A New Beginning - Endgame Fixit

Hospital

"NAT?"

"Oh my gosh, what happened?"

"Is she alive?"

"Natasha!"

"Oh my goodness..."

"She's alive, but she needs medical attention," said Steve firmly. Everyone stopped talking except Bruce, who immediately took charge. Fifteen minutes later, Natasha was laying in a hospital bed, vitals stabilized, and a shocked group of people gathered around her. Her head had been wrapped in white cloth, and miraculously none of her bones were broken.

"She's...she's really gonna be okay?" asked Clint in a disbelieving voice for the hundredth time.

"She's Nat." Bruce sounded calm, but relieved tears were pouring down his face. "She'll pull through. Don't worry."

Steve was immensely grateful that he'd been able to bring her back. He decided to wait until after she woke up before returning the final stone. Especially since he wasn't sure if he'd ever come back.

The next day while they were eating breakfast, Lila- Clint's daughter- rushed in, breathless.

"You guys aren't gonna believe it! I went to see Auntie Nat but I went into the wrong room, and guess what I found?" She had a huge, excited grin on her face. The Avengers looked at each other in confusion.

"Tony Stark is alive!"

Steve, Rhodey, and several others shot to their feet. "WHAT?!"

"He's in the room next to hers. Come on."

Breakfast forgotten, they rushed after her. When they got to the door Dr. Strange was there, blocking it. Lila's brothers were standing outside, grinning.

Dr. Strange let out a resigned sigh, holding his hands up for silence. "I used the time stone to rewind the damage, and it saved Tony's life. He's been stabilized and should make a full recovery in a couple of months."

They immediately started asking more questions, mostly variations of "WHY DID YOU NOT TELL US." Dr. Strange waved his hands again until he could be heard.

"His wife, Pepper, would like to keep this a secret. As you know, he has a daughter, and they would like to raise her without too many life-threatening missions."

"They can trust us," said Rhodey, offended.

Dr. Strange nodded. "Maybe. But no one else can know unless Tony or Pepper tells them. Understood?"

After they agreed, he pulled aside the covering on the window so they could see their friend. He was still unconscious and had bandages on his entire right arm and around his chest, but even in the relatively vulnerable state he somehow managed to look stubborn. 

As the others crowded the window, Bucky hung back, his worries returning. He'd seen Tony bringing everyone back, and he hoped he'd forgiven him, but he'd never gotten the chance to ask. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since the day he'd found out. They hadn't even made eye contact.

Did Stark still blame him? Would apologizing help, or would it just make things worse? Would avoiding him permanently be an option?

As he lay in bed that night he stared at a crack in the ceiling, trying to decode every interaction they'd ever had. The memories were crystal clear. Tony had been completely shocked and emotionally charged during their fight, and Bucky and Steve had barely gotten away.

Then he had gone to Wakanda where Shuri had healed his mind. He hadn't seen any of the Avengers until the battle in Wakanda, and Tony wasn't there...and then he'd turned into dust for five years. Then there'd been another battle, and Tony had snapped his fingers and ended it.