Where Do I Go Now That They're All Gone

Chapter 1

November 26, 2001

It was a regular day at the Red Room Academy. Their top student Natalia Romanov had just come back from recovery. She had been part of an experiment that required her to be in isolation for a year. She had graduated a couple of years back, but being part of the experiment had taken a toll on her. Madame B simply said that " You can go on missions, but we need to sterilize you as we didn't have the chance with your first graduation"

Boom!

The intruder alarm starts blaring. With the door locked the girls have no idea what to do. A few panic-stricken moments later, a man with dirty blond hair and a bow and quiver of arrows broke down the door and asked the girls to move towards the Upper Exit. All the girls immediately followed the orders, except Natalia.

"Who are you? Why are you helping us?" inquired Natalia. The man closed his previously open bow and let his hand out. "I'm Agent Barton of SHIELD. I have been asked to close the Red Room Academy and also recruit you."

"Recruit me? Why?"

"You are the Black Widow, yes?" After receiving a nod from Natalia, he continued, "Technically my boss wanted you dead, but I think he'll change his mind"

"How do I know that you are not going to kill me as your boss asked?" Natalia asked still not trusting him.

"Let me do this, you can have me on gunpoint until we go to my boss and you can talk to him directly" Agent Barton negotiated. "Alright, but I have to make a quick stop first, then I'll hold you gunpoint ."

"Where are we going?"

"To the lab housing, wait here"

After a few minutes of waiting, Natalia emerged with a baby, who looked not even a year old, in her arms.

"Who's baby is that?" Clint asked her.

Natalia immediately held the baby closer to her body and replied with a mine.

"Lead the way, Agent Barton." After exiting the premises, the Agent and Natalia entered the Quin Jet. Natalia released him from the single-handed gunpoint as he had to pilot the jet.

After putting the jet on Autopilot, the Agent seemed to go into the back and after a few minutes of rummaging, he emerged with a box of crackers and started stuffing his face with the crackers.

"You want some?"

Natalia shakes her head, and asks "Do you have anything I can give for the baby?"

"I'll go check" After a few more minutes, he yelled, "Do you want me to bring it ready, or do you want to do it yourself?"

Natalia didn't answer, she didn't know how to ask him to bring it ready as she didn't know how to make baby formula.

After a couple more minutes, he emerged with a baby bottle and gave it to Natalia who started to feed the half-awake baby. The baby sucked on the milk greedily.

"We never introduced ourselves properly. I'm Agent Clint Barton of SHIELD, but you already know about that"

"I'm Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow" Natasha introduced herself. Clint receives a notification through the jet's communication. He reads the message and frowns.

"It seems we need to make a quick stop to pick up a couple of agents if it is okay with you of course."

After getting Natasha's approval, Clint sends the okay to the receiver end of the communicator. After 40 minutes of uncomfortable silence and small talk, Clint stops the Quin Jet and opens the door and two agents come in, one male and one female.

"Agents Parker, how are you doing? I heard that you were retiring after having a baby, any luck?" Clint asked them after the Agents settled down.

"We're fine, but no luck in the baby department though." the female answered. "Call me Mary and you can call him Richard, it gets confusing using the same last name."

Clint gestures to Natasha "Ms. Romanoff this is Agent Mary Parker and Agent Richard Parker, Agents this is Ms.Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow."

They seem a little surprised to see the deadly Black Widow with a sleeping baby in her arms, but quickly shake it off.

After a couple more hours they arrive in the SHIELD Helicarrier, they are about to exit when Natasha stops them. "I don't anyone to know about the baby including your boss"

They look like they want to protest but give in. "You guys don't have to report to Fury for another couple hours, do you think you can babysit him?" Clint starts asking the Agents, they reluctantly nod and Natasha carefully hands the baby over to Mary.

"Does he have a name?" Richard asks Natasha when they were about to leave. Natasha stops and thinks for a bit before answering. "Peter. His name is Peter."

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After meeting Fury, they came back about two hours later. When they went back to the parked Quin Jet and saw Richard and Mary playing peacefully with Peter. The Agents did not seem to notice the two people looking at them.

After they noticed, they reluctantly gave Peter to Natasha, who took him lovingly. "We talked to Fury and he's okay with Natasha joining SHIELD as long she works with me for the first few missions" Clint stated about what happened during the past two hours and the other two Agents, in turn, told them what happened with Peter during the same two hours.

Natasha couldn't help but notice the sadness and the glint of joy it brought to the two Agents when talking about Peter. Natasha had taken a decision.

"Even if I'm, not a SHIELD agent, my life is not the most suitable for raising kids. So, I want you to take him. I overheard you talking to Clint that you were going to retire and have kids. I'm sorry for your loss. But I want you to take him" stated Natasha. "Also don't let him know that he is adopted and don't let him know I'm his mom. I would love to keep in touch," Natasha sighed "but it's for his safety."

All the Agents were shocked at what Natasha had said. "I don't know Ms. Romanoff" Mary replied uneasily.

"Please take him, Mary" Natasha pleaded. After some more pleading, Mary and Richard accepted. It had been time for them to leave, so Natasha placed a tender kiss on Peter's delicate forehead and said in Russian "я люблю тебя, паук"