Centuries | Endgame [8]

NINETEEN

CENTURIES | ENDGAME
Chapter Nineteen
⚡️

            THE ORIGINAL AVENGERS SAT OUTSIDE ON THE DOCKS. The lake rippled quietly in the strangling silence as they mourned their fallen family members. Melissa sat on the edge of the dock, feet brushing against the cold water. She blinked rapidly, trying to wipe away her tears, but they seemed never ending. Slowly, her gaze moved to the empty spot beside her, and for a split moment she could have sworn she felt her sister's presence.

The other heroes were inside, waiting patiently for the next instructions but leaving the original heroes alone to give them time to grieve. Elizabeth stood in the hanger, staring out of the large windows with a deep frown. If she had just spoken up, Natasha would still be with them. They could've found a way around the dire sacrifice surrounding the Soul Stone.

"Do we know if she had family?" Tony asked, shattering the silence in an instant.

"Yeah. Us," Steve shot back without missing a beat.

Natasha always thought of them as her family. The Avengers had started off as an initiative to protect the world, something constructed after the appearance of the Superhuman and Captain Marvel decades ago. But, the group had become closer then a team would ever be. They weren't just friends. They were family, forever tied together through an overbearing love for one another.

Thor stammered over a few sounds. "What?" he spat out.

Melissa glanced over her shoulder, squinting her eyes at her best friend. "He just asked a question, calm down-"

"Yeah, you're acting like she's dead," Thor cut in, a sharp glare directed at Melissa. "Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right?" He turned hopefully to Steve, who bowed his head letting tears escape. "So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together."

"We can't get her back," Clint said softly, shaking his head slowly. "It can't be undone. It can't." His voice cracked, each word trembling as it fell from his lip.

Melissa slowly stood up, placing a hand on Clint's shoulder and squeezing gently. They made eye contact for a moment, shooting each other a soft and grateful smile.

Behind Melissa, Thor laughed. The sound came out as dry and forced. "I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic." He sounded desperate, as if he was searching for an impossible answer. "And 'can't' seems very definitive don't you think?"

Clint quickly spun around to face the god. "Yeah, look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she?"

"No, that's my point–"

"It can't– be undone. Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say." Clint voice slowly raised, his grief slowly moving to make way for overbearing anger. "Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and talk to him!" Through the silence, his voice echoed, and as it repeated back to him, Clint took a step back. He looked down, closing his eyes. "It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it."

Melissa parted her lips in hopes of helping lift her friends' spirits up when Bruce let out a vicious yell of anger. He grabbed a bench positioned on the edge of the dock and hurled it over the lake. "She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to."