It takes a fast and clever plot bunny to escape the Barn Owl. For its courage, I have written the story. Daredevil, Agents of Shield and the X-men belong to Marvel and the demigod Stan Lee. Courtney, Mary Ann and Katrina are mine.

OKAY SPOILERS BE HERE!

This is set roughly at the end of episode 14 of AoS and takes grand liberties with the Guest House, namely, that it didn't explode. This story also makes a few assumptions about how SHIELD would have reacted to Agent Coulson outside of AoS and brings in Daredevil a full season early, according to the timeline on the wiki page. Artistic license, thy name is fan fiction writer.

For the record, I liked Agent Coulson. He's one of those Good Guys that are so hard to find these days. If I met him in a bar, I would have fangirled and bought him a drink. HOWEVER! I am Very Angry with Marvel, the Whedons and Demigod Stan Lee for bringing him back. Dead heroes should bloody well stay dead. Yes, I realize the only one who gets to stay dead in Marvel is Uncle Ben, but STILL!

Also, if anyone has read "Hunters" and/or "Hunted", yes it is THAT Katrina.

As superpowers go, it wasn't much. Other heroes get mutated genetics that let them fly or take ungodly amounts of physical damage or read minds. Those are cool superpowers. Mine was not cool. It was so far below cool it was on the level of spoon bending. And yet, it had value. Rather, I made it have value. I started at Planned Parenthood and despite many, many offers, it's where I stayed. Murdock sent me "special" clients and despite everyone's best efforts, word spread. I had to write up specific boundaries to keep from being overloaded. Murdock was a big help. However, there are some people even Hell's Kitchen's finest can't keep away.

"Courtney?" Mary Ann, our indomitable front desk supervisor asked when I picked up my office phone. My grip tightened. The last time Mary Ann had used that voice was the Battle of New York.

"Yes?"

"Marvel wants to talk to you." I groaned. Marvel was our code for SHIELD, mutants and other Powers. New York was crawling with them. I have nothing against these folks. Technically I'm a mutant and I know most of them are simply trying to live. But the way she said "Marvel" told me it was the Black SUVs.

"Put them through."

"Ms. Incitti, this is Agent Coulson."

"Bullshit," I spat out before I could stop myself. The silence on the other end was surprised, then thoughtful.

"Ms. Incitti, we have need of your services."

"Age, blood type, injury?" I asked, pushing my feelings aside. SHIELD is bigger than people think. I have friends in there. I went to the wake.

"Thirty-one, B positive, unknown."

"Abuse?"

"Torture."

"You brought her here?!"

"No, Ms. Incitti. She is waiting in a holding cell. I am here to transport you to and from your patient. We guarantee your safety."

"Put Mary Ann back on." Great. Another Quiet War victim. I sighed and asked Mary Ann to reschedule my appointments for two days. I hate having to do this, but I knew I didn't have a good alternative. I also knew I would need a full day to recover. Mary Ann told the agent to take me through the back. I picked up my purse and my coat, leaving my cell phone locked in my desk drawer. Jonathan, one of our bouncer nurses, escorted the agent back and gave me the proper code words. I opened the door and barely controlled my flinch. The agent knew body posture and was doing his best to appear professional and non threatening. It was also the exact same man whose picture graced a quiet, respectful ceremony for a fallen hero.

"Ms. Incitti," He held out his hand. I sighed and shook my head.

"My ability works on females, but I'd rather not find out what They did to you by shaking your hand. Let's go." Agent Coulson blinked, nodded. We left through the second rear exit and I got into the black SUV quietly. A stern Aisan woman was driving. Her eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.

"Incitti," She said.

"May," I said and looked out the window. Agent Coulson sat beside me instead of up front.

"We appreciate you coming, Ms. Incitti," Coulson said. I looked at him and he gave me a friendly smile. "Your patient spent several years in captivity and was...influenced. She says nothing untoward happened, but we want to be sure."

"Yours or civilian?" I asked.

"Ours." He looked me over thoughtfully. I sighed. He wasn't being smarmy or rude. He was trying to figure me out. At least he was...polite about it. Eyepatch had not. Perhaps field agents could afford to be polite.

"You've read my file." It wasn't a question. I heard the stories at the wake. If this really was Coulson miraculously healed or resurrected or...whatever, he was thorough.

"It must be difficult for you, with all you see." I shrugged, met May's eyes in the mirror and looked out the window again.

"I'm not a cool superhero, Agent Coulson. I help those who need me most. Sometimes, that includes SHIELD. But I'm not on your payroll, nor am I at your beck and call. SHIELD already has plenty of doctors. They," I waved at the window. "They do not. Not always."

"You should have more protection. Abortion providers are still assassinated." I sighed again.

"I have all the protection I need. You know that too." Murdock looked out for his colleagues as diligently as he does his clients. It's one of the reasons I relocated to Hell's Kitchen. May snorted softly. I kept my eyes on New York. Coulson said nothing.

Thirty minutes and a long convoluted route later, we arrived at an office building. I recognized it from the last time SHIELD came calling and said nothing. Coulson escorted me inside and I was processed as a visitor by a no nonsense black suited female. I cocked my head when she took my fingerprints.

"You need that D&C," I said softly. Coulson was in the room. "You have cancer."

"It is not the custom," She said, resignation clear in her tone. I sighed.

"Very well." While she fingerprinted my left hand, I sent a direct order to her endocrine system, boosting the necessary hormones for her uterus to expel the malignant endometrial tissues itself. She finished, handed me my badge and walked away a little stiffly. Religious and cultural customs detrimental to women's health are the bane of my existence. I figured out a long time ago how to circumvent them and give credit to whatever god requires it. Is it ethical? Probably not. Do I care? Not a bit. Does this make me a bad person? Absolutely. I have no illusions.

"This way, Ms. Incitti." I walked beside Coulson, ignoring May's flank guard position and anyone else we passed. Elevator to the roof, helicopter to the helicarrier. All very SHIELD. I continued to ignore everyone around me as Coulson and May took me to one of the holding cells.

"Her name is Akela Amador. She was one of mine, before she was captured," Coulson said, turning to me.

"Does she see you as a threat?" I asked. He shook his head.

"My team and I got her out."

"Does she trust you?"

"Perhaps I should go in, sir," May suggested. I took a step back and held up my hands.

"I can't do my job if she's not comfortable."

"We told her you were coming. She's not afraid,". Coulson said. I sighed. Coulson was spiking my sigh meter.

"Get her permission. I have to hear it," I said. A desk agent with stage 1 uterine cancer refusing medical intervention was one thing. I didn't need permission to jump start her body's natural defenses. Trauma patients are something else entirely. May nodded, danced the security dance and went into the cell. I stared at the door. Coulson continued to look me over thoughtfully.

"Have you ever been to Tahiti?" He asked. My lips curled.

"No."

"It's beautiful."

"So I have heard." May opened the door and stepped aside.

"I agree to have you examine me, Ms. Incitti, with one witness of my choice." Amador sounded formal. I nodded, keeping my eyes on her right shoulder. I didn't want to know about the eye patch.

"State your choice, Ms. Amador."

"Agent Coulson."

"Very well. May I enter?"

"You may." I slowly took off my coat, making a bit of a show handing it and my purse to May. I walked in, hands away and palms turned out, and stopped several feet away. Coulson followed and stood next to the door. May nodded to everyone and walked out. The door whooshed shut.

"Ms. Amador, my name is Courtney Incitti. I am a registered nurse specializing in gynecology. I have been asked by Agent Coulson to examine you for any trauma or damage done to you. I will need to touch you for this examination. Do I have your permission to do so?"

"Sir, why do I have to do this?" Amador asked. Coulson looked sympathetic.

"Akela, this is simply another exam. Yes, we have the best diagnostic equipment on the planet, but Ms. Incitti is Gifted. She finds things MRIs can miss."

"Gifted." Amador looked at me. I smiled self deprecatingly.

"I can read a woman's reproductive system down to the cellular level. I can also help the body regulate it."

"Abortion?" She spat out the word. I shrugged.

"Induced miscarriage, abortion, getting rid of a problem, whatever you want to call it. You'd be surprised how many Pro Lifers come to me."

"No, I wouldn't." She sighed and nodded. "You have my permission. I doubt you'll find anything."

"I hope you are correct. Just lie back." She did. I looked at Coulson. He nodded. Using my steps to center myself, I approached my patient.

"I am going to hold one of your hands and put the other on your abdomen. You do not need to adjust your clothing. You may feel me working. Reactions I've heard include heat, cold, vibrations, tingling, nausea and euphoria. I do not know how you will react. Squeeze my hand if you become uncomfortable in any way. This is not something you need to endure for appearances." She nodded, not looking towards her supervisor. I took her right hand in my left and touched my fingertips to her lower abdomen. She was healthy, fighter muscled, and she had two minor cysts on her right ovary. I looked deeper, my "inner eye", for lack of a better term, checking rows of cells at a time. This kind of exam takes fifteen to thirty minutes, depending on what I find. Unlike the registration agent, nothing grabbed my attention. She had been sexually active, no conceptions, no sterilization. I didn't see any abnormal chemical or hormonal traces. There were microscopic scars, but they were old. Everything else checked out. I pulled back, released her hand and removed my fingers. Amador stared at me.

"You're...warm."

"Good to know." I took three slow steps backward to center myself again. The fatigue of a deep scan was creeping up. I felt reasonably sure I would make it home.

"Ms. Incitti?" Coulson asked.

"I do not see any signs of recent trauma, nor has she been surgically or chemically treated within my vision."

"Recent?" Coulson asked, his voice sharp. I slowly turned to face him.

"Sex can hurt, Agent, even with the gentlest lover and a gallon of lube. Any woman who is sexually active, at any point in her life, will have marks at the cellular level. Cell regeneration is not always exact." Coulson had the grace to look abashed. I slowly turned back to my patient. "Did you wish me to block ovulation?"

"You can do that?" She asked, sitting up. I nodded. She thought about it and shook her head. "I'll be fine, Ms. Incitti."

"Very well, Ms. Amador. I am glad to see you in good health." I turned to Coulson a little faster. "I am finished." He nodded and touched his ear.

"All done." The door whooshed open. I took my coat and purse from May and walked out. She led me to an interrogation room. I watched as she locked us in and turned off the various recorders.

"Yes?"

"Spit it out. Now. Before he comes."

"What in the names of left hand gods were you people THINKING!? He was cried over! I hugged women CRYING over him! Do you have any idea how many SHIELD women have had elective sterilizations?! Is this a requirement of agents now?"

"This is your rant?" May looked disappointed. I threw up my hands.

"You can't let the dead rest in peace, that's your problem. I don't know, I'm not cleared to know, I sure as hell don't want to know. What I do know is you have fucked over a lot of people. Powerful people and if they find out Fury pulled an Osiris on Coulson, it's your asses. Heroes are more powerful dead."

"Is that so, Ms. Incitti?" Coulson asked. I smirked at May's blink.

"Historically proven, Agent Coulson. May I leave now?"

"Of course." Coulson walked me out to the helicopter, back to the office. I turned in my badge to a stern faced older man. Coulson had May drive me to another long, winding route back to my apartment. Before I could get out, he took my hand and shook it. I stared at him.

"Thank you for your service, Ms. Incitti."

"Make an anonymous donation to my office and we're quits. May." I got out of the SUV and walked inside, not acknowledging May's "Incitti." I walked up the first three flights, then took the elevator to the sixth floor. I managed to make it into my apartment and double lock the doors before burying my face in my hands and screaming. Oh gods. What had Eyepatch DONE!?

"Anastasia Nikolavena?" I asked, walking into Exam Room 3. The woman sitting on the exam table nodded, looking down modestly. It was too late. I sighed and wondered which Norse god I had pissed off. Perhaps I should be grateful SHIELD gave me months to recover from Coulson.

"What brings you in today?" I asked gently. Her intake sheet was all properly filled out and as far as I was concerned, completely falsified. I put the file on the counter.

"I heard you can work miracles," She said softly, shyly. I shook my head.

"If I worked miracles, I would be a living Saint."

"I heard you are." She looked at me, green eyes dark with a very old pain. I softened my gaze.

"If I'm a Saint, you are an Angel. A proper Old Testament angel, raining down justice with a flaming sword." She laughed, a painful, sad laugh. "Now that we've agreed there are no saints or angels here, Natasha, what brought you to me?" Her laughter shut off and she sat up. I was glad.

"I was sterilized. I want it reversed."

"Do you?" I asked, resting one arm near her file.

"Yes."

"Really."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Be.." She broke off, looking away. I watched her slip back into shy young woman mode. "Because I want to know."

"Want to know the limit of my power? Want to know if your home land is as thorough as their reputation? Want to know if you should?" Her head snapped up. I sighed.

"You're not the first. You won't be the last. What I want to know is why. Not what you think I want to hear, or what your superior has told you. I want to know why Natasha wants this done."

"You're very cynical."

"And you're very good at interrogation." I cocked my head. She smiled, a different, somewhat knowing smile.

"Natasha is curious. Just...curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"Satisfaction brought it back." We both grinned. I drummed my fingernails against the counter and shook my head.

"No."

"No?"

"No, I'm not going to examine you. I'm not going to see inside you."

"Why not?" Oh, the coldness. She looked and sounded very offended. I doubted she would kill me, and even if she did, I would not mind. I am surprised every time I go to bed and wake up again.

"You don't want me to."

"You don't know me."

"Natasha, I was one of many observers at a quiet wake a year ago. There was lots of hugging, of squeezing shoulders, of shaking hands. I'm sure you remember." She nodded, looking me over. Coulson was more polite.

"Yes, I touched your shoulder. You looked...horrified."

"I spent two days after that event horrified. I learned much too much about your company."

"So you already know." I nodded. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing." She nodded.

"You should be an agent. You're as cold as I am."

"We've both seen horrors, Anastasia," I said, standing. I shoved her file into the sink and took a grill lighter out of the overhead cupboard. I held her gaze as I burned her file. She nodded. I washed the remains down the drain.

"Thank you, Nurse."

"I wish you continued good health, Princess." We smiled and I left the room. Locking myself in my office, I screamed into a small pillow I kept in the bottom drawer. This was becoming a habit.

One am calls are the worst, but for Murdock, I hauled myself out of bed, put on jeans and running shoes and met him on the roof of my building.

"You owe me two cups of coffee," I told the red garbed figure. He smiled and nodded at his feet. A large styrofoam cup steamed in the night air. I picked it up, blew twice and chugged half. Medium roast and a half cup of hazelnut creamer, gods bless him. I put the cup down next to the roof door. "What have we got?"

"Gang bang. Two victims, nineteen and seventeen. No relation, but both have family inside."

"Turf war?"

"Revenge." He snarled the word. I nodded and held out my hand. He took it and guided me to his back. I hopped on for the ride. He only does this when it's life threatening. It should shorten my lifespan, clinging to the back of a blind parkour champion. It's fun. We got to the scene in short order, only a few blocks from my apartment. I slid off his back and sighed. The girls were in bad shape.

"EMTs?" I asked, kneeling next to the conscious one. She was whispering, eyes vacant. It sounded like a prayer.

"Fifteen minutes."

"That's enough." I didn't recognize her language, so I simply touched my fingertips to her cheek. She froze, eyes focusing abruptly on me. She looked at me, looked at Murdock.

"Diablo?" She whispered.

"Guardian diablo, que es el angel." He answered. I sighed.

"Dime donde duele y el diablo encontrará los bastardos." Spanish I could do. Murdock had taught me several phrases for these situations. The girl's hand moved to her stomach. I laid my hand over hers. Rape scars body, mind and soul. She was in a lot of pain and I found four different semen samples.

"Four." Murdock knelt next to me with specimen swabs. I pulled the fluid out as far as I safely could before swabbing. I left enough for forensics to process as well. I'm well known locally, but I wasn't getting back to bed tonight. I couldn't repair the damage until she had been admitted, so I hyperaccelerated the clotting in the damaged blood vessels and numbed the nerves. My meatball repairs would hold until the ambulances arrived. The second girl was unconscious. We took four samples from her too and I boosted the clotting, but left the nerves alone. She couldn't feel it for now.

"Do you need pictures?" I asked. He handed me a camera. This was a nifty trick I learned when I first started working with Murdock. If I'm using my power and take a picture at the same time, I get what amounts to a full color CT image. I don't know how I do it, but I only do it for him. He's put several rapists behind bars with my evidence and testimony. Defense lawyers don't like me.

The EMTs arrived as I finished my second photo shoot. Murdock disappeared.

"Courtney. Of course." Jason is a great EMT, but he doesn't like "spooky" stuff. Murdock and I are "spooky".

"Hey, Jason." I gave him the details and the camera while his teammates gently lifted the girls onto stretchers, the female responders speaking in Spanish. I really need to learn more of the language. Jason wrote everything down.

"I'll bring the camera back after my shift. Your office?"

"Sure." I knew it was even odds the camera would be back in Murdock's hands by sunrise, but sometimes he got busy. "Am I riding with you?"

"Sorry, Florence, your wings are being clipped." A new voice said. I rolled my eyes while Jason jumped. May stepped out of the shadows. "I need you."

"And it's not even my birthday!" I gushed. Murdock would understand.

"She's unconscious," I said, staring at the brunette in the flying triage room. May shrugged.

"Just do that voodoo you do so well."

"Oh baby, sing it next time," I snarked. May gave me a dirty look. I didn't care. She hadn't brought me coffee. I looked over the monitoring equipment, checking vitals. Stable, a small mercy. I took a deep breath and placed both hands lightly on her exposed abdomen. The surge of Otherness was so strong I jerked back, biting my lips to hold in the scream. Gods above and below! What had they done?!

"What did you DO?!" I hissed, spinning on May. She folded her arms.

"We saved her life."

"Did you? The way you saved his? Do you have ANY idea of how that…that…"

"Stuff?" Coulson asked, walking in. I stared at him, hands clenching. My throat ached with hastily swallowed outrage. Coulson looked apologetic. "We weren't sure it would work. May suggested bringing you in. I apologize for the lateness."

"I was already up," I growled and spun back to my patient. I understood life and death decisions. The Other swirling through my patient wasn't focused around her reproductive system, but the organs had suffered deoxygenation, so something happened to stop her breathing. However, her organs would not come into focus. I took my hands away, centered myself and tried again. Other surged against me, fighting my intrusion. I backed off, trying a gentle surface scan. My view pixelated and snowed and I staggered back. Coulson kept me from falling.

"What's wrong?" May asked, bored as always. I stared at her, only to groan as Coulson's Other rose to protect him from my ability. I pulled away and tunneled my fingers through my hair. I was way outside my pay grade and possibly my sanity.

"I can't. I can't read her."

"Why not?" I shook my head and looked at Coulson. Maybe? Maybe, but I needed something for my nerves first.

"Is there any chance in the Five Levels of Hell there is scotch on this flying umbrella?" I asked. Coulson looked at each of us in turn, eyes lingering longest on the patient before coming back to me. I watched him shift into that Nice Guy mode and wondered how many of those weeping women wanted a piece of him.

"I have Glenfiddich," He offered. I nodded.

"That would work." He nodded, smiling kindly.

"Right this way."

"Liquid courage?" May snarked, falling in behind us. I spun and she stepped into a defensive stance. I growled my favorite Chinese curse at her and she blinked. I spun on my heel and stomped after Coulson. She already lived in interesting times.

"How would you like it, Ms. Incitti?" Coulson asked, the proper host.

"Straight, two drops of water." He gave me another polite assessment.

"I've heard that makes a difference. I have yet to try it." He handed me a tumbler with two fingers in it.

"For all our sakes," I said and tossed the whole thing back. I've had practice. I handed the glass back and propped my hands on my hips. "What's my clearance?"

"Clearance? You don't know?" Coulson asked, surprised. He looked at May. I looked at May.

"You have clearance," She said.

"Really."

"She does?" I cocked my head at Coulson. May nodded.

"For this."

"This and only this and nothing but this, so help me all Deities under the sun, moon and earth?" I asked.

"That's specific and all encompassing" Coulson said mildly. May nodded.

"Okay! In that case," I turned to May and pointed at her. "If you ever, ever do this to me again, Agent Melinda May of SHIELD, I swear by all the dragons you don't believe in that I will tear out your left ovary and EAT it in front of you!" I was screaming by the end. May blinked and nodded. I turned to Coulson, who held up his hands.

"I don't have ovaries," He said.

"No. You just have the same shit that was pumped into that young woman and apparently NO ONE on this thrice be damned plane thought to do a genetics test FIRST!" I shouted. "SHIELD was, I thought, at the cutting edge of technology. You'd have to be with Stark involved. His ego would demand it."

"I don't understand. What does Skye's genetics have to do with what we did to save her life?" He stared confused and ended cutting. I was beyond caring, but I saw his eyes. He was worried for his team mate. Coulson had incredibly expressive eyes. I hoped he knew it. I swallowed, reining in my temper.

"DNA is a genetic fingerprint, in the simplest terms. When I find cancer in a woman, I can see that the cells are wrong. They don't follow the code. In mutants, the genetic code is different, but it's universally different for that person. So while the cells look 'wrong', they're not wrong for that person. Following?"

"Yes." Coulson nodded. I sighed and tunneled through my hair again.

"Skye's cells are different. Very different. But there's also this Other DNA in her system. It's stronger than her normal cells right now because it's repairing the damage done. Whatever you used, it's interfering with my ability." I looked at May. She gave me a blank stare. On your petard then.

"You have the same material in you; Agent Coulson. It's older, weaker, nearly used up, but it reacts the same way when I touch you. It sees my ability as an invading force and drives me out."

"How?" I blinked at him. He wasn't surprised. Good.

"Interference. It sends out waves of interference, like a television on a snow channel."

"So you can't check Skye, make sure she hasn't suffered damage to her reproductive system."

"All I got was the early stages of deoxygenation decay. You did save her life. The organs I can see will recover."

"Then that's all we can ask for." He smiled. He smiled at me! A thankful smile! "I apologize again for bringing you out on such short notice. It will be a few hours before we can circle back and drop you off. There's spare rooms if you want to rest." I stared at him.

"I might, might be able to do a more thorough scan, but I'll need your help."

"What do you need?" He asked, going from Nice Guy to Leader in a breath.

"I need your consent to match the Other in you to what's in Skye. If I can neutralize the interference, I should be able to get a clearer picture."

"You have it," He said promptly. I have a deep respect for those who lead from the front. Murdock does it, Coulson did it. I understood the women a little better now.

"Okay. I'm going to take your hands. Whatever you feel, just let it wash through you. However! If you become uncomfortable, let go. This is nothing you need to endure for other eyes." He smiled.

"My team is well aware of my faults."

"I do not believe you." I took his hands in mine. He closed his eyes. I gave May a scathing look. She nodded and I closed my eyes.

I'm not used to doing this to men. I can, but I can't affect anything. I just get a feel for their cellular makeup and sometimes something jumps out at me. The Other in Coulson rose up at me and...paused. I kept the connection open, but didn't do anything else. Other was deteriorated severely. There wasn't much left and what was had settled where he could control it. I closed the connection and let go, taking a step back. I watched him sigh and open his eyes. There was a heat there that did distressing things to my pulse.

"You are warm," He said softly.

Once more at Skye's bedside, I had Coulson hold her hand. I held his other with my free palm on her stomach. He nodded.

"Okay. Same as before. This might be more or less intense, I don't know. New territory."

"I like new territory," He said. I blinked and chose to ignore the comment. We closed our eyes and I reached into Skye. Other was much stronger and rushed to defend her recovering body. I opened the link with Coulson and cried out as Other surged together. Skye's Other recognized Coulson as… Safe. Ally. Packmate. Whatever. Her system coalesced and I choked on sudden tears. She was beautiful! The energy she held was latent, unknown, but it sang in a way I had not seen before. I withdrew from both of them and let myself drop to the floor. Coulson followed me down, arms wrapping around me. His eyes were concerned, but the heat lingered.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly. I nodded, letting the tears flow quietly. He helped me to my feet and escorted me to a room with a bed, telling May to check with Fitzsimmons. I sat on the bed and accepted a packet of tissues.

"Will you be safe?" He asked after I blew my nose. I nodded.

"I have a guardian devil and all the security SHIELD put in after I refused Fury's sales pitch." Coulson nodded, looking me over. This time, it was suggestive.

"How did you do it?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Born with it, apparently."

"And it's different for everyone? The reaction?"

"Responses fall into a few general categories. You said I was warm. That's the most common."

"Are you sure?"

"The most common female response," I clarified, wondering if he was going to follow up on that stare at my lips. "I can't influence male reproductive systems and my influence on females is restricted to those organs, plus the nerves and hormones that control them. I can't fix bullet wounds or correct ED."

"Is that so?" He was still staring at my lips. I sighed, lay down on the bed and put my back to him.

"Whatever you're feeling, I'm sure it's temporary. Wake me up when you can drop me off." I closed my eyes and evened out my breathing. Warm fingers brushed my cheek. I ignored them and the surge of satisfaction they left behind.

Another call woke me. I blinked several times, adjusting myself to the strange surroundings. Flying triage, Other, that weird heat in Coulson's eyes. What had called me? I stood up and made my way through the plane. I encountered no one, which seemed suspicious. I thought I was going to check on Skye. It was Coulson who met me.

"Come with me." Blinking, I followed him off the plane. I had no idea where we were and wondered if he was going to kill me. Maybe interrogate. Or maybe he wanted to seduce me. The last one made me smirk. I followed him into a building, down some halls and to a door. He shone a flashlight on the door and my eyebrows went up.

"Tahiti. Cute."

"You'll love what's inside." He opened the door. I walked in and stumbled. Coulson's hand grabbed my upper arm to steady me. I stared at the partial corpse in fascinated horror. This is what woke me up. This and Coulson. I walked to the corpse and reached out, fingertips barely grazing the blue skin. Other swamped me; cold and alien and dead, but I could see the echoes of beauty. I snatched my hand away and turned, right into Coulson's arms. I shivered and screamed into his chest. He didn't flinch, nor did he stroke me and say stupid cliches. He simply held me, gently and respectfully. I sucked in breaths through my nose. It took me a few minutes to push away.

"Is that it?" He asked. I nodded. "What is it?"

"I...I don't know." I looked at the corpse. Rage fountained up within me and I clenched my fists. This...this was the worst horror I had ever seen.

"Is this me?" He asked softly. I blinked, distracted. Was this...perversion of life him? Something clicked. He thought Eyepatch had grown him from the remains beside us. I shook my head.

"No. You are...yourself. Whatever they used on you came from this," I waved my hand at the corpse. Had this person been male? Female? By Heaven and Hell, had it been tortured? Broken? I choked on my rage. "No. You're…you." I repeated. Coulson nodded and his shoulders relaxed briefly.

"Is it Skye?" I flinched. Coulson was a Good Guy. He didn't deserve this, to be brought back to life and lied to about it. I remembered the women at that wake, how their emotions had swamped me while my gift announced sterilization techniques and abnormalities. May hadn't liked my cornering her with a list of names demanding she get them seen immediately. The email I got from her had been terse, a list of confirmed diagnoses. Fury came calling a day later. I sighed, shaking off the memories.

"She's...related. Within three, four generations, maybe?"

"Generations," His voice softened and became much colder. I tunneled my hair and pulled a little.

"I thought she was a mutant. I've met and worked on several. Their cells are different, but not that different from yours."

"Mine. You classify yourself as mutant?" I shrugged and met his gaze. The heat was mostly gone, he was all business now. I was relieved, but something was nagging me.

"Skye's cells have more in common with the Other. I can't pin it down, I don't know enough about genetics. All I can say for certain is...this was one of her family members." Tears rushed to my eyes as I stared at him. He nodded, clearly reading my expression, agreeing with me. I stepped a little closer.

"If you ever, in your journey, find out who did this…" I swallowed hard, fists clenching again. "Kill them. Please." He nodded, his anger a mirror to mine.

"I will." I heard the ring of solemn vow in his voice. Coulson was a Good Guy, but he also knew what it meant to kill. I nodded and relaxed my fingers. With a sudden rush of clarity, I knew what I needed to do. I held his gaze with mine, waited into the anger had faded to curiosity.

"Agent Coulson,"

"Phil," He interrupted gently. "You know more about me than I do, you can call me Phil."

"Courtney," I agreed. He nodded. "Phil, I'm going to do something now that I don't normally like doing. There's something else you need to know."

"Go ahead."

"I was at one of your wakes." His face closed. "I touched a lot of people that day, a lot of women." His eyes widened slightly. "I learned a lot about SHIELD. I learned more about you. All those women, they respected you. They admired you. They loved you." His eyes bugged and his ears tinged a little pink. I shrugged. "A little, a lot, from afar, as a hero, the point is, they all loved you because you are one of the last honest, decent Good Guys. They miss you, they grieved for you." My heart started pounding for no obvious reason. "I don't know when or why, I don't have clearance to know, I don't want to know when or why you were brought back. I also don't know, don't have clearance and don't want to know who else gets to hear the truth. All I do know is I need to do this, for all the women you touched, because you need to know and have all the clearance." I took his face carefully in my hands, stared into his eyes. He looked back kindly, calmly.

"Do what you need to, Courtney," He whispered, hands on my waist. I kissed him, closing my eyes to focus on what I was showing him. It was slow, gentle, thankful, admiring, sorrowful. He returned the kiss in the exact same way. I broke away before it could become anything else.

"Thank you, Phil. Thank you for being you," I said softly. He smiled at me, a sad little smile.

"Thank you, Courtney, for helping me." I nodded and stepped back. Turning to the corpse, I moved to the head and gently kissed it above the eyes.

"I am so sorry," I whispered to the dead beauty. Coulson took me back to the plane and I cried myself to sleep.

"How many days did I miss?" I asked as May and Coulson escorted me to yet another black SUV. I was very sick of them. It was full night in New York City and I could care less.

"Only two," Coulson said, back to his pleasant Good Guy persona. "Don't worry. You still have a week of vacation and your coverage has been getting good reviews from your patients." I stared at him. Vacation? Coverage? I blinked and glared at May. She gave me her blank look. Gods be damned SHIELD. Mary Ann was probably having hysterics. I'd have to call first thing in the morning.

"Good to know," I said through my teeth. I yanked open the car door before Coulson could. He took it from me when I tried to slam it closed.

"How many, Ms. Incitti?" He asked pleasantly. I looked at him. His eyes flicked at my lips. Ah.

"Twenty confirmed. Unconfirmed, who knows." His gaze traveled over me, assessing. I waited. He nodded and shut the door gently. May waited until we were entering Hell's Kitchen.

"What did you see?" She asked.

"Truth."

"Damnit."

"Beauty," I added, looking out the window. "Death."

"Now I need to take you into protective custody," May sighed, sounding very put out.

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No," I said, giving her an exasperated look. "You don't." She glanced at me twice and sighed heavily.

"Why do you insist on doing things the hard way?" She asked, now resigned. I shrugged.

"It's not hard for me."

"Where?" I looked out all the windows. We weren't far from a good spot.

"Take the second right." She did and parked at the end of the alley. I hopped out and headed for a cross alley, near to where she had picked me up two nights ago. I heard her follow me and felt eyes above me. Damn. I didn't think he'd be here tonight. I stopped and sighed. May's gun chambered and the muzzle pressed against the base of my skull. Somehow, over all the city noises, I heard a hiss. Damn and blast.

"May," I said clearly. "I don't mind. I prefer it. But do you really feel up to dance with the devil?"

"I dance with demons every day."

"Good, you'll be able to keep up," Murdock snarled behind us. The gun vanished with the fight. I walked six measured steps and turned to watch. It was a matched fight and quickly became a stalemate of grappling.

"Don't kill her, Diablo. She has bigger fish," I said. Murdock tightened his grip.

"Tell your superiors, the angel has a guardian devil," He growled and let go. May rolled away and to her feet.

"Her?" She said mockingly. I shrugged as Murdock came to stand in front of me. I hopped onto his back and stared at May.

"Left ovary, May, if you ever come for me again." Murdock did his parkour thing, leaving May staring from the ground. He took me all the way to my apartment and carried me to my bedroom. Laying me on my bed, his gloved fingers danced over my face.

"What did they do to you, Courtney?" He asked, a faint thickness in his voice. I let the tears come.

"Oh Matt," I choked out and his fingers stilled on my right jaw. "I saw beauty and horror beyond what's spat out here. I kissed the dead and tasted the ashes of resurrection. I" I choked on my tears. Murdock hauled me up and into his arms, holding me as I cried on his shoulder. I cried much longer and went through half a tissue box.

"What do you need?" He asked when I had calmed down. I stroked my fingers gently over his cowl and mask.

"Would the devil send the angel home?" He had killed, his brand of justice demanded it. Bringing death is an intimate thing, even from a distance. I'd rather it be him. He hissed again and turned his face away.

"No." I sighed and nodded. It was probably too much to hope for. I'll do it myself, then. His hands cupped my cheeks and I looked into his blind eyes. "Not tonight. Sleep, Courtney. Give yourself some time. In three nights, if you still want to, I'll meet you on the roof."

"Thank you, Matt." I covered his hands with mine. He nodded, tipped his head slightly, then shook his head and pulled away. I watched him leave through the window, closing it carefully behind him.

Two days later, I took a trip to DC. I found the cemetery and the modest grave with a modest headstone, just like all the other modest graves. I stared at the headstone for several minutes before shaking my head. I put the twenty white roses in a clear glass vase on the left side of the headstone and shoved a gold dollar coin into the ground below the birth date.

"You'll need it eventually," I whispered.

On the third night, I went up to the roof. Matt was there, crouched on the edge of the building, doing an excellent gargoyle impression. I stopped a few feet behind him.

"I didn't want you to come," He said. I crossed my arms.

"I've already talked to Mary Ann. My replacement is Katrina Hoeffler, one of Xavier's. Her talent covers the entire body."

"I met her. She's wild. She's not a good replacement for you. She smells."

"Smells?" I asked, curious.

"Blood. She smells like the blood of rats and birds. She's a hunter, Courtney." He turned and leaped off the ledge, landing right in front of me. "She can do the job, but it's just a job to her! Her soul is like a tiger in a zoo, sooner or later she's going to hurt one of your patients. Do you want that?" He was growling. I sighed and slowly laid my hands on his chest. His gloved hands immediately covered mine.

"The devil will send the angel home cursing her name." He whispered. I nodded.

"I'm wearing jeans, a faded pink t shirt and my runners. My funeral dress is in my closet, where it will stay."

"For how long?"

"Until I'm called." Matt's breath whooshed out of him and he yanked me into a hug. We stood there for several minutes. He took me back to my apartment the fast and fun way. I kissed his mask and he smiled. I went into my living room and stared at the single white rose sitting on my coffee table. The note beside it read "For the Good Woman."