"You live you learn, you love you learn
You cry you learn, you lose you learn
You bleed you learn, you scream you learn."
-You Learn, Alanis Morissette
Carol Danvers
(After Thanos is killed at the beginning of Endgame)
Gravel rattled against the side of the pickup as Carol pulled down the driveway to the Rambeau house. It had been over twenty years since she was last here, but other than a new coat of paint, everything was the way she remembered it. She could see lights on inside, and her hands tightened around the steering wheel in anticipation as the truck slowly rolled to a stop.
The front door opened before she reached it. An unfamiliar silhouette was framed in the doorway for a moment, before a figure came into focus.
"Aunt Carol?"
At first, Carol thought the woman addressing her was her best friend. The resemblance was uncanny. A second later, logic took over.
"Monica?"
Her pseudo-niece stared at her. "You're alive!" She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I mean…you're alive!"
Carol laughed. "Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?"
Monica bit her lip. "We hadn't heard from you in so long…we thought something must have happened to you."
"A lot of things have happened to me," Carol said with a smirk. "But here I am."
Monica stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you."
"You're so much…taller now," Carol remarked as they separated.
Monica chuckled. "And you're exactly the way I remember you. How does that work?"
"I think it's the Kree blood." Carol grimaced. She jerked her chin at the house. "Is your mom here?"
Monica's face fell and she looked away. "Mom died last year," she said softly. "Breast cancer."
Carol felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She swallowed.
"Oh."
"When we got the diagnosis, you were the only person she wanted to talk to. But we didn't know how to contact you."
"I'm sorry." Liquid brimmed in Carol's eyes, and she sank onto the porch step.
Monica sat down next to her. "She always said you'd come back someday."
Carol used her sleeve to wipe away a wayward tear. "I wish I'd known," she said thickly.
"Me, too." Monica rested a hand on Carol's shoulder. "But Mom knew you were out there saving the universe. She was so proud of you."
The door opened behind them and they both turned to see a little girl, about six or seven years old, watching them uncertainly.
"Mommy?"
Monica stood and swept the child into her arms. "Hey, baby. I want you to meet a very good friend of mine. This is Carol."
The girl's eyes lit up. "She has the same name as me!"
Carol, who had risen to her feet as well, shot Monica a look of surprise. Monica smiled.
"Why don't you come inside? We have a lot to catch up on."