After Dust

Chapter 2:

The next morning Sharon said her goodbyes to Clint and the kids. Lila hugged her tight until Clint pulled her from Sharon's arms. She gave Lila her number and wiped her tears one last time before leaving. She headed to D.C. instead of home. The city was a mess. Abandoned cars and trash were everywhere. It was eerily quiet except for the occasional person boarding up business windows. Almost everything was shut down and closed. She arrived at Langley in record time. There was a small crowd outside the building getting ready to protest. The lobby was full of security. She bee-lined for the front desk.

"Ma'am, we are closed to the public."

"I'm former Agent Sharon Carter. I'm here to help in any way I can. Please, check the system or call my former supervisor, Harold Thompson."

"Ma'am, Harold Thompson did not show up to work today. We believe he didn't live through the incident." The man behind the counter informed her. Sharon felt her heart clench.

"What about Annette Wilson? Paul Matthews? Ryan Weidner?" He stared at her. "Call someone, damnit!"

"Carter?" Sharon turned at her name.

Everitt Ross was coming toward her. "Ross. What are you doing here? Why aren't you in Berlin?"

He stepped past her to the security desk. "Get her name back in the system. She's one of our best former agents." He nodded at her and motioned for her to step through security and follow him. He was quiet until they stepped into the elevator. "I was here for business and wasn't able to get out of the country before Thanos happened."

"You know about Thanos?" They arrived on the tenth floor. Sharon was met with a full office. Everyone was running around in urgency. Every TV was turned to a different news station. "How?"

"We lost a lot of people. The first six floors have all been cleared and relocated to upper floors with who we have left. It's all hands on deck for now." He led her to a corner office that she knew wasn't his. "This is my office until things get sorted. I've been stationed here at Langley until someone new is put in charge and I can get back to Berlin. I'm the highest ranking Agent left in the building after the incident."

Sharon openly gaped at him. "You're not the first former Agent to show up downstairs wanting to help. I was hoping I'd see you." He gave her a small smile. "I know what you're capable of and I know you left to help rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. There aren't many left from what I've gathered. If you want, I'll reinstate you on the spot. I need you more than you need me."

She tried to process everything he was saying to her. S.H.I.E.L.D. was potentially gone… again. For a moment she was grateful that Peggy had passed.

"I need to get to Wakanda."

"You and me both."

"Please, get me off the no-fly list. I can't be any help if I'm grounded." She was desperate.

"I can get you off the list, but everyone is grounded. There are no flights anywhere." He sat down behind his desk and ran a hand over his face. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"Military?"

"Nothing. No one in the world is allowing flights, not with what just happened. Planes went down all over the world yesterday. World leaders gone, governments in chaos, borders shut down, hell, the United States is trying to figure out just how many in the military they lost yesterday. There aren't enough rescue crews to help. Everyone is scared and panicked. No one is risking their aircrafts. Everyone is scared they will get blown out of the sky. Until the world is notified of what happened and can understand it, everyone is a threat."

Sharon sunk into the chair across from him. The world was in mass panic. The scale of what happened felt suffocating suddenly. Fear shot through her as anxiety trickled through every vein in her body.

"Carter? Sharon?" Everitt was out of his chair and in front of her. "Breathe."

She shook her head. "I'm okay. I'm okay." She looked up at him. "What can I do?"

"I need someone in New York. The FBI and CIA are joining forces, I need someone I can trust to be a liaison between the two and report back to me. We both have ties in Wakanda that can be useful. I'm working with them and the President to give a statement later today about what happened."

"How are you going to tell the world about Thanos?" How was anyone going to be able to wrap their heads around what had happened? She could barely wrap her head around it.

Everitt fell back into his chair. "The honest truth."

"And what is the honest truth?"

"That he won and the world will never be the same because of it…"

—

Weeks passed in a blur for Sharon. The world was slowly rebuilding. Only government and military officials were allowed travel by aircraft and across borders. The world was slowly comprehending the magnitude of what happened and how expansive the universe was.

Businesses were slowly opening and people going back to work and their every day life. The streets were lined with boarded up buildings and memorials. Crews were still working to clear the streets of abandoned vehicles and debris. Every state had set up a local mandatory check-in to assess how many people had lived through the incident. Houses were being searched and boarded up if no living relatives could claim them. Orphanages and hospitals were filled to capacity with children while Child Services worked relentlessly to find relatives or guardians for them.

Sharon spent her days in a haze. She couldn't believe this was her life now. She barely slept and when she did, it was restless. She sat in her apartment most nights alone and in silence. She was removed from the no-fly list and fully re-instated into the CIA, but was still not authorized to leave the country. She had pleaded, yelled, up-turned a table, and broken down in front of Everett Ross when he told her he still couldn't get her out of the country.

Ross was still in D.C. and working with her closely. She spent most of her days either traveling to Langley or meeting FBI, Military, and government officials to discuss threats. She couldn't count the number of times she stood on the tarmac to greet someone only to wish she was on the plane herself and flying off to be with Steve.

Steve. He had left Wakanda and was somewhere in Europe. They had barely spoken since that night at Clint's. It was mostly stolen moments here and there and none were long enough to discuss anything extensively. Every time her phone rang, anxiety shot through her from the top of her head and straight down into her toes. She hoped every damn time that it was Steve calling to tell her he was coming home. She was sick with worry and anxiety for him. She knew he was broken from this. He had lost all hope which scared her more than anything in this world.

She checked on Clint often. He was struggling to stay strong as a newly single dad. He was full of guilt, anger, and sorrow. Sharon stopped by a few times a week to help and give him alone time to grieve. The kids made her smile which had become foreign to her. The only time she felt peace was when she stood in the large yard watching Lila feed the chickens and Nathaniel try to pet them softly.

She felt Clint's arm around her shoulder. He pulled her in close and kissed her hair as she leaned into him. They had built a strong bond since that fateful day. They were each other's support system while everyone else they cared for was gone or out of reach.

"Thank you Sharon." She looked up at him, his eyes were red-rimmed. She wrapped an arm around his middle as they watched the kids play. "Any news from Cap?"

"Not for a week. Nat?"

"No."

They eventually moved to the porch while they watched the kids play in the yard. Sharon sat curled up in her chair while she sipped her tea. Clint and her chatted occasionally, but mostly sat in comfortable silence. They both perked up at the sound of a car coming down the dirt road. Sharon stood, hand on her gun as Clint called the kids back to the porch and ushered them inside. Sharon slowly approached the car, her gun at the ready. The windows were tinted so she couldn't see inside. The car parked and door opened slowly.

"Don't shoot, it's me." Natasha slowly stepped out of the car with her arms raised.

"Natasha." Sharon lowered her gun in relief.

"Nat!" Clint ran past her and had Natasha in his arms before she could shut the door. They clung to each other tightly. Sharon watched them both break down in each other's arms. She felt tears in her eyes at the sight of them. She turned away, it felt as if she was intruding on a private moment.

"Come here Carter." Nat was coming at her with open arms. Sharon hugged her fiercely. "Thank you for taking care of my family." Sharon let out a sob she didn't know she was holding at Natasha's words.

Sharon held her at arms length. "Damn it's good to see you." She smiled. "Is Steve?"

She nodded. "He came home too."

Sharon felt hope fill her body for the first time in weeks at the thought of having Steve home. She looked at Clint. "Tell the kids bye for me?"

He nodded. "Go get him."

"I love you both." Sharon smiled widely as she grabbed her keys and backpack from the porch. She hopped on Steve's motorcycle and headed home.

—

Sharon was sure she broke a few traffic laws as she raced home to be with Steve. She was grateful when she made it back without getting pulled over. Although, there weren't enough police to patrol the entire city anymore…

She threw the bike into park and ran up the stairs of her apartment building. She was breathless when she reached the landing and fumbled for her keys to unlock the door. She dumped her bag and keys on the floor the moment she stepped inside.

"Steve?!"

And then he was there, standing in the doorway leading to their room.

She crossed the room and jumped into his strong arms. One wrapped around her waist while the other tangled into her hair. His face pressed into her neck as they broke down in each others arms. Sharon held him as if he would disappear from her arms in any given moment. Sobs wracked her body as she pressed her face into his shoulder.

"I love you." He set her down to look at her. His hands were on her face wiping her tears. "I love you so much." His lips were on hers. She could taste their salty tears.

She pulled from him to look at him properly. She couldn't believe he was finally here in her arms. He looked so broken, so hopeless. She had never seen him this way and it terrified her. "I love you." She kissed him. "Don't leave me again." Fresh tears spilled from her eyes. "Please don't ever leave me again. I want to be wherever you are. I don't care how dangerous it is. I can't sit here alone and hopeless again."

He wrapped her up in his arms once again. She clung to him desperately. "Never again. Where you go, I go."

They stood there for a long time. Memorizing each other's faces. Every word stamped into their memory forever. Each kiss savored. Their kisses slowly became hungrier until they stumbled their way to the bedroom to rediscover each other.

They lay in bed for hours talking, laughing, and crying. They updated each other on what had happened the last few weeks. Sharon found herself being strong for Steve as he recounted his fight with Thanos. She kissed his tears away gently. When all their tears were spent and words spoken, they lay in comfortable silence in the dark. Sharon's eyes were bleary and struggling to stay open, but she refused to fall asleep. She was terrified she'd wake the next morning to find Steve was just a dream.

He kissed her softly. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not leaving you."

"I'm so scared Steve." She whispered.

"I am too." He pulled her tighter against his body. "I don't know how to fix this."

"I don't either. But I know you'll figure something out. You always do, Cap."

"What if I can't this time?"

"Then we'll get through it together." His hand entwined in her hair to pull her close and kiss her firmly.

"I love you."

When Sharon awoke the next morning Steve was there. His return hadn't been a dream. And for the first time in a long time, she felt hopeful for the future.

The End. Just a short little something to give Steve and Sharon some hope.