At three key moments of Maria's life, an invasive and overpowering sound reverberated inside her head. Every other sound by comparison sounded muffled and foreign, while her own heartbeat pulsated so loudly, it felt like a timpani drum. Then, a distant, tinny whine would gradually build, its shrillness enough to make you wince in pain as the rest of the world slowly came back into focus. The first time she had heard it was when she arrived in this world. The second time was after the explosion in Baghdad that earned her her Silver Star and got the attention of Nicholas J. Fury and the board of directors at S.H.I.E.L.D. The third was when she woke up less than a week ago in the middle the street in New York's Upper East Side, thrust into the middle of worldwide chaos as she and half the planet returned miraculously from a five-year death.

Now she was hearing it again, and she wondered in horror if perhaps this traumatic sound had become so commonplace that she was growing numb to its effects. The shrill, dissonant tones grew stronger as a muffled voice started to sound clearer.

"Maria? ...Maria!"

And then, just like that, the symphonic storm subsided. All she could hear was the soft chatter of voices surrounding her and the gentle rustling of wind through the trees.

"Maria? Did I lose you there?" he asked again.

She blinked, forcing herself to look back at the inquirer. She felt her heart plummet into her stomach again as she saw his concerned expression that she knew all too well by this point. "Yeah, sorry," she apologized to Steve Rogers. She then openly lied, "I don't know what happened," even though she knew exactly what had set this response in motion.

A sad smile formed at the corner of his mouth. "Hey, we've all been through a lot. No need to apologize. None of this," he said, motioning to the people around them, "Is normal."

Together, they regarded the bizarre yet moving scene before them; a truly astounding assemblage of humans, superhumans, creatures, and aliens had joined together to honor the legacy of the man who had saved the galaxy and Maria's former employer, Tony Stark. His widow and the daughter he left behind had gone inside their home with close friends and those wishing to pay personal respects. Meanwhile outside in various places around the Stark's enormous expanse of land, his mourners had broken off into smaller circles, talking about the man they were there to mourn, the battle they had all just survived, and asking harrowing questions of what was yet to come now that it was all over. Maria spotted Clint and Wanda talking together by the shore where they had set Tony's very first arc reactor adrift in his memory moments earlier. Stephen Strange had accompanied King T'Challa and the Wakandan royal family towards a clearing in the woods, helping to send them back home via his inexplicable, reality-defying teleportation portals. The two boys, Peter and Harley, who had both been particularly distressed at Tony's death, found a temporary reprieve from their grief while sharing wide-eyed glances of awe with one another at the talking tree who was presently having a very one-sided yet heartfelt conversation with them in a language they couldn't understand.

Maria felt overwhelmed by it all, gazing at the many lives before her — both the people who had lived five uncertain years and the people who blipped out of the universe for what felt no longer than one second. She suddenly felt nauseous again, remembering what Steve had just told her that had sent her spiraling.

She looked back at him, jaw set. "So it's decided then."

"What?" he asked.

"You're taking the Stones back using the Quantum Accelerator."

He nodded. "Yes, and soon. I already ran through the logistics with Strange and it should be fairly straightforward. Hank and Janet are manufacturing more Pym particle as we speak thanks to the S.W.O.R.D. lab just a few miles west of here, and Banner thinks he can get his mobile Accelerator complete within the week."

She smiled weakly. "Why the rush?"

"Strange says there's no time to lose. The more time that passes, the greater the margin for error, and the bigger chance that more branching multiverses will open up." Steve exhaled sharply from his nose in disappointment. "It's already bad enough we allowed Loki to make off with the tesseract in the reality Tony, Bruce, Lang and I opened up. Who knows where he's gotten off to by now."

Maria chose her next words carefully. "Multiverses…they have their uses though, don't they? Strange's whole philosophy hinges on the existence of multiple realities."

Steve shrugged. "Hey, I only took in as much as I needed to know to do the task. My understanding is that multiverses are natural, but the more we meddle and create branches, the less stable our reality becomes."

Our reality, Maria pondered, snorting at the irony of that phrase. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and forced a smile as she said as casually as she could, "You know, Carol was pretty pissed off that you're making the jumps and didn't even consider her."

He chuckled and bowed his head. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Look, I'm sure she could do the job in half the time and twice as well as I could, but I made the jumps the first time. My body can stand the force. And," he said, giving Maria a sidelong glance, "I'm one of two people who can lift Thor's hammer. And based on what Rocket told me of how Thor was when he got it from Asgard…" His voice trailed as they together looked towards the haggard God of Thunder, who was presently exchanging battle stories boisterously with Drax the Destroyer, as the two passed a large flask between them. Steve completed his thought with, "I'm concerned that if he goes back there, he might never come back."

Maria's chest felt tight. She bravely asked, "But…would that be so bad? I mean, he might be…happier. Maybe a stay in the past is exactly what you need. You know, after everything that happened."

But Steve wouldn't budge. "The amount of displaced people? The sudden pull on resources?" He shook his head sadly as he loosened his tie a bit. "World governments can only do so much, and the Global Repatriation Council is overwhelmed and understaffed enough as is. More than ever the world needs Avengers."

This didn't sit well with Maria. "Look around you, Steve!" she suddenly blurted. "The world's got Avengers!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Maria regretted them. Steve's eyes narrowed, an expression she was very familiar with and had always dreaded seeing. She knew it meant he was trying to read her and when he did, he was almost never wrong.

"What are you trying to say?" he finally asked.

Her eyes darted back and forth between his, as she contemplated whether or not to tell him the truth. Now was her moment, and the desperation was building up inside of her like a boiling pot of water about to spill over the top: She knew what it felt like to die, and already she felt her second chance at life was rapidly dwindling. If she just told him the truth…maybe he'd listen.

But then she heard her father's parting words to her reverberate throughout her entire body: "Listen to your instincts, and don't overstep. Trust in every action." Taking a deep breath, she knew what she had to do.

Through pursed lips, she offered a small smile. "I'm saying… good luck." Steve's expression softened at this, reflecting gratitude back at her. She said again, "Good luck, Steve." She then turned from him, leaving him there bewildered at her outburst. Maria felt deep shame as she marched up the gradual slope of the hill leading away from the lake and towards the Stark home. She never let anyone see her emotionally compromised, let alone Captain Steve Rogers. But this was a matter of life and death, and she was so close. She could feel it.

Where is he? she thought, surveying the remaining attendees of the funeral, but the man she was looking for was nowhere to be found. Finally, her eyes landed on Sam Wilson standing near the steps to the porch with Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne. On her approach, Sam caught her eye and clocked her pointed gaze at him. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Sorry to interrupt," she apologized to the three of them, "But I need to see Barnes. Do you know if he left already?"

"I don't think so," Sam replied. "He wasn't with Steve?"

Hope turned to Scott, asking him, "Was he that guy…?" When he nodded, she turned to Maria and reported, "We saw him heading inside the house a couple of minutes ago."

Scott added, "I know for a fact because I definitely leapt out of his way as he was heading up these porch steps." He shrugged. "Seems like a good guy, but he's…still extremely terrifying."

Sam's tone grew serious as he said in a low voice so only Maria could hear, "What'd he do? You need backup or something?"

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Stand down, soldier," she said sardonically. "I just need to talk to him." She then quickly scaled the steps and marched into the house. She briskly walked from room to room, searching for…

Bucky.

She froze, pressing her back against the wall and peering down a hallway into the kitchen when she caught sight of him speaking with Pepper. His head was bowed, his untamed hair covering his face, and though Maria couldn't hear specifics, she could tell that he was saying something to Pepper and whatever it was, it was a hard conversation.

Pepper eventually shook her head and held up a hand to stop him. Maria crept closer and was able to hear her say, "I can look past things Tony couldn't. I know that's not who you are." It looked as though Bucky offered no response, as Pepper then countered with, "What do you need to hear from me? My forgiveness? You've got it. I know you're no threat to my family."

Maria's eyes were so focused on Bucky, trying to make out his words, that she barely noticed Tony and Pepper's young daughter Morgan prancing past her down the hallway and into the kitchen to find her mother. She only caught sight of her when the child paused behind Bucky, her eyes catching the light that danced in the reflection of his Vibranium arm. As the girl's curious hand reached out to touch the prosthesis, Maria instinctively lurched forward to stop her.

But it was too late. As soon as Morgan's fingers made contact with his, Bucky flinched and pulled his arm away. He took a large step away from her, and Maria observed how terrified he looked, like a cornered, wild animal scared of his own strength. Morgan also had jumped back in alarm, but before she had a chance to get upset at his sudden reaction, Pepper swiftly gathered the girl up into her arms and swiveled her so that Bucky was out her view.

"I don't think you need my forgiveness. You need Tony's," she told him. "But even if he wasn't gone, you know he never would have given you that." Her face radiated empathy as she said, "It's gotta come from you. Forgive yourself."

Bucky mumbled a final apology, then turned to leave from the room, hastily side-stepping Maria. "Sergeant Barnes?" she asked, but he didn't acknowledge her.

She briskly walked outside the house and down the steps, following closely behind him. "Hey," she said urgently. "Can we talk?"

"Can it wait?" he replied without turning back.

"It can't. I need to talk to you right now and —"

Sam met them at the bottom of the steps, now alone. "Everything good?" he asked them.

Taking a deep breath, Bucky said, "Yeah. Can you tell Steve I went back to the base?"

Maria was taken aback at this. The "base" he was referring to was Blip Reassignment Base 1A, one of thousands of temporary housing encampments that the GRC had set up worldwide to give a place to stay while they sorted out repatriation assigned the recently displaced Avengers. 1A had been set up in an unfinished luxury apartment complex and was reserved for recovered New England politicians and upper elite, as well as almost all of the Avengers who had fought amongst the ruins of the former Avengers Compound. This had made for a very interesting dichotomy of individuals housed in a single setting, and among them all, Maria had observed Bucky to be the most uncomfortable with the close company he had been forced to keep. Had his encounter with Pepper really been so bad that he preferred to go back there?

Sam was similarly confused. "How you getting back?"

"The magician still around?" asked Bucky, his eyes scanning the remaining funeral attendees for Doctor Strange.

Here, Maria seized her chance. "I can drive you!" she blurted. "I'm heading out anyway."

Bucky raised his eyebrows, and stared at her suspiciously. Her intentions were clearly obvious. This was confirmed when they turned to walk up the driveway and alongside the many cars lining the road, heading towards Maria's SUV parked at the bottom of the hill when Bucky quietly observed, "You wanted me alone, didn't you?"

"I need to talk to you," Maria replied, heart suspended in her chest at the realization that it was now or never.

"So you said," he replied. His gaze remained on the road ahead of them and he put his hands into his jacket pockets. "If it's a mission, you've got the wrong guy. I've served for the better part of seventy years both willingly and unwillingly, so consider this my indefinite leave of absence."

"I'm not sending you on a mission. I just need you to aid in a mission already underway." She looked at him earnestly. "You're the only person I can trust."

Bucky raised his eyebrows, taken aback by her seemingly blind faith. "Then you must be out of options."

"Look," she said. "I've been in deep cover for almost twenty years. Never have I been compromised and yet, I'm willing to give up my cover to you to make sure the right thing happens."

"Why me?" he asked, shaking his head.

Maria sighed deeply, knowing that after her next words, there was no going back. "…because he'll listen to you."

At this, Bucky stopped walking. "Steve?"

She squared off with him in the middle of the street, her eyes flitting between his as she tried to gauge his reaction. "You know that he's returning the Stones, right? I know how this is going to sound, but when he's completed the task, he needs to stay in the past."

He squinted and cocked his head to the side, confused. "What?"

"Please, just…listen," she begged. She found it difficult to keep her words from spilling out all at once, for they had never before been uttered aloud. Slowly, she explained, "I'm not from here. Not originally. I'm… I'm from a branching reality that Steve creates when he goes back to Columbia Heights in the year 1950. Right now, he has no intentions of staying, but if he doesn't, my world doesn't exist."

Maria waited several agonizingly long seconds for his reaction, but only eyes had widened and his posture straightened before he finally said, "Alright. I think… I'm gonna take my chances with the magician." He then backed away and started back towards the lake from where they'd come.

"Bucky!" Maria protested. "Wait-"

"Have a good one, Hill," he called back over his shoulder.

She was seething with panic, watching her one chance walk further and further away from her. "In my world, you're happy!" she shouted after him.

This stopped him in his tracks, just as she knew it would. The sound of a different ending to his years-long tragic story of nonstop torment would almost certainly warrant a response. When his head turned back toward her ever-so-slightly, she continued, "He rescues you from Hydra almost as soon as you're captured. You don't kill the Starks, they're your friends. Howard builds you a prosthesis so intricate, no one can tell it's not real." Maria's voice cracked with emotion as she walked around to face him. "You have a life, you have friends, you come over every Friday night unless you're out on a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission."

He could only shake his head in disbelief. "I don't know what you're trying to do here, but-"

"I'm trying to stay alive. Because if Steve doesn't go back, I don't exist. And I hate to say it, if I don't exist," she said, gesturing to their surroundings emphatically, "Then a lot of this doesn't exist."

His eyes remained fixed on her face, his jaw tensed. Maria, however, started to smile. "You want to believe it, I can tell. Deep down, I think you can see it, can't you?"

"What are you saying?" he asked.

She gulped, readying herself to say the words that had been trapped inside her for decades now. "My real name is Maria Rogers. I was born in 1952. …Bucky, I'm Steve's daughter."

Hi friends!

As a longtime Maria Hill fan, when I first saw the viral fan theory questioning if Maria Hill could possibly be Steve Rogers's daughter, I instantly became obsessed. Clearly there were some timeline issues given Maria's age, yet given Endgame's ending for Steve, I wondered if there was a way she could be his daughter if his decision to stay return to the past opened up his own branched multiverse. The question then became "Well how are we getting her to the MCU timeline we all know and love?" I can't wait to explore the answers to this question and the many other questions that will surely pop up along the way. I want to explore both Maria's past and also her adventures that happen offscreen between her appearances in the movies and on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I absolutely adore this character and hope you grow to love her as much as I do!

Happy reading!

-JJJ