The summer flew by, as Grant had known it would. His days were full—he trained harder with Natasha and Clint then he ever had before, and most nights Coulson joined them, helping Grant perfect his technique. He worked most days at the animal shelter now, and Skye joined him when she could (somehow she even convinced Pepper to let her bring hope an old, tired huskie who had been recently abandoned, and Tony had fallen in love with it). Fitz and Simmons spent most of their days at the Hub, and if there were more explosions in the labs downstairs than usual, Agent Hand never mentioned it.

It was in late August that Thor announced he was going home to Asgard, and Jane announced that she was going with him to learn more about the science of his realm. There was a send-off party, at which Darcy got drunk and cried, Skye attempted to get drunk (until Steve put the alcohol out of her reach) and then cried, and Grant picked arguments with everyone in the room until Thor stopped him by enveloping him in a hug that Grant pretended not to welcome.

"I will visit soon, young one," he promised, and then he smiled across the room at Jane. "And someday, perhaps, your father will let me take you to Asgard to visit."

Behind him, Fitz's perked up. "Can I come?" he asked, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Think of that, Simmons, we could learn about interstellar travel and the—god, Simmons, we could learn about the whole universe if we went there. And maybe we could look at their weaponry and find out why our night-night gun keeps exploding"—

"Yes, our night-night gun," Simmons agreed nervously, avoiding her mother's gaze. "Which we were building and testing in approved areas only. And which we've never built or tested downstairs even once this summer, because we know better, right Fitz?"

Ward grinned, and Lily Simmons rolled her eyes.

Thor left later that night, opening the portal from the roof where they always practiced sparring, while Ward watched wide-eyed, his eyes still focused on the darkening sky long after Thor and Jane had disappeared and the portal had closed.

"Is this how he came down from Asgard?" he asked Coulson. "Were you there to see it?"

Coulson shook his head. "I wasn't there to see it," he said. "Darcy and Jane and Dr. Selvig were, though, and"—

"Crazy doctor Selvig?" Ward interrupted.

"He's not crazy," Coulson reproved. "He's a brilliant scientist, and a good man."

"I thought he sort of went bat-shit crazy during the battle of New York," Ward said. "I heard that he"—

"He wasn't the only one Loki fucked with," Clint interrupted them suddenly, his face hard as he watched the dark night sky where Thor's portal had closed. "Believe me, kid, it was nothing to be laughing about."

Ward's smirk slipped off his face. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't think"—he stopped and looked away.

Natasha joined them, weaving her fingers through Clint's, and he relaxed slightly.

"Will Loki come back?" Ward asked suddenly, looking at Coulson.

"He's in prison on Asgard right now," Coulson answered quietly. "So no, he won't come back."

"Garrett escaped from prison once."

"He escaped from a holding cell here," Coulson corrected. "Not a prison. And certainly not an Asgardian one."

"What was it like?" Ward persisted curiously, turning to Natasha. "In New York? None of you ever talk about it. Nat? What was it like?"

"Grant," Coulson said warningly, but Natasha shook her head.

"It's okay," she told him. "And Grant…I hope you never find out what it was like. There's a reason we don't talk about it."

Grant looked down. "I hear stories from the agents," he said. "And they're always asking me if which stories are true, because I live with the people who saved the world."

"There's as much myth as truth in some of the stories floating around," Steve told him, joining them. "And I can tell you this: none of it was as heroic or glamorous as any of the stories make it sound."

"I didn't think it sounded glamorous," Ward said defensively. "Some of the agents who told me the stories thought it did, but I just thought…well, I wondered if it was worth it. Because it cost you all a hell of a lot."

The four adults stared at him, and he could see the memories etched on their faces.

God, Darcy was right when she said they looked so old sometimes.

"No one's there before the war to tell you that there is a cost," Steve said softly, looking out at the grounds of the Hub, away from the rest of them. "But yes. It was worth it."

Grant looked at Coulson and Clint, who were nodding, and Natasha, who looked slightly paler than normal.

"At the time, you don't really wonder if it's worth it, because you know what you have to do," Natasha told him. "But god the costs add up. You know we almost lost Coulson, didn't you?"

"What?" Grant looked up at Coulson.

"Natasha," Coulson shook his head, but Ward glared at her.

"Nobody told me that," he snapped. "What happened?"

"Loki had escaped from his cell before the Battle of New York, and Coulson tried to stop him," Natasha said. "Thank god, Loki didn't bother to deal with Coulson himself, or he probably wouldn't have survived. Loki sent one of his sharpshooters after Coulson, and Coulson took three bullets to the gut."

Ward caught his breath, and then another thought struck him as he looked at Clint—

"If you were wondering if it was me," Clint said harshly. "I don't know. I don't remember."

"It wasn't," Tasha said. "Three slugs, Soviet rifling, completely untraceable. You didn't have that kind of weapon."

"And it doesn't matter," Coulson said firmly. "I'm alive, Clint's fine, and Loki's gone."

"You almost died and you didn't tell me?" Ward looked up at him angrily.

"My reaction exactly," May interrupted him as she joined them. "It's a good thing you're no longer on active ops, because I think I would have kicked your ass myself for putting yourself in that kind of danger."

Coulson rolled his eyes. "You're ignoring the fact that there were more important things on the line during the Battle of New York," he said.

"No there wasn't," Ward snapped.

May turned to Coulson. "See?" she said. "The kid agrees. So don't even think about volunteering to go with any team"—

"You were thinking of going on an active op?" Ward demanded, and Coulson sighed.

"May"—

"No," Ward said. "Now you have to tell me."

Natasha and Steve exchanged a look. "Think I'll leave this one to you, Coulson," Steve said, and Nat pulled Clint away.

"Are you really going on an active op?" Ward folded his arms angrily. "Why? You've stayed here for the past year. Why can't you just run ops from here like Agent Hand and Commander Hill do?"

"Nothing's decided yet," Coulson said calmly. "It wasn't going to be regular, either. It was just one op in Tijuana that I wanted to be on the ground when the team goes in. There's an 0-8-4 in a bunker there. Probably just a relic from New York, but I want to be there to make sure."

"Is it dangerous?" Ward demanded.

"No," Coulson said.

"Yes," May said.

"Then I'm coming," Ward said.

"No," Coulson and May spoke as one.

"But if you go—if you're on the ground while the team goes in—it could get dangerous. Really dangerous," Ward argued. "You've already taken bullets for S.H.I.E.L.D. Can't you—can't you just stay?"

"Grant, it's not like that" Coulson said softly. "It's a low-risk mission, and believe me, I can take care of myself on the ground."

"You're not like Thor or Steve," Grant argued. "You don't just automatically heal when you take a bullet."

"If all goes well, there won't be any bullets flying to begin with," Coulson said firmly. "The op won't take longer than twenty-four hours."

"If all goes well," Ward scoffed. "And you can stop acting like this mission isn't a big deal. If it wasn't important, it might be safe. And if it wasn't important, you wouldn't be going on it. Right, May?"

"Exactly," May said, and Coulson sighed in frustration.

"Grant, this is my job," Coulson said. "May, you know that better than most. Neither Hand or Hill lead the ops involving 0-8-4s, and you know I'm the only level ten that knows them that well. They need me"—

"You don't understand," Ward was shouting suddenly, and when May stiffened angrily at his tone, he realized he didn't care. "I need you! Ineed you, and if you got shot I couldn't"—

Coulson's face changed, and he pulled Grant into his arms. "Hey," he said soothingly, and Grant realized he was shaking. "Grant, it's okay. I plan on being around a long time, kid. You're not getting rid of me that easily," he said lightly, and Grant tried to breathe.

He pulled away from Coulson and looked out over the Hub grounds, away from May's sharp look. "I'm sorry," he said shakily. "I'm fine. I'm just…I'm tired."

And Thor and Jane left today and I'm starting at the Academy in four days and in six days it will be The Day.

The anniversary, two years to the day…

Grant felt May's hand on his arm, and then Coulson moved to stand on his other side.

"I wanted to talk to you about this anyway before I went to Fury," Coulson told him quietly. "But I won't go to Fury this time. I think you're right. I can monitor the op just as well from the Hub, and I'll have a good team on the ground. Field work can wait."

Grant drew in a long breath. "No," he said finally. "I was being selfish, and I'm sorry. I know—I know you'll be fine. And I know you did ops like these before I came, but I just… I know these are the kinds of missions you love, and you should… you should go."

Coulson looked at him for a long moment. "Are you sure?" he asked searchingly.

"Yea," Grant said, turning to go downstairs where he knew Skye and FitzSimmons and the rest were waiting. "Dad, were you serious when you said we couldn't have champagne? Tony and Natasha said"—

Coulson grinned wryly. "Yes, I'm serious. And I'll be having a talk with Tony and Natasha."

An encrypted hardline from the Fridge.

"Did Coulson take the bait?" a low voice asked into the phone.

There was a low growl on the other line. "He will."

"And the other? Has he been freed?"

"Yes," the other voice said. "It is done."

"They will never see this coming," the man from the Fridge said, dry amusement in his voice.

"On the contrary," a third voice on the line said smoothly. "They will see their inevitable end coming long before they fall, and they will be able to do nothing to stop it."