Mercury // S. Rogers (Book Five) ?

Present Day

The team flies back through the quantum realm as a group before landing back in the exact spots they left in.

All but one.

As soon as Freya's feet touch the floor, it feels like someone's punched her in the solar plexus. She feels part of her soul get ripped away from her. Fighting to stay on her feet, she silently gasps for air while the others converse around her.

"Did we get 'em all?" Bruce asks as the machine powers down and their suits retract.

"Are you tellin' me this actually worked?" Rhodey grins.

Steve's eyes had instantly gone to Freya when they arrived back home. He watches with wide eyes as a look of complete devastation crosses her face. He can feel her horror and despair. A thud echoes throughout the hangar when Clint's knees hit the floor. Everyone looks at him in confusion. Even more so when they finally notice he's alone. A smaller thud makes everyone whip their heads toward the sound. They watch Freya as she struggles to breathe while on her knees. One hand is clenched at the front of her chest while the other keeps her from completely collapsing. Tears are streaming down her face when she finally looks up at Clint.

"No... Please, Clint... No, no, no..." she whispers.

"Wha-What's going on? Clint, where's Nat?" Bruce asks. His voice slightly wavering, knowing the answer, but praying it isn't true.

Tears roll down Clint's face as he looks over at Freya. He can't bring himself to say it. The expression on her face breaks his heart while the guilt eats him alive. She finally sucks in a breath of air and lets out a scream that rattles the compound.

"NO!" she wails before breaking down into almost incoherent sobs. "No, no, no!"

A third thud is heard when Bruce collapses to one knee before punching the ground. Steve drops his shield with a clang and runs over to Freya. He drops down to his knees and throws an arm around her. Pulling her close in an attempt to comfort the hysterical woman.

"No!" she yells while thrashing out of his arms. "No, don't touch me!" She shakily leaps to her feet and stumbles out of the room. Her sobs can still be heard even after she's no longer in sight.

Still on his knees, Steve watches dejectedly as she leaves. Tears now rolling down his face as well. Tony walks up next to him and places a hand on his shoulder. Struggling to keep himself together.

"Don't, uh, don't take it to heart," Tony struggles to get out. He clears his throat to compose himself. "She's hurting. She just lost her sister. Go after her in a bit." Steve numbly nods in response as he stares at the doorway his wife had exited through.

Freya blindly makes her way to her and Steve's room. Her body now on autopilot as it navigates her through the hallways. Everything is a total blur from the tears clouding her vision. She's still sobbing uncontrollably when she arrives at her destination. She throws the door to their room open and only gets a few steps in before collapsing to her knees again.

"Th-This c-can't be hap-happening," she sobs to herself.

With an angry scream, she leaps to her feet and begins to throw anything in arm's reach. The ceramic lamp on the nightstand table near her hits the wall with a crash. The alarm clock shatters against the door. The nightstand also crumbles to pieces when she puts her fist through it. She flings her phone into the large mirror that's attached to their dresser, which shatters not only that, but her phone as well. Which goes completely through the mirror and basically disintegrates when it hits the wall. Letting out a scream, she releases a telekinetic wave and throws whatever's left into the walls.