Note: 'Agents of SHIELD' is returning to American TV in less than a week, and I'll have to download the episodes since it'll probably be weeks before we get it here. So I'm trying to finish up the chapters-in-progress before it comes back, and while I'm still on holidays. This one took awhile to work on, and there are a number of pairings, so I apologise in advance. I tried to keep Pietro/Skye as the main one.

"Long Time Blanks"

It was true that some people didn't get their soulmarks until after a major event in their life. Phil Coulson was surprised that his many near brushes with death in the course of his duty as a field agent never triggered even a single word. In the end, after leaving the field and becoming a handler, it was actual death which brought not just one, but two marks. He didn't recognise the writing, and as insanity seemed imminent, he wasn't eager to find his soulmates. After HYDRA took SHIELD down, and Fury handed the reins to Phil, he all but forgot about the words on his skin.

No. If he found them now there was no way anything would happen. He had to keep his agents from too much danger, and keep the world safe from the likes of HYDRA.

If only he'd kept Trip safe. He honestly thought that since half of his original team were Blank, they'd make it through. Ward was marked, May got her mark after Bahrain (part of what led to the breakdown of her marriage), FitzSimmons were as close as soulmates, but only Fitz had words, and Skye was unmarked. Of the newest recruits, Hunter wasn't marked, and Bobbi and Mack were platonic soulmates.

So with several unmarked agents, and those marked not entirely happy, and being split apart by various difficulties… there was no time for nonsense like waiting for his own happily ever after. Too much to do. Too much angst to deal with.

"Do we still have a soulmark register?" Skye asked out of the blue, making Phil jump.

"What?" he said.

"Just wondering whether we still had to note down our soulmarks," she said.

"I thought you were Blank?" Phil said.

"Not after… the thing," she replied. "The cave-in, when Trip…"

He bowed his head. "Yes. But you're marked now?" She nodded. "I'm happy for you, Skye, I really am. Do you recognise the writing?"

"No, but it isn't in English," she said. "I'll have to find out what language it is."

"Right. The procedure is that you note down the first word of your mark, take a picture of the first word at least two letters long, and add it to the file. No one will look without your permission." He rifled through a drawer and pulled out a form. "You'll need a physical copy of the image; use my fax machine to print it out. I won't look, I promise."

"Just as well, considering where it is," she muttered. "DC, do you have any…?"

"Two of them," he said. "No idea who they are. I don't even think about it."

"Why not?" she said.

"There are more important things to worry about than—"

"Whatever Fate has planned for you?"

He exhaled heavily.

"Never mind," he said. "It'll happen when it happens. Can I ask something?"

"You want to know why I've waited this long," Skye said.

"Frankly, yes."

"Jiaying is dead, and Cal is gone," she said. "I don't have to worry about my crazy parents scaring off my soulmate. I've only gotta worry about my crazy co-workers scaring off my soulmate."

"Who are you calling crazy?" Phil asked, smiling.

"Not my definitely-not-crazy boss."

"Very diplomatic of you. Now go record your soulmark."

Wanda stroked her brother's hand, tears in her eyes.

"He had no soulmark before," she said. If the previous trauma in their life had not caused it, then he must have believed that he would never have a soulmate to find, leading to his reckless behaviour in Sokovia.

"Then you know he'll pull through," Fury said. "I've got somewhere else to be. Take care of him. Good luck, Miss Maximoff." The last was in Sokovian, to her surprise.

"Thank you," she said. Fury nodded, and he strode from the room. Wanda leaned forward in her chair, and pressed Pietro's palm to her cheek.

"We will find your soulmate," she said. "We will, Pietro. If it is the last thing I do, I will find the other half of your soul."

"We need an app for that," Stark muttered from the doorway. Wanda tightened her grip, still aggravated by the billionaire. Even though he offered them a place to stay, Wanda was reluctant to accept. Clint explained Obadiah Stane's deception, but the name Stark would never separate itself from the horror of that day. She regretted her actions in helping Ultron, and should have seen the kind of man Stark was when his worst nightmare was losing his friends. Yet it did not say much that it was only his new friends, not Colonel Rhodes or Miss Potts, who were among the dead, and she wished she had the courage to confront him about it.

Then again, perhaps her own powers had limited her to those she had seen. He was the one she hated the most. Had she unconsciously influenced his hallucinations? Regrets were no use to Pietro, nor Wanda's new mission.

"We're going to have some visitors," Steve said. Wanda looked over her shoulder, avoiding Stark's eyes. "Agents of SHIELD. Hill was just telling me about it."

"When?" Stark said.

"No idea. We're all busy. I guess it'll just be a matter of waiting for the right time."

"Unless one of them is Pietro's soulmate, I do not care to know," Wanda said.

"Better than a random citizen having to be drawn into our crazy life," Stark said.

Ward. He just wouldn't leave well alone. Now he was blaming May for him turning evil and taking over HYDRA, or whatever he'd done. He'd put those bullets in his girlfriend, believing her to be May. If he hadn't been so impulsive… but he was still in the habit of blaming other people for his own actions.

Skye gritted her teeth, reloading her gun while Ward shouted for May to show herself.

"She's not here!" Skye called back. "We told you. And no, we're not telling you where she is, either, `cause we don't know. Just leave us alone, and put HYDRA back in its box where you found it, okay? The world doesn't need any more jackasses. Like you," she added under her breath.

"Language, Skye," Coulson said over the comm. unit. She rolled her eyes.

"I said 'like you'," she said.

"Keeping mission transcripts clean, that's all."

"If you're sending them to the military, think again. They're army, Coulson. They swear like… like soldiers, I guess."

"That's no excuse," he said.

Skye ducked around the car, its occupants long gone, and took a few shots at Ward's lackeys, since he was still out of sight. They'd set off a series of bombs in Washington DC, too close to the White House. Fitz and Mack were working on disabling as many as they could remotely, a good distraction from the rock conundrum. Lincoln was with them, ready to fry any circuits as soon as the bombs were down. No kill like overkill.

She had to fall back behind the car when guns were turned on her.

'Son of a bitch' sounded so cool in Sokovian. Coulson couldn't complain about swearing as long as it was in another language, right? She ran from one hiding place to another, wishing that Bobbi was up and running, and that May was back. Down two field agents; not a good thing when the nation's capital was at stake. The leader, too. He was in some underground bunker, but that didn't keep him out of danger. Skye was pretty sure she'd read about some mutant dude lifting the presidential hidey-hole out of the ground once.

"Got Ward's location, but he doesn't stay in sight long enough," Hunter said.

"There's probably an exit out back," Coulson said.

"Nah," he replied. "He's making sure we can still see him. Either it's another bloke with a mask, or he's taunting us. Distraction?"

"Could be."

Skye took a few more shots, even hit a HYDRA sniper who was aiming at Hunter. Now that she knew where he was, she hurried closer.

"What the hell are you doing, Skye?" Coulson said. "Stay down!"

"I wanna see where Ward is," she said, poking her head around another vehicle. She saw a flash of his dark hair and pale face, recognised the profile immediately. "I've got him. Want me to take a… shoot." He'd disappeared again.

"Now you see my problem," Hunter said dryly. "Go back to your corner and cover the van. This is why you're not allowed near Ward."

"He's the reason Bobbi got herself shot, and he broke her leg," Skye reminded him.

"You're not helping, Skye," Coulson said. "We all hate him equally. He just creeps you out more. Now get back to your place, carefully."

With a huff, Skye moved. She was nearly back to her spot when there was a snapping sound and the pain of a burn on her shoulder. Something bowled her over, and she caught sight of the blood spreading from a bullet graze. Damn. It'd probably caught her bra strap, and it was hard to find good sports bras when on the run from HYDRA. She must've started swearing again, because there was a deep chuckle to her right, and she looked up into blue eyes. Silvery-white hair framed a tanned face, and her breath caught.

"They got you, but it does not seem serious," he said. In Sokovian.

"Good to know," she replied in the same language. "Thanks for saving me."

After a second, he smiled widely, and Skye couldn't help smiling back. But his eyes strayed back to her wound, and his lips tightened so much that they turned as white as his hair. Skye touched his arm, returning his attention to her.

"You should get back out there," she said, in English this time. He understood, at least.

"You are American," he said.

"Who started to learn Sokovian after she got a mark in a foreign language. Yeah."

He hummed. Hunter swore. Skye twisted around, and saw Ward stride out into the middle of the street, hands in the air. It was so tempting to shoot him down, but there were probably people around filming it, and SHIELD didn't need to be seen as the bad guys gunning down someone who was surrendering. If only they knew what a sly, slimy organisation HYDRA could be, they wouldn't be so quick to judge. Skye fingered the barrel of her gun anyway, and felt her soulmate tense beside her.

"I'm open to negotiations with the president!" Ward called. "By the way, there are ten more bombs around the city."

"There aren't anymore," the white-haired guy whispered. "Tony Stark has finished taking them all out. He's letting HYDRA think that they're still active."

"So technically we could take Ward out, as long as it was provoked," Skye said.

"We're not taking him out," Coulson hissed.

"This guy says… what's your name?"

"Pietro Maximoff," he replied. "Some call me Quicksilver."

She gaped. Her soulmate was an Avenger. Whoa.

"Tony Stark's disabled the rest of the bombs," she said. "Fitz, are you listening?"

"Heard you loud and clear, Skye," he said. "Just got a message on the screen from Tony Stark himself. I'm trying to stay calm, but… it's not working. Oh my God, a personal message from Tony Stark himself!"

"I'm gonna trigger Ward to attack, and then someone can take him out," Skye said.

"Are you crazy?" several people said at once, but Pietro's was loudest. Ward looked over in their direction, and Skye got an idea.

"Give it up, Ward!" she said. "I don't think you ever entirely got over me. Too bad for you, because I've met my soulmate, and he's a hero. A real, honest-to-God superhero. What are you? The bad guy. Again."

"Nice try," he said loudly. "Bit convenient for you to announce it now, don't you think?"

"Only just met him. It's not like we do much more than fight HYDRA these days. When else am I supposed to find my soulmate? He rescued me when one of your lackeys hit me in the shoulder. Ow, by the way!"

It looked like he wasn't entirely over her, judging by his reaction to her words. He swung around, raising his wrist to his mouth and probably chewing out whoever shot at her. Skye heard the others debating over the comms, but she was distracted by Pietro, who was stroking her arms from behind.

"I will do whatever you want me to," he murmured. "Just say the word, Skye."

She was getting slightly distracted by the accent, and wondered whether swooning into his arms would be possible later, since now wasn't the best time. If the bullet wound was more than a graze, at least blood loss would've been a good excuse. Oh well. Better than the last time she was shot.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said.

"Screw it," Coulson said suddenly. Skye's eyes widened. "Carpe diem. Let's take out the son of a bitch. I'm tired of this."

"…Who are you, and what've you done with Coulson?" Mack said, sounding suspicious, and Skye honestly couldn't blame him for that.

"The Avengers will know I'm alive by now," he said. "Sooner we're done here, the sooner they can get their yelling over with and I can get on with work. `Sides, my arm's itching, and I can't scratch it. And there's a Supernanny marathon that I'm gonna miss if we don't get a move on here. Let's just deal with him, okay? I…" He sounded weary, and he sighed. Skye's heart broke for him. "I'm tired. We're here, the Avengers are here. If this is all that's left of HYDRA, let's kill them. Now."

It was worse than Skye had thought, if Coulson was this depressed. Usually he'd be the benevolent leader, but Jemma's disappearance, Bobbi's injuries, and using TAHITI on Cal must've hit him hard all at once. He'd barely taken a break since then. He was only human, and he'd even given up on the idea of finding his soulmates, which was so incredibly wrong. Skye felt tears prickling her eyes.

"Sir, what're you doing?" Hunter said. Pietro pointed, and Skye gasped when she saw Coulson walking into the middle of the road, stopping only a few yards from Ward.

"You wanted to negotiate," Coulson said. "Negotiate with me."

"So one of your team can try to kill me again?" Ward said, shaking his head. "You're losing your touch."

"Kill you again? How could…? Oh, you mean try again to kill you."

Ward huffed. "Like Simmons. She used to be such a good girl."

"If she changed it's because of you and HYDRA," Coulson said. "Now, here's how it's going to pan out. You'll surrender, and air your grievances to General Talbot from behind bars. I'm sure he'd like to see one of the people responsible for infiltrating his base to release Bakshi, and make sure that you're properly punished. If, however, you decide to co-operate, I'm sure we can strike some kind of deal. A cell with a window, halfway decent food, maybe even some musak piped through the walls. Oh, and a book. I'm sure you'd love to read some depressing Russian literature, wouldn't you? Then you could say 'woe is me' along with the characters."

"This is all bravado," Ward said. "You don't have a leg to stand on, Coulson."

"Correction: I have two legs and one arm. Plus this." His left hand shot out and he caught Ward's throat in his metal fingers. "This injury wasn't HYDRA's fault, but I'm taking advantage of it. You see, we have the Avengers. The stupid risk part is me coming out here to you, knowing one of your lackeys could shoot me where I stand. But I have a few things on my side. One, the Avengers have secured the president's safety, freeing some of the army personnel and my agents to find all your snipers. Two, I've got guns trained on you, so if either of us makes a wrong move, that person will be shot down. The odds are in my favour, though. I still haven't met my soulmates yet."

"You're lying."

"Does that hurt your feelings? Oh, I'm so sorry. Actually, I'm not. Say hello to a broken windpipe again." Skye looked away, scouting the area. She heard a choked sound from Ward, clear through the comms.

"Are all the HYDRA agents down?" she whispered.

"Romanov and Barton are doing a personal sweep, just in case my tech doesn't pick up everyone," Iron Man said, and Skye fell onto her ass out of shock. "Hey, you're Skye, right? I think you tried to hack SI once."

"You broke my hard-drive," she said, blinking.

"That's one I haven't heard before," he said in a deeper voice. "I think Agent's actually about to kill that guy. Can someone… y'know, stop him?"

"I'll go," Pietro said. Then he dashed off and pulled Coulson away from Ward, who sank to the ground, visibly wheezing. May would hate to have missed it.

"So that's it?" Fitz said.

"Not counting chickens or anything," Skye said. "Where's Talbot? What happened to the snipers?"

"I explained everything to Agent over the comms," Iron Man said.

"I didn't hear—"

"Sweetheart, you have a lot to learn. I blocked the other channels from hearing us."

"Don't call my soulmate 'sweetheart'," Pietro said, obviously also hooked up.

"Sorry, Quickie."

"I'm sure super-speed has its advantages in the bedroom," Skye said. "Just think how fast certain body parts can move."

"Skye, I didn't need to hear that," Coulson said dryly. She blushed.

"That's what you chose to relay to everyone else, Stark?" she said.

"You've got terrible timing," Iron Man said. "Agent, don't think you're getting away."

"He's the director," Mack said, which made Coulson smile as he hauled Ward along.

"May's gonna be pissed when she finds out we did all this without her," Skye said.

"It's her own fault for taking a holiday," Coulson said. "Not that you're going to tell her I said that. Iron Man, I need to see Thor. He might be able to help us with this extra-terrestrial problem we have."

Skye assumed that the conversation continued, but she was kept out of the loop. Pietro held out a hand and helped her stand up, even though she didn't need any assistance. But it was a chance to touch her soulmate.

"You work for SHIELD, so I hope my powers do not frighten you," he said softly.

"I know a bit about powers myself," she said. "I'm not scared of you, Pietro."

He kissed her hands, and Skye melted. "Thank you," he murmured.

Thor stared at the inky substance in the glass case, fingering Mjolnir where it hung down his side.

"I have not seen anything like it before," he said. "And I do not believe that Jane's research covers a phenomenon such as this."

"One of our scientists is stuck in there," Phil said. "She's one of the few people I know who could find the answer."

"If only we knew where Dr. Banner is," Thor said.

"He's a specialist in gamma radiation, not alien artefacts."

"True, but has he not had contact with Loki's sceptre before?" Phil didn't comment; it was bad enough that the last time he'd seen Thor it was just before he died. In fact, he was the third last person Phil saw. "Son of Coul?" A large hand squeezed his shoulder, surprisingly gentle. "I apologise for bringing up the past."

"Not a problem," Phil said. "Our current problem is Simmons's disappearance."

"Simmons?"

"Jemma Simmons. That's her name."

Thor stared at him for several disconcerting seconds.

"Hmm," he said noncommittally.

"Any idea what we should do next? Would it help to ask your father?"

"I do not know how far Odin's knowledge extends," Thor said. "Seeing this reminds me of the Aether." He shivered. "It was terrible to witness Jane's torment."

"How is Dr. Foster?" Phil asked, his eyes still on the box. "And her colleagues?"

"They are all well. Jane is happy with her soulmate in London, and I visit when I can. I tend to keep away from Greenwich."

Phil winced in sympathy. "Yeah, it was fun cleaning that up. I can't imagine what it was like being part of the destruction. Good thing you weren't tearing up an Oxford college, or there'd be definite retaliation."

"Sir?" Fitz said, poking his head into the room. He still hadn't ventured close, likely because he was the one who accidentally opened the box in the first place.

"What is it, Fitz?" Phil said. He glanced at Thor. "This is Leo Fitz, our engineer. He's like a younger, Scottish version of Stark. Fitz, this is Thor."

"A-a pleasure to meet you, your highness," Fitz mumbled, staring at Thor with widening eyes. "Uh, sir? I was wondering how it was going."

"We still haven't decided on a course of action."

"Oh." Fitz drooped, and turned to leave.

"Halt!" Thor said, making everyone jump. "Come back here."

"Thor, you can't tell my agents what to do!" Phil said, exasperated.

"He is a prince," Fitz said, and he crept a few feet into the room. "Can I help you? I have some experience in fixing Asgardian objects—"

"What does your soulmark say?" Thor asked. Fitz's face turned red.

"That's none of your business," he retorted. "Besides, I can't even read it."

"Yet perhaps this is your writing," Thor said. He was wearing casual clothes, so he just pulled his t-shirt off. Nobody in the room could've resisted a look at those abs, although Fitz's attention was arrested for another reason entirely, and Phil knew why. That writing matched every form Fitz had signed, and a quick look confirmed that Fitz was blushing.

"Uh… looks like it," he squeaked.

Thor chuckled. "You can take a closer look if you wish."

Fitz almost stumbled as he hurried forward. Thor caught him before he could fall flat on his face, and Fitz steadied himself against Thor's chest. He yelped, and lowered his hands, flailing as he tried to find an appropriate place to put them. Phil was torn between face-palming and laughing.

"We'll leave you alone," he said.

"Son of Coul," Thor said. "Perhaps it would be advisable to call Lady Pepper and tell her that it may be her soulmate trapped in that rock."

Phil blinked. "What?"

"She has been looking for a Jemma Simmons for some time. It could well be her."

Slightly dazed, Phil led the team out, and left someone on guard outside, so Fitz and Thor could leave without having to remember to shut the door. And spray them with cold water if things got heated, because Fitz looked like he wanted to devour Thor.

"I'll… make that call, then," he said. "Uh, Skye? Could you find…? Wait, no. Simmons doesn't have a soulmark, or she would've registered it."

"Maybe this is the traumatic experience she'll go through to get her mark?" Skye said.

"Or maybe it's not the right Jemma Simmons," Phil said grimly, "and she won't be back to get a mark at all." Like Trip.

Pepper's hands shook as she hung up the phone. She'd been told that Phil was alive, but it was one thing to know it, another thing altogether to hear his voice. Tony had already arranged a ride out to the SHIELD base for her.

Because the other reason she trembled was the idea that her soulmate was there, trapped in a giant black rock which no one knew anything about. Thank goodness Thor had promised to ask his father as soon as he tore himself away from his soulmate.

"Happy?" Pepper called. Her bodyguard jumped into the room.

"Yes, Ms. Potts?" he asked.

"I'm taking a short trip… I hope."

"You hope?" he said.

"Thor may have found my soulmate, but she's in trouble. Tony's sending transport; it'll be here any minute."

"You're closing up shop early."

"Yes," she said. "I'm going to need your help—"

"Whatever you need me to do, Ms. Potts."

It was nice having trustworthy employees. Happy sneaked Pepper out, leaving her assistant to clear the afternoon schedule and be ready to move other appointments. The rest of security made sure no one would know that Pepper was leaving until long after she'd gone, and since she didn't even know herself where the base was there were no co-ordinates to keep from anyone. Happy went with her, and Maria promised to organise an overnight bag for Pepper if it became necessary.

By the time she got there, it was hard to know whether it would be necessary.

"You mean I missed all the action?" she asked, standing beside Phil, her arms crossed as they stood just outside the door to the ward.

"It was pretty anti-climactic," Phil said. "Kind of disappointing. Still, I can't call it a waste of a visit for Thor, considering that he and Fitz found each other. And that you and Simmons might be…" He glanced at her as he trailed off. "She didn't have a mark before she went in, but Skye checked, and she has one now. She showed me, and it matches your writing. Of course I can't tell you what it says…"

"Understandable," Pepper said. "I didn't get my soulmark until after I was infected with the Extremis virus and…" She cleared her throat. "Killed Aldrich Killian."

"Don't feel badly about it."

"I try not to, but…"

He patted her arm. "I know. Look." He pointed. "She's waking up. I'll check on her first. If she's coherent, I'll bring you in. Okay?" She nodded, and he entered the room and approached Jemma's bedside. On the other side of the room was another bed, occupied by a disgruntled man called Hunter. Apparently the woman in the chair beside him, her leg bound in a cast, was his ex-wife Bobbi. She was still reaming him out for jumping into the rock to save Jemma.

The way Phil told it, when Thor said that Odin was busy at the moment, but he would look into the rock as soon as possible, Hunter grabbed rope and a crossbow, secured one end of the rope to a pole in the room, and then opened the door of the box. He let the waves pull him in, somehow found Jemma, and shot a line into the wall above her. He sent a pulley along it, and she travelled back across the line to him. Then they'd used the rope around his waist to find their way out again. All because his ex had told him that she couldn't keep doing 'this' – which he took to mean their on-again-off-again relationship – and decided that since he didn't have a soulmark he had nothing to lose. It was brave and stupid, and exactly the kind of thing any of the Avengers might've done, so it felt startlingly familiar to Pepper.

"Oh my God, you're Pepper Potts."

She turned her head and saw Pietro with his soulmate. Pepper held out her hand, and the young woman gaped back at her.

"Hello," Pepper said. "You must be Agent Skye."

"Yeah. Oh man, I never thought I'd meet you. This is a huge honour. I mean, I'm a hacker, so I'm a Stark girl all the way, but you're seriously cool. If you were a SHIELD agent, I'd aspire to be like you. Still, May's an excellent role model and I'm rambling."

"Yes, you are," Pietro said, and he kissed her on the cheek. Pepper turned back to the doorway when she heard someone murmuring in a British accent.

"You're lucky," Skye said. "She's on the good stuff at the moment, so she won't be super-intimidated. Or I guess not. I haven't seen her medicated before – she's usually the one patching us up – but if she's kinda out of it… actually, I'd pay to see that."

"It is a private moment, Skye," Pietro said.

"Our moment wasn't private!"

"Yes, but our moment was in Sokovian," he replied. "How many people do you know who speak Sokovian?"

"…Point."

Phil was beckoning, so Pepper hurried to the bedside, in no fit state of mind to pay any more attention to the debate behind her. The pretty Englishwoman gazed up at her blearily, and smiled when Pepper took her hand.

"We haven't met," Pepper said, and she rubbed the cool skin of Jemma's thumb. "I'd say it's about damn time."

"I'm… Jemma Simmons," Jemma said. "It's lovely to meet you."

"You too," Pepper said, and she sank onto the chair Phil carefully slid behind her.

"You seem… familiar." Her voice was a little slurred, which Pepper could understand; she was being monitored after being in the rock for weeks. Even Hunter was being monitored, and he'd only been in there for five to ten minutes.

"I'm Pepper."

"Huh." Jemma's eyes fluttered as she smiled tiredly. "Like Pepper Potts. Even have her hair. So pretty. So…" She yawned, and then drifted off. Pepper stayed where she was.

"It's her," she said. "Those were my words. Does she… would she only want a platonic bond, or would she be okay with something… less platonic?"

"That's something you'd have to discuss with Simmons, not me," Phil said.

"Do you think there'll be any more links between SHIELD and the Avengers?"

He snorted softly. "I highly doubt it."

"And what about you?" Pepper tilted her head, but she couldn't take her eyes off her soulmate's peaceful face.

"Me?"

"Your soulmate?"

"…Huh. I always forget about them."

Pepper frowned, squeezing Jemma's hand. "How could you forget your soulmate?"

"I have two soulmarks, and I think I'm a bit too old and weary for that kind of thing anymore. They'd be better off without me, whoever they are."

"That's not true, Phil. That's not how Fate works."

"Even though all our soulmarks have been brought on by trauma?" he said. Pepper couldn't think of a good answer for that fast enough. "I'm going to file the paperwork for this. If you need me, I'll be in my office."

Skye wasn't there when Simmons woke up lucid and found out that Pepper Potts was her soulmate. According to Hunter it was 'extremely entertaining' (i.e. hilarious), but Bobbi had vetoed anyone accessing the security footage of the moment. Since Skye couldn't find it, she presumed that Stark had deleted it himself, more considerate than most people would credit him for.

And wow, she was sharing breathing space with the Avengers! And one of them was her soulmate! Okay, not one of the ones who'd saved New York from aliens, but her own European speedster with enough facial hair to give her some nice stubble burn and silver locks long enough to scrunch her fingers in when she tugged him in for a smooch. (She was right about the benefits of a fast tongue.)

But it was stupid how Coulson kept avoiding them. He'd greeted most of the Avengers, especially Pietro and Wanda, and begged Thor not to be hard on Sif the next time he saw her. But he hadn't seen the others yet, and some were still missing.

"How's your sister?" Romanov asked the second Hawkeye stepped into the room.

"Hi, Natasha," he said. "How are you? I'm fine, thanks for asking." She didn't reply; only arched an eyebrow. "Laura's okay. So is her husband and the kids. They all send their love to you, and to Phil. You know, when we finally see him. Say, has Cap arrived yet? He's bringing Barnes. I think they want to get him checked out here. Has Bruce showed up?"

"No," she said. "You're the first to come today. No word from Banner."

"Clint!" Pietro piped up, squashed into an armchair beside Skye. She was sort of half sitting in his lap, and blushed when Clint looked over at them. "This is my soulmate, Skye. Isn't she beautiful?" Great. That made Skye's cheeks even redder.

"Very," Barton said. "Nice to meet you, Skye."

"Likewise," she managed, poking Pietro in the stomach. Damn, was he seriously pure muscle under his skin? That was so unfair.

"Barbara?"

"Hello, Clint," Bobbi said. "Long time."

"Heard you got married."

"To Hunter, but it didn't last," she said, tilting her head towards Hunter. He was still supposed to be taking it easy (ha!), but instead he was watching Mack and Stark play video games in the corner. "Hey, Hunter! You remember me talking about Clint?"

"Every other week while we were married," he muttered, loudly enough for the rest of them to hear. Skye noticed Barton and Bobbi wince at that. He spared Barton a quick once-over. "Hey, mate. How's it going? There. Small talk over with."

He'd been a bit pissy since everyone gave him hell for undertaking what could've been a suicide mission when he rescued Simmons. It was pretty hypocritical considering the number of times they'd done stupid things like that, so Skye could understand his irritation. She was more surprised by the dumbfounded look on Barton's face.

"You're a great conversationalist," he remarked slowly. Hunter made some dismissive sound and returned to watching the game.

"When you're not always heard," he said.

"How long have you had your soulmark?"

There must've been some kind of crash in the game, because as one Stark and Mack dropped their controllers and everyone stared at Barton. It took longer for Hunter to register what Hawkeye had said. When it did, his head whipped around and he stared at the archer, mouth dropping open.

"I… I found it yesterday," he said. "I think… probably since I came out of that rock, like Simmons. Didn't have it before, and nothing traumatic has happened to me since. Well, except for being chewed out by everyone."

"Did I say your words?" Barton said. Hunter nodded.

"There's another link between SHIELD and the Avengers," Simmons said, curled up beside Pepper, who'd stopped whatever she was working on to watch the scene as well.

"Even better," Skye said, leaning into Pietro's hold. "Another reason for us to move closer to the Avengers base or Stark Tower."

"Or move in," Stark said pointedly.

"I'll go where you go," Pietro told Skye. She kissed him quickly, overwhelmed by affection.

"Good thing Thor lives on Earth," she said. "It'd be hell to split up FitzSimmons."

"We're two independent people," Simmons protested.

"Moving on," Barton said. "Hunter, is it?"

"Lance Hunter," Bobbi added.

"Can I talk to you somewhere more private? Without a peanut gallery?"

"Um, yeah," Hunter said, sliding off the stool he'd been perched on. "Follow me."

"Sure is an excellent view," Barton said as Hunter walked past, his eyes trailing down Hunter's body. Okay, Skye didn't need to think about that; Hunter was like a brother to her, so no matter how hot Hawkeye was, her mind wasn't going there.

This was probably supposed to be what family was like. Pietro had come to forget what it was like to have anyone on his side other than Wanda. Now they were surrounded by secret agents and superheroes, chatting loudly, some of them arguing. Soulmates were side by side, rarely not touching. Pietro had his arm around Skye's waist, letting his attention wander from the debate she was having with Barton and Hunter, and taking in all the groups around the meeting area in the Avengers Headquarters.

Fitz and Thor were a strange pair, the Asgardian often grinning down at his soulmate, while Fitz shuffled in place and shrank back into Thor's side. Sometimes Pietro saw him pinching his arm before looking up at Thor again, as though he couldn't believe it was real. They were a contrast to Simmons and Miss Potts, who had learned to communicate silently in very little time, and Hunter and Barton, who were as bad as each other in some ways, and deeply affectionate when they thought no one was looking.

There were two noticeable people missing. Coulson had muttered something about Captain America wanting to draw out the suspense as punishment when Rogers and Barnes didn't show up on the ship. Wilson had arrived without them, and blamed the bond between Barnes and Rogers as the reason they kept being late. 'Getting distracted by one another' was the implication.

"Fuck this," Coulson said, and everyone who heard stopped talking and stared. Pietro had no idea why; they'd all heard him swear before. "When he… they're ready to see me, tell them to make and keep an appointment. I'm returning to base."

"Phil," Barton said. "They'll be h—"

The doors opened, and Skye tensed as Rogers and Barnes strode in, imposing even in casual clothes. Rogers headed straight for the director, and Coulson stepped back. Pietro didn't blame him; the captain looked like he was torn between throttling or punching the man. He wasn't sure when he started moving, but he ran ahead of Skye and stood between Coulson and Rogers. The captain pulled up short.

"He matters to my soulmate," Pietro said. "And the soulmates of our team-mates."

"I guess you have the right kind of friends, don't you?" Rogers said, glaring over Pietro's shoulder at Coulson.

"DC, what's the matter?" Skye said. She was at Pietro's side again.

"N-nothing," he replied quietly. Pietro looked back over his shoulder and noticed how pale Coulson's face was. Again, he couldn't blame the man for his reactions to Captain America being threatening.

"I hope you've explained yourself to the others," Barnes said.

Instead of answering, Coulson nodded, and backed up further. May – who terrified her team's soulmates when they finally met – stopped him mid-step.

"Really, Phil?" she said, keeping a hand on his back.

"Gotta sit down," he said. "I'll… be with Lola." (And if Pietro could fall in love with anyone who wasn't his soulmate, he'd probably lose his heart to that car.)

"Rogers's type must be people with metal arms," she remarked. Pietro heard Simmons gasp, and saw her cover her mouth.

Skye must have realised at the same time as Pietro, because she whispered, "Holy shit!"

"What?" Rogers asked, and he peered at Coulson. Pietro edged in front of him, still protective, even though it was becoming obvious that Rogers and Barnes had said Coulson's soulmark words.

"I'm gonna go," Coulson said, trying to pass Pietro.

"Steve," Barnes said suddenly, and he tugged Rogers's sleeve.

"What is it, Buck?"

"I… think we might've said his words."

Pietro sensed Coulson freezing behind him. The captain looked at him, eyes widening, and then swore.

"I'm sorry," Coulson said. "I'm sorry."

"Christ, don't apologise," Rogers said, and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't've reacted like that. You deserve better." Coulson didn't reply. "I guess I should introduce you to Bucky."

"Not necessary. I'd see myself out… but now that you're here, we'd better get down to business. Too many of your people are linked to agents of SHIELD, and I'm not parting anyone without their mutual consent. Since I don't think that consent will be given, we need to—"

"Can we talk?" Barnes said. He was half-hiding behind Rogers. "Elsewhere?"

"I don't think that will be necessary, Sergeant Barnes. There's a conference room over here, big enough to hold all of us—"

"Don't be stupid, Agent Coulson!" Rogers snapped. There was a pause, and then Coulson straightened his shoulders.

"Director Coulson," he said softly. Rogers looked contrite, and scowled when Barnes poked him in the side.

"The three of us need to talk about this," he continued. "You and I as team leaders, and I doubt Bucky's gonna want me to see you without him."

"Damn right," Barnes added.

"So either we have it out here, or we talk in private. It's up to you, director."

Coulson glanced around at those in his line of sight, and then stepped to the side.

"This way," he said, and he led them to one of the doors. He ushered the two men into the room ahead of him, hesitating before he followed them inside and shut the door.

"They won't dare separate us," Pietro said, breaking the silence. He pulled Skye close, tucking her head under his chin. "Coulson promised."

"This whole thing has him punishing himself again," she said. "He's not gonna stop easily, especially if people keep antagonising him. But… thanks. For sticking up for him." She wound her arms around Pietro, and he smiled into her hair.

"Is it terrible that I did it all for you?" he asked. Skye hummed, tickling his neck.

"If that's the case then I'll have to punish you," she said. "How does spanking sound?"

Pietro blushed.

Pietro/Skye was requested by IvyH; Fitz/Thor was requested by beauty_is_in_the_eye_of_the_beholder and elenorasweet; and Clint/Hunter was requested by sabelle67 and KTT2123. I've written background Bucky/Phil/Steve before, but it was requested by tinyballoflight with someone saying that Steve's type is people with metal arms. Okay, I'd planned it to be a bit more light-hearted, but then angst happened. The reunion between Phil and the Avengers had better be damn good, or I'm demanding my money back.

What's the betting SHIELD will get the last infinity stone, and they'll show up to help the Avengers in the final film? That would be so cool… and way too far away.

Please review!

(Did ya see the minor 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' reference?)