The Fox's Return

The Time Between

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In the time following the falling of S.H.I.E.L.D. things were certainly different. The rate of poverty in the United States was at an all-time low, and the marriage of same-sex couples was finally acceptable by law . . . which it should have been from the beginning, but that's a conversation for a different time. 

Since the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers have moved to take down every known base they could find. With Marlene's hacking skills, she was able to break into the encrypted files to find every last dirty secret they had to hide. 

Except one, and it wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. who hid it from her. 

When Marlene found Steve after he fell from the helicarrier, she not only decided that he needed adult supervision anytime they boarded any aircraft, but she also thought she saw someone in the tree line. She thought she saw him. Yet, the sight was merely a glance, and he was gone a blink of an eye. 

Speaking of him, ever since his escape, Marlene has worked restlessly to find him. She was almost always in her lab, searching for him, and ways to help with his Winter Soldier problem. She searched for many ways to help him have some part of his mind back to him, to help him have some control. To give him the chance to be human again. 

A part of, or rather most of, Marlene's intentions were to bring him back to her. She wanted to have the Bucky Barnes she fell in love with back again. She wanted the same Bucky that would practically race across an army base just to give her something as simple as a dandelion. She wanted the same Bucky Barnes that would dance with her in the small apartment back in Brooklyn while music played over the radio. She wanted the same Bucky Barnes that she could rely on to have her back. 

She knew he would be different, she wasn't brainless. She knew that no matter what she did, she'd never had that Bucky back. She knew he had changed, and so had she. 

However, she also knew that her Bucky was in there somewhere. He might not have the same boyish jokes, or the same arm. But, deep down, she didn't have a single doubt in her mind that underneath everything HYDRA did to him, the kindness and the thoughtfulness and the bravery that made her fall in love with him in the first place was still there. 

Because in the end, no matter how hard we try, we still have the same core attributes. 

You can be cunning to the core, but not evil. You can be kind in the heart, but not good. You can be deceitful, but not vile. You can be brave, but not good. 

The point is, Marlene didn't blame Bucky for anything that happened when he was the Winter Soldier. She never has and never will. 

The main take away, Marlene worked herself none stop. Every time she thinks she's found Bucky, he's gone without a single trace. The device she built to help hasn't been tested, but with the help of J.A.R.V.I.S. Marlene calculates a 94% chance of it being successful. The 6% of failure could lead to the frying of the brain and other complications. It was certainly Marlene's at the resort. 

When Marlene wasn't in the lab, she was training. She trained more hours than Steve did in a week, which is a shock enough in itself. 

When she wasn't working to find 100% guaranteed fix for Bucky's Winter Soldier problem or training, she was making improvements to everyone's gear. 

Steve's shield could magnetically fly back to his wrist. Natasha's batons could connect into one large staff, and her widow bites were more lethal. Clint's arrows were more than just normal arrows. One of Tony's suits has a paint job that he doesn't know about yet. Thor and Banner haven't had any modifications to their suits yet. 

Technically . . . Thor had one, but it was more as a symbol of support and love than a modification. Although, no one would really be opposed to him keeping it. 

It was around the time Marlene was making yet another modification to the quinjet did the other Avengers finally say something. They surrounded her like a group of preditors would their prey, like bullies would their victim. They ambushed her with the "you're not taking care of yourself" nonsense. 

"Marls," Natasha said sincerely. "I know that you want to find Barnes, but you need to take a break. You haven't slept in over a week. Steve is becoming a true grandpa, worrying about everything. Even Tony, who is well versed in never sleeping, is worried. You're overworking yourself."

"Nat," Marlene groaned as she inhaled the bitter scent of her cup. "I just want to drink my coffee."

"Listen, blondie," Tony said deadpan, his lips pressed in a thin line. "This is your intervention. Keep it up, and I'll send you to rehab for being a work-holic."

 "Marls," Steve said softly, trying to reason with his stubborn sister. "We love you, and want you to pace yourself."

"What? You guys don't function on ten cups of coffee a day and zero sleep?" Marlene joked. 

Clint's arms crossed over his chest with his lips pursed and his eyebrows raised, daring her to go on. 

"I'm just kidding!" Marlene laughed nervously at Clint's 'dad face'. "Jeez, you should go to clown school or something."

"What's a clown?" Thor tried to whisper to Bruce. Unfortunately, Thor's voice was nothing less than booming so everyone heard it. 

"Try asserting yourself into something other than work," Bruce suggests after telling Thor he'll explain what a clown is later. "If you focus on something other than work and training, perhaps that'll help you balance things."

When Bruce said to balance things out he might have meant going back to cooking as a hobby (which Marlene still does, just not as much), or watching a certain TV series. Perhaps he even meant volunteering or traveling the world. 

He most certainly did not mean getting a puppy. That much was clear when she brought her wild puppy to the tower with the brightest smile on her face. 

Boss is a very animated puppy at the mere age of eight weeks. He was practically a tennis ball, bouncing every which way. Even at eight weeks, he was already starting to take on the form of a true American Pitbull Terrier. His fur already mocking that of a tiger's despite its fainter coloring.

"That thing stays out of my lab," Tony warned Marlene. 

In two years' time, that 'thing' would become one of Tony's few comforts when all hope seemed lost. And yes, that 'thing' was also in Tony's lab quite often.

***

Marlene walked through the threshold of Avengers Tower with a large cup of coffee in her hand as Boss walked beside her. She was dressed in her training clothes, knowing that every day at a certain time, she trained with her brother and the others. Today, however, something was different. 

Upon entering the compound, Marlene found every member of the Avengers not dressed in appropriate training gear. Tony wore a simple but classy light grey suit. Bruce was dressed in simple black jeans and a button-up shirt. Clint wore a black t-shirt and jeans. Thor wore similar clothing to Clint with exception of a large jacket and bright rainbow knee-high socks. Steve wore a simple white t-shirt and jeans with a tan leather jacket. Natasha was dressed up in a sense. The top half of her body was decorated in a white blouse while the bottom half was covered in a black pencil skirt that stopped below her knees. 

"Why are you dressed like you're about to socialize with civilians?" Marlene asked with furrowed brows, lowering her cup of coffee before she could drink it. 

"Blondie," Tony grinned charmingly. clearly trying not to be brutally murdered. "I-"

"What did you do?"

"I'm sorry?" Tony said sheepishly, passing off a bundle of clothes.  

***

Roughly 4, 644 miles away from New York City, another person tuned in to watch the live event, not caring about the time.