Work Text:
2013
Melinda May groaned as the pounding on her door continued. “MELINDA! OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!” Nick Fury bellowed.
“GO AWAY!” Melinda yelled back, rolled over, and pulled her pillow over her head.
“I WILL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN IF YOU DON’T OPEN IT THIS INSTANT!” Nick bellowed again. Melinda rolled out of bed and trudged over to the door of her quarters at SHIELD headquarters.
“What do you want?” Melinda peeked through the crack in doorway. Nick pushed past her and looked in disgust at her quarters. Empty bottles littered every available surface, dirty clothes covered the floor, and old take out containers were starting to attract flies.
“Alcohol is prohibited inside headquarters.” Nick growled at her and Melinda scoffed in his face.
“Like you don’t have several bottles of whiskey in your office.” Melinda crossed her arms and glared across the room at him.
“You need to pull yourself together, it’s been a year.” Nick said harshly.
“Get out.” Melinda hissed.
“No. Take a shower, get dressed.” Nick hissed right back.
“No.” Melinda sat on her bed and recrossed her arms. If looks could kill Nick would have been dead, embalmed, and buried six feet under.
“Damnit, Melinda! I’m trying to help you!” Nick shouted at the smaller woman.
“I do my job, what more do you want from me?!” Melinda shouted back.
“I want you to be sober more often than not, I want you to wear something other than one of Coulson’s old shirts when off duty, I want you to actually go home once in a while!” Nick slowly advanced on Melinda until they were nose to nose.
“And I want Phil back.” Melinda replied softly.
“Take a shower, Melinda, get dressed. I’ve got something to show you.” Nick said just as softly as she had.
Three hours later, Melinda and Nick disembarked from a Quinjet in the middle of nowhere. Melinda followed Nick through the extreme security measures, down sterile hallways, and finally into an area that looked like a hospital room. Melinda walked slowly forward and blinked back tears. There, lying in the only bed, was Phillip J. Coulson, asleep but alive.
She traced his face with her fingers and looked up at Nick Fury in awe. “How?” She whispered.
“There’s a drug call GH 325, it has some side effects.” Melinda listened as Nick told the whole sordid tale of how he brought Phil Coulson back from the dead. “I need you to assemble a team and I need you to be on it. Whatever you need, I’ll make it happen.”
Melinda looked down at her partner. Almost a year to the day since his funeral, only a week away from their acadaversary and he was here, alive. “I’ll give you my parameters by the end of the day tomorrow.”