Peggy Carter, newly minted mother of one, sat in her favorite chair in the living room of the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn she shared with the woman she loved. In her arms wrapped in a soft pink blanket and dressed in a tiny white full body onesie with little gray rabbits on it, was her newborn daughter. Natasha was only a few weeks old and still so tiny, but she was steadily gaining weight and starting to plump up a bit. Green was starting to creep into newborn blue eyes, but it was still too soon to know which way her eye color would land. The wisps of blondish red hair she'd been born with appeared to be turning more red than blonde, and it was starting to thicken. Peggy had a feeling that by the time Natasha was three months she would have a head full of beautiful wavy red hair.

So often these days Peggy could be found sitting with her new baby in her arms just starting down at Natasha, memorizing every inch of her from her round rosy cheeks, the slope of her tiny nose, the curve of her ears, her delicate little fingers and teeny tiny pain in the ass to trim fingernails, to her little knees and tiny toes that she flexed every time she felt air on her bare little feet. Peggy was amazed at how each day seemed to come with a little change to the fullness of Natasha's little thighs or expressiveness of her adorable little eyebrows. Peggy hadn't been quite so enthralled by someone since being given the gift of having unfettered access to Angie.

Natasha had decided to be in a bit of a mood today, one her new mothers couldn't quite work out. She didn't seem to be ill, she was dry, had a belly full of warm formula, but for whatever reason she simply did not want to be put down. As long as she was nestled in one of her mothers' arms she was perfectly content, if they dared to put her in her cot or took too long changing her diaper she wailed like a bloody banshee. They didn't even need to pay her much attention, just hold her in their arms as they went about whatever it was they needed to do. At the moment though, Peggy was totally and completely focused on the baby in her arms, and was softly singing to her. Peggy didn't really know any lullabies, she knew pub songs from her days with the 107th, and a few old folk songs her father used to sing to her. Which is why she was singing the Derby Ram because she figured it was more about how she sang than what she was singing.

"And indeed, my lass, it's true, my lass, I never was known to lie, and if you'd been down in Derby, you'd seen him the same as I." Peggy sang with a warm smile as she traced her daughter's cheek, down to her chin. She was just about to sing about the size of the ram's tail when a solid knock on the front door stopped her short. Raising an eyebrow as she stood, she made her way to the window to steal a peek at who was standing outside her door. Once she knew whoever it was wasn't a threat she went to answer the door. "Nicholas?"

The tall, broad shouldered, dark skinned man had enough sense to look a bit sheepish as he stood on the Director's stoop. He was dressed in a dark suit, his tie slightly undone and askew. His eyes, which were darker than Peggy's, betrayed the confidence he was trying to project with an expression of discomfort and apology. "Sorry to just drop in on you while you're on leave, Ma'am."

Peggy sighed. "Well, just don't stand there, Nicolas, come in."

Nicholas J Fury Jr. had grown up hearing war stories from his father about the men and one particular woman he'd crossed paths with back in the war. Sergeant Nick Fury had made the Howling Commands, Captain America, and Agent Peggy Carter larger than life in his son's mind. When Fury found himself face to face with Peggy Carter for the first time, fresh out of the V.A. hospital and newly discharged from the Army with the rank of colonel, he had not been disappointed. She'd been damn near everything he'd thought she would be, and she'd been there to recruit him personally for SHIELD. Fury hadn't thought twice, and as soon as he'd been medically cleared he'd become an agent. He moved quickly up the ranks and now he served directly under Director Carter's command.

"Well?" Peggy asked as she glared up at the young man she'd taken on as a protege. "What is it?"

Fury had seen the Director dominate in a fire fight, take out a Russian spy with a tea kettle, and made republicans cry to their mamas. She was the baddest bitch he had ever met, and he respected the fuck out of her. But the baby thing had knocked him for a loop, and standing there in her home looking at her with it in her arms, it was just unsettling.

"Agent Fury." Peggy said softly because Natasha was in her arms but still razor sharp enough to make the man jump.

"You have the information dump from Agents Coulson and May." Fury told her as he tried to keep his gaze on her and not it, the squirmy little pink thing in her arms.

Peggy nodded. "I've been reviewing it. I think I might finally be impressed with your find, Nicolas. It seems Coulson does have potential. Lets keep him partnered with May and see if she can't turn him into something we can work with."

Fury nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

"I suppose you're not here for my option on your recruit but for the information?" Peggy asked as she shifted Natasha to her other arm. She thought she'd seen Fury looking oddly at the baby but wasn't sure until now. "Problem Agent Fury?"

"No Ma'am." Fury shakes his head. "It's fine, ain't bothering me."

"She's a she Nicolas not an it." Peggy scolded before softening her tone. "You've not met her yet have you? Well, Nicolas Fury, meet Natasha Carter."

"It's, uh, she's cute, Ma'am." Fury says, trying not to crinkle his brow. "The information Ma'am and I'll get outta ya hair."

Peggy sighs and shakes her head. "Oh Nicolas, really, it's a baby not a toxic creature from space. I worry about you, my boy. There is life outside of service you know." She steps closer to him as she continues speaking. "The information is secure in my study. Here, be a dear and hold her while I fetch it. She's in a bit of a mood today, doesn't want to be put down, and Angie's out picking up nappies and formula."

Fury tried to protest, to refuse, but before he could even form the words, oh hell no, the tiny thing wrapped in a pink blanket was in his arms and he had no idea what to do. He stood as still as a stone statue as Peggy grinned at him and then walked off down the long hallway towards her study. He continued to stare after Peggy until it, err, she, the baby, made a noise and he tried not to panic. He looked down and was startled to see it, err, her, the baby, looking up at him with bright if not focused blueish eyes. "Don't do anything gross on me, kid." The baby, Natasha, blinked up at him. "You're kinda a tiny one aren't you? I got shoes bigger than you, kid." He watched as Natasha managed to free an arm from her blanket and was floored by how tiny her hand was. Without really thinking about it he raised his free hand and offered up his finger. She wrapped her hand around his pinkie, and it was almost comical to see, her teeny little pale fingers wrapped around the tip of the smallest of his and it was still too big to wrap completely around.

Peggy watched from the shadows with a warm smile. Years from now, she would pinpoint this very moment as the moment Natasha wrapped Nick Fury around her little finger. Stepping out of the hallway she walked towards the man holding her daughter and offered a large accordion folder in exchange for the baby. "Will that be all, Agent Fury?"

Fury nodded as he watched Peggy settle the baby back into the crook of her arm. "Yes Ma'am."

"Still think I've made a mistake, Nicolas?" Peggy asked as he turned to leave. "I know my choice to keep Natasha and raise her as my own disappointed you."

Fury paused, hand on the doorknob and sighed. "Just worried about your priorities is all, Ma'am."

"If anything having a child has reinforced my priorities, Nicolas." Peggy told him. "I'm more determined than ever to safeguard the world we live in because my daughter now lives in it too."

Fury turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Our work ain't always safe."

"No, it isn't, but I will do everything in my power to keep my family safe." Peggy agreed. "And if, God forbid, something happens to me, Natasha will still have Angie. This world is full of uncertainty and fear, Nicolas, and I refuse to give into it. It's all a matter of finding a balance. Something I suggest you try and find yourself, my boy. You might be surprised at how much more rewarding protecting and saving the world can be when you have someone in it worth fighting for."

Nick Fury was one of the few people who knew where Director Carter lived, and one of even the fewer who were allowed to come to her home. Her personal secretary, and secret back up, Rose who'd been with Peggy since her SSR days was allowed, the two socialized often outside of work, but other then the two of them anyone else would probably be shot on sight, or at least more realistically be transferred someplace really unpleasant. Which is why Fury was allowed to accompany the Director home so they could continue talking about everything he'd just gone through over the last few days. Truthfully, he was having trouble wrapping his head around it all, and talking to the Director helped him keep himself from going to some really dark places. She was good at talking down his fears, and what was more fear inducing than finding out about aliens, and enhanced humans who can do the kind of shit he'd just seen a long lost, thought dead, air force pilot do?

"I think your idea has merit, Nicholas." Peggy said as she led the man through her front door and into the foyer of her home. "Start working on a proper proposal for this initiative of yours and we'll discuss it again."

"You don't think I'm overreacting?" Fury asked her as he watched her take off her jacket and hang it in the hall closet.

"After what you told me, no, this time I don't think you're overreacting." Peggy answered. She was about to say something else but was cut off by a sound that made her light up and smile.

"Mummy's home!" Four year old Natasha Carter squealed when she heard the front door, followed by the sound of her mother's voice. Jumping up from where she'd been kneeling at the coffee table with the full and proper little tea set she'd gotten for her birthday, Natasha dashed for the foyer with another happily squealed, "Mummy's home!"

Peggy crouched down as her little girl, in her OshKosh overall shorts with the pretty pink flowers on them, and light pink t-shirt, came charging at her. Opening her arms Peggy scooped the girl up as soon as Natasha's arms were around her neck, and then stood up with ease as Natasha wrapped her legs around her waist. "Hello poppet."

Natasha nuzzled into her mother's neck and took a deep breath before sighing softly. "Hi Mummy. I missed you."

Peggy hummed softly as she hugged her little girl. "I missed you too, poppet."

Angie soon appeared in the doorway of the living room with a warm, happy smile, ready to welcome her wife home from work as well, but her warm and happy smile faulted when she saw Peggy wasn't alone. It wasn't that Angie disliked Fury or anything, she just didn't like when Peggy's work followed her home. "Hello Agent Fury."

"Evening Mrs. Carter." Fury replied with a nod towards his commander's wife.

Hearing Fury's voice had Natasha lifting her head from her mother's neck and leaning back a bit to see the man over her mother's shoulder. She smiled a huge smile and was about to say hello to him when she saw the huge white bandage over his eye. Natasha's little eyes went wide and she gasped softly, not in fear but surprise and concern. "Mummy!" Natasha said, her tone of voice almost scolding. "You let Agent Nicky get a ouchie!"

Peggy called Fury by his full first name, not even his own mother called him by his first full name. Angie called Fury Agent Fury or just Fury. Somehow hearing her mothers different monikers for him had translated into Agent Nicky in Natasha's toddler brain and it had stuck for now. Setting Natasha on her hip, rather then the girl koala clinging to the front of her, Peggy turned to look at Fury as she huffed indignantly. "I did no such thing." With her free hand she waved in the direction of Fury's bandaged eye. "Agent Fury managed to do that all on his own."

"It's alright, kid." Fury said to the little girl, her concern making him a little uncomfortable. He was supposed to be a big bad badass to be feared, but Natasha smiled at him and looked up at him like he was some kind of freaking teddy bear. "It's just a scratch."

Peggy snorted. Just a scratch that nearly took his whole damn eye, still might if the infection gets worse.

"Will you be staying for dinner, Fury?" Angie asked from where she was leaning against the living room door frame.

"Thank you, Mrs. Carter, but no." Fury replied. "I need to be getting back to the office."

Peggy nods. "I'll go get those evaluations. I've read them over and made some notes that you need to read over." Kissing Natasha on the cheek, she set the girl on her feet. "Nattie, will you keep Agent Fury company for Mummy while I fetch something from my study?"

"Sure Mummy!" Natasha replies easily as she walks over to the towering man and takes his much larger hand into her own and pulls him gently towards the living room. "Come on, Agent Nicky."

Fury looked a little uncomfortable but not as much as he used to. He was pulled over the sofa, and after she let go of his hand Natasha put her little hands just above his knees and pushed as she 'offered' him a seat. She really was a tiny little thing, he'd had bigger pieces of lint on his pants compared to her little hands.

"Mama and I went to the park today." Natasha said as she lifted up her knee to show Fury the Mickey and Minnie bandages there. "I felled down and scraped my knee. I bleeded and everything!" Then she turned towards the coffee table and picked up the largest of little plates in her tea set which had several round shortbread sandwich cookies with open hearts cut out of the top that showed the red jelly and cream filling. "These are my feel better biscuits. I loves them a lots. They're extra special cause Gran and Grandad send them in the mail all the way from England. Mummy's from England, Agent Nicky, it's on the other side of the big pond." The tiny redhead held up the plate and smiled brightly at Fury. "Have a feel better biscuit, Agent Nicky." She said and then thought maybe she could add, "Please?"

"Um," Fury replied, squirming a little. Natasha's smile and those eyes, how did anyone tell this kid no? Reaching out he took one of the cookies and smiled. "Thanks kid."

Natasha beamed. She set the plate back on the table, then made sure Mama wasn't watching, and picked up another cookie and put it in the pocket of Fury's suit jacket. Then she gave him a mischievous smile and gently patted the front pocket of her own overalls and whispered, "For later."

Fury chuckled. "I like the way you think, kid."

Nicolas Fury had tea with four year old Natasha Carter and it would be something Peggy Carter remembered for the rest of her days. Especially the part where Natasha shared her precious Jammy Dodgers because Natasha was willing to share anything with anyone but she had to really like you to share a feel better biscuit with you.

The clock on the mantel ticked softly as morning turned to early afternoon. Peggy lounged at the end of the living room sofa with her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, a fresh cup of tea within easy reach, a new book in hand, and her beloved Angie little spooning against her chest as she sewed a Mini Howler patch onto Natasha's newest jacket.

"Do you think she'll be up for the Howlie cookout this year, Peg?" Angie asked as she held the jacket out to make sure she was putting the thing on right.

"I hope so." Peggy replied with a sigh. "I really don't like how down she's been lately."

"Her dog died, Peg." Angie replied. "She's gonna be sad for awhile."

"I know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound as if I were trivializing that." Peggy replied. "I'm just worried it might be more than that."

"Pop died last year." Angie said, and as soon as she did she felt Peggy wrap her arms around her and hold her tight. "Year before that it was Howard and Maria, before that it was Michael." She ran her hand over Peggy's thigh when she mentioned her brothers. "The kid's lost a helluva lot, Pegs. Poor girl's probably scared to death over whose next."

The thought had crossed Peggy's mind a time or two, so surely it must have crossed Natasha's as well. Especially after Jarvis' recent heart attack. Thank god he's recovering, Peggy wasn't sure she could handle losing Jarvis, so she knew her daughter would be devastated. "We should make plans soon to holiday with Edwin and Ana."

"See," Angie pointed out. "She isn't the only one stewin' over things."

Before Peggy could try and lie to her wife and say she was fine, which she knew Angie wouldn't believe anyway, there was a knock on the door.

Angie groaned. "But I'm comfortable, you're soft and cozy English, I don't wanna move."

"I wouldn't be quite so soft if you'd stopped feeding me so much." Peggy teased as she tickled her wife to make her move.

Angie relented and shifted off Peggy so the other woman could answer the door. "You were curvy in all the right places before I started feedin' ya, English." She hummed approvingly as she let her gaze roam over Peggy as the slightly older woman moved across the room. "You still fill out a pair of slacks just right, not to mention just the right amount of stress on those blouse buttons."

"Angie." Peggy laughed as a light blush pinkened her cheeks as she rolled her eyes. Peeking out the side window once she'd reached the door Peggy was startled to see Fury standing there. Pulling open the door she frowned a bit. "Nicolas? What's happened?"

"Nothing Ma'am." Fury replied as he carefully adjusted the strap of what appeared at first glance to be a duffle bag on his shoulder. "I'm not actually here to see you."

Peggy blinked as she stepped aside and invited him into her home. "Then who are you here to see?"

"Nat, if it's alright with you." Fury replied.

"Go on through the living room." Peggy told him while moving to the bottom of the stairs herself. She had no idea why Fury would want to see Natasha, but she trusted him so she called up the stairs. "Nattie, darling, would you come down here please?"

A few moments later Natasha appeared at the top of the stairs in a pair of ripped faded jeans and an oversized band shirt that was actually Tony's, which she had over a black tank stop. Her long red hair, which she'd put blonde streaks in despite her mothers having said she couldn't, was pulled back and held up messily with a claw clip. Each earlobe now had a second earring in them, as did top of her left ear, again despite having been told no by her mothers. Tony was no match for her pout and fluttery lash puppy eyes, she almost had him talked into letting her get a tattoo. "What?"

"Don't what me young lady." Peggy scolded. "Come down here please. You have a guest."

"I do?" Natasha blinked as she padded down the stairs in her bare feet. When she walked into the living room at her mother's side, she blinked again. "Um, Mum, that's just Nick."

"Nice to see you too kid." Fury huffed at the girl.

Natasha blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Fury waved off the apology as he said, "I need a favor, kid."

"A favor?" Natasha replied, her gaze darting between him and her mother who still stood beside her. Peggy shrugged. She looked back at Fury. "From me?"

Fury nodded. "My building just got sold and the new owners have a strict no pets policy. I was hoping that, if it's alright with your moms of course, that you might be able give this guy a place to stay."

Natasha watched as Fury unzipped a pet carrier which she'd thought was just a duffle bag on the coffee table when she walked in. A moment later the head of a pretty orange tabby cat popped out of the top of the bag.

"Nicolas," Peggy said in surprise. "Is that…"

"My cat," Fury said even though he knew Peggy knew Goose was more than a cat. "Yeah. Nat, this here is Agent Goose."

"Um, hi?" Natasha replied as she stared at the animal. She watched as the cat lept from it's carrier and onto the coffee table. She waited for one of her mothers to say something about the cat sitting on the table but neither said a word.

"He's a pretty one." Angie said from the sofa as she reached out towards the cat.

Peggy held her breath, unsure if she should stop Angie, but all the creature did was sniff her fingers and then butt it's head into the palm of Angie's hand.

"I know he'd have a really good home here with you and your moms, Nat." Fury said as he watched the girl stare uncerintaly at Goose. "I'd feel better about having to give him up knowing he's with you."

Natasha wasn't sure what to say. She was still getting over losing Rosie, and she really didn't want to get hurt anymore.

"Why don't we just try it out, angel?" Angie asked as she watched the conflict and pain in her little girl's eyes.

Goose lept gracefully from the coffee table and over to Natasha. He sat down near her feet and looked up at her. His ears twitched, his tail flicked, and then he lept upwards. Natasha squeaked in surprise, and just managed to open her arms to catch him. As she held him he butted his head into her chin, and then knocked his little head into her cheek. Her hand went to his head and she started to rub his ears. Goose began to purr and laid his head on Natasha's shoulder.

For the first time in weeks Peggy watched a small but genuine smile slowly appear on her heartbroken little girl's lips, and a small part of the concern she had earlier melted away. Turning to look at Angie she could tell that Angie had seen the change in Natasha as well so she asked, "What do you think, darling?"

"Aw, Peg, you know I've always been a cat person." Angie replied with a warm smile.

"Then it's alright with us, poppet." Peggy said as she reached up to put her hand on her daughter's back. "If you want to do this favor for Nicolas, then we'll keep Goose."

Natasha bit her lip. Goose nuzzled her neck and purred. Natasha smiled again. "Yeah, sure, I'm cool with it."

"Thanks kid." Fury said with a small smile of his own. "I'll go grab his stuff and we'll talk about his picky ass."

Peggy followed Nicolas to the door and once out on the porch she said, "I'm not sure if I'm more grateful for this little stunt or pissed, Nicolas."

"Goose is perfectly safe, Ma'am." Fury reassured her. "He ain't gonna hurt nobody, hell, he'll protect her."

"How can you be so sure?" Peggy asked.

Fury smiled. "Because when I told him you were worried about your kid he jumped in the damn carrier himself. I think he wants to be useful to someone again."

Peggy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll need a complete debrief on keeping an alien cat in my bloody house."

"I have his file." Fury smirked.

Fury had a reputation for being stone cold, but Peggy knew the truth, and she would always remember and cherish the fact that he had given up his long time companion to help mend her daughter's broken heart.

The fall air was crisp as Natasha stepped out of the front door of her school at the end of a boring day. The cool breeze felt good blowing across her skin as she made her way down the steps after being cooped up all day. Seniors had a half day, but that half day had been spent clustered in the gym and auditorium with the rest of her senior class being herded from table to table as broken, sad looking adults hocked their schools or employers like a carny trying to lure people into a sideshow at the circus. It was a waste of time in Natasha's option, recruitment day, most of her peers not only knew what their plans were for after graduation, a lot of them had already applied and been accepted. Natasha was one of those students, she already knew what she wanted to do. Didn't she?

As she began the walk home Natasha noticed a tall figure leaning against a black SUV as she crossed the street at the corner and her heart cesed up in her chest. Rushing over to him, a knot forming in her stomach because there was no good reason for him to be at her school, Natasha demanded. "What's happened? Is my Mum ok?"

Fury relaxed, unfolding his arms and standing up straighter. Damn, Hill had been right. Seeing him unexpectedly like this was freaking the kid out. "She's fine, Nat. She's in Geneva," He checked his watch. "Probably wishing the day would end so she could get away from the boring ass politicians she'd meeting with."

Natasha sighed in relief and then tried to force herself to relax. "Then why are you here?"

"It's recruitment day isn't it?" Fury said with a smirk. "Got a school full of people trying to get your elite asses to go to their schools or work for their companies after you finish college? CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, all the branches of the military got people in there profiling potential agents and officers. So am I."

That made Natasha raise an inquisitive brow in a very Peggy-like way. "I didn't see you inside."

"That's because I'm not here for any of those punks and preps." Fury replied. "I'm here for one very specific student."

"Me?" Natasha replied, her curiosity peaked.

Fury nodded. "Wanna take a ride? I got something to show you."

Natasha shrugged. "Sure, I don't have anything better to do."

As far as Natasha knew her mother was the director of a collaborative international agency that worked with the collaborative countries and their various intelligence agencies. It wasn't a lie, lies were hard to maintain long term, but Natasha didn't know the finer details and extent of what her mother's agency did. She was aware of the fundamentals of SHIELD, what they stood for, but not what they actually did or that it was called SHIELD. As she got older Natasha started to think there was more to her mother's work than Peggy let on, but she also knew her mother wouldn't be open to telling her what that was. She knew that Fury worked for her mother, worked with her, closely. He was her right hand.

"So after you get your fancy ivy league degree in forgian languages and you get back from Cambridge with your even fancier degree in linguistics, what do you plan on doing with all that skill?" Fury asks as he drives. "Sit behind a desk with a little microphone and a headset and translate other people's words and ideas? Maybe work international relations for that playboy cousin of yours?"

Natasha shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. I just know that I'm going to either Harvard or Cornell for my undergrad and then Cambridge after."

"Don't get me wrong, kid." Fury glanced over at her. "That's a great start and you've worked your ass off to get to a place where you can do that. Your moms are hella proud of you."

That sent a wash of warmth through Natasha and she smiled a bit. She knew her mothers were proud of her, they told her so, but there was just something so reaffirming to hear someone else say it, someone who was both close to the family and yet an outsider. "But?"

"No buts." Fury replied. "Just a, what if. What if I could show you a way to use all of that education and intelligence, as well as your other skills."

Natasha blinked in confusion as she turned to look at his profile. She had the sense that something big and important was about to happen, but she didn't have the faintest idea what that could be. "What other skills?"

"You are a champion gymnast, you were offered a chance to apply to the American School of Ballet, you could go to freaking Juilliard to study dance if you wanted to, you have black belts in several different martial arts." Fury listed off. "And you're a hell of a marksman."

That startled Natasha, her blue-green eyes going wide and her yawn dropping a bit. No one, not even her Mama, especially not her Mama, knew that her Mum had been teaching her marksmanship for years. "Those are just things I do for fun and to spend time with my Mum."

"They're hard learned and refined skills that you can put to good use." Fury argued.

"How?" Natasha narrowed her eyes at him.

Fury smiled as he turned to look Natasha in the eye. "By coming to work for us."

"Us who?" Natasha asked next. "You and my Mum? I guess the languages and linguistics could come in handy, but how would any of that other stuff be helpful to what my Mum does?"

"Nat, you're everything we look for in an agent for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division." Fury told her as he began crossing a bridge over the Potomac to an island with one sole building at its center.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division?" Natasha replied as she stared at Fury. "Is that the name of the agency you and Mum work for?" Turning her head to look out the windshield Natasha saw the looming building set on an island ahead of them and frowned. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. SHIELD. Natasha blinked. "Does this have something to do with my Uncle Howard? I mean, SHIELD, it sounds like something he'd do given his debilitating obsession with Captain America."

Fury was smiling bigger than Natasha had even seen him as she worked it out for herself. Turning to look at the girl Fury said, "Kid, I work for SHIELD, Stark had a hand in creating SHIELD, but your mother, fuck kid, Peggy Carter is SHIELD."

Natasha got a history lesson on SHIELD as she and Fury went into what he called the Triskelion, SHIELD's primary headquarters. Natasha knew her mother had been a soldier during the war, that she had been and had led the Howling Commandos. She hadn't known that she'd been an agent for an allied war department called the SSR. Or that after the war, when the SSR was dismantled, Howard Stark, Margaret Carter, and Chester Phillips created SHIELD to continue protecting the world against the extraordinary threats they'd discovered during their time with the SRR. Extraordinary threats. Suddenly Natasha found herself wondering how many of her mother's war scars were from the war, and how many were from this? The more Fury talking the more Natasha felt overwhelmed and conflicted. This was all incredible, and her mother had created it, the pride Natasha felt was staggering. But then, a lie of omission is still a lie, her mothers had said, and here she was finding out that her Mum had omitted a hell of a lot from her. Did she truly know her mother as well as she thought?

"I've watched you grow up, Nat." Fury said after he showed her around. "Your first instinct is to help, to protect, and to defend. Those are the very things SHIELD was founded to do. SHIELD will give you the opportunity to hone all of your skill sets in a way that will give you a true sense of purpose, that I really don't think you'll find anywhere else."

Natasha looked away from the bustle of people below them as they went about their daily business of protecting the world. "What makes you so sure I'll find my sense of purpose here?"

Fury smiled. "Because I can see how badly you want to ask more questions about what goes on here, you what to examine every detail to see if you can find a place for yourself. You're excited by the idea, but also leery of it. Because you're so much like her I don't think you'd be happy or fulfilled anywhere else."

"Is she why I'm here, Nick?" Natasha asked bluntly. "Am I here because she's my mother?"

"No." Fury answered honestly. "She has no clue you're here or that I'm talking to you about this. You're not supposed to know SHIELD even exists. But I have an eye for talent, Nat. I know incredible potencial when I see it, and it just rolls off you in waves."

"If I'm not supposed to know about any of this, she'll never agree to it." Natasha points out the flaw in his plan to turn her into a secret agent. "So what's the point of risking your own neck to tell me about it?"

"Like I said, you have potential, and I ain't blinded by any parental need to protect you from the big bad world." Fury says honestly. "Now don't get me wrong, kid. I like you, and I don't want to see you get hurt or shit, but I ain't about to waste a good resource or outstanding asset because of some sense of senitmautaly."

Natasha raised a brow at that. "Sounds like you already got a game plan in mind to get around the fact that my mother isn't about to let me join her secret little spy agency."

"We enroll you in the Operations Academy under an alias." Fury said without hesitation. "You began training one on one with me and people I trust completely, which is like two maybe three people tops. If you decide to stick to this, then we tell her."

"So you want me to lie to my mother?" Natasha looked amused and uncertain about this whole thing. Even the mere thought of lying to her mother was creating a painful knot to form in her stomach. "The woman you just told me was a badass super spy who runs a whole damn company of badass spies?"

"I know it's askin' a hell of a lot, Nat." Fury nods. "But if this is what you want, then yeah, it's the only way to go for now."

"And if it's not what I want?" Natasha asked.

"Then you walk away with a better understanding of the woman you look up to." Fury replies simply.

"I need to think about this, Nick." Natasha tells him honestly. "It's a lot to take in."

Fury nods his understanding and signals someone to come closer. It's the woman he'd introduced Natasha to when they first arrived, a dark haired woman named Hill, who had given him a special badge for Natasha to wear. It not only marked her as a guest but disguised her from the security feeds, just in case there was ever a reason for the Director to check the video. "Mrs. Carter has never seen Agent Hill so she'll be taking you home. If you decide you want to know more, if you think you might want to do this, she'll be one of the people you'll shadow and train with."

"You're taking a hell of risk on this, Nick." Natasha tells the man. "If she finds out about this…"

"The old lady'll kill me, bring me back, and kill me again." Fury laughed. "Yeah, I know what I'm doing."

Natasha couldn't help but look at him in awe. "You're really that sure about me?"

"I am dead fucking sure about you." Fury tells her in reply.

Hill doesn't say much as she drives Natasha home but she does slip her a piece of paper before she gets out of the car. It's just a simple phone number written in pencil on the torn off corner of a sheet of notebook paper, nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage girl to have in her pocket. "When you've made up your mind call that number."

"So you don't think this is crazy?" Natasha asked the woman, needing to get someone else's option.

"I trust Fury." Hill replies. "And so does the Director."

"Thanks." Natasha said as she moved to get out of the car.

Natasha does her best to keep her Ma from realizing that she has something on her mind, and manages to make it through the evening without any probing questions. They have dinner and instead of watching a movie together Natasha asks if they can listen to their radio show. Angie agrees happily, and Natasha spends an hour with her head in her Mama's lap, listening to the silly portrayal of her mother with the new knowledge that Peggy Carter was a badass special super agent. Then she makes herself a cup of tea and heads up to her room to work on homework until her Mum calls. Natasha bites her lip for a moment, a little hesitant in accepting the video chat call that pops up on her laptop screen. Sometimes she can get away with hiding things from her Mama, but rarely can she do so with her Mum. But she misses her and wants to hear her mother's voice, needs to see her smile, so she clicks accept and watches the widow expand to reveal her Mum's smiling face.

"Hi poppet, how was your day my darling?" Peggy asks warmly as her smile brightens at the sight of her daughter.

"Dull." Natasha replies. "Recruitment fair was this morning. I talked to the reps from Harvard and Cornell, and then I was bored out of my mind the rest of the day. How was yours?"

"Not nearly as exciting as yours." Peggy said with a chuckle. "I've had more stimulating conversations with your cat."

Natasha laughed as she reached down to pet said cat who was curled up in her lap. "Yeah, well, Goosey has very enlightening options on the state of current affairs."

Peggy watched her daughter for a long moment before asking, "Nattie, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Mum, I'm fine." Natasha replied. "I guess I just had too much time to think about what happens after university is all. Forget five year plans, some of my classmates have freaking twenty-five year plans. I can't even decide if I'm going to homecoming this year after what happened last year, let alone decide what I'm going to do after I finish college."

"There's no rush for you to plan that far ahead, darling." Peggy said gently. "You're young, you have plenty of time to discover what's going to give you the kind of purpose that will allow you to live your best life." She smiled reassuringly. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself, my love."

"How will I know, Mum?" Natasha asks softly. "How will I know if I've found my purpose?"

"I wish I could explain it to you, poppet." Peggy replies. "But I'm honestly not sure how other than to say you'll just feel it. You'll just have this sense of things feeling right, like you've found solid ground on which to travel no matter how winding and twisted the road ahead of you gets."

Natasha chewed her lip for a few moments before asking, "And what if it's something you and Mama won't like?"

"Natasha, unless you decide you're going into a life of crime, your mother and I will support whatever you choose to do." Peggy reassured.

"Even if it's like the military or law enforcement or something like that?" Natasha threw out.

"Yes, even then." Peggy nodded. "We are going to be incredibly proud of whatever path you choose, except for the aforementioned life of crime."

Natasha laughed. "I'd make a lousy criminal. I couldn't even nick a candy bar without becoming overcome with guilt."

They talked a little while longer before saying goodnight and ending the call. Natasha still didn't know what to do about Fury's offer. She wished she could talk to her mothers in more detail, to really get their honest opinion about it, but Natasha knew better. Peggy could say she and Angie would be alright with Natasha doing dangerous things like the military or law enforcement because she'd never shown an interest in those fields before. She knew they'd feel differently if they knew it was an actual option. She was going to need more time to think about this.

She and the enemy agent had been after the same intel. Neither looked as if they were armed at first, but of course they both were. After pulling primary weapons on each other, they disarmed each other quickly, fighting hand to hand until Natasha laid claim to the drive she was after. Her opponent still wasn't as unarmed as Natasha had thought. She saw the light reflect off the blade just before it sank deep into the upper quadrant of her abdomen on the right side, nicking her liver and causing a great deal of blood loss. Natasha wasn't as unarmed as her opponent thought, and in one seamless fluid motion she draws the pistol from her thigh holster, aims a shot, and shoots the enemy agent. With the intel in hand she manages to clear the site, but barely.

Fury watched as Natasha approached the extraction site with pride. Then he watches in horror as the girl collapses. Bursting out of the van he runs towards her, "Agent Romanoff?" He calls out but gets no response. When he reaches her he drops to his knees beside her and starts looking her over. "Agent Romanoff, what happened?" She moans softly, her right hand going to the knife wound in her abdomen while the left passes him the drive he sent her in there for. Fury pockets the drive and then very carefully and with years of experience picks the girl up and carries her back to the van. "Hill, get us to medical site delta two, asap!"

Natasha watches blurrily as Fury rips into a medical kit and pulls out a packet of stop bleed powder which he rips open and dumps around her wound. "Fucking son of a bloody bitch."

"Yeah, hurts extra cause the knife's still in there, but we can't risk pulling it out." Fury replies. "Hold tight, kid. We're almost there. Who got ya, Nat?"

"Female, late teens-early twenties, blonde hair, green eyes." Natasha moaned. "I don't feel so good."

"Blood loss." Fury tells her. "Stay with me, kid."

She can feel his hand envelop hers and squeeze. She's in and out after that. She thinks she feels him carrying her again, calling out orders, and then he lays her on a gurney. The next time she's somewhat aware of herself and her surroundings Fury is in a chair beside her bed, her hand held in his again, and then she's out again. She's a little more alert when she comes around the second time after surgery. This time he's standing by the window on the phone. She can just make out the words, liver, infection, and ma'am. Shit. He was talking to her mother who was going to be royally fucking pissed. The third time she comes around she's nearly fully awake and tries to smile when she catches him once again sitting beside her bed.

"Still have both eyes." She croaks out. "The old lady not here yet?"

Fury chuckles. "She's on her way. The intel was good, Nat. You just saved the lives of a hell of a lot of undercover agents." He smiled proudly at her. "Good job, Agent Carter."

They must have been alone for him to use her real name. It makes her smile, her chest swelling with warmth and pride. Someday, someday she would lay claim to that name, but she had to feel worthy of it first. "The real Agent Carter's gonna fucking kill you."

"Na, she won't." Fury replies, brushing hair from Natasha's forehead. "She's gonna make my life a living fucking hell, but she's been doing that since she found out about you." He smirked at her then. "Besides, I'm not the one who should be worried about their SO. You managed to get stabbed in the gut. May's gonna be hot as hell when she finds out you let that happen."

Natasha moaned. "I didn't let anything happen."

Fury chuckled, "Still, May's gonna ride your ass for months after this." His phone digged with a message and after checking it he stood. "Director's here. I'm going to go get her. Look kid, when you're all healed up and able to we'll go get a drink and toast to your first battle wound. Just don't try to drink May under the table and end up shit faced the way Hill did."

Natasha snorted which caused her pain and she moaned. "Yes Sir, Agent Nicky."

Fury laughed. "They got you on the good fucking shit kid, stop fighting it and go back to sleep. I'm gonna go get ripped a new one by the old lady and then bring her up to you."

"M'kay." Natasha gave him a little wave and then gave in to the drugs. Very few people got to see the human side of Nick Fury, and even fewer got to see the softer side. Natasha was lucky, and she knew it.

Fury had his favorites, and everyone knew it, Hill, Coulson, May, Barton, Morse, but Natasha was more than just a favorite. He had plans for Natasha Carter, special plans that would make her far more than just an agent of SHIELD. She was gonna be a goddamn super hero. He just had to live past the wrath of Peggy Carter to see it through first.