The One

Natasha had never wanted children. She was always so uncomfortable with the thought of something growing inside of her, of being responsible for another life that wasn't capable of protecting itself and solely depended on her. She had just accepted that she wasn't built to be a mother.

But one day, that changed. She was changed, and by the most miniscule of gestures.

It was a hot summer day. No new SHIELD missions had been reported in weeks, so she and Clint had holed themselves up in a little beach house off the coast of Florida. They were lying in bed together, the sheet strewn across them haphazardly and every fan they could find blowing furiously across their bodies.

Clint was sweating profusely, which she had to admit she found strangely sexy. He had propped himself up with one arm and was gazing at her while she checked her phone for any SHIELD updates.

"Why do you always stare at me like that?" she asked, smiling at him as she set her phone down.

Without missing a beat, he replied, "Because you're the most beautiful woman in the world, and I want to soak it all in while I still have you."

"Are you anticipating a time when you won't have me?" she asked, reaching over to gently caress his ear, which she knew drove him absolutely wild.

His eyelids fluttered as she did the ear trick, and he leaned in to gently kiss her.

"No, but I'm just preparing myself in case you find someone better someday."

"There's no one better," she said softly, and he smiled that shy smile that she'd never been able to look at without wanting to cry.

"I love you," he whispered, and just as she was about to say it back, he leaned down and planted the gentlest of kisses on her stomach.

And that was when she knew. That was when she realized what a wonderful father Clint would be, and how much she desperately wanted to see a little girl or boy that looked just like him in her arms someday. She would never dream of doing this with anyone else. He was the only one. He was the one.

"Clint," she whispered. He looked up at her, puzzled by the look on her face.

"Yeah, Nat?"

She paused for a second, then smiled. "How would you feel about having a family someday?"

There was silence for a few extended seconds as he stared at her, making sure he had heard right, and then his face broke out into the happiest and most joyful grin she had ever seen.

His eyes were filled with tears as he pulled her close to him. He had always wanted this. She knew that. He had mentioned it in passing, always very brief and businesslike so as not to frighten her, but she had always found a way to dismiss it.

But she didn't want to dismiss it anymore. She loved him, and she wanted to show him just how much.

"Are you sure?" he breathed into her ear as he held her to his chest.

She smiled and nodded against his shoulder. "As sure as I am that I love you," she whispered softly.

He kissed her ardently for a nice long time, but soon pulled away to get up from the bed and disappear through the door. Natasha collapsed back onto the pillows. "Clint, what are you doing? Come back and kiss me," she called.

After several moments he appeared through the door and crawled back into bed with her. "Sorry, just had to get something," he explained casually.

"And what were you getting?" she asked absentmindedly, scooting towards him and snuggling up against his chest.

He smiled. "Hold out your hand."

She did as she was told, and he dropped something into her palm.

It was a beautiful diamond ring. Natasha bolted up in bed, stunned by the beautiful piece of jewelry in her palm. And it seemed that it was her turn to cry as tears welled up in her eyes.

It wasn't even the fact that the ring was so beautiful. It was the fact that he'd had this planned for months, maybe even years. It was the fact that he was waiting for exactly the right moment. But it was mostly because of the way he was looking at her.

He didn't make a grand speech. He didn't get down on one knee. All he did was look into her eyes and ask softly, "Natasha, will you marry me?"

The "Yes," was out of her mouth before he had even finished the question. He slipped the ring onto her delicate finger and kissed her with such fervor that it left her dizzy.

This was right. He was right. He was her partner, her soulmate, her other half. He was the future father to her children.

But most of all, he was the one.