"A soul for a soul."
It echoed in Natasha's mind like a weak pulse. The soul stone was different from the others, it required a sacrifice. It was almost as if it was sentient. And it wanted blood. They knew that Thanos had come here with his daughter, then left without her... And with the stone.
Why the hell did they have to be the ones to go after it?
Because they were the only ones who could retrieve it. Nebula must have known that. She and Rhodey had nothing they loved to sacrifice to it, but Nat and Clint did. They had each other.
Clint had been the first person to look past what she'd done and decide she deserved to live. He'd decided there was more to her than bloodshed, something she really was unaware of at the time. He'd helped her settle as a semi-decent, semi-normal member of society. He'd become her best friend, and the family she'd never had.
And she loved him, completely and wholly. More than anyone else. He had faith in her when no one else did, and she could return that favor.
And that's why her mind was already made up. He had a family, a wife and children who needed him. She didn't have that, she had the Avengers. And she knew, that if she did this, they would win. They wouldn't let her die in vain.
Clint wouldn't let her die in vain.
And he fought her for it, telling her he wouldn't let her go, but what choice did he have? In the end, he had people who needed him, and she didn't. She could finally wipe her slate clean, by helping to avenge the fallen. She looked down at the abyss she was dangling above and her eyes filled with tears. Not for her own life, no... For the first time she finally felt like she could be a hero. Not the twisted monster they had made her.
She was an Avenger. She'd earned that title, and now she had to live up to it.
Natasha broke free from Clint's grasp and gave a small smile. The fall felt like it took forever, but she wasn't scared. She welcomed her own death in the face of saving billions. It was a small price to pay. She could see Clint desperately reaching out to her and everything went black.
The redhead slowly blinked her eyes open, lying in a pool of water. Her head ached, she couldn't breathe for a moment. She slowly opened her eyes to see a young woman standing in front of her. She accepted the hand up and looked around. Everything was an orange haze.
"Did they win?" The other woman asked quietly.
"Yes."