"Rhiley sat across from Coulson in the middle of nowhere, the sun barely breaking through the trees in the early morning. Her arms were crossed, eyes sharp as she watched him, but her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
"Was it really necessary to drive two hours away?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, her voice tinged with impatience.
"I didn't want to risk getting you compromised," Coulson responded, keeping his focus on her.
Rhiley gave him a flat look. "I'm good at my job, Phil. Always have been."
Coulson didn't flinch but instead leaned back, crossing his arms as he watched her with a certain intensity. "Nothing else raising any flags?"
"If there was, I'd tell you," she replied with a shrug, the tension between them palpable.
He studied her for a moment before speaking again, the words coming slower, as if weighing them carefully. "I know he's your nephew, Rhiley."
She stiffened. The name 'nephew' caused a ripple of unease in her chest, but she pushed it away quickly. "But he's not," she replied, her laugh sharp, almost hollow. "We may be related by blood, but that's as far as it goes. If he knew who I really was, he'd mark me as an enemy."
"His childhood wasn't your fault, Rhiley," Coulson said gently, though there was something heavy in his voice.
"Maybe not," she muttered, a bitter edge creeping into her tone. "But Howard used to talk all the time about kids. Not to anyone, not to many people. Except me." She shook her head, her expression distant. "I never wanted kids. I couldn't... " She faltered, stopping herself before her mouth gave away too much. She couldn't tell Coulson that her body was incapable of carrying a child because of her condition. Not here. Not now.
"I would've been the aunt who showed up drunk on wine, ready to get the kid in trouble, but that's not how it worked out. Howard was supposed to be an amazing father, and I was supposed to be... that aunt." Her voice faltered again, the weight of the past pressing down on her.
"I'm sorry," Coulson said, his voice soft.
Rhiley looked away, the past threatening to choke her. "No need to apologize. Things happen," she muttered, staring at the floor.
"Not these kinds of things," Coulson pressed, his voice firm. "Have you reconsidered therapy? You don't have to keep all of this inside."
Rhiley's gaze snapped back to his, an iron wall coming down. "I need to go." She stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I'll see you next week."
-
-
-
Rhiley stood in the empty convention hall, as she had every night for weeks now. The lights flickered above her, and the echo of her own footsteps filled the void. She was always alone—except for the dream that came after.
The dream that had become more like a nightmare.
The moment she stepped to the side, she collided with someone. The scene replayed in her mind like clockwork. "I'm so, so sorry..." the voice was unmistakable.
"I know," she whispered to herself as the guilt crept in again, unbidden. Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked up. She could see the smile, even though she was trying so hard not to.
"I didn't mean to bump into such a pretty lady," he said, his voice smooth, his grin easy and warm.
Her throat tightened as she felt the familiar spark. The thing that had haunted her for so long—love at first sight. She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself to wake up.
YOU ARE READING
Radioactive | Bucky Barnes
Fanfiction"I want to go back to the time you first told me your name." Rhiley, the twin sister of Howard Stark, finds herself wrapped up with the one and only James Barnes. The next time she sees him is on her new assignment with the 107th Infantry Regiment...
