Chapter Text
Dark. Lonely. Pain.
That’s what she felt after seeing Clint’s face for the last time.
It didn't last long though, when she woke up everything was the same but the feeling of emptiness didn't go away. Did they win? Did she sacrifice herself in vain? Did they come back? So many questions but not a single hint of an answer.
She paced around the planet, vorir? Vodmir? She doesn't even remember how this place was named. But either she's walking in circles or there isn't a single soul in here. Soul. Ha.
“Natasha Romanoff” okay maybe there is a soul.
“You.” she approaches the red creature with an accusatory finger. “What did you do to me?”
“Natasha Romanoff gave her life in exchange for the soul stone.”
“Exactly. I gave my life, I’m supposed to be dead.”
“Steve Rogers returned the stone in 2014.”
“He returned it? I can come back?”
“Natasha Romanoff lived up until 2023, but died in 2014.”
“Okay, you're exasperating me. Stop talking about me, just talk to me! And I don't understand. I died for the stone, then you have the stone back. So can I go back to my life?” she tries her best to not raise her hopes.
“Not allowed. Even when the stone is returned, the exchange was made, it can't be undone.” red skull answers in a stoic voice.
“Then why am I awake?”
“Your soul and consciousness are one once again. But your body is useless.”
“I am a ghost now?” she asks, confused, but the bad copy of a dementor remains in silence. “Okay then… What can I do? If I can't have my body back. Why I woke up?”
“Your soul is tied to the earth, someone is longing for it.”
“What? Who? Can I see them?” Nat says impatiently.
“Yelena Belova.” red skull points at something that seems to be a portal where the image of her sister's back is visible.
“Can I- Can I go?” she asks quietly and unbelievably, and with an extended arm he allows her to cross the portal.
There she is, long blonde locks falling from her back and a white combat suit which almost makes Nat cry if not for the current shock of being half-alive and seeing her sister. But when she surrounds and approaches Yelena, there she is about to cry.
Yelena's eyes are open wide and her bottom lip trembling, then she finally hears the noise around the place and turns in time to catch the destroyed compound on the news.
“The ruins of the Avengers compound are in their third day of debris clearing. The president has determined that once this is completed, the compound will become a memorial museum for those who fell in the second battle against Thanos. Among those we remember with great gratitude and honor, our heroes Iron Man, Captain America and Black Widow. Three of those who gave their lives to bring back those who disappeared.”
Tony? Steve? Second battle against Thanos? What the hell happened after she jumped?
A soft sob brings her back to the current situation, and she turns again at the blonde who is now kneeled on the floor, and her sobs start to get louder and louder until ending up in a shout of frustration, sadness and anger.
Yelena yells uncontrollably and kicks the couch hard enough that it hits the television and it falls broken on the floor. It is very painful to see and Nat can't blame her. How are you supposed to react to finding out your sister is dead from the news? She wants to comfort her, to tell her she did it to bring her back, to just say sorry, but the moment she tries to touch her the redhead’s hand passes through her shoulder, and Yelena tenses.
She can't touch her, she can't tell her she's here.
So all Nat can do is to sit beside her sister and cry with her. It's about thirty minutes later that Yelena stands up and cleans her face, the redhead follows carefully even when she knows she doesn't technically exist. The moment the blonde goes to change into more normal clothes, everything around her starts to fade and the sad red image of the damn planet begins to surround her.
“No. No!” she pleads. “No! Let me be with her. Please!” she runs in a desperate attempt to touch her sister again but the portal closes in front of her, her hand extended just to make contact with a cold dirty red stone. “Yelena” she whispers in a cracky voice.
“You can see her again.” the creature is back.
“How?”
“Your connection is strong. You would be able to see her every time she had a deep moment thinking of you.”
“Deep moment? What? She has to be missing me to death for me to be able to just see her?”
“You can break the union by deciding to let your soul rest eternally.”
“You're telling me I can decide to die? Like, definitely dead?”
“You can do whatever you want with your soul, Natasha Romanoff.”
“And what if I don't want to break it?” she crosses her arms above her chest.
“You will rest until the next deep connection wakes you up.”
“That's it?” she untangles her arms and let them fall dramatically at her sides. “I’ll sleep until the next time my sister needs me? Or the next time she misses me enough to wake me up? No attempts to buy my soul or anything?”
“Your soul is useless to me.”
“You don't have to say it like that.” she gasps offended. “But fine, I'd rather sleep instead of work for you anyway.” she shrugs. “And can you tell me what happened?”
Red skull materializes the so craved gem and some orange images start to run from it.
“They have memory?”
“Yes.” the creature simply nods.
“Oh Clint.” she says sadly at the image of her best friend crying with the orange rock in his hand.