Titanium

Chapter I: In Which Unlikely Friendships Are Formed

She had been a lost girl, living in fear of a father who never failed to make his resentment of her survival and her mother's death at childbirth clear to her. She was a girl too unpredictable and wild for him to handle, so he'd made his authority known via abuse. It frustrated him to no end, when she refused to break under the maltreatment. Never once did she let a tear spill over their confines, no matter how hard the beatings were, she never slipped a whimper or a cry – she refused to give him that satisfaction.

It had been no surprise to anyone who knew her when she fled town the day she turned eighteen; not that many people had noticed her leave, she had been one of those quiet wallflowers at school - never letting herself noticed and never letting anyone get close to her. With no money, no family, no friends and no place that she knew out of Chicago to go to, she joined the United States armed forces. For several months, it had been her safe haven but she found herself dissatisfied. There was an itching feeling inside of her, telling that she could do more than this, that she was born to be greater. Upon hearing about S.H.I.E.L.D. recruiting for new agents, she signed herself up in a heartbeat. Espionage had always intrigued her and her upbringing had made her a cold-hearted person; which incidentally made her hardened in the assignments she took. She showed no mercy and a brief stint in Madripoor got her noticed by various heads of state and governments around the world and that was when Fury took interest in her.

Slowly he started training her - for something big - as she soon started to realise that there was more to S.H.I.E.L.D. than 'espionage' that they let their junior agents believe. She'd met new people who became a constant in her life. Phil Coulson – a man who had proved to her that kind souls truly existed; who had over time become a close friend. Clint Barton – a field specialist, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best who trained her in all areas including martial arts, tactics and sword play. The two men were Fury's right hand men – his most trusted. It had surprised her, to be quite frank, when said lethal agent went against Fury's orders and brought back a woman, Romanoff, to them. He had seen something in her that none of them had been able to at the time.

Tension had been high in the months following, but slowly Natasha Romanoff started training with her, and the two women were often found sparing together. It was evident that there were obvious trust issues, but Romanoff had proved off the bat that she was skilled, she was special and she was a valuable asset – not to mention a challenge. They spent years together on the field with Barton and it had been in Budapest when a true friendship had formed.

When the position for the Deputy Director had opened up, Phil, Clint and Natasha had nominated her with no hesitation. Maria Hill finally had the family she had yearned for. S.H.I.E.L.D. was her home.

And now it no longer existed.

Maria breathed as she eyed the gun sitting on her dining table intensely. In her hand rested a glass of vodka that she'd been topping up for the last hour, her attempt to drown her sorrows. Everything she knew was gone. Everything she knew had been a lie. Sure, they'd done a lot of good, a lot at S.H.I.E.L.D., but now she couldn't help that niggling feeling at the back of her head – wondering which of what they had done was for the better. How many of their assignments had been based on false information? How many of their assignments had been a lie? Had they all been a way of HYDRA furtively achieving their goals?

It made her head pound. She felt useless. Steve was lying in hospital; he had yet to wake up. The multiple bullet wounds and extreme loss of blood slowing down the accelerated healing process of the super soldier. Nick was tying up a few loose ends and she knew that once Steve had been given the all clear, he'd be leaving the country to bring down what Zola had started. Coulson had his team of people, she knew that they'd take care of each other. Natasha was with Stark trying to track down Barton who'd gone underground during the fall of the Triskelion. His cover in Afghanistan had been blown – as it had turned out, they'd put him in the middle of a HYDRA base, go figure. She knew that the minute Natasha got a hit on Clint; she'd leave on an extraction mission and she wasn't oblivious to the fact that Natasha was also pulling up information on The Winter Soldier. She had no doubt that ever loyal Steve Rogers will let this matter go without getting to the bottom of it.

Then there was her. The only one without a plan. The only one without someone to go to. The only one with nothing ahead of her. And that broke her.

For the first time in the 31 years of her life that she remembered, she cried.

The sharp rattling on her door woke her up. Startled by the bright light entering her eyes, she groaned,lifting off the hardwood of her table as remnant memories of the night before came crashing over her. She eyed the empty bottle of alcohol and winced, pressing a hand to her forehead. Never again. Her eyes fell on the gun laying innocently, yet threateningly, inches away from her. Never again.

She picked up the bottle and gun, placing the bottle by her sink and chucking the gun in the draw of a desk by her front door before she cautiously peeked though her peep-hole before opening her door.

"Banner?" She asked confused.

The man shifted awkwardly.

"Rough night?" The man asked in reply, twiddling with the manila package in his hand. Evidently, she didn't look as collected as the man was used to seeing her. Running a hand through the knots in her tangled her, she grimaced.

"Could say that, I got friendly with a bottle of vodka." Maria replied, opening her door wider to let him in.

"Ah. Yes. Vodka is a good old friend of mine." He smiled self depreciatingly – and it was in that moment that Maria remembered how close Bruce Banner had come to putting a bullet through his mouth – she shuddered.

"Lesson learnt." She assured him in response to his poorly covered apprehensive gaze. Taking her word for it, he nodded.

"I'm afraid that I can't stay for long; you know how it is with the army constantly at your back. Or maybe you don't. And Tony gave me a time window, if I'm not back at the tower in the next fifteen minutes, he'll be sending an army of suits in search for me. But this is for you." He rambled gawkily as he handed her the package. "From Tony." He added, when he was met with her searching gaze.

Maria's eyes narrowed as she tentatively took the package from him. She shot him a glare wondering what it could possibly be, but Bruce just raised his arms in surrender.

"Don't shoot the messenger Agent. I'm just doing what I was told."

"He sent you on an errand job?" Ignoring the fact that she'd grimaced when he'd called her an agent. That word held no meaning anymore.

"Probably because it wouldn't look good if you put a bullet through a Stark Industries employee's head. Bad publicity and all; and Tony really hates dealing with legal." Maria held back the instinct to smirk back at his tease. It was true, if had it been a face that she didn't recognise compounded by the state she was in this morning; she wouldn't have hesitated in putting the intruder down.

"Give it a read." Bruce said softly as he walked back towards the door, his time window decreasing. "It was good seeing you … Maria."

With an affable nod shared between them, the scientist left.

Maria couldn't hide the fact the she was curious about the package the minute Bruce left, but the unpleasant feeling in her stomach had her rushing to the bathroom to clean herself up before proceeding with anything. Besides, anything to do with Stark required a full stomach to prevent any possible migraines it could will inevitably bring.

A couple hours later, fully freshened up and fed; Maria sat down with the heavy envelope. A sick sense of hesitation settled in her stomach as she pealed the seal. Tipping out the contents she eyed the identification badge and several electronic devices before picking up the letter. Her eyes skimmed the contents of the note before she let if flutter to the table from her hands as she stared unseeingly in shock.

She could really do with a glass of that vodka from last night right about now.

The minute she stepped inside Stark Tower using the personalised key card she was sent, she immediately wanted to turn around and leave. She was on her way out before a voice stopped her.

"Not leaving already are you Hill? I never took you for a cop out."

Maria took in a suffering breath before turning back around. "Stark." She greeted with a glare, but there was no real heat behind it – they both knew that. The insufferable man grinned at her but she couldn't bring herself to hate him for it. Not when he was offering her a new life. He was a man who'd had his eyes opened, a man given a second chance and he was offering her that same chance. A chance to do good, to make a difference.

"If you follow me, I'll take you to where your interview will be conducted." He said, walking towards the elevator. She watched him for a moment before realising that he was not going to turn around and wait for her, taking a leap of faith, she rushed behind him – gracefully, of course.

"I have an interview?" She questioned; the letter hadn't mentioned that.

"Obviously. No special treatment at Stark Industries Miss Hill." Stark informed. "Everyone gets hired fairly." But she was aware that they both knew that was bullshit. Tony Stark took no interest in the hiring of new staff; him even being here to guide her to what she presumed will be Human Resources was special treatment in itself. She ignored the stares that they were receiving as the employees gaped at the sight of their boss; evidently Tony didn't normally go strutting around the building despite what he liked others to believe.

They stopped just outside an office and Maria stood impassively as Tony turned around, his eyes full on compassion as he held out a hand to her. "I'm sorry about Nick." Maria regarded him for a minute, feeling guilt as she accepted his hand.

"Thank you, Stark." She replied, wondering over the enigma of a man. She knew that not even Romanoff had truly understood Tony Stark. Her first assessment of the billionaire for the Initiative had barely scratched the surface of his character. The infamous Natasha Romanoff had fallen for the façade that Tony Stark portrayed for everyone. She had been fooled by his selfish arrogant persona, that she hadn't noticed the depth in him and suddenly she realised why Banner was always so calm and accepting around the man. Maria felt a slight bit privileged to be able to see more of the man that millions of other people never had the chance to get a glimpse of.

With that, she walked into the room with her head held high, a smirk falling on her face as she eased into the leather chair, as she was strapped to a state of the art lie detector.

"Miss Potts-" The CEO looked up from her file and regarded the two people outside her office. The strawberry-blonde haired woman smiled elegantly as she stood up to greet them.

"Thank you Anita, that will be all." Pepper dismissed the assistant before she got another word in edgewise. The minute the brunette left the room, Pepper crossed the room and embraced Maria in a hug.

Maria stood rigidly, unsure of how to act before the woman peeled away as quickly as she latched on. "I'm sorry about Nick." Pepper echoed Tony's words, and Maria found herself nodding stupefied. Maria followed the woman's lead and took a seat opposite her.

"So how much did Tony tell you about your job?" Upon Maria's blank face, Pepper sighed heavily. "He didn't tell you anything did he? I told him that you should know what you were getting yourself into before you agreed. He is insufferable! He likes to surprise people; though he is rather terrible at it. He thought of a large rabbit as a surprise present for Christmas! Can you believe that?"

Maria let out a snort of amusement at her rant, which effectively stopped her. Pepper blushed at how she was presenting herself. Calmly collecting her cool, she tried again. "Sorry, he knows how to get under my skin. But, your job. The position that was available – or rather created – is as my personal assistant." Maria started. She couldn't believe that Tony Stark would trust her enough to allow her to work closely with the most important person in his life. "As you can imagine, Company PR has really started to become a problem in light of recent events, our investors are getting agitated about Iron Man, and after New York and Tony's ordeal with the Mandarin and paperwork is a never-ending pile! And I'm not too proud to admit when I need a helping hand – unlike Tony, so actually this couldn't have happened at a better time. Since you probably didn't know what you were getting into," Pepper rolled her eyes, "do you still want the job? It's time consuming; it will become your life. And you will have to deal with Tony."

Maria weighed the pros and cons in her mind. Time consuming. She liked the sound of that. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been her life 24/7; she needed something to replace that void.

"Do I have permission to put Stark in his place if he gets out of hand?" Maria asked in jest.

"By all means, yes! Please!" Pepper all but groaned in exasperation. Maria bit her lip to hold back a smile.

"Where do I sign?" Maria questioned, poker-faced.

Two Weeks Later

Maria walked into the Tower with a lighter heart on Saturday morning. Steve had been discharged yesterday and as suspected Nick had left for Europe this morning. That was another perk of working for Stark Industries, similar to the way that Levels of Clearance worked at S.H.I.E.L.D. Stark specified importance of safety for those who he worked closely with. Maria felt privileged to be included in that handful of people who were regarded as such. This benefits package came with transportation, her new privacy tinted Aston Martin One-77 was her pride and joy and it had made her job of smuggling Nick out to the borders an easy job. The machine had suitably awed Nick and she had refused to give him her ride when he'd all but begged her for it. She was not a fool to give away a 2 Million-Dollar car to a dead man. She smirked as she twirled the keys in her finger.

Maria was sure that Natasha had given Steve and Sam a file on Barnes, she suspected that the men were going to get their hands stuck in research and the Black Widow herself was set to fly out this evening. Stark had mentioned that they'd managed to track a lead to Barton in London. They were all headed in separate ways, and for the first time in weeks, Maria felt her heart lighten.

"What do you mean I can't go shopping with Maria?" She heard Pepper's voice talk in an indignant way that could only mean that she was conversing with Tony Stark. "One act of blowing up your suits and you think that I've softened up enough to let you tell me what I can do?"

"No I am not on my periods!" Maria winced; Stark was going to screw this one up completely. Maria had grown accustomed to the way that the two behaved in her short weeks here. They were like an old married couple, always squabbling, and in an odd way - it suited them. "Don't tell me to calm down. I won't need to calm down if you didn't feel the need to make unnecessary comments."

Feeling the need to step in and stop this from getting worse, "Is everything alright in here?" Maria asked.

Bruce, Tony and Pepper all turned around at her voice. Bruce and Tony looked palpably shocked at the sight of her. She frowned, confused.

"See! I told you that she would turn up." Maria's heart skipped a beat. Had they believed that she would let Pepper down? Did they believe her to be nothing more than an unfeeling bitch that everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. assumed her to be? She felt her anger rise in tangent to her hurt.

Years of training on the field had taught her to catch onto all conversations around her, so didn't miss it when Bruce softly commented to Tony, "Maybe that car's a lot faster than you thought it was."

What? Did they-? She mused. It wasn't possible. Could they-?

Unlike Bruce, Tony did not have a mouth and brain that were connected. "You sure have some kick ass driving skills Agent." Maria breathed in sharply, the hint not going amiss. Bruce kicked Tony, but the billionaire continued. "I hope you didn't pick up any speeding tickets along the way."

They knew. Of course they knew. She had stupidly let down her guard. Of course Tony Stark would place a tracker on her car, no one was that generous without having an ulterior motive. He wanted to keep his tabs on her, to know that he could trust her. She wouldn't be surprised if he also had JARVIS secretly installed. Which would mean that they knew.

Pepper looked between them, confused by the stalemate. Rolling her eyes and uttering a "Whatever," she picked up her handbag, "Come on Maria, I need some retail therapy."

Maria allowed Pepper to pull her away, but she couldn't help but turn back and look at the two men, despite her better judgement. But she was glad that she did. Because in that moment, a look of understanding passed between them. It would remain between them. Sharing a secretive smile, she paced quicker to walk alongside Pepper, exchanging pleasantries with the woman before actually becoming excited about their day out. It was a first for Maria. A first of many she an appreciative look around, she sighed, for the first time feeling content and happy. This was her life now.

And on that lift ride down, she couldn't help but smirk at a thought. Perhaps Tony would be willing to share the audio (or video – she wouldn't put it past him) clip of Nick Fury begging for the Aston Martin One-77.

Author's Note:

After watching Captain America: TWS and the aftermath on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; I haven't been able to get a bunch of plot bunnies out of my head. I've written a start to this story four different times but it just didn't work; or well, I was just unsatisfied. So I've decided to write a series of oneshots following all their lives after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s destruction. I didn't realise the depth of Maria's character until I watched her in the recent episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and looked her up. The events written back her back-story is actually canon, believe it or not, well I spiced it up with the abuse, but everything else is true. I think she's an interesting character who can be further explored, though all my oneshots will not be Maria-centric. It will feature all of the Avengers and those in the Marvel cinematic universe including Coulson and his team.

I am so curious about what Maria's actual job is at Stark Industries, but after hearing her talk to Pepper in the episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I figured that she must have been working closely with Pepper to call her by her nickname instead of "Miss Potts" like most SI employees. Hence why I have her working as Pepper's assistant.

I hope you liked this little oneshot. I am taking requests; so if you have a story you want to read, post it in the comment.