Retribution ★ Avengers

Bad Dreams and Visions

Marlena let out a huff as she watched the clock on her computer screen go by another hour. It wasn't even twelve o'clock yet, but she was already craving a midnight snack. Her chin rested in her palm as she finished reading yet another frazzled email from one of her NYU colleagues. It wasn't until a hand rested gently on her shoulder from behind that she realized she was no longer by herself.

"Please tell me you're hungry," Steve's familiar voice was smooth and soft in her ear.

Marlena turned away from the screen but was caught in a kiss before she could say anything; she cupped his scruffy face in her hands before pulling away. Steve smiled as he pushed her glasses back up to the freckled bridge of her nose. She hadn't even realized that over the past several hours they'd slipped farther and farther down her face.

"I am actually."

"Pancakes?"

"I thought I was the only mind-reader here," Marlena chuckled, playing with the small hairs of his growing beard. It'd been years since he'd allowed it to grow so much, and she forgot just how much she loved it.

Steve shrugged in response to her words and took her hand in his, pulling her up from her chair. "I don't need to be a mind-reader to know when you want pancakes..."

He trailed off and Marlena narrowed her eyes at him. "It's because I'm always down for pancakes, isn't it?"

"That'd be correct."

It was then that Jay sat up from the bed behind the computer area, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He had fallen asleep not too long after Marlena sat down. She promised to reply to only one email, but when she realized how much had happened since she'd taken her leave of absence at work, she knew she couldn't ignore her coworkers for another day.

"Like mother, like son—only wakes up when there's mention of food." Steve chuckled as Jay pulled himself down from the bed and groggily joined the two of them in the doorway.

"I had a bad dream," he mumbled, leaning against Marlena as she ruffled his soft hair.

Marlena and Steve exchanged concerning looks, but before Marlena could respond, Steve was already kneeling down to Jay's height. "Why don't you tell me about it, buddy?" He extended an arm out to Jay's shoulder, but he pulled it away when he could see Jay was a bit apprehensive. Just like his mom, he was a bit grumpy when he first woke up.

Marlena looked down at Jay as he peered up at her, almost as if he was asking for her approval to share his thoughts with Steve. So far, the kids had adjusted well to being back in the care of herself, Steve, and, of course, Bucky. However, Jay seemed to have a harder time opening up than Charlie; he was always a little bit hesitant.

"It was Charlie. She didn't mean to do it, but she couldn't help it, Uncle Steve."

Marlena felt a lump form in her throat; Marlena knew all too well how real and scary dreams could be sometimes. Hearing him talk now reminded her of the occasions in which her younger brother Mason had nightmares about her soon after she became Prodigy. She instinctively joined Steve at Jay's level and took her son's hands into hers.

"You don't have to be scared of Charlie; she would never do anything to hurt you—" Steve began, but a cautious glance from Marlena warned him to stop.