The Force -Marvel-

Chapter 38

How do you process the death of a loved one? Unfortunately, there wasn't a manual for that. If Tony were here, he would know, but he was gone as well. Lydia felt like she had lost the closest thing she had to a family. Sure, she had been separated from Tony for two years, but that didn't mean she didn't love him. And she was sure they would reconnect, but that chance was ripped away from her. Thanks to Thanos.

And Natasha was gone, as well. Lydia had lost everything.

The Avenger's compound was gone, reduced to piles of rubble. The sight made Lydia uneasy. Construction crews were cleaning up the mess left behind. They had to clean up the mess that was once her home. Rhodey had managed to set up a few tents and trailers for the remaining members of the team. 

But most were gone.

The anger inside of her was steady. It had yet to falter since her conversation with Clint. Letting her walls down allowed for that feeling to take over. However, it was still better than feeling sad. Since letting in the anger, her eyes had yet to change. They remained purple, and it frightened her.

But nobody said anything about it.

Lydia had followed Steve's instructions since the funeral, which was only the day before. She had always been good at following instructions. Still, Lydia had no idea what to do with herself. Wanda had been eerily quiet since the funeral. Nobody knew what the future held. It was all questionable.

Wanda didn't seem to know what to do, either. Vision was gone, had been for five years at this point. Her grief had finally settled in after Tony's funeral. As if she finally realized what happened once the adrenaline was gone. The two were both in the early stages of grieving and were not handling it well. Lydia could only hope that Steve would guide them, as he had done for them in the past.

The world Lydia lived in now was grey and cold. She missed Natasha and Tony. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do to get them back. The world didn't work like that. They were gone, and they weren't coming back. 

They were dead. Lydia had no idea how to process that. She could only hope that the pain would subside and time would heal her wounds.

Lydia had loved the Avenger's compound. Her room had glass windows, ones that allowed her to see the beautiful forest without any fear of being seen. That was gone too. Everything Lydia knew was gone.

Bruce was here. She always liked Bruce. But he was different now—a combination of the Hulk and himself. She wasn't sure how she felt about that yet. If Bruce was happy, then that was really all that mattered. Lydia watched him closely as he prepared the platform to send Steve back in time to return the stones. Sam and James were with him, but Rhodey was gone. Promising to return at some point.

She had no doubt he would. Rhodey was always a man of his word. He was being pulled into meetings. The government wasn't wasting any time.

Steve was preparing to leave. To return the stones on his own. Wanda had yet to join her. It was still early in the morning. James had made her a fresh cup of coffee, and surprisingly it was pretty good. It was also a kind thing to do. "Lydia." It was Steve.

The white-haired girl glanced at him, mug pressed against her lips. "Morning, Steve."

There was a vanilla folder in his hand. It was thick and had a SHIELD symbol printed on top. "I debated on giving this to you." He held out the folder for her to take. "But I think it belongs to you."

She didn't take it, not yet. "What is it?" With her current mental state, she couldn't handle bad news.

"Natasha's last wish." Immediately, she snatched the folder from his hands, but she didn't open it. Not right away. In his suit, Steve stood tall and confident, but his eyes told a different story. Years of looking into his eyes told her that he was nervous.