BEFORE COLLEEN could process it, the inevitable has crept up on her.

Todd stops by and informs Colleen that they're relocating the children in two days.

Two days.

She has two more days to spend with her family until they're ripped away from her. Ever since they discovered their personal files in Hydra's database she knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but she was hoping it would be later rather than sooner.

In those two days leading up to their new placements, Colleen takes off from working with the team again. She would train for their upcoming mission, but spending time with the kids is more important.

Colleen breaks the news to the kids during dinner that evening. She tries to deliver is softly so she doesn't elicit any panic or sadness in the children, but as soon as she tells them they have two days, Sloan's eyes fill with tears. Anna Beth looks close to tearing up as well as she looks down and bites her lip. Ben, on the other hand, doesn't react as negatively. He looks caught off guard and a bit sad, but under that sadness is underlying excitement. His parents, from what he has told her, are fun and nice. He also has an older brother in high school who plays basically every sport. And although Emmett, who is sitting on Colleen's lap, doesn't understand what's going on, Colleen knows that he will be happy with his new family.

Anna Beth and Sloan aren't so lucky.

"There's nothing you can do?" Anna Beth speaks up, voice small. Almost scared.

Colleen's eyes lower and she stares at her half-finished meal in front of her, appetite gone. "I'm sorry."

These are her kids; she fought for them and gave them her whole heart. How is it that she can just lose them?

That night, while Colleen is trying to sleep in her bed with the lights off and her mind riddled with how she's supposed to cope, her bedroom door creaks open. A line of light from the hall grows as the door opens wider, revealing Anna Beth and Ben in their pajamas.

Colleen sits up, careful not to wake Sloan sleeping at her side, and squints to see through the darkness. "Everything alright?"

"No," Anna Beth whispers as to not wake either Emmett or Sloan. Colleen almost misses the way her chin quivers. "We . . . we wanted to see if it was okay if we slept in here, too."

"Like a family sleep over," Ben adds, his voice also hushed. "Before, you know, we leave."

Colleen opens up the blanket and invites the kids in. "Get over here, you too."

Small smiles touch their lips and they don't hesitate to obey. Colleen always thought the bed was too large, but now she's thankful for its unnecessary size because Anna Beth, Ben, Sloan, and herself can all fit comfortably. Emmett isn't excluded from their sleep over; Colleen scoots his crib closer to the bed.

Lying in bed with Sloan curled into one side, Anna Beth on her other, and Ben on the other side of Sloan, Colleen looks up at the ceiling and gives one last, desperate prayer for them to stay together.

•••

Peter's at Colleen's side when a woman in a pant suit parks in front of the Avengers compound. As weak as it sounds, she doesn't think she could do this without him. The kids and Peter have also grown closer, so they deserve a proper goodbye as well.

The woman that waits beside her sleek black car meant to transport the kids waits patiently as they have their last goodbyes in the yard in front of the compound.

All this time Colleen had tried to hold herself together in front of the kids, but her attempts to stay stoic fail as she is faces the reality of the situation.

She's losing the kids. She's losing her kids.

Colleen gives Emmett a kiss on his head before handing him over, not really processing that it could very well have been the last time she held him.

Emmett's goodbye, as hard as it is, is the easiest out of the four.

Peter stands back and watches with a heavy heart as Sloan, Anna Beth, Ben, and Colleen all share a hug. Silent tears slip down Colleen's cheeks. She doesn't want to let go. She hugs them tight with her eyes squeezed shut and her heart aching so much that it physical hurts her chest.

All of them individually hug Colleen next. Soft gasps for breath slip past Anna Beth's lips as she cries harder than Colleen ever saw her cry before. The fierce, stoic girl is crumbling and it sends shockwaves of pain through Colleen. Colleen pulls her in for a hug and takes a deep, shaky breath.

"You are so strong, and so unbelievably smart, Ab. I promise I'll try everything I can to see you again, okay? I'm not letting you go so easily."

Anna Beth cries into her shoulder, her body shaking each time she takes a short breath of air between sobs. "Thank you f-for everything you've done for me."

"It was my honor, Ab." Colleen leans back and smiles through her tears. She dries Anna Beth's cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket before pressing a kiss to her head. "I love you so much, you wouldn't believe it."

Anna Beth returns the watery smile. "I love you too."

The woman leads Anna Beth to the car.

Ben, who is holding Sloan's hand before dropping it when Anna Beth leaves, steps up to Colleen and wraps his arms around her. Colleen smiles bittersweetly and rubs his back.

"I'm sorry," Ben whispers, guilt heavy in his voice.

Colleen ignores the ache in her chest. "Don't be. Have fun with your family, yeah? Don't worry about me."

"I don't want to just leave." Ben separates from the hug to meet Colleen's eyes. "I can't just cut you out of my life, I don't want to just forget about you and Ab as Slo. Can we visit sometimes?"

"I'll see what we can do," Colleen assures him. "I'm so proud of the young man you're growing up to be, you're so brave."

"I got that from you."

Colleen cups his face and thumbs away a stray tear from his cheek. "I love you, don't forget that, okay?"

"I don't think I could if I wanted to, you say it all the time," Ben chuckles softly.

After they hug one last time, Ben follows the woman to her car.

Colleen falls to her knees as Sloan flings herself into her arms.

"Please don't let her take us," Sloan sobs desperately. Her small hands ball into fists as she clings onto Colleen's jacket. "Please, you're my mommy. I don't wanna leave."

Colleen's throat burns as she tries her hardest to keep herself from sobbing her heart out.

"Everything's going to be okay," Colleen whispers in her ear, but it's an empty promise. "I don't want you to go either, but you have to, but it's okay. I want you to be a good girl for Janice and Dominic, okay? I love you so much, baby girl."

Sloan tries to talk, but all that comes out are whimpers and sobs as her skin heats up. But Colleen doesn't let go of her. She takes the risk of being burned in favor of holding onto Sloan for as long as she can.

But she knows she can't. She has to let her go.

Colleen feels her heart tearing apart as she tears herself from Sloan's arms. The woman steps up to lead Sloan to the car where the others wait, but Sloan turns and grabs ahold of Peter's legs.

To say Peter looked crushed would be a gross understatement.

He slips his hands out of his pockets and kneels to the ground to properly hug the Sloan to his chest. Sobs rack through her little body, and Peter rubs soothing circles in her back.

"Shh, it's okay."

"I'm gonna miss you, Peter," Sloan whimpers.

Peter glances up at Colleen. That's when she notices the tears collected in his eyes.

"I'll miss you too," Peter says brokenly, giving her a little squeeze before letting her go.

The woman takes Sloan's hand and leads her back to the car. Peter stands and slips his hand in Colleen's as the car starts up and drives away from the compound.

It isn't until the car reaches the main road that the weight of everything crashes over Colleen all at once and she collapses into Peter's chest, knees buckling.

The pain in her chest reaches deeper than her heart. It infects her lungs and makes it hard to breathe, it creeps up her throat and steals her voice.

Peter holds her close and slowly lowers them to the ground as her silent tears turn into ugly, heart-breaking sobs.

A hole burns through her chest like she was shot. It burns hotter than her salty tears and rips her heart in shreds.

Burying her face in Peter's chest, Colleen wonders if Ben's parents will make him pancakes in the morning and give him peanut butter instead of syrup like he likes. Will Sloan's parents let her sleep in their bed since she can't sleep alone? Will Anna Beth's parents take her to the library to feed her ever-growing brain? When Emmett won't stop crying, will his parents know to run him a bath to calm him down?

Colleen doesn't care how pathetic she may seem crying her heart out on the sidewalk in front of the Avengers compound. She's in more pain she has ever felt in her life.

•••

Colleen doesn't venture out of her room for an entire day after the kids are gone.

She's empty.

Hollow.

She would say she feels numb, but the pain is still pressing against her chest and doesn't let her get out of bed for anything aside from going to the bathroom.  

It's like there's a gaping hole where heart her is supposed to be.

Peter gives Colleen her space for a while. She curls up in her bed—purposefully avoiding looking at the crib in the corner of her room—and listens to soft music Friday puts on for her. It doesn't patch the hole in her heart, but it helps her sleep so she can escape from reality for a while.

It isn't until late in the evening that she hears three soft knocks on her door.

She opens her eyes in slits and stares at the door before closing her eyes and turning over so it's facing her back.

The door creaks open. Colleen hears soft, socked footsteps near the bed and then feels a slight dip in the mattress behind her.

"It's almost eight," Peter says, voice gentle. "I brought you some food."

Colleen hides her face in her pillow. She feels like a big baby for staying all holed up in her room and refusing to move, but she doesn't know how else to deal.

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," Colleen replies. Her voice cracks from not using it since that morning when she cried until she ran out of tears.

Peter doesn't give up, but he also doesn't push it. Instead, he shifts to sit beside her with his legs laid out in front of him and the plate of food on his lap.

"You need to eat."

"I don't want to."

"I know." Peter reaches out and carefully tucks the hair in front of her face behind her ear so he can see her face. She blinks her eyes open and sees him smile softly. "You still need to, though. I made you a grilled cheese."

Colleen's gaze flickers to the sandwich on the plate in his lap. Sighing, she pushes herself up to sit. Peter hands her the plate, which she gingerly accepts.

"I don't deserve you, Peter Parker."

"Of course you do," Peter counters with a small, boyish smile. "Actually, you deserve more than me."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, but it's true."

Colleen tries to return his smile, but her bottom lip trembles and her eyes fill with tears.

Peter doesn't hesitate to lean in and wrap his arms around her. She doesn't care how weak she has been that day—that week, really—she just accepts Peter's comfort.

"It hurts so much," Colleen whispers against his collar.

"How can I help?"

"Just keep hugging me."