Forgotten Ghost | Natasha Romanoff

Alternative Ending: 4

Their eyes met for only a second. And Katya knew what would be next, but she couldn't prevent it from happening. A strong fist hit her jaw, much harder than in sparring, and the ground disappeared under her feet.

''Can't let you do this,'' Natasha muttered, taking one final glance at Katya before she took off in the direction of the cliff, fast. But she hadn't punched Katya hard enough, because despite the black spots clouding her vision, she was conscious enough to turn onto her stomach and shoot an electrical disk at her after all.

''Can't let you either.'' Katya scrambled to her feet, stumbled a couple times but refused to fall. She couldn't mess up or Natasha had time to get up. 

Katya didn't want to hit her, so she shot another electronic current through her body while she was already on the edge of unconsciousness. How many would be too much? ''I love you. I'm sorry,'' Katya whispered with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to leave Natasha behind, knowing how much it would kill her, but she'd do everything to keep her alive. 

She took a deep breath and turned to the cliff. Nothing and nobody stopped her now. The Red Skull definitely wouldn't. He just floated there. Son of a bitch. 

Katya didn't feel the sense of peace she expected. Maybe because all of it had gone so quickly and she needed to go before the others woke up and tried to stop her again. She had pictured her death enough times to cover every option, but jumping off a cliff to bring half the Universe back? That hadn't been on the list.

It felt right though. After being responsible for so much death, she could make up for that at once. With big steps she walked to the edge, the snow landing in her dark hair. One foot in front of the other, until a stinging pain in her calf sent her to the ground again. With a grunt, she fell onto her stomach. She didn't have to look back to see the knife lodged into her skin. 

She couldn't anyway, because her gaze snapped to a figure running past her, looking over their shoulder with guilt in their eyes. ''I'm sorry, too,'' Clint called back. How the hell did he get over that Widow Bite so fast?

Katya lay on the ground helpless. She threw her hand forward, as if she could grab him over this distance. She couldn't do anything, had no time to grab her weapons or stand up and tackle him to the ground. She could only watch as he closed the gap to the edge. ''No, no, Clint!''

But he reached the edge and jumped off without hesitation. Katya watched him disappear in shock. Did that really just happen? Did she really just lose her best friend? 

It didn't take long until the tears started again. On her stomach on the cold ground, Katya lay there, waiting for something, her eyes trained on the spot she saw him last. Maybe she waited for him to come back? But nothing happened, only some shuffling behind her that indicated Natasha woke up.

''Kat?'' she questioned confused. But Katya didn't look over her shoulder, unable to rip her eyes away from the cliff. ''Where is Clint?'' Her whole body hurt from the shocks, but she couldn't find it within herself to be mad about it yet. Because her best friend was missing and her wife was in trance. Slowly, the realization settled in; why Katya cried, why Clint wasn't here. 

Natasha rose to her feet, swaying a bit as she walked to a bleeding Katya, but the latter didn't even feel the burning sensation in her leg. ''Where is Clint?'' she repeated, more panicked and louder. 

Katya finally looked away from the cliff and placed her face into her hands, sobbing silently. ''I- he- I couldn't stop him.'' The moment played over and over again in her head. It would follow her until her own end. ''I'm so sorry, Nat.''

But Natasha wasn't mad. She could never be mad at Katya for this. The knife in her calf said enough. Clint would have found a way to jump. She couldn't have stopped him if she wanted to.