When Star Shatters - Natasha - Wanda

Undercover at the Masquerade – Part 2

Livia's heart was still pounding as she let go of Natasha's waist, forcing herself to refocus. The teasing, the flirting—it was all part of the act. An act. That's all.

But damn, Natasha was good at it.

Livia reached for a drink from a passing tray, scanning the ballroom. The target, Viktor Ralov, had moved toward a small group near the balcony. Their intel suggested he had a secure key card on him that would grant them access to a hidden safe. Inside? Stolen S.H.I.E.L.D. tech that couldn't fall into the wrong hands.

Livia took a sip of her champagne. "Alright, what's the play? Bleh champagne." she murmured.

Natasha leaned in as if whispering something sweet. Her breath brushed against Livia's ear, and she had to fight the shiver that ran down her spine.

"He keeps it in his inside jacket pocket." Natasha said smoothly. "I'll distract him. You lift the key."

"Right. Because that's not risky at all."

Natasha pulled back just enough to smirk at her. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet."

Livia matched her smirk. "Haha very funny, my feet are always cold, either way I think I'll manage."

As Natasha sauntered toward Ralov, Livia exhaled and moved in from the opposite side. Confidence. Ease. That's what she had to project. She was just another rich, bored guest at this over-the-top event.

She circled the group, pretending to admire a ridiculous ice sculpture nearby. Meanwhile, Natasha had slipped seamlessly into the conversation, her voice smooth as silk.

Ralov was watching her now, intrigued. Of course he was.

Livia used the distraction, stepping closer. The music, the chatter, the clinking glasses—all background noise as she focused.

One smooth motion. One slight brush against Ralov's jacket.

Her fingers found the key card. Carefully, precisely—

"Ah, and your fiancée." Ralov suddenly said, and Livia nearly cursed.

He turned toward her, sharp-eyed. Natasha had pulled him into a conversation, but now he was dragging Livia into it too.

"I was just telling Ms. Rushman how rare it is to see someone in this line of work truly commit to love." Ralov said, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Tell me, how did you two meet?"

Natasha's expression didn't falter. Without missing a beat, she looped her arm through Livia's and leaned against her side.

"It was fate." she purred, smiling up at Livia. "Isn't that right, darling?"

Livia was going to kill her.

Livia slipped an arm around Natasha's waist and pulled her in just a little closer.

"Oh, it's a classic love story." Livia said smoothly. "I was running late for a meeting—one of those high-stakes, no-room-for-error deals. In my rush, I wasn't looking where I was going and ended up crashing right into this one."

Natasha sighed dramatically, playing along. "Spilled my coffee all over me." she added, shaking her head.

"Yeah, and she was pissed." Livia continued. "I mean, absolutely livid. You'd think I destroyed her entire morning."

"You did." Natasha interjected, crossing her arms but smirking. "It was my favorite coat."

Livia shrugged. "Anyway, I tried to apologize—offered to buy her another coffee, maybe even replace the coat if she stopped glaring daggers at me. But no, she just stormed off."

"I have standards." Natasha said with a mock huff.

Livia chuckled. "So, I figured that was that. But then—get this—we run into each other again, the very next day, at a charity gala. Turns out, we have a lot of mutual acquaintances."

Ralov smiled. "Fate, then?"

"That's what she said." Livia replied, nudging Natasha. "And I figured, hey, if she was going to keep showing up in my life, I might as well charm my way back into her good graces."

"It took a lot of charm." Natasha said with a smirk. "And a very expensive dinner with an extra expensive wine."

Livia sighed dramatically. "Worth every penny, I got this stunning woman after all."

Ralov chuckled. "Well, I suppose persistence pays off."

"Oh, you have no idea." Natasha said, leaning into Livia as if they really were a lovestruck couple, her fingers trailing lightly over Livia's arm as if this was all perfectly natural.

Livia had to force herself to stay focused. "Speaking of wine, we should grab another drink." she said, subtly shifting the conversation. "Maybe toast to our future."

Natasha caught on immediately. "Lovely idea." she said, offering Ralov a parting smile. "If you'll excuse us."

She steered them away, and the second they were out of earshot, Livia exhaled. She pulled the key card from her sleeve and flashed it toward Natasha.

"I don't know how, but I will get you back for that." she muttered.

Natasha simply grinned. "Looking forward to it."

The ballroom was just the surface level of Ralov's estate. The real business was conducted downstairs, where his private vault was hidden behind biometric security and a dozen cameras.

Livia and Natasha slipped into the hallway, using the cover of another group to break off unseen.

"Surveillance?" Livia asked, adjusting the cuff of her suit.

"Taken care of."  Natasha murmured. "Hill's got the security feed looped. We have five minutes before someone notices."

"What is this? A video game with a set timer before game over? I hope the readers are keeping track." Livia mumbled to herself.

They moved quickly through the dimly lit corridors, reaching a locked steel door. Livia slid the key card through the scanner, and the lock clicked open.

Inside, the vault was lined with cases of high-tech weaponry, classified data drives, and—

"Shit." Natasha muttered.

Livia followed her gaze. In the center of the room, encased in reinforced glass, was a glowing, crystalline fragment.

It wasn't just any artifact. It was Celestial in origin.

And the moment Livia laid eyes on it, something inside her lurched.

A flash of something—memories? Visions?—surged through her, disorienting and sharp. A battlefield. Stars falling. Ice spreading across entire planets.

Her hand clenched into a fist.

"Livia." Natasha's voice cut in, pulling her back. "What's wrong?"

Livia took a shaky breath. "Nothing." she lied. "Let's grab it and whatever else we need. Also that's the first time you said my first name, I like the sound of it"

Natasha didn't look convinced, but she didn't press—not yet. Choosing to instead chuckle at her.

Livia moved forward, shoving her feelings down. She could deal with them later. Right now, she had a job to finish.

As the vault door sealed behind them, the muffled sounds of the party faded away, leaving only the steady hum of security systems and the quiet tap of Natasha's heels against the pristine floor. Livia rolled her shoulders, shaking off the tension of playing nice with their target.

"Finally." she muttered under her breath, flexing her fingers. "I was one forced smile away from freezing that guy's drink solid."

Natasha shot her a smirk while pulling out a small device from her clutch. "You held up well. Though, next time, maybe don't flirt so hard you almost make me blush."

Livia leaned against the metal wall, crossing her arms. "Oh, please. I saw the way you looked at me when I called you stunning back there." She grinned, lowering her voice. "You liked it."

Natasha didn't dignify her with a response, instead activating the signal jammer to disable the cameras in the room. The soft red glow of the security lights flickered as the system shut down temporarily.

Livia pushed off the wall and joined her, watching as Natasha worked quickly to crack the safe embedded in the wall. "Need help?"

"I've got it." Natasha replied smoothly, her fingers moving with ease. "You just keep an ear out for company."

Livia huffed. "Right, because I'm the muscle here."

A faint click echoed as the safe door unlocked, and Natasha smirked. "Exactly."

Livia rolled her eyes but said nothing, instead glancing back at the vault entrance. So far, no signs of trouble—yet.

Natasha reached inside, pulling out a sleek black drive and a few confidential-looking documents. "This is what we need."

Just as she secured them in her clutch, a faint noise outside made both women freeze. Footsteps. More than one pair.

Livia exhaled. "Guess we took too long."

Natasha didn't panic, instead calmly adjusting her dress. "Plan B?"

Livia cracked her knuckles, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Plan B."

The moment the vault door hissed open, two armed guards stepped inside, hands on their weapons.

"Excuse me, ladies." one of them said in a thick Russian accent. "You are not supposed to be here."

Livia grinned. "Neither are you."

Before they could react, she lunged, grabbing the first guard's wrist and twisting it sharply, forcing him to drop his gun. She drove her knee into his stomach before sending him sprawling with a well-placed punch.

The second guard barely had time to aim before Natasha was on him, twisting his arm behind his back and disarming him with fluid precision. She kicked his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor.

Livia exhaled, straightening her suit jacket. "Well, that was fun."

Natasha gave her an unimpressed look. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

Livia smirked. "A little."

More footsteps echoed down the hall.

Natasha sighed. "Time to go."

Livia grabbed one of the unconscious guards earpieces and listened in. "They know someone's here. We've got about sixty seconds before reinforcements arrive."

Natasha glanced at the security panel. "We need a way out."

Livia studied their surroundings before spotting a ventilation shaft overhead. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Natasha followed her gaze and exhaled. "I hate crawling through vents in dresses."

Livia grinned, kneeling down and offering her a boost. "Then it's a good thing you look great doing it."

Natasha shot her a glare before reluctantly climbing up with Livia's help.

As more guards stormed into the vault, the two of them were already gone, vanishing into the shadows above.

"The view is certainly amazing here." Livia murmurs while dodging a kick from Natasha.

"Stop looking at my butt and focus, we're still not out of danger yet." Livia chuckles as Natasha kicks her.

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The end :D just kidding that's the end of this chapter.