Awakening Quake
By Misha

Disclaimer- I own none of it. I wish I did, but I don't. I am not making money off of this, so please don't sue me.

Author's Notes- I was inspired to write another Avengers/Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D fanfic. This one is in my own universe, it spins off after the events of episode 2x10. It deals with Skye's new powers and her potential future as an Avenger (since in the comics, Quake is an Avenger at one point). I fell in love with the pairing of Steve/Skye in ozhawk's "Truth in a Bottle" so that's what I'm going with here.

Pairing- Skye/Steve Rogers (eventually). Maybe some other pairings.

Rating- T/PG-13

Spoilers- Up to "Captain America: Winter Soldier" and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D 2x10.

Summery- After the events of San Juan, Coulson is forced to reveal himself to get Skye the help she needs dealing with her powers.

Chapter One: Revelation

Phil Coulson stared at the phone. He didn't want to make this call. Enough time had gone by that telling the Avengers he was still alive… Well, it would be ugly.

He'd always intended to do it eventually, but the longer it went on, the harder it was to make that call. The time had passed where he could easily explain the decision not to tell them and left to his own devices, he had to admit he might never tell them. But… Things had changed.

Skye… She needed help. Help that she couldn't get from the Team. They weren't equipped to deal with the kind of changes that she was going through, but the Avengers were.

The Avengers had experience dealing with super powers, as well as far superior resources. Then there was Thor, who was more familiar with the Kree artefacts than anyone remaining in S.H.I.E.L.D. There was no arguing that calling them was the right thing to do for Skye and that was why Coulson was doing it.

He cared for all his team, but Skye was different. She was the daughter he had never had. From the beginning he'd felt a strong bond towards her and he would do anything to keep her safe and really, making a phone call wasn't much at all.

With that in mine, he picked up the phone and dialled the unlisted number he had been given years previously.

"Hello?" A soft feminine voice said on the other end.

"Hello, Pepper, its Phil Coulson."
**

"He was lying." Tony said flatly. "It wasn't Agent Coulson."

Tony didn't want to believe what Pepper was telling him. Coulson's death had been an emotional moment, one that filled him with deep regret and it was a lie?

"Tony, he answered every question I had." Pepper told him gently. "And he told me to confirm with Maria."

"Damn Fury." Tony cursed.

"Coulson did die." Pepper said quietly. "Apparently Fury used some new protocol to bring him back."

"And every one wonders why S.H.I.E.L.D went up in flames." Tony muttered.

"Actually, apparently Coulson is trying to revive S.H.I. ." Pepper told him. "He has a small team of agents he trusts and their working on rebuilding. That's why he called."

"He wants money?" Tony asked. But it didn't match up with his memories of Phil Coulson. They weren't close, but Tony had always thought of the other man as a good man who was truly trying to do a good thing. He wouldn't keep a secret for so long and then come out of the woodwork just because he needed money.

"No," Pepper told him, giving him a reproachful look, "one of the members of his team apparently needs help. The kind of help that Avengers are more equipped to provide."

"I guess we should go talk to the others then," Tony said, still not sure how he felt about all of this.

Since his California house had been blown up, he had moved permanently into the restored Stark Tower and in the months since S.H.I.E.L.D had collapsed, the other Avengers had joined him. They had even jokingly renamed it the Avengers tower. S.H.I.E.L.D might no longer be holding them together, but it didn't need to. They were a team.
**

"So Coulson is alive." Bruce said slowly. "And he wants what from us?"

"There's a girl," Pepper explained, "She's one of his team, but I think she's more to him than that. He sounded very protective when he talked about her, almost paternal. Anyway, apparently the girl came in contact with a Kree device and emerged with new powers. Powers that she can't control."

Thor looked disturbed at the revelation. "The Kree devices should not be treated lightly. Son of Coul is lucky that there was not widespread carnage."

"Actually, apparently he lost a member of his team in the fallout." Pepper said softly. "It's been a trying time for all of them. The girl, Skye, her powers are Earth-based, she can cause tremors. According to Phil, she has no idea how to control them and he doesn't know how to help her."

"So he called us after two years of letting us all think he was dead." Steve said in disgust.

"I knew he was alive." Natasha admitted.

They all turned to stare at her.

"When S.H.I.E.L.D came down, Fury let it slip." She told them. "So I haven't known for that long. I figured Coulson had his reasons and I can understand that. So I kept quiet."

Steve looked at Clint and saw that the other man was having a hard time keeping an impassive face. Apparently Natasha hadn't kept it entirely to herself, but then that could be expected of the couple.

"If the girl needs out help, we have to give it to her." Steve said after a moment. He was angry at being lied to, but at the same time he couldn't turn his back on someone who was in trouble.

"I agree." Bruce chimed in and the others echoed their agreement.

"I'll call Phil back and tell him you want to meet him." Pepper said. She wasn't an official member of the Avengers, but where Tony went, she went, and they all trusted her judgement, plus Coulson had reached out to her for a reason and it made sense to continue using her as a mediator. "Who wants to be part of the welcoming party?"

"I can go." Sam volunteered. When Tony had invited Steve to move into the Tower, Steve had asked if Sam could come to, and the answer had been yes and like that, the other man had joined the Avengers. "I know what it's like to be the new kid on the block."

"I'll go too." Steve volunteered.

"Since I know how much it sucks to join a boys club, I'll tag along and make sure she knows she's not totally alone." Natasha added.

"That's three, I think that's enough." Tony said after a moment. "Anyone else want to go? I'm perfectly happy to let someone else deal with Coulson for now."

Steve was kind of relieved to know that he wasn't the only one angry.

No one else spoke up, so Tony nodded. "Ok, tomorrow you guys go meet Coulson and bring back this girl."