Work Text:
My deepest apologies to my readers for my long absence. I have no real excuse, other than my laptop being difficult. I've been working on the stories in my mind, I just haven't gotten anything written down. I decided to work on a short piece, just to get myself going again. It's a little scene with Danvers and Fury that I would have liked to see. Kind of a missing moment, if you like. I'm hoping to get my ongoing stories updated in the near future and may also follow with another in this timeline ...because I really need another timeline.
Anyway, this is not connected to any of my other stories.
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After the End(game)
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Nick Fury stood, hands on his hips as he studied the group assembling at the Stark cabin for Tonys memorial service. He made careful mental notes of who he recognized and who he didn't and who spoke to whom. He was far enough away to watch without being watched, hidden in the shadows of a large tree slightly uphill from the cabin.
"Fury!" a voice called.
He turned, his hand automatically reaching for a weapon before he recognized the woman dropping from the sky to stand beside him.
"Danvers," he responded with a grin as she reached to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Great to see you," she told him.
"Great to be seen," he replied, returning her embrace. "And thank you for your part in that."
She stepped back and looked at him. "Glad I could help. You had a good, strong team in place and I enjoyed working with them."
He studied her in turn. "Like what you've done with hair," he told her.
"Would say 'likewise,'" replied with a smirk "But…" she reached up, brushing her hand across his bare head.
"Makes me look more intimidating," he told her with a shrug.
"And this?" she asked, tapping lightly on the eyepatch. "Strictly for intimidation or is that a souvenir from Goose?"
"Goose, huh?" a voice interrupted.
They both turned to the woman who had joined them. Like most of the crowd, she was dressed in black, the dress accentuating her slender form. Her dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun, but her blue eyes sparkled and one corner of her mouth lifted in a slight grin
"That's not the story that's told at HQ, Nick," she reminded him, crossing the few feet that separated them. She put a hand to her chin as she pretended to consider. "Something about an attack from a vicious alien because you wouldn't give him what he wanted?"
"I can't very well help what rumors people start or choose to believe," he reminded her. "I never confirmed that particular one."
"Nor did you ever deny it," she shot back.
"There are many rumors out there that I have never addressed one way or the other," he reminded her with a meaningful look.
"True enough, Nick," she acknowledged. She turned to find Carol watching the interaction with narrowed eyes. Her brow lifted as she glanced up at Nick, who also noted her reaction.
"What?" he barked.
"Fury. Everyone calls me Fury. Not Nicholas, not Joseph, not Nick, just Fury" she reminded him. "Mother, kids, if you have any, wife."
He looked at the dark-haired woman sternly.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, I married a woman who has a mind of her own and does exactly what she wants, no matter how many times I tell her otherwise."
"And you wouldn't have me any other way," she answered with a grin, stepping close and wrapping her arms around his.
His expression softened and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "No, I wouldn't."
"You would hate having a wife who agreed with you on everything," Carol agreed. The two women smiled at each other and the blonde extended her hand.
"Carol Danvers," she said by way of introduction.
Nick spoke up. "Also known as."
"Captain Marvel," Maria finished, glancing up at him. "I've heard a lot about you," she told the other woman, offering her own hand. "Maria Hill."
"I've heard about you as well," Carol answered as they shook hands.
She smiled sadly at Maria's confused look. "I had the pleasure of working with Natasha Romanoff quite a bit. She thought highly of you."
Maria ducked her head momentarily to hide the tell-tale shine of tears. After a moment to collect herself, she looked up and nodded. "The feeling was mutual. I still haven't completely wrapped my head around her being gone."
Carol briefly rested her hand on Maria's shoulder.
"Do you know if there's going to be a service for her?" she asked.
Hill nodded. "Laura Barton is working on something out at their farm in a couple of weeks," she told her. "I'll make sure to send you the details."
"Thank you."
After a few moments of silence, Nick broke the silence by clearing his throat.
"Technically, Goose IS an alien and she got me because I wasn't holding her properly, so the rumor is actually true."
"Is Goose still around?" Carol asked.
"She is," Maria assured her. "No way of knowing what happened to her during the snap, but when we got back to the house, she was sitting on her cushion on the front porch swing."
The blonde woman suddenly smacked her hand to her mouth, smothering a laugh.
"Now what?" Fury asked again.
She shook her head, quickly, muffling the laugh.
"Just picturing big, scary Fury in a little cottage in the 'burbs with the white picket fence, dog, wife, and 2.4 kids."
"Hardly!" Fury corrected. "It's no cottage, no white picket fence."
"It's 'technically' a craftsman bungalow and the picket fence is hunter green to match the trim and window boxes. And the swing," Maria corrected.
"Dogs need too much time and attention and we have the company of a very independent flurkin who is quite capable of taking care of herself, the wife happens to be one of the top handful of most badass women I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, which is pretty badass considering some of the women I know." He gave her a significant look. "And, thank heavens, no kids."
Maria nodded, her gauze traveling to the crowd below.
Furys phone rang and he glanced at the number as he pulled the device from his pocket. He grimaced slightly and kissed Maria on the top of the head.
"I'm gonna have to take this. See you at home after?" She nodded. "And Carol, you're welcome to come by, visit Goose."
She nodded, too as he stepped away to answer his call, his voice low and hard.
They watched him walk away, then Maria pulled out her own phone. "If you want to give me your contact information, I'll let you know when we get Nat's memorial service set up."
Carol pulled out her own phone and gave the other woman her number. The brunette nodded, quickly typing the number into her contacts and shooting off a text to the number When her phone dinged with the incoming message, the blonde saved the number and messaged back.
Maria glanced at the text and started to stow her device before freezing and pulling up the message for a closer look.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, holding up the phone to show the other woman.
How far along are you?
"Just what it says."
"I don't know what you mean."
Carol sighed. "The pregnancy."
"Pregnancy? What the hell makes you think I'm pregnant?"
"When Fury said that about no kids. There was a flash of panic in your eyes."
"You're imagining things."
The two stared at each other for several moments. Maria finally broke.
"Shit. Did he notice?"
"Don't think so. He wasn't looking at you and it was just a really quick flash."
Maria sighed heavily and closed her eyes.
"So?"
Hill looked around. "I'm not really certain. I was late, so I did one of those home tests. It was positive, but before I had a chance to follow up…" she snapped her fingers.
"And since you've been back?"
"Still haven't seen a doctor. Things have been really hectic."
"While I don't have any personal experience in the area, I don't think this is one of those things that will just go away if you ignore it."
"No?"
Carol shook her head. "You're going to need to find out for sure, then you and your husband can figure out where to go from there."
"I know. I'm just…"
"Scared?"
"Yeah."
"If you can handle Fury and Goose, you can handle a kid. If you want to. You really don't seem the type to hide from things."
Maria straightened her spine and gave the other woman a curt nod. "You're right. I stopped hiding when I was 5 years old and I'm not about to start again."
"That sounds like the woman Nat told me about."
"Thanks for the reminder," Maria told her. She took a deep breath and looked at the gathering down the hill. "But first…"
Carol nodded.
"But first…"
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Please leave a review. I would love to know what you thought. Thinking of writing about a memorial service for Nat. Trying to decide who should be there...