You Didn't See That Coming? ~Hawksilver~ #Wattys2015

III

"DADDY!" Lila and Cooper shrieked, jumping up to hug me.

"Hey, guys. What's new?"

"Nuthin," Lila said and I picked her up.

"Did you bring the Avengers?"

"Or just Auntie Nat?"

"No, Auntie Nat couldn't be here, kiddo. But I did bring some friends. I brought Steve, and two new friends that I'd like you both to meet. But not now, not yet...you know what? Never mind. You both come up and meet them, if you'd like."

"Okay," Cooper said, and as I set Lila down, the two followed me upstairs to the guest room. I knocked on the door.

"Incoming?"

"We're good," Laura said, and I opened the door.

"Hi, Steve," Copper said with a smile.

"Hey, kid."

"Lila, Cooper, I would like you to meet Wanda and Pietro."

"Hi!" Lila said happily, and she walked right over to Wanda. "My name's Lila. I'm eight years old." Wanda smiled and giggled a little bit.

"Hello," she said, turning to face her.

"Are you okay?" Cooper asked with wide eyes, looking at Pietro, who laughed as well.

"I'm good," he said, "Just got a little hurt today, I'm fine."

"So, they're yours?" Wanda asked me, surprised. "I never would have known."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a pleasant surprise, huh?" Steve asked, smiling and looking around the room.

"You're pretty," Lila told Wanda.

"Thank you, Lila!" Wanda said, smiling like I never had before. She obviously adored children, though I never would have known it until I've seen it. "But you want to know something? I think you're prettier."

"Thank you," she said.

"You know, Pietro and Wanda are brother and sister," I told them.

"Really?" Lila asked, and Pietro nodded.

"Who's older?" Cooper asked.

"I am," Pietro said proudly, and Wanda nudged his shoulder gently.

"By twelve minutes!"

"I'm still older."

"You are an idiot," she said, rolling her eyes, the smile not leaving her face. "Pietro and I are twins. He always says 'older than you' as if twelve minutes made any difference at all."

"It makes the whole difference," Pietro said, and the kids watched them talk with big, interested eyes.

"And what difference is that?"

"I always get the first slice of birthday cake-" they laughed and Wanda shook her head. "What, it's true!" His smile faded as he winced and held his side. "Ow-Hurts to laugh."

"What happened? How did you get hurt?" Cooper asked. Pietro looked up at Laura and I, as if to ask for help, like he didn't want to tell the kids and scare them. I nodded appreciatively.

"It's been a rough day. Kids, why don't me, your mother, and I go downstairs and figure out dinner?"

"Can we order pizza?" Lila asked.

"Maybe, we haven't done that in a while," Laura said. "Why don't we to downstairs, figure it out?" The kids ran out the door, and Steve had to move over so they wouldn't topple him over.

"Wow, those two are like bullets," Steve said, and I nodded.

"Like Pietro," I corrected him, and Laura and I followed them downstairs.