Well, the Muse decided I wasn't completely finished with this one. A couple of reviewers made some comments and got me thinking about some scenes I didn't include. I decided to write them out and post them, see if I get any feedback.

If you wondered about what happened to the card that Maria made for Nick in chapter 2, here you go. If you hadn't thought about it...read it anyway.

Shared Philosophy Extras

Phil walked the hospital corridor, carefully studying the room numbers. Passing the opened doors, he noticed the balloons and flowers on display. He doubted the room he was looking for would have any of either.

He was right.

The side tables and window ledge in Nick Fury's room were bare. He briefly considered heading to the gift shop for a balloon, just to see how he would react to the gift, but decided against it.

He would not be amused.

Phil entered the room quietly, just in case the patient was resting. The light was dimmed, but a glint from the bed let him know that he was being watched. He moved into the room slowly.

"How are you, sir?" he asked.

Fury studied him sardonically. "F-ing fabulous, Coulson. Never better. Wanna trade?"

Phil studied the other man. His head and one side of his face were covered in white gauze. Though his skin tone prevented seeing any bruising, he could still detect significant swelling. Plaster incased one arm and leg.

But he was alive and terrifying as ever.

"Nah. I'm good," Phil told him.

It was silent for several, then Fury spoke again.

"Just here to gawk?"

The younger man remembered the purpose of his visit and reached into his pocket. "No. That's just an added bonus. I brought you something."

He crossed over to the bed and handed him the card Maria had made. Nick glared at him a moment before taking it. He glanced down at it, then frowned, pulling it up for a closer look.

He set it down and reached over to turn the light up. After looking at the front again, he opened it.

"Sorry you got hurt.

I hope you are better soon.

So you can beat up the bad guys."

His lips twitched slightly in what Phil recognized as a smile, though no one else probably would. He closed the card, once again examining the drawing on the front. Turning it one way, then another, he finally looked up at the other man.

"You want to be my good eye and tell me what it is?"

"I think it's supposed to be you, Sir." He started pointing. "Legs. Arms. Head. I think that's a patch over your eye."

Nick nodded slowly.

"Kid's smart and has her talents, but drawing ain't one of 'em."

"Do you want to look into art classes or something for her? There's funds for that."

Phil thought a moment, then shook his head. "I don't think it's that important to her. She really focuses on what's important. The martial arts stuff. Her school work...math and reading. You can see that she erased what she wrote and redid it neater. The drawing? She just did it."

Nick nodded. "You're probably right. How does she know about this anyway? Why were you there? Is everything okay?"

"She's fine," Phil assured him. "Had a really nasty storm system move through the area a few days back. I was headed back to HQ and noticed the time and realized she'd probably be walking home from school about then. I followed the route she takes and found her soaking wet and hiding in a doorway. She didn't want to be home by herself with it storming, so we sat in a parking garage until it passed. I worked on some paperwork while she worked on her homework. Got to talking. She asked how you were doing, so I told her."

"Should have just told her I was fine," Fury groused.

"I didn't think there was any reason to. And I got to talk to her about some other things, too. Did you know that her mother died in childbirth?"

"I did," Nick acknowledged.

"Did you also know that her dad has her convinced that it was her fault? That she's bad luck to people who want to do good things for her?"

"What the?"

"She told me that what happened to you was her fault, too. I told her that she's not to blame for what happened to you or to her mom. Not sure if she belived me or not, but I suppose it's something we look to reinforce. Oh, and I also gave her my cell number. Told her to call me any time if she needs anything at all."

"Good thought," Nick told him. "I hope she'll use it."

"Me, too," Phil agreed.

"Did you get her some rain gear? Umbrella? Coat? Boots? Whatever?"

Coulson looked down at his feet. "Yeah. It's been taken care of."

Fury watched, waiting for him to continue.

"Melinda says Jasper and I can't buy her any clothes without her approval," he admitted.

"Let me guess," Nick drawled. "Captain America?"

"There's nothing wrong with Captain American," Phil said defensively. "She liked the pencil box I got for her.

"I'm sure she did. But the red, white and blue is probably a little...bright. She's not one to want to stand out. Maria's more to stay in the background. Watch what's going on."

"Yeah, she is," he admitted. "But it was better than what Jasper picked out."

Fury looked at him curiously.

"Bright pink. With rainbows and unicorns."

"Definitely not."

"Nope."

"So, what about me? Am I allowed to buy clothes? Just in case I find something I think she might need," Nicked asked.

Phil nodded. "Mel said to leave the clothes shopping to her or to you. You'd probably stick to basic black, so she wasn't worried about you."

Nick smiled slightly, his mind going to the handmade sweater he had traded some reations for from an elderly woman in a small village he had passed through recently. It was soft and warm. And black.

He looked down at the card still in his hand. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

"Take it home. Put it on your refrigerator."

"Don't have one," Nick told him.

"Refrigerator? Or home?"

"Either one, really."

"You want me to hold on to it?" Phil asked.

"Nah. I'll figure out something. Thanks for bringing it by."

"No problem. Speedy healing," he told the older man as he headed out.

TWENTY YEARS LATER

Maria sat in the hospital waiting room, watching the controlled chaos going on around her. She had accompanied Director Fury to a meeting with the security detail of a foreign dignitary. On the way out of the building, a man carrying a large cup of coffee had run into him, dumping the hot liquid onto Nick's chest.

He had shrugged out of his coat, handing it to Maria as the man handed him a stack of napkins and he started blotting at the stain. After a brief pause, he had continued towards the waiting vehicle, continuing to dry off.

Freezing suddenly, he looked down in surprise at the red splotch that had suddenly appeared in the middle of his chest. Maria pushed him down and drew her weapon, squeezing off several shots at the vehicle speeding past them. She was rewarded to see the gunman in the passenger set slump forward, his gun falling to the pavement.

"After them!" she yelled to the driver who had been waiting for them. He jumped into their vehicle and took off as she knelt next to the injured man. She looked around, gauging the scene before looking down at Nick.

"Ambulance is on the way!" someone yelled.

"Hear that?" she asked as she spread his coat over him. "Ambulance will be here soon. You just need to hold on."

He nodded weakly. "Don't worry. You're not getting my job just yet, Hill."

When the EMTs arrived, they quickly assessed his injuries, then loaded him into the ambulance for the ride to the hospital. She took the coat they handed her and climbed in the transport before anyone could protest.

Now, she stood, waiting word on his condition. A woman approached her, clipboard in hand.

"Are you with the gentleman who was just brought in?"

Maria nodded.

"He's my...dad," she said, daring the woman to argue with her. She figured 'boss' wouldn't get her quite as much information.

"You'll need to fill this out," she said, passing over the clipboard. "I'll also need his identification and insurance card."

Maria felt a bulge in an inside pocket of his coat and reached in, pulling out his wallet. She handed over the requested items, then sat down to fill out the paperwork. When the nurse brought his ID back, she put them back in the wallet and started to return it to his pocket.

Curiosity got the better of her.

What does Nick Fury carry in his wallet?

Driver's license. Insurance card. SHIELD ID and weapons permit. To her surprise, there was a single photo in the folder. She laughed, though, when she realized it was the one that came with the wallet.

Several bills of various denominations.

And a small, folded piece of paper.

It looked like it had been there for a while and she pulled it out, unfolding it carefully so as not to damage something that was clearly important to him.

Her 'Ice Queen' reputation would have suffered serious damage had anyone witnessed her reaction when she realized what it was.

Though they probably would have been equally surprise to discover that the hardass Director Fury carried around a handmade get well card from an eight year old girl.

She folded it back as before and tucked it back where she found it. She never mentioned the discovery to him, but took comfort knowing he had kept it.

As always, thanks for reading. Also, as always, I'd love to know what you thought. I may post some more like this as the ideas come. Random missing moments from the story. No particular order. If anyone is interested.