Fury decided it was time to test out the old partnership. He figured he'd given Coulson and Hill enough time to re-adapt to each other and that they now needed to work together. He called them to his office and waited for them to arrive.

Phil had been looking over files and checking on the children he was babysitting from time to time. Until he got a message from Fury. He wanted him in his office... ASAP. This might not be good. Maria, on the other hand, was beginning to think that whoever was doing the filing was putting them away like this just to annoy her. It was in code that the files had to be in alphabetical order, though at the moment they were far from it, and since she didn't have anything else to do, it was left to her to fix them, that was until she got a message to go to Fury's office. With a soft sigh she finished up before heading towards the office "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

Phil made his way into the office and saw Maria there. He hid the confusion and looked at Fury. "I didn't know you were seeing Agent Hill. I'll come back at a better-"

"You're both supposed to be here Agent Coulson," Fury said turning to look at the two agents. "It's about time you two work together again."

Maria glanced over at Phil, an extremely faint smirk on her lips before looking back at Fury. "I would be happy to work with Agent Coulson again, Director."

Phil nodded in reply. "As I with Agent Hill, Sir," he replied calmly. Fury looked at the pair and nodded, handing each of them a dossier. "This should be something to get you both back to working with each other. Simple. If anything goes wrong, you'll need to tell us ASAP. You'll be going alone."

Maria scanned the file and nodded. "It doesn't seem to be that hard," she said calmly, closing the folder after a long moment. "I'm sure we could have this finished up in no time."

Phil looked over the file and nodded in agreement as he closed it. "Things should be simple sir," He stated looking up at the Director. "Good. I'm glad. You all are leaving as soon as you're ready."

Maria nodded, leaving once she was dismissed. It didn't take long until they were both on the jet to their destination. Phil walked with Maria and sat in the jet as they headed to their target. "Well, just like old times," he said quietly. She took a seat next to him, smiling slightly before saying, "I'm glad, I've missed working with you."

"Same here. But one of us needed to go while the other stayed, remember?"

Maria nodded slightly. "Yes, but still...I'm glad everything is getting back to normal."

"Getting there. It might never be back to normal. And it's such a relative term," he said smiling slightly at her.

Maria smiled softly, placing her hand over his. "That is true. I do not think I would be happy if our lives ever became too normal," she said quietly. He held her hand and chuckled quietly. "It would be quite boring. But I don't think that will ever happen. We have so many interesting people in our lives already."

"Interesting?" Maria started to explain with a grin. "I never knew most of them were even remotely possible... two demigods. A super soldier, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins, and...well, Stark." She shook her head, smiling all the while. "It's kind of crazy if you think about it."

Phil thought about it and nodded. "Not just kind of. Why do you think they tell us not to talk to anyone?" He asked with a smile on his face looking at her. "We'd be deemed insane and rushed off to an asylum."

"I had to go undercover in an asylum once" she mused, shaking her head "and I will never willingly go into one again" she looked back at him and chuckled softly "Now that I think about it...that was our first mission together"

"It was. I remember watching you and thinking you could pass the test if you ever needed to go undercover again. It was a different side to you. And I liked seeing you adapt to the situations."

"It's funny how we didn't get along all that well," she remembered. "Until we were stranded on that mission in...where was it again...Greece, I think."

He nodded in reply saying, "Yes. It was. You thought I was to tightly wound if I remember the phrasing right."

Maria shook her head slightly. "Because you were," she stated with a smile. "All work and no play made Phil a very dull boy," she joked.

Phil chuckled a bit and smiled. "I guess I was. Still am to a point."

"Well, that's a good thing to a point, if you weren't you wouldn't have taught me to become a better agent...a better person all around, really." It was true, Maria had been too...wild would be the word. She had been too wild at first, though having Phil as a partner evened her out.

He nodded. "And if you hadn't been the way you were and are, I wouldn't be me now would I?"

"I guess Fury knows how to put together a perfect partnership, doesn't he?" She couldn't imagine having not known Phil, he was her friend, her partner, her lover. She had never been one to fall for someone, but Phil had managed to change that

"I guess he does," he replied nodding. Maria was everything to him. he hated leaving her behind when he went after Loki in the Helicarrier... He hated that she had to go through things alone. She was special to him, and he wanted her to know that.

She softly squeezed his hand, thinking of the mission they had been on when he had more or less proposed to her.

oOo

Phil walked around the city. He and Maria had just finished their mission and he couldn't help but remember the first time they were here. Everything was just like it was the first time. "You remember being here?" He asked the woman beside him.

Maria nodded softly, leaning against one of the pillars of Agora, looking up at the night sky. It was late so there was no one around but the two of them "How can I forget?" she asked, looking over at him with a soft smile "It was the first time we truly got along." He smiled and looked up at the sky. "That it was. It was quite interesting."

"I guess it was a good thing that we got stranded here," she stated before glancing back up at the stars. "We wouldn't be where we are now if we left right after the mission."

Phil nodded and looked at her, studying her features in the light around them. He had become close to Maria over the course of their partnership. He almost asked to be reassigned because she was so... rambunctious, so wild. But... there was something about her that he couldn't let go of. "And we wouldn't be reminiscing."

She nodded softly, taking her hair down, letting the dark locks fall past her shoulders. She was silent for a moment before looking over at him. "And who knows where we would be..." she said with a soft smirk. "You might have ended up with someone as dull as yourself," she joked. Honestly, Phil was the first person she truly found to be a friend, they may not have stared out as such, but over time they grew to understand each other.

He had to chuckle at that and he moved to stand beside her. "And if you were going to be reassigned you might have ended up with someone as wild as yourself. Then your career would have been short lived." he loved how she looked with her dark locks surrounding her face. She was truly the person he was closest to.

Maria turned her aqua gaze towards Phil, a smile gracing her features. "Yes, it would have...though you taught me how to be a better agent," she placed her hands on his chest. She knew being with her partner in such a way was wrong...but she couldn't help it.

He smiled at her and put his hand over hers. It was against policy... but he couldn't stop these emotions. "Maria," he said looking into her eyes. He was searching for the words to say, but they evaded him. They had been carrying on a relationship under the gaze of SHIELD and they were good about keeping it discreet. He hoped they would be able to continue everything as soon as he figured out the jargon in his mind.

Maria looked up into his eyes, locking gazes with him "Yes Phil?" she asked quietly. Her voice was soft, gentle. She knew the risks of being with this man, but she didn't care, she loved him more than anything in the world. So, she could get removed from SHIELD, it would be worth it

He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled. "You helped me through quite a lot. You changed my ways of looking at things by being my partner, by being my friend." He started, not thinking about what to say but just letting it slip out. "You, Maria Hill, are the most remarkable woman I have ever known. I am so glad I was partnered with the wild, outgoing, and rambunctious agent that needed to be put in line if she ever had a future here at SHIELD. We've become much more than partners, closer than friends... and now I'd like to see what you'll say to more." He stepped back and got down on one knee, pulling from his pocket a simple diamond ring. "Will you be more than just my partner? Will you marry me, Maria?" his eyes were hopeful and he didn't care what came of it. He could be fired from SHIELD and still be happy if he had her with him.

Maria was speechless, her eyes watering slightly "I...yes!" she knelt in front of him, wrapping her arms around him. She never thought that something like this would happen to her "Yes, I will marry you!"

Phil smiled and looked at her, taking her hand from around him and placing the ring on her finger. He pulled her close and kissed her passionately, holding her to him never wanting to let go. Maria smiled softly before pulling away to look at him. "I love you, Phil" she whispered, resting her forehead on his.

"And I love you, Maria," He replied quietly, running a hand through her hair.