Back again, readers! Thanks for your patience! I was out of town for a week and unable to really write. Thanks SO, SO much to everyone who reviewed in the interim! I appreciate the feedback like nothing else!

Chapter Four: In Sickness and Health

"Auntie?"

Shanta's tiny voice, even tinier in the hubbub of the market, drew Natasha's attention immediately.

She finished haggling over some cucumbers and bent down as the vendor weighed them and placed them in a plastic bag. "What is it, sweetie?"

Shanta's face looked drained and she clutched at Natasha's hand. "Tummy hurts." She mumbled.

"Let's get some water, you're probably dehydrated." Natasha said, grabbing the cucumbers and muttering a thank-you. She felt Shanta's forehead and a cold chill ran through her.

It was a hot day (mid-April, still during the dreaded Hot Season), which meant that Shanta's forehead being sweaty was normal. But instead of clammy sweat, her forehead felt dry and papery.

"Honey, I think you're…" That was all she had time to say before Shanta lost her breakfast in the street.

"…sick. You're sick. Let's get home." Business-like, she picked up the now crying girl and fumbled for her phone.

When she managed to get it unlocked, she saw that Bruce had already sent her a message.

Upon reading it, she found herself bursting into laughter, to mask the worry that flooded her gut.

"Well, sweetie, looks like we're all going home."

"Anish. Anish!"

Anish, who had been standing like a zombie beside Bruce, suddenly sprung back to life and cringed. "S-sorry, Uncle! Please, sorry…!"

Bruce held up his hands. "I'm not mad. But I asked you twice to pick up the bag. We need to go get some fruit from the stand over there."

"Sorry…"

Bruce looked the boy over. His eyes seemed unnaturally glassy, even in the searing heat.

"Anish, are you feeling alright?"

In an instant, Bruce knew that had been the wrong question. Anish immediately looked even more panicked, and quickly picked up both cloth shopping bags, along with Bruce's satchel.

"I-I'm okay, Uncle, not sick, promise! I feel fine, see?"

Bruce tried not to scoff and went to feel Anish's forehead. "Like hell you're fine…"

Anish tried ducking away but Bruce was faster.

"Kid, you're burning up. You've got a fever."

"F-fine…" Anish insisted. And then he started to sway.

Bruce grabbed the bags from out of his grip, slowly, and then took his hand.

"Not fine. We're finding shade and drinking water. And I'm messaging Auntie Tasha."

Ignoring Anish's protests, Bruce shot Natasha a text. He was worried but not really surprised to read her response.

"Shanta isn't feeling well, either." He reported. "We're going home."

"She's sick?!" Anish stood up far too fast, and he almost fell onto Bruce. "No! How?"

"Easy…" Bruce said, fighting to keep his own voice calm. "I'm not surprised. You two are finally safe and eating well. I think your bodies decided that now is the time to fix themselves."

"This…this is okay?" Anish spoke barely above a whisper. "We are sick…it is okay?"

Bruce could feel a massive ache building in his chest.

"Yeah, buddy, it's okay. Let's go home."

They still didn't have beds for Shanta and Anish, although they did have two mattresses now. So Natasha tucked them into the main bed, which had the best mattress, after changing their clothes into soft pajamas.

Anish was restless. Shanta had already accepted her fate and was curled up in a tiny ball.

"Auntie…" Anish tried. Natasha shook her finger at him.

"No talking. You need to rest. Just lay back and accept that we're going to take care of you."

Anish gave her a baleful, sulky look and curled up with Shanta. "Can take care of Shanta."

"And who's going to take care of you, huh?"

"…I take care of me."

Natasha crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Sure. Somehow, I'm not convinced, kid."

Bruce came into the room, arms full of medicine and water cups. "Oh, Tasha. I love you in your hypocrisy."

"Hypocrisy!" Natasha grabbed a nearby book and swatted at Bruce.

"'Accept that we're gonna take care of you'? C'mon, as if Coulson didn't try that exact line on you."

"I'm allowed to learn from my mistakes." Natasha smoothed the blanket over both children and gently moved Shanta's hair away from her face. The little girl whimpered and held her arms up.

"Shanta, you need to stay here. Go to sleep, honey."

"Nā! Auntie, stay!" Shanta's lip started to quiver, so Natasha quickly climbed under the blanket and held her.

"Shhh…hey, hey, I'm here…right here, huh? You'll be okay."

Shanta settled down, a slight pout still on her lips as she snuggled into Natasha's arms.

She looked up at Bruce. "Don't go taking pictures."

Bruce smirked. "Gee, you read my mind. Darn Russian spies." He busied himself opening medicine bottles and counting out dosages. "I think they're really just over-tired and their bodies are finally feeling safe enough to detox. I gave them both pills for fever earlier. In six hours, they can have more. They need to drink a lot of water."

He handed a cup to Anish, to prove his point. Anish glared at him but drank the water thirstily.

"See, just like that. Shanta, open up, noyoner moni."

One of the girls at Hope Center had taught him the phrase. It was roughly equivalent to 'apple of my eye'. Bruce hoped he was using it correctly.

Apparently, he was, because Shanta looked up and immediately opened her mouth, eyes wide and shining. Even Anish smiled.

"Good girl, now swallow. You need to drink lots of water to keep your body happy."

Shanta looked like she had entered paradise. "Yes, Uncle! I drink lots!"

Bruce chuckled and kissed her hair. "Very good."

Anish leaned against the pillow. "…I-I drank all the water, Uncle."

There was something so shyly hopeful in his voice that Bruce looked over at once. Sure enough, the cup was empty.

"So you did. Good job, buddy! Exactly like that. Keep it up!" he cupped his hand around Anish's head, so the boy could look at him. "Listen to me. You do a great job taking care of your sister. But now, let someone take care of you, too. It's okay to need help. I promise."

Slowly, Anish nodded. "…okay, Uncle."

"Good. Now get some rest. Nat, you hungry?"

"A bit…but I'm real comfortable here." Natasha gave him a lazy grin. "We never did finish grocery shopping."

"…takeaway curry it is, then."

Later, with both kids asleep, Bruce and Natasha sat quietly and watched their breathing slowly get more even.

"Tasha…"

"We're adopting them, aren't we?" Natasha cut in.

Bruce lost his power of speech for about half a minute. "…yeah." he finally squeaked out. "Y-yeah, we are. Sorry I made such a fuss about how we couldn't or shouldn't or whatever…"

"It's fine. You were right to be concerned. Neither of us are exactly…stable. You share a body with a jolly green giant and I kill people for a living."

"Killed. Past tense." Bruce corrected. "Currently, you protect the world from threats and make my life a joy in your spare time."

The faintest red blush covered Natasha's cheeks. "Flatterer."

"I don't flatter, I mean it! And you'd be a great mom, I think. Chandra said so, too."

Natasha was quiet for a moment. "…I asked Chandra to look into their relatives or find someone who could. To see if their suka stepmother would give up legal custody. I should have told you, but I…I was worried you'd be upset."

"Tasha…" Bruce kissed her hair. "I'm not upset. You were smarter than me. I thought we could avoid getting attached…obviously not. I thought they would be better off with parents that spoke their language and knew their culture…"

"We speak enough Bengali between us, and they'll learn English. We won't let them forget their culture. But Bruce…they need us. And we need them, maybe more."

Bruce nodded. "…you're right. As usual. Do you think…could I really be a father? I think Anish is still scared of me."

"Anish is scared because you pose a slightly bigger threat to Shanta, in his mind. You are a man."

"The more fool him…you're clearly the bigger danger."

"Again with the flattery, Doctor! Are you angling for something?"

Bruce grinned stupidly. "I mean, I could angle for a kiss, I guess."

Natasha blew one at him. "There you go. One kiss."

Rolling his eyes, Bruce checked both children's foreheads. "They don't feel as hot as earlier. Hopefully this will only last a couple days."

"Hopefully. Anish doesn't seem like the type to want to stay in bed."

For once, Natasha's guess proved to be wrong. It wasn't Anish who had the harder time staying still in bed, but Shanta.

Bruce had picked up some children's books in English from a bookstore. Anish was now poring over them, trying to sound out words. Shanta had not yet learned to read, and while she had submitted to being taught for a while, she was now dead bored.

Coloring had worked for a bit, and watching Netflix, but the biggest issue was that a sick Shanta was apparently a cuddly Shanta. And she only wanted Auntie Tasha.

"Auntie?"

Natasha tried not to sigh. "Yeah, honey?"

"Story? Please?"

Even Anish looked up from his book at that. "A story?"

Natasha looked uneasily out the door to the main room. No Bruce. No one to bail her out of this.

Well, children, who wants to hear about the time Auntie Tasha seduced a spy and then shot him?

"Once upon a time…" she began slowly. Wasn't that how all good stories were supposed to begin?

Shanta and Anish looked at her expectantly. She could feel her heart thumping as her brain scrambled to think of something, anything…

And then it did.

"Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Brooklyn, New York, America, there were two best friends. They did everything together. One was big, and strong, and tough. And the other…well, his heart was strong, but his body wasn't. His name was…was Steve."

Shanta moved to snuggle in her lap. Anish looked very interested. "What was wrong with him?"

"He couldn't breathe well, and he was sick a lot." Natasha continued. "And the worst part was, when he was eighteen, his mother died from a bad sickness…"

Shanta's eyes were big and wide. "Poor boy…"

Natasha tried not to crack up, hearing Steve referred to as a boy.

"His father had died a long time ago, in a war. So he was alone, except for his best friend. They had known each other since they were young, and his friend was bigger and stronger. He took care of Steve and made sure he didn't get too sick. The friend's name was James, but everyone called him Bucky."

Shanta giggled. "Buh-ky…that's funny!"

Natasha allowed a small smirk at Bucky's expense. "It is a bit of a funny name. So when the two friend had grown up, there was another big war, across the ocean in Europe. Governments were calling for soldiers to fight. Steve wanted to be a soldier. He…he wanted to take care of people who were weak and small, like him. He wasn't strong, but his heart was like a lion…"

Slowly, in as much a kid-friendly fashion as possible, she told Steve and Bucky's story. The kids were enraptured from start to finish.

She ended with Steve crashing into the ice. Shanta was crying a bit, so she added, "But the story doesn't stop there…"

Anish frowned. "But he died."

"He went unconscious. His body went to sleep. But he was still alive; the serum protected him. And seventy years later…scientists found his body."

"No!" Anish said, mouth open. "Not possible!"

"Very possible." Natasha reached for her phone and clicked on her Gallery app. "This is him."

The picture was one of her favorites of Steve. He was sitting on a swing on the front porch of the Mansion, probably watching Christy turn a cartwheel for the eighth millionth time, judging by the soft smile on his lips. He was calm and relaxed, not a care in the world.

Shanta touched the picture. "You know him?"

"Yeah…I know him. He's like…my brother."

"We call him 'uncle,' too?"

Natasha started. "Uh…yeah, you can, if you meet him. He'd like that."

"Okay, he lived." Anish conceded, still scrutinizing the picture. "But the other friend died."

"…yes, and no."

Anish's eyes bugging out would have been almost comical in any other circumstance. "What?!" he screeched. "No! He fall off train! Not possible!"

"He did fall off a train. But then, the bad guys found him."

Shanta clutched her arm. "Bad guys?"

"Yes. They…" Natasha tried to think of how to tell this part without scarring these kids any more than they already were. "They hurt his head. They made him forget about Steve, about his life before. They punished him and…and made him do bad things."

"Kill." Anish whispered. "Like you." he added. He gave Natasha a look, almost daring her to contradict him.

"…like me. I used to work for bad people, too. Until my friend saved me."

"Uncle Bruce?" Shanta asked.

"No…another friend. This one." she showed a picture of Clint. "You can call him Uncle Clint. He's…a dork. Wonderful."

"But what happened to Mr. Buh-ky?" Anish asked impatiently.

"Well, he was the prisoner of the bad people for a long time. But then…they sent him to do something…and Steve saw him."

"Did he know him?"

"He did." Natasha breathed out slowly, remembering that day. "He did. He was shocked…he thought his friend was dead. Now he was alive, but he didn't remember anything. Not even Steve. So they fought."

Shanta whimpered. "What happen?"

"Well, eventually Steve said something that made Bucky start to remember. So after he…after we beat the bad guys that time, Steve went to look for his friend. And found him. Then he came back to live with us and started to remember more. This is him now."

She found a good picture of Bucky and showed them. In it, he was laughing at some joke Sam had made. It bore the least resemblance to the Winter Soldier, which was why she liked it.

Anish studied it. "…he looks nice now."

"He's one of the best people I know." Natasha assured. "He and Steve both are."

"…where they live now?"

"In New York. With some other friends of ours."

"And you fight bad guys?"

Natasha sighed. This kid was too clever for his own good. The only thing saving their anonymity at this rate was that Shanta and Anish came from a remote village.

"Yeah, kid, we fight bad guys."

Shanta bounced excitedly "Like movies?"

"Mm…a little scarier than movies, sweetie. But yes."

Anish was still looking at Natasha's phone. "Will we meet these people?"

Natasha gave another deep sigh. "Asking all the tough questions today, aren't ya, kid?"

"But will we?"

"…do you want to."

Anish sat quietly for a moment, fully absorbed in the image on the screen and the happy life it represented.

"…yes, please, Auntie. I want to meet Mr. Buh-ky."

Natasha smiled. "Then you will."

You'll both meet them all, if I have anything to say about it…

Bruce read the words on the screen for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. The kids were asleep. Even Natasha was asleep.

He was reading over adoption requirements on the US State Department Website. Most things didn't seem too difficult. But he was already sensing some potential issues.

"A single male is not permitted to adopt a female child…"

All good and well. But it was the bit below that gave him more pause:

"A married couple must be in a stable relationship for at least two years."

Stable, they were. Married…they were not.

It probably wasn't any big deal. If it came to it, he could legally adopt Anish and Tasha could legally adopt Shanta.

But it would sure make things easier it we just…got married.

Bruce sighed. He knew what Natasha's hang-ups were. He understood. But this was getting almost ridiculous.

I'm not leavin' her…she's not leavin' me. Why can't we?

He buried his head in his hands, wondering how to broach the subject with Natasha.

Something tells me things are about to get a lot more complicated before they get easy…

Yes, Bruce, but think of the potential benefits!

And for everyone still sore and bleeding after Endgame..."I'm not leavin' her and she's not leavin' me" should tell you precisely how a certain plot point from that movie will go down in the ChristyVerse..."A soul for a soul" goes both ways...

Reviews are Anish meeting Bucky