A/N: Fulfilling Tumblr prompts!

"Natasha! Natasha!"

The assassin's eyes flickered open at the urgency of Loki's voice. There was a pounding in the back of her skull and her first thought was that she slept wrong. Only she was fairly sure that she had already woken up. Yeah, she definitely remembered waking up this morning. Loki made pancakes, then Fury called in about needing the couple to get their asses to Paris to take down a terrorist. All in a day's work for the Black Widow. Then why was her mind in such a fog? Natasha retraced her thoughts-breakfast, a phone call… she could faintly recall a man dressed in black, but that was it.

"You had me so worried, darling," Loki breathed.

Her eyes opened wider, only to snap shut as a bright light pierced her sensitive retinas. "What the hell?" she breathed. The sound of a stranger's voice told her that this wasn't her bedroom.

"Can you not remember anything?" Loki blinked.

Natasha propped herself up on her elbows and felt her muscles seize up as she noticed an IV in her arm before taking in the starch white surroundings. "Loki!" she growled. He knew damn well not to bring her near a hospital. "I feel fine," she lied. "Did I fall?" she guessed as her head continued to ache.

"An awful fall," Loki nodded. "Our target caught you off guard and shoved you down a flight of steps."

That didn't sound like her. Natasha was always at the top of her game. "So you got him?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at her. Of course the mission was all she was obsessed with! "Your body wasn't moving…" He reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly. "I was scared to death. Thank the gods you started breathing again…"

"I highly recommend that these missions stop," a doctor chimed in.

A quick glance at the S.H.I.E.L.D. crest told Natasha that Loki was kind enough to take her back to her own city. If only he just took her straight to their bed so she could sleep it off… "I've been through worse," she answered in a low growl.

"Agent Romanoff," the man continued, reaching for a slip of paper, "I assume you were unaware, but a blood test tells me you're pregnant. I'd like to do an ultrasound if-"

"Pregnant?" Natasha laughed. Loki opened his mouth, suddenly feeling faint. "Just tell me it's a concussion and I can go home."

"Agent Romanoff…"

"Stark's paying you to say this, right?" she smirked.

The doctor frowned, and shoved a slip of paper in her face. "Can you lie down for me?"

"You're kidding me," she groaned. Natasha fell back on the examination table just to see how far the joke would go. She felt something cold on her middle as the doctor reached beneath her hospital gown. "You doing okay, Loki?" she asked, turning to the god and realizing that he probably needed medical attention more than her. The slight green to his complexion made her wonder if he was going to hurl. That was a sight she had never seen before… "Hey," she whispered, squeezing his hand.

"We're having a baby…" he murmured.

Natasha rolled her eyes. She could mock him when all of this was over. A soft drumming sound pulled her attention away from Loki and towards a small screen.

"There we go. You're lucky that your head was the only injury," the doctor added. "Looks about nine weeks. You should thank Loki for bringing you in."

"That's the baby?" Loki inquired, curiously eying the screen.

Natasha knew that if this was a setup, then it was really being dragged out. She clenched her fists, wondering if she was still dreaming. This whole day was one big nightmare. Natasha felt the doctor move a plastic wand over her middle and swore under her breath. This wasn't real. Natasha was no expert, but she had a feeling she could tell which end of the blob on the screen was the head. Was that thing really in her stomach? What was she supposed to do about work, then? She hated kids, never planned for them, never thought she could carry them. So what now? Leave parenting to Loki? His wide smile told her that he would raise this kid himself if necessary. Why was she the only one not feeling anything about this? She didn't want this.

Loki beamed at her, chuckling to himself as he said something about a baby. Natasha couldn't do this. She would be an awful mother. The kind who put work before her own young. It would most likely grow up to resent her. Loki could take it to Asgard and they could call off their relationship. Why would he even want to be with her if she was going to turn cold? Now the doctor and Loki were looking at her with concerned and uncomfortable faces.

"Natasha? Darling…"

Loki's voice snaps her out of whatever kind of daze she was in (maybe she took a really serious blow to the head), and suddenly, her voice catches in her throat and she feels tears streaming down her cheeks. Tears. What the hell was she crying for? Was it because she actually feared for the future? Was it because that deep down, she could sense that tiny piece of her and Loki and wanted nothing more than for it to love her? Because a slowly growing part of her was desperate for that being's love, and she was willing to open her heart to love it in return. Natasha reached for Loki and wrapped her arms around his neck. Neither of them asked for this mission, but Natasha swore that she'd do her best to work with it. "We're in for one hell of a ride," she managed, forcing a laugh.

Loki chuckled into her ear. "Of course we are," he purred. "The child of a god and assassin. Think of all the mischief…"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "This means you're stuck with me forever," she warned him. "Helping me raise a little hellion," she playfully added.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Loki promised, pressing his lips against hers.