"You're not a bad person. You're a good person who bad things have happened to."
- Sirius Black
Song: Keep Ya Head Up by 2Pac
"And even though you're fed up, you gotta keep your head up."
***********
Harlow jumped when she woke up, and she was surprised to find others waking up around her. She had woken up in a completely different area from where the battle had happened. The world looked different—brighter. Harlow knew something wasn't right, but she was sure what wasn't right.
"Harlow?" She heard, causing her to turn around.
"Laura?" She asked, walking forward,"Where are we? This doesn't look normal," Harlow commented, causing the woman to nod.
"It's not, I just remember cooking for the kids, then they turned to dust—I turned to dust. Next thing I know, I woke up here, and I have my kids waiting in that house for me to find answers," Laura said, making Harlow sigh.
"Thanos happened," Harlow murmured, causing the woman's eyebrows to furrow,"Thanos was this big, purple alien that we were fighting. He had an army of aliens to back him up, and he was trying to destroy half the world. We tried, we really did, but it seems we lost," Harlow answered, shaking her head.
"I haven't found Clint," Laura commented, causing Harlow to frown.
"I woke up away from Bucky, but I remember him dusting as well," She replied, making Laura frown.
"Should we go looking?" Laura asked, but the woman shook her head.
"No, there has to be a reason I woke up here near you. Maybe I'm supposed to be protecting you and your kids. I have to do what's right for Clint and you guys, since you helped me when I needed it," She said, and Laura smiled slightly.
Laura lead Harlow into the house, and she called for the children. Moments later, three children came from upstairs to where their mother had called them.
"Harlow?" Cooper asked, and the woman nodded.
"Hey, Cooper, Lila, Nathaniel," She replied, waving to them.
Cooper and Lila quickly walked over and hugged the woman, and once they had let go, Nathaniel came over and wrapped his arms around her as well.
"We missed you," Lila murmured, smiling at Harlow.
"We didn't think we'd see any of you again," Cooper commented, causing Harlow to frown, the smile leaving almost as soon as it came.
"I'm sorry," Harlow said,"I didn't want any of this to happen to you guys. I tried to win, and protect the world, but since I couldn't, I will be here to watch over you now," She added, making the children smile.
Harlow didn't know how long they would be in this other reality. She didn't even know if it was another reality, or if this was some type of weird heaven or purgatory. She was worried, yes, but she was going to protect the family as much as she possibly could.
"Are we going to find others?" Cooper asked, causing the woman to shake her head.
"No, I want to stay here, so I can make sure you all are safe," Harlow replied, making the boy frown.
"But what about your family?" He asked, sighing lightly.
"They will find me, or after I'm sure we're somewhat safe here, we'll go out looking for them," Harlow answered, and Cooper nodded with a frown.
Later on, Harlow sat on the couch reading a book she had found in the house. It was a book she never read before, and it wasn't entirely interesting. She knew one way or another she'd have to try and find a way back, but for now, she was going to pretend like everything was fine. She was going to pretend like she wasn't falling apart inside like she had been before.
"I think I'll go find the others soon, see if we can find a way out of here," Harlow said, causing Laura to nod.
"Do whatever you think is best, but remember, if you don't find anything, come back to us. We've got to keep each other safe," Laura replied, and Harlow smiled.
Harlow sat the book down and grabbed her weapons that were laid beside her.
"I'll be back, even if nobody is with me," Harlow said, causing the older woman to smile.
"Be careful," She replied, hugging Harlow gently.
As Harlow left, she realized that she wasn't hurt anymore. Somehow, she had been brought to wherever this place was without any injuries. She was completely healed up somehow, which was a shock, since she knew she was really hurt during the battle. After hitting the tree, she was almost surprised she didn't die from her injuries.
The more she thought about it, the more she worried about her family, and who she would find here. She was so glad there were working vehicles in the place she woke up in, otherwise she would be walking for hours. Her mind finally somewhat calmed down when she seen someone in the distance. Looking closer, she laughed lightly when she realized it was Sam.
"Sam!" She yelled, as she turned off the car and ran over to him.
"Harlow?" He questioned, as his eyes adjusted to the light,"Where are we?" He asked, making her sigh.
"I have no idea, but some of us are here, and others aren't. We just have to figure out where here is and how we get back home," She answered, making him nod.
"Maybe we can find Tony, or someone else that has any idea of what's going on," He commented, and she nodded as well.
"C'mon, let's look around here and see if we find anyone. We should probably walk around a few miles near here to try and spot someone," She said, and he agreed.
This arrangement wasn't necessarily fun, but it worked. They would eventually find someone from their team. If they grouped up, maybe they'd be able to find a way out, or maybe they'd be able to at least find some version of happiness or normalcy...
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Apartment 102 (B. Barnes) (AU)
Fanfiction*The story has been edited and revised* Bucky Barnes had finally ran away from HYDRA, but he was in hiding. He was too worried, and a bit scared, to go to his childhood friend, Steve Rogers, so he tried to hide from the blonde as well. Bucky had jum...
