The Tale Of Two Starks Volume 2

-Chapter 31-

Steve Rogers Point Of View
We all landed back on the platform urgently looking around at the others doing a head count but we stop when Clint drops to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"Clint"? I ask him taking a small step closer.

"Where's Nat"? Bruce asks beating me to the question.

Clint shakes his head we all know what that means she's gone.

We end up on the outside patio at first no one really says anything I mean what is there to say we lost Nat, I lost Nat how do you know what words to use for that?

"Did she have any family"? Tony asks breaking the silence.

"Yeah, us" I say wiping the tears off my face.

Another couple minutes go by Thor starts angrily pacing around on the deck by the lake clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Why are you acting like she's dead? She's not we have the stones we can bring her back" He blurts out suddenly spinning around to glare at us.

"As long as we have the stones Cap we can bring her back! Isn't that right so stop this sh*t we're the Avengers get it together" He continues raising his voice by the end of the sentence.

"We can't get her back" Clint says plainly.

"What? What are you saying" Thor sputters.

"It can't be undone. It can't" Clint repeats looking back over his shoulder at Thor.

"What? I'm sorry no offence but you are a very earthly being and we are dealing very space magic and 'can't' seems a bit definitive don't you think" Thor states.

"Look I know we are way outside my pay grade here but she still isn't here is she" Clint fires back fully turning to face Thor.

"Well that's my point.." Thor says.

"It can't be undone. Or that's at least what the red floaty guy said maybe you want go talk to him! So why don't you grab your hammer and go talk to him" Clint says his voice cracking I can see the tears in his eyes.

"It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that god damn stone, she bet her life on it" He adds turning away from us again.

Bruce growls picking up one of the benches and throws it into the lake none of us say a word as it splashed down hard into the water.

"She's not coming back" He says quietly after the water settles.

I put my head in my hands and cry.

...

Ashley Stark Point Of View
I'm in my room with the door locked auntie Nat is gone she didn't come back from the time heist how many more people are we going to lose before this is over? A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts I ask Friday who it is and she tells me it's Emma so I let her in.

"I know" I sigh holding my arms out after seeing the big tears in her eyes.

I hold her as she cries until she's sound asleep in my lap I stand up carefully holding her to my chest and silently take her down the hall to her room. I stayed there for a long time even after I was sure she was sound asleep I must have been daydreaming because the sound of Friday's voice startles me back to the world.

"What is it Fri? EJ is sleeping" I ask keeping my voiced hushed.

"Your father is looking for you" She answers.

I take a deep breath I knew he'd come looking for me after enough time passed for him to process things for himself I get up and leave EJ's room. I find him in the kitchen sitting alone at the island hands folded on the countertop the new tattoos on his arms probably have something to do with the time he was gone.