Zenith: The Grand Return

Epilogue: Enjoy the Silence (Pt. II)

{Soundtrack:
Almost Lover - Jasmine Thompson
So Cold - Ben Cocks, Nikisha Reyes-Pile
Long Way From Home - The Lumineers
evermore - Taylor Swift
Sad Girl - Lana Del Rey
The Downeaster 'Alexa' - Billy Joel
Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish
Cross My Mind - A R I Z O N A
right where you left me - Taylor Swift
Stay With Me - Sam Smith
Everytime I See Your Picture - Luba
Stay Away - Nirvana
Love Story - Sarah Cothran
The Ledge - Fleetwood Mac
Clean - Taylor Swift
And so It Begins - Klergy}

~

Marsha Holloway had seen it all.

She'd lost both her parents in a freak accident before she'd even turned sixteen, she was thrown into the system without any remorse nor a leg to stand on, she'd felt poverty, hunger, the terror of uncertainty. She'd lived with an abusive older boyfriend in his doublewide who used to beat her whenever he felt like it, who ran around town using weapons and drugs and dragging her down into a life of crime. She'd known addiction, recovery, rock bottom. And when all that was over, she knew what it felt like to run far away and start fresh somewhere new, at the most difficult school to get into in the entire country. She'd fallen deeply in love with a man who loved her better than anyone else had, but ended up threatening her entire career before perishing in yet another tragic accident, one whole month before they were set to walk down the aisle together.

She'd been caught in numerous death-defying situations, she'd been shot, she'd been stabbed, she'd been stalked, all in the name of her profession. After recovering from her fiancé's death, she even continued to fall in love. David went to jail for treason after using her for classified military information and Michael may have been troubled, but she loved him, and when he died of radiation poisoning, Marsha sobbed for weeks. There was only so much loss that a person could take.

The tragedies, through all the grief and heartache, the pure, unbridled misery, none of it hurt in the same way that watching Jack Shepard walk away from her did. And for the life of her, she could not explain that phenomenon. Him leaving triggered something brand new within her, a new kind of pain that she'd yet to experience. And in the first couple months following Jack's untimely departure, Marsha became the colour blue. At first, she tried to act as though nothing was wrong, even as she broke the children's heart with the news of Jack walking out on them, she attempted to be strong for their sake. When the leaders of the Zenith Program realized that they had nothing without Captain Zoom and the team was official dismantled, Marsha no longer had any reason to pretend that she was okay.

"Marsha," Dylan had been the first to say goodbye. He was catching a flight back to Denver in less than an hour and his prolonged goodbye to Summer left him running late. "I don't even know what to say," he shrugged, standing before her, duffel bag over his shoulder and clutching the handle of his suitcase. There was an empty look behind his hazel eyes, and Marsha was heartbroken to see that whatever youthfulness he had remaining behind those eyes had faded. She knew that today was the day of goodbyes, and was quite frankly just happy to actually be receiving them this time, but it was bound to be the hardest day of her whole life.

Taking in a deep breath that was surprisingly sturdy, all the woman could do was offer a sweet, reassuring smile and open her arms for a hug. She nearly began to cry when Dylan melted into her, holding on tightly when he realized just how badly he was going to miss her. His own mother had never been very present, and when she was, he wished she wasn't. Marsha was different, she offered him protection without strings attached, she was someone who actually knew how to make him feel safe and loved. He was going to miss her presence. "Thank you," he mumbled into their embrace before they pulled away and looked at one another with misty eyes. "For everything."