innocent

strong

So, Scott was turned into a baby, a teenager, and an old man. Their time travel wasn't working to well as of now.

Cecelia was sitting in a room, tossing a tennis ball off the the floor, and then the wall, then letting it bounce back to her. It had 2 bounces, total. Off the floor, and the wall.

"Hey, baby." Natasha said, sitting down next to her.

"Scott get new pants yet?" Cecelia asked, Natasha let out a laugh as she looked down.

"Yeah." She said as hearing a bounce, then another. Cecelia caught it, and it repeated.

"Think we'll get them back?" Cecelia asked, Natasha shrugged her shoulder.

"I'm not gonna promise you anything." Natasha said, Cecelia nodded her head.

Cecelia was broke down as is. Always praying and hoping that one day Bucky would come home. She couldn't make a promise like that. She couldn't. Natasha knew what would happen if she did and if the plan failed. Her trust would be not broken, but shattered.

"But I can promise you that we're gonna try our best." She said, putting her hand on Cecelia's shoulder. Cecelia felt tears come up. She didn't know why she was crying, or starting to, but she was. And because of that she hated it. She felt so vulnerable all the time.

Cecelia hated crying. She hated everything about it. She hated how her eyes would get red and her face would get puffy. She hated how her nose would get runny, and how she would try to hide it. She hated how weak it made her look as well.

One thing Hydra taught was never to cry, so when she was there, it was on rare occasion you saw tears spill. She was a kid, and that kid didn't cry much through the ages 4-9.
Alexander said not to, good soldiers follow orders. So she didn't cry. She didn't show pain, even if it tore her apart. She showed nothing. Celia Tucker, the Hydra Soldier had no feelings. She was a cold blooded killer, not a baby.

Cecelia let the ball bounce away from her. Natasha had tears in her eyes to. Cecelia looked down, but then suddenly, she pulled Natasha into a hug.

Natasha was taken back by the sudden hug. She hugged her back, nonetheless. Cecelia shoved her head into the crook of her neck, as the two squeezed each other into a hug.

"You're so strong, baby." Natasha said, Cecelia sniffled as she held onto her. Cecelia Barnes didn't want to be strong anymore. She didn't want to hold back her tears, or fight, she wanted to be normal.

"I don't wanna be strong anymore." Cecelia sobbed, making tears stream down Natasha's cheeks. She put her hand through Cecelia's curly ponytail, her fingers getting tangled. "I don't want to do it, 'Tasha." Cecelia cried, Natasha kissed the top of her head.

"I know, baby." Natasha said, Cecelia sniffled as her cries calmed down. She took deep breaths as Natasha rubbed her back. "It's ok."

Natasha saw herself in Cecelia. She saw that little girl always trying to stay strong. But even though that little girl hated crying, that's all she wanted to do. She wanted to throw stuff, break stuff, scream, cry, that girl wanted to get every emotion out until she felt ok again. All the two wanted to feel was ok.

"I love you, 'Tasha."

"I love you, Ceil."

Love wasn't a word that Cecelia took lightly. It meant something. Bucky said it to her all the time, he said he loved most. Cecelia didn't know if she loved anything more than she lived Bucky. Bucky was with Cecelia through thick and thin, he didn't leave her, never once. It was never a second thought of his.

When he blipped, Cecelia didn't know if she was capable of being loved. She thought she was a monster, but when Steve and Natasha took her in, and treated her like their own, she knew she was loved, and she was capable of being loved.