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They'd had one of those 'Earth hanging in the balance' Avengers missions. It was intense, lasting two straight days. They came out the victor and were rewarded with some time off.
Commander Hill – however – had to stay back a few days, tying up loose ends. A deputy director's job was never done.
Maria walked through the front, unlocked door of the familiar Californian beach house. She placed her bag in the foyer before wordlessly walking about, looking to see if anyone was around.
She wondered to the back of the house, through the kitchen, and then out the patio door – not finding anyone inside.
"Hey." Maria smiled warmly at a familiar face.
"Hey! You made it." Janet jumped up off a deck chair and rushed over to her daughter-in-law, throwing her arms around her.
"Yeah, Fury gave me the rest of the week off." Maria hugged her back.
She was so excited to be there at Janet's new home (She'd bought the place after her divorce with Hank.). Maria really liked the house. It was large, but not too big, and it had a nice airy feel about it, like all your troubles felt lighter when you were there.
Maria stepped back, away from Janet, as she asked, "Where is everybody?"
"The beach. Though, they should probably be back soon – it's nearly dusk."
"I don't know, I think they'll be a little while still – Hope would never give up a sunset surf."
"And she is there with her board."
"Of course she is." Maria chuckled.
Ever since their first beach date, when Hope had gotten back onto a board, it was like she was bitten by the surf bug again. Every time she found herself back on the West coast, she tried to get in some wave time.
Janet pointed to the end of the deck where a path lay through a small forest of trees, leading down to the shore. "If you go now, I'm sure you can still get some beach time in today."
Maria eyed the clearing, putting her hands on her hips. Then her gaze shifted to the patio. There were cushioned chairs, sofas, and even a platform bed suspended by ropes, like a rigid hammock.
She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was collapse into a seat despite her urge to go find her friends – especially her wife whom she hadn't properly seen in over three weeks (Briefing the Avengers and giving them updates on the radio during their last mission really didn't count as spending time with Hope.).
Janet chuckled at her as she grabbed her hand and led her to the sofa. "Sit." She gently pulled her down, clearly noticing her tired state. "Relax." The woman started towards the house. "I'll make you a Mojito while you wait."
"Oh, that's not necessary." Maria was not one who ever needed to be waited on. She could do things for herself.
"Yes it is."
"Well, let me help you then." Maria moved, about to get up.
"Maria, if you lift your butt off of that seat – so god help me."
Maria smirked, she loved how Janet never finished a threat towards her. She was so nurturing that she couldn't even joke about bringing harm to her.
"Yes, ma'am."
Janet smiled at her before disappearing through the door. But just then, Maria realised that she had something additional to say to her.
"Wait!" Maria straightened a bit in her seat, but she wasn't sure if the woman heard her. "Ah," Maria raised her voice as she awkwardly called, "Janet!" She cringed as she said her name; Maria had always done everything in her power to avoid directly addressing her, but – in that moment – she failed. "Can you please go easy on the rum!" She hollered, hoping she could hear her.
Alcohol always made her drowsy, which was the last thing she needed in her current state.
"No problem!" She heard a faint call from within the building, sound emanating through the slightly open kitchen window which was positioned just above the swinging bed.
"Thank you!" Maria collapsed into the backrest behind her and closed her eyes.
She breathed in the salty, cool air while she listened to the surrounding trees rustling in the wind.
Shortly, Janet reappeared. She planted herself down next to her on the sofa and passed her her drink.
Maria sat up, taking it. "Thank you."
But Janet didn't say anything, instead she silently looked at Maria – or rather – studied her.
Her face was soft as she rolled her head quizzically to the side.
"Does it bother you that I've asked you to call me mom?"
"What?" Maria internally cringed, knowing that she brought that question on herself.
"You just always seem so hesitant to do so, and the last thing I want is for you to feel forced into calling me something you're not comfortable with. I can be just Janet to you, if you'd like."
Maria shook her head, hating that thought. "I don't want that."
"No?" Janet seemed unconvinced.
"No. It's not that I don't want to call you mom, it's just..." Maria looked down to her lap and shook her head. "Nothing." She jerked her head back up, shaking it again as she looked at Janet. "It's nothing. I'm sorry." She fell back onto how she often apologised to Hope as she promised Janet, "I'll do better."
"Pumpkin." Janet placed a hand on her knee, rubbing it supportively. "Sweetie, talk to me."
Maria slid her, suddenly tense, jaw to the side, not wanting to admit her irrational fears. "It's stupid."
Janet dropped her chin to look at Maria through hooded eyes while giving her a silly yet encouraging look. "I like stupid."
Maria couldn't help but slightly smirk before sighing. "It's just–" She shook her head. "I don't know, my last two moms didn't exactly pan out for me."
Janet looked horrified. "Is that what you're worried about? That I'm going to let you down too?"
"No," Maria insisted, but she didn't know if she'd said it because she had faith in their future, or if it was due to the uncomfortable distress in Janet's eyes.
Janet, too, didn't seem completely convinced by her answer either. But instead of pushing Maria further on her words, she softly asked, "Would you tell me about them?"
"Sure," Maria said in a small voice. It wasn't a comfortable subject but enough time had passed, and she trusted Janet enough, so she was okay to talk about it with her. "Um, well my biological mother died while giving birth to me, as you already know. So…" – Maria slid her jaw to the side – "Not much to say there."
"What was her name?"
"Sofija."
"That's a beautiful name." Janet smiled at her.
"Yeah, apparently it's quite popular in Lithuania."
"Is that where she was from?"
Maria nodded. "Her and her two brothers immigrated to the U.S. when they were all barely adults."
"Did you get to know your uncles?"
Maria shook her head. "Never met them. They were both in Maine for some reason. I didn't even know about them until years later after doing my own research."
"And you didn't want to go see them after you found out about them?"
"Not really." Maria shrugged. "I didn't know her so it felt weird."
"Did your dad ever talk about her?"
Maria couldn't help but chuckle. It wasn't funny, it was painful, but smiling was all she could help herself to do. "He talked to her."
Janet gave her a look of puzzlement.
"Sometimes when he was really drunk he'd address her like she was right there in the room with him."
"What kinds of things would he say to her?"
Memories of her cowering in a corner, holding a freshly injured body part in her grasp while trying her best to hold back tears, came flooding back to her. "Mostly, he just apologised." Maria took in a long, choppy breath. "Told her he had to do it to me – that I made him do it."
"Do what?"
This time Maria couldn't answer her. She'd never said it out loud. She sniffled, realising her body was reacting to her past. The hitting, the yelling, the bottles being thrown at her. It was so long ago and yet the pain felt fresh.
"Oh, my sweet girl." Janet wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into her side as she pressed a loving kiss to her temple. "I'm so sorry." She rubbed her hand up and down her arm, sending warm shivers coursing through Maria's spine. "You didn't deserve that."
"It's fine," Maria forced out. She refused to break down. "He sobered up after a D.U.I. The court made him go to A.A. – It was held at a church." Maria stiffened her back, hoping Janet would read her body language and let go of her (It wasn't that she didn't love the woman's embraces, she just needed to get her emotions under control.) Luckily, Janet read her loud and clear, releasing her hold. "That's where he met my step-mom. She was a volunteer there." Maria couldn't help but smile at the toxicity of it all. "He was her project – to turn him into a godly man." Maria took a sip of her drink. She swallowed hard. "And somehow she made that my responsibility too."
"What do you mean?"
Maria exaggeratedly sighed, still annoyed by it all. "I was suddenly expected to become his keeper. Serve him, show him patience and compassion. If he did wrong, it was our fault; my mom's and mine. We'd failed him." Maria took another gulp of her drink. "Or, that's what she'd always tell me," she griped after swallowing.
"What about Kai?"
"Kai was perfect." Maria chuckled, a tear escaping down her cheek for her late brother. Dammit, he always could put water in her eyes like that. "That was the one and only thing my mom and I agreed on." Maria deeply sighed as she quickly wiped her face dry. "Then she separated us forever." Maria's jaw locked as she spoke through clenched teeth, "That was worse than anything my dad had ever done to me."
"But he let it happen," Janet calmly said.
"Of course he did. She ran the show."
Janet studied her, eyes as soft as ever. "Maria?"
"Yeah?" Maria timidly asked.
Janet reached over, taking her hand – which was damp from her sweating glass – and held it in her own. "I can't promise I'll never leave you or let you down." She stared straight into her eyes. "I'm really not in the position to do so – being the mother who abandoned Hope for years and all – but I need you to know that you will always be my daughter." She shook her head, keeping eye contact. "And this is completely independent of your relationship with Hope." She squeezed her hand. "Okay?"
Maria nodded, loving her so much more in that moment. "Okay."
Ever since Janet laid eyes on Maria, she saw a daughter. Specifying, because she saw Hope when she looked at Maria's partial frequency. She always assumed that what she felt for Maria was similar to how a mother felt upon meeting their biological child after putting them up for adoption.
"And you can call me whatever you feel comfortable calling me," Janet gently insisted.
Maria nodded again.
Maria wasn't used to being so emotionally open. Even though she appreciated Janet's declaration of devotion, she desperately needed to lighten the mood. This was a lot for Maria. She had a hard time being so vulnerable.
"It's nice to know that when I leave Hope and take half the Van Dyne fortune with me, you'll still be around."
Janet burst out laughing, clearly needing a release from the topic too. "Oh, there's not much of that left anymore, sweet girl." Janet patted her hand before letting go of it.
"There will be once your fashion company takes off." Maria grinned.
Janet gasped. "How do you know about that?"
"I just saw Ramonda the other week in Wakanda; she told me about your business plan."
"Oh, that blabbermouth." She light-heartedly scoffed towards her absentee best friend.
"I think it's a great idea."
"I haven't decided if I'm doing it or not."
"You should." Maria wanted Janet to find something to do with her time, especially now that she was freshly divorced. She was acting as a U.S. ambassador in Wakanda, but that wasn't a full-time job, she could do more if she wanted to.
"Yeah, I just feel too old to be doing something like this. Starting up a company from scratch."
"What are you talking about? You're never too old to do what you love."
"Thanks, Pumpkin." She patted her on the knee. "You sound just like Romy. She keeps telling me I lost too many years and owe it to myself to do it."
"She's right."
"Yeah. She normally is," she sighed with a happy smile which radiated pure love.
Her reaction made Maria want to come out and ask the question that she'd been wondering for awhile now.
"Are you two…" Maria looked away, shaking her head. "Never mind." She bailed on her inquiry.
Janet looked at her with amusement. "Were you just about to ask me if Romonda and I are an item?"
"Possibly." Maria guiltily bit her bottom lip. "You guys just seem very close." She said in embarrassment, realising she was probably reading too much into it.
"We are very close." Janet nodded with a smile. "She's my dearest friend, like my other half." She shrugged. "And if it's romantic or platonic? I don't know." She shook her head. "But I'm okay with not knowing."
Maria furrowed her brow, tilting her head as she studied her. "You surprise me. You know that?"
"Me?" Janet threw a hand to her chest. "Why?"
"I don't know, you're just so open to talk about relationships" – Maria gestured at her with an open palm – "evidently, even your own potential queer ones." She dropped her hand. "Like, I know I shouldn't be surprised, Hope told me you were always kind and open-minded to everyone even back when she was growing up. She said that's why she wasn't scared to tell you about us dating. She thought you were too loving not to support our relationship."
Suddenly, Janet erupted into jovial laughter.
Maria was taken aback by her reaction. "What?"
"Lord, I love Hope more than the air in my lungs, but that girl really lives in her own little world."
Maria shook her head in confusion.
"I've been a regular benefactor of the Lesbian and Gay Alliance of San Francisco since before she was born."
"Really?" Maria smiled in intrigue.
"Yes!" She laughed. "Mind you" – she pointed at nothing in particular – "I donated independently of our charity so she wouldn't have seen records of it. But still!" She shook her head with a smile. "I would go to Pride events when she was a kid. Hank never let me bring her, but, it's not like I kept it a secret where I was going either."
"What? So you're saying she saw you come home with glitter in your hair and rainbow paint on your face and she didn't think twice about it?"
Janet chuckled. "Guess she was too busy with her unsupervised cooking."
"And basket sledding."
"She told you about that?" Janet tsked with sparkling eyes, "Those little rascals."
Maria chuckled. She still couldn't get over the fact that Hope and Sharon were tobogganing down the staircase together back when they still had their baby teeth.
Maria sighed before taking another sip of her drink. Swallowing, she said, "I'm still having a hard time imagining Hope not noticing you were an ally of the community. Her world doesn't seem that small."
"Not to you, it doesn't. You're in it."
"So are you."
"Oh, Pumpkin, I'm on the free limited trial in her little world, you're the one with a full access subscription to it."
Hope loved her mother; Maria knew how much Janet meant to her. "She shares so much with you; I know she does."
Suddenly, Janet's facial expression fell serious… sad even. She seemed hesitant. Her voice was small – unsure. "Does the date: November twelfth, 2013 mean anything to you?" Her gaze searched for answers in Maria's eyes.
Maria swallowed hard, not able to break the intense eye contact they had as she timidly nodded. "Yeah."
Janet looked like she was holding back tears. "Like, I said, you have an all access subscription, I don't."
Maria, in confusion, cautiously started, "How did you…" But her sentence trailed off.
"I came across the hospital record." Janet sniffled and forced a smile like she was trying to stop tears from falling down her cheeks with it. "I wasn't snooping, it just happened by accident."
"I'm sure she had every intent of telling you," Maria insisted. She didn't know why Hope hadn't told her about her stillborn daughter.
"Maybe, but she didn't." Janet shook her head. "And I can't even blame her. I should've been there for her when it happened."
Maria looked into her teary eyes. "You're here for her now." She couldn't help but try to put a smile (a real smile) on Janet's face as she said, "And more importantly, you're here for me now, because I know you value our mother/daughter relationship more than you value yours with Hope."
Maria's cheeky words worked as the woman began to laugh. "Oh, you're such a brat." Janet wiped her eyes before she looked around. "It's getting dark." She abruptly stood up, clearly not able to talk about the current subject. "I should turn on the lights."
She flicked a switch on at the door, illuminating – what must have been – thousands of little fairy lights which wrapped and stretched all the way around the deck and surrounding trees.
"I should go put some snacks out. They'll be back any minute now."
Janet tried sneaking back inside but Maria stopped her as she boldly called out.
"Mom!"
She turned around, a pleasant shocked expression on her face.
Maria stood up, putting her drink on the table in front of her, and walked over to her while wordlessly throwing her arms around her – hugging her close.
Janet instantly enveloped her back.
Maria squeezed her as she said, "You're the best mother a daughter could ever have. We both love you so much."
Janet intensified the force of her hug on Maria.
"We're just both a bit emotionally constipated and sometimes need a little more time."
Janet chuckled before pulling her back to look at her. "I know." She gently squeezed Maria's cheeks with her hand. "And I can be patient." She released her face.
Maria knew this. Janet had more patience than anyone she'd known, including Clint, who could sit in an air vent all day while surveying his surroundings.
Janet then looked timidly at her as she asked, "You think you could keep it under wraps that I know about..." – her eyes flicked awkwardly downwards – "Well, you know." She looked back at Maria. "I'd like for Hope to tell me when she's ready."
"Mum's the word." Maria nodded. She was relieved that she could leave that between the two of them.
"Thank you." Janet sounded gracious. She then started back for the door as she pointed at Maria. "And you better sit your butt back down and relax."
"I will."
Janet smiled. "Good." She then turned and entered the house.
Maria smirked at her before spinning around to grab up her drink, taking a healthy sized gulp of it before abandoning it back on the table. But she didn't sit back on the sofa, instead, she moved to the suspended bed. She couldn't help herself, she'd been in it before and knew it was comfortable, and there was a blanket and pillows on it too to invite her in.
She climbed on it and wrapped herself in the duvet. Her eyes closed, finding instant comfort. She was never going to move from that spot. She was ready to sleep out there all night long.
Just as she got into the perfect position she heard voices in the distance. She recognised them immediately, they were her personnel, her Avengers. But there was no way she was going to get up to greet them, not now that she was horizontal.
"Maria, you dead?" She heard Tony ask as she felt the deck rumble while the gang climbed up onto it.
"Yes. Now leave my corpse to lie here in peace."
"Yeah, I don't think so." She heard Hope say.
Maria cracked an eye open to see her wife setting down her surfboard against the deck railing before striding over to her.
"You made it!" She practically dove onto Maria, sending the bed into a swing as she pressed her body up against her and wrapped her arms around her.
"Ah, you're wet!" Maria giggled as she hugged Hope closer, not allowing that fact to stop her from properly greeting her. She could deal with her wet swimsuit and soaked beach cover-up that she was wearing.
"And cold." She insisted, "Warm me up." She pushed her lips to Maria's, welcoming her there with a loving kiss.
Maria slid her fingers into Hope's wet hair as she slipped her tongue inside of her mouth. She really did miss her wife.
"Gah, it's like watching my parents making out," Tony grumbled as he passed by, opening the door to the house with Clint on his heels.
"That's only because you put your mommy issues onto them," Natasha said as Tony and Clint slipped away inside.
"Why do we suddenly have a fifty-five year old son?" Maria broke the kiss to ask Hope.
"Suddenly?" Hope scrunched her face at her. "Maria, baby, Tony's been your child since before I met you."
"Please don't say that," Maria whined. "It's not fair. I'm a good person. I don't deserve this punishment."
Steve contently sighed as he sat down on the sofa that Maria and Janet had just previously occupied. "Tony's not a punishment, he's a test."
"A test?" Maria asked, looking past Hope's head at him while noticing Natasha throwing her wet towel over the deck railing to hang dry. "A test for what?"
"Restraint."
"Now that's true," Hope agreed with him as she maneuvered under Maria's blanket.
Maria cried out, "Hope, you're wet!"
"I know, we've established this already." She wrapped her body around Maria's, once again, but this time without the blanket as a moisture barrier.
"You're my test too," Maria huffed while pulling her wife back to her.
Hope giggled as she pushed her mouth to Maria's while running her hand down the side of her face.
"Mariya, ne pozvolyay zhene namoknut' slishkom sil'no. Tebya seychas net v spal'ne," Natasha said just as she passed by them to enter the house.
Maria broke the kiss and raised her voice at her cheeky friend, "Tasha, idi na hui!"
In times like those, Maria was glad that Russian wasn't one of the four languages that Hope spoke.
"Wha–"
"Nothing," Maria cut Hope off before capturing her lips once again.
Hope didn't seem bothered by her lack of understanding of what they'd just said, as she rolled more into Maria, deepening the kiss.
"You taste like alcohol and mint," Hope muttered into her mouth. "Which can only mean one thing." She tilted her head up to the window. "Mom!"
"Yes, Hope?" Janet was heard right over their heads.
"Can I have a Mojito too?"
"Yeah, I'm making a bunch now."
"You know, ever since you've been made Avengers co-captain, you're much more demanding." Maria pushed long, wet strands of hair behind Hope's ear.
"Really?" Scott said as he and Sam came up the stairs onto the deck (apparently they were dawdling behind the rest of the gang). "I haven't noticed."
The guys put down their borrowed surfboards next to the others.
Sam smirked. "That's only because she hasn't changed the way she treats you, she's just now treating all of us like that too."
Hope called him out. "Sam, you asked for this since day one." He always used to bug Steve about her becoming team leader, and now that she shared that position with him, he had no right to complain.
"It's true." Sam made his way towards the house and opened the door. "Though, hindsight is 20/20," he quickly said before bolting into the house.
"That's right, you better run!" Hope narrowed her eyes towards the place where he'd just disappeared from.
Scott walked towards the door which just crashed closed, but instead of following his friend inside, he turned towards the two women in the swinging bed.
"Hi, Maria." He warmly smiled at her.
"Hey, Scott." She smiled back. She always appreciated how he never failed to greet her. "How was the beach?"
"Hope tried to teach us how to surf." He said with a lopsided smirk.
"And how did it go?"
Hope answered for him. "Steve and Nat are the only ones with potential. Scott and Sam just sat on their boards gossiping the whole time while Clint built a sandcastle on top of Tony sunbathing.
"Drinks are ready!" Janet called out the window, interrupting them. "Also, I've got hummus and veggies."
"Oo, snacks." Scott abandoned his conversation with the girls and rushed inside. "I'm starving."
Steve stood up and headed for the door too. "Hope, want me to bring you a Mojito?"
"No." Maria answered for her.
"Hey!" Hope shot her an unamused look. "Don't turn his offer down on my behalf."
Maria ignored her as she addressed him. "She's gonna get her own when she gets up to change into dry clothes."
Steve chuckled at them and entered the house, but not before he said, "Sorry, Hope, you may be my partner, but Maria's still my C.O."
Hope glared at Maria. "How dare you use your powers for evil."
Maria chuckled before she let her head hit the pillow beneath her, shutting her eyes. "I'll be waiting right here for when you get back."
"No, you have to come with me." Hope pushed her forehead to Maria's. "What if I need help getting out of my bikini?" she practically purred.
"No, stop trying to manipulate me with promises of your hot body," Maria groaned, now wanting to get up just as much as she wanted to stay. "I'm so comfy here. It's not fair."
Hope chuckled before she began sitting up. "Fine, I'm going."
But just as she moved, Maria realised her clothes were plenty damp from Hope. The damage was already done. Now there was no reason for her to leave, which Maria wasn't mad about.
She reached for Hope, yanking her back to her as she rolled on top of her while burying her face into her neck, ready to fall asleep right there with her wife beneath her.
Hope chuckled at her, throwing her arms around her. "Maria, you ju—"
"No, you live here now." Maria didn't so much as entertain a questioning comment from her, she was to stay right there, regardless of her previous statements.
"Okay." Hope hugged her tight, accepting her fate. "I can live with this."