As the shield team moved the pod into the hanger at the Avengers' Compound, Natasha sat beside Nicole. She wasn't sure how the little girl would react to seeing more of her team. "Remember what we talked about earlier. These are friends. They won't hurt you. You don't have to be afraid, okay?"
"Friends," Nicole sing-songed as she played with her baby doll. "You stay?"
"Yes, I'll be right here with you. I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay, I not hurt them. They be bad, you go pow pow."
Natasha laughed. "You get it, don't you? You know I will protect you? I promise they won't be bad."
Tony and Bruce were the first ones to enter the pod. Natasha could see Pepper through the window, hugging Coulson. Bruce was already in science mode. He had the tablet Fitz and Simmons had been using and was already looking over the test results. He gave Natasha a quick hello and started working.
Tony, on the other hand, walked straight to the cot and knelt down to look Nicole over. "Hello Little Red. We're going to help you and your mommy. Is that okay?"
Nicole looked up at Natasha for confirmation then nodded. "Okay," she replied a little uneasily.
"Great. Can I take your mommy over there and talk to her a few minutes?"
"Just no leave," she agreed.
"We'll be right over there at that table," Natasha said pointing to the table Fitz and Simmons had used as a work space.
"It's uncanny how much she looks like you," Tony said as they took their seats.
"I see Steve," Natasha replied.
"Oh, he's in there, too. But, you, you're a natural at this. I can't believe we have our first baby Avenger! I got to admit, I figured the first kid would be mine or, maybe, Thor's but this works, too."
"I'd rather not raise my child in a box though. Do you have any ideas?"
"Always," Tony smirked. "Banner needs to go over the data before we can come up with a permanent solution, but I already have Jarvis updating the building security to mimic the pod's shielding. If all goes well, you and Little Red will be able to move around the facility by morning."
"Thank you, Tony. I really appreciate this."
"Think nothing of it. It's situations like this that made me see the need for us to live here together. We've been battling all kinds of craziness since New York, and, honestly, we're all lucky to still be breathing. I nearly lost Pepper. You and Steve were pretty lucky in D.C. It could have been a lot worse. This is why I want you here. Together, the Avengers are a force to be reckoned with."
"You know, I had every intention of saying yes. She changes things."
"She's the reason it's even more important for you to stay. Nobody is going to take that little girl as long as we're around. Red, this is the best place on the planet for both of you."
"And when people find out about her? She'll always be a target, Tony."
"You think they won't find out if you are somewhere else? Trust me. Hiding isn't the answer. She needs all the protection you can give her, and you can give her us.
This conversation is really pointless anyway. Pepper's already got a team working on your space. We both know you won't be able to say no to her. You and Little Red aren't going anywhere."
Natasha smiled. "Thank you, Tony."
"This can't be right," Bruce interrupted. "They did it. I spent all those years working on the equations then even more years looking for a solution, and they successfully did everything I set out to do. There's no way, unless-"
"Unless?" Natasha prodded.
"Unless they had my research as a base," Bruce finished. "But, that isn't possible. Shield wasn't involved in any of this. How could they have gotten their hands on my work? It doesn't make any sense."
Natasha went pale. "Actually, Shield did have your work," she frowned. "I'm the one they sent to retrieve it. This is all my fault. It was an early assignment from Fury. I took it from-"
"Betty," Bruce finished.
"She didn't even know I'd copied the files. I'm so sorry, Bruce. Fury thought Shield's scientists might be able to figure out a way to help you control the Hulk, make you a better candidate for the Avengers Initiative. I thought I was helping."
Bruce nodded. "I need to look this over in my lab. We need to know exactly what we're dealing with here. This could be more complicated than just Hydra being able to track the child." He paused and looked at Natasha sympathetically. "Don't beat yourself up. If anyone's to blame here, it's me. I was messing with things I didn't fully comprehend and destroyed my own life. I just hope I haven't destroyed hers."
Once Bruce was gone, Tony sighed. "Whatever Bruce finds, we will find a way to deal with it, Red. I'm going to go talk to Coulson. I know Pepper is dying to meet Little Red. I'll see you in a bit. Try not to worry."
Pepper came in a few minutes later with a stuffed bunny. Nicole didn't seem distressed at all by her presence, and Natasha was grateful for the reprieve.
They talked for about an hour before Nicole started getting fussy, and Pepper left so the child could try to sleep. Natasha pulled the blanket over her daughter and tucked the bunny and baby doll in beside her. "It's been a really long day. You've got to be sleepy. I'm going to go set over there and let you sleep, okay?"
Nicole shook her head. "Stay," she whispered, "no go over there."
"You want mommy to stay? Okay. I'll stay right here," Natasha replied, crawling up beside her sleepy daughter. "Your daddy should be here by the time you wake up."
"Daddy draws," Nicole said as she closed her little eyes and fell asleep.
When Steve and Clint arrived a few hours later, Clint went straight to talk to Phil. Steve headed for the pod. He looked through the glass and saw Natasha sound asleep beside her daughter. He decided it was probably his favorite sight since waking up in this century.
"Steve, you've got it bad," he whispered to himself. He hadn't been able to think about anything but Natasha and her baby the entire flight. Contrary to what he had told Sam, he actually did have feelings for Natasha. She was strong and beautiful and so much like Peggy, but he was also more than a little intimidated by her. Women of this century were terrifying anyway, but Natasha took the gold medal. He was never completely sure if she was flirting with him or just teasing him. But, now, watching her tenderly cuddled up with her little girl, he just wanted to find out if there was a chance they could be more than friends.
Steve really didn't want to disturb her, so he headed for the common area. Bruce was there with his head in a notebook and a cup of coffee in his hand. "Banner," he greeted him.
"Steve, you're here. Good, that's good. Natasha wanted to talk to you as soon as you arrived."
"She's asleep," Steve replied, "but Clint filled me in."
"Oh, good. How are you? I know all of this is a shock?"
"It's crazy, but I think in the long run this will turn out to be a really good thing. My ma always said children were blessings."
"Your mom was right. I always wanted children. I thought Betty and I would get married and have a couple of kids. I even dreamed about Sunday mornings with both kids in our bed flipping through Popular Science and getting excited when they saw my name in the by line."
"That's a nice dream. I thought I'd settle down after the war, maybe with Peggy, and have a few of my own. I guess the only difference in our dreams is that I envisioned reading the Sunday comics with my kids, but things happened."
"I understand that. After I became the Hulk, I knew it wouldn't be smart to procreate. There was no way of knowing what kind of damage the gamma rays would do to my future children then Hydra goes and pulls a stunt like this one. Steve, I feel like I've failed everyone and this precious little girl could pay the price. If the gamma radiation destroys her future, it's my fault. I'm sorry doesn't even begin to cut it."
Steve didn't answer. Suddenly, it all made sense. He couldn't step in and be the man in Nicole's life. Hydra must have used Banner's DNA, too, and that meant the role of father was already filled. He couldn't tell Natasha how he felt now. Bruce was a good man. He'd want to step up and be there for Natasha and his child, and Steve needed to step aside and let it happen.
Please, please, please don't kill me. I did say there would be misunderstandings right in the summary. If you've read my work before, you know I'm a die hard Romangers shipper. I just couldn't resist this particular plot twist, and, you have to admit, none of you saw it coming.
**runs and hides until tomorrow
