.

"My best friend would've been a treasured memory."

.

In possession of Loki's Scepter, the Avengers got on board of the Quinjet, and Tony took off immediately. Flying at mach-8, they would be back to the Tower very soon.

Worried, both Steve and Natasha went to check on Clint, who was immobilized on a stretcher, under sedation. After the basic report, the soldier and the spy stood side by side, without saying anything.

Back on the astral plane, Natasha was finally seeing her other self. Fighting against her pain, she straightened up and concentrated a little harder. After a while she got the answer she wasn't sure she wanted.

"It's like you said. Autopilot. I can see her thoughts too, and she sounds like me," she confirmed somewhat annoyed. "So what does that make of us? Shadows?"

"We don't know anything for sure," Steve pondered, trying to ease her worries. "But it means you're not a product of my imagination."

However, she was truly upset, "I can't read anyone else. Can you?"

"No, just me… him," he answered, observing attentively the duo's interaction. "But there's something wrong. His feelings are a little… confusing… I'm not sure that's the right word," he shook his head.

After pausing for a moment, she agreed. "Yeah. They look… uncomfortable. Besides, they're not talking to each other. Not like we usually do."

Realization hit him, and he nodded disappointedly, "No… they're not. Why?"

"She's out of focus, as if she's missing something…"

"That's it!" he exclaimed, turning to her, "Do you think they're missing us?"

"Maybe," still distressed, she just rolled her eyes. "Whatever we are."

Looking back to the transparent wall, he continued his pondering. "His thoughts remain coherent, though. The priority is to take care of Clint – and secure the scepter. But he's worried about her too. He thinks that she may be feeling guilty about Clint being wounded." Frowning instantly, he turned to her, and asked, "Are you?"

Natasha answered dryly, "Of course I am."

"None of that's your fault, Nat," Steve reassured confidently, "And Clint will be fine."

"Until the next time." The look on her face was one of deep remorse and concern, as she confessed, "I should've asked Hulk to deal with that bunker in the first place, so none of that would have happened."

"Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere, unfortunately."

"Says the man with plans and backup plans," she replied blankly.

"That's non sense. No one could've predicted that."

"She's definitely feeling responsible, and if he thought about this…" raising her eyebrows, she continued, "You're blaming me too."

"You know I'm not. And he's not blaming anyone either. He wants to talk to her…" Steve spoke firmly, pointing to the wall, but after a moment, he was nothing but disappointed, "I just don't understand why he doesn't."

Averting her eyes, she replied, "Well, the fact is that her partner got hurt – she failed."

"Both versions of you are stubborn. That's a nightmare," he sighed, but his smile was sweet and sincere, showing that he was trying his best to make her feel better.

It worked a bit, and she gave him a small bump with her shoulder, before saying, "No rest for the wicked. She's gonna take care of her other assignment."

Another thing that Bruce and Hulk had in common, apart from their hate for each other, was to be really troubled after a transformation. The big guy would simply unleash his anger – exactly what was expected from him. But the shy doctor would need a lot more effort to try to rest and relax, while haunted by the fear of having caused more damage than good.

On board of the Quinjet, he was listening to classical music when Natasha approached to check on him, saying, "The lullaby worked better than ever."

"Just wasn't expecting the code-green," Bruce replied, visibly ashamed.

"If you hadn't been there, there would've been double casualties." Always a master at masking her true emotions, she replied almost impassively, "My best friend would've been a treasured memory."

That justification didn't comfort him, as he tried to explain, "You know, sometimes exactly what I want to hear isn't exactly what I want to hear."

Bruce's doubts and hesitation only meant that Natasha had failed him too. Hiding her own disappointment, she asked, "How long before you trust me?"

The fear reflected in his voice matched the deep sadness in his face, as he answered, "It's not you I don't trust."

Knowing that her words wouldn't be enough, Natasha sought for support from her other teammate. "Thor, report on the Hulk?"

"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims," the god of Thunder answered with pride, but his words hit Bruce even harder. The Asgardian's tactlessness also left both Steve and Natasha speechless, and they opened their mouths in disbelief. When he realized his mistake, Thor tried to make amends, "But, not the screams of the dead, of course, no, wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and… gout."

Nonetheless, the damage was already done, and the doctor kept his face buried in his hands, absolutely mortified.

From the cockpit, Tony called his attention, "Hey Banner, Dr. Cho is on her way in from Seoul. Is it okay if she sets up in your lab?"

"Uh, yeah, she knows her way around," Bruce answered.

"Thanks," Tony replied, before talking back to JARVIS, "Tell her to prep everything, Barton's gonna need the full treatment."

"Very good, sir," the A.I. replied promptly.

"JARVIS, take the wheel."

"Yes, sir. Approach vector is locked."

Deep inside, Tony was also troubled about what could've happened, and couldn't stop thinking about the apocalyptic vision. Nonetheless, he approached Steve and Thor without sharing his fears. Instead, he praised their successful mission of retrieving Loki's Scepter.

"Feels good, yeah? I mean, you've been after this thing ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but…"

Thor replied with satisfaction, "No, but this, this brings it to a close."

"As soon as we find out what else this has been used for. I don't just mean weapons," Steve spoke, still preoccupied with what he saw in the fortress. "Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"

"Banner and I will give it the look before it goes back to Asgard. Is that cool with you?" Tony asked Thor, and invited, "I mean, just a few days until the farewell party. You're staying, right?"

The Asgardian Prince wouldn't reject a celebration, "Yes, yes, of course. Victory should be honored with revels."

"Yeah. Who doesn't love revels?" Tony continued, "Captain?"

Steve agreed with a shy smile, "Hopefully, this puts an end to the Chitauri and Hydra. So, yes, revels."

Through the transparent wall, they were still trying to understand the complex situation, and Natasha was feeling down.

"Clint's hurt, Bruce doesn't trust her, and Cap doesn't talk to her. Couldn't be better."

"Nat, please…"

"See? Since when do I whine this much? This can't be real."

Patting her shoulder gently, Steve offered his support, "I'm frustrated too. But we'll figure this out, okay? We always do."

"I don't like being trapped," she admitted, "Especially outside my own body."

"Me neither. This place is messing with us."

Just by the sound of his voice, she knew how defeated he felt too. "I think you're right," she laid back on the couch, resting her head on his shoulder, seeking for some familiar comfort for them both.

After a while, he complimented, "You're doing a great job with Bruce, giving him confidence, helping him to understand how the Hulk is important for the team. It kept us safe on many occasions."

Still uneasy, she replied with shame, "Hulk trusts me, but Bruce doesn't. Guess who's smarter?"

"That's not fair. Bruce is a troubled soul. You need to give him some time."

"We don't have time for mistakes when lives are at stake."

Despite the accuracy of her arguments, Steve would never quit. "It doesn't mean you failed. And I'm sure Clint doesn't blame you either."

"Clint has a lot of important things on his mind. I can assure you that I'm not his concern, nor should I be. I'm his partner – my job is to watch his back."

"That's what you did. You took care of him, like you always do, for us all."

"You're a good man, Steve. Clint and I are the same. Spies don't trust everyone, and that's why I shouldn't let him down."

His answer took her by surprise. "You're my best partner, Nat… and my friend."

Shaking her head, she looked down, "Told you, you might be in the wrong business."

"Maybe I am," he spoke with honest determination, "But that's my choice."

Quickly changing the focus from herself, she asked, "How about Thor? You two have been bonding lately."

"We're both soldiers, commanders who faced war. And he's a fish out of water too, so it's easy for me to relate. But let's face it; he's an alien and a Prince. I'm only his strongest mortal teammate."

"And Sam?"

"He's a great guy, also a soldier. But I'm always Captain America for him. As much as he tries to connect with the man, he respects the hero too much."

"And I don't?" she replied before thinking, turning back to look at him.

"You always treated me like an equal, Nat. You never idolized me, or feared me," he answered straightforwardly, "And you beat the crap out of me, any chance you have."

That was the most amazing thing he had ever said to her, and he had told her great things. Because Natasha felt the exactly same way – Steve had been the one who had always treated her with respected but not fear… and never as an object. Even so, she remained on top of her game, and teased him, "So I drive you crazy and you like it?"

He gave her a small laugh, "You make me feel normal. A fool, yes, so many times. But human… like Bucky did."

Touched by the melancholy in his voice, she replied with understanding, "You miss him."

"I've known him all my life. And now he's running from me."

Although they've shared a lot, over the past years, Natasha didn't feel that she deserved this place in Steve's life… his friendship… him. He was too loyal and noble for someone like her. It was too much of a burden to think that she would fail him, sooner or later.

Trying to keep him at a distance, she sounded unaffected, "And you got stuck with me. Tough times."

"I trust you. That's not gonna change," with those simple words, he broke through her last walls, just by being him.

Staring at him with her unmasked eyes, she felt exposed and yet safe - as only he could make her feel. "You shouldn't," she murmured, "You'll be disappointed."

Once again, he opened his warm smile that would melt even the coldest heart. "Well, that's also my choice, right?"

She couldn't help but smile, and he gazed at her for a moment, before continuing, "I don't know what's real or not here, and I'm still feeling hurt, tired. But what I know is that it has been a long time since I had someone I could trust and talk to… like you. So, I'm not going anywhere."

"Not that we actually can." Despite the teasing words, her voice was somehow soft.

"See? You don't cut me any slack!" he smiled shyly, letting his head fall on the couch.

"And you like it."

.

Ref: Cartoons: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes 1x08 (2010) "Some Assembly Required" – [Tony] The quinjets. Weapons, shields, and an airspeed of Mach-8.