Summary: After Ultron, it takes exactly six months for Natasha to start referring to Wanda as her daughter and two weeks for James to start doing the same.

Request by @LCorbett04 Natasha and Bucky adopt Wanda after Ultron. I did make some changes since Wanda is over 18, but I hope you still like it!

Italics represent Russian

They arrive back at the Compound well after dark and bone-tired, but James is still waiting for them. It's been days―almost two weeks― since he's last seen Natalia and if Laura's phone call is anything to go off of, this mission had not gone as planned. He's a little miffed as to why Natalia didn't call him after the whole team dropped by the Barton's, but as soon as he lays eyes on her, he thinks he might know why.

"I'm okay," she mutters, reaching out for him as soon as he's near enough.

James pulls her into his arms and nods at Steve as he passes. Looking just as exhausted as Natalia, Steve hardly manages to nod in return.

He'd seen on broken news coverage the destruction that Ultron had left behind. An entire city was destroyed, but not the entire country or even the entire world. He'd sat with clenched teeth the entire time they had been gone, but he didn't offer his help. It wouldn't have done them any good.

"Laura called me," James admits softly, combing his fingers through her hair. "She said―"

"Later."

Natalia cuts him off and pulls away from him as the Compound door opens. They both turn and while James expects to see Sam, he doesn't expect the girl that follows him. Clint is at her side, but Stark and Banner are nowhere in sight.

"Natalia?" James turns to her questioningly, eyes lingering on the girl.

"She's joining us," Natalia tells him vaguely. The girl's eyes flicker to them and James feels something cool press against his forehead. He knows immediately what it is.

"She's a telepath," he mutters. His eyes narrow and the cool pressure disappears quickly. The girl ducks her head and looks away, but James knows she's still lingering near his head. "What the hell happened, Natalia?"

"She was experimented on by Hydra," she says. Her fingers find his and she squeezes. "I figured we might be able to help her get out."

By we, he knows she means mostly him. Natalia may have been familiar with Hydra, but she was never under their direct control. That's all James. Fortunately, he knows Natalia wouldn't drop this on him if she had no intention of helping as well.

"I'll talk to her in the morning," he promises. The clock in the common room reads three o'clock in the morning and James has every intention of sleeping in. "You should get some sleep."

Natalia doesn't argue as he tugs her down the hall to his room. She changes silently and within just a few minutes, she tumbles onto his bed. She's asleep before James even turns off the light, but that doesn't mean she sleeps peacefully.

* * * * *

By the following morning, James has put two and two together. The telepath had messed with Natalia's mind and the resulting nightmares were some of the worst James had ever seen her have. He's so angry with her for it that he waits days before following up on his promise to speak with the girl. It's only after Barton leaves that he is forced to meet her.

"She's young, James," Natalia says, pulling him down to the training room. "Stop blaming her for me. I don't."

"You've always been better at forgiving than me," James grumbles, which isn't actually true. Natalia is notorious for holding a grudge. When it comes to things related to Natalia, though, James has her beat. He's killed people for touching her and he's tortured people for even thinking of hurting her. The telepath is lucky that she's already earned Natalia's devotion.

It turns out that Natalia's devotion to the young girl isn't without reason. Shortly after sharing her name―Wanda―she apologizes profusely for touching his mind and swears she won't try again. For some reason, James actually believes her.

Wanda is also wicked smart. She keeps James on his toes which is so unexpected that he splutters the first time she catches him off guard. He'd intended to make a quick joke, but Wanda drags him through the mud with no hesitation and Natalia dissolves into a fit of laughter as he struggles to recover. After that, it's only a matter of days before the three are thick as thieves.

Natalia still has those nightmares, but James also learns that Wanda does too and he decides he'll forgive her for what she'd done to Natalia. Eventually, the nightmares stop.

Six months after Wanda officially joins the team, James finally learns just how much the girl has started to mean to Natalia.

She and Wanda had just completed a mission and while Wanda disappears to go to sleep, Natalia recounts the full mission to him in Russian. It had gone well even if someone had very nearly succeeded in shooting Natalia. Luckily for everyone, Wanda had caught the bullet in time. That's not what makes him grin, though (Natalia's near-death experiences never make him grin).

"―nasha doch―"

James almost stops her in the middle of her recount, but he doesn't. He just grins because, of course, Natalia had started thinking of Wanda as their daughter.

She notices him grinning, though, and stops. "What?"

"Nothing," James replies, still smiling softly at her. "You just called Wanda our daughter."

Natalia looks at him strangely and pauses, clearly thinking back to what she'd just said.

"It's cute," he assures her. He pulls her to his chest and presses a short kiss to her lips as he tells her, "You love her, Nata. It's cute."

"Don't tease," she grumbles, curling into him nonetheless. "And don't tell her."

James has no intention of doing so and he assures Natalia of the same. Unfortunately, their agreement falls apart hardly two weeks later.

It's his turn to take Wanda on a mission and Natalia is on comms with them. It's an easy mission, but somehow their target figures out Natalia's location and goes after her which isn't concerning until her line actually dies.

"Natalia?" James tries a few more times before cursing wildly. Turning to Wanda, he says, "Finish up here. We meet back at base."

Wanda nods and James sprints in the direction where Natalia had set up their base. He's furious and terrified as he kicks down the door to the hut and raises his gun. Inside, Natalia's back is to him.

"Natalia? What the hell―"

His question is cut off as Natalia steps to the side and a body crumples forward. As he takes another step forward, he sees four more littering the floor.

"James? Where's Wanda?" Natalia asks, her eyes growing wide at the sight of him. "Where's our daughter?"

"She's finishing the mission," James assures her. "Your comm line died and we were worried."

"Go help her," Natalia insists. She tries to assure him she's alright, but as she takes a step forward, her hand flies to her ribs.

"Nata―"

"Go help our daughter," she hisses, brushing off his concern. "She could need help."

"I don't."

James and Natalia's eyes snap up to the door of the hut where Wanda is standing.

"Wanda?" Natalia frowns. "I thought you said you didn't speak Russian."

"I don't," Wanda repeats. There's a small smile on her face, though, and James knows she understood their conversation. "But Sokovian is similar enough."

"You little minx," Natalia grumbles, but there's no real heat behind her words. In fact, her voice sounds a little too breathy and James finds himself turning back to look at her worriedly.

"Natalia?" he asks, moving to her side in one step. "How bad were you hit?"

Her hand comes away from her ribs and blood trickles down her tactical vest immediately. Unlike a cut like he expected to see, there's a puncture wound that's too deep and bleeding too much.

James lets out a string of angry Russian curses as Natalia stumbles into him.

"She understands you, James," she mutters. Her eyes close. "Don't―don't curse."

It's the last thing she says before she passes out and James curses more.

When she wakes up in the Compound, Wanda is curled up in a chair on one side of her bed, fast asleep. On her other side, James is holding her hand and his eyes are closed. She can tell by his breathing that he's not asleep, though.

"Hey," she murmurs, squeezing his hand.

James's eyes fly open and he turns to look at her with a tired smile.

"What'd I miss?" she asks.

"Just the flight back," James assures her. Apparently, Wanda had finished the mission on her own after James had left to check on Natalia.

"And she's not―I don't know―awkward?" Natalia asks. James frowns and looks at her questioningly. "I called her our daughter and she understood."

"Oh." James chuckles and shakes his head. "No," he says softly. "She's taken to it, actually. I think she likes it."

It's a relief to know that she hadn't made Wanda uncomfortable. It's still awkward that they'd been overheard and understood, but at least now there's a clear understanding between the three of them.