"What?"

She knew she shouldn't have stowed herself away in the Quinjet, but one glimpse of her mom's face as she stalked out of the house had told her enough.

Nyla wasn't about to be left behind.

Not when the whole fuss was about Tony saying something stupid to her and although it had hurt her to the point where it was actually depressing, she still cared for the billionaire. Plus, she really wanted to see him. Being able to greet Pietro alone made her heart soar, but it was a reminder of Wanda's absence as the smile he had dimmed a little when he realized she hadn't come with them. Then again, no one knew Nyla-Rose was aboard the jet. And she really wished she hadn't been because all she could do was stand frozen in the doorway as the color in her mom's face drained.

The truth.
It hurts, doesn't it?

"Nyla, you—what the hell are you—"

"Mom," Nyla's voice was dangerously low, "what's going on?"

Knowing she couldn't play the angry mother card, Natasha stared at her daughter.

Where would lying get her?

Because she never asked, Natasha never had a reason to lie to her, but now, when she could so easily lift the burden of deceit off of her shoulders, she was reluctant to relieve herself of it. All those times she'd been sure she was protecting Nyla, all she was doing was protecting herself.

"Rosie, this isn't the best time—"

"Mom...please."

Her voice shook painfully as though she couldn't bear to form the words.

"I heard you. You said—you said..."

Natasha slowly got to her feet as the young woman trailed off into silence.

"I know what I said, Nyla-Rose."

She gestured for the girl to sit in the empty chair beside her. Natasha could see that Nyla was holding back so much things she wanted to say, but what Nat had to tell her was far more important.

When she didn't move, Nat approached her, making the young woman flinch ever so slightly.

The mother's heart filled with dread at the small movement, but she chose to ignore it.

"Tony was right," she murmured softly, cupping Nyla's face with her palm and tilting her head. "You're old enough to know. All these years and all I've been was selfish."

"Know what?"

"The truth."

The truth shall set you free.

Natasha took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"Your parents were good people, Nyla-Rose," she said slowly, trying to chose her words carefully, "but something happened. Luckily, you weren't with them. You were with their closest friends in Germany, a couple they trusted to raise you for your own protection."

"Raise me? Strangers? But, I thought you adopted me!"

Nyla pursed her lips as Natasha gave her a withering look meant to quiet her.

"It's more complicated than that. They were there the day you were born, Rosie. Hardly strangers. But, your parents decided it was best for you to live a life in which you weren't affected by their own. So you were raised by the Wilheims. Tori and Klaus Wilhelm for three years until..."

"Until?"

"Until HYDRA found out about you."

"HYDRA?" Tony echoed in a tone of disbelief.

"They were very important people to SHIELD, your parents. Esteemed in every way by the organization," Nat explained. "HYDRA decided to try and use you for leverage and I'd gotten to you first. I really did."

Nyla-Rose had been, up until that moment, as stagnant as a rock with a river of emotions rushing past her, but seeing her mom on the brink of tears made her facade crack just the slightest.

"Mom..."

"It's okay" Nat sniffed, "It is. I just...I failed, Rosie. I failed you that night. Tori and Klaus died protecting you and so did other SHIELD agents that had gone undercover. The massacre in Germany. The big cover up that SHIELD put in place for that one village?"

Tony's eyes shone with recognition, but he remained silent as Sam lowered his gaze in respect for all the fallen agents of the massacre.

"That was HYDRA's doing and I was blamed for it. I only managed to get Nyla back nine years later."

A few seconds passed before they realized what Natasha had said and Nyla blinked, confused, as Tony lifted his hand to cover his mouth. It was mere moments of indifference, a feeling of dreadful fate hanging in the air, thickening with unnerving silence.

"Nine?"

"Natasha..." Nyla had almost forgotten about Tony and Sam being in the room, "what are you saying?"

"You have to understand, Tony. I tried my best."

"I'm sure you did. But, what were you trying to do?" Tony said stiffly.

Natasha looked away.

"When I finally found where they were keeping Nyla, they had her in cryostasis. They wanted to preserve her as a future HYDRA weapon by having her develop in society first. And then...the files." She paused and drew up all the confidence that the assassin could muster. "Before I destroyed them, I noticed something. They'd given her a dose of the super serum before having her go under. The same thing running through Roger's blood." Tony scoffed and shook his head, peering at the young woman. She was rooted to the spot and her eyes were glazed over as though she couldn't hear a word being said.

"Impossible. She couldn't have gotten injected with the serum because HYDRA didn't have it on hand—"

"This happened after her parents accident."

The man froze as the sensation of ice cold needles ran down his spine, immobilizing him. Tony Stark, being speechless twice in one day.

A rarity.

"So you're telling me...not only is Nyla-Rose a supersoldier..."

"M—my real parents?"

"Howard and Maria Stark."

—————

In that moment, Natasha Romanoff knew the truth would set her free. And it had.

But, with it, went one of her closest friends...and her daughter.

The truth set everyone free that day.

And none of them were bound to look back.

—————

Granted, this chapter is really really short, but I had trouble writing out Natasha's confession scene in the first place. A little off my expectations *droop* But, fear not!
I just wrote around it.