[yeah, another time skip. To make up for it, this chapter is kind of long.]

~1 1/2 years later~

I'm at Portland and I came here to try out for the local Philharmonic. I found out this afternoon that I got in! My first concert is going to be in about a month. I shall practice frivolously.

It is the summer after I graduated from college and I decided to move back to America. Not sure why I decided on Portland though. Heard it was nice from someone. Agent Coulson and a few other SHIELD agents came with. Not sure why. I'm looking to buy a house though.

~

"This house is currently abandoned, but it is in wonderful shape. It might need a few repairs and possibly some new furniture. The fact that it is abandoned also means that the house is cheap," the real estate agent explains as he gives me a tour through a house. I look around the house and notice that the repairs could probably be done by the X-Men or SHIELD, and I could care less about the furniture.

"Cheap as in, in my price range?" I inquire. The agent nods.

"Absolutely. And it is in a wonderful neighborhood. Many kind people and many activities to do."

"If I do buy, how soon can I move in?"

"After you finish all the paperwork you can begin to move your things here and start to settle in." I take one last walk around the house, taking in all the details. I eventually wind up back in front of the real estate agent.

"I'll take it! Well, buy it. Whatever." I bet you're wondering why I'm able to buy a house fresh out of college. Well, Stark money. I wasn't given a lot, but enough to buy a few houses.

"Wonderful! Come to my office and I'll give you the paperwork!" So we go to his office and I spend a few hours filling out the paperwork, wishing that I could be playing my cello. Or doing SHIELD paperwork.

~

A month has passed and I am extremely nervous for my first concert. Coulson said that he would be watching. That's really sweet of him.

As we all go onstage, I locate Coulson in the audience and smile at him. Then my eyes land on a man in the front row, his eyes trailing me. Strange. Cellists don't usually get too much attention. It's kind of bothering me a little bit. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

~

A few days later (the concert went splendidly!) I go to the theater to practice some cello. Soon after I settle on the stage, though, the same man from the front row comes in. He sits down in the same spot. This is a bit weird. I ignore it for the moment and begin to play the cello. Throughout my practice session, he never leaves or stops staring at me. By the time I finish practicing, I am extremely unnerved. Extremely. He doesn't clap, he doesn't say anything, he doesn't even move. I would think he's a statue if I didn't see him walk in.

~

The next couple of days I practice in the concert hall some more. Each day the same guy is there, in the same spot, watching me. How he even knows when I practice is a complete mystery. I really hope he isn't stalking me. I hope this is the last time I see him. He's making me paranoid, but then again, that could just be my schizophrenia. Maybe I need to talk to Xavier about the mind things that he uses to help with my mental issues.

When I go home after practice, I put my cello away in my room and go to get a drink of water from the kitchen. I get my glass of water and from my peripheral vision, I see someone outside of my window. I look and see the same guy from the auditorium.

I scream and drop my glass of water. It shatters on the floor.

I rush to my phone and quickly call Coulson, completely ignoring the shattered glass.

"What is it, Rogers?" Coulson wonders when he picks up the phone.

"Help. Get over here. I have a stalker. He is here at the house," I say, freaked out.

"Who?"

"I don't know. But he's suspicious," I tell my SO. Then I add quieter, "I'm scared..."

"I'll be right there with the other agents."

"Hurry."

~

By the time that Coulson and the other agents arrive, the man is gone, taking the light from the street lamps with him.

"The man, he has powers. The street lights are supposed to be on, but they aren't and they were before he appeared in the window," I tell the agents quickly as they come into the living room.

"What do you suppose his powers are?" one agent asks. Even after almost 2 years of being a part of SHIELD, it still bugs me that no one asks 'are you okay'.

"I assume that he sucks the light out of everything, which could mean life," I explain. Just a guess. An educated guess.

"Do you know where we might find him?" another agent inquires. I shake my head, then think about it.

"Actually, only one place. Whenever I practice my cello in the concert hall, he's there, watching me. Other than that, I have no clue where he might be," I tell them.

"Alright, we shall stay here and formulate a plan. We'll brief you on it once we have it figured out." All the agents except for Coulson leaves the room.

"Are you alright?" my mentor asks me, worry in his voice. This is new.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He didn't get in. He freaked me out is all," I tell him. There's something about Coulson's presence that just calms me down and makes me happy. Coulson looks at me, not believing me.

"You said you were scared, and you don't scare easily."

"Its fine now, Coulson."

~

In briefing, which is at the dining table, the other agents inform me of their plan. Coulson is sitting next to me and the other agents are across the table.

"...and as he is focused on you playing the cello, we will knock him out and arrest him, taking him to the Fridge immediately," the agents explain. My hands are shaking from the plan with me being the bait. I place my hands by my legs, not wanting the other agents to see how freaked I am about the plan.

"You will need to act natural when practicing," the other agent says as I feel something rough and warm grasp my hand. I glance down at my lap and see that Coulson is holding my hand. I feel my face heat up. "If you don't act normal, then the man will become suspicious, understand?"

"Understood Agent May, Agent Sitwell," I respond.

"Alright, we'll begin to prepare for the plan. Come on Coulson."

"I'll be there in a moment. I would like a private word with Agent Rogers," Agent Coulson replies. Sitwell nods and him and May leave the room.

"Wh-what do you want to tell me?" I wonder, slightly distracted by his hand on mine.

"You might think it's silly, but I have this strong urge to protect you at all times. I don't want you to be frightened or hurt. I can't stand it when you're sad. When I heard your voice on the phone, I knew something was wrong, and I got here as quickly as I could," he tells me, taking my other hand in his, looking me straight in the eyes. Coulson leans forward and gently presses his lips against mine. I'm surprised at first, but I close my eyes and slowly melt into the kiss. My first kiss.

He pulls away and stands up, releasing my hands as he does so. Coulson goes to leave the room, following in the other agents' footsteps.

"Oh," he says, turning around in the doorway, "you can call me Phil." He leaves the room, leaving me stunned. I touch my lips and cannot think of anything other than that kiss.

~

"Remember, relax. If anything goes wrong, I'll protect you," Phil says to me before I go onstage to practice. "I'm looking forward to hearing you play." I smile and head on up stage. Soon enough, the man enters. I attempt to act like I have the last times he came in, but I can't forget his face as I looked out through my window. This time is slightly different. All the lights go out, except the ones on the stage.

"Ellis," I hear him say over the sound of my cello. I freeze. "You're the light, my light. Your music, your soul. My only light in this darkness." I begin to shake in fear. I haven't been this scared since I was kidnapped. I feel like a little kid again. A child separated from her parents, lost and scared and alone.

"Who are you?" I wonder, eyes wide.

"Marcus Daniels," he states. I notice Agent May coming up behind him. He stands up and walks toward the stage. I'm frozen in place, I can't move from my seat.

Suddenly, Marcus turns around and faces May. He slowly walks toward May.

"Don't let him touch you!" I shout out. "Light!" I add, suddenly coming up with an idea. "Get some light!" Phil most definitely understood. He rushes over to May and Marcus (maybe I should give him a codename) and whips a flashlight from...somewhere. Maybe a pocket...? He turns it on and shines the light into Marcus' face. He yells. May follows suit and pulls out her own flashlight. Where are they getting these? She shines the light at him. He attempts to cover his eyes, but crumples to the ground. They handcuff him and take him outside, probably place him into a SHIELD issued car and driven to a chopper to go to the Fridge. Phil comes back in and sits down. I stare at him.

"Could you play a song for me?" he wonders. I nod slowly and start to play one of the songs that I have memorized. Something that is now muscle memory. The whole time, Phil has his eyes closed, but he is clearly listening.

When I finish, I pack up and hug Phil. I whisper to him, "Thank you." He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead.