"EVERYBODY WANTS A HAPPY ENDING, RIGHT? BUT it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time.
It had been years since Allura had gone to a funeral. Hundreds of years since she had stood with a group of people, reunited with the sole purpose of mourning and grieving a lost life.
I'm hoping if you play this back, it's in celebration.
She always thought that funerals gave a particular feeling; any comments could make you laugh, or any simple déjà vu could render you speechless, and make tears roll from your eyes.
I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back. And something like a normal version of the planet has been restored.
Maybe she was just over analyzing everything— which wouldn't be surprising. But when she looked at everyone else, who was making small talk with silent laughter in their gaze, she realized that perhaps she was right. There was good and bad in every situation, perhaps this applied to that criteria as well.
If there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe, now.
If you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone, let alone to this extent, I mean, I would've have surprised, but come on, who knew?
The epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And for better or worse, that's the reality Morgan's gonna have to find a way to grow up in.
The team stared at the 3D recording of Tony Stark. He seemed so thoughtful, so calm, inspiring even. He was comfortable on a chair, but his gaze seemed decisive— Allura could only conclude that a part of him knew what the outcome would be.
So, I thought I'd probably better record a little greeting in the case of an untimely death. On my part.
Not that death at any time it's untimely.
Everyone had tears in their eyes, Allura watching as Nadenka and Steve stood next to each other, both of their eyes on the ground but the perfect company.
She then shared a look with Ezekyel and Natasha, who were both staring at the recording.
This time travel thing that we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all.
That's the thing. Then again, that's the hero gig, right?
Part of the journey is the end.
Allura closed her eyes at his words, wiping the tear that fell from her eye as her green eyes looked for the blue that could read her like a book, and calm her like a melody.
But not everyone was inside the house hearing the recording, and for some reason she had gotten to be there.
What am I even tripping for? Everything is gonna work out, exactly the way it's supposed to.
Tony stood up, and walked as if he knew where his daughter was gonna be, holding a loving eye contact that only made Morgan flinch back.
I love you 3,000.
And like that, the recording disappeared, and it was time for the real part of the day to begin.
Allura observed as Pepper Potts walked down from their house, her young daughter right next to her with little to no understanding of the situation. Her brown eyes looked for their matching pair, and her innocent mind probably longed to not feel the reality of the event.
It seemed too familiar to Allura: how two daughters who had their fathers' eyes, could hold so much confusion. Nadenka and Morgan were the next generation of a feud, and had stories that only time would settle and eventually even combine.
But for now, the eyes of both girls just lead to the lake— saying goodbye to people they loved in different ways, and who had sacrificed their lives for the world.
Allura gripped Nadenka's hand as they walked, eventually standing on one side of her as James stood on the other; with his arm around his daughter's shoulders to soothe her, and his hand delicately tracing patters on Allura's arm— to make sure she knew that he was there for her too.
Stave stood next to Bucky, his eyes fixed on the heart that was being placed on the water, as a reminder that, regardless of what people may have thought, Tony Stark did have a heart, and it had been big enough to care for many people.
Ezekyel's yellow eyes were covered in tears, his arm around Natasha's waist; too scared to let go, afraid that she could be taken from him too. He watched as Pepper put on a smile, for herself and for her daughter. But he knew the woman enough to spot the torment in her eyes, and the combination of peace and pain that would follow her for the rest of her life.
He could also see his niece: how her blue eyes held strength and she held her head up high, but the whitening of her knuckles and the slight tremble in her posture gave her away, and the light fading from her gaze seemed almost perfectly there.
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Right next to the heart, scarlett and sapphire began combining from the bottom of the lake and to the surface like a light show, creating a beautiful set of glowing flowers with the shape of two stones in the middle, and the sky darkened just a bit for it to be seen.
Nadenka and Wanda both smiled, tears filling their eyes once more.
Everyone had melancholy in their souls, and sadness in their hearts. Long five years had gone by so slowly, and now perhaps many people desired for them to come back.
Families and friends who had fought alongside the fallen, reunited with one purpose and one goal in mind. People who would've never come together, if it hadn't been for chaos and disaster, all stood in empathy and understanding.
It was truly a sight, that not Tony Stark or Pietro Maximoff or the Vision would have ever imagined to see.
Allura looked at Jordan, who was now talking to Peter Parker as the ceremony came to an end, both seventeen year old teenagers getting to know each other briefly— unknowingly of the friendship that they would form.
She looked at Pearl and Lana, who were suffering for reasons of their own, and had previously shared with Allura. The green eyed woman remembered their words clearly, but she hadn't gotten the time to process them just yet:
"Jupiter vanished. Way before the snap. Both sides lost and Jupiter.... it's a ghost planet now."
Her planet was gone, but Allura knew that if she broke over that, her daughter would not have the support she needed to get over the death of her love.
So she didn't sob, not once. Her gaze lost as she leaned her head on James' shoulder; knowing that, selfishly, having him with her was more than enough.
Meanwhile, Wanda and Nadenka stood by the other side of the lake, both women quiet with their hands in their pockets as silence and guilt engulfed them and accompanied them like a shadow.
They had once been close, and had become good friends and family as the years went by; and they had both lost the person who meant more to them than anyone could understand. In different ways, but the grief and despair was lingering in the air like a strong breeze.
"I couldn't save them." Nadenka spoke softly, her tone quiet as she stared into the sky. "All of them. First Vision, then Pietro, now Tony." She continued. "All of this power. What's it good for if I couldn't do that?" Wanda tilted her head in understanding, her hand shaking just slightly as she turned to the other girl.
"I wish I could've saved them, as well." She replied, getting her hand from her pocket and extending it to Nadenka, who grabbed it immediately. "Maybe our power is just-"
"In the wrong hands?" They both held gazes, and a chuckle slipped from their mouths, that turned into a short laughter.
"Most likely."
"Or we can't help what's meant to be?"
"Everything does happen for a reason. I just with there was a way-"
"To let them know? That we won?" Nadenka finished her sentence, Wanda nodding as a tear fell from her eye.
"They know. They all do." She said out loud, her voice breaking just slightly as she convinced herself.
Nadenka carefully wrapped her arms around Wanda in a hug, the women who had fought together five years ago and this time, finding comfort in a similar struggle and knowing that when everything was wrong, they could count on each other to make it right.
Hiiii! I know I haven't published in quite a long while! I apologize profoundly! I do! These past few months have been quite eventful.
Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading, voting, commenting and adding this story to their reading lists— many comments have definitely brought a smile to my face and have lightened my days with your lovely thoughts.
So.... Should Nadenka pull an Angelina Johnson? :'D
Stay safe! <3
- evanescence2016