Natasha sucked on the tube in her hand, the gas flowing into her body. It helped, the gas helped to remove some of the pain. Now that pain had moved. It was resting in her lower back, sitting there consistently. The pain was flowing like waves onto a beach, she was never truly losing the pain before another strong wave hit and dragged her down again.

Bruce had strapped a belt and a little monitor across her belly, next to her skin so her stretch marks and lack of muscle was exposed to him fully. No one had seen her belly in person other than Bruce. She tried to ignore the feelings that it must have brought up for him, that the Doctor would have loved this life, a baby of his own but it was considered, it wouldn't have been safe.

She could hear the bleeping of some monitor and the whirling of the little bug's heart rate on the other. Banner was on the phone, she could hear him talking to Tony.

"We need everything ready Tony." Natasha heard a pause before the Doctor spoke quietly, as though he was trying not to alarm her (please she was about to have something way bigger than she had ever imagined coming out of someplace she didn't want to think about – could it get much worse?)

"We don't have much time, we're getting close."

"Come on Romanoff, come join the fun." Steve was walking over to where she stood behind the bar, pouring the last few drinks for the assembled group of friends.

Natasha smiled at him, absently rubbing her bump with one hand, she'd been a bit uncomfortable today, but then the Doctor had said it was probably all due to Junior being a bit big for dates.

"I'll be over." She went to lift the tray but Steve took it first. She had to hold her tongue on any comments about not being that incapable but she new the captain meant well. He always did.

"Why are you the one pouring drinks anyway, you can't have any." She shrugged,

"I can at least inhale it."

She moved from behind the bar, feeling strange as she always did when her stomach was on show. The baby had grown so much in the past few months and her shape had changed with it. She wasn't fat, no, that wasn't the right term. She was round. Natasha reckoned that because she had always been a very fit person she was only gaining weight to the front of her body, and she felt horrible.

She felt a stab in the underside of her belly, wincing and grasping for the place where the pain had hit. Steve reached for her shoulder, concerned.

"You ok?" Natasha nodded,

"Fine, just a twinge."

Looking at her in a silent ask for permission Steve slid her hand away replacing it with his own, feeling the baby kicking inside her. He smiled, giving the patch a soft rub before continuing to carry the tray over to where the others were seated.

They were all together, all of them that remained. Tony and Pepper sat on one sofa, his arm lazily slung across her shoulders. At their feet Morgan slept in his bouncer all chubby cheeks and peaceful. Bruce sat on a single chair, Clint in the middle of another sofa but he moved as he saw them coming over to perch on the arm of the chair.

He offered out his hand to Natasha, which she took to help herself thump down onto the sofa next to him. The size of the baby, Bruce said it measured around seven pounds at only 27 weeks, meant that moving was already getting awkward and Tony would insist on having low chairs which she could barely get down to.

After placing the tray of beers on the table and handing Pepper her gin, Steve came over to sit with Natasha.

Pepper was the first to start up a conversation. She twisted to look at Natasha and asked a polite 'how are you feeling?'

Natasha snorted,

"Ugh, grumpy, fat, tired – need I go on?"

Pepper laughed, "I remember all that, it comes with the territory, not that any of this is typical."

"Yeah, not many of us get boned by a superhero," Tony jabbed, trying to embarrass Steve.

"Really Stark? The only long hard thing associated with this baby was a syringe."

Tony's eyes widened. For some reason it had never dawned on him that she hadn't actually slept with Steve.

"Counter to popular folklore, I don't enjoy jumping in bed with anyone, it's part of the job. This had to work."

Tony nodded, Clint looked relieved as thought the idea had been making him feel a bit grossed out.

"well, thank god for that." He muttered. Natasha laughed and then lurched forwards, her body screamed in pain. She gasped and both her hands went to her stomach. Bruce was on his feet and at her side instantly.

"Natasha?" He questioned, waiting for a response.

Natasha froze, she couldn't speak, she couldn't dare believe this was happening. After all this time, all their work. It could not be happening now.

"Nat"? Clint's Voice. Then Steve,

"Romanoff!"

She shook her head back and forward but they could tell now. There was fluid running off the leather sofa. She wasn't wrong. Natasha begged she was wrong but that strange pain, the strongest of any she had felt today and the water. There was no doubt. Even if it was too soon, this baby was going to be born today.