The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 37

The silence on the way to find their Peter is almost painful. Lydia kept to herself the entire time, unable to focus on a particular thought for more than a few seconds. She's lost in a sea of unpleasant memories.

It had been so long since she felt this way. It brings back a lot of negative feelings. For so long, Lydia had buried what had happened. She made her peace with Natasha and Tony's deaths. She apologized to Clint, sort of. In some ways, she accepted Steve's choice to return to his original time period. After making peace, she buried their memories in the back of her mind. It hurt less that way.

Was that smart of her? No. But Lydia had never been known for her intelligence. Often making mistakes and acting naively.

Lydia had been hurt, badly. It was the type of pain where she reflected on everything before.

A lifetime's worth of regrets and mistakes. Of misfortune and bad luck. Of tragedies and losses that couldn't be reversed.

She would never wish for anyone to lose their family. Nothing compared to the pain of losing a parental figure. Peter lost May, his Aunt. Lydia understood his pain. She lost Natasha. They both lost Tony.

"She's gone," Clint's voice rang in her ears. "She's dead, Lydia."

When they arrived at the school, the place MJ believed Peter to be, they moved quickly. It's a blur of unknown corridors and stairwells. Within minutes, they're on the roof. Her eyes find Peter almost instantly. He's sitting with crossed legs staring numbly at the city. MJ and Ned approach him. Lydia hesitated, unsure if her presence was wanted. She hadn't helped save May. There was a chance Peter blamed her. If he did, she would understand.

Peter cried as MJ and Ned hugged him. Lydia's heart aches at the sound. She had to look away to keep herself from falling apart. For a moment, she's back in Wakanda with Peter. Both of them watching Tony die. Both of them were too young to be standing in the middle of a battlefield.

Lydia can barely hear the words MJ whispered to Peter. She is rapidly blinking away the tears in her eyes. She hugs her body, appearing smaller than normal. The pain in her body wasn't nearly as bad, but it still hurt.

Slowly, Peter's body tenses. "Peter," MJ seemed to realize his senses were picking up the others with them. "There are some people here." They pull away from him.

"What?" Instantly, Peter's on high alert. He's on his feet in seconds, ready to fight. The other Peter's are on top of the bell, staring down at them. Lydia noticed for the first time the bruises and cuts on Peter's face. He hadn't walked away unharmed.

As the other Peters jumped down, Lydia's Peter moved in front of her. His arm extended, keeping her protected. The action was done without much thought from him, but it meant everything to Lydia. Peter wanted to protect her. He didn't blame her. He didn't hate her. "Wait, wait, woah," Peter pointed at them. He was on edge, apprehensive. "What?"

The first Peter to enter through the portal raised his hands. It was an attempt to show that he meant no harm.

"Sorry," the older Peter said. "About May."

"Yeah," the other said. "We're sorry." He stepped closer. "I sort of understand-"

"No, no, no," Peter cut him off. "Don't tell me you understand what I am going through."

"Okay."

"She's gone, and it's my fault." Lydia closed her eyes, a tear rolling down her cheek. It wasn't Peter's fault. "She died for nothing." His breathing was heavy. "I'm going to do what I should've done originally." He reached for the box MJ had brought but didn't take it.