It's been a month since she agreed to come back. She has already had her meeting with Tony and settled everything with her contract.
They won't start filming until late April, and that's three weeks away. Next week, Tony will be hosting a party for all the cast members to meet, which Natasha was quite nervous about.
But she will worry about that later.
She was currently getting dressed for one of the awards shows, she ignored for years. She believes this one is the People's Choice.
Clint thought that it would be good for her to go to the award and get into the feel of being an in-the-light celebrity again.
"What is this for again?" Bucky asked, zipping up his pants. He had offered to come with her in case she needed an out. She had jokingly told him, she would use Scarlett for that, but he insisted and said he thinks he could perform a better leg injury than her.
She rolled her eyes, thinking of the reason she was going, although the gesture was nice of him, "Clint. He thinks it'll be good for me to see how I feel about being in the spotlight again."
All Bucky does make a noise, "Huh."
"What?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing it's just..." he paused, briefly, shaking his head, "you hang out with Clint a lot."
Her brows creased, the corner of her lip curling slightly, as she shrugged, "I mean he's my agent."
He shook his head, in a duh type of gesture. Then he sat down on the bed, shoes hanging between his fingers, eyes following Natasha, "I know that but you hung out with him a lot before then too."
She frowns, "He's also my best friend," Natasha said, slowly, looking at Bucky through the mirror, "you know he's like a brother to me."
He hummed, before arching a brow, "Does he?"
She wanted to roll her eyes, but she also didn't want to be insensitive to his emotions, so she just sighed, and stated, "He's married." And tries to end the conversation there.
He scoffed, "That doesn't matter to a lot of men."
Clint isn't like a lot of men, but she keeps that to herself, and hums. She pushes her earrings through one of her pierced ears, and goes for the other, as she changes the topic, "I hope Thor wins for Extraction, he did amazing, don't you think?"
He shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly, then frowned, "Aren't a lot of these award shows rigged?" He asked.
She doesn't answer the question.
"Mommy!"
She's always happy to hear her little girl's voice, but in this moment she couldn't be happier then, well, happier.
She lets Bucky finish buttoning his dress shirt, before moving to open the door for her daughter, who smiles immediately at the sight of her mother.
Her eyes widened, "Wow, Mommy, you look beautiful!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Natasha beamed, "Thank you, princess, you look wonderful."
Scarlett turned towards the man, who stood at the end of the room. She, subconsciously, moved closer to her mother, who rested her hand on her daughter's back, as Scarllet, lowly, said, "Hi, Bucky," but not low enough for him to not hear.
He looked up from fixing his tie and sent her a gentle smile.
"Hey, Scarlett."
Natasha rubbed her back, softly, as she shyly glanced back toward her mother, before looking at Bucky. "You look handsome," She said.
Bucky straightened his back, playfully, "Why, thank you, Scarlett, you look quite world-stopping yourself," He said, winking at her, Scarlett smiled, widely, her cheeks turning a crimson.
Natasha smiled at her girl's reaction, she placed her hand on top of the child's head, brushing down gently, "Are you done?"
Scarlett nodded her head, excitedly, her curls bobbing on her side as she did. Natasha smiled, moving her hand down, underneath her daughter's chin, cupping it as she raised her head, "do you want to help mommy with her makeup?"
She could see the yes in her daughter's doe eyes, though the verbal one confirmed it even more.
It took 15 more minutes for them to get out of the door, with Natasha having to fix some of the smears her daughter made, and Bucky having to find his watch, with Scarlett's help.
They were a little late to the carpet, but she doesn't think anyone noticed.
Bucky opened the door for both Scarlett and her, Natasha smiled, softly, stepping out of the car, and immediately camera lights began flashing.
In the beginning, the questions weren't as bold as she remembered them to be when she was younger, the new and old celebrities were genuinely nice to her, but after two hours and a half in, everything seemed to go down.
"You don't have to stop and talk to everyone you see," Bucky grumbled, complaining for the fifth time.
She didn't know when she agreed for him to come, he would become a pain in her ass. She sighed, feeling as her daughter's fingers slowly left hers. Her eyes followed Scarlett, who was walking a few feet ahead, as she responded to the musician, "We're almost at the end of the carpet, can you relax a bit?"
"I can't relax, Nat, my fucking legs are tired."
She ignored Bucky, watching as her child walked down the carpet like she owned the damn thing. Scarlett isn't always a confident child, but she has her moments of walking around like she's on top of the world.
Natasha's happy to have those moments.
"Mama!"
Her smile faltered.
Natasha's brows furrowed, as she opened her mouth to tell her daughter to stop screaming, and that she was right behind her, but then the girl had started running down the carpet.
"Scarlett—," mid-sentence she had paused, all her words dying on her tongue.
She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, all she could do was stand there astonished, ignoring all the sounds of flashing lights and people screaming out her name, as she stared at the woman before her who her daughter was currently holding on to for her dear life.
She wore a sleek black trouser suit with a strategically unbuttoned jacket. The lack of a traditional shirt allowed her smooth skin to peek through, accentuating her elegant silhouette.
The woman's brown hair was brushed off to one shoulder, showing off her pearl earrings, Natasha's eyes went down her striking eyes covered in dark eyeshadow to her pink lips.
Without realizing she slowly started walking down the carpet, her eyes watching as a wide smile sprouted on the brunette's lips, as her daughter held her so tightly that she might harm.
The brunette bends down, her arms wrapping around Scarlett's body, leaving Natasha breathless, as she picked up her daughter, she couldn't believe her eyes.
The brunette placed the young girl on her hip, brushing the hair from her shining green eyes, which matched hers so well, "Hello, spasitelj (savior)."
Natasha heard her say through her thick Sokovian accent, but she couldn't hear the rest of their conversation, as the crowd roared for them, soon she looked up, her eyes searching through the lights, and then...
Wanda noticed her.
•
"She will be here in a few."
Wanda nodded, and hummed, her nails pinching her skin, as she sat there, anxiously.
Wanda stared ahead, feeling as her brother tilted his body and head around the room, probably looking at the awards and discs Wanda noticed when she first walked in.
The brunette was waiting to see one of the co-stars.
She was currently playing in a movie called, Little Women. It's a book turning into a movie, Wanda will be playing Amy, who she believes is the youngest of the sisters.
She's currently waiting for her Jo, who's her character's older sister, whom Amy deeply admires.
The sound of a door swinging open causes to her straighten her back while turning her head toward the noise. A beautiful feminine figure walked through the double doors, radiating with light, she wore a soft smile on her face, her confidence causing her to look like she owned the room, or well, the world.
Then her eyes met Wanda's, and she stopped smiling, almost immediately.
Wanda tilted her head, in confusion by the reaction, her eyes following the beautiful blonde in the fitted black dress, whose eyes sent her a sharp glare, as she looked back, walking by.
Wanda frowns, taken back, as the woman stops in front of his desk, clasping her hands, and holding them tightly in front of herself. Her posture becoming extremely stiff, Wanda wonders, what the hell just happened to cause that.
He cleared his throat, nodding towards the twins, Wanda specifically, "This is Natalia, she's going to be your new co-star, or well, sister," He said, Wanda's eyes widened.
She will be beside this gorgeous woman for days while playing with her annoying little sister.
"Sucks to be you," Her twin whispered to her, she can't roll her eyes, so she went with elbowing him in the abdomen, before turning to the redhead.
But in her mind, she can't help but agree.
A soft grin rested on her lips, as she held out her hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Wanda," Natalia just stared at the hand and didn't offer to shake, or even a smile, she just nodded, before turning to Fury.
She looked at Pietro, with confusion and surprise, he shrugged his shoulders, feeling the same way she did.
She turned to the pair, to see them having a silent argument with their eyes, which Fury loses. The man sighed, waving his hand, "You can go."
The blonde nodded, and left, without sparing the twins a single glance. "Rude," She hears Pietro mutter, and she agrees.
Wanda bites her bottom lip, her brows furrowing, as she looks up at Fury, asking, "Does she not talk?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "She does, she's just tired, and had a hard day at work," She hummed, softly, nodding, before glancing back at the door, she cleared her throat, rising from her seat, and Pietro followed behind, "we should be going..." Wanda smiled, kindly, "It was wonderful to meet you, Mr. Fury."
He shook his head, "Just Fury, no need for the mister."
Oh, okay.
"Oh, right, sorry," she quickly apologized, he just nodded.
Pietro's arm wrapped her shoulder, as he pushed her out of the room. She frowned when they were far away from the office. She pinched her shirt, bringing it up to her nose, "Did I wear people repellent or something?"
He shook his head, humming, in disapproval, he turned to her, waving his hand, "No, I think it's the face," He commented, jokingly, she rolled her eyes.
She grabbed his hand, and squeezed, harshly. He jerked back, unwrapping his arm, and pushing away to get out of her grasp. He held his reddening fingers towards his chest, "Ow, you have the strength of ten men."
Scarlett was here.
Wanda smiled, widely, brushing the curls from her daughter's eyes, after picking her up from the ground. "you look beautiful," She stated, Scarlett grinned, her cheeks turning red from how hard she was smiling.
Scarlett turned her head, pointed her finger down the aisle, and said, "Mom matched our dresses."
Wanda looked up at Natasha, and god, there wasn't an ounce of love in those eyes, not towards her at least. She gripped her purse tightly, Wanda noticed her posture stiffening, reminding her of something close to the day they met.
She looked down at Scarlett's dress, which was a less explicit version of her mother's, before looking back at the older redhead, as she approached them. Wanda sets their daughter on the ground, who immediately goes to cling to her leg. Wanda swallowed, raising her hand awkwardly, and waved, "Hey, Natasha."
Natasha just smiled, and if she didn't know the redhead she would think it was genuine.
"Wanda! Nat! Over here!"
Her head snapped towards the flashing cameras, and Natasha moved closer to her, with a tight smile as she looked forward. She was always good at this, Wanda smiled, turning to the camera, as they began flashing.
Their hands rested against Scarlett only, not once touching each other, or moving their daughter away, even when the paparazzi shouted for it.
Wanda turned her head to see that, Natasha wasn't looking forward. The brunette followed her line of sight to see a tall male wearing a fitted suit, who was talking to the comedian, Wade Wilson, who honestly was the funniest man alive to Wanda.
Her brows furrowed.
She could always read Natasha's eyes, and understood every gaze, especially when she tried to hide them. Now, disappointment and a hint of annoyance flickered in them. So for the first time in a while, she touched Natasha. She wrapped her fingers around Natasha's hand.
Almost immediately, Natasha's attention snapped to her.
She squeezed her fingers, before pulling away, knowing how unwanted her touch might be. Wanda cleared her throat, "I'm taking a huge guess right now, but they most likely put us at the same table."
Natasha nodded, slowly, and Wanda wondered who that man was, and why does Natasha look sad because of him. Wanda gently urged her forward as well as their daughter, both of them ignoring the paparazzi.
Her shoulders eased, as she exited the carpet. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were the first faces they saw as soon as they made it to their table.
"Ah, reunion! So sad to have missed it," Tony exclaimed, clapping his hands together, Natasha rolled her eyes, causing to Wanda smile, slightly.
Steve chuckled, slightly, turning to the women, saying, "I can't wait to see you two work together again."
Wanda nodded, slowly, and went to steal a glance at Natasha to see the woman's widened eyes. Wanda's brows creased, and in that moment the idea of Natasha not knowing hits her mind. The woman frowned, and Wanda knew all hell was about to break loose, "What?"
Steve's brows furrowed, glancing between the parents and Tony (for a long moment) before he looked at Natasha. "Didn't Clint tell you?"
Her left brow twitched, it was like an unforgettable sign of the woman's anger, "Tell me, what?"
Steve frowned, stealing a glance towards Wanda, before saying, slowly, "Wanda's your new co-star."
Then there was silence.
So many emotions went through her eyes, her fingers tightening around the purse, almost enough to rip through the fabric.
"Mommy?" A gentle voice asked, gaining both of her mother's attention. Wanda's head snapped down, and so did the redhead's, but Scarlett was only looking up at Natasha, with confusion in her eyes.
Instantly, Natasha's face softened, and she smiled, even though there was probably so much irritation and confusion going on inside of Natasha, the smile pointed toward their daughter was still genuine.
"I'll be right back, sweetheart," Natasha told her, gently, Scarlett's tiny brows creased, as she nodded, silently. Wanda stepped closer to their daughter, placing her hand on the little one's back. Scarlett's attention moved towards Wanda, as Natasha walked away.
Her eyes were wide with worry and confusion, and Wanda tried to move her attention, as the two men argued in hush whispers. "Heard Monster Inc. is going to be up there, do you like that movie?" Wanda asked, gently, Scarlett nodded, slowly, she didn't seem interested in the conversation the brunette attempted to start.
Wanda sighed, and told her, "I know you're worried, but your mom is okay, alright? She just needs a little break like the ones you used to get in preschool."
Scarlett's brows creased, her lip moving up slightly into a signature Natasha smile, "Mommy's having nap time?" Wanda narrowed her eyes, and poked her stomach, gently, causing the redhead to giggle.
"Wanda?"
Wanda's head raised at the sound of her name being called, her brows furrowed, as her head snapped back, to see a tall male, with brown hair, watching her.
"Uncle Clint!" Scarlett exclaimed, before she could say anything, the tiny redhead jumped away from Wanda and rushed towards the man.
Wanda smiled, gently.
"Hey, little lion," Clint greeted, wrapping his arms around his niece before his eyes went to Wanda's, he didn't look at her with kindness or love, but Wanda was grateful to see there wasn't hatred either.
Wanda nodded down the hall, as Scarlett moved out of Clint's arms, "Natasha went that way."
His brows rose, and he frowned like understood everything without her saying a word.
She brushed her daughter's back, as the little girl beamed, oblivious to everything around her, Wanda smiled, softly, leaning forward, kissing the top of her head.
She was right, Natasha isn't over it.
Wanda leaned against the bar at the party Fury was hosting for the cast. Wanda had only awkwardly attempted to talk to a couple of the members, before parting and sitting at the counter. She ordered a glass of water, her eyes going through a row of chairs to see a familiar face, who was sitting one seat away from her. Wanda's eyes widened, as the girl threw back a shot of, what she was guessing, vodka.
"Are we allowed to do that?" Wanda asked, in surprise, watching as Natalia took another alcoholic drink from the bartender, who had to know she was underage. The blonde paused, briefly, her head turning to Wanda, the actress narrowed her eyes, causing Wanda to swallow.
She grumbled something that Wanda couldn't quite grasp, before taking the shot to her lips, shaking her head, "No, but I don't think they care."
The blonde grimaced, as she took a sip of the drink, Wanda frowned, squinting her eyes. She drinks until the small glass is half empty, then sets it down. She groaned, placing her hand on the side of her head, Wanda looked at her, closely, "Are you okay?"
She hummed, "I'm fine."
Wanda nodded, turning away, she didn't know what to say or ask next, then Natasha cleared her throat, removing the hoarseness from her voice. She straightened her back, "Actually I'm not."
Wanda arched a brow, "Oh?"
Natalia sighed, placing her hand over Wanda's, surprising the actress with a gentle touch. "I'm sorry, Wanda, for how I treated you when we met." She tilted her head, her bottom lip poking out, it was a cute sight. "I was nervous," She admitted, as it was the worst thing in the world, and it kinda is.
"Really?" Natalia nodded, rapidly, Wanda smiled, "I was too. I haven't been somewhere that big before... and god, have you ever looked into Fury's eyes? I think they give people more fear than joy."
Natalia laughed, loudly at that, Wanda's brows furrowed, she also couldn't help but enjoy the reaction.
Then Natalia abruptly stopped her laughter, and shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut while she did it, Wanda chuckled. Natalia lets out a breath, "No, no, I was nervous because of you."
Her brows rose, "You were?"
She hummed, turning in her seat, so she could look at Wanda, "Yes, when I'm nervous, I get closed off and very rude."
Wanda nodded, in agreement, "Yeah you do."
Natalia's expression dropped drastically.
"It's okay, you made me nervous as well, I was kind of glad when you didn't touch my hand," Wanda admitted, laughing, Natalia frowned, so Wanda continued, "If you did, you would've felt a disgusting amount of sweat."
Natalia grimaced, causing Wanda to smile, nodding.
"Well, let's start over," The actress said, suddenly, Natalia's brows furrowed, as Wanda straightened her back, "Hello, I'm Wanda, and on-screen I'm going to play her annoying little sister, off-screen I will be your even more annoying friend," Wanda told her, Natalia chuckled, shaking her head.
"Hello, Wanda, I'm Nat," Nat said, Wanda nodded for her to continue. The blonde didn't say anything immediately. Wanda glanced at the glass between the blonde's fingers, her whiting knuckles, deadly grip. Wanda reached out, placing her hand over Nat, the other woman smiled, gratefully, before nodding, "Um... on screen, I'm playing your wonderful, brilliant—,"
"Beautiful," Wanda added, just to make her smile widen.
And it did.
"I'm playing your wonderful, brilliant, and beautiful sister," She stated, "off-screen I will be all the same, but as a friend."
She held out her hand, "Well, my friend, it is nice to meet you."
Nat hummed, and then smiled, widely, flashing her pearly whites, Wanda would be surprised if her cheeks didn't bruise. Nat's fingers slid into hers, her grip tightening.
Wanda hopes she will never lose sight of that smile, and she hopes she always be the one to cause it as well.
"Nice to meet you, Wanda."
Afterword
End Notes
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