"Caseeeeey!" Rose screams excitedly as she runs past me. I turn around to see Casey walking up to us. They both fall to the ground as Rose tackles her into a hug. I jog up to the giggling girls, wanting to make sure nobody is hurt.

But they both seem to be completely fine. I smile as I look at the two who are laughing their asses off. "Maybe be a bit more careful next time Rose." I chuckle as I help them stand up. "Sorry mommy, sorry Casey." She smiles innocently.

Casey shrugs with a big smile on her face. Lizzie has filled me in on how they treat Casey at school. So I can't imagine that she has a lot of people who are happy to see her. I'm just glad I raised a monkey who isn't afraid to be affectionate.

"Do you want to play at the playground?" She asks Casey who nods rapidly. They both start to take off, but I call Casey back. "Would you like for me to look after your backpack?" I smile genuinely.

She seems really hesitant, but that changes when Rose walks up to her. "It's okay Casey, that way it might be easier to play. And mommy will protect it with her life, right mom?" She looks hopefully at me, winking not so subtly.

"I will, you two go and have fun." I chuckle as Casey hands me her backpack. Rose takes Casey her hand and they both run to the playground in the centre of the park. I follow suit, sitting on a bench at the edge of the playground.

They seem to have the time of their lives, giggling like there is no tomorrow while they're playing all sorts of games. I noticed that Casey is a lot slower than Rose. Even though Rose is only two years older, Casey is definitely far behind her regarding her motor skills.

I jump up when I feel a hand on my shoulder, ready to apply my black widow training until I see Lizzie standing behind me with a big smile. "You scared me, you idiot." I mumble as I sit back down. She chuckles as she sits beside me.

"How has she been?" She asks me as she looks over at Casey who suddenly seems to be a lot faster. She also doesn't trip every 20 seconds. "Her wonderful self." I smile, noticing the wide smile on Lizzie's lips from the corner of my eye.

"She's a special kid you know." I mumble as we both look at the children. "Oh, I know." Lizzie answers, laughing as Casey tackles Rose to the ground. Guess she deserves that from earlier.

"She doesn't smile in class. Like at all. It almost feels weird to see her smile, but a good kind of weird." Lizzie thinks out loud.

"She and Rose get along really well." I state, resulting in Lizzie nodding in agreement. "They do. Rose is a wonderful kid, you're doing a great job with her Scarlett." Lizzie says genuinely as she looks at me.

I give her a quick side hug, appreciating the compliment. It's not easy to balance my career and Rose, but it has been absolutely worth it. "You'd make a great mother. I hope you do know that." I say softly, knowing it's a touchy spot.

"Thanks, Scar, but I don't know. I can't imagine being a mother while my career is starting to take off. Marvel has really jumpstarted things and I want to give my child a normal life. I admire you so much for the way you're doing all of this. I don't think I'll be able to pull that off." She smiles sadly.

"Well you can forget about a 'normal' life. I'm sorry but that ain't happening. Even if you retire right this moment, too many people have already seen your face. It won't be normal, but that doesn't mean it will be bad. How bad can it be when they have you as their parent?"

"I have to leave her you know. Casey. I said I wouldn't and I really don't want to, but it's just like you said before. This town is not where my life is." She sighs sadly, fighting back the lump in her throat.

"Maybe. But I don't think Casey her life is here either." I grin softly, making her look confused at me. She rubs her eyes as she furrows her eyebrows in thought. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I chuckle at her obliviousness, but we're interrupted before we can respond. Rose is giggling out of breath as she's hiding behind me while Casey is trying to tag her. The first thing I notice is Rose her white socks which have become brown.

"Rose where are your shoes?" I question her as I set her on my lap. She tries to catch her breath before answering, but Lizzie beats her to it. "Found them." She mumbles as she nods down at Casey her feet, who is sitting on her lap.

"Why is Casey wearing your shoes?" I question her, making her shrug. "I need new ones." She mumbles. I shake my head, knowing that's not the reason. "You got new ones last week." I say sternly.

Lizzie stands up with Casey, walking away to give me and Rose me some privacy. Rose watches them carefully, turning around with a guilty look on her face once they're out of hearing distance.

"I'm sorry mom but Casey couldn't run after me because of her old shoes and I thought it would be better because my socks don't have any holes and hers do." She rambles. I just hug her, surprising her a bit. "I'm proud of you, but those are your shoes. We can buy different ones for Casey if she really needs them." I smile.

"Yaaay we're gonna go shopping!" She cheers as she runs off my lap, joining Lizzie and Casey on the swings.

⚠️⚠️

"Rose how about you help Auntie Lizzie cook dinner while I bathe Casey?" I suggest as we all enter the house. Rose seems excited, but Casey immediately hides behind Lizzie. "I'm not that bad, am I?" I ask her with half a smile as I crouch down to her height.

"Lizzie is a way better cook than I am and after the day we had in the park, you should really take a bath." I try to convince her, but it doesn't seem to work. Lizzie crouches down and whispers something in Casey her ear, making her smile widely before nodding and making her way to the bathroom.

"Look at you, bribing a 6-year-old." I wink at her before following Casey. "I wouldn't call it bribing. I just made a promise." Lizzie shouts after me. I wave it away. "It's called bribing sweetheart, welcome to motherhood." I shout back making her laugh.

I fill the bath while Casey gets her stuff. "Hey Casey, how about we skip school tomorrow and go shopping?" I suggest, but she simply shrugs. "Do you like school?" I ask her as I check the temperature of the water.

She nods slowly, looking intently at me. "Have you ever been in bath before?" I question her. She smiles weakly while shaking her head. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." I smile. "Lizzie told me you put on your own clothes, do you need help removing them?"

She shakes her head before taking off her clothes. I clench my fists and close my eyes when I see her torso.

Scars.

Fuck I knew it. I use my acting skills to help her in the bath, letting a few tears drop when I see her back.

"Is the water okay?" I ask her. She seems to relax and nods as she closes her eyes, a smile forming on her lips. I take the opportunity to take a closer look at her back. There are a lot of scars, but also pretty recent wounds.

"I'll be back in a minute." I mumble before turning away and walking out of the bathroom. Taking in a very shaky breath, trying to fight my emotions.

Anger, sadness and confusion. How could someone do this to her? To a 6-year-old.

"Lizzie!" I shout from the top of the stairs, not wanting to go down and leave Casey alone for too long. "Scarlett!" She shouts back dramatically, followed by Rose her laugh in the distance. "Could you come up real quick?" I shout back.

Seconds later she walks up the stairs with a big smile, that drops when she sees me. "What's wrong?" She asks me with a trembling voice. I take her hand and drag her to the bathroom without saying a thing.

"Hey, Casey." She smiles widely when she notices Casey playing in the bad. Casey returns the smile before focusing back on Rose her rubber duck. Lizzie looks confused at me. I drag her a bit further, pushing her into the same spot I stood in earlier.

Her smile drops. She looks at me with wide eyes, biting down on her lip.

"I didn't do it." I mumble.