"What are you doing out of bed, Alya?"

"I can't sleep." The twelve year old rubbed at her tired eyes, carrying a blanket and George in one arm.

She had spent the last hour and a half, tossing and turning in an attempt at falling asleep, but nothing seemed to be working.

"Count sheep."

"No." Alya shook her head, making her way over to where her mother was sitting in the armchair by the tv. "I want you."

"Come here." Natasha wrapped her up in the blanket before lifting her up onto her lap.

Alya smiled and snuggled up against her, leaned her head on the woman's chest. She was growing older, but she didn't think she'd ever grow tired of doing things like this.

She loved being cuddled up in her mother's arms.

"Close your eyes."

"You can't even see my face. How would you know?"

"I know everything."

The reality of it was, Natasha could feel Alya's eyelashes flickering up and down on her skin.

"Oh yeah? Then what's my favorite color?" Alya challenged.

"We don't have enough time to guess that." Natasha chuckled, sharing an amused look with Bucky.

Alya didn't really have a favorite color. It changed every other week. She'd come home from school with a big smile on her face and announce to everyone that her new favorite color was purple, or blue, or whatever was floating her boat that day.

"See?" Alya grinned cheekily. "You don't know everything."

"I know that if you keep trying to have a conversation with me, you can go right back up to your room."

Alya huffed and sat up to look directly in her mother's eyes, her nostrils slightly flaring in protest. She wanted the woman to see her displeasure.

"Alyona?" Bucky raised a brow from his place on the couch.

"I didn't say anything." Alya's jaw dropped.

Bucky didn't respond to her after that. He just kept his face fixed on her before turning his attention back to the tv.

Alya just whined and slid off of Natasha's lap, clearly in a bad mood because of the lack of sleep she was getting. If her parents wanted to gang up on her, then fine. She could play that game, too.

Bucky just so happened to be watching a rerun of 'The Nanny'. He liked the show well enough and thought it was funny.

Alya, having seen the episode he was watching, grinned mischievously as a lightbulb went off in her head.

"I'm going back to my room." She announced.

"Alright, goodnight." Natasha kissed her cheek and sent her off.

Alya's smile only grew wider when she made her way to the stairs, stopping on the very first step before she turned around. "Mr. Sheffield tells Fran he loves her and then takes it back. It's gonna take years for them to finally get married…..oops."

Natasha knew she shouldn't be encouraging this kid of petty behavior, but the pure shock on Bucky's face was hilarious.

Once the shock was over, he stood up, shut the tv off and lunged at Alya.

The poor girl jumped about nine feet in the air and dashed up the stairs with him right behind her.

Natasha laughed at her daughter's lack of thinking things through. There was no way she was going to help her out of this one. She made her bed and now she could lie in it.

Natural consequences were great.

The cool air from the outside blew through Alya's jacket as she made her way down the hallway of her school building. She didn't want to miss the next train home.

She hoped it wouldn't be so crowded that she wouldn't be able to find a seat. She was a little fatigued from the long day of classes and wanted to rest on her way back home. Her classes went by at a snail pace and she was antsy to finally hear the last bell ring.

She was nearly halfway down the hallway before her principal poked his head out and asked her to join him in his office.

Now, Alya knew she hadn't done anything wrong. She kept her head down, she did her work, and she hadn't gotten into a single fight since Yelena forced her and Serena to go at it.

So, she didn't possible know what Murray wanted with her.

With much hesitation, she sat down in front of his desk and waited for him to do the same. The room hadn't changed much. There were still plenty of pictures of his family on his desk and his degree was still in a frame up on the wall.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to drop in. You're not in any trouble." He smiled. "I'm sure you're aware of Midtown High?"

"Mhm." Alya nodded.

"They're science department has arranged a trip to Europe and for the majority of the school year, they've been looking for a student from this school to join them. The student they selected, is you."

"Me?" Alya had to stop herself from scoffing in disbelief.

"With your academic achievements, especially after returning from the Blip, you were a shoe-in. Now, take this permission home and show it to your parents. Everything you need to know is there. If you do decide to go, I'll need it back by the end of next week."

Alya was still in shock.

They had picked her to go to Europe on a high school trip? Out of everyone else?

Wow!

"Congratulations, you deserve it."

"Hold the door! Hold the door!" Alya yelled as her sneaker clad feet slapped up against the platform of the subway station, hoping that someone would hear her request and help her out.

Lucky for her, someone did.

Peter.

Sometimes, if Peter wasn't involved in any afternoon activities, they would take the train together on the way home just to talk and catch up.

Of course, she told him that they moved and gave him the address for whenever he wanted to hang out. He had been busy, so he never got a chance to stop by, but he planned on it.

"Thanks." Alya blew out a breath of relief once she managed to get in the car before the doors actually did close.

Peter just smiled and led her over to a pair of empty seats. "Why're you so late? You're usually waiting here before me."

"My principal wanted to talk to me about something."

"You didn't get into trouble again, did you?" He raised a skeptical eyebrow.

He's known Alya for too long for that not to be a possibility.

"No." She rolled her eyes and handed him the slip of paper she received earlier. "Look."

Peter took it from her and took a minute to skim it over, a wide grin forming on his face when he finally got to the end of it. "Alya, this is great! We're gonna have a blast!"

He already handed in his permission slip and all the other necessary things to make it official so that he could go on the summer trip. A couple of the countries they were going to were, Italy and France.

France was his favorite destination on the list. He had specific plans for France.

It was great that Alya was selected to go. It totally gave them more time to spend with each other.

But Alya didn't look as enthusiastic about it as he did.

"Don't you wanna go?" He asked, folding the slip and putting it in her bag for safe keeping.

"Sure, I do." She nodded. "But it's a lot of money and we just got a house…..I don't wanna bother them with this."

Her parents, aunt, and uncle were doing a lot to make her and Wanda comfortable. She didn't really need to go on this trip. It was really nice that she had been selected, but it wasn't a priority.

"I'm sure they'd wanna know about it anyway. They're gonna be really proud of you. Your GPA is off the charts. It would have to be for the school to pick you."

"I guess. I'll think about it." Alya shrugged. "Hey, wanna stay over? We could have a slumber party!"

"Alya, a slumber party?" He wrinkled his nose at the thought of boas and tea parties with sleeping bags and late night giggling sessions.

"Fine." Alya pursed her lips. "A sleepover. We haven't had one in forever and it'll be fun! Wanda will be there, too, so if you get bored of me, you can talk with her! Plus, we have an extra room!"

That extra room had been furnished with Peter in mind.

Natasha had gotten used to having him living in the same vicinity and she missed having him around all the time. So the room was prepared for whenever he decided to come and visit.

"Isn't this really short notice?"

"No."

"I'm pretty sure your dad hates me."

"Now, where'd you get an idea like that?" Alya tilted her head.

"Uh, Germany?"

Alya burst into a fit of giggles, throwing her head back to laugh right in his face. He was so sensitive, it was hilarious.

"What's so funny? Alya, I really think your dad would rather I stay away."

"My dad likes you." Alya told him once she calmed down.

"How do you know?"

"Because you're my friend." She sobered up and gave him a serious look. "Plus, Uncle Steve likes you, that should count for something, right?"

"Haha, very funny."

"This house is awesome." Peter complimented as Alya led him up the stoop to the front door so she could unlock it. "I love the architecture that went into building this. The brick work is phenomenal and it's so well maintained."

Alya froze just as she was about to turn her key just to give him a funny look. "You're such a nerd."

"I mean, these building have been around since the turn of the twentieth century." He rambled on, her words having zero effect on him.

Alya's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she put her schoolbag down on the bench in the foyer, motioning for Peter to do the same before she led him to the living room.

Her father was in the kitchen, hard at work to make dinner and Wanda was on the couch, doing her school work.

They both had been given the option to go to school or get their education online. Alya found that she liked having teachers there to guide her, but Wanda didn't want to go through the bullying and the harassment that came with learning in a physical school building.

"Hi, Daddy." Alya tapped him once she was close enough.

"Hi." He glanced at her with a smile. "How was school, Scamp?"

"Fine." She shrugged, stealing a piece of garlic bread. "Where's Mama?"

"She and Yelena are out on a grocery run."

"Where's Uncle Steve?"

"He's upstairs trying to find the recipe for whatever this dish is supposed to be."

"Oh….Peter's here."

At the sound of his name, Wanda perked up and made her way over to him, pulling him in for a hug. "Hi!"

"Hi." He smiled, relaxing only just a little bit.

"I haven't seen you in forever!"

"He's staying for the weekend." Alya told her. "I asked Mama and she said it was okay."

It was probably the reason why Bucky was making so much food.

"Is he?"

"Yeah." Peter nervously scratched the back of his neck. "If that's okay with everyone else."

"I've never seen you so nervous." Bucky chuckled. "You were pretty confident back at that airport."

Peter sent Alya an 'I told you so' look and turned his attention back to Bucky. "I'm so sorry, Sergeant Barnes. I had no idea what I was doing and—"

"—Relax." Bucky's chuckling turned into laughter. "I was only kidding."

Peter was beginning to see where Alya got her sense of humor from. Alya loved to laugh at his discomfort. She got the biggest kick out of it.

One day, he would definitely get her back.

Maybe that day would be today…..

"So, how has school been?" Steve asked Peter as everyone gathered around the dinner table to eat.

There was plenty of food and plenty of people to share it with.

"It's fine." Peter smiled, adding some rice to his plate. "I'm gonna take a few AP classes next year for college, so that should be fun."

"Oh yeah?" Steve clearly was interested in what the teen was saying. "What kind of AP classes?"

"English, Math, and Science."

"Sounds like a lot of work, looks like you're gonna be having a bit of fun."

"I plan to."

While Steve was distracted, Alya picked a carrot off of her plate and held it out for Fanny to eat.

She hoped that she wouldn't make too much noise and give her away. She really didn't feel like eating carrots today.

…..Or any other day for that matter.

Wanda caught her, but she didn't say anything.

The older girl actually handed her a a few pieces of broccoli for her to feed Fanny.

"I think Alya would really enjoy these kinds of classes." Peter drew all the attention to the twelve year old just as she reached out to feed Fanny something else.

Alya froze and squeezed her eyes shut, mentally hurling insults Peter's way.

"Just because your eyes are closed, doesn't mean we can't see you." Natasha crossed her arms.

A sigh left Alya's lip and she opened her eyes to see the very unimpressed faces looking right at her. "She was hungry."

"And it's very generous of you to feed her the things you don't like to eat." Bucky commented.

"She told me she wanted that. I couldn't stop her." Alya feigned innocence.

Natasha's eyes rolled as she stood up and walked over to Wanda and Alya's side of the table, picking up the bowl of carrots before she scooped an entire spoonful onto Alya's plate.

"Mama!"

"One more word and you'll eat the whole bowl." The redhead warned, watching when her daughter's mouth clamped shut. She obviously didn't mean it, but look on Alya's face was priceless. "And you." She made it a point to also pick up the dish that held the broccoli and scooped a bigger helping than she gave to Alya, onto Wanda's plate.

Wanda's jaw dropped at the action, but all Natasha did was smile.

"I watched Alya eat her broccoli." The woman explained. "I know you hate it and you had something to do with this. Eat."

"Crime doesn't pay." Steve teased.

Peter snickered when Natasha took her seat, right next to him.

But the smile fell from his face when she gave him an extra serving of peas.

"Well, I wouldn't want to leave you out of loop." She smirked.

These kids really thought that they could pull one over on her. As if she hadn't noticed Alya and Wanda feeding the dog right in plain sight, or Peter taking the attention off of himself to bust Alya.

Amateurs.

Peter forgot how perceptive Natasha was and he was almost sorry he did.

Almost.

Because as much as he hated peas, it was well worth it just to watch the disgusted look on Alya's face while she plugged her nose and ate her carrots.

Revenge was a dish best served cold.

"Peter doesn't like you, Daddy." Alya spoke nonchalantly from her place on her father's lap.

She was playing with his metal arm, opening and closing his hand, while sticking random magnets on his bicep.

So far, she had spelled, 'old', 'blue', and 'papa'.

She got a good tickle as a result of creating the first word.

"What?" She could feel his chest rumble as he laughed in surprise.

Peter's eyes were wider than the pizza pans they used in the oven. What had provoked Alya to say something like that? Well, he knew exactly what provoked her, but he had only been messing around!

He didn't have a death wish!

"He told me he wanted to beat you up." She shrugged.

At that, poor Peter's face paled several shades lighter.

"He did, huh?"

Alya smiled very conspiratorially, giving Peter chills of distress. He wanted to play a game that he couldn't win.

"Yes." She continued. "I heard him."

"Sergeant Barnes, I never—"

"—So, you think you're a tough guy, huh?" Bucky played right along.

"No sir." Peter looked like he was on the verge of passing out, while Steve and Yelena looked like they were going to burst into tears from the giggles they were holding in. "I never said anything like that!"

Natasha rolled her eyes at the utter foolishness that was happening. Wanda just kept her nose in her book, unwilling to get involved after the veggie incident.

She'd had enough for one day.

"Are you calling my daughter a liar?" He cocked a brow.

Oh, it was so easy to mess with Peter. Bucky was going to enjoy this for a long time to come.

"With all due respect…..yes."

Alya shrieked when the tables were so suddenly turned and Bucky pinned her down on his lap, preventing her from going anywhere.

His flesh arm dug into her stomach as she kicked her feet and tried to push his arms away, wondering how on earth this had been turned around on her.

He was so much stronger than she was, and she was so weak from being tickled, that she couldn't really do much.

"Stop trying to get Peter in trouble." He nommed at her neck. "It's not nice."

"But it's funny!" She squealed.

She didn't believe that her options were exhausted, she was going to try everything before she even though of surrendering to this treatment.

"Come on, Peter." Bucky beckoned him over. "It's only fair that you get to have your revenge. In fact, I think everyone should get a turn! Wanda, you're up next!"

Maybe next time Alya would think twice before she got her father involved in her shenanigans.

"Can you sleep?"

Peter had been awake for a few hours, just scrolling through memes on his phone. He usually took this time to wind down and relax, so Alya coming into his room wasn't disturbing him.

"Why? What's wrong?" He asked her, squinting to see her in the dark.

She was carrying George. He knew she couldn't sleep without that stuffed monkey. Every night, he was tucked right under arm as she went off to dreamland.

"No." She shook her head as she moved towards his bed. "I had a bad dream."

Now that everything was calming down, the silence was giving Alya's mind time to actually think about Thanos and the Blip. She wasn't having nightmares every night and they weren't as bad as the night terrors she was having before (or so she thought), but they were enough to keep her awake in fear of having them.

She didn't want to bother her parents. They had enough to worry about. She didn't think Wanda would appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night, so she didn't go to her. Steve and Yelena were the next options, but Alya specifically wanted Peter.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No." Not now, at least.

"Okay." He heaved a sigh before he scooted over and pulled the covers back. "Climb in, little sister."

Peter was not a fan of co-sleeping. He liked to have the bed all to himself without anyone else to take up any room.

But he'd do anything for Alya.

"Thank you." Her voice was small from fear and her hands trembled as she climbed in beside him, he could feel how terrified she was.

"Don't mention it." He waved her off, making sure she had enough of the duvet to cover her before he laid back down. "Do you know what I do when I have a nightmare?"

"What?" The little girl turned to face him.

"I try to think about the people I love, and everyone who loves me. Or, sometimes, I talk about it. It really does help."

"I didn't feel you." Tears sprang clouded Alya's vision.

"What do you mean?"

"When Thanos won." She clarified. "I didn't feel you anymore….and then I disappeared, too."

It was very hard to forget that horrible day. Thanos snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden, Alya couldn't feel Peter anymore, or Wanda for that matter.

She fought so hard to stop it, she made herself sick, but eventually, she disappeared just like the rest of them.

It made going to bed a real task.

She was afraid that she was going to wake up on that weird red planet again.

"That's what you were dreaming about?"

"Uh huh." She nodded. "I wanted to make sure you were still here."

"I'm not going anywhere." He forced a smiled, taking her hand. "I promise, okay? You're tired, you need to sleep. It's okay."

He rubbed his thumb in gentle patterns on the back of her hand and watched as her eyes fluttered while she tried to stay awake.

The calming motion had its desired effect and Alya eventually fell fast asleep, her head resting against a pillow.

She didn't have any more nightmares that night.