Returned to Sender - Scarlett Johansson

Part 12

Scarlett's POV

It's now Saturday, and I have a day off from filming.

Sawyer hasn't let me leave her sight since yesterday's incident with the security guard, but I don't mind. Honestly, I don't like the idea of her being out of my sight either, so it's working well. I have to say it's a good job I'm in shape from all the Black Widow training because while she is way too light for an average nine-year-old, carrying her around all the time was still a little tiring, not that I mind though. Getting to spend my time with her in my arms was worth the daily workout.

I ended up having to go back to filming last night, so Sawyer came along and just sat in my chair watching us; her eyes didn't leave me once the whole time. I checked in with her between every take and asked her multiple times if she found watching my film boring. Still, Sawyer insisted it was interesting. She seemed to enjoy comparing what we were filming to the comics she had read, which made me smile at her enthusiasm. I probably shouldn't have, but I had left her with my script, and she was having a blast reading along with what we were filming.

The nightmares happened again last night. If I had to guess, she had at least three, seeing as that's how many times her screaming and kicking woke me up; I'm not convinced that she hadn't had more and was just scared to wake me to tell me. However, those which I was awake to guide her through seemed to pass quicker than the night before. I think I'm learning how to get her through them. She seems to calm down fairly quickly if I just hold her and reassure her that I'm there. It's odd; she clearly hates physical touch. That much is clear after what she revealed yesterday when Robert offered to carry her. Yet she seems to hate me for not touching her as well.

We are currently sitting at a table near craft services eating breakfast; I was hoping that if we ate out here, Sawyer could people-watch and get used to being around people, even if she didn't interact with anyone.

By eating breakfast, I mean that I'm eating breakfast while trying to persuade Sawyer to eat something. However, she is adamant against doing so this morning. "Come on, baby, please. You need to eat something, we have things to do today, and I don't want you to be hungry. Plus, the doctor says you need to eat more to help you grow." I tried, only to be met by her unimpressed face before she turned back to scribbling science stuff on a napkin which I have no idea about.

"We are going shopping today, and you need your energy, baby" I try to get her to take a bite of fruit from my plate, only for her head to turn away from the fork. "Good morning, Brainbox; what are you working on?" Robert asks, sitting down opposite us. Sawyer looks up from her napkin, giving him a tiny, friendly smile, which makes me smile at her, happy that she's trying with people other than me. She looks at him for a while, eyeing him up like he is about to attack her before mumbling quietly, "An equation for Jonna; he's given Scarlett a bunch of problems for me to solve for him for the set. So really, I'm doing your job, Robert, because these are equations for Tony Stark" as she quickly writing something else down before putting her pen down signalling that she's finished.

"Well, aren't you smart, Brainbox? What are you having for breakfast? Fruit?" He asks, looking down at the plate in front of us since, once again, we are sharing one big plate. She clearly distrusts food, so I figured if she sees we are eating the same thing, it might reassure her it's safe for her to eat. "Nothing; Scarlett is eating fruit. I was doing my equation while I waited for her to be done," she explains, still mumbling, making me sigh; she hasn't called me Mama since the incident going straight back to calling me Scarlett.

I'm disappointed, but I don't want to rush her into anything, so I haven't talked to her about it; the fact that she was willing to call me Mama at all warmed my heart, and I would give her all the time in the world to feel comfortable calling me that again. "You are supposed to be eating the fruit too, not working on your project," I say to her, running my fingers through her hair to try and coax her into eating.