Words: 1632
Date: May 18, 2023

~ Author's Note ~

Hello!! Hope you enjoy!

If you have any question please don't be afraid to ask!

Sorry if this disappoints anyone! It's not a chapter I'm that confident in...

XX

She can feel the tremors spreading within her body at an uncontrollable rate. Natasha struggles to clear her vision, as it blurs the images in front of her. Her mind is spinning, frantically trying to recall what happened. She remembers Yelena and the other estranged members of her Ohio family leaving with the surviving Widows. She had chosen to stay behind and keep Ross off their trail. But then everything goes hazy.

Natasha studies the multiple rows of comfortable seats and a big theater screen. She notices other people in a similar position to her own; some are strangers, but for the majority, she does recognize them.

The Avengers. Nick. Maria.

The redhead shakes her head, trying to clear the fog in her mind. She forces herself forward, unsteadily resting on the balls of her feet. Her fingers clench into a fist, as pain radiates through her body, and she doesn't notice her knees buckling out from the pressure. Suddenly, a familiar grasp around the cure of her elbow, effectively slowing her fall.

Natasha feels his hands gently resting on her cheeks, forcing her eyes to collide with his. Clint's red-rimmed irises stare wide, his grip tightening. "Hey, look at me," Clint commands softly, "You with me?"

The redhead nods shakily, the adrenaline from earlier is long gone, and her body is crashing from all of the injuries it has sustained in the last few days, mentally and physically. And whatever magic mischief they have found themselves a part of this time is not helping her in any way.

Clint frowns, watching her hazy emerald irises fade out of concentration. He glances at Laura, her worried look matching his own, "Help me get her up."

"Let me help."

Clint's irises snap towards the new figure, just half a second slower than Natasha's blurry emerald. He gives Laura a nod, before stepping aside and allowing her to help her sister.

"Yelena?" Natasha questions weakly.

Yelena smiles softly, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes, as she holds onto the redhead's hand like a lifeline. She does look different. The blonde's wearing a black suit instead of the white one from earlier, and she is wearing dark makeup.

The younger assassin glances towards Clint, her hazel irises colliding with his gray, and a silent understanding passes between them. The archer moves closer, using his hand to help support most of Natasha's weight. "Do you know where we are?"

"No."

Natasha frowns, glancing between them, taking note of their concerned expressions. She shakes herself out of their grasp, stubbornly trying to stand on her own. But they refuse to let her go. Natasha's emerald eyes focus on the figures in front of them, frowning, "What are they doing?"

Tony stands slowly, glancing around confused, before he catches sight of Pepper and Peter. He notices tears rising in the kid's eyes, and his lip quivers, as he stares at his mentor before him. "Mr. Stark?" Peter asks, "How are you here?"

The billionaire shakes his head, frowning, as the young boy rushes into the man's arms. "I don't know, kid." He slowly brings his arms around his shaking body. What's got into the kid?

"Tony?" Pepper asks weakly.

She has tears burning through her glaze, looking like a ghost just appeared in front of her. Her heart is beating wildly in her chest, as a million thoughts surge through her mind. How is he here? Just a couple of hours ago, he was dying in front of her, and now he is here. Alive and breathing like nothing has happened.

Tony frowns, words on the edge of his lips, but before he has the chance to ask what is wrong, he notices a familiar blonde figure and rage overtakes him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Steve snaps, tension flooding through him. "What are you doing here?" The brunette slowly walks closer, while his hand reaches for his right wrist. And Steve notices. He's reaching for a watch, the watch that gives him access to the Iron Man suit. "How did we get here, Stark?"

"Oh, you think this is my fault?" Tony chuckles bitterly, "Everything's my fault." He ignores Pepper reaching for his hand, stepping closer to the Captain, as Bucky and Sam come up behind Steve. "What the hell did you do, Rogers?"

"This isn't on me, Stark."

Steve clenches his watch, while the other man's glare darkens. Tony places his thumb along his watch, and immediately the suit begins to travel up the base of his arm. Everyone is tense, as they brace themselves for the fight emerging.

"Enough," a strange, foreign voice commands.

Everyone is startled. Their bodies quickly turning in the direction of the new voice. The man is wearing a white and blue outfit – like something from another time – with an unusually big head. And no one seems to recognize the figure.

"Who are you?" Sam questions.

"I'm known as the Watcher," he begins slowly, drawing all the room's attention. And slowly, the weapons begin to disappear. "I have brought you here, with the help of Dr. Strange, to watch your past mistakes or your future obstacles. And I will not accept harm coming to anyone in this room."

Natasha swallows thickly, her mind racing as his words echo. And she notices Dr. Strange a little bit behind the unusual man. He's wrapped in some sort of coat, which is able to raise up a corner and give her a wave. On its own. And it takes all of her training not to flinch.

But that seems to make the coat move closer...

Natasha shakes her head, shaking away the thoughts, while her fingers tighten over Yelena's. "You know our future?"

Everyone's attention snaps toward her direction, while she slowly pushes forward. No one misses the bruises on her face or the favoring of her right leg. And none of them were used to seeing her like this.

The bruises are sometimes normal after battle, but there's a look in her emerald irises they don't recognize. And she's in a new black suit – one that Tony does not recognize and most definitely didn't design – stained by blood and dirt.

Steve swallows, "Nat."

"Hey, Steve." Her gaze slides over, "Tony."

"Natasha."

The Watcher hesitantly interrupts the hushed whispers that were flooding the room. "As a watcher, I have seen multiple realities. Some you win. Some you lose. There will be a world-ending event coming to your world, and a select few of you have already started to experience the beginning of the end. We have brought you here to change that. Change who you lose."

"Who do we lose?" Steve questions.

"Loki."

Thor gasps, shock flooding through his veins. His little brother. He stares at the man in question, the mischief god's blank expression giving nothing away. But there's a flash in his eyes, that's gone faster than a blink. Thor saw it though, and that's all that matters.

"Vision."

Immediately everyone begins to flicker their gaze in an attempt at searching for the android in question. But it's once Natasha's gaze settles on Wanda that she knows what he's saying is true. The younger woman looks like she's been through hell. Dark circles are clearly visible under her eyes, and she holds onto her sweater as if it is a lifeline.

"Do we lose anyone else?" Sam questions.

"There are two more," the Watcher begins slowly.

And Yelena squeezes her sister's hand, closing her eyes in a weak attempt at escaping reality. But it's no use. For the next words that slip out of his mouth ruin the vision she has seen.

"Who?" Steve asks, his voice shaking.

"Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark."

The two in question freeze, while it all begins to fall into place. Pepper and Peter's reactions to seeing him. Like there was a ghost in front of them. Or the pain in Clint's dark gray irises. Laura's tears. Or Yelena – the way her sister hasn't let go of her hand.

"Now," the Watcher begins, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. "I need everyone to state their name and what year you are from. All of you from 2016 can begin."

"Captain America, Steve Rogers. 2016."

"Iron Man, Tony Stark. 2016."

"Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff. 2016"

"Falcon, Sam Wilson. 2016."

"War Machine, James Rhodes. 2016."

"Winter Soldier, James Barnes. 2016."

"Nick Fury, 2016."

"Maria Hill, 2016."

The voice continues, "2018, please begin."  

"Thor, 2018."

"Loki, 2018."

"Hulk, Bruce Banner. 2018."

The voice says, "2024, please begin."

"Dr. Strange, Stephen Strange. 2024."

"Wanda Maximoff. 2024."

"MJ. 2024."

"Ned Leeds. 2024."

"Happy Hogan. 2024."

"Pepper Potts. 2024."

"Spider-Man, Peter Parker. 2024."

Tony glances up sharply, his eyes racking over the dark circles on the kid's face. And Pepper's. Happy. They all look older. Some physically, but mostly emotionally. As if they have been put through hell. And lost everything in the process.

"Laura Barton. 2024."

"Hawkeye, Clint Barton. 2024."

"Black Widow, Yelena Belova. 2024."

Natasha shakes her head, shock evident all over. She ignores the stares directed towards her, because of the code name her sister used. Her attention is focused on three individuals before her. They all look drained. And they haven't left her side since they all woke up.

"Alright, now that we have all introduced ourselves, we need to get started." The Watcher's gaze circles along the crowd, before finally settling on Dr. Strange. "We'll begin with the deaths of two of our heroes."

XX

~ Author's Note ~

Any questions? Ideas? What do you think?