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Chapter Text

When Kate returned to her apartment from a mission, she saw Yelena in her kitchen. Again. Each time, Yelena cooked her a meal. She had already gotten the impression that Belova wanted to become her personal chef. Kate put her bow and arrows back in place and approached Yelena.

“A few more times invading my apartment like this and I'll think that it's your new way of flirting, Yelena.”

“Me? Flirting? I'm just worried that you don't eat enough. And look what I found!” Yelena showed Kate two forks. “Someone finally bought a second fork!”

Bishop rolled her eyes.

“Yes, because there's one stubborn regular guest here.”

They chuckled.

“So, are you hungry?”

“No, not really.”

“Oh, come on, Kate Bishop!”

“Fine, a cup of tea, please. That one you brought from Ukraine. I've never drunk tea as tasty as that one.”

Yelena smiled and did as Kate asked her. The younger woman enjoyed her tea, while the older woman stared at her without moving. That was a bit odd; usually, Yelena stared at her like that when she thought about something sad.

“Is something wrong?” Kate asked, sipping her tea, concerned .

“Твої очі, як те море

Tvoyi ochi, yak te more

Супокійне, світляне:

Spokiyne, svitliane:

Серця мого давнє горе,

Sertsia moho davnie hore

Мов пилинка, в них тоне

Mov pylynka, v nykh tone

Твої очі, мов криниця

Tvoyi ochi mov krynytsia

Чиста на перловім дні,

Chysta na perlovim dni,

А надія, мов зірниця

A nadiia, mov zirnytsia

З них проблискує мені.

Z nykh problyskuye meni. ”

Yelena said, looking into Kate's eyes as if charmed. She knew this poem by Ivan Franko didn't fully match her feelings (because there was no long-standing grief in Yelena's heart caused by Kate) , but it was about eyes, and Belova loved Bishop's eyes so damn bad.

Kate didn't understand a word. The younger woman didn't expect Yelena to speak a language other than English. Usually, Yelena could say a few words in Ukrainian, not sentences. However, it sounded soft and even melodic.

“What did you just say?” Kate wondered. “It sounded beautiful.”

“A poem.”

“About what?”

“About eyes.”

From Yelena's intonation, Kate understood that there would be no translation or further explanation. And most importantly, Kate wouldn't be able to find this poem herself, because she didn't even know its title, not to mention the fact that she didn't speak Ukrainian and couldn't write in Cyrillic. Still, she wondered what Belova had said. But interrogating one of the world's most professional assassins was pointless. Besides, it was late, time for bed.

Yelena left hours ago, but Kate still couldn’t sleep. She read numerous Ukrainian poems about eyes. Most of them were romantic. So what were Belova's intentions? It was not that they hadn't flirted before; their flirting wasn't anything serious; however, now Yelena had drastically changed the way she flirted. If reciting poetry was flirting. Although Kate and Yelena had known each other for almost a year, Bishop had no idea how Ukrainians flirted. Judging by what Kate had found on the Internet about the topic, poetry could be a means of flirting, but it was rarely done that way. Kate wanted to explore this topic in more detail, but fell asleep on her laptop.

Next time the women met, Yelena didn't say anything in Ukrainian. When Kate asked her if she was alright, she said yes. And after they left the cinema, Kate found pomegranates; a wreath of purple chrysanthemums, asters, echinacea, peonies, and azaleas ; and a disposable phone that went to voicemail as soon as Kate picked it up.

Дивилась я на тебе і в ту мить

Dyvylas’ ya na tebe i v tu myt’

нестямилась, як руки самохіть

nestiamylas’, yak ruky samokhit’

для тебе почали вінок сплітати,—

dlia tebe pochaly vinok splitaty, —

була твоя краса, як ті гранати…

bula tvoya krasa, yak ti hranaty…

The moment the voice note ended, the phone turned off. Kate has never met Ukrainians except Yelena, but she could tell that Belova was the most mysterious of them all.

Yelena's behavior was rather concerning. When Kate tried to contact Yelena, she was unsuccessful. She didn't even know what was more difficult: finding Yelena or the poems she had sent. However, Kate was stubborn, so she read all the poems about pomegranates and wreaths (which were probably clues) and found only one where these things were mentioned together. It was a poem by Lesia Ukrainka. It was quite tender and warm... and romantic... What the hell, Yelena Belova?! No one flirted that strangely, and even more so, did not disappear afterwards! One day, Kate would find Yelena and demand an explanation.

+++

A few weeks later

It was a rough day for Kate Bishop; she was injured and tired. While she managed to cope with the injury (she was infinitely grateful for the latest technology that could heal wounds in a matter of hours or days), only sleep could help with fatigue, which she lacked with the increase in criminal activity in the city. But not only that, she also hated today because she had missed an important meeting at Bishop Security (her assistants could not always save her). The company had lost an offer worth millions of dollars that could have been put to good use. In addition, she also missed Kamala's party. There were not enough swear words in English, so Bishop started swearing in Spanish (thanks to America Chavez) and Ukrainian (Yelena didn't realize how often she swore ). So, when she was about to go to bed, she received a message on her phone. She wanted to ignore it, but she got another one, and another, and another, and then she picked up the phone.

Unknown

Hey!

Kate Bishop!!

I hope you're well!!

Did you eat today??

That was Yelena, it was as plain as the nose on your face.

Kate

Yelena fucking Belova, where are you?!

Why did you disappear so suddenly?!

And most importantly, what do you mean

by those poems?! Have a conscience,

if you send or recite poetry,

give me, if not a translation, then the names at least!

You can't even imagine the level of

my knowledge of Ukrainian literature!

Unknown

Amazing results! I gave you only two

poems, and now you already see

the soul of Ukrainian literature!

Fine, I’ll make it easier for you to find poems.

As for where I am, well, let’s say somewhere far away from you.

Sorry for disappearing :(

But I promise we’ll meet someday.

Enough talking about me, how’re you doing?

Bishop sighed, Yelena was so Yelena.

Kate

I’m alive to begin with. This day really sucks.

I'm so tiiiiiired. But if you're wondering,

I liked the poems you gave me.

You intrigue me more and more.

How come you haven't

share with me more than just two?

But Belova ignored Bishop's question.

Unknown

This poem should definitely lift your spirits. I

warn you, you won't find it in English, unfortunately.

But I think you've read a lot of poems through online translators

or other AIs , so this time you'll have to do it once more .

З весняних настроїв [title]

Z vesnianykh nastroyiv

Кинь життям журитись марно

Kyn’ zhyttiam zhurytys’ marno

І забудь чуття оте,

I zabud’ chuttia ote,

Глянь, як ввечері палає

Hlian’, yak vvecheri palaye

Верхогір'я золоте,

Verkhohir'ya zolote,

Як свавільно море грає

Yak svavil'no more hraye

І до берега біжить,

I do bereha bizhyt’,

Як бажає ніжна зоря

Yak bazhaye nizhna zoria

На блакиті неба жить!

Na blakyti neba zhyt’!

Глянь, як лине з-понад моря

Hlian’, yak lyne z-ponad moria

Вечорова тиха мла,

Vechorova tykha mla,

Як у скелях сон ласкає

Yak u skeliakh son laskaye,

Гордовитого орла;

Hordovytoho orla;

Як зелений шум зникає

Yak zelenyi shum znykaye

І бори соснові сплять,

I bory sosnovi spliat’,

Тільки зорі над землею

Til’ky zori nad zemleyu

Про весну чудову снять!..

Pro vesnu chudovu sniat’!..

Заспокійся й ти душею

Zaspokiysia y ty dusheyu

В чарах ночі і тепла,

V charakh nochi i tepla,

Наче тиха та рожева

Nache tykha ta rozheva

Вечорова ясна мла!..

Vechorova yasna mla!..

Втихомирилася мева

Vtykhomyrylasia meva

І леліє гарні сни..

I leliye harni sny…

Тихо-тихо понад морем

Tykho-tykho ponad morem

Линуть пестощі весни…

Lynut’ pestoshchi vesny…

Now, Kate Bishop, I gotta go.

Don't try to find me. I'll contact you later.

It seemed Raven Darkhölm had a competitor for the right to be called Mystique. By the way, weren’t they acquainted by any chance?

Kate has always loved poetry, even though she didn't speak Ukrainian, she thought it was cute on Yelena's part. Yelena said that this poem was meant to cheer Kate up, so she was going to translate it. Belova gave Bishop an idea she didn't think of before. She called Kamala.

“Hey, Kamala! I need your help.”

“Hey, bestie! Of course, what is it?” Kamala said curiously.

“Could you get me a S.H.I.E.L.D. AI? I heard they're good.”

“Hmmm, not sure, but I'll try. Otherwise, I'll call Riri Williams.”

“Thanks. Who's Riri Williams?” Kate wondered.

“A certified super-genius, who created an iron suit from an old car. Can you imagine that?! So cool! And she's a new member of our team.”

Bishop chuckled.

“Does she know about this?”

“Not yet, but she will!”

“Okay, thanks for your help.”

“Thank me when I get you an AI. Pizza would be amazing.”

“Agreed. Bye,” Kate smiled.

When Kate got her AI and figured out its settings, she found a much better translation than before. Whether it was the AI ​​from S.H.I.E.L.D. or made by Riri Williams, Kate didn't care. However, she gave it a name, Sue. What could be more romantic than naming your AI after your favorite poet's lover?

As for the poem itself, the young woman thought that it was such a gentle, warm, and calming poem. She realized that she really liked Ukrainian literature and she truly wanted to read more, not only because Yelena sent her poems, but also because she was charmed by Ukrainian poets. After reading one poem by Khrystia Alchevska, Bishop asked Sue to find more of her works.

The young woman was so engrossed in reading literature that she forgot that she had to prepare a speech for a charity event in two days. But then-

“Oh, fuck!” She exclaimed. “Sue, I need your help!”

+++

Five months later

Kamala, America, Billy, and Riri came over to Kate.

So far, their team consisted of five people. Kate was sure that this was not the final number. So far, they hadn't come up with anything better than the name Young Avengers, but they were generally satisfied with it.

Besides thinking about Yelena, Kate had another important thing on her mind: her nickname. She wanted to be called Hawkeye, but Clint didn't like it, and he took away the bow and arrows he had given her and her costume. Of course, this didn't stop Bishop from replacing it all, but it was nothing compared to what Barton took away , in terms of symbolism. Therefore, Kate had to prove to him that she had the right to be called Hawkeye.

Billy's voice pulled her out of her thoughts:

“I accidentally bumped into your desk and a few of your things fell on the floor, but I put them back!”

Kate smiled.

"That's okay. Will you help me make the pizza?"

“Sure!” Wiccan smiled back.

As Billy prepared the snacks while Kate made coffee and tea, he was dying to ask Kate something.

"Listen, I noticed some notes and books on your desk in a foreign language, Ukrainian, I guess? What are you studying, if I may ask?" The young man's tone and expression showed that he was uncomfortable.

"Of course you can. You're right, it's Ukrainian. I want to speak one more language. I just haven't had a chance to tell you all yet. Yelena charmed me with this language. Thank you for reminding me to continue learning, because lately I've been busy with either our missions or Bishop Security. How did you know it's Ukrainian, by the way?"

They both giggled.

"Learning languages is cool! Mom - I mean, Wanda taught Tommy and me Sokovian and Romani. Sokovian is a Slavic language and just like Ukrainian, it uses Cyrillic script."

"This is amazing. I believe we will find Tommy. We're going to get through this together." Kate squeezed Billy's shoulder.

He smiled sadly and thanked her. Suddenly, Kamala ran into the kitchen with an arrow in her hand.

“It just went through the open window and straight into the wall,” Khan said worryingly. “As it seems, it's Clint Barton.”

Oh, of course, who else could it be? It looked like it was time for Kate to talk to Clint again. She took the arrow with the note from Kamala's hand and read it.

"Thank you, Kamala. There's nothing to worry about; he's being his usual self. I'll talk to him tomorrow. I have guests tonight, he can wait," of course, Kate was still resentful of Clint.

When Kate arrived at the place Clint had called her to, he had his back to her. It was their first meeting in months. Bishop had no idea why he had called her. And because his back was to her, she knew she was in for a difficult conversation.

Barton turned to face Bishop and smiled slightly. Hmmm, maybe Kate was wrong? After all, she wouldn't know until they started talking.

“You're one day late.”

"Oh, well, I'm sorry that I preferred to spend time with my friends. I'm trying to maintain a friendly atmosphere in the team."

"You don't have to be snippy, you know. I summoned you here for a reason."

Kate sighed and apologized. She hasn't changed at all. She still acted childish.

“So why am I here? Are you going to give my stuff back?”

The man chuckled.

“No. You're here because you need some advice.”

Kate hated being preached to, but after all, Clint was still her mentor.

“What advice?”

“Whatever you do, don't choose an easy way.”

The young woman arched her eyebrow. That was his advice? Seriously? If so, they were wasting time. The young woman really didn't want to believe that Barton had summoned her here just to give her pretentious advice.

“Have you seen Yelena or heard from her? We didn't text each other often, and then she started sending me poems only. And we haven't been in touch for a while now.”

“No.”

Kate sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Well, thank you. If that's all, I'd like to go now.”

He grabbed her hand.

“Wait. There's one more thing I'd like to tell you. Listen carefully. It's about Yelena.”

This made Kate postpone whatever she wanted to do.

“So what are you going to do after?” Clint asked Natasha.

“Go on vacation to some seaside country in Europe with Yelena,” Nat glowed with happiness , thinking about it .

“Yeah, I thought of a family vacation too.”

They smiled.

“But there's something I want to do now,” the atmosphere tensed. “I need to send Yelena a book before our mission.”

Clint suspected something unpleasant was going to happen because of his friend's change of tone.

“What book, if I may ask?”

Natasha showed Clint the book. He looked carefully at it and turned a few pages.

“It's a pity I can't read Cyrillic script. Oh, you even left a note?” And a moment later, he added. “Sorry, it must be something personal. Fortunately, I can't read it, so it's okay, I guess?”

Nat giggled.

“Yep, it's okay. And I don't mind translating it. So, it says ‘I told you then to be someone else to survive, now it's time to remember who you truly are to live. Love you, dear sister. And forgive me for everything. I wanted to write more, but decided that that would be enough.”

“Good words. I assume it's Ukrainian if it's a Ukrainian poetry book.”

Romanoff nodded.

“But didn't you two speak Russian when you met?”

“A few phrases. We mostly spoke in English.”

“Okay, but aren't you two Russians?” Clint was confused. Nat never discussed the origins of widows before. But logically, not all of them were Russian. He just thought that Natasha's sister was Russian, too.

“As you know, the Red Room abducted children from all over the Soviet Union, as well as the countries of the so-called socialist camp, and other countries of the world. Therefore, the nationality of children could be anything. However, Children who were taken away at an older age could still remember something from their past lives. I know that I'm from Russia because I overheard Dreykov talking about it. As for Yelena, she can't remember where she's from at all. In addition to the fact that the data were classified, children were brainwashed about their origin. They didn’t do it to me because I was definitely from Russia. But the fact that you are from Russia does not make you a Russian; you can be someone else . Back to Yelena. Even though the poetry they gave us was dull as dishwater, full of imperialistic narratives, she loved it, so she stole books whenever she could and hid them in a safe place. We read them together. Among all the poems she read, she related to Ukrainian poetry the most. She had no idea why, neither did I. What I knew for sure was that it was dangerous. Those were poems of love for freedom while they gave us poetry of superiority and enslavement.”

Natasha's stories always were devastating, and hearing them, Clint couldn't be indifferent. He felt that the story was going to be darker and darker with each time Nat spoke. As for Romanoff, she was used to such stories, but still wished there were fewer of them.

“...They brainwashed her hard. If it was not for them, I'm sure, she would've called herself Ukrainian at least in her mind. I just know it. When she read or talked about poetry, I paid very close attention to her facial expressions and the way she talked about poetry. When we met in Budapest, we talked about it, but knowing her history, such conversations were a reminder of how much she had been traumatized. After that, she never did things that the Red Room considered to be mistakes. One of the worst things was that I was part of that trauma.”

Black Widow looked away from Hawkeye, sighing heavily. The more she talked, the more she felt ashamed of herself.

“They told me to call her ‘Roosskaya,’ which in Russian means Russian woman. After me, everyone started calling her that. In addition, I said some very painful and nasty things to her. I will never forgive myself for that. I hate myself for that. I hate myself for a lot of things, including being a bad sister. When we met, there was first a shootout and then a fight. I didn't really defend myself; I deserved every single one of her punches. I hope she forgives me someday. I'll do anything to deserve her forgiveness.”

Clind frowned in disagreement.

“You aren't a bad sister. A bad sister would never regret anything. Moreover, you're a victim of the Red Room too and-”

“Yes, I'm a victim,” Romanoff cut Barton off in mid-sentence. “But most importantly, I'm her sister. Yes, we aren't biological sisters, but still. Sisters support each other, sisters protect each other, and I did that. However, I was also her abuser. Yes, I was forced to hurt her, but that doesn't change the fact that I abused her.”

Nat only noticed that she had pulled off the skin around one of her fingernails when she felt it was wet with blood. A bad habit of hers. She always did this when she was nervous or angry.

“You know how they taught us to live in the Red Room? The Russian way: claim that you're an ‘older sibling’ of everyone you call your ‘younger siblings’, especially Slavs, and then hurt them, dehumanize them, invade their countries, and say you're ‘liberating’ them from whatever you came up with, destroy almost everything you see. Then torture them, brainwash if not them then their kids, kidnap them and their kids, kill them and their kids. Say that you're superior to them all. And all this because they're not Russians, because they think differently, because they chose a different life path than yours. But, in fact, Russia doesn't need any reasons, they can do bad things simply because they want and can do that.”

Tears rolled down Nat's cheek. Barton was right; this story was becoming darker. His friend looked at him and said:

“It's not only the Red Room or the government. It's a system. This system has been created and refined over centuries, ever since Muscovy waged wars of expansion and became the Russian Empire, then the Soviet Union, and now it exists in the Russian Federation. People created the system, and then the system began to create people. There is a Russian political phenomenon: ‘Good tsar, bad boyars’, in which positive actions by the Russian government are viewed as the result of the activities of Russia's leader, while negative actions by the government are viewed as being caused by lower-ranking officials without the leader's knowledge. And ordinary people say that if the president knew, he'd solve the problems immediately. No, the president knows, he simply doesn't want to solve anything because it's the way he wants things to be.”

Clint hugged Natasha, and when they broke the hug, he said:

“But there surely are good people there. You changed, you became better. You're an Avenger, you're an example that people can change.”

“If they want to change. This is a problem across the country. Until ordinary people change, the government will not change either. And, because the Russian Federation is still a bloodthirsty empire in its essence, whose way of life is war and causing pain to others, it will take a long time for change for the better. I'm afraid to say it's not even decades. Such a centuries-old system will take not less than a century to eliminate. And until Russians and the nations enslaved by them in the Russian Federation understand all this, nothing will change. And no nation we harmed will forgive us. Russia should make a lot of effort to deserve forgiveness and recognize its crimes instead of making propaganda aimed at making people forget the evils it committed. I was a part of the system, and I take responsibility for the crimes committed by Russia and those committed by me specifically. Other Russians should do the same. I hope you're right, Clint, and I inspired at least someone. I wish there were more such people . The empire must collapse. First in people's minds and then in reality. Otherwise, they'll build a new one.”

For a few moments, Romanoff was silent. She closed her eyes and just breathed. And then she said:

“Yelena's finally free to be the person she wanted to be deep inside her mind long ago. She just needs to think things over and analyze. I want her to be happy. And I can't wait to meet her again,” the woman said, and then added to lighten the mood. “Besides, she owes me a bottle of Obolon’, love that Ukrainian beer.”

The friends giggled and went back to their team.

The story Clint told Kate made her cry. It was all so unfair! Yelena and Natasha deserved better, all widows did. Kate was very happy that the Red Room was destroyed. She was happy that there was one less inhuman organization destroying lives in the world.

Knowing this story, Bishop had one more reason to hate Russia and other dictatorships and oppressors on Earth. Yelena mentioned that former Black Widows, including Melina Vostokoff, had united and were working to change Russia from within. Belova also worked with them, as well as she worked for the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces and other people interested in Russia's dismantling.

All over the world, politicians were not very reliable, so when they could not or would not do something for one reason or another, so in many countries ravaged by wars and various types of conflicts, ordinary people took matters into their own hands. More and more superheroes emerged. And they finally could not rely so much on foreign aid (which could be approved and canceled in 5 minutes). The world was changing, and Kate was happy to know that justice was finally spreading more and more. As for the United States, there was a lot of work to be done. It wasn't a perfect country; in fact, it was far from perfect. But well, was there at least one perfect country in the world? No. Some were better than others, some were worse. It was a matter of each country, how it was perceived by people inside and outside the country. So everyone had a lot of work to do.

Belova told Bishop her story, but not in as much detail. And Kate knew why; not everyone wanted to talk about something as traumatic as what Yelena went through. She promised Kate to tell her more someday. It was not that she didn't trust the younger woman; it was that she hadn't healed enough to talk about it. At least that was what Kate thought.

Kate respected Yelena's personal boundaries, but now she was determined to find her.

Chapter Text

A few weeks later

The figure of the Void was floating above the city, absorbing more and more people. Yelena just couldn't stand doing nothing. Inaction never led to anything good.

“Як добре те, що смерті не боюсь я

Yak dobre te, shcho smerti ne boyus’ ya

і не питаю, чи тяжкий мій хрест.

i ne pytayu, chy tiazhkyi miy khrest.

Що вам, богове, низько не клонюся

Shcho vam, bohove, nyz’ko ne knoniusia

в передчутті недовідомих верств.

v peredchutti nevidomykh verstv, ” she whispered, then she sent Kate a message and entered the Void. Belova was ready for anything. Or so she thought…

After seeing a few of her painful and shameful memories, she yelled, annoyed and angry:

“Enough, Bob!”

“It’s not enough. Never enough. You came here willingly, so you’ll see all the shameful moments of your life. All the pain, all the sufferings. I am the Void, and you’re here till you die,” the Void’s voice echoed out of nowhere.

Yelena could feel the Void’s sly smile in addition to its mocking tone.

In the next moment, she saw her younger self again. But this time, young Yelena was a bit older, more precisely, fourteen. She was secretly reading a book.

“No…” The present Yelena was frightened.

“Yes.”

Yelena was reading an old book of selected poems by Ukrainian poets, her favorite book. Previously, she read Qazaq, Uzbek, Tajik, and Kyrgyz poetry in books she found during her missions, and just like this Ukrainian one, she took them from a safe place where she hid them.

Belova didn't speak all those languages except for Ukrainian (also, Russian, English, German, Spanish, and French). But later in the Red Room, they started teaching them Qazaq, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Polish, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean, so at least she could read Qazaq literature in her bilingual book without switching to Russian translation.

The result of reading the books she found was that her views, which were formed by the Red Room, began to change. She told it only to Natasha as she was the only person she could trust. Although Natasha read those books as well, she said that they had to get rid of them before it's too late. But “too late” crept up on them at the most unexpected moment.

Belova thought that nobody suspected Natasha, because it was Yelena who they caught red-handed. They found all of Belova's books, stacked them on the table, and ordered her to throw them into the fire in the fireplace. Yelena did as she was told. She would have been the happiest person if her punishment had ended there, but it was only the beginning. Next, all the widows, including Natasha, were to whip Yelena several times.

“No! No, no, no!!!” Yelena screamed and ran to her younger self. She hugged her even tighter than the last time. “You don't deserve this, you don't deserve all this!! Neither of you deserves this!”

But the Void pulled her a few meters away from the younger Yelena and forced her to watch her being whipped. It made her listen to her younger self's screams; it made Belova listen to herself saying that Russians were a superior nation, that no language was anything compared to Russian, that Russia was the best country in the world; the Void made the older Yelena see the younger Yelena swear that she was Russian; it made her listen to her past self singing the anthems of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation together with other widows.

Natasha left the room last, whispering:

“You'd better abandon these views or they'll kill you. You have to be someone else, Yelena.”

The present Yelena reached out her hand to her younger self and Natasha. Still, that memory disappeared in the same instant.

“How weak, pathetic, and poor you are, Yelena. Oooo, let’s see why they didn’t punish Natasha,” the Void said, immediately showing the woman another memory.

Later, when Yelena and Natasha were on a mission together, the latter said:

“They knew that we had meetings, as well as they knew I had read those books too.”

“What?! How?! We did it secretly and professionally, just like they taught us… Did they punish you?” Yelena was horrified.

“Oh, Yelena, you're too young indeed,” Nat sighed. “You should be aware of the fact that they know everything . No, they didn't punish me.”

“That's good!” Belova smiled with relief.

“Because I’m the best Black Widow of my generation. They don't want to damage me. And I’m definitely better than you. You’re weak, Yelena. You’ll never be like me. I, on the contrary, will be their best widow ever. I’ll do everything to make it come true,” Romanoff said arrogantly.

This arrogance, self-confidence, and indifference of the older sister hit Yelena hard.

“Enough of your manipulations, Void! She said that to protect me! When we met in Budapest, she told me everything; she told me that if she hadn't said that, they would have killed me. If she had ever made a mistake, they would have tortured me. That’s the real reason why she was the best. She loved me. They didn’t manage to brainwash her the way they wanted to, but in my case, they succeeded. And I hated her and everything related to her. I also hated everything and everyone they told me to hate. Lesia Ukrainka once said, ‘It’s easy to lose your path on your own, but it's hard to lose it in a group.’ I didn't need a group, I just needed Nat.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll join her sooner or later, when you kill yourself from insanity.”

“Fuck you! She may be dead, but I still have people who will support me. And I still love her.”

“Like who? Your team of random people? Or you mean Kate Bishop? Ooo, Kate Bishop! Reciting Ukrainian poetry would be so cute if this weren’t a stupid manifestation of your cowardice. Instead of confessing your feelings straightforwardly in a language she speaks, you decided to do a performance like that. What a weak coward you are!”

The woman didn't even have time to say anything when the Void spoke to her again.

“And this ‘Daddy, I'm so alone’ was so desperate, hopeless, painful, pitiful and-”

“HE IS NOT MY DAD!!!” Yelena burst out fuming.

“Oh, but you said otherwise.”

“A TRUE FATHER WOULD NEVER SELL HIS DAUGHTERS OFF TO THE RED ROOM. A TRUE FATHER WOULD DIE PROTECTING HIS DAUGHTERS!” Yelena fell to her knees. And quietly added. “I just wanted to have a family…”

The laughter of the Void echoed throughout space.

“Yes, cry, little stupid, pathetic, worthless, lonely, weak girl.”

Pathetic.

Stupid.

Worthless.

Lonely.

Weak.

Those words hit Yelena like bullets. But then she realized that the Void wanted her to give up. She couldn’t let it happen. The woman was sick of hearing the word “weak” from a creature who knew nothing about this life and could only reproduce the shameful memories of others. She wiped away her tears, got up, and said:

“Хто вам сказав, що я слабка,

Khto vam skazav, shcho ya slabka,

що я корюся долі?

shcho ya koriusia doli?

Хіба тремтить моя рука

Khiba tremtyt’ moya ruka

чи пісня й думка кволі?-

chy pisnia y dumka kvoli?- ”

“Reciting poetry again? It never helped you, do you really think it’ll help you now?”

Belova started reciting louder:

“Ви чyли, раз я завела

Vy chyly, raz ya zavela

жалі та голосіння, —

zhali ta holosinnia, —

то ж була буря весняна,

to zh bula buria vesniana,

а не сльота осіння.

a ne slyota osinnia.

А восени… Яка журба,

A voseny… Yaka zhurba,

чи хто цвіте, чи в'яне,

chy khto tsvite, chy v’yane,

тоді й плакучая верба

todi y plakuchaya verba

злото-багряна стане.

zoloto-bahriana stane.

Коли ж суворая зима

Koly zh suvoraya zyma

покриє барви й квіти —

pokryvaye barvy y kvity —

на гробі їх вона сама

na hrobi yikh vona sama

розсипле самоцвіти.

rozsyple samotsvity. ”

The Void lied; poetry did help Yelena sometimes. This time, too, as the Void became silent. She screamed so loud that she broke a mirror.

“Yelena?” A familiar male voice called out to her.

“Bob?” She looked at the wall where the broken mirror hung.

+++

Meanwhile, Kate got a message.

Unknown

Не жаль мені, що я тебе кохаю,

Ne zhal’ meni, shcho ya tebe kokhayu,

Та в нас дороги різно розійшлись.

Ta v nas dorohy rizno roziyshlys’.

Ні, не кажи, що зійдуться колись!

Ni, ne kazhy, shcho ziydut'sia kolys’!

Не зійдуться, мій друже, я те знаю.

Ne ziydut'sia, miy druzhe, ya te znayu.

Моє кохання — то для тебе згуба:

Moye kokhannia — to dlia tebe zhuba:

Ти наче дуб високий та міцний,

Ty nache dub vysokyi ta mitsnyi,

Я ж наче плющ похилий та сумний, —

Ya zh nache pliushch pokhylyi ta sumnyi —

Плюща обійми гублять силу дуба.

Pliushcha obiymy hubliat’ sylu duba.

Та без притулку плющ зелений в'яне.

Ta bez prytulku pliushch zelenyi v'yane.

Я не зав’яну, я знайду руїни,

Ya ne zav'yanu, ya znaidu ruyiny,

Я одягну обдерті, вбогі стіни,

Ya odiahnu obderti, vbohi stiny,

Зелений плющ оздобою їм стане.

Zelenyi pliushch ozdoboyu yim stane.

B країну смутку вітерець прилине

V krayinu smutku viterets’ prylyne

І принесе мені луну розмови

I prynese meni lunu rozmovy

Від мого дуба любого з діброви,—

Vid moho duba liuboho z dibrovy, —

І спогад любих літ повік не згине.

I spohad liubykh lit povik ne zghyne.

Was this a love confession, or was Yelena up to doing something very, very stupid and dangerous?! Or both?! And why did Belova think of herself that low? Why did she think she was a burden to Kate?

“This woman is just impossible! She will kill me someday…” Kate slammed her palm on her forehead. “I want to know what’s going on with her. I had enough of poetry, it’s time to talk in the normal way, straightforwardly. Sue! Do your best and find Yelena, please.”

But Sue couldn't find Yelena Belova anywhere on Earth, the Milky Way galaxy, and even the universe. The AI tried to find her over and over again at Kate's request. Goddamnit, Kate thought, Yelena Belova, what have you gotten yourself into?

+++

Their last stop in Bob’s mind was the place where it started. He was telling Yelena and others how he was roaming around Southeast Asia, thinking he’d figure something out, or at least find more drugs. Then there was this guy, and he started talking to him about a medical study. A trial drug that could make Bob stronger. It felt like a miracle. He’d finally get to show everyone that he was more. That he was something.

“And look what you unleashed. The most shameful thing of all was thinking you could be anything more than nothing,” the Void got up from the examination table and walked over to Bob.

“We’re leaving,” Yelena said in an uncompromising tone. “We had enough of your games.”

“No. You’re staying.”

“Then, we’re going to kick your ass,” Yelena said.

The Void laughed.

“A broken, traumatized girl with no home is trying to save others? Pathetic.”

The Void was very creative in its manipulations.

"Do you know other words, or is your vocabulary limited? Actually, I have a home."

"She’s not alone, Void-" but John was cut off in mid-sentence.

“I'm not talking to you, you dumb Captain America knockoff. Or that Soviet holdover from the past. Or you two, a hundred-and-seven-year-old amputee and a laboratory creature. Right now, I'm only interested in two poor things of your little loser group. So, what were we talking about? Oh, right, a poor homeless girl is desperately trying to save the world while she’s drowning in her depression. You're not going to save anyone; you're all going to die when I take over this useless Bobby boy. A home like what, Yelena? Ukraine? You're lying to yourself. You have no home, your birth certificate was burnt along with the Red Room.”

The atmosphere became tense. Belova felt how much everyone wanted to kill the creature, whose weaknesses they knew nothing about and had not even the slightest idea of. And that was a mistake. The Void was becoming more powerful; Yelena had to fix that. She told herself to remain as calm as possible. This monster was already controlling the situation; it was already in their heads, and they couldn't let it control their emotions as well.

“It doesn't matter what it said, I'm Ukrainian,” the woman said this with cold composure and unyielding pride.

"Dreykov didn't think so."

"If you're implying that I'm Russian, then you're wrong. Even if that piece of paper says so, I don't care. Russia broke me, hurt me, and humiliated me. I‘m anyone but Russian. You know perfectly well that they made us all Russian. They were so afraid of me relating to another identity that they harshly brainwashed me. There are things I decide, and I'm not going to let anyone or anything decide for me. My entire life has been defined by other people. I’ve never gotten the chance to find out who in the hell I am... Until recently. That damn certificate is nothing. I know who I am. As for dying, the only creature that is going to die today is you."

"What a speech!" The Void clapped its hands. "Try it, loser."

When they all ran straight at it, the Void threw them all against the wall and began throwing everything in the room at them.

“Stop. You’re hurting them. Just let them go!” Reynolds said it with more confidence than ever before.

“Wait. You think they care about you? You don’t matter. To anyone.”

“That’s not true!” Yelena’s voice sounded from far away, but still could be heard.

The moment she said that, the rope began to tighten around her head and neck, making her groan in pain.

“Don’t hurt her,” Bob said angrily.

But the Void ignored Bob, and so began the fight between them. With every hit, Reynolds was giving that monstrous creature what it wanted. His thoughts. His emotions. Himself. Entirely. When Yelena reached Bob and hugged him, saying he was not alone, saying she was here, the others came one by one and did the same.

“Everyone! Think about your happiest memories or other things that make you happy!” Belova yelled.

When that seemed to work, the monster tried to prove otherwise. It didn’t want to let Bob go; moreover, now it had captured them all. They were all gradually covered with a black shadow.

At that moment, she saw herself in the Void form. But how was that even possible?! She thought only Bob had the Void form as the embodiment of all that is evil, all that is worst in him. A new fight started. Yelena knew that hitting her evil self wasn’t the best idea, so she was avoiding any physical contact with Void Yelena.

“Come here, coward! No wonder Romanoff outdid you in everything! You can’t even prove to yourself that you can be better not only at doing your job, but also at being a better person. Natasha was always better.”

“Talk more, beast, your manipulations don’t work anymore. I’m not Natasha, and she wasn’t me. We’ve always been different, and it should remain so. I have my own path.”

The shadow lifted her leg, bending the knee, and then she extended her leg and almost slammed into her target, but Yelena dodged Void Yelena’s kick. Then the evil Yelena raised one foot upward and then lowered it to strike her enemy from above. Belova dodged again.

“You know that I’m toying with you, do you? I can do it in a much simpler way. Submit to me and we’ll be great and unstoppable. We’ll rule this world.”

“Господи Боже! Та скільки можна! If you only knew how sick I am of those like you, conqueror and colonizer scum!”

“Even if your precious little hawk will be with us? I can give her to you in a second after your submission.”

“So now you’re trying to bargain? What a change of strategy! Don’t you dare to get Kate Bishop involved in it! I will not submit, I will not give up, I will fight and I will win!”

"Then die!"

She jumped on Yelena and began to strangle her.

Yelena began to think again about the good moments in her life, but she knew that it wasn't enough.

"When I'm done with you, believe me, I'll kill Kate Bishop as brutally as possible, and then I'll destroy this world, starting with your dear Ukraine. However, I admit that you are much smarter than Bob and everyone else, and I even respect you for that."

“You will not hurt anyone!” Belova broke free from Void Yelena’s grip.

“Гетьте, думи, ви хмари осінні!

Het’te, dumy, vy khmary osinni!

То ж тепера весна золота!

To zh tepera vesna zolota!

Чи то так у жалю, в голосінні

Chy to tak u zhaliu, v holosinni

Проминуть молодії літа?

Promynut’ molodiyi lita? ”

“Oh, not that again! Do you really think poetry will save you forever? Apparently, I was wrong about your mental abilities.”

Every time the Void attempted to attack her, Yelena managed to dodge it. If this creature did not feed on negative emotions, Belova would have destroyed it long ago with physical force.

"Ні, я хочу крізь сльози сміятись,

Ni, ya khochu kriz’. Slyozy smiyatys’,

Серед лиха співати пісні,

Sered lykha spivaty pisni,

Без надії таки сподіватись,

Bez nadiyi taky spodivatys’

Жити хочу! Геть, думи сумні!

Zhyty khochu! Het’, dumy sumni! "

Yelena Belova was not going to allow the Void to consume her, Kate, and the entire planet. And she was not alone. This time, neither poetry nor fond memories were enough to defeat the Void. Something more was needed. And she had that something. Her team.

"Я на вбогім сумнім перелозі

Ya na vbohim sumnim perelozi

Буду сіять барвисті квітки,

Budu siyat’ barvysti kvitky,

Буду сіять квітки на морозі,

Budu siyat’ kvitky na morozi,

Буду лить на них сльози гіркі.

Budu lyt’ na nykh syozy hirki. "

All of them were far from friendship, but they could win this deadly fight only together, and Yelena hoped, she truly believed that they would do so. She hoped against hope, wholeheartedly.

The Void decided to show Yelena her memories again. It showed her all the people she has ever killed. At first, Yelena was frightened, but then she realized that she had gone too far to give up. However, mere seconds were enough for Void Yelena to strike by surprise and make Belova scream in pain.

“Do you have something else? Or is your literature knowledge limited? I'm tired of Lesia Ukrainka.”

The woman rose on her knees and then slowly stood up.

“If you're tired, then I'm doing everything right. You can't even imagine the impact of Lesia Ukrainka. You can't imagine how strong this woman was, despite the hell she had to go through during her life, despite everything. She hoped against hope, and so do I. You know, in the Red Room, we were taught that words can be lethal weapons. And you know what else? This great woman may be dead, but her words are alive. She compared words to swords. So feel how each of my words turns into a sword that cuts you deep and hard with every word I say!”

And so Yelena kept on reciting:

"І від сліз тих гарячих розтане

I vid sliz tykh hariachykh roztane

Та кора льодовая, міцна,

Ta kora lyodovaya, mitsna,

Може, квіти зійдуть — і настане

Mozhe, kvity ziydut’ — i nastane

Ще й для мене весела весна.

Shche y dlia mene vesela vesna."

Yelena was trying hard; however, the Void wasn't going to give up either. So now the evil monster was throwing her all over the place, clearly having lost all the patience it had. Although Yelena couldn't speak under such circumstances, she could still think .

Я на гору круту крем'яную

Ya na horu krutu krem’yanuyu

Буду камінь важкий підіймать

Budu kamin’ vazhkyi pidiymat’

І, несучи вагу ту страшную,

I, nesuchy vahu to strashnuyu,

Буду пісню веселу співать.

Budu pisniu veselu spivat’.

The woman thought as loudly as she could. She was stronger now. The Void wouldn't make her feel weak and worthless again. She had a home and her identity. Maybe the last time she felt loved was during her meeting with Natasha. And the time when she truly felt loved was in 1995 in Ohio. But she could feel love now; she could give it. Friendship was also there. She had one person she could call a friend. Her only friend so far. Kate Bishop. However, in addition to friendship, she felt something else for her. And when she got out of here, she would definitely talk to Kate. Enough time has passed.

В довгу, темную нічку невидну

V dovhu, temnuyu nichku nevydnu

Не стулю ні на хвильку очей —

Ne stuliu ni na khvul’ku ochei —

Все шукатиму зірку провідну,

Vse shukatymu zirku providnu

Ясну владарку темних ночей.

Yasnu vladarku temnykh nochei.

“Oh, you think you were loved. Ha-ha, funny. That was a lie. A game. You only needed to carry out missions; you were just lucky to find yourself at the center of this whole show in Ohio. You are nothing on your own; you only know what you were taught in the Red Room. You are nothing more than an assassin; you’re a person without personality or identity. You are nobody, you are nothing. I will make you suffer by reliving all the bad things you have experienced. But worry not, you will not die physically, your personality will die when you go mad, and then I will consume you completely.”

The Void let go of Yelena, and she fell, hitting her back painfully on the ground. What the Void did not expect was that Yelena would laugh.

“Do you really think you can break me more than I already am? As one of the greatest Ukrainian poets, Taras Shevchenko, said, ‘Fire does not burn the hardened.’ You cannot kill me with the very thing that forged me. I’m far more than this shattered form. I seek the light — and so I shall become it. And you’ll never snuff it out. Fear me, darkness, because I want to live, and that means it’s time to end this battle with the final lines.”

And so, she got back up again. It didn’t matter why people fell; what mattered was that they got back up, that they had reasons to get back up. And Yelena Belova had those reasons. As strange as it could sound, but the Void helped Yelena understand that running away from problems, living in the past, or trying to create the illusion of such a life, not being able to come to terms with the past — was to confidently walk towards self-destruction, being in a state of physical life, but mentally only existing in space, existing simply as a fact that would then destroy both mental and physical existence. And Belova still had people for whom it was worth living. Natasha died, but she also would have wanted Yelena to live. And that meant only one thing: Yelena would emerge victorious with no other options for the development of events. It was not time to cry; it was time to move on.

"Так! я буду крізь сльози сміятись,

Tak! ya budu kriz’ slyozy smiyatys’

Серед лиха співати пісні,

Sered lykha spivaty pisni,

Без надії таки сподіватись,

Bez nadiyi taky spodivatys’

Буду жити! Геть, думи сумні!

Budu zhyty! Het’, dymu sumni!"

After those words, the space was filled with light, and the next thing Yelena saw was herself and her team lying on the asphalt in New York City, and the sun was blinding her eyes.

Chapter Text

“I am one of those people who value friends so much that I put them above everything else and consider friends to be the best adornment of life.”

Hryhorii Skovoroda

When Sue failed to find Yelena for the hundredth time, an idea occurred to Kate. Unfortunately, she was unable to contact Dr. Strange, but Jean Grey quickly responded to her request. Until then, Kate hadn't even thought about the fact that she hadn't met any of the X-Men personally. Bishop was sure that if Jean was an omega-level mutant, she could find out where Yelena was. But Kate was wrong. Neither Jean Grey, Emma Frost, nor Charles Xavier could find the widow. When the young woman came home with the knowledge that she hadn't found out anything, she had another idea. But to make this idea come true, Kate needed to die. Her AI friend absolutely hated the idea; playing with life and death was like playing with fire. Sue and Kate argued for half an hour, and then the former understood that the latter wasn't going to give this idea up. Right after Kate's heart stopped beating and her soul left her body, Rio appeared before her. Kate had no idea who this woman was; even though her face was half skull, Kate was charmed by her beauty.

“Too soon, Kate Bishop, don't you think?” An unknown woman asked.

“Wow, so this is how being dead feels?” Kate looked herself over. “Isn't that scary at all. Sorry, who are you?”

“I have many names, but the most popular ones are Lady Death and Rio Vidal.”

“I didn’t know that you're so beautiful, just charming…” She couldn't take her eyes off Rio.

Rio chuckled.

“Well, you didn't die to compliment me. You don't have much time before you can't return to the world of the living. So let's get to the point. You don't belong in the world of the dead; it’s not your time yet. Why did you do this?”

“I wanted to know if my friend, Yelena Belova, was in the Realm of Death. My AI friend, Sue, and I couldn't find her anywhere, so I thought she might be here,” Kate said, hoping that Yelena was alive.

Now it was clear to Rio what Kate Bishop was led by. Friendship and... love. It was a silly and dangerous decision, but at the same time, it deserved respect.

“She doesn't belong to the dead, so it’s time to go back, Kate. I'll help you with that.”

And just when Vidal was about to snap her fingers, she said:

“You know, Yelena's lucky to have you. Say hi to Agatha for me. Oh, and be careful, she’ll explode after that.”

Kate didn't have time to say anything as the next moment she was back in the world of the living. So, Yelena was alive, that was such a relief! Kate couldn't imagine what she would do if Yelena were dead... Although knowing Kate Bishop, she would try to bargain with Death to stay at least a little bit in the world of the dead with Yelena or exchange her life for Yelena’s. Kate had no idea how many people in the history of the multiverse had bargained with Rio like that and gotten nothing. It was unlikely that anyone had such special treatment as Agatha Harkness.

As Kate came back to the living, she asked Sue if there were other places where one couldn't be tracked. Sue suggested a few, but she couldn't think that Kate would seriously go to any of them. But before going there, she wanted to try magic, so she called Billy. Agatha Harkness often appeared with him. This witch had lived for centuries and studied the secrets of magic for quite a long time, so she might have found a way to find Belova. Besides, Kate promised Rio to greet Agatha for her. Although Kate didn’t get why Agatha ‘would explode’.

“Hmmm... I don’t know. Even though I like you, Katie-Kate, why would I do that?”

“Agatha!” Billy growled.

“What? What kind of magic is this without bargaining?” Agatha shrugged.

“Actually, I do have something to offer. Someone asked me to tell you something, but I'll only tell you who it was and what they asked me to say after you help me,” the archer said mysteriously.

“Hmmm, intriguing, Kate Bishop. So, let's see what can be done. You know, if we met before I met Billy, I'd doubt your idea, but after this wonder boy made my fairytale about the Witches’ Road real, I'm confident more than ever that we must try to find your friend,” Agatha rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

When she tried everything she could, she was furious and disappointed.

“You know, Katie-Kate, I hate to admit it, but I can't do anything. I looked everywhere. The only thing that I hope is true is that Yelena's alive.”

Rio said something like that, too. But there had to be a way to find Belova; there had to be a place where she was. It seemed that Kate was going to discover that on her own, traveling to places from Sue’s list.

“Thank you anyway,” Bishop said, sadly. “Oh, right, my offer. So, Rio asked to say hi.”

The witch tensed.

“You traveled to the Realm of Death?! Oh, of course, you would! Kate Bishop just can't do without looking for trouble. What else did she say?”

“Nothing.”

Then, without saying goodbye, Agatha disappeared. If Rio couldn't see Agatha, she decided to communicate with her through other people, or what? What a stubborn bitch!

When Harkness reached the Realm of Death, she shouted:

“RIOOOO!”

And Vidal appeared before her immediately. She was as charming as always, but that didn't help to lower Agatha's anger level.

“Didn't we agree that we don't see each other and don't communicate in any way? And now what?! You just did it through Kate Bishop! Don't do that ever again!”

“At least she cares about the person she loves. So much that she's ready to move heaven and earth, and even die. She doesn't realize that she's in love yet, but that tells about her even more, actually. She's ready to do anything for people who are dear to her. And I'll never forgive myself for what I had to do. I just wanted to be loved in any way possible, and now I have lost two people who could give me that love. If only I could bring Nicky back, I'd do that, but you know perfectly well that I can't.”

Rio Vidal still loved Agatha Harkness. Madly. Deeply. Painfully. She still wanted to be with Agatha, but the latter couldn't understand it, as it seemed to Rio.

But then Harkness remembered what Billy had told her once. Wanda just wanted to be happy. This was the reason for all that madness, not an excuse. He still had mixed feelings about her, but what he couldn't deny was that Wanda loved him and Tommy, and she was insanely in love with Vision. She lost them all, and she did anything she could to bring them back. Billy couldn't forgive her for all her bad deeds, but he didn't have a chance to talk to her. Agatha was one hundred percent sure that the Scarlet Witch would have prayed for forgiveness and redemption if only she had met at least one of the three. And Agatha also knew that the multiverse of madness, as this phenomenon was called, could've been avoided if Lilia Calderu hadn't put the sigil on Billy. And he knew that too. And now Harkness realized that Rio deserved better. Moreover, if Agatha said that she didn't love Rio anymore, that would've been such a lie.

So Harkness kissed Vidal wildly and violently.

“I still hate you, but I still love you,” she said between the kisses.

To say that Death was delighted was to say nothing.

And then Agatha realized:

“Wait?! We can kiss?! We can kiss without physical bodies?!”

“Well, it’s the least I can do.”

“That's nice. Oh, wait, I just realized one more thing! As it seems neither of us succeeded in finding Yelena Belova, all we know is that she's alive. And look! Now you see me, now you don't!” Harkness disappeared and reappeared.

“What are you trying to say?” Rio arched her eyebrow.

“I'm trying to say that she can be in a place where she can't be tracked!”

“Oh dear, I know. But you know, there's certain information I can't tell. If it's meant to be, then Kate shouldn't have to figure it out with my help. I've already helped her.”

“I know, and if you can't tell her this, then I will! See you in a minute!”

“Careful with that phrase; not everyone actually comes back after saying it.”

“I'm already dead, my love! See you!”

And so Agatha returned to the world of the living.

+++

Agatha's idea wasn’t new to Kate. There were plenty of untrackable places on the list, and all of them had different danger levels, but did Bishop care? Nope. When it comes to friends, nothing else matters.

When Sue suggested asking Kate’s team for help, the latter refused. She didn’t want to endanger their lives; she thought that she and Sue would be enough to accomplish the mission. Bishop believed she could handle it; after all, she could handle being a hero and CEO of Bishop Security. This mission was one of the most interesting and unusual in Kate's life. And she was not only searching for Yelena, but also for Tommy Maximoff. She promised Billy that they would find his brother together, so Kate did not stop searching for him. When the young woman asked Sue if there were any updates on Tommy, the artificial intelligence replied that the situation had not changed. It was undoubtedly sad, but she was not going to give up. She was ready to go to hell or even worse places to find them. And at that moment, an unknown man appeared in front of her. Mechanically, she reached for an arrow, and Sue prepared to shoot with her hands, which had just transformed into guns.

“Whoa, whoa, take it easy, girls. I'm not here to kill you,” the man said, raising his hands up.

“Who are you?” The archer asked suspiciously and distrustfully.

“Mephisto is a demon who rules a pocket dimension and visits Earth and manipulates humans, forming pacts with them,” Sue said before the man could even open his mouth.

“Thanks for the introduction, Sue,” Mephisto smiled slyly.

“Oh, now demons, okay, fine. Just a normal Thursday in New York,” Kate said sarcastically. “So why are you here?”

However, Sue didn't look so calm (or rather indifferent).

“Kate, this is serious; he's an extremely dangerous being.”

“I believe you, but I'm not afraid. Now I'm curious what caught Mephisto's attention about a mere mortal like me.”

Oh, Mephisto was more than pleased to tell.

“I love the exceptional. The terrific. The dogged. Someone inquisitive and curious. Someone who, due to no fault of their own, finds themselves always at the short end of the stick. That's why I'm here. To help the unseen... the unheard,” Mephisto said conspiratorially. “But in your case, I want to help the one who struggles. You, Kate Bishop. I can give you what you want and even more.”

Ah, right. A classical pact with the devil, nothing extraordinary. Or not yet, at least.

Kate’s friend tried to interfere; the Young Avenger expressed her desire to hear the proposal that Mephisto had to offer. And so, he showed her what he could do.

There was no Red Room for Yelena. She was just a normal kid and later an adult, living a normal life in Kyiv with her parents and aunt. Just like others, she studied at a school and then at a university, gradually fulfilling her dreams. She traveled a lot with friends and family. She had several pets: a dog, a guinea pig, and a parrot. She loved cooking; it was her passion, so she started a family business. Her restaurant was one of the best restaurants in Ukraine. She was the happiest person alive. And then she met Kate Bishop, with whom they developed a truly good friendship and could develop something else.

As for Tommy, he was never with the Shepherds, and Billy wasn’t with the Kaplans. They lived a happy life with Wanda and later joined the Young Avengers, befriended Kate and Tommy, and she even could develop something more than friendship.

That all was so overwhelming for Kate, and Mephisto hadn’t even finished. Meanwhile, Sue alerted Riri Williams, and when the demon was trying to talk the archer into making a deal, Ironheart broke into her friend’s apartment.

“Whatever he offered you, Kate, DO NOT LISTEN to him!”

“Riri Williams, nice to see you again,” Riri wanted to erase the demon’s disgusting smile with a blast from her weapons.

“Riri? But how? What are you doing here? Do you two know each other?” Kate Bishop was confused.

What the heck was happening?!

“It would be nice if you didn't interfere. As you can see, I've almost closed the deal,” then he turned to the leader of the Young Avengers. “Kate, you want to find Yelena and Tommy, right? I'm offering you much more than that. In return, I won't ask for much; you won't even miss it.”

“LIAR! Kate, you will lose everything and everyone you love if you agree!” Williams yelled. She almost shot him, but he made her armor disappear.

“You belong to me, so be quiet and obedient, pet.”

“No! I may belong to you, but I will do everything to ensure that none of my friends ever belongs to you! Sue, activate protocol number-”

“No, enough! I can decide for myself,” Kate shouted. “Your offer is very tempting, Mephisto, and I’m afraid I would agree without hesitation if it weren't for one thing. Yelena would never want me to sell my soul for her happiness, even if I agreed to do so. Knowing Billy, I don't think he or his brother would want that either. They wouldn't be the same Yelena and Tommy. Changing their lives without their knowledge is selfish and cruel, even if those changes were for the better. We are who we are, and we have to live with that. But that doesn't mean we can't change things for the better. We can, and we will, alone and together, without rewriting reality.”

The demon didn't like that his deal had fallen through. However, for Mephisto, there were no defeats, only postponements of victory. He was not used to thinking otherwise, so he said goodbye, saying that he and Kate would definitely see each other again. Kate, Riri, and even the android felt such relief when Mephisto disappeared. But this did not make the situation any easier, quite the contrary. Now, Williams and Bishop had a lot to talk about.

It looked like Kate and Sue could no longer keep their mission a secret, and so the archer started talking. She told Riri everything that had happened over the past few months. Ironheart was shocked in every sense of the word. Who would have thought that Yelena loved poetry? Of course, Kate didn't tell Riri the whole story that Clint had heard from Natasha, but even the short version was enough to give Williams goose bumps. Now she wanted to meet Belova; she admired her, but to do that, she had to help Kate find her. Kate had already done a lot; now it was time for teamwork. In turn, Riri told Kate her story when the latter asked why she belonged to Mephisto. It was also one of those stories that you don't tell anyone, not even your closest friends.

After they finished telling their stories, they hugged each other. Kate was very grateful to Sue and Riri for saving her from irreparable grief. Riri declared that from now on, it was teamwork and suggested calling America. Riri had a hunch that America could teleport them to untraceable places. However, they needed the whole team. Since Bishop knew where exactly Tommy was (if to believe Mephisto), she thought Billy deserved to know. So, when the team gathered, Kate told them everything. The reaction of her friends was mixed. On the one hand, they were upset that Kate had kept secrets from them, but on the other hand, they understood her. Everyone had a right to personal space and secrets. Billy was extremely happy that Kate had found the exact location of his brother. No matter how hard he and Agatha tried, they couldn’t do it as if it were hidden by the kind of magic they hadn’t known before. Kamala decided to go to Tommy with Billy and Hulkling, for which Billy was grateful, while America, Riri, and Sue would help Kate.

To enter Wakanda and Atlantis, they had to make a request or receive an invitation; otherwise, nobody could be let in. But when they made it to Wakanda and then Atlantis, both Shuri and Namor said Yelena Belova had never made a request for entrance or received an invitation. That was disappointing for Kate, but she wasn’t going to give up.

When they appeared in Chornobyl, the vampire capital of Ukraine, Vlad Drakul himself met them as America teleported them right into his castle. The path to the throne room led through the trophy room. There, the Young Avengers saw various items from different eras, the most recent of which were several skulls of Russian soldiers, chevrons, weapons, and so on. Vlad noticed that his guests' gaze lingered on his newest trophies and said:

“Impressive, isn't it? You may have heard that I act solely in my own interests, although I keep my promises; the conquest of Ukraine by the Russians was not in my interests, so as soon as they entered Chornobyl, we killed them all to the last man. In addition, many of my people are still in the Ukrainian special services and army, just in case. Although Chornobyl is an autonomous region, we all have Ukrainian citizenship; in fact, we don't need any other citizenship. This state is under my protection. So, what did the leader of the Young Avengers and Yelena Belova's friend want to talk about?”

“How do you know that we’re friends? Oh, well, let it be a vampire secret, Your Highness. We came here looking for Yelena. She last contacted me almost a month ago. She mentioned that she had been to Chornobyl, so we thought she might be here again.”

“Unfortunately, or fortunately, she's not here. You know very well that if widows don't want to be found, the chances of you finding them are about zero. If that's all, then I ask you to leave the capital of the vampire nation. I have important business to attend to. However, I will note that you are very lucky to have a friend like Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop. You may also ask some molfars, mavkas, and other creatures in the Ukrainian part of the Carpathian Mountains, but I doubt that she’s there. Ukraine has several other mysterious places where people hide, but again, I’m ready to bet that Yelena’s nowhere to be found in her Homeland. Good luck with your search, though.”

So, Yelena wasn’t in Chornobyl and the entire territory of Ukraine, if to believe Prince Vlad III. However, Kate insisted on checking all the mysterious places of Ukraine and the Earth. Even though that turned out to be a waste of time, at least Kate, Sue, Riri, and America knew that Yelena wasn’t in Ukraine, and America even made a friend when they visited mavkas' lands in the Volyn forests. After such a long day, the friends decided to rest and continue their search the next day. But the next day, a dispute arose between Riri and Kate about which place to teleport to next. Because they didn't decide where to go next, America couldn't focus and transported them to an unknown place.

“You see what your inability to compromise has done!” Riri snapped.

“You are no better than me!” Kate responded.

“Girls, that's enough! You're both to blame. We need to act not only as a team, but as friends!” America interfered and then turned to Sue. “Sue, where are we?”

“We're on Earth-828, Southeast Europe, in a country called Latveria, ruled by the dictator and one of the most powerful beings in this universe, Victor von Doom, also known as Dr. Doom. To be more precise, we’re in Doomstadt, the capital of Latveria. Its official languages are Hungarian, German, and Romani. In addition to the fact that Latveria is an isolated country, outsiders are not allowed to enter, and are arrested and imprisoned in the only country with which Latveria has diplomatic and friendly relations, Symkaria. We are in great danger; we need to leave this place immediately.”

But it was too late; the Doom Guard noticed them.

“A Latveria területére idegenek belépni tilos! Megsértette Latveria törvényét, letartóztatjuk!”

Sue translated from Hungarian that foreigners were prohibited from entering Latveria. They had violated Latverian law and were arrested for it. Kate decided that starting a fight was not in their best interest; on the contrary, it could only make things worse. So she told Sue to say that they were here on a diplomatic mission from the United States of America and were requesting an audience with Victor von Doom.

The guards laughed but led them to the Doom Castle. They had a feeling of déjà vu. However, this was a completely different universe, and something told the friends that Victor von Doom would not be as friendly as Vlad Drakul. The latter was intimidating, and they could have encountered diplomatic and other issues for trespassing (they did not have tourist visas or any documents with them). They were simply fortunate for reasons unknown. However, Yelena certainly played a role in this, if Kate was ‘very lucky to have a friend like Yelena Belova’. As soon as Bishop found her, she would definitely ask her about her strange acquaintance with the vampire prince. The Young Avengers were also lucky because Drakul was the first to mention Yelena, and Kate instantly made up a lie that Yelena had told her about him. The situation with the ruler of Latveria was different, so they had to be much, much more careful. Doom's castle was impressive in its beauty and eerie atmosphere at the same time. America and Riri did not share Kate's enthusiasm; on the contrary, the castle seemed to oppress them, and they wanted (like Kate) to leave Latveria as soon as possible.

“To what do I owe this visit from a member of the Bishop crime family? What's Queen Katherine Bishop doing here on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the U.S?”

Williams and Chavez didn't seem to be noticed by Doom, like they didn't exist in this universe (even though America didn't exist in any universe). If Kate's parents in her home universe weren't involved in the criminal world, she would be surprised that she was the queen of criminals here.

“We are very grateful for this audience, Your Imperial Majesty. I see that, as always, you are prepared to defend against external interference,” Kate tried to play along. “We are looking for Yelena Belova. I have reason to believe that she may be somewhere in southeastern Europe.”

“Your wife?” All guests could swear that he raised an eyebrow under his mask.

Kate’s WHO?! Okay, now everyone was a bit shocked. Well, if Kate and Yelena were friends in their home universe, why couldn't they be married, enemies, strangers, or even relatives in other universes? Everything was perfectly normal. However, since neither of the Young Avengers expected to hear this, the game could be considered lost. Kate changed her expression to neutral and nodded. She even explained why Belova could be here and why she was looking for her personally instead of making a request to send her people to Latveria.

“All of this would sound quite convincing if you knew anything about your version of here, Ms. Bishop. Katherine Bishop from my universe never leaves her dog behind. So, you're not just strangers to Latveria, you are strangers to this universe in general,” as he moved closer to the Young Avengers, he continued. “You are here illegally, and you have no protection. You have two options: prison or serving me. I can find a use for your skills. Are you the best archer in your world as well, Ms. Bishop? Your brilliant mind could also be useful to me, Ms. Williams. I apologize, Miss. I do not know you, but I sense an unusual energy from you, magic that is unknown to me. Either you or this android created by Ms. Williams opened the portal here, I suppose?”

They knew they couldn't defeat Doctor Doom if they decided to fight him. His intelligence was impressive; he obviously knew a lot about the multiverse. However, the team was not going to give up, and Riri asked if there was anything they could do to make Doom let them go. The man snorted and asked if they were familiar with one particular Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm. Riri and America didn't have time to say no before Kate said yes. She said she was also acquainted with Jean Grey, Emma Frost, Scott Summers, Professor Xavier, and many other X-Men. However, Victor wasn't interested in any of that; he only wanted Ororo. He said that America would go get Ororo while her friends were kept in one of the castle's guest rooms under guard. He gave Chavez two hours to bring Storm to him, or else her friends would suffer.

While Sue, Riri, and Kate waited for America, Williams and Bishop apologized to each other and discussed the situation. In particular, they discussed the fact that they both existed in this universe and that Yelena and Kate were married here. Riri stated that if the archer and the widow loved poetry in this universe as well, it was not surprising that they got married. Riri suggested that perhaps the last poem hinted not only that Yelena thought she was going somewhere and would not return, but also, as Kate thought, was a confession of love. When her friend asked her what Kate herself felt, she didn't have a clear answer, but she wanted to talk to Belova in person. When America returned with Storm, Doom gallantly took Munroe by the hand and pressed his mask against her knuckles. He ordered the guards to take Chavez to her friends.

“Let them go, Victor. I've come to you.”

“I'll let them go after our conversation. They are in comfortable conditions, in one of the guest rooms. You don't think I'm a barbarian who would throw them into the dungeon, knowing that they are your acquaintances, do you?”

“Of course not. So why am I here?”

Doom ordered all the guards to leave the throne room.

“I want to talk about us. I know there is mutual attraction between us, Ororo.”

“Take off your mask, Victor. I want to see the face of the man who claims to love me. Don't say it's just affection when we both know it's much more than that.”

Victor took off his mask and hood.

“Yes, it's much more than that, but you're not letting it be more on your part. Why?”

Ororo moved closer to Victor, took his face in her hands, and kissed his scar.

“Because it's not right, Victor. I don't need to be a queen, an empress, or anything else. I already had a kingdom and one of the most righteous people I know. However, that's all in the past now. If I couldn't have a long and happy life with him and everyone else, what guarantee is there that I could have one with someone new? I have feelings for you, but the situation is complicated by the fact that I can't feel comfortable with a person who rules his own country with an iron fist, not to mention that many people fear you even outside your universe.”

“Besides, you worry about what people will think of you. I can give you a whole list of X-Men who have dated or are dating people who violate your code, your views, your morals. Although you know them perfectly well.”

“Yes, I know. I just want not only me, but also your country to breathe freely. Do you think this will make you weaker in the eyes of others? No one will dare to say that to your face; besides, even without ruling Latveria, you have enough influence in this world. I know that behind this mask hides the Victor von Doom I fell in love with: gallant, wise, honest, someone who can become good and beautiful. Scars can spoil one's appearance, but the beauty of a person's personality will always be more attractive to me than the beauty of their body. Besides, I love to see your body and touch what you consider ugly. Just give yourself and others this freedom, this will.”

This was an important conversation for Victor, but he needed more time to think. He told Ororo to make herself at home and asked the guards to take the guests to the dining room. Doom promised Storm he would think about what she said, and after putting on his mask, they went to the dining room.

“You will stay in the castle for today and continue your search tomorrow. If you're wondering, Ms. Bishop, besides the absence of your dog, you gave yourself away by being completely unfamiliar with the era you've entered. We live in the 60s, people dress differently here. However, even if you had arrived here not suddenly, but fully prepared, it would not have saved you.”

“We are deeply grateful for your hospitality and kindness, Your Majesty,” Bishop said.

“You owe this largely to Ms. Munroe.”

“Victor, could you give our guests some advice? I think your wisdom would be useful to them,” Storm said after sipping her wine.

Never in her life had Kate been so grateful to herself for her decisions. If she hadn't met Jean, who told Ororo everything (and Kate was sure that when America began to explain their situation, Jean said she knew Kate or read America's thoughts or something like that), they would have been dead or enslaved. However, it didn't matter how it happened; the main thing was that Bishop and her friends were now safe. Everyone was curious to know if Dr. Doom would offer any advice and what exactly he would suggest.

“Which of all the places in your plans is the most dangerous?”

“We think it's the Dark Dimension,” America said.

“So, Dormammu. Have you met Mephisto yet?”

“Yes,” Kate nodded. “But we haven't made any deals with him.”

“Kate and America didn't make deals with him, but I was careless enough to make that mistake. Now my job is to make sure that people I know don't make the same mistake.”

“That's noble of you, Ms. Williams.” Victor nodded. “Well, you should know that Mephisto doesn't take defeat lying down, and he'll be back with some other offer. As for Dormammu, you may be less fortunate. You should not go there unprepared. However, I can help you. If you have something of Yelena's, I can find out if there is similar energy in the Dark Dimension without having to teleport there.”

“What do you want in return, Your Majesty?”

Oh, Victor von Doom had many ideas about what he would want for his services, but instead of voicing his ideas, he said it was a gesture of goodwill on his part. In this way, he wanted to show Ororo that he accepted her words and was giving her his answer. This action by the ruler of Latveria surprised everyone, even Sue (and it was difficult to surprise artificial intelligence; before that, only Kate Bishop had managed to do so). Ororo gave Victor a smile. She was pleasantly surprised by his actions, but it should be noted that she also did not expect Victor's response to be so quick. So, he took everything very seriously, which earned Munroe's respect and joy.

The next day, Victor took the friendship bracelet and ring that Yelena had given Kate and began a magic session. Unfortunately, he did not find Yelena's energy in Dormammu's domain. Kate tried to hold back her emotions so as not to break down. Her mood dropped to zero. America, Riri, and Sue hugged Kate and promised that they would definitely find the widow. As for wise advice, Doom said that they could ask their version of Loki for help. However, Loki would not do anything out of the goodness of their heart, so Victor advised them to prepare themselves. In addition, he said to look for the key in emotions, to focus on them, because magic is emotions. The stronger the emotions, the stronger the magic, the greater the chances of success when used correctly. So, if she was going to use magic, Kate had to reveal her emotions and feelings about Yelena to the fullest. Now Kate began to think that she could have succeeded back when Agatha was trying to find Yelena Belova, but everything was much more complicated. No one would help Kate if she didn't help herself. In other words, Bishop needed to work on her emotions and feelings.

+++

They spent a lot of time searching for Loki, so Kate told Billy and the rest of the Young Avengers, who were with him, to act without them, as America was a big country and always needed heroes. While their search for Loki was unsuccessful, neither Thor nor Valkyrie knew where he was. However, they ran into Deadpool in one of the bars. The search was quite exhausting, so the girls wanted to relax a little. Wade told them that there was an organization called the Time Variance Authority and what it did. To get there, all they had to do was create a temporal anomaly. Wilson speculated that Yelena might have done something similar, which is why the TVA took her away. He also did not rule out the possibility that they might have sent her into the Void. He hated the TVA with every fiber of his being, so he didn't keep in touch with Verity Willis to get in. Therefore, he advised the Young Avengers to do something incredibly stupid so that the TVA would come after them themselves. Well, at least life wasn't boring. God, when Kate found Yelena, she'd have to fight the urge to kill her after hugging her.

To do something incredibly stupid? Well, Kate had an idea. America, Riri, and Sue were totally against it. It wasn't just stupid; it put humanity at risk. Kate replied that the TVA would definitely not allow it and would definitely notice them. Besides, Bishop thought it wasn't necessary to teach cavemen how to play basketball (as Kate had suggested, but had no intention of actually doing); it was enough to simply travel back in time to the Paleolithic era. In the end, they ended up in the Paleolithic era. And the archer was right, because a few moments later, the Minutemen came for them. They took her to Verity Willis.

“Teach cavemen how to play basketball? Kate Bishop, your humor is on par with Deadpool's. We've been watching you this whole time-”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THIS WHOLE TIME?!” All four of them exclaimed.

“You're saying you could have contacted us earlier?! Then why didn't you?!” Riri was fuming.

“Do you have any idea what we've been through during this time?!” Kate was ready to spit venom at Verity Willis if she could.

“According to my calculations and ability to read emotions, they were all fine until our last trip, so nothing else could have caused any anomalies,” Sue said calmly.

“So, it was all part of their plan?!” America clenched her fists in anger.

“Calm down, please. Everything was fine until your trip to the Paleolithic era. You can consider your search for Yelena Belova complete,” she said emotionlessly. “Everything has its time. She is not here. She is also not in the Void, where we send creatures that are particularly dangerous to the multiverse. It's time for you to go home.”

Perhaps if the head of the TVA said that everything had its time, then there was no need to worry? They were, after all, an organization that managed time shifts, so they knew exactly when Yelena would appear. However, Kate didn't care; she didn't want to wait. Although she pretended to accept that they were being sent home, she had a plan to get access to all of the TVA's open and classified information in order to find Yelena.

So when Sue, America, and Riri were sent home, Kate ran as fast as she could. Dozens of Minutemen rushed to Willis's cry, and a real hunt began for Kate. Running through different floors, Kate saw employees and TV screens showing moments from different universes. During this time, she managed to fight off several Minutemen. If it weren't for her agility, she might have been caught already. Unexpectedly, she entered a floor where she was greeted by a door with a sign that read “No Trespassing!” and thought that this might be what she was looking for. The door was unlocked with a magnetic card, which, luckily, she had taken from one of the Minutemen in a different uniform. Perhaps he was the one who had access to this room. And just as Bishop thought it was stupid to hope for luck, the door opened.

What the young woman saw there shocked her. In the cell sat tortured Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.

“What the fuck?!”

“I've never been greeted like that before. Are you new here or lost? Both?”

Kate ignored Wanda's question.

“God, you've been here this whole time?! I can't even imagine what they've done to you! I think I'm starting to understand why Deadpool hates the TVA.”

Wanda came as close as her prison would allow to get a better look at Kate.

“Who are you? As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to kill them all. Let me out.”

“I'm Kate Bishop, your Billy's friend. By the way, we found Tommy—”

Maximoff got angry and yelled:

“DON’T YOU DARE MENTION THEIR NAMES!”

“I'm afraid we don't have enough time for this talk. Let's agree that you won't kill anyone here, even though these bastards definitely deserve punishment, but another time. You may not believe me, Ms. Maximoff, but you will believe my memories when I release you. You need to be with your children.”

“Believe me, if you're lying, you're very unlucky.”

The young woman knew perfectly well who she was dealing with, but nothing scared her anymore. When Kate released Wanda, the latter immediately read all her thoughts and saw all her memories. Bishop wasn't lying. Wanda cried and fell, but Kate caught her in time.

“You have to go. Can you teleport from here to New York?”

“What about you, Hawkgirl? Billy and Tommy won't forgive me if they find out I could have teleported us both.”

Hawkgirl? That was not what Kate wanted to be called; good idea, though. Kate shook her head.

“Tell them it was my decision, show them if you have to. I'm not going home without Yelena.”

Kate and Wanda were similar in some ways, particularly in that they never gave up when it came to people close to them. Even if it led to colossal consequences. The Scarlet Witch said she needed to take some life force from someone in order to teleport without any problems. Suddenly, the door opened again, and a dozen Minutemen entered the room. Well, now Wanda had the opportunity to take plenty of someone else's life force. As she and Kate had agreed, she didn't kill anyone and teleported away.

A few moments later, Verity Willis entered the room with a dozen of her minions and said to Kate:

“You have no idea what you've done. For committing a crime against the TVA on such a scale, your punishment will be life imprisonment in the Void!”

Bishop didn't even have time to say a word before Willis touched her with some kind of wand, and Kate disappeared.