- FIVE YEARS LATER -

Police sirens wailed in the distance, but Katie didn't mind. She was used to it. When half the police force vanished, crime rates had spiked and the few police that were left were working day and night to keep it in check. She ripped off the plastic from her TV dinner and headed for the couch. She bent down and gave some of her food to the dog nuzzling her leg. To distract herself from her grief, she had taken to adopting all the dogs that were now without owners. At least she was a little less lonely that way. She sat down in front of the TV, eating her microwaved chicken wings and flipping through channels. She landed on a channel playing an old black and white film from the 40s and let the images play across the screen. The actress on-screen was laughing and embracing a dashing man in such an enthusiastic way Katie couldn't help but chuckle. "Back when life was simple." she sighed, as the couple on-screen

rode off in the sunset, romantic music playing in the background. Katie found herself watching another one, and another. She ended up watching them for hours, lost in the sights and sounds of a world long gone. But then there was another power outage, and Katie was forced to come back to the real world. She sighed and slipped on her purse, going out for a walk.

One thing Katie could never adjust to, even after five years, was just how quiet New York City was. She passed the shopping mall and its empty parking lot, even though it was the middle of a work week. The chilly wind cut through her leather jacket and she hugged herself tighter. She was almost at the library when she heard the familiar cocking of a gun. She stiffened, feeling the pressure against the back of her head. "The purse. Now." the masked thief demanded. She

gripped her purse tighter and prepared to attack him with it, but she didn't need to as another man was yelling, "Get lost!" She turned around slightly and saw Steve Rogers chasing the guy away.

He came over to her cautiously. "Are you alright, ma'am?" he asked.

Katie gritted her teeth and turned around in annoyance. "You know I have a gun, right?" she said, holding it up to make her point. "I had it covered."

"I'm sorry, it looked like you needed help."

"No." Katie said, simply, slipping the gun back in her purse. "I didn't."

Steve hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Why are you wandering the streets of New York all by yourself?" he wondered, following her as she speed-walked down the street.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Katie snapped. "Stay at home? I don't have anybody else."

Steve looked at her, that annoying concerned look on his face. "You know, I have a support group. You're welcome to join." he said gently.

"Now why the heck would I want to join a support group?!" Katie snapped, a little harsher than necessary, but Steve didn't even flinch. She guessed he got this a lot. "I don't want pat answers!" she fumed. "I want my family, my best friend, and my damn cat!"

Steve looked at her sadly, and Katie momentarily wondered if she hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry, I just…" She rubbed her forehead.

"I really think you should talk to somebody. It does help." Steve said firmly. "There's a meeting tonight."

Katie cast him a dark look. "Fine. If only for you to leave me alone." She started to leave when Steve called after her, "What's your name?" She stopped and turned. "Katie."

Steve smiled and nodded. "See you tonight, Katie." he said. She snorted and headed for the library.

That evening, Katie hauled herself over to Steve Roger's support group meeting, very reluctant. The group all turned and looked at her when she walked in and she gave them a little awkward wave. Steve smiled at her, but he seemed like the only cheerful person in the room. Each person in the circle took turns introducing themselves and updating the group on what has been going on their lives. Soon it came time for Katie to speak and she was surprised at how much better it felt to talk to someone about her feelings, especially because they were as depressed as she was.

After the meeting, Steve approached her. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Still shitty." She looked up at him. "But a little less shitty than usual." She pulled her hoodie tighter around herself, her thoughts swirling in her mind. She wanted to ask him, but didn't know if she should.

"Do you need a ride home?" asked Steve.

It was a freezing cold evening, Christmas was in a week, and the idea of walking home in the cold was not very appealing to Katie at that moment. She nodded and hopped into his car. It was Captain America, after all. He was as trustworthy as they got. As they drove down the street to Katie's apartment, Katie finally got up the nerve to ask what was on her mind. "Why couldn't you stop it?" she asked quietly, a tear slipping down her face.

Steve sighed, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "We tried." he said. "But Thanos...he was more powerful than us." He glanced at her. "You know, I understand what you're going through; I lost my best friend, too."

Katie wiped her tear stained cheek with the back of her hand. "You did?" she whispered.

"Yeah. We were friends since childhood. I loved him like a brother and then he was gone."

Katie's brow furrowed. "Why have you never mentioned him before?" she wondered.

Steve shrugged. "It hurts too much to talk about it." he explained.

"I get that." Katie looked out the window at the passing city lights. "My best friend and I were really close. We fought together. She always had my back…"

Steve smiled slightly. "Maybe one day we'll get them all back."

One night, after the meeting, Steve was driving Katie home when he suddenly said, "You probably won't see me around for a while."

Katie looked at him in confusion. "Why's that?" she asked.

He hesitated before answering, "The Avengers are doing something big. We might be able to fix some stuff that...happened."

Katie's eyes widened and she processed this information. Were they trying to bring everyone back? Could they bring everyone back? But all she said was, "Oh. Okay."

Weeks past, and Katie had slacked off when it came to attending meetings. Instead she spent her days watching 40s movies and helping the owner of the local vintage cafe refurbish the store. She kept busy but inside she was lonely. She missed her family, and especially Sharon, but she tried not to think about it. It was nearly three weeks after Steve told her about him having to leave when she unwrapped her TV dinner and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch and went to turn on the television, when she heard the sound of a her toilet flushing. She jolted. "Who the heck?!" she cried and grabbed the gun from her purse, pointing it in the direction of the bathroom door. "Who's there?" she demanded, from a safe distance.

The door opened and a woman walked out, in a loose sweatshirt and pajama pants. "That was the weirdest 5 hours of my life." she sighed, crossing her arms and turning around. Tears sprung to Katie's eyes and dropped the gun.

"Sharon?" Katie cried, embracing her. "You're back! I missed you so much." Her phone buzzed with texts from her family, wondering where she was. It was good to be back.