Eventually, dating became something more. Melinda and Andrew are growing strong with each other as years pass by. Melinda became happier, and Andrew's duty for the S.H.I.E.L.D. Index also became more frequent since Fury had made a protocol that everyone in the index will undergo a psych evaluation under Andrew's supervision.
Phil and Melinda are also still partners in the field, and that's the only time they get to see each other. They don't go out anymore. They have no outside work relationship anymore. For them, it would just be awkward, now that Melinda is in a serious and strong relationship.
Phil trusts Andrew. He had first met Andrew during a psych evaluation of one of the gifted individuals in the Index, and he found Andrew to be kind, empathetic and loving. Phil had seen everything on why Melinda fell in love with Andrew. Five years in their relationship, and he can see that Andrew is making Melinda happier each day.
That's why it was never actually a shock to him when one day Melinda came to work with a gold wedding band on her left ring finger.
"You don't wear jewelries on missions." Phil had pointed out to them when they were in the plane, prepping for a mission. Melinda looked at him, her eyes sparkling and her lips forming to a smirk.
"I got married last weekend." Melinda answered. Phil raised an eyebrow. "We eloped. It was fun."
And at that moment, Phil swore he heard his own heart breaking inside of him, even feeling the shattered pieces fall and pierce everywhere inside of him. But as he looked at Melinda's face, her sparkling eyes, her rare wide grin, her excited overall expression, he can't help but want to feel happy for her. Phil couldn't remember the last time he saw Melinda as happy as she was when she told him that she and Andrew had eloped that weekend.
"Congratulations." Phil had said, forcing a smile out of him and turning away when he saw Melinda's expression fell. She can read through him easily. She knows he's faking something. Yet, a few seconds later, her expression changed into a soft smile.
"Thanks, Coulson," she replied. "I guess it's really time to move on, you know?"
Phil had taken Melinda's word on it, when he decided to go back to Portland to visit an old friend of his in the Portland Symphony. He saw her on the second chair playing the cello, and he smiled when she saw him from where she was, and she gave back a small smile to him.
And despite all the differences before, Audrey and Phil had left all of it behind. Phil had told Audrey of everything, of how they lost their daughter, and of how Phil had lost Melinda in his personal life. It took some time, but eventually the two had reunited.
And that was how Phil and Melinda became just partners on the field. But both know that it will not end there. Both of them know that since they are happy, something bad will happen to both of them, it's happened before. What's the difference of now?