"Good morning Nat, Wanda." It was the next morning and Laura came into the kitchen to the two of them starting breakfast preparations. Natasha monitored eggs in the skillet and Wanda buttered slices of toast as they finished in the toaster. Wanda murmured dobroye utro combined with Nat's stronger English good morning. Laura lowered herself into a chair at the table, "You guys didn't have to make breakfast."
"It's no trouble." Natasha flashed an easy smile in Laura's direction. Despite Laura's words, from the relaxed slope of her bathrobe clad shoulders, Natasha could tell that the other woman was relieved that this task was being taken care of. There was a purplish hue under her eyes indicating the mother had not slept well last night courtesy of Baby Nate's late night feedings. Natasha had anticipated her sleep to be interrupted as well and she had not been wrong, though it had only been briefly when Wanda whimpered and lightly thrashed in her sleep. A few gentle words in her ear helped her settle and they both went back to a peaceful sleep. Change, good or bad, tended to provoke the nightmares for Wanda and their first day on the farm had been quite the change, though Natasha thought it leaned more toward good now.
Yesterday, Wanda had woken up from her nap more alert and marginally more relaxed from when they first arrived when Natasha had gone to retrieve her for dinner. The meal was pizza for the ease of it. And it was a noisy affair with the kids still excited and vying for her attention, as well as Clint and Laura who seemed just as eager to talk with her and Steve, craving adult conversation. Even with the lively commotion, Wanda managed to tell Laura about learning how to cook with Sam and laughed at the stories Clint told about the G-rated parts of missions he shared with Nat then doubly laughed when the Black Widow added her commentary and got drawn into a conversation with Steve, Cooper and Lila about shark facts. Natasha could not help but notice Wanda in her periphery and she was filled with pride and happiness to see Wanda making tentative connections with the people she considered family and were now her family too. It would always be a night she looked back on fondly.
"Really thank you." Laura went on with more gratefulness, "If it were me, we'd be having cereal and I think we're nearly out of-"
"Milk." Steve announced as he came in through the back door with a gallon in each hand, toeing off his running shoes, his cheeks and the tips of his ears pink with cold.
"Oh thanks, Steve. You didn't have to go out for milk. Clint planned on going to the grocery this afternoon." Laura said surprised.
Steve waved her off, "It's no big deal. I was going out on a run anyways and I thought we might need it for breakfast."
"Wait, you ran to the store then ran back with two gallons of milk?"
"Well I didn't want to be uneven." Steve stated as he put one jug in the refrigerator and keep one out to pour himself a glass.
The woman dryly chuckled, "You make breakfast, you run home with milk, what are you super humans?"
There was a funny pause as the master assassin, super soldier, and teenager who could move things with her mind all exchanged glances with one another. Laura blinked when she realized the answer to the offhand question she had posed. Swishing her hand dismissively, the woman scoffed at herself, "Right, forget I asked."
Natasha gave a throaty laugh and Wanda a stifled giggled while Steve kept his amusement at her expense to a small smile. The captain then approached Wanda, reaching into his hoodie pocket, "I got something for you at the store."
"Chto eto?" Wanda asked, some mornings her English was slow, but she corrected herself, "What is it?"
Steve produced a little Missouri license plate key chain with blue block letters spelling out 'WANDA' on it. An amazed grin grew on the teenager's face, "It has my name on it."
"Yeah," The man's expression became pleased at her reaction to it, and she took the small gift from him. "Wanda isn't a very common name in the States, so I was surprised they had one."
Natasha watched the two affectionately as they interacted; they had come far from where their first tenuous contact began. In the beginning, Wanda had a way of watching Steve, not necessarily distrustfully, but more like the way a small animal would regard a much larger one, eyes a little wide with wonderment though still on guard. Now the little witch still gave him a slightly wide-eyed expression, however now it seemed brighter, more like he held her complete admiration-tinged interest. Seeing Steve and Wanda hold hands yesterday, the little witch needing his support and the captain being true to his words in wanting to be there for Wanda, filled Natasha with radiant adoration for them, seeing they were not alone. Steve and Wanda were still themselves though and therefore, still awkward.
"What do I do with it?" The girl held it up by the silver ring in between them.
"Well, ah-" Steve faltered in his explanation, "Well, you usually attach it to a set of keys, but I guess you don't have keys."
The Black Widow swooped in to help them out, "You'll have keys someday, milaya. Until then we can get you phone case that you can put a key ring like that on it. It'll be cute."
Steve looked expectantly at Wanda to see what she thought of the plan. The girl beamed, "I like it. Thanks Steve."
"You're welcome." Steve's chest seemed to expand a bit with mild elation, then he turned to Natasha. "I got you one too, Nat."
He stuck his hand in his other hoodie pocket and pulled out a nearly identical key chain except this one was inscribed with not her name, rather 'NATALIE' the alias that she had used when meeting Tony which he still gave her grief about. She tried to suppress an amused smile and arched an eyebrow at him, "Oh Captain America has jokes now?"
"Depends.. Is it funny, Natalie?" Steve asked with one of his cockier grins.
Natasha looked back to her simmering pan of scrambled eggs to ensure they were not burning and to conceal her mirth, "That's it. Breakfast is for everyone else except Steve."
When she looked back over to him though, Wanda was handing Steve a plate of toast with jelly she had specifically made for him, a triangle of bread already hanging from his mouth. Both looked guiltily at one another through sideways glances then back to Nat. After a beat, the superspy pointed her spatula at Wanda, "Your betrayal has been noted."
"Sorry, Tasha." The girl's green eyes glittered at her.
"Apology accepted." Natasha crumbled instantaneously, even though she was fairly certain Wanda had purposefully given her that look as she went back to buttering toast with a pleased smile. When Steve looked ready to attempt the same trick, the agent added, "Don't even try it, Steve."
The man held up his free hand in surrender and went to sit down at the table with his pre-breakfast breakfast.
"I've got one happy, clean baby for his mother." Clint announced as he entered the kitchen with a babbling Nate, placing the boy in Laura's lap. The woman cooed at her son and Clint greeted everyone else and the morning comfortably pressed on. The two remaining Barton children came downstairs sleepy-eyed and in their pajamas as all the food was being set on the table. They all settled in a similar configuration as last night, however the exuberance and clamor from before was now easy, sporadic conversation as they ate in relative silence. Then Clint and Laura insisted on cleaning up while Nat, Steve and Wanda sat at the table with mugs of coffee for the adults and peppermint tea for the teenager. Natasha held Nate, listening to his happy gurgling and marveling at how big he had already gotten. The woman then caught Wanda looking at the baby with veiled interest.
"Do you want to hold him?" Natasha asked.
Wanda almost nodded but looked to the little boy's parents as if they might contest Natasha's offer. Both Barton's simply smiled encouragingly at her as they dry the last of the dishes. Wanda replied, "Okay.. yes."
Natasha carefully shifted Nate into the teenager's arms, instructing her how to support his head and neck. The baby seemed indifferent to the change as he looked up at Wanda and continued his babbling. The girl looked at him with awe, her hand coming up to let Nate grasp her fingers. As Wanda watched the baby, Natasha watched Wanda. The little witch knew that the baby had her brother's namesake; when Clint had told the girls over the phone they had both shed tears. Nat worried that being near the new tiny person carry on a part of the Sokovian's brother would hurt her, pull her down to a place of sadness. There was a sheen of melancholy to her green eyes, however a content smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"He's so soft." Wanda said eventually, looking up at Natasha with a bigger grin. She simply nodded and gazed at the girl fondly as the baby drop her fingers and start tugging on her hair instead.
"Auntie Nat, will you come play with me now?" Lila reappeared in the kitchen after having been sent off to brush her teeth and change out of her pajamas.
"I thought that we could go out and show Wanda the horses." Natasha gave her an infectiously excited smile, "Sound fun?"
"Okay!" The little girl chirped.
Natasha turned back to Wanda who nodded enthusiastically though it looked erratic because of the grip Nate had on her hair causing her to also swing her head back and forth as he yanked more vigorously than before. The Black Widow laughed and reached over to help disentangle the strands from his chubby fist.
/
Wanda wore her army green parka as she and Natasha walked across the bright, snow-covered field to the spilt-rail fence where the horses moseyed about the white pasture. She grabbed Nat's hand but with excitement as she stopped when the animals came into view. "Like in the pictures."
"Except these ones you can pet, come on." Natasha tugged her along to catch up with Cooper and Lila who had run ahead of them. The Barton kids were already standing on the first rung of the fence whistling and calling for the horses as they joined them. Three of the four started trotting over to them, their hot breath clouding around their noses. Wanda did not immediately go up to the fence while the animals came up and sniffed at the children's pocket that were stuffed with apple slices Laura gave them. Wanda commented, some of her excitement giving way to wariness, "They're very big."
"They are, but they're gentle, see?"
"This is Daisy." Lila giggled, patting the round cheek of a light brown mare with a blonde mane. She pointed at the gunpowder gray stallion with spots dappled on his flanks, "That's Indiana."
"And this is Ripley." Natasha slipped her arm around Wanda, and they stepped up to the fence as she introduced her to the Pinto with white and mahogany patches that came up to them. "I learned how to ride with her, so we're old friends."
The horse huffed with familiarity into Natasha's face. The woman reached up and scratched behind the horse's ear where she knew the horse preferred to say hello. Natasha urged Wanda that it would be all right to touch the animal. Wanda slowly reached out and ran her hand up Ripley's cheek then down her broad neck stopping to scratch a spot that made the horse snort and snuffle into Wanda's chest. The girl's laughter was fluttery and light, Natasha's heart felt like it mimicked the sound. If she did not know any better it seemed like Wanda had communicated with the horse somehow; and she really did not know any better. Before she could ask about it, Wanda looked out into the field and asked, "What's his name?"
Natasha looked out and saw the fourth horse, a glossy black male with a white star on his forehead, had gotten closer and stared at the small group. Lila answered, "That's Nox. He's skit-ish around people."
The little girl stumbled over the word skittish slightly as she tried to repeat what she heard the adults say. The redhead elaborated, "He wasn't treated well where he came from. Just make sure you give him his space and you'll be fine."
She held nothing against the large animal, but she had been around when he bucked, and she did not want Wanda to get hurt or scared by him. The teenager nodded as she watched him trot back and forth like he was keeping an eye on the other horses' safety. Wanda looked back to Ripley and giggled when the horse began nibbling at her coat pocket that were also filled with apples. The kids took the apples out and fed them to the horses. When the treats were gone, the animals hung around to have their velvety noses stroked and receive relieving scratches. Wanda was mesmerized by them, being sure to spend time with each of them, petting and asking questions about them. Her eyes would also flit over to Nox still standing back from the rest and he seemed to be watching the girl back at times.
Next they trudged through the powdery snow to the barn for Wanda to see the rest of the odd-lot animals on the Barton Farm. There was an old dairy cow named Athena, a pair of pigs called Socks and Grumble and a rather noisy donkey dubbed Jellybean Jack by Lila, all equally fascinating to Wanda. The girl was rubbing the cow's forehead when Natasha asked her, "What do you think? Pretty cool, right?"
"Yes, very cool." Wanda agreed. "I've never seen animals like this before, just in pictures."
Moments like this reminded Natasha how little Wanda had experienced in her life and childhood. While most children went to petting zoos and amusement parks and never went to bed hunger, Wanda had no experience with those things. Even when her parents had been alive, their country was savaged by war, the family scraping by with few luxuries if any. And afterward she and her brother only knew things that children should not have to know- bombed-out, concrete streets, a cold cell in a bunker, stomach gnawing with hunger, what it felt like to be electrocuted. It caused an ache in Natasha's chest for the girl. She decided to compile a list of things to do with Wanda to fill her with more good memories, fill them both up with good times to remember her by when the teenager eventually went to the farm permanently.
It was strange. Natasha was the one who took care of Wanda and at the same time it felt as though the girl had given her so much. Thinking about not knowing if she was eating enough or sleeping well or had someone to hold her hand, created a new pain in her chest. Natasha told herself she was being ridiculous; the Barton's would take excellent care of Wanda, providing her with all of that and more. There was no point in getting upset over it now. The spy ignored the fading ache in favor of letting joy grow at the sight of a smile on Wanda's face. When the girl caught her eye though, her smile became tainted with uncertainty as if she could sense something had just been off with Natasha. The agent broadened her smile and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Alright, it's time to head in and warm up. Laura will probably be starting lunch soon." Natasha redirected her thoughts. Lila and Cooper had gone inside a bit ago, not as interested in the animals they could see every day as the little witch was.
"Already?" Wanda asked perplexed.
"Yes, already." Natasha chuckled, "It's after 12:00. We'll be able to come back out later."
Wanda finished stroking the cow and then they went back to the house to get cleaned up for lunch.
Lunch turned into a minor ordeal, that Natasha did her best to smooth over. The teenager had already not been very hungry, but Laura had stricter rules for the kids about eating what was provided. Even though Laura did not say anything to Wanda, Natasha still tried to encourage her to eat the Kraft macaroni and cheese given to her and the other children to adhere to the Barton family rules when normally she would not push her. Wanda was entirely disinterested in the meal however as she stirred the noodles around the bowl, only eating the grapes also provided and tomatoes out of Natasha's salad.
When everyone else had left the table, and only Wanda and Nat remained, the girl still had only eaten a couple bites of the pasta. The woman asked, "What's wrong, milaya? You like mac and cheese."
"It doesn't taste like Sam's." Now that they were alone, the little witch had no issue telling Natasha why she did not want to eat it, wrinkling her nose adorably. Sam made macaroni and cheese from scratch using a recipe that his grandmother had passed down to him, claiming eating any macaroni and cheese out of a box was blasphemy.
Natasha conceded with a rueful smile, "Yeah, it's not as good as Sam's."
Before she could excuse the girl from eating the rest of her meal, Steve came in to get himself a glass of water from the tap. He looked over at the pair of them then the nearly full bowl of mac and cheese, asking nonchalantly, "Are you going to eat that?"
Wanda looked at Natasha questioningly and the woman told her she did not have to eat it if she did not want to. The teenager pushed the dish toward him, "No, I'm finished."
"Great." Steve took her spoon and bowl and happily began scarfing down the assuredly cold noodles, his palette apparently not nearly as discerning as Wanda's. The little witch scrunched her face up more in amused disgust. The Black Widow rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly.
"Do you want anything else to eat?" Natasha inquired, drawing the girl's attention back with tucking her hair behind her ear.
The Sokovian shook her head, "No thank you."
"I've got some work to do." Natasha held up a Stark pad she had brought down with her. "How about you grab your book and join me on the couch."
Wanda agreed and hurried upstairs to get her copy of Pride and Prejudice in Cyrillic that she was reading. The house was unusually silent for the Barton home, a purposeful design as Clint had taken Lila and Cooper to the grocery store with him so Laura could have some peace putting Nate down for his nap. With the quiet lull of the afternoon came an unsurprising bout of sleepiness in the teen. Quickly, Wanda found her way into resting across Natasha's curled up legs, her arms around the woman's waist and head resting on her hip, as she succumbed to sleep, losing her book somewhere in the couch cushions.
They had about an hour of calm before the house began to stir again as Clint and the kids returned, the archer reminding them to be quiet because their brother was sleeping. Steve stood from the armchair he occupied to go help bring the groceries in. Glancing down at Wanda, Natasha confirmed the girl kept dozing undisturbed. Her hand subconsciously started rubbing the flat plane between Wanda's shoulder blades in perhaps an unnecessarily soothing gesture. Nat half listened to the guys putting away the food while she finished signing off on the last report when Lila wandered into the living room.
"Will you play with me now, Auntie Nat?" The little girl asked with a slight whine to her voice.
Natasha smiled regretfully at her niece, speaking in a hushed tone she knew would not rouse the girl in her lap, "I have to finish this report and Wanda fell asleep. When she gets up we'll play."
Lila glowered at this, "But I want to have a tea party. No one will have a tea party with me."
"I will sweetie." Natasha kept her voice even, "In a bit."
"No, Mommy says in a bit and it's never just a bit." Tear drops began falling down Lila's cheek as she began to cry. "I want to play now!"
At that Wanda woke up with a little gasp. The redhead could immediately see something was wrong as she saw something like panic fill her green eyes, her chest starting to heave. Before she could ask what was wrong, the little witch was up and off the couch, rushing up the stairs. Clint heard the commotion from his daughter and came into the living room with a concerned expression, "What's going on?"
"Wanda just got startled that's all." Natasha said on her way out as she followed Wanda, "I'm just going to check on her."
She could not stop to explain why Lila was crying though told the little girl it was okay before she exited and made her way up the stairs. Stepping into their bedroom, Natasha found Wanda pacing with her hands pressed over her stomach as she struggled to control her breathing. "Wanda, what is it? Did you have a nightmare?"
"No, mm.. Tasha, mm.." Was all she could managed to say as she launched herself at the older woman, burying her face in Natasha's neck. Nat could feel Wanda's magic humming insistent over her chest, creeping around her shoulders and partially down her back in a more encompassing way than the girl had previously reached out with it. The glowing, red tendrils felt urgent, like Wanda was making sure she was tangible.
The Russian wrapped her arms tightly around her and spoke softly in her ear, "It's alright. I'm here. Deep breathes, I'm right here, malyshka."
Pressed against Natasha, it did not take long for Wanda to calm down. Her need for the woman ebbed as she relaxed against her, drawing in slow, even breaths against her skin. She ran a hand up and down Wanda's spine, "Better?"
"Da. Better." She teenager mumbled.
Natasha held her back slightly to look at Wanda's face. The girl's eyes were dry, though she looked down to avoid Nat's gaze and her cheeks were flush from the episode and perhaps with a little embarrassment. She pulled them so they sat on the edge of the bed, her arm naturally falling around Wanda's shoulders, "Can you tell me what happened, milaya?"
"I think.. I think it was Lila or Lila's emotions." Wanda still had not looked up at her as she toyed with her fingers while she went on to explain, "She was upset and wanted.. well…"
She gestured to Natasha, "When I woke up, I felt what she was feeling.. I got confused. I'm sorry."
Despite the disjointedness of her sentences, the woman understood what Wanda was trying to say. Lila had wanted Natasha to play with her. Already sensitive to having to share her parents with her new baby brother, when she had effectively told the girl no because she had Wanda occupying her, Lila had gotten more upset than she usually might. Then the little witch had been startled awake and Lila's emotion became entangled in hers, making it feel as though Nat was being taken away from her, an obviously sensitive spot for Wanda given the events of the past few days. Panicked, Wanda had tried to flee from the source of the distress, running from the room and the distraught younger child. It was a perfect, unforeseeable storm. Natasha gave Wanda a little squeeze and kissed her temple, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I know you didn't mean for it to happen."
The Sokovian shrugged and tilted her head to rest on Natasha's shoulder, seemingly a little defeated. After a moment, redhead asked, "How do you feel now? Any more bad feelings?"
"No, I'm alright." She sniffed, "..Is Lila okay?"
"Lila will be fine. I think would help if we went back downstairs so she can see you're not upset." Nat suggested. "If you're ready."
A beat, then the teenager stated, "I'm ready."
"Hey." Natasha prompted the girl to finally look up at her. The Black Widow took a minute to access the girl. She was glad to see all traces of the panic had left Wanda's eyes, though she still appeared uncertain, maybe ashamed of her involuntary response. Resting her forehead against the little witch's, the woman said in Russian, "You're doing well, malyshka. I promise you're doing really well."
Wanda nodded, her nose incidentally nuzzling Natasha's and she released a heavy breath. Nat let her words hang for a moment before pulling back and standing up from the bed with Wanda following suit. They went downstairs and reentered the living room where Lila and Laura were in a similar position she and Wanda had just been in as they sat on the couch together, Laura's arm comfortingly around her daughter. Clint, who sat on her other side, stood when they entered, "Everything okay?"
"We're all good." Natasha gave the room a purposeful, effortless grin.
"Lila, do you have something to say to Wanda?" Laura asked gently.
The little girl was not crying anymore but she sniffled, "Sorry for scaring you Wanda."
The teenager took a small step forward, "It's okay. I'm sorry you felt.. like that."
She continued somewhat timidly, her eyes traveling around the room, "I've never had a tea party before. Maybe I could play too?"
"Really? Yeah!" The little girl's spirits were lifted immediately. All the adults broke out into relieved smiles, and Nat felt a familiar beam of pride for Wanda. Lila hopped up from the couch and scurried over to grab both Natasha's and Wanda's hands, Natasha laughing at her eagerness as the girl dragged them back to the stairs to go to her room.
/
Wanda did her best to contain her laughter at the tea party, but seeing Natasha pretending to talk to a teddy bear name Prince Candy in an exaggerated English accent was too much for her as she giggled behind a teacup. The superspy winked at her when she continued the one-sided dialogue, this time asking a doll named Elsa's opinion on the weather. The woman's levity had Lila grinning too as she held up her cup for all of them to do a little toast. Then they had to do it again because Wanda had to put her pinky up for it.
The good humor made it easier for Wanda to forget having ever been upset in the first place, though not entirely as she tried to overlook the fact that she had not told Natasha the whole truth about the incident, not ready to face the implication of it all. While Wanda had been effected by Lila's emotions, it was not because the girl had wanted Natasha's attention in the moment like she led the woman to believe.
Lila had wanted her mother and Wanda had wanted her Mama as well.