The air was freezing cold and the slowly starting New York winter didn't care that everyone had to sit outside for hours during the Veterans Day celebrations. Lucy watched her breath leave her system in white clouds – anything to concentrate on to forget the cold. She had always preferred Memorial Day. Late May was a much nicer time to sit outside and watch for the parade. Wanda was fidgeting next to her and Lucy could hear Peter two seats down blowing into his fists. At last, the parade appeared around the corner into Ground Zero and came to stand while the US Army Band played on, The Flag Still Flies High.
The Avengers were always invited to Veterans Day when they weren't on a mission and this year the kids accompanied them. Steve sat in the beginning of the row, with Sam right next to him. Rhodey was up by the podium next to other higher personnel of the Air Force that was in NYC currently. The three of them were all wearing their dress uniforms while everyone else in their team was still dressed in smarter clothes than usual. As the mayor stepped up to the podium to The First Call and asked everyone to stand for the anthem, Lucy was glad to move her legs finally. Officials hoisted the flag to the sound of the people singing and when the melody finished, the audience kept standing and joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Last Post sounded and everyone fell silent before being called out of reflection by the Reveille.
As Lucy sat down again and started listening to the mayor, she watched the flag waving high up on the pole in the cold wind. The skies were clear and bright but the impending winter was almost threateningly looming in the icy air and the hard ground. Lucy concentrated back on the mayor and his words about loyalty and sacrifice and felt Wanda next to her stiffen. She reached and took the other girl's hand which was also freezing.
After the mayor had finished, Lucy watched Rhodey, along with the others up front, stand and salute as the Chief of the USAF stepped up to the podium to Hail to the Chief and began to deliver his speech. He talked about the army values, duty, courage and honor and commitment to your country. Lucy liked him; he reminded her of Natasha with his firm, no-nonsense way of speaking and the things he said. As if she could read her thoughts – the possibility of which Lucy wasn't discounting at this point – Natasha put a reassuring hand on Lucy's shoulder who leaned her head on it.
A few songs and speeches later, the celebration was officially over but various Generals, Colonels and politicians had to greet and talk to Steve, Rhodey and the others. While the adults were busy being polite, Wanda pulled Lucy by her arm and quietly led her into the shadow of the museum.
Lucy was alarmed by Wanda's serious eyes but patiently waited for the other girl to speak.
"I overheard something the other day," Wanda started and Lucy's suspicion grew.
The witch continued in a low voice. "They were talking about a lead. They have a lead about what happened to my parents, Lucy!" She only got a little louder but the excitement was noticeable.
Lucy still didn't know what Wanda's endgame was so she just gave her a questioning look.
Wanda sighed. "I can't outright ask them, they'll know that I've eavesdropped but I need to know what they know."
Now Lucy had a faint idea of where this was going but she didn't think it was a good direction. "If they decide not to let you know then there's a reason. Just wait until they tell you."
"Would you?" Wanda's question came out of nowhere and Lucy stopped to seriously think about it.
Eventually she had to resign and shake her head. Wanda nodded satisfied.
"Can you help me? You can hack into the Shield system and access whatever files they have."
Lucy sighed. She knew it wasn't right to do but her longing to help Wanda overcame any hesitation. Also, she hadn't hacked in a while and she really wanted to have some fun again.
Locking eyes with Wanda, she nodded. "I'll do it. But don't use that information to do something stupid, ok?" Lucy wondered when she'd become the voice of reason. It must've something to do with Nat's parenting style – felt odd but good.
Wanda gave her a grateful smile and a quick, discreet hug before the girls joined the others again. With an unspoken agreement, they decided not to involve Peter – he had enough to deal with; moving into the tower, starting Columbia Prep - it was hard. No one had realized the girls' quick leave; the adults were still caught up in conversations though they seemed to be coming to an end. Lucy was glad. November was ruthless and Ground Zero was surrounded by urban canyons so it kept getting colder and colder very quickly. She stepped close to Natasha who put and arm around her and rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to warm her a little.
###
"Just calm down," Lucy chided Wanda. "I've gotta concentrate."
Her fingers ran over the keyboard and she already passed the first secure Shield server but since Wanda had overheard the Avengers, it seemed to be an elite problem, so the information was probably buried further down. The special Avengers server presented a greater problem to Lucy and she frowned as she tried to work her magic and break through the firewall.
Wanda couldn't sit still while she was watching her friend work. Her hands kept twitching and she was rocking back on forth slightly in her chair. Lucy gave her another annoyed look that had her calm a little but only for a few minutes.
Lucy kept assaulting the keyboard and she finally broke through the firewall and after that it didn't take long for her to enter the separate Avengers server.
"There we go," she murmured and Wanda's breath hitched in anticipation. Lucy sighed once more. After a little more digging she found the right file and got the documents on her laptop securely before quickly leaving the system again and erasing any traces of her ever being on it.
Lucy looked at Wanda expectantly. "You ready to have a look?"
The witch only nodded mutely and had her gaze focused on the folder on the laptop. Lucy opened the first document that was a map and kept going until she came across a text document. The girls' eyes skimmed over it and Lucy let out a breath of air. She hadn't expected that. The message was entirely in Russian.
Wanda's eyes grew large. "They got a lead in Pittsburgh! Why won't they do anything about it?"
Lucy huffed. "A mission needs planning, you know that. Also, from what it says here, it seems there are other Sokovians hiding out there." She pondered the text again. "It would explain why it's all written in Russian."
"But that only means we gotta act quickly." Wanda skimmed the document again, trying to find extra clues. "Before they move on."
"We aren't gonna do anything," Lucy reminded her sternly. God, she sounded like Nat. "You have your information, you know what's going on, now be content with the knowledge and don't tell anyone." She looked at the witch insistently. "I don't need any trouble with Nat so you can't fess up or do anything stupid, understood?"
Wanda nodded mutely in response and Lucy gave her the memory stick with the recovered information on it. After that, she reactivated J.A.R.V.I.S. for the room again – just to be sure, she'd disconnected him for the time they spent on the Shield server.
Lucy threw her friend a pondering look. "You okay?"
Wanda jerked her head and nodded. "Yeah, yeah… just – I can't believe we've actually got this."
Lucy smiled. "I'm glad. Though we should probably get downstairs for dinner or they'll wonder what we were doing."
###
The next day started completely normal but the tower family barely got to breakfast without trouble. It was a Saturday and usually all residents came together for brunch. When Lucy got downstairs, it was only Tony, Pepper and Bruce that were preparing the food but slowly, the rest also gathered - everyone but Wanda. When Steve got to the dining room, he looked around to spot the redhead but he was unsuccessful.
"Do you guys know where Wanda is? I knocked on her door and she didn't answer so I thought she was here already," Steve addressed the teens.
Lucy threw Peter a confused look. "I haven't seen her yet."
Peter also shook his head. "Neither have I."
Steve shrugged his shoulders. "We'll just start eating then, she'll turn up eventually."
Wanda didn't turn up. Brunch went by and like every week, it lasted quite long but even after a whole hour had passed, the witch still didn't show.
Steve definitely grew worried and Lucy racked her head as to where her friend could be but she was at a loss and so was Peter. When brunch finished and everyone got up to leave and go about their day, Nat, Steve and Lucy stayed back, determined to find out where Wanda was. Peter wanted to be there too but Tony reminded him that they had a meeting at Columbia to talk about his first few weeks there. Pepper followed them, not without placing a comforting hand on Steve's shoulder and reassuring him that they'd find Wanda.
Cap got up and had another look in Wanda's room to see if she had returned while Lucy and Nat stayed at the table and talked about the training they planned for today. Soon, the door swung open again and concern was now clearly written on Steve's face and he seemed much more outraged.
"She took a bag with clothes and her passport is gone," he said wrought-up and Natasha's head jerked up in alarm.
"Are you saying she's run away?" Natasha sounded almost shocked which was highly untypical for her.
Meanwhile Lucy felt like someone just punched her in the gut and the world started spinning around her. She had a pretty good idea where Wanda had gone and she had no other choice but to fess up and tell Steve and Nat what she'd done. She wasn't looking forward to it but she remembered the chief's speech - courage and honor. Courage and honor, she kept repeating in her mind when she looked up at the adults and swallowed hard.
"I need to tell you something," she said in a soft voice but her throat dried up instantly when she saw Steve and Nat's faces.
Concern was clearly written on them and Nat seemed to suspect something as her eyes took on a stern glance.
Lucy took a deep breath but she didn't manage to hold Natasha's gaze so she just looked at her hands as she confessed.
"Wanda told me after the parade yesterday that she's overheard you talking about a lead on her parents and she really wanted to know what was going on." Lucy sighed and forced herself to look up into Nat's narrowed eyes.
"I wanted to help her, I thought she'd feel better if she knew, so I hacked into the system and accessed the server and the documents." She bit her lip as Nat carefully shielded her expression, not revealing the disappointment that must've been lurking behind. Steve's gaze she avoided completely.
"I know it was wrong and I shouldn't have done it but we managed to find some documents in Russian that located the lead in Pittsburgh. She promised me she wouldn't do anything stupid, she swore she only wanted to know," Lucy almost pleaded Nat to believe. "I wouldn't have helped her if I'd known she'd go off on her own, I promise! I'm so, so sorry."
Lucy's breathing hitched as she waited for the inevitable thunder. When no one said anything, she carefully looked up but neither Nat nor Steve looked angry. There was still concern on Steve's face but he looked slightly relieved and Nat still wore her composed mask.
Suddenly, Nat smiled softly. "Thank you, pticka." She turned to Steve. "I guess we can make a move and try and catch her then? She's had enough of a head start."
Lucy's eyes wandered from Nat to Steve and back again. "Aren't you… angry?" she asked softly.
Nat focused a serious gaze on her. "You know that hacking into the system was wrong but I understand you were trying to help Wanda feel better. You also admitted it straightway when you realized that she was gone."
Lucy looked up in surprise. Steve nodded in support of Natasha's words. She looked at her mentor, stunned. "No punishment?"
Nat shook her head. "No punishment. You made the right call." She smiled at her protégé. "I'm proud of you."
Her heart suddenly felt very light and as Lucy's eyes darted to Steve, he also gave her a smile. "As am I."
He turned to Nat. "I guess we need to get our witch back then? Before someone gets to her and something dangerous happens."
The spy nodded in support and Lucy jerked up. "Can I come with?" The two adults looked at her and Lucy continued quickly. "Please let me help. It's my fault that she's gone so I need to make sure nothing bad happens."
"It's not your fault, Lucy. This was Wanda's decision, not yours," Steve responded, without missing a beat. He threw Nat a long look and they seemed to come to an understanding.
Natasha turned to Lucy. "You can come with us. This isn't an official mission, so our normal rules apply, but it might be bumped up to one if we're moving against these people, so Cap becomes your C.O. You'll listen to anything he or I say instantly and if we order you to stay back, you will. Understood?"
Lucy held her gaze and nodded. "Understood."
"Good. Show us that you can continue with the maturity you've just shown," Nat said and the pride in her voice was distinctly recognizable.
"Alright," Steve clasp his hands. "I know that Clint is off-duty today as well, so he'll come with us, just in case. I'll let him know and we'll meet in the conference room in half an hour. Gear up and be ready to leave."
Lucy and Nat got up, making their way towards their own floor immediately. She shouldn't be happy that Wanda had broken the rules and was possibly on the way to danger, but Lucy couldn't help an excited feeling in her stomach. She'd never been on a mission with the Avengers and even though this wasn't a real one, it was almost like a trial run.
She got dressed quickly and everything she'd learned outside of training paid off now. All the memorization of field manuals, packing instructions and so on were suddenly worth it and within fifteen minutes she was outside her door again. Natasha had obviously been faster and she quickly inspected Lucy before nodding in approval and both made their way to the conference room.
Steve had informed Tony who was concerned but Steve convinced him that they had everything under control and he could calmly continue talks with Columbia. The billionaire conceded but had Steve promise him that Cap would call as soon as they needed any help.
Clint strolled into the conference room, packed bag over his shoulder. "So we're retrieving the witch?"
Steve nodded. "Lucy had some intel and we're pretty sure she's on her way to Baltimore. The two got their hands on the Russian documents we've looked at last week and we're thinking that Wanda is following up on it."
Clint nodded. "You informed Fury?"
"Yes, and he agreed to keep it under wraps. We're gonna have to file a report if we move against them though. I also had a look at the bus timetables to Pittsburgh. I checked in on her around midnight and I was up pretty early so she must've left during the night. Our best bet is on the 2:45 bus, so she's arrived in Pittsburgh…" he threw a glance at his watch, "…right about now. 11:30."
He looked up and glanced at his team who all nodded in understanding.
Steve continued. "Happy is driving us down to LaGuardia and we're taking the Quinjet to the Pittsburgh airfield immediately. The faster we retrieve Wanda, the better."
Lucy could feel the excitement in her stomach again. Clint seemed to have noticed her feelings and put a collegial arm around her.
"Your first little mission, birdy! Excited?"
"Hell yeah!" Lucy tried to suppress her smile but couldn't help glowing up. "I really hope nothing is gonna happen to Wanda though."
Clint nodded. "Everything is gonna be okay. We'll get her back."
"And make sure she never pulls a stunt like this again," Steve added darkly. Lucy swallowed hard. He was still concerned but now that they had a plan, he was becoming angry as well. She really didn't want to be in Wanda's place right now. Steve barely got actually angry, mostly disappointed, but when he did, they were in big trouble.
Happy took them to LaGuardia in record time and the jet was already ready and took off as soon as they had boarded. Even though the flight barely took an hour it seemed much longer to Lucy. The excitement had mixed with concern over Wanda and nervousness at her first real mission but Nat seemed to pick up on the waves of emotion she was sending off. The spy sat opposite her and the two went through the protocols again, the routine calming Lucy down.
After getting to Pittsburgh, the team made their way to the hotel where the documents had mentioned a conversion place of the targets. It also made sense for Wanda to land at the hotel first, since she was obviously intending to stay in Pittsburgh for a few days. Their intuition had been right. Upon entering the hotel – presenting the picture of a perfect family – Natasha immediately spotted Wanda towards the elevators who was keeping an eye on the lobby. She was blending in with her surroundings pretty well but she was no match for the spy. While Clint organized a room to stash their equipment, Nat slightly nudged Steve but the witch had noticed them now too and only stared back in shock. In a few strides, Steve had crossed the lobby and pulled Wanda up with an extremely relieved expression on his face. Lucy watched him softly say something to her and hug her tight before gripping her arm – he wasn't taking any chances now – just as Clint turned around and clanked the keys.
"We've got the family suite. Third floor."
The three made their way over to join Steve and Wanda at the elevators but the girl kept her head down and refused to look up at anyone. Nat and Clint ignored it and the team made their way up to the suite.
It was big; three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a living area. Steve led Wanda to the sofas and pushed her down to sit as everyone else also took a seat.
He eyed her with a stern glance that she still didn't meet. Lucy bit her lip and tried to hide between Clint and Nat to experience as little of this as possible.
"What were you thinking?" Steve asked his protégé, unable to contain the outrage in his voice anymore.
Wanda flinched and forced herself to lift her head. Lucy could practically feel how much courage it took to look up when your mentor was already this upset.
"I'm sorry," she started in a soft voice. At Steve's unrelenting eyes, she continued. "I just wanted to see if I could follow up on that lead." She sighed. "I need to know what happened."
Steve gave her a stern look. "I understand that but this was not the way to go about it. You gave us all the shock of our lives and it was only because Lucy told us about your exploits in getting that information that we were able to find you this quickly before someone else did."
Wanda's surprised eyes flickered to Lucy who just stared back in shock.
"I'm sorry, Wanda. I had to tell them," she responded softly at the other girl's expression.
"Don't apologize, Lucy," Steve immediately turned to her. "You did the right thing. God knows what could have happened if you hadn't told us and we were too late."
Wanda sunk her head again.
"We're not going to continue this conversation here. We're getting back to the airfield and going home." Steve was ready to get up again as Wanda's head jerked up.
"But I found more information!" She sounded so eager that Steve focused his gaze on her and invited her to continue.
"I spent some time down in that lobby and I recognized some of the individuals identified in those documents. They're using an old warehouse as an operational base." She stocked. "It's a remaining Hydra cell."
Steve's head flew back to Nat and Clint and there was a silent understanding between the three of them. He got up and started pacing, rubbing his temples in agony.
"We need to contact Fury and update him on this. Our intel didn't refer to any Hydra hideout." Natasha looked up at the Captain who nodded in response.
"We're going in now," he decided. "They might be starting to suspect something – I doubt they're letting anything in this city go unnoticed."
Clint nodded in agreement and got on the phone to Fury while Nat and Lucy unpacked the equipment. Steve kept talking quietly to Wanda and Lucy tried to close her ears to it. It was never great being privy to a lecture – maybe even worse than being lectured herself.
"Fury gave his authorization and it's bumped up to official mission now. It's Cap, Nat, Lucy, myself, and Rhodey is meeting us at the warehouse." With this news, Clint walked back into the room.
Lucy jerked her head at Nat in both excitement and nervousness. Her mentor gave her a long, urgent look.
"You remember what I said this morning?"
Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Cap's my C.O., I obey his orders immediately and if anyone orders me to stay back, I'll do so."
Natasha smiled proudly. "That's my girl. It's not a difficult mission but remember your training, physically and strategically, and everything will go smoothly."
"Lucy's going on this mission?" Wanda looked from Lucy to Steve in indignation. "Then I'm going too!"
Steve shook his head firmly. "No, you are not. Lucy is coming because we think she's ready and she showed maturity in helping us find you. You on the other hand ran away in the middle of the night without telling anyone and I think it's safe to tell you that you're grounded. So, while I wouldn't have taken you anyway, I'm also not going to because you are being disciplined."
Lucy swallowed hard at how agitated Steve had gotten by the end. He really had been incredibly worried about Wanda. The girl seemed about to argue but a look into Steve's eyes stopped her immediately. He seemed ready to discipline her right there in the room if she kept pushing him and there was no way she'd go there – it was far too embarrassing. So she kept quiet and Steve seemed satisfied.
"You will keep the windows closed and curtains pulled and the door locked from the inside. If you leave this suite even for a second, you will regret it. And I can guarantee you, you don't want to be in any more trouble at this point." Steve eyed Wanda who gave a dejected nod in response.
Satisfied the girl would comply, he turned to the rest of the team with a determined expression. "Suit up, we're leaving in ten minutes."
###
Lucy quietly walked around the corner of the building. Natasha was right next to her and together they slid along the building, backs pressed against the wall. The team had the building circled and they were waiting for Cap's command in their earpiece. Lucy's breathing was normal. She had expected to be nervous or excited but as soon as they had set off to the warehouse, her pulse had calmed and complete focus settled in her body. This felt right – it felt like she was doing what she was always supposed to do.
Suddenly, a crack in her ear alerted her and she snapped to attention.
"We're clear. Eight individuals inside, all armed. Hawkeye is on top, War Machine and I go in South, Phoenix and Black Widow North. All in place?"
After everyone had given their assurance, Steve gave the commando and the team broke through. Lucy engaged with the smallest Hydra member closest to the North wall. He seemed young, barely any older than her and her attack took him by surprise. Nevertheless, he put up a relentless fight but Lucy instantly fell back on her training. As he reached for his gun, she used his hesitation in lashing out at her and landed a strategic blow, knocking the weapon out his hand. She followed it up immediately with a straight punch at his nose that sent him stumbling back. He caught himself quickly and swung at her but Lucy expected it so she used her favorite move, grabbing the arm that swung towards her, twirling him around and knocking him straight on the floor. With a thumb he landed on the concrete and Lucy delivered another punch at his face that knocked him unconscious. Satisfied that he wouldn't get up again, she picked up his gun.
"South room. Come in." Rhodey's voice sounded in her ear and Lucy looked around. Nat had disappeared but before Lucy started to wonder, she made her way towards the South wall. About four more henchmen had arrived and Cap and Rhodey were fending them off alone so far. Rhodey was engaged in a fight with one who was even larger than him, back turned towards Lucy so she took her chance and delivered a deafening blow to the back of his head with the gun she'd just picked up that immediately knocked him unconscious. He fell and revealed Rhodey's stunned but relieved face. Lucy just grinned.
"Phoenix. There's a locker at the East wall. Get everything in there, papers, whatever it is and get it out."
Lucy obeyed instantly and made her way to the safe whose lock had been blown open in the fighting. She cracked the door open completely with the back end of the gun and pulled out stack of paper, files and pictures. As soon as she finished, she located the nearest exit and got out of the warehouse, putting some distance between her and the hideout, until she was somewhat shielded in a small woodland area. Another ten minutes passed when she saw the team slowly gather outside and her earpiece cracked.
"We're clear. All individuals have been eliminated. Regroup at the South door now."
Lucy made her way out of the bushes and joined the others. Cap and Nat were already waiting, Rhodey nonchalantly strolled out of the warehouse and Clint suddenly jumped from the roof, landing on his feet like a cat.
Steve looked around his team with a satisfied expression. "Well done, everyone. We were quick, organized and got everything we need." He turned to Lucy. "You got those papers?"
She nodded and handed over the stack she'd retrieved from the safe. Steve nodded impressed.
"Great work. I'm very happy with you."
Lucy beamed and her heart felt really light. Clint caught her expression and had a huge grin himself. "Well done for completing your first mission! I saw your work on that poor little henchmen." He grinned as Lucy's smile spread. "Seems like our training paid off." Clint threw Rhodey a look who nodded as well.
"Yes, it seems we've done our job right. I'm proud of you." He placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed it in recognition. Lucy seemed to grow a few inches taller on the spot.
Steve nodded. "Alright, let's get back to the hotel, grab our stuff and then on the jet and home. We've got to debrief Fury and Tony."
They jumped on the van they'd used to get there and Nat slid in right after Lucy. She'd been quiet so far and Lucy wasn't sure why. Wasn't she happy that Lucy was fighting so well? An arm suddenly went around her shoulders and Lucy looked up to see Nat smiling at her. She reciprocated it hesitantly.
"I'm very proud of you, pticka," Nat said quietly, her face and voice serious. "We'll talk more at home but I want you to know that you've really proven yourself today."
Now Lucy's heart felt truly light and she placed her head on Nat's shoulder who stroked her hair. It was quiet in the van, everyone processing the mission and Lucy suddenly felt very tired. She couldn't fall asleep although her eyes closed at the rhythmic motion of the car.
Back at the hotel, Steve – and Lucy if she was honest with herself – were happy to find Wanda in the suite, waiting for them to return. She was a lot more rueful than when they'd left for the mission. The waiting alone was probably enough reflection time, so she didn't argue whatsoever when Steve ordered her to stay close and they made their way to the airfield. Wanda, keeping to herself and sitting quietly in the back of the jet, avoided Lucy as well and she couldn't really begrudge her for it. Whenever she was in trouble, she didn't want to talk to anyone either.
Clint and Rhodey distracted her by anticipating the look on Sam's face when he saw how well his training had paid off. Lucy also helped the adults start the report, explaining her involvement and Steve praised her again.
"These papers contain more evidence of leftover Hydra cells all over the country." He smiled appreciatively at the girl. "Great extraction. And well done for following all orders so promptly. This was a great first mission and I know Peggy is very, very happy with you right now." Lucy's eyes locked with his and she could see pride and warmth in them and she had to swallow a few times to prevent the tears welling up.
The jet was fast and they got to LaGuardia in no time. Happy already waited for them with the minibus and by the time they got back to the tower, it had just turned 6pm. Tony, Peter and Pepper were back from their appointments at Columbia and Sam was also awaiting the team with burning interest.
Steve didn't waste any time in throwing Wanda a stern glance and ordering the girl to her room and she complied instantly. At Peter's confused glance, Lucy only reassured him with a look that she'd fill him in. Steve sighed and, confident that everyone else would explain the day's events to the others, he went upstairs to deal with his wayward protégé.
Nat took the chance and brought everyone up to speed at what had happened with her clear-cut way of explanation. Peter kept throwing amazed glances at Lucy who couldn't help but beam happily through her mentor's description. When Natasha finished, Sam turned to Lucy.
"That was a great first mission. We really trained you well," he said proudly and Rhodey agreed with him once more.
Peter was just stunned. "I can't believe you were on a real mission with the Avengers… and against Hydra! My little neighborhood patrols are nothing compared to that."
Tony smiled. "You're doing real important work there but you will be able to come on a mission when one presents itself." He turned to Lucy. "Well done, birdie. I think we all can agree that you're definitely part of the team now."
Lucy grinned happily and followed Nat upstairs to get cleaned up and be ready for dinner. She hadn't realized how hungry she was but the day's events finally caught up with her. After stepping out of the shower she threw on a Pink Floyd shirt and went to the living room where her mentor was already waiting.
"I wanted to talk to you quickly before we go downstairs to dinner." Natasha led her to the sofas and the two sat down. Lucy could guess this was about the mission but she wasn't sure why Nat would want to talk to her.
Nat looked straight at her, with the eyes that seemed to scan Lucy completely. "You've shown very good judgment today and I'm very proud of you."
Lucy swallowed to keep her emotion under control but she couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction spreading through her body.
"You were very mature today; this morning, when you immediately told us about your and Wanda's exploits and I'm glad to see that our talks seem to pay off." Nat gave her another long look, serious but warmth behind it. "During the mission, you used your head and what you've learned in training, you fought well and you obeyed Cap's orders. You've proven yourself as a fighter and as a team player and you can be very proud of your achievements. I have no reservations about allowing you on other missions now because I know that you're learning." Now she smiled at Lucy who thought to recognize a misty glance in her eyes. "I know Steve already said this but you've made Peggy incredibly proud today."
Lucy couldn't help the tears pricking at her eyes and Nat immediately engulfed her in a tight hug, stroking her back soothingly.
The two pulled apart and Lucy's stomach growled, causing both to laugh, so they went downstairs to join the others for dinner.
When they stepped out of the elevator, the other had already gathered downstairs and Wanda almost ran towards Lucy and threw herself at her to hug her tight. Lucy was surprised but gladly leaned in and reciprocated it.
When Wanda pulled away, she looked at her with serious eyes. "You've done such an amazing job today and I was a complete ass. I'm sorry."
Lucy opened her mouth to respond but Wanda continued. "I shouldn't have asked you to hack into the system but you were great and told them and then you got to do an awesome mission." She grinned. "Peter and I are so proud! It's like our little sister is growing up."
"You do realize that Peter is the youngest, right?" Lucy sighed.
"But you've only started training and living with us in the summer," the spider intervened, having snuck up from behind. "You'll always be the youngest in that respect."
Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn't help a wide smile on her face. "Well, who am I to argue with a witch and an arachnid?"
The other two laughed and put an arm each around her shoulder, leading her to the dining table. It was days like these that Lucy couldn't believe just how her life had changed. Only five months ago she'd been completely on her own and now she had a family that cared about her, was going missions with the Avengers and had friends. Life was good.