"No!" Clint cried, a strangled yelp escaping from his throat. He then ran faster than he thought was humanly possible and jumped off of the building he was perched on. He fell to the ground in a graceful roll and ran towards Natasha. All the while, one thought was imprisoned in his mind.

'I killed her,' he thought numbly, the words echoing in his head, over and over. 'I killed Natasha Romanoff.'

"No, no no no no no. No!" He muttered as he ran to her and saw the blood, crimson like a deadly rose, staining her shirt as it came like a fountain from her chest.

"I...had to do it." She whispered, her voice unbelievably soft as she gently stroked his cheek.

"Steve needs..him. Now more than ever."

"Why?" I sobbed, my eyes brimming with tears and my voice shaking.

"Why are you leaving me?" I asked. Steve was just standing there, stunned to the point of paralysis.

"You can take care of yourself, Barton," she smiled weakly. Now her face was completely drained of color, making her fiery red hair and pale green eyes even the more striking.

"Take care of yourself and the team... Take care of the team. Do that for me, okay? They're all a bunch of knuckleheads.. They couldn't find their head of it wasn't... Attached to their shoulders..." She whispered.

"I will, I promise." I said gently.

She sighed and a little smile played at her lips.

"If you don't, Barton, I will hunt you down and haunt you for the rest of eternity."

"I'm counting on it." One of my tears splashed on the middle of her forehead.

"Thank ...you." And when she closed her pale green eyes, they didn't open again.

I gave a guttural cry and buried my face in her body, slowly losing its warmth that I had adored for so long.

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Steve Rogers had not left his room. He had not eaten. He had not spoken to anyone. He refused to speak. Even Bucky could not get through to him. He had tried, so hard. Bucky blamed himself for Natasha's death, but Steve... Steve resented himself. The super soldier was no longer confident; questioned every movement that his pale body made. Natasha was a sister he never had, and always had his back. Until the very end. The rest of the team was hanging on by a filament, so soft that a whisper could break it. Clint was trying desperately to keep the team together, for Natasha. Her last request will be fulfilled. He can make sure of that. Tony had tried to get into Steve's room. He decided to cease all fighting, partly because he looked into the Captain's face and saw the destruction he had caused. Tony was getting there. He had forgiven himself, which was the first step.

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Bucky took a deep breath and exhaled.

"This is for Steve," he reminded himself. Yet, his body was fatigued and he had barely gotten any sleep. That was more than Steve had gotten. Bucky could no longer stand to look at his best friend, as it pained him to see Steve this way. He shifted his weight and looked at the cool slate below his dark blue S.H.I.E.L.D. T-shirt and matching sweat pants and beneath his feet. Bucky then resumed his previous position of staring at Steve's door, its brightness betraying the contents of the room. Bucky was trying to gather enough courage to open the door, but still couldn't do it. He had been standing there for over an hour. He could hear Natasha's whispers, as soft as a feather, still lingering around the tower. The tower. It suddenly seemed... bigger; more daunting. Natasha helped us cope with our anger and our loss. And now, she was gone. Trying to protect him and Steve.

"Damn it!" Bucky cursed, banging his right fist on the opposite side of the white walled hallway, tears beginning to stream down his face.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Steve was inside his room. He had been for the past three days. He was startled, and jumped about half a foot in the air, by a bang outside his door. He tentatively padded across the floor, his bare feet making soft pattering sounds on the cold floor. Steve swiftly reached out a hand to open the whitewashed door. Then, quickly brought his hand back. Images flashed in his mind, all at once. Natasha's eyes looking at him right before going into battle, showing no fear. Bucky as the Winter Soldier, mercilessly murdering innocent civilians. Peggy standing across from him, his arms around her waist. Steve's favorite song slowly reached his ears and Peggy danced with him, her face illuminated by the yellow lights of the Stork Club. Her features were accentuated by the light, which was making her mahogany hair glow. Peggy leaned in and whispered into Steve's ear.

"We finally got our first dance."

Steve smiled.

The image slowly faded, the sound of music slowly leaving his ears.

He was soon staring at the light ceiling of his room, back in the present.