Chasing Ghosts | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 21: Nothing Compares To Home

Natasha

Peter and May were all ready to go when they arrived at their Queens apartment. The always bubbly and kind woman gave Natasha a huge smile and talked non-stop about all kinds of random stuff. And for once, Natasha didn't mind. She had missed talking to someone who wasn't ten years old. 

And every time her eye fell on Peter and Maya interacting in the backseat, she knew she had made the right decision by bringing him, too. He was amazing with kids and Maya loved him, maybe even seeing him as a big brother. Natasha couldn't wait to bring all the Avenger kids together and see how they would get along.

Nobody seemed to notice that the entire parking lot of the trampoline park was empty, all because they were too engaged in conversations. May kindly carried the giftbags as they walked into the cheerful looking building. A young woman, who looked like she was in college, stood behind the counter and greeted them with a bright and honest smile.

'Eve', Natasha read on her nametag. 

''Hi. Can I help you?'' she asked, very good in concealing her shock of seeing an Avenger. Well, she did have a couple weeks to prepare, since they booked a while ago. 

''I hope so,'' Natasha replied with the kind smile she saved for strangers. ''Natasha. I reserved for a birthday party.''

''Right. Follow me,'' Eve said, stepping away behind the counter and pushing through the glass double doors into the main room. A narrow slope separated the trampolines on the righthand side and the seating area on the left. Natasha knew she would strictly stay on the left today. She wasn't sure if that would have been the case if Katya was here. Sometimes the brunette was a child in a grown-up body.

Except for the music, the entire room was silent. Not one kid or parent in sight. The black trampolines were lined with all kinds of bright-colored cushions, connecting them and creating one huge bouncy room. Maya's eyes widened in excitement and Natasha saw that she couldn't wait to get on them. Peter wasn't very different, clutching his backpack that was more valuable than anyone knew.

''Eh, mom?'' Maya asked when she realized something, looking up at her. ''Why are there no other kids here?'' It might be a Tuesday but that didn't mean it would be entirely empty per se. Especially since this was the best one in New York, the one everyone went to. 

''No clue,'' Natasha denied innocently without meeting her eyes, trailing after Eve, who led them to their table. 

''You and mom hired the whole building, didn't you?'' Maya giggled. And even May laughed, because that was how extra Natasha and Katya were.

''We did,'' she admitted without shame, Maya giggling again. ''And before you ask. No, it wasn't expensive. We just thought it would be better, since it can get really busy here and now you'll have all the trampolines to yourself.''

Eve had arrived at their table - well, all of them were kinda theirs now - and Natasha got to admit, they had done an amazing job decorating everything. 

When they had made the reservation, they told the girl on the phone to go all out with decorations or whatever they usually did. Money wasn't a problem.

They had blown up golden letter balloons that spelled Maya's name, dozens of other bright colored ones around it, all tied to the railings and seats. The table was covered with a beautiful tablecloth, and every guest had their own color plate, cutlery and cups. 

The smile on Maya's face widened even more, and at that moment, Natasha knew she would have paid thousands of dollars more if that had been necessary to achieve it. Because at the end of the day, Maya's happiness was all that mattered. And she deserved it after all she had been through.