See You in a Minute

P R O L O G U E

❝They both deserved better.❞
- Pepper Potts

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We won. We got everyone back. But it cost us everything.

It's Tony's funeral today. We gathered to watch Pepper and Morgan put Tony's arc reactor in the river as a sign that we're ready to let go of him. That the Iron Man can finally rest now. 'Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart' was engraved on the Arc Reactor that we all set free but a part of me disagreed. No thing in this world can ever represent a heart—it is what it is, and he is the heart of our team.

Just as Natasha is the soul. She was the essence within us that we didn't usually give attention to but once hurt, once damaged, once taken away—we could never be the same again.

Tony deserved this funeral. He had so much to live for and yet so much to die for as well. He finally got his family, his second chance—he had Pepper, he had little Morgan; it wasn't fair that he had to be the one to make the ultimate sacrifice but he did and the only thing I wish he could see was the result of what he has done. I believe in my heart that he deserves it.

But Natasha deserved her own funeral as well. If she hadn't sacrificed herself, we wouldn't have been able to have the chance to get everyone back. She said we were the only family she has, and knowing that, I feel so disappointed. She did everything she can to bring her family back but she didn't even get to live to see them complete.

After hearing what Tony had to say in his recording with Thor, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and Morgan, I went outside to clear my head.

I stayedby the river and decided that I'll have my own funeral for Natasha. She deserves at least this.

I saw a red rose earlier on the way to this place and it instantly reminded me of Natasha. It didn't bring a smile to my face but I couldn't seem to stop myself from picking it up, too.

The red rose isn't Natasha and it will never be Natasha, but that didn't stop me from putting it in the river and letting the weak current push it away. It was the only thing I have that reminded me of her.

Watching as that red flower float away, my mind drifted back to the first moment I knew I'd fully trusted her. Maybe more than I ever had to anybody.

"If it was down to me to save your life—now you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?"

"I would now. And I'm always honest."

Natasha Romanoff isn't the best person to put your trust in. She's a liar who does things for the wrong reasons and you'd never know who you are to her. But that day, I trusted her. Until now. And she never broke it. She valued it and over time, she only proved that she earned it more than anyone. I can only hope I have done the same.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I continued to think of her. The last time I was at a funeral, I thought I would be alone. Yeah, I had Sam with me then but even he wasn't enough to fill in that empty space Peggy's death brought upon me. But when she came and put her arms around me, I knew I was going to be okay. Not easily, not soon, but I knew I will be. But now, I don't even know how to properly say goodbye to her.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I didn't want you to be alone."

"Steve," it was Pepper who called out to me and broke me out of my train of thoughts. She stood next to me then put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "you okay?"

I nodded, my eyes still fixated on the red flower that was now going farther and farther away from me.

"I heard you're returning the stones back in a few days," Pepper told me soflty and I finally looked at her.

Her eyes looked red and puffy and I know she's been crying. Pepper deserved a better ending—for her and her daughter. I felt my heart sink for her. I forced a small smile for her sake, "Yes, I am. The sooner the stones are returned to their original time line, the better."

Pepper didn't say anything about it but from the expression on her face, I knew she wanted the same. "Well, Bruce asked if you guys can use the backyard for the time travel," she started and I nodded in confirmation. "I'm okay to it as long as everything goes smoothly. It would feel good to know that this chapter in our lives is finally done."

"Thank you," I told her sincerely.

Pepper nodded my way, "You're staying for a few days? Bruce is."

"If it's all right," I told her. "We just want this to be done as soon as possible."

"Of course. It may look like a small house but there are more rooms than I can count," she said, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face. "Tony never said it but I know deep down, he had as much rooms as he does just in case you guys decided to visit."

Hearing that brought a great deal of weight on my shoulders. Maybe we should've done better over the course of those 5 years. Instead of going on our own separate ways completely, maybe we should've stayed together and tried to move on with each other by our sides. Maybe then, Barton wouldn't have killed so many people; maybe then, we could've helped Thor cope with the sorrow he was dealing with; maybe then, Banner didn't have to deal with controlling himself all on his own; maybe then, Tony's family could've been a little more complete; maybe then, I didn't catch Natasha crying that day when I did; and maybe then, we would've had more memories of each other to keep. To treasure.

But maybe's couldn't change anything because what's done is done. The word 'maybe' is just another representation of the things we could've had and the people that we could've become but aren't. I do have my own maybe's but all those are just going to have to remain that way. We should just try to learn from what was, accept what is, and prepare for what's to come because that's how life works. We should work the same way.

"My only regret is that we weren't able to do it," I told her with a small smile.

Pepper looked away from me as she stared at the ground, "They both deserved better," she said softly, sadness evident in her voice. She didn't need to say their names in order for me to understand, I already knew who she was referring to.

"We all do."