Marvel: A Tale of Shadows

She blinked awake with her mind still groggy, her entire body felt sore and in pain. As she moved her body her hand felt something. She looked up to see something and smiled as she brought her hand atop the head that was resting on her bed. Her daughter looked clean and well fed, she was even drooling and smiling dumbly as she slept.

The room felt off, but that was probably because she was too used to being a prisoner in her own body. It felt too… real but also fake, like she might wake up from this dream at any moment.

As she began relaxing she went over the last memories she had while still conscious. A pair of individuals in masks, one red and one black, a couple from their conversation, knocked her out. It seemed like they specifically came straight for her. But she doubted it was another Hydra group nor was it Shield because both of them would have done it in a different manner.

Which meant that her daughter found someone to help. Someone with enough assets to arrange an extraction from a heavily armed compound as well as an escape, considering her current circumstances.

That means she would have a debt to pay off. But that would be fine as long as she could be with her daughter again.

She warily blinked her eyes as she fell asleep. Despite her entire body being in pain.

—-------------------

Ethan happily cooked up another pancake as a yawning Laura climbed onto the kitchen stool. She looked like she was feeling stiff, she probably slept with her mother again.

"Good morning Laura. How is your mother?" Ethan asked as he tossed a blueberry pancake onto a plate and then set the plate in front of her before starting another pancake.

"Good, she woke up at some point last night. Ethan… where are we going to go? I doubt you want both me and my mom staying here with you." Laura asked cautiously as she realized for the first time that she could never stay with them permanently, but she doubted even her mother knew many people since she has been kept a prisoner for so long.

It was very forward thinking of her, and showed she had developed enough awareness to assess the situation and to make an educated guess as to the future. Ethan smiled as he used tongs to plate two pieces of bacon on her plate. Then he pulled a bowl of fruit out of the fridge and put a spoon in it before setting it on the counter within her reach.

"Hmm… well that depends on your mother. I have a feeling I already know what she is going to say but I have a plan. Which will likely mean you will have to leave, but we will see each other again eventually. That I can promise." Ethan explained as he glanced at the woman who was slowly walking towards the counter.

Despite her former injuries and the fact that every step must be putting her in intense pain. The green haired woman quietly made her way to the counter. Ethan turned around and started plating another dish but tossed on a pair of chocolate pancakes.

"So? I am sure you have a question or two." Ethan stated as he turned around and set the plate on the counter with a container of syrup.

"Yes…mhmm…" Ophelia sat at the counter flinching in pain.

Laura looked at her surprised for a moment before smiling and continuing to swing her legs as she happily ate. "Welcome back Mom."

"Hmm… Thank you, my little firecracker." Ophelia responded before she turned her attention to her food, "if you have been eating this well I should be more worried about you becoming overweight then being underfed."

Laura groaned and hunched her shoulders. While Ethan laughed, "do not worry we have had her on an exercise routine."

Ophelia smiled before she turned to Ethan, "my daughter and I owe you a debt of gratitude but I hope whatever reason you helped us is something I can help with."

Ethan smiled as he flipped a pancake. "No need to be so tense, I do have need of your abilities and too put them to use as…" He looked over at the woman to get her reaction. "A bodyguard."

Ophelia blinked for a moment before she processed the information, "but I do have some level of infamy, I will be arrested on site and I doubt 'I was brainwashed' will work on Shield."

Ethan smiled and shook his head, "do not worry I can take care of that eventually, get you an official clean slate. But I still need your help."

"Hmm… very well, but I figured with your connections you would already have someone to protect you." She made her observation clear.

"Hahaha! I see that is what you have convinced yourself." Ethan laughed as Laura giggled off to the side. He then waved his hand, "for one thing, I do not have nearly that many connections. At least in the places you think I do. And for another, I never said you would be guarding me." He clarified.

"What?"

Ethan smiled as he saw the others walking out to come join them. "Don't worry too much about it. We will leave tomorrow for the place you will be staying. My mother will be coming with us. We will travel via car to our destination. My mother and I will only be there for a few hours while you and your targets get acquainted."

"Targets?" Ophelia asked, still reeling from the shock of the information.

"Yes, one for you to protect and one for your daughter to protect. They will be able to help with homeschooling for your daughter as well." He explained as he tossed out another plate with a pancake. "You will understand when we get there. So just relax today and tell me what weapons or gear you might need."

—----------------

Ophelia watched as trees passed while the car moved. It had been several hours since they went on the road. In the back seats the older woman and Ophelia's daughter were playing on a game console. They had driven past a small village a ways back but now they were going deeper into the woods.

They stopped several minutes later as they arrived at a large house, it was located on a hill and surrounding it were several plots of land that had various vegetable patches. There were also various fruit trees growing along the forest line.

Essentially, it was self-sustaining. But as she stepped out of the car she felt a shiver up her spine at the cold temperature and wondered how all these fruits and vegetables could grow in this cold.

Ethan looked around before walking up to the small mansion's front door and knocked on it. They waited a few moments before a woman answered the door, she had dirty blonde hair with blue eyes and looked to be about in her late twenties at the most.

"Emily." Ethan then looked past her and frowned, "is she not awake?"

"No, Alice just went down for a nap. I assume that this is important, considering you brought guests? Have you decided how you are going to use that information?" Emily asked as she stepped back and let them inside."

"Sort of, I also found some bodyguards for you and our daughter. I also promised my mother that she could see Alice in exchange for helping me with something." Ethan explained as he opened a satchel that he had been sitting next to him for the whole ride.

"Okay, I assume the older one will be guarding me and the younger one will accompany our daughter as needed?" Emily accepted two files as Ethan handed them to her.

"Correct, these are their original files detailing all experiments they have undergone. I have also traced Ophelia's history as far back as I could. Neither of them should go to public settings since they have people hunting them and…" Ethan then turned to Ophelia and handed her two files that were thinner. "Here are your new identities. Make sure you both memorize the information."

"Just like usual, you spring this on people to make them dance to your tune. If you brought more people and problems I assume you brought gifts as well?" Emily asked as she set the files aside on a nearby table.

Ethan smiled and nodded, "Yes I did. If you can get familiar with your new bodyguards and show my mother to Alice's room I will get the new tech, toys, textbooks, and gaming systems inside for you." He then spun around and hopped out of the front door.

"Haa…" Emily sighed before turning her attention to Bellatrix, Ethan's mother. "I am telling you now, I am fine with you seeing Alice but you will have no part of her life." She then walked up the stairs to the second floor.

"Okay." Bellatrix frowned and wondered what Ethan told her to make her act like that. It wasn't like she was a bad mother or something. Unknown to her that was exactly the reason both Ethan and Emily did not trust her.

Ophelia watched on and then followed them up the stairs. "What was your name?" Emily asked her as Ophelia caught up.

"Ophelia, and my daughter's name is Laura. Is there anything I should know about right off the start?" Ophelia responded.

"Not too much and I apologize for Ethan's blunt manners. I assume since you are hiding as well he just used bodyguarding as an excuse. The security system is a mix of digital and wired systems that run through all the rooms and even into the surrounding forest. There are also motion detectors for when it is night. It is rare but when a hunter strays into our area it is best to ignore them and to send a notice to the nearby town about illegal hunting on private property." Emily quickly ran through as they arrived at a room and she opened the door. Inside was a sleeping young girl that looked between two and three years old.

"Ohh…" Bellatrix smiled as she looked at the little girl who blinked herself awake.

"As for teaching, I can teach our children both the basics up until high school level, which is when they will have to go to an actual school." Emily whispered as she watched Alice slowly get up.

"Mom… and new people?" Alice seemed to be very quick on her feet because she quickly hopped out of her bed and ran past them. "That mean's daddy is nearby!"

She giggled as she ran past them. Bellatrix was tempted to step in but stopped because of Emily's words from earlier.

"Oh…" Laura was surprised then grinned and raced after Alice.

"Wow, she is pretty clever for a three year old." Opheilia observed.

"Actually, she is almost two years old. She is likely intelligent as a side effect of an experimental drug I tested on myself. It does mean that she has a thirst for knowledge but it means she gets bored quickly. She is already burning through my first grade courses." Emily explained and Bellatrix whistled in response.

"Actually Ethan was the same way. At eight years old while he was learning various martial arts, he started controlling our families finances better than me or my husband ever could." Bellatrix explained.

—----------------------

Ethan put the last box in the living room when a giggling rocket of a child came running in, "DADDY!" She immediately hugged his leg.

Ethan smiled as he saw Laura quickly following behind, "hey Laura help me set up some of these consoles. This one will take awhile to get tired unless we can do something complex while we wait for the ladies to finish talking."

Laura smiled and nodded.

Several hours passed and the pair of children were happily sleeping on the couch. Ethan walked out of the living room while the ladies were coming back inside, it looks like they went for a tour outside.

"You ready mom?" Ethan asked his mother, getting a frowning nod in response.

"You know she always pouts after you leave. It will be unbearable for the next two days." Emily complained with an exaggerated eye roll.

"Bah, she will be fine this time. I brought her a friend she can play with." Ethan explained as he walked to the door.

"Fine, how long until we come back?" Emily asked, getting serious for a moment.

"Three more years at most. I will contact you when it is time." Ethan responded with an expression almost as serious.

Then he and his mother left in the car. It felt much more empty now that all the boxes and other passengers were no longer in it.

"I like them. Alice has your energy and Emily is extremely protective." She openly stated with a smile getting a scoff from Ethan in response.