Other than the reasons I've stated in the previous chapter as to why I split the final chapter into two halves, I also find it very disturbing that if I ended a book with chap 24 instead of 25...
Or maybe it's just me being OC??? idk?????
RIGHT U GUYS U DON'T CARE ABT ANY OF SO THAT LET'S MOVE ON TO THE STORY
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - FIVE ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
"So," Tony said, coming up to the two siblings and draping his arms over their shoulders, "How are my two favorite nephew and niece doing this lovely morning?"
James and Allie knitted their eyebrows at him.
"What's with the face?" Allie asked, taking note of the bright grin that her uncle had on. It was very weird.
"What face? Oh, you mean this very pleased, glowing, radiating and handsome—"
"Please stop that," she interjected, wrinkling her nose.
Tony rolled his eyes, but kept the grin on. "I may have some good news."
"I'll take it. I'll take any kind of good news, big or small. I don't care. Tell us!" James said hastily.
"Okay, calm down, Jamester," Tony remarked, pushing James' shoulders afar when he tried to lean closer. "It's about your dad."
"Oh?" Allie's ears perked up, now giving him her full attention.
"And your Uncle Brucie."
"Oh," James echoed, his tone going lower. He had a feeling where this was going, and if it was good news, then he sure hoped it's the kind of good news that he'd like. "Okay?"
"I may have overheard them talking yesterday," Tony said casually.
"About?" Allie pressed.
"About your mom."
James groaned, "Can you please cut to the chase, uncle? I love a good storytelling as much as the next person but, seriously, I can't take anymore of—"
"Bruce knows about them."
Both of them froze, jaws dropping in shock.
"He what?" Allie shrieked, eyes bulging out of its sockets as she started to ramble on, "What did he say? Is he mad? Well, of course he is because mom's his girlfriend. Did he—oh, no. Did he hulk out on dad? Is dad okay?"
James wasn't doing so well either. "When? How? Does mom know about this? What about Aunt Sharon? I can't believe this."
"Stop! Okay, okay, just stop and let me have silence for at least ten seconds!" Tony exclaimed, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "That's a lot of questions to get in thirty fucking seconds."
James flashed him a scolding glare.
"Oh, don't be such a prude," Tony said flippantly, taking a deep sigh, "Everybody calm down for a second."
Both siblings relaxed, taking deep breaths to calm themselves a bit.
"And didn't you hear me earlier when I said good news? So stop panicking and zip your mouth for a sec and let me talk," Tony retorted.
By ticking each question that they had asked using his fingers, he started answering them one by one.
"Bruce knows about Cap and Nat's feelings. He said that he's known for a long time now, and that he's not particularly okay okay with it but he's okay with it—honestly, I don't even know what the hell that means, but, whatever—and he's not mad. From what I heard, Bruce and Nat have already broken up even before Steve and Bruce had that talk. And, no, he didn't hulk out, which would have been pretty awesome if he did," Tony laughed, ignoring Allie's death glare. "Oh, and yeah, Capsicle's ass is alright."
Allie sighed in relief.
Tony then turned to James and started answering his set of questions. Oh, you know how Tony Stark is, always being the petty and extra person that he's known to be.
"When? Yesterday, after Capsicle was finally granted the permission to get out of his hospital bed. Does Natalie know about this? No, I don't think so. And what about your Aunt Sharon? I don't know because me and her aren't really all that close," Tony finished with a cheeky smile, raising his hand up in the air, "There, does anyone have any more questions?"
James rolled his eyes in response.
"I'll take that as a 'no, and thank you for being the bestest uncle we could ever have!'." Tony grinned.
"Well," Allie smiled, "if that's the case then... is it time?"
Tony was confused. "Time for what?"
"Time for us to go back," she said, shrugging, "I mean, if everything's taken care of, then we're all done here, aren't we?"
James cocked his head, clicking his tongue. "I don't know. I think it's still missing something. We've gotta see mom and dad officially get together before we leave so we can be at peace."
Tony stared at him. "I sure hope you don't mean that literally."
James eyed him flatly. "No, of course not." He rubbed the nape of his neck, "I just want to be sure, you know, like I have to see the future sealed in front of my own eyes."
"He does have a point," Allie agreed, sighing. "So, do we need to do something? For the last time?"
This time, it was Tony who chimed in, "I don't think you have to do anything."
"But—"
"You did your part, dear children," Tony smiled reassuringly, ruffling both their heads. "Now, it's time you let your dear parents do what they have to do for a change."
-----------------------------
"What's up, Natalie?"
Even without looking, she already knew who that voice belonged to. "The sky," she answered with a lopsided smirk.
"Ha. Good one," Tony said sarcastically, taking a sip of his diet coke and joining her out in the balcony.
They stood in silence, gazing at the open sky. The view was breathtaking; different shades of purple, orange, and blue colliding with each other to paint an absolute masterpiece. As the sun dipped below the horizon, over the earthly-green hues that smelt of mother nature—Natasha felt as if she had just saw the sun illuminated a path. A new path.
A different path; different to the path she had chosen to take once, long ago.
Strong wind blew past her, making her fiery, red curls dance against the sunlight—shining brighter than ever.
"You okay?" She heard Tony ask her.
She looked at him, forcing a small smile. She hadn't even noticed she was frowning until Tony pointed it out. "I'm fine."
He arched his brow, "You sure? 'Cause it seemed like you were pretty much having a moment there."
Always the typical, smart-ass genius that he is.
"Shut up, Stark," she retorted.
Tony shook his head in amusement, "That's original," he paused, sounding more serious, "Really, though, I know I'm not in the top of your list of confidante—"
She cocked her head at him, "What makes you think you're even in the list?"
He pouted childishly. "Hurtful."
Natasha huffed a laugh.
"But, seriously, if you want to talk. You know I'm all ears."
She put up a weak smile. "Thanks, Tony. But no thanks."
"Jeez, that's assuring," He rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his drink. He let silence consumed them for a minute, before saying, "So, I spoke with Bruce."
She snapped her gaze to him, looking at him expectantly.
"Are things..." he trailed off, trying to figure out his words correctly because this was Natasha he was talking to, "really over with him?"
"You sound like a teenage girl looking for gossip," she surmised, mildly amused.
"If I say I am, would you answer my question?"
She didn't answer, instead, asked him another question. "Did Bruce really tell you this? Or did you force it out of him?"
Tony raised his hands up innocently. "Hey, I did no such thing! You do know that if I did try something, he can hulk out on me, right?"
Natasha laughed, "I know. I'm waiting for it."
He scowled. "I hate you."
Surprisingly, she didn't make a witty comeback. Instead, he heard her sigh deeply. Just like that, the mood between them suddenly changed.
"Yeah, it's over, I guess. But that's not the worst part. No, the worst part is... I don't even—" she sighed again, shaking her head feebly, "the worst part is I don't even feel... that bad. In some strange, horrible way, it actually feels like a weight I've been carrying for so long just kind of—you know, disappeared?"
Tony kept quiet.
She laughed dryly. "It sounds stupid, I know, and it makes me even a horrible person than I already am. I wish I could say I'm lying, but..." She glanced at Tony, sadly, "I'm not."
Once she finished, he pursed his lips at her speech. "Contrary to your belief, you're not all that bad."
She scoffed. "That makes me feel a lot better."
"Let me finish, okay?" He snapped, "Look, I know you and Bruce have been having problems for some time now, I just didn't want to sound nosy so I pretended not to care. But Bruce is my friend, and you, too—sorta," he paused, giving her one of his rare genuine smiles, "And no matter how much of a shitty friend I am, I want you to be happy—all of us, I mean."
Natasha smiled at that.
"And that includes Bruce, you, Pointbreak, Barton, Little Maximoff, Vision, Maria, Wilson, and Rhodey—of course, I'd never forget my Rhodey—and then there's Steve."
At the mention of the latter, something in Natasha's expression changed—a certain warmth suddenly engulfed her features; her entirety.
It made Tony smile widely. Bingo.
"And, like you said, I may be an egotistical smart-ass but I am anything but stupid," Tony reprimanded, smirking, "You think no one picked things up between you and Steve?"
Natasha went jaw-slacked. "What?"
"It's so obvious, Nat," Tony chuckled, taking a brave step closer to where she stood. "You can't run away from your feelings anymore. Everyone can see how much you care for him. It just took you too long to realize that. Hell, even Bruce noticed it first, I bet."
She glared at him. "No, he didn't. We already talked about it, he didn't say anything like that."
Tony rolled his eyes for the nth time. "Bruce might be quiet but it doesn't mean he's clueless. Give the man some credit."
"Stop that," she demanded, "I don't need you lecturing me. I know I hurt him and I'm guilty for that. I didn't ever want to hurt him but I did because I was selfish."
Under his breath, Tony muttered, "Actually, you kinda hurt him because you were doing the exact opposite."
But Natasha heard him, loud and clear.
Tony caught her giving him a look, so he continued on, "It's not like this is a one-sided relationship. You didn't force Bruce into anything, he agreed to this too. I can't say I blame you, because the second I could have a chance at happiness, I'd take it too. It's better to have some than none."
"That's what we thought," she agreed, her voice going quieter. "I guess we were both wrong."
"Guess so," Tony echoed.
Natasha cast him a side way glance, "You know, you're not that bad after all. I think you're getting better at this, even."
"At what?"
She shrugged, a subtle smirk forming on her lips. "Comforting people."
"Eh, I guess you can thank Pepper for that."
They laughed again, the tension hanging in the air before slowly dissipating.
It was Natasha who spoke first this time, "Can I ask you a question, and will you give me an honest to God answer? Without any hint of sarcasm or anything?"
Tony smiled cheekily, crossing his heart. "I promise."
She hesitated, asking quietly, "Do you... do you think I did the right thing?"
He heaved a breath, the corner of his lips turning upwards, "I think it's a start," he answered vaguely, "For you to be finally happy."
Natasha sent him a grateful look, smiling wider than before.
Then she huffed a laugh. "I still can't believe I had this conversation with you of all people."
"Believe it or not, neither am I," Tony reiterated, shrugging, "Well, you know what they say..."
"What?" she asked.
He grinned cheekily. "Love makes you do crazy things."
Natasha turned a faint red, punching him in the shoulder. "Shut up, Stark."
Tony grunted, rubbing the sore spot, but he didn't stop there. He teased her relentlessly, "And love definitely makes some people go crazy over a 90-year-old super virgin."
"Stark!"
-----------------------------
Steve was staring again.
He didn't know how long or how it started, but he realized the moment he snapped out of it. He was just on his way out to the balcony to get a breath of fresh air, to clear his mind, hoping that tomorrow would be the start of a brand new day.
For the first time in a while, he felt like he could finally get the chance to start over, and be really happy with the choices he made these past days.
He really hoped that, this time, it was the right choice.
As he was walking, he suddenly heard it. The distant sound of a melodic laughter. It reverberated against his ears repeatedly, like a whimsical tune of that close to a siren's voice. It sounded music to his ears because he knew whom exactly it belonged to.
Sure enough, as soon as he saw who it was out in the balcony, he felt his heart pick up a much faster pace.
Steve unknowingly smiled at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful. With the way the golden sunlight highlighted her red hair, the way it emphasized every inch of her from head to toe, and the way it just brought out everything that's utterly perfect about her.
Natasha Romanoff was a vision.
A vision that Steve would never get tired of seeing.
And not even Tony Stark who was standing right next to her can change that or destroy the beauty of this moment.
"Hey Steve," a voice grounded him back to reality.
Steve looked behind him to see Sharon standing in the shadows as well. He was surprised to see her here. "Oh, hey Sharon."
She offered him a small smile, saying nothing else as she walked silently to his side. There, she got a full picture of what—rather, who, he was gazing at so lovingly.
"You know," Sharon started softly, "One day, I hope that someone would look at me," she looked over at the balcony, smiling at the sight of the woman that captured Steve's heart, "the way you look at Natasha."
Steve looked at her with a smile, warmth pooled in his blue irises. "When that happens, he'll be the lucky one."
Sharon glanced back at him again, smiling too. Unlike before, not a hint of bitterness was seen on her face. "Thank you, Steve."
Steve shook his head. "No," he whispered. "Thank you."
Thank you for letting me go; for giving me a chance to love the woman I love. Thank you.
Thank you, Sharon.
-----------------------------
"Woops. Your lovey-dovey Capsicle's stalking us," Tony snickered, nodding to a certain direction, "To your three o'clock."
Sure enough, there was Steve standing in the dim-lighted room.
Only, he wasn't alone. Sharon was there with him.
Natasha found herself frowning at the sight in front of her. Soon, doubts started to fill her head. Did Steve finally gained his senses and realize that he did deserve someone better than her? Was he having regrets of breaking up with Sharon?
Maybe, he did. What was she thinking? Steve deserved every chance at happiness. He deserved it more than her.
"Oh," Tony said, now understanding what made her all eerily silent.
Natasha sighed, feeling her heart sink. She knew everything was too good to be true.
"They make a beautiful couple," she sighed, tearing her gaze away before she could hurt herself even more. This was stupid. "They always have been."
She was tempted to turn back around and sulk in her room to save her from this embarrassment.
But Tony's voice made her froze.
"Then... why on earth is Capsicle coming over here?"
Natasha turned around just in time, coming face to face with a pair of deep, blue orbs that have always reminded her of distant sees and oceans.
"Nat," Steve breathed.
She gulped, feeling her heart starting to race. "Steve."
"Oh, yeah, and I'm Tony. Let's all just put that out there."
Both Steve and Nat turned to him with a glare.
Tony laughed sheepishly, scratching his chin. "Right, shut up, Stark. Got it. I gotta... yeah, gotta go and let you kiss and make up so you can have lots of mini Caps and Capettes—okay, I'm going!"
As fast as his legs could allow him to, he dashed out of there to leave the two lovebirds be.
Steve and Natasha stood in stunned silence, both flushing madly from the comments that Tony just made. It was obvious that both wanted to say something, but neither could find the right words for it. How could they? When there was so much to say.
Both knew how the other felt for them, and both knew how they feel towards each other... all they lack was the courage to bring it up again.
For both knew, at this very place, at this very moment in time—everything was exactly the way it should be. Everything... was finally right.
Steve took a deep breath, taking a step closer to her. "Natasha."
Natasha willed herself to look up at him, worrying that he might hear the way her heart was pounding—thumping, like violent rainstorms crashing and burning over the sea just to call his name.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, her gaze dropping. She refused to look at him, pulling away by an inch when he began to lean in. "What about Sharon?"
Steve looked at her, confused. "What about her?"
She swallowed, her eyes catching sight of Sharon who was still lurking in the shadows, watching them. She sighed, now looking at him, "Don't you want to be happy?"
"But I am happy," he stated, meeting her eyes.
"But Sharon—"
"Sharon," he intervened, gently grabbing her shoulders, "wants us to be happy."
Natasha didn't get it at first, so her eyes went over to Sharon again. This time, she flashed her a warm smile, and gave a gentle no. It's okay, she told her with the gesture. Then, she turned around and left without so much of a word.
Suddenly, she felt his warm touch come in contact with her chin, making their eyes meet once again.
His thumb brushed over her skin as he continued to gaze at her. "So, Sharon wants us to be happy, and Bruce does too. And you don't even need to ask me to know what my answer is," he chuckled softly, "I guess the only person left here to ask is you."
He smoothed her bottom lip, leaning just another inch closer, but not enough for their lips to touch.
"Do you want us to be happy?"
Natasha closed her eyes, breathing in his scent, his touch, and the feel of his warm breath so dangerously hovering over hers.
Yes, her heart may equal to that of violent rains and thunderstorms.
But at the same time, her heart flutters like that of a flower's first bloom in spring—the way it bares itself completely to let others see its true beauty, without any shame nor secrets to hide, is what causes it to bloom so perfectly.
And now, she was just that. A flower that bloomed, given a new path by the sunset over the horizon, and ready to shed itself from any secrets that she kept hidden once.
Now, Natasha is ready to love and be loved—truly, honestly, and completely, and she wanted no other else for that person to be the man standing in front of her.
"Of course, I do." She said, speaking of nothing but the truth, "I want you. I love you."
"Then let me make you happy, Nat. Let me make you the happiest woman in the world because you deserve it." Steve requested, his vision turning glossy as he cupped her cheeks, "It's not going to be easy, I know that. Are we crazy for doing this? Maybe."
A half-cry and half-laugh elicited her lips.
Steve continued on, not once taking his eyes off her, "But I know I want this. No matter how hard it gets, I want to do it. You and me, forever. Everyday."
She smiled through her tears, one of her hands reaching out to grab one of his hands resting on her cheek. Her fingers tightened her hold on him. "I want to say yes. I badly want to say yes because I want that more than anything."
"Then say yes, Natasha," Steve pleaded, his face lighting up with hope.
"I'm scared," she finally admitted, her bottom lip quivering, letting her walls crash and burn down again for him. "I'm scared that, one day, you'll wake up finally realizing I'm not good enough for you."
"No, Natasha—"
"Or one day, I'll wake up with you looking at me with regret or pity instead of love, because I know you'll never hurt me, but I'm scared that I'll end up hurting you—"
She was surprised when Steve suddenly pulled her into his arms, effectively shutting her up.
"For once, can you stop worrying about tomorrow and focus on today instead?" Steve whispered in her ear, "And that will never happen. You don't need to worry about me so much."
She buried her face into his chest, letting her tears fall freely in silence.
"Sure, maybe a few fights would ought to happen along the way because I'm being a pain in the ass." He laughed lowly, hugging her tighter, "but I'll be okay."
She asked him in a voice barely above a whisper, "How do you know that?"
"Because I'll have you in my life."
Natasha huffed a cry and a laugh. Then, without another word, she leaned up and kissed him fervently. He didn't hesitate to return it.
Their lips met, crashing and burning together. Their kiss tasted like heaven and hell at the same time but they didn't care. They defied time when the world around them seemed to stop.
Captain America and Black Widow were like fire and ice. Neither would've expected them to work out the way the did. Both completely different people, from two different worlds, had somehow found solace and warmth in each other. They soon found their common ground; slowly learning that there's more to the other than just their superficial status of a soldier and a spy.
They understood each other. They found out that, in more ways than one, they are alike. They knew each other as just Steve and Natasha, not as the 'heroes' that the world make them as. No, they're much more special than that.
They were humans who craved for the one thing they've been searching for their entire life — love.
Captain America and Black Widow may be as different as fire and ice.
But Steve and Natasha craved to be burnt and desired to be cold.
"I love you," She whispered through their kiss, repeating softly, "I love you."
He smiled too, brighter than the sun and stars. "I love you, too."
For, finally, he was whole.
-----------------------------
Unbeknownst to the couple, their son and daughter were watching them from afar, hiding behind the curtains as they sighed in content.
"Well," James turned to his sister, smiling wistfully, "looks like our job here is done."
Without warning, Allie quickly pulled James into a hug but released him just as quickly.
James raised an eyebrow, laughing, "What was that for?"
She shrugged, grinning, "For a job well done."
James chuckled, draping an arm over her shoulder as they started to walk away. "Let's go home."
-----------------------------
"Are you crying?"
"I'm not!"
"But you are!"
"I'm not! It's water."
Allie giggled, "Nope, I'm pretty sure those are tears."
Tony crossed his arms, raising his chin up defiantly but not before releasing a sniffle. "Nope!"
Allie rolled her eyes, her lips stretching into a smile as she ran to hug him. Tony stiffened in her arms but gladly reciprocated the hug. "I'm gonna miss you, too, Uncle Tony." she muttered.
"Okay, that's not fair. You're making me cry on purpose."
Allie giggled again, pulling away. Her face turned more serious, "Thank you, uncle. For everything."
Tony smiled genuinely. "Don't mention it."
James arrived, walking in on their moment. "So, Als, are you free to make one more stop before we go home?"
She already knew what he was referring to, so she nodded as a response.
Tony looked between the two of them, befuddled. "What do you mean one more stop? There are no more stops."
"Let's see," James started, mimicking Tony when he started counting off with his fingers, "There's Aunt Wanda, Maria, Vision, Uncle Sam, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Rhodey, and Uncle Clint—and, boy, I've never seen Uncle Clint cry that much until today."
"Well, I've never seen Uncle Tony shed a tear until today so that makes two of us." Allie chimed in.
Tony shushed her immediately, "Never speak about it."
Allie only laughed, dragging her brother out of the lab. "We'll be back in five!" She called to Tony.
-----------------------------
Of course, they couldn't leave without saying goodbye to the people responsible for bringing them into this world.
James and Allie were thankful to find Natasha and Steve alone in the Avengers' lounge. They couldn't resist smiling at the sight of the two.
They were watching another Disney movie—and if Allie was correct, it was The Little Mermaid—and slumped up on the couch. Steve had his arm around Natasha's waist while she snuggled closer to Steve, leaning against his chest.
He kissed the side of her forehead tenderly.
They truly didn't want to interrupt such a moment but it had to be done. Sorry, parents!
"Wow, congratulations," James suddenly spoke, startling the couple.
Allie laughed when their faces started to turn pink. "We heard the news. I'm glad it worked out for you, guys."
"Oh, thank you. I'm glad too." Steve flushed, smiling shyly, "Is there something you guys needed?"
"Oh, no—uh," Allie shared a glance with James before looking back at her parents, "We just wanted to say goodbye before we leave."
Steve and Natasha already knew that they weren't staying here permanently, because as far as they knew, Allie and James were still in school (which wasn't a lie), and now had to go back home to continue studying.
A bubble of sadness filled the air when Steve spoke, "Oh, you're leaving now?"
James and Allie nodded.
"Yeah, admission period's starting in a few days and we need to get our records ready," Allie lied smoothly.
Steve and Natasha stood from the couch and made their way towards them.
"I wish you both all the luck." Steve smiled sadly, "But I can't say I'm not sad to see you both go. You're two of the best agents we have, you know."
"Aw, thanks, Steve," Allie cooed, "And we definitely had the most amazing time here."
"That's true," James agreed, offering his hand, "It's been an honor, Captain, Agent Romanoff,"
Steve shook his hand with a smile; Natasha did the same.
Taking James by surprise, Natasha pulled him into a hug. Though shell-shocked at first, James eventually found the strength to return the hug, succumbing to his mother's touch.
"Take care, alright?" she said through the hug.
James smiled, nodding. "We will."
After him, for some reason, Natasha found herself hugging Allie too. It not only surprised the siblings and her, but Steve as well, who was watching the sight unfold in front of him with amusement.
"Bye guys," Allie whispered before he and James went to leave.
"Wait."
Their mother's voice made them stopped in their tracks. Allie and James looked over their shoulder, waiting for her to speak.
"Will we ever see you two again?"
James and Allie glanced at each other, sharing a knowing look, before looking back at their parents
James winked at them, grinning confidently. "We guarantee it."
Giving them one last smile, they turned around and disappeared from the room; never to be seen again.
Steve looked at Natasha, chuckling amusingly, "You seem to have taken a liking to them."
Natasha was strangely quiet.
He quickly noticed it. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Just now—I mean, I felt..." she trailed off, a flicker of recognition and realization waved in her emerald, green eyes.
Steve squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Me too."
She glanced up at him, finding the same trace of emotion on his eyes. "Steve, those two... they're..."
"I know, Nat," Steve smiled at her, reading her mind correctly, "I know."
She sighed, contently. "Then we will see them again."
Steve chuckled, agreeing, "Soon, love. Soon."
-----------------------------
"Alright, I've shed enough tears so go now before I start again."
Allie snickered. "So, now you're admitting that you cried?"
Tony pointed at her, "Hey, little red, zip it."
She rolled her eyes, amused.
James clasped his uncle's shoulder, giving him a grateful smile. "Thanks, uncle."
"Thank me again twenty years from now," Tony kidded, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Go."
James nodded, waiting for Tony to out of the room, shutting the transparent door that acts as a divider between him and the siblings.
Standing in front of the machine, James reached his hand out to press his thumb on the blank plate. Like before, the portal instantly opened, showing a reflection of what they once knew as the Midtown's Science lab—the place they're supposed to be before they got transported back in time.
James took a deep breath, holding his hand out as he turned to face Allie. "Ready?" he asked.
"Not really, but what choice do we have, right?" Allie chuckled, taking his hand.
James chuckled, looking back at the machine.
Hesitantly, he reached out his hand, slowly coming in contact with the reflection displayed by the machine.
As soon as he touched it, the image rippled, and he felt the same force from before trying to reel his hand into the screen. Then his hand was gone, then his arm, and soon, his whole body—along with Allie's—was being tugged inside it. Not fighting it this time, they let the force do what it had to do.
Tony had to shield his eyes when a bright light illuminated the room.
After a few painful seconds, the light died out, and Tony was able to see again.
His lips stretched into a sad smile as soon as he saw that the lab was deserted once more—his once future niece and nephew, now nowhere in sight.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ E N D O F C H A P T E R ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Whew! This chapter is just an entire rollercoaster of emotions!
I just wanna say that I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Out of all the chapters I've written from all of my books, this chapter is one of my favorite!!
Thank you for sticking with James and Allie's journey until the end <333
Please keep in touch for the epilogue!
p.s. about the last scene with steve and nat, i'm gonna let u guys interpret that scene the way u want it to be :p