Author's Note: I've been watching all sorts of spy movies coming up with plans for sequel and I think it's going to be quite interesting. It'll be totally different from this story but I hope you will all like it :)

Review Reviews:

LaughingLadybug: There will certainly be a baby coming up soon :)

kmp: Good guess; but you'll have to wait to find out :)

kimbee: Haha Clint always gives me warm fuzzy feels too :) You are very close with your guesses but you'll have to wait to find out ;)

asphodel. cato: Thank you! There will be a sequel though and I hope you will read it :)

discordchick: Clint and Natasha are my favorite too; that's why there's so much of them in this story lol Clint is everyone's white knight ;)

maggie: Thank you very much :)

Morgan: I'm glad you like all the fluff :)

GhostGlowLight: The sequel is being written right now and it'll be posted when this story is finished :)

Guest: Oh boy that would be something! I don't know if the master assassins could handle Anya and triplets!

Epic Elven Warrior Princess: Good guess but you have to wait to see ;)

Sasha: Hahaha Clint and Natasha as in-laws would certainly be a sight to see! I'm glad you liked the little Pepperony moment I threw in there :) I like to keep in mind all that Clint and Natasha have been through, even when writing such a fluffy fic. Thanks! :)

ThatsWhatReallyHappened: Thanks :)

imnotcraZyjustuniQue: The trinket Clint gave Anya wasn't mentioned in previous chapters but you're close ;)

I'm really going to miss writing Anya and Cling still at this age but I've also been writing the sequel when they're much, much older and I'm also loving that too! It's been interesting figuring out how the two would be like as adults, given this as a background. I'm excited for you all to read it! But until then, we have a few more chapters left so read on!

Enjoy!

It took Ryland almost two weeks to heel 100% from his bout with croup. Everyone pitched in to help him, Pepper and Tony. Jane and Anya had to keep a distance and Natasha tried to keep away as much as possible without giving away the pregnancy. Slowly but surely Ryland came back around to being himself and started playing and goofing off again. Pepper had to take a work trip and even though she didn't want to go Tony insisted everything would be fine without her. So she grudgingly left for three days, calling every half-hour on the dot while away. But her worries were useless because the boys played video games all day or worked in R-and-D and ever night Bruce cooked for them. Blame it on the hormone pills she'd been taking for weeks while trying to get pregnant, but she desperately wanted to get out of the tower with the team.

"Everything's fine, Mommy!" Ryland had insisted when pepper returned home. "You worry too much." he had added and Tony shot Pepper a look. But nevertheless she stayed home until Thanksgiving when she started planning a trip together as a family.

"Jane's due-date is 3 weeks away, a flight, even in the jet, will induce labor." Bruce said when Pepper mentioned the trip. "Besides, Thanksgiving is an America holiday why would we celebrate it in the Bahamas?"

"Because our family is growing and we need to take a trip together before we have more family members." Pepper insisted, sitting next to Tony at the dining room table without everyone around her.

Clint leaned over to Natasha and whispered, "She has no idea." under his breath, earning a swift elbow to the gut. He coughed to cover his wince but Ryland was watching them carefully and didn't miss the interaction.

"We'll go on a trip together after the baby is born." Tony promised, throwing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "We'll go somewhere for New Years when Baby Thane can come with us."

Thor was very confused by Tony's ship name for him and Jane but shook his head and said, "I know nothing of this Midgardian holiday but it involves a feast, yes? In which case I am very excited."

Pepper chuckled at Thor but she wasn't excited about her squished plans. But she had no other options but to agree so she pulled out all the stops for Thanksgiving. They really did feast, having a meal worthy of even an Asgardian celebration. They had enough food to feed a small town so they gathered all the leftovers and headed to Safe Anchorage Orphanage to entertain the kids and make their Thanksgiving special. The team wore their costumes (except for Tony and Bruce) and Ryland and Anya tagged along. Since it was a closed doors event, Anya just wore a black long-sleeve onesie that said 'I get my dance moves from my dad' along with little jeans, gray Uggs and a Burberry gray knit cardigan (the bracelets that Ryland gave her never having left her little wrist since she got them). And since Ryland still wasn't feeling too good he just wore a navy Adidas track suit with green Converse.

They all ate their meal together, dispersed throughout the cafeteria trying to give a little attention to each kid. Anya and Ryland even tagged along for the festivities, sticking close to Pepper since the team were otherwise preoccupied. Anya found a friend in a little boy a few months older than her and they quickly ran off to play with his blocks, Ryland on their heels. He wouldn't leave Anya's side the whole day, claiming, he didn't want someone mistaking her for an orphan and adopting her.

After their big meal they had treats and toys for the kids so the team went around handing out the goodies. Steve was using his upside down shield as a makeshift candy bowl and going around from kid to kid letting them take handfuls of candy. He was handing out hard candies when a little hand tapped his hip. Turning, Steve started to smile as he recognized the little girl before him with her beautiful brown eyes.

"Well hello again." he said, bending down to greet the little girl with a hug. When they pulled back he she was all smiles, looking up at him like she was looking in the face of a miracle. "How are you doing, Amita?"

"You remember me!?" she squeaked in a high pitched voice, so happy and excited.

Steve made a face, saying, "Of course! How could I forget such a beautiful girl?" with a wide smile. For a second he thought Amita might faint with happiness. She'd gotten a bit taller since the first time he saw her that first day he came to the orphanage to help Mickey entertain the kids. She actually reminded Steve a lot of Anya with her curly hair, big eyes, button nose and sweet disposition. Only Amita's eyes and hair were brown and she her skin was darker, maybe Hispanic.

"How are you doing?" Steve asked, resting a soft hand on her shoulder. He remembered Amita's sister Maia and how the little girl had been stuck in the hospital with cancer since summer. He couldn't forget the hopelessness in Mickey's voice as she told him of Maia's worsening condition or how Mickey broke down in sobs when the little girl finally gave up her fight.

"I am sad," Amita mumbled as she sniffled. Steve didn't know how to comfort the little girl so he just wrapped her up in a tight hug. "I miss Maia very much. Miss Mickey says she's happy and better now but I don't know why she's done cause I drew her a picture of you to help make her strong."

Steve had to hold back tears as they drew back. "I remember your picture it was beautiful. I am so sorry for you loss, Amita. Maia was a beautiful and strong girl."

"Thank you, Captain America." Amita replied sincerely as she sniffled again and wiped tears from her bloodshot eyes. "Maia was strong like you. But I don't know if I'm that strong too cause I cry a lot. Sometimes I miss her so much I think I'll never stop crying."

"I know how you feel." Steve replied and her little head snapped up to look at him, asking how he knew. "I lost my brother in the war. In fact, I've lost a lot of family and friends."

"Cause you went to sleep for a long, long time?"

Steve nodded solemnly, remembering gall those he lost both to time and to the war. "But you know what I've learned?" he asked and she shook her head, sniffling. "I've learned that our hearts can take a lot more than we think. We can love a lot more than we believe and we can endure more loss than we want to. And given time, you'll get better."

"Is it gonna take 70 years for me to feel better again!?" Amita asked worriedly, her eyes getting wide.

Steve chuckled softly, saying, "No it won't take that long. And if you find someone to love almost as much as you love Maia, getting better is even easier. I don't think you ever get over the loss of a loved one but you'll get through, I promise."

"Does Miss Mickey help you get better" Amita asked and Steve's mouth popped open in shock. Considering they were around a bunch of children, he'd tried keeping physical contact with Mickey to a minimum. Of course their relationship was all over the tabloids but the kids at the orphanage weren't exactly Us Weekly's target audience so they expected the kids not to know they were together. Looks like Amita figured it out though so Steve stammered a response, nothing intelligent really coming through, just "wha- how- but- I" and so forth. Amita chuckled at him, saying, "You two hug a lot and Miss Mickey talks about you when she visits us. She tells us stories about you all the time. You're in love, aren't you?"

Steve tried to recover from the shock but he was having a difficult time. Finally though he found his voice and smile. "Yeah, we're in love. But keep it a secret, okay?"

Amita smiled shyly, holding a finger to her lips, whispering, "Shhhh!"

"What secrets are we sharing?" Mickey asked, coming up behind Steve and making the two giggle.

"Nothing!" they both said at the same time, casting their pretty eyes up at her. Mickey chuckled cautiously, watching the two of them carefully. Amita gave Steve another hug and he gave her some candy and a kiss on the cheek before ushering her off to her friends so they could participate in a game of duck-duck-goose with Thor. As amusing as it was watching the little kids jump to try and tap Thor on the top of the head as he sat in a circle around them, Steve turned his gaze to Mickey.

"What were you guys talking about?" she asked him as he stood up in front of her. He shrugged uncommitted and as much as Mickey wanted to know their secret she let it go. "Thanks again for doing this. It means so much to the kids."

"It's our pleasure," Steve replied, speaking on behalf of the whole time. And it was true, they loved being around the kids. Even Clint who was very anxious about the kids touching his bow. Every kid in the orphanage was in the cafeteria with the team, listening to their stories or playing games. Even though Tony didn't don his Iron man suit he brought some tech to show the kids. Steve made sure it was nothing harmless but knowing Stark he sneaked something in when Steve wasn't looking.

Taking a look around the room Steve smiled. There was a group of kids still playing duck-duck-goose with Thor while another group was behind him desperately struggling to pick up Mjolnir to no avail. There was a group of kids with Tony playing with his tech, mostly older kids and teenagers. Natasha and a group of mostly little girls had disappeared a while ago in what Steve hoped was a game of hide-and-go-seek and not Natasha teaching them to fight or something. Clint was in the corner with a bunch of kids, showing them how to properly hold a bow and even letting them fire off a few arrows with a fake Nerf bow and arrow set. Bruce had a group of kids around him, a little boy hanging off his back and a few kids at his feet and sitting in his lap as he told some grand story. Even Ryland had a bunch of kids asking him questions about living in the tower and how cool it was to have Iron Man as a dad. Anya was by Ryland, coloring with the same little boy she'd been playing with all day.

"Looks like Anya found a special friend." Mickey sang teasingly as she pointed out how close Anya and the little boy were sitting and how they shared their crayons, switching colors every few strokes.

"She's going to be such a heart breaker." Steve replied with a chuckle. "But we all know Ryland is her special friend."

Mickey got a sweet, dreamy smile as she mumbled, "How sweet would it be if they actually did end up together? All these years of teasing them, and they actually do like each other. It would be like a movie." She watched Anya finish up her picture of purple and red squiggles and run to Ryland, handing it to him. Ryland made a show of happiness as he took the picture and gave Anya a kiss on the cheek.

"Either way Clint is going to have a heart attack."

~!~!~!~

Things around the tower were tense the weeks following Thanksgiving. With Jane's due-date approaching rapidly everyone was on edge waiting for her to go into labor. But no one was more anxious than Jane. She was more than ready to meet her child- and finally get rid of her massive belly. But the weeks dragged on and on as the team tore down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up Christmas ones. Everyone tried explaining Christmas to Thor it was just another Midgardian holiday he didn't understand. But the promise of another feast and presents made him happy enough.

So everyone decorated their apartments as well as the whole tower. Clint and Natasha spent a small fortune on presents for Anya but they had to stash them in Steve's closet or else Anya would find them. Tony and Pepper also spent a literal fortune on Ryland but everyone got each other stuff as well. And though Mickey told Steve not to get her anything he went out and got her some stuff anyway. Everyone was getting more and more excited.

Then Jane's due-date came. And past. And so did another week. And soon enough everyone was getting dressed up for a Christmas Eve party and Jane was still pregnant.

"Okay I'm done with this." she said frustratedly as she laid next to Natasha on her bed. Jane was trying to walk around the tower to induce labor but somehow she wound up falling onto Natasha's bed groaning and grumbling. "I want to have this baby right now."

"Then go to the hospital and in..." Natasha didn't get the chance to finish her sentence before Jane turned her down.

"No, I'm not inducing. This baby is going to come all natural- no meds, no nothing. We're lucky we're even going to hospital!" Jane replied as she rubbed her belly. The girls were supposed to be getting dressed for the Christmas Eve party but neither felt like getting up. So they laid there in silence for a long minute, Jane in a gray tee shirt and maternity leggings and Natasha in burgundy sweatpants and a baggy tee shirt.

"I'm pregnant." Natasha suddenly exclaimed evenly. Jane all but choked, struggling to sit up right but Natasha was calm and steady beside her, laying on the bed with her arms tucked behind her head.

"You are!?" Jane asked and Natasha just nodded. Jane had no idea whatsoever how to read Natasha so she slowly asked, "You're happy...right?"

Natasha cracked a smile, closing her eyes as she nodded. "I mean I'm freaking out," she added seriously. "But I'm also really, really excited." She lifted the hem of her tee shirt to show a teeny tiny little belly. If Natasha didn't normally have a completely flat stomach no one would probably be able to tell she was pregnant but because of the physical shape she always stayed in, the little belly showed better. Compared to her normally skinny body, the little belly looked a little funny.

"Awww," Jane cooed, and upon instinct reached over to touch her little belly softly. Natasha chuckled, wincing a little at Jane's cold hands.

"I just look fat." Natasha said with laughter, receiving a glare from Jane which only made Natasha laugh harder. "It's gonna be so hard though. I mean Anya's still so little. And your baby is gonna be so little too. Having two newborns in the tower is going to be...interesting."

"Aww but they are gonna grow up together!" Jane said enthusiastically, moving her hand from Natasha's little belly to her big one. "Anya, mine and your new one are gonna be so close in age they'll be inseparable."

Natasha couldn't help but smile as she said, "I feel like it's a girl. I've got a really good hunch it's a girl." excitedly. Jane got equally as excited and soon enough to two of them were giggling like little girls.

"We're gonna have three little girls!" Jane said with so much enthusiasm her cheeks started to hurt.

"Poor Ryland," Natasha replied with a chuckle. Just then the bedroom door opened and Clint peeked inside with Anya on his shoulders.

"It's getting pretty late," he said softly, looking to the clock on the nightstand. "We should probably start getting ready for the party."

So Natasha helped Jane stand up and before they got to the elevator Jane wrapped her in a tight hug, saying, "This is good." softly. Natasha smiled, thanking her as she watched the elevator doors close.

"You told her?" Clint asked when Natasha returned to the bedroom where he and Anya were riffling through the closet. Since the Christmas Eve party was essentially an office party for S.H.I.E.L.D. And The Avengers, everyone was getting dressed to the nines. Danni and Mickey were also invited along with the kids so it wouldn't be that much of a drag.

"It just kinda slipped out." Natasha replied with a chuckle as she sneaked up behind Anya and tickled her. The little girl laughed hysterically, wiping fallen curls from her eyes as she giggled. Natasha hadn't even brushed her hair yet, just let her run around the house in her pajamas all day.

"So does this mean we can tell the rest of the team?" Clint asked excitedly. He was all but bursting with the news, desperate to tell everyone right away. But Natasha made him wait.

"Let's get to three months." she'd said, but three months was right around the corner and Clint wanted to tell everyone now.

"How great a Christmas present will that be?" Clint exclaimed, getting that giddy expression that made Natasha's eyes soften. He picked up Anya and threw her in the air, asking, "You want a baby sibling for Christmas?"

"She has no idea what that even is, Clint..." Natasha barely got the sentence out before Anya interrupted.

"Baby?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, looking up at Clint with curious blue eyes.

"Yeah, a baby. You want a baby?"

Anya thought about it for a minute before finally saying, "Yike Taw and Jay?" she asked in her childish voice.

"Yeah like Thor and Jane." Natasha pipped in, setting aside the dress she was holding and stepping close to Clint and Anya. "You want a little baby like Thor and Jane?"

Anya looked very serious for a long few minutes, seriously contemplating this question. Natasha and Clint were quite while Anya thought about it, letting her take her time. Finally she nodded slowly and said, "Sure," with little to no enthusiasm. Natasha had to hold back a chuckle.

"How about a baby sister?" Clint asked and Anya just kind of shrugged noncommittally. "How about a baby brother?" This time Anya reacted immediately.

"No!" she yelped, shaking her head back and forth animatedly. "No boy! Rye boy!"

Clint turned a curious eye to Natasha, not understanding at all what Anya was trying to say. But Natasha was all but doubled over laughing because she understood. "What? What is she saying?" he asked seriously, watching Natasha laugh hysterically.

"You don't want a brother?" Natasha asked and once again Anya shook her head hard left and right.

"No! Rye boy! Rye only boy!" Anya replied seriously and finally caught on. He let out a low growl as Natasha continued to laugh really hard.

"Just take her, just take her!" Clint grumbled, handing Anya off to Natasha as she continued to laugh. Clint left the room in a huff but Natasha could hear his mumbling even as he walked to the kitchen. It took her a minute to compose herself again but when Natasha was finished laughing she hugged Anya close.

"Go easy on him, Baby Girl." she whispered softly to her daughter as they hugged. "Daddy has a fragile heart and you're the center of it."

Author's Note: Poor Clint :( lol he should know by now Anya will inevitably fall in love but she'll always be his Little Bird.

As always you can check out a set from this chapter on my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) under the title Part XXV. I also came across photos of children I picture as Anya and Ryland :)

Thanks :)