It had been a week since James had arrived at the Tower, and he had yet to spend any real time with Natasha. He tried, on numerous occasions and in different ways. Getting up early to have breakfast with her. Staying up late to catch her when she came home. Putting on one of her favorite movies in hopes that she'd sit down and watch. Even the sappy ones he could barely stand. But nothing worked. At best, Natasha would say few kinds words to him, a hello here and a goodbye there, but for the most part she kept her distance.
The best that James could do was spy on her during her workouts. Natasha knew he was there (James wasn't that good) and she didn't seem to mind as long James stayed quiet. Once James tried training with her. He didn't know that much about fighting, his father had only just started teaching him that and practicing that in front of Natasha would probably clue her in on who James's dad was, and Bruce had been pretty clear on not to say too much about the future. So James practiced gymnastics. Doing flips, beam balances and ring twirls that he'd learned from his mother and the club where he practiced. James was hoping it would get Natasha to open up, but all his best trick had gotten out of her was a "Nice dismount."
James got along well with the rest of the Avengers. He spent most of his time with Pepper and Tony, like he usually did when his parents weren't around. Pepper doted on him like he was her own, but it was Iron Man that he was closest to. Those two were always in the middle of some prank either on someone in the house or on each other. Tony had been bad enough on his own, but with James there, everyone was on their toes. Poor Happyy usually got the worst of it.
Natasha tried her best to keep James at a distance, but the kid was persistent. Getting up early, staying up late, watching her favorite movies, trying to join in on her workouts. James was adamant on spending time with her. But Natasha wouldn't let him in. She couldn't. It was just too risky.
"No."
"Natasha you have to," Pepper pleaded.
"Pepper I can't," she insisted.
"I've got a flight to Chicago in an hour, Tony's with Rhodey taking down a HYDRA base, Bruce is in the lab and you are the only one left who knows anything about this."
"But Pepper,"
"No buts," Pepper said sternly, cutting her off "I'm sorry Natasha, but there's no one else. You have to watch James."
"You're going to have to do better than that is you want to sneak up on me."
James shrugged as he walked Natasha from behind the couch. "Guess I need more practice." When Pepper told James that it was going to be just him and Natasha for the day, he could hardly believe it. Maybe now he could finally figure out what was bothering her so much. But so far, all seemed interested in was the TV.
Natasha sighed. "Why are you trying to be like me?"
"Why not?" James responded with a laugh.
"If you have to ask that, then you don't know me at all."
"I know you better than you know yourself," James stated in Russian "I just don't know why you've been avoiding me."
Natasha kept her eyes locked on the plasma screen.
"Hey I got an idea. How about a game?" James suggested in English. "How about hide-and-seek?"
"No."
"JARVIS, could set a timer for us please?" James asked, ignoring his mother's refusal.
"Is sixty seconds appropriate Master James?"
Natasha barely had time to say anything before the TV was replaced with a giant timer.
"Counting down from sixty seconds in 3...2...1."
"Kid, I am not playing this game," Natasha stated.
James said nothing.
"Kid?" Natasha craned her neck to look behind the couch. James was gone.
Bruce sighed as he collapsed on the couch. He had been working on he orb for six hours straight. If he spent anymore time in that lab, the other guy was going to tear it apart. He rested his head against the soft Italian pillows and closed his eyes. If he could rest just rest for a moment...
"James! James!"
Bruce's head snapped up from the couch pillows as he heard the Black Widow shouting throughout the tower just as he began to doze. "Natasha?"
"Bruce! Have you seen him?" Natasha asked in a panic.
"Who?" he murmured.
"James! I cannot believe I have been outsmarted by a ten year-old!"
"Natasha, what are you talking about?"
"I have looked everywhere! The gym, the rooms, the whole top three floors!" Natasha shook her head in disbelief "I can't find him anywhere!"
Bruce's eyes narrowed. "Who, James?"
"He wanted to play hide-and-seek," Natasha rambled "I didn't to, but then JARVIS started this stupid timer, and when I looked up, he was gone."
Bruce shot up for the couch and walked over the red-haired assassin. "Natasha what are you saying? Where's James?"
Natasha swallowed. "I lost him."
Pepper returned home from her business trip hoping to just simply take off her heels and unwind with a glass of wine after a stressful day and long flight.
"Good evening, Miss Potts," greeted JARVIS "How was you flight?"
"Exhausting," she groaned. "I'm guessing that things were pretty quiet around here?"
"Actually, it appears we have a bit of a... situation, Miss Potts," JARVIS replied nervoulsly.
Pepper frowned. "What kind of situation?"
Bruce rushed into the lobby and came to a halt. "Pepper! James is missing!"
"What?!"
"We were playing hide-and-seek," Natasha explained "and the next thing I knew he was gone."
"Oh my God. JARVIS, search the building!" Pepper ordred.
"I have searched all security files and archives. There is no record of MasterJames leaving the Tower or even this floor."
"Then look again!" Pepper snapped. "And have security search the building."
"And tell them what?" Bruce asked "To look for the Black Widow's unborn son from the furture?"
"I don't know, think of something! Call Happy," Pepper advised "He'll set up everything. Have the men search every floor! Natasha, you and I will search around the city," the CEO placed a comforting hand on the spy's shoulder "I promise, we'll find him."
When Pepper told Tony that James was missing, his genius mind did a double take. How did a world-class superspy get played by a ten year-old kid? Iron Man rushed home at Mach 2, quickly surveying the city as he came in for landing. "Anything?"
Pepper shook her head in despair. "Nothing, we searched half the city."
"Then there's still half that we haven't searched yet," Tony said in determination "JARVIS, send Armors 45-50 to search the city. Hack every security cam, traffic cam, and survellaince satellite in aera," he ordered "I want all live feeds coming through this moniter."
"I knew this would happen."
Natasha's voice was so quiet, Pepper wasn't quite sure she heard at first. "Knew what would happen?"
"This! Pepper, I don't know how to do this," Natasha admitted painfully "I'm not like you, I don't have maternal insticts. That's why I lied about having to meet a contact that morning when I first got back," she revealed "I knew I was going to screw up."
Pepper was suprised. From the moment she had met Natasha, she had always radiated confidence and confidence. In Pepper's mind, the Black Widow didn't know the meaning of the word fear.
"That's why you've been avoiding me?"
Natasha whipped her head around and saw James standing behind her. "Where have you been?" Natasha demanded.
"Around," James said nochalantly.
"We tore half the city aprat looking for you," Bruce said sternly "Mind being a little more specific?"
James pointed a finger to the A/C panel dangling from the ceiling.
"You were in the air vent? How did you get in the air vent?" Tony asked.
"Doesn't matter," James jabbed a finger toward his mother " we need to talk," he said with a tone and a glare that could've only come from Natahsa. He grabbed her hand and led her toward the elevator "Let's go."
"You mind telling me where we're going?" After being dragged out of the Tower by her ten year-old son, Natahsa was now driving James around the city after searching the city for hours.
"Here it is." James barely gave Natasha enough time to stop the car before he hopped out and headed into a small resurant. Natasha knew this place. It was an old world Russian bakery. Natasha came here regularly.
Natasha followed James inside the bakery, the little boy odering for the two of them in perfect Russian, and led Natasha to her usual booth. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"I thought this would be a good place to talk," James explained "none of the ohter know about this place so they can't easedrop or anything." James thanked the old woman who brought them their syrniki and varenye, and prcoceded to take one of the little fried pancakes and dip it into the strawberry preserves before taking a bite. "You're wrong you know."
"About what?"
"Being a bad mom," James clarfied as he licked his fingers cleaned "Yeah you still go on missions and sometimes I miss you and stuff," he admitted "But you call everynight that you're away and you never stay away for more than two weeks." James reached across the table and took Natasha's hand in his "You think that you're bad person because of what you used to do, but you're not," James disputed "if anything, it makes you strong. After all the bad guys did ot make you into something bad, you chose to be something good. That's what makes you a hero," James stated "My hero."
Natasha stared at James in awestruck, his baby blue eyes filled with certaintiy, compassion, and love that could never have come from Natasha. "Your dad must be really something," she said softly.
James smiled "Yeah, he is."
"Guess you found your maternal insticts."
Natasha sat on the couch with a sleeping James on her shoulder, gently running her fingers through his bright red hair. She smiled as Pepper sat down next to her. "I guess so." Natasha looked down at the child's sleeping face, remember the night when she first saw him. "When Tony first told me about James, I didn't know how to process it," she admitted "having a child never seemed to be a possiblity for me." Pepper nodded that she understood, but Natasha knew shou couldn't really. Not unless she had been through what she had "but then I saw him sleeping in his room," Natasha continued "so peaceful and innocent. Part of me wanted nothing more than to protect him. Then I talked to him. Not just 'hi' or a quick comment," Natasha clarified "today, when we were out, I really talked ot him, Pepper. And I realized something: this little boy loves me Pepper," Natasha whispered, almost in awe "I don't why, but he does."
"I'm not little." Pepper and Natasha looked down at James, his eyes still closed. "I'm a light sleeper," he stated.
"You do know that it's impolite to listen in on other people's conversations don't you?," Pepper reminded.
"I'm not supposed to interupt," James countered innocently "That's rude," he said, getting a smile out of the two female redheads.
"Well I think it's time for you to go beed," Pepper suggested.
"Can Mom do it?"
Pepper glanced at Natasha, a kind smile pulling at her lips "Sure."
Natasha scooped James up in her arms and took him into his room. James got himself in his pajamas and Natahsa tucked him in. As she went to turn out the light, she paused by the door and turned around. The spy then went back over to the side of her son's bed and gently pressed her lips against his cheek. "Seet dreams little one," she whispered, leaving the room without another sound.
James smiled.
Hey readers! So sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I have really busy this past two weeks and haven't alot of time plus this was a longer chapter. But summer is here and I will try my best to post chapter more regualrlly for you guys. Hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter please remeber to review. Your support is what keep me going. Take care! ;)