Natasha/Scarlett one shot 2

Sound of the ocean N.R

Imagine Morgan, Billy and Tommy are around the same age.

So... here's the thing, I've got a kid who is screaming and crying in front of me, begging me to bring her out of here while three other kids are having the time of their life. Morgan, Billy and Tommy were all having fun with their parents, splashing water at each other, comfortable being in the water.

"Sissy..." Ashley was sobbing when the wave hit her ankles.

"Alright... alright... Let's get out of the water." I picked her up and carried her further away from the sea. I was hoping for it to be a fun trip out since it wasn't her first time at the beach but it didn't turn out that way.

"Are you having fun building the sandcastle?" I asked her while shielding her away from the scorching sun. I say sandcastle, but we were so far away from the water that it was mostly gravel and rocks.

"Yeah!" She slammed her hands on the bucket, hoping that the sandcastle would come out nicely. I was glad that Natasha forced me to put on some sunscreen as I was normally too busy taking care of Ashley to care about my own well being. Thanks to her, I wouldn't be a cook lobster by the end of this.

During the few minutes we spent building the sandcastle, Pepper came and gave me a cooling cup of lemonade to cool off from the heat. I gave her an appreciative smile until Sam decided it was a good idea to come out of nowhere and scare us.

"Do you want to try to go into the water again?" I tried asking her as it was getting way too hot to bear.

"No..." She whined.

"Come on, let's just try. There's nothing to be scared about." I brought her to the edge of the water while carrying her on my hips. As I bounced her on my hips, I walked deeper into the ocean. Nothing too deep, the water just reaching my thigh area.

"See, it's okay." Just as I say that, a huge wave came and I made sure to lift Ashley above the water so she doesn't choke on the sea water. I was unable to maintain my balance and ended up getting washed to the shore.

"Y/N! Are you okay?" Wanda and Nat came over to check on us.

"Sissy..." She started crying again when she saw I was having tears falling out of my eyes as I felt water go up my nose.

"I'm... okay..." I said through my cough. "There's nothing to be afraid of, we just have to be more careful." I still tried to persuade her to be comfortable with the sea but she only clung onto Wanda now that she was in her arms.

"Okay... let's just go back to the rest then."

It was getting close to her nap time so I patted her bum until she fell asleep until the enormous umbrella that was rooted in the ground.

"I'll take care of Ash, why don't you go and have fun with Nat. We hardly have a day out." Wanda suggested and I looked at her skeptically. "I'll be fine. I had my time with Billy and Tommy."

"Well, if you don't mind." I was still a bit hesitant at leaving Ashley. We have only had each other ever since our parents died in an airplane accident when Ashley was only 3 years old. 

"I offered, Y/N. Of course, I don't mind."

After one last look at Ashley, I dashed for the water and sighed at the cool feeling on my skin. It was as if I could hear the water fizz on my skin due to the heat.

"I thought you were afraid of the ocean because it looked like you were avoiding it." Nat commented when I swam towards her.

"I don't know why she is so scared. We went to a beach with our parents before. Maybe she doesn't trust me..." I sighed at the thought.

I was reminded of the time when our parents brought us to the beach. Ashley could barely talk then, only making a few noises here and there. Our parents were able to bring her out to sea without her fussing. It was one of the few memories I cherished in my heart. One of the few times we were all together, the four of us.

"Stop thinking so much." Natasha karate chopped my head.

I held my head in pain and looked at her in disbelief. Does she hit everyone this hard?

"Stop thinking so much. She trusts you. She just didn't know much when she was younger." Natasha said.

"She's much older now and has seen a lot more things." She continued to explain and I nodded. Ashley was expressing her emotions and thoughts a lot more these days so I guess it made sense.

While treading the waters with Nat, I noticed something underwater and dove in to pick it up.

Wanda POV
Ashley stirred awake after a while but Morgan, Tommy and Billy were still taking their nap. "Y/N?" She said while rubbing her eyes.

"She is at sea, can you see her?" I pointed to one of the figures that looked like a dot from a distance.

"Y/N..." She started walking towards the sea. I got up immediately and told Pepper to look after the kids before rushing to get Ashley. Thankfully she stopped right before the line where the wave crashed.

"Can you see Y/N? She is right there with Auntie Nat." I pointed to them once again since we were closer now.

Ashley looked towards them before taking a step toward the sea but the waves were stronger this time and it ended up swallowing her.

"Ashley!" I went to pick her up before she drowned. Thankfully, she only swallowed a few gulps of seawater and was crying for her sister to get back. I tried calming her down but it wasn't working. Her wailing was getting us a lot of attention on the beach.

Your POV
After getting what I saw, I went back up to the surface and heard someone crying. "Is that Ash crying at the shore?" Nat asked and I immediately swam towards her with all I've got.

"I thought Ash had an abandonment issue but it looked to be the other way around." Nat said.

"Ash, what's wrong?"

I took her from Wanda who explained. "I think she saw you dove underwater and thought you drowned."

I stroked Ash's back and tried to calm her down as I brought her away from the water so she felt safer. "I'm okay. Here, I brought you a gift." I sat her down on the sand and showed her a seashell.

She took it from me and brought it up to her ear. "Shound of the o'ean."

"That's right, the sound of the ocean." It warmed my heart that she remembered the interaction we had on the beach when our parents were still alive. I corrected the seashell she was holding so she could actually hear the sea.

"I told you you were doing a great job." Natasha suddenly spoke from behind me.

"I just find it hard to believe." Nat came and squatted next to me.

"You're doing great, trust me. I'm never wrong." Nat kissed my cheek as I continued to watch Ashley giggling.

"You're never wrong." I nodded my head and agreed with her.

Written on 26 Feb 2022
Posted on 21 Aug 2022

Inspired by: Gakuen Babysitter (anime/manga)