It's late Sunday, but it's still the weekend, so I'm still on schedule. Yeah! I have some free time this week, so maybe I'll be able to get a little bit ahead on the next few updates. Of course, when I do that, I have a hard time making myself wait to post, because I'm excited to see what other people think about what I wrote. I love reading your reviews and would do a happy dance for each one, but the cat would die laughing if she saw me trying to dance and the kids would roll their eyes. And I'd probably sprain something.
MBrabs 1996: Thank you. Glad you're enjoying. I really like this pairing, too and I'm also enjoying your story.
Qweb: Glad you liked. I'm having fun with this oddball little family.
Sandy-wmd: Honestly, the MASH thing kind of snuck up on me, too. It wasn't planned when I started writing that chapter. I hadn't really stopped to think about the Howard age thing, but you're right. The numbers don't really add up. Oh, well.
LoverofDogs94: (Bow deeply) Thank you so much. Your kind words really touched me. I'm honored.
All For Jesus: I should probably apologize for keeping you up late, but I won't. I'm glad you liked.
nightmoon1024: 'Ohana' I like that. Exactly the mood I was looking for.
Loki'sArmy0602: Glad you liked. Next chapter ready for inspection!
kali rogers: Thank you. I'm glad the part with Tony and Maria worked. I'm trying to show a bit of his more sincere, less annoying side.
Red Fedora: Yep. Thought that Fury and Furry...um Cat...would hit it off.
Grissbella De Salvatore: Welcome to my little fantasy world. Thank you for your kind comments.
And as always, thanks for the reviews and the new faves and follows. You're the butter on my popcorn. I hope this next chapter lives up to expectations.
Stroll 14
The Potts/Stark nuptials were, of course, the social event of the century. Or decade. Or year. Or season. Or week. Take your pick. Everyone who was anyone was there. Many who weren't there felt the need to re-examine their social status.
In spite of concentrated efforts to keep the event relatively small, they still ended up with several hundred people on the guest list. For the most part, the Avengers simply blended into the crowd, happy to support their friends and allow the media to focus their attention on Tony and Pepper.
One of the local gossip rags, though, did run a photo spread under the headline, "More Avenger Love Matches?" It included photos of Thor and Jane, Steve and Bruce, Natasha and Phil, and Clint and Maria. They all got a good laugh out of it.
Finally, though, the event was over, the papers signed, and the happy couple off honeymooning in an undisclosed location. Before things could settle back into a normal routine, SHIELD once again found itself in the midst of overlapping crises, barely putting out one fire in one corner of the globe before another was flaring up elsewhere. Fury found himself living off of coffee and headache medicine, trying to keep up with who was where dealing with what.
Finally, after several weeks, things finally started settling down, or at least returning to a normally manageable level, and Maria found herself in Nick's office being ordered to take a couple of days off.
"Captain Rogers reported back a few hours ago and I gave him the same order," he told her. "I don't want to see either one of you on the base until I tell you otherwise. Spend some time together. Do things that normal people do."
"Like go out to dinner?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe not," he amended. "Normal doesn't seem to work very well for you, does it, Hill?" He considered. "Maybe you should just hang out at the tower, though you'll probably end up with fleas from those strays you've taken in."
"They don't have fleas," Maria protested. "Besides, the newlyweds took Calista and Brody with them, so it's just Bucky, Katya, and Cat at the tower right now."
"Who takes care of them when you're all working?" Fury questioned.
"There's a small live in staff. Claire and Maxwell keep everything running and make sure the menagerie is fed and watered and exercised every day. Plus, Bruce is there, and Bucky seems to have made it his responsibility to get him out of the lab occasionally when Betty's not there to do it," she told him with a smile.
"And that beast of yours?"
She shrugged. "I think he puts up with me only because he can't open the bag of cheesy treats by himself." A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she thought about the tough old tom cat curling up in her lap, purring softly.
"So go be the provider of cheesy treats," he told her, shooing her towards the door.
"And when are you going to take time off?" she asked. "I'm sure Charlotte would enjoy spending some time with you."
As always, the thought of his wife brought a smile to his face. "We'll plan something when you get back from your break," he told her.
"It had better be good," Maria warned as she headed out the door.
XXXXX
Maria arrived back at the tower several hours later, bags of Chinese takeout in hand. Entering the elevator, she questioned the AI.
"JARVIS? Is Captain Rogers here?"
"Captain Rogers and Dr. Banner are in the common living area," she was told.
"Common area it is," she directed.
"Yes, Agent Hill."
When the doors opened, she stepped out, dropping her duffel bag as she headed towards the two men on the sofa. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything," she commented.
Both men stood, Steve relieving her of the bags as he leaned in for a kiss. "Nope. Just discussing our experiences with culture shock," he told her. She leaned down to pat the two dogs who had come to greet her, then grinned at the black cat, happily shedding on the white sofa.
"Of course, Steve has me beat by a long shot," Bruce told her.
"Nevertheless, I'm sure you had plenty after all your experiences in the slums of Calcutta," she answered.
He looked at her questioningly. "SHIELD was monitoring what I was doing there?"
Maria raised her eyebrow. "Does that question really need an answer?"
"I kind of wondered if that was why I seemed to be able to get supplies in when others couldn't."
She shrugged. "It wasn't easy sometimes, but it kept you happy and helped some people along the way."
"Agent Hill," a voice called behind them. They turned to find Claire holding out a glass of wine. Maria took it, nodding her thanks. "So it was your turn to be banned from the base?" When the agent looked at her curiously, the woman continued. "Agent Coulson was here earlier in the week. He said that Director Fury was ordering mandatory time off."
"Yes, Captain Rogers and I have both been banished until further notice."
"So, are Agents Romanoff and Barton likely to be showing up soon?"
"Doubtful," Maria answered. "Since she had just wrapped up something in Sao Paulo and he was almost finished with something in Rio de Janeiro, the Director told them to serve out their banishment there."
"I doubt they needed much convincing for that," Bruce commented with a grin.
"Would you like me to set the table in the kitchen or would you prefer to eat here?" Claire asked, nodding towards the takeout bags.
"Whatever would be easiest on you," Steve told her.
"Have a seat," she replied, motioning them down. "I'll bring everything in here."
"Just for two," Bruce told her.
Maria sank to the plush carpet, leaning her back against the sofa. She looked up at Bruce. "You're more than welcome to join us. I picked up plenty of food."
"Thank you," he told her, glancing at his watch, "But Betty's in DC and we have a Skype date set up in about 5 minutes.
"Sounds much better than takeout with us," Maria answered, waving him off. "Go. Don't want to be late for Dr. Ross."
"Not that we're trying to get rid of you, Bruce," Steve assured him.
"But leave us alone," Bruce laughed, heading towards the elevator.
When the housekeeper and her husband returned, Steve and Maria both hurried to relieve them of the dishes they were carrying, quickly getting the meal spread out on the low coffee table.
"Just have JARVIS let us know you're finished and we'll get everything cleaned up."
"That won't be necessary," Steve assure her. "We can clean up after ourselves."
"Yes, you can," the man told him, "but it's what we get paid for. And with everyone traveling so much, we don't really feel like we're earning our paychecks."
"But when we are here," Maria responded, "you more than earn them."
After the couple left, Maria and Steve enjoyed their meal in silence. As always, she marveled at the amount of food the man could put away. When they finished, they stacked the dishes and empty containers together and leaned back against the sofa, arms around each other. Bucky rested his head in Steve's lap while Katya stretched herself out next to Maria. Cat took a position on the cushion behind them, his tail flicking occasionally to tickle Maria's neck.
"Any ideas on what to do with our time off?" she asked, looking up at him.
"I was thinking a hike might be nice," he told her, "if you think you're up"
She sat up, clapping a hand over his mouth before he could finish. "Don't say it. I'm feeling fine, Steve. Bruce, Charlotte, and the doctors at SHIELD have all given me a clean bill of health and I've been back on full, unrestricted duty for weeks now."
He pulled her hand from his mouth, smiling sheepishly. "I know. I just worry about you, because I...care about you so much."
Deciding not to ponder his pause, she continued. "Where were you planning on hiking?"
"There's a state park a couple of hours from here. I figured we could get an early start, spend the day on the trails. Maybe take Bucky along," he added, scratching the dog's head. The mutt barked happily, rising to lick his master on the face.
"That sounds like a great idea." She reached over, running her hand along Katya's back. "Would you be okay with taking her along, too? If it's okay with Nat?"
When he agreed, she picked up her phone and dialed the assassin.
"If this is SHIELD business, we're not here to take your call," came the voice over the phone.
"As of this afternoon, I'm not allowed to conduct SHIELD business until notified otherwise," Maria replied.
"Good." In the background, she could hear a masculine moan, then Natasha gasped slightly. "What can I do for you?"
"Sounds like you and Clint are enjoying Brazil," Maria grinned.
"Massage," the red head answered breathily.
'The internal type,' the agent thought. Steve apparently had the same thought, if his blush was any indication.
"Just wondering about taking Katya on a hike with us tomorrow."
After a long pause and another soft moan, Nat replied. "Sure. Have fun."
"You, too," Maria answered. "Talk to you later."
"Yeah. Later." The call disconnected, but not before they heard a loud 'YES!'
In Brazil, Clint looked at the woman lying beneath him. He reached down, gently pushing a lock of red hair off her forehead. "You know, you don't have to answer the phone just because it rings."
"It would be kind of silly to answer it when it doesn't ring," she retorted, running her hands down his well muscled chest.
"Good point," he answered, "but not what I meant."
"I know, but habits are hard to break." She kissed him.
"I guess I'll just have to work harder to distract you," he grinned.
Maria looked up at Steve to find him gazing out the window, the red flush slowly fading from his cheeks. "I'm sure she was just playacting," she assured him.
"You think so?" he asked, almost hopefully.
She started to answer, then shook her head. "No. They were probably having sex."
"That's what I thought." After an uncomfortable silence, he continued. "We should probably get everything cleaned up and get to bed so we can get an early start tomorrow." He rose smoothly to his feet, pulling her up to join him.
The next morning, they were up early, got their bags packed, and hit the road. Bucky and Katya sat in the backseat, happily watching the world fly past their windows. Maria pulled out her mobile, figuring to spend the ride taking care of some items in her inbox.
The first e-mail, though, put the kibosh on that. She laughed, then read it out loud to Steve.
"Hill.
Clearly, you need to look up the meaning of the term 'time off.' I have taken the step of having you blocked from accessing your mailbox until I decide your vacation is over. You will still receive text messages, but only from certain, select individuals. The same with your phone calls. I will inform you when this block has been removed. Until then, you'd damn well better enjoy yourself."
"Seems he knows you well," Steve told her.
She tucked the phone away and the two spent the ride commenting on the scenery and discussing possible activities for the remainder of their forced vacation. When they arrived at the park, they paid the entrance fee and stepped inside to pick up some maps and informational brochures about the flora and fauna of the area.
"Where is the best trail to the waterfall?" Steve asked the park employee.
The man took their map and pointed it out, circling the best area to park. "It's one of the more difficult trails, though," he warned.
Maria patted Steve's shoulder. "Don't worry. He's tougher than he looks."
The man started to respond, but stopped when Steve shook his head in warning. "She'll keep a close eye on me," he answered.
When they arrived at the closest parking area, they double checked their backpacks, leashed the dogs, and headed for the trail head. Passing through the picnic area, Steve smiled, watching several family groups playing happily. Maria studied him, chewing on her lower lip.
At the beginning of the trail, they unfastened the leashes, reminding the dogs to stay close as they started up the path.
"You specifically asked about the falls. Have you been here before?" Maria asked curiously.
"A long time ago," he answered. "Back when we were in the orphanage, one of the local church groups loaded up a bus with a bunch of the kids and brought us out here to experience nature. Of course, I couldn't go hiking with them. I stayed in the picnic area, sketching and helping watch the younger kids."
"How old were you when you went to the orphanage?" she asked.
"I was 12 when my mom died," he told her.
She reached for his hand. "I'm sorry." He smiled, squeezing her hand.
After several minutes of silence, she continued. "So it had just been you and your mom?"
"Yeah. My dad died when I was just a few months old. An accident down at the docks where he worked. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes took us in."
"Bucky's parents?"
Steve nodded. "They owned a little diner in the neighborhood and hired my mother on as a waitress and let us live upstairs. They couldn't pay very much, but having a place to live and meals from the diner helped. Most of what she earned went towards my medical expenses. I got sick so much. The doctor was very kind and would let her work in his office, cleaning or filing, to pay for his service, and he gave us some of the medications...samples, he told her. But when I had to go in the hospital or needed special medicines, that took money."
They continued their walk, the path becoming steeper and more difficult. The dogs seemed to be enjoying themselves, running ahead, then returning, occasionally plunging into growth beside the trail to follow some intriguing scent. The two humans stopped from time to time to examine and interesting plant or just to enjoy the quiet sounds of the woods.
"When I was 9, there was a fire in the diner. My mom got Bucky and I out. Mr. Barnes went back for his wife and daughter. They didn't make it out."
Maria shivered. Fire was one of the nightmares that still gave her pause. Steve ran a hand lightly down her back, his gentle touch expressing his understanding.
"That was when your mother took Bucky in?"
Steve nodded. "He didn't have any family and he and I considered ourselves brothers anyway. We had nothing but the clothes on our back and each other."
"What did your mom do?"
"The pastor at a local church took us in. He moved into his office in the church and let us live in the parsonage. Mom cleaned the church and fixed his meals until she finally found another waitressing job and found an apartment she could almost afford. Bucky and I prowled the neighborhood, begging for small jobs. Of course, he ended up doing most of those, but I did what I could around the apartment to make things easier on them. Cooking, laundry, budgeting."
"Must have been tough."
He shrugged. "We managed. Until she got sick. It started with a cough that she just couldn't shake. Of course, they didn't want her working around food like that, so she started taking in laundry and sewing for some of the neighbors. She just kept getting weaker and weaker until she couldn't even get out of bed. Bucky and I did our best, but we couldn't make enough to pay the rent and the landlord had to evict us. When he saw how sick she was, he called for an ambulance to take her to the hospital. They had the police come and take us to the orphanage, just until she got better."
"But she didn't get better."
He shook his head. "No. She didn't. The last time we saw her was when they loaded her into the ambulance."
She squeezed his hand sympathetically again.
"At least, Bucky and I still had each other. He made sure that no one picked on me, sat up with me when I was sick, and I helped him with his school work. When we finished school, we got a place together. He joined the army. I tried, but was turned down. Got a scholarship to art school. You pretty much know the rest."
"Your mom sounds like a pretty amazing lady," she commented.
"She was," he agreed.
They continued walking in silence for a while. He finally broke it. "So that's my story. What about you, Maria? Were you a city girl or are you used to places like this?"
She moved ahead of him. "I think I hear water. We must be getting close to the falls."
After several more minutes, the trees thinned out and they stepped into a large clearing. In front of them, water tumbled down a cliff into a large pool. The two dogs looked at them hopefully.
"Go!" Maria told them, making a hand motion to release them. She and Steve laughed as both animals took off full speed, running from one end of the clearing to the other, barking playfully.
While she spread out the picnic lunch that they had prepared that morning, Steve fixed food and water for the animals. Once the meal had been consumed and trash stored away, Steve pulled out his sketch pad and pencils while Maria sat cross legged on the blanket watching Katya and Bucky play in the water.
"Inner city Chicago," she finally said.
He glanced up, but didn't say anything, figuring she'd reveal what she wanted in her own time.
"My mother died when I was born. Post-partum complications. My father never missed an opportunity to tell me that the wrong person died that day."
Steve clenched his jaw, unable to imagine that someone could actually say that to a child.
"He was an airplane mechanic and he used to take me to the airport when he was working. That's when I decided I wanted to learn to fly. Used to hang around and listen to the pilots talking. One of the guys would let me sit in the cockpit, showed me some of the basics. When I got a little older, he started leaving me at home by myself. I was supposed to have dinner waiting for him when he got home, but I never knew when he'd get home, because he liked to stop by the bar for a few drinks after work."
She looked over at Steve. His head was bent over his pad, his focus on his work, so she continued.
"I finally decided it was better if I wasn't there when he came home. I started hanging out with the 'tough kids' at the park. By the time I'd get back to our apartment, he was usually passed out in front of the television."
"Not a very attentive father, was he?"
"We rarely interacted," she confirmed. "Every couple of weekends, he'd drag me out of bed, give me some money, and tell me to go get groceries then clean up the apartment, then he'd slap me around until he passed out again."
"But you had your friends?"
"I wouldn't call them friends. We just got in trouble together because none of us had anyone else that wanted us."
"What kind of trouble?" Steve asked.
She shrugged. "The usual trouble the bad kids got into. I smoked. A little pot, but mostly just cigarettes. Drank." She took a deep breath. Time to confess the worst. "Got pregnant."
Steve didn't look up, but she noted his sudden stillness.
Finally, he cleared his throat. "How old were you?"
"Fourteen."
"How did your father take that?"
"He kicked me out. Said that it was bad enough that he had to support me, he wasn't going to support my bastard kid, too. If I was going to let some guy in my pants, he could take care of me."
"So what about the father?"
She shrugged, staring off into the distance. "I'm not even sure who that was. Like I said, I drank a lot and just did whatever I had to to fit in."
"What did you do?"
"Lived on the streets," she told him. "Slept in the alleys, begged for money or ate out of the garbage cans. Stole sometimes."
Steve put his art supplies down and moved to her side.
"One night, the cops were chasing a bunch of us out of the bus station and I passed out. I was dehydrated and malnourished and spent about a week in the hospital. When I got out, they had a spot for me in one of those homes for unwed teens."
He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers.
"The woman that ran the place was retired military. Tough and smart. Didn't take any nonsense." She smiled. "Kind of like Margaret Pierce. She told me that I was too smart to just keep drifting along, that I needed to make a plan for my life, set some tough goals."
"What did you come up with?"
"I decided that I was going to not only finish high school by the time I was 18, I wanted to have a college degree, too, then I was going to join the military." She paused for a moment. "I didn't quite make it. I was still a few credits short of my degree, but since I had my pilot's license, I decided to be satisfied with that."
"Then the military?"
"Then the military. Figured to make a career of that, but life had other plans. SHIELD is probably a better fit for me, anyway," she told him.
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand.
"And the baby?"
She looked down at their joined hands. "I had a strong, healthy baby boy. He had big blue eyes and a headful of curly, dark hair. And I gave him up for adoption when he was 2 days old."
She finally looked up, meeting his eyes. "I understand if you hate me."
He looked at her, confusion evident on his face. "Why would I hate you?"
"Because your mother sacrificed so much for you, and I took the easy way out, walking away from my own child."
Steve shook his head. "That was an entirely different situation. My mother was an adult who wanted a child with her husband. Her situation changed and she had to adjust. You were just a child, Maria. You had very little education, no home, no job. What kind of life could you have given your child?"
She shrugged and he put a finger under her chin, lifting her face to look him in the eye. "It sounds like you made the best possible decision for both of you. Chances are good that you would have had to live in extreme poverty. You're smart and strong and determined and you probably would have still come out on top, but it would have been so much harder for both of you."
He considered for a moment. "What did you do after the baby was born? Did you go back to your father?"
She shook her head. "He had picked up and moved. They never did find him. The woman that ran the home took me in, put me in touch with some people who could help me reach my goals. She found a school that let me work at my own pace, so I got my high school diploma in about a year and a half, took some dual credit courses so that I had a start on my degree. I got some part time work at an aircraft hangar, trading labor for flying lessons."
"You wouldn't have been able to do all that with a baby, would you?"
"Doubtful," she admitted.
"And I assume you didn't just hand him off to someone on a street corner?" At her confused look, he continued. "You went through an agency or something, right? They checked the adoptive parents out? A married couple, probably, with stable backgrounds and finances? Probably been wanting a child for a long time?"
"Yeah."
"I know that that doesn't guarantee anything, but the chances are good that they have given a good life."
"Probably."
"But you still wonder sometimes, don't you?"
"I do," she acknowledged. "Not that I have any regrets or doubts that what I did was best for him...but I do wonder about him sometimes."
"Have you done anything about that? Checked up on him?"
She shook her head. "With the work I do now, I figure that it's safest for him and his family if there is no connection whatsoever between us."
"Good point."
"I think that Nick keeps tabs on him, though. He's never said anything specific, but I know that he has a network that tracks information about a number of different people for different reasons. Some, due to possible threats, some for their own safety."
"Does Coulson know, too?"
"He does. They're the only ones I've ever discussed him with. Charlotte probably knows, since it's in my medical record, but she's never mentioned it."
"Thanks for trusting me," he told her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap.
"Thank you for helping me trust," she answered snuggling her head under his chin. They sat like that for several minutes, until the dogs wandered over. Bucky pushed his head under Steve's arm, offering comfort as Katya stood alertly nearby, prepared to guard against any intrusion on her pack. Maria laughed as he nuzzled her face, reaching out an arm to draw the rottweiler into their circle.
"Going to be fun riding home with a couple of wet dogs," Steve laughed.
Maria got up, reaching into her backpack for a ball they had brought along. "Maybe some running will help dry them off." She spent a good amount of time throwing the ball for them to chase while Steve returned to his sketching.
Finally, he looked at his watch. "We probably need to head back down so we can make it to the car before dark," he told her reluctantly.
She agreed with a sigh and they packed up, each making a final turn around their picnic area to make sure that nothing had been left behind. They got back to the parking area just in time to watch the sunset across the lake.
Before getting into the car, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply. "You're really okay with everything I told you?" she asked.
"I'm really okay with it," he told her.
They were in the car heading back to the tower when Maria's phone rang.
"Fury," she told Steve, automatically moving into work mode.
"Hill," she answered.
"Sorry to cut your time off short, but I need you back at headquarters immediately."
"Rogers, too?" she asked, her eyes drifting to the man behind the wheel.
"Rogers, too," he confirmed.
"Do we have time to swing by the tower?" she asked.
"Did I not say 'immediately' Agent Hill?"
'Headquarters,' she mouthed to Steve. He nodded.
"We're about 30 minutes out, but we have two dogs with us," she explained.
"Hold on," he replied. Moments later, he returned to the line. "Heinrich says he has room in the kennels for them. He'll have someone waiting to collect them when you arrive."
"Yes, sir. On our way."
She ended the call with a sigh and turned to Steve.
"It was nice while it lasted," he commented, reaching over to take her hand.
"It certainly was," she agreed.
Another fairly long one. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I'd appreciate knowing what you thought. I realized I hadn't gone much into the background I've had in my head for this storyline, so I thought I'd let you in on it. I hope you find it beliebable. Oh, and just so you know, if a certain revelation suprised you, you should know that it kind of suprised me, too. When I started this chapter, Maria's little secret wasn't in the plan. It just kind of popped up. As always, I love reviews. Please let me know your thoughts.