She had gotten so used to Brussels that she could now honestly say she tolerated it. At least it had been enough time of her diligently working here that her misdeed had been atoned for. Or maybe just forgotten by her superiors. Exhausting days of walking the halls of the European Parliament, making nice with people who couldn't care less about anybody but themselves and hours of paperwork. A seemingly endless punishment for having gotten too attached. For forming a relationship with someone else and losing sight of the goal that had been set for her. She still hadn't completely forgiven Fury.
Maria had been sure they would go away. The thoughts of what she'd had to leave behind. But even now, as she sat at the bar at Pierre's, the memories crept back up from where she had tried to bury them. Next to her a Portuguese intern unsuccessfully tried to catch the bartender's attention. He had neither mastered the art of tying his tie nor the French language, which was probably why he was waving his American Express to no avail.
It surprised her when the bartender deposited a glass of Champagne in front of her none the less.
"From the gentleman down the bar." He answered her questioning look in French.
Pierre's wasn't much bigger than a spacious living room so it wasn't too hard to find her generous benefactor. He stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd of eager attaches, interns, lawyers and lobbyists that frequented the halls of the European Parliament by day and this bar or a few other just like it in the Parliament's Quarter by night. Busy to see and been seen. She liked the anonymity here. Not many SHIELD agents strayed this way.
Which is why she couldn't help but good-naturedly roll her eyes at him when she met his gaze. He just smiled and made his way over to her. It was just like him to pull something this silly. The Portuguese - still empty handed - had witnessed the interaction, seemed to get the hint and left without even excusing himself. Surely he had set his sights on another - easier - score.
"Not very subtle but I have to give a you points for execution." She praised him once he reached her side. No need for a big 'hello'.
Without asking he took the champagne glass out of her hand and set it on the counter before she could even take a sip.
"I was looking forward to drinking that."
He didn't even flinch at her tone. "I'm sorry. But we have to get to work."
"Please tell me you're kidding." Her good mood flew away instantly.
Coulson just smiled in what was probably supposed to be an apology, took her coat from her lap and held it open for her. Maria just snatched it out of his arms and followed him towards the door.
It was dark outside, bitterly cold and for once almost deserted. The only people Maria could see where waiting for a cab in front of a sports bar down the road. She closed her coat and pulled the lapels up to protect herself from the cold misty rain. Their destination was only a few blocks away and they walked swiftly.
"What are you doing here?" It couldn't be anything urgent or she would have been called back immediately.
"Something came up." He just answered vaguely and crossed the street.
"Huh. And here I thought you might have come out here to welcome May back from her mission." She dug her hands deeper into her coat's pockets.
"I thought she wasn't due back for another four hours." Maria tried to get a better look at his face but the half-light didn't allow her to read him properly. Not that she was really able to read anything in Phil Coulson's face.
"And yet, here you are. Just when May is due to arrive ahead of schedule." She just commented lightly. "And don't think I didn't notice that you didn't have to check your watch for that estimation."
He shot her a sideways look and the glint in his eyes hinted at a smile. "Well, it's a nice coincidence."
"Yeah, right." She shook her head while Coulson seemed self-satisfied. "I heard your last mission went well though."
They crossed the Place du Luxembourg and turned into a small side street.
"That's classified."
Maria wouldn't let herself be deterred. "I'm just saying it's nice to see you two still working together. Even after she broke your nose."
Coulson turned to look at her while he waited for a car to pass before they could cross the street. "You know that was an accident, right?"
Maria just smiled to herself. She had heard so many versions of the incident by now that she was no longer sure what was right and wrong. It didn't help that May spread half of the rumors herself just to mess with everyone.
Coulson preceded her into a little shabby looking kebab shop and traded a few niceties with the owner in impeccable Turkish. Maria followed behind, unnerved as always by the flickering neon light right over the counter. Other than Coulson she just smiled at Cem and walked straight through to the back and into the lady's room. It looked just as shabby and rundown as the rest of this place. Although their fries where the best in town. Which was just as well, or nobody would believe that a shabby place like this would get enough costumers to stay in business, let alone pass any health inspection.
Maria chose the sink right by the door, the one with the broken mirror, and took a deep breath. She checked her appearance in the grease stained glass and wondered why the Portuguese had even bothered. She looked like hell. But despite her exhaustion after six months of planning and coordinating missions in this beaurocratic hellhole, she already felt herself coming back to life. Could already feel the adrenaline and excitement rushing through her at the prospect of a mission of her own.
With a last roll of her neck she pressed a hidden switch underneath the soap dispenser and hold still for the retina scanner hidden behind the glass. A barely audible mechanic click let her know that the back wall of the middle stall - marked as under maintenance on the outside - had opened the reveal a dimly lit corridor.
Coulson was already waiting on the other side.
They walked the corridor in comfortable silence. The elevator was already waiting at the end of the corridor, it's brushed steal and clinical light a harsh contrast to the brick wall surrounding them. Coulson let her enter first.
The lower levels were bursting with activity, even at night. Maria quickly recalled today's call sheet. Mission P3X-751 was due for departure in an hour. Two others, May's among them, had culminated a few hours ago and they were expected to return sometime tonight. She had left the details of that to her assistant. They certainly weren't S.H.I.E.L.D.'s largest facility in Europe but she liked to think they were one of the most efficient ones.
Despite Coulson's claims, she knew they were first heading to meet May. His quickening step after a glimpse at his watch told her as much. She greeted a few agents in passing when someone rushed to meet them. Speak of the devil.
"Agent Hill." Decker was clearly flustered. "Is everything alright? I thought you had left for the night." He scanned the tablet in his hands, his fingers idly tapping back and forth. Maria knew it held every formation needed to run this base. EVERY information. "Mission P3X-751 is ready to go and Agent Marceau is going over the last mission specs. P3X-823 arrived half an hour ago, the package is already on its way to London. P3X-296 is checking in as we speak. Agent Coulson unexpectedly arrived from the H.U.B. an hour ago. He left the base 92 minutes ago and seems to have returned..." He paused in his report. Just now. You actually couldn't have missed him upstairs."
Maria had to stifle a laugh as Coulson loudly cleared his throat. Decker's eyes shot up from his reports, only now noticing him.
"Oh."
Coulson didn't know whether to be amused or not.
"Everything is fine, Decker." Maria smiled at him. "I trust that you have everything under control. Agent Coulson and I have other matters to attend to." She had clearly read the impatience in Coulson's face.
They hurried along, leaving Agent Decker behind with his befuddlement. Maria could practically feel Coulson's appraising look next to her.
"What?" She asked testily as they rounded another corner.
"You've done a good job here."
Maria just shrugged. It had turned out that Coulson and Fury by extent had been right. It did pay off to know the ropes. Too many of her superiors had never seen the field. Not that they were happy that she was climbing the ranks under Fury's tutelage. But most agents, like Decker, didn't seem to mind that she was climbing the ranks faster than most.
"It's not like I had a choice." And that was all she was going to say about the matter.
Coulson stopped her just in front of the door. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Mike. He seemed like a good guy."
"He is." And that was the truth. She had never expected to find herself dating the computer technician, let alone fall a little bit in love with him. He certainly hadn't expected it. Just like he hadn't expected her to break his heart when she had been reassigned to the other side of the globe. Fury had been right to stay clear of her path for the last months.
Maria gave Coulson a last hard look and he just opened the door for her in return. The hall was buzzing with activity. Incoming agents unloaded their gear while the base personnel catalogued and checked for completeness and intactness. The medical team in the corner was just a precaution. Her gaze swept over the room and she was once more surprised how easy it was to tell everyone apart. The specialists were bursting at the seems with testosterone, parting the scurrying technicians with their sheer presence like Moses did the Red Sea. Among them May, who claimed her personal space like any other, despite her size. Coulson seemed to have found her too as he noticeably relaxed next to her. May either felt their gazes or knew to expect them here as she walked over towards them with a widening smile on her face.
She abruptly stopped a few feet in front of them and frowned at Maria before giving Coulson a hard look.
"Did you say anything about Mike?"
Coulson sighed next to Maria. "Hello, May. Good to see you."
"Yes, he did." Maria just confirmed with an eye roll.
May just shook her head and looked at Coulson disapprovingly. "I told you not to do that." She turned around and walked through the thinning crowd, Maria and Coulson trailing behind.
"So how did the mission go? Maria asked. Did you like the new agents I chose for you?"
May just shot her a sideways glance. "They were fine."
"What about Mason?"
"Sub-standard."
Maria winced. Just what she'd thought.
"So." She turned back to Coulson. "Now, that we've seen May, care to tell me what you're doing here?"
"You haven't told her yet?" May asked as she reached an empty table a few feet away from the rest of the operatives.
"Didn't get a chance to." He reached into his jacket pocket and handed Maria a thick envelope. She opened it with a curious glance, quickly scanning over the contents.
Coulson meanwhile helped May undo her tactical vest and reached for the knife at her belt and her right thigh holster while May undid the straps on the left one. They laid her gear unto the table.
When Maria was done with her preliminary survey she waited and watched the other two in their routine. It ended with May passing her jacket to Coulson while he handed her a hair tie he had dug out of the vest on the table. Top compartment on the right side. His hand automatically moved towards her neck where a dark bruise appeared once her hair was out of the way.
"It's nothing." May assured him with a small smile. He nodded in understanding.
"So." Maria commandeered his attention back to herself. "You want me to break into the Vatican with you." The room had mostly cleared out by now and the remaining agents where too far away to pay them any attention.
Coulson beamed at her. "Yes."
"And the reason you're not taking May...?" She trailed off and looked at them expectantly.
Coulson shot May a quick look. "May has personal matters to attend do."
May nodded in confirmation.
"So why me?"
"For old times sake?"
::
Coulson caught up with them in the deserted mess hall where May was nursing a tea and Maria regretted getting a coffee. He tiredly dropped down next to May, who slid her mug over to him. Coulson took the mug with a grateful smile but upon sniffing its content set it back down without drinking anything.
"No thanks."
"So." Maria cradled her cup. The coffee might taste like motor oil but at least it warmed her hands. "Why the short notice?"
He just shrugged. "Window of opportunity."
"When do we leave?"
"In one hour. We'll reach Rome at 0200. And if everything goes according to plan we'll be done by the time for breakfast."
"Finally some decent coffee." Maria smirked. She shot a quick look around but they truly were the only ones here. "What is this book we're going to get?"
"That's classified."
"Meaning you don't want to tell me. Seriously? Because not knowing all the details almost sunk half our ops back in the day."
Coulson sat up straighter while May fought off a smile. "It wasn't half our ops. And it's not that I don't want to tell you. I really don't know. Fury alone signed off on this."
Maria's eyes widened. "Has he forgiven you yet for letting Barton bring in Black Widow?"
"Her name is Agent Romanoff now." Coulson kindly pointed out. "And Fury didn't really have a choice."
"Whatever her name is." Maria said under her breath. "May doesn't like her either."
"You two don't know her." Coulson argued.
"I know her enough not to trust her." May interjected before getting up from the table. "I'll get your gear ready while you go over the details."
They poured over blueprints of hallways, air ducts and access shafts over the next half hour. Maria drank the last dredges from her cup and took a deep breath. "So we know where to look. But you still haven't told me how we're going to get into the Vatican."
"I was thinking tunnels." Coulson explained as he laid a map out in front of her.
"Tunnels?" Maria asked doubtfully.
"Here." Coulson pointed them out. "They run under the city, including the Vatican."
"Access point?"
"This school should work." He marked it on the map. "No residents, low security. From there we can make it all the way to the archives."
Maria took a close look before dragging up the archives' blue prints. "What about the alarms?"
Coulson turned the pages and pointed to a room in the basement. "Environmental control room. I'll make my way here and handle the alarms, you get the book."
"All the books are stored in climate-less vaults with some of the most sensitive sensors in the world, ready to suck all air out of them in case of a fire. They run on their own power and alarm circuit." Maria remarked with a doubtful look.
Coulson just smiled in return. "Well. It's a SD-613 system. And you once claimed you could rig it in under ten seconds."
She took a deep breath and shook her head. Should have known that would come back to bite her in the ass. She was saved by May's return as the older woman carried over two middle sized gear bags.
"Here. I packed everything." She dropped them at their feet.
"Did you remember to-"
"Yes." She interrupted Coulson sharply, but with a smile.
"Thank you."
"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Maria tried once more.
May just smiled and shook her head. "I'm sure. But you should come join me when you're finished." A last insistent look at Coulson.
"We'll see."
::
"So. Why did you pick me?" Maria asked again as she stealthily made her way through the Vatican's archive.
Coulson laughed through her ear-piece and Maria couldn't help but smile as she imagined him in his black suit, grey shirt and the white clerical collar instead of the standard op gear. Surprise courtesy of May. She had to remember to take a picture for her. That May then would have to burn, but it would be worth it to see Coulson dressed up like a priest.
"After all, I hear you travel with an entourage now."
"Yeah, well." Coulson took a deep breath that crackled through her speaker. "Have you met them? They keep throwing these Harvard graduates at me who bore me to death. Too unimaginative."
Maria just snorted. Unimaginative. Leave it to Coulson to up his ridiculously high standards. She reached the end of the hallway, two more turns and she should be right in front of the archives. She told Coulson as much in a hushed tone.
"All right. I delayed the alarms by five seconds, that should be enough to get in."
Maria nodded to herself. "Alright. I'm here." Archive number 12. She waited for Coulson's signal and opened the door as quickly as possible as soon as the little light turned green. Five seconds to get in, close the door and enter the pass code at a secure panel in the wall.
It went off without a hitch.
"I'm in." She looked around and only now dared to turn on her flashlight. The room was enormous. Shelves and empty desks lined the walls. But most of the center space was taken up by a separate glass container. Maria knew that it held 16 shelves filled with probably some of the most valuable books on this planet. And books most common people never got to read because they had been banned centuries ago. Hermetically sealed thick glass and separate climate controls protected them from all environmental influences, securing them for years to come. In case of a fire twelve air shafts were prepared to draw all air from it at the slightest inconsistency. A see-through vault all on its own. Maybe if she had the time, she could check out Galileo's work as well.
"Good. Now the vault's lock."
"SD-613, I know." She said tersely as she inspected the lock. "I told you I could work it in under ten seconds."
"You have five seconds, so how far under ten?"
"Well." She cracked her knuckles and took a fortifying breath. "I work better under pressure."
4.6 seconds that felt like a lifetime.
Coulson waited patiently until she gave the okay.
"So." Her eyes roamed the shelves as she drew in the filtered air. If it didn't smell like old library books, this might almost have a sterile feel to it. "Are you finally going to tell me which book I'm looking for?"
"All I have is an inventory number. 550-501-20."
"550-501-20. Got it." She repeated and started with the first shelf. Nothing. She scanned the books' spines as quickly and thoroughly as possible but she still would have almost missed it five shelves down. It was relatively small and unassuming, the cover giving nothing away but the Latin title. Complete works.
"Got it."
"Good job. Seems like we can make coffee after all."
Maria smiled to herself as she pocketed the book and made her way towards the vault's exit.
"Damn it." Coulson's voice didn't bode well and Maria stopped dead in her tracks.
"What's going on?"
"The silent alarm was just triggered." She could hear his fingers furiously working on a keyboard in the background.
"That wasn't me. I'm still in the vault."
"I know. It means we've got company." Maria heard his breath quicken and doors closing. "Get out, meet me at the end of the corridor, one floor down."
"Got it." She hurried over towards the glass door and put her flashlight between her lips to free her hands. The alarm was already triggered, there was no need for subtlety now. She had just managed to open the door and hurry through when the door to her left opened and the lights turned on.
"Halt! Keine Bewegung!"
Damn. She had made it just outside the glass door. She quickly checked her opponent. Her age, taller, black tactical clothes. White and yellow coat of arms on his sleeve. She didn't know whether to be relieved or not.
The Swiss Guardsman moved forward, his weapon raised. She winced as she suddenly heard gunfire over her earpiece.
"Hill, move it."
"I have a bit of a situation here." She muttered under her breath.
"Who are you?" The guard asked as he came closer, switching easily to English. "Take off your mask."
She raised her hands slowly and pulled off her hood and her black face mask. Her opponent either hadn't expected a woman or for her to comply. Either way he seemed surprised as he lowered his gun for a moment. That was all the time Maria needed to advance and disarm him.
She steadily pointed the H&K at him. "Turn off your comm. system and take out your ear-piece."
He slowly lifted his hand and pulled the wire from his right ear.
"Slowly." She advised him. "Good. Now throw it away."
He did as he was told.
Maria's ears perked up as she heard muffled stamping in the hallway. What were the chances that whoever decided to break into the Vatican the same time they did, was after the same item? "Coulson, I don't suppose that's you in my corridor, is it?" He had been unusually radio silent for the last minute.
"No." Came his strained answer. "I'm too busy to stalk you right now."
"Who are you talking to?" The guard asked warily.
"Okay. You have to believe me that I'm not the bad guy here. But we have company and need to leave." She was met with a doubtful frown.
Someone walked up to their door. These guys had already triggered the alarm, they wouldn't bother long with the lock. Maria had to make a swift decision.
"Get in." She maneuvered the guard towards the glass vault while she moved to the wall panel and turned out the light. Her flashlight was the only thing illuminating the room now and she held it steadily on her companion. Hushed voices spitted out orders outside. "Get in." She repeated with authority and the guard did as he was told.
She slid into the glass vault behind him and busied herself with the lock.
"What are you doing?" He asked frantically as she repeatedly entered wrong codes from the inside.
"That should do it."
"You trapped us in here." Maria hardly listened as she grabbed him by his vest and dragged him to the shelf furthest from the entrance. "The system has to be restarted now. One more attempt and the emergency system will shut this all down."
"I'm buying us time." She defended herself.
"We're trapped in here!"
"What? Better in here than out there with whoever they are! Are you afraid?" Maria snapped at him.
"No, I'm just rationally concerned that whoever they are will try to get in here, force a reset and then all air will be sucked from this room and we will suffocate." He pointed out in a sharp tone.
Maria pointed her beam right at his face. "What's your name?"
"Nicolas Urban."
"Well, Nicolas, I didn't see you come up with any ideas."
The sounds from the outside room were muted by the glass walls surrounding them, but the small explosion at the door didn't even escape them. Nicolas made a grab for the flashlight and Maria tensed instantly but he only turned it off without taking it from her. Then he took her by her upper arm and lead her further between the shelves and pulled her down to the ground with him.
"Not your friends, I suppose?" He whispered.
"No." She said. "Coulson, they're here. I'm trapped in the vault."
"What? How did that happen? Doesn't matter." A small pause. "The halls are swarming with the Swiss Guard and the small army whoever the others are brought." Another pause. "I'm on my way."
Maria risked a glance around the shelf. She counted five flashlights advancing on the vault. "Hurry up." Was all she said before she muted her comms.
She could practically feel Nicolas' gaze on her.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Maria."
"Are you going to tell me who you work for? Or who you're talking to?"
She couldn't help but smile. "No. But you have to believe me when I tell you that I'm one of the good guys."
"Sure." His tone bristled with disbelief. "That's why you broke in here. Who are they then?"
"I have no idea." She admitted. "Is there another way out of here?"
"You mean through the ten centimeter thick bullet-proof double-glazed walls?"
Maria had to take a deep breath. "It was the only idea I had. We're here now so get over it and start helping me."
Just then a tiny whizzing alerted them that the air ducts were powering up and sucking the air from the room. And a muffled cry revealed their besieger's frustration. They had unsuccessfully tried to open the vault.
"Scheisse." Nicolas cursed under his breath.
"Is there another way out of here?" She repeated her question.
"No." Maria could feel him shaking his head in the dark. "We have maybe thirty seconds of air left."
She started rummaging through her backpack.
"What are you doing?"
"Emergency oxygen tank." She finally found it. "What's the weakest spot in the construction?"
"You mean beside the door?" He didn't wait for an answer. "The top corners and the air ducts."
The thoughts were running through Maria's head. Top corners and air ducts. If they tried to shoot a hole into those to let some air in, they would alert their opponents. If they shot their way through anything, they would alert them. The alternative was suffocation.
The air was getting thin and it was harder to breath. She uncapped the oxygen tank and took a deep breath. Then she searched for Nicolas' hands in the dark and thrust the container into his hands. He seemed to understand as he took a lungful of air and handed it back to her.
Before she could make a decision Nicolas got to his feet and pulled her up. After a quick look to the front he dashed around the shelf and into the next and last row, pulling her with him. Maria couldn't help it, she had to take the next breath from the container and handed it over to him.
"We have to use the shelves." He said when he released his held breath. "If we topple them…"
"Maybe their weight will break the glass." Maria finished for him. They passed the oxygen between them once more.
Her companion tried to stand up but Maria held him down by his sleeve and activated her comms instead. "Coulson. We only have air for another two minutes." She had to take another breath from the tank. "I need a distraction outside archive 12."
It took longer than usual for him to answer.
"That could take a moment." He sounded strained.
"We don't have a moment." She whispered frantically before she reminded herself not to use up so much oxygen.
"I'm on my way."
Nicolas pulled her up and together they stood leaning against the shelves and waited. They tried to breath as slowly as possible and waited until the last possible moment - after Maria had taken the last breath - to stem themselves against the shelf in front of them. Maria could feel it rocking and put all of her weight against it.
As she would later recall it, Coulson burst into the room right as the shelves started toppling over. Like dominoes they crashed into each other until their combined weight hit the enforced glass and broke it. Maria and Nicolas barely had a moment to catch their breath. Coulson was dealing with two of them while the other two launched into them were they cowered among the broken glass.
Maria gritted her teeth as rough hands dug into her skin. She was hauled to her feet and was met with a foul breath in her face that made her skin crawl. But before her attacker had a chance she used her leverage to stem both of her feet into his gut and force him down. He grabbed her heel at the last moment and pulled her down with him, making her back hit the floor. Maria groaned and rolled sideways, escaping the next attempt at a grab.
It didn't help her any as he was on her immediately, pressing his knee into her back. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Coulson take a beating of his own. Maria thrust her elbow back, striking against his lower back but only hitting a bullet proof vest. Next he hovered over her. His mistake. Maria managed to hold on to his neck and thrust her head back. It met his nose with the satisfying sound of breaking bone and the pressure on her back eased immediately.
It was Nicolas who eventually came to her rescue. In the time Maria managed to get a deep breath in he had knocked his opponent out and was on hers instantly. He slung his arm around his neck from behind, trying to subdue him. Maria got to her feet and looked around for her gun when the door burst open and guns were pulled on all of them.
"Stop it." Their leader commanded. Eastern European accent. But the guy she had been fighting was definitely Asian. Which meant guns for hire. Whoever wanted that book would pay a lot of money for it.
Nicolas let up on his choke hold and Coulson took a step back as well.
"Hand me the book."
Maria looked over at Coulson. One sign from him and she would keep fighting. Even if the odds were definitely not in their favor. Two – three if she counted Nicolas and right now she did – against 9 of them. Well, shit could be worse. But she doubted even May could fight her way out of this one.
"Hand me the book now!"
Coulson finally met her gaze and shook his head. It was over. Maria slowly slid the bag from her back and tossed it on the ground. One of the mercs – the one with the bad breath – picked it up and pulled the book from its depths. His comrades nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright. Time to go."
They were left alone in the wreckage that had once been a serene library.
"We have to go, too." Coulson pointed out, bent down to pick up her backpack and handed it to her.
"What? We can't just leave like this. They have the book!" She gestured after them.
"He's right." Nicolas piped up. "The whole Swiss Guard should be here by now. You should leave."
Coulson acknowledged him for the first time. "How?"
"The western transept is under construction. You could use the scaffolding to get to the roof. If you can make it to the east wing you should be able to jump over the outside wall." He uncomfortably cleared his throat. "At least that's what I would do."
They let themselves be led through seemingly endless corridors, advisedly avoiding cameras and the Swiss Guard. Nicolas stopped when they reached a window through which Maria could already make out the scaffolding.
"This is as far as I can help you."
Coulson smiled at him. "Thank you." He opened the window while Maria hovered beside Nicolas.
"Why are you helping us?" She asked.
Nicolas just shrugged. "You saved my life." He turned to Coulson. "You're not really a priest, are you?"
The older agent just smiled. "No. But once your commission with the Swiss Guard runs out, you should give us a call." He handed him a small card.
"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division?" Nicolas read doubtfully.
Coulson just smiled his usual wide smile. "Yes." He motioned for Maria to go first when Nicolas' hand on her arm stopped her.
"Wait." He reached under the tactical vest at his back and pulled out a book. Maria instantly recognized the small leather bound volume. Complete works. "Take it."
"What? How the hell do you have that?"
Coulson took the book and inspected it carefully while Nicolas just shrugged. "Well. I couldn't let you leave with a stolen book. So I swapped them while we were hiding behind the shelves. The other one just happened to be there when I searched for one of similar size."
Coulson just laughed while Maria shook her head in disbelief. "Why are you giving it to us?"
"I have a feeling that you need it more than the Vatican Archive does."
Maria looked at him appraisingly. "Won't you go to hell for this?"
"Well. Catholicism is no religion for wimps." He joked. "But if you're concerned I'm sure it would help if you prayed for my forgiveness."
She just rolled her eyes and gestured towards the window. "Let's go."
::
A driver dropped them off at the gate and after Coulson entered the security code they both walked over the vast property towards the front door. Maria hadn't bothered to reset her watch but she assumed that it had to be sometime in the early afternoon here in North Carolina.
"Do you think he's going to call?"
"Who?" Coulson asked.
"Nicolas Urban. The Swiss Guard."
Coulson hummed thoughtfully. "Well. He's got an I.Q. over 140 and had offers to attend Oxford and Yale with a full scholarship. And yet he declined and joined the Swiss Army in the hopes of one day serving in the Swiss Pontifical Guard like his father and grandfather before him."
Maria stopped dead in her tracks. "Why would he do that? And how the hell can you possibly know that? And don't tell me you read up on him because I know you slept the whole flight."
Coulson just sent her a cheeky grin and kept on walking. "Honour and family tradition, I imagine. Which show me that he's loyal. He'll need a new cause once his commission runs out."
"And how do you know all that?"
"I like to do my research."
Maria just groaned. "Please tell me we didn't steal an old monks book about herbology just so I would run across that specific guard and recruit him for S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Coulson just sent her a cheeky smile. "No. But I like to keep my options open."
They walked the remaining yards in companionable silence until he interrupted her thoughts with a calm smile. "I'm going to recommend that you'll be given a new assignment."
"What?" She must have looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. "I'm doing a good job!"
"Maria." He used a placating tone. "I showed up in the middle of the night, demanded you come with me on a mission with questionable success rate and you weren't even fazed. In fact this is the most happy I've seen you in months. Your talents are being wasted."
He stepped on the porch and waited for her to catch up and stand next to him. When she did he half-turned and gave her a thorough once over. No doubt taking in her various scrapes and bruises. Not that he looked any better with the bruised jaw and split eyebrow.
"Think she's going to be mad?" Maria asked.
Coulson took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. "I think she'll hide her concern behind various layers of irritation and annoyance."
The door opened before Maria could say anything else.
"Great." Was May's only comment as soon as she saw them. "You know she's going to fuss over you the whole time you're here now, right?"
Coulson just beamed at her and gestured for Maria to enter first.
"So the mission went well?" May asked as she closed the door behind them.
Maria tried to simultaneously copy Coulson by taking off her shoes and coat and venture a peek further down the hall into the house.
"Yes." Coulson said while Maria just rolled her eyes. "Where is everyone?" He hung his coat and took care of Maria's as well.
May crossed her arms in front of her. "Dad is in the library and my mother is in the kitchen. She's been waiting for you to make the gravy so maybe you should stop by my Dad first."
"Wait." Maria looked at May with wide eyes while Coulson was already making his way down the hall. "This is your parents' house?"
May looked at her as if that wasn't a completely legitimate question. "Yes."
"What are we doing here?"
The older agent heaved a deep breath and seemed to accept that Coulson had not prepared her for anything. "Today is Chinese New Year, the one holiday my mother insists in celebrating."
Maria followed her former S.O. down the hall. "And what am I doing here?"
"You needed the friendly company." May's tone didn't allow any objection. "And my mother insisted on meeting you."
They stopped outside a wooden door. "Your mother wanted to meet me?"
May just nodded.
"And Coulson knows your parents?"
Elated laughter came from the other side of the door which led May to take a deep breath. "By now I think my mother actually prefers him to me."
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