Epilogue
Author's Note: While there's obviously a very long story that happens after the previous part, I don't really want to take the time to write it, so I'll just summarize what could've happened in here, to tie up all loose ends. :D
~ Tirana Sorki
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~ Amina Gila
Omega lets out a frustrated breath, lowering the bow. "I'll never get this," she says, miserably.
"Just try again," Natasha encourages, eyeing the girl.
The only female clone huffs quietly, but raises the bow again, taking aim at the target.
"You're taking too long," Natasha observes, "Just fire it. Here."
She reaches down, taking the bow from the girl, and demonstrating, firing several times at the target. All of them hit practically dead center. This bow is different than the one Clint used, since the arrows are made of energy in much the same way blaster bolts are. It was a weird technology, but after being here for over half a decade, Natasha is finally getting used to it.
She does her best not to think about when Clint first taught her how to do this. She hadn't been sure who would want to bother with a bow, because why not just use a gun when they were so much simpler?
"I can try again," Omega offers, clearly trying to conceal her frustration as Natasha passes it back.
"Don't try. Do it." And she thinks she might have just quoted Yoda. Whatever. It's about the only Star Wars quote that she actually remembers. It's not as though she's spent much time around the people that the movies focused on. Well, other than Anakin.
She watches as Omega raises the bow and immediately fires it. The shot hits close enough to center. It's pretty good for someone who's only just starting to learn how to use one. She tries several more times, and all of them hit close enough to center.
"Good job," Natasha compliments, and Omega brightens. "We can come back to more later. It's probably time for a break."
"Okay," Omega chirps, collecting the bow to put away and heading off.
Natasha watches her go, a faint smile on her face. She's not sure what, exactly, the girl is to her, but... Maybe it's a lot like how Clint felt towards her, she doesn't know. But Omega manages to make her feel the overwhelming urge to protect her, in the way no one else has. Maybe it's because Omega is still so young.
Shortly after coming to this universe, Natasha ended up getting a job in the Republic military. Really, that's where her skills could be used the best, and where else would she go anyway? It was about a year afterwards that she ended up joining the Bad Batch. It was awkward at first, because none of them knew how to deal with a "natural born" who was technically on the same status that they were.
It was... hard for Natasha too, though. The last team she worked with was dead and getting to know another one is never easy. Especially when she knew so little about Star Wars technology or literally anything. Everything she did, at first, reminded her of the Avengers.
Nothing lasts forever, she knows, but it had been so long that she was with SHIELD, she couldn't imagine anything else. She'd managed to pull it through, though, eventually. Even if it still isn't easy. Grief usually tends to start fading by the time a year has passed, but... That doesn't seem true here.
Considering that she lost the whole entire planet and everyone and everything she ever knew, she supposes that's not surprising. She still misses Clint so much sometimes. In the end, he was the one person who helped her when she needed it most, tried to take care of her. No matter how close she's gotten with Hunter or Crosshair or Wrecker or Tech or even Anakin, it's not the same. She's older than all of them.
She's also kept in contact with Anakin, over the years. And Ahsoka. They both seemed in need of help, like very badly, and... She offered it, even if she can't explain why. They're close friends now, and the galaxy is a completely different place than it was in the movies, to be certain.
The war ended a couple years ago, and Anakin left the Order to be with Padme once his children were born. He's staying on Naboo now. She has no idea if it's the same timing that it happened in the movies, but if it is, then it's been close to three years since, which is practically six years since she first came here.
"Something on your mind?"
Natasha looks up at the sound of Hunter's voice.
"Not in particular," she replies, looking up as Hunter settles next to her. He's technically the leader of their group, and in some ways... he did remind her a bit of Steve. Only less... traumatized. Although at the same time, at least Steve wasn't raised as a solider from birth, so it's hard to say.
They sit in silence, staring out at the Nubian landscape around them. They had to live somewhere after all, once they left the military together. Technically they still do work for the Republic, but it's more on a case-by-case basis. More like what Natasha did with the Avengers, she supposes.
And living close to Anakin was better than any other option.
A distance down the street from them, she catches sight of Omega running into view again. The Bad Batch had legally adopted her from Kamino sometime after the war was over.
Two other children, two of Omega's friends here though they're quite a bit younger than her, run into view.
"Hey, Cad! Aurra!" she greets cheerfully, their voices carrying all the way down the street.
"I'm not sure how I feel about her hanging around them," Hunter comments, eyeing the Duros boy and Palliduvan girl.
"They are just children, now," Natasha reminds, a hint of mild amusement on her face.
"Even so," Hunter insists, "And I still don't understand how this happened."
"I don't think any of us do."
Not long after the Infinity Stones were taken to the Jedi Temple, they were split up, spread out across the galaxy to various other Temples (apparently, they have multiple?) and the Time Stone was left at the Jedi Temple.
Not long after, bounty hunters had broken in, trying to steal the stone. They never did get that far, because apparently, Anakin and some other Jedi stopped them on the way, and while trying to Force-pull the Time Stone away from the bounty hunters – Cad Bane and Aurra Sing – Anakin had somehow managed to age regress the bounty hunters in the process. No one could figure out how to do undo what happened, or even what happened in the first place.
The Jedi had no idea what to do with the two children, so in the end, they got sent off to a war orphanage. And somehow someone ended up adopting both here on Naboo, right across from where Natasha and the Bad Batch are living. She'll never understand how that happened.
"Even if they're children now, that doesn't change who they were when they were adults. They could still be like that."
"We can keep an eye on it," Natasha replies. To be fair, she herself didn't use to be much different than them in the past.
They stay out there a little longer before Natasha heads back inside again.
It's later in the afternoon when they're all back at the house that she brings up it up. "I'm going to go over to see Anakin."
"Can I come?" asks Omega hopefully.
"If you want," Hunter agrees.
"I'm comin'!" decides Wrecker. He does adore Anakin's three-year-old twins, probably because he still acts just like them.
Sometimes it reminds her of Hulk's childishness, just in a very different way.
"Of course, you are," Crosshair mutters.
The three of them head out after that, over to where Anakin and Padme live.
Ahsoka is sitting perched on the side of the fence around the yard, watching as Luke and Leia run about in the yard as they play with Artoo.
Ahsoka is technically still a Jedi, but she spends a lot of time here with Anakin. Natasha still remembers back when the Togruta had almost gotten framed for bombing the Temple, several years back. She'd been around Natasha long enough, that when she saw the key card placed outside the door to her cell, she quickly realized that something was wrong. There was obviously no way that Anakin would take a risk like that when they could prove her innocence through much more legal means. She'd stayed in her cell, while someone went through the facility, killing clones and leaving a trail, certain that Ahsoka would take the bait. But in the end, it didn't work, thankfully, or Natasha doesn't want to know what could have happened to her. She could well have been executed for treason, since the only way they eventually discovered who was behind the bombing was when Barriss Offee turned herself in.
"Hey, Nat!" Ahsoka calls.
"Auntie Nat!" Luke and Leia squeal excitedly, forgetting Artoo and running across the yard over to her.
As it still often does, the title sends a pang stabbing through her. She still remembers the last time Clint's children had run over to her, calling her that. It's a title she thought only they ever would, but... So much has changed since then.
She reaches down, lifting them into her arms, smiling at their enthusiasm.
"Weka!" squeals Luke excitedly, looking past her.
"Keep an eye on him," Natasha advises Omega before she heads past them into the house.
Threepio immediately greets her, ushering her away to the garage/workshop where Anakin is.
"Figured I'd find you here," she comments, stopping behind him, watching as he works on one of the ships here. Honestly, she's still getting used to some of the technology changes.
Anakin glances up, giving her a half smile. "You here alone?"
"No. Wrecker came along."
"Don't tell me he's out there alone with the twins again. I don't want any more bombs going off in the backyard."
She chuckles at the memory. "No, Omega came. And Ahsoka is out there."
"Good."
"So, how's your... latest project going?" Whatever it is. She's not sure.
"I have a few... complications to deal with," he replies, "Though I don't suppose you would understand even if I tried to explain."
"Please spare me," she says teasingly.
"That's what I thought."
She glances around at the mess, and just can't withhold the comment anymore. "Sometimes, this place reminds me of Tony's workshop," she deadpans.
"Everything is actually very much in order," Anakin defends.
"Yes, it was with Tony, too. That's why he didn't want anyone touching his mess of things," she replies, mildly amused. There are times that she sees a number of similarities between Anakin and Tony. Except that Anakin is far less talkative, and much more... compassionate, honestly.
"I imagine he would have liked to see all of this, then."
"I think he'd be too fascinated to leave again, and I'd have to call Padme and Pepper to forcibly drag you both to bed."
A faint smile flickers across his face. "How's Omega doing?"
"She's getting better with the bow, but it's taking time," she replies. "And Hunter is a little... uncomfortable with her being friends with Cad and Aurra."
"They don't remember their past lives anymore, I thought," Anakin points out.
"So I told him. I think he forgets I used to be like them too."
"Well, you did choose to be different, in the end. They... didn't."
"I wouldn't have, though, if not for Clint," she says, a melancholy feeling settles over her. A pang runs through her as she thinks about him again, and she hastily tries to divert her thoughts to something else. She still misses him so much, even now. She probably always will.
Anakin reaches over, resting a comforting hand on her arm, though he doesn't reply. She's not one for physical contact most of the time but she's known him long enough that she doesn't mind.
They fall silent for a few moments leaving her to her thoughts. Maybe it once seemed impossible, but it seems she has... finally found a family after the Avengers. They'll never replace them but... she does care about this family just as much.
She only hopes she won't have to lose this one like she did the last two because if she did... she doesn't know if she'd be able to handle it.
Thinking about it, she finds herself more than a little relieved again that Sidious is dead. He was killed "accidentally" on the Invisible Hand, so no one knew what happened, and the Jedi never got accused of treason. Anakin never became Vader or had to find out that he could have.
She never told anyone, and thinking about it now, that's probably for the best. He doesn't need to know. She knows he'd... take it hard, and there's no reason for that. And knowing him, he'd feel guilty for things he hasn't done. (And she knows enough about guilt that never goes away for a lifetime, thanks.)
Maybe she'll never live a life without almost constant action, but right now, she has everything she needs.
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