The Middle of The End

"Are you sure about this Clint?" Phil asked as the a Avengers Tower drew nearer. He still wasn't sure. Pepper would shoot him, along with Natasha and all the other guys, just for being alive, causing him to die again.

"Yes, I'm sure Phil. The guys, Nat and Pepper all miss you, and I'm sure Jane can't wait to see you again, especially since last time she saw you, you, you know, took all her research. And Darcy's iPod." Phil groaned. Of course Jane would be there, holding a grudge against him for something that happened a long time ago. Still, Phil bravely crossed the street, Clint by his side, and up to the Avengers Tower. Clint muttered something nasty and rang the intercom, whisking he had remembered his card. The security had been tightened since some crazed fan girl had broken in a few weeks before. The thing buzzed and Clint said, "Tony, it's me, let me in."

"I'm detecting two heat signatures." Tony replied.

"I brought a friend from S.H.I.E.L.D. You might have met him before. Just open the damned door!" Tony went downstairs and opened the door.

"Barton. Coulson." He nodded to each of them. "Jesus Christ Coulson!" He shouted grabbing the man in the a hug. He did the whole are you real check, before concluding that by some miracle, he was real and alive. "We've got to find the others! Oh, and feathers, your girlfriends looking for you."

"She's not my girlfriend..." He trailed grinning at Coulson. He swung in to the vents as Tony took Coulson the normal way to find Natasha. Tony knew Steve and Thor were in the gym, Bruce in the lab, Pepper and Jane in the lounge area but it didn't feel like telling anyone before Natasha. He was her handler before, she should know before everyone else. So that was why, on pain of death, Tony took Coulson to the Hawk and Spider's floor, they shared a floor, yet insisted that they weren't together. Then again, they were hardly ever there together.

Natasha was ready and waiting. Before anyone could say anything, she slapped him. "Where did you go? Why didn't you tell us you weren't dead? We mourned for weeks, years even. As I'm sure your cellist did. You should have at least told her. And us! I thought you were above this, Phillip James Coulson!" Phil winced at the use of his full name.

"I'm sorry Natasha. Fury ordered it. I wanted to but I couldn't. I was dead for days, weeks even. I-I really wanted to tell you guys, and Lou. Oh God Lou. I mourned for her, because since I was dead she'd probably found someone to replace me, married with a kid now. Louise..." Phil began to shed tears he'd been holding in for years.

"Hey Coulson. Don't worry. I'll personally make sure you see her soon, okay?" Natasha said gently, hoping to stop the tears.

"Keep the love alive." Stark whispered, and the way Natasha glared at him, he was surprised he didn't loose his head.

After Phil had cleaned himself up, Tony decided to take him to see the others, given they probably wanted to see Phil too. Tony decided his science bro was next, and even though they didn't know each other very well, Bruce seemed happy that Phil was alive and began to ask Phil scientific question that he had no idea what they meant, much less how to answer them. Phil soon left Banner to his experiments and breathed out, knowing that he only had two Avengers to go, just on third of them left. Tony took Phil to the gym next and although he expected both Thor and Capsicle to be there, it was not an entire surprise to find that Steve had left. He had been in there a long time. Thor was facing away when they walked in but soon turned to face whoever had entered the gym.

"Phillip, Son of Coul?" Thor said in disbelief, "Why this cannot be true. I saw you die with my very eyes, yet it is with them that I see you before me."

"I'm real Thor. Director Fury brought me back to life."

"Well then I graciously welcome you back to the land of living." Phil smiled. It was such a Thor thing to say. Phil didn't think he needed to point out that he'd been back in the 'land of living' for years as Thor went back to his vigorous workout.

Tony runs know where Steve had gone, having thought he was in the gym. Yet Captain America was exactly who Phil wanted to see. They looked all over for him so it seemed odd that when they finally met, it was in the elevator. "Tony," Steve nodded and then turned to face the man's companion. "Agent Coulson, sir." Steve then realised and continued. "If you dint mind me asking, aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Supposed to be, yes. Actually, no. And I haven't been for eight and a half years. Steve looked rather like a goldfish as he tried to process this information.

"Why haven't you been to see us before? We all thought you were dead, agent." Phil hung us head. He should have broken protocol, come to see them. But no, he had to follow the directors orders, which probably meant divorce and the loss of some very good friends. Steve got out the elevator on the next floor without another word.

Tony shoved a shocked Coulson out on the loungey area where the last of the Towers occupants sat. Pepper and Jane. Phil cowered behind Tony. They were probably going to be very angry. Jane still probably hadn't gotten over her research and of Thor was ever unhappy about him being dead that was probably his fault too. Pepper would be angry that he died so unexpectedly, just after he was about to propose too, and then how he never told her or any one else in the Tower that he was alive again. As their footsteps grew louder, both heads turned to look at Phil who was actively avoiding their eyes. "Phil! Aren't you dead?!" Pepper asked, suddenly worried about how someone could come back to life. Didn't this mean Stane, Vanko and Killian could come back too? That was shit she didn't need to deal with.

I seem to be getting that a lot today Phil thought, but said, "Yes but I'm not." Out loud.

"You're not here to steal my research are you?" Jane asked, genuinely worried.

"No," Phil replied. "This is purely a social visit. Pepper smiled and began to chat to him, just like she would've nine years ago.

Stark decided that they needed a 'family' dinner that night. Coulson didn't disagree, he needed to get to know everybody again. However, he didn't think it needed to be forced upon him quite that soon. Still, he went along with Tony's wishes and began to make himself ready for the night. He sat in between Natasha and Clint, who both had a battle raging in their minds about whether they should or shouldn't talk to him, as they thought he could have come back earlier, but missed him so much they wanted to talk. Steve sat opposite him, occasionally asking him questions about his life, before and now. Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Jane and Thor were having separate conversations, but soon enough Pepper brought up the Cellist. She asked if he was still in touch with her, and when he said no, everyone, particularly Clint, told him he needed to get his ass up to Portland. Phil's phone began to ring, just as he was about to agree. It was Hill, who said, "Coulson you and your team are needed on an urgent call in Portland, now. The Bus is ready at S.H.I.E.L.D. with your whole team except you."

"I'll be there in five." He cut off and turned back to the ensemble gathered before him. "Looks like I'm going to Portland." He then left before any one could utter another word.

Phil paced about the bus. What if something had happened to Louise? Hill didn't want to tell him anything until they either knew more or he was close to landing. She said she would radio in with further instructions later. May told him he was going to wear out the carpet the first time she walked past the pacing. She said it again the second time. And the third. But the fourth she sat on a nearby chair and said, "Hill's on the radio. But remember keep calm and don't let your emotions take over." Phil went to see what Hill had to say.

It turned out that a single mother had been in a car accident with her eight year old son, she had been put in a coma but he had a few cuts and bruises but was otherwise unharmed. They didn't know much about the case yet, because there was no ground team, but the woman was currently at the hospital with a witness, who had the number plate of the car. Phil would visit there first. May and Simmons would come with him. Simmons for the scientific and injuries side of things, May for her protection. Coulson felt he didn't need protection. They approached the witness first, who gave them the registration plate of the lorry, which they then gave to Skye and Fitz who began to trace it. She also gave a pretty good description of the guy and Post code of the foster home the boy had been taken to. Phil then went to see the patient. He knew exactly who she was.

Louise.

Elizabeth.

Coulson.