A/N: Okay, so here is the first real chapter of this story! I wanted to explain chapter 11 of "It's Not Just You and Me Anymore" in more depth; so here it is. You don't have to read any of my other stories to understand this, but just keep in mind that Steve and Natasha are married, and they have (in this story 5 year old) twins James and Lucy.
I hope everyone enjoys!
The familiar feeling of bile rising up her throat made her want to gag even more. She leaned over the kitchen sink and opened her mouth up wide against her own will.
Up came her breakfast.
Once she was sure she was finished, she rinsed her mouth out with water from the faucet. Still breathing heavily, she felt her back slide down the cabinets until she was sitting on the floor with her head in her hands. At least the kids are at school, she thought.
Natasha pulled out her cell phone from her back pocket and quickly dialed Pepper's number.
The C.E.O. picked up right away, "Hello?"
"Hey Pepper it's Natasha. Listen, I don't have much time, but I need you to do me a huge favor," she stated tentatively.
"Sure, whatever you need."
"Can you and the guys watch the kids over the weekend until Tuesday? I just really need you guys to do this, no questions asked."
"Of course," Pepper replied happily. "You can drop them off tonight if you want."
"I will. Thank you so much Pepper, I owe you big time," Natasha stated as she hung up the phone. She let out a sigh and leaned her head back against the cabinet door.
Steve had been on a mission for the past week, and he was expected home tomorrow—Saturday. However, Natasha had some personal issues she needed to deal with before his return. Issues that her children couldn't know about.
"Hi Mama!" James said happily as he walked into his mother's embrace, Lucy right behind him.
"Hi baby, how was school?" Natasha put an arm around each of her five-year olds as she led them to the car. She was picking them up from kindergarten—S.H.I.E.L.D. kindergarten, nonetheless.
"It was okay Mama," Lucy answered for her brother as Natasha opened the car door for her kids.
Natasha sat down in the front seat before turning around to address James and Lucy. "Well I have a surprise for you guys."
The twins made eye contact with each other expectantly. "What is it?" Lucy asked, a smile already on her face.
"We're not going home. We're going to the Tower in New York and you guys are going to spend the weekend with Aunt Pepper and Uncle Tony."
"But what about Daddy, Mama? And we didn't pack our clothes," James questioned.
"I already packed for both of you, your suitcases are in the trunk. And don't worry; you'll see your father in no time. It's just that Daddy and I need some alone time. Okay?" Natasha asked hopefully.
"Okay Mama! Can we go now?" Lucy asked, impatient as always.
"Alright, let's hit the road."
"Aunt Pepper, we're here!" Lucy squealed excitedly as the elevator doors opened to Pepper and Tony's floor. Yup, she definitely acquired her mother's outgoing nature. Lucy exited the elevator ahead of James, who still held Natasha's hand.
"Hey there you," Pepper emerged with a smile on her face. She was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a pullover that was two sizes too big for her.
Lucy ran into her Aunt's legs and latched on. "I missed you Aunt Pepper. I haven't seen you in forever," the five year old drew out the last word dramatically.
Pepper laughed to herself. "Well I've missed you to. And James," Pepper stroked Lucy's strawberry-blond hair out of her face.
"Hi Aunt Pepper," James said quietly, still holding onto Natasha.
"He's zoning," Natasha started as she carded her hand through James' hair. "He fell asleep in the car and still isn't fully awake."
"Oh I see," Pepper smiled to herself. "Well, I've got lots of fun things planned for us this weekend." At that, Lucy smiled as James looked up at his mother worriedly.
"I'm sure," Natasha began. "Here, James and I will put the bags in their room while you guys get settled in."
Natasha led James into the twins' bedroom at the Tower and closed the door behind her. After depositing their tiny suitcases on the bed, she sat down in an armchair and motioned for James to join her. He did, and even crawled into her lap.
She snaked her arms around her son before speaking softly to him. "What's wrong James?"
"I don't want you to leave Mama. I want to stay with you and I want Daddy to come home," he stated innocently.
Natasha felt a dull ache as her heat twisted at his words. "I know sweetheart, but you'll have fun with Aunt Pepper and your uncles."
"I guess," James trailed off. "But why can't you and Daddy stay too?" Big, blue eyes stared up innocently at Natasha.
"Because, Daddy and I have some very important things to talk about back home. Things that you and your sister don't understand yet. Do you see?"
"I guess so," he sighed in defeat.
Natasha let out a sigh and hugged her little boy just a little bit tighter. "You know how sometimes you just want alone time with Lucy? So you two can talk about your friends and school and even Daddy and I?" James nodded and snuggled up into Natasha. "Well, your Daddy and I need our alone time too so that we can talk about important things in our lives. Do you see what I mean now?"
"I understand Mama. I don't want you to leave still," James said.
"I know little man, but it will be over before you know it," Natasha gave him a reassuring smile.
James immediately crawled free of his mother's lap and stood in front of her. "I'm not little anymore Mama," he stated with a laugh.
Natasha stood from the chair and ruffled his hair. "I know you're not мальчик. But to me, you'll always be my baby."
The two walked back out to join Lucy and Pepper. Clint had joined them and was in the process of setting up a game of Mario Kart on the Wii. "James, come on! We've been waiting for you," Lucy demanded. James then joined his sister and uncle on the couch.
"Well, I really have to get going if I want to make it home before midnight," Natasha said with a hint of solemnness in her voice. She walked over to the couch and placed a quick kiss on James and Lucy's heads. They murmured goodbyes in response.
"Bye Pepper. Thank you so much again, I owe you," Natasha said as she approached the strawberry-blond.
"Any time. You know, we're always here for you guys," Pepper grasped Natasha's shoulders and offered up a small smile before continuing. "Are you sure that everything is alright?"
"Yes, Steve and I just need some time for ourselves. Everything's perfect." Natasha smiled brightly before exiting to the elevator.
The lie grew thicker and thicker with every passing moment. In the elevator, she reflected upon her choices from the past few hours. She hated lying to her "family", but more importantly, she hated lying to herself.
She just hoped that it would all be worth it.
One can only lie for so long.
True to her thoughts, Natasha didn't arrive back at her D.C. home until 12:30 a.m. In all fairness, she did have to make a pit stop on the way home. Steve wasn't supposed to be back until at least nine tonight.
That would give her some time to figure out what the hell she was going to do.
Her head had stopped spinning momentarily, but her thoughts continued to plague her mind and cloud her judgment.
"Come on Romanoff. Pull yourself together," she spoke aloud to herself. She took a deep breath before rising from the armchair and retrieving the bag of things she had bought from her pit stop.
She did what she needed to do as quickly and efficiently as she could manage. Now came the worst part.
The waiting.
So there she sat, all alone in her empty house for what felt like an eternity. She was trying; oh she was trying so badly to wrap her head around this whole thing—or what could be, anyway.
For the first time since she let herself fall for Steve did she feel wholly and utterly alone.
"Come on," she urged. "Come on already, just tell me."
Then time stopped.
Shit.
Steve relished pulling into his driveway. He was finally home, and in tact, and couldn't wait to get his hands on his wife.
The mission had been a long and strenuous one; it had separated him from his family for nine days. It was simple, in theory—take out a band of rogue assassins trying to wreak havoc throughout Europe. But when it comes to S.H.I.E.L.D., nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
So here he was, finally home, and more than eager to see his wife and children. He killed the power to his bike and set it down on its kickstand before grabbing his duffle bag from the back. He made his way up the path, and there she was.
The most amazing girl—his girl. She must have been waiting for him. Her slender body only occupied part of the doorframe, but her smirk was unmistakable, even through the darkness of the night. She had on a white cotton t-shirt (with no bra on underneath, Steve noted) and a pair of gray sweatpants that pooled around her feet. Her red hair was thrown up into a messy bun, loose, crimson spirals framing her face.
Before he knew it he was running up the path, running towards her. He threw open the front door and dropped his duffle bag all in one motion. He didn't have eyes for anyone or anything but her.
Before either one of them could get a word in, he crushed his lips against hers, grabbing her waist with his hands. And from there he couldn't stop himself. He wanted to, he needed to devour her immediately. His hands slid further down her body, and he easily lifted her up and hugged her against him.
Natasha complied all too willingly, wrapping her legs around his torso and cupping his face with her hands. The kisses kept coming; hot and fast and sloppy until neither one of them could breathe any longer.
They pulled apart, but only for air. Foreheads touching, each of them panting for breath.
"Nat," Steve whispered. "Where are the kids?" he asked, not as concerned as he should have been. It wasn't too late, after all, and his children usually waited up for him when he was returning home from a mission.
"They're at the Tower with Pepper," she replied, matching his tone. "We need time for us Steve." A thousand questions began to bubble on his tongue, but she immediately quieted them with her lips once more until she tasted the all too familiar tang of lingering blood in her mouth. "You need a shower," she smiled. "You stink."
He groaned against her. "Will you join me?" he pleaded.
"No, not tonight," she whispered. "But...we can have some fun afterwards if you want," she continued with that sultry, beautiful voice of hers.
"I don't want anything else tonight but you," he smiled. Steve then shifted her body in his arms, carrying her bridal style. He had a devilish grin on his face (if that could even exist on Captain America's face) as he ran up the steps to their bedroom and deposited her on the bed. Her laughs filled the house the whole way there.
"I'll be right back," he promised with a crooked smile, looking down at her from where she was splayed out on the duvet. He ran off into the bathroom to take the quickest shower of his life.
"Hurry up!" she called after him. "It's not polite to keep a lady waiting!"
Steve emerged five minutes later, clean and dressed. He let out a low whistle as Natasha stood up from the bed—she was wearing a black, lacey nightdress that stopped mid-thigh. The thing was skin-tight and hugged her in all the right places.
He approached her with a goofy grin on his face. "Now there's a sight for sore eyes," he marveled. Steve leaned in to kiss her, but she instinctively pulled away.
"Not so fast there, Rogers," she cautioned with a playful smirk. "I have another surprise for you first." He raised an eyebrow in confusion at her words. Natasha then moved to the nightstand, opening the drawer and pulling out a small box. The box looked like a bracelet box, and was wrapped in silver paper with a white bow on top.
She walked back over to her husband and handed it to him. "What's this for?" he questioned as he sat down on the bed.
Natasha gave him an eye roll in response. "Just open it, will you?" She came up to the bed and stood in front of him, arms around his neck as he began to undo the silver paper. He cautiously opened the box to reveal a white plastic stick.
A look of confusion crossed his face. "Nat, I don't understand what this is—"
"Steve," she cut him off. "Look at it. Read it."
He did. He observed the piece of plastic until he realized what the little purple plus sign actually meant. His mouth gaped in awe before he found his words once again. "Natasha, does this mean? Are you...?" he trailed off.
"Pregnant? Yes," she answered simply. At that, a huge, toothy grin spread over Steve's face. He immediately stood up and enveloped her in a hug. "And don't worry," she said against him with a slight smirk. "You're the father."
He squeezed her even tighter. Yes, they weren't exactly trying for a baby, but they weren't being careful either. After their children expressed their desire for another sibling, Steve and Natasha decided to let nature decide if they would have another child or not. The odds of Natasha getting pregnant again were slim, anyway. They were told that it was a miracle they had children in the first place.
"Are you sure?" Steve asked. "I mean, that happened really fast."
"Well, the test is positive. And I've been throwing up for the past four days. And I'm late..." Natasha was the one who trailed off this time.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe this!" Steve exclaimed as he ran his hands through his hair. He suddenly focused in on Natasha once again. "We have to tell the kids."
"Slow down there Steve," she warned. "That's exactly why I sent them to the Tower for the weekend. I don't want them to know yet. I don't think we should tell anyone until we're absolutely sure."
"Okay, I may be rushing things, but I'm just so excited Nat!" he continued. His eyes were shining bright with excitement, and Natasha couldn't help but to laugh. To giggle, in fact.
"I know. I know you are Steve," she smiled up at Steve and placed her hand on his chest. "And I'm happy too."
"Are you sure?" Steve asked, an undercurrent of concern in his voice.
"Of course I am. I couldn't ask for anything more Steve," she took on a more serious tone as she clasped her hands around his neck. "You are the most amazing man. You treat me like gold, and have given me everything I never knew I needed. I love you so much," she smiled up at him.
He leaned in to her touch and reciprocated her smile. He spoke gently to her in a whisper, "I'm gonna kiss you now."
Steve brought his lips down onto hers, and relished the feeling of having her.
