Retribution ★ Avengers

It's Proper Military Etiquette

The apartment was quiet. The only light was that of the sun shining through the curtains. Steve was nowhere to be found, nor was anyone else for that matter. Marlena wasn't sure where her phone had gone, so she had no way to contact anyone, no matter how desperately she wished to be able to. It'd been days since she'd seen any member of her family, and their absence was bothering her tremendously.

Marlena trekked slowly through the apartment with her father lingering behind her. She was happy to be free of the Hydra base Alena had them trapped in. Learning what her and Kellan had planned for Marlena meant there was no more time to be spared in making her escape. She was lucky to have found her father in the midst of it all, as she wondered if she ever would've found her way back home without his assistance.

"How much do you pay a month for this place?" Marlena's father asked as he, too, walked around the apartment. There were pictures scattered across the walls—some new, some old. The sight was bittersweet for James, as he'd been gone for so long. It gave him comfort knowing that even if he hadn't been given the chance to experience his children's lives in person, he could experience them through pictures. It was better than nothing at all, he thought.

"About $4,000," Marlena answered nonchalantly.

"Wow," James chuckled quietly and shook his head. Times had changed since he'd truly been able to live his life, as had the prices. "I hope you two have really good jobs."

"We do," Marlena smiled softly and headed into her shared bedroom with Steve. "Steve is a consultant and counselor down at the VA, and I'm working as a researcher for NYU while I finish school. Sometimes we're Avengers, so additional income, I guess."

"I'm really proud of you," James told Marlena, and she turned to look at him. There was a smile on his face, but she could see the sadness in his eyes, as well as feel it radiating off of him. With the return of her abilities came a newfound strength she knew she hadn't had before. Her father, on the other hand, didn't appear so strong, though Marlena knew he was trying to be. She didn't blame him, though, as the only family member he'd known since 2005 kept him locked away in an ice box with little to no contact to the outside world. It was clear he was struggling to adjust to all the sudden changes, and that was okay, or at least it was okay with Marlena. She planned to do whatever she could to help him after everything was said and done.

"You're a lot stronger than you know," Marlena said to her father. She reached out to grab his hand and squeezed it gently inside her own. "I know this because you're a Claire, and we're pretty damn resilient. There were so many times I thought I was broken to the point of being unfixable, but each time I was proved wrong. Whenever this is over, I'll help you in whatever way I can, okay? You don't have to go through this alone...not anymore, dad."

James took a deep breath and squeezed her hand back, his eyes filling with tears at the sound of her words. He wasn't sure where his little girl had gone, but he was beyond proud of the woman she'd become. She'd been through so much, and he could see it in her tired hazel eyes. But through it all she found a way to push through. She found a way to keep going.

"The last time I saw you, you were this little girl with freckles and too many Star Wars t-shirts," James chuckled softly, "Now you're this strong, beautiful, and incredibly intelligent woman, and I'm so sorry I didn't get the chance to see you grow into that."

"You know none of that's your fault," Marlena reassured him. "I never want you to feel like that's your fault."

"I could've done a better job saving your sister." He sighed and pulled his hand away. "I could've done a better job making our family whole again, but I didn't."