Thirty (Eighteen Years Old)

Days had turned into weeks since Clint started seeing Laura. The weeks had turned into months since they were seeing each other. Whenever she had the chance to join them for a night out, she would with McCoy by her side. He'd finally been accepted to take an internship at a local hospital where he could continue his studies. But as a result, he was more stressed than usual. Emily had suggested that going out every once in a while was a good way for him to relieve some of that stress. And as usual, she was right.

There had been a few drawbacks with Clint being distracted by Laura. Emily remembered him returning from one mission with a few bruises and injuries. Then there was one in particular where he looked completely solemn. It had taken days of coaxing for her to ask what was bothering him. When he finally admitted that he'd killed his own brother, she finally understood what was bothering him so much. It took weeks for him to recover from that incident, along with the distraction of Laura. She knew from experience that one didn't recover from something like that so easily. Luckily though Clint had friends and family surrounding him, even if they weren't biologically related.

Eventually, the two of them were finally engaged through the marriage clause introduced by the agency. No one was surprised to hear about the wedding, or the fact that they wanted to keep it discrete. It was Clint's idea to go and elope with a couple of friends. Emily wasn't the least bit surprised when he'd asked her to go with him, along with McCoy. Despite their differences, Clint had wanted two witnesses to be there for the wedding. He'd realized with a start that two was better than none, since a lot of folks who eloped usually did so without warning.

With two witnesses keeping an eye on them, it meant protecting them from whatever excuses the agency might come up with. It was also a chance for Emily to see what weddings in Vegas were like. In today's world, they were still as quiet as she expected. She supposed it was better that way, especially since Clint had gained quite a few enemies since his time at the agency. Not to mention it was a quiet place for Laura since she was finishing nursing school.

The agency itself provided protections for agents who had families to worry about. Emily learned of said sanctions when she started looking into them herself. When Coulson first asked why she was doing said research, she merely grinned back and said it was for future references. She would never admit out loud how fun it was to watch him squirm uncomfortably.

I don't think he'll ever get used to the fact that I'm dating someone, she thought.

"I'm not surprised that they got married," Emily remarked as she and McCoy sat side-by-side at a nearby bar. Their trip to Las Vegas had been a complete surprise for McCoy. He hadn't been entirely happy with the notion of leaving in the middle of a semester, but he'd accumulated enough time off that he was able to take for said event. The excuse he came up with this time was the fact that he didn't want her going to Vegas on her own, especially when she could use it as an excuse to visit Tony as well. "Clint's been pining after her for as long as he knew her."

"Well, he ain't the only one who's pining after someone," McCoy said dryly. Emily rose an eyebrow in surprise when she realized what he was implying. "Come on, Em. You mean more to me than just being called my girlfriend."

Her heart nearly skipped a beat upon hearing those words. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. So she took a sip of her bourbon and tried hiding the heat that rose to her cheeks. She had no doubt that McCoy had seen right through her. He always seemed to read her like an open book, and tonight was no different. She swallowed hard as a lump formed in the back of her throat, before she finally met his piercing gaze. Not for the first time, she found herself swimming within those hazel depths.

"Are you suggesting that we elope ourselves?" she asked curiously. "I'm pretty sure Papa would kill you, and I have a feeling that your mother wouldn't be too far behind."

McCoy only laughed in response. He knew full-well that his mother had been hoping for a big wedding that the whole family could attend. Emily drew in a sharp breath when he suddenly took hold of her hand, giving it a light squeeze in the process. She suddenly realized that she couldn't imagine any future without him in her life. He'd always been there for her, and something told her that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Getting married to someone like him didn't seem like that bad of an idea. She knew in the back of her mind that no other man would be willing to put up with her. McCoy always seemed to have endless patience with her, whether it was with their normal lives or if it came down to sexual encounters. And she was admittedly grateful for that notion, especially since her life had become more hectic over the last few months.

She knew it wasn't easy dating anyone who worked for the agency. Laura mentioned from time to time how worried she was about Clint going back out into the field. He took a few weeks off just to be with her and so that they could have a honeymoon of sorts. Emily suddenly found herself wondering if she would be in a similar situation.

"Darlin', I'm suggesting we keep it in mind," he reassured her with a knowing look. "Believe me, I'm not ready for that step… at least not until after I'm finished with med school."

Emily gave a nod of understanding. She understood how difficult classes had been getting for him. Between his internship and everything else, it made sense to wait it out until things started to calm down. Besides, she had a feeling he was right about neither of them being ready. Though the fact that he'd said they would keep it in mind was enough to leave her feeling breathless.

She suddenly captured his lips with hers, ignoring the look of surprise that followed. McCoy wasted no time in falling into the kiss, relaxing in that moment. She couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed when she found his gaze searching her own. Despite everything that happened, she'd found someone who was willing to put up with her, regardless of the shit she would pull. That meant more than she could ever admit out loud.

"So if we were to get married, where do you think the wedding would be held?" she suddenly asked once they reluctantly pulled apart.

He rose an eyebrow at the mention of locations. It took a few seconds for McCoy to register from the shock of being put on the spotlight. But once he did, he seemed to take her question into consideration. It would have to be a place large enough to house his family, since they made up twice the size of her own family, which consisted of Coulson and close friends.

"I'm guessing a large church is out of the question," he remarked after glancing at her thoughtfully. "That's always been Ma's dream wedding. A big church filled with family and friends."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow in surprise. She'd always known his family was old-fashioned. But the fact that his mother had always had that dream left her stomach twisting with guilt. She was never a fan of being surrounded by large crowds. But she knew that she would have to get used to it sooner or later. She took another sip of her bourbon, brows furrowing together at the thought of how they would handle their own wedding fiasco.

"Well, if we choose a location it would have to be central," she mused. "I'm guessing Clint will want to be there since we were here for him. And I have no doubt Tony's gonna want to be there once he finds out. Did you know he and Rhodes crashed someone else's wedding just to dress in a tux?"

McCoy made a face at the mention of Clint being involved with their wedding along with Tony and Rhodes. It only seemed right… and since he was a good friend, it made sense. The two of them had begun getting along ever since Emily and Laura started getting along. And while he wasn't necessarily friends with Tony, he and Rhodes had become good friends over the last few months since they first met. She had a feeling that the friendship between Clint and McCoy was more forced than anything else, but at least they tolerated one another.

It's better than watching them tear each other apart, she reminded herself silently.

Clint had always been curious about her own relationship with McCoy. He was the first to find out that they had sex, and he was also the first to suggest she finally break the ice. In truth, it was the only way to find out whether or not they were compatible.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought," McCoy grumbled under his breath.

She gave him a playful nudge when she caught the exasperation in his voice, "The good news is, we still have a couple of years to figure it out. And by then maybe we'll have our shit together."

He only snorted in response, though he didn't bother arguing with that notion. Everyone seemed to have wedding fever at the moment, and neither of them were in any hurry to join the club. The only consolation Emily had was that Coulson would've likely flayed McCoy had he tried proposing to her while they were in Vegas. She just hoped that when the time came, they were ready for it.

.

.

Unfortunately, life seemed to throw a curveball at everyone involved. As Emily was sent on more solo missions thanks to Clint's marriage, he brought in a new recruit to the agency. The recruit in question had been on one of SHIELD's most wanted lists for years prior to her being dragged in. So Emily was more than annoyed to find out that they were being forced to work together. The recruit in question also happened to be a master assassin known as the Black Widow… or Natalia Romanov. The redhead had changed her name to Natasha Romanoff after being accepted into the agency, despite having taken down some of their biggest assets. Her talents were exemplary, which was one of the reasons Director Fury brought her in.

Training with Natasha had been a tedious task. The redhead never held back in sparring sessions… not that Emily didn't expect her to. But she was also ruthless and relentless. She'd often take advantage of a situation if she saw an opening, leaving Emily to take the blame whenever something went horribly wrong. That also included whatever missions they were sent on together as well.

It was only until a few weeks into their training sessions that Emily began to realize that Natasha was trying to kill her. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but the fact that Natasha was going out of her way to make her life miserable made it that much worse. Or at least that was how she perceived it.

"I know the two of you don't necessarily get along, but killing one another isn't going to get you anywhere," Coulson snapped when he finally caught Natasha red-handed. That only seemed to fuel her desire when she saw the way Emily would shrink further into herself after he scolded them. "I expect you to act like full-grown adults while you're training and on missions."

About the only positive outcome of the situation was that she could talk to McCoy and visit him whenever she wasn't working. That made her life a little more tolerable, even if she couldn't tell him about Natasha. She had been tempted to, especially since she had a feeling the redhead would use him for target practice as well. Natasha hadn't missed the fact that she was sometimes distracted by her com going off, or whenever McCoy was around the area. She'd taken full advantage of that as well, up to the point of driving Emily up the walls in frustration.

"I'm just tired of being constantly thrown under the bus by this agent," she complained as she and McCoy walked side-by-side one afternoon. She was grateful he took the time to visit her, despite being busy as ever with his studies. They'd stopped for coffee that morning to catch up with each other, and he wasn't surprised at how stressed she sounded. "I know the boss expects us to work together while on missions, but I don't think that's possible."

"You're the one who wanted to sign up for this, Em," McCoy reminded her with a pointed look. Emily just rolled her eyes when he kissed her affectionately, as if that would make all the bad things go away. She almost wished it would. "Trust me, it'll get better as time goes on."

She seriously hoped that he was right. She wasn't sure how much longer she could put up with this kind of behavior. It only got worse when Natasha finally spotted them together. The first thing the redhead had done was sneer at her when she saw how close they were. Because Clint had been busy with his new wife, he was never around to see what was going on around them.

"Love is for children," Natasha quipped.

Emily just rolled her eyes at her comment. It wasn't until one mission in particular where things had spiraled out of control. They had been sent to stop a convoy of trucks from reaching a city in Spain. But the mission hadn't gone as planned. The convoy was ambushed by enemies on either side, and it didn't take long for them to overwhelm the people trying to stop them.

Most of the team had already taken several hits, with Natasha among them. Emily swallowed hard when she saw no other way out. They were horribly outnumbered and outgunned. Even if they did manage to make it out alive, most of the team had already been lost. She knew the only way they would escape was by buying them time. It was with that notion that she had given herself up, sacrificing herself so that Natasha could get everyone else to safety.

.

.

The moment she returned to the base was when shame crawled through her. The realization of losing someone to the enemy was only just beginning to hit her. When she returned to the base, she fully expected Coulson to be waiting for them. He always seemed to be on the lookout for the blond, and it didn't take a genius to know why. A sudden pang stirred in her chest when Natasha thought of the crap she'd put his daughter through. It had been over petty jealousy, and the single notion that the girl seemed so invested in a man who didn't likely share those feelings.

Those expectations had been shattered the moment she told him what happened. Coulson had already reached a conclusion when he saw the girl wasn't with her. Soon the days had turned into weeks. Coulson had been keeping in touch with the very man the girl had been so invested in before she was taken. His expression easy to make out. Being trained to mask emotions, she knew when someone was worried.

"It wasn't your fault." Natasha pursed her lips together when Clint approached her with a look of concern. The archer had been kept in the loop of what was going on. When word of Coulson's daughter being taken had spread, he was the first to show up and offer whatever support he could in finding her. "This isn't the first time she's gotten herself hurt for the sake of someone else."

"Then why does this feel different?" she questioned her own morale. Had all the fighting been worth it? She was beginning to realize that all it seemed to bring was frustration and anger. Pointless emotions that neither of them needed when they were sparring. "I've never lost anyone under my command since I joined the agency. And then this happens."

"She's not going to thank you for dwelling on what could've been," the archer told her with a pointed look. "Though if I know McCoy, he'll likely ream you out for stressing her out."

Natasha rose an eyebrow at the mention of McCoy. She'd done enough research to know that the man had known about the agency for most of his life. What surprised her the most was that Coulson had struck a deal with his father in regards of the agency. That deal was one of the reasons why some of the agents caught in the crossfire from earlier were still alive.

She let out a sigh as she started looking into some of the energy patterns. SHIELD had no shortage of scanners that were constantly checking for power fluctuations. She knew that Coulson's daughter had powers that would cause the power to fluctuate depending on how emotional she was. Her best option was to start looking at those patterns. If there was a connection, they would begin their search there.

Sure enough, she was able to find a few places where the energy levels were off the charts. It was through that notion that she jotted down the coordinates and sent them to Coulson. The SO wasted no time in heading for said location. It had been a few months since she was captured. If Coulson's daughter was as stubborn as Natasha suspected, she would still be alive. Though she had a feeling that the blond wouldn't be the same girl prior to being captured.

She'd seen the transcripts and the messages that were supposed to be hidden files in the database. When the term 'Project Phoenix' came to light, Natasha knew nothing good would come out of it. It was only until skimming through the database that she realized the people responsible for capturing Coulson had been keeping an eye on her for a long time. Probably longer than she or her adopted father realized. To make matters worse, she had been taken before, but only for brief periods of time. Natasha pursed her lips together as realization dawned on her.

Once the teams were sent out to said locations, it didn't take long for Coulson to find her. Natasha had been part of the rescue team in question. When they finally found her, she was being held in a tiny, impossibly dark room. Between that and the bitter cold that seemed to fill the space, it was a wonder she'd survived at all. Emergency medical teams had been called once she was found. Natasha hadn't missed the fact that the blond was sent to a SHIELD hospital. Or that a doctor who looked surprisingly similar to McCoy was among the medical team.

"She's in bad shape, but she's alive at least… Leo's gonna have a fit when he finds out," the man muttered under his breath.

Natasha had little doubt that the man in question was Doctor McCoy. She let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall as she heard Coulson say something else. She knew that this mess had been her fault. If she hadn't been so tempted to leave his daughter behind in a mission, none of this would have happened.

About the only consolation she had was that the girl was still alive. She didn't leave that spot until Coulson finally emerged from the room where his daughter was being held. Natasha barely changed her stance when he reached her, brows furrowed together in concern. She had a feeling that it would take weeks for the blond to recover from the incident… and more so from the mental trauma she'd likely faced back there.

"Thank you for finding her," he finally stated.

Natasha pursed her lips together and crossed her arms.

"But something tells me this isn't the only reason you wanted to see me," she guessed.

"I know you're better at controlling your emotions than most people around here," he said flatly. Natasha grimaced at that. She wasn't going to admit that his daughter had caused more than a few emotional outbursts. Something about that girl had gotten under her skin, and she couldn't explain why. "She's going to need help in controlling them after this… her powers are based on how strongly she feels, and something tells me this incident is only going to make that worse."

For once, Natasha didn't know what to say as realization dawned on her. She'd known that the blond had abilities that were beyond her understanding. The last thing she expected was to find out that they were based off how strongly she felt. That explained why the power would fluctuate whenever they were sparring together. Or whenever the blond had an emotional outburst.

"What about the outsiders?" she suddenly asked, knowing that if Doctor McCoy was there than his son was likely aware of what had happened.

Coulson let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through his hair, "The only reason either of them are allowed in the base is because of the agreement we came up with. McCoy cares about her, as much as I hate to say it. He has a right to see her."

The redhead wasn't entirely sure if it was a good idea to include such individuals in the agency. But if Coulson trusted them, then she would need to as well.