Natasha groaned and adjusted the collar on Maxim's shirt. Keeping him dressed neatly was always a struggle.

"CbIH, how do you manage to get your nice shirts so fifthly so quickly?" She huffed. Maxim grinned sheepishly.

"прости мама." Maxim apologized. Natasha smiled and ruffled his spikey hair.

"It's okay Max. Go grab your things, it's time to go home. Make sure you thank Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper before we leave though." She reminded him. Maxim nodded and took off toward Tony and Pepper's son's room. He returned a couple minutes later with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Thanks Aunt Pepper and Uncle Tony. It was a lot of fun." Maxim told his unofficial aunt and uncle as he made for the door.

"Slow down buddy. I need to talk to Aunt Pepper for a second." Natasha called after her son. He nodded and turned to talk to Tony animatedly, probably about some kind of new technology Tony was working on.

"How did it go with the doctor?" Pepper asked when they had moved a safe distance away from the boys.

"I'm pregnant." Natasha confessed. Pepper beamed.

"That's awesome!" Pepper gushed. Nat broke out into a smile.

"Yeah Clint and I are very excited." Nat confessed. "But we're also really cautious to tell everyone until later because of the Red Room. I could miscarry so easily." She added. Pepper smiled gently and pulled Natasha into a hug. Natasha groaned at first but ended up melting into the hug.

"No one is more deserving than the two of you." Pepper assured Natasha. Nat smiled and pulled back.

"Thanks Pepper. What about you and Tony? Have you guys talked about giving Parker a sibling?" Natasha teased. Pepper chuckled lightly and gave Natasha a sly smile. "Wait, are you pregnant?" Natasha asked quietly. Pepper grinned widely.

"Yes. Tony doesn't know yet though. So don't say anything." Pepper said. Natasha smiled.

"I'll take it to the grave. I'm happy for you guys." She told her. Pepper smiled.

"Thanks. Maxim was great by the way. He's such a good kid." Pepper told Natasha. The Black Widow smiled.

"Thanks, we try our best." She joked lightly. Natasha's phone buzzed and she quickly pulled it out to answer. "Agent Romanoff speaking." She snapped into business mode instantly.

"Romanoff, we need you and Barton at headquarters immediately." Agent Hill's voice came through the phone.

"Roger that Hill." Natasha answered and hung up the phone. "Clint, we have to go. Pepper do you guys mind watching Max just a little bit longer?" She asked. Pepper smiled and nodded.

"Yeah no problem. Call us if you find out you need us to watch him longer." Pepper said. Natasha smiled and went over to Maxim. She knelt down in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders gently.

"Hey buddy. Daddy and I have to go to work for a little bit. You're going to stay with Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper for a minute okay?" Natasha told the little boy. Max nodded.

"Okay mommy. Go save the world." He said cheerily. Natasha smiled and kissed him on the top of his head before pulling him into a tight hug.

"We love you buddy." She told him before pulling away. Max smiled and waved goodbye as Natasha and Clint slipped out the front door. Thick tension filled the car as they made their way toward headquarters. Clint drove expertly as they weaved through the crowded streets of New York City.

"Do you think Fury knows already?" Clint asked. Natasha shook her head.

"Hill sounded like it was more urgent than that." She answered. Clint shot her a worried look.

"I don't know how I feel about you going on an urgent mission while you're pregnant. Missions didn't go very well when you were pregnant with Maxim." He said without looking at her. Natasha rolled her eyes and strapped her gun holster onto her thigh.

"I'll go on desk duty toward the end, but I am not taking a back seat this early on. I'll go stir crazy and you know it. No one wants me to be benched for that long." She told him sternly. Clint chuckled and nodded his head. He knew she was right. If she had to sit out for the next seven months everyone would regret it. He also knew better than to try too hard to take care of her. Natasha knew her limits and even though she was stubborn, when it came to matters concerning her kid she knew not to push her limits. Clint was still amazed at how quickly she'd agreed to be benched with Maxim. She'd agreed immediately and went without a fuss. So Clint was confident that when the time came again, she would step back. So he let it drop as they turned into the secret entrance that led down to the Avenger's base. He parked the car at his usual spot and the two made their way into the facility together. Clint adjusted his quiver and bow on his back while Natasha slipped on her spider bites. After scanning handprints and corneas the two spies walked into the main facility. Avengers recruits and personnel littered the main entrance, all headed somewhere fast. It was always like this at the Avengers headquarters, but today it felt even more chaotic. Clint reached over and squeezed Natasha's hand firmly before they started to make their way to the conference room Fury was waiting in.

"I hope we don't have to be away that long. They didn't call Tony in so it can't be that bad." Clint's thoughts found their way out into the open. Natasha nodded in agreement. She had been thinking the exact same thing, but that didn't take away the heavy foreboding feeling she felt. The heavy door slid open as she and Clint approached. Fury and Hill were waiting for them. Hill looked up from her data screens and Fury quit talking to her when Clint and Natasha walked in.

"Agent Romanoff. Agent Barton. Have a seat. We've got a big mission." Director Fury wasted no time in getting down to business. Clint and Natasha shared a glance that each other read perfectly, and sat down next to each other at the conference table.

"We've received some intelligence into the organization known as the Red Room. We think we can take them down." Agent Hill opened. Natasha felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart stopped for a beat. Clint reached his hand out and squeezed her hand tightly.

"We know this hits incredibly close to home Agent Romanoff. We know you'll want to be the one to take them down though." Fury added. Clint turned and made eye contact with Natasha.

"Nat, what do you think?" Clint asked gently. Natasha blinked and took a deep breath.

"Where are they?" She asked evenly. Clint nodded, immediately understanding what she was thinking. He was worried about her going into this while pregnant. The Red Room was the reason that her pregnancy was so high risk, they were the reason why Maxim was so important to them. This was a very fragile situation, but he also knew there was no way she would let other agents take down the organization. He had to be her rock through this, no exceptions. He wouldn't leave her side for a second.

"We've located them in a remote area of Lithuania. They seem to be focusing a lot on experimentation." Hill answered. Natasha gritted her teeth. That had always been the most scarring part of her time in the Red Room. They had been big into experimental drugs and procedures during her time in the Red Room. Natasha had been the subject of several of them herself and so the scars were deep.

"Well then, what the hell are we waiting on?" She asked. Fury smiled, but Clint was worried.