About You || Anakin Skywalker x OC ||

(18) New Opportunities

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Phil Coulson yelled, "And cruel! And very stupid!"

"I think you've made your point." Nick replied, raising his hand.

"Why bring me back in the first place?" Coulson demanded, "Clearly I didn't think it was the best idea, I warned you about people losing their minds!"

Leora leaned back in her seat on the airplane known as The Bus. She watched the show unfold, still a little confused about the entire situation.

Phil Coulson had been brought back to life through science but there was a chance that he could go insane or something. If Leora was being honest, it was really hard to wrap her head around the entire situation. She felt guilty for not being able to save him when she could, not that she knew she could at the time... it was really confusing.

Upon seeing Leora bring Tony back to life, Nick thought it was such a good idea that he would try it on Coulson with some alien DNA or some ferrik. When Coulson was field ready, he was given a team to lead and together they hunted dangerous people and things around the world.

"Agent May was on top of the situation. She says your fine." Fury waved Phill off, referring to the stoic woman who stood next to him. May gave Coulson a look as Fury continued, "Aren't you?" He sighed when Coulson didn't say anything, "It was a break glass in case of emergency situation."

"Yes, but that emergency was supposed to be the fall of an Avenger."

Fury's back straightened and his hands folded in his lap, "Exactly. And I'm damn glad I did it too. When you wanna build something, you need a strong foundation. Now, you know how few people I trust Coulson."

"You can count them with one hand." Coulson muttered as if it were something he had said a thousand times, maybe it was.

"And I'm not afraid to cut off fingers." Fury warned, "The principle S.H.I.E.L.D was founded upon was pure..." He snapped his fingers a bit, searching for a word.

"Protection." May offered.

Nick nodded, pointing at the agent, "Protection. One word. Sometimes to protect one man against himself, other times to protect the planet against an alien invasion from another universe. It's a broad job description."

"No need to tell me." Coulson muttered, his attitude still in heat. Leora watched the exchange unfold, trying not to laugh.

"But the belief that drives us all is the same, whether it's one man or all mankind." Fury chidded.

"That they're worth saving." Phil sighed, finishing Fury's sentence.

"That truth lives inside you Coulson." Fury stood, walking towards Phil until they were face to face, "Before it was torn apart, S.H.I.E.L.D was a lot of moving parts. But guys like you were the heart. Now," Fury held up a cube, "You'll be the first in command."

"What is it?" Phil asked, taking the cube and inspecting it. It was a sleek box with the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo printed on the side.

"A toolbox." Nick answered, "To help you build it back up."

Realization struck Phil and Leora smiled to herself, ""You want me to start over? To rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D?" Astonishment contorted his features as he turned the cube over in his fingers.

"From scratch. Take your time. Do it right." Fury pointed his finger in Coulson's face, "You'll still have his back?" He asked May.

"Of course." She nodded her head.

"There's no one else I trust with this." Fury said to Coulson.

"No one besides Leora." Coulson interjected, causing a slow smile to spread across Fury's.

"Not necessarily, Director Gallows decided to take an early retirement."Fury motioned to Leora from where she sat and the two shared a knowing glance. The last thing Leora wanted was to lead, she still needed to work on herself before she could even think about taking on a task such as rebuilding S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Of course sir." Coulson lowered the box, "How do you... How should I proceed?"

Fury shrugged, "That's up to you Director." He held out his hand which Coulson took. The two men shook, smiles on their faces. It was the first time Leora had seen Nick smile like that at someone who wasn't her.

"Where are you heading now?" May questioned as Fury turned to head out, Leora close behind him.

"I'm trading in my bird's-eye view for two solid feet on the ground. This is the last time you'll be seeing me for a stretch." Of course, it was a lie, Fury and Leora were off to destroy the last traces of Hydra, just without anyone else knowing.

"You're gonna disappear, nowhere to be found?" Phil asked with a smirk, his free hand adjusting his tie.

"Nowhere?" Fury chuckled, "You know me better than that Phil." He lowered his sunglasses, "I'll be everywhere." Pushing them up, he waved goodbye to Leora, "See you on the flip side kid, you know how to find me."

Of course, the comment was all for show, Leora returned his wave, letting his pride wash over her like a balm. He was like the father she always wanted, he treated her with respect and dignity yet he always looked out for her.

"Bye Phil, bye May, nice meeting you." Leora gave May's hand a firm shake, hoping the agent was impressed, it seemed nothing got by her. She then gave Phil a tight hug, "Missed you, good luck with everything." Phil gave her a gentle squeeze before pulling away.

Leaving, Leora caught sight of a girl in the hallway, she had long brown hair and matching eyes that eyed her up and down. Leora gave her a little way, exiting the ship. All it took was a running head start and she was up in the air, flying.

Sam caught her by her armpits, the two soaring over the terrain for a few moments before he dropped her down in front of a blacked out SUV miles away from the airstrip.

"See you later Wilson, take care." Leora gave Sam a giant hug before she could think better about it. Thankfully he returned it.

"Be careful, let me know if you ever need a place to crash." Sam patted her on the back and Leora thanked him for the kind gesture, even though she had two homes and one on the way. She would have to call Tony and ask how the compound was going.

Entering the SUV, a smile spread across Leora's face as she took in the candy bowl. She plucked a peppermint from the dish, popping it into her mouth.

"Alright, let's head out." Maria Hill procured her sunglasses from an overhead compartment, sliding them onto her face as she began to drive out, "This is going to be a long drive, you sure you didn't want to take the Bus?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Leora replied, kicking her legs up on the dash, "Let's get this show on the road."