Woman Out of Time: A Maria Stark Story

Chapter 17

"Anything?" Maria asked quietly. She continued clearing the first floor of the house while Natasha cleared the second.

A sigh sounded over the comms. "No." Natasha spoke at a normal volume. "All clear up here.Maria straightened--no one hiding downstairs either. "Clear too."

She could hear Nat's footsteps above and gave her some space. Wandering around, Maria took in the beautiful woodwork mixed with the childish clutter. Someone loved this home. They poured love into it and love had lived here.

A quiet sob sounded over the comms causing Maria to look at the ceiling. With quiet steps, she bounded up the staircase and into the master bedroom.

Nat sat on the bed, holding a shirt in her hands. Maria stood quietly and looked at her.

"He left." Nat said after several minutes of silence.

"We knew that."

Nat sighed. "I know I just..."

"Hoped?" Maria crossed the room and looked out the window. It was a beautiful farm. 

Sometimes, she wished she could have raised Tony somewhere like this. Peaceful, normal, no expectations from the rest of the world.

"Yeah," Nat breathed.

"He survived." Maria turned from the window to face her. "We know he's alive. We'll find him."Nat looked back at her and smiled sadly. "We'll find him, but he won't be Clint." She stood and looked around the room at the rumpled bed and tangled belongings. "Losing them means he lost himself. Whoever we find won't be my friend."

Maria stepped over and patted her arm. "We'll find what's left then and go from there."

***The ride back was quiet. Nat flew the quinjet and Maria started working on a new facial recognition search with Friday. They hadn't found Clint yet, but Maria would try anything to help. By the time they landed, it was late and most of the team had gone to bed or were holed up in their workspaces.

Nat disappeared into the facility as soon as they landed, and after a quick shower, Maria wandered to the kitchen for some ice cream.

The lights were off as she padded in bare feet across the room. The air conditioning chilled her legs since she'd opted to wear an oversized tee and sleep shorts since everyone else seemed to be in their own spaces tonight.

Thankfully the freezer had her favorite flavor--mint chocolate chip. The last month, they'd had to worry about food stockpiling around the world. But before The Snap, she had stocked the kitchen, including the freezer.

She was searching for a spoon when someone flipped on the bright, overhead light.

"Excuse me."

Maria swiveled to find Thor hovering in the doorway.