Chapter Text
December 31st 1996
Melinda May woke in the early hours of the morning to an unfamiliar sensation. She rolled over in her large king bed and began to shake her sleeping husband.
“Phil, Phil wake up,” she sputtered as she shook the sleeping man next to her.
After a few moments of being violently shaken Phil Coulson began to come to life. He slowly sat up exposing his wicked case of bedhead and his nerdiest captain america t-shirt. He turned to face his wife, who had a growing panicked expression.
“Phil,” she started, “I think i’m having contractions”.
With that short sentence Phil silently sprung into action, leaping from the bed and pulling on a pair of jeans from the bedroom floor. He then made a mad dash to the bathroom, knocking a picture off the wall as he went. Melinda smirked and rolled her eyes at the sight. For a secret agent he really struggled to keep his cool sometimes. Melinda took a deep breath, slowly rising from the bed and making her way to the bathroom.
Melinda loved Phil, but sometimes he could be a real mess. Melinda met Phil during her first month at the academy. She was 18, the youngest recruit in her year, and Phil was 21. Phil was a first year communications cadet and Melinda was on the fast track to becoming a specialist. Due to her parentage big things were expected from Melinda May and she was not going to let anyone down. She was handpicked at the age of sixteen when she caught the eye of Director Peggy Carter.
Peggy took a special liking to May and promised her that with her skills she was destined for greatness. So, when she graduated Melinda abandoned her original plans to go to college and work under her mother at the CIA and she officially joined Shield. Her mother wasn’t pleased with her decision at first but she understood why Melinda would want to pave her own path in life. A few weeks after her 18th birthday Melinda shipped out to train under only the best at Shield's coveted operations academy.
Phil's story was quite different. Whereas Melinda was primed for spy work from a young age, Phil never planned to be a spy. When a young Phil Coulson envisioned his life he saw himself with a simple life. He would teach history, get married, have kids and live the white picket fence life, but in reality that was not the case. Phil caught the attention of Nick Fury when his historical research started to reveal sortied Shield secrets. He immersed himself into the historical facts of Shield and its predecessor the SSR. Every aspect of the history fascinated him. One day a man in a leather jacket showed up at his door with a proposition that would change his life.
Nick fury offered Phil a chance to work for the same covert spy organisation he was so fascinated by. Phil’s first reaction was to say no. He was a history buff, a comic book nerd, he could never be a spy. However his tune changed when the mysterious man told Phil he was offering him a chance to put a little more good into the world, the man's words played to the overpowering sense of duty Phil always had inside him. Before he knew it he was crammed into a room with two dozen other communications cadets fighting for a chance to be field agents.
Ops and Communications were often mixed together for certain aspects of training. Out of a room filled with eager trainees Melinda happened to be paired with the biggest nerd of the bunch. He was clearly inexperienced and terrified of being picked apart by his fellow trainees. The instructors thought they would be a good fit. May was small and perceived as weak and Phil was a history buff who hadn’t ever thrown a punch. Little did the instructors know Melinda May had been fighting since she was 10 and had 3 black belts. They stepped onto the map and Phil smiled crookedly at the woman in front of him, she was beautiful.
Melinda eyed her opponent; he had potential but she could feel his nerves from across the mat. She made her advance, catching a glimpse of fear in his ocean blue eyes. For a moment she hesitated, his eyes were beautiful, but then her training kicked in and she had Phil pinned face down on the mat in about thirty seconds. From that moment and partnership and friendship bloomed.
May excelled at combat training, and Phil stood out in analysis, so they helped each other. Many nights were spent snacking and studying in the shared library between campuses or laid out on mats in the training rooms. No one could deny that they were the perfect pair. Well except May and Coluson. Their relationship was purely friends who stole longing glances when they thought the other wasn’t looking.
By graduation day May was top of her class and ready to ship out on mission somewhere in Russia and Phil was headed to the Triskelion to work under Nick Fury himself . It was hard saying goodbye to her best friend, but a few cold months in Russia and a dozen missions later they reunited. Their reunion ended with May being trapped bobbing in a bay in Sausalito for five hours. From that moment on they found themselves working together more frequently and after that their story was fairly simple.
Coulson and May finally got over themselves, admitted their feelings and were married a few years later in a small but beautiful ceremony officiated by Nick Fury. their family and small handful of friends were in attendance including Peggy Carter. Phil spent half of the day fangirling over the fact that Peggy was in attendance. Any other woman would be mad about being out shined on their wedding day, but for Melinda it only made her heart swell. She found the way that he fidgeted and tripped over his words when Peggy offered congratulations absolutely adorable. She also very much enjoyed the look on his face when she and Peggy conversed like old friends.
For a few years they lived their perfect version of married life. They worked their asses off and spent barley any time in their small but cozy DC apartment. The both worked out of the Triskelion and their careers were flourishing. Both Phil and Melinda were decorated level five agents and were on the way to becoming the power couple of shields. They were working together on undercover ops and organizing small strike teams. Their life was perfect until Melinda dropped a bombshell; she was pregnant.
At first the news shattered their well laid plans. The both wanted kids and the domesticity and normality that came with them. It was just much sooner than they planned and Melinda was a stickler for her plans. Over time they figured it out and the couple were overjoyed at the prospect of growing their small family. It was obvious that they would have to make some changes to the plan, but they were alright with that. They would both stay working and the rest they would figure out along the way.
When Melinda hobbled into the bathroom she found her husband on the floor scrambling to clean up a basket of toiletries he knocked over in his panic. She simply smiled kindly at him and placed her hand softly on his back.
“Phil,” she said in a stern but loving voice, “why don’t we sit down and take a breath”.
Phil obliged to Melinda's request and slowly stood up moving across the room to where Melinda was now perched on the edge of the large bathtub. He sat next to her taking in her warmth. How on earth could she be so calm? Melinda smiled at him lovingly as she intertwined their fingers. The small gesture helped to calm his racing heart.
“How are you not freaking out right now?” Phil asked, breathing heavily.
“Because one of us has to be calm or the house would be in shambles,” Melinda replied, offering up a small chuckle.
“I’m sorry about that.” he replied sheepishly, his cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. “It's just I thought we would have more time, it's two weeks early”.
“I know.” Melinda stroked the back of his hand with her thumb in soft circular motions. ”But you know if she is anything like me she wants to make an entrance”.
The thought of his daughter being anything like Melinda made him smile proudly. He could already picture the small child with her mothers eyes and fiery personality wreaking havoc in his life. He took a moment to steal a look at Melinda. Even in the early stages of labour and just having woken up, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was the strongest and bravest person he ever had the pleasure of knowing. Why she chose to love him was still a mystery in his mind. The world did not deserve the wonder that was Melinda May and he would do anything for her. Smiling stupidly, he thought back to the day he met her.
Phil was a wide eyed communications cadet in his first weeks of shield training. It was early in training and he was already doubting his abilities. He wasn’t nearly as fast or strong as his fellow cadets. His commanding officer marched his group of trainees onto the ops campus for their first day of mixed training. He really wasn’t looking forward to training with the specialists. He heard rumours that the Ops cadets were ruthless and he really wasn’t in the mood to be torn apart.
Phil distracted himself by admiring the campus architecture. He found his eyes wandering over to a group of trainees standing by the training building. Most of them were tall burly men who could likely kill him with their pinky finger. Near the center of the circle he caught sight of a woman. She was small, and she looked even smaller surrounded by the tall men. Her dark hair was braided to one side and she was smiling widely. It was the most captivating sight Phil had ever seen. She was beautiful and had a smile that could span across galaxies. He was so captivated by the mystery woman that he almost tripped as they marched by.
Much to his surprise, later that day, he was paired with the beautiful woman he saw from across the quad. He vividly recalls stepping into the ring and feeling a swell of anger as the men in the room snickered when Melinda stepped onto the mat. The boys in the group figured she was weak, but May was anything but. May smiled at him and then proceeded to kick his ass. It was with his hands behind his back and his face pushed into the mat that he decided he would one day marry Melinda May.
Melinda watched as the panic drained from her husband’s face and was replaced by a warm smile. According to her research from where she was she figured it would still be quite a while before they would meet their daughter. She and Phil made their way to the kitchen hand in hand, passing by boxes that had not been unpacked. Phil set off to make pancakes as May settled into one of the bar-stools around the kitchen island. She would have never imagined she could be this happy. When she pictured the life of a spy she saw herself constantly moving from place to place and living out of crappy safe houses. This was so much better. Warm light seeped in through the large kitchen window, casting a glow throughout the room.
Their house was truly beautiful. Phil and Melinda had decided that their cramped apartment may have been perfect for them but it was no place to raise a family. They searched for months to find the right home, but none of them felt quite right. One day they came across a decently sized property on the outskirts of the city. Melinda loved the welcoming feeling from the red brick and Phil loved the windows. The house was spacious and relatively secluded with a large yard. Perfect for a few kids and a dog. There was a large oak tree in the back yard with a branch perfect for a swing. It was home from the moment they laid eyes on it. They moved in almost immediately, but somewhere along the way unpacking had become an afterthought, so the house was still littered with boxes. They would get to it eventually.
Melinda groaned at the feeling of a contraction, placing her hands on her swollen belly.
“You ok?” Phil asked from across the kitchen, his eyes filled with growing concern.
“Yeah I'm alright,” May assured, breathing through the pain. “I would love some pancakes though”.
“They are almost ready. Patience is a virtue love,” Phil said, placing a quick kiss on Melinda's forehead on his way to the kitchen sink. Melinda loved to watch as he moved around the kitchen. It was almost like a dance as he skilfully glided about the kitchen tending to the multiple dishes he was cooking.
Phil served a platter of his famous chocolate chip pancakes and the couple sat down in the small breakfast nook. The pancakes were his mothers secret recipe and they tasted heavenly. Melinda held tightly to one of Phil’s hands and stared contently into his ocean blue eyes.
“Hey Phil.” Melinda said, pulling his attention away from the food.
“Yes love.” He replied, shifting his eyes away from his plate to look at his wife.
“Look at the date.” Melinda gestured to the Captain America callander across the room.
“December 31.” He smiled warmly. “She’s gonna be a new year's baby”.
“Poor Beatrice. She will have to share her birthday with the biggest party night of the year.” Melinda joked.
“Mel for the last time we are not naming our daughter Beatrice.” Phil stated, feigning a look of disgust.
“Why not it's your grandmother's name?” Melinda questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Exactly,” Phil exclaimed. “That woman terrifies me. I don’t want flashbacks every time I call out my daughter's name”.
“Oh come on Phil, your Grandmother was very sweet the last time we saw her.” Melinda smiled at the tense expression on Phil's face.
“Yeah to you. I’m pretty sure she resents me for not being born a girl that she could dress up,” Phil huffed, running his hands across his face.
“Fine I will take it off the list.” Melinda sighed, running her fingers comfortingly through Phil's hair. “What do you think we should name her?”
Phil perked up and said, “I've always liked the name Molly”.
Melinda stared Phil dead in the eyes and firmly stated, “She is our daughter not a dog Phil. There are four cocker spaniels named Molly in this neighborhood alone. Do you really want to call for our daughter and have a dog come running instead”.
“Alright fair point,” Phil agreed. “We really should have talked about this sooner huh?”
“I think we will know it when we meet her,” Melinda offered. “We can learn her personality and then give her a name”.
“That sounds perfect,” Phil replied, sliding out of his chair, picking up the empty dishes and disappearing into the kitchen.
While Phil cleaned up, Melinda made the necessary calls to her doctor. Her labour was progressing fairly slowly, so she was told to stay home until her water broke or her contractions worsened. She took the extra time to shower and ensure her bags were packed and ready. Her contractions really didn’t bother her too much. They simply felt like bad cramps and Melinda never had a problem with pain before.
After double checking her things she settled onto the couch with a book and a fuzzy blanket. A few minutes later she felt the couch dip and Phil's warm arms wrap around her waist. He silently nuzzled his head onto her chest and relished in the moment of peaceful silence. They sat quietly for an hour watching the light snowfall out the large living room window. This would be their last moment of quiet for the next 18 years. Phil rubbed slow circles on Melinda's back as he listened to her read out loud. The book was some cheesy spy novel that they loved to mock and call incorrect.
“Do you think I'm going to be a good mother Phil?” Melinda asked abruptly, voicing the doubts she had been suppressing. Her biggest fear was that she would be a terrible mother and scar her child for life.
“Oh Mel you are going to be incredible. There has never been a challenge that Melinda May can’t handle and this won’t be any different,” Phil answered sincerely , running his fingers through her silky hair. He meant every word. Melinda was already such a mom to the pack of young agents she mentored. She was kind and patient and compassionate. She would be the best mother
Melinda smiled shyly at Phil’s words. Where did she find a man this wonderful? There was no other person in the entirety of the universe that made her feel as loved as Phil Coulson. He was goofy and nerdy and insanely selfless and kind. He always knew the right words to make her feel better. He was most definitely the perfect man, and she constantly wondered what on earth she had done to deserve him.
“You will be great too, you know.” Melinda said, sitting up and looking at Phil. “You have major dad energy”.
“I’m not sure whether or not that's a compliment.” Phil replied jokingly.
“It's a compliment, I promise.” Melinda answered, pulling him down closer and softly pressing their lips together.
Phil deepened the kiss and pulled her in closer. He found Melinda May completely intoxicating. He slid his hand across the soft skin on her arm and breathed in the sweet smell of her lavender shampoo and the green tea she had with breakfast. Melinda giggled as he placed a kiss underneath her chin.
“Ticklish are we?” Phil asked, smiling dopely.
“Very.” Melinda replied, attempting to hold in a yawn.
Noting her yawn phil placed a soft kiss to her forehead and stood up to retrieve another blanket from the bin across the room. He gently laid the blanket over his wife’s small frame before leaning down to whisper softly in her ear.
“Get your rest, you are going to need it.” He whispered, turning away to pick up the book Melinda had abandoned on the floor.
Melinda reached out her arm to stop him from leaving.
“Stay.” She whispered sleepily.
Phil placed the book on the shelf and then crawled next to her on the couch. Melinda immediately snuggled in tightly to Phil before beginning to snore. Phil stayed awake listening to her even breaths and the soft beating of her heart.
When May woke from her slumber things began to get real. It was nearly seven o’clock and her contractions had become stronger and much less far apart. She sent Phil to get things ready outside while she gathered their bags. After getting everything in the car Phil offered Melinda a hand and guided her down the front steps of the house. The drive was eerily silent, filled only with Melinda’s sharp breaths and Phil's muttered words of encouragement.
Melinda's water broke mid way through the drive and she silently thanked the fact they had taken her car. If her water had broken on the seat of Lola it's probable that Phil would cry.
“Genuine leather Melinda, genuine leather!” He would whine dramatically .
Melinda turned her head towards Phil. He looked much calmer than he had just twelve hours ago. This was the version of Phil that could often be seen in the field. In his day to day life Phil could be a nervous disaster, but when it came to the important stuff he fell onto a state of calm. Melinda could see he was there now. His eyes were focused intensely on the road, his hands steady on the wheel.
When they arrived at the hospital he handled the situation with ease. He carried their bags and held her hand the whole way. It took an hour and a half in busy D.C traffic to get to the hospital. Her contractions were now very intense. Melinda knew how to handle pain, but they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Melinda held tightly to Phil’s hand as they walked laps around the delivery floor. She breathed through the easy contractions and clutched Phil's hand on the hard ones. They walked circles and made small talk with the other couples making their laps around the delivery floor. Phil used his effortless charm to get Melinda the best room on the floor and had already befriended multiple nurses. Melinda on the other hand was in no mood for friendliness.
After an hour of walking Melinda was really over the whole being in labour thing. She wanted to be done. She was hot and irritable and in an immense amount of pain. Her moments of pregnant bliss were long gone. She also wasn't really helping herself as she refused all pain medications the doctors offered. She was stubborn and she would not pump her full of chemicals. She would live with the pain like she always did. She wanted to just meet her daughter already. Phil was a saint through the whole process. He held her hand no matter how hard she squeezed, smiling softly and whispering just the right words into her ear whenever she needed it.
“You know I really don’t get how women can say this is the most beautiful experience of their lives. I can think of at least four dozen things that would be more beautiful right now.” Melinda growled bouncing up and down on a light blue exercise ball. “Out of all the experiences in my life this falls somewhere between sucks and really sucks.”
“Just come out!” She groaned to her swollen belly.
Phil chuckled watching from where he sat in a plastic chair in the corner of the room. He stood slowly and made his approach to the dishevelled woman in front of him. He carefully tested the waters, leaning down to gently massage her shoulders. When she didn’t push him away he settled in closer.
“Have I told you lately how bad-ass I think you are,” Phil asked sweetly.
Melinda groaned again as another wave of tightness radiated out across her stomach.
“Hey here.” Phil offered his hand for her to crush.
“Thanks.” She said roughly, looking over her shoulder at Phil.
Her bangs plastered to her face with sweat. Phil took his free hand and pushed the hair away from her eyes. Her face contorted with another wave of pain. She bared down and crushed Phil's hand in the process. He attempted to hide his grimace as he felt the bones in his hand become pulverized.
After what felt like an eternity the doctor arrived. Melinda got settled onto the bed and the hard part began.
“It is officially decided this falls under the category of really sucks,” Melinda moaned as another contraction hit. “I would pay for a nice easy gunshot right now or even a simple stab wound or maybe a kidnapping. That's always fun .
The medical staff all looked at Melinda with astonishment. She forgot that civilians never understood the gory details, but she was too tired to care. Since it was Phil's fault she was here in the first place he could deal with the stunned doctors and nurses. Phil looked from Melinda to the medical staff, and smiled slightly.
“She is just kidding,” Phil said, avoiding eye contact. “We work for Shield. It's just a little spy humour”.
The doctor nodded nervously giving Phil a strange look and then he turned back to his task. Phil crossed his fingers and silently hoped his beautiful and bad-ass wife could keep her further thoughts contained or the doctors might have her committed. Sadly his wishes were not granted.
“Damn it,” Melinda groaned, bearing all her weight on Phil's hand once again. For such a tiny person she was insanely strong. “This sucks worse than when being tortured for two days in Glasgow”.
At this point Phil no longer cared about the stunned looks on the doctors faces, and he simply joined in. the doctor instructed her to push once again and Phil added in his comment.
“But is this as bad as the waterboarding in Mumbai?” He asked, hoping to distract her from the pain.
“No.” She sputtered through rough breaths. “Nothing will ever be that bad. I broke both of my wrists getting out of that one”.
“It makes for a good dinner story.” Phil chimed in.
“I suppose it does.” Melinda managed to mutter before releasing a loud guttural scream that filled the room. It took her a moment to even register that the sound came from her. All of the air was sucked from the room and Phil’s smile disappeared. Even after years of seeing Melinda bloodied and bruised he had never heard her make a sound so gut wrenching. He wished he could do something, make the pain go away, but all he could do was offer his hand to be crushed.
Melinda cried out in pain once again, and after a few excruciating minutes she heard the soft wail of her daughter. The doctor slowly lifted the little girl and placed her on Melinda's chest. She was so small and squishy. May looked from the tiny baby on her chest to her husband towering beside her. A large smile was spread across his face and his eyes shimmered with tears.
“She is so tiny.” Melinda barely muttered, her throat hoarse from screaming.
Phil leaned down to better take in the image of his wife and daughter. They were both beautiful. His daughter was absolutely perfect and she knew in that moment he would do anything for the little girl on Melinda’s chest.
“She has your nose Mel, she's perfect.” Phil said, his voice filled with a love he had never felt before. “She must get it from you”. He reached his hand out to brush the stray hairs from his wife’s eyes.
Melinda chuckled, offering a tired smile. He was right, the infant was perfect. Melinda gazed at the small human squirming on her chest. She couldn’t wait to watch her grow. She couldn’t wait to hear her first words, take her first steps, throw her first punch. She couldn’t wait to spend afternoons at the park and nights on the roof watching the stars. Melinda had known her for less than five minutes and the small child already owned her heart.
“Hey Mel look at the time,” Phil nodded towards the clock on the wall. His hand clasped tightly with Melinda’s
12:10
“Huh, happy new year,” Melinda chuckled reaching her head up for a kiss.
Phil smiled down at his wife and newborn daughter and happily obliged Melinda’s request. Their lips met softly and only for a short moment before their daughter wailed and demanded their attention. Melinda grinned against Phil’s lips before turning her attention to the baby on her chest. Melinda gently stroked her back, making light shushing noises. Eventually the tears stopped.
“Thank you for this Mel.” Phil placed a kiss to the top of her forehead.
“I had help.” She replied chuckling. “Love you”.
“I love you more.” Phil said, placing a soft kiss on her lips.”Both of you”.
From that moment on they were hooked. No matter what dangers would arise they had one thing they would always protect and her name was Daniella Lian May-Coulson.