Happy Election Day! Well, happy for me anyways. I am sooooo ready for this election to be over! If I have to see one more presidential campaign ad, I actually might hurl something at my television. So, to celebrate the end of the 2012 election, I thought I'd post chapter 7. Really I just want to get started on the next chapter because I think it will be a fun one to write! I've got some pretty good ideas! Anyways, with this chapter I decided to give you a different POV that I haven't used yet: Pepper! I thought it would make things some-what interesting to see things from her eyes. Especially since I've got something major in store for her later on. Well, maybe not extremely major. Let's just say it's important… but we'll get in to that later! This chapter has a few touching moments. Since everything that's going on in this story is pretty serious and intense, I decided it'd be nice to toss in some happier emotions to lighten the mood. Well, I'm rambling now. Sorry! Please enjoy chapter 7!

Chapter 7: Still Got It

**Pepper**

Everyone at the table stared after Natasha in confusion. What was up with her?

"What's up with her?" Tony asked, practically reading Pepper's mind. They all shrugged. It was always hard to tell what was going on in the ex-assassin's mind. Maybe she just needed a moment to herself, but Pepper wasn't convinced that was it.

"Maybe someone should go talk to her." She suggested. All eyes immediately flashed to Clint, who was shoveling a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. He froze mid-bite when he noticed everyone staring at him.

"I volunteer Clint." Tony said quickly. The archer dropped his fork and hastily shoved away from the table.

"If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, someone come rescue me." He called over his shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen. Pepper smiled. She'd heard Natasha and Clint hadn't left things very well, but it was obvious they still cared for each other. Once you form a bond with someone like they had, it must be impossible to break. She liked to believe she had that kind of connection with Tony…

"Hey Pep," Tony said, pulling her from her thoughts. "How've you been feeling today?" Pepper looked at him and smiled, appreciating his concern.

"I've been feeling great, thank you." She looked down at her swollen stomach and rubbed it. "This little one hasn't been too much of a trouble maker today." Pepper said with absolute affection.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Steve asked.

"I'm not sure yet," she replied. "My next appointment is…" Sudden realization hit her and her eyes went wide. "Tomorrow!" She exclaimed. "My next appointment is tomorrow!" Tony looked at her in confusion.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Pepper shook her head.

"Well, you won't be able to go if you're helping Bruce find Varkov, now will you? I'll have to call and reschedule." She shoved away from the table and began walking towards the phone. Tony beat her to it.

"I'll have plenty of time to find this nut-job and go with you to your appointment tomorrow. It'll be fine. Bruce can manage on his own for an hour." She opened her mouth to say something but Tony cut her off. "Look, I know you want Natasha to have all the help she can get, but do you really think she'd be alright with you cancelling your ultrasound because of her? She's dealing with a lot, and maybe some good news, like whether our baby is a girl or a boy, will take her mind off things." Tony pulled her into a soft hug. Pepper sighed.

"You're probably right." She said quietly. He smirked.

"Funny how often that happens." Pepper pushed away from him and lightly smacked him on his chest, rolling her eyes. They walked back over to the table and rejoined the others.

"I hope Natasha is okay." She thought out loud once she'd sat back down. "She seemed pretty upset about something."

"She's probably fine. Just had a little freak out is all. She's under a lot of stress, so it'd make sense." Tony replied. "Clint will be able to calm her down some I'm sure." Pepper nodded, silently hoping he was right.

**Clint**

Five minutes after Clint had left the kitchen, he was standing in front of the door to Natasha's room. He hesitated for a few seconds before placing three quick knocks on the door. A few moments later, a flustered Natasha opened the door.

"Hey." Clint said softly. She simply stared at him in response. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Natasha said sternly. He wasn't buying it.

"No you're not." He stated, pushing past her and into her room and closing the door behind him. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to be difficult?" Natasha sighed and sat down on the bed.

"It's happening again." She said quietly. Clint gave her a confused look.

"What's happening?" He asked. She scoffed.

"Don't act like every time something goes wrong in your life it's because of me." Clint shook his head.

"What are you talking about?"

"You got fired." She said simply. Oh. So that's what this is about.

"Natasha, that has nothing to do with you." He lied.

"You're taking time off of work so you can help me and your boss got pissed and fired you. How does that have nothing to do with me?" Clint sighed and sat down next to her on the bed. She looked as though she was about to cry.

"That isn't your fault, okay. It's mine. Just like every other time you supposedly 'ruined my life'. It was my decision, and I decided that the life of your child was more important than my job." He said convincingly. When Natasha didn't respond Clint shoved off the bed and walked over to the door. "You should come back up and eat something. We should probably do some training tomorrow so you'll need your strength." He gave her a quick smile before opening the door and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

**Natasha**

Natasha remained in her room for the rest of the night, pondering what Clint had told her. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better. There was no way he actually believed that everything that was happening to him was because of his own decisions. She was sure he realized he was only making those decisions because of her.

After a few hours of feeling guilty, Natasha yawned and laid her head on her pillow. Clint had been right about one thing. She needed to start getting back in shape tomorrow. When they found Varkov, she had to be ready. Natasha wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

The next morning, Natasha woke up at 5:30. She groaned and sat up slowly, exhausted from another restless sleep. Now that she was up, it would be impossible for her to go back to bed, so Natasha climbed out from under the covers and went to her dresser in search of workout clothes. Nothing better than a good training session to get rid of that morning grogginess.

Once she was dressed she went to the kitchen on her floor for a cup of coffee. Natasha retrieved a mug from the cabinet above the coffee maker and began to brew a pot of the energizing drink. When the coffee was ready, she prepared it the way she liked it and took a few sips as she headed for the elevator. If memory served, the gym and shooting range were only a few floors below her, so it was a short ride down.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Natasha stepped out and walked down the familiar hallway towards the gym area. She and Clint had used to come stay with Tony just so they could use his gym and shooting range. It was way better than the one on the helicarrier or at any of the other S.H.I.E.L.D facilities, but the best part was the fact that they'd always had it to themselves.

As she was passing the shooting range Natasha heard the sound of something hitting a target. There had been no familiar bang of a gun, so she peeked her head around the corner to see Clint standing a few yards away from a foam mannequin aiming an arrow straight at its head. He released the arrow and it sliced through the air, piercing the mannequin right between its eyes.

"You haven't lost your touch." Natasha said as she walked into the room causing Clint to jump slightly. He turned and smiled.

"It's like riding a bike." He said with a shrug.

"You never forget." She finished. Natasha watched him as he drew another arrow and sent it flying in to the mannequin's stomach. Clint gave a small fist pump in celebration. She laughed softly and rolled her eyes. Men.

"What about you?" He asked, setting his bow down.

"What about me?" She replied in confusion.

"Do you still got it? Or have you gone soft?" Clint said teasingly. Natasha laughed in response.

"Is that a challenge?" He smiled mischievously and tossed her a gun from the bench he'd set his bow on. She caught it easily and slid her hand over the familiar weapon, placing her finger on the trigger. Clint stepped aside and Natasha walked up to where he had been standing, flipped the safety off, and expertly shot the mannequin six times square on the nose. She flipped the safety back on and handed the gun back to a wide-eyed Clint with a smirk on her face.

"Soft…" She scoffed as she turned and headed for the door. Clint put his bow away and followed her out to the gym area. She began stretching, preparing for a long rigorous workout. He did the same and eventually they were both using the various pieces of equipment that were scattered around the gym. Natasha started on the treadmill, and then made her way to the elliptical before beginning her weightlifting routine.

Clint's workout routine had always been the same as Natasha's, just reversed. He had always started with his upper body due to the use of his preferred weapon, a bow, which required more arm strength than a gun. They both did their separate routines until they found themselves sitting together by the boxing ring. Natasha drank a swig of water and glanced at the ring. Whenever she and Clint had finished their workouts at the same time, they had always sparred with each other afterwards for good measure. He caught her looking at the ring and nudged her shoulder playfully.

"You wanna go?" Clint asked with a smirk. She looked at him in mockingly.

"You really think you can still take me?" He laughed.

"Oh, please. Being a cop required me to stay in shape and know how to disable someone, so I'm still in practice. You, on the other hand, probably aren't." She gave him a challenging look, even though everything he'd just said was probably true. It wasn't like she'd tell him that, though.

"Bring it on." Natasha jumped up and ducked into the ring. Clint followed and positioned himself squarely in front of her.

"I want this to be fair," he said, trying to sound serious. "So why don't you make the first move." She glared at him, but didn't hesitate to attack. Natasha charged him and attempted to punch him in the gut. He was prepared for this, though, and caught her fist, twisting her arm in the process. She did a back flip to untwist it then used the momentum to swing around and kick his legs out from under him. Clint grunted as he landed on his back. Natasha jumped on top of him and pinned his arms to the ground in no time at all.

"Hmm, you talk big but you can't dish it out. Just like old times." She said, completely out of breath. He gave her a mischievous smile in return. As soon as Natasha's grip loosened slightly, Clint pulled his hands free and grabbed her wrists, flipping her over and placing himself over her just as she had done to him.

"Looks like times have changed." He said teasingly. For some reason, this made her laugh. She laughed so hard that he started to laugh as well. When they had both calmed down some, Natasha realized that Clint was still on top of her. She looked up to find him staring at her, his smile replaced with a strange longing look she hadn't seen in a long time.

**Clint**

Clint stared at Natasha and she stared back. They sat there like that for a few minutes, neither of the moving. He took in her face and how it seemed more tired than it had three years prior. She looked paler too, her cheeks had almost lost the hint of pink they'd always had. Her hair, now longer, was still curly, just like it had always been, but the fiery red color seemed less vibrant. He wasn't sure whether it was due to having her daughter kidnapped or being a mother as a whole, but she obviously didn't look like herself anymore. That didn't mean she was any less beautiful than she had ever been.

As he continued to stare, Clint thought about what had happened between them all those years ago. When he'd agreed to assist Natasha in retrieving her daughter, he had promised himself that he wouldn't allow his anger to get in the way of helping her. But now he was finding it hard to be angry at her at all. She just seemed so fragile and worn down, like an old glass doll. He felt like if he even raised his voice at her she would crack.

Natasha shifted slightly underneath him, pulling Clint from his thoughts. They were still in the same position, still staring. Without thinking, he slowly began to lower his head towards her. She tensed slightly, but only for a moment. Clint felt her muscles begin to relax as she allowed him to lean in closer. She closed her eyes and so did he as he closed the distance between them. Their lips were almost touching when the ding of the elevator down the hall and the sound of footsteps caused them to look wide-eyed at the door. They both scrambled to their feet just in time to see Steve appear in the doorway.

"Morning." Natasha said breathlessly. Steve looked at them in surprise.

"Good morning." He replied and set down his gym bag. "You two are up early." She nodded.

"Yea, I'm an early riser." Clint saw her glance at the door nervously. "I was actually just finishing up with Clint here. I think I'm going to get a shower before breakfast." And with that, Natasha quickly walked out of the gym. He stared after her, trying to understand what had just happened. Had he really just tried to kiss her? And had she seriously almost let him?

"Is she alright?" Steve asked, grabbing Clint's attention.

"Yea, I think so." He said with a nod as he wondered the same thing about himself.

**Pepper**

"Tony! You'd better get your ass out here in the next five minutes or I'm gonna come in there…" Pepper yelled to her husband.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez woman, pregnancy makes you crazy!" Tony cut her off as he walked into the room. She rolled her eyes and tossed him the keys to one of his many sports cars and they made their way to the elevator.

Once they'd made it to the parking deck, they climbed into one of the cars and sped off towards the hospital. During the ride, they argued back and forth on what they should name the baby depending on whether it was a boy or a girl.

"Really? You would name her that?" Pepper asked in disbelief as Tony sounded of girl names.

"Yes! Ginger is a spice, like pepper. It'd be funny!" He laughed.

"What if she doesn't have red hair?" Pepper asked. Tony thought for a moment.

"Good point. Okay then, what about…"

"Audrey." She broke in. Tony glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Audrey?" He said in a questioning tone. "Why?" Pepper shrugged.

"I don't know, I've just always loved the name Audrey." Tony nodded.

"I can picture having a daughter named Audrey. She'd be adorable." He said, reaching over and squeezing Pepper's knee. "Just like her mother." She smiled at him, loving how he sometimes knew exactly what to say. "There's the hospital." Tony said, turning his attention back to the road. Pepper's heart rate accelerated as they pulled in to the crowded parking lot. She was nervous and excited all at the same time.

Once they'd found a parking space and gotten out of the car, Tony took Pepper's hand and squeezed it.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Let's do this." Pepper replied as they turned and began walking towards the front doors of the hospital.

**Tony**

"Doesn't anyone work here?" Tony asked loudly in hopes that someone might hear him.

"Tony, shush!" Pepper scolded, grabbing his arm. She had been reclined on a chair in the center of the room next to the ultrasound machine for more than thirty minutes now.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it'd be nice if someone could come in here and do their job." He said exasperated. Just then, a young brunette entered the room with a bottle in her hands.

"Sorry for the wait, Mr. and Mrs. Stark. I just needed to find some gel." She said, holding up the bottle.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all." Pepper replied sweetly. Tony coughed to prevent himself from saying anything.

"Alright then, let's get started." The small nurse said. "First, you're going to need to lift up your shirt." Pepper did as she asked and the nurse squeezed some of the gel into her gloved hand. "Now I'm going to apply the gel." She smeared the gel onto Pepper's belly. Tony saw her flinch slightly.

"You okay?" He asked, suddenly concerned. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yea, it's just really cold." Tony laughed softly, taking her hand.

"Don't be a wimp." He said sarcastically. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Okay, we can begin the ultrasound now." Said the nurse. "Just watch the screen and I'll tell you when you can see it." Pepper's grip on Tony's hand tightened as the girl began running the scanner over her stomach. They waited a few moments until they saw shapes beginning to form on the screen. "And, there it is." The nurse said with a smile. Pepper gasped and Tony leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Here's the head, that's an arm, there's a leg…" The little brunette began pointing out the different body parts but Tony wasn't paying attention. He was completely overcome by the sight of their baby. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. "Would you like to know the gender?" The nurse asked when she had finished pointing at the screen.

"Yes." Tony and Pepper said in unison. This was it.

"Congratulations," she said, "it's a boy." A boy. They were going to have a son. Tony saw a tear streak down Pepper's face as she took it all in. "Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" All he could do was nod. The nurse smiled and flipped a switch on the machine. A faint thumping sound filled the room. Tony's eyes filled with tears as he listened to his son's heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

Yaaaay! So, Tony and Pepper are having a little baby boy! I always pictured them having a son. Oh, and I couldn't find who said this in the reviews, but someone mentioned this whole thing about them having a daughter named Ginger because it was a spice, and thought that was too good to leave out! So if whoever said that is reading this, just know I tossed that in there for you! On a different note, what did ya'll think of Natasha and Clint's almost-kiss!? I hadn't been planning on doing that, but when I got to writing that part it just felt so right! Just a little more drama to make things more interesting! So, as a whole, a good and long touchy-feely chapter. Hope you all liked it! Reviews, favorites, and follows are appreciated, as always! Speaking of follows, this story now has 100 followers! Thank you all for that sooooo much! It means a lot! The next chapter should be up in the next couple of days probably. It's gonna be epic! Until next time, adios!