Maya loved a challenge.

As a therapist, pushy or aggressive people were interesting puzzles. Even people who remain silent about their lives or lied when faced with difficult questions were full of mystery. But, her favourite kind of challenge was different.

Quiet confidence.

And that was exactly what this man had. He was secretive, but made no attempt to hide behind lies. Obviously, he had some pull around here- Agents didn't bother to look up at you sometimes, and he just made one faint- but he didn't have even a hint of arrogance. His confidence was totally un-flashy.

Her brief encounter with him in Calcutta made her even more curious. There, she had been very interested in him- not romantically, she tried telling herself- but because he was an interesting sort of guy. But his presence- and status- at the helicarrier made it obvious that he wasn't just some cute guy she noticed. And that he hadn't been in Calcutta for a vacation. What had he been doing in India? Was he an agent? A soldier? A bureaucrat? She quickly ruled out those possibilities. He wouldn't be shopping at a grocery store if he was at such a high risk job. But what other job causes such a sudden change in location? She laughed to herself. She was one to ask, with her own residential status in permanent limbo.

She knew that her job was unique. Even a normal therapist finds it difficult to cope with other people's stress. And she handled the mind-numbingly complex issues of people working for S.H.I.E.L.D. She often wondered why she was offered this job. S.H.I.E.L.D must have found out everything about her before giving her an offer. Her academic record, her previous clients,her personal life- especially her background- must be known to them. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if they followed her everywhere for a year before trusting her. And it was surprising that they chose her. What was even more surprising was that she accepted their offer. But she enjoyed this most people, S.H.I.E.L.D's secrecy and tension-filled atmosphere didn't bother her at all. And she had handled several tricky cases with ease.

Agent Gunthur's brief about her latest assignment had been short. She wasn't going to be told anything about her guest, as per his explicit request. She shouldn't surprise him, push him, yell at him or even poke him unexpectedly, if she valued her life. Hearing his words, Maya had painted a picture of a boring, stiff war veteran, with a big belly and a bigger ego. But instead, it was this man, who was young and normal.

And ridiculously attractive.

Suddenly, being called to work in the middle of her vacation didn't seem so bad.

'So, Bruce, make yourself comfortable.'

Maya watched him carefully. Where a man- a person- chose to sit said a lot about him. The bean bag sitters were fun loving and adventurous, a sofa preference indicated a serious, academic type, the one who sat on the swivel chair across the desk were the ones who didn't want to be here. Maya pegged him for the swivel chair sort.

He looked around at the array of seats. Subtlely wrinkling his nose at the uncomfortable-looking swivel chair, he sat down on the bean bag.

Maya smiled. Who would have thought the serious looking man would surprise her so often? Well, now it was her turn to surprise sat down on a bean bag next to his. "So what's this I hear about you?" she asked him without preamble.

"What did you hear about me?" asked Bruce, looking panicked.

Maya laughed. "Nothing. That's the thing."

He relaxed at her words and gave a nervous chuckle. That was Maya's first clue. His secrets were personal. He wouldn't be nervous himself if someone else had revealed some national secret to her. Perhaps his secret made him self-conscious too. Some mistake he made in his previous assignment?

Bruce cleared his throat and started to speak."I'm sorry for the elaborate secrecy. I know it seems very pretentious, but its really for your own good. Not knowing anything-"he paused and amended-"Not knowing much about me will be helpful to your professional objectivity."

Maya listened to him and sighed inwardly. Every patient thought withholding information was for the therapist's good. How was she supposed to help anyone when they didn't talk about what was up with them? Its not like she didn't know people were capable of doing crap. One of her patients was a Secret Agent, who had fallen in love with Director Fury. A male Secret Agent. If she could keep her objectivity after that, there wasn't anything that could shake her.

"I totally agree with you, Bruce. You shouldn't tell me anything that would come in the way of my professionalism. I wish everyone was accommodating.'

"Thank you" he said, seeming very glad about her agreement. Little did he know, she planned to smother him with his need for silence.

"So, wanna watch The Sound of music?" she asked him.

'What?" His adorably confused face was making her giggle. She continued innocently-"The Sound of Music, you know, the old Julie Andrews movie? Do you want to watch it?" Bruce looked at her like she had suggested they braid each others hair. "But wha-why are we watching a movie now?"

Maya's replied without missing a beat."Movies are a great way to relax. The best kind of therapy. Plus, this way, you won't have to talk about anything at all." She was grinning internally."It's perfect for all your needs."

"But I-" Bruce started to say, but she cheerfully cut him off "Oh no, don't worry, I won't bother you at all. You just relax in peace"

Quickly, she turned on the huge TV and put on the movie, while Bruce was still trying to figure out why he got a silent reprieve. The movie started with a song. Maya looked at her watch. 3.07 pm

She estimated he would crack in fifteen minutes.

A/N: Thank you for all the love! Nearly a 1000 hits! Special thanks to missy126, LadyShadows410, Madame Tango, Applejax XD, Sandy-wmd, Graveofthefireflies, Monica and all the Guest reviewers :-D

How do you like Maya? She's more fiesty than Bruce.

Don't worry, Bruce is gonna be back. Or do you prefer Maya's POV? Post your opinions and reviews ;-)