AN: Thank you so much for all the votes, comments, and reads. You guys mean the world to me and I love each and every one of you. Without further ado, here's the short intro to the chaos that is "The Keepers of Onslaught"!
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How does it feel to be home?
A question I couldn't quite answer. I felt mentally exhausted. It dug down deep and carved into my bones. I often didn't want to leave the apartment Steve and I had bought in Brooklyn. Sometimes I'd find myself staring at nothing in particular, my mind coursing with regret and horrible memories. Steve would express his worry and concern, but I'd catch him in his own similar moments. I told myself it would get better.
It hadn't.
The easiest part of my day was looking at my friends and family and feeling my heart swoon. They were the hope that everything would get better.
Eventually.
The hardest part of my day was putting a smile on my face and telling everyone that I was going through some kind of reverse culture shock. A hard readjustment to the life I once lived.
The movies always made it look so simple going from the battlefield to back home. The hero saves the day and goes back to the loving family or the cozy home they had once left. No repercussions, disasters, loss, tragedy. Just one big happy ending.
And it's complete bullshit.
The thing is you never leave the battlefield. A piece of you is always there, whether it be in the heart, spirit, or mind. It's almost like an itch you can't scratch. A memory that couldn't be forgotten. It had become my origin of insanity.
Even the other Avengers were screwed up in their own way. Peter put his heart and soul into crime fighting. Steve attempted to relax into the calm life with me, but things were still off. Tony stuck himself in the Avengers' tower working on new designs for armor and weapons. Banner had taken a long vacation with his girlfriend, Betty, and kept in touch every now and then. Natasha had gone rogue and none of us had heard from her since she disappeared without a trace. We looked for her for weeks, but to no avail.
The Avengers weren't at peace.
We were restless, exhausted, anxious, and remorseful.
How does it feel to be home? Hauntingly beautiful is one way to put it. Another way is it feels like I'm falling forever into an abyss with no grasp on anything. Whenever someone asks me this question, whether it's Aunt May, Pepper, Logan, Jarvis, Wanda, or anyone else, the answer is always the same.
All I can muster up is a small smile and say good.
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The Keepers of Onslaught (Avengers FF #4)
FanfictionDead. They're all dead. The team had been hit hard by the deaths of some members, but that didn't stop them from trying to move on. Well...all of them but one. Natasha Romanoff, torn by anger and heartbreak, went rogue in an effort to get revenge...
