HellooooOoo! Welcome back :)
My life is finally settling back down. For now. I'm editing a short film right now so that's about all I have going on. Besides holidays, wasting all my cash on VIP concert tickets and drowning myself in Disney+. I mean, how cute is baby Yoda? So cute, right XD. Can't believe Rise of Skywalker is out in like two weeks. I'm an emotional wreck. But hello world premiere in LA on the 16th *heart eyes*
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (US peeps 3) and everyone else is having fun gearing up for the holiday season/New Year.
Anyways...for what we're all really here for..
On we go...
The Violinist
Chapter 18
There was this sinking feeling inside Max's stomach. It had settled in over an hour ago and now, as she laid on the twin bed in her room, she couldn't help but think it was some cosmic sign that something went wrong.
They hadn't heard anything from Aunt Maria or anyone else since they sent word of their landing earlier that afternoon. Everyone said no news was good news, but she had to call bullshit when it came to Fury and his S.H.I.E.L.D. operations.
Her pacing had ceased not long after Steve had left, her feet tired and her stomach growling. So Max ate snack after snack to try and drown out her worry. But then she ran out of things to eat. So out came the laptop and her credit card.
An hour and a half later, Max had a cart full of gender-neutral baby clothes, toys and...nipple cream? She chewed anxiously at her thumbnail as she read the product description on the nauseatingly-pastel baby store website. This stuff was supposed to help prevent or heal "drying or cracking of the nipple". And there "could be bleeding or infections".
Fantastic.
She checked out and swore if Steve wasn't seriously injured when he got back, she would make sure he'd be on behalf of her future cracked nipples.
But then she felt bad for thinking such an awful thing while he was out there risking his life to keep them safe. If anything happened to him, she would feel even more terrible now.
She had left her room to hunt down more food in the kitchen. When that was done, she tried watching a movie on her laptop to pass more time, but she couldn't pay attention. So she settled for highlighting names in her baby name book until she had gone cover to cover.
That was how she found herself just lying there, a pit in her stomach, waiting for the phone to ring. Or someone to knock. Or the alarms in the bunker to sound.
Something. Anything.
Twenty minutes went by. Max contemplated taking a hot shower to try and relax…
And that's when her door opened.
"Ms. Stirling, departure in fifteen minutes. Please pack a bag," the agent said.
"Wait, what happen-," she rushed to reply, but the door slammed shut.
Jumping up, Max grabbed her backpack out of the wardrobe and threw in the first clothes her hands landed on. She made sure to pack a lot of snacks for the ride in case it was a long one, and threw in a change of clothes for Steve just in case. She prayed he would need them.
Ten minutes later, she was standing outside, shaking with nerves about where they were going and why they were suddenly rushing out of the bunker.
Had they won? Or were they on the run again?
"Miss, we're ready," the agent informed her. He lead her to a clearing not too far from the entrance of the bunker where a Quinn jet was parked. They boarded the jet and got situated. Max noticed it was just the two of them, and that worried her a little.
"Are we clear for takeoff, Percy?" a familiar voice called from the cockpit.
"Aunt Maria?"
"All clear, Agent Hill," Percy called back.
The door closed and they lifted into the air.
"Where are we going?" Max asked.
"D.C."
"Why? What happened? Why aren't the others with you?"
Maria sighed, "You'll find out when we get there, Maxi. Calm down."
Silence stretched between them. She knew Maria wasn't telling her what had happened because it was bad news and it would make her hysterical on the plane ride. If it was good news there would be no reason to withhold anything.
"Is..is he-?" she tried to ask, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"He's alive."
"Okay," she whispered and placed a shaky hand on her small bump. "Everything's okay."
Steve heard soft soul music drifting through the room as he came to sometime later. He cracked an eye and was met with warm sunlight from the window and Sam sitting next to him.
"On your left," Steve winced out.
Sam looked up from his phone and smiled, "Not so indestructible, huh?"
"Never said I was," Steve smirked. "Max?"
"Maria went to get her. Should be here soon," Sam explained.
Steve nodded.
The men fell silent after that. Sam turned on the world news and they listened to the reporters recount the events from earlier. Steve wasn't one to watch newscasts like this. He was more of an old reruns playing on the television while he read the newspaper kind of a guy. At least with newspapers he didn't have to listen to the reporters bicker back and forth about how their opinions on whatever topic are correct. Like now.
"Without The Avengers, we wouldn't have anyone to protect us from these kinds of threats," the young, blonde woman stated.
"These so-called 'superheroes' are causing us more harm than good. Protect us? Give me a break," the nasally older guy disagreed.
"If Captain America and his team hadn't been there to stop those helicarriers, how many people do you think would be dead right now?" she snapped back.
He snorted, "And what of the fifty-three people dead so far? Meaningless? And Captain America...really? If we want any of the Avengers to save us, send us Tony Stark. He could have blasted those things out of the sky quicker than old-man Cap can probably get off a couch."
Sam sucked a sharp breath through his teeth at that comment. Steve picked up the remote from the table to turn the channel right when the door swung open.
"Miss, I told you, he can only have one visitor-," he heard the nurse scolding.
She came in like a tornado, loud and throwing stuff everywhere, but Steve didn't mind.
"You said scrapes. SCRAPES!" she hollered as she tossed her bag on the floor. "You're lucky you're already in a hospital bed, Steven Grant Rogers…," she toed off her shoes and scooted them by her bag, "or so help me God, I'd put you in one myself!"
He could see how red her eyes were and it broke his heart. Before he could tell her to, she was already climbing into the tiny hospital bed with him and buried her face in his white t-shirt, sobbing.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steve caught Sam quietly exiting the room. He could hear Nat, Maria and him talking softly in the hallway so he turned his attention back to the girl in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Maxi."
She sniffled and he rubbed along her back. "You almost died."
"I know," he sighed, thinking back to the helicarrier, to the feeling of hopelessness...to Bucky. "I'm okay now, doll. Even better with you here."
She didn't say anything, just squeezed him tighter. He kept rubbing her back until she stopped crying and then they just laid there together.
"I think Captain America should retire. What good has he done on his own since being thawed out? NOTHING!" the man was still ranting on the TV. Steve tried to shift so he could grab the remote without disturbing Max, but she beat him to it.
"Idiot," she mumbled and turned on House Hunters International.
Steve chuckled, "Have you eaten today?"
"Not since the plane ride. And that was just snacks."
"Hand me the phone and I'll order us dinner."
"Oh, see if they have mac and cheese pizza," she said, licking her lips with a hand on her belly.
The next morning Max woke before Steve. She snuck out of his embrace, showered and changed before ordering a hefty breakfast.
She was halfway through her tall stack of pancakes when a soft knock came at the door. Reluctantly putting her fork down, Max answered it to find Natasha waiting on the other side. Her hair was freshly cut and bleached, her clothes were new and not her usual jean/ leather combo, and she kept looking around to make sure they weren't being watched.
"New look?" Max asked.
"All my covers are blown. Had to change it up before I take off."
"Where are you-?"
"I'll send word when I can," she cut Max off. "Right now I'm just here to drop this off for Cap."
Max glanced down to see the manila file in her best friend's hand. It sparked worry inside of her. "He's sleeping, but I'll make sure he gets it."
"Do that. I called in a huge favor from an old friend to get that file." Nat looked over her shoulder before pulling Max in for a hug, "I gotta go. Keep you and this kid safe."
"I will. You be safe, too."
She watched Nat disappear down the hall and shut the door. The file in her hand felt heavier than it actually was. What was so important that Nat had to call in a favor for Steve and then rush off?
Max set the file next to her breakfast and sat down. She peeked over at Steve to see if he was still fast asleep.
He was.
She opened the file and started to read.
"Morning, Captain Rogers," Steve heard when he cracked his eyes open the next morning. When he felt the weight of Max missing next to him, he sat up. "Easy there. Just because you're getting released today doesn't mean you can be springing all over the place."
He looked at the nurse beside his bed and then around the room. Plates on the table, folder on the table, TV off, bathroom door open, no duffle bag...No Max.
"Where's…"
"Your girlfriend?" the nurse finished for him. "Said she was going home a few hours ago. I'm sure she'll be back to pick you up in a bit."
"Home?"
Sam walked in, a confused look on his face.
"Where's the missus?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you 'don't know'? Did you lose her somewhere?" he joked.
"She was here last night and when I woke up, she was gone," Steve exhaled, frustrated.
"What's that?" Sam asked, pointing to the file.
Steve picked it up, "Something I asked Nat for."
"Was that here last night?"
"No."
"What's in it?"
"Everything on Bucky."
Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So Max saw that this morning and then left?"
"I don't…"
He opened the file and started scanning the information when he saw the orange sticky note stuck to a picture of his best friend.
When you're done tracking
down your best friend,
I'll be in NYC.
Have fun,
- Max
"New York? Why New York?" Sam questioned.
"Because…" Steve began.
He retrieved the new cellphone from the nightstand and went to his contacts. After a little bit of scrolling, he found who he was looking for and hit 'call'. It rang a few times before an overly-cheerful, egotistical voice answered.
"Hi, you've reached the AARP Life Insurance company. If you're fifty-years-old and over, it's time to start planning for the end. It's our mission here to empower people to choose how they live as they age-."
"Very funny, Tony. Where is she?"
"Who?" the other man played dumb. "Ohhhh, you're baby mama. Yeah, she's here. Landed on my doorstep about an hour ago. Swears like a sailor. I don't know what you see in her, Cap. Unless you have a thing for chicks using that kind of langua-."
"Shut up, Stark. I'll be there soon."
Yay!
So we've finally reached the end of Winter Soldier. Now it's just kinda up to me to write until the end. There will be a time jump in the next few chapters so heads up.
Oh, and the final FINAL name for Baby America has been picked. Thanks for all the suggestions! I hope their baby is as cute as baby Yoda *heart eyes*
Apologies for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I was typing and watching Hannah Montana at the same time.
Let me know what you're thinking. I love getting messages. So. So. So. Much.
Until next time -KAITi-
