"And I'm gonna need a skinny vanilla latte for the skinny vanilla brunette."

Marlena rolled her eyes at Bucky and practically shoved herself in front of him at the counter. She wanted to be happy with his attempt to cut the tension between the three of them, but at the moment all she cared about was getting her coffee. She'd had a long day and needed the boost, though she wouldn't be getting it from a skinny vanilla latte.

"I'll actually have a Hazelnut Bianco with whipped cream, please," Marlena told the cashier as she pulled out her wallet.

Steve, Bucky, and Marlena had found their way into one of the many Starbucks New York City had to offer. It was just the three of them, as the twins were back at Sam's apartment. Bucky and Marlena dropped them off not too long after dealing with Kellan, who was resting uncomfortably in a holding cell at the Tower. After the altercation between him and Marlena, she and Bucky spent several hours talking to Alena about him. They needed to know how to contain him, as his teleportation abilities allowed him to transport himself anywhere he pleased. Alena was much more help than Marlena anticipated she'd be, but after learning of his attempts to kill Marlena, Alena knew then everything they'd done had gone too far. Kellan was never supposed to hurt Marlena, and he most certainly wasn't supposed to kill her. She'd made it clear to him numerous times, yet he'd gone behind her back regardless. For that, he deserved the consequences, just as Alena knew she deserved her own.

Marlena wasn't too thrilled, though. Kellan's unexpected arrival postponed her day out with her family, and she wasn't sure when she'd get another one. Greyson received his money only hours ago, and he and Miranda had plans to head back to Washington with Mason to continue their search for a home; her father was roaming around the city looking for a place to live; Wanda and Pietro had already left for Clint's. Everyone was retreating into their own corners, and while Marlena was thrilled with the thought of them finding their footing after being gone for so long, she wasn't ready to miss them quite yet. She'd just gotten them back.

After paying for her coffee—as well as Steve's and Bucky's—Marlena strolled over to a lone table at the opposite end of the coffee shop. She didn't want to be near anyone, especially while she was out with one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Marlena could only hope Steve's growing beard was enough to prevent him from being recognized.

"I'm pretty sure your doctor told you to calm down on the caffeine, Marlena," Steve said to her as he and Bucky walked over with their drinks in hand. Steve sat hers down in front of her and sat down, while Bucky sat down beside him.

Marlena grabbed her drink and took a careful sip. It was hot, that much she expected, but it was much too good for her to care. "This is the first sip of coffee I've had in days, and given how today has gone, I think I deserve it."

"Five years later and you still don't listen to anyone," Bucky remarked, bringing his cup to his lips.

Marlena shot him a look and sat her cup down on the table. "Okay, I thought we came here to talk about Charlie? Not my caffeine intake, which is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, by the way."

"It's still pretty ridiculous," Steve chuckled.

Marlena rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. "I would really like to talk about Charlie, guys," she said to the two of them.

"What happened this morning that you wanted to tell me about?" Bucky asked her.

"I saw Natasha," Marlena answered, a frown on her face as she thought of her lost friend. She remembered how it felt to see her face after believing she'd never see it again, but it hadn't been real, and Marlena came to terms with that hours ago. "The twins were having breakfast and I was talking to them about Natasha. I guess Charlie tuned in to how upset it made me and accidentally did the only thing she could think to do to make me happy in that moment, and that was to bring Natasha back."

"But how is that even possible?" Bucky asked, taking another sip of his drink. "I know you can, like, mess with people's minds and make them see things, but you're both telepaths. I thought telepaths couldn't manipulate each other's minds."

"We can't without admission to each other's minds."

"So, how did this happen then?"

Marlena pulled her elbows onto the table and looked down at her drink. She'd almost forgotten Bucky hadn't been around to learn she could manipulate reality at will. They'd had one conversation regarding the news Marlena came from two stones rather than one, and she wasn't sure how he was going to react when she told him.

"Do you remember the conversation I told you I had with Tony all those years ago?" Marlena asked Bucky as she picked away at the cardboard sleeve on her cup. "About my powers coming from two stones instead of just one?"

"Yes, because it was literally four weeks ago for me," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Right, well, they come from the energy inside the Reality Stone," Marlena informed Bucky with a sigh. She finally looked up at the two men and took another sip of her drink.

"Are you sure?"

"About three weeks after I lost you, I was playing around with the reality altering aspects of my abilities just to see what I could do, and you showed up looking just as real as Natasha looked this morning, so yeah, I'm almost 97% sure," Marlena answered him quietly as she tinkered nervously with her fingers.

Recalling all of the pain and all of the fighting Marlena had been through over the years wasn't the best on her mental state. Her post traumatic stress was raging, just as it had been since the fight against Thanos ended. Luckily for her, her family was a wonderful distraction, but no matter what, there would always be that voice in the back of her mind so eager to remind her of the pain she'd been through over the years.

"Have you used your abilities to alter reality since?" Steve asked her.

Marlena nodded her head. "At the Tower—during the confrontation with Alena. I altered it temporarily to give her a glimpse of what life could've looked like for us if she hadn't been taken by Hydra."

"Wow," Bucky chuckled lightly, though he knew the subject was not to be taken as such. "You're even weirder than I thought."

Marlena couldn't help but roll her eyes again; she definitely hadn't expected that to be his response to her words. "Thank you so much, Bucky."

"I promise I'm not being a dick," Bucky assured Marlena. "I'm just trying to find a way to make sense of all this."

"Yeah, I've been trying to do that for years and haven't gotten anywhere." Marlena pulled the sleeves of her cardigan over her hands and leaned forward in her seat; it was getting a bit too chilly for her comfort, though she wondered if the sensation had anything to do with the anxiety eating away at her insides. "Every time I get close, I learn something new about myself that starts the process all over again."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"Apparently I was born with my abilities, or at least the capacity for them," Marlena answered. "My experimentation only amplified them."

"Who told you that?"

"Alena," Marlena told Bucky. "She told me earlier this morning."

"Are you sure you can trust her?"

Marlena met Steve's eyes and nodded. "The science supports it, I guess. Hydra experimented on a lot of people with the stones, and of those to survive were me, Alena, Wanda, Pietro, and Kellan. She told me it wasn't a coincidence that the only ones to survive were all from the same family, and I believe her."

"So, when I met you, you already had your powers?" Bucky asked in disbelief. He learned something new about her and Wanda every day.

"I guess, but I was never consciously aware of them," Marlena answered. "I never grew up thinking what I could do was even possible. Up until the attack on New York, I used to think having special powers was limited to super strength or the Iron Man suit. I lived such a normal life that my awareness was limited to the normality of my daily life, whereas Charlie's life is different. She's very aware of her power, and I want nothing more than to figure out what we can do to help her. The last thing I want is her growing up terrified of herself."

"What makes you think that'll happen?"

"Because I was," Marlena met Steve's eyes for the briefest of seconds before looking down at her half-covered hands; a very subtle blue aura appeared around them, and Marlena let out a quiet breath. "I've killed people because of these abilities. I never meant to, because I didn't know how to control them, but I still live with that guilt every single day. It's a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone, especially my child."

"If Charlie's half as strong as you are, which I know she is, then I know she'll get through this, Mar," Bucky reassured her.

Marlena shook her head quickly and watched as the blue disappeared from her hands. "If she was half as strong as me I wouldn't be sitting here working my ass off trying to figure out a way to help her, but that's just the thing—she's so much stronger than me and I don't know what to do about it. I don't know how to help her."

"Help her the same way you helped yourself," Steve suggested. "Though I strongly suggest against suppressors."

"Yeah, that's not happening," Bucky agreed with Steve; Marlena knew he would, though she didn't blame him. She didn't blame either of them. "I personally think the suppressors would do more harm than good."

Marlena chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry, I wasn't even thinking about doing that to her. I guess we'll have to figure out what to do."

"And we will," Steve assured her. "I know you're stressed right now, but try to relax, okay?"

"It's a bit hard to relax when your daughter is capable of collapsing an entire building in her sleep just because she's having a nightmare," Marlena muttered, and Steve and Bucky exchanged wary glances with one another.

"Did she actually do that?" Bucky asked the brunette, his eyes wide.

"I'm just makin' a point, Buck." Marlena picked up her cup and downed the rest of her coffee; she longed for yet another cup, but she knew she needed to listen to the advice of not only her doctor, but Steve as well. It looked as if water would have to be a replacement. "I need something else to drink."

"You don't need anymore coffee, Marlena," Bucky chastised her, though he knew it wasn't his place to do so. She'd done a number of similar things when she was pregnant with the twins, so he couldn't help but speak up. Marlena was no longer his, and it pained him tremendously, but he still cared about her wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of the small life growing inside her.

"Don't worry, grandpa, I'm only going to get some water," Marlena huffed and stood up from her chair, subconsciously placing her hand over the small bump beneath her black shirt.

"Are you ever gonna not joke about our ages?"

"Well, it brings me an immense amount of joy, so no, I don't think so," Marlena said to the two men before walking away.

Steve chuckled and shook his head before looking over at Bucky. "Thank you, Buck, really."

"For what?" Bucky looked at him, his brows furrowed in confusion. He wasn't sure what he was being thanked for, but he was sure he was about to find out.

"For being there today to protect her," Steve answered.

"You know I'd still do anything for her," Bucky spoke quietly. He didn't really want to get into the topic regarding the mess that was his current relationship with both Steve and Marlena, but he doubted he'd get what he wanted. He rarely ever did, or so it seemed.

"I know you would." Steve took a sip of his drink. "She knows that, too."

"I know."

At the counter, Marlena was working on shoving a straw into the lid covering her cup of ice water. She took a small sip and turned to head back to the table but accidentally ran into someone. Marlena's water cup burst all over herself, as well as whoever she'd just run into, and despite the chilling temperature of the water seeping through her clothes, she was much more concerned with the person she'd just doused.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry," Marlena apologized frantically. She picked her cup up off the floor and looked at the person she'd run into. It was a man, but it was a man she wasn't expecting to see at all. "I'm such a klutz, I don't—"

The sight of the man's face silenced Marlena. She hadn't seen him in over a decade and was certain she would never see him again.

"Please don't worry about it," the man smiled and grabbed a handful of napkins from the counter to wipe away the water. "It's just water, no big deal."

"Dylan?"

Dylan Sherwood, a once very toxic part of Marlena's teenage years, stood there in front of her. He looked just as he had when the two last saw each other, albeit he'd grown a beard and had obviously aged several years. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, however, something Marlena realized was a result of being snapped away or the result of a wonderful skincare routine.

Dylan looked at Marlena, his smile faltering when he recognized her face. It wasn't that he was upset to see her, but he hadn't been expecting to see her whatsoever. He figured the only connection he'd ever have with Marlena Claire was a news article covering the Avengers. Not a random Starbucks in New York City.

"Marlena?" In a single instant, the watery accident had been more or less forgotten. "Marlena Claire?"

"Yes! Hi!" Despite everything that happened between the two of them all those years ago, Marlena was happy to see a familiar face. She'd grown so much over the years that their past didn't bother her too much anymore. People were capable of change, and Marlena knew this because she'd changed drastically. "It's actually really good to see you! What are you doing here in New York?"

"Change of scenery, I guess." He chuckled and tossed his damp napkins into the trash, "It was hard coming back to a city I didn't recognize; I couldn't stand the feeling associated with it, so I came up here to get away for a little bit."

"I understand." His words had just confirmed he'd been snapped away five years ago, and Marlena couldn't help but feel bad for him. "I hope you're not having too difficult of a time adjusting to being back."

Dylan shrugged, and a smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "It hasn't been easy, but I've got my wife and kids to help me through it."

His words surprised Marlena, but nevertheless, she was still happy for him. "You're married now? And you have kids? Really? How many?"

"Two," Dylan answered happily. "A little boy and a little girl—Loren and Landen. But I see you've got a nice little rock on your finger. Bucky finally propose after all these years?"

"Yes and no," Marlena chuckled nervously. "Bucky and I actually got married back in 2016, and then he disappeared with the rest of my family during the Blip, so I was left widowed."

"Isn't he back now?" Dylan glanced around the store, his eyes stopping on Bucky's table. He was talking with Steve, but the moment the two men took notice of Dylan, the conversation ended. "Ah, so you guys are starting from scratch."

"No, um, I'm actually engaged to Steve now," Marlena informed Dylan, her words shocking him slightly. He never would've imagined Marlena ending up with anyone but Bucky, considering everything the two went through just to be together, but from what he could tell, the Marlena he'd last seen a decade ago wasn't the Marlena standing in front of him. "We've been together about a year and a half now."

"Regardless, I'm really happy for you."

"Thank you!"

Steve then walked up to the pair, his eyes lingering on Dylan a few seconds too long. Bucky wasted no time at all in reminding Steve who he was, and once he had, he immediately grew uncomfortable.

"Everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah, I just spilled my water on Dylan," Marlena told Steve. "I don't know if you two remember meeting each other, but Dylan this is Steve, Steve this is Dylan."

Dylan grinned and held out a hand for Steve to shake. "It's really good to see you again, Captain Rogers."

"Likewise." Steve released the firm grip he had on Dylan's hand and looked at Marlena. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah." Marlena smiled and looked at Dylan. She was becoming a bit uncomfortable with the way her shirt was adhering to her body; she couldn't wait to go home and change. "It was really good to see you again, Dylan."

"It's been really good to see you as well, Marlena," he chirped. "I wish the best for you and your family."

"Thank you so much."

Dylan smiled and took off, leaving Steve and Marlena to stare after him curiously.

"That was really weird," Marlena said, finally looking away from Dylan's retreating figure and up at her fiancé.

"Comes with being an Avenger," Steve teased her. "Weird is in the job description."

"Since when am I an Avenger?" Marlena teased.

Steve chuckled and grabbed her hand, pulling her back over to their table with Bucky. "You've been an Avenger since the day you stepped foot in the Tower."

"I know."

"It's about damn time," Bucky said with a roll of his eyes. "Hell, I'm surprised you even spoke to him at all."

"I dunno, it was kinda good to see him," Marlena said to Bucky. "He seems like he's doing okay. He's got a family now."

"I'm thrilled for him, but I don't care. Can we please go?" Bucky grabbed his cup and stood up; he was way too eager to leave. "I wanna go home...or to Sam's."

"You know you can stay with us, right?" Marlena asked him. The three of them started out of the coffee shop and into the crisp autumn air; the water on Marlena's shirt had yet to dry, and she shivered before pulling her cardigan tightly over her chest. Steve noticed her discomfort and removed his jacket, wasting no time at all in placing it over her shoulders.

"That right there is exactly why I can't and won't do that," Bucky answered Marlena with a sigh, referencing Steve giving her his jacket.

Marlena frowned and pulled Steve's jacket tighter over her chest, though she said nothing. Things were very complicated between the two of them, and she wasn't sure how long it'd stay that way. She was just thankful they'd found a way to work together for the sake of their daughter's wellbeing, and she desperately hoped it stayed that way.