I needed a Brutasha fic- had this one bouncing around my brain distracting me from my others so I started it too.
AU, obviously.
Enjoy!
This sensation was a familiar one. Like the blunt force of a nearby explosion that set your ears to ringing. The wind was gone from her chest as well. The room was spinning. Natasha closed her eyes to stabilize herself. To gain her control.
"That is simply not possible." She replied quietly, curling her knees to her chest and pulling the exam gown down to cover herself.
"Well, Agent Romanoff, I'm not sure what you want me to tell you..." The young doctor trailed off. Natasha liked the kid- she was a good fit for their team. A young, smart, freshly graduated doctor who just happened to have actual healing powers. It didn't take Tony and the other's long after she hit Avenger radar to decide to bring her on board. She tagged along on some missions, often able to keep civilian damage to a minimum- saving countless lives in the carnage Ultron had caused. But she did have a habit of being a bit too formal when in her professional mode; however in this moment she was going to have to let it go.
"I had a tubal ligation when I was still a teenager." She interrupted.
"I read all of ya'll's files when I took the job." Dr. Jennifer Ford reminded her patient, her slight Tennessee accent coming up at her annoyance. "I am aware. But you heard that as well as I did. It's a good, strong heartbeat. Clocked it at around a hundred and seventy four beats per minute."
"I don't-" She hugged her knees tighter and the young doctor sat down and put a hand on her friend's back.
"Let me take a few samples of your blood. Run a couple tests. I'll see if I can find a logical explanation for the how. Until then though, I'm afraid I'm going to have to write you off work. At least missions and active training." She said quietly. Her dark eyes watched the redhead, hoping she would give some signal of understanding.
"What do I tell the team?" She asks quietly. Jennifer took a bottle of pills from a cabinet and tossed them to the agent on the exam table.
"I'll take care of that. You take those vitamins until we can get you some actual prenatals. And don't worry about the team, after all, you did tell them you weren't feeling well when you decided to ask me to look you over." Jennifer replied gently. "I doubt they'll be too nosy. Except maybe Clint."
"Clint can know." She said, "And no, he's not the father." She added quickly.
"Didn't think he was. I've seen him with Laura." She said with a grin, humored at Natasha's little burst. She patted her friend again and stood up, leaving her little clinic room so Natasha could take a moment and change.
Natasha didn't move at first. She stared ahead at the blank white wall, thinking of everything and nothing. It had only been six weeks since they defeated Ultron. The preliminary test on hormones Dr. Ford ran put her at eight weeks. She couldn't help but wonder how a pregnancy could survive some of the trauma she'd received during that fight. It really didn't make since that she was even able to conceive in the first place, but for it to survive all that, it really did seem impossible.
It was while thinking on the impossible she remembered she was all alone.
Bruce was gone.
She'd begged Hulk to turn the quinjet around. To come home. But he had simply shut the communicator off and kept flying- Why she didn't know. Bruce was filed a missing person, and Tony had him made a top priority find in every country he could manage. There was no sign of him anywhere. She slid one leg away and touched her abdomen.
Bruce was the one who had always wanted kids.
She'd known that from the moment she met him in his little jungle shack. He was a kind and caring man, and she knew he'd be a very loving father. Yet, when she first made a move on him, his protest had been that he couldn't have that life. He couldn't have children. Her reply had been a very quiet 'me neither'. It was one of their defining moments. A bonded pain.
From there, most of their relationship was a secret; Stolen moments and late night trips through the tower to each other. And apparently, this was their end result. Slowly, she stood on shaky legs, afraid of something for the first time in a long time. Once her clothes were back on she peaked out the door into the main medical bay of the tower, where she found Jennifer at her computer, ordering more supplies for prenatal care.
"Doesn't Tony see anything you order? Like, to authorize it?" Natasha ask, looking over her shoulder.
"Nope." She replied dully, hitting the 'submit' on the website. "That is part of my deal when I was negotiating my terms." She explained. Natasha made a small nod of understanding, arms still wrapped around her middle.
"So-" Natasha started, then looked up, then back to the other woman, "Is there anything I should know? Like, that I have to change?"
"No sushi, no unheated deli meats, no rare meat, be careful about certain seafood..." She stopped and thought. "I'll get you a list. Go head up and maybe rest. Maybe shower. Relax." She gently guided her down the hall. "And if you need your doctor, call down and I'll come up. If you need your friend- At least give me enough time to spin your blood down and run my tests."
"Thanks, Jen. I'm glad we have you. Dr. Banner did good enough, but that MD was not his strongest point." Natasha said, taking a deep breath as she thought back to a mission where Bruce had to reset her shoulder. "But wait- Isn't it Thursday?"
"Yeah, so?" She quirked an eyebrow.
"Do you not do 'pop culture Thursday' anymore?" Natasha ask, her tone hinting in a way she knew Jennifer would pick up on- and be annoyed by.
"I think, if you need the company, your needs will out weigh Steve's need to be brought into this century." She laughed.
"We just have better bedside manner in the south, hospitality is a requirement" She laughed, letting Natasha head upstairs.
"AY!" Sam shouted from the practice field, catching Steve's shield in the air and slinging it back to the man on the ground, who used it to burst the last of the practice droids Tony had built for team building. When they powered down, a buzzed sounded and Sam Wilson collapsed his wings and thumped down to the floor. He nodded behind the taller man to where the observation bench was. "Jen is here, Cap." Steve snapped a quick look over his shoulder and then back to Sam.
"I hope Natasha is okay." He replied, moving past his friend to start clean up.
"What's the movie for tonight, anyway?" Sam pressed. Steve did not look back up to him when he answered.
"I don't know what you're-"
"We all know, man. No judgement, at all. Jennifer is hot. Smart. Brings some much needed 'black-girl-magic' to the team. And she likes you, too. Look at her." Sam replied. He looked over Steve's shoulder again and waved, and she waved back, grinning when Steve also turned around and gave a small wave. Steve froze when he turned back, and stared at Sam, his brow furrowed a bit.
"I don't really want to discuss this." He said quietly. Sam gave a half nod and continued to help clear away their practice gear.
"You may not want to discuss it, but she's coming down. So try not to look so sour." He said, leaning into Steve's shoulder as he walked by. "Doctor Ford!" He greeted.
"Hey Sam. Ya'll have a good session?" She replied politely. Steve turned around and propped against a small brick wall. Sam had replied as he kept walking, so she came on over and propped next to the tall blond. She waited for a moment for him to speak.
"Doctor Ford." He greeted, his overly formal tone almost making her laugh.
"Captain Rogers." She replied. He looked over at her, arms crossed, his blue eyes meeting her shining dark brown ones. He stayed slightly tensed, but Jennifer seemed used to his discomfort in some moments- She'd learned to find it almost enduring. "Listen- I had already rented the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but I really think I'm going to have to camp out down in Agent Romanov's rooms tonight. If you want to get started, you're welcome to. My dad was a huge trekkie, I've seen the whole series twice. I can set it up in your player, if you want."
"Is Natasha alright?" He ask, concerned. He did not answer the question about the television.
"She will be." She nodded.
"I have the upmost faith in her physician." He replied with a smile.
Natasha lay on her couch, her feet propped over Jennifer's lap, head on Clint's shoulder. Clint had called Laura, who insisted he stay there for a bit and make sure Natasha was okay. So the three of them sat in heavy silence, allowing the spy to think. After quite a long time of silence, she let out a slightly snubbed sigh and said, "What if we never find him?"
"Bruce wouldn't keep himself from you on purpose, Nat. I think we all know him better than that." Clint assured her.
"But he didn't know. And I know he was mad at me. They both probably are- Him and the other guy." She croaked again, swallowing the thick emotion in her voice.
"Why would either of them be angry with you?" Jennifer ask, confused. She was not quite as privy to their relationship as the archer had been, and had only just recently learned that they were even involved. She had said it was probably going to be easier for her to treat her if she had all the information. Especially since Bruce had his mutation.
"I threw him." She said dully. "I kissed him, then I threw him. He was scared of changing again. He had been losing control on his changes. And I threw him." She shook her head. "I told him I adored him and threw him off a cliff."
"Ah." Jennifer replied, glancing over at Clint, who gave her an 'no, I know' sort of look. The sound of a beeper went off and made Jennifer jump, the other two did not react. She took her tablet out of her pocket.
"I need to go check on some of your results. Looks like a couple may be done." She gently rose and moved Natasha's feet before placing them on the couch where she had been. Once the door to Nat's apartment swung shut, Clint sat his best friend up.
"I know what will cheer you up..." He said, and Natasha picked up on the hint of mischief in his voice.
"You have most of my attention." She said, looking him over.
"Little Jennifer's birthday is next week. And Pepper tells me that she has not seen most of her family since she signed on with us. So we were thinking of flying them up and having her a small, sweet, birthday of sorts." He explained.
"Go on." She said, knowing him well enough to know there was more to add.
"Well, I was thinking- We could use that opportunity to get Captain Should-be-more-obvious to actually make a move. And I know you've been trying to find him a date for a while now. We all know he's got something for her. We could use it." He informed her.
"Oh, I like this. Meddling in Steve's life is one of my favorite hobbies." She leaned back and smiled. "I could use something non-lethal to focus on. Thank you." She sighed.
"No problem." He laughed, and for a moment she joined him in the humor. They fell back into a comfortable old silence for a moment, before Natasha spoke out softly.
"Clint. Promise me, if we can't find Bruce- That you and Laura will take it." She didn't move, but Clint went rigid.
"Nat-"
"I asked you to promise me." She said firmly.
"If that is what you still want, and we don't find Banner, we will take it." He confirmed. He knew her better than to think she'd really give her child away easily, but he also knew her insecurities as well. He squeezed her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Nat. Banner can't hide forever. Especailly since he's one of Tony's people. Tony does not give up on his people."
"That's true. I'm glad we have him, these days." She said, yawning.
"Come on, let me tuck you in." He said gently, using the same voice he used when putting his children to bed.
So, had the idea for this Nat-Bruce centered fic but I also wanted some drama so I invented a love interest for Cap. Sue me. :)
I hope you enjoyed the start of this! PLEASE review and let me know what you think.
