Once upon a time Maria thought about becoming an astronaut. When she was a child she would look up at the stars and wonder what was out there in space, what it was like to fly up that high and leave Earth behind. She was always ready to fly in some way, whether it be through space or above the clouds. When she became a pilot in the airforce she realized that dream of flight and felt the freedom that came with it, the power that she held when she was in the air. Nothing could touch the way she felt when she was flying.
Then she met Carol and her heart soared higher than any plane could take her. When Carol smiled at her she was weightless, when she laughed, when she said her name, when she touched her. Every part of Maria sang Carol's praises and wanted nothing more than to be near her wherever she went. Having Carol by her side made it easier to bear the heartache of constantly being talked down to and challenged by her male coworkers. Whenever she thought of giving up, Carol was right by her side cheering her on.
The first time they kissed was after they'd put Monica to bed on her birthday. The kid was full of sugar and high off of the excitement of the party so she insisted that she didn't feel tired enough to sleep. Not even 10 minutes after she'd told them that she was asleep on the couch, and Carol picked her up before Maria got to her.
"Time for Liutenant Trouble to get some sleep, I guess," Carol said with a smile. "She's had a very long day."
Seeing Carol holding Monica always made Maria's heart thud because of how natural it looked. The three of them made the perfect family which was something she wanted for her daughter. Carol staying there and spending time with them by choice meant the world to her, even if Carol didn't know how she felt. It was okay so long as they were close- at least that's what she always reminded herself whenever the longing go to be too much.
They put her to bed and went back outside to finish cleaning up the decorations. The stars were shining so brightly that they eventually put cleaning aside for a little while and went to sit on the porch so they could look up at them. Maria was so distracted by taming her racing heart that she didn't notice how Carol was looking at her instead of the stars.
"Maria?" Carol asked softly, her voice floating out into the night.
"Yeah?" she replied and looked over at her. The expression on her face was one of infinite affection.
"You know that I love you, right?"
Pain. Her heart ached from wanting so much more than she thought Carol could give. "Yeah of course, Monica and I love you too," she said as though her heart wasn't breaking.
"No, I mean," Carol said and sighed. "Let me know if I'm off base here, okay?"
"Carol?"
Carol shook her head and leaned forward, kissing Maria gently. It was a simple touch of their lips but it took her breath away. "I love you," Carol whispered when she pulled back. "With all my heart."
Maria gasped, "I love you too." And they fell into each other.
Then a cruel twist of fate took Carol from her, and Maria found herself watching the stars yet again. Sometimes after Monica went to bed, Maria would go out onto the porch and look up at the stars. She hoped for a sign that Carol were out there somewhere, that she were at peace. Carol deserved that much at least. 6 long years passed and a miracle disguised as a curse brought Carol back to her. She wasn't the Carol that Maria knew, as painful as it was, but she was there and that was what mattered. It didn't matter that every time she looked at her she saw a stranger staring back with those same warm eyes that she loved so much. It didn't matter that Maria's heart was breaking because Monica was so happy to have her aunt Carol back.
Carol brought her to space, got her to fight for what was right again, and saved the skrulls from being wiped out. She started remembering more and more about her real life and she came back to her. Every single detail she remembered was like a bullet because Maria knew that she couldn't stay; she was going to leave again and there was no telling when or if she'd be back. It was easier for Maria to pretend like she weren't still in love than to hold Carol like she wanted to.
Carol was ready to leave when Monica handed her her jacket. Seeing her put it on was a reminder of what she was losing and she had to force herself to watch her fly away. It was all alright, Carol was flying again and helping those who needed her. Maria needing her came in second to a whole race needing her, of course it did.
Not even 5 minutes had passed when Carol came racing back to the house. She was glowing like a fiery angel and looked nearly panicked.
"What?" Maria asked, full of fear. "Did something happen?"
"Let me know if I'm off base here," Carol said when she stopped glowing.
Maria's lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears. "Carol," she whispered.
"I couldn't leave without telling you how much I love you. I couldn't do it, Maria. I know that it's hard on you and I hate myself for doing this but you have to know."
Maria ran over to her and nearly tackled her with the force of her hug. Carol was still warm to the touch but it was a welcome warmth. "I love you too," she cried. "I love you too."
Carol wrapped her arms around her and pulled back so that they could look at each other. "I'll come back to you," Carol promised. "I will be right here as soon as it's safe to come home."
"I know you will," she said, because Carol never lied to her. "Now kiss me and get going."
Carol laughed and kissed her, happiness coming off of her in waves. "I love you," Carol said and stepped away from her. Her hands started to glow and soon the flames enveloped her.
"I love you too, you damn showoff!" Maria shouted and watched her fly away. She watched until Carol became a speck of light in the distance, blending in with the stars and until Maria couldn't see her anymore. The funniest part about the whole thing was that Carol's smile still shone brighter than her flames.