The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 14

"Good," Natasha was behind her. "Arms up, remember what I-" Lydia moved swiftly—grabbing onto the woman's arm and sliding under her legs. Natasha had dropped her guard for a moment allowing the younger girl to flip her onto her back. The red-haired woman hit the mat hard, a gasp passing through her lips as the air left her lungs.

Lydia stood above her with a triumphant smile. "I remember, don't worry." Natasha rolled her eyes but smiled nevertheless. Training had become more regular now that Tony was gone. Ultron had devastated the team. Clint had retired, and Tony was gone. The only people there were Steve, Vision, Sam, Rhodey, Natasha, and Happy, who visited every now and then. He did regular check-ins for Tony. "You know, maybe I should give you lessons."

"Oh yeah?" She was still on the ground.

"Yeah," Lydia replied. "Maybe you'll-" she was cut off by Natasha wrapping her legs around Lydia's and yanking her towards the ground. The girl had just enough time to form a force field around herself. The impact was not nearly as bad. "Ow."

"Who should be giving lessons to who?"

She huffed, pushing the white hair out of her face. "That was uncool."

Natasha laughed sat up. "Uncool?"

Lydia sat up as well. "Yeah, that's what you are."

"I'm uncool," she placed a hand on her heart. "Me?"

There was a bright smile on Lydia's face. "Very."

"Oh," Natasha leaned closer. "You're going to pay for that one."

Lydia scrambled to her feet. "You can't punish me if you can't catch me!" She was already running towards the door. Natasha was quick to get to her feet. As Lydia pushed open the door, she nearly ran into Sam and Steve. "Sorry." She ducked under Steve's extended arm.

"Hey," Steve shouted. "No running in the building."

"Don't be a buzzkill, Grandpa," Lydia called back as she began sprinting up the stairs. Natasha was close and managed to get past Steve easily.

"Grandpa," Steve repeated the words.

Sam let out a loud laugh, grabbing his shoulder to steady himself. "She just called you Grandpa, Capsicle."

"Capsicle?" Their conversation bounced off the walls causing Lydia to laugh. Her legs slowed down just enough for Natasha to catch her. The red-haired woman grabbed her, and they both collided into the wall.

"One day," Lydia panted. "I'll outrun you."

"Not a chance," was her response. "Now. Want to watch a movie?"

Lydia had been alone before, but not like this. In the few weeks since Westview, she had made several conclusions. One, being alone was easier. She couldn't get hurt that way. Two, she made the right choice parting from Wanda. As hard as it was, she had to do it. Wanda had betrayed her. Although it wasn't intentional, she never tried to reverse it. Lydia appreciated some moments, but the aftermath was much worse. Three, she regretted her words to Clint. They were selfish and cruel. She missed him, but she knew she had hurt him. Lydia hated herself for what she said. And finally, she needed to come to terms with Natasha's death properly. Tony was gone. They had a funeral. She grieved with her friends, but Natasha didn't have that. Her body was far away on another planet. However, recently she had learned of a grave. It was in the midwest, and Lydia knew she needed to see it. To let her go and move forward.

The memories she would forever cherish, but Natasha was gone, really gone. No false reality could bring her back. All she had was a dirty green jacket and an arrow necklace.