Winterwidow One-shots

Condolences Letter

I'm sitting in my small apartment, and the walls feel like they're closing in around me. I know that it's in my head, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself of it. It was a hard day if you haven't picked up on that yet. The war is putting everyone on edge. It had been for the last four years, but today was a hard one. On many occasions, a lot of men had gone missing or been killed. It was always a sorrowful day when that happened, but it had never been my man. That had all changed today.

The news had come at five that morning. I could still hear the headline on the radio from when I was taking my curlers out. "BREAKING NEWS," the man on the radio shouted as I turned up the volume. "Nearly the entirety of the 107th has been captured behind enemy lines! More news from the Army is to come tomorrow." I had dropped my earring I was holding and sunk to the floor in tears. I laid there, back against my dresser, makeup streaming down my face for twenty minutes. I then picked myself up and went off to work. You don't get a lot of rest when You're a secretary at S.H.I.E.L.D. Today was no exception.

I tried to let on that I was as composed as usual, but I could barely breathe all day long. I wanted to ask my boss if there had been any developments in the capture, but I knew better than to ask my boss. He's an idiot who doesn't tolerate when women "get smart". I would have asked Peggy, the only woman at work who managed not to be a secretary, but she didn't come in today. All day I just sat at my desk. Wondering and imagining the worst.

Now I sat, looking out the window of my apartment, putting out the last cigarette in my third pack of the day. Silently crying as tears fell on the condolences letter from the Army that was clutched in my hand. In my lap sat the photograph. From two years ago. James in his uniform, me in my work clothes. I'm sitting on a ledge with my arms around his neck and he's standing below. The words "Always and forever. -James" were scrawled across the photo in his large and beautiful handwriting. Big droplets of water were scattered across the frame of the photograph. I closed my eyes and put my head down. I'd lost hope.

Just then- click. The door opened behind me. At first I didn't bother to look up. But then, "Hey there, Tasha... You okay?" I whirled around. There he was. Uniform and all. Standing is the doorway I'd thought I'd never him in again. There was a gash across his right cheekbone, and he had a black eye, but he was beaming. I just stood there staring for a few moments at the miracle in front of my eyes.

"You know I'm not a ghost. You can come closer, Doll." I got up and dropped everything. I ran across the room and jumped into his arms. The tears were happy now. "I thought you were dead. I thought--"

"Dead? I couldn't leave my beautiful girl. Not when I hadn't even said goodbye." He pressed his forehead to mine and we shared a kiss. "I love you so much." he said. "I love you too, James." I whispered.