The Price We Pay for Family - 28

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Cont...


Cass knew something was up when he came downstairs to find mama humming in the kitchen as she fixed pancakes and almost dancing to the music on the radio.

 "Morning." Mama smiled as Cass sat on the barstool at the island. 

"Morning?" Cass asked, almost unsure. 

"Any plans this morning?" Mama asked as she flipped the pancakes. 

"No. I was just gonna chat with some friends online." Cass admitted trying to relax. He couldn't remember the last time they'd spent a Saturday morning together like this. Mama was almost always at the restaurant by now. "You gonna be at the restaurant tonight?" Cass asked, trying to find his proverbial footing again. 

"Maybe. Carlos offered to cover today, so I thought we might take the boat out. Go down to the cove we used to go to. It's supposed to be nice out." Mama suggested. 

Cass was officially off his footing, "...sure?"

 "Unless you really need to be here to chat?" Mama asked playfully, serving up pancakes.

 "Do I smell pancakes?" Uncle Sam asked, coming in from the living room. 

"When did you get in?" Cass asked excitedly, hugging his uncle.

 "Way late last night. Where's your brother?" Sam grinned, releasing Cass and stepping over to the stairs, "AJ! Breakfast!"

 "Uncle Sam?" There're thundering footsteps upstairs, and then AJ comes down, "When did you get here?"

 "Last night. Eat your pancakes." Sam shoved a plate at AJ.

 "Torres joining us today?" Mama asked.

 "Maybe later, he's in New York doing some errands." Uncle Sam shrugged, "His flights this afternoon."

 "Your Uncle suggested we go out to the cove today. What do you think?" Mama asked, looking over at AJ, who looked equally as thrown as Cass was.

 "Sure, that sounds fun." AJ managed to not make it sound like a question. 

"Then that's what we'll do!" Mama grinned.

 The entire breakfast was like that; Mama was over the moon, happy and cheery so much it was weird, and Uncle Sam just went with it! Cass got through the breakfast as fast as possible before retreating to his room to change for their outing.

 AJ grabbed his arm and dragged him into his room when they were out of sight and closed the door, "What in Thor's good name just happened?" 

"Why are you asking me? You and I were seeing the same thing!" Cass hissed, just as confused. 

"They're happy and not sad. They haven't been like that since-" AJ hesitated as he listed the facts, "Since." 

"Something must have happened." Cass decided, weighing all their choices. "Something having to do with that."

 "But what? Getting justice for what happened wouldn't make them this happy." AJ shook his head. 

Cass silently agreed that getting justice for your fiance's murder would definitely not be a reason for a weekend outing. Then it smacked Cass in the face, "What if she's in love?"

 "What?" AJ short-circuited on Cass and full on just stopped working for a sec.

 "What if she found someone new? Someone she cares about like they did? It would make her happy." Cass offered emotions clashing in his chest. 

"But- but she would have told us, right?" AJ asked quietly, unsure.

 "Probably not at first." Cass admitted, "I saw it with Sasha Fields down the road. Her dad dated for a while without telling her he was seeing anyone until he was sure."

 "Sure about what?" AJ scoffed, "Finding a replacement? It's been less than a year-" 

"That doesn't matter." Cass cut him off. "Grief and love don't work on set schedules. Maybe it was just time for her. Even if it's not for us." Cass said the last part quietly. He wasn't ready. Not for his mother's new interest or any of those feelings that came with it. But she was. And Cass wasn't sure how to balance that. 

"She was really happy." AJ hedged. 

"More happy than she's been in months." Cass agreed.

 "So you think we could be, okay with it for her?" AJ asked. 

Cass picked at the blanket on AJ's bed before whispering, "I'm not ready." 

"Neither am I," AJ admitted. 

"But maybe," Cass thought aloud, "We can be okay for her?"

 "I'm not okay," AJ said quietly, sitting next to Cass on the bed. 

"That's okay," Cass said equally quietly, thinking of how Uncle Sam used to sit with Uncle Bucky on those bad days. 

"Sometimes, Cass," Uncle Sam had said, "You don't need someone to fix the bad stuff. You just need someone to be with you in it. Not fixing, just be." 

"That's okay, AJ." Cass said softly, "We can be not okay together."


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