A longer chapter... and sadly the one before the last... Don't forget to review. ^_^

Chapter 6: Bliss

Song by Muse, from Origin of Symmetry, 2001

Sunday

"You know," Clint began, "you still haven't told me why you came home early. Why did they pull you out of the mission?"

Natasha had been trying to avoid this conversation because she still didn't ready to tell him yet. However, she also knew that she couldn't put it off anymore, so she said, "I wasn't pulled out of the mission; I asked to be leave."

"Why?" The sudden change in Clint's expression made Natasha take a deep breath. Clint pressed on. "What happened to you? You wouldn't normally just-"

She cut off his sentence. "I'm pregnant."

Clint stopped breathing for a second, gazing at her. "Pr-pregnant?" he stuttered.

"Yes."

"And-uh," he hesitated. Natasha tried hard not to smile as he started scratching the back of his head and messing up his hair. He was doubtful, Natasha sensed, but mostly he was just apprehensive. "The… the baby… is it… is it mine?"

"Of course it is," she told him, completely surrendering.

Clint's only concern was if the baby was his and Natasha had been afraid to tell him because she was scared of how he'd react! They were both certainly not the most ideal people that come to mind when it came to picturing a family. It would have been understandable if Clint had freaked out, just like she had freaked out.

Clint let out a relieved sigh and a smile started to glow on his face. Everything about him was how Natasha wanted to be, his freedom came naturally. Everything about him radiated happiness and she refused to be anything less than that. In fact, this whole week had just proven to her that she belonged next to him.

"We'll give this child the childhood we never had. I know we aren't exactly the most adequate people to have a baby but…"

"I know," she smiled. "We'll work it out. I didn't tell you earlier because..." Natasha looked down, avoiding looking at him. "I've freaked out a lot, all alone, thinking about what I should do, and then it hit me: what if I can't go all the way through with the pregnancy?"

Clint held her face and kissed her lips. When he pulled back, he said, "whether you go through with it or not, I'll still be here, Tasha. I'd love to be all positive and tell you that that are no reasons to panic, but you know that I don't lie to you. I'm as scared as you are, but there's only one way we can handle things right: live one day at a time without giving it too much thought. If we think, we screw things up. Let's just… let it flow."