#shieldagentkayson

Maria Hill considered SHIELD her family. 

The rookie and junior agents, they were like children, even the ones older than she herself was. The senior agents, they were all cherished as brothers or sisters, cousins maybe, depending on how well she knew them. The much older agents, the remainder of the Howling Commandos, they were what she assumed uncles would be like if she'd ever had any. 

She would never say, and Fury would never hint, that she considered the Director as a father-figure. Luckily he wasn't as evil a bastard as her own father had been.

Then there was Coulson, who'd never fit any of these molds, but had been closer, as befitted the recruiter, the trainer, the partner. 

She was more at home under fire with her agents than she had been in the Marines, more at home than Chicago ever was. 

Some considered her heartless, but then no one ever truly understood how she worked. SHIELD was her family, and betrayals and deaths were that much more of a blow. But she'd also had long practice of hiding her feeling, hiding her thoughts. IT had been a survival trait growing up.

Dean's head whipped around and he had to admit he was delighted by the sight.

Kittens! I love kittens!

Seven o' clock rolled around and Charlie felt herself getting anxious. It wasn't like she was the most reliable babysitter, and this was her first time being asked out of the blue like this. She just hoped nothing got messed up or she took a turn for the bronchial.