Love and War

Chapter 56: Win and Lose

We all came back to Avengers headquarters in one piece.

"Did we get them all?" Bruce says looking around.

"You telling me this'll actually work?" Rhodey says

I look around and everyone is smiling.

Except for Clint.

Once I look at him, I felt a pressure in my chest.

"Freyja, are you alright?" Thor ask me holding me with his hands. Everyone looks my way in a panic.

"Somethings not right." I say and I look at Clint and we all look over to him.

"Clint, where's Nat?" Bruce says but he doesn't answer.

We all then knew what happened, The mission was completed but at a dire cost.

Sadness overtakes everyone.

Bruce falls to his knees and pounds the floor in grief.

A little later, the original team decided to go outside and mourn for her by the lake.

"Do we know if she had family?" Tony says looking at me.

"Yeah. Us." I say

"What?" Thor asks

"I just asked her a question..." Tony says and Thor shakes his head.

"Yeah, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right? Or Freyja goddess of peaceful death and love being her back with our love." He says and then he starts to groan very loudly.

"Honey, it doesn't work that way." I say

"So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together." Thor adds and tears fall down our faces.

"We can't get her back." Clint says looking at Thor.

"Wha- what?" Thor says in disbelief.

"It can't be undone. It can't." Clint says crying even more. Thor then let's out a very dry, and very loud laugh.

"I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definitive don't you think?" Thor says.

"Look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn't here, is she?" Clint says getting in Thor's face.

"Now that's my point-" Thor says but he gets cuts off by Clint.

"It can't... be undone. Or that's at least what the, great floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him? Okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him." Clint says and then he starts to actually break down.

"It was supposed to be me. She sacrificed her life for that goddamned stone. She bet her life on it." Clint says putting his head in his hands.

In a burst of anger, Bruce grabs a bench and hurls it clear across the lake. His anger spent, he turns to the others with a resigned look on his face.

"She's not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to." Bruce says and we nod our heads.

"We will." Steve says.

"Come on let's finish this." Bruce says and we follow him back to the headquarters.

Him and Tony go into one room.
Steve goes off with Scott.
Which left me with Thor.

"I need a beer." He says about to walk away but I grab his arm.

"Tell me what happened." I say and he acts as if he doesn't know what I'm talking about.