Chapter 4
May's outburst had shocked him to the core, he had no idea why she would have such an outburst, I mean yes, she would say not to touch it, but to actually shout was another matter and he intended to find out.
He descended the stairs where the grunts and groans could be heard but simultaneously the sound of punches against a solid surface could be heard and he was not relishing this conversation. That didn't stop the determination being written across his face, he was going to get answers one way or the other.
He walked through the door and stood just inside the doorway watching May unleash a monumental amount of force on the punch bag but that was not the only thing that he was thinking. Some thoughts were not the wholly appropriate; as he saw the sweat sheen her body making it glow in the light. He wanted to follow the droplets running down her neck with his tongue and under any other circumstances he would do so, but before he went on this mission, he intended to find out.
"Melinda."
Punching and grunting was the only answer that he received. He knew that his next move would be stupid but he knew he needed her attention.
She drew her hand back ready to unleash another set of punches on the bag, but before her first punch could connect Phil Coulson's face came into her line of vision and just before it would connect with his nose she stopped.
She felt him exhale and his breath travel over her knuckles, a shudder rushing down her spine but the anger burst through first.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE DOING, PHIL? I COULD HAVE BROKEN YOUR NOSE? DO YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE CLEVER? WHAT THE F-!" Phil stood there and he so desperately wanted to kiss her but knew that it was more than his teeth were worth right now.
"Right May, now you've stopped and you can hear me, we are going to sit down and talk."
May knew that it was not worth the argument because she knew that Phil was like her and once he had that bone he was not going to let go. She walked across to the bench sat down and grabbed her water and gulped several parts down.
He watched her throat as she swallowed the water and released the breath he wasn't aware that he was holding, yet again another inappropriate thought entered his head and it took all his willpower not to shove her down and have his way with her in the middle of the gym area.
"So Melinda, would you care to explain the outburst upstairs or are we going to sit here in silence?" He just looked at her and he knew that she would talk but he just had to wait.
"Phil, I've only just got you back and now you want us to go into some god forsaken place where there is a potential weapon that could destroy your heart. We don't know what it does? You're taking the risk because I know that you would go and touch it first. What would happen if it dropped you to the ground…?"
Phil was just about to interrupt but May cut him off.
"Phil please, please don't go on the mission, let us go instead…"
Her tears started flowing down her face and his heart grew and broke in equal measures, he was the luckiest man on earth to have such a sexual lioness protecting his heart. It also broke because he hated hurting her and knew what would happen to her should he fall during this mission but something else was amiss.
"What about Skye?"
Her head shot up to look him straight in the face, he could see her eyes were puffy, tear tracks ran down her face and her lips were trembling but to him she was still beautiful.
"What do you mean?"
"Come on Melinda, you know I wasn't born yesterday and as soon as Skye said she would try to touch it you practically flew at her. Why? I have got a level one field agent that is upstairs heartbroken because of your reaction to her wanting to help us. I have known you for years, decades even, I don't know why you're acting like this so I need you to tell me."
She looked at him and knew that she wouldn't be released until she told him the truth, but what would he say? Would he think her mad or fanciful?
"She's our baby..." May said softly.
Phil looked at her, his breath stuck in his lungs but he willed her to continue and explain just what that meant.
"She's the youngest of the group and has had no one. No one to have her back, or fight her corner, or even prove to her that she is worth something. Just because she had some Alien DNA pumped into her to save her life she is going to throw it all away by touching some Alien thing that could kill her. I am supposed to be their 'stand-in mother', what kind 'mother', 'stand-in' or otherwise would I be if I let one of our 'kids' touch that thing and potentially die? Please Phil, you can come with, but please let me touch this object not any of them. I was able to control the berserker last time, please Phil, trust me."
Phil pulled her into a crushing bear hug and made her feel every ounce of love that he had for her in that embrace, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was his queen and as soon as they got back she would be his wife.
This thing with Skye still didn't seem to add up, but for now, she had given him something close to explanation and that would suffice until they returned.
"When do we leave?" She mumbles against his neck and he smiles.
"Two days." He waited and just as he thought her head shot up and she looked him dead in the eye, he thought she was going to smack him in the face but she did the entire opposite.
She kissed him on the lips and shoved him down on the bench, pouring every ounce of energy and love into this kiss knowing that potentially it could be their last.
"Go and get the cubs, I need to whip them into shape."
At the sound of that Coulson groaned, "Oh and I don't need to be a psychic to know what you were thinking." She went back to the mats and mouthed 'later' to him and he knew that if he didn't get out of there soon, no one would be going on that mission.
He set off in search of the others and told them to get their gym gear because May was waiting for them, they too groaned but for completely different reasons as they knew the amount of pain they were going to suffer after a gym session with May.