How could he do this?
May had just left Phil's office after putting Phil down to sleep, he had over an hour of carving on the wall, which by the end, had prolonged the craving but left him exhausted. She walked out to get some fresh air before she went to start her tai chi routine, warranted she usually did it at 5am, but this has left her wired and she knew that sleep would out run her, so she knew not to try.
There stood a blast from the past that she had forgotten for a reason, there stood before her was her ex-husband.
May pulled him into the dark recesses of the building away from the places she knew were covered by the cameras. She knew that if he tried anything she would smack his teeth down his throat and send him out in a body bag.
"What the hell are you doing here?" The venom in May's voice could have melted titanium; for once the man in front of her didn't flinch.
"Awww babe, why are you talking like that? You loved me once, remember? Or was that before Phil came along?"
'Strike one', May thought, cause she knew he would go to three. He always did, even after Bahrain, when she was at her lowest he still went for the low blows.
"Phil asked for my help, something about further Intel that he needed and he thought that I could be the man to provide it. Whether the Intel was about you or not I can't say, but I wouldn't mind telling him a thing or two about you..."
'Strike two', "Let me tell you this, if you think going for a third strike, I will end you. I won't bother with dumping your ass in a body bag. You tried to put me in one after I got back from Bahrain and you failed! Suddenly, I didn't want stay married to you, I wonder why that could be?"
He walked past May with an exaggerated swagger as he entered the building looking for Phil, knowing it will infuriate May by deliberately goading her into a fight but he knew it would take a lot more than that to get under her skin.
May was desperately thinking what could he provide that Phil would ever need? She was his partner and had been for many years, before Bahrain had happened and yet he had called him in. Why? What was the sneaky son of a bitch up to? She didn't know yet, but if she had to beat his ass into the ground with her boots, she'll do it and find out.
Cogs turning at a furious pace in her mind as she set off inside the building and straight for the gym, if she didn't release some tension before he came back, she would kick the living daily lights out of him and she didn't need an excuse, just a look will do and with the mood she was in, he wouldn't even get that.
She started on the punch bag, just jabbing with no rhythm other than to release the pent up frustration coursing its way through her body.
After she felt the heat and the lactic acid burning her muscles she started a one two jab, moving her feet, ducking and diving, creating a methodical rhythm and relaxing her mind.
This was what relaxed her other than her tai chi, creating the flow and releasing the negativity allowing her to carry on and face the world.
This carried on for thirty minutes, the sweat layering her body and her hair sticking to her head as she concentrated on blocking the world out.
Soon she heard a smash, all rhythm aside she raced up the stairs to the source of the commotion and came in to find Phil sat behind his desk, there was a statue in pieces beside her ex-husband, who stood their motionless until his eyes landed on her.
His faced morphed into the face she knew so well and saw that he was wearing a smug look and approached him with the grace and deception of being just a woman, but everyone in the room knew that May was a force to be reckoned with, even on her worst day it was not wise to poke. He slowly backed up as she approached, until his felt his legs hit a coffee table in the middle of his room, she grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him in to face her.
With venom that Phil didn't know she possessed she uttered, "I don't know what you're doing here but until I've had a word with Phil, you can go and wait downstairs. If anything, and I do mean anything, moves an inch, I'll take you out and I don't mean a date. Now get the hell out...!" He looked at Phil, an unspoken message travelling between the two men, one that didn't go unnoticed by May and just confirmed her suspicions that something was going on and she's not going to like it.
She turned to look at Phil who was looking pensive and concerned with something, but didn't look all that willing to share since she'd come in when the statue had broken. She didn't know the in's and out's of the conversation, but what she did know was that she intended to find out.
She turned and walked toward towards the door, locking it from the inside and ensuring that no one would disturb them. She walked towards Phil, who to give him credit maintained eye contact with her the whole time as the tops of her thighs touched the desk. May bent over and looked him dead in the eyes.
"We're going to talk and you're going to tell me what the hell is going on, but more importantly, you're going to explain what the hell he's doing here and why I'm not allowed to beat the crap out of him."
Phil looked at her and realised that it's possible he made a very grave error, but he knew that he needed the information May's ex-husband held.
"Well Phil, I am waiting, and I don't have all the time in the world, because if he touches anything, I will break his fingers and I'll be laughing."
Phil lent forward and rubbed his temples, tiredness etched across his face like lines on a map and he knew that this was going to be a very sensitive conversation, but the question for him was where does he start?
The force, the love, and most of all, understanding.
He stood in the kitchen, pouring a cup of black coffee knowing that May was going to grill Phil on what he'd wanted with him. What May didn't know is that the offering was the other way around; it was he who had come to Phil, with nothing short of a bribe. He wanted into S.H.I.E.L.D and of he had to lose a bit of information to Phil Coulson, then he was quite happy to do it for the ultimate goal, which was also up in that room.
He had married Melinda many years ago, when they were young and in love or so he lead her to believe. He needed intel and she was the perfect cover, someone who was good to look at, but also lethal when attacked; the perfect combination to look like a married couple. She'd gone and done the dumbest thing and fallen in love with him, in for a penny in for a pound so they say.
Then Bahrain happened, the most traumatic experience of their lives and they both survived it, though not unscathed and that is when the spiral down hill started and Melinda May was no longer a useful means for his ends, but he thought he might as keep her around.
She soon became distant and withdrawn and extremely paranoid which he found to be a very dangerous combination.
So he started to set things out, move things to mess with her mind. Logic being, if she were too busy with that, then she would leave him alone.
Did he love her? Yes, in a way but obtaining what he needed was far greater importance to him than she could ever be, but he pushed a step too far. He hadn't realised the true damage that Bahrain done to her and when she walked out of the door holding those precious secrets, he knew they would cross paths again one day.
Back up in the room all Hell had broken lose and Phil on the receiving end of May's wrath and now.
"How the hell…! Of all the idiotic, stupid, pig-headed things to do, you INVITE that son of a bitch to our base! Are you crazy?! I could slap your nose straight off your face right now!"
"Please don't Melinda, I am really attached to my nose, I would not look very good without it."
"Phil this is not funny! He is an asshole and I am not working with him…!" She hissed.
"Melinda, do you trust me?"
That caught her attention, her eyes met his in a heartbeat, she lowered her voice in an instant, "You know I do Phil, I just don't understand why you brought him here. I've been with you throughout it all, there is nothing that he knows that I don't. It makes no sense why you brought him back but I know you and your plans. If you need me to trust you I will, but if he comes within a thousand feet of me, I am going to wipe the floor with him and then leave him to bleed."
Phil knew that she was deadly serious including about the wiping the floor part but he needed this man even if only for a little while, the tension was going to be unbearable between the two of them, if not extremely uncomfortable.
He walked up to her cupped her face and put his forehead to hers, "Hey you know if I didn't need him here it would not happen, I know he didn't treat you the way you should've been treated and things you've yet to tell me, but I swear, it won't be forever."
The room suddenly became charged and she was drowning in a sea of blue, that very blue that had caused numerous arguments all those years ago when she had been accused of cheating when the accusations were totally unfounded. Warranted her heart always belong to Phil, she thought that he was out of reach, looks like she might've been wrong after all.
He slanted her head to the side and pecked the corner of her mouth, then to the other side and watched as her eyes drifted closed. He placed feather light kisses to her eyelids and watched beautiful emotions dance across her face; this was his Melinda, who he had kept at arm lengths for far too long. He knew it was dangerous to start something, especially when asshole number 1 was downstairs, but his heart sang a tune that only she could hear and he was now ready to answer.
He slanted his mouth across hers and an explosion of glorious colours and tastes that was purely her, assaulted his senses. She ran her arms down his back, feeling each muscle she knew were hidden under his suit, to create a façade of vulnerability that came from looking like a pencil pusher but wield power few could know. He pressed against he door encasing her in power and security that only he could provide, they both thought at the same time,
"What time have we wasted?"
Slowly and gently the passionate kiss came to an end and they stood there staring into each others eyes, breath mingling and nothing but those two existing in that moment in time, which was theirs to share.
"You know I don't share, right?" Phil flashed a boyish smile and she knew that he was teasing. She rubbed her hand sensuously down the front of his body zeroing on his crotch, his eyes rolled back as his head dropped onto her shoulder. She licked the shell of his ear and whispered, "I don't share either, including the weapon in my hand right now, is mine and mine alone to fire or discharge when ready."
"Yes ma'am." he pecked her lips.
"Now I am going back to the gym to beat the crap out of the punching bag, you can deal with him and keep him the hell out of my way."
She walked out of the door leaving a bemused Phil in her wake. She passed her ex husband. "What's up Melinda, no kiss for old times sake?" No sooner had the words left his she about turned and punched him straight in the nose.
"Good enough kiss for you, darling?" With that she walked away not knowing or caring if he was bleeding, only knowing that he had better clean it up.