2023 ― Stark Household
"I love you 3,000."

Katherine was at Tony's house with Pepper, Morgan, Happy, her family, and the rest of the Avengers for his funeral, as they were watching a video recording that Tony made after he figured out how to make the time-traveling work. Katherine had been nonstop crying since the battle. Every time she closed her eyes, she could hear Tony's voice saying, 'I love you,' before he took his last breath.

"Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. I'm hoping if you play this back... it's in celebration. I hope families are reunited. I hope we get it back. And something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. Goodness, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone... let alone to this extent, I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised, but come on, who knew? The epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And for better or worse... that's the reality Morgan's gonna have to find a way to grow up in, but Kat just as you did for me, I know that alongside Pepper, you two will help her figure it out." Tony said.

"I thought I would make this little greeting. In the case of an untimely death, on my part. Not that death at any time isn't untimely. This time travel thing we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow... it's got me scratching my head about the survivability of it all. That's the thing. Then again, that's the hero gig, right? Part of the journey is the end. What am I even tripping for? Everything's going to work out exactly the way it's supposed to. I love you 3,000." Tony spoke before the video ended.

Pepper and Katherine led everyone outside, both of them holding Morgan's hand as they set Tony's first centerpiece on a reef of flowers before sending it out onto the river. Then Katherine stood with her husband, holding his hand. Amaya stood with Peter and his Aunt May, holding Peter's hand. Nikita stood with Thor and Bruce, holding onto him. Thor was overjoyed when Nikita found him after the battle was over.

T'Challa was in the with Shuri and Okoye. All of them standing with their hands in front of themselves. Christian stood in the back with Bucky, Sam, and Wanda, his arms around Wanda, and then Katherine noticed someone in the back, besides Nick Fury randomly popping up, but she noticed someone else and she walked back towards him.

"Harley?" She asked. She hasn't seen him in ten years since she and Tony were in Tennessee. Harley looked up and smiled when he saw Katherine and she wrapped the teenager in a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you again, you're so grown up." She said as they pulled away.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Katherine," Harley said and she smiled at him.

"Thank you. Tony would've loved to see you, all grown up." She said and Harley smiled at her right as her kids started to walk up to her.

"Hey, mom... we're all gonna head back inside with Aunt Pepper. People are clearing out, but Maya and I wanted to stay with her and Morgan for a little." Christian said and Katherine nodded her head before her eyes lit up.

"Oh guys, wait. I want you two to meet someone." Katherine said before smiling over at Harley. "Harley, these are my kids, Christian and Amaya... and kids, this is Harley. Do you guys remember when I told you I once went to Malibu to help Uncle Tony with his PTSD?" She said and the kids nodded their heads.

"Oh yeah, so you guys met in Malibu?" Amaya asked.

"Tennessee, actually. They found their way out there." Harley said which made Katherine laugh.

"And Harley also played a big part in helping Tony with his PTSD and helping us take down the Mandarin. We definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without him." Katherine said which made both of her kids' smile.

"It's really nice to meet you," Christian said to him.

"You guys too. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances though." Harley said which caused the twins to nod their heads.

"Okay, go ahead and see if Aunt Pepper needs anything, I'll be in there soon," Katherine said while squeezing their hands. Amaya and Christian both nodded before saying bye to Harley and going inside of the house and Katherine looked at him.

"I should probably get going too... I just wanted to pay my respects." Harley said and he was about to walk away, but Katherine gently grabbed his arm.

"Hey... listen," Katherine said as she reached into her purse and grabbed a pen. She grabbed Harley's hand and scribbled her number onto his palm. "Whenever you need anything, you can call me, okay? Even if you just want to talk." She said and he nodded his head.

"Thank you, Katherine." He said. They gave each other one last hug before she walked onto the porch and saw Morgan sitting by herself. Katherine sat down next to her and wrapped her arm around her.

"Hey, little squirt. You doing okay?" Katherine asked her.

"I'm good." She said.

"Good. You hungry?" Katherine asked her and Morgan nodded her head.

"Mhm." She said.

"Okay, what do you want? You can have anything." Katherine said.

"Cheeseburgers," Morgan said which made Katherine laugh a little sadly. Tony loved cheeseburgers, and it reminded her of the time when, after he was rescued from Afghanistan, instead of going to the hospital to be checked out, the first thing he wanted to eat was a cheeseburger and then he called a press conference where he announced to the world that he was Iron Man.

But also over the years of his life, they've shared many cheeseburger adventures and memories together. When Tony would sneak out just to get away from Howard for a little bit, Katherine would always find him at this favorite diner, and of course, he had ordered a cheeseburger. They would sit there, eat their food, Tony would talk if he wanted to, but Katherine never pushed him to. But she didn't know that those times were some of Tony's most treasured memories.

"You know, your daddy really loved cheeseburgers, so I'll get you all the cheeseburgers you want. How does that sound?" Katherine said and the small child smiled up at her.

"Thank you, Auntie Kat." She said. Katherine leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Anytime."

―

After the funeral. Nikita saw Clint standing near the lake and she made her way over to him. Katherine was the one who told her that Natasha died, but she said that Clint was the one who was there with her, so she should talk to him about what happened, and she wanted to. Clint wasn't trying to avoid Nikita on purpose, but he didn't know how to face her. He had survivor's guilt since Nat sacrificed herself, and he didn't know how to face Nikita anymore.

Nikita laid her hand down on his back and gently rubbed it as she stepped up to his side. "You haven't told me the whole story, but whatever it is, I know it's not your fault," Nikita said. Clint looked down at her and he sighed. "You've been avoiding me."

"I know... I'm so sorry, Nic. I just... I didn't know how I could look you in the eyes and tell you what happened." Clint said and Nikita frowned as she reached down for his hand and squeezed it.

"Probably the same way Nat wouldn't have been able to look Laura and your children in their eyes if she was standing here instead of you," Nikita said. Clint shook his head and chuckled a little since that was exactly what Natasha said to him on Vormir.

"I didn't want you to lose her, Nic... I wanted it to be me, it should've been me. For the longest time, you and Natasha only had each other. You lost five years of your life... you deserved to come back to your sister waiting for you." Clint said. Nikita slightly smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, Clint... I'm going to miss Nat for the rest of my life, but either way, coming back to you gone would've hurt just as much. You know that, right?" Nikita said and Clint nodded his head.

"Her last words were to tell you that she loves you," Clint said which made a few tears fall down Nikita's cheeks, but she quickly wiped them from her eyes and nodded her head.

"Do you think she knows we won?" Nikita asked and Clint nodded his head.

"Yeah... she knows," Clint said and Nikita nodded her head as she took a deep breath.

"She'd be proud of you. You also know that, right? I know you're probably going to feel survivor's guilt, but you know you always have me, and this wasn't your fault." Nikita said and Clint shrugged.

"Easier said than done. It should've been me." Clint said. Nikita lifted her head from Clint's shoulder and grabbed his chin to force him to look at her.

"It shouldn't have been either of you, but it was her, and I'm sure she was stubborn to the end about how she had to do it, and it had to be her, wasn't she?" Nikita asked and Clint nodded his head as he laughed a little.

"A pain in my ass, as always, both of you," Clint said which made Nikita laugh. Then she leaned forward as Clint leaned down and they brought their foreheads together and closed their eyes. They were taking this moment of silence for a lot of reasons. Although they saved the world, they lost Natasha, and they were never going to forget that.

"Thank you, Clint. For always taking care of us." Nikita whispered as they lifted their heads from each other. Clint nodded his head and squeezed her hands.

"And you took care of me right back." He said and Nikita smiled.

"I always will... now, I have someone else I have to find." She said and Clint smiled as he nodded his head.

"Thor?" He asked and Nikita smiled.

"Yes, but... he's not who I'm talking about. Stay in touch, Barton. Tell Laura hi for me."

―

A FEW MONTHS LATER

Nikita Romanoff took a deep breath as she got out of the car she borrowed. She had made the decision that she was going to leave Earth with Thor, but she still had a few bases to cover. She already had a conversation with Katherine and Clint, and now she was meeting Yelena Belova because they were visiting Natasha.

After the battle, Nikita was searching for Yelena, but Yelena was searching for her too. Natasha and Nikita were the first people Yelena thought about when she found out about the blip. She had to get in contact with them to let them know that she was okay. With the help of a former widow, and because Nikita is one of the best spies in the world, the girls were able to find each other.

They cried together when Nikita first told Yelena that she also disappeared for five years. They were both saddened to hear that the other lost five years of their lives. Then Nikita broke the news to her that Natasha was gone, that she sacrificed herself to bring them both back, and they cried together over that too.

Since that moment, the girls stayed in contact with each other, and now they were planning to meet up at Natasha's grave and Nikita was going to tell her that she was going to be leaving Earth with Thor, but she was going to give Yelena a means of communication because when she promised her that she would never abandon her again, she meant it.

Nikita stood at her sister's headstone and tears immediately started falling from her eyes as she knelt to be level with the tombstone. On her stone was her name, the widow symbol, along with daughter, sister, and avenger. There were many flowers and little pictures all surrounding her tombstone which Nikita fixed and then she heard a bark, which made her smile.

She stood up and turned around right as Yelena's dog Fanny ran to her. Nikita knelt to be level with the dog and a smile came onto her face as she started to scratch behind her ears. "Hi Fanny, I missed you too," Nikita said as Fanny licked her cheek. Then Yelena came from around the clearing and Nikita stood back up. The two girls smiled at each other before wrapping their arms around each other in a hug.

"Hi, Nicki," Yelena said when they pulled away. Nikita smiled and laid her hand down on Yelena's hair and then they stepped away from each other and went back to Natasha's tombstone. The girls knelt in front of the tombstone and Yelena gently caressed the side of the tombstone before gently kissing it.

Then she whistled out a soft note which made Nikita smile, it was what they used to whistle to each other as kids. Nikita whistled the other half of the note back to her and the girls smiled at each other before standing up and Nikita took a deep breath.

"I have to run something by you," Nikita said.

"Is everything okay?" Yelena asked as they stood up. Nikita reached out for her hand which Yelena took and Nikita let out a deep breath.

"I'm going to be leaving Earth, with Thor, I'm just done with all of the back and forth, especially after losing five years with him," Nikita said and Yelena slowly nodded her head.

"So what does that mean?" Yelena asked.

"It means, that I won't physically be here, but, you know how to contact me and you always can, no matter what, even if it's just to talk," Nikita said.

"So we lost one sister and now I'm losing the other?" Yelena said and Nikita shook her head.

"Hey... you're not losing me, I made you a promise and I meant it, you'll never lose me again," Nikita said as she leaned forward and rested her forehead against Yelena's, another thing that they've always done. The three of them, and the twins also would do that with Clint. Yelena and Nikita closed their eyes as their foreheads rested together and Nikita squeezed her hands. "I love you, Yaya," Nikita said and both girls laughed. 'Yaya' was what Nikita called Yelena when they were kids, and she only used the nickname so Yelena would know she was serious.

"I love you too, Nicki. Go be with your boyfriend that's a god. You deserve it." Yelena said. Nikita laughed a little and smiled at her before squeezing her hand one last time.

"I will come back, I promise," Nikita said. Yelena nodded her head as she looked at her sister.

"I know you will."

―

After visiting Natasha's grave and talking to Yelena, Nikita Romanoff made her way back to New Asgard where Thor and Valkyrie were waiting for her. She made a decision that she had to run by the people who were important to her, and that was Yelena, Katherine, and Clint. She told them that she was making the decision to leave Earth with Thor. She was tired of the long-distance and she just wanted to be with him, especially since she just lost five years with him.

She was surprised to see such a big physical change in Thor, but she understood where it came from. Depression, she figured it out pretty quickly. He's lost every single member of his family, and then he lost her for five years, but he didn't change what Thor looked like physically. She loved him, so much, and she was so happy to finally be reunited with him. And she never wanted to lose that much time with him ever again.

Yelena, Clint, and Katherine understood her decision, and they supported her, but she also told them that she would remain in touch, and if they ever needed her, all they had to do was call, and she would be there. But she was happy to start her life with Thor.

"When can we expect you both back?" Valkyrie asked them.

"Um, about that..." Thor said and Valkyrie looked over at him.

"Thor, your people need a king," Valkyrie said. Thor took off his sunglasses and looked at her.

"No, they already have one," Thor said and Valkyrie started to laugh thinking that Thor was joking and she shook her head as she turned away from him.

"That's funny." She said and when she looked back at Thor and saw that he was still looking at her. She looked to Nikita who nodded her head indicating that Thor was serious. "Are you being serious?" She asked.

"It's time for me to be who I am... rather than who I'm supposed to be. But you, you're a leader. That's who you are." Thor said.

"You know, I'd make a lot of changes around here," Valkyrie said.

"I'm counting on it... Your Majesty." Thor said while holding his hand out for her to shake which she did. And then Nikita pulled Valkyrie into a hug.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Nikita whispered to her as they pulled away.

"What will you two do?" Valkyrie asked them. Thor turned to look at Nikita and laid his hand down on her cheek before he knelt down in front of her.

"I know this has been a long time coming, a very long time, but I love you, Nikita and you know that. For five years, I lost myself when I lost you. The last five years without you were the worst of my life, but it made me understand how you felt every time I was gone. Before I had comfort in the fact that I knew you were still on Earth, but five years and not knowing if I would see you again... I'm so sorry I didn't ask you this sooner, I didn't think I was worthy after Ultron, but Nikita Julianna Romanoff will you...-" Nikita cut him off.

"...-Yes, of course, I will. It'll always be you. I will marry you, Thor. I know you didn't get to finish, I may have read your mind." She said. Thor picked himself up off the ground, before pulling the red-head into a kiss, which she immediately reciprocated, and when they pulled away, she looked at Valkyrie.

"For the first time in a thousand years, I have no path, but knowing that I have Nikita on this path with me, makes it all the more worth it," Thor said while squeezing her hand.

"Make sure you invite me to the wedding," Valkyrie said.

"Who else is going to be a bridesmaid?" Nikita said and Valkyrie smiled at her.

"We do have a ride though," Thor said and then they looked to see that Rocket was approaching them.

"The proposal was very cute, but move it or lose it, you two." Rocket said. Thor laughed and Nikita gave Valkyrie one last hug before they joined the Guardians on their ship.

"Tree! Good to see you." Thor said as he set his duffel bag containing his and Nikita's things down and he walked up to Quill. "The Asgardians of the Galaxy back together again," Thor said putting a hand on Quill's shoulder. "Where to first?" Thor asked while moving the screen from what Quill had it on.

"Hey," Quill said moving it back. "Just so you know, this is my ship, still. I'm in charge." Quill said and Nikita rolled her eyes.

"I know. I know. Of course, you are. Of course." Thor said in a voice like you would if you were talking to a small child.

"See, you say 'of course,' but then you touch the map. It makes you think that maybe you didn't realize I was in charge." Quill said.

"Quail, that's your own insecurities in there," Thor said.

"Quail?" Quill asked.

"Okay? I'm merely trying to be of service and assist." Thor said.

"Quill." He corrected.

"That's what I said," Thor said.

"You should fight one another for the honor of leadership," Drax said which made Nikita laugh.

"Sounds fair." Nebula said.

"It's not necessary, okay?" Quill said.

"It's not." Thor agreed.

"I got some blasters unless you guys wanna use knives." Rocket said.

"And I always have knives... you know, being an assassin and all," Nikita said.

"Oh, yes! Please, use knives." Mantis said.

"Yeah. Knives." Drax said.

"I am Groot," Groot said. Then Thor and Quill both started laughing.

"Not necessary." They said at the same time. "There shall be no knifing each other. Everybody knows who's in charge." Thor continued.

"Me," Quill said while looking around and seeing everyone was silent. "Right?" He asked.

"Yes, you. Of course, of course!"

―

That last scene was always funny. Thor and Nikita are engaged, yay! And finally, right?

Don't forget to vote/comment.

xoxo.