Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You are going to love this one,” Wanda Maximoff told Steve Rogers as she used the remote to go through the episodes of one of her favorite black and white shows. She clicked on the particular episode she was looking for, and then sat back. Her eyes were focused on the screen and a small trace of a smile crossed her lips.

The screen went from black to The Dick Van Dyke Show written across it, causing Wanda to smile as she settled into the sofa a bit more, grabbing a pillow and holding it close to her chest, her chin sitting on top of it. She had a bowl of popcorn beside her so that both of them could reach if they wished.

“So you think that you've got troubles? Well, trouble's a bubble, so tell old Mr. Trouble to "Get lost!" Why not hold your head up high and, stop cryin', start tryin', and don't forget to keep your fingers crossed! When you find the joy of livin' is lovin' and givin', you'll be there when the winning dice are tossed! A smile is just a frown that's turned upside down, so smile, and that frown will defrost, and don't forget to keep your fingers crossed!”

“Whoa, this show is ancient,” Sam Wilson said, jumping over the back of the couch and reaching across Wanda so that he could grab the bowl of popcorn. “What is it?”

“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” Steve offered up, his eyes also pointed directly towards the screen, his hands folded in his lap. “This is one of the shows that I watched a lot after I was thawed out of the ice. It wasn’t a thing when I disappeared.”

“Nope, this show is a spring chicken compared to Steve,” Wanda joked, her face flushing just a bit.

Sam snorted, but Steve nodded.

“Yea, she isn’t wrong. I think this show came out about two decades after. But since it was a black and white one, they thought it would be an easy show for me watch and adjust to at first. I ended up really enjoying it. Wanda, I had no idea that you would like something like this. I mean, it is far before your time. I never would have thought someone from your generation would want to watch it, let alone enjoy it.”

Wanda gave a nervous laugh and then shrugged, her eyes focused solely on the massive television in front of them, “My parents liked to watch it when I was a small child. I was ten or so the last time I watched it with them, though. Not even all that long ago.”

“I have seen this episode,” Steve said with a happy nod. “The sleepwalker …”

“Hey, hey! No spoilers from the living history lesson!” Sam said, laughing as he man spread out and popped a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

“Sorry, sorry,” Steve said with a smirk. “Glad you are wanting to enjoy this show, too. I wasn’t aware you had refined tastes.”

Wanda just snorted, “It is a good episode though.”

“I will be the judge of that,” Sam told the two of them, his eyes never leaving the screen.

And then suddenly the screen went blank, causing all three of them to sit on the edge of their respective seats, Sam's mouth falling open.

“We have to go,” came Natasha Romanoff’s voice from behind them, her face stony and serious.

Sam, Wanda, and Steve all turned towards her.

“What on earth is going on with you guys? We have a mission and we need to go now. Get your shit together – it isn’t like you can’t watch that ancient show later! Stark is getting the jet ready,” the Black Widow told them, shaking her head before she started heading back out of the room.

“I was really starting to get into that,” Sam said. “Later. When we get back then.”

Wanda suddenly jumped up and looked at the archer, “Come on! We have a mission to go on. We haven’t been on one in a while.”

She chased after Natasha almost excitedly, practically dancing on the tips of her toes as she caught up to the Black Widow, “What is the mission? Where are we going? I mean, I haven’t really been on one in ages it feels like!”

Natasha side eyed her, but didn’t stop walking.

“Are you going like that or do you need to change?” Natasha asked her, gesturing towards the younger woman’s outfit.

Wanda looked down at her clothing. She was in a pair of leggings, boots, a tank top, and leather jacket. A red leather jacket that she had commandeered from Natasha’s laundry and simply hadn’t given back yet.

To be fair, the woman hadn’t said anything about it either.

“I am comfortable in this. I can use my powers just as well in this as I can in anything else. I wore this in training this morning,” Wanda told her with a shrug.

Natasha hmm’d and then nodded, “Alright. Come on. Everyone will be debriefed on the jet. We have to hurry.”

…………………………

“Damnit, what is she doing?” Natasha hissed under her breath, Sam turning and looking in the same direction that the Black Widow was looking. “She is going to get hurt. I knew that we should have left her behind for this one just like we did the last one. She’s not using her damn head at all!”

“Romanoff, we have to see how she reacts on missions. Training isn’t cutting it,” the Falcon told her.

“Yea, I know, but she is acting reckless again,” Natasha snapped at him. Her eyes then narrows as she watched several people moving in on Wanda from behind. She tapped her ear com, “Maximoff, you have two, maybe three behind you! You need to get out of there!”

Even from where they were standing on top of the building, though, Natasha could tell that the younger woman wasn’t responding and she was about to be taken out if she wasn’t careful. Stark and Rogers were on the opposite side of the building, and had no sights on Wanda either. Turning around, Natasha could see that they were fighting off a larger group of men. There was no way any of them could get to the Scarlet Witch before the men after her did.

“Damnit, Wilson, we have to take them out. We don’t have enough time to get down there,” Natasha growled. “We won’t get any information out of them; but that’s a moot point now.”

“Already on it,” Sam said, lifting off the rooftop, ready to blast near deadly projectiles. Within seconds several hit one of the men.

He was not quick enough to get the other though as the Scarlet Witch found herself in the line of fire, sustaining an injury almost instantly, causing her to fall down in a heap on the ground.

Natasha tapped her earpiece again, yelling, “The Witch is down! I repeat, the Witch is down! Backup needed!”

Sam took out the second guy while Natasha headed to the fire escape and headed down as quickly as she could.

Iron Man quickly flew over to the area and assessed the situation above Wanda.

“She needs medical, stat! I will take care of the ones coming from the east. Barton, can you take out the ones coming from you?” Tony yelled.

“Got them!” Wilson said, quickly stringing an arrow again and letting it fly.

“We need to get Maximoff and get back to the jet!” Steve said. “I will go get it ready, everyone get back as fast as possible!”

Natasha was running at full speed and then slid over the ground, stopping right at Wanda’s side. Blood was covering her entire side and chest, her face white from blood loss. Even through the cloth of her shirt, Natasha could see the blood pulsating out of her wound.

The Black Widow’s eyes widened as she looked at Wanda’s face, but then went to work to stop the flow of blood. Even passed out, Wanda grunted from the added pressure.

Tony landed opposite of Natasha and immediately started utilizing his suit's advanced diagnostics capabilities to assess the extent of Wanda’s injuries.

Tony caught Natasha’s sight, nodding his head down to the fallen Avenger.

“You seeing this?”

“Yes,” Natasha hissed, eyes narrowing even more as she studied Wanda closely. “What the hell did they do to her?”

Wanda’s eyes flickered open and she looked up at both of them, blinking slowly. She then tried getting up, every movement causing more blood to pour from the bullet hole in her side.

“What the hell are you doing? Stay down!” Natasha snapped at her. “You are bleeding out.”

“We have to finish the mission,” Wanda muttered, and then her head lolled to the side as she passed out again.

“Stark, we have to get her out here, now! She isn’t going to make it with a simple field dressing!” Natasha said, the urgency in her voice different than it had been before.

“We got this, Romanoff,” Tony said, moving in and doing what he could to stabilize the Scarlet Witch. “Let’s get her to the jet now and get her back to Cho. I’ve already sent for her so she will meet us at the compound.”

“I am bringing the jet to you. Wilson and I are already on the jet.”

“We are getting her ready,” Tony said, and then together, he and Natasha prepared Wanda so once the jet arrived, they could run.

Chapter Text

Tony walked into the meeting room, staring at the floor with his hands in his pockets. He moved around the room slowly and then sat down. He was the last to join Natasha, Sam, and Steve.

“So, umm,” Tony said slowly, “Maximoff is going to be fine, but she lost a lot of blood. Cho said that she is going to have to take it easy for the next week or so, even with her tech.”

There was silence as Sam sat with his hands in his lap and moved the chair he was in back and forth. Steve had his hands clasped together on the table and was staring at them.

Natasha’s jaw was clenched and she shook her head before thrumming her fingers one at a time on the table.

“Are we going to discuss the elephant in the room?” Tony finally asked with a sigh.

“Yea, we need to figure out what they did to her!” Natasha said. “I thought they were trying to kill her, but then when we got to her, she looked ten, fifteen years younger. I have never seen anything like it. I mean, they were, otherwise they wouldn’t have shot her, but at the same time, I am not sure they were. I just don’t know what they wanted to do with her.”

“Yea,” Tony said, shaking his head. “I haven’t don’t know what they did to her either. I asked Cho, and she said that she wasn’t sure what it could be, but she is going to run some tests on her. I will run some of my own if Cho doesn’t come up with anything.”

“Could they have injected her with some version of the Super Soldier Serum? It acts differently with each person. The one that Natasha was injected with slowed her aging down just like the one I was injected with enhanced my body. Could someone have created one to reverse aging all together?” Steve asked the two of them, leaning over the table, rubbing his face tiredly.

“They could have, but the question is, what do we do about it? We don’t know anything right now, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have some decisions to make about Wanda. She is going to wake up eventually,” Natasha said.

Tony shrugged, sitting back in his chair and making it swing from left to right, “Cho said two, maybe three days. She lost almost fifty percent of her blood volume. If it wasn’t for her abilities, I am not sure that she would have lived. So Cho is keeping Maximoff in a coma until she can completely heal. Even then, she will need to rest for at least a week before she is able to start training or going on missions again.”

“She can’t go on missions when she looks like a child,” Natasha said with a roll of her eyes. “We don’t even know how her powers are going to work right now and honestly, it might do her some good to be off missions for a bit.”

“What?” Tony asked, his eyes wide and his body sitting up a bit straighter. “Why would you want her to stop going on missions? She has been doing really well with the last several that she has been on since you have started training one on one with her more. I never understood why you refused to let her go on the one before this to be honest.”

One of Natasha’s eyebrows rose while the other lowered, “First of all, you never asked me why. second of all, you do realize that she broke protocol today and it was not the first time. Correct? She continues to take her earpiece out. Nothing that we have said to her has made a difference. So yes, I think the fact that she cannot go on missions right now could be a good thing before she gets herself or one of us killed,” Natasha snapped her hand against the table and sat up straight, her mouth a straight line, her nostrils slightly flared. “Today could have most likely been completely avoided had she not been so reckless. Had she just left the damn earpiece in and listened!”

The room was silent for several moments. Natasha was glaring at everyone, and then she stood up so that she could start to pace back and forth across the room.

Tony took a deep breath, “So we have to figure this out. Someone needs to make sure that Maximoff chills the fuck out for at least a week, too.”

Natasha snorted and rolled her eyes, “Someone can also tell her that she isn’t going on any missions until we think she is ready, healed or not.”

Tony clapped his hands and let a smile spread across his face, “Fantastic, Charlotte! I am so glad you are volunteering as tribute!”

Sam snickered, but the moment that Natasha snapped her head over at him, he bit his cheek and looked down, trying not to smirk – but failing miserably.

“Why does it need to be me? Because I have a vagina and tits, so that means I can play babysitter? I did that once with you, Stark, remember? Doesn’t mean I’m an actual babysitter. Why can’t it be Rogers or even you, Barton?” Natasha said, turning her head towards Clint.

Steve blushed and Tony snorted, quickly trying to cover his mouth with his hand before he looked up with a furrowed brow.

“Hey, why didn’t you mention me?” Tony said, a faux hurt look crossing over his face.

“Seriously, you have to ask that?” Natasha asked him, a short, unamused laugh leaving her. “Maximoff barely tolerates you and you have very little tact as it is. It wouldn’t work and you know it. She’d never listen to you.”

“True,” Tony said with a shrug, settling back in his seat. “So it will have to be you.”

Natasha’s attention moved over to Barton and Rogers.

“Oh come on, Nat, you know damn well that Rogers can’t do it. He is too old school, to set in his ways to watch after her and – let’s be honest – he will give in to her the second she asks him to. He won’t be able to tell her no, especially if she gives him puppy dog eyes,” Sam told her with a smirk.

“And you?”

Sam tilted his head to the side and gave Natasha a look for several seconds before he spoke again, “You know I am going to retire. I have to get back home. I’m younger than she really is even if I have trained longer. We are friendly, but there is no way that she’d listen to me. Besides, I’m not at the compound that often.”

Natasha sighed and moved back to her seat, putting her elbows on the table before she moved her hands up to her face and rubbed them across her eyes.

“Look, Nat,” Steve said in a soft tone, looking at her closely, “You have more in common with her than any of us do. We have known that since Sokovia. We both know that, and it has nothing to do with the fact you are a woman. She was held captive with Hydra for – well, honestly, we don’t know for how long they had her, but there is no way she has come to terms with that. Yea, she got away from Hydra, but she has still been reckless and we do have to keep a closer eye on her while she heals. At least until we can get her back to normal. What if she behaves like a kid? Do you really want to let me or Wilson or Stark deal with that? No offense to them, but none of us are not the greatest with kid behaviors … you on the other hand, Auntie Nat … I believe that is what Barton’s kids called you …”

The smirk on Steve’s face as Natasha’s face turned pink, despite the glare settled there, just irritated her even more. She was not used to people knowing that side of her personal life.

Natasha took a deep breath, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. The room was completely silent for several minutes, Natasha staring at nothing as she thought.

“If I agree to this, what I say goes. None of you will say anything about the way that I handle her, got it? She is not a child, she is an adult who is currently in a younger body. We don’t know how long it is going to be before we can get her back to normal, but I will help her. But, right now, it definitely means no missions until the foreseeable future.”

The men nodded, but didn’t get a chance to say anything before Natasha started speaking again.

“I don’t care if you don’t agree with the way I do things. You don’t say anything about it in front of her right now. You come to me and we talk about it. At least until we figure things out.”

“We got it, Nat,” Steve told her. “Just don’t think that we won’t help you with her, too. We are all in this – you will just be with her more. Besides, she does listen to you more than us as an adult.”

The woman shook her head and snorted, “Barely. Stark, you need to figure this out fast. From what I know about Maximoff, she is going to be pissed when she wakes up and is younger than she was before.”

The others could only nod in agreement.

………………….

Wanda groaned as she started to wake up. She felt like she had been run over by something. Her body was stiff and she felt as if she were weighed down. The woman tried to open her eyes, but the bright lights were a bit painful and she needed to adjust.

“Take it easy, Maximoff,” a voice said. “Here, take a slow drink.”

A cup was pushed to her lips and Wanda took a small sip. It took her a few more moments before she was able to slowly open her eyes and look up at Natasha, her curly red hair pulled back in a wild, unkempt ponytail.

“What happened to you?” Wanda asked hoarsely.

“Excuse me?” Natasha asked, her face scrunched up slightly.

“Never seen your hair like that before.”

Natasha raised a brow as she looked down at Wanda, completely unimpressed.

“Oh, so we are going to talk about my hair when you were the one who took your com out of your ear and ended up getting shot because you couldn’t hear the warnings I was giving you. Not for the first time, I should remind you. We are going to ignore the fact that you have been out of it for three days while your body healed, and you are going to have at least another week of rest before you can even think about doing much else. I mean we can continue going on about the things that are obviously not as important as my hair …”

“I … Sorry. I was just surprised is all … never seen you like that …” Wanda mumbled, trying to shrink under the blanket as her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. “I have been asleep for three days? How did the mission go? Was it a success?”

“That is what you are worried about? The mission? Wanda Maximoff, that mission should be the last thing on your mind. And while we are on the subject, that mission will be the last one you go on for a while,” Natasha stated finitely, shaking her head as she fixed the blanket around Wanda and then moved her hands to the pillow behind her head.

“What? Why?” Wanda asked, sitting straight up quickly and then grabbing Natasha’s arm to steady herself. The Black Widow quickly grabbed Wanda to help steady her.

“You shouldn’t have sat up like that. Be still while I get a couple of pillows to put under you. They’re just here on the floor.”

“Wait, where am I?” Wanda asked, her brow scrunched, looking around the room. Nothing looked familiar. The walls were light gray and the furniture was black and silver. The bed she was in was comfortable, and felt similar to the one that was in her apartment, so she assumed she was still in the compound.

“Lean back,” Natasha directed her, which Wanda did instantly, surprising even Natasha a bit. She had honestly expected her to be a bit more defiant.

“Where am I? Why am I not going to get to go on any missions?” Wanda asked again.

Instead of answering her, Natasha walked out of the room, though she was back quickly, carrying something in her hand.

“This is why,” Natasha stated and then put a mirror directly in front of Wanda’s face. “Don’t worry, though, Tony and Cho are both working on trying to figure out what they did to you so that we can get you back to normal. Right now we have no leads, but we are trying to figure it out. I was tasked with making sure you follow Cho’s orders.”

“They are?” Wanda asked, her face ashen as she stared at herself, much younger than she had looked on the mission.

Natasha’s face softened when she saw the look on Wanda’s face, so she sat on the edge of the bed and awkwardly patted the woman’s hand, “Of course they are. But it may take a while to figure it out. That is why you can’t go on any missions right now – well, other than the fact that you have a lot of healing to do. We have no idea how the deaging has affected your powers.”

Wanda nodded slowly, “That, um, yea, that makes a lot of sense. I mean, sometimes my powers can do some funny things.”

“Exactly. But we are going to talk about the fact that all of this could have been prevented had you had your earpiece in,” Natasha pointed out.

If it was even possible, Wanda’s face turned even whiter as her eyes widened. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no sound came out.

The Black Widow let out a sigh and patted Wanda’s arm, “We don’t have to talk about it yet. Right now you just need to chill. You are going to be staying in my apartment until you are healed up, and then you can go back to yours. Okay? It is for safety, Wanda. You just have to take it easy.”

Wanda let out a sigh and then nodded, a hint of a smile spreading across her face. Her body was less tense than it had been as well.

“Thank you, Natasha. I really appreciate it. I do hate putting you out though …”

Natasha finally gave her a smile, “If I didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be here. Maybe I will get you to finally start listening to me if you are trapped with me.” The spy stood up and pulled a blanket up a bit further over Wanda. “I am going to go make you a bowl of soup. You don’t need anything too heavy right now. Maybe tomorrow you can have something a bit heavier.”

“Soup sounds great to be honest.”

Natasha left the room, and Wanda completely relaxed the moment that she was out of the door.

………………….

“Wanda, no, no, I have it,” Natasha said as she walked out of the kitchen and looked down the hallway, rushing to the woman’s side where she was trying to reach into the closet and grab a towel. Natasha gently moved Wanda out of the way and reached up, grabbing the towels.

Wanda instantly went to take the towels from her, but Natasha held them back, “What are you thinking? I told you if you needed something, you just need to ask me and I will get it for you.”

“Can I have the towels please?” Wanda asked, her eyes squinted slightly as she shook her head back and forth, exasperated. “Honestly, I am only a little sore, Natasha.You really don’t have to get me towels. I can do things for myself. I got it yesterday when we talked, but I thought that I would not be feeling well then. I feel fine, though. All I needed was more sleep — which you definitely made sure I got despite checking on me every single hour all night long.”

Natasha shook her head, “No. You just woke up yesterday. You are at least ten years younger than you are supposed to be at the moment as well. I told you that I was going to make sure that you take it easy. That is exactly what I am going to do. If you want to take a bath, I will start one for you. You aren’t ready to stand up in the shower for that long yet.”

Wanda’s face instantly scrunched up, her nose wrinkled, and she just stared at Natasha for several seconds before she started shaking her head and looked away, a light pink blush crossing over the bridge of her nose.

“I really think you are making a much bigger deal about this than you need to be. I am fine. Do remember that I am an adult despite … everything. I should be going back to my apartment now,” Wanda told her, no longer making eye contact with her.

Natasha just looked at her and then pointed towards the bathroom.

“Go and sit on the toilet. I am running you a bath.”

Wanda sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, “I can run my own bath.”

“Perhaps, but you are not going to. Right now you are going to take it easy,” Natasha told her as she followed Wanda into the bathroom and then pointed towards the toilet.

As she watched Natasha mess with the knobs of the faucet, Wanda sighed again before going to sit on the closed lid of the toilet, letting out a long sigh and leaning back as far as she could without falling off the seat.

“I don’t really know why everyone is making such a big deal of a gunshot that I am already healed from.”

“You said yourself that you are still sore,” Natasha pointed out, standing up and going to the cabinet near the sink, pulling out several bottles and reading the labels. Once she had picked the ones that she wanted, Natasha moved back to the bathtub and opened them, pouring capfuls of each into the running water, watching as the water bubbled up.

Wanda lifted her head, her brows furrowed as she started to watch Natasha more closely. The woman picked up the towels she had brought in and set them on the floor right next to the bath. She felt the water once more and then, satisfied, turned it off. She then looked back at Wanda.

“I am going to let you bathe alone, but you need to actually soak in this tub for at least fifteen minutes. Leave the door cracked open in case you need help, otherwise I will give you your privacy. Yes, I am aware that you think that you are fine and completely healed. But Cho said you would need a week, so you are getting a week. Are we clear?” Natasha said, her face fierce and her brow raised. The look alone was enough to make Wanda wiggle around on the toilet lid and look away from the spy.

“Can’t believe that you are actually going to let me undress and bathe myself. I mean, you never know what could happen in a bathroom in one of the most secure buildings in the entire world,” Wanda said with an eye roll, though her voice was shaky.

Natasha froze, studying Wanda’s face while her own looked completely unimpressed, “Oh, do you want me to treat you like a child and actually undress you and put you in the water? Because don’t think for a moment that I can’t make that happen before you even know what is going on. Just say the word. Because I thought you wanted to keep some of your dignity intact. But apparently I was wrong and …”

Hands waving defeat and shifting around uncomfortably, Wanda sighed, “Okay, okay, Nat, you have made your point. I am … look, it is weird to have someone do things like this for me.”

The spy softened instantly, and moved around to sit on the edge of the tub, “I get that, Wanda. I do. But seriously, you don’t have to fight every single thing that I tell you. I can’t tell if that’s you or this younger essence of you right now. But you need some help right now. It is okay to accept it. You will be able to go back to your apartment eventually. We still are not sure the effects this deaging has had on you, and until we do, this is how things are going to be.”

Wanda’s shoulders sagged and she leaned forward a bit so that she had a better view of the floor.

“I got it, Natasha. I won’t do anything stupid. I really just want to soak in the bath.”

“Oh, and here I thought you just wanted a shower,” Natasha said, standing up and putting a hand on Wanda’s shoulder. Once the woman looked up at her, she gave her a wink.

“Seriously, if you need me, just tell FRIDAY or call my name. I am not going to be far.”

Wanda nodded, “Got it, Nat. I got it.”

………………..

“What have you found out?” Natasha asked, walking into the lab where both Tony and Cho were talking. They stopped and looked at her, their faces both solemn.

Tony shook his head, “I am still running tests, but so far nothing has come up in any of them. I don’t think that it has anything to do with the super soldier serum.”

“I am also not finding any anomalies in her blood work. I can tell you that, even with my tech, she heals very similar to the way that you, Natasha, heal. Similar to Steve Rogers as well. But, like Tony said, there isn’t a trace of the Super Soldier Serum in her blood. I know that they used the mind stone to enhance her powers …”

“To create her powers,” Natasha said. “From what Wanda said, she didn’t have powers until they used the mind stone on her.”

Cho’s forehead wrinkled, “That may be the first time that she exhibited any powers — it does sometimes take the mutant genes time to mature — but I think the stone only enhanced what she already had. Or maybe something has changed because she is currently younger than she was. I took some samples from her when she first arrived from Sokovia, and when I compared that workup to the one I took this time, they are almost identical, which is confusing. I would have thought the samples would be vastly different. Honestly, I am not sure what is going on with her. I am not sure how to give her the years that she lost back.”

Natasha sighed, “I tried talking to her about it, too. To see what she remembered about the mission. But all she doesn’t even remember getting shot, let alone anything else happening.”

“I was thinking about taking some samples to Wakanda. To see if T’Challa’s people could find something that we are missing,” Tony said, shuffling through stacks of papers that he had already gone through half a dozen times. He sighed and pushed them across the table, causing them to scatter. He shook his head and looked over at Natasha, “I don’t know what else to run. I have to have some outside help on this one. Maybe if Banner was around — but no, he’s run off to god knows where.”

The Black Widow stiffened before she moved to a seat and sat down, gritting her teeth together as she took a deep breath, “I know. We have to try to keep this out of Ross’s scope, too. He doesn’t need anything to use against her, and if he finds out that she is ten years younger than she is supposed to be and that we have no idea what sort of control she has over her powers …”

“Natasha is right,” Cho added. “When Wanda was on the table and I was working on her, her powers were still passively active …”

Natasha’s head snapped over and her eyes grew wide, “She got in your head while she was unconscious. That … is a new one.”

“Only for a moment, but yes. Which is why I agree with you, that Ross cannot find out about her. She isn’t dangerous in the sense that he thinks that she is. He needs no ammunition.”

“Go to T’Challa, Tony. We have to figure this out.”

Chapter Text

“Here you go,” Natasha said, setting a bowl of pasta in front of Wanda.

The faux teenager picked up her fork and started to move the pasta around one noodle at a time.

“You went and spoke with Stark,” Wanda spit out in a harsh tone, her mouth a thin, straight line. “What did he find out?”

“Nothing at the moment.”

“Did you or anyone else ever consider that perhaps there is no cure to this? And if there isn’t any cure, what happens to me?” Wanda asked, now stabbing her noodles.

Natasha watched Wanda for a moment. There was something off about the woman, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“What do you want to happen?”

“I’d get a choice?” Wanda asked, brightening up slightly, her shoulders and back much straighter.

The moment that Natasha looked over at her, Wanda looked away with a scowl. Natasha, though, watched Wanda with a quizzical look.

“I am not sure what you mean, Wanda. I know things are a bit frigid right now, but even if we never get you back to your real age, it won’t change anything once we figure out how your powers work for you in this body,” Natasha explained. She reached over and rubbed Wanda’s arm. “Is that something that you are worried about? How your powers work and what we are going to do with you?”

Wanda shrugged and continued to pick at her food. Natasha moved over to the table and sat down beside her, putting a hand on her back, “Hey, are you okay? You haven’t been eating a lot, but you have done more than pick at your food, too.”

As Natasha rubbed her back, Wanda felt herself leaning into the touch. Her chest felt warm and the heaviness that had been monopolizing the pit of her stomach lifted, even if only slightly.

“Is there something wrong with the food, Wanda? I will be the first to tell you that I am not the best cook. I can get Steve to sit with you and run out and pick something else up.”

Wanda turned her head up and squinted at Natasha for a moment before she shook her head, “The food is fine … why would you do that anyways? Go out and get me more food when there is perfectly good food sitting right in front of me …”

“Sometimes people just want something different than they have at home. You are healing and already not eating enough, so if there is something you want, I will either try to make it or go and get it.”

Wanda let out a short, huffy laugh and shook her head, leaning into Natasha once more before she quickly straightened up, “I am okay with this. I am not really hungry at the moment. But I will eat more tomorrow. I am sure that you are bored though, you don’t have to watch me every single second of the day. You can go train or hang out with the others. I promise that I won’t do anything. Watch tv or maybe read a book. I have several books in my apartment, so I can go …”

“Nope,” Natasha said, popping the ‘p’ as she stood up and moved back into the kitchen. “The moment I leave you, you end up trying to overexert yourself. You did it again today when I went to talk to Tony. I came back and you were going to do a load of laundry! When I say to rest, that is exactly what I want you doing, Wanda Maximoff.”

Wanda looked down, wiggling in her seat a bit as she twisted her fork around in her hand.

“I just don’t think that it is necessary for you to be so … worried. I am fine. You know that I am fine. Being a bit sore – come on, Nat, you know that it comes with the territory. Sometimes we get hurt. We are Avengers.”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed and she moved back to the table with her own bowl of pasta. She sat across from Wanda and leaned near across the table, staring daggers at the woman across from her.

“You better be glad that you are not actually a teenager, Miss Maximoff,” Natasha threatened in a stern tone.

Wanda gave off a nervous giggle, once more shifting in her seat awkwardly, as if she had ants in her pants.

“What do you mean by that?” Wanda asked her, completely unable to make eye contact. In fact, Natasha found it almost hilarious how hard the little witch was staring at her bowl of pasta.

“I mean that if you were really a teenager, I think I would have swatted you by now for your inability to listen.”

This time, Wanda’s head shot up, her mouth hanging open, “What?”

Natasha stifled a laugh, biting the inside of her right cheek just a bit as she watched the blood leave Wanda’s face.

“Yep, I would have swatted you by now. And if you even thought about putting yourself in danger like you did with the coms … I would have one hundred percent taken you over my knees and spanked your naughty little butt,” Natasha joked.

Wanda’s face suddenly filled back with color, turning a magnificent shade of red. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open even wider now.

“Natasha!”

Seeing the look on Wanda’s face, Natasha could no longer hold back her laughter. The tinkling, jovial sound that came from Natasha caused Wanda to look at her sharply, her brow furrowed above her eyes.

“You would really do that?”

It took Natasha several moments, but once she stopped, she continued to smirk at Wanda, “Let’s just say that it is a really good thing you are actually an adult.”

Wanda went back to eating her food, albeit slowly. Natasha continued to smirk slightly at the look that Wanda had given her. She went back to her food, moving one hand around the bowl, and then quickly eating it. Less than two minutes later, she was finished eating, and looked abc at Wanda.

“Since you have to take it easy, and I refuse to let you do anything else, do you know how to play poker?”

Wanda instantly shook her head, though her body deflated a bit.

“Good. Then I will teach you.”

Hearing that, Wanda instantly smiled, “Yea?”

Natasha nodded, “Yep.”

“Okay, I am finished,” Wanda said, pushing her half full bowl away and towards Natasha. The Black Widow picked up the bowl and shook her head slightly, but said nothing to Wanda. She had never really paid attention to how much Wanda ate, and now she wished that she had.

She grabbed her bowl as well and took them into the kitchen, placing them near the sink. Perhaps they should have made sure that the Scarlett Witch knew that she was allowed to eat as much as she wanted … Natasha shook her head. From now on, she was going to definitely make sure that Wanda actually ate.

Walking over to a drawer that she had long ago labeled the junk drawer, she pulled it over and grabbed a deck of cards.

“Are you sure that you are well enough right now for this? Maybe you should take a nap first,” Natasha said, reaching across the table to feel Wanda’s forehead.

Wanda leaned into it slightly, and then just as quickly pulled back. “Nat, I haven’t had a fever at all. You are being a bit dramatic.”

“Hmm,” Natasha said, sitting back down in her seat across from Wanda.

Wanda moved her arms off the table and settled her hands in her lap and watched as Natasha shuffled the deck of cards with expert precision, her hands moving with grace and finesse. It surprised Wanda to notice that, despite how graceful the simple task was, Natasha’s hands were littered with scars. Even so, her nails were expertly polished, a bright, vivid red.

She was intrigued by the game, but she had never played poker before. Sensing Wanda's curiosity, Natasha looked over at her, still shuffling the cards as she did. .

"Alright, Wanda," Natasha began, her voice steady. "The first thing you need to know is the basic hand rankings. The highest-ranking hand is the royal flush, followed by a straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and the lowest-ranking hand is a high card."

Wanda nodded, her eyes still focused on Natasha's hands as she continued to shuffle the deck. Natasha then dealt two cards facedown to Wanda and two to herself. She explained, "These two cards are called your hole cards. They are yours alone and will remain hidden from anyone else who is playing – obviously right now, that is just me. Now, let's move on to the next step.”

Natasha placed five cards face-up in the center of the table. She explained, "These are the community cards that everyone can use to make their best five-card hand. The goal is to make the highest-ranking hand possible using a combination of your hole cards and the community cards."

Wanda looked at her two hole cards and the five community cards, trying to make sense of the combinations she could form, although it was all crowding in her head. Natasha noticed her almost blank expression and quickly explained. "To make a hand, you can use one, both, or none of your hole cards. It all depends on what you think will give you the best chance of winning. Now, let's talk about the betting rounds."

Natasha explained the different betting rounds, from the pre-flop to the river. She outlined the importance of strategic betting, reading opponents, and managing one's chips. Wanda absorbed the information, her determination evident in her eyes.

“We aren’t even playing with chips though …” Wanda said, looking around the table.

“Nope, but next time we will.”

“There will be a next time?” Wanda asked, surprised.

Natasha looked at her oddly and nodded, “Why do you think that I am teaching you how to play something that I enjoy? For shits and giggles? Of course there will be a next time. I need a formidable opponent … and that will be you.”

“No one else plays with you?” Wanda asked, her sweaty palms clutching the cards in her hands. She took one hand away and wiped it against the leg of her pants, and then did the same with the opposite hand.

“Tony enjoys a good game. Steve, too. I just think it would be nice if you could join us on those odd nights, and others we can go against one another if it ends up being something that you like playing,” Natasha said with a shrug.

Wanda smiled timidly and nodded before whispering, “I would like that a lot.”

With the basics covered, Natasha decided it was time to put theory into practice. "Okay, Wanda, let's play a few hands. I'll guide you through the process, and we'll see how it goes.. Remember, poker is not just about the cards; it's about understanding your opponents and making calculated decisions – this could really be important for you later, too. And not only when Tony talks you into playing."

Wanda laughed, though she was trying to pay really close attention to the game at hand. At the moment, it felt far more complicated than Natasha seemed to think it was.

As they played, Natasha demonstrated the art of bluffing, the significance of betting patterns, and the importance of maintaining a poker face.

“Nope,” Natasha said quickly, “I can see the twinkle in your eye and the smirk on your face from here. I am folding because I know that you have a good hand.”

Wanda smiled shyly and then let out a short laugh, “I am trying to hide it. I mean, I could hide it for real if I wanted to use my powers to change your perception. But what fun would that be?”

Natasha snorted, “That would be cheating, brat. No cheating at poker. Well, the exception might be if we go a couple rounds with Tony and Steve in a few weeks. After I know that you have the game down. Then we will talk about that.”

They continued to play.

Hand after hand, Wanda began to grasp the strategies involved, though she definitely had trouble bluffing her way out of most hands. She did surprise Natasha with the fact she was picking the game up quickly otherwise.

As the night wore on, the atmosphere around the poker table grew more intense. Natasha looked over at the clock that was on the wall, “Shit. We have been playing this for hours. Are you hungry? You really need to rest soon, too.”

“Nat,” Wanda groaned a bit, leaning her head over the back of the chair so that she could stare up at the ceiling, “Seriously, you worry far too much. I am fine.”

“I will be the judge of that. Do you want a bath tonight, or tomorrow? Remember, we are having lunch with the guys and Pepper tomorrow.”

“Yea, I remember. Tomorrow is okay. I am not hungry now.”

Natasha nodded, standing up to go to the fridge, “A glass of orange juice then and you can go to bed.

Wanda gave a bemused smile and then just shook her head, “You seriously are just worrying far too much. What were the others thinking when they gave you this task?”

“Gave me? It was a mutual decision. Besides, you actually listen to me – at least a little. You don’t listen to them at all.”

It was all Wanda could do to hide the smirk on her face as her face flushed red.

……………….

“Are you sure that you are up to having dinner with everyone?” Natasha asked, staring up and down at Wanda, feeling her head for what Wanda felt like was the millionth time, causing her to roll her eyes and brush Natasha’s hand away as she ducked her head.

“Nat, seriously, you are overthinking this entire thing. It has been several days. Again, I haven’t run a fever. Today I haven’t been sore. I haven’t even so much as moved without asking you first. I am good, I promise.”

“Hmm,” Natasha mumbled, staring at Wanda up and down. “You know that dinners with everyone last a while …”

Wanda shook her head and then smiled at Natasha, leaning into her without thinking, “You worry too much. I am really looking forward to this.”

Natasha instantly put an arm around her and gave her a squeeze, but then Wanda backed up quickly, looking away and wringing her hands before finally forcing a smile back on her face, “Come on, I bet Pepper already has dinner ready.”

It took a few moments, but Natasha nodded and followed Wanda out of the room.

………………

Pepper Potts bustled around the kitchen, trying to make sure that everything was finished and ready to go on the table.

As the aroma of freshly cooked dishes filled the air, Pepper smiled, knowing how much everyone always looked forward to a home-cooked meal. Just as she was about to set the table, Natasha walked into the kitchen, followed closely by Wanda.

“Do you need any help? From me, not the kid over here,” Natasha joked.

Wanda sighed, “Pepper, tell her that she is being dramatic. I keep telling her that I am fine. I am feeling a lot better.”

Pepper looked at her and smirked, “Maybe try that on someone else. I wouldn’t have even let you come to this dinner, but Nat said that you needed to be around other people besides herself. I think you should be in bed.”

Natasha snorted, “See.”

“I am looking forward to the meal, Pepper. And the drinks. A drink would be really nice,” Wanda said, changing the subject quickly.

“Oh, you are not drinking while you are this age and size, Wanda,” Natasha said quickly, her widened eyes moving over to Pepper.

“I have to agree with Natasha on this one,” Pepper quickly chimed in. “You are so young right now, I don’t think that it is a good idea for you to be drinking.

Wanda laughed heartily, her laughter echoing in the room. "I may be young, but I've been drinking for years. It's a Sokovian tradition, you know."

Tony Stark strolled into the room, a mischievous grin on his face as he watched them all gathering the food to take to the table. He grabbed a plate from Pepper and said, "I heard the words 'drinking' and 'Sokovian tradition.' Did I miss something?"

Wanda raised an eyebrow at him, and in a droll voice, said, "Oh, Tony, you always manage to show up at the right moment. We were just discussing my impressive drinking skills. I was letting them both know that I would have no issue drinking Natasha under the table – I bet I could you as well.”

Tony snorted, shaking his head and then took a seat, setting the plate on the table as he did, "Well, I have to say, I've witnessed Sabrina’s drinking prowess firsthand. I am not sure that she could drink Charlotte under the table, though. I think the last time I tried, I died a little."

Wanda blushed slightly, "Well, let's focus on the food for now. I'm sure Pepper's culinary skills are even more impressive than my drinking."

Pepper smiled brightly at the compliment and began serving the dishes she had prepared.

“This is really good, Pep,” Tony said, winking at her.

“No flirting at the table,” Natasha joked. “But this beats the pasta that I made last night, huh Wands?”

Wanda looked over at her quickly, “It wasn’t bad at all.”

Natasha laughed and reached over, patting Wanda’s arm, “It is okay, kid. You are just trying to be sweet – we both know that cooking is not my strong point. But that is okay. It hasn’t killed either of us yet. Now, if Wanda here doesn’t start listening to me more and resting, she is going to be on bed rest another week.”

The woman reached over and rubbed Wanda’s back after the girl tensed up and glared a bit at the spy.

“It is okay, Wanda. We will find some recipes and make something together once you are allowed to do more. Something from the motherland perhaps.”

Wanda relaxed a bit and leaned back into Natasha’s hand that was still rubbing her back.

“Awe, look at the mother hen. I knew that you would take to watching the little witch until she’s all grown up.”

“Oh shut it, Tony,” Natasha said.

Not a single person missed the fact that she was smiling faintly as he said, though.

The conversation went on between them, Wanda now more listening than actually speaking.

“I am not sure what Ross wants out of us,” Natasha said to the entire table. “They want us to do everything on their timeframe, but honestly, I think even then they will try to blame us for not being there to help. All reading that draft did was let me know that we will be at fault either way.”

“Half will blame us for not helping and the other will blame us if we do. But we cannot in good conscience help people. We have to help people. We have a duty to help people,” Steve said, moving to the edge of his seat in frustration, shaking his head.

Wanda looked down at him, eyes a bit heavy.

“Ross doesn’t like not being in control. He worries about my powers. I am glad that no one let him know how I am right now,” Wanda muttered, piercing another piece of food with her fork.

“Sabrina is right, unfortunately,” Tony said. “Ross definitely cannot know about this situation. He would use it to his advantage.”

Natasha stiffened as she listened to the group talk. Her teeth were gritting together as she listened to the others discuss the Accords and Ross.

Had they not saved more people than had been harmed? New York would have happened regardless.

She shook her head back and forth, frustrated.

“Nat,” Pepper’s voice came through, causing Natasha to turn towards her with brows raised in question.

Pepper pointed across the table at Wanda, causing Natasha to look over at the girl.

“Oh,” Natasha said, and quickly moved her chair back.

Wanda was sitting in her chair, fork in hand, but her head was against the back of the chair, asleep. Her mouth was hanging slightly open and her breathing was steady and deep as she slept.

“I have been telling her not to push herself, but she just doesn’t listen,” Natasha said softly, taking the fork from Wanda’s hand and setting it on her plate. She moved around a bit more, standing before she bent down and put an arm under Wanda’s legs and then behind her back, listing her up easily.

Instantly, still asleep, Wanda curled towards Natasha, nuzzling her face against the Black Widow. Her right hand tucked against Natasha’s stomach and the other instinctually went to the spy’s shoulder.

“I am going to go put her to bed. She thinks she is invincible just because it has nearly been a week since she was hurt.”

“And think,” Tony said with a smirk on his face, “She listens to you better than anyone.”

Natasha smiled and looked down at the momentary teenager. She then looked back up at the others, “I will see you all tomorrow.”

She turned and left the room with Wanda.

“And here I was joking about her being a mother hen. She really is turning into one,” Tony said.

“I think it's adorable and sweet,” Pepper said, her eyes moving from the doorway Natasha had just gone through, back to the table. “It is good for Wanda to have someone she can rely on.”

“I didn’t know that Natasha could be so …” Steve stalled, looking towards Tony.

“Gentle?” the Iron Man said. “I mean, she regularly threatens me, so I definitely didn’t know it either.”

“Oh, both of you hush,” Pepper chastised them lightly. “Natasha is taking care of Wanda while it is needed. They both probably needed it. Wanda will be back to normal soon enough, and maybe it will give her someone she can trust more.”

“True,” Tony said, “Hey, are you going to eat that?”

Pepper rolled her eyes playfully, and then handed Tony her plate.

…………………

“Ms. Romanoff, Miss Maximoff is having a nightmare,” FRIDAY’s voice said overhead. Natasha’s face went pale even as she jumped up out of her bed, where she had been reading over Tony’s latest Accords packet. Natasha headed to the hallway, where the sound of Wanda’s distress caught her attention instantly.

Entering the dimly lit room, Natasha saw Wanda's troubled etched face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through her window. The young Avenger was drenched in sweat, her brow furrowed with anguish as her mouth opened in silent screams. Blankets were tangled around her body, one corner of it twisted around left hand. There were sparks of red coming from her right hand. Natasha approached her cautiously, not wanting to startle her.

Gently sitting down on the edge of the bed, Natasha reached out and lightly touched Wanda's shoulder, trying to wake her from the grips of her nightmare. "Wanda, wake up," she whispered softly, her voice empathetic. She gently shook the young woman’s shoulder back and forth. “It is okay, sweetheart, wake up for me.”

Wanda's eyes fluttered open, and for a brief moment, she seemed disoriented and fearful, her powers crackling around her, making both her and Natasha’s hair fly in the air. Natasha didn’t move much, though, not wanting to set Wanda’s senses into overdrive and cause her to lash out with her powers. Instead, she moved her hand around carefully and started rubbing the small of Wanda’s back, trying to bring her out of her nightmare completely.

It took Wanda several seconds, but as her gaze met Natasha's soothing green eyes, recognition flickered in her own. She sat up quickly, wrapping her arms around her trembling body, desperately seeking solace with someone at that moment. Tears rushed down her face.

“The bombs were in the house again,” Wanda stammered almost incoherently, her hands clenched around the material of Natasha’s shirt. “They are dead and Pietro is dead. And Sokovia … the bombs and the experiments … Hydra … shot …”

Natasha’s arms wrapped around tightly around Wanda, holding her tightly against her with one arm. She set her chin on top of Wanda’s head, rocking her gently back and forth as she untwisted the blankets from Wanda’s legs with her free hand.

"It was just a dream, Wanda. A really bad dream," Natasha whispered, her voice filled with soothing compassion. "You're safe now. You're not alone. I am right here and I won’t leave until you are feeling okay."

Wanda's tears subsided gradually as Natasha continued to hold her, murmuring random nonsense words in her ear to help calm her down.

After some time, Wanda's breathing steadied, and her grip on Natasha loosened. She pulled back slightly, looking into Natasha's eyes, flushing red right before she looked away, no longer able to keep eye contact with the woman. "Thanks, Nat," she murmured, her voice still trembling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I am sorry about everything.”

Natasha’s brow wrinkled above the bridge of her nose and she shook her head, her fingers brushing away a stray tear from Wanda's cheek. "Hey, kid, Wanda. Listen to me. We're a team, remember? We all take care of each other when we need it, even if we all act like our relationships are one big joking matter. I get having nightmares. I promise that we all have them, and it is okay. You don’t see the shit that we have seen without having nightmares occasionally. It is okay that you had a nightmare and it will be okay if you have another one. I don’t care if you are this age or if you are your real age, you can always come to me. Do you understand that? You don’t have to go through a nightmare alone.”

Wanda nodded, leaning back into Natasha heavily.

After several moments of silence, with Natasha rocking her back and forth, she quietly asked, “Do you think that you can go back to sleep?"

There were no more words leaving Wanda as she tried to steady her breathing, but she was able to nod.

Wanda did lay back down, her body gradually relaxing into the mattress as she felt the steady thrumming on her back. Natasha stayed by her side, and moved her hand up and started gently stroking her hair until the young Avenger slipped back into a more peaceful slumber.

………………..

Wanda peeked her head out of her room and looked around before she stepped out into the hallway and then went down to the kitchen. It was a bit earlier than normal for her to be up, and she hoped that Natasha would stay asleep so that she could retreat back into her room.

Standing on the tips of her toes, she reached up into the cabinet and grabbed a cup.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” came Natasha’s voice from the doorway of the kitchen, causing Wanda to jump.

“Natasha! You scared the shit out of me!” Wanda snapped, and then she looked away, biting her bottom lip as her face turned red.

“Yes, I can see. Sweetheart, why are you up so early?” Natasha asked her.

Surprising them both, Wanda looked up at her, frustrated, and glared, “Stop that! Stop being nice all the time and trying to take care of me. Stop calling me sweetheart and kid. We both know that this isn’t going to last!”

“Wanda, I think that you are overthinking things. I care about you. I told you that last night. It doesn’t matter if we figure out what happened on that mission – I will still be here for you,” Natasha told her sincerely, her brow creased slightly as she did. “I am not sure where this is coming from.”

“No, you don’t get it!” Wanda said, throwing her hands up in the air and then quickly bringing them down so that she could wrap them around herself. “I know how to take care of myself. You shouldn’t have tried to help last night. I will go back to having to worry about everything myself and I would have been fine!”

“Ah, there it is,” Natasha said, leaning against the door frame, one delicately manicured eyebrow raised at Wanda. “You are embarrassed about last night. And for no reason.”

“What?” Wanda sputtered. “No I … you are just … I just wanted some water …”

“You are embarrassed and that is okay, but it isn’t going to run me off. You should know me better than that, Wanda Maximoff. You need someone looking after you right now, and even when you don’t, I will stick around to help you or just be around for you. It is what we do. As fucked up a family as we might all be, we are still all a family,” Natasha told her.

Wanda looked down at the floor, her forehead wrinkled as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.

“Now, are you done with the self deprecating pity party, kid?” Natasha asked, causing Wanda’s head to snap up. She glared at Natasha fiercely with narrowed eyes.

“You are incorrigible, Natasha.”

Natasha snorted and then laughed, shaking her head, “You are one to talk. Seriously, though, Wanda. It was just a nightmare. I have them sometimes, too.”

“You don’t need someone to tell you things are okay,” Wanda mumbled.

Natasha walked over and instantly over to Wanda and wrapped her arms around the other woman. Wanda tried to back up, but it was with very little effort before she fell into Natasha and then wrapped her arms around her as well.

“I am sorry that I am hard work,” Wanda whispered.

Natasha laughed and patted Wanda on the back, “Let’s chalk it up to being a teenager right now. Just remember when you are older again that it is okay to ask for help, kid.”

“Never going to stop calling me kid now, are you?” Wanda mumbled into Natasha’s chest.

“Nope, probably won’t ever happen.”

“Figured.”

Natasha gave her a squeeze, “It is going to be fine. I mean, shit will probably be a bit rough sometimes, especially with the Accords that we are trying to deal with right now, but otherwise, everything will be okay.”

“You can’t promise that. No one can promise that.”

There was silence for a moment and then Natasha pushed Wanda gently back by her shoulders, “You are right. I can’t promise that. But even if shit hits the fan we will figure it out, okay?”

Wanda nodded, “Okay.”

“Good. Now, let me get you something to drink.”

……………………

Natasha sat down at the table with a defeated look. She leaned over it on her elbows and looked across at Cho and Tony.

“You are sure that there is nothing that we haven’t looked into?” Natasha asked, already knowing the answer.

“You know that I have looked into every single avenue that I could possibly think about. There is nothing. We can’t figure out what they did to her,” Tony said, his shoulders slumped down possibly lower than Natasha had ever seen them.

“We have to look at this differently now,” Cho spoke up. “Miss Maximoff is not going to be able to age back to where she was. We have to tell her and figure out where we go from here.”

“She has been acting a lot younger,” Natasha added. “The first day or two she acted like her normal self, but since, she has been acting more along the lines of a fifteen or sixteen year old.”

Cho nodded, “It could be a side effect of what they did to her.”

There was a knock at the door and a few seconds later, Pepper walked in, sitting beside Natasha.

“Tony told me this morning about Wanda,” Pepper said. “I was trying to be here sooner, but I was caught up in a meeting. We are going to have to figure out how to tell her. We are going to have to put a plan in place for her. She is already an illegal immigrant here. She doesn’t have papers, a passport, nothing. If she is underage, even if she technically isn’t supposed to be …” the woman trailed off.

“We can’t risk someone trying to take her away from us,” Natasha said. “None of us want that to happen and honestly … she wouldn’t be able to handle that. She is only now starting to adjust to living with us.”

“You have grown attached to her,” Pepper stated, looking at Natasha.

“We all have. She has been with us for over eight months,” the Black Widow pointed out, staring at Pepper with a fierce look.

“Natasha,” Cho said, “We do have to figure out where we go from here.”

“We can’t do anything without asking Wanda. We can’t break her trust like that. Now now when we have finally managed to get through to her. We have to take what she wants into consideration,” Natasha told them.

“I agree with Charlotte,” Tony said. “The little witch didn’t trust anyone at the beginning. She doesn’t trust many of us now. Only Charlotte. She seems to like Pep and Barton okay … if we don’t bring her in on this decision, it will backfire.”

“Decisions have to be made quickly to keep Wanda off of Ross’s radar,” Natasha said, sitting up. “I will talk to her. Bring her in on this topic. Before we go further. I can go and talk to her now and then let you know what she wants to do.”

“I can help you, Natasha,” Pepper told her, reaching over and putting a hand on the woman’s arm.

Natasha shook her head, “No. I will go and talk to her. And then I will come back and talk to you. I assume you will be the one to help with any paperwork that we will need, since no matter what Wanda decides something will need to be done. You know, since Stark is virtually useless with anything actually helpful like paperwork.”

“Hey!” Tony said, sitting up quickly.

It caused the three women in the room to laugh, but it was not hard to tell that none of their hearts was actually in it.

“Okay, I am going to go talk to her now.”

Chapter Text

Natasha would be lying to herself if she said that she did not feel heavy as she walked back to her apartment to talk to Wanda.

How was she supposed to tell Wanda that they had failed her?

Once she reached her apartment door, she took a deep breath before she pushed open the door.

“That meeting didn’t last long. But look, I told you I could listen to you and stay on the sofa while I watched television,” Wanda’s jovial voice said from across the living room. She didn’t even turn around.

Natasha moved around the apartment and made her way to the living room, taking the remote from the arm of the sofa and hitting pause right before she sat on the coffee table in front of Wanda.

“Hey, what did you pause it for, Nat?” Wanda asked with a wrinkled brow, and then she noticed the serious, almost sad look that was settled over Natasha’s face. “Hey, what is wrong?”

Natasha leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees, reaching out to put a hand on Wanda’s knee.

“Listen, ki … Wanda,” Natasha started and then took a deep breath.

“Nat, you are scaring me,” Wanda said, her voice trembling slightly.

The spy looked down and took another breath before she looked back at Wanda, giving her knee a small squeeze, “I am sorry I scared you. I just finished talking with Tony and Cho. They have exhausted all of their options, Wanda. They can’t find a way to reverse the effects of whatever happened to you to make you this age again. I am so sorry, Sweetheart.”

There was silence for a moment as Wanda felt her face turn hot. She looked away trying to steady her breathing.

“I know that this is a lot to accept. We thought that they would be able to figure this out. But since they couldn’t, we have a lot that we need to talk about, and those things need to include you. You are an adult in a teenager’s body, so …”

Wanda felt an intense pressure in her chest as she watched Natasha’s face fall even further.

“You are upset,” Wanda whispered, sitting back into the sofa a bit further.

Natasha stopped talking for a moment and then looked at Wanda, her face falling a bit further, “Of course I am upset. Wanda, I don’t want you to think for a moment that Stark and Cho didn’t run every test and …”

Wanda’s head felt as if it were in a bucket of water. Her heart started beating faster.

“... we will keep trying, Wanda. I promise …”

“What happens now, Nat?” Wanda asked, biting her bottom lip and moving around a lot. Her hands were shaking slightly. “I mean … if there is no cure, what happens to me?”

Natasha leaned forward and took Wanda’s hands in her own, “You will be taken care of, Wanda. We will figure it all out. We are still going to be here for you, no matter what. You will have a place to live – here, with us. We will make sure that you have everything you need, just like before. Nothing has to change on that front, Wanda.”

Wanda took a deep breath and shifted in her seat, looking away from Natasha, “I … but … I mean … Nat, I just … things will change … I … Nat, I mean … Um … how can they not?”

Using her thumbs to rub the tops of Wanda’s hands, looking at her compassionately, trying to get her to calm down as much as possible with the blow that she had just been dealt, “Nothing has to change at all, Wanda. We will help you adjust. We can still train with you, too. It might not be the safest for you to go out on missions yet … I know that is a bit upsetting, but we can’t take the chance with anyone seeing you like this. Not in the middle of a mission. We …”

“Nat … I …” Wanda said, and clamped her eyes closed, taking a deep breath.

“Hey, hey, Wanda, I promise that it will be okay. All of it. It just …”

Wanda shook her head back and forth, whimpering slightly as she opened her mouth again.

“You don’t have to be upset, Wanda. You have a place here. You always have a place here.”

Wanda watched as Natasha talked to her, the woman’s face looked crestfallen. She truly looked sad about what she was saying, causing a weight to fall into the pit of Wanda’s stomach.

And she couldn’t stand to see Natasha look so defeated.

Wanda took a deep breath and then muttered, “There isn’t a cure.”

Natasha stopped and looked over at her, nodding, “I am so sorry, Wanda. No, there isn’t a cure right now, but we will still …”

“No,” Wanda said, shaking her head back and forth, her eyes starting to cloud over.

“Sweetheart, I know that this is a lot to ….” Natasha said, moving to the sofa this time so that she could comfort Wanda.

“No, you don’t understand what I am saying. There isn’t a cure for this because … because this is how old I really am,” Wanda finally managed to say.

Natasha leaned her head and shoulders back, staring at Wanda. She looked at the way that her hands were trembling just like they had been since the conversation started. Her shoulders were hunched over. She was refusing to make eye contact with Natasha.

And everything just clicked in place.

“How?” Natasha deadpanned.

“How?” Wanda asked, her brow wrinkled together as she stared down at her lap. She couldn’t force herself to look at Natasha right then.

“Yes, how did you do it?” Natasha asked her, sitting up straighter as she looked down at the girl.

“You want me to show you …” Wanda whispered, her voice still shaking.

“Yes. I want to know how you did it, Wanda.”

The weight on Wanda felt so intense in that moment. She took another deep breath and focused her powers at that moment and then, before Natasha’s eyes, she became more than a decade older. She looked exactly like she had before the mission. The teenager quickly went back to her true self and looked sheepishly at the Black Widow.

Natasha’s face was hard to read. In fact, it was practically a blank slate.

“I am sorry that I didn’t … I didn’t want you to feel badly because you thought you failed,” Wanda whispered. She instantly looked down, tears sitting on her bottom lashes.

It was suddenly so quiet in the room, that it was possible to even hear their breathing. Wanda refused to look up, but Natasha was staring at her, looking her over quickly from head to toe.

“This changes things.”

Wanda whimpered and then nodded, “I understand, Natasha. I understand that none of you would want me to stick around now that you think I lied to you about who I was. I didn’t though … I swear I made sure not to lie to you ever.”

Tears finally fell over her lashes and started to hit her leggings, forming little splashes there.

“You lied by omission, but that is neither here nor there. We aren’t going to kick you out,” Natasha declared. She was busy watching Wanda’s every movement, though. “I cannot believe that I didn’t realize that you were not really an adult sooner. There were so many signs.”

Wanda’s eyes snapped up, “I was very convincing.”

Natasha snorted and then shook her head, “Come on, the others are waiting for us. We have things to talk about. Pepper is still here and she needs to know as well. I cannot believe that I did not see this before now. That none of us realized it.”

“Why does anything have to be done? Why can things not stay the same as they were before? I can make myself look like I am nearly thirty again, and then … I just don’t want to leave,” Wanda whispered.

“You think that you are leaving?” Natasha asked with an unamused laugh. “You are not leaving. You were not leaving before, and you aren’t leaving now. You will be lucky if I let you out of my sight for the foreseeable future. Come. We need to talk to the others.”

Natasha stood up and took Wanda by the arm, guiding her out of the apartment.

How the hell had they missed this? How had she, the Black Widow, infamous spy, assassin, Avenger – how the hell had she not realized that Wanda actually was a child?

She paused and looked down at Wanda. The girl was practically shaking.

Natasha took a deep breath and then let go of Wanda, opening up her arms, “Come here.”

In a split second, Wanda crashed against her, sobbing into her chest.

“We are going to figure this out. Right now, though, just take deep breaths before we go and tell the others.

All the while, Natasha’s mind was still reeling.

“Why can’t you just tell them?” Wanda whispered. Her hands were busy rubbing and pulling together. She still felt heavy and had no idea what she wanted to do.

All she did know for certain was that she did not want to be here.

“You said that you wanted to know what I wanted to do, Nat. This isn’t really it.”

“That was when I thought you were an adult in a child’s body instead of just a literal child. Your options are no longer the same. I promise, we are going to talk about this. But later, after we talk to the others. Right now isn’t the time.”

“Are you mad at me?” Wanda whimpered.

Natasha stopped and looked towards the girl.

“I am not mad. I am upset with myself. I should have seen this long before you told me. Wanda, how old are you actually?”

Wanda used the toe of her shoe to push circles into the floor. She was watching it intently until Natasha reached over and put a hand under her chin, raising it up so that the teenager had no choice but to look at her.

“I already know you’re a kid. So it isn’t much more information to tell me your age. Spill.”

There was a moment of silence before Wanda muttered, almost so silently that Natasha couldn’t hear her, “fifteen … but I turn sixteen in a few months!”

“You were fourteen when we came to Sokovia?” Natasha hissed, causing Wanda to turn red as she nodded.

“Let’s go.”

…….

Tony mouth was hanging open as he looked across the table at the sheepish, red faced girl.

“You mean to tell me that I have been wasting all of this time looking for a cure to something that isn’t even an issue to begin with?” He asked.

“Yep,” Natasha said, “Pretty much. Which means now we have a completely different issue on our hands.”

“Yes, we do,” Pepper said. “We have to figure out who she lives with. Who is responsible for her. Wanda, why did you think you couldn’t share this with us? Sweetie, we are here for you, but we can’t help you if you don’t speak with us.”

“I researched for hours on this. Hours and hours. I spent days locked in the lab. And why? For no reason! All that research was pointless. I just don’t get it. How did you even do it?” Tony asked.

Wanda looked at Natasha, the latter of which nodded her head towards Tony.

“Show them.”

Without ever looking up, Wanda aged her face showing the others around the table what she was able to do.

Tony smacked his hands against the table and laughed. It caused Wanda to switch back to her true self and curl towards the back of her chair, hugging herself tightly.

“At this rate I need to open a damn orphanage for strays,” Tony muttered, causing Natasha and Pepper both to shoot him unimpressed looks. He looked at them both and shrugged, “What, it’s true. She seriously had us looking for a cure that we were never going to find. It is okay that I am a bit annoyed.”

“I am sorry,” Wanda said, her shoulders sagging down at her seat.

Natasha sent Tony a glare and moved over to Wanda, putting an arm across her shoulders.

“I am sure that Wanda was simply worried about what would happen to her if we found out that she was only,” Natasha took a deep breath. “Barely fifteen years old when we took her from Sokovia. This was a safety issue for her, and I know that even you understand that, Tony.”

“Are you telling me that you aren’t even a little upset that we had no idea that she was a literal kid?” Tony asked. “I mean, come on, Charlotte! She is a baby Avenger! We should have known about this.”

“She is still powerful,” Steve said. “She still has a duty to help people because of how powerful she is and …”

“Both of you stop it,” Pepper snapped.

Natasha was rubbing her hand against Wanda’s back, feeling her tense body starting to relax, even if it was only slightly.

“Both of you are talking out of your asses right now. Remember that Wanda,” Pepper said, moving behind the girl as well, putting her hands on her shoulders and giving them a bit of a squeeze. “Did what she needed to do to protect herself. And now that she is safe, she has finally told us the truth.”

“Pepper is right. And now, we have some decisions to make, and those decisions are still going to include Wanda. This is her life, and she shouldn’t be out of the loop just because she is fifteen. A lot of us were not normal fifteen year olds. I know that I wasn’t. I know that Tony wasn’t.” Natasha said. Wanda was starting to sit up a bit straighter now, listening to the Black Widow’s every word. She finally looked up at Natasha.

“I still get a say?” she whispered.

Natasha looked down at her, furrowed brow in place, “Of course.”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Tony said, waving his hands several times at the group. “I feel like she should be on drink duty or … holy shit, we have been letting her drink alcohol and she is still a kid!”

Natasha snorted, “You were black out drinking when you were her age, and besides that, she is from a country with much less strict guidelines than here about alcohol. Wanda has never drank irresponsibly, and I am sure that she would not start now. If she were, that is something to discuss then.”

“Someone is going to have to be her guardian,” Pepper said.

Natasha moved back to her chair, though she did scoot it close to Wanda so that she could continue rubbing her back when the teenager tensed up.

“Wanda, what do you think?” Natasha asked her.

“What?” Wanda asked her quietly. “Wouldn’t it just be you?”

Tony snorted, “She knows. Mother hen there is the obvious choice.”

“Why?” Natasha asked him. “Because I have a vagina?”

Tony really started laughing then, shaking his head back and forth, “Because you have been mother henning her since she got hurt. And besides, even I can see how much she seems to be fond of you.”

Natasha rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Wanda, “Is that what you would like? I don’t want to push you into anything that you do not want.”

Wanda shrugged and then mumbled, “If you are going to make me pick one of you, I mean, I wouldn’t mind it if it was you. I know that it’s a lot to ask. I mean, you might not even want to be, and, I … yea, you … what do you want me to do?”

“I wouldn’t mind at all, Wanda,” Natasha told her. “This isn’t going to be easy for you at all, and like I told you earlier, we have some things that we are going to have to discuss, but that is also contingent on your decision about this. Once that decision is made though, that is it – once we leave this room, if you want me to be your guardian, that is it. I am your guardian. I will remain your guardian forever.”

“It is what I want,” Wanda whispered, her cheeks flushing pink. “I am really sorry that i am causing so many issues with everyone.”

Her head dipped down and she took a deep breath.

“Then that is what we will do,” Natasha said. She looked over at the others, “Wanda and I are going to get settled. We need to talk about some things. I am sure you understand.”

“We do,” Pepper said. “I will bring you both dinner in a couple hours. You shouldn’t have to worry about that right now. And then I will work on the paperwork.”

Natasha merely nodded.

……….

Natasha walked into the apartment, her hand on the small of Wanda’s back. She could feel how tense the girl still was, and honestly wasn’t sure that it was going to get any better anytime soon.

“Let’s go sit on the sofa and chat. How about I make us some tea first though?”

“Not going to pull out the vodka for this one, Nat?” Wanda joked, forcing a laugh out through her lips.

Natasha smirked at her and said, “Not tonight. Are you hungry right now, or do you just want tea for now?”

“Tea is good,” Wanda told her, and then stood up and followed Natasha closely as the women went into the kitchen. So closely, in fact, that when Natasha turned to grab a mug from the cabinet, she bumped into the teenager.

Wanda took a step back and blushed, “Sorry,” she muttered.

“It is okay.”

“So what changes now?” Wanda asked in one, quick breath.

Natasha looked down at her with a softer smile, “It’s okay. Why don’t you pull up a barstool and sit while I work on the tea.”

Wanda nodded and quickly grabbed the stool and dragged it around, setting it against the counter and then climbing up on it.

“Well?” Wanda mumbled, staring down at her hand as it tapped nervously against the counter she was leaning against.

Natasha was silent for a moment as she started to prepare the tea and then set the kettle on the stove. She then moved in front of Wanda and leaned against the counter as well, watching the teenager’s every move.

“Things are going to change because they have to. You aren’t an adult, kid, which means there are rules. Not a lot – at least not right now. There has to be rules, though.”

“Rules?” Wanda asked her with a wrinkle of her nose.

“Yes,” Natasha said with a laugh, “Of course. Pretty simple ones, at least I think. No putting yourself in danger, or lying, asking me before you leave the compound probably …” Natasha paused and used her left hand to scratch at her other arm and then gave a small shrug. “Honestly, the major one is not putting yourself in danger. I don’t think you realize just how close you were to really being hurt.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Wanda muttered.

“I would hope not, else we would have to have a completely different conversation,” Natasha said, carefully looking at Wanda as the girl blushed and shook her head back and forth.

“What happens if I break the rules?” Wanda suddenly asked.

“What?” Natasha asked, her eyes widening slightly and then narrowing. “Are you planning on already breaking the rules?”

“What? No … I just …” the teenager stumbled over her words as her face turned bright red. She moved her hands to her lap and sucked in her top lip, using her teeth to bite lightly at it.

Natasha stared at Wanda’s movements and tilted her to head to the side, “What is going on?”

Wanda shrugged and look down, her chin tucked against her chest, “Nothing.”

The Black Widow scrunched her brows and nose a bit, “Wanda, are you sure?”

“Course I am. Are you going to tell me what happens if I break the rules?”

Natasha let out a little sigh, blinking slowly at Wanda, and bit the inside of her cheek, “I … probably things like lines and such. Things to make you think about what you did.”

This caused Wanda to look up at her instantly, breathing a little easier than she had been. “Okay. I … I was just curious. Sounds good, Nat. I am going to go grab something from …”

Wanda jumped up and was nearly out of the room before Natasha said, “No, wait a minute. We aren’t finished talking. Here, I am pouring your tea. Milk and honey?”

Thet teenager froze midstep, waited roughly five seconds and then timidly came back over to her chair and climbed back up just as Natasha was setting her hot mug of tea near her. Natasha took her own and then leaned her hip back against the counter. The mug was settled between her hands and she breathed in the scent slowly, her mind racing.

“You might be grounded as well. Depending on what you did.”

“And that is it, right?” Wanda suddenly asked, and then looked down instantly at her steaming cup of tea. Again, her face flushed and she moved around on the stool uncomfortably.

“What are you trying to ask me, Wanda? Obviously there is something that you are embarrassed to ask or …”

“Nothing,” Wanda mumbled, shooting a cross glare at the woman. “I am not going to break any of those rules anyways.”

“Right,” Natasha said, moving from one foot to another before she set her mug on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “I think writing might be another option. Like essays.”

“Okay, I get it, Nat. So those are all the punishments that are possible. I can live with those. They’re great deterrents, too. I mean, I don’t want to have to write an essay, or be grounded. So I won’t break any of your rules. Are we done now?”

This time, Natasha’s eyes narrowed and she stepped closer to Wanda, her thighs touching the girl’s knees, “Okay, that is it. Spill. There is something that I am missing here, and it is obvious that I need to know what it is.”

There was silence. Wanda’s brow was furrowed and she was staring at her tea intensely.

“Now, Wanda.”

There was a long exasperated sigh that left Wanda this time, and she mumbled, “I was just thinking about things before you knew about me.”

Face scrunched up, Natasha asked, “What do you mean?”

“Can’t we just move on? You have already told me what happens if I break your rules.”

“Nope. What things before I found out that you were fifteen?”

Another sigh – one that was a more frustrated than the ones previously had been – came from Wanda, “You know what. I just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t on the table. I am glad it’s not.”

Now Natasha truly was confused, shaking her head back and forth, “What are you talking about, kid? I am not sure …”

“The poker game,” Wanda whispered under her breath, her lips barely moving. “You said you’d … because I don’t listen …”

Suddenly, Natasha’s mind went back to that game, where she had taught Wanda how to play poker over several hours.

“I mean that if you were really a teenager, I think I would have swatted you by now for your inability to listen.”

“What?”

Natasha stifled a laugh, biting the inside of her right cheek just a bit as she watched the blood leave Wanda’s face.

“Yep, I would have swatted you by now. And if you even thought about putting yourself in danger like you did with the coms … I would have one hundred percent taken you over my knees and spanked your naughty little butt,” Natasha joked.

Natasha suddenly looked at Wanda, “You are worried I will spank you.”

Wanda’s mouth clamped shut and her already pinkened cheeks went dark again. She shrugged and picked her mug up and took a drink slowly before she put it back down, her hands shaking.

“You’d really …” Wanda asked before she moved her trembling hands back onto her lap to try to still them. She cleared her throat and shifted around in her seat, “Okay.”

“Listen, kid, if you do something that causes you to get in trouble – any sort of trouble – we will talk about it before I do anything, okay? And I mean, just because these are the punishments I can think of, it doesn’t mean that I won’t come up with something else later. It really will just depend on what you do, okay?” Natasha said, stumbling over her words a bit as she moved her palms down to wipe against her jeans.

Her eyes searched Wanda’s face and she was surprised to find the girl had suddenly gone from red cheeked to white as a sheet.

“Wanda, it isn’t going to be that bad.”

“I know,” the teenager whispered.

But, the fact was, she was still shaking slightly. Natasha reached out to out a hand on her leg, but then hesitated and pulled her hand back.

“If you earn a spanking from me, it will be discussed first. It will be with my hand and perhaps a brush, but only on your butt. Nothing more. I will not abuse you, or neglect you. I may not know anything else for certain, but I know those two things are fact.”

It took several moments, but Wanda finally started to look up, “They are?”

“Yes. You will not be abused. You will not be neglected,” Natasha said sternly, finally reaching out and putting a hand on Wanda’s knee so that she could squeeze it gently. “When you earn a punishment, we will sort it out together, okay? I mean, we will talk about it, I will explain the punishment you are getting and why … it will be a suitable punishment for you and what you did … you will have a chance to ask about things … you know, if you want, okay?”

Wanda let out a breath she didn’t know that she had been holding and then nodded right before she whispered, “Okay.”

“Just keep in mind that if you ignore me like you have been doing on the last few missions, you are going to be one very unhappy little girl,” Natasha told her with one delicately raised eyebrow.

Wanda looked up at her as her stomach churned, “Got it, Nat.

Natasha nodded, “Good deal. Now, do you need a snack?”

“So I will still be able to go on missions, right?”

“Training, yes. I will have to think about missions,” Natasha said automatically.

Wanda shot her a look, so close to a glare that Natasha almost chuckled and shook her head. But then she grew serious again, “We have to think about the bigger picture, Wanda. Ross cannot know about you right now. You are a kid, but a powerful one. Honestly, you were not ready to go on missions even before we found out about you being a teenager, and I let the others talk me into it. You and I had this discussion before, remember?”

Wanda nodded and then contradicted herself instantly when she started shaking her head back and forth, “I mean, I do, but going on missions is literally my job. It is what I am meant to do, Nat. You heard Steve and ....”

“Not anymore. You don’t need a job. Kid, because I am going to take care of you. Listen, one day you will be going on missions all the time. But right now, we are going to focus on training. I promise, though, this is something that we can talk about again at a later date.”

“Maybe in a couple months?” Wanda asked hopefully.

Natasha thought for a couple of seconds and then nodded, “Maybe. We will see how things go. But, honestly, I am planning on taking off for a while, so I am not going to be going on any missions for a while either.”

“What? Why would you do that?” Wanda asked, her forehead wrinkled as she looked up at Natasha.

“What do you mean why would I do that? I did it so that we can spend some time together. Get to know each other a bit better.”

“I have lived in the compound for months and gone on missions with you for months,” Wanda pointed out to her.

“Yep, but you know what? I still don’t know much about you. Things are different now, Wanda. Taking off is something that I want to do. For myself just as much as you.”

“Fury is not going to like that,” Wanda said.

Natasha snorted, “Fury will accept it. I have never gone on a mission that I didn’t want to, and I am not planning on it now.”

“What about the Accords, Nat? You and Tony have both been worried about them … Steve has been weird about them, too. But no one has really told me anything about them.”

“When I find out more about them, we can talk a bit about it,” Natasha told her honestly. “Because the truth is, right now, I don’t know enough to discuss it.”

“I understand that,” Wanda said with a yawn.

Natasha smiled as she looked at the girl, “Why don’t we get you to bed for a rest? You look exhausted.”

“Trying to give me a bedtime now, too, Nat?” Wanda asked, but still started to climb down the stool.

“Not at the moment, though I think we both know that you need some rest.”

“Yea, I don’t think that I would mind it so much. Today has been …” Wanda stopped and shrugged as she looked down.

“Today has been a lot for you. It took a lot for you to tell me about the real you, and I am proud of you for it,” Natasha said, moving to Wanda’s side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tightly against her side.

“You are proud of me? Even though I have been lying to you for months? I mean … yea …”

“Yea, I am. It took a lot for you to come clean. We all sometimes do things to protect ourselves, Wanda, that we might not be proud of later. You did well for yourself.”

Wanda couldn’t help but move in a bit closer to Natasha.

Chapter Text

Wanda walked around the apartment the next morning quietly, trying not to make too much noise. She was pretty sure that Natasha was still sleeping, so she was trying to pick up a few things from the night before, granted there wasn’t much.

“What are you doing up so early, kid?” came Natasha’s voice from the kitchen doorway.

Wanda jumped slightly, and turned around, “Oh, did I wake you up?”

Natasha walked over to Wanda and put an arm around her, causing the teenager to sink into her almost instantly. She even leaned forward a bit and put the mug she had been holding in the sink before leaning back into Natasha.

“I have been awake for a bit. I just heard you moving around. Are you hungry?”

Wanda shook her head, “I was just trying to clean up from last night. I don’t normally eat breakfast. Well, not until you started waking me up for it after I got hurt.”

“Thank you for cleaning up,” Natasha said with a smile, rubbing Wanda’s back. “But you are going to eat breakfast from now on, okay? I don’t mind making you something at all, but it is important.”

“You really don’t have to. I can make something,” Wanda said, walking – albeit grudgingly – over to the counter and grabbing a banana. She held up the fruit and gave Natasha a half smile.

“I can make you something warm,” Natasha told her.

“This is plenty, I promise,” Wanda told her, inching closer back to Natasha.

“Hmm,” the Black Widow murmured, but then nodded. “Okay. I was thinking that we could go and clean up the apartment you were staying in after we bring your things to your room.”

“My room?” Wanda asked.

Natasha nodded, a few wrinkles forming on her forehead, “Yes, your room. You know, the one that you have been staying in since you were hurt? The one that you will be staying in from now on so that you are not alone.”

“Oh,” Wanda said, her face flushing slightly. “That is okay, Nat. I knew that I was going to have to go back there sooner or later. This is your space. You don’t have to worry about it, Nat.”

The teen’s shoulders sagged and her arms wrapped around herself while Natasha watched her for a moment before she shook her head, “I am not really sure what you are going on about, Wanda. Why would you be living in an apartment – even here – by yourself?”

“I have since I moved in here.”

“Yea, when we thought you were an adult, kid. You are fifteen. Fifteen year olds should not live by themselves,” Natasha said sternly. The moment that she saw Wanda’s face fall, she added, “Besides, I think that it will be nice to have you around here. Living together will be fun. I mean, don’t you get lonely? Sometimes I do.”

“Really?” Wanda questioned, her eyes narrowed just a tad as she watched Natasha.

“Of course. I am looking forward to it. Eat your banana and then go get dressed. I am going to get dressed as well,” Natasha told her and then headed back towards her room.

Wanda hugged herself a bit more tightly for a moment, and then brought the banana back in front of her, peeling it before she took a bite.

………………..

“What are we doing?” came Steve’s voice as Wanda and Natasha went up to the door to Wanda’s former apartment.

“We are about to clean out the apartment and then take Wanda’s stuff back to her room,” Natasha offered up.

“Oh, I will help! I can carry stuff at least,” Steve told them.

“You really want to help, too?” Wanda asked in surprise, her eyes a bit wide as she looked at him.

“Sure. Why not? I mean, you are cleaning and I am pretty good at it. You know, before the super soldier serum, I was on latrine duty a lot. I got pretty good at it because of that, if I do say so myself,” the man said with a wide grin.

“Help would be nice, Steve,” Natasha said. “Maybe we can get it finished before lunch.”

Wanda wrapped one arm across her chest and started using it to run her hand up and down the other arm. Her feet were one on top of the other and she nodded shyly, “I can make lunch for everyone after we are finished. But, I can do it myself. I mean, it is a bit of a mess, and I really don’t expect anyone to help me. Plus there isn’t that much in there for me to bring. Just some books and a few clothes.”

“You aren’t doing it alone, Wanda,” Natasha told her.

“Besides, if we all pitch in, you know that it will get finished a lot faster. It will be fun,” Steve said almost jovially.

Natasha and Wanda looked at one another.

“He has no idea what he just offered to do,” Wanda said, shaking her head. There was a definite heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she finally opened the door.

As the trio stepped into the teen’s apartment, Natasha was surprised, though she wasn’t sure why – because the apartment was very ‘Wanda.’ It was practically spotless, though Wanda had definitely managed to accumulate a lot of books. Sure, there were some dishes near the sink and some articles of clothing thrown over the sofa.

“Sweetheart … is this really what you call a mess?” Natasha asked her, reaching over and throwing an arm loosely over her shoulder. “I mean, I wish this was what a real mess looked like, kid. This is a dream. We are going to have this cleaned up in no time.”

“Just … everything is thrown around,” Wanda mumbled with a shrug.

“Let’s get Wanda moved and settled,” Steve said, reaching from the opposite side of Wanda and clapping her on the back.

“Good idea.”

Natasha took charge of the situation, surveying the room with a determined look. "Alright, team," she said, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "Let's get to work. Steve, could you start by organizing the books on those shelves so that we can take them to our apartment? I'll handle getting all of the clothes, and Wanda, you can tackle the dishes."

Steve nodded and began stacking the books in easy to carry piles before he left to grab a laundry basket to put them in so they would be easier to carry. Natasha swiftly went to the bedroom and started searching for all of the clothing Wanda owned. Wanda, feeling a bit overwhelmed, took a deep breath and went to the kitchen.

As Wanda filled the sink with soapy water, nervously turning around and looking for Steve, and occasionally straining her neck to look at Natasha. There was a bigger stack of dishes than she had realized, but she just dumped them in the water to start cleaning them.

After a while, Wanda's initial anxiety began to fade away as she fell into a rhythm of washing the dishes in the sink. She scrubbed and cleaned, occasionally still looking around to see where the others were.

Natasha, on the other hand, was in the bedroom studying everything that was there.

“Are there any books in here, Nat?” came Steve’s voice from the doorway.

She looked over at him with a crestfallen face.

“How did we miss this, Steve? I mean, look around. The only thing that she has is books. I knew that Tony was ordering her books to ‘keep her busy,’ but that is practically all she has. So how did we miss that? How did I miss that she was wearing the same clothing over and over again?” she asked him, looking up at him with a pained expression.

“It wasn’t just you. We all missed the signs,” he told her softly. “But we know now, so we can help her get more things. Is that all of the clothing that you have found?” he nodded towards the small pile on the bed.

She nodded back, “Yes, plus the few things that I need to add to it from the living area.”

“She will need more clothing, won’t she?”

Natasha laughed, shaking her head, “Yea, Steve, she will need more clothing. I mean, I am sure that even you have more clothing than this.”

“Why do you think that she asked for books but didn’t mention clothing?”

“I think Tony just had books sent to her room. I don’t even know if she knows that he is the one who sent them,” Natasha admitted. “And none of us thought to check.”

“Just remember, we didn’t know. She was good at hiding it.”

Natasha nodded and then pointed at a couple of books on the nightstand. Both went back to work.

Time seemed to fly by, and soon enough, the apartment was transformed into a clean and organized space. Steve had taken the books and clothes to Natasha’s and Wanda’s apartment while the other two wiped everything down and swept.

“What should I do with the bedding?” Wanda asked. “It is all that is left.”

Natasha looked over at Wanda, standing beside the bed with the linens in her arms.

“Do you want them?”

“They have been mine since I got here,” Wanda told Natasha, clutching the cloth of the sheets and blankets in her hands. “You can never have too many. What if I need them?”

Natasha watched as a slightly glazed look went over Wanda’s eyes and she walked over to her, putting a hand on her arm, “Of course. How about we send them with the laundry and you will have them back tonight. Had I known that you wanted them, I would have got them for you when you were healing.”

The spy moved around Wanda and started to rub her back a bit, when suddenly the teenager looked at her. She shook her head and then shrugged, “It is okay. Yea, sure, we can send them to the laundry room.”

“Sounds good. That is the last thing. What do you say we go join Steve and figure out where we are going to put your books?”

Wanda simply nodded.

……………………….

“Could you imagine if you had to wrinkle your nose to make your powers work?” Steve asked Wanda with a laugh.

Wanda snorted, “I have never had to do that. But when I first got my powers I thought back to Samantha and the things that she did in the show. It was fun to pretend that I could be like her.”

Natasha looked at the two of them as they watched Bewitched on the television. She was trying to figure out how she was going to get Wanda to go shopping. It had been a few days since the clean out of her apartment and Wanda had been a bit on the quiet side since then.

But Natasha knew that Wanda definitely needed more clothing than she had.

“What do you mean ‘be like her?’” Steve asked.

Wanda shrugged and then looked over at him, “You know – perfect. Lovable and has a family. Usually she can figure out how to fix things when she messes up, too. She has a home.”

Steve looked over at her, his shoulders started to slump down a bit, but instead he caught himself and he sat up, “You are or have all those things.”

Natasha watched as Wanda turned and stared at Steve. She was about to say something, but then Steve shrugged his shoulders.

“You do. You probably just don’t see it yet. It’s okay. I didn’t see it at first either. I bet it took Nat even longer.”

Natasha decided that it was the right moment to walk further into the room, “Took me longer to do what?”

Steve turned around quickly and she winked at him, but it took Wanda a bit longer.

“We were just talking,” the teenager said. She then looked Natasha in the eye, “Do you want to watch Bewitched with us?”

“I thought it would be a good idea for us to go shopping today. You need some things.”

Wanda’s nose wrinkled up slightly and she turned back around in her seat, facing the television.

“I have everything I need,” the teenager mumbled, wiggling down a bit further into the sofa so that only the top of her head was visible over the sofa.

Natasha walked the rest of the way around the couch and looked down at the girl. It had taken moving Wanda in with her for Natasha to realize it, but the teenager had been wearing the same clothes for months, and it was clear that she needed a fresh start. She needed basic things, but the truth was, Natasha wanted her to have just because things as well.

"Wanda, we're going shopping," Natasha declared, her voice leaving no room for objections.

That didn’t stop Wanda, though.

Wanda moaned quietly in response.

"Natasha, do we have to? I have clothing. I have books. I don’t … you don’t need to buy me things." she said, trying to make Natasha understand her side of things. “I promise that I am happy with the way that things are right now.”

The adamant look on Wanda’s face softened Natasha, but didn’t change her mind. At least not completely.

Natasha crossed her arms, a playful smirk on her face as she looked at Wanda. "Yes, we do. It's time for a shopping trip, Wanda. Trust me, it'll be fun," she insisted, trying to make the experience sound more exciting. Wanda looked skeptical, but she finally let out a sigh, “There are going to be a lot of people.”

The Black Widow looked down at her watch, “It won’t be so bad right now.”

Reluctantly, Wanda stood up, looking back at Steve, her eyes wide.

“Natasha is right, you do need some more clothes.”

“You are no help,” Wanda muttered, shifting from one foot to the other before she turned and started to follow Natasha out of the room.

…………….

Wanda grudgingly followed Natasha to the nearest shopping center. Both were wearing disguises, something else that Wanda had not really looked forward to despite knowing it was for the best. The two walked from store to store, with Natasha picking out clothes and encouraging Wanda to try them on.

“I could have altered my looks,” Wanda whispered suddenly to her guardian.

Natasha looked down at her before she shook her head, “No. You have spent a lot of the last several years doing that. This is simpler for a day trip, kid.”

Wanda shrugged. It wasn’t like altering her appearance was hard. Really, it was as easy to her as breathing.

They walked into a shop that the spy thought that Wanda would like and went in.

Wanda froze the moment that she was in there. The bright lights were overhead. The clothing racks were littered over the floor. People were moving in and out of them at top speed it seemed.

Natasha looked over at Wanda, her brow creasing instantly. She moved over to Wanda and threw an arm over her shoulders.

“Why don’t we look over here where there are less people. Plus, it looks more your style. You need shirts, pants, underwear, bras …”

Wanda was listening to Natasha going on about everything she needed, but she was trying to focus on the woman’s arm across her shoulders. It was nice. She let Natasha guide her around, pointing out different pieces of clothing. Some they kept, others they put back.

As they moved from one shop to another, Wanda's mood gradually improved. She started to enjoy the process of finding clothes that suited her. Especially since Natasha only had her try on the first couple of pieces.

“We will take them home and if you don’t like the way that they fit, we will bring them back. It will give us another excuse to come shopping again,” Natasha told her.

Wanda wrinkled her nose, “I can try them on …”

Natasha laughed lightly, “If you would like, but I doubt that they don’t fit now that I know what your size is.”

“Okay,” Wanda mumbled, scratching at her arm as she looked around and then back at the bags around them.

“Hey, I promise that we won’t come shopping often. Eventually you may actually want to, but if you don’t, that is okay, too. We won’t be here much longer, and I will give you treat before we go home.”

Wanda gave Natasha a half smile and moved closer to the woman, “I don’t hate it. I just … you are spending a lot of money …”

“You don’t need to worry about money. I promise, money is the last thing that any of us have to worry about. Okay? You are getting things you need. Is there anything that you would like?”

Wanda shrugged again.

“I know that you don’t want to be out, kid,” Natasha said gently, rubbing Wanda’s back. “But sometimes we have to do things that aren’t our favorite things to do. I am not doing this to make you miserable.”

Wanda looked up at her in shock, “I don’t think that. I just …” she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “it’s just a lot, Nat.”

Rubbing her back, Natasha moved in closer and gave her a quick hug, “I know. You have done really well today. Why don’t we pay for this, and then how about we visit the bookstore? From the looks of all of the books that you have, I would wager that reading is one of your favorite things to do," Natasha said to Wanda, her eyes gleaming when Wanda's face lit up.

“I mean, if you want to. You have books, too,” Wanda said to her, trying to keep her voice even.

Natasha snorted, “You act like I can’t tell that you’d rather be in a bookstore than just about anywhere else. Come on.”

Natasha grabbed Wanda’s hand and guided her through the mall. She didn’t let go, not wanting to lose the teenager in the crowds.

“This way, kid,” Natasha said, pointing towards a store at the end of the corridor of the shopping plaza. Even Wanda picked up her pace then, almost walking ahead of Natasha, but unable to since the woman had a hold of her hand still.

Entering the bookstore, Wanda and Natasha were greeted by shelves upon shelves of books. Wanda's eyes widened with delight as she scanned the titles and covers from a distance, taking a deep breath.

The earthiness of the new books surrounded her, with hints of coffee from the little shop towards the back of the store. The smells wrapped around her, embracing her as she finally felt Natasha let go of her hand.

“Stay within earshot,” Natasha fretted.

Wanda nodded and walked over to the shelves, picking up one of the books and fanning the pages across her face.

The scent was intoxicating. It was, without a doubt, one of the best smells in the world.

Natasha observed Wanda with a soft smile. She could tell that Wanda was in her happy place.

They spent more than an hour exploring the bookstore, with Wanda finding a few books that piqued her interest. Books that she knew would transport her to far-off lands and ignite her imagination in ways that nothing else could.

“Are you sure that these are all the books that you want?” Natasha asked her. She hadn’t looked for herself, instead choosing to watch Wanda while she looked for books. The spy didn’t regret it at all.

“Well … do you think that one day we could come back?” Wanda asked her, her right foot on top of the left as she clutched five books in her arms.

“I have a feeling that we will be spending a lot of time here. I know that Tony would set up a tablet for you …”

Wanda gasped, “That wouldn’t be the same. Holding a book and feeling the pages between your fingers … I know that Stark likes to only have his technology,” Natasha was surprised at the sudden harsh change of tone in her voice.

“Hey, remember where we are and what you say,” the spy said.

Wanda’s sudden hard look suddenly went flat and panicked, and she looked around.

Natasha instantly stepped closer to her, pulling her closer towards her and she whispered in Russian, “No one can hear anything that you said. I just wanted to remind you. We do not need people knowing that we are associated with Tony because then we will be more easily traced.”

Wanda nodded, breathing a bit easier.

“Are you ready to go home? I think we have accomplished enough today. You look tired,” Natasha said, tucking a piece of hair behind Wanda’s ear.

Wanda nodded, relieved.

…………….

Wanda was laying on her stomach on the floor of the living room, reading one of her books when she looked at the clock on the wall. She jumped up and placed a bookmark in her book, setting it on the coffee table. She quickly put her shoes on and went to walk out of the door.

“Where are you going?” came Natasha’s voice from the kitchen where she had been making herself a cup of tea.

“Outside,” Wanda told her and then her hand went to open the door again.

“Outside? Why on earth would you be going outside right now? It is nearly eight,” Natasha asked her, her brows scrunched together over the bridge of her nose.

“I am just going outside,” Wanda said, staring at Natasha and then shrugging. “I go outside at this time all the time.”

“Oh,” Natasha said. She bit her bottom lip and then nodded, “Let me know when you get back in.”

Wanda nodded and then quickly opened the door before Natasha could ask her anymore uncomfortable questions. In fact, the moment that the door shut, she took off at closer to a run, heading out onto the grounds.

Once she was outside, she jumped into the air, her powers taking control and sending her soaring through the air.

“You seem happy.”

Wanda’s eyes snapped open and for a moment, she forgot what she was doing and fell through the air. She gained control quickly when she realized what was going on, and then landed.

“Vision! Remember what I told you,” she said with a smile. “You can’t just appear in front of people. You have to give them some warning.”

“You still look age that you are supposed to be, Wanda. I expected you to be older again.”

The teenager blushed, “Yes. This is how I should look. I had to let the others know. Thank you for keeping it to yourself, Vis. I didn’t know that you knew.”

“It was not my secret to tell,” Vision told her simply

The evening sky was painted with a tapestry of twinkling stars, casting a soft glow over Wanda and Vision as they walked side by side through the woods surrounding the compound.

“It is nice out tonight. I haven’t been out since before I was hurt on the last mission. I wasn’t sure that you would be back this soon,” Wanda told him.

“I am afraid that I will not be here for very long. There are many places that I need to be. But I promised that I would come back and see you frequently, so I will do that. We are friends. I care a great deal about you,” Vision told her simply.

Wanda blushed, “We are friends. You are always easy to talk to. And you know Sokovian, and I am glad that you do. It is nice to be able to speak in my language.”

“Ms. Romanoff speaks in Sokovian as well I believe,” Vision said.

Wanda looked up at him, her eyes wide, “Really?”

“Yes. You speak it to her at times when it is only the two of you speaking with one another.”

“I do?” Wanda mumbled. She then shook her head to clear it. “Let’s keep walking.”

As they strolled beneath the night sky, Wanda couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Hey, Vision, have you ever wondered what's inside the stars? I mean, they look so beautiful from afar, but what's really going on up there? I know there are other worlds up there, but I cannot imagine it at the same time."

Vision glanced at her, a smile crossing his lips. "Indeed, Wanda," he replied in his calm and soothing voice. "Stars are fascinating entities. From what I have learned so far is, they are incredibly hot and luminous balls of gas. Deep within their cores, nuclear fusion reactions take place, creating tremendous amounts of energy that radiate outwards, causing them to shine."

Wanda listened intently, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "But do you think there's more to them? How many other worlds are out there? With how many other beings? Natasha and the others fought the aliens in New York. So we know there are other worlds, but how many?"

Vision pondered her question for a moment, his blue eyes reflecting the starlight above. "The universe is indeed vast, Wanda. It most definitely stretches beyond our comprehension, filled with countless galaxies, stars, and planets. It is likely that we will never know how many other worlds with life there are."

Lost in their musings, Wanda and Vision found a comfortable spot on a grassy hill, gazing up at the heavens above. They lay side by side, their eyes fixed on the distant stars, as if searching for answers among the constellations.

"Sometimes, Wanda," Vision began softly, "I find solace in the stars. It lets me know that there is always more. There is no end. I like to simply watch them."

“This is nice,” Wanda murmured. “How long will you be here, Vis?”

“Only today and tomorrow. Then I must go away again.”

………..

Natasha was walking around the living room and then the kitchen, cleaning things that did not need to be cleaned. Her eyes continued to look up at the clock on the wall every five minutes or so. It was past ten and Wanda was still not back in. She was fighting herself at the moment so she wouldn’t go hunt the girl down.

She knew that Wanda was still on the grounds. There was no way that she would have been able to leave the grounds without Tony knowing it, and he would have let her know.

Plus, Wanda had no reason to leave the grounds, Natasha thought to herself. But seriously, why on earth would she need to be outside this late?

“You should have told her to be back no more than an hour after she left,” Natasha lectured herself. “Seriously, what were you thinking, Romanoff? Wanda needs to be in bed!”

Natasha moved back into the kitchen and was contemplating putting the kettle on. A cup of tea sounds good at the moment. She furrowed her brows and breathed in deeply through her nose as she tried to make a decision.

The door suddenly opened and Wanda walked in. The teenager had a smile on her face and her face brightened a bit when she saw Natasha.

“Hey, Nat,” she said with a small wave.

Instantly, Natasha stepped out of the kitchen, her body tense and straight. She stared at Wanda with pursed lips for a moment.

“ Where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is?” Natasha finally asked her sternly, moving to face Wanda and crossing her arms over her chest tightly.

Wanda froze mid step , her brow wrinkling as she looked up at her guardian with a tilted head, “What?”

“It is nearly eleven at night, Wanda. Why were you out that late without talking to me about it?” Natasha demanded, her body stiff and formidable.

“I … I go out a lot at night. I am not sure why you are upset, Natasha,” Wanda said, stumbling over her words, clenching her hands around the hem of her shirt.

“Did you not think that it would be a good idea to tell me that you were planning on being out this late?” Natasha asked her with a scowl on her face. The woman finally took a deep breath and looked at Wanda closely. “I was worried about you, Wanda. You said that you were outside, but you didn’t say where on the grounds. I want to watch out for you because I care about you, which is why I have to know exactly where you are at all the time.”

Wanda took a deep breath and then sighed before she caught herself and stopped, looking back up at Natasha, “Look, Nat, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that you wanted me to be back at a certain time. If I had known, I would have been home before now. But I have been doing this for months. No one cared before.”

The teenager looked down, her teeth gritting together slightly. She then looked up at Natasha, “I just didn’t know that you wanted me to come back early. Vision and I were just looking around and chatting.”

Letting out a sigh, Natasha moved one hand to her forehead and started to rub it with her thumb and forefinger, “You are right, I didn’t tell you that you had a curfew. But from now on you can’t just come back home whenever you want. I need to know where you are and what time you will be back. You should have been in bed already.”

“I understand that you were worried,” Wanda said, though her tone was stressed. “Had I known I would have been back. I haven’t been tired and walking outside helps clear my mind. Before I did it every single night.”

Natasha softened a bit more and tilted her head to the side, “Wanda, this has to do with your safety. You are only fifteen and I want to make sure that you are safe. I know that it is hard for you, Wanda. Because before you didn’t have to be accountable to anyone the way that you are now because we thought you were an adult. But I want to take care of you, and knowing where you are at at all times is part of that, okay?”

Now Wanda’s arms were crossed and her chin was jutted out slightly. She sighed before she answered, “I will be mindful of your wishes from now on. I would like to go to my room now.” Wanda paused for a moment and then, face red, said, “If you don’t mind. I am feeling tired now.”

Natasha looked over at the clock again, “Yes, come on, let’s go get you tucked into bed.”

Wanda stared at her for a moment, nostrils flaring, lips a thin straight line, “Alright.”

Natasha put an arm around Wanda. She definitely did not miss how tense Wanda was, even if she did start to mold into Natasha’s side.

Chapter Text

A few days later, Natasha found herself in the training room with Wanda after the teenager had been asking her to for a while. She was watching the teenager carefully as they sparred, dodged, and practiced combat techniques.

Wanda had been a bit off the past couple of days, which had started to worry Natasha. It was also why she had given in to training. Natasha just hoped that this was not the norm. How would she even know? Because they had all thought Wanda was a teenager because they had been blind to what was right in front of them.

Natasha shook her head, trying to clear it and focus on training. She was a spy, yet still had not been able to figure out that Wanda was a teenager when it should have been obvious to her. It should have been obvious to them all.

Wanda was working harder than Natasha had ever seen her. The teenager unleashed bursts of energy, manipulating objects with her telekinesis, and using magic that defied the laws of physics.

The Black Widow observed Wanda's display of power with a mixture of awe and concern. As the training session continued, Natasha could see Wanda's exhaustion mounting, her concentration wavering. She was starting to make mistakes, and that surprised Natasha.

"Wanda, you need to take a break," Natasha said, her voice filled with genuine worry as it filled the training room. "You've been pushing yourself too hard and you are getting sloppy."

Wanda paused, sweat dripping down her brow, but determination still burning in her eyes. "I can keep going, Nat," she replied, her voice strained. "I need to get stronger, to improve my control over my powers. I have to get better if I am going to go on missions anytime soon."

“Sure, do what you want,” Natasha told her sarcastically. “And you will be right back where you were after that last mission, not able to even make yourself a cup of tea without help. Won’t even be able to shower without help. So by all means, if that is what you want, be my guest.”

Natasha took a step back and put her hand out towards the training room, an open invitation.

Wanda frowned and sent a frustrated glare at the older woman before averting her eyes again with a short sigh.

“Is that what you want?” Natasha pushed, brow raised.

“No,” Wanda muttered, her forehead wrinkled as she glared at the floor.

"I know you want to be stronger," Natasha said, her voice firm but gentle. "But you won't achieve that by pushing yourself to the breaking point. Training is crucial, but so is taking care of yourself. I won’t let you cause any harm to yourself."

Wanda sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly shifting around awkwardly. She looked into Natasha's eyes, a mix of frustration and irritation etched on her face. "I have to get ready again, Nat. This is the first time that you have let me train since I was hurt. How am I going to prepare for missions at this rate?”

The teenager looked up at Natasha with frustration. Her eyes were tired and there were circles underneath them.

Natasha softened as she listened to Wanda. Placing a hand on Wanda's shoulder, she said, "You won’t be able to do anything if you don't tap out when you need to. Not if you exhaust yourself. Resting and recuperating are part of the process, too. Come on, let's call it a day and head back to the apartment.”

Reluctantly, Wanda nodded. Together, they left the training room and made their way back to their apartment.

As they settled in the living room, Natasha poured them both a glass of water, handing Wanda’s to her as she sat in the chair across from her so that they were facing one another.

“When are you going to let me go back on missions, Nat?” Wanda asked her suddenly. She wasn’t making eye contact with Natasha. Instead, she was focusing on the water in her hands. Both were gripped tightly around the glass, the tips of her fingers digging at the glass. “You are letting me train now, so what about missions?”

“Training is one thing, Wanda, but I will have to think about missions,” Natasha said automatically without being able to filter her words. “It's not like you know how to listen to me on missions to begin with.”

Wanda shot her a look, so close to a glare that Natasha almost chuckled, but was able to stop herself. She leaned forward and took the glass of water from Wanda and set both glasses on the side table. She then leaned forward and tried to get the girl to look at her.

Instead of looking at Natasha, though, Wanda was biting her bottom lip, her left leg bouncing up and down.

“I need to help everyone. I need to go on missions, otherwise what am I doing? Why am I even here if I am not going to be an Avenger?” Wanda asked with a trembling voice.

Natasha held in a sigh and then sat up straighter, clearing her throat, “First of all, remember that we have to think about the bigger picture now and Ross cannot know about you right now. You are a kid, but a powerful one. But you were not ready to go on missions even before we found out about you being a teenager. You and I had this discussion before, remember? You didn’t listen to direction on missions and that is a huge issue,”

Wanda nodded and then contradicted herself instantly when she started shaking her head back and forth, “I do remember, and I get it, but going on missions is literally my job. It is what I am meant to do. I know that I can listen to directions. I can do what you want me to do.”

Natasha shook her head.

“Yea, because fifteen year olds have jobs all the time where their lives are constantly in danger,” Natasha stated. “Not anymore. You don’t need a job. Kid, listen, one day you will be going on missions all the time. But right now, we are going to focus on training and learning to do as you are told. But this is something that we can talk about again at a later date.”

“Maybe in a couple months?” Wanda asked hopefully. “If I try to do what you tell me to do?”

Natasha thought for a couple of seconds and then for the second time in their short conversation let her mouth speak before she filtered her words, “A couple of months. We can revisit this conversation in a couple of months and train in the meantime, okay?”

There was relief apparent over Wanda. It was obvious that she had not expected Natasha to agree to that at all.

“Okay, but you promise that you will let me help if there is a real need? I mean, what if something happens and you actually do need my help? I want to be useful, Nat,” Wanda told her softly. “And I will definitely do everything that you tell me, too. I swear that I will.”

Natasha leaned forward this time and put her hand under Wanda’s chin and waited until she looked at her, feeling Wanda’s head move forward as the girl leaned into her touch.

“You are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Work is not one of those things. You are a kid. You are not working. Not yet.”

Natasha did not miss the way that Wanda’s nostrils flared, nor the way her hands clenched the fabric of her shirt.

She did miss the tiny speck of salt water gathered at the corner of Wanda’s eye.

……………..

“Steve, I need a favor,” Natasha said, walking into the common kitchen where Steve was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of oatmeal.

He quickly grabbed his napkin, dabbed at his mouth, folded it, and then put it back on the table. If it was even possible, he straightened up even more.

“Of course, Nat. What can I do to help?”

Natasha went and sat at the table, leaned back and crossed her legs, “I need to go and chat with Fury. I need to tell him that I am taking some time off and I know that he is going to want to chat. Besides, I will have to pass off some upcoming missions, so I may be there for a while talking to some of the other agents. I was wondering if you would mind hanging out with Wanda while I am gone.”

“Of course,” Steve told her. “I don’t mind hanging out with her.”

The look of relief that fell over Natasha surprised Steve, but he just stood up and placed his bowl in the sink, running water in it before turning back around.

“Is there anything else you would like me to do with her? Training? Um …” he stopped and shrugged as he looked up at Natasha, “Not really sure what to do with teenagers in this day and age to be honest.”

Natasha instantly burst out laughing, shaking her head, “Seriously, Rogers? Do you think that she is suddenly a different species? Wanda is the same person that she was when she was going on missions with us. Now she is just fifteen.”

“Then why do you feel like she needs to be watched?” Steve asked, his brow furrowed and head tilted to the side. He scanned Natasha’s face for an answer and then stiffened slightly as he watched her patiently.

“Steve, she is the same person. She is just younger. She can still do the same shit that …”

“Language,” the man said instantly, his face flushing.

Natasha snorted, “Wanda is the same Wanda that was here before. Do the same things that you did with her then. You have kept watching those television shows with her. The old ones. Nothing has changed, Steve.”

She patted the man on the shoulder and then left the room, shaking her head and still laughing.

…………………………

Wanda found herself spending an afternoon alone with Steve, something that she had not expected. At first, she had been a bit irritated with Natasha.

“Then I will go with you,” Wanda stated.

Natasha looked over at the teenager as she was grabbing her keys.

“No. You are staying here to hang out with Rogers. He said something about watching some show with you. One of the shows that you both like,” the spy told her.

“You asked him to babysit me,” Wanda deadpanned, and then instantly looked down at the floor, her cheeks a dull pink.

“Nope, I asked him to hang out with you. You need to hang out with people other than me, and he is on the approved list. If I wanted to get you a babysitter, I would have called Tony.”

“Stark?” Wanda spit out as her eyes flashed. “Why the hell would you think he would ever be a reliable babysitter? He is …”

“Hey, hey,” Natasha said, a glimmer of laughter and a hint of concern crossing her eyes all at once. “I was joking. Seriously, you are just hanging out with Steve while I am out. No reason for both of you to be here and be all lonely. Make sure Steve feeds you lunch though …”

As Wanda and Steve settled in the living room, they decided to watch an episode of "I Love Lucy" together. The black and white comedy had them both laughing as the show continued.

Throughout the episode, Wanda found herself chuckling at the hilarious antics of Lucy Ricardo, while Steve shared stories of his own adventures during his time in the war.

“You seriously thought it was a good idea to throw yourself over a grenade?” Wanda asked with wide eyes. “You didn’t even have any powers! You were just a scrawny kid from Brooklyn!”

Steve laughed and then shrugged, “It felt like the right thing to do. It was either me or everyone, and I just couldn’t imagine letting others get hurt when I could stop it.”

Wanda was silent then, letting those words fall over her.

As the episode came to an end, Wanda's stomach rumbled, reminding them both that lunchtime had arrived.

“Nat said to make sure fed me. I am not sure why she thinks we aren’t capable of figuring out that we need to eat,” Wanda said softly, her eyes still on the television.

“I think that Natasha simply cares about you a great deal, Wanda,” Steve said, standing up from the sofa. Wanda quickly joined him and walked into the kitchen.

The two contemplated what to eat, exploring different options and discussing their favorite meals. Wanda suddenly hesitated, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Steve, can I ask you something?" Wanda inquired as she leaned against the counter and looked up at the man..

"Of course, Wanda," Steve replied warmly, sensing her curiosity. "What's on your mind?" He reached up in the cabinet and pulled out a box of pasta, and then quickly put it back.

Wanda took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I've been hearing a lot about the Accords and General Ross lately, I mean even before everyone found out about my age. I want to understand it better. Can you tell me about it?"

Steve's expression turned serious. He took a moment to gather his own thoughts before responding, "The Accords are a set of international agreements – the plan for them is to regulate and oversee the actions of individuals with extraordinary abilities, like us. Like Tony and Natasha," he began. "General Ross is playing a significant role in pushing for their implementation. He doesn’t understand what we do or look at the bigger picture. He doesn’t see how many people we have helped. I believe that Ross fears people with powers if I am being honest."

Wanda listened intently, her eyes focused on Steve's face as he spoke. He continued to talk to her about the Accords, both forgetting they had planned to eat lunch and moving over to the table where they sat.

After a while, Wanda found herself gaining a clearer picture of the Accords, but she still wanted to explore further. Taking a deep breath, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind a lot lately, even before their talk, "Steve, do you have a copy of the Accords that I could read?"

Steve paused for a moment, studying Wanda's determined expression.

“It probably wouldn’t hurt for you to learn more about it. It is affecting you just as much as it is the rest of us. If not more, really,” the man told her. “I will be right back.”

Wanda nodded and sat at the table thrumming her fingers one at a time against the top of it. It didn’t take long before Steve came back in, a huge bound stack of papers in his hands.

"I kept this for reference," he said, handing it to Wanda. "Take your time reading it. If you have any questions or need to talk about it, I'm here. Believe me, it is a lot to take in."

Wanda accepted the document gratefully, feeling a mix of emotions at finally holding the document in her hand. She had been wanting to know more about it for so long.

“Thank you, Steve. I am going to go put this in my room,” Wanda told him. “I will be able to read it when I lay down tonight. I don’t sleep much anyways.”

Steve nodded, “Sounds good. I need to find something to make for lunch, too.”

The man stood up and went back to the cabinets, digging around for something that he felt Wanda might enjoy.

…………………

In the depths of SHIELD's headquarters, Natasha found herself standing before the imposing figure of Director Nick Fury. The man sat behind his desk, his fingers laced together on top of the desk as he stared at the spy.

“I have to say, Romanoff, I am surprised that you are here. I wasn’t expecting you for another two weeks. Which leaves me to believe that you are here for a very specific reason,” the man said as he watched the woman with his one good eye before he moved his hand and pointed at a chair. “Sit down. What is going on?”

“I need to go on a sabbatical,” she told him, never breaking eye contact with him. “I am not sure how long yet, but for a least a couple of months I think.”

The man leaned back in his chair and sighed, closing his eye and then using his feet to push his chair back and forth.

“This is what I get. This is completely my fault, you know,” he said, shaking his head back and forth, his eye still closed. “I brought the world’s best spy here and tried to acclimate her to the American lifestyle again and this is what I get … you learn words like Sabbatical …” the man shook his head and then opened his eye again. “But no, I am going to blame this completely on Barton. Actually maybe even the female Barton. Sounds like something that she would teach you … but really, this is Barton’s fault because he is the one who picked you up out of Budapest like a stray cat.”

Natasha laughed, her face relaxing a bit. “I need the time off for Wanda.”

Fury leaned forward, his face softening slightly, possibly more than Natasha had ever seen it soften.

“How is the witch doing? I have to admit, I was more than a little surprised to find out that she was only fifteen. I never … how did she do it?”

“We both know that she is powerful, Fury,” Natasha said. “She is doing okay though. She is adjusting to the fact that we know she is just a kid, but that is why I need the time off. Surely there is someone who would be able to cover my upcoming missions.”

“Are you sure that everything is going well with Maximoff? I know how Sokovia affected you …”

Natasha sat back in her chair and nodded, mulling over his words, “She’s been with us for nearly a year, and honestly, Sokovia happened, yes, but I have no long term effects from it. Tony and Wanda have some issues, but we will work through them, too. Sokovia seems like a long time ago in the grand scheme of things. Especially since we found out that she is really a kid.”

“You really are trying to put me in a tight spot, aren’t you, Romanoff?” Fury finally said with a faux dramatic sigh. He then stood up walking to the window of his office before he turned around. “Hill can handle the missions you were assigned. There were only a few missions coming up and Hill told me the other day that she would like to get out in the field a bit more …”

“She is who I would suggest. I know that she can easily handle them. She can contact me with any issues, though I doubt that she would have any.”

“High praise coming from you,” Fury said sarcastically with a laugh.

Natasha snorted, and then the two sat in silence for several moments before Fury became serious.

His functioning eye fixed on Natasha, Fury spoke with a hint of concern in his voice. "Romanoff, just keep in mind the Accords have the potential to become a real issue for us. The UN won't let up, and Stark and Rogers can't seem to find common ground. The entire damn thing is a huge mess right now."

Natasha leaned forward, her expression tense, worry shooting across her eyes. "I've seen firsthand the consequences of unchecked power, Fury. We both have. Which is why we know how this is going. The Accords are meant to bring accountability, sure, but I fear they might restrict us in ways that are detrimental to so many people."

Fury nodded, his frustration evident. "You're not alone in that concern. Stark believes in the Accords, seeing them as a necessary safeguard, while Rogers believes they infringe upon our freedom to act in times of crisis. I am just trying to figure out a middle ground. I need to know that, even while you are on your sabbatical, that I can call on you if I need you. And it may come to that, Romanoff … Natasha … it may come to that."

Natasha's gaze hardened even as she nodded her head, "We really need to find a way to bridge that divide, to get Tony and Steve to reach some sort of common ground, but they are both so damn stubborn when it comes to things like this. Neither of them are seeing the other’s side.”

Fury sighed heavily, a weariness etched on his face as he sat back down and rubbed his face with both hands. "I've been working to ease the pressure from the UN, but it seems their demands are growing more insistent by the day. They want more control, more oversight."

Natasha's brows furrowed as she contemplated the gravity of the situation. "If the UN gains too much control, it could compromise our ability to respond effectively to any global threats. We can't let that happen. Hell, it will keep us from responding to any threats at all. What if there is another New York? Another Sokovia? They want to be in control when we have extraterrestrial life attacking our planet. None of it makes any sense. They are pissed off they don’t know where Thor is. They are angry that Banner is missing."

Fury nodded in agreement, his eyes reflecting the weight of the pressure they were currently under. "I need you to keep a close eye on things, Natasha. Work behind the scenes, gather information, and try to find a common ground between Stark and Rogers. If keeps you at home with Maximoff, but still gives you things to do."

Natasha's lips pressed into a thin line as she absorbed Fury's instructions.

"I can do that. I am sure that I won’t need to follow Wanda around twenty-four seven," she affirmed.. "I'll do what I can to bring Tony and Steve to a middle ground … at least where the Accords are concerned."

“Obviously no one expects miracles. Stark will never agree with anyone completely,” Fury deadpanned.

Natasha shook her head, her eyes glimmering slightly.

Then Fury gave her a nod, acknowledging her determination. "Remember, Romanoff, we're stronger together. We've faced formidable challenges in the past, and we've always found a way to come out on top. This will be no different. We just have to stay on our toes to figure this out."

Natasha nodded, “I get it, Fury.

“Thank god someone does. But yea, Romanoff, take your sabbatical. I will try to leave you alone as much as possible, take care of your kid. Susie homemaker might be a good look on you, never know.”

Again Natasha snorted and then laughed, “Fuck off, Fury.”

The man could be heard laughing even as Natasha walked out of the door.

Chapter Text

A few days later, on a bright and sunny morning, Natasha found herself standing at the doorway of Wanda’s room. Determination gleamed in Natasha's eyes as she held out a pair of hiking boots.

"Wanda, I have a proposition for you," Natasha began, a mischievous smile playing on her lips as Wanda, bleary eyed from sleep, blinking heavily as she tries to focus on the woman. "How about we go on a hike today? It'll be a chance to explore the beautiful surroundings near here and breathe in some fresh air."

Wanda, still blinking heavily and slowly, looked up at Natasha with a hint of skepticism. "A hike? Really? Isn't that something for nature enthusiasts? I'm not sure it's really my thing," she replied, unsure of venturing into the great outdoors. “I mean, I spent a lot of time outside in Sokovia, and I am sure that it can’t be that much different from here.”

Natasha, undeterred by Wanda’s comments, leaned against the doorframe, her gaze fixed on Wanda. "I promise you, Wanda, it'll be an adventure, just me and you. Besides, you like to go out and walk around at night, so this will be perfect! It’s daytime, so you will be able to actually see what you are looking at.

Wanda stared at her, “Nat …”

But, Natasha just smirked and continued talking, not giving Wanda a chance to say anything yet, “And here's the deal – if you come with me, we'll stop at a Russian deli on the way back home. You can have your favorite dishes, all the flavors you miss from home. Well, as close to it as I can get you since I do not know of any Sokovian places close to here. But I do know my favorite deli, and I think you will really like it.”

Hearing this, the girl sat up in her bed and looked at Natasha. Wanda's eyes sparkled with curiosity, her reluctance melting away slowly. The thought of savoring Russian cuisine, a taste so close to her own homeland, enticed her. "Okay, Nat," she finally relented, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "I'll go on the hike with you."

“Fantastic! I already got you some hiking boots,” Natasha told her, tossing the books on the bed. “Make sure that you wear long, comfortable pants, tall socks, an undershirt and a long sleeved shirt over it.”

“I know how to dress, Nat,” Wanda muttered and started to roll her eyes before she stopped herself and sat up straighter, “I mean, I will. I know that there are probably bugs and stuff.”

Natasha tilted her head to the side and watched Wanda carefully for a moment, then nodded, “Good girl. I will meet you in the living room in fifteen minutes.”

Wanda nodded, her arms wrapped around herself. She couldn’t bring herself to look at anything other than the floor.

“Okay, fifteen minutes.”

…………………….

Excitement surged through Natasha as she led Wanda from the car and towards a heavily wooded area not far from the compound. She looked back and Wanda, “Come on, slowpoke. We are wasting daytime.”

“Nat, it is like eight in the morning,” Wanda told her.

“It is nine, and normally you are up way before you were this morning,” Natasha said. And then she stopped and looked back at Wanda completely. “Are you feeling okay? You aren’t feeling sick or anything are you? That isn’t why you slept in is it?”

“What? No. I’m okay,” Wanda said with a small sigh.

Natasha continued watching her, and then she nodded.

As they ventured into the wilderness surrounding them, Natasha guided Wanda along the scenic paths, pointing out various plants, birds, and beautiful areas of land. The tranquil sounds of nature surrounded them as they strolled through lush greenery and crossed bubbling streams.

As much as she had not wanted to go, Wanda quickly found herself gradually succumbing to the wonders of nature. The peacefulness of the surroundings and the gentle rustling of leaves swept away her initial reservations. She began to appreciate the serenity of the hike and the quiet bonding time with Natasha. It felt so different from their day to day lives, that the peacefulness was calming in a way that she had not expected.

“Look, Wanda,” Natasha whispered, pointing back near a little stream that they had just passed.

Wanda turned her head and a smile spread across her face as she watched a deer bending down to drink from the water that trickled by.

“This is why it is important that we hike and leave no sign that we were here,” Natasha continued to whisper to her. “Much like when we are on missions.”

Wanda looked up at her, “Nat, is this just a training sessions? I would have gotten up earlier if you told me that you wanted to train.”

Natasha smirked and shook her head, “No, but your scrawny ass didn’t want to come, so you can pretend that it’s a training session where you are learning how to remain invisible. Besides, you should just do what I tell you to anyway, you know. Because I am your guardian.”

Wanda rolled her eyes playfully, “I could just go invisible …”

The Black Widow’s head turned around quickly, “You can do that, too?”

Wanda smiled and then smirked before she shook her head back and forth, “Not that I know of. At least I never tried. I can make you think that I am invisible though.”

“Yea, you do that and you will regret it.”

Wanda’s stomach revolted slightly, she clutched her stomach as her face went white. Natasha looked over at her, noticing the look on her face within seconds and put an arm around her, guiding Wanda away from the stream.

“If you use your powers like that, well, I think that that will be another rule. If you use your powers on me, that is another quick way over my lap I think,” Natasha said awkwardly, stumbling slightly over her words as she tried to sort out her thoughts. “I will spank you if you use your powers against me without us talking about it.”

Wanda instantly went less tense despite her face turning tomato red, “Oh. Okay. I was just saying. I could, I mean, if I wanted to. I would never actually do that. I mean, unless you told me, too, but I think that is different …”

“Good girl,” Natasha said, and then, out of instinct, leaned over and kissed the top of Wanda’s head and gave her a bit of a squeeze. Wanda naturally molded into her side for several moments before pulling apart. They started walking again, the air around them silent. Wanda didn’t want the moment to end, and she was still walking closely to her guardian.

As they reached a clearing with a breathtaking view, Wanda's eyes widened in awe. The landscape stretched out before her like a magnificent painting, filling her heart with joy.

“This is amazing, Nat,” Wanda said softly.

“I thought that you would like it. I found this place not long after we moved up to the compound from the city. I come here a lot when I need time to think and be alone.”

“Would you let me come here alone?” Wanda asked.

“Not alone. Not yet. Maybe eventually, however.”

Wanda wanted to ask why, but instead just continued to enjoy the view with Natasha.

“Hey, Nat,” Wanda suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Natasha looked over at her, brows raised, “Yes?”

“How old are you?”

“Random,” Natasha said with a laugh. “Why do you want to know? Writing a story about how magnificent I am?”

“Nah, I was just wondering how ancient you are compared to Steve and Stark,” Wanda said with a glint in her eye as she side eyed Natasha.

Natasha’s mouth fell open and she turned fully to the girl, “Did you seriously just call me old? Not even old! You called me ancient! I am only thirty two, you heathen. You do remember that Steve Rogers is literally a bag of bones at this point, right?”

The Black Widow’s hands went to Wanda’s side and started to tickle her, causing the teenager to instantly try to move away from her, laughing.

“Oh come on, Nat, come on, stop,” she said through breathless giggles. “I’m sorry. You aren't ancient at all.”

Natasha suddenly stopped, standing straight up, “That is better.”

“I am sure it is … old lady.”

Wanda took off running through the grass and trees, laughing, but it didn’t take Natasha long to catch her, pulling her to the ground and tickling her sides again.

“I give, I give,” Wanda said through her laughter, completely out of breath now.

Natasha swatted her butt playfully and said, “That is what I thought. Let’s rest here. I have snacks.”

Wanda smiled even wider, though her face was flushed slightly. She rolled over, off of Natasha and sat down in the plush grass. Natasha pulled the backpack she had been carrying off and set it between her legs. She pulled out two bottles of water and then a couple of granola bars, handing one of each to the teenager.

Curiosity suddenly sparked in Wanda's eyes as she sat in the grass next to Natasha. She turned to Natasha, her voice filled with intrigue.

"Nat, where did you come from before you became an Avenger? I mean I know it was Russia, but someone had to teach you the things you know, right?”

Natasha paused for a moment, uncertainty flashing over her eyes. The Black Widow was contemplating just how much she wanted to share.

The woman shook her head slightly before she took a long drink of water to clear her throat and head. She slowly put the cap back on it before she looked back over at Wanda.

“How about I tell you about how I decided to join SHIELD. I know that Clint and I have joked about Budapest in front of you before, but I don’t think we have actually told you about it,” Natasha said, a faint smile on her lips as she stared across the wooded area.

Wanda's curiosity was instantaneous as she sat up straighter and listened intently to Natasha's tales. Her gaze fixated on her guardian as she set her water bottle beside her.

Natasha took a deep breath, "It all started in Budapest," she began, her voice filled with a mix of fondness and humor. "We were on opposite sides back then. I was sent to eliminate him, but things didn't exactly go as planned."

Wanda's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth open slightly, "You were going to ... kill him?"

Natasha nodded, her gaze distant as a smile creeped onto her face again, "Yes, of course, it was my mission. And I never failed a mission back then. But as we fought, we realized we shared a common enemy and a similar sense of right and wrong. In the chaos of our little battle, we somehow found a common ground. Clint saw something in me that day that I didn’t even see in myself. Sometimes I think that man may know me better than I know myself. He sure seemed to that day."

Wanda leaned forward, her curiosity growing. "And then what happened?"

Natasha's smile widened, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes as she turned to look at Wanda, "Clint saved my life. We fought our way out together and discovered that we made a good team. That's when we decided to join forces. I defected and came back to the states with him, and eventually to SHIELD where I met Fury."

Wanda couldn't help but be captivated by the story. The idea of enemies turned allies intrigued her — the complex nature of Natasha's past and the depths of her loyalty to Clint.

"Did you two become friends instantly?" Wanda asked, drawing her knees up to her chest and turning her face to rest her cheek on top of them.

Natasha's expression softened, "Yes, Wanda. We became more than just friends. Clint became my closest companion. I think the only person who knows me as well as he does is Laura. Clint and I have been through so much together since then, though."

“How long ago was that?” Wanda asked.

“Um,” Natasha said, looking towards the blue skies, fifteen years ago actually. About the same time you would have been born.”

Wanda turned slowly, her mouth hanging open, “You mean that you were working with SHIELD then?”

Natasha’s brow furrowed and she nodded, “Yes. I stayed with Clint and Laura to acclimate, but I went on missions, too.”

“But you were my age,” Wanda said.

“No, I was seventeen. Soon to be eighteen. You are fifteen.”

“Tit for tat, Natasha!” Wanda said in a frustrated tone. “So that means that I will get to go on missions, too? You have to let me go on missions if you went on them when you were my age. It’s only fair.”

“Hardly. I have already told you that you aren’t going on missions right now. It has nothing to do with what is fair and everything to do with what is safe for you.”

“But, Nat,” Wanda said, whine layering her voice in a way that had Natasha turning and staring at her sharply.

“No, Wanda. We can talk about a lot, you can share the expectations you have about anything, including from me, at anytime – I am sure that you have some — But we have already discussed this and the answer is no,” Natasha said sternly.

“Natasha,” Wanda said, taking a deep breath and trying to clear her head. She closed her eyes and then opened them, “I get where you are coming from, but I really do just want to help. I can help you, Nat.”

Hearing that, Natasha softened, reaching over and touching Wanda’s leg, “I know that you do, sweetheart. And I promise, one day you will go on missions again. But you and I are very different people. The person you are today is very different from the person I was fifteen years ago as well.”

“Why?” Wanda asked in a soft whisper.

“Because when I found out that you were only fifteen and when we mutually decided that I would be your guardian, I knew instantly that I wanted you to get the chance to finish growing up. I wanted you to have a chance that I did not. You deserve that, Wanda. Even if you do not realize it.”

Natasha’s voice was soft as she spoke, her hand patting Wanda’s leg.

“I want to use this time to get you ready for missions again, but I also want you to get to enjoy things as a kid. It is one of the reasons that I have been thinking about school – and I would like to know what your thoughts are about it,” Natasha finished, trying desperately to change the topic.

Wanda instantly wrinkled her nose.

“You know that I have not been in school since I was ten,” Wanda pointed out.

Natasha nodded, “I get that. It’s why I want your thoughts on it. We have options for schooling. Homeschool, online school, there are several private schools in the area as well. I just want you to be comfortable with the choice that we make.”

“Really?” Wanda asked her.

Natasha’s brow wrinkled and she quickly nodded, “Of course. I don’t want you to be miserable.”

Wanda sighed and laid her head back on her knees, “Can I think about it later? I just … I want to enjoy this hike …”

“The hike you didn’t even want to come on, eh?” Natasha said in a joking manner, knocking her shoulder against Wanda’s with a smile.

“Oh come on, it’s way better than I thought it would be. I just didn’t want to do anything this morning,” Wanda said and then frowned. “At least I didn’t think I did.”

“I get that. I should have listened to you this morning when you were hesitant, but I am glad that you came with me. I wanted to share it with you.”

“Yea?”

“Of course,” Natasha told her, and then scooted over and put an arm around the teenager. Wanda unfolded her body and molded herself into Natasha’s side, leaning her head against the woman as they watched the trees around them.

“Gosh, I can’t believe you are so old,” Wanda whispered and then started laughing instantly.

Natasha pulled her closer into her side, laughter in her voice as well, “I am going to remember that, kid. Are you ready to start hiking again?”

“Just a bit longer.”

“Sounds good to me, kid. Sounds good to me.”

………………………

Hours passed as they continued their hike, finally making their way back to the car. As promised, they stopped by the Russian deli Natasha had been raving about off and on all day.

Walking in the deli, the aroma of familiar dishes filled the air, triggering a sense of nostalgia and warmth within Wanda. Her eyes shimmered and then glistened, and, without thinking, she grabbed Natasha’s arm.

“I know, it’s great isn’t it?” Natasha said. “At least I think it is. Come, let’s go and get a table.”

The two sat, and soon, over plates of hearty borscht, fluffy blinis, and delectable pelmeni, Wanda and Natasha relished the taste of home. They laughed and reminisced, savoring the flavors that bridged the gap between their past and present.

“How does it taste?” Natasha asked the teenager as she tried the borscht.

Wanda, who had just slipped the spoon in her mouth, closed her eyes and moaned softly. She let the food sit on her tongue for a moment and savored the taste before swallowing and looking back at Natasha, “It is so good.”

“It is. It was one of the few things from home that I was able to have when I was a child. It always brings back very good memories,” Natasha said in a low tone.

Wanda nodded, “My father used to enjoy it a lot as well.”

Sitting back, Natasha looked over at Wanda, “So, that hike wasn’t the worst after all, was it?”

Wanda blushed and shrugged, “It was okay. Lots of nice things to look at and all.”

Natasha snorted, “You are such a brat.”

Wanda simply smiled, her hands clutching the fabric of her flannel button up tightly in her clenched hands.

……………

Natasha walked into the apartment several days later feeling absolutely exhausted after meeting with Tony about the Accords. She knew that Steve would be next, and the fact she knew that there was no way to have either of them see the other’s side was starting to wear at her.

“Hey, Nat!” Wanda said as she walked through the door. “I made dinner since you were running late. I figured that you would be hungry and not feel like cooking. I wanted to help out. Sit, sit.”

Natasha smiled at her, “Thank you, Wanda. I appreciate it.”

“Here you go,” the teenager said, moving over to the table and placing two plates on the table. “I used to make this for dinner all the time before I moved in here with you.

Natasha looked down at the plate. There was a sandwich of some sort and four crackers with peanut butter on them.

“You ate this a lot?” Natasha asked her.

Wanda’s face and shoulders fell, “Yea … is there something wrong with it? I thought that you would like not having to cook and …”

“Hey, hey, I didn’t say anything about your food. It looks good and filling. I was just wondering how often you ate it,” Natasha said. “I am looking forward to eating it.”

That allowed Wanda to relax a but, but Natasha could still see her tensed shoulders.

“I ate it every day when we were here or Pepper did not cook for everyone.”

Natasha took a bite of the sandwich, feeling Wanda’s eyes on her every bite.

“How is it?” Wanda asked enthusiastically.

“It is good,” Natasha said, taking another bite before she placed her sandwich back on her plate. “I think that it’s time we started talking about school again.”

Wanda let out a frustrated sigh and her shoulders slumped, “I guess it isn’t good enough to tell you that I don’t think it is necessary?”

Natasha froze as she looked across the table at Wanda, “You don’t want to go to school?”

That was absolutely not what she had expected to hear from Wanda.

It took several moments, but Wanda finally shrugged, “We both know that I am never going to need it. I am just going to be an Avenger. I will train and help people … There really isn’t any need, I don’t think.”

“Oh,” Natasha said. “I suspected that you would want to learn more. Especially with as much as you read. I …”

The woman stalled and took another bite of her sandwich. She chewed slowly, then swallowed. “I need to think about this a bit, Wanda. I am not saying that you have to go to school, but I am also not saying that you don’t have to go either.”

“Okay,” Wanda said, nodding. But it was obvious that she was happy enough with that answer from the smile that spread across her face.

All the while, Natasha was biting her bottom lip, her mind racing.

……………

She stared at the phone sitting on her bedside table and then started pacing back and forth. Natasha was conflicted and she had no idea why.

She finally shook her head and grabbed the phone, dialing an all too familiar number.

It rang once.

“Natasha?”

“Laura,” Natasha said in a breathless whisper, her body sagging as she sat on the bed. “I’m really not fit for this, Laura. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“What are …” Laura started to say, but was then cut off.

“Why did I think she was a kid in the first place? Do you know that she thinks cooking a meal is making a sandwich? How the hell did none of us see that she wasn’t an adult sooner? And she doesn’t want to go to school. I don’t want to force her to do something that will make her miserable!”

“Natasha,” Laura said from the other side of the phone, “You are going to have to slow down and tell me what this is actually about. We have already chatted about Wanda only being fifteen after you found out. So I am getting the feeling that there is something different.”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared as she gave an irritated grunt.

“Go on, Nattie. What is getting to you?”

This time Natasha sighed and rubbed her temples with her free hand, “I brought up school with Wanda. She doesn’t want to go at all. How do I convince her to go?”

“Excuse me, what?” Laura said, an amused tone to her voice. “DId you just say that you don’t know what to do because Wanda told you that she doesn’t want to go to school?”

Natasha was just about to say something when, in the background, she heard Clint burst out laughing.

“Did you just say that Nat is afraid of telling a teenage girl that she has to go to school? That is the funniest damn thing that I have ever heard! The Black Widow is afraid of telling a fifteen year old kid what to do,” Clint said through his laughter.

“Clint Barton, if you are not going to be any help, go outside and do something else,” Laura chided.

“Laur, you are trying not to laugh at her, too!” Clint exclaimed. “I mean, this is Nat we are talking about – the infamous Black Widow – and she is afraid of upsetting …”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed as she glared straight ahead of her. She should have video called them just so she could make sure that Clint knew she was irritated with him at the moment.

“Clint Barton, out of the house right now if you can’t hush! I am trying to talk to Natasha!” Laura told the man.

“I can still hear you trying not to laugh, Laura,” Natasha deadpanned. “I do not know what is so funny.”

“Just a moment, Nattie,” Laura said.

Natasha heard the phone being placed down and then she could sort of hear Laura getting Clint out of the house, the all too familiar opening squeak of the screen door coming through the phone, and the when the wood banged against the frame again once it closed.

Not five seconds later, a scraping sound signaled to Natasha that the phone was being picked back up. Moments later, Natasha heard, “Okay, I am back. Now, I need you to tell me why you are being a bit ridiculous right now.”

“What? How am I being ridiculous? You know how much Wanda has been through. She doesn’t want to go to school, and I don’t want to upset her. We both know, though, that school is important. Honestly, I just don’t know what to do right now.”

The Black Widow threw her one hand up in the air with a sigh and then sat down on the nearest chair at the kitchen table.

“Natasha, first of all, take a deep breath. And then you need to stop being dramatic.”

“What?” Natasha sputtered.

“You heard me,” Laura said and then took a deep breath as she finally stifled her laughter. “Okay, listen, honestly, I think that you are looking at this the wrong way. You are not looking at this like a parent or a guardian. You are looking at this as if you are a friend. You are not Wanda’s friend anymore, Nat. You know how that goes. You can be friends later, but not right now.”

There was a moment of silence.

“So, you have to give her the choice and if she won’t make one, you make it for her. I have not met Wanda yet, but from what you and Clint have told me about her, I don’t think that she will give you a hard time.”

“And if she does?” Natasha asked.

“Natasha, she is fifteen. When you are with Lila and Cooper, you do not let them run all over you this much,” Laura said with another laugh. “Sure, you give into most of their whims, but you have told them no without a second thought before.”

“But they are my niece and nephew. I spoil them and give them back to you,” Natasha pointed out. “Plus, they are still little. They are so much easier to deal with sometimes.”

“Yep, and I can’t wait to spoil Wanda and give her back to you. You know how to be her guardian, Natasha. You just have to buck up and do it. Don’t let her control the situation. Yes, let her have a say, but there are times that you are going to have to put your foot down whether she agrees with it or not. This may be one of those times.”

“She thought she was going to go on missions because I did when I was her age,” Natasha muttered suddenly. “I knocked that idea out of orbit instantly. Told her that we are not the same.”

“Exactly. You have to do the same thing now, if necessary. But, I doubt this is a hill that Wanda will want to die on. You are getting yourself worked up over this when you probably don’t need to.”

Natasha sighed and rubbed her forehead again.

“I had no idea that this would be so damn hard. At least she isn’t an asshole.”

Laura started laughing again, “Natalia Romanova, you are adorable.”

Natasha wasn’t sure how that sentence made her feel at all.

“You are doing well, Nat,” Laura finally said, breaking through the silence.

“High praise coming from you,” Natasha tried to joke, though her tone wasn’t in it.

“Yep,” Laura said with a pop of the ‘P.’ “You know that I would tell you if I thought you were messing up.”

“True.”

“Exactly.”

……………..

Natasha put a plate of pancakes in front of Wanda the next morning and sat across from her. She waited no time before she said, “In person school or online school?”

Wanda, who had just picked up her fork, slowly put it back down and sat up straighter, “What?”

“You have to attend school, Wanda. Do you want to attend school in person or do you want to do it online here?”

“How about neither. I mean, I thought we talked about this already,” Wanda said, and then picked her fork up and took a bite of the food in front of her, despite the fact that her stomach was in a tight knot.

Natasha raised a perfectly manicured brow and she stared at the teenager in front of her to the point that Wanda started to wiggle around in her seat, refusing to make eye contact with the woman after she saw that look.

The fact that Natasha was not saying anything was making it even worse. At least in Wanda’s mind. The silence was absolutely deafening.

Wanda took a deep breath and put the fork down again, moved around in her chair, and then crossed her arms over her chest.

“School isn’t necessary,” she mumbled, her eyes shooting up to look at Natasha and then back down again.

Silence still littered the air around them. Wanda stretched her neck and moved it around to try and relieve the tension that was building there.

Natasha scooted her chair back and straightened her back.

“Wanda.”

This time the sigh that came from Wanda was a bit louder and she nodded, licking her lips right before she bit her bottom one. Natasha acted like this was easy.

“If you insist that I do schooling, then I want to do it here,” Wanda finally said.

“I do insist, kid. But that is a really good choice. I have been thinking about it for a couple days, and Tony and I have found the perfect program for you. It will focus on …”

“What does Stark have to do with anything?” Wanda said with a snarl of her nose.

“He knows the American education system better than most,” Natasha told her. “I know very little about it. He has been helping me research programs since I first brought it up with you. There were several options, depending which you chose.”

A sigh left Wanda and she nodded, “Alright. I mean … when will I start?”

“You can start today. There are some placement tests that you need to take first, to gauge where you are.”

Wanda’s face went white, and she dropped her fork completely, “What? Placement tests?”

“Hey,” Natasha said, reaching across the table and taking Wanda’s hand in her own. She waited for the teenager to look up at her, though her face was still pale. “It is just to see where you are at. Nothing more, nothing less. The results are to only help figure out where you need to start out, okay?”

“Until you find out that I am stupid,” Wanda hissed.

Natasha used her thumb to tap the top of Wanda’s hand three times, “None of that. You haven’t been in school since you were ten, but you have read more than anyone I know. Your test results are only to help you. You are not stupid at all. Do you understand me?”

Wanda shrugged, “I was only in primary school before I stopped. That is nothing.”

“I would not say it is nothing. You speak more than one language. You can read and you can write. You know basic math. You are already farther along than most of these Americans are. You will catch on quickly. You will have a support system for this, too.”

That caused Wanda to finally smile.

“See, we will figure this out, kid. I promise.”

Wanda merely nodded, a hint of a smile still on her lips.

………………..

“So she picked the online school then?” Tony said as he rolled around on a chair in his lab.

“She is right here, you know,” Wanda muttered, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she sent Tony a glare. Natasha had dragged her down to the lab to talk to Tony, and it was not where she wanted to be at the moment.

School. The very thought made her feel as if her skin was buzzing and itchy. Wanda was trying not to focus on that at all.

Natasha looked down at her and shook her head slightly back and forth before putting an arm around Wanda.

The teenager did shy away from her, and moved a bit closer to her.

“I already set up her laptop with the tests. I made some upgrades to the computer though.”

"I appreciate the gesture, Stark," Wanda said, her voice laced with a hint of sarcasm. "But I hope this upgrade doesn't involve any hidden surprises or malfunctioning features."

Tony laughed, waving a dismissive hand towards her. "Come on, Sabrina, you wound me. This laptop is state-of-the-art, perfectly safe and functional. I've even installed some cool software to enhance your online learning experience. I think that you will really like some of the features. I can show you how they work whenever you want."

Wanda's gaze narrowed as she eyed the laptop in his hands suspiciously.

"If I am going to do this online school, I just need a reliable device," Wanda insisted, her tone firm as she looked from Tony to Natasha. "No hidden cameras, no secret experiments, just a laptop that works like it is supposed to."

Tony and Natasha both snorted before Tony said, "I promise this laptop is solely for your educational needs. Charlotte already threatened me enough to make sure that I didn’t do anything extreme. I have no idea why no one trusts me.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Stark, perhaps I should ask my parents why they don’t trust you. Oh, wait. I cannot, as they are dead.”

Tony’s eyes went wide, his face crestfallen. Natasha’s face went down to look at her quickly, “Wanda,” the spy chided quietly.

Wanda looked up at her, “What? It is true.”

Natasha looked back at Tony, “Thank you for the laptop, Tony. Is everything else ready for her to go so that she can take the placement tests?”

“Yes, all you have to do is open up the browser and it is ready. I set them to be sent to the email that we set up.”

Natasha nodded and took the computer from Tony.

“Come on, Wanda,” Natasha said, guiding the very stiff teenager out of the lab.

Chapter Text

Wanda crossed her arms, clearly showing her displeasure as she stood outside the Tower with Natasha. The woman had insisted that she come along to meet Tony’s new intern, a boy her age named Peter Parker. The last thing Wanda wanted was to spend her free time meeting someone she had no interest in.

"Natasha, I don't understand why I have to be here," Wanda grumbled, her frustration evident in her voice. "I have better things to do than meet some random intern of Tony Stark’s. I thought that you wanted me to work on my school? I took those silly tests and I can start working on it now."

Natasha gave Wanda a reassuring smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think you will enjoy it if you give him a chance. Apparently he’s been working with Tony for a while now. Trust me, Wanda, Peter is a nice kid from what I have seen, and you need to meet people your age. I think you'll find him quite interesting. I think that he will also be able to help you with your school work if you were to need it down the line."

Wanda rolled her eyes and grit her teeth together, her skepticism clear, “Doubt it.”

She reluctantly followed Natasha into the Tower, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of wasted time.

Why hadn’t she been able to just stay with Steve? If she had needed help with anything, Wanda knew she could ask Steve. He may be old fashioned, but he was smart. Or they could have just watched a television show together. Maybe even a training session! Anything would have been better than this.

As they entered a lab that the teenager had never been in, Wanda's gaze fell upon a young boy, roughly her age, wearing a disheveled outfit covered in a stain that looked oddly like pizza sauce. His dark hair was ruffled, and his eyes were hidden behind a fringe of messy hair. He appeared engrossed in some gadget, completely unaware of their presence.

Wanda’s eyes narrowed, “He acts just like Stark. Why are we even here, Nat? How do you even know what he is like? You said this morning you’d only met him once.”

Natasha shot her a look and then cleared her throat, drawing the boy's attention. "Peter, I have someone we'd like you to meet."

Peter turned, his eyes widening as he took in the presence of Wanda and Natasha. He quickly wiped his hands on a nearby rag and extended a nervous, sweaty hand.

"Hi, I'm Peter Parker," he stammered, his eyes quickly going down to the floor. "Nice to meet you. Mr. Stark said that you would be coming by."

Wanda took a deep breath and then mustered a polite smile, though her enthusiasm was far from genuine. "Wanda," she replied, her voice laced with indifference.

As they exchanged pleasantries, Wanda couldn't help but feel that Peter was different from the interns she had imagined.

“Okay, I am going to run up to Tony’s lab and I will be back in about an hour, okay?” Natasha said, turning towards Wanda and tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Wanda blushed, but nodded, “I will be fine here,” she said, looking around nervously. “You will be back in an hour though?”

Natasha nodded, “Yep, an hour, if not, I will send you a message down here.”

Wanda nodded, and then she watched as Natasha walked out of the lab.

“So, um, what … so you know Mr. Stark then?” Peter asked.

Wanda nodded, “Yea. I know him.”

This time, it was Peter who nodded, “So, wanna see what I am working on?”

Wanda didn’t even have time to nod before Peter started talking about his love for science and tinkering with gadgets, sharing stories of his experiments and inventions.

“I want to make things for Mr. Stark or other superheroes,” Peter said, his face turning bright red, which caused Wanda’s brow to raise curiously. “Like Captain America or Spider Man. Look at this.”

“Pretty sure you mean Spider Baby. Haven’t you seen the news? He was swinging around in his pajamas a month ago,” Wanda snickered under her breath.

“Um, okay, yea,” Peter mumbled, staring hard at the floor as the tips of his ears went flaming red. “Come here.”

Wanda took several steps and looked down at the table.

"You won't believe it once you see it," Peter exclaimed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "I'm designing these web-shooter upgrades that would allow someone like Mr. Stark or Spider Man to shoot different types of webbing. Like, adhesive webs, impact webs, and even web grenades!"

Wanda leaned forward, genuinely intrigued by Peter's invention, though trying not to laugh at his emphasis on the word man. "That sounds pretty cool, Peter. So, you can control the type of webbing it will shoot?"

Peter nodded eagerly, a smile tugging at his lips. "Oh definitely! It adds a whole new level of versatility to m … to anyone who uses them. It's all about adapting to different situations, you know?"

Wanda nodded, her curiosity growing in a way that she did not expect it to when Natasha had forced her here to begin with, "I can see how that would come in handy. Being able to tailor the approach based on the circumstances can make a huge difference."

Peter's eyes sparkled with a mix of excitement and a bit of nerves as well, "That's exactly it! You really get it! I was really a bit anxious about talking to you if I am being honest.”

“Why?” Wanda asked in a low voice.

The boy shrugged, “Meeting new people is always nerve wracking.”

Wanda shrugged right back, “Yea, I get that. So … what do you do other than hang out here? Surely you don’t spend all of your time fawning over Stark.”

Peter blushed and he shook his head, “I only started coming here a month or so ago. I only get to come a couple times a week, but honestly, I really wish it was more often. I take some things home to work on them, too, but I don’t have the space that I would really need to do as much as I would like.”

“Where do you live?”

“I live in Queens," Peter said with a shrug as he moved his feet around from side to side. "Just an ordinary apartment, nothing fancy. I live with my Aunt May. I like going to the pizza places and the shops."

Wanda nodded, walking around the table and then leaning against it on her elbows. "Queens sounds nice. What do you like to do for fun around there?"

Peter's face lit up a bit as he started to speak. "I spend a lot of my free time exploring the city. I love taking long walks, especially through Central Park. There's something peaceful about being surrounded by nature in the midst of a bustling city. But, I like to be where the action is, too, though."

Wanda smiled, imagining the serene beauty of Central Park. "That sounds wonderful. It must be nice to have a quiet escape from all the chaos sometimes, though.."

Peter nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely! And I enjoy spending time with my best friend, Ned. We're both big fans of movies and superheroes, so we often have movie nights or try to recreate our favorite scenes from films. He can’t believe that I got to be an intern here!"

Wanda chuckled, finding Peter's enthusiasm almost contagious. "That sounds like a lot of fun. I'm sure you two have some epic movie marathons."

Peter grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Oh, absolutely! We go all out with snacks, costumes, and even sometimes we have lego building contests. It's a blast."

Wanda leaned back on a bench behind her, a content expression on her face. "It's nice to have those moments like that, isn't it? To just enjoy the simple things and be ourselves. I miss that sometimes.”

Peter nodded, a hint of gratitude in his voice. "Definitely, Wanda. I hope that you like it here. I know you probably miss your homeland. I bet you don’t have a lot of quiet either — since … you know … your guardian is … you know.”

“Yea,” Wanda said with a nod, but then a shrug as she tried not to laugh at Peter’s stammering. “But it’s okay here. Maybe you can come and hangout with me sometime upstate. Or somewhere else. Not here. Somewhere else.”

“Oh, we are going to be spending plenty of time together! I am so excited that I am going to get to spend more time with you now since Mr. Stark wants me to start tutoring you!”

Wanda’s mouth dropped open and she turned to stare at Peter. The teenage boy didn’t notice it, though, and was still talking about the web slingers that he was working on.

“Peter, I have to go and talk to Stark and Na … my guardian,” she said as her eyes narrowed and her eyes flashed.

Before Peter could say anything, Wanda was out of the room.

………………

Taking a deep breath, Natasha entered the lab and found Tony tinkering with one of his suits, lost in his work as per usual. She approached him, her expression earnest and determined.

"Tony, we need to talk," she began, her voice steady, loud enough to bring him out of his own little world. "The divide between you and Steve is growing and everyone is starting to see it. We have to find a way to reach some kind of compromise. There has to be something that we can do."

Tony glanced up from his work, a hint of frustration evident in his eyes. "Charlotte, you know how strongly I feel about the Accords. It's about accountability and keeping people safe. Rogers just wants to be able to go off half cocked, and sometimes maybe that isn’t the best way."

Natasha nodded, her gaze unwavering. "I understand that, Tony. But we also have to consider the importance of trust and autonomy. Steve has his reasons for opposing the Accords, and we can't dismiss them outright. I am not saying that his way is the right way. I am not saying that your way is the right way. But I am saying that I am not the only one who feels that there has to be somewhere in the middle we can all meet."

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know … look, Nat,” Natasha’s attention was caught instantly. “I just... I can't stand by and watch as the world turns a blind eye to the destruction and chaos we leave in our wake. The Accords are a way to address that. Look what happened in New York. We nearly lost everything. Look what happened in Sokovia. I know that Sokovia was partially my doing, and maybe if we had something like the Accords in place …"

Natasha took a step closer, her voice gentle yet firm. "But Tony, we can't ignore the fact that the Accords restrict our freedom and hinder our ability to protect the innocent on a whim, either. We have to find a balance between accountability and preserving our ability to act when necessary. New York was going to happen and had we not been there it would have been worse. Sokovia … Sokovia was not ideal. All situations are never going to be ideal.”

Before Tony could respond, the sound of crashing and commotion interrupted their conversation. Wanda burst into the lab, a sudden surge of her powers inadvertently causing chaos as objects flew around the room after the door had shut behind her.

"Sorry, sorry!" Wanda exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise and embarrassment, but with an additional flash of something else. "I didn't mean to crash in like that. Just lost control for a moment."

Tony's frustration momentarily melted away as he hurriedly ensured the safety of his equipment. Natasha moved to Wanda's side, offering a stressed smile.

"It's alright, Wanda. Accidents happen," Natasha said, her voice comforting. "Just try to get your powers under control. What is wrong, kid? You don’t normally lose control of your powers like that."

Wanda nodded, her expression turning into a glare. "Sorry, Stark. I didn't mean to disrupt your work causing the annihilation of entire populations."

Tony sighed, his demeanor softening sadly. "It's fine, Sabrina. Just try to be more careful next time, alright?"

Wanda said nothing in that moment, but she was just about to open her mouth when Natasha looked back over at Tony.

"Tony," Natasha spoke up. "We'll continue our discussion later when we have more time."

Tony nodded, his gaze shifting from his work to Wanda. "You're right. We'll find a way to …”

“Who told Parker that he was going to tutor me?” Wanda suddenly demanded, once again finding her voice. “He told me that he was going to tutor me and no one asked me if I was okay with that!”

Natasha and Tony shared a look, both then moving their gazes back to Wanda.

“I wanted you to meet him first,” Natasha told her carefully. “But I had not actually decided whether or not he was going to tutor you or not. You did pretty well on all of your assessments, though you had some issues with the science and maths portions. Tony and I thought that Peter would …”

Wanda narrowed her eyes as she turned to Tony and then quickly back to Natasha, “I am not sure that someone who makes bombs to blow up schools is really someone who should have a say in whether or not I need tutoring. You said that I was meeting Peter because he was my age. You should have told me what Stark was trying to do.”

“Sabrina,” Tony said, and then caught the girl’s glare again, “Wanda, it was more than just that. Parker is … he doesn’t have a lot of friends, so I thought that you and he might enjoy hanging out. You might even find out that you have something in common with him.”

“Doubt it,” Wanda mumbled under her breath, wrapping her arms around herself. “And I was talking to Natasha.”

“Did you hate meeting up with him that much? You were not even down there for the full forty five minutes,” Natasha said gently.

Wanda looked away from her and shrugged, but Natasha reached over to her chin and brought the teen’s face back over towards her.

“Did something happen between the two of you?”

There was a long sigh and Wanda shook her head, “No. He was nice. I just … he knew you were thinking about the tutoring thing, and I don’t think he should have known about it before you even talked to me about it. Stark had no right.”

Natasha and Tony looked at one another before the spy looked back down at Wanda, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze, “Hey, nothing has been decided. Remember that I told you we would talk about things before decisions are made. We will talk about it tonight, okay?”

Wanda nodded, sending a glare at Tony before she moved closer to Natasha, melting into her side.

“Tony, we will chat later, yes?”

The man nodded solemnly, “Yea. Pep wanted me to ask about dinner tonight. She wants to cook again.”

“Sounds perfect. I will pick up some wine on our way home.”

………………….

Wanda sat in the car, her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and lips pursed. She was upset with Natasha and couldn't hide her frustration from the woman, as much as she wanted to. They were on their way back home and the atmosphere in the car was tense.

Originally, she had thought that she was okay with what Nat had told her in Tony’s lab, but the more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.

"Why did you agree to have Peter tutor me?" Wanda finally blurted out, her voice dripping with irritation.

Natasha glanced at Wanda, her expression calm but her forehead still furrowed, "Wanda, I thought it would be a good opportunity for you to get some extra help with your online classes if you need it. Peter is a gifted kid, and Tony suggested we ask him because Peter doesn’t have a lot of friends. For some reason, Tony thinks that the two of you might have a lot in common.”

Wanda huffed, her frustration evident in her voice. "But why? I can handle my classes on my own, and I don't need some random guy teaching me. I literally just met him!”

Natasha's eyes softened with understanding. "Peter isn't just some random guy, Wanda. He's Tony's intern, and you and he might even become friends if you give it a chance. I believe he might be able to help."

Wanda crossed her arms tighter, her voice tinged with resentment. "I don't need his help. I can handle it myself. I'm not a child, Natasha. I am not stupid. You haven’t even given me a chance."

Natasha pulled the car to a stop and turned to face Wanda, her voice filled with gentle firmness. "Wanda, I understand that you want to be independent and that you want to do everything by yourself, but sometimes accepting help doesn't mean weakness. Peter is a kind and intelligent young man, and he genuinely wants to help you if you will let him. Don't dismiss the opportunity without giving it a chance. Yes, I should have talked to you about this before I talked to him, and I am sorry that I didn’t, but I do wish that you would understand that you might need help and he might be able to help you. Only until you catch up with your age group, Wanda."

Wanda's frustration wavered. She met Natasha's gaze, searching for reassurance. "Do you really think he can help me catch up with others my age?"

Natasha nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "Yes, I do — well, in maths and science. In everything else you you were pretty on target. You may need help with English a bit, but I am more suited to help you there since you and I know Sokovian and can understand what you write. You're a brilliant girl, Wanda, and sometimes a different perspective can make all the difference. Besides, it might be nice to have someone your age to connect with. You spend a lot of time with us ‘ancient’ people.”

Natasha gave her a wink.

Wanda's pout faded, and she slowly uncrossed her arms. She glanced out the window, contemplating Natasha's words. "Alright, I'll give it a try. But only because you believe it's a good idea. But if I want to end it, I get to, okay? He was kind of funny."

Natasha's smile widened, though she did let out a bit of a snort. She was relieved that Wanda was willing to give Peter a chance without a lot more fuss. She started the car again and continued their journey towards the compound.

As they drove, Natasha reached out and placed a hand on Wanda's shoulder. "Thank you, Wanda. If there is ever a time that you want to stop tutoring sessions, we will talk about it and see if it is a good idea. But it will be a decision between the two of us.”

Wanda sighed, her anger dissipating almost completely as she leaned into Natasha's touch. "Okay, I'll keep an open mind. But if it doesn't work out, can we reevaluate the situation?"

Natasha nodded, understanding Wanda's hesitations. "Yes, we'll reassess together if necessary. But let's give it a fair chance first, alright?"

Wanda nodded, her features softening as she let out a breath that she had been holding in.

“I still don’t like that you talked about it with them before you even asked me,” Wanda mumbled, looking back out of the window.

Natasha’s hand went down to Wanda’s arm, giving it a squeeze, “And I am sorry about that. I realize that I messed up. If something like this comes up again, you and I will talk about it first, okay?”

“I suppose. Does this mean that I can have wine at dinner?” Wanda asked.

“When have I ever kept you from having wine with dinner? In America we may be, but we are not American,” Natasha reminded her with a chuckle.

“At least we have that going for us,” Wanda muttered.

……………..

Tony, Pepper, Natasha, Steve, and Wanda were all sitting down at the dinner table, chatting with one another. However, there was an undeniable tension in the air between Wanda and Tony. Natasha had tried to calm the girl down, but she was still upset about the tutoring – not with Natasha any longer, but she was holding on strong to her irritation with Tony.

As the dinner conversation began, Wanda sat quietly, her gaze fixed on her plate. She made no effort to engage with Tony, her resentment palpable. Natasha noticed the strained atmosphere and tried to ease the tension.

"So, Tony, any exciting new projects you've been working on lately?" Natasha asked, casting a meaningful glance at Wanda, silently urging her to redirect her focus.

Tony instantly launched into an animated description of his latest invention. He eagerly shared details. Wanda remained silent, her anger simmering just beneath the surface.

As Tony's talk of his latest suit upgrade continued, Wanda couldn't hold back any longer. Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she interjected, "Oh, Tony, your inventions are just marvelous, aren't they? So marvelous that they create bombs that ruin the lives of innocent children."

A hushed silence descended upon the table. Natasha's eyes widened, and she shot a quick glance at Wanda. She then looked back at the table.

“Do you think you will be able to figure out the link in this suit? I know you were having trouble with the blasters a couple weeks ago overheating,” Natasha said, eyeing Wanda carefully.

Tony's face tightened, his gaze shifting from Natasha to Wanda and then back again. He recognized that Natasha was trying to divert the conversation, but Wanda was determined to express her thoughts just as quickly. His voice trembled slightly as he responded, "I've been working on it, Natasha. Just a few more tweaks and it should be good to go. I can show you what it does in a few days if you want to stop by the lab."

Wanda scoffed, her eyes narrowing as she locked her gaze with Tony's. "Tweaks? Is that what you call it? It's always 'just a few more tweaks' with you, Stark. But those 'tweaks' have consequences for people. Like death."

Natasha reached out to touch Wanda's hand, "Wanda, how is the food?”

Wanda stared down at their intertwined hands, and then looked back up at Tony, still glaring.

“It is good,” she said, and then looked over at Pepper. “Thank you for cooking for us. How is the wine? I helped Natasha pick it out. It is a bit silly how strict it is here. I was not even allowed to touch the bottles. Natasha told me that there are some stores that I am not even allowed to go inside of because I am not twenty-one. It is ridiculous.”

Pepper could feel the tension in the room as she looked back at the others and then focused on the teenager.

"The wine is lovely, Wanda. Thank you for your help in choosing it," Pepper replied, her voice calm and reassuring. "I know the age restrictions can be frustrating, but I am sure that it helps that Natasha allows you to have a drink here and there."

Wanda nodded, “A bit. But it is fine.”

Tony cleared his throat, “I was thinking about inviting Parker to spend a weekend here.”

This time, Wanda’s eyes turned to him so quickly that Tony thought she was going to get whiplash. They narrowed and her nostrils flared. She could feel Natasha’s hand moving from her hand down to her leg, patting it.

“Why is he coming here? I haven’t agreed to that and Natasha told me that i would get to choose when …”

“Wanda,” Natasha said, this time more firmly than she had. Wanda’s eyes turned to her.

“What?” the teenager snapped, and then blushed, averting her eyes.

“Wanda,” Natasha said evenly, “How about you allow Tony to finish speaking before you jump to conclusions. You know what what they say about assuming things, correct?”

Wanda’s brow furrowed and she shrugged, “I have no idea what you are speaking of.”

“In English, the word assume is spelled a-s-s-u-m-e. When you break it apart it says ‘ass’ ‘u’ ‘me.’ People who assume things make an ass out of you and me,” Natasha explained.

“No, I did not know that,” the teenager said, her brow still furrowed as her nose curled and her eyes squinted. “That is a stupid saying.”

Natasha sighed, trying to hide her amusement at Wanda's response. She reached over and placed a hand on Wanda's arm, her voice gentle but firm.

"It may seem silly, but there's wisdom in those words, Wanda. Jumping to conclusions without knowing the full story can lead to misunderstandings and unnecessary conflict. It's important to give people the opportunity to explain themselves before passing judgment. Let’s hear what Tony has to say. I have a feeling it has nothing to do with the tutoring that we have been discussing today," Natasha said, and then looked over at Tony who nodded in agreement.

Wanda's initial resistance softened slightly as she sighed, her eyes meeting Natasha's.

"Okay, I guess I will give Stark a chance to explain," Wanda muttered reluctantly.

Natasha nodded approvingly, her grip on Wanda's leg tightening ever so slightly. “Good deal.”

Wanda nodded stiffly. She glanced across the table at Tony and then quickly looked away.

"Go ahead, Tony," Natasha encouraged. "Tell us what you were trying to say."

Tony cleared his throat, a serious expression on his face. "I was thinking of inviting him over here for the weekend so that he could work in the lab, but maybe we could all hang out with him a bit, too. His aunt works a lot, and I think he would enjoy getting to play some games and have a nice dinner with us. Sabrina, maybe you could even introduce us to some of those shows you like to watch?”

The man was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, trying to maintain eye contact with Wanda. The girl’s penetrating stare was obviously making him uncomfortable, however.

“You want to show him a big happy family?” Wanda suddenly deadpanned.

Tony shrugged, “I think it would be nice to show him who we are.”

“Excellent, so you want to take him swimming, Tony?” Wanda bit at him. “Show him home videos of the streets of Sokovia where families died? Sounds fantastic.”

Tony went white and the others sitting around the table went silent.

Wanda did not wait to hear anything else however. She took her napkin and wiped her mouth and stood up, turning towards Pepper.

“Thank you for the meal. It was excellent.”

And then she left the room.

She had barely taken a single bite.

Chapter Text

Natasha once again dialed Laura Barton’s number. The woman barely said hello when Natasha blurted out, “I need advice. I don’t know what to do with her. I don’t know how to get her to stop. She just … it is the same things over and over again, and I have no idea what …”

“Natasha, you have to slow down,” Laura said, recognizing the panic in the woman’s voice. “I am not sure what is going on. Is someone hurt?”

The Black Widow sighed and started to rub her temple as she paced back and forth.

“Laur, it’s Wanda. We settled the school thing. We had another disagreement but I think we have that figured out – not that that matters, that has nothing to do with this. It’s how she acts around Tony, Laura. I know – no, I think – the others want me to get her to stop making the snide comments that she does, but she has so much trauma already. I don’t want to make it worse. I don’t know what to do. What if she reacts badly to me bringing it up? What if I cause her more trauma?”

There was a silence on the line. Natasha could hear Laura breathing, but only just. She also remained silent for several seconds, until she could not stand it any longer.

“Laur?” Natasha asked with uncertainty.

“Natasha, that child does have trauma. That is true. But she doesn’t have any more than you have. You realize that, correct?” Laura said in a steady voice.

“You know this is different. This is Wanda that we are speaking about, me,” Natasha said.

Laura let out a soft chuckle and Natasha could practically hear her shaking her head back and forth.

"Natasha, I know you care deeply for Wanda, and I understand your concerns about the trauma that she has. But remember, you've been through your fair share of trauma as well, and yet you've found a way to work through it. Wanda is still young and learning how to navigate her own pain. It's natural for her to lash out or struggle with her emotions. But that does not mean that you let her get away with everything she does wrong. Whether she likes it or not, Tony Stark is an adult in her world now. He is someone that you trust. So she is going to need to learn to cope with that. She won’t if you let her keep doing these things though. You know the trauma that she has, though, and I do not believe that there is anyone better to help her work through it than you. But you have to stop pussy footing around that girl. She is only fifteen, Natasha."

Natasha sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly as the redness in her cheeks moved down to her neck. "I know, but I can't help but feel responsible for her well-being. I want to protect her from any more hurt. Now I am responsible for how she turns out."

Laura's voice held a comforting tone. "And you are doing just that, Natasha. By being there for her, offering guidance and understanding, you're giving her the support she needs. But remember, part of growth comes from facing difficult situations. It's through these challenges that Wanda will learn. Which means that you have to be the adult – Wanda’s guardian – and actually step up. She isn’t going to always like it, but that is too bad. That doesn’t mean that you can keep on giving her a free pass. You weren’t given nearly as many free passes as you have given Wanda."

Natasha pondered Laura's words, “I can't shield Wanda from everything, no matter how much I want to. I just don’t want her to keep hurting. And I know that she says the things that she does to Tony because she is hurting. I think Tony gets it, too. He never really says anything to anyone about it. It is just …"

The Black Widow stalled and took a deep breath.

“It is just what, Nat?” Laura pushed.

Swallowing, Natasha spoke, “I know tonight that Wanda brought up something from Tony’s memories. Something that she saw when she was in his mind. So she has upped her game from snide little comments to truly hurtful things. I could see it in his face.”

“And you just let her get away with that? Natasha!” Laura practically admonished, causing Natasha to turn pink. “Why would you let it get that far? Why have you not stopped it before now?”

“I … she … Laura, I just want her to feel safe,” the spy admitted. “If I punish her for anything, it may make her feel unsafe, and that …”

“Stop right there, Natalia,” Laura demanded, causing Natahsa’s stomach to sink and churn all at once. “You are not doing Wanda any good if you are going to let her use something like that against Tony or anyone. Tony Stark has tried to make amends with her. And yes, his company may have made the bombs that destroyed Wanda’s life in Sokovia, but he did not personally drop those bombs. You cannot allow her to use that against him. It's not fair to Tony, and it's not helping Wanda heal either. What if she does the same with you? I saw how what she did impacted you after Sokovia, whether you wanted to admit it or not. How would you feel if she used that against you now?"

Natasha's shoulders slumped further, feeling as if she had weights on each shoulder, "Honestly, I didn't know what to do in the moment. I was caught off guard. But you're right, Laura. I should have intervened. I can't let Wanda continue using Tony's past against him. I just don’t know how."

"Natasha, it's not an easy task, but you knew that. You are not Wanda’s friend anymore. You are her guardian, so act like it. You need to have a serious talk with her. Help her understand the impact of her words and actions, and how they can affect not only Tony but also reflect on her as a person. She needs to be aware of what will happen if she continues to act this way and especially about what will happen if she starts using the memories she saw against Tony or anyone else again."

Natasha nodded, determination seeping back into her being. "You're right, Laura. I need to set clear boundaries with Wanda and guide her towards a better way of expressing her pain. It won't be easy, but it's necessary."

Laura's voice remained steady, "If anyone can help her through this, it is going to be you. You have got to stop letting her do whatever she wants. She can’t just say these things and expect people to accept it.”

“I know,” Natasha murmured.

“Do you though? I am not sure that you do if I am being honest. Because we have talked about similar things before and you are still letting Wanda control the situation.”

“No, I do know. Today she went too far. I have to figure out how to handle it. It has to stop before she says or does something that she can’t take back,” Natasha agreed.

“Exactly. At the rate that she is going, it won’t be long before that happens. The longer you let her continue to say whatever she wants, the braver she is going to get. In this situation, that is not a good idea, Natasha. I know that you know that.”

“I do,” Natasha said, rubbing her face tiredly. “I will go and speak with her.”

“Good. And Natasha?”

“Yea?”

“Remember, do not say anything that you will not follow through with. If you tell her you are going to punish her if she continues, then you have to actually do it.”

The woman merely nodded, “I know.”

………………

Natasha was beyond nervous as she paced around her room. She had ended her call with Laura, but knew that the day was far from over now.

She went to walk towards Wanda’s room, but then stopped and started to pace again.

“What are you doing?” a voice said from behind, catching her off guard and causing Natasha’s head to twist around.

“Wanda, where are you coming from? I thought you were in your room,” Natasha said, her forehead furrowed as her head tilted to the right.

Wanda shrugged and shook her head, “I just came back in from being outside.”

Natasha let out a tense sigh and nodded, “We need to talk. Let’s go sit in my office.”

Wanda’s eyes went wide and she took a step back, “Your office? What do we need to talk about?”

“Yes, my office. Come on, kid,” Natasha told her, offering no further explanation.

Natasha moved around and put an arm across Wanda’s shoulders, guiding her towards the hallway.

Wanda’s stomach sank, “I am sorry I didn’t tell you I was going out without letting you know. I didn’t realize I’d be out that long…”

“Oh, so you do know that you’re supposed to let me know before you leave the building. Got it,” Natasha said with a nod.

Wanda blushed and looked down at the floor.

Natasha continued until they were at her office door and then inside. She left the door open as she pointed to a chair for Wanda to sit at. Natasha pulled a second chair in front of Wanda and sat down across from her.

“Nat?” Wanda said with an edge of uncertainty in her voice.

“Look, kid, we are going to chat about the way that you have been treating Tony. It is time for you to stop with the snide comments and…”

“This is about Stark?” Wanda snapped at her. “Why do we have to talk about him at all? He killed my parents and my brother. He left me with no one, Natasha!”

Natasha's eyes narrowed, her patience starting to wear slightly thin, though mostly at herself. Why had she waited so long to do something about this? Why had she allowed Wanda to continue to treat Tony the way that she had, hurt or not? Why hadn’t they tried to sort through Wanda’s feelings before now?

She leaned forward, her voice firm but steady. "Yes, Wanda, this is about Tony. I understand that you have your grievances, but the way you've been treating him in our home is not acceptable. It's time for us to address this behavior and find a better way to express your feelings."

Wanda crossed her arms defensively, her eyes filled with irritation. "Why would you say that though? You know what he did to me, Natasha!”

Natasha took a deep breath, her focus never leaving Wanda’s hurt filled eyes. "Wanda, I may not have experienced the exact same things as you, but I know what it's like to have your life shattered. I know what it's like to feel anger and resentment. But I also know that harboring those feelings and directing them towards someone who's trying to make amends won't bring you the healing you need."

Wanda's voice quivered with a mix of anger and pain. "He doesn't deserve my forgiveness. He doesn't understand the pain he caused."

“Tony did not personally drop those bombs, Wanda. I know that you want … no, you need … someone with a face to blame it on, but Tony is not that person. Yes, he helped sell those bombs, but he did not drop them. And even so, since you have come here, Tony has made sure that you are comfortable and that you want for nothing. Even now, with me becoming your guardian, he’s continued to ask me if you need anything.”

“What do you mean?” Wanda asked, her brow wrinkled above the bridge of her nose.

“I mean that Tony made sure that you had everything that you needed even before we realized that you were only fifteen. And he is still making sure you have things now, without him being directly involved because he knows how you feel about him.”

“And he was the only one who was angry that I was fifteen!” Wanda hissed. “And he doesn’t exactly like me either.”

“No. He was irritated that his time was wasted in looking for a cure that did not exist,” Natasha pointed out. “And Tony Stark doesn’t dislike you, Wanda. He is weary of what you can do because you have not allowed him to see you as a person. And yet, he’s still around.”

Wanda sighed and sat back in her chair, contemplating everything that was being said to her. She started chewing on the inside of her cheek and then glaring at the floor.

“I don’t understand why you care so much. You joke with Stark all the time.”

“I do not say things to him to purposefully hurt him the way that you do, either,” Natasha pointed out. “And we can go in circles about this all night, but I am telling you it stops today. Do you understand me? The rude comments, using his memories against him – it all stops or I am going to be forced – by you, mind you – to punish you. Like it or not, Tony Stark is an adult in your life who cares about your wellbeing, and you need to learn to respect that.”

“I honestly don’t know if I can,” Wanda whispered with a trembling voice, looking down at her lap as her fingers played with the hem of her shirt. “Sometimes I feel like every bad memory I have can be linked to him.”

Natasha let those words fall over her and her features instantly softened. She took a deep breath as she leaned forward and put a hand on Wanda’s arm and used her thumb to draw small circles there.

“I am going to need you to try. I know you, Wanda, and I know that you are capable of saying nothing if you can’t think of something not smart assy to say. You are taking things further and further with him, and it isn’t right. You are affecting him, too, whether you realize it or not,” Natasha explained. “Which leads me to the other thing that we need to talk about. You are using your knowledge of Tony – knowledge that you gained while in his memories – against him. He is not the enemy, and yet you have used what you gained against him in ways that I did not think that you would against us. Can you imagine how much that would hurt you? For someone to do the same to you?.”

“Because it is Tony,” Wanda mumbled. “It’s different.”

Natasha's thumb paused its gentle circles on Wanda's arm, and she looked at her with a mixture of concern and understanding. "I get it, Wanda. It's Tony, and there's a lot of pain and anger there for you to work through. But using his vulnerabilities against him won't make things better for you or him, or anyone else really.”

Wanda's voice then quivered as she lifted her gaze to meet Natasha's eyes, "I know it's wrong, Natasha. But sometimes, it feels like the only way to make him understand what he did. So he doesn’t forget how he hurt me and others."

Natasha sighed softly, her voice tinged with sadness. "Wanda, I can't promise that Tony will ever fully understand what you've been through. But he's trying. And hurting him won't bring you the closure or healing you seek. It will only create more pain for both of you."

Wanda's eyes blinked rapidly, “I don't know how to let it go."

Natasha's hand squeezed Wanda's arm gently. "It's not going to be easy, Wanda. But I expect you to try. It doesn’t mean that I won’t help you."

Wanda nodded, her shoulders slumping as she released a heavy sigh. "I'll try, Nat. I'll try to find a better way to deal with my feelings for Stark. It's just so hard sometimes."

"I know it's hard, Wanda. We'll work on finding healthier ways for you to express your pain and frustrations. But I promise it isn’t the way you’ve been treating Tony. That is going to end up with you getting into trouble with me if you continue doing it."

“So … what happens if I can’t?” Wanda asked Natasha, but then looked down quickly. Her focus was on the floor and then on a stray string on her leggings. She tried to look up at Natasha, but couldn’t make herself do it.

“If you continue to say the same things to Tony, then I will have to punish you, Wanda.”

Natasha's words hung in the air, the weight of the situation sinking in. Wanda's eyes widened. She had expected Natasha to scold her, but the idea of being punished by her guardian was unsettling.

"Punish me?" Wanda stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What do you mean by that? This wasn’t one of the things on the list, Nat …"

Natasha sighed, realizing the gravity of her statement. She knew that punishment wasn't the ideal solution when it came to this particular situation with Wanda and her issues with Tony, but she had to make Wanda understand the severity of her actions. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes focused on Wanda.

"First of all, that was not a comprehensive list. I seem to recall telling you that other things might come up, and this is one of those things. I don't want it to come to punishments, Wanda, but if you continue to disrespect and hurt Tony on purpose, I will have to take disciplinary action," Natasha explained, her voice tinged with uncertainty, but knew that she had to stand behind what she was saying. "It could mean restrictions, loss of privileges, or even more severe measures if necessary. If you don’t stop after warnings, but from now on, if you are disrespectful, you will be punished."

Wanda's lower lip quivered as she absorbed Natasha's words. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as Wanda wrestled inwardly with her emotions, trying to force them back into complete hiding.

Natasha broke the silence, her voice gentle but firm. "Wanda, my goal is not to punish you, but to help you figure out how to appropriately talk to Tony and anyone else you may not agree with. I want you to learn that just because you have something pop in your head, it does not mean that you have to say it. I want you to be a better person, even when you don’t want to be. But for that to happen, you need to make a genuine effort to change your behavior with this."

Wanda nodded, her eyes still downcast. "I'll try, Natasha. I know it’s what you want from me. And I just … I can try."

Natasha's expression softened, and she reached out to gently tilt Wanda's chin upward, meeting her gaze. "I believe you, Wanda. I know it's not going to be easy, but together we can work through this. You're not alone, and I’m not going to just punish you without talking to you first. But this is your warning, Wanda."

"Okay, Natasha," Wanda whispered, her voice laced with what sounded like newfound determination. "I'll do my best."

Natasha gave Wanda a reassuring smile and squeezed her arm once more. "That's all I can ask for, Wanda. We'll take it one step at a time."

Wanda nodded, her shoulders still sagging as her mind raced. But Natasha stood and pulled the teenager with her and, without a thought, wrapped her arms tightly around the girl.

“You might even find out that you like Tony. You just have to give him a chance.”

This time, Wanda only stiffened slightly, but nodded.

“I understand.”

………….

Peter Parker's eyes widened in awe as he stepped foot inside the Avengers Compound for the first time. He had been unable to sleep well for a week leading up to this, and was still a bit shocked that he was actually there.

“This is the main area,” Tony explained to him. “We really only hang out here when we are all together.”

Peter nodded just as Natasha walked into the room.

"Welcome to the Avengers Compound, Peter," Natasha said, her voice filled with warmth. "We're glad to have you here. Wanda is around here somewhere. I think she is looking forward to hanging out with you again."

Peter smiled, feeling a bit less tense than he had been. "Oh thanks Ms Black … um … Ms. Wid … oh man …. Ms. Romanoff! It's incredible to be here."

Natasha smiled, shaking her head slightly. The boy was more than a little excitable.

"Don't worry about it, Peter. You'll get used to the whole Avengers thing soon enough if you continue being Tony’s intern," Natasha reassured him with a small laugh. “When we are here, you may call me Nat or Natasha.”

Peter nodded, feeling a wave of relief. That made him feel a lot better. He had been a bundle of nerves ever since Tony Stark had invited him to the Avengers compound for a visit.

Just then, Wanda entered the room, her eyes lighting up as she saw Peter. "Peter! You made it!" she exclaimed, a wide – recently rare – smile spreading across her face.

Peter returned the hug, a grin spreading across his face. "Hey, Wanda! Yeah, I made it! Can you believe it? I never thought that I would ever get to come here. I can’t believe that you get to live here. I mean, it has to be amazing, right? You live with Captain America and Iron Man, and the Black Widow. Man, I would … it would be …"

Wanda laughed, her eyes sparkling as she looked over at Natasha, "We are going to have a lot of fun with this one, Nat.”

Natasha shook her head with a smirk, “Be nice.”

Wanda just shrugged, her own smirk spreading across her face.

Peter could only smile. He was so excited to be there, that literally nothing else mattered to him.

“I hope that I get to meet Captain America! Oh, or … does anyone else stay here? What about Thor? What about the Hulk? What about …”

“Don’t talk about Hulk,” Wanda snipped at him. “He abandoned everyone here and just disappeared. He was weak and …”

Natasha went over to her and whispered, “Not right now, Wanda.”

The girl looked up at the spy and noticed a pained look over her face. The teenager nodded, “Sorry, Nat.”

Natasha nodded, moving a hand around to give Wanda’s arm a squeeze, all the while Peter was shifting from one foot to the other awkwardly, trying not to pay attention to what was going on around him.

Tony suddenly joined the group, observing their interaction with a smirk. "Alright, kids, settle down. We've got some serious business to discuss."

Peter's excitement soared as he listened to Tony's every word, ‘What sort of business? I can help you do whatever you want!”

Wanda quirked an eyebrow at Peter.

“You seem to be quite excited to be here … and do whatever Stark wants you to do. What if he wants you to lick the white dog shit?” Wanda asked the boy.

Natasha’s head twisted around quickly, but before she could say anything, Tony started laughing, to the point he bent over hit his knee several times.

“Someone has been watching way too much Will Ferrell. Stepbrothers – it’s a classic!” Tony said.

Natasha just looked confused, and Wanda was blushing.

“Is it a show?” Natasha asked.

“A movie. Maybe mother hen should be paying attention to what the little witch is watching. Anyways, everyone, I brought one of the greatest games ever created for us to play!”

“Call of Duty?” Peter asked.

“Even better,” Tony said, and then held up his hand with a large box in it.

“Monopoly?” Peter said. “That could be fun.”

“Are you sure about this, Tony? I am not sure that is going to be a good idea …” Natasha said, her eyes moving to Wanda and then back again.

Tony’s brow creased and his eyes squinted slightly, “Yea, of course. It will be fun. Me, you, Capsicle, the two kids there … That should be plenty of people to play and …”

“Wanda, is that something that you would like to do?” Natasha asked her.

“What is Monopoly? I have heard of it, but I do not think that I have ever played it.”

“Oh man, this is going to be a lot of fun,” Tony said, and then headed out of the room, leaving Natasha behind him, sighing.

The woman then looked over at her ward, “The goal of Monopoly is to become the wealthiest player by buying, renting, and trading properties. Each player starts with some money, and as you go around the board, you can buy properties and build houses and hotels on them – the point is that at the end of the game, only one person – the winner – owns everything. Wanda, if you don’t want to play this, we can figure out something else to play. There are hundreds of board games and I am sure that there are others here …”

Wanda narrowed her eyes, “Sounds like fun. Coe on, Peter, I will show you the way.”

Natasha shook her head. There was no way that Tony was thinking this through.

“Are you okay, Natasha?” came Steve’s voice, causing the woman to turn around.

“Just deciding whether I should actually let Wanda play Tony’s damn game. You know that she is a socialist. You know that she and Tony don’t get along that well. I am just not sure that it is going to end well, and I have been trying to get her to give Tony a chance …”

“Hey,” Steve said in a low, calming voice. “Give Wanda a chance. Just give her a chance to show you that she actually listened to you. And if she didn’t, then perhaps you talk to her again. My mother always said that things are never black and white shades of gray. People can surprise you, Natasha, and sometimes the things that seem unlikely end up being the best experiences."

“I hear you. Let’s go and play this game. Though if it gets out of hand –”

“One of us will tip the table over. Even I played the game when I was a child, and we often ended up with a flipped table by someone,” Steve said with a laugh, shaking his head.

“Deal,” Natasha said.

They both knew she was serious.

…………….

As the game of Monopoly began, Wanda listened attentively as Natasha picked pieces off of the board one by one and explained the concept of the game to her.

"Alright, Wanda, the goal of Monopoly is to become the wealthiest player in the game. We'll do this by acquiring properties, charging rent, and strategically managing our money. Let me walk you through it,” the woman said.

She pointed to the game board, displaying the colorful properties, community chest and chance cards, and the various spaces representing different aspects of the game.

"First, we'll each choose a token to represent us on the board. These tokens will move around the board based on the roll of the dice. The order of turns will go clockwise.”

“I’m the iron!” Tony said quickly.

“As if you would know how to use one,” Wanda muttered.

At the same time, Peter said, “oh that’s funny, Mr. Stark! It’s an iron and you are Iron Man!”

The boy laughed, and Wanda blushed, sinking down in her chair a bit, “I didn’t think of that,” she murmured.

The Black Widow reached under the table and then patted Wanda’s leg before she picked up the dice and demonstrated how to proceed with the game, moving her token accordingly.

"When you land on a property that no one else owns, you have the option to buy it. Owning properties allows you to charge rent when other players land on them, increasing your wealth. If you decide not to buy a property, it will be auctioned off to the highest bidder."

She continued to explain the different types of spaces on the board.

"Throughout the game, you'll encounter different squares that offer different objectives in the game, like the community chest and chance spaces. When you land on these, you'll draw a card and follow the instructions, which could result in gaining or losing money, or other unexpected events – being sent to jail or a get out of jail free card. Managing your money is crucial in Monopoly, too.. You'll need to carefully consider your expenses, such as property purchases, rent payments, and any other fees or penalties you may encounter. If you run out of money, you'll be bankrupt and out of the game."

Tony sighed dramatically and sat back in his chair, rolling his eyes, “We can explain all of this as we play the game, she’s not obtuse. We all know she catches on quickly.”

Natasha glared at him before she continued, "Negotiation plays a huge part in Monopoly. You can trade properties with other players, make deals, and form alliances to your advantage. Just remember, it's important to negotiate wisely to ensure you're getting the best deals, and remember that Tony is sneaky."

“Says the spy who nearly tossed the board last time,” Tony said under his breath.

This time, Natasha ignored him completely, and finished explaining the last bit of the game to Wanda, "The game will continue until one player has bankrupted all others. That player will be declared the winner, having accumulated the most wealth through property ownership, rent collection, and smart financial decisions."

She looked over at Wanda who just looked confused as she handled the bills that Tony had doled out to her so far.

"Remember, it's just a game, and we're here to have fun — right Tony —” Natasha turned and gave the man a look. “And enjoy each other's company. Ready to try it out?"

Wanda nodded, “Yes, though it sounds a bit wrong. No one should own everything …”

“It is just a game, kid,” Natasha reassured her. “And if you don’t want to play it, you do not have to.”

Wanda wrinkled her nose, “It is fine.”

Tony finished distributing the colorful bills and handed out his hand with the rest of the tokens in his palm.

“Which one do you want to be?” He asked Wanda. “Charlotte already laid claim to the dog.”

“Yep!”

Wanda looked more closely at the pieces and then looked oddly at Tony, “You chose the iron over the cannon. How ironic.”

This time, Tony blushed and then quickly set the items on the board. Natasha looked at him and then at Wanda.

“Wanda, that is enough,” Natasha said, her voice hesitating at first, and then growing more confident. “If you do not want to play, then you can tell us, as I have already told you. But there is no need for you to be disrespectful about a simple game that we are trying to play together.”

The word disrespectful was said with a bit more force than the rest of the sentence, and Wanda went pale before she closed her mouth and grabbed the shoe from the board, placing it on the GO square.

“Right, let’s get this game going,” Steve said awkwardly, shifting in his seat. “I think that I will be the top hat.”

Peter ended up being the battleship, and before long, the game finally started.

“Okay, I think that you are ready to play,” Natasha cut in, moving her piece back to the GO space. She looked up at everyone else, “We ready?”

“Yep,” Steve said, followed by nods from Tony and Peter.

“Good. Let’s roll the dice to see who is going to go first,” Steve said, handing one die to Peter.

The boy quickly took it and tossed it onto the board. His face fell instantly.

“Oh man. A one.”

Each in turn, they rolled the die, Steve a four, Nat a three, Tony a four.

“Wanda,” Natasha said, pointing at the table.

The teenager picked it up and then let it go, rolling a six.

“Guess that means I go first?” she asked with uncertainty.

“Yep, here you go,” Natasha said, handing her the other dice.

Wanda took the second die, staring at the two cubes for several moments. She gave it a little shake in her hand before releasing it onto the board. The dice bounced and tumbled, finally showing three dots.

"Great roll, Wanda!" Tony exclaimed.

"Yep, I know, I am amazing at throwing two dice onto a table. It is amazing isn’t it," Wanda replied sarcastically as she moved her shoe token three spaces. She landed on the Baltic Avenue, the first property that she would be able to purchase. Wanda looked at Natasha, ready to make her first purchase. She looked at the board and then back at the other four. A rigid smile crossed her face.

Natasha nodded approvingly, acknowledging Wanda's sudden enthusiasm. "You can buy Baltic Avenue if you want, Wanda. It costs $60."

Wanda quickly counted out the bills from her starting money and handed them to Natasha. "I'll take it," she said, snatching the card for her property from Tony and tucking it near the edge of the board.

About thirty minutes later, the game really picked up. Wanda had managed to land on a property each time she rolled – she owned all of the railroads, Electric works, and the entire side of the board with the Boardwalk on it.

And then Tony landed on Park Place.

“That is a thousand for you,” Wanda told him.

Tony’s brow wrinkled and he looked at the others, confused. He leaned over the board and tried to look at the card.

Wanda took some of her cash and covered it up, holding out her hand.

This time, Tony’s eyes narrowed, but he dug out the money from his stash, handing it over to her.

Natasha just watched, saying nothing.

Then Peter landed on another one of Wanda’s properties.

“Ah man, I think this is going to gut me,” he said with a sigh, trying to count what he had left, but he already knew that there was no way that he had enough.

“It is okay, Peter, do you need a loan? Here,” Wanda said, picking up a stack of money and handing it over to him.

“What?” Tony asked.

“Wanda, that isn’t how the game is supposed to go,” Natasha said, starting to explain the goal of the game again. “The point is to get everyone’s money so that only one person has any at the end.”

“Are you going to pay me, Pete?” Wanda asked, ignoring Natasha.

Peter smiled, his eyes brightening, “Yep! Here you go!” and he quickly counted the bills that she had just gave him and paid Wanda the rent he owed her.

“That is one hundred, Steve,” Wanda said.

“But …” Steve said.

“A hundred,” Wand reiterated again. “Though if you start to charge Stark at least double, then I will forgo rent for you entirely. I mean, between the two of us, we would own almost three fourths of the board, I think.”

This time, Steve just shrugged, a smile playing at his lips.

Everyone noticed that he didn’t move to give Wanda the money that he owed her.

“Damnit,” Tony said when it was his turn and he watched where he had landed. Natasha had somehow not managed to land on one of Wanda’s properties and had been sent to jail, but it seemed that the rest of them couldn’t manage not to.

“Oh, what do we have here?” Wanda smirked, leaning forward in her seat. “That will be eight hundred.”

“What? You don’t even have a house on it and it is Baltic! Rent is like four dollars!” Tony said, exasperated. “Why on earth is everyone else being charged less, and I am being charged more than the property will ever be worth! Even with a hotel, rent should only be $450, little witch!”

This time Wanda looked him directly in the eye and smirked even more, “Asshole tax.”

“Wanda!” Natasha hissed at her, her eyes turning to glare at the teenager.

“What? It is realistic!” Wanda said, and then held out her hand to get the money from Tony.

The man rolled his eyes but handed over the funds. Wanda looked over at Peter, “Here you, Peter. It looks like you need this since you are almost out of funds again. You can pay me back later, when Stark lands on one of your properties..”

Natasha and Tony’s mouths both dropped when they watched her hand the money over to Peter. Steve was barely holding back a chuckle.

“That isn’t how the game is supposed to go, Wanda Maximoff,” Natasha said in a frustrated tone. “You can’t just play the game however you want to.”

“She owns half the board,” Tony pointed out in annoyance and then looked down at his watch. “And we have been playing this game for much longer than I suspected we would.”

Wanda leaned back in her chair, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Sucks, doesn’t it, Stark? In the real world, a few people end up owning and controlling everything while others struggle to make ends meet. Not that you would ever truly realize that. Not when you have the funds to do whatever, whenever you want."

Natasha crossed her arms, her expression stern as she watched Wanda, "I understand your point, Wanda, but we should play by the rules. It's about strategy and competition. On top of that, it is just a game."

Wanda shook her head, a hint of determination on her face. "But then why are you taking it so seriously? It is just a game after all. Not a chance to make people realize that this type of thing actually happens in the real world."

“And on the flip side, young lady, it is a way to show that you know how to follow the rules as well. You are quickly getting to the point of breaking more than just the rules of just this game.”

“You are just upset that you are losing,” Wanda mumbled.

Natasha's eyes narrowed, her voice firm. "This isn't about winning or losing, Wanda. It's about fairness and integrity. We play games to have fun and challenge ourselves, but we also need to respect the rules that govern them."

Tony chimed in, his tone tinged with amusement. "I hate to say it, Hermione, but Aragog here has got a point. We all agreed to play by the rules at the beginning after she explained the rules to you."

“Of course you would agree with her,” Wanda hissed at him. “You are the problem.”

“Wanda is right, in a way,” Steve said demurely, placing the dice he had picked up earlier back on the table and sitting up straighter. “The Accords have the potential to do the same thing. What are we going to do when Ross and the UN refuse to let us help the little people? Or the poor? Or the countries who have no defenses other than us? What is going to happen to them when they are attacked? We will be helpless if the Accords are passed.”

The man was looking at Tony while he spoke.

Tony's expression hardened as Steve's words fell over him, his face serious as he looked at the man, "Sometimes, we have to do things even if we do not want to to protect the people we care about. Even if the consequences are not what we desire. We cannot always have things the way that we want them. This may be one of those times.”

“What are the Accords?” Peter suddenly asked, almost oblivious to the tension that was surrounding him from all sides.

Wanda’s face turned slowly, “Wait, you don’t know anything about the Accords? They have even been on the news and …”

Wanda's voice trailed off as she realized that Peter's question and Steve’s comment had inadvertently shifted the focus of the conversation away from the intense game and towards a more serious topic. The room fell into an awkward silence, each person contemplating the weight of the question. Wanda knew that she wanted to listen to this – since they had found out that she was a teenager, no one had been talking to her about the Accords.

At least not as much as she wanted them to. Even the thought of it made her wrinkle her brow a bit.

Natasha finally broke the silence, her tone softening as she looked across the table at Tony’s intern, "Peter, the Accords are a set of international agreements designed to regulate and control the activities of enhanced individuals, like us. Technically, it isn’t anything that you need to worry about as a normal teenager, but it wouldn’t hurt since you are Tony’s intern. If they go into effect, they will require us to operate under government oversight and restrictions. The idea is to hold us accountable for our actions and minimize collateral damage."

Peter's eyes widened as he processed the information, biting his bottom lip slightly before he looked back at Natasha, "So, it's like having a set of rules that al superheroes have to follow?"

Natasha nodded, "Exactly. The Accords aim to prevent situations where unchecked power can cause more harm than good – according to them, that is."

Wanda's gaze shifted from Peter to the others in the room. She realized that their heated discussion about the game had unintentionally touched upon a deeper issue, one that had been simmering among them for a while. Perhaps more than she had realized. She had a feeling that the game was over now.

Steve spoke up, his voice tinged with a mixture of concern, "We all have valid points here. The Accords pose significant challenges, and we need to have a serious conversation about the best path forward. But let's not forget that our unity and trust in each other is what makes us strong. What makes us capable of being able to help others is that we hold no prejudice about who we help. Little, big, rich, poor. That is what makes us different from Ross and the UN. They want to control everything that we do. Which means that even more people are going to die.”

Wanda’s head snapped over at Steve. She had never seen him so heated. His face still looked pleasant, but his tone was irritated in a way that surprised her.

Tony leaned back in his chair, "Steve's right. We may have differing opinions, but we can find a way to work through this. We've faced much bigger threats together, and we've always found a way.” Tony stared at Steve, maintaining eye contact with Captain America.

“I think that we can leave the rest of this discussion for later,” Steve finally said.

“I agree,” Natasha quickly added, darting her eyes between the two teenagers at the table.

“I think it is time for pizza! Oh, and I think we can order some of those lava cake things or cookies … actually, why don’t we order dessert from that one shop that is three blocks from the tower. Pepper is going to be heading this way soon, so we can get it delivered to her and …” Tony said, but Wanda had already moved her attention from him over to Natasha, glaring.

“I think that I … even Peter … should know what you guys think about the Accords too,” Wanda interrupted.

“We are done talking about it right now, Wanda,” Natasha told her sternly. “You know that you and I will talk about it later as much as you want though,” she quickly added.

Wanda looked down instantly, nodding, though she did let out a breath she didn’t know that she had been holding, “Okay, Nat. Thanks.”

Natasha smiled at her and patted her hand, “What do you think you might want for dinner since Tony is ordering it in a few?”

“Yea, Sabrina, what do you want? If you don’t want pizza, there is plenty I can have delivered to Pep. I know that you like that Chinese food from the one shop in Chinatown. Do you want that instead?”

Wanda’s head snapped over to him quickly, her mouth open in an O shape for a split second.

“How do you remember that?” she asked.

Tony shrugged, looking at his phone.

Natasha smirked as she watched Wanda soften just a smidge as she looked over at Tony.

“I do like pizza a bit … but Chinese does sound really good,” Wanda said, trying to act casually about it. “If you don’t mind and if Pepper doesn’t mind …”

“Pep will be excited about it, too, I think. I mean, sure she liked italian better than anything, but Chinese is probably her next favorite.”

“It is,”Wanda said with a nod. “She told me the last time that Nat brought it home. She liked moo shu chicken and egg rolls.”

“Hey, you are right, little witch!” Tony said excitedly.

“Dang, all of this talk of chinese food is making me want it now,” Natasha said.

“I can eat when I get home, Mr. Stark,” Peter said quickly.

Wanda looked over at Peter, seeing the way his eyes were averting and not looking at anyone. His hands were in his lap, his fingers nervously tapping on his leg as it bounced up and down.

“Yea, don’t try that with Stark, Pete,” she said, chuckling. “He might be an ass most of the time but he isn’t going to let us go hungry. He’s definitely not going to send you home without dinner. Besides, Pepper would have him sleeping on the couch for a month if he did that. We all know that she is the real boss.”

Natasha, who had just taken a drink, snorted, trying to hold back a laugh, causing water to spray out of her mouth.

Steve blushed and his eyes went wide, “Wanda!”

Tony just smirked and shook his head, “You are definitely not wrong there, little witch.”

“Wanda,” Natasha said, still trying not to laugh.

“What? It’s true. So, is this game over? I am going to win and Tony over there is going to lose no matter what he does. And if I win, that means that everyone but Tony wins …” Wanda said with a shrug.

Tony leaned back in his chair, “I am never playing this game with her again. Next time we are playing scrabble.”

Natasha was already putting the game away.

Chapter Text

Wanda walked into the apartment and saw Natasha sitting on the sofa, watching the television. She went over to the back of the couch and, in a move that caught Natasha off guard, jumped over the back of it, landing on the cushion beside the Black Widow.

“Excuse me,” Natasha said, an unimpressed look on her face, “Do you really think that is an appropriate way to get on the sofa?”

Wanda shrugged and wiggled closer to Natasha, putting her head on the woman’s shoulder as she started watching the news alongside her.

“Thanks for letting me go outside after dinner,” Wanda said.

Natasha moved around and put her arm around the teenager, “You are welcome. I am proud that you remembered to ask.”

“Yea?” Wanda asked.

“Yep, I am. Do you think you are going to need a snack or anything before bed?”

“Nah, I will just watch the news with you. What is going on?”

Natasha used her hand to run Wanda’s arm and then nodded towards the tv, “Seems like the Spider-Man has caught himself a bit of trouble.”

Wanda stared at the screen, watching as SpiderMan propelled himself across a building. There were several people after him – it looked like they had alien tech.

“Shouldn’t someone go and help him?” Wanda asked.

“No. It just isn’t the right time. Apparently he knows nothing about the Accords. Not that that is a big surprise. Very few people do,” Natasha pointed out.

“I wonder who it is,” she murmured, concentrating on the enhanced being move around the sky, barely evading the people after him.

“I wish that I knew, too. It is something we are going to have to figure out soon.”

Wanda nodded, “Because of the Accords?”

“Exactly because of the Accords.”

Wanda's curiosity grew as she watched the news unfold, her concern for Spider-Man deepening as she watched him use several different types of tech, one of them a type of web shooter that caused him to pivot around a tower and then shoot over another before he landed on top of another building.

"What can we do, Nat? We can't just stand by and watch," Wanda said, her eyes narrowing at the screen. “Right? Whoever that is can’t be that old. I mean, a couple weeks ago he was still wearing pajamas around the city.”

Natasha sighed, her gaze still fixed on the television screen. "I understand your concern, Wanda. But rushing into a situation without a plan or proper authorization right now could have serious consequences, not just for us, but for Spider-Man as well. Remember, we have to be very careful. Especially with you, kid."

"But what if he needs help? What if he's in danger?" Wanda insisted, “We shouldn’t just sit here and let him fail.”

Natasha turned to face Wanda, her eyes filled with a mix of empathy and caution. "We need to trust in Spider-Man's abilities right now. We don’t know who he is and we have to trust that he can protect himself. Even Fury doesn’t know who this one is."

Wanda sighed, "Natasha, I just want to help him. It’s obvious that he needs it.”

Her eyes narrowed at the screen again, “He could definitely use some training. He is going to get himself killed doing that … Nat, did you see that?”

Natasha's expression hardened, “Yes, he is reckless. Spider Boy more like it.”

Wanda snorted, “Maybe you should figure out who he is. You are supposed to be a spy after all.”

The Black Widow’s gaze turned down to look at her ward, “Supposed to be?”

“Yea, I mean, if you wanted to know who he was, I bet you would have already figured it out.”

“Perhaps, but I have other things to worry about right now. Like a little girl who sometimes forgets that she isn’t actually an adult.”

Wanda waved her hand at the woman, “Relax, I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I mean, I have been for ages until you realized that …”

“We are not going down that road again, Wanda. You are fifteen.”

“Sixteen soon, and you are being a bit dramatic about it,” Wanda snapped.

Natasha sighed, surprised at the sudden change that had just occurred between them.

“I think that it’s time to turn the tv off and for you to get ready for bed,” Natasha said, staring at her.

And then Wanda laughed.

Until she looked at Natasha’s face, which caused her own face to fall, “You are being serious? You are trying to send me to bed?”

“Trying?” Natasha said sardonically, sitting up so that she could look at the kid more closely. “Because of that little comment, you can go on and get ready. You have half an hour to be in bed.”

“What? Nat …”

“Go on,” the woman said, pulling gently on Wanda’s arm as the girl mechanically stood up from the couch. Wanda's frustration melted into resignation as she realized Natasha wasn't going to back down.

“Okay, Nat,” Wanda said.

As Wanda prepared for bed, her mind raced with thoughts of Spider-Man and the events unfolding in the city. She couldn't shake off the feeling of restlessness that was falling over her as she climbed into her bed. It was just a feeling that she could not shake.

………………..

“Where is Charlotte?” Tony asked as he stared at Wanda.

“What? Not happy to see me, Stark?” Wanda mumbled with a glare. “She has a meeting with Fury. I told her I would come and hang out with you.”

“What?” Tony said, looking around the lab. “Am I being punked?”

Wanda rolled her eyes, “I don’t even know what that means, but I imagine that it is you being a bit dramatic. I thought we could talk about your tech … I’m interested in learning more about it.”

Tony blinked, momentarily taken aback by Wanda's unexpected interest in his tech. He had always admired her powers and abilities, but he hadn't anticipated her wanting to delve into the intricacies of his inventions.

"Well, I guess I can't turn down a chance to show off my genius," Tony replied, a mischievous – if nervous – grin playing on his face. "But let's make one thing clear: no magic tricks. Just good old-fashioned science."

Wanda smirked in response, an unrecognizable glimmer in her eyes, "Deal. No hexes, I promise – for now."

Tony moved over to the table he had been working at when he had been interrupted and motioned for Wanda to come over towards him.

The teenager walked over and stared at a sleek repulsor gauntlet Tony had pointed at, her eyes filled with fascination. She couldn't help but be drawn to the advanced technology and the immense power it possessed – and how familiar it looked.

"So, these are the repulsor blasts," Wanda said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "I've seen them in action before obviously, especially when I went on missions with you, but I never really understood how they work."

Tony grinned oddly, confused by her wording, but then shook it off. "Ah, the repulsor blasts. They're a masterpiece of engineering, if I do say so myself. Let me break it down for you."

He gestured for Wanda to come closer as he picked up the gauntlet, showcasing its intricate design. "Essentially, the repulsor blasts utilize a combination of compacted energy and electromagnetic fields. They create a controlled release of force, propelling the wearer in the opposite direction while simultaneously unleashing a directed energy blast."

Wanda's eyes narrowed as she listened to the man, and then she said, "That's incredible, Stark. The amount of precision and control required to execute those maneuvers must be immense – who else uses this tech. Of course I have seen you use them, but I am certain that I have seen others use them as well."

Tony paused for a moment before he finally started talking again, “I mean, yea, it takes a certain level of skill and concentration to master it. The gauntlet responds to the wearer's neural interface, translating their intentions into actions. It's all about finding that perfect balance between power and control. I use them in the Iron Man suit. It wouldn’t be …”

Wanda leaned in, interrupting him, "So, you have never considered sharing this technology with the rest of the team, then? It could be a game-changer in battles. It could really help out anyone who was already enhanced even."

Tony shifted from one foot to the other and then shrugged.

“I mean … are you interested in enhancements, too?” he asked.

Wanda suddenly brightened up, “Really? What would you do? How could you enhance my powers?”

Tony's eyes widened as he realized the implications of Wanda's excitement. He hadn't expected her to express interest in enhancing her powers using his technology, but her enthusiasm was infectious. In fact, it was so infectious that he didn’t even give it a second thought.

"Well, Sabrina, enhancing your powers is a whole different ballgame," Tony replied, his mind already racing with possibilities, rolling over to a tablet and quickly tapping things into it. "Your abilities are rooted in magic, which opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. We could tap into the underlying energy of your powers and find ways to amplify and channel them more efficiently. Man, if this is something that you were really interested in, I am pretty sure that I could have a prototype ready to try out this weekend even."

Wanda’s eyes widened, though she did look at him a bit suspiciously, “You would really do that?”

“What?” Tony asked, his brow wrinkled. He then waved her off, “Are you insane? Of course. This is just another puzzle. I have been working on some other stuff for someone, but this will be just as important.”

“Okay, if you are sure,” Wanda told him, suddenly pushing a lot of feelings to the side.

“Yea, if I wasn’t I would not have offered it up,” Tony said, already deep in thought.

Wanda was only mildly irritated at the excitement that she felt in her stomach.

…………..

Wanda, having spent some time with Peter and growing curious about his life, found herself sitting next to him at the compound once again that weekend.

"So, Peter. What do you do for fun when you're not here with us? You know, in your free time?" Wanda inquired, genuinely interested in getting to know him better. “I mean, obviously you spend a lot of time with Stark, but what about when you aren’t?”

Peter glanced at her, surprised by the question but happy to engage in conversation. "Oh, um, well, I like to hang out with my friends, read comics, and tinker with gadgets. Science stuff, you know? And, uh, I'm really into photography too."

Wanda's eyes lit up, intrigued by Peter's hobbies. "That's cool! Photography sounds interesting. Have you taken any cool pictures lately?"

Peter looked up, nodding. "Yeah, I've been capturing shots of the city lately. There's always something exciting happening in New York. It's a great way to see things from a different perspective."

Curiosity getting the best of her, Wanda continued, "And what's it like living with your aunt? I've heard you mention her before, but I've never really asked about it."

Peter's expression softened, a gentle smile spreading across his lips, "Oh, Aunt May is the best. She's been there for me since my parents passed away. She's really the only person that I remember.”

“Do you have any pictures with you?” Wanda suddenly asked.

This time, Peter jumped up and grabbed his camera, “Look at this one!”

He excitedly held out his camera, pointing to the screen, “I managed to get this one last night!”

Wanda looked down. There, on the screen, was a picture of the newest superhero in New York City. Spider Man.

Her brow wrinkled and her eyes narrowed, “That is a really cool, pic, Peter. It’s crazy that you were able to get that close to him.”

“Right? It’s my best picture yet!”

Wanda could only nod.

………………

Tony paced back and forth in his lab, glancing at the time on his wristwatch. He needed Wanda to come in soon. He had been waiting to work on this new tech with her for days now. She had seemed a bit hesitant to come back to the lab, but in the end had agreed.

Thankfully.

Just as he was contemplating how to proceed, Wanda into the lab. She was panting a bit, and looked up at Tony, “Sorry, Stark. I was training with Nat. Running. It’s about all she lets me do anymore.”

Wanda rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “But I made it. Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?”

The teenager moved over to the seat that was at Tony’s work station and started using her feet to move it back and forth, looking up at him, waiting.

“I have some ideas for prototypes, but I need to see your powers in action. I need to gauge how strong they are,” Tony said.

“That is it?” Wanda asked, standing up with a shrug. “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

Tony paused for a moment, observing Wanda's posture and detecting a hint of skepticism in her voice. He realized that she might have had different expectations coming into the lab and, given their history, that was not something that surprised him all that much. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Wanda, I understand if you were hoping for something more exciting or groundbreaking since I told you that I was going to work on some tech for you, so you probably thought that i would already have something ready for you to try out," Tony admitted, walking closer to her. "But trust me, understanding the extent of your powers is crucial for developing the right tech. It's not just about raw strength, but also control, precision, and safety. I don’t want you to get hurt."

Wanda crossed her arms, still unsure but willing to listen. "Okay, I get that. But can you explain what you have in mind? How will this help me? Because you have seen me in battle. You know what I can do."

Tony nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. He pulled out a holographic display, projecting a visual representation of a specially designed training simulator so that Wanda would be able to see exactly what he was talking about.

"See, Wanda, this is a training simulator that I've developed specifically for you," Tony explained, gesturing toward the hologram. "It is what I have been working on so that we can actually develop the tech that will help your powers. It will also help you refine your control over your powers, test your limits, and even simulate real-world combat scenarios. With this, we can evaluate your strengths, identify areas for improvement, and customize tech that will enhance your abilities."

Wanda's curiosity began to override her initial skepticism. She approached the hologram, examining the details with growing interest, her eyes widened with excitement. Especially after only being allowed to run in training with Natasha lately.

"Imagine having a tool that not only strengthens your powers but also assists you in using them effectively," Tony continued, his voice filled with enthusiasm, his eyes glazed over as he entered his area of expertise. "We can analyze your energy signatures, optimize the efficiency of your magic, and create a symbiotic relationship between your powers and technology. It's about taking your already incredible abilities to the next level."

Wanda looked up at Tony, a glimmer of excitement dancing in her eyes. She unfolded her arms and took a step closer to him.

"So, you're saying that with this technology, I can become even stronger?" she asked, her voice tinged with a mix of hope and eagerness. “Has anyone else experienced this sort of tech so that you could help them improve their skills, too?”

Tony grinned, glad to see Wanda's enthusiasm growing. "Yea, that is what I am saying, Sabrina. We're talking about pushing the boundaries of your powers, unlocking new capabilities, and refining your skills. With this tech, you can reach heights you never thought possible."

The man hesitated then, stepping around and no longer making eye contact with Wanda, “I have used it a bit with one another person. It works pretty well. I just had to adjust it specifically for you. It is the way the tech works, so the base code has to be rewritten for each person.”

Wanda hesitated for a moment, contemplating the possibilities laid out before her. She glanced back at the holographic display, envisioning herself training whenever she wanted to, growing stronger and getting to go on missions sooner.

"Alright, Stark, I'm in," she finally said, a determined smile forming on her face. "Let's try it out."

"Welcome to the next phase of your journey, Sabrina the Teenage Witch," Tony declared, his voice brimming with anticipation. "Let’s get started."

………………

“Hey, Nat, I am going to go into the city and hang out with Peter today,” Wanda said the next Saturday.

Natasha looked up from the papers that she was reading and quirked an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?”

This had been happening more and more. For every time that Wanda asked her if she could do something, she would tell her she was doing something ten other times. It was as if the idea to ask slipped her mind, no matter how much Natasha talked to her about it.

“It’s Saturday, so Peter isn’t at school or with Stark, so I am going to hang out with him. Stark said that he would drop me off.”

“Tony said that?” Natasha asked, held tilted to the side, the papers long forgotten.

“Yea, why?” Wanda asked.

“Yesterday Tony brought you a milkshake and you didn’t eat your dinner.”

“Why are you being so weird?” Wanda asked her instantly, crossing her arms over her chest, her nose wrinkled and eyes squinted slightly.

Natasha sighed and then looked up at the ceiling, “Wanda, you have to start asking me before you just decide you are going to do something. We have talked about this.”

Wanda huffed slightly and then looked away, “I can take care of myself though.”

“Wanda Maximoff, that has nothing to do with this!” Natasha snapped suddenly. “You have to ask permission to do things because you are a kid and I need to know that you are safe. Part of that is knowing where you are at all times. Part of that is asking permission to go places.”

Wanda stepped back a bit, now looking down at the floor, her voice trembling slightly, “Sorry, Nat. I … do you mind if I go hang out with Peter? Stark said that he would drop me off.”

Natasha instantly felt a pang in her stomach and she walked over to Wanda, lifting her chin up, “I am sorry that I snapped at you, I just feel like I have been telling you this over and over again.”

“I get it,” Wanda said stiffly. “I will start to ask. I just … since Tony said …”

“So he is Tony now?” Natasha said with a smirk. “God, I swear the others are just trying to spoil you to spite me. Yes, you can go to hang out with Peter, but I am going to pick you up because not even Tony Stark knows when he will be back and I cannot guarantee that he will not get sidetracked and look up to realize that it is midnight.”

“Really, Nat?” Wanda asked, a glimmer of hope in her voice as her eyes flickered up to meet the emerald green ones of Natasha.

“Yes, but you have to let me know where you are going and when you leave each place if you are not going to be at Peter’s apartment.”

Wanda smiled wide and then threw her arms around Natasha, practically jumping up and down.

And then she paused.

“Wait, Nat, how am I supposed to let you know any of that?”

Natasha’s eyes widened and then she huffed at herself, “Come on. Let’s go see Tony.” She let out a sigh. “And just when I was complaining about how much the others spoil you.”

“What?” Wanda asked, confused.

“You need a cell phone. We have to go see our resident tech expert. I am sorry, Wanda. I didn’t even think about you not having a way to contact any of us if you got into trouble.”

“Well, before you thought I was an adult,” Wanda pointed out.

Natasha shook her head, “That does not matter. I was a foreigner here, too, and people made sure that I had everything that I needed – I had a phone instantly, even though they were not as popular with the general public then. We should have all made sure that you had that, too.”

Wanda just shrugged it off.

But Natasha was kicking herself.

…………….

Wanda was a bit nervous as she stood at Peter’s door, her new cell phone in her sweaty palm. She knew how to text and make phone calls on it, but that was about it for right now.

And that was because Natasha and Tony had refused to let her leave with Tony if she didn’t know how to use the basics of the device. Tony had even put Peter’s number in it, and she had texted him to let him know that she was on her way.

Then Natasha had started texting her on their way into the city, making her wonder how much this was actually worth it.

Peter opened the door, a wide smile on his face, “They finally got you a phone! Man we are going to be able to talk all the time! We can text and we don’t have to worry about planning things when you are at the tower or I am at the compound! We will be able to make plans whenever we want!”

“You would want to do that?” Wanda asked, slightly taken aback.

Peter looked at her oddly, and shrugged, “I mean, yea … why not?”

“I have never had a phone before,” Wanda admitted. “So I wasn’t sure about phone etiquette.” She shifted around and then looked at him again, “So, um, what do you want to do?”

“Do you want to come in and meet my Aunt May? And I can show you some of my photos that I have taken. Oh man, you can see my LEGO Death Star. My friend Ned and I have been working on it for a while and we are almost finished with it.”

Wanda's nervousness slowly melted away as Peter's enthusiasm and warm smile enveloped her. She nodded, feeling a surge of excitement as she stepped inside his house.

"Sure, I'd love to meet your Aunt May," Wanda replied, her eyes scanning the surroundings curiously. "And I'm really looking forward to seeing your … Death Star. Though I am not sure what that is. I am sure that it is interesting."

Peter’s eyes widened, “You don’t know Star Wars?”

Wanda shook her head back and forth.

“Note to self,” he said to himself, “Tell Wanda all about Star Wars very, very soon.”

Wanda looked at him, but before she could say anything, Peter opened the door and then quickly led her through the cozy living room, where his Aunt May was sitting on the couch, engrossed in a book. She looked up and smiled warmly at the sight of Peter and his new friend.

"Aunt May, this is Wanda," Peter introduced, gesturing towards Wanda. "Wanda, this is my Aunt May."

Wanda extended her hand with a shy smile. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Parker."

May put her book aside and stood up, shaking Wanda's hand warmly. "Likewise, Wanda, but please call me May. Peter has told me so much about you. I'm glad you're here. Make yourself at home."

Soon, Peter led Wanda to his room, where the half-completed LEGO Death Star sat on a large table. The intricate details and the sheer size of the construction impressed Wanda.

"Wow, this is incredible!" Wanda exclaimed, carefully observing the craftsmanship it must have taken to get each little block in the correct space. "You and Ned must have put so much time and effort into this."

Peter beamed with pride. "Yeah, we've been working on it for months. It's been our ongoing project. We even have a plan to add some special features to it once it's finished."

Wanda's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Special features? That sounds intriguing. What do you have in mind?"

Peter leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially, "Well, we thought about installing some LED lights to make it glow in the dark, and maybe even adding a miniature motor to make certain parts move. It's going to be epic! We just have to figure out how to make it work."

Wanda's face lit up with excitement. "That sounds absolutely amazing! I can't wait to see the final result."

“Do you want to see some of my photos?” he asked.

Wanda nodded and he pulled out his laptop, quickly pecking at it so that he could open up the file with his photos.

The first photo popped up and Wanda instantly moved closer to the screen, her eyes narrowing. Another one popped up as well, and then she sat back.

“You really take a lot of photos of Spider Man …” she said, turning her head to look straight at Peter.

He shrugged and smiled a bit, “Yea, I get really lucky.”

“Lucky?” she asked.

He blushed and nodded, “Yea, I get lucky and catch him out a lot at night. Spider Man is around this neighborhood almost every night.”

“More like Spider Boy,” Wanda said quickly, as she watched Peter flick through more and more photos. “I mean, at least he got a suit upgrade, but he was wearing his pajamas for ages. So I don’t think that he is a man.”

The pictures were being flicked through even more quickly.

“He really helps the city,” Peter said with blazing red cheeks. The photos kept moving across the screen.”

“He could have gotten himself killed the other day against those men with alien tech,” Wanda pointed out. “He isn’t as trained as he needs to be, which makes me think that he isn’t an adult.”

“You are enhanced and you are a teenager. What is so different from him?” Peter asked with a bite in his tone, though he quickly fixed it. “I mean, it’s just important that I … that he helps people.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Wanda said honestly.

Peter looked at Wanda as her shoulders sagged and she looked down at her hands.

He sat up straighter, “Don’t worry, Wanda, I won’t get hurt. My tech is so much better now that Mr. Stark has been helping me and …”

Wanda looked up at him, “It is you! I knew it!”

His eyes widened and he looked at the door, shushing her before he paused, caught off guard by Wanda's sudden accusation. His mind raced, unsure of how to respond.

Taking a deep breath, Peter nodded, "You're right, Wanda," he whispered, "I am Spider-Man."

Wanda smirked, “I knew it. You and Tony are so simple. I don’t know how no one else has figured it out.”

Peter’s face flushed, “You can’t tell anyone. I don’t want anyone else to know.”

Wanda shrugged, “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t tell anyone. And, it won’t matter. There is no way that it will take the others long to figure this out. I bet your aunt figures it out soon, too.”

Peter could only groan, throwing his head back, letting it hang there.