Author's Note: I had no intention of making this chapter this long, but you're welcome. Also the smut at the end was completely unplanned and sorta just happened...

This was prompted by an anon who requested a "worried Phil or Melinda" where one of them has to deal with the threat of the other being in danger since the start of their new relationship. I hope this fulfills your request :)

The sound of a zip being undone awakes him, pulling him up from the depths of sleep. Turning over, he sees his partner bent over a bag, grabbing a few items and placing them in. The haze of sleep is still clouding him as he watches her shadowy figure move about their dark room.

"Hey," he finally says a little groggily as he moves to sit up a bit.

"Hey," she walks over to him placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him getting up. "Go back to sleep," she tells him placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

A smile forms on his lips as he lays back down but he doesn't close his eyes to sleep. Instead he watches her flutter about the room until his brain finally catches up and he realises that she's packing for a mission.

"When are you leaving?" He asks breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over them.

She stills for a moment before continuing to place things in her bag.

"0600 hours," she states after a brief pause.

His eyes follow her every movement and she can literally hear the questions emanating from him.

"Classified," is all she states because though they're practically the same clearance level, only a select few are allowed in on the details of this mission. Unfortunately Phil isn't one of those select few.

"When will you be back?"

The slight tinge of sadness in his voice is something that she tries to ignore because she can't let their feelings come before their work. They are agents first and foremost and everything else comes second to that. It's been like that almost all their lives now.

"Tomorrow maybe," she lets out a sigh not exactly clear on all the details herself.

Everything about this mission is on a pure need to know basis, and half of it isn't even certain, hinging on a gamble of sorts. She can feel his gaze burning into her side and it's not like she exactly wants to leave him either but the job comes first. Glancing at the clock on the night stand she reads the time at 0500 hours. Mentally checking off all the things she needs she packs her gun in, zips the bag up and places it by the door ready for her departure.

"Come back to bed," he calls softly to her using his best puppy dog eyes to try and persuade her.

Rolling her eyes at him she climbs onto the bed to sit beside him, leaning against the headboard. A small triumphant smile forms on his lips as he presses in closer to her wrapping his arms around her waist with his head practically in her lap. The feeling of her fingers running through his hair lulls him to the edge of sleep as he breathes in her scent and cuddles in closer to her warmth.

"Love you," he mumbles sleepily tightening his arms a fraction.

A small smile curves her lips as she looks down at the wonderful man currently cuddled up to her with his head in her lap, hair cutely tousled from sleep.

"Love you too," she replies softly as his breathing begins to deepen and even out.

When he wakes the bed is empty of his partner and her bag is gone from its place by the door. Glancing towards the clock he reads seven o'clock and a small pang of regret hits him that he couldn't have woken up an hour earlier to say goodbye to Melinda before she left for her mission. It's not like they won't be seeing each other for ages because it's only a day or so and they've managed weeks apart before, but for some reason there is just something niggling him about this mission. Releasing a heavy sigh he gets out of bed to deal with the day. Even though he's not director anymore he still has work to do.

The day is unusually uneventful without out any imminent disasters or crisis for them to face. Without any of that to deal with, his day is much more relaxed and slower, but it also gives him time to think about what his partner might be doing. He is fully aware of just exactly how capable she is in the field, but that doesn't stop him from worrying about the one person who matters most to him. Not knowing what she might be facing or God knows what might happen to her out there is if he's being honest, eating him up from the inside out, especially knowing that she packed a gun for the mission. Every Shield agent is aware of Melinda's gun policy so he can only image what she might be up against if it warranted her taking a gun.

When evening comes around he can't stop his thoughts from turning to her. Seeing Fitzsimmons and Mack and Elena together during dinner just reminds him of Melinda's absence. Whenever the whole team is home they usually all have dinner together, and watching the two other couples seated by each other he feels oddly in a way like he is third wheeling on a double date. The seat beside him empty and utterly Melinda-less. Without her the night seems to drag on and he finds himself eagerly awaiting her return. Checking the clock for the millionth time that night he releases a deep sigh unable to hide his frustration at how slowly time is moving. He's ready for it to be tomorrow already so he can have his partner home safe and sound. Deciding that time isn't going to be speeding up any time soon, he heads off to bed bidding the others a good night. When he finally does get into bed however he finds himself unable to sleep. Constant thoughts and worries circulate through his mind as he lies awake on his back staring up at the ceiling. Though it's only been a few months since they started just sharing a bed in general, he finds his bed suddenly too big and too empty. Without Melinda's small form curled up beside him, not quite touching him but there, he feels oddly alone. It hasn't been a great amount of time since the start of their new sleeping pattern but he's grown accustomed to having her with him. It is now much more foreign to be without her than to be with her. Tossing and turning throughout the night he struggles to fall asleep, unable to quiet his restless mind. It's relentless and tiring, but eventually he wears himself out to the point of exhaustion succumbing to the depths of slumber.

When the morning arrives he finds himself awoken by the blaring of his alarm. The clock reads six thirty AM as he shuts it off with a hand blindly hitting the off button for the alarm. Rubbing his eyes of sleep he lets out a low groan as he rises from the bed, stretching out his spine. It takes him a moment before his mind settles into the present and then he realises that Melinda should be coming home today. The small rush of excitement he feels is probably unwarranted but he's missed her regardless of how long they've been apart. One thing he regrets however is not finding out when during the day she would be returning. The day seems to crawl by at a snail's pace as he is unable to focus properly on anything other than the comings and goings of the hangar. His distraction is becoming obvious to the others on base as Mack had to remind him more than once to fill out his mission report, surprising since he's usually the one on top of his paperwork. When she isn't back by the morning he tells himself that she'll be back in the afternoon. Waiting those few extra hours however feels like a slow agonising torture and he finds himself starting to go stir crazy. When she isn't back in the afternoon he tells himself that she'll be back in the evening. When the evening crosses into the wee hours of morning the next day, he finds the small seed of worry within him beginning to grow. By late afternoon the next day he's driven himself insane waiting for her, the lack of sleep and anxiety within him combined into a giant knot of worry and stress inside him ready to explode. Anything could have happened to her out there. She could have been injured or detained by an unknown party… or killed. He hates to think about it but in their line of work it's a constant risk that they always have to take. The thought alone of her never returning home to him is enough to make him feel sick in the stomach, so he finally decides to do something about it. Making the decision to talk to the one person with all the details of the mission, he heads up to the Director's office. Knocking on the door firmly, he waits before entering the room. Mace looks up at him from his desk with an overly bright smile as he greets him.

"Phil!" He says too cheerfully.

"Mace," he returns not in the mood to pretend to be best buddies with him today.

"What can I do for you Phil?" Mace asks standing up from his chair, moving around his desk.

"Just wanted to check up, see how our latest mission is going," he states casually with a carefully blank face.

The Director's smile falters for a moment as he looks Coulson over carefully trying to get a read on him.

"I'm afraid that's classified Agent Coulson," he replies with a more serious expression upon his face.

Coulson smirks just a little, the barest twitch of his lips at Mace's not so subtle reminder of his demotion however voluntary it may have been. He knows he isn't the director anymore, whatever Mace thinks or feels really isn't of any concern to him. Those are Mace's insecurities, not his. He has much bigger worries to deal with, like what may have potentially happened to his partner out on a classified and dangerous mission.

"Do you know at least when they should be back?" He tries desperate for some information.

"Sorry Coulson," the Director shrugs, "afraid that's classified too."

And if he wasn't too fond of the guy before, he certainly dislikes him now.

"Right," he states tersely before turning on his heel and exiting the room, leaving a slightly confused Director behind.

Well that was a waste of time and only seemed to aggravate him more. Stalking down to the hangar, he scans his lanyard as the door slides open. Stuck in his bad mood he almost misses who is on the other side of the door as his brain struggles to compute what his eyes are seeing.

"Miss me?" Melinda asks him with a smirk at his slightly dumbfounded expression.

He gapes at her for a moment as his brain finally catches up and a smile breaks out across his features.

"You have no idea," he breathes softly looking at her with warmth in his blue eyes.

She tilts her head to the side slightly at his words, lips pursed together as a small crinkle knits her brow as a frown forms. Clearing his throat he steps back allowing her through the door, easing the slight tension between them. They walk separately through the base preferring to keep their private life on the down low and out of the usual workplace gossip. Their fellow agents may be spies but even then a lot of them like to gossip and spread rumours.

The evening is surprisingly calm and relaxed, almost as if May hadn't just been away on a mission for the past 48 or so hours. It's all just so normal that he finds his previous worry to seem almost like a figment of his imagination, but it wasn't. Something about Melinda going on this mission just seemed to leave him in a bit of a funk and he's not entirely sure why. The woman in question seems to have picked up on his mood however as she looks at him with concern in her eyes, sitting next to him at the dinner table. He smiles at her trying to ease her concern but he can tell by the slight frown in her brow that she's not convinced. It almost surprises him as she rests her hand on his leg under the table, a gentle touch warming his skin through his jeans, reminding him that she's there. This time his smile is true as he resists the urge to kiss her right there and then in front of Fitzsimmons and Mack and Elena. Her hand remains on him throughout the rest of the meal and to be quite honest he really enjoys the physical contact. When they finally turn in for the night he is so grateful to finally have a moment alone with her. Despite being in a secret base they certainly have a lot of people about. Crawling into bed beside her he can't resist the urge to pull her body close to his, her back pressed snugly to his chest with his arms wrapped around her waist. Easing his hold of her as she turns in his arms to face him, his eyes flutter shut as her fingers tenderly trace over his features.

"You ok?" She asks him softly, her words brushing over his lips.

"Yeah," he replies in a slightly husky voice, "just missed you."

Her lips press to his sweetly in a gentle kiss.

"I missed you too," she whispers in his ear as she presses closer to him.

Nuzzling his neck she inhales his familiar scent as he holds her close, relieved and happy to have her back in his arms. Trailing his hand up and down her side he suppresses a groan as she begins to kiss his neck and nibble at his pulse point. When she comes back up to his lips, they both smile as they kiss. Rolling them, he presses her into the mattress hearing her low moan as he slips his leg between hers. They continue to kiss, gentle passes of tongue and nibbling suckles as her hands map out his chest and his own trace their way across her stomach. Tugging at his shirt, he separates from her long enough for her to pull it over his head before his lips return to hers. He can feel her smile against him and it warms him right down to his toes for some reason. They then get rid of her tank top which allows him free access to her breasts and he finds pleasure and satisfaction in the deep moans that he pulls from her throat as he nips and sucks, pinching and kneading her tender flesh. Kissing his way down he places sweet kisses along her hip bones before sliding off her sleep shorts and panties. Leaving a trail of kisses along her thigh his lips finally meet where she needs him most as he licks at her slowly as deep as he can, leaving her panting and breathless. Changing his attention to her clit, he slips a finger in her gently as he sucks, pumping the digit slowly in and out. Adding a second finger he knows she's close as her breathy whines turn into deep throated moans and his name falls from her lips needily. Curling his fingers inside her he increases his pressure on her clit as she tightens around him for a moment before her mouth opens in a silent cry as she comes. Continuing to thrust his fingers inside her and sucking gently on her clit he carries her through her orgasm until she comes back down. Pulling his fingers from her he licks them clean before moving back up to him. She's still breathing a little heavily as she tugs him down for a kiss tasting herself on him. He groans just at the thought of it and tenses a little as she cups his increasingly hard erection through his pants. Slipping her hand under the waistband of his pants and boxers, he lets out a groan squeezing his eyes shut as her small slender hand wraps around him pumping up and down slowly.

"Melinda," he groans her name out causing her eyes to flicker up to his face. "I'm not gonna last if you keep doing that."

He bites back a moan as she strokes him a few more times before leaning up to whisper in his ear, her breasts pressing against his chest.

"Then get inside me," she bites his earlobe gently before retracting her hand allowing him to remove his pants as she opens a drawer on the nightstand to retrieve a condom.

Throwing him the little foil packet she waits as he rolls it on before turning back to her. Settling himself between her legs he lines himself up before entering her slowly, inch by glorious inch. They both grown at the sensation as he bottoms out, and he stills to let her get used to his size as he feels her hot and tight around him. When she moves her hips under him he begins to rock against her, sliding himself out with just the head of his cock at her entrance before sliding back into her. They start a steady slow pace, unhurried in their love making. It's different tonight, no frantic passion and untamed desires, it's gentle, soft. Love. Tonight it's more than just sex what they're doing, it's making love, and for the first time they both finally understand what that means and what it feels like. The slow deep strokes of him inside her as they come together as one, the way their hands tenderly caress one another and the sweet languorous passing of their tongues as they kiss. It's more than something physical, it's a communication of their deepest heartfelt love and feelings for each other.

"I love you," Phil whispers in her ear as his thumb rubs her clit in tight circle.

"I love you too," she whispers back before sealing his lips with hers.

Arching from the bed into his chest, she comes with a drawn out moan of his name as he follows closely behind her, her name falling repeatedly from his lips as his forehead falls to her shoulder. Still thrusting, he carries them both through their orgasm. Pressing soft kisses to her shoulder as they calm down, she runs her fingers through his hair tenderly and he misses her warmth immediately as he slips out of her and moves off the bed to dispose of the condom. When he settles back into bed Melinda cuddles in closer to him, arm across his body as she rests her head atop his chest. Turning his head he presses a soft kiss to her hair whilst bringing his arm up to wrap around her, linking the fingers of his other hand with hers across his stomach. Her lips place a kiss on his neck and he feels content to have this wonderful woman back safe in his arms again.

"You wanna tell me why you were in a strange mood before?" She asks him in a slightly husky voice.

A small sigh escapes him which does not go unnoticed by her and he knows she won't let up easily.

"I know you can handle yourself and you're amazing in the field, but I just can't stop worrying about you when you go on missions," he admits.

He can feel the shift in her position as she tilts her head up to look at him.

"I get it," she tells him with understanding in her voice, "I worry about you too when you're in the field. But this is our life and we agreed to this. I'm not saying work is more important than us, just that we knew this when we signed on with Shield and when we started this relationship."

Her fingers squeeze his gently and he can't stop himself from dropping a kiss to her forehead.

"Then we better stay alive," he tells her with a smile in his voice, "because we've waited too damn long for this relationship."

He can feel her smile against his skin as she turns her head into his neck

"Don't get yourself killed then honey," she tells him with a slightly teasing lilt to her voice.

"You too babe," he teases back holding her just a little tighter to him.

She laughs just a little at him shaking her head against him. He loves seeing her so loose and unguarded around him though, it's so rare and special.

"I did miss you though," he tells her breaking the comfortable silence that had descended over them.

She shifts against him raising herself up to look him in the eyes as her face hovers over him, her hair dangling down like a curtain around them.

"And I missed you too," she says softly before leaning down to gently press her lips to his.

He holds her tight, wrapping his arms around her securely, hands resting just above the curve of her ass as they both turn on their sides and she tucks her head beneath his chin. The sweet scent of her apple blossom shampoo drifts up to his nose and a contented smile forms on his lips as they bask in their post coital bliss.

"I love you Melinda," he whispers in her hair quietly as her breathing begins to even out.

"I love you Phil," she replies softly, a whisper against his throat as he places a loving kiss to her hair.

Holding her close with her bare body pressed to his and the scent of her shampoo filling his senses, he falls asleep happy and contented, convinced that together they can deal with whatever they may have to face next.

A/N

Please drop a comment and let me know what you thought. If you have any Philinda fluff prompts please feel free to ask, you can also message me on tumblr if you like at hardcore-evil-regal