Disclaimer: I don't own any thing Marvel, I am too poor! No infringement intended. This is just a one shot. Steve and Natasha fluff. No beta. Hope you like it!

Natasha hated when Steve wasn't home. It was such a little thing, but she found she couldn't go to sleep without him beside her. She played with the band on her finger; it was a beautiful ring. She remembered when she saw it for the first time. The way the light reflected off the stone in the little red box clutched in Steve's strong hand had spread warmth across her chest and a gasp escape her lips.

She would always treasure this beautiful gift Steve had given her. As a Black Widow she had been taught to ignore sentiment. Being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent had been good for her. She had started to form lasting relationships with people who honestly cared about her. They were the building blocks for her relationship with Steve. She had learned sentiment was ok in small increments. She still needed some part of herself to be cold and calculated. She needed that to stay alive and protect the ones she loves. Her ring was the first thing that made her truly understood how people could treasure a thing.

She fiddled with it when she was nervous; it was something she did a lot recently. Whenever Steve was out on a mission and she was home, waiting. She trusted him; she trusted his strength, his skills, and his training. She trusted in the serum, to heal him if he was ever broken.

The other Avengers always looked out for one another and they worked together like a well-oiled machine for the most part. Still, she worried for him. She knew what it was like for him, going into a battle. She knew how he fought with ghosts in his dreams and sometimes that slipped over into his mind during a battle.

Some nights when he jerked awake drenched in sweat, he would reach out for her and she would hold him long after the shaking stopped.

She stretched her arm across the bed and felt the chill in the sheets causing a shiver to run down her spine. Now, more than ever, she needed him to come home safely. Her hand moved from the cold bedsheet to her stomach. She was still growing used to the idea that she was going to be a mother.

It had been a shock to both of them when they found out. Natasha had been sterilized by the Red Room, but Steve was no ordinary man and because of that she was going to be a mother. That wasn't something she thought she wanted until recently.

He had been so happy when she told him. Tears of joy had sprung to his eyes and he had spun her around grinning from ear to ear. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered the look of contentment on his face.

She pulled herself up in bed and stretched the stiff muscles in her back. It was late and she knew she wasn't going to fall asleep, so she slowly raised herself from the bed and made her way down the hall. She was barely 6 months along and they had only just started on the nursery. Steve had been really good at not pushing her too fast. Her entire life was going to change and she still needed to mentally prepare herself.

He had talked her through her concerns for their safety. He would hold her when she would wake from a nightmare where faceless figures would run away into the night with her child in their arms. There was nothing ordinary about them, and they had a different life than most expecting parents. Steve had let her set the pace on buying baby clothes and furniture. She had refused an outside doctor knowing that she was carrying Captain America's child. They had too many enemies to allow that information to fall into the wrong hands. Dr. Fine was no expert but he had been able to make it work and there had been no complications so far.

She stood in the doorway of the small room, the unopened buckets of paint still sitting in the middle of the floor among the boxes of furniture, waiting to be built. Stark had of course volunteered to build a nursery set worthy of an Avengers' child, but Natasha and Steve had respectfully declined.

Steve had insisted he would build all the furniture himself. He had been able to complete the rocking chair for her before he had left for his current mission. Natasha eased herself down into the chair and listened to the silence. Her hands went instinctively to the bump in her stomach. She ran her hands gently over it and sighed.

She turned to look out the window, her eyes falling across the moonlit field around her. She and Steve had been able to secure a home off the grid and it helped ease Natasha's mind. She needed that, they both did. This time, they had taken Stark up on his offer to install a security system.

She smiled when she heard to familiar roar of Steve's motorcycle coming up the drive. She didn't have the energy to pull herself up from the chair to greet him. Truthfully, he would probably get inside before she could manage herself down the stairs, so she stayed where she was. She listened as he made his way in the house, with her keenly trained ears she could tell he was limping. She could also tell he was trying to be quiet, to not wake her.

"I'm in here," She called softly. Steve appeared in the doorway, she could see his silhouette was not standing at his full stature. "Are you alright?" She attempted to pull herself from the chair.

"Don't get up," His voice was scratchy but strong. He made his way to her in the dark and took her hand in his and kissed it. "Can't sleep?"

"Seems silly to just lie in bed." She replied quietly as she reached to turn on the small lamp beside her.

Steve didn't wince when the light switched on; the serum helped his eyes to immediately adjusting to the new environment. She kept the gasp in her throat from escaping when she took in his appearance. He had changed from his suit into gym clothes but there was dirt and grim still coating his skin. Natasha could see dark and viscous bruises peaking from the collar of his shirt. She could tell by the way he was breathing he had at least one broken rib, maybe more. She pulled herself up against his protests and ran her hand gently along his face. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Steve stopped her and pulled her close to him and kissed her gently. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He nuzzled his face into her neck and whispered. "I missed you."

"I missed you," She whispered back. She held him until it was apparent he was content to stand there all night. "Come on, you need a shower." She pulled him along behind her.

"That bad huh?" Steve chuckled.

"Yeah," She smiled over her shoulder, "that bad." Steve let her lead him into their bathroom. She turned on the shower full blast and the room began to steam up. She helped Steve ease off his shirt and her eyes swept across his damaged torso. "You want to tell me about it?" Her voice was quiet.

"I'm too tired right now," He answered truthfully. "I just want to get in bed." Steve smiled weakly, "It's not as bad as it looks."

"I'm sure it was a lot worse an hour ago." Her voice was sharper than she intended.

Steve sighed, "You don't need to worry."

Natasha raised her eyebrow at him, "No matter what you say, I will always worry about you."

"Comes with the territory," Steve raised his hand and laid it gently on her stomach. The weight and warmth of his hand was familiar. She couldn't help but smile, she loved it when Steve tried to feel the baby kick.

"He's been kicking me all day," Natasha watched Steve face as his head popped up.

"He?" Steve eyed her.

"I had an appointment while you were gone and Dr Fine asked if I wanted to know the gender." She wrinkled her nose. "I hope you aren't too disappointed I found out."

"Natasha," Steve's voice caught in his throat. "We are having a son…nothing about that is disappointing." He chuckled through the tears of joy. "We are having a son." His eyes held that familiar brightness that Natasha had grown to love. He kissed her again, this time more passionately. His hands weaved their way into her hair and she felt her breath quicken. She let herself melt against him, the father of her son. She had been sitting on that information for several days, but wanted to tell him in person. She felt guilty that he had not been able to be there to see their baby; for that moment when she found out she was going to have a little boy. She had imagined how he would look just like his father.

"Come on," She gently pulled back. "Get in the shower. You stink, remember?"

Steve laughed, "I love you."

"I love you too," She smiled, "Now get in the shower."

She left Steve to wash the dirt and grim away. She crawled back into their bed and waited for him to finish cleaning up. She smiled when he settled next to her in bed, his arm wrapping loosely around her. The dirt was gone; the scent of fresh soap wrinkled her nose. The bruises were clearer to see now, and she could tell they were already healing. She was grateful every day that the man she fell in love with just happened to be a super solider with amazing healing abilities. She eased back into him, gently to not jostle his ribs. She knew he would probably be healed by morning, but she also knew there would be other missions. Steve wasn't completely indestructible.

"Natasha," Steve whispered. "Just sleep." He knew she was still worrying and wanted to calm her fears. "No matter what happens tomorrow, or the day after that, the week, the month, the year, or ten years after…I am here with you right now." He kissed her shoulder and tightened his grip on her slightly. "Just get some sleep."

She made herself let go of the fear and worry and nestled closer to her husband. With him at her side, she finally drifted to sleep.

The End

Hope you liked it! Romangoers will never sink, no matter what Marvel does with it.