CHAPTER 73
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After capturing Alexei and Melena, I transported them to one of my technically inescapable prisons, the same prison I was using to keep Sabertooth out of my life.
Then, as a good host, I allowed them to explain why they had come to New York, or more specifically, why they wanted to talk to me.
Alexei was the first to start talking, telling me that I was right, that he was a coward.
Followed by Melena saying that it took her a while to realize she loved Natasha and Yelena more than her own country, that now she understood why the RED ROOM castrated them.
I could see in their eyes that they were not lying to me.
"Yelena misses you guys," I said with a sigh. "Natasha does too, but she is mature enough to understand it all."
I could see the sorrow in their eyes, the shame, but even so, even knowing that they were not lying to me, I was not going to trust them; I couldn't.
"But... I won't let any of you go near them." I added with a stern look on my face.
"I understand." Melena croaked, tears coursing down her cheeks one after the other.
"I understand that you don't trust us, but here we are, we betrayed our country for them..." Alexei exclaimed pleadingly.
"You betrayed your country?" I laughed, pushing the man against the wall in anger. "They trusted you, they loved you... they still do, and you saw them as nothing more than objects to be used, as stones to be used to cement your glory!"
"I know," Alexei replied without looking at me in the eyes, his whole body in a submissive state of acceptance, not a single muscle tense.
In other words, he was ready to let me kill him without even trying to stop me.
"We'll do anything," Melena said, looking into my eyes as I held Alexei against the wall. "But let us be a part of their lives."
Taking a deep breath, I let go of Alexei.
A small part of me wanted to give them a chance; I really wanted to believe they would not hurt them, but how could I trust them? How could I put Nat and Yelena on this ship again?
"Anything?" I asked, looking into her eyes.
"Yes," Melena replied.
I might regret this in the future, but I would give them a chance to start over. "If you hurt them if you breathe out of line, if you blink without telling me about it, I will find you, and I will kill you, but not without making the two of you suffer."
"Are.. are you giving us a chance?" Alexei muttered.
"Yes." I nodded with a sigh, rubbing my temples. "You two will work for me, and in exchange, you will get to be part of their lives, but keep this in mind. I will monitor your every move."
"We are traitors to our homeland; we have nothing but them anyways," Alexei muttered.
"And I don't care," I replied with a hiss. "My only concern is keeping them safe, and that also includes their emotional safety. So, watch your moves. I don't give a flying fuck if you betrayed Santa on the north pole, but what you do from now on."
"What would we do for you?" Melena asked. "You said we would work for you, but in what?"
"More than not, eliminating organizations like the Red Room," I answered.
"Like you did with Hydra," Alexei added.
"Yes," I nodded. "Though I am not sure they are gone, not completely, at best, they are a street gang now."
"Thank you," Melena said with sincerity. "Thank you for this opportunity."
"Don't get too excited," I said, looking at them. "I won't force the girls to do anything; Yelena could be the only daughter you two still have." with that said, I opened a portal to my house, but before I left them on their cell, I added one last bit. "I will come back in a day or two to talk about our agreement. Enjoy the time to think."
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The first one I explained what had happened was Natasha, who seemed distressed at the idea, a part of her, was happy, I could see that much, but another part was angry, afraid.
"You are free to give them a second chance, worry not, I will protect you if anything comes to happen," I said, hugging Nat.
"I... don't want to go," Natasha mumbled into my chest; I could tell she was on the verge of crying. "I want to stay here... but I don't want to lose Yelena."
"They won't be far away; heck, they will be next door," I said, patting her on the head. "If you want to stay, you are free to do so."
"But... do you want me to stay?" Natasha mumbled in a barely audible voice.
"What?" I asked.
"Emily said you wanted her to stay, to be your daughter. Is it the same for me?" Nat muttered, looking into my eyes.
"Do you want to be my daughter?" I asked, looking at her in the eyes with a small smile. "Because if you say yes, there is no turning back."
Nat turned, her head looking down as she muttered something I couldn't quite hear.
"What?"
"Yes," Nat said, this time a bit louder. "I want to be part of your family, for real, I want to have what Emily has... I want to... be loved by someone who would burn a country down for me, I love them, I do... but I want what Emily has, I deserve what Emily has!" she finished with tears.
"Then welcome to the family." I hugged her; who would've thought I would have two daughters by the age of twenty-five.
"I'm a selfish person, aren't I?" Nat muttered.
"No." I shook my head. "You crave what every person craves, unconditional love; it's a human condition, and fortunately for you, I have plenty to give," I added with a smirk.
"Do I have to call you dad now... or..." Nat chuckled, using her shirt to clean the tears and snot off her face.
"I mean, you can take your time," I replied, scratching the back of my head. "Emily took hers; you can do the same; I don't mind, I will be happy when you do it, but I won't force it to happen."
"Yelena will be happy with them." Nat sighed.
"And you will be happy here with me, I hope." I smiled, "Like I said, all transactions are final; you have lost your freedom until your college graduation."
"I already am." Nat hugged me.