Remnants

Laughter filled the dining room as the small group talked and joked with one another. Carol, Maria, Sam, Fury, and Gradar were sharing fun stories and drinking beer. One of the first things Carol noticed about Fury now that they were spending more time together was, he was more serious than the last time she saw him. Another thing she noticed; Sam seemed way livelier than she had been for the last few days.

Every now and then Carol would catch her watching her, but she could never get a clear read on what she might be thinking. She thought her facial expression was a mix between curiosity and something else. Carol found herself staring back.

"Thank you for dinner it was delicious, Maria, and thanks for letting me crash here." Sam said after the conversation started to die down. She propped her elbows up on the table and leaned forward attentively.

Maria waved her hand and made a face, "Don't worry about it, girl. Truthfully, it's nice to have company. Even if we are in the middle of catching a rogue alien group," she added comically. Carol rolled her eyes playfully at her best friend and noticed a gleam of slyness in the woman's eyes. She knew that look; Maria was planning something that Carol would probably not approve of. It was a rarity with Maria because normally it was always Carol who was coming up with terrible schemes. Maria cleared her throat and directed her attention to Sam, "So Sam… how did you and Carol meet again? I know we met briefly all those years ago, but I don't think I asked you or Carol about it."

Sam seemed startled to be asked that, Carol realized, because she stopped bringing her cup of water up to her mouth midways and set it back down awkwardly. Her eyes darted to Carol's for a moment and then she furrowed her brow, pondering her answer. She smiled gently, "We actually met on a plane. We were sitting next to each other and I was freaking out because I don't like planes, but she talked to me and kept me calm," Sam's eyes lingered on Carol a touch too long. Carol smiled fondly, that was luckily one of the memories she had recovered. She glanced at Maria to see if she noticed the strange interaction.

Maria was focused on Sam and if she noticed anything, she made no indication of it. Instead, she continued to ask Sam more questions. "Are you married?" Carol's eyes shot from Maria to Sam then back to Maria in horror. She had to admit, though. She had never really thought to ask if Sam was with anyone. Since Carol found her, they've been too busy running from the Skrull to ask her any questions. Suddenly, she felt a stab of guilt. She had been so focused on figuring out what their relationship used to be that she hadn't considered what may be going on in Sam's life now.

"No… I'm not married. I've been focusing on my career lately because I practically run the art studio myself and between that and continuing to produce art, I just don't have the time." Sam explained. Carol found herself hoping that maybe the other woman would make an exception for her, but it was useless thinking that way especially since she was too chicken to even bring it up.

"That's respectable." Everyone turned to look at Gradar, who finally joined in the conversation, albeit at an odd time. He stared at everyone for a moment, "What?"

To Carol's surprise it was Sam who acknowledged the comment, finally. The whole night she avoided speaking to the Skrull, Carol knew being around the alien that attacked her made her uncomfortable. She was holding it together well, though. "Thank you, Gradar."

Maria just shrugged his comment off and continued her, as Carol would call it, interrogation. It made her nervous that Maria was asking all these questions. Did she suspect something between Sam and Carol? Or was she being a supportive friend and asking the questions Carol had yet to have the time to ask? Either way she felt her heart beating quickly. "How long have you been teaching art?"

"For 5 years. It was after Carol disappeared…" the woman trailed off for a moment and it seemed like she was thinking of darker times. Carol felt her heart go out to her and she wished she could take away any bad feelings. Sam cleared her throat and stood while grabbing her plate, "I'll go wash these. I've always said whoever doesn't cook has to clean!" She laughed for a moment but there was no humor in it.

Carol exchanged a look with Maria and then followed Sam into the kitchen. The brunette had begun cleaning the dishes off vigorously with a sponge and her face was flushed. "Damn, I'd hate to be those plates right now…" Carol jested, and she only received a halfhearted glare. "Are you okay? You left kind of suddenly."

Sam exhaled loudly and pushed up on the counter so that her arms were locked, and her head hung. "I'm sorry, it's just hard remembering when you disappeared. It took me a long time to get over you…"

"Get over me?" Carol's eyes narrowed. Was she implying they really were together before she disappeared?

Sam acted just as surprised that she said it. "I just meant get over your death." She stumbled over her words in a very unconvincing way. Some sort of courage came over Carol like she was in the heat of battle which caused her to forget her fear of asking Sam about any of their history. "Were we together before?" She blurted out. Instantly, she regretted asking because of the horrified look Sam gave her. But why was she so scared of admitting it?

"No!" Sam denied, but her eyes told Carol a different story.

"If we weren't then why do I have these memories of you? All of them suggest we had a deeper bond… we still do. And that drawing I found in your art room? That wasn't just an unfinished drawing." Carol was desperately trying to pull her words out of the air and shove them back in her mouth. All the frustration she had been feeling since getting her first memory of Sam was fueling her outburst. She just wanted answers.

Sam closed her eyes and gripped the countertop hard. She kept clenching her jaw like she wanted to argue, but she didn't. So, then everything Carol was saying had to be true and that's why she wasn't opposing it. "Carol, please stop." Sam's voice was barely a whisper and it was pleading.

Carol almost regained control of herself, almost. "No, I deserve to know. It's been killing me trying to figure out all these memories and feelings that I have for you. Please, I just need to know."

"Fine! Yes, we were together!" Sam exclaimed in exasperation. "But when you disappeared out of nowhere, for the longest time, I thought you just left because you wanted to. You never told me where you were going, I just came home one day, and you were gone. I tried going to the base to look for you, but they shut me down every time I asked about you. They gave me no answers only more questions. For months I was angry at you for leaving, and then I found out you were in an accident! You want to know how I found out finally? From a damn newspaper! I was crushed, Carol. I had to mourn you all over again." Sam's face was flushed and the volume she spoke in fluctuated often. She was trying to keep the others from hearing.

Now Carol really felt like an ass. "I-I'm sorry… I didn't know."

"How could you know? You were off on another planet and you lost your memories." Sam hugged herself with her arms and awkwardly avoided Carol's gaze. Her tone wasn't bitter or accusing, she just sounded tired and it broke Carol's heart. She had clearly been dwelling on this the whole time since Carol told her what happened to her. Sam ran a hand through her hair and huffed out a sharp breath, "I think I'm just going to sleep in the basement tonight, I need to be alone right now."

Carol's heart sank and she could only stare at the spot Sam had been standing before she brushed past Carol and headed out of the kitchen. She propped herself up on the countertop and put her face in her hands. Up until now she had been so worried about whether they had been a couple or not that she didn't even think about the impact it must have had on Sam. She thought back to their first conversation in the bathroom at the art studio and how terrified Sam was when she saw Carol. Truthfully, it never occurred to her the sort of emotional pain it could cause her.

"Is everything okay? Sam stormed out of the house saying something about staying in the basement tonight," Maria walked through the room and placed a comforting hand on Carol's arm.

"Don't worry it's nothing." Carol smiled at her best friend who gave her a look that told her she wasn't convinced in the slightest. "Okay, I just don't know how to tell you this."

Maria crossed her arms, "You and Sam have a history." She stated plainly. Carol wrinkled her brow and went to ask how Maria knew that and what she meant by history. Because they could be thinking history means two different things. Her best friend held up her hand to stop her from saying anything, "Come on, I've known you didn't like just men since forever ago! Give me a little credit as your best friend!" Maria through her head back in laughter as Carol punched her arm.

"Why didn't you say anything?!"

"Well, I was waiting for you to tell me, but you never did!" Maria defended. "It's not a big deal to me, though. I mean you have superpowers so you liking Sam is not as big of a surprise as that. Plus, I had my suspicions ever since you brought Sam to the bar that night years ago. You guys had crazy chemistry and you wouldn't stop talking about her for a few days after the party. I'll admit I assumed it was just a brief fling, though."

A huge relief washed over Carol; she was glad Maria figured it out on her own that way it wouldn't have been as shocking when she told her that she liked Sam. Maria's eyes softened which made Carol break finally. "God, I have all these feelings for her and at first they confused me. This random person started showing up in my memories and every time I saw her my stomach got butterflies… and I missed her, this complete stranger as far as I knew." Carol couldn't keep her voice from cracking a bit, it felt good to finally tell Maria exactly how she felt. "She finally admitted to me that we were together before the crash and… I realized I've been so selfish this whole time. I was so focused on knowing the truth that I didn't consider what it was doing to her. She probably just wishes I never showed up at the art studio that day."

Maria gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm sure she doesn't think that. Speaking from personal experience, I know how strange it was to see you again, but no amount of strangeness could have stopped me from being overjoyed that you were alive. Granted, as an alien named Vers, but alive nonetheless." The two women laughed for a moment at the last part. "Just give her time. I think these things have a way of working themselves out."

A smile touched Carol's lips and another wave of relief washed over her, she loved how supportive Maria was being about all of this. "You're probably right," she sighed.

"Of course, I am! As I'm sure you've remembered I'm always right, about everything." Maria's eyebrows shot up in amusement, she was unable to keep a straight face before she broke out into a smile along with Carol who just shot her an unconvinced glare.

The kitchen doors opened yet again and in walked Fury, he glanced at the two women sternly for a moment. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, "but I've got to get a move on. Got an official summons from my superiors, so that should be fun. Don't worry, I'll keep our little operation under their radar for as long as I can."

"Thanks, Fury. Keep us updated if anything happens that we should know about." Carol bumped his arm with her elbow in an attempt to show affection for the older man. He barely cracked a smile, but she could see in his eye that he didn't mind the display.

He turned to Maria and gave her a quick smile, "The dinner was good as usual, Maria. Thank you."

Maria waved her hand in dismissal and bumped his fist with hers. "You're welcome anytime, Fury. Don't be a stranger!"

With that, the trio headed for the front door to see Fury out and for Maria to take Monica to bed, much to the younger girl's dismay. When they entered the living room area, Gradar was fluffing up a pillow and setting blankets down on the couch while Monica offered for him to sleep with one of her stuffed animals. He was trying his best to politely decline, but he ended up agreeing to keep one by the couch in case he got lonely. Maria fetched Monica after that, "Carol you can have Monica's room for the night. I'll set out some bigger blankets for you."

Carol expressed her gratitude and bid Fury one last farewell before he got in his car and pulled off. For a moment she stood on the front porch and debated going to the basement and talking to Sam, but she knew Sam wanted her space for right now so she decided against it. Back inside, Gradar was settling on the couch.

"The woman, Sam, insisted I stay on the couch instead that way she could go to the basement."

Carol wasn't sure if he thought she had a problem with him being in the house, so she wanted to ease his mind a little. "Oh, yeah, it's alright. I'm just glad you're going to help us. I still can't believe Roan wants to take over Earth with just a handful of your people."

Gradar scoffed, "He knows it's a losing battle, but what does he have to lose now? His family is gone, most of our people left, all he has is our small group. But he's fed them lies about what really happened a year ago, so they are loyal to him and believe he's doing the best thing for them. Once I tell the truth of last year and where our people have been this whole time, I know most of them will come around to our side."

Carol nodded, "I hope so. You all have suffered enough, and Earth won't be kind when they realize what Roan is trying to do. This will have to work if you want to see your family again."

A brief pause of understanding passed between them. Gradar must have known she only wanted to help, and Carol knew he was going to assist them as much as he could. "Well, goodnight." Carol finally said and retreated up the stairs to Monica's room. It took her a few moments to shut her mind off Sam, but finally she drifted to sleep.

Sam's easy, contagious laugh found its way to Carol's ears as she walked down the hallway of Sam's apartment building. She had just said something that made Sam burst into a fit of laughter, and she couldn't help herself from joining in too. They were just getting back to Sam's apartment after grabbing dinner together. It was a fancy restaurant Carol suggested and then when they got there the food turned out to be too fancy and it wasn't even that great. Carol had been trying to make jokes about it to make herself feel less guilty for dragging Sam to a subpar dinner. Sam found it hilarious.

The brunette fiddled with her keys for a moment when they stood at the door, she locked eyes with Carol for a moment and the blonde swore they were a bit darker than they normally were. The doorknob clicked open.

The moment they stepped inside Sam tossed her keys in a bowl on a small table by the door. Carol followed as the slightly smaller woman went into the kitchen and grabbed two beers, offering one to Carol. "So, Danvers…" Sam started with a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Do you have anything else planned for the night?"

The look in Sam's eyes was doing something strange to Carol. The other woman wanted something. "I'm not sure, do I have plans?" Carol asked in her own flirtatious way. It made Sam smile.

Sam walked around the island counter and stood very, very close to Carol, her hips swaying ever so slightly as she walked. "Yes, I think you do." There was a tense feeling in the air for a while until Sam spoke again, "You're about to start getting your ass kicked in Pac-man."

Confusion must have riddled Carol's face because Sam chuckled and pointed towards the small box-like TV set up in front of her couch. Underneath the stand that the TV was on, was a box with some cords reaching up to the tiny TV. Next to it, there was an arcade style control stick. It was the newest gaming system that allowed anyone to play Pac-man at home on TV. No arcade necessary, as the ad said. "You actually bought it?" She remembered Sam showing interest in the system and Carol had geeked out at the ad a while back too, but they were expensive to own. In a lot of ways, it was cheaper to just go to an arcade.

Sam grabbed her hand and led her to the couch while she fiddled with the machine, "Well, it's an investment! And I know you really wanted to try one."

A blush creeps up on Sam's face as she says it, and Carol feels an overwhelming sense of affection threatening to burst from her chest. She grins. "Is this your way of getting me here more often? You know if you wanted to see me more you didn't need to buy an expensive game!" She quips and has a sense of accomplishment when Sam's blush deepens.

"Oh shut up!" The woman says while turning everything on. "Just get ready to be beaten!"

"Ha! Come on, you never beat my high scores!" Carol jabs teasingly.

Sam glared and handed her the control stick. "I blame your aircraft experience on it. You're basically cheating because you handle a control stick for a living!"

Carol makes an indignant sound but can't help her lips turning upwards into a smile. She had to admit that was one of the reasons she was so good at arcade games. She'd never admit it out loud, though.

Once the game was set up, the tiny screen showed the logo for Pac-man. The whole time they played they switched turns. First Carol went and then Sam. Each time they would try to distract each other by shielding their eyes from the screen or grabbing the control stick to throw the other person off. When Carol was very close to getting a very high score, Sam suddenly tackled her wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders and trying desperately to knock her sideways on the couch. They could barely breathe from laughing too much.

"Hey! That's totally not fair!" Carol said in between breaths. When they settled down, they both realized sheepishly that they were extremely close with Sam almost laying on top of her. Her cheeks felt hot thinking about how much she liked Sam being this close.

The smaller woman wrapped her hand around the back of Carol's neck and, with a blush and searching eyes, hovered her lips just above hers. She was asking permission, Carol realized after a moment of no movement. When Carol finally closed the gap between them, without missing a beat, Sam began kissing her back. The kiss was tentative at first, but after a moment of exploring each other's mouths, they both deepened the kiss and it became hungry. Carol's arms snaked around Sam's waist pulling her even closer. She let out a surprised noise when Sam gently tugged at her lower lip with her teeth. The move sparked a desire deep within her.

She found herself pushing up on Sam making her sit up, and then lowering herself so that she was flush against Sam. She wasn't even quite sure how she was managing to move like an actual human and not some clumsy penguin because her brain was a pile a mush at the softness of Sam's touch.

They broke apart for a moment and stared into each other's eyes, breathing loudly. "What are we doing?" Sam breathed, but nothing about her body was suggesting she wanted to stop. This moment had been hinted at quite a bit in their friendship and Carol knew she had feelings for Sam, but she had been reluctant to share that with anyone.

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss Sam again, "I've wanted to do that for a long time." She admits. At first, she thought Sam would shy away, but a smile dances on her lips. She pulls Carol back into her for another kiss.

"Me too."

Carol woke suddenly from her slumber, she glanced at the Hello Kitty clock on the table by Monica's bed. It was 3:56 AM. She hugged the blankets to her chest and smiled. The dream, or rather memory, was showing the first time they ever kissed. She could recall that was when they officially started going on dates and then a month later Carol asked Sam to be her girlfriend. She could also recall how hesitant Sam was after the first few dates. She didn't want to ruin their friendship if anything happened between them.

"Don't we owe it to ourselves to try?" Carol remembered saying to ease the worrying woman.

Not long after that, they became serious about being together. Carol still couldn't remember everything, but she was sure it would slowly come back to her.

Now she stared at the ceiling, an aching in her chest wanted her to go see Sam right now and tell her all the things she remembered. Sam needs space. Sam needs space. She kept repeating to herself, trying to dissuade her from doing anything rash. It was about Sam now, whatever she needed. Finally, her eyes started to flutter shut again and she let sleep take her.

The next morning Carol woke with excitement. They were going to help the Skrull, she could reunite them with their family's soon if all went according to plan, and she was going to see Sam. Hopefully, having a night to herself cooled the brunette off and they could talk about things. Maybe they could even discuss what it meant for them going forward. Carol knew it was still too soon to jump back into a relationship like nothing ever happened, but with time, maybe they could try things out again. A fresh start.

She hopped down the stairs ready to get started, when she noticed that Gradar was no longer on the couch and the house was strangely quiet. She knew Monica and Maria would still be asleep this early, the sun was barely rising, but she thought someone would be up and about by now other than herself. And where was Gradar? She poked her head in the kitchen and found it empty. She did this with a few more rooms in the house and found the same result. He didn't leave already, did he? For a moment, panic sank in and she rushed out of the house.

She sighed in relief. Gradar was outside in a trance-like state. His arms open wide as if waiting for an embrace and he muttered something under his breath. She recognized it as a routine the Skrull sometimes did at the start of the day. "Good morning," Gradar said with his eyes still closed and his head pointed toward the sky.

"Sorry I didn't mean to interrupt I'm just going to check on Sam." Carol said apologetically for barging out of the house loudly. She didn't wait for Gradar's response before she made her way to the basement. Once inside and down the stairs she halted, Sam wasn't asleep. In fact, she wasn't even there. The blankets originally left for Gradar were folded neatly, but Sam was nowhere to be found. Carol frowned and sought out Gradar again. "Hey, have you seen Sam this morning?"

Gradar turned to her with confusion written all over his face. "No, I assumed she would still be asleep. Why?"

"She's not in the basement…"

"Perhaps she went inside for something?" Gradar offered. Though, Carol could see the doubt on his face.

She nodded, but she knew she just looked through most of the house for him and never saw Sam. Checking again couldn't hurt, though, she decided.

"Sam?" She called walking back into the house. No answer. She called again as she checked different rooms. To no avail. Panic started to seep through while she searched the house again. This time she woke Maria up, but her best friend said she hadn't seen Sam since she stormed off last night.

After recruiting everyone to help her search, they all came to the same conclusion-

Sam was gone.