A/N: Hello! Quicker than normal Update since I just love writing this! Thank you all for the support so far. And to let you know, there is a special guest appearance in this chapter! Enjoy!

Morning seemed to come pretty quickly, Anya found, once she'd managed to fall asleep. She'd sat on the bed until she was sure Natasha had left, then allowing herself to sink into the soft bed. It was the softest thing she'd ever laid on – she imagined it was like a cloud. But despite the softness, and the warmth of the room, she couldn't sleep. And she knew why. She was so used to having her hand cuffed to the bed, it felt strange having her arm lying free at her side. Eventually, after much tossing and turning (and freezing when she heard Natasha return and creep into the room) she found her solution. Around 1am, she'd found the sneakers in the closet. Bright red ones that Wanda must have picked for her. She stared at the laces before pulling them out. Soon, her right wrist was bound to the headboard, and she eventually drifted off.

The girl didn't often find sleep to be peaceful; but something about the Avengers base made her sleep a little easier. Until her door creaked open again and she woke up. She didn't open her eyes immediately. She could always tell who came into her room by the footsteps; whether it be the angry Russian porter who would yell at her to wake up, or one of the soldiers, who would kick her out if she didn't get up quick enough.

The footsteps were faint, and Anya tensed. At first she thought it was Wanda, and she would be ready to sit up straight away. But as the figure sat beside her, she recognised the voice as Natasha, as well as her scent. It was on the hoodie she had been given, and despite it being part of the Widow, she couldn't part with it. It was a smell she wasn't used to – clean, safe, and warmth all in one.

Anya hoped if she played being asleep, then the Widow would leave. These mind games she was trying to play were giving her a headache – she knew the truth. The Widow left her in that place, in the bad place, and let them all treat her that way. It was her fault.

All her fault. All her fault. All her fault.

Is it though?

That little voice had been creeping in and playing its own game, and it was making her insides hurt. It had been drilling her head until she eventually fell asleep.

"Anya, baby. Time to wake up."

The woman was certainly relentless, since she pretended to find out who they were to each other. She was a good actress. But the General had once told her that lies were as easy as breathing to the woman.

Anya continued to keep her eyes closed, even when the hand rubbed her arm lightly. When a hand started to cup her face, Anya twisted and buried her face in her pillow.

"Come on, sleepyhead." Natasha tried to coax the young girl awake. She was trying not to focus on the sight before her – the shoe laces wrapped around the rung of the headboard, the other end being tied around the girl's wrist. As Anya turned away from her, Nat reached over and undid the knots. She held the laces in her hands as Anya pushed back the covers and rubbed her eyes.

She remembered the feeling of the cuff around her own wrist. It had taken a long time for her to stop doing that. Even without it, her hand would fly behind her and stay in that position in her sleep.

"You don't have to tie yourself to the bed anymore, baby."

Anya sat in the bed and looked at the laces.

"I couldn't sleep."

Nat's head shot up from the laces in her hands. Wanda had said she was slowly coming out of her shell. But this was the first thing Anya had said to her that wasn't a scream. She had to approach this carefully. She licked her lips and tried to piece her words together carefully.

"I used to be unable to sleep the same way; I was so used to the handcuffs, that when I became free, I didn't think I could sleep without them."

Anya peered at her, almost curiously. Nat wondered if she'd blown it.

"You were in the lab too." It wasn't a question.

"No, baby I wasn't." Nat shuffled closer on the bed, and held back the small flutter when Anya didn't move away. "I was somewhere else. Somewhere bad too. For a long time when I was growing up, where they taught me a lot of bad things."

Anya continued to stare at her.

"But you leave? You leave and leave me there?"

It's like defusing a bomb, Nat thought to herself.

"No, Anya. I didn't leave you there." She took a deep breath in. The girl was going to let her explain, she had once shot. Mess up, and the bomb will go off and it would blow everything apart.

"Anya, I know you've been told something your whole life, but listen tO me carefully." Nat reached out and cupped her face. "I never left you baby, I would never have left you there. I didn't know…I didn't know you were alive."

Anya's face frowned.

"You thought I was dead?"

Don't lie to her. It will come back worse if you do.

How do you explain to a little kid that they weren't born, that they were made in some lab?

Nat sucked a deep breath in.

"Those people, Anya, in the lab. Those were bad people. I didn't think you were dead, sweetheart, I didn't know you were born." She tried to give a soft smile through the pain. "I always wanted a baby, and so they made you. But they never told me and kept you away all these years."

Anya looked at the woman who was putting a mask up to hide away the shine in her eyes. She wasn't sure what to believe anymore. That little voice, the one that always got her into trouble, was telling her to listen to the Avenger.

She left you with us.

She repressed a shudder. It was like the General was in the room. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, and her hand reached around to make sure he wasn't there.

"I know it's going to take time for you to believe me or to even trust me, and I'll give you all the time you need." Nat smiled, reaching over again and cupping the youngsters face, before standing up. "Why don't you get a shower, baby, then come down for breakfast? I think Steve wanted to make you something." Nat stepped back and slowly exited the room, giving the space and time she promised. She just hoped it would help.

Anya rubbed her eyes furiously whilst in the shower, causing them to redden as her mind seemed to be like the plughole, everything falling through it at once. She dried herself off and stepped back into her room to dress. Wanda had certainly stuffed her closet. She'd normally wear her jumpsuit when in the lab. But when she was in the other place, she wore a stiff pinafore dress when in lessons, with the collar tight round her neck. Or her gym kit when they made her practice hand-to-hand.

Those powers don't make you strong, they make you weak. Rely on them too much and you leave yourself open. Be prepared for any attack.

It was like they were in the room with her when she heard their words.

She chose the comfiest looking clothes she could find; a red hooded sweatshirt and some grey sweatpants. She found Nat had re-laced the red hi top sneakers, so she pulled them on and tied them tight.

"Look whose awake," Tony said as Anya slowly walked into the kitchen area. He was slurping from a coffee cup and using his cell phone. "Don't think I haven't hidden my cereals from you kid. You touch the Lucky Charms we're going to have big problems." Anya stared at him as she walked round the kitchen island. He, Wanda, and Steve were the only ones there. This must have been the space Natasha had mentioned.

"Morning Anya," Steve smiled brightly as she came to stand beside him. She watched him as he scrambled eggs in a pan. "Sit yourself down its nearly ready."

"Think we need to get you one of those aprons, Cap. You know, Kiss the Cook or something?" Tony sniggered as he drained his coffee cup. She sat down next to Wanda, who was slowly stirring some seeds into a bowl of oatmeal. She gave the girl a smile and stroked her face.

"How was your first night in your new room? Did you sleep ok?"

Anya nodded quietly as Steve placed a large plate in front of her. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the food. The plate had every kind of egg and meat she'd ever seen.

"Didn't know how you liked your eggs cooked. Or your bacon, so did a bit of everything." She looked up at the super-soldier in wide-eyed thanks. There was so much food there, she didn't know how she was going to eat it all.

As she started on her bacon, she came to the realisation that Tony Stark greatly annoyed her.

"So you liked your room kid? Do we need to install a nightlight or anything?"

"Tony," Wanda started, but covered her mouth when Tony's newly filled coffee cup was pushed over by a bolt of blue, all over his shirt.

"Anya!" Wanda exclaimed, but couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you did ask for it Tony." As Wanda laughed (Steve busied himself at the cooker) Anya smiled as the older girl laughed.

"Ok, ok, point taken. You're definitely not getting the cereals now." Tony dabbed at his shirt with a napkin, before leaving the kitchen.

"Oh, he left these. He never goes far without a pair." Wanda reached over and picked up a pair of dark-lensed sunglasses. She unfolded the arms and slowly placed them on Anya's face. She smiled at the girl before returning to her own breakfast.

"You should be careful Anya, that coffee could have been boiling hot." Steve said as he placed down a stack of toast. He gave her a stretched smile but left the girl to her breakfast, ruffling her hair.

As they ate their breakfast upstairs, Natasha had decided to let off some steam in the gym. Knuckles wrapped up, she was punching the life out of a punchbag when Tony walked in.

"I hope that's not my face you'rE picturing." He called across the room. She landed one more blow, before stopping, a sheen of sweat on her brow. She looked over at the man and frowned.

"You need a bib, Tony? You look like you spilled your breakfast down yourself." She walked over to a bench and began to unwrap her hands.

"This? Oh this was your kids doing," Nat turned to look at him. "Very much like you…she doesn't approve of my sarcastic humour and told me quite clearly." He came to a standstill next to the trained assassin who was placing her equipment back in her bag. "Listen Nat, F.R.I.D.A.Y. got through to those files this morning." He held a hand up when she was ready to protest. "I didn't tell you because I'm worried you're too close to stay objective to the mission."

"This mission?" Nat stared at him in disbelief. "Tony, that mission is my daughter,"

"And that makes things complicated. What's in those files makes it a thousand times more complicated. We were looking for Hydra's next step, their next move. She was the next move and you're going to forget that."

Natasha straightened her back and stared the man dead in the eye. "What do you mean?"

Tony sighed through his nose. "Look, ok, I understand. This is your kid and you've just been hit with a surge of "mama bear" protectiveness. But remember, she's Hydra's weapon. Not only is she dangerous, she's important to them. They'll come looking for her. And who is to say there aren't more people out there, with powers just like hers? You're busy thinking of being a mom you need to remember you're a part of this team as well."

He turned on his heel and left her stood in the middle of the gym.

"Going through the files in ten minutes. Once I find a clean shirt and make sure the kid from the Omen isn't into my Fruit Loops again."

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

"It doesn't feel right," Steve said as they looked at the displays. "They've recorded nearly every interaction with her, doesn't feel like we should be watching this."

He sat round the conference table with Tony, Nat and Clint. The others had opted out, choosing to be briefed in short what the files hold and what their next move was. Also, someone needed to keep an eye on Anya. Vision and Wanda had agreed to take her outside and explore the woodland area surrounding the base.

At the moment, the four of them were watching a short recording. Several scientists in white coats sat at the side of the room whilst their colleague interacted with a small child sat on the ground. In her hands was a small ball, its colour unknown due to the security footage being black and white. Nat found herself holding her breath as she watched the young girl make the ball hover in the air, a small smile on her face.

They'd watched several hours' worth of footage by this point, and Nat had felt her heart break a thousand times. It broke when she saw the girl sat alone in a room, it broke when she was hit, punched, kicked for acting out, as any small child would.

She'd almost squeezed her eyes shut when the cattle prods were used. They used them to control her when she became emotional and her powers acted out.

"They couldn't have accurately dated these files, they jump years backwards and forwards." Tony sighed. He made no sarcastic remarks or dry comments as they watched. He saw what they all saw – a kid who was used and abused to be a weapon. Even Tony Stark had a heart somewhere. They were trying to train her young. Make her behave in a certain way. But even they didn't seem to be able to fully control her powers. But they had ways.

Nat nearly walked out at this point; when she watched the footage of two burly soldiers tackle a small seven year old to the ground, forcing a shock collar round her neck. She felt Clint squeeze her hand under the table as the soldiers dragged her into a different room with a large steel box and force her inside. There couldn't have been enough room to stand up in; but they somehow forced the small child inside and forced the hatch closed. They left her in there for six hours, according to the tape.

"Ok, that's enough." Steve said, and Tony switched the tapes off. He had noticed how Nat had become rigid and pale. But he too couldn't watch anymore. It certainly explained the girls attitudes and skittish behaviour.

"They, um…haven't stored them in correct order," Tony filled in the silence. "But they have footage from almost every year of her life. Except the most recent." He frowned as he became trawling through the data. "F.R.I.D.A.Y.?"

"It seems to be the footage hasn't been deleted, sir, it was never present on the system."

"A whole year and she wasn't recorded? Not a test or anything?' Clint said as he watched Nat stare at the frozen screen. Tony noticing, took down the frozen footage.

"Yeah, there was nothing. Not a scrap of data until a week before we raided the place."

"So where was she?" Nat spoke. She'd stayed quiet through everything. "She wasn't in that base, they have no record of her being there." That was the question – a whole year of Anya's life was missing, so where had she gone to?

"All I found was this," Tony brought up a scanned in document authorising an extraction from the base. "She left around March last year, and it was signed off on." He rubbed his eyes as he zoomed in on the signature and he felt the room tense.

"Pierce?" Steve said, standing up. "Alexander Pierce was in charge of that base?"

"He was one of them. Whoever is above Pierce, kept everything to do with the kid on a secure server, so when you two hacked into all of Hydra's files and posted them online, these were stored elsewhere."

"So who is above Pierce? Who is the next step up?" Steve asked, but Tony shrugged. They had no names of the people in charge of the project, whether it be Hydra or someone else pulling the strings. Whoever they were, did their best job to remain unknown.

They sat in silence for perhaps another twenty minutes as each of them contemplated who could be running the show from behind the scenes. All Natasha could think about was where Anya was right now, and how much she needed to see the girl and see if she was ok. Tony made the comment that he would collate everything and brief the others. Steve silently nodded and stood up. He placed a hand on Nat's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"She's safe now, Nat. She's home." Nat gave no indication she heard him as he left. Clint pushed back his chair and the two made the move to leave.

"Nat?" Tony called. She stayed stood by the table, as Clint gave her a look back before leaving the conference room. Tony stepped forward and handed her a flash drive.

"I know I said you were becoming compromised, and this isn't helping the cause, but here." He placed the flash drive in her hands. "That's all the kid's medical, intelligence scores, and stuff about her birth on there. Thought you ought to have that." Nat gave him a small smile of thanks, before pocketing the drive and leaving. She almost ran to her work station to plug the drive into her computer.

She trawled through the files and found the earliest recordings of her daughter.

Subject no.: 13

Gender: Female

Given name: ROMANOVA, Anya

D.O..B: November 23rd, 2006

Birth weight: 5lbs 3oz

Birth height: 18 inches

Location: St. Petersburg Facility, Russia.

Mother: ROMANOVA, Natalia

Father: Classified

Subject born under sterile conditions in artificial womb, serial no. 776320061984. Subject to be housed at facility to ascertain health and ensure correct procedures. Subject to be monitored until four weeks before injections to be administered. If subject reaches six weeks, second phase will begin. If twelve weeks reached, child will receive third dosage of medications before transferring to nursery facility in Moscow. If child reaches age two years, transfer to Gran- Slavionia facility for testing and growth monitoring.

There was a media file attached the document, and Natasha found her breath to catch as she watched the footage from a different lab. She smiled and reached out to touch the screen gently as she saw a doctor pull a baby from the confinements of an artificial womb, and her daughter took her first breaths and cry.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

The man frowned as he stared at his screen.

He was disappointed.

It didn't happen often, but when it did, it had consequences.

Over 48 hours had passed since the raid. Over 48 hours and not a single mention of any of the Avengers. Nothing about an attack, nothing. Nothing had happened. And so he was disappointed.

He'd expected something. But not nothing, That was unacceptable.

The intercom buzzed, altering him to the presence beyond the door to his office. He granted access, and watched as a blonde female walked in, not really making eye contact as she stood before him.

"The mission in Belgrave was a success." It wasn't a question. It was never a question. "Short turn around for your next, but you won't complain. Extraction and retrieval." He stepped out from behind his desk, buttoning up the jacket to his suit and peering through his glasses at the blonde girl before him. She was an example of what he expected; Chemical subjugation certainly seemed to be most effective. Clearly, psychological conditioning didn't work on that one bloodline very well.

"The target?" The blonde spoke, clear and level headed.

"Complicated. You'll be given all the equipment, but she is, how you say, volatile."

The blonde didn't so much as blink in his presence without his say so.

"She'll be guarded, but soon there will be an opportunity. Watch and assess. The second she's alone, extract and bring her back to me. Clearly she's failed the task and needs to be reconditioned."

The blonde nodded and turned to leave.

"Yelena, don't kill her, but make her suffer for her mistakes before you bring her back to me."