Here is the next part. I wrote this per request of EvilRegalForLife. They asked for a Natasha and Pepper scene. Hopefully you like it!
Just so you know, the title of this story, "No More Memories", comes from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. It's a lyric from the song Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again. The previous chapter's title also derives from this musical. I highly suggest Phantom of the Opera if you're into theater. Anyway. Just citing the titles :)
The next morning, Steve rose early and went jogging around the city. Not many people were out running, so he encountered almost no one on his run. When he returned, the rest of the Avengers were beginning to make breakfast. Natasha's casts were off, which made Steve extremely surprised.
"You got your casts off already?" he asked incredulously.
"My serum does do that, too, Steve." Natasha reminded him. "It's not as strong as yours. It just makes me age slower and heal quicker. I still have scars, but if there's a break or a lot of blood loss, the serum does start to heal it. Bruce took them off for me." Bruce gave a sheepish smile.
"When you're all done eating, Pepper and I have something to tell you." Tony said when they were all seated. Pepper and Tony exchanged secretive glances. Thor, too busy eating, didn't notice. Natasha seemed to be focused on her orange juice. Clint was playing with his phone under the table.
Steve put butter on his waffles and began to eat. The others dug in, too, and soon, most of the waffles were consumed. One by one they dismissed themselves to change out of their pajamas. Steve noticed that Natasha still had his sweatshirt from Russia. He shrugged it off. He could always buy a new one, and if it made her feel safer, she could keep it.
"We wanted you four to be the first ones to know this." Tony began. They were all seated in the living room where Natasha's party had been. Natasha was nested next to Steve, and Clint had his arm around the back of the sofa where all three of them were sitting. Pepper and Tony were together on another sofa, and Thor and Bruce occupied separate armchairs. "Pepper and I are expecting a child."
There were mixed reactions. Thor immediately swept Pepper and Tony into a bear hug. Bruce patted Tony on the back after Thor set him down. Steve extracted Natasha from his side and hugged both of them, and Natasha also hugged them. Clint grinned at them and snapped a picture for his wife. After they all had said their congratulations, they sat back down.
"We thought about telling you for Christmas, but I know that Clint is leaving tomorrow to get to the farm." Pepper confessed. "If any of you have plans for Christmas, feel free to leave. We'll send your gifts along with you." The rest of them shrugged.
"I thought we could invite Jane and Betty." Bruce said. "They'd like to get to know all of you better. They've met you but they aren't acquainted." Tony and Pepper nodded. They were all quiet for a little bit.
"Steve and Red, I thought you could finish your shopping online today." Tony said finally. "The others completed it while I was picking you two up. You can use whatever you want to make the purchase." Steve nodded, and Natasha did, too.
"Your generosity never ceases to amaze me, Tony." Steve said. Tony smiled, wrapping his arms around Pepper, who leaned into him. Steve felt a sudden yearning for Peggy. If she hadn't died, he would have wanted to invite her to the Christmas celebration.
"The team never ceases to amaze me with your dedication and your compassion. I can't believe how supportive you guys are. Realize that once Pepper has her baby, I won't be going on missions for a little bit. I've even been thinking about quitting the team. I'd still sponsor you, of course. You'd all stay in the Tower, and you'd use my funds. I have no problem with that. But Pepper and I and the baby might live separately." Steve nodded. He understood.
Pepper's POV:
Pepper was excited that they were expecting. She had never thought that they would be a family of three, but now, the baby was only five months away. She hadn't been showing as much as normal women do, and that worried her. The symptoms hadn't even shown up until after the first trimester. She even wished that she had known sooner, to tell the team, and prepare. But it was difficult. She hadn't been feeling well, but she had dismissed it until she had felt something move inside of her. She had taken the test and went to the doctor, and the test had come back positive.
"Natasha?" she asked. She had been walking to the roof, expecting it to be empty. It wasn't. The youngest, and possibly the most attractive, member of the team (in Pepper's opinion) turned around. She was wearing Steve's sweatshirt underneath a professional looking coat.
"Congratulations, Pepper." Natasha said. Her voice was friendly, but Pepper could see that she felt like a caged animal. Her smile was forced. Pepper stepped closer to the redheaded assassin. She never thought that they would get along, but now, she wanted to reach out to the young woman.
"Are you alright?" she asked. Natasha's gaze returned to look at Pepper. "You seem sad." And frightened, Pepper wanted to add. But she didn't Natasha swallowed and looked back out at the rising sun.
"I never thought that I would have to be in this position. Watching you and Tony, happily planning your baby's arrival." she said in a lifeless tone. "I didn't think I would ever have to watch a family begin. I thought that I could avoid all the pregnant colleagues and never have to face babies ever again. But now I do. And I'll watch you and Tony raise something that I never will. I will never have that kind of bond with a child."
"What do you mean?" Pepper hardly dared to ask.
"In the Red Room, we were sterilized at age seventeen. It was the graduation ceremony. They wanted us to never worry about being fertilized by a target." Natasha said. Pepper's heart throbbed. She hadn't known. How could she have known?
"I'm so sorry." Pepper whispered. Natasha whirled on her.
"Sorry? No, Pepper, it's I who should be sorry. I'm sorry I told you that. You didn't need to carry that weight with you. I know now by the look in your eye that you will regret ever having this baby in the first place. You will think I hate you." she said forcefully. "The baby is a blessing on your family. You will love it and care for it no matter what you think I will think about it. Treat it well, Pepper. It's a treasure, giving the gift of life. I hope you know that. That baby will be the symbol of your love, and believe me, that baby will be the most spoiled one on earth. Just do me one favor."
"Anything, Natasha."
"If you will, let me visit once in a while." A tear ran down Natasha's cheek. "I want to know what it's like. To be a child again. To be a mother. Or a sister." Pepper stepped even closer.
"You are like a sister to me, Natasha." She wrapped the small, young assassin in her arms and didn't let go for a long, long time. After a while, Natasha's tears subsided and she looked back at the strawberry-blonde.
"So that's what it's like to have a mother."
The pregnancy thing is just confusing, but I didn't want to cover nine months of Pepper being pregnant. Let's just say that she was under a lot of stress with the incident in Russia so the symptoms disappeared somewhat.