Chapter 2: Black Widow

Lilly's P.O.V

"Ms Blackwell, can you please not put me to work with Lenny again, he's a pain in my ass?"

I turned to look at the whining student standing in front of me, Heidi Dawson, she's one of the smartest students in my class, and it was plain as day to see that Lenny Jordon was smitten with her. However, that wasn't the reason I put them together, Lenny needed help to raise his grades that were falling way below average.

"Heidi, you're the one that he wants to work with, you know how Lenny can be and the other students are scared of him. Just do it this one time and I promise to pair you with someone different next time, okay?"

Her shoulders slumped in defeat, but she nodded her head. She grabbed her bag and left the classroom, and as the door opened I saw Lenny waiting in the hall for her. A smile touched my lips when she told him that they were stuck together, and he grinned like a kid who was just told that Santa was visiting in June.

I turned back to the stack of paper that was on my desk waiting to be graded. I love my job, but I never enjoyed grading papers because, by the time I get halfway through them, every student work starts to sound the same. Stuffing the pile into my bag, I grabbed the apple the Denis Willis gave me and started to make my way out.

"Mum!"

Turning at the sound of my name, I saw Freya talking with a guy who I assumed was the new kid. I've heard that there was a new kid in school, he started about three weeks ago, but he wasn't in any of my classes, so I never got the chance to meet him.

I waited for her, but as I observed them, I noticed that they seemed quite taken with each other. Freya might not be my biological daughter, and I might only be ten years older than her, but to me, she is every bit my daughter as Roselia was. We talked about everything like mothers and daughters do, I've known about every boy that she's ever had a crush on, and who was her first kiss, but she has never mentioned that she was into the new kids.

He said something to her that made her blush, then tucked her hair around her ear before turning and walk away. Her face was lit up, she was unable to contain her smile and that made me smile too. From the way she kept looking back and touching her hair the way he did, I knew that she felt strongly about him.

"So, is that the new kid?"

The smile was still on her face, "Yep."

I smiled too, "You two seemed closed, is it serious?"

She turned to me, biting the corner of her bottom lip, "I'm not sure."

Being her mother, I wanted to tell her to be careful that getting involved with a guy she barely knew would not be a wise idea, but instead I decided to trust her to know what's best for her.

I put my hand around her shoulders and we quietly walked out of the school together. As we reached my car which was parked in the teachers' parking lot she turned and frowned at me.

"Do I have to go spend the weekend with him, you know that we don't get along?"

I sighed, "Freya, we've had this conversation before, Noah just wants what's best for you. You two used to be so inseparable, what has he done that was so bad that made you drifted so far apart?"

She rolled her eyes and looked towards the skies. I waited a second longer for her to answer, but when it became apparent that she wasn't, I give up and unlocked the car.

On the drive over to Noah's place, she never said a word, she just got her earphones out and popped them into her ears. I'm not sure what caused her and Noah to become what they are now, but it must have been something really bad because they both refused to talk about it. I've tire on numerous occasions to get one of them to tell me, but neither ever gives in, they're both as stubborn as each other.

When we arrived at Noah's house, she opened the door and got out, walking away without even saying goodbye, it broke my heart because we were more like best friends than mother and daughter and I hate to see her upset.

Noah opened the door and she pushed past him without greeting him either, he looked at her and his shoulders slumped in defeat. I exited the car and walked over to him.

"She'll come around, whatever it was that went wrong between the two of you I'm sure you'll work it out soon."

He sighed, running his hand through his hair, "I'm afraid you might be wrong this time, Lil."

I wanted to tell him that he was the one who's wrong, but just them my phone rang. I was about to ignore it, but I knew that it could be the day-care call about Rose, I did forget to tell them that I'll be running late. I fished the phone out of my pocket and answered it,

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ms Blackwell, this is Janet Dallas from Sunshine daycare centre, I'm calling because there was an incident between your daughter and another child at the centre if you can kindly come over so that we can sort it out, that would be great."

Right away I started panicking, "Oh my god, is she ok, is she hurt?"

"No, no, Ms Blackwell, she's fine, but I think it's best if we discuss this in person."

"Ok," I said, "I'm on my way now."

I hand up the phone and told Noah what happened, and he insisted that he'd come with me and no matter how I protested he still came. We told Freya and she was just too happy to have him leave, I didn't quite like her attitude, so I promised to have a chat with her after I get back from the day-care.

When we got there, Mrs Dallas invited us into her office and introduced us to two other parents that were waiting, I smiled at them, but the women just turned up her nose at me.

"Right, now that you're all here we can finally discuss what happened between Roselia and Gwen."

She turned towards Noah and me, "Apparently, Roselia was playing with a doll that she found in the doll corner, normally we have a verity of the same dolls so that the children don't feel like one is better than the other. However, this was the only one of its kind and Roselia decided that it was hers. After a while, she rested it down, so Gwen picked it up, but when Roselia saw this she became upset and asked Gwen to give it back. However, when she refused, Roselia pushed her to the ground and sat on her. She then proceeded to hit Gwen in the face with another doll that she was holding in her arms. When the staff finally got her off of Gwen, she shouted, it's mine, you can't have what is mine!"

I sat there in shock, I couldn't believe that my sweet little rosebud could do something so horrible. However, I always knew that she had a dark side to her, it was always there lurking in the background waiting to come out, I just never thought that it'd be this early in her life, I thought I had time to control it.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, she's more like her father in more ways than one.

I was so lost in my thought that I didn't hear the rest of the story, and Mrs Dallas was saying something else which I also missed. Noah grabbed my hand to get my attention, and I involuntarily flinched, I didn't mean to but I couldn't help it. He dropped his hand and tried to hide the hurt in his eyes, but I saw it, I wanted to apologise but I didn't know what for.

Mrs Dallas continued talking, "We don't encourage violence in this centre, so we are sure that the behaviour wasn't learnt here."

My eyes widen, what did she think, we live in a house of violence?

"With all due respect, Mrs Dallas, my home is one of love and kindness, never in Rose's life has she ever been exposed to any sort of violence, so I can be sure to tell you that it was not learnt in my home."

Her eyes shifted between me and Noah, a look of uncertainty pass in her eyes as she looked to the hand he touched.

"After I've escorted Mr and Mrs Vincent out, dad can go get Roselia whiles we have a chat."

Noah chuckled, realising what she was thinking. I too got what she was getting at, but I felt compelled to let her know that Noah wasn't Rose's dad.

First off, Mrs Dallas, Noah isn't Rose's dad and there's no need for us to 'have a chat' because I am far from a victim of abuse. I'm unsure where Rose learnt that behaviour from, but I can assure you that I will find out."

I stood, letting her see how upset I was, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go get my daughter and we'll be leaving."

I grabbed my bag and Noah stood as well, I turned to everyone else in the room and give them a stiff nod, "Good day."

It didn't take long to retrieve Rose, and soon we were all in the car driving Noah back to his house. When we got there, he asked if I wanted to come in for a little while, but I refused, all I wanted to do was go home and have a good cry.

Freya came out to say hello to Rose and suddenly I didn't want her to spend the weekend with Noah anymore, I said as much to him, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Lilly, we both signed those adoption papers, legally she is my daughter too."

My eyes narrowed at him, "That may be true, but over the last eight months she has been angry and hurt at something you did to her, I'm starting to wonder if it's something I should be concerned about!"

He stepped closer to me, his fist clenched and unclenched. His eyes were stormy as he spoke and his jaw was locked tight.

"You better stop right f**king there with those accusations, and if you're looking for someone to blame for her mood, blame yourself."

I frowned, "Firstly, don't you dare curse in front of my children and secondly, why would I blame myself, I'm not the one she's angry at?"

"Because, she's mad that I left, she blames me for not trying harder to make you fall in love with me, but what she doesn't understand is that you are hung up over a f**king dead guy who never treated you the way you deserved to be treated. She doesn't understand that his death left you cold inside, your heart has turned to ice and no amount of love from me or anyone else can melt it!"

His accusations felt like a slap in the face, I knew that I pushed him away, but I couldn't help it. What he wanted from me I wasn't able to give, I wasn't ready and I don't think that I'll ever be ready to move on with another guy like Killian never existed.

I must have zoned out because I heard Freya calling my name then I felt her hand on my shoulders.

"Mum, are you ok?"

I turned and offer her a smile, wiping the tears away from my eyes. "Yes, I'm fine."

In her eyes, I could see tears just under the surface, but she put on a brave face for me and returned my smile.

"You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine for the weekend."

I nodded my head, feeling a knot in my throat. I desperately wanted to cry, but I didn't want to do it in front of her. She hugged me and Rose then run into the house. I told Rose to go wait in the car whiles Noah and I talk for a bit, she nodded her head then left.

As best as I could, I spoke to him in the calmest voice I could manage. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted from me, but it was unfair for you to claim to know what my relationship with Killian was like when you weren't in it. I loved him, and he loved me that's all you need to know."

He signed, closing his eyes and wiping his face with his hands. A look for regret was in his eyes, but I ignored it. I knew that he was about to apologise but, I didn't particularly want to hear it, so I turned and walked to the car.

He called my name, but I ignored him and got in. I was about to drive off when he knocked on the window and pleaded for me to hear him out. So, not wanting to upset Rose I rolled the window down.

"What do you want, Noah?" My words were harsh, but I didn't care.

"Angel, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said, but I've been the one taking the blame for something that you don't want to happen. Freya sees me as the bad guy and I'm not sure how to change her mind."

I took a deep breath then release it, "Look, Noah, let's just forget about it and concentrate on raising Freya, I'll have a talk with her when she comes back on Monday then we can all put this episode behind us and move on with our lives."

He looked like he wanted to say something else but thought better of it, instead he nodded his head and stepped away from the car. I wasted no time in driving away and hurrying home.

After making dinner and bathing Rose, I read her a bedtime story then tucked her in. In my room, I reached under the bed for the chest that I kept with all the things that I had of Killian's. It wasn't a lot, just a few stuff that I took from his car along with the fake ID that he created for me.

I didn't have any pictures, but I was ok with that because his image was very vivid in my mind, nothing could ever make me forget what he looked like. I held the sun shades that he used to love wearing close to my chest and cried. I cried for the injustice of it all, I cried because my daughter will never get to know her father, I cried because I'd never get to hear him tell me he loves me, but most of all I cried because he wasn't there to make my world whole again.

It's been six long years, and every day I feel like I'm losing a part of myself to the darkness. I wanted to be happy again, but without Killian, I knew that that was never going to happen. Let's face it, I'm going to end up old and grumpy with twenty cats for company.

After my cry, I replaced the box and decided to have a shower before bed. However, just as I was about to get up my phone rang, but not my everyday phone. It was the burner that I had so that people from Killian's world could get in contact with me. It's been six years and Natasha might have given up looking for me, but I'm far from stopping my search of her.

If there was one thing I was sure of, it is that the bitch had to die by my hands! I quickly answered the phone,

"Yes."

"Ms Widow, we have got a lead on Natasha, but you aren't the only one who wants her dead. Rumours are floating around that someone extremely dangerous is also looking for her, he's offering two million for her capture."

I crushed the phone in my hand, "Well, I'll double his offer, put the word out. Natasha is mine!"

He whistled, "Sure thing, boss, I'll let the guys know."

"Oh, and Levi, kill him if he gets in your way."

I could hear the smile in his voice, "Yes ma'am."

I threw the phone across the room, I'd be damn if I let some low life thug get to Natasha before me. She's gonna pay for the hell she condemned me to, and I'm gonna make sure that she burns in the fire with me. I smiled to myself, innocent Lilly Mae is gone and in her place, is a woman whose venom will kill all those who wronged her.

They don't call me the Black Widow because I'm nice, they call me the Black Widow because no one has ever faced me and live to tell the tale!