LEGACY ─ marvel

XXVII. Wilting Flowers

Chapter Twenty-Seven
Josephine

I'm sitting on my bed finishing up the last few chapters of Jane Eyre when Uncle Bucky comes into the room. He doesn't say anything, he just sits down next to me, crossing his legs, resting his hands on his lap. It's been about an hour since the blow out at lunch, I haven't seen anyone since. I think Uncle Bucky and Stevie wanted to give me some time alone, I'm glad they did, but now I'm glad he's here.

"I'm sorry about earlier." Uncle Bucky murmurs.

I shake my head, setting my book aside. For the last hour I had been thinking about everything Liam had said, about everything I've been feeling and thinking since this whole mess started, and I find myself laying it all out for my uncle:

"I never asked for any of this, I was never prepared for any of this. At least Livy and Stevie were prepared their whole lives for the hard choices they would have to make one day, but I wasn't. I had never thought about what I wanted to do with my life, my parents encouraged me not to, and now I'm the lady of the Jabari, my cover is blown, and any choice about my future I might have had is blown to smithereens. They didn't prepare me for what it meant having powers like I do. Having my powers means I will always be between my family and danger, and that's a rough position to be in, especially when I fail. I know you told me Uncle John's death wasn't my fault, but it was. Fuck my injury, I could have saved him if I had tried harder. And now I'm doing it again. I have the chance to save the rest of my family and I'm not doing anything, I'm just letting the people I love suffer. Liam was right, with one word I could have all of them free, but I'm just sitting here doing nothing."

"You're not doing nothing, Jo, please, look at me," he pleads. I do as he asks, turning my body to face him better. "Your fathers wanted to give you the childhood you deserved, and yes, you're right, they should have prepared you more, but they only had best intentions at heart. And yes, you could order the Jabari army to attack and save our family, but at what cost? It's like I told Naomi, war is not the solution they want. We need to change the system and learn to co-exist together, that's the only way we'll have peace. Liam has been through a lot, he wants justice and maybe vengeance too, but fighting is not how we will achieve that. We will get our family back together, but we will do it the right way."

I let out a shaky breath, feeling tears begin to sting my eyes, feeling my lip begin to wobble. "I want my parents."

Uncle Bucky extends his arms out and gestures for me to come to him. I get up and sit down on his lap, curling up into a ball against his chest, feeling his arms tighten around me. He just holds me for a few seconds, and when he speaks again, his voice is thick from silent tears.

"We'll see them again, all of them, I promise, honey."

-

Steve

It took ages, but I've finally found Liam's room. He had stormed off from lunch just after Jo did, and since then I've been knocking on every door to find him. His room is on the fifth floor, four doors down from the elevator. I find Liam sitting on a bed on the floor, his eyes transfixed on the window, an acoustic guitar in his lap.

"So you play guitar. That's cool." I say, internally cursing myself for how lame that sounded.

Liam gives me an odd look, probably thinking the same thing. He turns towards me and rests his elbows on the sides of the guitar, running a hand through his hair. "How'd you find me? You sniff out my scent?"