Work Text:
“So, Lieutenant Trouble, which cookies are we making?” Carol asked, passing Monica the books and folders from the upper shelf of the kitchen cabinet. When she’d returned from space to check on Monica and Maria, she’d been happy to learn that she was just in time for Christmas. Monica had used the opportunity to recruit her for baking cookies while Maria was still busy, putting in some more hours before the holidays.
“Definitely the butter cookies, with the cutters, so we can decorate them. And of course the chocolate chip cookies for Mum.” She pulled out the recipes in question but then stopped, another page in hand. Glancing up at Carol, she added: “And the almond cookies for you. They’re still your favourite, right? Or did you find another kind of cookie you prefer?”
Carol swallowed hard. It hurt to see Monica acted so shy around her, just as it hurt that her memories of baking with Maria and Monica weren’t clear anymore. Yes, she knew once again who she was, she had overcome to false memories the Kree had implanted, but she’d noticed that small details very blurry. It might be the aftereffects of the trauma or it might simply be that it had been six years, six years during which she’d made so many new memories. Six years of time she could have had with Maria and Monica that the Kree had stolen from her. She forced a smile. “Sounds great. I didn’t have cookies where I was, so I’m really looking forward to having them again.”
Monica gasped. “No cookies? They don’t have cookies in space?”
She shook her head. “No idea if they don’t have them anywhere in space but the Kree don’t have them. Just like they don’t have Christmas. Or Hanukkah or Yule.”
“Well, then clearly they’re the bad guys.”
Her lips twitched. “Clearly.” She looked over the recipes Monica had spread out on the counter. “Okay, what first?”
“The dough for the butter cookies. That one has to rest and cool before we can use it. We can get started on one of the others in the meantime.”
“Sounds good.” Carol got the ingredients from the pantry as Monica read them out, then the two of them started measuring them.
Mixing the ingredients and kneading the cookie dough felt familiar. As they worked together, Carol started remembered flashes of her time with Maria and Monica. Putting up the Christmas decoration together. Her and Maria baking together, back when Monica was still too small to really take part. Teasing each other by trying to smear flour or butter on each other’s face as Monica laughed and clapped in the background. Watching as Maria taught Monica how to use the cookie cutters, her heart feeling like it would burst with happiness and love.
“Lucky for me that you still like making cookies,” she said. When there was no reply from Monica, she looked up. “Monica?”
“We do it again now. But at first after... Mom was busy and she said I was too young to use the oven on my own.” She was speaking slowly and frowning a little, trying to find the words. “And even when she had time, it wasn’t the same.” She flashed her a quick smile, though Carol could see the deflection in it. “Mom’s not that good with decorating cookies.”
Decorating them, using different colours and sprinkles and chocolate, had been her job, hers and Monica’s, Carol suddenly remembered. The memory, even if she hadn’t properly recalled it then, had probably been why she’d asked Monica’s input when she was changing her suit.
“But you’re back now. And we are baking cookies together again.”
Carol hesitated. She’d wanted to talk to Maria first. “I’m here now,” she settled on saying. She placed the dough on a plate and offered it to Monica. “There. Want to place it in the fridge?”
“Yep.” She accepted the plate and quickly put it away to rest. “Should we do the almond cookies next?”
“No, let’s do the chocolate chip cookies first.” She grinned conspiratorially. “We can try to have some ready to surprise your mom when she gets back.”
Monica grinned back. “Yes!”
They soon had a baking tray filled with cookies and ready to be put in the oven. Carol looked it over thoughtfully. “Do you think one is enough?”
Monica shrugged. “I think so. But we can always make another batch later.”
“Monica...”
“Well, looks like you were busy.”
“Mum! Yes, we made chocolate chip cookies and the by the time the almond cookies are done, the dough for the butter cookies will be ready.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Maria looked around the kitchen. “There’s not much room to make dinner, so how about we order pizza?”
Carol caught the look she sent her. “It’s been a while since I had any.”
Maria nodded once. “Then that’s settled. Monica, do you want to get the menu and call in the order?”
“Okay.” She looked between the two of them, then smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll take my time.”
Maria waited for her to be out of earshot, then asked: “Everything alright?”
“Yes. It’s just... I can’t stay, not yet. We’ve found a temporary hiding place for the Skrulls. Talos is reasonably certain they are safe there for now, at least enough for me to come back here and check up on you, to bring you a way for us to stay in contact.” She paused. “I mean, if you want to.” She shook her head. “But I promised to help them find a home and I intend to keep it.” She took a deep breath. This was not how and when she’d intended to discuss it with Maria but now that they were on the topic, it felt worse to keep silent. “I understand if you... if that changes how...”
Maria placed a finger on Carol’s lips. “Shh. I love you. I love your compassion, your sense of duty. I didn’t stop loving you when you were declared dead, and I won’t stop loving you because you are keeping your promise to finish what Dr Lawson started.”
“I love you too. I want to be able to be a family again, with you and Monica.” She blinked back tears. “I want to raise her with you, just like we talked about back then.”
Maria smiled through her own tears. “But it wouldn’t be right to do that when it means abandoning Talos and his people.” She quickly brushed away a stray tear. “How long do you have?”
“Enough to spend Christmas with you.” She laughed wetly. “Talos insisted. Said that it would be wrong for him to have found his wife and child again at the cost of me losing mine.”
Maria leaned forward to rest her forehead against Carol’s. “Then let’s make the best out of the time together we have.”