Secrets in a Cardboard Box

by Still Waters

Maria Hill goes digging in some cardboard boxes and discovers some shocking secrets.

Dear Muse: It's done. I hope you're happy.

Readers: Here it is. This is 'the idea that won't leave me alone.' It's pretty much post CA:TWS set. SHIELD has fallen. Maria is working for Stark. It's not related in any way to any of the other stories I have going at present.

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Secrets from a Cardboard Box

Maria Hill entered her apartment in Avengers Tower with a heavy sigh. The location had not been her first choice, or even one of her top ten choices. After the attack on New York, though, housing had been at a premium. With the comfortable salary she received from Stark Industries, she could have probably found something decent, but it would have been time consuming and she had much less of that than she did money.

Pepper had offered her space in the tower.

Just until you find something else, she had told her.

That had been months ago and Maria was finding herself becoming more and more comfortable with the arrangement. She was in close proximity to Stark Industries and even closer proximity to Pepper and the Avengers. It made for quick and easy meetings when needed as she had always found face to faces preferable to phone conversations or emails.

She plugged her phone into charger/dock and sighed at the number of messages showing. Certain numbers rang through, allowing her to decide whether or not to answer while unknown numbers went directly to voice mail for her to listen to later.

This allowed her to make use of another advantage of living in Avengers Tower.

"JARVIS? Any of those messages I really need to know about?"

There was a moment of silence while the AI scanned the messages.

"Are you interested in carpet cleaning, window cleaning, or a free car wash with your oil change?" he asked.

"Don't think so."

The number of messages decreased.

"Charities seeking donations?"

"Not today." She had several she donated to regularly, ones that she had researched intensively and knew made good use of donations.

"Politicians counting on your support?"

"Hell, no," she sighed. "How much longer until the election?"

"Two weeks," he replied, as the message indicator decreased rapidly.

"Master Stark."

She frowned. "That should have come through."

"He was using the phone at a downtown sports bar," JARVIS clarified.

"What did he want?"

"He wants you to join him. No underwear needed."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh. He called back, asking me to delete that message. He intended to call Ms. Potts."

She smiled slightly. "I think that might come in useful sometime."

Only 1 message remained.

"What's left?" she inquired.

"A private investigator. He's working for a lawyer by the name of Walter Combs. He's trying to locate a Maria Hill, daughter of Ezekiel and Victoria Hill, born April 8, 1982 in Chicago."

"Wrong Maria Hill," she replied shortly, walking into the bedroom to change.

"Not according to you personnel records, Ms, Hill."

"Wrong woman," she repeated.

"Yes, Ms. Hill."

The silence continued as she fixed a light dinner and ate while perusing her emails.

"Why would a lawyer be looking for me?" she asked.

"Mr. Combs is dealing with the execution of Mr. Hill's will."

"He's dead?" She continued before the AI could respond. "Of course he's dead. Otherwise his will wouldn't be an issue."

"Indeed. Ezekiel Hill died 1 week ago at a Chicago hospital due to complications from pneumonia."

"Figured he had kicked off years ago," she commented.

"Mr. Combs has been endeavoring to located any relatives."

"I can't imagine anything he left that would be of interest to me."

"Maybe you should let Mr. Combs know that. The detective left his number and said to please give him a call as soon as possible."

"I'll think about it."

XXXXX

Much as she tried to forget the conversation the next day, it kept coming to mind whenever she had a quiet moment. Finally, she gave in to her curiosity and gave the detective a call. After confirming her identity with him, he gave her the phone number for the lawyer. She was a bit surprised to be put through to the man immediately.

"I'm very sorry about your father," he told her.

"I'm not," she answered. "We weren't exactly close. In fact, we haven't had any contact since I left Chicago after I graduated high school. Actually, we didn't have much contact before that."

"I see."

"I can't imagine anything he left that I would be interested in."

"You might be surprised," the lawyer told her.

"Doubtful."

"It's mostly personal effects."

"Sell them. Take your cut. Give the rest to a local child abuse program."

"Some of his, some of your mother's."

"My mother's?"

That intrigued her.

"Several boxes marked 'Victoria,'" he told her.

Growing up, there had been nothing in their apartment to speak of her mother. No clothes, no jewelry, no photos. Nothing.

"There's also your trust fund to deal with."

She was puzzled. Her father had never had the money to set up any kind of trust, even if he had been at all concerned about her future. Had her mother set up something before she was born?

Though it probably wasn't very much, she somehow felt better knowing that someone, at some point, had cared about her future.

"If you can come to Chicago, it shouldn't take very long to get things settled," he encouraged.

"I'll see what I can do and let you know."

After taking care of several more things, she made her way up to Pepper's office.

"I was wondering about the possibility of taking a couple of days off," she told the other woman. When Pepper stared at her in surprise, she continued. "I know we've got a lot going on and it's not a great time for me to go."

"We've always got a lot going on, Maria. I've got no problem with you taking a week or so. I don't think you've taken any time since you started working for us. I'm just surprised you asked. I figured we'd have to force you to."

"It shouldn't take more than a day or two," Maria promised her. "I just found out that my father died and I need to take care of some of the details."

"Of course." Pepper knew enough about her past to know that sympathy was not expected and would not be appreciated. "Feel free to make use of the SI private jet." When Maria hesitated, she explained. "It would be much quicker and more comfortable than traveling commercial and you can return at your own convenience rather than being at the mercy of airline schedules."

Finally, the brunette nodded her thanks. Promising to keep her boss updated, she set things up with the attorney and headed back to the Tower to pack a bag.

XXXXX

She arrived to her appointment with the lawyer right on time and was pleased that he was ready for her. They had agreed to meet at her father's apartment. The will had been brief.

"Since there isn't anyone else," the document stated, "Maria Christine Hill, my legal daughter, can deal with cleaning up after me."

The lawyer was quite solicitous, offering the aid of his staff in dealing with Ezekiel's personal effects. As his rent was paid through the end of the month, Combs assured her that there was plenty of time for her to go through his things.

"Not necessary," Maria had assured him. All his clothes and household goods could be donated to a shelter or one of the organizations that helped get people back on their feet.

Her only real interest was in the half a dozen boxes with her mother's name on them. Silently thanking Pepper again for the use of the jet, she asked Combs to arrange to have those delivered to the airport. She would take them back to the tower where she could go through them at her leisure.

"And there's this," he continued, handing her a cardboard accordion file. "It has all of his important paperwork. Birth certificates, bank records, life insurance stuff, trust papers."

She flipped through it, planning a more thorough study later. He offered to take care of filing the insurance and closing the bank accounts if she wanted him to. She had read up on the man during her trip out and decided that he was probably trustworthy. Especially since her father's estate wasn't really of much importance to her.

She expressed her appreciation, still a bit puzzled by his attentiveness. She understood better when he handed her the trust papers.

In her experiences with SHIELD and then Stark, she had seen some dollar amounts with lots of zeros. While this didn't match those, there were enough to make her look twice.

"Where did this come from?" she asked.

The man shrugged, leaning over to point at the papers. "It looks like it was set up a few months before you were born by a 'SBK Corporation' who also acted as custodians. Regular payments went out to your father every month, but since a large portion of it was invested, the returns kept the principal growing for the most part. This is the current balance," he told her, pointing out a number.

A very large number.

"You should be able to live quite comfortably on that," he added.

"To say the least."

She flipped through the pages idly, her mind racing as she tried to reason out who could be responsible for the windfall. Finally, she slid the pages back in the file and turned back to the lawyer. They covered a few more details, signed some papers allowing him to act on her behalf in these matters, shook hands, then she took her leave and headed back to the airport.

On the flight back, she tried to focus on the work on her laptop, but the boxes called to her. Finally, she yielded, walking over to where the boxes were stacked. On one hand, 4 boxes seemed little to contain someone's life. On the other hand, it had to contain more about the woman than Maria knew.

Did she have family? Friends? What were her hobbies? Her passions?

The first box she opened was filled with books. She pulled one out and opened it. It was filled with writing. Neat and precise. No extra flourishes or curlicues. Small sketches lined the borders while larger ones were the focus of other pages.

Journals.

Maria smiled. What better way to learn about the woman than from her own words?

Another box contained a couple of old photo albums and scrapbooks. Opening one, she looked at the old black and white snapshots, studying the faces, searching for familiar features.

Opening another box, she found a soft mass. Yarn? Lifting it carefully, she discovered an incomplete infant blanket, carefully wrapped around the knitting needles and a partial skein of incredibly soft yarn. The soft pastel colors blended into a Easter egg kaleidoscope. She stroked it gently, wondering if it had been intended for her.

Shaking her head firmly, she closed the boxes and returned to her laptop. There would be time for exploring later. Now it was time to work. Stark Industries had been a big change from SHIELD. Fortunately, SHIELD had taught her to roll with whatever came. Pepper had mentioned how well she was adapting to the new situation and staff members had quickly learned to fear her.

The remainder of the flight was productive. Happy was waiting for her at the airport. He greeted her, then made quick work of getting her bags and boxes loaded into the trunk of the limo. As he wound his way through traffic, she whittled her 'to do' list further. She wrapped up and signed off just as he pulled into the parking garage and slid her laptop back in her shoulder bag next to the file folder filled with her father's paperwork.

Happy opened the trunk and went to a utility closet to retrieve a small cart. As he started loading her boxes onto the cart, Steve Rogers pulled his motorcycle into the garage and hurried over to assist. When everything was on it, he guided it over to the elevator.

"Your apartment?" he asked.

When she nodded, he pushed the button and waited for the doors to close and the elevator to rise.

"I hope your trip went well," he commented conversationally.

She sighed, studying the boxes. "It left me with a lot of questions," she told him. "Hopefully, some of the answers are in there." After another moment, she continued. "My father died recently." She held up her hand to forestall the expression of sympathy that rose to his lips. "He was an abusive alcoholic and I hadn't had any contact with him since I graduated high school. The only thing of any interest to me were these boxes with my mother's name on them."

He nodded his understanding. When the elevator doors opened, he followed her to her apartment and easily stacked the boxes in a corner for her.

"Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome, Commander. Let me know if there's anything I can do for you," he told her.

"I'm not a Commander anymore," she reminded him.

He grinned and shrugged, taking his leave. As she shut the door, her phone rang.

"Hill," she answered, taking her bag back to her room to unpack.

"Hi, Maria," Pepper said. "You're back already?"

"Yeah. There really wasn't much to do. The lawyer is going to take care of disposing of his things. There were several boxes of my mother's things that I brought back to go through. There are also some papers to go through. A few questions I need to do some research on. Don't worry. I won't let any of it interfere with my work," she assured the woman.

"I'm not concerned about you neglecting your work, Maria. I have no doubt that you'll take care of your responsibilities. Just let me know if you need any time."

"I shouldn't need any, but, thanks."

"Oh, and feel free to make use of whatever resources you need for your research. Between the Stark Industries database and the Avengers database, JARVIS should be able to help you with whatever you need to find," she added.

"I appreciate that," Maria replied.

"And let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." The security head smiled. Rarely had anyone ever been concerned about her needs. The man who had put her in this situation certainly never had. Now, two different people had offered their help within the last half of an hour.

Not that she was likely to accept either offer.

"I'll keep that in mind," she told her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

After ending the call, Maria finished her unpacking, showered, and fixed herself something to eat. Once the kitchen was put back to rights, she started some coffee and opened the boxes. Her focus was on the journals. The inside of the front cover had the date each one was started, so she was easily able to order them. A couple of small ones that she figured were some of the earliest had locks. She retrieved her lock picks and quickly opened them.

As she had suspected, these had the earliest dates and she chose the one with the earliest. She curled up in a chair with her coffee and opened the cover. There was an inscription in a strong, feminine hand.

November 1, 1955

To my darling Victoria

On the occasion of your 10th birthday.

Love,

Mum

She frowned, doing a quick bit of math in her head. If this was her mother, she had been in her late 30's when she had given birth to Maria. She thought that she had heard that pregnancy carried higher risks later in life and wondered if that had had anything to do with her death.

She turned the next page. The handwriting this page was more childish. Small sketches decorated the border. A growling dog face. A skull and crossbones. A dagger. A noose. A handgun.

Property of Victoria Elizabeth Carter.

Private. Keep out.

This means you.

Maria hesitated. Even though the child who had written those words had been dead for over 30 years, it still felt like an invasion of privacy. With a silent plea for forgiveness, she turned the page and started reading.

The girl was a skilled writer and Maria found herself interested in her tales. She enjoyed school and was doing well, her favorite subjects being art and science. She wrote of her friends, adventures and day to day activities and of her mother.

One passage had her confused.

If I can sew up the rip in my dress, Mom will never know what happened. There's a boy in my class. His name is Jimmy. He's actually a couple of years older, but he missed a lot of school because I was sick. Polio, I think. He uses crutches and has braces on his legs. Todd Crandall was picking on him. He's a year ahead of us and is mean. He pushed Jimmy down and took his crutches. When I confronted him, he pushed me down, too. I fell on the gravel and scratched up my knees and hands and face. Stupid dress. I wish I could wear pants to school.

Maria paused for a moment, thinking how glad she was hadn't had those restrictions.

Even though I was bleeding, I was more mad than hurt. I jumped up and pushed him back. He seemed surprised. I'm not sure if it was because I reacted at all or because I was stronger than he expected. He swung at me, but I ducked and hit him in the stomach. He fell on his backside and just sat there all doubled over. Finally, he got up and ran off. I gave Jimmy back his crutches and helped him up. I guess he could see that I was worried. He told me he didn't think I'd have to worry about Todd telling on me. He wasn't the type to admit to being beat up by a girl.

Memories of her own experiences testified that that hadn't changed.

He gave me his handkerchief to try to clean off some of the blood, but I ended up in the bathroom. When I got it cleaned off with wet paper towels, I was relieved to see that the scratches weren't that bad. I could barely even see the ones on my face. My knees were still pretty raw, though. I figured I'd tell mom I fell at recess. It was strange, through. At lunch, Jimmy came over to give me his ice cream and asked me how my knees and hands were. When I showed him, they looked a whole lot better. By the time I got home, I can barely even see them. I never really thought about it, but never do seem to stay bunged up for very long.

Maria puzzled over the story as she refilled her cup. Glancing at the clock, she contemplated turning in for the night, but found herself drawn back to the books. To her mother's childhood.

She had completed the first couple of diaries and was a good way through another. She continued reading, relieved to be reminded that her childhood was the one that had been outside the norm. Victoria's had been much happier, though she had realized early on that there was never any mention of her father.

'One of the many left fatherless by the war?'' she contemplated.

When he was finally brought up, Maria found herself even more confused.

My friend Lizzie came over today so we could work on a project today. When mum sat down with us for a snack, Lizzie asked her if she was English, because her aunt Hazel talks the same way and she's English. When mum said that she was, Lizzie said that her uncle Robert had been assigned there during the war and had come back with a war bride. Then she asked mum if she was a war bride.

'An English grandmother,' Maria thought. Interesting.

Mum looked at her for a moment and I wasn't sure if she was going to answer or not. Finally, she shook her head, and told us that she was on assignment here in the states and that she and my dad met here before he ever went off to war.

You know, I really don't know much about my father. Should I ask?

Asking about her mother had usually gotten Maria slapped. Finally she had stopped asking.

Several days later, there was another entry.

Things I know about my father: He was determined. He was brave. He was loyal. He was very protective of what he cared about. He was artistic. He was good and kind. He always thought of others before himself. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like me. And his name was Steve.

Maria sat her coffee cup down, frowning as she noticed her hand trembling.

It was coincidence. It had to be. Steve was a very common name. Surely, there were millions of Steves. Blond, blue eyed Steves who had died in the war. Carter was a very common name, too. And there had been a whole lot of English women in the states during the war, right?

Just because she knew an English woman named Carter who had been in the states at that time who had been close to a soldier named Steve didn't mean it was the same Carter and Steve. Blond, blue eyed, artistic Steve.

Besides, 'Carter' would have been Steve's name, right? A name his wife would have taken after they were married and that they would have given their daughter. That's how things were done back in those days.

As she tried to convince herself of that, her eyes lit on the bag containing her laptop and the file that the lawyer had given her. Important papers, he had said. Birth certificates.

She pulled the brown file out of the bag and unwrapped the elastic band. Taking a deep breath, she laid the papers on the table in front of her.

The top one was her own birth certificate. Maria Christine Hill. April 8, 1982. Mother: Victoria Elizabeth Carter. Father: Ezekiel James Hill.

No surprises there. It was identical to the copy she had, locked away in her safe. She set it aside.

The next paper was a marriage certificate, issued in Cook County, Illinois for Victoria Elizabeth Carter and Ezekiel James Hill on February 1, 1982. She started to set it aside, then stopped and pulled it close, carefully rechecking the date.

A mere two months before she was born.

'Not exactly the saints you would have me believe, were you, dad?' she muttered.

Interesting, but irrelevant.

Next was another birth certificate. Victoria Elizabeth Carter. November 1, 1945. Mother: Margaret Christine Carter. Father:

The line was blank.

Maria found herself staring at the paper. Her heart was racing and she focused on calming herself, evening out her breathing and heart rate.

Margaret Carter. Peggy. Very common name. Coincidence. Had to be.

Photo album. Surely looking at the pictures would answer her questions.

Sitting crosslegged in the floor, she pulled one of the books. It was a scrapbook, filled with momentos. Postcards places she had visited. Ticket stubs from movies and concerts. Achievement awards from school and sports. Pictures of her and friends.

The other album had more photos, neatly labeled with names and dates. Grandparents. Aunts, uncles, and cousins. Pictures of Victoria, from infancy to teen. To her frustration, though, they were of the girl and her friends. Maria supposed that as a single mother, Margaret had usually been the photographer.

As she sat, contemplating her next steps, she glanced at the clock.

Time to get her day started. She was strongly tempted to skip her morning work out to keep working on the mystery. Finally, though, she decided that a distraction might be good. Many times, she had found that when she turned her attention elsewhere, her mind sometimes came up with answers.

She changed her clothes and headed down to the training levels. At the track, she did some stretching, then took off running. Safety concerns had kept her from ever getting into the habit of listening to music, so the only sounds were the rhythm of her shoes hitting the track and her own breathing. As she increased her pace, she focused on listening to her body. She pushed herself harder and harder, feeling her leg muscles burning.

Eventually, she slowed, allowing her breathing and pulse to return to normal as she checked her time. She grabbed a towel and a water bottle and headed to the weight room. A rhythmic thumping warned her that she wouldn't have the place to herself. Sure enough, Steve Rogers was already there, pounding away on the large bag.

She sat down to wrap her hands and found herself watching him.

Wondering.

If she thought about it, she probably would have assumed Steve to be one to wait for his wedding night to lose his virginity, but the times before his crash had been hectic and harrowing. He had been young and handsome. Peggy was a beautiful woman. They had both suffered pain and loss. Both knew the fear of an uncertain future. They had loved each other. Had that love found physical expression?

"Maria?"

She looked up to find him standing in front of her.

"Is everything alright? Do you need some help with that?" he asked, nodding towards the roll of tape in her hand.

"No," she assured him. "I'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind."

"Okay. You know where to find me it you need to talk," he told her.

She nodded and watched him walk away. Shaking her head, she refocused and got back to her workout. After showering, she slipped into proper business attire and headed for the office. Always good at compartmentalizing, she took a deep breath and mentally closed the boxes, determined to keep her focus on Stark Industries business for the day.

XXXXX

Much of the morning was spent in meetings with staff members working on the testing phase of the most recent SI security product, then she headed out for a lunchtime meeting with a component supplier across town.

After the meeting, she realized that she was only a short drive from the home where Peggy now lived. She looked at her driver, debating a quick trip out to visit the woman.

"You can go ahead back to the office, Jake," she told him. "I need to run a quick errand, so I'll just grab a cab."

"Sorry, ma'am," he replied. "I'm supposed to drive you. Boss's orders."

Maria pulled out her phone and called Pepper. "I'm going to send Jake back to the office. I'm going to catch a cab and run an errand. It shouldn't take very long."

"Why not just let Jake drive you?" the other woman asked.

"It's a personal matter, Pepper. It's bad enough I'm doing it on company time, I shouldn't be using company assets, too. Don't worry. I'll stay late to make up the time."

The CEO laughed. "Is that 'late' compared with what you're supposed to be working or 'late' compared to how late you usually work?" she asked. "Honestly, Maria. Don't worry about taking some time for personal things in the middle of the day. You put in plenty of hours. I'm glad that you're salaried and not hourly or we'd go broke having to pay your overtime."

"I'm just doing my job."

"Amazingly well," Pepper told her. "Just have Jake drive you wherever you need to go and take care of what you need to and come back when you can." She hung up.

Shrugging with resignation, Maria climbed into the car and directed the driver to the retirement home.

She opened the door to Peggy's room, hoping she was having a good day.

"Hi, Peggy," she greeted the woman in the bed.

Who looked at her with a stern frown. "Do you always address a superior officer in such a familiar manner?" she asked.

Nope. Not a good day.

"This casual attitude of familiarity is highly unprofessional."

Maria had to bite her lip. This was probably the first time in her life she had been accused of being overly casual or familiar. Usually, it was the exact opposite.

"My apologies, ma'am. It won't happen again."

Peggy nodded, satisfied, then looked down at her hands. When she looked back at Maria, she had a confused look on her face. "Did you need something, dear?"

In fact, a very bad day.

"I just wanted to see if you needed anything, Ms. Carter."

The elderly woman sighed, holding up her hands. "I think there's something wrong with this lotion. I can't seem to get it rubbed in and it feels very sticky."

Maria glanced at the table beside her bed and noticed a small bowl of fresh strawberries and another of fresh cream. The cream had a indentation, as though someone had grabbed a handful.

"Yes, ma'am. I understand there have been some problems with that brand." She stepped into the small bathroom and wet a washcloth, then proceeded to clean the sticky mess off the other woman's hands. When that was done, she found a tube of lotion and started rubbing it into Peggy's hands.

"Much better.."

"Happy to help," Maria told her. She considered for a few moments, then, closely watching the retired agent asked, "You're Victoria's mother, aren't you?"

Peggy stilled. "You knew my Tori?"

"I met her once. Very briefly. A long time ago." Surely they had been together in the delivery room, even if only a few moments.

"She's gone, you know. An accident or something, I think."

"I didn't get a chance to know her. Was she nice?"

Peggy smiled. "Mostly. She had her moments, of course. She was stubborn. Sweet. Determined. Very bright. Strong-willed. Artistic. Stubborn. Protective. Hard headed. Loving. Did I mention stubborn?"

"I think you might have."

"Obstinate."

"I'm sensing a pattern," Maria mentioned.

"You are?" The older woman grinned. "It was something people learned about her quickly."

"So, did she get that from you or from her father?"

Peggy blinked. "Whose father?" she asked.

"Your daughter. Tori."

The other woman shook her head. "I'm sorry. You've mistaken me for someone else. I don't have a daughter. I don't have any children. My career takes all my time."

Maria felt a stab of disappointment. She was tempted to press, but knew it wouldn't do any good. The amazing woman she had known was now wandering the corridors of her own mind: past and present melding into short moments.

"Of course." She could see the patient starting to tire and she needed to get back to work herself. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Agent Carter?"

"Where's my notepad?"

Maria grabbed a steno pad and pen from the table. "Would you like me to take notes for you?"

Peggy eyed her sternly. "What's your clearance level?

"Level 9."

The older agent raised an eyebrow. "I rather doubt that."

"I mean, I will be a level 9. Someday."

Maria stood straight and still, returning the other woman's intense stare. Finally, Peggy nodded.

"I have no doubt you will, Agent...I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"Hill. Maria Hill."

"Maria Hill. I'll remember that. When you make level 9, I'll take you out to celebrate."

"I'd like that, ma'am."

"But for now, you don't have the clearance necessary for my work. Thank you for the offer, though."

Maria handed her the pad and pen, then took her leave.

XXXXX

On the ride back to SI, she replayed the visit in her mind. Peggy had sort of admitted to having a daughter. A daughter named Victoria. But it still didn't mean that it was the same Victoria that had given birth to her. She could have been born years later. Besides, Peggy had said that her Tori had died in an accident of some sort.

She thought.

Visits like this one were difficult. Peggy Carter had been the one who had gotten her involved with SHIELD in the first place. She had joined the military to help pay for her college education. Following a grueling exercise where a number of things had gone horribly wrong, she was called into the CO's office. Expecting a reprimand for overstepping her authority in the field, she was surprised to be offered tea with him and the sharp eyed older woman in his office.

He introduced Peggy as an old friend, then sat back and let her lead the conversation. Her nephew had been on the exercise with Maria and had been injured badly. When she visited him in the hospital, he had told her about the young woman who had stepped up and taken charge. Curious, she had approached her old friend to look at the young woman's files. She had been quite impressed by the drive and determination she saw there and wondered if Maria had considered options besides military.

Maria glanced at the CO, who nodded at her.

"I'm always open to options."

Peggy smiled. "But cautious. I like that." She proceeded to tell her about an organization created years ago for the purpose of protecting. Of keeping the planet as a whole safe from those determined to cause chaos.

"I think you'd be a perfect fit, Ms. Hill. It will push you and challenge you in ways that you could never imagine. It will isolate you and take from you, but will give you more personal satisfaction than anything else you could ever do."

"And you think I'd like that?" Maria asked.

"No. I think you'll love it."

As the CO started processing her transfer, she returned to her quarters to pack up her few belongings.

Throughout her time at SHIELD, the two had kept in contact, celebrating the good things, discussing and hashing out the not so good. It pained her now to see the bright, spirited woman struggling so.

XXXXX

Back at the office, Maria again tucked her personal thoughts away and got back to business. She had a couple of teleconferences, then a meeting with Pepper and Tony. While listening to Tony drone on, her mind went back to Peggy. She felt a stab of pain.

Peggy had been a mentor and a supporter during her career. Why couldn't she have done the same during Maria's childhood? As her grandmother?

Another argument against this being anything more than coincidence. Surely Peggy would have been involved in her grandchild's life.

Unless...

"Hill!" She looked up to find Tony staring at her. "Am I boring you?"

"No more than usual," she answered.

"Pepper," he whined. "She's not listening to me."

Pepper looked up. "Sorry, Tony. Did you say something?"

He huffed and poked his lip out. "You have to listen to me, Hill. You're one of the few people who understand when I talk about security technology. When I talk bio stuff, I talk to Bruce. History, It's Cap. Real life stuff, it's Pepper. You're my security expert."

She took a moment to think, looking at the digital schematics he had pulled up in the air around him. Even though she hadn't been actively listening, she had been aware of what he was saying. "You were talking about needing to find ways to overcome the limitations on the personal security devices dictated by the size requirements," she finally told him.

He looked slightly surprised, but then nodded and continued with his discourse.

XXXXX

Back at the tower later that night, she grabbed one of the premade meals in the common area kitchen, then headed to her own apartment. While it warmed in the microwave, she changed her clothes pulled out her teakettle. Something about spending time with Peggy brought out the tea drinker in her.

After eating and cleaning up, she settled in with the journals again. The papers were stacked in front of her, Victoria's birth certificate on top, the empty name blank staring at her.

"JARVIS?" she queried.

"Yes, Ms Hill?"

"The files that were dumped? Did those include SHIELD personnel files?"

"Yes, it did."

"All personnel files?"

"Yes."

She detected a slight pause. "But?"

He finally continued.

"I managed to filter most of what went out. Some of the personnel files were replaced by slightly altered versions."

"Which ones?" she asked.

"Director Fury's. Agent Carter's. Agent Coulson's. Yours."

She smiled briefly at the mention of Phil's name. Someday, she'd give him a laugh by telling him that she suspected, just for a moment, that she might possibly be his hero's granddaughter.

"But you have access to the full, original ones, right?"

"Yes."

"Does Agent Carter's file mention her having any children?" she asked.

Another long pause. Finally, the AI responded.

"Yes. She had a daughter. Victoria. Born December 1, 1945."

"And the father?"

"That information is not available in my database," he told her.

Of course not. That would be too simple. Maria had pretty well come to accept that her mother had been Peggy's daughter. The evidence was overwhelming. The names matched. The dates matched. She could no longer tell herself it was coincidence.

The question remained, though. Whose name belonged on the blank? Could it have been Steve? She knew the answer, but asked anyway.

"JARVIS? When did Captain Rogers crash?"

"His plane went down on March 10th, 1945."

Approximately 8 months. The timing would be right. Her meeting with Peggy had yielded no answers, but there was one other person who might know. Would know if it was at least possible.

"Is Captain Rogers here?"

"No. He is not currently in the tower."

"Can you let me know when he returns, please?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She set aside the birth certificates, deciding to focus her attention on the paperwork for the trust. With assistance from JARVIS, she spent the next couple of hours tracing it back from one shell corporation to another to another. By the time the AI informed her that Steve had returned, they had six different companies, each set up only a few days before it set up the next. Each listed a board of directors of men that didn't exist. She shook her head, confused as to why someone went to so much trouble the keep her financial supporter a secret.

Grabbing an empty manilla file folder, she slid the birth certificates into it and started out her door. She paused, then pulled out the photo album. She flipped through the pages, finally selecting a picture of a young Victoria to add to the folder. On the elevator ride down to his floor, she wondered what she would say to him.

She knocked at his door, but there was no answer.

"I thought you said he was back, JARVIS."

"I am," he commented, coming down the hall. "I didn't realize you were waiting for me, Commander. I stopped in the medical lab to speak with Dr. Banner."

She noticed him glancing at his watch as he invited her in. Finally locating a clock in his apartment, she was surprised to see how late it was.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't realize how late it is. You look tired. I'll come back another time."

He caught her arm as she turned to leave. "Please, call me Steve."

When she nodded, he motioned her back towards the table. "Maria," she replied, slipping into the chair that he indicated.

He ran his hand through his hair. "I think the tired is more mental than physical," he confessed. "I visited Peggy this evening. It wasn't one of her better days. What about you? You look pretty wiped out, too."

"I suppose I do," she answered. "I visited Peggy today, too. It's draining. Plus, I haven't slept much the last few nights. Must be getting soft. Used to I could go days on a power nap or two."

He stepped in the kitchen and fixed them each a cup of coffee. "What can I do to help?" he asked, sitting across the table from her.

She nervously toyed with the folder in front of her. Did she really want to open this can of worms? Did she need to?

"I need to ask you something," she told him.

He waited a few moments, then laughed. "I've never known you to hesitate to speak what's on your mind," he commented.

"It's just...this is personal, Steve. Really personal and not really any of my business. I know that and I really hate to even ask, but you have to believe that I wouldn't ask without a really good reason."

His smile slipped a bit and he sat back, crossing his arms at his chest.

"Were you and Peggy...intimate? Physically?" she asked.

Steve's face closed off completely. He didn't actually get up and walk away, but he withdrew just as surely as if he had.

"As you said, Commander Hill, that's none of your damn business."

She pulled out the picture and handed it to him. "That's Victoria Carter. Peggy's daughter. She was born about 8 months after your accident."

He picked up the photo, silently studying it. She took the woman's birth certificate and handed it to him as well. He read through it carefully, then returned his attention to the print. Light fingers gently traced the lines of her face.

"Is it possible that you're the father?" Maria probed quietly.

He started to answer, then, that shuttered look came over his face again.

"Again, I fail to understand how that information involves you an any way, form, or fashion."

Without a word, she pulled the last paper from the file. She took a deep breath, then passed it over to the Captain. He glared at her a moment, then took the paper from her.

"She was my mother," she whispered.

He looked up in shock, then back at the paper. He carefully read one, then the other. Then, he picked up the photo again, studying it before turning his attention to her.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Not really," she admitted. "The names are fairly common. The information in the journals is strongly suggestive, but it could all be coincidence."

He reached across the table, gently grasping her chin as he turned her head first one way, then the other. Comparing her to Peggy and the photo, she realized.

Suddenly, he sat up straight. "A few months back, some woman sent a letter to the tower. She claimed that Tony was the father of her son. The did some kind of test that proved that he wasn't."

Maria nodded. "A paternity test or DNA test."

"Would something like that work for another relative? Like a grandparent?" he asked.

"I think so."

He stood up and grabbed her hand. "Let's go talk to Bruce."

XXXXX

In the elevator, he continued to stare. "I've always thought you reminded me of her," he said, "but I figured it was more of an attitude thing. You've got that same spirit and determination. I think maybe there's something about the jawline, too."

She shook her head. "Don't jump to conclusions. We don't know anything for sure, yet."

When they arrived on the medical floor, Steve ushered her out of the elevator. She moved reluctantly, still uncertain whether she really wanted answers or not. Steve, though, was confident. Realizing she was moving more slowly, he reigned in his pace and moved to her side. He took her hand in his.

"Don't you want to know?" he asked.

She looked at him, unable to express the fear that had taken root in her heart. She nodded, and, hand in hand, they continued down the corridor.

Bruce looked up in surprise when they entered, but smiled in greeting. "What can I do for you?"

"We need a paternity test," the super soldier told him. "Is that something you could do here?"

"I think so." His gaze took in their joined hands, then darted quickly to Maria's stomach. "I didn't realize that the two of you were..."

Maria jerked her hand away as Steve hurried to correct the other man. "No. Nothing like that. I suppose what we're actually needing is a grandparent test." He held up the picture of Victoria. "It seems that Peggy Carter gave birth to a daughter a few months after my accident and there's a very good chance that I was the father of that child."

Bruce nodded, but still looked a bit confused.

Hill continued. "And there's a further possibility that that child is the woman who gave birth to me."

"So, you," Banner pointed at Maria, "would be his," he pointed at Steve "granddaughter."

While Steve nodded, she shrugged. "It's a possibility. Names match, but the names are not exactly unique ones."

"But dates match also," Steve added.

"JARVIS," Bruce called. "What's the procedure for a grandparent test and could we do that here?"

"Normal process would involve taking a sample from each party, ideally, a cheek swab. A lab would then complete a profile for each sample and compare the results, looking for markers that would indicate a biological relationship. Since a child receives 25% of it's DNA from a grandparent, results are not as definitive as a paternity test. Including a sample from the mother generally increases the accuracy of the results."

"In this case, the mother isn't available."

"Or if you have anything that might have her DNA," Bruce told them. "An envelope, maybe. Saliva from the seal or from a stamp."

Maria frowned, thinking. "There's a scrapbook, but I think most of the postcards and things in there were ones that she received from someone else. I'll have a look, though. How long does it take to get the results?"

"Normally, this would take several days."

"Normally?" Maria asked. "What about in this particular situation?"

"The time consuming part of the process is extracting the DNA and constructing the profile. As Captain Rogers and Ms Hill are Avengers and SHIELD operatives, my database already includes files on both of them that includes the necessary information. It's simply a matter of comparing the two and determining if there are enough markers in common to indicate a biological relationship between the two."

She chewed at her lip a moment. "JARVIS? You said earlier that you have Margaret Carter's SHIELD file. Does that include a DNA profile as well?"

"It does."

"If you include her in the comparison as a possible grandparent, would that increase the accuracy?"

Steve looked at her. "If I'm the grandfather, Peggy is the only possible grandmother."

"That would further narrow the results."

"How long?" Bruce questioned.

"Just a few more minutes," the AI told them.

Bruce filled coffee mugs for everyone, then sat with them to wait. The doctor smiled as he watched them. Both sitting straight, both feet planted solidly on the floor. Both staring straight ahead with bright, blue eyes.

"The comparison is complete."

Steve and Maria looked at each other. They all knew that those results could change things forever.

"And?" Steve finally asked.

"They indicate a high probability that Maria Hill is the granddaughter of Steve Rogers and Margaret Carter."

Silence fell and Bruce quietly slipped from the room. Knowing these two as he did, he felt they would prefer to process this new information without an audience.

"You're sure?" Maria finally asked.

"As I stated, the probability is quite high. In addition to the DNA markers usually studied, there is an additional anomaly on your strand."

She nodded. "One of the doctors at SHIELD had mentioned that. He said it was probably just some sort of random mutation.."

"A logical conclusion, until it's compared to the serum enhancements in Captain Rogers' blood. If one were to calculate what those enhancements might look like two generations later, the result would be identical to your anomaly. While it has diluted considerably, you do likely have somewhat enhanced reflexes and more rapid healing than the average person."

Steve stared into space, not moving, barely breathing, until Maria reached over and touched his arm.

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you," he mumbled reflexively, nodding. Suddenly realizing what she had said, he turned to face her. "Wait. Sorry for what?" he asked. "For helping me discover that the woman I loved gave birth to my child?"

"A child that you never got to meet. Because of me," she responded.

He was puzzled. "How do you figure that?"

"My mother died giving birth to me," she reminded him. "If I hadn't been born, there's a possibility that she could still be alive."

"I spent 70 years in the deep freeze, Maria. There's a good chance that she could have died from some other cause during that time."

"But is wasn't some other cause. It was because of me."

"It wasn't because of something you did," he told her. "You can hardly be held responsible."

She looked him in the eye. "My father did. So does Peggy."

"Peggy? Has she said something to make you think that?"

She shook her head. "She's never said anything. But what other reason could there be? She was never involved in my life. In my childhood. I never met her until she recruited me for SHIELD. Maybe she hoped that would get me killed."

"No!" he said forcefully. "Peggy would not have blamed you for her daughter's death. She wouldn't have neglected her granddaughter, especially to the life you said you had with your father. She has too much compassion for that. There has to be another explanation for why she wasn't there."

"What?" She hated the pain in her voice. "What other reason could there be?"

He thought hard. He knew that there had to be something. "Maybe she was trying to protect you. She was involved in some very dangerous work. Maybe being in your life would have put you at risk."

"Life with my father wasn't exactly safe either," she shot back, rubbing at a knot on her arm. Steve recognized the sign of an improperly healed break.

"Or maybe your father wouldn't let her be a part of your life. Maybe he forbade her to visit."

"Then why didn't she find me after I was grown. Why hasn't she said anything in the years that we've known each other since?"

"Maybe she didn't know," he said, struck by a sudden thought. "Maybe Victoria never told her. Maybe she hid her pregnancy." The more he thought, the more sense this made. Ignoring a child, her own grandchild, would be completely out of character for the woman he loved.

"I suppose that's possible." Maria felt a flicker of hope and had to fight the temptation to squash it down. Was it pathetic to be grasping at such a speculation?

"Tomorrow is the weekend. We can go see her. Talk to her," he said.

"If she's there."

Steve nodded, understanding her meaning.

They stood awkwardly looking at each other, neither quite sure where to go from this point, what to say. Finally, she pointed towards the elevator.

"I guess I'll just go back to my apartment."

"Oh. Okay. I'll see you later, I guess."

As she pushed the elevator button, he looked down, realizing he still had the photo clutched in his hand. He called her name and started down the hall. She turned to wait for him.

"You want this back, I'm sure," he said, holding it out.

"You can keep it. There are others. Actually," she looked at him, "There's a photo album and a scrapbook and a whole bunch of journals at my place in addition to the stuff I haven't even had a chance to look at yet. Why don't you join me? There's not a whole lot, but you're more that welcome to look through it."

"I'd like that."

XXXXX

Back in her rooms, she returned her attention to the trust papers while he sat on the floor studying the photo albums. Some of the older ones, he told her, he had seen before. Some of Peggy's family. He turned another page and she heard a quick intake of breath.

"What is it?" she asked, moving to his side.

He pointed to the photos. "These are mine. She must have found them in my personal effects. That one is my dad in his uniform. That's him and mom on their wedding day." She pointed at one of the young couple cradling an infant.

"Is that you?"

"That's what I was told," he answered. "I can't believe you didn't recognize me."

Seeing the smile on his face, she laughed. "You have changed a bit over the years."

"I suppose. A bit," he acknowledged.

She continued sitting next to him as he turned the pages, watching his face as he reverently studied the pictures of the daughter he had never known. The events of the past several days finally started to catch up with her and Maria's eyes soon drifted closed. Steve looked over to point something else out to her and smiled to find her fast asleep leaning slightly against his shoulder.

Very carefully, he turned and slid his arms around her, then rose. He walked back to her bedroom and put her down on the bed, pulling the spread over to cover her. It was a testament to her exhaustion that she barely stirred.

He stood there looking down at her.

His granddaughter. His connection.

And he had no idea where to go from here.

XXXXX

He was sitting on her couch reading through the older journals when she came in several hours later. He jumped up.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, holding up the slim book.

"No, that's fine," she told him. "You have as much right to them as I do. Maybe more."

"I figured these were the ones you had already read," he commented, pointing to the pile on the table.

She nodded, heading to the kitchen where he already had the coffee pot going. She continued to watch him warily.

"Are you okay?" he finally asked.

"Did you put me in bed?" she asked.

"Yeah. First time I got to tuck my grandchild in. Sorry I didn't get to read you a story."

That got a smile out of her. "Thanks. Guess I was pretty tired."

"It's been an emotional few days."

She sat down in a chair, feet pulled up in front of her, coffee cup clenched between her hands.

"This doesn't have to change anything," she told him.

"What do you mean?"

"The fact that we're related. We know it, but no one else has to. I don't expect anything from you."

"You don't want anyone to know?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter to me, but you have a reputation, Steve, and so do I. Yours would not be helped by associating with me. Stark has gotten enough flak for hiring me after all this mess came out, but at least he doesn't have to claim me as a relative."

He moved to sit on the low table in front of her. "I don't care about my reputation," he told her. "I do care about you."

"You barely know me."

"But I want to. I've worked with you on several occasions. I admire and respect your drive and your abilities, your commitment. You've done what needed to be done and I respect that." He reached out to touch her. "I don't know if this makes sense to you, but...ever since I woke up, since I realized what had happened, I've felt lost. Unconnected. Can you imagine what it feels like to find out that I do have someone here that I'm connected to? I used to dream about a family. Wife. Kids. Grandkids. I may not get all of it, but I do have you. You're a dream come true for me, Maria. I want to be a part of your life. I want to get to know you. Be family."

"I don't know how to be a part of a family, Steve. I don't think what I had was normal, but it was all I ever had."

"My family experience was pretty limited, too," he said, grabbing his phone, "But I did a google search on things grandparents do with their grandkids. I can take you to the zoo."

"I kind of feel like we live in one here," she told him.

"Amusement park?"

"I'm not easily amused."

"Fishing?"

"You fish?"

"Um. No." He looked at his list again. "Hype you up on sugar and send you home?"

"We both live here, so that probably wouldn't be a good idea."

"Baseball game?" he offered.

He looked so hopeful. "I've never been to a baseball game," she confessed. "You'll have to teach me about it."

His smile went from ear to ear. "I can do that. Of course, the Dodgers are gone, but some of the other teams are alright. I'll find a schedule and you can see what will work with your job."

"I'd like that. Right now, though," she looked at the clock, "It's time to hit the gym."

He started to offer to join her, but stopped himself. He knew that she valued her private time and didn't want to push her too much. "Okay. I'll see you later, then." He saw the relief on her face and knew it was the right choice.

"You can take that stack of journals with you if you want," she told him. "I've already read those."

"Thanks," he answered, gathering them up. "I'll take good care of them and bring them back when I've finished reading them."

XXXXX

As was customary on weekend mornings, the team gathered in the common dining area to share breakfast. Noticing Steve's hopeful smile, Maria slipped into an empty chair next to him. Conversation was light and flowed smoothly from topic to topic. Finally, Pepper pulled out her pad and cleared her throat.

"Training session scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Everyone planning to be there?"

Everyone nodded or mumbled their agreement.

"That is," she turned to Tony, "assuming the new weaponry you've been working on will be ready."

"Mostly ready," the billionaire told. "I had a question for Cap last night, but he wasn't home for me to ask. According to JARVIS he was in Ms Hill's apartment," he reported with a smirk.

"Not your business, Stark," Natasha warned in a low voice.

"What happens between consenting adults is their own business," Pepper reinforced.

"It's nothing like what you're thinking," Bruce hurried to explain.

"Then what is it?" Tony asked.

Bruce snapped his mouth shut and shook his head.

Steve looked at Maria. She shrugged.

"She's my granddaughter," he finally told them.

The silence saw almost tangible.

"Don't you have to have a kid before you can have a grandkid?" Tony probed. "Or was it some kind of sperm donor kind of thing?"

Pepper elbowed him sharply. "I had no idea you had children, Steve. Congratulations."

"Just the one," he told her. "And I had no idea, either, until last night."

"My mother's journals," Maria explained. "The more I read, the more familiar she seemed. Single English mother in government work. The Carter name. Soldier father named Steve. Right time frame."

"Carter?" Tony asked. "As in Peggy Carter."

"My grandmother, apparently."

"Your mother's name was?"

"Victoria," Maria answered. "Victoria Elizabeth Carter."

He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "So right now, this is just conjecture based on a few common names and some approximate dates?"

"And a DNA match confirmed by JARVIS himself," Steve added.

"Guess that's pretty definitive," Stark agreed. "I can't exactly argue with my own AI."

"May I quote you on that, Sir?"

"No."

"This must be pretty exciting for both of you," Pepper commented.

Steve nodded. "It is. Right now, I think we're both trying to figure out what to do about it."

"Cherish it," Thor contributed. "The ties of family are a gift."

"It is," Maria replied. "But it's one of those gifts that we're trying to figure out the best place to put."

"You'll do fine," Clint assured them. "Only problem is..."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"We can't pick on her as much anymore now or her grandpa will beat us up."

Conversation soon returned to everyone's plans for the day. Breakfast was consumed and the kitchen put back in order. Steve placed a call to the nursing home, then looked at Maria shaking his head.

"They said she had a pretty bad night and is still sleeping. We can check back later and see if she's up for seeing us."

"I suppose we can go back to the journals for now," she offered.

He agreed and they returned to her apartment. Noticing the trust papers spread out on her table, he asked about them.

"Someone set up a trust fund for me," she explained.

"That's good. Money for college and everything."

"Except that I didn't even know about it until after dad died. Part of the reason I joined the military was to earn money for college. It seems that money from the trust was paid out to my father to pay for my care. There were regular payments made to him every month until I graduated high school. At that point, they stopped for a few months, then resumed, but for a smaller amount."

"But he never told you about it? You don't know who set it up?"

She shook her head. "Like I said, I had no knowledge about it until the lawyer brought it up. I did sometimes wonder how he paid the bills, since he never seemed to work more than the odd job here and there."

"Maybe it was something your mother set up in advance."

"I don't know. All I do know is that whoever arranged it didn't want it to be known." She showed him the work she had done. "It was set up by SBK, which was a subsidiary of Williamson Industries, which was a subsidiary of DLS, Inc. which was a subsidiary of the Ace in the Hole Corporation..."

"I get the picture," Steve interrupted.

"So far, I've traced it through about eight different fronts. I'll keep going on it later, but I needed a break from it."

While she went back to her reading, he spent some time on the papers, breaking through two more shell corporations before turning back to the boxes.

"Have you looked in these yet?"

"Just briefly. Some clothes. Books. I think he just stuffed everything in boxes when she died."

She sat down and pulled one opened. It held a selection of women's clothing, several scientific journals, and a small wooden jewelry box. She opened the jewelry box, finding a selection of tasteful but inexpensive pieces.

The next box was the one with the bundle of yarn. Steve spread it out, his fingers stroking the soft yarn. Underneath it was a stack of baby clothes: a tissue wrapped satin christening gown, lace trimmed frilly dresses, socks and bonnets. All were brand new, some still with tags attached. There were also a few soft toys.

"Guess he decided I didn't deserve nice things," she commented.

Wordlessly, Steve reached into the box. He pulled out a soft, fuzzy lamb. Brushing it off, he held it out to her. She shook her head, but he persisted. "She chose it for you."

Hesitantly, she reached out and took it.

"Baa," Steve said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled back.

She soon found herself back in Victoria's life, better able to appreciate some of the little tidbits.

Well, looks like our summer trip to the Grand Canyon is off. Postponed, mum says. Uncle Howard says he has a lead on where my father's plane went down and he and mum are going to follow up on it. I'll be staying at his estate. That's okay. Jarvis and Anna are really nice. He's teaching me to cook and she's teaching me Hungarian. Sometimes, he tells me stories about mum, but she says I should take those with a grain of salt.

The journals continued through college and her entry into the workforce. She seemed to find the jobs boring and a few attempts at romance even more so.

Lacking in challenge and creativity, she said about one job before flitting off to another.

She said the same about her dates. He said that when we go out with his friends, I should keep quiet. That while I might be interested in science and chemistry, no one else was, and politics were completely off limits for the ladies. Why do men feel so threatened by a woman who speaks her mind? Mum says there are men out there who can value a woman's mind and opinions. I guess my father did. I can't see her settling for less and I won't either.

How on earth had this woman ended up with Ezekiel Hill? He had often expressed his disdain for any opinion expressed by a woman. When teachers had told him that his daughter was extremely bright and would benefit from more advanced classes, he had sneered. They were a bunch of women. And his daughter was another. Her education was of little importance. Mainly, school got her out of his hair for a few hours a day.

Went to Uncle Howard's wedding today. Quite the affair. She's pretty, but seems distant. She doesn't like mum at all. I wonder if she's jealous. She has no reason to be. I asked mum once if she and Uncle Howard might get married some day and she laughed so hard she started choking. She said he was far too obnoxious for marrying and she found him best in small doses. Or maybe it's not jealousy. Maybe Maria just doesn't like anyone much. She doesn't like me, either. I'm not sure that she even likes Uncle Howard. Mum says they're a good match, though.

About a year later, the Starks were mentioned again.

A king is born! Okay. Maybe not really. Anthony Edward Stark was born today. Uncle Howard is a father and he is thrilled. To hear him talk, you'd think this was the first baby ever born. Or at least, the most handsome, intelligent, wonderful one. Howard has already lined up his position in most prestigious schools in the country and is talking about the work they'll do together to take Stark Industries to the top of the field. He even passed out very expensive cigars.

I wonder if my father would have been that excited.

Maria glanced at Steve again, his gaze going from the journal he was reading to the photo album spread out next to him.

'Yes,' she thought. 'He would have been.'

More entries. More life events. Some minor, some major.

Starting the new job today. I know this is the position I was meant for. I don't know why I never tried this before.

It did seem she had finally found her place. Her enthusiasm seemed to grow.

There's so much openness to new ideas. No one cares whether you're young, old, male, female. Even the boss himself gets involved in the brainstorming and development. I worried that he, especially, wouldn't take me seriously, but he does. He makes everyone feel important, like we all have something to contribute.

Maria continued reading, but started to feel a niggling of concern. The young woman seemed to have developed a touch of hero worship for her boss. Maybe even a bit of a crush. And he seemed to be feeding it.

Special projects. Late meetings.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one with such concerns.

Mother is warning me to be careful. He's charming and charismatic, she says. He's also married. She just doesn't understand. He just has so many thoughts and ideas and he says that I'm the only one who can keep up with him. The others in the office don't understand what he's talking about. His wife certainly doesn't understand him and has no interest in the business other than the money and position that it provides for her.

Maria groaned. She had heard the 'my wife doesn't understand me' line so many times from men whose goal was to get her into bed. Surely, Victoria was too bright to fall for that.

Mum always said that I shouldn't settle for anything less than the right one. I'm glad I listened, because I know I've found him. It's complicated, but I know it will work out. I love him and he loves me. He hasn't said it, but I know he does. Mum thinks it's a simple crush on my part and a dalliance on his. That he had a wife and child and that he will never leave them for me. She just doesn't understand what a strong connection we have. He'll be sure they're well cared for. Maybe, the boy will even live with us. We've met a few times and get along pretty well. It's not like his mother seems to be involved in his life much anyway.

Maria frowned. Had this man broken her heart? Is that why she had gone to Chicago and gotten involved with Ezekiel? Glancing at the date on the entry, she figured something would have to happen soon. It was less than a year before she had married the man and there yet no mention of the man who would impregnate her.

Further entries, though, continued to focus on her boss.

It seems I may have to force the issue.

Warning bells started to sound in Maria's head. That did not sound good.

I have the confirmation I need. I can't wait to tell him! I know he'll be so excited. Just like he was before. And mother will see how wrong she was about us. I just have to find the right time.

She looked at the date. Early August, 1982.

NoNoNoNoNo

What am I going to do? I can't think. I never got to tell him and now he's gone. Dead. I can't do this alone. Mum did, but I can't. And I can't talk to her, either. She's in South America somewhere working and is completely incommunicado. I don't know if she'd help anyway. She warned me and I didn't listen and now I don't know what to do. Maybe I'll talk to J. Or S. I think S will know what to do. He's looking out for the boy. He'll look out for me, too. For us.

NoNoNoNoNo

She must have spoken out loud, because Steve suddenly looked up.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know. I'm not sure."

He came over and sat down next to her.

Was it possible?

She looked at Steve. "I'm not sure. I need to finish this."

It's even worse than I could imagine. S says that we're in danger. He says that it wasn't an accident. That they were murdered. And that there have been attempts on the boy's life, too. If anyone finds out, it will be in danger, too. I've never been so terrified in my life. He said he'll think of something. He'll make sure we are safe. I hope he hurries.

Again, warnings were sounding. A sense of familiarity. As though she had read something similar in the past. It would come to her. She shook her head and kept reading.

Chicago. That's where we'll be starting our new life. S has family there. A cousin. He'll watch out for us. S is setting up everything we'll need. He says I can't tell anyone, though. Not even Mum. The fewer people that know, the safer we'll be. He said he'll tell her that I died in the same accident. By the time she gets back, it will have quieted down.

She hadn't told her mother. Peggy hadn't known. That eased the ache some.

His cousin's name is Ezekiel. He seems like a very nice man. He's very attentive, making sure I have everything I need. He's taking me shopping and going to doctors appointments with me. He likes to hold my hand when we walk.

She though Ezekiel's birth certificate was in the papers. She would have to look at his parent's names, see if she could find a clue to the identity of his cousin.

It's a girl, the doctor said. She has the proper number of fingers and toes and is exactly where she should be size wise. Ezekiel looked so happy when they told him he was having a daughter that I didn't have the heart to correct them.

He had been happy?

He wants to marry me. Be my husband and her father. It doesn't matter to him that he's not or that I don't love him. He's a good man. I think he'll be good for us. I'm not strong like mum. I can't do this alone. I think this is the best course of action. As far as anyone will know, he is her father. S is setting up a trust fund for her so that she'll always be provided for. He says he'll fix it so that it can't be traced back to him. He has one condition, though. He says I have to name her after HER. He wants me to be reminded of the fact that I had no right to him. That I wanted to take what was hers. I hate the thought, but I don't have much choice. It's rightfully hers and I have to make sure she's provided for. I'll give her THAT for her first name, but we'll call her by her middle name. Christine, after my mum. Maybe, someday, when things are safer, she can meet her.

She hadn't loved him, but she had married him because she thought he would be a good father. If only she had known.

My wedding day. Most assuredly not how I had imagined, My mum's not here. It's just the two of us (three if you count Christine), S, the Judge and his wife and I look like a whale. I'm here because of the decisions I made. Some may not have been wise ones, but good can come from even bad ones. I think this is a good one, though. Ezekiel loves me. I see that in his eyes. And I know he will take care of my daughter. Take care of both of us.

Entries after that were brief.

Found some yarn that I simply fell in love with. It's beautiful shades of pastel colors and the softest thing I have ever felt. I think I still have time to make her a blanket.

The blanket had been intended for her. She wondered if Clint might be willing to finish it for her. He had learned to knit at the knee of the ringmaster's mother during his days with the traveling circus and had found it a good way to pass time on missions.

Only a few more weeks. I'm excited, but I also have a horrible fear that something is going to go terribly wrong. The nurse at the office says that that's not an uncommon feeling for women who are about to give birth. They say we're both healthy and there's no reason to worry. But I do.

And the final entry.

Time to head to the hospital In a few short hours, I'll finally get the see your precious face, Maria Christine Hill. I can't wait.

'Had she?' Maria wondered. Whatever had gone wrong, had she at least gotten to see her child?

She looked up to find Steve watching her.

"He's not my father."

"Hill?"

"He's not my father," she repeated, handing him the book. "She was already pregnant when they met."

Before he could answer, his phone rang. He glanced at it.

"Nursing home."

When she nodded, he answered, speaking quickly to the person on the other end.

"That was the nurse on her ward," he told her after ending the call. "She said that Peggy seems to be doing better at the moment, if we'd like to come see her."

"Let's go," she told him, jumping up.

"What about that?" he asked, pointing at the journal.

"I can give you the highlights on the drive." She grabbed several of the journals and put them in a canvas bag. She also took the paperwork file.

XXXXX

As he maneuvered the vehicle through traffic, she gave him the basics of the story. The affair with her boss. The attempt to trap him by becoming pregnant. His sudden death. The new start.

He glanced over at her. "There's something you're not saying."

"Because I'm not sure," she told him. Remembering her earlier thought, she dug into the file and pulled out her father's birth certificate.

Ezekiel James Hill. Mother: Agatha Stane Father: William Joseph Hill

Stane. His cousin 'S'. Obadiah Stane? Howard Stark's right hand?

"Maria?"

"It's just speculation," she admitted.

"I'd like to hear it. It might help you think better if you put voice to it."

"She never mentioned who she was working for, her boss' name, but I got the impression it was a big company. Very innovative. Ahead of it's time. The boss was extremely wealthy and older. Highly intelligent."

He nodded.

"Her mother knew him. Warned her about him. He was married."

Steve frowned, his disapproval clear.

"He and his wife were killed in an accident shortly after she found out she was pregnant."

"So...late 1981?"

She nodded. "They left behind a child. A son. Who was being taken care of by my father's...by Ezekiel's cousin 'S'. Who set up a large trust fund and insisted that she name me after her dead lover's dead wife."

"Maria?" He swallowed hard, his mind buzzing. "Wasn't Howard Stark's wife named 'Maria?'"

She nodded again.

"And they died..."

"September 20th, 1981. I looked it up to verify."

"Leaving Tony with Obadiah Stane."

"Ezekiel's mother's maiden name was Stane."

Steve pulled into the lot at the home, still staring out the front windshield.

"I know," she said. "It's a lot of guesswork an supposition."

"No," Steve finally said. "Howard Stark was my friend. I just can't believe that he would have used my daughter like that. I won't."

"She was an adult, Steve."

He still shook his head. "She was still my daughter. Peggy's daughter. He wouldn't have touched her."

"Peggy might be able to tell us something," she told him.

XXXXX

When they entered Peggy's room, she smiled, greeting them both by name. Steve stepped close, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

He pulled a chair up to the side of the bed while Maria moved to look out a window. Steve and Peggy spent several minutes discussing his most recent lead on Bucky. Her eyes kept darting over to the young woman.

"What brings the two of you here today? I love having both of you, but I don't think you've ever come together before."

Maria crossed the room, handing Steve the first of the diaries. He handled it a moment, then handed it to Peggy.

She gently ran her shaking hand over the cover, then opened the cover.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, her voice as shaky as her hand.

"You recognize it?" he asked softly.

"It belonged to my daughter, Tori," she told him.

"Our daughter?"

She looked at him, then squeezed her eyes closed and nodded. "Our daughter."

He moved to sit beside he on the bed, taking her hand in his.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

She opened her eyes with a snort. "You were kind of unavailable by the time I found out," she reminded him.

"I know. But what about when I came back? Why didn't you tell me about her then?"

"I didn't think it would matter. She was gone by then. Besides, it still hurts to talk about her. We weren't on good terms when she died."

"How did she die?" he probed.

"She was in a car accident with her boss while traveling on business," she told him. "I was in the jungle in South America and didn't even now until I got back two months after if happened."

Shaking her head, she looked at him again. "Where did you say you got this?"

He turned to Maria and she walked over to stand at the foot of the bed. "It was in some boxes of my mother's things that I found after my father's recent death."

Peggy looked confused.

"Why would your mother have Tori's diary?" she asked.

Maria pulled the other books from her bag. "They were hers," she said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"The diaries and the journals. They belonged to my mother. Victoria Elizabeth Carter."

"Not possible," the woman snapped. "As I said, she died in an accident before you were born."

"We had a DNA test done," Steve told her. "She's definitely related to both of us."

Maria handed her the folder with the papers in it and Peggy leafed through them, carefully examining each one.

"You said she was traveling with her boss. Was that Howard Stark?" Maria asked.

"Yes. He, his wife, Maria, Tori, and their driver were all killed."

Steve cleared his throat. "She worked for Stark. Do you know if they were...involved. Personally?"

Peggy's face went tight. She nodded shortly. "She was. That's why things were stressed between us. He said all the things she wanted to hear. Flattered her. I told her that he was a self-centered egotist who loved no one but himself, but she told me I didn't understand. That they were in love and that he would divorce his wife to be with her. I told her she was being foolish. She didn't appreciate my concern."

"Not surprising," Maria commented. "I understand she was rather determined."

"Yes she was. But I don't understand why you think she was your mother. She died in that accident with Howard and Maria."

"How did you learn about her death?"

"Stark's man Stane met me when I finished my work in the jungle and returned to the city there in Ecuador.. Jarvis told me that Tony needed him, otherwise, he would have come himself." She paused. "Why would he lie to me about that?"

"I doubt that Jarvis knew. She was pregnant. She went to Stane for help and he convinced her that the Starks had been murdered and that she and her child would be in danger if the killers found out the truth. He helped her to relocate to Chicago. Put her in touch with his cousin who she ended up marrying so I would have a father. He set up a trust fund to support me."

Peggy shook her head, trying to process the new information. "But things didn't work out very well, did they?"

Maria shook her head. "There was some sort of complication and mother died in childbirth. Maybe my fa...Hill decided that he had promised her to be a good father, but since she wasn't there, he didn't have to keep that promise. Apparently, he was obsessed with her and was willing to put up with me as a part of the package, but he ended up losing that part that he really wanted. That was my fault and I was going to pay for him losing her."

"I don't understand," Steve told them. "If he didn't want her, didn't want to raise her, why not just put her up for adoption? Let someone who wanted a baby raise her."

"To punish me, maybe," Maria guessed.

"More likely, the money," Peggy postulated. "Did he have control of the trust fund?"

"No, but he did get regular monthly payments from it."

"Free money he wouldn't have gotten had he given her up."

Maria and Steve nodded. That made sense.

Peggy held out her hand to the other woman. "I'm so sorry, dear. If I had known...

"You had no way of knowing," Maria assured her grandmother.

"I probably should have asked more questions. Kept the lines of communication open better with Victoria. I would love to have gotten to know you when you were growing up. But, related or not, I've always been quite proud of you and your accomplishments."

They talked for a while longer until Steve and Maria noticed Peggy starting for tire. Maria offered to leave the journals for Peggy to peruse. In return, she pointed out a number of photo albums that contained more pictures from Victoria's childhood. After promising that they would return, they waited for her to fall asleep then quietly left.

XXXXX

The drive back to the tower was silent. Maria stared out the side window while Steve kept shooting glances her way.

"What next?" he asked.

She shrugged, then looked at him.

"Stark?"

Back in her apartment, she addressed the AI.

"JARVIS. You can do a DNA test if you have a sample on file, right?

"Yes, Ms. Hill."

"Do you have a sample from Howard Stark?"

"I do."

"Can you compare it to mine?"

There was a pause.

"Not without permission from Mr. Stark."

"I guess if I want to know for sure, I have to go through him," she sighed. Ascertaining from JARVIS that he was in one of the labs, she made her way there, Steve at her side. They entered the room, standing to one side while he continued his conversation with Bruce.

Finally, he looked at them, eyebrow raised.

"I need to talk to you, Stark."

He motioned towards a chair. "Feel free."

She looked at Bruce. "Alone."

Tony started to speak, clearly irritated, but she held up a hand. "It's personal."

The doctor patted his shoulder. "It's okay, Tony. I need to take a quick break anyway," he told them. With a nod, he left.

Tony looked from her to Steve. "So grandpa gets to stay, but my friend can't?"

"I can leave," Steve volunteered, but Tony motioned for him to stay.

Maria leaned against a counter, arms crossed at her chest. She chewed the inside of her lip as she tried to figure the best way to ask her question.

"Spit it out, Hill. I haven't got all day," Tony told her, matching her pose.

"I need your permission to do a paternity test using Howard's DNA profile."

He snorted. "Someone else looking for a cut of the family pie?"

She shook her head. "No, just wanting answers."

"Who is it and why are you asking?"

Standing straight, she looked him in the eye.

"Me."

He looked from her to Steve, then back again.

"You think my father is your father?"

She nodded.

"This should be interesting," he said, pulling over a stool and taking a seat.

Settling herself on another, she told him about the information in her mother's journal.

"But she never specifically named my father?" he asked.

"No."

"So, there a lot of people who would match that description."

"Earlier, when I told you her name, you paused for a moment. Did you recognize it?"

He paused, then shrugged again. "It sounded familiar, but then, it's a pretty common name."

"JARVIS?" she called. "Was Victoria Carter employed by Stark Industries?"

"Ms. Carter was an employee from February of 1976 until September of 1981."

A copy of her employee ID card displayed.

"Look familiar?" Maria asked.

"Maybe. I liked to hang out in the labs. I'd try to talk about the work with my dad and the other researchers, but they usually just brushed me off. She listened to me, though."

"She left after your parents' accident."

"Lots of people did," Tony retorted. "People were unsure about what was going to happen to the company with him gone since I was still underage."

"She said that she was in love with him. That he was going to leave his wife for her. He didn't, so she tried to force him by getting pregnant."

"She wrote it in a journal. That doesn't mean it happened that way. Maybe it was all some twisted fantasy. What she wanted, even though it never happened."

"She never worked again. She moved to Chicago, married 5 months later, had me 2 months after that."

"Alone. New city. Met some guy in a bar. Got knocked up." He counted up the months. "You were a little premature."

"She didn't know what to do when Howard died, so she went to 'S' for help. He made the arrangements for her to relocate. For his cousin to look out for her."

"I don't know any 'S' that worked for my father back then. His lawyer was some guy by the name of Walker Clements. The chairman of the board was Donald Parker. There was Jarvis and Obadiah who handled more of the personal matters." He stopped.

"Obadiah Stane."

Tony nodded reluctantly.

"Ezekiel's mother's name was Stane before she married."

"He was helping out a former employee. Being kind. That's all."

"Being very kind with the size of the trust fund he set up for me," she shot back.

"Trust fund? Through Stark Industries?"

"Officially, is was managed through an SBK Industries, but that was just a shell. I've managed to trace it back through about a dozen different ones, but I haven't gotten to SI yet."

"Look," Tony interrupted. "This is a very interesting story, but it's just a bunch of supposition and coincidence. No proof."

"That's why she wants the DNA test," Steve explained.

"No. Just...no. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." The billionaire turned his back to them, returning his attention to the schematics in front of him. "And if you'd let Bruce come back, I'd really appreciate it."

Steve started to argue, but Maria took his arm and shook her head. On the walk back to her apartment, she explained.

"It's not really important, Steve."

"Don't you want to know?"

"Sure, I'd like to know for certain, but it's really just curiosity. It's not like I want anything from this but an answer."

"Why don't he let you have it, then? It's not like it's going to cost him anything. Not even his time. All the information needed is already in the database. All he has to do is give an okay." Steve was clearly frustrated by Tony's lack of cooperation.

"Just give him some time. This is all new information to him. He's just not ready to deal with it. Changes to the status quo can be difficult. Trust me, I've had several in recent days." She looked at him knowingly. "When he's had some time to think about it, he may change his mind."

XXXXX

Apparently, he did, because when she returned from grocery shopping later that day, he was waiting in the hallway outside her apartment. Silently, he took a couple of the bags from her and followed her into the kitchen. He unpacked the bags on the counter and put the cold items in the refrigerator.

"You know, the staff can order groceries and have them delivered for you," he told her.

"I know. But sometimes there's something very soothing about doing something as normal as shopping for groceries. Especially after the week I've had."

She put the rest of her purchases away, then turned to face him. "But I doubt that you came here to remind me about groceries."

He looked down at his hands, then shoved them in his pockets. "You said your trust fund was set up and managed through SBK Industries?"

She nodded.

"Back during one of my extra wild periods, there were about 3 different women in the space of a month who came forward claiming that I had fathered their children. Obadiah joked about setting up a special bank account in case one of them proved to be true. He said he'd call it the 'Stark Bastard Kid' fund."

"SBK."

"Anyway. I told JARVIS to go ahead and do the test. Wondered if you might want to go to medical with me to hear the results. Steve can join us it you'd like."

"Sure. If you don't mind. Do you want Pepper there, too?" she asked.

"I haven't told her about any of this," he confessed.

"I'm okay if you want to. I mean, the two of you are together. That's a pretty big secret to keep from her. Unless you don't want her to know," she told him.

"JARVIS? Have Cap and Pepper meet us in medical," he called as they exited the apartment.

"Yes, sir."

When Steve reached the medical center, he joined Maria near a monitor. Tony and Pepper sat at a nearby table, deep in conversation. Maria noticed Pepper look over at her.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, his sharp eyes on the couple.

"Stark went ahead and had the comparison done. He's telling Pepper what's going on, then we'll get the results," she told him.

Finally, Tony motioned for the duo to join them at the table. It was clear that the story had shocked Pepper, but she managed a smile.

"Bit of a surprise, isn't it?"

Maria smiled tiredly. "I thought after my time with SHIELD that there wasn't much that could surprise me anymore. These last few days have certainly tested that."

"JARVIS? Do you have the results?" Tony asked.

"I do."

He looked around the table, finally focusing on Maria. "Are we ready?"

She took a deep breath, then nodded.

"And the survey says?" Tony called into the air.

"If you're inquiring about the test result, there is a 99.9% chance that Maria Hill is the biological child of Howard Stark."

For several moments, no one spoke. No one moved.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Maria said.

"You're welcome, Ms. Stark."

"Hill," she corrected.

Finally, she pushed back her chair and stood. "Okay. I guess that answers that question."

Tony nodded. "Yeah. I guess it does." He stood as well, his gaze darting around the room.

"I think I'll go..." Maria started moving towards the door.

"Go where?" Pepper asked, as she and Steve both rose to their feet.

"Go...somewhere and...do something," she finished weakly, then exited.

Pepper looked at the two men, then started to follow. Steve put out a hand to stop her.

"Just give her some time. Give them both some time," he told her, nodding towards Tony.

XXXXX

Maria had returned to her apartment, and set to work cleaning. Unfortunately, her natural habit of neatness meant that there was little to do and the task was accomplished before her mind settled. She changed clothes and headed to the gym. After a long run, she found herself on the deck of tower.

She hoped that the open air and the quiet of being so far above the city would help her to calm her thoughts. Stepping behind the bar, she poured herself a drink and settled herself on a stool. She leaned her head back looking up at the stars as she sipped at the smooth alcohol.

'Ms Stark,' the AI had called her. And she had corrected him.

Hill.

That was the name on her birth certificate, but Ezekiel Hill was possibly the only person that she knew that she wasn't actually related to, she thought with a laugh.

Her father was a Stark. Her mother and grandmother were Carters. Her grandfather was a Rogers.

But none of that made any difference, did it? She was still the same person she had always been, right? What did these connections mean? Would expectations of her change because of knowing whose blood flowed in her veins?

She quickly swallowed the rest of her drink, then threw the glass at the brick wall in front of her. It felt good. In fact, it felt so good that she picked up another glass and threw it as well.

Suddenly sensing she was being watched, she turned to find Tony leaning against the bar with a sardonic grin on his face.

"Sorry about that," she mumbled.

"Those are coming out of you part of the inheritance," he told her. Before she could respond, he picked up another and studied it closely. "Besides, I always keep extras on hand for just such a purpose." He drew back his arm and hurled the tumbler, it's shattered pieces joining those already there.

"You've done two, right?" When she nodded, he grabbed another, adding it to the pile.

"I don't want anything from you," she told him, accepting the glass he handed her. This time, she sent it to the wall with an underhand toss.

"What do you want?" he asked her, copying her motion.

"I don't really know," she answered, picking up another glass.

"Left hand?" he suggested. She nodded.

"I just wanted to know the truth."

He also tried a left-handed toss.

"And now that you do? What are you thinking?"

She picked up another glass and debated, finally turning to throw it over her shoulder.

She watched as Tony did the same. "Mostly, I think I'm relieved to find out that Hill isn't my father."

"I don't know that Howard Stark is much of an improvement," he told her, as he handed her another of the missiles.

She cocked an eyebrow at him as she decided to return to classic overhanded slam.

"Though an uninterested, distant father is better than an abusive one. And I did have JARVIS," he conceded, stepping behind the bar to load it with more glasses.

"He was good to you?"

"He was the best," he answered with a smile.

Inside the living area, Steve and Pepper stood in the darkness, watching them and listening as their conversation drifted in on the breeze.

"What are they doing?" Pepper pondered quietly.

"Bonding, I think," the man answered.

---

Well. That ended up being a long one, but there really didn't seem to be a good place to cut it off. It's totally canon non-adherent and involves playing with the time line. It also involved a little too much coincidence for my taste, but this is what the Muse wanted and I fear if I don't do what she wants, she won't let me do what I want. Hopefully, this will satisfy her and I can get on with other stuff. Thank you so much for reading. I'd be interested in what you thought.