chasing waterfalls [Peter Parker]

~28~

As we were being pushed through space, I started to smile. I was going home. Hopefully, Nat wasn't turned to dust and I could see her again. I could eat some real food. Out of the window, I saw the mix of blue and green on Earth. I looked behind me at Tony, who was hopeful, even though he looked on the brink of collapsing.

Once we entered the atmosphere, I could see the lights of New York City. We were so close. As we got closer, the Avengers facility became clearer. On the grass, there were five people looking up. I recognized Nat among them almost immediately. Her hair was different now, it was blonde.

The ship landed with a thud, and I shakily stood up. Nebula went over to help Tony stand up. I had to lean on the wall to keep from falling down.

The stairs descended, and Steve Rogers came running over. I pushed past Tony and sprinted towards Nat. The moment she saw me, she grinned. I could see the tears in her eyes. When I got to her, I hugged her. She placed her hand on the back of my head.

"Oh my god, Nixie. You're okay." I started to cry.

"I thought you were gone too."

Nat kissed the top of my head.

"I'm just glad you're okay." I nodded, tears streaming down my face.

"He's gone, Nat." Nat grabbed my hand.

"It's going to be okay. We're going to find Thanos, and figure out a way to get everyone back. In the meantime, let's get you something to eat." I nodded, and with one arm around Nat's shoulders, we went inside.

Inside, I sat down in one of the chairs. Nat placed a glass of water in front of me, and I gulped it down quickly. Nat sat down next to me, and grabbed my hand.

"What do you want to eat?" I shrugged, looking at my hand.

"I don't know." While I was glad I was back home, and believe me, I was really glad, but I was feeling kinda empty. I mean, we lost. Half the population disintegrated.

I stood up, and Nat stood up as well. "I'm just going to get some fruit." Nat nodded.

"I know, but I'm here in case you fall." I smiled.

"Thanks." I grabbed an apple and sat back down.

All of a sudden, a thought popped into my head. "Hey, can I borrow your phone?" Nat placed her phone on the table in front of me.

"Who are you calling?" I dialed a number that was very familiar. It dialed for a few moments, then went straight to voicemail. At that point, I was growing more worried. I then called another number.

"Hello?" I sighed in relief.

"Hi Mrs. Corey, it's Nixie. Is Dani there?" I heard a gasp, and my heart dropped.

"I don't know what happened. One minute, she was here, and the next minute, there was a pile of dust on the floor." I looked up at Nat, tears in my eyes.

"Oh. I'm so sorry." On the other end, Dani's mom sighed.

"Yeah, we're trying to keep our hopes up. I'm sure the Avengers will undo this and bring her back." I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure they will."

"Thank you Nixie." The phone went silent, and I set it down. Nat gave me a hug.

"Was that Dani's mom?" I broke down crying in her arms.

"She's gone. She's gone, and I wasn't even here. I should've done something."