March

The start of March brought with it the first mild day of the year, and Melinda smiled each morning as she awoke and dressed, knowing she wouldn't need her scarf or gloves to keep her from freezing half to death.

Saturday the 7th was the date of the final dress fitting for Maria's wedding, and Melinda couldn't hide the fact she was actually looking forward to spending the afternoon with the other bridesmaids again.

When she arrived at the shop however, having fought her way through the crowds of people who decided it was a good day to spend their money, and generally get in her way, Maria was round the back suffering from a major wedding freak-out – something that seemed to be getting more common as May loomed towards them – and it took Melinda a good ten minutes just to understand what the problem was.

"Izzy… she's not coming… needs to be here!"

Pepper called out from one of the adjacent cubicles. "Melinda, please try and convince her it'll be okay; she won't listen to me and I'm currently only half dressed."

"Maria," Melinda said firmly, holding her shoulders and making her look at her. "Breathe."

Maria frowned, but she gradually began to calm down, inhaling and exhaling in time with Melinda as she went through her breathing exercises from tai-chi. The assistant watched them warily from behind the cash desk, clearly having been witness to many a future-bride having a meltdown in her shop, during her career.

"Right," Melinda said quietly, once her friend had stopped panicking. "What's happened?"

"Izzy can't come, her girlfriend is sick and she has to look after her."

"Okay," Melinda nodded. She didn't know Izzy really, but she was seeing more clearly why Maria was freaking out; she liked things to be organised, especially surrounding the wedding, so plans changing at the last minute unnerved her slightly. "It isn't her fault, and you can't do anything about it."

"I know, but –"

"- But," Melinda said firmly, "She isn't missing the wedding; she just can't try her dress on again today."

"What if it doesn't fit?"

"It will."

"But what –"

"- Drink this," Melinda said, handing her the glass of champagne she had picked up on her way in. She could get another one in a while, and it definitely seemed like Maria needed it more than her. "Drink it and calm down. Then try your dress on, okay?"

Maria looked at her with a frown, before taking the glass from her. "Okay," she smiled a little. "Thanks Mel."

Melinda nodded at her, and waited until she'd downed her glass – it took all of five seconds – and then ushered her into the large changing room at the end of the section. The assistant came over at that point, having realised that the crisis was over, and followed Maria in to help with her dress. Melinda pulled the red velvet curtain closed across the opening.

"If you need another hand, let me know."

She stepped back and headed towards the desk, placing Maria's empty champagne flute onto the silver tray that was currently resting on the edge, and taking another glass for herself.

She had a feeling she was going to need it.

Pepper excited her cubicle at that moment, dressed once more in the deep pink dress that they had selected in November – Melinda couldn't believe how quick the time had gone since their last visit.

"Still fits" she said smiling, turning herself around in front of the mirror to check out her reflection from all angles. "Thank God."

Melinda laughed quietly. "Did you not think it would?"

"Oh, yeah, I was sure it would, but can you imagine the reaction if it didn't?" she replied, indicating over to where Maria was currently trying her wedding dress on.

"True, you'd probably get thrown off maid of honour duties."

The two laughed, and Melinda wandered over to the empty cubicle next to where Pepper had been. She should probably try her own dress on too, just to make sure.

A few minutes later and she was back with Pepper, the two admiring their reflections side-by-side.

"Have we got shoes picked out yet?" Melinda asked, frowning slightly as she lifted the hem of her dress slightly – it was a little bit too long, and she would need heels to prevent it dragging on the floor.

"Yes." Pepper said, pulling up an image on her tablet. "They look like this, and are on order at the moment. Should arrive in a week or so."

"Okay."

She would just have to stand on her tip-toes for now; it was one of the problems with being only five foot three.

"Wow, Maria you look stunning!" Pepper exclaimed suddenly, as the velvet curtain was pulled back and Maria stepped back into the shop, wearing her wedding dress.

"You really do," Melinda added, smiling as her friend twirled around in the gown. It was the first time she'd seen her wearing it

It was beautiful; white lace sleeves encased her arms, a sweetheart neckline dipping down her chest – she was planning to wear a simple diamond necklace to fill the space – and the skirt fell to the ground in a waterfall of silk. There wasn't a train, but in honesty it did not need one.

"Are you having a veil?" the assistant asked, looking proudly on as her creation was admired.

Maria looked at her two friends for advice. "Do you think it needs one?"

They both shook their heads. "Maybe just a tiara or something?" Pepper suggested, glancing at the accessories on offer along the far wall.

"Yeah, agreed."

Maria still wanted the bridesmaid's to have their hair down, but theirs were simply to be curled. Her own, it was decided, was to be half up and half down, and after a lot of deliberation she picked out a small silver tiara, encrusted with jewels, that was to be woven into the top of her hair, the rest falling in waves around her head.

After they had ensured all the dresses fitting well, they were packed back into their own individual bags, and Melinda took charge of them whilst Pepper sorted out payment. Maria went outside for a moment when her phone rang, and she mouthed that it was Izzy calling before she left.

The assistant called Pepper by name as she thanked them for their custom, and Melinda wondered if she had bought her own wedding dress here.

"Yeah, I did," Pepper answered, when Melinda posed the question a few minutes later. "And Tony knows the owner anyway," she said absentmindedly, referring to her husband as she rooted through her handbag in search of her purse. "So he said we should be able to get some discount off these dresses if we use the company card."

"That's really nice of them" Melinda replied, remembering that Pepper's husband Tony was also Steve's boss; it must have been how they all met. "How much?"

"I'm not too sure, maybe 12%?"

"That's actually pretty generous."

"It's a godsend" Maria added, joining them both at the cash-desk.

Melinda took a final sip of champagne, and relished the feel as the bubbles travelled down her throat. It was fun, playing dress up, and she'd not realised how much she enjoyed it until Maria had made her.

"So," Pepper continued, turning to smile at Melinda as she handed her credit card over to the cashier. "If you and Phil decide to get married, let me know –"

Melinda choked on the champagne she had been previously enjoying.

"- And I'll see if I get you a discount on dresses as well."

She couldn't even think of an acceptable response, but then again, neither could Maria, who had looked at Melinda as though it was the first time she'd truly realised she was in a relationship with her brother.

Pepper didn't even try to hide her smirk.

Melinda sat on a bench sipping her tea, and watched with a smile as Phil pushed Lola on the swings. They had come out to enjoy the early spring sunshine, and had decided that the park was the best place to go. As soon as she'd arrived Lola had charged off towards the playground, and Phil had scarpered after her ensuring she didn't run in front of one of the swings that was already occupied. Melinda had found herself a bench, and settled down, perfectly content to just watch and drink the tea she'd purchased from the drinks kiosk on site. The stall was slightly hidden away from the rest of the park, and she hadn't even known it existed until Phil mentioned it one afternoon, having found it himself whilst out with Lola.

It was a mild spring afternoon, and whilst the sun was out, it wasn't exactly warm, and Melinda shivered a little in the breeze that blew through, sending the fresh green leaves that had just began to grow, dancing in the trees. She'd been so happy to not need her hat and gloves any more, but she knew that coats would still be necessary for quite some time.

After a while, Phil and Lola returned to the bench she was on, and Lola was grinning, her cheeks flushed pink with excitement.

"You have fun?" Melinda asked, as Phil took a seat next to her.

"Yeah!" Lola exclaimed, jumping around the grass and swinging her arms about. "Went on the swings, and the slide, and Daddy let me play on the climbing frame too!"

"Wow," she replied, smiling at the enthusiasm of the young girl. Melinda wondered if she had ever been that giddy as a child; she could just imagine her mother trying to control her if she had been. "Did you get very high?"

"Almost to the top!" she said happily, before turning to Phil again. "Can we feed the ducks daddy?" Lola begged, dragging Phil by the hand towards the pond across the other side of the park without giving him a chance to question her. He looked back at Melinda helplessly, and she laughed, before binning her empty cup and following them, carrying the small bag of bread they had brought with them for exactly this occasion.

Melinda helped rip up the slices of bread, handing Lola small pieces to throw to the ducks that had gathered in the pond in front of them, clearly used to the feast of bread that accompanied visitors to the park each afternoon.

Lola giggled as several brown ducks began to squabble over a chunk of crust she'd thrown at them, and squealed at the swan that flew towards them, landing in the pond with a gentle splash, and proceeding to patiently wait its own turn to have a piece.

When she got bored of feeding the ducks, Lola decided to feed the pigeons instead, which resulted in Phil frowning and asking her not to as they were considered pests.

"But you said to always share," she complained with a little pout. "And the ducks probably always get food and the other birds are left out."

"She has a point," Melinda murmured, and Phil sighed, nodding to her to continue her mission of making all the wildlife as fat as possible, in as short a time as she apparently was able. He had taught her the basic morals of life – sharing, helping others out etc. – well, and couldn't really complain she was using them.

"So," Melinda said quietly, once Lola had happily found herself surrounded by another flock of pigeons. "Natasha was complaining the other day that she was a bit lonely, what do you think about setting her up with Clint?"

One evening the previous week, when she had returned from Phil's, she'd walked in to find Nat in front of the television watching a soppy romance film, and after joining her she realised that the expression on her friends' face was slightly of longing when the main characters confessed their love for one another. She'd questioned her, and Natasha had admitted that whilst she was really happy Melinda had found Phil, now she was the only single person in their friendship group, and it made her realise she might just want somebody she could share her own life with.

"Kind of like on a blind date?" Phil asked, watching as Lola proceeded to try and catch a pigeon that was eating some bread she had dropped.

"Why not?" Melinda shrugged. "It could be fun."

"Yeah, I guess it could," Phil replied, wrapping his arms around her from behind, and pulling her gently back against him. "I'll ask him."

Melinda nodded happily, before leaning against his chest, and laid her arms along the top of his, linking their fingers together. The two of them watched Lola running around the field chasing pigeons until the sun began to set, and the cool evening air left them desperate to find some warmth.

Phil sat in the staff room, and grabbed another book to mark from the pile next to him.

The principal, Nick Fury, had just left the room, having handed out performance achievements to each member of staff for the previous semester, and Phil was happy to see that he was on target with his classes. But he still wanted to improve on his percentage, and he knew that to get the kids learning in more detail, he would probably have to mark their work in more detail, leaving helpful comments and constructive criticism where necessary. He was getting through the current batch of books, gradually, and was working on them during his lunch so he could spend more time at home in the evenings relaxing with Lola and Melinda.

Next to him sat Clint, who, for once, actually had homework of his own to mark. Teaching PE meant most of his classes' examinations and assessments were of a more physical nature, such as completing fitness tests under timed conditions, but now Phil was surprised to see his friend going through what appeared to be quizzes.

"Not like you, having things to be marking," Phil commented, glancing over at the pile of worksheets his friend was ticking off.

"I know," Clint replied, frowning as he shook his head, his pen making an 'X' against one person's answer. "But I decided to test my ninth grade class on all the muscles of the body."

"Doing okay?"

"Reckon most would pass, which is good, although this one seems to think the deltoid is in your foot…"

Phil shook his head and laughed a little, looking back down to the book he was currently marking. The kid in question, surprisingly enough, seemed to have got every answer apart from one correct, and Phil realised he must have been doing a slightly better job at teaching them than he'd thought.

"Would you ever consider a blind date?" he asked Clint quietly after a few minutes, glancing around the room to make sure nobody else was listening in to their conversation. Clint looked at him strangely.

"Where the hell did that come from?"

"Just…would you?"

He thought about it for a bit. "Yeah, I don't see why not, as long as it wasn't a complete stranger off the street."

"So," Phil closed the book and put it onto the table across from the two of them, and grabbing another from the pile next to him. "If Melinda was to ask her friend Natasha the same thing, would you go?"

"Is she hot?"

Phil looked at him pointedly until he grinned.

"Okay, you don't want to incriminate yourself so you aren't going to answer me."

"Yes, she's attractive," Phil replied, rolling his eyes. "She's a dancer; quite laid-back, sarcastic, likes annoying her friends…"

"She sounds like a female version of me."

"Exactly. I just, I think you'd both get along, and Mel thinks the same."

Clint put the page he was marking back down, and pulled his phone out of his pocket, proceeding to open up Facebook. "What's her surname?" he asked, glancing back at Phil and waiting for an answer.

"Tell me you aren't stalking her?"

"It's called research Coulson."

Phil shook his head with a sigh. "If I told you that, then it wouldn't be a blind date."

"And?"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know her surname anyway."

Phil watched as Clint typed in her first name and searched for her; he couldn't see her picture pop up though, which was probably a good thing, as it defeated the whole idea of a blind date in the first place if he already knew who she was.

"Okay, I can't find her." Clint said eventually, turning the app off and beginning to go through the worksheets again. He glanced back up at Phil. "But go for it."

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Melinda asked Phil grumpily, as she stood applying her mascara in the en-suite bathroom mirror. Phil was in his bedroom getting changed, but she could see his reflection through the open door.

"Because she's my sister and your best friend?"

"I'd rather stay here," she said, looking at him through the mirror, and smirking as the gaze of his blue eyes met hers.

"Do not tempt me," he murmured softly, his eyes not leaving her own as her buttoned his shirt up. She had to make herself look away before she walked over to him and did something that would definitely make them very late.

They had somehow managed to find themselves agreeing to go on a double date with Steve and Maria, and the two of them knew that it would either be a great night out, or a complete and utter disaster. They were booked into a small Turkish restaurant downtown, somewhere neither of them had been before, and the table was booked for eight.

It was currently half seven, and Anne had been around to collect Lola an hour before, wishing them both a lovely night as she whispered promises of chocolate and late nights to her granddaughter; Melinda had laughed when she'd heard the two of them conspiring, and she realised exactly who Maria got her mischievous side from.

Melinda and Maria sat next to each other at the restaurant, and Phil and Steve sat opposite them respectively.

Maria ordered Lahmacun, a pizza-like meal made with minced meat and onion, and served with fresh salad leaves on the side. Steve and Melinda both ordered lamb Köfte: meatballs cooked in spices and served alongside rice and grilled red peppers. Phil tried a little bit of each of their dishes, always willing to experiment with various cuisines – the food scene in Portland had been excellent, and he was used to branching out and trying new things. He also ordered stuffed Dolma, vegetables filled with rice and onion. All four of them cleared their plates. The aromas coming from each dish were heavenly, and the group jointly agreed it was some of the best food they had ever eaten.

The four of them shared two bottles of white wine between them – Phil had only one glass as he was driving – and when the dessert menus arrived, nobody could eat another thing.

They spoke for hours, about all kinds of topics that came up. Melinda and Maria discussed work, and how after the wedding, Maria was going to try and aim for the managerial position of the centre. She was already deputy, but she wanted to go all the way to the top. Steve smiled, proudly telling her how much he loved her ambition, and she blew him a kiss across the table.

Steve was fascinated by Melinda's active lifestyle, and he revealed himself that he spent a lot of his spare time keeping fit. Not only did he do quite a bit of running, but he also enjoyed boxing, and Melinda agreed the two could meet up one day and work out together; she'd show him her self-defence routines, and the two could then spend sometime in the boxing ring. Phil looked slightly pale during their conversation, as though worried about Melinda getting injured, but he knew she was tough enough to take it – it was her job to know how to block attacks.

Phil spoke about school, and how he felt like he'd really settled into his position there now; the kids were listening to him in class, their performance had increased by a brilliant amount, and he genuinely loved it. He was reminded of his previous conversation with Clint, and turned to Melinda, informing her he'd asked him about the idea of setting him up with Natasha, and Maria's eyes widened before she grinned.

"You do realise if that worked out, it would be like… the worst pairing in history?"

"Why?" Steve asked; he didn't know Clint, and had met Natasha only a few times previously.

"Because they are both sarcastic and love to annoy people."

"Like you?" Melinda teased, and Maria winked at her, raising her glass back to her lips. "You love me for it though."

"You sure about that?" Phil muttered, and Maria shot him a look that told him to stop whilst he was ahead.

When Steve and Maria began a conversation amongst themselves, Phil took Melinda's hand across the table, and she simply smiled at him; their conversations needed few words, and they found they were able to communicate through just simply looks at one another. It was something they loved, being so in-sync with one another, although neither had any idea how it had developed so quickly.

When they left the restaurant and headed outside, thanking all of the waiters for the wonderful evening, they found that it had begun to rain at some point, and as Steve and Maria had arrived by taxi, Phil volunteered to drop them home instead of them waiting around. Maria joked that he was their own personal chauffeur, and they laughed, until Phil threatened to throw her out onto the pavement there and then.

When it was finally just the two of them once more, Phil drove around to Melinda's flat, under the idea she was just going to go inside and grab some spare clothes, before heading back to his for the night.

But the rain seemed to have tripled in strength during their drive, and despite his protests that she should just leave the clothes – she smirked when he suggested she wouldn't need them anyway – Melinda took a deep breath, and clambered out of the car into the pouring rain.

She was soaked within a few seconds, and knew there was no way she was getting back into his car that wet.

So instead, she opened his driver-side door, and dragged Phil out with her, much to his dismay and confusion.

"What are you doing?" he complained, feeling the water pool down the back of his neck and frowning at her through the downpour.

"Making the most of the situation."

"What does that mean?"

She simply smirked in response, and took a step towards him, until she was close enough Phil could see individual rain drops resting in her eyelashes.

He then knew exactly what she was doing.

"I've always wanted to try this," she murmured, leaning up onto her tiptoes, and gripping the lapels of his jacket in both hands.

He tangled his hands in her hair, and met her halfway, capturing her lips in a kiss that felt electric; the warmth of her skin against his own versus the cold of rain all around them, sent goose-bumps rippling across his body.

It was possibly the most cliché moment of Melinda's life, being kissed in the rain, but she damn well loved it.

When they finally got into her flat, she pulled him to the bathroom with her, and they swapped the cold torrent of rain outside for the waterfall of heat that fell from her shower. They might have gotten distracted along the way however, and his car stayed parked outside all night.

It was a Tuesday evening, and Melinda had spent the last few hours round at Phil's house, painting pictures of planets with Lola as Phil cooked his daughter's tea for her, and then later, whilst she was watching the half-hour of television Phil allowed before bed, the two of them had shared a meal of spaghetti in red-wine bolognaise sauce. Melinda was beginning to see that Phil was an excellent cook – much better than herself for sure – and he enjoyed doing it too; he found it relaxing after a long day at work. She loved watching him as he moved naturally around the kitchen, his sleeves rolled up and his tie thrown away, and occasionally Melinda found herself almost purposely trying to distract him while he cooked – more than once their dinner had almost burned because she'd wrapped her arms around his neck.

After they'd eaten, they had fought over the washing up – Melinda insisted she did it as he had cooked, Phil insisted he did it as she was the guest – and they both ended up covered in soap after a playful flick of water at the other turned into a full on bubble fight. The sink needed refilling once they were done, and they had to find towels to dry off their skin and clothing.

Phil lent Melinda a jumper to wear instead of her soaked top, and he changed into a t-shirt and joggers, and a few minutes later joined Lola in the living room. Despite it being almost half past seven, Phil allowed her to stay up a little longer than usual so she could see the end of the film she was watching. Once it ended, she said goodnight to Melinda, giving her another hug – something she was still trying to get used to – and Phil carried her upstairs, promising she could have her favourite story about dragons once again as long as she promised to go straight to sleep.

Melinda stayed downstairs, and flicked through the channels, before finding a film she remembered watching as a child. She watched the rest of it whilst Phil carried out Lola's bedtime routine, and as the end credits rolled across the screen, and the sound of classical music accompanied the ever-growing list of people involved in the production, she turned the volume down slightly, and could hear the soft tones of Phil's voice through the ceiling above. He was still reading his daughter her bedtime story of choice right now, and Melinda smiled as she once more moved through the channels to find something else to watch.

She didn't mind waiting for him.

Phil returned around twenty minutes later, and she glanced up as he entered the room, closing the door quietly behind him as he padded back to the sofa she was curled up on.

"She's asleep," he said, as he sat back down beside Melinda, wrapping his hands round her waist and tugging her over to him. She wriggled across and leaned back against his side with a contented sigh, and for a while, they sat in silence, blindly watching whatever was on the channel when Melinda had stopped scrolling through them.

She realised Phil wasn't paying attention to the screen at all when he nuzzled into her neck from behind, sucking gently on the soft skin in the exact place he knew made her moan. She rolled her head to the side automatically, and he scraped his teeth along the exposed skin below her ear, tugging gently on the lobe as he moved.

"Stay over," Phil murmured, caressing her neck with his words. He felt her tense up slightly as he spoke however, and knew what she would say before she even opened her mouth.

Melinda sat up then, turning around so she faced him and crossing her legs beneath her, and he pouted slightly in disappointment at the fact her new position meant he'd have to halt what he was obviously enjoying doing very much.

"Phil, I've not stayed over yet for a reason."

"I know," he replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

They had spoken about their relationship a few times before, and had agreed that for now, she wouldn't stay over at their house on evenings. Other than New Year, when nothing had happened between them anyway, the evenings she had spent there had resulted in her climbing into a taxi in the early hours, and then returning to her flat. They had only slept together at hers, on the nights his mother had opted to let Lola stay at her house whilst Phil and Melinda went out. It was more for Lola than anything else, to keep her routine going and not introduce too much change into her life at one time, and it worked, but they both knew things would change soon.

"But," he continued, taking both her hands in his own, and resting them on her crossed legs. "We've been together almost three months now, and Lo likes you; I don't think it would be a problem if she woke up in the morning and you were here."

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly, biting her lip slightly in concern. Staying meant she would be there for the morning, whilst Phil was getting Lola ready for playgroup, and getting himself ready for work, and she didn't want to disrupt anything. But she was also his daughter, and if he thought she would be alright with it, then she would trust his judgement completely.

"Yes." He leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss on the end of her nose. "What time is your first class tomorrow?" he asked, realising she wouldn't have any spare clothes with her.

"Ten."

"I can drop you home on the way to taking her to playgroup?"

She nodded with a small smile, leaning back towards him.

"Okay."

It was a step for them both, but it was right.

As their lips met once more, he unlinked their hands, wrapping them back around her and pulling her towards him again. She moved closer, and before long was sat on his lap, her knees either side of his legs as she ran her hands through his hair.

It was crazy really, how they could keep themselves almost completely platonic when they needed to, only hand holding and hugs whenever Lola was around, but as soon as she was asleep, or the two were alone, they became consumed by a desperate need for the other.

"Bed… now," he muttered against her lips, as her hands tugged at the hem of his shirt, trying to lift it off of him where they sat.

She simply nodded, proceeding to caress his skin with burning fingertips, and Phil stood, lifting her up with him as he went and smiling as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

They only just made it to his room before she was tugging the shirt over his shoulders.

As they lay in the comfort of his bed just over an hour later, the warmth of their bodies radiating against one another, their breathing synchronized into a harmonious rhythm. After a while, Phil felt Melinda's body relax against his completely, and he glanced down at her face, able to tell immediately, and with delight, that she had fallen asleep in his arms, her eyes closed completely, and her lips slightly parted in an adorable oval shape.

She was beautiful, he thought, and he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at just how amazing his life had become over the past five months. It was practically perfect. She was perfect. He wasn't sure how he deserved somebody so amazing, especially somebody who considered his daughter in everything they did too.

His internal monologue made him acknowledge something else as well, and as soon as the thought entered his mind he knew it was right; he also couldn't believe he hadn't realised it before.

"I love you, Melinda" he murmured, his words spoken softly into the silk of her hair as he gradually fell asleep. He loved her, and whilst that realisation terrified him, especially as it was so soon, one day, after he'd gathered the courage, he knew he would tell her when she was awake to hear him say it.

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