Chapter Thirty-Three
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Alya watched the clock in the kitchen as it ticked away, her chin resting in the palm of her hand.
True to her word, Natasha had made her sit at the table because she still wouldn't eat her veggies. Alya was sure they were cold by now, but that didn't really matter to her, she wasn't eating them anyway.
Wanda had since gone up to their room to read or go to bed and Steve retired as well. Alya knew because he came over and gave her a kiss on the forehead before heading upstairs. Which left Clint and Natasha alone on the couch with the tv still playing.
"It's late." Clint nudged his best friend.
"Mhm." Natasha nodded, curled up with a book she wasn't even reading.
"How long are you gonna make her sit there?"
"It's up to her. I told her what to do."
"She's not gonna eat that food, Tasha." Clint glanced back at the girl who had barely moved a muscle. "This isn't about concern for her health anymore."
"Oh?"
"You know it isn't. It turned into a battle of wills the minute you gave her that ultimatum and you met your match."
"Clint."
"It's late. She flew all the way from New York by herself, she wasn't happy there, this is her fourth home in a few months, you guys just came back from Russia not too long ago. Katya is gone." He listed. "She probably could've used a bit more understanding than tough love today."
"She left without saying anything, Clint."
"Your idea of correcting that, is to push her away?"
"She broke my trust."
"So now you want to break hers?"
"Of course not." Natasha's eyes flickered with shock before she schooled her features again.
"Then why is she falling asleep at the dinner table when she should be in bed?"
The blonde glanced back at her daughter, who she's been watching out of the corner of her eye the entire night. Alya hadn't made a single move to touch the food on her plate, but she had listened and sat there at the table.
"And did we have to have dessert tonight? Especially ice cream?" Clint sent her a knowing smile.
Sometimes, he forgot that Alya and Natasha weren't actually biologically related. They were so similar and stubborn.
Natasha could admit, the ice cream for dessert had been petty on her part.
"Go put her to bed, Tasha. Read her story or something. Find out what's bothering her, because there is something bothering her. You and I both know that."
Natasha set her book down and nodded, making her way over to the child. Alya sensed her presence, looked up at her and turned away.
"Come here." She spoke gently.
Alya shook her head, staring down her plate as if it would grow legs and run away. To be honest, it would've been a very welcomed change.
She felt her mother's hands reach under her arms to lift her up and she tried to move away from her, but Natasha was quicker, swinging her up onto her hip in one fluid motion. "It's bedtime."
Alya was really confused because she wasn't supposed to leave the table before she cleared her plate.
Was this a test?
Natasha noticed how Alya had stiffened in her hold and tried to ignore the stabbing pain in her chest that it caused.
She had done that.
In a matter of hours, she had managed to push her daughter away. What was she thinking? She was so afraid when she got that frantic call from Pepper that she just acted without really thinking about what she was doing.
"Let's find you some pajamas." She blinked back tears, setting the child down on her bed once she reached her room, stepping away to go through the drawers.
Alya didn't remember unpacking, so Wanda must've done it all for her, because Natasha did find a pair of pajamas with monkeys all over them in the dresser.
That was her favorite pair. She loved anything with monkeys on it.
"Arms up?"
The eleven year old complied and allowed her mother to help her change into something more comfy before she stood up again. She was still confused, but she was going to enjoy the comfort for as long as Natasha was willing to give it.
"Why don't you brush your teeth and head to my room? I'll be there in a second." Natasha pushed some hair out of the girl's face, watching as she left the room.
"Nat." Wanda spoke softly, catching her attention. "I found something when I unpacked her bag."
"What?"
Wanda slid off of her bed and opened Alya's duffle bag, revealing all the weapons she had found in the old apartment.
There were so many weapons in that small bag and they were put away in a way that looked like a grown person had done it, not a small child.
Natasha was beginning to wonder just what happened back in the Compound that Pepper didn't know, or just didn't tell her.
"And I found these." Wanda handed her a pair of handcuffs. "I don't know what she'd need them for, but I thought you'd want to know."
"No." Natasha waved her off. "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Somehow, those handcuffs scared her a whole lot more than any weapon she found in that duffle bag.
Alya came out of the bathroom to find her mother already waiting for her. She didn't look angry anymore, so that was a good sign. The woman beckoned her over and drew her onto her lap as soon as she was within reach, holding her close.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "Mama's sorry."
The eleven year old furrowed her eyebrows, but she didn't say anything. She hadn't realized that Natasha did anything wrong. She wasn't the one who snuck out of the Compound in the middle of night.
Why was she apologizing?
"I was wrong. I played this all wrong. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I wasn't. I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"It's not okay. Nothing about today was okay." Natasha kissed her cheek. She was hoping to get Alya used to adults apologizing to her when they were wrong, especially her. Respect was a two way street. "I found something of yours."
"What?"
"These." She showed her the cuffs. "Wanna tell me where they came from? I promise, I'm not upset."
"Madame B gave 'em to me." Alya told her, playing with her necklace. She really didn't think that she'd ever use them again, but that night at the Compound had been hard and she needed some sort of comfort.
"Have you used them?"
"When I was at the Compound."
"Can you tell me why?" Natasha locked eyes with Steve who had just entered the room. He had been so quiet that Alya didn't notice him at first.
Since there were only three bedrooms, that meant Natasha and Steve had to share one. It also fit the whole 'family dynamic' they were trying to put out into the public while they were undercover.
He silently asked her what the handcuffs were for and she nodded to Alya, giving her time to explain.
Alya shrugged and took the cuffs from her mother, fiddling with the metal links. "I'm tired."
"Okay." She was such a tough nut to crack, but Natasha wasn't giving up so easily. Alya could sleep if she wanted to, but tomorrow, they were going to talk about this. "Let's get you under the covers."
"Can I wear them?"
"I would prefer you not to." Natasha said honestly. "But if they make you feel comfortable…."
If Alya had already made herself accustomed to sleeping with the cuffs, then it was going to take more than one night to wean her off again. She would need to take this one step at a time.
Alya smiled and wasted no time in locking the cuff onto her wrist, tightening it before relaxing. She felt a lot better now that she and Natasha had made up. Maybe she just overreacted a little. Natasha would never stop loving her. The very thought of that happening was impossible.
"Let's just stay like this for a while." Her mother suggested, keeping a firm grip on her before she stood up and sat down on a rocking chair she had purchased for this exact scenario. "There we go. That's better."
Alya played with her hands before ultimately deciding to place her fingers in her mouth, but this time, Natasha pulled them out, wiping them off before she held them in her own hand. The child's feet kicked, reminding Natasha very much of the time she had been turned into a toddler.
She knew that if she kept rocking back and forth while patting her back, Alya would be out like a light in no time. Of course, the eleven year old would try to fight to stay awake, but she was no match for her mother's expertise. Eventually, her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing evened out, signaling that she had fallen fast asleep.
"In the Red Room, we were handcuffed to our beds at night so no one could try to escape." Natasha began to explain to Steve, who was still very, very lost. "She's had them all this time….."
"Why does she want to use them now?" Steve didn't understand this because he hadn't experienced it, but he was willing to learn so that he could help in any way he could.
"After a while, it's hard sleeping without them." Natasha pressed a gentle kiss to Alya's forehead. "Like when an infant can't sleep without their pacifier. It took me years to be able to sleep without this metal attached to my wrist."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"You're sweet." She smiled. "No, not really. You just keep on spoiling her the way you always do."
"I thought you hated that."
"Oh, I do." A chuckle left her lips. "But I let it slide because somebody has to be the pushover and isn't going to be me…..or Clint."
Steve stifled a laugh and shook his head, watching Natasha continue to soothe Alya. Those two were soulmates, he was sure of it. He had never seen Natasha this soft or this loving before Alya came into their lives. Between the bedtime stories, the soothing of nightmares, the hugs, kisses, wiping of tears, Steve was impressed by how easily Natasha had slipped into motherhood. She was made for it.
She was an amazing mother. She had her faults and sometimes she messed up, but she always did her best. Alya just ate all of her attention up. Steve swore that Alya and Natasha were the apples of each other's eyes.
Watching their relationship grow and blossom from skepticism to friendship, and, eventually, to an inseparable bond was a privilege to see.
They were meant to be in each other's lives.
"She loves you, too, you know?" Natasha snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"I can practically hear your thoughts bursting out of your head." She chuckled softly.
"Oh." He smiled. "She's a good kid."
"She is."
"Sometimes, I look at her…and I wonder if I'm missing out on something by not having kids."
"Missing out?" Natasha scoffed lightly so she wouldn't wake Alya. "I think James would agree, she's partly yours. You are her godfather."
Natasha had decided a very long time ago, that both Clint and Steve would equally share the title of her child's godfather. The way they both loved and cared for Alya from the very beginning made her confident in her decision.
She already mentioned it to Clint, in passing. Neither one of them were overly affectionate, but she did notice a glaze in the man's eyes when he got the news. He had been so touched. Sure, he and Natasha were friends and they were extremely close, but being named the godfather of someone's child was a big honor. He loved that little girl and he'd do anything for her.
And so would Steve.
"Nat…thank you."
"Thank you."
"Wake up, sleepyhead."
Alya blinked herself awake to see Wanda sitting beside her on her bed.
The last thing she remembered, was sitting on her mother's lap. So Natasha must've brought her back to her room after she fell asleep.
And she took off the handcuffs. Alya had to admit, that was pretty sneaky.
"Rise and shine." The older girl sang, lightly tickling her tummy.
Alya giggled sleepily and pushed her hands away, smiling up at her older sister. "Hi." Her hand reached up to rub her eyes.
Wanda tried not to gush out how utterly cute Alya was being and smiled. "Good morning. Breakfast is ready. Steve made pancakes."
"Pancakes?" Alya sat up slowly. As much as she wanted to stay in her nice, warm bed, the thought of pancakes was very intriguing.
Steve always made them so fluffy and buttery.
"You'd better hurry up before we eat them all without you."
Alya grinned and hightailed it to the bathroom to brush her teeth, racing right back to the bedroom at a breakneck speed, nearly startling Wanda in the process.
"Let's go!" She reached grabby hands out towards her, prompting the teen to lift her up.
"You're getting heavy." Wanda joked, bouncing her before she carefully made her way down the stairs. "Soon you'll be too big for this."
"No I'm not!" Alya wrapped her arms around Wanda's neck at the suggestion.
"Look who finally decided to join us." Clint greeted them once they were in view of everyone in the dining area. He stood up from his place at the table and took Alya from Wanda, setting her on his hip.
But it didn't last long before Mama Bear made herself known.
"Give her here." Natasha told him.
"No way." He shook his head. "You always have her."
"I'm her mother."
"Exactly." He blinked. "You should be okay with me keeping her."
Steve and Wanda shared an amused smile as they both sat down to serve themselves while the two adults bickered over the small child.
"Not so." Natasha shook her head. "I haven't gotten my fill today."
"Neither have I."
Alya looked between the two and giggled at how silly they were being. There was enough of her to go around.
"Again, as the mother, I have seniority." Natasha pulled her out of the man's arms. "Come here, baby."
"Hi, Mama." Alya smiled when her mother gave her an eskimo kiss while swaying back and forth.
"Are you hungry?" The blonde moved some of Alya's bedhead away from her face. She'd fix it later, right now, she wanted to get something in the girl's stomach.
"Yes."
"Let's get you something to eat."
"Unbelievable." Clint threw his hands up in the air. "None of us stand a chance, Steve."
"I'll say."
"And don't you forget it, boys."