"I hear that," Bucky muttered, shaking his head. The whole situation was dredging up bad memories.

Maya almost did just that, and then stopped and sighed.

"Nutrition first," she said. "I can barely keep up with all of these new needs as it is, I can't afford to skip any meals."

Steve nodded, clapping his shoulder.

"Let's go see where the nearest base is," he said. "So we can burn it down tomorrow."

Colbie nodded and went into the kitchen. She couldn't cook well, but enough to make sure neither of them would starve. She did manage to put together something easy for Maya's stomach, though.

Bucky nodded and followed Steve. He was sure he had a map somewhere, and he knew of at least a couple bases.

Maya nibbled at the food anyways, just in case her stomach tried to rebel again. Thankfully, she was able to keep it all down, and by the time she finished eating, she was already half-way asleep again.

Colbie gently herded Maya off to bed before she settled herself in front of the door, able to react to any potential threat from her position.

It took the girls a couple of weeks to really settle and feel comfortable in the tower. Maya had taken to wearing bigger and looser shirts to try to hide her belly, and she was starting to get to the point that she couldn't anymore. Interestingly, the AI in the walls turned out to be her biggest ally, short of Colbie; the computer seemed to know immediately about Maya's pregnancy, and had taken to occasionally helping her out.

Meanwhile, Bucky had shown Steve the locations of at least two more Hydra bases. One was a bust, obviously abandoned years earlier, but the other they were able to raze to the ground.

It was only after the girls had settled in that Bruce brought up medical issues.

"We don't know what kind of condition they're really in," he pointed out gently to Steve and Bucky. "We should get some blood work and see if we can't get some baseline readings for both of them."

Steve nodded. It was a good idea, really.

Bucky sighed a bit.

"I'll talk to them," he said. "See if I can get them to come down."

"Good luck," Steve said with a little grin. He didn't envy Bucky that job.

Colbie was in her normal spot in the living room area with the best lines of sight, so she could keep track of as much as possible.

Bucky stepped out of the elevator carefully, making sure she could see both of his hands.

"Hey," he said. "How are you and your asset settling in?"

"Well enough," Colbie answered. "The rooms are... spacious." More comfortable than she was used to, more space than she was used to. She tilted her head, examining him for a moment. "You did not come just to check on us."

That made Bucky stop.

"I assumed you would want time to settle," he said carefully. "Was I wrong?"

"No," Colbie agreed. "But handlers do not just check on their assets, they always have a mission in mind first."

"Handler?" Bucky asked. He shook his head. "No, that's not what this is. You and she are free now. You can do whatever you want, you don't have to answer to a handler anymore."

Colbie frowned, because that was wrong, there was always a handler. "I don't understand," she murmured.

"I know," Bucky said gently. "I didn't either, at first. It gets easier." He was quiet for a moment. "For now, what should we call you two?"

She hesitated for a few moments before she sighed quietly. "Colbie," she told him. "And Maya."

"Colbie, okay," Bucky said, nodding. "I'm James, but everyone calls me Bucky." He gestured to the elevator. "Doctor Banner asked that I see if you and Maya would come down for some evaluations. He wants to make sure the two of you are healthy and take some baseline readings. Is that alright?"

Colbie tensed a bit at that, but maintenance was fairly routine, and her handler didn't seem upset.

"Alright," she agreed after a moment, getting up and going to get Maya.

Maya was settled in comfortably, one hand holding a book and the other absently rubbing her belly. She looked up when she heard Colbie come in.

"Hey," she said. "Is everything okay?"

Colbie nodded. "They want to check our health," she said with a wry little grimace. "I'm surprised it took them this long."

Maya bit her lip a little as she considered that.

"They'll find out about the child," she murmured. "Can we let that happen?"

"If they try anything, I can hold them long enough for you to escape," Colbie murmured. "There are several defensible spots here." She was quiet for a moment. "But I don't think they'll try to take the child."

"What makes you so sure?" Maya asked, arms curling protectively around her middle. "What have you seen?"

"Our new handler, he seems... sympathetic." Colbie shrugged. "Although I believe Jarvis would assist us, if necessary. He is an ally, as you yourself have said."

"He also answers to the one who owns the building," Maya pointed out. She stayed curled up for a moment longer before reluctantly getting to her feet. "If our new handler believes we should go..."