because I'm a sucker for Auntie Nat, and because poor Lila deserved some closure after her last chapter.

(and yes, the chapter title seemed very appropriate given how often y'all seem to be crying when reading these!)

Enjoy.

Lila takes a moment to observe her parents who are, as they have so many times before, lovingly bickering as they prepare dinner. They're completely oblivious to her presence for once, which is a little surprising because they'd both somehow always had that sixth sense to know when she or her siblings were around. She doesn't mind that they haven't noticed her presence though, because after so many years of living without them she knows it's a gift to be back with them again.

Yes, she'd had to leave behind her children to get there, but she'd lived a long and full life. It had been her time, and frankly, considering her stint as an agent and all the potentially world-ending invasions and events that had happened throughout her life, it's a miracle she'd lived as long as she did. Of course she misses her children, but she's content to know they're okay and taken care of by their loved ones, not to mention that they have each other to lean on.

"No love left for your only daughter?" she teases from the doorway after getting her fill of observing them from afar.

They both turn immediately and the shock and subsequent wide smiles that register on their faces make Lila laugh.

"Lila?" her mom whispers with eyes that are already tearing up.

Goddamn it, Mom. If you cry, I'm gonna cry… she thinks to herself as her feet begin to step forward.

"Hey," she replies softly. Her mom crosses the room in mere seconds, and then Lila finds herself enveloped in a hug that she's longed to be in for so long. At some point, and she's honestly not sure when, her dad's arms replace her mom's and it's just as familiar and she's missed it just as much.

"Hey, kiddo," he says as they break the embrace. "Good to see you."

"You too," she manages, swiping underneath her eyes to remove the evidence of the tears that had been inevitable despite her efforts. "Both of you," she adds, gaze sliding to meet her mother's eyes. And then, because she'd inherited her father's penchant for shit-disturbing, she can't help but add, "So this is death, huh?"

They both scoff and laugh, too used to her humour to do anything else.

Her husband joins them an hour later, and they all sit down to dinner. They swap stories they'd never had the chance to share before, reminisce about their time on earth, and the three of them begin to give her the quick overview of the afterlife.

"So is everyone here?" she asks, curious if it's just her immediate circle that she sees, or if it's really just another existence of sorts with a near endless world.

"Well, best we can gather the assholes didn't get in."

"Clint!" her mom admonishes. Lila can't help the chuckle that escapes.

"What?" he protests. "She's a grown woman. She's heard me swear before."

"We're at the dinner table!"

"Dinner was finished ages ago."

"We're still at the table…"

And then her husband, bless him , steps in deftly just as he'd done so many times over the course of their life together, clearly reading the terrain and knowing they'll bicker for at least another few minutes with no intervention. "I think what he meant is that the folks who were...less than good in life don't get entry here."

"That's exactly what I said, but in double the words," her dad quips with a subtle roll of his eyes.

Lila sees her mom's head drop into her hands. "Honestly, Clint."

He grins cheekily. "You love me."

"God only knows why…" she lobs back, but her smile belies the words.

"Okay," Lila interrupts, trying to get them back on track, "so no assholes." She sees her mother cringe at the blunt comment and she fights a smile. "But everyone else?"

"Who are you asking about?" her dad asks knowingly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth

He'd always been a fun dad, making sure to be completely invested in any and all of their games and activities when he was home. He did it all, from tea parties and pillow forts to elaborate hide and seek marathons and archery lessons. As she'd grown up into an adult, their relationship had shifted to one of bantering and light-hearted snarky comments, so it wasn't surprising to her that he was enjoying stringing her along.

"Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?" she retorts.

He holds her gaze for a moment, a gentle smile spreading. "Yes, she's here."

"Can I see her?"

His smile shifts to a smirk. "Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?"

"Dad," she chastises with a roll of her eyes. She was used to his shenanigans, but her patience was starting to wear a little thin...

"Of course you can," he relents. "She'll be so happy to see you again."

As happy as she is to hear the confirmation that her aunt is here, she can feel emotion begin to pool in her chest as memories of being told about Nat's sacrifice rise to the surface of her mind. It had been devastating. She remembers the questions that had swirled around her mind about her aunt's death, and remembers those bittersweet moments that came up in the years after where she'd wanted nothing more than to talk to her again. Truthfully, she doesn't think she ever really got over losing her so abruptly. Not fully at least.

"Where can I find her?"

To his credit, her dad seems to sense the shift in her emotions and gets up immediately to grab a pen to scribble some instructions on a note pad before tearing the page out and handing it to her.

"Tell her it's been too long since we had a proper family dinner, and that we expect to see her next week sometime," her mother adds.

Lila smiles and nods her understanding before getting up and giving her husband a quick kiss. "I'll meet you at the house later," she says softly.

He squeezes her hand in a silent show of love and support and then nods. "Take your time."

Her stomach is a bundled mess of nerves and anticipation as she stands in front of the door to Natasha's house. From as early as she could remember, Nat had been a part of her life. Sure, the visits and calls had been sporadic at times, and yes, things had gotten messy after her dad retired, but she'd still been Auntie Nat. The one who could dole out tough love and warm empathy in the same sentence. The one who let her push the envelope on some things and encouraged her to try new things. The one who brought her little trinkets from around the world and taught her ballet in the front yard on so many long summer days.

In the immediate aftermath of finding out about Nat's death, she had panicked because she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her, or what their last conversation had been about. Now, decades later, a door is the only thing between reuniting them and she's equally excited and inexplicably scared. She summons courage from a place she can't name, and raps her knuckles on the door, letting out a heavy exhale as she does.

Then the door opens and she finds herself face to face with her aunt for the first time in decades. There's an expression of shock on Nat's face, but Lila can see the happiness too. Before she can manage to say anything, Nat's arms are wrapped around her tightly, almost fiercely, and all she can think is that her hug feels the exact same as she remembered.

"Lila," Nat says appraisingly as she steps back to look at her, hands framing her face lovingly.

Lila smiles and feels her eyes fill. Goddamnit she curses even as she realizes her efforts at stemming the tears had always been a losing battle. "Hi," she replies softly, because it's all she can force out.

"I can't believe how big you are," Nat says with a chuckle. "You were barely up to my shoulders last time I saw you, and now…"

Lila's smile widens. "You look the same," she replies. Same green eyes, same red hair, same tender smile. It's strangely comforting in a way to know she hasn't changed, even if Lila is now an adult.

"One of the perks of this place. It lets us age at the rate and direction we want," she quips. "C'mon in, kid."

Lila's gaze sweeps over the rooms in front of her, finding, in a slightly surprising twist, warm and inviting decor. She had always assumed that Nat's room at the farmhouse had been warm and homey because that's how it was when it was given to her. Now Lila wonders if the decor here is because that's what Nat had been used to at the farmhouse, or if it was truly to the taste of Natasha Romanoff.

They're both doing a terrible job of being subtle about their scrutinizing of the other, but then...they're dead, so does it really even matter?

"I hope this goes without saying," Lila says bravely, because she knows it's a matter of when , not if she's going to cry, "but I've really missed you."

Nat smiles, a little sadly, Lila thinks. "I've missed you too, myshka . You have no idea how much."

Lila blinks rapidly to try and stem the rising tide of her tears. "I might have an idea," she replies softly. A beat, and then she adds, "I came back to a world where you were just...gone. I didn't…" she trails off and exhales. "It was hell, Aunt Nat."

Lila sees the emotion on her aunt's face, plain as day, and she's a little surprised. Nothing had ever rattled Nat. She'd never been cold or callous to her or her brothers, but Lila had also never seen her cry or get upset.

"I'm sorry, Lila."

Lila shakes her head. "You saved the universe. You so do not have to apologize for that."

"Yeah, but I left behind some very important people," she replies softly with a slight tilt of her head as she reaches forward to squeeze one of Lila's hands.

And then the dam finally breaks and Lila's eyes spill over with tears.

"I don't regret what I did. But I do regret not leaving you with anything. I should have written a letter or something."

"Mom told me that you'd been at the house over those years that we were gone, keeping things clean."

Nat nods and smiles again, but stays quiet.

"I kept thinking I was going to find something that you'd hidden away."

"Sorry," she apologizes, "I didn't think of it. I probably should have the last time I was there, especially given what we were about to do...but I guess I was feeling optimistic."

"Well, you had managed to survive a hell of a lot up to that point."

Nat smiles. "Still, I had a feeling…"

"You did?"

"I knew Thanos had gone there with his daughter, who he'd cared about dearly, and left without her, so there was a possibility. I should have listened to my gut. I was too excited that we might actually pull it off and get everybody back."

Lila can't verbalize anything, and Nat reaches over to squeeze her hand again.

"But enough about me. Tell me about you. Your dad told me you grew up to be an agent?" she prompts, gesturing for them to sit on the couch nearby.

"Yeah, the next iteration of SHIELD."

"Run by Fury I'm guessing?"

"For a bit. He retired-"

"Fury actually retired? For real?"

Lila laughs. "Yeah, said he was too old to keep putting up with all the world's shit."

Nat laughs this time. "Yeah, that sounds like him. Bastard told me he worked 'til the day he died."

Lila laughs, familiar with Nick Fury's shenanigans. "Anyway, I did a few years service there before I retired from fieldwork. Got married, had a couple kids, and lived my life."

Nat smiles warmly. "Thanks for the summary, but I'm gonna need more than that, kid. Indulge an old aunt, would you?"

Lila smiles and then delves more into detail. Nat asks questions about things now and then, but mostly she just listens and smiles. It's clear that she is beyond thrilled to be talking with her de facto niece again. Lila can't understand what it was like to choose to give up your life knowing that you'd never see your family and friends again, and she can't understand what it's like to get them back one by one after so much time.

"...and I knew as soon as we found out it was a girl that I wanted to name her after you."

Nat's head shakes in disbelief. "I don't know what to say, Lila. When your dad told me you'd named her after me…I was speechless. Still am."

"I know Nate was named after you, but it just felt right. You were important to me and I wanted to honour the place you'd had in my life," Lila says firmly. That decision had been an easy one, and her husband had understood and supported her wholeheartedly. "She grew up hearing bedtime stories about your adventures, and asking me endless questions about you."

Nat's smile widens and Lila presses on, this time into territory that's a little more emotional because she'd held in so many of her feelings about losing Nat for so long. Her parents had tried to get her to open up, and she had a little, but so much of it had felt so personal that she hadn't known how to process it...let alone explain it.

"I know you did what you did to save my dad, and everyone else. But I still would have given almost anything to have you back. And it never seemed to me that the world appreciated what you'd done for them. It never felt like you got the praise and admiration that you were due. So even if it was just my family, or even just my daughter, I wanted to make sure you were honoured for what you did, and who you were to me."

"Lila… Thank you," Nat manages, a few tears running tracks down her cheeks. "I- You and your brothers, and your parents...you were my family. And I-" she stops abruptly, gathering some composure in a rare show of overwhelming emotion. "Growing up...I never thought I'd have that. And then suddenly, somehow, I'm an aunt to these three amazing kids. And it hurt like hell to know that I wasn't ever gonna see you guys again, but I knew you needed your dad."

She pauses for a moment, her expression thoughtful.

"I spent my whole life searching for a purpose, and it wasn't until I was there on that cliff that I knew it was to save my family."

"It wasn't fair," Lila whispers, head shaking.

"Life never is," Nat replies softly, "but knowing I was saving you guys...I was at peace."

Lila shakes her head as she sniffles. "There was so much I wished I'd told you. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen you, or even the last time that we'd talked. You were one of the most important people in my life and I came back and you were just...gone." The words feel bitter on her tongue, even all these decades later. "I should've told you I loved you more," she adds, remembering the overwhelming regret that had seized her in the moments after she'd been told about Nat's sacrifice.

"I knew, Lila," she replies quickly, head tilted to the side and a sad smile on her lips that's probably meant to be reassuring. "Of course I knew."

"I should have told you," Lila insists. "A few months after we came back, I spent some time combing through the files you released into the internet and I read your file."

Nat is silent, but her expression clearly asks the question of why would she do that.

"And I know that wasn't everything, not by a long shot, but it made me sick to think you'd died not knowing how loved you were. You went through all of that shit growing up, and then everything as an agent and an Avenger… You deserved to know and to hear that you were loved. Because you were."

"Are you trying to make me cry?" Nat quips with a breathy laugh as she wipes away the tears under her eyes.

Lila smiles and takes a second to wipe her own tears before meeting her aunt's gaze. "I love you, Aunt Nat," she says meaningfully, infusing as much love as she can manage into the words. Nat's arms open up and Lila finds herself once again held tightly in a hug.

Once upon a time, Nat's hugs had coaxed a young Lila out of her grumpiest moods, chased away monsters that lurked in the shadows, and provided a sense of safety and comfort. Now, held safely in her aunt's arms once more, her eyes drift closed and she feels a weight lift from her soul.

She hears a soft sniffle and then quiet words, "I love you too."

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

My ears are open. (Errrrr...I guess eyes are open? Haha)

More to come...