"Alright, we're here!" Natasha announced as she parked the car outside of Tony's home.
Amelia looked out of the car window and then turned to the redhead confused. "We're at Mr Starks house," she paused to take another look at the mansion. "Why are we here, Tasha?" she questioned.
"Well, Mr Stark has invited you to his birthday party tonight, Melia," Natasha explained as she slipped in a name she had taken to call the eight-year-old occasionally, as she climbed out of the car and opened the back door for the eight-year-old to climb out. "Come on, I still have to settle some legal sides of things with Pepper so I need you to sit and behave for me, alright? No wandering off," she stated firmly.
Amelia's eyes lit up in excitement. "Will there be cake?" she wondered.
"Yes there will be cake," Natasha said as she laughed.
"And do I get to stay up late as well?" Amelia asked with a grin plastered on her face.
"Well, within reason, yes but-" Natasha didn't get a chance to continue what she was saying before Amelia cut her off.
"Best day ever!" Amelia exclaimed as she fist-pumped the air.
"I didn't finish what I was saying, малышка," Natasha interjected with a raised eyebrow. "You can stay up until a reasonable time and then you're gonna go to bed," she stated.
Amelia pouted slightly but nodded, she knew it was better to argue. At least there would be cake. "Okay. Can we see Mr Stark and Miss Potts now?" she asked eagerly.
Natasha looked down at the eight-year-old and gasped playfully. "And here I thought that you would want to spend some quality time with me," she teased.
"No hard feelings Tasha," Amelia remarked as she grinned.
Natasha raised her eyebrow amusedly. "Where did you learn that phrase?" she questioned.
"Hunter. He told me that after I bit him," Amelia innocently told her. "Come on T- Mama, I want to go inside!" she exclaimed as she excitedly pulled Natasha towards the building, quickly correcting herself since they were in the perimeter of Tony's home and anyone could be listening out.
"Okay, okay, I am coming детка!" Natasha chuckled as she willingly let herself be pulled towards the mansion.
Amelia's sudden excitement quickly turned into worry as she saw the blonde woman huddled over paperwork with a stressed expression on her face.
"Hi, Amelia. It's nice to see you again," The blonde woman said as she smiled in the direction of the eight-year-old who now timidly held onto Natasha's hand.
Natasha noticed Amelia's sudden change in behaviour and smiled down at the child. "Say hello to Miss Potts sweetheart," she encouraged kindly.
"Hi Miss Potts," Amelia quietly said as she waved and tried her best to hide between Natasha's legs.
Natasha frowned and bent down to the eight-year-old's level. "What's the matter sweetheart?" she questioned before she looked back at Pepper. "Sorry, she isn't usually this shy or quiet," she quickly found herself apologising to the woman.
"That's okay," Pepper nodded and smiled understandingly before she stood up and followed suit to crouch down to the eight-year-old's height. "Hey Amelia, you don't have to be scared here," she reassured her as the eight-year-old shyly poked her head around to look at the blonde woman. "Why don't you call me Pepper," she suggested gently.
"O-Okay," Amelia agreed in a whisper as she still continued to hide behind the redheaded woman.
"Hey, what have you got in your backpack?" Pepper wondered as she caught sight of the backpack that Amelia had.
Amelia looked up at Natasha slightly apprehensive from where she stood behind her.
"Melia, It's okay, sweetheart," Natasha continued to reassure her as she rubbed her hand on her back to soothe her worry. "Why don't you show Pepper what you've got in your bag?" she suggested.
Amelia nodded and unzipped her backpack as she pulled out different items. "My colouring books and crayons, a book that Mama brought me a-and my stuffed elephant," she said as she showed the blonde all the things she had and clutched hold of the elephant tightly in her hands.
Pepper smiled brightly at the eight-year-old. "I like your elephant. Does it have a name?" she wondered.
"No. It's just my elephant," Amelia told the woman as she held onto the grey plush elephant tightly. "My mama brought it for me as well!" she exclaimed as she looked at the redhead adoringly.
Natasha felt her heart swell. For years, she longed to be a mother but the red room had cruelly taken that from her and this was just a second chance, sure Amelia was only calling her mama to keep up the undercover act but she couldn't help but smile as she looked at the brunette child who had wormed her way into her heart and her bed on most nights when the nightmares occurred. Not that she would ever mind the eight-year-old doing that.
"Hey little one, why don't you sit down and draw a picture with your crayons?" Natasha suggested as she motioned the child to sit down on one of the chairs.
"Okay mama," Amelia agreed as she took a seat with her crayons and some blank A4 paper, she began to scribble a picture with different vibrant colours before she gasped. "I don't have a present to give to Mr Stark for his birthday," she panicked slightly.
Natasha was quick to pick up on the child's panic and smiled gently. "Hey. It's okay Melia, we can figure something out," she reassured her.
"How about you draw him a picture, Amelia? I'm sure he would love that," Pepper suggested as she saw the panic in the child's face.
Amelia smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, I wanna draw him in his suit!" she exclaimed, her shyness was quickly forgotten as she delved into drawing a picture for the man she idolized as s a hero.
"How's the picture coming along, little one?" Natasha questioned as she walked over to the eight-year-old and stood beside her, taking a small break from the paperwork as Pepper excused herself to use the bathroom.
Natasha and Pepper buried themselves in paperwork to deal with all legal sides of the incident that happened in Paris, the redhead often found herself glancing over at the eight-year-old who was devoted to scribbling the picture in detail with her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on the artwork in front of her.
Amelia proudly grinned and held up the picture she had drawn with such pride. "Here, look Mama!" she exclaimed as she pointed to the colourful drawing. "I drew Mr Stark in his suit. Iron man is so cool!" she continued to say.
"Wow, that is a really good picture, sweetheart," Natasha said as she looked over at the picture and smiled widely. For an eight-year-old, the drawing was impressive and it gave Natasha a slight idea of what hobbies the child would have when she was older. "I bet that Mr Stark is really going to love that when he sees it," she added.
"Do you think so?" Amelia questioned hopefully.
"I know so little one," Natasha said as she winked at the eight-year-old.
Pepper walked back into the room and Amelia was quick to show her the drawing. "Pepper, what do you think of my drawing?" she questioned.
"That's great, Amelia!" Pepper said as she caught sight of the drawing.
"Can I go give it to Mr Stark now?" Amelia questioned, she was eager to show the man her drawing.
"I think he might be downstairs but you can go and find him if you like," Pepper offered the eight-year-old.
"Yeah!" Amelia exclaimed before she looked at Natasha. "Can I go find him mama?" she asked.
"Okay, I suppose so but make sure that you stay out of trouble, Melia," Natasha agreed to the eight-year-olds request.
"Got it, mama," Amelia said as she stood up from the chair and excitedly ran towards the stairs with the picture in her hand.
"And no running on the stairs!" Natasha called out to the child as a reminder, who quickly slowed down to not injure herself. "Thank you for letting Amelia come here. This is the happiest I have seen her in a while," she told her truthfully as she looked back at the blonde woman.
"It's no problem, Natalie," Pepper said as she took a seat down on the chair. "Amelia does seem like a sweet kid as well," she added.
"Oh she is but you haven't seen her when she throws one of her many tantrums... she isn't quite so sweet when she is screaming and throwing herself about on the floor," Natasha told the blonde woman who looked surprised.
"Really? Amelia doesn't seem like the type of kid to do that," Pepper commented.
"Usually it doesn't happen unless she is tired and refuses to go to bed, or when she doesn't get what she wants," Natasha explained as the blonde woman nodded in understanding. "It can be a challenge sometimes but I am doing the best that I can," she said.
"From what I can tell, you're doing a great job raising her by yourself, Natalie," Pepper told the redhead confidently.
"Mr Stark!" Amelia shouted as she excitedly knocked on the glass panels to get the attention of the man.
"Jarvis, allow access for the kid," Tony instructed his AI before the permission was granted and the eight-year-old ran inside. "Amelia. Hey, kiddo!" He grinned despite his upset about what happened today.
"Happy birthday, Mr Stark!" Amelia told the older man and looked shocked when she saw his bruised face. "What happened to your face Mr Stark?" she questioned.
"Thanks, kiddo," Tony said as he smiled. "It's nothing just a slight black eye. You should see the other guy," He joked.
"I hope you're okay," Amelia said concerned.
"I'm okay," Tony said as he tried to not let the eight-year-old worry. "What you got there?" Tony questioned as he noticed the colourful piece of paper.
Amelia suddenly remember the picture she held in her hands and pushed it in Tony's direction. "Oh here, I drew this for you... It's you in your suit!" she exclaimed.
Tony smiled at the brunette child and accepted the picture gratefully. "Wow, thank you. This drawing is awesome!" He said impressed at the eight-year-old's talent.
"Do you like it, Mr Stark?" Amelia wondered anxiously.
Tony beamed as he looked down at the drawing. "Yeah, I do, thank you," He said appreciatevly. "Hey kiddo, call me Tony instead alright? Mr Stark makes me feel so old!" He exclaimed as he scrunched his face up in disgust.
Amelia nodded and smiled. "Okay! Call me Amelia but my not my surname, Rushman. That's what I get called when I am in trouble, which is quite a lot," she said as she giggled.
"I can imagine," Tony said as he chuckled.
"My mama told me that you're having a party tonight!" Amelia exclaimed as she was excited about getting to eat cake, it was her favourite food besides doughnuts.
"Yes I am and you're invited. You're the guest of honour," Tony stated simply.
"What does that mean?" Amelia asked confused.
"That you are a very important guest," Tony remarked as he winked playfully.
"Cool!" Amelia exclaimed as she buzzed with excitement until she looked at the screen in front of her and frowned. "Mr Stark-" she was cut off.
"Ah, ah, ah! What did I say?" Tony interjected.
"Sorry... I mean Tony," Amelia quickly corrected herself. "Are you sick?" she asked hesitantly.
Tony was taken back by the eight-year-old's question but smiled weakly. "Y-Yeah I am kiddo," He told her the truth.
Amelia scrunched her face up in confusion. "But you will get better though, right? When I get sick, mama always makes me feel better with medicine and lots of cuddles, even if the medicine tastes nasty," she said.
Tony's smile faltered as he looked at the eight-year-old. "I wish it was that simple kiddo. I don't think medicine is going to cure this..." He stated while he trod carefully around his words in case they upset the child.
"I'm sorry your sick Tony," Amelia said as she pouted.
Tony smiled and ruffled the brunette child's hair. "Nobody knows about this other than me and now you, so it has to stay that way," He told her.
"Like a secret?" Amelia wondered curiously.
"Exactly like a secret," Tony agreed.
Amelia nodded and smiled. "I can keep it a secret, Tony!" she told him.
Upstairs, Natasha and Pepper were still dealing with paperwork and phone calls, it was incredibly stressful to deal with it all but between the two of them, they were getting through it.
"The AP wants a quote," Natasha covered the speaker of the phone turned to look at Pepper for an answer.
Pepper covered the speaker of her own phone. "Don't tell them. Fax them..." She instructed.
Loud footsteps were heard before a man entered the room. "Where is he?" He questioned.
Both women looked in the man's direction. "He doesn't want to be disturbed," Natasha told him.
"He's downstairs," Pepper interjected as Natasha looked at the blonde woman as the newsreader in the background reported on the situation. "Iron Man never stopped protecting us. The events in Monaco proved that," She stated.
"What are we doing?" Amelia asked confused as she sat beside Tony in the car while they looked at the screen ahead spread with various different articles.
"This man... He isn't a nice guy and I just want a little background research about him," Tony explained to the child briefly.
"Query complete sir," Jarvis stated. Amelia jumped when she heard the voice appear but she looked around and there was nobody.
"Don't worry. It's just Jarvis that's my AI," Tony told her when he could tell she was confused.
"Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963. However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist," Jarvis continued to explain as Tony looked over the various articles on the man while Amelia looked dumbfound by it all.
"Tony-" The man from upstairs appeared through the door after he let himself in.
Amelia whipped her head around in confusion and looked at the older man. "Who are you?" she asked curiously.
The man looked over at the child that questioned him. "I'm Rhodey. Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Amelia," The eight-year-old innocently said.
"Hey kid-" The man, Rhodey was cut off.
"Rhodey is a funny first name," Amelia interjected as Tony couldn't help but laugh.
"It's a nickname from my last name, Rhodes," Rhodey said as he chuckled lightly before he turned his attention back to the other man and gave him a serious look. "Tony, listen you go sort this shit-"
"Woah, hey, not in front of the kid!" Tony quickly stated at the use of language.
Amelia gasped and pointed her finger in the direction of Rhodey. "You said a bad word!" she accused him.
"It's rude to point kiddo," Tony told her as he gently moved her finger down.
"Sorry kid..." Rhodey quickly apologised. "Listen, Tony, you gotta get upstairs and get on top of this situation right now," He stated as Tony looked barely bothered by it as Rhodey walked over in his direction. "Listen. I've been on the phone with the National Guard all day, trying to talk them out of rolling tanks up the PCH, knocking down your front door and taking these. They're gonna take your suits, Tony, okay? They're sick of the games," He continued to say as he pointed toward the suits
Amelia gasped as she looked over at Rhodey and back at Tony. "They are gonna take your suits?" she questioned horrified.
Tony didn't say anything and Amelia scrunched her face up in confusion.
Rhodey continued to walk in Tony's direction. "You said nobody else would possess this technology for 20 years. Well, guess what? Somebody else had it yesterday. It's not theoretical anymore," He paused as he put his hand on Tony and shook him gently. "Are you listening to me?" He questioned as Tony looked about ready to give up.
"I think he is sad," Amelia said as she frowned herself.
Rhodey smiled at the child and looked at his friend. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Tony felt deflated over the whole situation but continued to try and stay on top of it. "Lets go," he said as he got out of the car, only to fall.
"Tony!" Amelia shrieked worriedly.
Rhodey was quick to run to the man's side. "Hey, man. Hey, hey! You all right?" He questioned concerned.
"Tony, are you okay?" Amelia continued to ask worriedly.
"I-I'm fine kiddo," Tony stated with a weak smile before he turned to Rhodey. "Yeah, I should get to my desk," he said as Rhodey supported him to walk.
"Are you sure?" Amelia asked.
Tony gave her a brief thumbs up. "See that cigar box?" He asked the male who held him up for support.
"Yeah," Rhodey agreed.
"It's palladium," Tony told him as he sat down in the seat. Amelia stood beside his desk while Rhodey opened up the box to see the palladium.
"That doesn't look good," Amelia commented when Tony removed his Arc Reactor and frowned when she saw the state it was in.
"Is that supposed to be smoking?" Rhodey asked confused as he pointed towards it while Tony continued to hold it up.
"If you must know, it's neutron damage. It's from the reactor wall," Tony explained as he handed Rhodey the Arc Reactor.
Rhodey took it off him and pulled the part out that was badly damaged. "You had this in your body?" He paused to look at Tony and then caught sight of Tony's neck. "And how about the high-tech crossword puzzle on your neck?" He questioned.
Amelia was confused but didn't want to say anything. After all, Tony being sick was supposed to be a secret.
"Road rash." Tony was quick to make an excuse as he accepts the Arc Reactor and replaces it again before he picks up his bottle of green liquid again.
"It looks kind of funny Tony," Amelia commented as she took a glance at the 'road rash' on the man's neck.
"Sir, it appears that Miss Rushman is looking to find the child," Jarvis called out again. Amelia jumped at the voice, it was going to take some getting used to the AI.
"Sounds like your mama wants you. Run along kiddo," Tony stated as he playfully ruffled her hair.
"Yeah, bye!" Amelia agreed as she smiled and ran back out of the glass door that Jarvis unlocked for her.
"There you are," Natasha smiled as she saw the eight-year-old wander back upstairs. "Come on, the work is all done and you need to get ready for the party," she told her as she offered her hand out.
Amelia took hold of Natasha's hand and walked towards one of the many guest bedrooms where they would be staying for the night. "Do I have to wear a dress?" she asked.
"Do you want to wear a dress?" Natasha questioned.
"No. I want to wear pants instead," Amelia insisted.
Natasha let out a laugh as they walked into the room. "You can wear pants then if you would like to, little one," she told her. "Did you have fun with Mr Stark?" she asked.
"Yeah. He told me to call him Tony instead!" Amelia exclaimed as she flopped back onto the bed.
Natasha gasped playfully. "Oh, he did? Wow, now that does change everything little one," she teased the younger girl.
Amelia couldn't help but grin and then remembered that Tony was sick. "Hey Tasha," she whispered so nobody could hear. "Did you know that Tony is sick?" she asked.
Natasha smiled sadly and nodded. "I know he is детка," she said quietly.
"And he isn't even going to get better, not even with medicine," Amelia said as she pouted.
"Did he tell you that himself?" Natasha asked as she frowned.
"Yeah. H-He told me to keep a secret but I gotta tell you, I can't keep a secret like this when he is really sick," Amelia said as she started to get upset. "He can't die!" she stated as she started to cry.
Natasha could see that Amelia was getting visibly upset and crouched down to her level. "Hey, listen to me, you don't need to worry about none of this because we're going to help him, okay?" she told her softly.
Amelia nodded slightly as Natasha quickly grabbed a box of tissues that was nearby before she wiped away the tears from the eight-year-old's face.
"No tears детка. Tony is going to be just fine," Natasha reassured the redheaded child as she held her in her arms and comforted her. "There isn't any need to get upset. It's going to be okay," she continued to say.
"Pepper!" Amelia stated excitedly as she walked down the stairs and ran over to the blonde woman, she decided that she wanted to wear a dress after all that was paired with converses because she still wanted to look cool.
"Hey, Amelia," Pepper smiled brightly at the eight-year-old who came bouncing towards her. "That is a very pretty dress," she stated.
Amelia grinned and twirled around in her dress. "Can I have some cake now?" she asked excitedly.
"I'm all ready for the party. Can I have some cake now?" Amelia questioned with a grin.
Pepper couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "We have to wait for the birthday boy to arrive before we cut the cake," she reminded her.
Amelia let out a dramatic huff and pouted. "But he will be ages," she groaned.
"He won't be. Your mama is helping him get ready now and as soon as he comes down, you'll be the first one to have a piece, okay?" The older woman told her.
Amelia was happy to comply with this as she nodded her head in agreement. Waiting for the cake was better than no cake at all.
By now the party was in full swing, the music was loud and there were a lot of guests, but Amelia wasn't bothered as she was occupied with dancing and twirling around in her dress. Not giving a care to the rest of the adults who seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.
Natasha was close by to keep an eye on her, all while trying to keep an eye on Tony who seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much with a bottle of champagne in his hands and dressed in his Iron Man suit.
When she told him to celebrate, she didn't exactly mean like this. She was inwardly groaning at Fury for giving her this mission, she would be glad when it was all over and she could focus all her attention on the eight-year-old.
"Mama, Tony is acting funny," Amelia ran over to the redhead who was sipping on a glass of wine she held in her hands.
"I know he is..." Natasha agreed as she glanced over in the direction of the man. "Don't worry. You just enjoy yourself, sweetheart," she said when she saw the worried look on the child's face.
"I'm gonna go see him!" Amelia said and ran off before Natasha got the chance to say anything further. "Tony!" she squealed with excitement as she ran up to the man.
"He-Hey kiddo!" Tony looked at the child and slurred his speech.
"Are you okay?" Amelia asked as she giggled at the man who was acting silly in her opinion.
"I'm all good, kiddo," Tony stated with continued slurred speech and sloppily held his thumb up to the child. "Here, you want a drink? It's super tasty!" He questioned, he held a glass in his hand and offered it to the child.
"What is it?" Amelia asked as she hesitantly looked at it.
"Uh, it's apple juice..." Tony stated as he realised that was a bad idea, he was drunk but knew it would be a bad idea to give a child alcohol. "Uh, actually, you know what, probably better that you don't drink of any of that... Hey have you eaten a piece of cake yet, it's delicious right?" He was quick to change the subject.
Amelia couldn't help but giggle. "You're acting funny Tony. We haven't cut the cake yet because Pepper said that we had to wait for you," she told him.
"Oh yeah, duh!" Tony smacked his head in realization and laughed. "Alright kiddo, I gotta entertain the crowd. Wanna stick by me?" He offered.
"Okay!" Amelia was happy to agree and stick by the man's side, that was until he tripped and fell off the stage due to his drunkness and Natasha was quick to pull away to avoid her being involved in another incident.
"Are you okay, детка?" Natasha questioned as she tucked the eight-year-old into bed later that night. The party took an explosive turn and the redhead was quick to pull Amelia out of the situation, back to the safety of her bedroom back at the safe house.
"I'm okay mama," Amelia said as she smiled innocently. "Tony was acting really funny tonight! He fell off the stage and all sorts!" she exclaimed.
Natasha blinked in surprise, they weren't at Tony's house now so she wasn't sure if Amelia had meant to call her that or not. "I know. I saw all of that... I wanted to keep you safe out of the way of getting hurt," she told her and checked Amelia over for any injuries, even though the little girl was at a safe distance away from the fight.
"And then he and Rhodey got into an argument. I was scared a lot," Amelia admitted as she curled her body inwards towards Natasha who happily accepted the hug."Why was he acting like that?" She asked confused.
"Well, that's because he's drinking a special drink only for adults and he has had too much now," Natasha explained to the child.
"Oh, the apple juice? He offered me some of that," Amelia remarked as she remembered the glass the man went to hand her.
"What?! You didn't drink any of it did you?" Natasha asked suddenly enraged.
Amelia was quick to shake her head no. "He didn't think it was a good idea to give me it. He thought that you would be mad but I don't understand, tis' only apple juice though," she innocently said.
Natasha let out a sigh of relief. "It's a special kind of apple juice little one, that only adults can drink. You can't drink this until you're much older, okay?" she told her.
Amelia suddenly remembered the bitter 'apple juice' that her biological mom used to drink. It used to be when she was stressed and she had a bad day at work, but then it turned out to be that she would drink it from the moment she woke up to the moment that she went to bed.
The eight-year-old knew to never question it, she never wanted to get into trouble. Her mom only hit her once, it hurt and she knew never to do it again. Her mom was smart, she wouldn't leave marks that would hurt the child.
The little girl wondered if all of this was caused by the 'apple juice' that she used to drink. Amelia frowned to herself, suddenly she didn't quite like the apple juice that Tony had.
"M-My mommy used to drink the bad apple juice. Maybe if she didn't drink it then she wouldn't have hurt me," Amelia innocently said as she looked up at Natasha with wide eyes.
Natasha was hit with the sudden realization of what Amelia was talking about. "No детка, your mommy shouldn't have hurt you regardless," she told her softly.
"She shouldn't have?" Amelia asked confused.
"No, not at all. That was not okay," Natasha stated firmly.
Amelia frowned and nodded slightly as she kept her body curled into the redheads but looked up at her. "But you will keep me safe now?" she questioned.
Natasha nodded and smiled as she ran her hand through the child's red hair. "I will keep you safe малышка. No matter what," she told her.
Amelia continued to look at the redhead and smiled softly. "I love you, mama," she said.
Natasha felt her breath hitch once again, she wasn't sure how to react to that. It was the second time that Amelia had called her it, there was nobody around so the eight-year-old could have easily called her 'Tasha' but instead used that word. Maybe it was because she was tired, maybe it was because she was overwhelmed... she didn't want to read too much into it as she squeezed the child gently and kissed the top of her head.
"I-I love you too, детка," Natasha said softly as she continued to keep the eight-year-old in her arms.
•
Another update,
Let me know what you guys think!