The shard of metal sat on the bench in front of them.
"This makes no sense," Drea sighed, "That wasn't in his scans until today. I've checked and rechecked every single one."
"So where did it come from?" Tony asked. He'd been called a few hours ago for his input.
Drea shook her head, "I have no idea."
"Could your implant have created this?" Fury asked Drea.
She shook her head, "No, it was designed to help heart muscle reform after an injury."
"Nothing I did could have done this," Tony said before anyone asked, "And Alexandrea is right, her implant couldn't form metal from nothing."
"What if there was metal in there already?"
They all turned to the final occupant of the room, Pepper Potts, when she spoke up.
"What do you mean, Miss Potts?" Fury asked. He hadn't been happy that she was there but had decided not to start the argument with Stark at that moment.
"When Phil was stabbed by the spear," Pepper said, "Is it possible slivers of the metal, small enough that they couldn't be detected were left in the wound?"
Drea stared at her before turning to Fury, "So why would it grow now?"
"You wouldn't be playing with the spear," Tony asked, "Would you, Nick?"
Fury shook his head, "The spear has been locked away to ensure no one could use it again. After what happened with the Tesseract I wasn't taking any chances."
"Then it isn't as safe as you thought," Drea snapped, "Because this happened today. He was fine."
Pepper stepped forward and rested her hands on her friend's arm, "Alexandrea, why don't we go check on Phil?"
Rubbing her hand across her eyes, Drea nodded allowing Pepper to move her.
x
Drea picked up the chart the moment she entered the room, scanning it before she moved to Phil's side.
"I'm surprised neither of you told me," Pepper said from the other side of the bed.
Drea looked up at her and gave a defeated laugh, "We knew from day one we couldn't tell anyone. Who I am and what he does made it impossible to."
"Alexandrea…"
"Pepper, I made my choice a long time ago," Drea told her friend, "I could sign the papers and move on but I don't want to. Because when I'm with him it's right."
Pepper watched her friend as she rested her hand on her husband's forehead wishing she could do or say something to help her friend.
"I love him, Pepper," Drea told her, "What's really funny is that when we met I would never have thought of him in that way. He was the agent sent to protect me," she shrugged, "And he did. Then we saw each other about a month later and everything changed."
"Agent Coulson," Drea grinned as she opened the door to Phil, "It's good to see you."
Phil nodded, "You too, Dr Grainger."
She motioned him in and he looked around her apartment, smiling at the family pictures she had dotted around the room. Drea closed the door behind him and he studied her, she was wearing a dark green fifties style dress. Her long brown hair was clipped up and she looked as though she was ready for an evening on the town.
"Am I keeping you back from something?" he asked.
"No," she grinned, "I got married looking like something the cat dragged in so I thought for the annulment I'd look nice."
He hesitated trying to think of what to say next, frowning as she laughed at him.
"I'm kidding, Phil," she chuckled at the look on his face, "I was out for dinner with my father and some of his associates; I just haven't managed to change yet."
Phil shook his head before remembering what he had with him, "I brought you something."
"Really?" interest filled her voice.
With an amused smile, he handed her the small rectangular package wrapped in plain blue paper.
"Why do I get the feeling I know what this is," Drea gave him a suspicious glare as she unwrapped her present, chuckling when she saw what he'd brought her, "Casablanca."
He shrugged, "Thought you might want to try watching it again."
"Maybe," Drea smiled at him before she dropped it on the table, "Okay, I had my lawyers draw up the annulment papers but I was hoping you would do something for me before we signed them."
"Which is?"
"Before my mother died," Drea explained, "I promised her that when I got married I would dance to her favourite song with my husband. I know this isn't what she meant but I'd feel guilty if I broke that promise."
Phil offered her his hand and, once she started the song, drew her into his arms. Drea smiled as he started to move them around the floor.
"I can't believe you know how to dance," Drea laughed as he spun her round.
Phil shrugged, "You never know where this job will take you."
He dipped her making her laugh as he left her leaning back, Drea wrapped her arms around his neck and as he pulled her back up there was a sudden change in the atmosphere between them. Drea became very aware of his hand resting on her lower back and they stopped moving, staring at one another. Neither was sure who moved first but before the song finished they were lost in a deep kiss.
x
An alarm he didn't recognise made Phil frown as he was pulled out of his sleep, opening his eyes he was stunned when an arm appeared over him and hit the alarm off.
"I've got to get ready for work," Drea murmured from beside him.
He turned and she kissed him quickly before she slid out of bed, disappearing into the bathroom.
Phil rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in the pillow wondering what he'd done. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time but now, in the morning, he realised it had been really stupid.
"I left a set of keys on the table with the annulment papers," Drea said, making him look up to find her pulling on her jacket.
"Drea, this shouldn't have happened."
She sat on the bed beside him, "I know but it did. The forms are there for you to sign. Just leave the keys with the doorman and if we run into each other again then we're polite. Or…"
"Or?"
"Or we see where this goes," Drea said softly, "Which I'd like. But it's your choice."
She leaned over and kissed him again before leaving him to think.
x
Drea handed the nurse the chart as she went through orders for her vomiting twins.
"I'm glad I wasn't at that birthday party," the nurse chuckled before heading away.
Drea shook her head in relief that they were her final patients and she could head home to drink a bottle of wine…possibly two. She wasn't working tomorrow and they might help her forget what had happened the night before. Along with the fact she would be coming home to annulment papers when she just realised she wanted to be with the man named in them which had completely surprised her.
She quickly changed out of her scrubs and grabbed her bag, stopping off for pizza before heading home to her apartment. Opening the door she stopped, the lights were on and there were strange noises coming from her kitchen.
Panic filled her that she wasn't as safe as SHIELD had claimed and she slowly began to back out the apartment. Stopping suddenly as she realised whoever was in her apartment had tidied it.
"I thought you might be hungry after your shift," an unexpected voice came before Phil appeared from the kitchen. He was wearing the apron her friend had given her that said 'Doctor's do it in Shifts' and he was holding the annulment papers, "And I wanted to give you these in person."
Drea closed the door, dropping her pizza onto the counter she took the papers from him. Moving to the dining room table she found a pen to sign her name, stopping suddenly as she realised he hadn't signed them.
She spun to find him standing behind her, "What does this mean?"
"It means," Phil said, sliding his arms around her waist pulling her close, "I'd like to see where this goes too."
Drea grinned before tilting her head thoughtfully, "As long as Fury never finds out?"
"Exactly."
It had taken a little time but Phil had moved in with her and after six months they were happy. It helped that his old apartment had been flooded by a forgetful upstairs neighbour and the fact that Barton needed patching up one night that they didn't want on SHIELD's files. As she was cleaning out the gash on his arm she mentioned casually about the empty apartment in the building and how she hoped it wouldn't be taken over by another rich student who liked to party.
Barton had then helpfully mentioned this in front of Fury, who thought that it would be a great idea to have a top level SHIELD agent in the same building as one of the people he wanted to keep an eye on. Phil had made the appropriate noises of protest at the suggestion, but not too much that Fury changed his mind, and within a week he was moving his belongings into an apartment two floors below hers.
x
"You are such a geek," Drea chuckled as she studied his Captain America comic collection that he had just set up to his liking.
Phil grimaced at her, "Everyone needs a hobby. Collecting Captain America memorabilia was something I did with my father."
She smiled at him, "That's kind of sweet."
"No, it was the one thing we could talk about," he replied, sadness in his voice before he turned back to the cards, "I still need about ten of these before I have the full set."
"This is a side of you I never expected to see," she laughed.
Phil caught her arm and tugged her over, "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Drea."
She settled into his arms, "We have only been married six months," she paused, thinking, "Technically seven. What date are we using?"
He kissed her, "I think the date we decided to be married would be the best, it's the one I use."
"You are so organised it's disgusting," she rolled her eyes, grimacing as her watch beeped, "And I have to get ready for work."
She kissed him again before leaving the apartment that would remain as tidy as it was now, which anyone who knew Phil wouldn't be surprised about, and heading upstairs to the one they were sharing.
Phil checked the time; Drea would be home in about an hour so he'd decided to make them dinner. He had a few days off and had come to spend time with his wife, unfortunately since it was an unplanned leave she hadn't been able to get out of her shift at the hospital.
They'd been married for just over a year now and, although they weren't able to be together as often as they would like due to his job, they were managing to make it work.
"Dr Grainger," a familiar voice called from nowhere making Phil freeze in horror.
Nick Fury was walking through the door and he stopped surprised to find Phil in the apartment.
"Coulson," Fury frowned, "What are you doing here?"
He set his face in an annoyed grimace, "I'm making dinner," before Fury could ask he continued improvising, "I lost a bet."
"Should I ask?"
Phil shook his head, "No, sir. Why are you here?"
Fury frowned, "Adam Grainger had a heart attack."
"What?"
"I couldn't contact Dr Grainger either here or at the hospital," Fury told him, "Since I know she sometimes turns her phone off after a shift I came here."
"Dre…Dr Grainger is doing a ride along with the EMTs today," Phil explained as he tried to work out what he should do.
"When is she due back?"
"In about an hour."
Fury nodded.
"Sir, you should return to base," Phil told him, "I'll take her to the medical centre."
"You are on leave," Fury reminded him.
"This takes precedence," Phil replied.
Fury nodded, "Keep in touch."
x
"Honey, whatever you're cooking smells fantastic," Drea called as she entered the apartment.
Phil sighed, relieved Fury had taken his suggestion and left.
"Drea," he moved to her, stepping back after she kissed him hello.
"What's wrong?" she demanded, knowing the look in his eyes.
Phil wrapped his arms around her, "Drea, your father had a heart attack."
Her face turned ashen, "Oh my God."
"As soon as you're ready we can go," Phil told her.
Drea took several deep breaths trying to keep from losing control; Phil wrapped his arms around her, "You can let go, I've got you."
She held onto him for a few minutes before she pulled on the professional mask she used at work and anytime they had to be together around SHIELD.
"Okay," she wiped her eyes, "Let's go."
"Drea…"
She shook her head, "I need to see my family. I can't lose it right now."
Phil nodded, knowing that this was one of the things they had to deal with.
"Dr Grainger?"
Drea looked up from where she sat with her head in her hands, the reports scattered beside her on the table, to see Fury standing in the doorway, "What?"
"I never admitted that I had no idea," Fury told her, he pulled a chair over and sat across from her, "Both of you played me. And I never saw it."
"You didn't want to," Drea replied harshly.
Fury stared at her.
"How could you not put it together?" Drea laughed in bemusement, "You are a master spy. We lived in the same building; he was in my apartment all the time and it was obvious I wasn't living alone or that anyone was living in his apartment."
"He stated you were friends," Fury reminded her, "And he'd never lied to me before."
"As tidy as he is," Drea snapped, "Nobody is that tidy."
Fury stared at her, "What do you want me to say? That I knew and turned a blind eye to it? Or that I knew and I'm a romantic at heart."
"Actually I think you knew and that you're a bastard," Drea retorted, "You waited until we felt safe and then you caught us. You used every trick you had to make sure you kept him in SHIELD. To make sure you didn't lose one of your best agents."
She stood bringing herself to his eye level, "Now we both might lose him. Good job."
x
"I don't understand," Drea snapped as she stared at the pages in front of her before slamming them down, "There is nothing here. Tony, are you sure your scans are complete?"
"JARVIS checked everything," Tony assured her, "He's sure that there isn't a scrap of metal in Coulson's heart or anywhere else in his body."
She sighed in annoyance and collapsed into the seat, "This is bizarre."
"Could the shard you removed have been the last of it?" Pepper asked as she brought Drea some tea hoping to try and calm her a little.
Tony shook his head, "JARVIS checked all the original scans. Alexandrea is right; there was no metal in him."
Drea sipped her tea, "So this has to have something to do with the spear."
"Fury swears blind," Tony smirked at his own choice of words, "The spear is hidden away safely."
"Then what about the Tesseract," Pepper mused as she absently took the pen Tony had begun to tap off the table away from him, "Could it be a reaction to someone using that?"
"There's no way we can know," Drea rubbed her hands over her eyes, "It's away with Thor."
Tony let out a small hum as he thought, "Maybe we can find a way to ask him?"
The two women looked at him bemused.
"How?" Pepper asked first.
Tony simply smirked and left the room.
Phil watched as Drea took a deep breath, dropping his hand before they entered the hospital waiting room. He'd never met any of her siblings so it was quite a shock to see how similar they all were. At thirty-seven Drea was the youngest of seven, the only child of Adam Grainger's third wife but unless you knew that you never would. She quickly talked to the eldest before she embraced each.
"This is Agent Phil Coulson," Drea suddenly introduced him, "Ph…Coulson, this is Mike, David, Charles, Eddie, Grant and Abigail."
Phil nodded to each of them in greeting, he was about to leave when Mike stopped him.
"Coulson, you're the one who protected Alex last year?" he demanded.
He saw the grimace cover Drea's face at the hated nickname before he nodded, "I was assigned to keep her safe."
Mike grabbed his hand, "Thank you."
A little stunned Phil found himself thanked by each one of his unknowing in-laws before he touched Drea's shoulder.
"I'm going to go to the cafeteria," he told her, "Let me know if you need me."
The smile she gave him said everything and he nodded before leaving her with her family.
x
Drea hadn't expected Phil's warm reception as the man who had protected her, so had been stunned her siblings had been so welcoming to him. It at least helped that they wouldn't question his presence. The doctor appeared suddenly in the waiting room and they turned to him.
Drea stepped forward, "I'm Dr Alexandrea Grainger, is that my father's chart?"
"I'm Dr Ellis," he introduced himself, handing her the chart so she could see everything herself.
Drea studied the chart, trying to stay calm as she read it, "Can I see him?"
"Of course," Ellis said, "I've asked that you limit the number of people in the room at any time. He needs his rest."
"Of course," Drea nodded, she turned to her brothers and sister, "Do any of you…"
"We've all been in to see him, sweetie," Abigail told her, "You go
Drea nodded and headed in to see her father.
x
Drea was a doctor, she'd worked in the ER of a New York hospital for years but she still wasn't prepared to see her father so frail looking.
"Hi, Daddy," Drea breathed as she reached his side. No matter how old she was he would always be 'Daddy'.
The brown eyes that look up at her crinkled with fondness, "Baby girl," he smiled at her, "I'm sorry I'm leaving you with such a burden."
"Daddy," she sighed.
"I wanted to give you more time before having to take over," he whispered, "But you're the only one who can."
"I know," Drea took his hand, "It's what you trained me to do."
"I also wanted to see you happily married," he continued, "And walk you down the aisle, like I did for Abby."
Guilt sliced through Drea and she found herself blurting out, "I'm already married."
"What?"
"Stay calm, Daddy," Drea told him as he became agitated.
Her father frowned at her, "When and to whom?"
"About a year ago," Drea licked her lips, "He's a SHIELD agent."
Adam Grainger let out an annoyed sigh, "Alexandrea, are you insane?"
"He loves me," Drea whispered, "And I love him."
"Who is he?"
"Agent Phil Coulson," she admitted.
"The agent Fury assigned to protect you?"
Drea winced at the look in her father's eyes, "Nothing happened until a month after that. I didn't want to hide this from you but we can't let Fury know."
Her father stared at her, "I want to meet him."
x
"What?" Phil demanded.
"I told him," Drea said, trying to make sure that none of her siblings or their families overheard.
Phil frowned, "Why?"
"Because I had to," she replied, "Look I know this is…"
"Bad," he finished for her.
"The monosyllabic thing is not helping," she grimaced at him, "Look my father is very possibly dying and I couldn't keep this from him. Besides, if any of them ask he wants to meet you because you protected me."
Phil clenched his teeth trying to maintain his calm exterior that always served him well during any operation, about to tell her he wasn't doing this.
Unfortunately that went to hell when Drea looked at him with 'please do this for me' in her soft brown eyes.
"Fine."
With a sigh he followed her up to the hospital room where his father-in-law was waiting to meet him. Entering the room Phil forced himself to walk towards the man on the bed.
"Daddy," Drea said moving to him, "This is Phil, my husband."
Taking a deep breath Phil stepped forward.
Grainger looked at his daughter, "Alexandrea, I want to talk to him alone."
Phil saw Drea grimace but she did as she was told squeezing his hand as she walked out the room, "If he gets agitated call me."
Adam Grainger stared at him until Drea left the room, "What are you up to?"
"Excuse me?"
"Alexandrea is not someone SHIELD is going to use," he snapped at Phil.
Phil stepped forward, "This has nothing to do with SHIELD. I didn't mean for it to happen and I know considering what I do it's dangerous but," he paused; he'd never had to voice the feelings he had before to someone other than Drea, "I love her. And I am doing my best to make sure she is safe."
Adam Grainger stared at him for a few moments before nodding, "Ask Alexandrea to come back in."
Phil nodded; he opened the door and motioned her back inside. Drea slipped her hand into his as they moved to the bed.
"Daddy?"
Phil felt her squeeze his hand in nerves as they waited for her father to speak.
"Alexandrea," her father sighed, "I'm not thrilled you hid this for me but as long as he loves you and you're happy then you have my blessing."
Drea smiled and hugged her father, "I am."
x
Adam Grainger died three days later.
Nothing during their marriage had been harder than the week following his death. Drea had been devastated and Phil hated that he couldn't comfort her during the funeral or around any of the family gatherings.
In fact he was only allowed to stand and watch her from a distance as she stood during the funeral with her brother Charles, whose wife had died five years before. Phil could see she was barely holding on and really wanted to be able to support her but knew he wasn't allowed to. Fury was standing beside him so he couldn't even get her alone for a moment at the wake to console her.
"Dr Grainger will be taking over the company," Fury noted as they stayed in the fringes of the crowd at the wake.
"Sir," Phil had been keeping his answers completely non-committal all day.
"We need to watch over her more than before," Fury continued, "This is the time people may come after her."
Phil froze, he hadn't actually thought of that.
"This may mean you'll have to be on guard," Fury added, "Unless she decides to move out of the apartment she's in just now."
x
Drea nodded mechanically every time someone gave their condolences, she had it down to an art by now. Though she'd almost cracked when Phil had arrived in the line of people, Fury just behind him, and forced herself not to throw herself into his arms. The one week she had needed him most and they'd been unable to spend even a moment together.
"Alexandrea," Abby brought her back to reality, "Do you want to stay with us tonight, sweetie?"
"I just want to sleep in my own bed," Drea told her sister.
Abby nodded, "I'll have Wendell drive you."
"No," Drea stopped Abby from calling her driver, "Agent Coulson lives in my building. I'll ask him to take me."
Abby stroked her cheek, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Drea hugged her big sister, "I'll call you."
Relieved she was finally able to leave Drea took a deep breath and walked over to where Phil was standing unobtrusively, or as unobtrusively as you could when standing beside Nick Fury.
"Dr Grainger," Fury said the moment she reached them, "Your father was a good man and I will miss him."
"Thank you, Director," Drea replied softly, trying to hold herself together for just a little longer, "I was hoping Agent Coulson would be able to drive me home, if he isn't needed by you?"
Fury nodded, "Of course. Coulson, I'll see you in a few days."
Phil gave his boss a quick sharp nod, "Yes, sir," before he motioned Drea forward.
As they walked she managed to not reach out and cling to him. When she sat in the passenger seat Drea dropped her head back and closed her eyes. She felt a gentle pressure on her hand for a brief second before the car started.
As soon as they reached the apartment Drea kicked off her shoes and dropped her coat on the floor before she crawled onto the bed. After a moment, she knew he put her shoes and coat away first, Phil slid onto the bed and wrapped her in his arms. As he held her close, Drea began to sob.