Hello my friends! How are you all doing out there? Thank you for the birthday wishes, and for your continued support of the story! I'm so happy you all love it, and it's awesome to be doing this with you and for you! So, I don't own Marvel, it's intellectual properties, or it's characters. I do this for fun. Here is...
Chapter Twenty One
Natasha doubled over in pain as a contraction hit, the Dark Widow holding her by the shoulders to keep her on her feet. "What the hell do you mean? He's on his way home from a mission?! Steve's supposed to be here with you!" Nat's other self said in a raised voice, clearly not expecting this to happen. The super spy tried to breath through the pain in order to answer. "There was no choice. On the planet that Thanos destroyed the Infinity Stones, there was particles left over from the Stones. Someone whent there and took them. Thor believed that whoever took them must be trying to fix them." Natasha breathed in several times before looking into her darker self's eyes. "I'm going to need you to take me to Pepper's. I thought I'd be able to do it if it came to it, but these contractions are strong. I won't make it. Please, help me."
Indecision crossed the Dark Widow's face as she looked into Nat's eyes. Her own eyes, looked right back, and in that moment she knew what she had to do. "Do you have things at Pepper's to take to the hospital?" Natasha nodded her head yes as another contraction swept through her and took her breath away. The Dark Widow picked up the Black Widow easily and walked towards the front door. "Car keys?" Nat's other self asked, so she pointed to them hanging on the wall, so the Dark Widow grabbed them and quickly made for the car. The engine roared to life, seconds later they were racing towards the Stark's home. The Dark Widow took Natasha's phone and found Pepper's number. Clicking on the call button, it rang only once before being answered.
"Hello? Nat, is everything alright?" (She must have been expecting her call.) The Dark Widow thought to herself before replying. "Pepper, it's time. I need you to bring me to the hospital. I'm on my way to you." She hung up before Mrs. Stark could answer, stepping on the gas to get there quickly. The Dark Widow hit the emergency brake and pulled into a slide. She jumped out of the car and opened Nat's door and helped her out and up the steps of the porch. The front door flew open and Pepper ushered them in. Once Natasha was resting on the couch, the Rescue armor closed around Pepper. She snatched the Dark Widow by the throat, holding her up from the floor. "W-wait!" She managed to gargle out, as Rescue held up a hand to blast a hole through the Dark Widow's head.
"Give me one god damn reason why I should?"
Rescue said in sinister, synthesized voice. "I wouldn't have gotten here, without her. Pepper, please." Natasha managed to say, gritting her teeth through the pain. The helmet reteated back after that, Pepper glaring at the Dark Widow before turning back to her sister on the couch. "You're sure she isn't going to cause a problem?" An unexpectedly strong contraction wracked her lower body, causing Natasha to growl with pain before saying. "I don't think that matters at this point! We need to go!" Pepper dropped the Dark Widow back to the floor, her armor retreating back to the necklace. The Dark Widow rubbed her neck and gagged for air for a minute before finding her feet.
"Get out, before I change my mind. Friday?" The CEO of Stark Industries said before she called out to the faithful A.I., to which it replied, "I'm here boss." Turning from Natasha's darker alternate self she began to make her way to the stairs. " I need you to run a diagnosis on Natasha, need her vitals to give to the hospital so they can prepare for her delivery." Microseconds later Friday responded. "Got a problem, boss. Mrs. Rogers will not make it to the hospital." Pepper stopped dead in her tracks as she said in a hoarse tone. "What? Why?" The A.I. continued to explain. "From my scans, I detect that the first twin, the girl is in the birth canal. They also indicate that Mrs. Rogers is approximately eight centimeters dilated. By car the hospital is over 30 minutes away."
"Fuck. She would be having the babies in the back seat of a car at that point." Pepper looked back at the two women, so different from each other but so similar as well. They shared the same face of shock from Friday's revelation. Mrs. Stark walked back over to the couch as she said. "Change of plans. You!" Pointing at the Dark Widow, who looked shocked for a moment before asking, "What? What now?" Pepper helped Natasha get to her feet as she said. "Help me get her to the guest room and into bed. Then you're going to help me deliver the twins." As the Dark Widow slipped her arms around Nat and lifted her up, her eyes went wide as she said, "I'm doing what now?" They moved quickly to the room, and gently placed the Black Widow down in the bed.
"You heard me, she is going to be ready to deliver within minutes. Labor can be long but on rare occasions it comes fast. I'm not going to be able to deliver both, so you're helping." The Dark Widow tried to stammer a reply but Pepper would have none of it. "No! We're not arguing this. This is happening, now suck it up and get with the program." She moved back to Natasha, ran a hand along her hair to smooth it back out. "I'm going to go get towels, some surgical supplies, water and ice chips. I'll be right back. The super spy nodded and laid her head back against the head board, with Pepper soon brushing past the Dark Widow, the tension palpable between them. After Mrs. Stark left, The Dark Widow glanced at the window. Part of her told her to run, to get out of there as fast as possible. The other part told her to stay, to see this through.
"I know what you're thinking. Please, stay. Pepper can't do this alone." Natahsa managed to say, prompting the Dark Widow to turn to her and say, "There has to be someone more qualified to do this. What about Bruce?" Nat shook her head and replied, "Since becoming one with Hulk he's a giant now. Hands are too big." The Black Widow's dark counter part tried again, "How about Doctor Strange? You know, a sorcerer who can teleport and deliver..." Natasha interrupted with a groaning reply, "He's off world, with Steve. They are supposed to be back in the morning." The Dark Widow hung her head for a moment, before she said. "I don't deserve to be here. New life shouldn't be in the presence of death." The super spy sat up some before saying, "If that's the case, I shouldn't even be having them." This drew her alternate's attention so she continued. "Like I said, you and I aren't that different. We are both killers. That will never change."
"What will change is when we decide to kill and what we are killing for. Just because we can take life doesn't mean we have to. It's up to you." Pepper returned with the items she was searching for, setting them where she would need them, not seeing both sets of Natasha staring straight into each other's eyes. Pepper asked Friday for a status report, to which the A.I. replied, "Mrs. Rogers is currently at ten centimeters, fully dilated." Mrs. Stark nodded her head before turning to both women and said, "Alright, it's time." While Pepper moved to take off Natasha's pj pants, the Dark Widow stood still for a moment. "It's up to you." Nat said as the pants came off, causing Pepper to turn around and look questioningly at the Dark Widow. "What's up to who now?" The CEO of Stark Industries asked in a frustrated tone.
"Nothing, just a life discussion between us. Let's focus on her now." The Dark Widow replied, sitting on the bed on Natasha's right and holding her hand. Pepper settled between the super spy's legs. The humor of the situation was not lost on her, as she said. "You know, when I found out I was pregnant, this is not how I envisioned myself in the moment of delivery. If someone said to me that my twin from another universe that tried to kill me would be holding my hand while the woman who became my sister was between my legs I'd have called them crazy." This managed to draw a smile from each of them, but it was short-lived as another contraction hit Natasha. Pepper put her game face on then as she said, "Alright, honey. Next time you feel a good one coming I'm going to need you to push." Nat nodded her head as she breathed in and out like she had practiced so many times with Steve. She didn't have to wait long, as another contraction hit, Natasha pushed, the pain unlike anything she could have ever anticipated or experienced.
Meanwhile, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Falcon, Bucky, Wanda and Thor returned from the garden moon of Titan. The Sorcerer Supreme and detected fluctuations in the time stream a few days ago, it's energy signature too similar to the Time Stone to be ignored. Calling apon Thor, Wanda and Bucky to discuss the matter, it was then Thor told Doctor Strange that the Reality Stone had once been destroyed and reforged by magic. The sorcerer deduced a powerful magic user would be needed to do that. All thougts were drawn to Loki, so Doctor Strange then called apon Steve to assist them. After the Avengers had searched the moon and only minute particles of the Stones could be detected, it was determined that someone had come for the remains of the Infinity Stones and left. With no evidence of who might have taken them, they returned to Earth.
"I'll continue to monitor the Time Stone's energy signature, if it returns to full power I'll call for you immediately." The Sorcerer Supreme said, before opening portals to each Avengers respective homes. Cap stepped through the portal and walked into his living room. The portal closed seconds later, and he looked around the room, seeing that the living room lights and the kitchen overhead ceiling fan light was on. A glance at a nearby clock gave put the time right at 1am, and he knew that Natasha was always asleep by this time this late in her pregnancy. He ran upstairs, tearing up them so quickly the wooden railing he used to brace himself as he rounded on them creaked and bent away from him. Steve ran into his and wife's open bedroom to find it empty. The bed looked to have been slept in recently. "Nat? Natasha?"
The super soldier called out for his wife as he left the room and rounded to the left and opened the door to the nursery. Still no sign of his wife, he remained calm, refusing to give in to panic. (She probably couldn't sleep and went over to see Pepper.) Still, the nagging sensation of concern wouldn't leave him, so Steve kept up the pace of a jog down the stairs and back into the kitchen. He spied the cups of coffee, and as he walked back into the living room, the hook by the door that held his wife's car keys was empty. Seeing this, Steve's nerves calmed slightly, so he grabbed his car keys and left the house. After hopping in and firing up the engine, he decided to call Natasha, and as it went to voicemail the concern returned, threatening to turn into panic. He called Pepper's phone, and when it to voicemail as well Captain America pushed the gas pedal almost through the floor.
Once the super soldier puller up to Pepper' s house and saw Nat's car there he jumped out of his seat, nearly denting the door as he slammed it closed and running up the porch steps. Taking the porch steps two at a time, Steve barreled through the door and called out, "Natasha! Pepper! Where are you?" Hearing her husband call out for her distracted her from pushing, but pain was too much hold back. Natasha screamed out in pain, along with Pepper as she said, "In here! Guest room!" The first Avenger ran down the hall and into the guest room, stunned at the sight before him. "What in the Sam Hell is going on here?" Cap said in bewilderment, with the super spy saying in a guttural tone, "I'm giving birth, you star spangled idiot!" Steve took it in stride, the knowledge from reading pregnancy books informed him mothers in labor can sometimes become angry, vulgar, violent, and occasionally all three at once. Pepper mearly said, "No time to explain! Either take one of her hands or sit the fuck down!"
The first Avenger was then by his wife's side, taking her left hand. He gave her a light, affectionate squeeze, hoping to see her smile. It worked, and now that all of them were in place, Pepper said to the mother to be. "Ok, like I said, next one push." Nat breathed in and as she let it out, a contraction worked it's way through her. The super spy squeezed both the Dark Widow's and Steve's hand in support, and had it been anyone else besides her or Steve, the hands would have been crushed. Even still, the Dark Widow swore she heard the bones in her hand creak. "Alright, ease off, Nat. Ease off, breathe. Breathe." Natasha did as she was told, doing her best to focus on Pepper's voice and not the pain. Steve picked up a wash cloth and wiped Natasha's forehead to keep the sweat from pouring down and sting her eyes. While the Dark Widow fed her some ice chips, who pulverized them in an instant as a contraction swept through her.
"Push, Nat. That's it! That's it! Alright, I can see the head." The Dark Widow squeezed Natasha's hand as she said, "Ok, easy does it. Breathe, we're almost there. Next one, you're daughter will be here." Natasha nodded her head, trying to stay focused. "Now, don't push as hard with the next one, just let your body take it from here." Pepper said, reaching over and grabbing a soft towel to drape over her legs as she readied to deliver her niece. Natasha felt the next contraction and tried to push about half as hard as she had been. She squeezed her husband's and the Dark Widow's hands again, and breathed deeply when it was over. Silence hung in the air, and the longer it lasted, the more panic began to fight it's way through the super spy's resolve. Unable to take it she asked, "Pepper? Pepper? H-how is she?" One agonizing second later and the sweet sound of Natasha's daughter making her first cry greeted the super spy's ears, so Natasha leaned her head back against the head board. Overcome by relief Nat cried tears of joy, as Pepper clamped and cut the umbilical cord and stood up to go clean the newborn off.
"You're up, go!" Pepper said, as she worked. The Dark Widow moved from her spot to take Pepper's, and breathing in deeply to steady herself as a cascade of memories and emotions flooded her thoughts. Once, it had felt like a lifetime ago that she had been in Natasha's position, as if she herself had truly been a different person. Now as she readied herself to help deliever new life into the world, her past seemed liked it was yesterday. "Alright, Nat..." She paused after saying the name, not used to calling someone else by that name, "Next contraction, give us another good push." Natasha nodded her head as she breathed heavily a few times trying to catch her breath and ready herself for the next contraction. "You're doing great, sweetheart. You're almost there, I'm so sorry I wasn't here to..." The super spy brought a hand up to stroke the first Avenger's cheek as she said. "You're here now, that's all that matters." As the contraction came on strong once more she pushed. "Ok, easy. Easy Nat. Alright, breathe, keep breathing and on the next, push."
The super spy did just that, focusing on her breathing, and pushed as another contraction came. Again, she had to breathe and wait for a strong contraction. In the next one, Natasha grabbed the mattress through the sheets in her right hand to brace herself and squeezing Steve's hand to bone crushing strength. When a sudden feeling as if her muscles were giving up on her weighed heavily on Natasha's body. "I can't...I can't...do it...It hurts too much...my body is giving out." The Dark Widow looked up at her, the words eerily similar to how she spoke when her own daughter had been born. Steve kissed the top of Nat's head and wiped her brow as he said, "Yes you can, you can do this, Natasha. You're not just an Avenger anymore, you're a mother. And a mother has no limits. You can do this!" The Dark Widow added her strength to her other self as she said. "You're stronger than this. Stronger than pain. You don't shrink from pain, it shrinks from you. You're the Black Widow, and you've never failed anything you set your mind to. You have to push, you have to. My son never got a chance to be born, don't let it happen to yours. Now push!"
Natasha breathed heavily before doubling down and pushing, and was rewarded by hearing the Dark Widow say, "Ok! Ok! I can see the head, easy, easy. Take a breath." The super spy leaned her head back against the head onto Steve's broad shouldere to breathe, before locking eyes with her other self and steeling herself for the next contraction. When it came, Natasha pushed, with the Dark Widow gently taking the baby by shoulders and cradling his head to pull him forth. She turned him over quickly, and tapped once in the middle of his shoulder blades to clear his lungs. He began to cry immediately, with his mother once again shedding tears of joy as she lay back, exhausted. The Dark Widow clamped the umbilical cord and cut it, grabbing the other towel and wrapping it around the child. Steve wrapped his arms around Natasha and held her gently but firmly, placing light kisses on her head as he said. "You did it babe, your amazing. You did it." The Dark Widow stood up and brought the newborn boy over to Pepper to clean him off as well.
Once they had, the two women brought both babies to their mother and father who smiled wide with joy. "Oh, my god. They are so beautiful, they're perfect!" Natasha said in an exhausted tone. She held their son while he held their daughter. The boy had features that mirrored his father, while the girl had similarities to her mother. "Excuse me, boss. I took the liberty of informing the hospital of Mrs. Rogers giving birth, they are prepping a room for her to be checked on as well as her children. They inquire about if we will be needing an ambulance." Pepper smiled and looked up at no one in particular as she replied to the A.I., "No, Friday. An ambulance will not be necessary, we will drive there. Thank you." To which Friday warmly replied. "My pleasure, boss. And, congratulations, Mr. And Mrs. Rogers." Natasha smiled and said back. "Thank you, Friday."
The Dark Widow looked down at the baby boy in the arms of his mother, gently rocking him as he fussed. At first her heart ached, seeing him and knowing he wasn't hers. That he belonged to someone else, but it slowly began to dissipate. Seeing this moment, in some way managed to bring closure for her wounded heart. "You're very lucky, Nat. You're going to be a great mother. And you will be a great father." The Dark Widow said, as Natasha smiled before saying. "Thank you, for choosing to stay. I wouldn't have made it to Pepper's in time without you, and thank you for helping Steve with your words to encourage me to finish pushing." Pepper took her place seated next to Nat, Steve was still on her right with the Dark Widow standing now at the foot of the bed. She felt compelled to ask and was unable to stop herself.
"What are their names?" Both mother and father looked at each other for a moment before Natasha looked back at her and said, "Well, with your permission, I'd like to honor your daughter's memory by giving her name to my child. Lily is a beautiful name, and I was hoping it would be alright to use it." Tears welled up in the Dark Widow's eyes as she said, "Yes, yes that's just fine. It suits her, a beautiful name for a beautiful baby." Confusion was evident through the super soldier's face, wondering what could have happened in the short time he waa gone till now that caused such a drastic shift. He decided not to question it, as he said. "We had talked about calling our son after his uncles." "His name is James Anthony Rogers. If that's ok, Pepper." Steve asked as he looked on to his friend.
She could only smile and nod her head, so overcome with joy and emotion tears threatened to fall at a moment's notice. "James "Tony" Rogers. It has a nice ring to it" Pepper finally managed to say. Then the Black Widow spoke up, "Alright guys, the emotions and sentiments are nice, but I'm feeling slightly woozy here. My healing factor probably isn't up to snuff yet, so I'm guessing I'm still bleeding out." With that Pepper, Steve and the Dark Widow began making preparations to take mother and twins to the hospital. Captain America looked right into the Dark Widow's eyes as he said, "You and I are going to have a conversation later you're probably not going to like." She could only nod her head yes in understanding as she carried several bags to the car while Steve and Natasha placed the twins in their car seats. Pepper drove off to go and pick up Morgan from Happy's while the Dark Widow took Natasha's car. Steve and Natasha took his, and with that they drove off to Westchester Memorial.
Alright everyone and that is Chapter 21! Sorry It took so long, my birthday was a few days ago, then work, then father's day. I hope the wait was worth it. Now, I have children, but am a guy and still not the best to be writing about childbirth or women in labor. So if I got something wrong or offended any ladies out there I'm sorry. As always your support is much appreciated so let me know what you think in the comments below!