Legendary

Over the next few days, I gave my three friends some cash from my Asgard pay so they weren't limited to the stores in the tower, saw a therapist twice, and decided on a vacation spot. I'd considered going somewhere that was not a beach, but beach vacations seemed to be the only ones where you were expected to do nothing but lay around, so I went to St. Vincent, where the most strenuous thing I did at the lovely resort was watch turtles and dolphins, go on a few nature walks, and stroll through the botanic gardens. Otherwise I was sacked out on the beach under an umbrella, sipping rum beverages and water. I arranged for a dog walker for those occasions when Eira didn't want to get sand in her fur, and we both relaxed. I got a few spa treatments and daily massages, and by the time I started to get bored, my muscles weren't automatically tightening up. I'd paid for the vacation using the family money, but for day to day things, I preferred to spend the money I'd earned.

When I got back, I moved into a tiny apartment. It was new construction, put up by Wayne Enterprises, but I'd applied as Alex Barnes, using Loki and Thor for references. It turned out that the courts held that women reverted back to their maiden names when they were returned, and I'd forgotten to change my name after I got married again anyway, so it was still my legal name. I didn't want to trade on my family, just my references. The apartment was a small but nice studio, with a view of the ocean if you climbed on a chair to look through the large window. Serena, Dagny, and Carol weren't in my building, but they were in buildings in the same complex, which was nice. Phase one of this particular project had been completed, and phase two was past the halfway point. Aslyn, Margaret, and Karen had applied there; while I was on the beach, they'd found jobs, so I was the slacker. Daniel was perturbed that I hadn't let him help me with housing, but he thought the apartments had turned out nicely enough. I furnished mine pretty simply, with the bed pushed against the wall under the window so that Eira could sleep in the sun.

One night, I met with my friends for dinner and drinks, and passed out some souvenirs. "You look good," Karen said, and that was all that was said. I did look a lot better. We got caught up, and I heard about Carol's apprenticeship--she was learning finish carpentry, feeling that these skills were the most broadly useful. Aslyn had started her MBA program, and Margaret was working for the city again and taking a few classes, one a semester, to get a formal understanding on how urban planning had changed.

"Damn Vanilla anyway," she said. "I was just really starting to hit my stride when I died. There's so much to make up for. If I ever see him again, I'm going to slap him so hard."

Karen had caught on with a smaller construction firm, where she could work closely with the owners, learn the ropes. She was pleased to see that a lot of her old skills were in use still; what she needed to brush up on was building codes. Once she passed a licensing test, she could work anywhere in the state, for herself or another employer. "We'll see, though, these people are nice to work for, and I'd hate to just use them to get credentials and experience."

Serena was already working hard. She had been accepted to Columbia; they'd moved to a rolling acceptance program with classes of short duration to acclimate returnees to academic study, brush up study skills, make sure that reading, writing, and math skills were up to snuff. If she worked hard, she could complete them in time to start real classes the next semester. She'd also gotten a work placement through the school as a receptionist at an architectural firm where she could study when it wasn't busy, and also learn more about architecture, how the business worked, how to work with clients.

"That just leaves me," I said unenthusiastically. "I need to get off my ass. The most meaningful thing I've done since getting back was to find a yarn store. That was pretty amazing, though. Beautiful new patterns! All those beautiful colors and types of yarn, and I didn't have to spin any of it!"

Serena, Dagny, and Carol laughed, being well acquainted with my work in Valhalla, but I needed to explain it to Aslyn, Karen, and Margaret. "You actually had to spin your own yarn? That's crazy," Aslyn said, shaking her head.

I put out my arm; I was wearing a sweater I'd made in Valhalla. "Lookit. I made all of this once the wool was shorn and processed. And the yarns here are so beautiful." I sighed blissfully and reached into my purse to bring out a cake of rich purple yarn that I was going to cast on to make an evening wrap. "It's a cashmere, angora, and silk blend. So much nicer than what I had to work with." I rubbed my face on it gently. "And aniline dyes. So beautiful." Everybody laughed at me.

"So are you going to do that for your career?" Margaret asked. "High end yarns? Weaving?"

"Lord, no," I said hastily. "I like doing it, but it's so labor intensive that I can't see how I'd make a profit. Besides, I really like that it can be a hobby rather than a way of life."

"So what are you looking into?" Dagny asked.

"Well, I was looking into museum conservation, I love the idea, but I'd have to learn a lot about art history, which frankly, I'm just not that interested in." I sighed. "So now I don't know, and I'm starting to get a little nervous." Aslyn and Karen groaned.

"Here we go again," Aslyn sighed. "You should have seen her in high school. She was so worried about college and picking a major, just a ball of stress for about a year and a half."

"That early acceptance to MIT was a godsend," Karen said. "Look, why do you think you need to get everything straightened out right this second? You have time to decide."

"Well, Eira wants me to find another interest beside her," I explained, which got a laugh. "Honestly?" I hesitated, then decided to come clean. "I don't want to be left behind. You guys all are doing new and interesting things, everybody I know is out to make their mark. I worry that my best work is behind me."

"Look, the news says that even Einstein's having trouble catching up," Margaret pointed out. "And it's not like we're going to drop you just because you're not blazing a path in a field. For god's sake, don't do something just for other people's expectations again. Remember how that worked out with your plans with your brother? Whatever you do, do it for you."

"Columbia has a program on historic preservation, it's in their architecture and urban planning school," Serena said diffidently. "They have courses in conservation, internships, international field trips. It's pretty cool. And there's a big need for people who can work with historical buildings, especially those that are listed. Between the damage done by the aliens, sheer age, and now stresses on the infrastructure brought about by the population explosion, there's a big need. They had a colloquium that addressed preservation and war. They actually tried to recruit me into that program first, and they have some joint and dual degrees."

So the next day I went to visit Loki in his office. He was turning into a de facto career counselor for us returnees with an Asgard connection. Not his job, but he was really good at it. "That might be a good fit," he said, peering at me. "There's some science, but it also would let you play with your appreciation for old buildings." He called over to the department and got me an appointment in about half an hour. We filled the time by talking about other things; Thor wanted either Magni or Modi, or preferably both, to learn conflict negotiation and mediation skills. Both were provisionally interested, their interest in fighting having been largely sated by Ragnarok. Loki was nudging his niece along too. "She's an excellent bodyguard, but she has more potential than that, and I'd hate to see her hurt or killed just because someone has a grudge against me. I want more for her than that. Thor, of course, would prefer his little girl to get involved in something less hazardous. She's expressed an interest in journalism. That should be safe enough." I immediately had a vision of Torunn as a war correspondent, but didn't express this. Then he walked me over to the graduate school of architecture, planning, and preservation, and dumped me on them.

I was a lot more interested in the program after I left the meeting. I'd always liked the character of old buildings, admiring the details that were too expensive for modern buildings, and here was an opportunity to use both my interest in science and this interest to leave a literal mark on the world. Serena was right; there was a huge demand in this field, and they could offer scholarships and grants to incoming students regardless of need. They gave me a tour of their facilities, mentioned a new concentration of classes that were taught by returnees that helped develop skills in hands-on work in stone, cement, plasterwork, and finish carpentry, and I met some faculty, who emailed me copies of publications and gave me trial access to journals and textbooks. We set up another meeting in a week for followup, and I staggered off, a little dazed by the opportunities that the program presented.

I also spent a lot of time reconnecting with my family, spending a lot of time with my parents, especially, but also Thomas and Martha Sr, my daughter, and Daniel's dad Mark. I went out a few times with my brother, and he met my new friends and renewed his acquaintance with my old friends. I smirked when he called me up the next day and asked for Dagny's number.

I finally bit the bullet and summoned my errant son. Returnees all were physiologically in their 20s, but I was still his mother, regardless of what I looked like now, and I expected some answers. I seated him in the chair in my apartment, while Eira and I sat on the loveseat. The pup was suspicious and didn't warm up to him like she had with Martha. The disapproving puppy made Alexander ill at ease, even more so than having to explain himself to his mother. I listened to him speak for awhile, then cut him off. "Alexander, you're giving me justifications and excuses. I want to know the reasons why you did this." I watched my son fidget, then he let out a sigh and relaxed.

"Initially, I just thought I'd get some basic information about how decades' worth of criminals were interacting. Whether they were fighting among themselves, how they were determining their hierarchy. But I got a really good entree into that society as a low-level member of the Joker's gang." My eyes narrowed, but I kept the rest of my response to myself for now. "So I wanted to continue, to find out what they were doing, how they were dividing up the city in terms of territory and vices. It provided a lot of help in determining how to address the crime we're seeing."

"I'm not disputing the validity or importance of the data," I said, keeping my voice controlled. "What I want to know is why you didn't feel like I should know that you were back, alive and well."

"it was only supposed to be a short-term assignment, initially," he said after a moment. "Then when I stayed in, I just didn't want to have to explain. It got harder to explain why the longer it went on, and I just thought it was easier to wait until I was done."

"So it was about what was easy and convenient for you," I said after a moment, and he nodded reluctantly.

"And Grandpa thought that the more people who knew what I was doing would be a security risk," he added. Nice. He just threw his grandpa under the bus.

"You seemed to have forgotten that I was present for both your birth and your death, and a big chunk of the time in between." Eira got up and turned around before lying down, her back toward Alexander. "During that time, I kept a lot of things confidential, and I managed to conceal that I knew what you'd been doing when the Joker tried to surprise me with the information. So I'm a lot more quick-witted than you give me credit for. I've dealt with a lot of unpleasantness, and I never made a fuss about the family's vigilantism or demanded that anyone give it up. What hurts is that you only thought about me as an inconvenient response that you didn't want to have to deal with. I thought I'd raised my boy better than that." This time I did let my voice sharpen. "From what you just told me, I realize that the Joker knew all along that you were there and he was allowing you to be fed information. I know that he was permitting this, because he could have blown your cover at any moment in any number of different ways, and he as much told me so. So you owe your prime intelligence-gathering post to me and the Joker's desire to impress me." Alexander's face went about as pale as his golden skin would allow.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he said. "I just didn't want to get into trouble."

"And that is an admission that you knew what you were doing was wrong. So why did you do it?"

"Because it was...gratifying. To work with Dad again, doing something important. To work with Grandpa, as an equal, show him that I upheld his legacy. He said it would cause you distress to know what I was doing."

I rubbed my face with one hand and stroked Eira with the other. She was unimpressed. "He's not wrong that I would have been disturbed by what you were doing, but I wouldn't have tried to stop you. Think back. Did I ever try to stop you? No. I gave you input that I hoped would help you make smarter choices. And it isn't like I'm some fragile flower who needs to protected from the harsh realities of life, so I guess that what it comes down to is that my feelings were less important to you than trying to impress your grandfather, who is, by the way, not the most terrific role model."

"Come on, Mom, that's not fair. What I was doing was important."

"And I'm not disputing that. It's just nice to know where I stand in your hierarchy. Behind the rubber suit. You know, Alexander, I have fought for you from the moment I knew I was pregnant with you, and I have done my level best to be the best mother I was capable of being. You've had one lifetime, and that's established your character pretty firmly. So I think I need to step back and let you go do your thing." I bit my tongue hard; I would not say that he was a disappointment, that I was glad I had one kid who didn't view me as a pain in the ass. But I wasn't going to try to hurt Alexander in return; that was a zero-sum game. I stood and indicated the door.

"Mom--" he said, before walking to the door. "Do you forgive me?"

"You haven't given me a good reason to. You just seem to want me to not be mad anymore so you can get it off your conscience. That's not good enough for me." I opened the door, he stepped through it, and after a moment of us looking at each other with nothing else being said, shut it gently.

After that, we went to the tower, where I let Eira go play with Sigurd and Torburn. Torburn especially, he loved small things and especially enjoyed having an Asgardian puppy around. I signed the papers with Tony and Ann, presenting them with the funds for their business and we were officially partners. I had never seen Tony looking so well. I'd seen him happy before, and well balanced, but not often together in life, and it also seemed that he'd laid his personal demons to rest. I was glad for him, I just wished that the same could be said for me. It wasn't hard to be enthusiastic about the business; they were packing up to move to larger facilities they'd rented with the proceeds of Tony's bonus from Thor, and now that I'd made my contribution, they'd be going full out.

"You have a standing offer to come work with us," Ann said as I got ready to go.

"I appreciate it," I told her sincerely. It's always nice to have a backup plan. "But I've been looking around, and I think that I might be going into architecture and historical preservation."

"Huh," Tony said, staring at me. "I wouldn't have expected that, but you're no longer the same person you were a lifetime ago, Tiger. But whatever, that sounds interesting." He walked me out, asking how things were going for me. He tsked when I told him about my son. "Did I tell you I got in contact with my parents? We're meeting next week."

"So that's why you seem a little addled," I teased him, and he gave me a side eye, which only made me laugh harder. "Seriously, though, is Ann going with you? I think you need some support for this, and she makes a terrific impression. We could get you letters of reference that you could use to impress your dad," I suggested. This time he laughed.

"I'll definitely be name dropping," he said on a sigh. "But I plan to tell them both that I appreciate what they did and tried to do for me. Hopefully that display of unexpected maturity will help." We talked more about this as we went down the stairs.

We got to the door and I cursed. I had forgotten something. My puppy. I told Tony to let me know if there was anything I could do, and went back upstairs. I found all the dogs in Steve's office. Eira had apparently worn out Sigurd, who was sprawled on the floor with his tummy up. She was curled up with Torburn. I went to give Steve a hug, and he wanted to know how I was doing, how the visit to Columbia went. We talked about his enrollment in FIT in January. He was excited about his new start in life. And Emma had decided to enroll there as well, studying jewelry design. She'd kind of picked up what she did as she went along, before, and decided that she could use a more solid basis for her work.

"Howard and Maria Stark have been found," I casually slipped in. He smiled, pleased to hear this.

"That's great news. Do they need anything?"

"Tony's going to see them next week. Howard was taken to Washington as soon as he'd registered, pretty much. I do have a favor to ask, though."

His eyes twinkled. "You want to know if I'll talk up Tony to his dad." I flushed and nodded.

"From what I hear, Howard will only think Tony's puffing his accomplishments. But if he heard some of it from someone he respected..."

"That won't be hard. Tony really has done a lot any parent would be proud of, and he looks to be doing more. I'll be happy to do it," he assured me, and I relaxed a little.

"So what's going on with you?" I asked. "Is it just post-battle letdown? You don't look quite as happy as I thought you'd be."

"You're too perceptive," he said quietly after a moment. "I heard from Peggy. She's disappointed, I think, that I'm not willing to meet with her, maybe with an eye toward renewing our relationship. But we're both of us different people, with lifetimes' worth of different experiences, and I'm happy with my wife. That reminds me." He rummaged around in his desk and handed me an envelope. I smiled when I opened it. It was an invitation to a small ceremony on the rooftop of the tower, where they planned to get married again. "We did the big wedding, we did city hall, and now we want something with close friends and family."

I grinned and offered to help with anything that needed doing, but it was all well in hand. "And I'm worried about Bucky," he confessed finally. "He's not unhappy, but he's not happy. And I feel like I'm taking something away from him by marrying Emma again, he decided to bow out himself, but..." I nodded.

"I'm meeting him for dinner shortly, I'll see if he'll tell me anything. You know him, though, he's reticent about a lot of things."

"Just do what you can," he urged me. "You don't need to tell me what you find out if you feel you shouldn't, I just want to know that he's ok." I promised, kissed his cheek, and collected my puppy, who was initially reluctant to leave Torburn but perked up when we left to meet my uncle. She adored Bucky.

We met at a dog-friendly bar for a pre-dinner drink, where he grilled me about my meeting with Alexander. He shook his head. "Sometimes we just get too involved in things and forget how others will see them," he said gently. "Sounds like you gave him a lot to think about. That kid, though." He shook his head and asked about Columbia, seeming pleased about my new direction. "The important thing is that you're happy, sweetie. I'm proud of you for considering different things. This will give you new opportunities. You'll be able to walk down the street, look at a building, and be proud that you helped to save it. You'll be actually leaving your mark on the city." We talked about that for a bit.

"And how are you, Uncle Bucky?" I asked. "I'm kind of worried about you."

"You mean about Steve and Emma's wedding?" He half smiled.

"Among other things, yeah."

"I'm ok with it, sweetie. It will be good for both of them. I think Stevie expected a fight, tell you the truth. But I'm just not in love with Emma anymore. I feel bad about it, and I'll always love her, but that fire's gone, like you and Stark. But to tell you the truth..."

"You can tell me anything," I said softly after a moment. "I can keep a confidence."

He smiled at me, then the expression dropped away. "I feel like I've lived... a second-hand life. I was just getting going when I was drafted, then I was a POW, a commando, the asset... when I was reclaimed, I went to work with the Avengers because they were about the only people who'd hire me. Doing a lot of the same things for a different cause, at least there weren't assassinations. I followed Stevie into crime fighting on the superhero scale, then after he died, took over his job, his wife, had the same afterlife. I want to be my own person now. Finally." I thought about that, immediately understanding why he hadn't told his buddy any of this.

"I understand," I said. "What are you planning? I've met some nice women," I offered. "I could set you up." He laughed.

"I'm not in the market yet, sweetie. After the wedding, I'm going to travel some. See some places I've always wanted to go. The Grand Canyon, the Alamo, Hawaii, Yosemite. Then I'll figure out something to do."

"Well, call if you'd like some company for a few days," I said. I was a little worried about my uncle. His life hadn't been easy. "I can always pop out somewhere, still got that ability. But if you're out there during the summer, the Alamo's all yours." I shuddered, and he smiled.

"I'll let you know," he said noncommittally. "And I made us reservations for dinner," We finished our drinks and walked to the restaurant. We were awaited, as I soon found out.

"Aunt Becca?" I said, recognizing the woman from family photos. She smiled and held her arms out.

"Alex, honey, look how you've grown! You grew up so pretty," she said, hugging me tight. Then she released me, stepping away to introduce the man at the table. "This is your grandpa George," she said. He stood up, and I recognized him too. After my parents died, J and I had cleared out their house and found a cache of forgotten family photos. George had been in several of them with his wife Annette, and had been the kind of man who looked better as he aged, much like my dad.

"You're Henry's daughter?" he said, standing up eagerly. "My word." I got a hug from my grandpa too, at long last. Then we sat down, me between Grandpa and Aunt Becca, hearing about them and telling them what I'd done. Uncle Bucky elaborated when he thought I was being too modest.

"I thought you had another brother," I said, wanting to stop talking about me.

Aunt Becca rolled her eyes. "Billy. According to the registry, he was hit by a mag lev train. Apparently he didn't know what it was. To be fair, the tracks are different from the trains we knew." The three siblings bickered amiably about the wits of their brother. I was grateful that Bucky had more family around. I know I felt better when J was around to talk to; there are some things only a sibling understands. Then we made arrangements to meet my parents and J for dinner; I called my parents from the table and we agreed to meet that weekend. J was reluctant to deal with another family dinner, but I lured him in by saying I had some exciting news. Aunt Becca laughed at my methods when I hung up. Then I spent some time explaining some modern technology to them like personal communicators and the modern internet. I excused myself between dinner and dessert, visited the bathroom, then hustled to a store two doors down that sold the devices, getting one each for my aunt and grandpa. Over dessert, I showed them how to add numbers, connect to the internet, and take pictures, something they were both enchanted by. Bucky got teased for his long hair.

"Where are you living?" I asked anxiously over coffee. Grandpa had been placed in a small apartment (in the Bronx, he sighed. Apparently Brooklynites had a firm bond with their borough), but Aunt Becca was still in the tent city in Central Park. I immediately invited her to stay in my apartment; I couldn't shake the memory of her as an old, frail woman, even with her sitting beside me, young and vibrant. Beside, it wasn't right that she should be in a tent when I could help.

"Oh, no, dear, I'm fine. There's a new apartment building opening next week in Queens, and I've been guaranteed a place there," she assured me, but Bucky was still worried. She finally told him that it was an adventure and to stop with the fuss. "It's the most adventure I've ever had, and I'm enjoying it," she said firmly. "Well, the most adventure so far. Women seem to be able to do a lot more these days," she continued thoughtfully. They both refused both my and Bucky's offers of financial assistance, but we exchanged a look. We'd find some way of getting them to accept some money. I tilted my head toward my aunt, and Bucky nodded almost imperceptably. He'd work on his brother, while I worked on my aunt. When my grandpa excused himself, I invited Becca to lunch the next day under the guise of showing her around the city, which had changed so much since her time. After dinner, Bucky went with Grandpa to see his new place and Eire and I walked Becca back to her tent. We had girl talk about the family; I'd missed her. She was outrageously fun. She heard the basics about my difficulties with my husband, son, and father-in-law and reserved judgement until she had time to assess the situation more fairly. I took this to mean that she'd tell me once she'd formed an opinion. Once we got to her tent, we said goodnight, then I poofed discreetly back to my apartment. It took a lot more concentration and effort to move mass like my puppy rather than a soul, but it had been a long day and Eire was tired. Being adorable is hard work.

The next day, I took a leaf from her book and bulldozed my aunt into letting me take her shopping just by virtue of not taking no for an answer. We got some clothes for her, including a warmer winter coat, gloves, hat, scarf, and boots, and when we parted, I pressed an envelope with some money to furnish her apartment with into her hands and scuttled off before she could protest. At dinner, I made sure to keep at least one person between us at all times so she couldn't slip the envelope into my coat pocket. Grandpa was also sporting new warmer clothes too, and Bucky and I smiled conspiratorially. Dad was overwhelmed to see his father after so long, and J monopolized Aunt Becca. Martha and Alexander were glad to meet these new relatives but hung back a little, letting the older generations get reacquainted. Martha invited her great-grandfather out to lunch the next week, and Alexander asked Aunt Becca. It was very satisfying.