Chapter Text
Yelena’s mission was pretty straightforward.
Protect the bunker and make sure no one stole the formula for the Sentry Project.
Of course, only part of that was true – Valentina needed her to destroy any trace of her involvement in the creation of illegal serums. She was about to face an impeachment trial, and she certainly wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Valentina stared out the bulletproof window of her office, her fingers tapping impatiently on the mahogany desk. Three decades building a network of power and influence, and now everything threatened to collapse because of a few ambitious senators and nosy investigative journalists.
She knew many of those Washington men would love to see her behind bars. Naturally, a woman with so much power always made them uncomfortable. They were just waiting for the first opportunity to take her down, and the Sentry Project was the perfect ammunition.
But Valentina Allegra de Fontaine hadn’t gotten to where she was by being naive.
If they wanted a war, she’d give them exactly that.
Thank God she had those completely broken, purposeless “dysfunctional heroes” working for her. Each of them carried enough trauma to fill a graveyard – perfect for her needs. Of course, they would also have to disappear if she wanted to dodge an orange jumpsuit and a pair of handcuffs.
So the plan was perfect.
She’d send Yelena, Ava, Walker and... what was the name of the masked woman? Oh yes, Taskmaster – or whatever she called herself – on a suicide mission disguised as a heroic operation. They’d kill each other or die trying, and that way she’d destroy any trace of that damned failed lab.
Many people had died in the tests – 97 subjects, to be exact. Valentina still remembered the number because each death meant wasted money and more paperwork to forge. It had been a monumental headache because it was all in vain – not a single subject had responded 100% to the serum. Two hundred million CIA dollars down the drain and a bloody mess to cover up.
Valentina sighed deeply, running a hand through her platinum hair.
She had built her career on piles of corpses and secrets buried so deep even she didn’t remember them all, but this time the stakes were personal. Her freedom, her life – everything depended on this final operation.
It looked like Valentina wouldn’t get a single peaceful night’s sleep until she knew they were all dead and her connection to the Sentry Project had been erased from the face of the Earth forever.
She opened the bottle of Scotch whiskey – a 25-year-old Macallan that cost more than her agents’ annual salaries – while massaging her temples where a migraine throbbed. The French silk robe slipped over her body like warm water, but not even luxury could ease the tension in her muscles.
“Come back to bed.” The woman kissed her bare shoulder, her warm lips a contrast to Valentina’s cold skin.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” Valentina replied with a calculated smile that didn’t reach her eyes, watching the blonde silhouette disappear down the dark hallway toward the bedroom.
Valentina took a generous sip of the whiskey, feeling the amber liquid burn her throat and warm her chest. The plan was elegant in its simplicity: send them on an impossible mission against a target she herself had created, they die, and she emerges clean as a saint.
What could go wrong, right?
---
Taskmaster was the first to die. Her body collapsed to the ground when Yelena finally realized this was nothing more than a suicide mission elaborately orchestrated. In this case, they were simultaneously the hunters and the prey. Of course, Valentina wanted them all out of the picture, and that bunker was full of evidence against her. It hadn’t been hard to figure out it was all a setup when the “evidence” was way too convenient and the target knew their real names.
But then there was this girl.
She appeared like a ghost among the wreckage of the lab, wearing a faded hospital gown that had once been white but was now stained with things Yelena preferred not to identify. Her dark, tangled hair covered half her face. Her gaze stayed downcast, fixed on the floor, and her bare feet left damp prints on the cold concrete.
She looked scared, but not suspicious. There was no calculated hardness in her eyes like the one Walker carried like a scar, nor the restrained rage that pulsed in Ava’s veins, not even the cold determination Yelena recognized in herself when she looked in the mirror.
“Do you think Valentina sent her to kill us too?” Ava turned to Yelena, her voice tense as she observed the fragile figure in front of them.
Yelena studied the girl more closely. There was something familiar in her posture – the way she shrank, as if expecting to be hit at any moment. It was the body language of someone who had been broken over and over again.
“Who are you?” Yelena asked, turning fully toward her.
“Mel.” She replied, raising her trembling hands, palms open in surrender. “Please, don’t shoot.”
“Mel?” Walker turned sharply to Yelena, his suspicion palpable. “Never heard that name before.” His eyes scanned the group, confirming none of them knew her. “What are you doing here, Mel? Did Valentina send you? Are you going to try to kill us too?”
“I-I have no idea what you're talking about.” Mel stammered, instinctively backing against the cold lab wall. “I just remember waking up here. In this place.”
“I don’t buy it.” Walker said dryly to the group. “Look, Mel, there’s three of us and you’re clearly at a disadvantage, so you better start telling the truth.” He raised his weapon with precise movements, aiming straight at her chest.
“ I think maybe... she’s telling the truth. ” Yelena intervened, placing a hand on Walker’s arm in an attempt to lower the weapon.
“Seriously?” Walker looked at her in disbelief. “That woman sent us on a suicide mission! She wanted us all dead! I’m not going to die because you chose to believe the first innocent-looking victim that shows up.” He kept the gun firmly aimed at Mel.
“I really... I don’t know any Valentina.” Mel repeated, her voice cracking slightly. Tears started to well in her eyes. “Please, don’t shoot me. I swear I-i don’t know what’s going on.”
Ava observed the interaction in silence, studying every micro-expression on Mel’s face. “ She seems genuinely terrified. ” she whispered to Yelena. “And look at the marks on her arms. Needle marks. A lot of them.”
Yelena followed Ava’s gaze and noticed the small scars dotting Mel’s arms like constellations of pain.
“Walker.” Yelena said firmly. “Lower the weapon. She’s a victim, not a threat.”
Walker kept his aim steady. “What if it’s a trap? What if she’s Valentina’s final weapon?”
“She looks dangerous to you?” Ava crossed her arms, looking at Walker with exasperation. “Come on, man, she’s wearing a hospital gown and looks more hurt than all of us combined.”
“You don’t want to kill another innocent person, Walker.” Yelena deliberately stepped in front of the gun, blocking the line of fire to Mel. Her blue eyes met Walker’s.
“That man wasn’t innocent.” Walker snapped defensively, but his voice lacked the conviction it had before. “He was a terrorist who killed hundreds of people.”
“Okay.” Yelena kept her voice calm and firm. “But this isn’t the way to do things. You know that. We’re not soldiers blindly following orders anymore, Walker. We’re better than that. We can be better than that.”
Walker looked at Yelena, then at Mel who was still pressed against the wall with her hands raised, visibly trembling. He let out a heavy sigh, the tension leaving his shoulders as he lowered the gun.
“Whatever. If this girl tries to choke us with some alien tentacle or worse, I’m not sticking around.”
Mel let out an audible sigh of relief, her legs shaking so much she had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing.
“Thank you.” she whispered to Yelena, her first words directed at anyone since she’d appeared.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Yelena approached slowly, as if dealing with a wounded animal.
“I... I don’t know.” Mel looked down at her own marked arms. “I can’t remember anything before waking up here. Just... pain. A lot of pain.”
Before Yelena could say anything else, the bunker’s alarm began to blare in a frantic, deafening sequence.
“What was that?” Mel asked, covering her ears as she looked at the red lights flashing all over the lab, bathing everything in a threatening crimson glow.
“She’s trying to cook us.” Ava replied, quickly checking the nearby monitors that showed dangerously rising temperatures.
“Hm?” Walker frowned, still not grasping the seriousness of the situation.
“You idiot, the bunker is overheating because it’s going to explode.” Ava shouts over the deafening sound of the alarms. “Valentina activated the self-destruct protocol remotely!”
The floor starts to vibrate beneath their feet, and hot steam begins to leak through cracks in the walls. The temperature in the lab visibly rises with every second.
“How much time do we have?” Yelena asks, already moving toward the nearest exit.
“From the heat levels I’m seeing?” Ava quickly checks a nearby control panel. “Maybe ten minutes before this place becomes a crematory oven.”
Mel shrinks against the wall, clearly panicking. “I don’t want to die here!”
“No one’s dying.” Yelena grabs her arm gently but firmly. “We’re getting out. Now.”
“That bitch really wants to make sure none of us are left to tell the story.” Walker finally grasps the situation.
“Save it for later. Survival first.” Ava’s already sprinting down the main corridor. “Let’s go!”
---
Yelena takes a deep breath, bracing her hands on her knees as she tries to catch her breath. Ava bangs her head against the concrete wall, exhausted. After a desperate run through collapsing corridors and Mel’s improvised plan – climbing on top of each other to reach the emergency exit – which surprisingly worked, the group can finally rest for a moment.
“I’m surprised you didn’t leave us to die down there.” Ava says, turning to Walker, still panting.
“No way I could open that blast door without help.” He answers, avoiding her gaze. Of course he wouldn’t admit he never would’ve left any of them behind.
“Hey, are you okay?” Yelena turns to Mel, who’s sitting on the floor hugging her knees, still trembling slightly. Mel nods silently. “Okay. Now we just need to find a way out of this facility.”
“There must be a control room or security station that can open the main exits.” Walker says, already moving down the corridor. Ava follows a few seconds later, leaving Yelena and Mel alone in the dimly lit hallway.
Yelena sits beside Mel, respecting her personal space but offering a comforting presence.
“So, you were a test subject for the Sentry Project… and you survived.” Yelena watches her carefully. “You can tell me the truth now. We’re alone.”
“I-I remember arriving at the lab voluntarily.” Mel begins hesitantly, the words coming out like painful fragments of memory. “They ran some tests… a lot of tests… and they said if it all worked out, I’d finally have a reason.”
“Reason?” Yelena frowns, not understanding.
Mel lifts her eyes for the first time, and there’s a deep sadness there that makes Yelena’s heart ache.
“To live.” Mel whispers. “I had nothing. No one. They promised that if I survived the experiments, I’d have a purpose. A reason to exist.”
Yelena feels a familiar sting of recognition – she knows that emptiness intimately, being shaped by others for their own purposes.
“We have to go! Now!” Ava and Walker come running back down the hallway, their footsteps echoing with urgency. “Valentina is here, and there are military troops outside,” Walker announces, checking his weapon.
“How many?” Yelena asks, already standing and helping Mel to her feet.
“At least a dozen soldiers. Helicopters. She’s not playing around.” Ava responds, still breathless.
“We need a plan.” Yelena quickly assesses their limited options. “She probably already knows we turned against her.”
“She seems dangerous,” Mel notes, seeing the cold determination on their faces and feeling a chill run down her spine.
“You have no idea.” Yelena answers darkly.
“What does she want?” Mel asks, curious.
“All of us in a grave,” Walker replies bluntly, checking his weapon one last time. “And you too, now that she knows you survived as living proof of her lab’s mess.”
Mel takes a deep breath as she watches the group prepare for combat. Her throat tightens for a moment – a wave of fear washing over her. But she’s willing to cooperate and do whatever it takes to help them get out alive. The group splits strategically. Ava disappears to flank the enemy, Walker is in charge of activating the smoke screen, while Yelena protects Mel and takes the troops head-on.
The gunfire explodes around them like deadly fireworks.
“Behind you!” Mel shouts, spotting a soldier silently approaching Yelena from behind. Instinctively, she lunges and manages to hold the soldier back, applying an arm lock she didn’t even know she could do.
“Thanks.” Yelena says with a half-smile, impressed by Mel’s reflexes.
“We’re surrounded!” Ava runs back, removing her tactical helmet, and Walker also emerges from the smoke, breathless.
Soon the main doors are busted open, and the group can see, in the sharp cold of the night, the true scale of the operation: dozens of military vehicles, fully equipped tactical troops, and an Apache helicopter hovering threateningly above them.
“It’s not over yet.” The smoke screen Walker prepared finally activates, creating a dense fog that obscures visibility.
They manage to run through the chaos.
“Mel!” Yelena yells desperately when she realizes she’s been left behind.
Walker grabs her arm, and Ava does the same when they spot a vehicle.
“We have to go!” Walker bangs on the window and then at the driver. “Now!”
“She… she sacrificed herself for us.” Ava says as she climbs into the vehicle, her voice breaking slightly. Yelena follows, but keeps looking back.
Once they’re at a safe distance, they can hear the deafening echo of nonstop gunfire. But then something extraordinary happens – a bright light cuts across the night sky like an inverted meteor. They see Mel’s body moving through the air at impossible speed, as if she’d been catapulted by some supernatural force. She goes back and forth across the sky in impossible trajectories, leaving glowing trails of energy.
And then, suddenly, she falls like a shooting star, making a thunderous impact in the open field.
“What the hell was that?” Walker whispers, stopping the car for a moment.
“The experiments.” Yelena realizes, her eyes wide. “They worked on her.”
---
When Mel wakes up, she’s in a completely sterile room - the walls are hospital beige, harsh on the eyes under the cold fluorescent light. It’s almost like a psychiatric ward, with thick blinds blocking her view of whatever is out there watching her. Cameras blink silently in the corners. She inspects her body methodically, expecting to find injuries from the fall, but there’s not a single scratch or bruise. Not even the needle marks that once dotted her arms - they’ve completely vanished. She stares at the artificial light of the place and the realization hits her like a punch to the stomach - she’s not dead.
But she’s not human anymore either.
The memories come back in painful waves.
What was the last thing she remembers before agreeing to be a test subject?
A miserable life, without purpose, without direction. She was one of the victims of Thanos’ Blip - disintegrated for five years only to return and discover that the world had moved on without her. When she came back, her father had died of a heart attack two years after her disappearance. Her mother, who always blamed her for everything that went wrong, didn’t want her back.
"You shouldn’t have come back."
Those were her mother’s exact words when she showed up at the door.
She was no longer good for anything - or anyone. Her mother had built a whole new family - a sixteen-year-old adopted daughter named Sarah, a new husband who smiled genuinely at her, and even a shiny new car in the driveway. There was no place for Mel in the life that once had been hers.
The Gold family didn’t exist anymore.
There was only Melissa Gold now.
No family.
No home.
No place.
Mel was literally nothing.
Invisible.
Nonexistent.
A ghost of a life no one missed.
She didn’t hesitate for even a minute when the scientists explained the risks - of course they deliberately omitted the real chances of failure, not wanting to scare off the volunteer test subjects. But Mel intuitively knew it was a life-or-death sentence.
You either become something great like Captain America - a symbol, a hero, someone who matters.
Or you die like disposable trash, a failed project, confirming once and for all that your existence was a mistake from the beginning.
Mel was alive.
That meant something.
She doesn’t have time to fully process this realization when the door slides open silently. The woman from the night before enters with deliberately delicate steps. The woman with perfectly placed silver strands in her dark hair, wearing a tailored suit and loud shoes.
Mel shrinks instinctively against the headboard, already knowing exactly who she is.
Valentina.
"Quite the fall, wasn’t it, darling?" She sits gracefully on the edge of the bed, keeping a respectful distance but completely dominating the space. Her eyes study Mel, who looks like a cornered animal - legs tucked in, arms wrapped tightly around her own body.
This is going to be harder than I thought . Valentina reflects inwardly, adjusting her expression to the perfect concerned good Samaritan look.
"The doctors said your scans are perfect." Valentina continues. "You’re a very lucky girl."
"You’re Valentina..." Mel says, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Oh, sweetheart." Valentina tilts her head with a smile. "You can call me just Val. We’re practically family now."
There’s something predatory in the way she pronounces the word family , as if she’s claiming ownership over Mel.
"Where are the others?" Mel asks, surprised by her own courage. “Are they safe?”
"We don’t need to worry about them now." Valentina replies quickly, deflecting with the skill of a seasoned politician. "Let’s talk about you, my dear."
“Melissa Gold.” Valentina says her full name, being the last person to call her that since the doctor who injected the serum into her veins - and before that, her mother, who was no longer truly her mother.
"Mel is fine." Mel shakes her head, trying to push away the fog in her thoughts.
"Mel." Valentina repeats the name as if tasting every letter, with a smile that almost reaches her eyes. "Right now, you are the most important person on planet Earth."
"I am?" Mel looks at her with genuine doubt, as if the idea were impossible to conceive.
"Of course you are, darling." Darling. Darling. Darling. Mel feels her chest warm from the way Valentina says the word - blushing afterward for liking it so much. "What you did in the sky..."
"I-I didn’t mean to hurt anyone." Mel defends herself quickly, shrinking in.
"Oh no, no, it’s all right, darling." Valentina places her hands on Mel’s arms with calculated gentleness, like a spider wrapping its prey in silk. "Actually, I need you to do it again."
"Again...?" Mel looks genuinely confused.
"Yes." Valentina sighs dramatically, as if bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. "You know.. As Director of the CIA, it’s so… exhausting having to protect this ungrateful world all on my own. Constantly dealing with arrogant superheroes and psychotic villains. But with you by my side..."
She pauses, letting the words sink in.
"Everything will change, Mel. Because finally, you have real meaning. Invaluable worth. You’re not that unwanted girl anymore. You’re special. You’re mine." She says, looking directly into Mel’s eyes, who swallows hard at the words.
"Those idiots aren’t your friends, no matter what they said about me." Valentina goes on, her voice briefly hardening before softening again. "They used you as a human shield the first chance they got, didn’t they? I’m the only person you really need. And I need you."
Mel feels her mind spinning in confused circles. Yelena had said Valentina was trying to kill them. Walker confirmed it too. They seemed genuinely terrified of facing her.
But Walker also pointed a gun at her when they first met.
Valentina came close to her - no weapons - just being incredibly kind. Kinder than anyone had been to her in years.
"They left me behind." Mel whispered more to herself than to Valentina as her mind wandered.
"Exactly, honey." Valentina gently squeezes her arms. "The moment things got dangerous, they ran and abandoned you. But me? I came to get you. I made sure you were safe and cared for."
Mel looks around the hospital room - clean, comfortable, with doctors taking care of her. Very different from waking up lost and terrified in a ruined lab.
"Will you help me?" Valentina asks, her voice laced with genuine vulnerability - or at least something that sounds like it. She still holds Mel’s arms with protective tenderness.
Mel feels tears welling in her eyes. For the first time in years, someone wanted her. Someone needed her.
"I... I don’t know how to control… this."
"I’ll teach you." Valentina promises immediately. "We’ll figure it out together. You and me, Mel. A real team. A real family."
The word family resonates deeply in Mel’s empty heart.
"What do you want me to do, Val?"
Valentina smiles like a victor.
---
Two days later, Mel’s results are progressing extraordinarily due to intensive power training. Valentina has been a key figure in helping her control the emerging abilities - despite having a whole team of specialized agents available, she insists on personally conducting the sessions. The way her arms position themselves on Mel’s shoulders seems almost magnetic when she manages to use telekinesis to move objects around the room.
She hasn’t seen Yelena since the escape.
They didn’t come back to save her.
Maybe Valentina was right from the start.
They really weren’t her friends.
Val is different. Val is genuinely caring - she brings magazines Mel mentioned liking, gently combs Mel’s hair when she’s nervous, and always asks how she’s feeling.
“Very good, darling.” Valentina says with genuine pride when Mel effortlessly teleports from one side of the room to the other. She doesn’t plan for her lips to softly land on Mel’s cheek, but it happens naturally.
She’s been thinking about Mel constantly.
Much more than she should.
The most rewarding part of her job, perhaps - when she can genuinely feel proud of something, or rather, someone. She really enjoys spending time with Mel, watching her flourish under her guidance.
Although she still convinces herself she’s doing all of this exclusively for work.
Of course, she still needs to turn Mel into a lethal weapon - but a little affection won’t spoil the process.
“Thank you, Val.” Mel gently touches the cheek where she was kissed, a shy smile lighting her face. “Are you leaving already?”
That question always hurts Valentina’s chest more than she’d like to admit.
“I-I have some urgent matters to attend to at the office, but I promise I’ll be back soon.” Valentina hesitates, her professional defenses faltering. “I always come back for you.”
“All right.” Mel says, trying to mask the obvious disappointment in her voice.
Valentina grabs her leather bag and methodically adjusts her silk scarf.
“What do you think…” She stops at the door, turning to face Mel. “About coming with me?”
Mel’s eyes light up like it’s Christmas.
“You mean… leave here?”
“Yes.” Valentina confirms, her voice softer than intended. “You can stay with me at the tower… and we can continue your training together.”
Valentina knows rationally this is a bad idea. Keeping an untested experimental weapon so close to sensitive CIA operations violates every security protocol. But the expression of pure joy on Mel’s face makes something strange happen in her chest - something she hasn’t felt in decades.
And besides, she’s never been one to follow rules when they inconvenience her.
“This is a bad idea, ma’am.” Bob, her personal assistant, says as she leaves the room after officially requesting the transfer of the “test subject” to her direct custody. “She’s extremely dangerous. Reports indicate she could level an entire block if she loses control. Not to mention we have no protocols for-”
“Bob.” Valentina sighs with irritation, abruptly stopping in the hallway. “How many times do I have to repeat that I don’t pay you to give me moral or security lectures?”
“Ma’am, with all due respect, this isn’t about morals. It’s about preserving critical operations and-”
“And since when,” She approaches him, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone. “Did you forget who really runs things here? Since when does Robert decide what’s best for the CIA instead of me?”
Bob swallows hard, recognizing the dangerous ground he just stepped on.
“Never, ma’am. I apologize.”
“Good.” Valentina adjusts her blazer with a sharp movement. “Then prepare the transfer papers, arrange a suitable room at the tower, and make sure the whole team understands that Mel is under my personal protection. Any questions come directly to me. Understood?”
He nods silently.
“We have only three more days before the media discovers the existence of the country’s greatest superheroine. Have the marketing team start preparing promotional material - professional photos, carefully edited official biography, the whole narrative. She will be presented as a brave young woman who volunteered for scientific experiments to protect the nation.” Valentina pauses deliberately. “And Bob?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“If anyone asks questions about Mel, you know nothing. She appeared with all necessary authorizations from the highest levels. Understood?”
“Perfectly, ma’am.” Bob hesitates a moment before continuing. “And what about the others? Yelena Belova, Ava Starr, John Walker? They’re still in the field and-”
“They’re a bunch of dysfunctional losers.” Valentina cuts him off, her voice dripping with genuine disdain. “They’ve probably already thrown themselves off some cliff out of pure despair. Or killed each other - which would be even better for all of us.”
She adjusts her wristwatch with studied indifference.
“Besides, Bob, they served their purpose. They were the perfect distraction while I developed something far more valuable.” A cruel smile crosses Valentina’s lips. “Mel is ten times more powerful than all of them combined.”
Bob nods and quickly steps away without more questions, but Valentina can see the worry in his tense shoulders and the way he avoids eye contact. She completely ignores his discomfort - after all, moral discomfort is a luxury she cannot afford.
As she walks back to get Mel, Valentina is already plotting the public relations campaign in her mind. A young American heroine, survivor of terrorist experiments, now dedicated to protecting the nation.
The narrative will write itself with the national anthem.
And best of all? Mel is genuinely powerful enough to sustain the façade. There won’t be any need for staged rescues or fake threats - she can really save people, defeat villains, be the heroic face America has always needed.
Not like that patriotic idiot Captain America with his inconvenient morality, or an unstable mutant like Hulk who destroys half a city trying to save the other half. No, it’s a woman. A young, beautiful, controllable woman.
And Valentina knows very well how to deal with women. That’s why she’s always made a point of seducing and conquering all the ones she considered useful - power, influence, and pleasure intertwined in a perfect strategy.
Mel will be different, of course. More delicate. More… genuine.
Valentina stops in front of the door, watching through the glass as Mel nervously packs the few belongings she has, clearly anxious. There’s something flowing in Valentina’s chest - a feeling she thought she’d buried decades ago.
Dangerous, she thinks. But maybe that’s exactly what I need to keep her close.
She gently knocks on the door.
“Ready to see your new home, darling?”
---
Mel is genuinely surprised by the place that was once the Avengers’ headquarters. Of course, she’s never seen anything remotely like it in her life. Her famil- her old family, had a simple wooden house, small but cozy, with peeling wallpaper and worn carpet. She would say her childhood and adolescence were a golden dream if it weren’t for the brutal reality crash her life became afterward.
Completely empty.
Meaningless.
But not now.
Now she has Val.
Val is a stunning woman - she has penetrating brown eyes and silky hair that always falls perfectly in the right place. She smells of expensive perfume and power, an intoxicating combination that might be the best thing Mel has ever experienced in her life when she’s near her. Val yells at everyone around - and yes, she gets annoyed with alarming frequency - Mel can see the vein pulsing in her forehead when someone contradicts her.
But she never yells at Mel.
Val has high expectations… for her. Expectations that make Mel feel important for the first time in years.
Mel doesn’t want to disappoint Valentina. She can’t. Not after everything she’s done for her.
“What do you think about getting that haircut you saw in the magazine?” Valentina asks, moving gracefully through the large panoramic room while Mel still stands, absorbing the city view. She wears completely different clothes now - clothes that Valentina herself personally selected for her. A soft yellow sweater, pleated knee-length skirt, and Italian leather boots. Clothes she would never have access to in her previous life.
“Do you think it would look good on me?” Mel asks, nervously running her fingers through her hair.
“Darling,” Valentina approaches, “I think anything would look perfect on you. But that cut will highlight your eyes. It will make you look even more confident on camera.”
“Cameras?”
Valentina smiles mysteriously. “You’ll meet the world soon, Mel. And the world will fall in love with you.”
He will fall in love with you.
The world.
Will you fall in love with me too?
The thought flashes through Mel’s mind like lightning, making her heart race.
“I’m nervous.” Mel admits, her hands trembling slightly.
“I’ll be there with you the whole time.” Valentina replies with a softness she rarely shows to others. “Come, let’s go to the bathroom.”
Mel nods, following her silently. They pass the master bedroom-and Mel senses that it’s probably where Valentina sleeps when she’s at the tower. The king-size bed isn’t messy, but it carries the same sophisticated perfume Val always wears, lingering subtly in the air.
The bathroom is bigger than the entire room Mel had in her mother’s house-French marble, huge mirrors, and perfect lighting that makes anyone look like a model.
“Stand still for me, honey.” Valentina says, taking a professional pair of scissors from a drawer. Her fingers brush lightly against Mel’s neck as she gently lifts her hair.
Mel watches through the mirror as Valentina focuses, her tongue slightly sticking out between her lips as she works. There’s something hypnotic about the closeness, the delicate care, the way Valentina touches her as if she were something precious.
“Have you done this before?” Mel asks quietly.
“Not exactly.” Valentina admits, making the first cut. “But I have many hidden talents.”
Strands of brown hair fall on the marble floor like petals.
“Val?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Thank you for… for giving me a chance to be someone.”
Valentina’s hands pause for a moment, and their eyes meet in the mirror. There’s something vulnerable in that look she rarely lets others see.
“I’m sorry for getting into your memories during training.” Mel continues, her voice almost a whisper. “It won’t happen again, now that I know how to… control it better.”
Valentina swallows hard, trying to focus on the scissors in her trembling hands. The haircut suddenly feels less important.
Mel had seen things no one should see. Her father-that brutal man who shaped her with fists and cutting words. Younger Valentina, still naïve, still believing the world could be fair. Memories she buried so deep she didn’t even like to visit them.
It was something they carefully avoided talking about ever since. Well, Valentina avoided it. Remembering she is human, that she has weaknesses and traumas like anyone else, is something deeply difficult for her to accept.
“Do you want to sleep with me tonight? Here?” Valentina abruptly changes the subject, her voice softer than usual.
Mel turns slightly, surprised by the unexpected invitation.
“Is it okay… if I sleep in the same bed as you?” Mel asks hesitantly. “I’m afraid I might hurt you. Sometimes it’s hard to control my powers when I’m sleeping. And what if I wake up scared and…”
“Shh.” Valentina gently puts a finger on Mel’s lips, stopping her worries. “I trust you. You would never hurt me intentionally.”
There’s a pause charged with tension.
“And besides.” Valentina adds with a half smile. “I’ve been sleeping with a gun under my pillow for thirty years. I think we can protect each other.”
Mel nodded, letting Valentina carefully work with the scissors. After ten minutes of precise cuts and delicate adjustments, she had a completely new hairstyle-modern, elegant, and her hair no longer fell over her eyes like a protective curtain, hiding her from the world like a frightened animal.
“You look beautiful.” It wasn’t a lie-Mel truly was radiant. “You’re beautiful Mel.” Valentina moved closer, putting her face next to Mel’s in the mirror, admiring the work.
“Thank you, Val.” Mel responded gently, touching her hair with genuine admiration. For the first time in years, she felt beautiful.
She felt seen.
“How about we order pizza?” Valentina unexpectedly suggests, stepping out of her CIA director role and becoming something closer to a normal person.
Anything to get what she wants, she reminds herself internally. It’s a strategy, nothing more. Making Mel feel special, loved, normal.
It wasn’t because she was genuinely enjoying that night. (She was. Very much.)
“Pizza sounds perfect. But… don’t you have important meetings or something? I don’t want to disrupt your work.”
“My schedule can wait.” Valentina answers, and for the first time in decades, she really means it without calculating political costs. “Tonight is about you feeling at home.”
The word ‘home’ slips more easily from her lips than she expected. And when she sees Mel’s genuine smile-not the cautious smile of someone trying to please, but a true smile of happiness-something stirs in Valentina’s chest.
Dangerous, she thinks. Very dangerous to feel this.
In less than ten minutes, Valentina receives the pizza while Mel waits in the living room, still nervously playing with her freshly cut hair. Valentina places the box on the coffee table, opening it with a fluid motion. Steam rises, revealing a perfectly golden Italian pizza-melted cheese and fresh basil.
“Open your mouth.” Valentina says, sitting right next to Mel on the leather sofa, closer than would be appropriate in any professional context.
Mel does exactly as she’s told without hesitation-and then Valentina is gently placing a piece into her mouth, her fingers lightly brushing Mel’s lips. Mel’s eyes follow every movement of Valentina with an almost hypnotic devotion, as if every word were a sacred command.
She has the world’s greatest superheroine on her couch, eating pizza from her hand. The thought fills Valentina with a sense of power more intoxicating than any victory she’s ever achieved. She has Mel completely in her hands. This beautiful young woman glued to her side as if she were an extension of her own body, dependent on every gesture, every word of approval.
“How is it?” Valentina asks, watching Mel chew carefully.
“Delicious.” Mel replies.
Valentina feels a dangerous wave of satisfaction. Mel isn’t just powerful-she is completely hers.
“Good girl.” Valentina whispers, feeding her another piece.
After they finish eating, Mel is already ready to prepare for the night. Valentina gently helps her put on pajamas-one of her silk sets. Though Mel is a few centimeters taller than Valentina, the silk pants and blouse fit her slender body perfectly, as if made especially for her.
Valentina also changes for bed, choosing a lace nightgown that leaves little to the imagination. Mel can’t help but blush violently when she sees the contours of the older woman’s body through the translucent fabric, her eyes quickly looking away but always returning.
She carefully positions herself on the king-size bed, in the middle of the soft cotton covers, when she sees Valentina lie down elegantly beside her. The closeness is electrifying-she can feel Valentina’s body heat next to her.
“Comfortable?” Valentina asks, her voice soft in the dark.
Mel nods silently, turning to face Valentina as the lights go out.
“Val?” Mel whispers, her voice almost inaudible.
“Hm?” Valentina replies, turning to face her as well.
“Can I kiss you?” Mel asks, her voice trembling with vulnerability and desire.
Valentina can’t help but smile tenderly in the dark-it was clear she knew Mel desired her in other ways, too. It wasn’t by chance she had strategically chosen to wear skirts during training, knowing exactly the effect it caused. That also helped Mel focus exclusively… on her.
“I thought you’d never ask, darling.” Valentina whispered, moving closer to Mel’s face.
Mel looks at her with pure desire-even in the dark, Valentina can feel the intensity of that gaze. When they finally kiss, the kiss begins shaky and hesitant. Valentina can feel Mel’s lips nervously sliding over hers, inexperienced but desperate. Then they start deepening, the rhythm increasing as Valentina takes control. She has her. Completely. The thought flashes through her mind like a final victory.
Valentina uses her hands to hold Mel’s body firmly, pulling her closer until there’s no space between them. The kiss becomes more intense, more possessive. The low moans echoing in the room are the only sounds breaking the silence of the night.
Mel surrenders completely, her hands tangling desperately in Valentina’s hair, as if wanting to fuse with her. For Mel, this is the moment she finally finds her place in the world.
For Valentina, it is the moment a weapon more powerful than her pistol becomes irrevocably hers.
Valentina’s fingers slide under Mel’s silk blouse, exploring the warm skin beneath the thin fabric until they find her breast, caressing it possessively without breaking the intense kiss. Mel’s hands continue desperately entwining in Valentina’s hair, as if wanting to anchor herself to her.
“Let me take care of you.” Valentina breaks the kiss, her voice hoarse with desire.
Mel nods, already desperate for more, her eyes shining in the dark. “Please, Val…”
They kiss again with even more intensity, and Valentina’s experienced hands slide under the blanket, invading Mel’s pajamas and playing with the hem of her panties. Her fingers touch the sensitive skin, making teasing circles until she goes even lower, finding Mel’s clitoris through the fabric.
“Hmpf.” Mel moans during the kiss, her body arching instinctively.
“Do you like that, darling?” Valentina whispers against her lips.
“Yes… very much…” Mel breathes heavily.
“Take everything off for me.” Valentina orders softly.
Mel nods desperately, pulling her pants down with urgent movements, followed by her panties. “Like this?”
“Perfect.” Valentina moves closer, now kissing Mel’s neck with an almost religious reverence. “You’re so beautiful, Mel. So perfect for me.”
“Val… I never…” Mel whispers vulnerably.
“I know, my love. Let me show you how good it is to be mine.” Valentina murmurs. Her dark eyes gleam with an intensity that makes Mel tremble. “Do you trust me?”
Mel nods desperately, unable to form words under Valentina’s piercing gaze.
“I need to hear you say it.” Valentina insists, leaning closer, her lips almost touching Mel’s ear. “Say you trust me.”
"I... I trust you." Mel whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Great." Valentina smiled. "Hold onto my arm, dear. If it’s too much, squeeze and I’ll stop immediately." She gently caressed Mel’s face.
Valentina slid a finger inside Mel’s entrance, delighting in the pure pleasure spreading across the brunette’s face against the pillow. Oh yes, she could definitely get used to this sight - Mel completely hers, vulnerable and trembling with anticipation as her hands did all the work.
"How do you feel?" Valentina asked, moving slowly, watching every reaction. "Talk to me, love."
"It’s... different." Mel sighed, her body adjusting gradually. "But good. Very good."
"You’re perfect." Valentina murmured, her hands moving in slow, deliberate rhythms. "So responsive, so mine." She kissed Mel’s neck softly. "Tell me what you want."
Mel’s body trembled, and she anchored herself to Valentina, her nails digging lightly into the older woman’s arm. "More." she managed to whisper. "Please, Val... more."
Another finger was gently inserted inside Mel’s hot, wet pussy, making her arch her back against the mattress. Valentina gradually increased the movements of the hand pleasuring the younger woman.
"Good... it’s so good." Mel whispered, her breath ragged, knowing she wouldn’t last much longer. Her hips moved instinctively against Valentina’s hand.
"That’s how I like to hear it." Valentina smiled against Mel’s warm skin, her voice husky with satisfaction. "You moaning so sweetly just for me." She deliberately intensified her movements, watching every reaction.
"Val..." Mel felt her inner walls contract, a wave of heat spreading through her body. "Please, please... more, more." She begged, her voice breaking with need.
It wasn’t hard for Valentina to tell Mel was on the edge of climax, moving desperately against her hand, seeking more friction, more pressure.
"Ask properly." Valentina commanded, slightly slowing the pace to torture Mel with anticipation. "Use your big girl words."
"Can I?" Mel asked between gasps, her pleading eyes meeting Valentina’s. "Please... let me come? I need it so much..."
"Good girl for asking politely. " Valentina murmured, increasing the intensity again. "Yes, you can. Be a good girl for me, make a delicious mess on my fingers with that pretty pussy of yours."
Mel arched her back, banging her head against the pillow as waves of pleasure overtook her completely, coming undone under the precise commands of the older woman. Her body shook uncontrollably as she surrendered to ecstasy.
"Not done yet." Valentina said with a satisfied smile, watching Mel recover slowly, still breathless. "Come here, love."
"What?" Mel asked, confused and still dizzy from pleasure, trying to focus on Valentina’s face.
"Climb up and sit on my face." Valentina ordered authoritatively, her dark eyes shining with renewed desire. "Let me clean up that delicious mess you made." She caressed Mel’s thighs suggestively. "I want to taste you on my tongue."
Mel did exactly as asked, climbing carefully over Valentina’s body - moving slowly until she was positioned above her face. She looked at Valentina while holding onto the edges of the bed, digging her fingers into the mattress for balance, as Valentina firmly supported her back.
The older woman had an absolutely stunning smile on her lips, her messy strands mingling with Mel’s dark hair and a hungry look that made Mel tremble with anticipation above her.
"You’re beautiful like this." Valentina murmured, her hands caressing Mel’s thighs. "All mine."
It didn’t take long for Valentina to get properly positioned beneath her, ensuring full access to Mel’s pussy before she started devouring it with voracious hunger.
The sensation was much more intense than fingers - Valentina’s tongue moved with devastating precision over her sensitive intimacy. She didn’t care how sensitive Mel still was from recently coming; on the contrary, it only motivated her more, sucking and savoring every drop the younger woman had to offer.
"My god, your taste is addictive." Valentina moaned against Mel’s warm skin. "I could stay like this all night."
It was better than any delicacy she had ever tasted - and Valentina was known for her refined tastes. She loved Risotto. But nothing compared to this. To the taste of Mel’s pussy. She felt like the queen of the world, having the most powerful woman trembling above her, completely surrendered to pleasure.
Valentina felt she could come just tasting Mel; the excitement only grew in her own body with every moan she drew from the woman above.
"Val..." Mel threw her head back, moving her hips instinctively, burying herself deeper over the older woman’s mouth that kept devouring her mercilessly. "F-fuck..."
The swear word escaped Mel’s lips - perhaps the first Valentina had heard since they met - drawing a satisfied smile from the older woman.
Seeing Mel completely lose composure was incredibly sexy for Valentina. The transformation from shy, controlled woman to someone utterly surrendered to pleasure was a spectacle she never tired of watching. It only pushed her to continue with even more intensity.
"I-I’m going to come again." Mel managed between ragged breaths, her voice hoarse and desperate. "Val, I can’t... ah, fuck!"
Her body contracted violently as waves of pleasure overtook her a second time, even more intense than the first. Valentina swallowed every drop of her pleasure, savoring it as if it were the most precious thing in the world before kissing the entire length of Mel’s trembling thighs tenderly.
"How do you feel, dear?" Valentina asked softly as she helped Mel off her body, watching her settle beside her with still trembling legs.
"Good." Mel answered, still trying to catch her breath. "It was... incredible. I’ve never felt anything like this before."
Valentina pulled her closer and kissed her tenderly, letting Mel taste herself on the older woman’s lips.
"You were perfect." Valentina murmured against her lips. "Absolutely perfect."
Mel smiled at the praise.
"I think we should sleep now." Valentina said after a few moments, caressing Mel’s tousled hair. "You have a photoshoot tomorrow and we have to talk about your superhero name. We need something that suits you."
"Can I touch you too?" Mel asked hesitantly, her hands moving timidly toward Valentina’s body. "I want to give you pleasure like you gave me."
"Tomorrow, dear." Valentina smiled, gently holding Mel’s hands. "Maybe I’ll test the limits of your powers in a... different way." Her eyes glimmered. "For now, you need to rest. Come here now."
Mel obediently moved closer, cuddling against the warm body of the older woman, who wrapped her arms protectively around Mel’s waist, pulling her even closer.
"Thank you." Mel whispered against Valentina’s neck. "For everything."
"No need to thank me." Valentina kissed the top of her head. "You’re mine now. I’ll always take care of you."
"Good night, Val."
"Good night, my dear." Valentina replied, holding her tighter against herself.