A/N Hello :) Thanks for the reviews, they make my day. Umm, there was something I was going to say but I can't remember it, which is weird because I didn't have writers block earlier tonight. Anywho I hope you enjoy, I don't own it, apart from Liz and I hope you like it. Also I kind of feel like I have S.H.I.E.L.D. withdrawals I don't think I can wait that long for the next episode. :(
They awoke the next morning the in exactly the same way they fell asleep the night before. Their hands clasped between their sleeping forms. Coulson was the first to open his eyes. He watched the beautiful woman in front of him breathing slowly and deeply, and while last night had taken a toll on her, she managed to look more carefree and younger while she was asleep. Her lips curved upwards in a smile, and she whispered, 'I can feel you looking at me.'
'That's some spidey-sense you've got going, anyway, I can't help it.' She finally opened her eyes.
'Why? My eyelashes are stuck together from the mascara. I can't imagine what happened to the eyeliner.' He paused,
'You look beautiful.'
'I know you're lying.' She smiled as she stood up, looking in the mirror, and said, 'What did I tell you? Liar.'
'Fine. Wash it off, then tell me what you see.' She rolled her eyes at him, but did as he said. After drying her face, she looked into it again.
'I look the same, just without the war paint.' He took her face in his hands, and said,
'To me, you look like a beautiful, smart, resourceful woman. Who could outrun anyone on this plane, could beat the living daylights out of four of them, cooks one hell of a pasta, and knows more about Catch Me if You Can then most would be willing to admit.' he tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. 'I don't think the war-paint looked bad, just not as good as what's behind it.'
'You're going to make me cry again.' She joked, he chuckled and held her in a tight embrace. 'And I can beat the shit out of you.'
'You really know how to ruin a moment.'
'What can I say. Training rooms?'
'Half an hour.'
'Deal.' She said, smiling up at him. 'Thanks Coulson.'
Elizabeth spent longer then usual getting ready, she didn't do anything spectacular, but she was remembering how it felt to wake up with a man she trusted with her life. Not a man, the man. There was no one else, Ward would probably save her, but he wouldn't be kind about it. Fitz wouldn't be able to hurt a fly, maybe if Skye or Simmons's life was in danger, but Elizabeth would probably end up saving him.
After sparring, (where Coulson won, barely) they did more shooting practice. They were on the gun range for hours, shooting again and again, Coulson got bored and started to do weights instead. But it was impossible to stop Elizabeth. She was determined to be the best S.H.I.E.L.D agent in the world. Or at least the best one she could possibly be, I mean, It's like setting an impossible standard for yourself, saying you want to be better then Clint Barton, or Natasha Romanova. Hell, even Coulson. She knew he was going easy on her when they sparred, but that didn't seem to make it less fun.
'Ok, you've been going for three hours now. I have to talk to the whole team upstairs.'
'Have fun.'
'Nice try.' He took the gun out of her hands and dragged her behind him.
'Ok, Fury is pretty happy. Which was a little bit strange, I have to say. But, being Fury, he's giving us a new mission instead of giving us ground time.'
'What's the mish AC?' Skye asked,
'We'll be attending a wedding. The bridesmaid is powered, and we're the welcome wagon.'
'What's her power?' Simmons asked excitedly.
'She's a shapeshifter.'
'How many people are going?' May asked.
'All of us.'
'Why? It's a simple mission.'
'Because we need the wagon to be full, otherwise it's not particularly welcoming.'
'Does the Bride and Groom know that seven strangers are showing up at their wedding?'
'They're quite rich, there's hundreds of people coming, so you should all dress up quite a bit.'
'It seems bad not to tell them. We should tell them.' Fitz said.
'Tell them what Fitz? That seven S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are coming to their wedding?'
'Technically only six.' Elizabeth said.
'I wouldn't mention that to them when you're at the wedding.'
'So when do we land?'
'Tomorrow morning. Six am sharp.' May said.
'Ok, that's it.' Coulson walked off to his office.
'So, what's going on with you and Coulson?' Skye asked, eager to gossip.
'Nothing.'
'Come on, he slept in your bunk last night.'
'Holy crap you're nosy.'
'Everyone knew that. Didn't you?' Everyone in the room nodded.
'Why do you all care anyway?'
'Let's face it, we're all going to hear anyway, so we may as well get the story straight.' May said, surprisingly interested. Ward was inwardly thinking it would take the heat off him and May if Coulson did something wrong. Simmons, Skye and Fitz were just interested in the gossip.
'Ok, well, I was pretty upset after he talked to me in the car. If you want the facts ask him, 'cause I don't want to talk about it. Then when I got here, he sat with me while I, got over it, I guess you'd say. Then I fell asleep and I asked him to stay with me. To sleep.' She received several sceptical looks. 'I swear, there was only sleeping. Trust me, you would have heard otherwise.' She winked, while everyone else either grimaced, groaned, or in Skye's case, laughed.
The next morning at 6:00am, everyone was dressed up and ready to go. Ward, Fitz and Coulson were in a tux each, and each of the girls wore a dress. Simmons appeared in a modest, blue, backless dress, May in a long, black one-shouldered dress, with an intricate, silver design around her waist. Skye had on a rich, red strapless dress that reached the floor, with pleats down the skirt and a simple, bright crimson sash tied around her slim waist. Elizabeth came out last, in a simple purple dress that fit perfectly around her curves. It was strapless and flowed easily around her, showing her body off in a way that wasn't too obvious. Her once again vibrant red hair flowed down one shoulder in curls, elongating her neckline. She obviously was wearing only small heels, as she was the same height as Coulson.
'Finally, you're ready. Can we go now?' Fitz asked impatiently. Coulson tore his eyes away from Elizabeth and opened the car door for her.
'Yes. Let's.' He said nervously, his mouth suddenly dry.
Everyone piled into their cars, most going with someone, excluding Skye, who was going stag.
'So, is the dress alright? 'Cause it kinda is doing something here,' she indicated a spot on the side of it,
'You're perfect.' Coulson stated truthfully.
'Well I know that. I was talking about the dress.' She joked.
'It's perfect.'
'Ok. If you say so.' She paused, 'The team asked about us.'
'What did you say?'
'The truth. Is that ok? I'm not sure of the protocol and shit that is going on with this sort of stuff.'
'Well, technically, there's an anti-fraternisation policy, but I was lenient on Ward and May, so as long as it doesn't interfere on the mission, it's ok.'
'What is it?'
'Whatever you want it to be.'
'Can it be a pony, I've always wanted a pony.' she said sarcastically.
'Wouldn't you rather a Pegasus or a unicorn? It could be anything, and you choose a pony?'
'Sorry, I should get my priorities straightened out.' She smiled.
'We could both work on that.' He said, holding her hand as they drove towards the wedding.
'I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.' Coulson hadn't been kidding when he said they were rich. The wedding was at their house, if you could call it a house. It was three levels, and looked more like a castle then anything else. There was a massive lawn, shaded by large, sprawling, yet well manicured oak trees. The ceremony itself was simple enough for an event with 400 people. Coulson had told everyone to enjoy the wedding, but to keep an eye on the bridesmaid, Leah, and get her at the last possible minute.
The reception was so large it took up the whole first floor of the house. The couple's first dance was an elegant, yet beautiful piece by Ludovico Einaudi. The team eventually joined in, May and Ward, FitzSimmons, Elizabeth and Coulson, and Skye quickly picked one of the many men who had asked her to dance. Elizabeth had her arms around Coulson's neck, and was resting her head on his shoulder. His arms held her close. They swayed gently to the beat, blocking out everything surrounding them, and just focusing on each other. Elizabeth could hear his beating heart, and she smiled against his shoulder. 'What?' he whispered.
'You. This. It's amazing.'
'I know.' she raised her head and looked into his eyes. 'You're perfect.' he whispered. He was lost in her deep, grey eyes, she was so close to him, her floral perfume commanding his senses. His eyes flicked down to her lips, and he gently closed the distance between them. Her lips were so soft. He rested one hand on her back and the other came up cup her cheek. He reluctantly pulled away after a few seconds, and rested his forehead on hers. They went back to their previous embrace, yet Elizabeth couldn't manage to take the grin off her face. The song ended, and another began.
Fitz danced another with Simmons, then two with Skye, Ward and May had danced the first one, but Ward became impatient and went off to find Leah, wanting to finish the mission as soon as possible. He struck up a conversation with her, and she asked him to dance, where he begrudgingly agreed, shooting May an apologetic glance. Coulson and Elizabeth had been dancing the whole night, the songs getting more fun as the night wore on. The perfect song for them came on, I Choose You. By Sara Bareilles.
Let the bough break, let it come down crashing
Let the sun fade out to a dark sky
I can't say I'd even notice it was absent
Cause I could live by the light in your eyes
I'll unfold before you
Would have strung together
The very first words
Of a lifelong love letter
Tell the world that we finally got it all right
I choose you
I will become yours and you will become mine
I choose you
I choose you
They eventually left the dancefloor, hand in hand, to get a drink.
'Abby? Abby Anderson?' They heard someone call out. Soon the man tapped her on her shoulder, her immediate reaction was to turn and punch him in the face, but she suppressed that urge. 'Abby? Oh my God! It's you! Where have you been?'
'Matt? Good to see you.' She said, less enthusiastically.
'It's been forever, what have you been up to?'
'Oh, you know, this and that. Now how did you get from the streets all the way here?'
'Hey, what happened on the streets stays on the streets. Seriously, I don't want any of that shit getting out. You hear me?'
'Yea, I get it. So what do you do now?'
'I'm an actor. I'm not great, but it pays the bills. And you?'
'Oh, I made my way over here to America, got my GED, went to Uni, and now I'm a doctor.'
'And yet you've kept the Aussie accent over all these years.'
'What can I say, old habits die hard.'
'I certainly hope so, because me and some mates are going to blow this popsicle stand soon and go bar hopping. Get some drinks,' he leaned in to whisper in her ear, 'maybe something harder. Would you like to join us?'
'Sorry, I can't.' she paused then smiled up at Coulson, leaning back into him she said, 'My boyfriend and I have to go back to Boston tomorrow, don't we sweetie?'
'Yes, duty calls.' He rolled his eyes to exaggerate, 'So many lives to save. Day in, day out.'
'Oh, sorry, I'm Matthew, and you are?'
'Phil. Nice to meet you, but we have to get going.'
'Alright, nice to see you again Abby. Call me if you want to get into some trouble.' He winked.
The pair walked away, his arm resting possessively around her shoulder.
'Who was that?'
'Matt Dawkins. He's an asshole. Major druggie. So, not much has changed.'
'Weird that you two should meet up again here.'
'Yea, I guess it is. Since pact time I saw him, he could barely walk. I guess there's an improvement.' Coulson paused for a second,
'Boyfriend?'
'Well, umm,'
'I like it.' he smiled at her, and shared another sweet, innocent kiss with her. 'It makes me feel like I'm fifteen again, but I like it.'
'Good.' She grinned at him. Suddenly Ward appeared beside them,
'Can we please finish this mission.' He whispered urgently to Coulson. 'Here she is.' He gestured to Leah who arrived beside him. 'Can we? Please?'
'I didn't know you knew how to say please.' Elizabeth remarked. Earning a sneer from Ward.
'I'll get the rest of the team.' He offered.
'What's the rush?'
'Parties like this are so boring. I could be out, shooting something, or punching someone. Instead, I'm stuck in an teeny-tiny, sweaty room with a bunch of insufferable, pretentious idiots. No offense Leah.'
'None taken.'
'So I'm going to go get the team, so I can get out of here. I'll meet you next to the ice sculpture.'
'Which one?'
'There's more than one?'
'There's six.'
He sighed, 'The mermaid one.'
The team met at the sculpture, and upon deciding it was too loud, left to go outside.
'Hi Leah.' Skye said.
'How many different animals can you change to?' Fitz asked.
'Is it just animals?' Simmons followed up, excited.
May looked her over, without expression, and Ward wandered around, inhaling the nature around him. They were surprised he wasn't frolicking in the dandelions, climbing one of the oaks, or just rolling around in the grass yet.
'Let's not overcrowd Leah here.' Coulson said. 'We will need to see that you're actually Leah, so if you could please show us your power.'
'Does everyone have to do this?'
'If they are powered, yes. For instance, I would ask Elizabeth what Ward was wearing.'
Elizabeth quickly glanced at Ward, blinked, then reported back. 'Boxers.' Ward glared but nodded.
Leah scrunched her eyes up, and tensed every muscle in her body, letting out a feral growl as she morphed into a tabby cat. She jumped up onto Fitz's shoulder and he asked, 'Can you be a monkey?' The cat scrunched her eyes up, and slowly morphed into a monkey on his shoulder. 'Oh my God! This is awesome!'
The monkey clambered off his shoulder and went into the bush. They heard the growl again then she called out, 'Can you chuck me my clothes?' She changed, out of sight, and came out of the bushes, and was escorted to the cars, where she joined Skye.
'I had fun tonight.' Coulson decided.
'I concur.' Elizabeth smiled. Coulson put his hand on the nape of her neck, and ran his fingers through her hair. She shivered at his touch, and instinctively leaned into it. Chuckling, he dropped his hand and put it on her thigh, drawing circles with his thumb. She jumped at his touch, it was as if a bolt of electricity had run through her body. She leaned over and whispered him his ear, 'I can play dirty too.' She kissed up his neck, then ran her tongue over the path she had just drawn. Taking his earlobe in her mouth, she bit down lightly and smiled when he groaned and pulled the car over.
'Damn you.' he said lightheartedly, capturing her lips with his. She leaned her head back, to give him better access, and he pushed his tongue inside her mouth. He ran his hands down her back, and pushed her backwards in her seat of the car, playfully nibbling his way down her neck, kissing along her collarbone. She sighed in pleasure, and taking his face in her hands, gently kissed him. He kissed the tip of her nose and rested his forehead against hers.
'We should get back.'
'Do we have to?'
'We're on the side of the road. It's going to get cold soon, and I'd rather be inside.'
'I know a way to keep warm.' She joked suggestively.
'Come on. Let's go home.' He placed one last kiss on her lips before returning Lola to the road. His cell started ringing. 'Could you get that?'
'Your ringtone is Bad to the Bone?'
'Just answer the phone.'
'It's Fury.'
'He can't kill you with his voice, just answer it.'
'Hello.', 'Yes Sir, it's Elizabeth.', 'Sorry Sir, he's driving.', 'Alright. Yep, see you soon.', 'He hung up on me.' she frowned.
'You get used to that. What did he want?'
'He wants to have a meeting with you and I tomorrow.'
