Requested by ninjarider1, James (Nat and Steve's child) is somehow effected by the snap. More in the request but it would spoil it so this is all the summary you get. 

Bad timing was a common re-occurrence when it came to Natasha and Steve's relationship.

The first time Steve has confessed his feelings for Natasha had been in the middle of a mission, right before he passed out from a bullet wound.

After knowing that he was alive, Natasha had refused to talk to him for five days, and when she finally did, it was only to yell at him for almost dying and leaving her alone without a chance to say she felt the same.

They had kissed and that night, they had been over the moon with happiness at finally being able to express their feelings for one another.

Their bliss was short lived however, because early that morning, Natasha was called away for a three month undercover mission.

She had been whisked away so quickly that she hadn't even been able to say goodbye to Steve in person.

Instead, she had been forced to settle for a short note.

When he found it, he had been more then disappointed.

Steve,

They are pulling me into a 3-month under cover mission that is apparently so urgent I didn't have the time to come say goodbye in person. Don't find any other girls to replace me while I'm gone. I'll see you in 3 months. Stay safe.

Love, Natasha

The note was short, simple, and very much like Natasha.

Keeping it in his pocket at all times was the only thing that got him through those months.

When she finally got back, Steve and her had shared a night of passion that showed each of them that the old saying was true. Absence does make the heart grow stronger.

Once again however, they had been sucked right back into a mission in Lagos.

That in itself wouldn't have been much of a problem, but then the mission had spiraled out of control and they were both busy trying to deal with the mess Wanda had accidentally created.

That's when the accords happened.

Natasha and Steve had somehow ended up on differing sides of the argument and because of that, their time together had been limited.

Peggy's death had brought Steve to Europe which also separated the two just before the signing of the accords.

Natasha followed Steve there and they shared one last moment together before they had to separate one again for the accords.

"Just promise this won't change anything Steve. Once everything is over, promise me we'll be alright," Natasha had asked quietly into his ear.

Steve had simply nodded, "We'll be alright Nat. We'll always be alright."

After that, they hadn't seen each other until the fight at the airport where Natasha had let him escape despite her original decision to side with the accord.

It was another year and three months before they saw each other.

Steve and Sam had been on the run when Natasha knocked on their door.

Sam excused himself after greeting her and left the couple to their... reunion.

Five weeks later, Natasha found out she was pregnant.

She was terrified, confused, and unsure about how to be a mother, but Steve stayed by her side through the entire pregnancy.

Nine months later, James Rogers was born a small hospital nearby the Barton's farm.

He was a perfect combination of Steve and Natasha with his blonde hair and Natasha's bright green eyes.

For two months, they loved every minute of raising James and stayed with the Barton's in order to continue flying under the government's radar.

But when Wanda and Vision were attacked, they had been forced to leave him with Laura and run off to help them.

That had sucked them into a whole new war against Thanos, a titan who wanted to eliminate half the world's population.

Natasha made sure that her and Steve didn't leave one another's side but it was still terrifying to think that if Thanos succeeded, she could lose he or James.

Natasha knew what happened before she had even seen it happen.

Everything on the battlefield fell almost completely silent. No cries of victory, no screams, just silence.

She scrambled to her feet and sprinting to where Steve was, running into his arms and embracing him when she saw that he was alright.

Around them, their teammates had already dissolved to dust. Sam, Wanda, and Bucky were all gone.

"Steve," Natasha said, her voice panicked, "We have to call Clint. We have to find out if James is alright."

Steve nodded and gave the others one last glance before taking off with Natasha to the palace.

People were panicked everywhere. The people who hadn't been fighting didn't understand why their friends and family had just turned to dust, and those who did fight weren't even sure of the cause.

"Captain Rogers! What's going on?" Someone yelled.

Steve shook his head, "I'll let everyone know as soon as we figure this out."

Natasha's breathing was heavy as she walked faster towards their room.

When they were finally inside, she grabbed her phone and dialed Clint's number.

She held the phone up to her ear with shaky hands and stared at the wall nervously as it rang.

A moment passed.

Then another.

The thick silence in the air was interrupted by Clint's voicemail.

Natasha looked up at Steve with fearful eyes, "What if Clint and Laura are gone?"

Steve stepped towards Natasha, "We'll figure it out Nat. Try calling Laura."

Natasha nodded, her hands still shaking, and dialed Laura's number.

Once again, silence filled the room for a few moments before the distinctive beep caused Natasha to start panicking even more.

"Steve we have to go back to him," Natasha said, her eyes watering at just the thought of having lost her son.

Steve nodded, "I'll get us a ride. Stay with the phone okay? Maybe they just didn't have it with them."

Natasha nodded and Steve quickly left the room, going towards the others as fast as he could.

"Steve! Where have you guys been? We need you and Natasha to help give a public statement," Bruce said when Steve walked into the room.

"We can't. Not yet at least. Our son, we don't know if he's okay. We need a plane or a jet to get us back there as soon as possible. We can fly it ourselves if we have to. We just need the jet."

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "Your son?"

Steve sighed, really not having any time for Bruce to be jealous, "Yes. Our son."

Okoye interrupted the two and put a hand on Steve's shoulder, "We have a jet you can use. Go get her and I will have it prepped for you."

Steve nodded gratefully, "Thank you."

She nodded and Steve ran back to get Natasha, "Nat, come on, they've got a jet ready for us."

Natasha nodded and walked slowly out of the room, her skin pale and her eyes full of worry.

Steve grasped her hand and gave it a light squeeze. That was the only thing he could really do to comfort her in a time like this.

They took the jet back to Clint's house and we're greeted with an uncomfortable silence considering the typical gleeful screams of children that they had grown so accustomed to.

"I have a bad feeling about this Steve," Natasha said quietly as they entered the house.

Steve held her hand again, "Clint? Laura??"

There was no response. Natasha glanced up at Steve with worry, "Lila?! Cooper?"

Still, there was no response.

Natasha let go of Steve's hand slowly and walked further into the house, searching for any sign that her friends...her family, was alive.

"Nat?" Steve called out, his voice quiet and fearful.

Natasha turned around and looked at what he saw.

It was James's crib. Empty except for Clint's phone, which was still left open on her number.

Natasha's hand flew to her mouth as tears built up in her eyes, "Oh my god."

Steve bent down and picked up the small blanket that Laura had in-scripted with James's name. He gave it a light shake and dust fell onto the floor.

Natasha let out a pained cry and fell to her knees, letting her tears flow freely for the child she believed she had lost.

Steve fell besides her, taking her small body into his arms, he embraced her tightly and buried his own face into her shoulder, trying to conceal his own tears as he wept.

"Steve. We lost him. We lost our baby," Natasha sobbed, clutching onto his shirt and trembling softly.

"I'm so sorry," Steve whispered to her, feeling responsible for what happened.

"You weren't the only one who failed Steve. We all did."

Steve let out another quiet sob and pulled Natasha closer to him, holding onto her like if he let go, she too would disappear.

---------------------

Four years went by, and things had been rough.

The world was slowly healing. Nothing was quite the same but people were starting to move forward.

The same couldn't be said for Natasha and Steve.

They had spent every day just trying to go through the motions.

They relied on each other to hold themselves together and at night, they would stay up together, knowing very well that sleep wasn't coming.

"Nat?" Steve called out from the kitchen.

Natasha walked into the room and rested her head on his back, "Hm?"

"We're out of groceries. Do you mind running to the store while I cook?"

Natasha shook her head, "You got a list?"

Steve nodded and handed her a short paper. Natasha stuck it in her pocket and kissed him briefly, "I'll be back soon."

Steve kissed her cheek and smiled softly, "Be careful. I love you."

Natasha nodded, "I love you too."

She left their apartment and began walking to the small store, glancing at the people who passed by as she walked.

Her eyes landed on a young boy, who couldn't have been older then four, leaning against a brick wall and she couldn't help but pause when she saw him.

He had blonde hair like Steve's and the same vibrant green eyes that Natasha did.

She even thought that he looked a little bit like her.

Natasha shook her head, this was her mind playing tricks on her.

James was gone. There was no way that he was that boy.

Still, Natasha couldn't help but feel like she had to go to him.

Even if it wasn't James, it was still a child on the streets by himself.

She approached him cautiously, noticing how scared he looked.

Natasha kneeled down next to the boy and offered him a small smile, "Hey there. What's your name?" She asked quietly.

The boy looked up at her with a hesitant expression, "James."

Natasha wanted to scream. What kind of sick trick was the universe trying to play on her?

She knew that her son had been snapped away. They had seen the dust.

And yet here was a boy the same age, with the same name, who was all alone, and who happened to look exactly like Natasha and Steve.

"Where are your parents?" Natasha asked, trying to ignore her desire to just break down in tears.

He shrugged, "They were dusted. Now I live with Ms Jane."

Natasha looked around, there was no adult in sight, "Where is she?"

James looked down, "I ran away."

Natasha frowned, "Why did you do that?"

"Ms Jane is mean."

Natasha stood up and held her hand out to the boy, feeling an odd connection to him despite not even knowing him, "How about I walk you home. I'm sure Ms Jane is worried sick about you right now."

James seemed to hesitate, but he took Natasha's hand, standing up with her.

Natasha's phone rang and she saw Steve calling.

She had forgotten how long it had been since she left.

"Hold on just a second okay James?"

He nodded and Natasha answered her phone, "Hey."

"Hey, is this everything alright? You're taking longer then normal and it surprised me."

Natasha couldn't help but smile at home much he cared about her, "Yeah I'm fine. Just got a little sidetracked. There's a little boy alone on the streets. I'm gonna walk him home." 

"Mind if I run down to catch up with you?" Steve asked, probably knowing that Natasha was struggling. She always got a little upset around children, so he knew she would want some moral support.

"No. We're barely past the apartment anyways," Natasha answered. 

"Okay. I'll be down in a few," Steve answered just before hanging up.

James looked up at Natasha and furrowed his eyebrows, "Who was that?" 

Natasha shook her head slightly as she put her phone back into her pocket, he really looked like her when he did that, "That was my husband. Is it okay if he walks with us?" 

James nodded, "Is he nice?" 

Natasha couldn't help but smile, "He's the nicest man ever. Have you ever heard of Captain America?" 

James's small face lit up, "Captain America is your husband!?" 

"Yeah he is," Natasha answered with a small laugh. 

"Wow. That's awesome," James said with a wide grin. He paused and looked up at her again, "I forgot to ask your name." 

Natasha smiled, "It's Natasha." 

James's eyes widened again, "Like the Black Widow?" 

Natasha looked down with a small grin, "Yeah, that's me." 

Before James could say anything else, Steve walked up behind Natasha, his eyes were focused on James and Natasha knew that he saw the same thing she did. 

"Hey," he said quietly, his voice frail as he stared at the boy. 

Natasha turned to face him and smiled weakly, "Hi. This is James. He ran away from his home."

Steve looked at Natasha with wide eyes, "James?" 

She nodded softly and James smiled at Steve, "You're a superhero." 

Steve knelt down with a soft smile, "Yeah I guess I am. Nice to meet you James," Steve said, extending his hand. 

James shook it with a wide grin and Natasha felt her eyes water up at the sight of Steve with a child that looked so much like it could be theirs. 

If this was the universe's punishment for all the bad she had done in her past, then she was ready for it to be over. 

This was too much. It was like she was getting to watch what she could have had if they hadn't failed in the battle against Thanos. 

It was cruel and impossible to bear. 

Steve must have noticed that she was hurting so he quickly tried to get the boy home, "Where do you live?" 

James pointed down the sidewalk, "In Ms. Jane's orphanage. It's across from the park."

Steve stood up again and wrapped his arm around Natasha as she held Jame's hand. For a moment, Natasha let herself imagine that this is what it would have been like had her son not been taken from her. 

They walked down the sidewalk and eventually arrived at the orphanage. Natasha knocked on the door and a pale woman with messy hair and dark bags under her eyes opened it. 

"What is it?" She asked, not even noticing James standing between her and Steve. 

Natasha furrowed her eyebrows, "I found one of your kids down the road. I figured you'd be worried sick so we walked him back." 

The woman looked confused for a moment before noticing James between the two, "James! Where the hell did you get off to? We've talked about this before."

James frowned and stepped back towards Steve, who stepped in front of him almost instinctively, "Ma'am, I'm sure he just got carried away while exploring. There's really no need to yell." 

The woman rolled her eyes and opened the door wider, "I doubt it. This ungrateful kid runs off twice a week. He was the first kid I ever took in and he's been a handful ever since." 

Steve frowned at Natasha, who looked like she was ready to fight the woman. 

"I'm Jane Tyndall. I run this place. As a thank you for bringing that one back without involving the police can I invite you in for a cup of coffee?" She asked, not sounding completely sincere. 

Natasha wasn't sure she wanted to be around this Jane lady any longer but she also didn't want to leave James quite yet, "Sure."

Steve looked unsure but he followed Natasha and Jane inside anyways, with James following closely behind him.

"James go on up to your room now. You've caused me enough of a headache for today." 

James nodded and turned to Natasha and Steve, "It was nice to meet you," He said quietly, before quickly going upstairs. 

Natasha frowned at Steve before turning back to Jane, "How did you start the orphanage?" 

Jane handed them each a coffee and shrugged, "The day of the Blip, my whole family was dusted. I ran to the closest farm to mine and tried to find help. I didn't know what had happened. The guy who owned the farm used to be an Avenger. I figured maybe he'd know what was going on. But when I go there everyone was gone. Everyone except that kid. He was alone in his crib and crying. So I took him with me to the police station to find out what happened. After that I just started taking more kids in."

Natasha and Steve had both gone pale. There was no way. She had to have the wrong information. They had seen the dust in James's crib. 

"He was at an Avenger's farm?" Natasha asked, her voice raw. 

Jane looked at them skeptically, "Yeah. That Hawkeye guy. He and his family lived there. I thought all their kids were older then James but I guess they had another one right before the snap."

Natasha's hand flew to her mouth and Steve stepped forward. "Was there a blanket in his crib that said James Rogers?" 

Jane nodded, her eyebrows furrowed, "Yeah. How'd you know that?" 

Natasha let out a small sob and Steve grasped onto her to keep her from collapsing to her knees. "That's our baby," She whispered, her face now buried in Steve's shoulder. 

Jane's eyes widened, "What? No. He was all alone. I searched the house for anyone else." 

Steve shook his head, his own eyes filling with tears, "We were fighting in the war against Thanos. Clint was watching James for us. When we got back we found dust in his crib and thought he was gone." 

Jane looked shocked, "Oh my god. You're Captain America and Black Widow. I knew you looked familiar."

"Ma'am that's our son. We can do a DNA test if you don't believe us but he's ours. If we had known he was still alive we would have never given up on searching for him." 

Jane shook her head, still in shock, "No it makes sense now. When I got there the phone in the crib was opened on a contact named Natasha. I assume that's you?"

Natasha nodded.

"And he looks just like you two oh my god. I can't believe I didn't notice right away. Do you want me to go get him for you?" 

Steve nodded, "What do we need to do to take him home?" 

"I'll get some adoption papers. You'll have to go to court one day soon to make it official but until then I'm not going to make you leave him here. I feel bad enough that you missed all this time with him."

Natasha nodded at the woman, "Thank you." 

She nodded back and went upstairs. 

Minutes later, she returned with James and a bag of his stuff. James approached the two cautiously, "You're my mom and dad?" He asked quietly.

Natasha nodded, her eyes teary and she smiled gently at him, "Yeah." 

James frowned, "Why didn't you come get me sooner?" 

"We didn't know you were here. We thought we lost you," Natasha explained, wanting nothing more then to just hug her son and take him home. She knew she couldn't though. To him, her and Steve were just strangers.

James between her and Steve, "Does that mean I can go home with you?" 

Steve smiled, "Yeah bud. If that's what you want we can go right now."

James's face brightened, "Really?" 

Natasha laughed, trying to not let her tears shed, "Yeah baby. We can all go home." 

James smiled and he jumped into Natasha's arms, catching her off guard. She embraced him as tightly as she could without hurting him and sighed. She had never felt so heartbroken, relieved, and happy at the same time. 

Her family was back together, and this time she didn't have any intentions of letting it fall apart again. 

She smiled at Steve and he looked at her with a smile, his eyes full of love. 

This is how their life should have gone. 

The four years they had missed with James should have been full of moments like this. 

But that didn't matter anymore, because they couldn't change the past. 

All that mattered was that from then on, Natasha and Steve both promised to themselves that they would spend the rest of their lives making up for lost time with their son. 

He would never have to feel all alone again. 

Hey guys. Sorry it's been a while since I uploaded. I've been super busy lately and on top of that, this chapter ended up at 3500 words so it took me a while to write. And on top of that, I broke my phone today so I'm having to write this on my laptop. 

Because my phone is broken I don't know how often I'm going to be able to access my laptop to upload but I will do my best to not go another week without an upload. 

Anyways, like always I hope you enjoyed this chapter, this was a pretty angsty one but I gave it a happy ending so don't hate me. 

Like always, if you enjoyed please vote and comment.