❝Whatever happens, just know that I never stopped trying.❞
. . .in which she must do whatever she can to protect the world and what's left of the ones she loves.
[BOOK THREE]
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
★ ★ ★
TWO WEEKS LATER DECEMBER 23, 2026
★ ★ ★
"We could've flown, y'know?"
"What's the fun in that?"
Marlena rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes as the sound of her children bantering in the backseat drove her further into insanity. She'd been in the car for much too long and she was absolutely exhausted. What would've been a normal three hour drive doubled thanks to holiday traffic, and Marlena wasn't thrilled whatsoever. The only reason she hadn't completely lost her mind was because they'd finally entered Washington city limits, which meant it wouldn't be long until she was free from the horrid confines of being stuck inside a vehicle for hours.
"How many people do you think are gonna show up?" Marlena asked Steve after several seconds of silence between the two of them.
Steve shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at her. "I think the real question is how many people did she invite?"
Marlena chuckled and shook her head. "I have no clue. I still don't even know where the woman lives," she admitted. And it was true. Miranda refused to tell Marlena about the house she'd bought; she wanted her daughter to see the home in person rather than hear about it over the phone, and Marlena wasn't too sure why. Steve was more than aware of the reason, however, and he'd given Marlena explicit instructions to stay out of his head because of it.
"It's a really nice house from what she's told me about it," Steve told her with a slight smirk on his face.
Marlena couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. She couldn't wait to get wherever they were going. Not only was she tired of being stuck inside a car, but her growing belly was an incredibly inconvenient weight on her bladder. She was so happy to know her pregnancy was progressing as planned, but she figured she could do without the added discomfort.
"Captain America is Carol, Charlie." Marlena could hear Jay's voice, and she shook her head. The two of them had been playing Match the Avenger for twenty minutes now, and it was a discussion Marlena knew she could've lived her life without.
"She's Captain Marvel, Jay!" Charlie remarked. "Captain America is Uncle Steve, you doofus."
"Well, they shouldn't both be wearing red, white, and blue then," Jay muttered.
Marlena snickered quietly and looked over at Steve. "He's got a point, y'know?"
"I know he does," Steve replied. "That's why I'm thinking of switching back over to my stealth suit."
