Disclaimer: Marvel owns the characters within, not I.
Steve Rogers blinked his eyes a few times as he attempted to take in his surroundings. Everything around him seemed dark and foreboding. His heart sunk a little as his eyes fell on a rock formation in front of him. He swallowed a tinge of grief as he considered that this would be Nat's final resting place. With a shake of his head, he began to walk along the hard rocky ground.
Steve began to ascend the rocks and kept his eyes trained on an opening in the hillside ahead of him. He lost his footing a few times but was able to quickly recover and began to quicken his pace until he reached an edge the led back into the rock. He cautiously moved forward keeping his head on a swivel.
Clint had warned him of what he would encounter so he was only mildly startled by the cloaked figure that began to approach him from a point higher on the walkway. He stopped and waited until he could get a better glimpse of the figure. His breath caught a little when his face came into view.
"You..." Steve spoke softly, the surprise barely contained in his tone. The figure seemed almost as surprised as he lowered his hood down and revealed his face fully.
"Steve Rogers," Red Skull greeted him. Steve instinctively went into a defensive posture. Red Skull dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "No... no... that is behind me."
"I don't understand... what are you doing here?" Steve questioned as he eased off his stance.
"It was my sentence for tampering with the stone..." Red Skull replied in a reflective tone as his eyes darted outward towards the vast landscape surrounding them. "My punishment."
"You were sent here?" Steve questioned. A nod from Red Skull confirmed it. He looked Steve up and down.
"If you have come for the stone..." Red Skull began.
"I didn't," Steve cut him off. He reached into a satchel on his side and pulled out a box. It was made of special armor much like the gauntlet Tony had crafted to hold the stones. Steve toyed with opening the box for a few seconds. Still wary of Red Skull. He finally pressed on the side and it slid open to reveal the soul stone.
"How..." Red Skull reacted nearly under his breath as the glow of the stone lit up his face. Steve shut the box and stepped back a step.
"It doesn't matter," Steve replied. "I am bringing it back."
"I don't understand... but..." Red Skull replied he turned and began to walk towards the edge of the cliff and motioned for Steve to follow him. Steve followed a few paces behind him. "If you truly wish to return it..."
"I do," Steve stated with a nod. Red Skull observed him for a few moments.
"It took so much to retrieve it... I wonder..." Red Skull began but trailed off.
"It has to be done," Steve responded as he stepped to the cliffside.
"Very well..." Red Skull replied. "I can't guarantee you that it will undo the sacrifice."
Steve turned sharply to him. He furrowed his brow. Unto now he had not even considered what returning the stone would mean in terms of how it was retrieved. He had considered it impossible.
"Wait... are you saying there is a chance that returning it would undo the sacrifice it took to retrieve it?" Steve questioned.
"I am not sure... in all of my time here it has never happened," Red Skull replied. "I was merely speculating."
"Don't..." Steve replied lowering his head. "I'm just here to put things right."
"The stone..." Red Skull pointed to the box in Steve's hands. He opened his palm expectantly. Steve studied him for a moment before he opened the box. He stretched it towards the outstretched hand of his old nemesis. Before the stone could be retrieved a blast of energy came from it and crackled around the hand of the Red Skull who quickly retracted his hand.
"What happened?" Steve asked. Red Skull was silent for a few moments, clearly distressed. He merely pointed to the bottom of the cliff in front of them. "Just toss it?"
"Yes..." Red Skull replied. "The stone will do the rest."
"Okay..." Steve said as he walked up to the edge of the cliff. Still keeping Red Skull within his peripheral vision. Steve turned the box over and the stone fell. He watched as it plummeted towards the ground. It began to grow brighter and brighter as it got closer to the ground. Eventually, it had grown so bright that Steve had to shelter his eyes.
Eventually, the light dissipated and Steve lowered his hands. He glanced down to see the everything looked exactly as it had before he dropped the stone. He couldn't see any trace of the stone or what could have happened to it.
"Is that it?" Steve questioned, his eyes still trained at the bottom of the cliff. He retrieved no answer and he turned fully to see the Red Skull was no longer beside him. Steve did a full body swivel and saw he was alone. He shook his head turned back to look over the cliff once more. "Weird."
"Isn't it?" a voice from behind him startled him. Steve could hardly believe his ears and he turned slowly to see Natasha standing behind him.
"Nat?" Steve questioned. He reached out hesitantly to her, not fully trusting his senses.
"It's me," Natasha replied as his hands reached her face. She smiled. "What did you do?"
"I... I... the stone I returned it..." Steve replied. "I didn't know if..."
He embraced her, his joy at seeing him overtaking any coherent thoughts he could form. She held him just as tightly as she still tried to understand what was happening. After a few moments, she pulled back to look him in the eyes.
"Did we do it?" Natasha inquired. Steve knew instantly what she was asking and he began to shake his head affirmatively.
"Yes... Thanos is gone... everyone is back... it all worked," Steve replied. "We couldn't have done it if you hadn't..."
Steve paused. He didn't want to think about how they had lost her. How he had lost her. Now that she was back.
"I don't..." Natasha hesitated. She was unsure of what to do or think. When she leaped from the cliff she never imagined she'd be standing across from Steve or anyone ever again.
"We... I had to take the stones back to their own timeline and... I didn't know that if I returned it," Steve smiled. "But... wow."
"I really don't know what to think or say... what do you say when you come back from the dead?" Natasha questioned rhetorically.
"Beats me... but it is good to see you again," Steve replied. Natasha nodded.
"Same, Rogers," Natasha replied with a smile. She looked at their surroundings. "So... now what do we do?"
"Well..." Steve tapped the vial on his suit. "Do you still have?"
Natasha felt on her suit to see her still unused vial was still intact.
"I do..." Natasha replied. "So we go back?"
Steve paused and lowered his head. Natasha studied his expression and it confused her.
"Steve?" Natasha tried to get his attention. It worked, he raised his head to lock eyes with her. "Why the face?"
"Nat... I'm not going back with you," Steve replied. Natasha shook her head in confusion.
"Why not?" Natasha questioned. Steve gave her a half smile.
"I have something I need to do... somewhere I need to be," Steve replied.
"Another stone to return?" Natasha asked. "I can help you."
"No... this was the last one," Steve answered. He shuffled his feet ever so slightly. The action did not go unnoticed by Natasha. She has spent the better part of the last five years of her life with Steve. She had grown to know all of his little idiosyncrasies. His body language now was telling her that he really was unsure.
"Look..." Natasha replied as she stepped closer to Steve. She studied his face. It was as if suddenly she understood. Something in his eyes. She was not going to see him again. Slowly she began to put the pieces together.
"I have to... I'll always wonder," Steve stated. Natasha nodded. She forced a smile. Not that she wasn't happy for Steve. She was. But the thought of not seeing him again was breaking her heart. She felt a tear forming and quickly blinked it away.
"I understand," Natasha replied. "I hope it's everything you dreamed."
"Thank you," Steve stated. Seeing Nat again was unexpected and saying goodbye was proving one of his hardest feats. "I think it will be."
"She's a lucky girl," Natasha replied with a bittersweet smile. Steve matched her smile as he reached out to lightly rub her arm.
"I'll never forget you," Steve said. Natasha shook her head.
"No... it will just make it harder," Natasha stated. Steve understood. There was a brief moment of silence until thunder in the distance broke it.
"You know... you can go pretty much wherever you want..." Steve said as he tapped the vial in his suit.
"I know," Natasha replied.
"So you going back to where I came from?" Steve asked. Natasha replied with a sly smile and a shrug.
"Guess you'll never know," Natasha said. Steve smiled and nodded.
"Fair enough," Steve said. "I guess we should be going..."
"Probably," Natasha agreed. Both reached up to activate their suits. Natasha pulled Steve into a quick hug. "Maybe I'll see you around."
With that, she broke the hug and disappeared in front of his eyes. He smiled and took a deep breath before following suit.