Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

«« MOSCOW »»

It hadn’t been long since Fury had returned to Earth from having been in space for so long, having almost forgotten what it was like to be around humans who held lengthy conversations. He missed Maria and was grateful to have received her message, albeit surprised by her methods but she was his best friend and therefore understood that sometimes situations required such methods.

Maria was sitting in the bar, waiting for Fury to arrive, having given him the details as to where to meet, sipping on pint as a chessboard sat in front of her. Looking around the place to ensure there weren't any potential threats, something she'd gotten incredibly used to upon being in SHIELD and the Marines and what she happened to be doing with her life currently.

Taking another sip of the beer, Fury sat down in front of her, Maria making her move on the chessboard. Nick chuckled after clearing his throat. Making his move on the board. Maria looking up at him, waiting to see what he'd say, if he would say anything.

"Hill." Nick nodded once.

"Oh, come on, Nick. We've known each too long and been through too much together for you to keep using my last name as a reference point." Maria took another sip.

Nodding, Nick didn't really know what to say. He knew she was right but things were different now and no one knew where they stood with him or where he stood with them.

"Where's Romanoff?”

Maria smirked. "Rooftop."

Nick nodded and chuckled. He always knew that no matter where one of them was the other was sure to follow or be in the area. He made another move on the chessboard.

"It's good to have you back, Nick."

"Is that sincere or are you just covering your bases?" Nick questioned with a slight tilt of his head.

"Gonna tell me why you abandoned Earth?” Maria countered.

"Building SABER.”

"You know, traditionally we tell the truth during our chess games." Maria took another sip of her beer. "Maybe that's changed too, though. I don't know.”

Nick let out a long exhale. "I had a crisis of faith."

"Then why'd you come back?"

Looking down at the chessboard, Nick knew that Maria deserved an explanation. She deserved way more than that. But Nick never knew what to say. He was never good when it came to trust or feelings.

“It followed me up there and I owe it to Talos.”

Maria nodded, understanding that for once he was actually being sincere, showing emotions he rarely showed when it came to anyone else other than the few who had been with him since the beginning. Nick looked at the chessboard.

Maria took another sip of her beer. “You gonna move?”

“Haven’t decided yet.” Fury rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“See that’s what I’m worried about, the Fury I knew was always three steps ahead of everyone.”

“If I remember correctly, you called me, Maria.”

“Upon Talos’ request. God knows if it were anything else you wouldn’t have. Your lack of contact over the years made that much pretty clear.” She sighed, the pint of beer now empty.

“And what in the goddamn hell is that supposed to mean?” Nick spoke calmly and quietly which somehow made it all feel worse.

“You’re not ready for this, Fury. There’s a very real threat out there. And you were never the same after the Blip. Granted that no one was the same after but somehow you took it the hardest. You told me there’s no shame in walking away when the steps are uncertain.”

Nick considered her words for a moment, remembering a time that was a lot more simpler than this one, where aliens didn’t invade the planet and billionaires weren’t heroes. He remembers the conversations with Maria well, having always treated her like family. But he struggles to remember a time where the world didn’t need heroes to save them all.

“Check your footing before someone gets hurt.” Maria sent a nod his way and then made to stand up.

Fury looked at the chessboard as he digested her words, trying for once to hear what someone else was telling him.

“You know where to find me when you’re ready.” Maria patted his shoulder before heading out the door, leaving Fury there by himself and the chessboard to think about his next steps.

»»———　★　———««

Natasha was heading down the steps from the roof having known that Maria was finished with the meetup, the two of them meeting as Maria got in a black SUV and drove back to the place they’d been staying.

“How’d it go?” Natasha asked as she could sense the tension in the air.

“Coulda gone better, in my opinion.”

Natasha nodded and made a small noise of confirmation, after the Blip no one had been the same, she’d even spoken to Yelena and she’d been telling Natasha how she’d been trying to make sense of the world after she wasn’t there for five years.

She knew Fury, almost like a father figure but she knew that things were different for everyone, she also knew that Fury meant more to Maria than anyone. Looking at Maria, she watched as the former deputy director parked the car outside the building they’d booked out for several months.

Upon parking up, Maria exhaled and leaned her weight against the seat, Natasha taking her hand in hers and bringing it to her lips to press a gentle kiss upon the knuckles. Maria breathed in and out slowly, trying to think about what she wanted to say but Natasha shook her head, showing her that her silence was more than okay and understandable, they’d been through too much together for Natasha to not understand what she meant when she said nothing.

Getting out of the car, the two of them held each other’s hand, enjoying the proximity of being close to one another, which they rarely got, after all it had taken them years to get to where they are now.

The two of them got to their level within the building, opening their front door and walking in, Natasha heading straight for the kettle to make them both a hot drink, Maria placing something away in their rightful places before coming up behind the redhead, wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin on the redhead’s shoulder, the two of them swaying side to side gently.

“Has he called or messaged yet?” Maria asked and without even having to say a name, Natasha knew who she meant.

“No, not yet. He said he would when the time was right. He’ll be there, Ria.”

Nodding, Maria knew that, he said as such before he left though having him in their life was a blessing after everything with Nat ad the many conversations they had about the redhead wanting to have children but not being able to carry the children, after many lengthy conversations the considered adopting.

That was until Natasha found a Red Room base that Fury had her tasked to infiltrate and Natasha found someone within that building, someone not quite human but human enough, he was scared, terrified, struggling. Natasha had promised to help him and the kid had given her information as well as a file compiled by Dreykov, proving that he was Natasha and Maria’s son, his heritage a little different at Dreykov had experimented with types of DNA in order to replicate a hero to turn into a killing machine. His DNA mixed with an aliens, their kid having traveled between planets and Natasha hadn’t quite known what to do with the information for a while before welcoming him into their lives and getting to know him.

The two of them ate their dinner together, watched something incredibly mindnumbing on the tv before deciding to get some sleep, though in their household sleep was often hard to come by.

»»———　★　———««

Getting a call in the middle of the night was nothing new when it came to Natasha or Maria, in fact both were insanely used to it. Both of them still dressed from earlier as they were typing on laptops or gathering information, Maria grabbed the phone and Natasha threw Maria the keys as they both headed for their car and drove to the location.

The location being the middle of nowhere, in what looked to be a field of sorts, a large and empty clearing with nothing around for miles, the only light source was the headlights on the SUV. Another car making its way to them, Talos and G’iah stepping out and walking towards them.

“Is he here?” G’iah asked, looking around to see any signs of their friend.

Maria shook her head as Natasha checked the pinpointed location and scanned the area just in case.

A bright light exploding in the area before it rapidly got closer and closer, the object burning up, almost looking like a meteorite as it quickly shot towards the ground, the object crashing to the ground and creating a small crater in the clearing, not large enough that anyone would see though.

Maria and Natasha looking at each other before they both started running towards the smoke that was rising and the cloud of rubble and dirt from the impact of whatever fell into it. Upon getting there, a man was stumbling his way out, Natasha grabbing him gently in order to hold him up.

“Finch, it’s mama, breathe, we got you.” Natasha tried to get Finch to focus upon his crash land back to Earth.

Maria grabbed his other shoulder, helping him regain his balance, they knew a lot about Finch, knew his vast group of abilities and what made him him, Finch mostly appearing in his alien form, only appearing human around those he didn’t trust, his natural skin a dark pinkish color, dense in its bulletproof quality, his powers consisting of magic and being able to heal both himself and others from various injuries, he didn’t sleep because he didn’t need to, he didn’t get sick and he could fly upon a few other things.

“Moms. Hi.” Finch managed to get out in a chuckle.

Maria laughed a little before Finch hugged her tightly. Natasha smiled before Finch also hugged her tightly, the redhead a little shorter than him.

“Carol?” Talos asked from a little distance.

“She’s…already on Earth, she came back before I did, she paged me to tell me that she was here.” Finch responded.

G’iah looked at Finch and smiled with a small nod, Finch responding the same, the two for hem having spent some time together and growing as close as siblings.

Maria and Finch got themselves in the car, Natasha and Talos having a conversation about where they were to go from here. Natasha nodding in confirmation before then getting back into the SUV beside Maria and everyone driving back to their version of a HQ where Talos and G’iah happened to be staying for the time being considering humans still had problems with anyone that was even somewhat different than normal.

Things had been getting stranger, at least when it came to the Skrulls, a group of them somehow creating a rebellion, Talos was doing what he could, but Gravik had his claws in that section of Skrulls so deep that no one would dare believe anything different.

Talos had tried talking to people and convincing them otherwise, but when Gravik had said hat he’d said to them, it was hard for them to believe anything else, Talos had asked Finch at one stage if he could convince them but even Finch had told him that often many of the Skrulls had never taken a liking to him so his efforts would be useless.

»»———　★　———««

Maria and Natasha got back to their apartment, Finch in tow, the three of them settling in the space for a moment as Finch took a shower to smell less of Earth and dirt, Natasha sitting on the couch and Maria coming to sit beside her.

“Well that was….” Maria began.

Natasha nodded not really knowing what to say. Both of them looking at the table when Fury started messaging Maria, the two of them looking at each other and then the phone.

The message was a list of coordinates. Maria and Natasha looking at each other. Finch who was standing in the doorway looking at Natasha and Maria, Natasha looking up at him as Maria showed him the phone, Finch nodding as he understood what Natasha and Maria were both silently asking of him.

Finch already heading off as he could fly in stealth mode and get there quicker to keep an eye out for anything that could go to shit. Maria and Natasha getting in their car and driving towards the location to provide backup should Fury need it.

++++++++++++++

Sonya was sitting in the front room of the mansion she seemed to have in the middle of Russia, her British accent seemingly stronger every time that Nick saw her. Walking in through the doors, Sonya looked at him.

“Hmm.” She watched several of her men stumble in afterwards. “How did you manage to get in?”

“I believe it’s called a front door, Sonya.” Nick spoke as he looked at her.

“Well, this is exciting. Let’s see, large black man, Moscow, one working eye ball.” She chuckled to herself. “Well, it could either be the famous Nick Fury or the ghost of Paul Robeson. I believe I’ll take my chances either way, you stick out like a sore thumb, you know.”

Nick nodded. “Good to see you too, Sonya. That why you had me grabbed by your extraordinary thugs? Brilliant work by the way guys.” Nick continued to joke.

“Were you lot extraordinary? Damn, you barely scratch mediocrity most of the time, job well done, you lot can go now.” Sonya dismissed her men. “Drink?”

“Love one.”

Sonya began pouring two glasses as Nick looked around the room and through the windows.

“You have some kind of clock fetish you never told me about?”

“It was an old English spymaster that started the tradition. A clock goes up when your time in the circus is done.”

Nick smirked and nodded. “I’d like to believe I still have a few jugging acts left in me.”

The two of them sat across from one another, taking a sip of the alcohol as if it were a soothing balm to allow them to talk about anything, Nick having not been in the same room as Sonya for years, the two of them somewhat unable to have a conversation unless alcohol was involved beforehand.

“So what are you doing in Moscow?” Sonya dove straight in, not being know for her subtlety.

“Direct and to the point as always. Same as you, trying to kill the Skrull rebellion from its crib.”

“You know the rebel leader personally, don’t you?”

“I knew him.” Nick had remembered the younger Skrull from their first meeting, had known from that very moment that the kid was troubled but there hadn’t been anything he could do at that time.

“So that’s why you came down from your space station?” Sonya nodded as she connected the dots. “You feel responsible.”

“What do you know about a heist in a black market storage facility in Kazakhstan? Happened a couple days ago.”

“Mmm, can’t say it rings a bell.” Sonya shrugged,after having been in MI6 for so long she knew when someone was trying to get info out of her.

“You know, I may not know when a Skrull is pretending to be human but I know damn well when a human is lying. You know damn well what was in that vault.”

Sonya looked at him as if he’d stepped completely out of line. “The fat that you don’t know tells me all I need to know about this new, rather ‘old’ Nick Fury. I think Thanos’ snap changed you, yes the Blip changed everyone but you in particular. Somehow it taught you that no matter how hard you fight, there’s always someone stronger out there capable of undermining you.”

“You seem to forget that this ‘old Nick Fury’ has 30 years experience with these Skrulls. I know the nature of this threat better than you ever will.”

“Is this the part where you propose an alliance and collaboration together?”

“Well, if II remember correctly, we always used to work pretty well together back in the day.”

“What’s your selling point? Give me one bloody good reason why or how this would work?” Sonya gave him once chance to see what Fury would say, she’d known him from a while and even in all their years of knowing one another, Nick had never asked for her help.

“Because a friend once told me that not everything can be done on one’s own.” Fury nodded and stood up to leave, almost half expecting Sonya to say no.

Sonya thought to herself for a moment, the words she’d say to Nick years ago now being repeated to her, proving that Nick knew it was time and knew too admit when he couldn’t do everything by himself.

“If we work together, I can’t promise you that I won’t have y own interests in this and my own way of doing things.” Sonya countered.

Nick chuckled and nodded. “You know I wouldn’t expect it any other way, but maybe it’s time to try someone else’s method of doing things.”

Sonya nodded with acceptance, he definitely was a different Fury, she just hoped it was for the best. “You have yourself a deal, Nick.”

The two of them shake on it before Nick then headed off.

»»———　★　———««

Finch watches as Nick walks back to a main road, lights shining bright so that he’s visible, Finch climbing and jumping from one rooftop to another in order to keep tabs on the former director of SHIELD, his location being pinged back to Maria and Natasha so they could follow him.

A man stepping out into the street and Talos following him, Finch had a Birds Eye view of everything happening, he instantly recognized the man as Everett Ross, Talos was in disguise but Finch knew it was him, tailing him, watching him. Something was off.

The black SUV bounded down the road, Maria using her skillset to ensure the car didn’t skid off the side of the road, Natasha grabbed her gun, more of a precaution just in case she might need it.

Nick was still walking down the road, a man caught the attention of Finch who headed down from the rooftop and to Nick’s level, keeping his distance from the man behind Fury but. A good distance that if he was dangerous he could step in.

The man followed Fury for a good ten minutes before Nick slid into an alleyway and hid, Finch nodding at the tactics, proceeding to follow the man, Everett and Talos getting closer to them and the SUV getting closer.

Maria watched as two people chased each other over the rooftops, making sure that she was a good distance away that if they were to fall or run down to a normal level that she wouldn’t run them over, keeping them in her sights.

Natasha’s gun aimed and ready as Maria continued to drive, the two of them looking at each other and nodding in a silent agreement as they watched the two guys hop from rooftop to rooftop.

Talos calling on Finch to join him on the rooftop hunt, until the guy behind Fury pulled out a gun, shooting towards Nick, Talos nodded towards Finch, telling him to go and get that situation handled.

Flying down and pushing the guy away, Finch engaged in a fistfight with the man following Nick, the man firing his gun, the bullet bouncing straight off Finch’s body without leaving s much as a dent behind.

The man’s eyes widened as he realized it didn’t work before proceeding to throw a fist at Finch, Talos and Everett got heated in their situation, both of them running towards Fury until they all got to a clearing in the middle of town, no one else around for miles.

Finch fighting Fury’s stalker and Talos apparently fighting Everett, Fury watched from behind as the fights broke out, Maria’s car getting closer to them in order provide backup.

The man throwing a punch at Finch, hitting his jaw and his rib, Finch hitting back by punching his nose, hearing the crunch under his fist before twisting the man into a headlock, the man trying to elbow his way out.

Both of them wrestling with each other as they both ended up on the ground, the man squirming and moving in an attempt to get out of Finch’s grasp, Finch on the ground underneath the man as his arm was wrapped around the man’s throat from behind him, the man choking out before loosing consciousness and Finch finishing off by snapping his neck and throwing the man to the side, getting himself up at Talos and Maria had Everett cornered.

“Остановка.” Maria yelled.

The man changed from looking like Everett to looking like a complete stranger. Looking between Talos, as if asking him for help, and Maria, as if he was pleading for them to spare him.

“Ты не можешь его остановить.” The man spoke before Natasha fired her gun and the man fell to the ground changing from a human into a Skrull before collapsing on the ground and Fury watched on.

“Someone wanna explain what the fuck just happened?” Nick looked at everyone including Natasha who simply nodded at Finch and got back into the SUV.

Talos shook his head. Nick was confused and Finch looked at Maria. “It’s okay, mom, you get Fury somewhere safe, Talos will follow and I’ll sort out the bodies.”

Maria nodded and smiled before hugging him, the two of them spending a few seconds in the embrace before Maria pulled back and nodded once more, getting back into the SUV with Fury and Talos and driving back to Talos’ small building. Finch disposing of the bodies.

++++++++++++

Getting back to the main building that Talos was currently staying in, everyone sat down except Maria who simply hovered around Natasha the way she always did.

“The hell was all that about?” Nick looked around the room at everyone.

“It’s starting.” Talos almost spoke in a whisper.

“What is starting?” Nick looked at Talos.

Maria looked between them knowing that this situation was about to gte incredibly heated very quickly.

“The rebellion, Nick, Gravik wants Earth to become New Skrullos and he will do anything to ensure that, that was only the beginning.” Talos tried to explain. “Carol promised us she’d find us home and when she didn’t many Skrulls retaliated.”

Nick shook his head, hardly believing that this was happening right now. Maria didn’t know what exactly to say, Nick hadn’t been here and everyone had been trying to keep Earth spinning without his presence, Maria had been working her ass off to ensure everyone and everything was the way it should be, Talos helping her, together they’d tracked Gravik and his rebels, kept an eye on them.

Nick sighed out as if he were deciding a new plan of action. “What do we do, what’s the plan?”

Talos rubbed a hand down his face, massaging the muscles as if trying to generate an idea, Maria exhaled and Natasha rubbed a hand against her arm trying to provide some sort of comfort.

“Soren had a plan.” Finch walked in grabbing a beer and handing it to Natasha before pouring two scotches and handing one to Nick and one to Maria, handing Talos a Skrull drink and he himself pouring a large helping of scotch, this was gonna be a long night. “She wanted humans and Skrulls to be able to coexist on one planet. Then of course, Gravik decided he wanted the planet for Skrulls alone.”

Nick listened to the explanation, his eye looking between Maria and Natasha and then back at Finch. “Who are you? You were in the alleyway, you stopped that guy but I don’t know you. You’re not another Skrull are you?”

“Good god, no, no offense, Talos.” Finch chuckled as Talos gestured that it was fine and for him to continue.

“Then who’s the kid?” Nick asked again and Maria nodded at Finch.

“The ‘kid’ is ours.” Maria looked at Natasha with a smile. “And he’s not exactly a kid, he’s 25.”

Nick raised his brows having not seen that coming. “So, there’s baby Romanoff-Hill, huh?”

Natasha shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Again, he’s not a baby, but it is rather complicated so we’ll save that story for another day, hmm?”

Nick nodded at the thought, apparently there was much to catch up on. Talos exhaled as if he were considering sharing the next bit of information.

“Soren loved you, she believed in you and she thought you’d help. And for a while you did, you and Carol both did, but she knew there were a thousand threats when it came to Earth and that you’d prioritize your people, and rightly so. But she also knew that it would take something like this to bring you back to Earth and she died still believing that you would help.”

Finch sat down at that comment, he’d come to know Soren rather well, he’d been there for G’iah as she was grieving though he was unsure of how to help, Finch’s people were different to humans and even though he was similar to Skrulls, he was still incredibly different.

Finch’s pager went off and he excused himself, knowing that it was probably better that the others explain the situation rather than him, instead he found himself heading to the roof to meet the person who paged him.

++++++++++

Opening the door to the roof, he stepped out a little, just before the doorway, watching as a bright light shone in the air and then Carol appeared hovering down to stand on the ground of the rooftop.

“Captain.” Finch saluted with a soft smirk and Carol wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“I was worried when I made it back and you weren’t behind me.” Carol rested her temple against his.

“A situation broke loose and I had to take care of it.” Finch quickly explained as his hand gently rubbed up and down Carol’s back.

The two of them slowly parting, Carol looking towards the door, Finch nodding as if he already knew what she was gonna say.

“They’re all in there, currently discussing next plans as we were just attacked by two Skrulls.”

Carol’s eyes widening for a moment as Finch spoke. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, Fury is a little confused, which who can blame him but everyone’s alive. Natasha, Maria and Talos are with him.” Finch gave her the rundown of who was present.

With a nod the two of them headed inside so that they could all be together in the room in order to have everyone on the same page.

++++++++++++++

“Soren died because of what she believed in, died in my arms might I add and you were nowhere to be seen, I get it you went to space, you changed after the blip, no one was the same, but for something like this if we aren’t a united front then we’re already divided.” Talos stated.

Maria had a hand rubbing against her forehead, as if trying to soothe an upcoming headache. Natasha watched as Finch and Carol walked in, smirking at both of them.

“We called you because we need your help, we get it you’re not the same man, but we need the Fury who put together the Avengers in order to try and save the world.” Natasha stood directly in front of him. “After Thanos none of us were the same, Morgan grew up without a dad, Scott gave up the suit to help Cassie grow up, Steve and Bucky won’t come in a five mile radius of you or the Avengers, they just about talk to me and Finch. Peter is still dealing with May’s death and Happy is attempting to be in 17 places at once.”

Nick listened to her words, Natasha had always given him the benefit of the doubt, told him what he needed to hear even if he didn’t wanna hear it.

“And what would you have me do?” Nick shook his head. “The Avengers are gone, Natasha, even you’re a lone wolf.”

“I might be a lone wolf but I’m not alone, I’m still trying to fight for the good. But I need Nick Fury and need you to get your shit together.”

The room went silent for a moment, Nick looking at her, really looking at her, the same way he did when he recruited her after she left the Red Room. Nick exhaled and nodded. There were very few people who had the ability to make Nick Fury actually think about his decisions, but. Natasha had always been one of them.

“What’s the plan?” Nick questioned, readying himself once more.

»»———　★　———««

G’iah was sitting in the car, Finch had gone with her so that she had backup should she need it, Finch in the drivers seat and G’iah in the passenger seat, looking out through the windshield.

A figure heard the car nd G’iah and Finch nodded at each other before G’iah rolled down hr window.

“Welcome back, G’iah.” Gravik spoke in a lo and deep whisper, something usually reserved for psychopaths.

“Gravik, you messaged me so what’s the big deal?” G’iah didn’t like this as much as any of the group but had accepted the role of the double agent so that they’d have something to work off of.

“Who’s your friend?” Gravik nodded towards Finch who was still sitting in the drivers seat, his powers already activated should he need to use them.

“Simply a friend, now, why am I here?”

“We got news of a new facility, one with the right equipment and we need your skillset.”

G’iah shook her head and laughed a little. “Oh my, you must be desperate if you’re wanting my help.”

“G’iah, I don’t beg, I command, I give orders, and you’ve never disappointed me.”

Looking over at Finch, G’iah used her eyes to tell him what she was thinking. Needing something else to bounce off. Finch showing her that she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to, they had no leverage on her, nothing to use against her.

“We’ll see, for now, try not to put a dent in the Earth.” G’iah spoke the last word before nodding in Finch’s direction and the two of them driving off.

Gravik watching the car drive off. “You better make the right decision, G’iah.”

»»———　★　———««

Maria had been sat on the end of the bed, attempting to sort out her gun from earlier, trying to figure out how she felt after the events of the day.

Natasha walking into the room to see the position of Maria and walking a little further to be able to straddle the former deputy directors lap. The brunette’s arms wrapping around the redheads waist, Natasha taking Maria’s face in her hands.

“You okay?” Natasha stroked her thumb against Maria’s cheek, trying to bring a little feeling of comfort however she could.

“I’m better now.” Maria smiled as her blue eyes met Natasha’s green eyes.

Natasha giggling at her girlfriend’s antics. “Is that so?”

Leaning in, Maria captured Natasha’s lips with hers, the two of their mouths sliding against each other. The brunette’s hands moving up Natasha’s back slightly, the redhead wrapping her arms around Maria’s neck, pulling each other in deeper.

Maria surprising the redhead by lifting her a little and flipping Natasha on her back on the bed, a smirk forming on Natasha’s lips before pulling Maria on top of her, both them chuckling a little, Natasha’s fingers reaching for the hem of Maria’s t-shirt and quickly tugging it off.

The brunette placing kisses down Natasha’s neck before also taking her top off and throwing it to the floor, sliding kisses down to the redhead’s chest before looking into her deep green eyes.

“Can I?” Maria asked and watched as Natasha leaned up for a moment to kiss her again before whispering yes.

Natasha sitting up a little to give Maria room to strip her of her bra, Maria smirking before she herself took off the jeans she’d been wearing, remaining in a sports bra and boxers and Natasha honestly didn’t think she’d ever seen anything more stunning than that.

The redhead also taking her bottoms off and throwing them aside, leaving her in her underwear alone, Maria’s mouth back on her, wrapping around the small peaks of Natasha’s breasts, giving them the attention they deserved, her fingers threading their way into Maria’s short brown hair, tugging ever so gently in a way that she knew that former deputy enjoyed.

Maria’s lips moving their way down Natasha’s body, kissing against her ribs and her abs, leaving no area of skin untouched as she got to the waistband of the redheads underwear, kissing the skin just above it, looking up at Natasha, Maria saw the small nod to tell her to keep going, slowly sliding the underwear down and off Natasha’s legs.

“You sure? We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.” Maria pressed gently kisses to the insides of her thighs, still looking up at the redhead.

“I might actually kill you if you stop now.” Natasha laughed as she threaded her fingers further into Maria’s hair.

Both of them nodding before Maria dove straight into Natasha’s core, sliding her tongue through Natasha’s folds, gathering the arousal there and lapping everything the redhead could release.

Natasha’s legs were slung over Maria’s shoulders, the brunette placing her hands on Natasha’s upper thighs as her arms wrapped underneath her legs. Wrapping her lips around Natasha’s cit occasionally, giving it the attention it was straining for.

The redhead arching her back and tugging Maria’s hair a little tighter, something the brunette enjoyed, working her redhead with her mouth the way Natasha had experienced many times.

“God, that feels so good, your tongue is so perfect.” Natasha whispered words of encouragement, feeling vibrations shooting through her as Maria moaned into her core.

This was Maria’s favorite thing to do, giving pleasure to the woman she loved the most, making Natasha feel so much pleasure she didn’t know what to do with it, loving the taste and the smell of the redhead as she slowly came undone under her, allowing Natasha to tell her what she needed and when, providing Natasha with what she knew the redhead needed.

“That’s perfect, baby, dont stop.”

Maria had no intension of stopping, keeping her mouth working to bring Natasha to that perfect, well-deserved, happy and pleasurable place, working her body like she was a composer of an orchestra trying to play the perfect piece.

Natasha arching under Maria, her body unable to stay still, the two of them working together to bring Natasha to the edge. The redhead’s fingers tugging a little harder in Maria’s hair, still not enough to cause pain to show her wordlessly how close she was.

Maria wrapping her mouth around Natasha’s clit again and gently sucking, creating a powerful suction that often had the redhead falling apart in seconds. Natasha releasing gasps and high pitched moans as she got closer and closer.

With a soft scream of Maria’s name, Natasha was thrown off the cliff of pleasure, tugging Maria’s head in further as the brunette helped ride out her pleasure, prolonging it beautifully.

Once Natasha stopped shaking, Maria crawled back up the bed, laying beside the redhead, the two of them sharing a kiss, the love between them had only grown stronger from even before Ultron, Natasha never really believe she’d be this lucky.

»»———　★　———««

Finch was sitting at the kitchen island in his apartment, losing at schematics and documents in which Talos had asked him to look at, G’iah was helping her father and Carol and Fury were having a conversation considering so much had changed since they last saw each other.

Looking through the documents and the locations featured, grabbing the drop down hologram screen and placing a map on it, placing pins on each location.

A knock on the door sounding through the room, Finch leaving everything for a moment to answer the door, seeing Carol standing the other side, opening the door further and standing a little to the side to allow her room to walk through.

Looking at the screen on the wall, she could see what he’d been up to, smiling as he got down all the information that Fury had given her that she had passed on to him.

It was one thing that Carol could always count on, Finch pulling through when she needed him the most. She looked between him and the screen, smiling.

“This is amazing.”

“Oh, please, it’s simple a five year old could probably do it. I wish there was more I could do.”

That was something else she loved about him, he could do everything under the sun and still wish there was more he could do to help, but she also knew that Finch had been through just as much hell as Natasha, after all he was her child.

Finch having always wanted to help others because of some of the things he’d done in the past, he wasn’t looking to be redeemed or forgiven, he just wanted to be better and help others and for that Carol praised him. After all, he’d come a long way in terms of helping her.

“Get anything good out of G’iah’s end?” Carol asked knowing that Finch had gone with G’iah not only for her protection but to find things out.

“Not much, G’iah said she’ll message if Gravik gives her anything, for now it’s a very long waiting game.” Finch grabbed a glass of scotch and sipped on it.

Carol smiled, most of their missions resulting in waiting a while for results, the blonde smiling when the genetically modified alien passed her a beer. The two of them looking at the hologram screen just in case they missed anything.

»»———　★　———««

Talos was still awake when Nick called him, Maria being messaged by Talos, the three of them meeting up, Talos and a few others having created a small refuge point. Maria and Nick sitting in a meeting room waiting for Talos, both of them giving the other a small nod in acknowledgment.

“This feels weird right?”

“I don’t know, Nick. It just….everyone was gone for a while, everyone found their own ways of coping, the Avengers broke apart, Pepper and Morgan had to learn how to live without Tony, Peter had to learn to live without everyone, Happy decided to work in a security firm, Bruce left, Steve left, even Scott couldn’t live as an Avenger anymore….and you….you went to space. And we found Finch. I know that none of us are the same people we once were but how the hell did we get here?” Maria spoke.

Nick knew she was right, everything was different, after the Blip nothing was the same, his team was broken and split, he was a shell of the man he once knew, even Talos was different and of course there was Carol who seemed to have a million things going on at the same time.

Nodding and unsure what to say, Nick took in her words. “I wish I had an answer for you. I wish I could go back in time and change the way that I behaved, maybe then I wouldn’t have left.” He took a breather, trying to decide whether he should say the next bit. “I lost a part of myself after the Blip and I’m not sure I can get it back. I’m a mere shadow, a shell, of the man I once was.”

“Not to me.” Maria shook her head. “Not to me. You were always Nick Fury to me, no matter how much you thought was left of you. You were the one who taught me to risk everything, the one who convinced me that there was more to life than I thought there was, who taught me that I was more than I thought. You are everything I needed you to be. I held out hope because I believed that you’d come back when you were ready. Part of me still thinks you aren’t. But I’m still holding out hope because we all need you.”

Nick nodded, understanding that everyone had been through a lot whilst he was gone, everyone had changed, and if he had changed then they’d be learning everything over again.

Talos walked in, looking at the two of them, his hand on the door about to close it. “Am I interrupting something?”

Maria gestured for him to continue and close the door so they could discuss whatever they needed, Nick shook his head and sat down.

“You wanted to talk?” Talos gestured for Nick to speak.

With a small sigh, Nick attempted to put all his cards on the table. “I asked Sonya to help us and she said yes. She’s giving us all the information she has access to. I proposed an alliance. Maybe together, with everyone’s combined knowledge and skillset we can do something. Maria nodded and Talos gave his signal of understanding.

“G’iah is doing what she can from her end and she’ll keep us updated.” Talos confirmed.

“Finch and Carol are doing their part as well. I know that everyone has changed from the people we once were, and some more than others are going to have to get used to it, but I’m hoping that we can all learn to work as a team. Maria spoke with more hope than Nick had almost ever heard her speak with before.

“Speaking of Finch, Maria, I have a small favor to ask.” Talos looked at the brunette, hoping that his plan would work if she said yes.

“What is it?”

“I need Finch to do a job for me, something only someone with his skillset is capable of pulling off. I promise you, I won’t put him in danger, after everything he’s done for me and everything he’s done for G’iah that much I can promise.” Talos spoke with promise.

“I know, Talos, I also know that my son is a grown man capable of making his own decisions but if it’s my blessing you are looking for you know you already have it.” Maria nodded.

Maria and Talos had come a long way in terms of working together, the two of them forming a team of their own when Fury wasn’t around, she knew very well that Talos was a man of his word.

“I only ask because it’s a delicate matter and he’s good at getting information from places no one can get into.”

“If it’s concerning you and G’iah I’m sure he’ll do it. After everything he’s been through, I just ask that you go easy on him.”

Talos nodded, Maria leaned back in her chair and both of them had eyes on Fury.

“So, are we really doing this?” Nick looked at both of them.

“I think it’s safe to say that if we don’t….we’re running out of options.” Maria sounded almost resigned.

“This has to work. For the safety of human kind, for the sake of humanity, this has to work.” Talos and Maria nodded at each other and then Fury.

“Buckle in, this is gonna be a long and bumpy ride.” Fury looked at both of them. This was going to be harder than anything most of them had been through, this wasn’t going to be an easy fix, there was going to be a lot of waiting and then fighting and then running. He just hoped that everyone still had it in them.

Chapter Text

“You really think you can put this all behind you.”

“You’re a disgrace to this family.”

“Don’t listen to him, Maria, you’re doing a good thing.”

“Why would you do this?”

“You’re a drunk, you’ve given mom more bruises than you have hugs. I have to get out before I do something everyone’s gonna regret.”

“Oh, you think you’re a tough guy, huh, threatening your own father?”

“You stopped being my father when you stopped wanting to take care of any of us. I haven’t had a father for years, so don’t give me that bullshit.”

Maria’s eyes remained on the fire that was still blazing in the middle of their front room. Her mind stuck in the past with her family and the hardest moment of her life.

“Mom, you okay? Where’d you go just now?” Finch walked in and sat beside her.

“Hey, Finch, yeah, I just….”

Finch nodded knowing already. He often had flashbacks, granted they featured more torture than anything but he understood that in their line of work they were bound to have some sort of PTSD. “Flashbacks?”

Maria simply nodded. She didn’t get them often. Always seemingly getting them when it was most inconvenient, right before bed or a mission, sometimes right before she kissed Natasha. The PTSD had been one thing and as of late she’d been able to keep tabs on it, been able to handle it. Not being in SHIELD anymore had a few perks, having more time to herself was one of them, though she never knew what to do with that free time. She kind of missed being in a race against time, capturing aliens and threats, dare she say it, she even missed the paperwork.

“Things have been….a little strange since SHIELD no longer really exists. Like somehow….”

“You lost a part of yourself and don’t know how to get it back.”

Maria nodded once more. “I was never used to having time to myself, not fighting against something or someone, not being one of the few people standing between Earth and whatever threat we had. It was always a race against time, everything life and death and now….SHIELD doesn’t exist and Fury is different and Talos is fighting some of his own people and…”

“Now you have me.” Finch nodded, understanding, he had somehow sprung from nowhere, slightly changing the trajectory of their lives, he was their son and yet in technical terms he was old enough to be their brother. “I kind of just appeared from nowhere and….”

“You’ve helped. Both me and Natasha. I mean we both wanted some kind of family together, sure it was earlier than we expected it but we both love you and we’re grateful for you.” Maria assured him.

“You want a drink by any chance?”

Maria chuckled and nodded, part of FInch’s genetics meant that he didn’t sleep, nor get drunk, nor get sick. She watched as Finch grabbed two beers and handed one to Maria, the two of them sitting next to each other and drinking the beer, Natasha asleep. in the next room.

»»———　★　———««

Natasha woke up, sweating and panting, her nightmare tonight somehow more vivid than ones she’d had before. Looking over to the side, she saw Maria slowly enter the room. The brunette nodding to let her know she was okay.

Wiping the sweat from her head, she pulled the duvet away from her body, Maria coming to sit beside her and wrapping an arm around her, pulling te redhead into her body, pressing a gentle kiss on top of the redhead’s head.

“I love you, no matter what.” Maria whispered.

Natasha smiled, knowing that much was true. “I know. I love you.” Her arm wrapped around Maria’s stomach.

The two of them comfortable in each other’s embrace before slowly breaking apart. Looking at one another before Natasha leaned further in and pressed a soft and slow kiss to Maria’s lips. The kiss ending slowly and their forehead’s resting against each other.

“Fury call?” Natasha asked, not wanting the moment to end but knowing it would have to at some point.

“He messaged. Talos has a job for Finch, which I need to talk to him about but I wanted to check on you first.” Maria smiled. Something Natasha hadn’t seen much of, at least not before Ultron.

Natasha nodded, understanding and knowing there was a lot to get done. She gestured for Maria to go and talk to Finch and she’d get herself ready. Maria nodding and leaving with a small and gentle peck against her lips before closing the door to give her privacy.

»»———　★　———««

<1995>

“I’m Nick Fury. Been riding a desk for the past six trying to figure out where our future enemies are coming from.”

“Official SHIELD activity.”

“Never occurred to me that the threats would be coming from above.”

“We can’t trust anyone.” Talos sounded worried.

“My people lived as refugees, homeless.”

“TALOS!”

“The handful of us left will be slaughtered next.”

Soren’s screams flood the memory.

<1997> «« BRIXTON, ENGLAND »»

“Varra, welcome.” Nick nodded.

“I’d like you to meet someone. This is Gravik. His parents were killed in the last stand against the Kree. He escaped from behind enemy lines and piloted a ship, by himself, we could use him.”

“He’s a kid.”

“To human eyes.”

“I wanna thank you all for… For joining me. I know it’s been a… It’s been a rough journey. We went looking for a home, found nothing but violence. And hate. All of us have lost someone. Or everyone. And our entire species is scattered across the galaxy, but for those of you who braved the journey here to Earth, you did so for one reason. This man. This man that I trust. You know I don’t use that word lightly.” Talos commanded the room before nodding over to Nick.

“My friends, ever since… Let me rephrase that. Almost ever since I met Talos, I believed that humans and Skrulls can help each other. The world is facing a serious threat. And I could use your help. It would mean putting on a new face and keeping it. This is the promise. While you work to keep my home safe, Carol Danvers and I will find you a new one. Who’ll be first to take the pledge?” Nick watched as Soren stepped forwards and took on a human form. G’iah, a little behind her, looking up at her mother.

“You have a courageous mother, G’iah.” Nick spoke and G’iah nodded.

The rest of the Skrulls stepping forward and taking on a human skin before looking at each other.

“You keep your word and I will keep mine.”

<Present day> «« MOSCOW »»

Nick blinked his eye open, looking at Talos who was waiting on Finch to get here. Releasing a shaky breath. Talos nodding at Nick, checking he was okay. Nick nodding back, standing up and going for a walk.

Talos standing up when Finch walked into the room, welcoming him and gesturing to the seat in front of him.

“You know you don’t need to stand up every time I walk into room, Talos, we’re practically family.” Finch smiled and sat down in front of Talos, gesturing for him to do the same.

“Our species might be similar to yours, Finch’eyel, but the traditions still remain.”Talos nodded.

“Talos, just call me Finch, you know I don’t go by that name anymore and definitely not on Earth.” Finch sighed, even since figuring out who he was in terms of being kept on Earth for so many years by Dreykov, Finch had refused to go back to Mal’Tor or even go by the name he would have had if he’d been born and raised on the planet, it was safe to say he was a little complicated, not human enough to be a human and not alien enough to be considered alien, yet he was more alien than human, only taking a human form to blend in.

“My apologies, Finch, I will refrain. I called you here because….I need your help. You have a skillset that I need and I would like to use that.” Talos proposed.

“How can I help you, Talos?”

“I need you to find some information for me. It’s about Soren.”

Finch blinked, understanding full well what that meant. “Where do you need me to go?”

Talos looked at him a little worried, questioning if Finch would actually do this for him.

Finch raised his hand, placing his first and index fingers of his left hand against Talos’ temple, the Skrull nodding to give him permission. Finch accessing all of the information through the link before leaning back in the chair and taking a deep breath out, trying to ground himself back to reality.

“Okay. I think. I got everything.” Finch nodded slowly.

“I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important, I just need to know what happened.” Talos confirmed.

Finch nodded, he knew that what happened to Soren had been heartbreaking for both him and G’iah. Having been there for G’iah during the hardest and darkest part of her life, helping her ge through it even though she hadn’t known what happened, Finch knew it was about time that Talos should be asking about it.

Nodding once more, Finch stood up and headed towards the door, Nick heading back in, Finch nodding at the taller one eyed man, Nick managing a small smile to acknowledge him. Nick sitting in front of Talos this time so they could discuss some other things.

»»———　★　———««

Carol had opted to go for more civilian clothing, settling for a jacket, shirt and jeans, trying to blend in a little, humans weren’t often known for their trust in ‘differences’. G’iah had called her, meeting up so they could try and formulate a plan together. The two of them never really having spoken since she’d disappeared from Monica but G’iah had said she needed help and Finch had suggested that Carol would be able to.

“Thank you for meeting me.” G’iah spoke as they sat on a bench outside.

“Thank you for giving me a chance.” Carol smiled knowing that this was a big deal for the Skrull after she hadn’t been able to find them a home.

G’iah nodded. Trying to figure out how and what to say. “Gravik is trying to create a new home on Earth for Skrulls but he doesn’t just want part of the Earth, he wants humans to surrender to him, he wants to….”

“Take over Earth and make it New Skrullos.” Carol finished, sighing out with concern.

G’iah nodded in confirmation. “The attacks are just the start. What happened with Everett and that other guy last night, that was Gravik, somehow he always knows.”

Carol didn’t really know how to respond, knowing that Finch was a little more prepped for this than she was to handle this. But she wouldn’t give up, she’d let them down once before, she wouldn’t make that mistake again.

“How did you get this information?” Carol tried to get as much knowledge as she could to formulate a plan.

G’iah sighed out, not really wanting to tell anyone this but she knew she’d have to eventually. “I can’t tell you that. Not yet anyways. The less you know about it the better at this point. Finch knows everything, always has not that he’s ever agreed with it but he knows better than to argue with it.”

Carol chuckled knowing that was true, she had worked alongside Finch for a little, doing a few missions with the genetically modified Mal’Torian that was somehow a perfect split between Natasha and Maria.

“Okay, so….what can we do?” Carol wracked her brain trying to think of how they could use the information. “We have a map put together of all the places Gravik’s hit. But it still seems random.”

“I have another meeting with him tonight. I’d like you to come with me, Finch normally would but he’s doing something for my father, you could come with and gather intel, figure out how it all fits.” G’iah suggested and Carol nodded.

»»———　★　———««

Both G’iah and Carol had returned to the main base of operations in which Talos was holding down the fort, both Natasha and Maria also coming, bringing the map that Finch had been working on, everyone looking at it.

Fury and Talos shared the occasional look, as did Natasha and Maria, everyone trying to figure out where the next attack could be, why they were attacking those areas, but both Talos and Nick knew all too well that Gravik wasn’t a logical guy, often doing things because he simply could.

“This is what the two of you found?” Nick looked ta both Carol and G’iah.

The blonde nodding, during her missions with Finch neither of them had really been able to find much about the Skrulls, granted Mal’Torian people had a lot of knowledge when it came to other species but considering Finch’s upbringing it was easy to understand how his knowledge with certain things was limited.

G’iah had added all the information she had gathered to whatever Finch already had, the two of them compiling the information in hopes and efforts that it would allow them to find something they could work with.

“All of the information within Finch’s files had been placed within this. Somehow we still have nothing to work with. All we know is that Gravik is in Russia and has a group of rebels.” Maria interjected.

“He has to be in Russia for a reason, it’s not somewhere in which people come for a vacation or because they have nothing better to do, the history of this place is covered in blood, whether it’s Dreykov or Putin or whatever.” Natasha added.

Talos nodded, looking back at the screen to see if he could see anything that no one else had spotted or that he hadn’t seen in a certain way. Nick felt more confused, he was usually so good when it came to this kind of thing, always able to find something out of nothing and yet looking at the screen in front of him right now, there was nothing.

“The mission I sent Finch on might give us something but I can’t promise anything from that.” Talos nodded and informed Maria and Natasha who smiled back.

“And there’s another meeting with Gravik and his rebels tonight, he’s invited me so I can go in and get whatever information we need, I’ll need back up but you’re going to have to be discreet with it.” G’iah looked at everyone within the room, only some of them could do this, the others would have to stay behind.

Carol nominating herself for such a mission and G’iah smiled and nodded in thanks, the two of them slowly becoming a team. Talos dismissed them but kept looking at the screen.

“What would you have done, Soren?” Talos whispered to himself. Soren would have said many things, would have somehow come up with a foolproof plan and been the hero they all needed. Everyone thought that Talos was the smart one, the battle ready Skrull, but little did they know that Soren was his hero.

»»———　★　———««

Finch had been investigating. Searching through files, using his magic to withhold a ball of light of the files he was looking at, using his phone to take images of everything he found, a whole case study on Soren buried within tens of thousands of documents as if they hadn’t wanted anyone to find it.

Soren was like a third mother to him, the first weeks after his escape from the Red Room, Finch didn’t know who he was or where to go, only that he had to get out and find somewhere safe, Soren had found him hiding in an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere and had taken him to meet Talos and G’iah.

After a while, Talos and Soren had worked relentlessly to find out where his home was and they hadn’t found anything, almost as if Finch had never existed, he always had the flashbacks, always had the waves of fear and the gut feeling that something more was going on, the memories constantly flooding his mind when he least wanted them. But when he found Natasha, something clicked. He had met Maria first and been drawn to her for a reason he couldn’t explain, but something about Natasha clicked, he remembered her despite having never known her.

“You are a long way from home.” A voice sounded through the room.

Finch looked around the room trying to figure out where the sound had come from, finding te nearest exist should he need to make an escape for it.

“You were created for a reason. You were to bring death. Destruction. Chaos. You were designed to be feared.” The voice spoke again.

Finch tried to use the breathing techniques that Maria had taught him when he’d had the first set of flashbacks around her. He continued to look at the files and the information, finding a file with Soren’s name on it.

Words floating around the page, Soren M.I.A, a mission gone wrong, Gravik, words beginning to have no meaning the more that Finch looked at them, taking another picture, Finch reread the file. One sentence standing out in particular.

Grabbing the file and using a spell to cloak it, he carried the file with him, hiding in corridors and alcoves so that he wasn’t spotted. He needed to get this file to Talos and quick, the Skrull would hate what he read but it was what he had asked for.

»»———　★　———««

Natasha and Maria were in their apartment, reading over documents and files, taking notes and compiling info, the two of them often smiling at the other, Natasha being left a blushing mess every time that Maria kissed her on the cheek before making another mug of coffee.

The peaceful domesticity something neither of them had had before finding each other. Finding the silence between them comforting.

“Come across anything interesting?” Natasha asked as she tried to soothingly rub her fingers against her temples.

“Gravik wasn’t always in Russia and he’s not only in Russia. He has group everywhere, London, Budapest, Madrid, Sydney….probably more.” Maria sipped her coffee as she reeled off the information.

Natasha looked at her screen with surprise and mild shock. Both of them trying to figure out what to do with the information, they couldn’t all be in different places, that would be way out of their leagues.

“It’s crazy because you’d have to go digging for this information.” Natasha exhaled with concern.

“I hate to say it, I hate to even think it but….” Maria started speaking.

Natasha nodded, already knowing where she was going. “We need someone to go undercover. Someone who can get inside and get information, someone who knows what they’re doing, we need to infiltrate them from the inside.”

Maria nodded, not wanting that to be where they were heading but knowing it might be the only way to stop them. If they were in every major city in most countries, it was more than worrying.

Nick paged everyone back to base, the two of them meeting everyone in the room once again, G’iah and Carol prepped to go into Gravik’s meeting. Talos nodding as everyone walked into the meeting room once again.

“You find something?” Nick looked at Maria, even after all this time still trusting in her opinion above everyone.

“Gravik is in most major cities around the globe. He’s not just in Russia, he has rebels placed everywhere.” Maria began.

“Which is probably how he got into thhe council in the first place.” Natasha finished.

Talos looked at both G’iah and Carol, each of them ready to put their mission into the works. “You two have to be careful. Don’t start anything. Be cautious of who turns up, they could be anyone.”

G’iah nodded. “I know, dad. We’ll be careful. Besides, I have Captain Marvel with me, pretty sure I’ll be the least of their worries.”

Carol laughed at the comment, knowing where Finch had gotten his humor from. The two of them heading off to see what they could find.

A knock on the door sounding and Sonya walking in to see Talos and Nick on one side of the table and Natasha and Maria on the other side. Nodding at both pairs, she sat down in front of them all.

“There’s a lot of information we have that you won’t have. Most of the documents having been sealed off without the higher security levels.” Sonya informed them.

Maria scoffed, had it really been that long since they’d had security clearance for this type of information, they had all gone from being the most dangerous and protective agency in the world to now having to hack into the government to gather information to fight threats. How did they get here.

Sonya looked over at Maria. “What you rather I have done, let the most notorious killers and psychopaths have access to word ending information?”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’m not that stupid. But what you could have done was trusted us with it.”

Sonya shook her head, she hadn’t come here to argue, she’d come here to help, Nick looked over at her, pleading that she shared whatever information she had. With a sigh, she continued. “Gravik used to have groups everywhere. But after the groups failed to follow the same ideals and beliefs as he, he cut ties with them, the groups all did their own things, most of them not becoming a problem.”

“Most of them? Insinuating that some did.” Natasha looked around at everyone on the table.

Nodding, Sonya looked at the redhead. “There was a group of five. They were based in Barcelona. 2017.”

Natasha widened her eyes, already knowing where this was going after having conversations with Finch about some of the things that Dreykov had made him do. “Barcelona, 2017. What happened?” She urged her on.

“They had a plan to break into the government. Wanting files and information on projects that were being held top secret. What they hadn’t expected was….”

“Dreykov having sent an assassin in order to ensure the information was never found.” Natasha finished the sentence off.

Sonya nodding, she hadn’t known who the assassin was that had been sent, the file didn’t give a name, only a timeline of events.

Maria looked over at Natasha, silently conveying the question of who it was. Natasha looked at Maria, in a way that confirmed her thoughts, Maria exhaling and leaning back in her chair.

“Wow. He killed all of them?” Maria looked at Natasha and Sonya, trying to put two and two together.

“The file said there was no one left behind, the bodies were disposed of, the blood non-existent. Apparently, the only evidence they had that something had happened was that none of them reported into Gravik when they were supposed to. He had them injected with trackers in case of emergency and all the trackers went dead. The following day, Dreykov sent them a message.” Sonya finished the story.

Natasha blinked rapidly as she took in the information. She had known what had happened from Finch’s perspective. He had told her how the Red Room had created him, he hadn’t gone into great detail, it was too painful from him to speak of, though she hoped one day he’d share it with her, but he had spoken about how Hydra had brainwashed him and mind controlled him so that Dreykov could do whatever he wanted to. That was enough for the redhead to want them all dead.

Maria looked between the both of them. “Shit. I don’t know what I expected but i definitely wasn’t that.”

Talos took in the information, Finch had told him after they’d met him the first time, having felt beyond guilty, but not being able to give him all of the information because the other alien hadn’t remembered most of it. The team still attempting to put the information together.

»»———　★　———««

Walking through the room, G’iah saw many Skrulls. Some she had never seen before and some she had. The Skrull community was huge, often meaning that you never really met a lot of your own people. Just like an other species, not every human knew every other human.

Carol remained on the lookout. Staying on the roof of the building, able to see everything through one of G’iah’s gadgets. Looking around the room to see if there was anyone she recognized.

G'iah hadn't seen anyone she recognized, despite having grown up around most of them. Most of them having changed over time, not having the same ideals or beliefs as her. The two of them continuing to look around the room until Gravik started his speech.

“I want to thank you all for coming. For being here. To share this next endeavor with us. To become part of the family. I welcome you, some faces old and familiar and some new and intrigued. Together we will make this world better for Skrulls.” Gravik began, his eyes flicking towards G’iah every so often.

The younger Skrull still looking around, searching to see who was listening, to see what Gravik was offering them that Talos hadn’t and that Fury hadn’t wanted for them also. Thing was, G’iah knew that Talos and Gravik wanted the same things, but the difference was that Talos followed the rules and the laws of humans in order to find a home, he was perfectly fine with co-existing, but Gravik would do whatever it took, no matter the cost in order to get whatever he wanted, both Talos and Nick drew the line if it meant someone getting hurt, Gravik didn’t care.

Carol’s device beeping when G’iah looked in a certain direction, zooming in, the blonde figured out why. “Oh, Fury and Maria are going to hate this.”

G’iah looked back at Gravik who continued to speak. “We all want the same thing. A new home. Here in Earth. We were promised it by Fury and we were promised it by Talos. Yet here we are, hiding who we are because they were too afraid to do what must be done.”

Listening to his words, G’iah shook her head, killing people and harming humans had never been part of the plan. They could argue about what Talos wanted all they wanted but Talos had a plan, Fury and Carol were helping, but finding a whole species a new planet was obviously not going to be easy.

The last thing she wanted to do was stick around and listen to a hundred people talk bad about her father. Staying for a moment, her eyes stayed glued on the audience, looking at who was listening and who seemed uninterested. Carol recording everything from her safe distance.

Once Gravik had stopped speaking and everyone returned to festivities, G’iah headed for the door, about to leave and give Talos the news.

“I wanted to personally thank you for coming. I was beginning to think that this would be too much for you.” Gravik smirked.

“Well, someone had to check that it was worth while.” G’iah shrugged, only wanting to leave.

“And was it….worth while?”

G’iah looked at him, trying to articulate what she wanted to say so that Gravik wouldn’t suspect. “I’m undecided.”

“Hopefully at some point, we can persuade you.”

G’iah tilted her head before slowly heading out the door and walking towards the car, Carol already in the passenger seat.

“You okay?” The blonde looked at her, having heard the same things she had.

G’iah exhaled before putting the car into gear and pulling out of the area.

»»———　★　———««

“How are we supposed to find people that are hidden within a species that has no tells?” Maria asked Talos.

Everyone still sat at the table discussing options. Talos knew she had a point, it was what made their species good at blending in, they didn’t have anything that showed they were different from humans, taking on a human form and capturing their memories, their mannerisms, their voice. The only way you knew was when they were dead.

¨There are some tells, tests even, but the only way you’d be able to see or check is by being close to them or in the same room as them.” Talos informed them all.

Nick shook his head. “There has gotta be a better way of identifying you.”

“Nick, we wouldn’t be a good species that grows to accommodate the rest of our environment, we wouldn’t be good at what we do if there were ways to tell that it’s us.”

Maria nodded. Looking at the pager, Finch telling her that he was on his way, Natasha also looking at her pager as Finch left her a message also. Both of them looking at one another with a smile that their son was coming back.

They’d only know Finch for a short while but they already didn’t know where they’d be without him, they’d already got through so much thanks to him, Talos also. He had been the parent when Maria and Natasha hadn’t known Finch just yet, they were glad he had some alien influence inn his life.

“Back during some of the wars, there used to be a three question test, it would tell you exactly who was a Skrull or not based on the answers they gave you, hardly anyone knows the questions and the answers can vary each time depending on the generation.” Talos continued.

“What about other species?” Natasha looked at Talos.

“What about other species? Can other species figure out who is what?”

Natasha nodded. “Some species have a sixth sense for being able to spot or locate who is another alien.”

“Ah, you mean, would your son know?” Talos looked at both Maria and Natasha.

As if on cue, Finch approached the door, Sonya standing up to open the door to ensure that no one else was following him, upon seeing Finch, she looked him up and down.

“You must be Finch?” Sonya held out her hand to shake his, Finch shaking her hand in return and Sonya knew right then that it was him who had been the Skrull assassin in Barcelona. “Sonya..”

“I’ve heard of you.” Finch smiled politely and shook her hand before walking into the room and sitting next to Natasha.

Talos looked at him from across the table, Finch giving him a look to suggest that he’d tell him everything once G’iah was back. The two of them should have the chance to find out together and be able to comfort each other.

“Maybe it would be better to ask the source.” Sonya offered.

“Is it possible that you can tell who’s an alien and who’s not?” Natasha started.

‘To some degree. I can tell who is human and I can sense who is different, everyone has a signature energy, something that makes them who they are, like a tracker dog, I guess, certain species are good at sensing other species that aren’t human but its sort of…..”

“Complicated?” Maria offered with a smile.

“Yeah, for lack of a better word.”

Nick nodded. He had spent so much time around Skrulls, Carol had also, they first met around Skrulls, though they hadn’t exactly known at the time, Carol had offered them the chance to find a home, but a lot had changed and it wasn’t as easy as simply picking a planet and renaming it.

“So if you can somewhat tell who is a Skrull…..” Sonya began.

“You guys really have to get to the point with specifics, I can see clearer than most who is a Skrull or not.”

“That’s perfect then, we just need you to confirm who they are.” Sonya looked between Talos and Finch.

“And have a whole group of people find out and run because they fear being found out by authorities who would otherwise eradicate them. Sure that’s going to go down well.” Finch leaned back in his chair.

Talos nodded at him, they’d both been through hell and back simply because they weren’t human, that’s what started this whole mess, Skrulls hiding who they were in order to keep themselves safe.

“You have that memory wiping ability, don’t you?” Maria looked at Finch.

“I….um….that’s a little tricky but yeah….I can as them the questions, figure it out and then erase the last ten seconds of their memory so they can’t tell other Skrulls it’s happening, but we’d have to be careful and discreet.”

Talos looked over at him, he knew most of Finch’s abilities, saw them first hand when he was helping him learn how to use them for good reasons.

“This plan can only work if everyone is on board. Even if one person declines or refuses, the plan won’t proceed.” Maria looked around the room, something as delicate and dangerous as this had to be done with precision and no doubts.

“I’ll need to think about it.” Talos stated and Nick nodded knowing that giving up some of the people you considered family would be something one would have to deeply consider, especially given how and what Talos had already been through with many of his people.   

»»———　★　———««

G’iah returned, telling Maria and Talos everything, Carol was sitting with Finch in another room.

“Welcome back.” Carol smirked.

“You too. How was the meet?”

Carol sighed and shook her head, leaning back in her chair. “I think you and I have had better meetings with Kree than that meeting went.”

“Damn, that’s saying something.” Finch chuckled.

The two of them had spent quite a bit of time around each other, knowing how each other worked and functioned, Carol could easily say that Finch was one of her comfort people, always there when she needed him. Always willing to listen and be whatever or whoever she needed him to be for that moment.

“Are you okay?” Carol looked at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You look like you’ve killed someone, there’s a hint of what you were like when we first met.”

Finch sighed and then took in a few deep breaths trying to gather himself up. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just….have to give someone a piece of news I know they need but I know is gonna hurt them.”

“You’ve always been good at given people information that is usually hard to take. You’ve got this, and I’ll be here when you’re done.” Carol comforted and encouraged him.

Standing up with a small nod, Finch headed into the other room, Talos standing in front of the hologram screen and looking at it. Finch placed the file on the table causing Talos to turn around and face him, G’iah noticing what was going on decided to come into the room, closing the door behind her.

“You asked me to find out what happened to Soren.” Finch started, he wasn’t even sure how he was going to get through this, but his heart ached for Talos. “She was sent on a mission shortly after coming here. Her mission was to infiltrate Gravik’s rebels and get them to stop from the inside out.”

Talos looked up at him, not daring to open the file, praying that Finch’s words weren’t heading in the direction they currently seemed to be. G’iah still listening on.

“She was doing really well at the start, finding out the information they needed to, but then….things go worse and Gravik found out what was going on. Soren knew that he knew, knew that that would be te end of the line for her, her last action was destroying something that Gravik needed in order to get everyone on his side, she destroyed a weapon in order to make sure that Gravik was still weak enough to be stopped.”

Talos nodded, internally thanking Soren for everything she did, she had a habit of doing things that people would never expect, one of the many reasons that Talos had fallen in love with her to begin with.

“Finch….what aren’t you telling me?” Talos spoke as if asking the question would somehow change the trajectory of the conversation.

Finch took a deep breath, turning around to look at G’iah for a short moment before looking back at Talos. “Gravik….Gravik had her killed.”

It was in that moment that Finch watched the light leave Talos’ eyes, Talos dropping to his knees but Finch catching him before his knees hit the floor, the older Skrull taking a moment before grabbing onto Finch, his tears falling, unable to be stopped.

G’iah watched her father breakdown, collapsing in a chair beside the two of them, watching as Finch held her father in his arms, giving him the comfort he so desperately wished he didn’t need.

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Was all Finch could say as Talos continued to cry in his arms. Talos grabbing his arm and crying into his shoulder, Finch’s heart breaking for both of them, Soren was a mother figure to him before finding Natasha and Maria, she helped him find them, she helped him learn about his species. She had done so much for him, he knew how much Talos loved her, how much Soren loved him, knew how deeply both Talos and G’iah loved Soren with every fiber of their being.

Suddenly, she just wasn’t here, and death felt so surreal compared to aliens who could fly from planet to planet, who had survived wars, fought and lived through conflict and suddenly, that almost meant nothing.

Natasha and Maria watched on from the room behind them, unable to hear anything but knowing well enough what had happened, knowing the kind of information that Finch had just had to break to someone he considered family.

Nick and Carol also watching on as Talos had collapsed in Finch’s arms, Nick had a feeing that had been what had happened but was hoping it wasn’t. Sonya hadn’t known what to expect, only being surprised by the fact that two Skrulls were feeling more emotions and showing them more than what most humans would do.

»»———　★　———««

Nick gave it a few minutes before he entered another room, Talos reading through the file in which Finch had given him.

“I am so sorry for your loss.” Nick sat down in front of him.

“Don’t.” Talos started, his energy slowly being depleted as if his body was turning off its life support.

Nick nodded, understanding that Talos didn’t want to hear it. G’iah and Finch were in the other room and Talos wanted to stay strong for them, wanting to be the rock they both needed and yet, Finch was being the person G’iah needed Talos to be, but at the same time he was thankful that she had someone.

“Are you okay?” Finch looked at G’iah.

“I will be. I have to admit I think some part of me always knew, of course I didn’t want it to be true but….this isn’t the kind of thing you can choose.”

Finch nodded, unsure of what else he could do except listen. G’iah hugged him tightly before the two of them rested their foreheads together, in tradition of an apology, understanding and telling them they were there for the other.

Natasha smiled watching them through the window, she had done the same thing with Clint and Yelena, providing them with a sene of unspeakable comfort that didn’t need words. Turning to hug Maria, the taller woman wrapping her arms around the redhead, Natasha resting her head against the brunette’s chest as they both watched their son do what he did best and help the other side of his family.

»»———　★　———««

It was late when Finch found himself in the training room, hitting a punchbag repeatedly, not caring what the end result was, his mind going back to the darkest times of his life, seeing the tubes that were once coming out of him, filled with a blue liquid that was going in through several tubes placed in various places throughout his body.

Flashes of light almost blinding through the memory, screams and voices echoing through his head, pain and scars on his body, a file, a set of dog tags swinging, blood splatters up a wall, a glass cylinder that fit him inside of it.

His fist hit the punchbag sending it flying through the air and hitting a wall. A different memory coming into view, a building standing before him, fighting a guy who was already surrounded by several SHIELD members before SHIELD was done for and at the time he hadn’t known who it was.

The guy was someone attempting to break from SHIELD custody, Finch fighting him so that Maria could eventually put the cuffs back onto him, looking at Finch after doing so, the younger alien running to his motorcycle, Maria speaking to him.

“I know you, don’t I?” Maria looked at him.

Finch turned his head to face her as he grabbed his helmet. “To some degree. Not yet. But I’m hopeful you will.”

Maria had tilted her head, questioning what he meant, looking at him. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Finch.”

She smiled upon hearing the name, as if it were a memory that she’d only just unlocked. The name sounding familiar to her and yet she had no idea why.

“Come with me, Finch. There’s something I need you to see.”

His memory fading into another, him being sent on a mission, his face covered by a mask, fighting someone he’d only seen photos of thanks to Soren.

His eyes landing on the woman with fiery red hair, a fighting style that somewhat matched his own.

The woman stopping as she looked at him, her guns dropping back into their holsters, her Widows bite deactivating. Looking at him in a way that Finch had never been looked at before.

The rain falling down and completely soaking them both. Finch’s hair soaked and spiked everywhere and the red of Natasha’s sticking to her skin. The two of them looking at each other.

“Who are you?” Natasha asked, she felt a comfortable familiarity but had no idea why or how.

Finch dropped his gun and stopped the magic current floating from his hand, taking the mask off and letting it hang from one side. Natasha stopped still as if suddenly everything made sense.

“The name’s Finch.” He spoke, the water from the rain splashing everywhere.

She smiled and nodded before hugging him, the two of them making it back to the base where Natasha was currently working after SHIELD was debunked.

Finch came back to reality, looking at the punchbag and the dent now in the wall, his breathing trying to even out from the flashbacks.

»»———　★　———««

G’iah was sitting in the kitchen area of the Skrull compound, a cup of something steaming in front of her, Finch walking in after having showered and gotten himself back together.

“You okay?” Finch looked at her, they hadn’t really spoken since he gave both her and her father the news about Soren.

“Still dont quite know what I’m feeling but I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” G’iah smiled before sipping the hot liquid.

Maria and Natasha sitting down on some of the other chairs, also unable to sleep, followed slowly by Talos, Carol, Nick and Sonya.

Carol plugging in the device they’d taken with them to record who was at the secret meeting, broadcasting it on the screen in front of them. Everyone watched the footage, trying to spot anyone they might have known until Rhodey showed up.

“Rhodey’s a Skrull.” Nick and Maria both looked at each other.

Natasha shook her head knowing that if Tony were here he’d be pissed that his best friend wasn’t actually his best friend.

“Technically it’s not Rhodey, it’s just someone using his person.” Talos corrected but knew that it would sound even worse no matter how he put it.

“But if Rhodey is occupied by a Skrull, think of who else could be a Skrull?” Maria pointed out.

Natasha shivered slightly at the thought. “Members of government, world leaders…..”

“That’s not even the scariest thought.” Finch reminded them. Carol catching his eye as if she already knew where his mind was going to and was about to tell him not to even suggest it. “Not just members of government or world leaders….Skrulls could be in nuclear war bases with the codes to start the next world war.”

Maria and Natasha visibly shivered at the thought, G’iah and Talos widened their eyes at the thought, Sonya and Nick looked at each other. And Carol’s and Finch’s eyes remained on the screen.

“This just got a whole harder and twice as dangerous.” Nick finished everyone’s thought out loud.

Chapter Text

Aliens had been a huge part of both Nick and Maria's life as well as careers, Maria had met Varra on the one time she’d been forced into SHIELD for her own protection, Nick had welcomed her in and introduce her to Maria. The two of them getting along rather well.

The first time the Avengers had ever teamed up was because of an alien race and now, Maria and Natasha shared a child who happened to be an alien. The small team currently sitting outside in various places as they waited for Rhodey’s meeting to finish.

"Okay, heads up, we have movement." Maria spoke.

Everyone ensuring they were in position as Rhodey left the building and headed towards an SUV, Natasha walking over to him in hopes that upon seeing a familiar face he night change his side.

"Rhodey.... What are you doing here?”

Turning around to face Natasha, Rhodey simply looked at her, as if he were unsure what to say. "Official government business. Everything changed after SHIELD fell. Someone had to step in.”

"Mama, eyes on your six." Finch spoke through the comms as he watched someone approach her.

"Excuse me, ma'am. You can't be here."

Natasha nodded. "That's fine. Just wanted to say hi to a friend. Sorry for your loss."

Rhodey didn't so much as blink at the words. Another car coming into the area, Talos and Finch stepping forward, prepared to fight. The two of them looking at each other before the other car stopped and two men got out. Talos taking one and Finch taking the other.

The second they finished Rhodey made a beeline for both Talos and Finch, the three of them fighting, Maria and Natasha stepping forwards until Fury stopped them.

"We can't intervene yet." Nick informed them.

The three of them watching the other three fight. Talos getting knocked to the side momentarily, Finch throwing a fist at Rhodey and getting a direct hit in his ribcage, Rhodey flying back and hitting the car before standing up.

"I'm trying to fight them. I'm trying to stop them." Rhodey held his hands up in surrender.

Finch stood a little distance away, pulling Talos to his feet. "You're undercover?"

Rhodey nodded before holding his rib that was now most definitely bruised. Nick shaking his head before running over.

"Rhodey, what in the goddamn hell? This better be a good motherfucking story." Nick pointed his finger.

“It was Varra’s suggestion.” Rhodey directed to Fury.

“Now why would Varra tell you to do this?”

“In my defense she didn’t know you’d be here.” Rhodey looked between Maria and Nick. “Guess I have some explaining to do, huh?”

»»———　★　———««

Maria was in the kitchen grabbing herself a coffee when Natasha snuck up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist before resting her head against the brunette’s shoulder, Maria reaching an arm to wrap around the redhead, pulling her into herself.

“So….Varra?” Natasha broke the comfortable silence.

Chuckling, Maria knew that at some point it would come up, though she never really spoke of Varra, she obviously knew that Varra and Nick were married and had been for a while, but the two of them never really spoke about it.

Nick would never go as far as as to say that Varra was to be kept hidden like a secret but in their former line of work at least, having connections to people meant that they got hurt, which is why most if not all of SHIELD’s agents had their next of kin hidden in order to keep them safe.

“Varra or perhaps Priscilla which she is more humanly known as, is Nick’s wife. Don’t know much about how it began but…She’s a Skrull.” Maria admitted.

The redhead blinked a couple times, it was one thing knowing that her former boss and father figure was married but another thing to consider that his wife was a Skrull.

“Damn. Have you met her?”

“A few times. Though I’d never realized that she was Fury’s wife until one of her last meetings at SHIELD.” Maria explained.

Maria must have met Varra at least 6 times, possibly more, each time it was because of something to do with Fury, there had been the odd occasion where the two of them would have a small conversation and Maria would learn something about the Skrull each time.

Then there had been a period of time where she had stopped visiting SHIELD, Fury never spoke about her and Maria had dared not bring it up just in case something had happened.

“What’s she like?” Natasha found the Skrulls so interesting, in a curiosity way, finding it both incredible and insane that someone could change their appearance to look like anyone in the world.

Maria smiled. “She’s nice, kind, funny, strong maternal instincts, she was the one who introduced Nick to Gravik.”

Natasha’s eyes widened in shock. She went from knowing someone who must have been a child, sweet and innocent, to becoming someone who would cause mass terror attacks around a country.

“Damn.” Natasha came to stand beside Maria so that she was leaning against the counter. “That’s a lot, for anyone, where is she now?”

“Nick would never tell me. I never wanted to ask because I gathered it was for safety reasons that no one knew about her let alone where she lived.”

Natasha nodded, that made sense considering she was married to the former director of SHIELD, she’d have been a high priority target if anyone did know where she was.

“I swear our lives just keep getting crazier.” Natasha chuckled but it was definitely true.

Just when the two of them thought they’d seen everything something would come out of nowhere to completely surprise them and take them all off guard. Even certain relationships had gotten to the stage where no one had seen them coming.

“You can say that again. I can understand why Talos is doing what he’s doing. It’s his people, he’s bounced from one planet to another just trying to find a home and then a group of people within the ones he loves has decided to hurt so many people. Funny how humans are the same and yet we expect it yet somehow we expect aliens to be better.”

Natasha nodded, it was an interesting thought, especially if you were one of the few who never really had a family growing up, at least then you couldn’t be disappointed.

»»———　★　———««

Sonya was sitting in her office when Nick and Rhodey walked in, the two of them standing in front of her before sitting on the couches opposite each other.

“Well, this is a bit odd, isn’t it? Forgive me for saying but it feels like you’ve both been sent to the headmasters office.” Sonya chuckled before finishing her typing on the computer.

Nick rolled his eyes, he had more important things to be doing than this and yet Rhodey was sitting in front of him, after having been undercover with Skrulls for god knows how long.

“Let’s get to business shall we?” Sonya sat in her chair closer to the two men.

“What do they know, Rhodey?” Nick started, not having time to eggshell around the subject.

Sighing, Rhodey didn’t even know what he could say that would make this situation a little better than it was, he had been so deep undercover after Tony that he’d almost forgotten how to be human.

“They know that you took DNA from supers and hid it. They know that they could get nuclear codes. They know that humans can’t coexist with themselves so they can target the weak points. They know that the governmental infrastructure is a complete mess.” Rhodey reeled off.

Sonya shook her head. “Well, that’s not exactly good is it? What have you been doing all this time?”

“Tying to find a way to possibly get rid of information they have or find out where they’re getting it from, someone is giving them information.”

“Shit, that means that they have a connection somewhere, a link to someone.” Nick interjected.

“The question is who?” Sonya finished the thought.

Rhodey shook his head. “I’ve been working my ass off trying to find out who is giving them what, where the information originates from and so far I have nothing. Nothing we can use.”

Sonya sighed and shook her head and Nick face palmed. They all knew this would be harder than they thought but not to the degree of impossible and Nick as suddenly questioning why he’d come back from being in space to begin with.

»»———　★　———««

Coming back from a conversation that got nowhere, except deciding that Rhodey would continue to work undercover giving them whatever he found, Nick was feeling useless and like he shouldn’t have come back to Earth after all these years.

Talos was in the main meeting room looking at all of the information they’d all collectively compiled together.

“I need your help.” Nick announced with a calm, poised demeanor as he closed the door.

“What’s new there?” Talos shook his head as he carried on looking at the screen.

Nick scoffed before sitting down. “Really? That’s what I get? I’m trying to help you with your little Skrull rebellion that you somehow didn’t see coming. And that’s all I get?”

“Excuse me?” Talos turned around and looked at him. “You think that’s what this is? I’ve been working my hardest to make sure that half of your people don’t end up dead. And you think that coming at me now is a great way to help?”

Nick shook his head. “You’ve really grown your balls overnight, huh? When I’m the one who’s been cleaning up your shit for years.”

“You’ve been cleaning up my….that’s rich coming from you. Let’s see, when I came here in 1995, you were a bench warming nobody in SHIELD.”

“Bench warming?”

“You got a different take on it?”

“I was ascending the ranks.”

“You didn’t start ascending the ranks until me and 19 of my people signed on as your invisible spy network. You know we fed you more dirt and intel than you could have dug up on your own in a lifetime, so please.”

Nick shook his head, unable to believe that he was having this conversation with Talos who he considered a friend for most of his life, he had done so much in his lifetime and now his greatest friend was giving him this shit.

“Every time you were promoted in SHIELD, we did that. Every terror attack you prevented, we did that. Every enemy you sabotaged and ally you leveraged with dirt no one else had access to, we did that. You’re a smart and capable guy, Fury, no one has ever questioned that, gotta admit your life was a hell of a lot more exciting when we came into it. And we did that without hearing a thank you, it was my honor. But you do not get to lecture me on you having done more for me than you?”

“You decided to bring a million Skrulls with you to planet earth because you believed we could coexist with us. Humans can’t even coexist with themselves let alone another species. One of your people is no bring terrorist threats to the planet and you don’t know how or why or what to do to stop it.”

“We’re really gonna do this. Okay, Fury, I’m gonna take my shot now. You and I have been friends for years, in fact I’d almost consider us brothers. I helped you through so much shit, I am the one who built the reputation everyone now holds for you, I helped you through your entire career, then you leave right when my people needed you the most, you disappeared on everyone for years and we had to learn how to live and fight and survive when the only person who ever made us feel welcome suddenly left us and made us feel like rejects. My wife was killed by one of my own people which I am still figuring out how to accept, G’Iah lost her mother and I don’t even know how to have a conversation with her at the moment, Varra is out there somewhere and you’re here acting like you could care less. The entire planet called you one of Earth’s greatest defenders once upon a time. You disappear the moment you return from the Blip and suddenly you’re a whole new man and I feel like I’ve lost two parts of myself.”

Nick blinked and let Talos finish his point, not really knowing what to say in response, he knew that he let a lot of people down after he left, he’d cut contact with everyone, Natasha, Maria, Talos, Varra….he’d become a shell of himself and he was trying to get his old self back, at the moment he was considering that it might be impossible.

“I am still trying to figure out who Nick Fury is because you aren’t the man I remember. I know that you are trying and I know that things have changed. But right now I need Nick Fury’s help so you need to find him and you need to bring him back. I don’t care if you have to spend years sitting in a meditation chamber, I don’t care if you have to commit a crime, I don’t care if you have to find Varra and get her to give you some goddamn code word to crack open that skull of yours. But we need Nick Fury because at the moment, you aren’t helping.” Talos finally finished, Nick nodded.

Understanding that right now, they needed someone he himself had lost. He needed to find Varra, needed to talk to her and remember why the hell he started all of this off to begin with. But he was going to need help for that.

»»———　★　———««

Traveling from Canada to Russia was interesting to say the least, but with everything going on, Elizabeth knew that she had to see her daughter. Getting off the flight, Finch met her in order to drive her safely to the apartment that Natasha and Maria had been staying at.

Elizabeth hugging Finch tightly, loving her grandson twice as much after being told by Maria what had happened. Sliding into the car, Elizabeth and Finch traveled back to the apartment, both of them occasionally singing to whatever song was coming out of the radio.

Finch gathered the bags out of the car and walked them upstairs beside Elizabeth before entering the apartment and knocking on Maria’s door as well as checking the kitchen, before then making everyone some hot drinks.

“Mom.” Maria spoke from the doorway.

The two of them instantly coming together in a hug, both of them held the embrace tightly, neither of them having seen each other for a while.

“And where is the woman who has my daughter’s heart?” Elizabeth looked around.

Natasha coming in through the front door and smiling as she saw everyone, hugging Elizabeth before pressing a kiss to Maria’s cheek and hugging Finch before ruffling his hair a little.

“How are things here?” Elizabeth smiled as she sat down on the couch. “Moscow treating you okay?”

“Perfectly well, mom, we’re Canadians, we deal well with the cold.”

“And Natasha, you’re from here, aren’t you?”

Natasha smiled. “I am indeed, amongst other places of course.”

“I’m so happy that the two of you are settling in. But Maria tells me this is just temporary.”

Natasha nodded, not really knowing what to say, Maria had told her that Elizabeth knew everything, Nick had even made house calls in the past to check in on her during crisis times.

“Well, with our jobs and everything it’s hard to find somewhere to call home when you’re constantly everywhere all the time, but I’m glad to say that no matter what happen or where we end up, Maria and Finch are my home.”

Everyone smiled and Elizabeth was more than happy that her daughter was also happy after everything that had happened. Her father had been abusive to both of them, to the point where Elizabeth had been to hospital more times than walking Maria back from school.

It had been no surprise when Maria stood up to her father, Elizabeth had been so proud of her but disappointed in herself because she hadn’t been the one to do it, the minute that Maria had left to join the Marines, Elizabeth had filed and signed for divorced and moved out.

“Where’s Fran?” Maria asked, knowing that after the divorce Elizabeth had met a woman named Fran and the two of them had gotten to know each other, getting close to the point where Maria considered her another mother, though everyone knew that Elizabeth wouldn’t be getting married again.

“Oh she’s already here, she had some errands to run, she’s got family here  so she’s meeting them for a moment before Finch goes to collect her.” Elizabeth smiled at the young man sitting beside her.

Maria nodded, Elizabeth had also known about Finch being an alien, Maria having given her the full debrief when telling her about how they found him. It was nice to be around family that knew everything and you weren’t forced to eggshell subjects because you knew they couldn’t take it.

“It’s nice having everyone here, I’m happy that everyone is happy.” Elizabeth smiled at Maria and Natasha, the brunette taking Natasha’s hand in hers and pressing a kiss to the knuckles.

»»———　★　———««

Finch had left Maria and Natasha with Fran and Elizabeth, allowing them to spend time with each other as he went back to the base, sitting in one of the tech rooms where he was building something that Talos had asked him to attempt, neither of them knowing if it would actually work or not.

Nick knocked on the door, Finch allowing him in without even looking up from his project.

“How can I help you, Nick Fury?”

Nodding, Nick was deciding how to word what he wanted to ask for. “Talos tells me that you’re good at finding information and people that don’t want to be found.”

“And who exactly do you need me to find?” Finch placed his tools down gently before looking at the one eyed man. “Oh, I see.”

Nick didn’t know what he was on about, he had never prided himself on being easy to read, always having enjoyed the mystery of being Nick Fury and yet Maria’s son took a two second look at him and instantly knew.

“What makes you think she wants to be found?”

“She doesn’t and she’s very good at hiding but I need to see her, talk to her, can you help or not?”

Sighing, Finch went through the options in his head. “I’m gonna give you the same thing everyone gets when they ask me to find something.”

Nick nodded knowing that with something this important it must come with rules and exceptions, Nick would do anything, pay whatever price.

“What happens if I find her and she doesn’t want to see you?” Finch asked one of his questions.

Taken slightly aback, Nick hadn’t thought he was gonna have to answer questions but here he was already asking Finch desperately for something, what difference was a few questions.

“If she doesn’t want to see me then I’ll accept that. I’ve already put her through enough trouble and pain and catastrophe, I’d understand.” Nick finally spoke.

Nodding once more, Finch wasn’t quite done. “What’s your reason for me looking for her, why is it so important to you?”

Nick took a deep breath, knowing that for some people that always wanted to hear a certain thing, always looking for some specific but Nick also knew that Finch was someone who looked for the truth.

“I lost something. I lost a part of myself. Varra was always the one who could say anything to get through to me, knowing how I work better than I know myself. Varra is the key to many memories and finding the parts of me that I lost along the way after the Blip. I need Varra, more than ever, just sucks that as her husband I’ve never said that to her enough.”

Smiling and nodding, Finch looked at Fury, reading him like a book. “You have yourself a deal. I’ll locate Varra and I’ll talk to her, but I make no promises to drag her here.”

Nick nodded, already accepting that Finch had given him more than he thought he’d ever get, a chance before then leaving the room.

Finch headed into one of the training rooms, considering he didn’t sleep and always had pent up energy he always needed an output for it. Carol walking into the same room, her footsteps silent knowing from spending so much time with him that he would still be able to sense her.

“Miss Danvers, how I can be of service?” Finch smiled at her before his fist hit the punchbag.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing. We spent so long together on the ship and various other methods and suddenly we’re in Moscow and we hardly see each other. Wanted to say hi.” The blonde smiled, watching as each punch hit the bag at directed spots.

“Hi Captain.” Finch did a small to fingered salute before using his magic to throw a knife in the dead center of a target at the end of the room.

“Hi Finch.” Carol also smiled back at him. She looked around the room, watching the knife hit the target.

“How are you after everything, heard you went with G’Iah to the secret meeting that Gravik had?”

“I’m doing okay. Was kinda worried that you weren’t around, you’ve always been better at that than I.”

Finch chuckled and watched as Carol stepped to be beside him. Both of their eyes on the other for a few seconds before Finch snapped out of it and focused on the target, his. Magic swirling around in purple and green before another knife hit the target.

“How do you do that?” Carol asked having never really understood how his powers worked.

“Part of my alien abilities, using magic, flight, being bulletproof, the aim comes from years of practice.”

By ‘years of practice’ Carol knew that he meant Hydra and the Red Room, she knew what had happened during the worst times of his life but never judged him for it.

She watched on as the green and purple swirling around his hands, the colors intertwining with one another, hints of red coming through before he deactivated his magic.

“It’s beautiful.” Carol took his hand in hers, looking at the palm of his hand, flipping his hand over and carefully rubbing a thumb over the knuckles before pressing the same thumb into the palm of his hand.

“I don’t know if ‘beautiful’ is the right word for it. But it’s definitely something.” Finch smiled at the blonde, the two of them a lot closer than they thought they were.

»»———　★　———««

G’iah was sitting in the kitchen area, looking at the files about Soren and the last images anyone had of her, Maria walking in to make a coffee.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt…I can….” Maria pointed towards the door when she realized what it was that the younger Skrull was looking at.

G’iah shook her head, the kitchen was a communal space, he didn’t want someone thinking they couldn’t use it because she was a slight blubbering mess at that moment.

“You knew her, didn’t you?” She looked up from the file.

Maria nodded. “A little, yeah. Enough to know that she was absolutely incredible and that she loved both you and your father.”

G’iah nodded, everyone she knew had told her that, she as waiting for information she didn’t already know.

“Your mother wanted to find somewhere for Skrulls to live, wanted and believed that humans could coexist, she was strong and brave and willing to give up her life for it and I don’t know many other people let alone aliens who would be willing to do that.” Maria sat down near G’iah.

“She’d always tells me stories about humans. Try and teach me some of your ways and language. She spoke of Fury and monsters and aliens and Carol too.”

Maria smiled and nodded, she had never been good at this kind of thing, this had always been someone else’s job. “Soren was the kind of person I think everyone wanted to be. She was kind and smart and strong and brave and she refused to give up. Those are qualities few humans have these days. She had the strongest love and support for her family, I only wish she had been around longer to share it with more people.”

G’iah smiled, it was the kind of comfort she hadn’t ever really had, sure people had given their condolences but no one had spoken of her, Talos hadn’t known what to say and she was grieving too much to talk to Finch about it.

But to hear someone who knew her, even a small amount, tell her that they were the kind of person others wished they could have gotten the chance to know was like a relief that the person you knew was someone who would be loved and missed forever, gone but not forgotten.

»»———　★　———««

It was late when G’iah had received the message from Gravik about a secret meeting, messaging Finch who said he’d come with her, the two of them driving to into the middle of nowhere before looking at each other after coming to a halt.

“The second anything happens….call me, signal me, whatever, and we’ll go.” Finch looked at her and she nodded, when Gravik was concerned things could go from ‘fine’ to ‘we’re gonna die’ in the matter of seconds.

Nodding, G’iah stepped out of the car and into position, meeting Gravik inside the building.

“Members of the council.”

“Seems someone didn’t get the attire memo.” One of the council members rolled their eyes.

“Just like I didn’t receive the formal invitation, Mr Secretary-General, but I’m guessing that was just curious oversight, so I’ll forgive it.”

“Well, I trust I speak for the group when I say we’re happy you could make it. Please take a seat.”

Gravik scoffed before sitting down, watching them all living the life he wanted for the rest of his people, sitting comfortably as if Skrulls weren’t dying every day.

“I see you, all dressed in the man’s finery, drinking the man’s wine, playing the man’s game, using the knife and fork.”

“Better to behave as human instead of dog.”

Gravik shook his head almost in disbelief. “Well, I quite like dogs, in fact, I rather prefer them. Dogs aren’t hypocrites. They don’t lie. They don’t lock each other in cages. They don’t pimp and poison and they don’t go out of their way to degrade and destroy their own habitat.”

“Are you done?”

Gravik chuckled, he was nowhere near done, he still had so much to say, so much to do and fight for, he had never cared about anyone else’s feelings, why should he start now.

“Perhaps we should discuss what we all came here to discuss.”

Nodding, it appeared the rest of the council was in somewhat of an agreement. But each and every one of them knew that things could very quickly go sideways.

“Recent acts of terror in cities across the globe, most notably in Moscow, severely undermine the stability that this Council seeks to preserve. The purpose of tonight is to determine what punishment, if any, should be meted out on the individual who has imperiled us all.”

Shaking his head, Gravik had known they wouldn’t have understood such drastic measures, they never would, they were followers, not fighters.

“You killed over 2000 innocent humans. Children. What gave you the right tot disobey this council?”

“What gives me the right, huh? You sit around this table acting as if you’re trying to fit in, coexist with the humans who if even one of them were to see us in the flesh would slaughter the rest of us and you want to speak of what gives me the right?”

“I think it’s war.”

“I think it’s war.” Another member spoke.

“And unlike the last war each one of us around this table fought in, I’m not gonna lose this one. Humans are doomed to self-destruction. Long before we arrived on this planet, they were destined to consume themselves. So, for anyone flinching at the thought of innocent deaths, let me assure you, we’re only hastening the inevitable.”

“And what about the Avengers?”

“You think I didn’t think of that? Put your faith in me. And I promise, your loyalty will be repaid. Well, Madam Prime Minister… We need to streamline our chain of command. Democracy is fine for peacetime, but whilst at war, we need a single commander whose war power is total and unchecked. You wanted a solution to the potential Avengers problem and I give you the idea that Skrulls need to have their own advantage. We will take the samples that Fury had hidden away and we will create a new variation of Skrull, a super Skrull if you will, with their own abilities and powers strong enough to take on the Avengers and win.”

Many of the members rolling their eyes in disbelief, wanting to come to earth was one thing but starting a war with the species that inhabited it was a reach of far.

“You all fear the existence of superpowered humans and yet you fear at the sound of a suggestion to fix it. I fear each one of you has forgotten our history. We did not end up homeless refugees because we were unwilling to wage war. We ended up homeless refugees because we were too willing.”

“I do not support your coup, I will not submit.”

Gravik nodded, of course he had expected this, you can’t try to fight a war and lead your soldiers into battle without expecting a few of them to not be up to the task.

“If I had another 100 like you, I could take on the world.” Gravik nodded in understanding. “You may go in peace, sister, you will not be harmed.”

The meeting shortly ended afterwards, G’iah having seen the entire meeting and reporting it back to Talos, managing to get out of the building without alerting anyone, she slid into the car with Finch, the two of them looking at each other.

“That was a little too close for my liking.” Finch exhaled shakily as if he’d had a brush of death.

“And me.” G’iah nodded, letting Finch start the car and drive off.

»»———　★　———««

Finch had driven for miles on his motorcycle, finding information as to Varra’s whereabouts, he wanted to help Nick but he also knew there was no making anyone do anything, this could go any number of ways.

Traveling down a road, Finch found a house, the outside white and bright almost a complete contrast when you considered the fact that Fury occasionally lived here.

Parking up the motorcycle, Finch stepped off the bike and onto the ground, walking towards the house, looking through the windows to see a sight of anyone.

“You looking for someone?”

Finch smirked and turned around, chuckling when he recognized the person behind him, a small nod.

“I believe I am, your husband needs you.”

“I don’t have a husband.”

“Ouch, he’s gonna love hearing that, Varra, you know it’s me, there’s no elaborate trap to be found here.” Finch assured her.

Nodding, Varra gave him the benefit of the doubt. “What does he want?”

“He…um…After the Blip, he wasn’t the same. He lost a part of himself and he doesn’t know who he is or how to get that back. His idea is to speak with you because you can get through to him in a way no one else can. Of course, I didn’t promise him it wouldn’t work, I’ve spent enough time around Skrulls to know that y’all can’t be convinced of anything. I only promised I would find you and speak with you and as I have now done both….the rest is up to you.”

Finch sat back on his motorcycle, about to place his helmet back on, Varra cleared her throat and took a deep breath, she knew she could help Fury, she’d always been able to, but there was one more person she had to help first.

“Finch, she wants to see you, she doesn’t blame you, for any of it.”

Shaking his head and looking down, he didn’t for a second think it wasn’t his fault, but he didn’t allow himself to beat himself up over it as it wouldn’t get anyone anywhere. “I wish that were true. I want it to be true but I’ve caused too much pain for that to be true.”

“She misses you. She calls for you. Just see her, even if it’s just once.”

Sighing, Finch nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

Smiling, Varra nodded before getting into her car and following Finch back to the Skrull compound.

Nick was in a room speaking with Talos and G’iah, Natasha and Maria in the other room having a coffee in the quiet, Carol in the training room.

Finch walking in to see Talos and Nick, Nick nodding in acknowledgment of his presence, understanding and believing that Varra had said no to his request to see her. Stepping aside, Varra looked at Nick and both Finch and Talos looked at each other before giving them the room.

“I was worried for a moment that you would have declined my offer.”

“You needed to see me and so I’m here.”

“I’m sorry, Priscilla. I lost all reason to be your husband.”

“We all lose ourselves sometimes. The important thing is that you knew and asked for help, that’s why I came, Nick. Because you asked.”

Nick nodded, knowing that that much was true. Varra would have only come because someone needed her, never letting someone down out of a grudge.

“And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?” Nick began to recite.

“I did.” Varra smiled, remembering their thing they had from the beginning.

“And what did you want?”

“To call myself beloved…” Varra started.

The two of them spoke in perfect unison. “To feel myself beloved on this Earth.”

Nodding and smiling, the two of them took each other’s hands and held them, looking for a comfort two people could only get with their history.

“After the Blip, you weren’t the same, I cried and mourned for you and then you returned only to leave again and it felt like losing you all over again.” Varra spoke, trying to get Nick to understand why she had stayed away for so long.

Nodding, Nick knew perfectly well and didn’t blame her for a second. He had hated himself for doing as such but he couldn’t bare to be on Earth after having lost everything already.

“I need you to tell me who I am, Priscilla. Because I don’t know anymore. I left because I’m not the same man I once was, but he is the one everyone needs. You have always been the one to bring me back to Earth when my head is stuck in space.”

“You are Nicholas Joseph Fury, you are one of the Earth’s strongest defenders, you mean so much to so many people and people believe in you. You fight when no one has the strength to, when no one believes that they can. That’s the man that I married. The man who promised to find us all a home and never stopped fighting. The man who looked me in the eyes and accepted me for who I was, even if I wasn’t like him. That’’s what you do, Nick, you fight.” Varra nodded, his hands still in hers.

»»———　★　———««

“You wanted to parley so let’s talk.” Gravik spoke through the phone, G’iah recording everything as Talos was on the phone and Finch was listening.

“What do you want, Talos?” Gravik spoke through the phone.

“What I want is for you to stop killing innocents humans. You wanted a home, meaning you have to live with those already on it.”

“You know, we’d be doing us both a favor if I put you out your misery.” Gravik almost laughed through the phone.

“What an honor, get on with it then. “

“Well, that wouldn’t be proper now, would it?”

“Oh now you wanna discuss being proper, took your time.”

“How’s G’iah?’

“You wanna watch your words, Gravik, I’ve made that mistake once before, you think I’ll dare to do it again? You put my daughter in danger and when I find you…god help you.”

“Now you start making threats, I’lll be the one to test whether you’ll put them into play.”

Sighing, Talos knew deep down he was not that man, not anymore, he’d spent years collecting the blood on his hands, watching it build up and layer, this with layer upon layer upon layer, unable to escape it.

He had spent so much time trying to wash the blood off, finally finding a moment where he knew it wouldn’t be enough. That it wouldn’t work or that he was no longer the same man he once was before all of this started.

“Why are you doing this, Gravik?”

“You promised our people a new home, and when you couldn’t find one, we resorted to other methods. Earth works, it has everything we need, you want us to coexist with humans but we can’t even live in our own skin without having a mob of pitchforks. So tell me wat was your plan after this? Where were we to go after this?”

Talos sat down knowing that this time he had lost the battle, the plan had never been to find a new home just for them, the plan had been to find somewhere to coexist, knowing that a whole new planet for them was just a little too much to ask for.

“The plan was never to start killing innocent humans to make room for us, Gravik. The plan was always to co exist, was always to be here when we were needed. Killing innocents never makes you the good guy. But this war is more than either us had ever prepared for, so now instead of making a stable home, we make armies, we find weapons, we gather intel and dirt on each other, we fight behind each others backs and we hurt the ones the other loves. I never wanted for you to have your hands dripping in blood. I just wanted you to grow up happy.”

“Thanks for the conversation, Talos. But you are no longer needed in order to make this plan work.”

The phone line went dead and G’iah already knew what those words meant, she knew that that meant that Talos was expendable, they could kill him and hold no remorse, he was no longer of importance or relevant and that made this situation a whole lot more dangerous.

»»———　★　———««

Finch was standing in the kitchen, looking at the wall as he held his mug of coffee between his hands, thinking on what Varra had said earlier. His head remembering Liara, another Skrull he had been friends with, someone affected by Hydra and his own actions from the Red Room, thinking of the conversations he had with the younger Skrull, how close they had been, remembering a photo of her in his pocket that he never took out as if he had been reminding himself of the pain he had caused, his memories flooded with her smile and bright lights. So in his own head that he hadn’t realized when Maria walked in the room.

“Finch….you okay, buddy?” Maria spoke almost in a soft whisper so that she didn’t startle her son.

Rapidly blinking, he turned around and looked at his mom, knowing that he wouldn’t even know what to say or how to bring it up. Somehow knowing that Maria would understand anyways.

“I…um…there was a Skrull, who I was friends with. We were close but I…The Red Rom made me hurt her and Hydra hurt her and I…..I never knew what to say or do so I stayed away because I didn’t want to hurt her. She was funny and smart and kind and she never judged me because I was different. And I hurt her and I….”

Maria wrapped her arms around her son, pulling him into a hug, a tight and comforting embrace that both of them seemed to have needed, Maria knew that sometimes it helped, she couldn’t imagine what Hydra or Red Room could have done to either of them but in her experience with Natasha, she knew that it was nothing good, only hoping the hug was enough.

“Varra told me that she wants to see me, that she called for me but…..I don’t think I can do it.”

“She’s in that hospital, right? The one that Varra set up with Talos when they first got here.” Maria questioned and felt Finch nod before they separated. “Do you want me to maybe….go with you? I’ll sit in the waiting room if it’s something you need to do alone.”

Finch smiled and nodded. “I just need to speak with Talos quickly for a second.”

Maria nodded. “I’ll get the car started.”

The two of them split ways, Maria starting the car and Finch knocking on the door to Talos’ room.

“Finch, what can I do for you, my friend?”

Finch exhaled shakily. “I’m…..”

“Going to see Liara? Varra told me you were considering it. I think it’ll be good for both of you. And remember that things are different, Finch, both of you are.”

Finch nodded before heading towards the car, Maria smiling softly as he slid into the seat, driving him to the allocated hospital for special cases and walking to the reception area.

“Name and information?”

Maria patted him on the shoulder before sitting down, letting him do this part by himself, Finch nodding and taking a breath.

“Romanoff-Hill, looking for Liara Novak. She’s next of kin to Talos.” Finch almost whispered.

The receptionist nodded, knowing who he was and who he’d be looking for the moment he got in, Talos had informed her as well as Varra that he would be coming to check on a specific patient.

“Room 237, three doors on your right, down corridor B.” Finch nodded at the information and headed towards corridor B, taking a deep breath before Maria stoood next to him.

“You want me to come with you?” She whispered.

Finch could only nod before the two of them then headed towards room 237, Finch walking into the room, Maria standing by the door as Finch walked further in, looking at Liara who was laying in the bed.

Gulping, Finch didn’t know what to do, simply looking at Liara laying there in her true form. Her eyes slowly fluttering open to see him, smiling a little upon seeing him.

“Finch, you came?”

“Of course I came. I just hadn’t thought you’d want to see me.”

“Sit. Please.” Liara gestured to the seat beside her, Finch walking over and sitting on the chair. Taking one of Liara’s green hands in his pale one.

“What happened to me, was not your fault….you….you had no control over what you were doing and I don’t blame you, okay?”

“I know. But I’m sorry for everything.” Finch smiled, already feeling the tears beginning to form.

“I know. It’s okay. You still fighting? The Finch I knew was always fighting, whenever someone needed him.” Liara smiled softly.

“Always fighting, Li. Always needed.” Finch smiled and nodded. “And looks like you’re still fighting too, still as stubborn as always.”

“God, don’t you know it. Think I give Talos a run for his money?”

Finch laughed, listening to the old banter he was used to. “Most definitely.”

Liara smiled and laughed before gently coughing. “Everything that happened, you were there throughout and I never thanked you.”

“You never needed to. I didn’t do it for that reason.”

“I know, but even the hero needs to hear a thank you somewhere down the line.” Liara smiled at him. “I’m at peace, Finch.”

Finch nodded. “Liara, I…”

“Shhhh, I know.” Liara shook her head.

“If you need to go, then I’ll let you go.” Finch nodded, tears flooding through his eyes at the realization of what came next. “You deserve to be free.”

“It’s okay, Finch. It’s okay.” Liara nodded, her eyes remaining on him.

“You’re free now. I’ll see you on the other side.” Finch nodded.

“From death becomes life…” Liara began speaking.

Finch nodding, helping her finish off the sentence. “And from life becomes death…”

“And when the sun rises once more, we will start again.” Finch and Liara spoke in unison before the Skrull slowly closed her eyes, Finch standing up and placing a small kiss on Liara’s head.

Maria stepping in the room to be beside him, pulling him into a hug as Finch wiped his eyes of tears and then began crying into Maria’s shoulder, she was’t one to hold a grudge or fury but Gravik had killed another Skrull and by god was she going to make him pay for it.

Chapter Text

Skrull funerals had never been few, Talos had been to too many funerals for it to possibly be healthy, his hands covered in most of the blood, years of fighting wars that had never been his own.

Talos had asked Finch to come, knowing that G’iah, Gravik and Finch had all been close at one point and especially all to Liara, but he also knew that despite trying to help Finch when it came to him needing a home outside of the Red Room before finding his parents that a lot of the Skrulls had never accepted him. But the Mal’Torian knew when to keep his distance and when to intervene.

After the funeral, they’d all returned to the Skrull compound, each of them trying to track down Gravik, trying to get back in the loop and the fight, though that seemed to be going better for some people than others.

Finch was in his workshop when Carol came to find him, leaning against the doorway and watching him as he worked, gadgets and components everywhere, she smiled brightly as she watched for a few seconds.

“What can I do for you, Captain?” Finch had sensed her from the moment she walked by the door.

“You know, sometimes I hate that you can do that.” Carol chuckled, knowing his antics with the amount of time they’d already spent together.

“Mmm, we both know you’re not the one with the skill set needed to lurk in the shadows. So what brings you to my humble workshop, Cap?”

Carol smiled and lifted her Captain Marvel suit out of a small duffle bag. “I’m in need of an upgrade.”

“Ooh, that’s almost dangerous.” Finch smirked.

The blonde shaking her head at his words, a chucked coming from her, if there was anyone qualified to touch the suit and give it what it needed, it was him. “Well, I think you’re the best man for the job, you have a gift for seeing things others don’t. Maybe the suit just needs a different magical touch.” Carol flirting slightly more than normal when it came to him.

Shaking his head and chuckling, he already knew what the suit needed but he’d need time for that. “Of course, leave it with me.”

She smiled brighter than he’d ever seen her before, almost able to describe it as a glow similar to the photon energy that she exuded, then kissing him on the cheek before wandering back off to the kitchen area.

»»———　★　———««

Sonya had come back into the compound, having more information to give them, everyone taking their respective places, Finch standing behind Carol as the blonde sat down, Maria and Natasha sitting beside each other, iPad and laptop out at the ready.

“We have news provided by Rhodey, of course, that Gravik plans to hit somewhere else next….the intel is….unsettling to say the least.”

Pressing the button, the special agent showed all the intel Rhodey had gathered, images and files and documents and cctv footage appearing on the screen behind her.

“Those are wartime records.” Finch pointed out.

Maria nodded in agreement. “You’re right, most of the things on that list the general public aren’t even aware can exist.”

“Exactly, and if a Skrull manages to get hold of them and puts them in the wrong hands….”

“We’ll have world war three on our hands.” Carol finished off the sentiment.

Nick shook his head as he looked at Maria, the two of them having spent most of their SHIELD careers having to cover for shit like this, only for a goddamn Skrull to break in and take it.

“The more worrying thing about this is if a Skrull managed to get hold of it, who the hell else can?” Fury looked at Talos with concern but a hint of something telling the older Skrull that this was his fault.

“Blame me all you want, Fury, you promised him a home and then failed to find one, the aftermath is on you, mate.” Talos shook his head.

Carol leaned forward in her seat, looking at both Fury and Talos. “Both of you need to settle whatever feud is between you and quickly, and don’t you dare tell me there isn’t one because the second you’re in the same room as each other we can all safely count three minutes before one of you comments on the other and starts an argument.”

Natasha blinked in shock but pride that someone had finally said it, beginning to think she might have to step in, she’d had enough feud’s to settle within the Avenger’s, she didn’t really want to be doing the same thing with people who had done this somewhat longer than she had.

Talos sighed and Nick shook his head, Sonya sat back and watched on as they attempted to sort this out. Finch sipped on his drink, Maria nodding at him in a warning, Carol leaned back in her chair.

“Oh my god, get on with it before someone punches someone else.” G’iah looked at her father knowing that if anyone would start it it would be him.

“I’m not sure it can be sorted in such a short time, continue Sonya.” Talos spoke.

Everyone else collectively groaning at the thought having just wanted them to sort it there and then. Sonya shrugged before continuing.

“At 0900 hours, Gravik is supposed to get something out of a military facility that has supposedly been shut for years.” Sonya informed them.

“Well that definitely doesn’t spell ‘good news’.” Finch rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“It was shut down after the Cold War.” Fury spoke.

Natasha chuckled, loving that for once she did have knowledge that no one else had. “You really think that going to stop anyone. Believe me, Dreykov found a way in.” Carol and Maria both looked at her.

“I was given orders to get into that building.” Finch spoke casually.

Natasha smirked. “As was I. And if my knowledge is correct, we both managed it just fine.”

Finch and Natasha knuckled bumped in response to everyone’s eyes on them. Sonya nodded before clearing her throat.

“Yes, but our problem still lays on the fact that Gravik now has this information.”

“Oh shit.” Finch spoke as if he’d realized something no one else had.

“Share with the class, Tiny Hill.” Nick looked at him.

“Be thankful I’ve not put you in a hole in the ground for that comment, Fury.” Finch eyed him before turning his face back to the screen. “If Gravik now has information and knowledge of an old military base, then anyone can hold of it, you really think he’s gonna stop at just him having blueprints and coordinates that no one else has, he didn’t think twice before unleashing a bomb that killed over 2,000 Russians, he won’t simply be happy with the fact that he has military information that no one else does.”

G’iah nodded. “He’ll use the information he has and if you thought killing 2,000 innocent Russians was bad, believe me, he’ll find something a whole lot worse.”

“Just when we think we’re getting somewhere…..” Nick shook his head once again.

Maria scoffed, as if she found it funny that anyone ever believed them to be getting anywhere. “When it comes to this and Gravik, when we think we’re getting anywhere we’re actually about ten steps behind.”

“So what do we do about this?” Talos questioned.

Sonya looked at everyone. “Considering we have two people who could probably get in and out of that building fairly easily, I’d say we already have a strategy. We just need a plan.”

“We’ll still have to sneak in, but luckily, I think there’s a way to do that.” Maria stood up, already prepared for this.

Natasha and Finch looked at each other, already prepared, both of them having the skill set required to pull off such a mission.

»»———　★　———««

Breaking in was the easy part, both Natasha and Finch already in the building and managing to pull of their part of the mission, Natasha dressed head to toe in military uniform that Maria had managed to find from somewhere.

Finch sticking to the shadows as usual, sliding in and out of each room with a somewhat practiced ease as if he’d done this a million times before, finding the room full of documents he managed to erase all the information, making it so that only world officials could read the documents.

Maria had been waiting outside for them, sitting in a truck waiting to pick them up and get them out of there as soon as possible the minute they came running.

“Little bird, there’s a whole room here that I don’t remember seeing here last time.” Natasha spoke over comms.

“What’s it look like?” Finch took down another guard silently.

“There screens everywhere, but there’s vials of blood….it doesn’t look good whatever it is.”

Finch made his way over, he had suspicions of what it could be, the Red Room having tried something similar with him after they’d created him. Natasha nodded at him as they both looked inside the room.

Looking around they saw files with different names on them, vials of blood stacked up in fridges, screens on every wall projecting an image.

Natasha looked at Finch, coming over to him to take his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, the same way she did for Maria.

“You’re okay, I’ve got you.” She whispered.

“The facility got taken over by Red Room and now they’re brainwashing people into guarding top secret documents and then forgetting them when they leave.” Finch summed up.

“You’re joking?” Maria spoke through the comms but knew deep down that they wished they were joking.

“No, the proof is everywhere here, I’ve taken down five guards already when theoretically speaking….this building should be empty.” Finch spoke.

“Oh shit, you two have company, incoming.” Maria watched as a group of guards dressed in heavy duty armor and uniform neared the building. The former deputy director grabbing a gun from the trunk and the glovebox and making her way into the back of the building.

“How many?” Natasha spoke as she saw Maria enter.

“At least 12.”

Finch nodded and readied his magic. “We can’t take them all down, that would be too suspicious.”

“I’ll go for four, you go for six and Maria takes the last two.” Natasha quickly strategized.

Maria and Finch nodded before getting into their respective places in the building. Natasha ducking under a desk and waiting for the footsteps to near her.

»»———　★　———««

“I think I like you better without the military uniform.” Maria spoke with a smirk.

“I think I like you better in it.” Natasha winked, causing the brunette to flush a little red as she drank her mug of coffee.

The three of them returning to the Skrull compound, or at least Natasha assumed that Finch had headed back, his comms having gone silent for a little while, Maria and Natasha having headed back in the SUV that Maria had prepped and ready.

“Where’s Finch?” Carol asked upon meeting them at the door.

Natasha looked at the door and then around the room. “You mean he’s not here?”

The blonde shook her head. The silence broken by Finch walking in behind them, a pile of folders landing on her table in front of them, Sonya looked up rather impressed with wat he’d gotten, Carol rushing to hug him tightly.

“I’m okay, though I may be suffocated in the next five minutes.” Finch wheezed out, Carol chuckling before stepping back.

“Well, I think that classes as a successful mission, job well done.” Sonya spoke.

“What did you guys find in there?” Fury looked at both Finch and Natasha.

Finch shook his head and walked into his workshop, no one should have the knowledge of what was happening there. He had spent so many years of his life in the Red Room and under Hydra’s control. That kind of things messes with ones head. Destroys you and fills you with guilt and regret to a point where you don’t even know who you are anymore.

Talos looked at Finch as he headed off, G’iah having sent a slightly worrying message to him shortly after they’d all disappeared for their mission.

“What happened?” Maria noticed the look on Talos’ face, knowing it never meant anything good.

Talos looked at her. “G’iah’s gone.”

»»———　★　———««

It was always late at night when Natasha had been unable to sleep, often finding Finch down the stairs and sitting with him for a moment, the two wonders of the Red Room, discussing the horrors that thankfully no one else would know.

Finch was sitting outside by the fire, one he’d used his magic to make, small domestic things he’d do usually when no one was looking, Natasha sitting in the seat next to him, the two of them looking into the fire, watching as the flames flickered and danced around each other.

“It’s been a minute since we did this.” Natasha whispered.

Smiling, Finch nodded before taking a sip of his drink, looking over at Natasha, seeing that she had something to say but didn’t know how to say it, Finch would always give her time, would always give her room to speak and breathe and articulate what she needed, as well as figure it out.

“Still getting the nightmares?” Finch questioned, it was normally the source of their late night or early morning conversation, depending on how you saw it.

“Annoyingly so. It’s like just when I think that maybe the world is good enough to let me get past it…”

“It comes back again.” Finch finished off the sentence.

He might not have been physically or mentally able or capable to sleeping but. He had his fair share of flashbacks, he considered the real curse to be the fact that he would spend every waking moment able to remember the things he did, regardless of being under Hydra’s control or the product of Red Room.

Natasha nodded, knowing that if there was one person who would understand then sadly it would be her own son, the two of the always talking through their experiences, it was cheaper than therapy.

Natasha had grown up without family, the only kind of family she had known was Melina and Alexi and Yelena, and since leaving the Red Room she’d had hardly anything to do with them, she hadn’t sought them out, she had tried to track them down.

Maria and Finch as well as Fury were the only family she’d ever considered herself having. Maria who had stood by her side no matter what, who had no powers but stood in the face of danger to protect her and the others with only a gun multiple times. Finch who had completely come from nowhere, from a place that had only tortured them and tried to claim credit for things they couldn’t clean their hands off, an alien who brightened up her day and made new suits and gadgets for everyone simply because he got bored.

“Most of the time, Maria can talk me out of them, she just looks at me and it’s like I instantly know that I’m safe, that no one can hurt me the way they did. She’s almost a security blanket, she’s comfort and love and normalcy, so many things I never thought I’d find. And I still look in the mirror and question whether I’m worth it.”

“She loves you so much. It’s clear to anyone with eyes. She wants nothing more than your safety and for you to be the best you can be even if that person has to be slightly morally incorrect sometimes.” Finch smirked that famous Romanoff smirk and that was quite possible the one thing often confirming that he was their son.

“I think it’s the fact that she fell in love with me when I still saw myself as a monster, when I still believed that I wasn’t worth it.”

“She fell in love with you at your worst, but you think that your best could be worse?”

“Does that sound weird?”

Finch shook his head, this was something he’d often considered when it came to G’iah and Carol, they’d both seen him at his worst, they’d seen him the moment he’d managed to get out oft the Red Room, when he didn’t know who he was only what he was capable of. “No, I think considering half the things we’ve been through, that sounds human.”

Natasha smiled softly. They’d had countless conversations, most of them taking place when Natasha couldn’t sleep and of course Finch was already wide awake, Finch had quite often had late night conversations with Maria as well, often in the kitchen over coffee, talking about everything and nothing, both of them having a sense of comfort.

»»———　★　———««

Finch was still trying to track down G’iah, he had some methods that he thought might work but he was yet to find anything, instead Sonya had called him into her office at the early hours of the morning as she had found something he would find interesting. Or at least she thought he might find interesting.

“Finch, my lovely alien friend, I have some news for you.”

“I have a dead long lost relative who has billions in the bank and I’m set for life?” Finch joked as he stepped foot into Sonya’s office.

Sonya looking at him as if asking him to take this seriously. “Unfortunately not, however, that would be nice wouldn’t it.”

“So what have you got for me?”

Sonya gestured for him to sit down but the alien stood instead, smiling she clicked a button on a remote and a screen changed showing a group of documents and a set of images.

“These were pinned from several archives, these were taken from a mole within Gravik’s group, according to these it was appear that he’s trying to make a weapon in order to take down other Skrulls.” Sonya quickly explained.

Finch blinked rapidly, not quite believing that someone would really build a weapon in order to take down their own species, but then again, he wasn’t a Skrull, he knew they worked differently in their mindsets as did he.

“Well, this makes things a lot harder. Can you send this to Hill?”

The special agent nodded, pressing a button that immediately transferred everything over, Finch nodding before he was about to head out.

“What will you do?” Sonya questioned.

“I have to find G’iah, she’s good when it comes to this kind of stuff and currently she’s missing and I owe it to Talos to find her.”

“What happened between the three of you?” The Brit questioned, she could see it in their eyes whenever they had to take on Gravik, something similar to that of a past relationship, like they knew him too well and somehow not enough at the same time.

“There isn’t enough time in the world to speak about that.”

With that Finch headed back out of the office in order to try and attempt to locate G’iah, hopefully with her help they could actually fight Gravik, perhaps just once they could finally have an advantage over him.

»»———　★　———««

Finch had finished with Carol’s suit a while ago, leaving most of the suits and equipment hanging up and placed on the mannequins when he was done with them, he was standing in the training room when the blonde found him.

“How does one find himself out here when no one else is around?” Carol questioned, already kind of knowing the answer to that question, they’d spent so long together on missions and on Carol’s ship that they both one each other a little too well.

“Training helps, throwing a knife into a target, hitting a punchbag, fighting a dummy…..It’s like my mind can do something.” Finch tried to explain but Carol already knew it was more than that.

Nodding, Carol shot a small concentrated photon blast into the target, Finch smirked half impressed and half knowingly.

“It’s like if I stop moving or if I let myself think about something other than what’s going on, I’m back to being Hydra’s puppet and Red Room’s creation. Every time I think I’m rid of them, it sneaks up on me and I’m back in a killer’s mind, back in the creation chamber, like the only thing I’ll ever be is….”

“Theirs.” Carol nodded, knowing all too well what he meant, it was something they’d spoken of many times. “You know. That you don’t belong to them, right? You are Finch Romanoff-Hill, you are your own person, you don’t owe them anything, Maria and Natasha are your parents, your family, you are more than what they made you.”

She knew there was only so many times you could tell someone something before it didn’t mean anything to them, they’d had the conversation many times, especially when a mission had given one of them some painful reminders. The two of them always able to pull each other from the brink of the edge.

“I know. Sometimes I just need to throw something or punch something to get it out my system.” Finch shrugged and Carol chuckled as he showed his usual antics.

“To be honest, I’m more surprised that you aren’t using your magic, half expected to come in and see you twirling a sword in midair, or throwing fire.”

Finch looked at her. “Are you mocking me, Danvers?”

“Never, Space Man.”

The two of them smirking and chuckling. Everything feeling so easy between them, conversation, silence, using their abilities, like being around the one person who made you feel completely fearless, who gave you the strength to take on anything.

»»———　★　———««

G’iah was running, running and hiding, trying to get away from Gravik and his goons, she was praying that Finch would know how to find her, hoping that the message she had sent to her father would be enough to trigger something.

She and her father had run from people, places and things their entire life and this was no different, she knew what it was like to run, to be on the run, it was living and being at peace she didn’t know how to do.

Poking her finger with a sharp shard of glass, she let her slightly green blood drip on the ground, hopefully giving Finch a clue if he came looking.

If there was one thing that Gravik was good at it was usually hiding things he didn’t want found, but G’iah knew if there was one thing about Finch is that he wouldn’t stop especially if you were someone he cared about.

Breathing heavily, she hid behind an alcove, hearing footsteps near her, trying to escape without alerting Gravik that she had done so.

Finch was on the rooftops once again, halfway across Russia, he understood why so many humans thought of Russia as a cold country, the people were closed off, no one spoke to anyone else, that and the actual weather was somehow a personification or a metaphor of the people who lived in its freezing temperatures.

He could see Gravik’s goons entering an abandoned building, an old looking cathedral that looked like it was about to collapse any moment now, jumping down from the rooftop, Finch managed to find enough cover too hide from anyone who might be looking for him.

Looking at G’iah, Finch made a beeline for her, coming up behind her and wrapping a hand over her mouth before she turned her face and took a breath of relief upon seeing who it was

“Fuck, you scared the shit out of me.” G’iah whispered.

“How many are there?” Finch nodded at the building.

“About 12 but it’s too hard to tell, more keep arriving, let’s just say there’s too many to take out between the two of us.” G’iah shook her head.

Finch sighed before quickly running to the van a few of them had jumped out of and placed a tracker inside, Gravik coming out as he was running away, a gun cocked and aimed directly at his head. Finch chuckling.

“You know a gun wouldn’t kill me, right?”

“Maybe not, Mal’Torian’s and their bulletproof abilities, but I’ve always thought that there’s nothing scarier for anyone, bulletproof or not, than having a gun aimed at you. For five seconds you have a moment of clarity, your life flashes before your eyes, every wrong mistake you made, every good one too.” Gravik adjusted the aim of the gun, still keeping it trained on Finch.

G’iah watching from across the way, knowing that if anyone could get of that it would be Finch.  “Oh believe me, I’ve come face to face with death more times than I care to count. But that’s the thing isn’t it? I was made to withstand death and that’s my curse, everything I’ve ever done, every wrong mistake haunting my every thought and move because I will never die.” Finch chuckled.

“And that, my old friend, is what makes you dangerous.”

“No, that’s what gives me strength. What’s dangerous is that you will do whatever it takes, kill whoever it takes, hurt whoever it takes, in order to get what you want…..And I care too much.”

Finch turned around almost with the speed of light, knocking the gun out of his hand, the two of them engaging in a fist fight as the two of them tried to render the other useless.

Gravik shook his head in a moment of reprieve before he walked back into the building, G’iah running to Finch and jumping to hug him.

“Okay, now we really need to get back to the compound, dad is probably worried sick.”

Finch nodded, the two of them driving back to the compound in order not to worry anyone further.

»»———　★　———««

Maria was looking through the information sent through by Sonya, Natasha was making notes accordingly, the two of them trying to find some correlation between the information. Finch standing in the middle of the room followed by Sonya, Nick and Carol, the two Skrulls having already been sat in the room after G’iah’s return.

“What do we know?” Nick questioned.

“Sonya gave us the information she got from Rhodey.” Finch nodded and Maria pressed a button to change the screen and add the information.

“Each of these show different time periods, and different places around the globe.” Maria informed.

Finch nodded before reeling off the time periods and places. “1512, 1704, 1859, 1942, 1953, 1980, Barcelona, London, Lisbon, Moscow, Toronto, New York….”

Natasha raised a brow in slight shock as her son reeled off times and places. Fury and Maria locked eyes in worry.

“He’s building a weapon.” Sonya concluded.

“Not just any weapon but by the looks of it…..” Finch grabbed the sheets and compiled hem together in order to make them one large sheet before taking a single step back in concern, “he’s making a weapon that will kill Skrulls, take away your ability to shapeshift and then kill you from the inside out.”

Sonya looked at the paper and then Finch before looking up at everyone else in the room. They all knew very well by now that Gravik wasn’t a nice guy and that he wasn’t going to change, but killing other Skrulls, people who were his family….that didn’t sit right with anyone.

“In other news….I found out that Gravik is attempting to make super Skrulls.” G’iah confessed what she’d overheard during her attempted escape from Gravik and his goons. “Apparently he’s search for vials of blood taken from previous heroes and then he’s going to make a sub race of Skrulls who have abilities.”

Talos looked at Fury and shook his head, Maria also looked at Nick, gesturing for him to tell them, they’d gotten this far and they’d seen that Gravik didn’t know where the line was in order to not cross it.

“There’s a set of vials that I made, a very long time ago, collecting the blood of whatever heroes I could get hold of them, as more of a contingency plan in case something went wrong. Those vials were then hidden away, so that no one else could find them, if someone got their hand on those vials….” Fury started.

Talos shook his head. “No, mate, what’s dangerous is the fact that you took those vials and expected nothing to go wrong, you took those vials of blood and created a whole new danger for everyone, and now mine and G’iah’s life is on the line and your first instinct was to try and hide that information.”

Finch looked at everyone in the room. “Y’all need to calm down, no one is gonna get anywhere by yelling, we’re supposed to be a team, most of us in this room are the only people that anyone has and we’re arguing.”

Maria sat back down beside Natasha, both of them nodding and smiling at Finch. Sonya looked at the sheets again.

“That’s all very well but these locations are all in the past, it’s not like you can grab these pieces and put them together before he can.” The special agent looked at the alien.

“And that, my friends, is where our son is incredibly valuable.” Maria smirked proudly at Finch.

“But that would mean time travel, if you’re not already aware, we don’t quite have a budget for a Time Machine.” Sonya looked at Talos and Finch.

“Theoretically speaking, I don’t need a Time Machine for time travel.” Finch began and Fury and Sonya looked at each other before looking at Finch. “Time travel is a mixture of the right conditions and the right skills, anyone with a Quantum Physics degree would be able to figure out given time and the right conditions. The tricky part is getting the time periods and the places correct.”

“You can time travel?” Nick questioned Finch.

“Mal’Torian’s have the ability to wield magic, are bullletproof, able to heal others, fly……but also have the ability to travel through time and space.” Maria smirked proudly.

“Without needing a fancy machine.” Finch winked.

“Well, we are definitely going to be discussing that later.” Fury looked at him and Maria.

»»———　★　———««

Upon giving them the details, Talos and Maria suggested that G’iah, Finch and Carol go after the DNA, bringing it back and keeping it with them to ensure they had somewhat of a head start.

Entering the semi-abandoned building, Finch scanned around, Carol looked at the planes that were in the hangar above where the DNA was supposedly buried, G’iah looked for the entrance.

“Having fun over there?” Finch smiled at Carol who was looking at the different planes.

“I always loved flying, something about being in the sky, a view so beautiful and yet one so few people ever got to see, the Air Force was like a dream come true.” Carol felt a wave of nostalgia.

“Guess you never thought that one day you’d be flying without the help of a plane.” Finch smirked as they looked at one of the planes together.

“Never. Being Captain Marvel definitely changes your perspective on things.” Carol smiled at Finch before placing her hand on one of the planes, as if she could feel the mechanics within it.

“F-18 Hornet, correct?” Finch looked at the plane.

“The first plane I learned to fly, well done.” Carol smirked at him proudly.

“Hey, I know stuff too.” Finch chuckled. “I also know that the Air Force during that time wasn’t exactly easy on you.”

“Mmm, correct. DIdn’t make me love it any less, in fact, it just made me cherish any time I got in the air even more.”

“1995, home of sexism in the Air Force.” Finch looked at her as she looked at the plane.

Carol shook her head, she had told him a lot about her time in the Air Force, Finch almost having lived with her through her memories. “Wasn’t all bad. Sure they weren’t as accepting but at least we progressed a little more. I can’t imagine this time period is kind to you either.”

“Funny how you have decades worth of history showing you that there’s other life out there and yet half of the Earth’s population still doesn’t wish to believe it.”

“I was talking about the other thing, Finch.” Carol smiled at how the Mal’Torian spoke.

“I know.” Finch nodded, he knew that she was talking about his gender identity, something he rarely spoke about even to his parents but it was something that had come up one occasion whilst the two of them were on a mission.

“Hey, you two, think I found it.” G’iah announced and the two of them ran over too where G’iah was thudding her foot against the floor.

Finch looked around, able to sense the energy underneath the floor, G’iah nodding as Finch moved his hand around in a specific way that Carol had seen him do a few times when he was using his magical abilities, G’iah and Carol standing back as Finch raised his hand suddenly causing the floor to shake before it slowly opened, a large circle forming on the ground, the three of them stepping on it as Finch lowered it.

Looking around upon reaching the bottom, G’iah and Carol tried to sense their surroundings, Finch using both of his hands to take a photon blast from Carol’s hands and concentrate the shape into a ball to use as a flashlight.

“We’ve been on tonnes of missions together and I will still never get used to seeing you do that.” Carol smiled brightly, her face glowing in the light that she and Finch had created together.

Walking forwards, G’iah and Finch saw something sticking out of the ground, pressing a button several vials of different colored liquids were sticking out, covered in smoke and liquid nitrogen.

G’iah opening her bag as Finch placed the vials in, Carol being the lookout in case they’d brought attention.

“Shit…”

“What is it?” Carol asked over her shoulder.

“There’s already open compartments.” Finch and G’iah looked at them, the metal slots appearing to have been broken off.

“Quickly, I have a bad feeling.” Carol urged them to speed up the collection.

Rapidly placing everything in the bag, making sure that they hadn’t left even a single vial behind, the three of them went back upstairs, footsteps getting closer to them before a small moment of silence.

“You really thought you’d be able to grab them and go, you have something that belongs to me.” Gravik’s voice boomed through the building but none of them could see him.

Two Skrulls appeared out of nowhere, running straight for the bag that G’iah held, throwing the bag to Finch she ran to get the ship started up, another Skrull stopping her in her path, Carol directed a photon blast straight for the Skrull knocking them over, Finch dealt with the other two, using his magic to send both of them flying into the wall.

Finch threw Carol the bag, Carol flying as fast as she could to her ship, Finch and G’iah taking care of the rest of the Skrulls that were after the vials, once they knew that no one else was after them, the trip back to the compound was the top priority.

»»———　★　———««

Heading back to the Skrull compound, Finch placed the vials into his workshop, G’iah slumping on the chair in front of him.

“Well, that was….something else.” G’iah laughed.

Finch nodded before looking at the vials and deciding what to do with them. G’iah looked between him and the bag.

“I have a thought, and i know that we aren’t the kind of people to rush to conclusions or make decisions based on what we have until we have more but….I have an idea and you might not like it…..” G’iah suggested and part of Finch already knew where she was going with it.

»»———　★　———««

It was late, most of them were done by the end of the day, wanting to finally be done with everything, wanting for once to be at an advantage and several steps ahead instead of behind.

Natasha and Maria had gone back to the apartment to spend time with Elizabeth and Fran, Talos and Finch telling them that sometimes spending family was better than trying to save the world, especially when there wasn’t much they could do.

Finch was stood on the rooftop looking at the stars, it was a view he could never tire of, having come from the stars it was like a view of home from another home, though he’d never been to his species’ planet, he considered that to be some cruel form of poetry, having a home out there somewhere with people just like you and yet feeling broken and hopeless because you’d never met them before.

Carol stepped out the door to slowly join him by the ledge, resting her arms on the pile of bricks as she too looked up at the sky and the stars. The blonde had flown through most of the space above them, she’d fought countless battles amongst the stars, there was something about being stood beside someone who was actually a part of those stars.

“You okay, Space Man?” Carol spoke without looking at him.

Finch chuckled at the familiar nickname. “I’m good, Cap. You?”

Carol smirked before nudging him gently. “Yeah, I just….normally when we’ve done missions and fought against things we’ve had all the information and someone has a skill for everything, we work as a team and we defeat the problem together.”

“And now everything feels out of sorts.” Finch finished off the thought, understanding perfectly as always where the blonde was coming from.

The blonde nodded and sighed before looking out towards the darkened horizon. Watching cars drive by and beep at other cars, innocent without the knowledge of the fact the world could be ending.

“Maybe one of these days, we might actually be able to go for a drink, pretend that for one night I’m not a superhero tasked with saving the world and that you aren’t an alien having hide within the shadows.” Carol suggested, looking over to him for a moment.

Finch looked over to her, leaning on his side on the ledge, smiling. “Miss Danvers, are you asking me out on a date?”

“No, no, I’m not, I just….You and I have been through so much and we’re like best friends.” Carol stumbled through, trying to save herself, though she knew that it wouldn’t be anything bad. What am I doing? She thought to herself.

“It’s okay, Cap. I know. And for the record I would totally love to have a drink with you, when we eventually get around to it.” Finch nodded as the two of them looked out at the city.

Chapter Text

Sonya had called Finch into her office earlier that morning, currently the alien was waiting on the special agent to be free, currently sitting in her office waiting for the news that she seemed to have lined up.

“Sorry about the wait, Finchy.” Sonya finally walked through the door.

Finch rolled his eyes at the nickname but didn’t have the brain cells to argue against it. “What can I do for you Agent Falsworth?”

“Aw really, we’re on formalities? That’s a shame. Guess I’ll get straight to the point then.” Sonya nodded and turned on a screen behind her desk. “Rhodey told me this is what the weapon components look like, though I’m guessing they might look a little different during the Regency era and World War Two.”

Finch looked at the images, having seen a couple of them before back from the Red Room shortly after being created. A shiver going down his back at the thought.

“Can you send these to Hill?” Finch questioned.

“Of course.” Sonya nodded and pressed a couple of buttons which transferred the files and images over.

Finch turned around to head out. “Why did you ask me here? You could have asked anyone but you asked me.”

“Because I rather like you. And you’re more equipped, at least to my liking, to handle such things.” Sonya answered without much thought.

Nodding, Finch finally stepped out, sending her a message to come by the Skrull compound afterwards, he could use her brain and skills.

»»———　★　———««

Natasha had been in the kitchen when she felt warm and strong arms wrapping around her middle, followed by a warm, strong, soft and tall body behind her, relaxing into the touch, knowing exactly who it was and wanting to be enveloped in the touch.

The brunette smiling as the redhead instantly lost the tension in her body, leaning forward and slightly down, placing kisses up and down the Russian’s neck, Natasha leaning her head to side as she made two coffees.

“You okay, gorgeous?” Maria whispered.

“Much better you’re here.” Natasha smirked as she placed her hand on top of one of Maria’s, tracing the veins with her fingers gently and softly.

“Yeah?’ Maria kissed just under her ear, Natasha leaning her head before turning around to wrap her arms around the taller woman’s neck, the two of them meeting in a kiss.

“It’s always better when you’re here. Like I don’t have to take the whole world on by myself anymore. Which, believe me, has taken me a long time to come to terms with.” Natasha sighed out peacefully.

Maria nodded, knowing that of course she couldn’t single-handedly take away all of Natasha’s pain, if she could she would in a heartbeat and even Natasha knew that, but Maria would gladly sit and listen to each and every one of the redhead’s nightmares, comfort her when it felt like her whole world was falling apart.

Natasha knew the moment she had fallen in love with Maria, even if she could never admit it to herself until just before Thanos, she had watched the brunette with no powers or abilities take out her gun and aim it straight for Ultron’s head, knowing that she wouldn’t stand a chance against the robotic AI and yet wanting to protect Natasha anyways.

She had always been praised for being the Black Widow, always praised for having hurt and killed people, sometimes innocent people, desperately trying to clean her ledger and free it of all the blood it had always been drenched in, and Maria had stood there, beside Fury, with nothing but her wits and a gun and training from previous jobs always remaining in the shadows until they needed her, often as a last resort or a middleman.

But strange how Gravik mirrored that currently, destroying the world as Ultron once tried to do, in a way that no one had tried to before, no matter the cost, doing whatever it took to get what he wanted, something Natasha had only ever wanted to get away from.

Natasha wouldn’t go as far as to say that she felt hopeless without the Canadian but things definitely made more sense with the former deputy director in her life.

“I love you.” Natasha whispered out, as she turned around, wrapping her arms around Maria’s neck.

Maria’s smile was always brighter than the sun, her strong and soft arms wrapping around Natasha to rest on her back, looking into the Russian’s eyes. “And I love you.”   

»»———　★　———««

Carol had often felt guilty when it came to the Skrulls, having promised them that she’d help them find a home, and for some of them she had, but then she saw Gravik and it only seemed to prove that within every species there was always someone who thought the rules didn’t apply to them, that they could do whatever they wanted regardless of how it impacted the rest of them.

She had been tossing and turning throughout the night, she often did when it came to trying to sleep, always having found it hard to come by, now as a superhero that most depended on to save them, sleep was something incredibly hard to come by.

Her dreams often turning to nightmares, Skrulls invading her brain, taking her memories, losing people all over again, Supreme Intelligence taking over, a voice she knew but couldn’t place and it drove her mad trying to figure out who it was. Skies that were once blue turning to deep shades of red and dark shades of grey.

Startling awake, Carol bolted upright, Finch already sitting on the side of her bed, his hands on her shoulders gently grounding her to reality, the blonde blinking rapidly as the dark haired alien blurred back into clear view.

“I got you.” Finch whispered.

Carol nodded, knowing that out of everyone here Finch had been there when she’d had the worst of her nightmares, always grounding her back to earth and reality. Taking one of his hands in hers and holding it tightly, squeezing it as if making sure he was real.

Finch simply smiled, knowing her mannerisms and antics when it came to her nightmares, always staying by her side until she nodded to tell him she was okay.

“Bad one?” Finch asked gently, allowing Carol to speak about it if she wanted to, but letting her know that she didn’t have to and that he would understand if she didn’t.

The blonde nodded, there was no such thing as a good one when it came to her brain, she barely had good dreams anymore let alone a calmer version of a nightmare.

“How long….” Carol began.

“I was stood there for about two minutes, don’t worry, you’re okay and you know I don’t mind. I could sense it in my workshop and ten you startling mumbling and groaning in pain, I worried and panicked because I thought you were hurt, but then I stood in the doorway and you were asleep so I figured it was another nightmare.” Finch explained.

Carol leaning forwards slightly, resting her head on his shoulder, Finch smiling softly before rubbing her hand up and down the blonde’s back. Letting out a small but deep sigh of relief that he’d been there.

“What time is it?” Carol looked around but quickly remembered that she never took the time to invest in clocks, always running on her own time frame.

Finch smirked knowingly. “12:55am. You went to sleep at 10:25.”

A groan came out of the blonde as she slumped against his shoulder, she had never gotten a full nights sleep since she became Captain Marvel, she had spoken to Natasha about it a few times, the redhead often saying that people who have been through a lot rarely do sleep the full night and that she’d only gotten a full nights sleep the first night she and Maria had spent together.

She wanted the nightmares to end, to stop seeing memories and pain and loss and suffering every time she closed her eyes, to stop seeing Skrulls trying to alter her memories and DNA, of course she had forgiven Talos for what he’d done and helped G’iah with whatever she needed, knowing that of course most of them were doing it becase they’d had no other option.

“You wanna fight?” Finch suggested knowing that most times when Carol had a nightmare, she often needed to release the pent up energy she had and fighting in the comfort of a training room usually helped.

“I’m awake now, might as well keep tradition.” Carol smirked.

The two of them heading off to the training room within the Skrull compound, Carol throwing the first punch straight into Finch’s stomach, the alien laughing in response to Carol getting the first punch in already. Carol enjoyed their training sessions because she knew that she couldn’t hurt him, he was bulletproof and anything internally healed within seconds.

Finch throwing the next punch straight for Carol’s face, before sliding his foot across the floor and sweeping the blonde off balance, knocking her to the ground. Carol wheezing some air out before jumping back up to her feet again.

The two of them engaging in hand to hand, punch, block, punch, block, punch, block, that’s another thing that Carol loved about training and fighting with Finch is that as a former Red Room assassin she didn’t have to hold back, she didn’t have to tell him where to punch or how to do it safely so that he didn’t cause much damage, he already knew.

An elbow to his stomach and then Finch had her in a headlock, another punch and Finch was on the floor under Carol.

“I remember this position.” Finch smirked, having often saved the blonde from various bullets and shrapnel before then being landed on by the hero and positioned under her.

Carol chuckled as she looked down at him, Finch rolling them over before getting back to his feet, Carol flipping herself upwards back to standing before they engaged in another hand to hand fight, Finch moving his body effortlessly quick dodging all of Carol’s punches, his whole body moving from side to side before Carol then slightly stumbled towards him, her fist almost skimming his face before she dropped it down, the two of them almost too close together.

Their breaths mingling, breathing in each others air, Carol’s face only now getting flushed but not from the exertion of energy, Finch smirked before a knock at the door sounded and he backed away slowly. Fury announcing that there was more information.

»»———　★　———««

Everyone slowly piled in the main room, Natasha bundled up in one of Maria’s Marines hoodies, the garment almost hanging off her smaller and thinner body, Maria taller and a little more muscular in different places to the redhead, the brunette sitting beside her in a Henley shirt and jogger bottoms.

Sonya nodded at Finch as she walked in to give her opinion and help on whatever was said in this meeting. Maria setting up her laptop from her chair sharing the screen of information as Fury and Talos stood to the side, G’iah sitting near Natasha as everyone had their eyes on the screen.

“So given the information I shared with Hill, we now have a little more of a clearer view on what they might be planning.” Sonya began.

“I added the time periods to a timeline with their place of importance underneath them.” Maria pressed another button and the dates and places ordered themself.

Sonya clicked a button and added the images of the weapon, each one matching up with a place of origin upon the timeline.

Finch raised his brow and Carol looked at the screen and then to him. “What is it?”

“Each item is found in a different place within a different time window, each component is then put together in order to create a weapon, a weapon that talles away Skrulls abilities and then eventually kills them, so no only does Gravik no longer care about his people but. This. Makes him incredibly dangerous because anyone who now opposes him he now has the weaponry to destroy them.” Finch explained. “Question is, how the hell did he get each component?”

Natasha blinked with worry, the last time she’d heard of anything this intricate she’d almost died in order to get a frigging orang stone, Clint had taken an extremely long sabbatical after that, talking to Kate and saying he wanted to retire.

Sonya, Talos and Nick all looked at each other. Maria nodded at Finch. Both Maria and Natasha knew of their son’s abilities, though he’d often said he wouldn’t use them unless it became the option they had.

“So….what I’m getting from this is that Gravik is more dangerous than we originally thought?” Nick half questioned and half stated.

G’iah chuckled and shook her head. “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, Fury. Gravik has always been dangerous, has always had the power to do what he wants, his. Just means that he’s managed to find someone as deranged as he is and he doesn’t care, or rather even less so, about how he puts his plans into action, he will literally do whatever it takes to get what he wants.”

Finch shrugged as if to say ‘that about sums it up’. G’iah shaking her head at Fury. Everyone looking at the screen.

“Thing about Gravik is that….he already killed Liara, someone he supposedly loved for years, and he has no remorse for it, now he’s pieced together a weapon capable of ridding Earth of Skrulls.” Maria stated. “We have to start looking at this differently, it’s no longer about us being able to stop him, but it might be about us killing him.”

»»———　★　———««

Trying to find a moment to himself to breathe had always been difficult, especially when on your own your deepest and darkest memories, ones you’d tried so hard to forget managed to claw their way to the very front of your mind.

Walking in Moscow was good for some things, cold enough for certain aliens, the weather chill enough that your brain was in that perfect state of being alive and calm even with a million things going on at the same time.

It was weather where you were 90% sure it was about to snow the majority of the time and yet you seemed to be suspended in time, the snow never quite falling.

At this time it was peaceful, not too many people on the streets, no one that he needed to hide from, he’d never really shown his true form whilst in public, knowing that most of the world wasn’t ready for that.

That was all until he reached a specific place, a quiet and large clearing in the middle of nowhere where no one would find him, at least not easily.

“I knew I’d find you here. You’re too predictable for your own good, it’s almost starting to get annoying.” Gravik spoke in a tone that almost sounded like a taunting laugh.

“The hell do you want?” Finch readied his hand with his magic.

“Whoa, whoa, you’d really harm an unarmed man? I expected better.”

“Yeah, well, so did I, from you, looks like we’re both disappointed.”

Gravik laughed, almost knowing he was going to get what he wanted, almost happy that he’d disappointed people who had considered him family and friends.

“What do you want?” Finch questioned again, he just wanted to have a walk outside without causing problems or concern.

“I want you to stop trying to fight me, to defeat me, because we both know you won’t be able to.”

“After everything you’ve done, you think we’ll just give up the fight? Because you asked so nicely?”

“No because if you don’t I will quite happily kill everyone you hold dear, starting with that blonde you love so much. If you don’t stop I will kill Carol Danvers, Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff.”

Finch aimed his magic for Gravik’s head, but instead the Skrull punched him straight in the stomach, laughing as Finch crumpled to the ground for a moment, due to his alien genetics, the Red Room and sharing genes with the former deputy of SHIELD, he was harder to knock down in a fight.

The alien rapidly standing back on his feet. Gravik laughing whilst wriggling his hand, getting ready for the next punch he’d inevitably take.

“See that’s the thing about you, Romanoff-Hill, you’re indestructible….. physically. Tall, bulletproof, rapid healing. But where you fall short is your love for people. Like the little blonde. You see a first we all thought Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, was going to save us all, find us a home, that she’d fight for us and protect us and fly off having saved the day. But instead, she occupies her time flying through the stars and space with you. Your love for your parents, a Russian assassin of Red Room and the former deputy of SHIELD who somehow always manages to lose. That will be your downfall, Finch, your love for people is your weakness.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, because without love, what the fuck are you fighting for?”

Gravik shook his head, laughing in almost disbelief before disappearing. Finch sighing out before turning his magic off for a moment.

++++++++

Upon returning to the Skrull compound, G’iah was the first to meet him, Carol, Maria, Natasha and Nick were in a conversation with Talos and Sonya.

“The bloody hell happened to you?” G’iah looked at him, even though he didn’t show physical wounds he was bedraggled enough that she knew something had happened.

Shaking his head, Finch never wanted to worry anyone, knowing that he was strong enough and knowledgeable enough to handle himself.

“Come on, Finch, don’t be stupid, you know I’d never convince you of another way, I just want to know, I’d happily join you in killing the bastard.” G’iah convinced him.

“Gravik found me, told me to give up trying to defeat him.”

G’iah looked at him, her eyes wide, knowing that the same conversation he’d had with her when he’d kind of kidnapped her, telling her that he’d kill Talos if she didn’t stop but she knew that Talos would continue fighting until his last breath, even if it did actually kill him, and she was more a fighter than a lover anyways, she too would fight until she couldn’t anymore.

“He said he’d kill Carol, mom and mama, he doesn’t even hold remorse for Liara, he doesn’t care what he has to do in order to get what he wants, mom was right, we need to start looking at this differently, we can’t save Gravik, we can’t change him, we may have to kill him.”

G’iah nodded, knowing for a while that it might come to that, she never wanted it to get to that point, but Gravik had cross a line way too far to the point where he wouldn’t even know where it was anymore.

“I think we’ve all reached our limits.” G’iah nodded and hugged him tightly.

+++++++++++

Sonya left the room in which she had been conversing with the others, nodding at Finch who was in his workshop building something, laptops open and running programs and data through them.

“An alien who has human parents and specializes in science AND magic….now there’s a combo no one saw coming.” Sonya chuckled as she looked around at the gadgets and gizmos scattered in a tidy type of chaos.

“You usually only show up when there’s a particularly tricky piece of information to give us.  Or when I can possibly off someone for you. What is it this time, Falsworth?”

Sonya smirked and then nodded, she had something for Finch but not what he thought it would be. “I want a plan, Romanoff-Hill.”

Finch sighed out, he’d a plan in his head from the moment they figured out each piece of the Skrull weapon was in a different time period. “I’m going to find the pieces of the weapon in their time period and places and I’m going to make it with a slight difference.”

“You can time travel?” Sonya seemed well and truly impressed but concerned at the same time.

“Mal’Torian’s have many gifts and abilities, not only can we fly, wield magic, have bulletproof skin and rapid healing but we can also time travel through both time and space. We just don’t do it often because there’s rules we have to follow.”

“So why are you telling me this now?”

“Because everyone else would tell me no or would suggest something else, but you are like me, you’re willing to do the hard thing in order to get the job done and currently I have reached the point where we are running out of options and I have nothing else I can do.” Finch confessed.

“Then in that case, Mr Romanoff-Hill, how are we going to do this?” Sonya looked at him, questioning.

»»———　★　———««

Natasha was in the kitchen when she received it, an envelope sitting on the table behind her as she made coffee, only noticing it when she sat down, coffee in hand, she recognized the envelope first, the style was similar to Dreykov’s Red Room messages, she’d given out way too many of those envelopes to high stakes people.

Flashbacks of fighting in the Red Room, of their unique ‘Graduation’, of everything they did to her, pain and loss and suffering and blood, so much blood.

“MAR!” Natasha half yelled.

Maria almost stumbling into the kitchen area, looking at the redhead and the rest of the kitchen to see what the problem was.

“What is it?”

Natasha held up the envelope and showed it to Maria, the brunette obviously wasn’t a part of the Red Room, Natasha grateful that she’d never had that experience, but Maria knew what that envelope was, had hear Natasha speak about it, what it was and what the envelope’s had meant, had heard all of Natasha’s worst memories, been beside her when she believed that she was a monster and a bad person not deserving of anything.

“What does it say?” Maria looked at the lettering, noting that it was addressed to everyone, opening it and pulling out the slip of paper within it. “Gravik.”

Natasha blinked rapidly before listening to Maria finish reading aloud, an apparent invitation to  an event, Talos and G’iah finding everyone something to wear or Maria going out and hiring something for the night.

Everyone getting ready and prepared though most of them could admit that going to a party during everything that was going on was not where anyone saw themselves, there would be time to party when the world wasn’t in danger and they didn’t have countless peoples lives on the line.

Getting the party was simple. For the humans at least. Natasha, Maria, Carol and Fury managing just fine, Talos had to sneak in through a back exit and G’iah and Finch were left to climb on the rooftop and drop their way inside.

“I really wish they made these things more functional.” G’iah shook her head as she lifted the back of her dress up so that it wouldn’t get stuck on something.

“I don’t think anyone wears formal wear in order for it to be fought in but I’mm sure you can pass a word along to the tailor’s union.” Finch joked, causing G’iah to laugh, both of them could admit that tux’s were a lot easier to move in, store weapons within and were a lot more functional than dresses.

The Skrull having asked Natasha for advice of what to wear that would allow weapons to be easily grabbed but able to be hidden. Finch and Maria having chuckled at Natasha’s ‘lesson’ as if it were an academic crash course.

Finch jumping down the hatch first, catching G’iah as she jumped after him, the two of them sneaking through vents and corridors before finally reaching the main room, everyone dressed up with drinks in their hands, Finch finding Carol at the bar as G’iah went to find her father.

“Miss me?” Finch appeared behind the blonde, Carol turning around and jumped to hug him.

“Thank god, I was beginning to get worried.” Carol whispered so only he could hear it, quickly hugging and breaking apart so as to not raise suspicions.

The two of them at the bar, getting a few drinks, but only enough to blend in, alcohol was different when it came to Mal’Torian’s as well as Skrulls, Skrulls taking a while to get drunk and the other aliens able to be so which made these parties so much longer for Finch.

Carol sipped on her drink. Finch nodding at Maria, Natasha and Nick who were all in their respective positions. Finch and G’iah nodding at each other before heading off to see what they could find in back rooms of the building.

Trying each of the doors to see which, if any, would open for them, one door opening after many had failed to do so, G’iah slipping inside and Finch following in suit, looking at the room before their eyes settled on a wall in front of them in which was covered in images and cutouts from tabloids and documents.

Hearing footsteps, Finch and G’iah backed themselves up against the wall, the Mal’Torian using his magical abilities to form a cloaking shield around them that also prevented sound to leave their bubble.

“What is this?” G’iah looked on as someone entered the room and grabbed something out of the drawers, the two of them looking at the board.

“I have no idea, by the looks of it it’s a fucked up stalkerboard. There’s photos and information on all of us on that board, information no one else has.” Finch watched on as the person left the room and he brought the shield around them down.

“Red Room is on this board. Or at least Dreykov.” G’iah took note and Finch looked at it, his head becoming full of flashbacks and voices before a sound outside caused them to instead take photos and transfer the files over.

The two of them leaving the room and back down to the main room, once again getting in their respective positions.

Several members of the party were easily recognizable, their faces plastered over most websites and news outlets as well as billboards.

“I have eyes on Rhodey.” Maria spoke through comms.

Finch nodded at Natasha who was attempting to blend in with a few other men and women in another group. G’iah and Talos looking around for Gravik but not seeing any signs of him so far.

A few moments passed and someone of course made a speech, thanking everyone for coming and allowing them the opportunity to be here, Finch caught sight of someone at the edge of the room and slowly going after them, Carol watched as he walked off, keeping him in her sights should something happen.

Standing on his left side, Finch waited for a moment, not revealing himself just yet, G’iah settling on his right side, Gravik in between both of them in his new temporary disguise.

“And here we are, back once again, I should have known the two of you would sneak your way in.” Gravik whispered, letting them both know he knew.

“As did you.” Finch spoke, his eyes still facing forwards so that he didn’t cause attention to be brought to them.

“Then again, we knew better than you, we didn’t leave a trace behind.” G’iah spoke, also facing forward, her eyes flickering around the view in front of her to make sure no weapons would be turned on them.

Gravik chuckled lowly and quietly, only Finch and G’iah able to hear it, shaking his head, he stepped back, disappearing, G’iah and Finch looking at each other before splitting off to find him.

The speech ending and everyone moving around the room once again. Carol unable to see Finch or G’iah, Maria and Natasha moving also, trying to get their sights on someone, Maria taking her next position on the balcony view, Nick on the opposite side, Talos and Natasha still on the ground below, Carol walking around the edges of the room.

“You really thought I’d be stupid enough to not plan for the two of you.” Gravik smirked before temporarily changing his form back.

G’iah and Finch nodded at each other before trying to target him, Gravik changing his arm and  turning it into a rock solid material, grabbing G’iah by the throat and throwing her into the wall, Finch sliding on the floor and through Gravik’s legs before wrangling him into a headlock and pointing a gun at his back.

Gravik laughed once again. “There’s your second weakness, believing I can be stopped by a human weapon.”

The super-Skrull grabbing the Mal’Torian’s shoulder and throwing him across the room, Finch’s flight kicking in for a few seconds before he dropped to the ground of the balcony, Maria running over to him.

“You okay, buddy?” Maria helped him up.

He stuck his thumb up before shaking himself off, Maria chuckled as he pulled the Romanoff ‘I’m fine’ technique on her, the two of them running off as G’iah chased Gravik through the building.

Gravik running into the crowd full of people, G’iah and Finch slipping in between people amongst the crowd, searching for the super-Skrull before he had the chance to hurt anyone.

Maria cocked her gun at the ready, finally able to make put an end to all this madness, finally able to stop something before it happened, she watched as Finch and G’iah to into their respective positions, on the opposite side of the building and room to her.

Natasha joining her behind a pillar to the side of her, both of them looking at Gravik, wondering how they could make a plan when neither of them had powers, Natasha only enhanced as a human.

Nick nodding as he saw the mental gymnastics and the cogs turning in Maria’s head from his position, he knew that she could do this, she was his right hand, capable of talking sense into him when he needed it.

Walking forwards slightly, Maria never put her gun down, aimed and ready at Gravik’s, each step more confident and deliberate as she ran towards the Super-Skrull, a punch straight to his gut, one square in the face, an elbow in the ribs.

Gravik fighting back with an arm out the catch her fist and throw her to the ground, Maria taking the opportunity to kick his knee and slide her foot under him to knock him to the ground, dodging to the side just in time that he fell on the ground instead of on top of her.

But the Super-Skrull had better ideas, the two of them wrestling to standing, the brunette shooting his foot which healed within seconds, the two of them engaging in hand to hand, punch, block, punch, block, kick, dodge.

Carol and Natasha getting themselves into position ready to join in with the takedown, Finch throwing Maria a new set of bullets as they began to help fight Gravik, Maria coming up behind him to wrap him in a headlock.

Gravik grabbing hold of a gun and throwing Maria to the side, the brunette flying to the side of the room and hitting the wall, Natasha running towards Gravik, taking her turn, the Super-Skrull shooting her in the rib and laughing as she fell.

“I told you to stop trying to defeat me, you can’t.” Gravik yelled in a distorted kind of grumble.

Natasha wincing before Maria got to her feet and ran towards Gravik, gun shooting repeatedly, Gravik laughing as she did so, using Maria’s gun and shooting a bullet aimed for Carol, Finch jumping in front of the bullet, Carol watching as the bullet bounced straight off the Mal’Torian.

“You okay?” Finch questioned, ready to end Gravik right here right now.

Carol nodded, looking at Gravik over his shoulder, Finch turning around and seeing Gravik aim his gun for Maria but instead she kicked the gun out of his hand and reclaimed her gun, G’iah coming up behind him and Finch heading over to Natasha to ensure she was okay, bringing her to standing slowly.

“You think you’ve won. I’ll grant you the victory today. Heal your troops, this isn’t over.” Gravik grumbled out before disappearing.

Sonya managing to get them all home, Maria helping Natasha get into the bathroom in order to clean the wound after getting the bullet out, Finch offering to heal her but Natasha shaking her head until Maria looked at her as if asking her to stop being so stubborn.

»»———　★　———««

Finch was on the roof getting fresh air after everything that had happened today, the team rarely having ten minutes to themselves to breathe and process the day, Carol coming up to the roof, walking through the doors to join him over by the ledge.

Placing a hand on his shoulder to tell him that she was there even though she knew that he already knew, he had a sixth sense when it came to other people and their whereabouts.

Both of them looking out at the city and the lights and the cars, feeling like the world wasn’t literally ending due to another species of alien.

“It’s peaceful out here.” Carol whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Finch smiled. “It’s like that one place you can finally escape to and breathe. No Gravik, no Red Room, no thoughts…..just the stars.”

Both of them looking up at the sky before Carol looked at the area in which the bullet hit the skin, Finch had had no reaction, there was no evidence that a bullet had even touched the skin, she knew that Finch was bulletproof, had watched him stand between a bullet and someone ese in order to protect them many times, hell he’d even done it for her.

“You really have to stop taking bullets for me, you know.”

“Ah, where’s the fun in that.” Finch shrugged and chuckled.

“Why did you?” Carol knew that Finch was bulletproof but she also knew that he knew that she could look after herself.

Finch looked down at the ground, trying to think about how to say it, he’d never had to before, never had to say it before, hadn’t even really said it to himself, if he messed things up now, he was certain he’d never recover from that.

“I’m in love with you, Danvers, you are the gravity holding me to the planet, the air I breathe, the hand I always wanna hold, the light in the darkness and I don’t know where or what I’d be without you. I’m in love with you, since the moment I jumped in front of a bullet for you the first time, from the moment you looked at me and saw me, not just the alien. I know that I couldn’t have picked worse timing but…I don’t think there is ever a perfect time when it comes to this.” Finch confessed.

Carol blinked rapidly and then slowly, the two of them were close, closer than she’d been to anyone since the Rambeau’s but she hadn’t expected things to go this way, she knew she felt something for him but she had never really thought about it, wanting to wait until this was over to process and consider doing something about it.

“I realized that there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you and I’m not expecting you to say it back, in fact I’ve come to terms with the fact that you might not feel the same but….I love you, Carol Danvers.”

»»———　★　———««

The alarm in the Skrull compound began going off, shrieking throughout the entire building, red lights flashing along with a low groaning. Finch ran to the main room to figure out what was going on.

Natasha and Maria looked at him as they also came to find out what was going on, Talos, Nick and Sonya in room having a conversation, G’iah coming up behind them all.

“What’s going on?” Carol asked the room, hoping someone would know something.

“Someone’s breached the perimeter.” G’iah nodded towards the screen showing two figures outside, one of them being Rhodey and the other looking like one of Gravik’s goons.

Natasha grabbed one of her knives, Maria prepped her gun ready, everyone rushing around to collect what they needed.

“Wait, where’s Finch?” Natasha looked around.

Finch standing with a gun aimed at the goon, Rhodey sent on his way towards Maria and Natasha, Finch grabbing the goon who was armed with a bomb jacket, Maria looked at him.

“Finch, what are you doing?”

“Changing history, hopefully.” Finch smirked before nodding at Natasha and Sonya. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

With a flash of a bright light and a loud boom, Finch and the goon disappeared, Carol and Maria looking at each other before looking at the place Finch had been stood.

Grabbing the keys to the SUV, Maria grabbed her jacket and her guns, driving to find Gravik and end this whatever it took.

Natasha hadn’t even had time to stop her and she was gone. Maria barging straight into the room in which Gravik was sat.

“Last words?” Maria aimed her gun at him.

Gravik laughed before aiming a gun at the brunette. “I’m not done.”

The two of them fighting it out, punching and blocking and kicking and shooting, Maria thinking about how he’d shot Natasha, wherever Finch had gone, everything Gravik had done, both of them fighting tooth and claw to put an end to the other, a shot fired at him and Gravik aiming a gun at Maria.

A gunshot.