Wow. I honestly can't believe that this is the final chapter! This story has been all I've thought about since October, and now it's finally coming to a close! You guys have been so great and so supportive and I just want to let you all know how much I appreciate that! I would have never continued if it hadn't been for my dedicated readers! Now, before you go and get too sad, I just wanted to make sure you know that there will be an epilogue after this chapter that should be up soon after this one is posted. It won't be terribly long, and I'm hoping that maybe it will allow me to build off the storyline in a sequel maybe… So yea, if you're totally depressed about this being the last chapter, don't start crying yet! You still have an epilogue to look forward to! Anyways, this chapter is full of happy fluffy stuff that I'm sure a lot of you are gonna like! I got a lot of requests for Clint to interact with Mara more since he was a little too run down to do so last chapter. You ask, I deliver! Now, without further ado, I give you the final chapter of Taken! Enjoy!
P.S. Sorry it took so long for me to post this. I had a last minute paper for school, and Christmas stuff I needed to take care of. I know I said it'd be up sooner than this but I can only do so many things in a certain amount of time. You guys understand, right?
Chapter 15-Recovery
**Natasha**
Natasha was awakened by an annoying beeping sound. She tried to open her eyes but they were too heavy. She inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of bleach and cheap fabric softener. The beeping fluctuated slightly when she exhaled, signifying that she was hooked up to a heart monitor. Finally, Natasha forced her eyes open. She glanced around the room, observing the white walls, white tiled floor, and white bed sheets.
"Ugh," she thought to herself, "hospital." She slowly began to sit up but was stopped by a searing pain in her stomach. Natasha hissed painfully as a hand reached out and gently pushed her back down.
"Slow down there Spidey." Steve said tenderly, calling her by the nickname he'd given her before they'd lost touch all those years ago.
"Steve?" Natasha said hoarsely as she tried to find where his voice was coming from. She glanced to her left to find the captain sitting in a plastic chair next to her bed with a concerned, but smiling face.
"Welcome back." He teased, placing the sketch pad he'd been holding on the bedside table.
"What happened?" Natasha asked weakly, trying to remember exactly why she was in a hospital. "Where are we?"
"We're back at the tower in Tony's infirmary." Steve replied, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "You gave us quite a scare." She gave him a questioning look, her memories of the past twenty-four hours nothing but a blur in her mind. "You don't remember." The captain stated. Natasha shook her head. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, you see, you were sort of, um… stabbed. Like, at least six times." Steve said gesturing to her stomach. She squinted as she tried to remember when suddenly it was like someone adjusted the focus in her mind and all her memories of last night came flooding back in perfect clarity.
"Oh." Natasha said, gently laying her hand over her injured abdomen.
"Yea, oh." Steve laughed. "You have no idea how lucky you are. Bruce swore up and down that you wouldn't make it, but yet here you lie." She smiled before realizing that Clint had been in pretty rough shape as well before she'd lost consciousness back in the Catacombs.
"Where's Clint? Is he alright?" Natasha asked nervously, her heart rate spiking slightly.
"Yea, yea, he's fine." Steve soothed her as he anxiously glanced at the heart monitor when the beeping began to speed up. "Bruce said that his nose was pretty messed up from when he got punched, and that he was suffering from an extreme case of TFE, but that was it." Natasha gave the captain a worried, questioning look.
"What's TFE?" She asked.
"Total Fucking Exhaustion." Steve told her. They both laughed. "The poor guy could hardly keep his eyes open, although he absolutely refused to get any rest until you woke up." He shook his head and laughed. "I'm pretty sure Bruce ended up doping him so he wouldn't completely crash. I'd guess he's still sleeping." Natasha nodded and closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
"What about Mara?" She asked as calmly as she could. Steve had yet to mention anything about her infant daughter. Her worries, however, melted away immediately when she saw the grin that appeared on the captain's face.
"Safe and sound." He said comfortingly. "Tony, Pepper, and Thor have been taking care of her while you and Clint recover."
"Can I see her?" Natasha pleaded, wanting nothing more than to hold Mara in her arms and know that she was safe.
"I'll see what I can do." Steve replied with a wink before exiting the room. A few minutes later Bruce walked in holding a clipboard.
"Steve said you were awake." He stated, giving her a warm smile. "How do you feel?"
"Fine, except for my stomach." She told him.
"I'll get you some more pain meds." The doctor said as he began checking the various machines she was hooked up to. Bruce then pulled out his clipboard and sat down next to her. "Have you been feeling dizzy or nauseous?" He asked.
"No, just tired." Natasha said sleepily.
"Yea, that's a side-effect of the medication I've got you on." He set his clipboard down on top of Steve's sketch pad and pulled back her bed sheets. "Let me just take a quick look at your stitches." Natasha lifted up her shirt to reveal the large strip of white gauze across her abdomen. Bruce gently peeled back the bandage and carefully checked the ugly stitches that littered her stomach. "You're not going to like this," he said as he put the bandage back in place, "but in order to prevent these from popping you're going to have to stay in bed for the next few days." Natasha closed her eyes and groaned as she pulled her shirt back down. "I know, I know. Just look at it this way: If you don't do it you could die, and I think you've come close enough to that in the past twenty-four hours."
"Don't be so dramatic." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Seriously, Natasha. You are living, breathing proof that miracles do happen, but let's not try our luck, okay?" Bruce warned. She sighed and nodded as the doctor began to leave. "I'll go get your medication." He walked out and down the hall, but soon returned with a syringe of clear liquid. He injected it into her IV bag and grabbed his clipboard. "That will probably knock you out in the next thirty minutes." The doctor told her. Just then there was a knock at the door and Steve peeked his head inside. "C'mon in. You can't stay long, though. She needs to rest." Bruce said as the captain opened the door further to allow Tony, Thor, Pepper, and Mara to enter before him.
"Sure thing." He said as he let the doctor out and closed the door behind him.
"Hey Romanoff, how ya doing?" Tony asked, sitting down in the chair Steve had been using earlier.
"I'm good." She said with a smile, glancing around the room at her happy, but obviously concerned friends. Her gaze finally settled on the infant that was resting in Pepper's arms.
"Mama!" Mara cried when she saw Natasha, holding out her arms as an attempt to reach her. Pepper smiled and carried her over to the right side of Natasha's bed, gently placing the baby girl next to her mother on the bed. Without hesitation, Natasha wrapped both her arms around Mara, holding her close. A tear escaped her eye as the two-year-old snuggled up to her mother.
"My sweet girl." Natasha whispered before planting a kiss on her daughter's head. She looked up at her teammates who all had huge smiles on their faces as they witnessed the long-awaited reunion. "Thank you." She whispered.
"Any time." Steve said genuinely.
"We'll always have your back." Tony chimed in. Natasha smiled, knowing her friend's words were true. After that, everyone began telling her how relieved they were that she was okay and that they hoped she recovered soon. Finally, Bruce came in and began kicking everyone out, saying that Natasha needed to rest now. Tony, Thor, and Steve all filed out of the room, leaving her and Pepper alone to talk for a minute.
"I'll let Clint know you woke up." Pepper told her as she lifted Mara from her mother's arms. "I'm sure he'd like to come see you."
"Okay." Natasha said, stifling a yawn. It seemed as though the drowsiness of the pain meds was starting to kick in. As Pepper turned to leave, Mara looked over her shoulder and waved.
"Byebye Mama." She exclaimed.
"Bye cutie." Natasha smiled as she waved back. The infant beamed before resting her head on Pepper's shoulder as she carried her from the room. Bruce followed them out, turning to look at her before closing the door.
"Rest." He said sternly, pointing his finger at her.
"I'm on it." Natasha replied, leaning back and closing her eyes. She heard the door close and was finally left to drift into unconsciousness and get some much-needed sleep.
**Clint**
When he opened his eyes, Clint realized he was back in his room at Stark Tower. At first he believed that everything had been a dream, but the constant pain in his nose told him otherwise. He stretched and climbed out of bed, walking out into the living area on his and Natasha's floor. Pepper was there with Mara, feeding her Cheerios. She turned when she heard Clint walk in and smiled at him.
"Good morning." She said kindly, glancing at her watch. "Or should I say afternoon."
"Hey." He said, looking warily at his daughter. He hadn't really had time to get to know Mara earlier, and now that he did he wasn't sure what to do.
"Oh, by the way," Pepper said, catching his attention. "Natasha woke up a while ago. Steve said she was asking about you."
"How is she?" He asked softly.
"I didn't really get to stay and chat, but she seemed to be just fine." Clint nodded and continued to stand there awkwardly. "You should go see her." Pepper finally told him when she realized he was still standing there.
"Uh, yea. I think I'll do that." He replied as he moved towards the elevator. Clint was glad Pepper had suggested going to see Natasha instead of going over to see Mara. It wasn't like he didn't want to see her, it was that he wasn't sure what to do when he did. Clint had never really interacted with kids much, so he was basically going into all this father stuff blind. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he rode the elevator down to the infirmary, silently hoping that Natasha would still be sleeping when he got there.
The situation Clint was in with Mara was similar to the one he was in with Natasha. He wanted to see her more than anything; to know that she was okay. But what was he going to say to her? On the plane, when he was almost positive she wouldn't make it, he practically poured his heart out to her. He told her the one thing he had always wanted her to hear, even though she didn't really hear it. Now that she could hear it, though, Clint wasn't sure he would be able to say it again. What if she didn't feel the same? What if the reason she left him before was because she was sure she'd never have real feelings for him? He couldn't stand the idea of losing her again. Not after last time, and especially not after last night's close call.
Clint had been so lost in thought that he jumped when the elevator dinged. He stepped out and into the waiting area where Bruce was sitting writing things on a clipboard. The doctor glanced up when he heard the sound of the elevator and did a double take when he saw Clint standing there.
"How the hell are you even awake right now?" He asked in amazement as he set his clipboard down on the chair next to him. "The sedative I gave you was strong enough to take out a bear for at least two days."
"I just want to see her." Clint said tiredly as he moved towards the door that led back into the infirmary. Bruce sighed before following him back to Natasha's room.
"She's sleeping right now. I just gave her another dose of pain medication so she should be out for another couple of hours." He told him before quietly opening the door and letting him enter. "I'll let you go in, but only for a little while. In return you have to promise me you'll go right back upstairs and get some more rest."
"Yea, sure." Clint lied as he quietly walked in to Natasha's room to find her sleeping soundly in her hospital bed.
"Twenty minutes." Bruce told him before shutting the door. The archer ignored him and sat down in the chair next to her bed. He took in her peaceful state before reaching out and gently stroking her face. She had regained a lot of color in her cheeks and her breathing was deep and even. For the first time since she came to him for help a few days ago, Natasha looked completely relaxed.
For the next fifteen minutes, Clint sat with her in silence. He didn't want his voice to ruin the peaceful environment, but as his time with her grew short he felt as though he should at least say something.
"I'm so sorry, Natasha." He whispered. "I'm sorry this happened to you and that I couldn't stop it. But more importantly I'm sorry I'm too big of a coward for not being able to tell you how I feel." Just then, Bruce entered the room quietly and nodded to the clock that was hanging on the wall.
"Time's up." He told him.
"Okay." Clint rose from his seat and, with one final glance at the recovering assassin, he left the room.
"Now, go upstairs and go back to bed." Bruce ordered as he closed the door to Natasha's room.
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Clint rolled his eyes as the doctor began nudging him towards the elevator. He stepped inside and clicked the button for his floor, riding the elevator up until he heard the familiar ding signifying that he had reached his destination. When he got back upstairs Pepper was still in the living area with Mara. She looked up from their game of patty-cake and smiled.
"Did you see her?" The pregnant woman asked as Clint came over and sat on the couch across from them.
"Yea, but she was sleeping." He told her with a sigh.
"Well, Bruce has got her all drugged up so until he switches her to a weaker medication then she'll probably be sleeping a lot." Pepper noted before continuing to play with Mara. Clint observed their game for a while, noticing the smile that appeared on his face whenever the two-year-old let loose a giggle. Pepper glanced over at him after a while, noticing his interest.
"You haven't spent much time with her have you?" She asked, pulling Clint's concentration away from Mara. He shook his head.
"Not really. My mind was sort of focused on Natasha last night so I didn't really get to know her." He told her.
"Have you even held her yet?" Pepper pressed. He wanted to nod, but then he realized that he actually hadn't held her yet. "You haven't." She stated, not waiting for him to answer. Clint lowered his head shamefully as she stood up and walked over to him. When he looked up again Pepper was standing next to him. She gently handed Mara over to Clint, who immediately began to panic as he tried to figure out the right way to hold her. "Just relax." Pepper told him, noticing how tense he was. He tried to do as she told him, but Mara began to cry when she decided she didn't like how her father was holding her, which only made Clint even tenser.
"Pepper…" He said in a panicky voice as he frantically tried to soothe the infant.
"I'm not helping you." She said, crossing her arms and resting them on her swollen stomach.
"What!? C'mon, I have no idea what I'm doing!" Clint exclaimed as he tried to keep Mara from squirming out of his arms.
"You're her father, Clint. It will all come naturally. Just give yourself a minute." Pepper encouraged. Just then, her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to check the number.
"Oh! I really need to take this." She said as she began hurrying from the room. "You've got her, right?"
"No!" Clint called after her. "Pepper, please! This is so not cool!" But she was already gone. "Oh, great." He mumbled as he looked at the screaming infant cluelessly. Finally, he lifted her up so that she was sitting upright in his lap and began gently bouncing her. Mara slowly stopped crying as he shushed her soothingly. "Please stop crying, please stop crying." Clint begged. The two-year-old stopped whimpering and gave him the same scrutinizing look she had given him in the elevator the day before. He smiled, one, because he had actually gotten her to stop crying, and two, because she just looked so damn much like Natasha when she did that. This time, though, Mara didn't smile back. Instead she just gave him a blank, empty look, almost like she wasn't sure what to do either. Clint lifted her up more so that now she was now at eye-level with him.
"You're something." He whispered, looking her over. Mara responded by reaching out and touching his lips, pulling them apart. She giggled and proceeded to move her hands over to his cheeks and squeeze them together so that he had a duck face. The infant squealed in amusement and he laughed along with her. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself towards him. Mara rested her head on his shoulder, sighing in content. Clint held her close, and it was like something inside him clicked. The feeling he got when he realized that he was holding his daughter was overwhelming. A tear came to his eye as he leaned back, rubbing slow circles on the two-year-old's back.
In less than ten minutes, Mara had fallen asleep in Clint's arms. He smiled and closed his eyes. The exhaustion he was experiencing was relentless as it slowly began forcing him into unconsciousness.
"Maybe I can do this." Was the last thought he had before drifting to sleep with his and Natasha's daughter dreaming peacefully in his arms.
**Natasha**
A few days later…
"Bruce, please!" Natasha begged as the doctor removed the IV needle from her wrist. "I can't stand being down here! Why can't I move upstairs to my room?"
"Because, you need just a few more days of bed rest before you even think about walking around." Bruce told her.
"I can get plenty of bed rest in my own bed." She shot back.
"Look, I'll think about it." He finally said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"That's all I ask." Natasha said cooperatively. Just then, Pepper walked in with Mara for their daily visit.
"Oh, am I interrupting?" The pregnant woman asked, prepared to walk out if she needed to.
"No, Natasha's just being whiny." Bruce told her as he walked out. Pepper gave Natasha a questioning look as the assassin rolled her eyes.
"He won't let me move upstairs." She explained.
"Well, I'm sure there's a good reason for that." Pepper said as she sat Mara on the bed with her mother and pulled up a chair. Natasha pulled her daughter into her lap and held her close.
"How's she been?" She asked as Mara snuggled up to her.
"Good as gold." Pepper replied with a smile. "She had a good, long nap this morning with Clint. I swear to God, it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. They cuddle up together and five minutes later they're out like a light. I'm pretty sure they've been doing that every morning this week."
"So, they're getting along well then?" Natasha asked.
"Well, Clint was a little uneasy at first, but he's gotten a lot more comfortable. I think that he'll be a wonderful father to her." The pregnant woman said happily.
"Great." The assassin sighed and looked down at her daughter who was yawning tiredly.
"What's wrong?" Pepper asked, noticing her friend's sudden change in mood.
"You wouldn't happen to know why Clint hasn't come to see me yet, would you?" Natasha asked hopefully. Pepper looked at her in confusion.
"What are you talking about? He's come down almost every day this week." Just then, Bruce walked in with two pills and a cup of water in his hands. "Bruce, hasn't Clint come to see Natasha practically every day?" Pepper asked him as he handed the medication to the assassin.
"Uh, yea. She's been asleep every time he's come though." The doctor told her.
"Hmm, what a coincidence." Natasha said sarcastically before swallowing both pills.
"What do you mean?" Pepper asked.
"He's trying to avoid talking to me." She told her with a sigh. "He probably thinks that it's his fault I got hurt and feels guilty or something."
"Or, maybe he's just had bad timing." Pepper said optimistically.
"For five days straight?" Natasha exclaimed.
"I'm just saying it's possible." The pregnant woman said quietly.
"I need to see him." The assassin said anxiously. "He needs to know it isn't his fault."
"I'm sure he doesn't think that." Pepper said soothingly.
"Then why won't he come talk to me?"
"I don't know." She finally gave up. Natasha looked at Bruce who was still standing there awkwardly.
"Can I please move upstairs?" She asked politely. The doctor sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"Fine. But you have to promise me you won't leave your bed." He said sternly.
"Cross my heart." She told him happily. "Can I go now?" Bruce shrugged.
"I don't see why not. You're probably just going to pester me until I do let you go." He told her. "Let me get you a wheelchair."
"Is that really necessary?" Natasha asked.
"Hey, I'm being nice enough letting you move upstairs, the least you could do is cooperate with me." Bruce called over his shoulder as he left the room. He soon returned with a metallic and leather wheelchair and pulled it up next to Natasha's bed. Pepper took Mara from her arms as the doctor began helping her into the chair. As soon as she was seated Bruce began pushing her out of the room with Pepper in tow. He rolled her onto the elevator and pressed the button for hers and Clint's floor. They rode up in uninterrupted silence until they reached their destined floor. Bruce wheeled her out into the living area where they were greeted enthusiastically by Tony, Steve, and Thor.
"What are you doing up here?" Steve asked, walking over to her.
"I got tired of the infirmary." Natasha told him. "Finally convinced Bruce to let me move to my room."
"Yep." Bruce said from behind her. "That means that we are going to have to make sure she doesn't get out of bed. The last thing that needs to happen is for her to pop her stitches."
"You got it doc." Tony called from the armchair he was sitting in.
"We've all been spending the night in here anyways to help with Mara, so when we get up to check on her we can also check on Natasha." Steve explained.
"Sounds good." Bruce said in agreement as he began turning Natasha down the hall.
"Wait," she exclaimed. "Where's Clint?"
"Sleeping. The pain meds he's on really knock him out." Tony told her.
"Well that's convenient." Natasha sighed, glancing at Pepper who simply shrugged.
"Alright, let's go." Bruce said, wheeling her down the hall towards her room.
"Hey, is that my favorite godchild?" She heard Tony exclaim from the living area before rolling into her room. Natasha had completely forgotten about her promising the billionaire that he could be Mara's godfather. No use in crushing his excitement now…
"You ready?" The doctor asked when he wheeled her up to the side of her bed.
"Yea." On the count of three, Bruce gently lifted her out of the chair and onto the bed before helping her lay down.
"Is there anything you need before I go?" He asked, edging towards the door.
"No, I'm fine." She told him. "But could you please tell Clint to come talk to me when he wakes up?"
"Absolutely." He said with a smile before walking out of the room and shutting the door. Finally left by herself, Natasha grabbed the remote to her enormous TV and flipped on How I Met Your Mother. She had heard that the season 8 midseason finale had been really good. She only got to see the first half, however, before she began getting tired. Was drowsiness a side-effect of all the pain medications Bruce was giving her? Nonetheless, Barney had only just gotten unjinxed when Natasha felt her eyes become too heavy to keep open and she soon drifted to sleep.
Natasha's eyes flew open instinctively at the sound of Mara's crying. She checked her alarm clock to see that it was 2:00am. Without thinking, she carefully began to push herself out of bed. The sharp pain in her stomach caused her to sit back down as she remembered what Bruce had told her. She wasn't allowed to leave her bed. Natasha knew the guys were sleeping right down the hall, so surely one of them would hear Mara crying. She waited for a few minutes, but the two-year-old's wails only grew louder. That was all Natasha could take. She shoved herself off the bed, ignoring the pain it caused her, and began carefully walking towards the door.
Every step she took caused a stinging pain to emanate from her stomach, but she kept going. She needed to soothe her daughter. It took a few minutes, but Natasha finally reached Mara's door. She was about to go in when the infant's sobs suddenly stopped. Confused, she silently opened the door and stepped inside, leaning against the wall for support. She glanced around the room before settling her gaze on the figure that was gently rocking Mara back and forth. Upon further observation Natasha realized that the figure belonged to none other than Clint.
She watched as the archer quietly soothed their daughter, noticing how comfortable he looked. After a while, Mara slowly began to fall back asleep. Clint pulled her off of his shoulder and carefully placed her back in her crib. However, when he did this he accidentally jostled her and she began to whimper again.
"Shhhhhh." Her father said soothingly as he gently stroked her cheek.
"Daddy?" Mara called out tiredly.
"It's okay," he whispered, "go to sleep." After a few more minutes, the infant drifted into unconsciousness.
"Well, look at you." Natasha said quietly, finally making herself known. Clint jumped and spun around to face her. "You're quite the natural."
"Natasha." He said breathlessly as she began walking towards him. "You're not supposed to be out of bed."
"You gonna rat me out?" She challenged. He slowly shook his head once she reached where he was standing.
"What are you doing in here?" Clint asked.
"I heard her crying. When she didn't stop after a few minutes I assumed that no one had come in, so I took matters into my own hands." Natasha answered. He nodded and leaned against the crib, looking down at their sleeping child. She did the same and for a while they both stood there in silence. "Hey," she whispered after a few minutes had passed with neither of them speaking. "Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot." Clint replied without looking up.
"Why didn't you come see me when I was in the infirmary?" She asked.
"I did." He answered.
"Okay, let me restate the question: Why didn't you come see me when I was awake?" Natasha pressed. She saw his body go tense while waiting for his response, but she never got one. He wouldn't even look at her. "Clint," she said comfortingly, "if it's because you feel guilty about what happened…"
"It's not." He said, cutting her off.
"Then what is it?" Natasha asked pleadingly. She waited a few moments but he didn't answer her. "Clint, please. You know you can tell me anything." Silence. She gave an irritate huff and turned to leave. "Fine. If you're just going to ignore me, then I'm going back to bed before I get in trouble." She said angrily as she began walking towards the door.
"Natasha." He called after her. She heard him come up behind her and slowly turned around to face him. Before Natasha could say anything, Clint had cupped her face in his hands and gently lifted her lips to his, kissing her deeply. She immediately kissed him back, snaking her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. His hands left her cheeks and traveled down her back so he had a better grip on her. After a while, they finally broke away from each other to catch their breath.
"Clint…" Natasha began, but he cut her off.
"Wait," he said urgently, "before you say anything, you need to hear this." He took a deep breath and looked into her expectant eyes. "Natasha Romanoff, I am hopelessly, irreversibly in love you. I always have been. I'm sorry I never came to see you when you were awake, but that was because I was too big of a coward to tell you everything I'm telling you now." Tears began to spill out of her eyes as a smile broke across her face. Clint wiped them away with his thumbs and leaned in to rest his forehead against hers. "I love you, Natasha." He whispered.
"I love you too." She whispered back before leaning in to kiss him again. He held her close, supporting most of her weight as he deepened the kiss. Natasha stretched up to kiss him harder when an excruciating pain erupted from her stomach and caused her knees to buckle. She collapsed in Clint's arms and he quickly tried to help her stand back up.
"Are you alright?" He asked anxiously.
"Yea, I'm fine." She replied.
"You need to sit down." He carefully began helping her towards the loveseat that had been placed across from Mara's crib.
"I'm fine." Natasha protested as Clint set her down on one side of the loveseat before occupying the other side himself.
"Just rest for a minute." He ordered, reaching out to stroke her cheek. She sighed and scooted over, leaning against him. He pulled her close and allowed her to rest her head on his chest while he kissed the top of her head. Natasha closed her eyes and sighed contently. She smiled as she tried to imagine this moment being any more perfect, but she couldn't. Her daughter was safe and the man she loved was holding her in his arms. Natasha was genuinely happy, and that was something she wouldn't trade for the world.
**Pepper**
Pepper yawned as she walked down the hall to Mara's room. It was 7:00am, and the boys were still sleeping in the living area, so she figured she would go check on Mara and Natasha before they woke up. When Pepper reached the door, she opened it quietly and peeked inside. Mara was still asleep, and she was about to leave when she saw Clint and Natasha cuddled up together on the loveseat.
The pregnant woman smiled at the couple as they slept soundly. She grabbed a blanket off the back of a rocking chair and gently placed it over the sleeping assassins before turning to leave. Pepper walked into the hall and closed the door behind her so that their perfect little family could get some much needed rest.
The End
***It's not really the end! There's still an epilogue!*** Well, there you have it! How did you guys like the last chapter? Was the ending everything you hoped for? If you did like it, then you're definitely going to want to check back for the epilogue! I've got a lot of ideas on how to build off of this story, since it got such positive feedback, but I'll explain some of those in my final author's note. Again, I'm supersized sorry that this chapter took so much longer to post. It was just so long, and I had to add an entire extra segment, and I had a paper to write for school, and I had Christmas shopping, etc… Yea, I've been really busy. So, yea, I apologize for that. Man, I really can't believe I'm done with the main portion of the story! I wasn't sure this day would come or if anyone would even take any interest in this, but you guys seemed to like it and I can't thank you enough for all your amazing supportiveness! Couldn't have done it without you all! Well, that's really all I have to say I guess. I'd love to reach 300 reviews, if it's not too much to ask. Oh, and don't forget to check back for the epilogue. I'm not making any promises, but it may be up Sunday night if I'm free that day. If I can't do it then, then it will most likely be up after Christmas, so if that's the case then Merry Christmas! Until next time, farewell!