July 2014, Manhattan

The internship was a brilliant idea, but it did mean that Kate had restricted hours that she could legally work for Pepper, much to the disappointment of both of them.

Natasha tried not to get attached to people on missions and, generally, she managed it. Pepper, however, she had genuinely liked, so one of the first thing she had done after the Initiative was established was seek her out and apologise for her role as Natalie Rushman.

Amazingly, Pepper had already forgiven her and welcomed her back with an easy acceptance.

So Natasha was happy to spend a few days a week filling in as Pepper's PA when Kate couldn't.

"I'm so sorry," Pepper said. "I feel like I'm wasting your time."

Natasha gave her a sharp look over the phone. "You are running a Fortune500 company, Pepper. You can't do it all by yourself. Yes, the Avengers need me. But that's not a full-time job, and I am perfectly happy to do this until Kate graduates."

Pepper sighed. "I almost wish I hadn't gone with the internship."

"So does Kate," Natasha said. "But it was the right thing to do."

"I know." Pepper frowned at her screen and deleted a file with some prejudice. "How are the new guys working out?"

"Well, I'm teaching Wanda hand-to-hand," Natasha said. "Lexi doesn't need it, but it's nice to have someone to spar with. Pietro's power is in his speed - he's a lot faster than Peggy and Steve, but they work with him quite a bit."

"You and Clint don't spar?" Pepper asked.

"We do," Natasha said, "but he holds back. If I get any bruises anywhere visible, he goes on a guilt trip."

The two women exchanged a knowing look, and Natasha moved to the next email.

"Why is this guy addressing the email to Tony if he's messaging you?"

"Oh, there are some people who still seem to think Tony's the CEO," Pepper said tiredly. "I'm just a front. Forward it on to him."

"That's not going to make them stop," Natasha said.

Pepper smirked. "Oh, I know. Tony just tells them he's not the CEO and that they need to address their concerns to me."

"Ms Romanov," JARVIS said suddenly, "Kate just left the Tower."

Natasha looked up. "Alone?"

"I believe so. Clint is still in the apartment, but I am not privy to the preceding events. Lucky has followed, but Ms Watkins on reception has prevented him from leaving."

"Probably a good idea," Pepper said, closing her laptop. "Do you want to take Kate or Clint?"

Natasha hesitated. The fact that Clint hadn't followed Kate was a concern, and she wasn't sure if Pepper would be able to get him to talk.

On the other hand, Kate was still potentially a target, and the CEO of Stark Industries running after her would draw more attention.

"Kate," she said, "but I'll need Lucky's leash."

The two women both made their way up to Clint's apartment. He didn't look up at their entrance, face buried in his hands, and Natasha had to force herself to pick up the leash and leave again, leaving Pepper to try and get him to talk.

When she reached the lobby, Lucky began whining, straining against the hold the receptionist had on his collar.

"Thanks Mary," she said, clipping the leash on.

"You're welcome," Mary said, frowning. "Is she okay?"

"Not sure," Natasha said. "Come on, buddy."

Lucky more or less dragged her out of the Tower, and she tightened her grip to hold him to heel, calling JARVIS as she did.

JARVIS - thank goodness - had hacked into the various cameras around the Tower and followed Kate all the way to Central Park, but Natasha didn't fully relax until she came into view, sitting on one of the benches near the duck pond.

Lucky whined again, but Natasha pulled him back, sitting on one of the other benches, close enough to keep an eye on her, but far enough away to give the girl some space.

Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down to see a message from Pepper.

They had a fight. He's upset, not sure what set her off.

Natasha grimaced. It took a lot to upset Clint, and she knew he trusted and liked Pepper, but it still took a lot for him to admit that.

As she watched, Kate leaned forward to bury her own face in her hands, unknowingly mirroring her father. When her shoulders began shaking, Natasha decided that enough was enough.

Lucky needed no prodding to go trotting over to Kate, Natasha following behind him. His nose pressed into her arm, and the teenager jumped.

"Relax," Natasha said softly, sitting down beside her. "It's just me."

Kate sniffled, but didn't answer, her hair hiding her face like a curtain.

Natasha rooted in her pocket and found a clean tissue. "And where are your crutches, young lady?"

"Forgot them," Kate mumbled, taking the tissue. "Gonna regret that."

Kate's tears were tugging at something in her chest, and she held an arm out in silent invitation.

Kate hesitated, then slid closer, resting her head on Natasha's shoulder. "Sorry."

Natasha hugged her. "What are you apologising for?"

"You had to come after me," Kate muttered. "Sure you've got better things to do."

"Not at all," Natasha said, and meant it. "What was the fight about?"

Kate didn't answer for a moment, her eyes darting around the park.

Checking for eavesdroppers, Natasha realised, and she felt a little spark of pride.

"We're alone."

"I want to join the Initiative when I graduate," Kate said.

Natasha bit back her instinctive reaction - somewhat surprised that it was the same as what she imagined Clint's had been. "Okay."

"And I want to go back to helping people in Brooklyn."

Natasha grimaced. "Why?"

"I've already crossed a line," Kate said, stroking Lucky's ears as he rested his head on her lap. "I can't go back."

"Okay, but there's not going back and then there's going all in," Natasha said gently. "I'm guessing your dad wasn't happy."

"He wouldn't even hear me out," Kate muttered. "This is the first time I've been outside in months, unless you count the trip to Bed-Stuy, and I know why, but he can't just … wrap me in bubble-wrap!"

Natasha chuckled. "Oh, don't test him, Katie; he'd find a way."

Kate managed a small smile, but didn't respond.

"I have been trying to talk to Clint regarding the Tower situation," Natasha said. "What I don't understand is … you had to have known how Clint would react to that, especially when it came out of nowhere - what made you run off?"

"I'm eighteen in September," Kate said, wiping her eyes. "When that happens, the guardianship ends, and … I figured it I was part of the Initiative I wouldn't lose him."

Natasha almost laughed again. "Kate, he's your dad. You are never getting rid of him."

"Then why doesn't he want me around?"

Sometimes Natasha forgot that, for all Kate's maturity, she was still just a teenager.

A self-conscious, sometimes insecure teenager, who had grown up with parents who made it very clear that she wasn't wanted.

She sighed. "Oh, malen'kiy yastreb, your dad just wants to protect you. You said so yourself. Come on; let's go home. I think you and Clint need to have a conversation."

When she left the Tower with Lucky, she didn't think anyone had recognised her, but by the time they returned - slowly because of Kate's ankle - a crowd of reporters had gathered.

Whether they were waiting for Natasha or they were just randomly congregating outside the Tower and it was case of bad timing, she didn't know.

Either way, there was no way into the Tower without getting past them.

They could double back and approach from the other direction, but she could see from Kate's face that her ankle was hurting her quite a lot now.

As best she could, Natasha shielded Kate from the cameras, and Kate was smart enough to keep her head down and focused on Lucky, who was sticking close to her heels, apparently unnerved by the noise.

Natasha ignored all of them, and they probably would have managed to get into the Tower without incident, when all of a sudden, Lucky yelped.

"Hey!"

At Kate's shout, Natasha spun around to see that one of the reporters had grabbed her arm. She stopped just short of pulling a knife - thankfully - but grasped the man's wrist, digging her thumb into his pulse point. "Take your hands off my daughter!"

The grip and her words made him release Kate quickly, and the entire crowd went silent. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know …"

"That is irrelevant," Natasha snapped. "Does your employer encourage you to grab children on the street?!"

His face paled. "No! No, of course not. That was incredibly inappropriate, and I apologise!"

Natasha raised an eyebrow, still shielding Kate from the cameras. "I should think so. Go inside," she added softly, squeezing Kate's hand. "I'll be in in a minute." As soon as the doors closed behind her, Natasha gave the reporters a stern glare. "As I said, she is underage. I do not want to see any photographs of her anywhere."

"She's your daughter?" One of the reporters was brave enough to ask.

"If information about her ends up online, and she gets targeted by HYDRA or anyone else, I will be holding whoever posted it personally responsible for her wellbeing," Natasha said, not quite answering the question. "Is that clear?"

There was a flurry of hasty nods, and she smiled sweetly. "Thank you for your cooperation."

Clint was curled up in the corner of the couch that Kate normally used, which was adorable and kind of sad.

Pepper still hadn't really got any information out of him, and she didn't think she was going to, but she wasn't just going to leave him alone.

"Ms Romanov has returned with Kate and Lucky," JARVIS announced. "There was an incident outside with the media, but Ms Romanov appears to have dealt with the situation."

Clint lifted his head. "Is Kate alright?"

"She appears to have been crying," JARVIS said, "and her ankle appears to have been aggravated, but she is otherwise unharmed."

Clint closed his eyes. "Thank God."

The door opened and Lucky came bouncing in, followed by Kate, who immediately threw her arms around her dad, apologies spilling from her.

Clint held her tight, murmuring reassurances to her, only vaguely aware of Pepper and Natasha both leaving, Pepper presumably to her office, Natasha through the connecting door to her own apartment.

"I'm really sorry, Dad."

Clint shook his head, guiding her to the couch so he could get her off her feet. "No, Katie, I'm sorry. I should have heard you out." He sighed. "Look, I'm never going to be happy about you doing anything like that, whether it's on your own in Brooklyn or as part of the Initiative."

Kate pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I know. I don't have to."

Clint hesitated, fighting the urge to jump on that. "No. I don't want you to ever give up on anything because I don't like it."

Sometimes he hated it when Peggy was right. Wasn't this the exact situation she had warned him about?

"I don't like it," he continued. "I never will, Kate, because you're my daughter and I want to protect you, but I can't protect you forever. You're too much like me, honey; I can't ignore a bad situation either. I wouldn't be happy if I did, and neither would you. Whatever you decide to do with your life, I will always love you, Katie-Kate. You will always be my daughter."

Kate smiled weakly. "Only for another two months until I turn eighteen."

Clint frowned. "What are you talking about, Kate?"

"The guardianship ends when I turn eighteen, right?" Kate asked quietly.

And suddenly, her extreme reaction made sense.

"Is that why you ran when I told you I didn't want you joining the Initiative?" Clint asked. "Because you thought that meant I didn't want you around?"

Kate shrugged, looking at her knees. "I just figured at least that way we could work together, you know?"

"Oh, Katie …" Clint closed his eyes, a sharp pain in his chest. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry; I thought we'd talked about this."

"About what?" Kate asked, in a very small voice.

"Kate, the only reason I haven't adopted you properly is because that would involve a court case," Clint said softly. "The lawyers advised me against that at the time. I'm an assassin, Kate; I'm hardly a role model. And if the courts decided I wasn't a fit guardian, whatever paperwork Derek and Joanna signed would be irrelevant. They could just put you into foster care." He squeezed her hand. "But you know what?"

"What?" Kate asked.

"When you turn eighteen, I can adopt you without any of that," Clint said gently. "I thought we'd talked about that, but thinking back, I might have told you in the hospital, and you weren't exactly lucid, so that's on me. So if you want, JARVIS and I have all the paperwork ready for your birthday."

Kate stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Only if you want me to," Clint added. "I don't need a piece of paper, Katie. You are my daughter. You have always been my daughter, and you will always be my daughter. End of story."

Natasha sat in 'her' apartment, nursing a drink. It was nice to have her own space, but that didn't feel like home. Home was next door with Clint and Kate.

Kate.

The incident outside with the media had shaken Natasha in a way she hadn't expected, but maybe should have after HYDRA's infiltration.

She really needed to stop lying to herself.

She'd messaged Darcy, asking her to monitor social media for any mention of Kate - the Bugle (of course) had announced that she had a daughter, but there were no photographs.

Yet.

How long she sat there with her drink, she didn't know, but that door eventually opened and Clint joined her, pouring his own drink.

"Thanks for today."

"Any time," Natasha said absently. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's gone to talk to Darcy," Clint answered. "She … Did she tell you want happened?"

"Yeah," Natasha said. "How are you doing?"

Clint sighed. "I can't stop her. Once she's eighteen, I can't stop her. I'd rather she be able to come to me. We've agreed that she's not going to do anything until she's graduated, and she's trained enough."

Natasha smiled slightly. "And who's going to decide when she's trained enough? You?"

"I've promised I'll be fair," Clint said. "If she thinks I'm not, she can call you or Peggy in to assess."

"Fair enough," Natasha said. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she'll end up doing what you do in the Initiative, at least for a while. I think she's more like to join Darcy in logistics to start with. She just wants to stay close to you."

"She said." Clint set his glass down, a little too heavily, and rested his head in his hands. "How did she wind up thinking she wasn't going to be wanted when she turns eighteen?"

"She needs the words," Natasha said. "Have you talked to her?"

"I thought I already had," Clint said heavily. "I'm going to adopt her as soon as she turns eighteen, but that was always the plan." He lifted his head, mild horror dawning in his eyes. "I told you that, right?"

"No," Natasha said. "But that I had already assumed, so don't worry about it."

"Sorry," Clint muttered. "I seem to be screwing up with you two left, right and centre at the moment."

Natasha chuckled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You're not screwing up, Clint. You're just not perfect, and we both already knew that."

Clint picked up his glass again, and she could pin point the exact moment his attention shifted fully to her. "Good call telling the media she was your daughter."

So Kate had told him.

Natasha didn't wince, but it was a close call. "Well, you know, at least this way they're not trying to figure out who she is. And if they do, they'll be looking for a Romanov."

"Not that they'd find her under my name either," Clint pointed out.

"No," Natasha conceded. "I also told them if any information about her appeared anywhere and anything happened to her, I would hold whoever posted it personally responsible for her wellbeing."

Clint snorted. "Nice. Thank you," he added sincerely.

"Don't thank me yet; we don't know if it worked. And all bets are off when she turns eighteen," Natasha warned him. "We can't protect her forever."

"Yeah, I know," Clint said. "And she wants to go public."

"She thinks she does," Natasha said. "I don't think she appreciates the reality of it, but then she's only left the Tower twice since May. You need to let her go out, Clint; the poor girl's going mad in here."

"Yeah, I know," Clint admitted. "We've agreed that Tony will put JARVIS on her phone with an emergency tracker, and that she'll stick to public places."

"Good," Natasha said. "That's fair."

They drank in silence for a few moments, until Clint nudged her shoulder with his. "What's bothering you?"

Natasha sighed. "What you said … about it being a good call?"

"Yeah," Clint said, his brow furrowing.

"That's … not why I said it," Natasha admitted in a low voice. "It kind of just … came out. I heard her cry and and I turned around and this guy had grabbed her arm, and I just … told him to take his hands off my daughter." She poured herself another drink. "That's twice in three months that I've blurted out something I didn't even know myself - I'm a spy, for God's sake!"

"You love her," Clint said softly, a note of awe in his voice.

Natasha sighed again. "Yes, I do."

"Adopt her."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Clint took her glass and set it down next to his so he could take her hands. "Sign the papers with me. Adopt her with me."

Natasha faltered. "Clint, I …"

"You love her," Clint said. "We can do this, Nat."

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to say yes.

"Let me talk to Kate first. It feels like something she should be consulted on."