Chapter Text
Wanda Maximoff knew three things for sure:
1: She had dreamt of being a mother for years.
2: She was very much aware that she was single, and had been for three years now.
3: She had not had sex in a year; so the possibility of her becoming pregnant were slim to nothing.
That’s what brought her to this moment, sitting alone, back against a cool, plastic chair in the middle of a Manhattan Fertility Clinic. She had thought her options over, she had. Her first option had been to simply (which in her opinion was far from simple) find love, marry, wait a few years and then when the time was right, have a baby. But Wanda was already 28, and if any of the five first dates she had been on in the past year had been of any type of indicator of how her love life was going, she didn’t know what would be.
It wasn’t that she thought she was too old, but three quarters of her friends were already married; and the ones that were not were in very serious relationships, very much on the way to being married. She knew her maternal window to carry a baby was ticking and even though she herself had been an orphan and knew many children in the foster system needed a home, she didn’t want to miss out on her opportunity to carry a baby.
Her second option? Just download a stupid dating app again and get every booty call she could get until the two lines popped up on a slim stick. Nah, that wouldn’t help either. Of course with one night stands, there was always that fact that they could still join in on the family photo.
Her third and final option would be this: a sperm donor, a highly ranked fertility doctor, and her legs hoisted in the air by stirrups. It wasn’t the way she had hoped to be knocked up, but hey, you have to do what you have to do.
Pietro, her twin brother, had told her she was crazy; her friends had said that she should just wait, but waiting wouldn’t give her a baby. And when Wanda Maximoff set her mind to something, she would get what she wanted.
-
Two weeks later, Wanda found herself starring into the screen of multiple pregnancy tests.
‘+’, ‘POSITIVE’, ‘BABY :)’, ‘II’
Wanda’s mouth broke into a small smile before the grin grew. Her heart pumped loudly in her chest, and she felt it swell with joy. She was going to be a mother. Her, a mother.
She was going to be a mother. Shit.
-
“I thought this was what you wanted,” her friend Natasha whispers, moving to pass her a tissue. The two were sat across from each other in a busy Manhattan coffee shop. “I mean, c’mon, Wanda, what did you expect? For the test to be negative?”
“Well, I didn’t expect it to be positive on the first go round,” Wanda blubbers, big tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m scared shitless. What was I thinking?!”
Natasha sighs, shaking the tissue at Wanda. “Take the tissue, Wanda. You’ve got a snotty nose and if you’re wanting to get a father for that kid, you’re going to need to take care of that.” Natasha points to Wanda’s nose. Wanda grumbles at the older woman and snatches the tissue from her. “Look Maximoff, I just- you’ve wanted this for years. You’ve always wanted to be a mother. You don’t need a man to do that. You’ve proven that.”
“I just needed their sperm,” Wanda spats, looking out the window. With each man that passed, she couldn’t help but think…
“Did you see what he looked like?”
“Hm?” Wanda’s pulled out of her thoughts.
“The sperm donor? What did he look like?”
Wanda shrugs. “I don’t know. They didn’t have a picture. Just said he was tall, Caucasian, blonde, and blue eyed. Did get he’s English, so there’s that.”
“Ah, a Sokovian and Englishman. Love it.” Natasha smirks, but it fades quickly. “Have you told Pietro?”
Wanda shakes her head. “He would just say I’m crazy again.”
“Are you going to tell him?”
“I kinda have to, Nat. He’s my brother. He’ll know before long once I show up to Christmas dinner at the Barton’s with a five month bump.”
“Did you tell Clint and Laura that you were going to start trying?”
Clint and Laura Barton had become Wanda and Pietro’s foster parents when they were fifteen years old. They had only been in America for a couple of months when their parents had been killed in a car accident at the age of thirteen. They had immediately been thrown into the foster system and had been bounced around from home to home. But they didn’t feel “at home” until they were launched into the Barton farm.
The couple had never pushed, had never made the twins feel that they couldn’t grieve their parents or made it seem like they were trying to take over their place. The Barton’s had created a safe space for them, had made them feel at peace for once since the deaths of their parents. The twins grew close to the family in time and they in turn welcomed them with open arms and loving hearts. They were adopted by the time they turned seventeen.
“I told Laura a few months ago that I had been thinking about it. I said it jokingly, but then it made me realize that it wasn’t that far fetched. Clint won’t understand. He’ll just think I’m crazy like Pietro.” Wanda crosses her arms on the table and lays her head down. “God, what was I thinking?”
“You’ve got to pull yourself together, Maximoff. They’ll understand. They all will. Even Pietro. And if he doesn’t, I do. I understand. If I could have a baby, I would. Just be happy it worked, Wanda.”
“I just don’t know what I was thinking doing this alone.”
“You’re not alone. You have me, you have Pietro, the Barton’s. You’ll be fine. And I’ll even take the little brat when you feel like you’re going to go mad. But just for a night.” This makes Wanda laugh and Natasha reaches across the table. “Nah, you’ll have an angel of a baby. Have you called your doctor to tell them it worked?”
Wanda nods. “I’m supposed to go in tomorrow for the tests and everything to confirm it.”
“I can go with you, if you’d like?”
Wanda shakes her head. “Thank you, Nat, but I need to do this on my own.”
“If you say so. But if you ever want me there, whether it be tomorrow or in the delivery room, let me know. I’m with you, Maximoff, no question about it.”
-
“Yep, you are definitely pregnant. HcG levels are high which is what we’re looking for. Everything seems to be on track. It’s a little too early to do an ultrasound so we’ll get you back in a couple of weeks. For now, here’s a list of what to do’s and what not to do’s. As far as the sperm donor goes, how- present- do you want him to be?” The doctor passes Wanda a few brochures.
“I would like to remain anonymous. Just maybe send a thanks to him for the sperm? I don’t know how this-“ Wanda gestures to her stomach, “works. I’ve never- met anyone in my situation.”
“We can inform him that his- donation? Well, I suppose it wasn’t a donation. Anyways, we can inform the father that his specimen helped conceive a baby. And that’s all he needs to know. If you so choose, we can also inform him periodically of updates during your pregnancy such as milestones like first kicks, if you find out the sex of the baby, or when you give birth. But all of that is completely up to you. The father chose to stay anonymous, but did wish to receive updates if the parents so pleased.”
Wanda nods slowly at this. “I understand… I would want to know also. Can I think on it? I do want him to know that it worked, that I’m pregnant that is.”
The doctor smiles softly at Wanda and nods. “Of course.”
-
‘…
Congratulations! You’re going to be a father! Your sperm helped to conceive a baby. You’ve helped someone fulfill their dream.
Thank you,
Manhattan Fertility Clinic and Sperm Bank’
The man slowly read the letter, scanning it over and over again. He grips it tightly in his hands and a strange sickness washes over him. What was he thinking? He had only ‘donated’ once for a few extra hundred bucks, but didn’t actually think someone would get pregnant.
No, this was a good thing. He was helping someone fulfill their dream. A couple who on their own couldn’t have a baby, a single mother- what if it was a single mother? ‘Oh, how brave that is’, the man thinks. He hadn’t been around many children or babies that is, his only friend that did have a baby was Tony Stark, but he rarely brought Morgan around when they would hang out. The man couldn’t stomach the thought of having to raise a child on his own.
-
“Congratulations, Wanda! I’m so happy for you, hun,” Laura Barton whispers into her ear, pulling Wanda into a squeeze. “How are you feeling? How far along are you? When are you due?” The older woman reels off.
“I’m doing fine… having a lot of morning sickness- why- why don’t they say it’s not just the morning, though? I haven’t slept through the night in a week because that’s when it hits me. Talking about sleep, I have taken so many naps. I can sleep all day and still feel tired, is that normal?” Laura’s eyebrow raises, but smiles softly nonetheless. “I-I- what I was thinking?” Big tears roll down Wanda’s face suddenly. “I’m an idiot.”
Laura sighs and pulls her into a hug again. “Shh… you’re okay. You’re okay. Look at me, sweetheart. You didn’t make a mistake. You’re okay. You’ve always wanted to be a mother. And you are going to be an amazing mother, Wanda. I’ve seen you with the kids and they love you… Imagine how your kids will feel. The symptoms are temporary, but the love you’ll have for your baby is forever.”
Wanda nods, wiping furiously at her eyes.
“So… how far along are you?”
“I’m seven weeks today… I’m due in May sometime. They said that may change though depending on how the ultrasound looks. Would you… would you mind going with me to the scan?”
“Of course, hun.”
-
Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump, thump thump.
“And that is your baby’s heartbeat,” the doctor says.
Wanda’s mouth breaks into a smile, tears creasing at the corner’s of her eyes. She looks up at Laura who’s beaming down at her. All fears, anxieties were all washed away from her previous few weeks of being a mother. This was her baby. Her flesh and blood. Her lip trembles softly and she looks at the screen. “I-I don’t see it.”
“Well the sac is right there and-” the doctor begins to point out, but stops, increasing the volume.
“What? What is it?” Wanda asks, looking to the doctor, then to Laura who’s face falls.
Thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump, thump thump thump thump.
“I’m picking up a second heartbeat.” Wanda’s face contorts in confusion. “Congratulations Ms. Maximoff, you’re pregnant with twins.”
“Twins?” Wanda’s mouth falls open and a nervous laugh escapes her lips. “I-I’m having twins.” She looks up at Laura who’s smiling down at her, tears falling down her cheeks. “I-I don’t… oh my god…” Wanda’s eyes fill with tears again. She chuckles softly and Laura grins from ear to ear. “I’m having twins.”
“The chances increase with artificial insemination. It’s doubled though because you’re a twin yourself. Congratulations, dear… we’ll need to keep a close eye on you for the next several weeks to ensure their health and viability.”
Wanda looks up to Laura and beams, and Laura reaches down a hand for her to hold.
She was going to be a mother.