Her training goes smoothly. The uniform she wears during it is baggy enough that no one can tell what's going on with her. Every spar she enters, every training sequence, she pushes herself so hard. She shows so much promise to her superiors for it, but honestly, she's just trying to keep her daughter safe.

She apses with flying colors, and she gets put in surveillance first. She gets to dress as a civilian and tail people watch their interests and keep them safe and in watch. She pretends to wear a baby bump and pose and a glowing pregnant woman on these missions, and her partner often tries to plays father to be, though Maria always introduces him as her brother-in-law, not her husband, because this man didn't put those rings on her finger, even if the one who did probably never wants to see her again.

All her missions are successes, because Maria is well aware of what will happen if she fails. People will start questioning her and her methods, they'll pull her out of SHIELD so fast she goes into pre-term labor, or worse, she'll lose her daughter and never forgive herself.

Her and her partner get a new mission, their biggest one yet, handed to them in a hotel lobby. They sit in her room and read over the briefs, discuss plans and prepare themselves. There's a weapons cache being smuggled on a cruise ship, but SHIELD doesn't want the weapons or the smugglers, they want the guy in charge of all of this. Her partner supposes because the man presents a threat to world safety, but Maria has a feeling this is more about what power this man holds, and how SHIELD can use it, though she doesn't say anything at all.

It gets late, and Maria wishes her partner a goodnight and opens the door for him, but he doesn't leave and sits on her bed. She stares at him blankly, refusing to believe he's really trying to pull this, but as soon as he opens his mouth, she glares.

"Maria, take the pregnancy belly off, and let's have some fun," he puts, unbuttoning his shirt. "Get the adrenaline rushing before the mission." His shirt falls onto the bed behind him, and he does his best to make removing his belt look attractive. "These past few months, don't tell me you haven't.. felt the tension." His pants are around his knees, he's grinning at her, trying to catch her.

But Maria pulls out the gun in her thigh holster and aims it right at his groin. "If you want to keep those, I suggest you leave now. I will shoot you and blow our cover."

He doesn't move until she clicks off the safety, and then he scrambles to put his pants back on. He doesn't bother with the shirt, and Maria keeps the gun on him until he's out the door and she can lock the door behind him.

Once she hears his footsteps soften down the hall, she slips her gun back into her holster and rubs a hand against her belly. "Princess, I am so sorry you had to hear that." Maria is hopeful her daughter will never subconsciously remember this, but hope has a way of throwing up all over her shoes.