nonetheless. The entire relationship was being rushed, which was not Helmut's desire.

General Golovkin immediately sought to endorse the partnership between his daughter and the Baron, and vivaciously pursued the engagement. Heike, still young but gentle, was not interested in business or power, but was ready to be a steady support to her spouse and to care for children promptly. The voice of her father's desires echoed through Heike's words, and Helmut never truly knew whether she was speaking for herself or for her family.

The general, unknown to Helmut at the time, was chomping at the bit to marry Heike out, and when he caught wind of their relationship,  spent no time engaging the young officer of his future plans in the Armed Forces. It was as if General Drozdov knew exactly what he was sending Helmut into when he made the initial proposal. General Golovkin was thoroughly pleased with Helmut's tenacity and of course started to favor his soon to be son-in-law in all military matters. The question no longer was if Helmut would command EKO Scorpion, but when.

So stood Helmut in the church, second guessing this decision that would further his progression down a path he never imagined himself walking. Heike's mother was of Greek descent, and with spring in Sokovia still uncomfortably cold, arrangements were made to host the wedding in an Orthodox fashion near a large portion of the Golovkin's extended family. Members of the Sokovian aristocracy, Helmut's father and several relatives from the Zemo line, and a number of family friends on both sides also made up a portion of the guests.

It wasn't that Helmut didn't enjoy Heike's company, she was a beautiful woman, albeit frustrating at times with her constant need for his approval and her unappreciated public displays of affection. He thought she was a kind woman with a humble nature who brought light to an otherwise darkness he lived. Yet, she still wasn't Kalina.

She knew this, Heike could feel Helmut's hesitation in their relationship, but she loved him. She loved everything about Helmut, and promised to be a good wife and a loving partner, and this brought a comfort to his soul. He wasn't in love with her, but he could grow to love her. The chance to start over and clear his conscience was all he sought, and he would do right by Heike, no matter his deepest desires.

This didn't stop the anguish he felt standing in the back of the church, awaiting any cue by the priest that the ceremony would begin. Helmut and Heike would be crowned in a traditional Orthodox ritual and blessed in the church, becoming man and wife. This was not what he wanted, not what he had pictured, longing for the Sokovian traditions that he and Kalina swore to abide by as they discussed for their own wedding. Helmut found himself in an unfamiliar world in a city new to him, marrying into a family he didn't know how to associate with.

The man had grown his beard out to mask any photography that would be taken during the ceremony, keeping his clean face away from cameras that would compromise his identity during future EKO Scorpion operations. The wedding would not be the most talked of event of the year, but word would get around, and he intended to protect his career, having chosen it over the love he most desired.

He pulled at his suit collar, attempting to catch his breath. He could run away now, and disappear into the mountains, never to be found again. Running away wouldn't clear his conscience nor would making a scene protesting the wedding. The only thing that would mend his soul would be to start a new life with Heike and treat her like the woman she deserved, to give her everything he could never give Kalina.

Helmut shook his head, still filled with indecision. Thinking of the pain of what could have been with the woman he most desired to meet at the end of the church gangway would not help the anxiety he faced. It was cement at his feet, holding his legs in place.

A light tap on his shoulder snapped him back to reality. The Orthodox priest appeared at his side, and nodded at him silently, indicating that it was time to move forward. Helmut's eyes returned an acknowledgement, and the priest disappeared to the church altar.

Standing at the door preparing to exit the small room, he took a final deep breath, clearing his mind and withdrawing any sense of doubt or guilt he had been harboring. He vowed to himself that he would love Heike as she deserved, and he would love their children with all his heart, giving them every part of his being.

As Helmut crossed the door threshold, he left his demons in the room he once stood, and shifted into this new chapter in life. He was ready for the responsibility and the role, because unbeknownst to all but the bride and groom, Heike was already pregnant.

-----

paris, france

2012

Tapping the keys of her keyboard, Kalina was nose deep in an email to Barcelona, recovering from her fallout with Beltran a few months prior. She had made it clear she was the source of her own power. He had hidden behind the mask of his family and his business, and had not uttered a word of their last meeting to the press. This did not stop him from gossiping to his father Enrique, who had become mob boss of sorts with Kalina, treating her like an inexperienced woman who did not know when to use partnerships to her advantage in professional endeavors.

She refused to be patronized, and cut ties with the De León family quickly, not allowing the events with Beltran shatter her persistence. Shifting her focus to an up and coming consultant team out of Barcelona, she would pave her own way without relying on established entrepreneurs that sought to extort her. Her loyalty ran deep, and those that aided her would be met with a gracious reward along their paths.

As she clicked 'send' on the email, she leaned back in the leather chair at her desk, sighing a breath of relief. She was comforted in the office of her Parisian penthouse, and the wait staff knew not to disturb her when she was there. It was one place in the world she could have a fraction of peace.

Dishes clinked together down the hall in the kitchen, as supper was prepared for her alone. There were no guests tonight and no events to attend. It would be a night in and an early morning travelling to London for a boutique show, where she would stay for a few days before moving on to her next event.

She grew uneasy about leaving the comfort of her home, recalling the recent events in New York City, a group called 'The Avengers' nearly destroyed the city in a colossal fight of cosmic proportions. Was the world really changing so rapidly in front of her eyes? What would become of what was considered normal?

Kalina leaned forward again, typing into her laptop, the avengers. As she scrolled the news feed and recent stories, she grew disconcerted. Watching the large American city under siege by other worldly beings frightened her, and she silently questioned what the next big thing would be. Were The Avengers to be a trusted group of heroes, or did their presence alone trigger these events and threaten their cities?

Trying to be open minded, she continued to watch the footage on world wide news outlets. As a video on a news article began buffering, and a woman's voice echoed out of the computer speakers in a strange New York American accent, a pop up distracted Kalina from her search.

Ding!

Her eyes moved to the pop up. The computer's  messaging app had received a notification linked to her cell phone. Anastasia had sent her a text.

thought you should see, just found out

The blue message bubble of text was followed by another containing a link. Curiously, Kalina clicked and opened it in a new window.

6 Sokovian Spring Weddings We Loved

Kalina made a face, grimacing at Anastasia's lack of humor. A pop culture article on weddings. "Why is she sending me this...?"

The rustle of a butler taking dishes from the kitchen to the dining room made the woman realize it was almost supper. She looked at the closed door to her office. Knowing they would soon be ready and not wanting to disturb her in the study, she wanted to ensure she stepped out so they could alert her appropriately. She never liked to put her staff in an uncomfortable situation, with food growing cold, waiting on her.

Her eyes darted to the screen once more to exit the windows, but as quickly as she glanced, something caught her eye. One of the last few lines on the screen that read before the article cut off.

Baron Helmut Zemo and Heike Golovkin's Grecian Getaway

Kalina couldn't look away, as her heart dropped. She could feel the sweat on her palms as she scrolled down the article to read further. Pictures of Helmut, and a girl, Heike she presumed, dressed in wedding attire, wearing Orthodox wedding garb at the altar of an ornate church. Her brow crinkled and she swallowed a gasp.

The more of the short excerpt she read, the more she wanted to throw her laptop against the nearby bookshelf. She nearly contained her composure, until she read the last line.

They are expecting their first child in October.

The blood from Kalina's face ran down her cheeks and she felt it begin to pool in her feet, holding her tight to the chair she was seated in. Golovkin was a general in the Sokovian Armed Forces, that much she knew, but the name Heike did not resonate from her social circle. It must have been his daughter. She was much younger than Kalina, and looked beautiful standing next to the man.

Yet, Kalina couldn't feel anything as she stared into Helmut's eyes. He did not look like the man she remembered, his face was hollow. He did not smile in cheer as Heike did, he looked dutiful and composed.

She looked at the computer once more, and forgetting to close the article, shut the screen slowly. Her mind begged to race in all directions, but she could not formulate a proper thought.

Kalina leaned back in her chair once more, as she took in the new knowledge. She felt a sense of depersonalization, as if she no longer felt real. The world no longer felt real. This was no longer a dream she had been lost in, this had become a nightmare. No more longing for a past that once was. No more hanging onto hope that he would return, as much as she tried to shove it down deep, she couldn't argue the she had been clutching a fragment of desperation.

Hiding the letters, hiding the jewelry, and hiding the memories only helped so much. She self medicated with wine and by surrounding herself with busy work and important people, but she still felt everything that had burned into her soul when Helmut left.

She would never let another man break her, but Helmut Zemo broke her time and time again.

For the first time in her life, Kalina allowed herself to feel nothing at all.

author note

Thank you so much for those that have commented and voted. We should be coming up on the tie in to the Avengers and inevitably lead into FATWS and it. is. intense. Stay tuned!