Always Mine (An MCU Fanfiction)

22. Let Her Go

Peyton's POV

We returned to the apartment to find Craig pacing around the living room.

"Finally, you guys are back!" he sighed as we entered. "I tried calling you a few times."

"Sorry, my phone was on vibrate," I lied, faking an apology.

"Where have all of you been?"

"We went out for breakfast. Had a craving for IHOP," Vince replied as he turned on the TV and Xbox at the same time.

"OK, what's your problem?" Nicole flung herself on the couch after getting her iPad.

Craig shook his head, seeing that we weren't following him along. "Casey's missing. I checked her room and found this note." He showed us a piece of paper with Casey's handwriting on it.

"She'd have to have left it for a valid reason," Sean frowned. "And the answer's obvious."

Craig stared at all of us as if we were apathetic about the situation. "You all know she left. I knew it."

"Well, look hard in the mirror," I snapped at him, "You've been nothing but an a-hole as of late. That's why Casey left. She made a choice, and none of us is holding her back. So do her and us a favor, back off, and let her live her life."

"Pey's right," Sean nodded. "You have to let Casey go. She'll come back when she's ready."

"I think the message is that she quit SHIELD for good," Vince corrected him as he started playing one of the Halo games.

"She can't quit the agency," Craig remarked, "She's too important."

"You're forgetting that she's human," Nicole frowned.

"But with super linguistics and telekinesis."

"None of those matters. And besides, Case can look after herself. She's tough as hell," I reminded Craig.

He left the room when the rest of us decided to stop talking, seeing that it was getting him worked up. Sean seated himself on one of the recliners, pulled out a book, and started reading. After sitting on the couch, I pulled out my Nintendo 3DS and played a Pokémon game.

Craig came out a couple of minutes later with his backpack packed.

"You finally leaving the nest?" I teased him sarcastically.

"I'm going to find Casey and convince her to come back," he replied. "Vince, can you hack into her phone or laptop and locate her?"

"Nope," Vince shook his head. "Ain't gonna happen."

"She won't return if you try to trace her and drag her back," Sean told Craig.

"I'll try everything in my power to find her," Craig said, sounding determined, and left the apartment without saying goodbye.

"It won't work," I assured the others, knowing Casey would likely travel under an alias to throw him off.

Casey's POV

Later, Austin and Ellie took me to a popular restaurant known for its prime ribs. When our plates arrived at our table shortly after ordering, I immediately dug into the ribs despite my fingers getting BBQ sauce after handling the meat.

"You must've been hungry," Austin pointed out.

"Yeah," I nodded after swallowing. "I did pick up a quick bite before boarding the plane."

I opened up to my aunt and uncle about the events that led up to the New York event, when Austin mentioned that he and Ellie had seen me and the others on TV. I didn't get a chance to tell them when I visited for the wedding, as I didn't want to spoil their special day. I left out the topic of Loki and his constant lusting and the dreams involving him, not wanting to worry my aunt and uncle.

During the meal, my phone rang, which alerted me to a notification. I read the screen and saw a text from Peyton informing me that Craig had found my note and was trying to find me.

"Everything all right?" Ellie asked me.

"My ex found the note I left for him and is trying to look for me," I explained. "I hope he doesn't recruit any agents or worse, the STRIKE team in his insane search."

I hated having to deal with the STRIKE team, as some of them were trigger-happy, and Brock Rumlow, the leader, was a big-time prick. He tried hitting on me a few times whenever something required the STRIKE team's presence.

"If that happens, lemme at 'em!" Austin remarked as he flexed an arm, showing off a six-pack.

"Oz, they'd mean business. And you don't wanna piss off the STRIKE team, unless you're asking to have your body looking like Swiss cheese. If they all find out that I'm here, I'll have to leave the country for a while."

"I've got some cousins down in Monterey. They could always meet us at the border if that happens," Ellie offered. "You might remember meeting them when they came up for the wedding."

"Maybe. Though Mexico's filled with too many informants," I stated. "Though it could work since my ex never passed Spanish. I could always get a hold of Syl and meet up with her in whatever country she's in."

When we got back to the house, I sent an email to Sylvia, hoping she was awake in whatever time zone. Some minutes later, my maternal aunt replied. I read her message explaining that she was in Santiago, Chile, gathering stories and preparing for hiking in Patagonia. I sent her an explanation of my current situation. Sylvia extended an invitation to me to go on the hiking trip with her. I replied with multiple yeses at once, as exploring the Patagonia region had been one of my long-held dreams. It could help me evade Craig and any agent sent after me.

My maternal aunt emailed me a link for a boarding pass for a direct flight from Dallas to Santiago. The plan was to spend a few days with Austin and Ellie, and then I'd catch a flight to meet up with Sylvia in Chile, where we'd prepare for the Patagonia hike. I could only hope Vince was able to block any hackers hired by Craig to track me so they wouldn't be able to read my conversations.