Yesterday the funeral had been a quiet affair, the staff of Shield had all attended, more out of respect to Phil than the man whom they were burying. May and Skye had stood on either side of Phil, but he had held himself together, sombre of course but in control. There had been a handful of others, mostly people neither Skye or Melinda knew. Phil seemed to know a lot of them, old friends, a couple of neighbours, but when questioned about a few of the men standing round Phil had simply shook his head, they hadn't hung around either disappearing before anyone could question them. The majority of the mourners had no idea that Nick and Phil had split. Phil didn't take the time to correct most of them, tired of explaining.

...

He would be back to work today. The preparation was well on the way for this evening's covers in the kitchen. Phil would usually help May in this, but he had been called into the lawyers to discuss what the situation for the restaurant was now that Nick was gone. May knew that Coulson was worried. Mind you, Phil was a natural worrier, he had told her that they had made a 'Will' together. They'd left everything to each other but Phil had no idea if Nick had changed his. He'd admitted to her he'd done nothing about changing his. It would be good to get the situation finalised anyway.

May looked at her watch, Skye, Jemma and Fitz were all on tonight plus Antoine, who would be in with her, they had a busy night of bookings to come, SHIELD had been going from strength to strength in the last year, they had picked up some outstanding reviews in the last few months alone, Melinda won't boast but she knew her food was good, very good. She also knew a good restaurant was more than just competent cooking and Phil ran a tight ship, the staff were well trained and capable.

She heard the door open, and presumed it was Trip, she had called him in early to help with the prep seeing as Phil was missing but actually she was on top of it. She didn't mind though, Antoine was a good guy, he had an easy charm about him that made working with him a pleasure. Even more so than when they had Ward working for them, his name still left an unpleasant taste in her mouth. He had just up and left them completely in the lurch for another restaurant newly opened down the road, he had been basically poached by the lure of more money and getting up the ladder faster (because Ward had seen that May was in this for the long haul, as long as Coulson was there so was Melinda). Ward had ambitions and honestly May couldn't blame him for that, what she couldn't forgive was how he had just walked in one day and told Phil he was leaving and walked out again never to return. Phil had taken a chance on Ward when he had first started. He hadn't had the experience of working in a team like theirs before, it had been a big step up, and for him to throw it in Phil face like that left a bitter taste. They had worked on for a while, Phil got in earlier and earlier to help May out, it was tough on him, he was running the whole place and his responsibilities heaped upon his shoulders but she was sure he was the only one that would work with her in the kitchen, she had a reputation amongst the other team members for being hard to get along with, she just couldn't be done with chit chat, why talk for the sake of talking, Ward had actually been pretty similar in that way. Phil understood, and would just prattle on anyway not taking offence if he were ignored, the others were young and scared easily! Skye was actually picking up Coulson's habit and blurting on anyway, still she struggled with being neglected and would leave with a wounded look on her face, usually Phil ended up carrying on the conversation with himself not sure whether she was listening or not, but she could usually answer questions afterwards so he was pretty sure it was quietly going in.

It was Jemma that had come up with a solution, it was meant to be short term but when she had introduced Antoine 'Trip' Triplett to the group everyone had taken to him. Phil had been unusually wary of him to start which was the only sign of what he had truly felt about Ward's betrayal. Trip was good at his job though and Phil would always appreciate that, he had quickly mellowed to the guy, and now they shared all kinds of nerdy hocus pocus. May was often left rolling her eyes but secretly relieved to see some of the fun come back into Coulson's life, unfortunately, that now seemed short lived because Fury had gone and gotten himself killed, it was typical of the asshole!

She suddenly remembered that the door had opened out front, but no one had come through. She hesitated a second but picked up a kitchen knife. She made her way out front quietly, she huffed an audible sigh when she saw the back of Coulson's head sitting at one of the tables.

"God Phil, I thought we had burglars!" She grumbled, putting the knife down on the counter by the kitchen door in relief before moving to stand in front of the table he was sat at. "Phil?"

He stared out the window eyes wide, she sat down worriedly and reach her hand out to cover his, he responded and they gripped each other.

He looked down at the hand covering his, "It's all gone."

"What?" She questioned.

"The money, all the money." He looked up into Melinda's eyes, "All the money that we had saved together, all the money from the restaurant, the rent's not been paid on this place for months, the landlord is threatening eviction."

She looked at him in shock, and only got a devastating one back, "Didn't you know? Surely you must have had some idea." She pulled her hand away but winced at the accusation she could her in her own voice.

Phil's hand immediately went to his forehead and he rubbed at his skin and eyes, he bowed his head and rested it on the hand, elbow on the table. "God, I've been such an idiot."

May swallowed, this wasn't sounding good for anyone's future. It was inevitable that at that moment the front door opened and Trip walked in. He took one look at the pair and tentatively asked, "Everything okay, Boss?"

May shook her head slightly and stood, guiding the new comer towards the kitchen. When she got there, he looked at her questionably.

"Phil's had some bad news."

"What more?"

May sighed, that pretty much said it all.

"Look I'm going to take Phil for a coffee i've seen a place round the corner, I've got most of the prep done but if you can continue with the list of jobs I'd appreciate it."

"No problem, Chef. Take your time."

"Thanks, Antoine." She smiled gratefully, and started to make her way out.

"Hey say hi to Clint for me," Trip called out before she left.

Melinda turned at the words, "Who's Clint?"

"The guy that owns the coffee shop," he smiled, "Haven't you been in there before?"

"No can't say I have."

"Oh man, you are in for a treat, that man makes the best coffee ever, it's like, better than sex!"

May raised her eyebrows.

"Seriously Chef, his muffins are really something too, in every way imaginable," he waggled his eyes suggestively. "If I was that way inclined, which I'm not, so we are clear, but he's got arms like the Hulk!"

May couldn't help the bark of laughter as she walked away.

The smile dropped as she entered the main restaurant again. Phil hadn't moved, he still had his head in his hands. Too many bad times in too short a period. He could do with a long holiday away from it all, fat chance of that now by the sounds of it.

She walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Come on let's get a coffee, you can tell me all about it."

He looked up at her, inquired, business as usual, which in May's opinion was a good sign, "What about prep?"

"It's all in hand, I was in early. Trips going to finish off. Come on," she said and pulled on his arm.

He let himself be manoeuvred out of the building, once they were across the street, he stopped and looked back at the restaurant, she watched him as he stared at the front as if memorising it. He loved that place, it wasn't a high end restaurant but neither was it a diner, he joked that he wanted somewhere he could wear his three piece suits without feeling overdressed, and that about summed the place up, classy but not elite. He turned away again back to her, his voice strong again, "Where are we going for this coffee then?"

"Round the corner, according to Trip the coffee is orgasmic," she said raising her eye.

"I would imagine that Trip finds a lot of things orgasmic, let's see if it holds up to the description," he said heading off.

The coffee shop was small, but smart, called 'Arrows,' it was busy too, and Melinda and Phil had to wait in a long cue to put their order in, Coulson remained quiet through the wait, and when they eventually got to the counter they were greeted by, May had to admit a very good looking guy, full of easy smiles, he said congenially, "Sorry for the keeping you waiting, I'm Clint, What can I get you?"

"Antoine says you do the best coffee in the area, so we thought we should try you out," May proclaimed.

The man looks quizzically at May, "Ah, Antoine?"

"From the restaurant round the corner."

"Oh right, Trip! Yeah, good guy, so you're from Shield?"

"I'm the chef there, Melinda," she says and holds out her hand. He shook it with enthusiasm. Before looking across at the man beside her, who wasn't paying attention at all, in fact, he was scowling at his phone. She nudged him in the ribs till he looked up.

"This is the owner..." May tries to introduce him.

But Clint interrupted, looking keenly at her boss, "You must be Phil Coulson, Trip talks about you all the time, it's nice to meet you. Clint Barton, owner of this humble abode." Once again he held out his hand, smiling brightly.

Coulson blankly looks back and then took the hand lightly, "Hmm, yes, nice to meet you Mr. Barton." He turns to May and said, "Get me a coffee will you, I'm going to sit down."

May watches as he walked away, the weight of the world on his shoulders, turning back she see Clint looking a little disappointed.

"Sorry, he's had some bad news," she made an excuse for him.

Clint nodded his head and asked what he could get them. She ordered for them both and then took the coffee over to the table Coulson had chosen near the window as he stared blankly out into the street. He looked up at her and smiled as she placed a mug in front of him, she had decided against the muffins on this occasion.

"Tell me." She asked seriously as she sat down.

"I..." He ran his hand over his face, "When Nick left me..." He looked up at her, "I just couldn't understand, it was... You know you expect some signs that things were deteriorating, but when he asked me to leave... It was like a bolt out of the blue." He sighed, he eyes filled with tears but he shook his head refusing to let them fall.

"I was an idiot, I should have realised there was something else going on, but... I was just too numb, I honestly expected...thought it was some sort of blip, every relationship has one." He looked up at her, fear in his eyes, "I didn't close the bank accounts," his hand fisted up. "I should have gotten the lawyers on it straight away but I didn't... I thought he would be back," his words broke at the last sentence and his head dropped.

"Oh Phil," she whispered putting her hand over his and squeezing, she felt his relax under her fingers and turn in hers before squeezing back. "So just how serious is this?"

"The restaurant is in debt to about twenty five."

"Twenty five... thousand?" She shrieked before lowering her voice. Phil winced. "Twenty five thousand." She said again sadly, looking around to check they weren't being overheard. He nodded swallowing slowly. "Did you have joint personal accounts too?"

"I... I'm just going to the restroom," he said and bolted up and practically ran off towards the back of the shop. She saw Clint look across at him questionably opening his mouth to say something as he passed him, but Phil didn't stop. Clint then looked in her direction, she just shook her head and he turned away to the next customer with a concerned frown on his face.

He was away for a good five minutes and May was contemplating sending in a search party when he finally walked back in and sat down across from her again he looked a little green, but gave her a wan smile, "Sorry," he paused and then continued, in a bland voice as if he was trying just a little too hard not to let any emotions show, "We had a joint account yes, that's all gone. I did have the last of my mother's estate in a savings account, that's safe but will need to go to pay off some of the debts."

When Phil's mother had died he had used a large chunk of the money he had inherited to start the restaurant up, he had confided to her once, that he had sunk an awful lot more money in than Fury ever had and yet they had been equal partners, she wanted to hit him over the head for being a fool but he'd had total faith in Nick and nobody could really have foreseen this.

She covered his hand again were it lay worrying at a sugar bag, "It's not your fault Phil."

He pulled his hand back roughly and snapped, "Yes it is! Don't you get it, all those people could lose their jobs because I've been too busy feeling sorry for myself." He looked away from her his jaw twitched tensely.

"You trusted him."

"It's now abundantly clear that I shouldn't have because he royally fucked me over," he said bitterly. "Bastard didn't even pay the rent on the apartment he chucked me out of."

May closed her eyes briefly, she was a really at a loss for what to say, easy platitudes weren't going to help. "What do we need to do next?" She asked, making it clear that he wasn't alone in this, she and he were well aware that she couldn't help finically but she would do anything she could to help.

He smiled sadly at her but before he could say anything back, Clint walked over and place two more cups on the table and picked up the still full but now barely warm cups. "You seem a little distracted and it doesn't taste half as fabulous when it's cold and I have a reputation to uphold. On the house of course," He smiled down at the pair.

Phil looked up at the man, surprised, "Thank you. That's very generous."

Clint moved off with the old cups, beaming at Phil, "No problem."

Phil turned back to Melinda as she looked at the retreating man. "I don't know what I'm going to do May, but one thing is for sure, I'm not losing the restaurant."

She was immensely relieved to hear the determination in his voice, but she knew times were about to get tough for them all.