VERA'S P.O.V
Vera listened quietly to every story Wanda was telling her. She was amazed to discover about the young woman's magic. The red tendrils managed to get her attention.
"My twin brother called this 'wiggly-woo'" Wanda chuckled while moving her fingers, the red magic moving around them."It's cool, isn't it?" the brunette smiled when she nodded slightly, she was intrigued.
"Was he like you?" The ten-year-old couldn't avoid asking, she was curious about it. Her voice was barely audible, but Wanda turned her head to take a better look of her face.
"Like me? You mean if he had powers?" the young woman asked, and she nodded. "Well, Pietro was super-fast" there was a glimpse of sadness in her voice as she talked. "Okay, enough about me, what about you? What do you like to do?"
The young girl looked down at the question. She still wasn't used to having people ask about what she liked or disliked. Vera still had a hard time answering those questions, always having in mind that her answers could be used against her.
She had liked ballet since she could remember. But when Dreykov noticed it, he made it the least comfortable for her, always searching for a way of breaking her and following each one of his commands.
"It's okay, sweetie. You're somewhere safe" Wanda squeezed Vera's hand, pulling her out of her thoughts."You don't have to answer if you don't want to"
Vera stared at the woman. She didn't want to answer that question, but she didn't think it was fair after Wanda had told her so many things about her. About her family, favorite TV shows...
"I like dancing" the girl finally answered, getting a smile from the brunette.
"I'm sure you're a really good dancer" the young woman complimented, and Vera felt her cheeks turning red, not being used to it. "Does your little friend have a name yet?" Wanda pointed to the stuffed grey koala.
"No" she whispered.
"Then we'll have to think of a name" Wanda said.
"Are you going to take it from me?" the kid asked. She didn't want to think of a name if the stuffed toy was going to be ripped from her hands.
"What? No. No, sweetheart" the brunette shook her head. "I would never do that, it's yours" the woman assured her.
"What are you two chatting about?" Natasha approached them, strapping Vera out before sitting down on that seat, pulling the kid onto her lap.
Vera hummed happily when her head was tucked under her Mama's chin. The child's green eyes fluttered closed as soon as Tasha's fingers combed through her red hair.
"We're thinking of a name for her little buddy" Wanda answered.
"What about something Tetushka likes, huh? She was the one that bought it for you" her Mama said, getting her to frown while thinking of something Yelena liked.
"Mac and cheese?" She asked, but it was a long name for a stuffed animal, so she changed it to, "Cheese?"
Mama chuckled at her choice but nodded in approval of the name, assuring her that Yelena would love to know that the stuffed koala was named after her favorite food.
-/-
NATASHA'S P.O.V
Natasha continued to rub her daughter's back, even if the child had fallen asleep a few minutes ago. The young girl must have been exhausted to be able to sleep in a place where she barely knew the people around her. Honestly, the Black Widow was quite surprised about the child trusting the young witch so easily.
At the glimpse of the kid's sleeping face pressed against her chest, Natasha couldn't avoid wondering how her life would have been if she had had the chance to raise her little girl from the beginning. They had lost so much time together, that Natasha knew she would do anything to make it up to her daughter. She loved her to the moon and back.
The woman regretted not believing Dreykov's words when he had told her about the child. The memories from that day were a little foggy.
"You're lying," she had said to Dreykov when he had mentioned Vera for the first time. The last time she had seen him and the first time she had ever heard her daughter's name.
"Am I?" He had chuckled. "Come on, look at her, Natalia. It's like looking at yourself in a mirror, isn't it?" Natasha had looked at the photo quietly, still in denial. She couldn't have a daughter and that child looking exactly like her didn't prove anything.
Dreykov had referred to the little girl as "The best widow I've had in years" or "My perfect widow". The Black Widow had felt nauseous to those words. It had not mattered if that kid was her daughter or not, she had hated hearing those words coming from him.
"You're a good mom, Nat" Wanda said, getting her to look at the young woman for a few seconds.
Natasha sighed while closing her eyes. She just wished for things to have been different for her daughter.
-/-
It was almost midnight when Natasha and her daughter arrived at the Barton's farm. The Black Widow had to disconnect every security camera just in case General Ross had access to them. She couldn't take any chances.
Her best friend was waiting for them by the door. There was a huge smile on his face as he approached to embrace her.
"You're sure it's okay for us to stay?" She questioned him. The last thing she wanted was to put Clint or his family in danger.
"Of course, it is. We'll be careful" he nodded, focusing his attention on the child. "And you must be Vera" the archer smiled at the kid, who gripped Nat's vest, trying to hide behind her.
"Stop terrorizing my child, Barton" Natasha said jokingly, picking up the small girl in her arms. "It's okay, baby" she whispered when she felt her daughter shaking. "He's a friend. Mama will hurt him if he continues to scare you" she pressed a kiss on the side of Vera's head while keeping her gaze on Clint.
"No scaring the little one, noted" Barton murmured, and she chuckled slightly. "Come inside. Laura bought your favorite peanut butter brand" he explained as they stepped into the house.
Natasha was more than happy to hear that. She hoped her daughter would like the peanut butter sandwiches as much as she did.
The ten-year-old was wary about her new surroundings, clinging to her Mama as tightly as she could. Natasha had to balance making the sandwich while keeping the child placed on her hip.
The woman had denied her friend's offer to help her, especially after seeing how scared her little girl was. Vera wasn't going to accept food from Clint.
"I try first, then you try, okay?" She told the kid after setting her on the kitchen counter. She took one bite from the sandwich before offering it to the child.
The little redhead observed the food in her hands quietly, taking a small bite before giving the sandwich back to her Mama. There was a grimace on her small face.
"Is it good?" Natasha asked the young girl.
"Sticky" Vera murmured in a barely audible voice.
"Yes, it is sticky, sweet girl" she chuckled. "Do you like it?"
Vera shrugged her shoulders, but the child kept eating, so Natasha made another one for herself. She was delighted when the little girl asked for a second one.
"This, my baby, is way better than the crappy macaroni your aunt eats" the woman told her daughter, who seemed to be offended by that statement. "This is real food-"
Clint burst into laughter, "Real food." He stared at her for a few seconds before asking, "What have you been feeding the kid?"
Natasha raised an eyebrow, before narrowing her eyes and answering, "You're not having one of my sandwiches ever again, Clinton."
"Shh, you two are worse than the kids" Laura walked into the kitchen, placing the baby-monitor on the counter. "Go check on Nate, please" the woman told his husband before turning to look at the mother-daughter duo. "I'm so happy to have you two finally here"
Natasha quickly found herself in the safety of Laura's arms, the former SHIELD agent hugging her tightly.
"Hi, sweetheart" Laura smiled, gently brushing Vera's hair away from her face. Natasha truly believed her daughter was going to move away from the touch, but the child remained still. "You look so much like your Mama."
Vera smiled shyly while looking down, so Nat rubbed her daughter's back to ease the child's anxiety. Thankfully, Laura noticed the kid's reaction and backed away a little.
As soon as the kid's eyelids started to close, Natasha decided it was time to go to bed. She was more than proud about the young girl's positive reactions, because it meant that, slowly, her baby was healing.
Hi!
Two chapters in the same week! I don't know what's happening, but I couldn't stop writing.
Thanks so much for reading, let me know what you think,
Ayrin