NOTES: Sorry for missing last week. Was a little busy with wrapping up a month out of town and trying to get started for the school year. Thanks for being patient with me, you five people who read this.

Word travels fast in the spy community, something that Anna already knows. After Natasha had appeared in their quarters at a late hour two nights ago, Tony'd informed Phil the next morning that all the members of the Avengers were coming in for a "Congrats on not being dead" party.

"I'll throw it myself," Tony'd offered over breakfast with everyone.

"While that thought is terrifying," Phil had answered, "I appreciate the offer."

Skye had immediately volunteered to help out, and Anna'd had to duck her head to hide her smile at the way it'd caused Phil to grind his jaw. The young woman had tried to bring Jemma in, but the scientist had informed her friend that she needed to spend some time with Leo.

The party is tonight, but Anna has to teach her last class of the summer session. She can barely listen to the notes floating around her because of her preoccupying thoughts. She's grateful not to be there for the first part of the gathering. She doesn't want to interrupt the reunion, but she also doesn't need to relive the memory and feelings associated with Phil suddenly appearing back in her life. While it was one of the happiest days she's ever had, there's a mess of emotions tied in with the event.

"How was that?"

Anna snaps back into the present and stares at her student. His name is Michael, and he's from some no-name town in Missouri where half the population couldn't pick a cello out of a line up. Guilt immediately washes over her for not giving him her full attention. "Sorry, I'm a little distracted. You ever been to a fancy party? With a bunch of famous people?"

The young man's eyes bug at the thought. "No, ma'am."

"Me neither," Anna admits as she sits in her chair. "My boyfriend knows all these big names—"

"He's an agent?" Michael asks with hope in his voice. It takes her a second to realize he means in the show business sense.

"Used to be, but he got a promotion. Now he helps run an agency." The best lies are based in truth, right? "But he still has to put in a lot of face time with celebrities, and I'm just now used to that kind of lifestyle."

Michael shakes his head. "I don't think I could ever get used to that kind of thing."

Anna smiles at him. "Keep playing like you are, and you'll have to get used to it."

She sends him off with a handshake, her contact info, and a promise to stay in touch. On the walk back to Stark Tower, she mentally prepares herself for the people at the party. They are the faces most associate with saving the world, but her mind has tied them to Phil's death and it's hard to shake that kind of thing.

She feels her chest tighten with anxiety as the elevator climbs up to Tony and Pepper's penthouse. The door slides open and she looks out to a dozen faces, a mix of Avengers and Phil's team. Her eyes scan the small gathering until they find the person they're looking for. Phil smiles at her warmly and a little bit of the tension slips away. She steps out of the elevator as Phil walks up the small set of steps to meet her.

"Hi," he breathes before kissing her cheek. He's dressed casually for him, and Anna is grateful she listened to his multiple warnings of not to get too dressy for the event. "You want a drink?"

"I want several," she answers.

Thankfully, Pepper is there, handing her a wine glass and offering her a reassuring smile. Phil takes the opportunity to introduce her to each individual in the room. The first is a man with dark, curly hair and a shy smile. She recognizes Doctor Banner's name from updates on Leo's condition, but her brain has a hard time reconciling the idea that the man before her could transform into a large, hulking, green thing.

"You already know Tony and Natasha," Phil says. Anna nods to the pair on the couch as Phil draws her attention to the other person sitting in their little clump. "This is Clint Barton."

The man stands, nods, and extends his hand. Anna shakes it. She wants to make some joke about how Skye originally thought that he was more of a significant other to Phil than she was, but it dies on her tongue when she sees a little bit of something in his eyes. She can't quite put her finger on what it is exactly; something akin to feeling lost or anxiety or just some other dark and sad emotion that she can't place. It fades behind a mask of a smile as quickly as she spots it. "Nice to finally meet you," he says as he shakes her hand.

"Thor's off-planet at the moment," Phil says. "So you won't get to meet him until later."

"I'm okay with that," she replies quietly before sipping her wine.

There's only one person left to meet and Phil can barely contain his smile. "Anna Ellis, I'd like you to meet Captain Rogers."

The man-who is just as broad, handsome, and unreal as you'd imagine he'd be-smiles slightly uncomfortably from the attention. "Please call me Steve," he says as he shakes her hand.

"You have no idea how long he's waited to do that," Anna tells him, causing Phil to duck his head. "And I owe you a thank you. You saved my grandfather in Italy."

His blue eyes squint for a moment. "I don't remember meeting an Ellis."

"My maiden name is Howard, and it's fine if you don't remember it. He certainly did, and I'm sure the story he told was a little more glorified than what actually happened."

"You never told me about this," Phil comments.

Anna shrugs. "I figured you'd never dump me if you found out. Didn't want you to feel beholden."

Whatever quip Phil has on his lips falls silent because the air is filled with Leo's shout of "He wasn't a traitor!" The young man flees the kitchen with red eyes, Jemma hot on his tail and repeating his name. Skye makes a beeline for Anna. She takes her wine glass, passes it to Phil, and grabs Anna's hands, being mindful to be gentle with her still-healing right hand. "Fitz, look," she orders.

Jemma nods. "I know you can recognize trauma when you see it. Come look at her wrists." Leo approaches slowly, his jaw clenched. "Ward took her. He kidnapped her and took her to Garrett who broke her fingers. We had to rescue her, remember?"

Leo shakes his head vehemently and bolts out to the deck. Jemma and Skye start to follow, but Melinda blocks the door as Anna shouts at them to stop. She didn't mean to yell, but she knows what it's like to not want to deal with the truth, and she isn't too appreciative of being dragged into the argument like some piece of evidence in a criminal trial.

"Leave him alone," she hisses at them. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "You can't force him into things like this. You have to give him space and let him adjust on his own. You can't shove him into accepting things. Trust me."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Melinda says before she slips out onto the deck and tucks herself into a corner, blending in to the shadows. Trip herds the girls back to the kitchen to give Leo some space and to distract his teammates.

The party slowly regains its footing by the arrival of pizza and when Stark turns on some seventies spy thriller. Leo eventually lurks back in to silently nibble on pizza. The girls sit on either side of him while Melinda, Trip, and Phil take turns glancing over to keep an eye on things.

When they finally collapse into bed, Anna rolls to face Phil. The fingers of her left hand come up to gently trace the planes of his face. "Doing okay?" she asks.

He snorts a little laugh. "I honestly didn't think they'd care that much that I was back. Maybe Natasha and Clint, sure, but not the rest of them."

She kisses him long and slow. "When are you going to get it through your head that you're loved?"

He works his mouth for a few seconds trying to think of a comeback, but instead just pulls her closer to him and places a kiss into her hair.