emmylou | natasha romanoff

thirty-four.

2016
Staten Island, New York
Norway

"Today is my favorite holiday because it was the day that I became the father to a beautiful baby girl that I wanted to name Franklin Jr. but apparently that wasn't an appropriate name for a girl so instead we have the beautiful and magnificent Kennedy Emily-Louise Allen. She was born a little premature but that didn't stop our little fighter and now today we get to celebrate her ninth birthday!"

Franklin Allen smiles at the camera before turning it around, making his way down the hall of their Ohio home. The door reads in loud letters, KENNEDY'S ROOM. He turns the camera toward himself.

"We are about to enter Kennedy's natural habitat where only one other specimen is welcome. The quiet and willful, Natasha."

Frank opens the door of the room, and a smile crosses his lips as he turns the camera around. There was an empty mattress on the floor and in Kennedy's bed lie not only Kennedy but Natasha as well. Kennedy was laying on top of Natasha, sleeping soundly.

Frank turns the camera back toward himself, "For those of you that aren't aware, it appears that Kennedy and Natasha have chosen each other as lifelong mates. I promise not to cry at their wedding."

"And now for the best part," Frank says as he turns the camera back toward his daughter and her best friend, "Happy happy birthday!"

The two girls startle out of their sleep and Natasha instantly jumps up to defend them but relaxes when she notices the camera. Kennedy tilts her head, frown on her lips as she looks up at her father.

"Dad!"

"Sorry," he says with a laugh, "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Why are you recording?" Kennedy asks, "I'm just turning nine. I'm not even a ten-nager."

Natasha looks over at her, "Was that a pun?"

Kennedy shrugs with a smile, "I thought it was funny."

"Every birthday is precious," her father states, "Someday when you're really old, like thirty, you're going to want to remember this."

"I guess," Kennedy responds.

"Natasha!" Frank exclaims, "N to the A to the T!"

Natasha giggles and Kennedy smiles at the sound.

"Do you have a birthday message that you want to give Kennedy to look back on when she's super old?"

"Um," Natasha says thoughtfully, "Hi old Kennedy! Happy birthday! Hopefully, you and I are still friends, and we live together in New York, and we have a dog and a cat!"

"And Yelena's there!" Kennedy exclaims, resting her chin on Natasha's shoulder.

"This is my message, not yours," Natasha retorts before looking back at the camera, "Um hopefully Yelena visits occasionally and I just hope that your life is filled with nothing but love from me and everyone else in the world because you deserve it. I love you now and I'll love you always."

Kennedy smiles as she looks at Natasha, "You'll love me always?"

Natasha moves her shoulder away from Kennedy, "Don't make a big deal out of it."

Frank turns the camera toward himself, "They're so getting married."

A single tear falls down Kennedy's cheek at the sight of her father. Restrained to a chair she couldn't wipe the tear from her cheek, so a hand reached out to do it for her. Kennedy naturally twitches away from it.

"It's beautiful, really," Dreykov says, "The love of children. It's so innocent. So pure."

Kennedy doesn't say anything, she focuses on her father's face. The smile that her mother had always labeled as goofy. A smile that was bringing her comfort during one of the most terrifying moments in her life.