Philinda Forever - One Shots

The war inside

    This is based off a Tumblr promt. Again.

     -nightsisterkaris

--------- -:x:- ---------

    (Tahiti)

    Melinda woke up on her wedding day. Alone. 

    Putting on her bathrobe, she got up, the simple ring on her right hand reminding her of the wedding that evening. Something simple, with the team invited to the ceremony on the beach.

    Checking the house for Phil, she scrunched her nose in confusion. Where was he? When had he left her side?

    "Phil?" She called. Where did he go? "This isn't funny!" She told the empty room. 

    No answer.

    Returning to bed, Melinda sighed. Perhaps he was going to surprise her somehow. Pulling back the sheets, she squinted at the strange dust underneith the covers.

    Still no answer.

   -:x:-

    In fact, there would be no answers until the team came by two days later, with a brokenhearted Fitz, distraut Daisy, distant Mack, and a confused Piper. Their friends were gone.

   "He's gone too, isn't he?" Daisy approached May, who still sat on the bed where she had shared her last night with her love. Melinda was quiet, and finally took her gaze off the wall to look at the younger woman. Melinda slowly bobbed her head. 

    Daisy  watched a single tear roll down Melinda's face, and splash onto her hands, which were folded in the woman's lap. 

    Then the inhuman noticed the ring. "I'm so sorry, May." Daisy whispered.

    "Don't call me that." May choked. "Call me Melinda Coulson." She finished, and took the ring from her right hand and switched it to her left.

    "You guys.. got-"

    "We are now. And always will be." Melinda cut her off. 

    Mack strode in, a permanent look of pain and anger on his face. Fitz followed, quiet now, almost deathly. Daisy looked up at them, before embracing Melinda. Melinda Coulson.

    Almost ten minutes later, someone whispered, "We need to fix this." 

    Melinda was silent as she stood up, and exchanged a look when each of her broken teammates. Gliding emotionlessly into the bathroom, she changed into one of Phil's old T-shirts, and a pair of jeans. Reemerging into the bedroom, she rummaged through the sheets until she found another ring. 

    Slipping the larger band onto her left thumb, she faced her team. "Let's go." She breathed.

    And those words were the last she said for the next week.

    -:x:- 

   If Melinda had seemed quiet and deadly to Daisy on the bus, now, she was even more so. Melinda never seemed to sleep, and threw herself into pulling all the strings she could, and trying to assemble everyone she knew in attempt to help this crippled, mourning world and their crippled, mourning heroes.

   In only several months, SHIELD's makeshift army grew, but a lack of faith and a sense of hopelessness reigned over everyone. 

   The Avengers prepared to fight their possibly last battles, and Melinda lead SHIELD beside Mack under the name 'Commander Coulson'.

    -:x:-

    (Skip to aftermath of the war, Thanos is defeated)

    Melinda fought with everyone else out on the plain, backed up against Wakandas palace. They had been fighting for days. She wasn't even aware that she had been fighting back-to-back with Natasha Romanoff most of this morning, the two women cutting a path of distruction that faught the enemy, feuled by pain and loss.

    The alien ships blew up, one by one as Pepper Stark ordered the missiles to fire. (Melinda had met her earlier when she had stood in the conference room as the last of the Avengers, Wakanda, and the US, Russian, (Etc) Army officials met to plan)

    The ships burst with colored light, and stained the sky red. Somewhere in the distance, bombs slowed, and the aliens were eventually overcome. Avengers surrounded her, -great heroes- but she didn't care. She was here to avenge Phil, and defend the Earth. 

   This was her last purpose. 

    She had been told that anyone residing in the time stone was timeless, sencing the time passing but without any physical tolls such as hunger or exaustion. Phil was probably gone.

   Defend earth, save it, bring back the dissolved people. That was her goal. 

   Anything after that? She didn't want to think about her future.

   Melinda chopped the head off a squirming alien, and watched it twitch and fall to the ground. 

   Silence suddenly washed over the plain, and cheering came up through the survivors. "We've captured the gauntlet! We've captured the gauntlet!" Rang through the air, but Melinda felt nothing. Natasha squinted, and waited. 

    Vapor-like shapes in the air shimmered, and humanoid shadows formed. The dissolved people took shape, finally stepping into physical form. The cheering intensified, and Daisy hollered with joy next May as Jemma stumbled into vision, along with Yo-Yo.

    Mack lowered his axe-gun, and dropped it to the ground, scooping up Elena and swinging her around, crying happy tears. Daisy grabbed Jemma's hand, and dragged the scientist inside. "Fitz is with Princess Shuri!" Daisy grinned. 

    Melinda watched as thousands of people met up with their loved ones, hugging and crying and kissing. Scanning the crowd, she felt tears fall down her face as exaustion took over. Stepping up on her toes, she looked over as many people as she could. 

   Her stomach sank. He wasn't there. 

   "Commander Coulson, we need you in the conference room ASAP." A young, overjoyed-at-the-victory agent appeared next to Melinda. "Of course." Melinda choked out. 

   She saw her team rejoicing with everyone else, laughing and crying and calling her over. She didn't come. She didn't want to witness everyone else get their happily ever after.

   She was about to drop to the ground in exaustion, when she thought she heard his voice. "Melinda!" It called. 

   Turning around, Melinda scanned the crowd. Other people were shimmering to life, falling into the arms of their loved ones. So many people have showed up to fight. (There were even a few teenagers who had snuck in) but she didn't see-

   And then she locked eyes with him.

   Phil.

   There was a surge of emotion and relief and love, and Melinda was running, Phil too. They crashed into each other's arms, crying and holding each other. Her hands found his face and Melinda darted up and kissed him hard, a possessive, powerful kiss filled with passion and sadness.

   The team was staring, and broke into cheers. "Commander Coulson! Commander Coul-" the agent turned around, and saw Melinda, who hadn't broken the kiss. 

   The crowd around them settled down, watching. Whistling and clapping, Melinda didn't care.

   "This is yours." Melinda whispered, twisting a gold band off her thumb, and sliding it onto his left hand. 

   "You took my name." He stared into her eyes, and Melinda nodded. 

   "You're alive." Melinda breathed.

   "That wizard dude, Dr. Strange was it?- in the stone said that turning to dust meant that when my body re-formed, I wouldnt have the wound anymore, and something about being dissolved canceling out my scar." He answered. 

    "So... You're here to stay?" She smiled for the first time in months. Her eyes lit up, drinking in the moment.

    "Yeah." He kissed her again, holding Melinda against him.

    "I love you." They said at the same time.

    "-To the soul stone and back." Phil finished.

    Now she had a purpose again.