Avengers/MCU Oneshots

Want to Wipe it Out? (Part Two)

Natalia, now Natasha, sat on the couch in the Barton's living room. Clint and Laura were talking in the kitchen. Their son Cooper was playing on the floor with a couple toy cars in front of her. She watched him, though she kept glancing over her shoulder.

Despite being in the house for two days, she still felt uneasy. She liked it here, she didn't want to mess it up and have Clint change his mind and take her out back and shoot her or something. She was also paranoid that the Red Room would come find her, but Clint promised her that this place was completely off the grid. Plus, they made it look like he did kill her. Her blood was at the scene. They'd assume she was dead.

She was lost in thought when little Cooper tapped her knee. "Miss Tasha?"

Natasha looked down at his smiling face.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Can we pway caw?" He asked, holding up his toys. "Pwease?"

"Not right now."

His eyes pooled with tears. "PWEASE?!"

"No," She said, harsher.

"Pwease, pwease, PWEASE?"

She was about to say no, but he looked like he might throw a fit and she didn't want Agent Barton angry at her for something so stupid. "Fine."

He grinned. Her only experience with small children were the little girls in the Red Room, and the few kids she'd killed. She didn't really know how to act with them.

She got on the floor, accepting the magenta car she was offered. She 'drove' it around a bit.

"Wet's wace!" Cooper exclaimed.

Natasha looked at him in confusion. Race where?

He got up and dragged over a huge toy structure, that was the same size as him. "See, Miss Natty? Dis I my race track! You put the car here-" He put his red car on a platform. "And then you hit dis button, and it goes down!" He pressed a small lever on the side of the platform, and the car shot down the track. Once the car reached the end, he picked it up. "Isn't it cool?!"

"It is pretty cool."

"Now, we wace!"

Natasha rolled her eyes, and set her car down, hitting the button at the same time as the toddler. She had to admit, there was something therapeutic about watching the car fly down the track. After a few times, she found herself smiling. This was pretty fun. She couldn't remember the last time she'd done something fun.

Laura walked into the room, smiling. "Looks like you two are having fun."

Natasha shrugged, sitting back down on the couch.

"You know, you're pretty good with kids, Natasha."

"Doubt it. Haven't been around them much."

"You are good with them. Trust me, I'm a mother. I have a natural intuition for such things."

Natasha shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"I get it. We want you to know, you have to understand that we know this transition to living here is hard. You've never lived like this before, it's all new terrain. And though you won't admit it, you're worried you'll mess up. And that's ok.

"We're not asking you to immediately feel comfortable with us, or for you to want to suddenly be our friends. That's a lot to ask. You go however far you feel comfortable going. Just know that you aren't alone. You don't have to be so tough all the time. It's ok to not be ok."

Natasha nodded, turning her head, not wanting the woman to see the tears threatening to spill. A few leaked out of her eyes despite her best efforts. She was embarrassed, but then a small voice asked, "Are you ok, Miss Natty?"

Little Cooper Barton climbed up next to her. She flinched as his tiny thumbs brushed away her tears. He kissed her cheek. "MWAH! All better!"

Natasha couldn't resist a fraction of a smile. "Thank you, Cooper. And I'm fine, Laura. Thanks for the concern, but you have no reason to worry. I'm just as fine as I've always been."

Laura didn't look like she bought this, but she shrugged. "Alright. I'm gonna make lunch."

"Yay!" Cooper exclaimed. "I hungwy!"

Laura ruffles his hair, starting lunch. Chicken Alfredo, it looked like. Natasha sat at the table, reading a book aloud to Cooper. After about fifteen minutes, the smells of cooking chicken and pasta filled the room. Once it was done, Laura and Clint joined them at the table and ate the dinner.

Natasha ate it as politely as she could while also shoving it into her mouth. It was good, and she still wasn't used to eating three meals a day, and wanted to savor it. She rarely got meals like these. There had been no constantly lingering hunger pains while she was at the farm.

She remembered having to smuggle bread from dinner while she was growing up so she'd have something to eat when no one was looking. She remembered occasionally splitting it with Yelena. She hadn't seen Yelena in a while, and quite possibly never would again.

As Laura got up to throw away her food, she whispered "Sh**!" Under her breath. In the defense of her, only Natasha could hear it.

"What?" She asked.

"The baby is coming, I'm pretty sure way faster than I expected. I think I need to go to the hospital."

"Ok," Clint said. "Who's gonna watch Cooper?"

"Natasha can, right? Just for a couple of hours until my parents can get here?"

The couple looked at the redhead expectingly.

"I ummm... I guess I can," She stammered. She was completely unprepared. If Laura was doing a home labor, that would be one thing, Nat knew how to handle that, but she didn't really know how to watch a kid.

"'I guess' doesn't really cut it," Clint said. "Unless you suddenly tell us that you know some midwifery than this is how we need you to help."

Natasha snorted. "I know more midwifery than babysitting."

"Have you ever helped give birth to a baby?"

"Yes, several times. You know how often I've babysat a child? Never."

"Wait, so if I stayed here, you'd be able to do everything that they couple at a hospital?" Laura asked.

"Other than an epidural, yes."

Laura looked at her dead in the eyes. "Would you do it?"

"If you wanted me to."

"Do it."

Natasha nodded, her brain shifting into gear. Finally, here was familiar terrain. She was indeed able to help Laura give birth to the baby. After seven hours and six pushes, baby Lila Barton was born. Nat handed the baby to her mother.

Laura looked over at her. "Thank you, so much Natasha."

Nat shrugged. "It wasn't much. I knew what to do, and did it. It isn't exactly intricate spy plans. It's helping a woman shove a baby out of her vagina."

Laura laughed a little. "Thanks, really. It's because of you I don't have to pay a massive hospital bill."

Natasha shrugged. "I literally owe your husband my life. This palest in comparison. But... thank you."

"You don't owe me anything other than not getting caught up with them again," Clint told her as he took his new baby from his wife. "Let's get Lila cleaned up so she can meet her brother."

Clint had watched Cooper until Laura's parents arrived. Then he had joined the women upstairs. (Ever notice that Clint and Cooper start with Cs and Laura and Lila both start with Ls?)

Natasha cleaned Lila up before putting her diaper on and swaddling her. "There you go, Mama," She said as she handed Lila over.

Clint and Laura looked between each other and their baby, love in their eyes. Natasha smiled and left the room, carefully closing the door behind her.