★ ★ ★

5 YEARS AFTER DECIMATION

MAY 30, 2026

★ ★ ★

5 years.

60 months.

260 weeks.

1,825 days.

The fifth year anniversary had arrived. It'd been half a decade since Thanos destroyed half of all life across the universe. Things across the globe still had yet to recover. No one understood anything that happened, and five years later the confusion was still just as fresh as the pain. So many people were just gone, and with them the hearts of the loved ones they left behind. The atmosphere felt so much heavier than it did before everyone had gone. The skies were darker, and it seemed almost impossible to enjoy what little sunlight made an appearance. Moving on was hard, so much more difficult than anyone anticipated, including Marlena, who managed to find genuine happiness through all the pain. She was one victim among trillions, and regardless of how happy she was in her life, there would always be that burning pain gnawing away at the edges of her heart.

Bucky Barnes.

Charlotte Barnes.

James Barnes Jr.

Mason Claire.

Wanda Maximoff.

Greyson Wallace.

Sam Wilson.

Levi Parrish.

Peter Parker.

T'Challa.

Shuri.

Vision.

She mourned the loss of them all. In the days since the snap, she found every last one of them on her mind more often than not, especially her children. They were so young and so innocent, yet a universal arrogance had taken their lives before they even had the chance to live them.

Marlena was angry with Thanos for taking away the twins. She was angry that she'd been robbed of everything wonderful that came with being their mother. She missed the way Charlie's eyes lit up when the two saw each other. She missed the way Jay would climb into her lap and fall asleep on her chest. She missed being the source of home and comfort for her children, and of course she wanted to have more children, but no child would ever be able to replace those that made her a mother. No child would ever take away the love she felt for the children she lost.

"It never gets easier."

Marlena's quiet voice was drowned out by the sound of footsteps and soft cries. The cemetery was full of loved ones visiting the empty memorials of those lost at the hands of Thanos. The sky above them was grey, but no one cared if it rained. The area was flooded with so many tears that no one would notice the rain.

"You should be here," Marlena spoke quietly through her tears. "You all should be here."

Marlena sighed and leaned her head back against Charlie's shared stone with Jay. She looked around at the surrounding stones and wondered how things could have possibly ended the way they had. She was surrounded by nothing but the memory of her lost family—her brother, her children, Bucky, Wanda, and even Pietro. The only one missing was Greyson, as his side of the family had decided to place his memory in the ground back home in Washington. The sight of it all, however, broke her heart, just as it had done every year. She was the last Claire left, and when she thought of just how alone she was in that particular context, she found her pain to be much greater than usual.

"You," a strange voice caught Marlena's attention, and she looked up from the ground to see a young woman standing in front of her. Her brown eyes were red from the amount of crying she'd done, and her light brown hair fell perfectly over her shoulders. She couldn't have been older than her early twenties, that much Marlena could determine. "You're Marlena Claire."

Marlena sighed and glanced back down at the ground. She wasn't the most recognizable member of the team, but she was still recognizable, which meant she was approached from time to time. She just wished now wasn't one of those times. "Yeah, I am."

The woman knelt down at Marlena's side, her gaze shifting to each and every stone surrounding Marlena. She frowned and looked back at the brunette, her sad brown eyes meeting Marlena's pained hazel eyes. "I'm so sorry."

Marlena gave a dry chuckle and wiped her face. "You're sorry? I'm the one who should be saying that to you."

"Why?"

Marlena took a deep breath and looked up at the girl. She was ready to break down again, and all it had taken was three words from a total stranger. It was her fault. It was all of their faults. They lost. They failed the very people they were meant to protect. The guilt pulled at her heartstrings once more and she shook her head, almost as if to ward off the coming tears. "It was our fault," the brunette told the young woman. "We failed all of you."

The woman looked at Marlena with sad eyes. She knew people like Marlena were a public representation of heroism and courage, but she also knew underneath they were likely battered and broken beyond repair. These people she'd grown up knowing as nothing more than a symbol of peace and a promise of happiness were drowning beneath the pressure to take care of everyone else when in the end, they neglected to take care of themselves. As happy as they all seemed, behind the cameras and the posters, they were anything but, and it was heartbreaking to see someone so strong fall like shattered glass at her feet.

"You didn't fail us," the woman assured Marlena. "I was ten years old in 2012 when those aliens attacked New York, and I was absolutely terrified. I thought I was going to die that day, but Tony Stark personally saved my life. From your perspective, it seems as if you're not doing enough, but from my perspective, you're doing more than enough. To fight amongst catastrophe while also protecting those caught in the middle is hard and exhausting work, and you have done an excellent job."

Marlena only wiped her face and listened as the woman continued.

"I saw what those creatures did to New York," she continued, finding herself a bit choked up as she recalled the past details of her life. "You guys beat them—you've beat everything you've been up against—so I know if this is the one fight you've lost, no one could've won it, and I am so sorry you had to go through something so devastatingly traumatic."

"Thank you," Marlena sniffed and grabbed the woman's hand. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

"They know you did your best," the woman said, referring to those lost in the snap. "You don't have to feel guilty anymore."

"It's a lot easier said than done."

The woman chuckled and stood back up. "Right you are, but you're Marlena Claire and very capable of anything."

"Thank you," Marlena finally smiled.

"Of course."

"What's your name?" Marlena asked before the woman could walk away.

"Trisha," she answered with a smile. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Marlena shook her head. "Not anymore, no."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"I suffered a monumental breakdown after we lost and indefinitely severed my mental connection to the area of my brain responsible for the manifestation of my abilities," Marlena explained with a quiet chuckle. "Who knows when or if I'll ever get them back."

"I'm so sorry you've been through so much," Trisha apologized again.

"We all have."

"I'll see you around," Trisha said to Marlena. "Just remember you have a friend."

Marlena watched as Trisha walked away and she leaned her head back onto a headstone. She looked up at the sky and noticed a small sliver of sunlight trying to break through the cloud barrier, and she smiled softly.

A hand on Marlena's shoulder pulled her attention away from the sky and to the large figure standing next to her. She looked up to find Steve, and suddenly a wave of happiness overcame her body. She grabbed his hand and stood up, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his body. She relaxed into his arms, focusing on the sound of his heartbeat and the warmth of his chest. The amount of comfort he brought her was phenomenal. There was nothing he couldn't do to make her feel better.

"We picked a bad day to get home from France," Steve sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"You know I've done this every year," Marlena reminded him.

"I know," Steve pulled away to look at her, "but that still doesn't mean I look forward to watching you fall apart like this."

Marlena smiled up at him and studied his sad blue eyes. "You know the same goes for me as well."

"I think maybe we should head out," Steve suggested as he looked around at all the surrounding gravestones and memorial plaques. There was something so uncomfortable to him about standing in a graveyard.

Marlena let out a soft sigh and nodded her head. "Yeah, let's go."

The two grabbed one another's hands and began their walk out of the cemetery, but not before delivering loving acknowledgements to the stone of their favorite soldier.