Natasha's secret

Chapter Part 5

"You're really are lucky she didn't kill you there and then."

Natasha wasn't the happiest that Steve brought Lucy home from the park two hours after her scheduled supper time but she had been more concerned that someone had kidnapped them, or more so Lucy. However, Natasha let go of the situation as quick as she could, she didn't want to confuse Lucy by arguing with her new best friend and more definitely she didn't want to be an enemy in her daughters eyes.

"Leave it now, Tony, he brought Lucy home safe, nobody saw them, the park was empty right, Steve?"

Releasing a soft smile at the red-head beside from him he began to reassure her.

"Of course, nobody else was there, Lucy has no attention as being my child in the media, I promise you, she's safe"

Everyone would be trying to get their hands on Captain America's child if that was the case, but as far as she was aware, it wasn't the case. Natasha released a sigh of relief before dropping herself down onto the sofa across from Steve.

Midnight filled the empty corridors within the avengers tower. Everyone slept peacefully in the comforts of their beds.

Besides from one.

Petrified cries coming from Lucy's bedroom ripped the once silent atmosphere into shreds.
Natasha began locating her way to the loudest room in the tower, her feet making a soft pit-patting sound on the cold wooden floor.

Silence.

Panic set in momentarily, resulting in her picking the pace up to the toddlers room until she heard Steve comforting Lucy through her sobs.

"It was a just a silly dream, you're okay."

His voice was soothing, ushering Lucy into silence, it was enough to even calm Natasha down from her small panic mode.
Peeking between the gap in the door, the sight upset Natasha, admittedly it shouldn't, but it was the realisation that maybe Lucy wouldn't need her anymore, Steve had handled the situation so well. The night light which gave off a warm, calming colour, reflected onto the pair, Steve had Lucy sat on his lap, rubbing her back in a circular motion sending the child with sweat soaked hair and tear stained cheeks back to sleep.

She left him to it.

A mixture of guilt, fear and jealousy kept Natasha up for the remainder of the night, the thoughts occurring in her mind cancelled out the silence. Fear stuck out the most. Natasha was afraid of losing her daughter, their daughter. Not so deep down she believed she deserved it too, maybe if she had let Steve know he had a child while staying in hiding, this wouldn't of happened, but that wasn't how it turned out.

Natasha really needed a person of her own to comfort her but instead, with an aching heart, she fell back to sleep on her own accord, to the sound of chirping birds and chaos in her mind.

"I'll transfer $1 million over to you as we speak, if you remove the story completely off your search engine – and the photos... I'm sorry, or lack of, but I don't think you quite understand the security issues that this is going to have on the kid... No you listen to me-"

"Tony!"

Rolling his eyes at pepper he continued bargaining with the person on the phone, taking his anger at Steve out on the poor guy on the receiving end of the line. Steve should have known better, for sure.

"Fine. $1 million and I'll come to your sons birthday party."

Hanging up the phone Tony tried as hard as he possibly could to compose himself

Inhale, through the nose, exhale, through the mouth.

which tony figured was complete, and utter bullshit in this situation.

"I've bought this entire city out, Rogers, I've even bought Google out. How could you be so god damn reckless with the kid?!"

"I didn't see anyone, I assumed –"

"Oh you assumed, Pepper, he assumed. You should know better just because you don't see them that doesn't mean they don't see you."

"What's going on?"

The sudden sound of Natasha's voice brought the argument to a complete standstill.

"Blind spots, Steve want's to learn how to drive."

Nodding in acceptance, she placed the half asleep toddler next to Steve on the sofa.

"You're reaction time may be slower, you know, old age and stuff."

Tony held his hand out for a high five. He was really proud of her comment, more proud of the fact Steve's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink in embarrassment.

As the elevator reached the ground floor the sound of chatter became louder and louder

"Tourists" Natasha figured to herself, this was Avengers Tower after all.
Unfortunately these weren't any 'tourists', paparazzi would be a much better word to describe the desperate crowds of people.
Everything went bright as Natasha became struck by blindness from the flash of several cameras as she pushed the main door to the tower open.

"Miss Romanoff! You disappeared off the radar for three years, Mr Rogers was spotted with a young child not far after your return, is this a coincidence?"

Steve told her that he had kept Lucy out of the media's eye.

"Is he the father?"

This can't be happening, he said he'd kept Lucy safe, he promised.

He promised.

All Natasha could do was think, she was frozen like a deer in the headlights, the one thought that stuck out the most in her head was to run away, one more time, back into hiding, just so she could hold her daughter safe in her arms, but Steve, steam practically poured out of her ears at the thought of him but Lucy got on with him so well. Natasha, feet super glued at her own crossroads hadn't even noticed she had been pulled back into the tower, leaving the door bounce closed on the crowds faces.

"Jarvis, put the place on lock down, I don't want anyone leaving and I most certainly do not want anyone entering the building."

"Yes sir, initiating lock down."