Disclaimer: I don't own Avengers or any other Marvel characters. I only own my OCs.

A/N: A short chapter than the rest I've posted but I really wanted to include a scene with Natasha and Yelena with Natasha mentioning Grace. At this point in the story Natasha and Grace's relationship has strengthened but remember this is after Captain America:Civil War....so it's bittersweet. And (spoiler) technically Natasha and Grace don't see each other again...so their last interaction before Natasha left was their final one but don't worry will get there eventually in Infinite. It's going to be sad writing that scene because neither know that's their final time seeing each other.

Black Widow

A kid like her

"What is your story?"

Natasha heard Yelena's question, and was left feeling a sort of emptiness inside. The already tired smile she wore started to break further. "I never let myself be alone long enough to think about it." She finally admitted to her.

Yelena closely observed her and watched as Natasha glanced at the kids that were currently playing soccer. There was a softness in those dark green eyes of hers that piqued Yelena's curiosity. She reached for her beloved vest to put it on. "Did you ever wish for kids?"

The blonde did her best to sound casual as she asked her redheaded sister a sensitive question. Instantly Yelena saw Natasha lower her eyes for the briefest moment.

Natasha cleared her throat, and looked right at Yelena. "You know over the years I'd just tell myself that no. That wishing for kids was foolish. I mean, let's assume that if I was somehow able to have kids, I'd still be a terrible mother." Her voice lowered a bit. "But then there'd be moments, where a side of me that I thought was no longer there appeared, a sort of maternal side."

Yelena blinked, surprised that Natasha was actually being honest about this with her. She also wasn't able to have kids. None of the girls that passed Widow training were able to have kids. It was beyond awful to have an irreversible operation done on you while you were being psychologically manipulated. She still felt anger about that choice being taken away from her, from all the Widows.

Although she didn't get that soft look in her eyes as Natasha did when looking at families, Yelena still felt a sort of longing. She would remember her time in Ohio, back when she had a family, or what she thought had been a real family.

The lyrics from American Pie started to play in Yelena's head. Despite all the time she had been under mind control she was able to remember the lyrics perfectly. She tried pushing the lyrics away and instead thought about what Natasha said. She was definitely intrigued.

"Moments with who?"

Natasha thought of Clint's family but she knew better than to reveal that to Yelena. That was still classified information even if the Avengers already knew about them now. So she said the other person she had come to greatly care for.

"Grace."

"Grace?" Yelena slowly repeated. Her accent was thick and she said the name with a puzzled frown.

"Grace Stark." Natasha elaborated.

Yelena's frown disappeared. She nodded her head. Now she knew exactly who she was talking about. She remembered during her research on the Avengers that Tony Stark did have a daughter and that her name was indeed Grace. So this Grace girl meant something to Natasha. Huh...interesting.

Talking about Grace was bittersweet for Natasha. She didn't exactly get to say a proper goodbye to the Stark girl. It had been rushed, too rushed for her liking given the trust and friendship they had built. Except Natasha couldn't go back. She was on the run now. Not only that but she also reunited with Yelena and learned from her that the Red Room was still very much active. She (they) had unfinished business with the Red Room.

Natasha had no idea when she would Grace again. Or any of the other Avengers she had left behind.

Weeks. Months. Years. Who knows.

She thought back to the last pleasant conversation Natasha had with Grace before the whole airport fight. The fourteen year old had been excited to go with her dad to see who this person was who'd been swinging around Queens in a blue and red onesie. The person was caught multiple times on video, but the most infamous one was of them stopping a speeding car from hitting a bus with their hands. Natasha had seen the video herself and it was impressive.

However it was obvious to her that the person in the video who was wearing the blue and red onesie was on the young side. The final confirmation to that was when she heard his voice at the airport. He definitely was around the same age as Grace. Therefore it made sense why Tony took Grace with him to meet with this Spider person...or Spider-Man as the kid shyly introduced himself as.

It would have been easier to convince him to join Tony's side when there was another young person there. Not that Grace was part of the fighting (thankfully she wasn't) but just having her there would make the introduction less tense.

A part of Natasha, the lighter side, a side that had been growing since becoming a part of the Avengers, hoped that a friendship would blossom between the two kids. The only other friend Natasha ever heard Grace mention was the Osborn boy. Harry. Before that Grace had befriended a girl at the fancy middle school she'd gone to. But the girl ended up being a bully and Grace went back to being home schooled after that.

Grace sadly didn't have much luck in making friends. So Natasha always hoped for the best for the Stark girl when it came to her branching out when it came to her Avenger family. Especially now with the Avengers splitting up. Natasha knew it must have been hard for Grace. The Avengers were a family to her. She wanted there to be some kind of light during this dark time for the teenager.

"You spent a lot of time with her." Yelena suddenly stated.

Natasha nodded her head. A memory popped into her head. "I did. I even went on the run with her once." She shared with Yelena. "Back when Tony gave his address to a terrorist on live TV. He needed someone to take Grace somewhere safe while he handled it."

Yelena took a sip of her beer and then scoffed afterwards. "What a wonderful dad she's got." She commented as if she knew what a wonderful dad was. It wasn't like she had an ideal dad or mom growing up. The closest parents Natasha and her had were Melina and Alexei and look how that turned out.

"Tony has his faults, and believe me the list is endless." Natasha let out a huff. Tony was a lot to handle but that didn't mean he wasn't a good dad. He was probably one of the best dad's she'd ever met. He wasn't perfect, far from it. However she never doubted his love for his daughter. "But when it comes to Grace, he does love her." Natasha earnestly told Yelena. "He'd do anything for her."

"She's someone special to you." Yelena faintly said. She waited for Natasha's reaction, waiting to see how she'd react to that statement. Her reaction wasn't a bad one. It was genuine.

Natasha held her sister's gaze. Her eyes were solemn. "She's special to a lot of people...but yes, she's special to me." Her eyes wandered to where a mother was holding hands with her young daughter. A softness in her dark green eyes appeared. "Having kids isn't a possibility, I know that but….if things had been different I wouldn't have minded having a kid like her."

Yelena could now hear the longing in Natasha's voice and knew saying that to her must have hurt. It must have been a relief as well, keeping something like that to herself.

Their gazes went to the kids that were playing and laughing, having a great time with no concerns. It was supposed to be that way. Kids weren't supposed to have concerns at that age.

"You want to know something?" Yelena finally asked, breaking the silence between them. Natasha looked at her, thinking she was about to share something meaningful.

Yelena pressed the tip of her nose to the top of her beer bottle before releasing a grin. She leaned back and released a sigh. "I want a dog."

Natasha couldn't hold her smile even if she wanted to.