A/N: Another update! I might add another one after this within the day (or night wherever you are) :)
I'm also introducing another character, Rick Stoner, Nick Fury's predecessor. He was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. director in the Marvel Universe, though he is not really part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Anyways, here's the next chapter!
Again, I do not own anything, not even RIck Stoner.
Two weeks after Phil had moved out, Melinda had permanently moved in to New York, in an apartment director Richard Andrew "Rick" Stoner had referred her to. It reminded her too much of him there. And besides, it's too, very far from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base.
She had been working on missions and combat operations day and night, weekdays and weekends, no time for any in-betweens. She trains with Victoria Hand, her supervising officer, who's in charge of her combat trainings. After combat training, she would be with Maria Hill, who is training her how to fly a plane.
"You learn fast," Maria comments once she's done quizzing Melinda on which buttons do what and which panels do what. "Two weeks of permanent training with me and you've managed to memorise everything in this plane." Maria pats the panels and buttons around them in the mock training plane for pilots.
"It's an annoying talent, I know." Melinda says. Maria smirks.
"I'm glad you're really here choosing S.H.I.E.L.D." Maria tells her genuinely. Melinda gives her a small smile.
"There's not much to choose anymore." she answers softly. Maria looks down and sighs.
"I'm sorry about Coulson," Maria says carefully. "I know how much he means a lot to you." Melinda nods.
"I'm working on moving on from it." she says, and gives Maria a small smile before standing up to leave.
"May," Maria calls out. Melinda looks back at her, and Maria stands up and walks over her. "I should tell you this, Coulson's also in S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What?" Melinda practically shouted. Maria gripped her hand tightly to silent her, and Melinda contorts her face. "Since when?"
"Four weeks." Maria answers, her voice low. "Look, I'm breaking orders here by telling you that he's here and—"
"Why is there an order that you shouldn't tell me that Phil's here?" Melinda hisses. Maria lets go of her grip on Melinda's hand and sighs.
"Stoner knows about you and Coulson, May, he's been questioning us as to why you're not in Level 4 yet, and why Coulson's not heading a single team." Maria explains.
"How the heck did he know about us?"
"He asked your supervisor in the Academy before," Maria explains patiently. "Stoner knows everything, apparently."
"Yes, because part of the assessment before actually entering S.H.I.E.L.D. was to make sure that we're not hiding anything at all." Melinda says, sarcastically, earning a glare from Maria.
"That's how I got my order, Hand also has her orders too."
"You broke it." Melinda points out.
"You had to know." Maria whispers a little too loudly. "When you walk out of this room and you see him, you have to regard him as an agent, May, and not your ex-boyfriend who left you, else either of you will be assigned to work in Alaska. Understand?" Maria is looking at Melinda straight into the eyes. Melinda swallows and nods.
Before Maria can leave, Melinda asks, "Who's his S.O.?"
Maria turns around and looks at Melinda. "Barton." Then, Maria leaves.
After a few moments of silence, Melinda leaves the training room. Before she walks along the corridors, she looks at every direction and makes sure she isn't running to Phil. She lets go of her breath and closes the training room as she walks down to report to Victoria Hand.
"Mel?" She stops in her tracks. She hears a voice. She hears his voice. She closes her eyes as her heart beats faster. She takes a deep breath and remembers Maria's voice in her head: you have to regard him as an agent, May, and not your ex-boyfriend who left you.
She turns around and greets him with a nod and small smile. "Agent Coulson."
Phil stares at her, with a terrified yet relieved look on his face, and Melinda remains calm and composed, looking straight at him. Phil approaches her and she just stands still, facing him. His heart is beating faster each step nearer Melinda. He swallows down his throat.
"How long have you been here?" Phil asks, his voice low. Melinda looks at the other agents walking past them. She huffed and pulled him in the nearest corner.
"Six months." she whispers, looking out for any executives. She knows she is risking something. She knows she shouldn't be speaking to him. For some reason, her instinct tells her that something will go wrong if she continues to speak to him.
"Six months? Jesus, Mel, I've been here for—"
"Four weeks, I know. Maria told me." she answers quickly. Phil leans back.
"Maria? Maria Hill?" he asks. Melinda sighs. They're not going anywhere.
"Yes, Maria Hill, the future Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," she says, sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "She's the one who convinced me to join."
"Six months ago when we haven't broke up, thanks for telling me."
"Technically, we never really broke up, Phil," Melinda says, gritting her teeth and advancing towards Phil slowly that he has to walk backwards. "You left me hanging one night in our apartment one night, and prior to that night, you've been with someone else." Phil becomes silent. "If I'm wrong, I'll be glad to hear you out."
The two fall silent, with Melinda glaring at Phil and Phil looking down at her. They both hear footsteps and before they could react, Phil and Melinda's respective S.O.'s appear.
"Coulson, May, Director Stoner wants to see you in his office now." Victoria Hand orders them. Clint Barton is beside her, his arms crossed over his chest as the two supervising officers stare at the both of them. Phil and Melinda break away from each other's stare and move out.
The two are standing in front of Rick Stoner, S.H.I.E.L.D. director, in his office. Maria Hill is standing beside him, who is sitting down on his chair, eyeing the two. Melinda's lips are pursed and her face is emotionless while Phil's trying his best to pull off a less worried look on his face. Maria Hill looks at her friend and student with a worried look on her face.
"I see the two of you have seen each other now," Stoner says. Melinda puts her hands behind her back and balls her right fist, in attempt to calm herself down. "I would like to stress, however, that personal relationships are—"
"With all due respect, sir, Agent Coulson and I are not involved in any personal relationship." Melinda says, cutting off Stoner's statement. Phil looks over at Melinda, who looks straight ahead to meet Stoner's eyes. Phil looks down at his feet.
"Now, I did not know that." Stoner mutters, enough for only Maria to hear. Maria looks down at her superior for a moment before looking back up to the two.
"Well, then, we wouldn't have any problem at all," the director says. Melinda gives him a small nod and Phil just looks at him. "Make sure that the past relationship will have no effect on your work, in case you would have to work together for missions, which, I'm pretty sure you will, given the recommendations I read from the Academy."
Melinda breathes deeply and releases the ball of fist behind her back. "There will be no problem, sir." she answers monotonously. Phil, again, looks at her tentatively before clearing his throat.
"There won't be any problem, director." he repeats. Stoner nods at the both of them.
"Dismissed."
"Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, director."
The two walk out of the director's office and as Melinda is about to go to the opposite direction, Phil pulls her to a corner. "No problem, really?" he asks, his tone genuinely concerned. Melinda sighs.
"Phil, not a problem." she assures him. Phil still doesn't look convinced.
"Are you sure? We kind of left things hanging last time we met." he says in a low voice. Melinda rolls her eyes and scoffs.
"What do you want, Phil?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. "You want me to tell you that it's over? Well, guess what, I can't. I can't, and I'm sorry." With that, she turns and walks away from Phil, who is left watching her walk away.
Penny for your thoughts? :)