19. SPACE

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"You look like you need someone to talk to."

"I don't want to talk, Nat," Steve said without turning around

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"I don't want to talk, Nat," Steve said without turning around. He was standing on the balcony over looking the gardens.

"Then I'll talk. How long are you planning on avoiding Ana, Sean, and well everyone? It's been two weeks. And I know a thing or two about holding grudges. I know you're upset, but you can't punish Ana for what Tori did. They're two different people-"

"No. She's the same person. When I first saw her, she reminded me of Tori. Something about her was familiar. And then she said things that Tori said. I figured it was an eerie coincidence," Steve turned around and looked at her.

"Ana is not Tori, Steve. Yes, Ana is Tori's reincarnation, but she's her own person."

"You said it yourself. She's a reincarnation," Steve gripped the balcony railing tightly.

"Yes. And if you had stuck around, you would've heard Wanda and Vision's explanation."

"You heard it?" Steve folded his arms looking back out at the gardens.

"After you walked off, Ana came back to gym to see if you were there. She was shaking and crying, and then she passed out on the matts."

"What?!" Steve's head snapped back to Natasha.

"She was fine. Just had a lot going on. She still had Wanda and Vision in her head, so she was still experiencing the nightmares-"

"Memories."

"Can you just shut up and have a heart for one god damned second?!" Natasha snapped as she fixed him with a freezing glare. Steve threw his hands up.

"She was still experiencing the nightmares, but because of Wanda's powers, she was experiencing them fully. She was feeling everything. Every hit that Viktoria took, Ana felt it and every emotion too. She was still groggy and trying to come to terms with all that new information in addition to still experiencing every single bad memory. And the on top of that, you got mad and didn't want to talk to her. You rejected her when she needed you most. Yeah, maybe the initial attraction between the two of you was partially because of the past, but everything else was real and new between you and Ana."

"But she's the same person as Tori-"

"No, she's not the same. Yes, she's a reincarnation, and now she has all these memories from her past life, but she's her own person. She created her own life. And yeah there's an overlap because of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she's got her own life

"How do you know all this?" Steve looked at her surprised.

"Because after Ana woke up, me and Sean stayed with her while Wanda and Vision talked to her about it all."

"Okay. What does that have to do with me?"

"Look, I know it's a shock, but you can't shut Ana out right now. She needs you."

"I just need some time, Nat. I just learned that the woman I loved wasn't who I thought she was. And now, I find out that she's reincarnated as one of my closest friends. I just need some space to process and figure everything out."

"I understand, but don't wait too long. Ana needs you. She's really struggling."

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