Chapter 70

Upstate New York, USA

Late Summer 2015

"So how are they doing?"

Natasha looked up to Steve as he settled across from her, coffee in hand. She didn't even have to look up to know just whom his question was about, but she followed his gaze anyway.

The Twins and Nina had claimed the red couches again, the set having become first 'Nina's' then 'theirs' over the last couple weeks. Natasha couldn't help but grin at the smiles and poorly stifled laughter that couldn't quite cover the faint, unintelligible sounds coming from the tablet being passed between them. They'd been like that for most of the afternoon, having retreated to their corner of the Common Area—Nina having taken it upon herself to acquaint the Twins with some of the more entertaining videos available online that they had missed—after each of their check-ins with the collection of doctors at the Compound. They were all healing well, though Natasha suspected that wasn't what Steve had been getting at.

"Good," she answered, looking back to the Captain with an indulgent smile before dropping her attention back to the tablet in her hand. "Pietro's back to fighting fit, according to Cho, though she'd still like him to take it easy for a few more days until she can be completely sure the cradle tissue will hold up against his Enhancement; she's sticking around to monitor, of course. He worked with her for a bit this morning and she sounds very pleased with the results so far." Steve nodded along as she spoke, still watching the youngsters in question as he sipped his coffee.

"And Wanda," he prompted when she'd fallen silent. Natasha bit back a sigh as he leaned forward to set his cup on the table, clasping his hands loosely in front of him as his forearms rested on his knees. She laid her tablet down on the couch next to her, looking back over to the Twins herself.

"Wanda is…she's doing better," she admitted, knowing her relief would be clear in her voice. Steve let out a low breath, indicating his own relief at the good news. And it was. "I wasn't sure at the time, but Paris was good for her. She still won't talk to the therapist Tony brought in for them, but she seems to be talking with Pietro and Nina at least, so that's something. And of course, Pietro's following her lead there. He's only shown up to a single session, but he seems to have opened up to the girls as far as I can tell. Not to mention he seems to be coping with everything better than his sister."

"But they're both talking," Steve confirmed. Natasha nodded. While she couldn't be entirely sure, just from observing the three youngsters together and from the odd bit of conversation she'd overheard, she was fairly sure a good portion of their time together had effectively become makeshift therapy sessions. Most of it was simply them spending time together, beginning to laugh and smile and relax again. Not to mention the odd bit of innocent, free-spirited rebellion; it was an open secret that the three of them had snuck out of the Compound the week before for a much needed afternoon away from everything. According to Nadine, the afternoon of teenaged freedom, a movie and some wandering around the nearest mall had done wonders for the trio, the change in them visible almost the moment they'd left the bounds of the base. If that wasn't an indicator of a return to normalcy, she wasn't sure what was. But some of their time together looked to be more serious in nature than lazy afternoons or jaunts out warranted, with them each appearing to share and talk over everything that had happened in Sokovia. She'd overheard Pietro talking about it in the Infirmary, and she was fairly certain she'd heard Nina talking about her kidnapping. She'd only seen Wanda speaking to the other two from a distance, but there had been something in her posture that had spoken to the Sokovian girl unburdening herself, so Natasha was optimistic.

While not professional therapy by any means, it was still far better than nothing, and Natasha could see all three of them were benefitting. Wanda was slowly beginning to come alive again, while Pietro—arguably the one coping best despite being the one who'd come closest to dying—was effectively back to his old self best as Natasha could tell. He seemed to be one of those lucky people who didn't dwell, who just needed to confront their feelings, maybe talk it out a bit, and that was that.

It made Natasha a little jealous, actually. She could bury away her issues and traumas with the best, but moving past them, accepting and healing from them was a little more elusive. Wanda was like her in that, as was Nadine. It just took time. Time and the help and listening ears and sturdy shoulders of people they trusted.

But even then, sometimes it just didn't go away. They just had to learn to live with their ghosts.

Well, the Twins and Nina had no shortage of support, that was for sure.

On the other side of the coffee table, Steve shifted, glancing back toward the softly laughing trio across the way. God, in moments like this, it really showed just how young they all really were. The laughter and smiles made it easy to forget that each one of them had their adolescence cut short, all three bearing the weight of their experiences in their eyes. Especially the Twins.

Except during moments like this. Natasha smiled. Moments where they looked nearly like the carefree teenagers they should be again. Steve looked back to Natasha.

"And Nina?" he asked, sounding nearly tentative for all the fondness in his voice. Natasha nearly shook her head with fondness of her own. He'd gotten better at keeping his reactions and emotions to himself in the time that she'd known him, but sometimes he was still an open book.

"She's doing better too," she assured him. "She seems to be recovering well enough. She's talking to the Twins—if anything, helping them open up seems to be helping her too." The relief that came over Steve nearly set Natasha grinning like a fool. "And she's talking to Nadine again, which is a good sign." Just as with Wanda, there was no hiding her relief as she gave her answer. She had honestly been starting to worry as the distance between mother and daughter had persisted. Yet, as always, time had done its thing and Nina had started to reach back when her mother reached out. But then, from what little Natasha had seen, her niece was far too compassionate to hold a grudge for long. It was only the early days of true reconciliation, of course, but it was encouraging regardless.

Across from her, Steve shifted in his seat, only this time, instead of an unconscious cue that his mind was switching tracks, it looked more like fidgeting. Natasha's attention was suddenly zeroing in on the Captain, her shrewd eyes taking in everything they could read off her friend.

It was Nadine. The mention of her sister was what had gotten his reaction. She wasn't even sure if it was a conscious action or not. But there was…something there. But what? Natasha couldn't be sure—she didn't have enough intel—but a little part of her was suddenly growing hopeful again. It reminded her of his behaviour before the disastrous Quinjet ride, when she'd been sure that he had…but she couldn't be sure. Not at this point in time. More observation, study and analysis would certainly be needed before she could confirm her suspicions—hopes, even—but that would be right up Nat's ally. And she wasn't averse to using her hard-learned skills for more pleasant pursuits.

She changed the subject, though. Much as she wanted to keep poking until she learned what she wanted to know, she knew that wouldn't be wise or productive. It was too early for that.

"I think Nina will be open to our proposal, though," she said instead. Steve nodded, satisfied by her assessment as he leaned back in his seat.

"I hoped so." He looked to Natasha. "And did you get a chance to talk to the Twins about it?" Natasha nodded, reaching forward to retrieve her own mug, clasping it loosely as her hands soaked up what little warmth remained; her tea was just on the warm side of lukewarm.

"Pietro didn't even hesitate," she said with a nearly exasperated grin. "He loves the idea of showing off and stretching his powers just as it interests him to potentially join the Avengers." She shrugged then, meeting Steve's eye. "But then, the reason the two of them signed up for Strucker's experiments was because of their desire to fight for the underdogs, to avenge the wrongs they saw in their country. And to right the wrongs done to them," she ceded wryly at a questioning look from Steve, "but that was only part of it." A grin tugged at Steve's lips at the comment that Natasha was soon matching. "Not to mention that he'd just love the chance to play with the big boys, now that he's proven he can keep up. I think he's pretty sure he can outshine us too," she added with a mischievous smile of her own. Steve chuckled.

"I can't say that surprises me," he said. "So he'll sign up for the chance to do what they'd always planned on doing—just on a larger scale—and for the excitement," he summarized with an amused grin tugging at his own lips. Nat nodded.

"And the ego-stroking that would come with being able to keep up with 'The Avengers,'" she tacked, air-quotes implied in her playfully dramatic tone. But then her mood grew serious again. "But Wanda…" Steve too sobered as Natasha brought up the Maximoff sister. Natasha spared a glance at the young brunette herself. "Wanda is a little more…well, she's more cautious and certainly more pragmatic than her brother. Especially after Sokovia. Where Pietro thinks it'll be exciting to be an Avenger, she's a little more hesitant about the idea. But she is willing to give training a try," Natasha concluded. Steve nodded thoughtfully.

"What about Nina," he asked after a moment. "Have you spoken to Nadine yet?" There it was again. If it wasn't for all her training, Natasha would've narrowed her eyes at the Captain then, trying to discern precisely what she was picking up on from him given that she couldn't quite get a good read on him. But she easily kept her interest carefully hidden. She just shook her head instead.

"Not yet."

"How do you think she'll take it? You think she'll go for it?"

Natasha shrugged, sighing lightly. "I think so," she said. "I'm pretty sure I made some headway in getting her to see Nina's not as ill-equipped for our world as she fears, so there's that going for us. She might not be thrilled by the idea of Nina training to be an Avenger after trying to keep her away from this life for so long, but she'll see the benefits. Especially given everything Nina's already been put through. And I think the fact that I'll be the main one working with the three of them won't hurt either."

"But she wouldn't be training as an Avenger, though," he pointed out with a frown. "You were pretty clear on that. She'd just be working with the Twins without actually being a probationary Avenger." He fixed Natasha with a searching look, causing her to chuckle.

"I know," she assured him with an absent gesture, "it was my idea, after all. For Nadine to go along with it, that particular distinction is going to help." Steve smiled lightly, though he didn't look entirely convinced. But he trusted her judgement, so he shook it off, pressing on with the line of thought he was on.

"And what about Nadine?" he asked with a tone that was perhaps just a touch too casual. Natasha replaced her mug on the table, careful not to meet Steve's eye until she was sure her expression was fixed precisely how she wanted it.

"What about her?" she answered, looking up to meet his gaze head on. It was asked with just the right level of suitable yet casual curiosity. Steve shifted again, the barest of shrugs lifting his shoulders.

"Do you think she'll agree to stick around? You sounded pretty convinced that you could get her in on helping us with training." Natasha eyed him thoughtfully. He sounded…concerned that she wouldn't be able to manage it.

Natasha wasn't concerned. Not about her ability to bring Nadine around, at least.

But his line of questioning, on the other hand…that was decidedly odd. Not the questions themselves, mind; they were perfectly reasonable. It was that he'd asked them at all. Again.

He'd already asked the same questions, back when the two of them had been contemplating the idea of Nina joining the Twins in their training. Normally, for Steve, Natasha's assurances that day would've been enough. He would've been satisfied by her assessment and left her to the agreed upon plan, trusting her to update him when she had results one way or the other. But this asking again… Decidedly odd.

"I think she'll come around," she finally answered. Steve grew thoughtful, though a handful of additional feelings began to flicker across his features. Natasha couldn't quite pick them all out, but she got a fairly good idea.

Her suspicions might just have some merit to them after all; he liked the idea of Nadine sticking around. And there was the chance he knew it too. Natasha only barely restrained her vindicated grin. So she had been reading things right back at the farm…

As she watched him without making it obvious she was doing so, Steve's brow furrowed, his attention turning once again to the trio curled up on the red couches. Curious, Natasha was turning too, finally catching the strain of music coming from across the room that had drawn the preoccupied frown to Steve's face.

Whatever they were watching, the Twins were enraptured. A wide, wicked grin was spreading across Pietro's face while Wanda's eyes were sparkling with mirth and barely contained tears of laughter. Nina's face, meanwhile was beginning to turn red, she was working so hard to restrain herself from bursting into peals of laughter. She was obviously trying not to interrupt what was playing on the tablet she had propped in front of the Twins. She'd seen whatever they were watching before, Natasha concluded, given how Nina seemed far more interested in the Twins' reactions than what was playing on the screen.

"I know that song," Steve murmured, his voice distant as he tried to pinpoint how. Natasha spared him a curious glance, her own brow furrowing. But her own curiosity got the better of her, and she turned back to Nina and the Twins.

"What are you three giggling at over there," she called across the room, causing all three heads to snap over to her. Only for their gazes to slide past her to latch onto Steve the instant they noticed he was in the room. Oh, that was interesting. Natasha was certainly intrigued now. Especially at the mischievous glints that appeared in all three sets of eyes.

Nina opened her mouth to answer, only for a stream of giggles to escape first. Despite her own laugher nearly escaping, Wanda hissed out a half-hearted admonishment, and Nina forced her obvious enjoyment back under control.

"Just watching some U.S. Department of Education videos, Nat. We didn't get them in school across the way, but they made it online and went viral. Even in Austria." Natasha's frown deepened even as a grin spread across her face. Especially when she caught Steve straightening out of the corner of her eye.

Sparing him another glance, she nearly started giggling herself at the wary expression that had appeared on the Captain's face.

"Let me guess," he spoke up dryly, "PSAs about things like 'Safety First,' 'Patience' and 'Respectful Language.'" Pietro barked out a laugh and the girls devolved into giggles again. Natasha was incredulous, watching Steve now with barely concealed amusement.

"The detention one just might be my favourite," Nina piped up, "though the 'Fitness Challenge' and 'Food for Thought' are pretty funny too."

"Brain Power," Wanda objected with a wide smile, only to be interrupted by Pietro before she could make her argument.

"No, no, 'Your Changing Body' is definitely the best." A dull flush had begun to creep up the back of Steve's neck, and the Captain was trying very, very hard to keep a straight face even as the three youngsters burst out laughing again.

"We're not going to have to make any of these ridiculous, corny things if we become Avengers, are we?" Wanda's tone had grown serious, if a little appalled, but there was a glint in her eye that was eerily similar to her twin's when he was on the verge of doing something reckless. Natasha glanced between them and Steve.

Then her memory twigged.

"Wait, are these those goofy school videos that the DoE asked you to make a couple years ago? After New York?" Sighing with good-natured exasperation, Steve nodded in answer to Natasha's question before elaborating.

"I think Stark only pushed that I should do it so he could pull them out every now and then to torment me." Natasha couldn't help it, and was only just barely able to swallow back a laugh of her own. The unimpressed look Steve shot her was severely undermined by the way his own eyes were laughing.

"But," they both turned back to Nina, who was grabbing the tablet back from the Twins even as she glanced impishly at Steve, "this is definitely the best of the Captain America videos out there." Steve suddenly looked very worried.

Oh, Natasha could just tell this was going to be good.

At once, the volume was raised on the tune Nat and Steve had heard just before she'd asked Nina and the Twins what they were watching. And it was suddenly loud enough that the two Avengers could clearly hear the lyrics that went along with the cheesy, yet catchy tune.

"—a threat and a war we must win! Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin? Who will indeed lead the call for America? Who'll rise or fall, give his all, for America? Who's here to prove that we can?"

"Oh no," she heard Steve groan behind her. And judging by the particular way the 'no' grew muffled? His head had fallen to his hands. Natasha turned, her own wicked grin spreading across her face, especially as the chorus swelled through the room.

"The Star Spangled Man with a plan!"

"You didn't tell me about this," she teased. Steve's head lifted, his eyes narrowing at her.

"That's because I've been trying to forget it ever happened," he muttered. Natasha snickered, earning an admonishing look from the Captain.

"The visuals are pretty fun too," Nina added, speaking over the merciless throwback to Steve's performing days as the Captain during the War. "They've got a slideshow playing along with it with some of the posters and some clips from some of the propaganda reels. They've even got photos from the stage show, including one of Steve punching Hitler complete with swooning dancing girls. It's just perfect! And the costume is just too goofy."

"It was that," Steve murmured, though there was a note of nostalgia there that had Natasha looking to him with a faint frown of wonder.

"Well, I had always wondered where the design for the uniform came from," Wanda said playfully before Nat could even consider probing into the sudden change in her friend's demeanour. "The one he has now is much better, I think."

"I don't know; wouldn't it have been better to keep the tights?" Pietro cut in, his suddenly serious tone belied by his impish grin as he looked to Steve. "Better ease of movement, no?"

"Very funny, guys," Steve cut in dryly. "And they didn't stretch as well as you'd think…not to mention they rode up." Natasha was sure one of them was going to hurt themselves, given the intensity of the laughter that followed the admission. But despite his projected aggravation at the whole topic, Steve huffed out a laugh of his own. Natasha shook her head fondly.

"I think I need to see this video," Natasha teased. With a surprisingly theatrical put-upon sigh, Steve stood, grabbing up his mug.

"I will leave you to it, then," he said with an overly polite tone that nevertheless betrayed both his good-natured chagrin at the unexpected foray into his past and amusement at the same. Natasha grinned, laying a hand on his arm as he passed to return his mug to the kitchenette. He spared her a thankful glance at the gesture.

And as he turned away from the sink, Natasha was pulling herself to her feet., unable to resist catching his eye with an impish expression of her own as she made her way across the Common Area to plunk herself down next to Nina.

Natasha couldn't help but laugh as Steve beat a hasty retreat, trying and failing to make it seem like he wasn't running from the reminder of what he apparently saw as a particularly mortifying episode from his past. As he made a beeline for the door, Natasha was turning her own wicked grin to her niece.

"Start it over."

A/N: I have been just DYING to share this one for ages! I hope you all love it just as much as I do! It was honestly a BLAST to write. :D

And the best way to let me know? Review! Not just that, but it's the best inspiration an intrepid author can get and it helps keep the muse going! And since the muse is flagging big time just now, I need all the feedback I can get! :)

Not to mention I can't tell if the Glitch affected Reviews last week or not. We got a who whack of new favourites and follows, though (welcome, welcome!) so there's some mixed messages in there too… so hopefully it wasn't a dud for all of you who didn't review. But, of course, I don't know that unless you tell me...*hint*hint*nudge*nudge* ;)

Either way, it means the couple that I did get were all the more precious. So to my five reviewers last week, I love you all! You honestly made posting last week worth it. :) Virtual cookies just for you!

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!

See you all next time!

Guest Reviews:

Jo: Well, Madame B had bosses, you know…and they had lackeys… She's going to be busy, that's for sure! I'm so glad you loved it! With the smaller than usual turn out last week, review-wise, I was beginning to think last chapter was a dud until you left yours. So an extra special and exuberant Thanks for reviewing to you this week! See you next time! :D

Jag: Bahaha! Good to hear! ;) And glad to hear it. Like I said to Jo, it was thanks to you two and your encouraging reviews that I didn't lose complete hope over last week's chapter. Especially since it was one I'd believed a whole bunch of readers were looking forward to (signs of a positive Nina situation and more Steve and all that :P) So it really does mean so much to me to hear from you every week! Thank you so much for reviewing!