The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 16

FIVE MONTHS LATER

Lydia pulled the tray out of the oven, a bright smile on her face when she saw that the chicken had cooked perfectly. Her cooking skills improved remarkably now that she had an actual kitchen full of food. The apartment Happy owned was incredibly large, and it quickly became her home. It took her a long time to feel safe again, but she did. Nobody knew of her, not even Fury. Happy was all right with lying to him in order to protect her.

Life started to feel whole again with him. When he worked during the day, she busied herself. Knitting, cooking, and now photography were her favorite things to do. Happy had an old film camera and would buy her rolls of film. Lydia would parade around the apartment and take pictures of everything and anything. She had never been allowed a camera before, and the process was enjoyable.

Grabbing the camera, she took a picture of the chicken. Lydia smiled and set the item down. While she waited for Happy to get home, there wasn't much to do. He was always home for dinner, never missed a night. It was his only promise to her.

She glanced at the clock. It was nearly eight. Tonight was one of his late nights, but he promised to return. As she waited, she cut the chicken into small pieces and scooped it into the pasta bowl. The house smelled of garlic from the garlic bread that had already finished cooking. Lydia hummed as she put the tray in the sink, making a mental note to come back to it later.

The sound of the front door unlocking caused her to smile. It was a signal Happy was home. "Something smells good," his voice carried through the apartment.

"I made chicken pasta with garlic bread," she responded cheerfully. Her eyes caught sight of him walking into the room.

Happy picked up the film canaster that was sitting on the edge of the counter. "You already went through this?"

"Yes," was her response.

"I just bought this for you."

"I know." Lydia set the bowl down. "I finished it."

Happy sighed but smiled nevertheless. "You're killing me with these photos."

"I thought you liked them?"

"I do."

Lydia turned her attention back to their dinner. "Your turn to pick the movie. I'll bring you out a bowl in a minute."

"I'm going to change first," he informed her. Lydia hummed in response, opening the cabinet to grab two bowls. Everything in her life was easy now. There was nothing to fear anymore. Everything was simple. She lived with Happy, and she herself was happy. Life was finally treating her right.

The memories of her life before didn't haunt her. Of course, she missed Natasha and Tony more than anything, but the memories she had were no longer painful to reflect on. Natasha always wanted her to have a life, a real-life outside of the Avengers. Lydia had that now, and that was because of her. Natasha's sacrifice brought her back and allowed her to live freely and without fear. She owed her mother everything. "How does Star Wars sound?"

"Star Wars," Lydia repeated curiously. "Is that the movie Tony liked?"

"Tony? I don't think so. But I love them."

Lydia picked up the two bowls and strolled into the living room where Happy was. She handed him one of the bowls before taking a seat. "I would love to watch your movie choice."

"Excellent." Happy clicked on the movie. Lydia relaxed on the couch, letting her legs rest against a pillow. The bowl was sitting comfortably on her lap. "So," he began as the movie started. "I was thinking about something."

She glanced at him, "what?"

"I was thinking maybe," Happy began nervously. "I mean, you can say no, but I thought since you're cooped up in here all day, it would be nice to get out for a while."

That confused her. "What do you mean?"

Happy turned towards her, setting the bowl on the table. "I could take the day off tomorrow, and we could go out. Maybe see a movie, or possibly a museum." Lydia thought about his words. Going out and seeing the world went against every rule Tony and Natasha had. But they were gone, and Lydia wanted to see the world. "You can say no-"

"No," she spoke. "No, I mean yes. Yes, I want to do that. I would like to get out, as you say."

His eyes seemingly brightened, "really? That's great. We can do anything you want to do."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

There was always so much she wanted to see in New York, but could never because it was dangerous. How was Lydia supposed to pick? "I have so many ideas."

"Well," Happy grinned. "We have the entire day. Make a list, and we will see what we can get done."

Lydia bit her bottom lip, sorting through all the possible things she could do the following day. "Are you sure?"

Happy nodded, "positive. It'll be a great break for both of us."

"A break," that was precisely what she needed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lydia snapped another picture of the street in front of her. She could hardly contain her excitement. Happy followed after her as she ran down the road. They had already done a full day's worth of activities, and it was only mid-day. They started with the Natural History Museum, then the art Museum directly after. After they went to Central Park and got ice cream, now they had accidentally stumbled upon a market.

It was not her first time at a market. The last time she was at a market was in England with Steve and Natasha. They had bought flowers they didn't need. Lydia reflected on that day constantly. It was one of her favorite memories. Although on the run, life felt simple. Before Natasha had died and Steve completely abandoned her without a care.

Lydia had made peace with everything from her past, except for one thing. She never made peace with what Steve did. How could he do that? How could he abandon James and Sam? How could he leave her? Steve deserved a life. He, of all people, deserved that. But the past was the past for a reason. You can't go back, even if you want to.

"Hey," Happy caught up to her. "You're going to give me a heart attack."

"Sorry," Lydia chuckled slightly embarrassed. "But look." She had stopped outside a stained glass booth. The items were gorgeous and seemingly sparkled in the light. "Aren't they magnificent?"

"Yeah," Happy agreed. "They're pretty."

Lydia's eyes caught sight of a painting booth a few feet away. "Oh, look at that." She grabbed his hand and began dragging down the walkway. Happy stumbled after her but didn't complain. "That's so cool!" Lydia dropped his hand in order to take a picture. "Wow."

Happy observed her, a gentle smile on his face. To him, this was all things he had seen before, but it was new for her. Lydia was never allowed out of the Avengers Tower, and being on the run meant she couldn't enjoy small things like this often. "I was thinking tonight we could go see a play."

"A play?"

"Yeah," he responded. "Any of them. Your choice."

"Okay," Lydia grinned. "I would love that."

"Great."

"Oh," she began walking again. "Can we get pizza after?"

"Pizza," he pretended to think. "That's a wonderful idea."

Lydia pulled at the hat on her head, a single strand of white hair falling out the front. However, she didn't notice. To caught up in the events around her. "Oh, look at that!" Happy chuckled, shaking his head as he followed after her.