Here's the next chapter!
I have some great ideas for some Maria bonding with some other characters. I'm really excited to write them!
Maria was exhausted. She tried not to let it show, because she knew everyone else would fawn over her. She didn't want people to be worrying about her health anymore- Steve and Natasha deserved attention.
But she felt sick, tired, and weak. Weaker than she cared to admit. And she was in pain. Her shattered ribs were a constant reminder of what she had been through and what she had lost. When Bucky would run out for errands, Maria would let her facade drop.
At the same time, Maria ached to return to SHIELD and command the base once more. She missed the constant activity of the headquarters and the steady stream of work for her to do. Now, Fury refused to let any paperwork come to her room. He was oddly protective of her now, insisting that she take one more week off. Then another. She had missed several months of work now. It had taken them a week or two to find the HYDRA base, and since she had gotten injured she had been in the hospital for a month and a couple weeks.
Maria had pushed the thought of children out of her mind. Every time the issue threatened to surface, Maria shoved it deeper and deeper. She didn't want to think about it. She didn't need to. She was never going to get married. She never even wanted children. They were a liability. It was dangerous, both for the parents and the kids. They could be taken for ransom. It wouldn't have been fair. Maria had always thought that children would never even be a possibility.
On top of that, Bucky was in love with her.
Maria had never thought that someone would fall in love with the 'ice queen' of SHIELD. She had resigned herself to the life of a single woman. That was why she had declined Bucky's declaration of love. She wasn't ready for a serious relationship.
Right now, she just wanted a guy who would keep her centered. And Bucky was willing to do that, and Maria appreciated his company. He was a sweet guy. Gentle. Nothing like the ruthless soldier she had expected.
And the fact that Maria liked being with him scared her.
The next day, Maria was discharged from the hospital. It was a week since Tony had finished her floor and Bucky's, and he had taken all of her stuff from her flat. Maria didn't really appreciate that fact- she would have liked to say goodbye to her apartment, no matter how little she was actually in there. But she was in no condition to travel halfway across Manhattan to visit an apartment. So she let it go.
Bucky insisted on putting her in a wheelchair. Her other option that he had given her was to be carried.
Maria drew the line there. She was not going to embarrass herself like that in front of Tony Stark. It wasn't going to happen.
They encountered no one on the way up to their new floors. Maria got the feeling that Pepper had warned everyone away. Maria and Bucky went into the elevator.
"Your floor first." Maria said. "I want to see it." Bucky shrugged and pushed the button labeled 'Bucky'. The elevator moved up. Maria could feel a headache building in her temples and rubbed them as discreetly as possible. Her ribs still ached, and her throat felt very, very small.
Bucky wheeled her out of the elevator once the doors opened. Maria couldn't help but be amazed at the decorations. It was perfect for Bucky- slightly modern appliances, smooth, furniture, and nice colors. The room was brightly lit.
They went down the hall, peeking in every doorway. A large white bed in one, a kitchen and dining room in another. A gym.
Maria gasped when they entered a magnificent ballroom, complete with a gorgeous chandelier and smooth marble floors. Pictures were on the wall. Maria found them oddly familiar. Some of them had the team in them, others didn't.
"Are those from my apartment?" she asked suspiciously. As soon as she said it, she knew that they were. The Tower of London. The Majestic Theater, where the team had seen Phantom of the Opera. Central Park. A black-and-white picture of each of the Avengers and their girlfriends, plus Marie-Grace, and then one picture Maria hadn't seen before-
"I took that." Bucky said awkwardly. "The others are yours." It was a picture of Maria, a book in hand, sitting with her back against a tree. "It was while we were looking for Nat. If you don't like it, I can take it down. Get another one."
"No, it's okay. I'm just surprised you could take it without me hearing you."
"It's a silent shutter."
"You know, I never learned to dance." Maria commented. "My father-" she stopped, and started again. "I didn't have the opportunity to learn when I was a kid. Straight from High School to the Marines. They don't teach dance there."
"I'll teach you." Bucky blurted. "Later. Not when you're so sick."
Maria's floor was after that. She found the blues soothing, and she was fond of the color. The furniture here was dark and rich, with splashes of green and blue. Maria liked it immediately. It reminded her somewhat of her apartment.
Pictures were everywhere on her floor. And they were all hers, except for some Pepper must have slipped in. The ones that weren't hers had Maria in it. Maria and Wanda at Clint's farm. Maria at Phantom of the Opera. A picture of Maria taking a picture.
"Left handed?" Bucky said, surprised.
"Yes. Natasha injured my right and I decided left handed was easier for me." Maria said. "It's been okay- I've gotten used to it." Bucky looked impressed.
They walked into the theater. The seats were dark, traditional ruby red and the projector was on an elevated platform in the back. There were racks upon racks of movies in a side room, a few of Maria's favorites displayed prominently on one of the shelves.
"Have you seen It's a Wonderful Life?" Bucky asked her as he wheeled her back outside. Maria shook her head. She was having a hard time focusing on their conversation. Her chest hurt and she could feel a coughing fit coming on.
"No." Maria said shortly. "Listen, Bucky, I'm tired. Why don't you get settled into your floor and you can come back in a couple hours?"
Bucky looked a little hurt, but he steered her to her bedroom and stood awkwardly in the door.
"Need help getting into bed, changing clothes, or anything else?" he asked. Maria shook her head. "Alright, then. Sweet dreams, Maria. Call me if you need me." Maria smiled at him and motioned for him to leave.
Once he did, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Three hours later, Bucky went back up to Maria's floor to get her for dinner. He had been a little hurt by her quick dismissal. For once, Bucky thought they could have a normal conversation without worrying about her health. But now he knew that she really wasn't well at all.
She had been sick enough to dismiss him instead of fighting through.
When he arrived on Maria's floor, the elevator opened and he stepped out. It was quiet. Peaceful. Bucky could get used to the silence of the Avengers Tower. It was nice. He ghosted through all of the rooms, saving her bedroom for last.
He entered and found Maria curled up in a ball in the center of her bed, her eyes tightly closed and her chest rising and falling steadily. She was asleep. Bucky didn't want to wake her up. She looked peaceful. Sleeping was the only time that she looked calm. When she was awake now, there were creases between her eyebrows.
"Maria." he whispered. He knelt by the side of the bed. Bucky reached out and shook her. She bolted upright. When she saw it was him, she relaxed a little.
"How long did I sleep?"
"At most three hours." Bucky told her. Maria rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Do you want me to take you down for dinner?" Maria glanced at him, her brow furrowed.
"What do you mean? Wheelchair or walk? Or are my choices wheelchair or get carried?" she teased. Bucky frowned at her.
"You're not walking, Maria." he said stonily. "You're in pain right now. I don't want you to hurt yourself further by moving on your own." Maria glared at him.
"Don't treat me like a child, Bucky. I can walk." she said icily. Bucky frowned at her. "I need to start moving on my own. I've been lying around in a hospital bed for at least a month." Bucky shook his head.
"Maria, if you start moving too early, you could break something again. I don't want you end up in the hospital again, because then I would have to sleep in the corner." Bucky said, his voice softening a little bit.
"You don't have to stay with me all the time." Maria said. "I'm walking, like it or not, Bucky." She got up slowly.
She walked normally. As normally as possible, with confident strides. Bucky watched her carefully. It didn't look like she had just shattered some ribs and had a surgery. But he had gotten to know Maria quite well- and she was not feeling well.
"Don't fool yourself, Maria. You're hurting." he said. Maria whirled to face him.
"I'm fine, Bucky." she snapped.
Sorry it took so long.
I was thinking that I might make Maria's recovery and the wedding in a separate story. Long stories tend to make people not read them if they have five minutes. I know that from experience. What do you think?
It was also brought to my attention that adoption would be an option, both for Steve & Nat and Maria & Bucky (if they were to get together). The reason why neither pair considered that option is for safety. Any child of Maria's, Steve's, Nat's, Bucky's, or any of the Avenger's could be used to lure them out. It could result in the death of the child, and Maria (and Nat) don't really want to take that risk. Steve and Bucky are neutral on that subject.
On the other hand, I was thinking that Steve and Natasha were Marie-Grace's godparents. Good idea, or not really?