Little Winged One

By Raveneyestar

Disclaimer: I own nothing! It all belongs to Marvel and Disney(when mentioned)

Prologue

Natasha sat quietly waiting for Clint to return. She had to tell him. But then again... she didn't have to. He would never have to know. But she couldn't loose the trust of the one person she was more than best friends with. She couldn't risk it. And knew that he would have wanted to know. It was a good year after Loki had attacked Manhattan. Clint had asked her to marry him. She had been hesitant, but caved in because she knew she loved him, but still had yet to physically say it to him. They had been married for six months now. Most of their time was at Avengers Tower, but every once in a while Clint or her would get called to go for a top secret mission. However... this... this she had known about for two months now. Three months Clint had been on this mission. She had figured it out about a month in...

But he was supposed to be back by now. No one knew of her 'condition' except Bruce. Bruce was the first person she turned to for help, only because he was a Doctor. Pepper didn't know, even though she was Natasha's newest friend. Natasha was worried Pepper might leak it to Tony, and then all Avengers pus SHIELD would know that the deadly Black Widow was pregnant. Bruce had her checking in weekly, just to make sure everything was fine. Technically, she knew she couldn't hide it for much longer. Clint's baggy sweatshirts did most of the work, and it helped her when she wore sweat pants with it. Bruce told her that she shouldn't be sparring any more. She still continue her walking routine, but when it got uncomfortable for a normal human she would have to stop.

But Clint was suppose to be coming home today... actually, he was supposed to be home a month ago, but Fury told her he went off the Grid and they had every SHIELD agent who was not on a current mission looking for him. However, Fury's latest update to her was that he would be sending all the Avengers in to find him... if they don't find him within this up coming month. She tried to hide her concern but Fury had noticed it and called her out on it. She still refused to tell him. Natasha stayed in the Avengers Tower, the men rotating when they would go shopping. She had to put down specific brands of things she wanted from the store with Steve and Bruce, considering Thor wouldn't even know where to look for the things she needed. The God of Thunder was still learning that buying only Pop-Tarts wasn't healthy, and often had to be supervised while clothes shopping, thankfully Jane moved in several months ago and tossed out all of Thor's bright pink footie-pajamas, and is still teaching Thor how to shop for food when it is his week to shop.

Natasha got up and went upstairs to the common kitchen, living room, and dinning room area. She decided that since she wouldn't be able to hide her pregnancy much longer she wore a t-shirt and jeans. She walked into the Dinning Room area, passing Bruce as she headed towards the kitchen to find something sweet to eat. She pulled out the Cake, Thor had bought earlier because it was his week to do the shopping and he was the one who always bought something sweet. "AH!" Pepper scolded, taking the cake from Natasha. "This is for later!" Pepper put the cake back on the shelf in the fridge, before noticing Natasha's difference in attire.

She watched Natasha for a few moments and Natasha knew Pepper was calculating what was different about her, so she simply nodded when Pepper's eyes went wide after looking at her stomach, where a slight bump was starting to show. Natasha covered Pepper's mouth before Pepper could cry out happily. "Pepper. Relax. Okay? I want to see how long it takes for the others to notice, okay?" Natasha hissed under her breath so that only Pepper could here. Pepper gave a quick nod and when Natasha pulled away, Pepper grinned at her. "Can I help you with taking things out to the table?" Natasha asked smiling back at Pepper.

"Here." Pepper said handing her the bread basket and the bowl of mixed vegetables, that Tony still refuses to eat stating 'vegetables are not for Genius Billionaires who can create something just as healthy'. But most times Pepper can talk him into eating at least a couple green beans. Pepper brought int the other items, and told Natasha to sit down and start eating. Steve raised an eyebrow at this, and Natasha could tell he also noticed her difference in clothing attire.

The seating was something like this: Tony at the head of the table, Pepper to his left, empty seat where Clint would sit, Natasha, Loki, Thor at the other head of table, Jane to his right then Steve, Darcy, and Bruce on Tony's right across from Pepper. Steve watched Natasha with a raised eyebrow, and when Natasha didn't touch the coffee that they had on the table, because Loki liked the coffee at all points during the day including Natasha they always had freshly made coffee somewhere in the Tower. "No coffee?" Steve asked.

"No exactly the best thing I could have right now." Natasha smirked across the table, and Steve seemed to be putting it together before his eyes went wide and she gave a small nod.

"So when are you due, Natasha?" Pepper asked, noticing that Natasha had also given her a wink and a slight nod of the head. Tony looked dumbfounded and utterly confused as to what was going on. Bruce only smiled, giving Natasha comforting look. Jane looked thrilled and had to give Thor a look so he would shout out his congratulations. Loki seemed to smirk happily, which she was still uncomfortable with the God but she had gotten better with him. Darcy looked just as clueless as Tony.

"Wait what?" Tony asked looking at Natasha.

"Please, Tony, are you still too young to know what sex is and the possible outcomes?" Natasha sarcastically rolled her eyes at Tony, who finally seemed to understand what the red headed Assassin was talking about.

"So when are you due?" Jane grinned.

"Either September or October." Natasha smiled, it was somehow easy to talk to the others here about this. Just like it was easy for her to trust Clint. She liked that, but it scared her too. This whole pregnancy thing scared her. The thought of raising a child with Clint was scary... the thought of raising the kid without him... it was terrorizing. She barely could tell Clint that she loved him. But she showed him in every way she could, but just couldn't tell him, 'I love you'. It was just so difficult for her to say those three words to him.

"Looks like we need to find The Hawk's ass before the Mini-Assassin arrives." Tony smirked, looking at Thor and Loki. Loki rolled his eyes. Natasha shot a glare at Loki, and he held her glare, but didn't dare to say anything to her, she was still just as deadly as was before she was pregnant. And he clearly knew that.

Four months passed, and Clint was still off the grid. The Avengers couldn't even find him. Loki couldn't find him either. And with a Pregnant Black Widow, things were getting deadly in the Tower. Every little joke Tony made caused a fork to go flying past his head. Pepper eventually had to put locks on all the cabinets and drawers so Natasha wouldn't 'accidentally' stab Tony. Of course it only saved Tony from the utensils and Natasha still chucked pillows and game controllers at his head. Her already low patience with him was at its all time low, and it seemed that even if Tony paid her a compliment she would still try and throw something at his head.

That was how it was for another two months. Tony would get hit hard by Natasha, and was given a break from an angry Pepper because he was constantly harassed by Natasha. One night however the Avengers were all watching the newest Kid's Comedy: The Croods. They were all laughing and finding it funny. Jane had seated herself on Thor's lap in the one love seat. Pepper and Tony in one of the others. Loki was on the couch with Bruce and Natasha. Darcy was in the third love seat with Steve. The movie finished and Tony got up to put in another movie, this movie was called The Woman in Black. Natasha got halfway through before she yelped with pain. Tony, practically jumped three feet in the air. Bruce watched Natasha as but Natasha managed out, "Baby."

Everyone was suddenly in a rush. Tony, was down in the garage in seconds starting up a car. Steve carried Natasha down and put her in the passenger seat as Pepper, Jane, and Steve climbed into the back. Bruce, Thor, and Loki took another car, keeping close on Tony's trail. Turns out Loki was actually an extremely good driver and was able to keep up with a speeding, weaving, Tony. The two cars managed to avoid a crash probably six times. Tony spun into the Hospital's pull up spot and Steve was out in seconds. Helping Natasha out. Pepper guiding the other red head and Jane helping Tony and Loki find parking spots.

Several long hours later they were allowed into the room where Natasha was holding a small pink bundle. "What's her name?" Pepper asked quietly, as Jane tried to keep Thor quiet, so he wouldn't wake the sleeping baby.

Natasha looked at Pepper before looking at her baby and saying barely audible to the others, "Akilina Aleta Barton."

"Akilina Aleta?" Tony asked scrunging up his nose.

"Akilina means eagle. Aleta means little winged one." Natasha smiled looking down at her baby girl. "We can use Lina as her nickname." Everyone nodded and held little Lina. But when Natasha got her daughter back, she started crying.

"What's wrong, Natasha?" Pepper asked, putting a hand on the former assassin's shoulder comfortingly.

"Clint... he's dead... isn't he?" Natasha said holding Lina close to her, never wanting to loose her too.

Tony heard the door to the room open and close, and thinking it was a Doctor, he and no one else turned around. Until a hand moved him aside. Pepper looked up and her eyes widened. Natasha hadn't even looked up, even at the sound of labored breathing and limp. She only looked up with she felt someone kiss the top of her head before whispering, "She's beautiful."

Her head snapped up, looking at someone she knew so well, but it felt like ages before she had seen him. She pulled him down into a one-armed hug, as her other arm still held their daughter. She only let him up when he reassured her that he was coming right back after he got himself looked at. He would even take Jane or Pepper with him if it kept her calm. So he took Pepper.

Natasha looked up at them and saw a smiling Loki. She knew he had something to do with it so she whispered, "Thank you." Loki gave a nod of the head in acknowledgement that he understood, but didn't say anything. Thor held Lina, giving Natasha some time to rest. Tony worked out with the Hospital, mostly threatening to destroy their reputations with a single push of a button, so that one of them could stay with Natasha at all times. First shift was Clint. As he was finally left go from the Hospital. "You left." Natasha mumbled, as Lina was wheeled away to be taken care of by the nurses.

"I didn't have a choice, Tasha." Clint said, holding her hand and looking at her lovingly.

"I'm glad your back." Natasha smiled.

"I'm glad your safe." He kissed her forehead.

He barely heard it as she drifted off to sleep, but he knew he heard it correctly, "I love you, Clint." He smiled at her and sat in the chair by her bed.