✓ | Porcelain.

chapter forty three

CHAPTER FORTY THREE: A SECOND CHANCE

I didn't mention what I had found out to Steve when we met back up, or Tony. I didn't say anything, I only nodded when necessary. Steve seemed to notice my off behaviour, but he didn't comment on it because we had gotten what we needed.

In reality, I shouldn't have felt too betrayed. I found out years ago about SHIELD's imperfections. But it was the knowing that they had found that out themselves, at a time before I had even discovered who I was, that was unsettling.

When we typed the coordinates in to go home, we were sucked into the Quantum Realm in mere seconds. It went by in a blur, all the colours of the rainbow speeding past me as we flew through tunnels upon tunnels in the small realm.

Once we were back in 2023 in the Avengers Compound, I finally took in my surroundings. I let myself smile at the sight of all the stones, successfully brought into our time for us to take our final stand.

"Did we get them all?" Bruce looked around in disbelief, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"You telling me this'll actually work?" Rhodey piped up, a small smile on his face.

The small bit of happiness didn't last long, however. Clint fell to his knees, his eyes cast downwards, red and puffy. He sniffled, and his lips were pulled into a frown. My heart dropped in realization.

Natasha was nowhere to be seen. I could look around for ages but deep down I knew I would never find her. I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back from crying, but allowed my eyes to well up with tears and my lips to create a frown. My throat burned from holding back the tears, which desperately wanted to fall.

Clint made eye contact with me, and I immediately found it ten times harder not to cry. We had come so close to bringing everyone back, we still could, but it felt so wrong to not have Nat here when they returned. So unfair.

I was hit with a wave of emotions. Natasha was a great friend to me, she always has been, but I felt a strange sense of guilt. Should I have loved her more? More than I already did? Did she know how much I cared?

I would never get the answers to those questions. She had already fallen, leaving us to take what she gave us. A second chance.

Bruce broke the long silence, "Clint, where's Nat?" He asked-but we already knew the answer. None of us wanted to say it. How could we?

Clint remained silent, unable to speak in fear of crying out. He loved her like a sister-she was family to him-and he had been the last one to see her. I couldn't imagine the pain he must've been feeling. I already lost Bucky, and I know we can get him back now, but Clint was all too aware that Natasha wouldn't be able to come home.

The docks were peaceful at this time of day. The sun just slipping past the trees, the water rippling in the soft winds. So peaceful. But the storm still raged within me, brewing winds so unimaginably powerful and starting fires so hot they could scald you from a mile away.

But I still held back-not a tear fell from my eyes.

"Do we know if she had family?" Tony asked softly after a moment of painful silence.

Steve looked out into the distance unseeingly, nodding slowly, "yeah. Us."

Thor frowned in confusion, his hands shaking at his sides. "What?"