Mary's eyes widen slightly in shock, she stands up a bit straighter. "What gave me away?" she asks, still trying to figure out how Leanne pieced together she was Mary Rogers-Barnes. "Not many people figure it out."

Leanne chuckles. "I've been following your life for years. It's been my personal hobby to know everything about the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., and anyone connected to them. When Mary Barnes died, a few years later, another brilliant doctor surfaced with her face. Looking at the history, it's easy to see."

Mary sits down in the chair beside Leanne's bed, nodding slowly. "The history books always focused on Stevie," she says light-heartedly. "I was fine staying out of the spotlight, I had been most of my life up until he got the serum," she explains. "We weren't anything special," she tells Leanne as she rests her hands on her stomach.

Leanne nods. "Yeah, I know. I know about Becca too," she says softly, looking down. "I had hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. files about your family before you deleted her from the system."

Mary chuckles softly, shaking her head in amusement. "Becca was deleted from the files to protect her. Tony wanted it that way and Steve and I were fine with it. She didn't need to be thrusted into the spotlight like we all were going to be," she says. "I can't be with her now, but I know she's safe."

"She's with her father, on the run, right?" Leanne asks, the pieces falling to place in her mind.

Mary hesitates, silently braiding her hair away from her face as she nods slowly. "How do you know that? Not even my brother knows."

Leanne nods. "It just makes sense. They both disappeared at the same time, and you know she's safe. Although.... no offense, but I'm not sure if he's mentally stable enough for watching a child. Wait, did Becca age? When you got the serum, did it affect her?" Leanne's mind is suddenly full of questions sitting here talking to one of the founders of the things that interested her so much.

The co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. nods slowly, looking out the window as she thinks of her answers. "As far as I know, her age was stunted when she was away from me, when she was kidnapped in 1950, but she came back to me as a 14 year old," she explains the best she can, then sighs softly. "James wants to protect her, that's what he's depending on to keep them safe. And Becca can hold her own against pretty much anyone. I could tell he wanted to get to know her despite the chaos and turmoil in his mind constantly threatening him," Mary explains quietly, smiling softly.

Leanne nods, then shakes her head. "I have so, so many questions. But, I guess I should save them." She smiles softly, then takes a deep breath. "What was it like, when you thought Bucky had died, and you had to raise Becca by yourself?" she asks, thinking of her own situation.

Mary pauses, her hands rub her stomach subconsciously as the memories flash through her mind briefly. "I thought it wasn't fair that I was left alone, when he had promised that he'd never let me lose anyone I loved again," she says, taking in deep breaths to calm her nerves. "And then I lost Steve less than a week or so after I lost James. I thought the weight of losing them was going to cripple me at times," she mentions, looking down at her engagement ring and wedding band, smiling softly. "But it helped knowing I wasn't alone even though they were gone. There were times I felt all alone, definitely, but I had the Commandos, Howard, and Peggy all helping me along the way. Howard and Dum Dum really picked up the rolls of father and uncle to make Becca feel like she wasn't missing out on anything only a father could do, or an uncle," she explains the best she can without getting too worked up, she chuckles at the memories flooding her mind.

Leanne takes a deep breath. "My... JJ's father, Jun... was killed. We weren't exactly married," she reaches up and pulls the chain with the three rings from under her shirt. "We couldn't, not being who we were, not only were we too young, but Loki wouldn't allow it. We said we were though. Acted like it... obviously." She laughs bitterly at the irony of everything as she looks down at JJ, blinking back tears. "But I have nowhere to go now except a third world country in Africa. But I have no money, I've been poor as dirt since I was a child."

Mary takes in the information, nodding slowly. "I remember when Steve and I could barely afford bread and jam," she says. "We grew up during the Roaring Twenties but also the Great Depression. And on top of that, Steve had medical issues with his lungs, his asthma was always acting up horribly," she says softly. "It wasn't easy deciding what to buy when you needed so much and had so little," she adds sadly. "I'm so sorry about Jun though, Leanne." She says, completely understanding the pain the young woman must be feeling, having just described how it felt herself. "It was a miracle James is even alive now. He should've died when he fell into the ravine," she says, sighing as she looks down at JJ, smiling softly. "But you're not alone anymore. I don't think any of the team will let you go back to how your life was before them. I know I won't," she tells her. "If your only option is Africa..." She pauses, looking down, sighing as she shakes her head. "I can only give you advice," she says quietly with a sad smile. "Though, being a famous doctor in two lifetimes and your godson being a billionaire come with perks. If you need a place to stay, I can swing Tony my way to convince him of pretty much anything," she teases, chuckling a bit.

Leanne nods, thinking it over. "You don't realize who I am, do you," she says, looking up at the doctor. "I deserve nothing. I deserve to be thrown in jail till I'm eighty, and have JJ ripped from my grasp and thrown into the foster system. The... the very thing I became what I am to run from."

Mary watches Leanne with her hazel eyes, nodding slowly, but a small smile appears on her face. "I don't look at actions, not after what I've lived through," she reminds Leanne. "My husband deserves to be locked up as well, he's running with our daughter because they both 'deserve' it," she points out. "But all I see in front of me is a young woman who wants to do right by her precious son now. To change what she's done and right her wrongs," she says, tilting her head slightly, her smile much like her brother's. "Am I right?" she asks.

Leanne nods, her heart heavy and eyes full of tears. "How... will I tell him? Both his parents are... murderers, he was born out of wedlock, has no father.... I can't raise a child like this," tears start to run down her cheeks as she begins to doubt everything she has fought for the past eight months.

The expectant mother hesitates, nodding slowly. "He has a father," she reminds Leanne. "He will always have a father." She pauses, then looks up. "What do you think I told Becca about her uncle and father?" she asks, then looks out the window. "I told her they were always with her no matter what life threw at her. I only had her for five years before she was ripped from me," she says quietly. "I'm going to have to tell this baby that her father is wanted for things he had no control over," she points out, then replays what Leanne had said before speaking again. "I had so many people telling me I couldn't raise Becca by myself, they didn't see the support I had, all they saw was a single mother in the late forties. They didn't bother to look at what the real picture was. You can raise him, because you're the only one who will love him like you can. You are his mother, and no one can take that away from you."

Leanne nods a bit, wiping her tears. "But.... you were a good mother, a good person, you had people to help you. I'm not. And the only other person I have that would be willing to help me is in the hospital because she tried to do so already."

Mary nods slowly. "I didn't think I was a good mother when she was taken from me," she reminds Leanne. "I blamed myself for close to a year when I lost her. My precious gift from James was ripped from me in the middle of the night by masked figures dressed in black," she mumbles, breathing in deeply. "I still haven't forgiven myself for letting that happen, seeing what they did to my baby girl, what they put her through for seventy years."

Leanne nods, clutching JJ closer. "But you never will have to explain that you... killed someone, purely out of cold blood. No reason other than you were under orders, that you weren't forced into, but willing to follow. Because you were angry. I...... I don't know," she sighs, having become tired.

The doctor hesitates, looking down. "Not me personally, no, but I know quite a few people that have shared those experiences. It's never easy to live with that guilt of taking someone's life. I grew up watching war break out and so much death follow in its footsteps, maybe that's why I wanted to become a nurse." Mary shrugs. "But I know those of us fighting the war followed orders simply because we were told. We followed willingly into battle. We did things that made us not sleep well at night most days. But we did it nonetheless."

Leanne nods. "I... think I want some rest now, but... maybe we can talk again another time?"

Mary nods. "Of course." She says, "Steve is wondering where I am since Vis told him I showed up in the tower," she explains. "I'll be around for a few days, I want to keep an eye on my godson, he has a tendency to work himself too hard when he puts his mind to something," she says with a small smile. "If you need me, just tell Vis and he'll notify me," she states as she stands from her chair and moves to walk out of Leanne's room. She pokes her head around the door before leaving. "You're not alone, not anymore," she reminds her before making her leave.

Hey y'all! I will only be posting one chapter a week now that school has started. This chapter is a bit slow, but Nia has to get to know our favorite doctor some, so forgive the slowness. Things will eventually get exciting as we get into the events of Age of Ultron.

- Bucky