Whatever it Takes: Endgame

Chapter 16

A few weeks after the wedding, the couple got out of the car and looked at the home Natasha lived in for three years. It still looked the same on the outside.

"My Aunt Susan used to live not too far from here," Bruce said.

"You ever come around this way?"

"No, I didn't leave the house a lot, except for school. Spent breaks in my room, except for when we went to L.A. to see Jen, Aunt Elaine and Uncle Morris."

"I played in the neighborhood all the time," Natasha said. "Rode my bike everywhere, hung out with the other kids."

"We lived very different lives then," he joked.

Natasha chuckled as he took her hand and they went in the house. It looked a bit different and Natasha led Bruce to the sliding back door, revealing the same playset with swings from when she and Yelena were kids.

"Yelena and I played on that all the time," Natasha said as she nodded to the playset and fiddled with her necklace that Bruce made her. "We would spend hours outside and I would just let myself be a kid. The last time we played out there was when Melina taught us about fireflies."

She felt Bruce kiss the side of her head as she remembered the last time she and Yelena played in the backyard. The last few moments before they were forced to go back to the Red Room.

"You wanna buy it," Bruce asked softly.

"Yeah," she said as she nodded, then turned to face him. "Will you be okay here?"

"Yeah. I don't feel uncomfortable or like I need to run."

"But if you do..."

"You'll be the first person to know. But I'm sure I'll be fine."

"How about we buy a place in Westview as a getaway?"

"Nat –"

"Bruce, you've already done so much for me. This is the least you can let me do for you."

"Will Westview make you happy?"

"Anywhere with you will make me happy," she confessed. "We could live in Mexico and I'd be happy as long as I'm with you."

"How about this, you can pick the Westview house and I'll pay for it," he compromised, making Natasha smile. "If it gets too much here, we can migrate. I know how much you love Ohio, so please let me give you the two houses your wedding present?"

In the months that that followed, Yelena was quick to move in with them, so the couple moved into Natasha's old room before Yelena claimed it. Yelena was in and out after accepting a job with S.H.I.E.L.D., so she was on sent on missions for half of the month, doing a lot of what Natasha used to do.

Tony and Bruce renovated Alexei and Melina's old bedroom to make it less weird as a guest room or when Bruce and Natasha eventually had kids.

The basement was turned into a lab since it was big enough, but it took almost a month in between Pepper giving birth and moving stuff to Westview to get everything down there. Half of Bruce and Natasha's stuff was moved into the Westview house.

Bruce and Natasha had officially retired from the Avengers when they were moved into both houses, wanting to settle down. They also let the team know if the situation is dire that they could still be reached. However, that didn't stop the team from dropping in unannounced when they wanted to visit.

Bruce's family dropped by when they could. Most of Bruce's family dinners were held at the Banner-Romanoff household, which Natasha didn't mind. She loved Bruce's family and it helped that Jennifer and Yelena got along so well.

Natasha's family was another story. The came by unannounced, were loud and often stayed for a week when they visited. It drove Bruce and Natasha crazy.

Bruce continued to work for Tony remotely unless he was needed at the lab in New York. Natasha went on no kill missions for Fury, who still paid her but only contacted her via phone when she was needed. Neither her or Bruce was capable of fully leaving their day jobs as an agent and scientist.

One night after coming home from a short mission, Natasha went into Bruce's lab where he was working on who knew what.

"Hey," she said when she entered the room, then noticed it was completely silent. "When did you soundproof the basement?"

"A few days ago," he answered.

"How are you gonna hear me when I need you upstairs?"

Bruce seemed to finish something before turning to her and taking off his glasses and said, "That's what this screen is for."

He turned the monitor showing the different rooms and hallways in the house. Natasha stepped closer to see the sound was turned on, so he'd hear her if she needed something.

"Impressive," she told him. "You gonna keep it turned on while you're in here?"

Bruce may have been the ideal husband, but he was also an introverted lab rat who liked his privacy. There were still days when she had to drag him out of the basement.

"Yes dear," he joked with a smirk.

"Call me that again and we're watching 'Casablanca' again tonight," she joked back as he shut down his computer.

He chuckled then took her hand as they went outside to the backyard and sat down on the giant swing Bruce and Tony put up near the doorway when the couple first moved to the house.

Bruce made room for Natasha to lean her back against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

They had gotten into the habit of going outside before dinner. Sometimes Yelena would relive her childhood and play on the playset's swings as the couple watched.

"Everything go okay in New York," Bruce asked.

"Yeah. Fury said he'd give me some time off soon."

"We could go on our honeymoon."

"Nowhere with a beach," she teased.

"France? London? Scotland?"

"Yes, please," she teased, causing Bruce to chuckle.

"Tony came by to take a break from baby duty. Kept asking me about us having kids and wants Morgan to have a cousin."

"What'd you tell him?"

"The truth. We want to stay married a bit before we decide to adopt."

They both wanted to adopt more than anything, but they decided to stay married for a few years before making that decision. They wanted to lean into a more domestic lifestyle that didn't involve being on the run.

Natasha watched as the fireflies started flying around in the backyard and Yelena came outside after coming home from work to sit on the swings and watch with them. In that moment, everything felt as it should be.

When she looked at Bruce, he was already looking at her with love and tenderness. She pressed her forehead to his and said, "I adore you."

"I adore you too."

Her story was far from over and she was going to make the most of her second chance.

Note: Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and this series as a whole!

Thank you to everyone who voted, commented and/or told me how much they liked this series!