The Family Secret Chapter 3: Everything Has Changed, an Avengers + Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Crossover fanfic

The Family Secret

Disclaimer:
As always, I own nothing.

Rating:
T

Genre:
Romance/Family

Pairings:
SkyeCap (Steve Rogers/Skye)
IronTazer (Phil Coulson/Tony Stark)

Lyrics Used:
Iron & Wine "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" (Wedding Version)
Leah "Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep"

Everything Has Changed

Steve and Skye hadn't even noticed the group of people watching them from the shadowed doorway until a loud voice boomed out of seemingly nowhere. "My, my, my. Don't you two look cozy?" Clint Barton teased as he moved to stand behind Steve, clapping the soldier on the shoulder. "Care to introduce us to your friend, Cap?" He asked lightly while grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

It was then that Skye noticed the super soldier blushing rather furiously and couldn't help thinking how adorable the whole sight was. Clearing his throat, Steve attempted to put up his best front – acting like the archer's taunting wasn't getting the better of him – all while silently plotting his revenge in the back of his mind as he spoke. "Uh, Skye, these are my teammates … Clint Barton…" He spoke introducing the other Avengers that had just entered the room. "…Natasha Romanoff…" He added, gesturing to the only other woman in the room. "…And, Dr. Bruce Banner." He finished, pointing to the good doctor. "Everyone…This is Skye." The young hacker couldn't help blushing slightly at the warm smile spreading across the soldier's face as he introduced her.

"Skye, huh?" Barton clicked, eying the hacker up. "Well, ya definitely have excellent taste, Cap, I'll give ya that much." He added, earning himself a firm smack of the arm from the red-headed assassin to his right.

"You'll have to excuse Clint." Natasha apologized, focusing her attention on the young hacker before her. "He doesn't know the meaning of the word 'censor'."

"I know what it means!" Clint whined, defensively. "It's just not half as much fun, am I right, Skye?" He added, quirking an eyebrow in Skye's direction.

Grinning wickedly, Skye decided to seize the opportunity to score a few brownie points with Steve's friends. "Actually, I gotta side with Barton." She replied, mischievously. "Uncensored is always more fun – hands down."

"I like this one, Cap." Barton surmised, grinning at Skye. "Don't screw this up!" He warned, playfully, as he glanced at the super soldier.

Finally, Bruce decided to make his presence known as he voiced the question on his mind. "Skye…How, exactly, did you and Captain Rogers meet – if you don't mind my asking." He amended, respectfully.

"I don't mind, at all." Skye replied, dismissively, with a warm smile. "But, with all due respect, Dr. Banner…You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Well, I think we all know you didn't meet at some kinky – OW!" Barton began, only to be cut off by Natasha's sharp elbow in his ribs. "Jesus, Nat! It was just a joke!" He whined, gently nursing his sore ribs.

"I think it might be best if you just went ahead and told us the story." Bruce mused, doing his best to hide his amused grin at the exchange between the two assassins. "Before Natasha kills Clint."

Chuckling lightly, Skye had to agree. "Unfortunately, Dr. Banner, I think you might be onto something, there."

"You can call me 'Bruce', by the way." The physicist replied, a genuine smile tugging at his lips.

"Bruce it is, then." Skye agreed, before her smile fell as she drew a steadying breath. "Well…Steve and I actually met just about an hour ago when my boss and I came here so that he could talk to Stark."

"Who's your boss?" Natasha questioned, curiously.

"…That's the part you're not gonna believe…" Skye drawled, reluctantly. Taking the vacant, expectant, stares all around her as her cue to elaborate, she sighed as she continued with her story. "My boss is…Agent Phil Coulson."

Suddenly, all amusement was gone from the Avengers' faces as they all took in the implications of what the young hacker was telling them. After a palpable silence, Natasha finally spoke, first. "That's impossible." She muttered, her voice frighteningly indecipherable.

"Look, kid." Clint snapped, advancing on Skye as he spoke. He didn't make it far, however, before Steve effectively stopped him dead in his tracks with a firm, warning glare. Shaking it off, Clint glared at Skye as he continued to speak. "I don't know what you heard about the battle of New York…" He began, darkly. "But, Agent Coulson was killed in action just before the battle even took place."

"Look, I know that's the official story." Skye defended, raising her hands in surrender. "But, what you don't understand – what Fury hid from you – is that…after he was stabbed, they rushed Coulson off to a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility where they took him into emergency surgery." Skye began, recalling the story Phil had told her soon after recruiting her for his team. "It was touch and go – and, they did lose him for all of eight seconds." Rolling her eyes, slightly, she interjected "Well, he insists it was forty, but, whatever." Getting back to matter at hand, the hacker added "The point is…Coulson's alive."

Do not stand at my grave and weep | I am not there, I do not sleep | When you waken in the morning's hush | I am the swift uplifting rush

I am a thousand winds that blow | I am the diamond glints on snow | I am the sunlight on ripened grain | I am the gentle autumn rain

Gentle birds in circling flight | I am the soft star that shines at night | Oh, do not stand at my grave and cry | I am not there, I did not die

"She's right." Suddenly, every head in the room snapped around to look at the source of a voice none of them ever thought they'd hear again. Turning their attention to the doorway, they all saw that the strange hacker before them had been right. Phil Coulson was alive, afterall.

"I'll be damned." Bruce breathed, mindlessly removing the glasses from his face as he continued to stare at the agent who was supposed to be dead standing next to his 'Science Bro', Tony Stark.

"Son of a bitch." Clint breathed, similarly awestruck by the senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's miraculous return from the dead.

"YA budu proklyatyy." Natasha muttered, under her breath, looking for all the world like she'd seen a ghost.

"Everything that Skye just told you is true." Phil confirmed, taking ever so slight amusement in the awestruck expressions on the faces of his former assets.

"But, why wouldn't Fury tell us you survived?" Bruce wondered, aloud, still struggling to wrap his mind around what he was seeing and hearing.

"Yeah." Clint added, petulantly. "Why'd we have to find out from a perfect stranger, three months later?!" He demanded.

"As for why Fury didn't tell you, himself, I honestly don't know." Phil admitted, leading Tony into the room as the engineer took a seat next to Skye on the plush sofa. "Any explanation I gave you would only be pure speculation-"

"Then, speculate." Clint spat. Truthfully, he wasn't angry. Just confused and frustrated with his confusion.

"Well…If I had to guess…" Phil began, pensively. "I've heard that my 'death' was the final push you all needed to make you all work together, as a team." He began, trying to work the equation in his head. "Perhaps, Director Fury didn't wish to destroy your new-found sense of cohesion." He offered, lamely, unable to come up with anything better.

Still struggling to process the situation, Clint could only fold his arms across his chest and snort derisively as he waited for Coulson to continue.

"I tried to fight him on his decision." Phil replied, remorsefully, as he sat on the other side of Tony – taking the billionaire's hand in his own – as he spoke again. "I wanted nothing more than to tell you all the truth." Sighing lightly, the senior agent continued onward. "But, he wouldn't budge."

Taking mercy on her mentor and father-figure, Skye decided to jump in. "Last night, Coulson was telling me about his relationship with Stark." She explained. "I thought it was bullshit how Fury was keeping them apart, so, I tried to look Stark up – see if I could find a way get him and Coulson back together. That's…when I found the sonogram pictures. So, I knew I had to show them to Coulson. That's…how we ended up, here."

"Which brings me to my announcement." Tony interjected, uncharacteristically nervously. As all eyes fell on him, he felt his beloved agent's hands gripping his own supportively. "Phil has…graciously offered to let me move in with him. Be a real family." Sighing lightly, he braced himself for whatever reactions came his way. "And, I've accepted."

Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this little installment. If you have any requests, feel free to PM me.

~Skye Coulson