The Five Years (Romanogers)

Chapter 16: Broken Hearts Can't be Fixed

(Steve's POV)
"Did we get 'em all?" Tony asked.
"Are you tellin' me this actually worked?" Rhodey smiled and looked around.
I look over at Clint. His knees dropped.  I look to —.
Where's Nat... No... it.. can't.. no... My heart was beating as fast as it could. It felt like it would burst out any second. I started to sweat. I hear someone say something, I think it was  Bruce but I don't care. I can't wrap my head around it. She can't be gone! She can't.

Clint looked up at me. He looked so remorse. All he did was look at me but in that one look, everything was gone. Everything was grey. Nothing around me mattered. Natasha was gone.

I can't take it. I leave the platform. I can't be around my friends. Not when she wasn't there with me. As I walk out I see Tony lifting up Clint and comforting him. I should try to help Clint but I can't, not this time. I go into my bedroom. I look at my nightstand  and see a picture of me and Natasha when we were tracking down Bucky. Her straight red hair forming around her face. Her green eyes that I spent hours looking into. I would never get to see them again. NO! This isn't real. I must've passed out. I have to be asleep.

But, I know it's true. She's not here.

I look and see one of her bracelets. I gently grab it and look at it. It looks so blurry. My tears are spilling out. I can't stop it. I put the bracelet back. I see her socks on the floor and near, yet somehow not in the dirty clothes bin. Then I look in my closet. I see her little compartment of clothes, not many because she would always take my sweatshirts and pants. I smiled sadly at them. I see her favorite sweatshirt of mine on a neatly folded... in her area. I chuckle at that.

I never realized how much of Nat was everywhere. Heck, she was everywhere I looked. She spent more time here then in her room. It might as well have been our room.

I changed into some different clothes instead of the military outfit I had on. All of a sudden I remember, the box. I slowly walked over to my nightstand and inside the drawer was a small black velvet box. My hand shook as I grabbed it. It was her ring. I swore to myself that I would propose to her after we got the stones.

My heart burned. It sank more than I thought it could've. I felt my heart take the final blow. It was the last piece of it. I feel down.

My love was gone.
——————————
Flash
3 months ago

As they sat down on the couch lounging on a cool Saturday morning, Natasha asked Steve a very...unusual question.

"Hey Rogers... you know what I need?" She smiled up at him as he was playing with her hair.
"What?" He smiled back.
"I could really use a new ring..." she said, pointing to her left ring finger, "I think one that goes here." She said looking up to see his response.
"Huh... why on Earth would you need that... no reason..." he joked.
"Come on Rogers..." she laughed.
"Why do you have to call me Rogers..."
"I happen to really like that name... hey! Random idea: I should have that name too. Then I wouldn't call you that name anymore." She tuned over to face him. He looked back at her and rose his eyebrow.
"Okay, I would still call you that but then you can call me it too! See it's even we are all happy!"
They both laughed.

He gave her a kiss in the head and hugged her.
"Don't worry, you'll be a Roger some day..."
"Your really gonna make me wait!"
—————————(end)

I went down to the harbor to see my friends.
Silence was all around until Tony spoke up:
"Do we know if she had any family?"
"Yeah... us" I softly replied.
"What?" Thor walker over.
"Huh... I just asked him a question." Tony defensively replied. Thor came closer to Tony.
"Yeah I know. Your acting like she's dead. Why are we all acting like she's dead? We have the stones right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back." He looks at me but I looked down, I can't handle that. I can't handle any false hope.
"Isn't That right," Thor began again, "So stop this shit! We're the Avengers Get it together!"

"We can't get her back."
Thor spun around confused,
"W-wru- What?"
"It can't be undone.." Clint barely managed to respond.
"It can't.." he whispered.
Thor laughed.
"No offense but you are a very Earthly being. Okay, we're talking about Space magic, and can't seems very definitive don't ya think?"

Clint put his hands up,
"Yeah I know I'm way over my.. my pay grade here but, she still isn't here is she?" Clint responded sadly.
Tony took off his glasses and looked down.
"Yeah that's my point." Thor pressed on.
"It can't be undone. Or that's at least that's what the red floating guy had to say. You wanna talk to him? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and GO TALK TO HIM!" Clint cried out in anger.
Thor looked down in embarrassment and guilt.

"It was supposed to be me!" Clint croaked out.
"Sacrificed herself for that goddamn stone, bid her life on it!"
Hulk yelled and threw a bench.
"She's not coming back.." he sadly said.
We all looked up at him.
"We have to make it worth it. We have too."
I stood up.
"We will." I commanded. I found a new reason to win the war. Not just for everyone we lost but for Natasha.

No way was she going to die for none of this to work. This is for her. If this doesn't work then... everything is gone.
——————
(Tony's POV)
God, another one of my friends. Gone. I keep on hearing the wizard's words,
"How many do we win?"
"One"
Maybe this wasn't the one way... but it has to be. I- I can't live with myself if it isn't. I have to get back everyone. I have to get back... Peter.

It's time. Morgan needs her big brother.

I am not claiming any of the lines above to be mine. I took them almost word for word and I described how they felt. I don't claim this as my own writing.

Screenplay
Stephen McFeely
Christopher Markus

I just wanted to get that out there!!! <3