"You didn't dent the Lambo on your way in did you?" Tony Stark approached them in the spacious, modern foyer of his Malibu mansion. "FRIDAY, report."
"The Lamborghini is unscathed, boss." The AI announced.
"Alright, you can stay for now, but I'm watching you." The billionaire feigned suspicion.
Steve ignored the empty threat and stepped toward him with his hand outstretched to greet the man, "Hey, Tony. How are you?"
"Can't complain, Cap. And yourself?"
"I'm good." He responded briskly. "Nice weather we're having."
"Indeed, and Clinton." Steve stepped aside she Tony could next shake the archer's hand. "Good to see you. I see you've added another mini-agent."
"Yup, that's Nate. You remember my wife Laura, and Lila and Cooper." He pointed to each respective child. Now that they had been addressed, the kids started to speak. Cooper asked eagerly, "Can we see your Iron Man suit? Can I wear your helmet?"
"Depends, who's your favorite Avenger?" Iron Man asked.
"Captain America."
"Auntie Nat."
"Hm, well, there's no accounting for taste." He turned his attention to the youngest Barton child babbling in his mother's arm, "I suppose your favorite Avenger is Dada?"
"Actually I think it's Wanda." Laura laughed. Nate had developed a bit on an affinity for the teenager during their visit, and Wanda liked the pure, snuggly baby even though their relationship mostly consisted of him pulling her hair.
Tony swiveled to Clint, "Wow, how does it feel to be betrayed by all of you children?"
"I'll survive." Hawkeye chuckled.
"Not everyone has a pathological need to be the center of attention all the time, Tony." Pepper Potts made her presence know as she descended the curved staircase.
"Really? Can't relate." Tony replied glibly. Wanda watched all of this unfold from behind Natasha's shoulder, tightly holding onto the woman's hand and her magic vibrating in between their clasped palms as she took care to keep it concealed.
Wanda, Natasha, Steve and the Barton's had left the snow-covered farmhouse in Missouri early in the morning and landed in front of the biggest house Wanda had ever seen in sun-soaked California in the afternoon. Her nerves were a bit frayed at this point, her empathic abilities were out of control today. Her anxiety, the kids' bubbling excitement, Steve's gentle concern, Clint's caffeine craving and now Tony's tense apprehension all clashed within her, focusing on Natasha was the only thing that helped. While the Black Widow harbored some worry for the situation, or the possibility of a situation arising, she also felt the steadiest of the group. And it was less worry and more of an attentiveness that helped center Wanda, letting her know that whatever happened she would be taken care of.
Ms. Potts was greeting everyone now, kissing Steve on the cheek, being introduced to Laura and the children and cooing at Baby Nate, then coming up to Natasha.
"Hey Nat, how was your Christmas?" The woman with strawberry blonde hair gave the agent a half hug since Wanda stayed firmly attached to her other arm.
"Wonderful. How about yours?" Natasha grinned easily at her and the little witch could sense their friendship.
"Really good but quiet. We're looking forward to celebrating with everyone."
"Same.. Pepper, you remember Wanda." The woman pulled her closer by the hand, "Milaya, this is Pepper Potts. Do you remember her?"
"Yes, hello.. Thank you for having me." She tried to project solidly and politely.
"We're glad you could come. You look very well, Wanda." The teenager noticed that Pepper had kind eyes.
"Thank you. I.. I feel well." Wanda said, nodding with confirmation.
The older woman smiled brightly at her, "Good. Well, I suppose you all would like to settle and maybe get changed. Nat, FRIDAY had some warm weather clothes delivered for you and Wanda and are already in your room. Same for you Steve."
While the Barton's had a few suitcases, and a shocking amount of baby paraphernalia, Wanda, Tasha and Steve had left most of their stuff on the jet with new sets of clothes waiting for them, so they did not have to detour to New York City. Outside it had been too hot, but inside the Sokovian felt comfortable in her leggings and SHIELD sweater. Ms. Potts continued, "Then we can make some lunch if you're all hungry. Something easy like sandwiches."
"Sounds great." Nat confirmed and the rest agreed.
The group spilt off into two. Tony took Clint, Laura and the kids in one direction and Pepper led the other three in the opposite direction. Wanda listened as Pepper gave them a brief tour as they walked to the corridor they would be staying in, trying to commit it all to memory in case she needed the information- kitchen was through there, behind that door was a bathroom, this hallway had the library where Vision had taken up residence while he stayed with them. The teenager stared down the hallway, seeking out the android's presence but she did not feel him in the house. She wanted to ask after him but could not pluck up the courage to interrupt the adults' chatter. Since Vision had departed to the Compound upstate, Wanda had not thought of him often she realized with a bit of guilt. He had been kind enough to watch over Pietro's grave while she had been reading books and making spaghetti dinners and watching movies.
It's your fault. Why should you get to live while we had to die? The taunting words from her faded nightmares said in her brother's voice rose up, adding to the cacophony in her head.
Do you really think Pietro blames you? Do you think he'd want you to carry that pain and guilt? Natasha's voice soothed over everything in her mind.
Wanda took a deep breath and in her own voice thought, Pietro would want me to be happy and healthy. It's not my fault.
It's not your fault, malyshka.
"Are you with me, milaya?" Natasha stood in front of her with a wrinkle of worry in her brow. Wanda saw they were alone in the light, spacious bedroom. Steve was across the hall in his room and Pepper had left them to get settled while she had been lost in thought.
Nodding, the witch shook off the remnants of her doubt, "Yes, sorry. I was thinking."
"About anything in particular?" In seemingly synchronized movements Wanda stepped into Natasha, resting her head on the woman's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her as Natasha pulled her in and held her close.
"No. I'm okay." Wanda declared quietly, and she was now that everyone except for Tasha was at a distance.
"Alright.." The Black Widow changed the subject for her. "Do you want to see the ocean?"
Wanda lifted her head and nodded with bright interest. Natasha smiled back, matching her brightness. She led Wanda over to gauzy, white curtains let stretch completely across one of the walls and drew them back. Behind them the wall was completely compromised of windows, and they stood in front of a sliding glass door to a little balcony. And beyond the balcony was a swath of a deep, glimmering blue that met the pale sky. Then Natasha slid the door open and a warm, salt breeze grazed her face. She followed Tasha out to the balcony for a better look. Resting her elbows against the railing, Wanda could see down a craggy cliff face that dropped into a pearly, sandy beach. Wave churned white and frothy where the sea met the land then continued an endless blue sparkling in the sunlight.
"Wow.." She gazed in total wonderment.
"Yeah, wow." Natasha repeated, her arm wrapping around Wanda's shoulder. The minutes floated by on the wind for a moment before Tasha gave her a quick squeeze, "Come on. We'll go down to the beach later. Let's get changed and get some food."
Quickly taking inventory of what clothes had been bought, Natasha gave Wanda a black pair of running shorts that made her legs look long and coltish and a loose, red t-shirt. The Black Widow looked a little different in a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt, but the teenager like the casualness from it, Natasha's aura seeming to adopt its relaxed appearance. Before they could head back out to the kitchen, the woman had Wanda apply sunscreen to her exposed skin despite them not going outside yet. The spy monitored to make sure she did not miss any spots on her legs and gently held her chin to rub in some stripes of lotion she missed when apply it to her face, leaving the girl smelling lightly, and Wanda thought pleasantly, of coconut. Right before they went to join everyone for lunch, Wanda threw her SHIELD sweater back on hoping it would help retain some of her comfort.
In the kitchen though the grating buzz emitting from the others resumed and Wanda could not be as near Tasha as she preferred while the woman helped assemble the meal. Her gaze trailed after the woman as she sat at the kitchen island and Nat moved about the kitchen with Pepper and Clint.
Then Vision finally made his appearance, having returned from walking on the beach. He greeted them courteously and was introduced to Laura and the kids; Lila and Cooper for once quieted as they stared at the unique red man. Wanda wondered if everyone looked different in California, since Vision too appeared more at ease in a gray long sleeved shirt, light linen pants and brown loafers. His eyes lingered kindly on her when he said hello to her, and she smiled shyly at him. Her interest was renewed in Vision, and she wanted to speak with him, however he declined having lunch with them, explaining he did not need sustenance, and excused himself to sit in the open living room.
"Do you want a sandwich, milaya?" Natasha interrupted her thoughts.
"No." Wanda shook her head.
"Salad?" She prompted instead.
"Yes, please.. And hummus and pita?" Wanda looked at the myriad of food on the kitchen counter.
"We have hummus and carrots. I don't know about pita."
"I think we have some pita chips in here." Pepper said, having overheard them, and disappeared into the pantry to look and Natasha thanked her.
"Tasha, can I go talk to Vision?" Wanda asked suddenly.
The woman blinked at her but smoothly replied, "Sure sweetheart, just until lunch is ready."
Hopping down from her stool, the little witch wandered into the living room where Vision sat on the couch with a book. The android set it aside as she approached and took a seat on the cushion next to him. "Hello, Wanda."
"Hi Vision."
"I'm happy to see you looking so well. You appear much healthier than from when I last saw you." It was one of them things people generally implied and did not say so bluntly, but Wanda found herself smiling a little as it came from the android.
"Thanks, I feel better." She added, "I like your clothing."
"Yes, I took what you said into consideration. This apparel is far more comfortable for everyday activities. Thank you." Vision spoke formally making the teenager muffle her giggling at him. He then asked, "How was your holiday?"
"Very good. Very special." She reported wistfully and returned the question to him the way Natasha had inquired to Pepper, "How was yours?"
"Pleasant. It's my understanding that people spend time with their families on these occasions. I myself don't have a family, but Ms. Potts insisted I spend it here.. I apologize for not attending to your brother's grave during my absence from the Compound as promised."
"That's okay." Wanda claimed sincerely, "I'm glad you did not spend Christmas alone. I'm.. glad we can spend time together now."
"I feel the same." The man pulled back his lips and showed his teeth in an unpracticed smile and she gave him her own slightly uncertain one.
She chewed on her lip then, becoming more serious as she slowly began to express what she had been thinking about telling him, "I wanted to say thank you for saving my life when the city was falling. I don't think I was appropriately grateful before, so thank you."
Wanda had not been grateful at all the last she spoke to him and had actually been quietly enraged at the android for stealing her away from joining her brother in death. Things were different now though. Some of the grief had lifted and Wanda had Tasha and Steve and the others. She had people now, and while they could not replace the ones she lost, they were just as good. Vision shook his head as he replied, "You don't need to thank me for that.. I think that if something were to happen to you, it would feel something like how you showed me your emotions for your brother. I apologize if that is strange for you."
"It is not strange.. but I need more time." Wanda could not articulate how she felt about the man just yet, but she knew he could be important to her, was important to her in a way she could not define. She did not have those feelings for him, and Wanda sensed it was the same for Vision. But there was a connection, almost like that of hers and Pietro's, the twins born together of the same blood and bone, while the witch and the android were born together in a way through the Mind Stone, making them feel intrinsically linked.
"That's alright. Take all the time you need." He nodded in serene understanding.
"Wanda, time to come eat." Natasha called for her and the girl automatically rose from the couch at the sound of the woman's voice, her eyes seeking out the redhead before she remembered it would be rude to walk away from Vision without saying goodbye.
She turned to him, "See you later?"
"Yes, see you later." The distinctly American phrase sounded strange in her thick Sokovian accent and his dignified British one but neither of them minded. "Goodbye, Wanda."
"Bye, Vizh." Wanda said before rushing back to Natasha.
After lunch, Cooper and Lila wanted to see the pool, excited at the prospect of swimming, so the group transitioned into the backyard. The fresh air felt nice, and the vibrant green grass felt cool under her feet, but Wanda felt herself declining farther. She felt too full, her stomach full of food and her mind full of extra emotions. All of it vibrated within her with kinetic energy making her feel too warm. To make matters worse, Tony had a drone out that he had been testing earlier and offered to let the kids fly it much to their enthusiasm. As one of the kids, Wanda felt obligated to stand out in the yard with Clint, Stark and the Barton children as Stark explained the controls to Cooper.
She glanced back at Natasha who stood a ways back closer to the house with Laura and Pepper, the strawberry blonde holding Nate and fawning over him. The Black Widow caught her eye and smiled in a reassuring way. Wanda whipped around as the drone started to whirr and lifted into the air. Cooper had a big smile on his face as he made the remote aircraft sway back and forth above their heads. Crossing her arms over her stomach, the little witch tried to tamper down the uncomfortable pulsing in her head as the high-pitched whine of the drone added to the already terrible frequency within her. She looked back to Natasha again who was laughing at something with the other women though her gaze was on Wanda. Lila began to loudly beg for it to be her turn and Cooper accidentally swooped the drone too low, intensifying the sound before pulling it back up. Wanda flinched, taking a couple steps away. She looked back to Natasha again and this time the woman was crossing the yard, practically at her side already.
"What is it, milaya?" She said with tender concern.
Wanda rubbed her eyes that had started to sting, only able to choke out, "My head hurts."
"Does it?" Natasha crooned, wrapping her arm around Wanda, her hand coming up to cup her jaw as she pressed two quick kisses to her forehead like a mother trying to soothe a child's bumped head. "Let's see if we can fix it. Come on, baby."
A bit of relief came over the little witch as Natasha kept Wanda under her arm and led them back inside to their room away from all the noise.
/
"He is just the sweetest thing." Pepper declared as Nate played with her fingers.
Laura smiled broadly in clear agreement but said, "He's a little less sweet when he is screaming at 2 o'clock in the morning."
"But just look at that face." Pepper fussed over the baby, apparently not believing her. Natasha only partially listened with amusement to the other women. She could not fully enjoy their company though as she observed Wanda across the yard. The girl was struggling. It was not terribly obvious earlier in the day, but Natasha had noticed and now whatever was the matter was apparently increasing in intensity. However, Wanda seemed to have decided to stubbornly power through it as she observed the drone demonstration Tony was giving the kids. When the teenager looked over at Natasha, she thought she caught a little disgruntled furrow in her brow. The woman smiled supportively at her and Wanda turned away abruptly when the drone began to take off.
"That's a nice necklace, Nat." Pepper commented.
Natasha heard her name but did not comprehend the words preceding it as she tried to direct her attention to the woman, "Hm?"
"Your necklace. It's lovely." She repeated.
Nat touched the pendant and attempted to keep the telling smile off of her face as she said, "Thank you. Steve gave it to me for Christmas."
"Steve? He's got great taste." Pepper arched an inquisitive brow at her.
"That's not all he would have given her if I hadn't interrupted them on the couch." Laura muttered.
"Laura!" Natasha said, half laughing and half admonishing. She was slightly surprised by her innuendo and if she were still capable, the Black Widow would have blushed. Pepper was laughing too at Nat as she went on primly, "What I do on your couch is my business."
"You're just lucky it was me and not Clint. He would have given Steve the shovel talk."
Wanda caught her eye once again, her arms crossed over her stomach now like she was trying to fold in on herself, as Natasha scoffed in attempt at keeping up the conversation though she took a small step away from the other women, her attention more on Wanda, "Ha, yeah right. Like I'm afraid of Clint."
"So you wouldn't mind if I told him then?" Laura asked teasingly but the question went unheard by Natasha who made some noncommittal noise, already walking over to Wanda as she watched the scene unfold. Lila began insisting it was her turn to fly the drone, pulling on her brother's arm. Cooper momentarily lost control and the little aircraft dipped low. Wanda stumbled away from the incessant buzzing and Nat saw the momentary flash of panic in her eyes as she once again turned in search of the woman. As she reached Wanda, she asked softly, "What is it, milaya?"
The Sokovian swiped at her eyes, her voice strained as she answered, "My head hurts."
"Does it?" Natasha hummed sympathetically, figuring that was merely a symptom of whatever was going on, but it was a good enough reason to get them out of there. She put her arm around the little witch, the girl easily fitting against her as she pressed a couple kisses to her forehead. "Let's see if we can fix it. Come on, baby."
Wanda stayed huddled against her side as Tasha ushered them inside.
/
Before Laura and Pepper realized what was happening, Natasha walked away from them with a definite purpose. They were left to watch curiously as the Black Widow pulled Wanda to her, apparently exchanged some brief words, and then the two went flitted away inside. Pepper wore a worried expression on her face. Laura had a little concern in her eyes as well, but she smiled as explained to the CEO, "Wanda had a little bit of a rough time her first day on the farm too."
"Will she be okay?"
"I wouldn't worry. Nat will make it better." Laura stated confidently as Nate began to reach for her, and Pepper handed the boy off to his mother.
"I've never seen Natasha like this before. So.." The woman could not complete the thought.
Laura nodded in understanding though, "Motherly?"
"I don't mean she was cold by any means before." The blonde woman clarified. "But this is something else."
"It really is." The other woman agreed. From the moment she saw Nat and Wanda interact with one another, Laura had known that they had bonded and there would be no separating them now. The superspy was so attuned to teenager's needs, almost like Nat knew what Wanda needed before she did herself. And Laura did not mean to get sappy about it but from what she saw, Wanda was the whole world to Natasha, and for Wanda, Natasha was her perfect sun.
Pepper added thoughtfully, "And Wanda is.."
"Attached?" The mother supplied.
"I was thinking enamored."
"Yeah." Laura bobbed her head in consensus.
"She's not going to live with you and Clint at the farm?" Pepper asked the question though it came out more as a statement.
The brunette smiled, feeling so happy for her friend, "Absolutely not."
"Does Nat know that?" Pepper probed.
Laura felt a bit of her happiness deflate as she sighed, "Probably not."
"Are you going to talk to her about it?"
"I think the only person who can talk to her about it with any success is Wanda."
/
Wanda looked miserable sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting for Natasha to come back with some pain medication. She quickly returned to her, handing the girl two pills and a cold glass of water to wash them down with. The little witch did so, drinking heavily from the glass until the water was mostly gone. Natasha set the glass down near her feet, and the cupped Wanda's face to get a better look at her. Her hands trailed to the back of her neck that was a little damp with sweat. She lifted the thick mass of hair away from her skin, "You're warm, malyshka. Do you want your hair up?"
"No, it hurts." Wanda's hair could be heavy, and she did not like it up all the time because it felt like it pulled at her scalp.
"Okay." Natasha gently placed her hair so that it lay over her shoulder. "Let's get your sweater off."
After helping Wanda pulled the thick fabric over her head, Natasha tossed it up on the bed. She stayed standing and gazed down at the girl, her thin body tense and cheeks flushed pink in her discomfort. The Tylenol would help lower her temperature as well as removing her sweatshirt, but she could see that Wanda needed more. Her eyes narrowed as she asked, "When was the last time you really used your powers?"
The teenager inhaled to respond however she stopped short, nothing coming out of her mouth as she realized she could not remember. She closed her mouth and gave a timid shrug. Nat sat down next to her leaning back on one hand, "I think you need to let off some magic, sweetheart. Do you want to give that a try?"
Wanda nodded slowly then considered what she could do around the room. Before Natasha could make a suggestion, Wanda lay one of her palms up in front of her, her other hand contorting and twirling over it in a way that only made sense to the little witch. Resting her the heels of her palms together to make a sort of opening, sparkling little red birds conjured from it. They fluttered and swooped about the room, some disappearing into wisps while others created an undulating flock of birds, a phenomenon she remembered seeing in one of the nature documentaries she watched with Wanda. Natasha watched the display with a sense of awe until finally the birds stopped appearing and they last of them puffed away. The Sokovian looked over to Nat then, and she could see relief etched in Wanda's expression, some of the unnatural color fading from her cheeks.
Grinning with her own relief, the Black Widow praised, "Very good, malen'kaya ved'ma. Does that feel better?"
"Yes." Wanda exhaled softly and let her eyes slip shut. "My head is little bad, but very better."
"I think you should still lie down for a bit." Natasha decided, noticing the odd phrasing of her statement. Normally she had a better grasp of her English sentence structure.
"I want to stay with you." The girl's eyes flew open to gaze at her imploringly.
"I'm staying here with you." The Russian soothed with no hesitation, "Let's go rest on the balcony, okay? It'll be nice out there."
Natasha took a sheet from the closet and grabbed her book then stepped onto the balcony as Wanda tagged along. Before laying down, the woman tossed the sheet over a chaise lounge that sat in the shade. Letting Wanda crawl onto it to lay against the back, Natasha took the outside, so the girl was shielded within. Once lying down she waited for Wanda get comfortable. The girl squirmed for a moment- tucking her head under Nat's arm, pulling one end of the sheet so it was around her shoulders, her hand holding the bottom of the woman's shirt, one of her legs sliding over Nat's. The spy smirked at how entwined Wanda had to be as she settled completely and Nat cracked open her book, the little witch already starting to fall asleep.
The Black Widow had not been tired, and she really had intended to do some reading. But the air was perfectly warm, and the breeze was perfectly cool, and sea crashed distantly in its steady lullaby. And Wanda was so peaceful next to her, her girl smelling of her shampoo and faintly of coconuts underneath her nose. Tasha did not remember setting her book down, but she must have some point to drift off to sleep with Wanda for a heavenly afternoon nap.