Author's Note – Finishing up the problem from last chapter.

"God!" Now Darcy threw up her hands. "Spare me from idiots and jackasses who expect heroes to be perfect and infallible. Each and every one of them has some form of post-traumatic stress going on. Every single one of them gets treated like barely trained wild animals by SHIELD agents or as guinea pigs by SHIELD scientists and the R&D department. The press canonizes or vilifies them – sometimes both in the same week. I am sick and tired of watching them put up with all of the bullshit only to turn around and get the same damn attitude from SHIELD."

She drew herself as tall as possible, folding her hands over her chest once more. Her gaze settled on Fury, icy determination in every line of her body. "This is MY team. Any further attempts to cause division and I will go public. Pepper and I already have an entire release ready to go. Stark Industries legal team as well as their PR department is ready and willing to go at my word. The Avengers will publically declare their independence from any connection to SHIELD or any other such organization. Stark Industries will pick up their funding as well as continuing to provide them with any resources they need." Her head tilted. "We would prefer to avoid such a messy situation, but we won't hesitate to take action if need be."

Fury leaned back in his chair, a peculiar light in his eye. If she didn't know any better, she would swear it was…pride. "So," he drew out, "if I agree to your terms, the Avengers are independent anyway."

"True," Darcy nodded, "but the rest of the world will still see them as working with SHIELD."

"Point," he agreed. After a long tense moment he moved his gaze to Phil. "Coulson?"

"You knew this team would not be an ordinary SHIELD strike force," Phil pointed out quietly. "At least this way the team remains nominally a part of SHIELD. If we go our separate ways, you lose what little influence you still have."

Now Fury's face grew curious. "'We'?" he repeated questioningly.

"It's my team as well, sir," Phil replied steadily.

"So I agree and things remain status quo on the surface," Fury mused, "or I disagree and watch five of my best field personnel walk out the door."

"Yes, sir." Phil folded his arms on the table and leaned forward. "If you agree, Barton, Romanoff, Rogers, and Barnes will continue doing jobs for SHIELD and I will remain liaison between SHIELD and the team. There will be very little that actually changes from a situational standpoint."

"What brought this on all of the sudden?" Fury asked unexpectedly.

Darcy gave a soft scoff. "The fact that you keep trying to send Tasha off on long term missions without taking into account the needs of the team? The fact that the R&D department keeps trying force Clint into being a test subject for new body armor without letting him heal or rest after missions? The fact that your science department keeps hounding us to have Bucky or Bruce as test subjects? Should I go on?" Fury's lips tightened, but he shook his head and she nodded. "Good." Then she gave a quick grin. "Of course, there's also the fact that I'm getting married in three months and want to have the team settled first."

A flash of amusement crossed his face, be he just glanced to the woman at his left. "Hill?"

"I think we should agree," Hill answered. She watched Darcy for a moment before giving her a brief nod. "We don't lose anything this way except some headaches." Darcy's lips quirked in amusement – Hill had never made any secret that she hated having to handle the Avengers as a whole and had backed Phil when he proposed Darcy as their caretaker. The team found her honesty refreshing and trusted her as they did few others.

"Sir!" Sitwell protested. "You can't mean to-"

"Enough," Fury commanded. His eye narrowed, but he gave a nod. "We'll work out the specifics, but for now I think we can agree to this basic plan." He gave both of them another considering look with that same strange light before walking out the door with Hill a moment behind him.

Sitwell left the room without saying a word, but Darcy just shrugged. He wasn't her problem and, given his attitude, he never would be. She abruptly sat down, her breath rushing out of her. "Can we go home now?" she sighed as she leaned into Phil.

"Of course," he agreed. They rose and he walked beside her towards their vehicle. In a matter of moments they sped their way towards the mansion.

"Fury agreed too easily," she said quietly as he drove through town.

Phil shook his head. "Fury has to jump through hoops with the World Security council," he pointed out. "They want the Avengers on too tight a leash. This way if something goes wrong, the Avengers can pull away without too much difficulty. If they remained tied too tightly to SHIELD, then it could drag them down as well."

"He…Fury wants us independent?" Darcy questioned him, wanting to make sure she understood properly.

"I think so," Phil replied in a brief, but thoughtful tone.

She blinked, but dropped the subject. He would tell her when he was ready. "What about Sitwell? What was his beef?"

"Sitwell reports to one of the council members," he told her. "We're not quite sure which one."

"Then why does Fury keep…no, wait." She hummed to herself for a moment. "If you let on that you know, then they'll pull him and put in someone else and you might not figure out who it is."

"Exactly." He gave her a restrained, proud smile. "We can keep an eye on him instead of having to comb through everyone yet again."

"Games, games, and more games," she muttered.

"It's just a different form of politics," he chuckled.

She shot back a grin. "I'd rather work on the wedding."

"Speaking of politics," he lifted an eyebrow. He parked the car and cut the engine. One hand reached out and twisted a lock of her hair. "Only a few months left."

Her smile softened and she turned her cheek into his palm. "I know."

Phil slid his hand to the back of her head and pulled her forward into a hard, fast kiss. Her breath caught as it always did when he let the mild-mannered side of him slip and the more alpha male personality peeked through. No one would ever accuse Darcy of being a shrinking violet, but there was something freeing in being able to let go and just trust him. The knots in her shoulders relaxed as he briefly deepened the kiss.

He lifted his mouth from hers, a small smile curving his lips as he looked down into her eyes. "Come on, we better go check on everyone."

"I think JARVIS would have said something if they'd actually done any permanent damage," she pointed out even as she got out of the car.

"True enough," he agreed, "but I'll feel better when I can verify that visually."

A laugh spilled out of her. "Come along then," she said airily. "Let's go make sure the children all still have their fingers and toes." He chuckled as he followed her into the house.

"Duck!"

Both of them dropped to a crouch as something flew over their heads. They watched as a water balloon burst in the garage behind them. Blue eyes met brown before both turned simultaneously to meet ten sheepish gazes. The entire team plus Pepper, Betty, and Jane appeared drenched as if they just finished running through a waterfall.

Darcy stood up, sensing more than watching as Phil did the same next to her. Her lips twitched, but she pushed the amusement down in order to speak in a dry voice worthy of Phil. "And did everyone have a good time while Mom and Dad went to see Uncle Nick?"

Phil gave a soft sigh as some of the sheepish smiles turned into full-fledged grins. "Darcy, do quit encouraging them please."

"Now, now," she smiled, reaching out to pat his arm as she winked at the others, "kids will be kids."