⏳ --

Air rushed into my lungs and I welcomed it, heaving it in. My eyes fluttered open, only for me having to continue to blink away the dust floating around. I went to sit up when a hand gently eased me down.

"Easy, Captain," I heard Astra coo.

"Where am I?" I coughed.

"Safe." Pain arced up my torso. A green glow appeared around her hands. "Five broken ribs. I'll do what I can to heal, but much of my power has been spent."

I laid back down and breathed out. As painful as it was, a soft chuckle escaped my lips. "You look like hell."

Astra smirked, an act I never thought I'd ever see. "So do you."

"What happened? The last thing I remember is some explosion."

"Eon is no more," she begun to explain. "The Lord and Lady tore him apart and the Time Vault took whatever was left him. Doing that cost them their lives. Doing that also caused Temporal Tower to collapse. I managed to portal us out of there in time."

And then it hit me, and my eyes widened. "Andi!"

I gritted through what pain was left, pushing Astra's healing hands away to stagger to my feet. I turned around to see the rubble and destruction of the Tower sprawled out in front of me, the cloud that once swirled above it long gone.

We picked our way through the debris, Astra holding out her hand to sense for life. I called Andi's name, and got no reply. I called her name again and again and was faced with nothing but the sound of dust and rubble and silence.

We split up in hopes of finding her better that way. I picked through the rubble, pulling out rocks in hopes that she would be there. I found my shield not long into my search, and I pulled it out from being wedged in between two stones and reconnected it to my back.

"Andi!" I called for what felt like the hundredth time.

She wasn't dead. I refused to believe that. She was stronger than that. She had survived too much to lose her life to a toppling tower. No. And I would've felt it. I was so connected with her that I honestly believed that I was one with her. I would know if something...bad were to happen to her.

"Captain!" My ears picked up on Astra calling me. "I've found her!"

I ran faster than I ever had before, gritting my teeth through the pain of my broken ribs, picking my way over to her.

Astra was pulling back a rock when I reached her, and I saw a limp hand protrude through the wreckage. I helped her pull away the rocks carefully but hurriedly. And my eyes caught flaming red hair. I pulled one more rock away to reveal Andi's crumpled body, covered in bloody cuts and bruises, her eyes closed and her face frozen in a troubled expression. I lifted her out of the debris and gently carried her to the clear area in front of the wreckage, just at the entrance of the field of poppies leading up to it.

I softly eased her to the ground, Astra helping me by lifting her head before her back touched the dirt. I brushed a thumb across her cheek. She was warm still. I rested an ear on her chest. She wasn't breathing.

"Heal her," I ordered, perhaps too forcefully.

I didn't even have to ask. Astra's hands were already hovering over her when I spoke. The glow in her hands flickered and then blew out entirely.

"I have no power left," she whispered. "I'm drained."

My eyes flicked to Andi lying in front of me. The old-fashioned way, then. "Breathe for me."

Astra knew instantly what I meant, and she opened Andi's mouth and breathed into it. I threaded my fingers and pressed my hands to her chest and began to pump and counted. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Astra breathed again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. And again, One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

"Dammit, Andi!" I snarled, Astra breathing once more and I pumped my hands. "Andi!"

I lost count the amount of times we tried to revive her. My hands were cramping and growing sore. My pumping hands grew slower. Astra was visibly growing tired. And Andi remained motionless before us.

"Again," I whispered, and I felt my tears beginning to overwhelm me.

Astra swallowed before saying the words she knew I didn't want to hear. "She's gone, Captain."

"No! No, again!"

"Steve." Astra grasped my shoulders, nails digging into me. "She's gone." She swallowed her pain once more, a tear rolling down a dirty cheek. "I'm sorry."

I leaned back on my heels and then sat down. Astra lowered her head, feeling as much in pain as I was in. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. Not like this. Not after everything she'd been through. After everything we'd been through. After the war, after the Battle for New York, after the Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., after Ultron and Sokovia. After all this. After us. This couldn't be the end. Not now. There was no way that she was—

A sharp intake of breath caught my attention. I turned to Andi as her chest rose and lowered. My heart beat again, since it felt like it had stopped mere minutes ago, and I began to breathe again as well. I hovered over her and cupped her cheek in my hand. Her eyes slowly opened. They were their normal bright green, looking at me inquisitively. Her arms wrapped around my neck and I pulled her into one of the tightest hugs I'd ever experienced. She buried her face into the crease of my neck and I nestled mine into her dirty red hair.

"I'm glad you're safe," I whispered.

She gripped me tighter. I heard her trying to annunciate through tears. "I love you."

"I know, Andi." I buried my face deeper into her hair. "I know."

Astra placed a comforting hand on both our knees and breathed out as well.

It was over. Everything was over. Finally. Over.

❈Author's Note: Hey, there! Pssh! Did you really think I was going to kill off everyone's favourite Time Walker? I'm evil in these cliffhangers and causing them feels, but I'm not evil enough to kill off our darling red head XD

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