Nat led Lia to the suite she usually stayed in and showed her the rather large room that would be hers.
“Okay, here’s the thing. I’m not your mom or your handler. I know my apartment doesn’t feel like home. I used to feel the same way when people tired to help me. Really. But eventually I let someone help me and it worked out. I’m just trying to do the same for you. When I make rules it’s not to be a bitch, it’s because I want to keep you safe. The real world isn’t the Dark Room. And despite what you’ve been though, you’re still an eleven year old girl. Would you rather they stick you in a foster home with people who don’t understand what you’ve been through? Because that’s what’s going to happen if you keep running away and there’ll be nothing I can do to stop it.”
Lia took this in in uncharacteristic silence. Seeing Nat interact with Morgan had shown her a glimpse of Nat she hadn’t seen before.
“Can we make rules together?”
“We can talk about them, yeah. Of course we can. Sometimes I might have to say no, but that doesn’t mean talking is pointless.”
“Okay. Can we go dance with Morgan now?”
“Sure,” Nat smiled. “Let’s go.”
Nat took the lead and followed the sounds to the kitchen. “We’re back.”
Their talk hadn’t taken as long as Pepper had thought - the cookies had only just gone into the oven. But the hot chocolate was almost ready, so that could be served right away.
“Wonderful - we’re getting snacks ready,” she said.
“Do you like hot chocolate?” Morgan asked Lia. Tony and Pepper worked hard at keeping Morgan out of the public eye, which unfortunately meant that she didn’t have much opportunity to interact with other children. Even one over twice her age was therefore a treat for her.
