The Second Chance

A Green Friend

Steve wakes up and sees Natasha sleeping peacefully beside him. He smiles and quietly gets up. He looks into the wardrobe where he takes a yellow banana shirt, brown pants, and a navy blue jacket and heads out to the front where he sees a green woman sitting on the field looking off in the distance.

"You're up?" She smiles as she sucks her cherry dum-dum.

"I don't think we've met." Steve says being thrown off by the alien woman.

"Gamora." She moves her arm in his direction with her hand open without getting up.

"Steve Rodgers ma'am." He awkwardly shakes her hand and sits beside her. "You from around here?"

"Zen-Whoberis. That's where I'm from. Just merely visiting."

Steve eyes widen and he takes a breath.
"I'm sorry I always think I'm ready for everything but you could never really be."

"Thanos of your Universe used his full might against you all. Is there anyone of us that survived?" Gamora turns to him with hope in her eyes.

"My whole team was slaughtered and an entire city in flames. Anyone outside of Earth is either hiding or dead by now." Steve looks down trying not to think too hard about it.

"I understand. He killed half my people and probably more after. Thanos just wants death and destruction for his own gain. He let you live only to see it." Gamora placed a comforting arm around him.

"Thank you but right now I need to move through this. I'm now a man outta time and Universe I can't go back to." A single tear rolls down his face.

"We're here for you Steve, all of us."

Steve could only see the deaths of his friends and allies. Their screams, their destruction, their lives being ripped away in a burning and bloody mess and now he's back to square one again.

"She was close to you wasn't she?" The question made Steve snap his head around to Gamora.
"Romanoff, she was close wasn't she?"

"Yeah she was. She was closest to me when the Avengers split or when I was on my own and now she's back in my life again like nothing happened."

Gamora knew how this felt. After she died and came back Quill was different in a way.

"You know, I noticed she's the same with you as well. You are both lost even when there are 100 of your friends around."

Steve didn't have any follow up to it and a small smile came into his face.

"Thanks Gamora."

"Sure thing."

"Hey honey, how's breakfast with America?" Quill nonchalantly says outta nowhere making her flinch.

"Quill what are you doing here!?" She shouted.

"Easy easy, I just wanted to know where you were." Quill gesturing surrender.

"That was none of your business Quill!"

"We're supposed to be a team Gamora. You can't just ditch us out and space and expect you to come back fine!"

Steve knew this wasn't a time to intervene.

"Quill, Strange said not to tell you guys!

Peter stumbles back in distaste.
"That asshole doesn't trust us now!?"

"Quill it's not like that, it's just something that's between me and him."

"Gamora I understand if you have something personal to do but you don't have to lie to us about it." Quill holds her. "You got me worried sick and I can't lose you again."

Gamora sighs in relief.
"I know I do too but this is something bigger than us right now."

"Wait how big are we talking?"

"Fate of the universe big."

Peter's eyes widen and Gamora cuddles him so he doesn't argue about it some more.

Steve heads back into the Cabin where he sees Nat leaning on the front porch, the wind swaying in her hair.

"I didn't want to wake you." Steve sheepishly says.

"It's fine, those two bickering is enough to wake you up." She chuckles.

"When's the team getting back together?"

"Tommorow. I get to see Clint again." Natasha smiles at the thought of seeing her best friend again.

"I don't think I should be there."

"Steve don't say that."

"Nat I'm not Captain America anymore. I can't blame myself for their deaths but I don't think I'm ready to go out there again."

Nat thinks for a second and sighs. She goes back inside and minutes later comes back with the destroyed piece of the shield and placing it in his hands.

"I was told you fought with everything you had against Thanos with nothing but your fists, Thor's hammer, and this shield. Even when he broke you and your shield, you were gonna fight him and his entire army for the whole universe. No matter how've broken you become I know you will always be Captain America to everyone."

Steve looks down at the dirty reflection of himself on the shield. He remembers the fights with his bullies, the battles against Hydra, Loki, Ultron, his own team, and the Outriders. He was always a soldier at heart and he wasn't gonna let the past stop him from doing the right thing.

"Thank you Nat. You guys have a extra suit somewhere?" He smiles at her.

"At HQ but unfortunately Sam has the shield."

"He can keep it, it's his. Just need a suit and my fists. We have a war to finish."

Nat proudly smiles at him as she sees again the Steve she once knew.