hammer to fall

anya petrov, russian operative. tow the line and play their game, yeah, let the anesthetic cover it all...

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

As Anya winked at her, Charlie held up her hands, pretending she had nothing to do with it as she mouthed I don’t know what you mean with a smirk. She perhaps had a heavy influence over what clothes the kids got her fiancee. She just knew what the other girl liked and what would suit her. If the kids took full control, it would have been a mess. Cassie rolled her eyes at Anya with a smile on her face and as she heard the woman curse in Russian she raised an eyebrow. “You know the very first words I learned in Russian were the swear words. I can say all the fucking shit under the goddamn sun.” Cassie spoke in Russian for the last part, wearing a proud grin and moved to give Anya a hug. “It really is good to have you back, Russia. Maybe we can watch some Russian movies sometime and you can teach me some more language stuff?” Cassie smiled genuinely. 

After the engagement announcement, everyone rushed over to the pair to gawk at the rings and congratulate the couple. “Wow did you have this made in prison? This is so neat and romantic! It’s just like from the movies!” Gabby swooned over the romance and immediately took Charlie’s hand to inspect the rings amazing craftsmanship. “We all knew you’d get hitched I just had a bet that it’d be in a couple more months,” Wesley pretended to be annoyed as he handed over a twenty dollar note to Jackson who smirked and pocketed the cash. “We’re all so happy for you honestly. I couldn’t think of anyone else who I’d rather be my sis-in-law. You were always part of the family, now you can just make it official!” Jackson grinned as gave Anya a wink and a hug. “So what plans do we have for the wedding? Cause uh, I need to make sure I get a cute date in time.”

Anya smiled. Cassie really reminded her of some of the girls she knew at the training center - in a good way. Cutthroat, unbothered, ready for the next challenge. Those girls almost always went on to be assassins, which of course wasn’t the path she would choose for Cassie, but it was reassuring to feel that the girl could hold her own once she went off into the world. “Have you ever seen a Russian movie?” Anya screwed up her face. “They are terrible! I will show you one and you’ll see. But I can teach you some slang, you will never get that from the internet. If you want to be a true Russian, you need to know the words that don’t really translate well into English, too.” She returned the hug. 

Anya couldn’t help but laugh at everyone’s reactions to the ring. “No credit to me. In fact, I didn’t do anything on this ring except give it to Char.” She shrugged. “I am not that handy with pliers and wire. Thankfully I had some friends who were.” She conveniently left out the part where they all thought she was a stone faced killer and only cooperated with her to stay off her ‘hit list’. The reactions pouring in, Anya was thrilled that everyone seemed genuinely happy to have Anya join the family. “Ah, no plans yet. We have plenty of time to pick dates and make plans.” She patted Jackson on the back. “But we will make sure you have plenty of time to find your date.” Then she looked at Charlie and smiled, trying to get across just how happy she was.

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

“Well for actual dancing dancing, you should talk to Sammy. Our little dance major could definitely teach you a move or two out of the million styles he knows.” Charlie remembered how it felt like every other week, Sammy was coming home excitedly rambling and showing off a new style of dance he had learned - some that she was sure he made up. He was a boy destined for the stage and Charlie was always blown away by his talents. “Spy school’s great if you want to work at the CIA but if you wanna go work in HR in an office…yeah might not be of help,” Charlie laughed. “I don’t think you’ll have too much trouble. You have a whole load of people who will be able to help and support you, and I know how bright you are. You have a brain people could only wish for. You’ve got this!” The woman smiled brightly at her fiancee. She had no doubt that the woman was going to succeed. 

“You look beautiful,” Charlie grinned as she got out the car, quickly running around to the passengers side to open Anya’s door for her. “After you m’dear,” She giggled and linked hands with the other girl, leading her up to what could officially be called their apartment. As they reached the door, Charlie let Anya walk in first, to which she was greeted by all five kids jumping out with a shout. “Surprise! Welcome home!” Sammy was the first to run up to the Russian and guided her to the sofa. “So uh hey! Welcome back home! We all chipped in and bought you some stuff like clothes and toiletries and shoes and all sorts of things because we thought you might not have them after being in uh, in uh prison. So these are all yours!” The boy gestured wildly to the pile of gifts laid across the coffee table. Each kid then came over to Anya with a hug and a nice comment. Then Cassie came along with a smug smile, ready to show off her Russian to her. “What do you think? Not bad, huh? You better watch it, I might be better than you with my Russian. People might even think you’re my real mom. I mean, you are super old so it’s believable,” Cassie spoke in her pretty believable Russian accent and laughed loudly, nudging Anya at her last comment to show she was just joking around with her. Cassie then looked down and noticed something on Anya’s finger. Her eyes darted to Charlie to see a similar object on her finger. “Wait a second?? What the hell happened when you were gone?” Charlie then couldn’t contain her smile as she walked over to Anya and wrapped her right arm around her waist. “Well it’s nice to see someone noticed. But um, when I went to pick up Anya she actually had a little surprise for me and…..WE’RE ENGAGED!” Charlie yelled the last part as she threw up her ring clad hand. All the kids were silent for a moment, processing the information but soon started screaming in surprise and excitement.

Anya was nervous to walk up into the apartment. It was going to be her new home, and she desperately wanted everyone in her new home to welcome her. She knew there was talk of a party, which also worried her - she had never been the subject of a party, and it seemed quite intimidating. The wall of sound that came from the inside of the apartment caused Anya to stumble backwards a little, but not without a huge smile on her face. “Wow!” Was all she managed to say. Immediately Anya felt overwhelmed, but fought the feeling in order to properly show her gratitude. “Wow, Sammy, that is just wonderful,” Anya told him, ruffling his hair a little like she had always seen on television. “I can’t wait to see what kind of clothes you picked out.” She winked at Charlie, figuring her girlfriend had done most of that shopping. Anya hugged each kid as they came up to greet her, taking deep breaths to center herself, or she was in danger of crying once again. “Not bad,” Anya told Cassie, but pretended not to be very impressed - even though the young girl’s Russian really was a little impressive. “I think people will maybe think you’re my sister, you little shit,” Anya teased with a smile. “I am not that old.” She huffed playfully, and swore a little in Russian under her breath to see if Cassie would pick up on it. When the announcement was made, Anya unleashed her signature eye crinkling smile, recoiling a little at the loud screams that followed. “Calm down!” Anya laughed, putting her own ringed hand up. “It is nothing, really. You all knew it was coming!”

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

“As long as you don’t trip us both over during our first dance, I think I can forgive you for your lack of skills.” Charlie winked at Anya and nudged her arm with her own. At the mention of going to school, Charlie raised an eyebrow, very surprised but excited for her fiancees future. “You wanna go to school? Anya that’s an awesome idea, I’m proud of you! You’ll absolutely love it. It’s never too late to learn and get educated. And hey, if you ever get stuck on a particular subject, you can always swing by the school and I’ll see if one of my colleagues can give you a helping hand. Unfortunately I doubt you’ll have to learn drama so I can’t be of much help,” Charlie laughed. She knew Anya was going to make a great student and couldn’t wait to see where it would all take her. 

As Anya cried, Charlie heart broke. She hated seeing someone she loved so dearly spill tears, and she did her best to comfort her. She ran her fingers through her hair when they were stopped and gave the top of her head a small kiss now and then. Soon enough they were just a couple of blocks from the apartment, and the car ride was about to come to an end. “Neither do I. This day was always going to be perfect, but this just made it ten times more perfect. I’m glad I was able to get some quiet time alone with you before all the madness back at our apartment.” Charlie smiled, glancing over at Anya. “I’m so glad you’re home baby.” A few minutes later, the car slowly made it’s way into the parking lot of the apartment building. Charlie would have gone faster, but that meant getting out quicker, and she just wanted to savour this for a moment longer. “Well, it’s give to break this magic spell, and get up to the party. You ready?”

Anya shook her head. “I am quite graceful, so no need to worry there! I have just never really...danced before. Only slow dancing. So I don’t have much to go off,” she explained, thinking about all the lavish ballroom parties she had attended. No one really ever danced. It was all stand and talk, sway and talk. She didn’t want her wedding to be like that. “Yeah, well, I need to get a job, and I don’t think I’m going to get hired anywhere without some sort of education. Spy school isn’t a great credit when you’re trying to work,” she laughed. “I just hope it isn’t as hard as I remember. I was never really good at school. That was one good thing about getting pulled out to go to training - no math.” She shuddered, her minimal memories of school already haunting her. “But then again, maybe it will be fun.”

She stared up at the apartment. What was once the setting for a job was now going to be her home. There was a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach, something between guilt and disbelief, but she didn’t feel like crying any more today. Anya flipped down the mirror in the visor of the car, blinking and cleaning up her face. “Good thing I wasn’t wearing any makeup,” she observed, thankful there was no mascara to run. After a moment, the redness of her eyes began to subside, and she felt more equipped to deal with the craziness of her new home. “I’m ready. Let’s go face this madness.”

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

Charlie slowly raised their linked hands to her lips and planted a soft kiss on the back of Anya’s hand. “None of the kids came from ‘normal’ functioning lives. That’s how they all ended up under my roof. They all understand that our pasts can be rough but they don’t define our future. And if any of them had a problem with you, they can come to me, and you know they know to not fight with me.” Charlie laughed jokingly. “Smaller weddings are better! All I have to invite are the kids, a couple friends from college, maybe some work people - the ones that don’t annoy the shit out of me - and my dad. And trust, I can and will turn our reception party out whether there’s twenty people or two hundred. You haven’t seen all my moves.” Charlie smirked and started to wiggle in her seat.

As they hit a patch of bad traffic on their way home, Charlie turned to look at Anya as she spoke, and felt her own eyes get watery as she seen the girl try to fight her tears off. “Awww baby…” She leaned over in her seat and took her fiancees face in her hands, wiping away tears with her thumb. “You know what you did to deserve this? You were kind and loving and sweet and strong - so strong. You took a horrible situation you were forced into, into your own hands and had the courage to say no and get out. You make me laugh every day, you teach me so many new things, you are so gentle and stayed optimistic every day you were in that place. You’ve done so many right things and are such a good person, there was never a doubt that you deserved any of this.” Charlie smiled lovingly and gave Anya a soft kiss. “I love you, to the moon and back.”

Anya smiled. “I’m glad you are so understanding. I don’t think many people would have given me a chance after what I did.” She hoped that none of the kids minded her too much. She didn’t think they did, but you never really knew. She’d be the cool, vodka drinking aunt of the house. That was a good role to have. “I will bring myself,” Anya laughed. A part of her wished she had a few people to invite, but that was the nature of her life - having a wedding at all was already too much to ask. “I’m not very good at dancing, though. Just to warn you. I am more of a sway and smile sort of dancer.” After a moment, she brightened. “Maybe I will meet some friends at school. Once I get my citizenship, I can do whatever I want, and so I’m going to go to school. First I have to get my high school, and then I can do whatever I want. I’ve never really gone to school before...I’m excited.”

Anya was so overwhelmed with the kindness she was being shown, she simply had nothing more to say. Instead, as the car was at a standstill, Anya lay her head on Charlie’s shoulder and cried. She was crying for so many, complex reasons that it seemed impossible to articulate, but she knew Charlie understood. Although they were so different in so many ways, they were kindred spirits. They understood each other, even when the world was so full of complicated and unfair circumstances. That was why she wanted forever with Charlie. “I don’t want the car ride to end,” Anya sighed as they crawled toward Charlie’s apartment. “I’m excited to get home, but this has been just perfect.”

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

“Well we have a little while to get all our plans and what we wanna do sorted, so we don’t have to figure out the ring situation right now. Plus, we’re still engaged,” Charlie almost squealed out the word, her cheeks hurting from her grin, “So that’s what matter the most. Whatever symbol we choose to display that, I’m happy with anything.” Anya could have given her a paper ring, and Charlie would have still said yes without hesitation and be as happy and giddy as she was now. “Hey, they all love you, I promise. But if it will help, I’ll have a word with them to see what their exact thoughts of it are. I don’t know how your sweet beautiful face could make anyone uncomfortable.” When Anya mentioned she was going to be around forever, Charlie felt her whole body heat up and her heart felt like it had just grown three sizes. Forever. It sounded nice when it was to be with Anya. She couldn’t picture anyone else she would want to spend the rest of her life with. The girl made her feel things nobody had ever made her feel in her entire life. Life felt like a serene daydream and an adventure all at once - and it felt the exact same while the other girl was behind bars, which is extra special. 

As Anya spoke about what made her know she wanted to marry her, Charlie smiled softly and tried hard to squeeze her hand. “I would have waited a lifetime to be with you. You’re the light of my life and there’s nobody in this life who could replace the love I had, and have, for you. Saying I would wait was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made. And spoiler alert - it was so worth it.” Charlie grinned. Charlie then suddenly remembered something she had planned for their car ride home. “Oh babe! If you go onto my phone that’s in my purse at your feet and go onto my Spotify, I made you a playlist of American music for you! We’ve got some Ariana, Taylor Swift, a bit of Shawn Mendes. We’ve got classics like Britney, Spice Girls, some 80′s classics, Lizzo and Carly Rae Jepsen. So many picks just for you!!” She let Anya know her passcode - their anniversary - and watched her click on the playlist, affectionate titled ‘Songs for My Annie’ followed my a million heart emojis.

Anya frowned. “I’m just worried...I mean, I was an ex-Russian operative who went to jail for blackmailing politicians and worse, I was going to blackmail you. I’m not exactly the most innocent person in the house,” she said. The last thing she wanted was for the most important people in Charlie’s life to feel as though she didn’t belong there. “I know I didn’t choose that life, but it was still the life I had. I just hope they can forgive me.” Anya quickly turned the frown into a smile, not allowing herself to become sad on such a wonderful day. “Besides, I need them all to come to the wedding - I don’t have anyone to invite, so we need the pad the guest list with the kids and their friends. Otherwise, it will be supremely lame.” She nudged Charlie playfully.

“Oh, be quiet. You are corny,” Anya said, but her voice was thick, husky from holding back tears. She could have never imagined this life for herself. All the daydreams she had indulged herself in seemed so far away from reality. “I must have done something right,” Anya mused out loud. “For me to deserve this, I must have made up for something along the way.” It felt like too much. She took Charlie’s phone in her shaking hands and felt the tears come again. In the training center she was never allowed to cry, and something in her still felt the sting from the punishment she received there for feeling such strong emotions. She had to remind herself that she wasn’t under the thumb of a dictator anymore. She rubbed her fingers down the scars on her arm, reminding herself that those memories were nothing more than marks on skin. “I can’t wait to listen,” Anya blubbered. She quickly put on the music to cover up her crying.

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

“Hey,” Charlie held Anya’s hand with her ring on with her own ring clad hand, “These are perfect. Homemade always means full of love, and I couldn’t think of a better thing to symbolise our love than these gorgeous rings.” Charlie played with her own ring on her finger and smiled fondly at the - actually pretty good - craftsmanship of it. “We can go shopping for ‘proper’ rings too if you’d like but these are pretty great and I’d love to still wear it even then - maybe on another finger or on a necklace or something, because it’s from you which means it should be cherished,” Charlie smiled brightly. 

Charlie laughed as Anya joked and stuck her tongue out as she followed behind and got in the drivers seat. Once the car was started, she held out her right hand for the other girl to take, craving any and all contact now that they were free to have as much as they wanted, and didn’t need the approval of a guard. “You kidding? If we were subway-ing home, I’d be showing everyone we passed my ring and how happy I am. They’d all be jealous of my custom made engagement ring!” Charlie laughed and briefly turned to wink at her fiancée. “And the kids, I can’t wait to see their faces. They probably won’t be shocked, I feel like they knew this was bound to happen, but they’ll be so excited! Ohh we have so much to plan, I already have so many ideas running through my head.” Charlie started to ramble from excitement about planning a wedding with the love of her life. “So what made you be so sure you want to marry me? What was that moment?”

Anya shrugged, a little embarrassed that her silly rings were getting such positive attention from her now-fiance. She really hadn’t intended for the rings to be permanent, but if Charlie liked them, that’s what it would be. “Well, we can see. We can give it a month and see. I think I would like to treat to a real ring, but maybe I can splurge on the wedding band.” She smiled, thinking about how she was going to be married. Anya had spent her whole life thinking that wasn’t an option for her, and she was giddy to think that it was coming true. “I hope the kids are okay with it. I know it isn’t exactly conventional to have their ‘mother’ date someone in prison. I know you say they all like me and all that, but just make sure they’re all really okay with it, for me? I’m going to be around for...well, forever, and I don’t want to make everyone uncomfortable.” She laced her fingers in with Charlie’s. She actually hoped, for the first time ever, that the New York traffic would be horrendous, so they could stay in the car for an hour with a perfect excuse. “Oh...” Anya smiled shyly. “The day I called you and you said you’d wait for me, I knew. And I told myself if you really did put up with all those years, I’d ask you. So here we are.” 

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

Charlie was sure she had only gotten about a couple of hours of sleep last night. She just couldn’t stop thinking about how Anya, the love of her life, was about to be released from prison and they were so close to being able to live the life that they had been planning for the past three years. It was happening in less than twenty-four hours, and because of all that excitement a full nights sleep was definitely off the table. However, the lack of sleep had zero effect as Charlie still bounced out of bed with a grin on her face and a full tank of energy. 

“Wow Char, either you’re just way too happy or I’m about to go into your bathroom and find white powder everywhere.” Jackson laughed as Charlie practically skipped out her room. The younger Chambers sibling didn’t live with the family anymore. Him and Wesley both decided to get their own place together - a couple of floors down - as they had both finally decided to take dating seriously and wanted to seem like charming independent bachelors. Charlie got teary eyed at first but knew that the kids would need to leave the apartment at some point. “Get fucked Jackie! I’m just so excited because my darling love comes home today!” Charlie sing-songed as she danced around the kitchen, grabbing a breakfast burrito off the counter - Jackson must have done a breakfast run for everyone, since they needed to fuel up and work fast to get everything finished for Anya’s arrival. Jackson just laughed at his sister, shaking his head, and went to say hey to the rest of the house as the girl went to make herself look presentable. 

After about an hour and a half of freaking out about what to wear, how to do her hair and what make-up look to go for, Charlie was finally ready. Wesley had now arrived, car keys at the ready and dramatically placed them in Charlie’s hands as she reached the living room. “If I see a scratch on my baby, you’re dead meat Chambers,” Wesley grinned to show he was - sort of - joking, “You make sure she gets back here in one piece, okay? It should take you twenty minutes to get home so we’ll make sure all the decorations and everything are up in plenty of time.” Wesley pulled Charlie in for a hug and patted her on the back, signalling that she should get going. The woman quickly grabbed her purse and darted out the door towards the car.

The drive over to the prison was the most nerve-wracking car ride of Charlie’s life. Each second was a second closer to holding her baby again, properly. Soon enough she was parked outside the prison and stood outside her car, nervously waiting to see her girlfriend’s face again. In her haze of excitement, Charlie had actually arrived ten minutes early - which was painful to wait through. Finally, just after ten, she could make out Anya leaving out the front door. As she saw Anya sprinting, Charlie couldn’t help but laugh as tears flowed freely from her eyes. Once they were slammed together in an embrace, she held on so tight as if the other girl was going to slip from her fingers again. “Orange was so not your colour, you look so good baby.” Charlie laughed with a sniffle and pulled back to take a good look at her girlfriend. It was almost weird to see her dressed in regular clothes, but it was such an improvement and was a detail that made this all feel so much more real and special.

When Anya stepped back and began talking, Charlie tilted her head to the side in confusion. What was the other girl doing? She noticed her trying to fish something from her pocket and as she spoke about not wanting to be called her girlfriend anymore, Charlie’s heart stopped. Okay whatever was happening was either about to be really good or crush her entire world. But no, Anya wouldn’t break up with her the minute she’s released? She looked way too happy for that? Charlie’s thoughts of confusion were quickly answered as she watched her girlfriend go down on one knee which caused her to gasp and cover her mouth with her shakig hands. She looked in shock for a moment or two before violently nodded her head, crying even more - if that were possible - and pulled Anya up before crashing her lips onto hers. “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes” Charlie planted extra kisses between each answer out of pure joy. “There is nothing I would want more in this world than to be your wife.” Charlie wanted to scream with happiness, this truly was the best moment of her life. She then held out her left hand for Anya to place the ring on, and than was when she noticed that it was a makeshift, handmade ring. “Wait…how did? When did? It’s beautiful.” Stumbled over her words, her brain scrambled from all this happiness. 

The word yes rang through the air like a church bell. To Anya in that moment, it was the most beautiful word in the English language. Yes. With that one word everything she had ever wanted had come true. There was no stopping the tears from flowing now, and Anya felt her knees shaking from a mixture of leftover nerves, and newfound happiness. She slid the ring on to Charlie’s finger. “People get bored in prison, you know. We were happy to have something to tinker with.” She looked down at the slightly underwhelming rings. “I did plan for these just to be placeholders though, at least for yours. I was going to go out and get you a real ring once I had some money. Or at least a real diamond for the base. These gems are just cheap crystals from an earring set,” she explained, placing her own ring on her finger. “It was all I could come up with.”

Finally feeling that she was coming down from the high that this whole experience had given her, Anya separated herself from Charlie and climbed into the car. “Come on, silly. I don’t want to celebrate outside the worst place on earth,” she joked, gesturing to the grey monstrosity she had called home for three years. “Let’s get out of here, Char. Don’t you want to start showing off your makeshift prison ring? It’s like a more romantic shiv,” Anya said, a smirk on her lips. 

[anyavp]

Anya’s prison release outfit

[anyavp]

charchambers‌:

Charlie gave Anya a sweet smile as she held her hand and nodded her head eagerly at the girl’s proposal of teaching them all self-defence. “That sounds like a great idea! One day in the next few weeks, we can either all gather in the living room - or maybe Sammy can get us a room at his dance studio - and you can teach us everything we need to be safe. We’ll learn from the pro.” Charlie grinned. “Hey, a car ride in New York is a privilege missy!” She playfully smacked her girlfriends arm and laughed, “I’ll have a mix made of some classic American song for the car ride so you can get educated whilst coming home. I already have a few in mind that I’m sure you’d love.” Charlie was sure she’d have to included classics from the 80s to the 00s - she just had to figure out what sort of genre she’d be into. Possibly a pop girl? Although she wouldn’t be surprised if some rock or indie was up her alley. “Oh no, we can’t have you on the streets. You should be in my bed, our bed, nice and warm. You’ll get used to my annoying ass I’m sure of it.” Charlie laughed loud, earning a tone it down from the guard next to them.

---- time skip ----

Today was the day. Not just the day. The Day, with a capital D. Not only was this the day of Anya’s release, it was the day that marked her new freedom, the start of her new life, and the beginning of something new (hopefully). Anya had a lot of free time in prison, and she spent most of it day dreaming and planning out this day. She analyzed every detail, ensuring it was nothing short of immaculate. And here it was, stretching out in front of her like a red carpet.

Anya twisted around in her prison bunk. By the colour of the light outside, she predicted it was about six AM, meaning that she still had a few hours before she would meet Charlie. She silently dropped herself down to the floor, careful not to disturb her bunkmate, Tanya. Tanya had a strange fear that Anya would try to murder her while she was sleeping, which caused a dramatic kneejerk reaction to every one of Anya’s innocent movements, and Anya didn’t feel like being kicked in the stomach today.

Anya had very few possessions. This was true even when she was living out in the world, but especially so in prison. All the books in her cell would be returned upon her release. She had a spare pair of shoes, a few sanitary products, and a pack of candy, which she had purchased from commissary with her last few dollars the previous night but was too nauseous with excitement to eat. The only other things she owned were wrapped carefully in a sock. In that sock were two silver wire rings, with two crystal gems set in the center. When Anya had decided to make them, she spent an entire week thinking about how she was going to get the materials to make what she wanted. In the end, it was easier than expected. She took the metal wire from the inmates who worked in maintenance, who were only too happy to have an excuse to rip off their superiors. The gems came from a set of earrings that were donated to Anya when an older inmate had overheard what she was doing. She then passed the materials off to Farrah, an inmate who had worked for a watchmaker before prison and was quite skilled when it came to crafty projects. When Farrah had given the rings back to Anya, she cried.

That was a year ago, two years into Anya’s sentence. But she had been planning this since the day after she spoke to Charlie on the phone, when the other girl vowed to wait the three years for her. Anya told herself that if Charlie made it two and a half years, she would move forward with the plan. But she couldn’t help herself - at two years she just had to get the rings made. At that point, she was certain. She had never been more sure of anything in her life.

Anya ate her last meal of prison porridge and was finally called to the warden’s office. From there, she was marched down to the release room, stripped of her orange jumpsuit, and given the bag of belongings that had been confiscated when she entered. The warden then told her she was allowed to leave whenever she felt ready, and the prison guards left, locking the door to the prison behind her. What once had trapped her inside now kept her out. Anya picked up her only outfit choice in her fingers. These clothes felt like they belonged to someone else. But she put on the jeans and white tank top, slipped on the heels, and surveyed herself in the mirror. No makeup and naturally her hair was an untamed mess, but she looked alright. Maybe even a little better than alright. 

A deep breath, and then a hand on the doorknob that would take her outside. What if Charlie was late? No, she wouldn’t be. Not unless the world was ending. The light that met her gaze when she opened the door almost blinded her, and she raised a hand to her forehead to block the harsh sun. That hand immediately dropped when she saw Charlie there, and Anya’s feet, independent of her brain, began to sprint toward the other girl. Crying and laughing at the same time, Anya threw herself at Charlie, knocking them both backwards a step. Anya buried her head in Charlie’s shoulder, her tears flowing freely now.

“Wait, wait.” Anya forced herself to take a step back. “There’s one thing I need to do before we go.” She stuck her hand into her pocket - a gesture that might have seemed innocent, except that Anya was rooting around for a certain something. “Charlotte,” Anya began with a smile. “I simply will not get into this car with you as your girlfriend. Frankly, it’s insulting to what we’ve been through and how long we’ve been doing this. I would rather walk then call myself your girlfriend one more time,” Anya said dramatically. And then she dropped to one knee, just like she had seen in all her American movies. “Will you take me home as your fiance instead?” Anya asked, holding out her makeshift ring for Charlie to take or deny.

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charchambers‌:

Charlie laughed along with Anya at how bad her Russian attempt was. She tried her best, but she had plenty of years to practice and have her girlfriend help her polish it up. There was a phrase that Charlie knew very well though and when Anya said it to her, the girl’s cheeks heated up in a blush and she couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face. “I love you too,” Charlie spoke back in her broken Russian and squeezed Anya’s hands. Her eyes widened as her girlfriend mentioned one of the things she could do. That was some spy movie stuff and she was seriously, kind of impressed. “That’s a real thing?! That’s so crazy! I don’t think I could ever learn to do that properly, maybe teach me some cool like kicks and stuff like that so I can disarm a man without using my untrustworthy hands.” Charlie could just imagine knocking some bad guy out with a kick or with her thighs, that would definitely make her a superhero. “So I’ll be waiting outside the prison at ten on the dot. Wesley is letting me borrow his precious car so we don’t have to worry about trains or anything like that, and you can get a nice peaceful ride back home. You still have time to back out of living with me too - speak now or forever hold your peace. But I’ll just say, you’ll never get the offer of a better cuddler again.” Charlie grinned.

Anya laughed. “It isn’t quite like in your movies. But it does exist. And you can definitely learn a few moves, even with shaky here,” Anya took Charlie’s tremoring hand in her own. “There are tons of things you can do. I will teach you and the kids some self defence things, that would make me feel better about all of this.” Anya was practically anxious to get the hell out of this prison. Although her time there wasn’t bad by any means, the thought of getting to live a normal life with the people she loved was the most amazing gift she could have asked for. “A car ride, I feel so blessed,” Anya teased. She had been in many fancy car rides before, but this one she was looking forward to more than any limo or Mercedes. “You can teach me some more music!” Anya had been deprived of American popular music for most of her life, especially the oldies that she had never been exposed to, but loved everything she heard and wanted to consume more and more. She was sure she missed some in prison. “No way! If I don’t live with you, I’ll be forced to live on the streets with no money. I can put up with you for the sake of my health,” Anya winked, showing that she was joking.

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“She’s actually pretty great, but obviously never as good as you,” Charlie winked. “I’ve been practising too! I wanted to blow you away with my Russian voice! But all I’ve learned so far is you have a great butt.” Charlie furrowed her brows as she spoke in her awful her Russian accent and pronunciation was. She was hoping to get to something more romantic phrases by now, but only knew the silly ones she learned from the English to Russian dictionary. As Anya spoke, Charlie leaned her chin on the palm of her left hand in intrigue. “Oooh so what crazy things do you know how to do? Maybe you can give me some pointers help me kick some ass?” Charlie laughed at the image of her kicking anyone’s ass. She doesn’t really look like someone who could. “I’m just…I’m so happy that we can talk about all the things we could do when you get out and not have it be a distant dream now. Like, we’re going to do all these things so soon. It’s just…it’s so crazy.”

“Well that isn’t a fair comparison, Russia is my first language. That would be like saying I am not as good at English than you,” Anya laughed. At the sound of Charlie’s garbled Russian, she had to laugh. It was butchered in every way, and barely even meant what she intended, but Anya loved it all the same. “I love you,” Anya said in Russian, knowing that Charlie would know exactly what it meant. “Oh, I know lots of crazy things. Black Widow training, I think you called it once. I’m sure I could teach you a few self defence moves. I once knocked out a main by hitting a vital pressure point,” Anya said. It was not a memory she was fond of - the only time she had ever needed to physically hurt someone - but she supposed it was impressive. “I know. I cannot wait.” Anya couldn’t wait for many reasons, but she couldn’t share them all with Charlie. Some things were better as a surprise.

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“And they can’t wait to see you. Cassie wants to show off all the Russian she’s learned. She swears she’s fluent now, and Sammy has an extra ticket for you to go to his dance recital - he really wants you there.” Charlie playfully rolled her eyes with a smile as Anya requested Chinese. “You think I don’t know what one of my girlfriends favourites is? The Chinese take-out is already on the list for a delicious welcome home dinner feast! I know how to make my babe’s first night home a good one,” Charlie smiled sweetly. “You’re one of us, you’re family. The government would have had to fight me if they wanted to deport you. Everything will be okay now. We’ll make sure of it. You’ll be safe.” Charlie took Anya’s handcuffed hands and quickly placed a small kiss on the back of them.

Anya raised an eyebrow. “Fluent, huh? I think we’ll have to see about that. I am not exactly convinced someone can become fluent in Russian in a mere three years being self taught.” Her eyes glinted playfully - she knew her and Cassie would always have playful banter, no matter how comfortable they became. “And of course I would go to Sammy’s dance recital. I love watching dances. The only thing I miss from Russia, you know.” She grinned at Charlie. She was always so flattered when the other girl remembered things about her, even if they were obvious, like her favourite food. She had never had someone care enough about her to remember things like that. “I am not worried about me being safe. I am worried about you guys. You have not seen the things I am trained to do yet - you would not worry about me.” Anya smirked.

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Charlie couldn’t wipe the grin off her face even if she tried. Those three years were nearly over and they could finally live the life they had been planning all this time. Instinctively, like always, Charlie reached over to place her hands over Anya’s handcuffed ones and squeezed them tight. “And I’ll be right here to pick you up. The kids are in the process of planning your welcome home party. So you have so much to look forward to. And we’ll finally get some alone time and be able to just be together without some guard watching us like a hawk.” She gave a quick look over to the guard to her right who was, as expected, watching their interaction. Charlie looked back at Anya and rolled her eyes with a giggle. “I’m so proud of you. For everything. For being brave enough to go to the police, for serving your time without letting it change anything about who you are, and for leaving with your head held high. I’m a very proud girlfriend.”

Anya squeezed back in response to Charlie’s gesture. “Can’t wait to see those little weirdos again.” She had been worried for a long time that they would never be able to forgive her, but she should have known better. They had been taken in by the kindest woman in the world, and they had hearts that were just as big. “I would like to have Chinese the day I come home,” Anya requested. “If that’s alright. I have been craving it since I got in here. The food is just terrible.” Sometimes she got enough money from her in-prison job to buy a treat from commissary, but it just wasn’t the same. “You don’t have to do that, it’s okay. We got through it, that’s all that matters.” Anya felt embarrassed that Charlie was singing her praises when she had done something so terrible it had landed her in jail. In the end, she got what she deserved. “I’m just so glad they decided to let me stay in America. I really thought I was going to get deported...” she was still worried that the Russian service was going to stay far away from her, now that she was compromised. She didn’t want to put anyone else in any more danger. 

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Charlie drummed her fingers on her thigh as she sat anxiously waiting at the table. After a while, Anya was finally let out of maximum security and the two were able to hold hands across a table, in a room filled people in very similar positions. Talking through a glass pane had been torturous, so when the day came they could finally have - limited - physical contact, it was like the gates of heaven had opened. A shining beacon of hope shined on them. Flash-forward to today, and they were just a few days away from Anya’s release. Contact would no longer be limited to a handcuffed handhold and brief, acquaintance like hugs. They could cuddle together and go grocery shopping and have dinner together. There was so much to look forward to now, and Charlie couldn’t wait. The kids were just as excited too. Once Anya got out of max, she would take some of the kids with her to visit and they had grown even more closer to the Russian as the months passed. They wanted to come with Charlie today, but the brunette just wanted one last private visit with her love.

As Charlie was lost in her dreams for what was to come, a buzzer sounded, indicating that the prisoners were arriving. Charlie stood up and excitedly scanned the line for her girlfriend, causing her to wave like an idiot when she spotted her. “Annie!” Charlie squealed and wrapped her arms around the Russian. After a couple of seconds, the guard let out a gruff that’s enough ladies, and the two had to separate. “So how are you doing? Are you excited to come home? Everything is sorted right? You’ll definitely be getting out this week?” Charlie rambled out question after question from a mix of excitement and nerves.

Anya bounced on the soles of her white tennis shoes, her handcuffs rattling as she moved. All the inmates who had been called to visitation were waiting in the security checkpoint just outside the visitor room, where they would be handcuffed and checked for any items being brought out illegally. Anya never got over the excitement of seeing Charlie after a long week. Being in prison wasn’t exactly bad, in a weird way. Anya had never experienced so much freedom before. She could speak to whoever she wanted, spend time reading, hate whoever she wanted. She had never lived life like that before. Still, it was comforting to know Charlie would be waiting at the end of the line, when she finally got out. 

“Excited for release?” Another inmate asked Anya. Word had gotten out that Anya had cleared her hearing for release with flying colours, and in just a few short days, would be shedding her bright orange jumpsuit for the bright outside. Excited was simply not the word. It could not possibly capture the magnitude of how Anya felt about getting out. But she didn’t want to brag in front of her fellow inmates, some of who would never get out of prison, so she simply nodded with a very small smile. In prison, Anya held her own. People didn’t mess with the Russian. Somehow, a rumour had gotten around that she was an assassin - a rumour which Anya didn’t correct, since it granted her protection. If they knew what she really had been doing, her treatment would have been very different.

Anya practically skipped over to Charlie, allowing the other girl to hug her while she held on to the front of Charlie’s shirt tightly in her fists, unable to separate her arms to embrace Charlie with the handcuffs. Eventually, they parted and Anya took her seat on the cold plastic of the visitor room chairs. “I’m really good. Just trying to stick out the last few days in peace before the big day,” Anya said. “Everything is still set for Thursday. I’ll be released at about ten in the morning.” She couldn’t help it, there was a huge grin on her face. “I am so excited. I’ve never looked forward to something so much.”

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“I believe you, I promise.” Charlie knew in her heart that Anya had the sweetest soul and she would have not done the things she had done had it not been out of force. “You have forever to tell me all that you can. Maybe I can come and visit you like a couple of times a week? And we can talk on the phone whenever you’re able to. I spent weeks wishing you would come back and I’ll take that in any way I can get.” Charlie gave a small smile. She wished Anya could see her and she could see her right now. She just wanted to hold her tight and never let go. She guessed now that was going to have to wait a few years, but her gut told her that she had made the right decision to wait for Anya, that this was all worth it. “You know I love you too, right? I’m going to love you for these three years and I’m going to love you when you come out. You don’t deserve to go through that hell alone.” Charlie’s eyes welled up with tears at the thought of Anya being stuck in a cell for so long. She had heard some scary stories from her father from his time and she just prayed nothing close to that calibre happened to her girlfriend.

Anya exhaled when Charlie mentioned the word forever. The entire time Anya had been going through this - meetings with lawyers, sleeping in cells - she thought of Charlie, and of Charlie saying that she would wait for her, despite everything. How had she gotten lucky enough for that to be her reality? “I get a phone call a week, and of course, I have no one else to call...so I hope you’re ready to answer,” Anya giggled. “I think visit hours are on the website. But I am in maximum security, so it will be on either side of the glass with the phone, like in the movies. I won’t be able to get regular visits for another year, and that’s only if I am well behaved.” She chewed her bottom lip. “Will you still come? I know it isn’t very romantic...” Anya didn’t want to say it, but if Charlie didn’t come to visit her, she wasn’t sure she’d last very long in prison. Behind her, the guard began spinning his finger...time was up. “Charlie, I have to go. But can I please call you again?”

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Charlie listened silently as Anya explained more. Yes it was sad and disheartening that the Russian was planted in her life to squeeze her way in but a big part of her knew that what the other girl was saying was true, that the feelings were real, all of that was real - cause she felt it too, and feelings like that can’t be faked. Anya made Charlie feel the happiest she had felt in a long time, being with her was like a dream come true and being apart for these few weeks was a nightmare brought to life. If there was any hope of a life with Anya, she had to hold on to that with all her strength. “Nobody is ever going to try to kill you, not while I’m around. I said I’d fuck people up for you. I have words that’d have even tough Russian agents running back home. We all fuck up, Anya. I have a father in prison for stupid decisions he made. I didn’t run away from him and I’m certainly not going to run from you. I’m here.” Charlie then thought back to one particular moment from their last encounter, a certain four letter word.“Did you mean what you said that morning? That you um, that you l-loved me?”

Anya smiled as Charlie made threats, knowing that they were far from empty. Once, before Charlie knew anything about Anya, she had offered something very similar. “This is not because of a stupid decision, Charlie. I hope you know I would never choose a life like this. I was forced into this, and given no way out. I never enjoyed what I did, and now I’m in prison, eating porridge and reading books for fun. It has been a hard life. Someday maybe I’ll tell you all about it.” If you wanted me to, Anya added silently. She knew three years was a long time to wait for someone in prison. She’d never expect that from Charlie. But she did hope for it, in the very back of her mind. “Of course I meant it. I never would have said it if I didn’t mean it. I broke every one of my rules by telling you that. I meant everything else I said, too. I hope you can believe me on this. I know I don’t deserve your trust, but I hope you can give me this.”

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Charlie exhaled almost all the breath she had been holding for the past few weeks. Anya was okay, in prison, but okay. She got to hear her favourite voice again and a small sliver of hope returned to her life again. “Annie?” Charlie spoke through tears now coming down her face. It wasn’t real, this couldn’t be real. As Anya spoke, Charlie’s head started to spin. So the girl really was a Russian spy…investigating her….but it was really her mother who was doing shady stuff framing her own kid - that part wasn’t too shocking, her mom was a straight up cold hearted bitch - and now Anya’s facing years in jail for it all. “So…uhhhhh….okay right cool cool cool cool. So was our whole meeting a manufactured bit?? But…were the feelings really real? Or was that a part of i too? I just…” Anya gasped then as she thought back to their last day together, “So the evil spy Russians were the ones who were going to kill you? Did they make you leave?” She hoped the answer to the last question was a yes, that would at least make it mildly better.  

Anya paced the very small space she had next to the phone. “I know it is a lot...” she couldn’t fathom how it sounded coming from the other side. “Um. Yes, we met because I arranged it that way. That part was manufactured. But none of the feelings were, Charlie. I promise you that. If I truly didn’t care about you, I would have left without telling you and I’d still be in Washington downloading suspicious pictures from a senator’s computer. I did this for you. So I could live the life I’ve always wanted to live instead of a life I was forced into and held hostage in.” She felt tears beginning to flow again, but she didn’t want to cry in front of the guards and other inmates. “Yes, they made me leave. If I had stayed, they would have known something was wrong, and that I was compromised. And I would have been gone faster than you could blink.” That possibility still haunted her. Whenever she did get out of this place, she knew that would always be in the back of her mind. “They probably want to kill me now. But I’m okay in here. Listen, I’d understand if you can’t forgive me for this. I have done more unforgivable things in my life than we could both count. But you showed me what a real life could be like, and that was worth all of this for me. I’m sorry for getting you involved in all this.”