Chapter 1
A brisk gust of wind forced tears right out of Alya’s eyes as she and Peter walked side by side. During the winter months, the weather had gotten considerably colder, but it didn’t seem to really bother either of them.
They just wanted to spend as much time as possible together before Peter went to college. He still wasn’t sure where he wanted to go, but time was running out for him to decide.
He thought he wanted to go to MIT, but with everything that happened, he wasn’t sure he even wanted to leave New York. There were plenty of good schools around and he didn’t want to leave his family behind after already losing so much.
Alya never brought the subject up, but he could tell she was just itching to talk about it. But Peter wouldn’t say anything until he knew for sure.
“Hey, you wanna stop for some pizza?” He nudged her as she pulled her scarf over her nose. “My treat.”
“And ice cream?” Alya grinned.
“Alya, I don’t know how you do it.” Peter laughed. “It’s gotta be at least ten degrees out here and you want frozen dessert.”
“Ice cream tastes best when it’s cold.”
“You’re nuts.” Peter shook his head in amusement.
The two continued to walk in silence as they made their way to the pizza parlor. When they reached the door, Peter held it open for his sister, who smiled in thanks, and led her over to an empty booth. “You want your usual? Or do you want something different?”
“I want lots and lots of cheese.” Alya’s eyes sparkled as she wiggled in her seat.
“One veggie.”
“When did you start sounding like Mama?” Alya wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I don’t want veggies.”
It seemed like the older Peter got, the more responsible he was becoming.
How dare he try to get her to eat vegetables? Who did he think he was?
“No veggies. No pizza.”
“Not even a bite?” She batted her eyelashes.
“Not even a crumb.”
Peter had to fight not to laugh. Alya knew she was cute and she tried to use it to get her way at any chance she got.
Unfortunately, Peter couldn't fold because he knew Natasha would kill him if he didn't make sure she got in some much needed nutrients.
Especially if this pizza was going to ruin her appetite.
“Cauliflower?”
“Coming right up.”
Alya lightly drummed her hands on the table as she waited for Peter to come back with the pizza. The place was pretty empty besides some woman sitting behind her with her young son. Her eyes darted to the window and she saw that it was getting dark. Since it was still very early in the year, the sunset came sooner than any of them would like.
An uncomfortable feeling made itself at home in the pit of her stomach and her lips twitched downward as her thoughts ran away from her.
She could hear the woman interacting with her son and tears nearly sprang to her eyes. His laughter struck a chord in her and the woman's love for him filled the room.
“Here you go.” Peter interrupted her thoughts to give her her food.
“Thanks.” She forced a smile. “Peter, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you miss how things were?”
She could clearly remember what life was like before the Avengers. As much as she loved Katya, she loved Natasha a whole lot more and the thought of losing her was enough to shatter her to pieces.
“Sometimes. Do you?”
Peter wasn't sure where this was coming from and he thought he should let someone know before Alya held onto it for too long and blew up.
“Sometimes…..it was easier…..I think.” She frowned. “But I don’t wanna go back.”
It was easier when she didn't have so many people to love, and so many people to love her.
“Me either. Why’d you bring it up?”
“Sometimes it feels like a dream…….maybe one day I’ll wake up and it won’t be real anymore.”
And that was one of her biggest nightmares.
Nothing could be scarier. Not Thanos, not Hydra, not even Dreykov.
She didn't know she'd do if it came true.
Alya’s eyebrows furrowed when she felt a soft vibration coming from her kimoyo beads. One of the beads had a bit of light coming from it, so she tapped it, prompting a hologram to project out of it.
This was the coolest gift ever.
“Hi, Shuri!” She beamed when she saw who it was that called her.
“Hello, Little Cub.” Shuri’s small figure smiled. “Staying out of trouble?”
“Yes.” Alya nodded. She could actually say that with complete confidence. “I got the dress you sent me. And the outfit Nakia sent. Thank you.”
For her birthday, Shuri sent her a beautiful green patterned dress that she planned on wearing once she got back to Wakanda. Nakia also sent her a little something and she couldn't wait to put it on.
“You’re very welcome, though I did not call for us to catch up.”
“Oh…..then why?”
“Hold on for just one second.” Shuri tapped away at her beads before two more holograms shot out of Alya’s.
This kind of technology was so fascinating to the young teen.
“Hello.” She smiled politely at Nakia and T’Challa once she saw their faces.
Now that they were a part of the conversation, she felt a little more reserved. It was one thing talking to Shuri, but Nakia was her long lost aunt and T'Challa was king of Wakanda.
“It is good to see you again, Little Cub.” T’Challa greeted. “I trust you are staying out of trouble?”
“Why does everybody always say that?” Alya sighed.
Apparently, she made a reputation for herself. One that preceded her so much, it spread to another country.
“Do not mind him.” Nakia nudged the man. “We wanted to ask if you would like to come visit us.”
“But I was just over there.” Alya deadpanned.
“You should get to know your culture and your family.” T’Challa told her as an explanation.
Alya knew he was right. As much as she loved her parents, there was a whole other side of her that she needed to learn about. It wouldn’t be right to disregard it and pretend it didn’t exist.
“We have already spoken to your parents. We don’t want you sneaking away this time.” Nakia winked.
“Aww, I don’t do that anymore.” Alya pouted.
“We hope not.” Nakia raised a brow, her voice taking on a maternal tone. “I’m sure your mother and father will keep us updated if you do.”
Great, just what Alya needed, another set of bonus parents.
As if she didn't already have enough.
“Alya, it’s time for bed.” Natasha gently shook her daughter’s shoulder.
Between going to school, grabbing a bite to eat with Peter, and then the phone call with Shuri, Nakia, and T'Challa, it had been a long day.
But, even then, Alya refused to admit defeat.
“M’not sleepy.” The brunette shook her heavy head before resting it back on Sam’s shoulder. She had settled in with him on the couch, wanting to soak up as much affection from him as possible. “Wanna stay with Uncle Sam, please.”
“He’ll be here in the morning when you get up.” Natasha assured her.
“No, Mama……please?”
“Alya, listen to your mom.” Sam nudged her. Alya could feel the vibration of his chuckling through his chest and it only made her sleepier. “I’m not going anywhere for a while. You’re stuck with me.”
“Come tuck me in?”
“Of course I will.” The man kissed her forehead before standing up with her in his arms. “Say, goodnight.”
“G’night.”
Thirteen or not, Alya was still small and light enough to be carried when she was in a snuggly mood. She blinked lazily, her arms dangling at her sides while Sam brought her to her room, gently laying her down before he pulled the sheets over her.
Sleepily turning over, her eyes closed involuntarily, forcing her to search for George with her hands. Only when she found him, did she relax.
Mischief, who had been resting by the window, hopped down and jumped on the bed, curling up right next to Alya's head. The feeling of her cat's body heat only made the road to dreamland even easier than before.
“Don’t let the monsters under your bed bite your toes, okay?” Sam teased. It was something he used to tell her when she was younger and it always got her to smile.
Today was no different.
“Uncle Sam?” But before he could turn to leave, Alya reached out for him, managing to get ahold of his arm.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
Sam almost teared up as he sat down next to the child, pressing another kiss to her forehead. “I love you, too. You know that I do.”
He loved her the minute she waltzed into his life. He couldn't believe how much she's grown. She went from that shy little girl in D.C. that hid behind Steve's leg to avoid conversation, to a vibrant and confident young teen.
“I know.” She smiled before finally drifting off.
Once her breathing evened out, the man left the room with a smile of his own on his face.
He was glad that Steve and Natasha came knocking on his door that fateful day, because it changed everything.
“What’s got you smiling?” Natasha smirked.
“You’ve got a cute kid.” He responded, pouring himself a glass of water once he got to the kitchen. “Pain in my neck sometimes, but cute.”
“Peter, why don’t you get to bed?” Bucky eyed the boy carefully. All throughout the conversation, Peter had been nodding off, shaking his head several times as if that would prevent him from falling asleep.
He swore that Peter and Alya shared blood because they were so similar in the way they behaved.
What was their aversion to going to bed?
“I’m not tired.”
“C’mon, kid.” Bucky made a split second decision and scooped Peter up, not surprised when the teen didn’t even protest. “It’s time for you to turn in.”
“Auntie Yelena! Auntie Yelena!”
Yelena looked at her niece when the small girl came racing to her, her school bag still right over her shoulders. She wasn't expecting her company so soon after school, but Alya was full of surprises. “Hold on, Baby. I’m busy.”
Alya huffed and a pout graced her lips. She didn't see how her aunt was too busy for her. She was at school all day while Yelena was at home. Couldn't she have taken care of everything that was keeping her? “You don’t look busy.”
“I am spending time with Kate Bishop.” Yelena raised a brow. She knew that Alya could see her talking and interacting with the young woman, so she wasn’t really sure where this was coming from.
“But she was here all day.”
“Alya, I will have plenty of time to play with you when I’m finished here. Go get something to eat. I am sure you’re hungry.”
Didn't kids play after school? What was wrong with going outside and rolling in the mud, or whatever it is that small children did to have fun?
Alya looked at Kate, who shrunk down a little, and glared. She liked Kate, she really did, but for some reason, she was angry with her now. Ever since Yelena and Kate met, the two had been spending a lot of time together and she didn’t appreciate it.
“There’s some mac and cheese in the microwave if you want it. Go and eat. We are having an adult conversation, not meant for baby ears.”
“Hmph!” Alya stomped her foot and marched over to the kitchen, trying to ignore the sound of her aunt’s laughter.
“Hey, look, I can come back some other time.” Kate tried to play the peacemaker. She hadn’t been with them very long and didn’t really know about their dynamic. She felt like Alya was upset with her and she just wanted to make the situation better.
“No.” Yelena spoke sternly, the smile dropping from her face in a flash. “I invited you here to hang out and that is just what we are going to do. The baby will learn that the world does not cater to her whims.”
“I’m not a baby!” Alya grew a little more upset and slammed the microwave door a little harder than intended. “…..Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Yelena just rolled her eyes and continued her conversation with Kate. There were times where she felt more like Alya’s older sister. The girl could irritate her to no end, but she loved her to death. She felt as if she could strangle her and smother her with kisses at the same time.
This was one of those times.
Once Alya got her hands on the pasta, she dug right in. Of course, her taste buds liked it, but she couldn’t find it within herself to enjoy it. She was too upset.
Well…….she wouldn’t say she was upset per say.
She didn’t know what she was.
It wasn’t as if she didn’t want Kate there. She loved having her around. Kate was so fun to talk to and hang out with. Despite everything that happened to her, she still managed to put a smile on her face.
So then why did Alya have such a problem with her?
When she looked over at Kate, her blood boiled. She felt hot all over and if she were in a cartoon, she’d have smoke coming out her ears.
The only word that could describe what she was feeling, was jealousy.
But there was no way she could be jealous.
Not of Kate.
Not with Yelena.
But when the two laughed again, she felt that familiar smoke and decided to leave.
What was wrong with her?
“Alya, come on, stop pouting.” Wanda rolled her eyes. “You were the one who whined about wanting to hang out and now you’re being impossible.”
She wasn't surprised when Alya came marching to the common floor, muttering about how she wanted to spend time with her and Peter. She said she didn't care what they did as long as they did it together. Of course, Wanda and Peter could tell that she was upset about something, but they wanted to wait for Alya to open the conversation.
“This is weird even for you.” Peter added. “Why don’t you tell us what’s wrong?”
“Yeah, did something happen at school? Is someone messing with you?” Wanda hated to think that Serena girl might have been bothering her again. School was hard enough without having to deal with bullies.
“No.”
“But……” Wanda wanted to make sure she covered all the bases. It was evident that Alya could go to extremes when she felt off kilter and she didn’t want her to do anything stupid. “You’d tell me if something was wrong?”
“Uh huh.” Alya nodded, fiddling with her pretend dollar bills.
She had somehow suckered them both into playing Monopoly even though neither one of them liked to play the game with her. She always managed to cheat her way through it.
But since she was clearly upset, they sat down on the floor and set the game up to appease her.
“Why do you three look so glum, huh?” Alexei’s voice traveled loudly once he and Melina got off the elevator. “You should be having fun! Burn off your energy!”
After Alya's birthday, the couple decided to stay in New York to spend time with the family. The girls were thrilled to have them so close and it gave Alya a chance to get more comfortable with Alexei.
“Alya’s upset, but she won’t tell us why.” Peter shrugged.
“Oh no.” Melina tsked as she sat down next to the girl. “What’s the matter with my Alenka?”
“Tetushka likes Kate better than me.” Alya’s lip quivered.
Melina felt so bad, but she almost laughed out loud. She could remember a time where Alya and Yelena couldn’t even sit next to each other without one antagonizing the other. Now Alya couldn’t stand to see anyone else with her full and undivided attention.
“Oh, you stop that.” She lightly scolded, pulling the girl to sit on her lap. “Tetushka loves you. You know that.”
“No.” Alya shook her head. “She only wants to play with Kate. She doesn’t like me anymore.”
Just as the words left her lips, Yelena and Kate exited the elevator, laughing.
“See?” Alya cried quite dramatically. “Baba, you’ll always love me, right?”
“Honestly, Alyona, you’re being silly.” But Melina looked down at those steel baby blues and caved. “Yes, Babushka will always love you.”
“Lenochka.” Alexei interrupted the two. “Alya has a problem.”
He figured now that he was a grandpa, he could solve this problem that the girls seemed to be having. It was a pretty good place to start.
“What is it?” Yelena asked.
“She thinks you like Kate better than you like her.” Wanda explained. “We tried to tell her that was silly, but she won’t listen.”
“Of course it’s silly.” Yelena furrowed her eyebrows. “Is that why you threw such a tantrum earlier?”
“It wasn’t a tantrum.” Alya whined. “And you’re always playing with her and not me.”
“I’m right here.” Kate spoke awkwardly.
They were talking about her as if she wasn't even in the room. It was awkward.
“I spend time with Kate because she is fun to be around…..don’t tell her I said that.” Yelena crouched down to look her niece in the eyes.
“I’m still right here, guys.”
“But just because I spend time with Kate, doesn’t mean that I don’t like you. Don’t say things like that. It hurts to hear. Я очень люблю тебя, моя маленькая племянница.” (I love you very much, my little niece.)
Yelena wasn't in the habit of telling anyone how much she loved them, but in Alya's case, she was willing to make an exception.
Just this once.
“All better?” Alexei asked her, cupping her chin.
His warm hand felt very comforting to Alya and the more time they spent together, the more she grew to like him.
“Uh huh.” Alya smiled and kicked her legs very contently. “Okay, Wanda let’s play another game of Monopoly.”
“Fine, but don’t cheat this time.”
“Hey.” Yelena caught Alya’s attention once again. “You’re a very good girl for not being mean to Katie.”
She knew that years ago, Alya might have taken her frustrations out on Kate, so she thought it would be nice to acknowledge her growth.
“I’m still right here.”