The Final Hope

Chapter 17

(Peter's P.O.V.)

2016: a few weeks after the war

I walked into Stark Tower nervously. I hadn't seen Will since she'd been dragged away by a SWAT team. I stepped into the elevator and went up to Tony's floor.

"Tony, do you know where Will is" I asked.

"Last I checked, she was in the hospital" he said.

"Why, she wasn't hurt that bad was she" I panicked. Why did Will always end up in the hospital?

"She got between me and Steve, and I short her. Had she not stepped between us, the world my have lost Captain America" he stated quietly.

"The world did loose Captain America, and because of you, I may have lost my best friend" I yelled. I had to yell. I'd felt like telling for a while, and now I knew who drove my best friend out of my life.

"Look, Peter, I'm sorry, but she got in the way. All I know is that she's alive for now. I don't know where she is, I don't know if she's still mad, and I don't know if she's coming back" Tony looked up at me.

"What if I never see her again" I sat down, suddenly feeling a sense of defeat wash over me.

"I'm sure you'll see her again".

"No, because of you and Steve, I may never see my best friend again".

"You can't afford to think like that, Peter".

"I can't think about anything else" I stormed out. Tony couldn't get over his ego long enough to care about anyone.

I went to Coulson. He would know where to find Will. I went into his office.

"Coulson, do you know where Will is" I asked.

"No, she didn't show up for school today" he answered. He was definitely lying.

"Are you lying to me" I asked.

"Look, Will is safe, but she isn't coming back. You understand that, right".

I nodded. Maybe Will did need a fresh start. Her family was in shambles, she'd been arrested and kidnapped to many times to count, and she wasn't in the best mental condition either.

A few days later, I got her message. I guess she really was gone for good this time.

Five Years Later

It had been five years without another word from Will. Sometimes I would get updates from Coulson, telling me that she was at least breathing. Other than that, I knew nothing about where Will went or what she was doing.

Not a day went by that I didn't think about her. None of really stopped thinking about her. She'd impacted our lives so much in the sort time that we'd known her.

Being friends with her brother didn't help my situation. We never stopped looking for her. We all knew that if she wanted to be found, we would find her, but she didn't want to be found. It never stopped us from looking though.

I missed my best friend. I had contacted her multiple times without a reply.

Then one day, Bucky Barnes showed up at my doorstep.

"What are you doing here" I asked, thinking that he needed me for a mission or something.

"I came to tell you that Will is alright" he stated simply.

"Wait, you saw her. Where is she" I was confused. No one had seen Will in almost five years.

"I tracked her down. It's my job to protect her. I've been doing it for seventy-seven years".

"What did she say, and where did she go five years ago".

"She joined SHIELD, she finished high school. Now she's in the army, or she was. She just got out" he explained.

"Well where does she live. I'll go get her brother and her dad" I interrupted.

"No" Bucky stopped me in my tracks.

"What".

"I can't tell you where she is, and you can't tell her family that I saw her".

"Why not".

"She doesn't think that it's a good idea"  Bucky said "she said that it will cause too much pain for her".

"Then why are you telling me this" I crossed my arms.

"Because she asked me to tell you that she's alright. She's sorry for hurting you, but she won't come back. Will is leaving the country soon, I think, so I won't hear from her for a while. Just leave it alone for now. Next time I hear from her, I'll let you know" Bucky turned and left, leaving me with more questions.

Will was alive, and that's all I cared about, but if she was in the army, I wasn't sure how much longer she would live. I knew that she could handle herself, but if she had a meltdown in the middle of the battlefield, she was dead for sure.

I couldn't stop thinking about how she might get hurt.

"Peter, you can't do this to yourself anymore" I said to myself.

Will was on her own, and I had to accept that.