She had started to let her guard down around Agent Coulson when she understood he wasn't going to reject her, learnt to relax a bit more in his presence and let out more of what she was coming to realise was her authentic self. It was this flush of confidence that let her slip out, in her dry humorous way, "had I known the SHIELD wages didn't cover enough for a new car I would have thought twice about staying" as Phil brought the red Corvette to a stop in front of her and leant over to open the passenger door.

"Her name is Lola." He answered seriously, though with a glint in his eye. "She's a classic."

Natasha got in, fastened up her belt and placed her hands in her lap. Once settled she took in the array of buttons and switches on the console and her face of amusement quickly changed to one of absolute delight. She loved machines.

Phil turned slightly to look at her, a small smile on his face. "You like her?"

"I do sir." Her eyes were flitting over every switch and button, fingers now twitching against her thighs as though she was desperately trying to contain her enthusiasm.

Phil thought she must really like it, given how rarely her face and voice changed from one of inexpressive obedience.

"Alright then," he said as he set off, waving a hand over the console "show me what you know."

Instantly animated she spent the whole drive over to the nearest mall explaining every gauge and dial she knew, giving Phil a chance to learn a little more of her history as she would slip in small anecdotes about other aircraft and vehicles she had navigated each time the relevant dial presented itself. He learnt that she had already been regularly flying light aircraft by the time she hit her teens and, unsurprisingly, based on her general cavalier do-or-die nature and heavily restricted upbringing, favoured the fastest Sukhoi jets for the feeling of freedom they gave her. When asked why an adolescent assassin had been let loose with a military fighter jet she simply shrugged and said 'they needed the best reflexes to test it' as if it was obvious that she was expected to be used as a live crash test dummy. It certainly helped explain her outlook on life.

She'd stiffened up again slightly by the time they were parked and walking towards the shopping centre. Phil knew her well enough by now to know that she wasn't nervous exactly but coped with new situations better by battening down her hatches and presenting a more controlled front. This change wasn't gradual, Phil had also noticed - she could change demeanours at will and would slip into a different mindset in the blink of an eye. It impressed him as much as it unnerved him. By the time they got through the doors she had changed again and now appeared to the outside world to be an ordinary shopper going about their ordinary everyday life. Her shoulders had relaxed a bit and she navigated the crowd with casual ease. She also seemed to know exactly where she wanted to go and Phil realised she had probably memorised the floorplans beforehand. Once a spy.

"Do you know what you'd like to get?" Phil asked as they walked into a small independent baby store. It looked fairly new – trendy but welcoming and colourful but not overwhelming.

"Something soft and unbreakable, especially in Barton's hands." She answered with a smirk.

Phil made a small movement of agreement with his head. Her assessment was accurate.

They browsed the small selection of shelves and racks together, Phil watching as Natasha gave great thought to each item she looked at, sometimes smiling, sometimes just blinking before moving on. It heartened him to see her so invested, that she really wanted this to be special and get it right. There was possibly something else there too, another look that he couldn't quite work out. He was however brought abruptly out of his contemplation by Natasha, now over by a rail of tiny clothing, calling "Agent Coulson."

He turned to see her holding up a formal black suit, probably for a christening.

"Agent Coulson Junior." She said, face carefully neutral but eyes twinkling.

"Must be 'dress down Friday' if it's not wearing a tie." He replied, equally neutral.

She smiled and replaced the suit, briefly holding eye contact with him before turning back to the shelves. Efficient hands worked their way further along the rack before pausing near the end. One hand on the tiny hanger, she lifted off a romper set from the rail. There was a long sleeved light grey top under a mint green romper. The set came with a matching green hat and the smallest pair of grey socks she had ever seen. The romper and hat were decorated all over by dozens of small happy looking cartoon birds.

Phil had been watching her from the other side of the store, giving her some space to decide on her own. When he saw her choice her wandered over.

"Here." He said, bringing out a slightly bigger version. "Get the next size up and then it will last a bit longer." He handed her the outfit and she smiled softly at the fabric and held it closely to her body as she moved off to look at the rest of the store. He hadn't made a fuss. She liked that about him.

Buoyed by her success she chose two more items before heading to the till. The first was a photo album she was going to give to Laura, also co-incidentally in a mint green colour. She chose it because she thought it would be a nice place for Laura to keep her sonograms and chart the growth of the would-be Barton. There was a blank page at the front where you could write a message. She wasn't sure about that yet. Meaningful intimacy was something she was still working on. The second item was Phil's idea.

"Natasha." He called to get her attention.

This time it was his turn. In the palm of his hand he held up what at first glance appeared to be a softly glowing bread bun. On closer inspection the ball appeared to have a little animated cartoon face and eight dinky legs sticking out the sides.

"Agent Romanoff." He said with a hint of a teasing smile, tilting his head at the object.

She took it from his open hand and brought it up closer to look at its face. Phil watched the soft colours reflect in her eyes.

"We look just alike." She joked.

Her first thought was that it was just a coincidence that he'd chosen a spider night light. Her second thought was that he somehow absolutely did know about the similar one she clutched through the sleepless nights, recognised that it was a private and special object for her, and thought that this particular gift would provide a very personal connection between her and the new baby. When he briefly held her gaze again she knew it was the latter.

"It's perfect." She whispered.

Once back at Lola Natasha placed her bag in the back and went to open the passenger door.

"Agent Romanoff." Phil called, stopping her.

"Yes sir?" She took her hand off the handle, looking at him to see if she had done anything wrong.

He tossed the car keys over to her and she instinctively reached up to catch them.

"You can drive."