Chantry kept his surprise that she was finally talking to him well shielded. He had a narrow window of opportunity and he wanted to utilize all of it wisely. "When did you stop aging?"
"Twenty six."
"Your predicament would be the envy of the world, but I sense that you regard it as more of a curse and have become embittered by it. Why is that?"
"I'm not sure. I just wish everything could have been more normal. It's not easy to be like this. Heck do you know what kind of hell it is just to have periods every month for that period of time?"
Chantry winced in compassion, as the truth of that predicament fully dawned on him. Maria had extremely painful monthly periods that completely knocked her off her feet for a day or two each month.
In addition to keeping Maria away from those missions she could come in contact with people of the Muslim faith, he'd worked hard to schedule her so that she was always home, when her periods struck. It had been a bit of a juggling act, but he had done it for her and he knew that she'd been profoundly grateful to him for that one fact alone over the years.
That admonition sparked another question of Chantry's, "Your family?"
"All dead." She said simply, but Chantry could sense the rawness that lay just beneath the tranquil surface of her unblemished face.
"Did Muslims kill them?"
Maria's black eyes burned with a fire as she gritted out, "Yes!"
His window of opportunity was closing fast, "Just one last question please. When I'm gone what are you going to do Maria?"
The intenseness of Maria's face slacked up a little, as she asked in puzzlement, "I thought you were going to leave me the Agency to run?"
Chantry didn't answer the question, but instead asked, "Why do you want the Agency so bad Maria?"
"It's a job. A good job. It helps to fill the years by doing something truly useful."
Chantry nodded and was silent.
In a small voice unlike her usual confident self, Maria asked, "You're not going to give me the Agency anymore are you?"
Tears seeped out of Chantry's eyes, as he confirmed her question with a nod of his head.
Maria sank down to her knees beside him and Chantry saw another first in his relationship with Maria. She was crying and the sight of that so rarely expressed emotion from her caused him to sob slightly. He loved her so much and to know that he was causing her pain was heartbreaking.
"Shhh! Please don't! You shouldn't get so worked up!" Maria was exclaiming, as she tried to wipe her tears away quickly in order to calm Chantry down.