The first time was the most surprising for him. Clint had entered Natasha's apartment when she had been forced on vacation and found a five-year old girl on the couch, eating an ice cream cone. Her long blonde hair was in a braid and her brown eyes watched him curiously. The TV was playing a cartoon, but she didn't watch it once Clint was in the room. Natasha came out a moment later and frowned at Clint. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I came to see how you were doing. I know you don't like being forced on vacations, but it looks like you have company."
Natasha shook her head. "It's just Maggie. She's my foster daughter."
"You're a foster mom?"
"Only in emergency situations. Maggie was just removed from her last home and they needed someone to take her for a little while. I said I would."
"Why are you even registered?"
"I like kids and I like helping people so being a registered foster parent is just logical. I'm also planning on signing up as a volunteer for the big sister program." Natasha looked to Maggie. "Maggie, this is Clint."
Maggie smiled, her two front teeth missing, giving her an adorable lisp as she greeted him. Maggie looked back to Natasha. "Nat, do we have to watch cartoons?"
"What do you want to watch?"
"I dunno. Do you have Disney?"
"I have Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, and Fantasia."
"Can we see Fantasia?"
"Whatever you want."
Maggie grinned and Natasha put the movie on before flopping onto the couch next to Maggie. "Clint, there's cookie dough ice cream in the freezer; you know where the bowls are. Feel free to join us."
Clint did. A month later, Maggie was moved to a couple that wanted to adopt her. Natasha spent more time with Clint the following week, saying the apartment felt too empty without Maggie.
The second time, Clint was surprised, but not as much as the first time. This kid was a moody teenage boy that blasted Nirvana and had long dark hair that hung in front of his eyes. He lined his eyes with black and painted his nails the same color. Clint could see from the moment he walked in that Natasha was trying to convince the kid to change his ways. The boy was obviously pissed. When Clint came in, he was whining about his nail polish going missing and Natasha was looking innocent, though Clint could see the mischievous look in her eye. She patiently told the boy that while she respected his choices, she didn't think the nail polish was nice. The teen had sighed dramatically, but Clint could see agreement in his eyes.
When Clint arrived over the next day, the boy's face was devoid of eyeliner and he was frowning, but he didn't seem awfully upset. Natasha was wearing a wicked grin when Clint found her in the computer room a moment later. Natasha finished her paperwork and stood. "Hey, Mark, I'm going to get a haircut, you want to come?'
There was a groan. "Sure, whatever."
"Do you want a haircut?"
"Whatever."
When Clint saw Mark a few days later, he looked more like a man than a boy, his hair no longer framing his face, but in a buzz cut that made his face seem more angular. Without the nail polish and eyeliner, he didn't look at all like before, aside from the usual scowl, but that was fading as well. Natasha had made him look respectable and the social worker seemed tres surprised when she saw Mark when she came to pick him up. The woman looked to Natasha. "This is the same kid?"
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Mark is a young man, but yes, he is the same person."
Mark smiled slightly and thanked Natasha before leaving, showcasing the manners he had learned in his time with Natasha.
The third kid was a young boy, maybe seven. He was short for his age, and rather scrawny, making him seem more like four or five than seven. Natasha worked hard with the boy. Nobody knew for sure what his name was because he was selectively mute. According to Natasha, he had been found by police, walking around town, covered in blood and dirt. The blood was his own, coming from a gash on his arm and a cut on his head. He had a broken wrist that was in a blue waterproof cast. Natasha had been called and she picked him up from the hospital.
Natasha was very patient with the boy, making sure he took his antibiotics, but not forcing him into anything. She helped him keep his wounds clean and when he tried to crawl into bed with her after a nightmare, she wouldn't turn him away, but pulled him close, wrapping an arm around him and whispering words of comfort into his ear until he fell asleep. She had done the same for Clint several times and he had wondered where she had gotten the talent.
The boy came around after staying with Natasha for a month. He tugged on her pant leg to get her attention and when she looked down to him, he smiled at her. "My name is Jared."
Natasha smiled back. "It's nice to meet you, Jared. I'm Natasha."
Jared had grinned. "I know."
Natasha looked at him curiously. "So, how did you get on the streets?"
"I was taken from my mommy and daddy when I was four. I escaped."
"Okay. Do you know your last name?"
"Henry."
"Okay. I'm going to call your social worker and see if we can't find your parents."
Jared nodded happily and went back to the episode of Scooby Doo he was watching. His parents were found and contacted and Jared was returned them. Jared thanked Natasha for helping him and his parents still sent her Christmas cards and she still responded in kind.
The fourth kid was taken in by Natasha just after the Battle of New York. Her name was Jasmine and she was only two years old. Her parents had died in a car crash and Jas was sent to live with Natasha. Jasmine had short brown hair and bright blue eyes and although she had lost so much, she still was the happiest toddler you could know. It was all almost comical. Natasha had joined the team at Stark tower and when she didn't leave her floor for three days, the team and Pepper got worried and made a trip down to her.
Tony brought a shot glass of her favorite vodka in case she was in a bad mood and the others rolled their eyes and just went down. On Natasha's floor, they found Natasha curled in a chair with a book and a cup of coffee. Tony grinned and set the vodka on the table next to her. "For you."
Natasha looked to Stark. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not drinking at the moment."
Tony watched Natasha with curiosity. After a few moments of questions from Pepper and the team, he cut in. "Are you pregnant or something?"
Natasha rolled her eyes and stood, dumping the vodka down the sink and rinsing out her now-empty coffee cup and putting it in the dishwasher. "No, Stark, I'm not pregnant."
"Is the baby Barton's?"
"I'm not pregnant."
"But you're not denying that you and Barton are in a relationship."
Natasha rolled her eyes and sighed, sending Clint a look. "Clint and I have been married for three years. Happy?"
"No, I'm Tony."
Thor grinned. "No, Metal Man, Lady Natasha means to ask if you are pleased."
There were some chuckles and Tony looked pleased with himself after finding the exact nature of the spies' relationship. After a few minutes of chatting, Jasmine ran into the room. "Nat, Nat, Nat!"
Natasha turned with a smile. "What is it, Jas?"
The toddler leapt into Natasha's arms. "I dreamed that you was my mommy and you buyed me a unicorn."
Natasha smiled at her. "And what did you name the unicorn?"
"Her named Nat."
"Nat?"
"Yeah. Like you. Cause you is nice and you don't ask me 'bout Mommy and Daddy."
Natasha smiled and kissed the girl's cheek. "No, I don't."
Jasmine stayed with Natasha the longest, four months, but she was adopted too and that was that. Until the day the tower was attacked and Natasha was knocked out, but woke up surrounded by kids.
A/N: So, tell what you think. Do I continue, do I ditch it. Review please! Oh, and I don't own the Avengers.
