Hi! So, I'm back with the final chapter. Eep, sorry i've been gone so long. Every time i tried writing this one the ending annoyed me. It's still not perfect, but I couldn't not post for so long, so here you go!

Disclaimer: Nothing Avengers related is mine. :(

CHAPTER SIX:

Shortly after the 'Battle of New York'. Main Helicarrier.

Nicholas Fury was a hard man. He prided himself on the fact that he looked at the statistics and could make the best call that would benefit others despite his personal feelings. He did not relish the fact that he had to make such difficult calls, but make it he would.

One of those hard calls concerned the apparent death of his top agent. Phil Coulson had been pronounced dead at the scene, and was believed dead by most of the organization except for a select few of the higher-ups.

Not even Maria Hill knew the true status of his health. She thought him dead like the rest.

The question that currently weighed heavily on his mind was 'should he tell everyone that Phil was alive?' There were pros and cons that balanced out near perfectly, making his job so much harder. What was best for the world?

If he told everyone, he knew that he would get a lot of backlash for his choice of actions. If he never told anyone, Coulson would go on living the rest of his life as a ghost.

The director sighed and rubbed his throbbing temple. It would be an asset to have an agent proclaimed dead to the world. It would be cruel to everyone who knew him and the man himself, but it would be an asset. Nick knew that Coulson would outwardly agree and would continue being loyal to SHIELD, despite his personal misgivings. That was why he loved the man as an agent.

Phil was even better than Black Widow and Hawkeye combined.

And so the director came to his decision and stored the file away on his personal server. The world thought he was dead, but Fury knew the truth.

And that would come back to bite him in the ass.

3 months later - a day after the meeting of the Avengers in Central Park. Main Helicarrier.

Tony Stark was a figure of respect and a formidable force to be reckoned with. Once the head of America's main and best weapons manufacturing company, now a reknown superhero, and a genius, billionaire, and philanthropist, the man could put on quite a strong aura of complete and utter control. He could sway the media to believe whatever he wanted them to, he could manipulate the CEO of other companies to give up money for his cause, and he could be damn scary when he wanted to.

Clint was secretly thankful that the creator of Iron Man was not angry at the other SHIELD agents and not him.

They had stormed onto the helicarrier, Cap with his shield held tightly in his grip, Natasha was her Widow Bites, and Thor with his hammer. And of course Clint had his trusty bow and quiver full of explosive arrows. Stark had only worn a pure black suit with designer sunglasses, yet still managed to be the most fear inspiring of them all.

When the five of them had first entered the facility with their weapons, a few agents had weakly tried to stop them. They very nearly collapsed under Stark's glare. When some of them – the braver ones – accused them all of turning traitorous, singling out Clint as the cause, Stark had left the men quivering and in a mess.

And these were seasoned agents.

"I want to see Old Nickety Nick Nicky. Now." An agent scrambled off to the director's private office. No doubt Fury already knew of their dramatic entrance, and was planning his own entrance.

"You wanted to see me, you didn't have to break half my agents. Are appointments really that hard to make?" And Clint was right. The director's one good eye was fixed on Stark as he said this, but afterwards flickered to all of theirs. It narrowed on his and Natasha's.

"Something you wanted to tell me, Stark?"

The billionaire took a threatening step forward. "No more games. I want answers. Tell me where Phil is. Right now."

Fury sighed, shutting his one good eye. "So you know."

"Hell yes, we know."

"Director, why were we not informed of his true status?" Steve was hefting his shield on his arm.

"Because you did not need to know."

"Like hell we didn't!" Clint clenched his hand on his bow angrily. "He was my handler for 21 years!"

"Agent, you did not need to know."

"Bullshit." The director looked in surprise at the usually polite-mouthed doctor. "You wanted him for top secret missions. Missions that no 'existing' person would dare take on. He serves as your ghost – someone who is not strictly your agent and cannot be tied back to SHIELD if captured because he is 'dead'."

Fury simply tilted his head.

"I bet his playing cards weren't even in his pocket. You're worse than Loki, you manipulative bastard," spat Stark.

"I-"

"Don't even try to defend your actions!" Clint growled. The director opened his mouth to speak, but then – after seeing the gleam in Natasha's eye and hearing her soft "try it and I'd very much like that' – he seemed to rethink his words.

"So tell me, why did you all burst in here guns blazing and scaring the shit out of my agents? What do you hope to achieve?"

"We would very much like to see our favourite man from the dead."

"You could have just asked nicely."

There was a glint in Stark's eye and his grin was like a shark's. "This is nicely."

"Trust me, sir, this is better than some of their other ideas."

The director looked between all of the determined Avengers. He shook his head. "I cannot disclose-"

"Sir, they did ask nicely… I suppose."

Clint whirled around at the sound of that familiar voice.

There, standing in his signature suit, stood Phil Coulson. The man looked none the worse for wear since last they saw him – 3 months ago just prior to his 'death'. However, there were a few greyer strands in his already thinning hair.

"I hear you were looking for me."

The 'dead' agent gazed at each of them with assessing eyes. When Phil looked at Clint, the archer locked eyes with him. In one swift movement, he strode forward and punched his ex-handler hard across the jaw.

"If you ever, I repeat ever, pull a stunt like that again, I swear I will put an arrow through your heart – scratch that – ten arrows through your heart just to make sure you are."

The older agent wiped the blood off his split lip and took the proffered arm that hauled him to his feet. "Noted."

"Good." The archer nodded satisfactorily.

"Agent Coulson. What are you doing on board the Helicarrier?"

The man frowned. "I got a message from you personally, sir, telling me that it was urgent to get back to HQ." He turned to face the smirk on Stark's face. "Obviously, your line isn't as secure as you thought."

"Stark-"

"Guilty." The billionaire shrugged suavely as the director radiated fury, but took a step away cautiously and ruined his nonchalant affect.

"Sir, if I may, I don't mind the Avengers finding out."

Fury turned his gaze on his most loyal agent. "Agent Coulson, your new line of work relies solely on your identity remaining hidden. Do you really want to risk being known by even more?"

"Sir..." Phil looked at the faces of the Avengers, "… I don't mind. They won't leek any intel. Besides, did you really think that my status as alive was going to remain a secret forever? We're good, but not that good."

"As I've proven. You can be hacked real easy, Nicky," pointed out Stark.

He glared back and forth between everyone, assessing. "Fine. It's not like I can stop you doing as you choose. Agent, would you like to return to your duty as the handler of the Avengers?"

The once-thought dead agent looked from Avenger to Avenger. It had annoyed him that his status of 'alive' had been kept from them, but being the obedient SHIELD agent he was, he had followed Fury's orders. Now, he had the opportunity again to work with those whom he once idealized – specifically Captain America.

"Yes, Director; it would be my pleasure."

The ride back to the Tower was surprisingly silent. The heroes of New York and the world were too busy munching on their shawarma.

"Remind me again, why did we go and buy shawarma? It's particularly… disgusting."

Tony scoffed. "It's the official Avengers' party food! We're celebrating another victory!"

"Yeah. It's almost as though we aren't actually the avengers of the world; more like the avengers of one Agent Coulson."

"First protecting the world from Loki – or more like avenging a certain person's death."

"Then, going to rip Fury a new one – or more like taking revenge because that same person was actually alive."

"You really do seem to make us assemble – the one thing Stark and I can agree on." Said billionaire raised an eyebrow at Steve but did not argue.

The Avengers all grinned around their food as they admitted less than patriotic reasons for their actions as a team. Phil Coulson had never felt so happy while eating nauseating food.

Done! Review! Was the ending lame, or good? TELL ME PLS :D (but no flaming)