"I'll see you in a minute" It what she said to her husband before they got in the Quantum Realm.
They had their missions, get the stones, take care of the other and get back safe. They were "all" back, but someone weren't there. Clint had a sad countenance on his face, Bruce was the one that asked "Where's Nat?"
Clint just shook his head without looking to anyone. Steve immediately looked down, and everyone else in the room looked at him with pity and their eyes. He putted the suitcase on the floor and walked outside to sit on the bench by the sea, their place. Clint left too, walking towards his room.
Everyone exchanged looks and Scott walked to pick his phone, there was a call that he needed to make, he didn't asked anyone if was ok, he felt like it was gonna be something that everyone would needed, Cap in especial.
"Cassie, hey..." Scott said in quiet voice
"Dad, is everything fine?" Cassie picked her father's quiet tone. She knewed that they were going back in time to pick the stones.
"Something happened, can you come?" Scott asked
"Yep, be there in 10 minutes."
Scott putted his phone down, Tony was next to him.
"I don't think that what had you done is a good thing right now, but he's gonna need everyone by his side." Tony said giving a gentle squeeze at Lang's shoulder before walking to help Bruce put the stones in a place.
Steve was sitting one the bench that after the snap became their spot.
Their first real kiss were there, the first they said "I love you" to each other. It was where Steve asked her to be his girlfriend, and later to the same year to be his wife, it was where he gotta to know about their little miracle.
Tears started to roll from his eyes, he looked to the skies and said quietly.
"You said you were gonna see me in a minute, but a couple minutes had passed, and you still not here. You said that you always would be here for me, and Jaime." He took a deep breath, shit James, the though of their son growing up without knowing his mother broke his heart "I know something was wrong when I saw Barton's face, he didn't say anything yet, as soon I saw his face I came to here, I just needed to be here for a couple minutes before I heard everthing that happened. I have to find a way to tell James,"
He got quiet again.
His silence was interrupted by the sound of steps, Tony had got everyone and made they all go to be with Steve.
"I'm so sorry, it was gonna be me but Nat just jumped and hooked me, I was holding her hand, and she pushed the wall and she falled" Clint said everything fast, trying to remember the less possible of his best friend dead on the floor of the strange planet.
"Slow down Barton" Tony said
"We... we were there, and a red skull guy showed up and told us that he had to give someone that we love in place to get the stone. I was gonna jump, but she didn't want me do it, I was gonna jump for all I made in the last 5 yeas, I couldn't let her jump, she got so far, she got the family that she always deserved. She used the fact that I saved her back then to try chance my mind, I didn't work, I was gonna do it, I was doing, and she jumped." Clint said with tears in his eyes. "Sh..."
Clint opened his mouth to keep talking, but he stopped when he saw a little redhead being held by a brunette teenage.
"She said to make sure you take care of James." Clint said with tears in his eyes
"How I supost to tell him that his mother gave her life to save half the planet?" Steve said
"Why we are talking like she isn't coming back?" Thor asked in denial
"Because she isn't" Clint said angry "you can go and try talk with the skull guy, but he said that wasn't a comeback"
Steve stood up and started walking way as Hulk throwed a bench on the river.
"Cap?" Tony asked as he saw Steve walking away into the compound.
Steve walked toward to the room where he know he would found his son, a playroom that Natasha made sure to built in the compound. It wasn't big, but was a place where she could let James playing while trying to find a way to make things right.
"Daddy" a 3 years old red head boy came running in his direction
"Hey little soldier, did you had a good time with Cassie?" Steve asked picking his son up
"We played with Anton" James said excited as he remembered of the fake ant that Scott had done to his daughter years ago. "Where is mama?"
Steve walked toward the little couch on the room, and sat his son on his lap. Cassie started walking out the room.
"Thanks Cassie, for watching him" Steve said "I owe you"
"It's fine. If you need, have my dad calling me" Cassie said leaving
"So buddy, remember when we told you that mama was getting something back to make this right?" The boy nodded noticing the sad tone on his dad's voice. "She was with Uncle Clint while I was with Uncle Tony, and she got hurt really bad,"
"But she will get better?" James interrupted
"That's the thing bud, she isn't." The boy started crying. "She loved you very much. You know that right buddy?" Steve said holding the boy like his live depended on it.
Steve stayed there trying to calm his son down. James was too smart for his age, and with his hand in his daddy's hair, he started humming the Russian lullaby that Natasha always sang to him, trying to calm himself down.
Clint heard his nephew crying and was broke. He walked toward to the kitchen where he found a Tony Stark on his phone.
"I will tell him to take James there." Tony said to Pepper "I love you and Morgan. Give her a kiss for me" Tony turned the phone off
"I was telling Potts about Nat" Tony said going toward to the cabinet and have a small chuckle when he saw the amount of peanut butter that they had on the compound.
"It's all Nat and James. She really loved that stuff" Clint said, remembering the first time that he saw his nephew eating peanut butter direct from the jaw.
Flashback
They were vídeo chatting in the morning while Steve was out on a run.
"Tasha, where's your husband and why he let you making breakfast alone with his son?" Clint said making fun of his best friend.
"He's running outside, and just to refresh your memory, James is my son too." Natasha said with a open plastic jaw of peanut butter in her hands "I figured how to cook somethings that Jaime can eat" She smiled while talking about her 1 and half years old son, who was sitting on his high chair waiting for his breakfast.
As the toastes got ready, Natasha accidentally left the jaw on James high chair. The curious little boy first putter one finger inside the jaw and took to his mouth, liking the taste, he putted his both hands inside tha jaw.
"Nat? Nat?" Clint started calling his friend that was with her back to him, Clint was sockes on how much his nephew was liking the peanut butter. "Natasha really"
"What's Clint?" Natasha answered annoyed, but turning only to see her son with his face covered with peanut butter. "I think someone likes peanut butter more than me." She said laughing while walking towards the kid to take the jaw away from him.
As soon she took the jaw and putted on the table the boy started to cry. She picked her son up, not caring of he was covering on peanut butter. Clint was watching everything with heart eyes, seeing how far his friend had come.
"Hey bud, I think you had enough of that, I know how delicious it is, trust me, but I don't think that is something that you should be already eating. How about if mama get you a piece of cheese and toast?" Natasha said waking toward the fridge to pick a piece and going to the sinks balcony to pick a toast. She sat down on a chair with a still crying James, and let him tr too eat what she was offering him as she hummed him a Russian lullaby. The bog firstly licked his fingering and then went to eat the cheese, his favorite food. Natasha remembered that she was on call with Clint, when she looked to her phone, the call was finished.
End of flashback
Without saying a word Clint took to slices of bread and a jaw of peanut butter and made a sandwich and putted on a plate. Tony realizing what he was doing, poured and class of milk on a class and handed him.
"Thanks" Clint murmured quietly
Clint walked toward the play room, where his nephew was still crying and humming the lullaby on his father arms.
"Hey bud, I think uncle Clint brought something" Steve said as he saw the Hawkeye on the door. "Do you wanna see what is it ?"
James didn't move, so Clint walked towards him, putting the plate and the glass on the little table next to the couch, he got closer to the boy and said.
"Hey little spider, you know, I meet your mama a long time ago, and before she had you and papa, if there was something that made her happy, was a glass of milk and a peanut butter sandwich. I though, that since you are just like her, you would wanna one." Clint said trying to get his nephew to stop crying.
When he heard the worlds "peanut butter" James stopped humming the song and slowly turned to his uncle throwing his arms to by catch by he archer. Clint got his little buddy on his lap as he sat on the floor in front os the plate. The boy slowly took the sandwich and gave a little bit.
"Mama's was better" James said to his uncle "but yours still better that daddy's" Clint laugh as Steve stood up for the couch and getting at same height as his son.
"Hey little soldier, I still am your captain, respect me." Steve said with a smile on his face "do you wanna spend some time with uncle Clint?"
"You aren't living like mama right?" James sounded scared
"No bud, I will only leave the playroom, I will be on the tv room." Steve said giving his son a kiss "you can go there anytime ok?" James nooded and Steve walked out the re, loving the two by themselves.
"You know, your mother loves peanut butter" James nooded "you always will gonna miss her, a lot, but you always will have us" James nooded again.
"I remember the first time you ate peanut butter, do you wanna know how was?" Clint said.
"Yes, please" James answered, after all he was Steve Rogers kid.
So Clint told his nephew about that day.