A/N As you've already noticed, this story gets slower updates, but that's due to the fact that I'm sticking to the titles of the soundtrack and I want to keep them in the right order. Plus, there's a lot going on right now, so please bear with me if I'm taking my time :) Today's oneshot has been inspired by a prompt by romionefluffer. Have fun! (I realised I'm a HUGE sucker for WinterWidow, so... Sorry?)

ArinRomanaff: Thank you very much, I'm happy you liked it.

MaRiA.Z.A: THank you very much! Over time, there will come a lot more

Iamsecretlynot: Thank you :)

Arrival

Getting off Sakaar, getting back home, Bruce had thought a lot about Natasha. Whether she'd missed him. How pissed she still was for him and the Hulk vanishing. He'd thought about making it up to her, finally telling her what he felt for her. Telling her he was willing to run with it, wherever it would take them. That he'd should never have made the mistake of indicating that she couldn't hold her own against the Hulk; Natasha knew how to defend herself.

He was nervous with excitement as they landed at the new Avengers Facility; all reassuring nods and speeches by Thor and questionable Tipps by Loki and Valkyrie did not help to put him at ease.

They were all there when the spaceship's ramp lowered down. Tony at front. Steve, Clint. Some faces he didn't recognize. And Natasha. She stood a bit to the side, a brunette man with a metal arm and shaggy hair half a step behind her, both watching him intently. Bruce saw Natasha touching the man's right, human looking arm which caused him to lean into her so she could whisper something at him. The man didn't look too happy, never taking his eyes off Bruce, and finally nodded.

Natasha waited until all the others had gone inside before she approached Bruce. He had watched her greet Thor with a hug and an open smile, saying something to him that made him laugh and the brunette man scowl playfully. How different was her smile now. Soft, but apologetic. Wary, even. "Hey Bruce. Good to have you back."

Really?, he wanted to ask. She stayed just distanced enough after her brief hug that he couldn't pull her close again without making it weird. "I'm sorry we left," he blurted out, adoration in his eyes. He needed her to understand how sorry he was. That it had been the worst decision of his life. "I missed you. So, so much." He looked at her intently, a smile on his lips. "Let's run with it this time. Yes? I don't want to spend another minute without you. Natasha, I-"

"Bruce," she cut him off, gently but determined. I'm glad you're back in one piece. But it's been two years. I'm not the same person anymore."

"I don't care. You're still you." He went to cup her face but Natasha evaded him by taking a step back.

Gently, she pushed his hands down. "Two years, Bruce. With no word from you. A lot has happened in the meantime. Things that helped me move on. I still care for you, make no mistake. But we missed our window."

"That man…"

"James Buchanan Barnes," Natasha explained, and her eyes shone like he'd never see it before. "Most call him Bucky. Childhood friend of Steve's. We have history together and I won't let him be taken away from me this time." A soft smile appeared on her face and she hugged him, less wary this time. "I really am glad you managed to come back. Though I will have words with the Big Guy."

"Sure." Bruce held her tightly, taking in her scent, feeling her body in his arms. His chest was constricted and he felt as if he couldn't breathe normally.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Bruce let go of her, instantly mourning the loss, and shook his head. "I want you to be happy."

A genuine smile creased her lips. "Thank you. Maybe we manage to stay friends? I'd be up for it if you are."

"Yes. That sounds nice."

~#~#~#~#~#~

It wasn't nice. Bruce kept his distance to Natasha and Barnes as much as possible. He watched them interchange little gestures of love in public, barely noticeable, but still his heart felt like it was ripped in two. Most of their time they spend training the recruits together or went on missions themselves. Whatever they did, there was a teasing, flirty, playful air around them; something Bruce knew he never had that much with Natasha.

He wanted to hate Barnes; if he hadn't been, Natasha might have been more willing to try again, to pick up where they've left it. But he couldn't, not in earnest. Not when he saw how happy Natasha was when they went at each other on the mats. Not when he noticed how he kept her back in the field. How he made sure they were always stocked on her favourite snack. The Hulk had been wary, at first, but after he'd noticed how close and important to each other they were and after Barnes had once wrestled with him in play, he had taken a liking to the man with the metal arm. Bruce felt betrayed by that but hoped he didn't let it show too much.

Then, one day, Natasha visited him in his lab. Bruce nearly dropped the vial he'd been holding; she was the last person he'd expected. "Is something wrong?" he carefully asked. Natasha seemed distraught, more than he'd ever seen her. Had there been an accident without him noticing? Was someone – Barnes? – seriously hurt?

"Yeah, I…" Natasha fidgeted. "I need you to run a test. But you can't tell anyone. Not Steve or Clint. Not James. Especially not James."

Bruce nodded. "Alright. I won't tell a soul, Natasha, I promise. What kind of test do you want me to run?"

Natasha's voice was barely above a whisper when she answered. "A pregnancy test."

"What?" Bruce asked, eyes wide. He didn't want to sound shocked but he couldn't help it. He clearly remembered their talk at Clint's farmhouse when she told him she couldn't bear children.

"I know," Natasha answered as if she'd read his mind. "But I need to be sure to rule it out. I've been throwing up in the morning for the better part of last month. I've never been sick. I haven't been on a mission dealing with chemicals or viruses or whatnot."

Bruce tried a reassuring smile but even to him it felt too forced. "We'll work it out. Don't worry, Nat."

~#~#~#~#~#~

"For God's sake!" Bruce took deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart; a Hulk incident in the labs was the last anyone needed. "For how long have you been standing there?"

"I need to ask a favour," Natasha said without preamble. He eyes had a haunted look to them.

"Anything."

"I need you to look out for Amy should anything happen to James or me."

"Nothing will happen to either of you. That's the lack of sleep speaking."

But Natasha shook her head. "There are still people out there to get us. I don't know how much longer we can keep her a secret from those people. There can't anything happen to her. Bruce, promise me you'll take care of her should something happen."

"Nat-"

"Promise me!"

He'd never seen her lose her temper like that before and it scared the shit out of him. He grabbed her shoulders with both hands and forced her to look at him. "You live in the most secure building on earth. A big group of trained and enhanced individuals considers you part of their family. Do you think any of us would let anything happen to you? Or Barnes? Hell, Amy's barely three months old and has everyone wrapped around her little finger. But if you need it to sleep better: yes, Natasha, I promise to look out for Amy. There won't anything happen to her. Or to you, for that matter."

~#~#~#~#~#~

Bruce knew he wasn't Amy's favourite uncle. He wasn't as fun as some of the others and he wasn't as willing to read her the same story a trillion times. Besides, he was the one vaccinating her, so she tended to be more careful around him. That was fine. It wasn't that he didn't like her. He adored her and he knew the Hulk would never hurt her either. It was the resemblance to her parents that threw him. While most commented on how much she looked like Barnes – dark hair and her face seemed to be a softer copy-paste from his – the first thing Bruce always saw were her eyes. A bright green that missed the piercing stare but managed to look more solemn than should be possible for a five-year-old. It were Natasha's eyes through and through and every time Bruce saw them, he didn't know whether he stared in wonder or in horror.

It had been three weeks since Natasha had been surprised by HYDRA; how they managed to catch her off guard, no one knew. Bruce had never seen Barnes like that. A cold rage swirling in his eyes, in his stance; a rage he tried to hide from his daughter to be able to console her. Now Bruce understood why the Winter Soldier had been feared as much as the Black Widow. He had no doubts that whoever had taken Natasha wouldn't live to tell the tale.

Barnes, Steve and Clint had gone off to follow every possible trail which left the rest of them distracting a little girl that had suddenly been robbed of her parents. Even Loki tried to entertain her with magic tricks and it would work for a while until Amy would ask when her parents would come back. No one had an answer for that.

So Bruce was surprised when Amy sneaked into his lab one day, a careful look on her face as if she wasn't sure whether she'd be welcome here.

"Uncle Bruce? Can I stay here for a bit?"

"Yes, uh, sure. Do you need anything?"

But Amy shook her head, sat down at one of the tables and started colouring. Bruce hovered nearby, unsure how to handle the situation. "You do know you don't need to be worried, right? Your dad, Steve and Clint will find your mom, I'm sure."

Amy only nodded without looking up.

They worked side by side in silence for a while, until a hologram popped up, indicating a call from one of their jets. Bruce accepted in instantly.

"We got her," Steve said without any greeting. He looked exhausted but relieved. "You might want to ready med-bay. We'll be there in half an hour."

"Have you found mommy?" Amy asked, tears of fear in her eyes. "Is she alright?"

But the call was already interrupted. Bruce saw the tears welling in her eyes and felt slight panic rising. "Hey, how about we already go to the med-bay so you can greet them there? Steve said they'll be here in half an hour, so we still have some time to make everything ready for them. Do you want to help me?"

Amy looked at him with a wavering lip but nodded finally, reaching for him in a silent plea. Bruce obliged and picked her up, prompting her to hold tightly onto him. "Everything will be fine. I promise."

Time flew after that. Soon, they were waiting in the med-bay, when Barnes came rushing through the doors, Natasha in his arms. She looked small and fragile against his broad frame but was seemingly alive.

"Lay her here. Thanks. And now, I need you to go out of my way. Wait outside. I'll call you when I'm done." It was one of the few cases Bruce actually spoke with authority.

Barnes' stare could have melted steel. "I will not leave her-"

"Yes, you will," Steve said quietly but urgently. "Bruce needs space. Plus, you have a daughter to take care of. A scared daughter who just saw her mother bleeding and unconscious."

All at once, the fight seemed to drain out of Barnes. He kissed Natasha on the head, threw one last glance at Bruce and went to pick up Amy, holding her tight and telling her that everything would be alright again. Steve and Clint left soon after, leaving Bruce alone with Natasha.

She was badly hurt. Torture, a voice commented in the back of his head. Still, given time, she would be okay. Hopefully.

When she woke, it was hours later. Bruce had occupied a chair near her cot, dozing but waking instantly when the monitor's beeping indicated a change of her heart rate. "Hey," Bruce greeted her quietly, quickly assessing her. She seemed okay.

"Amy?" Her voice was but a croak.

"She's fine. Scared, of course, but she will be better once she sees you're awake." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Natasha closed her eyes in relieve and painstakingly slow tapped a pattern out on his hand. It took Bruce a moment to decipher the morse code: Thank you for taking care of her.

He smiled, a little sadness showing. "That's what I promised, didn't I? Always."

2. A/N The next title would be "No Trust" and I'm thinking Avengers bonding night right now, but if you have a better idea, please let me know ;)