Chasing Ghosts | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 62: Life Lessons

Late February, 2024

Today was a special day for Katya. It was the first time she'd drive a car by herself again. Natasha had sat next to her since she came back, ready to intervene when necessary by gripping the steering wheel, for example. 

But after establishing that her panic attacks had subsided to an amount of max two a week, and never in the car, she felt safe to do so. And if she did get one, she could think clearly enough to safely stop the car and call Natasha for help.

To her own pride, nothing went wrong on the way to school to pick up her daughter. Natasha had been anxious to let her go, but was also the one to encourage her to do so. If Katya promised to text her as soon as she arrived. So that's what she did as soon as she leaned against the outside of the car in their usual waiting spot.

The text she got back was sweet and supportive as usual, and made Katya smile at her phone like an idiot, her heart warm.

''Great job, honey. I'm proud of you. Get home safe.'' 

Katya jumped when the school bell rang, and quickly put her phone away to look out for her little girl. Maya had no idea she would come to pick her up this afternoon, so when she came out the school, her face lit up while her feet picked up the pace. 

Her small body crashed against Katya's, pressing her face into her stomach. ''Mom, you came to get me by yourself,'' she said excitingly, noting that the passenger's seat was empty.

''I hope that's okay,'' Katya chuckled teasingly, stroking her tightly braided hair. Two braids, which Natasha did for her this morning. Her hair was just long enough to do that.

Maya peeled her face from her coat and stared up at her, nodding her head up and down rapidly. ''It's more than okay.'' She giggled when Katya stepped aside and opened the passenger door with a dramatic gesture, telling her to hop in.

Pulling her backpack onto her lap, she hugged it to her chest and sat down. Katya expected her to dive into her usual rambling, but her story about her day only lasted two minutes until it stopped. That's when she reached out and turned up the volume of the music, staring out the windshield quietly. She didn't even sing along, which was weird.

At first, Katya thought it had something to do with her. Maybe Maya felt uneasy now that she drove alone and Natasha wasn't here to intervene in case it went wrong. But that was ridiculous. Because then why was she so happy to see her earlier?

"You're unusually quiet. Did something happen at school?" Katya eventually asked, knowing Maya was a sensitive kid and mean comments got to her fast.

Immediately, she paled and shuffled uneasily in her seat. So whatever was going on, she hoped Katya wouldn't pick up on it. Too late. "No," she replied weakly, pulling her backpack closer.

"You can talk to me, if you want," Katya reminded her, turning the music down in case Maya's soft voice spoke up.

Once more, she shifted her weight around, dropping her gaze to her lap. Her hands toyed with the straps of her backpack. Eventually, she decided to speak up. ''We're having career day next week. And we're supposed to bring one of our parents.''

Katya's face fell. ''Oh. Yes, I see how that can be a problem.'' Having two assassins for moms made that a problem. Not acceptable to tell kids that murdering people is a job they can get. ''But I can talk about my time in the Avengers?'' She continued more hopeful. ''And there's more to being a spy than the obvious. Although some of it isn't really a good example for you kids. Hacking, breaking in, stealing... I'll shut up now." That managed to make Maya giggle quietly, which relieved Katya a lot. ''I can also make something up? If you want me to be a pilot, I can sell it.''