Hold My Hand- The Fray
"We have been busy. And yet, the whole time, you've been working with us. With Bruce, Thor, and Clint, and Tony. You thought we weren't paying attention? That we didn't care? Every one of us has been where you are right now. This place, this is where we come when the monsters we face are too powerful or too plentiful... From the moment you stepped in here... you were never alone." -Steve Rogers
It was a cool spring morning, the gentle fog rolling on the ground of the bay. It would have continued on if there wasn't any cars or people that whisked away the signs of the morning. Sophia stood watching out the window, just as she had a few nights before. Now, her father was home, and so was her new mother. It was nice to have them home, for their warm hugs and kisses every night. But, she sensed something off.
Something tense between them. She was getting older, and her brain was developing faster and faster each day. Natasha was teaching her Russian, not that she needed it. But, she'd like to know how to speak it more than anything else. Her pronunciation was the worst part about everything.
She noticed the small looks that Natasha would give Steve. She noticed the way Bruce watched Natasha like a lost puppy. But he had seemed to start to move on. Hopefully back with Betty, she was a nice lady. Sophia, had only met her a few times. But human emotions was still something that puzzled her. She could sense the feelings, but that didn't mean she understood them. It was only a matter of time before something clicked and all of the pieces would fall into place.
Yet, it wasn't a feeling that was off with Natasha. It was her aura, her overall presence. It felt weak, but strong at the same time. Like something was draining her, but it was okay. It felt right.
She didn't want to say anything, for she feared that she would be punished. Not that her father had ever seriously punished her before. He usually only raised his voice, or sent her to bed without dessert. But she remember days from long ago. A year she faintly remembered of being in and out of a lab. A man who looked over her as she was in fear. Baron Von Strucker. He would take away all of her food completely until she was on the brink of death. He would break her small fragile bones with consistency. His eyes would look into her and she would shutter. He was dead, but his partner wasn't. Gideon Malick. He was everywhere. She saw him at parties with her Uncle Tony, and in big important meetings with President Ellis. Who was surprisingly really nice to her and her father. Granted, that she, and the Avengers had each saved his life at least once.
Malick had always been watching her, he was watching all of the Inhumans, and Mutants that were starting to form all over the earth. She could almost feel his far sight watching her carefully, and the presence of something else on the horizon.
"Soph?" Steve called up to her small body, in the nest of blankets. Her blonde curly hair in a mess, and her eyes stained red, with tears. "Sophia, what's wrong?" He said, stepping forward. His eyes filling with worry, and voice softening as she practically flew down the latter into his arms.
"Papa!" She wailed into his arms as he hoisted her up. Clinging to him with dear life. "I saw him again."
"The man in your dreams?" He tossed up, rocking her gently in his arms.
"No." She whispered softly, gripping his jacket, feeling the swaying motion Steve just settled into naturally now. Sophia felt herself relax in her father's arms. She felt safe. Her eyes looked up towards him and whispered. "Gideon Malick." Her eyes widened at even the sound of herself saying it. As if he could hear her speak his name. That he was always watching her. Though it felt like it.
"You're safe here Sophia, he can't get you." Steve said softly, as he moved her closer to the big window in the room. He turned so he could let her look out. "He can't get you all the way up here. There's too many people here to protect you. There's me, and Uncle Tony." Steve said. "Momma Natasha, Uncle Clint, Uncle Sam, Uncle Scott, Aunt Wanda, Uncle Pietro, Uncle Thor, Uncle Vision, and there's Rhodey, Maria, Daisy, Phil, May, Simmons, Fitz, Mack, and even Lincoln. He's coming over with Daisy to play with powers later."
"That's a lot of people." She said, looking out the window as the city began to wake up. Prepare itself for the day set in front of it.
"And to make you feel better, we're going to be moving soon." He said softly. "To the base, where Papa has been spending a lot of time with Sam and Wanda."
"The New base?" She perked up, her eyes filling with hope, knowing that Gideon Malick couldn't get her on the base, because all of family was there. Most people didn't even know where the new top secret base was, sides the secretary of state and the president. Steve and Tony kept it that way, so people wouldn't try and find out about Sophia, and her powers. There was enough controversy with the events of Sokovia, DC still in the haze. They were lucky enough not to have too many pictures of Sophia released, and the ones that were, greatly showed the entire team's love and admiration for her.
There were many who thought it was foolish and stupid for Steve, and the team to keep Sophia around the actions going on. Media was on fire with articles attacking Wanda, for spending time with her. BBC claimed it was foolish, because she could even kill Sophia. Sadly, they just didn't need to know that she had powers and could very well handle herself in a situation. She still had the mind and body of a four year old girl. If only the media knew what was to come in the near future of the Avengers, and Sophia.
"Your child is kicking again." Natasha whispered into Steve's ear, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. Steve responded with a muttered groan as he looked over to see the clock on the wall, hands placed into the positions to show it was 3:30, he had not been in bed for too long. He went on a mission that afternoon and arrived home that night, around 12:30.
"It's too early, even for me." He chuckled, and turned to look into her eyes. A smile graced across his face, as he placed his hand on her stomach, eyes widening as he feels the gentle kick of the baby on his hand. Steve can't help but grin, and look at Natasha in great admiration. "I still can't believe we're gonna have a baby together."
"We have Sophia." She whispered, placing her hand over his, stroking it gently. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath.
"Soph's ours, yeah. But this one. They'll have you in them too." Steve smiled.
"What do you want?" She said softly.
"I want to go back to sleep." He kidded, as Natasha gave him a playful smack.
"Steve. Really." She forced his eyes to look into hers.
"I want a healthy baby Nat. I don't care if it's a little boy or little girl. I just want a healthy baby who looks like you. Whether it's a baby girl with your hair, and beautiful eyes. Or a baby boy with your strength and kind heart. Nat. They'll be perfect."
"Speaking of a child." Natasha smiled. "Sophia's at our door, debating on whether to come in or not."
"Should we tell her?" Steve looked at her with a contemplating look, with one of his brows raised slightly higher than the other.
"Not yet." She whispered. "Sophia, you can come in." Natasha said louder, shifting a little bit away from Steve, so she could wiggle her way in.
"Papa!" She ran and flopped on the bed in between them, and snuggled in tight. Natasha chuckled, and reinserted herself closer, and ran a hand through her hair.
"What's wrong, Soph?" He asked, softly.
"It's him again." She cried softly, and buried her face in his shirt, wetting it with tears. Natasha, gave a sad look, hating to see such a joyful child, burdened with such a horrible thing.
"Sophia." She said softly, rubbing her back.
"Yeah?" She mumbled against Steve's shirt.
"Can you show me? Your dream?" She said softly. "Maybe if I see it. I can protect you from him, keep you safe and far away." Steve looked at her with a puzzled look, but she only gave him a nod.
"I can show you. But, it's scary." She said softly.
"Scary's okay. It's always good to be scared, very scared." She let the small child, turn to her, and press her forehead against hers.
It was a extremely dark room, and the only light was shining on Sophia, bright enough that it would hurt someone's eyes. It then switched perspectives, where she felt herself locked against a medical table, hands and feet bound with rope, tight enough where it had started to leave blisters. The light was shifted to her eyes, she felt a pain in her right leg, and a laughing from a man. Her eyes were shut, she didn't know how. Natasha then opened her eyes, and saw Strucker. His piercing orbs looking at her leg as he twisted it until it snapped, releasing a loud cracking sound, and a scream from her throat. She could feel him moving it left and right, pushing against it, as the bone crumbled against his tools. Then, it all went black, sitting in the darkness she could feel them playing around her body, breaking bones, and cutting her open, sticking tools up in places they shouldn't be. But all of this time it took her to realize she was in Sophia's smaller baby body, they had found her in those years ago. It made her sick to her stomach to now know what they had done to this small child. She had memories of what they did to her as a child. Yet, when she saw and felt this happening to Sophia, it broke something inside her.
Suddenly, she heard Steve's voice. And everything was on fire, she saw Steve saving her. Then she saw what had happened at the tower for the past three years. Her first steps, words, and family all around. Spending time with Bucky, when she was kidnapped, and the hide and seek in the tower. She saw her birthday and wedding and everything inbetween and it started to flash so fast until it stopped and she was alone in the dark.
"Sophia." A voice called from the darkness around them, as she felt her body begin to tremble and shake. Malick's face taunted her mind. She saw everything they had built up in the past three years crumble beneath her, in a huge fire that consumed the entire tower. She felt Malicks hands around her neck, as he threw her into a container, where she was not able to use her powers. And she felt herself become one of his experiments once again.
"Nat." Steve said with his voice raised. Natasha didn't answer him, but snapped out of the dream and curled Sophia up in her arms and laid back down in the bed, with her curled up to her chest. She let Steve's arms wrap around them and let him not make them speak, but instead be the silent rock that comforted them back to sleep.
"Natasha. Don't." Steve said sharply, grabbing her arm. His eyes looked down at her stomach. "Send Bobbi to do it, or Daisy or May. Just please." She sighed looking up at him with pleading eyes. Natasha just wanted to kill him herself, wrap her hands around his neck and choke the life out of Malick. "Call Coulson, have him pull a few strings."
"Alright." She said, pulling out her phone, and dialing her former boss. Letting the rings of the phone calm herself.
"Coulson." He said sharply into the phone, almost frightening her.
"It's Natasha. I need a favor, Phil." She said, looking over to Steve. Whose eyes were comforting and gave her a nod.
"What is it, Natasha? Is something wrong with Sophia?" He asked her worriedly.
"Sorta. What do you know about Gideon Malick?" She said softly, looking down at the floor.
"He was one of Hydra's main heads, why?"
"Malick was one of the men who tortured and created Sophia. She's scared to death to see him, and she keeps having nightmares about him. Even they are getting worse, there are burn marks from last nights in Steve and I's bedroom." She said. "I want to see how plausible it would be to have him captured, and let me kill him. Send Daisy or Bobbi out to get him.. And I don't know I just want him dead-"
"Natasha." Phil said softly. "He's already dead."
I'm so sorry everyone! Most of the writing gap was trying to figure out how to fit Civil War in because of how I've written Angel Kisses. But also, my lack of inspiration. Don't fret though. I'll be updating a lot of my stories this week. And, I'll be heading on vacation very soon, so I'll have more time to write in the car. So for now. I love all of you very much for dealing with me, and I hope everyone has a lovely day. And as always, reviews and comments are always appreciated.