The End of the Beginning
Maria’s eyes flew open as Natasha’s phone started to buzz on the nightstand next to her, it was 2am, no one should be calling at 2am.
“Yeah?” the Russian barely glanced at the screen before answering.
There was a string of fast words that were cut off as someone on the other end started to cry. Maria sat up in the bed, watching as Natasha got up and started to dress.
“Laura, slow down, what’s going on?” the redhead pulled on her pants as she pinned the phone between her ear and her shoulder.
There was a beat of silence as she listened before breaking out in a broad grin, “Of course, just give us some time to get in there air, and we'll be there in no time. No- no Ria doesn’t mind- because I know what my girlfriend does and doesn't mind. Laur- no Laur-”
Natasha huffed before starting to talk quickly to Laura in Russian, smiling and shaking her head as she did so, “Yep, we'll be there soon.”
The spy turned as she pulled her pajama shirt over her head and threw on more clothes, “Laura's water just broke and she wants us there to help with the kids because apparently she’s old enough to count as a high-risk birth and is scared to go in with just Clint.”
Maria didn’t need to hear anymore as she changed out of her own pajamas and threw extra clothes into an old army duffle along with the toiletries bag Natasha tossed toward her. She didn’t think twice before creeping into Ellie’s room and packing the same for her in a much smaller bag before slowly extracting the girl from her bed and carrying her into the living room.
The child didn’t so much as stir as Maria double-checked that Natasha had packed everything they might need for the quick flight.
“You okay to fly?” she readjusted Ellie who snuggled closer into her neck as her hands flopped over Maria’s shoulders.
The redhead nodded, "You'd be horrified at the lack of sleep I used to fly the jets in with Clint after long missions."
The Commander could only shake her head as they checked for last-minute items and exited the apartment, taking the elevator up to the flight deck of the building.
Unsurprisingly, Tony was still awake and working as they approached. What was surprising was the young woman who sat on a stool next to him. Maria stayed cognizant of the sleeping child in her arms and beelined to the quinjet, letting Natasha talk to Stark and Maximoff.
Ever so slowly, she unwrapped Ellie’s arms from her neck and lowered her into one of the seats before buckling her and making sure the straps were tight enough. By the time Natasha had approached, the brunette was already doing last checks of the vehicle before taking off.
“Wanda said she’ll tell Steve to feed Liho while we're gone,” the Russian explained as she checked off the preflight list.
Maria didn’t respond, she didn’t have enough information on the young woman to trust her. Natasha simply nodded to herself and got them airborne, only glancing back to the sleeping child once they were safely on their way to Iowa.
“Her brother saved Clint’s life,” the redhead said barely above a whisper.
“And she went into your mind to learn about Ellie who was almost taken because of the robot she served,” Maria responded.
“I should have had better mental defenses,” Natasha argued.
“You shouldn't have had to use them in the first place,” the brunette countered.
They sat in silence for a while, Natasha sipping on a soda next to her as they flew through the night sky.
“You have a soft spot for young people who came from shitty backgrounds,” Maria held up a hand defensively, “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I just need you to see where I’m coming from, Ellie’s safety comes first. Always.
“I know,” the woman next to her nodded.
“But that doesn’t mean that I can’t forgive Maximoff for what happened, it just might take a while,” she sighed.
“Then it’s a good thing we have time, huh?” Natasha looked at Maria who smiled as she took her hand and ran her knuckles across her lips.
“Exactly.”
By the time they landed in the field behind next to the barn, Laura’s contractions were less than ten minutes apart. Something the woman insisted on reiterating as Clint tried to drag her into the car to head to the hospital.
“I can wait a little- FUCK,” the woman hunched over in pain as Maria reached the bottom of the staircase.
Ellie was snugly asleep on the bottom bunk of Cooper's bed, the same place she always slept when they visited.
“That's 7 minutes, we're going,” Clint looked up from his watch.
“No no, I just,” the mom of two looked around the house as if something else needed to be done, something else to keep her from going, “I need to do the dishes.”
“There are two cups in the sink, I think we can leave them,” the archer shook his head.
“But the pink one is Li’s favorite, she’s going to want to use it in the morning,” Laura's eyes filled with tears, “and I won't be here to make sure that she knows where it is. What if I’m never back to show her where it is?”
Sobs ripped from the woman, Natasha was there in a moment reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.
“You will be here babe, and you’ll be here to give it to her when she moves out one day!” Clint offered.
“She’s going to grow up and move out one day?” Bigger sobs came from the women.
“That should be the last thing you're thinking about, it’s not for so many more years,” Natasha shot the man a pointed look, “and you’ll be here for every moment of it.”
Laura calmed slightly at this and Maria remembered who exactly had been present for the other two kids' births.
“Laura, take Natasha and go have that baby,” she smiled, “I got everything covered here.”
“Really?” Laura sniffled as she looked up.
“Really really,” Maria hugged the woman and kissed her on the side of the head.
“Maybe we should name him after Ria too,” Clint smiled as blue eyes met green.
They were going to do it, they were going to name the baby after Natasha. Maria’s heart swelled with pride.
“You weren’t supposed to tell her yet!” Laura’s yell came with a side of tears.
“Oops,” the archer cringed.
“You can tell us all about it after you have our godchild,” Natasha smiled and kissed Maria one last time as she pulled the other two adults out of the house.
“Good luck!” Maria called out as she locked the door behind them.
Nathaniel Pietro Barton was born at 7am on June 15th 2015.
Cooper was the first one down the stairs that morning, understanding the sight of Maria on the couch before she had to say anything. He had hit a significant growth spurt from the last time she had visited, his boyish features slowly melting away.
“You have a brother,” she smiled.
The boy threw his whole body into the air as he let out an enthusiastic "Whoop!"
“Come on we gotta go see him! What’s his name? Did they still name him after Auntie Nat? Did Dad pass out?”
“Coop, breathe,” Maria chuckled, “Let’s give your mom a little time to rest and wait for Li and Ellie to wake up, then we can head to the hospital.”
He bounced on the tips of his toes before stopping abruptly, “Mom’s okay?”
“Needed a little oxygen but is totally fine,” she nodded.
The shift from mommy and daddy to mom and dad didn’t go unnoticed by Maria who once again realized how quickly the boy in front of her was growing up. While Elie and Lila were still firmly little girls, Cooper would be starting middle school in the fall as he slowly crept toward his teenage years. The brunette pulled him into a hug on the couch.
“You’re such a good big brother,” she squeezed one more time before releasing him.
“Thanks,” he laughed loudly, “it’s my favorite job.”
“Good because now you get to do it even more,” Maria patted his leg and stood up, “want breakfast?”
“Can we do breakfast sandwiches?” Cooper asked, trailing her into the next room.
“Let me see if you guys have everything,” the brunette scrounged around in the kitchen.
She and Natasha had planned to go grocery shopping as soon as they got here and make as many easily reheated meals as possible during their stay. Only that plan was for when they had assumed they would fly out in a few days.
But she was Maria Hill, the woman whose specialty was being quick on her feet and knowing how to adapt.
And so she and Cooper made a list of items they would pick up on the way home from the hospital as the two cooked breakfast. An hour later Lila and Ellie came down the stairs, the older of the two making sure the younger made it safely down each step. She was only two years older but like Cooper, was keen on making sure any younger child was safe. Maria called it endearing, Natasha called it a survival instinct. They compromised on being kind.
“I’m still the baby!” the little girl called out.
“Well, actually-” Maria started.
“We have a brother!” Cooper called out.
Lila broke down in tears, Ellie winced and gently patted the girl’s back. All three of them then spent the next 40 minutes calming the child down and telling her about all of the great things she could now do as an older sister. Ellie didn’t look convinced but Lila bought it and was soon sitting at the kitchen table explaining how she was going to have Nathaniel try on all the clothes that were too small for her now that she was a “big girl”.
Maria took it as a win and sent off a picture of all three children to Natasha.
Maria: <1 img.> So far, only one meltdown.
Tasha: <1 img.> same here
There was a picture attached with what Maria could only assume was Clint having just finished crying. The archer's eyes were red and his hair stuck up at odd angles.
Maria: At least we know where Lila gets it from.
Tasha: The same could be said about Ellie.
Maria looked at the picture she sent again, this time focusing on her daughter. The little girl was cringing slightly as Lila stuck out a sticky hand just a little too close to her pajamas.
Maria: Touchè. Cool if we head over in like an hour.
Natasha then sent back a thumbs-up emoji that spurred the rest of them into action. It was closer to two hours by the time they had all gotten presentable and into the car for the drive-over.
“All my babies in one place,” Laura smiled as they walked into the hospital room, the woman somehow looking even more radiant after giving birth.
Maria barely stayed upright as Clint barreled into her, his hug nearly crushing.
“He’s just-” the blonde gave a big sniffle, “so perfect.”
It was true from what Maria could see over the kids' heads as they crowded around the infant that slept soundly on Laura’s chest.
“Congratulations,” Maria smiled to both of her friends before leaning on the arm of the chair Natasha sat in, the redhead leaned into her side immediately. There was nowhere else she'd rather be than here.
Maria watched as the kids ran around in the hot summer heat, squealing as they crossed through the icy spray of the garden hose Clint had pointed toward them. Laura was feeding the new baby inside, something Natasha informed her of as she leaned into Maria's side.
"Does it make you want more?" the question caught her off guard and Maria snorted.
"Not at all," she shook her head at the memory of the chaos that had been the last week.
At the Russian's slow nod, she remembered the deeper implications of the question.
"I'm very content with one," she cleared her throat, "but, I'm not opposed to whatever life throws at me. What about you?"
She would listen to whatever Natasha had to say, she would buy snake oil from Natasha if she recommended it.
"Considering I spent my whole life thinking I wouldn't come close to having a kid and now I have Yelena and..." the spy trailed.
She always trailed when she talked about her relationship with Ellie, but Maria didn't push it. The redhead would get there when she was ready, Maria had time to wait.
"I guess I'd say I'm pretty content too," she gave a half smile as Lila came running towards her, body soaked.
Maria intercepted the child, picking her up and spinning her around as her clothes became damp and her hair clung to her neck.
"Put me down, Auntie Ria!" Lilia bellowed between giggles.
She wasn't sure when in the last week, the Barton's had started referring to her as such all she knew was that she savored it each time.
"Okay okay," Maria relented and was about to send the youngest girl running back through the water when the blonde spoke up.
"This hair is shorter," the child touched the hair that was indeed shorter than the rest, still trying to grow back after the accident.
"It is," the brunette nodded.
"I think all your hair should be like this," Lila nodded and played with the ends before wiggling out of the woman's grip.
She had always wanted shorter hair but never had the time to go get it cut by someone she trusted. Maria thought about it for a moment longer, before turning to face the house.
"I'll be right back," she threw over her shoulder and walked into the house, "Hey Laura?"
"Living room," the mom of three called back.
"He's down for a nap soon, right?" she eyed the baby.
"As soon as he's done eating," Laura nodded.
"Have time for a haircut?" Maria held up the scissors she had grabbed from the kitchen.
"Go shower," the woman smiled.
40 minutes later, she couldn't help but run her fingers through her hair which was now all one length from where it sat just above her collar. She pulled off her shirt to dust the rest of the cut hair off, leaving her in just a sports bra as the rest of the family came back in.
"Woah!" Cooper called out as he took in the new look.
"Mommy," Ellie's eyes went big, "pretty hair."
"You look-" Natasha's eye glanced from Maria's hair to her now visible tattoos and back again.
"Beautiful," Clint offered.
"Hot," Laura declared.
"Hot," Natasha nodded in agreement.
"Thanks," she snorted and brushed off the remaining hair into the pile around her, "decided to see if I could squeeze in a last-minute appointment with my favorite hairdresser."
Laura's eyes filled with tears, her body still full of new mom hormones, "don't remind me."
They had been there for over a week and while they always wanted to stay longer, this time they had other plans. Fury had called the night before and let them know the details of his wedding. He had invited the Bartons but none were up to travel just yet.
"We'll be back," Natasha promised with a big hug, "but how many times are we going to get to see Fury in a suit?"
"Probably never," the woman started to cry, "which is why I'm pissed I'm missing it!"
"I promise to sneak a pic for you," Maria smiled and picked up her slightly damp daughter who immediately ran her fingers through the shorter hair.
"And I'm going to miss you in a suit and Natasha wearing something tight that's just going to make her look even more sexy," the mom tossed her hands up in the air and cried harder.
"Okay, we'll all take pictures!" Maria offered.
"It's no- not- the same," she hiccuped.
"I got it," Clint snapped, "we make them wear their outfits next time they come."
Laura stopped crying at this and nodded, her husband saying the exact right words. Natasha gave Maria a soft smile as she once again ran her hands through the woman's new hair, unable to stop herself.
In fact, the redhead wouldn't be able to stop running her hands through Maria's short hair for the foreseeable future, a fact that was evident as she continued to do so while they sat on the back deck of Fury's New York home.
The house was tucked away off the main road, Natasha had almost missed the hidden driveway when they had driven to the address the day before. However, that was where the secrecy of Fury ended, the house was full of warm tones and pictures of vacation spots with Priscilla as the main focus. There had also been, much to Ellie's delight, one of her school photos and a drawing of her and Nick magnetized to the fridge.
Maria was sure that the house had hidden security systems, cameras, and weapons stashed around, but for the most part, it just looked... like a home. She and Natasha had talked about how they wanted to make their own house more of a home by the end of the summer.
“You nervous?” the blonde asked Fury, tone full of amusement.
“Do I look nervous, Danvers?” the man sighed and rolled his eye.
“A little,” Carol laughed, “right?”
The woman drew her attention to the only other people in the vicinity, Natasha laughed.
“Totally,” Maria chided and put her arm over her girlfriend's shoulder.
It had only been slightly surprising to see Captain Marvel at the dinner table the night before, Nick loved her the same way that he loved Maria. Which was to say, he loved her like a daughter and while Maria was the daughter who was still at home, trying to figure her life out, Carol was the daughter who had already moved out of the house and was content to start her own life.
“I think you look handsome,” Natasha gave her two cents as she leaned into Maria’s side.
“See this is why I keep Romanoff around,” Fury shook his head, “she’s the only one with manners.”
“Kiss ass,” Maria muttered, which got her a sneaky elbow to the ribs.
She didn’t have time to retaliate as the door behind them opened and after a beat of silence, the telltale noise of tiny fingers pressing a button started followed by Etta James. Maria sighed in relief that Ellie had pressed the correct button after practicing the night before.
Long, soft curls danced down the back of the girl's dark blue dress, the same color that matched the handkerchief tucked into Fury’s breast pocket. With the sun still lingering on the horizon, the tiny reflective dots that covered the blue fabric shimmered like the night sky itself. The little girl walked as slowly as she did any time there was a bug in her hand as she gently sprinkled flower petals on both sides of her making sure the walkway was perfectly covered as she came to a stop next to Fury.
“I think she is coming to walk now, Fuzzy,” Ellie did her best to whisper to the man who smiled.
“You did a great job, little miss,” he placed a hand on her head and waited for his soon-to-be wife walk through the backdoor of their home.
Priscilla looked radiant as she emerged, the simple white garment she wore was closer to a sundress than a wedding dress but she made it look like it was a designer label. Maria and Natasha both stood up as she walked down to the soft voice of Etta James.
Sure-footed with a smile that radiated warmth, she stepped into the space in front of Fury. Ellie fidgeted in her dress for just a minute before returning back to her perfect posture. Maria and Natasha both sat back down and listened as Danvers began to talk about the two in front of her.
“When Nick asked me to officiate his wedding, I worried that I wouldn’t be good at this, I wondered why he picked me,” the blonde smiled, “my first instinct was to talk to my own wife about my worries. It hit me then as to why he asked me, I’ve lived a long life… and then some… with one main purpose: to bring joy and love to my family.”
Priscilla smiled at the woman who continued to speak about her love for her own wife, and how even during the hardest times in their lives, they always had each other. Natasha placed her head on her girlfriend's shoulder as she listened.
Carol spoke about love and life and how there was no one in this world, or any other world, like Fury, and for him to have found someone special, she must have been truly spectacular. There were more words about how excited they all were about getting to know Priscilla better and ribbing about how long it took Fury to propose, but Maria barely heard the words.
Instead, the woman could barely keep from staring down at the woman of her dreams who held on to her arm, looking at the little girl in front of her who twirled slightly as soft music continued to play.
Both Fury and Priscilla exchanged short vows, promising to love each other through it all, in this world and any other until they both came to their end. Ellie searched her pockets for just a beat too long, leaving Maria’s nerves shot as she thought about having to backtrack their steps until they found the ring before she handed them to each of the adults and then came bounding back to Maria and Natasha.
“You did great,” Maria kissed the side of her daughter's head.
“Good job, milaya,” Natasha squeezed the girl's knee.
Maria took a deep breath and soaked it all in, the weight of her daughter in her lap, the hand of the woman she loved still wrapped around her arm. She blinked back tears as Fury slid the delicate ring onto his wife's finger, and then handed her own handkerchief to Natasha who was doing the same thing as Priscilla slid Fury’s ring onto his hand.
“By the power vested in me by the state of Louisiana, and the Galactic Federation, I pronounce you bond to each other,” Carol's eyes set ablaze for a moment as her hands reached for the two in front of her.
There was a sparkle of light that wrapped around the dark skin of each hand before fading away. Ellie cheered and dumped the rest of her flower petals around the area where they all sat, both Furys smiled and followed Carol back into the house.
Blue met green as Maria and Natasha gazed into each other's eyes, Ellie squished between them both. The brunette gently cupped the Russian's cheek as she brought her in for a deep kiss, the child between them squealed as they all fell apart in a fit of laughter.
Maria Hill closed her eyes and took a deep breath, positive that this was all she needed in her life.