El Capitan (Marvel/Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fanfic)

Chapter 77: Stopping Ruby Hale

⍟ ⎊ ⧗Chapter 77: Stopping Ruby Hale⍟ ⎊ ⧗

"Sir, you brought me back to lead. This is what that looks like." Daisy retorted. 

"You can't put yourself at risk like that. Neither one of you." Coulson insisted, looking worried.

"We'll make those decisions, Phil, not you." May shot back.

I grimaced. Daisy then changed the subject. "Look, we need every advantage we can get, so go through Robin's drawings and see if there's anything we can use."

We then ended the call. I wasn't sure if this would work and if we were too late, there was a chance Daisy and I wouldn't make out...We don't know what would happen with the Gravitonium in play. I thought back to Luna's words.

Regardless of the outcome of what we were about to head into, I need to make things right with Stephen. I was wrong to think he would forget about me. With that in mind, I decided to call Stephen. The phone rang for a while and I began to fear that he wouldn't pick up. I didn't blame him if he ignored me though. I deserved it. To my surprise though, he answered.

"I didn't think I'd hear from you again. Thought you were dead." He quipped, sounding upset and annoyed.

My heart clenched. I might be...I pushed that thought aside as I answered. "Stephen, I'm so sorry for snapping at you. I never meant to be mean to you. It's...just..."

I let out a shaky sigh before continuing. "What I saw terrified me. It's not something I want to talk about just yet. I didn't mean to push you away or hurt you, I'm just not ready..."

It was silent, which made me anxious. I could feel my palms sweating as my heart violently hammered against my chest, beating faster than a hummingbird's wings. After what felt like an eternity, Stephen finally answered, letting out a sigh, speaking in a tone that sounded more relaxed than he first spoke.

"Water under the bridge."

"Good." I sighed in relief. "The last thing I want is to leave things on terrible terms before I die."

"Wait, what do you mean before you die? Mariana, what are you about to do?" Stephen asked, sounding worried and a bit irritated.

I hesitated, raising my head to fight back tears in my eyes. I tried to be strong not wanting Stephen to worry. The last thing I wanted was for him was to worry about one more thing. He already had his plate full with being the leader of the sorcerers and saving the world. I didn't want to drag him away from his endless responsibilities and duties for something I knew my team and I could handle.

"What I have to do in order to save the world." I answered.

He let out a sigh. "Snippy..."

"I have to do this, Doc. It's our world we're talking about. If I don't do this, billions of people will perish and our world will cease to exist." I persisted.

"Come back to me, to us, Mariana. You still have people who care deeply about you." He begged, sounding genuinely worried.

I was touched by his words. Yeah, pushing Stephen away was the worst mistake of my life and I'm not doing it again. A smile grew on my face. I'm going to use all my strength and might to fight my way out of this. I'm in no hurry to die.