The gang had gathered back together. Not at the Stark cabin this time, but at our home. We would've had the Avengers facility be the venue, but...it was undergoing reconstruction. The timetable for its completion was not immediate, and I didn't want to wait to give Nat and Todd a proper service.

We were going to wait until nightfall to do the service. We hosted dinner, allowing our group to see just how far Steve and I had come. It was bittersweet, knowing there were a few people who should've been here but weren't.

Gracie got acquainted with Clint and Laura's children, as did Morgan. Eyes were kept on the children just in case. Oh for them to be unaware of the real reason we were gathered. I missed being blissfully oblivious. Those seemed like better, simpler times.

Before long, the sky was just dark enough for us to get started.

Everyone moved outside, the children included. We each took a candle, and I gently lit them all in succession. Anyone who chose to talk about either Todd or Natasha stood out from our line and spoke. Clint took Laura with him when he spoke. If he hadn't, I doubted he would've gotten through his words for Natasha. It seemed that everyone had at least something to say about one or both of them.

"I didn't know a lot once I was freed from Hydra's care," said Aria. Wanda stood beside her for support. "But Todd...he was more than willing to teach me the ways of Earth and mortals. He was a true friend to many, and...and sometimes it feels like genuine friends are hard to come by. I was glad that we got to know each other, but I only wish..." Wanda inched closer as Aria's words were choked off by a sob. "And then Natasha...she really gave me a fright. Like, I'd always wanted to know more about her, but I was afraid that I would never get the chance. There was more to her than she was willing to show a lot of people. I am thankful that I got to train and fight alongside such a woman as her. She taught me more than I could have ever imagined."

When it came to be my turn, I knew I had to do it on my own. Even though Steve tried to follow me out of our line, I kept him at bay.

"I knew Todd longer than I did Natasha," I started out softly. "I had just come to Earth, trying to gather my feet under me. I'd wound up in New York, where nobody so much as looked at you. Where nobody seemed willing to lend a hand unless you actually bumped into them. That's how I met Todd, we'd run into each other. He could've done a lot of things that day that we met, but he chose the nicest, kindest option. He didn't hand me to authority. He took it upon himself to watch over me. I will never forget that. While he wasn't the reason I found myself here, he was part of that journey. He rolled with it, even though at times I was so worried that it would swallow him up." And it did in the end.

Tunnel vision crept up on me, and all I could think about was Todd's last moments. His chilling last words to me.

Kiara?

I-I'm okay. Thank you, Steve.

"Natasha I met under...well, let's just say I could've met her in better circumstances," I said awkwardly. "I wasn't sure what to make of her, at first. She seemed stoic, as though she didn't make a lot of friends. That she was solely focused on business, never anything fun. As you all may know, once you made a crack in her wall, you saw bits of who she really was. She could be soft, but she never let her enemies forget just how badass she was.

"Like you all, in some way, Natasha and Todd were with me through the roughest times, and some of the greatest. Both were good friends, friends who would go to the edge of the earth for me if I asked it of them. They knew what was always at stake.

"I wish we wouldn't be mourning them. I wish they were here with us in this new part of our lives. A world that's started anew, in a way. But the time that I got with them—that we all got with them—it wasn't wasted. Even though they are gone, they never truly are."

I ended it there, before my words could get away from me.

I tried to worm my way back into the line, but Steve intercepted me halfway. He kept me at his side, a candle in one hand, and my hand in the other.

"I'd known Todd and Nat around about the same time," said Steve. "I knew from the start Natasha was a strong woman who kept a lot to herself, but she had her reasons. Todd was someone who stepped up when nobody asked him to. He trained with S.H.I.E.L.D. and became something more than the boxing instructor that he had been. I was closer with Natasha than I was with Todd, but there is no denying how strong of a bond he had with Kiara. No matter how much time or how little they spent together, they were always there for one another.

"There are events they should've been here for. I wish that we weren't gathered here to say goodbye to them, but...the good ones seem to go too soon. But they knew the risks their jobs came with, and damn if they didn't face them head-on. If anything, they should inspire us to focus on our ideals and goals. They were some of the best people I know, and they will be greatly missed."

Once Steve had closed out the night, we allowed a full minute of silence, of respect, for them. I gripped my candle rather tightly, hoping that I didn't melt it by accident.

You two deserved much more than death. Time did not allow you to see what that was. I can't say for sure that I believe in you watching us from Heaven, but I know that you'll be here, in some ways. Giving us signs of your presence.

As the night went on, nobody seemed to make an early exit. It was a time to recall the good times of Todd Brealey and Natasha Romanoff, to remember them how they lived, not how they met their tragic ends. Gods, how I wanted everyone to know how close they had been towards the end. But it was never my secret to tell. Perhaps the only person I would confide in would be Steve, he could be the exception to the rule. Or I could hope that he would figure it out on his own.

Gracie sat in her own spot of grass, the melting candle before her. She watched the flame with interest. I joined her silently, placing my candle in front of me. She climbed into my lap.

"How're you doing, love?" I asked her.

"I don't know," she admitted, yawning.

"It's all right if you want to go to bed. This is perhaps the latest you've ever stayed up."

"Uncle Todd and Auntie Nat aren't coming to visit anymore?"

I sighed. "No, my dear, they're not. It's...it's hard to explain."

"Did they go on a trip?"

"Er, something like that."

"Can we...can we go visit them?"

"I wish we could, but no, we can't."

"Why?"

"Look up there." I pointed to the starry sky. "That's where your aunt and uncle are."

"They're in the sky?"

"Yes, so it's a little difficult to go visit them."

"Are they stars?"

"Yes." I smiled sadly. "If you ever feel alone, look to them. Even though you may not see them anymore, they're still with you. They always will be."

"Is that where people go when they die?"

It was such a loaded question that I wasn't sure if I could answer that for her. This was the first time I had introduced using the stars to remember those we lost. I should've been more prepared.

"If not the stars, they go through the clouds, to Heaven," said Steve. "They go to a nice place."

"Are they there together?"

"They are."

Thank you, I said.

You looked like you needed the save.

For once, you're right.

**Bonus points to anyone who can guess where I heard this painful song from. I'll only give the hint of it was used in a show that is no longer around.

By the way, don't imagine this song playing when everyone comes back from the Quantum Realm, and Todd just realizes Natasha isn't with them. Don't imagine the song playing when Kiara just holds him as he cries.

Oh, look at that, I'm sad now.**