Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Alternative Ending: 2.3 (2.0)

In case you wanted Katya to snap. Yes I do see your comments :) So you can replace the last chapter with this one if you want to

Katya had no freaking clue what was happening when she opened her eyes. She sat on the forest floor, in the middle of a small clearing, the bright sun filtering through the high trees. The silence was overwhelming. She didn't hear anything but the wind and rustling of leaves.

Confused out of her mind, she wanted to stand up, but her head hurt like a bitch. She hissed and shot out a hand to the back of her head. A bump adorned the back of it, under her brown hair.

Extra careful this time, Katya scrambled to her feet, slowly turning in her spot. Where was she? But most importantly, what happened? She had her suit on, so this must have been a mission gone wrong. Her first guess was that she passed out. But then why didn't she see any of her teammates? If this was a team mission, they would have never let her lay like this.

In her turning, her eye landed on someone else, a person that had previously been hidden by a bush. He sat on his knees, staring at his hands like he saw them for the first time. None of this felt right.

''Barnes?'' she questioned.

Bucky looked up from his hands, his long hair following the movement. He had the same confused look in his eyes, like the last five minutes of his life had disappeared. ''Katya? What happened?''

''You tell me.'' It wasn't her that answered, it was Sam, stepping out of the forest, joining their small group. Nobody seemed to know why they were there, why they had passed out collectively and why they had amnesia.

Luckily, a weak Sokovian voice could clarify it for them. ''We were gone.''

Katya's gaze landed on the witch. She couldn't believe she hadn't spotted her before. Wanda sat on the ground on her knees, bent forward like she had kneeled next to someone, but Katya's mind was still empty.

Wanda clenched her fists, staring at the empty space in front of her. She looked defeated, beaten, not only physically but more mentally. ''Thanos, he snapped his fingers, remember?''

The name of the alien was a trigger to the others, the key to unlocking their memories. A collective gasp echoed in the forest. T'Challa had now also joined their group, his head snapping to the direction of the battlefield. ''Where is he now, where are the others? How did we get back?'' he questioned nobody in particular because nobody had the answers.

Katya felt numb, she remembered everything. She remembered calling out for Natasha after the snap because she felt off. She knew what was going to happen to her after she saw Barnes get dusted. She also knew the last thing Natasha said was that it would be okay, her panicky and anxious green eyes staring down at her as she disappeared.

But Natasha wasn't here, so time must have passed. Maybe a long time. Where was she now? Was she okay, or what did she do, where did she go?

Before Katya could explode in worry, something started to sizzle next to her. The whole group turned to it, muscles tensing and hands reaching for weapons. Ready in case Thanos decided to come back. A portal opened, a yellow border surrounding it. Out came a man Katya had never seen before, which didn't help with the confusion.

''I am Doctor Strange, protector of the Time Stone.'' That ringed a bell. ''You turned to dust five years ago, but the Avengers got the Stones back from the past and snapped again, brining half the Universe back. Now they need your help. Thanos has the Compound under attack, once again threatening half of all living creatures.''