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LONNIE ROMANOFF was not scared of death. She was scared of leaving everyone else behind. She was scared of how her mom would react, how her uncle Clint would react, she was scared of the pain she'd cause them. But now...now that they were left with no choice but to chose who will die, Lonnie couldn't care less about leaving them behind if it meant they'd live because of her.
"How's it going?" Clint asked the shadowy man with a small chuckle. "Jesus." He shook his head as he walked over to Natasha and Lonnie who had sat down on a fallen branch. "Maybe he's making this shit up."
The seven stages of grief include the following: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, reconstruction, and finally acceptance. Deep down, they all knew what was to come. None of them wanted to die and leave the others behind but the fate of the world depended on at least one of them to die. In a way, they were all going through the seven stages. Their minds trying to cope with that fact that one of them will not walk out of this.
"No." Natasha said as she shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Why? Cause he knows your daddy's name?" Clint asked, obviously meaning for it to be a joke but ultimately it transformed into something much darker.
"I didn't." A silence formed among the group. One that made Lonnie's heart beat grow louder with every second until it sounded as though it was screaming in her own ears. "Thanos left here with the stone, without his daughter. That's not a coincidence."
"Yeah." Clint mumbled with a small nod of his head. Lonnie could see the gears turning in his head, the look of sorrow deepening in his eyes. He was finally coming to terms with what was happening. He was finally realizing this wasn't some sick joke or an illusion. It was real.
"Whatever it takes." Natasha said.
"Whatever it takes." Lonnie and Clint repeated.
Natasha looked up to Clint before standing up on her feet, Lonnie quickly following her mother's actions. "If we don't get that stone billions of people stay dead."
"Yeah." Clint said with a nod of his head. "Then I guess we all know who it's gotta be."
"I guess we do." Natasha nodded.
Clint slowly held out both of his hands, Lonnie and Natasha each grabbing onto one and holding it tightly in theirs. Tears began to well in Lonnie's eyes as she stared at the open cliff ahead of them. "I'm starting to think we mean different people her, Natasha."
"For the last five years, I've been trying to do one thing. Get to right here. That's all it's been about. Bringing everybody back."
"No, don't you get all decent on me now." Clint said.
"What, you think I wanna do it?" Natasha asked as she looked to Lonnie. "I'm trying to save your lives, you idiot."
"Yeah? Well I don't want you to. How's that?" Clint argued. "Natasha you know what I've done. You know what I've become."
"I don't judge people on their worst mistakes." Natasha spoke sternly as she pleaded with Clint.
"Maybe you should." Clint spoke after a short pause.
"You didn't." Natasha said with a small smile.
"You're a pain in my ass, you know that?" Clint asked as tears began to form in his eyes.
Natasha only nodded, pulling Lonnie into a hug and wrapping her other arm around Clint. Lonnie clutched onto Natasha tightly, biting her lip to hold back a sob. "Promise me you'll take care of her." Natasha said as she looked to Clint. "And you, you promise me you'll live your life."
"I promise, momma." Lonnie said as she let out a shaky breath. Her grip tightened on the stinger in her hand, preparing herself for what she was about to do. "I love you." Lonnie's voice cracked as she spoke, tears now streaming freely down her face.
"I love you too, Lon." Natasha said as she kissed Lonnie's forehead.
Lonnie let out one more shaky breath before stabbing the stinger into Natasha's shoulder. "I'm sorry." Lonnie cried as she pulled away from her mother's arms and began to take off towards the cliff.
Looking back was something Lonnie refused to do. She would not will herself to look back no matter how loud her mother or Clint screamed. The sky ahead was a beautiful sight. It was one Lonnie forced herself to get lost in. Examining all of the colors and the way they fade from a yellow to a pink and finally to a gray. It was peaceful, calm, something Lonnie would be happy to drift off to. But then it all changed.
An explosion knocked Lonnie to the side, the sounds she had zoned out returning to her with a snap of her finger as her eyes were ripped away from the sky and thrust upon the cold hard stone of the temple. A small groan rang past Lonnie's lips as she forced herself to roll over onto her side.
A newfound determination presented itself in Clint's eyes as he tossed his bow to the side and took off in a sprint towards the edge of the cliff. Lonnie's eyes widened and she instantly shot up from the ground, ignoring the aching pain that shot throughout her body.
But once more, Lonnie's efforts would be pushed aside as Natash shot one of her stingers at Lonnie's back, causing her to collapse to the ground with a groan. "Remember your promise!" Natasha called as she ran past Lonnie and towards Clint.
"No! Mom!" Lonnie yelled, practically screamed as she watched her mother grab onto Clint in mid air. Lonnie was helpless, unable to do anything as the two disappeared from her vision and down the cliff. "Fuck." Lonnie cursed as she pulled the stinger off her back and ran towards the edge of the cliff. But what she saw was something that'd haunt her until the day she dies.
Dangling off the cliff, being held up by a tether was Clint and Natasha. Clint clutching onto his friend's hand for dear life. "Let me go." Natasha pleaded as she looked up to Clint.
"No." Clint said with a stern shake of his head. "No. Please no."
"Mom!" Lonnie screamed, unable to stop the sob that had now escaped her lips.
Natasha looked between the two. Giving each of them the same reassuring smile that a mother would give their kid after they got hurt. A smile that said everything's going to be alright. "It's okay." Lonnie shook her head no, her lip quivering as tears blurred her vision.
"Please." Clint pleaded, a small sob breaking past his lips.
Helpless. That's all the two were as they could do nothing but watch as Natasha fell down, down, down. A single scream pierced the air louder than any gunshot. A single scream that held more agony than Clint had ever witnessed in his entire life and one that would haunt him until the day he'd die.
