Hero [L.L]

Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

Eden Todd sits on the sandy beach in front of her former beach home with her legs tucked into her chest. The wind was blowing rapidly through her wild hair and to anyone onlookers, they would see a girl relaxing on the beach. However if they looked closer they would notice her swollen red face and the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. Her eyes were dull and red, her lips bleeding from the amount of time she'd spent chewing on them. Her heart; broken. No onlooker would know that Eden had in fact come to this place to end her own life, once and for all. To the public, she was the hero who fought to bring back the half of the population who perished in the snap. Never would they know just how much she'd lost. 

After Natasha Eden was able to focus on the fight and push back her feelings, she didn't allow herself to break down because they had a mission, which would save the universe. When Tony snapped his fingers and saved them all she felt sick and allowed herself to grieve not one, but two deaths in her life. However, when she got the letter from Steve Rodgers explaining is the reasoning for leaving her, Eden broke. She couldn't understand why he would leave her after everything that happened, she had lost her mother figure, one of her closest friends and yet he still chose a woman he only kissed once over her. 

After reading the letter she got to the compound promptly and found her beloved friend had returned as a very old man. He was laying in a hospital bed with various machines hooked up to him. She was so angry when she walked in that she worried she might hurt him for a moment. But when he opened his eyes and smiles at her, she lost it. Eden collapsed on the ground next to him and held his hand to her heart. 

"why would you do this Steven?" she asks sniffling 

"I wanted to live the life I was supposed to have Eden"

"but you're gonna leave me, I can feel it you're weak" she cries 

"I knew that this was going to be the hardest thing I'd ever do, I've been preparing myself ever since I left you know. I had a whole bunch of things I was going to say but its so different seeing you here, now"

"are you gonna try and convince me not to be mad at you for this? it's not going to work"

"yes I was, but I see your pain and I know now that all I can do is apologize, I am sorry that you are going to lose another person, it's not fair. But I had to live my life, I had spent all of those years wishing I could go back and then I finally got the chance, I couldn't pass it up" 

"goddammit Steve I wish you weren't so wise, I mean how could I be mad at you, I would have done the same thing"

"I am sorry kid" he says softly 

"I don't think I can do this without you guys" 

"you can" he confirms 

"no Steve-"

"Eden you are much stronger than you give yourself credit for, you've made it through hell and back and you can do it again"

"what if I don't want to"

"you remember that promise you made me?"

"I do"

"I expect you to stay true"

"Steve you can't ask that of me it's not fair"

"a deal is a deal kid, no going back now"

"I hate you"

"no you don't"

"yeah you're right, I love you so so much and this is killing me to see you like this"

"I know Eden, but please just be strong, we will meet again soon"

Eden spoke with Steve about his life and the adventures he'd had with Peggy, it was wonderful to hear about, he seemed truly happy. As things worsened the remainder of the team gathered in his room and watched him take his very last breathe, Captain America was dead. Eden stormed out of the room and walked swiftly through the hallways. Before she could leave her hand was caught by Wanda Maximoff who was going through similar pain. Eden sighs and smiles at her.

"Eden where are you going?" 

"to my beach house"

"don't you dare"

"Wanda I just need some time ok?" she asks 

"please I can't have you leave me too"

"I promise you I will be back - I just need to get the hell out of here for now, you could come with me" 

"I am leaving, I need to go visit the town where Vision and I were going to live, I think it will help me, I was going to ask you to come"

"I'm sorry Wanda"

"I'm sorry too"

"I love you"

"I love you too, please don't be a stranger"

That is how she found herself alone at the beach, ready to commit the ultimate sin. Though she promised the others she would be ok, it was a lie. Eden was simply done, no longer could she stand the pain. She had lost almost everyone who got close to her, there was no doubt in her mind that this is what she wanted. The only thing holding her back was the note she wrote to Wanda sitting in her lap, she knew that this would break her. Of course, Eden didn't want to cause that girl any more pain, but she needed to think for herself and end the torture. Eden places the note in her mailbox and walks over to the ocean. She allows the waves to hit her feet and twitches at the cold. 

She then floats into the air and towards the water, she flies out dar enough to ensure that nobody would find her body and allows herself to drop into the water carelessly. The freezing temperature encases her like a blanket and she opens her eyes, staring at the surface as she sinks. Her lungs began to burn and she fought the urge to swim back up for air, this was it just a few more minutes of pain, and then she would be reunited with Loki. As the sun shines down through the water Eden is reminded of her talk with Steve Rodgers, how she promised she would never try to end her life again. She had never broken a promise before. She knew that Steve was looking down on her sadly as her body loses consciousness. In that moment Eden knew deep in her heart that she should not do this, she couldn't allow herself to lose this battle. She promised Steve she would stay strong. 

Eden uses every bit of strength she has remaining to swim back up to the surface, just when she is afraid she isn't going to make it, her head shoots out of the water and she begins to heave for air. The waves crash into her and she begins to panic as her lungs constrict, choaking on the salt water. Out of nowhere, a large door appears above the waves and she watches in horror as two guards step onto a platform and reach for her hand. She takes it without thinking and they pull her out of the cold water. Before she had a chance to thank them the woman begins to speak. 

"appears to be a standard sequence violation, branch is growing at a stable rate and slope. Variant Identified" she states 

"excuse me?" Eden asks in confusion 

"on behalf of the Time Variance Authority, I hereby arrest you for crimes against the sacred timeline, hands up" she commands holding the stick-like weapon up to Eden's chest. 

"I'm sorry is this some kind of joke, what is going on here?"

"you're coming with us"

"who the hell are you?" Eden exclaims as her eyes begin to glow bright green

"last chance variant"

"wha-"

Out of nowhere time seems to stop and the woman knocks her to the ground and places the handcuffs on her neck. They haul her back to her feet as she comes back to grip with reality and force her through the doorway.