Chapter 2
Tony was in pain. His right side was burning and for some reason he was in water with a bright yellow light shining in his face.
“Anthony, son of Howard.” The voice said. He tried to get up, but the pain was too much.
“Who are you? You better not be Thanos mocking me from the grave.” he said through gritted teeth.
“I am the soul stone.”
“The same stone that Natasha sacrificed her life for.”
“Yes. Natasha, daughter of Ivan, I have already spoke with her. I have never seen a group of individuals use my siblings and I for the greater good. I have only seen greed and selfishness. I have granted Natasha the way back home on a promise.”
“Wait, Natasha is alive? You brought her back? The stones are siblings?”
“Yes, and I am going to send you back as well on the premise that Natasha will keep her promise.”
“And what is that promise?” Stark asked with an eyebrow rise. Natasha was always the one to risk her life for everyone around her, so it comes as no surprise that she made a promise to the stone.
“Your family must return my siblings and I to our rightful time.”
“Okay I understand,” Tony turned to lay back into the water, but midway he stopped, “Thank you for letting us use you.”
“We thank you for using us for good. Now get back to your time. You have family awaiting you.”
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“Come on Stark.” Tony heard a voice said. Like Natasha he rolled over to throw up all of the water that he managed to swallow. It burned but the right side of his body burned more as he realized that he was in sand, causing it to go into his wounds.
“Daddy!”
“Morgan.” The little girl quick wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and buried her face on the good side, but Tony could feel the tears that fell from her face and wrapped his good arm around her small body, hell he could feel the tears that ran down his own face.
“There’s no need to cry baby.”
“But you and Tasha were gone for a long time and you’re crying too.” Morgan said basically sobbing at this point.
“Never again.” He promised. He looked up and found his wife, Peter, and everyone else staring at him in awe and tears in their eyes.
“I will never do that again.” He said to Pepper with a smile. She could only smile back and kiss him on the forehead before wrapping him up in a towel.
“Mr. Stark! Wow I can’t believe that you’re alive! How? I mean it doesn’t matter but it does at the same time.” Peter said with a smile and tears falling from his eyes. Tony could only smile at the young boy and use his good hand to ruffle his wet hair.
“Let’s get you in the house.” Rhodey said with smile.
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In the house Tony was guided to the sofa with help, before Bruce took a look at his injuries. Morgan refused to leave her father’s side for anything, and that was okay as long as she was on Tony’s left side.
“I don’t know how you’re so lucky,” Bruce said as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, “You only have second degree burns on your right side, your hand can use surgery but you can fully function it, and your face can heal on it’s own.”
“You are basically a living miracle.” Shuri said with disbelief in her voice as well.
“Well Starks don’t die easily. Plus, I think I was too terrible for heaven and too awful for Hell, so they sent me back.” He said with a smile making everyone shake their head and laugh at him, but he was back to his old self. He was grateful for his little family looking after him, even the Guardians who stayed, but he was concern when he didn’t see Natasha anywhere.
“Where’s Natasha?” he asked as Shuri began to clean and wrap his burnt arm in a cast before doing the same to his side and face.
“She’s upstairs. So is Dr. Strange, Nick, Steve, Maria, Wanda, the Langs and the Barton’s. Natasha woke up before you and said that her chest was hurting her and then she blacked out. They decided to take her inside the house and he’s doing a medical exam on her.” T’Challa said as he took a seat in the sofa across from the billionaire.
As on cue Steve came down stairs with his hands in his pocket and his mouth set in a firm line, but then he saw Tony and his face lit-up in the biggest smile ever.
“It’s nice to see you alive and haven’t done anything stupid in the past few hours. God knows you would’ve.” Tony said smiling back at the man. Despite the fact that that these two always have and probably always will go at each other’s throat there is a lot of love between them.
“Well I was too busy worrying about you and Nat to do anything stupid.” Steve said as he took a seat next to the king.
“Is auntie Tasha gonna be okay?” Morgan asked with a shaky voice and clinging onto her father’s other hand.
“Auntie Tasha is going to be just fine. In fact, she’s up right now asking for you.” Steve said with a smile. Morgan’s face lit-up in smile that matched her father’s before she kissed her father’s cheek and sprinted off the sofa and towards the stairs. Peter silently followed after her, to make sure the young girl didn’t hurt herself and he wanted to see his spider mom as well.
“How bad?” Pepper asked, while occupying the seat that her daughter was in and took her husband’s hand.
“Three of her ribs are cracked but not broken, a sprained wrist and a concussion, but she’s alive.”
“And that’s all that matters.” Sam said as he passed a glass of water to everyone and they thanked him before he sat down.
“Uh if you don’t mind, I’m going to see if Natasha’s okay.” Rocket said as he made his way towards the stairs.
“I am Groot?”
“I guess you can come but you have to leave the game.”
“I am Groot.”
“It’s not going to kill you for five minutes to meet the woman who saved your life, you know.” Peter Quill said as he took the video game from the teenage tree. Groot looked in disbelief as his favorite games as not only taken away but turned off.
“I am Groot!”
“Get upstairs!” Groot was clearly discompose about his game, but he got up and followed Rocket up the stairs anyway.
“I am Groot.”
“Watch your language.” Drax said as he covered Mantis’ ears from the crude words coming out of the teenager’s mouth.
“I promise you she’s amazing.” Rocket said as he continued to tell about the red headed woman as his voice faded up the steps.
“How the fuck do you guys understand him?”
“Language Captain!”
“Let it go guys it’s been years.”
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Morgan smiled as she noticed that Peter, Rocket, and Groot were following her up the steps to see their aunt; her smile was widen when she saw that the door was open. She saw Clint holding her hand, with the Cooper, Lila and Laura standing around the bed, Nick and Maria were looking at her with concern eyes, Nate curled up on her left side, and the Langs with Hope were standing by Clint.
“Don’t worry. You’re going to heal in about a week or so time. I am more concern about your concussion, since it was a hard fall.” Dr. Strange said with a smile, in which Natasha slowly returned. It turns out he was just as good of a sorcerer as he was a doctor, it might have helped that he had medical training; but his wizard side helped in the examination of what was wrong with Natasha.
“You need to rest Natasha. No hard labor, especially with your wrist and ribs.”
“Yeah Nat no hard labor.” Clint said with a smirk and a quick squeeze of her hand, in which she returned.
“You know she’s not going to listen, she’s hard headed.” Scott added with a small smile.
“I see you Morgan.” Natasha said sleepily. The little girl along with Rocket, Groot and Peter walked in the room. Nick helped Morgan on the bed and smiled fondly as the little girl curled up to her other side.
“I will also say that means you can’t lift anyone up until after you heal.”
“I’ll be okay.” Morgan said as she played with the arrow necklace around the red head’s neck. Natasha always told her stories about how her and Clint use to go on these missions and save the day, but her favorite story is when she told her the story about the Battle of New York, her and her father and uncles working side by side to defend the Earth.
“I am Groot.”
“He said thank you for everything.” Rocket said. It touched her heart knowing that people from other places (worlds? Planets?) appreciate everything that she has done.
“Okay everyone let’s leave her to rest.” Everyone piled out to leave but something inside of Nat’s heart tugged on her to say something before everyone left.
“Wait, I want to talk to talk to the kids and Rocket, if you don’t mind.” All the adults and Groot looked at each other before nodding their heads and closing the door behind them. The eldest Barton children sat on the edge of the bed, Cassie took over the chair that Clint once sat in, while Morgan and Nate crawled back into their original spot next to their aunt, and Peter and Rocket chose to stand. Natasha tried to sit herself up against the pillows and Cassie was quick to help get her comfortable, but the Russian waved her off with a smile saying she was fine.
“Listen guys, I know these past five years have been hard. Everyone turned into dust and then we found a way to get you guys back and everything was a mess,” Natasha sighed as she struggled to keep the tears at bay. This was the hardest conversation that she ever had to have with someone. Even the talk with Fury about trust seemed easier than talking to her godchildren and friend.
“I just want you guys to know that I don’t regret sacrificing my life, because I knew that you guys would be here and that was more important than me.”
“Auntie Nat-“
“No honestly, it’s been five years since we got to hold or talk to or see you guys and I wanted to make sure that your parents got the opportunity to hold you guys again, even if I didn’t. Okay? I never want you guys to feel like I have abandon you or our family down stairs. I love you guys more than anything in this world and it killed me when you guys weren’t around anymore. I would do it again in a heartbeat for you guys, don’t ever forget that.”
By the end everyone was crying and the kids plus Rocket decided a group hug was the best way to go when words fail. Unknown to them everyone else heard what Natasha said and they too were crying.