I NEVER MEANT for any of this to happen. 

I never meant to get involved with the Avengers. 

I never meant to fall in love. 

<><><><><><> Flash Forward <><><><><><>

"Please...please wake up," I press my lips against his, praying for something - anything - to happen and bring him back to me. Without him, I'm lost. 

Tears roll down my cheeks, mixing with the blood stained there to leave a swirl of red on my pale skin. My fingers shake as they move down his torso, landing on the wound leaking blood out of his side. I push against it, hating every second of the feeling of his thick blood escaping his body as it continues to take him away from me, and say a prayer. 

"You can't leave," I dip my head, inhaling his scent - reminiscent of fresh snow mixed with a hint of spice  - and resting my forehead against the hollow at the base of his neck. My voice cracks as I weep, the fragments of my already shattered heart aching within my chest. I think of his vow to me, swearing to protect me and keep me from harm, and I can't help but notice how his absence hurts more than anything they could've done to torture me. 

"You promised. You promised you'd keep me safe. This isn't safe. This isn't..."