This idea has been rolling around in my head since the show first came out. I wrote it, but never got around to typing it up and posting it. Today I am. I hope you enjoy it.

Based off the song Carry You Home by James Blunt.

Everything happened quickly; so quickly and Coulson could not even be bothered to keep it all straight in his head. It was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission. Pretty standard stuff: go in, check on an important asset of theirs and that was it. Coulson thought nothing of it when their comms were disconnected from the bus at some point. They weren't going to be there for long, and the comms had just become an appendage to their bodies at this point. Somehow though, things went south and the asset's two "friends" didn't seem to like the presence of Agents May and Coulson. Next thing either of them knew, guns had gone off – ones that weren't theirs. One of the "friends" was dead on the floor and the other was running off and their asset was chasing them down with his own gun. It was all such a haze. It was all so baffling and Coulson wasn't too sure why

"So much for simple..." Coulson scoffed and waited for a snarky remark from Melinda.

One beat.

Two beats.

He turned to see why she hadn't spoken and noticed her on the floor a few feet away from him. Coulson sprinted toward her just as she let out a pained groan and called, "Ph-Phil..." She called weakly.

"I'm here, May, I'm here," Coulson said gently as he dropped to his knees beside her.

"Hit..." She whispered as she struggled to breathe. The wind had been knocked out of her. Coulson noticed both of her hands were drenched with blood as they fruitlessly attempted to stop the bleeding from two gunshot wounds in her side.

Coulson cursed under his breath as he leaned over and took over for her shaking small hands. He pressed down on the two wounds on her side. She inhaled sharply at the intense pain and she tried to glare at him. The pain wasn't as bad as she knew it was supposed to be. She knew she was in shock. She knew what was going to happen. Phil watched her and said, "Stay with me, Melinda. I'll call for them to come and get us and you'll be okay, yeah. Just stay with me."

Melinda stared up at him, her brown eyes growing dim and her skin becoming a ghostly pale. A small smile managed to grace her lips, "Phil... Mm," she let out a small whimper, "Not... Going to be okay..." She knew that. She would face that reality.

"Shh, you'll be okay, Melinda, don't say tha-"

"Coulson, listen to me," she managed to say in the strongest tone she could muster, "M'going to die..." She paused and her eyes fluttered closed as her breathing still labored.

Tears filled Coulson's eyes and he didn't bother to hide them as he still tried to stop the bleeding. He knew she was right... One by one, the tears fell. One landed on her left cheek and Melinda gasped a bit, her chin beginning to quiver. He was making it so much more real for her. Her brown orbs opened again, this time they looked so empty and hollow, "Pr-promise, promise me on-one thing," she was trying hard not to give in to her own tears, "Carry-Carry me home."

The two had spoken of this before. They knew exactly what that meant. Melinda May wasn't a woman who showed her fears to anyone, not even herself, as ridiculous as that might have seemed. However, one night, many years ago, before she became "The Cavalry", Melinda and Coulson shared one too many drinks. The two began talking and they both realized that if they were to ever die while out in the field, a body bag would not be sufficed for either of them. The thought of them being carried out in one felt so cold and alone, so impersonal... On that night, they vowed to each other that if anything were to happen, he would carry her home and she would do the same for him.

Those were the words that Phil had been dreading. The four words he was hoping that wouldn't leave her lips. Those words meant that this was the end; that this was truly the end and they both knew it. Phil had made her a promise. He had vowed to her that...

Leaning in, he pressed his lips against her forehead and whispered, "I will, Mel, I promise," his hands slowly came away from the wounds that still oozed blood.

Melinda let out a soft sob, a sound that he never thought he'd hear out loud during the day. "Don't-Don't leave m-me alone," her hand blindly searched for his. She was afraid. She was so afraid. She didn't want to die, of course not. Despite the reality of the situation and the rational part of her brain, human instinct was kicking in; the instinct of wanting to live.

He made sure their hands met immediately. "I won't, I'm not leaving you, I wouldd never leave you."

'And yet you're letting her die?' accused a voice in the back of his head. More tears fell from his eyes at the thought alone. Why was this happening? Why to her?

"Thanks-" she muttered, her eyes closing slowly.

"Hey, Mel? Melinda? Stay with me, just a bit longer?" He wasn't the kind of man to beg, but right now... He wasn't ready to let go. Coulson was not ready to let go and he wasn't sure if he would ever be ready to let go of her.

Her eyes opened again and Phil's heart leapt for a moment because maybe he wasn't out of time to tell her that-

"Phil, I l-love you..." she whispered, and let out the bit of air she had in her lungs and struggled to take another breath.

He had to struggle to hear from how lowly she'd spoken. She always was one to beat him to the punch. His eyes connected with her forcibly wide ones. Those beautiful brown eyes had just one spark left in them and he knew time had become an enemy. Three- Four simple words was all he had to repeat or say to Melinda and she could die a happy woman. But the thing was, he didn't want her to die at all. It was incredibly unfair of life that now was the time it chose to have two express their feelings to each other. It was cruel and unusual punishment. It was something that could not be wished on anyone, not even someone's worse enemy. Yes, the words were out in the open, but they had no time to act on them. They had no time to show to each other what those words meant and what they felt.

Phil still held her hands, tears streaming down his face and down onto hers. He leaned into her and whispered into her ear, "I love you too, Melinda May, always did and I always will."

He brought their clasped hands up to his lips and he kissed the back of her hand tenderly. Her breathing became so short and shallow and quick now. But, she tugged on his hand weakly, motioning for him to lean in. When he came closer, close enough that their lips nearly touched, Melinda gathered up the very last bit of strength left in her. She gave him her last breath in a kiss.

Thank you for reading!