Venom // Natasha Romanoff

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"I'm sorry."
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Clint and Natasha woke up sharply in a lake of water, clouds all around them. The two looked around at their surroundings and still didn't see Nova, wishing it was some sort of sick joke she'd pulled.

Natasha looked down, pulling her hand out of the water and opening her palm to reveal the Soul Stone, glowing brightly in her hand almost tauntingly. She started to sob again, slamming her hands into the water angrily as a few tears fell down Clint's cheeks.

He pulled her towards him, letting her lean against his shoulder as she continued to sob, holding the Soul Stone tightly in her hand. They were forced back into the pad, everyone back in their places. Minus Nova.

"Did we get 'em all?" Bruce questioned.

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey asked with a grin.

There was a sudden bang and everyone turned to see Natasha fall to her knees, head in her hands and still sobbing freely as Clint joined her side, placing his arm around her as she cried.

"Clint, Nat, where's Nova?" Bruce quizzed.

Neither of them responded to his question but Natasha's sobs got harder until all the air she was getting were short gasps. Bruce gasped softly and Wade shook his head furiously, tears welling in his eyes. Steve looked down as Thor glanced around the room.

There was a patter of feet and Ivy was seen running up onto the pad, making a beeline for Natasha. The red head opened her arms, taking her daughter in and holding her tightly, Ivy still confused.

A clatter was heard and everyone looked up to see Wade dropping his katanas onto the pad, still shaking his head rapidly, tears dribbling down his face. Steve went to grab his hand being next to the mercenary but Wade shook him off, walking angrily from the room.

Natasha cried quietly, picking up Ivy who hugged her Mama close, still confused as to what was going on as everyone looked down in sadness, her Uncle Pool angry and upset. She couldn't see Nova and that added to her confusion as the red head took her up to her room.

"Mama, where's Mummy?" Ivy asked quietly as Natasha placed her in her bed.

"She's... she's not coming home." Natasha gulped.

"Very funny, Mama." Ivy giggled. "Where is she really?"

"In the stars, Ivy." Natasha cried softly and Ivy's face dropped.

"No, she's not. Mummy was coming back. She said so." Ivy whispered sadly.

"I'm sorry." Natasha apologised, reaching out to push back some of her daughters curls.

Tears filled Ivy's eyes and she launched herself at Natasha, crying loudly into her Mama's shoulder. Natasha cried with her, gently stoking up and down her back to soothe the little girl. Small, rotting vines twirled at Ivy's fingertips, something that happened when she was sad, and she cried harder.

After Ivy had passed out from all of her tears, Natasha tucked her into the bed and made her way outside to everyone else. Wade was tucked under Steve's arm, crying silently, sniffling every so often and so was Steve, leaning his head on Wade's.

"Do we know if she still spoke to her family?" Tony questioned as Natasha sat down on a bench.

"Yeah. Every week before the snap." Natasha answered shakily.

"What?" Thor spoke up suddenly.

"Huh?" Tony quizzed.

"What are you doing?" Thor demanded Tony.

"Just asked him a question." Tony replied.

"Yeah, no, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back. Isn't that right? So, stop this shut. We're the Avengers. Get it together." Thor rambled.

"Can't get her back." Clint spoke up.

"What's he...What?" Thor questioned.

"It can't be undone. It can't." Clint continued, Natasha still crying against his shoulder and Thor started laughing disbelief.

"Look, I'm sorry, no offence, but you're a very earthly being, okay? And we're talking about space magic. And 'can't' seems very definitive. Don't you think?" Thor asked.

"Yeah, look, I know that I'm way outside my pay grade here. But she still isn't here, is she?" Clint shot back.

"No, that's my point." Thor continued.

"It can't be undone." Clint argued. "Or that's at least what the red, floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? Go grab your hammer and you go fly and you talk to him." Clint said angrily and Thor looked away from him.

"It was supposed to be me." Natasha muttered. "She sacrificed her life for that fucking stone. She bet her life on it." Bruce grabbed a bench and yelled angrily, throwing it away towards the lake.

"She's not coming back." Bruce mumbled. "We have to make it worth it. We have to."

"We will." Steve said definitively.

"Mama!" Ivy yelled as she ran over to them, sobbing loudly as she crashed into Natasha's arms. "I want Mummy and Daddy!"

"Jesus Christ." Wade cried with a sigh, standing up and making his way back inside with his head bowed low.

"Wade! Wade, c'mon." Steve walked after him.

"'S not fair, Steve." Wade mumbled.

"I know. I know." The blonde muttered, gently bringing the mercenary into a hug, the two crying into each other's shoulders.

Around half an hour later, Ivy made her way outside, holding onto Natasha's hand tightly, the pair still crying. Placing her small hands to the floor, Ivy made small Snowdrops grow out of the ground for Nova because they were her favourite flower. She then grew some cherry blossoms around them as well as pansies, Natasha and her favourites.

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