Alright- I'd like to pay tribute to all of the people who were apart of 9/11.
Yes I know it's 9/12 I got busy yesterday so might as well pay tribute today.
I wasn't alive when this happened but I've known and learned about it since Kindergarten.
Every story, every video, every memorial hurts my heart.
I just want to say thank you to all those who helped during those dreadful times.
Weather it was their job to help or not they're all hero's and will never be forgotten.
Okay, so you know OkayPhilinda One-Shot? I thought since you know why not?
This is what happened to May and Coulson in her One-Shot, but since she didn't write about what happened and how they survived, I'm just gonna add this on to hers.
Without permission of course. 🙂
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May's eyes widened as she looked up at the two buildings in front of her. Her mouth barley hung open and her eyes widened with horror. A plane, was trapped in between the bricks of the first tower. Screams were heard from inside.
"Oh my god." Coulson voiced from behind her. "We've got to get in there. Now. Before that building collapses on them." His voice was urgent and stern. May stared up her eyebrows furrowed.
"Mel?" Coulson asked turning towards her. May's chest rose and fell in a quick pace. She was a new S.H.I.E.L.D. her and Coulson both hadn't seen this much terror. Not yet at least.
"Melinda!" He snapped as he forced her to face him. Her body turned but her eyes were fixed on the tower.
"Huh?" She hummed in a high tone. Coulson used the knuckle of his index finger to force her to face him.
"Melinda look at me! Please!" May's eyes traveled to look at Coulson's. "We've got to go in there you understand me? Don't freak out. We can help all of these people but we need to act fast you understand?" He called over the sirens.
May nodded quickly along with Coulson. "Okay. Let's go. We'll be okay.." He assured. May kept nodding as she forced the courage that had just been sucked out of her back in. They both turned to look at the plane.
Fire, dust and screams surrounded them. People were crying out from the towers. Begging for help. They needed to help them. Now.
"Okay.. let-" May couldn't get another word out because soon a loud hum filled the little silence that was left. May's head shot up to see another plane barreling towards the other tower.
The two agents barley had anytime to react before the plane rammed into the untouched twin.
Debris immediately began to fall as old screams screamed even louder. Flames bursted through the wings.
"Get down!!" Coulson screamed as he grabbed May. They both clung to eachother as they sank to the ground. Coulson kept his body pressed against her back to shield her. The ground shook from the impact.
Coulson looked up at the towers. His eyes were wide and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Oh my god.." May murmured as she looked up. Coulson slowly raised himself up along with May.
"Listen.." He began slowly as he hesitantly turned to face her. "This wasn't an accident.. so either you help me.. or run. Run as far away as you can. I'll meet you at the diner on the other side of New York if you want." He suggested. May stared at him for a moment.
Running.
Her head debated for a couple seconds before she slowly shook her head. As much as she wanted to run, she couldn't. This was her job, and she needed to do it. No matter how traumatic it is, she has to complete it.
"I'm staying." She assured him. Coulson nodded slowly and turned back to the burning buildings.
"Alright.. you take right and I'll take left alright? Meet back here after everyone is safe." He ordered. May nodded and with that, they both parted.
May sprinted down into the double doors of the building. Bodies were splayed beside her where people had jumped. People were pouring out of the doorways which made it harder for her to push through.
"What the hell are you doing?!" One guy shouted at her.
"You're gonna die!" Another.
"Everyone up there is dead anyways! Run!"
May pushed through, ignoring their comments and entered a lobby. Dust clouded her vision and filled her lungs. Causing her to cough. She quickly pulled up her leather jacket over her nose and held it there as she made her way towards the stairs.
Groans echoed from up the stairs as well as shouts for helps and calls of terror.
"Hello?! Anyone?!" May called up through another cough.
"HELP! PLEASE! MY FRIEND!" Someone called from about two staircases up. May looked up the staircase as she began to jog.
"I'm coming! Hang on!" May called. She quickly fisted the railing with every step as she hurried up them. Rocks were piled near corners of the building. The uninjured helped unfortunate victims down the stairs.
"Help! Please!" The woman called again. This time May was only a couple stairs away.
"I'm here! I'm here!" She called as she walked onto the smooth platform. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dust before she could make out two women sitting near the side of the stairs. One was on her knees, attempting lifting up a rock. Her legs shook from under her, but she had no luck lifting it. A woman sat beside her, sobbing from pain. Her leg was pinned under the big rock.
May hurried over towards them quickly. She bent down and dug her fingers under the rock so she could get a grip.
"Lift on three okay?!" She called over the screams. The girl nodded urgently.
"One..."
"Two.."
"Three." She heaved as she used the strength in her legs to haul up the huge rock. The girl grunted as she helped flip the rock to the side.
The girl groaned with a shaky breath. As she slowly hauled herself up.
"Oh my god Macy.!" The woman murmured urgently as she bent down to help her friend up. May sighed as she watched from nearby.
"Are you both okay?" She questioned. Macy slowly nodded with a soft grin.
"Thank you so much." She sighed in relief. May nodded as she led them to the stairwell.
"Don't thank me. Just get to safety." She ordered.
The girls didn't need to be told twice. They both slowly but quickly ascended down the stairs.
May didn't hesitate to begin running up the stairs.
She helped a few other people who were stuck free themselves. As well as a few couples with their kids.
May kept preserving up the stairs. No matter how many times her brain told her she was gonna die she kept going.
She had gotten to the thirteenth floor, and had just helped a couple out from under a pile of rubble. Not even halfway up the stairs was another woman.
She was curled up against the shaking wall. Tears poured down her face. Her arms wrapped around herself.
"Hey!" May called as she ran over towards her. "Hey, you have to go. Come on." She urged as she tried to help her up. The girl yanked her arm away and screamed as she pressed her back harder into the wall.
"No! No please! It's gonna collapse!! Please please!" She begged. May froze in place as she watched the younger woman panic. Ash sprinkled down as she coughed.
"Oh okay.. hey.." She spoke a little calmer as she bent down to her level. The girl's eyes widened as she continued to hyperventilate. "Breathe. Just breathe okay? Listen. I've been running up these stairs and not once has anyone fallen." She assured.
"But.. I can feel it.. it's gonna collapse.." She countered through sobs. May placed one hand on the young girls knee.
"Listen, I was scared to. Okay? But sometimes you have to get over your fears so you can do what needs to be done. Now, if you sit here. The building will most likely collapse. Is it okay if I get you out of here before that happens?" She questioned.
The girls breathing barley slowed as she stared at May. Her head bobbed up and down hesitantly as she whimpered. May nodded and slowly rose to her feet.
"Okay good." May outstretched her hand and the girl gradually took it. She hauled her up and lead her to the staircase. "Go down there and run like hell okay? Don't stop running until your off the island or indoors far away from the towers." She ordered. The girl nodded and with a gentle nudge from May, she bolted.
So May continued on her journey up. A few police officers and firemen were walking down with wounded men and women. She didn't know how high she was now, but the heat of fire was now burning her nostrils.
"Hey! There's two kids trapped under a pile of rubble about three story's up! We were gonna come back and get them, but we need you to!!" The last of the firemen called. May slowed only for a moment to look back down at the fireman with urgency. Only to quicken her pace.
May practically sprinted up the stairs. Her calves burned and her lungs filled with dust and smoke. Her eyes watered from the particles in the air and sweat dripped down her olive skin.
"Hello?!" She called up from the stairs. "Hello?! I'm Agent May! If you guys could call out that would be great!!" She screamed.
May pushed herself onwards and onto another platform. She was becoming short of breath.
"Help!! Help please!!" A small voice called from beside her. May whipped her head around to see two kids sitting with eachother. Both leaning against the wall with their legs splayed out.
"Okay. Here, I got you guys." May murmured as she sank to the ground. The two boys whimpered in pain as they looked at her.
"We thought they left us to die..." The smaller boy murmured in a pitiful tone. May's heart shattered as she rose the boy up.
"Never. They just needed some more hands so they brought me." She explained as she help them other boy to his feet. She let them grasp her arms for support. "How old are you guys?" She asked as she lead them to the stairwell.
"I'm ten. My little brother is five.." The eldest of the kids explained as he hobbled down the stairs.
"Oh wow. You guys are getting old aren't ya?" She sounded surprised as they began to go down another staircase.
"Yeah.." The younger one nodded shakily. May took pity on the young boys. No one should have to go through this alone.
"Where's your parents?" She asked.
"Uh.. I think one of the big guys took my daddy outside." The youngest guessed in a shaky voice. May nodded slowly as she continued down the stairs. No one was in sight except for them.
"Alright. Well I'm Agent May, and I'm gonna get you back home to your dad. Okay?" She assured.
Both the boys nodded in unison as they rounded the corner yet again.
It took longer than expected to reach the lobby. But when they did that's when the creaking began to increase from above them. May looked up but didn't slow her pace. She carefully but swiftly lead the two boys outside.
The sirens were no longer muffled from thin walls. The screams were louder and the groans and the pain were from the people were now more real. May kept the boys close as she walked farther and farther away from the towers. Their tiny bodies were covered in dust.
May even realized she was covered in just as much ash. She lead the two kids to the police officers who were pushing a crowd of people away from the towers. An ambulance sat beside them.
"Hey! I got two kids over here!" May called. A police officer whipped around to see the three people rushing towards him. His eyes widened in alarm as he met them halfway. "They've hurt their legs, nothing major. I don't see any sign of any other injuries, but I didn't get a good look." She explained.
The man nodded in understanding as he looked at the two boys.
"Alright, I'll take them to an ambulance and try and find their parents." May nodded slightly as she looked down at the little kids. She slowly lowered herself down to their level.
"You're gonna go with this officer okay? He's gonna find your daddy for you." She explained. The youngest child looked up at the police officer shyly. Tears made his cheeks shimmer. May's heart broke to even look at him.
"What's your name?" The eldest asked suddenly. May turned to look at him.
"Huh?" May hummed.
"You know.. like... your first name... I heard from my school.. that police officers use their last names.." The boy explained through a stuffy nose. May's face relaxed as a soft grin rose on her lips.
"My name is Melinda." She told him. Earning a small smile from the boy. And with that May gently handed him off to the officer.
She watched for a moment as the boys were hauled into the ambulance. Though she couldn't watch forever. She had a job. So May turned around and jogged back to the towers. Though she only got halfway until another officer stopped her by the arm.
"Hey! You can't go in there! That building is about to collapse you go in and your dead you hear me?!" He shouted. May's eyebrows furrowed in alarm.
"What? I know but"-
"No! You have to back up! Get somewhere safe!" He ordered. May stayed frozen to the floor. She needed to get the people out, but wait. If they're about to collapse then... her eyes traveled around the scene only to find nothing of who she was looking for.
"Wait.. have you seen a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent by the name of Philip J. Coulson?" She asked. The officer thought for a second before realizing who she was talking about. His face softened slightly in sympathy.
"He just went back into the tower... I don't know if he'll make it or not before that building collapses.." He explained gently. May's eyes widened with shock as she looked up at the towers ahead.
"Nononono.." She muttered as she tried to walk passed him, but the officer was strong, and he pulled her back.
"Ma'am! Stop it!" He ordered. May growled in frustration as she struggled in his grasp. He had gotten ahold of her waist.
"LET GO OF ME!!" She snapped as she tried to push away.
"I NEED BACKUP OVER HERE!" He yelled, ignoring her demand.
Not a second later there were three police officers restraining her. She grunted as she pulled against them, but no luck. They had their feet planted to the ground and their hands fastened onto her arms and waist.
"Please!! Let go!!! I have to get to him!" She begged.
"Ma'am.. I'm sorry bu"- The man was cut short when a big roar from above interrupted. They all shot their heads up to find the towers collapsing in on themselves.
Terrorized screams filled the air once more, but May kept frozen. She watched as the first tower collapse. The one Coulson was in. The ground shook and the sound pierced her eardrums.
A big cloud of dust followed the tower down and began to run with the wind towards them.
"PHIL!!" She screamed on the top of her lungs. Her breath was cut short from the cloud that had already made it forty yards towards them.
May fought against the officers that still had her pinned. Though they all had developed a harsh cough from the cloud.
Tears poured from her eyes as she coughed.
"PHIL!!" She sobbed. As she tried to pull away.
"Ma'am! Get the hell out of here now! He's gone!!" They ordered. With all of them combined they forced May to fall back.
"No! Please! He's.. he's in there! PHIL!" She screamed. No answer.
May sobbed and sobbed as she tried to fight, but after a moment, she slowly began to stop fighting. Her sobs were mixed in with coughs from the dust. She slowly sank to the ground as the officers removed their hands off of her.
It was getting harder for her to breathe. Her heart ached but oxygen was a priority. She took a couple gasps of much needed air, only to breathe in ash and dust. May coughed as she tried to take more breaths. She was releasing air more than she was gaining, causing her to panic.
The officer beside her had migrated back to her with two masks in hand. One he had stuck on his own face while the other was soaked and awaiting a user.
"Hey! Take this and run!" He ordered. May stayed put as she hyperventilated. The only thing on her mind was Phil her panic was merely a setback for her grief.
The policeman shook her gently as he carefully brought the mask to May's face. Though she didn't have time to be suffocated quickly. So she shoved him away as she coughed harshly.
"No!! Stay... Away!!" She ordered through coughs. She didn't know what the officer was trying to do.
"Ma'am I'm trying to save you! Now take the mask and run!" He inched closer towards her causing May to back up.
"Don't tou"- She couldn't get another word out because of the strong voice yelling from behind her.
"MEL!" May whipped her head around to see a man barreling towards her. He quickly sank down to her level once close enough and took the mask from the officer. He himself had his own mask.
"Phil..?" May questioned. She couldn't exactly see anything. He carefully pushed the mask over her nose and mouth with his free hand. May slowly pressed the cloth in place with one hand.
"Come with me.. we have to go.." Coulson ordered. He helped her up slowly, but just in time for the other tower to collapse behind them. Coulson looked back briefly before starting to run. May followed, though she was still trying to catch her breath. Tears were still sprinkling down her face as they both ran hand in hand so they wouldn't lose eachother in the now thick cloud.
Was this Coulson? Or just a strange man who wanted to help? May didn't know, but she hoped and prayed it was he man she thought was dead.
They ran around cars and holes in the ground. They ran breathlessly to try and outrun the cloud.
Hours. It took hours just to free themselves from the cloud and get off the island. It was then, and only then, that May realized it was Coulson.
All the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were still alive regrouped near the outskirts of New York. Towels were given to those covered in ash. Traumatized agents were crying on their friends shoulders, or sat in silence.
May and Coulson were both sitting near a lake, wetting their towels on a dock. They were both silent in grief and both sat there in their thoughts. May carefully pressed the damp towel to her face. Absent ash streaks ran down her cheeks where she had been crying. She carefully washed away the dust that clung to her skin.
Coulson did the same.
"Might just be easier to jump in the lake.." Coulson tried to tease after a moment. May just nodded in agreement as she began to wash her arms. Coulson eyed her for a moment before returning to washing his own skin.
"So..." Coulson murmured. "What'd you see up there?" May's motions slowed for a moment as she eyed Coulson. Though she returned to washing up not even a second after. The memory of this day was fresh on her mind just like everyone else's.
"I uh... saw a lot of people trapped under rocks and debris.. uh.. bodies.. where people had jumped... oh and there were these kids... beautiful kids.. and uh... you know they were... sweet.." She explained. She didn't dare make eye contact with him. Coulson nodded slowly.
"Is that all you saw.. because you know.. You saved all of those guys and when I found you.. you were sobbing on the ground.." He pointed out. May stopped her motions all at once and sighed. She nodded carefully. "So..? What was it..? Did you lose someone?"
"There are a lot of people who lost their lives because I wasn't fast enough Phil.." May mumbled her heart ached at that sentence.
"So is that it.. why you were crying? I know you Mel, your not usually the type to just full on sob in public."
"What..? No.." She slowly looked up to see him staring at her.
"Was it the collapse of the first building..?"
"No Phil.." She let out an exasperated sigh. She'd rather forget about that. No- in fact all of this. May looked away and back to the glistening lake.
"I thought you were dead.." She choked out after a moment. Coulson's gaze slowly softened and he parted his lips.
"Oh..." He mumbled. May let out a shaky sigh as she turned to look at him.
"The officer.. told me that you were still in the building.. so.. I tried to.. get to you... but he stopped me." She explained. "That's when the building collapsed.." Coulson bit the bottom of his lip as he looked away. Guilt overcame him.
"Mel I'm so sorry.." He apologized. He wanted to apologize more, over and over and over again for putting her in that state. May just shook her head as she quickly wiped away a tear before it could fall.
"You can't help death Phil. It's inevitable." She countered. "But you can prevent it.. did you know? The building was about to collapse?" She asked.
Coulson turned back to look at May. Though he didn't meet her eyes. He nodded carefully. He knew. Which is why he had to go back and get people out. May nodded along with him. Though they both stopped after a second.
"You should've stayed out.." May critiqued. Coulson continued to nod in agreement.
"I should have.." He mumbled. May sniffled slightly and wiped another tear.
"Yeah.. which leads to my next question.." She started. "Are you alright..?" Coulson scoffed as he dangled his legs off the peer. He sat his towel down next to him.
"Not in the slightest." He mumbled. May nodded in understanding.
"Neither am I." Coulson turned to look at her. A forced grin was plastered on May's lips. It pained him to see her like this.
"Hey.. come here.."He soothed as he reached out for her. May didn't hesitate to lean into his embrace. She carefully wrapped her own arms around him. "I'm proud of you... okay..? You went in there and you helped. Even whenever you were scared. We both made it. We're lucky.." He told her. May nodded as she dug her head into his shoulder.
"I think we both deserve a break. This has got to be the worst mission ever.." Coulson nodded slowly and left it at that.
The whole rest of the day, May and Coulson both watched the sun set in silent grief. They never let go of eachother. In fear of losing one another once again.
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Okay! Hope you liked that. I know it was late but I liked it.
Also I hope everyone is doing okay!
Sorry I haven't been posting that much, I've been busy, but don't worry! I've been working on several different one-shots and stories at once. So you'll have a lot soon.
Blood on Her Hands Announcement-
I have not worked on that at all yet. I don't know what to do- or how to write after sex scenes. So ahem.. yeah.. help.. Writers block.
Love you guys🥰