Lilliana: The Oldest Maximoff [Discontinued]

Gone

-+-

"On your left," Steve mutters beaten.

"It's good to have you back, Cap."

"Yeah, it's good to be back."

'Crap, Lilli!'

"Sam, where's Lilli? She was on the hellicarrier with me, and she took a really big beating from Bucky. Lil fell out of the carrier and into the water." Steve rambles worriedly.

"Um," Sam hesitates.

"What, Sam? What is it? Is she okay?"

"We were hoping that you'd be able to tell us because...you were the last person to see her alive."

"What do you mean alive? She's not dead." He says in disbelief.

"Steve, she was horribly injured, and fell thousands of feet into a giant body of water. If she didn't die from the height drop, she probably drowned, or got hit by falling debris." Sam states sadly.

"No," Steve's eyes begin to fill with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Steve but she's gone." Sam's voice cracks.

"No, no, I'm not going to believe that. Not until we have a body that proves it." He cries.

"Well, they're still digging through the rubble and we checked the surrounding areas already."

"It's okay," Steve tells himself, "Lilli's fine. She's not dead. She's definitely alive and okay."

Sam excuses himself to talk to a nearby nurse.

"God, I hope that she's okay. I can't lose her too."

-+-

"Lilli's funeral is next week. I thought that you'd like to know. Everyone's going to be there to celebrate her life." Nat mumbles.

"I know,"

"How are you feeling?" Nat questions.

"Is that a serious question?" Steve asks in disbelief, "I found out that my best friend is dead only a month ago."

"I know," Nat lets a tear slip, "it was kind of a stupid question.

"I still can't believe it, that's she gone."

"I know, it always felt like she would be there until the very end."

"Yeah," Steve lets out a small laugh, "a couple months before everything, we were looking for her new house. And she was talking about a future family that she would have. God, she looked so happy. I couldn't wait for her to have that dream come true. And now it never will."

"She may not have gotten that family, but at least she gets to spend forever with the one she already had. I mean, she missed them so much. She was miserably depressed. And now...now, she gets to see them again," Nat sobs, "make peace with the fact that she's happy up above."

Steve nods, "yeah I guess so."

-+-

"Thank you all for coming to this ceremony," the preacher starts, "we are all here to honor the late Lilliana Maximoff... Many said that she was very caring and a worthwhile friend... A few of those friends would like to say a few words."

Natasha rises to the stand,

"I met Lilli about 1 year and a half ago. She was this young girl with absolutely no experience. But there was something about her, the way she acted toward others. You were just drawn to her like a magnet. Her and I were great friends, but part of me wishes that I could've done more to protect her." Nat sobs, "Lilli, I hope that you're happy and at peace. I'll miss you everyday for the rest of my life.

Next up was Clint,

"The first day that I met Lilliana was quite interesting, to say the least. I was helping her with training and she accidentally broke my nose," he sniffles, "I was absolutely pissed at the time, but now I find myself fond of the memory. When her family died, she was absolutely crushed. It broke my heart to see her like that. I tried everyday to help her get through it. My only wish is that I spent more time with her... I'll miss you, Kid."

Lastly was Steve,

"Lilli was one of my best friends in my entire existence. We clicked immediately when we met. I remember being so shocked that first day when she absolutely kicked my ass. Now, I'm just incredibly proud. Lilli was one of the strongest people I've ever known. But when she lost her family it broke her. She stayed with me for months and I felt absolutely helpless the entire time. Quite similar to how I feel now," he takes a shaky breath, "There was so much that she wanted to do before she died. Lilli always talked about her perfect future family and all of the things she was going to do... And because of her, I'm going to try my hardest to be strong and experience new things. Just like she would be doing if she were still with us... I love you so much. And not a single moment will go by that I'm not thinking of you."

He removes himself from the stage.

"God, Lil. Why did you have to leave me?" He breaks down in the pew.

-+-

"I just wanted to say that I'm incredibly sorry." Tony states.

Steve lets out a dry laugh, "well you're late and you should be apologizing to her. Not me."

"I know, I should be apologizing to her, but I can't."

"Nope and it's all your fault." Steve points, "you tore her life apart and she took risks that she wouldn't have taken before. Because she wasn't afraid to die anymore. If she died she would be with her real family, and now she is."

Stark stays silent and Steve gets really up close and personal.

"She left me alone on this earth because of you."

"Come on, Steve. It's not worth it." Nat pushes him along.

"I'm sorry," Tony mumbles again.

But what he's sorry for is not what you think...

Author's Note:
I may or may not have cried my eyes out writing this chapter. It was just so sad. Poor everyone. They think that she's dead. I promise you she's not. I'm not even close to being done with Lilli's story. It's farrrr from over. And Tony's hiding something that he's sorry for, but what is he sorry for?