One year later.
It had been one year since the visit to Tony's cabin.
Living another year in the new world.
A shift emerged in Nat's and Lila's relationship during that time.
Although unspoken like before, the two both welcomed it.
Lila loved the motherly love and affection she got from her "honorary Aunt"
And she noticed Nat was more than happy to give it.
Unknowingly breaking her original promise the day she signed the adoption forms that nothing would change between them.
For the past school year Lila tried out for, and was accepted onto the swim and fencing teams.
Deciding against the decathlon team so she wasn't too overscheduled.
She was accepted onto both which she was glad about it.
She managed practices between both teams.
Lila was just as much a natural with the sword than she was with her bow.
And then there was the swim team.
Thanks to her personal use of the Olympic sized lap pool at the compound she was given an advantage.
She was the fastest swimmer on the team.
By a long way.
Choosing to swim in the 400m medley and the 100m freestyle.
And thanks to the teams she was beginning to make friends.
All while still getting perfect grades.
Nat picked her up when she had practice and attended her meets, cheering her on in the stands with the other parents.
She worked with Tony over chat on her bow.
It was her design but he put his input in the engineering aspects and more complicated components when it came to the nano tech.
But she caught on quickly.
And it was largely inspired by her dad's bow.
But now thanks to the nano particles can replicate themselves no matter how damaged it may be.
Thanks to Lila's busy schedule and Nat still running the Avengers the year flew by.
Steve visited them occasionally.
He also dropped by for Christmas again.
Them repeating what they did last year by cooking the whole day.
Chopping down and decorating a tree with Barton family ornaments that got from their visit from the farm.
Sharing gifts.
Watching bad Christmas movies.
Nat insisting she watch Die Hard this time.
Continuing the Barton Christmas traditions.
Lila had also grown in height.
The teenager was taller than Nat by what she "smugly" said was two inches.
The hole in her heart remained.
As well as the memories of her parents and brothers.
But slowly and surely, she learned to live with it.
But she still made her promise.
To never move on.
It was currently April in 2020 and it was Lila's birthday once again.
Her second one without her parents or brothers.
And the third anniversary of that day.
Her alarm clock on her nightstand woke her up at 6:30 in the morning since it was a Wednesday and school day.
Groaning and rolling over to turn it off, she shifted upwards and turned on her lamp.
Still in her pajamas with the sun just beginning to peak over the horizon.
She grouchily made her way out of the room and down the halls towards the kitchen.
Smelling bacon and pancakes.
Nat making her a birthday breakfast became a tradition for them.
She walked in, seeing Nat placing a stack of pancakes on the island next to a steaming plate of bacon.
"There's the birthday girl." Nat smiled at her.
"I have school. Can't really sleep in today." she pouted dramatically.
"True, but you would have slept through breakfast." Nat said, making her plate, pouring syrup on the pancakes.
Lila sat on the opposite of the island while Nat turned around to open the fridge.
Pouring Lila a glass of OJ. After grabbing her coffee, Nat sat on the stool next to her.
"Happy fifteenth birthday sweetheart." she said, kissing her on the head.
"Thank you." Lila said with her mouth full of bacon.
Nat smiled, stealing two pieces from her plate.
A comfortable silence filled the large room while they ate.
Nat took a deep breath, still unsure if her birthday present was going to be a good idea.
But it was the last thing from her dad she didn't have yet.
She had his old bow.
The farm.
But still, she knew this was a big step and the spy was unsure about.
"So, since you've become quite the fencer…" she began getting her attention.
Lila set down the knife and fork on the plate and turned her head to her.
"There is one thing of your dad's that you don't have…" she revealed.
"What is it?" Lila asked curiously.
Nat sighed before reaching around the end of the island, pulling out a sheathed sword.
Lila gasped and widened her eyes.
"Now, this is not a toy. I will hold onto it, and watch you while you use it so you don't hurt yourself but since you know how to fence and its technically yours." she said slowly.
"I didn't know dad knew how to use a sword." she whispered.
"Well, he was the archer but it was a hobby of his. For obvious reasons he kept it a secret from you three." she explained.
Lila hopped off the stool, carefully grabbing it.
Nat followed her to the center of the room but took a few steps behind her.
Lila took the sheath off, noticing it was retractable.
She reached her arm out, away from the two since there was nothing to strike and pressed a button on the handle.
That instantly swung the blade out.
Forcing Lila to use her strength to hold onto the sword so she wouldn't drop it.
Nat noticing how off caught off guard she was.
"Now you understand why I said this isn't a toy. This isn't a fencing sword although I'm not saying that is one either." she explained.
Lila nodded and pressed the button to fold the blade away.
Turning to face her.
"So now I have a bow and a sword." she said and smiled.
Placing the sword down on the floor gently and hugging her.
"Thank you. Auntie Nat." while Nat was hugging her back she desperately wanted to tell her how she really felt.
But she came up with another idea.
On a day that was on an upcoming Sunday.
Nat felt her stiffen in her hug and pulled away.
"Lila, are you alright sweetheart?" she asked and she nodded.
"Yeah, fine just… I miss them." she improvised.
Nat frowned.
Not believing her but choosing not to press it on her birthday.
"I do too. Everyday."
Early in the morning on Mother's day, Nat woke up in her bed to the sound of an alert going off on her phone loudly.
Waking up with a jolt, she grabbed it instantly to see it was from the security system.
The whole screen glowing a blinking red.
Unlocking it to the security feed which automatically went to the camera in the kitchen.
Enlarging, it showed Lila desperately trying to fan the smoke with a magazine that she narrowed her eyes to see was coming from the frying pan that was placed on the large island.
Racing out of her room and down the halls, still in her pajamas, she rushed into the kitchen right as the smoke detectors had stopped beeping their deafening tones.
"Lila, are you okay?" she asked concerned.
Lila, who was kneeling on the island's edge, trying hard to reach one of the detectors with the magazine in her hand.
Pausing in place she slowly turned her head towards the doorway as the detectors stopped blaring.
"Sorry for waking you, I was trying to make breakfast…" she said, sighing.
Nat smiled faintly, seeing the charred remains of what looked like bacon strips in the pan.
"And here I was thinking the compound was burning down." she joked and Lila scowled dramatically.
"It wasn't that bad…" she said but looked down to the pan.
"Think of it as very crispy bacon!" she joked.
Nat shook her head amused while she hopped off the counter.
"I appreciate the thought." she said while the rest of the smoke finally clearly.
"I did manage to make coffee though…" she said, gesturing to the coffee machine on the counter by the fridge.
She walked over to grab the steaming mug.
Giving it to her while she sat down on one of the stools.
"I think next time we resort to the microwavable bacon." she joked.
"It doesn't taste as good as real bacon though." Lila argued.
"Point, taken." Nat agreed.
Lila turned around to reach for a glass from one of the cabinets then walked over to open the fridge to pour herself a glass of milk.
Still in her pajamas' herself, Lila sat down on the stool next to her.
Trying to come up with the words she had been trying to tell her or the past year.
Nat noticing the discomfort on her face.
"Lila, sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked with worry.
"No I'm fine. It's just… there was a reason I was trying to cook breakfast today even though you're the one that cooks for us." she began.
"Which is something I'm more than happy to do." Nat replied.
"I know, I know. Along with everything else you've been doing for me which was why I wanted to make breakfast… today…" she said slowly.
Nat shifted ever so slightly in her seat.
She knew today was Mother's Day.
A moment of silence filled the large room before Lila continued.
"I was attempting breakfast because I wanted to show how much I appreciate you…" she said, shifting so she can face into Nat's green's eyes.
Her remaining silent.
"And how much I love you… as a mother…" she finished with a deep breath.
There.
She said it.
She finally said it.
It was out in the open now.
Staring directly into Nat's eyes, waiting for a reaction.
Looking down to see her gripping the coffee mug tightly like it would it be crushed in her palm.
Looking down at her slippers, she continued.
"I know mom and dad are gone. My mom will always be my mom. But she can't be anymore… It's been three years. But this is… what…" Lila began to ramble but Nat set the cup on the counter quickly to wrap her arms around her neck to pull her into a hug.
Surprising her she hugged her back.
Nat sniffed, wiping away a tear that was streaming down her cheek.
"Adopting you was the best thing I've ever done." she said, the two pulling back to face other.
"You know I would do anything do bring back your parents. Cooper, Nate…" she said quickly but Lila interrupted her.
"I know. Auntie Nat. I know." she said, wiping a few tears away from her eyes.
"But for now I've been trying to make it right by you. It was us who failed. And you, along with everyone else paid for our mistakes." she said quietly.
Lila frowned.
"Your parents would be so proud of the woman you are growing up to be." she said.
Sniffing again and forcing back the tears.
Failing miserably.
Lila once again taken aback by her vulnerability.
"But Lila. You do need to know… about my past… completely…" she began.
Doing her best to remain calm and took a deep breath.
Lila may be fifteen now and has experienced a lifetime of horror already but she was still so young.
She'd always be a little girl to her. Losing focus, she looked back to her who was frowning and cleared her throat.
"Before my time with SHIELD. I've made a name for myself…" she said.
Lila seeing how uncomfortable she was.
"As a spy, right?" she asked innocently.
"Not… exactly…." she hinted obviously.
Hoping she wouldn't have to say it out loud but Lila was smart.
She saw the realization in her brown eyes.
"Oh…" she whispered.
"Your father was sent to kill me. He made a different call." she revealed.
She looked up to see Lila still processing what she told her.
Her eyes looking lost.
Her dad was sent to kill her?
She couldn't imagine that.
"That was why I was so hesitant to even give you basic self defense lessons. I was never given a choice. Even after everything, I wanted you to still be a kid. You still are one to me." she said, reaching down to clasp her hands.
"And I wasn't blind to see how you've been treating me lately…" she said slowly.
"It's not that I don't want to become a… motherly figure to you. Even among these circumstances. I just don't deserve to be one. Because of the things I've done." she said, looking down at the floor in shame.
"You do Auntie Nat. You are one to me. I don't care about that. That's all that matters." she reassured her with a smile.
Nat wasn't sure what else to say but she smiled back.
"I think… I'm still going to call you Auntie Nat though." Lila said lightly.
Nat smiled at her.
"I'm all right with that. But I would like to try to be a mom to you…" she asked hesitantly.
Lila seeing the nervousness on her face but smiled.
"You already are."