Something to Fight For

Chapter 10

   "Stop."  May suddenly said, her face coming down, moving away, her hand reaching down to remove his from her belly. Phil kept his thumb on her cheek, a confused look on his face. "We can't jump to conclusions." Melinda whispered.

   "What?" Coulson opened his eyes, frowning as May pulled away.

   "Don't make promises you can't keep." May whispered.

   "Promises that I can't keep?" Phil echoed. "I don't-"

   "This baby doesn't tie us together. You're free to go." May said, her heart breaking at her own words. Phil hadn't signed up for this role. He'd been shoved into fatherhood five minutes ago and three months from her due time. She wasn't going to force him into something that he probably didn't want with her.

   "Free to go?" Phil frowned, reaching for awe hand. "No, Mel, I want this."

    May sighed, still looking down. "You don't have to do the-"

   "Noble thing? To hell with that, May. I'm doing this because I love you."

-:x:-

   The morning had been chaotic, figuratively speaking. With Jemma's confirmation that each woman carried her lover's baby, all the agents were trying to figure out what to do. Jemma was ordering all field activity should be prohibited for the pregnant women, but May, Bobbi, Daisy, and Yo-yo all argued that they were perfectly capable of protecting themselves.

   Hunter was dotting all over Bobbi, even though he had only found out the he would be a dad in the last twelve hours.

    Fitz was still shook, staring at Jemma's middle as if it were to stare back every time the scientist was around him. The poor engineer was jumpy at Simmons every request for assistance, and had already been caught reading an article on dealing with hormonal pregnant women.

    Mack was already filing for parental leave, Yo-Yo arguing that she wasn't ready. "I'm a capable human being, Turtle man!" She said.

   Daisy wanted to wait until she went home to Lincoln and broke their news. The inhuman was afraid of her powers, fearing that the natural vibrations that her inhuman genes caused her to emit and handle would be to strenuous on her baby.

    And then there was the hot mess that was Coulson and May.

    The two veteran agents were absolutely freaked out, and Coulson wouldn't shut up or stop asking questions as May answered them with only one word. May wouldn't let him touch her stomach whenever he wanted, saying that he shouldn't get to attached because she didn't know what the future held. 

    Coulson was trying to cook for her, but the specialist wouldn't let him. "We're in this together." Phil said, folding his arms as he leaned against the fridge, trying to persuade May to come to bed.

    "This isn't even your fault." May said, trying to cross her legs as she sat on one of the chairs pulled up to the counter. "It's the 0-8-4's."

    "But that kid is half me, half you. Don't you think that means something?" He begged.

   "I don't want to force you into something that you wanted for Audrey!" May snapped.

   Phil stared at her. "You think that I don't want a baby with you?" He replied, referencing to her stomach, his hands coming to his face.

   "I-" Melinda bit her lip.

   "I used to dream of little babies who looked like you and called me 'Daddy'." Phil admitted to her. "But then you married Andrew, so that was thrown away."

   "See? You don't want that now, don't you." May said.

   "I never said that." Phil responded. "I was just respecting the fact that you were happily married to a man that. Was. Not. Me." Phil said. "So if anything, I should be asking you if you want this."

    He had turned the conversation around in an instant. Now May had to answer.

   "Listen..." Phil sighed, sparing her. Walking forward and setting his hands to the table, he looked up at her, "I've made my decision that I want this." Phil said, closing his eyes. "And if you don't, I'm going to ask you -plead for you- to carry that baby to term so that we can raise them together." He paused. Looking into her eyes, he promised;

     "That or I'll leave SHIELD and raise that kid by myself. With or without you. Because I love you. I love the chance that we're getting, I love-"

    May got up, and walked over. Reaching up to turn his face toward her, May bit back the tears. "Are you sure?"

   "I've never been more sure in my life."

   "What about SHIELD?" May frowned.

   "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

   "You JUST found out about this." May reminded him.

    "And we'll figure it out together." Phil nodded.

   "Together." May echoed his whisper. "together."