Chapter 107
Hey everyone. I… I don't know how to accurately describe how hard this chapter was to write. If the past one hundred and six chapters have been an emotional roller coaster then this would be the all of that squeezed into one chapter. I cried a few times while writing this and I'm honestly might need to get myself checked out for coming up with this. Anyway there's a bit of smut and I marked it in case anyone wants to skip it. Let me know what you think and if I haven't said so already, I'm sorry.
March 18th 2015- Third Person's POV
"Is she back?" Sam asked.
"No, she's never been gone this long." Wren answered worried. "This was different than before, she was in pain. It felt off."
"This is Nora we're talking about she'll be back when she's supposed to be back. Is that the only reason you called me here?" Sam asked.
"Uh no actually, I recently updated my will and just a heads up I named you the executor of my estate." Wren said. "You're going to be needing this."
"Wren…"
"I can't put this on Nora she's put on a tough front but we know how she deals with loss and she won't be able to handle this." Wren said.
"Don't know how I'm going to deal with it." Sam admitted.
"You and Nora can take turns." Wren jokingly suggested.
"Don't think it works that way." Sam said chuckling sadly.
"Can't blame me for trying to lighten up the mood." Wren said. "There's one more thing, I need you to do, file some forms for me."
"What forms?" Sam asked.
Two Weeks After Nora Disappeared-
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Wren said turning on the recording app on his laptop.
He moved over and sat down on the couch, Axl was sitting on the far end looking sad.
"I know buddy I miss her too," Wren said scratching behind his ear. He sat up and positioned himself on the couch so he was in clear view of the camera.
"Hey Nora, You probably think this is really morbid and cliché but if you're watching this it means I'm dead…" Wren said.
April 1st 2015-
Wren woke up and went through his normal routine he went for a jog or now it was more of a walk with Axl. He looked at his checklist and worked on the next thing he needed to do to get ready. He called Sam to see if there was anything he needed to sign or if he needed him to look after the kids. Connor was staying after school for a play and didn't have to be picked up until then He had a free schedule. What was he going to do?
Then out of nowhere there was a bright light at the end of the hallway and he saw someone move.
Wren got up from his seat and went to go see who it was.
Nora's POV-
The light was brighter than before and I could feel Aya's power flowing through me. When the light finally faded I was back in my house. I heard footsteps and looked over.
"Nora?" Wren asked.
"Wren?" I said tearing up. Please tell me I'm not dreaming. Next thing I know I was wrapping my arms around Wren and he was spinning me.
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"You're okay." He mumbled into my hair.
SMUT
I loosened my grip in him a bit before pulling him into a kiss. I've waited thirty years to do that I'm not waiting any longer. Wren pulled me closer and backed us up into the wall. I put my legs around his waist and started kissing him.
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He started kissing down my neck and grinding his hips against mine making me moan.
"Wren." I moaned. "Ah!"
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He kissed me one more time before I felt him teleport us. Next thing I knew I was on his bed and he was hovering over me smiling.
"Your hair got longer." He said before leaning down to kiss me.
"You're still a tease." I said lowering my hand and reaching into his hands making him groan.
"Really talking about teasing right now?" He said as he slowly started lifting my shirt up. He kissed my stomach and started undoing my tactical vest. "That's new."
I looked down and saw he was kissing the scar from my appendectomy.
"Appendicitis back in fifty nine." I said.
"What?" he said.
"Tell you later." I said pulling him into a kiss and taking his shirt off.
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We made out and as he started sliding my panties off he kissed down my neck.
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"Wren." I moaned as he started kissing and kneading my breasts.
"You've been gone three weeks, I'm making up for lost time." He said kissing lower and lower before he started licking at just the right spot.
"AH!" I moaned arching my back.
"Mhm." He moaned going at it like it was he was starving.
"Fuck I'm gonna… Ah, I'm close." I said and that only spurred him on even more. I hit my climax and Wren kept at it. Just as I was coming down he kept going.
"Ah, Wren. AH!" I said panting feeling another high coming. He sucked on just the right spot before slipping a finger in and then all I saw was white. After I came back down Wren moved back up and kissed me.
He lined himself up and placed himself at my entrance. He looked at me and waited for me to know before slowly sliding in. This wasn't rushed like before it was slow like we were enjoying being with each other.
story_
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"You feel so good." I said.
"Not as amazing as you, ah!" He said panting.
"Let go Wren, I'm… ah… right there with you." I said
"Fuck, ah," He said. He put a hand on my back and lifted me up slightly thrusting in to hit just the right spot.
"Wren!" I moaned.
"Nora!" he moaned as he came. He rolled over to the side and pulled me with him.
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End SMUT
"That was worth thirty years of celibacy." I said.
"Yeah. Wait thirty years?!" He said
"Aya dropped me off in nineteen fifty with no powers and left me to live out thirty years. I was in Iran 1980 when she finally sent me back." I said.
"Thirty years? Why?" Wren asked.
"She wanted me to learn a lesson, she wanted me to learn to think for myself and not act according to what others wanted so that when I had to make a hard choice I'd do what needed to be done." I said.
"What changed?" He asked.
"Iran 1980. You ever heard of Ferdows?" I asked and Wren just shook his head. "That's because I buried that entire city and everyone in it alive to destroy all the biological and chemical weapons the Soviets gave the Iranian rebels."
"You were in Iran during the coupe?" Wren said.
"Yeah," I said. "And pretty much every major political conflict between 1950 to 1980. How long was I gone?"
"Three weeks." Wren said.
"Three weeks?! Fuck, I'm so so sorry." I said.
"Hey, it's not your fault. You're here now that's all that matters." He said pulling me close.
"I missed our anniversary dinner." I said.
"We'll celebrate late, as long as you're back that's all that I care about." He said kissing my forehead. "We still need to talk about us."
"We're an us?" I asked.
"We've always been an us it's just that we might not be a platonic us anymore." Wren said.
"We need to have that talk don't we?" I said.
"We could or we could just leave it at this." He offered.
"You said those three words…" I said.
"I did and I do." He said kissing down my neck. "Not a secret."
"But as more than friends." I said.
"We wouldn't be in bed if we were nothing more than friends." Wren said. "Don't complicate it." He said kissing my collarbone. "We're here, together and we're happy. That's all we need. Do you want to be here?"
"I wouldn't trade it for the world." I said with a huge smile.
"That's all there is to it." he said.
"Really." I said smiling.
"Mhm." He said kissing me but was interrupted by my stomach growling. "When was the last time you ate?"
"Nineteen eighty." I said.
"I'll go heat something up for you." He said kissing me. He got out of bed and put on a pair of boxers before teleporting downstairs. I got up and put on the first thing I found on. It was one of Wren's light blue button ups. I looked around the room and saw that we were in Wren's room. I had never been in here.
I looked around and saw there was a picture of Wren and I back in Afghanistan. I walked over to the bookshelves and saw what books he saw and I saw a small frame. It was a blonde woman with bright blue eyes holding a toddler in her arms. He couldn't have been more than two or three. Behind her was a man with reddish blonde hair hugging both her and the kid.
"That's my mum and Dad, it's the only picture I have of them." Wren said.
"You have your mom's eyes and dimples other than that you're a carbon copy of your dad." I said.
"Is that a good thing?" He said hugging me.
"I always thought you had gorgeous eyes and a great smile the few times I've seen it." I said.
"Very funny. I heated up some leftovers. Fettuccine Alfredo." He said.
"Yum." I said. "So what were your plans for the day before I showed up?"
"Nothing much, just have to pick up Connor in a few hours." Wren said.
"yay Connor time." I said. "Mind if we make a stop first? I need to get my hair back to what it was before I left. The seventies and Farrah hair were hell on my hair."
"Please tell me you have pictures." Wren said.
"Their probably in the storage unit. Just need to go get the key from Peggy." I said.
"Did you rock those gogo boots?" He asked.
"You'll never find out." I said.
As it turned out, since I didn't have Connor to show my hair dresser the same photo as before I ended up with a more edgy look. It was a bit shorter but I liked it and it would probably grow out into the same look I had before.
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I got changed into a white dress with black flowers printed on with some black strappy sandals before we went to pick him up.
g02. .
When we showed up at Connor's school his face lit up and I almost cried.
"Auntie Nora!" She shouted before tackling me into a hug.
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"Hi buddy." I said trying to hold back the tears.
"Where were you? I missed you." Connor said.
"I had to go away for a little while buddy, but I'm back now." I said.
"you promise." He said.
"I pinky promise." I said.
We took him out to the park for ice cream while Wren went to go pick up Ellie at day care.
"Auntie?" Connor said as I looked up at Stark Tower.
"Yeah Bud?" I asked.
"Are you and Uncle Wren in love?" Connor asked.
"Where's this coming from?" I asked.
"You two never used to kiss but you did before he left for Ellie." He asked. "You kiss the way mommy said only mommys and daddy's kiss when they're in love."
"And if we were how would you feel about that?" I asked.
"Happy, I want a cousin." Connor said making me spit out my coffee.
"Wow you and your mom are the only people that can make me do that." I said coughing.
"You alright?" Wren asked when he appeared with Ellie.
"Yeah just talking to Connor about something," I said. "Hi princess." I said taking Ellie out of Wren's arms. She squealed happily as I blew a raspberry in her cheek.
"You want to go see him?" Wren asked me looking at the tower.
"I saw him three days ago when we went to go see Empire Strike Back, We have things to take care of." I said. With that we were off. We took the kids to the observatory and then to the beach out in California for some burgers.
By the time we got back Sam was just getting home from work.
"Daddy look Auntie Nora came back." Connor said.
"Hey Sam." I said awkwardly.
"Thank god." He said pulling me into a hug. "You scared the crap out of us."
"I know, I'm sorry," I said.
"Where the hell were you?" He asked.
"I lived out thirty years in the past starting in 1950," I said.
"What?" Sam said. "What did you do all that time?"
"I trained with monks in the mystical arts and martial arts, became a spy, convinced a Russian assassin to defect and she trained me to be a better spy/ assassin, later on watched as my soul mate killed her and me, came back from the dead, served in Vietnam, learned some stuff, got revenge on the insane Nazi that was responsible for Bucky falling and being tortured for seventy years, went to my grandparent's wedding, babysat my dad and introduced him to the world of Star Wars and did some questionable things to prevent nuclear war before I came back." I answered.
Sam and Wren stared at me dumbfounded.
"I did skip over a few things." I said.
"I need a drink." Sam said.
"Better make that three, we're in for a long night." Wren said.
Half a bottle of Jameson later…
"The night is dark and full of terrors." Sam said as he processed everything I had just told him.
"Finally got there huh?" I said.
"I had to those bastards at the office kept spoiling it for me." Sam said. "But damn that is dark."
"Yeah, I give new meaning to the phrase war is hell." I said. "Moral of the story it only took thirty years but I'm finally where Aya wants me and that scares the shit out of me. I did horrible things and if that's what I had to be capable of to be ready for what's coming then it's going to be pretty bad."
"I wish I knew what to say but I really don't." Sam said.
I looked down and saw Wren knocked out with his head on my lap. I ran my fingers his hair and he smiled.
"How was he?" I asked.
"How do you think? You disappeared for three weeks. He thought he was never going to see you again. He hardly slept, almost force fed him once, and he started making arrangements for… after." Sam said sadly.
"So what's he thinking burial at sea? Ashes left at the top of mount Everest?" I asked.
"As the executor of his estate I'm not allowed to disclose that until after." Sam said.
"Right." I said. "I should probably mention that if I ever kick the bucket you and the kids get everything Axl included."
"I wish I could say you get something but all you'd get would be my kids if their minors." Sam said.
"I hit the jackpot." I said with a smile. "Your kids are awesome."
"They got that from their mom." Sam said tearing up.
"Damn it Sam don't cry, if you cry I cry and we both know I'm an ugly crier." I said.
"Yeah I know, so any funny stories?" He asked.
"I got thirty years worth of them, pick a decade." I said
April 7th 2015-
It started off like any other day. I opened my eyes and saw Wren lying next to me looking at me with a smile.
"Morning." I said with a smile. He leaned over and kissed me.
One romp in the sheets later…
"Good Morning," He said with a giant smile and panting.
"Hungry?" I asked.
"Tons but how about we go out?" He said.
"You want to go out?" I said.
"I was thinking we could go out to Paris grab some crepes, maybe walk around the city, stop y London for dinner slash lunch then go out to dinner stateside?" He asked.
"Got the whole day planned out don't you?" I said.
"It's our late anniversary date." He said.
"So I should dress up for this?" I asked.
"We're going to a five star restaurant for lunch and it's out anniversary date so any dress is good." He said kissing me before jumping out of bed.
"Fine but I'm not wearing heels." I said.
"Make me look like a bigger cradle robber why don't you." Wren retorted.
"Stop complaining my grandparents had a twenty year age difference." I said getting out of bed.
I got in the shower and dried my hair so it would be perfectly wavy. Then I got dressed in a burgundy dress Pepper had sent over for Christmas.
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That's right my dad's girlfriend remembered me during the holidays not my dad. I sent her a Chanel clutch with a gift card to Barney's inside. I sent my dad a vintage T-shirt from one of ACDC's first concerts autographed by every member of the band. I didn't even get a phone call. I'm not at all mad about that…
After I was done I teleported downstairs and waited for Wren.
"Wow look at you." He said taking my hand and twirling me.
"Me look at you." I said. "We're going to be the most overdressed people walking around Paris.
"Who cares?' He said giving me a kiss.
"Never thought you'd be this lovey dovey." I said.
"What can I say you bring it out in me." He said.
"Let's get going." He said.
First stop was Paris. We stopped this small crepe shop and grabbed a savory ham and cheese crepe with some coffee.
We walked around the city and ended up at the Eiffel tower.
"Let's get some pictures." Wren said.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yeah isn't it every girl's dream to have a romantic photo in front of this thing?" He asked.
"I already had a romantic photo here after I came back from the dead, but before I got turned into a four year old." I said and Wren just gave me a sad look. "Let's get more than one." I said.
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We walked around the city for hours after that and made it to the Love Lock Bridge in Paris. We stood there and watched as the sun set.
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"So, you never said you, Bucky and Steve took romantic photos at the Eiffel Tower." Wren said.
"They were using it as a distraction so they wouldn't have to answer my questions about Oradour Sur Glane. We ended up getting into a fight." I said.
"Oh." Wren said. "I'm totally killing the mood aren't I?"
"No, you're not." I said getting up on my tippy toes and kissing him.
"Come on, Time for Lunch, if we're lucky Gordon Ramsey will make a surprise visit and lose his shit on one of the sou chefs." Wren said.
"You know me so well." I said.
We had dinner and sadly no one got yelled at in the kitchen. Food was great though.
Next stop was New York. We had made it a habit to pick up Connor and Ellie up from daycare and spend some time with them before dropping them off with either the Nanny or Sam. Today though we decided to take Connor and Ellie to the Statue of Liberty.
"It's so big." Connor said.
"That's kinda the point. The bigger it is the farther away it's visible. So when people coming over from other countries were on the boats and they saw it they knew they made it." Wren explained.
"Can we go to the top?" Connor asked.
"I don't know." I said Wren gave me a smirk.
He picked up Connor and said. "Close your eyes bugger."
Wren walked out of sight before teleporting away with Connor. A few minutes later they came back and Connor had the biggest smile on his face.
"How was the view bud?" I asked.
"So pretty." He said. "The water was shiny."
"Come on, we should get you home." I said. We dropped the kids off and it was finally time for dinner.
We went to the same restaurant Dad took us to with a view of the entire city. We ordered some wine and started talking.
"So I was going to give this to you weeks ago but we've been a bit busy, so here." He said sliding a velvet pouch over to me.
"What is it?" I said opening it.
"The first anniversary is supposed to be paper, it's made out of silver but it's paper themed." Wren said.
I reached into the pouch and took out a necklace with a silver origami crane charm.
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"Aww, Wren." I said tearing up. It finally hit me this was the only anniversary we would ever celebrate and I couldn't help but tear up.
"I was going to ask if you liked it but your reaction says it all. Turns out that the bomb that blew up that clinic the first time you used your powers in front of be was filled with silver coins. I kept a fragment and had it melted down for it." Wren said.
"That's the sweetest, corniest and slightly morbid thing anyone's ever given me." I said. I got up and walked to the other side of the table and kissed him.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah just have to go touch up my eyeliner a bit." I said.
"I'll get the check, want to go on a moonlit walk through the city?" He offered.
"In these heels, I can manage that." I said.
I walked into the ladies room and walked straight up to the sink where the mirrors were. I grabbed a Kleenex and I made sure none of my mascara was running I saw the door open and a familiar blonde walked in.
"W-what are you doing here?" She said.
"What's it look like I'm doing, touching up my make up." I said ignoring her.
"You're supposed to be dead." She said.
"Been there done that. How'd Steve take the news?" I said.
"News?" She said.
"You know the one where you told him his soulmate was alive? Well correction his other soulmate." I said. "You didn't tell him."
She was speechless.
"Have a good night." I said about to step out of the restroom when she grabbed my arm.
"Stay away from us he's mine." She sneered.
I used an energy blast to push her against the wall.
"You don't tell me what to do and don't you ever touch me." I said using energy projection to pull a Darth Vadar and lift her up by the neck. "Your Aunt is the only reason why I don't snap your neck like a twig right now remember this moment because it won't be the last time something like this ever happens."
I let her go and she collapsed on the ground coughing. I walked out of there and saw Wren was still sitting at the table talking to Pepper and Natasha.
"Hey." I said smiling at Pepper and Natasha.
"Nora." She said standing up to hug me. "You look amazing."
"Thank you and thank you for the dress, I love it." I said.
"I'm glad you liked it and thank you for the clutch." She said lifting it up to emphasize the point.
"Your welcome." I said.
"Wren says you're here for your anniversary dinner." She said.
"Late anniversary dinner." I said.
"We've been swamped at the hospital, we were lucky to get the day off." Wren said giving me a look. I was going to hear about this later.
"One year already, time does fly." Pepper say.
"Speaking of, we should get going." Wren said.
"Oh crap that's right, we have to be at the hospital by six tomorrow." I said sounding annoyed.
"We should do something sometime," Pepper said.
"We totally should." I said.
"We'll let you get back to ladies night." Wren said.
"Have fun." I said before wren and I walked out,
"You alright?" He asked once we were out of the restaurant.
"Steve's girlfriend cornered me in the restroom." I said.
"Oh, awkward." He said.
"That's an understatement but enough about that lets get back to our anniversary date. Walk through the city." I said
Our walk turned out to be us mostly teleporting around the city.
"You pick the next one." He said.
"All right." I put a hand on his shoulder and we appeared in Washington Square Park.
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"Why here?" He asked.
"Because this was where one of my favorite scenes from When Harry Met Sally took place." I said.
"When Harry met Sally? Never heard of it. Is it some sort of Chick flick?" He asked. I just stared at him dumbfounded.
"Chick flick? Its only one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made." I said.
"Really?" He said.
"That's it I am fixing this disaster. I am failing my duties as a wife if I don't force you to watch the most iconic romantic comedy of all time. How could I have forgotten When Harry Met Sally?" I said.
"I've managed just fine." He said.
"No, We're doing this it's the perfect way to end this date. This movie perfectly fits our situation." I said. "Come on"
I put a hand on his shoulder and teleported us home.
"Get comfy and meet me downstairs when you're ready." I said before teleporting to my room.
I got into some white and navy shorts and a grey and navy raglan top before heading downstairs and setting up the DVD.
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"Okay let's get this over with." Wren said sitting down on the couch.
"It's a good movie, trust me." I said. "When have I ever steered you wrong?"
"Well there was…"
"Rhetorical question." I said. I sat down next to him and started the movie. Somewhere around half way through the movie I dozed off.
When I woke up the credits were rolling. I got the remote and shut the movie.
"So what you think of the movie? I told you it was good and its kind of like our story except without super powers or people trying to kill us." I said. I looked over and saw that he was knocked out.
I went over to wake him up.
"Hey sleepyhead time to go upstairs." I said shaking him slightly. That's when I realized he wasn;t breathing. "Wren, I said shaking him again. "No, no no, don't do this, please don't do this." I said shaking him. "Wren! Friday!"
"Ambulance is on it's way." Fridays said.
I checked his pulse and there was nothing.
I don't know what happened next, All I know was that the paramedics came in and I ended up in the hospital. I ended up somehow changing into sweats and the next thing I know I was in Chief Matthews office and Sam was in front of me.
"Nora." He said softly.
"Wren's dead." I said crying. He pulled me into a hug and held me.
"It's going to be okay." Sam said.
"How?" I cried harder.
The days after were a blur. Sam took care of everything. Unlike Jess, Wren decided to be cremated. There was a viewing followed by a wake at the pub we would hang out at when we all had a chance.
"Nora, you have to get up." Sam said trying to get me out of bed.
"I don't want to go, I can't do this Sam." I said crying.
"Nora you have to do this, it's time to say goodbye." Sam said. "You're going to regret it if you don't go."
"How did you get through this?" I cried.
"I had you and Wren. I'm going to tell you what you told me. You're not alone and you still have a lot to look forward to so don't even go there. You can't leave me alone with those kids Nora you're my rock." Sam said tearing up.
"Wren made me promise I wouldn't pull a 2012 and join the army or disappear." I said sitting up.
"Good, he made me promise not to let you do anything stupid." Sam said. "He picked out your outfit for today said you needed to worry about as little as possible."
I got out of bed and opened the garment bag Sam had hung up. It was a simple plain black dress with half sleeves and a pair of sensible heels. Wren thought of everything.
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I hopped in the shower and got dressed. I put on the origami crane necklace Wren had given me and the shoes before going downstairs to meet Sam and the kids.
"Connor hold still." Sam fussed.
"Dad why did Uncle Wren have to die?" Connor asked and I got the chills.
"Buddy, everyone dies eventually it's just that we all go at different times, we don't know when or why, it just happens. Remember what I said about Mommy watching over you from heaven well now she's not alone and Uncle Wren is watching over you too." Sam explained.
"I think it's time to go." I said.
"Right." Sam said getting up.
Connor walked over to me and hugged me. "Its okay auntie, I love you." Connor said.
I picked him up and gave him a hug and a kiss. "I love you too buddy."
We went to the funeral home for the viewing. Wren always thought that viewings were creepy but he also said that funerals weren't for the dead they were for the living.
We walked in and the place was packed already from friends we knew, patients, hospital staff, patients from the VA Wren attended to when he volunteered there and even some of our buddies from the army.
I got there and stood at the entrance where everyone lined up to give me their condolences.
It took three hours to get through everyone. Once everyone was done paying their respects the body was taken to the crematorium and in about an hour and a half I had an urn with my husband's body. No idea how Sam got it done so fast but I had a feeling Wren had probably given them a boat load of cash to make sure it was done that way.
We went to a pub and the urn was set at a table at the center of the room and shots were placed on the table. Wren hated romantic comedies but he took a page out of PS I love you and planned out a similar wake.
"This is for you." Sam said handing me an envelope.
"What is it?" I asked.
"No idea, I just had instructions to give this to you." Sam said.
I opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. I recognized the hand writing immediately.
To Nora
You're probably wondering why I planned out for my wake to be at a pub well let's face it we're both horrible at handling emotions and you're probably having a horrible day so I paid Carl off in advance to make sure you and Sam have a drink in your hands at all times today. This is a one-time thing. Go get piss drunk.
Wren
I started laughing and crying.
"What?" Sam asked. I handed him the note and Sam started laughing and crying.
"That explains the nanny he hired for today." Sam said. "Carl Two shots of Jameson please."
"Right away." He said serving us.
"To Wren." Sam said.
"To Wren." I said clinking glasses and downing our shots."
Then it was time for the eulogies.
"My Name is Sergeant Major Henry Montgomery and I met Wren seven years ago the day I got to Afghanistan. To say he was serious would be an understatement. Wren was emotionless and the only time I saw him feel anything was when he was yelling at the new recruits and making them cry. No one could make a grown man cry like Wren. Wren had his attitude but he also had a good heart and that's what made him a great doctor. He always put his patients above everything else. His work ethic and dedication was what made him climb through the ranks so fast. I know at least twenty people present here today that would not be here had it not been for Wren my self included. To Wren."
"To Wren." Everyone said taking a shot.
"My Name is Rachel Goldstein. About two and a half years ago I went into labor and my husband and I rushed to the hospital. On the way there our car was hit by a drunk driver and he died on impact. When I got to the hospital the paramedics were sure that my baby wouldn't make it and that I would probably die in the delivery. I heard someone yell at them to shut up and piss off. Doctor Spencer took my hand and reassured me he would do everything he could to save me and my baby. He took us up to surgery and delivered my son Spencer via C-Section. It wasn't until afterwards that one of the nurses told me that the baby wasn't breathing and they wanted to give up trying to resuscitate him but that Doctor Spencer wouldn't let them. This is a photo of Spencer this past Easter. If it weren't for him neither of us would be here today. To Wren." She said.
"To Wren." Everyone said.
"Nora." Sam said asking if I was ready.
"I can't do it." I said.
"It's okay." He said. Sam got up and went up. He took a shot before starting.
"Hi I'm Sam and I was Wren's best friend, lawyer, drinking buddy and accomplice in things I can't legally disclose." Sam started making everyone laugh. "I met Wren through Nora and I admit I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning. It's not everyday your kid sister comes home from a warzone with a complete stranger but at the same time I was relieved to finally not be the only guy in the room. I don't think I ever thanked you for dragging Wren back with you Nora. Wren was everything I could ever ask for in best friend unconditional support. Someone to talk some sense into you when you're being a moron and considering dropping out of law school. I remember a certain incident a few years ago I was drowning with work prepping for Finals and I finally cracked under the pressure. Wren dragged me out of the library and took me here. We started drank and watched the fight that was on that night and I said I can't do it anymore. Wren said, can't keep watching I know he's getting his arse handed to him. Of course he looked over at me and realized I wasn't talking about the fight and then smacked me upside the head. He said to me Sam you've been through three years of law school already; you're in the final stretch of the race. Stop doubting yourself.
When I met him I had no idea how important he was going to be to Me, Jess, and the kids. He wasn't just Nora's friend he was to quote my wife, my brother from another mother and to my kids he was uncle Wren. Wren put on a tough front but he was the most selfless person I ever met. He always thought about others before himself and this entire wake is proof of that. He didn't want us to worry and planned it out so the only thing Nora and I had to do was show up and drink. He made sure to spend as much time with the kids as they could so they would have good memories of him and he made sure to explain to Connor what was happening so that today he'd be ready. I remember a few months ago when I came back from my sabbatical Wren and I had a guys night out and we started talking about how much things had changed. He said that he had a lot of regrets in life but the biggest one was leaving Nora. He said she saved his life everyday since the day they met and that she was the best thing that ever happened to him. He loved you so damn much." Sam said crying, "To Wren, the best brother anyone could ever ask for. I miss you brother."
"To Wren" everyone said.
"Thanks Sammy." I said hugging him.
"Anything for you sis." He said.
"I can do this." I said.
"You can." He said.
"Shot first?" I said.
"Yeah." He said handing me one and taking it for himself before I went up there.
"Hi," I said. "I'm not really sure what's I can say that hasn't been said already. Wren came into my life when I was in a really dark place. I met him and it took a while for us to become actual friends he was my mentor, he trained me to be a surgeon and pushed me to be better. One day we were out in the field and he said get your head out of your arse and focus. I have your six and you have mine. That's when I knew that we were friends after that we were practically attached to the hip.
Sam and Jess and pretty much anyone that ever met us said we were couple goals but of course we said we were just friends. We did everything out of order. We met, we moved in together, We broke up even though we weren't dating to begin with, Became friends again, got married, fell in love and started a romantic relationship. He told Sam that I saved his life every day since he met me but the truth was he saved mine. I was in a really dark place when I met him and he was my light at the end of the tunnel. And I'm such an idiot because it took me so damn long to realize I was in love with him." I said crying. "If someone where to ask me if I could do it all over again and change one thing it would be not to wait so long to tell him how I felt. Wren taught me a lot of things but the greatest lesson was to not let the past hold you back and define your future. Life is too damn short to look back and keep thinking about the what ifs. You move forward and you live everyday redeeming your past and whatever happens after just go with it. To Wren thank you for everything."
"To Wren." Everyone said.
"I need a drink a lot of drinks." I said.
"Lucky for you we have this place till midnight, the kids are staying with the nanny overnight and it's an open bar." Sam said.
Many Drinks Later…
"What am I supposed to do now Sammy?" I said crying.
"I don't know who am I supposed to watch UFC with?" He said crying. "I miss Wren."
"I miss Jess." I said.
"I miss her too." He said crying.
"I think these two have had enough." I heard a familiar voice with a British accent.
"I'm a fucking widow I need it." I said.
"My brother died." Sam said.
"He was my brother too mate." Aiden said.
"You were Wren's brother too?" Sam said hiccupping.
"He doesn't know?" Aiden said looking at me.
"Aiden just shut up and drink maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and this'll all be a nightmare." I said crying.
"Doesn't work that way love. Barkeep shots of whatever they're having and keep them coming." Aiden said. "If you can't beat them join them"
Even More Drinks later…
"Wren fucking loved you." Aiden slurred.
"He freaking did." Sam said.
"I didn't deserve him." I slurred. "I couldn't even tell him I loved him."
"But he knew, the way you two looked at each other that was love." Sam said.
"And Now I'll never get to see those gorgeous blue eyes again." I said crying.
"Barkeep another round." Aiden said.
"You guys finished two bottles already." He answered.
"I'm a fucking widow and I'm only twenty two." I said.
"I'll go open another bottle." He said.
"I'm fucking cursed everyone I love dies or gets captured by Nazis or dates my ninety year old gal pal's niece or forgets me. My dad included. What the fuck is wrong with me?" I said.
"I'm a single dad with no family except you and my two kids, my wife and best friend died within six months of each other and we're currently getting drunk with said best friend's assassin brother. Sis we're fucked up people but at least we're fucked up people together." Sam said.
"I'll drink to that." Aiden said.
"What am I supposed to do with his ashes?" I asked. "Do I put them on my mantle? Do I pollute the ocean? I mean what are you supposed to do with them?"
"He probably didn't want anyone experimenting with his remains, that's why he rushed the cremation. He asked me to make sure no one used his body that way so I was on guard." Aiden said.
"Thanks." I said.
"Not a problem, I owed him that much." Aiden said.
"How's the witch hunt going?" I asked.
"You really want to know?" Aiden asked.
"I want to stop feeling like the worst person on earth." I said crying.
"We both know I win that title." Aiden said.
"I'm a corporate lawyer, I screw the little guy over on a daily basis. I win worst person on the Earth." Sam said.
"Yeah but you donate all your bonuses to charity." I said.
"Still feel like shit." Sam said.
"Barkeep." Sam said.
"Another!" We all said at the same time.
The Next Day…
I woke up with a pounding headache on the couch hugging the urn containing Wren's ashes. I looked over and saw Sam lying on the opposite couch and Aiden lying on the floor. I stood up and immediately ran to the bathroom to throw up.
"Uh." I groaned.
There was a knock at the door.
"Nora, hurry up." Sam groaned. I got up and opened the door. As soon as I did Sam knelt down and threw up. "Freaking Whiskey."
"I feel like death." I said. Suddenly there were little thuds and I saw Connor at the end of the hall. "Oh boy."
"Auntie Nora! Daddy!" He yelled.
"ugh." Sam and I groaned.
"Buddy Shh!" I said. "Quietly please."
"Do you guys have a tummy ache?" He asked as he saw Sam with his head still against.
"Something like that sweetie." I said.
"Can we eat pancakes?" Connor asked.
"Buah." Sam said throwing up.
"How about toaster waffles?" I said compromising.
"Okay." Connor agreed.
"I'll get started on the coffee." I said. I took the kids to the kitchen but Aiden had beat me to it.
"One coffee, and a short stack of pancakes for the little bugger." Aiden said.
"Thank you creepy park stranger." Connor said.
"My name's Aiden." Aiden said.
"Okay." Connor said digging into his waffles.
"Uh, Now I remember why I don't drink whiskey." I said. "How the hell are you functional right now?"
"I drank water last night after you and Sam declared me designated drunk." Aiden said.
"What the hell happened last night?" I asked.
"You got drunk enough to start singing along with the jukebox. I've never seen so many one hit wonders butchered like that." He said.
"I want to crawl into bed and never come out." I said.
"Buck up, that's the hang over talking." Aiden said.
"Why are you being so nice to us?" I asked.
"Wren asked me to keep an eye on you. Said you'd probably try and do something stupid. Starting to see what he meant." Aiden said.
"I'm fine." I said.
"Are you really? If you were alone what would you be doing right now?" He asked.
It was quiet, the only sounds that could be heard was Connor chewing his pancakes. Luckily Sam walked in before I had to answer.
"Okay, I need coffee." He said. "Lots and lots of coffee."
"Way ahead of you." Aiden said.
I dropped off Sam and the kids at their house before heading back home.
"I'm surprised you're still here." I said.
"Are you kicking me out?" Aiden said.
"No just surprised is all. Last time I saw you, you were hell bent on taking them down and didn't even say goodbye." I said.
"Never been one for farewells especially since…"
"Since you had just found out Wren was dying and if you said goodbye it might have been the last time." I said.
"What was the last thing you ever said to him?" Aiden asked.
"Shut up and watch Harry fall in love with Sally." I said.
"What?"
"We were in New York for our anniversary dinner and we went to Washington square park and he said he'd never seen it. I said I needed to correct that asap. We teleported here…" I said crying. "Got into our pjs and watched the movie. I fell asleep and when he… he was… dead." I said sobbing.
"Oh." Aiden said.
One Week Later-
"Nora get up." Aiden said.
"No." I said burying my head in the pillow.
"It's been a week, you need to get up." Aiden said.
"What's the point?" I said crying.
"For fucks sake." He said. He grabbed the pillow and pulled it out of my grasp. "Get up."
"No." I cried. I heard footsteps and then the blinding sunlight came into the room. "Arg." I said pulling the covers up.
"I'm giving you one last chance get up." Aiden said.
"Fuck off." I said.
"You asked for it." He said before walking out of the room.
Finally he was gone. I heard footsteps growing closer. I tightened my hold on my blanket next thing I know I'm soaking wet.
"What the fuck Aiden?" I said umping out of bed.
"Oh look you're up?" he said with a smirk. He threw some clothes at me. "Get dressed we're going out."
"No." I said.
"Put the clothes on or I'll put you in a straightjacket and drag you there." Aiden said
"I hate you." I said.
"You're twenty two act like it." Aiden said. "How the hell did Wren put up with you…"
At the mention of Wren I started crying.
"Oh fuck." Aiden said. "I'm not doing this. I'm not Wren I won't coddle you but I can distract you. You ever fenced before?"
I shook my head no.
"Well there's a first time for everything." Aiden said.
After hours of fencing we finally stopped.
"You're good?" He said.
"Can I go back to bed now?" I asked.
"No, We're going out to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't had a full meal since yesterday and even then you were picking at it, you're eating then you can go back to bed." Aiden compromised.
"No buckets of ice water." I said.
"No ice water for the rest of the day, tomorrow's another story." He said and I glared at him. "You were being a brat."
"I'm in mourning jerk." I said walking back to the house. I opened the freezer and saw that there was a dish of lasagna. Wren's lasagna. I started crying.
"Oh bloody hell again." Aiden said walking in.
"I don't know why I keep crying." I said.
"Nora I can't help you. I don't do emotions, any emotions I had were beaten out of me a long time ago." Aiden said.
"How did Beth die?" I answered.
"Low blow." He said.
"Well that's how I feel right now." I said sobbing.
"This is probably the worst time to bring this up but I have to leave soon, and by soon I mean tonight or the latest tomorrow morning. A contact of mine recently got some info and he's going to be in Prague in three days." Aiden said.
"Then go." I said.
"You're crying over a dish of frozen lasagna." Aiden said.
"I figured out how to put myself together once, I'll do it again but I need to mourn and like you said you don't do emotions. You made Wren a promise go keep it." I said sniffling.
"If anything happens and I mean anything you call me or you call Sam. Hell call your father why didn't he show up to the funeral?" Aiden finally asked the dreaded question.
"Dad never really approved of my marriage to Wren and we haven't talked since last year the day after the masquerade gala. He's busy he probably doesn't even know Wren died." I said.
"You should probably call to let him know." Aiden said.
"I can't." I said.
"Why Not?" Aiden said.
"It's kind of complicated." I said.
"You were married to a British assassin trained by a secret organization of the British government since the age of three how much more complicated than that could it be?" Aiden said.
"I'm a time traveler." I said.
"Fine then don't tell me." Aiden said thinking I was joking.
"I'm serious." I said. "The closet under the stairs filled with costumes, those aren't costumes, those are clothes I was wearing when I came back from different times."
"Time travel is impossible."
"People would say the same about you being able to shape shift but you still do it." I said.
"Time traveler huh, and I'm guessing your father doesn't know?"
"Not allowed to tell him." I said.
"What do you mean?"
"Interfering timelines it's a whole other shit storm I'm dealing with at the moment." I said.
"Your life is complicated."
"And people wonder why I'm shit at dealing with emotions." I said.
"Hey you finally stopped crying." Aiden said.
"I'm dehydrated."
"I'll just go get my bags then." Aiden said going to the guestroom.
Two Weeks after Wren's Funeral…
It was four in the afternoon and I was still in bed. The only reason I had gotten out of bed was to feed and let Axl out. Other than that I was in bed and Axl was with me. It was quiet when suddenly my phone's Tardis ringtone started ringing.
I answered it without looking at the caller ID.
"Hello." I answered groggily.
"Are you in bed right now?" Sam asked. "It's like four in the afternoon over there."
"How are you Sam?" I said.
"Concerned, worried and missing my sister. Connor's been asking about you." Sam said.
"How is he?" I said.
"He's sad but kids are resilient." Sam said. "I'm making burgers tonight. Get your but here now."
"Sam…"
"Nora I'm serious we have to talk about Wren's will. Some of that stuff's time sensitive the sooner we get it over with the better." Sam said.
I sighed. "I'll shower and then head over. You want me to stop by and get desert?"
"You're staying the night, the guestroom's set up. Bring a change of clothes if you're not here in five minutes I'm getting on a plane over there."
"Sam…"
"No buts, I haven't seen or heard from you in over two weeks. Aiden's concerned and that guy has the emotional maturity of a cucumber. If the emotionless assassin is concerned you know something's up. You have five minutes to get your ass over here." Sam said before hanging up.
I got up and put on a black sports bra, a maroon tee and grey drawstring jogger pants. I packed some casual clothes in a tote. If I was missing anything I could just come back for it.
.
I took a deep breath and teleported to Sam's house.
"Auntie Nora!" I heard Connor shout. Before running over to hug me.
"Hey buddy." I said forcing a smile on my face.
"I missed you where have you been?" He asked.
"I was working on something in the lab and lost track of time." I said.
"Oh new project?" He said.
"Old one that I never finished." I said.
"Connor go wash up bud." Sam said.
"Okay dad." He said running off.
"You look like shit." Sam said as he hugged me.
"Missed you too Sammy." I retorted.
"Cut the crap when was the last time you actually got a good night's rest or actually finished a meal?" Sam said.
"I'm dealing okay my appetites just been a bit off." I said.
"You haven't been drinking or doing any drugs have you?" Sam asked.
"No, My last drink was the night of the wake and apparently Aiden signed me up for a subscription food service thing. The food's good my appetites just off."
"Probably just stress." He said. "Sit down, you're finishing everything if not you're going to a doctor tomorrow."
"Yes mom." I answered.
"Nora…" He said warning me.
"Scouts honor I'll finish my dinner." I said.
"dad, I'm hungry." Connor said.
After dinner I helped put the kids to bed and saw that Connor had photos on his wall. One was of him Sam and Jess during a picnic we had months before Ellie was born the other was Him me and Wren on one of our adventures.
"So I don't forget them and they can watch over me." Connor said sleepily.
"That's really sweet buddy. You ready for bed?" I asked.
"Mhm. Night Auntie, I love you." He said.
I kissed his forehead and pulled up the covers. "Love you too bud."
I turned on the night-light and walked out of the room. I went downstairs and Sam was waiting for me in the living room. I closed the sliding doors and sat down on the couch.
"Is this my intervention or was there an actual will to discuss?" I asked.
Sam sighed and pinched his eyebrows together "This is for you." He said sliding a big manila envelope to me. "Don't open it yet, instructions said this will tell you when to open it."
He slid in a DVD into the Blu-ray player and pressed play before walking out of the room.
"Aren't you staying?" I asked.
"He said you'd want to watch it on your own." He said before slipping out.
I looked to the TV and the background looked familiar. It was my living room. I saw someone standing in front of the camera and when they moved the camera I saw it was Wren.
"What the…" I started but then he sat down on the couch and He took a deep breath before talking.
"Hey Nora, You probably think this is really morbid and cliché but if you're watching this it means I'm dead… Wow that does not get any easier to say no matter how many times I practice."
"And you're ranting, damn I miss you." I said tearing up.
"I don't want you to cry even though that probably made you cry even more."
"Nah I'm good." I said composing myself.
"Sure you are but I need you to listen so shut up and stop arguing with the recording. By now it's probably been about two weeks since I kicked the bucket and Aiden's probably lost his patients and dragged your mopey ass out of bed. Yes I asked him to look after you and he didn't make a fuss about it. I think he's kind of fond of you which is good because I'm going to need you to keep him grounded and make sure he doesn't get himself killed.
Besides the point, You're probably moping around in your harry potter pajamas or those joggers you wear when you're out of clean clothes."
"Damn you knew me too well." I said. "This is a little creepy."
"Stop interrupting, Nora you're mourning and it's okay let it out but don't let it take over your life. Stop hiding in your room. You're Nana had it right when she said life is for the living so go out and live it. If you've learned anything from my situation is that life is short and precious and you shouldn't squander it. Your dad hid you away from the world to keep you safe but you're not a defenseless little girl anymore. I've seen what you can do and you are amazing. I've seen you do the impossible and it's time the world saw how Amazing Nora Eliana Stark is, not Nora Martell or Nora Spencer, Stark. Open the envelope Sam gave you. Go on."
"What did you do Wren?" I said.
"Giving you a push." He said. I opened the envelope and took out its contents. Inside was a Drivers license, ID, passport, medical license and all of the pink slips and deeds to the properties with the name Nora Eliana Stark.
"What the hell?" I said.
"I know it's a pretty big push. You're probably wondering how I did it. I had Sam file all the paperwork during your three week absence. Side note I sign your name better than you do. All of these documents are real and there are a few more things I should probably go over. There's another envelop inside. Open it."
"I don't think I can handle any more surprises."
"Suck it up you big baby and open the damn envelope."
"Death's made you bossy." I said. "And I'm really creeping myself out" I opened the envelope and saw that it was a deed to a house.
"Real estate is a good investment. You always said you wanted to move to New York and live in the town house well there's the town house. Four bedrooms four and a half baths a block away from Sam's place, close enough to Central Park you can jog there in the mornings and a ten-minute taxi ride to your dad's. You're thinking of an excuse not to move right now and I'm going to tell you right now stop.
Montgomery's working at New York Presbyterian and they've been scouting you for a while. Give him a call and the job's yours. There's a big world out there Nora, it's time to get out of your cave and see it. There's nothing left for you in Dallas. And if you think it's too dangerous to move because you'll run into Steve why hasn't Aya shown up yet?
No more running, no more hiding. It's time Nora.
As for the rest of my inheritance I've split it in half you get half and Sam gets the other half. I set up trust funds for the kids, they'll never have to work a day in their lives if they don't want to, their grandkids probably won't have to either. Properties, they're managed; my financial manager will contact you. You can keep him or switch to yours up to you.
So this is it, my last words, I hate to be a cliché but it's your fault for forcing me to watch greys anatomy so we could comment on how inaccurate it is. Your dad, Steve Bucky and even Aya are great people and they do amazing things but they aren't the sun you are.
Thank you for walking into that Infirmary in Afghanistan and giving me a chance." He said crying, "Thank you for giving me a home, a family, for teaching me that there's more to life than fighting, for accepting me with all my baggage, And thank you for giving me the best years of my life. I love you Nora, Always have always will."
And with that the video ended and I was sobbing.
Sam walked into the room and hugged me.
"He's gone." I cried.
"I know." Sam said rubbing my back. "I know."