The Ghost [Marvel | Steve Rogers]

Chapter 67

Upstate New York, USA

Summer 2015

With a tap, Nina had disconnected the call. Well, it was a relief to hear from her mom. But she wasn't quite sure how she'd felt about the change of plans Nadine had called to tell her about. She was anxious for her mom to come back. For oh so many reasons.

The main one being that she felt awful about shutting her out the way she had.

And that she'd let her leave without really trying to patch things up.

That she'd been upset, mad even, with her mom was no surprise. Nadine hadn't seemed surprised by it. Sad perhaps, but not surprised or even disappointed. Neither had Natasha, the Twins or even Captain Rogers. Unsurprisingly, even once he'd heard it all, even though he—begrudgingly—understood as Nina did, Pietro had seethed on her behalf once she'd finally calmed enough to be able to relate what her mom had told her, needing both Nina and Wanda to talk him out of confronting Nadine himself. Wanda had been sadly sympathetic, confirming in Nina's mind that the Sokovian girl had picked up on at least a little of what Nina had learned already from Nina, Nadine or both.

Nina, though, hadn't been entirely sure what to think or feel. She still didn't. It was for that reason more than resentment or anger that had her keeping her distance from her mom the last couple weeks. Oh, she was angry and resentful as well, but it was tempered by the inescapable realization that her mom had been cornered and that her reasons for keeping the secrets she did had been good ones. Much as part of Nina stubbornly didn't want to see Nadine's side of it, she had come to understand that Nadine had had few options and fewer good ones. She had kept Nina safe for nearly eighteen years because of the secrets she'd kept. Because of everything she'd done. Had they not been betrayed?

But that line of thought always brought a renewed yet different brand of resentment. Had they not been betrayed? Had Nina not been kidnapped and dragged into her mom's world? Would Nadine have ever told her the truth?

Nina didn't know. She wanted to believe she would have, that Nadine would have told her everything—or at least started—once she'd turned eighteen as Nadine had admitted had been her plan. But there was no knowing now. Nina knew the truth, or at least most of it, and Nadine had been the one to tell her for the most part. But she hadn't been the one to get the ball rolling, as it were. So part of her still wanted to ask, just so she could try and discern if Nadine would have. That and there was still a lot she wanted to ask about the rest of it.

But she simply had too many questions. Whenever she so much thought about bringing even one of them to her mom, the rest would crowd up to the front of her mind, causing her head to ache and her thoughts to jumble. Not to mention her powers would begin to build in her chest in reaction to her stress, requiring her to turn her attention to consciously reining them back; that she was getting better at doing so was one positive to the situation at least.

Rather, Nina had a strong suspicion that her mom wouldn't answer a good portion of her questions even if she were able to get them out. Oh, she'd likely be honest about it. Surprisingly, after learning just how extensively their lives had been built on secrets and how much Nadine had kept from her, Nina didn't doubt that. She very much suspected that her mom had turned over a new leaf since Sokovia and was resolved not to hide herself away behind her Ghost persona or what Nina now realized was her 'ballet mistress' one. Nadine was actually letting herself be Nadine. Not that she was always successful, but she was obviously trying.

More than that, she seemed visibly liberated by the decision. Nina was beginning to see a whole new side of her mom that she had never even suspected existed. And one effect of that shift had been an openness to Nadine that Nina was still getting used to. So the knowledge that Nadine wouldn't brush aside or deflect her questions was something else Nina suddenly didn't doubt; Nadine wanted to be honest with her. It meant that, were Nina to ask the questions she wanted to, Nadine would be frank about not being able to answer. She would be blunt yet apologetic and tell Nina the answer was too dangerous or that it wasn't the right time.