Age of Darkness | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Nineteen: For You, A Thousand Times Over

Music is "Cossak Lullaby" by Natalya Faustova.

Picture is Glory and baby.

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

"For you, a thousand times over."

- Khaled Hosseini

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

Tick... tock.

The clock is counting down.

Tick... tick... tick...

"Avengers, assemble!" Natasha had shouted at the small group. "Ultron is back."

That's all I remember before my water broke.

Terrible timing, I know.

A nervous sweat trickles down my forehead as I squeeze Pietro's hand. I've insisted several times for him to run, run and get that bastard before he gets away, but he won't leave me. Why am I not surprised?

"You should go," I whisper as he picks me up and runs me to the nearest hospital, arriving just seconds after taking off from the X-Mansion. The blaring of sirens rings in my ears, and the lights of distant fires and explosions occupy most of the people around us. All I see is him.

This is it. It's time.

I twist my engagement ring around my finger absent mindedly. I knew this would be hard, painful, agonizing, but I'm terrified. The shock of Ultron sent me into labor, that much I know for certain, but it's two weeks until my due date.

Pietro shakes his head frantically, his big, blue eyes glued to my green. "I am not leaving you here alone."

I give a small smile before a rippling pain jerks through my abdomen, nearly sending me off my feet. "Shit!" I gasp, grasping Pietro's arms. I look up at him and chuckle softly. "Help me get into the hospital? It's almost time to welcome our new family members."

He nods fervently and swoops me up in his arms, carrying me at an almost human pace inside the busy hospital.

"What's wrong?" a nurse asks, coming up to us as we enter the emergency room.

"She is going into labor," Pietro says, trying to remain calm. "She is two weeks from her due date, twins."

The nurse pulls up a wheelchair and asks Pietro to set me down in it. Once he does, she wheels me off towards a hallway. Pietro is right next to me the entire time, not releasing my hand. Thank Frigga he's a fast healer; I think I'm breaking his hand.

"When did the contractions start?" the nurse asks.

I shake my head, my mind going blank. "I-I-I don't know. Just a few minutes ago. I heard some bad news that shocked me and then my water broke."

The nurse rolls me into a room with a large table and helps me up onto it. "Sir, I'm going to need you to stay right here with your wife, okay? We're short staffed because of the Brotherhood of Mutants. I'm going to go get a doctor." She turns to me. "While I'm gone, change into the hospital gown laying on the table. Your husband can assist you. You're going to be just fine, Miss..."

"Glory Northern." Another contraction hits hard, and I squeeze the life out of Pietro's hand. "Gah! Hurry, please!" The nurse rushes out of the room, going to retrieve a doctor.

Tick... tick...

I turn to Pietro and attempt to reclaim control of my breathing. "Ultron, he's back! He's back!"