A/N : Hi! I'm here again, this time with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers crossover. The story takes place about a week after Infinity War's ending. It's not baised on any trailers and it's simple, but I hope that is has some amount of emotions I wanted it to have. English is not my main language, so I'm sorry for mistakes. Comments are very appreciated. I hope you'll like it. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER : Not mine, everything belongs to MCU.
Natasha hated inaction. Sometimes, when she'd woke up after unplanned falling asleep on the couch in the living room at the Avengers headquarters, for several seconds she'd experienced the blissfulness, the taste of reality where there was no evil, and what has happened was just a bad dream. But their reality was different. The world collapsed on their heads causing total chaos, and she couldn't do anything about it. And she didn't know who she hated more. Thanos, for killing half of humanity or herself, for her powerlessness.
Natasha Romanoff was a spy. Natasha Romanoff was the best trained killer in the world. Natasha Romanoff held every possible weapon in her hand. Natasha Romanoff killed hundreds, without blinking an eye. Natasha Romanoff was loyal and defended what she believed in.
And now? Natasha Romanoff was helpless.
''I know that face." Natasha broke out fom her thoughts and looked at Steve. He placed a tray on the table in front of her with two bowls of hot food, then sat on the couch next to her, never taking his eyes off her. ''You're blaming yourself again."
''I'm just thinking" she answered, shrugging her shoulders. She could see that he hadn't bought it, but she didn't care. He sighed.
''When was the last time you slept, Nat?"
''I can't sleep."
''Me neither" he reached for the bowl and moved it towards Natasha. ''Eat a little bit. You know we can't loose form."
''You cooked?"
''If you mean heating the frozen food in the oven, then yes." She made a suspicious face, but reached for the bowl. Steve shook his head in amusement and grabbed his portion.
There was silence, interrupted only by the sounds of knocking on the porcelain. Apart from their guest, they were alone at the headquartes. In such moments, when it was raining outside the window, the night was slowly falling, and they weren't talking, the weight of loneliness was overwhelming them. Each second seemed so long, reminding them how weak they were in the face of this situation. And even though they had each other, the thought of the others, dead or drifting somewhere in space-time, was slowly driving them crazy.
They both jumped in place when an alarm infroming that someone had appeared in front of the main entrance door sounded in the room. Steve reached for the remote and pressed the button to turn on the screen with the camera view. A figure dressed in a dark cloak stood in front of the door. She or he had a hood on her or his head, so it was hard to see the guest's face.
''Who's that?" Steve asked. Natasha frowned, looking at the screen.
''I have no idea."
She jumped up from her place and started going down the corridor towards the main entrance. Steve followed her closely. When they reached the door, lightning lit up the sky. Making sure she had the gun behind her belt, Natasha entered the code opening the door.
She didn't know who she was expecting, but it took several seconds to recognize the person standing in front of her.
''May?" she asked in disbelief. Dressed in black, soaked and with red eyes from crying, she was almost unrecognizable.
''Oh God, Natasha. You're here."
Natasha embraced Melinda and hugged her close to her, stepping with her inside. The woman was trembling in her embrace. Romanoff and Rogers exchanged worried glances.
''Hey, is everything alright?" the voice said. All three of them looked at the person who appeared in the corridor. ''May, is that you?"
''Carol" Melinda said with voice trembling from emotions. ''Thank God, you're okay."
''How did you get here?" Natasha asked.
May's eyes filled with fresh tears. ''They're gone, Nat. They're all gone. Just turned to dust and disappeared in the air. Phil, my kids. They're all gone."
She started crying completely and again fell into the blonde's embrace. Stroking Melinda on the back and whispering to calm her, Natasha looked again at Steve and Carol, but even without doing that, she knew that the same thought appeared in their heads.
Oh, God.
''So, you're saying that Phil died but came back, created a team in secret, became the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director, you both started being parents for four kids and it turned out one of them was loyal to Hydra, handled people turning to „inhumans", defeated the bug from the space, got friends with Ghost Rider with whom Coulson made a deal and because of that now is dying again, got kidnapped and replaced by androids, went to a modified reality created by a robot and when you got out, saved the Earth by a journey in time?"
''Yeah, something like that."
''And you kept all of this in secret?"
''Yes."
''God, my brain's going to explode" Steve put his hands on his head and leaned back on the sofa.
''We had no idea about so many things" Natasha said. ''I don't remember the last time I called you, May. I'm sorry."
''You have nothing to be sorry about, you couldn't know" answered Melinda. Changed in some fresh clothes and wrapped in a blanket, she was sitting on the sofa in the living area and drinking hot tea. ''Fury, and then Coulson, was making sure we stayed invisible for the rest of the world."
''Where were you before you came here? Carol asked, crossing her legs.
''On Tahiti, with Phil. We were- Using the time we had left." Melinda's voice trembled. She took a deep breath before she started talking again. ''It was really amazing, Phil was feeling good and for a moment we even got to forget about his sickness. That was untill I woke up and found dust on the bed. I went to the kids, but- They all- Only dust was left of my children."
A few salty drops poured down May's cheeks. Natasha moved closer to her and squeezed her hands in hers.
''I know what you're feeling. I lost my daughter, too. And Clint's children are also gone, and you know I treat them like my own." Melinda looked at her with gentleness and compassion in her brown eyes.
''You have a daughter?"
''More like a daughter-figure, but yes." The corner of Natasha's lips went up. ''Her name is Wanda and she's amazing. Very talented."
''I'm sure she would get along with my Daisy. If I just-''
''No, May. What has happened is not the fault of any of us, okay? We couldn't predict it. Blaming yourself now won't do anything."
''I still don't understand how this has happened" May whispered, shaking her head.
''His name is Thanos" said Steve. ''He's a titan who got the glove and all of the Infinity Stones. They gave him power."
"It took just one snap of his fingers to erase half the life in the universe," Carol added. ''Earth, Asgard. All planets have suffered. People who died were chosen by accident, like in a lottery. All our friends, our families, there was no way to save them."
''So what now? How do we defeat him?"
''That's the problem, because we don't know yet" Steve said and moved his fingers through his hair. Melinda started shaking.
''There has to be a way, we have to help them. I can't- I can't loose them forever. My kids, Phil. It feels so unreal that they're all just gone. I love them so much, I can't- I just-''
''Hey, hey, easy" Romanoff squized the woman's arm. ''You're hiperventilating. Deep breath in and out. Come on, I know you can do this." Natasha put her hand on Melinda's back and began drawing circles, waiting for the brunette to calm down. May closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling the air through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.
''I'm sorry" she said after she started breathing normally and she wasn't in danger of losing consciousness. ''I don't know what's happening to me."
''You've gone through a lot, like we all have" Natasha said with a small smile on her lips. ''It's normal you're going a little crazy."
''Is anything still normal?" May sighed.
''We'll figure something out" Carol said and took a seat next to Melinda. ''Maybe it's going to take some time, but we'll find a way. We'll bring them all back."
''I miss them so much."
''We all do" added Natasha.
She put her arm around Melinda and gently forced her to rest on her. May closed her eyes, hugging her friend, and then fell asleep, exhausted. Both she and Carol had known Melinda for a long time and knew that it wasn't easy to break her. Like them, the brunette always knew what she wanted and walked hard on the ground. And that's why, seeing her now in this state, their hearts were breaking. Natasha had yet another reason to hate Thanos.
But May was right. Nothing was normal anymore.
When Melinda woke at 3 a.m., she knew she wouldn't fall asleep again. She dropped the blanket and rose from the bed, sighing. She left the room Natasha offered to her and headed down the hall of the Avengers facility in search of the kitchen. When she got there, she jumped onto the bar stool, took a glass and poured herself some whiskey from the bottle standing behind the glass door of the bar. It was dark, the only source of light were small kitchen lamps and the moonlight that fell into the room through large windows.
She was alone at the headquarters. A group of the Avengers set off on a mission against Thanos, and although she wanted to join them, they didn't take her with her, explaining that it was for her safety. She knew she shouldn't, but she didn't care about her safety or what would happen to her. She was left alone. Everything she cared about was taken away from her. She didn't want such a life.
The glass almost fell out of her hands when the sound of the plane rang outside, tearing her from her thoughts. The woman ran quickly to the window, and her heart beat as fast as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. The quinjet the Avengers had flown out about eight hours ago, landed on the huge lawn in front of the building.
Without worrying about it being dangerous, May ran outside. She covered her face from the wind caused by the plane, which brushed her hair in all directions. Holding her breath, she waited for someone to come out, for a sign, to confirm that they had succeeded.
''May?! May, is that you?"
Her heart stopped beating for a moment.
''Coulson?" she whispered with hope.
''May!"
And then, she saw him.
First a shape breaking through the dust clouds raised by the quinjet, and then a silhouette that became clearer as it approached. She ran toward him.
''Phil!"
In a split second she ran to him and fell into his arms.
"Melinda" he whispered, hiding his face in her hair and pulling her to him as close as possible. May began to cry, touching every piece of his body, wanting to make sure he was really there.
''You're alive. My God, you're okay. You're alive."
''I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."
''I was so worried about you."
''I know, darling."
''I thought I lost you forever."
''I'm never gonna leave you, I promise."
''I love you."
''I love you, too. More than anything in the world."
A wide smile appeared on her wet from tears face, as their lips joined in a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, not ready to let go.
She looked over his shoulder at the others leaving the plane. All who died were just leaving the quinjet's deck, and with relief on their faces walking toward the headquarters, talking and embracing each other. Carol, Steve and Natasha got out as one of the last ones. The woman was hugging the young girl with red hair. Wanda. Clearly exhausted, Natasha looked up at Melinda and their eyes met. They smiled to each other. They did it. They saved everyone.
''Phil, where are our kids?" Melinda asked, pulling back just enough to look at him. He smiled and put his hand on her cheek.
''They fell asleep on the drive here. I didn't want to wake them up, but I'm sure-''
''MOM!"
Melinda cried again when Daisy, Jemma, Fitz, Elena and Mack came to her and rushed on her with their arms. They were also crying. May hugged each one separately, and then all together. Phil put his arms around them all, too. Her kids. Her love. Her family. Everyone was here, with her, safe and sound. Alive.
''I love you all, so much" she whispered through tears, but she knew they heared her.
They came back to her.
THE END
