The Tower: Family

Envy and Guilt

"I'm sorry, but I'm what?" Natasha asked, and all at once, it hit me exactly what Wanda and Natasha being pregnant meant, and I felt my heart sink.

Wanda wouldn't be so bad. She'd worry about her powers, but she had always liked them, and I knew that one day she'd want to carry her own. She loved being a mother. She was a mother right down to her core, and while this was an accident, she would never think it was anything but a happy one.

Natasha was a whole other story. The Red Room had messed with Natasha's reproductive system. She could get pregnant naturally; it was just improbable. However, she could never carry a baby to term. I could see the faint thread starting to form with the embryo growing inside her, letting me know what this little pseudo-life form would one day be part of our family. I felt like that must mean something. Those threads didn't connect to everyone. But if I was wrong, there was going to be a day in the next few months where we were all left grieving if there was no way to counteract what they'd done to her.

There was also the dumbfounded look of shock on everyone's face. I'd hoped and believed that we were in a different place now. We had children. We were parents. We were good at it. Having more children would be an exciting thing, and they all looked panicked. I had visions of this playing out just like it did last time - everyone running and leaving Natasha to just deal with this alone.

I also had this selfish melancholy coming from this place of loss. Tony had just asked if I'd have his baby, and now I wasn't going to get that. I couldn't get pregnant now that we were expecting other babies. I had let myself get excited about going through a pregnancy where everyone was there and onboard and taking care of me, and just like that, it was taken away.

"You and Wanda are both expecting," Thor repeated. "I'm sorry, did I ruin the surprise again?"

Clint got up and moved to Natasha's side, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"Thor?" Steve asked gently. "Was this you again? I mean... did your powers slip?"

Thor shook his head. "I swear, after the last time, I have been extra careful holding them at bay. I had assumed you must have planned for this to happen."

Wanda shook her head quickly and ran her hands over her stomach. "I was taking the pill."

"And we've all been using the injection," Bruce added. "Which with Natasha's..." he trailed off and furrowed his brow. "...condition. Should have meant no accidents."

"I'm sorry," Thor said. "I didn't mean to be the bearer of bad news. I truly thought this was planned."

"Maybe... maybe there was something about the bonding?" Sam suggested. "There were a lot of strange things that happened. Perhaps there was some magic involving conceiving heirs?"

"Then why aren't I pregnant too?" I asked in a small voice.

Clint took a seat and pulled Natasha down in his lap as Tony moved beside me and wrapped his arm around me.

"I don't know," Thor said. "Truly. I can perhaps work out when it happened and who are the fathers? If you'll allow it?"

"Yes," Natasha said quickly. "Do that. Because... because I can't... I can't lose ..."

Clint pulled her close, and Natasha melted into him, squeezing her eyes shut like she was trying really hard not to cry. It broke my heart to see her so fragile.

"I'd like to know too. Steve, are you alright with knowing who the biological parents are?" Wanda asked.

Steve nodded. "With Elise, I was worried it might create friction knowing. We know now that's not the case. If knowing helps get to the bottom of this, then we should know."