In regard to Coulson, I want to remind you that in this reality, he has never met Tony previously.

Chapters 17: Finding a Way In

*****A Few Weeks Later*****

Willow was video chatting with her mother on the new computer Tony bought her. Every day after school, they spoke. Sometimes, Tony was there, but she and Pepper always talked. Her adopted parents came to town a week after senior year started, and they stayed two whole weeks. They were a bit weirded out by her new bodyguard, but Nat made herself as inconspicuous as possible and eventually they relaxed. When her father found out that Nat had spent a summer in Israel, he bombarded her with questions. It was his dream to visit the holy land, and he was excited to talk to her about what she got to see while there. This seemed to make them more comfortable with leaving her with her bodyguard.

School was so different this year than the previous year. Their troll of a principal was going out of his way to be nice to her and her friends, which was wigging Buffy out entirely. Snyder even apologized to Buffy for the misunderstanding. Of course, Willow knew it had to do with Tony's donation to the computer and science classes. When Tony had accompanied her mom on the first day and gotten a tour of the school, he had been horrified at the ancient computers they were using. Then he spoke to the science teachers and was pleased to see the lab. Naturally, he had to donate money to improve things. Pepper had teased him, but he shrugged.

"I don't want the kids to be without," he had said.

Of course, Willow's reputation went up many notches as her classmates saw her with Tony and Pepper. After Cordelia's party, the word was out that she was adopted and the biological daughter of Pepper Potts. Cordelia had already told everyone, but anyone who wasn't at the party now knew the rumors were true as they saw her walking and laughing with Tony and Pepper the day that they came to see her school.

"So Tony wants to know if you have a fall break?" Pepper asked her.

"We have a mini one in mid-October," she said. "We get off a Thursday and Friday, so it's a four-day weekend."

"The house that he's been working on is done, and he wants to come for a training week," she said.

"Faith and her watcher moved into it already, but I haven't been over there," Willow said. "Xander and Cordelia have. I'm not sure about Buffy."

"Why haven't you?" Pepper asked.

Willow shrugged. "I just don't like Faith. She's a bit much for me," Willow said.

"Tony told me she was cheeky with a bit of scandalous thrown in," Pepper said.

"That's one way of putting it," Willow said. "Rude bitch or tramp comes to my mind, too."

"Now, Willow, you shouldn't be so rude or judgmental," her mother admonished.

"I know, but she just bugs me," Willow said with a pout.

"You know Tony did a background check on her," Pepper said. "She wasn't raised with the advantages the rest of you have had. A broken home doesn't even begin to describe what she's been through. Her tough and worldly appearance is partly an act and partly because she had to grow up much too early."

Now Willow did feel guilty and sighed. "Okay. I'll try to be nice," she said.

"That's my girl," Pepper said, giving her an approving smile. "Now, I'll see you on fall break."

"Oh, you'll be coming with Tony?"

"Of course," Pepper said. "I've talk to your parents about your schedule, and they decided to have Thanksgiving in New York with your relatives. They have invited Tony and me to join you for the dinner."

"So I get to be with you for Thanksgiving break? That's great!" Willow said.

"I think so, too," Pepper said, smiling. "Happy is very excited and is already researching recipes, so we can bring a dish or two."

Willow giggled, thinking how absolutely wonderfully weird her family was.

*****The Next Day*****

Xander was in English class, but he couldn't think of anything but his beautiful and sexy girlfriend, who was now his lover. He grinned as he marveled at the fact that he had a lover—and not an imaginary one either.

"Stop staring!" his lover whispered yelled at him.

"I can't help it," he said. "You're just the most beautiful creature on Earth."

"Mr. Harris, do you want to share with the class what is more important than my lecture?" his teacher said, giving him the evil eye.

"I was just telling Cordelia how hard it was to focus when she is the most beautiful creature on Earth," he said with a grin.

Cordelia groaned as the class laughed.

"Although I am sure she is flattered you think so, try to control your musings. Midterm exams will be next month!" the teacher said.

Luckily, the bell rang, and his scolding was at an end.

"I can't believe you, Xander," Cordelia said.

"I thought it was sweet," Buffy said, grinning at the two of them. She suspected the two of them were now having regular sex. That was how it was supposed to be after having sex with the person you loved—not the nightmare she endured with Angelus.

"It was embarrassing," Cordelia said.

"Someone is very whipped," Harmony said as she followed them out of the class.

"Shut up," Cordelia said.

Harmony walked off with a knowing smirk, and Willow said, "I'm with Cordelia. I'd die if Oz embarrassed me like that."

"I don't need to announce you're the most beautiful creature on Earth," Oz said solemnly. Then he smiled and added, "it's obvious to everyone."

"Ahh," Buffy said, smiling. "You guys are very sweet. I'm glad you're happy and only a tiny bit jealous."

"Well, didn't you notice Scott mooning after you in class?" Willow said. "Maybe you should ask him out for coffee or something."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to date yet," Buffy said. "And if I was, I don't know if I want to date someone so ordinary."

"I think dating the two college boys from New York have spoiled our little Buffy," Xander teased.

They walked into their history class with Mr. Coulson.

"Hello," Mr. Coulson said as they walked in.

Willow gave him a shy smile and waved. "Hey," Cordelia said.

"Hello," Xander said.

Oz nodded while Buffy eyed him suspiciously.

Phil grinned. The slayer did not trust him, and he appreciated her caution. She saw him at her mother's gallery a week ago, and then he had finally decided to ask Joyce out to dinner. They had gone out on Friday to the same Italian place he'd eaten with her and her friends previously. Phil really liked Joyce and thought that Buffy's life was dangerous enough to warrant him sticking close to her and her mother. Buffy spent much more time with her friends than she did her mother. Joyce had told him about the last guy she'd dated that Buffy hated, and it turned out the slayer's instincts were right.

He knew that he needed to connect with the slayer on a personal level, but he couldn't find an opening yet. It was hard to picture that the slight girl had been through so much as she chatted with her friends. He marveled at the teenager's ability to compartmentalize. All of them were so normal except for the werewolf—he was as self-contained as Romanoff's reports said. He never opened a book in class, nor did he seem to be listening to anything Phil said. However, Phil had yet to ask him a question that he couldn't answer.

It was the same with the slayer, who seemed to pick up knowledge without realizing it.

"How about we skip the history lecture today and watch a historical movie?" Xander suggested.

"Movie? What movie?" Buffy asked, perking up.

"You know history is your best class, Buffy, so relax," Willow said.

"Only 'cause Giles is always going on about stuff," Buffy complained, rolling her eyes. "Like I can escape it. Men and their stuffy dates and facts. Or dreams about things I shouldn't be dreaming about."

The bell rang, cutting off her muttering, but Phil wondered about her comment. Did she dream about the past lives of slayers? The report said she was reported to have prophetic dreams that were more like warnings of bad things coming. Did she dream about more than that? Phil hated that he couldn't just ask her. He had to find a way to get into the inner circle.

*****Wednesday Night, a Few Days Later*****

Buffy was patrolling with Faith, thinking about her earlier call with Matt. She'd been back home over a month, and he called her once a week. It started after she called him after Cordelia's birthday party, and they'd been talking regularly on the cell phone Tony had gotten her. He was such a good listener, but he also talked to her, too. She usually called him midway through the week as he didn't have class on Wednesday evenings, so she would call him before going out to patrol.

This evening, he told her about this girl that Foggy had tried to hook him up with. The entire episode was both funny and upsetting. Foggy had neglected to tell the girl that Matt was blind, and she didn't handle it well. Matt told Buffy that she kept talking loudly to him as if he was deaf, which he tried to ignore until they were ordering dinner. He finally told her he was blind, not deaf, and the girl went to the bathroom and never returned.

"That's awful!" Buffy said, angry on his behalf.

"It's not really," Matt said. "Losing my sight and my father were awful. This was just sad and a bit humorous."

"I can't believe you can be so cool about it," Buffy remarked. "I'd be ready to slap the shallow bimbo."

"Well, I took her dinner to go and made Foggy pay me for the meal," Matt said. "He ate the dinner."

Buffy laughed. "That's good. He needed to pay you," Buffy said.

They talked for almost an hour before Faith showed up to go patrolling with her. Matt was such a great guy. At first, she had been a bit uncomfortable about his blindness, but after they sparred, she realized how amazing and capable he actually was. She wasn't sure what to think about her stomach clenching when he said he had gone out on a date. The idea bothered her.

"It's a full moon," Faith said.

"So it appears," Buffy said, glancing at her.

"What do you guys do to wolf boy that Red's dating during this time?" Faith asked.

"Giles locks him up in the library," Buffy said. "For some strange reason, his office area has a metal, cage-like door."

"That's convenient," Faith said.

"Tony is coming in for Fall Break, and he and his buddy Dr. Banner are going to try this cure for lycanthropy that they've developed," Buffy shared. Giles had told her about it that morning, and he had discussed it with Oz and Willow at lunch.

"No shit? That's cool," Faith said. "I think he's got a cage or something in the mansion, too."

"How do you like living there?" Buffy asked. Faith's watcher had finally agreed to move there a few weeks earlier now that Tony had most of the work done. Mainly, the full work out area and library won her over.

"It's the best place that I've ever lived," Faith said, grinning. "Miss D says the place is huge enough for ten watchers, but I think she loves the hot tub more than the library."

"Hot tub? There's a hot tub?" Buffy asked.

"Yep. When are you gonna come by? The work out area is state of the art," Faith said.

"Now that I've gotten Snyder off my back and I'm not behind in any classes, I'll come by," Buffy said. "Maybe on Saturday we can work out, and I can use the hot tub?"

"Hey, you don't have to ask permission," Faith said. "Tony built the place more for you than he did me. You have a room there, you know."

"I do?" Buffy said.

Faith nodded. "He made rooms for all of you guys," Faith said. "My room has a computer and huge TV. The man is like a genie—whatever you could wish or want. He even has a food delivery service that comes once a week. Miss D wasn't very happy about that, but I do eat a lot."

"Food? You have prime snacks and didn't tell us?" Buffy said.

"Hey, it's not my fault none of you want to hang out with me," Faith said with a shrug. "Cordelia came by once with Xander, but she's busy with school. Xander would never dare come without her or you 'cause Cordelia would have his balls."

Buffy grinned, knowing Faith wasn't wrong about that. "Now that we're all back in the groove, Nat wants us to start working on our training, so I'll bring the guys by Saturday. She'll make up a schedule for everyone that fits them. Cordelia's got the cheerleading gig," Buffy said.

"Let's go down Simmons Street," Faith said. "I want to check out that side of town. It seems like I never get to it."

They patrolled without too much trouble. There was three vampires total for the night. Both felt a bit letdown.

"It's like the town knows they're two of us or something," Buffy grumbled.

"For real," Faith said. "I'm going to hit the Bronze. You comin'?"

"No. I have to take a shift on Oz patrol," Buffy said.

Faith watched her walk toward the school, and she thought about what she was learning about all of them.

Buffy wasn't too bad even if she was a bit uptight for Faith's taste. Somehow, though, Faith had a feeling there was a wild woman inside her waiting to break out. Why else would she date a blood sucker? Some part of her loved to live on the edge. Her friends were okay. Willow was a bit too mousy and a people pleaser for Faith's taste. However, her boyfriend seemed pretty cool. Unlike Willow, Oz didn't seem to resent her presence. Cordelia was cool and friendly to Faith as was Xander. All in all, Faith thought they were a good group, but they were so close. There didn't seem to be much room for another person.

She was about two blocks from the Bronze when she heard sounds of a struggle, so she ran toward the noise and found a man wrestling with a vampire.

"Do you need some help?" she asked as she approached. When the man looked up, she recognized him. "Hey, don't I know you?"

She pulled the vampire off the man, stabbing it in the heart. "Do you have a death wish or what? Didn't I tell you not to come out at night?" she said, recognizing him as someone she'd saved before.

"I can't just ignore what's going on in this town," he said. "I've got training with firearms—I'm not helpless."

"Yea, well, you could've fooled me," Faith said with a snort. "Guns don't work on demons or vampires—something this town has a lot of."

"Why is that exactly?" he asked.

"It's on a hellmouth—a gate way of sorts to a hell dimension," Faith explained. "Supernatural creatures are attracted to the dark energy here."

"We should call someone—the police," he said.

"What will they do? Run or die?" Faith said. "What's your name? Did you tell me before?"

"I'm Phil," he said, holding out his hand. "Phil Coulson."

"Well, Phil, I'm Faith, and I'm what is called a vampire slayer. I'm basically super powered, and it's my job to deal with things that go bump in the night," she told him.

"Oh, you're a inhuman or mutant?" he asked.

Faith glared. "Of course, I'm not inhuman! I'm perfectly human!" she said.

"No, that's another name for people who have special DNA or a mutant gene that gives them out of the ordinary abilities," he explained.

"Okay," Faith said. "But it's not a gene or special DNA that makes me and Buffy the slayer. It's mystical. Our genes would be just like any other."

"Buffy? Would that be Buffy Summers?" he asked.

"Yea, you've heard of her?" Faith asked.

"She's one of my students at the high school," he said. "I teach history, and I'm sort of dating her mother. Well, we went out once so far, but I really like her." He decided that Faith would be his way into the inner circle. From what he'd read, she was an outsider herself, and he could be her friend. Unlike Buffy, she was a solitary person, so he gambled that she would be receptive to his offer of friendship.

Faith winced. "Well, crap me a stick," she muttered. "I'm not sure they'll be happy I spilled the beans to you."

"Hey, I'm an intelligent guy," he said. "It's not like I can ignore what's happening in this town."

"That's a good point," she said. "Why don't you come to the school library at four? I'll tell them all you are in-the-know."

"Who all is that?" he asked.

"Just show up and you'll find out," she said with a smirk. "Go home and stop trying to fight vampires alone. Not even Xander tries to do that."

"Xander? Xander Harris? He knows about vampires?" Phil asked, feigning surprise.

Faith groaned. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said. The shit was in the pan whether Buffy and her friends wanted another person in the know or not.

As she walked off, Phil pulled out his phone. "I've found another way in," he said.

Turning in his chair, Nick Fury grunted in satisfaction. "I knew you would," he said. "We can't trust that Stark will make the right decisions all the time. Who is your access point?"

"The other slayer, Faith," Phil told him.

"Really? If Stark keeps Summers from us, Faith could be a valuable asset," Fury said.

"That was my thought," Phil said.

"Keep up the good work," Fury said.

"Will do, sir. Good night," he said.

He cautiously made his way back home, glad to live another day. More importantly, he looked forward to finally become one of the so-called Scooby Gang.

*****Chapter End*****

Now do not think too badly of Phil in this chapter as this is not the same man who spent years with the team we see on Agents of SHIELD. Even that version of him prioritized the job over personal relationships as he never told the Avengers he was alive. He has no nefarious plans in mind, but he wants to be brought into the circle of trust as any good agent would do—the way Natasha has already done so.

Review if you like. The next chapter will continue with the events of season 3, which should be the return of Angel.