You strolled down the Latvian streets searching the market for a special treat you could purchase for your son. He was at school, but, since he had a big test today, you thought you'd surprise him with something special he could have with dinner. You gazed out across all of the vendors tables before your eyes finally settled on his favorite treat. You walked over to the vendor, made your purchase, and started on your way back home, your arms weighed down with all of your purchases. You were scared that the paper bags you had them in might rip, so you quickened your pace a little more.

As you walked home, you admired the architecture of the town. This area which once seemed so harsh and foreboding had since become a place of refuge for you and your son. Since tragedy drove you to having to find a new place to reside, it had initially been hard to settle down. It felt as though everyone was against the two of you since you moved to the town under such strange circumstances. However, once the locals determined that the two of you had no ill intentions towards anyone in the town, you were accepted, and it had been that way for 7 years.

Since your son was only 5 when the two of you came to Latvia, this new life was practically all he had known. He has many friends at school, and you always thought that must be because he inherited his father's charm.

You felt the corners of your eyes twinge a little at the thought of his father. You'd been without him for 7 years, and, after the tragedy that struck your country, he was assumed to be dead. You rarely let yourself think about your past at all, let alone your husband.

You shook your head to clear your thoughts and refocused your attention on your surroundings. You were nearing your home, and you looked across the street to see your son's school. You weren't sure where his classroom was within it (as your sense of direction inside of buildings was non-existent), but you always hoped that he might see you as you were walking past.

Though your son had just turned 12, he was still quite clingy. Though he didn't show it when he was around his school friends, at home, Carl was a very affectionate child. I think he knew deep down that it was important for you to feel affection, especially since he became the man of the house at such a young age. You smiled to yourself at the thought of one of your favorite memories from when the two of you had first moved to Latvia.

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It had been a chilly day, and you and Carl were inside the house. The furnace had stopped working, so you were kneeling, trying to fix it. This was proving to be a more difficult task than you had expected. Prior to the tragedy, you had never had to do anything like this. Considering your husband's status in your home country, there had always been someone else around to do the hard work. All of a sudden, Carl, who had been taking a nap, was standing beside you and inspecting your work.

"Mama, das is mein job." He gently tried to push you away from the furnace, but you looked down at him with a puzzled expression on your face.

"Mein kleiner soldat, Was meinst du damit, es ist dein job? Dein Job ist es, mein Sohn zu sein. Mein kleiner Soldat hält mich vor Schaden." (My little soldier, what do you mean it's your job? Your job is to be my son. My little soldier keeping me from harm.) He looked up at you with very solemn eyes.

"Ich bin der Mann des Hauses. Ich werde es für Sie reparieren." (I am the man of the house. I will fix it for you.) You were taken aback as you weren't sure where he had heard that phrase. You couldn't recall your husband ever saying it, but maybe he had.

Carl tried to reach out and take the tools you were holding. You handed him a large wrench, only for him to start to not be able to lift it off of the ground. You laughed at his attempt, and you took it back from him.

"Wie klingt das?  Ich werde den Ofen reparieren, während Sie zuschauen." (How does this sound? I will fix the furnace while you watch). Carl lowered his head and sighed. "Was ist es? (What is it?)

"Wie kann ich der Mann des Hauses sein, wenn ich mich nicht um dich kümmern kann? Ich wünschte ich wäre nicht so klein." (How can I be the man of the house if I can't take care of you? I wish I wasn't so little). You opened your arms, and he walked into them. You pulled him close to you and held him in your arms as he began to cry. Though he was only 5, the rapid shift in lifestyles had caused him to grow in maturity sooner than you would have liked. A 5 year old shouldn't have to worry about taking car of his mother.

"Mein süßer Junge, wer hat dir gesagt, dass du auf mich aufpassen musst?  Ich bin deine Mutter.  Ich soll auf dich aufpassen." (My sweet boy, who told you that you have to take care of me? I'm your mother. I'm supposed to take care of you). He was silent for a moment as he collected himself before answering.

"Papa hat es mir gesagt.  Er sagte, wenn jemals etwas passieren sollte, müsste ich mich um dich kümmern, wenn ich nicht könnte. Er sagte, ich müsse der Mann des Hauses sein." (Papa told me so. He said that, if something ever happened, I had to take care of you if couldn't. He said I had to be the man of the house). You sat there stunned at his words for a couple of moments before you tightened your hold on him. You knew that you couldn't show how touched you were by your late husband's words, but it was too difficult. Small tears started to fall down your face after hearing your son's words. You were able to stop them soon enough, but not before he saw them running down your face. "Mama, vermisst du Papa?" (Mama, do you miss papa?) You nodded your head before wiping the tears off of your face.

"Ich vermisse deinen Papa mit jedem Tag, an dem wir getrennt sind, mehr.  Ihr Vater war die wichtigste Person in meinem Leben, bevor Sie geboren wurden, und selbst dann bleiben Sie beide verbunden, wenn ich an den wichtigsten Mann in meinem Leben denke." (I miss your papa more with each day that we are apart. Your father was the most important person in my life before you were born, and, even then, the two of you remain tied when I think of the most important man in my life). Carl's eyes lit up.

"Du denkst ich bin ein Mann wie Papa?" (You think I'm a man like papa?) You nodded your head and smiled down at him, releasing him from your arms.

"Natürlich tue ich das. Wenn er sagte, dass Sie der Mann des Hauses sein müssen, dann werden Sie das sein,  aber der Mann des Hauses repariert nicht nur Dinge.  Der Mann des Hauses unterstützt die Menschen darin.  Er kümmert sich physisch und emotional um diese Menschen. Gelegentlich muss er möglicherweise etwas reparieren, aber das ist nicht immer der Fall. (Of course I do. If he said that you have to be the man of the house, then that's what you will be, but the man of the house doesn't just fix things. The man of the house is supportive of those in it. He takes care of those people physically and emotionally. on occasion, he may have to fix something, but that isn't always the case). Carl nodded his head with wide eyes. "Warum machen wir keinen Deal.  Ich werde derjenige sein, der die Dinge rund um das Haus repariert, wenn Sie derjenige sind, der mich beschützt.  Schaffst du das, mein kleiner Soldat?" (Why don't we make a deal. I will be the one to fix things up around the house if you can be the one to protect me. Can you do that, my little soldier?)  He nodded his head even faster.

"Natürlich, Mama!" (Of course, Mama!) He flung his arms around your neck during his exclamation. "Ich werde dich und Papa stolz machen." (I'm going to make you and Papa proud). You placed your hand on his head and felt his soft brown hair that looked so much like his father's had.

"Das hast du schon, Schatz." (You already have, sweetheart).

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From that day on, Carl had been the most affectionate child that you had ever known. He took what his father had said to him to heart, even though he had been so young when he had heard it. While he wasn't very affectionate while his friends were around, as soon as he got home from school every day, he would expect you to give him a hug. You always wondered if the hugs were for him or for you, but either way, you loved them.

You were nearing your home, and you sighed a breath of relief. Your arms had gotten pretty sore after carrying your groceries for so long, and you were ready to set them down. It was still only the late morning, but you felt tired after being out for so long. You walked up to the front door of your home and placed one of your paper bags in the ground. You shuffled items around in your purse until you found your keys. You placed the correct key into the keyhole and turned it before looking down and picking up your other bag of groceries.

You quickly stepped inside so that the cold air wouldn't spread throughout the apartment, and turned back to push the door closed. You locked the door again with your fingertips and turned back around to walk towards the kitchen.

When you started to step forward, the sight you saw was so jarring, you dropped the groceries almost immediately. Your eyes grew large, and your hands flew up to your mouth, covering your mouth which flew open with a loud gasp. "Mein Gott, wie kann das sein?" (My God, how can this be?) You whispered under your breath.

Standing in front of you was a man. His back was towards you, but you knew who it was as soon as you saw that telltale coat, especially since you were the one who bought it for him.

★★★★★★★★★★★★

Hi, all! I honestly don't know how long it has been since I last wrote anything this long that was a Marvel story! I have no idea yet how long this will even be, but I'm hoping I can maybe get at least one book out of it!

I hope you all enjoy it so far, and I'm hoping to update again sometime soon! Please let me know what you think! Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger, but those of you who have read my work before know that I love cliffhangers!

I hope you all are doing well, and I look forward to hearing from you all!

-Peggy 💕