Ferocity

Chapter Thirteen - Found

Several days after the decimation the remaining Avengers decided to return to their compound, they needed to get to work. Okoye worried over Kal, she had not spoken a word since that fateful day and suggested that she return to New York with the Avengers in hopes that she might find purpose with them and it would help her friend heal over time.

"The world needs the Avengers right now and they could use your help M'Kali, there is nothing for you here for you" Okoye pleaded.

Kal glared at her, her eyes filled with anguish and tears welling in the corners.

"I'm sorry M'Kali, you know what I mean my friend please do not be angry with me"

"She's right Kal, we are short handed and the world is in chaos" Steve interjected "We need you, will you help us?"

Kal just nodded and walked past them into her room with out a word or a look in their direction. She shut the door behind her and slid down to the floor sobbing quietly into her hands, the world needed the Avengers, they needed her, but she needed him, only him.

After several minutes she pushed herself off the ground and dragged the two cases that once held her and Bucky's combat gear into her closet and started haphazardly throwing things into them. Once she was done in the closet she went to the bathroom and grabbed an arm load of personal items dropping them inside, there was a slight knock on the door before it opened and Steve walked in holding her combat gear folded neatly in his neatly in his hands.

"Don't want to forget these"

Kal looked at him blankly taking the items and carelessly dumped them into the case nearest her. Steve smiled at her weakly and picked up a picture from the night stand, it was of Kal and Bucky on his birthday after he had proposed. Both had big smiles that spread through their eyes, his arms were wrapped around her tightly and her left hand was placed on his chest displaying the diamond ring perfectly.

"I don't think I have ever seen him so happy in my life" Steve said sorrowfully.

Kal snatched the picture out of his hands sharply but then her indignant resolve deteriorated when she looked down at the the frame in her hand. She let out a weak whimper and dropped to her knees crying, Steve sat down beside her pulling her into his arms while she let out her despair, though he tried to hold them in tears fell from his eyes which he quickly wiped away with the heal of his hand.

Kal took several deep breaths trying to calm herself before getting up pulling Steve up with her, she smiled at him gratefully, she had no idea what to say to the man or anyone for that matter afraid that if she opened her mouth she would scream and not be able to stop. She looked down at the picture in her hand again with a sigh then grabbed one of Bucky's sweaters from the closet gently wrapping it around the frame before carefully setting it in the case, she then grabbed several more of his shirts, including the one he last wore and placed them inside as well. Kal looked around the room at other pictures and items that reminded her of everything that she had lost, deciding to leave them in her home where they belonged.

With Steve's help she covered her furniture with dust clothes and Okoye promised to take care of the home in her absence, before leaving she took one last look at her home as if Bucky might run out to stop her.

Steve and Natasha had located a modified pager next to Fury's abandoned SUV which was emitting a strong signal that had been initiated seconds after the snap. Back at the compound Bruce was able to override the battery to keep the signal strength up while they ran diagnostics on both the pager and the world census. Kal still did not speak but tended to gravitate to Thor who also remained relatively silent, they often sat in the courtyard of the compound brooding and glaring into the void with Thor occasionally would take off using the Bifrost at which time Kal would walk off to the woods on her own.