Hello everyone :) For those of you still waiting for me to update my Lord of the Rings and Narnia fanfics please be patient for a little while longer. I am currently in the middle of exams and my time is limited. This one-shot is merely the result of going to see the Avengers movie combined with a desperate and overly persistent muse that was banging on the walls to be let out, even if only for 5 minutes. So I did, and this is what she came up with. Enjoy, and please feel free to review or check out my other stories.
A lot had happened since that, well, eventful day in New York. So much, that it sometimes made Natasha dizzy just thinking about it. It was shocking how much her life had changed in just 3 years.
Her marriage to Clint started it all. It was a very small, very intimate, very private event; nothing like the ridiculous and over the top ceremony a certain Mr Stark had practically begged them for, even if only just so he could waste absurd amounts of money and alcohol on it for the sheer devilment of it. No, that small tin church in a tiny village miles from anywhere had been perfect.
There had been no elaborate wedding dress or rowdy reception after wards. A plain and simple short white dress and the little hall next to the church had sufficed. After all, only their team mates and a small number of close S.H.I.E.L.D co-workers had been invited. There was no need for somewhere as extravagant as The Plaza hotel like Tony had suggested and almost booked, had Natasha not calmly threatened to break his neck whilst holding him in a head lock if he proceeded to do so.
A mere two months after the wedding, Natasha had been very shocked to discover she was pregnant. But she vowed to herself not to tell anyone, not even Clint, at least for a little while. It had been fine for the first two months, and she wondered why so many women complained about pregnancy if she could still carry out missions with ease. She was never worried about her safety either. Even if he couldn't always be seen, Natasha knew Clint was watching her back.
But by the time she was coming to the end of her third month, it was becoming almost impossible to hide it. She became breathless more easily, and she couldn't jump as high as she used to. It wasn't long until her stomach started to become more visibly swollen. Natasha really had intended to Clint, but he had already begun to suspect something before he confronted her. Her drop in physical strength and lack of graceful agility hadn't gone unnoticed by him, and her reluctance to spar with him definitely roused his suspicions. The final pieces of the puzzle didn't fit together until he noticed the subtle change around her middle after she had gotten out of the shower one night. There was a reason he was called Hawkeye.
He confronted her; demanded to know what was going on, hoping he was wrong, yet a small part of him secretly hoping he was right.
She didn't play around, giving him a straight answer and simply confirming his suspicions.
Clint's first instinct was to yell at her. What the hell was she playing at? He was upset that she had with held this information from him for so long, but incredibly angry that she had been stupid enough to risk their child's life in such a callous manner. He couldn't help but think back to every mission they had been on together since the Avengers, thinking about all the times she had a near miss. Natasha didn't even argue back, just stared back at him with her perfect poker face, giving away absolutely nothing. She knew he was right, but it was something she'd never admit to. But Clint couldn't stay angry with her for long. In a move that shocked his partner and almost caused him to be hit around the head with the nearest lamp, he hugged her. Despite his annoyance at Natasha for not telling him sooner, he was incredibly (almost deliriously and ridiculously) happy. He knew she was too. He could tell. But it was something she would never voice, not even to him.
Director Fury however, lived up to his name once he was informed. His rant lasted a full hour, breaking the previous record of forty-five minutes. It didn't surprise Natasha when he placed her on a temporary leave of absence.
The rest of the Avengers greeted the news with much more enthusiasm. Still feeling disappointed that he had been prevented from giving them a lavish wedding, Tony instead insisted on a huge baby shower. Despite Pepper's best efforts to dissuade him, it took Natasha once again holding him in a head lock and threatening to severely injure him that eventually put him off. The others all offered their sincere congratulations to the couple.
Six months later and Amelia Barton was welcomed in to the world.
However, it had been a difficult labour and not without it's complications. Natasha haemorrhaged after giving birth and had been far too close to death for everyone's liking after the massive amounts of blood she had lost. But she was a fighter and managed to pull through.
Both Natasha and Clint struggled at first to adjust to the role of parents. After all, having been trained for so long to hold weapons such as guns and bows a vulnerable baby replacing them was a near alien and frightening concept to both of them. But despite this, they quickly settled in to their new life, each as devoted and protective of their daughter who was so clearly loved and cherished. Her uncles didn't even fail to immediately fall in love with the tiny tot. Both parents eagerly looked forward to the day with sadistic glee when she could finally be unleashed on Uncle Tony.
Two years later and she was happily pattering around the house, the double of her mother save for the sharp yet calm grey-blue eyes that eerily resembled her father's. She was an astute and observant child despite her age, and it slightly unnerved her uncles how intense her gaze could be for one so young.
Despite their professions and years of training, neither of her parents were exactly thrilled at the idea of her following in their footsteps. It was based on this that Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff chose to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. Of course they would come back to The Avengers when the time called for it, but until then they were happy to lie low and play the innocent civilian family with no more missions to worry about. Both had accumulated enough funds over the years to allow themselves a comfortable life style.
It wasn't the life Natasha had ever envisioned herself having. She had, unsurprisingly, never been one to follow the crowd and had never wanted the conventional life that so many American housewives lead. She had never viewed settling down as an option, particularly for someone like her whose name had to be on almost every black list in the world. Natasha often feared for the safety of her family, waking at any small amount of noise in the middle of the night. But she couldn't deny even to herself that she was happy. Not that she would ever admit this either. But her partner knew. He knew her too well not to know.