Days go by
Disclaimer: none of the characters are mine, but belong to Marvel™.
Note: this story is rated M for pregnancies and other mature topics.
Note 2: this story is largely spoiler-free, but some may have sneaked across.
Across the multiverse...
I
The first time S.H.I.E.L.D. encountered Grant Ward, the new director of Hydra, it was in the person of Lance Hunter, breathing fire and ire over Bobbi Morse. Director Coulson had tacitly given him permission to go after the bigger man in particular and Hydra in general, and with other agents behind him, he can sure that he can teach Ward a lesson – straightaway.
It does not happen. All the while that Hunter had imagined this to be some sort of a showdown, similar to the one that Ward had with May back in CyberTek, Ward had figured out a new strategy, or tactic, or technique in dealing with his enemies and the enemies of Hydra: one specific strike beneath the right eye – and Hunter ends up being paralyzed for a week.
During that time Mack and Daisy persuade – reluctantly – Lincoln to come with them into the fold; but rather than help them with the other InHumans, the latter takes over the infirmary, taking care of Hunter and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who got, well, hurt fighting Ward and Hydra – after all, he is a doctor. For Hunter, it is demeaning. For Mack and Daisy, who still have to deal with the new InHumans largely by themselves – it is exhausting. But for Bobbi, who still has problems with her leg, it is a relief, as there is now a qualified doctor at hand, and for Coulson – who did need some to run the agency's medical wing – a professional doctor is good thing too, so there Lincoln stays.
Days go by.
II
The second time S.H.I.E.L.D. encountered Grant Ward...it was not actually until the end. This time, Lance and his team were on a trail of a Hydra agent, but a sleeper one, one that had been recruited by Sitwell and Pierce and the rest of the old guard, rather than Ward. Nicknamed/codenamed by Coulson 'the American Crow' (because he actually lived in Canada – go figure), Lance was tasked to retrieve either him...or the information that the man possessed...or both.
At first things went smoothly enough: the man in question was captured easily (he had grown slack and relaxed since the day he got away from Rogers and co.) and needed no compulsion, cough, in cooperating – after all, cooperation is rewarded. Soon enough Hunter got the address of the information cache from 'the Crow' and went with his people to retrieve it.
It was a trap – an explosive trap – that almost got them, if by 'almost' one means being hurt, but not killed. To make things worse, 'the Crow' flew the coop, with the help of his girlfriend, and immediately went to the ground. Visiting his apartment, and that of the girlfriend, produced just a couple more of traps, maybe smaller-scale than the one found at the address given to Hunter by 'the Crow', but just as lethal – and 'the Crow' and his companion had apparently gone to the ground.
On the other hand, and that was perhaps a worse piece of news, was that Hunter and his team did uncover information that most of the caches of 'the Crow' aren't information caches, but more of the same traps, explosive and otherwise, but always lethal. Ever since Rogers and his team had defeated Hydra (alongside S.H.I.E.L.D., of course), 'the Crow' had gone to the ground, but he had not been idle – rather he had built a very impressive line of defences, consisting of lies, misidirections and death traps – a typical Hydra approach to things, in other words, albeit a more passive and defensive than the usual.
It was also a fact that one of the busiest and most populous Canadian cities suddenly was 'possessed' by a very large number of Hydra traps, which couldn't be easily dismantled manually, so Hunter – he asked Fitz and his robots for help.
Fitz arrived, very indignant and unhappy that he had to take a break from his latest Jemma-rescuing plan, claiming that Hunter's only redeeming feature was that the traps were so simple, that Fitz and his robots would go through them quickly. And indeed, faster than one could say "14-102", Fitz have gone through his robots...and there were plenty of traps left in the city.
On the other hand, Fitz with his genius-level IQ had deduced that the traps were so 'primitive', that they needed engineering, rather than a robotic, touch, and so called Mack for a consultation. Mack arrived, with Daisy alongside (to visit Lincoln, who had been treating Hunter's people for injuries all this while), took a good look at the traps that Hunter and Fitz had been working with, and promptly called Coulson for an emergency session.
It was at this moment that Hunter's simple fact-finding and enemy-capturing mission became a full-scale S.H.I.E.L.D. operation, with Mack using his engineering skills, Fitz – his robots, and Daisy – her InHuman powers to keep the traps from exploding. It is a hard job, hard in its repetitiveness: on their own, once or twice, such traps would have been disarmed and forgotten, but when there are dozens of them, all scattered all over the city, in various locations, it is another story. They are 'primitive' enough not to be discharged by electronics alone, and while on their own they are small scale, the locations they are positioned in make them much more dangerous. As a consequence, Fitz and Mack and Daisy have to work together, whether they like it or not, and since all of three of them had been friends with each other (just not at the same time), they begin to bond.
Not that the others are being idle either, no. Coulson is running Bobbi all over the country, especially Ottawa, doing political and diplomatic work, smoothing over waters between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government of Canada. It seems that back in the 90s S.H.I.E.L.D. had been a part of protection detail of the US President when the latter had visited Canada; it had been a turbulent time in Canadian politics, and some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents almost made it worse by suggesting that the Canadians cut down some maple tree – one of Canada's national symbols... That didn't happen; a diplomatic scandal was avoided only narrowly; Canada joined such diverse countries as Israel and Japan in being anti-S.H.I.E.L.D. even before the whole mess with Hydra occurred; so now Coulson had to make nice with the same government so that S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't receive any more political problems than it already had.
Bobbi takes to this sort of work with relish, however – she is adaptable, but she is at her best with people; following the instructions from Coulson and interpreting them...creatively enough, (but in a good way) she is actually improves the Canadian-S.H.I.E.L.D. relationship for the first time in over 10 years.
Lincoln is there too – sometimes helping Fitz and the others as a doctor (when dealing with death traps long enough, even S.H.I.E.L.D. agents get hurt), sometimes Bobbi as...an aide or a diplomat: as long as he doesn't have to be an InHuman in S.H.I.E.L.D. (or otherwise), he's quite happy being an agent because that's what he is, right?..
And Hunter, who had started this whole mess when he went after 'the Crow'? He gets to stay with May (the Cavalry had decided to stay in S.H.I.E.L.D. after all, as they try to find out 'the Crow' and any other Hydra agents that are currently lurking in Canada. Any potential InHumans too – there seems to be one in the city already, a few of 'the Crow's' bombs had been found already deactivated, if by 'deactivated' one means imploded or burned out safely for the others – but whom they find eventually is Ward.
The man is walking through an airport, with an entourage of men (smaller than the previous time Hunter had fought him, cough), and looking rather tired himself, though not as much as Hunter's and May's teammates, what with all the S.H.I.E.L.D. business. Of course why would Ward, after not having dealt with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best and brightest, be tired himself in the first place, is another question – but one that Hunter never asks, and May doesn't think about until much later; right now, they attack.
And things go similarly to how they went the first time when Hunter fought the other man, save that this time, when Ward lashes out and hits that spot on the face that turns a formidable fighter into a boneless and motionless rag doll, it's not Hunter that falls, but the Cavalry, despite all the warnings from Hunter about this.
"Well, now this is interesting," Ward says brightly, as he holds Melinda May in his grasp. No longer is a powerhouse of prowess, the Cavalry currently hanging loose and limp, looking very small, when contrasted against Ward. "Looks like I got a hostage! Drop the gun, Hunter, or else I'll do something that all of us will regret and remember for a long time."
"No," Hunter hisses. The arrogant, murderous arsehole, one that almost crippled Bobbi, hurt the other agents – his friends, (though he isn't sure about Lincoln: the man has been hanging around Bobbi too closely for Lance's liking – Bobbi likes it fast and loose even with other men, but for a while now Lance has been feeling the urge to settle down with her; maybe now he'll finally get the chance). "I'm not like S.H.I.E.L.D. – I don't play by their rules, and the two of us? We have never been friends, you cannot play the good guy with me, for I know that you are rotten to the core – but deny it. To yourself. So both drop the woman and die the hero that you've pretended to be, or do not, and her demise will be on your hands, for you will live knowing that despite your training, despite everything, you're a Hydra coward!"
It is a good speech. Hunter had thought hard on it, having listening to Bobbi's theories before he had come and gone after Ward the first time around. Admittedly, he is not sure if he had goaded the bigger man hard enough into releasing the Cavalry, but they are dealing with Hydra, where dominance and image is everything, and besides, Grant Ward had always prided himself on being well, manly, right? Surely this will work-
"Ah," says Ward, and there is an odd look in his eyes and odd expression in his face...
And suddenly the Night-Night gun of FitzSimmons bursts into flames – right in Hunter's grasp. An electric mishap, an outdated chemical reaction – who knows? In any case, while Hunter is being distracted by this, Ward hits him right on – with the Cavalry.
Once more – though this time he can move – Hunter is knocked out. When he comes back to his senses, Ward is gone, his men are gone, and the way that the Cavalry looks at him? She is pissed.
III
Days go by, as if they would never end. Ever since the fiasco in the Canadian airport, Hunter had been taken off the active duty – officially, to do some paperwork. Coulson, ever helpful, even now, suggests that Hunter does some questionnaires for therapeutic reasons – and Hunter agrees, apparently surprising Coulson. Maybe the man had his own reasons to think that he would refuse; until Canada, Hunter would have – refused, that is. Now, after the tense ride with May back to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ Lance feels that he has his own reasons to do this sort of thing.
In part this is because the others somewhat avoid him, after they become convinced that he almost hurt May while trying to get to Ward; mostly, this is not a problem, (and when it comes to Fitz, Lance has plenty of tell back to him regarding the Night-Night gun fiasco), but the fact that Bobbi is with them rather than with him hurts.
Of course, Bobbi did like to play it fast and loose; even in the past, she on occasion would switch her plans in the mid-game, leaving Hunter swinging free – and not in a good way, but even so, it still hurts, but this time Hunter can work with it, he does need to time to think. The questionnaires of Coulson's are helpful, actually, for Hunter honestly did need to think about some things, yes indeed!
And then, one day (actually, it had been less than two weeks, all and all), Hunter is summoned 'back' to Coulson's office; Melinda May is already back there, and it doesn't surprise Hunter: on their way back from the airport the two of them had exchanged some words, no more than 10, but with plenty of meaning behind them.
"Agent Hunter," Coulson says with his usual mild smile, which belies the sternness of his words. "Do you know why you have been called here?"
Hunter nods casually and turns to the female agent May. "Agent May," he says carefully and politely. "Back then, after the airport fiasco, we said some words to each other; I in particular said some that you didn't deserve. Could you forgive me?"
"I do," May speaks roughly, sounding her usual self – i.e. not very happy. She never did care for Hunter, and the airport situation probably did not make it any better. "I didn't act my best back there either. No harm done?" she asks.
"No harm done," Hunter nods, aware that not even Coulson could make May apologize for real. "So now what?"
"Tomorrow you start training with me," the Cavalry says simply.
Hunter blinks. "Hah? What am I missing?" he asks. On a certain level, he has a good reason to – the Cavalry never came to see him in the previous days, now she wants to train him? What gives?
On the other hand, however, this is not something that Lance had not figured out – he asks May the question for a different purpose...
"Look," the Cavalry rolls her eyes. "Hunter. You are a good shot, even better with a knife, and a good hand-to-hand combatant. Your head may not be screwed on the right way, but you are clearly working with it, so it is not a big problem. If you are, however, to keep up with Ward and to bring him down, you got to train even more, especially hand-to-hand, which is your weakness. Thus – training sessions with me, ok?"
The last pieces of the puzzle combine in Hunter's head with a click. He can see his future clearly now; it is with S.H.I.E.L.D. and it is very good, if not outright glorious. Many people would probably give their teeth for that future; his former colleagues in SAS would be very excited (to put it mildly) to be trained by the Cavalry; for a while, Lance himself would be too. Now, however...
"Agent May," he says in a polite voice; if Bobbi had heard it, she would be immediately wary. Bobbi, however, is not here, and May and Coulson are not as familiar with Hunter as she is. "I'm very flattered. Before we make any plans, can I have a talk with director Coulson? I really need to."
May did not know Lance as well as Bobbi did, but she was a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent: something in Lance's voice made her wary, but... she did not really have any good reasons to object. After exchanging a look with director Coulson (who seemed rather wary himself, but the request was polite and quite reasonable, so he nodded his compliance and May – reluctantly – left.
"Yes, agent Hunter?" Coulson asked the Englishman once the door closed. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Sir," Hunter is still polite as he sits down across the table, "am I being groomed for something? For if I remember correctly, the last person trained by the Cavalry was Daisy, and now she's one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest-ranking agents."
"Perhaps," Coulson nods, his wariness belied by confusion. "What is the problem?"
"It's a long story sir," Hunter leans back, as he begins his trip down the memory lane one more time. "My family, as you may know, is very upper-crust back in the old country, very old money and all." He takes a deep breath. "I was an only child, rarely saw my father, usually it was just me and mum. One day, when I was still in class – I mean in school, I walked onto mum having sex with her tennis coach. She begged me not to tell father, for he would not take it well. I lasted for a week, until father came home and talked to me, and I cracked. I told him everything, I never saw mum again. I finished school, went to military, became SAS, met Bobbi – but this is not about her. All this time, I guess, I was hurting on the inside, because if I am to be honest, I used my mess with Bobbi...of that time...to use as a reason to quit the military and go mercenary, for otherwise? I would become the same man that my father was." A pause. "There, eventually, I met Izzy – a wonderful woman, who practically became my second mum, you know?" he gives Coulson a wink.
"Go on," Coulson says, his emotions hid – professionally so. Very impressive for a man, whose up-and-coming pet protégé all but confessed to having an oedipal complex. "I'm listening."
"So did me, director Coulson – to Izzy. She used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. She used to talk about S.H.I.E.L.D. About Fury and Hill. Pierce and Sitwell. Victoria Hand and you and so on – but we are talking about you. She didn't like you very much, I'm afraid."
"Don't worry," Coulson says quietly. "I'm afraid that the feelings were reciprocated – Heartley and I were fellow agents, but we never really were friends or liked each other too much."
"She called you," Lance replies equally quietly, "a dirty old spider that gets others to do their dirty work. And now, after working with you and for you, I think that she was right."
Coulson froze.
"Grant Ward, now, is an arsehole, a murderous arsehole – or so I thought," Lance continued. "I fought with him several times. I fought alongside him and you few times, and I found him – around you – no more different from the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents I worked with for those last six months. I will never forget how he tortured Bobbi and tried to kill me – but then again, he had spent hours in her company; I, in such a situation, often end up wanting to torture and to kill someone too."
"Hunter, you aren't like him-"
"No, I am not. Quite some time before I met you, I broke free – I became a mercenary, I became able to work for the military – which I enjoy – but in my own manner. Grant never did. Boarding school, military school, S.H.I.E.L.D. He killed people because others told him to. He is a robot." A pause. "The catch here, director, is that as long as he killed people that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to get rid of, you had no problem with that. Hell, even after you realized that Ward did not chose you, you had no problems with that. He killed his family – you and your second did nothing to protect them, other than some half-hearted goose chase that did not do anything. You need to get to List – you go to him, making some sort of an equally wretched deal. When he breaks the deal, you do nothing. Yes, he and Palamas tortured Bobbi, but only because you gave him an in – into the base and all that. You really are not as smart as you think you are, Phil! You may just ooze sex appeal, but that doesn't change anything."
"Um," whatever Coulson wanted to tell Hunter became caught in his throat like some coughing fit, so Hunter continued onwards.
"That story with Canada? That confirmed it to me. Back then, at your current level, you should have known that the maple was a national Canadian tree and that Canadians get very testy about their nation, especially when dealing with the US – but you plowed on anyways, and almost caused a diplomatic scandal between the two countries. Ouch! But you survived. Now," he paused, "you and the others are worried about Ward. He was one of yours, so he knows all of your secrets, and you cannot control it – he cut all the strings. Bobbi said that she thought that he was a wannabe hero – but you do not see him running around the world claiming that he is captain Underpants or whoever rescuing people, now do you?"
"Um," Coulson tried again, clearly distracted by Hunter's depiction of the ex-agent. "Ward-"
"Phil, the people who think they are heroes is S.H.I.E.L.D. and its agents. You, or maybe we, are just another organization, like the FBI or SAS, neither particularly heroic nor dastardly, but you cannot accept it, not with your worship of captain America and the like. I do not have a problem with that; I suppose I have, or did, a problem with the fact that you tried to convert me into being one of you, but I have over it thanks to those questionnaires. Director Coulson, I am taking a leave of absence. Please do not call me. I'll call you."
With those words Lance Hunter quietly got up and walked out of Coulson's office, and then – out of S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. No one tried to stop him – but then again, most of the people that could were off on missions...
IV
Days go by. The third time S.H.I.E.L.D. encountered Grant Ward, the new director of Hydra, it is in person of Melinda May. In part, she took over the duties of Hunter; in part, she began to train new recruits to the agency's; S.H.I.E.L.D.'s work in Canada had done more good than harm after all.
That is not to say that Hunter's departure went unnoticed – it did. The fact that Hunter left after the Cavalry came back and after the two tried to work with each other and apparently failed, left some dark and bitter rumors in its wake – and Melinda, feeling rather dark and bitter herself, didn't really try to dispel them. Lance's rejection – hurt. S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't Hydra, it didn't work its members to join them, it tried to get them voluntarily, but when they rejected it? This still hurts.
The fact that Lance had left when they were still undermanned (new recruits is one thing, training them until they are ready to work in the field or the labs is another) is another problem, that of personnel. Melinda does the best she can, both training the new recruits and going afield with Daisy and Mack to deal with the new InHumans, but it is not enough; Melinda can never admit it to herself, but perhaps she is getting older: it is getting harder to get out of bed seemingly day by day, she is beginning to feel hungry (and thirsty) all the time, there are some weird feelings in her abdomen – perhaps the menopause is open her?
Thinking about that makes Melinda angry: the Cavalry, it seems, can defeat any enemy, (even Ward, at least once, back in CyberTek), but not old age. Perhaps it is time to go to pasture – but Melinda cannot. She tried it with Andrew, and – she cannot. She misses S.H.I.E.L.D. She misses Coulson. And Skye. And FitzSimmons. But...
But S.H.I.E.L.D. does not exactly feel like S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. Coulson has gone all political/diplomatical, often conferring with Bobbi Morse and the new member – Lincoln Campbell, on topics that Melinda does not really know much about. Jemma is gone, so Leo Fitz is busy between finding out ways on bringing her back, training his own recruits, and working with Mack – apparently their time in Canada brought them closer, one scientist to another, another field of S.H.I.E.L.D. where Melinda cannot really follow; and as for Daisy...
Melinda had always felt proud of Skye; Daisy Johnson is another matter. Make no mistake – the younger woman is a proper agent, doing her best to combine Coulson's approach to people with May's tactics, but it is not enough. S.H.I.E.L.D. is struggling with the ever-growing influx of InHumans; ACTU is growing more active, (even though Coulson's manoeuvrings have begun to keep it in check outside of the US); the only good thing is that Hydra is relatively passive ever since List was driven out of the Arctic and Strucker was captured by the Avengers – and then there is Ward.
No, literally, he is there, walking on the opposite side of the street, alone this time, but so's Melinda. Bobbi, via Lincoln, asked her to pick up some medical supplies, and since it is Leo Fitz's turn to go with Mack and Daisy, Melinda complied. Considering that she is feeling under the weather herself, she decided to buy some medical supplies for herself too. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical supplies, after all, shrunk alongside S.H.I.E.L.D. itself – another change for the worse.
"Ward!" Melinda snarls and charges her former compatriot, intent on bringing him down, forgetting that the last time they fought, Ward defeated her quite handily – but the way Melinda is currently feeling, she doesn't care about that. "Face and fight me, coward!"
And Ward – faces her. No mocking grin, (though there is something in his eyes, Melinda just does not know what), no mockery whatsoever: he just stands and faces her. Melinda had practiced since her defeat in the airport, but without a proper sparring partner (Bobbi has a bad leg, Coulson's a cyborg now, and Daisy just flat-out refuses to) it is hard to gauge her level of advancement; plus, she is feeling poorly in general, as it was said before, so when Grant Ward stands his ground, he holds his ground.
His technique is interesting, a very small part of Melinda notes, as she tries to overwhelm the man, and...not succeeds. It is a combination of traditional S.H.I.E.L.D. style, with notable elements of Chinese, and – Wakandan? All of those styles are suited to attack rather than defence, but Ward works them together very well – too well; if he were to attack...
Realization hits Melinda: Ward is not attacking, he is defending. Even in best condition, Melinda never liked long fights; S.H.I.E.L.D. trained its field agents to be brief, brutal, and efficient and fast; their style was determined by strength and speed or dexterity, not endurance. The Cavalry actually needs to finish this quickly, because otherwise? Even she will be in trouble.
Or maybe she already is. Ward's current tactics are those of an unmovable object; he does not budge, he just blocks and holds his ground. He does not even do the whole sudden paralysis sneak attack the way he finished the fight back in the airport, he just waits for Melinda to exhaust herself, and sadly, this is working.
"Fight me!" Melinda snarls.
"No," Grant says simply. "Can't. Do not want to. You're wearing Kara Lynn's face, see?"
Melinda's inner pressure valve breaks. She decides to do something different – a relatively high-aimed kick...and her innards rebel against this and twist into a knot. The Cavalry stumbles, falls onto her knees and vomits. She would have made an even worse spectacle of herself, but Grant catches her...in time...sort of.
"What's wrong with you, Cavalry?" he asks harshly. "What are you? Pregnant?"
There is a pause as he and Melinda just stared at each other, with similarly wide-open and scared eyes.
And then they went to a doctor.
/
The doctor, fortunately, was very understanding, even giving privacy – a lot of privacy – from Grant Ward to Melinda. "Besides, it's nothing that you didn't see already, proud father," she told the flustered ex-agent.
"I'm not the father, I'm just the co-worker," Grant was genuinely startled and flat-footed, for once.
"Aha, that's what they all say. Considering that you're here, I wouldn't bet on it, 'co-worker'," the doctor smirked, before turning more serious. "That said, will you be keeping...it..."
"Yes, I am," Melinda yelled without even really thinking about it. "And it's not an 'it' – it's a child."
"Twins, actually," the doctor revealed the finally processed x-rays. "No wonder you seem to have health problems," she 'helpfully' pointed to the list that May had received from Morse. "Don't worry, I'll help you with the prescriptions – the pharmacist is a friend of mine, and do you want to keep me? I believe I remember the man who referred you to me – he's a good doctor..."
"We'll think on it," Grant says quickly. "We don't want to be rude, but Melinda's somewhat overwhelmed. Twins?"
"Yes, buddy," the doctor nods, fortunately in understanding. "And if you decide otherwise, still call me – I know few other doctors who you may like better..."
"Thanks," Melinda managed to say, and then she and Grant left – with the prescriptions and all...
/
For the next hour or so everything went like a blur. Grant took one look at his former co-worker's face and put her into a corridor seat before going into the pharmacy. Once he was gone, Melinda genuinely wanted to run away out of this nightmare, but for once she had no strength in her legs, literally or otherwise. She honestly had a problem – or a blessing.
"There," Grant grunted, as he dumped the bought supplies into the seat next to her. "All done. Next time, Coulson can go shopping for this – I am not even S.H.I.E.L.D., I don't know why I should be babysitting your unborn children."
"The children? They aren't Phil's," Melinda quietly said.
Grant blinked. "Last time I saw you, you were with Hunter. Are they-?"
"No!" Melinda huffed. "As if! They're Andrew's!"
"And Andrew-?"
"My husband!" Melinda huffed. "You don't know him-"
"So, those children are legitimate," Grant nodded in understanding. "I don't get it. What's the problem?"
"I cannot leave S.H.I.E.L.D. now! Coulson and Daisy and others need me!" Melinda all but screeched into Ward's face. She knew that she was acting 'out of character', but honestly the occasion was justified. "We're undermanned!"
"Ok," Ward nodded sagely. "You got recruiting problems. Nothing new, then, save that your husband got you pregnant... and Morse is also pregnant... hah. Back on the Bus, when you and Skye and Simmons began to have your periods in synch was bad enough. Now...I think that I am honestly glad that I don't work at S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore."
"Yes, thank you for reminding me," Melinda said sourly. In all the craziness of the last couple of hours she had honestly half-forgotten that Ward was not working with them anymore. "Let's do this right now. What's your price?"
"Excuse me?" Ward blinked. "I am the director of Hydra now-"
"Please," Melinda said sourly. "You haven't killed Hunter though he fought you several times. You did not kill me either. You had not killed me now. I am not sure just what you are, but you are not Hydra. That said, we do not know what you are, or rather – what your game is, and how much more will you stay out of our way rather than try to kick us while we are down. I – and the others – cannot tackle you on top of everything else that we got on our plates, so I am asking right now: what is your price? There is a decent man in you somewhere-"
"Stop," Grant said in a voice that raised Melinda' hackles – in a scary way. "You want to buy me? All right. I want to be the godfather to your children, whoever the Hell their father is."
"Done," Melinda said, before her brain caught up to the rest of her. "Say what now?"
"My biological family is cursed," Ward said simply. "My brother's widow, however, has two children, and a third on its way, so on one hand, she has cheated on him – good – and other hand, our family name will be continued by better humans. I, however, will probably have no children of my own, for Kara Lynn is dead, I do not really believe in using whores for that end, and as for a loveless marriage? Having been on the receiving end of the one made by my biological parents makes me really against it. So yes, no children of my own, most likely. Ergo, being the godfather to your children is the next best thing. You wanted to know my price for not getting involved in S.H.I.E.L.D.? Well, here it is, and it is non-negotiable. Yes or no?"
"Being a godfather is a big responsibility," Melinda said slowly. "What makes you think that you can handle it?"
"Being 'just' a mother is an even bigger one," Grant pointed back. "What makes you think that you can handle it?"
"Because it is one of those things that I just wanted in my life no matter what," Melinda admitted as realization hit. "But this isn't similar; besides, you're not one of us-"
"Melinda Quilian May," Grant's voice was sour, if not outright bitter. "I know that I'm not one of you, and I will live and die not one of you, but that is my problem, and I will live with it. What can't be cured must be endured, you know? In any case, our argument is pointless, because I am not budging. Take it or leave it."
Melinda said nothing. "Thought so," Ward spoke in the tone of voice that really resonated with disgust, and got onto his feet. "Cavalry, it's been nice meeting you again. Hopefully, the next time I see you, you will already give birth-"
"Ward," Melinda said quietly. "If I accept you as a godfather for the children it will mean that you will be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., no matter how peripheral. So far it did not appear that it is something that you want. Do you want this now? For real? Or are you just-"
"You're looking at this all wrong," Ward turned back to face her. "I'm not becoming a godfather to your children so that I would work for the agency, or with it, or whatever. I am going to be working for you, or with you, or whatever, so that I can be a godfather to your children. Does that make better sense?"
"Yes," Melinda decided, her throat already partially sore from all the talking. "I'll take the deal. Now help me get back to the base!"
"You're so lucky that you got new hormones and new life in your body, because otherwise I would take you down a peg for this attitude!"
"I'm sure that you would," May replied, sounding unimpressed.
/
When May finally got back to the HQ, she was being awaited with varying degrees of eagerness, concern and other emotions. "May – I mean agent May," Bobbi said, clearly wary: the relationship between the two women still was not very friendly for several reasons, including their conflict in the past (but not only). "You're late. What had happened?"
"Obviously, I'm pregnant," Melinda decided to go for the other meaning of the word 'late'. "With twins, it seems. Phil, I need to talk to you – in private."
"The last time someone wanted to have a private talk to me, it was Hunter," Coulson replied slowly, "and his talk with me ended with him leaving us, at least for a while. Melinda-"
"Phil, I don't want to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. I don't want to leave you," Melinda exhaled. "But what choice do I have? I'm not yet even in my second trimester, and my fighting skills are already compromised-"
"You can work alongside the director and me in the administration," Bobbi suggests slowly, almost shyly. "Yes, it probably won't be very glamorous, but it's still work in S.H.I.E.L.D. Back in Canada, my role in that entire situation, was more glamorous than Daisy's or the others', but fundamentally it was the same thing – working for S.H.I.E.L.D., and without each other we might have caused an entire city to go down in flames-"
"I accept," Melinda interrupts the blonde and Bobbi immediately falls silent. "You've made your point, Morse. Thank you."
"You know," Phil filled the silence, (somewhat peevishly, BTW, but in a good way), "I'm the director here, so really I should be the one who makes the personnel decisions too." Everyone stared at him in a way that made him look somewhat uncomfortable. "What? I am just saying this to remind everybody here of the fact, because otherwise May? I have no problem with this decision. If you want to, you can stay."
"Thank you," Melinda nodded. She knew that by now she could just stay quiet about the rest – she could probably swing it with Ward without anyone noticing, at least for a while, but-
But then Melinda looked at Bobbi Morse. She remembered her interactions with the woman, from their initial meeting until now, and she made a decision.
"Actually," she said, startling the others, "there's more I need to tell you. It includes the bit about how I did discover that I was pregnant-" and as everyone goes over her choice of words, she promptly told them the full story of today's events.
When she finished, there was silence. "Melinda," Daisy spoke in a tight little voice, reminding Melinda of a younger, more innocent and vulnerable Skye. "What were you thinking? This is Ward. He hurts and kills people for a living!"
"Maybe not anymore," Fitz abruptly interrupted his friend, to everyone's surprise. (Lately he still was trying to find Simmons, but he was also spending more time with Mack and Daisy than he did several months before, for example.) "Director, people, do you remember when May and Hunter got back from the airport? Hunter in particular had this really nasty burn on his hand from the Night-Night gun going on fire?"
"Yes, and he had the nerve to blame you," Daisy nodded. "Called you a crummy engineer and all-"
"Yes, well, I admit that in my grief for Jemma I did let my skills get rusty," the little genius looked embarrassed. "Only slightly, but still. No, but the point I was trying to make was Hunter's burn – it was dark and nasty...and very similar to those burned-out bombs and traps and what-not we have found back in the frozen North."
"Please, Leo – you're from Scotland, Canada isn't any more chilly than your own homeland-"
"I really need to give you people a crash course on Scotland, especially after Hunter spoke the usual British crap about my land and people," Leo shook his head, "but Skye, I do believe that you're deliberately missing the point."
"Ward cannot be an InHuman, he just can't!"
"...Actually, my point is that he is trying to be a better man nowadays," Fitz sighed. "Maybe your missing the point isn't deliberate, but genuine. In any case, S.H.I.E.L.D. was, I do not know, invented? Designed? To help people, anyhow, so let us do it. Let us give Ward a chance – and help to become a better man. I'm not saying to let him back in, but – to help him, that's all."
"I don't know," Bobbi slowly said – she did not like to argue with Fitz; lately, she did not like to argue with anyone at the HQ, actually. "If the way he went at me is his way of making amends-"
"No, it's probably not," Melinda agreed in such a voice that made everyone immediately grow wary. "But agent Morse, can I be honest with you? Things were never very good between the two of us, and I am honestly touched and surprised when you offered me a helping hand."
"Thank you," Bobbi blushed. "There's a 'but' however, isn't there?"
"Yes. Agent Morse, before I went to settle things with Andrew, I told you that I knew everything – and I was wrong. I did not know everything, but I knew enough, and I talked about it with the director, and he did learn everything, and he told me, so we know, agent Morse, we know."
"You know, and you still didn't debrief me?" Bobbi said in a tiny voice.
"Yes," came the reply. "Because there's good in you too, it outweighs the evil, but the evil is in you too. In any case, let us make a deal: either you tell everyone the full story, or not - but in that case, you do not get to criticize anyone again." Melinda paused. "Whatever is your decision, however, I will try to be the friend you need to have."
"Oh," Bobbi blinked. "Well, in that case... right." She took a deep breath, stared at a point in the room that held nothing in particular in it, and told them the whole story about herself, Lance Hunter, Kara Lynn Palamas and few other people. When she was finished, there was silence.
"So," Lincoln, surprisingly, was the one who decided to fill it. "You and Kara Lynn were lovers until you abandoned her for Hunter, and she tried to steal him, and so you sold her out to Hydra."
"I didn't!" Bobbi yelled desperately. "I just...forgot to rescue her alongside Jemma Simmons..."
"I'll say!" Daisy could not help but to speak aloud.
"Daisy," Lincoln shot his girlfriend a look. "Bobbi isn't like you, she isn't strong all the time. Believe me, in Canada I saw it firsthand. "Yes, I saw her talking mile a minute with all of those politicians, scientists, environmentalists, holding her ground, looking very glamorous and modern and nonchalant – you name it, she was it."
"Environmentalists?" Mack blinked.
"The Mist contamination?" Lincoln looked back, holding his ground. "There are several water-cleaning plants in Canada that can be used to deal with it – to a limited extent. The director had us look into this too. Anyways, what my point is that Bobbi can be whatever you need her to be. On her own, however, she is a woman who cries, who feels pain, who needs help to relieve the pain, who got shot in the leg and who received inappropriate medical help – seriously, I may've been on top of my university classes, but getting your medical department into shape took some serious dexterity and skills that I didn't know I had...but Bobbi helped – and who needs help. Bobbi... she isn't like Daisy, or agent May – she's more soft, warm, womanly-"
"Excuse me?" Daisy turned red, but not from shame. "What are you saying?"
"Bobbi may be physically taller, but you're still the stronger person," Lincoln shrugged. "And Daisy? It may not be you, it's me, but I like Bobbi better."
"You're the father of her child," Melinda said slowly.
"Yes. Bobbi was born with a thyroid problem, meaning that she has to exercise or she will gain weight like crazy. With a leg that apparently be permanently weakened this is no longer possible. So, while we were travelling all over the country and staying in all of those hotels, I started to help her, and she is, well, very beautiful and clever, so... yeah. Besides, she is divorced, you know?" Lincoln finished rather defensively.
"I understand," Coulson nodded, "and so do the rest of us. You will have to square it with Ward separately, though, because so far he is not one of us-"
"Judging by the similarities in your attitudes sir, towards me, I think he sort of is," Bobbi muttered. "Um sorry?"
"I'll let it slide this time," Coulson said loftily, "but for now you need to get back to work – we all need to get back to work, actually, because, people, let's be honest – nowadays, for us, today is simply routine and we still have a S.H.I.E.L.D. to run and a world to save."
There was a general chorus of agreement and the impromptu meeting broke up. As the team members went their separate ways, Daisy noticed – perhaps consciously for the first time – that while Bobbi was not the one carrying twins, her physical condition was worse than Melinda's. It was a strange observation, and Daisy is not certain what to make of it...
V
Days go by. The first time S.H.I.E.L.D. has to work with Grant Ward, the godfather of Melinda's children is in Wakanda, and the result is that of the Bus team missions at its' craziest. The wine bottle with the latest alien map on its label eventually is secured, however, and it matters. This, however, brings, or rather gives, Bobbi Morse enough courage to contact Grant Ward directly, via S.H.I.E.L.D.'s version of Skype, and its matters too.
"Agent – I mean Ward," the blonde says belatedly, remembering that her interlocutor is not an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, or any agent for that matter. "Can we talk?"
"You called me, agent Morse," Ward replies neutrally, "so what do you want to talk about?"
"I was hoping that we can mend bridges," Bobbi confesses.
There is a pause as neither she nor Grant wants to fill.
"I'm sorry, never mind," Bobbi decides to blink first. "It was stupid of me – you don't owe me anything-"
"I apologize," Grant's voice is tense from self-control, "for torturing you and for breaking you, agent Morse. You were always proud of your physical skills, and I took them away from you – as one field agent to another – this is inexcusable. As one person to another – this is also inexcusable. My biological family was inherently rotten, but this still does not excuse me. I just, it's just when I look at you, I sort of see the agent I could've been if it wasn't for Hydra, and that didn't help."
"I forgive you," Bobbi says slowly. "Will you forgive me for hating Kara Lynn so much that I would rather be tortured than apologize? Kara was always the one who brought substance to my style, and when I realized that despite all the shit I threw her way she still came on top and found herself a real friend-"
"I loved her," came the reply. "She was a remarkable woman. Hydra had reduced her to a broken doll, but she came back. The plan was – you apologize, we bring you back, and negotiate with Coulson – a handler in exchange for Kara's daughter. There would've been a family, and I like to think that Coulson would've trusted me more then, since he would have a handle with which to bring me to heel."
"Coulson isn't like this," Fitz snaps, as he moves into Ward's field of view. All this while, he and Mack had been going over Morse's leg brace, while the latter was draining lymph from her leg. "Ward-"
"Actually, Fitz?" Bobbi says slowly. "He sort of is, or rather was. After I was rescued from Ward I wanted to leave S.H.I.E.L.D., especially after it became obvious that the Cavalry knew too about what she had done, and her behavior hurt worse than torture did. Coulson had rather coerced me into staying, suggesting, implying that if I leave, S.H.I.E.L.D. would not be able to protect me from Ward. S.H.I.E.L.D. had done this sort of thing in the past, and it is morally shady – aaah! This feels good!"
"She means," Fitz says crossly, "that her body is back to normal – for a while. Ward?"
"Yes, Fitz?"
"I forgive you too. I want, I want to be the better man-"
"Fitz? You are the better man, always were."
"...I was really going for a big speech here," Fitz sounded peeved, "and you just took the wind out of my sails, you know? When you were just an arrogant jerk, it was easier – when you have bouts of this self-depreciation, it is something else. You want to come back to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Yes," Ward nods automatically, before giving the smaller man a decisively unfriendly look. "Was this called for?"
"No," Fitz admits, "it's just that between Bobbi and Melinda I for one could really use another person on the base. When Jemma vanished, I thought for sure that nothing would drag me out of the lab again until I found her-"
"But now you have realized that no person is an island, especially in S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Ward nodded. "Very good, it took me years to realize this."
"All right. I don't want to go through more years for your next epiphany, so here's the thing," Fitz would have shoved Bobbi out of the way, but considering their respective body weights, he literally cannot – not at the moment. "For a while no, ever since Canada, the lines have been blurring. The old S.H.I.E.L.D. was all about specialization, the new S.H.I.E.L.D.," he pauses.
"What Fitz actually means, is that we do different jobs but for the same goal," Bobbi said, "and we have to work together whether we want it or not." She paused. "And yes, let's get to the elephant in the room and agree that your past, who you are, matters. If you were just some stranger from the street? Things would've been different, simpler...but in worse ways too." Another pause. "Honestly, maybe it's better if we keep things the way they are? You are a good man, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you can, or want, to be an S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."
"Hunter," came the thoughtful reply. "He really did leave, and not because of you."
"No," Bobbi grunted, as the others disengaged the draining machine from her leg and put the brace back on. "Not because of me. Ward, I'm not going to lie – not to you, 'cause it won't be worth it. You know exactly what working for S.H.I.E.L.D. means, the good and the bad. Do you accept it, the entire package, or would you rather keep things how they are now? Frankly, you are useful and helpful nowadays, and we would rather not lose it-"
"This isn't a discussion I want to have online," Ward said firmly. "Let's talk about it in person the next time we work together." And he switched off.
"...I didn't expect that," Fitz muttered. "I expected him to be more enthusiastic."
"Considering that he truly knows what S.H.I.E.L.D. is, how it works, Leo," Bobbi replied with a grunt, "I had no intention of tricking him. May is right – he must learn to make his own choices and to live with them."
"He also has to realize that his choices can affect others," Fitz was not convinced.
"And you and the others have to realize that indiscretion in recruiting can be more trouble than it's worth – I once heard that Coulson tried to poach talent from the FBI or something along those lines – and the chief of FBI threw his lot with ACTU when it came onto the scene. I really don't want something like that to happen between us and Ward and his outfit," Bobbi shot back.
That effectively ended the discussion.
VI
Days went by. Neither Ward nor the others reinitiated the talk online. Otherwise, Ward certainly agreed to cooperate with Daisy Johnson and her team when they were on the trail of some new InHumans. Yet, somehow, it ended up in particular with Daisy Johnson being bound by a Wakandan slave collar and chains, while Grant Ward stared downwards on her alongside her captor. She stared at him with eyes watery from hurt and betrayal. He looked back with his trademark robot look, before gently leading his new companion away from her.
Several moments later Daisy involuntarily flinched as the roar "You dare? You – dare?!" shook the entire hideout.
(One obligatory fight scene later...)
"So," Daisy said weakly, as Grant was undoing the collar, "why didn't you kill the man?"
"Burguri?" Grant said nonchalantly. "Because I really want to know how he got out of prison in the first place. Back when I first met him, he was one of the White Ape Cult's cultists, which made him an enemy of the state, which meant that he wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a long time."
"I meant his friend?"
"Oh, he isn't human, he is what the IWC call 'subterrestrial' and belongs to their jurisdiction."
"IWC?"
"International Watchers Council – you know, one of those organizations that actually likes S.H.I.E.L.D. better than ACTU?"
"Oh. I knew that," Daisy lied brightly, before switching to the more convenient and conventional subject (by S.H.I.E.L.D. standards). "Does that mean that you're no longer interested?"
"Excuse me?"
"In working for us. We did give you the offer some days ago; yes, it was not quite sanctioned by M-May and DC, but still valid. You said that you will talk about it in person, and yet here we are-"
"All right, I'm in," Ward said quietly. "One condition, though."
"Which is?"
"Please try to have the others tone down the soul-searching talks with me," Grant grimaced. "I don't really care much for talks on 'happiness' and 'potential' and the like."
"I'll talk to DC," Daisy said, sounding more happy than she had earlier. "What about-"
Grant's phone rang. "Yes?" he spoke into it, before decisively passing it onto Daisy. "You take it – I have to prevent Mack from making an international scandal," and he quickly walked away.
"Yes?" Daisy spoke into the phone.
"You're fine!" Coulson did not even try to hide his relief.
"Yes, and so's Leo, though he is still naked," Daisy nodded. "...So am I, actually."
"..."
"Grant is busy with Mack – preventing him from starting an international scandal with Wakanda over Burguri and the others," Daisy clarified. "And Fitz doesn't mind at all – he's busy being fawned over some InHuman woman as we speak-"
A shadow fell over Daisy: she looked up. A man in a catsuit, complete with a mask, stared down at her.
"I'm Black Panther," he told her solemnly. "Can we talk?"
"DC, I got to go," Daisy said quickly. "Someone who calls himself the Black Panther wants to talk with me."
"Can I talk to him first?" Coulson said just as quickly, sounding all business now.
"Roger that," Daisy nodded and passed the phone towards the new arrival. "The director wants to talk to you."
Black Panther nodded, took the phone and walked away. Suddenly realizing that she really was naked, Daisy walked away herself, searching for her uniform and for Fitz's clothing.
/
...The ride back was awkward, to say the least. "The king of Wakanda saw me naked?!" Daisy exclaimed even when it got old. Of course, Fitz was currently busy himself with his new admirer, so that left only Mack and Ward, and neither of them were too impressed with Daisy's repetition and discovery.
"Yes he did," Mack finally spoke up, clearly annoyed. "So what? All Wakandans are-"
"Mack, please!" Daisy spoke up quickly. "We all already heard your speech about Wakanda and the like. Even IWC was impressed." She paused. "Of course, their representative was impressive herself." She paused. "Hey Ward. You've been even more quiet than Mack is – on his usual night."
"But this isn't a usual night," Ward pointed out evenly. "Look at Fitz – he's actually being with another woman."
"Yes, and speaking of women, what did you think of me?" Daisy decided to ask a question...for purely scientific reason. "After all, this isn't the first time you saw me naked!" She paused. "And yes, oddly enough, both times had to do with Wakanda and Wakandans-"
"Johnson," Grant's voice was carefully measured. "You're a robust and powerful woman. You got a very good figure, well-proportioned legs and arms. You are very pretty as well. Yet you are not my woman, and as I told you back on that wine-based mission, I have no intention of sleeping with you. I already tried it with your SO and got my larynx almost broken. Don't want the repetition of that, thank you!"
"What if I promised you that I won't mind?" Daisy fluttered her eyelashes – and became interrupted by Mack.
"Stop your flirting, you two!" he growled at both her and Ward. "Between Turbo back there being fawned on, and you two going at it so clumsily, I'm really being treated to all sorts of different relationships – and that's not what I want right now."
"If you're interested, agent Ukajh was honestly interested in you, Mack," Grant wryly.
"Who?" Daisy blinked.
"You called her Miss Africa, I believe."
"Oh," Daisy blinked. "Er, why do you call her an agent?"
"Because she was one of us," Mack growled, "until the mess with Hydra, when she and her unit decided to become part of Wakanda instead." He paused. "I guess there are probably worse choices to make, and since she didn't come back ever since Coulson took over, she probably doesn't fare too badly, but man, Wakanda? Animal cults, sacred plants, and all that crap straight out of Robert Howard novels? There were better choices to make too." He paused and looked at Ward. "And I wouldn't call her interest honest either, man. Wakandans always look for fresh blood, both literally and politically. After Fay chose to go to them too, I am not going to have anything with them anymore, no."
At the end of Mack's rather passionate speech there was nothing but silence.
VII
Days went by. Grant did come back to S.H.I.E.L.D. with minimum fuss. After all, he was already regularly taking May and Bobbi to the doctor. (Coulson and Daisy often came along too; even Lincoln, though more rarely than he would like.) Fitz had already forgiven him; when it came to Bobbi the two of them had made their peace already, and he and Coulson treated each other cautiously, but with respect. In short, it was not how it used to be, but it was still a decent scenario.
And then, one day, Fitz gathered them all for a Simmons-based meeting. (They happened less often than they did once, but still did.) "So," he said without preamble. "Does anyone know anything about the so-called Gabriel's horn?"
"I've heard of it from a major asshole who called himself Kommendant Schultz," Grant said carefully. "I call him that because he planned to resurrect the Red Skull. Fitz, this isn't him?" he forwarded a picture from his own files onto Fitz's computer.
"Yeah, that's him," Fitz said bitterly. "And the horn is really used to resurrect the dead?"
"That's it primary function, yes," Bobbi admitted, reluctantly. "Me and Kara used to be on the S.H.I.E.L.D. team that sought it out and researched it and such. Maybe Schultz had heard of it from one of them?"
"The man used to work for Whitehall rather than List, so yes," Ward said in a neutral tone of voice. "Fitz, did he manage to fool you?"
"Yes, apparently," Fitz said sourly. "WTF am I always fooled by Hydra?"
"Because you're a good man and such people tend to trust other people, especially at first?" Daisy said brightly.
"There's that, and then there's the fact that if I don't try to bring Jemma back, no one else will. I mean, there is this InHuman girl-"
"Very doe-like, graceful," Mack nodded.
"She can turn into a deer!" Fitz snapped. "I've heard of werewolves, but this is something else!"
"Agent V can turn into a boar," Grant shrugged. "You don't see Amanda treat him any different because of this. Or Daisy, or me, or anyone else. I don't know how the whole shapeshifting thing works, but it does." He paused. "And in any case, her grip on English may be rather rusty, but I'm quite certain that I heard her call you 'cousin' few times."
Fitz blinked. "Really?" he asked and was answered by a chorus of affirming noises. "Oh. Well, can you check my blood please?" he turned to Lincoln. "If we're related...this is something else. I never had a blood relative that I had liked before."
"Done," Lincoln nodded sagely. "Anything else?"
Nothing else was forthcoming. "Then please leave," Lincoln said firmly. "Both Bobbi and Melinda are going to give birth any minute now."
And so off they went, though Coulson stayed behind (because he was the director and all). As he did, he thought that he heard Grant call someone on the phone...
/
(One obligatory fight scene and one saving the world scene later)
"You didn't tell that you knew the freaking Avengers!" Daisy accused Grant later once they retreated from the others. Not that it was hard. Between the children of Melinda (triplets, rather than twins), Bobbi's second son (she and Lincoln decided to call him Abe, because of the obvious connotations) and her former friendship with the Black Widow and Hawkeye, Coulson's particular relationship with both Rogers and Fury, Mack's new crash on Jessica Jones and the Falcon's objection to it – Daisy found it very easily to take Grant away from all of this – especially from Jessica Jones, who apparently did have a history with him.
"I don't know them, not like Fury or Coulson," Grant protested. "I did meet Jessica back when I was with Hydra-"
"And promptly took her to the Avengers," Daisy said with more bite than she intended to. She did not know why that was, really.
"Well, the Avengers' tower is a landmark," Grant defended himself. "They are so lucky that Daredevil took the Kingpin of crime out of the picture, at least for now." He paused. "Anyways, I met the Falcon, handed Jessica to him, and that was the end of that."
"Only you stayed in touch with her," Daisy accused.
"Yes, but it doesn't matter – she isn't you," Grant shrugged.
"Um-"
"You shot me – I didn't care. I talked to Cal and listened to his speech about the women on your mother's side and what do they do to men in their lives – I don't care," Grant said simply. "Daisy, you're a confident, powerful woman and my feelings for you remained the same," he shrugged. "I think that on some level you won." He paused. "If we have a relationship, can you at least pretend to release my leash every once in a while, to give me some voice in the decisions? I do not mind if you stay on top most of times, but still-"
Daisy opened her mouth, closed it, and thought some more. "All right," she said in her take-charge, outdoor voice (i.e. when Coulson was not around – she did not want to steal his thunder, after all). "If we have a relationship, I will release your leash in a while, I will permit you to make at least half of all the decisions in our family, and will even buy you something pretty once in a while. How does that sound?"
Grant blinked and gave her a look – similar to the one that he had given her earlier, when she went all fangirl on Captain America (don't ask). Daisy did not blink. "All right," Grant finally nodded. "Do you want to do it all quiet like, how Lincoln and Bobbi did it?"
Daisy nodded and agreed. They had a quiet, civil ceremony, but they did live happily ever after, and if anyone wondered why Grant did take his wife's last name, or heard rumors of the two of them buying some BDSM gear every once in a while, all of that stopped, once little Tommy Johnson was born.
End