Resurrected

This fanfiction contains spoiler for Avengers Endgame, so don't read it if you haven't seen the movie yet!

First of all I have to say that the movie was absolutely great and also very painful. I just can't live with the dead of Black Widow and old Steve Rogers, but luckily there is a thing called fanfiction ;) so I wrote an alternative ending of the events of Avengers Endgame.

I do not own Marvel!

"We can't bring her back. I tried... It didn't work," says Bruce sadly. "She is gone..." Tears well up in his eyes. He covers his head in his big green hands.

Clint slams his hand on the table. "Why Nat! Why did you do that. It should have been me." He clenches his hands into fists. "It should have been me..." He cries softly. Steve sits quietly next to them. Is she really gone? A soul for a soul... could it be undone? He thinks.

"Are you sure that you tried everything?" Mumbles Steve.

"Of course I do," the Hulk looks at him. "Why do you ask?"

"We have to return the stones right? Maybe... I don't know..." Steve looks to the ground. "I just want her back. She shouldn't be dead, it isn't right."

"We all want that, but I'm pretty sure it can't," says Clint gloomily.

"We have to return the stones but what has that to do with Natasha?" Asks Bruce.

"I thought why can't we trade her soul back for the stone. A soul for a soul, right?" Steve looks hopefully to his two friends.

"It's permanent, it can't be undone. That's what the soul keeper said," says Clint.

"But is it ever tried?"

"Steve stop, it can't! Don't give us false hope."

"Ok... Maybe that isn't possible, but what if I go back and give you guys the stone before you sacrifices one another?"

"What-t?" Mumbles Bruce surprised. "What do you mean exactly?"

"I have to return the stone, but if I go back to the past before Natasha dies, there are two stones right? The soul stone is already on the right place, so what if I don't have to return it at all? What if I just give it to them?"

"Then you create another timeline, it can turn out badly... at least that is what the ancient said."

"Why? I just rescue Nat and she comes with me to the present, so nothing is destroyed, right?"

"Maybe not... But they will see you..."

"They don't have to, I can save Nat and give Clint the stone without him knowing Natasha is alive, so that doesn't change anything."

"So everything will stay the same? Everybody will think Nat is dead, but she is actually alive because you brought her to the future... It kind of does make sense," Bruce says thoughtful.

"But what are we going to do with the second soul stone?" Asks Clint.

"We can destroy it, I suppose?" Says Steve.

"I think that is possible... I really think it is!" The Hulk smiles.

"What are we waiting for than!" Says Clint while jumping up from his chair.

Steve smiles, he hopes it works, but he knows if they do this his future or actually his past will be unreachable again. He needs the last of the Pym particles to bring Natasha back. No, I can't think like this... Natasha should be here, I can't be selfish now.

"Are you ready?" Asks Bruce.

"Yes, I'm going return the other stones first and then..." Steve swallows. "And then I take Natasha home." He looks to Bucky, Sam and Clint who stand around him. Bucky nods, he is the only one who knows what Steve sacrifices for the rescue of his friend.

"Ok, here we go than... In five seconds I will press the return button. See you than," Bruce smiles.

The next moment his friends are gone and Steve rushes through the quantum realm. "Please let this work," he mumbles to himself. The returning of the stones goes really quickly. There are at least no aliens who are trying to kill him, so that makes things a lot easier.

The last bit of Pyms particles has to take him to Vormir and back to the present, but for now he is still in the seventies. He glances to the red serum before he puts it in his pocket. He walks through the streets of New York. To Peggy. I have to see her, just one more time... He walks slowly to her house, he may seem a bit like a stalker, because he tracked down her living place before he travelled back.

Before a normal white house in a normal residential area he stands still. An American flag is swinging on the roof. He walks to a small side window and hears laughter and music. He sees Peggy dancing with her husband and two kids jumping around them. Steve doesn't know how long he's been watching the couple. How long he stood there, but long enough to know that Peggy has move forward. This could have been me, it should have been me... He thinks sadly. I owe her that dance. But Peggy moved on. Of course she did. She has kids and a good life, how can he take that away from her. At least she looks happy...

"I must go further..." He mumbles. He walks away from the window and get ready to go to Vormir. He doesn't notice that Peggy is no longer dancing. A door opens and Peggy runs into the garden. "Steve?" She screams. "Is that you?"

He glances over his shoulder and looks in the face of Peggy Carter. Her beautiful eyes are looking at him in shock. "I love you Peggy, I always will..." He mumbles to her before he disappears into the quantum realm. When he lands on Vormir a few seconds later tears well up and fall on the rocky soil below him. He hits the ground with his fists. A space ship makes him realize why he is on Vormir. He stands up and quickly hides behind a few rocks. Clint and Natasha walk out of the ship, they look carefree and even make jokes about one another. They don't have a clue what the cost for the soul stone is. The two Avengers are walking to the big mountain before them, but are stopped by a man in black. When the man starts talking Steve gets goose bumps over his whole body. He would recognize the voice anywhere. The voice of his first villain he ever fought. The face of the red skull hides under a cap, but Steve knows for sure it is him, although he has no idea how red skull has become the keeper of the soul stone. He knows he can't confront the villain, although he really want to do that. Instead he quietly follows the three people while climbing up the mountain.

How am I going to rescue Nat without getting seen, Steve wonders. He should have thought this more through. Clint told him exactly how the fight will go, so the only thing he has to do is catch Nat while she falls. But he also must give Clint the Soul stone at the same time. He sighs and suddenly it comes to him what he has to do. He runs to the top. Nat and Clint are got up in their discussion and they don't see him jumping of the mountain. With his shield to his body the ground comes closer and closer. The highness of the ravine is comparable with the time he jumped out of an air plane, but that doesn't mean he won't feel anything. When he makes contact with the ground, the hit thumps through his body. He grasps for air, but much time to recover he doesn't get. Natasha and Clint are hanging above the abyss. Then Natasha breaks from Clints grip and starts falling down. Steve doesn't hesitate and jumps in front of Natasha. He tries to catch her, but she is going really fast and when her body bumps into his, he can't prevent them from falling on the ground. Steve knows that Clint will look down. "Play dead!" Steve whispers to his friend and then quickly hides out of Clint sight. Natasha does what he says, but probably more because of her shock. The fall wasn't fatal, but did take some of her body. When Clint climbs up the mountain of Vormir Steve runs to Natasha and hugs her firmly. "What the hell... Steve. What are you doing here?" She mumbles amazed.

"Nat..." He looks at her and then hugs her again. "You are alive," He sniffs.

"I shouldn't be. How will Clint get the stone?" She says confusingly and a little bit mad. "We have to beat Thano... Wait... why are you saying that?"

"You were dead Nat... We beat Thanos."

"I don't understand."

"You have to come with me to the future. That's the only way this rescue won't affect anything."

"How can Clint have the soul stone?"

"He has it, because I left it on the mountain for him." He threw it out of his pocket when ran to the cliff. He looks up and sees and small flash. It worked, he has it, otherwise he wouldn't go back... Steve comforts himself.

She stares at him, and then tears well up in her eyes. "How is this even possible," she sniffs. "Sorry I just didn't think I would survive. It sounds stupid but it's a shock." A small smile forms her face.

"I understand, I think I felt the same when I came out of the ice," Steve says. He stares at the ground. He will never forget that moment, the desperateness and loss that he felt when he figured out he moved seventy years forward. "Let's go," he says softly. He re-programs her watch and sets it on the same time as his own. Than they put on their white and red time-travel suits. "Are you ready?" He asks her.

She nods. "Think so..."

"Okay." He grabs her hand, so he knows he won't lose her again. "Here we go." When they press the button they get sucked into the quantum realm. A few seconds later they stand on the plateau were Steve left earlier. Clint, Bruce, Sam and Bucky stand around it and stare at them for just a moment. Than they realize their plan worked and run to Natasha. Clint hugs her and starts crying. "Nat I missed you so much. I thought I lost you forever," he sniffs.

"Clint..." Natasha looks around them. Steve smiles at her, but she doesn't smile back. There is fear in her eyes. And she walks slowly away from the boys. "I... I have to be alone," she whispers more to herself than them. "It's too much."

I am thinking of writing a second chapter about how Natasha deals with her emotions and her return. Also I would like to develop the romance between Bruce and Nat.