Chapter 5:Reunion and Regrets
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Tuesday, November 21, 1995
5:15AM CT
Pleasanton, Iowa
(Natasha's POV)
RING
RING
RING
RING
The annoying ringing awoke Natasha from her sleep. groaning, she rolled over and turned the bedside lamp on.
RING
RING
The landline continued blaring louding. Although annoyed, Natasha reached for it. There were only a handful of people who knew her home number.
"Romanoff," she answered gruffly, as she yawned.
"Seven rings, Natalia," said the voice of Phil Coulson. Natasha smiled, genuinely happy to hear his voice, albeit unhappy to be awoken so early.
"Six," she corrected. "Good morning, Dad. How are you? Are you back in the country?"
"Yes. Taiwan was nice, crowded, but nice. Did I wake you? Are you unwell?"
Natasha sighed as she got out of bed, holding the cordless house phone with one ear and stretching. She'd slept later than her normal wake up time again. it was actually becoming her norm to sleep past seven these days. If the pregnancy books hadn't warned her about this, she would have been worried that she was, indeed, unwell.
"Yes and no," she answered, slipping her feet in her bedroom slippers, headed for her adjoining bathroom to relieve herself.
Coulson remained silent until after she'd flushed and began washing her hands, carefully avoiding looking at her stomach.
She'd been at the farm for a little over a month now, and she was amazed at her much she'd began showing in such a short period of time. seeing her protruding stomach made hrer situation more real than anything else had. she was pregnant. she was really pregnant. jesus, she was nearly sixty-seven years old and she was pregnant.
"Why are you at the farm," Coulson finally asked, breaking her thoughts. "Fury said you took personal time off, over a month ago, and that you would explain the situation to me yourself."
Natasha sighed. He didn't even tell him that I actually quitted, she thought to herself. She exited her bedroom, heading for the kitchen.
Natasha was glad her morning sickness had apparently decided to take the morning off.
"Yes well," she began. "I guess for starters I should inform you that I have recently received intelligence that I um-," she paused. "I gave birth in the Red Room. I have a son" she finished quietly.
She noticed that Pepper, who arrived the day before to escort Natasha to her prenatal appointment the following day, was already up and in the bathroom across the hall from her room, showering.
There was a short silence that Natasha did not break, rather allowing Coulson to take in what she told him.
"I have a grandson," Coulson said quietly. What's his name? How old is he?"
Natasha entered the kitchen and flipped on the lightswitch before going to the stainless steel refrigerator and retrieving a bottle of water to hydrate herself, before debating on what to have for breakfast.
"His name is Peter," replied. He was born on August 10, 1943-"
"My god, Natalia," exclaimed Coulson. "You had to be like fifteen years old."
"Fourteen actually," corrected Natasha. "I would have turned fifteen three months after his birth."
"What the fuck,"exclaimed Coulson. "You never told me you were raped there," he finished angrily.
Natasha smiled, despite the intense topic. She really loved Phil Coulson. She really loved him like a father. He knew her so well. She didn't even have to tell him her son was conceived against her will.
"Mom knows," she said in response to her not informing him. "About me being raped, I mean. She figured it out the first week we all lived undercover together for school," she explained. "You were somewhere else, I think with that girl you were seeing back then," she continued. "I had a really bad nightmare. Peggy, heard me crying and screaming in my sleep and woke me. She promised to let it be something I told people myself, if i chose to do so."
"What did you mean by you were recently informed of giving birth. How could you not know?"
"They erased my memories of Peter which was why I did not know that I had a child."
"I hate that place," muttered Coulson before lasping in silence.
"The serum injected into me previous to his conception, passed to Peter through me," Natasha decided to continue. "He ages a year every five years. He's currently ten years old."
"That's extraordinary," said Coulson in awe. "Have you any luck in your search for him. I know you wouldn't involve SHIELD for something like this. Do you need me to run a private search."
"Tony's running several searches on a lead we received, but," she paused, struck by sudden inspiration. "Have you heard of a Maskim Fedorov, or perhaps his wife Adelina?" she asked him.
Coulson gasped. "You mean Richard and Mary Parker?" Natasha's brow furrowed. "Is Fedorov an alias?" she asked.
There was a sigh from Phil.
"Back in the day," he began. "Colonel Chester Phillips sent in deep undercovers to discover what the Red Room was up to, in hopes to bring it down. They were discovered, captured and forced to become prisoners. We assumed after several unsuccessful attempts to locate and rescue them, that they were killed. It wasn't until they escaped in '91, courtesy of you and the Captain, that we discovered that they were not killed. They returned to the States with their niece and their son that they'd had while there."
Natasha would have dropped the phone, had her training not prevented her from having such reactions.
"Was their son named Peter," she asked almost breathlessly.
"I think so, yeah," confirmed Coulson.
"That's my son," she whispered. "They took him with them when they escaped. Where are they," she asked anxiously.
There was a long silence.
"Dad," exclaimed Natasha, as Pepper entered the kitchen.
"Good morning," she mouthed. Natasha smiled and nodded her good morning. "Where are they," she repeated.
"Dead," he replied, causing Natasha's heart to drop.
"No," she whispered horrified. "Please don't say Peter-"
"The boy and their young niece survived, Natalia," he continued. "The last we checked, they were living in Queens, as May and her nephew Peter."
Natasha sunk in the kitchen chair, her heart beating wildly.
"Dad, that's my son," she repeated. "And probably my sister, Yelena. They were both prisoners of the Red Room."
"I can have them picked up today, if you wish," said Coulson.
"No, no," said Natasha, quickly. "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. How about the day after?"
"You said you weren't unwell-"
"I can have Tony fly the jet back here early Thursday morning," she said, ignoring Phil's remark on her health. "Rather than later that evening and leave when he arrives."
"Tony's actually coming tomorrow," informed Pepper, without thinking.
"Why," asked Natasha, brows furrowed again. "I thought you were not leaving until Thursday?"
Pepper shrugged. "He didn't say why," she responded quickly, too quickly.
She's lying, thought Natasha, surprised by the hurt she felt as she squinted her trained eyes on the other woman distrustfully. Pepper quickly turned to face the sink, taking a deep breath.
"It seems as if Tony will be here tomorrow," Natasha informed Coulson. "I'll take the jet back with them Thursday, and you and I both can go and pick up Peter and Yelena."
"Excellent," said Coulson.
Pepper turned to see if Natasha was still watching her, sighing nervously when she saw that was. She turned back before putting on a pot of coffee and placing toast in the toaster oven.
"Is that all," asked Coulson. Something about his tone told Natasha he already knew it was not.
"I'm four months pregnant," she said bluntly, suddenly irritated and annoyed at Pepper. Why did she lie to me?
"Steve dumped me, and I quit SHIELD," she said in an angry tone. "But what's bothering me now, is why Pepper just lied to my face," she finished, glaring at Pepper, who'd just turned around to face her.
Pepper's face flushed, as she let out a gasp and she lowered her head to the floor, ashamed.
"Barton's throwing you a surprise birthday party, tomorrow," Coulson informed her, before she could go in on Pepper more. "Tony's coming for the party, Natalia," he continued. "Pepper's job is to keep you busy until it begins, and to refrain from spoiling the surprise."
Natasha felt bad. She should have known that Saint Pepper wouldn't have lied without good reason about something so small as to why Tony was arriving a day early. She'd actually forgotten that the following day was her birthday. She just realized that Pepper must have purposely had her appointment scheduled that day in order to have a plausible reason to keep her away. It was actually very thoughtful of her, and she appreciated the effort it must have taken. She looked at her friend, feeling like a child for her reaction.
Pepper was wringing her hands nervously, trying to think of a way to explain why she lied without ruining the surprise.
Natasha stood, advancing on her, recoiling a little at the fear she saw reflected in her friends eyes. Don't she know I could never hurt her.
"I'm sorry, Pepper," she said quietly, as she pulled her into a hug, ignoring the punch in the guts she felt when Pepper jumped in fear at her touch. "I'm sorry," she repeated, as she withdrew and exited the kitchen, tears welling in her eyes. Pepper's fear confirmed her worst fear: She really was a monster. Whatever Pepper had read in her files left her fearful. It hurt Natasha that Pepper so quickly went from trusting her to fearing her. Did she think I would kill her for lying to me. Even if her reasons for lying hadn't been selfless, Natasha still wouldn't have hurt, let alone kill her. She wished she'd gone through her files on her own. She could have handled whatever was in it. It might have disturbed her, but at least Pepper wouldn't fear her now. Natasha didn't realize that she'd actually begun crying until Phil spoke.
"Are you crying, baby girl," he asked. She actually did feel comfort by the concern she heard in his voice.
"I could never hurt Pepper," she said. "And I miss Steve," she confessed, admitting what was really bothering her.
She wanted Steve. Her heart ached for his presence, his company. She missed his conversation and his laughter. she longed for his strong comforting embrace. her body ached for him. She'd woken up wet and aroused in the past month more than she'd ever in her life, after dreaming of making love to Steve. She'd never felt like this in her life for anyone. Neither of her previous serious relationships left her feeling like this. The past month without Steve made her question whether she had even loved the others she thought she'd loved. She certainly hadn't felt the constant heartache she was currently feeling now after Anya's death, nor after Bobbi and she ended.
She'd dated Bobbi Morse far longer than she dated Steve or Anya, or anyone else for that matter. They'd dated and lived together for eight years, her longest relationship thus far, and she had not, for her, felt this indescribable pain that she constantly endured as she longed for Steve. Perhaps it was because her serum had been created from his very blood, forging some strange connection between them. Perhaps it was because she was carrying his child. Perhaps it was simply because he was a man. Whatever the reason, she craved for Steve as a drowning man craved oxygen.
Before she met, fell in love with, and began dating Steve, the exact order in which it happened, Natasha had never felt even the slightest bit of attraction towards men. She had, for as long as she could remember, been attracted to women. So unattacted to men as she was, Natasha remembered her determination to become the best seductress there ever was, so she'd never have to resort to having sex with the marks, as Madam B trained them to.
Over the years several good looking, good hearted, good natured, and powerful- (everything she was drawn to in Steve) - men had asked her out, but she never felt the attraction. She'd kissed men before; granted, only for missions, but she'd done it; and had only felt repulsion.
Everything about Steve was different for her. Steve had changed everything about her. If she was honest with herself, she knew she fell in love with Steve the moment she laid eyes on him as he walked into the Triskelion nearly six years before. His blazing blue eyes locked onto hers and he smiled, causing her heart to leap in her chest. Every moment; every minute and second they spent together since, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him until now she was in so deep it was stifling. Natasha sometimes thought she would die from the pain his absence caused her. The void he left was a heavy weight, crushing her chest, her heart and lungs, making it hard for her to breathe. She feared what state her mind would be in if she was not pregnant. She'd already had some rather unsavory thoughts, that the baby, thankfully, prevented her from carrying out. Sighing heavily, she stroked her stomach, once again silently thanking her child for saving her life.
"Steve understands me so well," she said to Coulson, loving the weight that was being lifted from her by expressing her feelings. "I miss him so much. I just want him back. I just want him to look at me like he used to before all this. Like he used to when he loved me," her voice cracked and even more tears fell as she remembered the hatred she saw in his eyes, as he broke her heart. "I love him so much, and he hates me. I feel so pathetic because the man told me he don't want me, yet I can't stop thinking about him, hoping he'll change his mind. I miss talking to him. We used to laugh so much. We had so much fun. We've never had a single argument. I just don't understand." She couldn't stop crying, now that she started, and she sobbed, uncontrolled and unashamed. She was talking to her father. Coulson had raised her for nearly thirty years; he would always be considered and addressed as thus. She had no reason to mask her emotions or use her training to stop herself from feeling. Besides, she was certain that none of the twenty-three years of training she received in the Red Room would be enough to stop the pain she was feeling. "Everything was perfect. I never lied to him. I never cheated on him. I knew my role as a woman and gave him the reins of my life. If Steve told me to jump, I'd only ask 'how high'. I will kill for him; lie for him and die for him. How could he do this to me?" she cried. "How could he hurt me like this. He's the only man I've ever loved, Dad; the only one I've ever had sex with, or even dated," she cried.
"I know, baby," said Coulson quietly, battling to suppress his rage. "I know. Stop crying, Natalia," he said. "It's going to be alright, okay baby," he tried calming his daughter.
"I begged him," she confessed in a strangled whisper. "I begged him to stay with me, told him over and over that I was pregnant. He didn't care. He just threw me out," she said sadly. "Threw me out like a dog. He don't want me, our baby, or Peter."
"I'm so sorry, baby," comforted Coulson. "And I swear on my life that I will punish Steve severely."
"I haven't seen or spoken to him in over a month, Dad," Natasha continued in her despair, unwilling to stop until she got everything out, otherwise she'd just break again later; and that's where Natasha drew the line.
No matter how hard it would be she would get through this. She survived being stabbed, shot, kidnapped, starved, beaten and tortured as part of her training. She'd survived being raped multiple times over the course of years, for no reason at all. She survived being on the run from all intelligence agencies. She'd even survived high school, however narrowly. She would survive this. She was Black Widow. She was made of marbles. She could survive anything. She would not allow herself to break like this again. Thankful as she was of Pepper and their friendship, she could not break like this to Pepper. She was still getting to know Pepper. To Phil Coulson, on the other hand, she could break like this. "I haven't been touched by him since the night before I left for Spain, over two months ago. I'm repressed. I'm emotional, and I'm getting fatter everyday," she cried.
"You're beautiful, Natalia," said Phil. "The extra weight is from your baby, sweetheart. You'll lose it. And your hormones are all over the place, that's why you're so emotional and probably why you're also feeling repressed," he explained, the conversation not awkward for them in the slightest.
There was several minutes of silence as Natasha worked to control her breathing and stop her tears.
"Pepper's afraid of me," she continued lamely, as she wiped her nose. Pepper, who'd entered the room when she heard Natasha sobbing uncontrollably, walked over to Natasha, and pulled her up into a hug.
"I'm not afraid of you, Nat," she said quietly, realizing that Natasha believed she thought her to be a monster. "I just know that you don't like being lied to," she continued. "I'm sorry I lied."
"It's okay," said Natasha. She pulled back a bit from Pepper to stare her friend in the eyes. "I want you to know that I will never hurt you, Pepper," she said. "No matter what. I promise," she said with such sincerity that Pepper felt ashamed of herself again.
Pepper nodded. "I know," she admitted, on the verge of tears herself. "I'm sorry I reacted that way." They hugged again before pulling apart.
"Why exactly did Steve break up with you," Coulson asked after Natasha retook her seat. "I mean, you guys have never had any problems, and you're carrying his child. What am I missing?"
"He does not believe that I am pregnant," Natasha gave the simplest answer, not being in the mood to discuss Barnes at the moment. Her thoughts were still conflicting regarding him, even though she knew, better than anyone, that when in the Red Room, you do what you're told. He still raped her more times than she could count. "Because he knows I was sterilized. He also said that he didn't want children. He ordered me to terminate the pregnancy, if I am really pregnant, that is," she finished.
Coulson grew deadly silent, murderous thoughts swirling through his mind.
"Are you telling me that Steve broke up with you after you told him you were pregnant," he asked furiously. "And that he's refusing to handle his responsibilities as a man to both you and my grandchild?"
Coulson asked, his voice steel. Natasha swallowed.
"Please, don't hurt him, Dad," she said quietly. "I love him." Coulson didn't speak for several moments.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he finally said. "I love you, Natalia."
"Dad," said Natasha, uneasily. "Please-"
Coulson disconnected the call.
Natasha sighed heavily, turning to Pepper. "He's not going to hurt him, is he," she asked her, uncertainly.
Pepper shook her head. "He won't hurt him," she reassured the older woman. "Phil loves you very much, and he's extremely protective of you," she explained. "He knows it will hurt you, if he hurts him. He'd never do anything to hurt you, Natasha."
Natasha nodded reassured.
"Okay," she whispered, her voice croaked and raw and her head hurting from crying.
Pepper went into the kitchen and returned with a plate of eggs and toast along with a hot mug of coffee, and handed it to Natasha, which she gratefully accepted. She began eating, noticing that Pepper wasn't.
"Why aren't you eating," she asked.
"I ate some toast in the kitchen while you were still on the phone," she answered quietly, her mind on the increased anger she felt for Steve Rogers. She and Tony both agreed that the breakup had to have been bad, for Natasha to have broken down the way she did; never though, would she have imagined that Natasha had begged him to stay with her. How could he not see how out of character that was for her. how could he think that she would lie over and over about something like being pregnant. and even if she had conceived Peter naturally with Barnes, that was decades before their relationship began. nothing excused his behaviors. phil was right, Steve just didn't want to take care of his responsibilities. Coward, she thought. Natasha finished her plate before standing. Unexpectedly, she pulled Pepper into another hug.
"You know I love you, Pepper, right," she asked.
Pepper smiled. "Of course I do," she said.
Natasha pulled away and took her plate to the kitchen, washing it quickly. "I just wanted to make sure you knew,"she explained after returning.
"I thought Steve knew so I never told him I loved him, not until it was too late. I don't want to make the same mistake with you."
(Pepper's POV)
Pepper nodded. "I love you too, Natasha," she said; although, if she was honest with herself, she wasn't sure what kind of love Natasha was referring to.
She had, over the past six years, had a few instances where she was not sure exactly what Natasha was feeling in regards to her. She knew that Natasha found her attractive, and maybe even so much as have a secret crush on her. She never flirted or did or said anything inappropriate, it was just how she sometimes looked at her that gave it away. She could see it in her eyes, the desire she felt. She knew the look. Tony used tohave the same look in his eyes when he first met Natasha. of course Nat's look was more subtle, than Tony's had been for her. looking back, she couldn't help but marvel at the irony of things. in '89, she'd lusted after Tony, while Tony lusted at Natasha who'd been lusting after her. And as she'd caught Tony pleasuring himself to Natasha's photos; she'd witnessed something similar with Natasha, who had a special relationship with her fingers. She'd been awoken more than once by throaty moans coming from Natasha. The first time it'd happened she'd at first thought Natasha was masurbating while sharing a bed with her. It quickly became evident that Natasha was in a deep sleep. she'd been unsure what to do, knowing that wet dreams and nightmares were entirely different. Most people, herself included, didn't like being awoken during a wet dream. she'd debated for a moment or two before Natasha moaned her name out loud in her dreams, as she unconsciously brought herself to completion. Instantly aroused, Pepper fled the room. Natasha hadn't remembered the next morning, or never spoken of it if she did; and neither did Pepper. She knew Natasha had been a lesbian and decided not to read much into it. she was glad she hadn't. Now, six years later, she also knew that Natasha would never act on whatever feelings she may or not have. Besides, the only name she'd heard lately being moaned from Natasha was Steve.
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6:27AM ET
Washington DC, USA
(Coulson's POV)
Coulson hung up the phone full of rage. His hands trembled as Natasha's words rang in his mind. I love him so much… I begged him to stay with me… He ordered me to terminate the pregnancy... I feel so pathetic… How could he hurt me like this… I'm four months pregnant… He don't want me, our baby or Peter… Please don't hurt him, Dad…
Phil huffed. Please don't hurt him, he thought incredulously. How the fuck could he not hurt him. Look how he fucking hurt her. There was no way he would not punish Steve.
Since he broke no rules of SHIELD by being a dickless coward who didn't want to raise his kid, Phil knew he couldn't take formal disciplinary actions for this. In any case, this was a personal matter. Natasha's cries rang in his mind over and over again. He'd never heard her cry before. He knew she cried. He's seen her swollen eyes and red face a lot during her relationship with his other agent, Bobbi Morse. However, he'd never actually seen or heard her do so. She was hurting like she'd never hurt before, he realized. Natasha, though turning sixty-seven the following day, had never before had her heart broken. He smirked a little. She was actually the one that broke hearts. Deep down, he knew it was her rightfully deserved karma. She had certainly left many of his young agents in the same situation during her early years at SHIELD, seducing and sleeping with those young girls who all fell in love with her, while she felt nothing but lust. How many ended up quitting after Black Widow got done playing with them? Five? Six? Hell, Eight? Nine? He couldn't remember.
He had been happy when she'd finally settled down with Morse, even though he knew from the start they wouldn't last. Too much alike, he thought. Natasha had left Morse in the end, finally accepting that they just weren't compatible. Morse had taken the break-up hard, I mean, who wouldn't after thirteen years? Natalia, he thought scoffing.
What goes around comes around…
Morse left SHIELD also, after she and Natasha split up, but returned after a few years of soul searching, agreeing that Natasha had made the right decision. They are now actually good friends.
The same could not be said for some of her other lovers, especially Melinda May.
Natasha had first begun May in 1972, until she abruptly (and according to May, without cause), ended their relationship in 1978, to jump into a full, steamy relationship with Morse mere days later. Coulson had long suspected that Natasha had cheated on May with Morse, which was why she, without warning, ended things with May. She broke up with her over the phone and never returned to collect her things. Days later, she purchased a gorgeous home in Potomac, and moved Morse in. Needless to say, May didn't take things well. She'd actually attempted suicide, but fortunately was found by Hunter before bleeding out. After being released from the hospital and deemed mentally stable by SHIELD, May "retired". He'd been very unhappy to see her go, she being such a good agent, and remembered going off on Natasha for playing with May's heart. However, Natasha defended herself, saying she hadn't intentionally meant to hurt May, but had realized that she wasn't in love with her. She'd declared that she hadn't known she didn't love until she met Morse, who she fell in instant love (lust) with. Truthfully, he was lucky to have May back, after all Natasha put her through during their six year relationship. She and May were still not on good terms. May certainly could hold a grudge. Phil sighed, he never pretended that Natasha had been a saint, but loved her just the same with all her flaws. He knew she had karma coming her way. He just never expected hers to be delivered by Rogers. It was so out of character of him to behave like this, but Coulson also knew there was more that Natalia hadn't told him. Still, Rogers, had to pay. Swivelling around in his chair and picking up the thick brown file of dead leads he pondered his own hypocrisy. He didn't give a damn how deserving Natasha was of her karma, Rogers shouldn't have been the one to deliver it damn it. For one thing, Natasha never lied to or led those women on. She'd been quite frank that she just wanted to have a good time, and sleep- a less vulgar word than she'd used- with them. So, I mean, he could only feel but so sorry for them. Well, he felt a little more sympathy for May, but she too, had known who she was dealing with when she'd allowed herself to be ensnared in the Widow's web. Everyone knew she was a womanizer, her "Playboy" ways rivaling the Starks. However, when she'd committed herself to Morse, well, Natasha was just that- commited. He'd seen her transform into a domestic woman right before his eyes, which made him believe without any doubt that Natasha was truly in love with Morse as she had not been with May. Regardless, Rogers still had to pay. I mean, he'd gotten Natasha pregnant. Who the fuck leaves their pregnant fiancé? It was just unacceptable.
The question was, however, how was he going to pay? Natasha would never forgive him if he killed him, that he was sure of. Hell, she might even try to avenge his death. He didn't fancy going up against an angry, grief-stricken Black Widow. He was not stupid, nor suicidal afterall. Broken-hearted though she was, she still loved Rogers, and she was carrying his child.
He opened the file, Advanced Idea Mechanics written in bold letters at the top of the page, as his mind began swirling.
Taiwan was nice, he thought. It was a very beautiful place, in fact. Sadly, like everywhere else in the world, not all the people living there were nice.
His trip had been a complete waste of time. SHIELD were no closer to discovering what the new drug was that AIM was creating. They had some intel on it they knew one thing for certain, it involved the Tesseract. Turning the page in the file, his eyes landed on a photograph of Johann Schmidt.
Schmidt had, according to intel, originally found the Tesseract in a different shape than the cube they were familiar with. it had been more of a rock like shape. The tesseract had broken into several pieces upon landing in Norway, however many years it had been there, before being found by Schmidt. He had, with the help of unknown advanced technology, and genius villian Armin Zola, managed to mold the pieces into the perfect cube; all except one piece, which, if included, would have made the perfect cube shape impossible to make.
Schmidt hid the smaller piece of the Tesseract in his paranoia, and the whereabouts was lost after he vanished. Until now that is. Rumors that were recently confirmed, was that a South Korean gangster, Drug and Crime Lord, and drug trafficker named Minshik Jang had, in '92 found the lost piece of the Tesseract. He had, since then, paired up with Aldrin Killian, another genius villain, who had the terrible misfortune of having cerebral palsy.
Killian was notorious for creating new lethal drugs in his attempts to heal deformities, crossing to the dark side in his obsession. Whatever the two of them were up to, was volatile, even by his standards, to have garnered the attention of the NSB - National Security Bureau of Taiwan, as well the NIS, the National Intelligence Services of South Korea. It was them who had informed SHIELD that Killian had set up another branch of AIM in Taiwan, and that Jang was running the business. whatever they'd created, allegedly had the ability not only to heal one's body completely, allowing the user to regrow amputated limbs; it also, allegedly, unlocked one's brain. The problem was, the drug regrew the lost limbs, but at the cost apparently, of the health of the user. Shortly after taking the drug, the user began deteriorating, as well as the re-grown limb. they deteriorated until they looked like what one could only call zombies. Living fucking zombies. What a mess that had been. These zombies had incredible strength. Realizing that they'd obviously done something wrong, another drug had been created, something, supposedly, revolutionary; unlike anything anyone's ever seen before.
It had proven to be a difficult task to infiltrate their new organization, however. He'd been dispatched to Taiwan to retrieve the bodies of the latest two undercover agents he'd sent to infiltrate AIM.
They needed intel, something, anything to try to stop whatever madness Killian and Jang was up to, or to at least know what drug had been made. They needed a spy. A spy and a soldier. The smarts and the muscles.
Sighly, he closed the file as he picked up his telephone and dialed a familiar number. Even if she wasn't pregnant, he'd never send Nat there. It was just too dangerous.
"Fury," came his old friend's voice. Although it was early, he sounded wide awoke.
"I spoke to Natalia," he said as a greeting. "She's a mess. Rogers really did a number on her."
There was silence and Coulson knew Fury was composing himself. Neither of them were happy about the situation and how Rogers had broken her heart. They both still saw the small looking girl they first met almost thirty years before, when seeing her. Neither could just let it go.
"Is the party still a go for tomorrow," asked Fury. "With Natasha having a baby on the way, I thought, perhaps it was a good time to introduce Michelle to her," he said.
"Yes, the party's still on, and she'll love meeting Michelle," commented Coulson, smiling at the thought.
"What do you have in mind for Rogers?" asked Fury, getting right back to the point at hand.
"I'm sending him to Taiwan," Phil statd with finality. There was a pause and then Fury laughed, darkly.
"You do realize that he'll be killed if they even so much as suspect him." Phil nodded grimly, forgetting that Fury could not see him.
"That's the point," he said aloud.
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6:53AM ET
Queens, New York, NY
(PETER'S POV)
Peter made his way to the third bedroom in the apartment he shared with Yelena, bowl of cereal in hand, his mind on his mission.
It had been a month since he'd seen his father and learned the identity of his mother. Natalia Romanova, the legendary Black Widow. He was still in awe and could hardly believe it nor wait to be reunited with her. He'd been dreaming of her more and more lately, now that he knew who she was.
Contacting Tony Stark had proven to be easier said than done. the man was damn near impossible to meet. He'd gone to Stark Industries after several unsuccessful attempts to contact Tony Stark by phone, only to be turned away by his security at the front lobby.
he'd tried explaining who he was and how important and urgent it was that he speak to Stark, but he'd only gotten laughed at.
"Black Widow doesn't have children, she kills them," one woman sneered at him, while smirking evilly.
He'd wanted to kill her. It was the first time in his life he'd felt angry enough to kill. No one talked about his mother that way. She came back. She came back and rescued them all, all of the prisoners, adults and children alike. How dare she speak of Natalia in that way, with that ugly look on her face?
He hadn't returned to Stark Industries. He was afraid he would seriously hurt the security team, if not kill them all. He could tell that they were all lazy amateurs. He could take them out unarmed and blindfolded within minutes. Granted, he probably would gain Stark's attention then, but at a cost. the low profile that he and Yelena worked hard to maintain, would be blown. A ten year old taking down Stark's security would immediately catch the attention of the Red Room. He did not want that. As long as Madam B was still alive, he would work effortlessly to remain off their radar. This mission would require more finesse.
He'd returned home that day, over three weeks before, and immediately got money from Yelena to purchase several computers and other technical equipment he'd needed for his Plan B - hack into Stark's security system.
It had been absurdly easy to do, taking less than an hour. He'd hacked into his Stark Industries' video and audio feed, as well as Stark's private home. After survalling them for a while he learned that Stark and his wife Pepper, were indeed close to his mother. He'd heard them discussing her several times. Pepper was always calling his mother, though he'd been unable to trace the call. It seemed his mother's number was untraceable.
He wondered if his mom was sick. Pepper always seemed worried about her, wondering how she was feeling, and had she'd eaten, amongst other concerns. He couldn't figure it out from their conversations however, and it made him even more anxious to find her.
After getting no closer to discovering a way to find his mother by survalling the Starks, Peter had decided to allow Tony to know he'd been hacked. He knew his arrogant idol would stop at nothing to discover who had breached his 'unbreachable' security system.
First, he changed all of Tony's passcodes, laughing at the absurd look on Tony's face when he discovered his passwords no longer worked. As Tony tried to reset his passwords, Peter set off all the smoke detectors in Stark's home, as well as caused all his security alarms to blare.
"JARVIS, what's happening?" he'd asked his AI, which Peter immediately shut down, sending Tony in a panic, speaking on contacting NSA. He didn't need them sniffing their noses his way. Peter decided to set all the, before-the- time, high tech smart televisions in his home to play only Nickelodeon, hoping that would cause Tony to figure out that he was a kid, and not call the government on him.
It worked. He'd done that two days before. He was so angry when he overheard that Pepper was going to visit his mother for a few days, and that a surprise party was being thrown for her birthday. It wasn't fair. He wanted to be there too. He wanted to know where his mother was. He had watched with a sinking feeling as the family of three boarded the private jet and took off. Stark returned with their son, several hours later which made Peter hopeful that at least Natasha wasn't that far away.
Peter ate his cereal in silence watching Tony type furiously on a keyboard for a while before he exclaimed happily, "A ha! You little brat."
Peter raised an eyebrow, moving closer to the screen, trying to see what Tony saw on his screen.
Suddenly, Tony's face popped up on his screen.
"Got you," he said, happily.
Peter began hitting a few keys before Tony laughed and tsked at him.
"Nope, not gonna work kid," he said. This alarmed Peter.
"Can you see me," he asked aloud, not knowing if Tony could even hear him.
"Yup," said Tony smugly. "I can see and hear you. It's only fair, seeing as you can see and hear me, right?"
"But how?" asked Peter. "There's no camera built into my computer like yours," he said.
Tony laughed again. "But you do have a camera hooked to your computer, kid," he said. "Why don't you look at the camera so I can at least see the face of whom I'm talking to?"
"I'm Peter," he said, as he turned to look at the camera perched in the corner of the room. Tony's brows furrowed. "You look familiar," he said. "Have we met?"
"No," Peter answered quickly. "I've actually been trying to contact you for about a month, Mr. Stark. You see, I'm looking for my mother, Natasha Romanoff, and I know that you know where she is."
Tony looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"Shit," he muttered in shock. "You're the kid, the one from the photograph," he said. "That's why you look familiar. You're older now." He ran his fingers through his hair wildly.
"We've been looking for you," Tony said. "Oh my god, I found the kid."
"Will you take me to her," asked Peter, his heart pounding. Tony jumped from his seat. "What's your address?" he asked him. "And I need you to power JARVIS back up."
"Yes, of course, Mister Stark," he said quickly, immediately doing just that.
"I'll be there shortly," Tony said. "Get ready."
*88888*88888*
10:50AM ET
Washington DC, USA
(Steve's POV)
Steve sighed as he made his way to Coulson's office. He wasn't surprised when Coulson called him this morning, saying he needed to speak with him in person. He'd been abroad for some time, and had just returned the evening before. He must have gathered valuable intel that required Captain America's services. He was actually looking forward to going to Taiwan; he had never been before, although he'd heard it was nice.
He smiled to himself, thinking about sightseeing and whatnot, after he completed the mission, of course. Duty first, he thought, as his brow furrowed. Tony was walking the hall talking to a kid. He's not Harley, he thought, as both stopped and stared at Steve.
"Stark," he nodded pleasantly, smiling.. He turned to the kid, frowning when Tony pushed the kid protectively behind him glaring at him.
"Rogers," snarled Tony so vehemonmously that Steve actually stepped back.
"Did I do something to offend you, Tony?" he asked defensively. "And who's the kid," his lip curled a little, barely noticeable, but noticed just the same by both Tony and Peter. "They're not allowed in here."
"This is my son," said Tony without missing a beat. "Turns out, I had another son out there, who would have thought?"
Steve frowned disapprovingly.
"That's very irresponsible of you Tony," he sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"What is with you guys having all these unknown kids." He looked disgustedly at Tony. Peter frowned, quietly taking in what he was witnessing.
"What did you say - what the fuck did you just say to me, Rogers," said Tony, angrily, advancing on Steve.
"Nothing," said Steve. "Have you seen Nat, we um kinda broke up," he said lamely. "I didn't know if you heard."
"Yeah," said Tony, still hostile. "We've heard, you son of a bitch."
"Language, Tony," Steve said frowning deeply. "There's a child present. And I have every right to leave a woman whom I do not trust, no matter how you personally feel about it," he declared, crossing his arms.
"Yeah just don't lecture me on not knowing about my kids," retorted Tony. "Not when you knowingly abandoned yours."
"I see she've told you the same
lie that she tried to pull on me," he said angrily. "She's nothing but a fucking liar, that's why I left her ass."
"Language, Rogers,"mimicking Steve's previous words. "And I'd shut the hell up now if I were you."
He'd exposed Peter as he advanced on Steve. Peter stood watching the scene.
"Natasha's pregnant?"he asked Tony, purposely not referring to her as his mother."
"Yes,"
"No," said Tony and Steve together.
"Don't say that Tony," Steve said angrily. "Why lie to your son?"
"Because I'm not lying," he said. "Natasha told both Pepper and I that she was pregnant, and we know she would not lie about something like that, not when it's supposed to be impossible for her to have any more children."
"Oh, so you know about her being sterilized as well as about the son she abandoned."
Peter's eyes blazed at this, unnoticed by the pair.
"Abandoned," said Tony, shaking his head. "You really don't know Natasha at all do you," he said.
"I know she has a son with my best friend that she never mentioned. Who does that," he asked furiously.
"She didn't know about her son," said Peter, the blood boiling in his veins. He didn't even realize he'd moved until he looked up and found Steve Rogers staring down at him. He'd never felt such hatred in his life.
"My father told me her memories were erased when he was a baby, because she loved him too much. The Red Room, thought it made her a liability."
Steve gasped. "How would you know,-" he began, glaring at Tony.
"My father is Sergeant James Barnes," he said dangerously. "He wanted you to be my father, but that will never happen, now."
The shocked look on Steve's face was priceless.
"Be you father," he repeated, looking thoroughly confused.
"Yeah," said Peter. "I told him I wanted him to raise me with my mother, but he said it would never happen, that he'd hurt her too badly."
"What do you mean?" asked Steve, breathlessly.
Peter shrugged. "He never explained," he said. "He only told me once that he put me inside of my mother against her will. But I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean. I guess it was some kind of code or something."
Steve looked sick. "Are you saying," he began quietly.
"Yes, Rogers," said Tony angrily. "Barnes raped Nat, even he admits it."
Steve flinched at the words. "He raped her over and over again when she was a child. Kid, what year were you born?" he shot at the kid.
"1943," said Peter, who'd stepped back beside Tony, glaring at Steve.
"She was born in 28, you do the math Rogers,"he spat. "She'd gotten pregnant by her rapist, and gave birth to his son, who was kidnapped from her as she had her brains fried to forget him." Steve stood stock still, breathless, all the color drained from his face.
"Then you came along and dumped all of this on her, including the identity of her rapist, who she'd previously only known as Soldier, informing her that she had a child that she did not know she had by a man she still had nightmares of raping her, before you dumped her for having said rapist baby, and not telling you about him. That's what she told Pepper and I, and we know it's true you bastard. So, just stay far away from me and my family as well as Peter, you hear me?"
Steering Peter by the shoulder, they walked away leaving Steve distraught.
He sank to the floor and sat with his back against the wall. "What the fuck did I do," he murmured.
*88888*88888*
4:37PM CT
Pleasanton, Iowa
(Natahas's POV)
Peter entered the house, excitement coursing through him. He was finally about to be reunited with his mother for the first time in many decades.
"Mom," he said happily to the red hair woman who had her back to him, as he and Tony entered the kitchen. Pepper turned around, shocked. She dropped the glass in her hand, which shattered.
"Oh my god, Peter," she exclaimed running up to him and picking him up in a crushing embrace. Peter smiled. He liked her, he decided.
"How did you find him, Tony?" she asked, setting him down on his feet and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"He's the hacker," Tony said as explaining.
"You hacked our security system," she asked, her eyebrow raised.
"I know right," said Tony chuckling. "Proves he is really Nat's kid," he said. "Where is Prego," he asked, looking around.
"She just went to sleep about an hour ago," she answered as she turned to the refrigerator. "Are you hungry Peter," she asked.
He shook his head. "Can I go see my mom,"he asked eagerly.
Pepper hesitated briefly. "I would rather you not wake her," she said quietly. "She had a rough morning and a migraine, unable to sleep all day." She handed Peter a yogurt and a bottle of apple juice.
"But she'd be pissed something serious if we don't," she admitted.
They headed up stairs to Natasha's bedroom. The door was opened and Peter stopped in the doorway, tears welling in his eyes.
Natasha was facing the door, looking like a sleeping angel, her hair framing her face perfectly. She cradled her stomach and even he could tell that she was really pregnant.
Slowly, he entered the room, not daring to breathe, not knowing how she'd respond. He'd spent many years in the Red Room to know that it was a dangerous thing to do, waking one of their sleeping prisoners.
He stood right beside the bed, staring at her, loving the rhythm of her deep breathing. his eyes traveled to the stomach she cradled. He was going to big brother, he thought, smiling. Without thinking, he reached out to touch her stomach, Pepper's whispered "No" coming too late.
In an instant, Natasha grabbed his hand, twisting it, crack- breaking it. She sat up, a far away bizarre look on her face, as she gave a Jiu Juisti style blow to his chest that sent him flying across the room.
"Наталья, просыпайся," Pepper screamed in Russian for Natasha to wake up."
"Они больше никогда не заберут моего ребенка," (They will never take my baby again) Natasha said, still asleep.
"Мама, это я, Петров," (Mama it's me, Petrov) said Peter as he stood from the floor, cradling his broken hand.
Я здесь, пожалуйста, проснись." (I'm here, please wake up)
Natasha whispered "Peter," as her eyes blinked then fluttered open, focusing at once on the child in the room. She got out of bed, not daring to believe her eyes. "Is this real?" she asked as she approached him, noticing at once his broken hand.
"Did I do this," she asked horrified as she knelt in front of him, taking his hand.
"Nah,"he lied quickly, trying to hide his hand. "That was my fault," he said. "I knew better than to try and touch your stomach," he said quietly.
Natasha wrapped her arms around her son, tears falling. He helped her to her feet so she wouldn't be on the floor too long then wrapped his arms around her again, inhaling deeply.
"You smell the same," he said sighing. "I've missed you Mom."