"Well, here we are," Maria Hill announced, as she opened the front door. "Home sweet home."
Wanda Maximoff stepped inside the foyer and peered expectantly into the space beyond. "This is your place?"
Maria grinned. "Be it ever so humble."
It was a late afternoon in early summer, and Maria Hill had invited her teammates Natasha Romanoff and Wanda Maximoff to stay with her at her modest two-bedroom tract home in Annapolis, until they could find a new permanent home somewhere else close by. The foyer in which they were standing merged with a small but comfortable living room on the right. The hallway directly in front of them led off to the rest of the house.
Natasha set her valise down on the tiled floor and looked around approvingly. "Maria, we can't thank you enough, for putting us up."
The dark-haired former S.H.I.E.L.D. operative smiled at her friends warmly. "It's my pleasure. I'm just so glad you decided to move down here, instead of asking everyone to move to New York. I'm gonna have this place paid off in another year."
Natasha chuckled softly. "Well, it made more sense for Wanda and I to join you here," she answered, pushing back a stray lock of her shoulder length dark red hair. "You, Sam and Sharon are already based in or near the D.C. metro area. And Nick is planning to head back here, just as soon as he gets the clearance from his doctors."
"Has he responded to our job offer yet?"
Natasha smiled. "He says he's thinking about it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."
"Yeah, me too. Well, don't just stand there," Maria admonished them playfully. "Come in. Sit down. Relax. Make yourselves at home. The spare bedroom is through there," she pointed down the hallway. "The guest bathroom is the second door on your left. Kitchen's at the very back of the house. I haven't made any dinner plans yet, but there's beer in the fridge and wine bottles in the rack. Help yourselves to anything."
"Any place where we can get shawarma?" Wanda asked hopefully.
"Relax, rookie," Maria grinned. "Annapolis may be on the very edge of civilization, but I'm pretty sure we can find you a restaurant. We might even have a drugstore and a gas station."
Wanda cast an exasperated glance over at Natasha. "How long does she get to call me that?"
"As long as she wants, apparently," Natasha smiled mischievously.
"Sharon joined the team after I did," Wanda complained. "Why isn't she the rookie?"
"Because you are the most junior and least experienced member of our team," Maria said simply.
"What Maria means is, she's going to take you under her wing, and mentor you," Natasha suggested diplomatically.
"No, it means I'm going to make you take out the garbage, and do any other dirty jobs I don't feel like doing," Maria said with a completely straight face.
Wanda understood that she was being kidded, but she was still slightly put out; with a huff of annoyance, she lugged her suitcase down the hallway and into the spare bedroom.
Maria turned to Natasha. "We can discuss sleeping arrangements in detail later, but if you'd prefer to sleep in a bed of your own, I can certainly take the couch in the living room for a few nights."
"Maria, no, you've done enough for us already," Natasha protested. "Wanda and I can bunk together. Besides, it's not like we don't do that already. Falling asleep on the couch in front of T.V. has become something of a tradition for us."
"I assume you guys will be looking for a place together?"
Natasha grinned. "We're joined at the hip, until further notice."
Wanda returned from the spare bedroom. "Can I get your suitcase?" she asked Natasha.
"Thank you, Wanda. And secure Sandy for the night, please."
"Will do."
The young girl hurried out the front door, her long, gently curling flame-red hair trailing out behind her like a comet.
"Did she do something to her hair?" Maria asked, slightly puzzled.
Natasha grinned. "Wanda's hair changes color, depending on her mood. Well, it doesn't change color exactly - but it shifts to a lighter or darker red, depending on her emotional state. You can actually see it happen, if you pay attention. It caught me off guard the first time I noticed it, too."
"So, she can change the color of her hair, just by thinking about it," Maria shook her head.
Natasha's grin widened into a bright smile. "Cool, huh?"
Maria chuckled, mentally adding one more item to the ever-growing list of things she couldn't quite believe. "Come on into the kitchen," she invited Natasha. "We'll get you a beer, or a glass of wine, or something."
The kitchen and dining room, like the rest of the house, was comfortably albeit spartanly furnished. Natasha had half-expected as much. Like herself, Maria had spent most of her career on assignment, and far away from home. Despite its relative lack of use, the house was warm and welcoming, and the kitchen had attractive glass floor-to-ceiling panels that looked out over a wide patio with three deck chairs. The backyard - if it could be called that - was barely a few feet wide and across, with overgrown, deep green summer grass, bordered by a copse of oak and maple trees that created an agreeable canopy of green shading the yard in late afternoon.
"This is nice," Natasha nodded approvingly.
"Yeah. I like it here," Maria agreed. "Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, I've actually had a chance to spend some time here. Guess I should think about moving in," she joked.
Natasha picked up a framed picture that was sitting on the counter. It showed a much younger Maria, probably in her late teens, gathered with four other children, around an older man and woman sitting in deck chairs.
"Your family?"
Maria smiled sadly. "Yeah. My mom and dad, and my two brothers and two sisters."
Natasha regarded the faces in the picture, trying to gauge the age of Maria's siblings. "You're second oldest?"
"Third. I was born right in the middle of the pack." She pointed to the faces. "Older brother Jake, younger sister Tracy, older brother Ron, baby sister Natalie. This was taken in Chicago, I think sixteen years ago now."
"Chicago? Is that where you're from?"
"Yeah." Maria's expression turned wistful.
"Any of your family close by?"
Maria shook her head sadly. "It's just me and Nat now. She's still in Chicago. Mom and Dad died in a car crash, eight years ago. The rest of my family, they, ahh..." she drew in a sharp breath. "They kind of got finger-snapped out of existence." It was difficult for Maria to keep an ugly edge of bitterness out of her voice.
"Oh, my God, oh, Maria, I'm so sorry," Natasha murmured, anguished.
"Don't be. Thanos was not your fault. You did everything you could. I know that."
"But..."
"My situation isn't unique. I don't need or deserve any special consideration," Maria said firmly. "Every one of us has lost someone we love." She sighed heavily, and managed a faint smile. "I try not to dwell on things I can't change."
"All the same. I'm so sorry for your loss."
"And I for yours." Maria opened the fridge and peeked inside. "Okay, let's see, I have beer, wine, water, some sun tea..."
"Iced tea would be very welcome, thanks."
"No beer?"
"You could probably tempt me to a glass of wine later."
"Great. Let's go sit out on the deck," Maria suggested. "It's way too nice outside to be inside."
They stepped out onto the porch, and quickly settled themselves in two of the deck chairs. Wanda joined them outside a moment later, exultantly drinking in the glorious summer weather.
"It's so green here," she marveled, her whole face lit up with joy.
"This is nothing. After you guys get settled, I'll take you out for some day trips, west of the Potomac. Some of the most beautiful countryside you'll ever see," Maria promised.
"Where do Sam and Sharon live?"
Maria did a quick mental calculation. "Sam actually lives in D.C., in the southeast quad." She jerked her thumb over her left shoulder. "About fifty clicks that-a-way. Sharon's a little further west, she's got a place out in McLean now."
"Doesn't Nick Fury have a house out here, too?" Wanda asked.
"As far as I know, he still has his place in D.C. Northwest. Some mighty toney neighborhoods over there," Maria noted. "Actually, McLean might not be a bad place for us to start looking for our new headquarters," she suggested to Natasha. "Even before half the world disappeared, the CIA was trying to consolidate a lot of their old office spaces. Sharon has some leads she'll check out for us. We might be able to find something close to D.C. that won't cost a fortune."
"Well, that will make Pepper happy," Natasha mused, sipping her tea. "Since she'll be the one paying for it."
"Was she upset when you told her we wouldn't be using the new Avengers facility?"
"No. She seemed fine with it," Natasha answered. "I think the Pentagon have their eyes on that site, anyway. And Pepper already had an idea we'd be setting up shop closer to D.C."
"The place Tony built was a freakin' city," Maria said.
"I know. Way too big, and way too remote for us," Natasha sighed. "And frankly... after half the world's people just vanished into thin air..." Natasha paused. "I wanted to be somewhere closer to other people," she confessed.
"I know how you feel," Maria nodded sympathetically. "Even the crowded places seem empty. It's weird. And it's not just about the people you know personally, either. It's everyone. And everything. Half as many people at the grocery store. Half as many people at the bar. Half the doctors. Half the lawyers..."
"Half the politicians?" Wanda suggested.
"Okay," Maria took a thoughtful sip from her glass of tea. "So, not everything's bad, then."
"Is she joking?" Wanda asked Natasha.
Natasha grinned. "Sometimes, it's hard to tell."
"So, what's the plan, boss?" Maria asked.
"Tonight, we'll go out somewhere, and grab an early dinner," Natasha decided. "I'll buy. Then tomorrow, first thing, Wanda and I start looking for places to live."
"We made a list of potential places before we left this morning," Wanda added. "But you know this area way better than we do. We were hoping you could advise us which are the best neighborhoods to check out."
"Sure. I'd be happy to. So, are you looking for a house, a condo, what?"
"Two bedroom apartment or condo, definitely," Natasha answered. "We're always on the move, so a house is more work than I'm looking for at this stage. Doesn't need to be anything fancy or too far upscale. Does need to be private, though. Clean and quiet is what I care about."
"I think we can manage that," Maria nodded. "Half the apartments around here are empty, too. We can probably find something where you can name your own price."
"Any chance we could get Sam and Sharon working on a new HQ for us?"
"I'll ask, but Sam's been pretty busy at the VA lately. And Sharon is still working full-time for the CIA."
"What's she planning to do about that?"
"She's talking to her bosses, trying to arrange for an exit. But she's getting some pushback. It takes a while to get vetted for Central Intelligence, you know. And once you get in, the agency's not anxious to let anyone go - and that was before half their staff disappeared. It's even worse with someone like Sharon, who has a list of qualifications longer than most people's arms."
"Good people are always the hardest to find, and the hardest to keep," Natasha agreed.
"Well, Sharon wants to come work with us. That's something in our favor." Maria set down her iced tea glass. "Okay, so let's see what we can do about dinner," she cast a sly grin in Wanda's direction. "I'm sure if we look hard enough, we can find someplace that's got paprikash for our rookie."
Much later in the evening, as Wanda and Natasha crawled into opposite sides of the king-sized bed in Maria's guest room, Wanda burrowed under the covers and lay on her side facing Natasha.
"Are you sure it's okay for us to stay here?" she asked in a quiet voice.
Natasha frowned. "What do you mean? Of course it is. Why are you even asking that?"
When Wanda didn't reply immediately, Natasha prompted gently, "Wanda? What is it?"
"I don't know, it's just... I don't think Maria likes me very much," she confided.
"Why on earth would you think that?" Natasha asked, dismayed.
Wanda made a face. "She's always teasing me," she complained finally.
"Ahh." Natasha smiled with understanding. "That's a good thing."
"It is?"
"It means she's warming up to you."
"You mean, she doesn't hate me as much."
"Wanda - Maria doesn't hate you." She reached over under the blankets, found Wanda's hand and squeezed it gently. "You have to understand, even for people who know you and trust you, the abilities you have can be a little... intimidating. You can do things nobody else can do. Things most other people can't even dream of. It can make people wary, even if you don't mean for them to feel that way." She hesitated for a moment, and then smiled. "Nick Fury says you're more powerful than Thor's hammer and Tony's Iron Man suit combined."
"He does?"
Wanda's dark eyes went wide with amazement.
"You are not, under any circumstances, ever to mention I told you that," Natasha cautioned sternly. "To anyone."
"Okay."
"The point is, when Maria teases you, she's trying to ingratiate herself with you. I've known Maria for a while now, and this is how she acts around people she likes and respects. It means, she's inviting you into her circle of trust. And believe me, Maria does not do that with very many people."
"So, when she teases me, she's saying she likes me?"
"Hard to believe, I know," Natasha grinned. "People are weird. Get used to it. But if she ever crosses a line with you - by which I mean, if she says or does something that genuinely upsets you, don't make a fuss about it. Just tell her, plainly and honestly, where your boundaries are. I promise, she will listen. And she won't do it again. Maria does like and respect you. Once you get to know each other a little better, I'm sure you'll see that's true."
Natasha could almost hear the gears grinding in Wanda's brain as she mulled that over. "Okay," the young woman agreed finally.
"Now get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day." Natasha gave Wanda's hand a final squeeze. "I love you, Wanda Maximoff."
"I love you, Natalia Alianovna," Wanda replied, her voice already dusky with somnolence. Wanda closed her eyes, and within moments, the girl's deep, rhythmic breathing assured Natasha that she had already fallen fast asleep. For a several moments, Natasha lay where she was, watching her 'baby sister' sleeping peacefully, a wistful expression on her face. She finally rolled over with a sigh, turned out the light on the nightstand, adjusted her pillow and closed her eyes. If only the rest of the world's problems could be solved so easily, she thought, and then promptly fell into a deep sleep herself.