Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Alternative Ending: 2.2

Natasha let the team meeting fall over her. She just listened vaguely, writing everything down but not saying much. Because Katya's voice repeated in her head. That wonderful smile burned into her brain. She grew more impatient by the minute, wishing they could go already.

But to get the Stones back, they had to choose the years and locations very precisely. All the Stones were in different places, so the team would be split up and assigned to a place. 

When they finally figured out the logistics of it all, she and Clint had been assigned to Vormir, to get the Soul Stone. 

Natasha didn't care where she had to go, as long as she could get Katya back. Nothing else mattered. So she suited up, stepped onto the same platform, and got ready. Steve held a speech that went one ear in and the other out and next thing she knew, she was in the Quantum Realm again. This time, of course, taking another route.

It spat her out on Morag, where she and Clint split with Rhodey and Nebula. The spaceship took them to Vormir, where Natasha got a bad feeling the second she stepped off the ship.

It was hard to walk, the sand on the ground weighing her feet down. The twilight made it hard to see, but the sand also blew around with the wind, which was quite strong. It tugged on her braid and swept the grains of sand in her face.

She knew what Katya would say in this situation. She wasn't a big fan of sand, it slowed her down too much when running or walking. Which was funny because she loved the sea, just not the sand that came along with it. 

The sky was a beautiful purple-pink, curtsey of an eclipse on their right. One of the moons of Vormir, or a neighboring planet, blocked the light of the star, thus creating the beautiful lightshow above their heads. If only they had time to stop and watch, but they were on a clock.

A huge mountain towered over them. On the very top, just below the grey clouds, two pillars rose. Natasha looked at Clint, who had figured the same thing: that's where they were supposed to go. 

Full energy, they started their climb. The higher they came, the colder it got. Eventually, snow started falling. Well, hopefully it was snow and not ash. And hopefully it wasn't poisonous or something.

It landed on their hair and clothes and blew in their eyes. Natasha tried to cheat by hiding behind Clint, out of the wind. The flakes stuck in her red hair, sticking out like a sore thumb. She was not a big fan of it, although the cold didn't bother her. She grew up in Russia after all.

''I bet the raccoon didn't have to climb a mountain,'' Natasha whined when they had finally reached the top. After one goddamn hour. Her lungs burned because of the lack of oxygen. The only reason she wasn't sweating was because it was so cold at the top. Her fingers started to go numb.

''Technically, he's not a raccoon, you know,'' Clint corrected her.

''Oh, whatever. He eats garbage,'' she growled.

''Welcome.''

The two of them snapped around so fast it could have given them a whiplash. Natasha pulled her gun while Clint unsheathed his sword, narrowing their eyes at the floating, dark person in front of them.

''Natasha, daughter of Ivan. Clint, son of Edith.''

Natasha's grip on her gun faltered, her heart skipping a couple beats. She had always wondered about her parents, who they were. She had never talked about it much with Katya. It was a part of her she didn't like to discuss or think about, which Katya understood completely.