Second Chances

Chapter 9: complicAted

Note: Bruce is back to Infinity war Bruce for the purposes of this story.
************************************
"We need to talk." Natasha pulled Steve aside, away from all of the people concentrated around Vision.
"Everything okay?" Steve asked.
"Yeah, you're fine. No discernible after-effects from the infinity stones." Natasha stated.
"So then what's the problem?" Steve asked carefully.
"You don't know?" Natasha narrows her eyes suspiciously.
"Know what?" Steve asks exasperated.
"I'm dead, in the future. That's why you reacted that way this morning and why Okoye looks at me like she's seeing a ghost and how you don'tknow I'm pregnant. Because I died." Natasha realizes.
"I didn't... how far along?" Steve faltered.
"Early. Five weeks. I'm not even feeling the symptoms yet... if Shuri hadn't run tests on all of us I wouldn't even know."
"I know you're gonna fight me on this but -" Steve started.
"I'm not gonna fight." Natasha interjected. "I know we haven't talked about having kids and the timing is really bad..."
"The timing will never be good with the lives we've chosen to lead." Steve points out. "As irreplaceable as you are out on the battlefield, sheer numbers should make up the difference this time. We've at least quadrupled the number of superheroes we had the first time."
"And all that talk about the guy who wanted a family and stability going into the ice and a different one coming out. Was it just talk?" Natasha asks.
"No. But having the right partner changes everything. Stability is relative and as for a family? Whether we have kids or not - our family is right here and there's more of them on their way." Steve countered.
"We're gonna have to tell them. Under normal circumstances I'd be put on the front lines." Natasha pointed out.
"Coulson might die of a heart attack before we can save his life." Steve remarked jokingly.
"Oh great. He's gonna lecture me for sleeping with Captain America." Natasha groaned.
                           *****
"Is this everyone?" Steve asked once Wong closed the portal.
"Except for a handful out in the universe somewhere." Rhodey confirmed. "Hopefully they'll be joining us soon."
"You guys didn't destroy the mind stone, right?" Bruce asked.
"Not yet." Sam answered. "Don't worry, Wanda will blow it to smithereens before Thanos shows up."
"No. We can't destroy the stones." Bruce corrected.
"Why not? Thanos did; that was the whole point of all this time travel nonsense." Clint pointed out.
"The infinity stones are what was holding reality as we know it together. Keeping the timeline stable. When Thanos destroyed them, we got lucky the universe didn't fall apart or something akin to that."
"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?" Clint griped.
"Feed it to the cat?" Rhodey suggested.
"Come again?" Clint balked.
"It's not a cat. It just looks like one." Steve brushed off Clint's concern. "Did you bring it?"
"Yeah. Coulson's got Goose." Daisy gestured to where the rest of her team was standing catching up with Bobbi and Hunter.
"Ayo - bring Agent Coulson and the cat up to the lab. He'll be staying with Ms. Romanoff." Okoye asked.
"You can stay here Ayo. I'll bring Coulson back up with me." Natasha offered.
"Staying? You're not fighting?" Sam did a double take.
"Not unless all of you get killed and it's down to me and Coulson to save the universe." Natasha answered.
"Uh huh - I'm gonna need some elaboration on that... that doesn't jive with anything I know about you." Sam stated.
"Alright I guess we're doing this now." Steve muses.
"Johnson, right?" Natasha addressed Daisy.
"That's me." Daisy responded after a beat, not used to Natasha referring to her by last name.
"Could you give us a moment?" Natasha continued.
"Sure." Daisy stepped away leaving Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Clint, Bruce, Rhodey, Steve and Natasha somewhat isolated from the sixty-some people milling around on the grass outside the lab.
"I'm guessing she's one of you with five extra years of memory." Natasha surmised based off the apologetic look Rhodey had given her.
"Yeah. What did you need to tell us?" Rhodey confirmed.
"I'm removing myself from the fight because I'm pregnant." Natasha cautiously answered trying to gauge reactions from her teammates.
"Oh my God. Congratulations." Clint reacted first. "I had no idea but don't take that personally; I was AWOL until two weeks before this all happened."
"Captain America's kid has an Uncle Sam." Sam grinned. "That's perfect."
"You're an amazing big sister, you're gonna be the best mom." Wanda quietly reassured Natasha.
"Well this is a different kind of awkward then I was expecting." Bruce stated. "But congratulations; I'm happy for you guys, genuinely."
"We should still probably talk once this is all over." Natasha suggested.
"I've already had that conversation but okay." Bruce nodded.
"Speaking of... they've caught up to us." Rhodey gestured to to the sky.
"Everyone relax it's going to hit the barrier." Steve added loud enough for the whole group to hear him.
"It's time." T'Challa stated. "Everyone get on a transport."
************************************
I'm skipping the big battle cause I suck at writing fight scenes. Everyone winds up in Wakanda, the good guys win, Thanos is dead.
************************************
"Am I interrupting something?" Natasha asked standing in the doorway to Rhodey's room.
"Uh, no. I gotta call Maria and Monica... let 'em know I'm sticking around Earth for a while." Carol excused herself. "Congratulations by the way."
"Thanks." Natasha responded. "I realize we're all stuck here for the foreseeable future but we're trying to keep the number of people who know about the baby down since it's still early."
"Yeah... I - sorry it's kind of an old habit between Okoye, Daisy, Nebula, me and... you. Don't worry, I can keep a secret." Carol apologized awkwardly.
"Nice meeting you Danvers." Natasha acknowledged.
"If you're here to play matchmaker you're either five years early or two months late." Rhodey quipped.
"So I did die in those five years." Natasha notes.
"What gave me away?" Rhodey sighs.
"You weren't surprised when we told everyone I was pregnant. Even Steve didn't know. You've got some explaining to do." Natasha stated seriously.