Sailorraven34: He really is. She'll need it. Thanks for the review! :)

aliceindeepdarkwonderland: It would certainly be nice if you could! I'm glad that you're feeling protective of Natasha. Thanks for the review! :)

Call Me Toni: I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for the review! :)

Rosay Chere Khan: Thank you so much for your kind review :3 You have no idea how amazing that made me feel. You're completely and utterly amazing. As for chapter length, I have up until chapter fifteen written. After that, though, I'll try to make them longer. Thanks for the review!

MissPadawan: Aww, thank you :3 I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I hope to keep entertaining you :) Thanks for the review! :)

Wow, this has been a really rough week. I had four tests, and my gerbil died in my hand :'( Hopefully next week is better...

Disclaimer: I do not own MARVEL or any of their affiliates. I am not making any money by writing this. It is for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Eleven

September 10th and 11th

Natasha's P. o. V:

When I finally manage to compose myself enough to disentangle myself from Clint's arms, about a half hour has passed. I glance at my watch and let out a gasp of horror. "Camille is going to kill me!" Clint shoots me a steely look.

"I'd like to see her try," he growls, eyes flashing with anger. Unconsciously, I rub my wrists, remembering the bruises that Camille put there. Luckily, Clint does not notice, but Bruce shoots me a look. I imperceptibly shake my head, warning him not to say anything. Wisely, he keeps his mouth shut. "I'll walk you home," Clint tells me. There is no use in arguing, so I accept the statement and head towards the door, Clint by my side. The rest of our group wishes me well as we walk out the door. We walk in silence for a while.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Clint responds.

"When you found out, did you really think that I would intentionally get pregnant?" My voice breaks, and tears threaten to fall down my cheeks. Damn these pregnancy hormones! Clint hesitates, and I stop walking. "Please tell me you didn't," I beg, a film of tears obscuring my vision.

"No, I didn't really. I knew that there had to be some explanation, but I was so shocked by the news that I didn't know what to believe." I look him in the eyes, knowing that he is telling me the truth.

"Thank you," I sniffle, continuing to walk. Too soon, we reach my house. "Perhaps you should leave me here," I suggest, fearing Camille's reaction. Clint shakes his head vehemently.

"Not a chance. She's not going to hurt you any more than she already has." With that, we continue walking, finally reaching the front door. I try the handle, surprised to find it open. I would have assumed that Camille would have locked me out. Then again, she wouldn't want to endanger the precious baby, I think bitterly. Turning, I give Clint a kiss goodbye. "Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Yes. I won't let my classmates think that they've bullied me out of coming. I won't be seen as a coward." Clint nods, giving me another kiss.

"Good luck. Call or text me if you need anything."

"I will." Clint turns and walks away, and I step into the house. It is dark downstairs, which means that Camille is either out, or upstairs. I cross my finger and hope that she's "working."

As I ascend the stairs, I am pleased to discover that Camille is not upstairs. I take a quick shower, washing away the dried tears on my cheeks. Tomorrow will be difficult, but I must face it. Clint will back me up. I don't care what the other students think. As long as I still have my friends, I'll be fine.

With these positive thoughts in mind, I turn off the shower and get out. Before I put my pajamas on, I examine my body in the mirror. A slight bump sticks out between my hips, but it is still easily concealed by a sweatshirt. I sigh. In about a month's time, even my most baggy sweatshirt will not be able to conceal my pregnancy.

I head to my room, glad to discover that Camille is still not home. I lock my bedroom door and collapse on my bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. Before I know what hits me, I am asleep.

When I wake up in the morning, I am surprised to find that I am on time. I forgot to set my alarm last night, and I thank all of my lucky stars that I'm not running late. I want to show up to school as if nothing has changed.

After wolfing down a quick breakfast and taking the pills that Camille set out for me, I begin walking to school. Clint catches up to me on the way. "Are you ready for this?" I nod my head, not trusting my voice. Clint grabs my hand, giving me a boost of confidence. I walk into the school yard, past groups of gossiping girls. They shoot me hateful looks, but I ignore them.

"What a slut." Clint's grip tightens on my hand.

"Ignore them," he whispers out of the side of his mouth. I nod as more verbal insults are thrown my way. As much as I would like to say that they didn't affect me, I can't. Each insult stings as much as the next, but I do not let them know. Clint and I stop at our lockers, and then head to gym. I gather my courage and then go face Coulson.

"As I'm sure you've heard from around the school, I am pregnant. I am about 2 months along, and I will continue participating in all activities for as long as I can." Coulson looks stunned, but I turn around and march back towards Clint. Clint is chuckling slightly.

"He's completely shocked. He can't believe that someone who is pregnant is managing to whip the other students' asses," Clint smirks. I allow a small smile to spread over my face. More people start to file into the locker room. Clint and I head out into the gym, wanting to avoid the snide comments from our classmates.

"You know, they probably think that you're the one that knocked me up," I snort, a humorless chuckle rising in my throat.

"I wish I was," Clint mutters, barely loud enough for me to hear. I shoot him a look, and he quickly ducks his head, embarrassed to have been caught. "What I meant to say was that I wish it was me, and not your neighbor. Ugh, that doesn't sound any better," Clint groans. I pull him in close for a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"I know what you meant." Clint visibly relaxes as other students begin filing out into the gym. Coulson follows closely behind them.

"Five laps, everyone." Clint and I begin running, leading the pack of students as usual. We finish long before the others, so we stand and wait for them to finish. Several people throw snide comments our way, but I ignore them.

After everyone finishes, we team up and begin playing badminton again. The team of girls that Clint and I are paired with do not make any comments, but they continuously glare at us. We beat them easily, and they storm away. "At least I'm not a slut," one of the girls calls over her shoulder. Clint grips my arm tightly, but I shake him off.

"At least I didn't just get beaten by someone who's pregnant," I shoot back. Clint gives me an appreciative smile, and we pair up with another team.

The rest of the hour passes incredibly quickly, with Clint and I beating every team that we are matched with. When the end of the hour comes, we head to our lockers and go to our classes.

All of my teachers know about my situation, but they do not make a comment about it. Several of them send disappointed glances my way, but I ignore them. They can believe what they want.

Finally, the final bell rings, dismissing us from class. I still hear rude comments being directed at me in the hall, but I keep my head held high, pretending that the comments don't hurt me. Clint can see through my façade, and he rubs his thumb gently over my hand as we walk out of the building. We walk in silence towards my house, thinking about the events of the day. "Well, it could have been worse." I nod.

"True, but not everyone may know yet." Clint sighs.

"Don't let them get you down. I love you, and we both know the truth. Don't let their comments affect you. If they get a rise out of you, it'll only get worse." I nod, seeing the truth in his words. I can see my house approaching down the street. When we reach it, I give Clint a hug and a kiss, and then head up the driveway. Clint watches to make sure that I get in safely, before continuing to walk to his house.

Camille is in the living room watching TV, so I slip upstairs before she can call me in. I lock myself in my room and collapse on my bed. Today may not have been terrible, but my classmates' words still sting. I try not to let the words get to me, but they do anyways.

What if I really am a no-good slut? What if I secretly wanted that? What if everything they were saying was true?

A single tear slips down my cheek, and I wipe it away angrily.

It's always darkest before dawn, right?

I can't say that I'm so sure.

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