|Now I know why you told me to be strong. You knew one day I'd need the strength to bear your loss| 

Sometimes life works in strange fascinating ways, sometimes it's like everything in life is made as a cruel sick joke. It toys with you and everything that you have, as if ready to laugh at you. Life was such a fragile thing, ready to change at any point and time. 

Steve stared at the blonde girl before him, the one who was taken away from him far too soon. Sarah, his lovely beautiful daughter who had an entire life ahead of her was here, she was back. Natasha will be so happy. He did it. 

He watched as she slowly lifted her head took a look around. Tony eyed steve carefully as he took a gentle step towards her. She looked at him with wide worried eyes, Steve could see the fear radiating off of the young girl, he slowed his pace. 

"Sarah? Do you remember what happened?" He asked gently. He heard Sam's phone ring, it scared Sarah a little. Steve assumed Sam left when Sarah's eyes went back onto him. 

"What happened?" 

"What was the last thing you remember?" He asked her. The girl placed a hand on her head as if trying to think. Memories were coming back slowly. She shut her eyes tightly as if a pain came when she thought about it. 

"I don't know mom and I were cooking I guess," Steve frowned. He couldn't remember the last time Natasha and Sarah cooked together. Sarah didn't particularly like cooking all too much. If anything Steve did most of the cooking. 

"Sarah-" 

"Why do you keep calling talking to me like I am a child!" She got frustrated. She didn't understand anything that was going on and she hated how her father was acting. Steve sighed not knowing what to do. Steve looked at Tony who still had a pissed-off look on his face. Before he could say anything to Tony, Sam came running back in. 

"We have to get back to the hospital," Sam said, tears were threatening to fall from his face. Steve frowned, he didn't want to rush Sarah right now. 

"Sam we can't-" 

"Steve we have to." Sam insisted. "It's Nat." All color was lost from his face, he nodded his head. He had to see her.

|~|

Steve left Sarah on the Quinjet with Tony, who yelled at him the entire ride back. Called him stupid and an idiot. But Steve didn't care. He was a father who lost a child. Now his child, who was asleep in the jet, was back. He could fix his family. He did exactly what he told Natasha he would do. 

He and Sam made their way up to the hospital floor and he walked in and his heart dropped. Everyone was crying, he frowned, what happened? He looked over at Maria, who was being held by Bucky, Wanda holding her hand. He knew it had to be bad if Maria was in tears. Steve walked over to them. 

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded. He couldn't see his wife anywhere, had something happened to James he thought. Maria looked up at him, by now because of Tony's message to the team about Steve and Sam's plan, they all knew what he did. They didn't know about Sarah, but they knew about him messing with the stones. 

"Where have you been!" She yelled. "I called you several times!" She was angry, no pissed off, at this man. His wife was dead and he was nowhere to be seen. She would kill him herself if she wasn't so sad. 

"I did it, Maria!" Steve said. "I did it!" He completely forgot to ask why they were all crying. Maria frowned at him. 

"What are you talking about." She sighed. "If you are about to go off about those damn stones-" 

"I got Sarah back!" He said, everyone, stopped their tears to look up at him. 

"What?" She asked through her teary eyes. 

"Sarah! She's alive Maria! I got her back. The stones, I did use them and I got her back. No consequences." Suddenly it was all early silent. It took Maria a second to put the clues together. He used the stones, while Natasha was dying. He traded Natasha's life for Sarah. Anger quickly flooded the brunette's head. 

"I will kill you." She said slowly stepping away from Wanda and Bucky who were giving each other mindful glances. Clint slowly stood up, he knew anything Maria was going to do, was not about to be good. 

"What? Maria, what the hell are you talking about? I got Sarah back did you hear me?" Steve asked, confused why she was so angry at him. Maria muttered something about Natasha. "What?" he asked not having heard her. 

"You killed her. You took away her life." 

"Who's?" 

"Natasha!" She yelled. "She died! You took her life and gave it to Sarah!" She screamed. Suddenly Maria was launching herself at Steve. Clint barely stepped in to grab the tall brunette before she could reach Steve. She struggled in his grasp. 

"No, she can't be dead!" Steve claimed. "She was fine!" His heart sped up.

"This is why you don't mess with things you don't know shit about!" Maria yelled. Sam tried to go and calm his wife down but she pushed him away. "Don't you dare touch me! Get the hell away from me! You are dead to me. Do you hear me? Dead!" Sam looked at her with a pained look, and back at Steve, who was processing his wife's death. When he agreed to help steve, he never knew this would happen. No, he wouldn't have done this if he had known. 

"Where is she?" Steve asked, tears falling, no one answered him but bucky who nodded down the hall. Clint and Laura took Maria out for some air, everyone else watched as Steve walked down the hall silently. He walked past Jame's room, he could hear his screams and tears. He stood at the door of Natasha's room, he looked in at the figure covered by a single white cloth. He would have never known it was her if it wasn't for the red hair peeking out from underneath. His knee's buckled and he fell to the ground. What had he done?

|~| 

James didn't know how long he cried. Why do bad things keep happening to him? He killed his sister now he's losing his mother too? Why did the world hate him like this? He wanted to turn back the clock. He never felt so much pain until now. 

He told Nicole to leave, she needed to be there for her own mother. She was great support but James felt someone else needed her more. He sat in the dark hospital room, his stuff still packed. He was supposed to go home, but now he would rather be anywhere else. 

He ignored the knock on the door. He couldn't bear to use his voice right now. He was in so much pain that nothing else really mattered. He thought back to everything, every moment he shared with his mother. She was always there for him, even when he didn't want her to be. How was he supposed to get through this now without her? He couldn't even think about life without her. It was like this was all one sick joke. 

He didn't notice the figure who walked through the door. He knew from her perfume it was Morgan. In any other case, he'd chase her out. But right now he didn't even care. He didn't have the strength. He didn't have the strength to even cry anymore. He was just numb. 

"I am here for you." She said. She didn't say anything else. She just sat there, and he didn't chase her out. James doesn't know how long he sat there on the floor with her before he decided to speak. 

"I don't think I can do this anymore." He admitted. He looked down at the ring, Natasha's ring, in his hand. 

"You can." She disagreed. "I know you can. I will be here to make sure you get through this James." 

"But the thing is." He sighed. "I don't think I want to." 

"Please don't speak like that. I know I have no right to say that. I have no clue what you are feeling but I do know your mother. I know that she never would have wanted this for you. She only wanted you to live a happy life." 

"How am I supposed to do that when she is dead?" He snapped. 

"With time," She answered patiently. She sighed, she knew he was trying to drive her away but she wouldn't leave. Not this time. "I will be here every step of the way." She promised. "You have my word." 

"Your word means nothing to me anymore Morgan." He answered. He was trying to get her to leave because he knew eventually she would. Everyone else around him gets hurt, it's better if she leaves now. 

"Than I will have to prove to you it means something." She responded ending the conversation. The two sat there in silence. It took a few minutes but James cried again. This time it didn't stop. But now he had a friend by his side. 

|Short but painful chapter. Please comment reviews!|