To the angry people: I'm gonna remind you this is free fiction, and I began this fic because I wanted to and I wrote the last chapter- because I wanted to :D

Comic Lore: Thanos is not a moral guy from the movies ;)

KEYnote: So back to full chapters! Yeah! And I have four to five major arcs planned, some comic inspired more than MCU based. This will be a long fic, easily 200k-300k without going back to fluff Part I.

Part II of Natasha Romanoff and the Secrets of Death

Chapter 18 - As Introductions Go

The Rift in Time dropped them into minute 00.58.23 of the Avengers movie (2012)

Natasha Romanoff had been through a lot in her life.

And arguably the last twenty-four years, the last eleven especially -had been the best of her life.

But as she looked around her at the blooming chaos, she realized those years were over.

The safety she had begun to take for granted, over.

Her Russian citizenship, done.

Her record, in all its multitude shades of red, returned.

And her family? Her large inexplicably wonderful family -were in untold amounts of danger because New York was about to become a warzone.

And her son? Her baby boy was about to become an Avenger.

"Peter," Natasha said, shoving her emotions deep, "Peter, you need to get Benny and Little May out of New York."

"We're in New York?" he asked, Little May in his arms, the brown haired girl clinging to his shirt. "What year is it?"

"2012," Natasha said, trying to recall every detail of this event, she looked at Bruce, "Is Coulson still alive?"

He blinked at her, "Yes?"

"Okay is someone going to explain to me where you people came from?" Tony asked, "Also how did Natasha grow her hair out? Is that a wig?"

Natasha bit back a sharp remark, pulling over Bruce's screen to see what he was looking at. She didn't touch the spear with the infinity stone, her plan so far was pretty basic.

Loki couldn't have it because he was currently under Thanos's control.

The million more issues that thought brought was enough for her to almost miss Albus Dumbledore.

"Huh," James said, "So is this what it felt like when you appeared in our old house?"

"Well, aside from the not dying part," she said with a smile, typing in the coordinates of where they were going and trying to estimate how much time they had. "Yeah, it felt like this."

Clint was still under Loki's control. Clint was also going to bomb this ship at any point.

"Peter, we need to go," MJ said, pulling out her broom from her pocket.

"Uncle Ben is still alive," Peter told her, looking torn between where his place was.

"Bruce, call Fury and Coulson," Natasha said before stepping in front of Peter, "You need to get your family out of New York. You don't have a suit-"

"But-"

"You are just going to have to trust us," she said, taking his free hand and squeezing, "I have a lot of regrets in my life, don't let today be one of them. You're a parent, and your children are not reasonably safe. They are your first responsibility."

His eyes were huge, and as he nodded his agreement, Natasha realized that though Peter Parker had come to her as an Avenger, he had become so much more in the last decade.

The scientific breakthroughs he had made had saved hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives.

He was a healer, a doctor and despite his radioactive-spider-transmitted-dimension-crossing-enhanced gifts, there was much more he could do off a battlefield than on one.

Unlike herself, whose skill set included killing things and keeping them dead.

MJ tugged on his sleeve, "I'll get Little May and Benny out of New York, you go get your Aunt and Uncle."

He let go of Natasha's hand to turn to his wife, "You can't hold them both for a long flight and what about your-"

"They made it the first time and if it was meant to be they will make it this time," MJ said.

To say MJ had a slightly complicated relationship with her biological family was a bit of an understatement.

Luna took Little May from Peter. "Go," she said airly, "I don't know that I want to see death rain from the sky."

Little May clapped, because her Aunt Luna had just said that statement of doom in the way that she referred to playing hide and go seek.

"Excuse me?" Tony asked, "What did you just say?"

Peter kissed Natasha's cheek as he passed, "Stay safe, cause trouble!" Luna and MJ following, broomsticks in hand.

Hedwig hitched a ride on Luna's shoulder.

Benny and Little May waved, Little May's voice called out as they rounded the corner, "Love you, Babushka!"

Fury came in with a narrowed eye on Natasha, "Did that small child just call you her grandmother, Agent Romanoff?"

She cocked her hip, "Now is that a tone you should take with your elders, Director Fury?"

"That would depend," he said, "I just saw you drop dead then your body disappeared. So you tell me, Romanoff are you really my agent?"

She blinked, "My counterpart disappeared?"

"Like Obi-Wan Kenobi struck down by Darth Vader on the Death Star," Coulson elaborated.

"Huh, well that didn't happen the last time I time travelled," she said, because really, with Agent Peggy Bloody Carter in the room, the time travel bit was unavoidable, "Fury you need to contact the government and tell them not to nuke Manhattan. Tell them we have the alien hordes under control."

She had turned to a new computer and was trying to locate incoming ships.

Clint needed a good bop on the head so she could introduce him to her family. She smiled at the thought.

She heard Lily take a breath, "I think I've been very patient, Tasha -what the bloody hell is going on?"

Peggy patted Steve on the chest, "You can put me down now, Captain."

Steve actually blushed, "I'm sorry, Peggy."

She smiled up at him as she adjusted her tasteful red blazer, "Don't apologize, I've missed you." She cleared her throat, "It was Howard's fault."

Natasha sniggered while Tony gaped at her, "Howard Stark? As in my father, Howard?"

Peggy looked at him, then glanced at Natasha who was trying to organize her thoughts-

They needed to get to Stark Tower- and…

Damnit, she should have sent Bruce with Luna.

"You said we time travelled?" Peggy asked.

And dimension travelled, but why make things more complicated than they needed to be, "Yes, we time travelled through a rift, and perhaps replaced our old selves if my 'joining the Force' was anything to go by."

Peggy took in a long breath, then exhaled, "Alright, everyone, I am Agent Peggy Carter."

"We know," everyone said but Steve, the Potters and Sirius.

Peggy blinked at them all, "You do?"

"It's nice to meet you, Madame," Sirius said with a large smile.

"But how-"

"You're kind of famous," Coulson said, gesturing to the ship around them, "You were the leading force behind this organization.

"I was?"

"Bruce," Natasha cut in, finally feeling like she maybe had a slight handle on the series of events. "These are Aurors- I mean agents Sirius Black, Lily and James Potter. I'm going to need you to go with them."

"Go with us where?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Preferably off this ship, but it should be Bruce's choice once the fireworks start if he wants to let the green guy out."

"I'm sorry," Bruce said shaking his head, "it was your idea for me to come here. I was doing just fine in India-"

"Loki is going to have the ship blown out of the sky and you are going to lose it and help bring it down," Natasha said, "In the fight against giant aliens, you're great, but right here, right now, it's just going to create a whole lot of friendly fire that I know you don't want."

"Again," he said, speaking slowly, "Then why bring me-" he flipped the screen around, "And why is SHIELD trying to build weapons of mass-destruction with the tesseract."

She shrugged, "It's actually an infinity stone that needs to be taken to the far side of the galaxy."

"We can't apparate that far," Lily said.

"Wait- why do we need to take this guy anywhere?" Sirius asked.

"He's the Hulk."

"Oh!" James said, "You're the green werewolf."

Bruce looked at him, seeming both miffed and offended, "Who are you?"

"Not important," Natasha said, "But you can trust them. Lily-Pretty, maybe don't apparate Bruce anywhere, the process isn't exactly a fun learning curve."

"Forgive me," Peggy said, "But why do you keep talking about aliens attacking New York?"

"Exactly what I need to know, Agent Romanoff," Fury said, folding his arms.

Natasha smiled at him, she respected Fury, she always would, but in this instance, she knew what she was doing. "Bruce, unless you want to kill people on this ship. You need to leave."

Sirius touched Dr. Banner's shoulder, "I promise I won't bite. I'm house broken."

Bruce pointed at Natasha, "I'll trust you this last time, Romanoff, don't make me regret it."

She smiled, "Of course not, Doctor." She began searching the counters for things she could use, she found an earpiece that Tony had likely been given and discarded. Peter had solved their tech and mechanical problems.

Just don't channel your magic through technology and it should work.

In other words, don't use a gun like it's a wand, because their magic, or at least Harry's and her magic, had been unschooled for so long that it had acted as wild magic. And wild magic liked to try to 'help' the bullets.

But the guns didn't need any more help firing than the trigger and the marksman holding the weapon.

James shook his head, "Sirius can handle Bruce on his own."

"That's doubtful," Tony said.

Sirius barked a laugh, pulling and enlarging a broom from his pocket, "I got this."

"What's with the broomsticks?" Tony asked.

"Can we tell them?" Lily asked as Sirius and Bruce left, and Thor entered.

"Ah! More puny humans!" Thor greeted the room.

Harry sighed, "I am so glad Clint was my favourite."

Thor cocked his head, "Favourite what, Earthling?"

Harry's smile was devious, "Avenger. I always thought the Asguardings would be cooler than-" he looked Thor up and down, "well, than you."

Thor frowned down at Harry, and Natasha knowing how much this group could and would bicker, called everyone to attention, "Fury, we need to get to Stark Tower and shut down the portal Loki is making. Steve, Agent Carter, and Tony, I need you three to keep Thor and Coulson away from Loki. No one should go visit Loki under any circumstances."

"He's my brother," Thor pouted.

"Your brother is a master trickster and you are more gullible than a teenage tourist who has been given his daddy's credit card."

"Hey- I don't need a babysitter-" Coulson began and was abruptly cut off as an explosion rocked the ship.

Natasha caught Lily and Harry pulled James to him as the floor gave way beneath them.

Are things happening faster than last time? Natasha wondered, she had thought she had more time. "Fury!" She shouted, "Get us to Stark Tower!"

"Are you alright?" Lily asked James and Harry. They had fallen to the lower decks as Natasha had last time, separated from the rest.

Harry nodded, emerald eyes bright with excitement.

James shook his head, "Is this what your life was like?"

Natasha smiled, "This is only the beginning. You're all sure you're up for it?"

Lily scoffed, "Please, as if we would abandon you."

"Where to now, Mom?" Harry asked, bo-staff in hand.

She grinned, "We go find your childhood hero."

Harry grinned, "Hawkeye."

Natasha could only hope Clint was as happy to see them.

Flying Upstate with Sirius Black

"So this is New York?" Agent Black asked as Bruce clung to him.

"Yes," Bruce yelled into the wind, not at all understanding the science that was allowing them to sore over the landscape on a damned broomstick.

"We've been to America before, of course, but Natasha doesn't like to visit New York."

Bruce tried to breathe evenly, trying to convince himself that if he knew how they were flying it wouldn't help. But he had to ask, "How are we flying?"

The man with long black hair smiled, "Magic. So how'd you turn into a giant?"

"Radiation."

"Ah, Parker Science. I turn into a grim."

"A what?"

"A black dog," the man shouted over the wind.

"Oh, that's nice, I guess."

Bruce was beginning to think this man wasn't an Agent of SHIELD.

A Queens Elementary School - Principal's Office (With a gift from Lady Death)

May Parker was in shock.

She knew she was in shock.

She even knew that she should have been in the hospital. Or least that she should have changed clothes.

She had dried blood on her still.

But she had to be here, "Where is my nephew?"

The principal, the art teacher, and the vice principal all looked at each other.

"Where is Peter?" she asked, voice going hoarse. She wouldn't breakdown here, she wouldn't.

"He disappeared," the art teacher finally said bluntly.

"What?"

"He dropped to the floor and disappeared out of his clothes," she said.

"What?" May asked, her non-existence patience wearing thin, "he took off his clothes?"

"No, he went poof."

"Like Ben Kenobi?" she asked, Star Wars the first thing coming to her mind.

Surprisingly, the art teacher nodded, "Precisely."

May blinked at them.

Was she dreaming? Was today just some horrible nightmare?

"Aunt May!"

She whipped around in her seat, and saw... her brother-in-law?

"Richard?"

Undead Richard Parker opened the door to the windowed office, "Aunt May!"

May stared at him, "Peter?"

He wrapped her in a hug, and despite the fact that this was a grown man and not her ten year old nephew, she hugged him back.

But then, maybe she really just needed a hug at that moment.

He pulled back, "I've missed you so much. Did my younger self disappear?"

She stiffened, suddenly realizing how absurd it was to think this was her Peter, "Like Ben Kenobi."

He half smiled, "Life is crazy, isn't? Where's Uncle Ben?" His face fell, "Is that blood? Aunt May, are you alright?"

She felt her face crumble as she was forced to face what had happened, "On the way here… we were in a crosswalk and he-" her voice broke, and her vision blurred from tears. "He's dead."

The man's face, the pain in his eyes, was a reflection of the sorrow in her own heart.

The-Maybe-Peter pulled her into another hug.

May broke down, just as she promised herself she wouldn't.

"We have to go," Peter told her gently.

She pushed back from him, "Why?"

Why was this happening to her?

"There's an alien invasion coming."

She looked up at him, more sure than ever that she was in a horrible nightmare as he led her out the elementary school. The confused teachers let them go without a word.

"Do you have any money?" he asked once they got to the street, "All I have is rubles."

"What?" she asked numbly.

An explosion lit the sky and people started pointing and screaming.

"On second thought, building hopping is faster."

"What?" she felt like a broken record.

"So five years from now I get bitten by a radioactive spider," he said, talking too fast like her nephew did at times.

May raised her brows, tears still wet on her cheeks.

"I know you don't really believe me yet and that you've had a lot of shocks today, but Aunt May, I have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what?"

He held out his hand, "Please, Aunt May."

May Parker had too many impossible things happen to her today, and as she took this familiar stranger's hand, she thought she had nothing left to lose.

And then the man pulled her in securely to his side and pointed his hand up at a building. A web sprang from his bared wrist and then they were soaring over midday traffic in Queens.

May was pretty sure she lost what was left of her sanity.

Back on the Ship that got Arrow Bombed

The first time her son met Clint Barton was regrettably while the man's mind had been overtaken by the mind stone.

On the plus side, Harry got to watch her spar with his hero when Hawkeye wasn't holding back.

Natasha almost snarled when he grabbed her hair in the same motion he had last time, a blade pointed at her right eye.

This is why she had kept her hair shorter, but she knew both Lily and James preferred it long.

Oh, the things one did for love.

Natasha bit Clint's arm, and the moment he staggered back, she had her wand pointed at him, and directed a stunner at his head. He dropped with a thunk on the metal walkway.

Lily was at her side in the moment, pulling back Natasha's now wild hair from her face, "Are you alright, Tasha?"

"Yeah, fine, Clint's as fantastic as I remember."

Harry knelt beside Clint as Lily began to braid back Natasha's hair, "What was wrong with him?"

"Infinity Stone."

"Is this going to be another Horcrux fiasco?" James asked. "Harry, back up, I know a spell that should bring him back to his senses."

Harry backed up out of range, taking Clint's bow with him because Natasha had raised him right.

James looked to Natasha as Lily passed her a duplicated hair tie which Natasha used to bun her freshly braided hair. Keeping her own wand pointed at Clint, she nodded to James who performed the spell.

Salted ice water sprayed into Clint's unconscious face, he came up sputtering and confused. She knew it was saltwater by the smell and that it was ice cold because Clint was visibly shivering.

He rubbed the saltwater from his eyes which were their normal colour free of that mind-stone-blue glint.

"Nat?" he asked roughly, squinting up at her.

She sheathed her cherry-wood wand and offered him a hand up, "Hey old friend, welcome back."

He blinked at her, frowning, "Did you bite me?"

She smirked at him, "You pulled on my hair."

Clint paled as his memories came into focus, "I was trying to kill you, I was-"

"Possessed, it happens," she said, "I have some people I want you to meet."

He glanced around, noticing Lily, James, and Harry for the first time. Harry was smiling at Clint broadly.

Natasha smiled in turn, "Clint Barton, this is Harry Romanoff, my son. Harry this is Hawkeye."

"It's an honour to meet you, Sir," Harry said, holding out his hand which Clint shook. "Er, and here's your bow back."

Clint took it back while saying, "It's good to meet you too, Harry," before glaring at Natasha, "Son of my best friend who failed to tell me she had any children."

Natasha smiled, "And this is my husband, James."

Clint ran a hand back through his soaked hair, "Cruel, Romanoff."

Natasha smiled wider, "And this is my wife, Lily."

The woman with emerald eyes sighed, "Tasha, we've been over this. We aren't married to you. James and I are married to each other."

"Yes," Natasha agreed easily, "but you're both mine so I fail to see the issue."

Lily rolled her eyes, "You're impossible."

Clint looked at James with raised brows, "Don't you have an opinion on this issue?"

James pushed up his glasses, "I have absolutely no issues with my personal life."

Natasha smiled at Clint who was gazing between the four of them trying to put the pieces together. She smiled wickedly, "I saved-slash-kidnapped Harry when he was a baby and raised him. We found Lily and James, his biological parents, when he was a teenager. We fell hopelessly in love with one another and became Harry's co-parents."

"The only hopeless one is you," Lily snarked, cocking her hip, her jeans hugging her in all the right places.

Natasha draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek, "For you Lily-Pretty, I'll always be hopeless."

James sighed dramatically, "Once upon a time I was the romantic one, now Natasha is the one who holds us together," he waggled his eyebrows at Clint who was staring at Natasha with wide eyes, "And keeps us burning."

Harry snorted, "Dorks."

Another explosion rocked the ship.

"Should we be addressing that?" Clint asked.

Natasha shrugged, "Probably."

AN: Again, I will probably be more focused on my Star Wars stories until the Queen Does Not Need to Know is complete, but who doesn't need a bit more Natasha and Harry Romanoff in their lives? Constructive reviews are much appreciated :D