Epilogue
Four years passed after Carol left Earth to return Roan to the new Skrull colony. Days after the whole incident, there were numerous sightings of a “glowing orb” in the sky. Eventually, people forgot about them and it became part of the alien conspiracy theorists community rantings. Sam remembered the newspapers and fliers and artwork, she had even kept some of them as a collection of Carol Danvers, Earth’s protector.
It was hard for a long time, even still was at times, but Sam found some peace in her small life. Sadly, the art studio closed down after the owners couldn’t pay the bills anymore. But Sam painted a good few paintings which received praise and fame. Most of these paintings were of the woman in the sky, as she titled them. All were of Carol, of course, but the face was always abstract and blurred. In each one, her face and body were surrounded by yellows, oranges, bright reds, and whites.
She kept in touch with Maria and Monica as they were the only ones who could talk with her about Carol. She hadn’t seen Fury since the day Carol left with the Skrull but she imagined he was a very busy man. She had seen several SHIELD agents keeping tabs on her, though. Probably making sure she didn’t spill any secrets or get captured by any more aliens. She had to admit, her life was nice but she felt a pull elsewhere. It was a deep gnawing that she wasn’t living up to her full potential. After learning there was so much more out there in the universe, she started seeing the mundanity of her life.
Oftentimes, she found herself wondering what kind of trouble Carol was getting herself into. Maybe she was still with the Skrull, helping them settle into their new world. Or maybe she had already moved on to something new. Sam couldn’t even imagine what outer space might have to offer. She also wondered if Carol still thought about her. If she would return soon. She’d look up at the stars at night wondering where she was out there.
Tonight was one such night. She sat on top of her car in the field she and Carol used to go stargazing in and stared up at the brightly lit sky. Maybe it was foolish, but she hoped Carol could feel her. Just to let her know she had people who cared about her.
“You might strain your neck, looking up at the stars for too long.”
Sam startled at the familiar voice behind her and she whipped around defensively to see who had snuck up. Her heart only thudded in her chest harder when she saw it was Carol standing there. She looked good. Her hair was different, shorter, but it suited the woman. The rest of her was covered by the skin tight suit. Sam briefly thought she had been thinking so hard about Carol, that her mind conjured up the image of her and that it wasn’t actually her. But a hesitant step forward and a hand reaching out for hers brought Sam out of her reverie.
“Hey.” Carol said shyly.
“God, it’s… it’s really you.” Sam couldn’t help herself from gently touching Carol’s face and caressing a thumb against her cheek. Still making sure she wasn’t just imagining things. “You’re really here.”
Carol smiled. “Yeah. Said I’d come back, didn’t I?” Then a flash of guilt crossed her face. “I’m sorry it wasn’t sooner.”
Sam shook her head and let out a laugh. “Four years does leave a lot of room for doubt… but I’m so happy to see you!”
They stood in comfortable silence for a few beats until a thought crossed Sam’s mind. “So wait… why are you here?”
Carol shrugged like it was no big deal. “I felt a little homesick. And I wanted to ask you something?”
“Ask me something? You mean to tell me you traveled across the entire galaxy, or whatever, to ask me something?” Sam chuckled and watched Carol blush a light shade of pink.
“Well, yes, actually. That’s exactly what I did,” Carol smirked before her face tensed. “Are you happy?”
The question definitely threw Sam off guard and she just stood there, hands still on Carol’s face, thinking about what the blonde meant by that. Of course, on the surface, she was happy. She lived comfortably and was making a small name for herself in the art world. But on a deeper level, she longed for something more. Whether that made her unhappy she didn’t know. “I… I think so. Why do you ask?”
Carol pursed her lips, her brow furrowed cutely, and she hummed in thought. Her gaze never quite meeting Sam’s as she shuffled her feet. This was not very Carol-like Sam thought I’m amusement as she waited for the woman to say something.
“I’ve missed you a lot…” Carol began. “So it got me thinking, how would you like to see space a little more… closely?”
Sam gasped. “You mean…”
“Yeah. You know, maybe just for a few weeks or months or however long you want. I could bring you back if you absolutely hate it.” Carol added quickly.
Sam laughed. To think at one point she would have immediately turned down the offer, and it had been four whole years since Carol left but she couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as she thought about the idea. Space. With Carol. She pulled the other woman in closer and gently kissed her. Four years passed and yet that didn’t even matter anymore. Carol was here and she wanted to take Sam with her. The thought made Sam’s heart flutter. They still had some things to work out, but she was more than happy to explore this new beginning with Carol.
“I'd love to, Danvers.”
Fin