Age of Darkness | Pietro Maximoff

Chapter Nine: What Made Her Strong

Music is "Life and Death" by Paul Cardall from the Lost OST.

Picture is Tate Donovan as Roosevelt Northern.

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"what made her strong was
despite the million things
that hurt her
she spoke of nothing
nothing
but happiness."

- j.a.

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This chapter is dedicated to @WhovianHorseLover , who came up with the cast idea of Tate Donovan for Roosevelt Northern. Thank you! :)

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CHAPTER NINE

{Glory's P.O.V.}

[Several Hours Earlier]

This is it. This is the moment where everything changes. Everything I had promised myself I'd never do, everyone I swore I'd never speak to again, it's all right in front of me.

My father still lives in the same damn house. Outside Norfolk, Virginia, a farmhouse much like Clint's. White brick, green shutters, rolling hills that climb to mountains, fields of golden crops swaying in the breeze. Though he lives only ten miles from town, I could swear that we're in another realm.

I take Pietro's hand, holding onto it like a lifeline. "We can still go home," he whispers to me before we step off the Quinjet.

I shake my head no. "No, I'm great. I'm really good." I turn to Clint and smile. "Thanks for the ride, Clint."

Clint comes over to us and swings his arm around my shoulder, leaning in closely. "You know, as an expert at dealing with annoying in-laws, if you need an emergency evacuation, I'm just a bird call away."

Laughing, we step off the plane, waving as it lifts off. Pietro is the first to turn and tug me towards the house. "Come on, little warrior. It is not going anywhere."

When we reach the door, he knocks. "Oh shit!" I whipser to myself. "Should we have brought something for the cookout? I feel like I should have brought something."

Pietro rolls his eyes and tries to not laugh. "And you say you do not care how today goes."

I punch his arm. "You know, you can be a real as-"

The door opens, and standing in behind the screen door is my five years older sister, Rebecca Marie Northern, or just Bex. She hasn't changed hardly at all, still a pale redhead like me, still a cigarette in hand like she has since she was fifteen and threatened me within an inch of my life not to tell our father, and probably still living off our father's couch like she has for years.

I try to force a smile. Maybe some part of me misses her. "Hey, Bex."

She takes a long drag from her cigarette, blowing it out to the side. "What's up, Sis? Long time, no see."

"Rebecca, who is that?" a man's voice shouts, my father.

"It's Gloria!" she shouts back. Her eyes drift hazily from me to Pietro, eyeing him in a way she always did to my boyfriends. "And some sexy guy she picked up."

"For God's sakes, Rebecca! Let them in!"

She then glances down to my stomach, as if seeing it for the first time. "Oh lookie here! You made a mini-you!"

I chuckle. "I might've forgot to mention that." I pause. "May we come in?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure, c'mon in. Ain't my house." She opens the door and lets us both walk through, her eyes again glued to Pietro.