RAEVANNA, THOR, AND ROCKET POPPED OUT OF THE QUANTUM REALM, APPEARING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROYAL PALACE IN ASGARD, YEAR 2013. Raevanna looked around, slightly in awe; she had never been to this part of Asgard before, and even though they weren't outside, it was still magnificent.
"Where are we?" Raevanna whispered.
"The prison cells," Thor said.
Raevanna crossed her arms, huffing slightly. "Pretty nice for prison cells."
"Hey," Rocket snapped. "Listen, we ain't got time to marvel at the buildings. We got a job to do, so let's get it done and get out, alright?"
Both Raevanna and Thor nodded, and with Thor in the lead, they snuck through the room. As they moved, Raevanna noticed Loki sitting in one of the cells. Her jaw tightened, but she pushed aside her anger and continued on, moving past the cell. Then, they stopped at a pillar a few meters away from the room where a lovely brunette woman was - Jane Foster.
"That's Jane," Thor said.
"All right," Rocket said. "Here's the deal, Tubby. You're gonna charm her, and then Wings here will knock her out so I can poke her with this thing-" He held up a device. "-and extract the Reality Stone and get gone, lickety-split."
"I'll be right back, okay?" Thor said. "There's a wine cellar, that's just down there. My father used to keep a huge barrel of ale. I'll see if the cellar has a couple of-"
"Hey!" Rocket snapped, cutting him off. "Hey! Aren't you drunk enough already?"
"Rocket's right," Raevanna said. "The last thing we need is for you to drink more than you already have."
Suddenly the door opened, leading Raevanna, Thor and Rocket to try to hide. Then, several Asgardian ladies led by a regal-looking blonde woman walked past. Raevanna recognized her as Frigga, the queen of Asgard and Thor's mother. When Raevanna was very young, her adoptive parents had taken her to Asgard to meet with Frigga as a cultural exchange. Raevanna had liked Frigga right away; she was kind and benevolent, and very wise.
"Who's the fancy broad?" Rocket whispered.
"It's my Mother," Thor said.
"Frigga," Raevanna added softly.
Rocket glanced at her in surprise. "You know her?"
"Yeah," Raevanna said. "My parents and I met her once, when I was small." Raevanna smiled softly. "She was very kind to me."
Thor turned to her, seemingly surprised by her words, before he turned back to watch his mother and said quietly, "She dies today."
Rocket blinked, shocked. "Oh. That's today?"
Thor immediately began to panic, breathing heavily as he muttered to himself, "I can't do this. I can't do this. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have come. This was a bad idea."
Rocket huffed quietly, moving to stand in front of Thor. "Come here."
"No, no, no," Thor continued. "I think I'm having... I'm having a panic attack. I shouldn't be here... this is... this is a bad-"
"Come here," Rocket said, cutting him off. "Right here." Then, he suddenly slapped Thor right in the face.
"You think you're the only one who lost people?" Rocket snapped. "What do you think we're doing here? I lost the only family I ever had. Quill, Groot, Drax, the chick with the antenna, all gone. Now, I get you miss your Mom. But she's gone. Really gone. And there are plenty of people who are only kinda gone. But you can help them. So is it too much to ask that you brush the crumbs outta your beard, make schmoopy talk to Pretty Pants, and when she's not looking, suck out the Infinity Stone and help me get my family back?"
Thor nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "Okay."
"Are you crying?" Rocket asked.
"No...," Thor said, then immediately said, "Yes!"
Raevanna huffed, rolling her eyes before smacking Thor across the cheek. Then she grabbed his beard and yanked it down so he was eye level with her. "Get it together!" she snapped. "You can do this. You can do this. All right?"
Thor nodded again. "Yes, I can."
Raevanna nodded back. "Good." Then she turned back to Jane, seeing that she was now by herself.
"Alright, Heartbreaker," Rocket said. "She's alone. This is our shot."
But when he and Raevanna both turned back, they saw an empty spot where Thor had been only moments ago.
"Thor?" Rocket hissed. "Thor!" When Thor didn't appear or respond, Rocket groaned in exasperation, throwing his paws up in the air.
"I'll find him," Raevanna whispered. "You get the stone."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and ran off, following where she thought Thor might be. Soon after she found him, hiding behind a large post.
"Thor!" Raevanna hissed when she reached him. "What the bloody hell are you doing?!"
Thor turned to her, wincing ashamedly. "I was just, uh-"
"What are you doing?" a voice said from behind them.
Both Raevanna and Thor spun around to see Frigga standing there. Raevanna and Thor yelped in surprise, leading Frigga to do the same.
"Oh, God!" Thor said as he tried to catch his breath.
"Skoros se nopāzma," Raevanna muttered.
"You're better off leaving the sneaking to your brother," Frigga said.
Thor nodded quickly, trying to hide his large belly. "Yeah, I was simply just going for a walk, and uh..."
"What are you wearing?" Frigga asked, gesturing to Thor's robe. Then, looking at Raevanna, she said, "And who is this?"
Thor looked at his robe. "I always wear this. This is one of my favorites. And this is, uh..." He glanced at Raevanna. "She's helping me. With, uh... with stuff."
Frigga put her hand on Thor's face and took a good look at him. "What's wrong with your eye?"
Thor nodded. "Oh, my eye. That's... you remember the Battle of Haroquin? When I got hit in the face with a broadsword?"
Frigga regarded him thoughtfully. "You're not the Thor I know at all, are you?"
Thor nodded again, still trying to pretend he was the 2013 version of himself. "Yes, I am."
"The future hasn't been kind to you, has it?" Frigga said softly.
"I didn't say I'm from the future," Thor said.
Frigga smiled at him. "I was raised by witches, boy. I see with more than eyes, and you know that."
At her words, Thor attempted to hold back his tears, but failed miserably. Then he nodded, his voice breaking up as he said, "I am totally, totally from the future."
"Yes, you are," Frigga said. Looking past him at Raevanna, she went on, "And I remember you. You're Cadmi and Trevan's daughter, we met when you were a little one."
Raevanna nodded, a smile on her face. "Yes. I'm Raevanna."
Frigga smiled back. "It's nice to see you again, Raevanna."
"Mom, I really need to talk to you," Thor said to his mother.
Frigga turned to him and nodded. "We can talk."
They both embraced each other. Then, Thor began to tell Frigga the events of the past six years - including when he killed Thanos. Raevanna stood a few feet away, watching and listening but not engaging. Frigga was Thor's mother, not hers. Raevanna didn't want to involve herself in family matters she didn't need to be in.
"His head was over there...," Thor said, finishing his explanation as he pointed off to his right. "His body over there..." He sighed. "What was the point? I was too late. I was just standing there. Some idiot with an axe."
"You're no idiot," Frigga told her son. "You're here aren't you? Seeking counsel from the wisest person in Asgard."
"I guess, yeah," Thor admitted.
"Idiot?" Frigga said. "No. A failure? Absolutely."
Thor winced. "That's a little bit harsh."
"You do know what that makes you?" Frigga said. "Just like everyone else."
Thor looked down, clearly ashamed. "I'm not supposed to be like everyone else, am I?"
"Everyone fails at who they are supposed to be, Thor," Frigga told him. "The measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are."
They were both silent for a moment before Thor looked up at his mother. "I really missed you, Mum," he said.
Frigga smiled. "I know." Then, turning to Raevanna, she beckoned for her to come closer and said, "Come here, Raevanna."
Raevanna looked up in surprise, but walked over to Frigga anyway. "Am I intruding?" Raevanna asked. "Cause if I am, I'm sorry."
"No, no, no." Frigga shook her head. "You're not intruding at all. I just think you're in need of some advice as well."
Raevanna sighed and looked down, nodding faintly. "It would be nice, yeah."
Thor took a few steps back to let the two women talk, and after a moment Frigga put her hand under Raevanna's chin and gently lifted her head so they were eye level.
"I can see your pain, Raevanna," Frigga said. "You have had a turbulent life, haven't you."
Raevanna nodded. "It's been... a lot of it's been rough. Cadmi and Trevan were killed when I was nine. Then, years later, I risked losing everything I'd ever known to help a human I'd only met that same day. I fell in love, lost the man I fell in love with, found him again, and just when things started to settle... I find out I'm the last of my kind, and that my parents weren't even my real parents at all. I lost so many that I'd grown to care for, and the longer I stayed with the man I loved, the more my people began to hate me. I found out I have a sister I never even knew about, and an ability that's so rare only two others are recorded to have had it. I lost two of my best friends and my mentor to Thanos, and a couple weeks ago... I found out I'm pregnant. I just..." She sighed. "I feel like the universe has been out to destroy me ever since I set foot outside Elyon."
"Many of us experience loss, Raevanna," Frigga said. "Some more than most. But I can assure you that the universe is not out to destroy you. Think of what you do have now. Think of the family you've gained, the friends you made. Think of the man who has stood by you all this time." She put her hand on Raevanna's stomach. "And think of this child not as a mistake, but as a gift. If you do that, you'll see that the universe doesn't hate you. You have more than you know, and more than you think."
Raevanna looked up at Frigga, smiling at her as she was assured by the woman's words. "I guess you're right. Thank you, Frigga."
Frigga smiled back. "Of course."
Suddenly there was the sound of yelling and footsteps, and Raevanna and Thor looked back to see Rocket running away from several Asgardian soldiers.
"Thor!" Rocket shouted. "Raven! I got it!"
"Get that rabbit!" one soldier shouted.
Thor quickly rushed up to his mother, a panicked look in his eyes as he rushed out, "Ma, I have to tell you something."
Frigga shook her head. "No, son. You don't. You're here to repair your future, not mine."
"But this is about your future," Thor insisted.
"It's none of my business," Frigga replied.
Raevanna exchanged glances with Thor, a little confused by the woman's words. Did she know she was going to die?
That was when Rocket reached them, slightly out of breath as he waved to Frigga. "Hey. You must be Mom." Turning to Thor and Raevanna, he went on, "I got the thing. Come on, we got to move."
Thor turned to his mother. "I wish we had more time."
"No, this was a gift," Frigga said. "And you're going to be the person you're meant to be." She nodded at Raevanna. "Both of you."
Raevanna smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you again, Frigga."
Frigga smiled back. "You're welcome."
"I love you, Mom," Thor said to his mother.
"I love you," Frigga said, then smiled again and added, "And eat a salad."
"Come on," Rocket said. "We gotta go." Starting to activate the quantum suits, he then went on, "Three... two-"
"No, wait!" Thor said, then randomly stuck out his hand.
Rocket turned to Frigga. "Wh-what am I looking at?"
Frigga nodded at him. "Oh, sometimes it takes a second."
There was a few moments of nothing before something suddenly whizzed through the open window and into Thor's hand. It was his hammer, Mjolnir, and Thor looked at it in happiness and slight surprise.
"I'm still worthy," Thor said to himself.
Rocket sighed. "Oh, boy."
"Goodbye, Mom," Thor said to Frigga.
Frigga smiled at him. "Goodbye," she whispered.
Then Rocket activated the suits, and the three flew into the quantum realm, heading back to their own time. Seconds later, they popped out on the platform in the compound, with everyone else reappearing as well.
Raevanna walked up to Steve, smiling at him before she along with everyone else looked around to see all the recovered stones.
"Did we get them all?" Bruce asked.
"You telling me this'll actually work?" Rhodey questioned when he saw that they had, in fact, gotten all the stones.
That was when there was a pause as Raevanna - along with everyone else - discovered that someone was missing. Natasha.
"Clint, where's Nat?" Bruce asked.
Clint was silent, looking down at the floor with tears in his eyes, and Raevanna's face fell, her heart shattering into a million pieces as his silence told them all they needed to know. She instantly knew what had happened, and despair flooded through her at the knowledge.
Diana lowered her head as Bruce fell to his knees and pounded the floor in grief, and Raevanna's hand covered her mouth as she closed her eyes, tears falling down her face. The others were silent, knowing that Natasha was gone.
They had gotten all of the stones, which meant they could bring everyone back. But it had come at a dire cost. They had lost someone who they couldn't bring back. This was permanent, and there was no reversing it.
Natasha Romanoff was gone. Forever.
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A/N: why do i do this to myself like i had this really cute moment with raevanna and frigga but then ended the chapter with nat's death like-
i'm crying. literally crying.
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