It was a day of rest, one where the clouds were spread across the sky and the air was cool with winds that blew in gentle, scattered breezes. The occasional melodies of songbirds broke through the silence of a morning of mist as dewdrops clung to the blades of grass, their efforts in vain as the sun rose slowly, higher with every minute past. Small ripples disturbed the surface of the glass lake and it's waters changed color with the heavens from a deep peach to a soft blue. Truly was it such a beautiful day that it seemed as if the world was giving it's own heartfelt gratitude, the ways of nature expressing Earth's regards for the solemn occasion that began to take place that morning.

All the heroes had come together to honor Nebula and Nyla-Rose's sacrifice and they lined up on either side of the Benatar's ramp, creating a path to the mouth as the Guardians marched slowly down the walk.

Tony and Rocket had built a coffin for her. A simple, dark blue box with purple and silver undertones that Gamora, who upon her sister's death was determined to stay with the Guardians as Nebula had, quietly approved. It couldn't have made Quill happier, but Rocket knew it wouldn't be easy making the assassin fall in love with him all over again. As they embarked upon the ship, a few of the heroes began to quietly disperse, gratitude deep in their hearts for the unearthly being that had given her life for them.

Quill and Rocket stayed behind to address the team while the others laid Nebula's coffin on a plank within the ship's interior. Pepper gave Tony a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving him with his team.

"Well, uh..." Rocket sniffed, "it was good...good workin' with you guys."

"You, too, Ratchet."

"Funny, genius."

"And about Nyla-Rose," at the mention of her name, Natasha and Tony looked at each other, "I really am sorry. Rocket told me what happened and uh, well, the Gamora in there..." Quill trailed off.

"We know," Natasha said, offering him a watery smile and wiping away the tears that began to gather in the corner of her eyes.

Bruce reached down to shake Rocket's paw and as Mantis and Drax joined them in bidding their goodbyes, Gamora hesitantly walked down the ramp. Quill paused in the middle of punching Tony in the shoulder and his eyes lit up. She looked at him uncertainly before directly addressing the heroes.

"My sister spent most of her life trying to please our father. But this...future version of her...finally understood the way he was. The way I...had always seen him. Thanos was a monster and Nebula—" Gamora broke off with a sudden intake of breath before steadily composing herself. "She suffered the most. She did the one thing I was never brave enough to do. Remember her."

She looked each person in the eyes, her face betraying no emotion, before turning to walk into the ship, having no more words for them. Mantis bowed her head in Natasha's direction before following Gamora and Drax.

"I am Groot," Groot said warmly and Steve smiled at him. The Avengers stood in Tony's backyard and watched the Benatar ascend into the sky in silence.

"Ya know," Tony said suddenly, "she liked paper football."

"Nebula?" Steve's tone was incredulous.

"She was always scary quiet to me," Bruce chimed in.

"She actually had quite the sense of humor. Totally dry and only a tiny bit sadistic, but..." Tony paused, a soft smile crossing his features, "she was all I had up there."

They peered up at the empty blue for a few more minutes. Nebula might not have been as close to any of them as she was the Guardians, but they'd never forget her. Natasha knew from the way she spoke of Thanos that her taking on the gauntlet to be rid of him and his army wasn't so much of a saving the world type of thing. She didn't think it was about Tony, either.

Nebula had done it for herself.

For the years of torture she had endured at the hands of the Mad Titan, for turning her against her sister and forcing her into competitive battles she could never win, for replacing parts of her body with machinery in attempt to "perfect" her and then, for sacrificing the one true person that loved her.

"I was never good enough," Natasha had remembered Nebula telling her one night after a particularly long day of stone-searching, "and for that, I hated him. I hated my sister. But..." Nebula looked away, "she's gone. And he was the one who did it."

Nebula had finally won and with the victory of all came the heartwarming moments of joyous reunions.

Clint was standing beside the river and talking with the Maximoff twins who had never left each other's side since being reunited. Bucky and Sam were on the porch eyeing each other in vague annoyance as Steve pulled them both into a fierce hug. The Van Dyne's watching, one with a smile and one with a slight grimace, as Scott and Hope shared a kiss before grinning as though there was no one else in the world but them. A smiling Tony held Pepper close while Thor stood nearby, Morgan giggling in his arms.

Tony looked up just then, meeting Natasha's eye and a collective sadness bore down upon them in that moment for they both truly lost more than they had expected to.

He jogged down the steps to stand beside the assassin.

She observed him up close minutely, the telltale signs of wrinkles and weariness folded into his face. What she didn't realize was he was the doing the exact same thing, picking out the faded look of her usually sharp green eyes and the pinched corners of her mouth that seemed to turn down of its own accord. Their youth had long abandoned them, leaving behind the ache deep in their bones and the want for peace that had, at last, come.

"I know I never really got around to saying it, but...I'm sorry, Tony," Natasha said, causing him to scoff.

She grinned.

"That's the past, Romanoff," he looked her in the eye, "and as much as we want to, we can't change the past. You did what you had to and I have no cause to complain because, well, you did a pretty damn good job of raising my sister to be the hero she is."

"Just following in her brother's footsteps."

Tony gave her a smirk before it faded into a serious expression that she had only a fleeting moment to see when he gathered her up in a hug. She hesitated for a second before wrapping her arms around him, warm tears welling in her eyes for the millionth time that day and spilling onto his suit as they stood in a long embrace that was their way of conveying how much they cared for each other, how their hearts ached as one for someone they could not bring back.

"Don't be a stranger, Natasha. I mean it," he said in a warning tone that made her laugh as she pulled away to look at him.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Stark."

She found herself in the little alcove off the living room later on, standing in front of a table with Nyla-Rose's picture on it surrounded by a few candles and among a few tokens and teddy bears, a small bouquet of lilies: her favorite flower.

The gesture made her smile.

"You okay?"

The blonde superhero that had been hiding in the shadows slowly walked up to Natasha's side.

"I don't know."

Carol stared at the photo of her former girlfriend.

When the battle had ended, the news of Nyla-Rose's sacrifice felt like a punch to the stomach. She had hugged Natasha for what seemed like hours in the middle of a corpse-littered battlefield and only in the privacy of the room Pepper had offered her did she cry into her pillow, her heart aching for her lover.

In the time they'd spent together before beginning a relationship, Carol remembered being hesitant to approach Nyla-Rose.

She'd been the first one to address her and the only one brave enough to ask of her whereabouts over the course of many other global disasters that she'd learned she could have been present at if only Nick had paged her. But, she learned Nyla-Rose was more than just their first interaction. She was outspoken and a very driven person that was passionate about her goals. She was caring, courageous and an absolute goofball. Nyla-Rose became Carol's safe haven and with her gone, she felt a little empty on the inside.

Natasha gave her a hug before leaving her, the person of which she ventured off to find sitting on the front stairs by himself, his curls blowing in the gentle wind. It wouldn't have felt right not having him there and so she talked to Tony, who wholeheartedly agreed, before she reached out and delivered the sorrowful news to the young man. Natasha knew how important he was to Nyla-Rose and vice versa, but he'd still taken care to hide behind everyone else, believing he had no right to be there.

The heroes had gladly welcomed him afterwards and she was hoping he'd be fine by himself for a bit. She sat beside him and together, they looked out at the river in silence with a soft sniff being emitted here and there.

"She loved you," Natasha said. "you were the only friend she had."

Tobias looked at her with a half smile, his cheeks wet and his eyes puffy with glistening tears.

"That's what she gets for being so antisocial." He wiped his face. "You were her hero, ya know."

At Natasha's surprised expression, the young man nodded in understanding.

"She had panic attacks. For two whole years, she'd call me up in the middle of the night, crying into the phone about how she didn't want to see the things she did when she closed her eyes."

Natasha felt a lump grow in her throat at every word he spoke, but he was too far gone into the memories of his best friend to notice.

"She counted...took deep breaths," he paused, side eyeing the assassin before continuing, "and she always said she was trying to be strong. Even on her worst days, she'd say it. That she would keep going, just like you. That she would be brave."

Tobias let out a long sigh before turning back to the river.

"I'm really gonna miss her."

Natasha nodded, the hole in her heart aching painfully.

"Me too."

—————

When the house finally fell silent, most of it's occupants gone and it's youngest asleep, Natasha was on the porch with Steve and Tony as Thor piled into the pickup truck Bruce and Rocket had taken to New Asgard with Valkyrie at the wheel, Carol standing at the bottom of the stairs preparing for her own departure.

"Farewell, my friends! We shall meet each other again!" Thor waved furiously as the truck rattled down the drive and out of sight with dust trails following.

"Be safe out there," Steve said to Carol as she pinched at the neck of her suit. She gave him a nod.

"Any chance of seeing you again?"

Carol looked around before turning to Nat with a sad smile.

"Maybe."

With that being her answer and a final wink, she kicked off from the ground and disappeared, a cloud of dust and a bouquet of lilies being the only things she would leave behind. It would be awhile before she came back to Earth and only when they needed her.

"Hey, Steve?" Bruce poked his head out the door. "You still wanna go over that thing we were talking about earlier?"

"Duty calls," he nodded at them before disappearing into the house.

Natasha sighed as she and Tony sat on the porch swing.

The sun was sinking lower in the sky and the clouds formed into peach-colored streaks, stretching as far as the eye could see.

She didn't know what to think.

The little girl she'd been sent to rescue had grown into a hero of her own, capable of anything she set her mind to. She'd been there every moment of her life and celebrated all the milestones that came with childhood—or, at least, as normal a childhood as she could give her. The birthdays, the first bicycle ride, the first dip in the pool. Natasha had been present in Nyla-Rose's life since the start and she had been there until the end. An early end of which none of them could have seen coming. She missed her more than anything in the world and she knew the ache to have her back would never go away, but what she also knew was that Nyla-Rose wouldn't want her to be mourning for the rest of her life. That wasn't what she'd done it for.

The sacrifice was made so everyone would be reunited.

The happy ending.

What a mother would want for her daughter.

She traced the little white scar on the back of her hand when Tony gently took it in his, making her look up. Natasha simply smiled and they watched together as the sun set on a day full of shared love, hope and a deeply infinite gratitude.