Phil had never been able to see goodbyes as anything but a goodbye. Anything but an ending that you had to move on from. For him they had only ever meant lost loves and exiled friends and yes, even death. Daisy had spent the better part of the last year trying to convince him to see the ends of their family calls as a 'see you later' and even Mack had insisted that as director he would make certain that they would be able to have at least one more family dinner and that they'd finally get that pie, but Phil had been in S.H.I.E.L.D. too long to let himself become that naive despite what he would have given for Mack to fulfill his promise. He had seen the people he cared about most in the world get hurt or cheat death or even die too many times for the weight of hanging up to leave his shoulders and he knew that despite Mack having the best of intentions, it wouldn't work out. Even the weekly calls they had committed to in the beginning had fallen apart, and they were only able to get together once a year if they were lucky. The life of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents didn't allow for family dinners or quick drop by visits with the kids. It didn't allow for casual phone calls just because you were thinking of someone or a hug from the person you wanted one from when you needed it. Phil had quickly learned that it was stolen moments in between saving the world and grabbing a bite to eat. It was reading texts sent days prior and not having time to respond. It was playing back videos Daisy and Elena had taken while goofing around on their scarce downtime or while en route from one adventure to the next and selfies that Jemma had taken on stolen cell phones when no one could talk. It was missing your family and it was praying they would stay safe every night when you went to bed and holding your breath when you woke up in the morning. He knew that this was for the best, the team going their separate ways, and had always known that it would happen some day. Even their chosen family was going to have to grow up and move out at some point. But he hadn't expected the void where their smiles had once been every day to be quite so large and certainly not this deep.
All it took for Phil to make up his mind was not having seen his people in so long and for their time 'together' to be cut so short. He had been thinking on it for a while anyway; one of those ideas that just rattled around in his brain and wouldn't go way no matter how hard he tried and how bad of an idea he thought that it could turn out to be. So sure, he had told them he was going to travel, and he was, he could never bring himself to lie to them again. What they didn't understand was that there were only so many places he wanted to go and he certainly didn't want to be alone when he got there.
The one thing that hadn't been missed from traveling on the Zephyr for so many years was the hustle and bustle of traffic. Although Phil had been reintegrating himself back into pedestrian life, he still hadn't gotten used to subways and foot traffic and the constant noise of every day life. Cars on the street honked as they swerved around each other and tried to beat red lights. People walking on the street yelled into cell phones and chatted to friends over the murmur of food vendors trying to sell a hot dog on the street. It was hot and more humid than it tended to in July but the sun was unrelenting nonetheless and didn't offer passersby any reprieve as it rose in a cloudless sky.
Phil winced as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight as he stepped out onto the sidewalk. He reached into his jacket pocket, only to find that his sunglasses weren't there. He sighed and shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand and instead glanced down at the car keys he had been holding. A note had been attached, stained with grease. It read "Thanks for finally letting me take a look under the hood. She's as gorgeous as I thought she'd be. Hope you like it. Mack." Phil smiled as he read the note over again and pressed a button on the fob. He couldn't help but smile as he heard a familiar car beep to his left. The smile only grew as he looked over at Lola parked by the curb, red paint shining in the sunlight.
Phil tried not to get giddy as he ran his hand over the hood while he walked to the driver's side door. He got in and took a deep breath, reveling in getting to sit in his car again after so long, especially now that she wasn't stuck in a plane hangar. He put the key in the ignition and closed his eyes to listen to the engine turn over gloriously. Lola was exactly as he had left her, if not a little better; Mack had done well. Phil patted his jacket down for a moment, then paused as he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the glove box. He reached over and opened it, finding a glasses case with another note attached. It was simple and to the point: "Thought you might need these." Phil smiled as he opened the case to find his aviator sunglasses and wasted no time in putting them on. With the flip of a switch Lola roared to life and her wheel quickly flipped and their jet engines fired.
"Cool." Phil smiled to himself as he lifted Lola away from the street and took off into the afternoon sky.
Phil wasn't supposed to know where the airship was; it was cloaked and its location had been locked behind a much higher classification than a dead man had access to but Phil had found that Mack wasn't very good at keeping secrets when he didn't want to be and following bread crumbs wasn't that hard when he was looking for an airship five football fields long. So Phil hadn't been all that surprised when he already had clearance to land when he found what he was looking for 45,000 feet in the air in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Phil noted that Lola looked absolutely tiny compared to what Mack was toting around as he got out and smiled when agents turned heads at the sound of Lola's locking alarm. Phil had been able to take all of four steps when he saw Mack heading down the landing strip towards him. Both had grins on their faces and Mack didn't hesitate to pull Phil into a hug when he got close enough.
"Coulson! It's great to see you."
"I could say the same about you."
"What brings you all the way out to our little corner of the ocean."
"I'm traveling. Wanted to see the world."
"So you picked this spot?"
"What can I say? I'm a man of taste." Mack couldn't help but smile as he rested a hand on Phil's shoulder.
"Well let me show you around. It's a little bigger than what you're used to, but I think you'll like it."
"I'm sure I will."
"By the way where's your-" Mack stopped as he caught a glint of red out of the corner of his eye. "Did you-" Phil smiled.
"Yep."
"All the way out here?"
"Yep."
"And she made it?"
"Did you doubt she would?" Phil couldn't help but smile at the childlike wonder in Mack's eyes as he stared at Lola parked a hundred yards out.
"How'd she fly?"
"Like a dream."
"And the thrusters?"
"Smooth as ever."
"Do you think I could take-" Phil gave Mack a look that stopped him from even finishing his sentence. Mack laughed.
"I knew it couldn't be that easy."
"Let me see how you fly this thing and then we'll talk." Mack gave a knowing smile.
"Yes sir."
The inside of the airship was massive and almost every wall of the back half of the deck was filled with someone working at a screen as they walked past and to the balcony that overlooked the main hub. Below them, agents hustled everywhere across the room then back again, the backdrop of the sky meeting the ocean filling the room with bright light.
"This is the room where it happens."
"I gotta say, you've got style." Phil caught something out of the corner of his eye. "Do you have a fish tank?"
"Thought it would add a little something something."
"You know, I always wanted a fish tank on my plane. Fury wouldn't fund it." Mack laughed at Phil's goofy smile.
"It helps when you're the one in charge. I took a note from you, though, on all of this."
"How so?"
"Mobile command center. They offered me a more permanent spot down at the triskelion but I turned it down. You did just fine in the air, so so will I."
"Isn't Yo-yo going to miss the ground?"
"She doesn't let me spend nearly as much time up here as I should. She's got me living in an apartment. Without a garage."
"The horror."
"I know."
Mack smiled and returned his attention to watch the hustle and bustle on the deck below them. After a moment he looked back at Phil to see him giving Mack a strange look, clearly only half there. Mack nudged Phil's arm with a concerned smile.
"Hey, Earth to Coulson." Phil snapped out of it and a smile crept across his face.
"Sorry, just thinking."
"About?" Phil didn't answer for a moment, taking in Mack standing at command, his trench coat the honorary cape of the superhero Phil knew Mack had always been, powers or not.
"You just remind me of someone." Mack smiled and couldn't help but laugh.
"The day I level with Fury is the day we let the aliens win." Phil smiled.
"Whatever you say."
"We should go to my office. It's a little quieter, you won't attract as much attention. Plus there's whisky. It's no Haig, but it'll get the job done." Mack motioned to a small group of agents huddled together, not so inconspicuously stealing glances at Phil. Phil smiled.
"To be fair, it's not every day you see someone back from the dead."
"They don't even know the half of it." They both laughed.
"Director." An agent appeared behind Mack carrying a tablet, listening to something in an earpiece. "Director, we've got something." Mack glanced at them, then back at Phil.
"Is it life or death?"
"Well-"
"Is it life or death?" Mack asked again, firmer this time.
"No?"
"Then it can wait. Go talk to Sanguino if you have to." He tilted his head down to an intimidating woman standing in the middle of the deck below them holding a tablet and talking to two mission ready agents. They gave a curt nod and headed for the stairs.
"Sorry about that."
"No worries. All part of the job."
"Let's get you out of here. It's a little loud."
Mack led Phil into his office and shut the door behind them. The room was lit warmly. Against the back wall was a massive desk that had almost as many fidget toys as it did folders. To the right was a book case that had more picture frames and trinkets than books, and to the left was a mini bar.
"Gotta say, I didn't take you for an office guy."
"I'm not." Mack said as he walked to the mini bar and took out two glasses. "But sometimes a guy's gotta find some quiet," He put an ice cube in each glass. "and this was the only way I knew how." He filled each glass half way with a dark amber whisky and handed one to Phil as he sat in the on the chairs that faced the desk. Mack took his own glass and sat on the other side, sighing as he leaned back. "I need the quiet." Phil nodded knowingly and took a sip from his glass. He paused for a moment and made a pleased face. Mack smiled. "I told you."
"Damn. That's good."
"It's an '82." Phil nodded impressed. Phil waited for a moment before he set his glass on Mack's desk and leaned forward in his chair.
"How are you?" Mack was taken aback a bit.
"I'm fine, I-"
"No I mean how are you? Mack paused for a moment before he responded.
"I'm good. I'm really good. Not gonna lie, didn't think I'd like the director gig as much as I do, but Yo-yo says it suits me and I think I have to agree."
"How is she?"
"She's good. Should be back from assignment in a couple of days. Gonna stick around for a while so Piper can go home, see her family. I think she's glad to have the down time." Phil didn't miss the smile that crept across Mack's face as he spoke, looking just a little too intently at the ice in his glass. Mack looked up and shook his head with a smile when he saw Coulson's face.
"No, it's not like that."
"Why not?"
"Cause I just, we just-"
"Do you need a reason?"
"No."
"Then what are you waiting for?" mack stopped for a moment and looked confused.
"I don't know that we're talking about the same thing here-" Mack was interrupted by a knock at the door. He sighed. "Yeah?" The same agent as had interrupted them before walked in, doing her best to not let her guilt over interrupting show."
"I'm sorry, Director. But Sanguino said you should be dealing with this." Mack sighed and set his glass down. He let his head drop for a moment before he looked back up at Phil.
"I have to take this."
"Go. You got this."
"You sure? You came all this way."
"I saw what I needed to see. But I do have one thing to ask of you, Director."
"What's that?"
The sun shone brightly against the green hills of Perthshire making the grass seem even more vibrant than usual. There was a slight breeze that rustled the trees in a way that had always calmed Alya, which meant that it calmed Fitz as well which led to them having the windows open as much as they could while living in Scotland. Jemma sat in a rocking chair by the window with a book that she wasn't paying all that much attention to; she mostly watched the clouds cast shadows across the backyard and glanced at the toys that would need to be picked up before she started making dinner. Alya had just gone down for a nap Fitz had been fighting with her over for an hour for when the doorbell rang. Jemma looked up from her half-daydream confused and Fitz had already poked his head from around the corner before she had even stood up.
"Are we expecting anyone?" Jemma twisted the ring on her finger absentmindedly.
"Not that I know of."
Fitz stepped toward the door, Jemma following close behind with an icer behind her back. The doorbell rang again, making Jemma jump. Fitz looked at her before opening the door to find Phil backing away from their front step.
"Sorry is this a bad time? You didn't answer so I thought that maybe you weren't-"
"Coulson!" Jemma pushed the icer into Fitz's hands and flung her arms around Phil's neck. "It's so good to see you!"
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Fitz smiled and set the icer down on the bench by the door.
"You were going to shoot me? You thought I was going to hurt you?"
"Sir, I didn't know it was you and-" Jemma started.
"We're S.H.I.E.L.D agents. We think everyone's going to hurt us." Fitz finished.
"Alright, I guess I can let that one slide." He smiled.
"Well don't keep him out on the step, bring him in." Fitz backed away so Jemma could lead Phil into the house.
"Well, welcome to the cottage! Make yourself at home. Would you like some tea? Fitz we should make tea."
"Oh you don't have to-" Phil started.
"Of course, coming right up." Fitz disappeared into the kitchen and Jemma smiled brightly at Phil.
"Well come in, you're certainly not a stranger."
"Do you want me to take my shoes off?" Phil glanced down at the pile of shoes ranging from Fitz's sneakers to Jemma's flats to a pair of tiny light up sneakers.
"Oh we don't mind, do we Fitz?"
"Hm?" Fitz called from the kitchen.
"Oh, we don't mind at all. Whichever you prefer." Phil nodded and toed his shoes off neatly by the door.
Phil followed Jemma down a small hallway into the den. It was clearly decorated by Jemma because there wasn't a workbench or screwdriver in sight. The walls were a light cream color and filled with pictures of their little family and knick knacks on shelves here and there. A massive bookcase covered one wall and even then they had run out of room and started piling books on the floor in front of it. A toy chest sat in the corner with Alya's name painted on it and most of the toys strewn about the floor.
"I'm sorry it's such a mess. If I had known you were coming I would have-"
"It's fine, Jemma." Phil smiled as he sat down on the couch. "It's perfect for you."
"Thank you. It is, isn't it?" Jemma smiled as she sat back down in her rocking chair. "It's everything I've ever dreamed of."
Fitz came in from the kitchen carrying a tray with tea cups. He set the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch and handed a cup to Jemma, then Phil before taking one for himself. He took a seat next to Phil and leaned over when Jemma took a sip from her cup, whispering in his ear.
"Don't worry, Sir. Yours is just coffee." Phil smiled.
"Thanks." He whispered back. Jemma raised an eyebrow.
"What are you two whispering about over there?"
"Nothing, dear." Jemma narrowed her eyes.
"You gave him coffee, didn't you?" Fitz took a long sip from his cup. "Fitz!"
"Well he certainly wasn't going to drink tea." Jemma forced a smile onto her face.
"Sir, you know coffee isn't the best for your systems."
"So you're saying it could break me?"
"It's hard to know for sure, but-"
"But couldn't you just fix me?" Phil struggled to keep a straight face as he watched Jemma struggle.
"Well, I-"
"So you can't?"
"No, I didn't say that…"
Fitz snickered to Phil's left and Phil's smile finally broke across his face as Jemma decided it was a losing argument and took another sip from her cup. She sighed and finally let a smile creep across her own face as well.
"Oh, how I missed this."
Phil opened his mouth but was interrupted as the house was filled with the sound of two little feet pounding down the stairs.
"Momma, Daddy! I don't wanna sleep anymore!" Jemma gave Fitz a tired look as Alya bounded around the corner and into the den. She skidded to a stop when she saw Phil sitting on the couch and looked at him curiously. "Momma, who's that?"
Fitz got up from the couch and picked Alya up, resting her on his hip.
"Now that's not very nice, Monkey. What do we say when we meet people?" Alya stared at the ceiling for a moment before she answered.
"Hi, my name's Alya. What's yours?"
"Good, Alya!" Jemma smiled. "This is your Grandpa Phil."
"Grandpa?" Phil raised an eyebrow.
"Uncle?" Fitz tried.
"How about just Phil?"
Fitz turned Alya in his arms.
"Alright, this is Phil. You wanna go say hi?" Alya nodded. Fitz set Alya back down and she walked over to Phil who had perched himself at the edge of his seat.
"So you're the little monkey I've been hearing so much about." He smiled warmly at her and she smiled right back. Phil picked her up and sat her on his knee. "I hear you've been learning how to swim."
Alya nodded.
"Do you like it?"
She shrugged.
"Well, what do you like to do?"
"I want to design my own fish!" Phil laughed.
"So I hear. You're just like your mom, you know that?" Alya looked at him with big eyes. Phil tried again. "Do you like robots?" Alya's eyes lit up and she smiled. "And there's your dad."
"I have a robot in the backyard!" Phil gasped.
"I think I know a thing or two about those!" He winked at Jemma and Fitz. "Can you show me?"
"Yeah!" Alya jumped down from Phil's lap and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the back yard.
"You don't know what you just started." Fitz smiled.
"I hope you weren't planning on leaving anytime soon." Jemma laughed as she stood up from her chair and moved to Fitz's side as Phil pulled the screen door shut behind him. Alya dragged him to a pile of what Phil had thought were toys but were actually screws and old parts Fitz had discarded.
Jemma and Fitz watched from the back door, Fitz's arm wrapped around Jemma's shoulders and her head resting on his. They watched as Phil took off his suit jacket and lifted Alya into the air as she squealed with laughter.
"I much prefer Grandpa Phil to Uncle." Fitz thought aloud to himself.
"This is how it should have been."
"Hm?" Fitz looked down at Jemma.
"They should have been doing this all along."
"Maybe you're right. But they're doing it now. That's got to count for something."
"What do you mean you won't take Lola out of the atmosphere? It's just space."
"She's a convertible."
"Fine. You're best friends with the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Mack's gotta be able to work some magic so she could make it all the way out here." Daisy whined as she made puppy dog eyes at Phil through the phone.
They had made a habit out of daily phone calls, even if it was only for a few minutes. It had started with Daisy calling asking for "advice" that quickly devolved into small talk and reminiscing and both pretending they didn't know what the other was doing by delaying hanging up. Now, they both understood and Phil never minded when they fell into silence while Daisy did her job, just to stay in each other's company. She had called him while he had been doing 90 miles an hour on the interstate and had pulled over to the side of the road under a bridge. Even then, he had to squint to see her face from the darkness of Zephyr three.
"She just spent some time with him so I'm sure she could handle that now. But I don't think you want me doing that. I learned to fly from Captain America."
"I hate it when you're right." Phil laughed as Daisy leaned back in her chair. "What if-"
"You could come home. It's been a minute since you had your feet on solid ground. There's a lot of people who'd be thrilled to see you."
"Kora's not ready to be out here all by herself. She's good, but it takes time to regain trust after trying to kill the team." Phil nodded as Daisy folded her legs underneath herself. They sat in silence for a moment. "I do wanna come home though. I miss you guys. Even if I can't see all of you together, I'd fly wherever I had to. My team is great, but they're not my family."
"I'll see if Mack can stage an intergalactic disaster so you have a reason to come back." They both laughed halfheartedly. Daisy picked her phone up off the table where it had been propped up and brought it a little closer to her face.
"I'd pay you to do that."
"Who are you paying for what?" Sousa appeared over Daisy's shoulder and glanced at the phone. "Ah, Coulson. How are you, sir?"
"Just fine. You?"
"Just keeping Quake from blowing herself up again."
"Just what I like to hear. Keep up the good work, cause it's hard work." Phil smiled teasingly at Daisy as she feigned offense.
"Hey! It was one time and Fitz told me it would be fine."
"You've definitely come closer than just the once." Sousa stared into Daisy's phone at Phil.
"There was more than once?"
"No there wasn't I just-"
"You almost shattered your arms, tried to get yourself killed in the future, you-" Daisy tensed up and looked over her shoulder to see Sousa staring at her with big eyes.
"Alright, Dad, let's not relive every bad decision I've ever made." Daisy shot Phil daggers and he couldn't help but smile as she desperately tried to change the subject. "Sousa why don't you go see what out ETA is?" He rolled his eyes but nodded with a half smile and disappeared from the camera's view.
"Until next time, sir." He called over his shoulder.
"Maybe I don't wanna come home as much as I thought I did."
"You miss me."
"I did, until you told my boyfriend about all the times I almost died."
"So you admit that he's your boyfriend?" Daisy went red in the face and quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure no one had heard Phil.
"I didn't say that."
"Actually I think you did. Can- can we play the tape back?" Daisy rolled her eyes.
"You're ridiculous." Daisy suddenly looked off camera for a moment, then groaned.
"I'm T-minus two minutes out. I gotta go do my job or whatever."
"Go. I should get back on the road anyway." Daisy sat on the edge of her seat.
"You gonna do what we talked about?"
"Maybe." Phil winked. Daisy had to hold back a squeal.
"She'll be so excited to see you. She wouldn't say it last night but you should've seen the smile on her face when I brought it up." Phil couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face.
"You talked to her?"
"Are you kidding? I call her almost as much as I call you. We do tai chi together in the mornings." Phil smiled at the thought, letting the conversation fall into silence again.
"A.C. if you wimp out I'll come home just to quake your ass."
"I don't think you'll need to do that." Daisy bit her lip in a smile.
"You gotta tell me everything that happens."
"Have you considered you're a little too invested?"
"Mom and Dad have a chance to get together. I'm not just not gonna wanna know everything." Daisy laughed.
"You'll be the first to know. I have one stop I have to make first though." Daisy shooed someone away off screen.
"Alright I actually gotta go. Drive safe."
"You too. See you soon."
"Wait, what?" Phil hung up the call before he could answer Daisy's question. His phone immediately lit up with a text:
what the hell did you mean by that?
He sighed with a smile and put his phone away in his jacket pocket without responding.
"That girl's going to be the death of me." He chuckled to himself as he put his sunglasses back on and pulled back onto the interstate behind a semi truck.
The sun was setting and its dying light cast a golden shadow on the flat grass that spread for as far as he could see on either side of him. He had always loved driving through dinnertime because now it was just him and the occasional truck that he was more than happy to pass as he pushed what the cops would let him get away with while going over the speed limit. He glanced up at the sky and smiled as he could start to make out the blinking lights of a spacecraft on the dark horizon. He knew it wasn't Daisy, but it brought him comfort to believe that it was, that she wasn't halfway across the universe. He caught a glimpse of a sign in the distance and sped up just a little bit. The sooner he got to his last stop, the sooner he could go home.
It was still dark when Phil pulled into the motel parking lot in the outskirts of San Diego. He let Lola's door shut a little louder than he would have liked and let the alarm beep when he hit the lock button on the remote. He scanned up and down the doors until he found the one he was looking for; the one where the drapes were duct taped shut. He checked the time on his watch: it read 6:21 am.
"She's gonna kill me." Phil whispered to himself as he walked across the parking lot. He knocked on the door three times and immediately heard someone flip off of one of the beds followed by not so hushed whispers and finally the door inching open ever so slightly. Phil saw a single eye peek out and he could finally hear a voice inside.
"Piper, what the fuck are you doing?"
"Checking to see who it is!"
"Well if they were gonna kill us they would've done it before they bothered to knock, just open the damn door." The door was shut and opened again, this time with the chain lock undone. Phil could finally see inside the motel room to see Piper standing in the doorway wearing mismatched pajamas and fuzzy slippers and Elena sitting up in bed against the opposite wall. Davis was still asleep on a couch against the window.
"Coulson? Is that you?" Elena squinted as the street lights shined into the room.
"In the flesh. Well, kind of." Elena immediately broke into a smile and jumped up from the bed. Piper stepped to the side as Phil pulled Elena into a hug.
"It's good to see you, Sir." Piper smiled at him.
"Do you have any idea what time it is, Coulson?" Elena glared at him, the joy of getting to see him wearing off. Phil smiled as Elena led him into the motel room and pulled out a chair for him to sit. "You know I don't wake up before 9:00."
"Sorry, I was just passing through and thought I'd stop in before I head out."
"You're not sticking around? Weren't you just in New York last week?"
"I told you I was traveling." Elena glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of red paint shining under a street lamp.
"In Lola? I knew Mack had gotten his hands on her but I didn't think he'd be able to get her to teleport." Phil laughed.
"No teleporting. She's just fast." Elena smiled.
"I should've known you'd speed."
"I learned from the best."
"Oh please, you'd never beat me."
"Ladies, ladies, please you're both pretty." David moaned as he sat up from the couch. "What're you doing making this much noise this early anyway?" Davis finally saw Phil sitting across from him and went white. "Coulson. Sorry, I-" Phil just smiled and Davis relaxed.
"It's good to see you up and walking around, Davis."
"It's good to be up and walking around, Sir." There was a pause filled with Elena and her team still waking up and Phil not minding the silence
"What're you doing all the way out here?" Elena finally spoke up. "I know you didn't drive all the way out here just for a wake up call."
"I wanted to see you. It's been a while."
"Single handedly stopping Inhuman crime does take up a lot of time."
"Hey, not single handedly." Piper teased. Elena just rolled her eyes. She held up a hand to hide her mouth from Piper.
"I regret bringing them both." Phil smiled and they both laughed. Piper rolled her eyes and got up from her bed.
"I'm going for a walk. Come on Davis."
"Do I have to?" Piper shot him a look and he groaned as he got up off the couch and followed Piper out the door, letting it slam behind him.
"Sorry they're-"
"I get it. Fitzsimmons was the same way." Elena couldn't help but laugh.
"They were not."
"You think they argue now? You should've seen it."
"Wow." Elena got up and opened the mini fridge and pulled out a water bottle. "You want one?" Phil nodded and Elena tossed him one.
"Alright, Coulson, tell me what's really up. I knew you were sentimental but I've never known you to be one to interrupt a mission, especially when we're this deep in the field."
"I've been making my rounds."
"How did you find us all the way out here any way?" Elena immediately stopped her self and it was clear she was cursing in her mind.
"Mack." Both she and Phil said at the same time.
"Wait so you saw him too?"
"Of course. He misses you."
"I miss him."
"I hear you're taking leave. Didn't think you ever would."
"It's mostly for Piper. Don't wanna replace her when she's gone, but she deserves the break."
"Mostly for her?" Elena suddenly got a little quieter, taking a drink of water.
"So you're just driving all over creation to say hi, grab a drink and leave again?"
"Maybe I've got an agenda." Phil took a drink from his water bottle."
"You've got about a half hour before those two come back. So start talking."
The lights came up on a lecture hall and despite the fact that Melinda was still speaking students had already started to pack up their belongings and a few had already managed to slip out, but not without notice. She took a mental note to send them emails when she got back to her office.
"Alright, and next week we will be partnering with Sci-tech, so don't get mad if someone's in your seat when you get here and please be nice. I'm sure you're all aware of how intimidating we here in Operations can be."
The room filled with a light laughter from the students that sat in rows running so far back Melinda could only barely make out the back row with the presentation lights shining into her face. She paused for a moment and despite that many students hadn't made a move to reach for their bags, she could feel the Friday energy radiating off of them; they were polite, but still students.
"Alright, I won't torture you anymore. Have a good weekend."
The room exploded into a flurry of motion as students packed up their things and headed for the doors in the back of the room. Melinda bent down to pick up her own bag and was pleased to find that there was no one waiting for her attention. As she straightened her phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her back pocket to see that it was Phil calling. She couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she looked at his goofy smile had had taken for his contact picture and answered the call.
"Phil. Hi."
"Hi. Is this a bad time?"
"Not at all. Just got out of class."
Melinda pulled her back more securely onto her shoulder and headed for the door at the back of the room, shutting the lights off as she went.
"How was it? Those kids getting too much for you to handle?" Phil teased.
Melinda walked out the doors of the building and had to squint as her eyes adjusted. Despite how quiet and dark her lecture hall had been, the hallway outside was loud and full of students and instructors alike covering the sun soaked pavement.
"Oh yes. Because everyone's so willing to goof off in front of The Cavalry." Melinda smiled at her own sarcasm as well as Phil's laugh at the other end of the phone. She glanced at the few heads that turned at the mention of her legacy name. She took off walking down the length of the building, nodding or sometimes waving at those who greeted her as she walked; she may have insisted on becoming a regular lecturer like anyone else, but her reputation still preceded her.
"Well as long as they're doing that." Now it was Melinda's turn to laugh.
"It's great to hear from you, it really is. But to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? It's not often you call up just to chat, that's more Daisy's thing."
She finally turned right before the end of the cement wall she had been following and headed through a pair of massive glass doors that brought Melinda to a long hallway with door after door of offices. Her heels clicked as she let the heavy glass fall shut behind her and her voice began to echo. Her door, however, was directly to her right; sure, she hadn't wanted her reputation to precede her, but that didn't mean she wouldn't let it benefit her here and there, especially when it came to a corner office with windows.
"Well I was wondering if you had plans for tonight?"
She unlocked the door with a set of keys she had dug out of her blazer pocket and let it swing open. She dropped her bag on the floor and moved to kick off her heels.
"Come on, you already know I don-"
Melinda stopped as she realized that her office wasn't empty as her desk chair spun from where it had been facing the window, revealing Phil's smiling face with his phone still held to his ear. Melinda couldn't help but grin.
"Well that's good cause this would be really awkward otherwise."
"Phil." She hadn't expected her heart to beat quite so quickly and she certainly needed her hands to stop shaking the way they were. But after a year of nothing but stolen moment phone calls and the occasional hologram meeting when Daisy requested it, she wasn't sure either of them would mind if she was a little excited. She crossed the room so fast she barely gave him enough time to stand up before she was hugging him.
"May." His arms wrapped around her and he let his head rest lightly against the top of her head. They stood there for several long moments that passed entirely too quickly before Melinda finally made herself pull away and smile up at him.
"You know I wasn't expecting you quite so soon."
"I mean I can go do a little more running around if-"
"No." Melinda started faster than she'd have liked. "No, I'm glad you're here."
"Good." Phil let Melinda sit in her desk chair and he walked around it and took a seat in one of the chairs opposite her.
"So this was your definition of traveling?"
"I made my rounds." Phil smiled at Melinda.
"So soon? It's barely been a week" She smiled back.
"There were only so many places I wanted to go."
Phil fidgeted with one of his cufflinks while Melinda finally ended the phone call that they had never hung up. They sat in silence for a moment, something that neither of them had ever minded. Melinda watched as she felt Phil's nervous energy come off of him in waves; she found it adorable. Ten years of different versions of that moment and he still got worried.
"Didn't you just get out of class? Are you hungry?" Phil suddenly broke the silence, and leaned forward in his chair abruptly. "I was always hungry when I got out of class."
"Phil, you're always hungry."
"You didn't answer my question."
"I could eat." She smiled at him and watched him ease up a bit.
"You know anywhere good around here?"
"I know a place or two."
"Great. I'll drive."
Melinda stood up and straightened her button down under her blazer. She opened a drawer in her desk, pulled out a small purse, and kicked the drawer shut again.
"You carry a bag now?"
"Lot's changed since the last time you saw me."
"I can see that." Melinda smiled at him as she walked by, but paused. He gave her a look as she looked back at him. Before he could say anything, Melinda took a step toward him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Phil immediately turned bright red and had to focus to smile back at her when she laughed.
"I'm glad you're here."
Phil couldn't find any words that made sense so he silently followed Melinda out of her office and into the hallway, pulling her door shut behind himself. Phil didn't know if it was just because he hadn't seen her in a year or if it was her new empathic powers having residual effects she wasn't aware of, but he couldn't help but let his eyes run down her body as she held the glass door to the sidewalk open for him and he made note of the heels she had traded her combat boots in for. Clearly she was right about a lot having changed. Melinda tossed her hair over her shoulder as they stepped out onto the sidewalk and as he watched the sunlight hit her face he suddenly regretted not taking the offer he'd been given to teach at the Academy.
"Where'd you park?" She looked back at him with a comfortable energy Phil wished he could emulate.
Phil nodded his head to the left and Melinda followed him around the corner. She smiled the moment she saw the red paint shining in the sun.
"You got her back."
"Of course."
"Mack get a good look at her?"
Phil opened the passenger door for Melinda and she smiled at him in thanks as she got in.
"Oh yeah. You should've seen his face when he found out I took her up to the airship." Phil smiled as he got in the driver's seat.
"She made it all the way up there?"
Phil nodded.
"And where'd you learn to fly?"
"From the best."
"Steven Rogers is not the best."
"That's not who I meant."
Now it was Melinda's turn to be at a loss for words, so she just smiled to herself and pulled her aviator sunglasses out of her jacket at the same time that Phil did.
"You're still wearing those?"
"You told me to. You are too."
"They were my thing first."
"Yeah but I look better." Phil teased as he turned the key in the ignition. Melinda ran a hand through her hair and let it rest on top of the door as Phil pulled Lola away from the curb.
Melinda had taken Phil to her favorite pub just down the road from the Academy that had exactly the kind of greasy bar food that Phil had always loved without the loud sports televisions or annoying drunks that Melinda hated. The only downside to her decision was that now the whole restaurant could hear as her laughter filled their booth.
"You did not!" Melinda laughed as she took a sip from her beer.
"I did." Phil was grinning ear to ear. "I thought Piper was going to ice first and ask questions later."
"Yo-Yo must've wanted to kill you."
"Oh she did. If she hadn't been happy to see me she probably would've tried."
"Oh so you think she was happy to see you at six in the morning?"
"Anyone would be happy to see me at any hour."
Melinda laughed again and rotated her beer in its condensation as Phil took a bite of his burger.
"Alright, I'll let you believe that." Phil rolled his eyes and fiddled with his straw before he took a drink from his soda.
"Alya would be excited to see me at six in the morning."
Melinda rolled her eyes with a smile.
"You went to see Fitzsimmons too? How are they?"
"They're great. Alya is adorable."
"Is she?"
"You know she wants to build her own fish, but they've also got her playing with old robot parts."
Melinda couldn't help but smile.
"I have to make it out there on my next break. They could probably use one as well."
"They're managing, but tired. Fitz especially." Phil nodded in agreement as he finished his burger.
"I thought Jemma would be micromanaging too much for Fitz to be able to get tired."
"You'd be surprised." They fell into another silence as they just look at each other, Melinda's face resting in a comfortable happiness that Phil hadn't seen from her since before Bahrain and he could only hope that he was doing his best to mask the joy and fear that kept his heart racing in his chest.
"And how are you?" Phil finally broke the silence, hoping it wasn't too soon to switch the attention to Melinda.
"Hm?" Melinda looked confused as she dipped a fry into her honey mustard.
"You. What've you been up to?"
"Oh, you know. Lecture, grading, bed. I was never an exciting one."
"I beg to differ."
"Oh?"
"Berlin 1992 and Singapore 1994."
Melinda covered her face with her hand as she smiled and went red in the face.
"Those do not count."
"They definitely do. You out drank a Russian spy and sang karaoke even though you didn't know Malay. You're fun."
"If that's your definition of 'fun' then I definitely haven't been 'fun' in a while." She smiled as she created air quotes with her fingers. Phil laughed as the waiter came by the table.
"You guys all set here?"
"I think we are, yeah." Phil smiled up at him.
"Alright well let me get these out of your way." The water picked up their plates and balanced them in one hand. "And I'll leave this here. I'll pick it up whenever you're ready." He set the check down on the table, grabbed a few more things off their table and walked away. The moment the waiter's back was turned, Phil had grabbed the check just a second before Melinda could.
"Phil. Give it."
"No. I don't think I will." He smiled smugly.
"Phil I'm serious."
"So am I."
"You came to see me."
"And I invited you to dinner." Phil pulled his card out of his wallet and stuck it in the envelope the receipt had come in. He waved the waiter over and Phil was glad Melinda had empathic powers rather than shooting lasers because he would've been dead already with the look she was shooting him.
"I don't want you to pay." As the waiter arrived at the table, she made one more desperate grab for the check, but missed as Phil handed it off to the waiter and he disappeared again.
"And yet I just did."
Melinda smiled in defeat and gratitude.
"You didn't have to do that."
"Yes I did." Phil looked at Melinda and it made her pause. They spent a moment like that, eyes locked with neither making a move to look away. Melinda finally broke her gaze when she felt Phil's hand graze hers that she had left lying across the table. He took it gently into his own and squeezed. Melinda smiled and squeezed back.
"Melinda, about that night at the lighthouse…"
"What about it?"
"What you said. You walked away before I could say anything and I-"
Suddenly the waiter came back to their table. Melinda quickly pulled her hand away and smiled. Phil's courage suddenly drained from him, his anxiety quickly returning.
"Thank you so much and I hope you two have a great night."
"Thank you, you too."
He nodded as he walked away. Melinda looked back at Phil who was clearly concentrating entirely too hard on signing his name. He looked up as he set the black book back down on the table.
"You ready to rock and roll?"
Melinda laughed entirely too loud and immediately shrunk down a little as others in the restaurant turned their heads.
"What?"
"Please never say that again."
"What's wrong with what I said?"
"Let's just say Daisy would have been disappointed." Melinda laughed to herself again under her breath as she grabbed her back and slid out of the booth. Phil shook his head a little confused as they walked out of the pub side by side.
Once they had gotten settled back in Phil's car, he turned to look at Melinda.
"I can bring you back to your house if you'd like. Or back to the Academy if you need something?"
Melinda couldn't help but let her face fall a little.
"You're not staying around?"
"Oh. I mean I could if you want. I just thought- So I thought that I'd- I didn't want to-"
Melinda giggled.
"Phil. Stop. I'd love it if you came back to mine. We still have so much catching up to do."
"Sounds great." Phil smiled as he pulled Lola out of the parking spot. They got to the entrance and Phil put his blinker on to turn, then stopped. Melinda gave him a look.
"What is it?"
Phil was hesitant to answer and Melinda raised an eyebrow at his embarrassment.
"Not gonna lie, I have no idea where you live." Melinda laughed again and pointed to the right. Phil nodded and pulled out onto the street with a smile on his face.
Melinda's apartment complex was everything that Phil would have expected it to be. Tall cement walls stretching into the sky that lacked personality, but he suspected she liked it that way. Phil parked next to the black SUV Melinda told him to and as he put Lola in park he glanced to his right.
"This you?" He pointed a thumb. Melinda just nodded. Phil smiled. "How did I know?" Melinda rolled her eyes as she got out of the car.
Phil followed her up what he felt were entirely too many stairs when there had been an elevator waiting in the lobby. She led him down a hallway and finally stopped in front of a plain door.
"Not even a wreath?"
"Do I seem like a wreath person?" Melinda fired back as she unlocked the door and let it swing open. Phil stepped through the doorway first and couldn't help but chuckle a little under his breath. Her apartment was exactly as he had expected it to be.
It was a small studio apartment, but it was also more than enough room for one person. A single coat hook hung on the wall by the door, the floor underneath it littered with a few different pairs of shoes. Immediately to their right was the slightly dated kitchen with wooden cabinets painted white and a white refrigerator. The countertops were perfectly clean, not an appliance in sight; safely stored in the cabinets below, Phil suspected, and his eyes were drawn to the sink that was overflowing with dishes. There was a small living room to his right that had only a couch and a TV sitting on a small console. Melinda's bed sat across the room, perfectly made with plain white bedding and a single khaki colored throw folded at its foot. A single painting hung over the bed. From the doorway Phil could see the door to the bathroom at the other side of the room and still a balcony behind sliding glass doors beyond that. The television was still on, playing the evening news.
Melinda closed the door behind herself and locked it as she kicked her shoes off into the pile and set her bag gently by the door. She brushed past Phil as he continued to take in the room and walked into the kitchen.
"It's not that big. Not that much to look at." Phil smiled as he stepped out of his daze and toed his shoes off neatly besides Melinda's pile. Melinda opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. She held it out toward Phil.
"I drove."
"You didn't drink at dinner. Take it." Phil sighed and gave Melinda a look as he took it, making a face when the twist off cap dug into his hand a little. Melinda grabbed a beer for herself and did the same.
"You left the TV on?" Phil nodded his head in its direction.
"Don't like to come home to silence."
"It never bothered you before."
"It does now."
Phil followed her to the couch where they sat down and Melinda tucked her feet underneath herself. They sat drinking in a silence that a year ago they both would have found much more comfortable. Phil finally broke the silence when he felt Melinda's eyes staring at him as he continued to look around.
"Do I have a hole in my head yet?"
"What's going on with you?" Phil raised an eyebrow at Melinda. "You're nervous. I can feel it."
"Why wouldn't I be nervous?"
"I can't figure out why you would."
"It's been a year."
"And you pulled me out of that cubicle after ten, clearly time isn't the issue." There was another silence as Phil took a drink from his beer that he wished wasn;'t disappearing quite so quickly. Melinda ran the pad of her thumb over the opening of her own bottle that was half empty.
"I just-" Phil began.
"Did you meet someone?" Phil stopped and gave Melinda a curious look. She looked up at him and Phil knew that her empathic powers had made her a little more open when it came to showing how she felt, but Phil had never seen a look like this in her eyes before. She looked almost hurt and Phil had to hold himself back from just pulling her into his arms altogether.
"What?"
"Who did you meet?"
"No one, I-"
"Then why? It's just me, Phil. Nothing's changed."
"How could it not have?" Melinda looked confused. "You're Professor May now. You say 'The Calvary' as a joke. You go on dates at fancy restaurants-"
"You know about that?" Melinda put her beer down on the coffee table beside her and stiffened as she shifted on the couch. Phil watched closely as he watched emotions build behind her eyes.
"I've been keeping tabs."
"Phil, I-"
"The point is that you're different now. And I'm still just me." Melinda's face fell and her eyes softened. "I saw what James looked like. PCA, cottage on the lake, two kids. He's-"
"Not you. Did you really think that a lake cottage on the weekends would ever beat the last six years?"
"But-"
"No. You don't get to decide that for me. That's on me. I told you I love you and I still do and that's the end of it."
Melinda took a deep breath and Phil tensed, thinking she was going to be escorting him to the door. He moved to stand up but in that moment Melinda moved across the couch and stopped Phil from getting up with a hand to his chest as she pressed her lips to his. He froze for a moment before kissing back, letting a slight smile turn up at the corners of his lips. His arm wrapped around her waist as she relaxed into him and she fell into place, settling against Phil's side. Melinda's other arm wrapped around his shoulders as Phil turned to face her better. Their comfortability with each other quickly returned as a year of pushing the other to the back of their minds to hide the longing and loneliness dissipated into the moment Melinda knew they had both been waiting for. She finally pulled away when she felt the urge to run her hand down his chest and she knew she had to make herself stop. She couldn't help but smile at the hint of shock crossing Phil's face.
"Thought that might shut you up." Phil couldn't help but laugh and wrap his arm a little tighter around Melinda's waist when he realized she wasn't immediately retreating back to her side of the couch.
"So you decided you don't hate Philbot that much after all." Melinda scoffed.
"I am not calling you that."
"You'll learn to love it." Melinda raised an eyebrow and smiled as she rested her head on Phil's shoulder. There was a comfortable silence as the sun set just beyond Melinda's balcony, flooding the room with a dim golden light.
"You said it again. Is that what we're calling this?" Melinda let out a long breath and paused for a moment before responding.
"We'll see." But even as she said it, Melinda let her hand move to rest on top of Phil's. He smiled and flipped it to lace their fingers. He felt Melinda hesitate for a moment against him before she relaxed again and he had to keep himself from letting out a sigh of relief. "Depends if you decide to die again."
"I've found I'm reconsidering."