A/N This is something a little different for me, so I hope you like it. Please let me know if you see anything that needs work or something I could do better. And I do not own the Avengers. If I did Coulson would have made an appearance in Age of Ultron.

Home Safe

She stood frozen in place at the sight of him standing in the kitchen doorway. He was home. She could see the sadness in his eyes, and knew there was no way she could ease the hurt. She could also see the pain, as well as the limp he was trying to hide. He had been shot again, and again she tried not to panic at the thought. She needed her husband, and losing him, while more likely than not, was something she was not sure she could handle. For now she would hug him gently because they both needed it.

The children were still at school and the baby was asleep so she had time to hold him. Using the cover of his shoulder to hide her face she tried to blink away any tears still left in her eyes. Her husband was an Avenger and she would be strong for him. When he was ready she let him go and walked with him to the nursery. She stood silently in the door and watched him watch their son with tears in his eyes. With a hand on his small belly he leaned in the crib and kissed his head softly before turning and taking her hand.

She followed his slow pace to the couch and sat with him. She would not pressure him to talk. She knew it helped him to have a few quiet moments to readjust to being home. When he looked at her and smiled all was tight with her world again. The sadness was still in his eyes, but there was peace there also. Gently she brushed her fingers over a bruise on his throat and then took his bruised hands in her own.

"Where were you shot?"

His smile turned to a wry grin. "I wasn't shot, I promise. I did, however, twist my ankle in a spectacular display of graceful skill and I only needed two stitches from whatever it was that I landed on, but Nat's teasing wounded me deeply. I need some serious therapy to soothe my self-esteem. Kiss it better?"

He wiggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes even as she laughed, and he kissed her. She loved him with all her heart and would have loved to stay on the couch in his arms for the rest of the day, but it was nearly time for the school bus to drop the kids off which meant it was time to wake up the baby. With a sigh of regret she told her husband to wake up his son while she finished the kids' snacks. She smiled to herself when she heard him start talking to their son through the baby monitor. She had no doubt he knew it was on, or that she was listening. There was so much love in his voice it made tears come to her eyes once again.

As she worked in the kitchen she thanked every deity she could think of that he had come home safely to her and the children. He had more scars, both physical and mental, but she would help him the best she could, even it was just wrapping a twisted ankle. As the love of her life started to once again name the parts of a bow to their youngest she watched the older two walk up the drive with the weariness from a long day of elementary school. There was a peace in her soul that had not been there that morning, and, until the inevitable happened and he was called away once more, she would soak up every second of memories that she could.