"I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father. I'm asking forgiveness for what I'm about to do."
or
In which Cecilia Murdock picked up her father's mantle only to have old enemies resurface while she's trying to navigate through college and h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"This is not cutlery."
December 2024
After a rather disheartening conversation with Clint Barton where he sent them both home claiming that he was never their partner and instead they were each other's partners, Cecilia found herself in her father's apartment.
"Cecilia?" Matt's tired voice called out as she entered his apartment, guilt filled her at how tired and stressed he sounded, she knew that it was her fault he felt that way.
"Yeah, I'm home dad," She grunted out as she tried to hide the pain in her voice, her entire body ached and she was finally beginning to be able to hear again, she had been having to read everyone's lips since Kate had used the ultrasonic arrow.
"You're bleeding and a rib is shifted," He stated as he stepped out of his bedroom and stepped closer to his daughter who was trying to peel herself out of her suit.
"I'm fine, I just...maybe this was a bad idea," Cecilia sighed as she collapsed onto her father's couch, the suit half unzipped around her leaving her in a black tanktop as it bunched around her waist. Her head was hung low as she stared at her bloody fingernails.
"What was?" Matt questioned as he went to go grab a pair of sweatpants from the laundry basket at the end of the couch and hand them to her.
"Trying to be you, I can't, and that's made blatantly clear over and over again," She answered with a frown as she felt the tears well up in her throat but she swallowed them down and took a deep breath.
"So stop," Matt said as he sat down next to her after she had changed.
"What?"
"Stop trying to be me, you shouldn't want to be me, be you. Do what you need to do, be better than me. Because I know you can be," Matthew expressed as he reached out and took the girl's hand, she was trembling but her father's warm touch calmed her.
"I made mistakes, I made so many mistakes. But I know why they happened, I let my ego and my pride get in the way when they shouldn't have," Matt paused and let out a deep sigh before tilting his head towards his daughter.
"That's not you though, you're smart, and meticulous, you plan ahead Cecilia and because of that, you keep people safe. You think of every possible outcome and allow that to guide you, you think with your heart and your head."
Cecilia had always loved listening to her father speak, he had a way of articulating his words that filled her with utter and complete peace yet at the same time they gave her a much-needed boost of confidence. That was of course until she remembered the secret that she was keeping from him.
