Saving Grace

Seventy Eight

Nat held Grace tightly for as long as she could, long after people stopped disappearing, every moment thinking that Grace was blowing away too. Feeling it, believing it, having to look down and make sure she was still there, still solid.

Even after they got up and found the others that were left, Nat kept her arm around her, as if she would still blow away if Nat let go. They found Grace's helmet, discarded, and Grace picked it up and held it like a teddy bear. She worried that Sai was gone, and, deep down, something she refused to really think about, that her father wouldn't return to fix it — and that Peter wouldn't be with him.

Bucky was gone. Sam was gone. Wanda. T'Challa. Shuri. The alien tree Thor brought with him; he and the raccoon — Rocket — said the tree's name was Groot.

And Vision was murdered.

Grace kept asking for a phone, especially when they reentered the main building, when those left were running around, scared and confused, trying to just do something. Anyone who wasn't too panicked to listen to her didn't know where to find one, and she was forced to worry for her mother until, after promising Okoye to keep in touch, they finally got back on the Quinjet to go home.

Steve was the one flying the jet, and he called Pepper through it once they were in the air. To Grace's relief, she answered almost immediately.

"Hello?" she said, sounding worried. "Grace, is that you?"

"Mom?" Grace said, already crying again. "Yo-You're okay?"

Pepper sounded relieved. "Yes," she replied. "Yes, I'm okay. Are you?"

"Savior is broken," Grace said, dissolving into tears — that, unfortunately, being the least painful thing to say out loud.

"That's okay..." Pepper said gently. "That's okay. We can fix it."

"How are things back home?" Nat asked, as Grace wasn't able.

"Happy's okay. But I... I can't get ahold of May," Pepper replied. "She wouldn't come to the compound; she wanted to stay where Peter knew she would be when he came back. She won't pick up the phone. Happy left to check on her. I-I told him not to..."

"Have you heard from Tony?"

"No..."

Grace let out a strangled sob, and Nat held her closer, trying to comfort her. Steve glanced back at them, then turned back to the call. "We're on our way back now — me, Bruce, Nat, and Grace. We can... try to make sense of this when we get there."

"Okay," Pepper breathed. "Be careful. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon." Steve hung up, then tried to focus on flying, tried not to feel the ache in his chest the shock, the busyness, and the sadness of everyone else had been numbing. Bucky was gone. Sam was gone. Wanda. Vision. He'd lost so much already and there was a possibility that there was more to come.

Nat sat with Grace on the floor, and Grace buried her face in Nat's shoulder, her broken helmet in one arm. Thor took off his cape and draped it over her, the last time he did so being such a different situation. He feared for her life then, and he did the second time too, but in a different way. He did what he thought he could to help, and he could do no more. Rocket just sat in the corner, grieving. Rhodey only watched Grace, a pit in his stomach.

He walked over to Steve, spoke lowly. "I don't know what we're going to do if Tony's..." He couldn't say it, but Steve understood.

He sighed. "I don't either. But we'll deal with it if we have to."

Rhodey shook his head, looked back at Grace.

He remembered years ago, when Tony was captured in Afghanistan. He'd visited Grace a few times, when he could. He heard from Pepper and Happy how she was taking it, how devastated she was. She was younger then, but this was no different.