Wow, I can't believe the amount of attention this had recieved so far! I'm so happy people like this, I only hope I live up to everyone's expectations!
So Updates will be on Fridays from now on or maybe a surprise one here and there!
And to answer questions, yes there will be struggling, she's going to have a lot of trouble shaking off the Red Room conditioning and even more trying to decide where she wants to be in life, she's only known the Red Room and the Widow program so far and now she's going to be given the chance to be a normal kid. She won't know what to do with that! Also, I won't be able to answer the question about nightmares without giving something away, I have a really complicated way of bringing that about because she's going to have different types of nightmares as the story goes along, I hope that's not too teasing! Her mindset it going to change at the story progresses, I'm really excited with how this one is going!
When Steve arrived he hurried up to the living room to find Bruce waiting by the door. "Bruce! Is she alright?"
"She hasn't said much. At least not so far."
"She speaks English?"
"Fluently. I think you should try to find out what SHIELD knows about the Black Widow program. I'm not sure what we're dealing with."
Steve nodded. "Sure. Have you told Fury yet?"
"No, I thought we might wait on that but if that's what it takes to get information then go ahead."
Again, Steve nodded and passed him into the living room. At once Natasha responded. She jumped to her feet and her eyes went wide. She said something in Russian and backed against a wall. "Captain America!" She cried. Her eyes darted to Bruce and narrowed and then shot to Thor who was watching silently.
"Easy!" Steve said, raising his hands placatingly.
Her eyes shot towards the door. "You lied!" She cried. "Where am I?"
Bruce stepped forward and away from the door. In an instant she had bolted towards the exit. Steve let out a yell as she shoved him aside, propelling herself off of him when she found she was not strong enough to move him. Bruce wheeled around and caught sight of the the edge of the blanket as it whipped out of sight. There was a pause where he calculated her escape routs. He could think only of the stairs and the elevator. There was no way she would be able to get out a window. Not at their height. Still, she might be able to hide.
"Thor, go and take the stairs. Bruce-" Steve started.
Bruce cut him off. "I think Thor should go after her. You and I should take the stares and the elevator. She's scared of you and she called me a liar. She won't trust either one of us but there's a chance she'll trust Thor. He hadn't said much to her."
Thor nodded and followed after her, leaving his hammer behind. He crept around the corner. She had a head start but there were only so many places she could hide. He headed first to the end of the hall and checked the rooms there. Then he made his way back down the hall, opening doors as he went. Finally he found her in one of the middle rooms. Clever, he thought. Not too far not to close. He knocked on the door and entered. It was an empty room, just a bed and a lamp. She was hiding under the bed. He was glad there was nothing there she could use as a weapon. He came and sat on the floor. He'd often found humbling himself a way to win over children and he didn't mind doing so for them. He sat on the floor and spoke. "I know you're here." He said softly. "You can come out if you want but I can't make you. It's up to you." That wasn't true but he thought she probably knew that and he was giving her the choice.
There was no noise and so he sat quietly. For a moment. "It is true that we lied to you. We are friends with Captain America also so you know that we are not Russian. Nor are we in league with the Russians. But we will not harm you. Please remember that." Thor smiled, hoping she would see. "You're here because there was an accident and we're not sure how it happened but it did." He gave another apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about this but we want to make you happy while you're here."
Under the bed Natasha weighed her options. There was little she could do. She was only six years old and they were all grown men. She considered also that one of them was Captain America. How that could be she did not understand. He was supposed to dead. She waited for Thor to say something more.
"There will be others coming back soon. I think you'll like them. They're good people. I am fortunate enough to call them my friends."
There was a pause. "Does anyone know I am here?"
Thor hesitated. "No."
"They will come looking for me." She gave him a careful look, seeing how he would react.
"Do you want them to find you?"
"I cannot trust Americans."
"Well, to be fair I am not America. Do you think you could trust me?"
"I do not know." This at least seemed to have given her some thought.
Thor sighed. "Do you like this room? It could be yours?" He felt bad, he knew Bruce had already put one together.
"Why?"
"Well you'll need a place to sleep."
"I could escape." She threatened.
"That's true but where will you go?"
She hesitated before crawling out from under the bed. She stood and looked at Thor. Now that she finally stood she looked very small and pretty but there was a hardness in her eyes that looked out of place. It made a strange combination. Thor smiled at her. "I have a friend coming who will bring you some clothes. I'm sorry about the blanket."
She wrapped the blanket around herself more stiffly and tried to hold it up. It pooled around her like a tent. Thor smiled again. "I will turn around and when I do, you give me the blanket. I will fold it so that it is short enough not to trip you."
She did as she was told, waiting until his back was turned to give him the blanket. When he handed it back she wrapped it around herself again, this time finding it short enough to only just touch the floor. She looked up at him and there was a measure of confusion. It hit him then that she looked a little nervous. He offered her his hand.
"Come on. We can finish the television show over the bears."
She nodded and with trepidation took his hand. She held it loosely, ready to pull away at any moment. He hoped she wouldn't.
Back in the living room they sat and watched the documentary.
Once JARVIS gave Bruce and Steve an update on Natasha the two of them moved to the kitchen, feeling unwelcome in the living room. They sat and waited for the others to arrive. Clint was the first. He said Tony was on his way but would not be back until the next day. He was hung up in China with a company demonstration. Clint had brought several bags of clothes and shoes. He sat and fretted about not buying the right things. Steve and Bruce looked at them. They seemed alright. Neither of them could see any problems with the clothes.
"So why are you guys in here?" Clint asked, breaking from his worries.
"We sort of made a bad first impression." Steve said in embarrassment. "She saw me and panicked. Then she figured out that Bruce had lied to her about why she was there. She's a lot smarter than we gave her credit for. We'll have to watch out."
"She's okay with Thor though?"
"He proved himself somehow."
Clint grabbed one of the bags. "I'll go give her these." The others watched him go.
Clint stepped carefully into the living room, both trying to look normal and yet straining to see Natasha. Thor greeted him.
"This is one of the people I told you about." He said. "This is Clint Barton."
Clint gave her a smile and raised the shopping bag. "I brought you some clothes."
She looked at the bag silently and watched him remove a few of the items and flash them around. Her eyes fixed on at least one shirt before he put them back and handed the bag to her. "You should go and get dressed." Thor encouraged.
She did so, shooting a glance at the kitchen to see if anyone was watching. Once she was back in the room she'd first run into she stopped to think. She was not safe. She had heard stories of Captain America before and while they all hailed him as a man of supreme combat abilities and even some had been friendly they all made sure to warn that he was a symbol of America and America was her enemy.
She quickly dressed and then held back to think. She could escape. It would be difficult but she could do it. She shook a little thinking about it. She was too young to be on a mission. Still, she was the best her age. She knew that so she thought she might have a chance. She had beaten all of the other girls in the Red Room in practice combat. Everyone complimented and praised her. She tried to think of an escape plan. She would have to do as they said for a while. Maybe if she did so they would let their guard down. She returned to the living room where Clint and Thor were sitting talking quietly.
"Oh, Hey!" Clint said cheerfully. She thought his eyes looked uncertain. "Um listen, Bruce wants to apologize for lying to you. He feels really bad."
She frowned and glanced towards the kitchen. She didn't know if that was true. Instead of giving anything definite she nodded. Clint grinned and looked over the clothes she had picked. "You look really pretty."
She cocked her head to the side, surprised by his comment. She received praise quiet frequently in the Red Room. After defeating an opponent. After proving she had mastered another language. After wielding a new weapon. But she was never told she was a pretty girl. His words made her happy in a way she didn't understand. She looked up at him. He was still smiling at her and although it made her happy she couldn't meet his eyes.
"Will you forgive Bruce? He meant well." Thor said.
With little other choice she nodded.
"And Steve, Captain America, he's not a bad guy." Clint put in. "Give him a chance."
She felt a wave a cold waft over her and she hesitated. She still could not bring herself to consider the idea of trusting Captain America.
"Well, maybe in time." Thor said with a sad smile. She stood for a moment waiting for someone to tell her what to do. When no one did she took a seat and looked Clint over. He was curiously different from the others. Thor was big and powerful looking. She knew Banner must be smart and Captain America was famous. She wondered what this man was like.
She sat quietly and after a while Steve and Bruce returned. They sat down and everyone watched the television awkwardly. Earlier when Bruce had first turned on the TV she had wanted to watch the children's program but had thought the better of it. She was typically not allowed to watch things like that and anyway, she didn't want to appear childish.
The others talked and she listened. Occasionally one of them would try and engage her in the conversation but she stayed silent. She didn't really know what to say. They were talking about a man named Tony. Someone said he was in China. She gathered quickly that they were in his house. Still, after a little while of listening she found she was learning nothing useful. She stared at the wall only half listening and it was not until Bruce got up and came back with a pad of paper.
"I thought you might be getting board." He said with a smile.
She took the paper and pen and thanked him quietly, tucking her legs under neath herself and then staring blankly as she tried to think of something to draw. She looked out the window and thought that maybe she should draw the city. She tried and was rather unsuccessful. Still, Clint and Steve both leaned over and told her she had done a good job. She thought they might have been patronizing her.
After a while Steve excused himself to go and change. He was still in his Captain America uniform. Natasha watched him go before setting the pad of paper aside and returning her attention to the television. She kind of liked being able to sit around and draw and watch tv. She never got the chance in the Red Room. Everything was work and survival there.
Clint tried repeatedly to make jokes and once or twice he had actually made her laugh. She tried not to let him see her smile though.
They sat for a while more. Thor and Clint were talking and Bruce had taken out a tablet. At first she wasn't sure what he had but after a while she saw that it was a kind of computer. Natasha walked to the window and stood looking out at the city. They had said they were in New York. She had only ever seen pictures of the city before. She was curious. She looked down at the streets below and the buildings and people. She watched them and pressed her hands to the glass, leaning forward to look down.
From the couch Clint watched her. He was burning with curiosity and more than that was worried that she wouldn't like him. She hadn't really shown any signs of liking anything so far. He turned around in his seat to face her. "Did you like the clothes I bought?"
She nodded and looked down at the shirt and pants she'd picked. Some of the clothes he'd picked had been very pretty but she'd opted for something easy to move around in. she wished she could wear pretty clothes more but pretty clothes were for other girls. She had too important of a role in life to indulge in pretty clothes.
Clint smiled and she found herself smiling back at him. She quickly stopped herself as soon as she realized what she was doing.
A few moments later Steve returned and came to stand by her. Natasha stiffened and gave him as cold a look as she could. He smiled down at her. "It's a pretty view,isn't it?"
She looked up at him silently.
"I hope you'll believe me when I say that I don't want to hurt you."
She looked away and out across the city. She did not believe him. And even if he didn't want to hurt her in particular he was a threat to her people.
He frowned and looked genuinely sad when she did not warm up to him.
She stood for a while longer before returning to her seat. Steve was left by himself, unable to think of a way to prove to her that he was harmless.
Bruce watched this interaction with difficulty. Natasha was certainly a guarded child and it was disheartening to watch her be so cold to Steve.
After a moment of awkward silence Clint jumped to his feet. "Hey Nat, how about I give you a tour?"
She frowned and looked at him suspiciously before nodding and following him out of the room. Clint showed her the kitchen, pointed out that she could take anything from the refrigerator, opened and closed the pantry and then lead her down the hall. They peaked into the room she'd taken as her own, they they stopped by his but didn't go in. he said it was too messy and he didn't want her to see. Then on a whim he took her up to the roof where she walked from place to place looking out at the city. He guessed she must have liked that because when they came back down her face was flushed with excitement.
"Place is pretty neat, huh?" He asked.
She nodded and the looked at him. "Thank you for the clothes." She said quietly.
He grinned. "You like 'em?"
She nodded. "Very much."And to her it looked as though that made him truly happy.
"Well if you want anything let me know. I'd be happy to get it."
She nodded again, surprised by how generous he was being. But then she thought, she had known some men like that. They were desperate for a kind of good in the world. Sometimes they tries to make her that good but she wasn't. She could not be that for them and so their efforts to make her smile and their longing to see their daughters in her failed. She wondered if Clint was like that, if he had a daughter he was trying to see in her. He was young but that didn't mean anything. She doubted he was just that genuinely nice. No one ever was.
Clint lead her black to the living room where the others had dispersed from. Bruce had gone down to the labs and Thor had left for the kitchen. Only Steve was left and as soon as she saw him Natasha's gaze turned icy. Clint quickly distracted her with the television. He turned on a kids movie and Natasha watched it, apparently feeling that she was not above live action children's shows.
Thanks for reading!
And thanks so much to everyone who followed, faved and reviewed, I was genuinely surprised by how many people did! I hope everyone continues to like the story! It's got more action in it then my previous one!