Here is an extra long and happier chapter to make up for the really short and sad last one...sorry about that. Thanks for sticking with this story, and pretty pretty please give me criticism on this one and ideas for others down below. It'll take a minute at most, two if you are giving me a ton of feedback. Thanks sooo much!
"She's gone." Dr. Tanner announced, the heart monitor droning its characteristic sound. "I'm so, so sorry. I will leave you with her for a while." he said, and walked out of the room with the nurse following.
"I can't believe it. She-she can't be dead. She can't!" Steve shouted and shook Beth's lifeless body. "Wake up! Dammit-WAKE UP!" he continued, and then sank onto his knees, his face buried in the blankets, remaining motionless. "You're my little sister..." He barely whispered.
Tears had filled everybody's eyes, even the Black Widow's. She walked over to Steve and put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed.
The sky darkened with the rumble of thunder. Lighting cracked, and everybody turned to the window. Bruce looked back at Thor, who was gritting his teeth and had a hand dangerously clenched around Mjolnir. "Thor. Listen to me. Don't do anything you'll regret." he said, and walked over to Thor, his hands raised in surrender.
Lightning flashed in Thor's eyes. He slowly tilted his head down to Bruce's. "I have already done everything I could regret." he replied, his voice low and cold, and without a glance shoved Bruce to the side and into a wall.
"What the heck Thor?" Clint shouted and ran over to Bruce both to help him up and to make sure that he didn't transform.
With a last look at Beth's body, Thor crashed through the window and flew away.
I slowly opened my eyes. Where am I...? I thought as I looked around. Everything was white and clean. I was in some sort of room. I saw one door, and it was closed. There was a couch and a coffee table in front of it on a far wall. All white. I looked down at myself. I was dressed in a white shirt and white jeans, and barefoot. At least I'm out of the hospital gown...Too drafty.
I walked over to the couch and sat down. It was really plushy. I sunk into the cushions. This is nice, but where the heck am I? As if on cue, the door opened. I shot right up and stood, and watched a man with a beard and wavy brown hair dressed in an all-white suit walk in. He smiled and stepped in front of me.
"Hello, Beth." he said, his voice as warm as his eyes. "We have been waiting for you." he said.
I cock an eyebrow. "Who, exactly?" I ask the mystery man.
He motioned toward the couch. "Have a seat. I will explain."
I sat on the couch and he joined me. "Beth, it is nice to meet you in person and finally have you with us." he said.
"Again, who exactly?" I ask again.
He smiled. "I think you know." he replied, and winked.
My eyes widened and I sucked in a breath. "Wait. You aren't...you know?" I stumble out, not believing who I was talking to.
He laughed, a big ringing laugh. "No Beth, I'm not the main attraction, if that's what you're asking. Just a colleague." he replied.
"So, are you like, Gabriel or something?" I ask.
He shook his head. "No, just your run of the mill Guardian Angel." he replied, and shook my hand. "I'm your Guardian Angel. Been with you your whole life. My name is Daniel. And no, I'm not THE Daniel. We just share the name."
"Nice to meet you, Daniel. Uh, thanks for watching out for me I guess." I chuckle and shake my head as well. "This can't be real..." I say. "I'm dreaming or something..."
"You aren't dreaming. This is perfectly real. Like this bacon." he said.
"What bac-Oh my goodness!" I exclaim as a steaming plate of bacon appears on the table.
"Go ahead, try some. It's...heavenly." the man encourages with a glint in his eye at his pun.
I glance at the plate. Then back to him. Then back at the plate. "Don't mind if I do..." I say and take a huge bite. "Oh wow...this is the best bacon I have ever had! I forgot how hungry I was..." I say. "How did you know I loved bacon?" I ask between giant bites.
"I have watched over you your entire life." Daniel replied with another smile. "You could say I am familiar with your tastes. Beth, if you are ready, it's time to go through the door." he said.
I stop chewing as I process what this means. "Wait. I'm not ready. I'm not ready to die!" I say. "Can't you put in a word with the Big Man and...I don't know...send me back?" I ask.
The man chuckled. "Beth. From the moment you were born, you were going to live with the Avengers. That was your purpose." he said with a small, slightly sad smile. "You have fulfilled your purpose. You brought them together, made them a family. Your time on Earth is complete."
A single tear slid down my face. "I'm not ready to leave them yet. Please. I want to get married, have kids. I want to live long enough to become a grandma. I want to be able to invite the Avengers to my graduation, my wedding. Everything. I need to go back. I'm not ready to check out." I beg. "I can't be dead. I just can't."
Daniel looks at the ceiling, and then returns his gaze to me. "It appears the 'Big Man' has agreed to your plead." he says with a chuckle. "Be warned: the return to your body won't be pleasant."
"Oh thank you! Thank you!" I exclaim and hug the man out of sheer joy.
He smiles. "Good luck Beth. Use this gift wisely. It's not every day a human has a god's blood in her system. You can do great things. Always remember that." he says and walks back to the door, turning the knob. He paused "Oh, and you might want to hold your breath." Daniel says and slips out of the room.
"Hold my br-Ahhrg!" I begin, but am overcome with the sensation of drowning, despite the lack of water in the room.
Another tree fell down, smoldering from the repeated strikes of lightning inflicted upon its trunk. Thor turned and sent his hammer careening into the tree behind him, knocking it over with one blow.
He strode over to another tree, and began punching it, over and over, his knuckles shredding, until it fell over as well.
He sunk to his knees, just like Steve, and began sobbing, very uncharacteristic of the god of thunder. By now his rage had caused a thunderstorm, and rain was pouring from the sky. Thor looked at the violent clouds above.
"I am sorry! BETH! Can you hear me? I AM SORRY!" He bellowed, and began beating the ground into a muddy slush. "If I could turn backwards the clock, I would..." He whispered.
He lifted his head at the sound of rockets in the distance. A flying light was coming towards him. As it got closer, Thor saw that it was Tony. He landed and walked over to the thunder god.
"Thor. Please come back with us. It's better to grieve together than alone. Trust me; I don't want to make that mistake twice." He said, and offered his hand. Thor took it and stood up.
Just as they were about to fly away, Thor asked Tony "How did you find me? I am in the center of a forest..."
Tony chuckled. "I saw a ton of trees randomly falling and multiple lightning strikes right here. Best place to find a god of thunder as any." He replied, and with that they took to the sky.
I felt like I was stuck under a rushing river, but there wasn't any water and I wasn't getting wet. My lungs felt like a giant hand was squeezing them really tight. I couldn't see anything. I was stuck in a void. Should've heeded Daniel's warning...I thought through the feeling of suffocation. How long have I been like this? Just when I thought I was about to die-again-I landed with a thud on some hard surface.
I sucked in a giant breath and opened my eyes to see the hospital room. It was terribly bright after all the darkness I was just in. I squinted under the harsh light. "Wha...?" Was all I managed to get out.
"Beth? BETH!" Steve shouted. "Dr. Tanner! Beth's alive! She's alive!" Steve yelled and ran over to me. He crushed me in a hug.
Clint ran over and practically shoved Steve out of the way. "Beth! I can't believe it!" He exclaimed and hugged me as tight as Steve.
I tried to sit up and process my trip back into my body. "What happened? How long was I gone?" I ask as I rub my face and throw my legs over the side of the bed, not quite ready to walk yet.
Bruce walked over and hugged me as well. "About 45 minutes. I don't believe it." He replied with a shake of his head, examining me in that doctor way. "How do you feel?...Wait, what a stupid question..."
"Okay, I guess. I feel like I just came up for air after being underwater for a really long time...but I'm fine." I answered, looking around the room in a quite bewildered way.
Natasha was the last to hug me. "That better be the last time you pull a stunt like that..." She said and squeezed me tightly.
"No way I was in that room for 45 minutes..." I muse.
"Uh, what room?" Bruce asked.
I looked at him. "It might be best to explain later...it's kind of a weird story."
Tony walked in, took one look at me, at the others, and then grabbed me in a hug. "I can't believe you're alive..." He whispered. He let go after a moment.
"Me neither." I joke.
Thor burst through the door. Almost immediately he practically tackled me and spun me around and around, crushing me in the tightest hug I ever experienced. "I thought you dead. Can you begin to forgive me?" He asked, nearly squeezing the breath out if me.
"Of course big guy." I replied, my face pressed against of the silver plates of his armor.
"Praise the gods for bringing you back!" He exclaimed as he set me down.
"More like praise One..." I said. "I suppose that brings me to how I came back from the dead..." I say.
"So, to recap, you died, went to a kind of between death-and-heaven room where you were cured and everything was perfect and white, talked to your Guardian Angel named Daniel, ate some heaven bacon, and then begged to come back, so the Guy Upstairs sent you back down here to Earth?" Tony summarized, after I had recounted my journey up and back and was deemed virus-free by Dr. Tanner.
"Pretty much." I reply.
"How good was the angel bacon?" Clint asked.
"Daniel said it was heavenly, and I completely agree. Best bacon I have ever had." I answer.
Thor suddenly stood up. "I must apologize to Bruce." He announced and turned to him. "Dear friend Bruce, I am truly sorry for lashing out at you so." He apologized and hung his head.
"It's alright. If I remember correctly, I did the same to you once." He replied, a smile in his face. "Consider us even."
Thor smiled. "Even, my comrade." He agreed, and clapped Bruce on the shoulder.
"Oh. I almost forgot." I suddenly said as something the angel told me popped into my head. "If I remember correctly, he said that it wasn't everyday a human has a god's blood inside her, and that I needed to use my gift wisely. That I can do great things and that I always needed to remember that. What do you think he meant?"
Everyone mulled that over for a few moments. Thor was the first to speak. "Never in the history of the Nine Realms has a mortal obtained Asgardian blood. Perhaps you have gained some attributes of Asgard that mortals do not share."
"You mean like having super-strength or magical powers and stuff?" I ask, not believing my ears.
Thor shrugged. "It is possible. You can already wield Mjolnir; you may also be able to command lightning."
"That's so cool!" I exclaim. "Can I go try my hand at being a thunder goddess?" I suggest and jump out of bed.
Thor laughed his booming laugh. "I need remind you that you are not Asgardian by birth, so you may not be as powerful as you wish."
"I don't care! This is awesome!" I shout.
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