𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐋𝐘━︎━︎T. Stark ✓︎

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
CAN'T BE UNDONE

"BE SAFE." VICTORIA TOLD THEM, hugging Natasha who offered her a small smile.

"We will be." Natasha gave the woman another smile before making her way onto the giant time machine pad. Victoria then gave Steve a hug, repeating the same thing to him that she had said to Natasha, to which he responded with the same thing that she had. She offered her best friend a small smile before allowing him to join the others.

"I'll be here when you get back." Victoria looked a Tony with a small smile. She gave the man a quick peck on the lips before allowing for him to join the others. Victoria crossed her arms over her chest and stood there beside of Bruce.

"Five years ago we lost. All of us. We lost friends. . . We lost family. . . We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the stones, get them back. One round trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. But it doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we're gonna win." Steve and Tony exchange looks before finished his speech. "Whatever it takes. Good luck."

"He's pretty good at that." Rocket mumbles to no one in particular.

"Right!" Scott exclaims with a smile.

"All right, you heard the man. Stroke those keys, jolly green." Tony called to Bruce. Bruce did as Tony asked and Victoria met eyes with Natasha and Natasha sent her a smile before her eyes moved to Tony. Worry only continued to bloom in her chest.

"Tractors engaged." Bruce informed as he joined the rest of the group, leaving Victoria to stand there by herself.

"You promise to bring that thing back in one piece, right?" Rocket asked Clint who was carrying the shrunken Benataur in his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I'll do my best." Clint responded, rolling his eyes.

"As promises go, that was pretty lame." Rocket mutters. The sound of the machine starting to work grabbed everyone's attention, Victoria watching as their masks all covered their faces.

"See you in a minute." Natasha smiles excitedly before they all shrink and enter the Quantum Realm, leaving Victoria all alone in the facility, not knowing that that would be the last time that she would see Natasha Romanoff.

She didn't stray that far, going into the kitchen and grabbing herself a quick bite to eat before making it to her designated room and looking at the swords that still lay there from the first go round with Thanos. She walked over to them and picked them up, examining the swords for a moment before bringing them out with her and allowing her to mess with them whilst she waited. She looked up at the sound of the machine whirring right back to life, watching as they all came back, except for one person.

"Did we get them all?" Bruce was the first one to speak up and Victoria crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at the group.

"You telling me this'll actually work?" Rhodey questioned, glancing around the group. That's when Victoria couldn't help but notice Natasha not standing there beside of Clint. She frowned.

"Clint, where's Nat?" Victoria spoke up, grabbing the groups attention. Clint didn't answer, instead, a broken look crossed his face and immediately Victoria felt her heart drop and tears swelled in her eyes. Natasha Romanoff was gone. And there was no getting her back. They all sat out there on the lake, Victoria standing there beside of Tony as she tried to control her tears. The woman who she had been friends with for so long, was no where on this earth.

"Do we know if she had any other family?" Tony was the one to gently break the silence.

"Yeah, us." Steve said sadly as he looked down at his hands, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"What?" Thor asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"I just asked him a question. . ." Tony pointed towards Steve whilst looking at Thor.

"Yeah, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right? So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together." Thor snapped.

"We can't get her back." Clint angrily spoke and Victoria felt herself wince.

"Wh-what?" Thor frowned.

"It can't be undone." Clint shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. Natasha had been his best friend, and he was forced to watch her die. Something that he would never be able to forget. Victoria knew Natasha, but Clint had known her from the beginning. She couldn't even begin to think of what he was going through. Thor dryly laughs and looks at the man.

"I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And 'can't' seems very definitive don't you think?"

"Look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she?" Clint snapped at the god.

"Now that's my point―︎" Thor starts but Clint interrupts him.

"It can't be undone. Or that's at least what the, great floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him? Okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him." Tears filled the mans eyes as he choked out his next words. "It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamned stone. She bet her life on it." As a result of these words and out of anger, Bruce throws a bench across the lake before turning around.

"She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it, we have to." Bruce finally admitted it.

"We will." Steve assures with the nod of his head before his eyes met those of Victoria's and the two shared a silent look with one another before Steve nodded his head and repeated the words one more time. "We will."