They contacted Doctor Strange the next day and Took what Steve called a field trip. They ended up at an old brown stone and were greeted at the door by a strange Asian man. Not that he looked strange it was just that to Natasha he gave off a strange feeling. She eyed him carefully, not sure what to make. In introduced himself as Wong and they headed through the house.

Doctor Stephen Strange was waiting for them in an inner room, levitating as he meditated. Natasha's eyes went wide as she looked at him. She had never seen a man hover in the air before. He smirked a little, enjoying the shock on her face and gestured for them to sit down. Natasha's head turned form side to side as she tried to take in everything around her.

Every surface was covered in something amazing. Stacks of books that stood impossibly tall and objects she knew just had to be magical. She didn't know where to look first and she got the distinct impression Strange was enjoying her reaction. H smiled and came to rest in a winged arm chair, folding his hands neatly as he did so.

"It's remarkable." He said. "How old are you, Natasha?"

Natasha looked at him curiously. "Six." She said.

He smiled. "What a wonderful age to be." He turned his attention to Steve. "Do you have the cursed object?"

Steve nodded and produced a metal box. Inside was the box containing the object. Strange took it and with a wave of his hand both boxes opened and the object flew up into the air. He examined it without touching it. It was a small, ancient looking comb. He turned it this way and that, directing it with his index finger. The object turned and flipped. "And Thor believes it was cursed by the Enchantress?"

Steve nodded.

"It does look like her work. Perhaps meant to call upon the vanity of youth. Rather a harsh punishment. But Ms. Romanoff did not touch it directly?"

"No, Thor said she just held the box."

"Curious, it's magic permeated the box. It must be quite powerful. I'm sorry I couldn't be reached sooner. I was preoccupied with with matters of celestial importance."

Steve thought his excuse was a bit evasive and rather grandiose but didn't push it. He just wanted to know if Strange could fix restore her to her proper age. "Do you think there's anything you can do?" He asked.

"I may have to study this object for a while more. Asguardian magic can be tricky. I wouldn't want to be preemptive. You understand I'm sure."

Steve nodded, feeling a weight settle in his chest. He had hoped that this would settle things. "Of course."

Strange waved his hand in front of Natasha's face and her eyes narrowed. "I see she is in no present danger. If I were to do nothing she would simply grow up again however I'm sure I can fix this. Would you like to be grown up again?" He asked, addressing her directly.

Steve caught himself realizing that they had not considered her opinion. He had just expected that it was the natural course.

A n introspective look crossed her pretty young face and she nodded. "I think that if I am supposed to be a grown up then I should find a way to be one again. I don't think it is fair to be a child twice. Besides, I think the others need me and I can not help them if I am a child."

Strange's own face became serene and he knelt and took her hands. "That's a very wise decision and if I may say so, I believe it is the correct one. You're a very intelligent girl."

She nodded quietly. "I have thought about it much. Will I remember when I grow up again?"

"I see no reason why you shouldn't."

"I do not want to forget."

"Then you have my word that you will not. I will not attempt to return you to adulthood until I am absolutely positive that you will remember."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you." Then she blushed. "They told me you were a magician. Could I see a magic trick?"

He gave her a smile that would have been almost cheeky on a younger man and waved his hand,, muttering something unintelligible. Instantly flowers sprung from his palm and he handed them to her, presenting them with a flourish.

She broke into a wide smile and took them, he smiled, evidently pleased with himself. "I don't normally do tricks. This is a one time coinsurance."

"Thank you." She said politely, eyes shining with delight.

Steve who had been sitting by quietly grinned as well and clapped. "So we should come back soon?" He asked.
Strange waved a hand and turned to place the box on a table. "Once I run some test I'll let you know. My God, once I had nurses to run my errands." He shrugged to himself and turned to face them again. "Why don't the two of you join me for lunch? I was just about to eat."

"If we're not imposing." Steve said.

"Nonsense."

Soon after his partner or servant or. . . Steve wasn't quiet sure what Wong was, brought in some food but declined to join them. Strange talked loftily and neither Steve nor Natasha understood everything he said but they both gave it a try and although he was rather dry humored Natasha like it when he talked. And everything he said was an interesting mix of the mundane and the supernatural.

When they eventually departed she was in a quiet kind of excitement. She had wanted to explore the house. It was impossibly big on the inside and seemed to be full of nothing but magic. Steve told her a few stories of working with Strange but for the most part seemed just as baffled as she was. He said most people got that impression and Tony complained that Strange gave him a head ache something about too much magic talk and not enough facts. She asked if Tony didn't believe in magic and Steve laughed saying Tony thought everything could be explained by science. She didn't quite agree but kept her thoughts to herself.

She didn't understand magic or God or even the concepts of them. She had been taught that what was real was what she could see and touch and kill but she didn't know if she believed that. The world seemed impossibly large and she didn't think everything could just be explained away. People like Strange obviously thought it couldn't. And she had just seen magic, hadn't she? So it must be real and it made her happy because it meant that the people she took orders from weren't always right. She knew something they didn't.

She held Steve's hand as they walked to their car. She had been trying to do this more. She saw other children doing it and children of TV held the hands of adults so she thought that it was normal. She didn't think she really needed to but she wanted to fit in and be a gook girl. The others were indulgent although they knew fully well that she didn't need to hold their hands. She wanted to.

Steve smiled and the two of them drove back to Avengers Tower. "I'm glad you're okay with returning to adulthood." He said as he drove."

"I think that it's important that I do." She said softly.

"I do to but I want you to know I wouldn't make you if you didn't want to."

She frowned. "But it is the way things have to be. It is like eating broccoli, I don't want to but Bruce says that it is good for me and so I have to."

He gave a small laugh at her analogy. "Well yeah, I suppose so. That's very grown up of you."

"I wish sometimes I wasn't so grown up. I want to have fun being a kid."

"Do you not have fun?" He asked, feeling his heart sink.

"I do but I don't know if it's the right kind."

"I don't think that there's a right or wrong kind, just as long as you're having fun. That's what's important."

She smiled a little. "I think you are a very good man." She said softly. "I am glad to know you."

He looked at her in the review mirror. She looked so serious. "And I'm very glad to know you, Natasha."

They pulled up to the tower and got out and Natasha felt a rush of gratitude towards Steve. She hoped he knew. She really did. She went in and the two of them watched television. He put on an old Katherine Hepburn movie. He knew it would be clean enough for a little girl to watch and although she wasn't the prettiest woman to ever act she wasn't hard to look at. Besides, Natasha seemed to like older movies. If she was born in the late forties, early fifties then he thought that they would be closest to what she was used to. They watched for a while and the two of them sat in silence, enjoying each other's company.

When the rest of the Avengers began filtering in for dinner Steve filled them in on what Strange had said and with predictableness Tony lamented the uncertainty of magic and Bruce nodded along without comment and Thor just rolled his eyes. Clint when and finished the movie with Natasha although he was quite evidently board by it.

During dinner they talked over the meeting with Strange and Natasha told them about his magic trick. She had been very impressed with it and once they had gotten home Steve had helped her find a vase. Somehow the flowers didn't seem to wither no matter how long they were out of water. He thought maybe that was a spell too.

After dinner Natasha was sent to get ready for bed and the others talked for a while.

"I'm glad she's not upset about returning to she adult age." Bruce said quietly.

"I don't think she wants to but she understands that she has to. Her one concern was that she be able to remember being a kid with us." Steve said.

"Aw man." Clint said softly. "What'd Strange say?"

"He said he would make sure of it."

"That is excellent news." Thor put in. "I would not want her returning to adulthood unhappily."

Tony nodded. "If I could have found a way to help I would have. . ." He looked down at his knee. "I tried, right after it happened but I couldn't come up with anything."

Steve smiled a little. "I know. It's alright. I trust Strange to get things done."

There was a pause. "She grew on me." Tony said wistfully. "I man Barton's crappy parenting aside I think we've done okay with her so far."

"My parenting isn't crappy." Clint interjected.

"You let her get into a fight and then told her not to tell us because you were afraid to get in trouble." Tony pointed out.

Clint shrugged and sat back in his seat. He couldn't argue with that. He grinned a little at the though. No harm had been done.

So next chapter she meets Bucky. I wrote him sort of as he is in the comics, he's himself again but weighed down by the past and all that. I hope that's okay. It's a cute chapter, I promise and if there are any baseball fans out there I hope you enjoy it!

Ok so one last thing, over a year ago i wrote a Harry Potter fanfiction about the marauders that follows them through their year one until the end of their 7th year and I'm gonna start posting it to this account. I had it posted to another one a while ago but I haven't updated in a year so Im gonna put it on this one, I know Im self advertising here but if there are any HP fans out there I think it's a pretty good story and I wanted to tell you guts about it, it's written from Sirius's perspective and as you guys know I try and stay very cannon and all that so if you think you'd like to give it a shot I'd appreciate it! The story is called Seasons of Change.

Thanks for reading!