(Trip is 21, Lance is 18, Grant is 17, Leo is 15, Jemma is 15), Skye is 13 and Avalyn is 7.

"Daddy!" Avalyn screeched, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Hurry up!"

Coulson made it to the ground floor and walked to the door carrying a duffel bag. He shot his younger daughter a reprimanding look, "That was not nice, Avalyn."

She looked down, her cheeks reddening, "Sorry. I'm just excited."

"Alright, but you can be excited without yelling, can't you?"

"I guess," she shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

He couldn't resist her charms and ended up chuckling and pressing a kiss onto her hair, "Ok, dad's not angry. Just, try to keep calm alright? You're staying the weekend over at your friend, not going for vacation in Hawaii."

"We could go to Hawaii," Skye said, coming down the stairs.

Coulson's eyes widened, "Why are you carrying so much in that bag? I think your mother and I agreed on a weekend at your friend's too, or did we say a month and weren't aware?"

"I'm barely carrying anything in here," Skye told him.

"I'm not gonna argue. I've never won an argument with a woman before. Anyway," he shook his head, "are you girls ready?"

Avalyn looked down at her red socks and wiggled her toes, "Almost."

"Skye, help her put on her shoes, please," he told her, walking to the kitchen.

May was trying to prepare dinner for the two of them, but if there was something that May wasn't was a good cook. Coulson came up behind his wife, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek.

"Why don't you take the girls to their friends' houses? I can cook dinner."

She tilted her head to look at him, "I feel that your offering has second intentions."

"I need your help to I know if I'm not rusty," May turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, sending him a look. "Not in that wa – ok, maybe later tonight I'd like to know about that too, but you know I have a mission on Monday. Undercover, black tie event. I expect some dancing to be involved. I mean, there's always dancing at a gala and it's been -"

"Phil," she tried to suppress a smile "stop rambling and cook. I'll take the girls to their friends'."

"Ok," he breathed and smirked. "Sorry. I sometimes ramble a bit."

"I know, we've been married for 18 years," she told him on the way out the kitchen.

"And you still haven't got used to it," he chuckled, turning to the counter.

"Phil?" she backed a few steps. "Do you know how long it's been since we've had the house for ourselves?"

"Mom!" Skye and Avalyn impatiently call out.

"Take them," he smirked and winked, "And don't worry about a thing."

Coulson scratched the back of his head as he looked at the dining table. The candles looked nice, the music was soft, calm and created a nice ambient – his old vinyls never let him down – and then he stared at the two plates with food. Spaghetti with bacon. He chuckled, embarrassed. Spaghetti with bacon for a romantic dinner. Luckily he wasn't single and wasn't trying to conquer a woman. If he was, after that night's dinner, he'd still be single. While May didn't arrive, he checked himself on the mirror. He buttoned his jacket, then unbuttoned it and laughed quietly again.

"This is ridiculous," he talked to himself. "This is your wife. And you are not a teenager. Get yourself together."

However, he did check himself on the mirror one last time, undid his tie and stripped off his jacket. He looked better like that, and May had told him so many times. As much as she loved to pull him by his tie and undo it, she preferred it when he didn't wear a tie. She loved to grab him by the waistband of his pants and pull him closer.

Coulson heard the keys turning in the lock and rushed downstairs to his wife at the door, "Hey, you're back," he greeted with a smile, helping her stripping off the jacket.

"Too early?"

"No, no. You arrived at the right time," he grabbed her hand and guided her to the dining room.

"I leave for almost an hour and you cook pasta?" May asked with an unimpressed tone.

"Nothing says "I love you" like pasta and bacon," he chuckled, his face getting too hot all of the sudden. "Sorry hon, but it was the best I could cook given the time and the ingredients. But I did add some spicy stuff and we'll get to open that wine bottle your father gave us from his trip to Oporto. You know there's nothing better than Port wine. And, well," he gestured to the table, "I lighted some candles and I've got no tie." Coulson pull out her chair and signaled with his head for her to take a seat.

"Alright, I was being pretentious and trying to tease you. Port wine is really good, the candles were a nice touch and you do look better without a tie."

"Good," he said, taking a seat across from her. "I'd be disappointed if I couldn't please you anymore."

At the first bite of pasta, May puffed and drank a bit gulp of wine, "Didn't expect it to be so spicy."

"I warned you. But, you don't like it?"

"No, it's good. I was just not - Phillip James Coulson, are you trying to get me drunk on Port wine?"

"No," he laughed. "Maybe. Alright, yes. But I'll be drunk too, so don't worry."

She smirked as she shook her head, "Can't remember when the house was this silent. It's been a pretty long time since we had time for ourselves."

"I know. Today's dinner was a bit of improvisation but tomorrow we're having dinner at that new restaurant that opened downtown, the seafood one."

"That one seems expensive and I'm sure that you need to book a table some weeks in advance."

"I know. That's why I already took care of that."

May furrowed her brows, "You did?"

"Yeah. It's not every day that you celebrate eighteen years of marriage. I'm a man, and I know that men usually forget big dates, but I could never forget tomorrow's. I married the most amazing woman in the planet and till this day I still can't believe my luck. I never thought that anyone could be this happy, but I am, and I know it's because of you."

She took a deep breath and looked down, "I – uh – don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," he placed his hand on top of hers, stroking its back. "Since the day I met you, I knew that you weren't the most verbal person in the world, but when you love, oh dear God, you can prove your point just right."

The sound of their laughs mingled in the air. May blinked quickly and looked down, trying to stop a tear that rushed down her face, but it rolled down faster before she could wipe it.

"I love you. More than words can describe," May bit her lower lip and only then looked into his eyes. "You're my best friend, my partner, and I can't imagine my life without you. You mean a lot to me, Phil. A lot."

He swallowed a lump in his throat and offered a gawky smile, "We should be doing this tomorrow."

"You're right," she nodded. "Today you get me drunk and we dance, and tomorrow we put on nice clothes and go to a nice restaurant and celebrate our anniversary."

They drunk and laughed and danced for the rest of night. Well, they danced until their hands start going too low and they moved things to the bedroom.

The next day, they almost miss their dinner reservations and as soon as they got back home, they enjoyed their last night alone before Coulson's mission, and before they got the girls in the house again.

In a matter of days, May was complaining about 'the damn oysters that caused her food poisoning', because it had been three days and she hadn't stopped throwing up.

Just try to guess what happens next... :p