"What's going on fellas?" Natasha found Steve, Sam and Rhodey in the dining room that they rarely used, the team more often eating in the kitchen or in the entertainment room in front of a movie. The men were gathered around some documents laid out on the table and not quite arguing, but their discussion did not seem to be going well.
Steve answered for them, "A mission just got kicked up to us. And we can't come to an agreement on how to handle it."
Since Ultron in Sokovia, the Avengers had taken a hiatus, not only needing time to recover from the harrowing event but also to lay low on the radar for a while. Tony inadvertently creating a killer robot hellbent on ending mankind and then them destroying practically an entire country in their pursuit to stop him had not been a good look for the heroes to say the least. That had not meant that the wheel had not stopped turning. Maria at the helm, Fury in the shadows and Tony bankrolling the whole thing, they kept recruiting agents, scientists, soldiers, doctors to slash down the innumerable heads of Hydra when they sprang up. It was only a matter of time until something got flagged for Avenger level importance. Natasha took a spot amongst them along the table and started scanning the documents, "What's the gig?"
"Intel indicates that this corporation could be a front for backing Hydra. We need to infiltrate and get all their financial records." Rhodey explained. The Black Widow read the information that they had obtained so far on Polyflex Manufacturing Inc. finding the circumstances loose but with merit- some members on the board that may have been in the same room as Jasper Sitwell a couple times, suspiciously large transactions for a relatively small plastics manufacturing company in Minneapolis to be making, an overabundance of security digitally and on site.
"So is this a smash and grab?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"No, Fury wants it done quiet. Get the records and Tony has a cloning software he developed that will be completely untraceable to be uploaded to their server. We'll be able to monitor every key stroke." War Machine gave the parameters for the mission.
The redhead furrowed her brow in confusion. This was clearly a task more tailored for her or Sharon's skill sets, "Why would you three take this mission?"
"There is a tight window of opportunity to get in and Sharon will still be in DC for her depositions." Steve glanced between her and the guys, "So we thought we could come up with a plan."
Natasha leveled each of them with a dubious look and pointed to them respectively, "Colonel, Captain, Sergeant"- she then pointed to herself- "Spy. I think I can handle this."
"I told you we should've just call Nat." Sam defended his involvement.
Corporate espionage was her bread and butter; this was the kind of mission she could do in her sleep and walking backwards. Steve rubbed at the back of his neck, speaking with a little hesitation, "We know you could handle it. I was just thinking about Wanda. I mean, would she be ready for you to leave and go on a mission?"
It was not like Natasha had not been thinking about Wanda as well even as she staked her claim of the assignment. It had been a few weeks since Wanda had withdrawn and her subsequent outburst at Steve that ended with her breakdown back into Natasha's arms. After that though Wanda almost immediately rebounded- her appetite returned, the tiredness around her eyes disappeared, she hung out with the team and sought out Natasha once again. It was practically like the distance had never happened, the girl perhaps even more pleasantly underfoot than before the whole ordeal. Then she also continued to make further improvements.
In the days following the whole ordeal, Natasha had been able to start implementing all of her plans for Wanda that had been abruptly put on hold. It started with Wanda joining her for yoga in the morning, the Black Widow talking them through the poses and sometimes stopping to correct the girl's wobbly form. It only took about a week for Wanda to pick up a proficiency for the discipline, the mediative exercise coming to her naturally, and Natasha suggested incorporating her powers into it. So the little witch let her magic flow, manifesting in different shapes and sizes with each stretch and twist of her limbs and soon she developed a routine that went along with their sessions. They seemed to really help the teenager gain even more confidence in herself as she seemed more balanced and assured afterwards; the contented smile Wanda gave her at the end of them always filled her with pride and joy.
Wanda began doing some limited physical training with the other Avengers. She would go with them during their training. She observed most of the time, but then Natasha would set aside some time for her, and they would work on basic cardio, strength training and self-defense though strictly powerless. These activities proved to be more difficult for the Sokovian, but Natasha could see minute improvements in her performances- she was less exhausted at the end of their workouts, she could run a mile without stopping although it took her over ten minutes to complete, and her form at the punching bag was a little sharper.
So when she thought about Wanda now, Natasha thought of how good she had become, and of course she did worry about how the impact of leaving for a few days would affect the girl when she clearly still had a preference for Natasha. More than that, had the feeling it would be upsetting for Wanda, for the both of them. It was tempting to refuse the mission, especially one that seemed relatively low priority. There were plenty of reasons for her to stay at the Compound with the teenager. It would not be pretty, but the guys could figure it out, and even if they did miss this window of opportunity surely there would be another one not too far behind. Wanda could need her more than this mission did. And yet, she knew that she could not always be with Wanda and there would perhaps never be the perfect time to return to her usual Avenger work and now would be a good a time as any to start. The Black Widow just had to keep her resolve.
"Wanda will be fine. I'll talk to her." She said with a calm light tone, perhaps too light. Clearing her throat, she continued more drolly, "And I hope you guys could handle looking after a teenage girl while I'm gone."
"Of course we can, Nat." Steve looked at her from where he leaned with his hands on the table, his expression more serious than she thought was necessary for the moment. And it seemed like he had more to say.
She did not give him a chance, "Great, then fill me in. When does the window open?"
"Three days." Rhodey informed.
"Not a moment to lose then." She pressed forward and the Avengers crafted a plan, or rather Natasha did. In two days the Black Widow would take the quinjet to New York, then take a commercial flight as Naomi Roberts to Minneapolis. She would go in as a new IT technician and take a day or so to figure out an in and then be out with the data before anyone would even remember she was there. The real new IT person arriving to seamlessly take her place. It would be easy, routine, and maybe one of the more difficult ones she would have to complete.
They were done with the impromptu meeting and Sam and Rhodey had departed. Natasha organized some papers and Steve lingered giving her that same loaded expression. She sighed, "Are you going to say what's on your mind?"
"It's not that I don't think you should go." Captain America said evenly, "I think it would be good for you to take a mission."
"Okay.. What is it then, Steve?"
"I'm worried you're taking the mission for the wrong reasons." He confessed.
She said slowly, "I don't know what you mean."
"I mean, I know you think that this would be a step to prepare for Wanda for going to the farm. But Nat.. I think she should stay here with us. With you."
Natasha felt her insides freeze as she stared at him, his words striking her right in the heart. It was all she really wanted, for Wanda to stay with her, and to be confronted about it so bluntly had her in a blind panic. She stated stiffly, "I said this was not up for discussion. Clint, Laura, the farm that is what's best for Wanda."
"Why?" He asked incredulously like he was desperately trying to understand, "Why not you Nat?"
The redhead tried to remember the rational she told herself whenever she thought that maybe the teenager could stay and coolly formulate the words for Steve but instead she heard herself lashing out harshly, "Because what could I provide for her that the Barton's couldn't provide better! I can't have a child Steve, you know that. The Red Room made sure I'd never be a, a mother. I'm no good for her, and she, she deserves so much more-"
"I'm sorry but that's bullshit." Steve sounded angry now, "What they did to you was terrible, but they took away your choice to have a child not your ability to be a mother. Wanda is your-"
Natasha's sharp words jumped in front of his, "So what, Steve? We'll play house and pretend like our jobs don't pose an immediate threat to Wanda? It's selfish and I won't-"
"Wanda will be in danger whether she stays with us or not." He took his turn in interrupting her. He breathed heavily out his nose, attempting to reign in his frustration as he continued in a gentler tone. "When Tony first was stepping back, we talked. He asked if I would ever want the simple life. I told him that the guy who wanted, stability, a wife and kids, went into the ice 75 years ago and someone else came out, but maybe I just didn't know what that could look like."
The Black Widow scoffed her hackles still raised, "I'm not you're wife, Steve."
"I know you're not. And I'm not asking you to be. But I thought that you and Wanda and the team could be my family. I thought you're my partner and we could do this together."
"Well you thought wrong." Her voice came out in soft, sad defeat.
"Nat, please.."
"I'm not going to talk about this anymore. Just because I want- Nothing changes. The plan for Wanda stays the same." He could not see that Wanda going to live on the farm would be the best thing for her; the captain was blinded by what he wanted but in time he would realize they had done the right thing for her.
"Natasha-" He implored again but the Widow was already shutting down.
"I'm done. I have things to do to prepare before I go, and I have to talk to Wanda." She turned away from him as she felt his disappointment permeating the space around them, but he seemed to sense he would not be getting any farther in this discussion.
"Alright Nat, when you're ready to pull your head out of your ass, you can come find me." She whipped around to him at his surprisingly bitter words. The man was already marching away from her though and her fight had left her to rise to his ire. Massaging her temples, Natasha focused on recalibrating her thoughts. She did have to go speak with Wanda sooner rather than later and she could not do it in the distressed state she was in. Natasha did not have time for these thoughts and feelings, and she worked on relegating them to the back of her mind. Going to the kitchen, the agent pulled out the ingredients to make a batch of hot chocolate. She would be ready by the time the beverage was.
/
When Wanda had first arrived at the Compound, she had been too upset to really pay attention to her surroundings, figuring it would not matter anyways. However over the last few weeks as Wanda integrated herself back into the team, she had grown attached to the place. In many ways it felt like she was home.
It was the best parts of everywhere she had lived. It had the peaceful secluded countryside from the Barton farm, it had the comfort and amenities of the Tower, it even had a little bit of Hydra in that it was a place she could find her purpose as Tasha started her with training. And when she dared to look even further back, it reminded her of a small, disheveled apartment in Sokovia, cramped and cold, but filled with the warmth and love of a family. The little witch knew leaving it would be painful, but her isolation had perhaps been more painful, and she decided that it was better to have the fond memories to look back on than to have never had them at all. So she hugged Steve, and laughed with Sam, and talked to Vision, and baked with Sharon, gathering the moments like precious gems. Wanda treasured her time with Natasha most of all, spending as much time with the older woman as she could. Her days started with Tasha with their morning yoga sessions and ended with Tasha either tucking her carefully into bed or her arms wrapped around the girl as they had a sleepover. And there were days the Sokovian thought it could always be like that and there were days she knew it was impossible.
"Are you alright, Wanda?" Vision's serene voice asked her from across the chessboard they sat at in the library. He was teaching her how to play and she realized it had been her turn, but she had zoned out.
"Yes, I'm fine." She moved her knight randomly in its 'L' shaped pattern without much strategy so he could go.
Vision did not turn his attention back to the board though, "You seem distracted. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I- I'm thinking about how I wish it can always be like this." The teenager admitted to her friend.
The android's brow dipped with perplexity, "The nature of time does not allow for it to stop. It would be impractical for us to stay here forever."
"I don't mean this exact moment, Vizh. And I know that things will not stay the same forever.. I mean, I want to stay here at the Compound with you and the team and Tasha. I don't want to go live with Clint." As Wanda said the words aloud she felt liberated in a way, like she was letting go a secret that had been weighing her down. She had never told anybody before now and as scary as it felt, it also made it a little more real, so it was not just a wishful notion in her head.
"Why couldn't you stay here with us? Have you spoken with Agent Romanoff about it?" Vision asked again his expression clouded with confusion.
The teenager blinked at him then, as if it had not occurred to her she could simply ask to stay, "No, I haven't."
"Why not?"
"Because.." Wanda took her time to think of why she had not talked to Natasha about it, surprised that she did not feel like crying as she gathered her thought. Perhaps it was being around Vision's mechanical mind. Not that he did not have emotions, rather he still seemed to regard them from an outside perspective making them easier to manage, "Because if I ask to stay and Tasha says no, it would be official, and I don't think I could bear it. It would hurt too much."
"I don't think Agent Romanoff would say no." Vision stated like he was certain.
She looked down then, swallowing hard as she recalled the words the Black Widow said in California. Her voice fragile with the fresh pain, Wanda exhaled, "Tasha has more important things to do than take care of me."
"I don't know Natasha particularly well yet but based on my observations I doubt there is anything more important to her than you." The android said simply but his words stunned her. She considered Natasha's caring as a part of her nature in the way she cared about the entire team. However if she thought about it, the woman did seem to have a special care for her as she paid extra attention to things Wanda liked to get them for her, checking to make sure she was comfortable or as comfortable as possible in new situations, and always letting Wanda cuddle into her without any reservations. She knew how she felt about Natasha but maybe it was not as unreciprocated as the little witch thought.
"Hey milaya. Vision." As if summoned by thought, the Black Widow came into the room with two mugs. "What are you two up to?"
"I'm teaching Wanda how to play chess." Vision said.
"Chess is a good game. Helps with strategy." Natasha approved.
"Can you play?" Wanda asked, coming out of the deep thoughts she had been having.
The spy smirked, "I'm Russian, of course I can play. I made us some hot chocolates if you'd like."
Wanda smiled and nodded as the older woman joined her on the couch, handing her the mug that declared she was not a Russian spy that Clint had gotten her for Christmas. She took a tentative sip and found the temperature perfect; Natasha must have waited for it to cool off a bit. She smiled again, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She idly brushed some hair out of Wanda's face then cleared her throat and glanced to Vision, "I actually need to talk to you about something, malyshka. Vision would you mind giving us a moment?"
Wanda felt her heart jam in her chest at the statement and suddenly she became attune to the slight worry around Nat's eyes and how her smile seemed a bit tight. The android rose calmly from his chair across from them, "Of course, I'll leave you. We can resume our match later. Wanda."
He dipped his head in recognition toward her however the girl now focused on Natasha with worry, her hands wrapped tightly her mug with nervous anticipation. The redhead gave her a pressed, reassuring smile as she set down her own mug next to the chessboard. She placed her own hands around Wanda's gently rubbing them up to her wrists as she began slowly, "Wanda, something has come up. I've been called to go on a mission."
"What mission?" The words came out choked, irrational panic completely gripping around her heart now. The delicate hope that had grown in her conversation with Vision now seemed insignificant to her larger, dreadful fear of the woman leaving her. Natasha stayed carefully at ease, removing the hot chocolate from her grasp and setting it aside with her own. Her hands slipped comfortingly around Wanda's once again.
"It's not dangerous, just routine data retrieval." The agent told her evenly.
"I could go with you." Wanda half announced and half asked.
"No, milaya. You're not old enough to go on missions."
The girl tried to argue, "Please, you said it wasn't dangerous."
"It isn't dangerous for me. And I'll be out all the time, I can't leave you in the safe house by yourself all day." Natasha remained firm though also patient, "You'll stay here with Steve, and he'll look after you. It'll be fine."
With shining eyes and a trembling lower lip, Wanda declared softly, "I don't want you to go."
"Baby, I have to go back to work eventually. You know that." The woman told her in a similar tone as her own, her hand cupping Wanda's cheek, "I know it's hard. But you'll be alright. I promise."
Swallowing back her emotions, the little witch pressed her face into the crook of Natasha's neck, the spy wrapping her arms around her to hold her tight. Wanda refused to cry then despite how on the inside she was wracked with fear at Tasha's pending departure without her. She mumbled against the woman's skin, "When do you have to go?"
"I'll leave in two days and the mission will only be 3, 4 days tops." Natasha rested her cheek on top of the teenager's head. She told this to her like it was nothing, but Wanda pushed harder into the woman. Four days felt like an eternity to be without Tasha, to not be able to sense her around the Compound, to not end her day with Natasha tucking her comforter around her and kissing her forehead goodnight. The thought floated up in her mind that this would be the beginning of the end, that this was the first step in her separation from the woman who had become so important to her. Wanda sniffled a little against her with Natasha stroking her back soothingly. After an extended period of time, the redhead pulled away a little to look at Wanda's face, "You okay, milaya?"
"Yes." She said solemnly.
"Alright.. How about we watch a movie?" Natasha offered which she knew was just a way to distract her. The teenager almost said no, almost opting to go lay in her bed and cry, but then she would not be with Natasha.
"Okay." She still sounded a little morose.
"Do you want to watch something old or something new?" The woman asked.
After a moment of consideration, "..Something old."
"Okay.." Natasha drew out the word thoughtfully as she stood up and grabbed her mug prompting Wanda to do the same. "Let's try Charade. It's my favorite Audrey Hepburn movie."
The little witch nodded in agreement, and they set off to the entertainment room where they would drink their hot chocolate, snuggle in front of the movie, and Wanda could continue to pretend the Black Widow did not have a life waiting that did not include her.