Angel

~17~

3rd Person

Mary gulps as she picks up her tablet and heading to find her father and brother. When she first found out she almost cried, she'd been hoping to hear news like this forever. She finds her Dad and brother down on her floor, Ethan was lying on the sofa while her father was in the kitchen eating some of her food like he usually did.

"Ethan? Dad?" she calls out as she walks into the apartment.

"Yeah?" they chorus simultaneously. She smiles briefly as she sits down, taking a deep breath. "There's something you two need to know?"

They both look to her worried, her father makes his way to sit on the sofa as Ethan sits up. "What's wrong?" her Dad asks.

"Back at the base in Russia I managed to steal some files off their servers. It was mostly old personnel files, including Hayley's," she chokes out, she coughs before continuing. "And....well....I uh read something about....Hazel."

Both of them instantly completely snap their attention to Mary. "What do you mean?" Ethan whispers painfully, though there is an undertone of anger at the thought that Hydra had something to do with her death.

"Uh....see for yourselves."

She hands over the tablet with Hayley's file open on it. Tears rush to their eyes when they read it. Under personal history it read, 'Hayley Marks - Previously Hazel Collins. Taken at age six, survivor of the Asset Training Program in Russia. Further trained by the Winter Soldier post graduation.'

The unshed tears fall from their eyes. "She said she's only known since that Christmas that she and Clint joined us," Mary whispers.

"She was looking at the family photos on the wall. She recognised herself," Will realises thinking back to that day and how they had talked about Hazel.

"She was too scared to say anything. Given her history with Hydra...." Mary states softly.

"Where is she?" Ethan asks, speaking up for the first time. "She went to tell Clint. She'll be on their floor," his sister answers. The three share a look before standing and moving for the elevator.

Once they arrive on Hayley and Clint's floor they exit they elevator just as Clint passes and enters the elevator. "She's in the living room," her tells them softly as he passes.

The three enter the living room to find Hayley staring out of the large window that overlooks the city. They approach her slowly without saying a word.

Hayley sees their reflection as they approach and takes a deep breath. A hand on her shoulder snaps her attention to the room behind her. "Hazel," Will whispers as tears fall down his face. He had thought his youngest daughter was dead, that he'd never see her again, but there she was standing right in front of him. She looks to him as tears of her own fall down her cheeks. He instantly wraps her up in a hug as they both let their tears fall.

Mary and Ethan watch the reunion with their own tears. The couldn't believe that their little sister was standing right there.

Hayley smiles in relief of being in her father's arms again. She didn't think she could have this, have them.

She had everything she's ever wanted, a husband who loves her, her father and her siblings. Who knows? Maybe she'll have her own children soon.