Chapter Text
'Damn it' Skye hit the table with her palm and made a face while shaking the now red hand rapidly. She focused back on the screen in front of her. 'I'm sorry A.C, I can't get in'. She was frustrated. Not being able to hack through was not in her résumé and she didn't like the bittersweet taste of being in the dark about an already dangerous mission. They were not prepared.
Coulson sighed. He nodded repeatedly at Skye, acknowledging the meaning of it but didn't say a word. Next to him, Grant Ward volunteered. 'Sir, I should be the one going in. Alone. I'm the specialist.' He stepped forward and placed both his hands on the table in front of Skye's laptop. She looked at him. 'Ward, that's suicide! We don't even know what the place is like inside, let alone what you're gonna find there.' Her frustration rose in anger. Ward could be an idiot sometimes.
'Skye's right' Coulson intervened. 'I'm not sending you in'. Ward opened his mouth to protest but didn't get the chance. 'And it's not up for discussion'. Coulson turned around and headed to his office, closing the door behind him.
Around midnight, Phil finally came out of hiding. He went straight to Skye.
'Hey' he greeted when he found her typing away on her laptop in her assigned bed on the Bus. 'Got a sec?' She stopped and looked up at him, moving to give him space to sit. He took the invitation. She waited for him to speak. Finally, he said 'what's the intel? I wanna go through everything again'. She gave him a look that clearly stated 'again? Are you kidding?' but instead, she typed a few words and started reading.
'Little unpronounceable town outside Moscow, Russia. Known drug lord and gentleman's club owner is thought to run a prostitution ring using his club as cover.' She stopped to look at him, searching approval of the initial data they gathered in case he just wanted the latest specifics. Coulson simply nodded her to continue. 'Two months ago a body was found at the club, one of his most frequent clients with traces of a never seen before drug on his system. Simmons matched some of the components to both the super soldier serum and… this' She turned the laptop so he could see.
'Whatever that is, it's not from here' Coulson stated, staring at the picture on the screen.
'Alien sex drug' Skye teased. 'Asgardian?'
'Don't know, but FitzSimmons proved constant use is killing these gentlemen.'
'Right' Skye read a bit more 'Hair from the victims proved they'd been using for at least one month prior the first death.' She continued. 'Twelve more bodies have been found but apparently this guy owns Russia or something because I can't find a single thing on him. He's not even on Facebook.' Her frustration showed in her voice again. 'Anyway, victims all had evidence of intercourse prior to their deaths and it's a prostitution ring so…' Skye finished.
'That's all?' he was afraid of that. 'We don't even have a map of the building? Know anything about this drug lord? His crew? How many they are? Not even a name?'
'I'm telling you, this runs deep. I've only found one shitty picture of the guy and it's all blurry and black and white. All I can make of it is he's between 30 and 40, medium built, kind of good looking' She showed him the picture in question. He had to agree you couldn't make much of it. 'Name's Alexei Zadornov'
Coulson didn't answer, which made Skye all the more frustrated. She went back to hacking her way through what she named the Russian Alien Sex Drug Conspiracy of 2014.
'Keep working' Phil said as he left, not noticing Skye was not willing to give up and already back to work. He passed by May on the way to his office. She followed him worriedly with her eyes.
It was 2 am when he went to sleep, sinking into the silence of the bus.
The next morning Phil was a man on a mission. He had already decided the course of action and nothing was going to stop him. He saw Skye by the counter having cereal and coffee for breakfast with FitzSimmons and Ward and he greeted them all. May was nowhere to be seen.
'Skye, I need you on this. Top priority.' He said. Simmons was serving him a cup of coffee which he kindly accepted.
'What is it?' Fitz tried to take a peek at the piece of paper Coulson had passed.
'An address' He smiled into his coffee.
'That's not an address' Skye stated, blanked face when she read it.
'No, I need you to find me one.' She blinked repeatedly. This particular mission was exciting and she grinned. 'Either one. I'm willing to bet it's the same.' He smirked at Ward's confused face trying to reach over to Skye.
He read out loud. 'Clint Barton. Natasha Romanoff.' He stared at Coulson and blinked repeatedly. Coulson explained. 'I need Strike Team Delta for this'.
'Strike Team Delta?' Skye asked at Coulson, but it was Ward who answered.
'Barton and Romanoff. They were SHIELD'S best team. Everyone knows that' He looked at her like she had offended him by not knowing. Ward was being a fanboy.
'They were my team, actually. I was their handler, until…' Coulson told them. 'Until I died.'
'You…' it was Simmons' turn to look at him like he was Santa Claus handling presents on Christmas. 'You handled the Black Widow and Hawkeye, sir?' She smiled, incredulously.
Coulson nodded. He missed his old team sometimes.
As Skye started typing on her laptop faster than ever (Ok, she was overly excited), May came from behind Coulson. 'They don't even know you're alive'. Coulson turned around, coffee still in hand.
They all looked at her. 'Time they did'. He finally said. It had been above their clearance, but now that Coulson was Director, he had chosen to oversight that detail.
Melina moved her head from side to side disapprovingly. 'It's not that easy. You didn't see them at your funeral. Barton was a mess. They're not going to forgive you that easy, Phil.' He felt a sucker punch to the gut. Clint and Natasha were his team and two of the most emotionally troubled people he knew. They considered him family, and he had died on them and had stayed dead. They had mourned him and now he was going to reappear into their lives like nothing had happened because he needed them. They didn't deserve that. Coulson's jaw clenched.
'Got it' His thoughts were interrupted by Skye, turning her computer so that Coulson could see their location on the screen.
'Wheels up' he said to May. She went to the cabin and put the Bus in motion.
Natasha was pacing around their apartment in a not nosey little town in the outsides of Vermont while Clint watched TV on the sofa. It had been a few months since her trial after the whole Hydra thing and the first thing she'd done had been to extract Clint from his mission and get into hiding. They were laying low together. Together together. It had happened a few months before the Potomac incident, which was still relatively new to the pair. They were used to everything but domesticity, but there was a reassuring side to it, being around each other like that. It was always down to the two of them. It always had been.
It was starting to get dark outside. Natasha opened the fridge to find it next to empty. 'Hey I'm gonna run down to the market to buy something.' She talked as she walked towards Clint, coming from behind him and placing her hands around his neck and resting them on his chest. He smiled and looked up at her, planting a kiss to her lips. Natasha protested as his mouth moved away from hers so he repeated his action, parting her lips with his tongue hungrily.
When they pulled away, fire still in her eyes and he unspoken promise of a lot more action when she returned, she asked 'what do you want?'
He smirked. 'You'.
'To eat' she clarified, also smirking.
'Still you'. She rolled her eyes but smiled, keys already in hand as she walked straight to the mini market down the street.
When she was paying (all cash) for the beer and few edible items they both liked, a second customer walked into the store. She looked at him from the corner of her eye as he was checking her out. Tall guy, broad shoulders, dark hair, pretty face.
She smirked at the guy, playing along while inspecting whether or not he seemed to have any sort of weapons under his clothes. She did that with everyone, categorizing people friend or foe from a glance.
There was something about the guy that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand. She slowly turned around to leave, ready for anything to happen, but nothing did. Still, as she walked out, she noticed the guy's attitude was off to be a regular guy; no items picked up to actually buy and when she looked over her shoulder for a last assessment as she left, he wasn't checking out her ass (which she was used to), he was checking which building she went into.
She smirked for real this time. 'So… foe' she thought to herself. She was the Black Widow. Let him come; she was ready.
He walked up the stairs to the third floor, where she had got off of the elevator, and walked the hall until the 12th apartment, were one could go either left, towards apartments 13th and 14th, or right, to apartments 15th and 16th. He looked at both sides and followed his gut. He went left.
Suddenly, Grant Ward was painfully pinned against a wall with a ridiculously sharp knife to his throat. 'Who the hell are you?' A very angry Natasha Romanoff asked and he was suddenly a bit afraid. He didn't have time to answer, though.
'He's with me' Phil Coulson appeared to his right, both hands held together. Romanoff didn't move. She blinked repeatedly at the older Agent.
'Natasha, let him go' Phil looked at her and then at Ward, but didn't move any closer.
She loosened her grip on Ward and he set himself free. She walked in a straight line, mesmerized at what she had first considered a ghost of some kind until they were standing face to face. Phil's demeanor changed and he smiled with both his lips and eyes to the redheaded spy.
She slapped him, leaving a red mark of five fingers on his cheek. Ward was about to pin her down when Coulson gave him a look and moved his head side to side. Next thing he knew, they were hugging, Coulson smiling like a proud father and Natasha actually crying on his shoulder. He was patting her back too.
'You…' Natasha managed to say after a while, wiping away the tears. 'I heard Fury declare you. I went to your funeral. What the hell Phil, you're alive?' she demanded answers and she deserved them.
Phil handed her a tissue. 'I died' he offered. 'In New York. Fury brought me back, but it was kept a secret. I'm sorry Natasha. I really am.' His voice had even a kinder tone.
She nodded and hugged him again. 'I… We lost you, Phil. Clint…' she stopped and looked at the man in front of her. Phil nodded.
'Where is he? I need to talk to both of you'
'He blamed himself. He broke down, Coulson. It took me months to even get him to talk to me.' She wasn't blaming him as much as she was explaining what they had both been through, just like they used to do after terribly difficult missions. It usually involved alcohol, too.
'I'm sorry Nat.' Phil repeated and hugged the redhead once more. She hugged him back.
Ward felt weird. He had heard legends of the Black Widow, even seen her training a couple of times in headquarters, but the woman in front of him looked so hurt, and tiny and just… human. Moreover, Coulson had just called her Nat. That was plain weird. There was something so informal about their relationship he didn't understand.
A minute later she was heading them to her apartment. 'Two floors up' she said when they reached the stairs. Coulson gave Ward a 'you didn't actually expect her to attack you at her own door' look.
'Who's the bodyguard?' she asked, regaining her posture.
'Agent Grant Ward, meet Agent Natasha Romanoff' Coulson introduced.
She smiled at Ward. 'Sorry about the knife' she wasn't.
She stopped when they reached door 38, and both men mirrored her. She turned around to face Coulson, serious and deadly. 'He was unmade, Phil. It took a long time for him to even let me pick up the pieces' she threaten. 'If you break him…'
Phil smiled before she could finish the sentence. God he missed them. 'I wouldn't expect anything less' he reassured her and nodded towards the resting arrow necklace by her collarbone. She nodded.
'Wait here' she entered the apartment alone.
Clint turned around when the door opened. The TV was still on but he wasn't watching. 'What took you so long? I was starting to get worried… and hungry' he joked but she didn't smile.
She left the grocery bag on the counter and sat next to him. He frowned, worriedly. 'Clint…' she looked at his eyes and took his hand with her own. She didn't know how to do this and she was afraid to break him again.
'What's wrong?' he asked.
'There's someone here…' she realized her choice of words had been a mistake as soon as he jumped to get his bow and quiver. She stood up and placed her hands on his forearms, reassuringly. 'Not hostile… A friend…' she said. 'I really don't know how to explain, so…'
She got to the door and opened it. Phil Coulson walked in, sharp black suit, very much not dead. Natasha swallowed hard as she stared at Clint.
He didn't even notice a second guy behind Phil as he slowly walked to his handler, using his right index finger to poke him, making sure he wasn't a hallucination while everyone followed his action with their eyes thoroughly. He looked at Natasha incredulous and she nodded at him, smiling and with tears in her eyes.
He smiled as wide as he could and hugged Coulson and laughed as his handler hugged him back, like it was his own birthday.
Clint and Natasha were sitting on the couch, side by side, holding hands. Nat's head rested on Clint's shoulder. A single tear rolled down his face as he stared at his handler, still not quite willing to believe he wasn't dreaming. Phil was sitting in a chair in front of them, smiling.
'Agent Ward, you can go wait outside' he said without breaking eye contact with them. He turned to face Ward, standing by the door, when he added 'I'll call you to bring the car around'. Ward nodded and left.
When the door closed behind him, Phil looked back at his old team. 'How long? He asked and gave a little nod to their entwined fingers.
Natasha smiled. 'A couple of months'
He smiled, approvingly. 'It was about time' he said and went straight to business. His face went serious. He sat upright and went on full debriefing mode. 'I need you guys…'