Marlena ran a hand through her hair and sat down on her mattress with her cell phone in her hand. She glanced over at the clock sitting on her bedside table and let out a quiet sigh. It was nearing three in the afternoon and Greyson still had yet to show up at the house. Marlena asked him and Mason to watch the kids while she and Bucky went over to Sam's apartment in the city for the remainder of the day. Originally, Marlena planned on Wanda being the only one to talk to about the issue regarding her daughter, but Bucky insisted both of them make an effort to inform their remaining friends, as they were also family.

After a few minutes of silence, the bathroom door opened. Marlena looked over to see Bucky making his way out of the bathroom; his shoulder-length hair was wet and he wore nothing but a single towel around his waist. He furrowed his brows when he took notice of Marlena sitting on the bed and headed over to his dresser to find an outfit for the day.

"Why do you look so glum?" he asked her as he pulled a maroon-colored shirt from a drawer.

Marlena shrugged and fell back onto the mattress. "I'm not glum, per se. I'm annoyed because Greyson isn't here yet, and we can't exactly leave because Mason started his summer classes today. I'm even more annoyed that you're just now getting ready when I've been ready for an hour."

"Well," Bucky pulled his shirt over his head, "Greyson is finishing a shift at the hospital; he told me he'd be here before 3:30."

"Then what's your excuse?"

Bucky rolled his eyes and pulled on a pair of briefs before grabbing a pair of blue jeans. "My excuse is your annoying use of the hot water in this house, as well as your unnecessary need to take 45-minute showers."

Marlena chuckled and sat up, her hazel eyes falling on a fully-clothed Bucky. "Showers are the only place I can be alone. I spend every day taking care of everyone but myself. There's nothing wrong with having an hour to myself, James."

"Never said there was, Marlena." Bucky smiled at her and headed over to the closet to grab a jacket and a pair of boots. "Where are the twins?"

"Probably somewhere in the house making a mess of things," Marlena answered calmly. She was so used to the twins getting into trouble around the house that one of their messes didn't particular effect her as much as they used to when they were younger.

"Makes a lot of sense," Bucky replied.

Marlena only nodded and fell back onto the mattress again. Bucky was busy fixing his hair when the sound of glass shattering downstairs could be heard, followed by the sound of Jay screaming for him and Marlena. A sigh escaped Marlena and she ran out of her room with Bucky behind her.

The two of them made their way downstairs and into the living room, where both of their children stood waiting for them. There was a small problem, however, as a majority of the items in the living room were floating in midair, and it didn't take long for Marlena to figure out that Charlie was the source of it all. She appeared to be particularly frightened because of it, as did Jay, but Bucky and Marlena seemed to be more or less alarmed with their daughter's newfound power. Each day it appeared these abilities were only growing in strength, much as Marlena's had done so after first appearing. She was now in the same position as she had been in all those years ago, and she had no clue what to do about it.

"Oh my gosh," Marlena muttered under her breath.

The front door then opened rather abruptly, startling the already-frightened twins. Charlie jumped where she stood, sending every last item flying aimlessly through the living room. Marlena very quickly threw her hands up in front of her, lighting up the large room with a very dark blue hue. The numerous items stopped where they were in the air, and as Marlena worked diligently on placing everything back where it belonged, Greyson walked into the room. He stopped when he noticed what was happening.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked with a raised brow.

Marlena retracted her hands once she'd finished placing the items and ran upstairs, leaving Greyson in a heap of confusion. He looked to Bucky for help, who simply shrugged in response to his words and ran after Marlena. Greyson shook his head at the two of them and approached the twins, both of whom were still shaken up given what had just happened. Greyson wasn't exactly sure why they were in such a state, but he was determined to get them out of it. He loved babysitting the two of them simply because he loved watching them have fun, and he loved even more that he was the source of that fun.

Upstairs, Marlena was rummaging through a box of her belongings on the search for something she knew to help the situation. Bucky ran into the room and headed over to her closet once he noticed her on the floor. He knelt down beside her, his brows furrowing slightly as he wondered exactly what she was looking for. He barely even had the time to ask her before she pulled out a large bottle of pills.

"What are those?" Bucky asked as he watched her study the bottle; he'd never seen the bottle of medicine in his life.

Marlena turned to look at him with pleading hazel eyes. She knew he wouldn't like what she had to say, and truthfully, neither did she, but she could think of nothing else to handle the situation for the time being. "A solution," Marlena answered.

Marlena shoved her box of belongings back towards the rear of her closet and stood up. She made a move to head out of the bedroom, but Bucky grabbed her before she could. Marlena turned to look at him, only to find that he had grown annoyed with her vague answer.

"What are they, Marlena?" Bucky inquired, his tone stern.

Marlena knew she couldn't lie to him, and she knew she couldn't keep it from him, so she gave in, though reluctant to do so. "Suppressors..."

Anger flashed in Bucky's eyes and he subconsciously squeezed Marlena's arm tighter in his grasp, though it was not so much to bring her harm. "What?"

"They're suppressors, Bucky," Marlena repeated and snatched her arm from Bucky's hold. "Tony sends them to me every now and then in pill form."

"And you were just going to use them on my daughter without telling me?" Bucky exclaimed angrily. "You know better than anyone what they did to you, and so do I. You're not doing this to her, Marlena."

Marlena rolled her eyes at him. "Do you really think I would give these to her knowing they would have the same effect on her as they did me? I'm not that much of an idiot, Bucky. They're not as potent, okay? Yeah, they'll put her to sleep for an hour or so, but I swear to you they won't hurt her."

Bucky grabbed her as she tried to make another move out the door, annoying her slightly, but her state of annoyance was the least of his worries. "She's three years old, Marlena."

"Which is why I need to do this," Marlena exclaimed. "She's three years old, which means she's too young to deal with this burden—my burden. I won't lose my daughter to the very entity I have been fighting to control for years, I refuse to, so I suggest you let me do this—not for me, but for her."

Bucky thought about it for a moment before letting her go. He let out a sigh and gestured her out the door. She nodded in thanks and hurried out of the room and back down the stairs with Bucky behind her.

The moment Marlena saw Charlie she ran over to her. The young girl wasted no time at all in wrapping her arms around her mother, and Marlena sat the bottle of suppressors down long enough to hug her back. Marlena could sense that she was scared, she could feel it. She had no idea what was happening to her and Marlena knew that. She was just happy she wouldn't be going through it all alone.

"What's happening to me, mommy?" Charlie asked quietly.

Marlena pulled away to look at her with a small smile on her face. "I can't tell you until I'm one-hundred percent sure, baby. All I can do for the moment is help stop whatever it is happening. Do you want me to do that for you?"

Charlie only nodded, and Marlena grabbed the bottle of pills from the floor. She opened them up and took out a single tablet. She held it out to her and she took it, studying the small object with bright blue eyes.

"What is it, mommy?" she asked curiously.

"It'll help you, Charlotte," Marlena assured her three-year-old. "Make sure you take it with Greyson after daddy and I leave, okay?"

Charlie nodded again, and Marlena planted a kiss to her forehead before standing up and heading over to bid a goodbye to Jay. After doing so, she and Bucky made their way to the front door, followed by Greyson.

"Anything I should know before you two head out?" Greyson asked the two.

"Charlie will be asleep within minutes after she takes that pill," Marlena informed him. "Keep her asleep in her room and keep Jay occupied downstairs; keep his mind off of what just happened."

Greyson laughed and crossed his arms over his chest. "That shouldn't be too difficult; he's got the attention span of a squirrel. Can I ask exactly what did just happen, though? Is something wrong with Charlie?"

"Let's just say that as of now she's officially a momma's girl," Bucky mused.

Marlena only rolled her eyes at her husband and opened up the door. "I'll explain everything to you after we get back from Sam's, okay?"

"Roger that, kiddo."

Marlena gave a small smile and moved to hug him. "Love you, Grey."

"Love you, too, Mar."

Bucky and Marlena headed for the car after saying goodbye to Greyson, and soon enough they were off to Sam's apartment.

The ride to the city was quiet, but Bucky and Marlena didn't seem to mind the quiet very much. The two of them were more or less trapped within their own minds. They wondered what they were going to do about what was happening with their daughter, but at the same time they didn't think there was much for them to do. Though they had a sense of what was going on, they still weren't sure exactly what was happening with her, nor were they very sure of why it was happening in the first place, especially at such a young age.

Bucky parked the Jeep in front of Sam's apartment building and switched it off. He and Marlena got out of the vehicle and started towards the complex, which just so happened to be the nicest apartment complex in Washington D.C.

Bucky and Marlena made their way up to the tenth floor of the building and down the hall to Sam's door. Marlena couldn't hear the numerous voices inside the apartment from down the hall, but she could hear the numerous voices inside the heads of those in the apartment, and she knew then that she and Bucky were in for another long day. Marlena had originally been under the impression that her Avengers friends had gone back to their normal lives after leaving the previous night, and some of them had from what she could hear, but quite a few weren't ready to do so just yet.

"Looks like we're in for another long day," Marlena said as the two neared the door at the end of the hall.

Bucky wasn't allowed the opportunity to respond before an overly-excited Sam pulled his apartment door open. He had a glass of bourbon in his hand, and the two only needed to look at his eyes to know he was drunk.

"Well, if it isn't two of my favorite people," Sam exclaimed. "I could hear your footsteps through the walls."

Marlena chuckled and stepped into the apartment. "I see you're day drinking. How's that working out for you?"

"It was a beautiful mistake," Sam answered her.

"I'm sure," Marlena said.

Marlena took off for the kitchen, where Steve, the man she hadn't seen in two years, was working very diligently on some sort of dish at the stove with Tony. The smell was so familiar to Marlena in more ways than one, but she couldn't exactly put a name to it. All she knew was that the dish was Sokovian. She could remember the smell from when her father used to cook his Sokovian meals, but she could never remember the names.

Marlena raised a brow as she watched Steve and Tony interact with one another at the stove. The two still had yet to notice her standing by the kitchen entrance, because they seemed to be so enthralled with arguing over the dish in front of them. It was a sight that made Marlena smile, a sight that reminded her of old times.

After the events that took place in Leipzig five years prior, the individual relationships among the team faltered tremendously, though as the years passed and the madness died down, that hole began to stitch itself back together. Tony and Steve, though not by their choice, were not as close as they used to be, so for any opportunity for the two friends to see each other outside the clusterfuck that had become their world, they took it.

Marlena cleared her throat, and Tony looked away from Steve to look at his young pupil. His brown eyes grew brighter, and he smirked, running over to wrap the petite girl in a tight hug.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite little flower," Tony said with a smile on his face.

Marlena smiled back and hugged the man she'd grown to love and hate so much over the years. He was the annoying father figure she could somehow never get tired of. "Well, if it isn't two of my favorite men," the brunette chimed as she let go of Tony. She looked at Steve, whose face was now adorned with a dark beard, and smiled widely, making her way over to him as quickly as possible.

"Hey, Mar," Steve spoke quietly as he hugged her small form. He'd missed her far too much.

"I've missed you, Steve," Marlena said to Steve, squeezing him as tightly as she could. Despite Marlena's relationship with Bucky, her and Steve shared such a special one that no one could seem to understand, not even the two of them. He'd become such an important part of her life after the events in Germany that it physically hurt when she wasn't able to see him. He was so busy trying to remain under the radar that he never could pop in to say hi or even call. He was the most recognizable Avenger aside from Tony and Natasha, so remaining lowkey was much more of a priority to him than it was for Sam, Wanda, or even herself. It didn't make her feel any better that he was never around, however.

Tony then cleared his throat, earning the attention of the two. "Do I need to step out for a minute?"

Marlena chuckled and shook her head. "No, you know it isn't like that, Tony."

"Yeah, maybe not to you, but those blue eyes that were just gawking down at you think otherwise," Tony said, exposing Steve for the feelings he'd had for Marlena since late 2015.

"C'mon," Steve groaned.

"It's okay, Rogers," Marlena laughed and patted the soldier on the back. She'd always known how Steve felt about her, and while she loved him deeply, she just couldn't love him the way he wanted her to, and she knew he was okay with that as well. "Would you two care to explain to me why you're making a Sokovian dish?"

Steve shrugged and resumed stirring the dish. "Maybe because today might be the last time we get to see you for a while."

"And why is that?"

"Important life matters to take care of," Tony answered.

Marlena raised a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Like what?"

Steve chuckled and turned to look at Marlena, his blue eyes brightening at the mere sight of her. "You know what, Marlena, and you also know we aren't at liberty to discuss these matters with each other."

"Otherwise I'd have to arrest you," Tony shrugged and snatched the wooden spoon from Steve's hand. "That's a lot of paperwork, so I find it much simpler not to know what goes on during the Secret Avengers' secret missions across the globe."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not a Secret Avenger," Marlena remarked.

Steve shook his head at the brunette. "Yet you still come when we need you," he chirped.

"It's been two years since I last assisted you on a mission, Steven," Marlena reminded him with a smirk on her face, though her expression changed when she began to think about the true reason why she was at Sam's in the first place. "And it may be even longer before I'm able to assist you on another one."

"Why?" Steve questioned her. "What's wrong, Mar?"

Marlena took a seat at the island and clasped her hands together on the countertop. "Something's happened, and I need your help."