Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Alternative Ending: 1.7 (2.0)

Ask and you shall receive. Some of you wanted the depressing ending so I threw away all my Sunday plans and wrote this for you instead. Don't complain that it made you cry, it's exactly what you wanted ;)

Clint couldn't do it. He couldn't do it. 

With the orange Stone in his hand, he emerged on the glass platform, everyone looking around anxiously. Did they get all the Stones? Did everyone come back?

''Did we get them all?'' He heard Bruce ask vaguely.

''You telling me this actually worked?'' Rhodey slowly started to celebrate. But Clint was far from celebrating.

He sunk to his knees, staring at the goddamn Stone in his hand that he would trade for Katya in a heartbeat. Because he knew what must have happened. He woke up in water, without Katya but with the Stone. He didn't need any explanation, remembered passing out because of the Widow Bite she threw at him.

Broken, that's how he felt. Tears filled his eyes, an empty look in them. How the hell was he going to tell Natasha this?

The group finally realized they were missing one. ''Clint, where's Katya?'' Bruce asked, dreading the answer. 

Clint didn't answer, the heavy silence settling down on everyone's shoulders. They hung their heads, mourning their friend. Their friend who couldn't deal with losing her fiancée, who didn't see a reason to get up every morning just because Natasha wasn't in this world anymore. They didn't feel her pain, but they understood why she left. Understood why she jumped. 

Clint pushed the Stone into Tony's hands, guessing he would work on the gauntlet, and stormed off, towards the lake. Katya loved this place, would sit in the grass, staring at the ripples on the surface for hours. It became her spot, sometimes finding Natasha sitting there with her.

They were unstoppable, those two. He had always admired the insane amount of love they held for each other. It seemed to be never-ending; growing each day. The way they looked at each other and fit together perfectly. He never doubted they were meant for each other. And damn what was he glad they didn't kill her in Serbia. 

Because Natasha could have never been as happy in this life without Katya. 

''How the hell am I supposed to tell her?'' He asked the person stopping next to him, hands in their pockets. ''She'll hate me, and she has every right to. It was supposed to be me.''

Steve didn't glace at his broken friend. Tears streamed down his own cheeks too. Katya had been there since the beginning, since he came out of the ice. And even though they'd had a rocky start, he truly saw her as a good friend. ''She won't hate you, Clint. Nat will know you would never let her jump voluntarily.''

''Still. I had one job and that was look out for her fiancée while she was gone. And I couldn't even do that.'' Clint clenched his fists, angry at himself. If he would have been alone, he would have screamed out over the lake, cursed Katya for putting him in this position. She should have been there when Natasha came back. Flashed her that beautiful smile and hugged her tightly.

Steve finally turned his head to Clint, feeling sorry for him. ''She knew Katya better than anyone. Knows how stubborn she was.'' It was so painful to talk about Katya in the past tense, but that was the reality. She wasn't coming back.