The A-TeAm

Disclaimer:
As always, I own nothing!

Rating:

K+ (subject to change)

Genre:
Romance/Family/Drama

Pairings:
Ezria (Ezra Fitzgerald/Aria Montgomery)
Coulsye (Phil Coulson/Skye)

Lyrics Used:
The Pierces "Secret"


Secret


Got a secret | Can you keep it | Swear this one, you'll save | Better lock it in your pocket | Takin' this one to the grave | If I show you, then, I know you won't tell what I've said | 'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead


"I got it!" Aria Montgomery called out, landing at the bottom of the staris as she made her way to answer the door for her family. Flipping the lock open, she swung the door open to find a tall slender woman shoulder length hair falling around her face in sleek curls and chocolate brown eyes wearing a sleek black business suit with a crisp white shirt and tall black heels. Her posture and body language screamed cop. Great … Just what I didn't need! … Another detective snooping around … Aria thought to herself as she plastered on her best fake smile as she greeted her visitor. "Can I help you?"

Reaching inside her jacket, the strange woman pulled out what looked like a black leather bi-fold wallet which opened up to reveal a white and yellow badge on one side and round logo with some kind of bird on it on the other side. Taking a closer look at the badge, Aria was able to read it clearly. Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division … Why the hell is S.H.I.E.L.D. after me?! She wondered curiously. She couldn't understand why a covert government agency was looking for her. "My name is Special Agent Shaelynn Harmon." The woman identified herself, her voice brisk and clinical. "You must be Aria Montgomery." She surmised.

"I am…" Aria replied, curiously, before her attention was drawn to the familiar face standing behind the strange woman. "Ezra?" She asked, wondering why her boyfriend was on her doorstep with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. And, why he was dressed in a crisp black suit with a bright white dress shirt and black tie – perfectly matching the strange woman with him. "What's going on, here?!" She demanded, switching her gaze from Ezra to Agent Harmon and back.

Before Ezra could answer the question, however, Agent Harmon cut him off. "Are your parents home?"

"No!" Aria refused, firmly, releasing her grip on the doorknob to cross her arms over chest as she demanded answers. "No, I'm not telling you anything until you answer a few of my questions!"

"Aria … Please." Ezra begged, quietly, hoping to resolve this whole mess as calmly as possible.

"Quiet, Fitzgerald." Agent Harmon barked, holding up a hand to silence her colleague. "You're in this deep enough, as is. I'll handle the talking." She elaborated, vaguely.

Already, Aria knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with this woman. "MOM! … DAD!" She called out, stepping aside for the agents to enter the house while they all waited awkwardly for Aria's parents to join them in the den.

"Yes?" Ella Montgomery greeted, breezily, walking into the living room, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Ezra Fitz and a strange woman she didn't recognize standing in her living room.

"Can we help you?" Bryon Montgomery asked, curiously, eying the agents in his living room, carefully.

"Mr. & Mrs. Montgomery, my name is Special Agent Shaelynn Harmon." Shaelynn introduced herself, coolly. "I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D. Though, Ella, I suppose you might already have an idea about why we're here, tonight." Watching their reactions, Shaelynn pressed onward, turning to address the younger Montgomery sibling as he entered the room. "And, you must be Mike Montgomery." She surmised with a disturbing smile.

"Mom? … Dad? … Aria?" Mike questioned, somewhat frightened, as he glanced around to his family – desperately searching for answers.

"Am I to assume you told your family the … whole truth … about Aria?" Shaelynn asked, cryptically, staring straight at Ella, waiting for an answer.

"What are you talking about?! What 'truth'?!" Mike demanded, frantically scanning his family for answers. His sister looked just as lost as he did. His dad looked somewhere between furious and mortified. And, his mother just looked guilty. "Mom, what is she talking about?!" The young teen demanded, once again.

"Or perhaps, you haven't told them." Shaelynn replied, grinning evilly. "Miss Montgomery…" Shaelynn continued, her voice suddenly taking on a notably more compassionate tone as she addressed the young woman. "You'll probably want to sit down for this." She warned, gently.

"What I want is for someone to finally give me some answers!" Aria snarled, storming across the room to stand directly in front of Ezra. "Ezra, please!" The young woman begged, desperately. "Please, just … just tell me what's going on!"

Clearing his throat, Ezra mustered what little resolve he had left to reply. "Shaelynn's right … Aria … You probly better sit down for this." He added, quietly, gently guiding Aria into a nearby chair.

"Look, Aria…" Shaelynn added, gently, her body language suddenly drastically more compassionate – much like her voice. "What I am about to tell you is going to change … everything … for you." The specialist conceded, gently, as she lowered herself down onto the loveseat next to the chair Aria currently occupied. "I don't expect it to be easy for you to hear, but, I need you to understand that it's the truth."

"For God's sake, will somebody please just spit it out, already!" Aria demanded, losing her mind trying to figure out what was happening.

"I'm not your father." Byron finally blurted out, unable to stand it any longer.

"WHAT?!"Aria and Mike both screeched in disbelief.

"Dad, what the hell are you talking about?!" Aria added, her voice small and filled with hurt and betrayal.

"When I got pregnant with you…" Ella Montgomery interjected, trailing off as she searched for the best way to confess what she'd done all those years ago. "…I had…I had made a mistake…"

"You had an affair?!" Aria gasped, in shock. She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that her mother had been unfaithful to her father. "What-Why?! When?!"

"His name was Phillip Coulson." Ella sighed, sliding herself down into the sofa across the room from her daughter. "Your father and I were dealing with some issues in our marriage-"

"You slept with someone else all because you and dad had a fight?!" The petite brunette screeched.

"Aria!" Byron Montgomery barked, effectively silencing his daughter's outburst. "Let your mother finish."

"Anyway…I had gone out for a walk to clear my head and … Somehow, I wound up at a bar. This handsome stranger on the barstool next to me starts talking to me." Ella began, slowly, deciding to start her story back at the beginning. "He was really nice. He listened … He just made me feel … Comfortable … Safe … Like I could tell him anything and he wouldn't ever judge me." The Montgomery matriarch smiled fondly as she reminisced about the strikingly handsome stranger from nearly twenty years ago. "I felt guilty about it, later, but … I … lied and told him I wasn't married – I had already taken my ring off, earlier … While I was thinking about leaving your father …"

"You were gonna divorce dad?" Aria asked, suddenly much more quietly. She appeared to be hanging on her mother's every word. "Was it really that bad?"

"At the time, I thought it was…" Ella conceded, quietly. "But…when I woke up in Phil's bed, the next morning … In a strange bed, in a strange hotel room … All I could think about was how much I just wanted to get home and work things out with your dad." The older Montgomery couldn't help getting a little misty-eyed as she recounted her infidelity.

"So, you told dad about the affair?" Aria breathed, shocked at everything her mother was telling her.

"No." Ella replied, quickly, shaking her head. "No, Phil and I had agreed that what had happened was a mistake and that it could never happen again. We also decided that it would be best for everyone involved if we never mentioned it to anyone again. Though, he did … give me his card … in case I ever felt threatened and needed some help."

"Wait…" Aria interjected, confused. "I'm confused … Why would you feel threatened?" She questioned, curiously.

"Because…" Ella sighed, hanging her head if she were ashamed of herself. "When your father and I had fought the night before … He'd slapped me in the face-"

"Mike – NO!" Aria screamed, watching her younger brother charging toward their father – arm reared back, ready to strike.

"Not so fast!" Shaelynn warned, restraining the younger sibling before he could do anything stupid and things got out of hand. "Take it easy, tiger!" She added, refusing to release her grip until the young teen had calmed himself a few moments later.

"I can't believe you would do something like that!" Mike Montgomery hissed before storming up the stairs to his room. Upon hearing the door slam, Ella jumped before resuming her story. "That's why I thought it was so bad – why I considered leaving your father."

"He's not my father." Aria argued, staring straight at Byron before turning her attention to Shaelynn. "That much was already made perfectly clear." The senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had no words for that. She understood where the teen was coming from. She figured it would be best to just let the young woman say whatever she felt she needed to say.

"Anyway, as I said, before … That was why I had considered leaving …" Ella reiterated, picking up where she'd left off. "But, Phil gave me the number of a reputable therapist that could help with … with Byron's anger management issues." She added, correcting herself before refferring to Byron as Aria's father. "And, the therapy worked." She added, with the slightest glimmer of hope. "Things got better…" She added, her voice trailing off, slowly.

"Then, why do I sense another bombshell?" Aria drawled, cautiously.

"Things started getting bad again when I found out I was pregnant with you." Ella sighed, reluctantly. "Byron and I hadn't … in several weeks leading up to the big fight." The older brunette trailed off, awkwardly, unsure of what to say in front of her teenage daughter. "We knew the baby had to be Phil's." Ella sighed, heavily, wringing her hands, nervously, in her lap. "That … you … had to be Phil's…"

"Wow…" Aria breathed, stunned. "I don't believe it." Shaking her head, she tried to process everything she was hearing. "So … What … What did you do?"

"Well, I wasn't going to ask anything of your biological father." Ella explained, carefully. "Your dad and I agreed that Phil could be as involved as he wanted – whether that be a little or a lot. So, I called him and told him that I was pregnant and that he could decide his level of involvement."

"And … What did he say?" Aria asked, carefully – unsure of whether or not she truly wanted to hear the answer. Even though, deep down, she knew she needed to know.

"Well, we discussed it-" Ella began, carefully, before being interrupted by her husband.

"At length!" Byron Montgomery interjected, snidely, before being silenced by simulatenous death stares from his wife, his daughter, Ezra and Shaelynn.

"We discussed the matter and Phil felt that – due to the nature of his job – it would be safer for you not to know about him." Ella explained – choosing her words carefully, praying to whatever deity may have been listening that her daughter would understand everything she was telling her.

"What do you mean 'safer'?" Aria questioned, curiously. Because if receiving threatening text messages from someone who only identifies themselves by one letter is 'safe', I'd hate to see what would happen if I was in danger! The young teen thought to herself, sarcastically.

"Your father deals with a lot of extremely dangerous people." Ella explained, calmly. "He would wouldn't go into too much detail. But, I got the impression that not telling you about him would be to your benefit-"

"How can you say that?!" Aria cried out, leaping to her feet. As she began to storm across the room to her mother, she added "Not telling me about him was a lie!" She snarled, before Ezra's strong arms around her waist and shoulders halted her in her place. "And, you!" She cried out, rounding on the undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. "Just what do you have to do with all this?!" She shouted, glaring daggers at the man that she loved.

Suddenly feeling put on the spot, Ezra's voice caught in his throat as the words died on his tongue. He thought he could do this. It was all an op. He'd done a thousand ops. This wasn't his first rodeo. … So, why was it so damn hard? Because you're in love with her … You were supposed to protect her, dumbass! Not fall in love with her! Now, Ezra was beginning to remember why he always checked his emotions at the door whenever he went undercover.

Sensing her colleague's struggles, Shaelynn decided to jump in for her co-worker. "Your father … Your … biological father … assigned him to look after you and your friends when you all first started receiving texts from 'A'."

"What do you 'he was assigned' to look after me and my friends?!"Aria snarled, unable to hold back the tears any longer. The strange S.H.I.E.L.D. agent had been right all along. Her entire life – everything she ever thought she knew – was being turned completely upside down. Nothing would ever be the same. That much was absolutely sure.

"What Shaelynn means is…" Ezra began – finally finding his voice, even if it did trail off uncertainly. "What she means is that I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent … Same as Shaelynn." He offered, guiltily.

"What?!" Aria breathed. It seemed as if her heart had stopped beating and time had frozen in place. "No. … No, that … That can't be right."

"I went in undercover as your teacher so that I could gain easy access to watch over all of you, simulatenously." Ezra explained, reluctantly. "But … Your father's primary concern was you. The one thing that mattered most to him was keeping you safe. I told him that I believe the best way to do just that would be to watch over all of you since you all seemed to receive seperate attacks and I felt like I needed all the pieces of the puzzle to-"

"STOP!" Aria screamed – finally snapping as the weight of it all finally became too much for him to bear. "Just … stop … okay?" She added, her voice suddenly dropping to nearly inaudible. "Everybody that I once thought I could trust has been lying to me all my life! Okay?! I am sick and tired of it all!" The young girl cried.

"Aria … I realize that I can't even begin to comprehend what you're going through-" Shaelynn replied, warmly, before being cut off.

"YA THINK?!" Aria screamed, her chest heaving deep angry breaths as she attempted to digest everything she was being told.

"-right now…" The veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent continued speaking – ignoring the outburst, knowing that Aria was just hurt and confused – as if Aria'd never spoken. "But, I need you understand that the reason we're telling you all of this, now, is because you are in a lot of danger. We know about these threats you've been getting. And, your father's been doing some investigating on the side – between official S.H.I.E.L.D. jobs – and we've put a lot of twos together."

"You think you know who 'A' is?!" Aria demanded, with just a shimmer of hope as she stared up at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent wide-eyed.

"We don't have a name, yet…" Shaelynn conceded, unable to escaped the feeling of defeat as she watched Aria's shoulders sink. "But, we have connected this 'A' to a lot of murders – including your friend, Alison DiLaurentis."

"You mean … Ali wasn't the only one 'A' killed?" Aria breathed, bewildered and terrified that 'A' might be even more omnipresent than they initially believed.

"Not by a long shot." Aria glanced up at Ezra to see the apologetic determination in his eyes.

"That's why your father sent us here." Shaelynn added, gently. "To get you and your friends and take you all somewhere you'll be safe."

"So, you're here to tell me that you're taking me away from my home, my family, my friendsEverything that I know … And, hide me away, God knows where?!" Aria demanded, panicking at the very idea of it all.

"I know it isn't ideal-" Shaelynn acknowledged.

"IDEAL?!" Aria screamed, advancing on Shaelynn before Ezra grabbed her once again. "Let GO of me!" She cried, wrenching herself free from the stunned agent's grasp. "Why should I trust you?!" She questioned, her voice deathly quiet. "Either of you?" She added, looking over to Shaelynn.

Deciding that their current approach clearly wasn't working, Shaelynn decided to change their game plan. "Listen, Aria … You're absolutely right. You have absolutely no reason to trust us."

"What the hell are you doing?" Ezra questioned, his voice an urgent whisper.

Eying her colleague with a sly, knowing smile, Shaelynn returned her attention to Aria. "But, ask yourself this … After you started getting those texts … From 'A' … When was the last time you honestly felt safe?" She knew it was a loaded question – a dangerous one. That was exactly what she was banking on.

Watching the betrayed stare aimed directly at associate, Shaelynn felt confident that her approach could actually work. She could almost see the gears turning in the young woman's head. Before all this had been dropped on her lap, she would have said 'Ezra' without even thinking about it. Right up until that very moment, Ezra had always been able to make her feel safe. But, now … Everyone she thought she could trust had been lying to her – her entire life.

"Look, I never said this was an easy decision." Shaelynn conceded, gently – almost understandingly. "In fact, this is probably going to be the hardest decision you'll ever have to make in your life." She added, sincerely. "Definitely harder than anyone your age should have to make – that much is for sure." She shrugged. It was true. Even Aria had to admit that Agent Harmon had a point.

Mulling it all over in her head, Aria couldn't deny that S.H.I.E.L.D. was definitely more qualified to deal with 'A' than she and her friends were. And – as much as she knew she had every reason not to – there was still a small little part of her that was screaming at her to trust in Ezra. Despite everything that had happened, that night, she still wanted to trust him. Maybe she was just being foolish and naïve. She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she needed to trust someone. Better Ezra than some perfect stranger … Right? She tried tojustify her decision to herself, but, nothing about this situation seemed justified. "I need to … pack a few things." Aria finally replied, quietly, after finding her voice.

Shaelynn understood the teen's need to take something with her to remind her of the only home she'd ever known. Nodding sympathetically, the seasoned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent replied "Just don't be too long." She spoke warmly, compassionately. "We need to keep moving."

"Of course." Aria all but whispered, taking one last glance over at Ezra before turning away to ascend the stairway to her bedroom.

Just as Aria had climbed the first step, Ezra finally found his own voice. "I'll go with you." He offered, hoping to get a moment alone with Aria to explain himself.

Noting the Montgomeries' questioning stares, Shaelynn came to her colleague's rescue, once more. "It makes sense." She offered, simply. "Phil assigned Agent Fitzgerald – personally – to guard the girls." She elaborated. Seemingly satisfied with the senior agent's explanation, the Montgomeries just nodded as Aria and Ezra climbed the remained of the stairway to the young girl's bedroom.


The tension hung in the air – so thick and dense it almost felt like another person in the room. Aria maneuvered around the room, throwing her few essentials into the bag she'd spread open on the bed. "I'm sorry." Ezra finally blurted out, unable to stand the silence any longer.

As she whirled around to face him, Ezra Fitzgerald – despite all his S.H.I.E.L.D. training – never could have been prepared for the raw hurt and anger in the petite brunette's eyes. "You're 'sorry'?!" She demanded, stalking over to where he stood. "Oh! Well, then … I guess that makes this all okay, right?!" She added, sarcastically. "As long as you're sorry then I guess all is right with the world – is that it?!"

" I know-" Ezra began, apologetically, before being cut off.

"NO!" Aria roared, rage burning in her eyes. "No, you had your chance to talk!" She spat, angrily. "You had so many chances to talk – to tell me everything. You could have come clean at any point, Ezra! But, you didn't!" She cried, her voice growing thick with tears she refused to let him see her shed. "You knew – all along – the truth about my mom and my real dad!" She added, walking away before turning back to face him. "Not telling me about this – about my parents … about you – was a lie…" She whispered, betrayed. "Until now, you were the only man in my life that had never lied to me." The young teen finished, as she threw the zipper closed on her bag before slinging the strap over her shoulder before silently storming out the door.

Sometimes I reeeeally hate my job … Ezra thought to himself, wonderign what all this meant for his future with Aria as he reluctantly followed his charge down the stairs. And, my boss … He added as an afterthought. And, whoever this 'A' is …


"Ready to go?" Shaelynn asked, hoping to lighten the mood as Aria just glared at her, silently. "Right…" The veteran agent sighed. "Well, I guess we better get moving … Did you … wanna say any goodbyes?" She offered, lamely, hoping to salvage some shread of a relationship between Aria and family.

Dropping the bag at her feet, Aria first crossed over to where her brother stood. Wrapping her arms around her baby brother's neck, she choked out a whisper. "I love you, Mike."

Fighting his own tears back with everything he had, Mike just whispered "I'll see ya soon, sis … I love you, too."

Before she completely broke down, Aria released her grip on her brother before turning to her mother. As Ella rose to her feet, Aria met her mother in the middle as the two women threw their arms around each other. "I'm so sorry I lied to you!" Ella cried, her tears soaking her daughter's shoulder. "I never should have hidden the truth from you!"

"I understand, mom." Aria sniffed, trying to stay strong for her mother. "I love you so much!"

"I love you, too, honey!" Ella replied, as the two women slowly withdrew from the embrace. Drying her eyes, Aria considered saying goodbye to Byron. But, ultimately, decided it would just be too awkward. Walking back over to the stairs, she just silently slung her bag back over her shoulder and began to head for the door.

"Aren't you gonna say goodbye to your dad?" Ezra asked, lamely, confused.

Turning to look at the man she'd always known as her father, Aria's face remained blank and her voice dead as she replied "He's not my father … I don't owe him anything." Turning back to the door, Aria grabbed the knob and threw the front door open and continued out the door, and down the path to the black SUV that awaited her.


Author's Note:
As always, I hope you all enjoyed this little offering I bring you. Don't ask me where the idea came from. I honestly don't know. It's just been bouncing around my head for a few days and I finally got it out. :D I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter and will continue to read it. And, of course, don't forget to drop me a review! Pretty please!

~Skye Coulson