Marlena stood under the dim light of the corridor, her eyes on nothing else but the man standing in front of her. There were so many questions running through her head, though she wasn't sure she'd be able to find their answers, at least not at the moment. She was more concerned with finding an escape from the haunted prison she'd been fated to, but she couldn't seem to help the happiness that flowed through her veins knowing the first man she'd ever loved—the man she thought she'd lost at the young age of eleven—was truly alive and well. Granted, she'd accepted her father's demise long ago, but the feeling of missing him was one that continued to linger for the better part of two decades. To see him again warmed her aching heart, and that was a feeling she would not question or fight.

Without another word, Marlena closed the distance between her and her father, hugging him as tightly as she could manage. Her eyes began to well with tears as a result of their embrace, and she was reminded of just how much she truly missed being able to find comfort wrapped in his arms.

"Hi, sweetheart." James pulled away from Marlena and smiled softly once he met her eyes. He shed a few tears, not because he was sad, but because he was seeing his daughter for the first time in years. He'd spent so many years missing Marlena, Mason, and Miranda, so to be reunited with at least one of them was enough to bring him so much happiness.

"What are you—? What—?" Marlena was at a loss for words. She never anticipated seeing her father again, but there he was standing in front of her as if the last 21 years hadn't happened.

"Spit it out, honey," James laughed.

"Alena said you were in cryo?"

James shrugged his shoulders. "Off and on. This just so happens to be one of those 'off' times."

Marlena wiped away several of her tears. "I've missed you so much, daddy."

"I've missed you, too, Marlena," he replied, his smile never faltering. "From what I've heard, you're married with twins now."

"Yes and no," Marlena frowned as her thoughts began to linger on Steve. She longed to return to him. "I was married, then widowed, and now I'm engaged again."

"To who?" James cocked a brow. "Last time I was out, Alena told me you married Bucky Barnes. I remember that, because I remember how uncomfortable she was talking about it."

"How long has it been since you've been out, dad?"

"Six years."

Marlena let out a breath and shook her head. "I did marry Bucky, but then something happened that took him away from me, and now I'm engaged to Steve."

"Steve?" James's eyes grew wide at the sound of the name. "As in Steve Rogers?"

"Steve as in Steve Rogers, dad," she confirmed with a smile, though it faded quickly when she remembered what Alena had done. "But Alena—she's trying to ruin everything."

"What do you mean?"

"She locked me up here, and for some sick and twisted reason decided I was the only way she could find a life outside of Hydra," Marlena answered him, anger once again flooding through her body as she thought over the words she was about to say. "Before trying to kill me, Kellan told me she managed to successfully secure her place in my life. I don't know what that means in regards to my relationships with Steve or Bucky, but I don't wanna wait to find out."

James bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair as he looked over Marlena's tearful expression. If there was one thing he remembered about his life before Alena came into the picture, it was that he absolutely hated seeing tears in either one of his girls' eyes, and as he stood there watching Marlena, he knew that wouldn't be changing any time soon.

"Marlena," James started, but he was unsure of what else to say to her. He didn't think he could say anything to make her feel better.

"I have to get out of here, dad," Marlena spoke, her tone filled with urgency as she glanced behind him. She knew Kellan was still unconscious and was sure he would remain so for awhile, but she didn't want to waste anymore time waiting for that moment to come. "I have to stop Alena so I can get my family back. And you could come too! You don't have to stay trapped here any longer. I can't even begin to imagine what Kellan would do to you if you stayed here, and I don't want to."

"Well, the thought of finally getting out of here does sound appealing," James replied.

"Then help me, please," Marlena practically begged him. "We don't have much time left, so please, let's get out of this hell and go back home."

James nodded his head, his hopeful eyes on his daughter. "Then lead the way, soldier."

Marlena grabbed his hand and started pulling him back down the corridor she'd been running through, and in seconds the two were running together to locate an exit. Marlena glanced over to her father. "Do you know if there's an aircraft hangar on the base? Finding a jet is gonna be our best bet. I know enough of this place to know the closest airport is twenty miles away. We'd never make it on foot."

Without answering, James stopped and took a left, leaving Marlena to follow after him. After several more minutes of running, the two came to a massive platinum door at the end of the hall. It was sealed shut, and the only means of entry was through an access code in which James had no knowledge of.

"This is as far as we can go," James told Marlena. "I don't know the code. Only Alena does."

Marlena didn't answer. Instead, she raised her now-glowing hand to the control box beside the door, shocking James in the slightest. The circuits inside the box began to burst, much as they'd done so back in her compartment. The platinum doors began to open, and Marlena turned to look at her father with a slight smirk on her face.

"Lucky for you, we don't need a code," she said, gesturing him forward once more. "Now, c'mon."

"You and Alena are a lot more alike than I thought," James muttered as he and Marlena continued into the aircraft hangar.

While she knew his words hadn't been said to aggravate her, she couldn't help the feeling of being compared to Alena. As far as Marlena knew, the two were only alike in regards to their abilities and appearances. "The two of us share nothing more than our looks and abilities," she remarked, quickly making her way over to one of the many Quinjets inside the hangar.

"You'd be surprised how wrong you are." James followed her over to the aircraft. "I know Alena has many flaws, but you and I both know they aren't her fault."

Marlena used her abilities to open the rear hatch of the jet, making her way on board with James following behind her. "I understand that, but her actions are inexcusable. I spent five years believing my own children were dead like the rest of my family was, but the entire time they were with her. And now she's using my life to fix what Hydra did to hers, when that in itself is not my fault."

"I know." James let out a quiet sigh. "And you have every right to be upset over everything happening, but everyone deserves a second chance to make things right, and I trust you to be the one that gives it to her."

Marlena spent several moments pondering over her father's words. Of course, she had every intention of making sure Alena knew she was simply misunderstood, but after everything that'd been done thus far, she found it difficult to bring herself to that point. She couldn't deny her father's words had an effect on her, however, just as they always had.

Rather than responding to her father's words, Marlena made her way to the cockpit of the jet. She scanned her eyes over the control panel, trying to remember everything Steve and Sam had tried to teach her about flying so many years ago, but she was drawing a blank.

"Can you fly this thing?" Marlena asked her father, and he stepped forward to meet her at the front of the aircraft.

"That depends," James said, taking his spot in the pilot's seat and switching on the power. "Can you tell me where I'm flying it to?"

Marlena did not miss the smirk on her dad's face, and she laughed quietly before taking a seat beside him. No matter how many years had passed, and no matter what he'd been through, he was still the same man she remembered him being. It was almost as if no time had passed between them, and in that she found great comfort.

"Buckle up, kiddo."

"Copy that, soldier."

Marlena buckled herself in as her dad took off through the sky. She glanced back, watching as the abandoned Hydra base grew smaller and smaller the farther away they ventured. She'd finally found her way out of the shackles that'd been placed upon her, and while she was relieved because of it, the work was not yet done. There was no doubt in Marlena's mind Alena was wreaking havoc amongst her family and relationships, but she was done letting it happen. It was time for her to take charge and finally start living the happy, peaceful life she'd spent years longing for, rather than allow her deluded reflection to steal it right from under her.

★ ★ ★

Introducing this beautiful man Christopher Meloni as Marlena's father, James Claire.