The Soldier and his Widow

11

"What else did they tell you?"

"Family is weakness. When you graduate, they make sure you can't have one."

The Winter Soldier shrugged. "Maybe they're right about that one. We wouldn't know. If I had a family, I sure as hell can't remember it."

Natalia frowned. "Love is for children," she quoted, "it's what they taught us all the time. But even as a child, I never knew love. What if everything is wrong? What if every single thing I know is wrong? What then?"

"Can you remember any other way?" he asked.

"No," she admitted.

"Then even if it is wrong, what can you do?"

~~|2017|~~

"Are they back already?" Shuri asked, glancing up at the sky.

"Looks like," Ramonda murmured, standing beside Shuri. "I wonder what happened."

"Maybe the matron was a witch."

"Or," Ramonda said as the ramp descended and its passengers exited, "things went well. Stop being so pessimistic."

The young child that walked with the four adults looked around in awe. Natasha smiled when the child tugged Okoye's arm and pointed at the other Dora Milaje. Okoye gave her a nod. Shuri's heart just about burst with joy when the child gave the Dora Milaje the Wakanda salute. Natasha took her hand and guided her to Ramonda.

"This is Anastasia Volkova, or as we've decided to --"

"My name is Anya," the child said, looking up at the queen, "Anya Barnes, and this is Mamma."

"Welcome to Wakanda, Anya," Shuri said, crouching in front of her, "you're going to love it here."

Anya looked up at Natasha.

"Shuri," Natasha said.

Anya leaned towards Shuri and whispered, "Is your brother sometimes a cat?"

"Oh, I like her a lot," Shuri said.

"Mamma says you build things."

"I do. Would you like to come and see?"

Anya glanced first at Natasha, then at Bucky. Both gave her an encouraging nod. She let go of Natasha's hand to take Shuri's.

"That was quick," Ramonda said, "I expected it to take days or even weeks for her to grow accustomed to her new life."

"You should have seen her at the orphanage," T'Challa said, "she took one look at them and wanted to leave with them. We would have come back hours ago if not for the paperwork."

"I wonder what it is about you," Ramonda murmured. "No matter, at least one of my sons are married and have a child."

"Moth-ther!"

Ramonda noticed the smile on the war general's face. "Okoye, did something particularly good happen?"

"Nothing particular, my queen. I just like the child a lot. She's fascinated with my uniform, and for some reason, my head."

"Maybe she's never seen a bald woman before."

Okoye shot T'Challa a glare. "If it were not for the laws of this land. . ."

"Come now, you started it."

"Come," Ramonda said, gesturing to the doors, "it's time for lunch. I expect the child is hungry?"

Anya settled in at once. In a matter of days, not a single person who met her could have imagined life without her around. It had been an understatement when Okoye claimed that Anya was fascinated with Wakanda. Anya was more than that, and a few days with Shuri proved that although she might not be a genius prodigy, she was sharp and remembered what she was told.

Natasha no longer played villain with the children of Wakanda, not when they had someone their size who was thrilled to run around in the odd masks and 'swear vengeance' on the others. They'd asked Anya if she wanted someone else to wear the mask once, and she refused to let go of it. She was happy, they were happy, and they played together as if they had all been born into the same house.

Natasha walked into the room to find Anya fiddling with something, bits and pieces strewn around her on the floor as she seemed to fight with the one in her hand. "What are you playing with, Anya?"

"Shuri gave it to me. She said it's a puzzle. I can't figure it out."

Natasha sat on the floor in front of Anya. "How long have you been playing with it?"

Anya shrugged. "I got it after breakfast."

"How do you solve the puzzle?"

Anya frowned as she pulled something off. "You have to open it like a present. You have to take off all the pieces, but they're stuck until you unlock it."

"And how much have you completed?"

Anya put the disc down and made a ball with her hands that was nearly twice the size of the little disc. "It was so big."

"What happens when you take off all the pieces?"

Anya shrugged, once again fixated on the disc. "Shuri said it's a surprise. She said Mamma will like it too."

"Is that so?"

"Mhm."

Natasha watched Anya pull off a few more pieces off.

"Mamma."

"Hm?"

"Thank you for bringing me home. Sometimes, people don't get parents, and they grow up in the orphanage, and then they aren't nice, because they're sad and hurt. I didn't want to become like them."

As quickly as she had brought the solemn air, Anya chased it away. "I finished it!"

She turned it over a few times, slightly disappointed. She tapped the centre; nothing happened. Upset, Anya gripped the two sides and tried to pull it apart. When that wouldn't work, she tried to snap the disc in half, dropping it when it folded ninety degrees and a hologram rose sharply.

Natasha and Anya watched the image form in front of them. "It's Mamma!" Anya cried, noticing Natasha's face first. "And Daddy! And me!"

Natasha suddenly remembered Shuri shouting "Family portrait!" when she saw Natasha pick Anya up so the child could speak to Bucky. She never did show the photo to Natasha. Anya giggled to herself as she reached for the disc and pushed it back into a perfect circle, turning the hologram off.

"Did Mamma like it?"

Natasha nodded. "I did. I loved it. Anya?"

"Hm?" Anya fiddled with the disc, wondering if she could make it do something else.

"Mamma loves you very much."

Anya smiled. "I know."