"So either I died and by some miracle went to heaven - and this has to be heaven, because you're here, and there's no way you'd be anywhere else, or - well, I wasn't expecting heaven to be this wet, so..."

Steve sat up in a flash and flung his arms around Natasha who was sitting in the water beside him, relief surging through his body.

"Given that response, I'm going with my latter thought," Natasha said, wrapping her arms around Steve.

"It worked," Steve breathed, hot tears running down his cheeks, "It worked..."

"You're kinda squeezing me here, Cap. I did die, didn't I?" Natasha asked. "Did I?"

Steve let her go and sat back. "You don't remember?" he asked, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, which, being wet, just smudged the tears across his cheek.

"I don't know," Natasha said, "I - we're still on that same planet, right?"

"I think so," Steve said, "I just woke up in this pool too."

"Huh, ok. Well, I remember coming here, and climbing that damned mountain, and the ultimatum to get the stone, and Clint and I literally physically fighting over who'd taken the plunge, and - oh, Clint," Natasha breathed. "I - I forced him to let me fall. I remember falling and then - calmness. But it's like a dream; when you first wake up, it's so blindingly clear, then you roll over and it half disappears and in a few minutes its gone completely..."

Steve nodded. "I - I saw that cliff-top. The rocks..."

"For what it's worth, I don't remember landing."

Steve sighed.

Natasha reached out and took his hand. "Hey, you wanna get out of this pool? Tell me what's been going on? Because you're here, and I'm here, and I figure you've got one heck of a story to tell."

Steve nodded and stood up, pulling Natasha up with him.

"I'm guessing we won?" Natasha asked as they waded to dry land.

"Yeah."

"But in the end, the score card was - ?"

Steve's shoulders dropped. "It's a long story."

"That bad, huh?" Natasha asked, interlacing her fingers with Steve's.

"I'm sorry, Nat, I - it's..."

"Start at the start," Natasha said. "I guess everyone got back with their stones? Have we got time for the long version?"

"Yeah," Steve said as the wandered towards the top of a small hill, "We've got all the time we need."

Steve recounted the battle on earth. He went over the plan to return the stones, Bucky's idea of how to save Natasha, and Steve's subsequent adventures whilst returning the stones. They laughed and cried and mourned Tony while sitting on top of a rocky slope on an uninhabitable planet in the middle of the galaxy, looking out at unknown constellations. They talked for hours, watching foreign stars and planets make their way across the sky.

Finally Natasha lent back, propped up against the rocks on her elbows. "Kinda bummed I missed the big fight. So, what happens now?"

"I've got another suit for you," Steve said, pulling the tiny suit out of his pocket. "We enlarge it, and you go home."

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"You said 'you', as in 'me', not 'we', as in 'us'. So? What are you going to do?"

Steve sighed. "Guess I'm gunna go get a life..."

"But not with us?"

"Maybe," Steve said, "Maybe one day. Doesn't matter where I go, my body's still chocked full of super-serum. Don't suppose I'll age like ordinary folks. Well, I mean, I'll age, but... everyone else's body ends up failing them. Not sure mine will."

Natasha nodded slowly. "Old Man Rogers, hey?" she said, her voice cracking.

"Nat..."

Natasha's eyes prickled with tears. "But the Avengers need you. I - I need you..."

"Come here," Steve said, and wrapped his arm around her. Natasha leant into him. "They need you too. There wouldn't have been any team to assemble if you hadn't kept us together these past years."

"That's - I just..."

"They'll need a mentor. Wanda needs you in general. Sounds like you and Buck have had more water under the bridge than I realised, and - "

"Wait. He remembers Vienna?" Natasha asked.

"He couldn't remember if it was Vienna or Prague, but, yeah. He remembers."

"Damn," Natasha breathed, a smile creeping across her face. "I knew he recognised me."

Steve smiled. "Going back to the team, Sam and Carol can run it, but they'll need someone back at base. They're both hot-heads, so they'll need you to help keep them cool. Keep the peace."

"So, what? I become Fury?"

Steve shrugged. "But without the politics and the secrets and lies. Somewhere between Fury and me. Make the roll your own, which is pretty much what you've been doing of late anyway. You're a good person, Natasha. You work hard, you're loyal to your friends, your family. You're a good judge of what's right."

"Still got a lot of red..."

"No," Steve said. "The moment you let go of Clint, that all went away."

Natasha sighed.

"You know I'm right," Steve said, giving her a playful nudge.

"You're Captain Steve bloody Rogers. You're always right."

Steve smiled and placed the suit in Natasha's hand. "Time to suit up."

A few minutes later, Natasha and Steve were ready to do.

"Just gotta say," Natasha said, "Time travel does my head in, and I'm not really sure I'm a fan. I know it's the only reason I'm alive, but it's the reason I died too, and, maybe it's all this space-magic nonsense, but give me a crime ring to track down or some political espionage over this any day."

Steve chuckled. "Now you're procrastinating."

"We've got time. All we've got is time. I - "

"I know," Steve said, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Natasha.

"Tell Peggy I say hi," Natasha said, closing her eyes as she leant into Steve. "She doesn't know who I am, but I've read a lot about her. Get a cat and call it Natasha. A black cat."

"Ok."

"Remember that England wins the World Cup in '66."

"Yep."

"And invest in Apple shares."

"Will do."

"And try see the Beatles play live. That would be cool. Take Peggy to the ballet."

"I think I'll be having a tale or two to tell when I see you next."

"You promise you will? You'll be there waiting?"

Steve nodded. "I might look a little different."

"Still you, though."

"Still me."

Natasha took a deep breath and looked up at Steve. "Thank-you. For everything. For - for being the brother I never had... I never believed in anything, you know. Even when I came to America... I never believed in anything until I met you."

"I love you too, Natasha," Steve said, holding her tight.

"See you in a minute?" Natasha said, forcing herself to let him go.

"See you in sixty years."

"You'll be, like, two hundred..."

"I'm not that old!" Steve laughed, and looked at Natasha.

Natasha forced a smile. "I'm gunna miss... this. Us. All of us."

"I know. Me too. But - "

"We've got to keep moving forward. Or go back to go forwards, in your case."

"I'll learn how to cook," Steve said, "Properly. And not just how to boil and grill stuff."

Natasha chuckled, trying not to cry. She took a deep breath and tucked her hair inside the suit. "I am hungry now, just so you know."

"I'll make lunch when we get back."

Natasha nodded. "It's been - it's been the best, Captain."

Steve smiled and saluted. "Ma'am."

"Ugh, umm, you guys?" Bruce called as the time machine came to life. "I'm - I'm not doing this. I didn't touch anything or - where's Scott Lang when you need him, because - "

"Wait!" Bucky cried, sprinting back to Bruce. "Bruce, don't touch anything. Just - just wait, because - You didn't think to open with that, Steve?" Bucky called back to Steve, as Steve and Sam approached the machine.

"Sorry, Buck," Steve smiled, "Guess that one slipped my mind."

"Bastard," Bucky grinned, "It did not."

"What - what are you talking about?" Sam asked, looking between the two.

"Any moment now," Bucky said.

The machine whirled. Everyone took a step back as someone appeared in the middle. She stumbled for a second, then removed her helmet and shook out her hair.

"Yes!" Bucky cheered.

Bruce and Sam were awe-struck. Steve grinned.

"Hey fellas," Natasha said, "You miss me?"

A/N: THE END at least for now.

Thanks very much for reading