525,600 Minutes

Answers

Natasha is much more vibrant in the upcoming weeks, all thanks to her pain medicine. She's outrunning Brody once again and determined to tackle any mission that pops up on her device. She's sarcastic and full of whit when she asks Steve;

"Why did you skip out on the date with Darcy?" He tenses uncomfortably. She just taps his shoulder, "Kidding."

He forces the laugh, "Oh, good! I was worried for a second there..."

"You know, you can tell me when I'm overstepping," she appreciates their friendship and Steve's promise to talk directly to her about their conflicts next time makes her happy.

The lack of communication from Fury leaves her concerned but a relapse early August knocks her down for a week. As soon as the medicine kicks in again, she feels like she can conquer the world, which is a problem for Bruce and Clint who have to constantly remind her to rest and take it easy. She's far more injury prone and she doesn't really listen, stubbornness might've run in the family, bruises down her arm from losing her footing. So Bruce ropes off the stairs in order to force exclusive elevator usage. She just moves the bench and continues about her day. Anything he urges her 'not to do,' she has to try at least once more and prove to herself that it's still possible, which annoys Bruce to Asgard and back.

Lucy and Clint are getting closer, which Garrett doesn't seem to mind as long as he's a part of their adventures. So far, Lucy hits every target, she's athletic and up for any challenge. Clint takes her to the Barton family cabin during two days for a full hunting experience she thoroughly enjoys.

Lucy will lean over her Uncle's shoulder in the lab during a few simple projects and indulge Izabella by at least skimming their shared books.

Family nights at the tower have started to include a mandatory watching of Frozen as demanded by Antonia, followed by a ruthless game night with the kids. Brody is competitive but Lucy tops him when it comes to raising her voice and the stakes.

"She has a gambling problem," Clint mumbles one night on his way out of the room in reference to Lucy putting up her Vans to match Brody's beloved basketball.

Laura remains the only steady voice of reason who Natasha respects. So when Laura says to 'go rest', Natasha will head upstairs, curl up in her bed with Alex and watch 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.'

Bruce is at her side whenever he's not in the lab. There's a comfortable space in the lab where the couple enjoy watching the stars through the skylight. She likes it when she can drag him into the studio for ten minutes and play the piano, even if dancing isn't her top choice of activity as of late. Lucy enjoys it too, trying to teach the Mikhailov siblings a few moves that neither one can figure out. Brody however, does have more rhythm than Izabella.

Pepper is at Natasha's side whenever Bruce can't be, a life saver and optimistic presence. Antonia makes her laugh, always content to curl up with Natasha and Pepper for a movie.

Alex never leaves Natasha's side, so much so that he's begun to accompany her on most of her missions. Maria permits it, empathetically, even urging SHIELD to provide Alex with his own uniformed vest. He's learning Natasha's signals and barks when she's dizzy, about the faint, or injured. Clint always comes running over Alex's call, a secure bond between the three of them whenever she's on a mission.

Alex chose to get the Hulk on their most recent team mission, sensing his 'dad' underneath the big green exterior and the fact that Natasha needed him. Hulk responded quickly to him and let Bruce take over after giving her cheek a gentle brush.

The excuse for Fury's absence had been 'vacation' as far as Natasha knows, and she didn't always have the energy to dig deeper for the past month. Clint's been too focused on Natasha and Steve didn't have the desire to research anything further than what Bruce keeps asking him to. At this point he's aware of her problem and more than willing to help wherever he can, even if he doesn't know every detail.