Time is the Only Constant

“Hang on darlin’,” Bucky answered the phone, clearly talking to Ellie on the other side, “Hey Hill.”

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know where on our way back, should be home in the next few hours,” Maria glanced at her watch, it was already past midnight in New York. 

“Ah, already huh, okay well…” the man stammered. 

“Barnes, what’s going on?” she glanced around the room, most of the Avengers were in some state of lying down in one of the team lounges, Natasha leaned into Maria’s side on one of the couches. 

“We’re safe, and… I need you to remember that,” the man from the 40’s clarified. 

“Barnes, what the fuck happened?” The Commander said it loud enough for everyone in the room to pause their conversations and look at her. 

“Well, it’s just that the window guy isn’t going to be here until the morning. Ms. Potts tried to find someone to come earlier than that but she couldn’t find anyone-”

“Why is there a broken window?” she gritted out as her heart started to race, Natasha placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed. 

Tony speed walked into the room, phone pressed to his ear, eyes wild. 

“Well, one of those robots came here, tried to grab her but I took care of it,” Barnes explained. 

Maria’s head whirled with the information, Ultron had sent a robot to kidnap Ellie. 

“But it kinda freaked her out- what- no I know you’re strong,” Bucky continued talking to Ellie on the other side of the phone, “no no you’re right, you’re right- anyway Hill we’re watching Bambi for a little while.”

“Do I need to send in more security?” Tony asked from where he was still on the phone in front of the deputy director. 

“No, if you’re positive you picked off every one of Ultrons bodies, they’ll be okay,” she only stayed grounded by the touch on her thigh. Natasha squeezed it once more but even she had a deadly look in her eyes.  

“Pepper, they’re good so unless you want more security, the 12 in the building should be enough,” Starks voice trailed as he walked back across the room.

“Can you put her on the phone?” Maria picked at the skin around her thumb as she waited.

“Hi Mommy,” Ellie’s voice was full of sleep as she spoke. 

“Hi Bear, you okay?” 

“Yes.”

The short answer was all Maria needed to hear, while the girl was okay physically, she was scared, it was the same way she always spoke when something spooked her. 

“We’re going to be home soon, okay? I’ll be home in just a little while.”

“Sooner?” the child asked. 

“I’ll try and get there as soon as possible,” Maria stood up, trying to figure out a way of returning to New York even faster. 

Natasha was on her heels in an instant, immediately assessing the situation.

“Okay,” Ellie answered. 

“I love you, Bear,” she reassured her daughter. 

“I love you, Mommy,” Ellie responded. 

Maria hung up the phone and tried to find a single pilot that would be willing to fly one of the quinjets back to New York.  

Either by luck or because he had ulterior motives, there was exactly one person who could fly them back to New York. Ruiz needed to make sure the carrier got back in one piece, Rhodes was most likely concussed from the blow to the head that resulted in stitches, Clint and Tasha were both dead tired on their feet. It left one man.

“I see I’m the last choice,” Fury glanced around the room of people. 

“Not… last,” Maria hesitated. 

Part of her was hoping she would be able to send Fury away without Ellie ever knowing he had been back. She let out a breath, knowing if this was going to happen, it needed to be now. 

“We don’t lie to each other,” the man narrowed his one eye on her. 

“Fine, you were last but that was also because I wasn’t sure if you were rested enough to fly us out of here.”

“It's a two-hour flight, I can manage,” Fury gave a nod to the rest of the group, “If you want to go back to New York on the jet, we’re wheels up in 10.”

Almost every member of the team got up to follow the man into the hangar. True to his word they were in the air 10 minutes later, everyone quiet as the late hours and the battle from earlier that day started to weigh on them all.

Natasha was upfront with Fury, co-piloting to the best of her ability as the two spoke to each other. Clint, Rhodes, and shockingly the Sokovian girl took up the back row, leaving Steve sitting right next to Maria who wasn’t thrilled at his… Bucky at the moment. 

After dodging glances for close to two hours, the brunette finally sighed and looked at the man next to her who cleared his throat before speaking. “Bucky would have called you if he had thought it was more serious.”

“I think a crazed robot breaking into my apartment and trying to kidnap my daughter is pretty serious,” she stared back at him.

“Right…” he rubbed at the back of his neck, “I just mean in his mind, if he downed it and Ellie was okay, he probably didn’t think it was that dangerous.”

Maria raised an eyebrow.

“I’m just saying, try not to rip into him too bad when we land,” Rogers' face got red as he pleaded. 

Maria looked back to the cockpit and thought about the look in Natasha’s eye when she figured out Ellie had been in danger. 

“Noted,” she settled on saying, “but I’ll be honest, it’s probably not me that he has to worry about.”

“Trust me, I know.” Steve looked even more uncomfortable, “I was her roommate for how many years? I know her. I know how… protective she can get.”

Maria snorted, “that’s a nice way of putting it.”

“You scratch the roof, you pay for it!” Tony called half asleep in the back row of seats as they approached Stark Tower. 

Maria tapped on the seat behind her, waking up the archer who had fallen asleep after taking out his hearing aids. He woke up blearily and what looked to be in pain as he glanced at Rhodes and then the young woman next to him who were both also sleeping. 

Fury didn’t dignify Stark's outburst with a response as he and Natasha downed the jet perfectly on the landing pad of the building. There was a moment of hesitation as the rest of the crew collected their belongings and began exiting the jet. 

Clint was the first out, his normally chipper attitude nowhere to be seen followed by Rhodes who was still nursing his head wound. Stark followed them both making sure the latter knew where to sleep for the night. The young woman seemed to gravitate towards Steve as he climbed out behind Maria. 

The Commander waited for Natasha and Fury before descending the stairs from the roof herself. The Russian hadn’t said a word to her since they boarded the quinjet but the brunette had known the woman for years and was well aware that the anger seeping off her was for someone else. Someone they would soon be face to face with. 

Sure enough, as soon as the door to their apartment opened, the redhead had Barnes' throat pinned between her forearm and the closest wall. 

“Natasha,” Maria tried as Russian came flying out of the woman's mouth followed by grunted responses from the dark-haired man. 

She was going to try again but a tiny shadow caught her attention first, the man behind her stopped breathing.  

Ellie’s eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks. Fury crouched down until he was at eye level with the girl who now furrowed her brows and pulled a grimace as she shook her head. Maria waited for the backlash. 

“No,” the girl shook her head and looked to her mother before looking back at the man across from her. 

“I-” Fury started. 

“No.” Ellie cut him off as she crossed the space in a few strides. 

“No.” She stated again as she got closer, her hands reaching for the lapels of his jacket, “No!” 

As soon as the child made contact with the leather, she dropped it and balled her fists, “NO! You are not alive. I go to your funeral!”

Little hands hit the jacket over and over, Maria stayed exactly where she was, it wasn’t her fight. However, she did expect one with the child later. 

The brunette looked once more at Natasha who was still yelling at Barnes, Steve trying to interject where he could. Ellie’s black star pajamas were a blur as she continued to throw her hands and yell at Fury.

Clint waved to Maria as he walked down the hall and into his room, hearing aids still tucked into his pocket.

“You did not live!” Ellie’s fists slowed as her voice broke, “You-”

Fury opened his arms and enveloped the girl, “I’m sorry, Little miss.” 

“-Keep her safe!” Natasha barked out some of the few Russian phrases Maria could recognize. 

It was when Ellie started to squint her eyes that Maria finally put on that familiar Commander mask, “Enough!”

“Romanoff, Elizavetta,” she got the attention from both, “breathe.”

Tiny curls shifted as her daughter took in a deep breath between teary hiccups, Natasha exhaled through her nose reminiscent of a pissed-off bull. 

“It’s three in the morning,” Maria looked at Ellie, “you need to go to sleep.”

The girl huffed and as her mom looked at Natasha, “You need to shower and clean out those cuts.”

She narrowed her eyes on the three men before her gaze flicked to the young woman who was still cowering in the doorway “I don’t care what any of you do, but nothing is going to be solved tonight. Sleep on it and we’ll all talk in the morning.”

“Mommy, it is already morning,” a tiny voice next to her pointed out. 

She took a deep breath and tried to find her inner peace, “that’s correct. Now let’s all go to sleep.”

“Mommy-”

“Hill-” 

Natasha and Ellie said in unison, still itching to fight. 

“No,” she didn’t think as she threw Ellie onto her hip with one arm and grabbed Natasha with her other, “lock the door behind you.”

The woman fought the two in her arms every step down the hall until they were all locked in the main bedroom. 

“Go shower,” she released the redhead and dumped her daughter onto her bed, “do not fight me on this, Romanoff.”

Natasha huffed angrily and stormed off to the connected bathroom. Ellie mimicked the noise from where she sat with her arms crossed on the bed. 

“You know Fuzzy was not dead?” anger etched into the girl's brows. 

“Yes,” Maria answered honestly. 

“Rule four,” the girl held up four little fingers. 

“We don’t lie to each other,” she recited the rule she had made so long ago. 

Maria listened to the front door close and lock. 

“So why… why you did not tell me?” anger turned to sadness. 

“Because-” she reminded herself of that fourth rule, “because only two people knew and I needed to make sure that everyone at SHIELD believed he was dead. When you were at his funeral, I needed to make sure everyone believed it.”

“I could have pretended,” Ellie stated matter-of-factly. 

The truth was, the girl was one of the only 7-year-olds who really could have sold it. But it wasn’t why she had kept it. 

“I know, but I didn’t want to make you carry that lie.”

She watched as the little girl pondered this for a moment, then another, and then one more before her eyelids began to droop.

“It is so far past your bedtime,” Maria walked over to the bed and picked the child up, taking the sign that she didn’t fight it as a win. 

“I am mad at you,” Ellie stated as she was placed into her bed, a shadow in the corner taking shape as Liho sauntered over and curled up in the space between the child’s feet. 

“I know,” the brunette nodded as she pulled up the blankets and tucked her in, “I still love you, even if you’re mad at me.”

The girl said nothing, hurt laced through Maria’s heart as she stroked a few curly hairs away. 

“Well talk about it more in the morning,” she placed a kiss on Ellie’s forehead and pet Liho once. 

Maria got up and walked through the room, making sure the child’s flashlight was on her nightstand before she turned off the lights and began to close the door. 

“Mommy,” Ellie’s voice was so quiet she almost missed it.

“Yes,” the brunette turned back to face the girl. 

“I still love you too” the girl rattled off in Spanish. 

“I love you more, little bear,” Maria answered and closed the door behind her. 

The shower was still on when she walked back into the main bedroom, she didn’t think as she stripped out of her clothing and followed the noise. Natasha was standing under the steady stream. 

Maria opened the glass door and joined her, not a word spoken as the redhead made room for her under the warm spray. The dirt and grime of the day pooled around her as the water hit the still-sensitive spot of short hair on her head. 

“I’m mad at you,” Natasha finally spoke. 

“I know,” Maria sighed and reiterated nearly the same thing as she said to Ellie, “But I still care about you so much, even if you’re mad at me.”

“He didn’t even tell you when it happened, she could have been hurt and we wouldn’t have known for hours, not until you called him,” the Russian huffed as she handed Maria the shampoo, “it wasn’t your fight to get in the middle of.” 

“I know, but he handled it the way he thought was the best and there’s nothing we can change about that now,” she responded. 

Natasha got out of the shower and dried off without another word, leaving Maria to shower and think about the day alone. It was nearing 4am by the time she had finished showering and gotten ready for bed, falling into the pillows as the weight of the day crashed into her. 

“We’ll talk about it more in the morning,” she finished the night with, turning onto her side as she finally closed her eyes. 

“Ria,” Natasha’s voice was barely above a whisper. 

“Yes,” she turned onto her back and glanced over to the woman. 

“I still care about you too.”

Maria reached over and squeezed the woman's hand twice before finally drifting off to sleep.  

Years, it had been years since Maria Hill had slept in until 10am. But when she turned over the next morning and glanced at the clock on the stand next to her, the time read 10:24am. She turned to face the woman next to her, red hair a halo of flame across the pillow. 

The apartment was quiet behind the door to her bedroom for all of 30 seconds after waking up, then the sound of a scooting stool had not only her but the Russian next to her acutely awake. 

“I bet she’s trying to reach the cereal,” Maria’s voice was scratchy from a deep sleep, still she spoke just to get a read on the woman next to her. 

“She knows the top shelf is where you keep the good stuff,” Natasha smirked, “I’m sorry, I was really tired last night and I didn’t think about-”

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it.” Maria cut her off with a kiss on the forehead, “Now I’m going to go prevent the kitchen from being covered in fruity pebbles.”

She stood, rotated her arms then legs which had all gone stiff, and pulled on her robe before going into the kitchen. Leaving Natasha to sleep for a little longer. 

Sure enough, Ellie stood on her very tip toes trying to reach the red box on one of the highest shelves. Maria wondered for a moment how tall her daughter would end up, they had nearly no information on her heritage, and with the lack of nutrients for a majority of her formative years, there was really no telling how soon she would be able to reach the top cabinet. 

“I leave for two days and you think the surgery cereal is fair game?” the brunette called out from where she approached the island.

Ellie whirled, eyes open, caught red-handed, “Oh… I just…. Was stretching mommy.”

“Stretching on a stool you had to move 6 feet to get to one of the tallest cabinets?” She raised an eyebrow and leaned against the countertop. 

“Mmmm,” the girl thought for a moment and then nodded, “Yes.”  

The woman shook her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, “Get down, I’ll reach it for you.”

It took less than a second for Ellie to launch herself onto the floor, dragging the stool behind her as she sat on it in the same spot she did every morning. Maria added the surgery bomb of cereal into a bowl then poured milk in and slid it over to her daughter. 

“Slowly,” she reminded her and she stuck a spoon into the bowl, “meds after, no arguing.”

Ellie nodded as she tore into the breakfast, barely pausing to swallow the stabilizers and vitamins Maria handed her. The Commander shook her head and dumped spoonfuls of coffee grounds into the machine, positive the smell alone would bring Natasha and Clint into the kitchen in a matter of minutes. 

“I wanted to make sure you knew something,” she started as she grabbed eggs from the fridge, “If you don’t want to talk to Fury, you don’t have it. I can tell him to leave-”

“No!” the girl nearly spit her rainbow cereal out as she protested. 

“Okay,” Maria lifted her hands in submission, “I just wanted to know that you have options.”

Whether deciding what to wear to school, or what book to read, she always made sure the girl knew she had a voice in the matter of things. She had gone so long without one that it had taken years for Ellie to finally grasp it, even if it meant wearing a space-related article of clothing every single day.    

“When is he coming?” Ellie went back to munching on the cereal in front of her. 

“I don’t know, I can call him later and see when he can talk to you again.” She cracked an egg and added it to a bowl. 

“You have his phone number this whole time?” The little girl’s voice was full of sadness. 

Her heart flared with pain, “Yes.”

It was quiet for a moment longer before Ellie spoke again, “Maybe in the afternoon.”

“Okay,” Maria added another egg and whisked them together. 

“Mommy?”

“Yeah, Bear?” She pulled out a pan and put it on the stove. 

“Why did Tasha hit Soldat last night?” the child asked as she tipped back the bowl of milk and drank the sugary mixture. 

“She was… upset that he didn’t tell me about the robot that came here earlier,” she added the eggs to the warm pan, “I think she was scared that you were going to get hurt.”

“Tasha worried that I was hurt?” Ellie furrowed her brows as her mother looked up. 

“I think so,” she nodded and stirred the eggs, “she cares about you a lot.”

“As you care about Lena?” the girl propped her chin on a tiny fist.

Maria smiled, “Yeah, something like that.”

Ellie nodded and then smiled broadly as Clint’s door opened, the smell of coffee finally rousing him. Maria filled a mug and handed it to him wordlessly.

“Guessing everyone left in one piece last night?” He adjusted his hearing aid and glanced around. 

“No,” Ellie looked down, sadness covering most of her face, even Maria looked over concerned, “Soldat leave with only one arm.”

“Elizaveta,” the brunette scolded, “we don’t make fun of limb differences.”

“You little rugrat,” Clint barked out a laugh as he reached for the girl and tossed him over his shoulder, “you think you’re so funny!”

Curly hair thrashed in delight as the girl squealed. Exactly one second later, the main bedroom door flew open, and Natasha’s hair shifted from halo-like to something reminiscent of a raccoon. Maria suppressed the urge to laugh as she saw the worry that filled her green eyes.  

“What if you didn’t have an arm, huh??” the archer smiled and flipped the child right side up before depositing her back into the stool.

“Think I would be okay,” Ellie looked at her right arm and shrugged.

Natasha visibly relaxed as she padded in, making a beeline to the coffee maker. 

“You know what happened to Wanda last night?” Clint directed his question towards Maria. 

Wanda, right, that was her name. 

“Well,” she removed the eggs from the pan and put them on a plate in front of her, “I don’t think she would step foot towards Fury, and Stark was already gone by the time we got back here. So I would think she ended up with Rogers.”

The blonde sipped from his coffee and nodded. 

“Why?” Natasha asked from where she sipped on her own scalding drink.

“I thought I’d stop by, and see if she was okay.”

Maria raised an eyebrow. 

“Her brother saved my life. Her twin brother,” Clint clarified, “who died in the process.”   

“Right,” the Commander nodded and grabbed hot sauce to add to her eggs.

“I’m with Ria, I’d bet she was with Steve,” Natasha agreed, “I’ll go down there with you if you want.”

“Thanks,” the archer nodded, “I’m going to stop by on my way out.”

Back to his VERY pregnant wife who was watching after their other two kids alone.  

“I can go?” Ellie pipped up.

“No,” Maria and Natasha said in unison. 

It seemed neither of them were quick to forget who the young Sokovian served so recently, her allegiance only changing at the very end. Now that she was alone, there was no telling what she would end up doing. Maria didn’t want her interacting with her daughter, it seemed Natasha felt the same way. 

“Sorry kid,” the blonde shrugged. 

“That is okay when Lolo has her baby?” Ellie continued on with the conversation. 

“One month,” Clint beamed. 

They had already planned to go stay with the Bartons to help with the other two kids as soon as baby three was born. With her due date a week after Ellie finished school and the current global threat level at a manageable number, they were all looking forward to it. 

The man cleared his throat and looked over to Ellie, “And you know it’s my baby too.”

“No, because it’s inside Lolo, so it’s hers,” the girl shook her head and Maria could see where this was going before she could stop it. 

“Yeah but I helped put it there,” the archer argued. 

She watched it happen like a train crash in slow motion as Ellie turned her head and asked, “How?” 

There was a beat of silence, followed by another before the two spies looked at each other.

“Tasha, want to go check on the Maximoff kid?” Clint’s face flushed red. 

“Yep,” Natasha threw on a hoodie and shoes as she walked out of the apartment. 

“Traitors!” Maria called after them. 

This left her with a very cute 7-year-old girl who blinked her big green eyes up at Maria and asked point blank, “Mommy, where do babies come from?” 

It was after a very informative conversation and lunch that Ellie finally decided she wanted to talk to Fury again. Maria was still trying to recover from explaining where exactly babies come from as she called the man. 

30 minutes later, they approached Central Park and slowly dodged crowds and various vendors until they were at the playground the two frequently visited. The far side had rows of permanent chess boards etched into the top of the table, Fury leaned against one as they approached. 

She wasn’t sure if he had stayed the night in the tower but by the change in clothes and freshly shaved head, she assumed he had other places to stay. The sight of him still did something funny to Maria’s heart and from the way Ellie gripped onto her hand a little tighter, she wasn't the only one. 

They both walked up but before Maria could even say hello, her daughter spoke up. 

“I know where babies come from now,” Ellie nodded up to the man as if to say I’m mature enough to handle whatever you’re about to ask of me.

“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow and glanced at Maria who pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“We can thank Agent Barton for bringing us to that road,” she clarified. 

“Well, I want to ask you something else that is about big life changes,” Fury leaned down until he was at eye level with the girl, “I recently asked my girlfriend to marry me.”

The Commander felt her jaw drop, she had known there was a special person in Fury’s life but the last she heard from him, it was more of a casual thing. Apparently faking your own death will change that. 

Ellie was just as shocked as she sat and faced him, mouth a perfect “o” shape. 

“And we’re missing a really big job for the day,” he went on.

“The photographer?” Ellie asked and Fury gave one of his very few, genuine laughs.

“No, no there won't be any photographers,” he explained to the child who nodded, “but we do want a ring bearer and I told Priscilla I knew just the person.”

Perfect curls whipped from one side to the other as Ellie glanced between the two adults, “and want me?”

“I want you,” Fury nodded. 

“When?” Maria found herself asking, narrowing her eyes slightly.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the man, but rather that this felt like a bribe, like something he was dangling in front of Ellie so she would forgive and forget. Ellie however, never forgot. Not one thing. 

“July,” the man gave a vague answer, always weary of people overhearing them, “before little miss goes back to school and you and I go back to work.”

“Yes,” Ellie nodded enthusiastically. 

Maria smiled, “go play for a little bit, Bear.”

The girl gave a lopsided smile and ran for the playground, the two adults taking a seat at the permanent chess table they stood in front of. The pieces that had been left behind were mismatched and chipped in some pieces, but still, the two set the board. Maria finished first, their tradition stated whoever set the board faster was the first to move. 

The Commander slid a pawn forward, “Getting married, huh?”

“Decided it was time to try out that ‘normal life’ Phil always talked about,” he matched her piece. 

The pang of remembering her friend hit, but was soothed by the memory of his voice saying that over and over through the years they worked together. 

“I thought you and Priscilla were just a casual thing,” she moved another pawn. 

“I could say the same about you and Romanoff,” he smirked and moved his own piece. 

“Some things change I guess,” the brunette moved her rook. 

“But not everything,” Fury glanced up to Ellie who currently hung upside down on the monkey bars.

The softness in his eyes said what he wouldn’t, the love for Ellie, for Maria, that never changed even if he had been gone for so long. The man studied the board again and moved his queen. 

“So what, you get married, and then you’re gone again?” now it was her turn to study the board if only to give her something to look at while Fury broke her heart by telling her he would be leaving again. 

“What and leave you to head this new team by yourself?” he scoffed. 

“Haven’t fucked it up too bad yet,” she finally moved a piece a little more forcefully than necessary. 

“No, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot bigger in about 6 months and you have a kid and a life to worry about, you can’t take it on alone,” Fury took a pawn. 

The woman looked up, really looked at the man, and read what he had in mind. 

“The Starks land upstate?” 

The Director nodded, “You heard Thor, four of those infinity stones showing up on Earth isn’t just a coincidence. Something’s coming and we need more than Rogers in tights to fight it.”

“You’re going to rebuild SHIELD,” the game in front of her was no longer important. 

“No,” Fury shook his head, “We are going to rebuild the New Avengers Facility.”