Ana Néni Kis Csillaga
Peggy was not a very heavy sleeper, she hadn't been since the war. Though she was normally pretty good at waking up only over sounds that were out of the ordinary, and not the everyday sounds of lives lived around her. The sounds that drew her from her sleep at five in the morning on a Saturday were not normal sounds for her household, and they were coming from her daughter's room. Slipping out of bed carefully so she wouldn't wake her wife, Peggy slid her feet into her slippers and pulled on her dressing gown. As quietly as she could the spy crept the short distance between her room and Natasha's. Pausing outside the door she listened, the sound of a drawer opening and closing, soft bare footfalls on the floor, soft humming. Peggy raised a brow and slowly opened Natasha's bedroom door. Peggy watched for a moment as her six year old moved about her room and blinked.
"Poppet, darling, it's five a.m. what are you doing awake?" Peggy asked the girl.
Natasha stopped shoving her pretty nightgown with the bright flowers on it into her little bag and looked up at her mother. "It's the fourteenth today, tomorrow is the fifteenth, Mummy."
"Is it?" Peggy replied, not understanding in her sleepy state.
"Ahuh," The little redhead replies. "Uncle Jarvis will be here to pick me up."
Jarvis? Why would Jarvis be picking her up and at this ungodly hour? Oh! Peggy chuckled softly. Tomorrow was the anniversary of Natasha's christening and they always spent the day with Ana Jarvis. This year they had agreed to a sleepover at the Jarvis' because Natasha wanted to make her godmother breakfast on their special day, just like she did for them on Mother's Day. Walking over to her little girl Peggy scooped her up into her arms and started carrying out of the room. "Uncle Jarvis isn't going to come calling until a more socially acceptable hour, darling. It's back to bed little miss."
"Mummy." Natasha giggled as she was carried off. She pointed over her mother's shoulder towards her room. "My bed is back there."
"You woke Mummy up on her day off, and now you must pay the cuddle fine." Peggy told the girl while rubbing the tips of their noses together. "And I have a feeling that the only way to keep you in bed until at least eight is to squish you between me and Mama."
Natasha sighed dramatically, resigned to her fate, and then smiled when her Mummy laughed.
"You are such a little drama queen, Nattie, just like your Mama." Peggy teased as she laid Natasha on the bed between herself and Angie.
At seven-thirty when Angie woke up she was slightly confused as to why she didn't feel Peggy pressed up against her back. Rather than feeling her wife's full chest against her upper back, there seemed to be a small butt pressed into the small of her back. Angie smiled, and carefully turned over to find one of her favorite sights. Peggy was asleep on her side, facing towards her, and had her arms wrapped around their daughter. Natasha was snuggled into her her mummy, her head tucked under Peggy's chin, her little arm slung over Peggy's neck, her little leg draped over Peggy's wasit. They both looked so peaceful and sweet, and it melted Angie's heart.
Not long after Angie awoke Peggy was as well. She explained why they had a bed buddy, and Angie laughed. Once Natasha was awake she was all about getting ready to be picked up again. When Peggy couldn't take the little girl bouncing in their bed any longer, she let her run off after a morning cuddle and then called out after, "Don't pack like your Mama! You're only going over night!"
"Hey!" Angie protested while slapping her wife's arm.
While Peggy supervised Natasha's packing, Angie had made breakfast. The three sat around the kitchen table together, Peggy glancing through her paper as she sipped her coffee and picked at her eggs and toast, and Natasha bouncing out of her seat every time she heard a car drive by. Angie shook her head. "Natasha, pop out of that chair one more time and I'm going to pop your bottom. Sit down and eat your breakfast."
"But Mama…" Natasha whined.
"Do as your mother says, Natasha." Peggy scolded, giving her child a soft glare.
Natasha pouted and crammed a piece of marmalade covered toast into her mouth.
Thankfully Jarvis arrived at ten a.m. on the dot because Natasha was working her mothers' patience and inching closer and closer to a time out or a smack on the bottom. After getting lots of hugs, kisses, and reassurance from her mothers about her first overnight away from them, Natasha took her uncle's hand with a huge smile.
"Don't worry Ms. Carter." Jarvis said at the door. "We shall take very good care of her."
Peggy smiled. "I know you will, Mr. Jarvis." Then she looked down at her daughter. "Be a good girl, Natasha."
"I will." Natasha promised.
"Have fun baby." Angie said, giving her little girl another kiss.
"Mama." Natasha giggled. "That's anuff kisses."
Angie laughed. "You can never have too many mama kisses."
Natasha pulled gently at her uncle's hand. "Come on Uncle Jarvis, before Mummy kisses me again too."
"Well now I just feel cheated." Peggy pouted.
Natasha let go of Jarvis' hand long enough to hug and kiss her mummy again and then practically pulled him out the door, down the steps, into the car. He sat her in the back seat and buckled her seatbelt for her, and then slipped behind the wheel. While Jarvis drove them to the Stark mansion, and the little cottage on the estate that was the Jarvis home, Natasha filled her uncle in on what she'd been up too. School was good, but the best bits were her learning new steps in dance class, and how much fun her new aikido class was, and, "Mummy said I can try gym-nasti-acts this summer!"
"My goodness," Jarvis replied with a warm smile. "What a busy little bee you'll be."
Natasha giggled.
When they arrived at the Jarvis home, Jarvis carried Natasha's little bag while holding tightly to her little hand. As he closed the door behind them once they were inside he called out, "Ana, dear, I've a surprise for you."
"Uncle Jarvis," Natasha whispered. "Am I the surprise?"
"You are indeed little Miss. Carter." Jarvis replied, his smile warm and his eyes bright and twinkling.
Natasha giggled again. She knew that her Mummy and Uncle Jarvis had known each other for a very long time, and it seemed a little silly that they called each other Ms. Carter and Mr. Jarvis, especially since everyone else used their first names. But Natasha just figured that it was like when Mummy called her poppet, or Mama called her angel, they were names that meant something special between them.
"What have you brought me, dear husband?" Ana Jarvis asks in her lilting accented voice as she came out of the other room and into the foyer.
Natasha bounced on her feet as she said, "It's me!"
Ana gasps softly, eyes wide, smile bright. "Oh you've me a tiny little Carter! I do so enjoy tiny little Carters."
Running over to her godmother when Ana crouches down, Natasha hugged her tightly around the neck.
"Hello my little star." Ana says in Hungarian. It had actually been Peggy's very sweet idea for Ana to teach Natasha Hungarian as she herself would be teaching the girl Russian. As it turned out, the little one had a gift for languages, and Ana had been throwing in some Herbrew and Yiddish here and there as well. "What a wonderful surprise you are."
"I'm staying with you until tomorrow." Natasha told her godmother in Ana's native language.
While Ana's surprise at seeing Natasha had been a bit exaggerated for the girl's amusement, her surprise now was genuine. Looking up at her husband. "A sleepover?"
Jarvis beamed a warm and loving smile at his beloved wife. "Ms. Carter and Ms. Martinelli graciously agreed to allow us to keep little Miss. Carter until dinner tomorrow evening."
Ana beamed as she picked Natasha up and twirled her around. "This is wonderful! What shall we do with so much time together, little star?"
"Anything you want, Néni." Natasha replies, using the Hungarian word for aunt.
Setting the girl on her feet Ana hums softly and taps her chin as she pretends to think. Of course they were going to do one of their favorite outings together. "I think the zoo and lunch in the park."
Natasha smiled happily. "Yes! I love the zoo!"
It didn't take long for them to get ready which was good because the prospect of spending the afternoon at the zoo with her godmother had ramped up Natasha's excitement. Just like she had with Jarvis on the drive over, Natasha filled Ana in on what she'd been doing as he drove them to Central Park. As soon as they stepped foot out of the car Natasha took Ana's hand and kept hold of it as they walked through the park to the zoo's entrance. Once inside the zoo the pair was a sight to see. Natasha pulled Ana from one exhibit to another. When Natasha did let go of Ana's hand, the tall slender redhead chased the tiny giggling redhead along the paths. Their smiles and their laughter warmed Jarvis' heart as he trailed behind them watching their merriment and joy at being in each other's company.
Though Ana insisted that she held no regrets over not being able to have children of her own, Jarvis still carried quite a bit of guilt over it, since he still considered it his fault they couldn't. Ana insisted that Tony and Natasha were enough for her, getting to help raise Tony and spending time with Natasha like this, were blessings to her. Jarvis couldn't help thinking about how wonderful she would have been with children of their own.
Jarvis was pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of a small hand sliding into his. Looking down into Natasha's smiling face he was taken aback for a moment at how easily she could pass as their child with her red hair and blue-green eyes.
"Uncle Jarvis," Natasha says brightly as she pulls her uncle towards an enclosure. "Néni says you have to tell me about the flamingos."
Jarvis shuddered which caused his wife to laugh. "I despise flamingos."
"Why?" Natasha asked as she blinked up at her rather tall uncle.
Picking Natasha up with ease, Jarvis set her on his hip so she could see the bright pink birds better as he told her the tale of Bernard Stark, the Devil in Pink himself.
After they finished exploring the zoo the couple and their niece found a nice restaurant for lunch, and then had ice cream for dessert. When they arrived back at the Jarvis home, Natasha had to be carried in by her uncle because she'd fallen asleep in the car on the way home. When she woke up, a little disoriented at first because she wasn't at home, Natasha went in search of her aunt. She found Ana in her sewing room and smiled sleepily as she helped herself to Ana's lap. Ana was sitting behind a small drafting desk sketching out dress designs, but was more than happy to stop working and wrap her arms around her goddaughter as Natasha snuggled.
"You're getting so big, little star." Ana says as she holds the girl close. "You're going to need new summer dresses." When Natasha sits up to look at her with wide hopeful eyes Ana smiles brightly. "I have some new fabrics perfect for pretty summer dresses, shall we pick a few out for you?"
"Yes please!" Natasha replies eagerily. "You make the best dresses, Néni!"
Ana chuckled softly as she set Natasha on her feet. They spent the rest of the early evening until dinner is ready picking out dress fabrics and patterns, and taking Natasha's new measurements. She also had Natasha try on the new dress she'd made for her for their special dinner together tomorrow night, just in case it needed any last minutes adjustments. Ana watched with such joy as Natasha twirled around in her new dress looking for the hidden little star Ana sewed into each of the things she made for the girl. That little star would someday be stitched into Natasha's prom dress, the last dress Natasha would think Ana made for her until her mothers show her the wedding dress Ana leaves for her, which would be full of sparkly stars.
When Jarvis came to fetch them for dinner the pair had made themselves comfortable in a chaise lounge, and were in the middle of a sewing lesson. Walking over to them he peered down at Natasha's work and nodded approvingly. "Lovely stitches, little Miss. Carter."
"Thank you, Uncle Jarvis." Natasha beamed.
After dinner Jarvis called the Carter brownstone so that Natasha could talk to her mothers and wish them goodnight. Then the three of them settled in the living room to watch a movie of Natasha's choosening, before starting the girl's bedtime routine. Jarvis still needed to clean up after dinner so Ana handled bedtime, but instead of taking Natasha to the guest room she took her to their room because the bed was much bigger and better for snuggling while Ana read to Natasha. Natasha snuggled close as Ana read, her little fingers playing with the Star of David Ana wore, the one Howard had made that went with Natasha's cross, which she was only allowed to wear on special occasions until she was older. The necklaces both contained vibranium and Peggy worried about Natasha losing hers, despite the fact that Howard insisted the chain wouldn't break.
When Jarvis entered the room he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his wife and the sleeping child snuggled beside her.
Ana smiled with such contentment and joy that it made her eyes sparkle. "I'm afraid you will have to find other accommodations tonight, my love."
"To see the look of jubilation on your face right now, it is worth sleeping in the guest room." Jarvis said softly as he moved across the room to kiss his wife and gently brush his hand over Natasha's hair as he wished them both a goodnight.
The next morning Natasha wiggled free of her aunt's cuddles and told her she had to stay in bed. Which made Ana laugh, and agree, because everyone knew not to argue with a bossy Carter no matter their age. Then Natasha went down to the kitchen where she and her uncle made Ana breakfast. Jarvis carried the tray up to Ana while Natasha fetched the present she had made for her. It was a very simple hand sewn handkerchief with little stars stitched in the corner. It very much looked like a young child made it, but Ana would carry the handkerchief with her for the rest of her days, and beyond because many many years from now her boy, her Tony would make sure it was in her hand when she was laid to rest beside her husband.
They spend the day playing barefoot in the back garden and listening to music in the living room as Natasha dances for them. Then they all get ready for dinner at the Carters'. Natasha gets a bubble bath with Aunt Ana's rose scented bubbles, and Ana does Natasha's hair in curls before helping her into her new dress. When they arrive at the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn, Peggy and Angie gush over how lovely Natasha looks, and make sure Ana knows just how much she means to them as they sit down to dinner as a family.
"Did you have a good visit with Aunt Ana and Uncle Jarvis, poppet?" Peggy asked her little girl as she tucked her into her bed that night.
"The best." Natasha sighed happily. "Mummy?"
"Yes darling?" Peggy replies, smiling warmly at her sleepy little girl.
"Did you know Uncle Jarvis hates flamingos?" Natasha yawned. "He says their devils in pink."
Peggy laughs. "Yes, I was aware of that fact. Did Uncle Jarvis tell you about Bernard?"
Natasha nods and then points to her shelf where her favorite stuffed animals live. There beside her Howling Commando bears, and her stuffed duck named Howard, was a brand new stuffed pink flamingo. Peggy laughs harder, "Oh dear it seems we have the return of Bernard Stark!"
Natasha giggled. "Néni bought him for me. Uncle Jarvis pouted. It was funny."
Peggy smiles at the happiness on her daughter's face and then leans in to kiss her forehead as Natasha drifts off to sleep and dream of pink flamingos and clear nights will a sky full of stars.