A/N: For all of you Romanogers shippers who've seen Endgame and are no doubt agonizing over the ending as I still am, I dedicate this story to you. I hope it brings you some comfort.
Natasha stared at the pregnancy stick in surprise, marveling at the plus symbol it displayed. For the few minutes she had to wait until the sign appeared, she'd been anxious. As it was, buying the test was a stretch. After the red room sterilized her nearly twenty years ago, Natasha had lived with the knowledge that she could never give birth to a baby. While the procedure terrified her at the time, she hadn't cared. It was the norm for a graduation ceremony.
Only after she joined SHIELD, did she realise how inhumane it was. Natasha's choice to give birth had been taken from her and she'd never get the chance to experience motherhood. Nevertheless, she moved on and lived her life as an Avenger and Steve's partner.
Eventually, the soldier and the spy had grown close enough that Natasha revealed her secret. She remembered how she cried, finally pouring her soul out to him in a way she hadn't even done with Clint. Steve accepted her vulnerability with kindness and understanding, holding her until she fell asleep.
That moment was the stepping stone that transformed their relationship and brought them closer together. Natasha looked at the ring on her finger and smiled. Yes, she and Steve did marry and had been so for over a year now.
The redhead dropped the pregnancy stick in the trash and moved her hand to settle on her stomach. She and Steve were frequently intimate in their married life and never used protection. Could the super soldier serum also have made her husband's sperm super, making her pregnant in the process? It had to be. Nothing else made sense. If the serum got rid of the numerous ailments Steve had back in the forties, it was believable that her womb could be healed as well.
Natasha started crying and touched her stomach in glee. She was pregnant with Steve Rogers' baby. They were going to be parents. "Steve!"
She ran out of the bathroom and headed for the kitchen where he was cooking beef minestrone. For the last two days, she'd been throwing up and her temperature was high - now she knew the reason - so Steve took it upon himself to care for his wife and make her homemade soup. It was in Steve's character to look after his loved ones and put them first.
That personality trait began to rub off on Natasha and she started treating him the same way. It gave her a thrill when Steve did things for her, but it was an even greater thrill to do something for him and see how beautifully he responded. To simply say that marriage agreed with them both was an understatement. Natasha loved being married to Steve. He was so warm and loving, a pillar of strength possessing many other qualities that would make him a wonderful father to their unborn child.
When Natasha turned the corner, she called his name again and he turned around. There was a concerned look in his eyes as he replied, "Nat, is something wrong? Did you throw up again?"
She shook her head, fighting the urge to laugh. "No, I found out why I've been throwing up lately. It's not because I'm sick...I'm pregnant."
Steve's mouth parted and his eyes widened in disbelief. He looked at her stomach and then, at her face again.
"But I thought you were-"
"I was. I think you kind of fixed it." Natasha's lips curved upwards into a smile and she came nearer.
Her husband gazed at her in wonder, running a hand through his hair and putting the oversized spoon he'd been holding on the counter.
"Oh my God. We're gonna have a baby? We're gonna have a baby!" Steve laughed joyously and took Natasha in his arms, twirling her around.
She held onto him tightly, giggling. "I guess by that response, it means you're excited?"
"Honey, words can't begin to describe how I feel, but excited is close enough." Steve nuzzled her nose with his before pressing his lips to hers for a passionate kiss. Once they drew back to catch their mutual breaths, he set her down on her feet again.
"So you just took a pregnancy test?"
"Yeah. I must have stared at that little stick for five minutes before I left the bathroom. I just couldn't believe it was true. I-I never dreamed that this day would come." More tears spilled down the sides of Natasha's face and Steve instinctively wrapped his arms around her.
"Me neither. Just think, it a few years from now, we'll be hearing a little voice call us mommy and daddy. And maybe this won't be the only child we have."
Something in his voice made Natasha squint her eyes at him. "Just how many kids do you think we're going to have?"
"Oh, not too many. I figure at least...a dozen."
She let out a cackle and smacked his thigh. "If you want that many children, you're gonna have to make a lot more soup and double the amount of back rubs you give me."
"Whatever the lady asks," Steve said good-naturedly, kissing his wife on the nose and resting one hand on her belly. There was not a doubt in Natasha's mind that he would be even more attentive to her, particularly to her tummy. A happy sigh left her lips as she rested her head on Steve's shoulder.
This baby was already a blessing for them both.