Yet he couldn’t be there for her in the end. That had haunted him the most after the fight ended. He took slight comfort in the fact that she wasn’t alone in her end.

At least Clint had been there... But he couldn’t. He couldn’t do this one simple thing for her, after all that she’d done for him.

He can hear shouting and sounds of explosions in the distance as he nears the top.

The fight Clint had told them all about.

Bruce had told him to return the stones the moment they’d been taken, but he didn’t expect to reach the top at this very exact moment.  He wants to run over to the edge, to stop her from throwing herself off, to save her and Clint from the pain that’s coming, but he knows he can’t interfere.

There’s a final sharp cry from Clint, and then---

Just an echo of a thud.

It’s enough to knock him down to his knees, to bring tears to his eyes.

She’d done it.

As if the echo hadn’t been enough, there’s a blinding flash of light and a force that throws him to the rocks behind him.

For a moment, he doesn’t want to move. He doesn’t want to get up, and face the cloaked figure Clint had warned him about. He doesn’t want to go over to the edge, and see her lying there all alone at the bottom, knowing he had no way to reach her.

Unfortunately, he had no choice. The figure had made his way over to him anyways. Almost as if nothing had happened just seconds ago.

“Steven. Son of Sarah.”

It’s the voice that breaks him out of his grief. Rather, turns it into anger. Of course it was the same man who’d torn him away from his life in the past, and torn away one of the most important people in his life in the future.

He wants to call the hammer to his hands once more, and unleash hell on him. He wants to throw his shield at the figure until it’s finally gone from his life.

“If you’re looking for the soul stone, I’m afraid it’s gone.”

“I know. I have it.”

He opens the small pocket on his utility belt, and holds the stone out in his hand. The figure is surprised for a moment. Almost taken back.

“In all my time as the guardian, none have ever tried to return the stone. I cannot be sure that it will work.”

“Well, it has to.” He grunts, pulling himself back up to his feet, and slowly making his way over to the edge.

“There’s a chance it may not.” The figure replies, following him over to the edge.

“It will.”

“Or you may be stuck with the stone forever.”

He’s seething with anger now. His fists are clenching as tight as possible to the point where his nails are digging through his gloves and into his skin. He stops in his tracks and turns to face the figure. “I didn’t come back all this way to hear her die, and then be told that I can’t put back the thing that took her life in the first place. Someone is going to take this damn stone back, and then I’m getting the hell out of here. Now you tell me where the hell this thing even came from.”

“The stone only appears once a sacrifice that has been deemed worthy enough by the stone is made. I do not know where the stone will come from, or how it will choose to reveal itself to the person who has made the sacrifice.”

The voice is monotonous he realizes. There’d be no chance of him lying. Why would he? That’s not the voice of the greedy man he remembers fighting all those years ago. He looks like he’s tethered to this place for the rest of eternity. What joy would he get by lying to a passerby?

Steve’s head drops, as tears starting returning to his eyes once more. Whatever he might have to do here to return the stone, it maybe won’t ever bring her back to life. Instead she’ll be stuck on a planet far away from home, with no proper funeral, no grave for people to pay their respects. If it wasn’t for her, half the universe would still be dead, and no one would ever know that.

He turns around once more, his feet dragging him towards the edge of the cliff. His vision getting blurred with more and more tears, as he finally reached the point.

The blonde doesn’t dare look down. Not seeing her body had made it easier to pretend that she truly wasn’t gone. He doesn’t want the confirmation.

“Hey Nat…” He whispers after a while, sitting down almost near the edge. His gaze fixes onto vast landscape in front of him, and for a moment he wants to laugh.

     “There’s worse ways to go. Where else am I gonna get a view like this?”

For a brief moment, it almost feels like she’s there, by his side, admiring the view…

But he knows damn well where she really is, and that all he’s heard is just an echo from a past memory.

He sits in silence, just admiring the view as memories of her flash in his mind. No tears, no yelling, just absolute silence like he knows she’d want.

After a while, his arm stretches out over the chasm, and he whispers his final words to her before letting go of the stone he’d been clutching this entire time. As soon as it’s out of his hands, he’s getting up from his spot, and turning to look at the figure.

The ghost from his past says nothing, doesn’t even bother to make a move for the stone.

Perhaps he’d made the right move?