

She had a few alerts from her apps, too many emails to look at right now, and a few messages, sixteen from her group chat with Greer and Franny, two from Clint, and two from Yelena.

Obviously, she opened Yelena’s first.

Yelena [12:51 PM]

I am outside your building. Let me know when you are ready for lunch.

Yelena [12:52 PM]

I am looking forward to hearing how you picked out the rotten apples.

Kate grinned and typed a reply, finished her coffee and left the office. Yelena knew her plan from the start, to weed out the people who had been planted by Fisk or whoever else to keep tabs on the company, and her goal to remove them from the building, and hopefully to prison.

She got to the elevator, her briefcase in hand, when someone approached from the side.

“Kate?”

She stopped, the elevator was rising so she didn’t have long, but she still smiled at Angelina.

“Hi, everything okay?” she asked, the CEO mask slipping a little as she got closer to freedom. Angelina smiled thinly and looked around, making Kate frown. She was stressed, and Kate didn’t know why.

“Can I speak to you?” the older woman asked, “In private?”

Kate glanced at her watch, frowning a little.

“I have somewhere I need to be, Angelina. Can we have a meeting after lunch?”

The woman’s hands shook, staring right through Kate. The elevator arrived with a soft ding, which seemed to break her spell, and she smiled widely.

“Of course, enjoy yourself, Kate.”

Kate nodded slowly and got on the empty elevator, smiling back weakly.

“You too, Angelina.”

The doors shut on her concerning expression and Kate pulled her phone from her pocket.

Kate [13:09 PM]

omw down to you now

Kate [13:09 PM]

I’m so ready for food

She arrived at the ground floor and walked out of the elevator, feeling a lot of her stress dissipate at the sight of Yelena standing just outside the doors of the main building. She wore a soft green leather jacket, a white shirt, black cargo pants and leather boots. Her hair was brushed out of her face, short and capable of driving Kate positively insane.

Of course she had a crush on Yelena Belova, she was beautiful, inside and out, but was definitely not interested, and was so far out of her league.

She looked up and met her eyes through the glass, and smiled at the sight of Kate, mouth opening a little as she took a deeper breath. Kate beamed and waved, walking across the lobby, past the construction workers.

But then Yelena’s face drops in fear.

And then she was upside down.

Her ears were ringing. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. Her lungs were thick with something as heat burned across her body. She tried to call for help, to see what was going on, but she could only manage a whine as it tore from her throat.

“Kate Bishop!”

Yelena appeared in her vision, soot on her face, blood on her cheek from glass, and she looked terrified. Kate tried to get up, but a sharp pain in her lower body stopped that from happening. She tried to speak, but blood choked from her lips.

“No, Kate stay with me-”

People around her were screaming, Yelena tried to support her head, looked around and shouted for help while others burned. She touched Kate’s chest, her hand coming back soaked with red.

That's not good.

Yelena pushed something against her wound as she choked, more red spluttering from her lips.

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

Her dad's voice, a memory from when she had broken her leg as a child, soothed her amongst the canopy of screams, the sound of the building crumbling around them. She tried to raise a hand, but she couldn’t lift it.

Everything was so heavy.

Kate's name was lost in a whine as Yelena pulled at her face, making blurred blue eyes look at her devastated expression.

No…

“Isss okay,” she tried to say around the wetness soaking from her lips, words lost in a gasping and failing breath, Yelena stared numbly in disbelief, shaking her head as she gripped the archer tight, “Is…”

“Kate you have to hold on, please, I can't lose you-”

Her voice was thick with tears as she clung to Kate’s limping body, haunting her for those few moments of consciousness. Kate faded away with the sound of her name being sobbed by the woman holding her so tight.

“Kate, please!”

ii

Kate wakes to thunder.

It wasn’t surprising, the weather had taken an awful turn, and clouds twisted the sky at all times of the day, turbulent and dark, rain thundering onto the people of New York almost constantly for a week now, with no sign of stopping.

And while the rattle of raindrops was soothing, Kate did find herself looking forward to the forecast changing. Tomorrow it was supposed to be warm, maybe even sunny, and Kate was already itching for it.

Her alarm was chiming from her phone, and she sat up to turn it off, wiping a hand across her face while quickly checking her notifications. She had an email from her assistant, confirming that everyone was attending, and an email from a subscription service she needed to cancel.

Stretching her neck, she typed out a quick text to Yelena. She had a long CEO-based day ahead of her, full of meetings and passive-aggressive comments from people who still didn’t think she deserved the position she had gained. Kate was already tired from it, already missed the thrill of her other ‘job’ as an Avenger, and figured her future self was deserving of a break.

Kate [6:22 AM]

Moooornin

Do you want to get lunch later?

She hadn’t even put her phone down when Yelena replied.

Yelena [6:22 AM]

If you value your life, you will never contact this number again.

Yelena [6:22 AM]

Fuck you.

Panic and fear pierce her spine in an icy grip, choking her lungs and making her heart race dangerously fast. She doesn’t even think, she sits up straighter in bed and calls.

Yelena answers immediately.

“Who is this? How did you get her phone?”

She manages to speak despite the cotton wool attempting to choke her.

“Yelena?”

Utter silence. It stretches, Kate counts three beats of her heart before a shaky breath is heard from her end.

“... Is this a trick? One of those practical jokes people find so funny despite how harmful they can be?”

Kate had never heard Yelena sound like this. Never. Not when Fanny had to go to the vet, not even when her sister returned. She was angry, furious for sure, but mostly she was upset. Kate could almost see the tears building in her eyes from her voice alone, and it made Kate’s eyes swell with them too.

She swallowed and sniffed, Lucky rested his head on her knee, whining in the back of his throat even as she started scratching his head.

“Yelena I- I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you, but I-”

The line goes dead. She looks at her phone, hands shaking, lips quivering, and covers her mouth to force down a sob. She cannot fall apart today, not this early, not when she has to be the calm-faced CEO of Bishop Security.

Deal with it later, deal with it later.

She could fix whatever it was she did to Yelena. She would. She would grovel and find out what she had done wrong and make sure to never ever do it again, if it was even something she did.

Kate nodded to herself, kissed Lucky on the head, and forced herself out of bed. She wanted nothing more than to go to the gym, to train and push her body past these emotions, but she couldn’t.

Today, she wasn’t allowed to be Kate Bishop, Hawkeye. Today, she was Kate Bishop, CEO.

She showered, got dressed, and made her way to the kitchen, doing all she could to not think about Yelena. She went to the fridge to get her breakfast, which she had prepared the night before. She didn’t even notice someone was there until they spoke.

“Kate?”

She whipped around, and Yelena was there. Stood in her kitchen, wearing a hoodie, green leather jacket and black cargo pants, eyes red from crying. Kate took a step, and Yelena crashed into her arms with a ferocious hug.

She grabbed Kate’s face, tracking her eyes over every feature, her lips tugged into a twisted frown as she cried, confused, but so unbelievably happy. 

“Bozhe moy…” she kept saying, over and over, her thumbs running over her cheeks, “Bozhe… I can’t believe it. You’re really… How are you here?”

Kate rested her hands on Yelena’s elbows, doing her best to calm the distressed woman, leaning into her touch with a cheeky smile.

“I’m here quite a lot, I live here now, you know?”

Yelena didn’t laugh, she didn’t blink either, she just looked stunned, a confused expression snaking even deeper over her face. She took a step closer and made sure she had Kate’s eyes, had her attention.

“Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?”

Her cheeks warmed up, she laughed and looked away.

“If one of us is dreaming, I’m pretty sure it’s me-”

“Kate.” Yelena stopped her speaking, a hand guiding her chin so she was once more looking at her, “...You died yesterday.”

… What?

“I died?”

Yelena nodded slowly, shocking Kate when actual tears built up in her eyes, threatening to fall as she let the words sink in.

“... Well, no one told me.”

The Widow again didn’t find her humour funny, but it was rare that she ever did. Yelena clenched her jaw and shook Kate a little, Lucky whined from his bed.

“Kate, I am serious. I watched you die, right in front of me.”

She was so visibly upset, her lips shaking, and Kate scrambled to fix it, to make it better. She held Yelena’s hands and squeezed, keeping their eyes locked together.

“Yelena, I’m perfectly fine, I promise. Maybe… Did you have a bad dream? Too much cheese before bed?”

Kate teased a little at the end, but once more, Yelena didn’t even pretend to find her funny, gripping her tighter, slowly shaking her head as her eyes faded to somewhere, some memory Kate hadn’t been present for.

“It wasn’t a dream. I felt it, heard it, all of it. All your… your screams, your blood, Kate…”

She is shaken up.

“I’m fine, totally fine, it was just a dream, a scary dream, by the sounds of it. But just a dream,” She moved closer, wrapping her arms over Yelena’s shoulders and hugged her for all she was worth, only a little surprised when Yelena squeezed back just as tight, “I’m okay, I promise.”

They stood still in this quiet moment, Kate felt her phone vibrate, no doubt Jason telling her he was ready, and she did her best not to comment on the wetness she felt on her neck.

“Tell you what,” she whispered, thunder rumbling outside, “I’ll rearrange my meetings for today and tomorrow, and we can blow off some steam. Go on patrol, or watch a movie or something. Maybe even go find a creepy cabin to chill in, what do you say?”

Yelena nodded against her shoulder and stepped back, arms still around Kate, eyes watery.

“A cabin. Far away, that… that sounds good.” She mumbled, sniffing again. Kate had never seen her so open like this, and squeezed her shoulders again. 

“Great! I just gotta get through this one big meeting, and then I’ll be free to go do… whatever it is you want to do!”

Yelena frowned, her gaze sharpening.

“Wait… big meeting?”

“Yeah, I gotta go all CEO mode, talk about some new policies I’m bringing in and put up with people acting like-”

“Kate, that’s the meeting you went to yesterday. That’s where you die. There’s a bomb in the scaffolding and you… that’s where…”

A bomb.

The thought of her employees suffering because of it sent a chill through her body. Maybe it was the idea of them dying, or the fact she never knew Yelena to be so openly emotional, but Kate took it seriously.

“Okay, one sec…”

She texted Jason that she would be late, and then contacted her security team.

“There, they’ll look for the bomb where you said, and they’ll let me know if they find anything."

"They will."

Kate tried to reply when her phone buzzed.

Clancy (Security) [06:42 AM]

Timed explosive device discovered. Police have been informed.

Yelena read the text over her shoulder and sagged in relief, “I told you…” she hushed, and Kate swallowed around her racing heart.

“Okay, wow that’s… some Final Destination shit. Damn. Okay.”

She replied and sent another text to her assistant, and a third to Angelina.

“Right, I’ve delayed the meeting, that should-”

“Delayed? Kate, you have to cancel the meeting altogether.”

Kate frowned and turned to Yelena, slowly shaking her head.

“I’m sorry but I can’t, they already think so little of me, if I want to keep this company going I have to-”

Yelena grabbed her again.

“Kate Bishop, someone tried to assassinate you. You cannot go to that meeting.”

“You don't know that they were-”

“I was the greatest weapon of the Red Room, I know an assassination when I see one.”

Kate frowned a little, tapped her fingers together in a calming pattern, and smiled through a sigh. Yelena seemed serious, serious enough to bring up the Red Room, and that was the final bit of information she needed to believe her.

Not that she didn't anyway.

“Okay then, why don’t you come with me?”

Yelena blinked.

“What?”

Kate grinned.

“Come with me! Even if there is an assassin, no one would get past you, right? The World’s best ex-assassin and archer in one room? We’ll be fine!”

“Are you taking your bow?”

“If I can sneak it in, sure.”

Yelena clenched her jaw, looking between Kate’s eyes, before finally huffing.

“Fine. But you do exactly as I say.”

Kate nodded excitedly.

“Yes! Brilliant, okay let's get going.”

With Yelena at her side, she felt unstoppable. Having her imposing self right by her side made dealing with her employees with less-than-like personalities, such as Richardson and Berkin, so much easier, even if they looked at her funny for having her bow folded up on her hip. Yelena kept vigil at her side, made sure no one so much as thought negatively about Kate, and having her support during such an important moment meant a lot.

They finished their meeting quicker than expected, as no one had anything to say with a Black Widow by her side, and they were in her office before she knew it.

“We survived!” She cheered, offering her fist, which Yelena sighed before knocking her knuckles against hers, “Sorry for boring you to death.” she teased, and Yelena huffed, staring at the watch on her wrist, slowly getting closer to 13:10 PM.

“Boring is better than exploding,” she agreed, looking up at Kate, “I am glad it went well. You will save this company yet, Kate Bishop.”

Kate looked down and grinned, hiding her flushed cheeks. They talk until the time reaches 13:20, and Yelena finally relaxes.

“So, do you want to get lunch?” Kate asked, and the blonde nodded, taking a breath.

“Da. I will do one last sweep before we can head out, yes?”

Kate nodded and Yelena left, looking out the door and letting it close quietly. Kate took out her phone and finished her coffee, reading through the messages she had received in the meeting when the door knocked. She called them to enter and smiled at the face she saw.

“Angelina, hi, is everything okay?”

The woman shut the door and hesitated before locking it. Alarm bells rang in Kate’s head, and she stood from the desk.

“I am sorry,” the woman sobbed, pulling out a gun from her bag, hands shaking, “She will ruin me if I don't.”

Kate’s heart raced, she took a step back, her hands up.

“Angeli-”

The door slammed open, the gun fired, and Yelena shoved Angelina aside. Kate put a hand to her chest, right over her heart, where blood soaked her shirt.

She fell backwards and collapsed, Yelena’s distraught face appearing over her, hands hard against her shirt, already drenched.

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

Her dad’s voice whispered in her head, a memory soothing her. Blue eyes fluttered, and Yelena sounded far away, her tear thick voice begging her to stay, to fight. Kate wanted to, really.

She just couldn’t, not any more.

“Kate!”

iii

Kate wakes to thunder.

Her phone rings and she rubs her eyes, sitting up to answer it.

“Hello-?”

“I’m coming over.”

Yelena was haggard, her hair soaked through from the rain, looking like she had run over. She explained everything.

She had called in a bomb threat, there was one discovered in the lobby.

Angelina was arrested, Yelena had somehow found intel that she was blackmailed to assassinate Kate if the bomb didn’t go off. As soon as she was arrested, she confessed to everything, how the woman had evidence of her stealing money from the company. If it went public, she was done for, so had to kill Kate to keep it hidden.

That… that hurt.

Yelena goes with her to the meeting, but she is on edge, and Kate does her best not to panic at the sight of Natasha Romanoff waiting outside the building for them when they arrive three hours later.

“Apparently you’re in trouble.” she teased, but was still just as weary as Yelena.

Kate had met Natasha before, at Clint’s Farm for last Christmas, and a few times during the year when Yelena would invite her to various days out and events. They got on well, but Natasha always gave her this knowing look whenever her sister was around that made Kate blush and forget her own name.

She didn’t today though, clearly, she could tell Yelena was stressed, and was doing her best to remain calm for her younger sister.

They move rooms, taking the meeting on the other side of the building. There was one window and no buildings nearby. It would be impossible to snipe from.

The fact that thought had occurred to Yelena made Kate appreciate her even more, and she did her best not to nibble on her sleeve in nerves. She was Hawkeye, damn it. She was braver than this.

Of course, Hawkeye was better equipped for whatever had Yelena so afraid, Kate, at this moment, was just the CEO with a building of people she needed to both protect and gain respect from.

For her mom’s sake, and her dad’s legacy.

The meeting went well despite the last-minute change in rooms, two Black Widows could have that effect, and they wrapped up just in time for lunch.

“Miss Bishop, a word?”

Yelena refused to leave when Birkin asked, standing a few feet away as he nervously talked to her.

“What’s up?” she asked, and he looked around, unsure.

“I… I am worried about Richardson. He’s been saying some things outside of the office, after hours, and they concern me. They’re regarding you, Miss Bishop, and the company.”

Kate slowly nodded, taking it in. That was no surprise, Richardson was notably against Kate in every way he could. He even hated the coffee brand she had installed.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Percy. I will get to the bottom of this.”

He smiled, relieved, when a shadow cast over him, the sound of blades rotating, and she knew then there was a helicopter behind them.

That’s bold.

Yelena shouted, no words, just a sound of agony. Natasha pushed through the door, staring in horror, and red splattered across Berkin.

He blinked at the impact, unblinking, staring at her.

“Berkin, what happened to… your shirt?”

He choked on a shuddering breath at her question, Yelena was at her side as Kate fell, blood spouting from her chest, the blonde catching her body and collapsing alongside her, weakly pushing against the hole torn through her.

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

Her father’s voice, she had missed it.

“Why?!” Yelena sniffed, tears flooding, gripping her jacket as her own was dyed a crimson nightmare. Kate wanted to answer, to wipe away her tears and apologise, ask her to take cover, to be careful as Nat shot at the retreating helicopter and Berkin hyperventilated on the floor.

Kate couldn’t do anything apart from trying to say Yelena's name. She failed at the first letter.

Instead, she faded away, Yelena’s shuddering breaths following her.

iv

Kate wakes to glass shattering, the sound of thunder rumbling in after Yelena lands on her floor, avoiding the clock Kate threw with her half-asleep aim.

“I- I thought you were way too talented to break anything?” she asked, smiling a little, despite her heart racing in her chest. Yelena didn’t smile, didn’t move, not even as Lucky barked happily at her presence.

“You are coming with me,” she said, leaving no room for arguments. Kate tried, opening her mouth to remind Yelena she had a big meeting today, when the Widow held up her hand to stop her, “I am not moving on this. We are leaving the city. Now. You can deal with your employees later.”

“Yelena-”

“Kate. Please.”

Her eyes, the way she was frozen, made Kate pause. Something had upset her, she could tell, and she had come to Kate.

She nodded her head.

“Okay.”

She texted Jason not to pick her up and was about to email the rest of the meeting participants when she got a message.

Angelina [6:35 AM]

Morning boss, Jason said you’re not driving today, is everything alright?

Yelena took the phone before she could reply, removed the sim, snapped it in half, turned the phone off and handed it to her.

“I will explain later,” she said, and Kate knew not to argue. She got dressed in her casual clothes, like Yelena asked. Cuffed jeans, a purple shirt, her college sweater and a long overcoat, putting a cap on for the rain. In the meantime, Yelena gathered snacks and an assortment of random supplies, as well as one of Kate's old archery hoodies she had long since forgotten about.

“We are getting a bus out of here,” she said, holding two physical tickets, paid for in cash, “and then we will get off before the end of our journey and steal a car. We will use it to get to the next location, where I will keep you safe.”

Kate nodded, fear racing through her. She had to be Hawkeye now, not CEO.

“Okay, who is trying to get us?”

Yelena looked at her for so long, so upset, that she almost regretted asking. The blonde took her hand and squeezed, smiling at the slight intake of breath from Kate. She didn’t initiate touch much, knowing Yelena wasn’t fond of it, so it felt nice when she did it.

“I will explain later, let’s go.”

The coach station is busy, but not unusually so. Yelena doesn’t leave her side, hides her in the back corner and keeps vigil until the vehicle has driven out of the state. They talk quietly, she tries to figure out where they’re going, and Yelena keeps dodging the question with a fond smile.

As Yelena said, they got off the bus at a random stop and walked to a gas station. Yelena had found the car she wanted to take, and Kate had a wad of cash to leave behind.

“Can you stay in the stall?” she asked, glancing suspiciously behind her, “just lock yourself in. I’ll be back soon to get you once I have the car.”

Kate was a little insulted, and almost reminded her that she was an Avenger in training too, but Yelena took her hand and squeezed, and with that Kate’s agitation left her.

“Yeah, sure, no problem.”

She is sitting on the toilet, with the lid down, mind you, her knees to her chest as she did her best to occupy herself, her eyes tracing the words carved into the stall walls with mild amusement. She was halfway through memorising someone's phone number when a person entered the room.

At first, Kate didn’t notice, just staying still as they wandered in.

Then they stopped outside her stall. She watched as their feet turned, facing the door.

Kate felt her breath catch in her throat and did her best to hold it. After being told someone was coming after her, someone even Yelena felt threatened by, Kate hadn’t thought much about them.

Until they literally came knocking. They pushed the door, which strained against its hinges, and Kate swallowed.

“This stall’s occupied,” she called, and the person pushed harder.

Kate was up and scrambling out of the window before they could burst through the door. She fell with a slight grunt and rolled in the gravel, scrambling to her feet and running around the side of the building.

“Yelena?!” she shouted, skidding around the corner, the car park in her sights. A car rumbled and started driving to her, and Kate began running.

“Yel-!”

Someone slammed into her back, shoving her on the ground. They grabbed her shoulder and rolled her over, and Kate tried to block a knife, which impaled her hand. The archer cried out in agony, and a woman sneered down at her.

She had black hair, peppered with grey, and dark eyes. The woman tore the knife from her hand and then, very quickly, stabbed her, over and over, again and again, in various areas around her torso.

Blood gargled around her mouth, and the woman continued until the truck slammed into her, covering Kate and removing the woman. She stared at the undercarriage of the vehicle, her left side tingling, darkness pooling in the sides of her vision, dragging something chilling with it.

“Who are you?!”

Yelena was fighting the woman, the cold settled over Kate’s chest, her eyes slipping shut.

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

Her dad whispered in her ear, she missed him so much. Was it cruel that she was at least the slightest bit happy to see him again?

She heard a grunt of pain, Yelena demanding answers.

I’m sorry, Yelena.

v

Kate wakes to glass shattering, the sound of thunder rumbling in after Yelena lands on her floor, avoiding the clock Kate threw on reflex. 

“I- I thought you were way too talented to break anything?” she asked, smiling a little, despite her heart racing in her chest. Yelena didn’t smile, didn’t move, not even as Lucky barked happily at her presence. She ignored the dog, picked up Kate’s phone when the alarm started, and launched it out of the window.

“Hey-!”

“You are coming with me.”

There was no room to argue. Kate changed into some fresh clothes, tied her hair up and went for Lucky’s lead.

“No, do not bring the dog.”

Kate gripped the lead tighter and shook her head.

“Nu-uh, I’m bringing the dog.”

“Kate-”

Lucky's tail wagged against her leg, looking back and forth between them as they talked.

“If someone is coming to kill me, then we’re taking the dog! I’m not gonna leave him here.”

She sighed, but Kate knew that meant she won. The blonde nodded her head to the side and Kate smiled briefly, latching the lead onto her dog’s collar.

“C’mon boy, wanna go for a walk?”

He barked twice and tapped his paws against the floor. Yelena gathered some food, and Kate grabbed Lucky’s supplies, and on second thought, her bow.

She won’t admit how grateful she was that she could be Kate Bishop, Hawkeye, and not the youngest CEO the world had seen since Tony Stark. Yelena is at the door, a bag on her back and one in her hand for Kate, who took it with a swing.

“You have to follow everything I say, Kate Bishop. Understand?”

Kate hit her with a finger gun, her other hand securing the dog’s lead.

“Totally, I’d be mad not to-”

Yelena caught her wrist in her hand, cold fingers brushing the underside of it, touching her pulse point, so she must have felt it race at the touch.

“I am being serious. This person is pursuing you, and they escaped me, several times. They are skilled, Kate, and I will not allow them to hurt you again.”

The pain echoed through her eyes, making Kate’s breath catch in her throat. She nodded, and after a moment of hesitation, she slowly lowered her hand to hold Yelena’s fingers, the blonde watching her the entire time.

Her hand feels nice, she thought, real nice.

“Okay, I’ll listen.”

Yelena sighed, her head tipped down and the slightest smile flickered on her lips.

“Thank you.”

She opened the door and checked the exits, gesturing for Kate to follow. It wasn’t until they were outside and in the car, which Yelena had no doubt acquired by illegal means, driving through the barren streets to some unknown location, that her brain caught up.

“What do you mean ‘again’?”

Pain returned to Yelena’s expression, and as she informed her of what had happened, Kate was very happy to have Lucky to cuddle on her chest. Yelena remained tense the entire journey, whenever a car drove past she would lock up, the radio stayed off, and Kate could see her straining to see and hear everything around them.

If Yelena noticed Kate's side eye at the glare she gave a gas station they drove past, while cursing under her breath, she didn't comment on it.

They didn’t stop, eating while they drove, and only pulled over for exactly two minutes for Lucky to pee. Yelena couldn’t shove Kate into the car faster.

The sun was setting in the sky by the time they stopped, god knows where, in an immense thicket of trees. They towered over them, and Kate rubbed the back of her neck, feeling like she was being watched. A cabin was in the middle, totally unassuming, but Kate had learned long ago that Yelena was nothing but surprising.

“It is a safe house,” she told her, parking the car inside the garage, “SHIELD will not mind if we borrow it.”

“Would it matter if they did?” Kate asked, opening the door for Lucky to scamper out and immediately start sniffing, stretching her arms out. Yelena smirked a little, shaking her head.

“No, it does not matter.”

They go into the building and Kate hums under her breath in appreciation. She’s sure in the day it would look better, but even in the evening it looked nice, and not at all like the horror scene she had expected it to be.

“I will prepare us dinner!” Yelena called from the stairs, returning from upstairs while holstering her gun and heading to the kitchen, where Kate intercepted her, waving her finger, making Yelena sag, “Kate Bish-”

“Nu-uh,” she argued, catching Yelena’s eye and deliberately placing her hands on her shoulders, taking a step back, which Yelena thankfully allowed, “you drove for hours. You deserve a break! Go sit down-”

“We cannot order takeout here.” Yelena interrupted, almost teasing, if Kate was brave enough to guess.

“I survived for 23 years, you know! I can cook-”

“I would prefer not to get food poisoning.”

“Oh, you’re kind of an asshole, aren’t you?”

Yelena winked and ducked under her arm.

“It only took you this long to notice?”

Kate’s fingers caught her wrist, Yelena stilled and followed them up, resting on her face.

“How about an ultimatum,” Kate offered, her thumb brushing delicately across the back of her hand, “and we split the work.”

Yelena’s suddenly serious gaze turned amused, and she nodded slowly, emeralds locking her in place.

“Okay, Kate Bishop. Deal.”

Dinner was two frozen pizzas with potato smiley faces, a concerning amount of ketchup, which Yelena found very amusing, and two glasses of water. They eat at the table, Kate somehow managing to sneak Lucky some pizza when Yelena looked away, and then found themselves on the couch, the dog splayed out between them, his head on Yelena’s lap and his foot dangerously close to Kate’s chin.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

Kate looked up at Yelena’s words, taking a quick break from mindlessly flicking through the TV channels to find something to watch. She smiled softly, grabbing Lucky’s foot and squeezing it a little.

“Of course,” she replied, taking the same hushed tone as Yelena, meeting the blonde’s eyes, “you said you needed me to come with you, I know you well enough to figure out when you’re being serious.”

And when you’re upset.

Yelena’s hand clenched in her lap before she looked back at the screen and blindly reached over, holding her palm up on Lucky’s tummy. Kate glanced at it, then at Yelena, then back at her hand before taking her fingers and lacing them between her own.

She loved holding Yelena’s hand.

“... You are very important to me, Kate Bishop. I don’t think I knew how much, until…”

She glanced down, and Kate desperately wanted her attention again, her lips pulled up in a small smile and she squeezed her fingers.

“Until you saw my blood everywhere?”

Green eyes flashed with pain, and she instantly regretted speaking. Even Lucky could sense the shift, groaning and rolling onto his back and flopping off the couch, taking the remotes with him.

“Sorry,” she hushed, “I… I wasn’t thinking. That was insensitive.”

The blonde huffed and made to move, Kate’s head filled with ways to make it up to her, when Yelena just shuffled closer, resting her head on Kate’s shoulder.

“Take your foot out of your mouth,” she finally hushed, holding her arm close, finally feeling the effects of her long drive and adrenaline wearing off, “I am happy you are here.”

Kate relaxed as best as she could, sinking into the embrace.

“Me too.”

Her eyes grow heavier as the TV screen illuminates them, and something settles in her chest. Something warm, soft, and powerful enough to bring tears to her eyes if she thought about it too hard. She wasn’t sure when it happened, but there was no denying it.

She was in love with Yelena, and that wasn’t going away any time soon.

vi

Kate wakes up to a phone call.

“Yelena? You okay?”

Thunder rumbled behind her, she looked out the window as rain speckled against it. Yelena let out a shaky breath from the other line, and Kate scratched her chin.

“Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

She sounded almost monotone, and Kate sat up in bed, her hair falling over her shoulder.

“Erm, yeah? Are you okay-?”

“What happened yesterday, Kate?”

She scratched Lucky’s head as he jumped on her bed.

“I went on patrol and we ended up teaming together to take down some tracksuit guys. You said we should get lunch today, after my stupid meeting.”

Yelena was silent, Kate checked if she had dropped the call by accident, but she was still present. Then she exhaled once more.

“Yes. The stupid meeting.”

Kate flopped back in bed, smiling at the ceiling even as her phone started ringing for her alarm.

“Well, it is stupid, at least I get to see you after, yeah?”

The pause is longer this time.

“... Sure. Don’t hang up, Kate. I want to talk to you.”

Kate’s brow twitched upward, her lips quirking in amusement.

“Bit of a slow morning?” she teased, and Yelena hummed.

“Maybe. Maybe I just miss your voice.”

Kate’s cheeks flushed a little, and she got out of bed with a slow movement.

“I… okay.”

She gets ready, talking about anything and everything as she prepares for her meeting, only ending the call as she approaches the building, about to walk into the doors.

“I will see you soon, Kate.”

Kate promised the same thing and hung up, a smile lighting up the entire building.

She had a good feeling about today.

x

Kate woke up to someone in her room, and she threw her clock at them. The person batted it to the side, and she blinked at the sight of Yelena, just as thunder rumbled in from outside.

“Yel-?”

“Yes, it is me. Come.”

Kate doesn’t argue, not with that tone. Yelena takes her phone and cancels the meeting, snapping the cell and throwing it out of Kate’s window with barely a glance. Kate wants to argue, call her an asshole, but she looks so haunted when she says she will explain why, so the fight leaves her.

“My photos are backed up anyway.” she mumbled, pulling on a hoodie, and Yelena nodded slowly.

“Good.”

Yelena says someone will come to feed Lucky, and Kate has no reason not to believe her, giving the dog one last big kiss before standing. They don’t go outside, instead going to the empty roof. Kate looks around in confusion, and is about to question her sanity when a large jet fizzles into existence.

… Huh.

“I borrowed this from SHIELD.” Yelena said, the back opening into a ramp for them, “Specifically Natasha. She won’t mind.”

“Would it matter if she did?” Kate asked, teasing despite how mind-blown she was. Yelena did not answer, instead taking Kate by the hand and pulling her into the fancy jet. She sat Kate next to her and expertly powered the vehicle up, floating in the air before taking off, probably faster than should be legal.

“Is there a speed limit in the air?” she asked as the city vanished into a dot beneath them, the rain dotting out as they burst through the clouds, the sun rising to brighten the day. Yelena shrugged.

“There are always speed limits, you just have to be faster than the people enforcing them.”

Kate couldn’t stop her grin, even as she gripped her harness tighter.

“So cool…” she whispered, and Yelena smiled to herself.

After two hours they land on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, no bigger than a football stadium, with crystal blue water and a few trees for cover, but no one else in sight.

“Come on.”

This is how Kate found out that Yelena Belova had kidnapped her for a beach day. She retrieved towels from the back of the jet, as well as a hamper and a cooler, which Kate insisted she help with. The Quinjet’s reflectors are active, so it wouldn’t be spotted, and Kate had seen her switch a dial to put it into stealth mode for extra security.

“Now we can be alone.”

Yelena had seemed so happy, easily taking Kate’s hand and pulling her along to a section of their own private beach to relax, and Kate didn’t want to let her know just how much that made her heart race.

The next few hours are bliss. After applying suncream, they bathe in the heat, which had been dreadfully missed during the current downpour in New York.

“It’s meant to be sunny tomorrow, you know?” Kate called, pulling her hair up into a tail, as she had just convinced Yelena to get in the water with her. The blonde smiled up from her towel, an air of relaxation around her, unlike anything Kate had ever seen on the other woman.

“Really?”

Kate beamed and held out her hand, her heart skipping when Yelena took it after only a moment's hesitation.

“Yeah! TGIF, am I right?”

Yelena frowned, glancing at Kate.

“TGI… Kate, what is that? Are you okay?”

The archer snorted as the back of Yelena’s hand rested on her forehead, quickly taking it, and dragging her towards the gentle water.

“C’mon!”

Yelena smiled almost dumbly and followed, having the restraint not to yelp at the cool temperature like Kate had, the archer turning around and slapping the water at her.

“Hey!” the assassin cried out, disgruntled, and shook her head as Kate went to do it again.

“Kate Bishop, do not-”

“What’re you gonna do about it?” Kate challenged, and knew she was in trouble when Yelena’s eyes narrowed at the challenge.

“Okay, okay! I give! You win!”

The annoyingly dry blonde, despite being waist-high in the water, smirked in victory, slapping the water one last time.

“Loser.”

Kate spluttered and crossed her arms, looking as mad as she could, despite the smile twitching on her lips and being absolutely soaked. 

“Oh, now you’ve done it.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because now you’ve given me a reason for vengeance. I’m gonna sit on this for years, and then bam! Out of nowhere, I’ll soak you with a jug of water.”

Yelena nodded slowly, seemingly in thought, and clicked her tongue.

“Then I will just remove all water jugs in the vicinity. Seems like an easy solution.”

Kate glared, and Yelena winked, stepping out of the way of Kate’s responding splash of water.

“You missed.”

“I never miss when I’m actually trying.”

“Oh? Prove it.”

Kate’s eyes narrowed and she bent a little, Yelena tracked her motion with that intense stare which made her feel so stupid sometimes, and she lunged.

Yelena stepped away from the line of water, already laughing, and turned back around to the archer who was still moving.

“You missed-!”

Kate kissed her. It was quick, chaste, barely a touch to her lips before she pulled back. Yelena was stunned, a small smile pulling her lips up, unsure, but unrelentingly pleased. The shorter woman didn’t shove her off, which she took as a bonus, and Kate was gentle as she eased away from the embrace.

“Told you, I don’t miss,” she whispered amongst the new silence of the waves brushing the shore and Yelena’s quickened breath. A flush was flourishing on the blonde’s cheeks, warm in the evening sun.

“Did you do that just to win?” she asked, her voice soft and almost broken. Kate shook her head, just as slow as the water lapping at her thighs, and placed her hand on Yelena’s hip.

“... No.”

Yelena stood on her tiptoes and kissed her.

Hours later they sit in the Quinjet, watching the full moon beam in the sky, reclined in their seats. Kate’s legs were splayed out, and Yelena rested her ankle over her shin.

“Kate?”

She looked over, humming in acknowledgement, her heart racing at the intensity of Yelena’s gaze.

“... Tomorrow, can we talk about us?”

Her voice was a whisper, Kate matched her volume.

“Yeah, of course,” she replied softly, “tomorrow.”

Yelena smiled, and it was the most genuine thing Kate had ever seen.

“Tomorrow.” she echoed, and Kate was drunk with excitement.

Tomorrow.

xi

Kate woke up to someone in her room, and she scrambled to throw her clock at them, but it wasn’t next to her, but instead in the person’s hands. Thunder rumbled in from outside as her blurry eyes focused on the identity of the woman at the end of her bed.

“Yelena?” she asked, sitting up when the woman started walking over, hesitating when the blonde rested her knee against the bed, between Kate’s and started leaning down, “What-?”

Yelena kissed her, a touch full of needing and want, desperation and desire, erupting a feeling in her chest so strong the archer felt foolish to ignore it any longer. Kate leaned back for a second, her hands falling onto Yelena’s lower back, a gasp shared between them.

“What-?”

"I'm tired, Kate Bishop," Yelena whispered against her lips, "they can come here if they want, I just need a day."

Kate didn't know what she meant, why she sounded so exhausted. Hands ran across her skin and she resisted a shiver.

"Did something happen?" She asked, holding Yelena with as much intensity as the other woman held her, "Are you okay-?"

“Kate,” Yelena interrupted,  moving up her body and slipping her knees on either side of her lap, settling comfortably on her lap, “don't go, stay here, with me, just this time.”

She pulled the sweater from her body and threw it to the side somewhere, running a hand through her hair and out of her face, “Please. Kiss me.”

Who was Kate to disagree with that?

She sat up and gave herself over to Yelena Belova.

Who cares what the board thinks, anyway?

xiv

After the bomb threats were called in and her friend was arrested, Kate was having one heck of a day. She had a headache throbbing behind her eyes and touched her forehead before remembering her mother doing this exact pose, and forcing her hand away to stop herself. 

Yelena [13:43]

I am on my way up.

She was excited. Yelena had called her that morning and promised she would meet her for lunch, after she had dealt with ‘some things’ which took her attention for a few hours. Kate is going through her reports, deciding to make use of her time, when there is a knock at the door.

She only feels a little guilty at her disappointment. It was one of her newer employees, a fresh cup of coffee in her hand, which she raised at Kate with a small and nervous smile.

“I-I thought you’d like some coffee, ma’am?”

Kate stood and took the drink from her, smiling wide.

“Thank you! You’re new, aren’t you?”

The woman was a little older, the discomfort looking out of place on her wise face crinkled with ever so slight creases in the corners of her lips, with dark hair loose around her face.

“Yes, this is my first week! Wanted to make a good impression.”

Kate grinned and raised the cup.

“You’re doing a good job of that!”

The woman blushed a little and looked down as Kate sipped the drink, doing a very good job of hiding her cringe. It was very sweet, much too sweet for her taste, but she wouldn’t let the new employee feel awkward about that.

“How are you finding the company?” she asked, and the woman was about to answer when the door knocked again. Kate cleared her throat and called out.

“Come in!”

Yelena entered, seemingly stressed and on edge, instantly making Kate feel concerned.

"Sometimes nothing happens and then it does, why..."

Kate frowned at the mumbled words and stepped closer to her, which was when Yelena’s eyes snapped to the woman, who smiled politely.

“Yelena, this is… Oh, I’m sorry, I totally forgot to ask your name!”

The woman laughed easily, standing a little taller.

“No problem, I’m Lisa, Lisa Taylor, a pleasure to-”

She was cut off by Yelena’s hand around her throat, throwing her into the wall and snatching at her wrist, twisting it, a knife gleaming from her fingers.

“You.” Yelena hissed, teeth bared in barely contained fury, and Kate’s hands shook, her heart racing.

“Yelena! What-”

“She is trying to kill you, Kate.”

The world stilled, Kate blinked, and then coughed again.

“What-”

“Someone has been killing you, over and over. I disarmed all the bombs, I took out her third option, your friend, and was trying to find her. Why are you trying to hurt Kate Bishop?”

The woman sneered, landing a punch in Yelena’s side and twisting free of her grip, stopping by the door with a now manic expression twisting from her smile.

“You know why, doch' krasnogo tsveta.”

Yelena’s eyes bulged, and Kate wanted to help, trying to put the cup down.

It slipped from her fingers before she could even turn, the world turned on its axis, and her eyes lost their focus, but even then she could see Yelena’s face of terror as she turned to her.

“You’re too late.”

Kate met her eyes, full of everything she wanted to say, but the time slipped away with each second. Her knees buckled as her breathing wheezed out, her lungs frozen, failing to take in air.

“No!”

Yelena caught her as she fell, her throat closing, and all she could see was Yelena’s face as her heart raced and her skin burned.

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

Her father’s voice? Why now?

“I’ll get her Kate,” Yelena promised, crying, clutching at her face and shoulders, holding her as she seized, face turning purple, “and I’ll kill her for this, over and over, I won’t stop.”

Kate wanted to speak, but she could barely see, her vision fading into black spots as words failed her. All she had were her ears, listening as Yelena whispered to her over and over.

“I’ll save you, I’ll save you, I’ll save you…”

Despite the fact she was about to die, Kate believed her. Even as Yelena took a blade and pushed it into her heart, twisting to save her the pain, she believed her.

Kate isn’t sure what that meant, and if she was even ready to acknowledge it.

xx 

“No!”

Yelena collapsed to her knees at Kate’s side as she stared blankly into space, neck a weeping hole, a woman with dark hair dead at their feet. Yelena had fought her, and kept Kate safe, when the woman had slashed at Kate with a shard of the window.

Apparently, her aim was as good as Kate’s, as it had slit her throat clean across.

“No matter what I do…” Yelena wailed, seemingly uncaring about the horrified faces around them as she clutched Kate’s soaking jacket, kneeling heavily on the glass that carved her skin, “It is not enough!”

Kate wanted to help, but she couldn’t even talk through the blood seeping into her throat. She was dying, she was fading, and everything she had wished to say to Yelena was on the tip of her tongue, unable to be said.

“I deactivate the bomb, another goes off. I get rid of them, your friend kills you. I stop her, and a Legacy Widow kills you! I stop her, I keep you safe and… and you just… I can’t…”

She shook with a sob again, resting her head on Kate’s jacket as her whole body curled with agony, saying Kate’s name over and over again.

“I can’t… Kate…”

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

Her dad's voice provided a temporary reprieve from the pain, but it soon washed away with another gargle.

Yelena sniffed and screwed her eyes shut, her voice a cracked whine in the back of her throat.

“Oh, Kate Bishop…” she lamented, tears flowing freely, “I think the universe doesn’t want you to live.”

The archer let blood seep from her lips, rasping through her wet lips.

“I…’Yel…”

Green eyes bore into her own as they rolled back, one last choked sob being pulled from Yelena as she did.

xxi

“I don’t know if I can keep doing this.”

Kate leans against the car door, Jason driving through the city, unaware of the turmoil in the backseat. She had worried something was wrong when Yelena had ignored her message, but now she kenw for certain, and her stomach churned with nerves for her.

Well, her friend, but that word felt too small for what she felt.

“Don’t know if you can do what? What’s happening, Yelena?”

The blonde sniffed down the end, and Kate couldn’t tell if she was more scared of what Yelena was saying, or the fact that she was actually crying.

“This. I… I just need some time, okay? I’m sorry, I will be back, I just need a break from this. I need some… some time to just…”

Kate nodded.

“Okay, that’s okay Yelena. Take as long as you need, okay? I’ll be right here when you want me.”

Yelena hung up, Kate heard her broken sob as she did.

“We’re here, ma’am.”

Kate put her cell in her pocket.

“Thank you, Jason. I’ll see you later.” 

He smiled kindly through the rearview mirror, and she exited the car.

lxi

“Jason? Is everything alright?”

Her driver nodded, but she could tell he was frustrated.

“Yes ma’am, there’s just… an elephant in the road?”

She snorts and is ready to play along when the unmistakable sound of an elephant rumbles through the car. She looked up, away from her phone, and to her bewilderment, there was an elephant in the middle of the road. A few of them, actually.

“... Huh. No shit.”

Jason ran his fingers along the top of the wheel, sighing as he leant back into his seat.

“Yeah, apparently someone broke into the zoo and freed all the large non-human eating animals this morning. The city is full of them. There’s a herd of giraffes on sixth.”

Kate grinned and took a photo of the elephant wrapping its trunk around a tree, immediately sending it to both Yelena and Clint.

Kate [07:02 AM]

We should totally go watch this unfold later

“Do you think we’ll get to the office okay?” she asked, and Jason nodded.

“I think Spider-Man’s helping out, so it should be okay.”

Kate quickly pushed her meeting back a few hours and watched the animals out the window, a small smile on her face.

lxv

“You hear what happened on JJJ’s podcast this morning?”

Kate sipped her coffee and shook her head. They had just finished the meeting, and she was ready to go grab some lunch. She was meant to be seeing Yelena for it, but she knew the radio silence was just Yelena for ‘plans are cancelled’

“You know I have better things to do than listen to that man talk shit about me.”

Angelina showed her the phone with an excited smile, “Trust me, you’ll want to hear this,” she promised, pressing play.

“Mark my words, folks, this Kate Bishop is a menace. She's a danger to our community, just look at her mother! We need leaders who care about more than just their profit margins, which is what this so-called ‘Avenger’ claims to be. Someone who values their employees and- who are you?! Why do you have a salmon?!”

There was the sound of something breaking and a sigh she could recognise from anywhere.

“I have wanted to do this for so long.”

Kate sat up at the sound of Yelena’s voice, followed quickly by the wonderful sound of a salmon slapping against JJJ’s face. She could hear laughter, and then the broadcast was shut off.

“What the…” she grinned up at Angelina, who had a smile still, but a faraway look in her eye, “did that just happen?!”

The woman nodded, and they both fell into a set of laughter, before Angelina stopped with a soft sigh, gesturing at the door.

“Want to get lunch?”

Kate nodded, still grinning, and threw her empty cup in the trash.

“Starving!”

This time the explosion kills her before she even knew what had happened. It was a blessing, she supposed.

lxviii

Kate is about to walk into the meeting when her phone buzzes in her pocket. She looks down, heart skipping a beat at Yelena’s contact, and quickly opens it.

Yelena [8:22 AM]

I just want you to know that I am thinking of you.

Her cheeks flush. It wasn’t often Yelena spoke like this, but whenever she did, Kate got the briefest spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, her feelings weren’t entirely one-sided.

Kate [8:22 AM]

I’m thinking of you too!!

Lunch after my meeting?

The message is read and there’s no reply, she is about to enter the meeting when it pings through.

Yelena [8:28 AM]

Sure.

Kate grins to herself and heart reacts to the message, composes herself, and enters the room.

lxxii

Kate wakes to thunder and the sound of her phone ringing. She groans and sits up in bed, mussing up Lucky’s fur as he rolls onto his side with a disgruntled huff.

“You an me both, buddy,” she mumbled through a stretch and finally looked at her call.

Call: Natasha

She immediately picked it up.

“Hello?” she asked, wincing at the sleep in her voice.

“Hey, have you spoken to Yelena?”

Kate shook her head, scratching her chin.

“No, I just woke up, is she okay?”

“I’m not sure. She just called me and… she was really weird. Kept talking about you, about failing or something. It was all jargled, then she just hung up and won’t answer my calls.”

Kate worried her lip between her teeth. From a calm and collected Yelena, that did sound bad.

“No, I haven’t heard anything. We were going to meet for lunch later, but I haven’t spoken to her today.”

Natasha hummed, Kate could imagine her staring into the distance in thought.

“Well, can you let me know if anything happens? If she calls you or something?”

Kate nodded again and brought her legs out to the side of the bed, slowly pulling the duvet off.

“Yeah, ‘course, yeah. I will do!”

“Thank you, Kate. Good luck today, you’ll blow them away.”

Kate blushed a little at the praise.

“T-thank you!”

Nat stifled a gentle laugh and hung up the phone. Kate stared at it for a few moments, still not entirely believing she was friends with people like Yelena, Natasha, Clint and Laura, but she was. With that thought, she quickly texts Yelena.

Kate [6:13 AM]

Hey! Your sister called, are you okay?

The reply is sent after seconds.

Yelena [6:13 AM]

:)

xcv

Kate is about to leave the elevator when her phone rings with a message.

Yelena [13:11]

This is the last day. I will come back tomorrow, Kate Bishop. I promise.

The universe can do its worst.

She smiles at the text and exits out into the lobby, typing out a reply and smiling at a construction worker as she passes them.

Kate [13:11]

Oh great! Where have you bbnefo fn

xcvi

Kate wakes to thunder. And a message from an unknown number.

UNKNOWN USER [6:01 AM]

Call me.

She had lived through a bizarre enough life, and ‘superhero bullshit’ as Clint called it, to know what ‘unknown caller’ means. A voice she doesn’t recognise answers the phone, and he heaves a great sigh into the receiver.

“Who is this?” he asks, and Kate scratches Lucky’s head.

“You text me, shouldn’t you know?”

The voice sighs greatly, even more than before, and she can imagine this man rubbing his hand through his hair. If he had hair, that is.

“So you’re a smartass? Is that what I’ll call you? Smart ass kid?”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at his tone.

“That must mean they call you Mr Friendly.” He didn’t reply to that, and she squeezed her phone a little in annoyance, “Kate Bishop.” she replies, which makes him sigh again.

This man is made of sighs.

He tapped his phone from his end, his fingers dull against the phone.

“What day is it, Kate Bishop?”

She frowns, even Lucky side eyes her.

“It’s a Thursday.”

“Okay. How many times has it been Thursday?”

She clicks her tongue against her teeth.

“... Like ever? In the history of days, or like, this month-?”

“Yeah, she’s not in on it. You were right.”

The last bit wasn’t aimed at her, and she heard a voice she could recognise anywhere, and laughed sarcastically.

“I told you so!” Yelena complained, and Kate felt her heart race.

“Yelena? What’s happening?” she asked, and the man sighed.

“Have a good day, Kate Bishop.”

He hung up, and Kate stared numbly at the phone for a few seconds too long.

“I think I just got a phone call from Nick Fury.”

Lucky yawned.

xcvii

Kate woke with the feeling of someone watching her. At first, she didn’t react, used to the casual break-ins (which technically weren't break-ins as nothing was broken) from a certain Russian.

But Yelena, regrettably, did not wear as much leather as the person standing in her room.

“You’re-”

She snapped her hand around her alarm clock and launched it at the man, cracking him square on the head. He looked at the clock with his one good eye, which was quickly covered in blood, and a small whine came out of his throat.

Kate didn’t know what to think when the eye rolled back, and the man crumpled to the ground, his death rattle followed very quickly by Kate’s scream.

xcviii

Kate woke with the feeling of something not being right. She sat up in bed and shushed her dog, straining her ears and retrieving her collapsed bow from her bedside table, as well as a few arrows.

She walked out the door to her bedroom, looking around her new apartment with a small frown, trying to notice anything out of place. The curtains were closed, and she snuck over, silently, to peek outside.

Kate caught sight of 5 black trucks in the one second she looked out to the street, her heart raced.

“You-”

She turned and pulled her arrow back, firing at the voice behind her, just as thunder rumbled in from the window. The silhouetted man in the chair slowly looked at the arrow lodged into his sleeve, keeping his hand pinned to the expensive furniture. Despite the shadows cast over him, she could feel his eye slide over to her.

“You missed this time. Shockingly better aim with an alarm clock. I thought you were supposed to be the new Hawkeye, was I wrong?”

With her bow still up, another arrow notched, Kate slowly shook her head.

“No, you found the World’s Greatest Archer. I meant to miss your arm.”

His brow raised.

“Oh really?”

She nodded at the bow in her hand, still aimed right at his chest.

“Yeah, one move and you’d be tasered. Called a trick arrow.”

He hummed and smiled a little.

“Interesting.”

“Thanks. I could shoot you in the head if that would impress you more?”

The mysterious man wrapped his hand around the arrow and pulled, freeing it after a few tugs.

“No, I'd rather not give our Widow more ammunition against me. I see why she has an interest in you.”

She lowered the bow and resisted the very strong urge to bury her head in her hands.

“You’re Nick Fury.”

He didn’t smile.

“Congratulations, even despite forgetting our call, you figured it out.”

She sighed and folded the bow back up with a twist. He stood from the chair and investigated the hole in his jacket, clicking his tongue.

“What call-”

“I admit this is impressive. How did you get the arch right?”

Kate shrugged and did her best to look heroic, and not like she was in her old college archery team shirt and a pair of a long forgotten ex girlfriend’s boxers.

“I just… aimed?”

Mortified wasn’t even the word she would use when the man looked to the side, exasperated, and tossed the arrow back to her. She easily caught it and slipped it back in her quiver, feeling entirely out of place in her own apartment.

That’s when his words sunk in.

“Wait, Widow? You mean Yelena?”

She got dressed in a purple shirt, jeans and her long chequered coat, with a black beanie for the rain rattling her windows. She pulled on her boots and took her bow, just in case, letting Lucky know he was a good boy, despite Nick Fury’s exhausted sighing.

She was bundled into a truck, and they took off way over the speed limit, driving right past poor Jason. They went into a short tunnel, and Kate was about to ask if she could text him when the car she was in braked hard.

“What’s happening?!”

Fury didn’t speak, just swerved the car to the side as two of the trucks overtook, and a new car from a second lane took their place.

“Someone is trying to kill you, you didn’t think we’d take measures?” he asked, and Kate whipped her head to him, just as they peeled out of the tunnel well before the rest of the small convoy.

“Someone’s trying to kill me?!”

He sighed, again, and clenched his steering wheel, a small vein at risk of popping on his head.

“Okay, let’s do a deal. I’ll give you the cliff notes, and you don’t interrupt, sound good?”

She nodded, and he did too.

“For some reason, this Thursday, April 24th, 2025, has been stuck in a time loop. So far only three people I am aware of retain their memory of the day before.”

She nodded along, the cars zipping by, pulling her coat a little tighter. Fury spared her a side look and seemed almost guilty for a split second.

“There’s no easy way to say this, Bishop. In almost every loop, you die.”

He gestured around him, eye back on the road.

“Hence the convoy ploy.”

Kate couldn’t even tease him about the rhyming. She just nodded numbly and looked out the window, blinking slowly as one raindrop raced another. They get to an undisclosed location and someone is waiting for them when they pull into the garage.

Fury immediately aimed his gun.

“What day is it?” he asked, and the woman stepped out of the shadows.

“Fucking Thursday again.”

Kate sagged at her voice, and the woman marched over even before Fury lowered his gun, taking Kate’s hand and looking away from her blushed cheeks.

“You told her?”

He nodded, holstering his gun, and jerked his head to the side.

“Kill me over it next loop if you want to, now come on.”

The small room was underground, with screens showing all the cameras and three other people present; Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, and a man Kate didn’t recognise.

“Hi,” she waved, which he weakly matched, “who are you?”

He scratched his beard awkwardly.

“Aamir. I’m Ms Marvel’s older brother, and I’m only here because I know this is the 98th time it’s been April 25th.”

She nodded and held a thumbs up.

“Okay, cool.”

“I still think this is a joke,” Natasha grumbled, taking a packet of almonds from her pocket to pick at, “a ploy to get me out of bed.”

“Does Nick Fury seem like the type to prank?” Maria asked, not looking up from the computer screen as she tapped away, Nat leaned against her desk, offering her a nut, which Maria took.

“Oh all the time,” she conceded, “a real practical joker.”

“If we’re done catching up,” the man himself interrupted, shrugging off his wet overcoat and hanging it over a chair, “it’s time we discuss Miss Bishop and her supposed immortality.”

“Is it immortality if she dies every time- hey!”

Maria acted innocent, and not like she’d just squared Natasha between the eyes with an almond. Nat sighed fondly and patted her on the shoulder, leaving her another nut and joining him at the table. Kate glanced at Yelena nervously, and the other woman smiled, tugging her along.

“Come on, yastreb.”

Kate sits at the table and listens.

She learns how she dies every day, and how Yelena is normally there to see it happen, despite every step she takes. How the killer is a Legacy Widow, someone who was indoctrinated way before chemical subjugation was necessary, but they do not know her motives.

Whenever Yelena has captured her, the older woman has found a way to kill herself. Cyanide teeth, gunshots, and once she had even managed to beat the White Widow in combat.

That fact seems to annoy Yelena, so Kate rests her hand on her knee, which calms her down a little. She smiles kindly and takes Kate’s hands, lacing her fingers with Kate’s.

“It brings me to my point,” Fury announced, his arms crossed, looking at the hologram above them on the table, “that maybe Kate has something to do with this.”

Nat shrugged.

“That’s obvious to me. But what do you think?”

Fury carefully placed himself with Aamir between him and Yelena, something the man either didn’t notice or didn’t comment on.

“That whatever this is, it is preventing Kate Bishop from living. Maybe she is the key?”

Yelena tensed beside her.

“Do not go there.” she hissed, and Fury shook his head.

“I have to go there, Belova. The universe finds a way for her to die regardless of what you do. Maybe she is the key, maybe her death is what-”

Her palm slammed on the table, Aamir flinched, Fury did not.

“I have kept her alive before, many times. Alive or dead, the loop happens, she has nothing to do with it.”

His face was set in a grim line, and Natasha whistled low.

“Gee, it sure is tense in here, right kid?”

Kate shrugged, smiling a little, because damn she couldn’t not beam in awkward situations.

“Finding out I’m the Time Traveler's Wife is pretty weird, yeah.”

“You are no one’s wife, especially a time traveller.”

“No, she means the movie-”

Nat put her hand over Maria’s, slowly shaking her head.

“So if her death changes nothing, then maybe you’re just super lucky?”

All heads turn to the young man who suddenly felt very awkward, side-eyeing them all individually, until Nat broke the silence.

“It’s your turn to talk, bud.”

He blushed and stumbled over his words a little, clearing his throat and coughing twice.

“I, ah, erm, yes. So. M-maybe Hawkeye isn’t the cause of the loop, but something was happening at the same time? Like, unrelated, but happened to be the day someone tries to kill you?”

Kate glanced down as Yelena’s hand tightened around her own, squeezing ever so slightly tighter. She hesitated only a moment before flipping her hand over, palm up, and lacing their fingers together.

“What could be the cause?” Yelena asked, and the room stayed silent for a moment.

“Could it be Wanda?” Nat asked, and Yelena shrugged.

“Checked on her. She isn’t around on this day.”

“Isn’t around-?”

Yelena shook her head.

“No.”

Natasha sat back in her seat.

“Maybe it’s Doctor Strange?”

The silence returned, Kate worried for a moment she had said something wrong, before Fury sighed, almost groaning, which was a nice change, and touched his fingers to his forehead. Just like her mother, Kate realised.

“98 days and neither of us thought to check up on Doctor Strange?”

“He really isn’t fond of you.” Natasha drawled, and Maria nodded, tapping away at a device in her hand, “Maybe he cast a spell or… something.”

“That does sound like him, you’re right.”

Nat glared at her sister, who quickly flipped her off.

“So what do we do? Oh my god, are we gonna meet Doctor Strange?!” She hissed the words to Yelena, whose frown fell away to welcome a soft smile at her excitement.

“It seems likely.”

Nick grumbled and stood, complaining a little, but neither minded.

“Okay, let’s go see our number one fan.”

“What did you do to make him dislike you?”

Nick locked his one eye onto her and tilted his head to the side.

“I’m the leader of SHIELD. What haven’t I done?”

She smirked, and if she deluded herself enough, he matched her smile, internally at least.

They leave the small windowless room to the cars waiting outside. Natasha exits first, followed by Maria, Fury, Aamir, and finally, Yelena and Kate.

“Okay, let’s move people,” Fury ordered, the soldiers outside the car nodding and taking point to guide them towards the vehicles. They held batons, which Kate found curious, and Aamir answered for her.

“They’ve set up a barrier. Mechanics do not work here, an attacker would need to literally run up to you if they wanted to kill you. Or use something entirely mediaeval.”

She nodded in thought, taking in one guy who had an actual sword in his hand, unintentionally making her miss her own as he glared down the road. Kate whistled low and leaned to Yelena, who stood at her side.

“Gee, they’re sure treating this seriously, huh?”

But the blonde wasn’t paying attention to that, as she was too busy looking at her lips. Despite the audience by the car, Kate knew what was going to happen. She feels it in her chest, the swell of excitement, the tingle of nerves, especially when Yelena smiles softly and begins to lean up towards her.

But that’s when she see’s it.

The glint in the distance of something moving fast, right towards Yelena, right towards her. She had been on the receiving end to recognise an arrow when she saw one.

Typical.

She acts on instinct, grabbing Yelena and spinning them in a circle. Kate’s name left the blonde’s lips right when the arrow pierced Kate through the eye, coming to a stop inches from Yelena’s horrified face.

Everyone is silent, and she feels a laugh bubble onto her chest, but doesn’t come to fruition. That would look insane, after all. 

It’s okay, don’t be afraid.

“Dad?”

Yelena catches her as she falls, but she is already dead before the hollow sob can reach her. Fury looked down as Yelena clung to her twitching body, knowing the sound of agony as Natasha held her sister in her arms, would stay with him forever.

xcix

Kate wakes to arms hugging her tight, Lucky’s whole body wagging in excitement at the presence of the visitor resting against her chest. One look down, and her heart settles, but then picks up for an entirely different reason.

“Sorry,” Yelena mumbled, her face turned against her chest. She was slightly wet from the rain, Kate noticed, but it didn’t stop her from wrapping her arms around Yelena.

“It’s okay,” Kate whispered, holding just as tight, “is everything okay?”

Yelena shivered like someone had stepped over her grave, and Kate squeezed harder.

“... That was just a particularly bad one.”

Kate didn’t know what to say, so she just held her, the blonde relaxing against her front, trapping the archer under her weight. It was more comfortable than she expected.

Eventually, she spoke.

“I need to tell you something that will not be cool.”

Kate heard her phone vibrate, a message, probably from Jason, asking if she was ready for him. She ignored it.

“It’ll make you uncool or it will be uncool? Your answer will change my response.”

Yelena huffed a soft laugh against her collar.

“We both know I am always cool, Kate Bishop.”

The archer grinned into her hair.

“Debatable.”

“Takaya suka.”

Twenty minutes later she was piled into a SHIELD truck, awkwardly introducing herself to Nick Fury of all people, and was on her way to meet Doctor Strange. Ignoring the whole ‘stuck in a death loop’ thing, she was having a pretty cool day.

She even got out of her meeting, which is always a plus.

They stopped outside of a building that Kate was surprised she had never really noticed before, especially as it was a fantastic example of architecture. But whenever she tried to stare at it for too long, a dull ache started behind her eyes, and she was overcome with boredom, and an urge to look away.

“Try not to get a headache,” Yelena hushed, keeping her hand locked around Kate’s, something which made the archer’s heart skip way too many beats to be healthy, “it is a… kak ty eto nazyvayesh?”

Natasha, who was stretching her arms above her head, tired, grumpy, and not entirely sure that this wasn’t all an elaborate joke, sighed greatly.

“Ya ne znayu, a perception filter. Type… thing.”

“A true genius.”

“Zatknis.”

Kate mentally reminded herself to add Russian to her Duolingo.

Fury steps forward with a sigh, knocking his knuckles against the door very slowly and altogether dramatically. It opened before the fourth knock, and he muttered to himself before leading them inside. Doctor Strange was waiting, floating on the spot.

“What part of ‘stay away and never return’ did you not comprehend?”

“The ‘never’ part,” Strange rolled his eyes, “but we’re not here for a social call. This is important.”

The wizard landed easily and walked toward them, casting his eyes over the others, nodding in acknowledgement to Nat, and not focussing on Kate and Yelena.

“Whatever it is, it can wait. I’m busy.”

“You look it, floating around, waiting for visitors. Or is your food delivery late?”

His jaw set and he sighed greatly.

“I don’t order takeout.”

“Fascinating. Would you happen to know why we’ve been stuck in a loop for…” he raised his hand and needlessly checked his watch, “99 days?”

“We both know there is no need for you to check your- 99 days?”

He frowned and looked down, slowly shaking his head.

“It's taking too long...”

“Do you know why we are looping?”

He snapped his head up at Yelena’s tone, the tired look in her eyes, the way she stood in front of Kate and held her tight, like she was too afraid to let go. Natasha loomed a little behind them, and he sagged in acceptance.

“Yes. Come with me.” He waved his hand and flickered a little, raising his brow when two guns and Widow Bites were aimed at him, “... High-strung, are we?”

“It’s been a long day.”

He smirked at Fury’s words.

“Tell me about it. C’mon, I’ll take you to my body.”

Nat pushed her sister’s shoulder, making her lower the weapon and quietly curse her out.

“You don’t bring your physical form to greet guests anymore?” she asked, teasingly, leading the way after him, “Where are your manners?”

“Oh, they’ve long since gone, Romanoff.”

He led them down a tunnel, and a few corridors, and Kate barely had time to marvel at the towering walls and decorations, including a sword she needed to steal on the way out before they found themselves in a dark room.

In the centre, Doctor Strange sat with his legs crossed, and what looked like a log of driftwood clenched between his hands, which would have been ordinary, if not for the hot yellow text smoking from the surface.

His corporeal form seemed fainter now, and it floated between them, nodding at the item in his own hands, and then shook his head as Fury hummed in thought.

“Don’t make the joke.”

“About us catching you with your wood in your hands? I’m above it.”

He sighed heavily.

“For the love of… shawarma. This is the cause of the looping.”

Kate tilted her head. The physical form of Doctor Strange seemed exhausted, entirely clenched, and she knew he’d have a tension headache.

“What is it?”

He slowly shook his head.

“That’s where I’m stumped. It’s either a… Infinity Cylinder, Tempus Relic, hell it could even be a Timeweaver's Talisman. But I think it’s more of a Chronocycle Log.”

At the wash of confused expressions, he at least pretended to hold in his eye roll, unsuccessfully, but it was the thought that counted.

“It’s the end of a Time God’s staff, I think. It broke off and is messing with time. I was fast enough to suspend its explosion, and I have a hold on it for now. I've been doing all I can to contain it while draining its power to a low enough level that I can seal it off, which, if it all goes to plan, should be in two days. Well, two loops.” He smirked with a false level of mirth, “It needs to work. Trust me, we do not want to see what this thing can do if it goes on for longer than necessary.”

“What can it do?” Fury asked, any curiosity well hidden, impenetrable even from Strange, who slowly shook his head.

“Bad things. Tears in time, cracks in the universe, you know, the usual. It’s taken me this long to keep it stable. I don’t want it to fall into any interested hands, so a time lock was needed. I was able to use the Time Stone borrowed from another universe to lock us away, I had no idea it affected the rest of the world.” he frowned, his form flickering, “That was not my intention. The staff must have increased the Time Stone's power. Amplified it.”

Nick glanced at the object in his hands.

“There are Time Gods?” Kate whispered to herself, and Yelena leaned over to her a little, whispering in her ear.

“There are Norse Gods, Greek Gods, even Mayan Gods running around. This is not all that surprising.”

Kate supposed she was right.

“So, two more days and we go back to normal?”

The Doctor nodded, crossing his arms.

“Yup. Get ready, we return to reality in two days. Just two days, I cannot keep it active any longer than that. Or, you know.”

He made an explosion with his hands. Yelena smiled and held Kate a little tighter.

“Two days… I just have to keep you alive for two loops.”

Stephen raised his brow again.

“Is that normally hard?”

Any warmth swept away as she looked at him.

“Yes, a Legacy Widow is attempting to assassinate Kate Bishop, I have to find out why.”

“You haven’t done that yet?”

“I have been busy.”

“Lazy more like-”

“Stephen?” He glanced at Natasha, freezing at her icy stare and eerily calm smile, swallowing a little, “Don't mock her. She will just kill you.”

“... Fair enough.”

Yelena stood in front of Kate, facing the archer, pulling her closer and resting her head against her chest.

“Two days…” she sighed, and if Kate heard a sniffle, she didn’t comment on it, “two days. I will find out why she is following you, and I will kill her, Kate Bishop. Properly.”

Kate didn’t know what to say, so just held her tight.

“You always know what to say-” she tried to tease, and was gladly interrupted by Yelena’s lips against her own.

“Gross, glad I get to forget this.”

Kate isn’t sure she can prove it, but she is confident that Yelena flipped Natasha off.

Two loops, she thought, we can do this.

c

Okay, this isn’t weird.

She frowned up at the sky as it darkened and rumbled, rain threatening to fall once again. The archer had been ordered out of her bed by a phone call and a request for help. Yelena hadn’t said why, but her tone was enough to get her moving.

Now she stood outside her training gym, wearing her training gear, her new compact bow in her hand and her ordinary arrows on her back. She had cancelled the meeting at work, as ordered, and did her best not to think about why police had arrested Angelina and evacuated her building not hours before.

“Trust me, Kate Bishop. It is best that you don’t know. Not this time, anyway.”

Something made her listen, for now, but she’d badger Yelena for all the details later. 

But for now, she went back inside, heading straight for the archery room.

“Maybe I should take up golf…” she muttered to herself, lifting the bow and aiming, easily landing three arrows in the bullseye.

“Why is that?” Yelena asked, watching through the window from her vantage point. Kate shrugged.

“More money in it, I guess. Not that I need it.”

“No, Miss CEO, you don’t.”  

Kate snorted and pulled another arrow into place. She spent the next thirty minutes practising, doing her best to let her mind wander, and not focus on the upcoming threat.

“I have eyes.”

“That’s good to know.”

“On the target.”

“Oh. Even better!”

There is a snort of laughter through her earpiece, Natasha exhaling amusedly.

“You two are perfect for each other.”

She heard Yelena curse and the comms cut out, just as a woman entered the gym, who had black hair, peppered with grey, and dark eyes. She was older than Kate, probably closer to her mother’s age, and her false smile was kind enough and would have convinced the archer if not for the warning Yelena had given her.

She knew this woman was a killer, so while her returning smile seemed genuine, it was tinted with unease.

“You’re good at that,” the woman commented, her accent hidden by a perfect American accent, glancing over Kate’s bow, “but that isn’t surprising, I’ve heard you’re going pro.”

“I’ve been a pro for years. World’s Greatest Archer, ah, actually!”

“Are you bragging to a Black Widow?”

“Natasha, do not distract her.”

The woman tilted her head to the side, walking closer, and Kate fought the urge to take a step back.

“They telling you to stay calm?” she asked, gesturing to her ear, tapping it twice.

“Oh, we should have been telling her to be calm.”

“Kate, remain calm, we’re close.”

“I am calm,” she replied through gritted teeth, “a total stranger is talking to me in the middle of the day in the gym while implying I should remain calm, what’s not to be calm about?”

She watched as the woman’s face sunk from her polite expression to something off-putting, eerily placid, perfectly expressionless.

Okay… slightly terrifying.

Her shoulders slackened, the awkward stance she held herself in slipping away into a cold and calculated exterior. The woman tilted her head a little and started walking closer.

Very terrifying, very terrifying!

“Hey, hey! Easy!”

Kate notched an arrow and aimed it at her, which was enough to make the woman pause, but not react in any other way.

“Look, you don’t have to do… whatever it is you’re about to do!”

She pulled something out of her belt, Kate spied the glint of metal and acted fast, shooting it out of her hand. That made the woman smile, even as Kate aimed once more at her chest. 

“You cannot stop this.”

“No, wait, look-! I get you’re here to kill me, not entirely sure why. Was it Richardson? Just to know would be so good, for reasons, I guess, but you shouldn't kill me! I have a good reason!”

The woman pulled another knife from her belt.

“And what is that?”

Kate took a step back, she knew her one saving grace would be distance, no one went toe to toe with a Black Widow, unless they were going easy on you. Which was never, Yelena pulled her punches once and it still sent Kate dizzy.

Although being dizzy may have more to do with the Widow than the punch.

“Because, first of all, you’ve not done your evil villain speech-”

“I am not an evil villain-”

“Which is uncool ‘cuz, damn where would we be if not for the plot? Hm? And on that note, I think I deserve to know why I’m being assassinated. Also, do you think anyone has ever asked that before? Or am I super lucky? Or unlucky, considering, y’know, assassin and all.”

“Will you stop talking?”

“No can do, I’m a certified yapper. How do you even become an assassin? Did you fill out a form in high school, or-”

“No.” the woman interrupted, any thinly existing amusement sinking away, finally, “I was taken as a child and raised to be the perfect weapon to be used by my masters.”

Kate cringed, stepping back once more.

“Masters? Kinda gross.”

“I do not care for your thoughts.”

“That’s fair, not many people do. Is that long enough?”

The woman’s eyes widened.

“What-?”

“Da.”

Kate grinned, right as Yelena dropped from the ceiling and wrapped the Widow’s shoulders between her legs and launched her, right into Natasha, who timed her kick to the woman’s head perfectly, landing it the second she was freed from her sister.

The blonde stood quickly and pushed the woman over, catching her knife and twisting it from her grip, kneeling against her arm to keep her pinned. Natasha got on the other side and quickly blocked a knee as the woman jerked up, unfortunately leaving her open for a swipe against the jaw, the blade cutting her skin.

Yelena grabbed her other hand, receiving a headbutt to the face for her efforts, and the Widow leapt up with the same weapon to stab into her.

One arrow ripped the weapon from her grip, a second went through her hand, and a third, strong shot slammed into the Widow’s shoulder. She cried out, the force pushing her back off Yelena as the archer kept her pinned, an arrow aimed straight at her head.

“Don’t move!” Kate warned, and the Legacy sneered, standing up with the two arrows sticking out of her arm, but not looking too fussed about it. Kate pulled back on the string, her arms not even shaking despite the amount of strength needed to keep it in place, and the Legacy began talking.

“There is no way out of this for you, Kate Bishop. I will-”

Her eyes rolled and Natasha sighed, dropping her arm, Widow Bites powering down, having shot her a second before Yelena’s bite hit home.

“Right, we’ll get to the evil babbling later. Good shootin’ kid.”

Kate beamed, lowering her bow, and Yelena stood beside her, pulling something from her belt.

“I told you, she is the World’s Greatest Archer.”

Nat shrugged, but nodded her agreement. Kate thought she could fly.

“Now, teeth.”

Immediately she cringed, looking away when Yelena pulled the pliers into view.

Five minutes and some cracking sounds she would never forget later, the Widow was bound with her hands in front, three of her fake teeth sizzling on the floor.

“Is the hall locked?”

It was, Kate nodded, and Yelena smiled at her.

“Okay, now onto the difficult bit. We need to interrogate her, I know bits and pieces, but not the full picture. Are you sure you want to be here? It might get… messy.”

Kate hooked the bow over her shoulder and crossed her arms, her face taunt with seriousness, and she jutted her chin to the bound woman.

“Whoever this is tried to kill me, blackmailed my friend and would have injured and killed so many people. I wanna know what she has to say.”

She wasn’t expecting the kiss to her cheek, just shy of her lips, so flushed a nice shade of pink.

“Okay, moy yastreb.”

“Moy yastreb?” Nat teased, and Yelena rolled her eyes, walking over to the woman.

“Zamolchi.”

She pulled the arrow out of the woman’s hand, stepping back as she yelled in pain, suddenly very much awake. She glared through her cold mask at the two Widows present, leaning back against the wall behind her, heaving chest slowing down as her training took over.

“You removed my teeth.”

Natasha smiled coldly from beside Kate. The Legacy had completely dropped her accent, slipping back into Russian.

“Your root canals were in desperate need of removal. Quite a serious case.”

The woman sighed and leaned her head against the wall.

“You have become too American. Not everything needs to be a joke.”

“Make’s life more fun.”

“Life is not fun.”

“You need to take it less seriously then.”

The woman lurched forward against her binds, cursing when they didn't budge, jargled words thrown at her in Russian, and for once Kate was glad she didn’t understand.

“Enough,” Yelena huffed, gripping the other arrow sticking out of the Legacy’s arm, “it is time we talk.”

“I will give nothing to you.” the woman sneered, and Yelena shrugged, pushing down on the arrow enough to make her teeth grind together. Kate hid her wince well.

“You’ve already given me some things. Like how you are a Legacy Widow, before the chemical subjugation, you were brainwashed like the ones before. It is hard to break out of, even with the Red Room destroyed.”

“You destroyed it.”

“Yes.”

The woman glared up at her, Yelena twisted the arrow, slowly.

“This is where the information runs dry. I do not need to know your name, but every time, without fail, you don’t tell me who hired you to kill Kate Bishop.”

The woman’s eyes flick to Kate’s, her lips pulling into a bloody smile.

“That is because it is a secret.”

“Crazy, your hair isn’t even that big.”

The glare made Kate duck her head and try not to speak again. Yelena grabbed both sides of the arrow and pushed down, and the woman gagged in pain.

“Tell me.”

“You’ll just kill me anyway.”

Natasha stepped around Kate, her presence bringing more fear from the Legacy than Yelena’s did. Maybe it was because she was an Avenger, or because she was also brainwashed and not subjugated, or it could be the fact she returned from the dead after saving the universe, but the other woman carried terror with her.

And she used it.

“Yes, we will kill you. Slowly. Painfully. You had our training, you know we know how to make it hurt. How to make it last.”

Kate swallowed and glanced between them. Yelena had released the arrow as the sisters towered over the woman, who at that moment looked pitiful with her slight shaking, 

“Die with dignity,” Yelena suggested, ripping the arrow out, and holding the bloody tip to her chin, “it will make this easier for us all.”

The Widow sagged back and sighed.

“Fine.”

“Who sent you after Kate?”

The woman grinned wickedly.

“I did.”

Yelena blinked, Kate cleared her throat awkwardly, stumbling out a weak “What?”

The woman locked Yelena in place with a blazing stare.

“You destroyed the Red Room, you burned everything. That was all I had. I wanted to make you hurt, make you suffer, and after following you, it became abundantly clear you only had three things you cared about.”

If her hands were free, she would have ticked them off on her fingers.

“Your dog, your sister, and her.”

The Legacy blinked slowly, looking at Natasha first.

“She was surrounded by Avengers and agents almost constantly. She even lives with a Commander. Also, she is, as we all know, notoriously hard to kill.”

“Can’t keep a good girl down.” Natasha drawled, which was unsurprisingly ignored by the woman, who continued her monologue.

“Killing your dog didn’t feel like a good response to the destruction. But her? Oh, she’s perfect.”

Yelena glanced back at Kate, then to the woman.

“Why me?” Kate asked, impressed with herself that she was able to form words past the nerves tingling at her chest and lips. Finding out someone wanted you dead was a downer, but being face-to-face with your would-be assassin can be a little mentally taxing.

“Because, Kathleen Bishop, you’re the only person who made Yelena Belova smile from a text.”

They both frowned, and Natasha snorted.

“What?” they all asked, and the woman heaved a great sigh.

“I cannot believe that I must ukazat' na ochevidnoye…” she rolled her eyes, wincing when her arm twitched, “I followed her, and there was no sign of any affection. Her sister yes, her dog of course, but I didn’t even know you existed in her world until you sent her a text. For the first time in three days, she smiled at her phone.”

“Oh, you were down bad, even before.”

Yelena smacked Natasha’s arm and hissed for her to shut up.

“So I cloned her phone. You had sent a picture of a stick next to a rock and said that they were you. Stupid humour. Had her audibly laughing in public.”

“I did not audibly laugh.”

“Really had you giggling and kicking your feet, didn’t she?”

“Natasha, ya ub'yu tebya.”

Kate crossed her arms firmer, swallowing a lump in her throat.

“So that’s why you wanted to kill me?” she asked, three sets of eyes landing on her, “Because of a text?”

The Widow shook her head.

“No. It was because killing you would be more painful than just killing her.”

Silence filled the gym once more, and Yelena silently walked over to Kate. She rested her hand on Kate’s arm and squeezed, bringing her blue eyes to Yelena’s green. Natasha looked away, busying herself with the Legacy.

“I don’t get this.” she hushed, and Yelena nodded, “She wanted me dead because of you?”

“Da, Kate Bishop.”

Kate’s forehead creased, she got an ache right behind her eyes, something her mother would always complain about, “Why?”

She didn’t dare hope, she had a crush on Yelena, something more maybe, if she was brave enough to admit it. But she couldn’t, and wouldn’t jeopardise their friendship for the sake of a chance.

But would Yelena?

The blonde glanced down.

“... You know why.”

Kate’s tongue dashed across her lips as she looked between Yelena’s eyes, quickly nodding her head, and dropping her hands to her waist.

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

Yelena stood up on her toes and kissed her. It was gentle and quick, all over in moments. She was nervous, an emotion Kate was sure was foreign to her, and her eyes fluttered open.

Kate didn’t even realise she’d closed them.

“One good thing from this loop?” Yelena said, hushed in privacy, “I get to experience our first kiss over and over.”

Kate flashed a smile and kissed her again.

A throat clears when they finally pull away, and they look at Natasha, who is somewhat unimpressed, standing over the Legacy.

“What’re we gonna do with her?”

Yelena rested her hand on Kate’s back.

“Well, I just needed to know if there was someone else behind the scenes to worry about after the spell. But now I know it’s just her, it is much less worrying.”

“I still have a Black Widow trying to kill me.”

Yelena nodded, gently pushing a kiss to her cheek, whispering against it, “And now I know when I kill her, there won’t be anyone else coming after you,” She leaned away and looked down at the bleeding woman, “she is a fanatic, alone, and soon we will be rid of her.”

The Legacy sneered up at her.

“Long live the reign of-”

Her head snapped back a bullet shot through it. Yelena lowered the gun.

“You get bored of hearing that after 50 times.”

“Yeah, 20 would have been enough for me.” Kate mused, and Natasha nodded, kicking the woman’s body over, which fell with a heavy thump.

“I’d have shot her at one. Hated that Red Room bullshit.”

Yelena took her hand again, Kate looked away from the body to her… friend? Girlfriend?

“You know, we have so many hours left before the loop. How about we go to your place and… talk.”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Kate asked, then immediately went red in the face, stammering away, “I- I didn’t mean to say that out loud!”

Yelena grinned and just kissed her again.

They were close, and soon it would all be over.

ci

Kate wakes to thunder, only seconds before her phone rings.

“Hello?” she spoke, sounding a little groggy, scratching Lucky’s head, which rested on her lap.

“Kate Bishop,” a familiar voice purred, “I need you to do something for me.”

She sat up in bed, heart racing.

“O-of course!”

She does as asked; sending her driver home, not replying to Angelina, who sent a garbled text like she had dropped her phone or something. She didn’t think about Angelina, and instead got dressed, and waited for the door to knock. When it did, two firm knocks, followed by a third after an awkward but amusing amount of time, she kissed Lucky on the head and looked through the peephole.

An eyepatch was staring back at her.

“I don’t do house calls, so please try to avoid killing me with an alarm clock this time.”

She did a small bounce at the fact Nick Fury was in her building and opened the door.

“No promises.”

He rolled his singular eye, and Kate might be crazy, but she detected a hint of warmth in that gaze.

“Get into the car before you trip and kill yourself.”

Maybe not. Or is that concern? Oh, the confusion!

“You’re like my first girlfriend.”

He stopped in the hallway as she locked the door, realising what she said and slowly turned to face him. He was waiting for an explanation, but Kate felt like saying “she gave mixed messages too” wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

Instead, she gestured to his jacket.

“She liked leather.”

“... Stop telling me things about yourself.”

Kate grinned and followed him. They get downstairs, the car literally an inch away from her front door, in spite of the angry doorman she feels she’ll need to bake an apology cake for. Fury makes her jump into the vehicle, and he practically orders that she use a seatbelt, which she does, while waving awkwardly to Hugie and mouthing “Sorry!” through the window.

He scoffs and looks away. He may be in need of two apology cakes.

And maybe a cookie tray, too.

They pull up outside of a building that hurts to look at, but Kate does anyway, as she is a sucker for good architecture. They heard her inside, and she barely had time to appreciate the beauty of it all when two people entered from one of the many doors.

Yelena’s short hair is clipped back, but she lets it fall loose around her face as she walks over, smiling brightly. Natasha is beside her but keeps a distance.

“Hey! What’s-”

Yelena stands on her tiptoes and kisses her, stealing Kate’s thoughts and her breath, and the other woman hums, pulling back ever so slightly.

“Sorry, I couldn’t wait this time,” she said between them, hushed like a secret. Kate nodded, placing her hands on Yelena’s slides as the assassin rested her own on Kate’s biceps.

“I- uh, totally. Yeah, sorry, I’ve just wanted to do that for so long.”

Yelena grins and goes to kiss her again when her sister clears her throat.

“Are you gonna explain everything, or just keep kissing her?”

The blonde has a wicked smile as she turns back to Kate, stepping closer.

“Both things can happen. I don't interrupt you and Maria.”

“Yes you do? Frequently? You actually hit me with a pillow not three nights ago-”

Yelena gasps suddenly, pointing at her sister.

“You're still talking?”

Natasha’s annoyance is forgotten when Yelena turns back and kisses Kate again. The archer almost forgets she's died so many times.

Almost, that's something she may need to discuss with a SHIELD sanctioned therapist. God knows what a normal one would think of all this.

Eventually, they do talk. Bombs were deactivated, Angelina was arrested, the Legacy Widow was killed by Yelena and Natasha, while Doctor Strange continued his work on the Chronocycle Log, which was about to be contained.

Yelena had looked distant when she said how many days they had been battling this issue, and Kate hugged her tight at the number.

“It’s okay,” she whispered to the woman who had seen so much that others were blessed to never see, “you did it, I’m okay.”

Yelena rested their foreheads together, smiling once again.

They go to a dark room where Doctor Strange’s physical body is holding a glowing log, and Kate resists the urge to make a joke about finding him playing with his wood.

Professionalism. Mother, be proud of me.

“Last loop,” ghost Stephen says, floating down before them, looking quite transparent, more than before, apparently, “I can’t hold it after this, I barely have control over it even now. Do you have everything in order?”

Kate wondered how much of a hindrance she had been with how he looked at her. Yelena took her hand and nodded.

“Yes.”

Fury also nodded, and the Wizard raised his hands, flickering again.

“Then let’s get this party started.”

He vanished, and his physical form twitched, his eyes opening. He looked at them once, sweat immediately donning his brow, the log smoking even more in his hands.

“Ready?”

They all tense and nod, and he starts to push. The second his hands resist the object they sizzle, and he winces, gold bands wrapping from around his wrists and surrounding the log. The text glows brightly, too painful to look at, and then it suddenly dims. Strange gasps and barely keeps it in his grip, looking at it with wide eyes.

“W-what? No!”

Fury took a step.

“What happened?” he demanded, and Stephen looked up, panic clear on his face.

“Get-!”

There is a crack like lightning, and the object in his hands exploded

Kate watched almost in a trance as it did, light blazing into yellow particles, which burned bright and turned green, ripping across the room. A large chunk splitting, flying like a knife, straight at-

Oh.

She is staring death in the face, once again, when Yelena appears in front of her. The smaller body is thrown back against Kate’s chest, sending them crumpling to the floor.

Kate's scream is only drowned out by Natasha’s, falling beside them as Strange yells and pulls the glowing energy with a great strain, containing it once more with heaving breaths, green costing the room in an ominous glow.

Kate rolled Yelena onto her back, her voice tearing into a cry of “No!” at the sight of the green wood sticking from her gut. Natasha pulled her clothes free, they stared at the green poisoning the veins dark and cold, her skin turning grey.

Strange lowers his shaking head.

“I- I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold it. I needed… that’s…”

Death, a voice whispered in Kate’s head, her father, she is dying.

A hand took her own as she stared blankly in shock.

“Kate-”

She snapped her head up and glared at the Doctor.

“You have to go back! Just one more loop!

“The risks… the risks to the many outweigh-”

“I don’t care!” Kate exclaimed as Yelena weakly pulled at her shirt. Kate couldn’t look at her, if she did she would be distracted, if she did she would loose her.

It’s okay.

“You have to!”

“I can’t!” Strange exclaimed, his voice cracking briefly, his entire body clenched as he held the wood, another splinter of yellow ripping from it, “I am sorry, truly, but this is the last time! I cannot hold the Chronocycle any more, this is the last loop, and she knew that!”

Finally, Kate looked down at her, normally bright green eyes slowly dimming. Her lips pulled into a small smile, sad, but happier with the outcome. Natasha was knelt next to her, emotionless, and Kate couldn’t stop the sob building in her throat.

She felt utterly useless.

“I can’t convince him.”

Her words were determination to not accept the truth, hope dying as fast as the woman in her arms.

“I know, moy yastreb. It’s okay, I’m okay.”

How did Yelena manage this? Survive seeing this? Kate felt madness at the prospect alone.

There's a snap of wood as a shelf collapsed, dropping thousands of books and clattering them across the floor, shaking from the power Strange barely controlled.

The walls vibrated with power, something fell from the ceiling, would have crushed them if Strange didn't send his cape, tackling the object out of the air.

Kate barely noticed.

“You could, I know you could.”

The Widow’s lips pulled into a smile, weak.

“This is the price I have to pay for you to be alive and well, then I will pay it. I would rather die than see you die again. Moy yastreb, it is okay.”

Kate glared at her, tears falling freely, dripping on Yelena’s shirt. Natasha weakly held her sister’s hand.

“Yelena Belova I am not living in a world without you. No matter what.”

She couldn’t, not now. Not after knowing they could be something great together, something beautiful. After everything, Yelena deserved it.

Hell, she deserved it.

Yelena barely considered what Kate had said before the archer slipped the gun from the blonde’s hip. She lunged for the weapon, but was tired and slow, even Natasha only had the time to raise her hand, facing down the end of the barrel.

“What’re you doing, Bishop?” Fury asked, pulling his weapon, as did Maria. Strange grunted, barely paying attention, trying to crush the log and the loop.

Yelena's only chance-

Kate stood up and got away from the group, keeping her eyes and gun trained on Yelena, who was shaking her head.

“I saw her talk a store branch to stay open after hours for my birthday, with a stick of gum and a popping toy. She’ll do it-”

“It's not a matter of how convincing she is, we can’t-”

Kate talked right over Strange, hands shaking a little.

“- if she has the motivation to. I’m sorry, Yelena, but you have to. To save me one last time, and to save yourself.”

The blonde sagged with a broken cry.

"You're just as stubborn as her, aren't you?"

She grinned at the Black Widow, clicking the safety off the gun.

"Oh I'm worse, save your sister?"

Natasha nodded her head.

It briefly occurred to her that this might not work, that the White and Black Widows could not convince Doctor Strange, and this is how she dies.

Then again, it wouldn’t be a life without Yelena, would it?

It could be considered worrying for how little Kate cared.

She closed her eyes and held the gun to her head.

Don’t be afraid.

She wasn’t, because life without Yelena was more terrifying than anything she could imagine.

“Kate, please, let’s just talk about this-!”

She pulled the trigger.

cii

Kate woke to thunder.

She stretched, thinking about the weather being so poor as of late, and how soon she hoped it would improve, when lightning lit up her room and the soaked figure in the corner.

The archer yelled and threw her alarm. Yelena smacked it out of the air with the back of her hand. Thunder once more rumbled ominously as she sat up in bed, Lucky slinking onto the floor and quickly leaving from the tension alone.

“Yelena?”

The blonde let out a long breath, her fists clenching.

“... I know it was not you, but I am still so angry. I am not used to this, you know? Even after… yebat, after over 100 days of this, it is still so raw. You make me feel things I was never meant to, Kate Bishop. They would kill me for how you make me act, how you make me want to live.”

Kate swallowed, she had no idea what was going on, but Yelena was here, and she couldn’t ever be in any real danger with her there, even as the assassin started walking closer to the bed.

“I don’t know what I did, but please tell me so I can apologise.”

Yelena shook her head, a smile that looked too sad to feel genuine overtaking her features, but still managed to give comfort to Kate.

“The thing is I do not doubt that if it happened again, you would do the same thing over and over. I want to be angry, I should be angry, but I cannot when I did the exact thing. We are messes, Kate Bishop, swirls of colour and nonsense, but together I wonder what we could make?”

Her phone vibrated, she didn’t even look.

Yelena sat on the side of her bed, and Kate knew it was coming, her breath was stolen, her words, her mind, as Yelena rested her hand on Kate’s cheek, her thumb dashing over her smooth skin.

“I am still sorry for making you upset,” Kate spoke gently, this moment was a bubble, and she did not want to burst it.

Yelena sighed gently.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, moye serdtse.”

Her kiss is feather light and so dangerous, the archer knows she could become addicted to her. To her touch, her taste, her gentle sighs as Kate pushes back and gains a little control over one of the few areas she probably has more experience in, her responses to her touch, the way she smiled into their embrace.

There was no question, Yelena was utterly addicting, and Kate was hooked.

Personally, she doesn’t see an issue with it.

A hand on her chest pushes her gently, she relents with one final peck, relishing in the way Yelena followed after her despite her desire plain on her face.

“We have to stop,” she frowned, flickering her eyes between Kate’s, “unless you want to meet Nick Fury in your pyjamas when he arrives in three minutes.”

Kate felt her eyes bulge.

“Nick Fury?!”

She is dressed in record time, a white tee tucked into black chequered pants, with a leather jacket and her purple sunglasses in her breast pocket, just in case. She had barely laced up her battered Docs when the door was hit by two firm knocks, followed by a third after an awkward but amusing amount of time.

For some reason, she was hit with déjà vu at the sight of Nick Fury on the other side of the peephole.

“Are you sure about this? This is the last loop, he was clear on that.”

Kate didn’t know what they meant, but Yelena nodded.

“I am sure.”

He sighs and shrugs, stepping into the hall and muttering to himself.

“Alotta shit can go wrong on a farm, all I’m saying.”

Kate doesn’t think about it much as Yelena holds her hand. She grabbed Lucky’s collar and they walked out into the hall, heading up rather than down. Kate hid her glee at a Quinjet super well, according to her anyway, the two women and a dog pile in.

“Belova!”

The blonde looked back at him, tilting his head to the side.

“Where did you leave her?”

She blinked slowly.

“Look in the gutter behind the office.”

His responding nod was somehow full of respect, and he watched them take off.

Yelena explains everything to Kate on the way, mindful to keep the details of her many deaths to a minimum. Before she could finish a story about a beach, something Kate wanted to experience herself, Lucky hopped up and licked Yelena across the cheek, much to her scrambling amusement.

“That’s his way of saying thank you, for saving me.”

The blonde laughed and kissed his head, easing him down.

“Licking me? Wow, should I be nervous to learn how his mother will thank me?” she teased, and Kate leaned back in the chair.

“No, but our methods are quite similar.”

Yelena, to her utter surprise, almost choked, her cheeks deepening ever so slightly, as dark eyes looked over at her.

“Kate Bishop, are you implying you're going to-”

The archer blushes bright red.

“Oh my god I didn't mean it to sound like that! I meant, like, affectionate! Y'know, hugging a-and, not, I mean, licking is, obviously, not what- ”

She rested her head in her hands, hoping that maybe a miracle would happen and lightning would blast her out of the sky.

“Hm. You’re right, I would be okay with that.”

Heat twisted inside her, and Kate looked between her fingers at the smug expression Yelena wore, not helping the state she was in. Lucky huffed and curled up on the floor, ignorant to the look of his owner above him.

Thank god.

They arrive at Clint’s Farm within an hour. Kate is immediately spotted by the other archer, who steps off his porch, places his bow down and walks over as she exits the plane, not wearing a hood despite the rain.

“Hey, Hawkeye! Did you hear I- oof!”

He held her tight in his arms, squeezing her for all she was worth. After a moment she wrangled her arms out from under his and hugged back just as hard.

“... Don’t piss off any assassins again, okay? I’d hate to hunt them down and eviscerate them.”

She hummed into his shoulder, her own soaked from the rain, and definitely not from her friend’s eyes.

“Does Yelena count?”

“No.”

“Then I promise not to piss off any assassins. On purpose, that is. This wasn’t even anything to do with me other than-”

Clint leaned back, and she paused.

“Kate?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad you didn’t get exploded.”

She pouted and hugged him again.

“Naw, you say the sweetest things.”

“I know, I know.”

They part when Lucky bounds over, jumping up Clint and rightfully stealing his attention as Yelena takes her hand. They enter the farm, and the hugs continue with Clint’s family. Natasha is also there, along with a woman who introduced herself as Maria, who was apparently her wife, which made Kate do a little dance inside.

They gather inside the house, Lila dragging Kate, and by extension Yelena, to the couch to talk Kate’s ear off about school, her new best friend, and asking for some archery pointers.

“You know you can ask me that, right?” Clint leaned around the couch to say, pouting a little. Yelena smirked into her lemonade, and Kate shrugged, entirely smug.

“Well yeah, sure, but you can’t blame her for wanting to ask the World’s Greatest Archer, can you?”

He hummed with his lips in a firm line.

“Sure you can’t die this loop?”

Yelena slowly turned her head.

“Are you really giving me a reason to kick your ass again? In front of your whole family?”

He laughed and smacked the couch, pushing off it and walking away with a two finger forehead salute.

“Hey! You leave that to the lesbians!” Kate shouted, and Lila gasped, twisting in her chair.

“Dad! Stop stealing stuff from lesbians!” She hissed, huffing dramatically and scampering after him as his laughter erupted from outside. Kate looked down as Yelena’s fingers interlaced with her own, and she grinned at green eyes.

“He’s such a bad ally.”

A perfect eyebrow flicked up.

“Please, he is so a member of the alphabet mafia.”

Kate’s jaw dropped a little, and Cooper laughed from in front of the TV, where he was sat on the floor playing on a retro game console, which she’d already informed Yelena was a GameCube, with Lucky flat out next to him.

“Dad isn’t in the mafia,” he said, clearing his throat as it cracked slightly, “he really doesn’t like them. Makes watching the Godfather so annoying.”

The boy suddenly paused his game and twisted around, laying a hand on the dog’s side, and using the controller to gesture between them.

“Are you two together?”

Kate leaned back on the couch and Yelena tilted her head.

“Like right now?” the Widow asked, pointing between herself and Kate, “In the same room?”

He groaned and rolled his eyes.

“You know that’s-”

“Wait, can you not see us? Yelena…” Kate turned on the couch and waved her hand in front of her face, “Can you see me?!”

The blonde sold it, if Kate were honest, gasping and ‘failing’ to catch her hand as it moved.

“Who said that? Hello?!”

Cooper huffed and dropped the controller, standing with a grunt.

“Yeah, I’m going.”

“C’mon, Cooper!”

He waved his hand and stomped away, but couldn’t hide the small smirk as the two pretended to apologise before quickly falling into a small fit of laughter.

“Are you bullying my son?” Laura shouted from the kitchen, and Kate held a thumbs up.

“A little!”

Laura shrugged and went back into the hall. Kate poked Yelena with her foot and nodded at the controller on the floor.

“Want to play some Pokémon Colleseum?”

“No. But I will play Wind Waker.”

Kate grinned. As they sat in front of the TV, arguing about who got to control what, Kate did not realise that, while she was rambling over the benefits of her playing first (“I’ve completed this game so much I can get us to the first fight so much faster and-”) Yelena had stopped listening, and was instead watching her talk with the softest expression.

Natasha did though, and she leaned her head against the bars of the staircase, feeling a strange new thing settle comfortably in her chest at her sister being so happy.

Pride, maybe, or something else. A second thing that meant just as much, as Yelena reclaimed the controller and moved her body slightly towards Kate, the taller girl leaning an arm behind her, whispering tips and tricks over her shoulder.

Whatever it was, it made her tear up a little, and Natasha dutifully kept it down. She would never hear the end of it if Yelena found out.

They ate lunch together, the adults sat around the table and Kate ate extra slow after a quiet insistence from Yelena before they settled.

“If you choke to death I will be so mad.”

“Oh I would be too, that’s a lame way to die. Hey, what was the lamest way I died?”

The blonde shrugged as they settled around the table.

“They were all pretty violent. I read once you were crossing the road and the Legacy had a truck carrying sheets of glass crash next to you, your head came-”

“O-kay,” Laura interrupted, putting the jug of lemonade between them with a purposeful sigh, glancing at the wide-eyed Lila further down, “enough… murder and death talk at the table.”

They went quiet after that, which Natasha snickered about endlessly.

“So Kate, you going to show me how to do the quick reload?”

Kate put her glass down and nodded, pushing away from the table.

“Sure! Let’s-”

Yelena gripped her wrist, making the other woman look down, cringing.

“Ah, playing with arrows probably isn’t good on the day of big bad luck, is it?”

The blonde ran her thumb along her wrist.

“No, Kate Bishop, probably not.”

Lila was understanding enough, and after wrangling the dishes off Laura, Kate was stood at the sink, watching Clint show his daughter a new style of reload, with the rest of their family around them, as the rain had held off for a few hours. Maria was outside too, pushing Nate on the swing attached to the tree while Natasha made quick work of climbing the same tree.

Kate suddenly had the urge to climb the tree too.

“No,” Yelena mumbled from the side, finishing up drying the dishes. Kate sighed and leaned her hip against the counter, staring at the clouds tumbling across the sky, not looking away even as Yelena picked up her hands and started drying them.

“I know, I just have so much energy!” Kate complained, facing Yelena as she finished drying the archer’s hands, “By now I’ve normally at least hit the gym or gone after some bad guys, and I have definitely walked the dog at least twice.”

“So sorry to inconvenience you.”

Kate pulled her hands free with a laugh and leant closer to Yelena, angeling herself to face away from the window, fully giving her attention to the other woman.

“Oh, not at all. I’ll just need to get moving before my restless legs take over and drive us all crazy! Wouldn’t it be ironic if that’s how I die? Finding a lull in conversation and deciding to tell Maria that her wife was my gay awakening?”

“And you thought it was a good idea to tell me? Her sister?”

Kate hummed in thought.

“For about 2 seconds, yeah. Regretting it a little now.”

Yelena tsked and dropped the towel on the hook, and then very easily, and all together smoothly, ran her fingers up Kate’s arms to rest on her shoulders. Kate swallowed past the sudden dryness of her mouth and did her best to stay calm.

She failed immediately, of course, looking down at the blonde’s smirking lips, and flushing a nice shade of red.

“You want to burn some energy?”

She nodded dumbly, not helped by Yelena running her thumbs in circles, humming low in her throat, and couldn’t actually verbalise an answer.

Damn.

“Well, you’re in luck. Come with me.”

Yelena took her hand and pulled, leading Kate out of the house. Natasha spied them immediately, hanging upside down from a tree branch and cupping her mouth to shout over to them.

“And where are you two off to?”

Maria covered Nate’s eyes when Yelena flipped them off over her shoulder, not even breaking stride as they walked. Lila frowned at their retreating forms and lowered her bow.

“Where are they going?”

Clint rubbed the back of his neck.

“Erm, to… train. Fighting and stuff.”

Lila nodded and then grinned.

“I wanna learn how to fight! I wonder if-”

Clint quickly grabbed her elbow and arched her around back to Laura.

“Nope,” he said, pushing her towards her mother, “nope, nope.”

“Dad!” she complained, and he just shook his head.

“Nope.”

Across the farm, the two women approached the building. Kate swung their hands as they walked, frowning up at the sky.

“Where are we going?” Kate asked once she had noticed they weren’t being followed. Yelena pointed ahead to a small converted barn across from them, which looked rustic and oddly charming from the outside.

“Guest house. So we can talk.”

The way she looked at Kate sent a burst of heat down her body, and she smiled weakly.

“Talking, cool. Maybe I can make all the deaths up to you?”

Yelena glanced up at her through her lashes, smiling ever so slightly, while squeezing her hand. Kate swallowed the ball of nerves and excitement that had settled in her throat.

“I am sure we could think of something.”

They didn’t get much talking done, but after a few hours, Yelena’s voice was raw, and Kate’s jaw had a satisfying ache to it.

Something she was maybe a little too smug about.

They lay in bed under the sheets, sleepily staring at each other. Kate had her arm resting in the dip of Yelena’s hips, with one of the blonde’s knees bent between her legs comfortably. Her thumb ran over the soft skin, which was blemished by a scar. 

“How did you get this?” she asked, and Yelena dropped her shoulder in a halfhearted shrug.

“Screwdriver, I think. The stabbing didn’t hurt as much as the infection, but I have to admit it was amusing.”

The archer hummed, dragging her eyes up to Yelena’s.

“What’s funny about that?”

Her voice was a little rough too, and Yelena noticed, her lips twitching into a satisfied smirk.

“The guy said ‘screw you’ before he did it. I think that was witty.”

Kate rolled her eyes and bent down, pushing her lips across the scar, pushing against it and pulling back, looking up at the green eyes which tracked her.

“I have a scar between my thighs too,” Yelena mumbled, blinking slowly, her eyes taking on a look Kate was growing familiar with.

“Oh yeah?” she replied, rolling them both gently to settle on top, laying comfortably between her legs, arms bracketing her sides, “Don’t worry, I’ll kiss it better.”

Before she could move down, Yelena’s hands caught her shoulders, and she barely held in her gasp at the fear in them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, and the blonde sighed shakily.

“So many times I’ve thought it was okay, what if tomorrow comes and it is today again?”

Her hand rested on Kate’s head, fingers threading through her locks which had long since fallen from her tail, “I thought it was okay so many times, Kate Bishop. I am tired of losing you, it is unfair that you are losing your memories of us.”

Kate slowly leaned up, her hair surrounding them like a curtain, privacy, even when alone. Her eyes flicked between Yelena’s as she held herself up, ducking down to kiss the tip of her nose.

“We have to trust he knows what he is doing,” Kate whispered, “we’ll be okay, even if we have to start again, I’ll always feel the same way. I have for a long time, Yelena.”

The blonde’s eyebrow rose as Kate’s eyes widened, realising what she had said, or rather implied, and scrambling to sort it, sitting up, but still leaning over her a little.

“I- I mean, you’re so cool you know? And, of course, you know, because you’re you, and-”

A finger covered her mouth, she resisted the urge to kiss it.

“Say it,” Yelena whispered in the silence, broken by an owl some distance away, her hand moving to rest aside Kate’s face, the archer leaning into her touch, “please.”

Kate didn’t know why, but she wanted to cry.

“Yelena, I think… no, I know. There’s no way around it, really, is there?” She smiled, and so did the woman below her, who sat up to rest her forehead against Kate’s, other arm holding her hand at her side, “Yelena Belova, I am madly in love with you.”

Lips struck her own with a precision to rival her own, and Kate leaned into it, stifling a sigh when she was pulled back down to deepen the embrace.

Then she upside down, blinking up at a beaming Yelena who whispered her name before kissing her again.

“Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu…”

Kate didn’t need to speak her language to know what she meant, as the words were whispered against her skin.

i

Kate Bishop wakes to thunder.

Or so she thinks, the sun blinding her through the window as Clint’s tractor rumbled past.

She lets out a breath she had been holding and tries to roll over, but the arms tight around her waist, keep her steady. Kate twists her head to look over her shoulder and finds bright green eyes.

“It’s Friday?” she asked, and the other woman slowly, like she was afraid to admit it to herself, nodded her head, a tentative smile blossoming on her face.

“It’s Friday.”

Kate twisted out of her grip and launched herself into a hug, elation bubbling from them both as she peppered kisses all over Yelena’s face, the laughing woman happily allowed the onslaught, holding her tight.

Kate lay on the side, out of breath, as close as she could get to Yelena.

“TGIF, am I right?"

Yelena raised her brow, snorting at the dawning horror on Kate’s expression.

“TGIF?”

Kate blushed bright red and cleared her throat, embarrassment clutching her entire body to make it go cold.

Why did I reference Katy Perry?!

“I… have no idea why I said that. Hey, think the time god or wizard or diety can drop some more of their staff so I get to redo that?”

Yelena pushed her onto her back with a playful grumble, settling easily across her lap and kissing her jaw, her chin, and then her lips.

“No,” she grumbled against her, and Kate’s false muttered complaints twisted into a sigh of her name, the blonde taking the archer’s hand and holding it above her head, the other resting on her hip.

“I love you.”

Yelena held her face and kissed her, thumb caressing her cheek, sinking into Kate’s touch.

“I love you too, Kate Bishop.”

Kate grinned and pulled her wrists, bringing the blonde down and onto her chest, where she immediately wrapped her arms around Yelena, dragging up her back, smooth across her skin, determined to prove just how much she loved her.

… And maybe make her forget about the whole ‘TGIF’ thing.

The End