A/N: Just something I started to dabble in since writing my Captain America fanfic. I thought it'd be interesting to touch on the lives of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. I don't know how much I'll update or write this. It depends on the comments and the favorites and what not since my main focus is on The Road to Rebirth. Thanks for your time and interest.

Chapter One

There's a thin line between good and bad and it's crossed every time. It's been kicked at, spit at and downright pissed on. Most people can't even recognize that line anymore. And, in a world such as today who could blame them? Everyone was pretty much just out looking for themselves now.

I was not among those people. It was my job to make sure they were protected and kept safe. Well, my job was to make sure the people who kept the people safe were protected.

I am an Agent; an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. And, as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. my job was very important. I kept the heroes safe. I was the hero among heroes.

Or, at least that's what they tell you when you sign up.

Five years later serving as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and I'm still pushing papers and filing out forms—oh, and coffee. I can't forget about the coffee. After all, Tony Stark liked his with bourbon…don't forget that.

"Dude, you're doing it again."

I looked up from my paperwork to see my good friend Chuck Pierson smiling down at me. He tossed a thick folder onto his desk and loosened the tie around his neck, sighing heavily at the late night we were about to have. Ever since The Avenger's initiative took off and the attack in New York it had been a mad house for the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

He sat down, kicking his feet onto his desk and pointed at me with his pen. I shook my head and continued my work. Apparently since our first meeting he said I'd get really concentrated in my own thoughts. Chuck would call it self-monologing and according to him it freaked people out.

Stretching my fingers I tossed my pen down and leaned back in my chair. "Remember when we thought we'd be out on the field by now?"

Chuck looked up from his work, a faint smile on his thick lips. "Those were the days, eh?" I nodded and leaned forward, loosing the knot at my own tie. He kicked his foot up and down a few times before tossing them off of the desk and sitting up rather straight. "You know all we have to do is have a higher up recognize us."

"They know who we are," I pointed out. "It's not like we haven't been with them for five years."

"Fury called you kid-with-the-duck-tie. I don't think that's being recognized." I looked down at my tie, the little yellow rubber ducks almost seemed to be staring up at me. "You really should get rid of that thing."

"My mom got it for me."

"It's embarrassing."

I sighed. "So, what exactly are you saying we do," I asked holding up one of the files, "just pick one at random and decide we're going to take care of it?" When Chuck didn't respond I laughed with ridicule. "Man, you're crazy. If anyone even found out you were thinking that Fury would have us hanging by our toes."

Chuck shrugged and was about to open his mouth when Agent Sitwell entered the room. We both straightened in our seats, adjusting our ties quickly hoping he didn't notice our sluggish appearances and smiled as he tossed a pile of paper work onto each of our desks. I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing myself to keep from taking the gun at my side and shooting at every single piece of paper that sat in front of me.

Just as Sitwell started to turn on his heels Chuck stood up. "Er, excuse me Agent Sitwell." I opened my mouth, the color draining from my face as Sitwell spun around. He raised a thick, black eyebrow as he waited for Chuck to speak. Clearing his throat he looked to me, his brown eyes shaking slightly before regaining composure. He licked his lips and continued, "Agent Shure and I have been working for S.H.I.E.L.D. for a long time, sir, and we were curious—sir—if there was perhaps any field work that could use our assistance," he paused awkwardly before once again adding, "sir."

Sitwell turned to face me, the light hanging above his head shined brightly on his bald scalp. He adjusted his glasses as he returned to look at Chuck, staring the short-stature, well-groomed man up and down. It seemed like pure agony as we waited for Sitwell to talk, whether it was to jibe at Chuck's initiative or to order us to get back to work.

Finally, he strutted over to my desk and grabbed for a couple of the folders. Another eternity passed while we waited for him to sift through the lose papers and skim the headings of each one. Each moment that ticked by created another pool of sweat that began to form in the palm of my hands. I wiped them along the soft material of my trousers, jumping at the sudden clicking noise that Sitwell made with his tongue.

He handed the file to Chuck and smiled. Chuck looked down at the file as Sitwell left us in an air of pure silence. I jumped from behind my desk, barely missing the corners and made my way to the center of the small room where Chuck was eagerly reading the files that he held in his trembling hands. Reaching out to steady him, I looked over the fine print and realized that Sitwell was going to give us a chance at some real field work.

We looked up at one another, neither of us saying anything just in case we'd jinx it. Chuck ran his fingers through his sandy brown hair, tucked in his shirt and buttoned his jacket as he tucked the file under his arms. He cleared his throat and gestured to the doors. I started at them for a moment, the same doors I'd entered and left for five years knowing that all I'd be doing is pushing paper work and getting the coffee. Not once did I expect to leave those doors into a world bigger than I was.

I turned back to Chuck once more and nodded. It had to happen eventually. It was time for us to be what S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were known for; the hero among heroes.

Never in my life had I wanted to be back in that small office signing off legal papers and rereading fine print so small that I needed glasses to make sure I didn't miss anything. I missed the usual steaming mug of coffee that tasted like used cigarette butts sitting at my side and the feeling of my chewed on pencil stuck behind my ear. This was not the field work I was intended for, not the field work I thought existed for S.H.I.E.L.D. agents—not what I thought we were promised.

Chuck stood with his sleeves rolled to his elbows, his tie hung loosely around his neck as he stared at the corpse. His eyes were alight with fire that I knew was just as fake as the enthusiasm he had upon meeting the coroner. He eagerly licked his lips as he nodded to the coroner's assistant who handed him two pairs of latex gloves, one of which he tried to hand to me. I shook my head no and crossed my arms not in the mood to stick my finger in another dead, questionable beast.

Shrugging, Chuck pulled the gloves over his fingers and snapped them loose before stepping forward to inspect the body in front of him. He poked and prodded, hummed and murmured and every so often a clicking noise would escape from in between his teeth. I rolled my eyes and turned around nearly choking on my own tongue when none other than Black Widow—Natasha Romanoff—walked into the room.

I swallowed hard as I tried to professionally keep my eyes leveled and off of her skin-tight clad outfit. Her red curls bounced off her shoulders with each step she took and the look in her dark, green eyes meant business. Quickly I uncrossed my arms to greet her but she brushed past me and walked straight to the red-faced coroner.

"So, what can you tell me?"

The man shrugged and walked around the body, moving Chuck out of the way. "All I know is that its body is thicker than anything I've dealt with and it's spit is acidic," he cast a glare her way, "which would have been a nice heads up."

Natasha shrugged and moved in to inspect the body herself. She reached out to grab the lizard-like creatures hand and plucked it up with her fingers. "So you have no idea what was controlling them?"

The coroner grabbed a rag off of a nearby table and wiped at his forehead a couple of times. "Look Tash, I've been working for days straight here. Even called in these guys—" he stuck out a thumb and waved it in between Chuck and I, "—and still nothing. Whatever connected these guys must have been spiritual cause I don't see anything that would have brought them down the way they did."

Natasha tightened her thick lips in a straight line and dropped the hand against the table. She walked around the table to meet the coroner, a small smile slipping onto her face. He swallowed hard as she clapped her hands together and sweetened her smile, "Rick, we've been friends for a long, long time but don't think that I won't hurt you to get my way." She reached forward to pat him on his chubby shoulder, her smile widening a bit when he flinched. "Now, I think we can come to some sort of arrangement can't we?"

The man nodded quickly and she patted his shoulder once more before turning around and walking out of the room. I awkwardly reached up my hand to wave goodbye, keeping it midair when she walked by without even glancing my way. Casually I pulled it down before casting a glance at Chuck who was biting on his lower lip to keep from laughing. I glared at him and walked over to the dead body, scrunching up my nose as a pungent smell suddenly hit me.

I brought my hand up to my face and inhaled deeply. "So, that was Natasha Romanoff," I said lightly.

The coroner blew out a puff of air from his cheeks and tugged off the apron from around his neck. "They don't name her after one of the most beautiful yet deadliest creatures out there for nothing," he grumbled taking the rag in his hand and wiping at his forehead once more.

"She's not really going to hurt you, would she?" asked Chuck coming around to the other side of the table. The coroner looked up at him, didn't say anything, and looked back at the body. That was answer enough. Chuck raised his eyebrows and grimaced, "Well…we're just going to head out and…uh…go check out that..uh…the death site." He turned to me quickly and nodded at the door.

"Call us if you find out anything new," I said as I turned to follow Chuck out the door.