"A lot of times freedom doesn't mean being free. It is not a right, but a choice. Anyone can be free if they want to. Telling someone to be free is taking away their choice to be free. You don't take away decisions."
A story in which Lilly Richards...
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Back at the Compound, the team appeared on the platform.
"Did we get them all?" Bruce asked.
"Clint, where's Nat?" Lilly asked him. He is silent, broken. Lilly rushed off the platform.
She closed the door behind her, after entering her old room. She sunk to the floor and cried. "Not you too," she cried softly. She clenched her fists. "That purple nut-chin...."
She got up and breathed out. "I have to be strong. She sacrificed herself for greater good. I have to be strong," she said. She walked out from her room and saw the rest of her team by the lake. Rocket was sitting in a chair in the living room.
She passed him and walked out.
"Do we know if she had family?" She heard Tony ask. "Yeah. Us," Steve replied to him.
She slowly moved to them.
"What?" Thor said confused. As he neared them.
"I just asked him a question–"
"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?" He asked. "So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together."
Lilly joined him by the side. "Oh, sister, glad you came. Please tell them, that she's not 'dead' dead."
She put her hand on his arm. "I—"
"We can't get her back," Clint said.
"Wha– what?"
"It can't be undone. It can't."
Thor laughed dryly, before continuing, "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?"
"Yeah, look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she?"
"No, that's my point–"
"Thor, stop it!" Lilly exclaimed. "It can't be undone. She's never coming back."
Thor looked at her. "But—"
"Look, Thor. A red gloating guy said so. Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? GO GRAB YOUR HAMMER, AND YOU GO FLY AND TALK TO HIM!" Clint shout at him. "It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it."
In a burst of anger, Bruce grabbed a bench and hurled it clear across the lake. "She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to."
"We will, Bruce," Lilly said to him.
"We better get going then. The gauntlet won't make itself," Tony said and walked away.
"Lilly, wait," Steve said. She turned around and stopped. He walked up to her. "I just want to say that I know how to spend my second chance."
