Scarlett Johansson | One-Shots (1)

NR - Action Figures

Callie:
I'm focused on my computer with earbuds in at my home office when I feel a light tapping on my leg which makes me jump a little. I look down to see my son, Greyson, standing next to me with his Avengers action figures.

"Can you play with me, Mom?"

I spin to face him in my wheely chair and sigh sadly under my breath.

"Oh Hunny, I'm sorry. I'm working. I can't play right now."

He gives me the puppy dog eyes for a second before something seems to click in his head and his face lights up.

"What are you working on? Can I help?"

I smile and lift him onto my lap to show him my computer. The screen shows pages upon pages of just words and a few pictures, nothing an 11-year-old couldn't see.

"I'm reading an old mission report from when Mommy and I were Avengers. Before you and your sister were born. Every couple of years, my old boss makes me go through certain reports. Honestly, I don't know why but it's a rule, and we follow rules, right?"

"Right," he answers with a smile, happy he's doing what I'm doing.

"Can I practice my reading with your work?" I frown at his question even though I'm happy he's so interested in what I'm doing and that he wants to practice his reading.

The mission report I happen to be going over is the Lagos mission, something I don't want my son reading or even knowing about yet. That day stuck with all of us, Wanda the most.

"Maybe not with this report. Maybe a different one another time, how about that? We can read before you go to bed tonight, okay?" I ruffle his hair gently and he giggles.

"Okay, Mom."

"I'll be done shortly then I can play with you, I promise. Where's your sister?"

"Umm, I think she's in her room. I don't know."

"Why don't you go hang out with her until I'm done? I won't be long."

"She told me to go away when I asked her to play with me."

"Then Mommy and I will just have to have a talk with her later but for now, you tell her I sent you and she has to play with you." I smile at my son and set him on the floor.

He gives my leg a hug before running out of my office holding onto his action figures tightly. As soon as I hear my daughter, Dallas, accept Grey into her room across the house, I put my earbuds back in and refocus on my computer. Reading through old mission reports always resurfaces bad memories. I really don't understand why I have to do this every few years but I do without question. It takes me another 30 minutes to finish reading the Lagos mission report and with a sigh of relief, I close my laptop, take out my earbuds, and head to my daughter's room where I assume both my kids are.

The door is cracked open so I peek in without them seeing me and I watch as they sit on the floor and play with Grey's Avengers figures. They play out their own mission they made up, I can't even follow what they're supposed to be doing but I enjoy watching. It makes me smile seeing Dallas play as Black Widow. They both know their mothers were Avengers, it's clearly no secret, they made action figures of me and Nat for God's sake. I watch them play their mission with figures of my friends for another minute before deciding to go in.

"What mission are you on?" I ask as I sit down with them.

"Aliens are taking over New York," Greyson answers with a smirk.

"Oh, I see. That's dangerous. How are the mighty Avengers doing? Are we- are they winning?"

"Always," Dallas replies for the both of them.

"Good," I wink at her.

She's the older of the two, she's 16, 5 years older than her brother, so I've told her more about my time as an Avenger so she understands why I love when they play with these action figures so much.

"Do you guys want me to start making dinner?"

"Yes!!" they both exclaim, getting excited at the mention of food.

"Okay, sounds good. I'll go do that. Good luck with those pesky aliens. Oh, by the way, I've heard Black Widow and Vertigo work well together." Vertigo is my "superhero" name when I was an Avenger. I have the ability to make someone blackout just by touching their head or I can make them feel dizzy or queasy from a distance. That's just one of my many abilities, the one that gave me my name.

I smile and walk out of the room, finding my way to the kitchen. I pull out the ingredients to make penne alla vodka and begin putting things together. As the water's boiling for the pasta and the sauce is cooking, I pull out my phone to check the time, 6:30 PM. Nat should be home by 7, perfect timing for dinner.

-

"Dallas, Grey! Dinner!" I call through the house for my kids.

Nat should be home momentarily and I know how happy she gets when she comes home to her family and dinner. The kids come running in with big smiles. I hand each of them a plate and one by one, they fill their own plates with however much pasta they want, then take a seat at their rightful places at the kitchen table. I'm filling my own plate when I hear the front door of the house open.

"Mommy!" Greyson calls happily.

I look up to see my wife drop her bag and crouch down to give our son a tight hug and a kiss on his head.

"Hi!"

The hug doesn't last long because Grey gets excited about dinner so he runs back to the kitchen table.

"Hi, mom!"

"Hi, Dallas!"

Nat walks right into the kitchen where I've been leaning on a counter the whole time.

"Hey, baby," she greets me, grabbing a plate from the cupboard.

"Hi, welcome home. How was work?"

"Not the same without you there but I'm not fighting missions anymore so it's bearable."

"Mhm." I grab her by the waist and lean over to peek around a wall to make sure the kids aren't paying attention.

I lean back against the counter with her pressed against me and kiss her passionately with one hand on her lower back and one hand tangled in her hair. We silently make out until Nat lets out a small hum of pleasure and I quickly pull away.

"Ohh babe no, no. We can't be doing that right now. Not with the kids on the other side of that wall," I chuckle and she rolls her eyes but takes her plate into the kitchen, me following close behind.

We have our regular family dinner conversations, about each other's day, Nat's work, my work, the kids' school. Grey tells Natasha about the "mission" he and Dallas made the Avengers go on just before dinner and Nat gives me a look that I know all too well. I know she's thinking the same thing I did but neither of us says anything. We finish eating and prepare a movie to watch as a family and Nat and I cuddle up on the sofa with our kids on the floor in front of us.

"I love you, Nat," I whisper to my wife in my arms as the movie starts.

"I love you too, Cal."