Update time. I'm having a productive day today. I got a chapter of my HIMYM fic polished and up and got this chapter finished and up. Obviously, I still don't own any of the stuff that Marvel and all those other people own. All I get out of this is the wonderful, warm feeling I get from the lovely reviews you feed me.

Qweb: Yup. She can't very well claim to have not understood when she's got it in black and white. Glad you like.

Loki'sArmy0602: Thank you. I'm glad the part with Peggy worked. I wanted to make it clear that Steve hadn't just forgotten her.

All For Jesus: I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's stories sometimes take off on their own. It's an odd feeling to suprise yourself. As for Peggy, I felt it was an important part of Steve's character to really wrap things up in one part of his life before starting a new part. As for Benjamin, he will very likely turn up again if this keeps going.

Sandy-wmd: I was concerned that the visit to the past might not ring true. Happy to know that you enjoyed it. And yes, I think Maria would definately prefer almost anything to discussine feelings.

boysmom5: Welcome to my imagination. I have really enjoyed your writing and I'm glad to know you're enjoying mine as well. I did start this, then had to take an extended break due to a family tragedy. When I wrote HYDRA in, I had no idea they would be such a big part of CA2. It just seemed like the best idea to have Fury need Steve urgently.

Leonie1988: Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to read. I hope you'll continue to enjoy.

Also, welcome aboard to all followers and favorites. I'm glad to know you like this enough to want to know when there's more. Much love to you all with extra love to reviewers. I feel so loved.

Without further ado, on with the tale. I present:

Stroll 16

XOXOX

"Guess we should call it a night," Natasha commented after easily pinning Maria for the fourth time, "since you're clearly somewhere else."

"Sorry, Nat," Maria apologized. "I suppose I am a bit distracted."

"Looking forward to the return of a certain super soldier tomorrow?" the red head asked with a sly smile.

"Yeah," her companion answered.

Natasha studied her. "You don't seem too sure."

"I am," Maria insisted, "It's just...he said something to me the other day, and I'm just not sure how to respond to him."

Nat stood, offering a hand to her friend. "Hold that thought. This sounds like a talk that needs alcohol."

After a stop at the bar in the common area, they took their glasses and several bottles out onto the deck. They settled into chairs at a small table, silently sipping their drinks and staring up at the stars for several minutes.

Maria looked over to find Natasha staring curiously at her. "Just trying to figure out what horrible thing the good captain said to you."

"He told me that he loves me."

The assassin picked up a bottle and refilled Maria's drink. "Love, huh. What did you say?"

"Nothing," the other woman answered.

The sudden sound of a helicopter had both women looking up, reaching for weapons. Even though the vehicle had the Stark Industries Logo, neither were completely ready to relax. They watched as the chopper landed and the door opened to disgorge the SI CEO. Pepper stepped away, watching as it once again took to the skies.

The two agents finally put their weapons away as the woman stopped at the table to greet them, holding on to the back of a chair as she slipped her shoes off. She smiled tiredly as she nodded to the bottles on the table.

"Looks pretty serious. Business or personal?"

Natasha looked at Maria, wanting to respect her privacy. The brunette nodded with a shrug, granting her permission to tell the other woman.

"Personal," Nat responded, nodding towards Maria. "Man problems."

"Really? With Steve?" Pepper asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sort of." Maria studied her for a few moments. The woman was married. She probably knew more about this subject than either of the lone wolf female agents. "You're more than welcome to pull up a glass and join us if you'd like."

"Best offer I've had all day," the CEO responded. "Be right back." She stepped into the tower, dropping her briefcase and shoes on the sofa before grabbing a glass and a couple of bottles of wine and rejoining them.

She curled up on the chair, pouring herself a glass of wine and drinking deeply before sighing and looking at the other two women.

"Rough day?" Maria asked.

"Believe it or not, there are still men out there who don't want to deal with women in a professional setting. They still think we should be home cooking dinner and raising babies."

Natasha snorted. "You don't have to tell us. The world of spies and secret agents is still a pretty male dominated profession."

"True," Pepper agreed, taking another drink before turning her attention to Maria. "So. Steve. What did he do?"

"He said that he loves me."

Pepper stared. "He loves you, but?"

Maria shook her head. "No 'but,' just that he loves me."

Pepper picked up the wine bottle and refilled her glass. "Apparently, I need a whole lot more of this." She took another drink, then focused her attention on the brunette again. "Let me see if I understand the problem here. Captain Steve Rogers, right?"

Maria nodded.

"The Captain Steve Rogers that you've been working with for almost 2 years now?"

Another nod.

"The sweet, considerate, drop dead gorgeous wonderful man that you've been dating for about a year or so now?"

"A little longer than that, but, yeah."

"He told you he loves you."

Nod.

"And that's a problem?"

Natasha suddenly snapped her fingers. "Was it immediately before, during, or after sex? Because you know it doesn't count then."

"Why doesn't it count then?" Pepper questioned.

"Before, a man will say anything to get you into bed. During, he'll say whatever he thinks you want to hear so that you'll go through with it. After? Well, their brains don't work so well after."

"That's not true," Mrs. Stark protested. "Well, not always."

"No," Maria answered. "Sex wasn't involved."

Romanoff studied her. "He never even said it during sex?"

Hill shook her head, staring into her drink.

Natasha's eyes suddenly went wide. "You mean to tell me you haven't"

"No, we haven't," Maria cut her off. "We just haven't been ready to take that step."

"WE haven't or HE hasn't?" the agent probed.

"If HE wasn't ready, then WE weren't," the other woman answered.

"But you are both interested?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Maria told her. "I certainly am and all the signs are there that he is as well."

"Big sign?"

"Oh, yeah," she sighed.

Pepper shook her head. "None of our business, Natalie." She still found herself using the name the woman had used when working with her. "What did you say when he told you?"

"Nothing," Maria answered. "We were on the phone and he said it, then hung up."

"Maybe you misunderstood," the redhead told her.

"He confirmed by text," she told them, holding up her phone to show them the message.

Refilling her drink again, Pepper still looked confused. "I still don't understand the problem, Maria. Do you not feel the same way about him?"

Staring into her glass again, Maria shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

The dark haired woman looked up at her. "I'm not entirely sure what love is."

Pepper turned to look at Natasha. "Did you act like this the first time Clint told you?"

"Clint knows better than to say something like that to me. Other than the sex thing," the other redhead told her with a shrug.

The woman studied them both, suddenly recalling the information she had read in their official files. She realized that it was highly likely that neither woman had ever been told she was loved as a child. Though her own childhood had been difficult, she had known love from her mother and from the younger siblings that she had basically raised.

"So you don't love Clint?" she asked.

Nat made a face. "You know my thought on that. Love is for children."

Pepper studied her. "Yeah, that's what you always say. But I'm calling 'bull' on that."

She swallowed hard, but held her ground in the face of the death stare the assassin turned on her.

Maria leaned forward. "You married Stark, so it's probably safe to assume you love him, right?"

Pepper nodded, relieved to turn and face her, though she could still feel the heated glare from the other woman.

"How did you know?"

She considered. "It's when you put someone else ahead of yourself. Their needs and their well-being are more important to you than your own."

The other two women looked at each other. "That's part of the job description when you work for SHIELD," Maria told her.

"Yes, but it's different. It's wanting to be with someone, because you're better with them and you make them better."

She took another drink, sensing that they still weren't understanding her. "I'm not with Tony because I have to be. It's not like in the romance novels, that I'd die without him. That's actually kind of self serving, if you think about it. I'm with him because I want to be. Because I like who he is. Most of the time. And I like who I am when I'm with him."

Maria nodded slightly, recalling saying something similar to that to Steve when they were first getting to know each other.

"I'm happy and complete in myself, but I'm even more with him." She shook her head. That still wasn't exactly what she meant. Finally, she threw her hands up.

"It's like good art. I may not know how to describe it, but I know it when I feel it. And when I see it. And I see it in the two of you."

Maria and Natasha looked at each other.

"Not the two of you," Pepper clarified, pointing between the two. "Not that there would be something wrong if you were a two, but you're not a two. You're a four." She frowned. "Or two twos."

At that moment, Tony stepped out onto the deck, crossing over to the table. He leaned down to kiss his wife. "I was wondering where you were. Your assistant told me you had left the office quite some time ago."

"I'm fine," she replied, smiling up at him. "Just stopped for some drinks and girl talk."

He eyed the empty bottles on the table. "Looks like you've been at it for a while." He turned his gaze to Natasha and Maria. "You two are planning to stay here tonight, aren't you?"

Pepper giggled. "They're not a two," she told him. "They're a four. Or actually, two twos."

"I always think of myself as a ten," Nat answered archly, throwing back another drink. "And yes, Uncle Tony, I'm not going anywhere tonight."

"Likewise," Maria assured him, pulling out her phone and rapidly typing in a message.

Fury: Staying at the tower tonight she spoke as she typed, then hit SEND

He nodded approval. "If you're going to be out here, you can have JARVIS turn on the heaters. It's starting to get a little chilly now."

"Hadn't noticed," Pepper told him.

"Not surprising," he commented, looking again at the table. She followed his gaze.

She started counting the bottles, then shook her head. "Probably had enough, huh?"

"Probably," her husband agreed.

"Would you like to take me to bed?" she asked him.

"As always," he said, pulling her to her feet and kissing her, "It would be my pleasure." He easily swung her up into his arms. "Though it would be more so if you weren't drunk."

He looked at the other two women. "Night, ladies. Don't forget the heaters if you're going to be staying out here."

Maria rose to her feet, only slightly unsteady. "I'm thinking it's probably time for bed myself."

Natasha nodded agreement, starting to collect the empties.

"Don't worry about the clean up, ladies. I'll take care of it." The looked over at a young man who had stepped out on the deck with a cart. Before they could protest, he had loaded the bottles and glasses onto the cart and wiped the table down.

Thanking him, they followed the Starks back into the warmth of the common living area. Waving to her companions, Pepper rested her head on Tony's shoulder as he carried her into the elevator for the ride up to the penthouse.

Maria stepped behind the bar. "More?" Tasha asked with a raised eyebrow.

With a shake of her head, the brunette held up a bottle of water. "Trying to avoid a bad hangover," she told the other woman. "Hydration and ibuprofen should mitigate it somewhat at least. Want one?" she offered, holding the bottle out.

The assassin accepted it, nodding her thanks. She took a long drink, then looked towards the doorway. "You can come in now, Clint."

The archer strolled in, a smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around her. "Wasn't sure if it was safe or not," he commented. "I saw the three of you downing the booze and got the feeling that the males of the species might be a discussion topic."

"Typical male," his love snorted. "Assuming you're the conversation is about you."

"My apologies," he told them, gently kissing her neck. "What were you talking about."

"Men," Maria acknowledged. "Love. That kind of crap."

"And you held firm to the 'love is for children' line."

"She did," Maria told him. "And Pepper called 'bull' on her."

"Brave woman," he murmured, gazing at the woman in his arms.

"And a little bit drunk," she replied, meeting his gaze briefly before lowering her eyes to study his chest. Using a finger, she traced shapes on the front of his shirt. "Clint?"

"Hmm?"

"You know that..."

"Yeah," he answered. "I know. You, too."

And for the present, that was enough for the two of them. They shared a brief kiss, then Clint turned to look at Maria. "Are you going be able to get to your place alright?" he asked.

"I'll see that she does," a voice interrupted.

They all turned to where Steve stood, a big smile on his face.

"Then I'll leave her in your very capable hands," Clint told him, guiding Natasha towards the elevator. He paused briefly, shaking the other man's hand. "Welcome back," he told the Captain.

"Good to be back," the other man answered, watching the couple disappear behind the sliding doors. He turned back to the rooms final occupant. She leaned against the bar, sipping her water.

"You're early," she commented. "I thought you were supposed to be back tomorrow."

"I was," he told her, crossing to stand in front of her. "But I did all the damage I could do there and caught an earlier transport. I was anxious to see you." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her lightly. "I missed you."

Her arms slid around his neck. "I missed you, too, Steve." She returned his kiss. "I just figured I'd be sober tomorrow. Right now, I'm a little bit buzzed and I want to be completely sober when I tell you that I love you, too," she told him.

"You can't tell me now?" he asked her with a grin.

"Nope," she answered. "It's too easy to say things when you're drunk. If I tell you now, you won't know if I'm saying it because I mean it or if I'm saying it because I had just a little bit too much to drink. But if I wait until tomorrow when I'm sober, you'll know I mean it, right?"

"That's very good logic for someone who's drunk," he told her.

"That's because I'm just a little drunk, not very drunk," she explained.

"Then we'd better get you to bed," he told her, smoothly sweeping her off her feet. "The sooner you get to sleep, the sooner you wake up sober and tell me that you love me, too," he told her.

She reached over and grabbed her water, taking another long drink, then nodded. "Sounds like an excellent plan, Captain Rogers. Take me to bed."

"Excellent plan indeed, Commander Hill," he agreed.

Thank you for your time. Maybe a little thin on Maria/Steve moments, but it seems an important part. There should be more in the next chapter as it is now roughly outlined, though I can't promise. Sometimes, my stories have minds of their own. As always, feedback craved. I sincerely love hearing your thoughts and ideas. Reviews are the ice in my tea. Love you all. Hope to meet you next week for a 'Risks' update.