This started out as the beginning to a longer story, but I ended up not having the ideas or motivation to add to it after awhile.. I was browsing through my fan fiction notebook last night and read it again, and thought it might be OK as a short story. You can tell me what you think. It seems to be hard, finding baby fic for these two. ;-) As always, I appreciate the comments, votes, and reads from you guys!! ^^
"Did you feel that?"
Natasha can't help but chuckle at the excitement in Clint's voice.
"Clint.. She's growing inside of me. How could I not feel that?"
They're lying on their double bed, Natasha on her back, pillows behind her. Clint on his stomach, his head at her waist. He's resting one hand on her slowly growing bigger belly, indulging in their new nightly pastime of feeling the baby kick and move.
Clint had been disappointed to miss out on the first, early "baby flutters" that Natasha had felt at four months pregnant. Still, he had put his hand on her then small bump every night, as though he could will himself to feel something. But now at six months into the pregnancy, most of their baby's movements could be felt by his hand. Natasha loves watching his face light up when he feels that connection, baby to father.
The little foot thumps against her stomach wall again, where Clint's hand rests. "Wow.. She's gonna have quite a kick. Just like her mother." he chuckles. They'd recently found out that they were having a girl. That had scared them both at first.. Clint worried about protecting her from the sort of childhood that Natasha had lived. Natasha worried that she didn't know how to raise a little girl.. a boy, in her thinking, would have been easier to bring up, around the weapons, and the Avengers.... But now, the idea seemed somehow enchanting to them both. Clint already referred to her as "their little princess". Boy or girl, they were going to be unnerved as parents.. But they had determined they would make the best of it.
"Speaking of her..." Natasha fumbles one hand to the nightstand, pulling away a book titled "Baby Names 101". It was one of the many books she had brought home after one of her afternoons baby shopping with Pepper (Pepper was so ecstatic about their baby, and every chance she had to get away from her work at STARK Industries, would take Natasha out to some new baby store she had found online in New York). She hands the book off to Clint. "Your turn tonight to pick a name for the list. " Her eyes sparkle, Clint groans, but reluctantly takes the book from her.
"What help IS this book, Tasha? I mean, c'mon... Why can't we come up with our own, unique name for her?" He pulls himself up and starts thumbing through the book.
"YOU named the dog "Lucky" . NOT your most unique choice, Clint."
Clint glances at her. "Touche," he agrees, and hearing his name, Lucky comes padding u and barks twice.
"Quiet, Lucky. Lie down. " Clint orders, and the dog pads to their bedside and sprawls out on the rug. Clint continues to flip through the book.
"Are you wanting something new age? Gender neutral?" he asks.
"I think something... old fashioned might be nice. Hmm?"
"How about something Russian then?"
"Maybe..." she murmurs. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her place both hands lovingly on her belly and give a small sigh. He smiles to himself and continues to flip through the book, before he can get caught up in his emotions and thoughts about this change in their life.
Natasha sits up and reaches for the pad of paper and pencil at their bedside, and starts scribbling something. "Something like Katya, maybe... or Anastasia."
"How about Alianovna?" Clint suggests, shutting the name book. Natasha starts writing it down, then stops and looks at him.
"Alianovna... It's more of a title than a name, you goof. You know that."
"Yup. It means "daughter of", right?"
"Yes."
"Well..." He reaches a hand back out her belly and rubs it softly. "She's our daughter, isn't she?"
Natasha looks at him a moment longer, then writes it down on the notepad. "We're not using that, though. Now.. pick something we can use."
"Slave driver!" he teases, even though he opens the book again and flips a few pages, looking them over.
"OK... how about.. Claudia?"
"Claudia... " Natasha repeats, trying it out on her tongue. She writes it down.
"Claudia Alianovna." Clint adds, and she tosses a pillow at him.
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