A Lost Marriage|Romanogers AU

A New Home

In February of 1924, a woman was a refugee from Russia, escaping from her husband. While pregnant, she changed her last name to Romanoff and moved to America, where she hoped he wouldn't find them. She got a job, and rented an apartment in Brooklyn for her daughter to grow up in using the money that was left of her inheritance.

"Hello! Are you new here?" A kind voice greeted. Wanting to know who the new voice was, her baby kicked hard, causing her mother to lay a hand on her belly. She saw the woman who greeted her looking at her with intrigue.

"Hello," she greeted. "I moved into this building a few weeks ago," she explained. The woman held her hand out for a handshake, which was gladly accepted.

"My name is Sarah Rogers. I live in the apartment next to yours with my son."

She returned the greeting and unlocked her apartment, inviting Sarah Rogers inside.

"Would you like some tea? My little one wants some very badly," she said with a smile. Sarah laughed.

"Of course. I'd love some. When is your baby due?"

"Sometime in March. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to come sooner. She seems quite eager," she joked. They made small talk while she heated up the water, and once the tea was made, they sat down at the table.

"So what brings you to Brooklyn?" Sarah asked.

"My husband is...not a very good man, and I didn't think it was safe for my daughter to live around him, so I left. He would never expect me to come here; I'm not one for city life, and I'll need to work a lot to keep food on the table, but if it means my daughter will grow up in safety, I'll do anything." Suddenly feeling very awkward, the woman wrapped her hands around her teacup.

Sarah put her hand on her arm and gave her a warm smile.

"It's amazing, the things we do for our children," she said softly. "My husband served in the army and died of mustard gas just a few months before my son was born. Now I work as a nurse in a TB ward, and when I can't be home, he stays with his best friend's family on the floor below. We do the things we have to do to keep them safe and healthy, and sometimes that means we can't be there, as much as we'd like to be."

The almost mother gave her new friend a smile of thanks. The conversation became more lighthearted after that. Sarah promised to introduce her to her best friend, Winnifred Barnes. Winnifred had a son that was the same age as Sarah's, and they were best friends too.

After a few weeks of settling in, the little one decided to come.

On March 3, 1924, Natalia Alianovna Romanoff came into the world. She was small, but her loud wails made it evident that she was strong. She was a fighter.

Luckily, her mother had enough money saved up to pay for basic living expenses for a few months so she could stay home and take care of the baby. After a month, Sarah Rogers came to visit her, and she had brought guests. The new mother opened the door to two women and two little boys.

"Hello! I brought Steve, Bucky, and Winnifred," she said, gesturing to people as she named them. They entered the apartment and stood around the dining table since there weren't enough chairs. The boys were silent, but everyone could tell they didn't understand why they were there.

Bringing out her sleeping baby, the new mother slowly came towards the group. Winnifred and Sarah immediately cooed over how beautiful she was, while the boys strained their necks to see what all the fuss was about. When asked if he wanted to hold her, Steve hesitantly nodded. He sat in a chair and was carefully passed the baby.

When he laid eyes on her, his face immediately morphed from boredom to awe and wonder.

"She's so pretty," he said. Her mother laughed. 

"Thank you Steven. Her name is Natalia. She's going to break a lot of hearts someday." Bucky looked over Steve's shoulder and made a disgusted face at her. 

"Why is she so little?" he asked. "When will she get bigger?" Winnifred pat her son on the head with an amused look. 

"All babies are little, James. Why, I'm pretty sure you were that little at some point too," she said with a chuckle. Bucky looked utterly offended, and Steve laughed. Unfortunately, his laugh was a little bit too loud and Natalia woke up. She was not happy, and she made that known by screaming at the top of her lungs. Steve quickly became frightened and loosened his grip on her, causing her mother to pick her up and soothe her. 

"I'm sorry Natalia," Steve said sadly. Bucky made another disgusted face at the sound of her name. 

"Why's her name Natalia? I like the name Natasha instead," he said confidently. Winnifred quickly glared at him and told him that he needed to be more polite, but the mother of the child in question just laughed good naturedly. 

"No, it's alright Winnifred. Natalia is too formal a name. I had to think of something else to call her, and you just did James," she praised. Bucky blushed. 

"We'll call her Natasha," Bucky declared. Steve looked like he still felt bad about making her cry, but Sarah quickly appeased his grief by saying that she needed to eat soon anyway. 

Feeling proud that he chose what they would be calling the baby, Bucky felt a new sense of protectiveness for her. Him and Steve were constantly fighting over who got to hold her first when they went to visit, but most of the time Bucky won because he was bigger. However, Steve still cared for Natasha as much as Bucky did. 

Natasha grew up learning Russian from her mother and English from Bucky and Steve. It was evident to everyone that the boys adored the little girl. Their mothers had always taught them to respect women, no matter how old, and they held tight to those teachings. 

"Hi Natasha," Steve greeted. He was over with Bucky to watch her while her mother worked. 

"Do you wanna play?" he asked. Baby Natasha babbled in response. Bucky scoffed. 

"She doesn't wanna play with you punk," he said. "She wants to play with me." Bucky looked into her crib at her. "Right Natasha?" Natasha babbled almost exactly like she had to Steve. 

At six years old, the boys were not the best at interpreting baby babble, but they tried their best to keep her happy. 

When Natasha's mother returned from work, she found Natasha asleep in her crib with the two boys protectively in front of it, also asleep. The sight made her giggle. She stepped over the sleeping boys and gazed into the crib. 

"You'll be safe here, darling," she said softly in Russian. "I promise."