Danger Stranger
Part One

Warning(s): Disciplinary Spanking.

###

Natasha had woken up fairly early and headed to the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her son and daughter. The pancakes were only a few minutes away, so she requested, "Friday? Can you ask Valkyrie and Lincoln to meet me in my room for breakfast?"

"Of course, Agent Romanov," the AI replied, before doing just that.

Lincoln had just finished taking a shower when Friday made her request. It was only a matter of moments before he was dressed and stepping through the adjoining door between his room and his mother's. He glanced over to see Valkyrie stepping through the door leading to her room as well. He smiled at his sister, walking to the table and chairs his mother had for moments like this, and pulled a chair out for her. "Friday? Does Mom need help carrying anything back?" he asked.

"No. But she would appreciate it if you would open the door for her," Friday reported back, as Natasha was heading to the door now.

"Of course!" Lincoln quickly headed to the hall door of his mother's room, opening it for her. He took the platter she carried and took it the rest of the way to the table; she'd carried it all the way from the kitchen, after all.

Valkyrie looked at all the food with wide eyes. "Are we training today?" While all the parents in the family insisted on a healthy breakfast being eaten, they usually only ate this much if there was an active day planned (or it was the parent of someone with high metabolism, like Peter or Kaine).

"I thought perhaps we could do some hiking today. Spend a bit of time with just the three of us." Natasha took a seat at the table, smiling in thanks at her son. "There's a lot of people here in the compound. I know it can get very overwhelming sometimes. I thought some one-on-one time would be beneficial."

"That sounds wonderful, mom... and my next shift at the free clinic isn't until tomorrow..." Lincoln grinned. After all the upheaval the families had gone through since he'd been adopted, once his internship had ended, he'd taken on residency at the compound, helping Bryce and Bruce as family physician and also working with SHIELD. He volunteered at the free clinic in town twice a week.

"Where will we hike?" Valkyrie asked.

"I thought I'd leave that up to the two of you," Natasha replied. "There are several different trails I've downloaded maps for, ranging from the very easy to the nearly impossible." As they were eating, she set up the tablet so that she could show them.

"I'm good for easy. I can concentrate more on the surroundings instead of where my feet are positioned, that way..." Valkyrie laughed.

"Yeah. I don't want to be sore tomorrow either." Lincoln grinned.

"Works for me." Natasha reached for a piece of fruit. "Once we've finished breakfast, we can grab water bottles and snacks to take with us. Depending on how quickly we do the hike, we might be able to have a picnic at one of the scenic spots."

"Lovely!" Valkyrie tucked into finishing her food.

"Is it just us going?" Lincoln asked.

"That was the plan. Unless you'd like to invite anyone else," Natasha answered.

"Just us is good..." Lincoln said.

Valkyrie nodded. "Gives me a chance to get to know you better."

"I'd like that too." Natasha continued eating and then, once she was finished, she stood up to clear the platter. "I'll get us some water bottles. Do you two want to grab a pack each?"

"Sure. I'll carry the first-aid kit, just in case..." Lincoln announced, before heading to grab his pack.

Valkyrie went to her room to grab her pack as well. Soon, they were back in Nat's room, waiting for their mother to return from the kitchen.

After clearing everything, Natasha brought her own pack, along with the snacks and bottles of water, to her room, where she took care of dividing them between the three of them.

"Lead the way, Mom..." Lincoln grinned once they were all prepared.

Natasha quickly led the way to the elevator, so they could leave the ground floor of the compound. "Do you remember if you've hiked before?" she asked Valkyrie, as she led the way to the start of the trail.

Valkyrie chuckled. "I've walked long distances and in difficult terrain before. But just to do it for fun? Not so much." She grinned.

"Do you remember anything you did do for fun?" Natasha asked, curious to learn more about her daughter, as they began the hike.

"On Asgard, most 'fun' involved training of some sort. Although we did have games. I always enjoyed flying on my mount..." Valkyrie smiled.

"Flying on your mount?" Lincoln asked curiously. "Giant Eagle?"

"No. Winged horse..." Valkyrie's grin was impish.

Lincoln's mouth dropped open and he stopped to stare at her as she continued ahead of him on the trail. "Pegasus was real?!"

Natasha's own eyes widened at the words, but she didn't stop her movements along the trail. "Where is your mount now?" she asked.

Valkyrie’s grin turned sad. "I'm not sure. I don't know if he made it back home after..." She swallowed, then sighed.

Natasha let her hand rest gently on Valkyrie's shoulder. "I know we've talked about exploring other planets. Perhaps it would be possible to see if we could find him," she suggested.

"I'd like that..." Valkyrie smiled shyly. "I'd have to ask the All-Father where I was when I disappeared. I only remember fighting in a battle and falling."

Natasha gently squeezed her arm. "Is there anything else you remember? We have a few family members who have lost memories of their past and there are people working with them to help them remember."

"No... not really. Everything from that point till I crashed in front of the compound is hazy... for all I know, I spent centuries just falling through space and time..." Valkyrie grimaced.

"Then we might be able to work with you," Natasha said. "Uncle Odin will probably be able to give us some starting points. And Wanda might be able to help, too. She's done that before."

"I guess. If the memories are locked in my head and not just gone all together..." Valkyrie shrugged.

"It's worth a try, at least." Natasha rubbed her arm gently before resuming walking along the trail. "If nothing else, perhaps we can find your mount and bring him home."

"I'd like that!" Valkyrie brightened. "I know Aunt Bobbi has mentioned liking to ride. I bet she'd love to ride Fluffy!"

Natasha smiled. "I have the feeling there're a lot of family members who would enjoy riding him."

"Me!" Lincoln raised his hand. "I'd be one of those who would!" He laughed.

Natasha laughed softly before saying, "I foresee Kara being one who'd like to as well." Her more childish cousin would love a winged horse, she was sure.

Valkyrie nodded. "First, I have to find him, though..." Her voice was a mixture of hopeful wistfulness.

"Maybe he's back on Asgard..." Lincoln suggested.

"It's a starting point, at least." Natasha wrapped an arm around Lincoln's shoulders, giving him a hug as well as they continued along the trail.

"Where does this trail end?" Lincoln asked curiously. "I've never gone this far along it before."

"It ends here." Natasha showed him on the map. "I thought we could stop for a break about here." She pointed at the area she meant.

"This overlook? That would be really nice for a break," Lincoln agreed, moving so his sister could look at the map as well.

Valkyrie peered at the map. "What's this?" She pointed to an area close to the trail that had unusual markings.

"Oh, that's an area we're not supposed to go to," Natasha answered. "There's a very sudden, very steep drop. I think we'll steer well clear of that."

"Huh..." Valkyrie didn't say anything else about going there. If it was marked on the map as dangerous, she had no interest in an extreme hiking moment. Leisurely and easy was the goal today. So, she could actually talk with her family. "Is that part of the land owned by SHIELD or our family?" she asked instead.

"Almost all of the area around the compound is owned by our family," Natasha answered. "SHIELD and the school are able to make use of whatever they need, though. All they have to do is let us know what areas they'd like cleared."

"So not too much chance of running into strangers on this walk?" Lincoln asked.

"No. Not unless they have permission to be here," Natasha said.

"Good to know..." Valkyrie said.

"Let me know if either of you need to take a break before we get to the stopping point," Natasha directed.

"I could go for miles!" Valkyrie grinned.

Lincoln's grin was more rueful. "I don't know that I could go for miles, but I've been working out with you and the rest of the family enough, I should be able to make it to the clearing."

"Still. There's nothing wrong with taking a break earlier if you need to," Natasha said. "No one would look down on you for knowing your limits." She smiled, knowing her son was aware of that, but figuring there was no harm in voicing the reminder.

"Of course." Lincoln chuckled. "I even tell some of my more overzealous patients that when they end up pushing too hard."

"I believe I've heard you saying that on more than one occasion," Natasha commented, with a warm smile. She paused temporarily to remove one of her water bottles and drink a small amount, planning to stay hydrated.

"It's good advice..." Lincoln shrugged, using the opportunity to drink from his own bottle.

"So, this path goes to the forbidden area?" Valkyrie had been distracted by an overgrown footpath with a sign and chain.

"Yes," Natasha answered. "While it might be possible to make it a bit safer, I don't think it's something that should be explored right now."

Valkyrie nodded. "Alright, then..."

Lincoln just nodded and began walking again once everyone had taken a drink.

Natasha kept the conversation light and casual as the three of them continued walking along the trail.

Valkyrie was enjoying the time with her immediate family. By the time they reached the clearing, she knew a great deal about Lincoln's job working as a doctor for SHIELD and the family, alongside Bryce. (With help from Bruce. Since he wasn't really a medical doctor, but had taken care of the family for so long, he usually helped.) And his volunteering in the nearby town.

"Do you think I could volunteer? Maybe teach a self-defense class? I helped train the younger Asgardians before...." she said, as they unpacked their lunch.

"I'm certain that would be a great help," Natasha said. "We can look into setting that up later today, if you'd like."

"Yeah. I'd like that!" Valkyrie grinned.

Lincoln smiled. "I think there is an empty spot for lease where the free clinic is. You could set up near where I volunteer."

"I'll ask Tony's lawyers to look into what permissions we need to arrange it." Natasha spread out the blanket on the ground.

"Thanks, mom. I appreciate the help." Valkyrie smiled.

Natasha settled down and then began to share the food out between the three of them. "When we get back to the compound, I'll take care of it then," she promised.

As soon as the food was passed out, everyone began eating, the walk having made them all hungry. They continued to talk about the family and various things that Valkyrie might not have had time to notice.

The conversation was easy and flowed naturally and before long, the food had been eaten and they were packing up, ready to finish the rest of their hike.

"It took us half a day to get here. Does the path make a circle around back to the compound, or should we head back the way we came?" Lincoln asked.

"It makes a circle," Natasha answered, pointing to the area on the map where it showed where the trail circled.

"Cool..." Valkyrie shouldered her pack.

Lincoln began walking forward again, once he was assured everyone was ready.

Natasha walked, sticking close to her children, within touching distance if any of them wanted to snuggle.

They continued until they finally reached the compound and headed inside. They'd spent the entire day on their hike.

"I'll clean up and go and see how dinner is getting on." Natasha collected the packs from her children and went to go and clean up.

At that point, one of the comms crackled and Skye's voice unmistakably came through. "Is anyone there? I took the shortcut on the trail. Fell and twisted my ankle. I can't move...."

Lincoln frowned. When had Skye gone on the trail? Picking up the comms, he asked, "What are your coordinates? We'll come get you...."

"I'm at this location." Skye's voice gave the coordinates before she let out a whimper of pain.

Lincoln quickly grabbed his medical bag with bandages and splint, added a couple bottles of water and turned to go.

"I'll come with you," Valkyrie said, pocketing the comms.

None of the other family members had reached the area by this point; Natasha was finishing cleaning up and then checking on who was around for the family dinner.

"Friday... let everyone know we're heading out to pick up Skye? Thanks," Lincoln said, just before leaving the compound with Valkyrie... making it impossible for Friday to respond to him, since they were no longer in the building.  He and Valkyrie took off at a fast-paced jog in the direction Skye had indicated.

***

Knowing that rescue was on the way made it easier for Skye to relax and keep from moving her ankle, which was already swollen and looking bruised. She hadn't recognized the voice that had answered the comms, but it wasn't like she knew all of the agents with SHIELD. At least someone was coming.

Letting her head drop back slightly, Skye sighed. "Coulson's gonna kill me...." she muttered, not looking forward to explaining herself to the man. After everything that had happened, they were all under a lot of stress. Ward was on the run, having confirmed everyone's suspicions that he was still the bad guy.

***

Lincoln and Valkyrie had made good time, almost running the entire way, until they reached the blocked path. "Of course, she fell and hurt herself in the 'forbidden zone'," Lincoln muttered, before ducking under the chain and continuing on at a more careful pace.

Valkyrie frowned, but followed him. She couldn't help thinking Natasha would be displeased they were going to the dangerous area after having been told not to, just that morning. But she wouldn't leave Lincoln to go alone.

***

Pricking her ears up, Skye was fairly sure she heard movement. Hoping it was her rescuers, she called out, "I landed on a small ledge! Watch your step! It's really steep!"

"Yeah... mom said it was off limits because it was so treacherous... why would you come out here, of all places?" Lincoln called out, as he carefully made his way to the edge to look down toward her. "I'm going to tie a rope to a tree and let it down. Do you think you can climb up, or will one of us need to come down to you?"

"I was looking for something," Skye replied. "I'm not sure I can put weight on the ankle," she admitted. "I might be able to wrap the rope around me...pull myself up. Does Coulson know where I am?" she asked.

"I doubt it... if he had, your mother would have known and then she would have come too..." Lincoln snorted, knowing May would probably box his ears for not informing her that Skye was in trouble.

"I can go down and get her... you watch the rope and make sure it stays secure," Valkyrie said.

Lincoln nodded. "Val is coming down for you..." he called to Skye.

"My mother?" Skye repeated, confused, but she responded anyway. "Thanks."

Valkyrie was quick, nimble and strong; so, it took little time at all to reach Skye's side and pick the other girl up, quickly climbing back up. Her Asgardian heritage was obvious in that moment.

Skye clutched tightly to Valkyrie, speaking once they were at the top. "Wow. You're really strong. Where'd SHIELD pick you up from?"

Valkyrie blinked and gave Skye a confused look, before giving a concerned glance toward Lincoln. "You know where I came from... do not jest so..." she said, with an uncomfortable chuckle.

Lincoln frowned from where he'd begun to examine Skye's ankle, looking into her eyes. "Did you hit your head? I don't see any wounds, but even so...."

Skye frowned in confusion, glancing between the two of them. "I didn't hit my head. I'm grateful for your help, but I don't know you."

Lincoln's worry turned to anxious fear. He didn't know anything simple or safe that could cause that level of memory loss without leaving even a small bruise on the head. "Skye... we live in the same building and have breakfast together nearly every day. And we made a pact to try and get your mother, Melinda May, to date and marry my grandfather, Phil Coulson, because they so obviously belong together. None of that seems familiar?" He'd finished wrapping her ankle by that point. It would be painful, but she could walk on it. They needed to get her home to scan her head.

"No, that's not...May isn't my...." Skye's confusion was obvious. She stood up...and then it was like she just winked out of existence.

Later, when everything had calmed down, Lincoln and Valkyrie would make a pact to never speak about how both of them had screamed in high-pitched fear at Skye's sudden disappearance. In the moment, all they could do was scream, frantically look around and finally grab the med-kit and sprint back to the compound as fast as they could go. Given at least five minutes of trail was on the treacherous side and they were too frantic to get help for Skye to be as careful as they had been going out to her, by the time they burst into the family floor, their bodies were covered in dirt and leaves and any part not covered by clothing had faint scratches. The fact they were yelling frantically for everyone completed the picture of chaos. Two of the calmest members of the family were having an emotional meltdown.

Natasha met her children immediately, having been informed by Friday that they'd gone. She'd been in the process of getting family organized and trying to figure out just why Friday seemed to think Lincoln and Valkyrie were chasing after Skye, who was in the compound.

"What happened?" Natasha's voice was filled with concern as she checked them both over and then asked Friday to call Bruce.

"Skye..."

"...Twisted..."

"...Didn't know..."

"...Amnesia...possibly..." They began talking over each other in a garbled cacophony of words that only a few were recognizable and none made sense.

"...Then she disappeared!" Lincoln finished, in a high-pitched declaration, while Valkyrie nodded her head frantically. "Literally!"

Natasha frowned and took a step back, looking worriedly at both her children before turning to Bruce, who had appeared by this time. "Friday mentioned you'd gone after Skye, but she wasn't out of the compound. She's been with her mother all day." She was doing a good job at staying calm, but was obviously worried that something had happened to them and they were hallucinating.

That stopped both Lincoln and Valkyrie short and they looked at each other, then their mother, in confusion. "But... it... she... she was there! Honest! I wrapped her ankle. And Val saw her too... didn't you?" He turned toward his sister hopefully; he didn't want to think he had imagined everything.

"Yes. She was as real as you or I... though she did act oddly. As if she did not know us..." Valkyrie wrinkled her nose uncertainly.

"She really never left the compound?" Lincoln asked, in a small voice. "But if it wasn't her, who transmitted a call for help through the coms?!"

During the conversation, Bruce had been running a scan over the two. "Other than a few scrapes and soon to be bruises, there is nothing physically wrong with them that would cause hallucinations. And it isn't likely they'd have the exact same hallucination, even if they were hallucinating..." he told Natasha; and, by that point, everyone else in the compound, since they'd made enough ruckus to gain everyone's attention.

Natasha frowned. "Friday, do you have a recording of that call through the comms? Can you play it for us?" If it was Skye's voice on the comms, it would prove that her children weren't mistaken...but she wasn't sure if it would explain anything.

"Of course, Ma'am..." Friday quickly played back the conversation between Lincoln and Skye.

"I think maybe we should call a family meeting," Natasha said slowly. "I can't help but wonder if something similar has happened to anyone else." She reached out to wrap an arm each around her children. "After the meeting, we'll talk."

Lincoln nodded, leaning into his mother. He suspected he knew what she wanted to talk about, but he was too relieved to have audible proof that he wasn't imagining things to worry about it.

"No better time than the present. Looks like everyone is here now..." Valkyrie said.

Natasha nodded and turned to the other family members. She explained, as quickly and concisely as she could, what had happened.

"I wasn't even outside." Skye's confusion was obvious, especially as she couldn't deny that it had been her voice on the comms. "Could it have been someone who could change their forms?" she asked, thinking that they had at least two family members with that ability.

"For what purpose? If we have someone impersonating family members to draw other family members out, that's not good..." Tony frowned.

"Heh... kinda reminds me of our vacation, where I saw my twin..." Peter Quill murmured. "Course, that was cuz I stepped through that portal... and my twin was running from a T-Rex, so who knows...."

"You mean like another version of you?" Coulson frowned.

"A multiverse?" Peter Parker piped up. "Like different versions of ourselves in other dimensions? But you didn't go through a portal, right?" He looked at Lincoln and Valkyrie.

"Dunno if it was another version of me or a doppelganger..." Peter Q. admitted. "Didn't talk to them. But it does give support to Peter's dimension idea...."

"No... there was no portal that we were aware of. She just... disappeared..." Valkyrie frowned.

"Did anything strange show up on any of the systems?" Natasha addressed the question to Tony, since he'd know better than anyone else.

"If it did, it wasn't enough to set off our alarms..." Tony was already looking through the systems. "Veronica... if you could please compare all data from the time frame of 12:00 noon and now, if there were any anomalies in our lands. Specifically pay attention to these coordinates..." He gave their security AI the information to look for.

"Has anyone else noticed anything strange?" Coulson looked at other family members. "Anything out of the ordinary?"

"If there are any anomalies from today, maybe it's worth seeing if there are any from earlier this month. Or even year," Steve suggested.

"Oh, I can help with collating data!" Fitz offered.

"We'd need to gather from all over the world," Jemma added. "Since this happened here, but the portal Peter mentioned happened somewhere else."

"I doubt it has anything to do with this, but we had a bit of a mystery on our trip as well..." Yo-Yo said, looking toward her father to confirm.

"Do you think HYDRA is up to no good again?" Grant asked.

Sam nodded and quickly explained about the situation.

"It could be HYDRA's responsibility," Coulson said thoughtfully. "But if it is, I can't imagine what the end game is."

"So, we just keep an eye open, report anything odd... and wait and see..." Tony said. "I'm glad no one was seriously hurt, given where you ended up."

"I am too." Natasha's voice was fairly calm, but she still held both her son and daughter tight, betraying just how worried she'd been.

"Sorry we scared you all... it... it was just very surprising..." Lincoln said, lamely.

"Yeah. Sorry..." Valkyrie added.

"I think we're all just very glad you're safe and weren't hurt worse," Steve said seriously. He glanced around at the rest of the family members. "I know we were getting ready for dinner...Nat, do you want us to save food for the three of you?" he asked his niece.

"That might be best," Natasha answered; though she glanced at her son and daughter, to see if they'd rather eat first.

"Thanks, Uncle Steve," Lincoln said. It would take a while for the adrenaline to wear off before he was truly hungry, so saw no reason to disagree with his mother.

Steve nodded and quickly began organizing the rest of the family to get dinner sorted.

Natasha took a deep breath and hugged her children a bit tighter. "We'll talk in my room."

"Okay, mom..." both Lincoln and Valkyrie answered quietly. They followed Natasha as she led them.

Natasha kept in contact with both of her children as she led them into her bedroom and closed the door behind them. "Why didn't either of you let me know? Or one of the other family members?" she asked.

Lincoln blinked in confusion. "I was in a hurry to get to Skye and help her ... so I asked Friday to let you know...."

"And you left without waiting for a response from Friday," Natasha pointed out gently. "And not only that, you went to exactly where we'd earlier discussed was too dangerous. I understand wanting to help a family member, but it would have only taken a few minutes for me to join you and then we might have been able to get there in a way that didn't result in both of you getting bruised and cut."

"We didn't get bruised and cut on the way there..." Valkyrie interjected softly. "We got bruised and scraped on the way back because we panicked after she disappeared and weren't as careful as we should have been." It was obvious she felt the error was in panicking, as the level of disgust she placed on the word when she said it was unmistakable.

Lincoln understood the real problem, but wasn't sure he'd have handled it different. "I wanted to reach her as soon as possible. I knew Friday would let you know and I wasn't sure if you'd be able to come right away, or if you'd be stuck in something and we'd have to wait a few minutes. Minutes could be the difference between life and death, depending on the situation. But you're right. I should have at least waited for Friday's response so I could know if you were on the way, or if I needed to go ahead of you."

He frowned at the admittance. This wasn't the first time he'd rushed in to help someone without giving his mother a chance to at least respond. Was he just afraid she'd tell him not to go and then he'd have to choose between helping someone and disobeying? Maybe that was the problem. He'd noticed how over-protective some of the parents were. No one was allowed to do anything without permission, it felt like, even in possible emergencies. While he could understand that when it came to fights and battles, he didn't understand that being good when providing medical help in an emergency. Granted, this hadn't been an emergency. She would have conveyed that over coms if she was in danger. But his first instinct had been to help as soon as possible and now that he was thinking about it... he had been afraid he'd be told he couldn't help. That one of the more powerful doctors would be sent; like Stephen, or Bruce, or Bryce.

"I'd never stop you from trying to help someone who needed it," Natasha said seriously. "But in this instance, it wasn't necessary to rush there immediately. She was hurt, yes, but was in one spot. We've talked already about needing to make sure it's safe for you to help before you actually act. That area was off-limits for a reason."

Lincoln winced and swallowed. "I didn't rush off alone this time..." he said, in hopes of maybe mitigating what he knew her response to his actions would be.

"I know," Natasha replied. "But you rushed into a dangerous area still. That isn't what we do here. You don't take chances when it's unnecessary." She drew both of them in for a hug. "I love you both so much. I want to make sure you remember, next time, to stop and wait. Just take a couple of minutes to think long enough to let me, or one of the other family members, know what's going on. I'm going to spank you both, because it's important you stop and think next time."

Valkyrie sighed. "Well, it's not like we didn't know that was a possibility when we rushed off...."

Lincoln shook his head ruefully. "I can't believe I'm an adult doctor bring spanked for... for not thinking."

"Not thinking is a fairly common occurrence in the family," Natasha said, a bit wryly. "It's my job to help you think next time." Since Valkyrie hadn't yet gone through the family discipline, she led Lincoln to one of the corners of the room. Kissing his forehead, she then turned him to face it. "Wait here until I come get you," she directed softly.

"Yes, ma'am..." Lincoln murmured, facing the corner as directed.

Valkyrie stood waiting, fidgeting.

Natasha moved back to Valkyrie's side and gently grasped her daughter's hand. Taking a seat on the bed, she gently drew Valkyrie down across her lap and then proceeded to bare her.

For never having been punished in this manner, Valkyrie wasn't surprised and didn't protest or fight. As soon as she was positioned, she reached down and grasped onto Natasha's leg.

Natasha wrapped an arm around her daughter's waist, pulling her tight against her stomach, and then lifted her hand, bringing it down in the first firm smack that she then repeated.

Valkyrie winced at the sting, but it didn't truly hurt; at least, she had had worse pain. Still, she didn't tense up or try to ignore the sting either. She meant to accept her fate without argument.

Natasha delivered the swats down to Valkyrie's thighs and then began again from the top. Partway through the second circuit, she began to speak. "I know you were trying to do the right thing and help someone who needed it, but you still shouldn't have left without making sure at least one of the family members knew you were going. That area was dangerous and you were lucky you weren't hurt worse than some scrapes and bruises."

"I... I thought telling Friday counted as letting family know..." Valkyrie didn't want to argue; she knew she'd messed up, after all. But it seemed a bit unfair that her mother thought she'd just run off without any word at all. They'd asked Friday to tell everyone.

"And then you left without waiting for Friday to pass the message on, or even respond to you," Natasha pointed out gently. "And after you'd left, she couldn't talk to either of you."

"...Oh..." Valkyrie's voice was sheepish as she mulled over that information. "...I'm sorry..." This time, her voice was apologetic. She obviously was accepting that she'd been wrong and was genuinely repentant.

"I know," Natasha said gently. "I forgive you. I love you. You are so very important to me." She began a third circuit of swats, going a bit hard and faster.

At hearing the forgiveness, Valkyrie slumped. She was relieved her mistake wouldn't be held over her head. "Love you too, mom..." she whispered. There was the hint of discomfort in her voice and she was squirming by this point, even if she was accepting.

Natasha finished up with a final few smacks to Valkyrie's sit spots and thighs and then stopped, gathering her daughter into her arms. Since this was a first offence, she figured she didn't need to be too harsh, as her daughter was accepting what she'd done wrong and not fighting the punishment.

Valkyrie was a bit surprised to find herself sitting on her mother's lap, but she quickly responded by wrapping her own arms around Natasha and hugging tightly. "I really am sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know. I forgive you." Natasha hugged her daughter a bit tighter and kissed her forehead. "I'm just so glad you weren't hurt worse."

"Not hurt. Just very confused and... startled?" Valkyrie said, snuggling a bit more.

Natasha nodded in understanding. "I can see why."

"It... she looked and sounded exactly like Skye. But looking back, she was too confused at us thinking we knew her...."

Hugging her daughter, a bit tighter, Natasha said softly, "If it was a version of Skye, it was clearly one who hadn't met either of you. It might be something similar will happen again, but at least we might be ready for it this time."

"I hope so..." Valkyrie whispered, hugging a little longer before letting go to fix her clothing.

Natasha kissed Valkyrie's forehead, then stood up and led her daughter to the corner, reaching to draw Lincoln out and then guiding her daughter into it.

Sighing, but not arguing, Valkyrie faced the corner.

Lincoln was subdued as Natasha led him out of the corner. He'd heard his mother and sister's conversation. He knew where he'd gone wrong and just wanted to get everything over with. He didn't plan to argue.

Natasha led her son over to the bed and sat down, guiding him into position over her lap before she bared him. Much the same as with Valkyrie, she wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him tight and secure against her stomach, before she delivered the first firm smack and then repeated it.

Lincoln immediately slumped. He wasn't the type to go looking for trouble. But when it came to helping someone in need, he tended to not take his own safety into account. The fact this was the second time he'd scared his mother because of this fact made him feel stupid. He didn't try to defend himself. He just accepted what was happening.

As she had with Valkyrie, Natasha swatted down to Lincoln's thighs before she started over from the top. Partway through the second circuit, she began speaking. "I know it's important to you that you help someone in need. I'm not asking you not to do that. But I do expect you to do more than just tell Friday and then take off before anyone can check in."

"I know..." Lincoln ground out unhappily. He was already squirming; he hadn't had the same experience with pain as Valkyrie, so the swats were more effective pain-wise. He wasn't fighting, though. It was obvious he was upset with himself.

"I love you, Lincoln. So much," Natasha said seriously. "I can't lose you. I can't lose either of you." She began a third circuit of swats, going a bit harder and faster.

"I'm sorry..." Lincoln, said in a shaky voice. "I didn't mean to be so stupid!" He sniffled. He didn't want to cry. It stung, but it wasn't painful; and Valkyrie hadn't cried. His emotions were difficult to contain, though and tears pooled in his eyes.

"No. You weren't stupid," Natasha disagreed, gently rubbing his back with her other hand. "You were trying to do the right thing. All I want is for you to remember to let me know next time. Okay? That's it."

"I tried to let you know this time..." Lincoln mumbled. "Just didn't wait long enough to make sure you got the message." He sighed, still obviously upset with himself.

"Which just means that you need to wait a little bit longer next time. Until I am able to check in with you." Natasha delivered a final flurry to Lincoln's sit spots and thighs, then gathered her son into her arms, hugging him tight.

"Yes, ma'am..." Lincoln whispered, before snuggling and blinking back the unshed tears. "Love you."

"I love you." Natasha kissed his head and hugged him close. "And I forgive you. I know you'll do better next time."

"I will." Lincoln smiled. He didn't say he'd try. He had no intention of making the same mistake a third time.

Natasha hugged her son a bit tighter and then situated him enough so that she could hold her other arm out to Valkyrie. "You can come out of the corner now."

Lincoln quickly fixed his clothing as Valkyrie began to turn around. He smiled as his sister joined him and Natasha.

Natasha wrapped her other arm around Valkyrie, drawing her daughter into the embrace along with her son.

"I guess I could go help finish preparations for dinner..." Lincoln said, after several moments of just hugging.

"We can all do that, if you're both ready." Natasha kissed both of their foreheads and then helped them to stand up before she stood as well, wrapping an arm each around their shoulders to guide them from the room and to join the rest of the family.