July 30, 2009

Phil missed being home for his birthday by about two weeks. At first he thought Laura might be upset by that. He could tell she wanted to plan something. He had barely been home a few hours and taking a well-needed hot shower when she stuck her head into the bathroom.

"Hey, we're going out tomorrow night."

He stuck his head out of the shower curtain. "We are?"

Laura rolled her eyes at him. "I found out Clint and Natasha are in the country and just happen to be on leave at the moment. We're celebrating your birthday."

Phil ducked back into the shower to hide his expression. He already knew the assassins were on leave because they were on the mission with him. "What are we doing?" he called back out.

"Dinner and drinks."

"Anything on the docket for tonight?" he asked as he shut off the water.

"No…" She drew the response out coyly.

"That sounds," he pulled the curtain aside and froze.

She posed, leaning against the door jam in a slinky purple negligee. "Come here," she murmured and she straightened up. And when he did, she pulled him into a heated kiss.

"Happy birthday," she whispered when she pulled away.

He rested her forehead against hers. "If this was your plan the whole time, you could have just joined me in the shower."

She ran her hand across his chest. "Yeah, I could have, but then I wouldn't be wearing this."

He brushed the silky material at her waist. "I like it." He leaned in to kiss her again. "You're beautiful."

Laura pulled him to the bed.

Their lovemaking was slow and deliberate, yet filled with fire and passion. They never lost that even after all the years they'd been together. Phil supposed it was because they never knew when his next mission would come or if it would be his last. Even though they lived together-had been together for years- they still had a carpe diem mindset about everything.

They were snuggling in the afterglow when Laura sat up. He tried to pull her back down, "Where are you going?"

She kissed him and stood up. "I still need to give you your real birthday gift."

"You didn't have to…" Oops. There it was: her really, Phil? face. He smiled sheepishly.

She went to the closet, and after some rummaging, brought out a small, wrapped box. She handed it to him as he sat up. He turned it over in his hands to try and guess what it was, not truly able to completely turn off his "day job brain". It was a square box, about 5 inches, and wrapped precisely in silver paper. Topping it was a black bow he was certain was homemade. He slid the bow off and slipped his finger between paper and tape, careful not to tear the wrap.

After gently folding the paper next to him, Phil lifted the top of the box. His breath hitched at what was nestled inside.

It was a Captain America trading card.

More specifically, it was the Captain America trading card- the last one he needed to complete his set.

He reverently picked it up. The condition was excellent. While there was some wear, it was just a little around the edges. It still had most of its original shine. He brushed a finger over the painted face.

He looked up to Laura. "How did you find it?"

She smiled at his quiet enthusiasm. "I got really lucky. That, and I called in one of my colleagues to ensure it was genuine since trading cards aren't really my specialty."

Phil pulled her in for a kiss. "I love it."