A/N: This is the last chapter before we make it to the BUS! This is, personally, one of my favourite chapters (so far.) I have a lot planned for miss Ginny on this little command unit, so that will most likely change.
Disclaimer: I don't own SHIELD or any of its characters and plot line. I only own Ginny and her added plot.
Those. Those were her first words back to Coulson. Not exactly classy. But much needed.
The two were quiet, unsure of how to explain.
"You were dead. I was at your funeral. I was at your wake. You were dead!"
"I was." Coulson nodded. "For fourty seconds."
"Eight." Maria corrected. "It gets longer every time you tell it."
Coulson rolled his eyes at her. "Fourty. Anyway, I was used as a team builder for the Avengers."
"Death of a common ally." Ginny said, her eyes staring at a transfixed spot on the wall. "How did you survive?"
"Good surgeons. Lots of rest. Fury didn't let them give up."
"Huh," was all Ginny could say.
"The mobile team." Maria said, bringing the conversation back to her. "He requested you to join."
Ginny stared at him. A ghost. A smiling ghost, but a ghost nonetheless.
"Who's on the team? What would we be taking?"
"The BUS." Coulson answered. Ginny nodded.
"The other agents?"
"I've already recruited three others. Two from sci tech and another operations agent. He's a specialist."
"And me."
"Yes, I'm hoping."
Ginny thought for a moment. "Field work?"
"Yes. You'll be in the field with the other operative, Agent Ward. Fitz-Simmons aren't cleared for combat."
"We're going to need a pilot."
"I already have that covered."
"... Alright." Ginny got up from the chair and stood in from of Coulson, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. "Reporting for duty, Agent Coulson."
"Good." He handed her a file full of papers, presumably things she would need to sign and a manual of the Bus. "Pack your things. We lift off at 0500 tomorrow morning."
"Yes, sir." She left the office, file in hand, and went back to her crummy little office space, finishing up her shift.
The next morning was odd. Ginny lived light. It was easy to pack her essentials. What was odd was saying goodbye to her dad, Steve Carter.
They lived in the same apartment. They spent, at the most, an hour together. They had different shifts and her dad did more field work than her. Most months he'd be away, working a case, and she wouldn't see him until he was back. They never texted, they barely called. And it's not as if they could talk about their days like normal people. They have to keep things confidential.
And they never cared for the weird living arrangements. Most people wanted their own apartment, away from their parents. But Ginny didn't care about it. She didn't see him anyway, and if she did she was happy. She loved her father.
So that morning at 4:00, her bag was packed and she met him sipping from a mug, a dirty teabag left in the sink. He was already in a suit, with his dark hair brushed back and his green eyes twinkling. He is very handsome, Ginny thought, for a man his age.
"Where are you going?" Steve asked, an eyebrow raised at her.
"I've a new assignment. A mobile command unit." She explained, grabbing hot water from a kettle left on the stove.
"Sounds like you're gonna be busy." He set the mug on the counter and gave her a look. "Do you know when you'll be back?"
She shook her head and dipped a tea bag lazily into her mug. "I don't think it's going to be anytime soon. That means you get the joy of doing the dishes tonight. I packed the essentials. I need to be going soon. The plane sets off at 5."
"Oh, wait!" He said giddily, and he ran to his bedroom at the end of the hall.
When he returned, he proudly held a CAPTAIN AMERICA trading card in his hand. It was withered with age, but otherwise in perfect condition. "Take this with you. To remember me by. That way you won't forget about the little people."
She took the card from his hands and examined the picture. It was of Steve Rogers; he held his shield proudly in one hand, and the other saluted back at her. The star spangled warrior stared straight ahead, unsmiling. He was determined, cautious; everything a soldier needed to be.
"Thank you, daddy." She set the card into a small opening of her duffel, making sure it wouldn't get bent. Her mug was quickly sipped out of and tossed into the sink.
"Anytime, pumpkin." He said. She turned to him and gave him a hug.
"I have to go." She grabbed her bag and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too." He responded, and the door to the apartment closed.
It was a phrase they always said to each other. Ginny could just be going for a jog around the block and she'd make sure to say it to him. They were agents; they knew that every time they saw each other could be the last. For all she knew, it was the last time she'd see him. With that constant fear on their minds, they always made sure that love was the strongest emotion they could feel. And they succeeded, most of the time.
