-Hey, reviewers…you have some replies waiting for you at the end-

Poison Ice,emberflies,the holy see,

bookgroupie,Ravenna,Musicfreak25,

Lancercancerchick,Harvestmoongal2012,

Little Weasley Girl,Cavazza,

xIHeartDracoMalfoyx

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Bold=Memories

Hope you enjoy!

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I was woken up very abruptly this morning by a very angry Clint. Apparently my disappearance had sparked a complete search of the Helicarrier. Of course from the way I understood the only ones looking were Thor, Clint, and Steve. He stood over me gripping the empty bottle of whiskey tightly. His glare of disapproval was enough to make me wince. I sighed as I sat up feeling my back ache from laying on the hard metal walkway all night. My mouth was dry and thick. My head hurt slightly. Clint just shook his head and hoisted me up. I rubbed my shoulder at the unexpected tug. I was perfectly capable of getting up on my own. Movement down below caught my eye. Steve was standing tall, arms crossed, and a not too pleased scowl plastered on his face. Clint was already halfway down the ladder by the time I reached it.

"Meeting in two hours James. Don't be late," Clint stomped out of the cargo area, my empty whiskey bottle in his hand. I blinked twice before I descended down the ladder. I sighed as I stepped onto the ground and turned to face the last man I wanted to see this morning. I began to walk past him, but he stopped me.

"You had a lot of us worried."

"Really? That us include you? 'Cause somehow I doubt you were that concerned." I snorted and stepped out of the cargo area. I weaved a bit but shook it off quickly. Footsteps were behind me. He grabbed my forearm tightly and jerked my arm back. I yelped at the bone crushing grasp. He instantly let go and backed away shaking his head.

"I'm sorry." His face crumbled a slightly as he looked away. "I forget how strong…"

"I'm fine." I interrupted before he could continue. I held my arm out to him, "See…just fine."

He nodded as his eyes shifted over my arm . We stood in silence for a few moments before he looked at me, "I was worried. No matter how upset I was. I was worried about you."

"You shouldn't be. Evidently I bring out the worst in you. I've never seen you become that angry. I told you…I'll just ruin you." He rested his shoulder against the wall and stared down at his boots. He looked older then…much older than twenty-five. Technically, he was twenty-six…his body anyways. I was about to turn thirty-one in five months. Since we do what we do…birthday's seemed to matter just a little bit more. You never knew which one could be your last. I wondered how old I looked.

I watched as he shoved his large hands into his jean pockets. Jeans…I'll never get used to seeing him in jeans. His t-shirt was wrinkled. His face wasn't shaven which was unusual. He looked…unstrung. Perhaps he was telling the truth…perhaps he was worried. I leaned on the wall opposite of him, studying his body language, his stance, his tired blue eyes. He seemed defeated. He muttered softly, "You make me naïve."

"I make you care…you mean?"

"You make me a lot of things." He met eyes as he pushed off the wall and strutted toward me slowly. He stopped a foot away from me. He was close enough for me to smell his cologne and soap. It was something woodsy and rich…something that smelled sexy as if it belonged on a model. Fancy French cologne I deduced. Nat's idea most likely. He leaned closer and I subconsciously aware that I devoured a whole bottle of whiskey last night. I held my breath as he pressed a long, soft kiss to my right cheek. My eyes fluttered to a close, but jerked back open when the softness of his lips left. His breath peppered my ear as he spoke, "I don't mind being naïve when it comes to you Marcy. I just don't like being used."

I felt my stomach drop, my heart pulse, and my face heat as he pulled away his gaze holding mine for moments longer. I swallowed dryly and let out the breath I had been holding as he stepped away. He moved swiftly toward the quarters that housed the Avengers. He paused in his step and turned slightly, "I thought you should know…Fury told your sister. She knows you are on the ship…and alive. She's in the lab with Bruce."

I leaned forward and down, my head almost touching my knees. I felt faint. Marlina knew. She knew. "Does she know about…?"

I stopped there unable to continue. He didn't say anything and I took that as a yes. I stood straight and inhaled a deep breath, "She's going to think I'm a freak. She's going to hate me."

He shook his head and gave a soft smirk, "She reminds me of you…so I doubt that."

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"You can come home Marc'. We can fix this…I know people."

I shook my head and looked out through the dingy, cloudy payphone glass. It smelled in here. Cars were flying by at an alarming speed, snow was falling heavily, and I was just about out of money. "No…this is bigger than me going AWOL 'Lina. You don't understand."

"Whatever it is…we will get through it together. Mom and dad miss you. You haven't even met Taylor yet. He's two now. You'd love him Marc'. He wants to be a Marine- just like you."

"I'm sure I would adore him. He belongs to you doesn't he?" I wiped away the tears that were falling faster and faster by the second. I swallowed thickly, "I can't…come home 'Lina…it's just too dangerous."

"Marcy…"

I noticed two men in uniforms making their way toward me. I felt my heart beat faster. They found me. "Marlina- I have to go now. You take care of Taylor, okay? I love you. Give everyone my love."

"Marcy? Marcy wait!"

I slammed the phone down on the receiver and I ran.

Thirty minutes left until the meeting. I had been standing outside the lab for fifteen before that. I was showered, fresh, and free of the whiskey smell that was heavy on my clothes. I bit my lip and peered around the corner again. Marlina looked beautiful. She reminded me so much of mom. Long chestnut hair, bright brown eyes, rosy cheeks, bright white smile. She was always such a girly girl. I played sports, dressed in jeans and t-shirts growing up, and kept my hair in ponytails most of the time. I moved back against the wall where I continued to chew on my lip as people passed by giving me the 'eye'. I sighed and leaned my head back against the wall. I swallowed dryly and drew in a long breath before I pushed off the wall. I eased slowly into the lab almost considering running in the other direction. Bruce was the first to notice me. In fact, he did a double take. His eyes widened and he cleared his throat causing Marlina to look up at him expectedly. Her eyes drifted to mine and the pen in her hand stilled on the paper.

Bruce cleared his throat as he stood up from his stool, "I think…I think I'll just get a cup of coffee before the meeting."

Bruce gave a half smile as he passed by me. I held her gaze for a few seconds longer before I moved closer to her, "Hey…"

She let out a bitter laugh as she shook her head. She tapped her pen hard on the notepad, "So, after what? Almost four years of pretending to be dead. That's your idea of a greeting?"

"Seemed better than, 'Surprise'," I said with a small laugh. She wasn't amused. I'm pretty sure I saw flames shoot from her eyes. "Look…'Lina…I know this seems sudden and it seems awful, but…"

"Sudden?" She laughed and I felt like an idiot. I couldn't form correct words or sentences. "I've known for a month. Director Fury told me at the very beginning. Mom knows. She wants to see you, but I told her no."

I nodded slowly at that, "Guess I deserve that."

Marlina shrugged, "But…I don't control mom. She said whenever you are ready there is a spare bedroom."

I smiled at that, "I've missed her…a lot."

She glared at me as she stood up. "She always thought you were alive…always kept the faith that you would walk through the door at any moment. It got worse after you sent those daisies to dad's funeral."

Biting down on my tongue I felt my eyes water. I swallowed, "Y-you knew that was me?"

"Who else would send daisies to a damn funeral? Very few knew that he loved daisies."

I leaned against the table behind me, she followed suit and placed her hip against her desk. She glanced at her watch and then at the computers as if I was just a normal visitor. Not her long lost sister who had just turned up alive after being presumed dead for four years.

"Do you hate me?"

Her eyes shifted toward me and she crossed her arms before averting her eyes with a shake of her head, "It's not right to hate someone that's dead."

'Someone that's dead.' I looked away for a moment trying to will the tears away, "I'm so, so sorry for everything 'Lina…it's more complicated than you think. I couldn't bare the thought of hurting you…mom and dad…I just couldn't."

"It's in the past. Besides…you're dead- remember?"

Right. Dead.

A knock sounded at the door. Bruce stood silently holding two coffee's in one hand, knuckles pressed against the door frame. He moved forward and extended a cup to me, "Sorry for the interruption. Fury is waiting…impatiently."

I gave a quick smile as I took the styrofoam cup. I turned back to Marlina and studied her as she gathered her files and notes. Would she forever hate me? I felt a chill swim through my body at the thought, probably. I would. "Can we talk about this later? Over dinner or whatever?"

She brushed past me, "There isn't anything to discuss Marcy. You're back from the dead. Whoopti-fuckin'-doo."

Bruce and I stared at her back as she practically ran down the corridor to the conference area appointed for us. We finally decided to follow after a short safe distance had passed between us. I let out a small sigh and sipped the black nectar Bruce had brought me. The coffee seemed to make my mouth thicker. I needed water, but this would have to suffice for right now. "Sorry about that…we were just…bonding. You know- sister stuff."

He nodded and gave a small chuckle, "For what's it worth. She seems very nice."

I laughed at that, "She is. Extremely smart. And stubborn…very, very stubborn. I estimate she'll forgive me in about…fifty years."

"Time heals all wounds," Bruce said proudly as we paused outside of the conference area.

I shook my head disagreeing, "No…time rubs it in your face."

We entered the room which instantly prompted a glare from Fury. Tony grinned as he nudged Clint who was speaking with Marlina. Natasha was already sitting down just beside Clint. Thor sat beside Steve…beside Steve…an empty chair. Was that meant for me? Steve kept his eyes down reading over the file in front of him. Thor poked his elbow and immediately Steve's head shot up in response. He glanced over at me and then down at the empty chair. He turned the chair a little and then looked back up at me with the smallest of smirks. I took my cue to sit beside him. I sat my coffee down before settling into the black chair. Steve gives me an odd indescribable look at as he moved the file closer to me.

"We are en route to a town just outside of Ecuador where the drug has been released into the population. Bodies are rising and the numbers of the effected are growing. Doctor Russell is here with us to give more background on her findings of Dream."

He gave her a nod and she stood up gracefully. She scanned over her notes quickly and spread them across the table. She began explaining the graphs and charts with information that pertained to Dream. I, on the other hand, grabbed a pen and pulled a piece of paper out of the folder. I shifted the notes onto my lap and clicked the pen on.

'I'm sorry for everything. Meet me in the training area to talk after?'

I shoved the piece of paper on to his lap and he slowly looked down. His thumb rubbed the edge of the paper slowly and then he looked back up to Marlina as she tossed out more papers. Something about movement patterns. It was clearly something that we should be listening to, but right now…he was on my mind. That and the fact my sister hated me. He handed me the paper and I felt my heart deflate, he hadn't written anything down and he certainly hadn't given me a thought to think he was going to meet me. I bit my lip nervously as thoughts of losing Steve filtered into my brain. My heart pounded louder in my ears. I tried to imagine myself without him…my mind suddenly flew back to my month without him. Clint had kept me so busy- I hadn't even had time to consider Steve being gone that much. Could I live with losing Clint? I did…for five years. I was severely angry with Clint though. I felt my heart ache at that thought. The only thing that concerned me…these two men…they lived for their jobs. Would I just be in the way?

Someone cleared their throat and I looked up startled. All eyes were on me and I felt my cheeks go red at the unexpected and unwanted attention.

"Feeling well Sergeant?" Fury directed toward me with a bite in his words. I nodded forcefully.

"Yes sir. I apologize."

I glanced back at Marlina whose face had softened a bit. Just as quickly though, it turned into stone, "Bruce and I have been working on an antidote. In the mean time, while you are in the field we are having you wear these masks."

I heard Tony groan. Natasha gave a dry laugh, "Why are you complaining? You have a built in respirator?"

"Just conveying you other primitive super hero's thoughts," He smiled broadly and she kicked his chair. Steve grinned at that and I found myself fascinated for a moment. Tony stood up suddenly and went to the corner of the room were a simple silver case sat. "By the way…I made you three tiny humans something. Thor gets away with it because…well, you are a god aren't you? Anyways…"

He handed out pieces of a black rubber like material to Clint, Natasha, and myself. Clint groaned this time, "You made us masks?"

"Indeed Robin Hood," Stark said with a bright smile.

Natasha shrugged as she placed hers on her face. Her green eyes seemed to grow brighter. She batted her eyes, "It's not so bad. Helps with the concern of the identity issue."

Clint shook his head still disagreeing. I pressed mine to my face and looked up to find Tony staring at me. "They match your uniforms."

None of us answered him. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the table behind him, "Yea, you're welcome."

I lowered mine and shoved it into my jacket pocket as another piece of metal landed in front of me. I picked it up and glanced at everyone else. It was an odd contraption. It reminded me of a respirator that divers used. It covered the nose and mouth area. I pressed it to my face and tried to breath, nothing happened. I stared at it confused, "Um…"

Steve reached over and flipped the green switch to the left. He moved the paper closer to me that held a picture of the respirator and directions. I mumbled a quick sorry as I read over the paper. Once activated, it was supposed to adhere to your face. That seemed simple enough. I saw another paper come into my line of vision and I flipped off the respirator and leaned forward.

'Yes' was the word scribed on the front of the instructional sheet. I glanced over at Steve to see him playing with the respirator. He was taking it on, off, on, off, on…off.

"We should arrive in Ecuador in approximately two hours. Be ready, be alert. Intel states that it's much worse on the ground than we ever anticipated. Proceed with caution."

After that, everyone stood up and I followed slowly. I was feeling incredibly sluggish. Maybe exercising my Flame would help. Clint appeared at my side, "Can we talk?"

I glanced over at Steve and he looked back and forth between us before he gave a nod. He tapped his left wrist and nodded before he left the room. I met Marlina's eyes and she quickly drug them away. I sighed heavily.

"How are things with your sister?"

I gave a short laugh and shrugged, "She hates me. Shocker huh?"

He rubbed my arm gently, "That why you were drinking last night?"

"Among other things," I said vaguely.

"You wanna talk about it?" His deep blue eyes almost…almost conned me into it.

"Not really," I nodded and gave a one shouldered shrug.

He remained silent for a moment gauging my reactions. He let out a breath and bowed his head as he stepped closer. His voice lowered enough to make me shiver, "I told him that I'd fight for you."

My eyes flew to his. He was serious. "I'm not trying to start a war."

"Too late for that." His hand rose to my cheek and I couldn't help it…I leaned into the curve of his palm. "I walked away once. That isn't happening again.

I swallowed dryly and pulled away before I did something that could keep me from meeting Steve, "I have somewhere I need to be."

He hesitated and I saw a sweep of something float across his gaze. Sadness, perhaps? You're meeting Steve, Marcy. Leave. I turned to leave, grabbing my respirator in the process. His next words make me pause.

"I mean what I said Marcy…I'll do what I need to. I'm not leaving you again."

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After forty-five minutes of contemplating with whether to meet or not to meet Steve, I decided to. Honestly, I was trying to figure out how to get off the ship unseen. The only way was to jump off the side of the ship with a parachute. I quickly determined that was a bad idea. Walking around the cold interior of the ship, I discovered a few things about myself and my time spent here…also a few other things about my teammates. We are all pretty much lonely and sad…and just a bit pathetic in our own little way. All of us were taking on a burden of a great magnitude in order to protect the world…at all costs. You have to admit- it's a bit much.

Of course, then there was this entire bit with my sister. I needed a vacation. I hadn't even been with the Avengers for a six months and I already needed a vacation. I kept thinking about what Marlina told me about mom wanting to see me. I wanted to see her too. I had a lot of making up to do.

I entered the cargo area and sighed when I saw no Steve. I had kept him waiting for too long, again. Shaking my head I turned heading back out the door. I needed to find him and apologize. I had been a horrible person to him here lately. Even if this had no way of working out- I still valued him as a friend and teammate.

"You know, you can really kill a guys' self-confidence."

I looked up to find him sitting on this walkway where I had fallen asleep last night. I crossed my arms and nodded slowly, "As I said before- I wouldn't stand you up."

He raised his eyebrows at that and twirled the bottle of water in his hand, "You enjoy showing up late?"

I moved toward the ladder and began to climb up slowly. His eyes lifted to me and I caught them before they flickered back to his water. "I admit that the last couple of times…I've shown up a little late, but- give me the chance and I'm a very punctual person."

Steve grunted in answer. His gaze was laid at my feet. His back was against the railing. His legs were crossed comfortably, hands loosely twisting the bottle of water as if he was afraid to let his attention stray elsewhere. I neared him and I saw his jaw tense. I knelt down in front of him and removed the bottle from his hands. His eyes met mine quickly, "I'm sorry for everything…putting you through all of this."

I crawled onto his lap and sat the water bottle aside. He looked torn on what to do, "Marcy…"

"I'm not using you." I said as I fisted my fingers into his shirt. He looked down and shook his head as he gently grabbed my wrists.

"This is…a bit…" His eyes changed a shade darker and I felt my heart thump faster.

"I know, I know." I sighed and let go of his shirt. I settled myself firmly into his lap. His hands were still on my wrists as he held them close to his chest. I felt him shift under me. "I've been thinking about the things that I said to you…and I wanted to fix them. I don't want you upset with me."

"I'm not upset with you Marcy." I searched his eyes and remembered what it was like to kiss him. The way I felt being in his strong arms as he held me close. How supportive his is on everything. How he's always been genuine and natural with me. He had never once hesitated to touch me or never once been afraid of me and my power. He wanted to get to know me…who I was…not who my power made me.

I drew in a breath, "My name is Marcia Ana James. Everyone calls me Marcy. I'll be thirty-one in five months, but I hate celebrating my birthday because my best friend was killed on that date. My favorite color is gray. I hate bananas. I would love to have a German Shepherd puppy one day. I'm reckless when it comes to my job. I don't have any friends…besides the ones that I work with. I love to make deserts. I have scars over half my body from being blown up- twice. I hate the blue in my hair. I hate unwanted attention. I hate weddings. And for some reason, I've developed a small love for music from the 1940's."

His lips formed into a small smile before he pulled me closer. His lips were just as soft as I remember them a month ago. A whole month? Had it really been that long? I was so wrapped up in Clint while he was away- I hadn't even noticed this whole time. His lips were unexpectedly skillful as he took full control of the kiss and hugged me closer and much tighter against him. I pulled away and rested my forehead on his chest as I struggled for breath. Good Lord… He was so much calmer than Clint…much, much calmer.

His hands rested on my hips, but didn't budge any further. My palms were pressed flat against his chest. He pressed a soft kiss into my hair. I moved my head slightly as he pressed another kiss onto my forehead and I felt him smile, "I like your blue hair."

I laughed as I slid off of him and curled up into his side, "Tell me about you."

He looked down at me and gave an inquisitive look, "Like what?"

I kissed his shoulder, "Everything…I want to know everything."

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Reviews are LOVE! Thank you for reading everyone! You all are amazing people. *cookies and love*

:o)

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A few reviews that I replied to. If your name isn't in here-please do not be offended. I reply back to the reviews that catch my eye and stand out.

Poison Ice~ Thank you, thank you! I appreciate your review. :o) I'm so glad you love Marcy. I wanted to make her human and also normal, but throw her into this big ordeal. I've read stories where the girl is like drop dead gorgeous, bombshell, heartbreaker and honestly, I love the characters that I can relate to. The ones that I want to cheer for. As for Natasha…I'm on the fence with her. Sometimes I like her- sometimes I don't. I do agree with you though- Steve does make Marcy a better person. I think Clint reminds her too much of her past. You know?

emberflies~ What did you think of her sis?Hopefully I can keep the fast updates coming. Been busy here lately. The fiance' is out of town for a few days- so maybe I can catch up on some most deserved writing.

the holy see~ Unfortunately…I am not. I'm so glad my writing/dialogue captures your attention! Thank you for reading. And thanks for being a fan! :o)

bookgroupie~ I have never been told I have 'mad writing skills' before. :o) Thank you! This made me smile. And yea…don't you just love Steve/Marcy? ~wink~

Ravenna~ I can't wait to find out who she chooses too! Your guess is as good as mine. I have an idea…not sure yet though. Do you really think Steve and Natasha slept together? Do you think Steve would have done that to Marcy? ~hmm~

Musicfreak25~ Yep, that was my master plan. Make you like both of the guys and then watch all of y'all fight over who she gets to be with. Fun! :o) Thanks for reading!

Lancercancerchick~ Thank you! I appreciate it.

Harvestmoongal2012~ I think Thor is one of my favs. :o)

Little Weasley Girl~ I did translate your review because come on, yes- you had my attention. ~haha~ Thank you my dear! Keep reading/reviewing. Your reviews always make me smile. By the way- you still Team Clint?

Cavazza~ Yes…personally…I love their background. But I do think Clint reminds her of Deacon. Could be good or bad- we shall see. I'll keep you in mind for a BETA if I ever need one. I try to catch things and at least read the chapter twice before I post it. But sometimes…you know how it goes. And I'm so glad I could make you blush. ~haha~ I'll give it my best shot again before long.

xIHeartDracoMalfoyx~ Hey! Thanks for reading! And thank you so much. I love Steve and Clint too. I think that's pretty much all the FF I read on the Avengers. So glad you like Marcy. :o)