Disclaimer: I don't own the Marvel characters, but Emma and Audrey are mine!
Chapter 25:
Audrey loved having her daddy around all the time now. She would never tell her mommy that she missed him whenever he was gone, because she knew that it would make her mommy sad, but she did miss him a lot. But now everything was better! She also loved all her new "uncles" and her aunt Natasha too.
While her parents had explained to her that her uncle Tony was her only real uncle, she still called all their other friends that lived with them "uncles" too. Her favorite "uncle" was Thor because he talked so funny! But she was learning to like all of her uncles for different things. Uncle Tony was good at making her laugh. Uncle Bruce was good at helping her with problems like finding things or fixing her toys that Uncle Thor had broken. Uncle Thor was good for telling her stories with his funny voice while aunt Natasha was good for scaring things away at night if daddy or mommy where not around.
Yet her Uncle Steve was different. Audrey noticed that he didn't talk to the others a lot, but kept to himself a lot. He still sat with them all while they watch a movie or something. He seemed to like to watch her play with Elvis. He usually smiled a lot then. He also liked to go to the gym a lot. But lately he has been sad. Maybe if she drew him a picture then he would feel better! It always made mommy feel better whenever she drew her a picture to hang up at home. So maybe that's what she needed to do!
Emma directed the movers where to take the various boxes as they brought them up to the newly renovated apartment home where she, Clint and Audrey would be living. It was amazing what Tony could get done with a little bit of money – well more like her money. But that wasn't the point. This place was amazing. Now only if all the movers would unpack it all as well.
"Mommy, where are my crayons?"
Emma diverted her attention from the movers to Audrey and Elvis, had had appeared out of nowhere. The puppy began to go bonkers – barking at all the movers. Emma quickly picked him up and ushered Audrey out of the way. "I thought I asked you to stay upstairs until I came and got you later."
"I really need my crayons mommy!"
Emma sighed as she handed Elvis back to Audrey. "Stay here and I will go get them. Do you need paper too?"
Audrey nodded. "Lots of it!"
Emma turned and made her way towards Audrey's new bedroom, leaving her daughter and puppy in the living room for just a minute before returning with her tin of crayons and a stack of paper. "Here," Emma said handing it to her daughter and taking Elvis out of her hands. She led Audrey back to the elevator and set Elvis inside. "Jarvis make sure that they both stay in the common room until Clint or I come for them."
"Yes, Agent Carter," the AI said as the doors to the elevator shut and carried Audrey and Elvis back up to the common room.
As soon as the elevator opened to the common room, Audrey scampered off the elevator with Elvis right behind her. Nobody was currently in the common room, since it was in the middle of the day. She took her crayon tin and stack of paper over to the kitchen table and climbed into the chair, while Elvis scampered off to find one of his chew toys.
For the next little while she tried several different drawings, but she didn't like any of them. Several attempts later, Audrey came up with a picture she liked. She carefully colored in her drawings the best she could and even wrote her name on it in her nicest handwriting like her mommy had been teaching her to do. She smiled at her masterpiece when she was done.
"Mr. Jarvis?" she said allowed.
"Yes, Ms. Audrey?" the AI answered.
"Where is Uncle Steve?"
Knowing that Audrey referred to everyone in the tower differently, Tony had programmed the names she called everyone into Jarvis' memory banks a few days ago just to be on the safe side before he attempted to teach her how to use the AI for simple things such as finding where different people where.
"He is currently in his bedroom," Jarvis replied. "But your mother said to stay in the common room."
Audrey paid no attention to the last comment the AI said as she climbed out of the chair and made her way towards the elevator with her picture in her hand. Seeing that Audrey was ready to play some more, Elvis came running towards her and jumped at Audrey. "No Elvis!" she squealed as she yanked her arms away.
But the puppy didn't listen. He jumped at her and tore the picture that she had drawn for Steve out of her hand. Elvis had thought that Audrey wanted to play with him, not wanting for him to get down. The little girl screamed at the puppy as her ruined picture fell to pieces onto the floor. Elvis quickly ran away and hid from her screams. Audrey sat down in the middle of the floor and began to cry hysterically.
"What's wrong Audrey?" Natasha asked walking off the elevator. She was drying off some sweat from a workout session. She knelt down on the floor next to Audrey.
The little girl sniffled and tried to tell her story, but all her words just got came out in a jumble.
"Okay, calm down and take a deep breath."
Audrey did what her aunt Natasha said.
"Now start over and talk slowly."
"I drew Uncle Steve a picture and I was taking it to him. But Elvis ruined it." Audrey said slowly but getting teary eyed again towards the end.
Natasha gently wiped the tears from Audrey's cheeks then picked up the scattered pieces of paper on the floor. She hated to see this little girl unhappy. Yes, she might have been a little cold towards the idea of a child living in the tower at first, but the more she thought about it and the more she but herself in Emma's position she decided that perhaps it might be the best thing. But she still thought that love was for children. Yet a small part of her deep down wished that this were her daughter with Clint Barton and not his with Emma Carter…but that wasn't the point. There were things that couldn't be changed. And this certainly was not one of those things. Besides she wasn't suited for motherhood. So being an aunt was much better. "Come on," she said, helping Audrey up. "I can help you fix this picture then you can still give it to Steve."
"How?"
Natasha led her back over to the table where she set the torn pieces on the table while she went over to a drawer and took out a scotch tape dispenser. She brought the tape dispenser back over to the table, sat down and got to work repairing the picture for Audrey. And in no time, the picture was almost as good as new.
"There you go," Natasha said handing it to her. "Now you go give it to him and I will keep Elvis busy."
"Thank you Aunt Natasha!" Audrey said scampering out of the chair with the fixed picture clutched tightly in her hand and headed towards the elevators.
As the doors opened on the floor where Uncle Steve's room was, Audrey didn't have to go far to find him. He was waiting for the elevator. "Hey Audrey," he said getting on to the elevator. "You shouldn't be on here by yourself."
"I know!" she said with a big smile. "I was looking for you!"
"Me? Why?"
"I drew you a picture!" she said holding the picture up to him.
Steve picked the little girl up and then took the picture from her. He looked at the taped up picture that she had drawn of two figures – obviously him in his Captain America gear along with his shield and her in a flower dress holding hands. She had drawn them in a meadow with flowers and a sun. Then to seal the deal, she had signed the picture with a heart and her name in what looked like her best 4-year-old handwriting at the bottom of the page. This was quite possibly the sweetest thing that he had ever gotten from anybody before.
"Audrey why did you draw this for me and not your dad?"
"I've drawn daddy lots of pictures before! But you're sad right now and I thought a picture would make you happy!" Audrey said smiling.
Steve smiled at her and kissed her cheek before setting her back down. "Thank you Audrey. Your picture did make me happy."
The elevators door opened again, letting Clint and Tony onto the elevator. "Ahh a classic Audrey one of a kind, Steve." Clint said as he picked up Audrey into his arms as he took notice of the paper that Steve held in his hand. Audrey giggled and Tony huffed.
They all turned to look at him.
"Well I don't have an Audrey original," Tony said acting like a baby. Clint simply shook his head in amazement since he wasn't sure if Tony was trying to be funny or if he was serious, while Steve looked at him confused and Audrey just laughed. "Anyways, moving on," he said getting serious. "Bruce and I think we have figured out a way to get rid of those nasty neurotransmitters on Bucky."
AN: Gotta leave you with some suspense now! This would have been longer, but this has been a long day! But I am happy to report that my sister gave birth to a healthy baby girl so I am an aunt! Yayayaya! So enjoy and please leave me some loving! Oh and if you are thinking that boy Audrey is smart for a four year old…well there is an explanation for it, its just that now is not the time for it….all in good time, all in good time. I promise! Enjoy and Review please!