MUSE IS UNDER TRUTH SERUM FOR ONE HOUR. ASK ME ANYTHING. NOTHING IS OFF LIMITS AND EVERYTHING MUST BE ANSWERED. GO!
"I look up to a lot of people. Agent Coulson was who I would consider my mentor. I followed in his footsteps for a long time and I hope to keep doing so for a long time."
"Colonel Rhodes. I owe that man a lot. When SHIELD fell and I got a normal office job he came to see me at work and offered me a job with him working at Advanced Aerospace Defense Systems. He said my talents were wasted there. He made a deal to keep me off Talbot's radar in his witch hunt for SHIELD agents to arrest for terrorism charges in association with Hydra. I couldn't afford to be arrested. I still had my youngest sister in my custody. He saved our lives with that job offer.
"Commander Hill for giving me a piece of advice I still follow to this day that has gotten me through many hard times. It doesn't get better, it gets easier. I'll never go back to who I was but who I am will get easier to be. And it's true. I've made it a long way on that advice and the truths she told me. She protected me and my family when I needed it most. She saved me from myself more than once."
"Agent Felix Blake for pushing through my promotion to level 5 right before SHIELD fell and inspiring me to take more field training."
"Agent Edgar Avery for the apprenticeship. He took me under his wing and taught me so much. So much that got me through my undercover work in Hydra. It was the hardest time of my life and the words he told me before I left saved my life in there."
"That's just a few. I hope that answered your question."
Phoebe settled down in the bedroom of their new residence. It wasn't like Sagaponack. Just as spacious, yes, but the atmosphere in Sagaponack was different. They had lived so close to the water before. It'd been their home for as long as she could recall.
Elliot stood at the door frame of the bathroom. Talking had been to a minimum since their time in the conference room, but of course this would be their first matter to discuss. His head had been filled with a number of things today-- the usual, as she'd known it. Everything was typically work related in there, but sometimes he'd start thinking about lunch or his son or her. They hadn't spoken when they got back to New York, the jet lag had been enough to keep this conversation until now. This had been combing through his head all morning.
"And it wasn't for HYDRA?"
"No, it wasn't."
He made her sound like a child. She looked younger than him, of course; he was only human. The grey had begun to set in to his hair. Lines riddled across Elliot's face, yet Phoebe didn't look a day past thirty.
It was enough to cause a fissure between the two of them.
"Then what possessed you to do it, Phoebe? Why? Why would you do something so irrational? What did you think you were going to do? And-- why give it to Phaedrus?"
"Do you want me to answer that all in one go?" Phoebe folded her hands in her lap. "It doesn't matter, Elliot. It's been four months."
"Yes, and it was something you never decided to tell me about."
"You had decided to leave in January."
"I was sick and I stayed in Germany with my sister."
"Yet you never decided to call."
"Don't make this about me." Elliot did what he did best-- paced. He moved inside the bathroom, turning off the light before shutting the door and coming into the bedroom.
"Did you let Cecelia in on it as well? Does she know? Did you decide it was a game?"
"I don't want to talk about it, Elliot--"
"Well you must have wanted to talk about it then, because for whatever reason, you decided it was a great idea to jeopardize the safety of your children for some SHIELD agent. What kind of mother does that, Phoebe? What was so damn important that you decided to do that, and why didn't you tell anyone about it when it was happening? No one in my office can tell me what you were doing, and I know you didn't tell anyone at your job, so I want to know, as your husband, why you did it."
Phoebe shut her eyes, balling her hands into fists. The bed shifted as Elliot sat down beside her. His words echoed through the room, whispering and hissing into her ear.
"I can't tell you, Elliot."
"Why?"
His hands reached for hers, taking them and squeezing her wrists gently. Phoebe leaned in, resting her head against his shirt. Insecurity was something she scrutinized and hated showing, but Elliot knew her. He'd known her for longer than anyone else.
"I don't want you to get into trouble at work." With HYDRA, she wanted to add, but he knew. Her fingers went to curl between his. Cecelia still didn't know who they'd been handling. It was just Phaedrus and her, and she wished to keep it that way, if only for now. Elliot's hands slipped out of her own as he stood up from the bed. His thoughts were a mess of disappointment and frustration toward her. He couldn't understand why she'd done it.
"I should leave for the office."
"Mm. Okay." Her hands were cold. Everything was cold.
"Have you reported in?"
"No, I'll... I'll do it soon."
Elliot nodded, standing beside the bed for just a moment longer. He turned away soon enough, heading toward the door. Phoebe listened to his footsteps and the small creak as the door opened and shut.
And I can lay here under
the sheets with you without
saying how I feel,
but I think you know anyway.
Yet I will not disturb our peace
with irrelevant words, because
too many syllables will only
tear down everything we've
built up.
(( I trust you,
and I think
you might
trust me
as well ? ))
You mend me in a way which
others cannot. You're my
home at night, and I am a
little too used to the warmth
you bring me--
The last thing I want is for you
to leave. The last thing I want
is to make you go away.
(( So I will
q u i e t
my heart's
rambling
just to be
with you. ))
He was told that this guy, this transfer, was one of the guys most up-to-date on the HYDRA issue, the most recent upset of planet Earth. Which was pretty much his entire reason for being down here.
"D'you take volunteers?" Pause. "I mean, I'm not really a volunteer, I'm supposed to be here but-- I'm not S.H.I.E.L.D. or anything."
cauterisethewound's OC has an interesting background that the mun has put together in a way that's a pleasure to go through. Avery's "journal" is a joy to read, and the muse is always fun to interact with.
