𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐌𝐂𝐅𝐋𝐘 𝐄𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 ━ five hargreeves²

4│STATE OF THE ( RE )UNION

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❛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴛʏ ᴍᴄғʟʏ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ sᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ
( ʀᴇ )ᴜɴɪᴏɴ ꒱　


❝ ANYONE WOULD BE A
FOOL TO WALK AWAY FROM
THAT KIND OF LOVE ❞

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The sixteenth of November started off the same as any other day she'd been trapped in the 1960s. It was Wednesday which meant that she could make an extra stop to the grocer's and buy a copy of the newspaper. Due to her apartment taking most of the wage she earned, Alexa had to regulate her other purchases and, as much as she wanted to buy a newspaper every day, limited herself to once or twice a week.

She pushed open the door with her back as her hands were full of her breakfast order and the bell chimed cheerfully in the large shop. She made her way to one of the checkout counters. "Good morning!"

The cashier looked up from his organization of the cash drawer and nodded in welcome. "Morning, Miss. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes. Do you have any newspapers left over from yesterday?"

His brow furrowed. "I just put a fresh stack out this morning, ma'am."

"I know," Alexa said with a forced smile, "but I didn't get a chance to read yesterday's paper." And it would come with a discount.

"I'll check in the back, just a minute." He returned a few minutes later. "I'm sorry, Miss, but it appears all of yesterday's copies were bought. Salinger's article seemed to be a point of interest."

Alexa let out a disappointed sigh. "Thanks anyway, I guess."

☂☂☂

After her lunch break at twelve o'clock, Alexa made her way back to the small space she called her office. Marilyn was at her desk in the main room so the blonde paused in front of it. "Did I miss anything while I was out?"

The red-haired woman looked up from her papers and gave her a sympathetic, knowing smile. "Unfortunately a normal day. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I'm going to have to give up hope one of these days."

"No you don't." Marilyn's voice was surprisingly firm. "He's your family. I've gotten to know you over these last few years and I can now fully say that if that boy doesn't get his act together and come back, he's got a few screws loose. I've seen how much you care about him. Anyone would be a fool to walk away from that kind of love."

She stared at the older woman in surprise. The lie of what she was really waiting for felt like ash in her mouth especially when someone so good believed it so easily, but how else was she supposed to explain that her adopted, sort-of-brother-but-also-not was a time-travelling old-man-in-a-child's-body assassin that she never truly expressed feelings for?

Alexa shook her head to clear it. Ever since she'd landed in 1961, things had just felt off. Perhaps it was all in her mind but perhaps it wasn't just her. It could be the fact that she had lied with almost every breath to get where she was today. And now I know how Allison feels, she thought with a jolt.

"Never mind," she said. "I'll just go back to work." She ignored Marilyn's worried gaze on her back as she made her way to the door.

She placed her hand on the knob and turned it only to freeze before the door was even fully open. While she hadn't needed her powers much since her arrival, the warning system flared to life as invisible static seemed to make her hairs stand on end.