Better Days

LAURA POV:

We headed down the hall to Natasha's office after FRIDAY notified us that that's where she was. I wasn't looking forward to this conversation but I knew that we needed to have it. She wasn't taking care of herself and poor Wanda was very worried about her as well.

"How're we doing this?" Clint asked as we neared her office.

"I don't know, I guess it depends on how she reacts. I'm willing to have a very civil conversation where we come up with ideas on how to help her but I also doubt that she's going to allow that to happen," I replied, knowing that she would probably get defensive.

We went to open her door and it was locked. I knocked on the door. "Nat, it's me."

Instead of the door opening, we got a message from FRIDAY, "Agent Romanoff wishes to be undisturbed right now."

"Well, I don't care what Agent Romanoff wants," I said, feeling my anger start to rise. She needed help. "Unless she is sleeping, open this door."

"Agent Romanoff is sleeping," FRIDAY replied and I stopped, slightly shocked. 

"Oh," I replied, about to turn around and head the other way when Clint scoffed.

"Natasha, you need to open this door right now before I go find Tony to see whatever you've done to hack FRIDAY into saying what you want," Clint told her sternly through the door. 

"Are we positive that she hacked into FRIDAY?" I asked, not wanting to get mad at her if she really was sleeping.

"I am, watch," he told me. "FRIDAY, what time did Natasha go to sleep?"

"Agent Romanoff slept for 2 hours and 43 minutes." Clint looked at me and I waited for him to explain. 

"Natasha's so exhausted that she forgot to program a start and end time in the programming. She just put one response to all questions regarding her sleep which is that she slept for 2 hours and 43 minutes. FRIDAY directly answers questions when asked, she doesn't give roundabout answers." I nodded, understanding what was going on.

"Natasha, open this door young lady," I told her, using my mom voice. It's the same voice I used on her as a teenager and I knew that back then, it would intimidate her. I wasn't sure if it had the same effect now though.

"Natasha, last chance," Clint told her through the door. "We will go to Tony and then we'll be having a different discussion." We waited for a few more seconds and when no noise could be heard on the other end, we headed down to find Tony.

Normally, I knew that Natasha was smart enough to hack into systems and never leave a trace but right now, her exhaustion was limiting her abilities, making it easier for us to call her bluff. I let Clint do the talking once we got to Tony, not wanting to interfere.

"Natasha hacked into FRIDAY," Clint started with as we entered Tony's lab. 

"She what?" he asked, seeming confused.

"She hacked into FRIDAY, trying to get her to say that she's sleeping more than she actually is."

"Why would she do that?" Tony asked and I took it that he had no idea what was going on.

"Because she's not sleeping but is trying to hide that fact from us," Clint continued. "We need you to hack back in and fix it," he said and Tony nodded. 

He moved over to his computer and in a few minutes, he had returned FRIDAY to her original programming. 

"She must be exhausted," Tony said and I wondered why. Luckily, Clint asked for me.

"Why?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Because the few other times that Nat has hacked into FRIDAY, it has been nearly impossible for me to change it back. She's good. But this was sloppy and very easy for me to remove. Either that or she didn't really want to keep all of this a secret."

"I doubt it's that," Clint said. "It seems like she's willing to take this secret to the grave so I'll put my money on the first one. We'll find out soon though," he replied and I nodded.

"FRIDAY?" I asked, still not used to the AI. "How long has Natasha slept since coming back to the compound?"

"Agent Romanoff has received 1 hour and 52 minutes of sleep since returning to the compound," she replied and I felt my stomach clench even more. I knew that she wasn't getting much sleep but I had really hoped that she had gotten more than that. That, adding onto the 4ish hours of sleep that Steve said she had gotten on the mission, meant that she was running on less than 6 hours of sleep for the last week. I had no idea how she was still standing.

"We've got to go talk to her," I mumbled to Clint, not wanting to be rude to Tony but also being too worried about Nat to stay.

"Can you also have FRIDAY unlock Nat's door when we get there?" Clint asked Tony, remembering the other reason we were here.

"Of course, you can also override Natasha right now. She's too exhausted to think clearly."

"Thank you Tony," Clint said as I headed towards the door.

"Let me know if you need anything," Tony told Clint and I smiled at him. It was clear that the entire team cared about Nat.

"She should be hospitalized," Clint mumbled as we headed down the hallway to go talk to Nat. 

"I know, but we need to give her a chance first," I responded, not wanting to just shove her in a hospital yet.

"We have, several," he replied and I nodded, knowing he was right.

"Let's try again. We'll let her know that she will be hospitalized if she doesn't cooperate though." He nodded, seeming to agree with that plan.

We reached the outside of her office door and I took a deep breath before knocking again. "Natasha, it's Laura and Clint. Can we come in?"

No response, as I had suspected. I tried her door to find it still locked. Clint took a deep breath, no doubt to ask FRIDAY to open the door, but I held up a hand to stop him.

"Hold on," I whispered to him. "Natasha, we aren't mad but we do need to talk. I know you don't want to have this conversation but it's happening regardless of whether or not Clint needs to break down this door. Come unlock the door please." I waited a few seconds but when no response came, I checked on something. "FRIDAY? Is Natasha asleep?"

"Agent Romanoff is not currently asleep."

"Is she in her office?" I asked.

"Yes Mrs. Barton." I nodded, turning my attention back to the door.

"Natasha, last chance, open the door or we will do it for you." 

I gave her about half a second before sighing, turning to Clint.

"FRIDAY, please unlock the door." We heard a click and we opened the door to find Natasha sitting on her couch, phone in hand, looking surprised that we had gotten in. I took a deep breath before stepping in, not looking forward to this conversation but knowing that we needed to have it.

NATASHA POV:

"How did you open my door? FRIDAY, you weren't supposed to unlock it!" I hissed, angry that she had gone against my programming when I hacked her. I hadn't even known that that was possible but there was also a chance I had hacked into her wrong, I could barely think straight.

"Enough Natasha," Laura told me sternly and I rolled my eyes. 

I stood up, going to move past them. "Natasha, sit down," Clint told me.

"No, I'm not going to sit here while you continue to call me a liar."

"If you don't want to be called a liar, then don't lie," Clint continued and I glared at him.

"I'm not," I grit out.

"Oh really? FRIDAY, how much sleep has Natasha gotten since returning back to the compound?" I crossed my arms, rolling my eyes as I waited for my pre-programmed response. 

"Agent Romanoff has received 1 hour and 52 minutes of sleep since returning to the compound." My heart sped up at her response, she wasn't supposed to answer correctly.

"I don't know what she's talking about but she's obviously broken," I said, crossing my arms over my chest again.

"Whatever you say Natasha," Clint huffed. "Sit down."

"No!" I snapped, storming past both of them, dodging their arms as I headed into the living room. 

"FRIDAY, where's Wanda?" I asked, worried that she was panicking without me right now.

"Miss Maximoff is with Miss Potts on her floor." I went to the elevator but Clint and Laura were behind me.

"Natasha, come here," Laura said.

"No, I need to go find Wanda," I snapped at her, turning back to the elevator. 

I heard footsteps behind me and turned right in time to see Laura grabbing onto my bicep.

She leaned close to my ear as she said, "You are getting real close to earning yourself a trip over my knee young lady. Keep it up and that's where you're going to end up." My insides squirmed and my face flushed but I felt anger growing.

I yanked my arm away, giving up on the elevator.

"FRIDAY, tell Wanda to come downstairs."

"FRIDAY, override," Clint spoke up.

"Yes Agent Barton."

"What? No FRIDAY, tell my daughter to come downstairs, now," I said, now getting angry at FRIDAY.

"FRIDAY, unless it's an emergency, do not respond to Natasha's requests until she has gotten an adequate amount of sleep," Clint said again, looking directly at me as he said it. I glared at him.

"Yes Agent Barton," FRIDAY replied and I groaned.

"This is ridiculous. You won't let me see my daughter?" I asked incredulously.

"Not until you sit down and listen to us," Laura told me, still standing close to me.

"I need to go find Wanda, she is dealing with separation anxiety."

"FRIDAY, is Wanda okay for the time being?" Clint asked.

"Yes Agent Barton, Miss Maximoff is currently watching a movie with Miss Potts."

"See, she's fine Tasha," Clint said, his voice softer. "But you need to come over here and talk to us."

I huffed and moved into the living room, sitting on the couch.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Thank you," Laura said, sitting on the opposite couch. "I'm not going to stall, we know that you aren't getting sleep, and don't even think about arguing with me about it." I shut my mouth, about to argue but not wanting to piss her off quite yet. "We have no idea how you are still moving around and functioning but you definitely won't be for long if you don't get some sleep. Your body is going to start shutting down, just like it did when you were a teenager and deprived yourself of sleep."

"I've slept Laura," I told her, rolling my eyes.

"No you haven't Natasha!" she yelled. "You are going to end up in the hospital and then Wanda is going to be devastated. If you won't sleep for yourself, sleep for her."

"Yeah, that's what you don't understand," I spat out. "Wanda is having nightmares every night and refuses to sleep, even when I tell her I'm exhausted. She needs someone to comfort her, I can't just leave her to suffer by herself."

"Then let us help," Laura said gently. "We can take Wanda for a few nights, we'll help her through the nightmares while you sleep."

"She has separation anxiety and will panic if she has to leave me again," I replied in a growl, not wanting to continue this conversation.

"Okay, we can stay here at the compound but you can go sleep in your own room. That way, if it's really bad, we know that you're just down the hall if needed."

"Yeah, good try convincing Wanda of that," I scoffed. "I don't need to have this conversation with you, I'm done," I replied, getting back up to leave.

"No you're not, sit back down," Clint told me and I glared at him.

"Hey, nuh-uh," Laura said. "You do not glare at us, we are trying to help you."

"Yeah, well you're not," I replied, going to leave. Clint stepped in front of me.

"Sit, down." 

"No, this is ridiculous and you both need to leave. I have my own life figured out and don't need any help, thank you very much."

"Natasha, if you don't get sleep tonight, then you will be hospitalized tonight. I'm not messing around with this young lady," Laura told me.

"Go to hell Laura!" I yelled in her face, getting overwhelmed.

Before I knew what was happening, Laura had grabbed my bicep, pushing me so that I was slightly bent over her thigh, before sending 3 swats to my butt. I didn't even have time to react before she righted me, gripping onto my shoulders as she looked at me. "You do not swear at me little girl! You are not too old for a spanking and that's exactly what you're going to get if you don't calm down and talk to us like adults. You are way too old to be throwing a temper tantrum. Am I understood?" she snapped at me, making me feel all of about 5 years old.

"Yes Laura," I said, looking down, embarrassed by how she just popped me like a child. I was going to kill Steve for calling them. I hadn't been spanked by either of them in years but apparently, I had gone too far. I knew that I wouldn't have gotten away with half of the things I've said to them if I was still a teenager but luckily I wasn't. There was no way I was landing myself a full spanking though.

"Good, now sit your butt back down right now or we're going to be having this chat in a different position," Laura told me and I sat down immediately, hating how there was a slight sting when I did. 

"Now that your attitude problem was sorted out, let's talk about solutions," Clint said and I glared at him before noticing Laura's look, quickly looking back down.

"What can we do to make sure that you get some sleep tonight?" Laura asked me but I shrugged, really not wanting to have this conversation anymore.

"Do you want us to take Wanda? We could stay here but make sure you get some sleep tonight. Or we can have someone else watch her? Whatever you want," Laura continued but I just shrugged again, refusing to look at either of them.

"You can pout all you want Natasha but we're not leaving until you get some sleep," Clint replied. "I don't care if you sleep right now or if it's later tonight but if you don't sleep in the next 8 hours, we will be personally escorting you to the med bay, where you will stay, until you've gotten at least 8 hours of consecutive sleep." I crossed my arms, choosing to ignore both of them right now. I wasn't in the mood to have this conversation. 

Leaving Wanda wasn't an option due to her panic attacks and I wouldn't be able to get sleep knowing that she could be suffering by herself so I would just have to hope that her nightmares improved before I got sleep. 

We fell into silence. I chose to look out the window while we sat there, waiting for someone else to say something first. Apparently, they were doing the same. I could wait though.

I had no idea how long we were sitting there, but soon, the elevator binged, revealing Wanda and Pepper.

Both of them walked in, Wanda stopping when she saw us. "Sorry, I hadn't heard anything in a while so figured I would come to check in," she mumbled and I stood up, moving over to her.

"You're good honey, Laura and Clint were actually just about to leave," I said, turning back over to them.

"Actually, we decided that we would stay for a little bit longer. Maybe have dinner, stay the night," Clint hissed at me and I felt Wanda tense slightly next to me.

"Oh really, well, you're not welcome," I told them and watched as both of their eyes narrowed.

"Do you want me to go back upstairs?" Wanda asked quietly.

"Yes sweetie, go back upstairs with Pepper, we still need to talk with your mom," Laura answered for me. 

"No, it's okay honey," I replied. "Laura's not your mom, you don't need to listen to her. They are leaving right now," I stepped in, looking at Wanda.

"Natasha," Laura warned lowly. She then turned to face Wanda. "Go upstairs with Pepper honey, we'll have FRIDAY get you when it's time to come back down."

"Uh," I heard Wanda stuttering next to me. I grabbed onto her arm to prevent her from leaving.

"Stop fucking talking to my daughter Laura!" I snapped, losing it again but knowing that she wouldn't dare swat me in front of Wanda and Pepper. 

"You must want a spanking Natasha, cause you've just about earned yourself one," Laura mentioned, knowing full well what she did. I froze, feeling Wanda do the same in my grasp. 

"Fuck you Laura," I snapped, dragging Wanda out of the room. Laura had just mentioned spanking me in front of Wanda and Pepper, both people who I didn't exactly want to know about that. I heard footsteps behind me as I brought Wanda to our room but I didn't turn to see who it was. Wanda stayed quiet though as I dragged her through the hall. 

We got to our room and I closed our door. Wanda didn't say anything as she moved to sit on the bed. I stood near our window, looking outside while I tried to compose my thoughts. I was lightheaded from exhaustion and I felt as if I were walking around in a dream.

About a minute later, a knock sounded on our door. I turned to look at Wanda and she looked at the door before turning to look at me.

The person on the other end of the door didn't wait for a response before pushing it open. Clint was there and he stopped at the door frame, glaring daggers at me. 

"Wanda," he said, his voice soft when talking to her but I could also hear the hidden anger bubbling under the surface which would come out when directed at me. 

"Yes?" she half-squeaked. 

"Can you go upstairs with Pepper for right now please? We will call you down soon." He shot a look at me that dared me to argue.

Wanda looked at me and I just nodded. "Go ahead baby," I told her quietly and she cast one last glance at both of us before heading down the hall. I waited until I heard the elevator ding before turning to face Clint. 

His face was clouded with anger but he managed to keep it in check, not yelling at me yet. I was nervous to go into the living room, knowing that I most definitely pissed Laura off.  I had just completed a lot of big 'no-nos' from when I was a kid and I felt my stomach flop slightly, they had made it clear that they weren't above spanking me, no matter how against it I was. 

"Come here," Clint said quietly, pointing to the spot in front of him. I hesitated but eventually did move in that direction. I definitely felt like a teenager again as I walked over to him, stopping at where he pointed.

He didn't say anything, his arm shooting out to grab my arm before he twisted me and popped me twice. I felt blush coat my cheeks, knowing that I had just been spanked for the first time in years by the two people who used to spank me when I was younger.

"Are you done cussing at us?" he growled and I nodded before remembering how he liked verbal responses, especially when I was younger.

"Yes Clint," I replied.

"You do not curse at Laura, let alone in front of your daughter. Do you want her to think that that is acceptable behavior?" 

"No," I replied, keeping my voice soft and quiet. 

"Good, you are on thin ice with us Natasha. Laura wanted to give you a full spanking but I talked her out of it, telling her that you were overly exhausted and that's why you're acting like a brat. That was your last warning though. We don't care how old you are, one of us will pull you over our knee if you continue with the disrespect and the attitude, do you understand?"

"Yes," I told him, knowing that I had to tread carefully from this point on if I wanted to avoid further punishment. My insides were continuing to squirm though, worried that I would end up over one of their knees. I couldn't handle the embarrassment if I got spanked by one of them, especially if it was in our living room which didn't offer much privacy if someone chose to walk in.

"Come on," Clint stated, standing in front of the door so that I could pass him and go into the living room. I hesitated at passing him, worried I would get another swat, but I finally sucked it up, walking past him, feeling relief when another stinging swat wasn't placed on my backside.

I walked down the hall, trying to walk fast enough that there was enough space between Clint and me. I got to the living room and Laura stood up to greet me. I quickly sat down so that she didn't have access to my backside. 

"I'm sorry Laura," I told her, being sincere. "I shouldn't have cussed at you."

"You're right, you shouldn't. But I assume Clint took care of it?" she inquired, looking at Clint, watching as he nodded. "Good, that was your last pass though Natasha. If you pull anything else, you know what will happen. You've gone way too far this time and I don't care if you're exhausted, that doesn't give you a right to be a brat. Next time you lose your temper, we will be having this conversation with you dangling over my knee and then we'll see how snappy you get, got it?" I nodded, cheeks burning in embarrassment at being treated like a child. 

Laura nodded as she sat down and I knew I would have to make up with her as she still seemed pissed. "Are you willing to talk about solutions now?" 

I nodded but my vision swam when I did. I gripped the edge of the chair to steady myself, successfully hiding the change from Clint and Laura.

I had gone longer without sleep but I was also incredibly stressed about Wanda and had just gotten back from a stressful mission so my rest was definitely stretched a bit thinner, causing more physical symptoms. I was honestly surprised I hadn't hallucinated yet.

"I don't want to leave Wanda, I need her to find a way to get some sleep. We really need to help her, not me, I'm not the one who's suffering in this situation," I told them. 

"Natasha, you are both suffering in this situation," Laura told me gently. "But we will find a way to get you both to sleep. Right now though, you are the one who's suffering more. Wanda's gotten a bit more sleep than you have."

I rolled my eyes but knew that I was on thin ice so I didn't push too far, letting her continue. "Can you let us take Wanda tonight to get some sleep so that you can get at least one night of rest?" 

I shook my head. "I'm not trying to be difficult but Wanda has been panicking lately when she's away from me."

"She seemed okay with Pepper," Clint pointed out and it took me a minute to realize what he was talking about.

"Yeah, but she's not sleeping. The second she has a nightmare, she'll want me, panicking if you don't let her come see me," I told them, fully believing what I was saying.

"I know Nat but she can survive one night without you. You need sleep," Laura stated.

"No, I'm fine, she's the one who needs sleep," I said, wanting Wanda to be taken care of first.

"She's getting sleep, you aren't."

"She's not getting enough!" I argued, my voice raising slightly.

"Natasha," Laura warned and I tried controlling my temper. It was getting harder as I felt less and less connected to my body though. I felt exhausted and it was finally starting to set in now that I had to spend energy on this conversation. I also hadn't had coffee in a few hours and that was all that had been keeping me going. 

"It's getting late, I need to get Wanda some dinner before bed," I said, only now realizing that it was already a little after 7 o'clock. 

"Wanda is okay, she can eat with Pepper," Clint said.

"She didn't eat enough for lunch, she needs to eat now."

"And she will, we are not done here though," Laura said.

"I'll get some sleep tonight, okay?" I questioned, getting angry again. 

"I know you will, but we will take care of Wanda while you get that sleep."

"No, you won't," I told them, narrowing my eyes at them. "I can take care of my daughter."

"No one is saying you can't Natasha, we are just saying that you also need to take care of yourself."

"I am," I spat back, my anger coming back in full force. 

"No you're not, you need help. We are taking Wanda tonight and then you will get a full 8 hours of rest or we will check you into the med bay tomorrow," Laura told me and I snapped again.

I shot up from my seat, feeling my head spin as black dots swam in my vision as I stood up. "Stop trying to help! Neither of you are and I can take care of myself! I'm getting plenty of sleep so screw off."

Laura grabbed my arm, not saying anything as she simply moved to the couch, pulling me so that I was sprawled over her lap. She wrapped an arm around my waist to hold me there, even as I squirmed to try to get up.

"Let me go Laura!" I said, not wanting to be in this childish position.

"No, we warned you how many times that this would happen? We have respected you Natasha, despite the disrespect you have had towards us. When you were at the farm, you were pushing it with us, both before and after the mission, but we let that go because you're an adult and we understand that we can't swat you every time you disrespect us. But then we came here, leaving our kids back home to take care of you, and you are being nothing but difficult. I have had enough and it seems that this is the only way you listen so you will stay here while we have this conversation," Laura told me as I squirmed over her knee, trying to get up.

The black dots were covering more of my vision though so I couldn't argue, trying to keep from losing consciousness. 

"Are you listening to me?" Laura asked and I tried to nod. The room spun though and I grabbed onto Laura's leg to steady myself. "Natasha?" Laura asked and she seemed to be getting more frustrated with me.

I went to say something but the black dots won, covering my entire line of vision. The last thing I remember was slumping over Laura's knee, hearing both her and Clint call my name, before I gave into the pull of unconsciousness. 

o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o 

When I came too, I was laying on a couch, looking up at the living room ceiling. My legs were propped up on a pillow and I blinked a few times, letting the blood fully circulate through my body.

I went to sit up but a firm hand pushed on my shoulder, gently pushing me back down to the couch.

"Don't try to get up Natasha, take a second," Laura told me gently. She was sitting next to me, keeping her firm but gentle hand on my shoulder. 

"I'm fine," I said, trying to sit up again, only to be pushed back down by Laura who was more adamant this time.

"Stop honey, you passed out, give it a second," she continued, her voice soft but growing firmer.

I tried one more time to sit up so Laura took two hands, placing them on either shoulder, as she pinned me down to the couch. "You wanna try again?" she asked, using a sterner voice.

I sighed but relaxed into the couch, blinking my eyes a couple of times to try to get rid of the oncoming headache from passing out. Laura gently let go of me, keeping only one of her hands on my shoulder.

"What happened?" I asked, wondering how long I had been out as I couldn't see a clock from where I was.

"You passed out. One second, you were moving, trying to get off my knee, and the next, you slumped over, unresponsive," Laura told me and I blushed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry hun," she told me, squeezing my shoulder. 

I sat up slowly and Laura sighed but didn't say anything, letting me sit up. I leaned against the back of the couch, closing my eyes against the pounding as the blood rushed back into my head.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Only about 2 minutes," Clint replied. "We just got you situated on the couch when you woke up." I nodded, opening my eyes again to look at both of them.

"I'm sorry, I think I just stood up too fast," I offered, trying to move on but also feeling bad that I passed out.

"I think it's the exhaustion," Clint said and I shot a look at him. He quirked his eyebrow at me but I rolled my eyes, turning back to look at the blank TV.

"I'm fine guys," I said, about to get off of the couch.

"You definitely didn't look fine when you passed out on Laura," Clint replied. 

"No you're not!" Laura snapped and I turned to look at her. I thought that we were cool since I lost consciousness over her knee. "You're not okay Natasha and I don't want to hear that anymore! Please, you need sleep and I'm very worried about you. Your daughter is worried about you, your team is worried about you, Clint and I are worried about you, please Natasha," she exclaimed, trying to convince me that I wasn't okay. 

"Okay Laura," I said, turning to look at her as I tried to calm her down. "Laura, calm down."

"I am calm Natasha but you aren't listening to anyone! You need sleep, I don't know how you're still functioning," she continued.

"Okay Laura, I'll get some sleep."

"But you won't!" she snapped. "You've been lying this entire time."

I looked to Clint for some help but he just shrugged.

"Laura, I wasn't going to sleep before but I will try, I promise," I told her, grabbing her hands to make her look at me.

"Fine but I'm staying until I'm sure you've gotten enough sleep." I decided to not argue, knowing that I wouldn't win this one.

"Laura, Clint," I said, addressing both of them. "I'm really sorry for everything. I'm working on it, working on taking better care of myself. But Wanda has all of my attention so when she doesn't sleep, I don't sleep."

"I understand that honey and I get that you want to take care of Wanda, but remember what we talked about before you went on the mission. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of Wanda. And you used to have nightmares but we still got sleep. We made you talk it through and then made you get some sleep."

"But she wakes up and can't sleep again," I told them.

"The same used to happen to you but we talked through them, got you to get some more sleep. It's hard but you'll get there."

"But there were two of you, I'm by myself. Wanda is completely attached to me, this is the first time I've gotten a breather since I got home."

"Have you been using the separation technique?" Clint interjected.

I nodded. "Well, I've been trying. But it's so hard and I can't leave her when she's crying."

"Well, I think her worry for you broke the separation anxiety since she's been with Pepper for hours and seems fine," Clint continued and I nodded.

"I hope so, I want her to get back to normal life."

"She'll be fine, but again, you're our main concern right now. We can deal with Wanda later but you need sleep, let's go," Laura said, going to stand up.

"I need to get Wanda some dinner and then I need to get her to sleep but then I'll sleep," I replied. 

"No, Clint's got Wanda and you are going to go get some sleep," Laura told me again.

"I need to at least say goodnight to her or she'll freak out," I said, not willing to stand down from that. Once Wanda got down here, I could probably convince Laura to let me stay downstairs.

"Fine, FRIDAY, please tell Wanda that she is good to come back downstairs," Laura said and I tried to make sure that I looked as awake as possible so as not to worry Wanda.

We sat there for a little bit longer until the elevator binged again, opening to reveal Pepper and Wanda. Wanda came heading over to me, sitting next to me as she curled into my side.

"Hi baby," I said, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Did you have fun with Pepper?" She nodded. "Thank you for hanging with her Pepper," I replied and Wanda sat up, moving out of my side.

"No problem," Pepper said, smiling at both of us. "Thanks for hanging with me Wanda, we'll have to do another girl's date another day." Wanda nodded, smiling back at her as Pepper said goodnight to all of us, heading back up to her floor. 

Before she left, she called out, "Let me know if you need anything else. See you tomorrow." We all said goodnight as she left.

"You my dear need to eat and then get into bed," I told Wanda, pressing a kiss to her head. 

"Okay, what do you want for dinner?" 

"I don't know, what do you want?" I asked, getting up with Wanda as I headed into the kitchen. Laura didn't stop me and I avoided eyes with her as I moved further away from our room. 

I ended up grabbing some leftovers from the fridge, getting ready to heat it up but Laura cleared her throat, making me look at her. 

"Clint can help you with the food kiddo but your mama needs her sleep," Laura said, coming over to us. Wanda looked confused and she looked at me.

"Don't worry about it, I can manage another hour," I said, keeping calm so that I didn't get in trouble again.

"No, you can't," Laura said firmly. "Wanda, say goodnight to Tasha. You'll see her in the morning." Wanda looked at me, slightly tilting her head with the unasked question of what I wanted her to do. 

I sighed but decided I wasn't going to argue. If Laura threatened a spanking in front of Wanda, then she may administer a few swats as well and I definitely wasn't about to let that happen.

"Goodnight baby, if you need me, you can come get me."

"Wait, I'm not sleeping with you tonight?" she asked.

I looked at Laura and she shook her head slightly.

"Not tonight sweetie, but if you need anything, you can come get me."

"Is this because of earlier? I'm sorry I didn't let you go! I thought I did good with Pepper!"

"No honey, it's not that at all, you did so good today." I was at a loss of what to tell her and thankfully, Laura stepped in.

"Wanda, Nat wants to stay with you tonight but I'm making her sleep by herself tonight so that she gets a full night of rest. It is not your fault at all and if you need anything, Clint and I will both be here. If you want anyone else in the tower, we can get them too."

She looked hesitant but did let go of me. I kissed her on the head, giving her one last hug, before heading to my room. Laura followed me and I rolled my eyes but didn't dare let her see that. 

Luckily I didn't hear any screams or sobs coming from the kitchen or I would have ditched what Laura said and gone back to stay with Wanda. My body was still itching to do that but I pushed past it, heading into my room. 

I went to close my door but Laura walked in behind me.

"What're you doing?" I asked her, keeping my door open for the moment while I turned to look at her.

"I'm staying with you tonight," she replied and I looked at her, confused.

"Laura, I'm an adult, I don't need you to sleep with me."

"I know, but lately, you've been acting like a child, so I will stay in here tonight to make sure you are actually sleeping." I narrowed my eyes at her, about to argue, but her look made the argument die on my lips.

"Whatever," I huffed as I headed into my bathroom, closing the door behind me to get ready for bed. I was going to stall and take a shower but I took a shower earlier and didn't feel like delaying the inevitable anymore so I quickly brushed my teeth and washed the makeup off of my face. Before I left the bathroom, I decided I needed to put something into place in case Wanda woke up.

"FRIDAY?" I said quietly. "If Wanda wakes up, please wake me up," I continued.

"Yes Agent Romanoff," she replied and I was satisfied, having no idea that FRIDAY had no intention of actually waking me up due to Clint's earlier command to her about not listening to anything I said until after I had gotten sufficient sleep. 

Laura did a double-take when she saw me come out of the bathroom without my makeup on and I knew it was because I looked horrible. My face was gray in color and my eyes were droopy.

"Oh honey," I heard her mumble under her breath but I ignored her as I crawled into bed, honestly ready to get some sleep. 

I looked over at Laura to see her sit down in my desk chair, moving it so that she was near the edge of the bed. "If Wanda wakes up and you can't calm her down, please wake me up," I told Laura, practically begging. I needed to know that Wanda wouldn't suffer.

"Tasha, we've got her tonight, she'll be okay."

"But if she's not, I need to know that you'll wake me up. Please Laura, I won't be able to sleep if I know that she could be suffering."

"Okay Natasha, if we can't get her to calm down, we will come get you, I promise," she said and I trusted her. Besides, even if she didn't listen, I always had FRIDAY who could let me know. Laura pulled out her phone so that she wasn't staring at me as I tried to fall asleep.

I was absolutely exhausted but I couldn't fall asleep. I needed to know that Wanda was eating and that she was okay. What if she was panicking? I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out how to get out of the room to check on Wanda before going to bed.

"Go to bed Natasha," Laura said softly after a while and I jumped slightly.

"It's kind of difficult when you're just sitting there," I replied hotly, still angry that I wasn't with Wanda.

"You're fine, close your eyes, remember what will happen if you don't get sleep tonight." I rolled my eyes, turning my body away from Laura. I swiftly grabbed my phone as I turned, turning the brightness all the way down. 

I sent a text to Wanda, letting her know that I loved her and that if she woke up and needed me, she could either come to get me or let FRIDAY know. 

I watched as she texted, reading her message once it sent. 'I love you too mama, I'll be fine. Get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning.' I smiled lightly at my girl, wanting to text her more, but as soon as I started texting, I heard Laura sigh and get out of her chair. 

I tucked the phone under the blankets as I closed my eyes, feigning sleep.

"Phone Natasha," she said, holding her hand out. I kept my eyes closed, keeping my breaths deep. "I know you're not asleep." She sighed but then reached under the blanket to search for the phone.

"What the hell Laura?" I cursed and then held my breath for a second, hoping that that wasn't considered cursing at her.

"Give me your phone," she ordered.

"No, why would I do that?" I sassed.

"Because you need your sleep and apparently decided to ignore me and text your daughter instead."

"Wanda told you?" I gasped, slightly shocked that she had sold me out.

"No, but Clint saw your message and let me know that you weren't asleep. Give it to me, now." 

I sighed but took my phone out, handing it to her. 

"Go to sleep Natasha," she told me, running her hand through my hair for a second before returning back to her seat. I hated to admit it but I had kind of enjoyed feeling her fingers card through my hair. I hadn't had my own form of comfort in a while so it felt nice.

I tried falling asleep but I couldn't. I was laying still though so that Laura didn't know that I was still awake. 

That worked for about an hour until Laura decided to check to make sure I was sleeping. "FRIDAY?" I heard her whisper. "Is Natasha asleep?" Shit. 

"No Mrs. Barton, Agent Romanoff is still awake."

"Natasha," Laura snapped slightly, sounding exasperated. "You're supposed to be asleep."

"I'm sorry, I can't sleep," I told her, being honest. She sighed but I heard her move closer, sitting on the edge of the bed near me. She started running her fingers through my hair again, her other hand rubbing my back, sending occasional pats to my butt. This was how she used to get me to sleep when I was younger.

"Shh, go to sleep baby," she whispered, continuing her ministrations. I was slightly embarrassed by her actions but it felt too good and it was making me fall asleep.

I felt my eyelids grow heavy as Laura continued rubbing my back. I closed my eyes, letting my body drift asleep.