A/N: Here it is, the last official chapter of To Swear On Your Life before I write the epilogue for TSOYL and the prologue to A Promise Fulfilled (Which WILL be rated M).
I started this journey in early June when I read Beauty and the Beast by ANimATion ImAgInAtIoN and her story became my inspiration. One month later, I published the first chapter to TSOYL.
Twenty six chapters and four months later; I'm writing the end of part one of Bruce and Natasha's story.
I don't know where to start thanking people for their support, so I'll just say thank you to everyone who read, followed, reviewed, favorited and even to the people who read chapter one and said "Meh, this story sucks.", but had the decency to keep it to themselves.
I've loved every minute of this journey and even battling through the writer's block was fun when I was messaging you guys for inspiration.
I love you all.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 27: Family Ties
Bruce POV
"Welcome to Oxford!", Beth said as we walked across the tarmac at the small airport.
Soon we reached the building and was surprised when I saw a large crowd of people gathered there.
It looked like the whole town had come out to welcome Beth home and to meet her fiancée.
As Beth was reunited with her family and friends, I looked for Natasha until I remembered that she was probably feeding Anastasia on the jet.
I walked back to the jet and looked in the cabin where I found Natasha changing Anastasia's diaper instead.
"Hey, how is she?", I asked.
"She's fine…She wasn't hungry, but she did need me.", Natasha answered quietly, not meeting my gaze.
"Natasha, something's wrong…I can tell… it's not about keeping Anastasia's condition a secret from Ivan, is it?"
"Your math was wrong…"
I paused.
"What?", I asked, wondering if I had heard her right.
"Your math was wrong…Anastasia is one quarter Hulk."
I pulled the paper with the results of the test out of my pocket and in the conversion from variables to formulas to algorithms and decimals and back to large fractions, into simplest forms, I had written a couple numbers wrong.
"Wow…I actually did get my math wrong… she would be one quarter Hulk…"
Natasha smiled and I picked up Anastasia as her bottom lip began to quiver.
"Shh, there now… don't cry… Daddy's here…", I cooed to her.
We got off the plane and walked over to the SUV's that SHIELD had sent for us and the gentle swaying of my body as I walked must have lulled her to sleep because she was curled into my chest and her little hand was on my heart, clutching the front of my button down shirt.
She was perfect to me, part Hulk or not. She was my little girl.
I buckled her into her car seat and Natasha slid in next to me in the third row of seats after putting Snowy's carrier in the back. Beth made sure we were all set before leading our procession of black vehicles out of the airport.
Natasha placed her hand on my lower thigh and I shuddered as I inhaled, trying not to get turned on by her subtle moves.
Just a couple more weeks…just a couple more weeks until she's mine again…
I could do this. I could keep myself from taking her the instant we got settled into our hotel room.
"Bruce…You seem really tense. Is everything okay?", she whispered and I shook my head.
"Not with you here…and I mean that lovingly… I can hardly keep myself from pushing you up against the nearest flat surface, and that just sounds weird and out of my usual character, but I'm deprived here…"
Natasha kissed me on my cheek and murmured,
"Just a couple more weeks… don't worry.", she reassured gently before she removed her hand from where it had been lazily caressing my thigh and placed her hand in mine instead.
"Okay guys, here we are!", Beth pointed from the driver's seat at the hotel where we would be staying.
"Sorry it's not a five-star luxury hotel, but it's all we have for a town of 800 people.", she said with a shrug. "Oh and Snowy is allowed here…My parents know the owners and since the hotel isn't a part of a chain, you can bring her in."
She and Steve would be staying in the Covington's farm house until the wedding.
Steve had complained mildly when he learned that they would be sleeping in separate bedrooms for a week and that they had to abstain until their honeymoon in Fiji.
We went up to our room and unpacked, Anastasia began to stir as I lifted her out of her car seat and sat on the edge of the bed. I cradled her in one of my arms carefully while she wrapped her tiny hand around my pointer finger on the other hand.
Natasha stretched and yawned as she sat down next to me and rested her head on my shoulder so she could watch Anastasia.
"I'm still in awe…", she said softly. "It's so amazing to see her like this, and she is so beautiful."
I nodded before glancing down at our daughter. She was a month old and she had light reddish brown hair now instead of the dark brown, almost black, hair she had when she was born.
Anastasia began to cry and Natasha quickly took her from me before feeding her.
Seeing this motherly side of Natasha was a remarkable thing and it made perfect sense now what Thor had told me before Anastasia was born, that Natasha would be more beautiful than anything in the world as her maternal instincts kicked in.
Natasha cooed softly to our daughter in Russian as she began to drift off again.
Anastasia slept a lot (as most infants tend to do) but that didn't mean she wasn't a handful.
I couldn't begin to count the number of times when I had been doing something in the lab, sleeping, or even sharing a kiss with Natasha when Anastasia ended up interrupting the moment. I love her to death, but she has bad timing.
I watched as Natasha laid her in the portable crib and leaned down to plant a kiss on her head.
Natasha POV
I straightened up and found Bruce staring at me over the rims of his glasses with a gentle smile on his lips.
"What are you staring at?", I asked rhetorically.
He sighed before pulling his glasses off and running a hand through his curls, still smiling at me.
"Can't a husband look at his wife?
"Of course he can… but his stare is getting his wife hot and bothered, so her husband might want to tone it down a bit.", I replied slowly, climbing up on the bed.
Bruce moved over to where I was and stretched out on the pillows. I smiled and laid my head on his chest.
"Is my heartbeat still calming to you?", he asked.
"Yes.", I replied softly, listening to the gentle rhythm.
"Natasha, I was thinking about something the other day. What happens after an agent retires? When do they get to retire? When do you get to retire?"
I stared blankly at the ceiling and a tear slid down my face. Most of us didn't live past age forty because we were killed in action. Retirement was never an option because an agent always knew too much about one thing or another to leave the business altogether, they would become a liability. If I had the chance to retire, I would take it. I wouldn't regret too many things about leaving aside from the coworkers that I had grown close to over the years and sights I had seen from my world travels. I would miss working with Clint because, although we had dated years ago, he was more like a brother to me than any other person I had ever known. I would miss scaring the crap out of new recruits. But I would miss being an Avenger the most.
"Bruce, I don't get to retire…Most agents die long before they reach their fiftieth birthday. If we do end up living into our forties or fifties, we don't retire. We become senior agents like Nick, Phil, and Ivan. They are the lucky ones. Only about seven out of every hundred agents makes it to age forty.", I turned on my side and sniffled, tears still falling from my eyes, "I hope I'm in the surviving minority."
Bruce saw me crying and he shifted so he was laying on his side and facing me.
"Hey Natasha, please don't cry…I'm sure, no, I know that you will beat those odds because you beat the odds when you were with the Red Room and fought to be the last one alive, because you've fought so many bigger, stronger men. Because you had the courage to find me, even if you knew that it was dangerous."
"I know Bruce…", I cried harder now, "I just have to live for Anastasia and you… What if I meet my end and she doesn't know me?"
"She will know you, because you will live. I'll make sure you do.", Bruce whispered, wiping my tears away with his thumbs before continuing, "Because I don't think I could live a single day without you."
We laid in silence until I broke it,
"What do you think will happen when she's a teenager?"
"I think she'll be giving all the boys heart attacks, sending the honors students running for cover, and putting the athletes and dancers to shame."
"She'll also be giving us grey hair. ", I chuckled as I imagined Anastasia, sixteen and full of energy and potential. She would do so well in her life with all her inherited talents… I only hope she didn't inherit a quick temper from me or Bruce's father, that would make her condition harder to cover up.
"It's late and we don't want to miss the sightseeing tomorrow. I suggest we try to get some sleep…Goodnight Natasha, I love you.", Bruce murmured and kissed my cheek as I shifted next to him.
I soon fell asleep to the sound of his heartbeat.
Bruce POV
On the morning of the wedding a couple days later, I had put on my tuxedo and Natasha had pulled on her dress without any problems.
Then Anastasia woke up.
I spent a good bit of time trying to get Anastasia to turn back into a normal baby… the change in scenery had been very abrupt to her and she didn't recognize her surroundings when she woke up. Fortunately, she didn't destroy anything and calmed down as Natasha sang a lullaby in Russian and in English.
The Hulk didn't like Anastasia's condition and he blamed himself for turning her into something people would fear…but he still loved her and would do anything for her.
I guess the Hulk and I are more alike than I thought.
At around nine o clock, everyone piled into the SUV's and we drove out to the Covington farm for the wedding.
"It's so beautiful out here.", Natasha murmured as the landscape beyond a white fence rushed by.
There was nothing but rolling green acres of farmland and trees dotted with the occasional building in every direction. I looked for the horizon but it was hard to find the precise point where the earth stopped and heaven began.
Natasha was right, it was beautiful.
We turned onto a dirt driveway and followed the white fence until we reached a large farmhouse that gave off an aura of being lived in.
"Hey guys!", Beth called from an upstairs window. "Steve's in the barn with a punching bag, and I'm done in the shower, so the ladies can come up and we can get started. Oh and my cousin Crystal is here, she's offered to watch the kids for Natasha and Jane."
We clamored out of the SUV's, I had Anastasia in her car seat carrier and Natasha had Snowy on her leash. Ivan said he wouldn't mind spending time with his granddaughter and took the car seat carrier from me.
Beth's mother came out to greet us and she let us put Snowy in the back yard.
"Well isn't she a cutie.", Mrs. Covington remarked as she gazed at Anastasia.
I kissed Natasha on the cheek as the men separated from the women until noon when we would pile into the limo to drive over to the North Stable. Beth had explained to us that it was tradition for the bride to ride on horseback to the stable with her maid of honor and take the lower trail and the groom would also ride on horseback but he would take the upper trail with his best man. After the wedding and reception, the newly married couple would get into a carriage and ride to the gates for the farm. After that, they were technically on their own, but Steve had rented a 1940 Cadillac convertible and they would drive to the airport in Kearney to take the smaller Stark Industries jet to LAX and refuel before heading to Fiji.
We walked into the barn and saw Steve hitting the punching bag as hard as he could, taking out his frustrations, anxieties, and fears on it. He gave it a final blow and sent it flying off the stand, sand flying everywhere.
Tony cleared his throat and Steve turned to us.
"Oh hey guys…I didn't know you were here."
"Yes well, here we are.", Tony said with a shrug. "You have to get cleaned up here.", he said, pointing at the pile of trashed punching bags.
"Yeah I know…I'm just so… jittery."
"You'll do fine.", I supplied, "I was freaking out on my wedding day too…So were Tony, Thor, and Phil… this is normal but it will all vanish when you see her, your bride, coming towards you."
Phil nodded and added,
"Then the realization happens and it sinks in that this is really happening, you're finally getting married, and it's enough to bring a man to tears."
Thor nodded.
"Aye, many a brave warrior has been known to shed tears at the altar when he lays eyes upon his betrothed. I know I did when Lady Jane and I were wed."
"You'll be just fine… when you finally kiss the bride and seal the deal, a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders and I swear, it's the happiest you've ever been in your life… until the wedding night... now that's happiness.", Tony finished with a sly wink.
Steve unwrapped the bandages from his hands and sighed.
"I guess you're right…so many men have done this and didn't mess up… I didn't mess up last night at the rehearsal, so I should be fine."
"That's the spirit! Now go take a shower…you stink.", Clint said jokingly, earning an eye roll from Steve.
I handed Steve parts of his uniform and helped to get Loki's tie just right as Tony tried his best to tame my messy waves.
Before I left the room where Loki and Steve were going over the map of the upper trail, Tony pulled me aside and told me something very important... something that would change my life.
"Hey, Bruce…I was going over your journals and I think we could synthesize a cure…"
"What? A cure to my…", I could hardly believe him.
"Yeah a cure for the Hulk, a way to reverse the mutations to your DNA from your exposure to gamma radiation…It's a long shot, but I think it might work…", he said with a smile.
"If the cure works on me…that means that it would work on Anastasia too…", I said excitedly, "Maybe my little girl doesn't have to live with the Hulk after all."
"Maybe, but remember, your DNA and cells were mutated and her cells were formed with the mutation embedded in the part of your genetic code. Her Hulk is inherited, yours was created."
I nodded.
"True… But maybe we could try to work around all that…"
"We'll start working when we get home.", Tony said as Loki and Steve mounted their horses and rode away. Pepper began talking to Tony about something in hushed tones and I was alone with my own thoughts.
I walked back to the front of the house and waited with the other groomsmen until Beth and her bridesmaids helped Beth and Darcy mount their horses and then we waved as they rode away.
Natasha had her hair pulled back in a messy yet elegant bun and her pale skin stood out against her dark blue halter top gown.
"You look beautiful.", I said when she stood beside me.
"Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself.", she replied as Ivan came out with Anastasia in his arms, a funny expression plastered on his face.
"Natasha, I think she needs to be fed. Perhaps you should go inside and take care of her.", he said, handing her over to her mother.
"Thanks Papa.", she said before taking Anastasia inside.
Ivan stood beside me.
"Bruce, how are you feeling?", he asked in a surprisingly stern voice.
"Fine… just a bit warm in this tuxedo…that's all.", I replied hesitantly, unsure of how to respond to his new tone.
"We need to have a talk…just you and I.", he said and I followed him into the barn.
Once inside, he closed the door and rounded on me.
"How are you feeling now that I know my granddaughter is a mutant?", he hissed.
My eyes widened and Ivan glared at me.
"I…uh… I'm sorry.", I stammered out, unsure of what else to say.
"You'd better be. My daughter is not only the wife, but now mother of, some freak…and all you can say is sorry? You've ruined her life and burdened her with a child who is abnormal, and all you can say is sorry? I knew you two wouldn't be able to have normal children…I knew this union was doomed to fail. You ruined my granddaughter's life and all you can say is sorry?"
"Ivan, I don't know what else I should say!", I practically roared back, tired of being talked down at.
"You know, I was actually starting to like you… then all of a sudden, my granddaughter turns green!", Ivan yelled back. "Maybe I should take Natasha away for her own safety, and the child too, that way I can protect them from a radiation-filled mad scientist like you!"
I felt the Hulk roaring from the back of my mind and knew that it was neither the time nor the place for an incident, but he had threatened to take away the two things that meant the whole world to me.
The Hulk ended up growling out a threat in my voice.
"If you ever, EVER take my wife and daughter away, or even think about harming them, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and kill you!"
Ivan pulled out a gun and aimed it at my head as I took a step towards the Russian.
"One more move Dr. Banner, one more, and I shoot."
Natasha burst into the barn with her gun up, saw me about to Hulk out and Ivan about to shoot me (as if it would do anything), and she yelled at her father.
"Papa! What is the meaning of this?!"
"He has turned your child into a freak! He has destroyed your chances of ever having a normal family! I want to take you and Anastasia with me when I leave in two weeks to protect you from the likes of maniacs like him!", he explained, his gun still raised to my head.
"Ivan, are you out of your mind?", she asked, "Bruce is my husband, he is Anastasia's father and he is a good man, I thought you understood this."
"I did understand it until I was trying to comfort Anastasia and she turned green!"
"Ivan, put the gun down!", Phil yelled as he ran into the barn with Clint, Serena, Fury, and Maria right behind him with their guns (or in Clint's case, his bow) raised.
"And if I don't? Then what?", Ivan sneered.
Five handguns were cocked simultaneously as the rest of the wedding party rushed in.
"We shoot you first.", Clint muttered, drawing his bowstring back.
"You wouldn't have the guts, especially Natasha who hasn't killed anyone in over a year.", Ivan laughed madly.
"I'll be the first one to pump you with lead.", Natasha replied in the no-nonsense voice she used when we were in battle.
"You wouldn't."
"I would. Don't threaten to remove me or my baby from Bruce's life.", Natasha said, her gun still trained at Ivan's head.
Ivan smirked and dropped the gun.
"Touché my daughter.", he said smoothly.
"I'm not your daughter.", Natasha said, spitting venom in her words. "Not even close."
"Well what do you want me to do? I'm at your mercy…", Ivan said nonchalantly.
"I want you to leave. Right now. Pack your bags.", Natasha said, not lowering her weapon.
"I'll have a maid pack your bags and have them waiting in the lobby of the tower.", Pepper said before pulling out her phone and walking out.
"Do you really want me to walk out of your life?", Ivan asked Natasha. "If I leave now, you will never see me again. Is that what you want?"
"You threatened me, my husband, and my daughter… I never want to see your face again.", Natasha said in a deadly voice.
Ivan said something in Russian before walking out, a cruel smile on his face.
Natasha made an inhuman noise and went to grab Ivan, but Maria and Serena held her back.
I hit the floor on all fours and felt the telltale signs of the Hulk taking over.
"I will not let him win. I will not destroy anyone. I will not change!"
Natasha POV
I lowered my gun when Ivan had left and ran over to Bruce, who was fighting to keep the Hulk at bay and had dropped onto all fours.
"Bruce, honey, will you be alright?"
"Yes…is he gone yet?"
I nodded and replied,
"Yes, he's gone."
Maria brought Anastasia over in her carrier and said,
"We'll have to leave soon, all the guests are at the stable and we don't want to be late."
"Are you okay to go to the car?", I asked, brushing the stray lock of brown hair off of his forehead, noticing how it had a few streaks of silver in it.
He nodded and then said,
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For ruining your life."
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"Bruce…You didn't ruin my life, you made it better…"
"How? By giving you a mutated daughter? For being the reason you miscarried that first time? By almost killing you?", he muttered.
"No.", I said sharply, lifting his chin up, "You gave me new hope, faith, joy, and love. You gave me a reason to live… I love you Bruce, you're my husband. My rock. My everything. I could never imagine myself living to this age without knowing you."
I kissed him gently and he smiled.
"I guess we shouldn't hold up the wedding then…"
I smiled back, glad to see that my husband, my dear Dr. Banner was feeling more like himself again.
"You won't miss Ivan?"
"No, he threatened to kill you and tear apart the family."
"Natasha, we both know that he could never kill me…"
"But the fact still remains that if he did shoot you, the Hulk would have inadvertently destroyed the barn, and I don't think Mr. and Mrs. Covington would have been too pleased about that."
"True…", Bruce replied as we got into the limo.
Anastasia had slept through the whole ordeal but now that we were in motion, she woke up and looked around, her wide brown eyes taking in the faces around her.
Ed and Liz were squirming in their car seats and babbling nonsense that made me smile as Thor and Jane cooed over them. Phil had his hand on Maria's flat abdomen as if he could almost feel his unborn child growing inside of his wife. Clint and Serena were whispering in each other's ears and every now and then, Serena would giggle before she whispered back to Clint… those two were perfect together and I hope that, in a few years, they'll settle down. Pepper was rolling her eyes as Tony talked science with Bruce… I guess some things will never change.
We got out of the limo and went into the back of the stable, pinning on our groomsmen's red rosebud boutonnieres as we went.
"Okay people, here we are.", Darcy said when we were gathered in the back room. "Beth is just putting the finishing touches on her outfit and completing her look. We have five minutes until the procession starts.", She turned to Steve, Loki and the rest of the groomsmen. "You all look very handsome, especially you Steve, I never knew you had a medal of valor.", she complimented.
"Yeah I got it during the war…anyway, you were saying?"
"Right, like I was saying, we just do the same thing we did last night… Crystal will watch the youngsters during the procession until everyone's seated and then they're all yours, she'll watch them again during the recession…", The young political scientist looked around. "Hey, where's Ivan?"
I spoke up,
"We won't be seeing him again… circumstances arose… I'll explain it later."
"Okay…", she checked her watch, "Steve, you have to go up to the altar now. We'll see you in a few minutes. Just remember to breathe and all… You'll do fine.", she reassured as Steve inhaled and exhaled deeply before walking into the large stable, finally on his way to the altar.
I turned to Bruce and straightened his tie again and I couldn't help but notice how nervous he was getting.
"Bruce… will you be okay?"
"Yeah… The Hulk is still shaken from the confrontation with Ivan…I have some good news though."
"What's the good news?", I asked as we linked arms at the head of the procession, directly behind the ring bearer and flower girls.
"Tony was flipping through my journals and said that there may be a way to synthesize a cure for the Hulk."
My spirits soared with his words and I thought of the future for a second, of our small family gathered in the backyard of a suburban home. We could be happy and normal, something that I had always dreamed of being, something Bruce had hoped to become once more.
I kissed him swiftly before Beth entered with her father and caught my attention.
Beth was one of the prettiest brides I had ever seen. She wore a floor length gown that had a slight flare to it which began directly under her bust. Her shoulders were covered with short lace sleeves. She wore her hair in a half-up with her veil pinned in it. She carried a bouquet of red roses tied together with dark blue ribbons.
Everyone complimented her and she blushed the same shade as her fiancée did whenever Tony said something inappropriate.
We processed in and I watched Beth glide down the aisle with all the grace and poise befitting of a queen. I glanced at Steve and actually saw him shed tears like Thor, Phil, Tony, and Bruce had all done on their wedding days.
I held my baby girl in my arms throughout service, until the priest finally said the words everyone had been waiting to hear.
"…By the power vested in me by God and the state of Nebraska, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Captain Rogers, you may kiss your bride."
The super soldier and the actress kissed like they had been waiting for the moment for all eternity.
We applauded as they broke apart and grinned at the congregation.
"It is my great pleasure to present to you Captain and Mrs. Rogers!"
We processed out into the gigantic party tent and I couldn't stop thinking about what Bruce had said about the cure for himself and Anastasia.
During my daydream, Darcy had made her maid of honor speech, Loki had made his best man's speech and now we were eating all kinds of good food.
Soon after, the bride had her father daughter dance and then Steve and Beth danced to Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight".
I stayed seated with Bruce, looking after our baby during the whole reception and only danced a couple of times to "A Love That Will Last" and "Young and Beautiful".
"Do you think Anastasia will be normal?", I asked softly.
"If I learned anything from you, I would have to say that I would have hope. Hope that Anastasia will be okay.", he murmured.
Steve took Beth's garter off with his teeth and blushed red as a tomato as he flung the accessory across the room. Beth tossed her bouquet and then the newlyweds said their goodbyes as they left into the night.
Bruce POV
We went back to the hotel room and showered off from the long day.
Natasha came out of the bathroom in a tank top and athletic shorts before instructing me to lay on my stomach.
I obeyed and then she straddled me and began to work out all the tension in my muscles.
"Good God Natasha… you feel like a professional…", I moaned as she worked out a really sore muscle.
"Anything for my husband…", she replied softly, leaning down and kissing my shoulder.
I hugged the pillow and sighed as Natasha removed herself from my back and laid beside me on the bed.
Her green eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting and she glanced to the foot of the bed where Snowy was curled up and sleeping soundly before looking over at Anastasia in the portable crib.
"Bruce?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you remember my birthday last year?", she asked.
I closed my eyes and went back in the timeline my memories created.
Before I came to grips with my feelings for Natasha, before we kissed for the first time, before Hawaii, before the miscarriage, before our engagement, before Anastasia, before Snowy… so much had happened in a little more than a year.
But I recalled that morning, when I gave her those gifts as the sun rose on Avengers Tower.
"Yes…", I replied.
"Do you remember the diary you gave me?"
"Yes."
"It's full…I wrote the last entry just an hour ago while you were in the shower…and I flipped through it to the beginning, I flipped through so many pictures and scraps from the most important days…those days where I just had to document those events… Every day is recorded in there, aside from the time I spent in that coma after my birthday…"
"And did you notice anything?", I asked, wondering if she was feeling the same sensation as I was.
"Yes… I noticed that everyone on the team, has branched out and formed their own families…yet our smaller families are all part of the bigger family… We lost some and gained others. Some things have changed and some things remained the same, yet we all remained true to the other members."
"It's funny you should say that… Last year on your birthday during breakfast, I felt like we were actually family… the ultimate example, in fact. Looking back on that, I feel that we aren't quite at that point yet."
"I agree, we have to let time determine the state of our family ties."
We laid in silence for a few more minutes before Anastasia began to stir and then cry.
Natasha went to move but I got up for her.
"You rest…I'll take care of her."
"Thanks Bruce.", she yawned.
I picked up my daughter and shushed her softly before singing the same lullaby that my mother sang to my sister and I when we were little.
"Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep,
Pretty baby,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby."
I paused for a moment and Natasha rolled so she was looking at me with a smile gracing her lips.
Anastasia began to nod off and I laid her back in her crib.
"Cares you know not,
Therefore sleep,
While over you a watch I'll keep.
Sleep,
Pretty darling,
Do not cry,
And I will sing a lullaby."
I watched my daughter sleep for a long time before Natasha came behind me and gazed into the crib with me.
She and I had dark pasts, we had done things that we weren't proud of, but the strength of our family ties would illuminate the path to our future, a future that would be perfect for Anastasia and all of the other Avengers children.
~Fin~
A/N: I await your reviews and I hope that you stick around for the epilogue which will lead into the first chapter of A Promise Fulfilled. Thank you for your support.
