It was never a lie. Not for Yelena, too young to understand any of it at the time. It made her separation from them perhaps even harder. But it was the thought of the reunion of them that saved so many of her nights in the barracks with the other Widows. One day, she’d escape, she would find them again.

And she had.
And it had been an absolute disaster.
But Yelena wouldn’t trade her family for anything in the world. They were hers, the rest didn’t matter.

She lifts her gaze to meet Melina’s. “You’re going to make me cry more,” she complains, a tiny pout on her lips, but she nods, gives her the answer she was waiting for, “Yes… we- we will. We can track the other Widows down, reverse the subjugation, give them new identity. New lives… it’s what she would want.” She blinks back the tears trying to build again. “You will help me, won’t you, Mama?”