It had been a long few weeks aboard the bus, and the team was looking forward to a few days off. So they parked the bus in an airport hangar and took their black SUV to the nearest town. It was small town, on the edge of a city somewhere in California. It was late, or early, and they were all stumbling down the street looking for a place to sleep or somewhere to eat.
"Oh look, a diner!" Skye pointed with her free hand to an awning a few doors down, and sped up to see if it was open. "It's open! And look at the name!" she called back to the team, and the girl in her arms shifted at the noise.
"Mommy, are we there yet," she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Were just stopping for something to eat Juliette, are you hungry?" Skye asked the girl. She nodded and laid her head back on her mother's shoulder.
"What a coincidence," Trip smiled as he held open the door with the gold lettering Skye's Diner printed across it.
A bell chimed as they entered the diner, causing the woman sitting at the front to look up and smile. She stepped forward with a smile on her face, pushing her dark hair over her shoulder.
The six of them stepped forward into the diner's bright light.
"I hope it's not too late," said Coulson, "We could really use some food."
"Of course," the woman smiled, "I'm Rose, and I'll be your waitress for the night."
She led them to a long window booth, and they sat, Fitz and Simmons and Trip on one side, and Coulson, May, Skye and Juliette on the other, the last immediately curling up and laying her head on her mother's lap. Skye sighed, looking down at her daughter, remembering back on the past few years.
…
"So, I'm pregnant." She announced to them at breakfast one day, not wanting it to be a secret. "I understand if you guys are disappointed in me." She looked down at the floor, hands held over her stomach. She didn't regret anything, but couldn't help but think maybe she should have.
"Never," Coulson said, standing, "we'll always be here for you." He paused, "Do you want us to try and find him?"
"No," she looked up, "He made his decision. I want to respect it. I don't regret it, and maybe someday…someday I'll find him. But he deserves some peace." It was true what she thought. Grant did deserve peace after everything.
"Okay," Coulson said softly.
She sat down at the table, and reached for the toast.
…
"I've got it!" she shouted, hand going to her stomach. She was nine months pregnant, and hadn't thought of a name yet. Well, until now.
"Juliette, her name is Juliette."
"Why Juliette," asked May sitting down next to her. Shoot, she hadn't thought she'd need to explain why.
"Well," she started, "I had an abortion. When I was sixteen, I had already left the orphanage a year earlier, but I went back. I was scared and didn't know what to do. The mother superior told me if I had an abortion I would never be welcome back there. But I did, I didn't feel like I had another option. Anyway, I went back, and packed my stuff. One of the older nuns, Sister Juliette she pulled me aside, and told me god would always be with me." She cut off, choking back tears. "I don't believe in god, but she did. She believed a lot. And the fact that she thought that her god, was watching over me, even if in his eyes I had sinned, it meant a lot."
She smiled up at all of them, "Plus there's the whole tragic love story thing there."
…
"I am going to find him, and I am going to kill him!" she screamed, holding the sides of the hospital bed. "This hurts so damn much!"
"Just one more, Skye" the nurse said.
She screamed and pushed, falling back onto the bed as crying filled the air.
"Jesus," she said.
"You did good, sweetheart," May said from beside her.
The nurse placed her daughter in her arms, and dark eyes look up at her.
"She has his eyes," she says, smiling up at May and Jemma.
"Name?" a nurse asks.
"Juliette Jemma May Ward," she says, looking down at her perfect daughter.
…
"Juliette Jemma May Ward," she calls, and the tiny three years old skips into view.
"I thought you wanted to go to the park?"
"Yay, park!" her daughter launches herself into her arms.
…
"Would you like a refill?" the waitress, Rose is back, knocking Skye out of her memories. She smiles and nods and the waitress refills her iced tea.
"I was just wondering, about the name of this place," she muses, eyes on Rose.
"Oh Skye's? Yeah my brother actually named it."
"This is a family place?" asks Coulson.
"Yeah me and Dana, that's my little brother, we started it up. My older brother, he came around when were just starting. He asked if he could name it. It's after a girl he knew."
"A girl?" Trip asks, "She break his heart?"
Rose smiles, "From what I heard, it was the other way around."
"Really?" Simmons asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, but he didn't say much about her. Sad really, he said that she'd probably never see this place anyway."
"I think it's sweet," says Fitz.
"Do you know anything about her?" May asked casually.
"No I don't think- hey Dana," she calls and a man about thirty walks in, and Skye swears he looks familiar. "Do we know anything about the Skye girl?"
"Uhh, she doesn't have a last name?" he says it like a question before disappearing again.
"Yeah, he said she didn't have a last name, that's all really. Its funny people ask me about the name all the time, and I've never been able to tell them much. Grant was never much of a talker."
Down the seat from her, Coulson chokes on his water. None of them give any other indication that this name is familiar to them, other than straightening up the slightest, and Skye sees Jemma's eyes widen and May's gaze slides towards her.
She feels her heart beat faster and her hand in her daughter's hair tighten just slightly. Five years of wondering fly by in her mind, and she shakes herself, brining herself back to the present.
She doesn't know why she asks it, but she does.
"Do you serve pancakes this time of night?" She tries to keep her face even, like this is a normal question, and can see Coulson turn his eyes towards her, too.
Rose face falls, "Sorry, no, but come back tomorrow. My older brother makes the best pancakes on the face of the earth.
"I'm sure he does," her voice is nothing more than a whisper. "Excuse me," she says getting up from the table.
She turns on the tap in the bathroom, letting the water run over her hands before she lifts it to her face. She looks at her reflection in the mirror and sighs. She looks down at the sink and takes a deep breath, trying to hold back the swarm of emotions attacking her.
When May opens the bathroom door, she can't help but into burst into tears. She stays there clutching the sink, while May puts her hand on her back, until the tears have left her. She wipes her eyes on her sleeve, and turns, offering May and weak smile. May puts her hand on her shoulder, and they walk back to the table.
The food arrives and Skye stares at her plate, trying to connect the food in front of her with the hands that must have placed it there, hands that she once held. They eat quickly, tiredly, but Skye cannot help but keep glancing back towards the door to the kitchen, waiting for the door to swing open, though she's not sure she wants it to.
She not sure if she's ready for that.
Juliette wakes up and starts drawing with the crayons that Rose had left for her. When Rose comes back with their part of the check, Juliette holds up the paper.
"Look, I wrote my name!" excitedly holding up the paper, that has Juliette Ward written across it in sloppy red crayon. Skye smiles and picks her daughter up and she can see Rose's eyes widen for a second.
"Thank you, Rose, we'll definitely be back tomorrow for pancakes."
"I didn't catch your name," she says and Skye guesses they all introduced themselves when she was in the bathroom.
She could lie, she supposes, but she decides that it's time to face the music.
"It's Skye," she says, "No last name." Rose's eyes widen and Skye can see her swallow, and both their eyes fly back to the kitchen doors; Rose's as a question, hers as an affirmation. "And you'll be back tomorrow?" she whispers it as a question.
"We'll be back tomorrow," says Skye before walking out into the cool night.
They walk down the street in silence, finding a little hotel three doors down from the diner. They check into rooms, making sure they all have keys to each other's rooms just in case, and Skye tucks Juliette into bed when she hears a light knock on the door. She opens it to find May on the other side, and silently lets her into the room. They sit in the tiny kitchenette, away from where Juliette is sleeping. Skye wordlessly makes them both teas, placing the hotels green tea bags in each mug before handing one to May.
They sit in silence like that, for a while. Skye looks down at her mug and taps her fingers on the china. Even after all these years, she can't sit still like May. Or Grant, her mind tells her. She flashes back to the look of Rose's face when she found out her identity; surprise, shock hope. It makes her wonder if he told her more than just her name, and Rose didn't want to tell a group of complete strangers about her brother's life. The thought that Rose was protecting him makes her smile.
"You should get some sleep," she hears May say, placing her mug down before walking to the door.
"Long day tomorrow," she says, and then disappears.
Skye sighs, retreating to her bed. Se closes her eyes, and dreams.
"So you're leaving?" she's standing on the cargo ramp, hands resting on the punching bag, eyeing him warily. It seem fitting they say goodbye here, in the place where they began. Looking at him now, she can hardly connect it with the man who used to stand across the punching bag from her, the one who taught her how her the basics of being a field agent.
"Yes," he says, dropping his bag next to Lola and walking towards her. "I can't be here anymore. I know you say you forgive me, and maybe you do, but I just can't- I can't be a part of this life anymore."
"Okay," she says, and its simple, but it's all she can say. She understands why he's leaving, doesn't mean she has to like it. Something is gnawing at her, so she speaks, though she's afraid of his answer.
"Do you regret it?"
She gets her answer as soon as she says it, because the look of absolute destruction on his face is reminiscent of the one he gave her in this exact pot, except she was chained the staircase and doubting his feelings for her.
He approaches, gently placing his hands on her face. "Don't ever think I could regret us," and he places a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he is gone, picking up his bag and disappearing down the cargo ramp without looking back.
She understands. If he'd turned around, he wouldn't have been able to leave.
Three weeks later she runs to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth, and she knows.
…
She awakes with a start, and the constant sensation of the bed bouncing next to her explains her sudden consciousness.
"Mommy, mommy, mommy, wake up, wake up, wake up," Juliette is a ball of energy at only six thirty in the morning, a trait she'd gotten from her father.
Reaching out, she wraps her arms around her daughter, who curls into her side, and then, when Juliette has snuggled in, she begins her attack.
Trip, who had been walking down the hall to the fitness room, had heard the scream, and grabbing his key to Skye's room he quickly bursts in before realizing what was going on.
Skye and Juliette were rolling around on her bed, as Skye tickled her, and she shrieked with laughter. A second later the door burst open and Skye was momentarily distracted reaching for a weapon, only for Juliette to escape from her grasp and run to the person there, Trip.
"Uncle Trip, help," Juliette stumbled over, laughing, "The tickle monster is attacking."
"Well that's too bad because I am also the tickle monster!" Trip picked up his niece, proceeding to tickle her also as he carried her over to Skye. He plopped her back down on the bed.
"Nice hair," he said to Skye, who was currently trying to tame the mess it had become.
"Shut up," she mouthed sighing, "I need to shower, can you watch her?"
"Yay, Uncle Trip!" Juliette screamed, throwing herself at Trip. Trip caught her, lifting her up. "Sure thing girl, big day today," he winked; she threw a pillow at him.
"Why is it a big day today mommy," said Juliette from her Uncles arms.
"Mommy's going to take a shower, baby, you're going to play with Uncle Trip, and when everyone is up, were going to get pancakes."
"Yay pancakes!" Juliette shouted as Trip carried her out of the room, forgetting all about her previous question.
Half an hour later Skye was putting on her bracelets when Trip came back holding Juliette.
"Nice outfit," he said, taking noted of her leggings and blue plaid shirt, "Reminiscing?"
Skye smiled in response.
An hour later the team was assembled in front of the hotel, Skye taking Juliette's hand as they walked down the street towards the diner. Skye ran her hand over the gold lettering before pushing open the door.
"Oh thank god," Rose's voice sounded from the hostess booth, and she walked up to them. She sat them at the same table they had been at the night before, though the diner was a little more crowded.
Rose motioned for an older woman to come over. "This is Mary; she'll be your waitress." She introduced them each, pausing before Skye's name.
"…And this is Skye, and her daughter."
Mary smiled, "we're so happy you're here Skye darling," she bent down to Juliette's height, and what is your name sweetheart?"
"My name is Juliette Jemma May Ward and I am four years old!" the little girl declared.
Mary smiled. "I can take your drink orders now everyone," she turned to Skye, "if you go through the kitchen and up the stairs, it's the first door on your right."
"Am I allowed in the kitchen?" she said, anxiety and excitement swirling inside her.
"Hun, you go anywhere in this town, the bakery, the bookstore, the pet shop, even the gas station, and tell them your name, and you'll be treated like royalty."
She looked around the table uncertainly, but all she saw were encouraging looks. Removing the napkin from her lap, she stood up, "Okay then."
Mary smiled and put a hand on her shoulder briefly, before turning back to the table.
Skye stepped into the kitchen and was briefly taken aback by the loud sound of music and shouting. She quickly scanned the room, not seeing the face she was looking for. One of the cooks at the stove spotted her.
"Hey lady, no customers back here!"
She turned to the man at the stove who had called her out, "My name is Skye," she said, now unsure if it would work. But the effect was instant, even the music shut off. The man straightened up and looked at her with some kind of reverence.
"Straight up the stairs, Miss Skye, first door on the right."
They stood like soldiers as she passed, only when she reached the stairs did the music turn back on, lower than it had been before.
She walked slowly up the stairs until she reached the top. She knocked in the first door on the right.
A voice in inside shouted, Come in!" and she had to grab the railing to keep from collapsing under the memories. Downstairs the music had been turned back to its regular volume. Shaking her head clear, she took a deep breath before pushing open the door.
She pushed the door open stepping inside, but kept her hand on the door knob, hoping it would keep her steady as all her air left her body.
He was sitting at a desk, looking down at a paper, before beginning to talk.
"What can I do for-"he looked up, and started to open and close his mouth, unable to make any sound come out. They stood like that for a full two minutes, staring at each other in awe.
Skye stepped forward, eyes never leaving his, and stood behind the chair on the other side of his desk, bracing herself with its back.
"Hi." She decided that was good place to start.
"Hi." He said, rising from his chair, and motioning to the couch on one side of his office. Skye let her legs bring her there sitting down next to him, legs turned towards him. Somehow, his hands found hers, and they sat there in silence, looking down at their conjoined hands.
"Hi." She said again after a while, "I- um- how are you?"
"I'm good," he replied, never taking his eyes off hers. "It's nice here."
"Yeah," she said softly.
"How did you find me," his voice was quiet, no longer gravelly from the damage to his larynx, but also nothing like the strong commanding voice of her old S.O.
"We weren't looking," was her quiet reply, "we just landed you know, drove to the nearest town, found a diner that said my name, thought it was cool, came in last night, asked your sister why it was named Skye's, you know, put the pieces together." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper as she told him this.
"Rose?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's nice. Nearly had a heart attack when she figured out who I was, and the kitchen staff looked at me like I was the sun."
"You are the sun to me" he said, wrapping his hands more firmly around hers.
She smiled, "I know."
"I uh- I have to tell you something."
She felt him tense for a second before letting it go. "Okay" he whispered. She slipped one of her hands out of his and reached for her phone, turning the screen on.
"You have daughter," she heard him choke on his breath, and she turned the picture of her and Juliette towards him. "She's four years old and her name's Juliette Jemma May Ward."
He carefully took the phone from her, running his finger over the picture. He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.
"Do you regret it?" he repeated the words she had spoken five years ago back to her.
She shook her head, and curled up beside, him so her head was resting under his chin. "The first time I held her was the first time I thought- you know- may be all this- growing up in an orphanage, feeling unwanted, getting shot, everything with hydra- maybe it had all been worth it, because I had her."
He smiled down at her, placing a kiss on her forehead, "I am so in love with you."
She smiled, "I know," she repeated.
"We read your file," she felt him stiffen again, "everything about your family and Garrett, and I just wanted to say," she paused turning so she was facing him and she could look into his eyes, "I am so sorry for the things I said to you. I'm sorry I called you a serial killer and a Nazi. I'm sorry I told you that you should have run faster. I'm sorry I used what you told me about your family against you. I was angry and hurt and I didn't know how to react."
She could feel tears running down her face, and he pressed her into his chest before pulling back to wipe away her tears.
"You said someday I would understand. Well, I do."
He smiled.
"I'm sorry, too. For betraying you. For working for the same man who got you shot. For not telling you the truth. For chaining you to the staircase. For telling you how I felt, I know it scared you. I'm sorry."
Skye smiled, pulling him down until their foreheads rested against each other's.
"I forgave you a long time ago for all that, Grant."
"I know," his voice was still quiet, "I just had to say it again."
"Well that was the last time. No more apologies, okay?"
He smiled, "Alright."
They sat there a long time, curled up next to each other; hands clasped together, eyes closed.
A quiet knock made them both look up, towards the door as it was pushed open to reveal Mary and Juliette.
"This little one wanted her momma, I figured I'd bring her up," Mary explained as Juliette bounded over, and Mary left, closing the door.
"Who's that," she asked, staring at Grant, who was looking at her with wide eyes.
"That's your daddy," Skye explained, not wanting to hide anything from her daughter.
Juliette eyes grew wide and she let out a squeal that made them both flinch. She bounded over to them, squeezing herself into the miniscule space between them, looking up at Grant and wrapping her arms as far as they would go around his chest.
"Hi daddy," said, eyes big a shining with happiness.
"Hi princess," he said and she squealed again, turning towards Skye. "Daddy says I'm his princess."
"I heard baby." Skye's eyes were full of tears again as she wrapped her arms around the both of them.
"Can we go downstairs again, mommy? I'm hungry."
Skye smiled down at her. "Of course," she said, picking Juliette of the couch and holding her in one of her arms, and reaching the other towards Grant, "Want to go face the music?"
He smiled and took her hand, and held the door open for them as they exited the room.
The music was full blast in the kitchen, and the staff didn't bother turning it down when they emerged. One of the cooks shouted something unintelligible at them excitedly while they passed through the crowded area. Skye pushed open the swinging door that led to the main room of the diner.