The Valiant (The Seventh Avenger)

Chapter 81

The sun peeps over the horizon of the ocean sending long shadows onto me as I walk. Steve and I carry the boxes out of my room and to one of the facility's trucks, we don't speak a word to each other. I can hear his thoughts though. He won't stop thinking about Bucky; won't stop wondering what he could have done better so he would be here. I debate on whether or not to share with him what Loki had told me but an itch in the back of my head tells me otherwise.

Tony, Pepper, and Happy stand by the truck and already had all of their things packed. The three of them were in the middle of a discussion and before I have the chance to close the gate, Steve grabs my hands and makes me face him. He places the statue of Bella in my palm. My thumb grazes the indented hairs and I look up at his tear-filled eyes. A trail of water flows off my cheeks and my face scrunches up. I miss everyone so much and their voices, despite their symphonies of words during their final moments are still echoing in my mind.

He embraces me and I sob into his chest, his shoulders shake. We both let out a little bit of what we have been holding in for the past four weeks. That is how we are alike. We both only show little of what we are carrying on our back. My thumb continues to graze the fake hair and it slowly calms me. Steve's breaths begin to quiet and he wipes his face.

"I just thought you should have that," he croaks. I nod my head, the words would get caught in my throat if I tried to speak. He walks away after closing the truck's gate before Nat makes her way back up to me with the binder still tucked under her arm. Bags hang under her eyes and my stomach turns at the sight.

"Take care of yourself, Grace," she whispers. She took me in when I was younger and always knew how to make me laugh, she was the one who taught me that family doesn't have to be blood. A lump forms in my throat but I swallow it down, her eyes flow over my face and skin begins to turn red. Her head shakes and tears rim her eyelids. "Please."

"Don't worry about me, Nat." I embrace her into a hug before she could say anything. "Make sure you are taken care of. Make sure you eat and get enough sleep, okay?" The world shattered for her. The endless whispers she keeps on telling herself that this is all her fault, that she should have trained more obdurate, should have brought the team back together. She should have tried harder and done whatever it took to stop him.

Her head tucks into my shoulder to stifle her sobs, my hand rubs her back and I whisper comforting words to her to calm her down. Her arms hold herself up on my figure and her tears wet my hair. I've never really been good at this, but what I'm saying must be working because her shoulders begin to calm.

"You make sure you are okay," I whisper to her. "Take care of yourself to make sure you can help more people in the future." This was the only way I can help warn her about what is coming without giving everything away. She takes a step back, not breaking eye contact with me and I see the old Nat for a moment. The one who was calculating everything at once and putting two-and-two together.

"You ready?" Tony questions as he rounds the truck. I tuck the toy into my pocket and nod my head as I glance around at the facility. This may be the last time I ever see it or see it for a long time. Based on the information that Loki had given me, the time span could be days, weeks, months... years. My spine tingles at the thought of having to wait that long. I follow Pepper towards the front and about to climb in the back when a voice stops me.

"Wait!" Bruce yells running up to me, he holds my old scrapbook in front of him with a chain and charm. I allow it to play in between my fingers after I took it from him. Specks of white fill the small ball at the center to create a galaxy swirling in it. "I saw the look on your face when we went to space and I thought you would like this."

I wrap the chain around my neck before taking the scrapbook. I can't remember the last time I looked through it. So many good memories that send warmth into my chest and so many that raise the hairs on the back of my neck. But despite all that, a smile appears on my lips. A real one. I take Bruce into a hug and shake at this goodbye, this is really it. The team really is saying goodbye to each other for who knows how long. I know everyone will come back, even Clint. I can't imagine what he's going through. After seeing his family go, I told Nat and she went to check on him but his farm was empty and we wouldn't pick up his phone.

We break apart and wipe our cheeks. I wave to them one last time before getting in the truck. ________________________________________________________________________________

"Grace," Tony knocks on my door frame before leaning on it. We've been at the new house for a little while now, it's not bad. A lake wades in the backyard, it has a big garage for Tony and a large kitchen for Pepper. I barely unpacked for the past few days we've been here; my bookshelves remain empty, clothes are in suitcases, and decorations stay in boxes. The only thing making color in my white room is the bed and the scrapbook resting on the desk. We still need to paint the walls. "Pepper and I have something to tell you."

"I'll be out in a minute," my gaze doesn't leave the book where all the memories of everybody who's gone remains, my fingers twirl the galaxy between them as I contemplate on whether or not to open it and see all the people I lost. Their voices echo around in my mind and the nightmares began to come around. There were moments where I would wake up in a cold sweat and others I would wake up screaming in Tony's arms.

I hear him sigh and listen to his footsteps go down the stairs. The house is big but quiet, too quiet compared to the past few years of my life. I'm just waiting for something to happen, for some new threat to appear and make it worse.

I lift off the bed and make my way downstairs where an abundance of whispers float their way up to me. I crouch down to sit down on the steps and turn my fixed ear towards them to hear the whispers over their thoughts.

"... are you sure it wouldn't be too soon?" Pepper asks. If what could be too soon? Multiple different things appear in my mind.

"Pep, if we don't do it now, we'll regret it later," Tony replies.

"Regret what?" I ask getting up and making my way downstairs. They both jump at the sound of my voice and it almost brings a smile to my face. Almost. The two of them look between each other before responding.

"Well," Tony begins and Pepper gestures for him to continue, "Pepper and I were going to have our wedding in a couple of months, but after the current events we were debating on whether or not we should have it."

"Why shouldn't you have it?" I ask and Tony and Pepper begin to list a bunch of reasons, "Stop. Either way, the public will get angry at you, no matter the decision you make. They will consider you rude for not seeing how lucky you are and not getting married than on the other hand they will find you bragging of how lucky you are. There is no way to satisfy everyone and there are moments where you just have to do what you want."

Both Pepper and Tony stared at me, their mouths agape at my words and I just shrug because it is true. You can't satisfy everyone and that is something I had learned with the accords.

"Look at that Tony," Pepper smirks, "our sixteen-year-old is smarter than the two of us." It felt strange to be called sixteen, I've never really considered it for I did spend a year in space but apparently still grew. My birthday is closer to the end of the year so I do have a few months until I'm seventeen.

"Just go for it," I cross my arms over my chest and grin at the two of them, "you two deserve it the most. Maybe this can help people begin to adjust to reality." It would help me for the time being... I hope.

"Yeah?" Tony questions Pepper who only nods and twirls the ring around her finger.

"Yeah," she says before kissing him.