Locksmith

I tried to keep the guilt and anxiety to a minimum while I waited to speak with the doctor. There was nothing I could do to fix the mess I caused unless I followed her. But I couldn’t leave the boys. I was the one parent they had, and despite the unique story he now had for how he got his first stitches, I knew that hospitals freaked Tommy out. Ever since my parents were in the hospital, they became a fear of his. To be fair, I couldn’t entirely blame him. But knowing that meant knowing that it had to be bad for him to agree to go into one. I also wanted his side of the story, knowing that Billy had a reason to take Natasha’s side. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe Billy; I just knew that he was fully aware of my feelings for Natasha. Being that he liked Natasha, he wouldn’t enjoy that we had fought, and he would try to take the fall for her. It didn’t seem likely because he was thirteen, but I also wasn’t convinced that he wasn’t trying to take the fall for her. Or, to be more accurate, he placed the blame entirely on his brother. Billy and I sat in the waiting room in silence, knowing that a conversation wouldn’t be in either of our best interests. After twenty agonizingly slow minutes, someone finally came into the waiting room to make an announcement.

“Is Natasha Romanoff here?” The orderly asked.
“Is this about Tommy Maximoff? I asked quickly.
“Yes. Are you the mother?” She asked, walking over to where we were sitting.
“I am. Is there an update?” I asked anxiously.
“His finger didn’t need surgery, so that’s a good thing. He did need stitches, so he’s going to have to be careful and not rip those stitches out.” She said firmly.
“Can we see him?” I asked with a nod.
“I’ll take you back to him. I do have to warn you: there is a lot of blood on his shirt. We can give him a new one if you’d like.” She said gently.
“Really?” I asked with a frown.
“Ma’am, may I level with you?” She asked with a sigh.
“Of course,” I said with a nod.
“I was informed that you made a rather large donation to the park, correct?” She asked.
“Yes, I did. Why?” I asked in confusion.
“They’re worried you’ll take it back or hit them with a lawsuit for this. They told me to keep you happy and get you anything you could need. So, if you want a new shirt for him, we’ll get that. But do know that he is very lucky to still have use of his finger, and even luckier that he has a finger at all.” She explained.
“They’re worried I’ll sue?” I asked slowly.
“Yes.” She confirmed with a nod.
“I’ll take the shirt for him. But I would really like to see him now.” I said as the information settled in my mind.
“Absolutely. I will let someone know to get that and take you to see him. Is Natasha still here?” She asked, scanning the room.
“No, she left,” I said firmly.
“Will you let her know that she saved Tommy’s finger and maybe his life?” She asked gently.
“Uh, yeah. I’ll let her know.” I said with a sigh.

She walked us back to where Tommy was lying in a bed. His hand was wrapped up, no doubt to keep him from ripping his stitches before he left. I could tell that he was slightly out of it, which could’ve been for many reasons. They probably gave him something for the pain, but he also had lost a lot of his blood; his shirt was a very vivid reminder of that. The nurse had been correct when she’d said that his shirt was soaked with blood, and I silently thanked myself for requesting a new shirt for him. His eyes widened when he saw me as if he didn’t think someone would get a hold of me for him.

“You told her?!” Tommy asked in disbelief.
“Natasha told her,” Billy said, shaking his head.
“She did. Not that she would’ve needed to. Did you think I wouldn’t notice that?” I asked with a frown.
“I thought maybe you’d be too distracted flirting with Natasha.” He said with a shrug.
“What?” I asked, choking on my own saliva.
“You missed it. She messed that up earlier,” Billy said with a sigh.
“What do you mean?” Tommy asked with a frown.
“They had a huge fight because you don’t listen to instructions,” Billy said, shaking his head.
“Mom! Why?!” He asked, clearly upset.
“Okay, what the fuck is going on here? What did Natasha say to you?” I questioned.
“Natasha didn't say anything to us. Why did you fight with her?” He pressed.
“Billy, please go find the nurse with the extra shirt for your brother.” I requested.
“I can’t leave a brother behind. That would be like leaving him to storm the beaches alone on D-Day.” He said with a frown.
“Are you comparing me to Hitler?” I asked with wide eyes.
“No! No! I mean, you are scary… But, I mean, you’re already not in the best mood, so it would just be wrong to leave him to fight on his own. Plus, he’s injured. So it’s not a fair fight.” He rambled quickly.
“Do you want to hear a secret?” I whispered.
“Sure?” He said slowly.
“If I’m in the fight, it will never be fair,” I said with a shrug.
“Your call, Tommy.” He said, nervously looking at his brother.
“No, it’s my call. Go find the nurse before your phone finds the bottom of the ocean.” I said with a groan.
“You’d really pollute the ocean even more? So much for caring about our generation.” He said quietly.
“Billy, I swear to God...” I said through my teeth.
“Dude, just go before she runs your phone over or something,” Tommy said quickly.
“Fine, but if you need me, just scream, and I’ll come running.” He said with a firm nod.

I rolled my eyes and watched as he slowly backed out of the room. He made a show of attempting to keep his eyes on the room with us, but I knew he couldn’t hear a word we were saying. When he was finally out of my line of vision, I turned toward Tommy. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere, but the hospital, and I couldn’t blame him. I just didn’t know if it was because he was scared of hospitals or me. I decided to give him a break and break the silence between us. I needed answers, and his side was the only one I was still waiting for.

“Walk me through what happened.” I requested.
“We got badges and security clearance and got to go to the lab. Natasha showed us the greenhouses where they grow the plant life and then the warmers where eggs stay. They keep dinosaurs grouped by species, you know? Then we went to the nursery…” He said with a sigh.
“What happened in the nursery?” I asked slowly.
“That’s when everything went wrong…” He mumbled quietly.
“Explain,” I said firmly.
“The scientist in the room seemed nice. He asked our names and even asked about you. But when he started to say what was in each pod, Natasha got angry.” He said with a frown.
“Angry?” I asked with a slow nod.
“She yelled at him a lot and asked what he was thinking. But while they were arguing, one of the eggs began to hatch. I remembered what she said about dinosaurs imprinting on the first person or thing they saw, and I thought it would be really cool if one imprinted on me. So, I tried to help it, but it had really sharp teeth, and it tore into my finger.” He admitted with a sigh.
“You know, the nurse said you’re lucky you didn’t lose your finger. Even more lucky you didn’t lose too much blood.” I said quietly.
“I didn’t say it was smart.” He mumbled, avoiding my eyes like the plague.
“It wasn’t smart! It was irresponsible, and you are lucky to still be here.” I said, shaking my head.
“I get it, mom. But you weren’t exactly smart today, either.” He shot back.
“We aren’t talking about me,” I said, refusing to have the same conversation with a different child.
“Why not?” He questioned with a frown.
“Because you are my child, Tommy. We do not talk about things like that.” I said, rolling my eyes.

I was frustrated with him. He hadn’t listened to instructions, and he’d almost died. I could understand why he hadn't, but at the same time, it was a dinosaur that he had messed around with. One that had sharp teeth, no less. I had to keep telling myself that he was still a child; he was going to make stupid choices. And while punishing him would be easy, it seemed to me that the biggest punishment was going to come in the form of things he couldn’t do on our trip any longer. I talked to the doctors and signed the paperwork to get him released, and Billy came back with his shirt. He left to wait outside while Tommy changed, and I had to help him keep from ramming his finger into the sleeves by not being careful. When he got his shirt on, we were ready to go.

“Come on, let’s go back to your room,” I said with a sigh.
“Can we go to yours instead?” Tommy asked gently.
“Mine?” I asked with a frown.
“To talk? Maybe about Natasha? Because something is going on with you.” He said slowly.
“Who told you that?” I asked, slowly looking at Billy through the door.
“Uh, you did.” He said with a snort.
“Me?” I questioned skeptically.
“Yeah, mom. It’s obvious when you’re around each other.” He said, shaking his head.
“Fine. We can go to my room.” I said with a nod.

He celebrated silently before realizing that he couldn’t move his hand without it hurting. It made me laugh silently, knowing that it would be enough punishment just to let him have to navigate everything with his injured finger. We grabbed his bloody shirt and everything else he had come in with before making our way out the door. Billy was waiting for us anxiously and immediately fell in line as we walked out. Our journey to the resort was nearly silent, neither of the boys wanting to break the silence on the chance that it opened an opportunity for me to finally yell at them for being irresponsible. But with my emotions swinging to many different places, I didn’t have it in me to fully focus on them while thinking about fixing things between Natasha and myself. Maybe that made me a questionable mother, but if I wasn’t happy, it wouldn’t lead to anything fun for the boys; I knew that much. We finally got in the elevator, and I hit my floor number using my key card to get access. Tommy didn’t push the button for their floor, and finally, Billy realized something was up.

“What are we doing?” Billy asked with a frown.
“Going to my room,” I said with a sigh.
“Why?” He asked, clearly nervous.
“To talk about Natasha,” I said, my eyes finding his.
“Wait, you just had a fight with her, and now you’re going to tell Tommy about her?” He asked in confusion.
“This is why I agreed to talk to the both of you. To fill in any missing information that you’re allowed to know about.” I said quietly.
“Can we ask questions?” He asked slowly.
“Yes, and I will decide if they’re ones I want to answer. Sound good?” I asked as the elevator opened to my suite.
“Holy shit… This room is insane!” He said with wide eyes.
“Watch your mouth. I told you that you’d be jealous. Now, will you answer my question?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Yeah, yeah, questions answered to be determined by you. You have a kitchen?!” He asked with shock.
“Okay, let’s go sit down on the couch,” I said, shaking my head.

The boys took their time making their way to the couch. I could see them investigating everything they could find, and I knew that agreeing to have the conversation in my room was a mistake. We all sat down, but the boys were still glancing around the room. If there wasn’t something to be dealt with, I would probably find it cute that they couldn’t stay focused because they were so excited, but because I wanted to get things moving, it was frustrating not to be able to hold their focus. When they were finally able to pull themselves together to focus on me, their eyes felt far more intense than I’d expected.

“Where should I start?” I asked gently.
“The beginning? Like, where did you meet? Or, how did you meet?” Billy asked.
“We met in high school. Her family moved into the house that was next to grandma and grandpa’s house. Her parents still live there.” I explained.
“You were neighbors?!” Tommy asked in shock.
“We were. Your grandmother forced your uncle and I to go introduce ourselves to them when they moved in. Your uncle abandoned me with them, but it led to Yelena and I getting close. It also was the first time that I talked to Natasha.” I explained, trying only to share what I thought was important.
“Were you and Natasha ever more than friends?” Billy questioned.
“We dated for close to a year,” I said with a nod.
“Who knew about you?” He asked lightly.
“No one knew about us while we were together. I told your uncle about us later, but we were no longer together at that point.” I said with a sigh.
“Why did you break up?” Tommy asked quietly.
“We broke up because I wasn’t ready to tell everyone about us. That hurt her, and she couldn’t give up living her life authentically for me.” I answered quietly.
“Did you ever try to win her back?” He asked curiously.
“What do you think this trip is?” I asked with a snort.
“Okay, other than this, did you?” He rephrased.
“I had a plan,” I said with a hum.
“What happened?” Billy asked softly.
“Your uncle had his accident, and my parents loved your father. I didn’t see any reason to upset anyone even more.” I said with a sigh, not wanting them to realize what they were sure to figure out.
“That must’ve been hard,” Tommy whispered.
“What?” I asked with a frown of confusion.
“Billy and I have always been together. Maybe sometimes we don’t get along, but he’s still always there. He’s a smarter version of me that I can always go to; I couldn’t imagine him not being there. Plus, you weren’t talking to the person you actually loved anymore, so you probably felt all by yourself.” He said quietly.
“When did you get so emotionally intelligent?” I asked with surprise.
“He’s been reading a book Pepper bought him. And it seems like it’s working… It’s weird.” Billy said with a skeptical look.
“What book?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“The Emotionally Intelligent Teen.” He said with a groan.
“And you’re actually reading it,” I said in disbelief.
“She said something he didn’t like,” Billy said easily.
“What did she say?” I questioned with a sigh.
“She asked me if I wanted to be like dad. And asked if I cared that I was hurting you.” Tommy mumbled.
“Well, I am very thankful that you cared enough to read the book,” I said lightly.
“So, what are you going to do about Natasha?” He asked, changing the subject quickly.
“She said she might need to call Yelena,” Billy said quickly.
“Why?” Tommy asked with a frown.
“She didn’t tell me,” Billy said with a shrug.
“Wait, you guys want me to be with her?” I asked slowly.
“Duh? Where have you been?” Tommy asked with narrow eyes.
“Why don’t I just start with an apology?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Sounds good. Call us if you need backup.” He said, relaxing into the couch.
“I’m not sure what made you think that you would be staying here, but you are not,” I said, shaking my head.
“Why not? Your room is so much cooler.” He whined.
“I told you that you would want to be in here. But no, you’re not staying here.” I said with a laugh.
“We’ll go. Good luck, mom.” Billy said softly.
“Thank you, both of you,” I said, looking between them.
“Okay, let’s go so she can fix things.” He said, pulling Tommy to his feet.

I shook my head as Tommy did everything he could to protest leaving the room. I knew that once he saw it, he wouldn’t want to leave. He loved fancy hotels, and the suite was the fanciest one he’d ever been in. I didn’t know how to find Natasha; it wasn’t like I knew where she lived; I only knew where she worked. And it would make sense for her to avoid the places she knew I could find her in favor of being places I didn’t know about. I wandered around the park until I caught a glimpse of her. When I saw her, I was like a sighthound, taking off to catch up with her to say my peace. I probably looked ridiculous running through the park, but I didn’t care.

“Natasha!” I yelled, trying to keep her from getting too far.
“Wanda?” She said with a frown as she turned around.
“Wait up!” I said, continuing my charge forward.
“What are you doing here?” She asked with a sigh when I reached her.
“You saved his finger… Maybe even his life.” I said with a sigh.
“All I did was move quickly. You didn’t need to track me down. But I’m glad he’s okay.” She said, shaking her head.
“You saved him,” I said firmly.
“It doesn’t matter.” She said, shaking her head.
“I fucked up, Nat. I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you, but I didn’t. But he’s… He’s my kid.” I said quietly.
“I love how unapologetically loud you love your people, Wanda. I love how you defend them against anyone and anything with ferocity. I just wish I was one of the people you did that for.” She said, shaking her head.
“That’s not fair; he’s my son,” I argued.
“You’re right; it’s not fair, and he is your son. But I can’t be your scapegoat because you feel guilty that he got hurt, and you weren’t there to prevent it.” She said firmly.
“I was scared. I overreacted, maybe, but imagine you’re a mother, and someone tells you that a dinosaur bit your child’s finger. I was wrong, but my first instinct is to protect them.” I said with a defeated sigh.
“Wanda, I never said I didn’t understand why you reacted the way you did.” She said, her voice breaking.
“Then why can’t you accept my apology? I’m sorry that I hurt you. I’m sorry that I said things I knew would hurt you. And you were right; I felt guilty, and I took that guilt out on you. I should have let you explain, and instead, I didn’t.” I said, swallowing thickly.
“I told myself for years that I would never let you in again. That if I did, I would only be hurt by you again. Then you go and show up after years, and I throw it all away. You made me believe that if I let you in again, things could be different. You convinced me that you’d grown up. And God, you were so fucking believable, too.” She said with a bitter laugh.
“I have grown up,” I argued firmly.
“You haven’t Okay? You fucking have not. You thought I’d done something to cause you pain, and the first thing you did was find a way to hurt me. You are still the same scared little girl who would rather break a good thing herself to avoid being hurt in the future. And I’m the same idiot who fell for it twice.” She said through her teeth.
“Natasha, please,” I whispered as I swallowed my tears.
“I can’t. I can’t do this with you again. And I won’t do it to your kids. Whatever this is or was, between us, is done. Your trip is almost done, so it should be more than easy for us to go back to how things were.” She said, nodding to herself.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered through tears.
“I so fucking badly wanted this to end differently.” She said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She learned and walked away as quickly as she could. I tried to take steadying breaths to avoid crying in public, but it felt like a losing battle. I made my way to my room to have my meltdown in private. The one thing I never wanted to do had been done in a moment of fear and guilt. I just couldn’t believe that I had so easily ruined the thing I’d craved for so long once again. She was the one thing I was missing in my life, and I promptly ruined it before it could even properly begin. Everything just felt hopeless because I only wanted her, so if I couldn’t have her, why not dedicate my life to being alone, then? It sounded like it was something I deserved for how I’d behaved. I got to my room and dove into the bed head first, finally allowing the floodgates to open.