Love's New Hope

Two Weddings And A Surprise

3 months later

Natasha smiled as she watched Loki and Darcy say "I do". They were perfect for each other, both causing relative amounts of mischief, though Darcy didn't put up with any crap from Loki and Loki treated her like a queen.

Natasha found herself tearing up a little, which was odd since she normally wasn't emotional about this kind of thing. She blinked rapidly a few times to clear the tears before anyone could see. She noticed Pepper, who was sitting next to her, was beaming broadly. Pepper and Loki had become extremely close, Loki viewing her as a sister and Pepper viewing him as a brother and protector. So seeing him get married was equivalent to what Clint had felt when Natasha had gotten married. It was really sweet.

After the actual ceremony, they all went to Stark's cruise ship where the reception was.

Loki and Darcy walked around the deck arm in arm, not able to tear their eyes away from each other.

"They're so cute together aren't they?" Pepper asked Tony, smiling.

"Yeah they are." Tony said, though he wasn't looking at Loki and Darcy, but rather at Pepper. "But I think we'd be even cuter."

Pepper snapped her head towards Tony. They were technically engaged, but she'd assumed that it would be some time before they actually got married. "Tony, are you proposing... again?"

Tony shrugged. "All I'm saying is that maybe we should get married sooner rather than later."

"And when exactly is sooner?" She asked suspiciously.

"How about... three weeks? By then Reindeer Games and Taser Girl will be back by then and I think..." he was cut off by Pepper kissing him.

"Yes." She said. "Three weeks and don't you dare bail on me."

He smiled at his fiancée. "Don't worry. I think I'm finally ready for this."
*
3 weeks later

"Whew!" Natasha said, groaning as she sat down on the couch on her and Bucky's floor.

Bucky poked his head out of the kitchen. "Finally get them settled in and out of here?" He asked her wryly.

She gave him a dirty look as he settled down on the couch next to her. "You should've been seeing them off too."

He grinned as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him. "Yeah, but there were too many people. I pulled them aside after the ceremony and gave them my congratulations and all that stuff. They both understood that I wouldn't be there the whole time."

She sighed and leaned into him. "I'm really glad that this is done and over with." Natasha said tiredly. "Two weddings in one month... I'm exhausted."

Bucky looked at his wife worriedly. "Maybe you should take a break, just hang on the floor and not worry about anything for a while." It was rare for Natasha to be tired, even more so than her being emotional.

"Maybe I will." She told him with a sigh. Natasha laid her head on his chest and smiled. But even though she was putting on a good show, she really didn't feel that good. Maybe I'll have to check this out. She thought to herself. She glanced up at her husband and snuggled into him. But not right now.
*
Three months later

Natasha groaned as she leaned over the toilet and vomited. This was the twelfth morning in a row that she'd thrown up. So far, she'd managed to keep this from her other team members, but she knew it wouldn't be long until they found out. And as if her thoughts brought it on, she heard a knock on the bathroom door.

"Natasha?" She heard Loki call through the door. "You ok?"

She sighed and opened the door. "Come in quickly." Natasha told him. He slipped in and eyed the mess she'd made.

"I'm guessing that's a no, you're not ok." He said astutely.

She groaned and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. "Don't tell anyone." She pleaded.

"How long has this been going on?" He asked worriedly, sitting next to her.

Natasha shrugged. "Almost two weeks."

Loki sighed. "Natasha, have you considered the fact that you could be..."

"No." She said firmly. "I'm not."

Loki rubbed a hand over his face. "Natasha, face the facts. You've been throwing up every day for almost two weeks. That could be morning sickness. You've been a bit more moody of late... yes, I noticed. And have you looked in the mirror lately? You've done a good job in hiding it, but face it. You've gained weight."

Natasha stood up and leaned on the sink, breathing a little harder. It wasn't possible. Though the super soldier serum wouldn't have effected this, the people at the Red Room had sterilized her. They'd been very clear about that and since then, she'd never had a period or anything similar. She sighed and turned to Loki, only to find that he was gone.

A moment later, a knock sounded at the door and Loki, Pepper, and Darcy walked in.

"I got back up." Loki said, responding to Natasha's questioning look.

Pepper walked over and gripped Natasha's hands. "Natasha, I don't know what happened at the Red Room, but there's always the possibility that it didn't work."

"And if it didn't," Darcy added. "Then there are things you need to be doing to keep yourself healthy."

"Guys," Natasha said, a little faintly. "It's just not possible."

Pepper and Darcy exchanged a glance. Loki had disappeared, probably uncomfortable with this conversation.

"There's only one way to find out." Pepper told her. She handed her a small box.

Natasha glanced at it. "Seriously?" She asked.

"We have four married couples living here and who knows how many more are on the brink of happening. We figured it'd happen sooner or later." Darcy told her motioning to the box and it's contents."

Natasha sighed. "Fine, but you guys wait in the bedroom while I ... take care of this."

The two girls nodded and walked out of the bathroom. It only took a few minutes before Natasha walked out, white faced.

"Well?" Pepper and Darcy asked at the same time."

Natasha stared at them for a moment. "I'm pregnant."