Jay

Chapter 10

            I stepped up to the apartment door, and took a deep breath. I could do this. She had every right to know. And Coulson would want me to be the one to tell her. He wouldn't want some random agent to tell her, to stand there stonily while she sobbed. My throat tightened, but I took a deep breath, cleared my throat, and knocked on the door. And waited. I heard her moving around inside.

She looked through the peephole, and then opened the door with the chain attached.

"Yes," she asked.

"Hi, are you Audrey Nathan?" I asked her when she nodded I continued. "Um, my name is Agent Jaime Barton, I'm a friend of Phil Coulson," I told her, holding up my badge. I was in my official SHIELD uniform, leaving my superhero suit at home.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, and then quickly closed the door, opening it wide.

I cleared my throat again. "Um, Coulson was one of the agents who helped raise me while my brother was away on missions. He was my friend and mentor for years-"

"Was?" She squeaked.

"Was," I said, looking down, took a breath, and looked back up at her. "That was why I asked Director Fury to hold off telling you of his death until after the Battle of New York so I could tell you myself in person. Phil Coulson died before the battle of New York trying to keep a prisoner from breaking out. He was the bravest and most heroic man I've ever known, and I am so sorry for your loss."

She held her hand to her mouth and shook her head.

"No," she murmured. "No, that can't be right. There was a mistake."

I tilted my head down again. "Ma'am, there was no mistake. I saw the body. I'm so sorry. He put you and I down as his emergency contacts."

"Oh my God," she said, sobbing, and she sunk to the ground. I caught her, and helped her into the room, closing the door. "Oh my God," she murmured again.

I sat with her on the couch, holding her as she cried. I felt a few tears escape myself for the man who we both lost.

vvv

Thoroughly drained, I teleported to my apartment, having swapped numbers with Audrey. I planned on putting eyes and ears on her when I got the chance.

Sighing, I fell onto the couch, one leg draped over the back, my whole body just stretched over it. In about an hour, I was teleporting to London to talk to Jane Foster for Thor. I was excited to meet the woman who had caught his heart, finding it very amusing that a guy with so much magic would fall for a girl in love with science.

My phone ringed, and I picked it up to see it was Steve. I smiled. He had figured out how to call on the cell phone finally. He had refused to get a cell phone up until a month ago, and had taken his sweet time learning how to use it. Not that he didn't like technology; he just couldn't get the hang of some of it. I planned to get him addicted to Angry Birds within the year.

"Well, hello Steve," I said flirty.

"Oh, crap," he muttered, and I heard him clicking buttons. "What the hell? There we go, can you hear me?"

I chuckled away from the phone. "Yes, Steve," I said patiently.

"Okay," he said. "I wanted to know if you wanted to go..." he cleared his throat. "If you wanted to go on a date with me tonight," he said.