Summary: When Steve arrives at Vormir to return the last stone, he has a plan: he's getting Natasha back no matter what it costs him.

Steve blinked as he arrived on Vormir. It was his last stop in returning all the infinity stones and he'd purposely planned it that way. He'd decided before he even entered the time machine that he was getting Natasha back and he was willing to do whatever necessary. Clint hadn't told them much about what had happened other than the fact that Natasha had sacrificed herself to get the stone and he'd woken up at the bottom of the hill alone and with the stone. Steve looked up at the long climb ahead of him and took a deep breath before starting up the steep trail.

He wasn't sure if he was even going the right way, honestly. It was dark out and he could see two tall towers at the top of the mountain, so he just continued towards them. He figured they would lead him to the right place and if they didn't, he had all the time in the world to search Vormir for the right place.

At the top of the mountain, he paused to look around. It was absolutely deserted. He was pretty sure Clint had said something about a maniac meeting them but as far as Steve could tell, he was completely alone. At least, he was until a cloaked figure appeared in front of him.

"Steve Rogers," the figure said. Steve frowned at the familiar face, trying to see their face from under the cloak. "God's righteous man. You bring back the soul stone."

"Who are you?" Steve asked, refraining from reaching towards the stone he kept in his pocket. "Where's Natasha?"

"You cannot take her back," the figure growled, moving closer. Steve got a look under the hood and immediately recognised the red face of Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull. He took a step back in surprise and Schmidt grinned. "You know not the power these stones bring. You were not enough to kill me and you cannot do it now."

"I'm not here to kill you," Steve told him, clenching his fists. He looked past Schmidt at the tall towers. "Natasha. Where is she?"

"As I said, you cannot take her back," Schmidt said. He floated backward and Steve followed him. "She sacrificed herself for the stone you hold now. Her life cannot be returned."

"Bullshit!" Steve yelled, lunging for Schmidt. He floated out of Steve's reach and high enough Steve couldn't grab him. Steve glared at him fiercely. "You will bring back Natasha in exchange for the stone."

"The stones don't make bargains," Schmidt hissed. Steve clenched his fists so tight his nails broke the skin of his palms. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, but it didn't work.

"I don't want the stone," he told Schmidt, pulling it from his pocket. "I want Natasha."

"You should have thought about that earlier," Schmidt replied. Steve gripped the stone tightly and looked over the edge of the mountain. The drop was long and he nearly choked when he realised Natasha had fallen from there. Her body wasn't below, but he could vaguely see a dark stain he assumed was her blood.

Tears sprang into Steve's eyes as he listened to Schmidt tell him it was impossible. He couldn't have both and as long as the soul stone was in someone's possession, the sacrifice remained. Tears rushed down Steve's cheeks and he bit his lip to keep it from trembling. He couldn't go back without her. He wouldn't.

"Fuck," he screamed, throwing the stone with all his strength off the cliff. He fell to the ground as it fell down the chasm and dissolved into a sobbing mess. He looked up at the dark sky, considering throwing himself off the cliff as well when a strong force threw him back from the edge of the cliff. He rolled backward, blinking rapidly as a bright orange glow shot up from the bottom of the cliff. Before Steve could try and see what it was, the world went black.

He was only unconscious for a short period of time, he was sure of it. He groaned, tensing when he felt a weight on his chest. He blinked his eyes open and gasped when he realised Natasha was laying on top of him. There was blood in her red hair and she was covered in cuts and bruises, but Steve could hear her breathing and feel her pulse. He wanted to cry in relief, barely stopping himself from hugging her tightly in case she had internal injuries. He hurried to set both their time watches to the same setting and held onto her tightly as he pressed both of their watches.

"Steve!" Sam exclaimed as the time machine whirred to life and Steve appeared in front of them. He wasn't alone, though, and Sam paused when he saw Natasha unconscious in his arms.

Steve didn't explain anything before hurrying off the platform and running through the woods and to their car. He laid Natasha in the back seat and sped all the way into New York City. He found the hospital Tony had told them to go to if the Avengers medical was ever too far, screaming as he carried Natasha into the emergency room.

"I need medical now!" he yelled, getting everyone's attention. A gurney was immediately brought out and he laid her down, running with the doctors and nurses to the back. He struggled to explain what had happened, telling them she'd fallen over a cliff. A group of nurses stopped him from following Natasha further into the hospital and he punched a nearby wall.

"She'll be alright, Mr. Rogers," they assured him. They let him sit in the hallway outside of her operating room instead of escorting him back to the waiting room. One nurse stayed with him, sitting across from him in silence. Neither of them talked during all the hours Natasha's surgery took. Steve was beginning to drift off to sleep after hour 35 but woke up abruptly when the doors to the operating room opened.

"What happened?" he asked, jumping to his feet as Natasha was rolled out on a gurney. She was covered in bandages and hooked up to more machines than Steve cared to count, but she was still breathing.

"She's unstable," a doctor explained, letting Steve fall into step with him. "She had a lot of internal damage and a major bleed in her brain, but we did our best to fix it. She'll have to remain in the ICU until we can be certain she'll make it, but you have to understand her odds of survival aren't very high right now."

"As long as you continue to do your best, she'll be fine," Steve said. The doctor didn't respond, guiding the team into an ICU room and stopping Steve. He watched from outside the glass as they set Natasha up in the room then left. He stared at her until a nurse appeared behind him to let him know the rest of the team had been waiting for the past 34 hours for an update. He nodded and followed her numbly to where the team was waiting.

The first one to approach him was an anxious Clint. When Steve told him what the doctor's had said, he seemed more hopeful than Steve had expected. The rest of the team seemed wary, not wanting to get their hopes up, but they all agreed to go with Steve to see her. They stood outside her room in silence, watching as her chest rose up and down. It wasn't obvious, but if they watched closely, they could be certain she was still breathing and that was enough for now.

* * *

It took nearly four months before Natasha was stable enough to move to a regular room. Steve rarely left the hospital, using their showers and keeping a variety of clothes in a duffel by her bed. When she had been in ICU, he'd only left to sleep and change, spending most of the day to stand or sit outside her room in case something happened. Clint was just about the same, but he had a family to be with so Steve kept him thoroughly updated. The rest of the team stopped by often, especially once she'd been moved and they could be in the room with her. Sam would come and sit across from Steve, talking as if Natasha wasn't in a coma and struggling for her life. Wanda would talk to her in Russian, telling her all about her new job and how Carol Danvers was helping her train. Rhodey would come by with Morgan who loved telling her Auntie Nat about daycare and how she was going to be the next Iron Man. Rhodey had to tell Pepper after Morgan told Natasha she had discovered her dad's suit and was using the helmet and gauntlets for practice. Steve was the only one who stayed constantly, reading beside her bed and telling her about the weather outside her window.

After another four months, the doctors announced she should wake up soon. She would be mostly fine except for not being able to fight anymore. The damage to her spine from the fall had been bad and she would likely have major back problems as she got older, possibly becoming paralysed by the time she was 70 years old. The team had waved them away, though. She would survive and that was enough. Besides, everyone else had pretty much retired from avenging and they were sure she'd want to be done too.

"It's raining, you know," Steve murmured, staring out the window as he held her hand. "I know I told you that an hour ago, but you always liked the rain. I never really understood why, you know? You told me once, but it didn't really make sense and in all honesty, I was a little distracted." He chuckled to himself and looked down at her. The stitches had long since been removed from her head along with the bandages. Her hair was almost at her hips by now, but Steve didn't want to cut it without her permission. The bruises had disappeared and the only hint that she'd fallen over a cliff were the scars left behind from the surgeries she'd needed to fix the broken bones and internal bleeding.

Steve sighed and stood up to go to the bathroom. He kissed her forehead and let go of her hand, turning to leave the room when he heard a low moan. He stopped and spun around, eyes wide as he turned to see Natasha blinking. She tried to move her arms, struggling after nine months of not moving. Steve hurried to her side, pressing the call button for a nurse and calming her down as she tried to remove the tube from her throat. The nurses rushed in and removed it for her, asking her questions and making her more confused than she already was.

"Steve?" she whispered, her voice hoarse. Her hand twitched towards him and he clutched it, appearing above her instead of the nurses. "Thanos." She coughed and a nurse brought her some water, helping her drink it as Steve explained what had happened. He told her about Tony as the nurses left and she cried. He promised he'd said a proper goodbye to him for her and that as soon as she was able, he'd take her to Tony's grave. He explained how he'd destroyed the stone and woken up to find her, how it had been nine months, and how the team was going to be so thrilled to see her.

"I know you probably don't want the whole team right away, but I have to tell Clint," he said. Natasha nodded and Steve called Clint, crying happily as he told him Natasha had woken up. Clint arrived an hour later with his entire family and hugged her for a full minute. The kids had swarmed her right after and Laura followed, whispering a 'thanks' so only she could hear. Natasha just smiled and nodded in return.

* * *

After another month at the hospital with constant physical therapy, Natasha was able to go home. She was still doing therapy, but she could use her arms to lift light things and walk short distances. Steve took her to every physical therapy appointment and helped her with her therapy at home. He'd found a house in a quiet suburb just outside of the city for them and even though he'd never officially asked Natasha to move in with him, she had. All her things were in his room and they slept in the same bed without hesitation. No one had asked them about it yet, but Steve was pretty sure Bucky and Sam were about to if their not-so-sly looks were anything to go by.

"Steve?" Natasha asked, looking up from where she was stretching in the living room. He looked up from his book and smiled at her. She paused her stretching and asked, "Are you ever going to officially ask me out or do I have to do it?" Steve blinked and she smirked at him.

"If you must know," Steve said. "I was planning on forgoing all the formalities and just asking you to marry me next week." Now it was Natasha's turn to blink in surprise and Steve grinned victoriously. It was hard to catch her off guard and he reveled in the feeling every time.

"Really?" she asked, unsure if he was joking or serious. Steve shrugged and nodded. "Why?"

"Why not?" he replied. He slipped off the couch to sit on the ground in front of her as she crossed her legs under her. "Let's face it: we've had some shitty lives." Natasha snorted and he smiled. "We've practically been together since we had to go off the grid due to the Accords eight years ago. Plus, we haven't bothered with formalities in any other area of our lives."

"Fair enough," Natasha agreed.

"So is that a yes?" Steve asked. Natasha shrugged and smiled innocently.

"Was that a proposal?" she replied. Steve shook his head with a smile and grabbed her arm, pulling her across the carpet and into his lap. She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and curled around her to kiss her neck. "You have to actually ask if you want an answer!" she laughed, trying to escape the ticklish sensation. Steve stopped kissing her neck and pulled away to look at her, still keeping her on his lap.

"Will you marry me, Nat?" he asked. Natasha pretended to think about it, putting a finger to her chin and humming. Steve pinched her side and she jumped, squeaking in surprise.

"Fine!" she yelled, curling in on herself to avoid Steve's pinches. "Yes, I'll marry you."

"Right now?" he asked, ceasing to pinch her and looking at her expectantly. "Will you marry me right now?"

"As in here in the living room or later this week?" she asked, reaching an arm up around behind his neck to play with the baby hairs on his neck.

"Today. Right now," he told her, kissing her cheek. "We'll drive to the courthouse and do it right now. We don't need a big ceremony, just a few people to make it official."

"As much as I love the idea," Natasha said, putting her hands on his face. "We should at least invite the team and Pepper. They'd throw a fit if they weren't invited."

"We could have a reception later," Steve replied, pulling her against his chest so she was no longer looking up at him. "Make it official tonight then have a reception. They'll never know the difference." Natasha smiled but shook her head.

"I'll marry you, Steve," she agreed. "But we have to do it the right way. At least one thing in our relationship should be normal." Steve sighed but nodded, kissing the top of her head.

"Fine," he said, letting her go so she could continue her stretches. "But you better not change your mind and marry Bucky at the last minute." Natasha just laughed and Steve smiled, picking up his book again but staying on the ground. At least now he had an answer for when Sam and Bucky asked what was going on.