Mistakes Were Made (Avengers/James Rhodes)

21. Returning

I nodded too, trying to keep my tears down. "I love you too, Dad."

Nick smiled a little wider. "Are you heading to the Tower soon?"

I nodded. "I have something for Rhodey if he's there. I'll probably sleep there too. I'll see you around?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I will. I'll talk to you in the morning."

I smiled. "Yeah, sure. I'll be sleeping for a while. I didn't sleep at all during the flight and I went to sleep late last night."

Nick got up. "Please, come here. I want a hug."

I laughed and hugged Nick. He held me very tightly, squeezing the air out of my lungs. He rocked me back and forth before pulling away. He kissed me on the forehead. He held onto my head for a second before letting go.

I said goodbye as I left. I thought it was strange that he was acting that way but I brushed it off. It was probably nothing. I went straight to the Tower and found Rhodey there with Tony. They were sitting on a couch.

"Hey," I greeted.

Tony raised his drink. "Charlie."

Rhodey stood up and I grinned. He moved over to me and hugged me.

I grabbed his face. "You can stand! And walk!"

Rhodey laughed, a large smile on his face. "Yeah, I can. It's good to see you again."

I kissed his cheek. "It's good to see you too. I missed you guys a lot."

Rhodey kissed my lips and drew me close. I smiled into it and wrapped my arms around his neck. Rhodey pulled away and rested his forehead against mine.

"Don't get too wild in here," Tony joked as he came up. "Come here, Charlie."

I hugged him. "It's good to see you too, Tony. How is physical therapy coming?"

"It's going pretty well, don't you think, Rhodey?" Tony asked.

Rhodey nodded, gesturing to his legs. "I'm standing here by myself, so I think I'm doing alright. The braces are working well too."

I moved my bag to open it. "Speaking of which, I got you new braces. Shuri, the sister of King T'Challa, made you new ones and I think you should try them."

Rhodey nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll try them out tomorrow at therapy. Will everything fit alright?"

I nodded, pulling out the bag they were in. "I made sure it was. Shuri did a good job too. I'll leave them here. I was going to crash here if that's okay. I didn't want to head home so late."

"I'll stay with you," Rhodey said. "I have an early morning tomorrow."

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I've got a lot of meetings,"  Rhodey replied. "I'll be leaving early too."

"Okay," I said. "Should we go to the room? It's already late."

Rhodey nodded and we went upstairs. We changed and climbed into bed. I fell asleep rather quickly. I had slept rather long and woke up alone. The first thing I saw was a letter on my desk and the leather trench coat hanging on my chair. Confusion filled me as I got up.

I traced the trench coat with my fingers as I picked up the letter. It was addressed to me from Nick. I read through it, shock filling me.

Dear Charlie, my favorite child and agent,

     I regret to inform you that SHIELD is falling. Hydra has taken over and I have to end it. End everything. That's why I sent you to Wakanda. To keep you safe and away from the fighting and danger. I know it's wrong to keep my highest level official out of the loop but I have my reasoning. You're my daughter and I love you the most. I know you're capable of surviving and living through what happened.
     I also regret to inform you that you won't be seeing much of me. At all, mostly. I have to go under the radar for a long time. Coulson is left in charge of the remainder of SHIELD so you want to find him, do so.
     I'll miss you. It'll be hard - almost impossible - to find me. I have places you wouldn't be able to find me without serious digging. You have to understand, kid. Just know that I love you with all my heart and I regret leaving without you. I gave you my coat because I know how much you loved it as a kid and how it'll make you feel closer to me while I'm gone.

With lots and lots of love,
Nick Fury

I covered my mouth as a tear slowly fell down my cheek. Nick was missing. My dad was missing. I probably wouldn't see him for years, maybe even ever. It was when I turned to look at Dad's jacket that I truly started crying.

Picking the jacket up, I drew it to my nose to smell it. Dad's smell lingered on it, bringing back old memories. Ones I loved and cherished. Ones of more happier times where I had my father.