The mission was supposed to be simple.

Find the missing person.

Get them out.

Go home.

When you saw the name on the file, your heart nearly stopped.

A woman who disappeared three years ago.

A woman everyone else had given up on.

Except you.

Because she wasn't just someone you knew.

She was family.

Not by blood, but in every way that mattered.

She taught you how to drive. She picked up every late-night call. She was there during the worst years of your life.

And for three years, you never stopped believing she was alive.

So when intelligence suggested she might be inside an abandoned HYDRA facility, you immediately volunteered.

Peter went with you.

The closer you got, the more anxious you became.

Peter noticed.

"You okay?"

You nodded.

A lie.

But he didn't push.

The facility was dark and silent.

Dust covered everything.

The deeper you went, the worse the feeling in your stomach became.

Then you found the room.

The second you stepped through the doorway, you froze.

Because she was there.

Lying on the floor.

Motionless.

For one horrible second your brain refused to understand what you were seeing.

The sight of her... motionless made you nauseous.

No.

No.

No.

Peter stopped beside you.

You stumbled forward.

"No..."

Your voice barely worked.

"No, no, no..."

You dropped to your knees beside her.

The same jacket.

The same necklace.

The same face.

Only still.

Too still.

You grabbed her shoulders.

"Hey."

Nothing.

You shook her harder.

"Hey!"

Still nothing.

Your heart pounded painfully in your chest.

"No, come on."

Peter's expression fell.

He already knew.

You didn't.

Or maybe you did.

Maybe you just couldn't accept it.

You pressed trembling fingers against her neck.

Nothing.

"No."

Your breathing broke apart.

"Please."

Peter took a careful step forward.

"Y/N..."

"No!"

You pushed harder against her shoulders.

"Wake up!"

Nothing happened.

The room remained silent.

A broken sob tore from your throat.

You grabbed her hand.

Cold.

The second you felt it, something inside you shattered.

A scream ripped out of you.

Raw.

Desperate.

Heartbroken.

Peter flinched.

You barely noticed.

"PLEASE!"

You shook her again.

As if that would somehow fix this.

As if she'd suddenly open her eyes.

"We found you!"

Tears blurred your vision.

"We found you, please—"

Peter moved closer.

"Y/N."

"No!"

You pulled away from him.

"She's here!"

Another sob broke through.

"She's right here!"

Peter's face twisted painfully.

Because he understood exactly what this felt like.

But this wasn't a rescue anymore.

And you couldn't see that yet.

You were still desperately searching for a pulse.

A breath.

Anything.

"Please..."

Your voice came out tiny.

Broken.

Peter crouched beside you.

"Y/N... She's dead."

You couldn't look at him.

If you did, it would become real.

A sob shook your entire body.

Peter gently grabbed your shoulders.

You fought him immediately.

"No!"

"Y/N."

"No! Let me go!"

Your hands still reached for her.

Still trying.

Still refusing.

Peter tightened his grip slightly.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough to stop you from collapsing completely.

"Y/N."

His voice cracked.

That finally made you look at him.

And the grief in your eyes told him everything.

The truth.

The truth you'd been running from since you entered the room.

She was gone.

Your scream broke into another sob.

Peter pulled you against him before your legs gave out.

You fought it for a moment.

Still reaching toward her.

Still trying to get back to her.

Then the strength left you.

And all that remained was grief.