"Come on, Nick. You know that I know. How long did you think you could keep a secret like this from me? From the team?"

Fury stood from his chair and leaned against the desk, his fist closed as he thrust it down angrily with a loud bang. "You cannot tell anyone on that team, do you understand me? This is not something to play around with, Agent. You would do well to just forget all about it."

His posture didn't startle or scare you; you could feel his lack of true anger behind the words. It was something that he quickly had forgotten existed in your arsenal of powers, leaving most of his methods of intimidation pointless. He had a loud bark but never once had he tried to bite.

"Really, take down the dramatics." You raised your hands up in mock defeat, allowing him to maintain the upper hand even though you could easily get the information you wanted directly from his mind. However, it was an invasion that you promised your team you would never use without their consent. "Just tell me where to find Phil."

"I don't think you understand the meaning of the word 'no', (Y/N)."

"And where exactly do you think I get that from, dad?"

He let out a long breath before he spoke again, regaining his composure. "Why is it that you use that word only when you want something from me?" His body relaxed as he sat back down in his chair behind the large desk. He turned to look out the window, surveying the view from his office at the Triskelion. "When I woke up this morning, I thought 'what great weather we've been having. It's going to be a good day. (Y/N) is coming to visit, we might grab some lunch, maybe a movie.' I never thought that I would have to sit here and threaten to strip you of your rank and security clearance just to keep you in control."

"Well, I'm sorry that I turned out to be such a disappointment." You turned to leave and stopped just short of exiting, turning to look at him. "I'm sorry." But you weren't apologizing for the interaction you had just had, but rather for the intrusion that you had undertaken. It didn't make you feel good to do it, but you needed to see Phil; to see him alive again. You searched his mind until the coordinates were found, and the confirmation that he was there. After the door closed behind you, you paused to lean back against it with your eyes closed, upset with yourself for what you had done.

"Okay," you whispered to yourself, "let's see what this 'Playground' is all about."

~~~

The compound wasn't as well hidden as you had expected, and it really didn't look all that impressive from the outside. You pulled your motorcycle into a shaded area a few hundred feet away, trying your best to be inconspicuous. Even though it was a SHIELD base, you weren't about to take any chances and had your gun secured at your side as you approached. You knew they had to be watching.

"Sir, I think you need to take a look at this."

"What've you got, Billy?" Coulson looked over his shoulder at the screen, choking on the sandwich he was trying to eat on his brief lunch break. With a few slaps to the back, he recovered but his expression was still pure shock at what he was seeing. "Son of a bitch." He pulled out his phone and dialed frantically; holding it up to his ear and speaking to someone he called 'sir' as he ran out of the room.

Trip leaned in closer to the screen, trying to make out who was causing all the commotion, when it finally hit him. "Hey, is that (Y/N)? Is that seriously...?"

"Fury's kid?" Koenig chuckled under his breath, "yeah. Yeah, this could get ugly."

As you reached your hand out towards the only door you could find, you stopped, sensing Phil on the other side; he was hesitating. You reached out again but the door opened before you could connect, and suddenly the man who was thought to be dead was alive and well in front of you. You didn't run to him, you didn't laugh or cry, you just stood there waiting for him to say something, but it never came.

"So, are you gonna invite me in, Uncle Phil, or we just gonna stand here all day?"

"How did you find me, (Y/N)?"

"Well, hello to you too."

Trip ran to stand behind him, watching you as you approached and secured your weapon back into its holster. He knew of your parentage, but a further realization struck him as you got closer. He slapped Phil on the back in excitement, "She's one of the Avengers! Coulson, she's one of the Avengers!"

Phil turned slowly towards him with an exasperated look on his face, gesturing towards you as he sighed, "Yes, I'm aware. Who do you think recruited her?" He turned back towards you and took your hand, leading you into the building. His arm was tense when he placed your hand on it, and you knew he had turned you in.

"So, how long before he gets here?"

"About an hour."

~~~

"So, how long will you be staying, (Y/N)?"

You glanced down at your watch and laughed quietly, "about another 48 minutes."

Trip shook his head as he handed you a cup of coffee. "Well, damn. I was hoping to get to know you before you ran off."

"Oh, I'm not running. I'm being collected; certainly to be punished severely for my insubordination."

His eyes were wide now as he stared at you, partly in disbelief that you were there, and partly reacting to his imagination and what your fate might be. "So, um, if I can ask," he cleared his throat a bit and sat forward to talk in a hushed tone, "why do you call Coulson 'Uncle Phil'?"

"I'm adopted." You looked around the room for Phil but didn't see him anywhere, figuring that he was talking to Nick. It wasn't that you didn't want to talk to this guy, but you really came here to check up on Coulson. "He took me in when I was found alone during one of their missions. I think I was about ten years old if I remember correctly. Nick and I bonded right away, and he adopted me so that I could stay with them at SHIELD." The memory made you feel a little sad inside, but you didn't want to dwell on it, not here. You gave a quick shrug of your shoulders to play off your emotions. "The rest is history, I guess."

Trip was listening to you so intently that you began to feel a bit uncomfortable. "So, Trip, can I ask you something?"

He sat up straight and looked a bit shocked that you would want to know anything from him. "Yeah, for sure! Hit me."

"You might find this to be intimidating, so I apologize, but I feel like you're a bit nervous around me. Do I scare you? I won't use my powers on you without your consent, I promise."

The shaky laugh that came from him gave him away; he was nervous. He shook his head no, but his expression and body language told you otherwise. "Well, you're an Avenger, and I've been a huge fan of them, and now you, for...well, since the first time we saw you in New York." He took another shaky breath and looked down at his hands that were fidgeting with the cup resting on the table. "And...I guess you could say I...I like you most of all."

"Alright, I think that's about enough." Phil moved behind Trip and rested his hands on his shoulders. "If things go well, we can maybe get a photo and an autograph before she leaves, alright?"

Trip startled at his touch and jumped up from the chair quickly. "Yes, sir." He reached over and took your hand, bringing it to his lips for a moment. "It was a pleasure to meet you, (Y/N). I hope to see you again, very soon." When he pulled his hand away, you smiled at the small paper he had left in yours with his phone number on it. You quickly covered it so that Phil wouldn't notice.

"Give it." Coulson had his hand extended, wanting the note you had just received.

"Sorry, Uncle Phil. I can't help you."

He sighed loudly as he sat at the table across from you, folding his hands and resting them on his legs. It was hard to read his expression, but with Phil that was fairly common. He was a master at the poker face, and you felt like he was baiting you to see if you would search his mind or not.

"Okay, let's have it," you began, "what happened to you? You had to know that I would figure this out, right?" He nodded but didn't say anything. "I've been sensing some really strange things from you, and I'm worried. Otherwise I would have been glad to leave alone until you came to us." You put your hands on the table, palms up, and reached them across to invite him to take them. "I just needed to know that you were okay. That's all."

"I'm fine."

"Liar."

"I'm going through some...stuff right now. It's complicated."

"If you call alien DNA coursing through you complicated, then I'd hate to see what really messes you up."

His mouth fell open, shocked at your words. He thought for sure that no one knew about that other than Fury. "How did you know that, (Y/N)?"

"Level 9 clearance. You forget?" A movement caught your peripheral vision; you turned and saw Trip watching you with a strange grin on his face. You leaned closer to Phil, whispering even though the room was soundproof. "So what's with that guy? He's acting like a little kid meeting his favorite super...hero...oh."

"Yep. Lucky you."

But you weren't about to change the subject that easily. The visions of Phil that you had seen in your mind over the past several months were getting more vivid and more alarming. "Just tell me you've got it under control, Uncle Phil. I'm really worried."

"I've got it under control." He stood and gestured to lead you out, knowing that Fury would be there soon and that you would want to avoid causing a scene. "And if there comes a time when I don't, I will know to expect to see you again. Thank you, (Y/N)" He pulled you in for a hug and kissed your forehead. "I miss you. I'm so proud."

You gave a small nod and walked from the room, heading out of the building the way you came in and hoping that you could bypass Nick altogether. You pulled the small note from your pocket and typed the number in as you walked.

It's (Y/N). I need you to keep an eye on him for me. Covertly.

You got it. But I need you to do something for me.

What would that be?

Come back.

You smiled to yourself, amused that the nervous and awkward boy was trying to be smooth. It didn't suit him.

Someday.