Here's your last chapter. I don't know if it feels finished, but for now this is it. Thank you all for sticking with me on this one! I hope you all liked it.

All mistakes are mine.

Happy reading!

This Complicated Life

Chapter 10

The Aftermath

For five seconds, Clint had no idea what to do. Well, he knew what to do but he wasn't going to get that done standing at the sidewalk while the car that held his heart went to Brooklyn. It took five seconds before Clint's Marine training kicked in and he ran to the direction of the car, catching up in three blocks because of the New York City traffic.

He pounded on the door, the driver giving him a weird look before unlocking the doors letting him jump into the passenger seat.

"Clint?" Natasha said surprised when the door shut taking her away from her thoughts.

"You were just going to leave me on the sidewalk like that?"

"I didn't know what else to do."

He shook his head. "How about, not leaving me on the sidewalk? That might be a great start."

"Clint," Natasha sighed, tired of whatever it was he was trying to get to. "Please I'm not in the mood to argue with you about what the hell I should have done."

Clint looked over at the driver. "Can you drop us back off at my street?"

The driver looked back at Natasha through his rear mirror and saw her subtle nod. He was a man of honor, had two daughters himself and he didn't want to get into a sticky situation by driving back to the man's street without her permission. With that he turned the corner and headed back towards the street where he had dropped off the man, stopping at building and putting his hazards on.

"We need to talk, Tasha," Clint said turning in the passenger seat to face her. "Please."

Natasha nodded her head looking over at Aliana who was strapped in her carseat. Clint hopped out of the car, opening the door for Natasha as the driver helped unload the trunk full of gifts, starting with the pink stroller. The bellman in Clint's building also came out to help with the presents ensuring Clint that he would get them delivered to the apartment when the man was finished unloading. That left Clint, Natasha, and Aliana to walk through the doors.

The ride up to Clint's apartment was spent in silence. Neither Clint nor Natasha wanted to say anything, and to be completely honest, neither one of them really knew what to say about the subject. For Natasha, she had no idea what to say because Clint hadn't told her how he felt about her confession. Yes, he wanted to be a part of Aliana's life, that much was certain, but she didn't know if the same went for her life. One of the reasons why she did'nt tell Clint about the pregnancy to begin with was because she didn't want him to see her as an obligation. Now it felt like he was tolerating her because of their child.

On the other hand, Clint stewed on his feelings. He had no idea if Natasha's confession was sincere. Natasha had never given him any indication that she had feelings for him outside of the close friendship that they had. He didn't know if it was a feeling brought on by seeing their friends all happy with each other, or if it was because she wanted to just give Aliana a better life, or if she genuinely actually cared for him. He looked down at the one year old girl who was babbling to herself through the silence of the hallway leading to the apartment and smiled. Whatever happened, he was sure going to fight to be there for his daughter.

As soon as they reached the apartment, Clint brought the little girl still in her carrier to his second bedroom that housed her crib and Natasha's full sized bed. He unstrapped her from the carrier and placed her in the crib, making sure to place a couple of toys and turn on the baby monitor before shutting the door and walking into the living room where Natasha was sitting, ramrod straight on the couch.

Natasha refused to meet his gaze as he sat on the coffee table in front of her.

"Natasha, will you at least look at me?" he asked her with a sigh looking straight at her.

She shrugged, slowly meeting his gaze.

"You… You want to talk custody?" she asked weakly. Never has he heard that tone of voice coming from her.

"Is that what you want?" Clint asked her not knowing how to interpret the tone she was displaying.

She shrugged. "I realize I've been… selfish throughout this whole thing so… The ball is in your court. She can stay here tonight if you want, I'll…"

"You'll what? Go back to Brooklyn?"

"That's probably what's best."

"You have a bed here," Clint pointed out. "I was serious last night about having the both of you move in, before this whole thing even happened."

She shook her head. "I'm not going to be an obligation to you, Clint. I had a lot of time to think when you left, when she and I moved out here, and I know you've been trying to move on. As much as I would love to see you and Aliana together, growing up and interacting, I don't... "

"You don't what?"

"I don't think i could take it if I saw you with someone else," Natasha finished.

Clint looked at her perplexed.

"Look, you're smart, you're employed, you have a lot going for you," she explained. "Someone out there is going to capture your heart and… where does that leave me?"

"I've told you so many times that… You, you and Aliana are it for me," Clint explained. "I don't want anyone else."

"I don't think I believe you."

Clint paused. "Well how can I prove it to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I need to do in order for you to believe me? I've tried to prove it to you these past four months. I don't - you tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"You don't have to do this, Clint. I told you that I would give you custody -"

"I don't want just custody, Natasha. I want it all, I want a family. With you. With her. But if that's not what you want…"

She shook her head. "I want it all too but… If… If in six months, this isn't what you want. We should… revisit the agreement."

Clint's eyebrows furrowed. "Why six months?"

"In six months, if it's not working for you. If we aren't working for you, then we'll talk about custody and… and all of that."

"And until then?"

"Until then we try it, we be together. We'll be a family."

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