A/N: Woohoo! Two chapters in one day! You'll meet a few of Maria's family members and their reactions to Steve are pretty funny haha.
Shawna sent a venomous glare in their direction, her brown eyes narrowing at the sight of her nieces, looking them up and down at their choice of clothing in disapproval. Maria was wearing boots and light blue jeans with a black, long sleeved t-shirt and a jean jacket over it. Emily wore a plaid shirt with dark blue skinny jeans and her black converse.
"Well, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show." She said bitterly, "You're late, but then again, why am I not surprised? Why can't your no good family ever be like Melanie? Or Kali?" She asked, speaking of her oldest daughter and their Uncle David's daughter.
"Well, Melanie is a slut and Kali is married at eighteen, barely out of her teens." Emily said slowly, not even trying to keep her aunt from hearing.
Shawna looked taken aback by what the teen said.
"Well, I_" She started, only for Danny to enter the kitchen and cut her off.
"Leave them alone, Aunt Shawna. They look fine and I'd appreciate it if you all kept your voices down so my wife and son could rest for a bit," He started, turning to Maria as she sat down at the round kitchen table, "Where's Steve?"
Shawna's interest was peaked at the mention of Steve, "Oh, was he the one that got you pregnant?"
Maria put her head in her hands, "I don't know why she thinks I'm pregnant." She said, just loud enough for Emily and Danny to hear.
"Well, if she is pregnant, this is the first time that I'm hearing about it." A voice said from the front door, the sound of bags being put on the ground accompanying the voice.
Everyone stopped what they were doing immediately. Jaws dropped and everyone was fighting for words that wouldn't leave their mouths.
"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" A man in his early fifties with greying dark hair asked, slowly approaching Steve.
"Yes, Uncle David, it's really him."
"Maria, sweetheart, you didn't tell me that he was your fiancé." Shawna said in a sickening sweet tone, "Now tell me, does she treat you right and make you happy? Or is she more like my good for nothing little brother?"
"The most important question is if he's treating her right." John said as he came down the stairs from the second floor into the kitchen. Maria was shocked at her father's appearance. He looked frail, almost as if he was sick, and looked like he lost a lot more weight in the twenty four hours since they last saw him, "And I can guarantee that he's treating her just right."
Shawna huffed and stormed out of the kitchen, pushing her brown hair behind her ear.
"Don't mind her. She's just jealous because you have the perfect life that she's dreamed of and she's going through a divorce."
"Uncle Darren left her?"
Danny and John both nodded.
"Yeah. And Jaqueline is taking her Darren's side but Melanie is taking Shawna's."
"Who wouldn't take Uncle Darren's side?" Emily asked, not even trying to keep her voice down as she crossed her arms, earning a few chuckles from various family members.
Maria sighed and went up the carpeted stairs to the second floor, which took her to another set of stairs that lead to the third floor.
The third floor was similar to a small apartment, and the beige walls were much different from the peeling peach walls that Maria remembered. On the couch to her right was a black and tawny cat, looking at her warily.
"Who's there?" A female voice said from one of the rooms, making Maria enter the one to her left to see another young woman, not much taller than herself, standing in view of a full length mirror. She wore a black dress that went down to her knees and black tights with her leather, black, high heeled boots. Her pale skin was almost glowing in the dim lighting as she turned to look at Maria.
"It's been awhile." Jaqueline said, giving the other woman a hug.
"Yes it has. I would say it's been almost twenty-years since we last saw each other, but that was as kids. I met up with you at that bar shortly after your divorce."
"Yes. And you set me up with Kyle."
"So, Jackie, how are you?"
Jaqueline shrugged, "Alright, I guess. Mom and Melanie have been unbearable. What about you? I know John and Daniel seem to be doing alright, but what about you and Emily?"
"We're doing alright. Emily is doing exceptionally well in school with the exception of a few fights, she's still pretty high maintenance, but she's a bit more mellow now. I'm engaged, so I guess that's good."
"That's right! Uncle John said you were engaged!"
"I invited all of you to the wedding, so why do you seem so surprised?"
"I never got an invitation. I told my mom to get the mail because I was expecting something from you and_" She started, only to cut herself off, "I'm going to kill her."
"Well would you like to know who I'm getting married to?" Maria asked, earning an enthusiastic nod and a 'tell me!' from her cousin. It was amazing how Jaqueline could still act like a child sometimes.
"See for yourself." Maria said, smirking. She enjoyed playing this game too much.
Jaqueline sighed and walked out of her bedroom to see Steve sitting on the couch and her cat lying across his lap.
"Is this some kind of sick joke!?" Jaqueline asked, raising her voice ever so slightly as she did a double take.
"That reaction never gets old," Maria started, sighing, "Jaqueline, you said that Shawna has been unbearable. Has she gotten worse in how she treats Alexa?"
Jaqueline's silence was the only answer she needed.
"Jaqueline, where is she?"
The other woman just nodded towards the other bedroom, their Uncle David's room.
The SHIELD agent slowly opened the door, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Alexa quietly sitting on the bed with Elsa, Erin, and Brinley.
"Steve, these are the twins, Erin and Brinley, Elsa, and Alexa."
The children looked up at the mention of their names, their eyes going wide when they saw Steve.
"How long is that going to happen for?" He asked, looking at Maria.
"Should wear off by tonight. Everyone just needs to get used to your presence. No one really expected that I'd bring you to the party."
"Right. Erin and Brinley, you don't remember Maria, but she remembers you. She's your other cousin and her sister, Emily, is right down stairs. And Alexa, she may not have met you face to face, but I've been sending her updates and pictures since you came here as a baby. And Elsa, you don't know her either, but now you can." Jaqueline explained to the kids, "Now, why don't you go find Emily and give her a hug."
"She's the one sitting at the table with a mean look on her facial features." Maria said as Erin, Brinley, and Elsa gave her a quick hug before leaving. Only Alexa stayed behind.
The two-year-old was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, her silky black hair in a pony tail and her vibrant green eyes looked at Maria and Steve in curiosity and amazement.
"Hi Alexa." Maria said softly, holding out a gentle hand as she kneeled down to the toddler's height. Alexa slowly closed the distance between them, cautiously reaching out one of her tiny hands and taking hold of Maria's, hesitantly closing the rest of the distance as she climbed into Maria's lap and hesitantly wrapped her arms around her neck.
"That's the first time that she let anyone touch her since my dad left mom."
Maria couldn't believe how much of a strong attachment she already had to the little girl. Perhaps it was because she wanted to protect her as though Alexa was her own child. Or maybe it was because she knew what it felt like to feel unloved.
Whatever the case may be, Maria wasn't about to let Shawna hurt this little girl any longer.
A/N: Let me know what y'all think! The faster you review, the faster I update :3