We'll Make It Alright

Chapter 4

Wanda was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. Fortunately, the chair had arms and she could jam some pillows from the couch to keep her steady while Natasha quickly searched the kitchen for some for her to eat. She settled on goldfish crackers and a bowl of applesauce, bringing them over to Wanda who was sucking on her thumb while she waited.

"Hands out of your mouth, baby." The redhead said as she dumped some of the crackers on the table in front of Wanda. The little looked at them curiously so Nat took one and popped it in her own mouth to demonstrate eating it. Wanda followed suit, taking a cracker and putting it in her mouth to chew it slowly. The Widow kept the bowl of applesauce as it seemed the girl lacked the motor skills to use a spoon at present. After she had eaten a few crackers, Natasha scooped a bit of the applesauce onto a spoon and presented it to her, "Want to try some of this, detka?"

Wanda opened her mouth to the spoon took the bite. Natasha watched as she moved the applesauce in her mouth for a moment experimentally feeling the texture and tasting it. Nat smiled encouragingly at her, "What do you think? Mmm yummy?"

"Mmm.." Wanda hummed and opened her mouth for another bite which Nat immediately gave to her. The little ate slowly with Natasha feeding her bites of applesauce between Wanda feeding herself crackers, sometimes getting distracted with moving the fish around the table  before they could continue. She had just about finished when Steve came in carrying plastic bags from the store.

"Hey, how's it going?" He asked, curiously peering at the little who had been elusive up until this point.

"We're doing okay I think." The woman turned to look at Wanda who had frozen up and was giving Steve a wide-eyed wary expression. "Wanda, you remember Steve? He's our friend. Can you say hi?"

The brunette gave him a wave, watching him as he came to stand near Nat and slowly brought one of the last goldfish to her lips. She didn't eat it though rather sucked on the tail end, distracted by his presence. Steve grinned at her broadly and knelt next to her chair, "Hi Wanda. Did Nat get you something yummy to eat?"

She nodded and Nat had to look away from the sweet expression Steve gave Wanda. He looked at her the way caregivers were supposed to look at littles, with warmth and adoration. But then the girl pointed to the Russian, "Asha sit."

"Yes, I'm sitting here." Natasha confirmed, not sure what she was getting at.

Wanda shifted impatiently in her chair and tried to push herself out so the arms weren't trapping her at the table but couldn't manage to move herself very much. She tried again, "Up, up."

"You want to come sit with me?" Nat asked a little surprised.

"Asha, up." The little said again and started to pull her legs up like she was going to stand up on the chair.

Natasha hurried to stop her from trying to get out on her own and helped her over to sit across her lap. Wanda rested her head on Nat's shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth. The redhead looked at Steve, "Can you get out the pacifiers? And clean one off."

"Oh yeah." Steve hurried to get the out of the bag and packaging and rinsed off one in the sink. She handed it to Nat and the woman addressed Wanda.

"Detka, no hands in your mouths, okay? Do you want to try this?" The woman gently pulled out her thumb and replaced it with the pacifier before she could protest, glad that she finally had something to substitute for the girl's thumb. The little tugged experimentally on the pacifier for a moment then settled into it contentedly.

"Gosh, she is cute." Steve voiced the thought in her head and Natasha agreed. He asked, "How old do you think she is?"

"A year? Younger?" Natasha answered softly, watching as Wanda's eyes began to droop.

His eyebrows raised, "How has she been coping this whole time without help or supplies?"

"I think she has been fighting slipping since.." The woman let her words trail off. She didn't think Wanda was paying attention to them but she didn't want to bring up the painful topic just in case.

Steve's eyes widened with realization, "That's a long time to fight one."

"Yeah," Nat agreed with a sigh then theorized. "She may not be this young usually. Could be just the stress from not going into her little space for such a length."

Seeing Wanda getting closer to sleep the spy announced, "I think it's nap time."

And she remembered with the girl sitting across her lap that she was just in shorts and she would have to get her into a diaper before that happened.

Steve nodded, "I'll leave you ladies to it."

"Thanks for your help, Steve." Nat said as he left with a little wave. She softly jostled Wanda a little to wake her up just a bit before she was asleep entirely, "Ready for a nap, little one?"

The witch just nodded against her, making no move to get up though so Natasha shifted her and stood so the girl rested on her hip. She started towards the bedrooms when Wanda quietly mumbled behind her pacifier, "Baba.."

And pointed to the bottles Steve had left on the counter. Nat nodded patiently, "We can get you a bottle before nap time. Hang on, sweetheart."

She did what she could to prepare a bottle one handed as her other was full of a little girl. She filled a bottle with milk and then filled a bowl with hot water to warm it up during their diaper change. The Widow miraculously made it to her bedroom with the diapers, wipes, bowl and Wanda all in her arms. She took the little back to her own room since she hadn't had a chance to clean up her sheets yet. With the milk warming on the nightstand, Nat laid Wanda down only to the girl to squirm and point for her bottle, "Baba."

"Let it warm up a little more, detka." Natasha redirected her. "I'm going to get you into a diaper now, alright?"

Wanda just started whimpering and rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands. The redhead recognized she would have to be quick. She got the little out of the shorts and into her diaper, letting her stay in only the diaper and t-shirt for nap time. It was apparent Wanda would need help taking the bottle as she began to cry, her pacifier falling out of her mouth and onto the bed as she began flailing a bit in distress she could not contain or voice properly at this point.

Natasha did not bother to replace the pacifier in her mouth. Instead she got on the bed and gathered Wanda in her arms as she shushed and bounced her gently, "Sh, sh, sh. It's okay baby. Just a minute."

She took the bottle sitting in the hot water, placing her finger over the tip to shake it a little. Natasha tested the temperature on her wrist and found it wasn't very warm yet, more room temperature, but it was better than ice cold milk in her belly and Wanda was losing her patience as her crying continued. Nat soothed, "Alright sweetheart, here we are. Sh, sh, sh. Okay baby here's your baba."

Natasha slipped the nipple into her mouth and it took a second for the little to recognize it was there. But when she did her mouth closed around it, her cries muffled as she started sucking on it, then she stopped crying entirely as the milk was pulled steadily into her mouth. Her green eyes looked up gratefully at Natasha and the redhead smiled, "There we go. All better."

Wanda's eyes had begun to fall shut again, opening occasionally like she was trying to fight the sleep. Nat rock her though and soon her eyes stayed shut and a minute later her rhythmic sucking on the bottle stopped too.

Natasha found where the pacifier had fallen and swapped out the bottle for it. Careful not to wake her, the woman laid Wanda down on the bed and arranged some pillows around her to keep her in the center of the bed then grabbed the soft blanket from the end of it to cover her up.

Wanda made a precious snuffle sound in her sleep and Nat took a moment to observe her resting peacefully. The Widow couldn't do much to help Wanda with losing her brother, but she could make her comfortable at least until someone more suitable came along to be her caregiver. She ran her hand softly through Wanda still slightly damp hair, thinking of how lucky someone to be to have the little witch as their little.

She quietly left Wanda to her sleep, going to clean up her Sokovian's bed and then to do some online shopping for more little supplies they may need.

//

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