Remnants

Carol stared at the canvas, her brushstrokes were thick and uneven, and the colors melded together in an unpleasant way. She used a variety of blues, yellows, oranges, and purples but her goal of creating a sunset casting shadows over the mountains went horribly wrong. Now, the canvas was a mess of colors.

"I told you painting was not my strong suit," she pointed out to the woman standing over her shoulder observing her masterpiece. They were in a small studio apartment with paintings hung up on the walls. The canvas was set up in the corner by a window and Carol sat on a stool directly in front of it.

Sam stared at the canvas in a perplexed way, "There are truly no words…" she said while raising her eyebrows. "So you should definitely stick to flying planes."

Carol shoved her playfully and feigned hurt. "You have to admit it's unique, though."

The brunette chuckled cutely, "Yeah, unique would be one way to describe it." She stared at it a bit longer, "Hmm, maybe it's growing on me?"

"See, I'm a true artist," she tipped her chin up and closed her eyes. She could feel the eye roll Sam gave in response.

"Why do I put up with you?" She asked while staring into Carol's eyes. There was the slightest of smiles on her lips, and Carol felt her face heat up and heart pound from the intensity of Sam's eyes. It didn't help that her eyes were absolutely beautiful. She likened the feeling to being stared at by a celebrity crush.

Part of her wanted to look away, but her dangerous side wouldn't let her. Finally, Sam cleared her throat and averted her eyes. Carol watched as the smaller woman grabbed her sketchbook and pencils from the table. She sat down in front of Carol.

"Alright, stay still." She demanded and her brow furrowed in a deep focus.

"Bossy."

Carol stood on the sidewalk in a busy little town in Louisiana. Across the street was an older rundown building with a shop and bakery attached on either side. There was white paint on the windows that read Learning Arts Studio and an open sign was blinking above the door. So this is the place… she thought. She stared down at the sticky note Maria had given her of the address it had only taken her an hour by car to get to. After her conversation with Fury, she figured flying would just make his life more difficult and Maria had been happy to let her borrow the camaro.

Her heart rate was faster than normal as she walked across the street, and she was psyching herself up for whatever was to come next.

Carol walked into the art studio in her very signature confident manner, even though she was a nervous wreck on the inside. The studio was quiet besides a piano playing and faint voices singing along somewhere near the back of the building. She glanced down the hall, the building was bigger than it looked from the outside. The walls were white with art pieces hung up to throw splashes of color here and there. The paintings were quite beautiful.

The receptionist held Carol with a curious gaze, "May I help you?" She asked politely. She was an elderly woman with stringy blonde hair and glasses at the end of her pointed nose.

"Yes. I'm looking for Samantha Pierce." Carol stated simply and put her hands on the tall wooden counter. She glanced at the receptionist name plate on the counter, her name was Anna.

"Oh, are you one of the new students?" Anna asked in a sweet voice.

Carol wrinkled her nose a bit, "What? No, no I'm not. I'm just looking for Sam… uh, Samantha. Does she work here?"

"Yes, but she's in a class right now. If you want to speak with her you'll have to come back later I'm afraid."

Carol had to admit she was a little disappointed to hear that, but she had nothing better to do than sit around and wait. Well, besides stopping the remaining Skrull. "How long will it be?" She asked, she silently hoped it wouldn't be long, she was eager to get this mystery solved.

"It will be about fifteen more minutes. Give me a moment and I'll let her know she has someone waiting for her, okay? What name can I give her?" Carol panicked, she wasn't sure if giving her name would be the best idea considering she had no clue how this interaction would go and she technically was pronounced dead 7 years ago.

"Oh, um… I'm actually an old friend of hers trying to surprise her…" she said slowly, coming up with the excuse on the spot. Technically it's not a lie, though.

Anna smiled, "How lovely! In the years Sam has worked here she doesn't get many personal visitors… but I'll just be a moment!" She stood and walked hunched over down the hallway where many doors were located, Carol assumed they were classrooms. Anna went into a room far into the hallway on the right and then came back out a few seconds later. "Okay I let her know for you, dear!"

"Great, thank you! I'll just wait here." She say down on one of the wooden benches that had comfortable red cushions. For a few moments she just sat there staring around at the studio before Anna smiled at her and said, "How long have you known Miss Samantha?"

"Oh um," I have no idea, she thought. "A little while now." She answered vaguely.

Anna smiled and began in a reminiscent voice, "I remember when I was about your age, my best friend Han surprised me at a play I was in by throwing flowers on the stage for me… it was so thoughtful…"

Carol smiled too, she loved when older people told stories about a time in their life. She thought this Han character sounded more like someone trying for her affection, though."That sounds very nice!" she said. They fell into silence again for a bit. "Where is your restroom?" Carol glanced around seeing if she could find the restroom sign, but it was nowhere upfront as far as she could tell.

Anna pointed down the hall, "It's just down the hall and to the left. It'll be the first door on the right."

Carol nodded in appreciation and went down the hall, she slowed her steps as she walked near the door she had seen the receptionist go through. She pulled down on her S.H.I.E.L.D cap Fury had given her, and peered into the room. Luckily the door had a long rectangular window, so she could see well into the room. It was an art room with canvases set up and young and older people were all painting at a station while a woman was walking around checking their work. Carol's breath hitched in her throat, it was the woman from her flashes of memory, Samantha Pierce, or Sam, as she had heard herself call her in her flashes of memories.

She looked relatively the same as Carol saw her in her memories. She wore jeans and a flowing black shirt, and her hair was pulled back in a messy bun. Her beautiful eyes scanned the others' work and her smile made Carol's heart skip. She smiled lightly to herself, the woman seemed at ease and happy. Sam must have sensed someone watching her because her head turned towards the door and the pair locked eyes for a second.

Sam's face went pale and her eyes widened. Shit! Carol ducked down out of the way and bolted to the restroom, she definitely had not wanted Sam to see her before she had a chance to really explain what was going on. She had looked terrified when she saw her staring through the window. Granted, anyone would probably be startled seeing someone staring at them like that.

Not long after Carol went into the stalls did the restroom door open and someone breathed deeply. When Carol came out of the stall, Sam was standing in front of the mirror and leaning over the sink splashing water on her face.

Panicking, Carol went back and forth in her brain about what to do. This was her moment to say something, but now that Sam was physically standing in front of her, she started losing her nerve. She couldn't explain how this felt, she had never run from anything in her life. Before she could figure out what to do, Sam wiped her face with her hands and saw Carol standing there. She froze on the spot.

"Samantha?"

"Oh god, not this again. You aren't real… you aren't real…" she started muttering quietly and closing her eyes.

"No wait I'm real! It's me, Carol." Carol said trying to ease the panicking woman. It helped very little, though.

Sam went to the door to try and open it, but Carol grabbed her arm as gently as she could to stop her. The other woman's head snapped around, her face wrinkled in confusion, and she stared down at Carol's hand grabbing her then stared into her eyes. When their eyes met Sam instantly calmed for a moment. "Carol?" Her voice was barely over a whisper and she squinted her eyes as if trying to see through any deception. "But- that's impossible."

"Yeah, it's me. Well, sort of…" Carol let go of the woman's arm suddenly realizing their closeness and thinking it inappropriate even though it felt normal, "I don't remember a lot of things. Just bits and pieces."

"What? No, you died in a crash! How are you here?!" Sam exclaimed, Carol hoped she wouldn't start panicking again but she could see Sam was on the verge of losing it.

"It's kind of a long story, let me take twenty minutes of your time… please? I have a lot of questions and I'm sure you do too." Carol watched the woman process her words, she was hesitating but not immediately saying no which meant she had to be considering it.

Finally, Sam sighed and nodded curtly, "Fine… but I'm gonna need a drink."

Trust me you'll need it… Carol thought but decided against saying it out loud. She really hoped Sam would take the news as good as Maria had, but she had a strange feeling that things would be more complicated than that. Judging from her facial expression, Sam still wasn't even convinced she was real.

"Whiskey, on the rocks." Sam told the bartender once the two woman had sat down at the local bar.

Carol watched as he set it down in front of her and she took the glass in her hands, downed the whole glass of whiskey, slammed the glass back on the counter, and waved her hand for another. Carol had to admit she was impressed and worried at the same time. "So let me get this straight… you didn't die in the crash, you absorbed the blast's energy which gave you superpowers, and then an alien race called the Kree abducted you and erased your memories to make you into a soldier to fight against the Skrull, who aren't actually evil alien terrorists." Sam toyed with her next glass of whiskey while she tried to piece through the bizarre story.

Carol tipped her head to the side in thought, "Yeah, that's pretty much everything."

Sam chuckled bitterly, and she down the rest of her whiskey again waving her hand for another. "This must be some sort of sick joke…" she muttered and downed yet another glass of whiskey. "Didn't know my imagination could fabricate such a bizarre story…"

Carol furrowed her brow and shook her head, "Well, from what I remember you did have quite the imagination. But I promise, you're not imagining things. This is real."

Sam stared at her for a moment considering her, and Carol felt hot under the woman's eyes. "So you said you don't remember everything? What does that mean exactly?" Sam was testing her she realized, trying to figure out if Carol was the real thing. She thought it ironic because she was doing the same thing with people seeing if they were Skrull or not the first time she came back to Earth.

"Well, like I said the Kree erased my memories of everything here on Earth and it wasn't until I came here last year that I realized I had a life here… so I started remembering things little by little."

Sam seemed perplexed, "So you don't know who I am at all?"

Carol grimaced, "I've seen you in... flashes… which helped me find you, but it doesn't really go beyond that. All of the memories I have of you are good ones, though. I just can't remember how we met, how close we were, how long we knew each other… that sort of thing."

"All you see is flashes? What do you see?" Sam asked hesitantly.

Carol swallowed, she had been waiting to ask her about what exactly it was that she was seeing and maybe get some answers about who she was to her. "The most recurring one is seeing you, smiling and laughing, and we're at the beach together on the top of a cliff looking down at a pretty great view. I wanted to ask you about these memories that I have, see if you can help me piece them together? Please, Sam."

"That's…" Carol could see her start to sway slightly from the whiskey and she sighed heavily. Sam paused and pursed her lips then she smiled a little, "You're probably remembering the time I tried to surprise you with a trip to the beach, except halfway there you guessed where we were going. That was one of the most annoying things about you, I could never surprise you with anything because you'd guess it immediately." She rolled her eyes but smiled fondly.

Carol smiled too, she still couldn't remember everything but the feeling in her chest told her she cared about Sam. "Seems like something I'd do, I am a genius after all," she said humorously.

The other woman stared at her then tore her eyes away chuckling as she did, "Yeah that's exactly what you would tell me back then too…" Sam got a sort of far off look in her eye like she was reliving those moments. Carol really didn't want to interrupt her reminiscing, but she was dying to say more.

Finally, she broke the silence and broke whatever train of thought Sam was in, "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," She quipped.

It was Carol's turn to roll her eyes and smile, "Okay, smartass-" Sam raised her eyebrows in mock surprise and took another sip of her whiskey. "Wow, already with the name calling!" She had said, but Carol ignored it.

"Who are you to me?"

Sam almost spit out her drink and after clearing her throat she cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at Carol. "I'm not sure you're ready for that answer."

"What do you mean?"

Sam turned in her bar stool and faced Carol, "Listen, Danvers… if you're telling the truth about everything, which I highly doubt, then prove it."

She knew Sam was trying to change the subject, but maybe once she fully believed her, Sam would open up about more. Carol gave her a sly smile, Sam really had no idea her mind was about to be blown. "You sure you're ready for that?" The other woman just stared intently at her, so Carol shrugged and stood up. "Alright, come on."

The brunette slapped some money down on the counter and followed Carol outside albeit a little wobbly. Carol made her way to the side of the building where no one was watching, remembering Fury's words to lay low, and smirked at Sam who seemed very confused. "You're not planning on murdering me out here are you? When I said prove it, that's not what I had in mind." The other woman jested.

"Just watch." And just like that Carol used her powers to float a few inches off the ground and let her body glow brightly with energy. She was satisfied with the open mouthed, gaping stare Sam was giving her. When she landed again and stopped glowing she crossed her arms in a confident way.

"I must be drunk… that's got to be it…" Sam breathed, "how did you…? You mean… your whole story is true?"

"Yup." Carol popped the p, and stood there waiting on Sam's many facial expressions as she worked through what her eyes just witnessed. Her mouth opened and closed trying to say something but changing her mind at the last second. "Alright, now your turn. How do we know each other?"

Sam swallowed audibly and she was hesitant to answer. Once she recovered from whatever shock she was in, "We met for the first time before you went to basic training and then we reconnected a little over a year before… your crash."

Carol stepped onto the plane and took her seat next to the window. She had been glad to get a window seat even though she was flying economy, it was a rare occurrence for sure. Her stomach felt queasy with every moment as she waited for the rest of the passengers. She loved plane rides, just being in the air felt amazing, but pretty soon she'd be on a base in a place she had no friends and no family. It was an exciting and terrifying thought.

She heard someone sit down next to her before she saw them. They huffed as they sat and began fiddling with something that sounded like a pill bottle. Carol glanced over to see a younger woman probably about her age with brunette hair and tanned skin cupping two white pills in her hand and pop them in her mouth. She swallowed them dry and sighed. The announcements came on about plane safety in the case of an emergency. When they stopped, Carol noticed the girl beside her start shaking her leg up and down.

"You good?" Carol asked with a half concerned, half humored expression.

The woman looked at her and smiled sheepishly, "Nervous flyer." She said and tilted her head to the side in a cute way.

Carol raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. The plane began to move forward on the runway and then tilted back and into the air. The woman clasped the seat in a tight white-knuckle grip, she hadn't noticed Carol's hand was on the same armrest. She bit back a laugh at how tight the woman was squeezing, she didn't want to embarrass her so she just let it happen.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" The woman exclaimed when the plane leveled out some and she loosened her grip.

Carol laughed and extended her fingers to make sure they still worked. "It's no problem! One hell of a grip you got there, though." She laughed at the woman's mortified facial expression. "Really, it's okay."

"I'm sorry I'm not normally like this, flights just make me anxious." The woman gripped the seat armrest again when the plane dropped a tad bit.

Carol examined her closely, making sure she didn't puke or have an seemed on the verge of both. "What's your name?" She thought if she asked her questions, maybe it would take her mind off of the flight.

The other woman's eyes locked with hers, Carol just now noticed they were a beautiful hazel color. "Samantha- well, everyone calls me Sam. Yours?"

Shifting her weight to face her more, Carol answered, "Carol. So are you traveling for pleasure or business?"

"Uh, a little bit of both actually. What about you?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Carol smiled, "Same. I'm in the Air Force going through basic training soon. What do you do for a living?"

Sam had placed her hand under her chin while she listened to Carol, the conversation seemed to be working in calming her down. "You do have the look…" Carol furrowed her brow in confusion and the girl elaborated, "the military look. Both my parents were part of the army so I know the look pretty well. You have it."

As much as Carol appreciated the compliment she had to admit she was curious what the "look" actually was. "What kind of 'look' is that?" She air quoted. When she asked, Sam grinned and appeared slightly embarrassed.

Finally she replied, "It's a very confident person, someone strong, and not just physically, but mentally… sturdy." Sam blushed as she said it and couldn't keep eye contact for long.

Carol raised an eyebrow in amusement. "That's quite the reading from ten minutes having known me."

Sam shrugged and smiled mischievously, "I can just tell. It's a talent."

The blonde laughed. "Okay, if you say so! But nonetheless I will take the compliment, thank you." She chuckled, "So where are you from?"

Sam held her head up to the roof of the plane and squinted her eyes deep in thought. "Originally? Born in California, moved around a lot as a kid, and now I'm living in Louisiana. What about you?"

"Born and raised in California!" Carol said proudly. She was going to say more but the plane hit some turbulence causing Sam to stiffen up. Carol reached into her bag and pulled out a small bag of peanuts and handed them to Sam. "Here, they help a lot with the nerves."

At first, Sam eyed them clearly unconvinced but when the plane shook one more time she quickly accepted them and began popping them into her mouth much like she did with the pills. "Thanks." She said with her mouth full of peanuts.

Carol smiled and the two women continued to talk and laugh for the rest of the flight. When they parted ways, they exchanged phone numbers shyly before going their separate ways.

"I remember… nervous flyer…" Carol laughed absentmindedly and she remembered the butterflies in her stomach when they had exchanged numbers. She had chalked it up to excitement about finding a new friend, but deep down she suspected it was more than that.

Sam laughed showing her teeth. "Yeah… you calmed me down a lot that day. Without you, I probably would've had a panic attack."

Carol smiled and her heart swelled, "Well, couldn't have you starting a panic on the plane, could I?" Her quip was met with a cute laugh from Sam. The other woman made her way to a bench that was on the outside on the side of the building at the bar. "You mentioned we reconnected? What happened? Why did we lose touch?" She asked while sitting down next to the woman.

Sam rubbed her face with her hands and sighed, she stared at the ground for a second before answering. "We still talked occasionally, I'd call you or you'd call me from base if we both had the time, which was rare. But for the most part we could never actually hang out in person, so we just… drifted apart. It was crazy coincidence that we ever met again after that."

Carol waited for her to finish the story and tell her how they reconnected, but the other woman stayed silent. She was feeling the effects of all that whiskey Carol could tell because her eyes were more squinted and her speech had a slight drag to it, but not by much. As much as Carol wanted to get answers and rediscover some of her memories, she was more worried about Sam now. "Hey, maybe you should get some rest? I know this can't be how you thought your day would go."

Sam laughed and her words were sarcastic, "Which part? The dead coming back to life or the alien part? I at least expected one of those today." She shook her head slightly then head a hand to her temple like she suddenly got dizzy, "Yeah, I'm gonna get the bartender to call me a cab."

Before Sam could walk away Carol stopped her, she still had so many questions, "Can I see you again tomorrow?"

Again, Sam hesitated for a moment before she finally nodded, "Sure, meet me back at the studio same time as you did today."

Carol watched as Sam retreated into the bar. She decided not to follow her as it might be considered a title creepy that she had basically followed her around all day. The time they spent in the bar talking together was long enough for the sun to have been replaced by the moon in the sky. Carol stayed at the bench for a minute longer until she saw two men in black suits off in the distance. They stuck out since everyone else she saw in this town was dressed way more casually.

She began walking towards them, but when they noticed her they sped up and walked into a neighboring bar across the street. She jogged to catch up and entered the bar. She searched the crowd but found no one that resembled the men she had just seen. Her face showed her annoyance because a random guy came up and asked why she was "so angry" and "life wasn't that bad" and he could "help her relax." She ignored him as she normally did with this sort of behavior. He eventually left her alone only after asking at least three times to buy her a drink and give him a chance.

Carol walked around the bar until she was sure she lost the suspicious figures. When she walked back outside, a cab was picking up Sam. The other woman noticed Carol at the last minute and waved from inside the cab. Carol smiled and waved back. She looked forward to seeing Sam again. For now, she went to the closest motel to rent a room for the night seeing it pointless to drive all the way back to Maria's house and then back again tomorrow.

Her mind briefly wandered to the two men she saw earlier. She thought maybe they were S.H.I.E.L.D agents sent to keep an eye on her by Fury, or even Fury's superiors. Or worse, they could be the Skrull Fury mentioned. Either way, she would keep a sharp lookout for them again. Whoever they were, they acted suspiciously and Carol wanted to ask them a few questions.