Chapter 2

After a week of being holed up in the apartment, only leaving to get food or to go out to eat, Pips was bored. She was either bored or crying and she wanted to get out of the shrinking apartment. The blank white walls were driving her crazy and she had cabin fever beyond belief. She was tempted to get out a permanent marker and letting loose on the wall just to create something different to look at.

Using the laptop that Pips had decided to take from her mother's office, Pips started searching ways to spruce up her new enclosure. She had seen an amazing range of paint colours that she thought would look good in her new room and she just had to pick a theme.

As she was trying to decide between an ocean theme and jungle theme Phil walked in. He watched her for a moment and looked at the sketchbook that Pips was rapidly drawing in before asking her what on earth she was doing.

"How would you feel about me decorating my room?" Pips asked her uncle using the puppy eyes that he had grown up seeing on Sophie's young face. Phil was almost tempted to say no, just to see if her temper was the same as his sister's but he couldn't do that to her. The SHIELD psychologist that he had been emailing (as a friend and not in a professional capacity) had suggested getting Pips interested in a project and since she was unable to take part in sports until her arm was healed this seemed like a godsend. Pips face lit up when he agreed and with her good arm she pulled him down to the floor so that she could share her ideas.

The next day, after having settled on a British theme complete with painted on rain clouds and big red bus, Pips and Phil set out to go for the weekly shop. Somehow getting the numerous colours of paint and stencils was the easiest part of the task. Phil was used to searching out bizarre materials for the R+D department at SHIELD. Also with an inborn sense of organisation common in all Coulsons the two were able to locate everything in minutes. Everything changed once they moved over to Wal-Mart.

So far Phil had kept his shopping list down to what he could get from small stores nearby but he was running out of meals he could make with his limited experience and limited supplies. Pips had been informed that Wal-Mart was like ASDA; the 11 year old was fine with that having been to ASDA stores up and down the country.

Wal-Mart was not like ASDA. For one thing, everything was bigger. She had formed a basic list on things that she had realised she didn't have over the week; chocolate, lip balm, sanitary towels, peppermint toothpaste. Of course in the three supermarkets closest to the flat in London Pips could have been in and out in 20 minutes. She was woefully unprepared for the experience. Luckily Phil was a master of preplanning and had a list that was ordered by aisle.

Once Pips adapted to the size, and adapt was something that Pips did quite quickly these days, she encountered problem number 2. The next person who told Pips that Americans spoke English would regret it. She looked at the milk and was close to having another breakdown with the fear filling choices. Everything was much too different and yet familiar, the part of her that enjoyed reading fantasy was sure she had fallen through a portal to an alternate universe. Thankfully Phil was on hand to steer her away from a philosophical debate of what real was and to guide her to the aisle with the chocolate explaining to her patiently what each one contained. Pips looked quickly at the trolley and considered taking everything out, surely it was too expensive to land a young girl on a professional bachelor but Phil reminded her that there was more than enough inheritance so support her and him and that the chocolate would at least temper her emotions, and stop her from starving living off of Phil's cooking.

Pushing that problem to the back of her mind Pips pushed on to what would be the big problem, trying to negotiate the female hygiene aisle.

Pips was an early bloomer (thank god she knew what she knew before Phil because dear God that could have gone terribly) yet so far she had simply gone to her mother whenever that stupid monthly occurrence had reared its ugly head. Changing times meant that Pips was trying desperately to remember what the pads she usually used looked like as Phil stood awkwardly behind her trying not to look absolutely insane. After a few minutes a father-daughter couple walked up to Phil and Pips and introduced themselves.

"Step-daughter?" the man asked Phil as the daughter headed to Pips and started asking her questions Phil did not need to hear.

"Niece," Phil replied and the man laughed before patting Phil on the back.

"Don't worry; the awkwardness will stop in about 22-25 years. Amy, my step-daughter, and I have this all down now, the simple thing to do is to get as many details as possible about the ideal item and then get multiple options." Phil nodded and considered jotting it down as a key point but he decided he could remember it. A moment later Pips and Amy returned with many brightly coloured packets that Phil made a note of to write down later. Since Amy and Mark were going the same way as Phil and Pips the four continued shopping until much everyone had finally finished and they parted ways after exchanging details.

That night Phil cooked up a strange concoction of a stew like substance with meat of some kind whilst Pips drew out a final plan. She was very patient for an eleven year old and so was tracing out the bus on a stencil. She had already finished the London eye and the umbrella.

Eventually Pips allowed herself to be pulled away from her craft to eat the meal that didn't actually taste too bad. It was something Marcus had taught Phil to make in the Rangers; Pips decided that it wasn't irredeemable with salt and pepper although it was quite sweet. The two turned in preparing for a busy morning.

The next day Phil and Pips set about covering the small amount of furniture with white sheets and began painting, dressed in old sweatpants and huge old t-shirts. They had finished two walls when the doorbell rang. Phil ushered Pips into the hall closet/ armoury and instructed her not to open the door until he returned for her. He grabbed a silencer and screwed it onto the first glock he saw before heading for the door. Pips heard the bolt pulled back and the door swing open. Pips heard muttering between Phil and the new man, she wasn't going to investigate. She could hear footsteps edging closer to her and she held her breath, her good hand grasping for a knife that was stuck into the wall beside her. There was a knock on the door and Pips relaxed for a second but paused, Phil would give her the all clear rather than cause her panic. She held up the knife and kept silent, prepared to fling forward and run. The door swung open and Pips launched herself at the figure slashing wildly. The man stepped sideways meaning that Pips fell forward and landed on her face.

"Pips, this my boss Nick, Nick this is Sophie's daughter Pip." Phil introduced the two as he helped his niece up off the floor and removed the knife before she did anymore damage. Nick had, obviously, avoided the knife himself but there might have been a new scratch on his leather coat. Phil had noticed the scratch but thought that the man deserved it, scaring the daylights out of pre-teens. He refused to offer Nick a cup of coffee since he had no good reason to be interrupting his free time but the older man made himself a cup anyway, knowing instinctively where everything was kept.

"So Cheese, I see you're turning domestic?" Nick asked sitting himself down calmly as if he owned the place. Phil scowled and got a coaster for the mug that was threatening to damage his new table.

"I filed for emotional, familial and then for personal leave. I complete all my paperwork every evening and am still on top of all requisition forms for my department." Phil replied whilst getting a drink for Pips, he noticed that she tended to drink only if a drink was put in front of her. Pips was nervous, sitting as far away as she could from the strange man she had decided was a threat. Phil watch the two observe each other and was tempted to laugh.

"Marcus, what do you want? We need to get back to decorating and unless you want to help us?" Phil had no intentions of allowing Nick to stay but he knew it would work to get rid of the man. Nick took a long gulp of his coffee.

"Can't a man catch up with a friend, and subordinate, in the tale of a tragedy?" Phil raised an eyebrow, so did Pips. "I want to know when I can expect you back at work, I need my one good eye." Pips was confused as to whether or not the man was joking, the eye patch was putting her of slightly. Phil stood and took the cup away from Nick, no longer caring if he was being rude or not.

"I will return when my leave is up Director Fury, right now I have more important tasks." Nick nodded and headed for the door.

"Barton needs a new handler," the man said halfway out the door, finally getting to his real reasons for visiting, "I think you would be good together."

That night, despite having painted the first coat of Pips room, Phil sat up thinking. There was something about Marcus' proposal that was getting to him. He nodded off before he could find an answer.