The Girl From The Woods ~ Natasha Romanoff × Adopted Daughter

7.

Tilda's POV:

Tasha is funny. She seriously thought Berry was going to talk to her. Or maybe she was just trying to get me to talk. I don't know what to think anymore. I want to trust Tasha, but I'm also afraid that she'll let me fall like everyone else and then betray me.

I don't want to go through something like that again. Still, it feels good to laugh again and when I looked into her eyes after she said she wouldn't hurt me, I couldn't find any lies.

But I'm also starting to feel tired again. I think it's the middle of the night, I can't see a clock anywhere, but you can tell from the window that it's dark outside.

I try to stifle my yawn as best I can so that Natasha doesn't notice that I'm tired. I don't want to inconvenience her and, above all, I don't want to bother her.

Nat's POV:

I'm starting to realize how tired Mathilda is getting. I can't blame her either, I mean we've been talking for two hours, if not almost three.

However, I also notice that Mathilda is suppressing her own tiredness. I already noticed half an hour ago that she was getting tired, but now it's even more extreme. She has to yawn all the time, but tries everything to keep it from showing. Poor thing.

I finally decide to let her out of her agony and suggest going to sleep.
'Hey, what do you say we go to sleep for now? I'm pretty tired and we can always talk more tomorrow? ' I hope she agrees because, to be honest, I'm already really tired and all I really want to do is sleep.

Tilda nods slightly at me, but I can still see a spark of worry in her eyes. Her gaze falls on the bed and then on me. It takes me a few seconds to realize what she's trying to say.

She doesn't know where to sleep if this is my bed. You could have thought of that sooner Natasha, I think to myself.

'You can sleep here, I'll take the couch, that's fine. ' I assure her, hoping that she will believe me.

Luckily, she only holds an internal debate with herself for a few seconds until she gives up and gives me a curt nod. My guess is that, like me, she's too tired to waste any more thoughts.

'Okay, perfect, I'll be in the living room if you need me. You can always come to me, okay? ' I try to make it clear to her that no matter what happens during the night, I'm here for her and won't leave her.

In response, she nods at me again and I start to walk towards the door.
'Good night Tilly, good night Barry! ' I say in a loving voice.
'Good night,' Tilda giggles back and I turn off the light. I close the door, making sure I leave it open a little in case something happens.

I make myself comfortable on the couch, which fortunately isn't a problem as the couch is quite big and I have enough space to lie down comfortably. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep either, probably simply because the day has been very exhausting and a lot has happened.

Tilda's POV:

After Tasha left the room again, I cuddled Berry and quickly fell asleep again.

The next time I woke up I was woken up by a loud noise from outside. I told myself that it was probably just the wind or an animal, but when I heard the noise again, I started to panic a little.

It sounded like someone was trying to open the door from outside. Or was it a window? I'm not quite sure, but what I am sure of is that someone is there and trying to get in.

I don't know what to do. Should I wake Natasha or should I hide under my blankets?

Suddenly I hear a loud grumbling noise that makes me shriek. I decide that I've had enough of the creeps and go to Natasha. I mean, she had mentioned earlier that I could come to her at any time. And if I'm honest, something inside me tells me that I can trust her.

I throw my little blanket over my shoulders and hold my teddy in my hand and make my way to the couch, where Natasha is probably still sleeping.

'Tasha?' No answer
'Tasha!' I say in a slightly louder voice. I only get a slight groan back from her.
'Natasha!' I try one last time with an even louder voice and gently shake her arm.

Tasha mumbles something and then turns her head in my direction.
'Tilly? What's wrong, are you okay?" she asks me anxiously.

Nat's POV:

I woke up to a shake on my arm and my name being called. I would have freaked out at first, until I realized that Tilly was still sleeping here. My first thought was whether she was okay.
'Tilly? What's wrong, are you okay?' God I hope everything is all right.

I sit up and focus all my attention on the little girl in front of me. she has her blanket over her shoulders and her teddy in her arms. To be honest, it looks super cute.

I'm surprised that she's standing so close to me right now. A few hours ago I would have had to keep two meters away and now she's standing right next to me. I'm not complaining, I'm actually very happy that she feels safe enough here to stand so close to me and, above all, to wake me up.

'I ehm... I... there was something and I... I got scared' she stuttered quietly to herself and then looked down at the floor bashfully.

She starts fidgeting with her teddy's ears and I wonder if I should take her hands to calm her down or just try to talk to her.

I definitely don't want to cross any boundaries and I know she's so close to me on her own, but I don't want to put her off and do something that could jeopardize our relationship.

'Hey Tilly, it's okay, you don't have to be nervous or embarrassed, it's all good, I promise' I say lovingly and put my hands out in front of her so she can decide for herself whether she wants that kind of comfort or not.

But what I didn't expect is that she flinches as I extend my hands forward. But she seems to calm down quickly, so I decide not to say anything for the time being.

She carefully takes my hands and takes a step forward towards me.