Once again, I'm finding myself apologizing for the long wait. Things have been quite hectic and I'm just having a bit of difficulty getting things to read as I want them to. I hope you're still interested.
They're still not mine or my bank account would be a much nicer thing to look at. I'm just having fun playing with them.
Princess PrettyPants: Fury has a way with words, doesn't he?
captainhillshipper: Maria knows them well. And, yes. Me too, just a bit.
jdho2: Glad you liked.
Tranquil Wind: Your reviews are a delight. I'm always glad to hear what you're thinking (everyone else, too). As for Fury really having her shot, I'm not sure either. When I asked him, he just stared at me. I'm glad you found so much to like. I love writing this tale.
Qweb: Thanks. Sweet is good, right?
All For Jesus: Thank you. I get these lovely scenes in my head and then try to do them justice.
Loki'sArmy0602: I see a lot of chemistry there, too, and I'm glad it comes across in my writing.
Leonie1988: Thanks for reading.
kali rogers: Tony grows on one.
Sandy-wmd: I'm glad you got some giggles out of it. You mentioned some of my favorite scenes as well. I really enjoyed the bits in the common area. Thank you so much for the lovely feedback you always provide. You are a writer's dream.
star3235: Welcome to my tale. I'm glad you're enjoying.
sailorraven34: Indeed.
All reviews are deeply cherished. I so appreciate knowing that the time and effort I put into writing is as much fun for others as it is for me. Thank you for each and every one, as well as the favorites and follows. You've waited long enough. On with the story.
XXXXX
Stroll 20
Steve and Maria relaxed on her sofas her feet resting in his lap. Steve had been rubbing them until Cat had decided that his hands would be put to better use petting the cat. He had plopped himself down on top of the agent's crossed ankles, demanding the attention of the super soldier. With a chuckle and an apologetic look at Maria, he had moved his fingers to the small, furry body.
"So, what else do you want to do while we've got the time off?" she asked, returning to the conversation they were having before the interruption.
"I'm up for anything," he answered, "As long as it's with you."
"How do you feel about flying?" she asked curiously.
He shrugged, glancing sideways at her. "It's okay. Why do you ask?"
"I thought that maybe I could take you up in my plane," she told him.
"You have your own plane?"
"It's my guilty pleasure," she admitted almost shyly. "It's nothing like one of Stark's private planes, but it's mine."
"Sure," he replied. "Sounds like fun."
She studied him closely, noticing that his focus remained fixed on the cat.
"I told you that I've been interested in flying ever since I was a kid. I think my dad realized how much I enjoyed going to the airport with him when I was little and that's why he stopped taking me."
Steve grunted.
"After my crash I was really nervous about flying again for a long time. Eventually, though, I realized how much I missed it," she explained. "I saved up and managed to buy myself a small plane. Fury lets me store it at one of the SHIELD hangars and makes sure I get in the flight hours that I need to keep my license up to date."
"That's good," he commented, his voice low.
"But, like I said, it took me quite a while to get back to that point after my crash so I'll understand if you're not ready yet," she told him.
His mind flashed to those last moments aboard the HYDRA Valkyrie as it plunged downward towards the ice below.
The realization that crashing it into the ocean was the best option. The final conversation with Peggy. The disorientation brought on by the slanting deck beneath him. The scream of the stressed plane as it tried to shake itself apart. The sound of the impact, the ice and the twisted metal both giving way from the force. The brief panic as the water rose around him. His final memory, glancing at her picture, then the cold and the darkness claimed him.
He shook himself, so slightly that most people wouldn't have noticed.
Maria Hill wasn't most people.
"I don't have a problem with flying," he told her. "After all, the helicarrier is pretty much always in flight and I've had to fly to and from a number of missions in the last couple of years."
"That's different," she responded. "Most of the time, you don't even realize the helicarrier is air-born unless you're on the deck, near a port, or something goes wrong. As for the missions you've been on, you're usually busy prepping for the job on the way there and working on reports on the way back. You've flown when you had to, but I'm talking about flying just for the pleasure of being up there."
He considered for a moment. Honestly, the thought of being up in the air again did make him a bit nervous. More precisely, the thought of crashing again made him nervous.
But Maria had glowed when she talked about flying and he realized that their planned activities so often came down to what he wanted to do. In pleasure, as well as in her work life, she tended to put the interests and well being of others before her own.
For her, he could do this.
Before he could respond, her phone buzzed. Her brow lifted as she glanced at the caller ID.
"Jen," she told him, wondering why Phil's girlfriend would be calling her.
"Hello."
"Hi, Maria. This is Jen. Phil's friend?"
"Of course. How are you?"
"I'm okay. I'm sorry to bother you, but when I talked to Phil, he said that you were taking some time off and that you might be able to help me out," the woman told her. "Though I know how rare it is for you to have time off and this is a pretty big favor so I'll understand completely if you say 'no'."
"I can't say anything until you ask me something," Maria told her with a smile in her voice.
"Right," the other woman laughed lightly. "I just got a call from the kids' school," she started.
"Everything okay?" Maria asked, her concern evident.
"They're fine," Jen assured her hurriedly. "They were just letting the parents know that the power is out at the school. No lights or air conditioning. They're letting the students leave if someone is able to come and pick them up. They'd probably be okay, but sometimes the heat and humidity exacerbate Max's asthma and it can be tough on both of them because of the amount of scar tissue."
"Because it doesn't sweat. I understand," Maria interrupted quietly.
Jen was silent for a moment. "That's right. I'm sorry. I forgot that you would."
"Sometimes I forget, too," Maria told her.
After another silence, Jen continued. "Usually, it wouldn't be a problem for me to miss rehearsal, but I've been selected to perform with a group and conductor that are touring from Moscow and we only have a few days to practice together."
"That sounds like a pretty big honor for you," the agent commented.
"It is, but my kids are more important. I'll just tell them to choose someone else."
"You don't have to do that. We have no problem picking the kids up from school if they'll release them to us."
"Us?" Jen questioned. "Of course. You're spending time with Steve," she added, answering her own question. "I should have realized. I can't impose on your time together. I know how rare that is."
"Actually, we've just been sitting here trying to decide what to do with ourselves, so you're sort of doing us a favor by giving something to do," Maria told her.
"Laying it on a little thick there, Hill," Jen told her with a snort. "But if you and Steve are both willing, I'd really appreciate it."
"Just a moment." Maria covered the phone and quickly explained the situation to Steve.
Nodding agreement, he leaned closer to holler towards the phone. "We'd love to spend the day with Max and Mia."
"You wouldn't really need to spend the day with them. If you could just take them back to our apartment, they should be alright there by themselves until I get home," the cellist replied.
"We can do that," Maria agreed.
"I'll just need to get your ID information to pass along to the school."
After giving her the information and receiving her profuse thanks, the couple headed to the school. When they arrived at the building, dimly lit by emergency lights, Maria spoke to the woman at the desk who sent a couple of student aides to collect the two children.
Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It may look different from the high school I went to, but it sure smells the same."
Maria shrugged. "Wouldn't know. Never spent much time in school."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as they waited. Several minutes later, Mia arrived, a curious look on her face. When she recognized the two waiting for her, she smiled broadly. The girl with her smiled flirtatiously at Steve as she stood next to Mia, clearly hoping for an introduction to the handsome super soldier.
"Thanks, Gabby," Mia told her before turning to the couple, clearly dismissing the other girl. "I'm so glad to see you two. There's absolutely nothing to do here with the power out."
With his arm still draped around Maria's shoulder, Steve nodded to Gabby who finally walked away, heading over to whisper with another teenaged girl, their glances surreptitiously returning to him.
Mia leaned forward. "She told me that my mom and her really hot boyfriend were here to get me and I was a little confused," she told them with a grin.
"Phil doesn't fall in the 'hot' category?" Maria asked.
The girl rolled her eyes. "Not quite. I mean, he's a great guy, but..."
Just then, Max was ushered into the office and they completed the process of signing the kids out. Arriving at the Roth's apartment building, they discovered that it was also affected by the power outage. While the kids changed out of their uniforms, Maria left Jen a message to let her know that they were taking them back to the tower.
After they had completed their schoolwork, they had lunch out on the park deck, then pulled out the dog toys for some play time. Eventually, Mia walked over to where Cat sat under a tree, watching the others play. Maria joined her, leaning against the tree trunk next to her as the girl ran her fingers through the animal's short, dark fur. She could tell there was something on the girl's mind and sat waiting patiently, watching Max and Steve playing with the 4 dogs.
Finally, Mia spoke. "You know Phil pretty well, right?"
"I suppose," she answered.
The girl chewed on her lower lip as she continued to stroke the cat. "Our school is having one of those stupid Father/Daughter dance things."
"I always hated those," Maria muttered.
"They told us that it didn't have to be our father. It could be a stepfather or uncle or brother." She shrugged. "I was kind of thinking about asking Phil, but I'm just not really sure if he likes me." She finally turned to face Maria.
"I know he loves my mom. She's so happy now. And I know he loves Max. I mean, who doesn't?" She looked over at her brother with a smile. "Don't ever tell him I said it, but he's such a neat kid. People are just drawn to him. Animals, too," she added, as Calista knocked him to the ground and Brody moved in to lick his face.
"You're a great kid, too," Maria told her.
"No, I'm not. I'm difficult and moody. I snap at people. When I don't know what to say, I get quiet and withdraw and people think I'm stuck up."
Maria's mind drifted back to a conversation she'd had with Phil a couple of weeks ago.
During a break while working on reviews, talk had turned personal. She had inquired how things were going with Jen. The smile on his face had been all the answer she had really needed.
"It's going great," he told her. "She's just amazing. She's glad to spend time with me when I'm available, but never gets angry or tries to make me feel guilty when I can't or when I have to rush out. If we're in the middle of dinner, she'll throw it in a container for me to take with me, kiss me and tell me to be careful and call her when I can."
"And the kids?"
He paused a moment.
"Not so good?" she asked, slightly confused since the times she had observed them together all had seemed quite well.
He hurried to correct her. "No. They're great. Every bit as amazing as their mother. Max made sure I had a copy of his karate meet schedule so I can come when I'm free. He told me I needed to get a baseball glove so that we can play catch and he's always telling me about stuff that's going on."
"And Mia?" she probed.
"Great. Jen says she's doing great in school. Always has great grades and her teachers are always telling her about how well she does in class and how well she picks up new stuff. She's on the newspaper staff and has won several awards for her writing."
"But?"
Phil sighed. "I'm not sure how she feels about me. She's never said anything one way or the other, but she's kind of hard to read." He gave Maria a wry look. "Kind of like a certain friend I have."
She glared at him.
"I want to reach out to her, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable."
"You'll figure it out," she assured him. "Just give it time."
"What do you think of him?" Maria asked.
Mia considered a moment, then shrugged. "He's okay." After a few more moments, she continued. "No, he's more than okay. Our father put mom through so much grief and Phil seems to go out of his way to make her happy. He's done so much for her and for us, even though I don't figure there are a whole lot of men who want to take on someone else's kids, especially kids with the kinds of problems we have."
She looked to Maria. "Has he said anything to you about us? I mean, he's said that you're his best friend and I tell my best friend things I don't talk to other people about."
The woman reached over and brushed Mia's hair back. "Keep in mind, a grown man has to be very careful about his interactions with a young girl. He doesn't want to do anything to make you uncomfortable around him, so he's kind of been trying to figure you out."
"So you think I should ask him to the stupid dance?"
"I think he would be thrilled if you asked him to the stupid dance," Maria confirmed, "and he will make every effort to be there if at all possible."
She made a mental note to find out the date of the dance and make sure that Phil would be there.
"Okay."
Soon after, the boys joined them in the shade, availing themselves of the bottled water Claire had brought out while the dogs found their bowl and refreshed themselves as well.
"What's that building over there?" Max asked, pointing to a glassed off area.
"Greenhouse," the housekeeper explained, clearing away the remains of their lunch.
"What for?"
"Different things," she told him. "It's set up so that different areas can be set to different conditions depending on what someone wants to grow. The chef has an area where he grows a number of herbs. My Maxwell has a pretty healthy vegetable garden going. Dr. Banner is growing a number of medicinal plants, Agent Romanoff has several wild roses, and Mrs. Stark is cultivating some lilies." She studied the group. "There's still plenty of room if you'd like to plant something."
"Maybe a Venus Flytrap?" Max commented, his eyes lighting up.
Mia shook her head. "No carnivorous plants, Max. Besides, we're not really here enough."
"There are staff members to step in when someone is on the road," Claire told them.
"You could help me with some flowers," Steve told the kids. "I'm thinking some Daisies might be nice. They were my mother's favorite. Especially the yellow ones. She said they always looked so happy. Or maybe it was because they grew wild in a vacant field near our apartment and I could almost always find some to bring to her."
"Our mom likes mums," Max told him.
"Okay. So we'll plant some daisies and mums," Steve confirmed.
"What about you, Maria?" Mia probed. "What does your mom like?"
"Don't know. Never knew my mom."
The teen lowered her gaze to her hands, now folded in her lap.
Katya broke the uncomfortable silence that followed by coming to stand next to Maria, dropping a soggy tennis ball in her lap. Laughing, the agent rose to her feet and tossed the ball.
"Our turn, Mia," she said, pulling the girl to her feet. She pulled her close for a quick hug. "It's okay. She died when I was born. You couldn't know."
When Jen called that she was home and that power had been restored, they took the two children back to their apartment, joining them and their mother for dinner. She presented the couple with tickets for the upcoming concert she was involved in, thanking them for their help.
On the car ride back, Steve reached across the seat, taking Maria's hand in his. They rode back in comfortable silence broken only by the soft music coming from the radio.
"Violets."
He quickly glanced at her.
"My mom liked violets. I think."
"Why do you think that?"
"There was an older lady who lived in one of the apartments on the ground floor. She used to call me 'Violet' sometimes. It always made my father so angry." She watched out the front windshield, her mind on the memory. "One day, I asked her why she called me that. She said that she had been friends with my mother and that she had told her that she was going to name me that. She had even shown her the room she had fixed up for me, all decorated in different shades of purple."
She looked over at Steve. "My room had plain, white walls, and ugly, scratched wood furniture. I guess he decided that I didn't deserve to benefit from her work."
Steve clenched his jaw, glancing over at her again. "He was the one who didn't deserve to benefit," he told her. "Didn't deserve you. But then, I don't either."
"Pull over," she ordered suddenly.
"What?"
"Pull over," she repeated, pointing to a lot.
He did so, barely getting the car in park before she unbuckled and slid into his lap. He moved the seat back to she would be more comfortable, then wrapped his arms around her.
"Don't ever say anything that compares you to him. Don't even mention that man in the same breath as you mention yourself," she told him, sounding almost angry. "You are so much better than he ever was. He doesn't deserve to wipe the mud from the bottom of your boots, Steve."
His lips found hers, gently silencing her as he offered reassurance. Finally, he pulled away, drawing her head to rest against his chest. "I'm no better than anyone, Maria. If I knew where he was right now, I'd gladly wrap my hands around his neck."
She looked up, putting her fingers over his lips to silence him. "What did I just say about mentioning him?" she asked.
He kissed her fingers. "I realize what a precious gift you are, Maria, and I will never forget that."
They sat that way for several more minutes while she calmed down. Finally, she reluctantly pulled away, looking out the windshield at the fast food restaurant they were parked in front of.
"I'm going to run in and use the facilities," she told him.
He watched her enter the building, then pulled out his phone.
The rest of their ride home was quiet, their joined hands resting on the seat between them. Arriving back at the tower, they rode the elevator up to their floor.
"Still want to take me flying tomorrow?" he asked.
"Are you sure you want to?"
"Will you hold my hand?" he asked with a grin.
"Do you really want me to fly one-handed?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
"Right. No hand holding. But you'll be there with me?"
"Absolutely," she assured him.
"Then it's a date." He opened the door to his apartment and looked inside. "Then, maybe we can spend some time in the greenhouse." He took her hand and pulled her into his living area.
In the middle of the table sat three flats of small plants.
One, a mixture of mini mums.
One of bright, yellow daisies.
Another of deep, purple violets.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope it was worth the wait. Please take just another moment to let me know what you thought. You're all wonderful. You're the creme center of my Oreo. (Anyone tried the new pumpkin spice ones yet? Thoughts?).
