Can't Ask, Don't Need, Won't Acknowledge

chapter 1: alone

Wanda blushed at the older woman, "I just couldn't sleep, thought a workout might help."

Natasha relaxed her grip from the girl now they were both standing steady. She crossed her arms across her chest, "why couldn't you sleep?"

"That's not your concern Romanoff," replied Wanda. "Can I have my earphones back now?"

Natasha reluctantly handed them back. "This isn't normal Wanda; I know you are here most nights. You are training too much, and not eating enough."

"I don't need you checking up on me," Wanda expressed with slight resentment in her tone.

"Why have you been avoiding me Wanda?" questioned Natasha, "this is the longest we have spent in a room together in weeks. You are avoiding Barton as well. We are supposed to be training you? Not Sam or Steve."

Wanda sighed, "It's 4am Nat, why don't we talk tomorrow?"

Natasha stood stubbornly in front of the girl, "Fine we can talk tomorrow, but we will talk Wanda. I mean it, don't think you can dodge me."

Wanda watched Natasha leave the gym, she frustratingly turned to the punching bag hanging from the ceiling. She applied a firm angry punch into the bag, watching in satisfaction as it swung away from her.

...................................................

"Nat its 5am...." Groaned Clint throwing a pillow at his partner. He attempted to bury himself further into the bed. Natasha had once again let herself into his room. Clint muttered to himself something along the lines of, should have left you in Budapest.

"I'm aware what time is it Barton," replied Natasha catching the pillow with one hand, and flinging it back at him.

"it's also my bedroom!" he replied angrily while catching the pillow that had been aimed back at him, proceeding to throw his head under it in frustration.

"She was in the gym again," explained Natasha knowing Clint would not require any other explanation than that. She just to ignore his exclamation about it being his room.

"You are obsessed Romanoff," moaned Clint, shoving his head further into his pillow.

"She's just a kid."

Clint turned around in bed, he had realised that Natasha was not going to let him get back to sleep. "I know she is, you know she is, but getting her to admit that is another thing."

Natasha went and sat down gently on the bed next to Clint, "She's skipping meals as well."

Clint sat up in the bed, next to to Nat, making sure the duvet cover was over his lap. They were close but he drew the line at being naked in front of her. "What is it about this girl Nat that's got you so worked up?"

Natasha leant into her friend and let him wrap his arm around her shoulder. "She reminds me of me...."

Clint didn't require any more explanation than that, he just presses a kiss to her head. Clint knew Natasha's biggest secret; she was not the cold unfeeling assassin she made out to be. She was gentle and kind. He saw it best with his kids, when she was "auntie Nat." There was something about Wanda that made that side of her come out. A desperate urge to care for and nurture that needed to be fulfilled. The red room may have taken away her ability to reproduce but it did not take away her ability to mother.

"How is you research going?" asked Clint curiously. He was aware of the digging Natasha was currently doing searching for records on the Maximoffs.

"Surprisingly enough it's proving difficult to check the records in a war torn country," deadpanned Natasha. She had exhausted most of her contacts within the KGB and Shield, trying to find out the experiments that were carried out on the twins.