Last chapter guys! I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm grateful to all of you that took the ride with me!

Sym, I love you. Thank you for sticking it out with me for ten chapters! =)

He groaned against the fog over his mind as he awoke, straining his eyes against the darkness from the confines of his bed and wincing at the only source of light in the room, the jarring red numbers of his alarm clock making his head spin.

3:47 a.m.

Another displeased groan left his lips as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, the applied pressure only serving to make his vision blurry, the mist around him slowly dissipating as his brain began to register the reason for his early awakening, as the chill in the room was causing goosebumps to rise on his flesh, and it only took him a few moments to understand why.

Melinda had stolen the covers.

A normal man probably would've tugged them back, but he stilled himself, his eyes fixated on the relaxed rise and fall of her chest as she slept undisturbed. Her back was to him, her hair fanned out over her pillow haphazardly and the duvet wrapped tight around her small frame like a butterfly in a chrysalis. Despite the cold, he was content to watch her sleep, the feel of her next to him in their bed far more soothing than any balm and he wondered briefly if he'd ever get over the novelty of it.

He hoped not.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when a violent shiver wracked his frame and rolling on his side, he tugged gently on the blanket hoping to dislodge it without waking her, but he was having no such luck as she shifted slowly. He heard her swift intake of breath as she turned slightly in his direction, her brown eyes blinking owlishly in the dark.

"Phil?"

Melinda's voice was quiet, thick with sleep as she turned to him fully, a slightly guilty expression on her face. She untangled herself from the covers before lifting the edge as she reached for him and he sighed as he slipped underneath, his body seeking out her warmth like a moth to a flame.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled sleepily before placing a kiss on his lips in apology. He hummed against her lips in acceptance, one hand tangling in her hair and the other wrapping around her waist to pull her closer. It was a lazy kiss, a slow one made up of sighs and lingering touches, the kind reserved for rainy Sundays or afternoon rendezvous in front of a crackling fire and he was suddenly disappointed that his bedroom hadn't come furnished with one.

He was about to pull away when he felt her hands slip under his shirt, her nails scraping against his skin softly and he moaned, the heat between them suddenly stifling as he rolled to pin her to the mattress...

He was dozing when her five-o'clock alarm went off, the noise startling him out of his stupor, but it was Melinda's shifting that truly woke him once again and blindly, he reached for her in the darkness.

She slapped at his hands, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she attempted to leave the bed, but he was determined to win this little game of theirs, that little giggle of hers that he loved so much spurring him on, the still-tangled and cooling sheets wrapped around their bodies making it difficult for her to escape much to his amusement.

Latching on to her wrist, he pulled Melinda back into bed, throwing the covers over her before wrapping his arms around her midsection as he tugged her back against his chest.

"Stay," he mumbled as he began sucking on that little spot under her ear that never failed to excite her and he grinned at the moan she failed to bite back.

"Phil," she warned, but the threat was completely ruined by the breathy quality her voice had adopted. "I've been late for Tai Chi almost every day this week."

"Then one more would hardly be out of the ordinary."

She rolled her eyes as she turned in his arms before capturing his lips with her own. He smiled when he felt her give in as he rolled her on top of him, her legs dropping down on either side of his hips to straddle his waist and his grin widened when he felt her hands creep under his t-shirt, her fingers slowly pulling it up, nails scratching his chest lightly in a habit of hers that he was oh, so happy to get behind. He went to sit up, to pull her closer, but she pushed him back and lifted his arms up, extending them above his head until they were against the headboard.

'This has to be the best way to wake up in the mor-"

His thought was stopped mid-sentence when he felt the knots cinch around his wrists simultaneously, a frown marring his features as she pulled away to smirk at him. She chuckled, her laugh imbued with humor, before patting his chest affectionately, her palm flat against his scar as she lifted herself off of him and to her feet.

He struggled momentarily before realizing that he was just tightening the knots bit by bit as he watched her walk away, his mouth dropping open in both aroused awe and bitter annoyance. With just his red tie from the day before, that he'd draped so innocently over the headboard, and with the clever use of the distance between the wooden slats, he was unable to use his fingers to free himself and he groaned at the realization that he was stuck for the time being.

She'd outsmarted him.

And it had seemed far too easy for his liking.

"Fine. Go to Tai Chi," he mumbled to her retreating figure as his body sank back onto the bed in defeat. "See if I care."

A girlish snort was his only reply and, though he was a bit miffed at the current turn of events, he couldn't help but smile as he watched her saunter away.

After showering, May crept down the stairs quietly, having left a pouting Coulson struggling to remove his temporary bindings; she had faith that he'd figure it out eventually. He was far too focused on the fact that she'd outwitted him instead of the fact that he could likely use his teeth to free himself, as she'd only been going for a momentary distraction rather than a long-term one.

Reaching the basement, she breathed a sigh of relief when she entered the gym and there was no sign of Skye just yet, her young protege obviously choosing to have a bit of a lie in this morning, though Melinda couldn't find it in herself to be annoyed.

'At least it'll appear that I got here on time,' she thought as she dropped into her stretches, sighing as the stiffness in her muscles eased, the familiar motions relaxing.

But it wasn't long before Skye appeared, the young agent wordlessly dropping back into their routine with a small smile on her face, a slight nod of her head in Melinda's direction in greeting. They worked quietly, the silence between them comfortable as they mirrored each other perfectly. It had been awhile since they'd done a full session together, the previous weeks of tension coupled with their recent abundance of missions had limited their time together and Melinda was glad she'd gotten back into her normal schedule. Eventually, their movements came to their usual conclusion and as they sat, side-by-side to rest, it was Skye that broke the silence.

"Are you okay?"

A frown grew on Melinda's face before she could stop it, sending Skye scrambling to apologize, but she managed to stop the girl's words as she grabbed Skye's hand, squeezing it gently. Melinda hated that question, those three words having often been veiled with a heavier meaning and never failing to make her spine stiffen, but she knew that Skye wasn't questioning her abilities. Instead, Melinda could see the worry etched out across her features and though Melinda was fine, it was comforting to be on the receiving end of such heartfelt concern from someone other than Phil.

"I'm better."

And it was the truth, for the most part. Now that she'd remembered, now that she had all of what she'd missed rather than the broken pieces that had very nearly driven her mad, she was alright. Maybe not a hundred percent, but she was getting there.

Skye nodded sagely, before tightening her grip on May's hand. "I'm glad."

With one last squeeze of her hand, May pulled it back gently, before beginning to gather her hair off of her shoulders to put it into a ponytail, but as she went to tighten a band around it, Skye gasped and Melinda let her hair fall without a second thought before turning to her in concern.

"Skye, what is it?"

"Oh. My. God."

The girl was practically flailing in the seat next to her, brown eyes wide as she whispered a panicky repetition of, "oh, my god," as her hand came up to cover her mouth, making Melinda's nerves coil again.

"Skye?"

"Holy shit! You have a hickey!"

'What?!' she thought, hands coming up to touch her neck and as she came across the tender spot beneath her ear that she knew was likely still tinged pink, her mind snapped back to a few hours before when Phil had enthusiastically tried to keep her in bed.

"I'm going to kill him."

The round of giggles that came out of Skye's throat were in direct opposition to the tears that filled her eyes.

"You and D.C.? Finally?" she asked, voice barely a whisper and Melinda could detect a small amount of hope within the girl's eyes.

It was a loaded inquiry and Melinda knew that she couldn't dodge it, but Skye didn't seem to need an answer as she started putting the pieces together.

"That's why you've been late," she laughed, brushing away an errant tear that had slipped down her cheek, "or why you didn't show up all together." She stopped then, as if realizing what it meant, her face adopting a look akin to horror. "Oh, my god, you guys have been having sex!"

Melinda rolled her eyes at the over-dramatic response, but did nothing to deny it as Skye continued to ramble.

"You're practically my parents and that's...Eww."

"Well, you've certainly adopted Phil's flair for the dramatic."

It drew another round of chuckles from the agent and May let her laugh until she'd had her fill, waiting until her chuckles quieted and it was silent once again.

"He loves you, so much."

"I know," Melinda replied, the thought of it still managing to make her heart ache and her eyes burn uncomfortably.

"And you love him too?"

She nodded, the words sticking in her throat.

"And he knows that?"

Melinda paused, the question throwing her off guard, but any worry she might have felt disappeared when his voice drifted across the room.

"I do, yes."

Their heads whipped around to the owner of the voice, the soft grin on his face that he was directing at Melinda causing warmth to pool in her abdomen.

With his arrival, the air had gotten thick and heavy with tension as she returned his heated gaze, a shiver racing up her spine at the look he was favoring her with.

"Skye, can you go tell Trip to fire up the Bus?" Phil asked and Melinda could tell the girl was relieved at the order, her shoulders relaxing as she stood, seemingly eager to escape the room and the tense looks they were trading.

"Roger that, D.C." Skye replied, but she stopped at the doorway to give him a quick, but meaningful hug along the way before heading up the stairs and out of view.

Melinda stretched as she stood, her body arching as her muscles pulled taut. Her stomach quivered when she felt his fingers trace her sides, his hands grasping her hips and as she relaxed once again, she smiled at the smirk on his face.

"How long did it take you to free yourself?" she asked and she watched as his grin disappeared immediately.

"That isn't important," he answered a little too quickly with a wave of his hand, choosing instead to change the subject. "You have a hickey?"

The pride in his voice prompted her next actions, her hand coming up as quick as lightning and her knuckles colliding hard with the soft, tender skin of his upper arm.

"Oww!" he yelped, rubbing the spot in pain. "What the hell was that for?"

"A bruise for a bruise," she replied, turning to ascend the staircase towards the kitchens in search of breakfast.

She knew that he was following her, but they were almost to the top before he responded, his two mumbled words causing her to chuckle.

"Worth it."

"Where are you taking us?" Melinda asked, her voice both curious and annoyed all at once as she watched the fluffy, white clouds fly by out of the window in his office.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," he mentioned softly, captivated by the way her hair appeared to glow russet, the dark, nearly black strands as lustrous as copper in the setting California sun.

She huffed indignantly at his reply, her distaste for surprises well known, though not for the surprise itself, but for the unknown factor that always put her on edge.

"You could have at least let me fly the plane."

"Your plane will be fine. It's in good hands," he mumbled, referring to Trip, who was currently in the cockpit and taking over the role of pilot for the night. To be fair, this outing wasn't much of a secret, as it was New Year's Eve with just a few hours left to go, and the destination wasn't really important, so much as he just enjoyed riling her up by pretending that it was.

She hated being out of the loop.

They had an ETA of about three hours of flight time left and he'd given Trip strict instructions to land the Bus far enough away from his destination that a landing wouldn't draw any attention, with or without the plane's cloaking factored in, and then they'd all hike to the secluded spot he'd chosen.

This idea of his was a gift of sorts, an attempt to lighten the atmosphere and bring everyone back to normalcy before Hydra came back to the forefront of their minds. Skye was still searching for the city and he had hope they'd find it in enough time, but they all needed a break.

For the first time in a long time, there was nothing pressing to take care of, no urgent matter he or May had to attend to and he could finally relax, the knowledge that he was no longer going crazy, that he'd finally told Melinda the truth, and that he'd been fortunate enough to have his sentiment reciprocated was liberating and he was determined to relish it for as long as he possibly could.

Even with Shield crumbling around them, their allies scattered and untrustworthy, he felt happy. No, nothing was perfect; in fact, a lot of things were far from it, and yet, he was still smiling, his grin ever-present and wide as he thought about his makeshift family and how far they'd come against the odds. As if on cue, a peal of laughter drifted through the closed door and he could just barely distinguish Skye's high pitched laugh followed by Jemma's softer, but no less enthusiastic giggle.

"What's that idiotic grin for?"

His eyes flicked to hers at the window as he took her in—the subtle way in which the corner of her lip twitched as if she was fighting a smile, her eyes brightly illuminated in the orange glow, the last light of the evening sun making them appear molten, like melting chocolate, and he licked his lips.

"Have I told you that you're beautiful?"

He hadn't meant to say it, not that the words weren't true, they'd just bubbled up his throat unconsciously, but the smile he received in response was lovely, so he couldn't regret his momentary lapse into lovesick stupidity.

She made no verbal reply, but her posture relaxed as he stood and crossed the room, his arms wrapping around her stomach from behind and he grinned when she leaned back into him, her eyes closing and head rolling back to rest on his shoulder with a contented sigh.

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered softly into her ear before placing a kiss in her hair, lips lingering far longer than was truly necessary.

"At how quickly things change."

He might have been concerned that things between them were moving too quickly and went to voice it, but she turned at that moment, slipping her arms beneath his suit jacket to hook her thumbs into the belt loops on his slacks, her hands gripping his sides as her head came down to rest comfortably over his heart.

"You worry too much, Phil."

They'd landed just north of ten minutes ago in a grassy clearing not far from their destination, his orders to grab blankets and drinks receiving surprised, but curious smiles as they set off to do his bidding.

Only Trip had been given all of the details of this little impromptu mini-holiday of theirs and only because Phil would rather keep May with him in his office and away from the cockpit—for selfish reasons, of course. She needed this far more than the rest of them did and maybe one day, when the immediate threats were finished, he'd take her somewhere new and treat her to a much deserved weekend away—maybe a cabin, with a fireplace...

Shaking that thought from his head and with everything in hand, he set off towards the rise of one of the surrounding ridges, his team following close behind. Scaling the incline in the small amount of light their flashlights provided was rather difficult, but everyone made it to the top without incident, and he smiled when the silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge came into view, it's lights and those of the city it belonged to, shimmering brightly on the water's surface.

"San Francisco?"

He nodded at May's question before telling them all to settle in and soon a multitude of blankets littered the small grassy hill, their presence going completely unnoticed by the crowds of people in the park below as they chattered amongst themselves, munching on the snacks they'd brought for the festivities.

Phil watched his agents fondly from his own blanket, before turning to smile at Melinda as she placed herself next to him, the cool breeze coming off the bay causing her to shiver. He looked around for an extra blanket and upon locating one, he draped it across their legs to ward off the chill.

"So, you brought us all the way out to California to watch the New Year's celebration?"

"Too corny?"

"Not at all," she replied softly, looking up at the stars that hung above them, her expression the perfect example of peace as she closed her eyes, lips parting slightly.

He wanted to kiss her, but they still had eleven minutes and twenty-one seconds to go until the clock struck midnight, according to his watch. He could wait that long...

Without even realizing it, his hand had found hers under the covers and he proceeded to trace her knuckles, the smooth surface unmarred despite the many times he'd bandaged them, the skin having been broken and bleeding after a fight or a mission.

Phil was completely oblivious to the side glances he was receiving from his partner, so fixated as he was on her lethal, but delicate hands. At some point, he'd sidled closer, their arms brushing against one another as he intertwined their fingers together before he looked across the grass to Skye's tablet that was counting down to the new year.

Eight minutes and forty-eight seconds.

He bit back the huff that had formed in his throat, his impatience testing his nerves as his gaze drifted to the many boats that lined the water's surface. He loosened his tie and toed off his shoes to get more comfortable, untying the knots in the laces and placing them next to the blanket in the grass gently. He re-positioned himself next to her, his right arm now behind her back as he propped himself up, his body turned slightly towards her and if he wanted to, with just the tiniest bit of effort, he could easily find that special spot of hers, but now wasn't the place for that.

'Right, that should have killed some time,' he thought, eyes glancing to Skye's tablet and then down to his watch. He groaned softly.

Seven minutes and three seconds.

The silence would have been comfortable if he hadn't been on edge, the minutes passing far too slowly for his liking.

"Phil?"

"Hmm?" he replied distractedly.

"Are you alright?"

He looked towards the bridge before replying, because if he didn't and he looked at her, he'd kiss her and he still had four minutes and fifty-six seconds to go.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're fidgeting."

"Just excited, that's all."

She nodded, though the frown marring her features didn't disappear, her skepticism obvious had he been paying attention.

'What the hell am I doing? I could just kiss her for the remaining,' his thought trailed off as he glanced at his watch again, 'two minutes and fifteen seconds.'

"So, any New Year's resolutions?"

The question caught him off guard as he finally turned to look at the woman by his side.

'Resolutions?' he wondered as if he was only now realizing the gravity of her words.

Just a month or so before, he'd believed himself a lost cause, his life not worth the pain that keeping him alive would cause, but now, he wasn't carving anymore and, though he couldn't say for sure that the GH-325 wouldn't cause other problems, the next year held so much promise. He hadn't dared to think far into the future, too afraid it would end with his best friend's tears and a bullet to his head.

But he had a future. They had a future.

And sitting here with her, on a blanket in the grass overlooking the San Francisco bay, he could already tell that it was going to be glorious.

He was silent as he pondered, a thought jumping to the forefront of his mind suddenly.

'Maybe I could get her to marry me.'

His agents were growing restless, their obvious excitement seeping into the tones of their voices and making them appear more like children than the highly skilled operatives and scientists they all were, but he wasn't paying attention, his eyes now focused solely on the woman beside him as if he was looking at her for the first time all over again.

His wife.

The word was foreign to him, but he couldn't help but think that he'd love the chance to get used to it. She'd likely never get to use his name, which was a shame as Melinda Coulson sounded lovely to him, but as agents with an essential need for secrecy, sharing a last name might be too much of a giveaway, the information far too sensitive for the enemy should they get a hold of it. But his team—their family, would know. He would know.

"Phil?"

Vaguely he heard Skye begin the countdown, the rest of them joining in almost immediately as their eyes went to the fully darkened sky.

His eyes dropped to her lips as he leaned towards her and as his lips touched hers, she sighed, the sound delightfully thrilling to his ears and eliciting a similar one from his throat as he pulled her closer, the blanket bunching beneath them. His hands came up to cradle her face, his fingers tangling in her hair to hold her against him, but he needn't have worried, as Melinda was gripping his lapels just as tightly, the strength of her hands never failing to surprise him.

Phil was oblivious to the gasps of his team as his tongue found hers, her fingers abandoning his collar, her arms coming up to wrap tightly around his neck as the celebrations went on without them.

They only pulled back when Hunter's wolf whistle brought them back to themselves, but Phil didn't mind as he cradled her cheeks in his hands, the tip of his nose brushing affectionately against her own, his eyes more pleasantly occupied with imprinting the sight of her rose-colored cheeks to memory rather than the fireworks exploding above them.

"Phil?" she asked, looking at him through her lashes, "You didn't answer my question."

"Just one," he breathed before kissing her softly, ignoring Hunter's exclamation of "get a room!" and the subsequent "shhh!"from Skye to go with the slap to the back of his head from Bobbi as Trip traded enthusiastic high-fives with Jemma and Fitz, the latter looking a bit queasy under the shimmering lights from overhead.

"And what would that be?" she asked, a curious expression alighting her features as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

He smirked.

"That's classified."

The End

I wanted to leave all of you with good feelings, so let me know what you think!

To those of you that PM'd me, reviewed, or set my story as a favorite, I just want to thank you! Seriously, I never expected people to read it and I'm so happy that all of you have loved it so much and that you've all shared your thoughts with me. It means a ton! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you have the others.