innocent

end of the world

"Shut your damn mouth and show us the stone." Clint said, the man only floated away from them, expecting for them to follow him. His dark black cloak behind him.

He brought them to the edge of the cliff. They all looked down it, it was a long way down.

"What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear." He said as Cecelia stared down it. The stone was down there, so they had to climb all the way back down.

"The stone's down there." Natasha said, staring down.

"For one of you. For the other...In order to lose the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul for a soul." Red skull said, Cecelia looked at him, confused. No. There was no way. He didn't mean one wouldn't be going home, right? No, absolutely not.

Natasha walked away from the cliff and sat down on a big rock. Cecelia watched her do so, and she followed.

There was an awkward silence, a long one at that. "How's it goin?" Clint asked before chuckling. "Jesus." He muttered before walking over to Cecelia and Natasha.

"Maybe he's making this shit up." Clint said, Natasha was staring focused at something. Her hands clasped together as she did so.

"No. I don't think so." Natasha said as Clint walked away from them.

"Why? 'Cause he knows your daddy's name?" Clint asked, Natasha stayed sitting there, her expression didn't change.

"I didn't." Natasha said, Clint sending a quick glance back at her. "Thanks left here with the stone...without his daughter. That's not a coincidence." Natasha said, Cecelia's heart dropped to her stomach. She felt sick. There was no way, someone wasn't going home. All of her hopes, all of her prayers didn't come true.

"Yeah." Clint said, nodding his head.

"Whatever it takes." Natasha said, quoting her husband.

"Whatever it takes." Clint said, Cecelia nodded her head.

"Whatever it takes." Cecelia said, Natasha got up, Cecelia following after her.

"If we don't get that stone...billions of people stay dead." Natasha said, staring at Clint.

"Yeah. Then I guess we know who it's gotta be." Clint said, Cecelia nodded her head.

It should be herself. She killed so many people, made people suffer. Like Red Skull said. Once a murderer, always a murderer.

"I guess we do." Natasha said, squeezing Cecelia's hand.

Natasha grabbed Clint's hand, and then Cecelia's hand. "Im starting to think we mean different people here." Clint said, Cecelia looked down. Nodding her head.

"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." Natasha said to them, Cecelia shook her head.

"No, don't you get all decent on me now." Clint said to her. He knew she didn't wanna die. But if it meant her over him and Cecelia, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

"What, you think I wanna do it? I'm trying to save your lives." Natasha said to them, Cecelia looked next to her.

"I don't want you to, you've done a lot for me, now it's my turn." Cecelia said, ignoring their conversation from earlier. "I did a lot of bad stuff, let me make it right." Cecelia said, Clint looked over at her.

"I did it willingly. You two know what I've done. You know what I've become." Clint said as he took Cecelia's hand in his.

"Oh, I don't judge people on their worst mistakes." Natasha said, looking at Clint. Tears grew inside his eyes, they grew in everyone's eyes.