Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Bird watcher now, are we?” teased a voice at his side.

He shrugged lightly, tearing his gaze half-heartedly to glance back. “Why not? Birds can teach one a lot about themself.” He then snorted when he finally noticed the bright color in his visitor’s dark curls. “Hot pink this time? Really?” He had thought Daisy was past her rebellious teenage years—as he liked to call that time. “Gotta say. Liked it more when you had the purple streaks.”

Arms instantly wrapped him up in a loving embrace. “Missed you,” she murmured near his ear as she melted into his returned hug.

“Missed you, too,” he replied with a soft smile, kissing her cheek. They then broke apart. “So, what brings you back so soon?” It had only been a few weeks since Daisy had last visited in person. A second visit so soon was setting off all sorts of alarms in his head. Was she hurt? No, she looked fine, but appearances were sometimes deceiving he knew. Had her mission gone sideways then? No, he was certain he’d have been informed if it had. Mack would have let him know ASAP. So, what was it?

“Would you believe me if I said I was in the neighborhood?”

“Not a chance.”

Her eyes lit up in silent laughter. “All right. Fine. You caught me.” She sighed dramatically. “I don’t know. I just . . . you know, had some time to use.”

More alarm bells rang out. Uh oh. That wasn’t a good sign.

He took a step back towards her, gently resting a hand against her forearm. “You’re not fighting with Sousa, are you?” He’d kill the agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s past if Sousa had hurt her. It wouldn’t have been the first man Daisy had been involved with whom Coulson killed after all.

“No,” she scoffed. “Things are good there. Honest.”

He breathed a little easier at that. Good. She deserved good in her life. And Sousa was a good man. A little too good sometimes, which rubbed him the wrong way, but he was acceptable if Coulson had any say in that part of her life. Which he really didn’t. Actually, out of all the others she had been with over the years, Sousa was probably the best of the bunch. Way better than Ward for sure.

“Then what?”

“I don’t know.”

Uh-huh. Somehow he didn’t quite buy that.

“Daisy.”

“Really. I don’t know.” She tossed her hands up. “I just wanted some time off. That’s all.” She started to pace before him, a tiger locked up and driven mad with boredom. “Haven’t you ever wanted to take time just for yourself before?”

“Not usually, no.” S.H.I.E.L.D. had been his life for so long. He then paused for a moment, really thinking on it. “In fact, the last time I did, I died. Again.” At the instant flash of pain that crossed her face, he felt the swift punch to his gut in response. That was stupid, Phil. “Daisy, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” she replied, waving his apology away as she stepped back.

“No it’s really not,” he argued, which earned him a fierce, familiar eye roll. “I shouldn’t have said it.” He hated when he hurt her or May by saying stupid things. Hated it when he was alive, and really hated it now being an LMD because he knew better.

“Yeah, so, anyway, love what you’ve done with the place,” she loudly announced, making it clear she didn’t want to talk about it any longer.

For her, he let it drop. For now. “It’s still the same as it was the last time you were here.”

“Really?” Her eyes avoided his as she kept them trained on the small (ceremonial) worn metallic beige desk he had in his office. “Oh.”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. Jeez.” She forced an uneasy, guarded laugh. “Can’t a girl visit her favorite dad?”

“Sure, if that’s all this is, but we both know it’s not.” He frowned, observing her. The streaks had to mean something was bothering her or . . . Was she about to rebel openly against S.H.I.E.L.D. for some reason again? Though, that went against everything Mack had told him. She seemed to be enjoying deep space missions with Kora and Sousa. Unless . . . was that it? “Is it your sister?”

“Jemma?”

“No. Kora.” A part of him nearly chuckled at her mentioning of Simmons. He was glad the two women had gotten so close to one another over the years to consider each other sisters.

“Oh. Yeah, no—” she shook her head “—things are great there, too.”

“All right.”

Yep, he was officially lost now. If it wasn’t Sousa or Kora, then what?

“Daisy, talk to me. Please,” he pleaded, moving closer to comfort her. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She took another step back, clearly evasive and screaming even more non-verbal warnings to him.

“Okay, but everything is telling me that there is something, though,” he pointed out, watching her pause and glance at him. “Just talk to me. What’s wrong?”

She shrugged again, turning her back to him as she busied herself by looking at the photos lining his desk. He watched her as she picked up a photo of him surrounded by the rest of the team. They were all laughing, smiling, about something he had forgotten by now. They all seemed twenty years younger in that photo, having not been so weighed down by loss and heartbreak.

“Have you spoken to May lately?” she finally asked after a few more moments had passed.

“Not since this morning.” When he had walked her to class like he usually did. “Why?”

She nodded slowly, though, setting the photo back down.

Were the two fighting for some reason? He was fairly certain he’d have known about that, too, but maybe he didn’t. He was missing something here, though, and it was frankly starting to irritate him.

“Daisy—” he waited until she turned to look at him “—I unfortunately don’t have the ability for telepathy yet. That’s supposed to be coming in next week’s upgrade,” he remarked dryly “so please . . . talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.” He held his hands out placatingly. “Let me help.”

“If you knew something. . .” –she searched his face looking for some answer he didn’t know the question to yet— “something that would change everything, I mean everything, would you tell?”

Ah. So, it was this again. Her wanting to go back and save him from dying in the first place. “I think we’ve done more than enough messing with time lately. Don’t you?”

Her face fell half a moment later before she nodded sharply.

“You’re right. Course.” She then glanced at his charging station as they named it. “I should go.”

“Daisy—”

She stepped away, though, brushing past. “I’ll see you at dinner later,” she called over her shoulder, not giving him a chance to speak as she practically fled the room.

He sighed the second the door closed behind her, the sound echoing back to him painfully.

“Awesome. Just . . . awesome,” he muttered, shaking his head.

He wasn’t any closer to knowing what was going on with her than he was before. He glanced at the button on his desk that would allow him to talk with May privately but dismissed the idea as he knew what she’d say. So, May was out. For now.

Sousa was a possibility if Coulson really felt like he needed to make sure his girl was safe, but he still wasn’t entirely there yet to reach out to the man stealing his daughter away from him. In fact, May had the audacity more than a few times to call Coulson out on his behavior, going so far as to call him, him . . . Phillip J. Coulson, an overbearing father when it came to Daisy.

Pfft. As if.

He just wanted to keep Daisy safe. Always. No matter the cost. Just as any father did. That wasn’t overbearing. That was just being a good dad. Dad 101: Protect your child from harm.

His watch pinged then with its daily reminder at eleven-thirty. He glanced at it. Three hours until he’d meet up with May again for lunch. So much for figuring out that mystery. Sighing heavily, he walked to the bright alcove tucked in the corner.

Nap time it was.

Stepping onto the lighted platform of his docking station, his home since their return, he closed his eyes and powered down soon after, chin falling onto his chest. There’d be time later to sort it out.

Chapter Text

Exactly an hour later, he was jolted from his charge cycle by an unfamiliar high-pitched, disembodied voice that sounded almost mechanical in tone.

“Wake up, 08U7342,” the voice coolly instructed. “It’s time.”

His eyes burst open at once, seeking out whoever had interrupted.

His brows furrowed in confusion at someone reciting his S.H.I.E.L.D. number. What the hell? His eyes widened then, finding standing in front of him a tall, bald, large-headed humanoid wearing a deep cerulean velvet cape that had to have been stolen from Doctor Strange’s closet.

Glancing around the room, he wondered where his intruder had come from. His office was programmed to lock down the second he stepped onto the charging pad, so this really didn’t make any sense. There should have been a dozen or so S.H.I.E.L.D. agents busting through the doors with ICERS. Or at the very least S.W.O.R.D. since that agency had made it painfully clear lately that in their mind, his Chronicom-S.H.I.E.L.D. tech belonged to them and them alone.

“How did you—”

“There is no time, Director Coulson,” interrupted his intruder, holding their intense gaze with a vacant, distant look. “Do you wish to be Humanity’s shield again?”

“What?” He wasn’t the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. Hadn’t been for years. Mack was.

What was going on? Was his programming glitching? Was this a rogue subroutine in play?

“Earth requires its shield back in its rightful place. So, I ask again, Director Coulson—” its head tilted minutely “—do you wish to be Humanity’s shield again?”

He had never stopped. Had he? Sure, he had taken a step back, allowing the real superheroes to take over. However— No. He couldn’t be distracted like this. Glancing over at his desk minutely a second later, he calculated the odds of reaching it before the alien could stop him. It’d be close.

“I must have your answer,” it rasped demanding a reply.

“What’s going on? Who are you?” Distract while strategizing an escape plan. Spy 101.

The alien’s huge head tilted onto its side before it straightened again. “I am Axa, a Watcher assigned to Earth as you call it.”

A Watcher? Coulson reared back slightly. He had heard about this race from Director Fury decades ago. Learned more about in Fury’s toolbox as well. Watchers were tasked with observing, typically non-interfering with Earth’s events.

“Director Coulson, I must have your answer!” it insisted. “There is no time!”

“Why? What’s happening?” He needed more intel to make his decision. To rule options out.

Axa’s eyes glazed over for a moment, though, before the alien blinked and returned its steely gaze onto him. “You are the heart without a soul.” An interesting way to put it that Coulson was an LMD. “If you agree, I will return it and cast off all restrictions placed on you. Return what was lost.”

Coulson couldn’t help it. He stared back at a loss for words.

It was going to do what?

The alien then lunged forward, grasping Coulson’s shoulders.

“I need your permission!” Axa declared. “I recognize in the past you have not been asked when given these prospects so . . .  I am asking first. Do you permit my interference?”

“I—” He couldn’t keep up with the thoughts cycling through his mind. He was actually being asked first? That was . . . new.

Axa’s head tilted again as its eyes turned glassy and vacant again. As if receiving direction.

Coulson didn’t like this. There were too many unknowns, too many variables to consider. Was this alien a friend or foe? It was giving him a choice, sure, but it wasn’t like he knew exactly what he’d be agreeing to. He needed more information. More time. It always came down to more time.

“What’s happening?” he tried again, asking. “Why are you even here? Showing yourself to me?”

“All will be explained if you agree,” Axa claimed.

At a light thump on the other side of the door outside, Coulson caught the Watcher’s entire body flinch before it puffed out and raised its chin.

“You are key to it all,” stated Axa. “However, you have been harmed in the past when others do not ask. What I ask of you—it will be harder than your first return, I fear. There will be no tropical paradise to rely on. Only pain. Tremendous pain. But you will save them. Save her.”

Coulson’s fierce protective streak kicked into overdrive at that declaration. “Save who?” he questioned with narrowed eyes.

“Your daughter,” Axa answered, its large sapphire pupils shifting back to the door when there were more quiet thumps outside the room.

“I don’t—” Coulson then stopped. “Do you mean Daisy?”

He shouldn’t have believed Axa’s words. Everything inside told him that. Daisy was his weakness, and everyone who had ever met him knew that within seconds of meeting. Coulson had worn his heart and then some on his sleeve for his not-daughter he had risked so much for over the years. How many times had he been played this exact same way? One mention of Daisy, and there he was, being a dumbass and running headfirst into danger for her.

And yet everything inside forced him to believe the declaration.

Because if it turned out to be the truth and he could have saved her but hadn’t taken this chance to do so, he never would forgive himself. Ever.

“How do I save her? How do I save Daisy?”

“Say yes, Director Coulson.” Axa lowered its head slightly so the two would be eye level with one another. “And I’ll do the rest.”

It was a trick. Another lie. His agreeing would set off a cataclysmic chain of events that would destroy the universe. It would cause more pain, more loss, more heartbreak. It’d ruin everything.

But if it wasn’t . . .

“Yes.”

The word tumbled free from his lips, damning them all to whatever fate he had just caused.

Within seconds after saying it, Coulson found himself wrapped up into a strange hug by the Watcher. He felt thrown for a moment, confused why Axa would embrace him.

“I am so glad to hear you say that,” revealed the big-headed alien that was reminding Coulson of Talosians from Star Trek. “Embrace the beauty of this life, Director. For me. And it will all be worth it.”

“What?”

Anything else to be said was cutoff when Coulson felt a sharp pain to his back where he had been stabbed all those years ago with Loki’s staff.

He tried to scream, finding nothing but silence bursting from him.

Axa continued holding him, though.

“When you awaken, do not blame yourself. You did the right thing. It is always the right thing to choose to fight for family. Always,” Axa quietly stated. “My fellow brother Uatu taught me that.” The Watcher then lowered its voice and whispered into Coulson’s ear. “And he learned it from Director Fury who claimed to have learned it from you, Director Coulson.”

Fury? Axa knew of Fury? How? Had Fury actually met the Watchers instead of the excuse of just hearing about them from Danvers?

There were so many questions and so much pain flooding him that it was hard to concentrate.

“You will save her,” the Watcher declared. “Of that, I have no doubt.”

Overcome with pain and helpless to stop it, Coulson stared deep into the large eyes that reflected Earth’s past events like a series of blockbuster movies. He watched the scenes flash by, recalling his time in New York, Sokovia, and elsewhere.

“Remember who you are, Coulson.”

“He’s always there. Standing behind out of focus. In the shadows. He is there, yet he is everywhere.”

“He won’t give up on you.”

“T.A.H.I.T.I. was designed to revive a fallen Avenger.”

“Phil Coulson. Humanity’s shield.”

“He can bring all the pieces together.”

“One man at the center of it all.”

“Things evolve. They change. People change.”

“But it’s up to you if you think more time is worth it.”

He heard the voices filter in and out of his mind, switching speakers faster as more time elapsed. He wanted to close his eyes and succumb to the pain that was ripping him apart. He remembered it all.

“Fight it!”

“You have always been more capable than what you imagine.”

“Take the deal!”

His vision started blur, his office fading in his eyes. His mind began to skip thoughts, missing an occasional word here and there. He almost couldn’t feel Axa anymore holding him.

“No matter . . .  take care of you. That’s my plan.”

“May,” he rasped, coughing violently as it became even harder to focus. What had he done? He had screwed up and ruined everything. He hoped that she was right and wouldn’t grieve him this time.

“He’s got a . . . heart than . . . ”

Something wet slithered up, encasing him. It felt like a blanket of fire that burned hotter than any star in the known universe. Ever steady, though, those brilliant blue eyes, brighter than any summer day sky, remained in front of him. Glowing orbs of comfort, Coulson thought with a weak chuckle.

For the life of him, he couldn’t recall who was there with him this time. He knew knowing that was important for some reason, but his mind refused to supply that answer. He was just glad not to be alone, though. It was welcoming.

“I did it . . .  To protect you!”

“I will always protect you!”

His eyes fluttered for a few more moments, fighting against the instinct to let go. It’d be so easy to do after all. To submit to the pain he shouldn’t feel and let the darkness welcome him home finally.

“Just follow my lead.”

His eyes closed soon after, exhaling. It was a leap of faith sort of thing. He was good at those.

“You always come back!”

Burning all around him, the last of the substance finally fused together at the top of his head, completing his encasement. He didn’t know where his pain began or ended or anything really. He was being ripped apart, torn, and turned inside out. It was excruciating, worse than T.A.H.I.T.I. somehow.

“Did you really think after everything . . . you and me, that there was any universe . . . I’d have left you behind?”

“She’s . . . my daughter, . . . she’s . . . family . . . And . . . will save . . . no matter what . . . ”

“It’s funny . . . when someone believes...”

“ . . . what we’ve been fighting for.”

Images of May and Daisy with the rest of their ragtag misfit family appeared in front of him. Like pages turning in a book, he watched the memories of his life and his future blend together as one.

He saw Fitz-Simmons with their daughter Alya, the trio laughing over something.

He watched Mack walk off with Yo-Yo with sounds of quiet snickers following them.

He caught Daisy’s warm, amused smile staring in his direction before she motioned to his side with a thumbs up.

Turning where she was signaling, he found May giving him an exasperated look, a familiar silver ring sparkling on her ring finger. A ring he knew he hadn’t given her. Hadn’t thought to give her because there hadn’t been time. There was never enough time. He never had enough time.

“What are you waiting for, Dad?” Daisy teased happily. “The end of the world?”

“Again,” piped up a chorus of voices he recognized that belonged to Bobbi, Hunter, Mack, Yo-Yo, and FitzSimmons before they all dissolved into a fit of boisterous laughter.

“What do you think, Robbie? Twenty-to-one odds on this?” Trip remarked with a wide grin.

“Eh, more like fifty-to-one,” answered Reyes.

“See? Now, you’re both wrong,” stated Agent Hill as she stepped into the scene. “Coulson here has got some serious game.”

“Always has, too,” commented Director Fury, standing next to Agent Hill.

“Agent Coulson? Having game? Really? Our little Agent Phil Coulson?” Tony Stark drawled with a cocky grin, strolling in with the rest of the Avengers falling in line next to him. The leader Coulson had always thought the billionaire playboy would be.

“Cool it, Stark. That’s an order!” Fury barked, a thin, crooked smile giving him away instantly.

“But—”

“Tony,” warned Steve Rogers at the genius’s side. “Let’s not this one time, all right?”

“Yes, dear,” sighed Stark dramatically before he winked back at Coulson.

“Phil?” May crossed her arms expectantly. “Are you seriously just going to stand over there and ignore our daughter’s question?” Her dark beautiful eyes twinkled softly in the light. “Don’t you think we’ve wasted enough time over the years?”

He took a step towards her, pausing when the scene shifted her further away.

“You know, she’s right,” murmured a familiar voice before one of his exes appeared. Rosalind.

“What are you waiting for, Phil?” another ex inquired, taking away his breath. Audrey.

He stared at the women, shocked to his core. They were here? Together?

The scene then shimmered away until all that remained was May and Daisy.

“Phil, move your ass!” May ordered, giving him a harsh look as she knelt next to Daisy’s side.

“AH!” Daisy screamed, pushing herself up as she did.

“Shh, I know. Breathe,” softly murmured May, dabbing at Daisy’s flushed face. “Just breathe, Daisy. It’s okay. We’ve got this.” Her eyes then darted over to him again. “Phil, get over here now!”

He didn’t move, though.

Daisy was lying on her back, clearly in tremendous amount of pain based on her sharp cries.

Turning his head, he glanced around the room, recognizing it immediately as some iteration of the Zephyr. It seemed to be a medical bay of some sort. However, it was not one he had ever been to.

“Phil!” May yelled again, throwing a towel at him and hitting him square in the chest. “Get over here, damn it! Daisy needs you!”

That propelled him forward. He rushed to their sides.

The second he saw the deep gashes to Daisy’s very swollen abdomen, he inhaled sharply. His eyes flew to her bloodied, ashen face, taking note of the look of terror in her beautiful brown eyes.

She was pregnant?

Turning to May in need of her guidance again to learn just what was going on, he noticed the grim look that screamed Daisy was in trouble. It was bad. Real bad.

His eyes snapped back to Daisy as he grabbed her hand.

“I’m here, Daisy. I’m right here. It’s okay.” He squeezed her hand gently. “I’ve got you.”

The scene then shifted once more, shimmering into some location he had never been. For a brief moment he thought it was the planet he had killed Ward on, but this was more vibrant with a large collection of florescent colors. Plus, there were buildings nearby that seemed still active.

With only seconds to spare, Coulson ducked down to avoid a green ball of electricity hurling rapidly towards him.

“Dad!”

“Daisy, look ou—” yelled Sousa, finally appearing.

“Filthy Kree half breed!” hissed another voice that Coulson couldn’t see yet.

“NO!”

Screams filled the air after a bright, harsh light blinded them soon after.

“Kill them! No survivors!”

A hand then snatched Coulson’s upper arm, yanking him back hard.

“I will enjoy the taste of your blood, Terran,” screeched the reptilian alien, smirking evilly. “But not as much as I will enjoy the light leaving your eyes as I consume your wife and child in front of you!”

“Get away from him!” snarled Daisy, stretching out her hand and sending the alien hurtling through the air as she used her powers to throw the alien back into the wall.

The scene flickered once more to what seemed to be the inside of the Lighthouse.

“They’re coming!” shouted Mack behind large containers. “Hold the line!”

“You will lose everything if you resist,” growled a sinister voice from down the familiar hallway. “Surrender the half breed to us, and no one on your planet will be harmed!”

“Somehow I doubt that,” he heard himself call back.

“Then you have sentenced your planet to death, Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D.!”

Crackling energy balls of electricity from before streaked through the air soon after.

“I will enjoy this immensely.” Loud metallic boots slammed down against the floor as the alien enemy approached. The ground shook with each step. “Your head will be mounted on my wall as a reminder to all who dare defy me. ‘Here lies Phillip J. Coulson, Earth’s mightiest failure.” More rhythmic boots clanged out as more aliens entered the room. “Tell me, Humanity’s Shield! I wonder how many times must you die before you run out of stolen lives, hmm?” A low chuckle rumbled. “Axa cannot save you this time. You are mine!”

“General Trenir!” shrieked another voice. “Terran ships have appeared!”

A fierce growl erupted. “Fire on them at once!”

A gentle hand then grasped Coulson’s forearm, causing him to glance to the hand’s owner.

“Phil, Daisy!” May stated softly so only he’d hear.

“When I find your child, Lewzoid of Terra,” growled Trenir, “I will force you to watch me kill your family, starting with your repulsive half breed daughter and filthy unborn grandchild!”

“Yeah? Well, you’ll have to go through me first, alien scum!” declared Sousa after teleporting into the hallway.

“And me as well,” Daisy’s sister Kora remarked at Sousa’s side.

“As you wish,” sneered the pale gray lizard-like alien.

More volleys of electric energy balls cut through the air, hurtling towards them.

“NO!”

Harsh crackling reverberated as the scene shifted again, now becoming the courtyard of Coulson Academy.

“Tell me. What makes you so special? So worthy to be saved yet again, rising from the ashes of the dead you buried?” hissed Trenir, droplets of spittle hitting Coulson’s face.

“Been asking myself that for years actually,” he remarked dryly back, held too close for comfort in a strong, death grip. “If you find out, let me know. Until then . . .”

Trenir chuckled deeply. “You still think you’ll win, don’t you? I admire your spirit.” The general smirked wider, showing off more of its teeth. “It will make breaking you all that much sweeter.”

A sharp crack filled the sky, sending ripples of chaotic energy outwards.

“Leave him alone, Trenir!”

“Axa!” The general whirled back. “How nice of you to join us finally. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t.”

“He is protected!” Axa shouted. “You know this!”

“He is, but his family is not. His planet is not.”

“Yeah,” a familiar female voice chimed in, “about that.”

Coulson’s eyes widened as he watched Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, slowly levitate herself down onto the ground beside Axa.

“See, Earth is under my protection. And him?” She pointed towards Coulson. “Well, he’s definitely under my protection, too. Him and his family. So, you should probably leave while you still have the chance.”

Trenir sneered, glaring back murderously.

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll have to take out the trash.” She smiled slowly. “Meaning you by the way.”

Trenir’s eyes darted to Coulson.

“You may have won this round,” commented the alien general, “but I will return. And they will not always be around to save you when I do.”

“Yeah, keep thinking that,” stated Danvers, crossing her arms in boredom.

“He and his family will not be harmed,” Axa asserted. “They’re protected as they’ll always be.”

“For now,” drawled Trenir.

“Forever,”Axa corrected. “We will ensure it.” He glanced towards Danvers who inclined her head in agreement. “He is Humanity’s shield. As long as we live, so shall he. You will never succeed.”

“We shall see.” Trenir smiled darkly, showing his pointy incisors. “Until next time, Coulson.”

He blinked when everything vanished into pitch darkness a moment later.

“Axa—”

“It is the only way,” Axa’s voice carried in the blackness of the void. “We must try!”

“But—”

“—sacrifice is necessary sometimes. Uatu taught me that.”

“Yes, but why this human? Why him?”

“He is important.”

“But why?”

“Because he has been there from the beginning, from the start of it all.”

“Then perhaps he is the reason—”

“No. He is not,” Axa stated.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I have watched him, seen his goodness, witnessed his capacity for love, observed his ability to forgive enemies and provide them with a second chance.”

“I see.”

“I recognize you do not perceive humans in the same way as I.”

“I do not.”

Axa chuckled quietly, the sound echoing all around. “This one human, ordinary by all means, allowed Marvel to save the Skrull, to save countless other lives. All by looking the other way and offering loyalty to a superior. An act of disobedience to his training. He went, as they say, with his gut. And it worked beautifully. And, later, he helped with the Avengers Initiative, sacrificing his life to give them a cause to rally behind. It was his work with T.A.H.I.T.I. that allowed him to come back as well. And when others would have turned their back after enduring such trauma, he stepped up instead, fighting to make Earth a better place. Committing himself further to the cause. He is guided by love and loyalty. Death is only a means of achieving his ascension among the stars, among the greats, among the Gods. He has sacrificed himself innumerable times, more than any other, selfless to his core.” Axa inhaled slowly. “Because he believes. Believes in the same decree as every single one of the universe’s mightiest: That all life is meaningful. Tell me. Does that not sound like someone you would want in this universe?”

“There is something more, though, is there not?”

“There is,” Axa agreed.

“It is for that reason why Trenir wishes this human’s death, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Because of the Inhuman child?”

“Yes.”

“We are not to interfere, though—”

“—like dear brother Uatu, indeed.”

“But you are suggesting—”

“I am suggesting nothing.” A long pause followed. “For it is already done.”

“You—”

“It is the only way to correct the damage done to the timeline. To fix what was broken. What you are fixing. To ensure the future is achieved for all.”

“But it will cost—”

“—yes—”

“—I do not know how to comprehend this,” the second voice revealed. “It does not follow logic nor probability. It is, in fact, a—”

“—leap of faith,” Axa interrupted softly. “Yes. I am choosing to place my hope on this human who has taught me so much about humanity, about life and love. He could teach you the same if you give him a chance this time.”

The boiling heat from earlier then simmered away.

“Perhaps one day. When it’s over.” A loud sigh then filled the air. “Until the end, Axa.”

“Until the very end for you as well, Prince of Asgard.”

Unable to react in time to that bombshell, Coulson was forced to witness the world explode into colorful lights, bathing him in rays of soothing coolness that lapped against like waves of comfort. Soothing his tattered soul.

“I am righting the wrong done to you, Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D." A voice spoke in the distance. "You saved the world innumerable times. Allow me now to offer my gift of more time as a means of gratitude for your sacrifices. Know that they were never in vain. Not once. Rest your weary soul. For I have returned the missing piece you need to ensure Trenir’s defeat. This I promise you.”

Flickers of memories flashed in front of Coulson like old movies again.

He felt his pride rise inside at the scene of Daisy defeating Talbot with the use of the centipede serum meant to save him.

He felt his relief at seeing FitzSimmons rescue their daughter, holding her close.

He felt his satisfaction at Mack stepping up to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. in his and Fury’s absences.

He felt his happiness at Yo-Yo finding her place as an agent.

But, above all, he felt his love for May deepening as their parameters changed once more.

“Wake up, 08U7342,” Axa’s voice echoed lightly, the world shifting all around. “It’s time to return you home.”

Rousing with all the previous memories of what just occurred fading like a dream, Coulson fought against the grogginess that had entrenched itself deep inside his mind. Blinking against the heaviness on his face, he wondered why it felt like he had a mud mask on. Not that he—okay, so maybe he did. It had been a long time ago on some random undercover assignment he had done with May, who had happily volunteered him to do the spa facial instead of herself. And like the hopeless idiot he was, all it had taken from her was that crooked smile of hers and there he was agreeing within seconds.

Wait. Had this been another of those things he had done for Daisy? No, on second thought, that didn’t make sense. She had left earlier.

He tried to move his arms then. Which was easier said than done. It felt like he was trying to move large, immovable boulders. What was going on? Sounds of something fell to the ground nearby the more he moved with soft thumps along with occasional large ones.

Like mud cracking off, he thought for a brief moment.

Or . . .

His heart rate instantly spiked in horror in realization.

Or much rather like stone-cocoons after Terrigenesis.

NO!

This wasn’t right! He wasn’t—NO!

A door slammed open then outside of whatever bound him.

“Phil!”

May? He tried to turn his head to where he had heard her but couldn’t move due to the restrictions of the encasement. He couldn’t see anything but absolute darkness.

“Hang on!”

He felt the first piece crack from his face, shattering onto the ground. Finally, he could see. He drew in a large breath of fresh air, watching May frantically pull the rest of the deep blue, thick material matted on him off. He coughed loudly after she uncovered his face fully, catching the surprise in her eyes as she paused for half a moment.

“What?”

She took a step back, though, staring at him wide-eyed.

“May?”

“I can feel you,” she whispered. “How?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I can feel your emotions,” she stated hesitatingly, acting as if she had never met him before. Her eyes then moved down his blue-goo wrapped body before she gasped. “What did you do?”

“Me?” He stared back in utter shock. “I didn’t do anything. I powered down like I always do and woke up like this.”

She then stepped back to him cautiously. “We’re going to FitzSimmons.”

“All right. Agreed. Maybe they can figure out what’s going on.” It was worth a shot at least.

“And we’re going to alert Mack and tell Daisy.”

“Fine. Yeah,” he replied, nodding. “Makes total sense.” Weird. His left arm ached.

“Nothing about this makes sense,” she snapped.

“Well, sorry,” he drawled back dryly, ignoring the tingling ache of his left arm for a moment, “I only just woke up covered head-to-toe in blue crap. Cut me some slack, will you?”

“Cut you some slack?” she repeated dangerously as she stepped back into his personal space. “Oh, I know you didn’t just say that to me.” She glared back. “Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through over the years? But, yeah, Phil, sure, I’ll cut you some slack.” Her eyes hardened as her glare turned icy. “Anything for you,” she spat with dripping cold sarcasm, sending a chill down his spine—along with another feeling he was just going to ignore for now. “Sorry.”

He blinked with a confused frown. What was she apologizing for? He had deserved that outburst. A moment later, she answered his question with a hard punch to the chest, sending the blue-hardened material scattering as it broke apart. He coughed in response, groaning as he promptly leaned forward.

“That hurt,” he wheezed, rubbing his bare chest.

“Not as much as it could have,” she commented sardonically, holding a hand out. “Here.”

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.” Or he would be once it didn’t hurt to breathe any longer.

“Phil,” she said exasperatedly. “Just take my damn hand.”

He did without thought, their fingers instantly curling around one another. As they had so many times over the years together. Absolute trust. He let her pull him out of the blue cocoon, gently falling into her after he stumbled free. He chuckled softly in reply, staring deep into her eyes.

It was as if no time had passed between them, even though years had passed since the island.

“Hi,” he whispered, an arm quickly wrapping around her to pull her in closer. To feel the warmth of her against him.

She rolled her eyes but smiled back faintly. “Don’t think that gets you off the hook.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

He lowered his head, moving closer to her. She tilted her head, brushing her cheek against his.

They both breathed in deeply.

“Phil,” she murmured shakily several moments later.

“Shh, I know,” he mouthed, feeling the electricity building between them. “I feel it, too.”

“You died.” She lifted her head up, swallowing as she held his gaze. “Again.”

“I’m sorry.” He lifted a hand, gently cupping her cheek. He felt her walls lower as she surrendered herself to his touch. He closed his eyes when she kissed the palm of his right hand.

“How is this possible?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “I remember talking to Daisy earlier, confused because she wasn’t making sense. And then I went to charge—and then this. I honestly don’t know.” It should have scared him, terrified him to his core, but it didn't. He knew this was supposed to be how it should be. Him with May, alive. With his thumb, he silently wiped away a stray, traitorous tear rolling down her cheek. “I missed you.”

She forced a low, somber laugh. “Missed me?” She scoffed quietly, glancing at him through wet eyelashes. “You’d have to stay dead long enough first to miss me, remember?”

He chuckled with a faint smile. “Yeah, I suppose that’s true.” He then couldn’t help himself. He leaned all the way forward, brushing his lips over hers. He expected her cautiousness, so he yielded, allowing her to control the tempo. They finally had time. All the time in the world. The time he had pleaded for night after night those warm summer nights on their island. It wasn’t long before she yanked him in more, hungrily chasing his lips. Devouring him as they recaptured their stolen moments from his death.

The sound of the blue goo melting and splashing down onto the carpet a second later drew them back, ending the moment unfortunately. Both of them glanced at the puddle questioningly.

“We should get a sample,” May finally remarked with a heavy sigh.

“Probably, yeah.”

It would probably be one of the first things FitzSimmons would ask for after all. After the two had picked up their jaws at this latest surprise that was.

But he really didn't want to stop kissing her, offering himself to her fully.

“You really don’t know what happened?” she asked quietly.

“After Daisy left?” At her curt nod, he shook his head. “No, I really don’t.” He frowned, his other arm wrapping around her waist. He never wanted to let her go. “I wish I did, but it’s just . . . a blur.” He felt her tense briefly but said nothing. He understood that reaction.

“A part of me doesn’t want to look this particular gift horse in the mouth.”

“I know the feeling,” he murmured.

“But we’ve seen this too many times before.”

His eyes briefly closed. “I know.” Even he was having trouble believing this could be real. That he was really here with her. Finally able to hold her. To kiss her. To love her the way he had always wanted.

She sighed heavily, lowering her head to rest against his shoulder. “But I know it’s you. I know it. I can feel that it’s you.”

“We’ll figure this out.” He pulled a hand back, gently tilting her head up to see her eyes again. “We always do.”

“You always come back.”

He forced a thin smile and nodded. Somehow. Yeah. That seemed to be his superpower.

“We should go see FitzSimmons,” he finally said after several minutes passed, knowing that it was important that they figured this out.

“Agreed—” May's ghost of a coy smirk then twisted upwards more “—but first you should put some clothes on.”

He blinked. What? He then glanced down before he winced when he realized she was telling the truth. Huh. So that was why everything felt so—huh. All right then.

She snorted, shaking her head. “Tell me. Do you always charge naked?”

“No!” He huffed, seeing her eyes light up in more amusement. “That stuff must have dissolved my clothes somehow.”

“Sure it did.”

“May.”

She tilted her head slightly with a raised brow and crooked smile. “Phil?”

He groaned, knowing she’d tease him for years for this. “Remind me again why I love you?”

She shrugged lightly. “Hell if I know,” she replied, stepping out of his embrace. “I’ll collect the sample. You, however, get dressed.”

He scoffed. “Are you honestly ordering me around now?”

“You like it.”

With a wide, cheeky grin that only ever came out around May, he drawled back, “Maybe a little.” He then leaned forward, only to pause when she pressed a hand atop of the old scar where Loki’s staff impaled him. His first death. T.A.H.I.T.I. A second chance to get things right. Another missed opportunity. Love and then loss. Regret and pain.

“Get dressed, Phil,” she repeated firmly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He sighed heavily. “Fine,” he grumbled. “Anything for you.” He walked to the closet that held all the clothes. He paused at seeing the silver on his left arm before he quickly dressed, hearing May behind him. “Any idea yet what it is?” he asked a few minutes later, turning back as he tied his tie.

“Yes, because clearly I know all about the blue goo.” She rolled her eyes. “I liked you better as an LMD.”

“Gee, thanks. I only came back to life. Again.”

“Like a—never mind.” She was already tapping her watch to contact Simmons.

A hologram of the young British woman appeared suspended above May’s wrist soon after.

“May? Is everything all right?”

“Not sure yet.”

Coulson rolled his eyes. Always so dramatic.

“Could we meet at the lab? I’m bringing Coulson with me.”

“Of course.” Simmons turned her head, likely to glance over at Fitz. “It’ll be ready.”

“Thank you.” May tapped her watch a moment later ending the call and sighed. “I’ll let Daisy know we’re going to be late to dinner.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. While you’re at it, find out what she was here for earlier, too, will you?” He closed his mouth when he caught the glare. “Never mind.”

A second later, holo-Daisy was hovering above the watch.

“What’s up?”

“We’re going to be a little late to dinner tonight unfortunately.”

“Oh. Okay then. Everything okay?” Daisy’s eyes then widened. “Wait. Tell me he’s not freaking out about my visit earlier.”

Coulson instantly motioned a ‘Do you see now?’ He got back another glare that shut him up.

“No, Daisy. He’s still clueless as ever.”

He frowned back. Clueless insinuated that he hadn’t picked up on anything. He had. He just didn't have all the pieces to figure out the puzzle.

“Oh. Well, do you mind if we just hang out at the house while we wait?”

“Of course not.”

Daisy smiled widely. “Thanks. See you soon.” Her holo-version then deactivated.

“See?” he instantly said, unable to stop himself. “Something’s definitely up with her. I mean, pink streaks? She only dyes her hair when—”

“Do you want to stand here and theorize about Daisy? Or do you want to head over to FitzSimmons and have them figure out why you came back from the dead again?”

Stubbornly, like the brat he was sometimes around her, he replied, “Both honestly.”

“Well, we can’t do both.” She lightly pushed him. “So, move.”

He leaned back into her touch, though. “Technically, we could.”

“Phil.”

He sighed heavily. “Fine.” He motioned towards the opened door. “Lead the way.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, if you think I’m going to turn my back to you, you’re even worse off than I thought.” She held a hand out, asking him to lead instead. “After you.”

His mood was plummeting. “You know, the amount of faith in this relationship is really disheartening at times.”

“We were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents practically our entire lives. It’d be strange if we weren’t so distrusting of one another when these things happen.”

“Yeah.” He then paused, glancing at her. “This isn’t the Framework again, is it?”

“Why? Planning on getting shot again?" she deadpanned with crossed arms and a frown. "Leaping into another vortex that leads who knows where on a leap of faith?”

His frown deepened. She was never going to let that go. It wasn’t like he had a death wish. “You know, some women would be happy to see their loved ones returning from beyond the grave. But not you. Never you.” Instead, he always got glares and lectures followed by her being mad for weeks.

“Do you blame me?” she asked. “After Nano Masks? The Framework? Sarge? Chronicoms?” And that was only a few of the reasons they both knew.

He stayed silent then. Of course he didn’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, he’d be just as suspicious as she was. Continuing onward, he led them to where he had parked Lola.

As soon as they had reached the sleek black rebuilt Corvette several minutes later, they both slid into their respective seats. Normally, he’d have remarked about the freedom she was offering currently. However, he recognized it for what it was. They both knew if she felt threatened, she’d take him out in an instant. She was just giving him enough freedom to make a mistake and damn himself. He wouldn’t, though . . . he hoped.

Chapter Text

Coulson and May had been at the lab adjacent to FitzSimmons’s property in the countryside already about a half-hour by his estimate. He had been poked, scanned, prodded, asked every question in the book, stripped down practically to nothing, and half a dozen other things by Simmons while Fitz and May looked on at the ready. He did his best to force himself to remain calm and collected. However, at some point, they did eventually have to accept that he was really back. Somehow.

He understood their need to be thorough. He really did. There were literally hundreds of ways someone could try to trick the system. They had all witnessed it firsthand together throughout the years. However, he’d think after the hundredth scan, the trio would be a little less . . . this.

He hadn’t made a single threatening move towards any of them, yet May still looked ready to kill him at even the slightest fidget. And, unfortunately for him, he was starting to get a cramp in his lower back as a result of his stiff, non-threatening posture on the edge of the exam table.

Actually, on second thought, May looking ready to kill was probably more a result of all the times she had gotten her hopes up only to be disappointed later. How many times had she probably wished for this exact scenario since his death?

He watched FitzSimmons across the way as they both studied the results from each test they had run. History had shown whenever there was fervent, rapid whispering followed by hesitant looks from the two, though, it was never a good sign. Barely holding back his wince as his back twinged more, he glanced at May, finding her watching them closely as well. He waited, though, keeping quiet. After all, he knew her enough to know she was on edge, and that was when she was at her most dangerous. The very last thing they needed was for her to hurt him before finding out if it was really him or not.

“Well?” May finally snapped after another moment passed and no one had said anything yet. “What is it? What did you find?”

Fitz glanced at his wife before he sighed heavily.

It was Jemma, who answered, though. “It’s a perfect match.”

“How?” May demanded, her shoulders rising as she tensed violently. Not a good sign.

In contrast, Coulson glanced down at his hands folded neatly in his lap, thankful he was at least dressed in a suit again instead of that flimsy hospital gown he had worn previously. He knew he should have been as furious and frustrated as May was. He had been dead. Again. And somehow brought back. Again. Details still yet to be determined.

However, he was tired of being angry whenever this happened. As long as he wasn’t in a Hive-like situation, which he was fairly certain he wasn’t, it got him more time. Time he had secretly begged nightly for near the end with May on their island. He wasn’t going to waste any more precious moments therefore. He was back, alive for who knew why. He was just thankful that he was. They’d deal with the rest of the madness later. They always did. For now, he chose acceptance.

Though, he did have a thought nagging at the back of his mind that there was something he needed to remember. Something important. He just couldn’t recall what that was. So, he kept brushing it aside and trying to stay present in the situation.

“Best guess?” Simmons asked quietly. She waited half a moment before saying, “We have no idea. The sample contained organic foreign material we’ve never seen before. It wasn’t Kree.”

Thank God.

“It wasn’t Asgardian either.”

So he wasn’t going to become Thor’s second cousin twice removed. Also good.

“In fact, it wasn’t any known alien DNA.”

“But it is alien DNA, though?” pressed May.

“Yes.” Jemma nodded slowly. “And judging by the amount you described—”

“—it’d likely either be gigantic,” Fitz cut in, “which isn’t likely, or—”

“—or it transferred the last of its energy, its life force, into him before exploding,” Jemma finished solemnly. “Eventually, it hardened onto him to what you described finding.”

“Wonderful” was the sarcastic reply.

Coulson had to agree. It was always so nice to hear how he had yet even more blood on his hands as a result of his resurrection. As if he didn’t already have blood soaked so far inside that he’d never be able to scrub it all away.

“The good news, though, is that he’s perfectly healthy all things considered,” Jemma offered with a gentle, kind smile before her eyes fell to her tablet briefly to respond to the beeping.

That was, considering he should have been a dead man. She left that part unsaid naturally.

“Do we have any surveillance outside his office?” There she was, the May he knew and loved. Always searching for more answers. “Anything that would show—”

“A giant alien?” Fitz suggested quietly.

“Well?” she snapped again impatiently, glancing at them. “Do we?”

“May,” Coulson quietly murmured, ignoring the intense urge to reach for her. She blatantly brushed him aside, focused on her mission.

“No. There’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Rage teetered on the edge, seeping into May’s words. “We have no images of anyone walking into his office? At all? Not a single frame of someone outside his office at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the supposed most secure building in the world? That’s what you’re telling me?”

“As you know, when he charges,” Fitz explained, holding out his tablet, “his office is locked down. Jemma and I personally installed those safeguards ourselves.”

“Well, clearly, they didn’t work, now did they?” May tossed back snarkily.

Coulson frowned but didn’t step in. Fitz could hold his own. The brilliant, young scientist didn’t need anyone to fight his battles. He had proved that and then some.

“Yes, there were . . . flaws,” Fitz concurred bitingly. “However, the sensors did pick up a brief energy surge.”

“From what?”

“Unknown. The sensors show he was alone inside. Everything else that we could have collected was erased somehow.”

“The former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.—”

That triggered his memory. His head snapped to the side as his eyes narrowed. The nagging thought from earlier was screaming louder now. He was supposed to remember something. Something that was—what was it? What was he supposed to remember? Why couldn’t he recall?

“Phil?”

His eyes flicked up, finding May’s concerned gaze on him.

“I don’t know,” he sighed, shaking his head. “I just . . .”

“You just what?” she urged, her walls raising a smidge.

“I don’t know how to describe it. I just feel like there’s something I was supposed to remember.” He caught the look on her face before she threw her walls fully up to protect herself again. “No, May. It’s not like that.” He wouldn’t hurt any of them.

“How do you know?” she demanded. “You said the last thing you remembered was Daisy.”

“Oh!” Simmons cried. “She told you then, sir?”

“Told me?” Coulson repeated calmly, turning to Jemma. “Told me what?”

What horrible secret was being kept from him this time?

Jemma instantly blinked and forced a polite smile. “Ah. Never mind then.” Her eyes fell back to her tablet with a wince.

Thankfully, not having noticed the awkwardness after being distracted by some readings he was studying on his own tablet, Fitz started to say without looking up, “That she and—”

Both Jemma and May instantly punched Fitz hard in the arms.

“Ow!” yelped the retired S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist, jumping back from both of the glaring women. “What was that for?” Fitz rubbed his right arm where his wife had punched his bicep.

Control having flirted with the edge long enough, Coulson finally tipped over.

Oh hell no! This was not happening!

“He asked her to marry him?!” he shouted. No. No! “They barely know each other!” Didn’t Daisy know that in this line of work it took decades to find the right person?

May pressed her lips together and tilted her head with a frustrated sigh that was her trademark ‘You are such an idiot, Phil’ look. He knew that look well. Down to the crinkle near her eye. The pinched ruby lips. And that eye roll that was her flourished signature piece.

Any other time, he’d have commented how beautiful she looked right then. But priorities.

“What?” He glanced at the trio. “As her father—”

A loud groan filled the air.

“For the hundredth time, you are not her father, Phil,” May frowned deeper.

He brushed her off, though. “As her father,” he repeated firmer, “he is expected to ask—”

“—oh for the love of—” She threw her hands into the air, shaking her head.

“—before approaching her. It’s a time-honored tradition based on respect and mutual understanding between father and future son-in-law that dates back to—”

“Coulson!” she yelled sharply, causing his mouth to snap shut.

How in the world did Sousa not know the cardinal rule? Even Phil knew it, having asked a few years back for William’s blessing. Granted, he had been too chicken ever to act on it, but he still had asked. Just in case. Because they had been finally working towards their happily ever after before his terminal diagnosis happened.

He took back all the nice things he had ever said about the SSR agent. Hell, he actually was legitimately regretting saving Sousa now. Well, sort of at least. As a S.H.I.E.L.D. buff, he could forgive the misstep. As a father to Daisy, though, Sousa was dead to him.

“They’re not getting married, so cool it,” May huffed exasperatedly.

Coulson blinked. They weren’t? Oh thank god. He caught Jemma’s shared understanding look with her husband. At least they got why he was so irritated by this.

“If not that, then what?” he finally inquired. “What’s the big secret?” All three stood straighter but didn’t answer. “What are all of you hiding from me?”

Of all the things he hated, secrets were the top of the list. Secrets always came to bite them in the ass. He could go on for days with examples of it. How could they do this? Again?

“She’s pregnant!”

His head reared back slightly, taking the metaphorical blow. Come again?

“Daisy’s pregnant?” he whispered, swallowing as he stared back at an extremely bothered May.

“Yes. Now, will you please calm down?” She pinched her lips together, glaring back. “You’re driving me insane.”

“How can you be so calm about this? Our daughter—”

“—Phil, I swear—” she growled, pointing at him dangerously.

“—is pregnant, and you’re just okay with it?” He’d ignore the fact that it seemed like he was literally the last to know about this. His mind raced with thoughts. This had to be what Daisy meant by everything changing. A baby was huge, monumental even. A child changed one’s entire perspective.

Daisy would have to go on leave of course. Take time to stay Earth side to minimize the risks to both mother and child. She wouldn’t be thrilled, but it had to be done. There were too many variables out there in space that could harm the two of them.

Then there was the fact that Daisy and Sousa were still in the beginning of their relationship, too. Was the couple even ready for this? May and he would of course support her any way Daisy needed. No questions asked. They were there for her always. However, adding a baby into a new relationship usually came with its own struggles. Not all were ready for that responsibility. Would Sousa? A man who had been taken out of his time and thrown into an ever-changing world? Coulson certainly hoped so for Daisy’s sake. If not, May and he would be there.

There were also modifications that now needed to be done to the house, namely expanding it for the nursery. It’d take a bit of work. Oh! And the crib! He could totally gather up materials to make her a homemade one. Something functional but beautiful. Give her everything she deserved.

Scoffing, May shook her head, the sound instantly pulling him from his spiraling thoughts. “You finished yet?”

“I suppose.” For now at least while he considered how quickly he could get over to the house to pull his daughter into his arms and make sure she knew she didn’t have to go through this alone.

“She needs our support, not you barging in punching her unborn child’s father like some neanderthal because you don’t like him now for some reason.”

“I like him,” he argued, not liking the insinuation. As an agent who had Daisy’s back. As an agent, Sousa was wonderful. As Daisy’s boyfriend, that was a different story. And May knew that. It wasn’t like their girl had the best taste in her love interests after all. Lincoln was . . . decent, he supposed.

“Oh, really?” she challenged, clearly not believing a word he was saying. “When?”

He bit his tongue to keep from saying the thing on the tip of his tongue that he knew would earn him a swift bruising punch to his arm. Deep down, he knew he was being irrational, a bit of an idiot right now. But Daisy was his daughter in every sense of the word but blood. Like hell was he then going to welcome the man who was trying to replace—okay, maybe not replace, but—damn it, he really didn’t like this feeling.

“No, seriously, when, Phil?” she deadpanned.

As if they didn’t both know May was just as likely—

“All right then. If we could refocus please,” Simmons hesitantly suggested, swallowing when both May and Coulson’s heads snapped towards her.

“Jemma,” Fitz muttered under his breath with raised brows, “are you mad?”

She forced a thin smile back to her husband, holding her ground.

The two had come so far over the years.

“I have no answers how this alien brought him back, but he is Coulson.”

“Like Sarge?” May took half a step back from him, much to his dismay.

“No. His arm is still, well—”

Coulson sighed heavily, recognizing why Jemma felt awkward. “It’s still the cybernetic prosthetic Fitz made,” he revealed, wiggling his fingers of his left. He then forced a low chuckle, hoping to turn the moment lighter again so May would step closer again. “The one with my shield I used to—”

May instantly turned away from him, though, her hair whipping back in clear ‘Ignoring you.’

He frowned. What? He was rather partial to that shield. He had kissed her behind it. Protected her numerous times with it.

“His heart?”

“That’s where I found differences.”

“What?” He leaned forward. What did that mean? Found differences?

“Before your . . . retirement, sir,” Jemma started to explain with a light smile “your cells showed such degradation that it was clear you were dying.”

“And now?”

“I find none.” Simmons then motioned to his chest. “In fact, it’s as if you never accepted the Ghost Rider’s deal.”

Wait. Did that mean—

“So, the Kree hoodoo is still there?”

“No. I find no evidence of the Kree blood in you anymore, sir. You carry the scars, yes, but there is no left over Kree genetic material from GH-325 and no new alien material either.”

“How is that possible?”

“I haven’t the foggiest,” she answered in utter loss of words.

“So, I’m—”

“Yes, sir. 100 percent human and alive.”

“Huh.”

That was interesting.

So, to recap, he was brought back for unknown reasons by some unknown alien who managed to bypass all security measures, and whatever the alien had done had managed to remove the Kree remnants from GH-325. All right then.

“But there is something else, sir,” Fitz stated, stepping back into the conversation.

Because of course there was.

There always was.

Why would this time be any different?

“Your arm has been upgraded.” Fitz held out his tablet that showed lines of code. “There are subroutines I can’t make sense of as they’re in some alien language.”

“Chronicom?”

“No. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” Fitz shook his head. “From what I can discern, though, the new lines of code are protective in nature for you.”

“Protective?”

As in making sure he survived whatever hellish scenario was heading their way because of this? That didn’t necessarily sound all that bad. If that was all it was, that was.

“Exactly. Your energy shield has been upgraded now to absorb the energy, sir.”

“Like Creel?”

“Something similar, yes. It’s fed into some holding chamber that was not there previously. In fact, it’d appear it’s currently at half power.”

Cool. His prosthetic had turned into a possible weapon that could kill them all. There was the shoe dropping that he had expected.

“So, I should go without my arm—” Coulson moved to unhook it.

“NO!” Fitz yelled sharply within seconds.

He stopped instantly, fingers stilled curled around his prosthetic.

“The energy started to power up, sir,” Fitz explained.

“Okay, so don’t do that. Got it.” He sighed heavily. His hand dropped back down onto the exam table with a hard thump. When a large-headed alien hologram appeared displayed above where his energy shield usually was, he glanced at FitzSimmons who quickly jumped into action to record.

“I am Axa, the one responsible for your return.” Familiar deep blue eyes blinked. “I know you and your team will not trust, having been tricked times before. I have included the footage I deleted of our meeting. Leopold Fitz will be able to decrypt it by using the date of his happiest memory.” Axa then turned to the side, staring for a moment where May was before turning back. “I could not undo all the damage done to your world, Phil Coulson, but I have undone the damage to you and your Melinda.”

May went rigid, turning to Simmons who started to scan her furiously.

“I’ve removed the scars from her time from the in-between. I regret I could not remove it all, though. The part I could not, I altered to make it only affect the both of you. Watching you as I have for as long as I have, I must admit” –a long pause— “I became invested.”

Coulson glanced at May, finding her mirrored look of shock. Invested? What exactly did that mean? He glanced at Simmons, watching the scientist continuing her frantic scans.

“You have sacrificed so much. Accepted your fates with the bravery of the fiercest warriors. Putting humanity above yourselves. Above your love for one another countless times. At first, I could not comprehend it. Humans are by definition selfish creatures. You should have taken moments for yourselves. Instead, you chose to have that time after the mission was completed when time was almost out. Selfless acts such as that deserves to be rewarded.”

Coulson wasn’t quite sure if he was about to be sick or just plain pass out.

“So, I am returning your heart, Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D., and your soul. You battled Gods for Humanity’s survival before New York. Now you battle Trenir for your family’s.”

He could barely breathe as Axa continued. The memories from his office slowly returned, flashing in his eyes as the alien continued.

“Your grandchild, while not by blood but might as well be, is the child of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s past and Humanity’s future. He will carry on the legacy of his grandparents, Humanity’s Shield and its Sword, and he will be great.”

“Oh.”

Coulson didn’t know if it was Fitz or Simmons who spoke, but he swallowed nonetheless. His mind raced with a thousand or so thoughts. There was more information than he knew what to do with being revealed here. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. But he knew it was somehow.

“For he will take up his grandfather’s mantle and appreciate all life and time, knowing how precious they both are. And he will live by his grandmother’s grace, knowing when to fight and when to yield. He will go on to spread his father’s goodness and kindness, offering a helping hand to all in need. But above all, he will continue his mother’s path of Humanity’s protector from where she will have stepped aside for him, guided by love and family—both of which Daisy learned from you, Coulson.”

“Wait a minute,” a voice mumbled nearby as Coulson continued listening raptly.

For a brief second, he considered telling whichever one of the FitzSimmons duo talking to shut it. The only thing that prevented him was the fact that he’d miss more of Axa’s words.

“Trenir fears Humanity’s strength and power, knowing the greatest weapon humans possess is your capacity for love. He has seen firsthand how that makes you so dangerous. So lethal.”

A second later, the large gray head of Axa hovering above his hand pixelated and jerked violently like a buffering Netflix movie.

And then the true speaker was revealed.

Inhaling sharply, Coulson was unable to move, staring at the image with wide eyes. That face was burned into his nightmares. Long dark hair, white pasty complexion, devious smirk.

“Loki,” a voice growled coldly at his side.

Unfortunately, that was indeed who was speaking now.

His first murderer.

“It was embedded underneath the image,” explained Fitz, shaking his head lightly. “He tried to bury it, but your arm managed to capture the signal with the new subroutines.”

Coulson nodded, just barely resisting the urge to rip off his prosthetic arm and throw it far away. He didn’t want to be associated with anything Loki had touched.

“Oh!” Jemma cried out a moment later, pulling their attention back from the holo.

“What?” May asked.

Jemma ignored the question, though, engrossed with her readings she had taken from May. “Fitz, are you seeing this?”

“It was on him as well,” Fitz stated with a nod. “Likely Loki’s delivery system. He must have known that—”

A second later, a foot kicked the exam table, creating a loud bang.

Both scientists’ heads jerked up in surprise.

“Thank you. Now, let’s try this again.” May waited until the pair met her gaze. “You’re saying Loki, the asshole who killed Phil the first time, is the reason he’s alive now? Loki?” she repeated skeptically.

When she said it aloud, it made even less sense than before.

“Yes.”

May threw her hands up. “Sure. Why not?” She scoffed before her eyes snapped over to his. “What’s next?” She turned away, breaking their gaze. “Him becoming president and ordering the capture of the Avengers?”

FitzSimmons went silent, recognizing May was not in the mood.

Coulson was reminded then of the time Daisy had called him out for fighting with May during their first years together.

“Not nearly as terrible as watching Mom and Dad fight downstairs.”

So much time had passed since then. So much between all of them.

They weren’t the same people they were at the start.

“Melinda,” he murmured after a moment.

“No, Phil.” She glared at him. “Just don’t.”

He nodded before he redirected the conversation away. The image of Loki floating above was paused, which only made him feel even more crept out by it. He shut it off soon after.

“Any idea what Loki did? Or what he wants by resurrecting me?”

Fitz grimaced, glancing down at the ground.

So, that was a yes.

“What is it?” Coulson leaned towards the brilliant scientist.

“Based on all the data collected, it would seem . . .” Another forced, uncomfortable smile made its way to Fitz’s face. “Honestly, sir, I can’t find any data manipulation, and there should be some at least. Something. There’s none, though.”

“What does that mean?”

Reluctantly, Fitz forced his eyes to meet Coulson’s. “I believe he’s telling the truth about Daisy, about undoing the damage to you both somehow.”

“What?”

Loki, Mr. Lie for everything, was telling the truth for once? Yeah, sure, that’d be the day.

“I know.” Fitz glanced towards Jemma, shaking his head somberly. “I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t find anything that suggests otherwise. Even if he manipulated the data, there should be at least some evidence. Some corrupted piece of data to fix. The only thing I can find, though, is the transposed image he placed to hide his identity.”

Which would be understandable considering Loki killed Coulson. However, it didn't explain the how.

“So, you’re claiming Axa, who brought me back, was, in fact, Loki?”

Loki, the one who had killed him in 2012—now brought him back to life for some reason?

They lived outside the box for years, but this was—

It couldn’t be possible. Loki? Actual Loki? The one who stabbed him in the back with the Chitauri scepter in order to escape? That Loki? Seriously?

“Yes.” Fitz sighed heavily. “I know it does not make any sense, but it’s him. And the organic material has no Asgardian DNA in it whatsoever, meaning that this Axa likely did give its life for you.”

Coulson could feel a headache coming on. A part of him should have been raging over this revelation. Loki had practically threatened his family with the supposed warning. However, he was too tired to be angry over what was likely another form of torture by the Asgardian. There was always some catch to these sorts of things, and he finally found what it was this time.

“What if . . .” Simmons started to say before she went silent.

May’s eyes darted to her with a harsh look.

“I realize this is the man responsible for your first death experience, of course,” Simmons resumed quietly, “but, well, sir, it has been quite some . . .”

Coulson grabbed May’s arm instantly, knowing how she’d react before she even moved.

She instantly shook him off, though. “I wasn’t going to hurt her, Phil,” she snapped.

“I didn’t say you would.”

“No, you thought it!” Her hands curled into tight fists at her side. “How can you be so—”

“—so, what, calm?” he asked before he scoffed. “Trust me. I’m anything but right now, but this is what he does. He gets inside people’s heads. So I’m not going to let him get into mine. But I’m also going to make sure our daughter is safe, too.”

“It’s a trap!”

“Yeah, probably,” he agreed with a nod. “But if it’s not and I don’t do anything to make sure Daisy’s fine, I will never forgive myself.”

“And anyone who has ever met you knows that!”

“Exactly!”

God, they were both so damn stubborn sometimes.

“Yet here you are, once more, being goddamn predictable and rushing in like a dumb ass like always, ignoring the risk, thinking you’re invincible!” she shouted back, stepping closer as her eyes flashed angrily. “You might as well just let Loki kill you again, Phil!” And break my heart once more.

Her worry seeped into every word, piercing his heart and splitting it apart quicker than the staff ever had. He knew how he could calm her again, having done it time after time over the years. He knew her better than she knew herself, just like she knew him better than he did.

Two broken halves of the same heart.

It was why Fury had known she’d stay by Coulson’s side no matter what.

Because she had sworn her loyalty the moment they met.

Life had just gotten in the way.

Not to mention, he had foolishly brushed off all the signs of their obvious attraction, assuming he’d never have a chance in hell to be hers. When he had been, in fact, hers all along.

“But, see, that only happens if I go in alone,” he argued, grabbing her hand. “And I’m not going in alone this time. Or ever again for that matter.” He caught her minute pause, knowing she didn’t know quite how to take that yet. “We’re better together. Always have. Always will.”

She pressed her lips tighter together, clearly holding back words of anger.

“I wasted too much time before. I know that now. But you, Daisy, FitzSimmons, Mack, Yo-Yo, Hunter, Bobbi, all of you, you’re my family, and I will always protect you.”

“I know.”

“Good.” He smiled charmingly back, watching her walls crumble further.

“Phil—”

“We can deal with this afterwards at length.” He watched her eyes close with a pained, sad look. He gently tilted her head back up, though. “I was an idiot before, Melinda. Sacrificing myself, us, for the world. While I still stand by that action, I regret the pain it caused with all my soul.” She turned away from him, drawing in a slow breath. “I love you, Melinda May, and I should have listened. Been selfish that one time and chosen you.”

“You did.”

He shook his head. “After the mission was over with . . . when there was no more time for us.” He smiled faintly through unshed tears. “I begged every night after you’d fall asleep in my arms,” he confessed. “Pleaded for just one more day with you. That was all I wanted. Just one more day. And now I finally have it for real.”

“But at what cost?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, opening himself fully to her. “I’m sure we’ll figure out someday Loki’s true motive for this, and when we do, we’ll kick his pasty, Asgardian ass back through the Bifrost. And I’ll fall even more in love with you, my warrior goddess.”

She choked out a watery, pained laugh. “Been saving that line long, have you?” she teased, her voice trembling.

“Only since our first husband-wife undercover,” he admitted.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Oh, really?”

“Really.”

She scoffed back. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“Am not!” He then caught FitzSimmons standing awkwardly over May’s shoulders and smiled warmly. He could almost hear Daisy’s Not in front of the kids, Dad teasing she’d no doubt be doing right then if she were there. “Let’s go check on our daughter, May. Let's go home.”

Chapter Text

With Lola 2.0 parked at the end of the long, dusty gravel driveway, he and May walked down the wooden boardwalk towards the familiar, two-story timber cabin. It should have been strange coming to the house that should have been their home, but instead it just felt right. He had been so glad to learn she had finally moved in. Even if it was six years later than he’d have liked. He had meant this place to be hers from the moment he had come across it in his travels for the helicarrier. A place to get away, an oasis in the darkness of their lives, where they could just be Phil and Melinda. Finally.

As they stepped up to the deep cherry ornate front door, he immediately leaned forward, holding the door open for her. Under the warm glow on the lit-up wraparound porch, she looked absolutely breathtaking. He smiled widely when he caught her instant eye roll.

“What?” he asked innocently, knowing exactly what. As she walked past, he inhaled deeply, attacked by the calming scent of her sweet jasmine perfume she only ever wore on undercover missions with him. He wondered for half a moment when she had put it on but brushed off the question altogether in favor of wanting to hear her laugh again. He missed her laugh so much. “You know,” he started to say, drawn into her orbit like usual, “you really should lock your doors.”

“Oh, should I?” she quipped, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was challenging him to continue with the likely disastrous line he was about to say.

“Yeah, you never know what kind of—” He then turned away, finding movement inside near the sofa. At seeing the two younger agents staring back in utter confusion, he couldn’t help but laugh and say, “Oh, hey! Look! The kids are here.” It’d drive her insane having it unfinished.

Daisy gave him a damn good impression of May in return, sending another wide grin to his face. Like mother, like daughter. His arms were around Daisy before he even realized he had reached her. The second his girl’s head tucked under his chin soon after, he closed his eyes and sighed in relief. She was safe, alive, and in his arms. Loki hadn’t managed to reach her yet.

“Sousa,” May quietly said as she stepped up beside Coulson’s right.

“Hello, Agent May,” politely replied back the former SSR agent, bowing his head low to her. His eyes hesitantly met Coulson’s a second later before he swallowed. “Sir.”

“Oh, so now I get a ‘sir,’ do I?” Coulson remarked flatly, slowly stepping back from his Daisy. When he caught the harsh swallow, he pushed forward, wanting to deliver the fatal blow. “All because you had sex with my daughter and impregnated her.”

He knew he was being ridiculous. Daisy was an adult, free to be with whomever she wanted. But too many times he had watched her heart broken by men not worthy of her. Whom Coulson thought would be good for her, had hoped would be the one and make her happier than life itself, only to learn later the object of her affection was the absolute worst kind. He wouldn’t survive if it turned out that Daniel Sousa, someone he had hero-worshiped for decades, was just like the others. It’d be like finding out Cap was Hydra in his eyes. Devastating wasn’t even close to what he’d be.

Daisy deserved being swept off her feet and filled with unending love and warmth. She deserved the sun and the moon and all the stars that came with finding one’s true love.

Sousa instantly coughed violently, recoiling back with wide eyes and drawing Coulson back from his thoughts.

“What the hell?” Daisy’s head whipped towards May. “You told him?!”

May pinched her lips together before she openly glared at Coulson.

“It doesn’t matter how I found out,” he argued, coming to defense like the white knight he knew May didn’t want or need right then. Though, judging by the glare becoming even more icy, he did wonder if he had taken it a bit too far this time. “What matters is you know we’re here for you. No matter what, Daisy.”

“And my boyfriend? Are you here for him, too? Because, you know,” she retorted, motioning between her and Sousa, “we’re sort of a packaged deal now.” Her head tilted slightly as she lifted a brow. “Sort of like you and May are actually.”

Coulson blinked, forcing himself not to glance at the beautiful goddess he loved more than S.H.I.E.L.D. and nearing surpassing Lola as well.

“May and I are—”

“Soulmates?” Daisy suggested, leaning back on her heels with a knowing smirk. “Friends with benefits? Lovers?” She shrugged lightly, dark eyes sparkling more in amusement. “Secretly married?” She then held up her hands with her palms up towards the ceiling. “Hell, life goals even?”

He opened his mouth to say something, anything back, but closed it a second later. He and May were something for sure, but he had no idea what that was nowadays.

His soul?

One of his reasons for living?

His motivation for always coming back?

His fierce, beautiful protector?

His heart’s owner?

His everything?

Maybe if he were lucky someday he’d be hers again, too.

He had to hope after all.

Exhaling deeply, he turned away and glanced at Sousa before he walked further into the house.

“Did you two get something to eat before coming?” he asked quietly, heading towards the kitchen across the way. The second he saw the pans hanging over the island in the middle of the open kitchen, he bit his cheek to keep from laughing. Oh, May. A few of them were crooked, he noticed, which meant she must have used them to cook at some point. He’d ask her later when they were alone how that went. It wasn’t that she was a bad cook per se, though. She just was . . . inexperienced.

“We’re fine, sir,” Sousa spoke for Daisy and him.

“Yeah, that’s not an answer,” he quipped back, grabbing one of the cockeyed pans from its hook before setting it onto the island countertop. He turned to open the freezer and fridge next to find what sort of food May actually had stocked in it. Surprisingly, she had quite a few choices. “Chicken or fish?” He glanced back finding them all gaping at him. “Fish it is.”

Sousa’s eyes darted over to Daisy before he calmly walked closer, already rolling his sleeves up. “Need some help?”

“No.” Coulson watched him deflate instantly. “But I’d like it.” He glanced over at May, watching her and Daisy already walking into another room to give the two men some space.

“So . . .”

Yep, this wasn’t going to be awkward at all.

Sighing heavily, Coulson nodded as he set the plate of fish next to the pan. He watched Sousa watch him closely, likely trying to figure out how to make it less uncomfortable.

Damn it.

“I apologize for my behavior earlier,” he murmured to Sousa, choosing the perfect lemon from the bowl on the counter.

“No. I get it.” Sousa forced an easy smile. “You’re her father. You want to protect her. Keep her safe.” He then drew in a slow breath. “But I want you to know that I will lay my life down for her . . . and our unborn child. They’re my entire world now. They come first. Always.”

Coulson felt his lip quirk upwards slightly. Sousa was off to a good start so far. Then again, he’d have been surprised if it had been any other way, though.

“I know,” he replied with a clipped nod as he worked on the lemon drizzle. “You’ve shown that.” So many times since they had met in fact. He knew Sousa would protect Daisy and their child with his last breath if push came to shove. Coulson wasn’t concerned about that. Not in the slightest.

“You’re still worried, though,” Sousa pointed out quietly.

“I am,” he remarked, offering a faint smile when the other man started to melt the butter in the microwave without direction. “You’ve been in her life for three years.” He paused then for half a moment. Had it really been that long already? It felt like so much more.

“I won’t hurt her.”

“Maybe not intentionally,” Coulson agreed thoughtfully. He stopped when Sousa grabbed his arm. With a slight tilt of his head, he glanced at him.

“If you’re worried I’m Hydra or . . .”

“I’m not.”

That was the furthest worry from his mind right then. He grabbed the melted butter from Sousa, adding it into the bowl that held the lemon juice, zest, and salt mixture he had been working on.

“Then, respectfully, sir, I don’t understand. I love Daisy. I’m ready to support—”

“You’re too perfect for her,” Coulson finally interjected.

“What?” Sousa seemed to be taken aback by that.

Sighing heavily, he hung his head, stirring in the melted butter.

“I mean it. You’re too perfect. You’re doing everything I would want someone to do for her. And you’re doing it all flawlessly. But no one is that perfect.”

Sousa let out a surprised chuckle. “You . . .” He turned towards where May and Daisy had headed off to before he stepped closer. “Of all the things I’ve ever heard before, that’s a new one. I’m the furthest thing, sir.” His brows furrowed as he shook his head. “Do I treat her with respect? Yes. Because she could and would kick my ass otherwise. And if not her, then definitely Agent May and yourself. Not to mention the rest of the family. I could only imagine what Fitz and Simmons could come up if given enough time.”

Coulson laughed slightly, shaking his head. He appreciated the honesty. “So, what you’re saying here is you’re afraid.”

“Terrified,” he admitted, finishing up the spice mixture for the next set of fish. “And it annoys Daisy sometimes because I’m too cautious, too worried about the what ifs to make a move.”

Coulson nodded silently.

“Because you’re afraid to lose her,” he quietly said, knowing that feeling well. That fear had held him back for so long until he finally decided to go for it, to risk it for just a taste of what could be.

“Exactly. I don’t know what I would do without her in my life.” Sousa then smiled inwardly. “And your ‘too perfect’ comment earlier, yeah, well, she’d disagree. In fact, when she told me she was pregnant, woo boy—” he blew out a large breath “—I took it poorly.”

“What do you mean?”

“Between you and Agent May—I panicked. Absolutely panicked, sir.” He blew out another large breath. “Instead of letting her know how happy I was, how I’d support and love her until end of time, I looked her straight in the face and asked why she’d ruin this.”

Mouth dropping, Coulson’s head whipped towards him, pausing in his flipping of the two fish fillets that were already browning nicely.

He said what?

“Yeah, I know. Stupid. Slept on the couch for a week for that.” Sousa raised his hands up defensively. “Which I one hundred percent deserved and then some. Don’t get me wrong.”

And then some. Coulson swallowed, blinking rapidly to get his mind to start working again.

“Had to grovel and beg for her forgiveness,” Sousa continued. “And even now I can see she’s still a little upset. I was an idiot and should never have said that. Thought that even.”

Frowning, Coulson turned his attention back to his preparation. “Don’t ever let May find out,” he finally said under his breath after a minute. She’d kill Sousa without hesitation. There’d be nothing left to identify. Or maybe she’d only do that if Coulson had said something that stupid.

“Oh, she knows.” Sousa sighed heavily, slumping dejectedly against the island countertop. “I was half-expecting to be shot on sight actually.”

“That might still happen.” The odds were still highly favorable, knowing May as well as Coulson did. She was probably just biding her time carefully.

Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure which side of the fence he was on right now with this revelation. Staring down death was something that came easy to him, living the life he had. But if the roles were reversed and he had been the one to learn he was going to father a child who would depend on him from birth? Yeah, he could definitely understand that foolish reaction then.

“Yep.” Sousa opened his mouth to say more but paused when his watch lit up.

Coulson could see the tension rising in the man’s shoulders. He didn’t dare peek at the watch, knowing it was none of his business who was contacting the father of his unborn grandchild. But, damn, was he curious, though.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Sousa remarked with a deep frown prior to stepping past to head outside to answer the communique.

When a moment later May joined him on the porch, Coulson felt his entire mood shift. Sousa he could understand but May? What was she doing out there? Who was contacting her? For half a second, he considered following. However, the sizzling from the pan kept him from doing so.

If it were Simmons with an update with any findings, he knew he and May both would have been contacted. However, all was quiet for him. His watch was absolutely silent unlike theirs. What was going on? Why were only they contacted and not him?

Being so focused on the two pacing outside as they answered matching urgent calls from some unknown entity, he didn’t notice Daisy until she spoke right next to him.

“So, that’s just how you’re going to leave it?” she asked, poking with the metaphorical cattle prod to his gut.

He flinched, tightening his grip somehow on the handle not to drop the pan of blistering hot fish. Exhaling loudly, he forced himself to calm back down. Not that long ago, he would have noticed her nearby presence in his sleep. He was slipping clearly.

“Seriously?”

He glanced at her with a mild frown before he glanced away and closed his eyes.

What exactly did Daisy want him to say here?

“What are you waiting for?” she asked a moment later. “The end of the world? Again?”

Déjà vu instantly splashed over him icily. His eyes flew open, darting to her.

“What are you waiting for, Dad? The end of the world?” The teasing words echoed in his mind.

“What?” Her dark eyes narrowed on him. “What’s wrong?” Leaning closer after he still didn’t speak, she rested a hand gently against his arm. “Are you okay?”

He nodded curtly and swallowed thickly. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He focused all his energy onto cooking. It wouldn’t do any good if he ended up working himself up into a panic over a what if.

“It’s S.W.O.R.D.,” Daisy quietly murmured after another beat of silence between them.

Jerking his head towards her, he frowned questioningly. “S.W.O.R.D.?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged lazily. “He transferred over after S.H.I.E.L.D. said it’d be too weird for him to remain in the ranks considering who he is. Plus, you know, we needed a S.W.O.R.D. agent onboard, what with all the new guidelines and such, so it made sense.”

He nodded, relaxing just a smidge. It was a way to skirt the rules without breaking them entirely. It was something he would have done to make sure he and May could be together.

“I don’t suppose you know why May’s out there, do you?” His curiosity had gotten the better of him, but it was really frustrating not knowing why she was out there.

Daisy grimaced before she nodded sharply. “Yeah.”

“What?” He stood up straight, blinking at her. She knew?

“It’s really her thing to tell, though.”

His stomach dropped.

Great. More secrets. God, he was so tired of the secrets all the time. It had strangled him as a director. Nearly ate him whole with how isolated and alone he constantly was because of all the damn secrets. He was so glad to give that part of the job up.

After a moment, May and Sousa walked back in. Coulson visibly turned away from them, sliding the finished two cooked fillets onto a plate. They’d discuss it later. At length. For now, though, he’d choose to set the uneasiness in his gut aside.

The world could end tomorrow. Tonight, he wanted a good family night where he could enjoy being alive. Again. Surrounded by his girls who were safe from pasty Asgardians bent on breaking him further than he already had been.

“That smells amazing,” Sousa declared as he returned to Coulson’s side. “What do you need me to do next? Salad?”

“Sure.” He felt the temperature in the room instantly drop, knowing that he hadn’t hid his earlier irritation at all the secrets piling up between them as well as he should have.

Sousa didn’t say a word, though. Instead, he started to pull out the kale, spinach, and a few other ingredients from the fridge.

The two men finished their tasks, two more perfectly browned, lemon-drizzled salmon fillets added to the other two still steaming on a plate. As soon as everything was ready, they carried it over to the dining room table the ladies had set.

Coulson tried his best to ignore the looks between Daisy and Sousa. However, he couldn’t help the curl of his hand at his side as his mind yet again supplied numerous scenarios of Daisy’s heart being broken yet again by another man she fell hard for. He forced himself to unclench when he felt May’s irritation directed towards him again. He was honestly trying here. He was. It was just this was his baby girl—or the closest he’d ever get to fatherhood.

The men then gently held out a chair for their respective lady. They both earned a scoff in return before Daisy and May sat down, rolling their eyes in perfect sync. Sousa and Coulson then took their own seats, offering each other a forced, polite smile of shared awkwardness.

Once the food was passed around and after a few bites were had, the silence shattered.

“So, for the S.H.I.E.L.D. lifers at the table,” Daisy started to ask, smiling faux sweetly across the table at her boyfriend, “what’d S.W.O.R.D. want?” She calmly took a sip from her glass of wine.

Sousa instantly paled before he gave Coulson a hesitant glance.

At least that answered the question if Sousa knew that S.W.O.R.D. was a contentious topic.

“Um, well, headquarters was providing an update on a leadership change.”

“Hayward?”

Sousa nodded slowly. “He’s been removed as director, effective immediately.”

“Good riddance,” Coulson dryly replied, vaguely considering breaking out the emergency bottle of Haig in celebration. S.W.O.R.D. would for sure benefit tremendously from Hayword’s resignation.

“Wait. You know the jerk of S.W.O.R.D.?” Daisy remarked a moment later.

“We’ve met,” Coulson answered rather shortly, barely holding back his feelings in time.

“What? When?” Daisy then leaned forward towards him, clearly riveted by this revelation. “Wait. Was this when you were still director?”

He nodded. “And a few months ago, too,” he responded, inhaling sharply in an effort to maintain his usual calmness. However, he was having some difficulty in wrangling that because of all the bad blood that was boiling his blood underneath. “Director Hayward believed I was a truly remarkable asset and wanted to add me to his shelf.”

In other words, add him to the growing list of weapons because that was all Phil Coulson LMD had been in Hayward’s eyes. And Hayward wasn’t shy about that in the slightest. The blowhard.

“Which was never going to happen,” May replied adamantly, meeting Coulson’s eyes.

He smiled softly back, nodding. Thank God for her fierce protectiveness of him. It may have forced them at odds at times, what with his self-sacrificing recklessness all the time as she’d say, but it had helped balance them out. She was the voice that made him pause and consider all options before rushing in like an idiot.

“Well, duh,” Daisy drawled. “I’d have quaked his ass.”

Sousa snorted into his glass before he squirmed and quickly tried to hide his amusement.

“What?” she said, turning towards her boyfriend.

He waved it away, though. “Sorry. I just thought of something funny.”

“Yeah, hence the snort, I know.” She leaned back, crossing her arms in front of her as she stared at him neutrally.

Coulson grimaced in sympathy for Sousa.

“It’s just . . .” Sousa’s broad shoulders lifted before they dropped again. “Hayward would have likely run crying the second you and Agent May would have shown up. And the director then would have stepped out with his shotgun ax with Elena at his side. Not to mention, Fitz and Simmons would be somewhere nearby with some deadly concoction, too. He wouldn’t have had a chance.”

“And that’s funny how?” Her brows lifted, clearly not finding it funny in the slightest.

His eyes dropped to his plate instantly.

Deciding to throw Sousa a lifeline and get the attention off him, Coulson finally stepped in.

“Do you know any details on how his removal happened?”

“Not fully, no,” Sousa answered with a shake of his head. “Something about an op he was running in Westview, NJ, though. Above my level, that’s for sure.”

Had Coulson not had thirty-odd years of having May at his side, he may have missed the barely there flinch from her. However, he had. He knew her down to her soul these days. She knew something about this Westview op. However, he also knew she wouldn’t want him to draw attention to her in front of Daisy and Sousa. So, he filed that away for later as well.

“So,” Daisy drew out. “Now that you know you’re going to be grandparents, you going to dish on why you went to Jemma earlier, hmm?” She leaned forward, lacing her fingers before resting her chin on top of her hands with a wide grin.

“You hacked our watches?!”

Coulson briefly looked towards May, wondering why she seemed more outraged by that than he was. Just what was she hiding this time? She wouldn’t betray him. He knew that. Only LMD May had. Actual May had only lied to protect him, to keep him safe from the truth about T.A.H.I.T.I.

“No.” Daisy rolled her eyes with a snort. “I called Jemma earlier, wanting to see how my niece was, and she told me you two had just left. Course that was around the time she started asking when I was planning on telling you about the baby, but thankfully Alya saved me from that.”

Sighing tiredly, Coulson scratched the back of his neck. They couldn’t tell her everything. She already had more than her fair share of stress. So, they’d tell her the good news at least, not adding more to her plate than necessary.

“I’m human.”

Of all the reactions he had expected, Daisy shrugging it off as not a big deal was not the one he would have bet on.

“As in I’m alive,” he clarified, assuming she just hadn’t understood what he was saying.

“Okay, cool, you’re a real man now. Got it.” She then slowly stood up, which caused a confused Sousa to hop up dutifully across the table as well.

“Where are you going?” He glanced at May, thoroughly puzzled by Daisy’s reaction. He was grateful to see he wasn’t the only one.

Daisy huffed a quiet laugh. “Please don’t make me explain it.” She smiled widely back at him before her eyes gradually moved to May. “I’ll tell the rest of the gang you’re both indisposed for the foreseeable future.”

“Indisposed?” he repeated. What exactly were they busy with here? What was he missing? When Daisy used his confusion to her advantage and pulled him into a fierce embrace, he wordlessly returned it, still wondering what the hell was going on.

“Love you,” she murmured softly.

“Love you, too, but, Daisy—”

“Nope! Don’t want to know,” she chirped happily. “We can meet up later. Right now, though,” she lowered her voice so only he’d hear “enjoy the—what are we on now—eighth chance of you two being together finally? I mean, after that many times of the universe bringing you two back together, maybe you should, you know, stop wasting them? Just a thought, AC.”

It then hit him upside the head hard. He stared ahead, barely breathing.

Oh. Daisy thought . . . oh.

He swallowed, glancing hesitantly over to May and catching her look on him.

Forcing an uncomfortable chuckle, he turned away and lowered his voice.

“As lovely of a thought that is,” he started to say, feeling the tension increasing in Daisy’s body with each word, “we need to talk first.”

“So, talk, Agent Hot Lips,” she remarked dryly.

He sighed heavily. “No. May and I need to talk with you,” he emphasized, slowly pulling back so he could meet Daisy’s gaze.

“About what?” She shrugged. “Daniel and I are good. Hell, actually, I’m ecstatic even if I’m being honest right now because everything’s back to normal. You’re back. Alive.” He must have made a face because she quickly added, “I mean, don’t get me wrong. LMD you wasn’t bad. Sort of fun.”

“Daisy—”

“—I know. Okay? I know you didn’t want to come back for real ever, but this feels right, like all is how it should be now, you know?”

“Daisy—”

“No, okay, no,” she replied, shaking her head as she held out a hand. “I get it. I should be understanding or sympathetic or something, have accepted your wishes or whatever, but . . .” She searched his face for a brief moment before she threw her hands up nonchalantly. “I don’t care. Okay? I don’t care how you came back. I don’t care what the cost is. I just don’t.” She scoffed. “Because at the end of the day, you’re back. You’re alive, living and breathing and standing in front of me. So, you know, whatever you’re going to say, I don’t want to hear it. I don’t.”

He stepped back towards her, sighing when she pulled back.

“We can deal with that bullshit tomorrow. But tonight—tonight you are going to march over to that beautiful woman over there who loves you so damn much, Phil Coulson, and you are going to make up for all the time you’ve both set your love aside for the damn planet. You’re both going to put each other first this time instead of the world. Because there will always be another world-ending event. So, Sousa and I—” she glanced at her boyfriend “—we’ll head over to FitzSimmons and stay with them for a bit, okay?” She forced an awkward smile to her lips. “Because I already have enough to talk about in therapy. Really don’t need to add hearing you and May having sex nearby on top of all the other messed up things in my life.”

“We’re not—”

“You’ve put everyone else first always. Come on, Coulson!” Daisy brushed off Sousa when he reached for her. “Choose yourselves this time. Whatever is going to happen, it won’t happen tonight.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Nor do you,” she tossed back. When he opened his mouth to argue, she yelled, “No!”

“He threatened you!”

“Awesome,” she scoffed. “Not the first time I’ve been threatened. Won’t be the last either.” She then took a step towards him. “I’m an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. just like you are. Being threatened just means we’re doing our jobs. And, yeah, sure, we may have signed up to lose people, to choose the job over a family, but look at us. Seriously. Look at us.” She motioned between them. “We have two amazing people who love us. Who have time and time again put us first to save us from ourselves. To prove we can have a family, can be loved and love them while still being badasses. Know who taught that me?” She then poked him hard in the chest. “You did! You did, Coulson.”

His eyes softened.

“You gave me a family. Love me like a daughter. Accepted me even when I was being really shitty and didn’t deserve your love. You gave me everything. Everything! Without you, I’d . . . I’d still be lost, alone, broken even. So, you listen to me, and you listen really good.”

He caught Sousa’s sympathetic grimace.

“In the five years I saw you and May together before your . . . retirement in Tahiti, it was so damn obvious how much you two loved one another. You two had this . . . insane chemistry. Like, seriously, it’s epic and beautiful and— Hell, behind FitzSimmons, you two were right there for my top OTP. I shipped the hell of you two. Still do.”

OTP? What the hell was OTP? He glanced towards May, catching her eye roll.

“And when you two kissed on that ship behind your shield, like, wow! I wanted to yell how it was about damn time. Because it was!”

He felt his lip twitch as he remembered that moment. It had been reckless and stupid, but he just wanted one moment that was theirs before the end. Before he’d lose the chance.

“The only times you took for yourselves was then and Tahiti. I know if it had been Sousa and I, and he came back to me time and time again like you do for May, I’d have taken his ass to the nearest five-star, all-inclusive Scandals resort and said screw the world. So, I’m telling you. Whatever horrible thing that’s coming, it can wait its damn turn this time. No one is going to blame you for taking a moment for yourselves this time. And if they do, well, your kids will kick their ass. Trust me.”

His head tilted slightly. “My kids?”

“Yeah. FitzSimmons, Mack, Hunter, me, and so many others.”

“Elena’s not part of the list?” He hoped it wasn’t still because of what happened before his death.

“Well, yeah. She is Mack’s girlfriend.”

“And yet you have—”

“Well, obviously, Fitz is yours, and Jemma is May’s stepkid.”

He nodded slowly. All right then. He wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.

“So, thank you for the awesome food as always,” Daisy stated, inclining her head with a warm smile “but we’re going to go.”

“You don’t have to—”

She glared at him fiercely, causing him to stop in mid-sentence. She almost had May’s scary glare down perfect.

“And if anyone tries any shit, I’m sure either Sousa or FitzSimmons will contact you ASAP. But we’ll be fine. Promise.”

Sighing, he conceded. She wasn’t going to listen. She was stubborn like that. And he didn’t want to upset her any more than he already had. So, instead, he glanced at Sousa. Their eyes met before a curt nod was returned. The unspoken promise passed between them.

“Thank you,” she smiled brightly back.

He fished keys from his pocket and held them out to her a moment later. “Here. Take Lola.” She glanced at them hesitantly in clear confusion. “I’d feel better if you had her just in case,” he explained.

Daisy took the keys soon after with a heavy sigh. “Fine.” She headed towards the door then.

“You’re welcome,” he called after her.

She stopped with Sousa at her side, turning back with a wide smirk. “Love you, too, Dad.”

The second the door shut behind Daisy and Sousa, Coulson sighed heavily. He glanced towards May when he felt the gentle touch against his shoulders. When he heard Lola take off, he closed his eyes. This was not how he wanted it to go. Not in the slightest.

“Sousa will protect them, Phil.”

“I know,” he grumbled. “And I know she can protect herself just like you, but I don’t like this.”

“No parent likes this part. But sometimes you have to let her leave the nest to protect her.”

He snorted, glancing towards May.

“Really? That’s your advice right now?”

She rolled her eyes again hard before gently pushing him backwards.

“You know, she’s not wrong,” she remarked with a shrug as she walked back towards the table.

“About?”

“We always put the mission before us. Put S.H.I.E.L.D. before us.”

“Do you regret it?”

“Do you?” she asked, glancing over at him while pausing in cleaning the table.

“I’d like to say yes, but . . .” he frowned before slumping slightly “the only thing I regret was not telling you earlier that I loved you.”

The corner of her lip twitched upwards slightly. “Me too.” She then laughed softly, warming the room with that beautiful smile of hers. Only he could ever draw that smile from her. “Though, for the record, being the nerdy analyst you are, you are sometimes a little dense and imperceptive.”

“What?” He was not.

“Just saying,” she shrugged. “I think I made it pretty clear on our first mission where I stood.”

He swallowed when her tongue lightly ran over her lips in the way that they both knew sent his heart racing. She was going to send him into cardiac arrest if she kept this up. Rubbing at the back of his neck again in an effort to try to regain his composure, he glanced down, feeling himself flush at recalling her directness after he had fished her out of the bay.

Yep, she had certainly made it clear that day, leaving nothing to the imagination of what she’d do to him. He had taken it to mean something entirely different, assuming her irritation meant he didn’t have a chance in hell.

Looking back on it, their attraction was rather obvious, he supposed. The signs were all there for everyone to see. Hell, Maria had given him so much shit over it once on an op they had together, pointing out that he only ever became a bumbling fool when May batted her lashes at him. And then there was also the fact that there had to be a reason Fury had allowed he and May to continue working together even after their disastrous op in Sausalito when everyone else was against it. Everyone but Fury had labeled it as the worst op to ever been carried out as they had lost the object they were supposed to retrieve, thanks to his dropping the object somewhere in his haste of rescuing May from the bay.

“What’s the matter, Phil?” she purred. “You’re looking a little flushed there.”

He could hear the ear-splitting grin in her voice.

“You realize, Melinda”—he glanced down at her— “this is a two-way street.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” she replied, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.

“Loki—”

“—is tomorrow’s problem.” She then quirked her lip upwards. “After all, you heard him. He became invested. Do you really think he’d come storming in here after all this time now? After bringing you back? After fixing the wrongs of the past?”

“So, you believe his spiel then?”

“Hell no.”

“Then, I don’t follow.”

“The universe keeps bringing you back, Phil. Time and time again, it keeps bringing you back to me. Now, I can keep worrying about when you’ll be taken from me or I can choose to believe that we have some benevolent force out there who for some reason believes in our love. After everything we’ve been through, I can’t deny that you come back to me. Eventually.”

He nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat.

“You came back. Again.” One of her hands slid down his shoulders before sliding between the buttons of his shirt to touch where his scar was on his chest. Above his heart. “I thought I’d never feel your heartbeat again. But I can.”

“What can I say?” he joked through watery eyes, inhaling shakily. “Dying, it’s my superpower.”

“Really?” She huffed a laugh. “Thought it was getting yourself into dumbass situations all the time and causing me to rescue your sorry, defenseless ass.”

“Well, that too.” He smirked back, wrapping his arms around her waist. The tension was slipping away. “And for the record, I’m not defenseless.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

“Hey! I’m not.”

“Want me to list in chronological or alphabetical order?”

Oh, she thought she was hilarious for sure. He shook his head. She was lucky he loved her so much. Leaning down after a few more moments of absolute peace, he gently pressed his lips against her forehead while closing his eyes as he breathed her in again. This was his heaven. Holding her and being in her beautiful orbit.

“Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“Is that an ICER in your pocket or are you happy to see me?”

He shook his head, groaning as he remembered the mission he had used that line on her while undercover, “You’re absolutely terrible, you know that?”

“Really? Pretty sure that’s you and your cheesy ass bad pick-up lines.”

He raised a hand up to cup her cheek. “Yeah, well, you fell for them.” Thank God.

“Damn straight I did.” She smiled beaming back, tilting her head slightly more into his palm.

Inhaling deeply, he melted against her, feeling her do the same.

“What do you say to going upstairs?” she murmured, holding his gaze.

He shrugged. “Depends. Are you going to wake me at 5?”

She laughed softly. “That depends on you, I suppose.” Going up onto her tiptoes, she then whispered into his ear, “After all, I know how much you enjoy watching my morning Tai Chi.”

Oh, this beautiful woman was going to eat him alive. And he was all for it honestly.

When she pulled back and stepped out of his embrace, he felt the disappointment seep in. She grabbed his hand, though, as if she knew, and tugged him towards the stairs. He followed wordlessly, dinner long forgotten. S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. too. And Loki’s warnings.

When he heard the locks engage and caught the shimmer outside a window as the bubble expanded over the house, he breathed a little easier, knowing they were protected. Secretly, he wished Daisy were there under the roof as well with them, but he knew she was right. FitzSimmons would protect her, as well as Sousa. She would be safe tonight. And if anything did happen, he knew his team. They’d contact May and him right away. So, it wouldn’t hurt a thing if they enjoyed one night off before diving into the next apocalyptic hellish scenario.

The world could wait.

Melinda May could not.

After removing their shoes, his heart thumped wildly as they ascended towards the primary bedroom he knew that was to the right. Swallowing to get some sort of wetness in his extremely dry mouth, he felt his nerves explode into overdrive. It wouldn’t be their first time together. Not by a long shot. In fact, he had clutched at every moment he could with any and all opportunities to make love to her just to make up for all the time they had lost, would continue to lose with his final death.

“Take a breath, Phil,” she chided in front of him.

“Pretty sure I don’t know what you mean.”

One of these days he’d surprise her somehow and not be so damn predictable. Someday.

“Uh-huh.” She snorted, shaking her head as she paused to open the door. Glancing over her shoulder, she smirked.

He gulped, feeling the sweat start to pool at the base of his neck.

He could stare down an alien invasion without batting an eye. Be thrown into another life-or-death situation where his team was threatened, and there he was calm and collected. In the moment. Focused. Calculating even. But put him in front of this gorgeous woman he loved more than anything, and thoughts failed him often.

Her hand curled tightly around his tie.

He seriously hoped no one was monitoring his vitals right then.

Elevated blood pressure? Check.

Dry mouth? Check.

Lightheaded and dizzy? Double check.

A groan tore from him then the second warm lips pressed against his pulse point, quickly peppering him with possessive marks of being hers. Of all the women he had ever been with, and there had been quite a few, there was just something about this sexy goddess in front of him that could turn him inside out effortlessly. His legs nearly buckled underneath him.

“Come.”

He inhaled sharply, his eyes wide and trained on the grinning, gorgeous woman in front of him who was sending him hurtling off the cliff of want full speed.

“Mel—” She was going to kill him.

“To bed, Phil,” she snickered, releasing his tie.

Rooted to the floor, though, he watched her float across to the large bed soon after. He gulped again, breathing raggedly. With each discarded article of clothing that fell to the hardwood floor with a soft thump, he felt his heart race even faster.

“Coulson!”

His tie soon joined her shirt on the floor followed quickly by his shirt that he threw a little more forcefully than he needed and caused something to thump to the ground. He stumbled after shoving his pants down, tripping on them slightly. He heard her loud laughter fill the room in response.

“About damn time,” she drawled with sparkling eyes of pure warmth that Tahiti would always pale in comparison to. She yanked him down a moment later, sending him floundering on top of her. Like always, that didn’t last long, though, as she used her strength to roll him quickly underneath her.

His fingers instantly tangled up in her silky-smooth hair, lovingly caressing it back as he melted into their raging inferno of the life-affirming kiss of vows they made in Tahiti. He was home. Finally. After a few more moments of stealing each other’s breath, they reluctantly parted, panting heavily.

“I love you,” he murmured, sounding almost drunk.

“I had a feeling,” she teased, glancing up through heavy eyelashes. She giggled when he lightly slapped her back.

“Brat.”

“Oh, no. That is solely your title,” she purred back, snuggling against him.

Their fingers threaded together softly.

“Melinda?” he finally said after his heart had slowed just enough to allow him to think again.

“Yes?”

He paused, catching her eyes when she squirmed slightly to look back up at him. “Would you be okay if we just . . .” He winced, unsure of how to frame it exactly to prevent ending up on the couch.

“Held one another tonight instead of ‘parasailing?”

He visibly relaxed and smiled with a soft nod. “Yeah.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Of course.” She then leaned into his loving caress, pressing a kiss against his palm. “But we’re going to work on your cardio later.” Her lips twitched as she tried to keep a straight face. “At length.”

His face split into a wide, amused grin, breaking first like usual.

“Deal.” He brushed back her hair tenderly, watching her in absolute bliss.

“What?”

“How’d I get so lucky to have you in my life?”

She seemed to think on it for a few moments before she shrugged.

“I don’t know. I was thinking the same thing.”

“Wow. Wonders never cease to amaze. Melinda May, a romantic?” He chuckled when she playfully slapped his chest. “What would your mother say?”

“Probably something along the lines of I could do better than you,” she quipped.

He snorted. “Yeah, probably.” He sighed heavily when she settled against him again, nuzzling into his chest to listen to his heart—her favorite thing in the world he had learned. Closing his eyes, he breathed in the rich jasmine scent as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. The moment he heard her soft, adorable snores below him, he smiled. It was like Tahiti all over again, except this time he wasn’t dying or in pain. “Thank you,” he whispered in the darkened room before finally falling asleep himself.

Chapter Text

At the sound of annoying, insistent chirping near his ear, he grumbled under his breath. Whatever the hell was going on right now, he did not give a crap. It wasn’t his problem. He wasn’t director anymore. However, a soft groan forced his eyes to open a moment later. May.

He then blinked at the bright blue glowing S.W.O.R.D. insignia floating above May’s watch.

“Damn it,” she groaned loudly.

“Why is S.W.O.R.D. contacting you?” he asked, feeling his heart drop in terror.

Brushing him off, she grabbed his shirt that hung off the end table slightly. Logically speaking, he understood the white dress shirt was the closest and in reaching distance. So, of course she’d grab it. However, logic wasn’t in control right then. His heart was after shoving his brain far away. Currently, his heart was screaming at his mind like a teenage lovesick boy how she was wearing his shirt.

The second she finished buttoning his new favorite dress shirt semi-closed, her hand slapped down atop of her still chirping watch.

“What?” she snapped, clearly annoyed with whoever was contacting her.

“I apologize, Agent May. I’m not disturbing you, am I? I waited until 11:30 just in case.”

Sighing heavily, she shook her head, losing her earlier annoyance, before she pushed her hair back from her face. “It’s fine.” She forced a thin smile. “What can I do for you, Agent Woo?”

“You asked me to reach out if there were any—”

“—is that Agent May? As in the Agent May?” a female voice excitedly filtered through the line.

Coulson’s eyes narrowed instantly. He could be wrong, but he felt like he knew that voice from somewhere. He couldn’t picture where, though. He lightly scratched just under his waistband of his briefs.

“No way! It is! Dude, I can’t believe this! Agent May, it’s an honor! Really!”

“Darcy! Go away!” Woo ordered with an obvious frown. “I need to inform—”

“Jemma talks so highly about you. Wow! I’ve wanted to meet you for ages.”

“Now you have. Now go away, Darcy,” Woo sighed. “I need to speak with Agent May alone.”

“Fine.” A series of too softly muttered words cut in and out of the line. “ . . . have any fun . . .”

“I apologize for that,” Woo spoke. “Darcy can be . . . well, Darcy.”

Coulson snorted, going deathly silent when May punched him hard in the side. He frowned, rubbing the area but remained quiet. It wasn’t as if Woo could see him with how she was sitting.

“What did you find?” she asked.

“It’s more like what Darcy found actually on Hayward’s laptop.”

“Meaning?”

“Former Director Coulson. Hayward had big, scary plans for his LMD.”

“I’m aware,” May replied curtly, her hand curling into a tight fist at her side.

“Yes, of course you are.” Woo then sighed heavily. “Hayward had plans in place to capture the former director in hopes to learn something regarding his time near the Mind Stone.”

“Near the what?”

“The Mind Stone. It was one of the Infinity Stones Thanos used in his gauntlet for the Snap, ma’am.” Woo then paused for half a moment before his eyes widened in understanding. “Oh. Right. I keep forgetting you weren’t around here during that time.”

Numerous people seemed to keep forgetting that. Sometimes even they did. It felt like a different Earth they returned to these days. Frowning, she turned her head slightly towards Coulson with a look he knew well, her what did you get into this time? face.

“And did it say when he came in contact with this stone exactly?”

“Battle of New York. It was in Loki’s scepter at the time. At least that’s what Hayward’s files state from what I could see.”

Loki’s scepter? Coulson felt a chill sweep down his back at the revelation.

“In fact, I don’t want to alarm you, but, well, he was around quite a few Infinity Stones the research says. Only the Mind Stone was the one he may have touched since it was the one in Loki’s possession at the time of the director’s death.”

“Which ones?” She tapped her finger against the bed near Coulson’s side like a war drum.

“Mind, Time, and Space Stones; they were all at the Battle of New York.”

She sighed, unexpectedly slumping against Coulson’s side as if someone had cut her strings. Vaguely, he wondered if she cared anymore that he was likely now in Woo’s line of sight. He held her nonetheless silently, offering strength if it was what she needed. He frankly didn’t give a damn if Woo did see all the love marks she had left on his skin. Or the ones left on hers.

“Oh. Director Coulson, I, um, hello, sir.”

“Hello,” he replied with a soft laugh, catching Woo’s wince of extreme awkwardness. “So, I was around three of these stones we think?”

“Yes. We—Darcy and I, I mean—looked for any evidence to corroborate it of course, finding only the Tesseract and Loki’s scepter as points of contact. Or rather possible points.”

“But not the Time Stone?”

“Well, that one we can’t substantiate as Dr. Strange has decided to hold himself up in his place for some reason. We reached out to Wong naturally, but so far there’s been no answer to the calls.”

“I don’t remember coming across either of them.” Not then at least.

“If you did, it’d have been the Ancient One you met, not Doctor Strange, according to the Avengers’ debriefs.”

“All right. Still doesn’t ring any bells.”

“Did you ever go to 177A Bleecker Street, sir?”

“No.” Not then. He shook his head. “After the evacuation from Pegasus’s fall, I remained on the helicarrier mostly per Fury’s orders.” He couldn’t recall being on the ground at all in fact. “I’m sure if I was near the sanctum, I’d have remembered it.”

“Then it was only the Mind and Space Stones.”

“Cool.”

It was always something, wasn’t it? Ever since he had let Captain Marvel and Fury go because of a gut instinct, his life had turned into one series of unfortunate events after another. Stark, Thor, Cap, Natasha, Clint, and so many others.

“Agent May?”

“Yes, Agent?”

He paused, then said, “Darcy and I removed the document with your deal with Hayward.”

She frowned, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

Coulson’s eyes narrowed into almost slits. Deal? What deal? What did she do?

“Captain Rambeau asked us to do this, ma’am, stating she owed you both and it was the least she could do. Speaking on behalf of Darcy, we agree. It’s the very least we can do for you.”

“There were no back-ups?”

“None that we found. We’ve reached out to Agent Johnson to, well, verify for us just in case.”

May smiled faintly and nodded. “Thank you, Agent Woo.”

“Of course, ma’am.” He then glanced away before turning back. “I know I shouldn’t say this, considering, but I know Monica was hoping you’d consider it at least. Your presense would be most welcome here, especially now. And, contrary to public opinion, it’s not all bad.” He forced a somber smile a moment later. “Anyway, I’ll let you both return to your morning. Agent May, Director Coulson.” Woo’s holo-version then blipped out and disappeared as the call dropped.

Not wasting any time, Coulson blurted out, “What was the deal he was talking about?”

She groaned loudly, letting her head fall forward, “Phil.”

“What? You’re the one who made a deal on my behalf. I think I have a right to know what it is.”

She side-eyed him with a deep frown. “Fine. But if you get bitchy about it, I’m punching you.”

He scoffed. Typical May. Threatening with violence. “Well, what is it?”

“Hayward offered me a leadership position within S.W.O.R.D.”

That bastard did what now? Oh, hell no. Hayward could have Sousa. But over Coulson’s dead body would Hayward pull May from the Academy.

“Why?”

“Why?” she repeated it, staring at him incredulously. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because we were in space. We were around LMDs. Hell, Enoch even.”

“He has Sousa, though.” He tried his damnedest not to sound whiny and possessive, but it was a losing battle because he was whiny and possessive when it came to the beautiful woman in front of him. It had taken years to get to this point. Decades even. And several deaths on both their sides.

“Yeah, well, he wanted Daisy, but your stubborn, wild child who takes after you unfortunately told him where he could take his transfer offer and shove it before she calmly left on her deep space mission with her sister and boyfriend.”

He frowned slightly in anticipation. That said, he could not deny at all that he wasn’t proud of his girl. Because he was. He was damn proud of Daisy for saying no.

“So since we both know I wasn’t going to allow you to be taken to some undisclosed location without protection, I offered myself instead. Hayward was over the moon at the prospect of having the Calvary in his ranks.”

“Why didn’t you go to Mack?”

“Because you might not have noticed this,” she remarked testily “but he’s busy running S.H.I.E.L.D. Or what’s left of it now.”

“Exactly! He could have told Hayward to keep his grubby paws off you.” Like Coulson had. Repeatedly. Sometimes in person. While trying not to punch the jackass in the face. Repeatedly.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s fine, Phil.”

“No, it’s not,” he bristled. “Hayward, the asshole he is, manipulated you—”

“He didn’t manipulate me,” she snapped.

Throwing his hands up in return, he scoffed. “You literally just said, May—”

“Someone had to be with you! And I promised I would always protect you. Always! That’s exactly what I did, Phil. I made certain Hayward didn’t capture you. Didn’t pull a Vision stunt with you that would result in me kicking his ass. I’m not going to apologize for that. I’m not.”

A Vision stunt? What did she mean by that? Vision had died per the reports.

“And now?” She scoffed loudly. “Now, it’s a moot point, Phil. You’re no longer an LMD. You’re just dorky ass Phil Coulson, former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who rebuilt the institution you gave your life for repeatedly from the ground up with all your blood, sweat, and tears because you wanted it built right like Fury knew you would. You’re my number one certifiable pain in my ass, too. A man I can’t live without. Can’t breathe without,” she declared, holding his eyes. “Who—damn it—” she shook her head angrily as her voice cracked and trembled “—pisses me off like no other because you’re reckless and have a talent for throwing yourself into the path of fire every single time I turn my back. Yet, somehow, somehow, you make me fall in love with you even more. Even when I want to strangle you for scaring me. For making me think that this time you won’t come back!”

“May . . .” His voice trailed off, unsure of what to say. He searched her face, finding every emotion that had been locked away from her after her second close call (as he’d call it to keep from feeling the devastating loss her death would be for him). He didn’t know how to reply.

“Ah. Should I come back later then?” an amused, familiar voice piped up from the closet.

“You!” May snarled, moving to stand as Loki revealed himself. She stopped when a hand wrapped around her forearm.

“Guilty.” Dark mischievous eyes danced over to Coulson before the smile deepened. “Agent Phil Coulson. We meet again. I apologize for interrupting your lovers’ quarrel just now, but we must speak.”

Great. This was just what he needed right now. Why did the universe hate him so much? Honestly. Why couldn’t he and May just have a normal conversation like every other person in the world without this sort of crap happening? He should never have agreed to being a part of the Avengers Initiative. It always bit him in the ass at the very worst time.

“What do you want?” Coulson glared.

“Now, is that anyway to address the one who brought you back to your beloved Melinda May?” Loki drawled. When he only received back glares and silent threats of dismemberment judging by May’s dark look, Loki heaved a heavy sigh, clearly growing more disappointed by their refusal of bait. “Oh, very well. I see we’re going to have this discussion after all.” He shook his head regretfully. “But, first, coffee and green tea, am I correct?” He didn’t wait for their reply. Out of nowhere, mugs full of coffee and green tea were in their respective hands, which they both discarded on the edge of the nightstand beside them. Moving in perfect sync with one another, they stood and stepped towards the god. “They’re made with love, I assure you,” he remarked as he held his hands up innocently.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Coulson replied coldly. “Now, talk. Why are you here?”

Loki stared at them for a moment, though, before he smiled wistfully. “That is the question, isn’t it? Why am I, Loki of Asgard, brother to Thor, here before the man I supposedly killed, Earth’s mightiest hero?” He then waved a hand airily before adding quickly, “Or so I’m told.”

Feeling a headache beginning to form, Coulson forced himself to take a deep breath. He needed to focus on all the variables to figure out how to get past this one.

“You did kill me,” he finally spoke, noticing May’s slight shift away from him.

“Did I really?” Loki blinked before he seemed to think on this for half a moment. “Oh.” He glanced down with a frown, his eyes narrowing in puzzlement. “I see.” His eyes lifted then before the forced thin smile spread across his pasty complexion. “Well, many apologies again.” Loki bowed his head. “Good news is I’ve fixed it.”

Coulson could see the anger bubbling to the surface beside him in the form of a very pissed off May, who looked seconds from ripping Loki to shreds. He was torn between letting her or stopping her.

“Ah, yes, I nearly forgot.” His hand stretched out then before a familiar silver staff shimmered into existence. Loki smiled proudly, holding it. “I’m under the impression this is yours.”

This being the Asgardian Berserker staff that was.

They hadn’t seen it in years, having lost the staff while escaping the base in Cuba with the centipede soldiers and Garrett fiasco.

“However, before you decide to beat me senseless with it, which I fully deserve I’m certain,” Loki stated with a smirk, “you might want to listen first to what I have to say.”

“Why?”

“Because there are forces here you cannot possibly understand.”

“Try us,” challenged May, deadly still.

Loki chuckled with an appreciative nod. “I like you.”

“Yeah? Well, I hate every single part of you,” she deadpanned.

“Yes, so I see.” He then held the staff out to her. “I’ve made a few modifications to it for you.”

“How sweet,” she lied, each word soaked in thick sarcasm.

He chuckled, though, clearly amused by her anger.

“I swear on my brother, I’ve improved it to help. I wish no ill will against either of you,” Loki asserted, making no movement towards her. “I give you my word, Agent May. It’s not a trick this time. And I couldn’t if I wanted to either. My new . . . boss as we’ll call him would frown upon it if I did.”

Loki’s new boss? Coulson’s brows furrowed in confusion. Normally, he’d have been set on edge by that sort of statement from the God of Mischief. However, while he couldn’t explain it, he knew that somehow Loki was telling the truth this time. Which honestly made about as much sense as anything else about right now.

“Humanity’s Sword needs her weapon after all,” Loki remarked with a slight twitch of his lips in amusement. “Its Shield can’t do everything, I’m afraid.”

“Hilarious.” She glanced towards Coulson soon after.

When her eyes met his in questioning as if to ask if he believed Loki, Coulson nodded silently. Surprisingly, he did for some reason. And that worried him greatly. Loki had been the one to stab him literally in the back—or rather through the back.

Pursing her lips firmly together, she sighed heavily, reaching for the staff in clear reluctance. Her fingers curled around the shaft a moment later, causing the Asgardian symbols to glow in response. Closing her eyes, she drew in a sharp, deep breath as she centered herself again.

Coulson couldn’t help but stare and fall in love with her even more. There she was standing in what should have been their bedroom in his wrinkled, white dress shirt that just barely covered her lower half looking so sexy and badass. He could feel himself start to let his guard slip again, captivated by her strength and beauty.

His heart eyes were in firm control, as the late Talbot would have said if the general hadn’t went to the dark side in a mistaken attempt to fix things.

Opening her eyes not long after, she stared straight ahead for a moment before blinking back the rage the staff drew on inside her. She frowned at whatever she felt but she stood at ease again.

“How fascinating,” Loki stated softly. “I’ve seen many Asgardians succumb to its rage. You are truly an enigma, Melinda May.”

She quickly twirled the staff in a threatening stance without moving it towards the Asgardian.

Coulson’s mouth dropped the second he saw the staff shimmer blue before altering into what looked similar to Lady Sif’s sword.

“How . . .?” Her eyes lifted to Loki in surprise, faltering in twirling but remaining in absolute full control of the deadly object.

“It is similar, yes,” Loki revealed, answering the unspoken question of how it seemed so close in appearance to Lady Sif’s, “but only because you recall holding hers. After time, it will change, twist itself into whatever form you need until it is unrecognizable to hers, until it is truly yours.”

Whoa! Coulson’s eyes trailed down the double-edged sword in her hands. It was almost as beautiful as she was. Almost. There was the elegance Melinda had, and the strength she had as well. It screamed her power and might. Like Cap’s Shield, this was very much hers already.

“The staff draws upon your rage, as you know already, but now it also uses your prowess as a warrior,” Loki explained. “It will alter itself into any weapon you imagine to win the battle.” He smiled widely in pride. “Something I added.”

May regarded the Asgardian for a moment before she finally held it back out to him. “I prefer my hands, thanks.”

“Your hands will do very little good against Trenir, I fear.”

“I’ll make it work. Not the first big, bad alien I’ve had to kill,” she replied with a forced, curt smile. “Kree, Chronicom, Asgardian to name a few.”

Loki scoffed and turned to Coulson. “Trenir is unlike your past opponents. You will need all the help you can get.”

“You offering to help then?”

“I can’t,” Loki replied with a frown. “I have to be elsewhere. This was . . . this was something I needed to do to fix a mistake. A break so to speak.”

Coulson’s eyes narrowed further on him. The pit in his stomach grew in despair as he believed more of what he should have known to be lies. It’d end in their betrayal. In his death. Again. This couldn’t be real. Loki—the Asgardian asshole himself—couldn’t be telling the truth. It couldn’t be in the God of Mischief’s wheelhouse.

And yet Coulson believed.

Just as he had that day on the stairs, finding Fury and Captain Marvel trying to escape custody.

There was a reason for this.

There had to be.

It was too elaborate, required too much time being wasted on him, a meaningless speck in the Asgardian’s long life.

It didn’t make sense unless it was the truth.

“You could say I’ve learned my lesson recently,” Loki admitted quietly with a soft sight. “That one act, no matter if it is good or bad, can change everything. It can unravel threads that should never be touched and set off—” He nodded hard as he cut himself off sharply.

Without a doubt in mind, Coulson knew Loki had just been about to reveal his true self, not the mask hidden behind. This was the Loki who Thor had talked about with such brotherly love once.

Loki’s eyes darted to her. “Please, Agent May. I implore you to reconsider. That in your hands will help you in your fight against Trenir. Help you protect the man you swore to keep safe when you offered him your heart years ago.”

Coulson caught May’s body tense. He instantly placed a hand on her again.

Loki continued, though. “Protect the daughter and grandchild you’ve dreamed were yours that now are in danger for merely existing.” He sighed gently, eyes dropping in regret. “Do not dismiss my attempt because I was an idiot in the past, it would seem, and believed the lies of a mad Titan.”

“Why should we believe a word you say?”

He smiled soberly, clearly recalling something from his past. He shrugged lightly before he finally answered. “I’ve hurt you both in a way I could never undo. There would never be enough time. Never enough regret I could express to make you believe me. But I assure you. I speak the truth. I’ve seen what happens in a world where there are no Phil Coulson’s stepping up to defend, to shield the world at any cost even one’s life.” He swallowed slowly, drawing in a slow breath. “Midgard admittedly may be a little macabre for my tastes these days, but it is nothing like those that know nothing of hope, of family, of love.”

“What do you know about this Trenir after us?” Coulson inquired. The look in the god’s eyes sent a chill down Coulson’s back.

“Only what Axa had shown me.”

“You’re scared,” May remarked softly.

“As you both should be. He is . . . ruthless is not a good enough descriptor. He seeks power, believing it is the only true manner for domination. He is not above burning a world to succeed.”

“Why Daisy?”

“Because of her lineage. Because of her Inhuman abilities. Because she is, as you say, your daughter. Take your pick, Agent Coulson. It is all of it and more.” Loki held his gaze. “He fears her but is terrified of your grandchild more. Of what the child could one day become if unchecked. You know as well as I, the Kree used the human experiments to better themselves, to gain power, to have their subjects fight their battles. Think then what he could do with your daughter’s abilities. Now think what he could do with a child potentially third or fourth generation Inhuman.”

“Inhumans aren’t born, though.”

“They are not, but Daisy is not like other Inhumans anymore, is she? She has Kree blood in her veins from when you saved her from a bullet. She descends from what was once a pureblood Inhuman lineage. She took the centipede serum infused with her mother’s DNA that you, I believe, were supposed to use instead to live. I could go on, but I believe I’ve made my point.” He glanced down and sighed. “I wish you both all the best and hope you defeat him.” With that, Loki vanished, leaving them alone again to the unsettling silence of their home.

Chapter Text

An hour later, Coulson was pacing frantically in front of the sofa as they waited. He could tell his actions were upsetting May, but he wasn’t as good at suppressing his emotions like she was. Hide what he was thinking, sure, but he wore his heart on his sleeve like it was a badge of honor. And she knew that. His attempts only ended with her death glaring him more, but he didn’t know what else to do.

Darting his eyes to the staff tucked into the corner, he was grateful that she kept it close enough that she could grab it if she needed it. At least that was one worry he didn’t need to obsess over as they waited. If anything arose, she’d kick ass like usual, strengthened by the staff.

Inside his mind, truthfully, it was a mess. It always was when he was stressed, though. And right then, he was stressed to the max. It was worse than his first few months as S.H.I.E.L.D. director. Worse than the moments when he sent his team on another dangerous mission, afraid he was sending them to their deaths. Worse than when May had left the team because he had lost his temper and acted like a jackass at Providence base, driving her away and leaving without a goodbye. Worse than when she was missing because of Radcliffe and AIDA. When he believed he lost her for good . . .

Shaking his head sharply, he redirected his thoughts, knowing that if he had continued, he’d end up letting everything out. He needed to stay focused. Daisy and the others would be home soon enough, and then they could work it out like they always did.

Not for the first time or even the tenth time, his eyes found the front door. His mind kept returning to it. He wanted to find this Trenir and end the threat. End it once and for all to keep his girls safe. But he knew if he even tried to move towards the door, he’d earn himself a very well-deserved lecture about his recklessness. Or worse. So, with that in mind, he kept pacing in front of the sofa, keeping the comfy obstacle between him and the door.

At a soft, unexpected chirp from May’s watch, he stopped, glancing over at her.

“Yes?” she spoke, her attention on the timepiece.

“Are you alone?” a female voice spoke softly as an unfamiliar holo-person person displayed in the air above the black display.

“No. Phil’s here with me as well.”

“Oh.” A heavy sigh filtered in.

He tried not to be bothered by it, but honestly—he hadn’t done anything.

“It’s fine, Monica. What do you need?”

Coulson closed his eyes when it clicked. Captain Monica Rambeau. S.W.O.R.D. was contacting her  again. He bit back a groan and frowned as he turned his back to May to give her some privacy. He was really starting to get tired of that agency.

“No. It’s all right. I don’t want to interrupt your time. Contact me when you’re free next please.”

“You’re not interrupting,” May countered. “Plus, it might help show that not every S.W.O.R.D. agent is a Hayward.”

He heard the soft laugh from Monica and turned back with crossed arms. That wasn’t funny. Naturally, May ignored him, though.

“Hello, Director Coulson,” Monica called out, clearly not knowing where he was.

“Captain Rambeau,” he replied respectfully, stepping closer to be in view of the holo-display.

“Darcy said there were sporadic reports surfacing out there of your—what—ninth resurrection? Got to admit, I’d love to hear that story sometime, sir.” She forced a polite smile. “If you’d be willing to meet with a S.W.O.R.D. agent that is.”

It took everything in him not to grimace at the jab. “It’s nothing personal, Captain.”

“No, I know.” She smiled warmly at him. “Director Mackenzie explained.”

He could only imagine what Mack had told her.

“You’ve spoken with him recently then?”

She nodded silently. “We’re working on a reunification plan together for S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. I know there was a lot of bad blood when Hayward pulled out unexpectedly. With him gone, though, there’s no need for our agencies not to find a way to work together again like we used to, sir.”

“Glad to hear it.” He cut himself off curtly to keep his bitterness at bay. Captain Rambeau was very much the opposite of Hayward. In fact, he rather liked her, he decided. “I take it then you’re acting director until a replacement can be found?”

“Something like that.”

He stood stiff, unable to keep the building tension out of his body. He didn’t like the way she had said that. It was almost Fury-like.

“It’s actually why I was hoping to speak to Agent May in fact.”

“My answer is the same as it was when Hayward asked,” May spoke firmly.

“I figured. However, Agent Hill thought I should try just in case you changed your mind.”

“Did she now?” May shook her head slowly. “She should have known better than that.”

Hill had honestly—and to think he used to consider Maria a friend once. Was everyone a S.W.O.R.D. fan these days but him and Daisy?

“Probably. She just thought you might have enjoyed being in the thick of things again.”

Coulson’s eyes darted to May instantly, blood draining from his face. What did that mean? She had been teaching at the Academy to his knowledge, and that was it.

“Anyway, I’ll remove you from the S.W.O.R.D. roster and file the paperwork to resume your retirement. I know how important the academy is to you nowadays.”

If he had known May was back on missions, he never would have stayed away as long as he had. He had thought she was safe at the academy, though. He never once considered . . .

“It was nice working with you, Agent May.”

“Likewise, Captain.”

Monica’s eyes then darted to him.

“If you need anything, Director Coulson, please don’t hesitate to ask. S.W.O.R.D. will assist in whatever capacity you need. I know Tyler was . . . well, you know better than me, but he was wrong, sir. His actions were disgraceful and not at all what this agency is about. In fact,” she paused for a brief moment, inhaling, “it’s long overdue. I know. But on behalf of S.W.O.R.D., I truly apologize for everything he did. You should never have been subjected to his obscene abuse of power. You deserved better than that. And I’m sorry.”

He wanted to cling to his bitterness. He did. However, with that simple apology from the daughter of S.W.O.R.D.’s founding member, he couldn’t hold onto it any longer. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe one day S.W.O.R.D. could return to what it once was when he was S.H.I.E.L.D. director. With Captain Rambeau at the helm, he believed it could. After all, there was a lot of her mother in her.

“Thank you.”

She nodded.

“You’re a good man, Director. You’ve done a lot for Earth.” A wide smile then split her face as she brightened up. “I hope you enjoy your well-earned retirement to its fullest. Both of you.”

The display then blipped out as she ended the call.

He mentally added her to the growing list, placing her with Woo and Darcy as being excluded. The trio seemed to each have specific strengths that would be crucial to rebuilding all that Hayward destroyed over the brief years. With them around, maybe it’d return to what it once was, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s partner instead of its enemy.

“They’d be lucky to have you,” he quietly said as he thought more on it. As lucky as he was to have her by his side for so long. “S.W.O.R.D., I mean,” he clarified. “You’d be great at it. Keeping them on task while helping them rebuild.” He knew he never would have been able to have gathered the assets he did without her at his side. She had helped rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. just as much as he had, pointing out the flaws he didn’t see.

“You’re an idiot,” she drawled, moving towards the window to glance out.

“—I’m just saying—”

“—I know what you’re saying, Phil,” she snapped. She then sighed heavily, rubbing at her forehead as she glanced away. She must have had a headache coming on again.

He waited patiently for her to continue, though, while vaguely wondering if Daisy was actually flying or driving Lola here. His girl was late by quite a bit with either method by his estimate. He briefly considered calling just to check to see where she was. However, he knew how that’d end. He’d be called out for hovering over her once again for sure.

“I didn’t accept that day because I missed being in the field,” May finally spoke, regaining his attention. “I joined because of you. Because the last time I left you alone, I ended up at your funeral, Phil, watching your casket lowered into the ground.”

Blinking, he stared at her, feeling like a complete ass. He had upset her again.

“I stayed after because I knew I couldn’t live with myself if you died again on some stupid op I could have saved you, protected you on. I had already gone to one funeral of yours, Phil. I wasn’t wanting a repeat and bury yet another piece of my heart in there with you.”

He desperately wanted to pull her into his arms. However, he didn’t, understanding that this conversation had been a long time coming. They had never really talked about it fully in the years after his first death. Something had always come up. Another apocalypse. Another invasion. Another Time Travel adventure. They focused on the mission, on S.H.I.E.L.D. They didn’t ever make it personal like that. It wasn’t the way they were trained.

“And look what happened.” She waved a hand dramatically. “I had to bury you a second time. Only that time was so much worse.”

He forced himself to remain neutral, emotionless, knowing his eyes were giving him away, though. She knew his every tell by heart. Hell, she knew his heart.

“Because after thirty-some years of dancing around it, trying to be good agents—” she inhaled sharply “—we finally were honest with each other, finally chose ourselves over S.H.I.E.L.D.” Her arms wrapped around her torso tightly as she stood her ground in front of him. The heartbreak was written all over her. In her tightly drawn down lips. Her slight hunch forward. Her dark eyes devoid of the usual warmth and love. She was fighting herself to hold everything inside. To protect him like always. “In the end, though, it wasn’t enough to make you stop. To let someone else be the hero for once. You still chose S.H.I.E.L.D. over me. Over Daisy. Over the team.”

“May—”

Her finger instantly pointed harshly in his direction, grief turning to fury. “Don’t you dare try to justify yourself. You chose S.H.I.E.L.D., Phil. You chose to sacrifice yourself instead of trusting us to find another way.”

His mouth opened to argue, snapping it closed a second later when he caught her murderous rage face. He hadn’t chosen S.H.I.E.L.D., though. He chose the action with the best odds. The one that would be the best option for the team.

“Do you have any idea what I did because of you?” she demanded. “Do you?!”

“No.” He had some idea from pieces he got here and there, of course, when they’d occasionally meet, but he hadn’t really thought much on it to be honest.

“I destroyed a vial of Odium that we could have used on Talbot just to force them to use the serum on you, Phil. On you!” Her eyes searched his face frantically. The pain reflected perfectly back in such a way he was forced to see finally how deep his actions had hurt her. She sacrificed herself for him. “I didn’t even stop to consider saving the damn world because quite frankly my entire world was shattering all around me once again. I couldn’t stop it this time any more than I could the first.”

Oh, Mel.

“I forced them to do it against their will, not giving them a choice. I was so damn convinced they’d vote against saving you that I grabbed that vial and destroyed it. And what did you do? You made everyone believe you took it. You looked me straight in the face and lied to me. You lied to Daisy, too, and let her go in all alone without any backup.”

Feeling sick at his own actions, he forced himself to hold her gaze as she continued. They needed to get this out in the open once and for all. To move past . . . if they could even. Without a doubt, he knew these were the words she would have said to him if there had been more time instead what little they did have together before his death.

“We chose you, and instead you chose everyone else with little regard to how much it’d hurt the ones who love you.” Her breath came in trembling gasps as her control started to slip. “But, see, I can’t fault you for that. No matter how much I want to. I can’t.” Her teeth raked across her lip as she bit it, staring at him and baring the pain she had hid all these years. “That’s the ridiculous part. I can’t. Because I should have known better. I knew you for thirty years. I knew how you would do anything to save others. How you wouldn’t even put yourself into the equation to see if it were worth the risk. I knew that from the moment I met you when you shoved the mission aside for me and broke all the rules in the book. And yet I hoped. I believed that for once you were choosing us finally, Phil. That you believed we were worth it.”

He crossed the room to her at once, needing to fix this somehow.

“After you . . . were gone, I-I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near anything S.H.I.E.L.D. related. I couldn’t bear to look at it. I hated it with every ounce in my body. I still do in some ways. In fact, there are times when I walk into the Academy, into my classroom before the cadets walk in, and I just want to scream at the top of my lungs. But I don’t. Because that’s not going to do any good. That’s not going to heal the hole in my heart,” she cried, pressing a hand to her chest. “That’s not going to stitch my soul back together.”

He closed his eyes, feeling tears slide down his cheeks as he held her tightly. He offered all his strength and love he had for her as an apology. He didn’t deserve her. He truly didn’t.

“When I-I came back, I buried myself in missions. And then came Sarge. I knew he wasn’t you. I knew it. He was too much an ass. But I wanted it so badly to be you. I looked for any sign, any, to prove it was you. That you had come back to me.”

He tried to blink back more tears that threatened to fall. He didn’t know much about that time. No one really said much. He knew the brief details that they had supplied the LMD version of him, but it wasn’t the same as living it with her.

“I got stabbed then and had my emotions ripped away so I couldn’t feel anything then. You’d think it’d be better, but it wasn’t. Because then there you are, walking back into my life as if I hadn’t buried you again. Your thoughts, memories, even the stupid jokes you make, the damn heart eyes . . . all of it, back like you never left. And I couldn’t . . . couldn’t even . . .” She gasped through shaky breaths, clutching him as she cried into his chest. “It was as if I was trapped. I could see you, but I couldn’t feel you. You were so damn close to me, and . . . there just was nothing. Pure emptiness.”

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, unsure of what to say and do. He didn’t want to interrupt and make her close up again. They had to get this all out. Everything they had pushed aside. It was the only way they’d ever have a chance again. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Mel.”

“I couldn’t hear your heartbeat,” she sobbed, fingers twisting and clenching tightly around the material. As if she were afraid he would disappear again if she let go.

Nodding numbly, he rubbed a hand up and down her back comfortingly. He had hurt her in ways that were unforgivable. Why hadn’t he just listened and chose her that day? She was right after all. It didn’t always have to fall on him to save the goddamn world. He wasn’t an avenger. A hero. It wasn’t his place. That was for the others.

“And then we got back after we won again . . . and I thought . . . thought you . . . but you left . . . again.” Her cries turned more pained, more soul-shattering. “You always leave me.”

He leaned back a bit, instantly cupping her tear-stained face in his hands.

“No.” He swallowed the boulder-sized lump in his throat as he saw the devastating grief and pain in her eyes. “I thought you needed space. That you didn’t—fuck.”

It wasn’t often he said it, but he knew he had screwed up royally this time. He had thought she needed space when they returned. However, he never asked. Not once. He just assumed that what they had was over the moment he died again. That as an LMD, he would live out the rest of their days still loving her completely albeit from afar now while she moved on.

Inhaling sharply, he bent his knees slightly to lower his face to hers.

“Please forgive me,” he begged, searching her reddened, watery eyes. His thumbs lovingly wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “I never meant to hurt you. Never! Oh . . . I’m so sorry. Melinda, I’m so goddamn sorry!” He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head before he returned to her gaze. “You deserve the sun and the moon and the stars and—”

“I don’t want that, you idiot,” she choked out angrily before taking a shuddery, gasping breath. “Why can’t you figure that out still?” Her tone was soft but clipped in obvious exasperation. “I’ve only ever wanted you, Phil. You.”

He sucked his lips in as he stared at her, swallowing back his heart that threatened to leave.

“You have me.”

“For now,” she mouthed, her lip trembling as she continued to try to fight the losing battle with every emotion that had been repressed since the temple.

“Then what about a promise?” He smiled softly back as he saw the confusion cross her face. “We never leave each other’s sides again.”

She stared at him silently for a few moments, tears still falling. Whatever she saw, it made her squeeze her eyes shut and turn away from him unfortunately. Her tongue swiped across her lips, clearly trying to hold in the last bits of water from the burst dam.

“Phil—”

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let her think for even a moment what she feared.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” he admitted honestly. “I didn’t, Melinda. I never want to. Not once. Not when Loki left me to die on the helicarrier. When we weren’t even together, hadn’t been partners in years. And I mostly definitely didn’t want to leave you behind after we finally, finally, took that step we had danced around for so long.”

She swiped the tears away irritably, pressing her lips together as she sniffled.

“I begged whatever god would listen to give me one more day with you. Begged. Night after night. Swore that if I had another chance, I’d fix my mistake. That I’d do anything to be with you just a little longer. Every morning when I’d wake and find you in my arms, I’d either whisper a ‘Thank you.’ Because I still had time to love you like I should have from the start.”

Her hand curled into a tight fist as her other hid her broken sob as the last of the dam broke free.

“When I’m with you, everything else fades away. The noise, the fears, the regrets, all of it. I didn’t . . . still don’t believe I’m worthy enough of your love, especially now. But . . .” he shrugged, openly crying with her. “We always find one another in the end. No matter where we are. What universe. What ship. What side of the planet. We always find one another.”

“You left.”

“I came back. I always come back to you eventually.”

“You choose S.H.I.E.L.D.!”

“I’m choosing you right now.”

“For now.”

“No, I’m done. I promise.”

She scoffed angrily. “You’ll never be done.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t my life anymore. You are.”

She scoffed, glaring at him as she shook her head. “You have a line for everything, don’t you?”

“Almost everything,” he admitted with a coy smile. “I mean it, though. You always put me first. Always wanted to keep me safe. Take care of me. Let me do the same. Let me put you first this time.”

“Phil—”

He grabbed her hands, though, holding them tightly in his.

“You are the only person in my life who has never manipulated me for some other purpose. Never betrayed me.” He’d ignore the whole Fury having her watch his back thing.

“Even though I was working with S.W.O.R.D.?” she argued, the tiniest, sad smile curling her lip.

“You joined to keep me safe.” He watched her face crumple almost immediately before her head tucked back underneath his chin, their hands trapped between their chests. “I love you, Mel. I always have. I just . . . I didn’t think—”

“—of that we can agree,” she quipped, huffing a broken, shaky, tearful laugh.

“I deserve that.”

“No, what you deserve is an ass-kicking for being an idiot.”

“All right, I deserve that, too,” he agreed, nodding as he squeezed her hands affectionately. “You can kick my ass anytime, anywhere. I love when you kick my ass,” he drawled with a soft grin.

She huffed a quiet laugh that turned into a groan. “You’re terrible.”

“I know, but it always makes you laugh. And you know how much I love your laugh. Weird as it is to hear.” It was his turn to chuckle when she lightly slapped his chest playfully. “I mean it, though. I should have chosen you. It wasn’t that I thought we weren’t worth more time, though. I just didn’t want to be selfish and responsible for all of our deaths.”

“Well, it was stupid what you did.”

“I know.”

“You should have told me. You should have been honest from the start, before you made that stupid deal with Reyes and not tried to do everything yourself all the damn time.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, you screwed that up spectacularly, didn’t you? Because you did hurt me. You ripped my heart out. Again.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He tilted his head to rest his cheek against her head with a quiet sigh. “I don’t deserve your love.”

“But you have it regardless.”

His eyes closed as he released her hands. When he felt her hands slide up his chest and around his shoulders to wrap around his neck, he sighed contently. Pulling back slightly, he bent his knees more before he pressed his forehead against hers, his nose brushing lightly with hers.

“I need you,” he murmured.

“You do.”

He chuckled quietly, nuzzling against her.

“I’m lost without you,” he said mere centimeters from her lips. He was so close he could feel her breathe against his face.

“Clearly,” she retorted dryly. “You still talk too damn much, though.” She yanked him closer until their lips finally pressed together.

He melted in her arms instantly, sagging against her. When she left a trail of warm, soul-affirming kisses down his jawline soon after, he tried to chase her lips. He couldn’t catch her, though, until she came back to him, quickly taking his bottom lip between her teeth and pulling it back—stealing his breath. Oh, how he loved this woman.

When they stumbled back with a thump a moment later, he smiled against her, enjoying the feel of her pressing him back into the wall.

“Bully,” he quipped, watching her eyes roll hard in response.

She then leaned back, having released his lip to reply with a smirk, “You like it.”

He pulled her further into his arms, pressing her flush against him so there was no doubt just how much he liked it when she took the lead. “I do.”

“Phil,” she giggled, turning her head slightly as she smiled bashfully. “Daisy’s on her way.”

“Yeah, well, clearly our daughter either forgot the way here overnight or she got lost. It’s been almost fifty minutes since they supposedly left.” His face fell the same time as May’s had, hearing the words aloud. Oh no! Daisy!

They quickly parted, trying to contact Daisy and Sousa with their watches. However, neither call was answered. So they moved onto FitzSimmons, only to hear more unending ringing as the calls weren’t answered.

At the sound of a low creak from the loose floorboard on the porch, they slipped into their roles again, focused and in sync. He leaned to his left, grabbing the gun he knew had been taped to the bottom of the small decorative table that held mementos from past missions. He caught the flash of light as May grabbed the staff Loki had returned to her earlier.

The second the front and back doors burst open simultaneously, they moved as one. He waited half a second to identify the intruders, firing once it was obvious they weren’t his kids. The brown, leather clothes and blue, ridged skin gave it away. His kids had more style than that.

He felt May’s back pressed firmly against his, hearing her wield the staff like a boss while she sent her side of attackers flying through the air to slam into the fireplace across the way. For a brief moment, he considered turning back to catch a glimpse, but as more aliens rushed in and his clip was running low, he knew it wasn’t the time to see the woman he loved kicking ass. Not yet at least.

“You good?” he yelled, leaning to his left to grab the taped ammo on the far-left underside of the table. Thank God for her always being prepared for an ambush.

“Are you?” she called back.

“Oh, you know, just peachy,” he remarked dryly, reloading his gun. “Just fighting bad guys with my incredibly hot badass girlfriend.” When she didn’t say anything, he added timidly, “You are my girlfriend again, right?”

“Phil!” she growled. “Not the time!”

“Yes, dear.”

He shot off a few more rounds, dropping three more of their attackers effortlessly. At her loud cry of pain unexpectedly behind him, he felt his heart drop.

“May?”

“I’m fine!” she said through obvious grit teeth. “Don’t turn this into Monte Carlo again!”

He winced at the memories of that disastrous op during their early years. Two broken ribs. A hairline fracture to the base of the skull. And a bullet embedded to the right shoulder. “Is that what this is? I thought it was more Milan.” It certainly felt more like the ambush of the hostel of their Milan op.

“Phil!”

She was right of course. He needed to keep his head in the game. It was the one thing Fury had drilled into his mind the most during their training. One misstep could mean death for either of them. Normally, he could keep more focused than this, but it felt as if someone had just slapped a hand down atop of the button and reactivated him as the LMD again. However, the ache in his leg with blood running down proved that he was very much alive.

As more flooded the house, now coming down the stairs too and firing some kind of energy weapon, he instinctively brought his left arm up. When the familiar signature energy shield appeared, he exhaled sharply, watching as the barrier expanded all around them like a protective force field. Huh. The volleys of energy balls from their attackers bounced off the shield, darting around the room violently.

“Thanks,” he heard her sigh loudly behind him.

He numbly nodded, not wanting to admit that it was sheer dumb luck again.

With each weapon fired against the barrier, his arm ached more, causing him to flex his fingers to alleviate it. This must have been what Fitz meant by his arm collecting energy for later. His eyes then glanced down to his holographic display on his prosthetic, noticing that it was currently hovering around 99%. Not wanting to take any chances as the attackers on his sides had given up shooting and were instead now approaching, he made up his mind and turned around to glance at May’s side.

He caught the streaks of deep red against her cheek and bicep, but he forced himself to ignore that for now. That was later’s problem. He needed to remain focused on the problem before him.

The odds were grossly against them. It was two against at least fifty by his estimate. And while May and he had gotten out of tighter spots in their youth, they unfortunately weren’t as young as they used to be. So, they had to use what they had to their advantage.

Splitting up was out of the question. He wasn’t leaving her side, and he had a sneaking suspicion she’d prevent any attempt of his leaving as well. For weapons they had the staff and his gun. But that was it. So they were outgunned and outnumbered. What else was new there, though?

His eyes darted back to his prosthetic briefly before he forced a quiet, awkward laugh. It was reckless, so asinine to consider even, and he was going to hear about it for days afterwards. If it did its job, though, then it’d be all worth the lecture and ass-kicking heading his way over this one.

Mind made up, he squared his shoulders.

“I love you, Melinda,” he declared, his right arm quickly wrapping around her waist to force her into a crouch. He threw his body atop of hers a moment later, shielding her and hearing her snarled version of his name as he did. He was going to pay for that later. That was absolutely certain. His left arm then swung out wide as he hoped he was right about his hunch.

The entire house shook as the powerful bright blue shockwave rippled out from his shield. Glass shattering from nearby windows exploded all around, raining down atop of them with clinking sounds. Then came absolute silence for a few moments before boots thumped into the entryway.

He lifted his head up with his gun at the ready, knowing he only had the one bullet left.

“I was going to say we’re here to help,” retorted a familiar female former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent standing in the doorway with her weapon drawn, “but I see you two had it well in hand.”

“Hill?”

Maria smiled back with a nod before she glanced over her shoulder as someone else approached from behind. She stepped aside quickly, revealing the newcomer.

His mouth dropped at the blast from the past. It had been almost thirty years.

“Wow!” A low wolf-whistle followed as their second guest grinned wolfishly at him. “You aged like fine wine, didn’t you? Last time I saw you, you had hair.”

Brushing off the remark, he remained kneeling on the floor as May slipped out of his hold and silently pushed herself up to her feet to move over to Maria. He could feel the anger directed entirely in his direction and winced inwardly. Though, deep down, May had to admit that she couldn’t argue how it hadn’t worked. The unmoving bodies of their attackers all around showed it had.

“Daisy?” May asked.

“Safe,” answered Hill, offering a small, knowing smile to her. “Fury and Doctor Strange are protecting her and the others.”

“Or rather Strange is while Fury’s supposedly supervising,” quipped Danvers, offering Coulson a hand. She smiled brightly when he accepted it, yanking him to his feet. “You know, when we met back then, never thought you’d try to take my job from me one day.”

“Not trying to,” he argued, meeting the amused look. “Trust me.”

Danvers laughed, though, nodding before she glanced over at May. “So, you must be Agent May. It’s nice to put a face to the name finally.”

“Likewise.” May then turned away and walked out of the severely damaged house.

Hill glanced at him briefly before she followed after May silently.

“Was it something I said?” Danvers frowned.

“More like something I did,” he sighed tiredly. Rubbing a hand over his face, he shook his head. Like he said earlier, that was later’s problem. “How did you know about all this anyway?”

Danvers shrugged. “How else? Fury.” She walked beside him towards the door, the glass crunching underneath their shoes. “Big ol’ softie has a soft spot for you clearly, Coulson.”

“Don’t know why the hell he would.”

“Eh, I do,” she smirked, playfully bumping into his side. “So, Hill was telling me that you and Agent May are quite the item.”

“We were, and then I died. Again. Now, I don’t know what we are anymore.” He paused on the boardwalk at the hand resting against his forearm.

“A piece of advice?”

He shrugged. “Sure.” He could take all the help he could get it’d seem.

“Stop scaring the hell out of her, Coulson. Each time you do something like this, it reminds her of losing you the first time.”

“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose,” he argued.

“No, it’s not, you’re right, but you do seem to be right there when trouble unfolds, aren’t you?” She gave him a knowing look, which caused him to frown and glance away. “I mean, I show up, and there you and Fury are. And then later on, there you are again, letting Fury and me escape when you could have stopped us, turned us in and gained some major cred with the bosses.”

“It didn’t feel right.”

“Yeah, Fury said you went with your gut.” She then tilted her head slightly. “He also said that you helped him with the Avengers’ Initiative from the start. That you were there when the Tesseract, Thor’s Hammer, and other cool toys showed up. That you recruited Stark, seeing potential in him when Fury only saw a spoiled rich boy who didn’t play well with others.” She shrugged lightly. “And, you know, for the big one of making sure the Avengers had something to, well, avenge. I’m not even going to start about all the stuff you’ve been up to since then.”

“I’m not a hero.”

“I don’t know. You might not be a superhero, sure, but you’ve done a lot of heroic things in your life, Coulson.” If she meant by stumbling into things he shouldn’t have, yeah, he did that. “Hell, let’s be honest here. Behind all of us superheroes, there’s you, the man who found and brought us all together. Don’t dismiss that.” She smiled warmly at him before she patted his back. “I know I haven’t.”

His frown deepened at her words. He wasn’t a hero. He never would be. He was just a man who was sometimes in the right place at the right time. And sometimes not. He blew out an exasperated breath then before he continued heading towards the Quinjet that was waiting.

Rushing up the metallic ramp a few moments later, his shoes thumped loudly, signaling his approach. When he caught May’s head turned away and her obvious refusal to look even so much his way, he sighed heavily, dropping himself into the empty seat across from her. He strapped himself in with another inward sigh. One step forward, twenty back. Story of his life.

“I’m sorry,” he said over the engines as they lifted off. It wasn’t the place and time for this discussion with a S.H.I.E.L.D. Tac team all around them, but he didn’t like leaving it like this.

May’s eyes flicked over to him as her hand curled tighter around the glowing staff.

“Really? Which part, Phil?” she tossed back to him bitingly. “Destroying the house? Throwing caution to the wind and saying what the hell? Not having faith in my ability to fight anymore?”

“What?” He blinked in horror. “No! That wasn’t it! That wasn’t it at all! I was protecting you!”

“I didn’t ask you to do that!” she snapped.

“I know!” he shouted back, feeling the agent on his left scoot further away. “Because you never ask! Because you always are so damn focused on protecting me that you put yourself in danger instead!”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t think you were so damn invincible all the time!”

“I never said I was!”

“You don’t have to! You practically scream it every damn time we’re in this situation, Phil!”

His jaw clenched, hating that she was right. “Because I don’t want to lose you, Melinda!”

“Awesome because I don’t want to lose you either!”

“Well, good!”

“Great!”

“Hey, lovebirds!” Hill yelled from the cockpit. “Keep your petty domestic squabble down back there! Otherwise, I’ll throw this Quinjet into autopilot and gag you both! Got it?”

He turned away and glared. How had this gone so far upside down again? Though, he knew why. It was the same reason May was so furious with him. Because once again they nearly lost one another. Their hearts were now on their sleeves, displayed for all to see, and they couldn't put that particular genie back in the bottle ever in order to protect each other like they had before.

They were in love.

And it was messy. So very messy.

Fury had warned them, though, that it would be.

Told them during their Academy years in fact what would happen if they ever acted on the obvious attraction between them. So they didn't. They'd touch the line occasionally, flirt with it even, but never try to cross it entirely.

Not until they reached the warm, white sands of Tahiti as time ran out.

There they shed their masks they had so desperately clutched onto for thirty years in order to be good S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. To be the best they could be.

Finally, after decades of denial, they allowed themselves to be Phil and Melinda, surrendering themselves to everything they had ever longed to have. A chance at a normal life. The life away from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Only life threw them yet another curve ball, forcing them to swing even harder.

Chapter Text

The second they landed in the hanger, Coulson sighed heavily, watching May dart for the already lowering ramp. She couldn’t run fast enough from him obviously. He unbuckled, tossing the straps off dejectedly before he stood. When a hand grabbed his shoulder a moment later, he paused, glancing back.

“I know I don’t have to tell you this,” Hill quietly said at his side “but if you rush after her, it’s just going to make things worse. Let her cool off first.”

“That’s what I’m doing,” he stated evenly, meeting the disappointed look. Did Hill truly think he didn’t know May like the back of his hand by now?

“You didn’t see her that day, Phil.”

“No, you’re right. I didn’t,” he scoffed, shaking his head at the insinuation, “because I was dead.” He caught the glint in Hill’s eyes as her entire neutral stance morphed into pure irritation. “You and Fury didn’t decide to bring me back until—”

“I’d watch my tone if I were you,” she bristled, glaring back at him.

“Why? Are you going to shoot me?” It was a very long day and was only going to get longer if she kept it up. He was worn down, and all he wanted right then was to find Daisy and make sure his girl was safe. That was it. However, here Maria Hill was, suggesting he didn’t know May in the slightest.

She stared at him for half a moment before she shot back, “You want to screw up the best thing that’s ever happened to you? Go ahead, Coulson. Keep it up. Don’t come crying to me when she leaves your ass.” She then added in another knife, “Again.”

“You don’t—”

She stepped into his space, though, glaring daggers at him. “Who do you think was the one to tell her, genius? What? You really believe Fury would’ve sent just anyone to notify her of your death?”

Everything stopped for half a moment as he stared back. His heart dropped in horror as the realization of her words hit him full force.

“No, see, he sent some random Level 1 to tell your sweet Portland cellist. Because anyone can handle tears and grief.” Hill paused for half a moment. “But May? That was my job, Phil,” she revealed. “I had to be the one to tell her while Fury desperately tried to save your ass in the guesthouse.”

He stepped back, bumping into the wall with a thump. That was why May and Hill kept each other at arm’s length? Because Hill had been the one to inform her?

“So, don’t tell me I don’t know,” she spat back. “Don’t patronize me like that, Coulson. Because unlike you, I knew exactly what was going on. I was telling my best friend that the man she cared for had just died, knowing I was lying to her face and that she would never know the truth. That I could never tell her what Fury had done. The day you died, I lost both of my friends.”

“I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t. Why would you?”

“I’m sorry.” God, had he stepped in it this time. First May, now Hill.

“Yeah? Me too. Pretty sure it’s not for the same reasons either.” She then sighed defeatedly, sagging as if all the anger from earlier had vanished somehow. “I know you won’t listen. You never do. However, a piece of advice?” She frowned when he nodded for her to go on. “Stop being a jackass, Phil, and listen to what she’s telling you for once. Or walk away.” She turned from him a moment later, heading down the ramp.

Sighing inwardly, he waited for half a moment before he followed a respective distance behind into the base that reminded him a lot of the Lighthouse. Well, except they were now on top of a summit instead, looking down onto some quaint sleepy mountain town.

He walked through the large shielded metallic doors, hearing the hydraulics releasing their energy from opening. He wondered what the name was for this base. He didn’t remember seeing anything in the toolbox about it, but that didn’t mean anything.

“Coulson!” Fury’s voice boomed loudly, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Get in here!”

He turned and walked inside, finding everyone gathered around a holo-table. He caught the small, somber smile from FitzSimmons as they met his eyes briefly. However, Daisy’s arms wrapped him up soon after, stopping his observations at once.

“You’re okay,” she declared quietly, embracing him warmly.

“So are you,” he replied just as softly, forcing himself not to relax in relief.

“Yeah, well, thanks to Doctor Strange.”

“Hey now!” Fury remarked with his good eye’s brow raising.

Daisy laughed, stepping to the side but staying at Coulson’s side thankfully. “Yeah, I suppose he played a part too. But AC’s still my favorite, though.”

“Naturally,” Fury snorted with a thin smile, eyes flicking up to Coulson in obvious amusement.

“Where’s Sousa?” Coulson asked a moment later when he noticed her boyfriend missing.

“Cleaning himself up. He’ll be here shortly.” She sighed heavily. “He’s sort of worried you hate him because of the whole baby thing, so he’s kind of panicking.” She then shrugged. “He’s kind of an idiot sometimes. Adorable and sweet but an idiot.”

“He’s in good company then,” he muttered.

“That’s what I thought, too,” she quipped, glancing back with twinkling eyes.

His eyes in turn quickly darted across the room to where May was speaking to Danvers and Hill. Her back was too him, which hurt, but he deserved it. He wanted to fix it, but he knew he had to set it aside for now and focus on the mission. There would be time later. There always was. The mission came first. It always had for them.

“Go talk with her.”

He side-eyed Daisy. “Not really interested in airing our dirty laundry in front of everyone.”

She snorted. “Like that’s stopped you two before.”

“You know, you’re entirely too mouthy for your own good sometimes.” He couldn’t help but smile, though, leaning against her. She was happy, joking even. All signs leaning to her being good.

“Awe. Thanks,” she drawled, smiling broadly before playfully bumping his side again. “Learned it from my nerdy dad.”

He shook his head with a subdued chuckle. “So, you have any advice for your old man then?” he teased, glancing at her. Oh, how he wished nowadays he had met her earlier in his life. He could have given her the family she deserved. Hell, he could have done it for all his kids.

“Eh, just one.”

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“Stop making it so damn complicated between you two. Something is always going to come up. There’s always going to be a villain of the week trying to tear us apart. Nature of the game. But what matters is how you respond. And lately you’ve both been doing the same thing you always do. You sacrifice yourself, and she jumps right off the cliff there beside you to save you.”

He sighed heavily, knowing that it was true.

“How do I break that loop?”

“Look to the root of the problem,” she answered. “Why do you always sacrifice yourself? Why does she feel the need to save you? Find that out, and you can change the behavior.”

He stared at her for a moment.

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Yeah, I know, but I’ve been going to therapy. Sort of. It started out because it’s kind of mandatory after, you know, deep space travel. Some sort of new guidelines or something. I don’t know. But after a bit, I decided to throw myself all into it because I finally have some time where I can. Lord knows I’ve got some issues I need to work through, and it’s helped Daniel and I navigate our relationship sometimes, too. Communicate better and stuff.”

He smiled at her beaming with joy. “I’m proud of you, Daisy. That’s a very healthy and mature thing to do.” Lord knew they all could use some therapy after the lives they lived.

“Yeah, well, we’ll see.” At his confusion, she sighed before she added, “We’ve been working this week on our hopes and fears of becoming parents. Basically, it turns out I’ve got deep-seated Daddy issues and am afraid of screwing my kid up like I was.”

“Daisy—”

“—yeah, I know,” she interrupted. “May already beat you to it. After Daniel had basically told me that he knows our kid will be fine because it takes a village and all that.” She laughed inwardly. “He’s got such old-fashioned ideas about all of this.”

“Sometimes you need old-fashioned, though.”

She huffed a laugh. “Yeah, somehow I thought you’d agree with him.” She then leveled a stern look on him. “Go talk to her. Woo her like I know you can, you hopeless romantic.”

He glanced back at May, grimacing slightly at the ladies with her. “Fairly certain if I head over there now, I’ll either get a broken rib, busted lip, or a blast to my chest. I think not.”

“Or, hell, it might even be all three knowing your luck,” Daisy remarked as her face instantly morphed into sheer mischief as she grinned at him.

“Coulson!”

He instantly turned to Fury. “Yes, sir?” He winced at the glare. In his defense, it was habit.

“Quit stalling and go talk to that beautiful woman already.”

He glanced around to those standing closest to him. “Is everyone in on this?”

Fury, Doctor Strange, Fitz, Simmons, and Daisy stared back.

“In on what?” Sousa asked, finally appearing as he stepped up to Daisy’s side.

“Coulson and May,” Fitz answered with a soft sigh.

“Oh. Aren’t you two already married?” Sousa asked with furrowed brows.

“We could only wish,” Fury muttered simultaneously with Daisy and Fitz. The three glanced at one another in surprise.

“Agent Coulson?” spoke up Doctor Strange softly, finally entering the conversation as well.

“Yes?” He was grateful that he wasn’t called director in front of Fury.

“Treat it as you would any other life-or-death situation.”

“Just don’t die this time,” Daisy quipped, resting a hand on Coulson’s arm while she snickered with Fitz and Simmons.

Oh, she thought was absolutely hilarious, didn’t she? Coulson shook his head. There were a multitude of reasons why he had to put his relationship drama to the side. The most glaringly obvious one was Daisy’s safety, which he knew deep down she knew and was blatantly ignoring.

“You do realize that there are—” Coulson started to say.

“Yep. And don’t care right now. We’re in the most secure place in the world surrounded by literal superheroes. So, move.” She lightly pushed him in May’s direction. “Your grandchild demands it, Grandpa Coulson.”

Frowning, he stared back unamused. When she changed tactics and rested her head on his shoulder while glancing up at him, he groaned, hating the entire thing. He rarely could say no to her unfortunately. And the brat knew it, too, having him wrapped around her finger.

However, for some reason, he couldn’t use the usual excuse about the mission here. They weren’t talking yet about the elephant in the room that was the latest attack, which likely meant they were waiting for someone else to arrive. So, he did have time here to talk with May before they had to resume their usual roles again.

Cursing Daisy in his head, he gave in like usual, walking across the room a moment later.

“May?” he softly said, finding Hill’s disapproving look and Danvers’s countering pleased one. “Could we talk?”

“I have nothing to say to—”

He quickly cut in, “Good because I have plenty to say to you, starting off with I’m sorry.” He paused for half a second before he plowed onward, taking her silence as approval to continue. “I didn’t mean to upset you earlier. I just needed to keep you safe. And I know. I know you can protect yourself and don’t need me to because you’re not some damsel in distress. And I’m sure it’s demeaning or something, but I can’t lose you.”

“Phil—”

“I mean it, Melinda. I can’t.” He pressed his lips together for half a second before he continued. “It’s why we never did this before. Why I never tried. Well, one of the reasons at least. You’re also super intimidating at times, too.” He was rambling, but he watched both Hill and Danvers take their leave finally and give them some form of privacy. “When you’re not by my side, though, I’m lost. My entire axis is shifted, and I can’t focus on the objective. Because all I’m thinking about is you. If you’re safe. If you’re okay. You’re my weakness and my strength.” He watched her eyes soften before she glanced away from him. “I never wanted to leave you. I didn’t. I know I keep saying that, but it’s true. So, this theory of yours that I didn’t take the serum because I didn’t want to be with you—because I didn’t think we were worth it—it’s 100 percent wrong. You have no idea how badly I wanted to take it. To say screw it for once and be with you finally. But I knew what would happen. Eventually, I’d drag you down with my regrets of not stopping Talbot. I couldn’t do that to you.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make alone.”

“You’re right. It wasn’t. We were in a relationship or rather entering one.” Or something. They never really defined what was going on then, he realized. “I should have been upfront from the start.”

“You should have.”

He nodded slowly. So far this was going all right. So, he pushed the line a bit further.

“I should have told you every chance I got—I get—how much I love you. I didn’t want to say it and cause you more pain later, though. You had already been through so much. I didn’t want to add more to it then,” he admitted.

“You’re an idiot.”

“I am,” he agreed, nodding. “You deserve the world.”

“I don’t want the world.”

He smiled faintly. “I know.” He stepped closer to her, relaxing when she met him in the middle. He didn’t care if everyone was openly watching now. May was the only person currently he focused on. He needed to get this out before he lost his nerve again. “I’m reckless. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I make stupid cheesy jokes that aren’t at all funny. I have a misguided idea that I alone have to bear the weight of the world to save others the pain from making hard decisions, difficult sacrifices.” He watched her eyes soften as more truths tumbled free. “I’m terrified of losing you for many reasons. More than I could possibly have time to list right now, but the biggest one is because I’ve been in love with you for thirty-four years. Ever since that day at the Academy when you knocked me off my feet and pinned me in five seconds flat—and then smiled down at me like some warrior goddess from above.”

He brushed off the Awes and Ohhs from nearby as the others eavesdropped.

“I was too chicken to let you know how much I cared for you. I didn’t want to distract you, keep you from being the badass you are. And when Andrew showed up in your life?” He shrugged. “I forced myself to accept you choosing him over me, knowing he could give you everything I couldn’t. He could give you the happy, smiling, loving family you wanted and deserved. The dance recitals. The movie nights on the sofa. The little girl with your smile. Or, hell, the little boy with your eyes.” His tongue darted out, quickly swiping over his lips to wet them. “You could have your happily ever after with him. Live like a civilian and be normal. I couldn’t do any of that for you. S.H.I.E.L.D. was all I knew. It was my life. My home.”

She slowly swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared back silently.

“Protecting others—it’s engrained in me to my very core. You know this. You know it’s because I couldn’t save my dad. So, I try to save everyone else to make sure they make it home. So there isn’t a little boy somewhere—” his voice cracked as the memories he pushed down for so long stayed away “—sitting on the front step wondering where his dad is.” He inhaled sharply, pushing through. “Only for that kid to find out later that his dad isn’t ever—” his eyes glanced upwards as he tried and failed to maintain some semblance of emotional control “—coming home again and the last words they ever said to one another were in anger because of a car.” His defining moment.

It had been years since he had spoken the words aloud. In fact, the last time had been during a rambling breakdown when he was convinced that he was going to go the way of Garrett. He told them to May during a particularly hard, low moment in his office late one night. She had only held him and stayed by his side until he had finally fallen asleep.

“I don’t know how to take that step back that you need me to do, May,” he admitted quietly. “To let someone else step in for a change. I don’t. I wish I could tell you that I won’t do it again, but we both know it’d be a lie.” He held her blank gaze, knowing based on the blinks that she was listening. “And when it’s either you or Daisy or someone else I care for in harm’s way?” He shrugged unapologetically. “All bets are off then. Which is why I once again hoped for the best and did what I did earlier. Because at the end of the day, I will do everything I can to save you. It’s not a me thinking you can’t protect yourself, though. I know you can. I’ve seen you take on people twice—three times your size and walk away like it was nothing. I know that you could have handled it like you always do. I just don’t want there ever to be a day when I lose you. You’ve been my constant, the one I can rely on the most, whom I trust the most, whom I love the most. You give me the strength to carry on, to keep fighting. You make me better, Melinda. You always have.”

She always would, too. With her by his side, he could take on the world, weather any storm thrown their way. Just as they had done most of their lives. Bahrain, Ward, Andrew, Rosalind, Hydra, Hale, LMD, Sarge, and so on. She had done everything to protect him. Just as he would always do in return for her.

“You talk too much,” she simply replied, causing him to laugh.

“I know, and I’m an idiot.”

“Who has a big heart that gets him into trouble all the time.”

“Sounds about right,” he concurred, holding her look while wishing he knew what she was thinking right then. She wasn’t giving him much to go off, but then again, she rarely did. The words then tumbled free from his lips. “But that big heart of mine has always been yours.”

He had tried to be happy with Audrey. He had. They were both focused on their careers. Neither really seemed interested in having kids either. So, it was just them being together and enjoying one another’s company. However, looking back on it now, the signs were all there. It never would have worked between them. He could never be himself with her. He could never let her fully know him. She would never understand, and it’d ultimately drive a wedge so far between them that eventually he’d spend most of his time trying to fix instead of enjoying their time together. His death had likely saved her from a lifetime of bitterness and regret.

He had tried again with Roz. Being the head of the ATCU, she could understand everything he had hid from Audrey. But there wasn’t the history there that he had with May. And as horrible as it was, he knew the sickening truth deep down that he didn’t want to admit to himself ever. Roz was frankly just a steppingstone to make him realize what he had always known but lied to himself over. Her death at Ward’s hands finally pushed him into peering in the darkness that he tried desperately to ignore for the good of the mission.

If Ward could reach Roz in Coulson’s presense, what would stop the psychopath from going after May next?

That question had kept him up so many nights after Roz’s death.

He could still recall his absolute disgusting loss of control, his panic at that horrifying thought. He had thrown everything at getting Ward. Broke every single rule he had ever held dear to him just to end it. To make sure he never lost May the way Roz had died.

Everything in his body drove him to complete the mission at any cost—even if it was his own life. He remembered staring down at Ward on that planet, the fury coursing through his body. The deep-seated hatred he had raging inside. And then as quick as it had come came immense relief at the loud crack underneath his hand as he killed Ward.

Everyone assumed he had done it to avenge Roz. A man lost in his grief of losing someone he cared for. In reality, he had done it to protect May, though. He had lost himself to the darkness, given in finally as he sold his soul to the devil for the first time. Everything he did was to save her. She was all that mattered to him.

He gasped, inhaling shakily as everything came crashing into him finally. He felt the arms instantly wrap around his neck, pulling him into her. He buried his head into her shoulder, feeling his stomach lurch as the panic clawed its way to the surface.

To the others, he knew his current state would be bizarre. His mood had shifted quicker than a tornado dropping in the prairie on a summer night. However, May had seen this before, knew how to help him when everything finally caught up with him and forced him to stop running.

“Breathe,” May ordered, holding him tightly. “Breathe.”

He clutched at her, though, trying to do as she instructed but failing.

“What’s wrong with him?” Daisy asked, quickly rushing to their side.

He wished he could answer. Tell her that everything would be okay. That he could remain being the strong person she knew instead of this. That everything would be fine. However, each handhold he had ever used to maintain his control had vanished inside, leaving behind only smooth rockface that his fingers slipped on and dangled him closer to the edge.

“Phil, look at me,” May commanded, her palms moving to his cheeks to cradle his face. “Look at me. Breathe.”

His eyes were wide, though. Every mission they had been on flashed behind his eyes with each time he had nearly lost her. There had been so many times when it had been so close. Too many.

“Miss Johnson!” shouted someone behind Coulson.

The second he felt a hand against his back, his entire body seized up, noticing May doing the same. His head tipped back far enough that he couldn’t see her anymore a moment later.

White, hot pain seared into him like a cattle prod, branding him to his very soul. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. Every single nerve was ablaze. Every synapse fired, exploding and sending him hurtling closer to unconsciousness.

A scream then tore from deep within, his fingers digging painfully into May’s skin.

“You will lose everything, Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D.!” a voice that sounded like Trenir’s growled inside his head. “Surrender the half-breed to me now! Or I’ll fire upon you and end you!”

Like a hazy daydream, the room flickered out of focus, changing perspective as if he had been shoved into another part of his mind protectively.

“Ooh, I like the sound of Mr. Phillip J. May,” he heard his own voice echo in the darkness with his chuckles mixing with May’s loud boisterous laughs.

“God, you’re such a dork,” she laughed all around him. “Like hell are you taking my name.”

“May! Coulson!” Voices cut in sharply all around them, splitting the darkness temporarily.

A second later, the hand to his back was removed, and he fell to his knees, holding May against him as they both sagged to the floor while the lights exploded all around them. His head lulled to the side, trying to push through his extreme exhaustion. Blood streamed down May’s face from her nose, eyes, and ears, which he assumed was the same for him based on her look.

It was absolute chaos all around them. People were speaking frantically, but he couldn’t focus enough to recognize voices. It was clear something had happened, though. Something beyond whatever the hell had happened between him and May. However, the only thing he honestly knew right then was that May was in his arms, safe again.

“What the hell just happened?”

“Are they okay?”

“Daisy, Daisy, sweetheart, open your eyes. Open your eyes for me.”

“Simmons, what the hell was that just now?”

“I don’t know!”

“Were they attacked?”

“By whom? Daisy?!”

“No, she wouldn’t hurt either of them!”

“It was the child!”

“The baby? No, it can’t be. She’s barely sixteen weeks along!”

“I am aware how implausible it is, but I am telling you it was Miss Johnson’s unborn child.”

“Daisy, wake up. Daisy! Wake. Up!”

“Coulson! May! Talk to us! Are you all right?”

He felt someone tap his left cheek but was unable to respond. It was as if he was frozen in place.

“They’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do, though. I can sense the child.”

“What?”

“Strange is telling the truth. I don’t know how to describe it, guys, but I can sense the baby, too. It was reaching out to them. I don’t think it meant for that—whatever that was just now—to happen.”

“Daisy, sweetheart, come on. Open your eyes for me. There you go. There’s those beautiful brown eyes of yours.” A relieved sigh echoed.

“What about Daisy?”

“The connection overloaded her central nervous system. She’ll be fine with rest. As will they.”

“Are you saying that’s why the lights burst? Because Daisy’s child—”

“Likely yes.” There was a slight pause before, “Miss Danvers.”

“Yeah, I feel it, too. All right, folks. Time to leave.”

“Go? Why? What’s going on?”

“We need to go. Now!”

Coulson then felt the ground beneath him shake violently as a loud boom rippled above.

“Is that Daisy?”

“No. Her powers are drained completely at the moment.” Doctor Strange’s face then came into view. “Agent Coulson, we are going to get you out of here. Do you understand? Blink twice for yes.”

It took some effort before he blinked twice a moment later.

The ground then rocked again, sending them nearly pitching to the ground from the stronger vibration. Hands grabbed ahold of him and May to keep them upright.

“We need to leave. Now!”

“Bleeker?”

“Good as place as any,” remarked Doctor Strange. He then stepped out of view briefly before he returned. “I apologize. I know how disoriented you must be, but we need to move again. We are being fired upon presently, which I believe is another means to distract in order to take Miss Johnson’s child.”

A second later, Coulson felt himself levitated up into the air, catching light dust falling as he was forced to release May.

“If everyone will step through, please.”

A second later, Coulson floated through the portal that he assumed Doctor Strange had conjured. His head lulled to the other side, finally seeing Daisy in Sousa’s arms. She looked almost as out of it as he was. If Strange was right somehow about the baby, then they were all screwed.

“You need to rest, I’m afraid,” Strange softly stated at his side. “We’ll explain more later.”

A tap of two fingers to the forehead caused Coulson to sag completely, fast asleep.

When he woke later, he found himself in what seemed to be a fancy bedroom. The sheets seriously felt like it was the highest thread count known to mankind, and the mattress was like a cloud. Groaning quietly, he tried to ignore the raging migraine that was pounding away like a jackhammer. He needed to assess the situation. At least he was fairly certain he needed to do that. It was almost as if he had come back out of weeks in the Framework again.

“Give your mind a moment to catch up,” a kind voice spoke from his left.

“Where am I?” he rasped, blinking against the grogginess.

“Bleeker Street, specifically the New York Sanctum, my home.” Doctor Strange then stepped back into Coulson’s view. “I brought you and your family here.” He then smiled faintly, motioning to Coulson’s right side in obvious anticipation of the next question. “She’s resting as you can see, but she’ll wake soon enough.”

At the sight of May beside him, he let out a sigh of relief, grateful to have her nearby. Her face had been cleaned thankfully, so she looked like she did every morning during their time in Tahiti. Peace and calmness were in every line of her beautiful face as she slept on.

“And Daisy?” he asked quietly, glancing back to Strange.

“With Agent Sousa in a nearby room, also resting.”

“She’s all right, though?”

“She is,” the sorcerer replied quietly. “Just drained. As you and Agent May were as well.”

That was putting it lightly. He felt like he had been in the memory machine again with it turned up all the way. However, as time slowly ticked on, it was getting easier to think thankfully.

“What happened?” Coulson bit back another groan as he pushed himself to sit up and back against the ornate wooden hand-carved headboard.

“Short answer?”

“At this point I’ll take any.”

Doctor Strange smiled widely. “Your grandchild.” He quietly chuckled. “He sensed your difficulties and thought he could remedy the situation by trying to calm both you and Miss Johnson. He’s since decided to behave himself and not try it again mercifully.”

So, Coulson hadn’t dreamt that part. It truly had been Daisy’s unborn child. Awesome. Just awesome. As if Daisy didn’t have enough on her plate already.

“You can sense him?”

Strange nodded silently. “It’s rather difficult not to, I’m afraid, seeing as how he’s tapped into his mother’s power currently.” He then held up a hand when Coulson opened his mouth to speak. “While here, I’m able to manipulate the plane to ensure that no harm accidentally comes to the outside world. And when I cannot, Miss Danvers steps in.”

Coulson didn’t even know where to start with this. He had been at a complete loss when Daisy had gained her Inhuman powers. Adding in a child who could already manipulate the outside world? He was so far outside of his depth that he was on Pluto. He sighed, though, hanging his head slightly. They’d get through this. Somehow. They always did. Maybe he’d contact Lady Sif for assistance.

“Hello, Agent May,” Strange murmured a moment later.

Turning his head, Coulson watched her slowly wake. Her eyes instantly darted to find him, her body sagging minutely back into the pillows when their eyes met.

“What happened?”

“As I was telling Agent Coulson, your grandchild took a page out of your daughter’s book and was trying to help you. I do not believe we need to worry about that occurring again, though.” He then glanced from her to Coulson. “I realize that you are likely still affected by the overload, but you should be aware that your family has been waiting impatiently for you both to wake. In fact, I would imagine that once Miss Simmons finishes her exam of Miss Johnson again in an attempt to calm her own nerves, she’ll come here next.”

Strange was probably right about that. Their team certainly did fuss over them a lot sometimes.

“What about the others?”

“All are well. Hill and Fury have been discussing strategies with Director Mackenzie and Agents Rodriguez and Fitz. Miss Danvers has been stationed outside Miss Johnson’s room while Agent Sousa takes care of them, and I’ve been checking on you both while you rested, keeping everyone out. And I assure you that was no easy task.” At the quiet knock against the door, Strange motioned towards it with an easy smile. “As you can see.” His eyes then fell on them silently for a moment, likely visually examining them in that usual doctor-like way. “The choice is yours if you’d like me to open that door.”

May let out a quiet snort and likely an eye roll at the offer.

“No. It’s fine,” Coulson replied, feeling the hand slip into his quickly.

There was no use in hiding away anymore. And it wasn’t like it’d be a shock to see them in bed together, considering their obvious relationship.

“Of course.” Strange tipped his head forward towards them before he turned and headed to the door. He slowly opened it, standing in the doorway for half a moment. “Miss Simmons.”

“Doctor,” Jemma’s voice carried from the hallway. A second later, she stepped into the room after Strange turned to the side to allow her inside. “Hello, sir, May.” She smiled brightly and warmly at them both as she approached.

Coulson chuckled when he noticed Elena and Mack hovering near the door.

“Come in here.”

The two quickly walked in a moment later, Elena instantly going to May’s side to hug her briefly. The door quietly closed as Strange left them to their privacy.

“I’d ask how you’re feeling, but pretty sure you two would lie,” Mack remarked dryly.

“Normally, we would,” Coulson agreed with a small smile. “But these aren’t normal times.”

“You can say that again.”

“How is it out there?” May asked.

The three shared a look before Simmons sighed heavily, clearly drawing the short straw. “Former Agent Hill and Director Fury are naturally demanding answers of course. Answers we don’t have. And Doctor Strange and Captain Danvers are in turn keeping their secrets as well.”

“Sounds about right,” May murmured beside him.

“And what about all of you?” Coulson inquired.

“Worried, sir,” Simmons admitted with an apologetic smile.

“Ignoring the whole baby zapping you three for a moment there,” Mack sighed, “we managed to learn from Fury that the base he had brought us to was obliterated in a matter of moments after the weird wizard waved his wand and portalled us here on some magical circle doodad.”

Elena tried to hide her laughter, gently placing a hand on Mack’s arm tenderly. “Not all wizards are Voldemort, Turtle-man.”

“No, sometimes they’re Dumbledore,” Mack scoffed.

“How’s Daisy?”

“Good,” Simmons answered with a somber, kind smile. “Daniel’s been sitting with her and keeping her company. She’s of course Daisy, so she’s trying to figure out how she can get past him and Captain Danvers to break in here and see for herself that you two are all right.”

Yeah, that sounded like his girl. “Where’s Fitz?”

“With Alya downstairs speaking to Wong,” Simmons replied quietly. “We didn’t want to be away from her for too long.”

Coulson nodded in understanding.

“Do we know who attacked the base?”

“Trenir,” Simmons stated, meeting Coulson’s surprised look.

“Did everyone escape?”

“It was only us there,” Mack revealed. “And it sounds like Fury only meant for us to be there for a few hours at most to regroup before we went elsewhere.”

At least everyone had survived. That was some good news.

“Has there been any contact since?”

“None.” Mack shook his head with a deep sigh. “His ship’s just hovering up there as if he’s waiting for something.”

“Just the one ship?”

“Oh, I wish it were. We’ve counted at least twenty so far up there. Danvers has been petitioning going up there alone and taking care of the problem. But Fury’s holding her back for now.”

“We’re getting the distinct impression that while Strange is keeping us here for protection, Fury has another angle he’s playing here.”

“He always does,” Coulson sighed, thinking for a moment. “Has he asked to see Daisy?”

“No. He’s sticking to being downstairs.”

“Probably because Strange and Danvers would throw him through a portal in a heartbeat if he even tried coming near you.”

“Not a lot of trust there, you’re saying?”

Mack scoffed. “Definitely not. Hill tried to come up here a few times, too. Strange intercepted her each time and told her you were all fine.”

Maria coming to see them wasn’t exactly too out of the ordinary, considering she was close to both of them. However, he was regardless thankful that Strange kept her at bay for the moment. They honestly weren’t exactly at their best currently.

“We should go,” Simmons announced, pulling him back from his thoughts. “You need your rest, sir. Both of you,” she added, glancing towards May. “We’ll talk more after you’ve rested.”

They received brief hugs from Elena and Simmons and a nod of acknowledgement from Mack.

“Will you tell Daisy we’re fine?”

“Of course, sir,” Simmons replied with a beaming smile.

He watched them then silently filter out of the room, leaving him alone with May again. He had to admit he could feel the exhaustion returning with a roaring comeback. And based on the annoyed huff beside him, he wasn’t the only one.

“Thank you,” he said softly. When he caught her confusion, he added, “For earlier. Trying to snap me out of it again.”

Her eyes softened in understanding. “Of course.” She squeezed his hand lightly a moment later. “I don’t suppose you’re willing to talk about it?”

He shrugged. “Not really.”

She nodded back, letting him off the hook again.

“But I know I should.” Exhaling deeply, he let his head fall back against the headboard to glance upwards. He needed to tell someone, and he had gotten so close to telling her once in his office.

“You don’t have to, Phil.”

He half-laughed, turning towards her.

“What?” she asked with a frown.

“Nothing.” He inhaled deeply before he resumed his earlier head-against-the-headboard pose. He appreciated her giving him an out immensely. But it was long past time to be honest. To let her know the depths he had gone to protect her. “I didn’t kill Ward because of Rosalind.” He let the silence settle between them, waiting for her to say something. She didn’t, though. So, he continued, unable to bear it. “I killed him because I was terrified he’d hurt you next.”

“I know.”

He forced a sarcastic laugh. “Of course you did,” he mumbled bitterly. “I lied to myself. Told myself I was trying to avenge her. To make him pay for killing her. Make up for betraying her like I had. But all I could think about was how I had to kill him before he ever got near you. I didn’t even think about her, Melinda. I mean, I saw her briefly in my mind before I did it, but it wasn’t her. It was what she represented to me. That’s it.”

God, he was horrible sometimes. He was cruel and cold. Not caring who got hurt as long as those he held close to his heart were okay. If they weren’t, he’d move Heaven and Hell to save them, not even bothering to consider the risks to himself. They were all that mattered to him. Nothing else.

“Phil,” she quietly said, trying to regain his attention.

He reluctantly glanced at her.

“I know,” she repeated, holding his gaze. “You don’t have to explain. We’ve both done terrible things in our lives. All in the hope to protect one another. We always find our way back into the light eventually, though.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered.

“You really don’t,” she quipped, the corners of her lips tugging upwards while fighting a smile.

“I’m sorry for earlier at the house.”

“I know.” She tilted her head, staring back at him utterly soft. “You were a reckless dumbass. But it’s not like I should be surprised by that. You always have been.” She sighed heavily, resting her head against his shoulder. “That’s why you need me.”

“Is that why?”

“Someone has to save your stupid ass when you bite off more than you can chew again.”

“And what about you?”

She snorted, rolling her head slowly against his shoulder to glance up at him. “Me? I save myself.” Her lips then quirked upwards as her eyes twinkled mischievously. “After all, I’m not the damsel in distress in this relationship. You are.”

“Oh, is that so?” He huffed a quiet laugh, rolling his eyes. The easiness that had eluded them quickly returned. “You’re always going to throw that in my face, aren’t you?”

“At least until you start exhibiting some self-preservation skills,” she quipped.

“Hey! I have amazing self-preservation I’ll have you know.”

“No you don’t,” she said, giving him a disbelieving look.

“Sometimes?”

Her eyes rolled before she smiled back softly. “Sometimes,” she conceded. She snuggled against his side a moment later. “Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“What are we going to do about Daisy?”

He sighed heavily, gathering May more into his arms. “What we always do, Melinda.”

“I was hoping you’d say that because she needs us.” Just like they needed her. She was the girl Melinda May had finally saved, and Daisy was Phil Coulson’s chance to turn regrets of the life he had yet to live into reality. She was the daughter they never had, and they’d do anything for her. Anything.

Chapter Text

At the sound of a nearby door creaking open, Coulson’s eyes darted to it, watching the shadowy figure slinking towards them. However, the intruder’s identity was sorely obvious with the familiar baby bump he hadn’t noticed not long ago. He smiled silently, waiting patiently.

“I know I taught you better than that,” May dryly quipped from the crook of Coulson’s neck.

“Yeah, I know,” Daisy sighed loudly, pausing for a moment. “However, you try sneaking while carrying extra weight sometime and tell me how that goes for you.” She met the calm blue eyes watching her in soft amusement. “Sorry for interrupting. It’s just—”

“—been several hours since you’ve seen us last?” May remarked, still not untangling herself.

Daisy’s frown deepened. “No,” she huffed. “Your grandchild missed you.”

“Oh, does he?” May snorted. “Seems more like his mother missed us.”

Coulson smiled widely, though, knowing the comments were all May’s way of saying how glad she was to see their girl again. “Where’s Sousa?” he asked a moment later.

“Downstairs with everyone else,” Daisy answered. “They’re trying to figure out what to do next since we seem to be locked in a sort of stalemate. The ships haven’t approached. They’re just out there waiting.” She hovered near the empty armchair for a few moments before she finally sunk into it.

He watched her eyes close briefly as she sighed heavily.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

Daisy forced a harsh scoff, peeking an eye open. “No.” She shook her head. “I thought the hardest part of this pregnancy thing would be the birth or, hell, telling you. Turns out alien bad guy bent on world domination or whatever the hell it is this time actually takes the cake.”

“We’ll figure it out, Daisy.”

“I know.” She shrugged, glancing over at him. “I know we will. We always do. It’s just . . . I thought we’d get a break finally.”

Coulson chuckled grimly, catching May’s silent laughs against his neck as well.

“The moment we get a break is the moment we should all worry,” he drawled.

“Isn’t that the truth?” she quipped, resting her head back against the back of the armchair. She then mumbled under her breath, “It’s like I’m cursed or something.”

Before he could even respond, May lifted her head up, turning towards Daisy.

“Do you really think feeling sorry for yourself right now is the right course of action?” May remarked with a disapproving frown.

Daisy groaned before she lulled her head to the side. “Come on. You two haven’t noticed that whenever I go, death and destruction seem to follow? Seriously?”

Coulson could feel May’s slight tense, knowing she was reminded of the same very memory he was. That seemed to be a lifetime ago.

“Bad things happen,” May responded stiffly. “There is no reason for it other than it does. You can search a lifetime trying to figure it out and still only have more questions unanswered. And that child in you,” she stated brusquely, pointing towards Daisy’s abdomen, “he needs you to keep your head right now, Daisy. Not feeling sorry for yourself. Not pouting over the unfairness of life. He needs you.”

“Why do you keep calling the baby ‘he’?” Daisy’s eyes narrowed on them. “We don’t know its gender yet. It’s still too early for that.”

“Oh, it’s definitely a boy,” May scoffed, settling back against Coulson.

“How do you know?”

Without skipping a beat, May answered, “Intuition.”

Daisy glanced over at Coulson who forced a gentle, awkward smile.

“Yeah, I think it’s a boy, too.” At least that was what Dr. Strange had insinuated. Though, Coulson really didn’t care what the baby was as long as it was healthy.

Rolling her eyes, Daisy shook her head. “You know it because of what happened when I touched you.” She then further clarified, “You both saw something then, didn’t you?”

He glanced away briefly, closing his eyes. How could he even begin to voice what the flashes of what was likely nothing more than a wishful fantasy?

“Have you eaten anything?” he asked a second later, hoping she’d let the conversation drop.

Daisy pressed her lips together in a way that reminded him so much of May that he nearly teased her about it. However, her answering snapped him out of it. “Yeah. I had some toast earlier.”

“That’s it?” He may not have known much about pregnancies, but he was positive she needed to be eating much more than just toast.

“Well, it’s not like I can keep much else down currently,” she retorted.

“Your morning sickness is that bad still?” May asked, pushing herself to sit back up.

“Yeah.” Daisy waved a hand aimlessly. “Simmons thinks it’s because of the whole Inhuman Kree blood thing or, hell, even a reaction to the centipede serum.” She then scoffed. “Course, she also thinks I need to lower my stress levels, too, but not like I can ask the alien dude to stop trying to kill my family, now can I?”

“As long as we’re here, we’re hidden. We’re safe, Daisy,” he stated, hoping it’d help calm her nerves a bit. It was helping him at least.

“For now, yeah, sure,” she retorted. “But it’s not like we can just hide here my entire pregnancy. And what’s to stop him from trying to draw us out? He’s already shown he doesn’t care about life at all. He went after you and May. Destroyed the house even.”

“More like I did that,” Coulson admitted with an awkward wince.

“Well, whatever, he still leveled an entire base to get to me. It’s just a matter of time he tries again. And, I mean, Strange and Danvers, they’re both pretty powerful, sure, but even superheroes need rest. So, all this guy needs to do is wait us all out.”

“So, what do you suggest?” May stated neutrally.

“We take the fight to him,” Daisy replied. “He’s probably expecting us to be licking our wounds. So, let’s take it to him instead. Let’s use one of those weird glowy circle things Strange does, pop onto the ships, and take him out.”

“That easy, huh?”

“I’m not saying it’s easy, but it has to be better than this,” Daisy argued. “This constant waiting for another attack. Not knowing when it’s going to happen.”

“So, you’re going to take a page out of Phil’s book and do the stupid move? Sacrifice yourself instead? That’s your play?”

He glanced towards May, disliking the insinuation.

“There’s strength in numbers!” Daisy stated with a dark glare. “And right now—”

“—right now we don’t have those numbers,” Coulson proclaimed. “There are twenty ships up there. Twenty. Could we do some damage against them? Probably, but everything we know about this is either from Loki or visions that we can’t even trust right now.”

“So, what, we’re just supposed to wait here and die then?” Daisy tossed back. “Wow. And here I thought—”

“—impulsiveness like that lends itself to mistakes,” May interrupted. “We need to play the smart move and wait.”

“Well, I’m tired of waiting!”

“So am I, Daisy,” she snapped back harshly. “I would gladly like to move past this and focus on you and the baby and my relationship with Phil. However, we have to wait. Anything else would be suicide, and I’ll be damned if I lose any of you because you two idiots decided to make the martyr play again. Do you understand?”

“But—”

“Do you understand?” May repeated even colder than before as she glared daggers at Daisy.

“Yeah. I get it.”

The cold dark eyes then darted to Coulson.

“Understood,” he replied at the unspoken question.

“Good.” May then rolled away from him before slowly pushing herself up to stand. She paused, leaning heavily against something. The exhaustion was still clearly observed in her movements. She then gradually made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her moments later.

“I’m not wrong, AC,” Daisy quietly spoke so only he’d hear her. “You know it as well as I do. We need to take the fight to him. Force him to be defensive for once. He wouldn’t be expecting it.”

His eyes darted over to his daughter before he sighed heavily. “I understand the move. And so does May. However, she’s right. We would be going in there blind. The best course of action right now—as difficult as it is to accept—is to wait.”

“Until when? Until he decides to bomb this place? Until he decides to level a city block? When do we step in and fight?”

“You have to put the baby first.”

“I am!” she argued, her voice coming out as a harsh whisper as she leaned forward. “I am putting it first. There is no way I can just shrug this off, pretending everything is all fine and normal, though. Because it’s not. I have this alien who wants to murder my child! Murder me even,” she declared, staring at him incredulously. “I’d have thought you of all people—”

He shook his head violently, though. “Daisy—”

“—we will always be looking over our shoulders this entire pregnancy if we don’t deal with it now. You know that! I will never be the levels of calm Simmons wants me to be as long as he’s after me. So, I’m saying we—”

“I get it. I do,” he placated, leaning more towards her. “Every single thing in me agrees with you. But it’s not the right move.”

“How do you know?”

“Experience. Several hundred of May’s lectures. Take your pick.”

“So, then you’re not doing it because you’re more concerned about May than—”

He glared at the insolent little brat instantly. “No,” he interrupted. “I’m more concerned about what happens if we fail. We would be forcing them to bury us because of our impatience, our stupidity.”

“But we’re not going alone, though. We’d have Captain Marvel and Doctor Strange with us. And Fury and Hill. And May and the rest of the team. And I’m sure S.W.O.R.D. would even help us. S.H.I.E.L.D. too. Hell, we could even ask the rest of the Avengers to help. Danvers knows Kree. She lived with them. She knows their weaknesses. We can do this, Dad. You know we can.”

“We can’t be objective about this.”

“We’ve never been objective, though. You didn’t put a team together. You created a family. And families fight for one another. So, let’s show this jackass the power of family.”

“We have little to go off here. Very little intelligence. And all of it came from Loki practically. An Asgardian who literally stabbed me in the back to escape.”

“He’s already gone after May. After you. After me even.”

“I know.”

“He won’t stop until he succeeds. We have to do this. We have to before he tries again.”

“Daisy—” He wished she could understand that he very much wanted to protect her just as she was suggesting, doing his usual sacrificial play. However, he knew he couldn’t. Not this time.

“Please?” she begged. “I could lay my hands on the asshole like I did you. Overload his system.”

“You’d be leaving yourself vulnerable,” he argued.

“But if it works!”

He sighed heavily, glancing towards the closed bathroom door.

“We can’t, Daisy. Not now.”

May needed to return soon before he stopped fighting against his nature and gave in. Anyone who ever researched him would learn how he let his heart control him when it came to those he loved being threatened. He’d be playing right into Trenir’s hand.

But if it worked . . .

“We’ve taken down Hydra. Centipede soldiers. Talbot himself even. Garrett. Ward. My mom. Chronicoms. LMDs. Aida. Kasius. Dad, we’ve beat all of them. We can do this. We can!”

“This is twenty Kree ships we’re talking about here.”

“We can do it.”

“Believing isn’t the same as actually succeeding. All it takes is one stupid move, one, and it all falls apart. Trenir knows my weaknesses. He likely knows May’s. Knows yours even. We have to stay here and wait. That’s the move we have to do this time. I know it’s hard. Trust me. I do. But we can’t give into our emotions. That’s how we lose. We have to be more like May in this instance. We have to wait for the right moment and then strike.” Speaking of her . . .

His eyes then glanced at the gap below the bathroom door, realizing he hadn’t seen so much as a shadow since she went in there. Normally, he’d have dismissed it. However, her leaning so heavily earlier had struck him as odd. His protective nature was already in overdrive with Daisy. Seeing May that weak, though . . . He soon found himself throwing off the covers and heading for the closed door.

God, he hoped his gut was wrong.

“What?” Daisy asked, following him.

His heart thudded loudly in his ears. Dread settled deep into his gut. He knocked shortly against the wood, pausing to hear the annoyed remark that should have followed.

“Melinda?” he called out after there still wasn’t a response. “Is everything all right in there?” No response. Turning the knob, he slowly opened the door.

She’d likely throw something at him for this. Tell him how he needed to stop being so damn clingy or something. Or she’d give him that lopsided smirk and make a joke out of it. Something.

Something other than the horrifying image of her on the bathroom floor unmoving his mind was supplying him currently.

Anything other than that . . .

However, at the sight of the empty room and the curtain swaying in the gentle breeze, his heart dropped and his breath caught.

This was even worse.

So much worse.

“Damn it, May!” He whirled around, intending on chasing after her. Protecting her as she had done for him all those years.

“I can fix the problem!” May's voice echoed in his head from the tragic Bahrain op long ago.

Chapter Text

S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded upon a simple idea: protection. Sometimes it was to protect the world. Other times protect one fool from doing a stupid move that would get them and everyone else killed. However, it always was to shield, to defend. So, this was just another instance of that guiding principle in action: protecting, defending, shielding. He’d argue that until the end of time, but this was the right thing. Always.

Coulson could feel it deep within how the others didn’t agree, extremely grateful none were voicing their objections currently. They still followed, though, offering their support, their skills as they stepped with him through the portal Dr. Strange had created.

His mind was a mess. He was intelligent enough to recognize that. Everything about him, every tense muscle in his jaw, every thrum of his heart, every drop of blood boiling in his body, everything, screamed his volatile emotional state. His shred of control was practically scraps at this point. It was worse than it had ever been on Maveth or even when he took on Hydra.

However, he knew in his gut that this was the right move. Even if everything else in his experience proved it wasn’t, he knew it was. His gut hadn’t ever led him too far astray so far. So, he did the stupid move he was famous for, played right into Trenir’s hand.

Because they were fighting for the very thing that gave them strength.

Neither had ever betrayed their training without good reason. And they wouldn’t start now.

They were protecting their family.

Like they always did.

Like they always would.

The memories flashed behind his eyes as he walked down the vacant corridor of the Kree ship.

“I did it to protect you.”

“Point is, no matter what happens, I’ll take care of you—that’s my plan.”

“No one forces me to do anything.”

“I need to take one for the team.”

“If I can’t protect the team, what?”

“That’s why I’ll be there. To remind you.”

“The Calvary.”

He couldn’t explain it, but he felt the presence before he saw it. His hand instantly flew up, feeling the wave of energy ripple out from his cybernetic palm. He watched the hidden Kree warriors fly back a moment later, slamming hard against the wall like branches in a fierce windstorm against the alcove with a loud thump.

“Whoa. Since when can you do that?” quipped Stark beside him, likely giving Coulson a surprised look underneath the familiar Iron Man helmet.

“Yeah. It’s, uh, fairly new addition,” he replied with a sheepish shrug. “I can’t maintain it very long unfortunately.”

When two volleys of weapons’ fire erupted from their right, Coulson reacted instinctively, bringing his left arm up and expanding the energy shield to take the brunt of the impacts. He grimaced at the sharp, burning tingles in his prosthetic that had resulted from each blast. He wasn’t necessarily keen of that feeling, but he was thankful that no one was hurt.

“All right. So, you’re a badass nowadays,” chuckled Stark. “Got it.”

“Hardly.” He watched Strange then send a few more of their Kree attackers into a portal and made them vanish.

“My team heads right, yours goes left?” Fury suggested a moment later, stepping up beside Coulson and the others.

Made sense at least. They needed to cover a lot of ground. This ship was massive, and there wasn’t enough time before they would be caught. His brows then pulled together as he frowned deeply at the sight of a Kree symbol written on the wall. Wait a minute . . .

“Coulson?” repeated Fury, following his gaze. “Mean something to you?”

“I don’t know.” But it almost felt familiar in a strange way. He turned from his team, walking down the opposite corridor.

“Uh, boss?” Elena spoke hesitantly behind him.

He didn’t respond, though. He instead followed the strange symbol that felt oddly familiar for some reason. He couldn’t place where he had seen it before, but he was fairly certain he had. He shrugged off the hand that reached for him. It was this way. He was sure of it.

“Coulson! What are you doing, man?!” Mack shouted behind him. “Where are you going?”

He rounded the bend, gasping when he caught the face that haunted his nightmares.

Trenir.

The Kree General smirked widely as he stared back, flanked by guards.

“Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” Trenir chuckled darkly. “In the flesh this time.” His smirk grew before he turned and nodded curtly to one of his men. “Lose something, did you?”

Seconds later, a Kree guard yanked May out from behind large metallic containers.

She looked pissed but alive, and that was all Coulson needed for confirmation now.

“Humanity’s Shield and Sword, together again,” Trenir announced in sheer amusement. “I must say. I was not expecting her to break so soon and come after me. You must be finally catching on now.”

Coulson blinked in disbelief. Catching on? To what?

“How about you surprise me for once and hand over the half-breed, hmm?” Trenir asked with a dramatic wave of his hand. “I do grow tired of our games. There’s only so much fun in destroying your pitiful planet after all.”

“What are you talking about?”

Trenir’s head craned as he pressed his lips firmly together briefly. A low chuckle erupted from the Kree a moment later.

“Oh. I see,” he murmured. “You truly don’t know, do you?” He nodded in obvious admiration. “Interesting.” He shrugged a moment later. “I suppose they didn’t feel it necessary to show you your past failures. All the times when I break you, ruin you completely, beg me to take your ridiculous life instead of theirs. That is the difference between Axa and me, I suppose. He looks at you and sees potential for getting it right just once, whereas I look at you and see all your pathetic past attempts ending in defeat every time.”

“Except this time,” Coulson replied.

Trenir chuckled in response. “I must say, you certainly don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“I’ve been told that once or twice.”

“Give me the half-breed or else your beautiful Melinda here,” drawled Trenir, letting the back of his hand gently brush down the side of her face “will become intimately acquainted once more with a Kree blade. It’s as simple as that.”

Glancing at her, Coulson met her defiant look. At the sight of a very minuscule smile tugging at the corner of her lip, he redirected his attention to the general. Oh, yes. He knew that particular smile.

“Go ahead,” he replied faux nonchalantly. “Do it.”

Trenir’s eyes narrowed onto him.

“Here. I’ll even help you,” Coulson stated, pulling a knife out from where he had stashed it.

“Enough!” growled Trenir, stepping away from her. “You’ve done this before!”

“But did I ever do this?” May replied before she threw off the Kree holding her.

Trenir’s head whirled back just as she slammed a familiar silver slender blade into the Kree’s upper chest with a loud squish sound.

Coulson stepped forward to deal with the Kree guards who had approached May from behind. He instinctively threw out his arm wide again, sending another energy wave out and throwing the guards all back far from her. The second they were dealt with, he grabbed Trenir.

“Bet you didn’t see that coming,” he remarked with a raised brow.

The general gasped through the blood collecting his lungs.

“You . . . still . . . think . . . you’ve won,” he rasped through blood. “Tell me. Where’s . . . your . . . halfbreed now, Coulson? Hmm? All . . . alone?” he mocked as the blueish liquid streamed from his mouth. “Unguarded?” His face then flickered for a moment as if there was some sort of interference. A second later, Trenir’s entire body fizzled out and vanished, causing her sword she used to bounce against the deck loudly. The second Trenir had disappeared, so had all the blood. In fact, all that remained in the corridor now was Fury and Coulson’s teams.

Coulson stared in horror for half a moment.

NO!

Son of a bitch!

It was a fucking trap!

He slapped his ear to open his comms.

“Daisy!” he yelled. “RUN!”

Danvers instantly caught Fury’s eye before she rushed off.

Strange opened portals within seconds, sending them back to the New York Sanctum.

With no thought given, Coulson grabbed May’s sword from the floor and dove through the closest portal, racing towards where he knew Daisy was. He was reacting instead of thinking. But he wouldn’t lose her. He wouldn’t.

She deserved to have a happy, long life. To be a mother. To break the cycle. To be free.

It’d be Ian Quinn all over again.

Ward.

Jiayang.

Cal even in a way.

Hive.

Aida.

Framework Fitz.

Sarge.

Nathaniel Malick.

Their greatest hits, all his failures, all wrapped up in one psychopath Kree general.

The second he saw Trenir ahead, he sprinted up the stairs, narrowly avoiding the guards reaching for him somehow. His blood sang vows of a vicious, violent death and promises of dismemberment and more. The second he was close enough, he lunged forward, plunging the sword into the back of Trenir’s shoulder. From the force he used, the blade pinned the Kree against the wood, trapping him briefly. He didn’t even wait for Trenir to react. Instead, he grabbed the general’s head and slammed it savagely against the door, hearing the wood cracking and splintering. His rage was in control, having been fed by the Berserker staff Loki had returned to May not that long ago.

His breathing came out in heaving pants. His actions of course weren’t enough to satisfy the bloodlust. He wanted to break the Kree general’s neck, hearing the snapping as he had. Just as he had heard Ward’s sternum crack beneath his hand all those years ago.

However, his chance escaped as May grabbed the hilt of the Asgardian weapon and yanked it out, wielding it once more. She pulled Coulson out of the way before a portal opened and sucked Trenir through it before closing.

“NO!” Coulson shouted. Trenir was his!

He whirled back to yell at Strange.

However, he never did find the wizard as his vision started to tunnel and legs turned to jelly. As he fell to the floor, arms wrapped around him to keep him slamming his head against the ground. Whoever had him seemed to have a good hold as it seemed to take forever for him to fall. Or maybe that was all in his head. He couldn’t quite be sure honestly. He felt so amplified with rage.

As always, his eyes found Melinda’s, noticing her pained look before she and everything else blurred to darkness.

“Breathe. You are safe,” calmly echoed a voice around the inky-black surroundings.

“Who are you?” demanded Coulson, hearing his voice echo back in obvious distortion. Everything he was experiencing led him to the obvious conclusion—it was all in his head.

“Axa.”

Coulson scoffed. “I’ve heard that before.”

A moment later, the Watcher shimmered into view, cerulean velvet cape and all. “I assure you I am not Loki this time.” Its large, bald head tilted slightly as its wide eyes held Coulson’s blue. It certainly looked like this Axa.

“What is this?” Coulson glanced around the vast darkness. “Some more head games?”

“Nothing of the sort,” replied the Watcher neutrally. “Though, you are coming down from the rage of the Berserker Staff.” Its brow raised. “Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but you are the shield, the protector. Your beautiful Melinda is the sword, the warrior. She will be the one to kill Trenir, not you, Director Coulson. It is why I instructed Loki to give her the staff and not you.”

“You and Loki are pretty close, aren’t you?”

Axa’s lips quirked upwards slightly. “In a way. He has learned a lesson few ever do. Seen things no one else should. Such as his own death—a result of his own actions. We are not meant to see our lives lived so quickly as he had. See the future moments that he had no context for.”

“Awesome,” Coulson bitterly remarked, feeling his irritation increasing. “Maybe you could explain a few things to me as well—like what Trenir meant by his comment how we had done that before.” He squared his shoulders, refusing to budge when Axa’s eyes narrowed a bit.

“I am a Watcher, Director Coulson. I see vast possibilities based upon endless choices. For example, I’ve seen a universe where you never joined S.H.I.E.L.D., never met your beautiful Melinda. I’ve seen another where you met her while walking a dog. Then there is my personal favorite—where you chose her from the start, accepted both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the simple life as one instead of your one or the other belief you clutch onto.”

“Your personal favorite?” he repeated in obvious disbelief.

“It is.” Axa nodded pensively. “Because you reached your full potential in it.”

“By constantly being worried I’m sending her off to her death?”

“For trusting your love of one another,” Axa answered instead. “There is something magical in that realization. You embraced your weakness and strength and harnessed it. Just as she does here in this universe with her unimaginable pain over Bahrain.”

“He wants to kill my family.”

“I’m aware,” Axa replied with a curt nod.

“You could at least help! Do something!”

“But I am, Director Coulson.” Axa then gave a quiet, small laugh. “I have helped you every day you have lived. Provided every tool used to bring you back each time. To make sure this universe survives. It is no small feat, and my people would not be so thrilled with my interference if they knew, but you are needed. My brother showed me this before he gave his life.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“That is your right.” Axa lifted its head up higher for a moment. “However, I wonder.”

“What?”

“You were stabbed through the heart with Loki’s staff, bleeding out against the wall of the helicarrier, unable to speak into comms to inform of your dire situation. You bled out, feeling alone. Your last thoughts were on Melinda.”

Coulson’s eyes widened.

“You were brought back by the use of Kree blood. Haven’t you ever wondered how it was that S.H.I.E.L.D. came to find such a specimen as that?”

“What are you saying?”

“Oh, I think you know exactly what I am saying, Director Coulson,” Axa replied, inclining its head. “Watchers are always around. It is literally in our name. We watch every event from the shadows, observing history as it is made. We see the rise and fall of the infinite, vast multiverse—the endless possibilities, the moments of triumph and failure. I have personally watched you from birth to beyond, intrigued how you are always there, always ending up in the moments that are fixed, moments needed to bring forth what must be.”

“What?”

“I was there the day you were born, watched your parents hold you the first time, witnessed your father’s proud smile and your mother’s relief at finding out you were healthy. I was there the day you took your first steps, shaky that they were. And I was there the day your father walked out the door forever, pausing only for a brief second to ruffle your hair as he always did and tell you he loved you, that he’d be home soon and you two could keep working on Lola together.”

Coulson took a step back, wide-eyed and feeling as if someone had punched him in the gut.

“I was there when officers arrived and asked to speak to your mother as you sat on the front step, wondering how you could make up your words of anger said to your father before he left that morning. I was there the many nights when you cried out your grief, careful not to wake your mother, and I was there the nights when you begged for your mother to be healed from her illness later on. I was there through it all, Director Coulson.”

It was one thing when the Clairvoyant had Raina parrot things from the psych profile, but this . . . these were things no one would have known but him. Things he had never revealed to anyone. Not even May. Coulson stared back, unable to do anything else but that.

“When you accepted Nick Fury’s offer of S.H.I.E.L.D., vowing to commit to the promise so no other child would feel the deep pain you felt,” Axa continued reciting. “When you stared up into your beautiful Melinda’s eyes the very first time after she flipped you onto your back and knocked the wind out of your lungs during a sparring exercise you had worried you’d hurt her at if you truly sparred with her. When you held her after Bahrain, swearing you would never leave her side, never let her feel alone. When you met Tony Stark and found yourself wondering if you could help guide him as Fury had guided you. When you saw Mjölnir the first time. When you met your idol, Captain Rogers. When you laid eyes on Daisy the first time and knew she was destined for so much more if only she had the love and support she deserved, I was there. Through it all. As always.”

“How do you know all that?”

Axa smiled softly. “I’m a Watcher. It’s what I do. And I’ve watched you for a very long time.” He sighed lightly. “Robin Hinton once said you could put all the pieces together. She wasn’t wrong. You can. You do.”

“You can save your Fury version of ‘You’re an Avenger’ speech,” Coulson remarked flatly. “I’ve heard that enough times to know it’s bullshit.”

“Is it?” Axa shrugged. “Did you not once save Natasha Romanoff from certain death after she was attacked by an overzealous young Russian woman who wanted to replace Ms. Romanoff?”

Coulson nodded shortly. He had.

“Did you also not look the other way and allow Nick Fury to escape with Carol Danvers?”

He had.

“Did you not send numerous memos detailing all the reasons why Tony Stark should be accepted into the Avengers Initiative?”

“Yes.”

Axa nodded appreciatively. “And did you not recommend Daisy Johnson be allowed to train as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent under Melinda’s guidance initially?”

“Yes, but—”

“You put pieces together, Director Coulson. It is what you do. You’re very good at it. Every single person in your life has been influenced by you in ways you could not possibly imagine. You’ve changed their fates. Re-written their stories. You do this in every universe. It is a gift few have.”

“Is this the part where you say I help turn people into heroes?”

“No. This is the part where I tell you how you’ve helped them reach their full potential, unlocked their best selves.”

“That doesn’t matter if Trenir kills Daisy.”

“He won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You’re right. It could still all change, but I have seen the path where he is defeated. And so far, everything is going according to plan.” Axa then laughed quietly. “Mostly. You taking the sword was a hitch of course, but I’ll have the influences lessened soon enough.”

Coulson blinked, taken aback. “What?”

The Watcher heaved a dramatic sigh. “I may have been overenthusiastic myself when I altered your fate and interfered. It was my first time admittedly. And my kind—we do not interfere. Only Uatu and I have.”

“Why?”

“I knew you would need your soul returned, and the only way that is done is by an exchange. A life for a life. So I paid mine in exchange for yours.”

“I know this.” At least part of it.

Axa nodded. “When I did this, I knew I’d need assistance, so I spoke with Loki, and he helped bypass the security to get to you. Just a simple spell for him. Nothing too sinister. He had his orders to embed the message in your prosthetic so when it was discovered, you’d know the truth. I’ll admit, though. When I saw you, knowing what path I was putting you on, I miscalculated a vital variable.”

“Which was?”

“Me.” The Watcher leaned back slightly, a contemplative thought crossing its features. “I forgot to take into account the force I would be giving off with my actions. So, when I exchanged my life for yours, my energy, my essence, latched onto you. All this, our conversation here, is happening because you have a part of me inside you as a result. That part of myself is thankfully burning out, but until it does, we will be able to communicate and allow me to interfere to keep you on your path.”

Say what now? Coulson stared at Axa, mind reeling with this new info. How was that possible? He knew of course Axa had somehow brought him fully back to life (Axa or Loki—it didn’t matter which honestly), removing the Chronicom hardware and exchanging it for his actual body somehow. While no one could explain that at the time, Axa’s words now unsettled him more than anything.

“The husk as you would say,” Axa stated calmly, answering the unspoken question. “It was a result of my blood solidifying around you. Protecting you as you were returned to your natural state.”

“Which is why they found unknown alien genetic material on me.”

“Indeed.” Axa inclined its head. “I regret I was unable to speak to you prior to now. I understand how . . . unsettling this has been, especially in regards to Loki’s involvement. It is natural of you to suspect he would have an ulterior motive considering his actions on the helicarrier. However, I assure you that this Loki is not the same one you knew.”

“Meaning?”

Axa gave a quiet, subdued laugh. “The universe is full of opportunities. One choice can spur thousands of new realities, new possibilities. And it is all endless.”

“So you say. But I’m not really following what that has to do with Loki.”

“Opportunity came his way, and he chose to take it. It took him from the prime timeline, showed him truths few ever learn about. He found parts of himself he never knew were there, and as a result of his experiences, he altered, grew from it.”

“How wonderful for him,” Coulson remarked dryly.

“You and Loki are connected by what is referred to as a fixed point. He will always attempt to kill you. No matter the universe. No matter the timeline. It is fixed, and it must happen. However, your paths divulge dramatically after that. You either remain dead or Fury uses T.A.H.I.T.I. to bring you back. Loki either is captured by the Avengers and returned to Asgard or he finds the Tesseract and is brought before the TVA.”

“The what?”

Axa waved a hand dismissively, though. “They are none of your concern I assure you.”

“All right. So, if I’m understanding you correctly, you’ve interfered in my life to put me on a path that leads to saving Daisy.”

“Yes.”

“But I didn’t stick to the route.”

“You did not,” Axa agreed with a curt nod. “Which is why my essence is currently removing the toxic remnants your actions resulted in.” The Watcher then held up a hand. “The Staff has nothing to do with strength, so do not take it as a weakness why you cannot wield it. It is destined for Melinda.”

“Why?”

“Because she and Trenir are a fixed point as well.”

“You’re saying, what, that he’s inevitable?”

“Yes. Because he has made himself be.” Axa sighed heavily, hanging its head. “He learned of the Watchers from an Inhuman slave long ago who revealed the Kree would suffer a terrible defeat at the hands of Humanity one day.”

Coulson’s eyes narrowed slightly. Was that in reference to their visit to the Lighthouse in the future where they saved Earth from falling into Kree hands? Or was that in regards to something else?

“Naturally, Trenir became obsessed at preventing this possibility. So, when the Inhuman slave spoke their last breath and provided details on how Trenir could capture one of my kin, Trenir followed the words to the letter.”

“He captured a Watcher?”

“Yes.” Axa drew in a sharp breath. “And he tortured my sister into compliance. And my people turned their backs on her. Shunned her for her breaking.”

“What did she reveal?”

“Everything,” Axa revealed. “We are not warriors, Director Coulson. We are merely observers. And much like the Eternals, we grow to love for our charges, care for them.”

“So you interfered and altered my fate,” he stated, understanding a little better now.

“Precisely.” Axa inclined its head again. “Earth needs its protector in place because without Earth, Trenir will destroy this universe, and we will lose another branch.”

Coulson scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m not that important. I can’t be.”

“You are the stitches to the very fabric stretching infinitely to maintain the woven strands of life as we know it. Just as Loki is the glue on the opposite side. Your fates are interwoven, connected in ways never dreamt possible.” Axa’s eyes fell for a moment before a quiet chuckle left its lips. “In fact, you once told him he lacked conviction and it was why he’d always lose. That comment has stayed with him through every possibility, every universe. And it is only now he is finally accepting your words, finally comprehending what you meant.”

“And what did I mean?”

“That his actions were nothing more than a scared child acting brave to survive the harshness of his reality. That he could choose differently. Stray from the path he was convinced he had to be on.”

Coulson glanced away instantly.

“Loki’s message said Daisy’s child would be important.”

“Your grandson very much is,” Axa agreed.

Blue eyes darted back to the Watcher. “He believes Daisy and her child are the reason the Kree lose. So, if he can kill them before—”

“—the child becomes at full strength, then yes, he would win.”

“Daisy’s child will be that strong?”

“You’ve felt his power already. What do you believe?” Axa replied, seemingly amused.

“But he’s a child! He shouldn’t have the entire fate of a planet resting on his shoulders. He should be allowed—”

“And he will,” stated Axa. “It will all be over soon, Director Coulson. Trenir’s hold is already slipping. And you and she have done damage today. It will fester, and he will make more mistakes as a result. However, I must impart this on you. He must die by Melinda’s hands, not yours.”

“Why?”

“Trenir’s fate is interwoven with hers. If another kills him, it will start another branch. However, if she kills him as is foretold by the fixed point, then the branch stops and twists around the prime universe again, strengthening it. And, I assure you, that is something we need.” Axa then shrugged. “Not to mention, her weapon poisons all wielders but her as you’ve since learned. It is connected with her down to the very genetic code. In other words, the staff chose her. And while it recognizes your bond and love for her, it will not shield you from its effects.”

“But it does her?”

“Yes. She feels the rage it heightens of course, but she controls it, wields it. You, however, become consumed by it. I believe you felt that earlier.”

“I wanted to destroy him, tear him apart.”

Axa nodded. “And I’m sure had she not stepped in, you would have.”

Coulson shook his head, though. He needed to get back to Trenir’s words that were rattling him more than they should have. “You’re saying he knows every possible outcome of us meeting, knows all of my moves, knows how I’ll react, how all of us will, believes he’s seen every path, but not May?”

“Exactly.”

“But you said their fates are pre-destined. How is that possible?”

“He knew of you as Humanity’s Shield. Knew you from the dealings with Kasius. In his mind, if the shield falls, so too does the sword. So, he asked my sister for knowledge on you alone, and she provided it. However, with the staff, Melinda is shielded . . . albeit slightly.”

“Where is he going to be next?”

“No.”

“Axa!”

“You must trust me and allow things to unravel naturally now, Director Coulson.”

“I can’t.”

Axa nodded hesitantly. “Because you are afraid to lose more of your people. It’s what makes you a great leader. However, I cannot reveal that.”

“Why not?”

“Because the branches are coming at a quicker pace now.”

“Daisy deserves—”

“Trust me. That is all I ask. Trust me.” Axa faded away a moment later.

When Coulson came to, he found himself in the familiar bedroom again. His head was pounding, resulting in a low groan as he quickly squeezed his eyes shut again to escape the pain. A second later, he felt a cool, damp washcloth against his forehead.

“Mel?” he guessed, hearing the fatigue in his voice.

“That was a stupid thing you did,” she chided a moment later, confirming his suspicion.

“Daisy?”

“With Sousa and the others.” Her hand gently cupped his cheek before she sighed heavily. “She’s fine, though. A little rattled, but she’s okay.”

He could feel her concern and slowly tilted his head to lean more into her touch.

“Where’s Trenir?” he asked a few minutes later.

“Not where Strange sent him unfortunately,” she revealed. “The ships are still up there, though. Thankfully disabled, so at least we have that going for us.”

“Has he sent anything?”

“No. It’s been quiet so far.”

He fought against his exhaustion to reopen his eyes before finding her again. Her lips were pressed in obvious annoyance, but her eyes gave away her relief.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Hush,” she scolded lightly. “You need to rest.”

“I can’t lose you or her.”

She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes before she fixed him with a mild glare.

“Phil, rest.”

“Later.”

“No, now,” she replied.

“He knows what’s going to happen.”

“Caught that, thanks,” she scoffed, shaking her head as she pulled her hand back.

“I couldn’t let—”

“It doesn’t always have to be you!”

“You’re right,” he agreed, reaching up for her face. He was grateful when she pressed her hand atop of his against the side of her face to steady his hold. “I wish I could get you to understand how much you mean to us. That you are needed for so much more than just your fighting abilities. That you’re so much more than that. That you contribute . . . belong with me.”

“And I wish I could get your stubborn ass to realize not everything has to fall on your shoulders all the time,” she replied, fixing him with a flat look.

“That was a stupid thing you did. Going after him alone.”

“Right back at you,” she tossed back.

“Why would you do that after telling Daisy and me not to?”

“Because he wouldn’t expect it’d be me coming after him like that. You’re always the one to throw himself into danger at a moment’s notice.”

“He captured you.”

“Ever think that was the plan?”

“Well, it was a stupid plan.”

She snorted, finally releasing a bit of tension from her shoulders. “Feels weird being on the other side of that discussion for once, doesn’t it?”

“No,” he stubbornly answered.

She rolled her eyes. “Liar.” She then smiled warmly down at him. “It was entirely stupid, but we managed to hurt him.”

“He’ll be a wounded animal now.” Ten times more dangerous than before.

“And he’ll likely make a mistake because his whole untouchable complex has been shattered.”

“He’s going to try to come after Daisy again.”

“I know.”

“And you.”

“Probably.”

He stared back incredulously. “How can you be so flippant about this?”

“Because we are who are, Phil. We can pretend otherwise, but at the end of the day you will always be the reckless idiot who sacrifices himself for us, and I will always be the one who walks into Hell just so you don’t.” A laugh left her lips a second later. “And Daisy—she’ll try to do the same because we are literally the worst parental role models for her.” She shrugged with a laugh. “Face it. We’re a family of self-sacrificing fools who will do anything to save one another. He’ll use it, twist it to his advantage. But it’s only one if we don’t acknowledge those truths of ourselves and embrace it.”

He nodded. Made sense. In fact, the more he thought on it, the more he recalled Axa's words. “So . . . how do we embrace it?”

Chapter Text

Staring out the window, Coulson watched a small tannish-to-dark brown bird flutter about, trying to find a place to perch itself and rest. He was reminded of watching a similar scene that day in his office at Headquarters not that long ago. Another bird. Another resurrection. Another calm before the storm.

It had been a week since he had touched the Berserker staff. A week since he had raced up the stairs, terrified he’d not reach Trenir in time and save Daisy. A week of rest that both Simmons and Strange said was long overdue. However, in Coulson’s mind, it was a week of torture honestly.

He and Melinda still weren’t permitted to be in the room while the others discussed possible plans to defeat Trenir. In fact, the couple was a hundred percent supposed to be not anywhere near that per Fury’s exact order. Neither of them were used to being left out like this, though.

While he understood the reasoning because of how compromised they were now, he hated it with a passion. This had to do with a member of his family. How the hell was he just supposed to sit back and leave something so important to others to plan? It felt wrong. It felt like he was abandoning Daisy, turning his back to her, which he never did and never would.

“Phil?”

The corner of his lip tugged up slightly as he fought the soft smile. Melinda knew him better than he knew himself these days. Just as he knew her better. He knew he wasn’t the only one going stir-crazy in this room being forced to wait on the sidelines.

Turning back, he motioned towards the small bird now perched on the window ledge staring out at the city below. They needed a distraction. He badly needed to because the thoughts plaguing him currently were getting worse by the second.

“Thryothorus ludovicianus,” he murmured with a faint smile.

“What?”

“The bird,” he calmly explained, chuckling quietly. “It’s of course more commonly known as the Carolina Wren, but you have to admit its binomial name sounds way cooler.”

Her eyes narrowed on him sharply before she crossed her arms. “Since when did you become such a bird expert?”

He shrugged. “I had a lot of time since we came back.”

She snorted. “You mean while you were out finding yourself, thinking I needed space?”

Sighing heavily, he shook his head, feeling his mood diminish. He needed calm not angst. He had more than enough angst, thank you. “I don’t want to fight again.”

“Neither do I,” she replied flatly.

He turned back towards the window, watching the wren puff out as it vigilantly stood watch.

“But it’s not like we have much else to do, now is it?”

His head snapped to her instantly. She was feeling trapped, confined, and if there was anything she hated, it was that feeling most of all, he knew. He was honestly the same way. Two halves of the same stone. So, he understood her actions, her need to push all the right buttons. She thrived on conflict. Rest was a foreign concept. For both of them.

“You’re right.”

She blinked in confusion, thrown by his acceptance.

“Let’s use this time to talk about where to go next,” he continued a moment later. “What happens after the bad guy is defeated, and all is well with the world again. What then?” He watched more confusion sweep across her face as she truly didn’t know how to respond. “Do we get married finally? Retire from S.H.I.E.L.D. fully? Rebuild the cabin? Help raise our grandchild while the kids are off doing missions in space? Is that what’s next for us?”

“Sounds . . . normal,” she said quietly, holding his gaze.

“Which we’ve never really done before,” he admitted openly. “I mean, you’ve tried.”

“And failed at it,” she pointed out with a raised brow. “My marriage with Andrew ended spectacularly.”

“Because you went through hell after Bahrain. Through a deeply traumatic event.”

“And what about my leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. a second time? What about that one?”

“Melinda—”

“I nearly lost you again.” She stepped towards him. “I was off fighting Alisha with Lincoln while you were taking on Gordon.” She drew in a sharp breath before she asserted, “My failures can be seen plain as day on you, Phil.”

His head reared back as if slapped. “What?”

What was she talking about? Her failures? He wouldn’t have been alive if it hadn’t been for her.

“After Bahrain, I was convinced I couldn’t protect you anymore. That I couldn’t protect anyone. So I hid myself away in Administration, telling myself it was better that way for everyone.” She then placed a hand atop of his scar from where he had been impaled with Loki’s staff. “If I had been on the Helicarrier that day, it wouldn’t have been you down in that area alone.”

He shook his head, though. She was wrong. “Then it would’ve been you who died, whom Fury brought back with alien blood, whom would have been tortured by the need to carve like I was.”

“So?”

His eyes widened before he felt a flash of anger boil to the surface. He was reminded by her statement a week earlier of how they were nothing but self-sacrificing fools and wasn’t that the damn truth. “So,” he growled, unable to hold back his temper fully, “I love you, Melinda, so I would rather die a hundred more deaths than to have you ever go through any of that.”

“Phil—”

He spoke over her, though, and trudged on, “You are my reason for living. Without you, I’d be an angry, bitter, broken man, wishing the world to hell and waiting with front row seats to watch it burn.”

She shook her head, glancing away. “You always have to be so damn dramatic, don’t you?”

“I mean it,” he declared fiercely. “There’s no me without you.”

A sharp, surprised harsh laugh burst from her lips instantly. “Did you . . . did you seriously just quote a Toni Braxton song to me?”

“It was The Manhattans first,” he corrected with a grumble. “But my point still stands.”

“Oh? And what point is that exactly?”

“I love you. That’s the damn point. That’s always the goddamn point. I love you, Melinda!”

“Good because I love you, too, you dramatic fool!”

He shook his head, staring back at her. God, they argued ridiculously sometimes. “What happened on the Helicarrier wasn’t your fault.”

“I wasn’t there, Phil.”

“I know. You were safe at the Triskelion. And contrary to public opinion, namely yours, I am capable of protecting myself for the record.” She was a certified badass for sure, but he wasn’t exactly helpless either. He had his BAMF moments, too.

She shifted her weight, clearly unimpressed. “You literally die every single time we’re apart.”

He frowned. “Okay, yes, I’ve died a few—”

Within seconds, she started listing off his deaths, counting out his deaths on her fingers, “Helicarrier. All those near-death times during the Talbot saga. Framework. Need I continue?”

“Okay, yes, but I died in Tahiti with you, remember?”

Her emotions instantly vanished until all that remained was the walls he had spent so long trying to get her to lower. “You came back.”

He couldn’t help but flash that charming smile of his then, changing tactics. “Well, you couldn’t honestly think you’d get rid of me that easily after we finally crossed that line of ours, did you?” His smile widened when he caught her eye roll, feeling his temper wane again like always. Only they could be at each other’s throats one moment and then the next be hopelessly smitten again. “You’ve protected me for so many years. But I never once considered anything that happened your fault, Mel, because it wasn’t.” He needed her to understand this. “The Helicarrier was my mistake. I dropped my guard, assuming I had Loki beat.” He pressed a hand to his raised scar. “This is my reminder what happens when one gets too cocky and sure of himself.” He then motioned to his prosthetic hand. “This is my reminder how jealousy leads to distractions, to mistakes.” At her brief flash of puzzlement, he further explained, “I should have seen the signs with Daisy’s parents. Instead, all I could see was how they were her true parents and I was just Daisy’s SO. It also reminds me how I protected my team that day, saved my boys.”

“Your boys?” she repeated with a thin, amused smirk.

He frowned. Of course she would. “Oh, don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” She then shrugged lightly with a laugh. “You mean, like I’m thinking how you adopt everything you come across?”

“I didn’t adopt you,” he remarked flatly.

“That’s true,” she conceded with a small nod.

He smiled at the win. Finally. It had only taken thirty-some years.

“However,” she continued half a beat later, causing his smile to slip away in seconds, “we both know why that was.” Her eyes twinkled more in the soft light. “Don’t we?”

He folded his arms defensively, shifting his weight. He hated that she was right. From their very first meeting, he knew she was the only person he’d ever truly love. Everyone else would pale in comparison to her in his mind. To him, she was his missing piece, the one who made him whole, who gave him purpose. He knew it the second she had slammed him down onto the mats and pinned him in front of all their classmates. The feel of her straddling his hips followed by her smiling down with that gorgeous confident smile of hers—he knew down to his very soul she was the one.

“Admit it.” She leaned in towards him, lowering her voice. “You enjoy being with a partner who is in control of you.”

“No.” At her eyes narrowing, he grudgingly argued, “It’s not a control thing.”

“Then what?”

“It’s power reversal . . . and knowing I can trust you fully with anything.” He should have stopped there, but he was on a roll now. More truths fell from his lips. “Seeing you kickass and the strength you have. Knowing I can lower my guard with you, let you in, and not worry about you using it against me later.”

“Even after I lied to you about T.A.H.I.T.I.? Spied and reported on you to Fury for months?”

He nodded back. “Because I know you did it to protect me, to keep me safe like always, not to hurt me. Everything you’ve ever done was to keep me safe, alive. Everything. Hell, you even took that Russian 0-8-4 op when you could have been off on some other mission.” He then took a step closer, wrapping his arms around her waist. “The things I asked you to do, the things I expected of you over the years. . .” his voice trailed off into silence for half a moment. “I’m sorry, Melinda.”

Her brows knitted together in confusion. “For what?”

He couldn’t hold back that derisive scoff and head shake. “I shouldn’t have made that deal with the Ghost Rider without talking to you first. It affected you as much as it did me. We were . . . ” He grimaced before he dragged a hand across the nape of his neck. “ . . . heading towards this, you and me. I shouldn’t have hidden what I did and kept it from you so long.” He hesitantly glanced towards her to meet her eyes. “I also shouldn’t have asked you to pretend everything was all right—how we were just on vacation like any other couple—as you watched me die in reality. I should never have asked you to do that, knowing how it’d affect you, how it'd hurt you.”

“Phil—”

He shook his head, though, cutting her off. “Please let me finish. I’m almost done.” He waited until she inclined her head curtly. “What I’m saying here is I should have listened and let you save me.” He sighed quietly. “I still stand by giving the serum to Daisy to fight Talbot, but there were other options we could have taken. A stasis chamber for one. Getting a blood transfusion with Daisy’s blood. Something.”

“What’s done is done, Phil. There’s no sense in hashing that out anymore.”

“I know,” he replied. She was always very much one who left the past behind. He assumed it was part of her training as a specialist. To move forward onto the next mission, the next moment as a way to deal with the tough situations she was in. “However, I keep thinking about it.” When he wasn't thinking about Axa's words to him, that was.

“Well, I’ve always told you that you think too much,” she quipped.

“I do,” he said with a small chuckle. “But it’s important for us to be honest, to get this all out.”

She sighed heavily, clearly hating this idea but allowing it for now.

“Because we’ve always just brushed it aside. Brushed us aside. Sacrificed ourselves for everyone else in the damn world,” he explained. “We have to change that. Because I want this to work, to build a lifelong relationship, Melinda.”

“So, based on past history, we’re talking about, what, a few days from now before you do something foolish and die again, you mean?”

He scowled at her. “Not funny.” He softened at her proud smile like always, though. “I mean it.”

“I know,” she replied, her face returning to its neutral look. “However, you’re the one who plans everything down to the smallest detail.”

“Yeah, and look how that turns out for us,” he scoffed. “It turns to shit almost every time.”

She shrugged. “Which is where I come in to save your defenseless ass.” She then motioned between them. “But this? I don’t know anything about this, Phil.”

“Do you see us getting married some day?”

Her eyes darted away briefly before she met his gaze again. “I don’t know. I wish I did. And if Daisy were here, she’d probably point out how we’re practically married already considering how long we’ve been pining after one another. But do I see us marrying one day?” She shrugged. “I don’t need some ring or piece of paper to know I love you. To show the whole world you’re the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one who holds my heart, has my unwavering loyalty. I think I’ve made all that pretty clear enough over the years, don’t you?”

He nodded slowly. Her actions had practically screamed it. He just was too blind to see it. They both had actually.

“What about you?” she asked then. “Do you see us getting married someday?”

“Yes,” he answered with no hesitation. At the disbelief on her face, he revealed, “It’s why I never married. Never came close to. Never considered it even.”

“Not even with Audrey?”

He shook his head. “I was in love with the idea of her, settling honestly since I didn’t think I’d ever have you, but I never once thought about marrying her. You, though” –he forced out a harsh laugh— “I’ve been obsessing about marrying for decades. Planning it even. Hell, I even have a binder—or had. I don’t know if Mack ever found it.” He caught her soft smile and shrugged. “I’m a hopeless romantic. You knew that.”

“I did,” she concurred. “So, I'm curious. Where did you pick for our wedding?”

He shrugged, glancing down as he felt his face redden slightly. Man, he was nerdy sometimes. Admitting that he had a 5" thick binder full of wedding plans for them that he had been scrap-booking and collecting for more than three decades. “It’s been various places over the years. It was even Sausalito once.”

“Our first mission. How nostalgic of you.”

He glanced at her, finding her gentle, kind smile directed at him. He loved that smile. Loved every part of her. God, he had missed her. Missed this. “The last one I had, though, um, was on Tahiti.” The words tumbled from his mouth messily. “Having the ceremony before the others left to find Fitz.”

Any other woman would have reacted to that. However, she only stared back with that guarded look on her face that made it so he couldn’t read her. “What changed your mind?”

“I could barely get through my speech before we left them. Saying my vows to you then at our beach wedding? I’d have been a wreck. Likely passed out in the sand or something.” He licked his lip slowly and sighed. “And, well, marriage is a promise of forever. I didn’t want to break it.”

She forced a quiet laugh, still hiding her thoughts from him. “Phil.”

“Yes?” He needed her to let him in again. To let him see what she was thinking. Because his mind was spinning all sorts of fantasies currently, warping it into nightmares.

“Every time you die, it’s the same ritual.”

His eyes narrowed on her.

“I grieve, feel my heart ripped into pieces, absolutely empty inside. And then there you are. Against all odds, you come back somehow, walking back in like you never left.”

He felt his chest ache as his stomach dropped with the realization of what she was saying. She had believed every time he died that he wasn’t coming back. That their story had ended. That he had left her alone again without the unspoken bond between them discussed, out in the open. And every time she could have healed from losing him again, he came back, only to rip that scab off once more down the road one day and reopen those terrible wounds. He couldn’t imagine the pain that she felt, the torture of it all. At least with Audrey, he had given the cellist some peace, allowed her to move on fully. Melinda, though, he haunted, never letting her move on and live her life in peace.

“At this point,” she shrugged, “I’m starting to think we’re just meant to be star-crossed lovers for all of eternity.”

He shook his head, though. “No,” he declared. “I don’t think we are, Melinda.”

“Then what?”

What, indeed. If that wasn't their story, then what was it? He didn't want to believe it was Axa's version, a timeline of pre-destined events. Because all the pain they had went through had to mean something. It couldn't just be background noise. She was his everything. Everything.

“I think I come back every time to rewrite our story," he stated with trembling words, needing to believe it to be true. "To give it its proper ending. A less tragic Romeo-and-Juliet one.”

“And what’s that? What’s our ending?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? What was their ending? What would be a satisfying one that would make up for everything they had gone through over the years together? What ending could he give them, fighting against the waves of Fate?

“Me leaving S.H.I.E.L.D.,” he said after a few minutes. At her confused blink, he explained further, “I’ve done enough. I rebuilt it. Recruited most of the current agents myself. Assisted the Avengers whenever I could. Led us through fighting Kree, Daisy’s Mom, Garrett, Gonzalez, and so much more. I gave S.H.I.E.L.D. back its trust it lost after HYDRA. I've bled for it. I've died for it. I've done enough, and I know it’s in good hands now with Mack.”

“Until Daisy takes over some day, you mean?”

He shook his head, though. “No. That’s not the path she wants. I have to respect that.” He sighed silently. It had taken so many years, so much time of searching to realize that truth. “If I didn’t, I’d be no better than Fury was with me. Would I?” He shrugged flippantly at her sympathetic look. “I never wanted to be Director. You know that. To have that responsibility on my shoulders. To be in the spotlight, navigating all the politics and bullshit that came with it.” Stepping down to become an agent again had been a much-needed respite after Lincoln’s death and Daisy’s leaving. “Without you by my side,” he smiled so fondly at her, “I’d have crumbled under the weight of it all, over-analyzed every decision I made, too worried about making the wrong one, about losing others under my command because of my decisions.” He glanced down when he felt her hand cup his cheek tenderly. There was just something so healing about this woman in his arms. The way her touch could soothe his soul. “I’m good at running ops. Putting people exactly where they need to be for the best outcome." His stomach lurched in dread as he heard Axa's words echo in his mind. "Overseeing an entire agency, though? It’s too much. And don’t even get me started on all the secrets I had to keep all the time, everything I couldn’t tell you. That was the worst sometimes.”

“Theta Protocol?” she murmured.

He inclined his head. “Among other things.”

“Like?”

It wouldn't hurt anything now if she knew. “Do you remember finding me copying data off a computer on a rescue mission to save Lincoln and Mike Peterson? The op where we sacrificed the Bus?”

She nodded curtly.

“I was getting intel regarding Loki’s scepter.”

“What?” She instantly stepped out of his embrace with a gasp and wide eyes.

He hated the look on her face right now, seeing the pain hidden behind her walls as she tried and failed to keep it from her face. He pushed on, though. “I passed that info onto Hill when she called so the Avengers could retrieve it from Sokovia.”

“That was why we were there?”

“Part of it. I also did want us to rescue the Powered individuals held at the base.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have agreed if I had?”

“I’d have asked what the hell you were thinking,” she replied with a frown.

“Exactly. And I needed you to agree since you were the swing vote.”

“So, you manipulated me in other words?”

“As if we haven’t done that to one another a hundred times before,” he scoffed.

“Don’t try to be cute.”

“But I am,” he smirked, groaning when she punched his arm hard.

“For the record, I would have agreed to going after the scepter if you told me.”

He nodded slowly.

She then sighed heavily. “So, do you mean it? You’ll retire fully?”

“I do. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t my life anymore. I’ve given enough of myself for it. Bled enough. Died enough.” He shrugged lightly. “I’m actually sort of ready for that boring life we always thought was beyond us . . . where my biggest worry is what sort of breakfast I should make us.”

“Sounds normal, a bit too safe than what we’re used to.”

“It is, but it also feels like it’s time, you know? I mean, we have a grandkid on the way.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “In other words, you’re ready to replace agent with grandpa.”

He nodded. “I am. Plus, it’s Daisy’s child. He’ll keep us on our toes, hopefully the powers will come later on or controlled at least for quite a while.”

Snorting, she shook her head. “You have this all planned out, don’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“All right. So, while you’re being a boring stay-at-home grandpa, I’m doing what? Still working at the Academy?”

“Is that what you want to do?” he asked in return, genuinely curious.

“Honestly?” She sighed deeply. “No. It’s not, Phil." She held his look. "I’ve tried to make it work. Push through all the feelings it brings up, but I’m exhausted every night. And it’s not only from the students and all their crap all the time. It’s my own, too. Being in a place that bears your name. That has so many reminders of you. Even with you back again, it's . . ." her voice trailed off for a moment. "Not to mention, you were always the teacher type, the mentor, not me. I only mentored our girls because they needed someone to step up, and you had enough on your plate already so it couldn't be you. I didn’t ever want it to be me mentoring everyone, though. That’s not me.”

He had a feeling she would say that.

“Was Maria right then?” he questioned quietly.

“What?”

“Was she right? Did you enjoy being on missions for S.W.O.R.D.?”

She instantly closed herself off to him. Her walls raised again. “What do you want me to say?”

“The truth, Melinda.”

She shook her head, though, turning away from him.

“Did you enjoy it? It’s a simple question.”

“No,” she snapped, whirling back. “It’s not a simple question, Phil!”

“Did you enjoy it?” he repeated, firmer than before. He watched her eyes harden as she glared back. “Please,” he pleaded. “Just tell me.”

She threw her hands with a scoff. “Yes, okay, I did! Happy?” she glared harder. “I did enjoy it. I finally felt like I was doing something. That I was finally contributing again.”

“So, why won’t you take that position then?”

“Are you serious right now?” she replied with pinched lips and narrowed, guarded eyes.

“If it makes you happy, then you should do it.”

Shaking her head, she scoffed again. “I can’t believe you.”

“I’m serious, Mel. I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy. And if that’s not you teaching at the Academy, then you should do something else. I’d ask you to retire with me and do the grandparent thing, but we both know you’d grow restless with it. So, why not S.W.O.R.D.? I’ve told you before they’d be lucky to have you. I know I was. And you already seem to be well-loved and respected by them.”

“It’s S.W.O.R.D.”

“So?”

“You hate S.W.O.R.D., Phil.”

“No, I hated Tyler Hayward. S.W.O.R.D. just took the brunt of that unfortunately.”

She rolled her eyes, frowning.

“I have never stopped you from doing anything you wanted, Melinda. I didn’t with Andrew. I certainly didn’t try when you transferred to Administration after Bahrain. And I didn’t even try when you asked for leave for the first time in practically ever to go off to Hawaii. I have always supported you, no questions asked, accepted your decisions, believed in you. Even when I disagreed, when I didn’t want you to go. So, if this is something you want, then I’ll support you like always.”

She watched him for half a moment, searching his face. “You really mean that?”

“I do.”

She brushed back stray strands of her long dark hair as her shoulders sagged in defeat.

“I don’t know if it’s something I want. I don’t. It was one thing helping you rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D., but I wouldn’t even know where to start with S.W.O.R.D.”

“You’ll figure it out. You always do.”

She sighed heavily. “How would it even work? You and me? You'd be playing Mr. Grandpa with our grandchild while I’m off with S.W.O.R.D.? We’ve wasted enough time already, haven’t we? Do we really want to spend more time apart?”

“Yes, but you know what they say, Mel,” he replied with a soft, cheeky smile. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

She groaned loudly in response before staring at him, clearly not amused.

Or maybe not.

Several hours later, Daisy joined them, locked in the room by one of Dr. Strange’s weird enchantments. Of course the young, pregnant Inhuman was more restless than them combined. She alternated between pacing from the door to the window to flopping down finally onto the comfy sofa in the corner with a glare that rivaled May’s.

“They realize this affects all of us, right?” Daisy asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time already. “That we’re a part of the team and all that? That we’re not Level One Agents, naïve and dumb? They get that, right?”

Coulson glanced across the room to his pseudo-daughter and nodded. He always already past this part of their capture.

Her eyes searched his for a moment before she scoffed. “So? What then? They just don’t see the value in having our experience? Our skills?”

“We’re not trustworthy,” May remarked with a frown. “That’s why we’re stuck in here. They know us enough to know we’ll try to do it on our own without them.”

“That’s stupid.”

“Is it?” May replied flatly, glancing at her. “Considering what we did days ago.”

Daisy huffed, shaking her head. “I’m Quake, though. You’re the freaking Calvary, May. And Coulson—he’s Humanity’s Shield. We should be down there, getting ready for the fight.”

“I’m sure when they’ve figured out their plan, we’ll be informed,” sighed Coulson, agreeing with the argument she was making. They had a bigger stake in this fight, but that was precisely why they were being shielded right now. He couldn’t fault the others for this action. If the roles were reversed, he’d have done the same. Protect the ones who were emotionally compromised—and that was a hundred percent them without a doubt. It had taken him a lot longer than he'd like to admit to be okay with this action by the others.

Had they done some damage with Trenir by May going off by herself? They had. However, it had come at the cost of Coulson collapsing from exhaustion after being an idiot again. And it could have been much worse if he hadn’t managed to get to Daisy in time and protect her. He was compromised. He couldn’t do what needed to be done. He was too emotional, relying too heavily on instinct instead of logic. That loss of control had gotten agents killed in the past.

Agent Triplett came to mind first.

Then Lincoln Campbell.

Coulson himself could be added to that list, considering his past deal with Ghost Rider.

There was a lengthy list of others whose blood was on his hands unfortunately.

This was for his, May's, Daisy's, and Daisy's child's safety. To keep them safe and alive. It’s what separated S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers apart from other organizations. And, well, maybe S.W.O.R.D. too could be on that small list, he'd admit grudgingly.

“Well, it’s stupid,” Daisy huffed brat-like. “You always said we all brought pieces of the puzzle to the table, so we’re only going to have some of the pieces when they finally decide.”

Coulson’s eyes darted down guiltily. That was true. They didn't know what he knew.

“Phil?”

His eyes closed before he reluctantly glanced towards May, finding her narrowed gaze on him. At least she was talking to him again after their semi-argument earlier about what was next for them.

“What is it?”

He should’ve known she’d notice. They knew each other too well. “Axa—or a remnant of him—said you’d be the one to kill Trenir. No one else,” he answered, holding her neutral look.

“Wait. What?” Daisy glanced between them.

“How?” May inquired instead.

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t say. Just that it was vital you be the one who killed Trenir,” he responded. He had intended to tell her that when it had just been them, but the whole S.W.O.R.D. argument derailed that.

“If we know that’s certain, then we need to tell the others. Get them to realize May needs—”

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” May quietly spoke, examining him closer.

He inclined his head, unsure of how to voice it even.

“What is it?”

“Trenir believes if he kills Daisy while she’s still pregnant, he’ll prevent his own destruction. He learned this by capturing a Watcher and forcing it to reveal what would happen. I don’t—I feel like there was more left unsaid than that.”

“As if . . .” May’s voice trailed off, her eyes narrowing further onto him.

“Are we saying this Watcher pulled a Robin somehow?” Daisy interjected, referring to the young Inhuman who had been vital in their return from the future years ago. “Gave Trenir prior knowledge that he’s using now against us?”

Coulson nodded sharply. Exactly. Though, he felt like it was even more than that somehow. As if they had all done this before in some other universe, some other timeline. With a Watcher involved, it was possible unfortunately since Watchers watched the multiverse.

“Then how the hell do we fight that?”

“By going against our instincts,” he replied. “Taking a step back and letting them come up with a plan.” He ran a hand through his short hair with a heavy sigh. “There isn’t a doubt in me that says we haven’t already voiced our thoughts, our plans, and tried them. Each one of us is stubborn in our own way. We’d dig our heels in and force others to listen to us.”

“What if we sat back already, though? Maybe that’s how we lose?”

“As long as we give May the opportunity to take her chance,” he started to argue back.

“But none of that will matter if we’ve done it before, will it?” Daisy snapped, clearly losing her patience for this conversation. “Because Blue Man Killer will use it against us every time.”

“No.”

“You said it yourself, Coulson.”

“No, I said May has to kill him. We have to do everything in our power to give her that opportunity.”

Daisy scoffed harshly, shaking her head, though. “At what cost?”

“Dais—” May softly started to say before she was cut off in mid-word.

“No. I mean, come on. Let’s be real here for a moment. This guy knows outcomes before we even think it. Risking everything on a what if? I won’t lose either of you to that. Not again. Not after Tahiti and that damn temple. If everything rests on my kid surviving, then we focus on that. No one’s a better hider than us when we need to.”

“We can’t just hide the rest of your pregnancy.”

“Why not? Strange is keeping us here. Fortified his wards or whatever even. So, why not?”

“How about we table this discussion for now?” suggested Coulson, recognizing all the signs they were all going to dig their heels in further if they continued. They needed safer topics before one of them snapped and it turned into a screaming match.

Daisy glared back but eventually conceded. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

The tone she used was quite clearly conveying how she was only doing this to appease him. Normally, he’d have commented on it. Told her to drop the attitude, but he understood she was likely stressed beyond belief. So, he’d overlook it.

“Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do after the baby’s born?” He caught the instant glares and frowned. What? It was a valid question. She and Sousa were out in space on missions. They needed to consider childcare options at least. Plus, it kept his mind busy on other things.

“Seriously? You’re asking this now?”

“Why not?”

“Because we should be focusing on the alien trying to kill the baby and me, not—”

“We can’t focus on that, though,” he pointed out. “So, let’s focus on the after instead. I’m assuming you and Sousa will continue going on missions after the baby’s born.”

Daisy stared at him for half a moment before she said, “You’re joking, right? How about we figure out how—”

“Coulson wants to babysit,” May offered oh so helpfully. “That’s what this is all about. He’s decided for his next career move he’s going to try the grandfather thing and babysit for you.”

He winced when he caught Daisy’s stunned look.

“I mean, obviously, you can feel free to say no,” he stumbled out saying, feeling horribly unsure of himself now. After all, it was a stupid idea. Daisy would naturally ask Fitz and Simmons, not him and May. Because what the hell did he know about babysitting a kid anyway?

“What about S.H.I.E.L.D.?” asked the young Inhuman instead, watching him closely.

His gaze fell to the floor instantly.

“It seems,” May answered for him, recognizing that he wouldn't, “that between grandfather and agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., grandfather surprisingly wins.”

“Really?” Daisy replied with a soft, surprised laugh. “I mean, I’ll talk to Daniel about it. We haven’t really discussed that sort of thing yet, considering, you know, there’s a psychopathic alien out there wanting to kill our kid.” She rubbed her slight baby bump as she sighed heavily.

“I know, but it’s important that we think of the future, of happier times.”

“Who are you and what did you do with Coulson?” Daisy deadpanned before she glanced at May. “It’s not just me, right?”

“No, I’ve noticed it, too,” she replied quietly. “In fact, he was trying to get me to consider my next steps earlier as well.”

Daisy blinked rapidly before her eyes darted over to him. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I know,” May said shaking her head with a gentle smile. “It’s been throwing me, too. Best guess is this is another side effect from his interaction with the Berserker Staff.”

Coulson frowned. “Or maybe it’s not. Maybe I’m turning a—”

“—no, you’re not," May argued. "You’re stubborn as a mule, Phil. Always have been. Always will be.” She sighed quietly then. “You’re working something out. Something you probably aren’t even aware of right now. I’ve seen this behavior before long ago. You just need time to figure it out.”

“Well, if you know me so well,” he remarked dryly, “then what am I trying to figure out?” The second the words fell from his lips, he had a strong urge to kick himself. Why had he said that?

She shrugged lightly. “If Andrew were alive, he’d point out how a lot has changed in your life recently in a small amount of time. You also came back from the dead . . . again, knowing this time it had been years since, not just days. There’s our relationship change as well. Daisy being pregnant and in danger. Finding out I was helping S.W.O.R.D. behind your back all this time. You can roll with punches and land on your feet usually, but something’s different this time.”

He swallowed, holding her gaze with bated breath. Damn her for knowing him so well.

“Axa told you something else. Something that has you rattled now." Her eyes zeroed in on him. "What was it?”

“I’m not,” he lied, knowing by the slight tilt of her head she didn’t believe him for a second.

“We promised one another no more secrets, Phil." He had seen that look many times during interrogations of suspects. "What was it?”

He glanced towards Daisy, though, finding her watching him just as closely.

“AC?”

His eyes closed as he glanced away. His girls were right of course. He didn't want to darken their doorsteps, though. They both had enough to worry about it already. They didn't need this on top of everything. However, it was crushing him, driving him insane. Because of it was true . . . “How did S.H.I.E.L.D. manage to find a Kree of all things?” he finally asked after a few minutes passed.

“What?”

“The Kree specimen used for the T.A.H.I.T.I. project. How did S.H.I.E.L.D. find it? It’s not like we knew that much about aliens, is it?”

Daisy and May locked eyes for a brief moment before they turned back to him.

“What are you saying, Phil?”

He shrugged. “I’m just asking the question. How did they find it? We weren’t in space yet. So, did Captain Marvel bring it to us? Or was it found in some archaeological dig somewhere?”

“As opposed to . . . ?”

A Watcher orchestrating everything in his entire life to keep him on the destined path they were currently on because this was his sole purpose in life and nothing more? That every decision he ever thought he made through some exercise of free will really wasn’t? That he was nothing more than a hamster in a wheel, forced to perform for its master? Yeah, it wasn’t like he could say that necessarily without both women becoming even more worried about him.

“Phil?”

He met Melinda’s eyes, forcing in a slow breath. He could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, but he tried to slow it. The silence stretched on agonizingly. He wouldn't burden his girls with this. They didn't deserve to question everything about their lives like he did.

A sharp knock at the door was his reprieve ten minutes later.

Dr. Strange stepped inside a moment later with Mack, Fury, and Captain Rambeau trailing close behind. Each had soft, thin smiles on their faces as they filed in.

“We think we found a solution,” declared Dr. Strange.

With the widest smile of all, Captain Rambeau remarked happily in her S.W.O.R.D. jacket, “So, who here is ready to go kick some blue alien ass and teach it why you don’t mess with Earth?”

Chapter Text

Stepping through the flaming portal, Coulson inhaled the stagnant, recycled air instantly of yet another Kree ship. He would have liked if the fight had been down on Earth, but Trenir was smart. The Kree general knew he had the upper hand here even with Dr. Strange’s magical portals. Coulson’s eyes darted around the ship, grateful they were sent to an uninhabited part of the ship.

The mission objectives were clear. Find Trenir’s hiding spot. Report it. Converge. Attack.

Fury, Mack, and Rambeau had all decided they’d split the teams up into four mixed groups. Play to all their strengths, Fury had claimed. Each team had a marksman, tech genius, magic wielder, and heavy hitters. The teams were as balanced as they could be in such a short amount of time.

However, Coulson couldn’t help but feel nervous as he watched the rest of his seven-person team step through the portal onto the lone ship. Well, actually, technically it was Fury’s team, not his.

“Everyone make it through okay?” asked someone through their comms.

Coulson couldn’t recognize the voice exactly. It sounded like a teenager, but that didn’t make sense as he couldn’t think of a single teen who would be considered for a mission like this.

“Blue team accounted for,” replied Captain Rambeau first.

“Yellow team as well,” Mack answered a second later.

“Red team’s all here,” Fury stated. “How about you, Green?”

“Right as rain, sir,” drawled Daisy back through comms.

Coulson could imagine the tight smile on her face still. She had been so upset at being ordered to remain behind on Earth, but it had to be that way. There was no way they were going to have her anywhere near Trenir. Even if she weren’t pregnant, that was off the table. Though, he had wished they had at least shared a brief goodbye hug like they usually did before she was whisked off to wherever Wong portaled the Earth-grounded green team.

At a hand pressed against his arm, his blue eyes quickly darted to its owner, finding the sympathetic look directed at him.

“She’ll be okay,” Barnes asserted.

“Exactly,” concurred Danvers. “We got this. We just have to stick to the plan.”

“And if the plan turns to crap like it always seems to do, you got all of us,” grinned Stark, his smile forced more than usual as if he too wasn’t sure about this plan either. “After all, we only lose when we’re not united. And we’re definitely united this time.”

“So, keep your head in the game, Coulson,” chided Hill. “It all rests on you.”

They were right after all. This entire plan hinged on him playing his part. They just first had to find Trenir. For a Kree, the general did seem to stay pretty hidden from all their scans. They knew he was on the last ship remaining orbiting Earth, but none of their tech could penetrate the hull. Thankfully, magic could. To a point at least.

The three teams were sent to a different part of the ship: one near the stern, one near the bow, and one near the middle. Each team would work their way methodically towards the bridge. Though, none of them could say for sure if that was where they’d find Trenir. It was at this point anyone’s guess.

As his team walked down the vacant, cold alien hallway, Coulson found his mind wandering back to what he had seen before, thanks to Axa and Loki. The waves of déjà vu kept crashing over him as dread crept up his spine with each step.

After everything Daisy had gone through over the years, this was the very last thing she needed in her life. She had already survived her share of monsters. More than her fair share in his opinion. She deserved a nice, happy, stress-free pregnancy at least, not this crap.

No. Daisy was safe. She was with Daniel, who would and had protected her before. She also had Banner and Wong nearby with Darcy and Woo. There was no reason to worry about her. She was safe.

Coulson on the other hand was in enemy territory with an alien who had prior knowledge of all their moves. He had wished Axa showed him more than what he had seen already, but he supposed it’d mess with the timelines more than what Axa and Loki had already insinuated had happened.

The second he caught Barnes and Colonel Rhodes both raising their fists, Coulson halted. He watched the two scout ahead around the corner, causing him to glance towards Stark who was clearly using some form of tech to see what was around the bend. They all heard the two quiet thumps before Rhodes and Barnes returned with clipped nods that they could continue forward again.

So far so good.

“Your hand bothering you?” Stark asked out of the blue a few moments later.

Coulson’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What?”

“Your hand,” Stark repeated before motioning towards Coulson’s prosthetic. “Is it bothering you? You keep flexing it.”

Blue eyes darted to his left briefly before Coulson shook his head. It was aching like usual, but nothing too badly.

“Yellow, engaging hostiles,” Mack declared, his voice booming through comms.

“Blue, too!” called out Barton sounding slightly frazzled. “We have to be getting closer.”

Fury shared a look with Danvers before the two returned to their stoic watch.

Coulson frowned when he noticed Fury hanging back slightly closer to him as the others continued forward.

“I’m fine, sir,” he stated with a frown. He had seen this behavior once before from his mentor—after Bahrain. As if Coulson had been the one who nearly died there.

“I know you are,” replied Fury, meeting his gaze.

“Then, respectfully, sir, quit your damn hovering.”

There was a time when he never would have said anything like that to Fury. The thought never would have even crossed his mind. However, after years of being beat down by life as an agent had, it seemed changed him enough to have the nerve to say it nowadays. Frankly, Coulson had been through too damn much to give a crap at this point.

Fury’s lip twitched slightly before he inclined his head sharply and moved away to give Coulson some space again.

“Phil Coulson,” a familiar, icy voice hissed through the ship’s intercom. “Back so soon? And you’ve brought more pawns to die for you as well.”

Wanda closed her eyes, tilting her head back in response.

Coulson watched her eyes glow red beneath her eyelids as she likely searched for Trenir’s location. Pursing his lips together, he frowned harder. No one would be dying here today.

“Well, you know me, glutton for punishment,” he called out.

They never really were going to have the element of surprise. At least not at this point.

“Surrender the half breed to us, and no one on your planet will be harmed!”

“Somehow I doubt that,” he called back, his eyes widening as his words hit his ears.

“Then you have sentenced your planet to death, Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D.!”

Axa had shown him this scenario—or Loki. One of those two had.

Inhaling sharply, he quickly threw out his arm wide, activating his energy shield that expanded all around the team.

The second he felt the first crackling energy balls slam against his shield, he swallowed thickly past the fear clawing its way up his throat. He was an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. He had fought Chitauri, HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, S.W.O.R.D. once even, Daisy’s parents, the United States Government, Kree, and Chronicoms—and a slew of others who stood in his way. Trenir would be no different. He merely had to stay on the path and not be swayed from it. No matter what.

“Tell me, Coulson. Where is your dearest Melinda? Hmm?” purred Trenir darkly. “I know she’s here. She never leaves your side. No matter the universe. In fact, she’s held your broken body—oh . . . —forty times I’d estimate? After you fail to kill me every single time. You’re not Humanity’s Shield. You’re its executioner.”

“Says the alien threatening to destroy the Earth if I don’t hand over Daisy.”

“You don’t know what she is. What that child means.”

Barely holding back his fiery temper, Coulson tossed back, “You mean my grandson, the one you’re so terrified is going to kill you?”

“It’s an abomination.”

His cold blue eyes darted to Stark and Fury when he felt hands against his arm again. He knew what he was doing. He was still in control.

“Just as she is! Just as you are!”

“How about you say that to my face?” goaded Coulson. “Unless you’re only worried about unborn children?”

“I will enjoy this immensely.” Loud metallic boots echoed down the hallway as the enemy approached. The ground shook with each step. “Your head will be mounted on my wall as a reminder to all who dare defy me. ‘Here lies Phillip J. Coulson, Earth’s mightiest failure.” More rhythmic boots clanged out as more aliens approached from all sides. Just like he knew it would. “Tell me, Humanity’s Shield! I wonder how many times must you die before you run out of stolen lives, hmm?” A low chuckle rumbled like thunder across the prairie. “Axa cannot save you this time. You are mine!”

Coulson drew in a deep breath, forcing himself to exhale out every thought that reminded him of his pre-destined failure he had been shown before. It would be different this time.

“General Trenir!” shrieked another voice.

Coulson’s eyes widened as he recalled the scene perfectly. No . . .

“Terran ship has appeared!” declared one of the aliens.

A fierce growl erupted before Trenir finally appeared before him, the group stepping out from behind their camouflaged positions. “Fire on them at once!”

No . . . no . . . no this wasn’t the plan. It was him and May. Not this. He hoped and prayed to whoever was listening he was wrong. That this wasn’t Daisy disobeying direct orders, putting herself and her child in harm’s way again. However, the S.W.O.R.D. ships he knew of were all grounded per Captain Rambeau’s orders in case their mission failed.

“When I find your child, Lewzoid of Terra,” growled Trenir, spittle flying from his lips, “I will force you to watch me kill your family, starting with your repulsive half breed daughter and filthy unborn grandchild!”

The warriors had their small team surrounded, seemingly having the advantage.

“Yeah? Well, you’ll have to go through me first!” Coulson declared loudly, thankful he didn’t hear his future son-in-law’s voice say the words.

“As you wish,” sneered the pale gray lizard-like alien.

More volleys of electric energy balls cut through the air, hurtling towards them.

Coulson’s left hand swiftly shot up before he effortlessly waved the weapons’ blasts far from his team and into a nearby wall. He felt sharp pain as his energy shield absorbed the blasts he didn’t manage to deflect away.

“NO!”

A hand surged forward before Trenir latched onto his throat, yanking him upwards.

“Tell me. What makes you so special?” he hissed, more droplets of spittle hitting Coulson in the face. “So worthy to be saved yet again, rising from the ashes of the dead you buried?”

“Been asking myself that for years actually,” Coulson dryly remarked back, held too close for comfort in a strong, death grip. “If you find out, let me know. Until then . . .”

He just had to hold on a little longer. Play his part until the time was right.

Trenir chuckled deeply. “You still think you’ll win, don’t you? I admire your spirit.” The general smirked wider, showing off more of his teeth. “It will make breaking you all that much sweeter.”

“Yeah . . .” Coulson forced a harsh chuckle, wincing when the ship jerked from someone opening fire on it. “ . . . about that.”

Trenir’s head tilted as he glared back.

“You know, you aliens never get that if you mess with a man’s family,” Coulson remarked coolly “all bets are off the table then.”

“Explain.”

“Well, I would,” he replied with a flippant shrug, “but, you know, spoilers.”

They both stumbled when another volley of blasts hit the side of the ship.

“FIRE ON THAT SHIP!” snarled Trenir back at his comrades. “The half breed is on it!”

Sweat pooled at the nape of his neck as he heard the fired volleys from the ship. He pushed back his worry for Daisy, though. He had to stay calm and focus on what he knew. And what he knew currently was that Daniel would protect her with his dying breath. She and the baby would be safe. Coulson just had to stay the course a little while longer. It was crucial he did. He had to trust Daniel, trust the plan, trust this wasn’t another path that led to failure.

“The Terran ship has been eliminated,” happily called out one of Trenir’s crew members.

“Give ‘im hell, Dad,” whispered a voice through his comms, soothing his worries instantly. Daisy.

Coulson forced a grin immediately, unable to hold it back from his face. That’s his girl.

“I win,” Trenir hissed smugly. “And now, now I’ll destroy you. Just as I’ve always done.”

“Eh, that’s not what Axa told me.”

His grin widened upon seeing the fear written all over the reptilian’s face at the mention of the late Watcher. They were so close now. Just a little bit further.

“In fact, do you want to hear a story?” Coulson asked quietly.

Trenir’s sharp eyes narrowed before he growled, “What?”

“A story. I’ve got a really good one for you.”

Coulson’s heart was racing as he held the general’s gaze.

The air felt a little heavier now than before. Or maybe that was all in his head. He couldn’t necessarily be certain as his adrenaline surged through him, thanks to fight-or-flight.

His arm ached horribly, the pain radiating down to the tips of his prosthetic fingers.

Trenir’s head tilted furiously to the side. “You truly believe a story will save you now?”

“What? I never told you a story during our meetings before?”

He needed to buy a little more time.

“You said we’ve done this many times before, so naturally I had to have told you the story about the asshole of Austin, right?” He kept on speaking as Trenir’s confusion became clearer. “All right then. So, there we are, twenty-five, twenty-six, fresh out of the Academy practically.” He forced air into his lungs, knowing how close they were now. “Do you remember that, sir?” he called out to Fury.

“You damn kids thought you knew better,” scoffed Fury, not batting his eye. “How could I?”

Coulson laughed. “Anyway, mission was simple enough. Meet the target. Chat with him for a bit. Kind of like how we are right now.”

“What is the point of this?” snarled Trenir.

Coulson chuckled in response, feeling the hand tighten around his throat briefly.

“I was the distraction naturally. The target was getting more irritated by the minute as one-by-one his comrades were taken down by Melinda. She’s such a badass when she does it. So stealthy. So silent. So deadly. The target had no idea what was happening. Eventually, it was just him, me, and her.”

Trenir’s pupils constricted as his nostrils flared out.

“She walked right up behind him. Poor bastard didn’t have a clue.”

“He was human,” Trenir spat back. “You’re fragile fools. Of course he didn’t.”

Coulson nodded slowly.

“True.” He watched Trenir’s self-satisfaction cross his smug face. “So there I am, talking to the target. She managed to isolate us without him knowing. And then a second later, she raised her blade, a small silver dagger she had kept hidden of course. I’ll never forget that look on her face.”

His eyes glanced behind Trenir’s shoulder.

“The sheer determination she had in those gorgeous brown eyes of hers. The curl of her lip just before her blade thrust into him, twisting in his back. Sort of, well,” he shrugged “like how it is now.”

He watched Trenir’s eyes widen in horror just as the blade plunged in underneath the general’s heavy armor. Coulson stared back coldly as he heard the general gurgle on his blood.

“Bet you didn’t see that one coming.”

Trenir gasped again when the blade twisted upwards.

“How . . .”

“A shield is nothing without his sword,” stated Coulson calmly, wrenching himself back out of Trenir’s grasp. He watched impassively as the general fell to his knees helplessly.

“No . . . no . . . this . . .” Trenir struggled to stay upright, eyes widening in shock.

“We're writing our own story now," he replied neutrally. One where he broke free of the hamster wheel he had been on his entire life.

“What's the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” declared Daisy, stepping out of a nearby portal with Daniel and Robbie Reyes at her sides. “What? You really thought you won? That you killed my kid and me?”

Scoffing, Daniel wrapped an arm around her protectively. “You don’t bet against the house, especially not this house.”

Trenir’s eyes darted wildly around, likely noticing finally that his comrades were all gone, thanks to Dr. Strange.

Like a trapped animal, the Kree general desperately tried to find some way out of his fate. His wound wouldn’t kill him. That wasn’t what they were going for here. Though, they all knew they were only delaying the inevitable of his attempt at escaping someday and seeking revenge on them.

However, Trenir had other things in mind already. He grabbed a hold of the dagger in his back, yanking it out.

Every weapon trained on him in response.

His eyes shifted from Coulson to May to Daisy before he groaned loudly, hanging his head. He was finally giving in and accepting his punishment. Drawing in a gasping breath, he tried to breathe in deeply, only to cough violently instead.

Coulson glanced at May, not liking this.

A second later, the dagger flew through the air towards Daisy as a flurry of weapons fired on Trenir in response to his actions, killing him.

The metallic Captain America shield instantly chased after the dagger, knocking the weapon aside somehow so it wouldn’t reach Daisy. The shield clanged heavily onto the metal floor with the slight tinging of the dagger.

Coulson exhaled loudly, hearing May do the same beside him as she gripped his arm hard.

“Um, so, is it always like this?” asked Shang-Chi as he stood next to Barton and Thor.

“Pretty much,” quipped Barton with a wide grin before he clapped the young man on the back. “Aren’t you glad you joined the Avengers now?”

“Not particularly, no.”

They all shared a quiet laugh as Coulson’s soft blue eyes darted back over to Daisy, finding Daniel and Robbie (albeit a little more subdued) both fussing over her.

It was over.

Finally.

Thank God.

A few hours later, prior to parting ways from the New York Sanctum, Coulson sighed heavily as he watched May speaking quietly across the way with Captain Rambeau. He was hoping she was being offered the leadership position again within S.W.O.R.D. The more he thought on it, the more he thought it was a damn good idea. It’d give her the outlet she needed, satisfy the desire to be useful that drove her. And S.W.O.R.D. headquarters weren’t really that far away. They could make it work. They always did.

He glanced towards Mack, Fury, and Hill as the trio approached, S.H.I.E.L.D.’S past and future in perfect sync with one another.

“You finally going to ask her,” Hill quipped, following his gaze to May, “or are you just going to think on it some more? Talk yourself out yet again from asking those five or six little words you’ve been desperately wanting to say since our first year at the Academy?”

Tilting his head silently, he met her gaze briefly before he turned towards Mack. All right then.

“I hereby tender my resignation, Director.”

Facepalming, Hill instantly groaned beside him as Mack sighed heavily with a hung head.

Fury, however, glared and remarked, “Oh, for Christ’s sake. Not those words, Coulson.” His lips pressed together firmly. “The other ones. The ones that start with ‘Will’ and end with ‘me.”

“I know, sir,” he replied with a shit-eating smirk, “but I needed to do that first.”

Fury scoffed, shaking his head. “I swear, you two deserve each other.”

Coulson tended to agree. They were always Fury’s pain in the ass agents who drove him insane at times with their antics. However, he had to admit, he had a feeling in hindsight the former director had a soft spot for both of them beneath that irritated tough mysterious exterior.

“Well, what are you waiting for, Coulson? Ask her,” Hill exhaled sharply, shoving him lightly in May’s direction.

He shook his head, though. “When the time’s right, I will.”

The trio stared at him for a moment before Mack finally muttered, “I need a drink.”

“I’ll join you,” Hill remarked, just as irritated as Mack was. They walked off together soon after.

Coulson glanced towards Fury, finding the neutral, guarded look plastered on the man’s face.

“You’re going to give me the lecture again, aren’t you?” he asked.

Fury snorted derisively, crossing his arms. “That lecture hasn’t worked in fifteen years. It’s a goddamn waste of air at this point.” His look then softened slightly. “I know you’ll ask when you’re ready. Just like I know she’ll wait, silently cursing you to hell and back the entire time for dragging your damn feet when you have always known that ring was destined to be hers.”

He watched his mentor for half a moment before he bit back another sigh, surrendering. His relationship with Fury had always been something he couldn’t put his finger on necessarily. It wasn’t just mentor and mentee, supervising agent and trainee. It was more than that. The lengths Fury had gone to keep him alive after the Battle of New York proved that. So, he could be more open with the man than with others who weren’t May.

“I lost the ring,” he admitted softly. “It was at the Playground when it was destroyed.”

The corner of Fury’s lip twitched slightly upwards before he stuck a hand into a pocket of his long leather trademark trench coat.

“You mean this ring?” he asked, holding out the familiar red velvet box.

“How . . . ?” Coulson reached for it instantly, opening the box and finding the small, slender silver ring inside. The base had been destroyed, though.

“Thank General Talbot. He had the effects not damaged stored in a warehouse in case you and your team ever returned.”

“How did you get it then?”

Fury smiled faintly. “He had a feeling you’d be wanting this someday. Asked me to hold onto it. Said he figured the way he saw it, I’d know better with all my connections than he would when you’d finally pull your head out of your ass and marry that damn woman.”

“You’ve had it with you all this time?”

“Well, other than the years I was dust. Either Romanoff or Cap had it then. They always meant to give it to her, but with everything going on, wasn’t time.”

He closed the ring box silently and nodded sharply.

“What’s next for you?” he asked, pocketing the box as he did.

Fury shrugged lightly. “Not sure yet.”

He smiled back dimly. “You should go visit him.” It had to have been at least thirty years since the two had seen one another by Coulson’s estimate.

His mentor shook his head, though. “I’d only be reopening old wounds. He’s safe, though. Got a good job in fact.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Fury nodded with a chuckle. “He’s a physical therapist. One of the top ones in New York in fact.” He shook his head with a small smile. “He’s happy now. Which was all I ever wanted for him. I’m not going to ruin that now by interjecting myself and upending his life. He deserves better than that.”

He could understand that. He may not have had biological children, but Daisy, Fitz, and Simmons were his kids without a doubt. He killed for them, protected them every chance he could get just as a father would.

“You planning on heading back to the cabin?”

“No. It’s uninhabitable right now. First thing on my list of retirement project, though.”

Fury then held out a set of keys.

“What’s this?”

“Keys to a safe house.”

He shook his head politely, though. “I couldn’t accept, sir.”

“Just take the damn keys, Coulson,” Fury glared.

“I can’t, sir. We’ll stay at a motel—”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Fury thrust the keys into Coulson’s hands. “Like hell will you be living in a motel.” He then pointed a finger dangerously. “And don’t even start with that garbage about staying with Fitz-Simmons. We both know they don’t have the room with little Alya. So, go to the safe house while the cabin’s rebuilt.” He then lowered his voice. “It’s close to S.W.O.R.D. headquarters, too.”

The second the Quinjet landed and the ramp lowered a few hours later, Coulson felt the stifling humid Floridian air rush inside. He pushed the sleeves to his button-up dress shirt up instantly, noticing Sousa doing the same across the way.

“The SUV will take you from here,” explained Romanoff from the pilot’s seat. She then twisted around to glance back at them. “Hey, Johnson?”

“Yeah?” Daisy called back, pausing for half a moment.

“Take care of the old man for us, all right? Make sure he sticks to this retirement thing this time and doesn’t get himself into any trouble that we have to save his ass from.”

Coulson caught Daisy’s wide, amused smile with May’s soft laughs beside him and Daniel’s badly hidden smirk.

“I’ll try.”

Romanoff winked at Coulson then.

“Wasn’t funny the first time you said it, Natasha,” he scoffed, mockingly glaring at her. God, how he had missed her. “It’s certainly not funny this time either.”

“Well, that’s because you’re no fun,” she tossed back. Her eyes then flitted to the woman who was always at his side. “I’ll see you around, May.”

“Likewise.” Melinda then squeezed his hand that had been holding hers the entire flight. “Come on, Coulson. Let’s see what you being Fury’s golden boy earned us this time.”

Romanoff snickered instantly, having heard that particular tease during an op of theirs years ago.

Pulling his hand back gently, he smiled at Melinda, letting her know everything was all right. He then moved towards the cockpit and bent down, hugging Natasha warmly. He didn’t know why he felt like he had to do that, but he just had a feeling it was important. A world without her was a world he didn’t want to live in.

“What’s this for?” she asked, glancing up with a surprised look.

“Take care of yourself, Nat.”

She nodded back, smiling softly. “You too.” She then lowered her voice so only they’d hear. “Go do that family thing you always told me about. The wife, kids, grandkids, dog. We got it from here.”

“I know.”

Her eyes sparkled, holding his look. There was so much being said between them currently. He had been there from the beginning after she defected. After Budapest with Barton. After he had saved her from the rogue widow who had wanted to take her place. After the constant suicide missions S.H.I.E.L.D. brass had sent her on that he put a stop to as soon as he found out. He had helped pick her up when her world had crashed all around her, been one of the few who legitimately cared about her.

With a wobbly, somber smile, she quipped, “Go be the sweater-vest dorky grandpa you were meant to be, Coulson.”

“Hey!” he faux-cried, his bright blue eyes alight. “Sweater-vests are very cool, thank you.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” she laughed, shoving him lightly away.

“See, and that’s why Stark’s my favorite Avenger.”

“What?” she gasped dramatically before dissolving into a fit of laughter. “There you go again, breaking Rogers’s heart all over again. See if he’ll sign your cards now.”

“You mean the cards Fury covered in paint and defaced?”

“Phil!” May shouted, crossing her arms as she stared back, not amused.

“Coming, sweetheart,” he drawled, wincing at the immediate raised brow returned in response. Yeah, his acting cute never saved him with her.

He quickly joined her at the ramp soon after, following Daisy and Daniel down it towards the dark SUV. He caught the quick, puzzled glances from Daisy and waited. Sure enough, as soon as they hopped inside the vehicle—the dark privacy partition thankfully raised separating the front seats from them, she turned towards him with crossed arms. However, she addressed May.

“Wait. Was there something between him and Romanoff at some point?”

He was grateful to hear May’s soft laugh. “Hardly.” She then sighed. “She’s another wayward daughter he adopted.”

“Was there anyone he didn’t?” asked Daniel, glancing at him.

“Yeah, there was a few. They turned out to be HYDRA, though.”

“Oh, ha-ha, Mel,” Coulson grumbled. “I didn’t adopt everyone.”

She rolled her eyes, giving him a pointed look. “Why do you think Stark didn’t want you anywhere near Parker?”

“Who?”

“Peter Parker, or as he’s known to the rest of the world, Spiderman.”

Coulson blinked. “Wait. Was that the kid I heard?”

She nodded.

“Oh.”

“And don’t think I didn’t see you exchanging numbers with Wanda either.”

“She’s going through a tough time right now. Her husband died. She’s overcome with grief.”

“I know, Phil.”

“Probably better than all of us,” muttered Daniel softly, grimacing at the fierce glares instantly directed his way from both Daisy and May.

“What does that mean?”

May’s lips pursed before she revealed, “He’s referring to confidential S.W.O.R.D. details.”

“Okay . . .”

“S.W.O.R.D. took custody of Vision’s body after his death,” explained Daisy.

“How do you know that?” asked May, her eyes darting to their pseudo-daughter before they flitted over to the silent man beside Daisy. “Daniel Sousa!”

“In my defense,” he started to say before his mouth snapped shut with a quiet “Never mind.”

“What part of confidential do you not understand?”

“He was trying to find out where you were, May,” argued Daisy.

Coulson turned back to May. “That’s what you meant by Hayward pulling a Vision stunt on me.” He caught her flash of anger. “You were there?” She had done terrible, questionable things before, but this . . . this was . . .

“Not in Westview.”

“Where?”

“S.W.O.R.D. Headquarters.” May sighed heavily, glancing upwards before she continued. “Hayward asked me to meet him there to discuss a deal that would benefit all of us. He proudly showed off Vision to me then, told me how LMD you wasn’t that much different from Vision really in the scope of things. That as long as I helped him out, you’d be protected. So, I did.”

“Why the hell didn’t you kick his ass, Melinda?” Like she would have done to anyone else who would have threatened her so disgustingly.

“Because your charging station was S.W.O.R.D. technology, Phil! Why do you think I hated that damn thing so much?” She glanced away. “He had a kill-switch inside it that he could trigger remotely.”

“What?” both he and Daisy gasped.

“I joined not long after her deal,” confessed Daniel. “The new guidelines for space ops needed an agent from S.W.O.R.D., and like hell was I letting Daisy go out there with some other asshole from S.W.O.R.D. doing that to her so I joined up.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Daisy asked, seemingly horrified.

“Because they couldn’t,” spoke up a familiar voice from the driver’s seat, the privacy partition lowered and revealing Director Mackenzie and Elena.

“Don’t tell us you knew, too.”

Mack sighed heavily, meeting Coulson’s gaze in the rear view mirror. “They told me after the fact. I told them to tell you so many damn times, but they didn’t want to risk Hayward figuring out the truth.”

“Which was?”

“They were building a case against him for the FBI to act on,” Elena stated, twisting back to say.

Coulson’s eyes narrowed on May. “You were working with Agent Woo?”

Melinda nodded, grimacing and rubbing her shoulder. “Mostly with his boss, but yes. Darcy and Monica did all the heavy lifting, though. I’d pass things along through Hill during our meetings.”

“Okay, so, everyone knew but us?” Daisy rubbed her baby bump as her eyes darted from her boyfriend to May to Mack and Elena.

“Fitz and Simmons were working on a way to see if they could remove the kill-switch from your charging station,” May answered. “It’s why I was headed to your office earlier that day for lunch. They wanted me to install some sort of hexagon thing into it so they could map it better.”

“Oh.” He hadn’t even noticed that day she was early. Though, it seemed he hadn’t noticed a lot.

“With Captain Rambeau in charge now temporarily of S.W.O.R.D., what does that mean exactly for you two? Is it better? I mean, she seemed all right,” Daisy said.

“Well, I’m on a leave of absence with you of course until we’re ready to come back to work,” Sousa answered with a soft smile.

“And I’m still deciding,” admitted May, meeting Coulson’s eyes.

He glanced away when he felt the vehicle slow to a stop.

“We’re here.”

Opening the door, Coulson stepped outside, offering a hand in case May needed it. She of course didn’t. He watched Daniel and Daisy talking quietly as they headed towards the much-needed air conditioning on the abnormally hot November day. He felt hopeful that they could figure out a way to move on from here.

“Thank you,” he remarked to Mack and Elena, receiving soft smiles in return.

He then followed after Melinda a few seconds later towards the remote modern two-story home. He unlocked the front door as soon as he reached it, stepping aside. He frowned when Melinda brushed past him without a word, heading upstairs.

When Daisy gave him a brief hug as she walked past, he glanced at her.

“You’ve wasted enough time on stupid meaningless fights, don’t you think?”

He snorted, giving her a pointed look in return.

She turned back to Daniel and sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. He’s still very much in the doghouse, but . . . intentions matter more. You taught me that.” She then winced, rubbing her belly again. “Plus, the baby really hates all the fighting.”

“You really like that excuse, don’t you?” he quipped, watching Daniel step up behind her.

“Oh yeah.” She then turned towards her boyfriend. “In fact, I think our child is saying we need to go for a walk right now. Talk things out.” She smiled back at Coulson. “Baby also says you should too.”

As soon as they were out of eyesight, Coulson frowned before he glanced upstairs. Daisy was right after all. So much time had been wasted already. He headed upstairs then, searching for Melinda.

At a loud hiss from behind one of the doors, he knocked lightly, ignoring everything that told him to go inside. Pushing her usually got nowhere.

“Melinda?” He waited another second, hearing another strangled hiss from the other side. He pushed open the door slowly then and stepped inside, pausing at the sight of deep bruises to her back. How the hell hadn’t he noticed that? He rushed to her side, catching her tense at his appearance. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

With pinched lips, she glared over her bare back at him.

Assuming that this safe house was like all the others he had been in, he headed into the adjoining bathroom, collecting the things he’d need. He dropped it all onto the bed unceremoniously before he gently turned her around towards him. His eyes quickly roamed down her body, finding more dark bruises forming near her ribs.

“Is it only bruises and sore muscles?” he inquired, eyes flitting back to hers.

She nodded after a moment, sighing as her shoulders sagged. “You don’t have to do this.”

His eyes narrowed. “I always try to help after you kick ass, remember?”

“You’re mad, though.”

“No.” At her sudden look, he grimaced having been caught. “Okay, yes, but not at you. Not really. I more mad at the situation than anything. That you were put into it because of me again.”

“Cost of loving you,” she remarked dryly.

“Well, then you should take your mother’s advice and go do better than me,” he quipped lightly.

“And admit she’s right? Yeah right.” She relaxed gradually, lowering her guard around him again. “I won’t apologize for what I did. I won’t, Phil.”

“I know.”

“Because I’d do it all again if it meant saving you, keeping you here just a little bit longer. I know I kept you at a distance, but I was scared. Scared if I let you in once more, I’d lose you again. And then I just . . . I just didn’t care after a while. LMD you. Real you. Framework you. Hell, even that heartless bastard Sarge. I’d do it again for any version of you.”

He nodded slowly, helping her onto the bed to rest flat against the mattress. A shower like what she was probably going to do based on her current state of undress wouldn’t help. He’d have to mind the bruises as best as he could of course, but he could see how tense her muscles were, knowing from experience a massage always helped loosen them and relax her enough to rest. Her kicking ass always took so much out of her afterwards. Even if she didn’t want to admit it.

He grabbed the bottle of jasmine oil that he seriously wondered how Fury had known to keep stocked and poured a bit into his hand.

“You’re seriously going to give me a massage?” she quipped, glancing over her shoulder at him. “You are the worst at massages.”

Frowning, he scoffed. “Am not.”

“Every massage you’ve ever given—Oh my god!” she groaned loudly, instantly sagging into the mattress.

“I’m sorry. You were saying?” he replied with a shit-eating grin as his thumbs pressed firmly into her shoulders. He could see the confusion in her eyes. He merely smiled at her, though, continuing his circles into her flesh. “Every time we’ve ever done this, I’ve been secretly lost in my own head, praying I don’t do anything stupid.” At a raised brow, he snorted, leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss against her left shoulder blade atop of an old scar—maybe from Berlin. “You know, for the record, I did always say I was good with my hands.”

“You mean, we’ve could have had this the entire time?”

“Yep.”

“We’re idiots.”

“We are,” he agreed, feeling merrier when he heard the soft sounds coming from her. “That good, huh?” He chuckled at the mild glare. “Any particular spot you need me to work next?”

“Legs.”

“I can do that.” He worked on her left leg first, kneading the tight muscles that he was sure were giving her the worst time right then. “For the record, I get why you did what you did. I’d do the same if the roles were reversed. I’d do anything to save you. Hell, I did with Ward. And when Radcliffe had you, you can ask Mack. I was desperate to find you. I broke every rule I had and then some. When it comes to you, all bets are off if you’re in danger.” He caught her gaze. “So, I get it.”

“But?”

“But,” he sighed “I hate how you feel like you have to sacrifice yourself for me every time. And I hate it because I love you and you mean everything to me.”

“Same.”

“So, we have to find a way to, well, love one another without sacrificing ourselves for each other when we’re in danger.” Change their character flaws in other words.

She bit back a moan as he worked a particularly stubborn knot in her hamstring.

“Any ideas?” she asked a few moments later after she composed herself again.

“Not a clue,” he chuckled, moving onto her right leg. “I'm still working on it.” He happily listened to more sounds fall from her lips, proud that those noises were because of his fingers.

“Phil?” she murmured after the silence had stretched on for minutes. “Knowing what you know now about S.W.O.R.D.,” she started to ask, “how could you possibly be okay with it?”

“All cards on the table?” He caught her slight nod. “Monica Rambeau is not Tyler Hayward. She was one of the millions who came back after the Blip, learning that her mother had died while she was gone. She leads by compassion, by heart. Wanda said that Captain Rambeau could have arrested her for the actions in Westview, but instead she let her go. I can’t ignore that.” He paused for half a moment when he heard the subdued hiss as he tried to massage out another stubborn knot. “So, you and her leading S.W.O.R.D.? I can get behind it.” He then pressed a light kiss against another scar on her calf. “Plus, you know, there’s nothing sexier than a woman in power, especially when that woman is you.”

“Oh really?”

He nodded before he leaned near her ear. “Want to hear a secret?”

“Am I going to want to punch you like I do every other time you reveal a secret?”

“No.” At least he hoped not. She then motioned him to go on. “That moment when I learned you were running the base after Gonzales kicked me out, I nearly broke right then and there. I was seconds away from backing you up against my desk and kissing the hell out of you. And all those times you were in charge while I was working on Theta Protocol or meeting with the new recruits, and we’d talk by video? You standing in my office all commanding and direct and forceful? I’d have given you the world if you asked.”

“And what about now?”

“World’s not good enough anymore.”

She laughed full bodily with that laugh that made him melt every time he heard it, knowing she only laughed like this around him.

“Aren’t you a charmer tonight?”

He shrugged with an amused smile. “Well, I do have game after all.”

She snorted, smiling widely at the shared memory. “It’s cute you still think that.”

Scoffing, he rolled his eyes. He had game. After all, he finally wore her down, didn’t he?

“Hand me my phone, will you?” she asked after a moment.

He watched her quickly type out a message before she sent it and tossed the phone aside.

“What was that all about?”

Her smile brightened as she watched him for half a moment before she said, “You’re looking at the new Deputy Director of S.W.O.R.D.”

She said yes? His smile matched hers instantly. “Well, Deputy Director, looks like we’re going to need some more oil then.”

“And Haig?”

“Oh most definitely.” God, he loved this woman.

Chapter Text

Four years later, mud, bug guts, and probably traces of animal feces coated Phil like a second skin painted on by ten tiny fingers. However, the ruined t-shirt was all worth it by the sounds of happy, squealing laughter from the small boy squirming away in hopes to escape the wiggling appendages promising a frenzied tickle attack. He chuckled at the clumps of dirt falling off them and crushing into the hardwood floors of their home of four years. He was definitely going to hear about this later. But that wouldn’t be a problem, since Melinda wasn’t expected until later tonight after her meeting.

“Granpa!” squealed the four-year-old.

“What?” he asked back innocently, grinning widely as he kept up his frequent light tickling. The sounds of his grandson’s laughter warmed his heart in ways he never thought it’d ever be. He loved these moments and was so thankful for them, knowing how close they came to losing. “Surrender yet?”

The sweet little boy dressed in a mud-caked, baby Captain America, blue long-sleeved pajama set stared back defiantly, though, shaking his head. Just like his mother and grandmother.

“No?” Phil held back a snort, finding the look even more adorable.

“I can do this all day,” replied his grandson cutely, living up to his name.

An audible groan from the doorway quickly caused his head to snap up towards the sound, finding gorgeous dark eyes staring back.

Melinda.

He chuckled, though, turning back to the tyke and ruffling his grandson’s hair affectionately.

“Uh-oh. Busted. You know what that means, Steve?”

The second he caught the glint in his grandson’s warm hazel eyes, he knew they were on the same page. They’d only have one chance at this. So, they’d have to be in perfect sync. Good thing they spent so much time together then lately, perfecting their secret spy communication skills.

At a sharp nod, they quickly rushed after May a second later, Phil reaching her first. He wrapped her up in a strong embrace to keep her from pushing them away as their grandson hugged her leg. Their dirt easily transferred onto her pristine black S.W.O.R.D. jacket she wore over her white button-down shirt. He ignored the fierce dark glare directed his way, recognizing she was only half-irritated with their childish antics.

“Hi,” he drawled a moment later, glancing down at her.

“You think you’re so cute, don’t you?” she huffed, rolling her eyes.

“Got you, didn’t I?”

Her hands instantly slid down his chest, grabbing his belt loops before tugging him in closer.

“Do you?” she remarked, lowering her voice as a playful smirk tugged at her lips. Her eyes then glanced to their grandson who was looking up curiously. Her tone changed again, adopting her usual grandmotherly tone reserved for either Alya or this little one. “So, other than getting dirty, what’d you and Grandpa do today?”

“Watched movies about singing birds and other animals, then we made sp’getti—I sup’vised,” Steve proudly answered with a beaming toothy smile. “Granpa let me have a noodle too! All cause I didn’t touch the bubbles cause they were hot and they’d hurt me.”

“Did he?”

Their grandson nodded enthusiastically. “And then we put it away, so Grandpa and I took a nap. I didn’t wanna but Grandpa told me a really cool story about you and—”

“A story about me?” Her eyes darted back suspiciously to Phil. “What kind of story?”

“How you and Granpa met.”

“Did he now?”

Phil grimaced, scratching at the nape of his neck awkwardly. It was, after all, one of his favorite memories.

“Uh-huh. He said how you were the prettiest person there and you were fierce and strong like Mommy is. And he was supposed to fight you, but he didn’t wanna cause you’re a girl and boys don’t hurt girls unless—”

“—all right, sweetheart,” interrupted May, heading off the incoming four-year-old ramble coming out at full speed. “I understand.” She smiled warmly at Steve, letting a hand fall gently onto his small shoulder. The small slender silver wedding ring sparkled radiantly in the soft light. “How about Grandpa here helps get you cleaned up since he let you both get so filthy in the first place?”

A loud, heavy sigh filled the air before a quiet “Fine” was muttered. He was so like his mother.

She leaned back towards Phil soon after, whispering, “You’ve got about fifteen minutes before Daisy and Daniel call.”

“They’re calling early tonight,” he remarked quietly, narrowing his eyes with a puzzled frown. Usually they called just before Steve’s bedtime, which wasn’t for another few hours.

“They are,” she confirmed. “I received word a little bit ago myself.” She lifted her free hand to rest against his chest, directly atop of where his deep scar from Loki’s scepter had pierced all those years back. “Go. I’ll get things out here ready.”

He nodded before he released her fully and quickly scooped their grandson up.

“Come on, Cap,” he drawled, brushing back the long, filthy locks. “Let’s get you all cleaned up. Can’t have you looking like this for your mission briefing with Mom and Dad after all.” He grinned when he heard Melinda’s quiet snort in response. “Tell Grandma ‘bye.”

“Bye-bye, Granma,” waved the little boy before they headed towards the bathroom.

Now fully clean and dressed in fresh clothes, Phil and his grandson headed towards the living room where they found Melinda sitting on the sofa with a tablet in hand and two steaming cups of hot chocolate and her own cup of tea in front of her on the coffee table. She was no longer wearing her work clothes, having changed into one of his old ratty S.H.I.E.L.D. t-shirts and a pair of black leggings. He smiled fondly at the sight, hoping she knew how beautiful she looked.

Though, he couldn’t help but wish she didn’t have her nose buried currently in whatever S.W.O.R.D. report she was reading this time. Coming from him, he knew that was very much like the pot calling the kettle black, but he knew he had missed so much over the years by being so focused on his duties. Retiring fully had given him the time and perspective needed to re-evaluate his priorities. To see what truly mattered, which was this—their family time together.

At the insistent tug of his hand, he glanced down and caught the Daisy-like glare staring up at him. He nodded back, releasing his grandson’s hand. Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling, he watched the boy instantly launch himself up into May’s lap, knocking the tablet out of her hands. He had been on the receiving end of that many times himself over the years.

“Steven Roger Sousa-Johnson!” scolded Melinda, quickly picking up her tablet from where it had clattered harshly onto the floor. “What have I told you about jumping like that?”

“Not to,” replied their grandson, lowering his eyes gradually as his lower lip stuck out.

“And why is that?”

“Cause I can hurt myself.”

“Exactly.” Her shoulders quickly lost their earlier tension before she tenderly brushed back Steve’s wet hair with a heavy sigh. “I would hate to see you hurt, sweetheart. So please don’t do that again. Understood?”

Their grandson nodded sharply. “Got it, Granma.” He then snuggled into her side in his usual manner that earned him a classic Melinda May eyeroll.

“All right. I suppose a break is warranted here.” She pulled him up onto her lap, setting aside her tablet that she shut off. She glanced towards Phil as he took a seat beside her and draped his arm across the back of the sofa for them to lean against.

They’d need the tablet again when Daisy and Daniel called of course, but for now, Phil was grateful she had set it aside. He leaned forward, grabbing their cups and handing it to them carefully before he grabbed his own. He chuckled when his grandson’s eyes widened at all the marshmallows floating at the top of his cup.

Like most parents, Daniel wasn’t so keen on sugary treats so close to bedtime, Phil knew, having heard the lecture more than a few times already. However, at Grandma and Grandpa Coulson’s house, sugary treats were a staple—in moderation of course. And, truthfully, they hadn’t had the treat yet this week. In fact, looking back actually, during this whole four-month stint of babysitting their grandson this time, Phil could only recall making it once or twice before now, making it only if Steve had suffered a nightmare, which wasn’t a typical event thankfully.

“Granpa?”

God, he’d never tire of that. For a man who never thought he’d have a family of his own, it was the sweetest thing he could ever hear. It beat ‘Dad’ and ‘Husband’ by lightyears. He wiped at his mouth lightly just in case he had a foam beard before he glanced over at the smiling boy.

“What is it, kiddo?”

“When’s Mommy and Daddy comin’ home?”

Phil bit back his sigh, feeling his heart constrict at that question. Steve had been asking that question a lot more lately, which he and Melinda understood. This was the longest their grandson had been away from his parents yet.

“Soon,” he replied quietly, glancing at May who only nodded solemnly.

While she had taken Monica up on her offer to join S.W.O.R.D.’s leadership and help rebuild it after Hayward’s downfall, she had asked not to know specifics of missions when it came to Daisy or Daniel. She needed her objectivity, which she wouldn’t have otherwise. She’d read their mission reports naturally, but all ops went through Monica or another supervising agent. It had worked so far.

“I miss them,” murmured the four-year-old.

“I know. We miss them, too,” he stated softly. “But your mom and dad are out there in space with your Aunt Kora keeping us all safe.”

Steve nodded slightly with his eyes lowered sadly.

Long missions off-world such as this were always the hardest on kids. Phil couldn’t even remember how many times he had received emails from families asking when their loved ones would be home again. He tried to make sure during his brief tenure as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. that agents with families were home around the holidays at least. He couldn’t always make it work, but he tried. Hill and later Fury had called him out for it, telling him he was showing his weakness of having too much heart. But he had been that kid growing up, the one without the parent home at Christmas. He knew what that cost children firsthand. He figured letting those agents go home, even if it was for just a few hours, around the holidays was worth it.

“How about tomorrow we ask Uncle Leo or Aunt Jemma if Ayla is free? And if she is, we’ll go to the park, grab some food at a diner, then come home? How’s that sound?”

It wouldn’t help with the ache in his grandson’s chest of course, but it’d offer a distraction at least. And that would have to be enough for now until they knew when Daisy and Daniel were headed home finally after this last mission of theirs.

“Do you think I can play with Maddie too?”

“Maddie?” Phil’s eyes darted to Melinda questioningly. Who the hell was Maddie? He was pretty certain Mack and Elena’s unborn daughter was going to be named Grace.

“Fitz’s monkey,” she sighed heavily.

Ah. How could he forget that damn monkey?

“Maybe. We can ask,” Phil stated with a shrug. At a quiet beep from the tablet, he watched Melinda grab it from beside her and tap the screen to wake the display up. A second later, Daisy and Daniel’s faces appeared. They looked tired but alive. He silently thanked God as he always did.

“Hey, guys,” Daisy said brightly. “You three look cozy.”

Phil huffed a silent laugh. “And you look like you two need some rest,” he quipped back.

Daniel shrugged. “You won’t get any arguments from us, sir.” His eyes then fell onto his son. “How’s my little Avenger today? You being good for Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Course,” beamed back the little boy. “Granpa and me are gonna see Ayla tomorrow, and we’re going to ask Uncle Leo if he’ll let me play with Maddie.”

“Wow! Sounds fun,” replied Daisy, her smile tightening a smidge.

Phil caught Melinda’s instant tense, knowing she had seen it as well.

“Everything all right?” he asked a second later.

Daisy glanced at Daniel before they both sighed in sync.

“Yeah. It just . . . it’s been rough few days unfortunately,” she answered as Daniel lightly rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. “Actually, we’re on our way home now. Should be back in a couple of days.”

“You will?” gasped Steve, leaning forward before quickly held back by his grandparents’ hands.

“Yeah, sport,” Daniel chuckled, his smile wobbling slightly. “And we’ll be home for quite a while actually this time too.”

Phil’s eyes narrowed instantly. That wasn’t a good sign.

“You’ll be here for my birthday?” their grandson asked in absolute shock.

“Yeah, and probably Christmas too,” answered Daniel.

“No way!” Steve twisted around. “Granpa, you hear that?”

“I did.” Phil also heard what wasn’t being said too. Something major had happened to give them a leave of absence for at least six months.

“Daisy?” Melinda said softly.

“I’m fine. Really,” their pseudo-daughter answered. “I just got a little banged up more than usual, and powers that be think we should take some time to rest at home before sending us back out.”

“Is Kora coming with?”

Daisy forced a thin smile and shook her head sharply. “No. She’s already on her next assignment, but she says ‘Hi.”

Melinda nodded back lightly.

Whatever happened, they’d discuss it later when there weren’t little ears around.

“All right. Well, we unfortunately can’t talk long tonight, love bug,” Daisy sighed, her dark eyes becoming wetter, “but we wanted to let you know—all of you—we’re on our way home and we’ll see you soon. Okay?”

Steve nodded enthusiastically before he said, “Love you.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart,” Daniel and Daisy both said before kissing their fingers and pressing them to the screen. The tablet went dark a moment later as the call ended.

There would be time to ask what happened later. But for now, Phil knew he and Melinda had to stay focused on the little boy who was happier than he had been in months with the knowledge of his parents being on their way home finally.

“Granpa?”

“Yeah?”

“You and Granma still are with me, right?”

He and Melinda nodded back, hugging the sweet little boy closer. They had seen this behavior enough over the years to know Steve was worried about the upcoming changes. He may not have been able to voice that, but the sweet cherub always seemed anxious whenever his routine was changed.

“Till the end of the line,” murmured Melinda a moment later, rolling her eyes when she caught two identical dropped mouths. “What? I know my Captain America lines, thank you very much, gentlemen.” She then playfully bumped into Phil’s shoulder. “See? I do listen to you sometimes.”

“So I see,” he laughed before he kissed the crown of their grandson’s head. “Want to watch Lion King or Mulan before bed tonight?”

“Mulan!” shouted Steve, practically vibrating out of their laps in sheer glee.

“Mulan it is then,” Phil chuckled. He should have known, considering it was his grandson’s favorite Disney movie. Though, secretly, it was also Phil’s too. Flipping it on soon after, they all snuggled up after he tossed a fuzzy Star Wars blanket over them while the Disney logo played.

They’d deal with whatever happened later.

Right now, they’d focus all their time and energy on the sweet little boy whom they had fought so hard to protect four years ago. Their beautiful grandchild who would have a childhood thanks to them. Who would always have a childhood so long as they were alive.

“Granpa?”

“Yeah, kiddo?” He glanced down when he didn’t hear the response. He caught the wide smile and curious eyes that reminded him so much of Daisy during that first year on the Bus.

“Do you think Mommy and Daddy found Cap Rogers on the moon?”

Melinda groaned, having heard all about that particular conspiracy theory over the years.

“Damn it, Phil.”