Relief sung in her veins when she finally saw Wanda come into view. She was sprinting through Central Park, listening to FRIDAY direct her down the correct paths and finally she recognized the mass of dark hair and the moss-colored sweater she had been wearing that brought out the green in her eyes. Her relief quickly morphed into anger as she saw the girl was standing with two police officers who had reached out and grabbed her, the girl clearly struggling against their hold. Her blood boiled seeing them handle her so roughly in her opinion and several tactically maneuvers went through her mind as to how she could dispatch the two men. Breaking within earshot she heard Wanda calling out for her, making it feel like her chest was cracking, "Tasha! Tasha!"

"Wanda! I'm here, malyshka! Guys, I got her." The agent shouted back to her then radioed Steve and Sam to let them know she had found Wanda.

"Oh thank god." Sam said while Natasha could hear the sound of tools clattering as he gave up putting his flight suit together.

"Almost there." Steve reported, then added aggravatedly. "I can't get through this traffic."

Natasha only half heard them as her focus narrowed in solely on Wanda. The girl had whirled around at the sound of her voice, "Tasha!"

Finally ripping herself free from the police officers, Wanda ran to Natasha, colliding into her with great force, like magnetics snapping together. Wanda trembled against her, scared and cold. She wanted to get her coat off, internally cursing herself for only grabbing a leather riding jacket, and get it around the girl, but she was pressed so firmly to her that she could not accomplish it. She settled on pulling Wanda tighter into her and trying to get her coat around her as much as she could to protect her from the frigid temperatures. The little witch cried into her neck, Russian spilling from her mouth, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, I want to go home. I'm sorry, Tasha."

Immediately Natasha responded in kind, "It's okay, malyshka. It's alright. We'll go home. I'm so sorry I scared you, sweetheart. It's okay."

The guilt at having sent her into a panic attack made her stomach churn. She knew with Wanda's trauma there would probably be things that could set her off- the nightmares, probably loud noises, and doctors. So the superspy had been careful with censoring movies and other things that may cause her to spiral, trying to create a healing environment for her, so she would not have to be afraid. However, the word 'punishment' had not crossed her mind to add to the list of things to avoid, though it was now at the top of it. It hurt her heart to think about why that word could have caused such fear for her. She was making gentle shushing sounds to Wanda when she was interrupted, "You know this girl?"

Natasha looked up and saw the police officers had approached them. Glowering, she snapped, "What do you think, imbecile?"

She was surprised when her words came out tinged with a Russian accent, she had not spoken with an accent since she was probably 5-years-old. She said in a more controlled tone, "Yes, I'm her guardian."

"I don't want to go to the hospital." Wanda stated suddenly, nuzzled pleading into her neck.

With renewed alarm the Black Widow asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She had not seen any obvious injuries before Wanda had dived into her arms but perhaps she had somehow been hurt during her inadvertent teleportation. She attempted to hold the girl at a distance to see but she clung tight, and Natasha had to ask again, "Are you hurt, milaya?"

"No, but they said I had to go." The teenager said into her collarbone. Her gaze turned sharply to the officers once again. Why would they take her to the hospital if she were not injured? Wanda knew that she lived in the Avengers Tower and therefore knew where to ask to be taken to, a place that practically everyone in New York would roughly know where it was located. Her daggered expression was enough to sufficiently cow the tall, thin officer who avoided her stare, but the shorter man took half a step forward with a put-on bravado.

"Ma'am, do you have any sort of documentation for this child?"

Natasha's ire increased. This was her child, under her care and she would be damned if these men would question her about it. She tucked Wanda more into her side, trying to create some distance in between the girl and the officers while also thinking of the ways she could take the men down with Wanda attached to her, of which there were many. It did not come to that thought as another voice joined their little gathering, "Nat! Wanda!"

Steve came barreling over to them with no regard to the tension building between Natasha and the policemen, just concern for Wanda. He immediately took off his coat and wrapped it around the girl though it was big enough that it covered both Wanda and partial Natasha, the spy feeling his comforting, residual warmth in the fabric. Feeling fortified by his presence, the woman said with sincere appreciation, "Thanks, Steve."

"Is she okay?" Steve placed a hand on her back and hovered his other over Wanda's, apparently not certain if she wanted him to touch her and unwilling to startle the girl.

"She's okay." Natasha breathed out, pressing her nose into girl's hair and rocking them from side to side for a moment, getting back to feeling the relief she felt now that Wanda was back with her and slotted snugly against her. She was not shivering as much, but Natasha remembered her exposed lower extremities and knew she should get her warm and dry as soon as possible before the cold did permanent damage or made her sick. She asked Steve urgently, "Where is the SUV? Her feet. We need to get her out of the cold."

He pointed back in the direction from where they came. "Double parked. I passed your motorcycle on sidewalk on my way in."

"Holy shit, it is Captain America." The mustached officer stared with a sense of awe at the man. Reminded of their continued presence Natasha's eyes shot over to the police, her expression darkening once again. Steve must have immediately sensed or seen her distaste for them and easily stepped in, putting himself between the officers and Natasha holding Wanda he said in an even, commanding tone, "Thank you for your assistance officers. We'll take it from here."

"Yes, of course. Sorry sir." The man dipped his head in recognition to the Captain. Natasha wanted to be annoyed that they were so quick to concede to Steve, and she was, but she was also grateful for it if it meant the could just get Wanda out of there. The officer went on, "When the kid said she lived at the Avengers Tower.. Well, we thought she needed a psych eval."

"She is with us. We just want to get her home." Steve confirmed and Natasha could not be bothered with their ineptitude anymore. Wanda settled against her as if resigned that she would be standing there longer and while she did not seem as upset she had clearly checked out. God, she needed to get her out of there. Ignoring the officers, she addressed Steve again, "Steve, can you carry her to the car?"

Steve offered another quick thank you to the men and turned to the ladies. He said in a low, doubtful voice, "Will she let me?"

"I could do it, but you can a lot quicker. I want to get her out of the cold." She insisted. When he still gave her an uncertain look, Natasha reassured him, not allowing for discussion, "It will be fine.. Malyshka, Steve is going to carry you to the car, okay?"

This drew her out of her disinterested stated. Nat felt her fingers twist deeper in the fabric of her shirt where the girl gripped her as she whined, "No.. No, please."

"Wanda, he can get us to the car faster. You know you're safe with Steve too, yeah?" The woman reached around to stroke Wanda's hands, encouraging them to relax. She carefully tugged and shifted the girl until she was farther away from her body and Steve slid in behind her. With a little nod to give him the go ahead, Steve promised, "We'll be real quick kiddo."

Before she could protest anymore, he picked her up and away from Natasha and began jogging down the path. The Black Widow eased out into a run in front of them, hoping that if Wanda could see her she would not be as distraught, but the girl still cried for her as they made there way back through the park with the thought to take her from Steve following her steadily as they went. However, while Wanda wept she appeared relaxed against Steve, so she kept moving. Outside the entrance of the park, they came across the motorcycle Natasha had ridden over on where she had simply dropped it on the sidewalk in her rush to get to Wanda. When the woman went to the bike, Wanda noticed and more earnestly cried and called out for her. Realizing the girl thought she was going to take the motorcycle back instead of traveling with her, she hurriedly gave FRIDAY the instruction, "FRIDAY, autopilot the bike back to the Tower."

"Yes, Agent Romanoff." The AI said and Natasha continued to the SUV that was blocking a lane of traffic, causing people to honk and swear at them. Fortunately, the New York City police seemed to be having an off day and no one had come to disturb or tow the vehicle. She let herself into the back of the car and shuffled across the seat to allow for Steve to set the sobbing Wanda next to her. Almost as soon as Wanda could curl into Natasha's side the girl began to calm down. Her crying reducing to whimpers then to just a few sniffles as she rubbed her cheek against the woman's shoulder.

Steve climbed into the driver's seat, and in his affable patience turned to offer Wanda a smile, "See? Piece of cake."

As he started the car and got the heater going on full blast, Natasha pulled her legs over her lap, "Let me see your feet, baby."

She tugged off Wanda's wet socks and let them fall to the floorboard with a wet plop. Her feet were ice cold and a shocking shade of red that Natasha did not like. She went to work rubbing her warm hands over the aggravated skin, gently massaging them to get the blood flowing healthily through her feet once again. As she did so, she hummed the Russian lullaby that she tended to use with Wanda, a steady, rich melody, and the little witch relaxed more heavily against her. The girl began trying to get her face into Natasha's neck, but the angle was awkward since her hips had to be farther away from Nat for her feet to lie in her lap. Considering her feet sufficiently warmed for now, and she would get Wanda into a warm bath once back at the Tower, Natasha helped lift her so she could sit on the seat between her legs. Wanda inhaled deeply with contentment once able to get into the position she wanted, and Natasha pulled Steve's coat from around her shoulder to lay over her legs and feet.

Letting Wanda rest for the trip home, Natasha also took a minute to gather herself, carding her fingers through Wanda's hair in a motion that was soothing to Wanda and herself. Her adrenaline faded, leaving her feeling collapsed as Wanda. It took a while for Steve to steer them through the rush hour traffic but finally they pulled into the Avengers garage. Steve hopped out to open their car door, looking at Natasha questioningly to see if he should carry Wanda again, but she could feel the girl trying to somehow burrow farther into her. Nat announced for them, "I can get her upstairs."

She slid out of the car with the little witch cradled in her arms and carried her to the elevator. Steve stayed with them, a quiet and steady presence as he hit the button to summon the elevator then the one for the residence, so Natasha could keep her hold on Wanda. When they stepped out into the living room, Steve intercepted Sam who rushed at them to check on the teenager. She could hear him explaining that Wanda was fine, just a little shaken up, and he did not need to stay any longer. Sam seemed to be objecting but Steve insisted that he could go be with his family and they appreciated him staying to help. Natasha would call or send him a text later to thank him as well.

She took Wanda directly to her own bedroom then through to her bathroom. Wanda's bathroom only had a shower stall with no tub so she would use hers to draw the girl a warm bath. She set her on the closed toilet, "Wait here, I'm going to fill the bath to warm you up."

The Sokovian did not listen though and when Nat moved away she followed closely behind. The woman did not say anything just took off her coat and started preparing the water with Wanda hovering behind her. When it was ready, she turned and helped Wanda put her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head to keep it dry and then out of her wet clothing, sending a new wave of shivers through her body. But she quickly helped the girl lower herself into the warm tub to help stop her quaking, "You'll soak in here for a bit. I'm going to go-"

However before she could finish her sentence, Wanda's hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist as she asked tremulously, "No, please stay."

Natasha looked at the hand around her wrist, then at the watery, green eyes looking pleadingly at her. She knew this could be a problem in the making if Wanda now required her presence constantly. It was obviously unsustainable for her to always be with Wanda and continually allowing this behavior would only worsen future separation anxiety for the girl. Looking back, Natasha realized there were probably signs she should have seen to alert her to the potential issue. First and foremost was her obvious preference for Natasha, however she had definitely started to warm up to the rest of the team.

She had also seen Wanda's lack of understanding object permanence. When she found something she liked, the teenager would carry it around with her everywhere. First it had started with Little Women. Even after they had finished reading it, Wanda carted it around with her. Then The Hobbit got added to the pile, then a couple of her favorite issues of National Geographics, then Natasha found Wanda had been carrying around the sunglasses she had bought for her in her pockets. It was at that point Natasha showed her she could put her things in her room, and no one would bother them. She and Wanda put her things in the drawer of her nightstand for safe keeping and storage; the girl had checked in on her possessions right before bed every night for a while until she started to realized that they were not going anywhere.

So the Black Widow knew she should tell Wanda she could take a bath on her own, that it would be all right, but truthfully Natasha was not ready to deal with it, not when Wanda looked up at her with a strangely heartbroken expression she did not quite understand, and she caved too easily. The spy sunk to the floor next to the tub, fortunately kept impeccable clean, and maneuvered her hand to instead be interlaced with Wanda's. The Sokovian curled into the side of the tub instead of leaning back into the end of it, like she would if she were to lie against Natasha's side. They were silent for a few minutes before Wanda timidly broke it.

"I'm sorry." Her small voice floated up from the tub.

Natasha brushed a lock of her hair that had not stayed up in her bun behind Wanda's ear with her unoccupied hand, "It's okay, milaya. I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to scare you, baby… Can you tell me why it happened?"

"They-" Wanda rested her forehead against Natasha's arm on the edge of the tub and started again, "They hurt us. At the orphanage, they hit with sticks. And at Hydra if we did not comply they did things, but mostly they would electrocute us. The electricity was.. terrible. I couldn't think or do anything, it even stopped my powers. It was just pain. When you said…"

Wanda trailed off and Natasha knew she was thinking of punishment, unable to say the word as if it were a curse that would send her off again. The woman interceded on her behalf, "It's alright, milaya. I understand."

"I just thought of before and I panicked. I tried to tell myself it would not be that, but I could not stop it, I lost control and, I'm sorry." Wanda finished with a few tears leaking from her eyes though they quickly stopped.

"Malyshka, it's not your fault. Do you know what PTSD is?" Natasha asked and Wanda shook her head no. "Post-traumatic stress disorder. It means you've had very traumatic experiences and your mind and body is experiencing it again even though you might logically know you are in a safe place. Anxiety, bouts of depression, nightmares, flashbacks- sound familiar?"

When the girl nodded she continued, "You're having a physiological response to things that remind you of the bad stuff that has happened. It takes time, but your body will adapt, and those symptoms will fade, maybe not entirely. But you'll get better.."

"Sweetheart, can you look at me?" Natasha then asked gently, and Wanda raised her head to stare at her. Natasha wiped an errant teardrop from her cheek and went on, "You know I would never do anything to hurt you, right Wanda?"

"I know." She responded immediately, her lips coming to rest against Natasha's forearm as she rested her chin on the edge of the tub. She said it with a certainty that filled the Black Widow with sweet relief. Of course she had been telling Wanda that the whole ordeal had been due to her trauma, but a part of her thought that perhaps it had simply been Natasha herself that she was afraid of, that the Red Room had not only removed her ability to have children, but also removed her capacity to care for one. That all she could ever be was the monster in the dark incapable of nurturing a child, and not the one to frighten the monsters away. But here was Wanda, pleading for her to stay, trust oozing from the innocent expression on her face, and she thought maybe that was not true. Natasha smiled at her with genuine affection for a moment before going on.

"Good, because me and Steve and the rest of team would never hurt you. It's our job to keep you safe now. When I said there would be consequences for talking disrespectfully and using your powers like that, I meant you would be grounded or have to do extra chores." They had not required Wanda to do much in the way of chores, especially since they did not do many chores with most things automatically taken care of by FRIDAY. She went on with slight authority in her tone, "In the future if you don't use your words instead of acting out there will be a consequence, do you understand?"

"Yes.." Wanda answered then added, sounding worried, "What is grounded?"

"It just means you can't go anywhere, and things like TV and cell phone would be restricted." Natasha actually had very little idea of what that would look like for Wanda seeing as she was hardly a normal teenager.

"Where couldn't I go? I don't have a phone." The girl sounded less nervous and now more confused as she pushed for more clarification.

"We'll have a phone delivered here first thing tomorrow for you." Natasha assured her though she obviously would not be immediately taking it from her, especially because she wanted the girl to be able to contact her in case anything like this ever happened again, "Maybe not grounding. We could come up with some chores for you to do- cleaning the bathroom, dishes duty for the week, something like that. Don't worry about it now, milaya. You're not in trouble. I'll figure it out and we can discuss it later."

She should have a conversation with Clint and Laura about it since they would ultimately be responsible for Wanda and she said as much to the girl, "I'll talk to Clint and Laura too."

At the mention of the Barton's, the shift in the Sokovian's mood was instantaneous, her gaze turning down with tears gathering around her lashes and lips turning into a trembling pout. Natasha watched over her apprehensively as she started to stroke along Wanda's hairline, "Why does going to the farm upset you so much, sweetheart? You can talk to me."

"Because" Wanda croaked out, "I don't want you to leave me at the farm. I'm not ready to stay there. I want to stay with you. I'm sorry."

By the end of her statement, she was sobbing and pressing her face into Natasha's arm. The woman rested her head against Wanda's, using her other hand to tenderly hold her the best she could given their awkward position. She surprised by how adamant the girl's emotions were, but rushed to explain, "Oh malyshka, I'm not leaving you there. We're just going to a visit for Christmas. Nate is still very young, and we need to work on controlling your powers before you go and stay full time. We'll go for a couple weeks then the Compound upstate will be ready, and we'll go live there to start your training after the holidays, okay?"

"I can stay with you?" Wanda looked up again, a bit of hope leaking into her words.

"Yes, baby. I wouldn't take you and leave you without talking to you about it first. When the time comes, we will discuss it and make sure you are ready. And I'll probably come out to stay for a few weeks to help you get used to living there." Natasha reflected on their conversation from earlier that had gone so wrong, understanding how her words could have easily been misconstrued and a small pang of guilt returned. It must have seemed like she was just being callously shipped off with no warning.

"What about Steve? He will be alone if we go to the farm." Wanda rubbed at her nose.

Natasha took the sleeve of her sweater and wiped down the girl's face as she said with a small grin, "Steve is invited too. I haven't talked to him about it yet but I'm sure he'll come along. You can ask him."

She threw in a wink and Wanda actually smiled for a second before starting to chew on her lip, "When I do go to the farm, can I still see you?"

"Of course, milaya." The woman said vehemently, squeezing her hand. "I'll come and visit every chance I get, and you will come out to New York and train sometimes too I'm sure."

It would not be the same Natasha knew. At least for her it felt like she would miss the girl constantly and terribly while Wanda would flourish under Laura's more motherly affections and Clint helped her gain confidence and she would gain some semblance on peace out on the homey farmhouse and under the big country sky. It was bittersweet but it would be the best for Wanda, even if the little witch appeared hesitant about it now. "You know the farm is one of my favorite places to be. It's very beautiful and quiet out there, especially around Christmas when everything is covered in snow. We can make a snowman and decorate the tree and there are the horses."

"Horses?" Wanda became interested and Natasha smiled knowingly.

"Yes, horses. Like from your magazine except they are tame. In the springtime we can go back, and I can teach you how to ride them if you want." One of Wanda's favorite National Geographics was about wild horses on the North American Plains. That and an issue about a reclusive tribe of people from the Amazon Rainforest, and her more recent addition of one about sharks that she had been carrying with her earlier that Natasha would make sure got back into her possession.

Still looking contemplative, Natasha offered, "Wanda, if you really don't want to go we won't go. But I think you'll like it."

"What if I have a bad dream?" Her cheeks pinkened a bit at her question.

"You can share my room with me the whole time we're gone." Sharing a bed with Natasha proved to greatly diminish her nightmares.

"And I'll come back with you?" Wanda asked one more time.

"You'll come back with me." She nodded resolutely.

Finally the girl nodded in agreement, "I would like to go, just for Christmas."

"Just for Christmas." Natasha smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry about moving out there. We can talk about it when you're more ready."

Wanda nodded placing her cheek against Natasha's arm again and after a moment, fat tears began rolling down her face once again. It felt like Wanda had been placated, so they seemed out of the blue. She reached up and cupped her exposed cheek, brushing away the droplets as they came and she worried over her, "What's wrong, malyshka?"

The girl sniffled a little for a minute before simply asking, "Can I get out now?"

"Yes, you can get out." But Natasha looked over her, trying to decipher the reason for the tears. She had not been as upset as before, just a quiet display and they were ending now, so she guessed it was probably one last wave of emotion that needed to be purged from her system. Still she pressed, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Wanda gave one last sniff.

"Okay," Natasha swiped at any last remnants of tears. If something was bothering her, Wanda did not seem ready to talk about it. She would give her some time and space and check in with her later, "I'll go get you some clothes while you dry off."

She went to stand however was halted by the girl tightening her grip on Natasha's hand. She looked over to see fear filling Wanda's eyes. Placing her other hand overtop their clasped ones, the woman said softly but firmly, "You have to let go, sweetheart. It will be okay."

When the witch showed no sign of letting go Natasha tried to reason with her, "Do you remember what it felt like? Right before you teleported away?"

"I don't want to teleport ever again." Wanda declared with a bit of alarm in her voice.

"Alright," Natasha knew that was not practical, and she would rather the girl learn how to use the power so something like this would not happen again. She figured Wanda knew that too despite her claim otherwise. The agent put that in a future problem category, "We can talk about that later. But do you feel like that? Like you might teleport?"

After a moment of consideration, Wanda shook her head no. Smiling encouragingly Natasha continued, "See? You're not going anywhere. And when you do feel like that or like you might teleport, I promise I won't let go, okay? But you know we can't always be touching, right?"

Natasha waited and eventually Wanda nodded. "Okay, let's go."

The Black Widow pressed a kiss to her forehead before helping her to stand, then getting a towel wrapped around her and assisting her out of the tub. "I'll be right back. You can wait on the bed."

With that Natasha stepped away, half expecting another objection, but one never came, so she kept heading out, quickly slipping over to Wanda's room. She went to the girl's dresser but found herself staring blankly instead of immediately opening it. She rested her hands on the wooden surface, trying to gather herself. Natasha was so focused on Wanda that when she was finally alone the woman suddenly felt overwhelmed by the possibilities of what could have happened to the girl, how hurt she could have been and the unthinkable possibility that they could have lost Wanda forever.

"Hey, how's Wanda?" Steve was suddenly in the doorway causing Natasha to whip around, wiping her eyes where she knew tears had formed. The man looked startled but rapidly regained his composure, his concern turning to Natasha.

"Are you okay?" He asked but she could not answer him, her hand coming up delicately to cover her trembling lips. Pausing for only another second, Natasha watched as his uncertain expression switched to something more decisive. Steve came forward, putting his arms around Natasha as she gladly fell against his broad chest. She let out a few shuddering sobs with tears dropping from her eyes, trying to release the emotions but also trying to keep some composure knowing she had to get back to Wanda.

She said all of her fears into his chest, "God, Steve, what if she had gotten hurt, landed in traffic? Or what if we hadn't found her? What if she had ended up in the middle of the ocean?"

"That didn't happen Nat. You got her back." Steve held her a little stronger as he reassured. "I know we don't understand much about her powers, but they seem to have some basis of self-preservation. I don't think those things would have happened."

"I know." Natasha acknowledged a little breathily. "That was just…"

"Scary?" He supplied.

She gave a short laugh, "Yes, scary is one word for it."

"What was it that set her off in the first place?" Steve wondered, probably so he could avoid the same mistake in the future.

"Clint called and invited us out to spend Christmas with the family. I told Wanda, but she misunderstood and thought I was going to leave her at the farm now, which made her act out. She was already upset then got triggered when I brought up punishment for her behavior. It's my fault." The spy explained, having to force out her words through her sadness at the end.

"It's not your fault, Nat. She has not been with us long so there is bound to be some miscommunication. Wanda knows you care for her." Steve said firmly.

Natasha decided to accept his sentiment, and she relaxed marginally as she changed the topic, "You're invited to the farm too. Wanda will probably ask you; she was concerned you would be spending Christmas alone."

"I'd love to be there for Wanda, and you." The statement hung between them as they lapsed into silence. The Black Widow allowed herself another moment of comfort enveloped in Captain America's arms. He felt so solid and steadfast against her, Steve with his shy smile and golden heart. Reluctantly she pulled away, "I need to get back Wanda."

She used both her hands to wipe underneath her eyes, taking a deep calming breath. Steve let his arms fall away, "Of course. I can go try and rustle us up some dinner. I think I can manage grilled cheeses and tomato soup."

"Sounds perfect." Natasha smiled at him as he seemed to tentatively turn away.

"Steve." She stopped him from going him a hand on his forearm. Steve looked down at her expectantly but instead of saying anything she reached up to place her other arm around his neck to pull him down to her as his large hand slid to her lower back pulling her into his torso again. He followed the motion eagerly as their lips came together in a simple kiss. However, its simplicity did not dampen the warm, glowing feeling that blossomed in Natasha's chest. When they parted Steve had on the most adoring smile. Natasha stared up at him through her eyelashes, something she had done a hundred times with a hundred different marks that it almost felt strange to be doing it honestly with no ulterior motive. She finished her thought, "I'm glad it's you here."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." He said sincerely as they gaze at each other.

"Steve." Natasha finally said.

"Yes."

"I have to go." She gave him a teasing smile and he immediately let her go.

The tips of his ears turned a little pink, but his grin did not fade, "Right, I'll go start dinner."

Natasha watched him go then turned back to her task at hand. She grabbed clothing for Wanda and hurried back over to the girl. The Sokovian was sitting on the edge of her bed in a towel and said to her breezily, "Here we go."

She gave Wanda the clothing to put on, warm sweatpants and a fleece pullover. Once she was dressed, Natasha directed her to sit back down, "Let me see your feet, milaya."

The girl did as she was asked while Natasha knelt in front of her and inspected them for any lasting damage from the cold. They were a little pink but looked good and felt warm to the touch now. Still she put her hand on her hip and said with feigned seriousness, "I don't know, milaya. Looks like we'll have to have these removed."

She let an impish smirk come across her face and Wanda returned it with her own little smile. She practically rolled her eyes at the woman as she said with her own exaggerated exasperation trying to mask her amusement, "Tasha.."

"Can you feel this?" Natasha ran a finger up the sole of her one foot causing the girl to try and jerk her foot back as she giggled at the tickling sensation.

"Tasha, no." Her smile and laughter and almost act like a teenager made her antics worth it.

"No, you can't feel it? Should I test again?"

"No, Tasha, I can feel it." Wanda said quickly and giggled more in anticipation.

"Okay, you can keep them for now." The woman said with mock reluctance as she pulled the thick socks she had still been holding onto the girl's feet. She rose to her own feet and offered Wanda her hand, "I know I said Thai tonight but it's getting late, so Steve will make us some grilled cheese sandwiches. We can get the curry tomorrow, sound good?"

"Sounds good.." Wanda repeated then said thoughtfully, "Tasha?"

"Yes?"

"I can help with the dishes."

Natasha beamed at Wanda thinking, there's my sweet girl. The Wanda who liked cooking with Sam and worried that Steve would spend Christmas alone, and sometimes just needed to hold Natasha's hand. She put an arm around the little witch and began to lead her out of the room, "Sure milaya, you can help with the dishes."