I'll Protect You

                                    

                                          
Natasha hadn't planned on hiding during the whole mission, crouched away from her teammates with the child wrapped in her arms.
                          
She's only been trying to get to Steve to try and help her team mate when she'd heard the cries from the alleyway between two buildings.
                          
Being the attentive, curious woman she was, Natasha hadn't even questioned herself when she approached the ally, searching for the source of the cries.
                          
She could hear her struggling team through the headset, but her thoughts were focused on the sobbing child laying on an old, ratty mattress and covered in a dirty, dingy grey blanket. The child was shaking, pulling the blanket around themselves as they continued to sob.
                          
Natasha covered the mic on her headset so she would distract the team as she slowly approached the child. She felt emotions start to build up in her chest, and she started to recall why she tended to avoid situations like this.
                          
"Hello?" She asked gently, alerting the child to her presence. They immediately sat up, fear and shock flashing through their eyes as they took in Natasha's battle ready form. Natasha tried to think of ways to make herself look less harsh, relaxing her form a bit and adopting a more natural pose over her traditional soldier stance.
                          
She crouched down a few feet away from the girl, who looked about three years old. She had light brown, almost dirt-blonde hair, and bright green eyes. The poor thing was also covered in filth, and the rags she wore were torn in more places than they were whole.
                          
"Where are your parents?" Natasha asked, as gently as possible as she carefully reached out for the little girl. Are you alone here? Her hand was just within reach of the child's arm.
                          
The girl burst into tears again, contorting her dirt caked face as streaks began to make their way down her round cheeks and started to drip off her chin. Natasha rushed forward just as the girl collapsed, scooping her up just in time.
                          
The girl continued to cry, feebly struggling against Natasha as the latter started rocking her back and forth. The headset fell from its place on her head, and Natasha felt slightly sorry when she heard it crunch beneath her feet as she took a step forward.
                          
However, Tony could easily make a new headset, and Natasha was more focused on the girl in her arms. She carefully bent down to retrieve the blanket the girl had been wrapped in previously, grimacing at the state of the ratty thing but folding it around the precious child in her arms.
                          
"Ninna Нанна, Ninna ой. К кому я даю этот ребенок?" Natasha continued to rock the still crying toddler as she slowly made her way out of the alleyway.
                          
"Если я отдам его старой ведьмой, Она будет держать его в течение недели." She carefully sat down beside a black van parked along the road, hiding herself just enough from the battle in front of her so that she wouldn't be spotted by the terrorists.
                          
"Если я отдам его пугало, Он будет держать его в течение всего года." Glancing down, she noticed that the little girl's eyes had started to drift closed, and that her cries were almost non-existent. Natasha smiled to herself as she continued to sing the Russian lullaby.
                          
"Если я отдам его в то время как волк, Он будет держать его в течение длительного." Natasha couldn't even remember the last time she herself had heard this lullaby, let alone sang it to someone. The child wriggled a bit in her arms, reaching up and grabbing hold of the collar of her suit. Natasha couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.
                          
"Он будет держать его в течение длительного времени. феи Колыбельная сна Отправить мой ребенок спать." Finishing the song, Natasha leaned down, letting her forehead rest on the top of the toddlers head. She felt a small smile again force its way onto her face as the girl let out a small, quiet hum of contentment. The noise was a far cry from the sobs that had been emanating from the child not five minutes ago, and Natasha found herself being amazed at how fast the girl had calmed down.
                          
She tightened her arm around the bundle on her lap, frowning as she felt how emaciated the child was. Fury ripped through her as she fond herself cursing whoever had abandoned the innocent little thing she was currently cradling. If Natasha ever found the person that had left the girl on her own in an alleyway with nothing but a worn out mattress and a ratty blanket, they would have hell to pay.
                          
"Я буду защищать тебя сейчас малышка" Natasha whispered to the sleeping, content child.
                          
She started her song over, desperate to keep the girl asleep and happy. Still fuming from the realization of the girls abandonment, Natasha wasn't sure how she felt when she saw Tony touch down from the corner of her eye.
                          
She kept her view on the girl, feeling content to just look at her peaceful features. She didn't miss Tony cautiously approaching her, trying to get her attention. She started to shift her focus from the girl to him as he got closer and closer. She didn't know why, but she was growing nervous as the scientist approached. She tightened her hold on the little girl.
                          
She wasn't sure why she was so apprehensive, but it flashed though her thoughts that back when she was a little girl, everything she loved had been taken from her. She felt an odd attachment to the little girl in her arms, and she didn't want her to be taken from her as well.
                          
As Tony reached for the edge of the ratty blanket, all trust in her teammate evaporated and Natasha growled at him through her teeth. She glared at him as he fell backwards, almost crawling away from her in haste.
                          
She hadn't noticed that she had stopped rocking until the child started to squirm again. Natasha resumed comforting the girl, desiring to let her sleep in the safety of her arms for as long as possible.
                          
She let Clint get closer than Tony had, enough that he could catch a glimpse of her precious bundle. But even Clint's closeness got to be too much. Her glares sent him back to where Tony and Steve waited. Natasha returned her attention the child as the team seemed to talk things over, exchanging a mixture of worried and confused glances towards her.
                          
However, their glances had no affect on Natasha as she found herself getting pulled deeper and deeper into her growing affection for the toddler she was cradling. She hadn't known it was possible to feel this way for someone, especially not for a toddler she had met at most twenty minutes ago.
                          
After the procedure during her initiation, Natasha had given on the possibility of having children. Of loving. Those doubts were blown away by the draw she felt to the homeless, abandoned girl.
                          
All of sudden, Natasha stood up from her position and started to walk towards the startled Avengers. A small part of the assassin grinned as she noticed Tony jump behind Steve as she approached, but the amusement was brushed aside as she continued her determined stride towards Clint.
                          
She stopped just in front of what she had come to appreciate as her best friend, re-positioned the child so she could hold her more comfortably.
                          
Clint glanced down at the girl before returning his gaze to Natasha's, eager to hear her explanation.
                          
"Let's go home," Natasha said simply before starting towards where the two remaining cars were parked.
                          
Behind her, Clint drew his eyebrows together in confusion. "With the kid?" He rushed after Natasha, leaving Tony and Steve to try and piece together what was happening. Needless to say, everyone was confused.
                          
Natasha simply nodded. "She's mine now, I've adopted her," She aimed a steely glare at the three men behind her, "Do you have a problem with that?" They all hastily shook their heads no, and Natasha gave them a satisfied nod before continuing on her previous path.
                          
She slid into the passenger seat of the car she and Clint had shared on their way to the mission, still refusing to let go of her new daughter. Clint gave her a quick, questioning look before settling into the drivers seat.
                          
They sat in silence for a moment, watching as Tony and Steve fought over who got to drive the remaining car.
                          
Clint cleared his throat. "So uh," he glanced at Natasha, and she tightened her grip on the girl in her lap. Clint ran his fingers through his hair before continuing. "So whats my new god-daughters name?"
                          
Natasha was slightly surprised at the question, although she didn't show it. She expected some remark on what the hell she thought she was doing, or why she felt the need to take in the homeless toddler. Recovering quickly, Natasha glanced down at the sleeping girl before turning towards Clint.
                          
Her name's "Наталья," She answered with a smile. "Natalia."