Baby Widow Romanova

Chapter 11

Vera had woken up multiple times during the night, disoriented. Each one of those, the young girl had searched around the room with her wide green eyes, calming down when she listened to her Mama's soothing voice. Except the last one, since mother and daughter had been awoken by Nathaniel's wails. It frightened Vera.

Natasha observed how her daughter brought her hands close to her mouth, the child proceeding to bite on her wrist to stop herself from making any sound. It was a painful sight, but she could understand her child's behavior.

Back in the Red Room, during the night, it was common to hear other girls crying and Natasha could still remember how still and quiet she would remain just to avoid being the next target of the guards. Honestly, it was sickening to think that the small child sitting right next to her, her baby, had also gone through all that trauma and pain.

"It's just Nathaniel, baby" the blonde whispered, gently pulling from the child's arm. "You're not in the Red Room" she tucked her daughter's red hair behind her ears. "You're safe. You're with Mama."

The kid's frightened green eyes met hers for a few seconds before observing the room they were in. Vera reached out for her, so Natasha took that as her chance to pull her daughter onto her lap.

"Hurt?" The ten-year-old murmured, still a little unsure about what was happening.

"No, baby. No one is hurting him" Natasha shook her head. "That's Nathaniel. He's still too young to communicate with words, so he cries" she tried to explain.

The young girl nodded slightly, snuggling against her Mama while keeping a tight grip on her beloved koala "Cheese".

"This a safe place, Vera. No one here will hurt you" she assured her daughter while cradling her closer.

-/-

Breakfast didn't go much better. Vera had been overwhelmed by the new food, so it had taken Natasha much more time than an hour for the child to start eating some pancakes. The young girl only accepted the food after her Mama had tried it first.

The ten-year-old seemed to be doing good with Laura and Clint's presence, and even Nathaniel's, unless he was screaming or crying. However, things didn't go as planned when Lila and Cooper came back from school.

Lila had not doubt to run to where mother and daughter were, excited about finally meeting her cousin. The one she had heard her parents talk about for the past few weeks. It had resulted in Vera hiding behind Natasha, her face pressed on her Mama's back.

"Lila, remember what we talked, no crowding your cousin" Clint told his daughter after observing how Vera was taking shallow breaths.

"Sorry" the eleven-year-old took a step back, keeping a curious eye on the younger girl.

Natasha smiled at her niece before taking her child in her arms. She rocked the kid for a little bit, until Vera seemed to calm down, so she sat down on the couch, placing the child on her lap.

"How was school?" She asked her niece, trying to find a way for Vera to know that Lila wasn't a threat.

"Boring" the kid rolled her eyes dramatically and Natasha couldn't help but chuckle. "What's your name?" Lila asked Vera.

Nat stared down at her daughter, who was trying her best to avoid eye contact with the other girl. Vera's hands had turned into fists, her nails digging into the skin of her palms. The kid was trying to cope with all her emotions.

"It's okay" Natasha whispered, kissing the side of Vera's head. "She's a little bit shy"

"Why don't you tell her your name first?" Clint suggested. "It may help her a little"