*** TRIGGER WARNING ***

Mentions of abuse

Natalia woke to a soft snore humming in her ears. Her body was sore and cramped. As she sat she could feel her muscles aching from the uncomfortable sleeping position, she couldn't remember why she had fallen asleep on the hardwood floor. She bent her neck trying to relieve the cramping feeling. Her eyes were still puffy from crying the night before. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. She could feel the tangled mess her hair had become through the restless night and tried brushing her hands through it, failing when her fingers only managed to push the knots and tangles closer together. As she pulled her hands out from her messy hair her eyes caught sight of him asleep against the wall. His mouth was open and his head turned to what looked like it would be a rather uncomfortable angle. He would surely wake with a kink in his neck. Maybe she should wake him so that it would hopefully help his neck from kinking too bad. But she couldn't get herself to do it. He looked so peaceful, despite his position. She didn't want to take that peace away from him.

James had stayed with her through the night. He hadn't run when she confided in him like she had expected. When she had told him the nightmares about not only her past but her future. He hadn't run, but rather had chosen to stay the night with her, uncomfortable position and all. She was so grateful for that choice. As she starred at him she tried to understand how a father could be so cruel to his son, to beat him and blame him for circumstance so far out his control. Especially a son like James. And how James could leave a situation like that with hope, not pull into his shell and push other away. Even when the one person who should have loved him tried to take it all from him. Looking at the Deputy now, one would have never assumed he came from such dire circumstances. He was filled with joy and laughed, he joked often and was always smiling. He saw the best in the worst of times. How she wished she could be more like him, to come out of her own situation like him. But it had already taken away the light and joy she had once had inside. She had lost is long ago. She feared that it would never come back, even if she did escape from all of it. 

Tony came galloping through the house with his hat on top of his messy black hair and a small star pinned to his night shirt. Natalia laughed at the site, he clearly had woken with excitement and was ready to start his day with his new friend. He hadn't even found the time to get properly dressed for the day. Maria would have a fit if she saw him running around the house dressed in his sleep ware, especially in front of guests. Truthfully Natalia couldn't care less what Tony wore so long as he was dressed, and she doubted James cared. But Maria came from a proper family, and living in the West hadn't taken that out of her yet, neither had living with Howard. She was determined to pass that etiquette on to her son no matter how hard he fought her on it. 

Natalia had heard the James playing with Tony the night before. The two had run around the house chasing each other and pretending to be on horse back as they galloped around. Running between chairs and jumping over pillows and blankets. James had played right along with Tony, calling the blankets and pillows haybales or fences, as they dodged the "play time thieves" better known has Howard and Maria, who were trying to get Tony to get ready for bed.  He would be an excellent father one day. And a wonderful husband to who ever was lucky enough to snag him.

Tony stopped in front of them confused as he starred at the two of them on the floor. "Why is Uncle Bucky sleeping? That's not a bed, and he's not in his bed clothes." Tony came forward and kicked at James foot before letting out a dramatic gasp and looking towards Natalia wide eyed, worry crossing his small face.

 "Is he..."  The little boy paused looking back at the Deputy against wall before he finished his sentence "...dead?" 

A soft chuckle escaped the Deputy's mouth before he stretched his arms and sat up. He rubbed at his eyes trying to wipe the sleep from them, and tried to calm his hair by running a hand through it. This only managed to make his hair look even messier than it had before. "Not quite yet, Tony."

With a squeal of delight Tony jumped on the Deputy and proceeded to tell him all his plans for the day. Starting with breakfast and chores, going right into play time. Which of course James was expected to be a part of everything. Tony would not be doing anything alone today if he could help it. He was going to drag his new friend around all day.

Natalia sat back and watched the exchange between the two. James nodding along to the young boy's incredibly fast pace, the kid hardly stopped talking to take a breath and amazingly James was able to keep up with him and understand what he was saying. The deputy agreed to play but only if Tony did his chores willingly and with out a single complaint. "Why don't you go find your mother and help her get breakfast ready for everyone? After we eat and clean up we can play for a bit. Does that sound alright?"

Tony nodded and ran off towards the kitchen with a smile. Natalia knew Maria would be beyond grateful for the magic that James was working with her son. Like his father Tony only enjoyed working if it meant rewards would follow or if it was something he truly wanted. And James had a way of getting Tony to see reward in almost any task.

"Maria is going to have a hard time letting you go."

James shook his head and stood up, offering his right hand to her to help her up. She took the outstretched hand and let him pull her up. He pulled her closer and brushed away a strand of hair. His finger brushed across her skin for a moment and she could feel the sparks when it did.  "Naw, he'd be sick of me in a week. Once you spend that much time with someone they become old news. Not quite as exciting after a few days. And he would start to catch on to me and my trickery. Didn't take Becca too long to catch on to me." 

"You are so good with him." She shook her head confused, even with a younger sister Natalia didn't have half the patience James did with children. "How?"

Natalia had never really been around children aside from her younger sister. When she had it had been during ballet. Rules were very strict. There was no play, only dance. Playing was distracting, distraction did not provide results. Most of the time she had spent with her sister had been in ballet, so they rarely had time to play or grow together as sisters should. Tony had been the first real experience she had with children, the first time no one. While he was fun she didn't have the patience to deal with him for long. After only a few minutes she found he was getting on her nerves and she wasn't able to handle it well. It worried her that she would act that way with her own children in the future.

"When Steve's ma got sick I kind of took over raising him, he was sick a lot which meant I had to help him out a lot. And then my ma...." He trailed off "Pops wasn't very good at being a father before Ma passed, after he was even worse. And Becca needed help. So I took care of her too. You get pretty creative when you've got to entertain your little sister who's stuck in bed. 'Specially when you want to keep her mind off things." James gave a deep sign and nodded towards the kitchen.

"Whatever they are making smells delicious." James took in a deep breath and closed his eyes as he took in the aromas filling the house. 

After several visits to the Stark household she knew pancakes and strawberry jam were a breakfast staple. One of the few breakfasts that Tony would eat with out complaining so Maria took full advantage of it. She generally added eggs and a side of fruit for others to enjoy. Tony would rarely touch the eggs and fruit on his own plate. On occasion she would also make strips of bacon or sausage to go with the meal.

"Breakfast!!!" The little boy came running into the room and tugged at James shirt trying to pull him into the dinning room. "I helped mama. We made pancakes and bacon! Mama said to come get you to eat, you gotta eat fast so we can play sooner! Pretty please!"

James laughed and dropped his hand to let the little boy grab and lead him away to the kitchen. Before Tony could pull him too far James grabbed Natalia's hand with his left lacing his fingers with hers. The feeling was awkward at first, the metal strips supporting his fingers made it hard to truly hold his hand. But the movement was so natural for him. No forcing it or concentrating to make it happen. It just happened like it was second nature, as if the last few days had no happened and he could move his arm like he had the rest of his life. It caused a smile to cross her face as she let him tug her along behind the young Stark.

The kitchen was a decent size, with a wood burning stove in the far corner. Pancakes filled a platter sitting on the table, true to Maria's style, a jar of homemade strawberry jam sat beside it along with a bowl of fruits and a pan with scrambled eggs. Bacon strips sat on a second platter and a tall pitcher sat filled with fresh water from the well. 

Tony took his seat eagerly and immediately pointed at the chair beside him. "This one is for you Uncle Bucky."

The Deputy gave the boy a smile and pulled out the seat next to Tony, as well as the one beside it. He waited for Natalia to sit and pushed the chair back in. She wasn't used to such kind gestures. The men in her life were nothing like him. All they wanted from her was to take advantage of her. Take her for everything she was worth, at this point in her life her worth felt like nothing. But James was so different. He treated her with respect, he didn't care what she felt she was worth. She held so much worth in his eyes, worth he wasn't trying to take away from her. Instead he was trying to add to it, to try and make her see it. Even knowing what she had done he still treated her as a human. Even when he had kissed her, that had been it. There had been no push for more, no hidden intentions behind it. And every action after had been filled with love and kindness. So gentle. The last time any one had treated her with such care hand been in Russia. Her father had always treated his family with kindness. It had been something she missed immediately after leaving home.

Watching James with Tony she knew he would be nothing like his own father. He would love his children and his wife. He would break the chain of abuse. She still ached knowing his own father had beaten him. Broken him. Blamed him for the loss of their family. How James had been relieved to loose his father. She couldn't imagine how hard that would be as a child to endure. Her parents had not been perfect by any means, but they had done their best and they had loved her and her younger sister. Had tried to provide for them both, and give her a better life in America. Perhaps that was why she hadn't sent a letter since she arrived. The idea of telling them what happened to her and how she no longer was their innocent little girl. She couldn't do that to the only people left who truly loved her. Maybe they weren't the only ones left.

He and Tony played through the meal with James sneaking food in not only to his own mouth but Tony's as well. Natalia could see the pleasure in Maria's eyes. Tony was so willing to do what ever James suggested. He had willingly cleared the table after everyone finished their meal. Even now James had him sweeping the floor while pretending that the crumbs and dust were bad guys that needed to be swept away. Natalia had no doubts that James had done a wonderful job keeping Becca's mind occupied, even when she was likely dealing with feelings of nausea and pain. The girl had been lucky to have James as a brother. 

"I don't know where you found him Natalia, but I love him." Maria joked as she watched the two running through the kitchen and dinning room. "For my own sake can you please keep him around? If you don't can I? I'll pay him whatever he wants. I could actually get some house work done with him around!" 

Natalia chuckled and shook her head. "So you can have a babysitter? When ever you want? I think you would have to talk to him about that. He is convinced Tony would stop listening to him in a week or so."

Maria laughed and scrubbed at the jam stuck to what had been Tony's breakfast plate. "He really is a good one Natalia. The way he looks at you, he likes you. Something about him is different than most men. I may tease you about keeping him for my own sanity, but I don't think he would mind if you kept him around."

Natalia knew exactly what she meant. She had seen it in him since day one. If only she could figure out what exactly it was. "Yes he is..."