Sorry for the long wait! I really do feel awful. Try to enjoy!
Natasha sat near the little girl. Her hand was held to her tiny wrist. It was three hours after she had fallen asleep. The girl's pulse had slowed drastically. Her skin was white and pale. Clint was pacing methodically around the room. He was racking his brain for any medical information he may know on internal bleeding. There was nothing he could do. He knew that to be true.
It was a miracle she had lasted this long. The two just prayed to a god that they might not have believed in that she would make it to the SHIELD helicopter when it got here. They had state of the art medical. There was no doubt that she could be put back into health. The snow outside had finally stopped falling. The sun came out and began to wear down on the snow drifts around the cabin.
"We're going to make it, Clint," Natasha stood to console her partner. She placed a small hand on his lower back. "Fury is close."
"It's not us I am worried about," He snapped.
Natasha looked up at him. His blue eyes were broken and glistening with his unshed tears. Nat sat him down on the edge of the mattress and kissed his forehead.
"I know."
Clint sighed and pulled the red head closer to his body. He began to murmur into her hair.
"She could have really been ours, you know. She has blue eyes and blond hair, but it's wavy like yours. We could go on missions together. She could be the distraction, a sweet little girl. I bet she could kick some ass. She's beautiful like you, strong and fighting for every minute."
"That's just fact in the Red Room." Natasha said, "You have no choice."
"But you do have the choice," Clint looked her in the eyes, "You could have given up, given in, but you choose not to. You two chose to keep fighting. You're strong. She's just like you."
Natasha was silent for a minute, and then, "She called us Mommy and Daddy."
"I want to be, so badly."
"When this is all over, we'll look into our options," Natasha promised.
They sat for a moment in silence.
Clint nodded solemnly. Clint moved back over to the armchair, taking the girl's pulse again. His took a deep breath after finding it still there, even if it was dangerously low. He brushed her hair from her face, lightly. Clint's expression was heavy with an emotion that Natasha had only seen once before. It was a rare and endearing look, one she had received from him only once when she was lying in a hospital bed after recovery from an explosion. He had told her he loved was what his expression was screaming in this moment. In the short time they were together, Clint had honestly become attached to this little girl. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
When the helicopter arrived, workers flooded the cabin. Paramedics surrounded Czarina. They tried to take her on a gurney but Clint fought them off. He carried the girl to the vehicle himself. Paramedics took her from there, sending Clint and Natasha to grab some food. Sustenance was the only thing they lacked and their bodies were in good shape. The sat in the small room on the large aircraft, not touching the food their bodies so desperately needed. Neither of them wanted to eat.
Clint put an arm around Natasha and hugged her sat in eachothers arms waiting for news. Eventually a medic came into the room.
"What is the girl's name?" he asked, sitting across from them.
"Why?" Clint nearly growled.
"We need to set up medical records."He answered patiently.
"Czarina," Natasha answered this time.
"What were her ailments before you gave her medicine?" The medic asked, writing down the girl's name.
"She had a few strained ribs and a broken ankle." Natasha informed the man.
After a few more questions, the man was gone again.
"Do they usually do that?" Clint questioned roughly.
"I don't know," Natasha replied. "I've never brought anyone back."
"They didn't do that when you were in the ER," Clint's voice was low and dangerous.
"They already had files on me," Natasha pointed out. She had gotten on SHIELD's radar far before she was one of them.
"I don't like this."
Natasha rubbed Clint's back. "They're taking care of her. You're overthinking things."
Clint swooped down and kissed Natasha on the mouth. "I love you."
"Love is for children" Natasha bit back a small smile. "What I feel for you makes love look juvenile."
"Beautiful quote," Clint sighed.
"One by you." Natasha kissed him again, revelling in his warmth and the warmth on the aircraft.
"Can we keep her?" Clint asked suddenly, "Adopt her?"
Natasha bit her lip, "Do you really think.."
"We could have a kid," Clint nodded."We could do it, just me and you."
"I wasn't made to be a mother," Natasha shook her head, "The Red Room made that very clear."
"But here we are, getting a second chance," Clint replied.
"I can try." Natasha let her head fall, looking at her palms.
"Hey," Clint lifted her chin to look up at him, "You can do this."
"Only one of us could have custody," Natasha said, "We're not married."
"We could be," Clint shrugged.
"That easy, huh?" Natasha looked up at him with big green eyes.
"Want to?" Clint asked, "Get married, I mean."
"We basically are already," Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Then it would just be a paper," Clint suggested, "Just a legal confirmation of what we already know."
"We'll see."
Natasha leaned forward and kissed him again. Eventually, the felt more relaxed and less in mission mode. They ate, bumping shoulders. Their strength returned to them slowly.
Stumbling together, they made their way to a bedroom. They showered in shifts. Clothes were provided for them outside of the sleeping quarters. They were happy to finally take off their suits and put on civvies. Natasha slept, curled up against Clint. They huddled together, intertwined all night. When morning came, there was a knock on their door. It was Nick Fury himself. He lead them silently to a room, only giving them a slightly suspicious look at their sleeping arrangements. He sat them at a table and took a seat across from them. Natasha noticed his rigid attitude. She swallowed a bit. Clint noticed it as well, and went siff. Natasha slipped her hand into his below the table. The metal walls were extra strong in the room. There were video cameras, like an interrogation room. Fury stood, pacing the room for a moment. Clint squeezed Nat's hand in his own. His teeth were clenched. Fury cleared his throat after a long inhale.
"She didn't make it through the night."
Author's Note: I uhmm... I love you all? Tell me what you think, reviews and PM.