Gangster Child

A Family

"Come on Clint! Give me back my book!" I chased Clint throughout the house as he waved my book tauntingly. Over the past few days he had become one of my best friends. Of course at this stage of our friendship he had figured out exactly how to annoy and tease me.

"Come and get it!" he called as he slid into the living room. I growled and lept over the couch and tackled Clint.

"Not cool!" I snapped as I grabbed my book back from him. He was laughing as he sat up and ruffled my hair.

"You love me Kiddo." he said as he hopped to his feet and helped me up.

"You keep telling yourself that." I said as I flopped down on the couch and opened back up to the page I left off. Clint sat down next to me and watched me in silence. "Did I do something wrong?" I asked nervously. Clint shook his head with a small smile on his face.

"You're just being quieter than normal." he noticed "It doesn't look like you're ever having fun."

"I'm having fun when I'm quiet." I mumbled as I closed my book.

"Well we need to introduce you to other things that are not quiet but still fun." he said as he picked me up and set me on my feet.

"Like what?"

"... Natasha!"

"What is this supposed to cover?! It doesn't even cover half of my stomach!" Natasha and Clint laughed as I held up a shirt to show them. Clint had decided to introduce me to shopping. I still didn't fully understand the process of buying a bunch of things I was probably never going to wear, but that's why Natasha was here.

"It's not supposed to." Natasha explained as she shoved me into the dressing room and handed me a huge pile of clothes.

"How long is this going to take?"

"If we do it right, Clint should have died of boredom by the time we're done."

"Sadie it's cute!" I blushed as I self consciously tugged the "crop top", as Natasha called it, down and started to pull my hair back up in its usual ponytail. We had returned back to the tower after three hours of shopping and Natasha had told me to get dressed into one of the new outfits so she could take me out to have some more fun. "Hold on." Natasha said gently as she led me over to the mirror. She carefully pulled the rubber band out of my hair and started to braid it.

"Thanks for doing this." I said quietly as I watched her in the mirror.

"No problem," she said with a smile "it's nice having another girl around here. You're like the daughter I always wanted." Natasha finished braiding my hair and looped the rubber band back into place. "There," she announced "it looks gr-" She didn't get to finish because I had turned around to hug her as tight as possible.

"Are you OK?" she asked cautiously "I didn't mean to upset you by calling you my daughter." I looked up at her with tear filled eyes.

"I liked it." I whispered "No ones called me that in a really long time." Natasha's face fell and she immediately hugged me back, just as tightly as I was hugging her.

"I love you little one." she said softly as she kissed the top of my head.

"I love you too Mommy."

"Where the hell have you two been all day?" Tony asked as Natasha and I came strolling in, laden down with more bags from our second shopping excursion.

"Shopping." I said casually as we set down our bags and sat down on the couch. Tony chuckled softly as he stood with the rest of the team minus Thor, who had gone away on "urgent matters".

"Why don't you get some sleep." Natasha suggested as she glanced at the clock "You've had a long day." I nodded and started to walk to my room, but Bucky picked me up before I could and he carried me up to my room.

"Goodnight Sweetheart." he whispered as he tucked me under the covers.

"Goodnight Большой брат."

Natasha's POV

"How hard would it be to adopt Sadie?" Everyone froze and turned to stare at me in shock. "What?" I asked defensively "Every single one of you has thought the same thing."

"We just didn't expect you to think it." Tony said in astonishment.

"Oh, so the mind controlled assassin can think about adopting her, but I can't? Just answer the damn question Tony." Tony sighed and tossed a folder onto the table in front of me. I hesitantly opened it and saw that it was full of legal papers.

"I was going to bring it up to you guys tomorrow." he mumbled as the rest of the team crowded around "Fury got the papers and asked if any of us had thought about adopting Sadie. Obviously most of us have."

"Do you think she'll want us to be her parents?" Bucky asked quietly.

"We'll find out tomorrow."

"Sadie? Sweetheart it's time to get up." I grudgingly sat up and saw Bucky sitting at the edge of my bed.

"Do I have to?" I moaned as I looked at him tiredly.

"Yes." he said with a small laugh "Get dressed and come downstairs when you're done. The team and I want to talk to you." I looked at him nervously as he ruffled my hair and walked out.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked fearfully as I sat down on the couch with the rest of the team.

"No Sweetie," Tony said immediately "of course not. We just want to ask you something." He slid a paper over to me and I frowned as I glanced it over.

"Right to.... Adopt?" I looked up at him in shock "You want to adopt me?"

"Yes and no." he said with a smile "Yes I want to adopt you, no I'm not the only one here who wants to." I was so confused. Tony must have seen it in my face because he started to explain a little more. "The whole team wants to adopt you."

"Seriously?" I whispered as I set down the paper. Tony nodded and I stared at the ground as I tried to process all the things that were happening.

"Seriously." Bucky said softly "I mean, you don't have to say yes, but if you di-"

"Yes please!" I was bouncing excitedly in my seat as the rest of the team smiled at me.

"OK," Tony said happily "we'll get that sorted out. How do you feel?"

"Excited." I said quietly with a small grin on my face "Thanks for doing this."

"Anytime Kiddo." Bucky carefully picked me up and set me on his lap.

"I love you Котенок." he whispered.

"I love you too Большой брат. Wait.... Do I have to call all of you Mom and Dad?" Clint started cracking up laughing and leaned over to hug me.

"I think she might actually be your daughter, Tony." he choked out "And no, you can call us whatever you want, Sadie." I smiled as I leaned against Bucky and rested my head against his chest.

"Welcome to the family Sadie."