"i'm not going anywhere."
The piercing orange glow of Vormir's twin suns beat down on Natasha as consciousness slowly returned to her body. She blinked rapidly, wave after wave of confusion crashing over her. The last thing she remembered was plunging to her death alongside Clint, sacrificing herself so the man she loved like a brother could obtain the Soul Stone and help defeat Thanos.
Yet here she was, lying in the dirt beneath Vormir's rocky cliffs, very much alive.
"What...how..." she rasped, struggling to push herself upright. Her muscles screamed in protest, stiff from lack of use. How long had she been dead?
"Natalia Alianovna Romanova," an ominous voice rumbled.
Natasha's head jerked up at the sound of her full name. Squinting against the blinding sunlight, she could just make out the shadowy figure of Red Skull hovering above her, his gaunt face impassive as ever.
"What happened?" Natasha demanded, her voice regaining strength. "Why am I alive?"
"The one known as Steve Rogers returned the Soul Stone to its rightful place," Red Skull intoned. "In reuniting the stone with Vormir, the everlasting exchange was undone - your life returned as the stone left this plane."
Natasha's mind reeled. Steve had survived his reckless time heist after all. And he'd brought back everyone Thanos had taken away, if the Soul Stone had been returned here.
That meant they'd won. Against all odds, the Avengers had emerged victorious.
Natasha staggered to her feet, swaying unsteadily. A tumult of emotions roared through her - relief, joy, residual grief and fear. Most of all, a desperate longing to see her friends again consumed her.
"I must return to them," she stated urgently.
Red Skull inclined his head. "The one called Steve Rogers awaits you below. He shall guide you back to your time."
Natasha didn't spare the spectre another glance as she limped toward the narrow rocky path down the mountainside. Adrenaline fueled her exhausted body, desperation driving each faltering step.
Rounding a jagged outcropping, she spotted Steve sitting on a boulder near the base of the mountain, shoulders slumped wearily. At her approach, his head jerked up, eyes widening in disbelief.
"Nat?" he choked out. "Is that really you?"
"In the flesh," Natasha confirmed, tears springing to her eyes.
With a strangled sob, Steve rushed forward to engulf her in a crushing embrace. Natasha clung to him just as tightly, the reality of her miraculous resurrection sinking in.
After long moments, Steve gently pulled back, hands coming up to frame Natasha's face. His blue eyes glistened with emotion.
"I thought I lost you forever, Nat," he said hoarsely. "I hoped that returning the stone would bring you back..." He trailed off, shaking his head.
Nat laid a hand on his chest, smirking at the man. "It appears that your theory was correct, Steve. I'd make the same choice all over again if it meant saving everyone." She offered him a tremulous smile.
"Though I can't say I'm upset my death got reversed in the process." she said, sarcastically.
Steve huffed a wet laugh, swiping at his eyes. "I never dared to hope I'd see you again. But now..." His voice caught as fresh tears spilled down his weathered cheeks. "God, Nat, coming here and finding you alive...it's a miracle."
Natasha's own eyes flooded with tears at the raw emotion in his voice. In that moment, she'd believed her life would end on this desolate, unforgiving planet. Yet here she stood, resurrected against all odds.
She had a second chance now, and she sure as hell wasn't going to waste it.
"C'mon, old man," she said softly, taking Steve's hand. "Time to go home."
He nodded and activated his time travel device, quantum particles swirling around them. Moments later, the orange hued landscape vanished, replaced by the familiar sight of the Avengers compound.
Natasha sucked in a sharp breath as Steve led her inside the building. It looked the same, somehow, yet also different. The weary grief that had cloaked these halls after Thanos snapped away half of all life, she remembers it all too well. Now the air fairly vibrated with joy and renewed hope.
Voices echoed down the corridor ahead, drawing nearer. Natasha froze, heart hammering wildly. God, she wasn't ready for this, wasn't prepared to face them all again after being gone for so long -
"Steve, you're back!" Bruce's relieved voice called out. "Did returning the stones go okay?"
Steve glanced at Natasha, giving her hand a supportive squeeze. "Yeah, it went fine. Better than fine, actually."
Bruce rounded the corner, the rest of the team on his heels - Tony supported by Rhodey, Thor with hair chopped short and frame noticeably slimmer, Clint hovering anxiously nearby.
They all jerked to a stunned halt at the sight of Natasha. She offered a timid wave.
"Hey, guys. Miss me?"
For several long beats, no one reacted, too overwhelmed to respond. Then chaos erupted.
"Natasha?"
"What the hell?"
"How is this possible?"
"Oh my God!"
Natasha found herself engulfed in a mass of tearful hugs and disbelieving exclamations. Overcome, she simply clung to her friends, no, her family, letting their love and joy wash over her in healing waves.
After the initial shock wore off, Natasha quietly explained her miraculous revival to the team. More tears flowed as they processed the incredible gift of having her back.
"Damn, Romanoff, you just can't stay dead, can you?" Tony finally quipped, though his voice was thick with emotion.
Natasha laughed wetly. "What can I say? I'm hard to kill."
Her gaze landed on Clint, lingering back with raw hope etched on his face. She moved toward him, taking both his hands in hers.
"I'm here, Clint," she reassured him softly. "You don't need to feel guilty about... what happened."
With a broken cry, Clint pulled her into his arms, clinging to her like a drowning man to a lifeline. Sobs racked his body.
"I'm so sorry, Nat," he choked out. "You were gone because of me. I should never have let you-"
"Stop," Natasha interrupted gently but firmly. "I chose to sacrifice myself for that damned stone. I don't regret it, not for one second." She pulled back to meet his anguished gaze. "We won, Clint. We got everyone back. That makes everything worth it. And now that I know that returning the Soul Stone would bring me back, I'd do it again."
Clint stared at her for a long moment, then nodded reluctantly. She knew the survivor's guilt still gnawed at him, but with time, her resurrection would hopefully help heal that wound.
As the others chattered excitedly, peppering her with questions, Natasha's thoughts turned to the one person conspicuously absent - Peter Parker. Her heart twisted, remembering how utterly devastated both her and Tony had been over losing the kid.
She turned to Tony. "Where's Peter? Is he..." She trailed off, unable to finish the question. God, please let the boy be alive. Tony would be utterly shattered if he remained dust.
Tony's expression softened. "He's okay, Nat. Bruce's snap brought him back safe and sound." Relief flooded Natasha at his words.
Rhodey spoke up. "Kid took a little damage in the fight, but he's recovering at the medbay here."
"He defeated Thanos singlehandedly after he yielded the power of the stones, and snapped his fingers." Bruce explained in awe.
"It was incredible. That kid is the best out of all of us." Clint said, as the others nodded in agreement.
Natasha's eyes widened. Peter had taken down the most powerful being in the universe alone? The shy, earnest boy she'd met in Germany all those years ago?
Incredible. And yet also completely believable, she realized. Peter had always been far stronger than anyone gave him credit for.
Suddenly, she was hit with a longing to see Peter, her little spider, to reassure herself he was truly back. This feeling overwhelmed Natasha, and she started looking around for him.
"I should go see him," she said urgently. Tony eyed her knowingly.
"Come on, I'll take you," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Kid will be thrilled to see his spider mama again."
Bidding a temporary farewell to the others, Natasha followed Tony down the hallway toward the infirmary, emotions warring within her. Soon she'd be face to face with the boy who'd come to mean so much to her, even in the short time she'd known him.
The brave, selfless kid who'd fought by their side years before his time.
The kid who was forced to grow up too fast.
The kid that lost so much.
The orphaned child who'd wormed his way into her guarded heart, a heart she'd believed long closed off.
The son she never had, but always wanted.
Tony paused outside the infirmary doors, meeting her gaze. "Go easy on him, okay? He's still pretty banged up, even with his enhancements."
Natasha nodded, composing herself. Then Tony pushed open the doors, ushering her inside.
Her breath caught at the sight of Peter laying motionless in bed, eyes closed and face pale. IV lines snaked under the thin covers and she could see bandages swathing his torso and arms. But he was whole, breathing, blessedly alive.
As she moved closer on silent feet, Peter's eyes slowly blinked open. He squinted groggily at Tony as he approached the bedside.
"M'ster S'ark?" he mumbled, voice weak and scratchy. "Wha's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, kid," Tony soothed, perching on the edge of the mattress. He slid an arm beneath Peter's shoulders, gently helping him sit up. "There's someone here to see you."
Peter winced slightly at the movement, then focused his bleary eyes on Natasha hovering uncertainly nearby.
She managed a tremulous smile. "Hey, Spider-kid. Long time no see."
Peter stared at her blankly for a long moment. Then his eyes blew wide, filling with shock and dawning wonder.
"T- Tasha? Natty?" he stammered, childishly.
"Yes, my паучок. It's me." she says, tears forming in her eyes.
"But you...how...I don't understand... you were... they told me..." he tries to say, tears now threatening to spill from his own eyes.
Natasha's smile widened at his sweet befuddlement. Same adorably earnest Peter. "Let's just say reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," she said gently. "I'm back for good now, thanks to Steve."
Peter continued gaping at her, visibly overwhelmed. When it seemed he was struggling to process this latest impossibility after so much trauma, Natasha perched carefully on the edge of his bed.
"I know it's a lot to take in," she said softly. "But I promise, I'm 100% real, not going anywhere."
Tentatively she reached for Peter's hand where it lay limp atop the covers. His fingers reflexively curled around hers, anchoring himself as emotions visibly roiled within him.
Then his face crumpled, the tears in his eyes finally spilling out. "I can't believe it's really you... моя мама паук" he whispered.
Now it was Natasha's turn to cry. "I'm here, baby. Everything's okay now."
With choked sobs from both spiders, Peter lurched forward to wrap trembling arms around her. Natasha quickly drew him close, cradling the back of his head as they both broke down, overwhelmed sobs muffled against each others shoulders.
"Shh, мой маленький паучок, I've got you," she murmured soothingly, through her own sobs. "Just let it out."
They clung to each other as Peter wept out five years of grief and trauma. Natasha wiped away her own tears, overwhelmed with relief at holding him again, being able to comfort him after so long apart.
At last Peter's sobs subsided to hitched breaths. He slowly sat back, scrubbing at his reddened eyes. Natasha kept one hand on his shoulder, maintaining contact, rubbing her own eyes.
"S-sorry," Peter mumbled, clearly embarrassed by his breakdown.
Natasha's heart clenched. "You have nothing to be sorry for, малыш" she said fiercely. "I can't imagine what you've gone through. But it's over now. We're all here for you."
Peter bit his lip hard, threatening to spill more tears. Seeing him so broken and vulnerable made Natasha want to wrap this child in cotton and protect him from further pain. But the steel glinting in his eyes told her this boy had already endured more than anyone should have to. He'd emerged from the fire tempered, arms open to embrace the life he'd been restored to.
Gently cupping his cheek, Natasha smiled through her own tears. "I'm so proud of you, Мой любимый. We all are. What you did - defeating Thanos, saving the universe - it's extraordinary. You're the real hero here."
Awe and gratitude shone on Peter's face. "No... none of this would've been possible without Mr. Stark's insane time travel plan and the cooperation of everyone else," he said earnestly. His fingers curled more tightly around Natasha's. "I thought that I was gone forever. I thought I lost you forever, Nat. But now you're back and it's just..." He broke off with a shaky laugh that sounded dangerously close to another sob.
Natasha's smile widened, her heart overflowing with love for this kid. However long she lived, she knew she'd never take moments like this for granted again. Not after coming so close to losing everything.
"We're not going anywhere, Pete," she promised gently. "No more vanishing or noble sacrifices. From now on, we look forward, okay?"
Peter nodded, a tentative yet radiant smile breaking through. In that moment, with devastating hope blooming on his face, he looked every bit the innocent teenager he was, unbowed by trauma. The child who still believed in goodness and miracles, who trusted that every ending held the promise of a new beginning.
Unable to resist, Natasha gathered him close again, letting her actions speak what words could not fully convey. That she was here, she was home, she isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and she would move heaven and earth to help this brave, resilient boy flourish again.
Over Peter's shoulder she met Tony's damp gaze. Understanding passed between them. However long they had in this resurrected world, they would cherish each moment and cling to those they loved.
The war was over. Now it was time for all of them to begin the healing process. And Natasha knew that as long as she had her сын паука, and the family she'd found in the Avengers, the light would always overcome the dark.
They had won.