Come Back To Me

Recover

Even with Tony back, the compound was extremely empty. There was no more random people coming in and out and it was always quiet. Laura hasn't left the compound since coming home from the battle of Wakanda.

Most days, she stays in her room and watched the window, like Bucky used to do. She doesn't sleep much anymore, and when she does she wakes up sad, after dreaming of Bucky coming home.

All day, Laura's mind is on Bucky. Anytime she comes out of her room Nat and Steve try to make her talk but she hasn't nothing to say. It's all pain inside of her.

Thor left a week after Tony got home. It was hard to see him leave, but he wanted to find answers and he figured there wouldn't be anything on earth that could help, so he went home.

"Where's Tony and Carol?" Nat asks Steve.

"Still in his lab. He swears he'll figure this out." Steve responds and Laura looks up at both of them.

"We lost. Why can't he can't just get that?" Laura says and rolls her eyes.

"If he finds something I think it'll make him feel better." Nat says and looks at Laura with sadness in her eyes.

"Well he won't find anything. Even Thor thinks there's nothing on earth that could fix this. We just have to get over it." Laura responds and stands up to leave.

Laura walks outside and sits on a bench in front of the building. Her heart aches for the people she lost that day, but especially for Bucky. She wants more time with him, but now it's impossible.

"Hey Laura." Steve says and walks up to her. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"That's fine." She answers and stares off at the field in front of the compound. She can still see the burnt grass where Thor arrives every time he comes. That makes her miss him.

"Natasha is really worried about you." Steve says and looks at Laura. "Don't you think you'll feel better if you talk about what happened? It's better than holding it in."

"There's nothing to talk about. We lost. I lost the stone and Bucky." She looks at Steve and tears form in her eyes.

"It's not your fault that this happened. You did everything you could that day. Nobody blames you." Steve responds and looks at his feet.

"I miss him Steve." Laura whispers and looks down. "I didn't think I cared that much for him but I did. Now he's gone. I don't even have a photo of him or anything." 

"I miss him too." Steve says and grabs Laura's right hand that is pretty much healed from the stone being ripped out.

They sit in silence for a few moments and Laura wipes a tear off her cheek. That's the first time she's admitted to how much she misses Bucky and it hurts to say it out loud.

"I want to give you something." Steve says and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out dog tags and looks at them for a minute before giving them to Laura. "They're Bucky's. I think he'd want you to have them."

Laura grabs them and stares at them. His name was engraved into the small metal pendant and she smiled.

"Thank you Steve." She whispered and put them around her neck. "I'll never take them off."

Laura was being serious, she never took that necklace off. When Steve gave it to her, it was almost like when she got the stone, it became a part of her.

The first year after the blip, Tony was obsessed with trying to figure out a solution for the problem. Thor didn't come back like he normally would so it was quiet around the compound constantly.

Everyone stopped going on missions. The priorities for everyone were the same, except for Laura. She didn't see the point in trying when after a year there was no hope. To be honest, her hope was lost after Tony got back by himself, well and the blue alien, Nebula.

Carol left after a few weeks to go search the universe and help other planets. Laura thought Carol was very powerful and it made her miss having the capabilities of the stone.

The past year in the compound has been nothing but hardships for Laura. With Tony, Bruce and Nebula constantly trying to find a way to fix the blip, it was a constant reminder of losing Bucky for good.

Laura couldn't help but think about what Bucky said, how he'd take her back to Scotland when the fight was over. Well, it's over now and she wishes he could be here to fulfill that promise.

Part of her wants to go back and stay in the hotel they stayed in, but she knew it'd make her feel even more alone. Natasha has tried to talk to her but nothing helps.

Today is a year since the battle of Wakanda. Laura was hurting a little extra today.

"Laura?" Natasha says and opens her bedroom door. "Tony and I have a surprise for you."

Laura sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. It was still early and Laura has gotten used to sleeping in much later than she used to. Slowly, she got up and got dressed.

When she walked into the living room, Thor was standing by Nat and Tony with a small smile.

"Thor?" Laura says and runs to him.

"Hey poppy." He says and squeezed her. "I've missed you. I'm sorry I've been gone so long."

"You're here now." Laura says and couldn't help but smile.

Thor kept an arm around her and continued to talk to Nat and Tony. Steve was off at some support group that he's been going to for a few weeks.

"Why are you back? Is everything alright?" Laura asked and interrupted the conversation.

Thor stayed silent and looked at Natasha and Tony. Nat slowly nodded her head, confirming Thor's thought of if they should tell Laura or not.

"Carol and I found Thanos." Thor said and looked down at Laura.

The name sent a chill down her spine. Laura hasn't heard that name in a year.

"He destroyed the stones." Thor said and grabbed her right hand. "They're all gone."

Laura heart sunk. Not only can they not bring everybody back, but she'll never have the stone back. Without it, Laura feels useless.

"I killed him." Thor whispered down to her. She looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "I went for the head."

Laura remembered what Thanos said to Thor in Wakanda. If Thor would've aimed higher, we would've won that day and everyone would still be here. Laura doesn't blame him, but she's still upset.

"Do you feel better?" Laura asked and looked at her feet.

"No." Thor says and half smiles. "But it's a start. We will find something."

"Nat told you to say that didn't she." Laura says and rolls her eyes. "There's nothing we can do! The stones are gone and so is Bucky. It's over!"

Laura storms out and runs to Steve's bike in the garage. She can her Thor calling for her but she ignores him. All she wants is for people to stop giving her false hope.