The Captain and I's Final Love (Captain America Fanfiction) (6th Book)

Chapter Fourteen: Quitters

Before we could head inside Tony motioned for us both to stop. 

"I brought something," Tony said. 

He went to the back of his car, popping the trunk. I almost gasped out loud when I saw what it was. It looked the same as when Steve dropped it behind to carry me out instead. 

Tony grabbed it, handing it to Steve, who hesitated to reach for it. 

"Tony..." 

"Why? He made it for you. Plus, honestly, I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding," Tony reasoned. 

"You know Tony, you never did tell me why you named your daughter after me," I joked, although I knew we were on thin ice, it was one of the things I was dying to mention. 

"Well, not because you're not totally my favorite Avenger, but it was Pepper's dear uncle we named her after," Tony told me, chuckling. "I knew this would come back to haunt me one day." 

I smiled a little, feeling a little more at ease. 

"Anyways, it was meant for you Steve," Tony told him seriously this time. 

Steve looked over at me, I nodded, wanting him to take it. With that in his hands, he may begin to feel more like himself. 

"Thank you, Tony," Steve said. 

"Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn't bring one for the whole team," Tony said, hesitating for a moment. "We are getting the whole team, yeah?"

"Uh we're working on that," I told him, thinking of Clint. "Speaking of, I need to get ready. Nat and I are leaving soon." 

Before I took off, I gave Steve a small peck on the cheek, sending him a brain message that I'll be back to tell him goodbye. 

I left them standing there, rushing off to our room to get my stuff together. Natasha and I would be leaving in the jet at any moment. She was going to kill me if I was late. 

I hurried around the room, throwing things in a bag. My mind racing, thinking of all the things that could be happening to Clint. Or, rather, what he was making happen. 

I would have to change on the flight, there wasn't enough time. I was running out of time. 

I turned to leave, and I was faced with Steve leaning against the door frame. 

"Sorry, I'll clean the mess when I get back," I told him, smiling apologetically. I knew I had gone through the room like a tornado and there were clothes, knives, and papers floating all around the room. 

"Are you going to be okay?" Steve asked me. "I can still come with you." 

He reached out, pulling me into another hug. I hugged him back, letting out a long breath. I knew I was going to miss him. 

"It's okay. This is something Nat and I need to do together, just the three of us," I told him. It had been the three of us before the Avengers formed. A small, dysfunctional, makeshift family that didn't know what it needed at the time. 

"I'll just be a phone call away okay?" 

"I know," I said smiling, standing on my tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. 

"Please be safe," he said. 

"I always am," I said, winking as I took off down the hallway. 

Nat is so going to kill me. 

She had the jet waiting as I walked on, slinging my bag into one of the seats. 

"You ready for this?" she asked me.

 "Are you?" I asked her. 

"No," she said, as she started the jet up.

I took this as my cue to go  back and change. I put on a simple pair of jeans and long sleeve black turtleneck. I laced up my boots slowly, it was a lot harder with my metal fingers, and these boots when right below my knee. But, as I laced them I couldn't help but think of Clint, where he was, what he may be doing. 

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and sat back up front beside Nat, she piloted the jet easily and we both sat in silence for a while.

"What do you think is waiting for us?" Natasha asked finally, I was thankful that she finally broke the silence.  

"Honestly? I'm not sure. But, whatever we see out there it's still Clint," I told her. "Even if it's deep down it's still him."

"You sure?" she asked me.

"I know it. I've been where he is, and the good in him will always be there. Sometimes it just gets a little lost," I started. "Besides I'll be there to pull it out to remind him if I have to." 

She nodded and looked straight ahead. The silence enveloping us once again. 

"You know, I don't know if ever thanked you for stopping T'Challa for us," I said, the past seems to be on my mind a lot lately. 

"Sentimental today?" she asked me. 

"I guess, but seriously. I don't know if we ever would have made it out of there if you had." 

"But if you hadn't, you might still..." she trailed off, glancing at my arm.

"Still have my arm?" I said aloud for her. 

She nodded. 

"It all needed to come out. It would have destroyed us one way or the other," I told her. "You could have never guessed that's what would have gone down out there." 

"I don't ever want to know."

"Good, I don't ever want to talk about what happened that day, it was something I would never want to relive," I told her.

"Do you remember it though? What you did to them?" she asked tentatively, but not saying their names out loud. 

"Yes and no. It's like watching tv. I can see it clearly, but it doesn't feel like I was the one doing it," I said, trying my best to explain. "It's hard to explain. Most of my memories from that time are muddy, unless something triggers it, they're really hard to think about." 

"I can understand that," Natasha said, getting this far away look on her face. 

"Do you think he'll be okay?" I asked, referring to Clint. 

"I don't know, but we're about to find out," she said. 

She then landed the jet, and we were about to be face to face with Clint. Or what was left of him.