Natasha looked back down at her phone. It was 1:15. She grabbed Alex and walked to the tower which was a 10 minute walk. They got there by 1:27. They sat in the lobby and waited for the family to appear. Alex was pacing and Natasha was reading on her phone when the door chimed. They turned their heads to see Luara and the kids walking behind her. Natasha stood up, slipped her phone in her pocket, and walked over to them. "Auntie Nat!" Lila yelled and ran up to her. Natasha picked her up and spun her around. "Hey Lila, it's good to see you again. Well all of you." Natasha put Lila down, then gave Cooper and Peter hugs. Luara gave her a hug. "Oh my gosh, Natasha. What happened to your leg?" "A building fell on it because I saved a child's life." "You are one hero." "And you are one super mom." Natasha replied. They soon left to their hotel and Natasha and Alex walked back to Central Park.
"There you guys are. We were looking for you. Where did you guys go?" Tony asked. "My family is in town. As in wife and kids." Alex says. Natasha walks over to Clint. "Did you tell Tony?" "Yes, he said that you can meet with the judge and his lawyers at ten tomorrow morning. The bad thing is, Pepper had to know about it." "That's okay. I secretly wanted someone else to know anyway." Natasha said as she shrugged. "Okay everyone, let's go home!" Tony yelled. As normal, the girls were in Pepper's truck and the boys in Tony's. They drove back to the tower and had lunch. After that, Pepper helped Natasha change her bandages. They talked about the adoption and how Pepper would go with her. Then everyone talked in the living room. Natasha went to bed earlier than usual so she wouldn't be tired in the morning. Everyone was suspicious but decided to check in early, too.
The next morning, Pepper and Natasha got ready and left for court before anyone woke up. They left a note saying they went to do something important and would be back around 4. Everyone was used to this, so they didn't question it. Everyone went about their day as normal. They ate, they played, they trained, relaxed, just the usual.
Hours passed and Natasha had gotten the certificate that approved Natasha to be Kendall's adoptive mother. Natasha had changed into casual clothing and they were now on their way to the doctor's office for a checkup. Natasha took a regular room. They tested her reflexes. She would have to keep her torso wrapped for a few more weeks. Her leg would have to be wrapped for eight to ten more days. They made sure that she didn't open any stitches and then completed the basic health procedure. "Make sure to change out your bandages and be careful with your leg. You are now free to go, ma'am." The nurse said as she gave them more wrapping tape. They paid and thanked her before heading out to the truck.
"I still don't like the doctor's office." Natasha said to Pepper while they were on their way home. "So you'd rather be treated by S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Pepper asked. "Of course. It would be hard to infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D. You could easily sneak into the hospital and try to kill someone." Natasha said as they pulled into the garage. "You have a point, but it doesn't mean that S.H.I.E.L.D. is immune to getting hacked. But it would be safer having agents protect you while you're in the medical bay." Pepper agreed as they got out of the truck. Natasha pulled out the bag that held the certificate and the bag that held her wrapping tape. They continued to talk about the pros and cons of public and private doctors' offices until they reached their floor. The doors slid open and on the other side, there was screaming, yelling, and loud music. They walked into Kendall's room and closed the door behind them.
"Kendall, I have a present for you." Natasha said as she approached her with Pepper following. They sat down on the bed next to Kendall. Natasha handed her the bag with the certificate. Kendall took the bag and opened it. She pulled out a framed paper that said in bold words, "Congratulations Kendall Elle Smith! You have been adopted by Natasha Romanoff!" Kendall couldn't read most of the words, so Pepper read it to her. Kendall looked at Natasha teary eyed and Natasha pulled her into a hug. "Thank you." was all Kendall could fit before breaking out with tears of joy. "Don't thank me. I wanted to do this." Natasha said as she held Kendall said. Pepper started to get misty eyed, too. She left the room to give them privacy.
She walked into the living room to find everyone spying on Natasha and Kendall from the security cameras hidden in Kendall's room. "Are you spying on Natasha and Kendall?" Pepper asked placing her hands on her hips. "Nobody told us that Natasha was adopting Kendall. Apparently Clint, Tony, and you knew." Wanda said as she squinted at them. "Well she wanted to keep this a secret and tell you herself, but she can't do that now." Clint said kind of annoyed. "Listen guys, she did something sweet and nice. I bet we could all tell that this was going to happen. Be happy, Kendall is part of a family now." Alex said defending his sister. "Well what's done is done, and Alex is right. We should be happy for the both of them. So let's stop arguing and continue spying on them." Tony said. They all turned back to the screen to find it black. Natasha and Kendall walked out from behind it with a long black cord. "You should really leave the spying to the actual spy." Natasha smirked and dropped the cord. "Wow. We didn't even hear you come in." Steve said with shock. "No duh. That's what spies are trained to do, Captain Obvious." Natasha said as she and Kendall walked towards the group. "Well congrats on the adoption, both of you." Jane said as she gave them both a hug. "Yeah, sorry I told everyone." Tony said with a scared face. "That's okay, I kinda knew you were going to tell them anyway." Natasha said as she patted his shoulder. "Does this mean that I'm an uncle?" Alex said with a twinkle in his eyes. Natasha smiled and nodded. Kendall just smiled and leaned against Natasha. Kendall stared up at Alex and smiled. He just ruffed her bright red hair and returned the smile. That cute moment was interrupted by a ding at the elevator. Luara and the kids walked out and into the living room. "Auntie Nat!" Lila let go of Peter's hand and gave Natasha a hug. "Who are they?" Tony asked. "This is my family. My wife, Luara, and my kids, Lila, the youngest, Cooper, the middle, and Peter, the oldest." Alex said as he hugged Luara. Whose the little one? Luara said as she crouched down to Kendall's level. "This is Kendall...My daughter." Natasha smiled at the last two words. "I was adopted today." Kendall said with a smile. "How old are you?" Lila asked. I'm four, and will be five on May 8th." Kendall said as she turned to Lila. "I turned five a few weeks ago. Am I invited to your birthday party?" Lila asked. Kendall smiled and nodded. Lila looked at Cooper and Peter. "Don't be scared, come say hi." She waved them over. "Hello Kendall. I'm Peter and that's Cooper." Peter tilted his head to Cooper. Kendall smiled and waved. "Don't be shy. I won't bite." Peter said as he patted her on the shoulder. "Cooper is a bit shy so that'll take some getting used to." Kendall just nodded and looked up to Natasha who was talking to Clint. Kendall tugged on Natasha's shirt to get her attention. Natasha looked down at Kendall and the rest of the kids. "Meeting at my legs, huh? Are any of you hungry or thirsty." "Yes!" They said in unison. "Well you can't eat on the floor. Come to the table." Clint said. He showed everyone to the table. "Your dinner will be served in about an hour. Please, talk, get to know each other while you wait." A robotic voice spoke. Clint and Natasha walked into the kitchen and started making spaghetti.
Natasha didn't know what she was feeling, but it only occured when she was around Clint. Her heart always skipped a beat whenever he flashed that smile that was reserved only for her. Whenever she had nightmares about her past, he was always there, comforting her and telling her that she is okay. She always quoted that love is for children, but sometimes Clint makes her feel like she can go against that. When they have a serious conversation, she can't help but get lost in his ocean blue eyes. Whenever they hug, she wanted to stay in his grasp forever, but always let go before her feelings get the best of her. She thought to herself, do I actually like Clint as more than partners, more than friends? Maybe she does, but doesn't have to courage to tell him.
Clint knew that he liked her more than friends. He liked her fiery red hair and how it bounced when she moved. He liked those emerald green eyes that he could stare into all day. He loved her laugh and her warm hugs. He loved how she could trust and easily open up to him. He loved movie nights when she always fell asleep on his shoulder, how she used him as a pillow and for warmth. He loved her, but doesn't have to courage to tell her.
Natasha and Clint talked about her injuries while they cooked. "How's your leg doing?" "Just 8 to 10 more days until it is fully healed." "And your torso?" "It will be healed in a few weeks. My stitches didn't open. So other than my injuries, I'm perfectly fine." She replied as she mixed the sauce. "You know, that's very nice." Clint said to her. Natasha stopped looked at him confused. "That you adopted Kendall." He looked at her. She smiled. "I wanted to. Like I said yesterday, I don't want her to go the orphanage." "I think she is most comfortable with you. She talks to you more than she talks to anyone else. She comes to you with her problems. She can trust you." Clint said as he took her hands in his. She looked at him. "Isn't that what a mother wants from her child?" She said looking him in the eye. "Its what everyone wants, from everyone." He responded. "I can't trust many people. Many people can't trust me. I want Kendall to trust me, I want people to trust me, but that's sorta impossible when you are a killing machine, monster." Natasha said with a sad smile as a tear threatened to fall. "Tasha, you're not a killing machine, or a monster. We know that deep down inside, you are a nice woman. I can see that your kindness is surfacing, especially when you are around Kendall. You're not a monster, and you will never be." He squeezed her hands. They never broke eye contact. A tear rolled down her cheek and fell on one of his hands. He pulled her into a hug and she let it all out. She silently sobbed into his chest and he rubbed her back.