Lucy sucked in a sharp breath as Bruce carefully inspected her shoulder. Crashing full-force into a wall and trying to soften the impact by extending her arm wasn't a good idea – it led to her having to interrupt training and visit the med bay.
"It's not tragic, but only due to sheer dumb luck," came Bruce's diagnosis after a while. Lucy sighed and looked up at him while also glancing quickly at her mentor. Nat had all her attention focused on the doctor who continued.
"The arm isn't dislocated but only very narrowly. It's a bad bruised bone and the flesh tore at the limb so you'll need stitches for that." Bruce turned around to disinfect the instruments he'd need.
Lucy paled only slightly and nodded determinedly. Nat put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed it in support while Rhodey crouched down in front of her and took her left hand, the one connected to the healthy shoulder.
Bruce finished his preparations and turned back to his patient. He watched her with sympathetic eyes. "You ready?"
"The way you're talking is making this a lot more unsettling. Just get on with it." Lucy rolled her eyes before closing them.
The scientist didn't say anything else but she could feel him throwing a look to Natasha over her stubbornness. It was useless though, she would never have taken anaesthetic – none of the Avengers ever did for something as trivial as simple stitches.
The sharp pain of the needle entering her skin had Lucy bite down hard on her teeth but it didn't get as bad as expected. It only took six stitches and she kept very still as Bruce was working.
"All done," he said as he put down his instruments and took off his gloves. "You did well." He extended his hand, holding a Strawberry Blow Pop.
Lucy gave him an incredulous look. "I'm not a child!"
Bruce grinned. "These aren't just for children."
"You don't give them to the other Avengers, do you?" Lucy snorted.
"Oh, Clint will never leave this med bay until he got one… although he usually makes much more fuss than you, so maybe I should think my limits for candy over," Bruce mulled.
Lucy's eyes grew and she turned to Nat with a questioning look who just grinned and nodded in support of Bruce's statement.
"My favorites are the Apple ones," Rhodey said completely serious without any sarcasm in his voice.
Lucy didn't need any more reassurance, so she grabbed the candy and jumped off the table.
"Am I done?" she asked impatiently. Bruce nodded but Natasha held her non-injured arm and kept her back.
"Wait a minute. I'd like a word." She nodded to Bruce and Rhodey who both got up and left the examination room and Lucy got a sinking feeling in her stomach.
She turned to Nat who had a small smile on her face but Lucy could tell she was about to get serious.
"I know today was an accident, but I don't want a repeat of it." Nat looked directly into her eyes and Lucy held her gaze.
"Your arm has taken quite a few injuries already and almost dislocating your shoulder isn't a joke. You're going to listen to Bruce and keep this arm still for a few weeks. If you don't let it heal properly, it might never be completely ok. I do not want you tearing your stitches, is that understood?" Now her mentor's face was completely stern and Lucy had a harder time holding her gaze. She wasn't sure why Nat felt the need to be this strict about the issue but she had to admit that her track record probably wasn't the best in terms of adhering to doctor's orders. But knowing she wouldn't get out of this and not wanting her arm to become completely useless either, Lucy gave in without a fight.
"Yes, ma'am," she responded firmly, eliciting a smile from Nat who placed a hand on her back and led her upstairs to their own floor to get changed before dinner.
###
Peter had been bouncing off the walls the entire day. It was Thanksgiving and May was coming down from Syracuse for the weekend. Tony convinced her to let him pick her up with the jet which she first denied outright but continued wearing down by Tony, Peter and finally Pepper got her to accept the offer.
Lucy and Wanda were gladly helping in the kitchen, taking control of the side dishes. Pepper was responsible for the turkey and kept the girls entertained by telling them stories about previous holidays with the Avengers. Lucy was absolutely flabbergasted when Clint, Nat, Tony, Steve and Sam had turned up the previous day with a fresh turkey. Pepper had just sighed and explained that it was an Avengers tradition to hunt their own turkey for Thanksgiving. After the initial shock, Lucy was exhilarated by the idea and made Nat promise they'd take her the next year.
She didn't mind taking on new traditions, the entire idea of having a family Thanksgiving was new to her anyway. Her parents had obviously never celebrated with her but instead attended some function or other and even though her grandma had celebrated during the first few years of her life, she was English and never really got behind the idea and after she'd gotten sick, Lucy had never celebrated the holiday again. She was excited for this year's though – the tower family was the first real family she'd ever had and Thanksgiving was probably the most family holiday one could imagine.
Wanda next to her laughed out loud at the end of another one of Pepper's stories and threw another peeled potato in the pot with water.
Pepper sighed. "You can imagine how glad I am to have you two around. Maybe this year will be a somewhat normal Thanksgiving."
"If it was normal, it wouldn't be a tower Thanksgiving though?" Lucy questioned as she used the knife she was holding to push the onion into the pan.
"I suppose that's true," Pepper smiled. "But I'm definitely glad that Clint doesn't have to help in the kitchen anymore… those are terrifying memories."
The girls snickered at the horrified look in her face.
Suddenly, a noise from the elevator distracted the three and they stuck their heads out the kitchen towards the living room. Happy and Tony had arrived with May and Peter gave her a great welcome – understandable since he hadn't seen her in almost a month.
Smiling, Lucy, Wanda and Pepper came out of the kitchen and greeted May who was incredibly happy to see them again. She hugged Pepper tight and thanked the woman immediately for caring for Peter but the ginger just waved the thanks away and said that Peter was a joy to live with. Wanda snorted at that and quickly made her way back to the kitchen as Steve threw her a warning glance but May just laughed. She followed her to help out too and, on the way there, Pepper directed the others to duties as well, from setting the table to helping out with the salads. Lucy could definitely see how she made such a great C.E.O. It didn't take long for dinner to be finished after that and finally the entire family sat at the large dining room table, Lucy happily between Nat and Clint.
Before anyone was allowed to start eating, Tony and Steve demanded to say a few words and May gave Peter a stern glance as he loudly groaned. Lucy just snickered – everyone knew how hungry the spider was all the time and sitting at a table in front of so much amazing food must be torture.
"Don't worry, Peter, it's only a few words," Tony grinned before clearing his throat and holding up his glass of champagne that even the kids were allowed today.
"Today's Thanksgiving and we're all supposed to reflect upon what we're grateful for. None of us can deny that the past year was very eventful, both good and bad and that the entire team was tested time and time again. But I'm happy to say that we've come out of this stronger than before, both in spirit and in number."
He let his eyes wander across the table, from Steve over Peter to Wanda and Lucy.
"We've finally talked openly with one another, we've reorganized Shield and we're going more resilient into the future than ever before. We've taken on new members that have already made us very proud and will continue to do so in the years coming."
Nat put a hand on Lucy's shoulder and squeezed it, while the younger girl happily leaned into the touch and looked around to catch Wanda and Peter's smiles.
"I'm thankful that we're all together today, finally able to take a breather and enjoy life for once."
He raised his glass. "To the Avengers."
"To the Avengers," sounded the voices firmly from around the table.
Everyone took a sip as Tony sat down again before Steve got up as well.
"Thank you, Tony, and don't worry everyone," he gave a pointed look to Peter, "I'll make it short as well."
"I'm thankful for all of you here together, happy and healthy. Specifically, I want to thank Tony for pulling the strings and working tirelessly to get half this team exonerated. The months after that have been some of the best we've ever had and that's not only due to all of us being together again but also to our new additions. I'm grateful for our new young members who bring so much life and joy into this tower."
He smiled at the three kids and Lucy gave him a thankful grin back. Natasha's grip tightened again and Lucy couldn't believe how happy she was. This time last year she would've never thought any of this could ever happen but it did and it was real and happening.
She had to laugh along with everyone else as Peter desperately asked whether they could finally start eating and lastly, everyone began digging into the mountains of food on the table.
After a long time of eating, drinking and talking, Lucy felt full like she hadn't in a long time. She didn't think she'd be able to eat until Christmas again but she did manage another slice of pumpkin pie when prompted by Peter.
Finally, the entire family moved to the living room and divided into two groups to start the games. Pictionary was first and Peter volunteered to start drawing for his team. As soon as he drew his card, he frowned deeply and started out with a shape resembling nothing but a potato. Lucy yelled it out but only got a disbelieving look back and laughter from the other group. Peter kept adding lines and shapes and the guesses kept coming.
"Airplane!"
"Banana!"
"Coat hanger!"
"How's that a coat hanger, Tony?" Clint got really competitive, especially because Nat was in the other team.
Peter gave up drawing and started pointing at what was already on the board, in between throwing his arms up in desperation.
"You've got twenty seconds left!" Pepper's voice was full of glee.
Lucy was good at thinking under stress and suddenly she had an epiphany. "A hoover!"
"Yes! Finally!" Peter shook his head. "Really guys! It wasn't that bad of a drawing."
Sam cocked his head. "Well…"
"Stop arguing, we got the points!" Happy intervened.
"Interesting how you recognized a hoover, Lucy, I didn't think you knew how one looked like," Bruce couldn't help but tease the girl who threw him an exasperated look.
"Alright, our turn," Rhodey jumped to action and drew the next card.
The time passed quickly and Lucy's team lost by one card. She blamed Clint's inability to draw anything more complex than a wiggly line, but it didn't matter – they had fun.
Charades was probably her favorite and true to form, her team won by two right guesses. Lucy's rendition of 'Gone with the Wind' had the entire group in fits of laughter but considering the complexity of the movie, Sam guessed it in record time.
The day passed quicker than any of the family members would've liked but it had been a great time. Peter was excited that May would stay the next day as well and he planned to throw himself into the Black Friday craziness with her. Wanda and Pepper were also going but Lucy decided to stay at home – she didn't need to find any bargains; her trust fund was filled to the brim and she hoped to get ahead on some work for her suit.
The family stayed in the living room, talking, joking and telling May about the past month at the tower until after midnight. Slowly, the group broke up and Peter was finally ushered into his room by May who said he'd drop dead tomorrow if he didn't get any sleep. Wanda and Steve also made their way towards the elevator and Nat nudged Lucy slightly who in turn got up with her and followed them. They said goodnight to the two as they left before going up another floor.
"I'll come by your room when you're in bed, alright?" Nat addressed Lucy as they stepped onto their level and she only nodded in response and disappeared immediately. She was incredibly tired and the amount of food she'd eaten started to take a toll on her and her eyes kept falling shut.
When Lucy pulled the covers up around her and sat up as Nat entered the room with a smile and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Today was good then?"
Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "It was amazing. I don't think I ever had such a great Thanksgiving."
Nat smiled and stroked her arm over the covers. "I'm glad. With all the food you've eaten, you probably won't be hungry again till Christmas."
The girl smiled but sighed before looking up at her mentor with serious eyes. "Tony mentioned it earlier and Steve did too… about saying what you're thankful for at Thanksgiving."
Nat watched her curiously, having an idea where this would lead.
"I just wanted to say that I'm really, really thankful for you. For taking me in, training me, caring for me… you know, everything." Lucy stocked and looked down on the covers. "Even when I was being stupid like when I went back to school because I didn't wanna follow the rules. You never gave up on me, even though I've given you enough reasons by now and I'm grateful."
She bit her lip and managed to look back up into Natasha's eyes that definitely had a glimmer in them and she looked like she wanted to say something so Lucy quickly continued but only managed the odd shy glance at her mentor.
"You know, after moving out, I realized that I really missed our quality time, watching movies, playing games, all that and I was telling myself that I didn't miss your lectures or your stern looks, because it'd be crazy if I missed that. But truth is, I missed all of it, the fun stuff as well as the reprimands. And I just wanted you to know that whatever I might do, I'll always be thankful for everything you do for me." She stopped and looked back steadily into Nat's eyes that were uncharacteristically misty.
"Ptichka…" she said softly, a smile spreading on her face and she engulfed Lucy in a tight hug.
"Thank you for everything you've just said." Nat looked seriously into her protégé's eyes, keeping her at arm's length.
"I'm thankful to have you in my life. I told you, I never thought I'd be anything close to a mother, but here we are and I got you right here with me. Thank you for letting me be a part of this. I know I'm not always perfect and I'm probably doing a lot of things wrong but I want you to know that I will do anything in my power to make you feel happy and loved. I promise."
Lucy's eyes widened. "You've got be kidding! You're the best mom I could've ever wished for!"
A surprised but unbelievably happy expression spread across Nat's face. "Thank you, ptichka, that means a lot. And I can give that compliment right back; you're the best daughter I could've ever imagined. You make me so proud, like no one else can. There is no reason in this world that could make me want to give you up."
Lucy's heart skipped a beat again and she fell into Natasha's arms again. She couldn't believe the turn her life had taken but it was the best thing that ever happened to her. Less than a year ago, her grandmother died and she never thought she'd ever be happy or content again. But Wanda was right. Here, at the tower, surrounded by people that genuinely loved and cared about her, her heart was healing and there were more and more instances when it felt light and whole again – just like today.
###
It was the Saturday following Thanksgiving, the team was at the base upstate and the jet had just left to take May back to Syracuse. The adults had been called onto a mission, nothing dangerous, only recon, but it was still exciting. They'd allowed the kids to watch the footage on the cameras in the control room, so they were all huddled in front of the monitors there.
Lucy was interested in all the different Shield operations they had going on in the same room and Hill patiently explained every detail she wanted to know. At some point in the not-so-distant future, Lucy would become a Shield agent, possibly even taking the position of director and Hill thought it was never too early to start teaching her.
The mission went as quick as expected and the ones that had gone in - Nat, Tony, Steve, Clint and Sam – did their job efficiently. Bruce was waiting in the control room with the others since the operation wasn't big enough to involve the Hulk, but he was going to help with any injuries that needed clearing up.
Watching the action on the monitors was great, although all the kids would've loved to be involved. Seeing the extent of the opposing force did dampen their enthusiasm and they realized why none of the adults would let them be a part. They were impulsive and reckless but there was a clear limit that none of them would cross. Lucy had to keep her shoulder still in any case because it was still healing.
Finally, the message came through that everyone was on the Quinjet and made their way back to base, so Peter and Wanda went ahead to meet them on the landing platform. Lucy stayed behind to pick up some papers Hill had prepared and followed a few minutes later.
As it was a Saturday, the base was pretty empty and only the minimal staff for this mission or any other Shield teams running were present. Lucy was waiting for the elevator to arrive on the highest level and as she was standing there, another agent strolled up next to her. She'd seen him around a few times but she couldn't remember his name if she wanted to. He wasn't tall but his distinct hairstyle and posture made her think he was probably transferred from the military, now trying to make his way up within Shield. After a moment of silence, he turned to her.
"Pretty quiet today, hmm?"
Lucy turned her head in surprise and just nodded. The man extended his hand.
"I don't think we've been introduced. Agent Reed."
She shook his hand. "Lucy Rutherford, pleased to meet you."
Reed formed a small smile. "We've had a lot of buzz around you here. How's your training going?"
The elevator arrived and Lucy wished it wasn't so many floors to the landing deck. She could easily do small talk but Reed gave her a bad feeling. He was one of so many that would do whatever it took to climb up the ladder. But not even an ambitious agent would make her forget her manners.
"It's going pretty well. Getting there, you know."
Reed nodded understandingly and smiled again. Lucy thought he looked a little like a shark which seemed strange since he was only a few inches taller than her.
"Can't believe they didn't let you on this mission. I mean, simple recon – one should think you'd be capable of that."
Lucy took a deep breath. "It's alright, it turned out to be bigger than expected."
She punched the elevator button again. Why wouldn't it move faster?
"You're being trained by Romanoff, right?"
Lucy was still turned towards the elevator walls but nodded slightly. She could hear Reed huff.
"She thinks she's all that. The most dangerous assassin in Shield, but only here because Clint's heart's too weak. And because Fury needs eye candy around."
Lucy let out a flat breath and punched the elevator button again, having to exercise all her restraint to not flat out punch the wall.
"You know she can't have children, so now she's living out all her fantasies with you. Maybe she should just retire and –"
Reed wasn't able to finish his sentence as Lucy spun around and landed a measured punch right in the middle of his face. As she extended her arm, she could feel the stitched in her shoulder tearing but she didn't care. All that mattered was that Reed was finally quiet, stumbling back while holding his nose. The elevator pinged and the doors opened to reveal the landing deck. Lucy strolled out towards the Quinjet that had arrived by now with the entire team assembled in front.
Lucy gave them her most dashing smile. "Hey guys, how'd it go?"
###
Bruce only shook his head and Lucy avoided Natasha's disappointed face. She knew none of them were happy – especially since her injury turned out to be the worst of all of them and she hadn't even been on the mission. Her stitches did tear and it took another six to take care of the wound and this time round, Bruce wasn't as happy with her.
"I told you not to strain your arm," he said in a low voice and Lucy tried to evade his gaze. Bruce was usually mild-mannered so when he was upset, she really messed up.
"So did I," Natasha addressed her sternly and Lucy's shoulders sank a little.
"What happened?" It wasn't a question but an order to explain and the girl obeyed immediately. Though Nat really didn't need to know the entire story.
"This guy was running his mouth," she mumbled, not risking a look up.
"Peter runs his mouth and you ignore it," Nat challenged her with raised eyebrows.
Lucy's expression darkened. "Peter's easier to ignore."
Nat didn't say anything further but watched her with a thoughtful face.
"Great, you're all done." Bruce threw her another Blow Pop that she caught in her left hand.
"Go to your room and wait. I'll join you in a minute," Nat directed her, mouth in a straight line.
Lucy kept her sigh to herself until she'd left the medical wing.
She was waiting in her room for less than five minutes until her mentor joined her.
Nat came into the room with a foreboding expression before sitting on the edge of Lucy's bed.
"You promised me you'd keep the arm still and let it heal."
Lucy swallowed and looked down on her hands. The disappointment in Nat's voice was hard to deal with and it didn't get easier the more often it happened.
She heard her mentor sigh. "You're grounded for two weeks and you'll let your shoulder heal now."
Lucy winced as she felt Nat's hand under her chin, forcing her to look into her stern eyes.
"If it happens again, the consequences will be much stricter. Are we clear?"
The girl nodded slightly. "Yes, ma'am." She might've had a reason to break with her promise but the fact was that she'd broken a promise. She wouldn't argue with a deserved punishment.
Nat let go of her chin and instead took her shoulders, taking care not to touch the injury. "I know that you can be reasonable, so just be mature for two weeks and your shoulder will be good as new."
Lucy nodded and gave her a small smile that Nat reciprocated before standing up to go downstairs, leaving Lucy to get some of her homework done.
###
Back in the living room of the base, the other adults were gathered as Nat entered. Clint threw her a skeptical look that had Nat just sigh.
"I grounded her for two weeks." She didn't look convinced. "I still don't understand why she did it."
Tony shrugged his shoulders. "She's impulsive, what can I say."
Nat shook her head. "It must've been more than that."
"This is Lucy we're talking about," Steve reminded everyone. "She doesn't break promises unless there's a good reason."
Everyone had to nod in agreement. A promise Lucy gave was as good as gold – a habit Peggy had engrained in her since she could talk.
Clint looked thoughtful. "He must've said something to really push her over the edge. Completely possible by the way, Reed is an idiot."
Steve threw him a warning glance.
"I'd like to see what went down in that elevator," Nat mulled, turning to Tony.
"Let's have a look then," the genius immediately sprang into action but remembered to throw a questioning glance to Steve.
He looked a little indecisive at first but then sighed with a resigned expression and waved to them, allowing them to proceed.
It didn't take long for Tony to hack into the security footage – not even Fury's security system born out of decades of paranoia was a match for his intelligence.
J.A.R.V.I.S. pulled up the tapes from the elevator on the monitor in the living room and everyone watched a silent movie of Lucy and Reed in the elevator, ending with Lucy punching the agent square in the face.
Nat frowned but couldn't see anything unusual except Lucy's clear struggle to exercise restraint.
"Can we get the sound for that?" she asked Tony who nodded and let the film run again.
Everything seemed to go normal although Lucy's body language clearly betrayed her unwillingness to engage in small talk with Reed. Until the situation went sour.
"Can't believe they didn't let you on this mission. I mean, simple recon – one should think you'd be capable of that."
"It's alright, it turned out to be bigger than expected."
Everyone realized that Lucy was getting fed up with the agent but Nat still couldn't tell what Reed might've said that would upset Lucy enough to get physical.
"You're being trained by Romanoff, right?"
The living room fell even more silent than before if that was possible. Nat kept her eyes glued on the screen. She recognized the little details in Lucy's posture that clearly showed the girl was getting annoyed at Reed. She was just flabbergasted that Reed didn't seem to pick up on any of it.
"She thinks she's all that. The most dangerous assassin in Shield, but only here because Clint's heart's too weak. And because Fury needs eye candy around."
Oh no. Nat's heart stocked for a brief second. Now she had a clear idea of where this encounter went south. None of the others in the living room dared to look at her, not even Clint but instead kept their eyes focused on the screen.
"You know she can't have children, so now she's living out all her fantasies with you. Maybe she should just retire and –"
Once Reed was stumbling back with a bleeding nose, Nat waved to Tony who stopped the tape and silence settled in the room.
It didn't take long until Clint spoke up, barely containing the rage in his voice.
"I'm gonna get him disciplined so hard, he won't know what day it is –"
"Clint." Nat's voice was calm. This wasn't by far the worst thing she'd heard and she obviously knew none of it was true.
"We've gotta do something about him." The usual hint of nonchalantness was missing in Tony's voice completely and murmured agreement came from everyone else in the room.
"No. That's only gonna get him the attention he wants," Nat declared firmly. She had a thoughtful look on her face.
Steve cocked his head at her. "Are you gonna talk to Lucy?"
Nat nodded. "She still shouldn't have given him the satisfaction of reacting but at least now I know the reason why."
With that she exited the living room, leaving the other behind brooding, still hellbent on finding some form of retribution for Reed.
When a knock on her door disturbed Lucy in her school work, she looked up and answered. Natasha appeared in the frame with a strange expression on her face. Lucy wasn't sure why it was so unnerving.
Nat sat herself on her bed and looked at her expectantly.
"I'd been wondering why you disregarded your promise to me so easily."
Lucy's heart sunk. She thought they'd been past this discussion but apparently it unsettled Nat more than expected.
Nat sighed. "I know what happened, Lucy. I had Tony pull the surveillance tapes of what happened in the elevator and we watched them."
The girl paled and an apologetic expression spread on her face. "Don't listen to anything that idiot said. It's not true."
Her mentor managed a wonky smile and nodded. "I know that. My question is why didn't you tell me? I didn't want to believe that you'd break a promise for a trivial reason."
Lucy sunk her head. "You told me not to get my arm injured further and I know you want me to keep my impulsiveness in check." She sighed and managed a cautious glance at Nat.
She didn't look angry or disappointed. Her eyes were stern but there was a warmth behind that Lucy hadn't expected.
"You're right. I don't want your impulsiveness to take over and your temper run wild, but I do want to know what would drive you to break a promise," Nat said softly. "I'm gonna shorten your grounding to a week."
Lucy looked up in surprise and watched her mentor's expression carefully. It was calm but serious.
"But you can be assured that if this happens again, there will be stricter consequences," Nat continued sternly. "Lashing out and letting your temper get the better of you was still wrong, especially with an injury, and you need to work on keeping calm. But I'm happy that you're willing to stand up for the people you care about and I'm honored that I'm one of them."
The girl's face turned happy and she fell around Natasha's neck. The older woman smiled and reciprocated the hug tightly.
After Lucy pulled away, she looked straight into her green eyes.
"You don't believe a word of what he said, right?" she asked, almost worried about Nat's feelings. "I don't care if I'm letting you fulfill parent fantasies or whatever, I'm glad if it makes you happy and –"
She didn't get any further as Nat pulled her on her lap and pressed her head to her chest. Lucy hadn't realized that tears formed in her eyes but listening to Nat's heartbeat calmed her.
"He's an idiot. I care about you Lucy, not because I want to be a mother but because you're important to me. The whole parenting thing just happened as a result and it makes me happier than anything else ever has. But not because I get to be a mother. Because I get to be a mother to you."
Nat tightened her grip and Lucy took a few deep breaths. She looked up into her mentor's eyes that were slightly worried. She smiled and relief spread across Natasha's expression.
After a few minutes, Lucy was completely calm and after reassurances from both sides that they were fine, Nat left the room. On her way back to the living room she thought back to Agent Reed and that some form of retribution might be fun. Maybe a little intimidation. She was good at that. A small smile spread across her face and she went downstairs, determined to ask Clint if he had any ideas.