The closest thing to a daughter

Season 5 Episode 16

Confused and with aching limbs, he straightened up and analyzed his surroundings. His pupils remained fixed on a figure lying in the distance. Could it really be him?

Steve mustered all his courage and ran forward while he couldn't believe what his eyes could show him. Natasha couldn't be here. She was dead. Gone. Gone forever. Irretrievably. But apparently not, because she was now lying just a few steps away from him.

Shocked, he went down on his knees beside her lifeless-looking body, praying her bleeding head on his lap. Blinking, she opened her bright green eyes, into which he thought he could never look again. Her eyes locked on him. "Steve? Where am I? How am I here?" she asked, upset. She didn't want to think that she had failed and Abigail had managed to sacrifice herself after all. But no. She had been dead, she had made it, at least that she knew. He didn't answer. He was too shocked to realize it. Steve put a finger on her cheek and tapped it lightly, as if to make sure she was real. She couldn't be. He released the air he didn't know he was holding. He had to be hallucinating, wasn't he? She sat up slowly, unsteadily, her eyes still on him, her head tilted slightly up toward his face. Then he enveloped her in a hug and squeezed her tightly. It takes her a second to realize how badly she needed that hug; she was caught off guard, but returned the pressure in equal measure. They pressed tightly against each other as if they would never let go. A tear slid down his cheek. With heavy hearts, they let go of each other. Nevertheless, they left only a tiny distance between them, so that their knees still touched. He tilted his head to look at her. It struck him again how beautiful she was. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were rosy with emotion. A few strands of hair had come loose from her braid and now hung around her face, framing it. The world stood still for them for a moment. They were in their own bubble for those minutes. A hand cupped her face, thumb caressing her cheek.

"I thought I'd lost you." He was breathing faster now at the thought that he had indeed almost lost her. "I told you I'd see you soon." She replied, smiling gently, even though she hadn't expected to ever come back after Red Skull's words. They gazed intensely into each other's eyes and their heads gradually came closer until their foreheads touched. They breathed for a second, enjoying the moment. Then, finally, both of Steve's hands encircled her face and brought their lips toward each other. He was tired of waiting. Tired of doing without her. He had almost lost her, but once again he didn't want to miss his chance. At first the kiss was gentle, sweet, until gradually they became more familiar and he became more passionate, with more emotion, more feeling, more desire behind every movement.

His hands found her waist, and one snaked up her back and into her hair, pulling her closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck before they parted a minute later. Their eyes locked and they lay their foreheads against each other.

"I love you."
"I love you, too."

Steve pulled back to look at her, checking to see if she was still bleeding from her head. "Does anything hurt?" he asked. "No, I ... I think I'm okay. Yes." She tilted her head back slightly to look at Steve's face. Her eyes were full of questions, but there was also the incredible joy of hearing those long-awaited words from his mouth. "What happened? I was... Did it work? Is everyone back?"

Steve took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, it worked, Nat, thanks to you it worked."