The closest thing to a daughter

Season 1 Episode 28

After the injection, which not only relieved her of the pain but also made her fall asleep faster, she didn't even make it back to her room but fell asleep on the couch again. Natasha, who had been discussing something with Bruce about possible side effects, was just coming into the room with Steve when they spotted the young Novanoff on the couch. "Are you kidding me? She can't sleep in her bed, but she can sleep just fine on the couch!" laughed Nat, amused, shaking her head. Steve suppressed the appropriate comment that it was because Abigail slept better when she was around Natasha, so he grinned silently to himself. "Hey, the Kid had a traumatic day when she got stuck by a needle," he joked instead, knowing Nat preferred a funnier answer than a truthful one. Even if she didn't want to show it to the others, he knew she really cared about the redhead. Romanoff grabbed a blanket and placed it over the little one as she had last time, though this time he wiped a pre-fallen strand of hair from her face to the side. "You really care about that kid, don't you?" It wasn't so much a question as an honest statement, and if Natasha hadn't taught her not to open up too easily, she would have admitted it openly. So, as she had so often in the near past, she asked a counter question, "Is it that obvious? -" But she was interrupted by a loudly opening door as Tony stormed through it. After defeating Loki, he was in high spirits - at least when he was with the others, in truth his near-death experience was taking quite a toll on him. "All right, guys! Good news, we're having a party tonight," he shouted loudly and enthusiastically as he stood in the middle of the room. A little too loudly, because Abigail, who had just dozed off, blinked and finally opened her eyes fully.

Annoyed, she groaned and buried her face in the blanket, which inexplicably overlapped her. "Did you have to wake Abigail, Tony? This is the first time in 2 days that I've seen her sleeping peacefully," Natasha asked annoyed and if looks could kill Tony would have already died at least five deaths. "Yes, it was an important message!" protested Tony in his usual know-it-all manner. "Just get out, Tony..." she sighed, annoyed. The fact of a party didn't make her any happier either. "Will do," he said before leaving the room again before things could escalate. "Just go back to sleep, Abigail..." she whispered now in a very different kind tone to the seventeen year old. "Why is he having a party?" she mumbled and you could clearly hear her resentment to an upcoming party as well. "I don't know?" she replied, sounding more like a question herself. Of course he wanted to celebrate the victory of the Avengers but explaining this to a half-asleep Abigail she didn't imagine to be that amusing so she put it off until the next day. "Why not?"

"Why what?"
"Why don't you know?"
"Just go to sleep, Abigail, or I'll smack you over the head..."

They both smiled warmly at each other and a little later Abigail's eyes were shut tight again. This girl was truly a wonder in her own right. At times she was childish, at times belligerent, and at other times totally adorable. In any case, Nat couldn't figure her out.