A/N: Thanks so much for my new followers and all of the new reviews. You guys all rock. I love your love. Disclaimer: I can neither confirm nor deny that I own the Avengers, but mostly I deny it.

"No. No," Steve repeated while shaking his head. "This can't be it. There's something else, something more."

They had spent the last half hour combing the area, but they couldn't find anything else. There was no trail to follow, no new leads to find. The clues were gone…Sam was gone.

Just then Tony's suit pinged. JARVIS spoke to Tony for a second, before Tony relayed the information to the rest. "JARVIS went through all of the phone records in the past area. Sam's phone may not be working, but there was a hit for a cell phone from where the gun-"

"Where is it now," Steve snapped.

"Downloading the coordinates now, it shouldn't be too long," Tony said.

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"If you don't mind me asking, how long are you planning on dragging this out," the man asked. "I had hoped to take care of other business this evening."

"Please don't inconvenience yourself on my behalf," Sam said through gritted teeth. She wasn't sure how long they had been here: hours….days? She couldn't even tell how long she had been awake for. Time did not exist here; pain did.

Sam was doing her best to hang on. She wasn't expecting someone to come save her, but she could not stand the thought of giving in; she was far too stubborn for that. If it was the last thing she could do in this world, she would spite him.

"Oh, it is not a problem at all. I consider it a wise investment," the man said with an eerie smile. Everything about him made chills run down Sam's spine.

"Why Samantha, are these Captain America themed nails," he asked while looking at her hand. Her nails were royal blue with a white star in the center. Amber had painted them herself. "How sweet of you. I wonder what he'll do, once he realizes where you are…"

"If he ever found out, or any of the Avengers, I would not want to be you," Sam told him in as firm as a voice as she could manage.

She didn't think the Avengers would let her disappearance slide, and she knew they would figure it out. They were a strong team; when they came for him, he would stand no chance. It was almost a comforting thought, to know that karma would win in the end.

"You think they will find me, don't you," he asked with a smile. "Let's give them something to avenge, shall we?" She felt him grab her left ring finger between his, and then a cruel twist with a resounding crack.

The pain shot up her arm, but she was so used to pain in this short amount of time that at this point it felt like the familiar touch of a friend. If she closed her eyes she could imagine that she was somewhere far away from here. So she thought of Steve, of the times where she fell asleep curled up against him while watching a movie, or when they had strolled hand in hand through the park. She smiled at the memories as a small tear rolled down her cheek.

Oh, Steve, I'm so sorry.

She knew what she was apologizing for. She was asking for forgiveness for what she had done, what she might need to do. Sam hoped that Steve could not stay mad at her.

"You smile," he mused. He sounded thoughtful, but there was an undercurrent there. Something that Sam chose to not read into.

"Yes, I do," Sam replied simply.

"And would you care to tell me why," he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I don't think I will," she replied. She wasn't sure that she could explain it. She just knew that whatever happened, wherever she went after this, it would not be as painful as his end would be. It was an odd sort of comfort.

The man shrugged and grabbed a scalpel from the side table. "I wonder, how quickly do you think you heal?" He slid the scalpel across her arm. Compared to her fingers, she didn't feel very much at all. There was the coolness of the steel, and a slight tugging sensation. Then warmth seeped over her arms. As far as torture went, he seemed to be back tracking.

In the next minute she figured out why it had to be this. The blood loss was going to her head. She felt light headed, and her thoughts became more sluggish. She wondered if this was it. Was this the end? Her eyelids felt so heavy. They tugged down at her vision, and she finally let them close. It felt so much better. It was almost like going to sleep.

With her eyes closed she could focus on an image of Steve so much better. It was blurry, but it was him. She could almost hear his voice. In fact, if she focused she could hear him say her name…and gun shots. She frowned. In her last moments, she wanted to hear Steve, not this.

The annoying noise got louder and louder, and it tugged on her consciousness. All she wanted to do was sink into the comfort of the blackness. When she couldn't take it anymore she slowly opened her eyes. She saw the man's lips moving, but she couldn't process the words. He was scrambling around faster than she could really follow. She only realized he had left the room when he was gone.

This was fine with Sam. She could close her eyes once again.

"Sam," she heard someone yell down the hallway. She knew the voice. Odd, she thought. His voice seemed so much closer now. It was just enough to make her curious. She kept her eyes open, trying to turn her head to the side so she could see the door.

The door burst open, and she saw a red, white and blue blurry image. It walked towards her immediately. She smiled, her captain was here. She could feel him moving around her, taking off the restraints. He was talking, but the words were a jumbled mess; she couldn't make anything out, but just hearing his voice was enough to make her smile.

Steve reached out and cupped her face with his hand. She tried to focus on the words he was saying. "Sam, Samantha? Are you okay? I'm going to get you out of here," he said urgently. She could hear the worry in his voice, the pain, but she didn't understand it. It was all okay now. The Avengers were there.

He gently scooped her up into his arms, and she heard him say "I found her". Well, that made no sense. Sam knew he found her. Oh wait, was that an earpiece? Sam's mind just wanted sleep. They were moving down a hallway now. From her position in Steve's arm she watched the ceiling overhead. It reminded her of a hospital.

She looked down at herself. There was blood all over. She frowned; she had probably gotten blood all over, including on Steve's suit. From what she could see, there were little red smudges across the front of it. She felt bad. His suit shouldn't get dirty because of her. Then again, she had a lot to be sorry about for him.

"Steve," she whispered. Her voice was horribly quiet. Somehow, he heard her. He looked down at her. "Steve, I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry over. Just hang in there okay, Sam? Sam? You need to wake up," Steve said urgently. She felt him trying to keep her awake, but it was so hard. She had gotten her chance to say sorry, and he had forgiven her. Her conscience was clear. She didn't need to hang on anymore. So Sam let go.

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Sam was falling, falling. In the back of her mind she remembered Alice in Wonderland, where she tumbles through the rabbit hole. She knew she should be afraid of the landing, but in this moment she felt happiness. Then she realized that all of her pain was gone. It was an amazing feeling.

She saw the ground coming forward to meet her, but she slowed down until she lightly touched down with her feet. It was a graceful landing. The ground was odd, though. It looked like a grassy field, but the grass itself was a dark purple. She was standing under a giant tree, bigger than the Sequoias she had seen as a child. There were stars surrounding her in a spectacular view, and three moons. That couldn't be right.

"Oh, it's right," a woman's voice said behind her. Sam spun around to face the woman, ready to attack, but the woman looked so serene she couldn't imagine her a threat. She had dark black hair that flowed to her waist, and was dressed in white robes. Her face looked very kind, and she didn't look older than her twenties.

"Who are you," Sam asked her.

"That isn't important to you," the woman responded. Sam frowned; she was getting tired of that answer. The woman laughed in response. "I'm sorry. Not all questions have answers. I'm more concerned about why you are here."

"Where is here," Sam asked.

"Ah, it is the 'in-between' as some call it. A place to pass through," the woman said. Her voice was melodic. "It is where some end up, now and again, when they lose their way. How did you lose your way?"

"I don't know," Sam answered thoughtfully. "I've been lost for a while, I think. Then I died."

"I do not think that was meant to happen," the woman said while staring up at the tree. Sam joined her in looking up at the tree. It stretched so tall that Sam could not see the highest branches.

"Do you know what this tree is," the woman asked her. Sam simply shook her head. "Some call it Yggdrasil, the world tree. It connects everything together."

"So why am I here," Sam asked.

"You are being given a choice," the woman replied. "You were not meant to be here; if you wish, you may go back now."

"You mean, I have a second chance," Sam asked. She had fully turned to look at the woman now. "Why?"

"Sometimes, things come to pass that were not meant to happen," the woman said slowly. "Balance must be reached. You have worked to maintain that balance. Should you choose to go back, you can continue your work."

So that was the catch. She would have to go back, continue risking her life to save people. Did she want that to be the rest of her life? She saw the faces of people she knew in her mind: Amber, her parents, Steve, the rest of the Avengers. Were the happy moments worth all of the sadness?

"Yes," Sam said. "I've decided. I'm going home." As soon as she said the words, a wind picked up around her. It whipped at her hair and tore at her clothes, but did not affect the other woman or the tree. The grass around her swirled in a circle, but otherwise was still.

She could almost see the air churning around her, but through the wall of wind she could make out the smiling woman as she walked back to the tree's trunk. She pressed her palm against it, glowed, and then the woman disappeared entirely. Sam blinked, and everything was gone.

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Sam gasped as she took in air. The room was bright, incredibly so. Would it kill someone to turn it down a bit? Her head felt like it had been stomped on, but other than the pounding headache she felt fine.

"Sam, can you hear me," a disembodied voice asked her. She smiled; she would listen to that voice any day.

"Of course I can," she responded as she turned her head. Steve was hovering nearby, staring at her while wringing his hands. She knew he looked upset, probably over what had happened to her. She knew she should feel guilty that it was her fault, but there he was, and here she was. She couldn't feel anything but happy when she was in the same room as him.

Her words caused him to have a relieved look wash over his features. He crossed the distance between them and gave her a gentle hug. Well, that wouldn't work. She hugged him back with as much force as she could muster, holding him tightly and not releasing.

"I am so sorry, Steve," she whispered into his ear.

"Just don't ever do that again," he responded.

"I promise," she said. She meant it.

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Epilogue:

"Scoot over," Amber complained. Sam rolled her eyes, but made room on the couch for her. Steve took the seat on the other side of her. They had both been impossible this last week. One of them was always with her. It drove her crazy in an endearing way.

There wasn't any sort of danger at this point. The man, Dr. Martins, was found a little after Sam was. He wasn't far away, only a few rooms down. Apparently the threat of the Avengers was very real for him. He had taken a cyanide capsule, died before anyone could find him. Sam shook her head a little to get the thoughts out. She wasn't supposed to be thinking of this anyway. Everyone had more or less grounded her to the tower ever since she got back.

"I don't think there has ever been a more perfect moment," Steve said to her as she leaned against him.

"I don't know, this moment isn't exactly perfect," Sam replied.

"What do you mean," Steve frowned.

"Well, there's one thing that I've been meaning to get off my chest," Sam said as she trailed off. "….I was behind the Captain Canada prank."

Steve just shook his head and laughed, as did Amber on the other side of her. Sam snuggled up against Steve's side. This was where she wanted to be.

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Sitting at the bottom of a post office box, a small blue envelope sat waiting. Inside, the "see you soon" card addressed to the Avengers tower was on its way. The card had gotten caught in a light drizzle, and the red ink was smudged, but not enough that you couldn't decipher the writing on the inside.

Don't you forget about me

Don't, don't, don't, don't

Don't you forget about me

THE END

A/N: This is it, guys. My first ever fanfic, completely finished. I can't believe it. Thank you so much to all of you who followed me chapter after chapter, and for those of you who recently joined. I have the first chapter for my next fanfiction, Bridges, already uploaded for those of you who would like to follow it. I will be making a sequel to Silver, but I think Sam has earned a vacation for a bit, don't you? I'll probably start it in a week or two, and to make it convenient for everyone I'll update a new chapter on this story with a link to the sequel. I hope you guys will check out Bridges; it mainly focuses on Thor and Loki (not a Thorki; you'll see when you read) and it has a character like Sam…sort of. Hopefully I managed to keep up the level of writing for this story, and I hope you guys will like Ria, my new OC. Anyways, until the next chapter for Sam, I'll see you then.