Chapter 2
Maria Rambeau had never been the ‘waiting at home by the phone’ type of woman.
Sure, there had been that political science major in college that she’d pined after - before she and Carol either realized or admitted how they felt about each other - but even then, she’d never been the type to just… wait around for anyone.
Because when Maria Rambeau wanted something, she figured out how to get it.
Even when it cost her everything.
(She did the same with Carol. It just… took a few years for either of them to realize how desperately they wanted each other to be best friends and then some, rather than only best friends.)
But then Carol “died”, and then Carol came back.
And then, Carol left again.
Because of course she did. Because she had to. Because there was an entire galaxy full of people to help, an entire race of refugees to protect and help resettle.
And this damn galaxy had over 100 billion stars.
One hundred billion.
And one woman - Carol, her Carol, it was always going to be her Carol - was going to take on the evils amidst them all.
Of course she was.
It was what Maria had fallen in love with about her, all those years ago.
Part of her had always known that the nature of their jobs - the nature of wanting to change the world, to maybe even save it - would rip them apart from each other.
It had been worth every moment, anyway.
But she worried about Monica.
She’d chosen a life with Carol - with a woman who was the one who insisted on going if lives were on the line because Monica needed her mother, with a woman who willingly blew herself up to protect people she’d never even known about until a breath before, with a woman who was too stubborn to die so she came home with a new name, a new uniform, and fists that were made of fire - but Monica?
Monica hadn’t chosen who her other mother would be.
So Maria worried. And she knew Carol worried, too.
So whenever Carol called - she’d given Maria and their daughter a much more advanced communicator than she’d given Fury (she didn’t need to chat with Fury about his day, to see his face, to have him see her face, to stare longingly into his eyes; she just needed to know, from him, if the Earth was about to be destroyed and it was too much for SHIELD to handle) - Maria would linger, just for a moment, to watch the delight course through their daughter’s entire body.
She never intruded on their conversations - except when the three of them would snuggle up for old episodes of Fresh Prince together, even with the holographic projection of Carol originating from halfway across the universe - but she did let herself watch their daughter answer the call, watch Carol’s uniformed figure appear, with a new haircut that looked like it was straight out of a comic book superhero’s.
A new haircut that looked like everything Maria wanted to run her hands through while they were making love.
Most of the times, though, the communications weren’t live.
Most of the time, she and Monica had to wait - painstakingly, wait - to download messages from Carol. And they’d retreat to their separate rooms to watch them, to cry, and to record their own messages back.
Hey Lieutenant Trouble, Carol’s messages to their daughter would usually start, and she’d have that lower swagger, soft and solid confidence, in her voice that had always made Maria melt.
And nothing made Maria Rambeau melt.
She didn’t hear the rest of her messages to Monica, not usually, but she heard Monica laugh and she heard her cry in response, before composing her own message to her mother.
Hey Lieutenant Trouble,
It’s been a minute, huh? Sorry if I worried you and your mom. I’m fine, and so’s Talos and his family. And don’t worry, kiddo: his daughter hasn’t changed her eyes, not for anyone.
We found a planet for them, one that looks like it could be safe. And I did a lot of scans, and it doesn’t look like they’d be interfering with any evolutionary history on the surface. Your mom said you’re eating up any books on exobiology you can, so I figured you’d wanna know that part.
But the Kree found us, and anyway. It wasn’t pretty, and I’ll be honest, we could’ve used a stellar pilot like your mom. But we got by okay. Everyone’s okay. And everyone says hi to you, and sends their love. You really know how to make an impression on people, you know that, Lieutenant Trouble?
I miss you, Monica. I’ve always wanted to fly, you know? To help people. I know you want to do the same. You’ve got your mom’s blood in you, so of course you do. And I love it up here. I want to bring you one day, and your mom. I love what I’m doing and I love the people I get to meet. I’m sending some pictures for you, attached to this message. Just for you and Mom, okay?
So it’s amazing out here, but I miss you. Every second of every day. The more beautiful it is out here, the more I miss you and your mom.
It’s not your job to take care of her, Monica. It’s your job to be a kid first, okay? But please give her an extra solid hug, every day and every night, alright? I know you’re getting older, and I know it’s gonna stop being cool to tell your mom you love her pretty soon. But please don’t stop telling her, alright?
I love you, kiddo. I love you bigger than anything or anyone.
Tell me about school, and everything and anything you want.
See you up here soon enough.
I love you.
Maria didn’t eavesdrop on Monica’s responses, but sometimes Monica would record them with her in the room. It both buoyed her and broke her heart.
Ma!
Remember when I called you Auntie Carol? You and Mom were so funny, thinking you were fooling people with those shenanigans. Well, no. I guess you were smart. Jerks see what they want to see, I guess, right? Jerks isn’t a curse, Mom, I can say that! Gotta earn my name, right Ma?
I’m glad you’re keeping Talos and his family safe, and that no one’s changed their eyes for anyone. That’s what Mom always told me about my hair, when I started going to school and people were jerks. Anyway.
I want to hear everything about the pictures you sent me! You can’t just send me pictures of nebulas and planets and not expect me to want to hear everything about them, Ma, seriously. I know you’re busy saving the galaxy. But some captions? If that’s okay? It’s also nice to think that I’d get to hear your voice extra.
School’s good. Too easy, but Mom made sure I got put in all the advanced classes. The other kids seem really stressed about their grades, so I try to help them. It just doesn’t stress me out. But I guess it kind of does a little? Because I want to show them what the kid of a single mom can do - I know Mom’s not single, but you know what I mean, Ma - and also because I want to get into astronaut camp!
You heard me right! And not just any old astronaut camp: Stark Industries is sponsoring this one. And I don’t want Nick to give me any favors, I want to get in on my own. Mom says I will. It’ll be so cool! Mom told me what zero-g felt like, when you and her and Goose were in that ship together, and I want to feel it for myself! This summer, fingers crossed. Are your fingers crossed? I hope so.
I miss you, Ma. I miss you all the time. Sometimes I cry about it. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but Mom says I shouldn’t be afraid to be honest with you. But I’m really proud of you. Like, mega proud. Both of my moms are superheroes! Sure, Mom doesn’t have tea-making hands, but still. I’m really proud of you, Ma. Or should I say Captain Marvel?
It’s a cool name. Almost as cool as Lieutenant Trouble.
I love you, Ma. I’m gonna let Mom do some recording now. Please be safe and don’t get hurt, okay? Mom would be impossible to deal with if we lost you again. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Well, I’m not, but you know. Be careful. I love you so, so, so much.
So much.
When Monica recorded in front of Maria like that, Maria would kiss the top of her daughter’s head and Monica would positively scamper away. Like she knew that Maria needed privacy. That unless they were recording a family message, her moms needed to be alone together, in their messages.
Carol. Hi.
Sometimes I want to tell you everything. I want to talk to you all the time. All the little things about my days. The little habits that Monica’s developing. The crushes I suspect she’s developing. The way the leaves are coming back on the trees and the way the breeze smells in the morning, just before sunrise. How I’m maintaining your Mustang for you, but it really doesn’t matter, because whenever I take my Camaro out, I know it’ll still dominate.
And sometimes… I don’t even know. Sometimes, there’s nothing to say to you. Because sometimes, I just… I know you already know everything. How much I love you. How much it kills me that you’re out there and I’m not with you to watch your six. I’ve been helping Fury out, with SHIELD. A lot. And I know it matters. I know it makes a difference. But sometimes, I don’t even know, Danvers.
Sometimes, all I want to do is kiss you and strip your clothes off, and god, I hope Monica has her headphones on. I just want to lay down with you and kiss your neck and hold you, or be held by you, and it’s… it’s stupid, isn’t it? Well, I guess not. Not really. I know you want to do those things, too. Your last message… damn woman, I want those things too. You know I do. Just more awkward for me to record them when our daughter’s in the next room.
I just miss you, Carol. And sometimes I’m so angry at you. For being so damn perfect. For being so damn brave and needing to go out and save the universe.
But you’d better stay exactly that way. You’d better stay too stubborn to die. Because I swear I’ll come out there and kill you if you’re not.
I love you, Carol. I remember when we didn’t have to say it, not really. Because I could show you, every day. I can’t exactly show you, now, so I guess I have to resort to being corny as all get out.
I love you. I’m in love with you. It’s nothing you don’t already know. It’s just something I want you to hear as often as I can tell you, and I need you to keep it even closer than that ridiculous yet oddly sexy uniform you’ve got. Alright?
I’m in love with you, Carol Danvers. If you ever start doubting that, you’d better get your ass home and let me show you.
And I know you’re out there saving entire planets and stopping entire genocides. Because of course you are.
I’m proud of you every day. Don’t you give up, understand me? And don’t stop being as kind as you are, you hear me? Don’t stop believing you can do it, and that you can come home when you need to.
I love you. I’ll tell you more about SHIELD next message. Tonight, I just… tonight, I love you feels like the only relevant thing to say.
Keep yourself safe, you hear me? If I say I love you one more time, I think Monica’s gonna start pretending to vomit in the next room.
So let’s do it: I love you, Carol.
God. You’ve made me so cheesy. I blame you entirely.
Higher further faster, baby. My baby. Stay safe.
She heard Monica giggling maniacally in the next room. “My moms love each other so much!”
Maria wiped her tears and smiled. Because their daughter definitely wasn’t too old for some good old-fashioned tickling and pillow fighting.
They both made sure to hit record before the playful attacks began, so Carol could be part of the family fun, too.