May

Between the four of them, it was decided that the blind date between Natasha and Clint would take place in the first week of May, and Phil and Melinda both themselves felt slight pressure about it actually working out.

If it didn't, they would get the blame from either side for setting them up with someone completely unsuitable. If it did, then they'd probably spend the rest of their lives regretting it, because chaos would ensue.

Clint had suggested that rather than going on a traditional romantic meal, which could, in fairness, go terribly wrong if he and Natasha did not get along, that they should all do something more light hearted and relaxed. He opted, after much deliberation, that they could all go bowling for the evening.

Clint and Natasha couldn't keep their eyes of each other from the moment they met, and Phil and Melinda both had a pretty strong feeling that their little matchmaking scheme was going to be a grand success.

"I'm a bit rusty," Phil muttered, after he managed to bowl his ball straight into the gutters. "I haven't played since college."

Melinda picked up her own ball, and grinned at him.

"We're going to beat you, you know that?"

"Are you just naturally skilled at this? Or trying to make me feel bad?"

Melinda shrugged with a tiny smirk. "Same thing."

She swung her arm back, and released the bowling ball, getting a complete strike and smiling at Phil sweetly as she walked back to her seat.

"And you are a little rusty."

He glared at her, before proceeding to match her score.

Game on.

"You'd better score something higher soon Coulson," Clint muttered to his friend, as Natasha proceeded to match another of Melinda's previous strikes with more grace than Clint had ever seen. "Because I'm really starting to root for this girl."

Guys vs. girls had seemed like a great idea to begin with, but Clint and Phil were falling behind quickly as Melinda and Natasha teamed up, and whipped them into second place with strike after strike.

Natasha twirled around to stick her tongue out at Clint as she scored yet another, and he shook his head with a smirk.

He liked her. She seemed great, and he had to admit Phil had been right by saying she was like a male version of him.

"So, you dance?" he asked her, after they finished their first game and Phil had gone to pay for a second.

"Yeah." She sipped on her drink. "I began with the Russian Bolshoi as a child, but now I'm with the American Ballet Theatre."

"That's amazing."

She shrugged. "It's fun, but a lot of travelling…" She trailed off as she put her drink back onto the table next to her, before refastening the laces on her bowling shoes. "Mel said you do archery?"

Clint nodded.

"You any good?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Better than good. You should come out with me one weekend, have a go. I find my target every time."

"We still talking about archery?"

Melinda rolled her eyes and walked away, heading off to find Phil, mentally reprimanding herself for thinking this would be a good idea.

When they ended their third game around two hours later, Melinda was almost one-hundred percent convinced Clint and Natasha were perfect for one another. They hadn't stopped talking all night, and she surreptitiously watched as Clint's gaze followed Natasha around the room in awe, as though she were an angel descended from heaven.

She and Natasha won by a huge margin, despite Phil's desperate attempts to try and put her off by wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. She'd simply looked at him with a smirk and bowled without looking, managing to hit down ¾ of the balls just like that.

They only stopped their teasing when Clint threatened to turn his hearing aid off, so he didn't have to listen to Natasha bragging about how much they had won by. She quietened down, but still kept shooting grins in his direction as though to rub it in some more.

They left the centre and headed next door to a bar, just somewhere the two could get to know each other a little better. Clint and Natasha took a table across the room, whilst Phil and Melinda decided to give them some space, and stood together at the bar.

When Melinda turned around half an hour later, she found the two of the currently rather preoccupied.

She raised her eyebrows at Phil. "You think they'll mind if we go?"

"I don't think they'd even notice."

He took her hand, and together they walked over to the table Natasha and Clint were sharing. There were several empty beer bottles on the table, and the two were happily engaged in conversation as though the only two in the room.

"You guys okay if we leave?" Phil asked, stopping in front of them with a smirk.

"I think we'll be fine," Clint replied, not taking his eyes of Natasha. "Right?"

She glanced over to Melinda with a smile. "Yeah, we'll be fine."

Success.

Phil's class trip to Washington was due to take place on the second week of May, and he was probably more excited than his own students for all the different locations they were going to see. It only felt like a week before that he had been sat in his kitchen signing letters for each pupil, and suddenly three months had passed and the select few were on their way.

They were going for three days, leaving early on the Monday morning, and returning late Wednesday afternoon.

Anne was looking after Lola on the Monday, taking her to playgroup and letting her stay at her house overnight; Maria was taking care of her on the Tuesday, doing the same thing, although probably with a lot more chocolate and excess carnage; Melinda surprised herself, by offering to do the Wednesday shift.

"Are you sure?" Phil asked her when she suggested it. "I can ask Maria to do two days?"

"We'll be fine," she replied, before turning to Lola with a smile. "Won't we?"

The girl jumped up and down happily, her fair hair flying around her face. "We can bake!"

"Yeah we can."

By Wednesday night, she was desperately regretting her offer.

Melinda had picked Lola up from playgroup after work, around half four, and had immediately known they weren't going to have a lovely calm evening.

Her teacher had come over to Melinda when she saw Lola with her, and proceeded to inform her that she was very tired, and had dozed over during the afternoon play session. Melinda looked down at Lola, and could tell she was more subdued than she'd seen her before, simply standing next to her and sucking her thumb, her backpack on the ground by her feet.

"I'm not sure if she got much sleep last night," the teacher murmured, "and she keeps saying she wants her dad." Melinda nodded and thanked her, assuring her Phil would be back that evening, and she would get a lot of sleep tonight.

Damn it Maria, so much for looking after her. Melinda had a pretty good idea she'd have let Lola stay up half the night watching tv or playing games or something.

When the two got back to Phil's house - they had practically walked in silence, despite Melinda's attempts to make conversation with her - she headed straight to the kitchen to make her some tea, knowing that the quicker she got her fed, the quicker she could go upstairs and get some much needed sleep.

"I miss Daddy."

Melinda turned back around when she was halfway out of the room, and smiled sympathetically at her. "He's on his way back now, he'll be home soon."

"I want him now."

"Soon."

"Now!"

Lola glared at her for arguing, and Melinda raised her eyebrows slightly, having never seen her lose her temper before, but dismissed it as tiredness, and attempted to distract her with something else.

"I'll make you some chocolate milk, and then we can find some tea, okay?"

Lola ignored her, but walked slowly to the kitchen regardless. Melinda followed cautiously; she had a funny feeling that there were going to be tears tonight.

"What would you like for tea?" she asked, after she had mixed cocoa powder with milk in Lola's favourite beaker; it was purple, with dragons, mermaids and unicorns all around the sides, and a second layer filled with glitter that moved as the cup was drank from.

"Daddy makes chicken nuggets, with red sauce, and chips."

"Well, there aren't any in the freezer I'm afraid," she said, rummaging around to find anything that resembled a chicken nugget. "So you'll have to choose something else."

"No."

She looked at Melinda with a scowl, and pouted as she almost dared the older woman to yell at her.

"Lola -"

"I want chicken nuggets!"

"You can have pizza?" she offered instead, showing her the large pepperoni pizza in the fridge. "Or fish fingers?"

"No."

"Well you'll have to starve then" she said with a shrug, closing both the fridge and freezer and looking at her, hands on her hips. She was in charge, not the five year old.

"Fine."

Lola stalked from the room and Melinda shook her head. It was obvious she was tired, and her apparent moodiness was more than likely due to a combination of both that, and missing her dad.

Melinda took several deep breaths as she not only heard the television get turned on, but also as Lola raised to volume level to one way above the regular; she then stood in the doorway watching Melinda, almost daring her to say something.

Instead Melinda turned back to the kitchen, and decided to make Lola the fish fingers she had found. She could give her them with chips, and red sauce, so it was only slightly different to what she had asked for.

But she still had a feeling it wouldn't go down well.

Her original theory was proved right when she put the plate down on the table and finally got Lola to sit in front of it. The girl took one look before turning away.

"I don't want it."

"Well you'll have to eat it."

"No."

"Lola" she warned, gradually losing patience with her attitude, but feeling as though she didn't really have any right to shout at her, seeing as she wasn't her own daughter.

"NO!"

Her phone beeping from the hallway felt like a reprieve from the situation, and she left Lola scowling at her dinner to go and read the message, turning the television off en-route. Her instant relief at seeing Phil's name pop up was replaced with slight despair when she read his text.

Text from Phil [17:31] Hey, I'm so sorry Mel, we're stuck in traffic just out of state. Might be another few hours. Are you both okay? xxx

She sighed, hearing the crash of plastic that could only be Lola's plate hitting the floor.

Text from Melinda [17:32] Don't worry, not your fault, will see you later. xxx

She wondered if Phil would notice she had avoided answering the last part of his message.

"Was that Daddy?"

Melinda turned to find her standing in the doorway, sucking her thumb, her eyes pink from tiredness. Melinda sighed, knowing this was going to send her over the edge.

"Yes. He's going to be late."

"Why!?"

"Their bus is stuck in traffic, so it's going to take them longer."

Lola opened her mouth, and screamed, and Melinda had to take a step back from the child to work out how to deal with her now. This wasn't just her being snarky, this was turning into a full blown tantrum, and Melinda had no experience whatsoever in dealing with one of them.

She could feel her blood pressure rising by the second, and had to take a deep breath to stop herself shouting back at her.

"Lola, you're really tired," she said with a forced smile, taking a step towards her. "If you won't eat your dinner, you should put your pyjamas on, and go to bed."

"No."

"You need to go to bed."

"No!"

"Please?" she begged, a slight hint of desperation in her voice. "Your dad said you would be good for me tonight, do you want me to tell him you were naughty?"

"You can't tell me what to do, you aren't my mommy."

Melinda swallowed. That was exactly the reason she felt like she had no right whatsoever to discipline the girl.

"I know that, I just -"

Lola stormed past her however and marched up the stairs, and Melinda felt a slight realisation she might have been getting through to her. Clearly it was thought too soon however, because as soon as she reached the landing, having gone up the stairs to ensure she actually did get ready for bed, Lola started again.

"Daddy said we're going to see mommy soon."

After a moment of panic at the way she had worded it, Melinda put the pieces together and realised she must have meant the graveyard, back in Portland, where Audrey and her parents were buried. Of course, it was almost the five year anniversary of their deaths, so it was understandable they would be going down there next month.

It was a bit strange that Phil hadn't mentioned it to her though, but then again, it was their life, not hers, and she was sure he would say something closer to the time.

"I know you are" she said instead, eager to just get Lola to go to sleep, and deciding if she agreed with her she might stop arguing.

"You're not coming" Lola said determinedly, not moving from her spot and stomping her foot, glaring at Melinda.

"No, I'm not."

"Good." she snarled, tears beginning to leak from the corners of her eyes. "We don't want you to come anyway."

With that Lola turned around and stormed back towards her bed, before realising Melinda was still stood there.

"Get out!" she shouted, pushing her out of the room. As soon as Melinda stepped over the threshold and onto the landing, Lola slammed the door behind her.

She took several deep breaths to try and calm herself down.

How could a child annoy her so much?

The sound of the front door opening around two hours later signalled Phil's return, and the sense of relief that washed over Melinda was almost ridiculous.

"Hey," he said quietly, opening the door to the living room and coming in to find Melinda staring through the tv, ignoring whatever was actually playing. "Miss me?"

He'd meant it as a jokey comment, but one look at both her expression and body language - she was sitting stiffly on the couch and didn't look at all relaxed - told him she was extremely thankful he was back.

"Yes."

"Hey, what happened?" Phil asked softly, bending down in front of her and tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Nothing. It's fine. How was your trip?" she asked him instead, forcing a smile to her face and trying to avoid the conversation he was prying for. She was shattered, and honestly wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

"It was good. Are you okay? You seem… stressed." He looked around the room, noticing the torn up drawings and broken crayons on the table, and frowning. "Was she good?"

"She…"

"Mel?"

"I can't do it," she murmured quietly, looking into her lap where he was now caressing her hands. "Phil, I can't do it. I'm not her mother. I can't discipline her. I can't."

"What happened?" he repeated, feeling slight alarm at how stressed out she appeared; he'd not seen her like this before, and wondered what had happened to get her to that state. "What did she do?"

"She locked me in my room."

The small voice that came from the door signified Lola having clearly not gone to sleep - although Melinda had expected as much - and getting back out of bed and coming downstairs to play victim as soon as she heard her dad's voice.

"No, I asked you to go to bed," Melinda clarified evenly, "and you refused."

"Is that true?" Phil asked Lola, as she stood in the doorway to the living room in her pyjamas, looking at him guiltily.

"Only because she was mean to me" Lola pouted at Phil, her pink eyes filling with tears; she was clearly extremely overtired, and Phil could sense there was going to be chaos very soon if she didn't get some sleep.

"No I wasn't," Melinda replied, trying to keep her voice even as she spoke, but feeling her blood pressure begin to rise once more. "I asked you to go to bed, you refused, yelled at me, and pushed me out of your room."

"Lola!" Phil scolded her with wide eyes; in his daughter's whole life he could count the number of tantrums she'd had on only two hands. "Is this true?"

She nodded as the tears began to fall, dripping onto the floor around her barefeet, and soaking into the carpet.

"Why?" he asked her, shaking his head in disappointment. "I asked Mel to look after you tonight because I thought you would have fun and behave for her."

"She's always here!" Lola screamed suddenly, tears running down her cheeks properly as they bloomed red from anger. "I don't want you here!" she turned to Melinda. "Go away!"

Phil stared at his daughter in shock.

Melinda knew she had to walk out before she said something to a child she would regret, so she threw her hands up in the air with a sad little laugh, shaking her head at the same time.

"Fine."

She grabbed her jacket off the chair as she passed, and walked out of the room towards the hallway, leaving Phil and Lola both in the living room in silence.

It seemed to both surprise and shut Lola up, because she watched her walk out without another word, a big contrast to how she had been only moments before.

"Lola, apologise" Phil growled, his voice travelling through to the hall where Melinda was lacing up her boots.

"No."

"Right then, go to bed!"

Lola stormed past her and up the stairs, and Melinda felt a sense of failure that after everything that had happened that night, one sentence from Phil and she had gone straight to bed.

"Melinda!" Phil chased her out into the hall, reaching out and spinning her round to face him. "Don't leave, she didn't mean it," he begged her quietly. "She's tired, and stressed, and -"

"So am I, Phil!" she exclaimed exhaustedly. "And I have class all day tomorrow. I just… I need to go."

"Mel -"

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She opened the front door, and he let her leave without further argument.

"Get home safe" he whispered, as he watched her walk up the road and disappear around the corner at the end.

"What are you doing here?" Natasha asked in surprise, walking out from her bedroom as Melinda closed the front door behind her and kicked off her shoes. "Weren't you meant to be staying out tonight?"

"It was come back or kill a five year old."

Natasha raised her eyebrows, before gesturing to the glass of wine in her hand. "Drink?"

"Hell yes."

Natasha walked through to the kitchen in nothing but a baggy tee and underwear, before opening the fridge, Melinda following behind her in defeat.

"Wine?"

"Anything stronger?" she asked, dropping her head into her hands as she leaned on the worktop.

"Oh God," Natasha muttered, as she pulled a half-empty vodka bottle from the fridge and proceeded to pour some into a glass. "What happened?"

"Remember how I said she was practically a perfect child? No tantrums or bad behaviour?"

"Mmmm."

"I think she was saving it all up for me."

Natasha handed her the glass, and Melinda swirled the contents around before downing it in one, shot style.

"She's just a kid Mel," Natasha said, glancing back towards the doorway as though checking to see if someone were listening.

"She said I'm always there, and she doesn't want me in the house anymore."

"Oh Mel," Nat returned her focus to her friend, and looked at her sympathetically. "She was probably just tired."

"What if it's true though?" Melinda asked, grabbing the bottle and pouring herself a second. "Phil thought she was fine with it but…"

"Look. He knows his daughter best. So if he thinks she's okay with you two being together, then I guess -"

The sound of somebody sneezing in the next room stopped her mid track, and Melinda looked up at her friend in confusion, before the guilty expression on Natasha's face told her everything she needed to know. Through the haze of stress, sleep deprivation, and vodka, it dawned on her that if Nat had thought Melinda would be out all night, that she might not have been alone.

"Are you -"

"Shit, sorry Mel, I didn't know you'd be back and I -"

"Is it…?" she asked with raised eyebrows, suddenly feeling slightly less stressed and more intrigued.

Natasha had the grace to look slightly awkward, and nodded. "Clint."

Melinda widened her eyes before kicking herself internally. She'd just spent ten minutes ranting and complaining, and Barton would probably go to work the next day and tell Phil everything he had overheard.

Not that she wasn't happy for Nat, but maybe setting the two up wasn't the smartest plan ever - and they clearly were getting along very well indeed.

Very well.

"In that case," Melinda announced, putting the vodka back into the fridge and her glass in the sink. "I'm going to stop ranting, go to bed, and put earplugs in."

"Love you Mel!" Natasha grinned, before practically skipping from the room. She turned back at the last moment however, and poked her head back around the doorframe. "It'll be fine though, you and Phil? I know it will."

Melinda smiled despite her mood. "Thanks Nat."

Melinda checked her phone before she went to sleep, and found several missed calls and multiple text messages. She sighed before going through them all; maybe she shouldn't have walked out like she did, after all, Phil had only just returned, and Lola was only five, but she had been so stressed…

Missed Call [21:38]

Missed Call [21:47]

Text from Phil [21:53] Melinda, please talk to me about tonight. She's asleep finally, but you know she didn't mean anything xxx

Text from Phil [21:58] Mel? Please xxx

Missed Call [22:05]

Text from Phil [22:08] Are you okay? You walked home and I just want to be sure you're alright? xxx

Text from Melinda [22:20] I'm okay Phil, just exhausted. I'll text you tomorrow.x

Text from Phil [22:21] Thank god. Okay, promise? xxx

Text from Melinda [22:24] Of course. xx

Text from Phil [22:27] Okay. I'm so sorry. Goodnight Melinda… sleep well xxx

Text from Melinda [22:30] Goodnight xxx

"Look Phil," Anne said quietly, putting her coffee mug down onto the table and wiping her lipstick smudge off the rim. "I know you've always tried to put Lola first for everything, and that is brilliant, it really is. But maybe…" she smiled slightly. "Maybe it's time you put yourself first instead."

Anne was sat in his kitchen, having just dropped Lola back at theirs after taking her to Aqua Class. She'd known immediately something wasn't right with Lola, who had been quiet and detached all day, and when they had walked into the centre, and Melinda had been behind the reception desk, Lola had actually started crying.

Melinda had brushed it off, telling her it was fine, and Lola had kept whispering she was sorry, but Anne could still sense a tension around them both.

Phil looked down at his own cup. "What do you mean?" he asked, although he already knew exactly what his mother was referring to.

"You love Melinda, and I know she loves you… you shouldn't be kept apart because a five year old doesn't like change."

She was right. Of course she was right.

Mothers really do know best.

"Where's Maria?"

"She said she wasn't in the mood," Melinda replied with a shrug, browsing down the menu to see if there was anything that caught her eye.

It was Friday night, and her, Natasha and Bobbi had decided that as they were all free, they would go out for a catch-up meal. Maria however had declined their invitation, stating she wasn't really feeling like it, and she had things to prepare for the wedding anyway.

"Since when is she not in the mood to socialise?"

"Since she's about to become a married woman, apparently."

"I hope she doesn't change when she gets another ring on her finger."

"You'll have to kick her ass Mel, if she tries to go all housewife on us and stops coming out."

"Hey I could kick her ass too!" Natasha chipped in, determined to not let them forget who had been the first of them all to be martial arts trained.

"In fairness," Melinda replied, nodding at Bobbi too - being a cop meant she had her own skill set. "I think we all could."

"When you think about it, all four of us are pretty awesome."

"Girl power!" Natasha grinned, raising her glass up in a mock toast to them both.

"Never say that again."

When the waiter came over to ask if they were ready to order, all three of them literally chose random dishes from the menu that sounded appealing, having not really read it at all through their chatter. He noted their choices down with a nod, before removing their menus, and strolling back towards the kitchen.

"So," Natasha said, turning to Melinda. "I haven't really seen you since Wednesday… have you and Phil sorted things out now?"

"Kind of…"

"What happened with Phil?" Bobbi asked, concern etched upon her face as she listened to their conversation.

"His kid told Mel that she hated her being there," Natasha said quietly, looking at Melinda to ensure she was right. "And that she didn't want her in the house anymore."

Bobbi winced. "Ouch."

"Yeah."

"She apologised yesterday" Melinda added, having watched slightly bemusedly as the other two proceeded to discuss her life whilst she just sat there.

"Really?"

Melinda nodded. "Her grandmother brought her into the centre for her weekly Aqua Class, and she just hid behind her legs and cried when I walked into reception."

"I told you she had just been tired."

"Yeah, we both were."

"I guess it still hurt though," Bobbi said with a sympathetic frown.

Melinda nodded.

"Did you not see Phil last night?"

"No. He had to stay late at school, and Lola was with Anne."

"Isn't Friday like your date night?" Natasha asked her suddenly, realising Melinda hadn't been free on Friday evenings for months now.

"Usually."

"But you're here with us instead."

"He's coming round later… are you in tonight?" she asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow to go with her statement.

Natasha shook her head, and grinned.

"Nope. Going to see Clint straight after this, so you've got the flat to yourself."

"Is this the guy you set her up with?"

Melinda nodded again.

"I want details of that later," Bobbi said with a look, before turning back to Melinda. "Every relationship goes through it's rough patches," she told her supportively. "Believe me, I should know."

"Oh I think we all know about the two of you," Natasha muttered, and Bobbi threw a grin her way.

"All I'm saying," she continued, as the waiter wandered back to their table, balancing their meals in one hand, "is that if this is the first time you have fallen out in what? Almost six months?"

She nodded again, despite knowing they hadn't really fallen out as such, but also realising Bobbi was right when she had said they had been together almost six months - the time had flown.

"Then I reckon you've got a pretty amazing thing going there."

When Melinda got back to the flat that evening, she had around ten minutes before Phil arrived. She found herself - ridiculously - counting down until he arrived, realising that despite it having only been a few days, she had actually missed him. But then in fairness, it had been almost a week, because he'd left on the Monday and she had seen him for less than ten minutes of the Wednesday.

When he knocked on her front door, she opened it to him with a small smile, and when he presented her with a bunch of tulips as an apology she pulled him into the flat by his free hand, and enveloped him in a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, resting her forehead against his chest, as he carefully wrapped his arms around her, avoiding crushing the flowers against her.

"For what?" he asked, surprised; he had come to apologise to her for what Lola said, not the other way around.

"For walking out. For letting her get to me… I can't believe I let her get to me; she's just a kid."

"Shhhh, Mel, I'm sorry for letting you leave… and she is sorry too, she didn't mean it, you know that right? She was just exhausted and -"

"- And she wanted her dad."

"Yeah. And that…. you know she cried yesterday morning?"

"Why?" she asked, pulling back slightly to look at him, and reaching around to push the front door closed.

"She came into my room when she woke up, and asked if you had come back after she shouted, and when I said no, she cried," he smiled weakly. "She said she was mean to you and made you sad."

"Phil," she shook her head. "I was just exhausted. I let a five year old get to me."

"She knows which buttons to press though…" he muttered, placing the flowers on the table next to them, and brushing hair from her face. "She gets that from Maria."

"Like aunt like niece?"

"Something like that."

He pulled her into an even closer hug, burying his face into her hair and stroking down her back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. "I love you so much Mel" he murmured, "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't."

She stood up onto her tiptoes, and buried her own face into the crook of his neck; they stood in the living room just holding one another, as the sound of late spring rain outside played a melody against the windows.

"Do you want me to back go home tonight?" he asked her quietly, not sure whether she would want to just jump straight back into how things were, prior to her walking out.

She shook her head against him. "No," she murmured, looking up to see him watching her questioningly. "Stay."

He smiled softly, pressing a kiss against her forehead.

When she fell asleep curled up against him on the sofa, about an hour later, Phil simply grabbed the throw from the other couch, and pulled it over them both, resting his head on the cushions behind him as he let himself drift off with her.

He should have known things were going too well with them both, but now he'd thought he had lost her, he knew even more, he never wanted to let her go.

The day of Maria and Steve's wedding arrived, accompanied by clear skies and the glorious sight of the sun.

The gentle melody of the re-worked wedding march began to float out into the corridor outside, and Melinda's stomach flipped over knowing it was about to begin – she could only imagine how nervous Maria would be feeling. But her friend showed no sign of anxiety as she walked into the church with a smile on her face.

Lola entered first, as flower girl for the ceremony, and sprinkled petals along the aisle as people cooed and smiled at how adorable she looked. Phil walked his sister down after her, seeing as their father was no longer around, and the two of them were followed first by maid of honour Pepper, and then by Melinda and Izzy. When she reached the altar, Maria kissed Phil on the cheek – a rare gesture between the two siblings but one which really portrayed her gratitude towards him – and stood next to Steve, who was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the entire world.

Melinda smiled as she passed them both, and lined up with the other bridesmaids, taking hold of Lola's hand where she stood next to her. Maria really did look gorgeous, and as Pepper took the bridal bouquet from her to allow the ceremony to begin, she was one-hundred percent certain the two were perfectly matched in every way.

The vicar spoke to the congregation for a while, and then all guests sang the hymns Steve and Maria had picked out, before being seated once more. Lola wriggled on her chair and fussed slightly, so Melinda pulled her onto her knee, and whispered to her that she had to be quiet just for a little while longer. She promised her she'd get her cake if she could stay silent, and Lola pretended to zip her mouth closed in agreement.

It was bribery, but it worked.

She was getting there with her.

Steve's best man, Bucky, as he was known to friends, handed him the rings, and he and Maria exchanged vows and promises alongside slivers of gold, and Melinda watched Anne dab tears from her eyes as her only daughter committed herself to Steve for life.

When it was announced that the marriage was valid, officiated, and complete, Steve was asked to kiss the bride, and he did so to cheers and clapping from the congregation around them. They each signed the register – Maria now being known as Maria Rogers – and posed for photographs with the bridesmaids and groomsmen inside the church. Maria pulled Anne over to join them, and had a mother-daughter photograph with just the two of them to add to the collection.

They exited the church to fountains of confetti being thrown upon them both, and Phil watched with a smile as Melinda picked Lola up even higher to pour the petals onto Maria, who swatted at them playfully before kissing her niece on the cheek.

Professional photographs were planned to be taken in the gardens next-door, so the party walked around.

First there was an entire congregation shot, followed by one for each family. Maria's family and friends went first, and then Steve's followed, some people being dragged into both pictures because they couldn't really decide who they were friends with the most. Then there were shots of the bride and groom, surrounded by the bridesmaids and groomsmen, the groom and groomsmen, and then just the bride and bridesmaids – and flower girl, of course. Maria requested extra shots of various groups including one of Phil and Melinda together, and one of them with Lola, plus pictures of Phil and Anne with Lola.

When they finally got inside, the room was split into various tables, with the wedding party along one large table, and the rest of the guests spread out across other smaller ones. Pepper had organised the tables so that people could sit with someone they knew, and others they didn't, in an aim to integrate the two sides of the family together as much as possible; it was apparently something that had been done at her own wedding, and she really thought it worked well.

Afterwards there were speeches, laughter and tears, before everybody congratulating the married couple one more time.

They all sipped champagne, but Melinda could have sworn that Maria wasn't drinking hers. Maybe it was just the nerves…

The after-party began an hour later, and there was an entire white gazebo erected outside, filled with fairy lights, a bar, dance floor, and tables for everyone. The rest of the guests entered first, and Melinda and the other bridesmaids stayed back when Maria wanted one last picture of them all surrounding the cake.

Phil took Melinda's hand when she finally entered, and led her to a table where he was sat, amongst others, with his mother and Lola. Anne greeted her with a warm hug, and Lola ran around her in circles, clearly having eaten too much cake, the sugar sending her a little hyperactive.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked her, resting a hand on her lower back as Anne told Lola to calm down.

"White wine, please."

He nodded before heading off to the bar, leaving her at the table with his mother, who smiled up at her from the seat she was now sat in.

"You look beautiful Melinda," she said happily. "The pink is lovely on you."

"Thanks," she replied, taking a seat next to her and putting her clutch bag onto the table. "I wasn't sure about it at first, but with the hair wavy, and the matching flowers and shoes –" she indicated to the heels she had on her feet, "- it all works pretty well together."

"And Phil looks handsome as ever," Anne added, as though probing her for a response.

"He does."

"He really loves you Melinda," Anne said quietly, watching her son with a small smile as he ordered their round of drinks at the bar. "I've not seen him this happy in years."

Melinda wasn't too sure how to reply, what with words not being her strong point, so she said the only thing she knew was right: "I love him too."

Anne reached out then, and took Melinda's left hand in both of her own with a gentle squeeze, before glancing over at the bundle of energy now trying to get Maria to dance with her. "She loves you as well, you know?"

"Lola?"

"Yes. I think she's really taken a shine to you; she never stops talking about you."

"She's a great kid."

"That she is" Anne replied fondly, clearly adoring of her granddaughter; Melinda couldn't blame her for that, Lola really was lovely.

Across the room, Melinda heard the all familiar laugh of Natasha, and she threw her gaze over to find her stood talking to Maria, one hand held tightly in Clint's. Somehow, and Melinda wasn't sure how she had done it, but Nat had managed to convince Maria to let her invite a plus one at the last minute - Melinda wouldn't have dared try and change her already perfected plans, but it appeared she had gotten away with it.

She glanced over to see who else was on their table with them, and, after averting her eyes from Bobbi and Lance's little PDA, she found Pepper, sat talking animatedly to a toddler on her knee. The kid had a mop of curly light-brown hair, and he was clutching a large toy monkey in his pudgy hands. The man next to Pepper, who Melinda could only assume was her husband, Tony, was playing with the child, trying to pull the toy away from him by it's tail with a grin.

Pepper saw her watching them, and smiled.

"This is Tony," she said, nodding towards her husband and confirming Melinda's original thoughts. Tony waved in her direction. "And this is Leo" she added, bouncing the child on her knee with a proud smile. He could only have been around one year old, if that, and he was dressed in a tiny checked button up shirt and tie.

She hadn't known they had a son.

"Melinda, right?" Tony asked, finally stopping teasing his son and letting him keep the toy.

"Yeah."

"Tony. Stark." He held his hand out across the table to her. "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Melinda laughed and shook his hand, as Pepper shot her husband a look. He held his hands up in surrender.

"Just saying."

"The playboy part was renounced the day you married me," she told him, bending to pick the monkey off the floor as Leo decided to throw it down. "But then rest is true," she added, looking back at Melinda.

"Here we go," Phil announced, as he arrived back at their table with a tray of drinks, and her attention was drawn back away from the little family opposite her.

"Don't spill them on me," Melinda retorted, watching as he scanned the table for whose drink went where.

"I'll try my best" he shot back immediately, before adding with a smirk: "Cat-woman."

Anne looked at them both strangely, but they both knew exactly what the other was talking about.

An hour later, and the original excitement over there being a dance-floor had died down, leaving it occupied by fewer people going crazy. As the song switched over to something a lot slower, they all realised it was time for the first dance, and gathered around to watch Steve and Maria come together in the middle of the dance-floor. They swayed in time to the music, and neither could stop smiling, each with eyes solely for the person opposite them.

After around a minute of them dancing alone, Pepper and Tony joined them on the floor, followed soon after by Izzy and Victoria. Phil held a hand out to Melinda, who eyed it with a wary smile, before accepting his offer, and the two headed out to join the rest of the couples moving slowly around in time to the music. He placed his right hand on her waist, and his left held her hand, and Melinda rested her head against his shoulder as they began to sway to their own melody.

"We've never danced before," he murmured quietly, so only she could hear.

"We danced in your kitchen that time" she pointed out, and he remembered one evening last month when Lola had been asleep, and they had eaten dinner whilst the radio was on. Once they'd finished, the music had changed to a slower more romantic song, and they'd found themselves holding on to one another, circling the room in time to the music with contented smiles.

"True, but not properly."

"I like dancing with you" she admitted, feeling the warmth of his body radiating through his dress shirt. She snuggled her head closer into his shoulder, and he gave up on proper dancing moves, wrapping both arms around her and holding her close.

"I like dancing with you, too."

They swayed for the remainder of the song, and all the way through the next too, lost in their own little world as guests around the joined the floor and exited again.

They only left once the music returned to disco-style songs, and as they returned to their table, Anne was smiling at them with a knowing look, Lola asleep on her lap having finally been tired out by the whole evening.

Phil picked his sleeping daughter up, letting her head lay on his shoulder, and turned to Melinda.

"Are you staying? Because I need to take her home, but if you want to stay…."

"It's fine," Melinda replied, picking up her clutch bag from the table. "I've been in these shoes for twelve hours. I would honestly pay you $500 for a pair of flats right now, so I'm happy to go."

They left after saying goodbyes to everyone, especially Maria and Steve, although they both seemed to be in a haze of happiness and simply grinned at them both as they spoke.

Phil carried Lola in his arms, and Melinda walked by his side, and they all returned to his house together, like a little family.

It was the first time Melinda had stayed over at theirs since the "incident", but the next morning, Lola was more than happy to see her there once more.

Please let me know your thoughts and comments' even a few words is helpful so I know people actually want me to continue with this story!

Thank you all!