A few weeks after I visited Rhodey and Tony, I was still on my mission to find Dad. I hadn't gotten engaged with Rhodey yet because I dipped before he could ask me. I had more important things to do than getting engaged. I loved Rhodey but I wasn't ready. Not yet.
I sat at a café, watching the people around me. As part of my training as an agent, I had to be able to watch the people around me. I had also gotten intel that Dad was in the city and would be nearby where I was. I was hoping he already knew I was around and would meet me at the café.
The chair beside me scrapped across the floor and Dad sat down. He had a drink in his hand and was dressed almost like a homeless person, with an old man hat and a black leather jacket. His clothes were ruffled up and he had a pair of sunglasses on to hide his face.
"I should've known you'd find me sometime," Dad commented.
"Why wouldn't I?" I asked. "I needed to know you were safe."
"Of course I am," Dad said. "I was the Director."
I glared at him. "I was worried about you, Dad. There's a lot going on."
Dad kept his eyes on the crowd. "I know. I have my contacts on the inside. I'm worried about you as well, kid. You haven't been with Coulson's crew in a while. Have you really spent that long looking for me?"
I nodded. "I wanted to find my dad."
Dad finally looked at me, smiling. "I'm glad. I missed you a lot while I was gone. I know we won't be able to see each other for a long time. It sucks but it has to be done."
"You can come to stay at the house," I offered. "It's a safe place."
Dad raised an eyebrow. "A father shouldn't be living with his daughter."
"Dad . . ." I groaned.
Dad smiled. "I'll keep it in mind, kid. I wouldn't mind seeing my son-in-law again."
I gave Dad a confused look. "But Rhodey and I aren't engaged yet."
Dad shrugged. "He will be. Remember, kid, I have intel on the inside. Rhodey's been talking about proposing for a long time. Such a pain that you left the day he was going to propose."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't make me feel worse about it. I know I shouldn't have left him but I had to go. I have SHIELD and finding you. I have a lot on my plate."
"Take a break, Charlie. You deserve it."
I shrugged, looking away as I shook my head. "I can't."
"You can and I'm giving you an order," Dad commanded. "I had your superior and the former director of the organization you currently work for. Take a break, get engaged, spend some time with your fiancé. You deserve it, sweetheart."
I rolled my eyes, smiling a little. "Fine, Dad. I just need to know you'll come around sometime. I need my dad to walk me down the aisle after all."
Dad smiled. "Of course I will. I have my baby to think about. I'll see you around, okay?"
I nodded as we got up. I hugged Dad, holding him for longer than normal. He held me just as tight and when we finally pulled away, I had tears in my eyes.
Dad wiped any tears away from my face and kissed my forehead. "I'm going to miss you, Charlie, and just know that I love you with all my heart. Make sure to wear my jacket every once and a while, okay?"
Tears streamed down my face as I laughed. "Yeah, sure. I love you, Dad."
Dad hugged me one last time before disappearing into the crowd. I wiped my face and left the café. I returned to where I put the Quinjet. I calmed myself down before I took off. Out of habit, I started braiding my hair. It was something Dad did a lot when I was younger. He'd tell me stories late at night while we sat on his old couch, him braiding my hair while I read.
I tried to keep my mind away from Dad and where he was as I flew. Tony called me halfway through my flight to check on me. He even helped me keep my mind off of Dad by asking me questions about different machines and prototypes he made. I knew exactly what he was doing and I was grateful.
We ended the call a few hours later. I sit back with a little smile on my face. Tony was one of my best friends since Natasha and Clint deflected the organization. I hadn't talked to either one of them since the Civil War and they hadn't reached out. I was still mad at them with what they did. They hurt the people they supposedly cared about.
I shook my head and called Shuri. We had been talking on and off since I was sent to Wakanda. She was an extremely smart person and had been updating me on experiments she had run or things she had created.
We talked for the remainder of my trip home. I only ended it when I was close to landing. Parking the Quinjet, I left, heading straight for the Tower. I found Rhodey was in the kitchen making something.
He pulled me in, kissing me on the forehead. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you?"
I pressed my face into his chest, yawning. "Good. Tired though. I need sleep."
Rhodey stirred whatever he was cooking. "It's a good thing that you have a bed here. Are you hungry?"
I nodded, humming softly. "Yeah. It smells good, whatever you made."
"Spaghetti," Rhodey replied. "I thought it would be good comfort food for you."
I wrapped my arms around Rhodey's waist. "It is. I needed this."
Rhodey stirring and hugged me, holding as tightly as he could. "I'll make sure you have a relaxing night tonight. You can tell me about your mission during dinner if you want."
I yawned again. "Yeah, okay. I'll start setting the table. Is Tony joining us?"
Rhodey shook his head. "No. He has meetings until late. He wants to see you in the morning though. He misses you too."
I set out the plates. "How's he doing?"
"Well, considering SHIELD went down," Rhodey said. "He's making the best of it now though. I'm doing good too, thanks for asking. I'm working in an Air Force office."
I started getting utensils. "Are you still a full bird colonel?"
"Yeah, they wouldn't demote me because of an injury," Rhodey replied as he started dishing out food. "How's the Director?"
I rolled my eyes. "You don't need to call him Director, babe. You can call him Nick. He'd be fine with it. He's doing okay. I'm pretty sure that he basically gave you his blessing to marry me but that's a bit unclear. Sorry about leaving by the way. A million things to do and not enough time."
"Yeah, I understand. I am a colonial after all," Rhodey agreed. "With the marriage proposal, I did get a call from a blocked number. It was your dad and we talked about it. He wants us together. He warned me that you wouldn't want to get married at first but knew that you wanted to."
I sat down. "Then let's talk about it. Whose last name are we taking?"
Rhodey sat next to me. "I would be honored to have the last name Fury but given the events that have happened, I think it would be safer if your last name was changed to Rhodes."
I nodded. "That would be best. Though I must admit that Fury-Rhodes does have a good ring to it."
Rhodey smiled as he ate a bite. "I guess it does. It's up to you, baby. I don't care whether or not your name is hyphenated."
"What color ring do you want?" Rhodey asked. "And what ring size are you?"
"9 1/2," I replied. "And I want something blue and silver or gold. We can go ring shopping soon. I'd love to see what it looks like."
"Do you want to know everything?" Rhodey asked.
I nodded as I chewed, answering with a full mouth. "Up until the date you do it, yeah. I think it's good to communicate about these kinds of things. I don't want to be surprised and panic because you didn't tell me anything. Which could be a problem because I like you. A lot."
Rhodey chuckled. "Yeah, okay. We'll go tomorrow afternoon and eat out. Does that sound alright to you?"
I twisted some noodles onto my plate. "Sounds perfect. I'd love one of those old-time dates that we went on before everything went to shit. Food trucks sound amazing right now."
Rhodey shook his head, grinning. "Eat the spaghetti first and then the food trucks tomorrow."
"You spoil me."
Rhodey slid a beer my way. "It's my job as your boyfriend. Have a drink."
I took it, taking a sip. "Trying to get me drunk so I'll more easily have sex with you?"
"I would never take advantage of you like that, baby," Rhodey replied. "You're too special for that and my momma didn't raise me that way."
"I still haven't met your family," I commented. "Don't you think it would be best if I met them before the wedding?"
Rhodey got up to get his own drink. "They know about you and they know my plans to marry you. I've sent them pictures so they know what you look like but yes, you should meet them. My mom loves you by the way."
I blushed a little. "I hope so. I want my in-laws to like me."
Rhodey kissed my cheek before he sat down. "They already do. They like your high-level job too."
"You told them I'm an agent?" I asked.
"I told them that you're an FBI agent." Rhodey popped open his beer. "Close enough to what you actually do, right?"
"Yeah, I guess." I poked my food. "Thanks for this. I really need it."
Rhodey took my hand. "I know you've had a rough couple of years. You need time to rest. SHIELD will do just fine without you. I promise. Just stay with me for a while. I can't go on with missing you and wondering if you're dead in some international city. I don't know if I can do it."
I squeezed his hand, nodding. "Yes, of course. I can start helping Tony with his creations and maybe go to Wakanda a few times." I smiled faintly. "I want to marry you and live a life with you."
"Do you want to stay at the house out in the country or live closer to the city?" Rhodey asked.
"Closer to the city," I replied. "We can keep the house though. I told Dad that he could stay there if he needed to. He's traveling from place to place trying to keep suspicion off from him."
Rhodey pulled his hand away. "That's a good idea, sweetheart. Do you want to help me clean up?"
I nodded. "Yeah, sure. It's a nice thing for me to do after ditching you on the day you were going to propose."
Rhodey laughed as he stood up. "I forgive you for that. I'll start the water as you clean the table."
We cleaned the kitchen together. It was a moment filled with laughter and grins. We were almost done when Tony came in. He looked worse for wear with a disheveled appearance.
He managed a smile. "You guys look adorable. Did you save any leftovers?"
I gestured to a tuber ware on the counter. "Right there. We didn't know when you'd be back."
Tony opened the container. "Thanks, guys. I really needed this."
I wiped my hands off with a towel. "So I don't get a hello?"
Tony pulled me in. "Yes, you do. How are you, kid? I haven't talked to you since earlier."
"Good," I replied. "It's good to be back here. I like being with my boys."
Tony smiled down at me. "We're happy you're back." He pointed at me. "No more running off with saying goodbye, okay?"
I laughed. "Okay, whatever. I'm staying for a long, long time, so don't worry."
Tony turned to put his food in the microwave. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
I nodded, yawning. "Yeah. I'm going to bed. Don't be a stranger, Rhodey."
Rhodey's faint chuckle followed me as I walked out. I shuffled tiredly into my room, throwing my clothes into a pile on the floor. I crawled into bed with nothing but a pair of underwear on and fell asleep rather quickly.