Chapter 20: Phil

Disclaimer: I continue to own no Marvel rights.

Secondary Warning: I got nothing. No words. They are all gone now.

Except there is some gorier parts in this chapter guys. Just a warning.


When Clint convinced me to come with him to S.H.I.E.L.D's DC headquarters I was immediately put into an interrogation room to stew for 4 fricking hours. I mean come on. Apparently some fancy-shmancy face scanner thing figured out who I was within a minute of me walking in so a bunch of agents scrambled to read my files real quick, brief Fury, and then figure out what to do with me. I had been assumed dead. I was using an alias, had interfered, though not on purpose, in at least one S.H.I.E.L.D., and had managed to track a rather high level agent to his secret house to ask for some very classified documents. Yeah, I was pretty sketchy.

They honestly thought I was, like, planning on being a villain or something.

I mean, despite having literally all my probably unedited files that detail every single thing in my military career and likely a weird amount of my civilian existence. I don't mean to brag, but I was squeaky clean. Well, mostly. I mean there was my "secret" dog, but I swear I think that's it. I think…. I mean there was that one other thing… and then that one day… ya know what? Nevermind. I was and still am a very clean person when it comes to spies.

So about an hour into my wait I did what any reasonable person would do, I napped. When I woke up it was unwillingly and to the sound of a file being plopped down across the table from where my head rested. I was awake in an instant. I was prepared to fight someone about letting me go back home since I was definitely regretting coming in. But then I looked up and saw a man who by all means looked utterly, well, normal. A total suit, but a standard one. He was in no way physically intimidating nor was his body language as a whole. He had a kind gleam in his blue eyes even as the rest of his face was carefully neutral. What were they doing sending this kind of guy to interview me first? It's like they had skipped the bad cop and intimidation and jumped right to the kind good cop. It was kind of unnerving. Which I figured was the point.

"Miss Cross," he greeted me with a nod as he sat down across from me.

"It's Greene actually," I rejoined automatically.

"Alright, Miss Greene, then," he conceded with a small smile.

"Okay so, like, why am I still here? Are y'all gonna cart me off to some top secret jail for no legit reason or can I go? Also aren't I allowed a lawyer? Cause I want one. Mama didn't raise no fool," I blabbered for no other reason than nerves. Sure I was trained not to crack under interrogation, but I was tired and hungry and really very done with most of existence by that point in my life. "OH! Wait, if you are gonna take me to jail or something I need someone to go take care of my dog, okay? He's very important to me. He's a German Shepard. He eats all natural dog food cause, yes, I am that person. He likes going on runs and bacon. I like to think they balance each other out. Just don't give him too much bacon. He hates kennels. No one likes being caged and if I must be then at least let him stay free. Maybe find a new family for him? He's a total sweetie. He gets along with other animals and kids if that's ever an obstacle to adoption. He may be sad for a while if he doesn't see me, or at least I hope he cares enough to be. Here I'll give you my address so you can go get him." I then reached across the table and snagged the folder and his pen faster than the suit could stop me.

"I know giving you my address is a super dummy move, or whatever," I continued while scribbling directions and coordinates onto the folder itself, "but since there's a fairly large chance of this exchange not going all too well for me I need to make sure Dog is taken care of. That's his name by the way. You know, like John Wayne's dog in Big Jake?" I asked him with a quick glance up to just see him watching me carefully before I looked back down at the folder to continue writing down basically everything there is to know about Dog. "My parents love that movie. Well more accurately, they love John Wayne. Personally I always preferred The Cowboys, but Big Jake is great too. I've probably seen all his stuff honestly. My family was always really big into western movies." I then handed the now completely defiled folder back to him with the pen on top. He just looked at me. His eyes never left me as he took the folder from me.

"Anything else, Miss Greene?" He didn't even glance at the folder. Why won't he look at it? I'd thought at the time. What if he doesn't take care of Dog?

"Please," I remember practically, if not entirely, begging, "Please take care of him. He's all I've had for the last year and I… get why they say dogs are man's best friend." I know it's kinda weird how hard I pushed for Dog's care then, but he was my puppy, the puppy Evan gave me.

"Don't worry Miss Greene, the dog will be taken care of," the suit promised with that same small smile again. I quickly let out the breath I'd been holding and sit back in my chair.

"Alright, then, what do you want with me? What do you want to know? I can't promise to tell you. In fact I can guarantee I won't tell you anymore than were my house is. You can search it if you want while you're retrieving Dog, but you won't find everything. I keep everything up here," I said with a tap to my head.

His smile remained in place as he responded with, "Yes, so we assumed. Actually Miss Greene I think I already have everything I need."

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"There is one thing, though," he amended his previous statement.

"Of course there is," I sighed.

"Our director would like to offer you a job," Mr. Suit informed me.

"How 'bout nah," I replied, "And before you say anything else, there is nothing you could possibly do to convince me accept. I don't do well with authority."

"Now that's a shame, Miss Greene. I guess I'll just have to let Fury convince you himself."

"Fury? Nice name," I laughed sarcastically as the suit got up to leave. "Wait," I called out to him, "What's your name anyway?"

"I'm Agent Coulson," he told me while turning back to me.

"Got a first name to go between the Agent and Coulson?"

"I do."

"You aren't going to tell me what it is though, are you? Well I'm Eve and all things considered, it was nice to meet you Agent Coulson."

Again that smile. He always smiled at me. Even from the beginning, he had smiles for me. I'd later learn that those smiles weren't exactly as common as I was lead to believe by this brief interview, but at the time I remember how strange I had thought it was that an agent like him smiled so much.

"My name is Phil," he divulged with a smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. I smiled back at him without even thinking about it. I hadn't smiled that easily in a long time.

"Well, Phil, you've got to the best suit I've ever met and I've met a lot," I grinned at him.

"And you, Eve, must be the most cooperative person I've ever interrogated," he grins back.

"Oh, you say that now, but just you wait. I can guarantee if we ever meet again you'll find out just how much of a pain I am and since apparently I am to be coerced into getting a job here, you'll find out soon enough."

"Sounds like fun," he commented lightly while leaving. I snorted as he closed the door.


After Fury managed to convince me to hang at S.H.I.E.L.D. for a while, Clint and Phil were put in charge of me. Sorta. I mean, they were in charge of showing me the ropes and making sure I didn't cause any major damage to anything too important.

Mostly, Clint taught me some cool new moves and Phil showed me how paperwork, well, works. Fury didn't like dealing with me so Phil tended to be the person told to call me in. They had me move to New York. The guys made sure I was okay. Clint went from "enemy, but also small so don't hurt her" mode to DadTM mode with me essentially. He makes lame jokes and I hate admitting when he's right.

Phil came to play a wise mentor kind of role in my life. He became one of my only friends despite me proving how much of a pain I am. He was there whenever I needed him. Plus during the three days it took Fury to convince me to join S.H.I.E.L.D. Phil took care of my dog. That automatically made him aces in my book.

They became my family.

Then Clint went MIA because a psychotic Norse god has him under hypnosis.

Now the same crazy god has a scepter going through Phil's chest.


Calling the noise that felt as though it was physically ripped out of my throat by razor sharp claws a scream would be highly inaccurate. No the noise I then made was much closer to a banshee's wail. So as Phil collapsed, I wailed.

This obviously got me Loki's attention. His blue eyes that should be green meet my hazel ones that should be brown. Despite Loki still standing there staring at me, I run for Phil. There's a blood stain spreading across his shirt. I rip off my jacket and start applying pressure to the wound in a vain attempt to keep the blood in.

"Eve," he tries to speak before I shush him.

All the trains have left the station. My head feels full to bursting. My hands are shaking. The one thought that stands out among the rest is, "Save Phil" and I know I can't do that on my own.

I look back up at Loki to find him staring down at me, his head tilted like some animals do when they're curious. The bastard.

"Fix him," I manage to hiss through clenched teeth.

"What?" he asks mockingly.

I slowly climb back to my feet and face him. For a fleeting second a strange mix of unreadable emotions flicker across his face before his features settle back into mocking victory.

"I said, fix him. I know you can, you bastard, so do it."

"And why should I?"

"Because I will personally tear you limb from limb if you don't."

"Oh yeah, about that…" Loki drawls before then stabbing me.

Honestly, I should have seen it coming. But I am yet young and naive so I gasp as I feel the scepter pierce my chest the same way it did Phil's. Distantly, I hear Thor bellow another "No" and Phil somehow find the energy to yell my name as the scepter is pulled out. I grab the railing as I go down, but I still land hard onto my knees. My other hand clutches at my chest as the blood begins to pour out. I look down to see blood already staining the grated floor around me and dripping down onto the metal beneath it.

I raise my face back up to Loki's. I try to say something, but the moment I open my mouth I just end up coughing up blood. There is such a cruel smile painting his face as he turns and heads back for the control panel. I try to get back up when I see he's about drop Thor out the air shoot, but I just collapse again. I look over at Thor to find him staring back at me. He looks even worse than I feel. I once again try to say the thing I attempted earlier, to explain, but then Loki punches the button and the glass container falls out of sight.

So I look back at Phil. Our eyes meet and he gives me a nanoscopic nod.

Then Phil starts talking the way he does best, in a way that gets people talking.

And it's a perfect distraction.