Widow Sisters and Friends (Restoring Our Broken Hearts): Book 2

The Vacation of A Lifetime: Part 8

Summary: Natasha, Yelena, Kate, Carol, and Darcy find a plethora of adventures and mischief to get into on the beach in the aftermath of their messy disaster of a road trip. As they learn more about each other throughout these hijinks, they slowly all get closer.

A continuation of "The Road Trip of a Lifetime."

   "Can I ask you something?" Yelena softly whispered, almost as if it were some manner of secret. Natasha immediately wasted no time in expressing her gentle reply.

"Anything."

"What does death feel like?" Yelena questioned suddenly, and Natasha paused, her breath hitching a little as she gazed at the gorgeous sunset before them.

She slowly looked over at her baby sister. Yelena did not stop looking at the sky before them, and it was almost as if the younger woman had never said anything at all. But Natasha knew she had heard Yelena, despite the surrealness of the question.

The both of them had headed outside to spend some time together with just the two of them for a little while, and everyone else was supposed to be catching up with them a little later. Yelena had washed her head after the entire bird crap episode when she had gone out with Kate, and all she had been in the mood to do was spend time with Natasha.

So for now, it was just the two of them, and it seemed that Yelena was taking full advantage of the time to talk about unaddressed traumas, much to Natasha's surprise.

Natasha finally let out a small breath after a long pause.

She had not really put a lot of thought into how to describe the feeling of death or what happened after, but she could recall what it felt like with startling clarity considering. When she had passed away and been in the afterlife with Tony, she had been in a beach sort of area. It was not entirely unlike Davy Jones' locker from those pirate movies.

What was even stranger for her was that she seemed to be the only one that remembered it. Tony seemed to have no recollection unless he was just hiding it really well.

Part of what really shocked her at this moment was that Yelena had actually brought it up. Ever since Natasha had died a year or so ago, Yelena had made a pointed effort to avoid asking anything about it. It was as if she had sensed what a sensitive spot that it was for Natasha.

But now that it was just the two of them alone together on the beach with the others inside and since such time had passed since it happened, Natasha found that she did not entirely mind sharing. It was not as scary as it was before now that she was more removed from it, and she assumed that Yelena must have finally come to terms with it more greatly as well.

Natasha looked down at the sand before shifting her gaze back up at the sunset with all of its bright, warm colors. Yelena's arm remained around Natasha's leg where she had lifted her knees up before her with her feet planted carefully in the sand underneath them.

"Nothing hurts. It's... Peaceful. But unsettlingly so. Especially for people that are used to action all their life," Natasha expressed, and Yelena looked over at her, her shoulder rubbing against Natasha's as she shifted a little in her position where she was sitting just next to her.

"For me, at least... It was a beach. Not so unlike this one," Natasha pointed out with a bit of a chuckle as she looked around them. Yelena stared at her carefully, those honey-greens analyzing Natasha's every movement wordlessly.

"Time passes not like time here. It's immeasurable and there's not really a sense of nighttime," Natasha told her quietly, her voice gentle as if it would somehow destroy the moment if she were to raise its volume any higher.