Steve woke up, realising he had fallen asleep to the sound of Natasha's small breaths. He looked over at the redhead in his arms, touching her soft cheek a little. She was deep in sleep, even though they had been lying in the bed for at least twelve hours. Steve managed to sit up a little straighter as his back hurt a bit from all the lying down. He thought about making something to eat. Both for himself but also for Natasha when she woke up. His stomach was screaming in hunger and he almost felt a little nauseous for not eating in so long. He looked down at Natasha's peaceful face as the memories of the night before replayed in his mind. He couldn't risk being gone as she woke up. He couldn't risk her remembering the wrong thing. Imagining the wrong thing. So he simply stayed right next to her. He dragged his hand through her hair softly, wondering what dreams and thoughts flew around behind those closed eyes. After a few more hours, Natasha opened her eyes. She felt a bit tired even though she had the feeling she had been asleep for a good while. The sunlight became too bright for her eyes and she quickly closed them again and put her hand over her big baby bump to turn around a little only to realise that Steve was there right beside her. She sighed in relief as his arms wrapped around her and his face got buried in her neck. "Steve.." She mumbled a bit and he kissed her cheek. "Are you still tired? You can go back to sleep." He whispered softly. Natasha sighed deeply, slowly opening her eyes again. "I'm sorry. Yesterday I didn't.." She began but forgot her next words as Steve laid down on the other side of her, facing her. His big blue eyes stared into her green ones. "It's okay." He said as he cupped her cheek. His thumb ran over her cheek smoothly before he gave her a few soft kisses. "It will be okay."

After Natasha had had some nights of actual rest and had eaten proper meals, she felt better. Much better. Her mind was clear, her temper normal and her lips smiling. Of course, she still suffered from the morning sickness, pain from the baby's kicks, backache, occasional headache and more stuff that she couldn't count on both of her hands, but it was different now. Natasha took Steve's help. He helped her through it. He held her hair as she threw up the meals she had eaten, the nightmares got more uncommon and terrible and he was constantly carrying around aspirins and other painkillers. When the baby kicked, he was by Natasha's side, singing softly to the belly. "It's fine, Steve. He'll stop kicking soon." She said, smiling a little at his half good attempt on singing. Steve gave her a boyish grin. "Do you hate my voice? Is that it?" He asked teasingly, pretending to be a bit grumpy which was hard as Natasha started to laugh a little. He simply couldn't help but to smile. "I love your voice." Natasha said, putting her hand over Steve's on her baby bump. "He do too." She said, showing Steve that the baby had stopped kicking. Steve grinned. "She." He corrected, making Natasha shake her head. "I thought you knew me well enough to know that I'm never wrong." She said, raising a brow as she looked at him. "We'll see." He said, letting his hand run over the bump a little more.
A few hours later, Steve got a call and he turned to Natasha, a little exited. Natasha looked at him suspiciously. "What are you smiling about?" She asked as Steve bit his lower lip to contain his smile. "Nick Fury. He want us for a meeting." He said and Natasha sighed. "It's fine. You can go." She said and Steve shook his head. "Natasha? I said us." He said and Natasha raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm not allowed to work, not even for a meeting. Fury said it himself." She said. "And now he has changed his mind. I'm not letting you work obviously but a meeting wouldn't do any harm." Steve said and Natasha's eyes widened a bit. Steve smiled, knowing how exited she got even though she deeply tried to hide that. "I need my heels." Natasha said and Steve laughed. "Nice try. Take your sneakers and let's get going."

• • •

"It's about The XX." Steve said as they sat in the car. Natasha laughed. "They're still at that? I'm telling you, if Nick had let me work, they've wouldn't have been a problem anymore." Natasha said and Steve chuckled. "People may say that you're arrogant but I know for a fact that you're right." He said and Natasha frowned. "People call me arrogant?" She asked, looking at Steve. "I'm not arrogant. I'm just needed more than other people." She said and Steve laughed a bit more. "Stop laughing." Natasha said seriously. "I'm not arrogant." She said and Steve nodded. "You're not arrogant." He agreed, making Natasha shake her head. "You're such a terrible liar, it's ridiculous." She said, rolling her eyes. Steve grinned.
As the two of them entered SHIELD headquarters, Steve prayed for the people that glanced at Natasha. He didn't blame them though. If you looked at her, the baby bump drew all the attention from her face. Natasha hated that they stared and she gave them stares back. Steve was just thankful that looks actually couldn't kill. They were a few minutes late to the meeting and the rest of the Avengers was surprised as Steve and Natasha entered the room. "You're late." Nick Fury said, giving the two of them a glance. "It's not like I can run." Natasha said, making Clint chuckle. Natasha grinned at her friend before giving the other Avenges a glance. "Mention my baby bump and I'll drag you out of here." Natasha said, keeping her eyes on Tony specifically. Tony raised his eyebrows a bit, looking over at Bruce. "Why is she staring at me?" He mumbled. "Though I did wonder why you've gotten so fat recently." Tony added and Natasha who was about to sit down stood up immediately. Steve gently made her sit down again as Nick sighed. "Shut it, Stark. Play with fire and you'll not only get burned, but buried." Nick said before standing in front of the Avengers. Natasha gave Tony a stare, letting her flame red hair fall over her collarbone.

• • •

"So you are where we left you? No progress at all?" Natasha asked confused. "This is not a game." She said seriously, standing up. She looked at the big screen, making a circled spot around the hiding areas. "These are the ones we know, meaning that's not where they hide." She said. "It's more common that they'll keep their last hidden headquarters here, here and here.." She said, pointing out the places. "And how can you possibly know that?" Tony asked, raising a brow. Natasha gave him a smile. "Because there's a difference between you and I, I actually have a brain." Natasha said and Tony raised his eyebrows. "Wow." He said at Natasha's temper. Clint kept chuckling, loving Natasha's mood. "I think she have missed being rude and harsh to someone." Steve said to Clint as Natasha kept talking. "I'm just glad she chose Tony and not me." Clint said, chuckling even more. "Are you going to listen or do you want to laugh your asses out of here?" Natasha suddenly asked Clint and Steve who got serious at once. "This is not entertaining. You need to get yourself together. This group kills. Civilians. Children." She said, putting a hand over her baby bump and everyone became a little tense at her words. "Sure, we've done some progress but we are far from done. We need to.." Natasha began before her eyes widened a bit and a huge gush of fluids went all over the floor. Steve stood up with his mouth wide open, just like everyone else's. "Like I was saying, we need to take out these.." Natasha continued and Clint raised his eyebrows. "Nat. Your water just broke." He said seriously and Steve was at Natasha's side in a second. "We need to take these places out on the same night. Quick and quiet. We can't wait any longer." Natasha said and Steve shook his head. "Natasha. We have to go to the hospital. Now." He said seriously and Natasha sighed. "Four groups. Attack at the same time. Take it all out." She shouted as Steve dragged her out of the room. Clint excused himself, following Steve and Natasha. Nick stood up, looking after three of his avengers as they escaped the room. "Anybody want to clean this up?" Nick asked, staring at Tony who sank down in his chair.

• • •

Clint drove them to the hospital with Steve and Natasha in the back seat. "Shit, shit, shit.." Natasha mumbled as a terrible pain spread in her back and lower abdomen. "Is that a contraction? Is it?" Steve asked nervously, holding onto Natasha. "Shut up." Natasha mumbled as she squeezed Steve's hand hard. Clint looked nervously back at them. He wasn't the one to stay calm during contractions either. As they reached the hospital, doctors were already waiting for them and showing them into a special room. They didn't know the risks of this pregnancy and they were all well prepared. As well as they could be at least. Steve didn't leave Natasha's side and his blue eyes turned a bit grey in fear. Clint had to wait outside to his disappointment. He gave Natasha a smile which she greeted before they disappeared into the room. Clint picked up his phone, giving Laura a call. Natasha had laid down on he hospital bed and the doctors were examining her as Steve helped her with the breathing techniques. Natasha's contractions got stronger and longer, and she squeezed Steve's hand desperately as she tried going through the pain. "She's 9cm dilated.." A doctor said stressfully. Steve looked around, seeing how the doctors prepared for everything and got even more nervous as he saw what a big deal this was. "It will be okay." Natasha suddenly said and Steve looked down at her, laughing nervously. "I should tell you that." He said as Natasha breathed through another contraction. "You.. You remember what you promised?" Natasha suddenly asked, trying to keep her vision straight as the pain was hard to handle. Steve thought back at the time in the car outside of SHIELDs headquarters. She had asked him to make her a promise. To promise her that in case anything happened, he had to put the baby before her. His answer to that promise made his stomach hurt. "I promise." Was his exact words. That promise didn't feel good now, not that it had back then either. Why did she even bring it up? They were going to be fine. "I remember but we'll be okay." Steve said, and Natasha looked at him. "I know, but just in case.. Don't break that promise." She said seriously. Steve didn't even want to answer that. He squeezed her hand tighter, trying to calm down a bit but worry filled his entire body, making him feel numb.

Steve squeezed her hand tighter, trying to calm down a bit but worry filled his entire body, making him feel numb. He looked at Natasha, seeing her painful expression as she went through contraction after contraction.
"Natasha.." A nurse said as Natasha had gotten back from such a painful contraction she almost blacked out. "It's time to push." The nurse said. Natasha opened her eyes, seeing Steve in the corner of her eye and doctors surrounding her. Her vision was a bit blurry and unsteady. "You can do it." She heard Steve say. All the voices were less loud and it was an uncomfortable quiet around her. It felt similar to the sound after a detonated bomb. Everything was loud, but she couldn't hear much. "Come on, Natasha." She heard Steve say again and she started pushing. The pain spread through her but she managed to keep pushing. She held Steve's hand tightly and it didn't take long until it disappeared. Natasha tried to keep her vision straight as she looked at the doctors in front of her. "I guess I'm on diaper duty." Steve burst out as he looked at baby in the doctors arms. Natasha stared at their child, knowing she had never and would never see anything more beautiful. Her heart twisted as she realised there was no scream from the small pink lips. "There is no breathing.." A doctor said and suddenly, their baby along with Steve and countless of doctors disappeared from Natasha's sight, out of the room. Natasha suddenly felt an extreme pain in her womb and she let out a weak scream. "We're losing her.." A doctor shouted and Natasha's vision got even more blurry before it all went black.

Steve had followed the doctors out of the room, terrified since their child couldn't breath. But with the doctors help and the quiet prays Steve kept repeating in his head, a little scream was heard. Steve's eyes widened and his heart fluttered. "Oh my god.." He mumbled, feeling how he stopped breathing for a second as he watched the doctors take some tests on the little child. "Is everything okay?" Steve asked one of the doctors who nodded. "Everything is as it should be." The doctor said with a small smile. Steve smiled a bit, taking a deep breath as something else came to mind. Natasha. A doctor entered the room in that exact moment and whispered something to another doctor. Steve's eyes widened as he saw their expressions and tried walking out of the room but a doctor stepped in front of the door. "What's going on?" Steve asked seriously. "Ms. Romanoff is in surgery." The doctor said. "Natasha is in what?" Steve asked seriously, trying to get past the doctors. "There's a condition called placenta accreta. It occurs when the placenta attaches abnormally to the myometrium. It increases the risk of heavy bleeding which is the reason Natasha became unconscious soon after the birth." The doctor said and Steve just shook his head. "Is Natasha okay?" He asked. "As I said, she's right now in surgery and they will make a caesarean section to try and remove the placenta. This is all we know for now." The doctor said and Steve put his hands on his head. This is what Natasha had talked about? She must have had a feeling. "I suggest you sit down, Captain Rogers." A doctor said and Steve eventually did as he was told. The doctors still took tests on the baby to check that everything was indeed alright and Steve didn't take his eyes off their child. "This condition is most common if the woman have been through many abortions or caesarean sections. We believe it may have something to do with the surgery Ms. Romanoff went through when she was younger. In the red room was it?" The doctor said, a little uncertain about the last part. Steve dragged his hands over his face. Natasha's words replayed in his head. "It will be okay."