The escape from Ultron and the twins was narrow and she was starting to think that it would have been better if they never left.
In the blizzard there was no way to know which direction to go, the usual landmarks were hidden behind the white that swirled so densely. Even Tony in front of her was little more than a crude outline of a human mostly erased by the storm. The soft crystals she would have found so bewitchingly interesting from the other side of a pane glass found a way to stick to her skin in every way possible, catching on the fabric of her jacket more often than anything. They packed down her neck and between the fabric that flapped at the front. She could feel her blood begin to cool and her skin become icy. They shouldn't have come, not in this weather. Disorientation was a given; and the cold was a killer. But for her, anything. Natasha's calls for Anastazya were loud, but the wind carried her voice faster than she could speak. The world was being erased around her, and they would be taken with it if they didn't find shelter soon.
"There is a town a mile away!" Tony yelled into the com receptor. "She must have gone there, unless Speedy Gonzalez was lying and he and Clint are leading us into a trap."
Nat could basically hear the eye roll in Clint's voice. "I believe him, and if it ends up getting us all killed you can tell me you 'Told me so', in the afterlife."
"Haló ? Kto je tam v túto dennú dobu!" Natasha heard someone yell loudly over the storm. She could barely recognize the words.
"Hear that? Natasha do you know what she said?" Captain asked, voiced laced with anxiety.
Hello? Who is out there in this time of day!
Nat nodded when she remembered that they could not see her. She instead, searched her mind for a good way to reply. Her Slovak was rusty.
"Sme v potrebujú svätyni ! Stratili sme niekoho!" She shouted back at the disembodied voice.
We are in need of sanctuary! We have lost someone!
"Kto je to , že ste stratili ?" The voice replied, getting closer.
Who is it you have lost?
"Stratili sme našu dcéru! Prosím , pomôžte nám! Sanctuary!" Clint answered back this time, from somewhere near her. Nat's heart sank into her chest.
We have lost our daughter! Please help us! Sanctuary!
When the voice did not answer back Natasha sighed loudly, yelling out in surprise when she had bumped into someone, feeling around frantically.
"Zlez zo mňa tie americkú spodina ! Alebo budete nikdy nájsť dcéru ! Budem sa o tom presvedčiť !" The voice cursed, a voice that Natasha could now recognize as an old woman's. Natasha looked down to examine her.
A woman her age should have one foot in the grave. Her gait should be wonky with arthritic joints and eyesight failing faster than the mission they had embarked on. Were it not for the lines in her face Natasha would think her sixty at the most given her sharp mind and easy motion; but they are so deep and saggy - like the skin no longer has a connection to the skull underneath. In a photograph you'd clock her as ninety or more, and Natasha thought that's where she was. However she had the bright, striking blue eyes that reminded her too much of young Anastazya, and leathery, wrinkled white skin. She was wrapped in a blue shawl, but did not show a sign of her being cold. She eyed them suspiciously.
"You want to find your daughter? Eh Avengers?" The woman hissed, a sly grin creeping up on her face. Her accent was thick, making all of her words nearly unintelligible. "Well I may be persuaded to trudge through the snow for your little girl with an incentive."
Natasha then remembered that they were not the most liked people in Sokovia.
•
"Is she awake?"
"Obviously not, her eyes are closed!"
"What am I supposed to tell my Grandmama? 'Oh hello Grandmama, I found a homeless Avenger in the woods while skipping class, may we keep her?' Grandmama hates the Avengers!"
"But she loves her money. Maybe she can hold the girl for ransom."
"That is not going to work, holding a superhero for ransom. Use your brain."
"But- oh god she is moving!"
Anastazya didn't remember falling unconscious. She didn't remember a lot of things from the past few hours, except for the fact she wasn't home.
Her eyes fluttered open and she came face to face with three girls, all dressed in school uniforms with navy skirts and button up shirts with ties. They looked flustered, having red cheeks and frightened, bright eyes.
The two girls on the outside had icy blue eyes, one with dark raven hair, and another with light brown hair. The one in the middle had strawberry blonde hair, but she was so pale it looked a fiery red, like Natasha's in the dim lighting.
"Hello." One of the girls waved sheepishly, watching cautiously as Ana propped herself on her elbows, realizing she was covered in multiple blankets on a wooden dining room table. "I am Kristyn, please call me Kris! I-"
"We found you in the woods. You were unconscious and acquiring frostbite. We brought you to my home!" The brunette girl squeaked, her cheeks red. "I am Kaitlyn. I prefer Kate. But call me whatever!"
At the mention of frostbite, Ana looked down at her fingertips, examining the bruising on them with wide eyes.
"We know you are an Avenger," the raven-haired girl deadpanned. She was analyzing Ana carefully with her piercing eyes. Her accent was the most prominent out of all of the girls'. "We do not like Avengers."
Kris glared at her, hitting her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry for my friend, Bri. She has her own opinion."
Bri's eyes narrowed. "Last time the Avengers were in Sokovia, my house ended up in flames. One of Stark's flying protection monkeys crashed into my home. All my belongings, gone."
Ana spoke for the first time, only to be cut off. "I-I-"
"-Will pay for it?" Bri finished, shooting Ana a phony grin. "I will send my bill to the Avengers Tower. But for now-" Bri looked at the door, watching as the handle jiggled. "Kate, your grandmother is back."
"Oh, no! Oh! Hide the girl! Hide the girl!" Kate squealed frantically. Kris's eyes widened and she started covering Ana with blankets, despite her fervent protests.
The door opened and revealed Kate's grandmother, and six others. Kate looked at Kris and Bri with wide eyes.
"Grandmama? What are you doing with the-"
She held up a hand, silencing the girl.
"We are sorry for intruding into your home on such sudden notice," Steve apologized. Ana's eyes widened at hearing Steve's voice, and she twitched from excitement.
"What is it on the kitchen table Kaitlyn?" Grandmother asked, narrowing her eyes at the girl. She squirmed underneath her glare.
"It's a long story, hard to explain-" Kaitlyn started.
"We found her nearly frozen over in the forest-"
Bri abruptly yanked the blankets off of Ana, causing her to yell out in surprise. Natasha's eyes widened.
"Anastazya?" she asked. Ana sprung up off of the table and on her feet, examining the six people in front of her with wide eyes.
Before she could even open her mouth to speak, Steve already had her in his arms.
"Oh my god," he breathed out in relief. "They said you were dead. We thought you were dead." He choked out. Ana wrapped her arms around him.
"Well you can clearly see that is a lie," she told him, grinning as he let her go. Natasha and Clint had her in a second.
"My Anastazya," Natasha mumbled into her hair, tears in her eyes. "I've never been so happy to see someone in my life."
"How did you find me?" Ana asked, feeling a warm sensation in her chest explode when she was surrounded by her plethora of Moms and Dads, all of whom loved her so much. Ana laughed when Thor, Tony and Bruce took turns messing up her hair and patting her head.
"One of the Twins caved in and told us," Clint told her. Ana was confused for a moment, and then brushed it off.
Wanda. It must have been Wanda. Thank god for Wanda.
A clearing of a throat caused the scene to stop and for them all them to turn around to face the source- the Grandmother.
"Now, Avengers," the old woman began, a sly grin creeping up on her wrinkled face. She held her hand out expectantly. "That will be five million dollars."