I arrive with Clint on his farm and watch as he happily reunites with his family. "Kaitlyn!" Nate shouts as he runs to me. I kneel and extend my arms as he comes over to hug me, causing me to fall over. I start to laugh as Lila and Cooper rush over to hug me.
"I missed you guys so much," I say, kissing Nate on his forehead. Clint and Laura smile and watch as I start to play with the kids.
•
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In New York, Peter, his twin sister Maddi, and Ned meet in the hallway. Maddi rushes up to her brother and hugs him tightly, tears in her eyes. She heard about the passing of Tony Stark and was distraught. Ned and Peter share a handshake before the three friends share a heartfelt group hug.
•
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In San Francisco, Scott Lang watches fireworks with his daughter, Cassie, and Hope Van Dyne.
And in Wakanda, T'Challa, Shuri, and their mom, Ramonda, oversee the celebrations from their balcony.
•
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One Week Later
I was at Tony's house with Pepper, Morgan, Happy, Rhodey, and the rest of the Avengers as we all watched a holographic message of Tony that is projected from his Iron Man helmet. He was sitting backward in a chair.
"Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. I'm hoping if you play this back it's in celebration. I hope families are reunited. I hope we get it back. And something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. Goodness, 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 wouldn't have been 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." Tony says.
"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 isn't untimely. 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. What am I tripping for? Everything is gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to." Tony gets up from his chair, walks toward the camera, and looks straight at Morgan. "I love you 3,000."
The message ends, and the hologram cuts out.
Pepper walks out of the house while carrying a wreath in one hand, and holding Morgan's hand in another. The rest of us follow behind them as Pepper makes her way to the end of the boardwalk near the lake and sets the wreath on top of the water to float.
On top of the wreath is Tony's very first Arc Reactor, which Pepper, who was his assistant at the time, had the words 'Proof That Tony Stark Has a Heart' engraved on a piece of metal.
As it slowly drifts away, we all watch. Pepper holds her daughter close as they both grieve. Behind them, Rhodey and Happy share a glance, and they each put an arm around the other. Steve and I stand next to each other. Steve was staring solemnly at the lake while my eyes were red and puffy from crying. I hadn't stopped crying since Will died. It's been a week since his death, and I still haven't told his parents. I know they deserve to know what happened, but I just haven't gotten the courage to tell them. I'm afraid of what they'll think of me once they do find out. Will they hate me? Will they shut me out of their lives forever?
Or will they blame me?
Blame me for putting their son in danger and allowing him to become an Avenger. I never wanted this life for him. I've always wanted him to have a normal life, but knowing Will and how stubborn he can be, no was never an option for him. He was willing to stick by me no matter what. It didn't matter how dangerous it was. He stuck by me and fought for what was right. I guess that's one of the reasons I loved most about him. He was determined, honest, loyal, and a good friend.
And Tony...all I can say is, I wish we hadn't fought all the time. I will truly miss him.
May Parker attends the funeral with her niece and nephew, Maddi and Peter. Maddi had an arm around her twin brother while May gave them a comforting squeeze as the twins mourned the loss of Tony Stark. Behind them, Thor and Bruce wear pained expressions as they stand next to each other. Bruce's burned arm rests in a sling after using the Infinity Gauntlet to bring everyone back.
Doctor Strange and Wong are also at the funeral, even though they didn't know Tony as well. Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Janet Van Dyne pay their respects for Tony Stark despite them having a past with the Stark family. The Guardians and Nebula are at the funeral along with T'Challa, Okoye, and Shuri.
Although Clint Barton is happy to have his family and Kaitlyn back, he laments with his wife Laura and his children as they stand in the back closer to the house. Standing with Bucky and Wanda, Sam Wilson puts a hand on Bucky's shoulder. Attending the funeral is a kid whose name I do not know, but I'm assuming is a close friend of Tony's. Secretary Ross, Maria Hill, Carol Danvers, and Director Nick Fury all stand by the balcony at the cabin as the funeral ends.
Later, Clint and Wanda stand side by side by the lake. "You know, I wish there was a way that I could let her know. That we won." Clint looks at Wanda. "We did it."
Wanda meets his gaze. "She knows. They both do."
Her eyes glisten with tears as she looks out at the lake, and Clint wraps an arm around her. She does the same.
I was still standing on the boardwalk by myself when I hear footsteps approaching behind me. I turn around to see Nick Fury. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes," I say, making Director Fury chuckle a little bit. I walk up to him. "It's been a long time."
"Yes, it has." Director Fury says. "I heard about what happened to Will. I'm sorry. I know you loved him." I give Director Fury a sad look and lower my head. "Do they know?"
I shake my head. "I'll tell them. Don't worry."
"Do you know what you're going to do after all this?" Director Fury asks.
I looked at him and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Keep fighting, I guess. I mean, I'm immortal now so someone's still gotta protect these people."
"Have you thought of a place to stay?" Director Fury asks.
"I had two offers. My brother, Peter, asked if I wanted to stay with him on his ship, but I think I want to take some time off from space traveling and stay here. And the second offer, Clint invited me to stay at his farm for as long as I wanted to, so I think I'm going to stay with him." I say.
"You two have gotten really close haven't you?" Director Fury says.
"Well, yeah. He pretty much raised me when you sent him and Natasha to find me that one day, remember?" I say.
"Oh, I remember." Director Fury says.
"I'm glad that you guys found me because, without you, I don't know what I would've done," I say.
"Your father would have probably found you a lot sooner if we didn't." Director Fury says.
"Thank god he didn't. You know how that turned out." I say. "Besides, you were more like a father to me, anyway."
Director Fury smiles. I wrap my arms around him and hug him. "Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome." Director Fury says.
•
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After the funeral, Clint takes me to Will's house. "Do you want me to come in with you?" Clint asks.
I shake my head. "No. No. I think I got this."
I got out of the car and slowly make my way to the front porch. I knocked on the door and waited a few moments until Will's younger sister, Courtney, opened the door. A look of shock crosses her face when she sees me.
"Kaitlyn?" She says.
"Hey, Courtney," I say.
"Oh, it's so good to see you!" Courtney says, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.
"It's nice to see you too, Court," I say.
"Where's Will? I thought he would be with you." Courtney says, looking around for her brother. She gives me a look of concern when she sees the sad look on my face. "What is it?"
Before I could get the words out, I turned back to the car to look at Clint, who gave me a nod. I looked at Courtney. "Kait, is everything alright?"
"Are your parents home?" I ask.
"Yeah, sure. Hey, mom! Dad! Can you come down for a sec? Kaitlyn is here!" Courtney calls for her parents. Issac and Nora Jones, Courtney, and Will's parents walked down the stairs and approached the front door.
"Kaitlyn, what a lovely surprise. It's so nice to see you again." Nora greets me with a smile.
"You, too, Mrs. Jones," I say.
"Hey, Kaitlyn! Where's Will? Is he not with you?" Issac asks.
"Yeah, we've been trying to call him all week since we got back but we haven't heard from him. We just thought you two were out doing something together." Nora says.
I looked at Will's family as tears began to form in my eyes. "Kaitlyn, is everything alright?" Issac asks.
"It's about Will," I say.
"Is he okay?" Issac asks.
I shake my head. "Will is..."
"Will is what?" Courtney asks.
"Kaitlyn, honey, whatever it is, you can tell us," Nora says. "Just tell us where Will is."
"Will is...dead," I say.
"Dead? What do you mean Will is dead?" Issac asks.
"He was killed," I say.
"By who?" Nora asks.
"When Thanos attacked us, we were inside a tunnel, and an Outrider, one of his soldiers, was chasing us, and he caught up to Will and killed him," I explained. I watched as Nora, Issac, and Courtney's faces became grief-stricken at the news.
My eyes glistened with tears as my mind played back the memory of Will being killed by the Outrider. "I tried to save him, I really did. But I was too late." I continued. "I never meant for this to happen. I never meant for him to be put in harm's way, but I just wanted you to know that Will died a hero. He was so brave, and I loved him. More than anything. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, but I was afraid that you guys would hate me once I did."
"Hate you?" Issac says.
"Kaitlyn, we could never hate you. We love you." Nora says.
"Yeah, you're practically like family," Issac says.
"You're like my sister, Kait. I was the one who told Will to ask you out." Courtney says.
"Really?" I ask.
Courtney nods her head. "He really did love you."
"Kaitlyn, if there's anything you need, anything at all, you can always call us," Nora says. "We're here for you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jones. And you can always call me." I say. I hug her, and Issac and Courtney join in. Once we let go, I wiped a tear from my eye.
"Well, I guess I better get going. Thanos may be gone, but there are still a lot of other threats out there, and I have to be the one to stop them." I say.
"You take care of yourself, Kaitlyn," Issac says.
"I will," I say.
With that, I turned on my heel and started walking back to the car. Once I sat in the passenger seat, Clint looked at me. "Is everything okay?" Clint asks.
"Yeah. They're a bit shaken up by the news, but I think they are going to be okay." I say.
"What about you?"
"To be honest, not really. A lot has happened, Clint. Everyone I know and care about is dying." I say.
"Not everyone, I'm still here," Clint says.
"Yeah, for now," I say.
"Kaitlyn. I know this must be hard for you. Your powers are evolving. They're getting stronger. And I know that may sound scary because you don't know what you may end up doing, but we can figure this out. I can help you. You're not alone in this." Clint says.
"You know what I find weird, though?" I ask. "My brother lost his powers when we killed our dad, but I still have mine. Is it possible that my mom may have had powers before she died?"
"I never met your mom, so I can't say if she did or not," Clint says.
"I've always wondered about that," I say.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Clint says. "You ready to go home?"
"Not yet. There's still one more person I have to see." I say.
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A/N: One more chapter to go! How sweet was that little reunion between Director Fury and Kaitlyn? Don't worry these two will meet up again soon! Also, did anyone ever wonder why Kaitlyn kept her powers after killing her father Ego? I never really did shed any light on that because I didn't really have any good ideas for that one. If there's any good theories anyone would like to share concerning Kaitlyn's powers, I'm all ears!
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