Title: Hawaii
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Philinda, Skyeward, Fitzsimmons, Huntingbird, & Clintasha with Trip, Sharon, Kate, & the grandbabies
Summary: In which Melinda has accepted her role as grandma and someone elopes.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: I'm 100% convinced Philinda are going to elope to Hawaii this season.
"What have I told you about biting your nails?" Melinda snapped as she strode by Skye, heading for the coffee.
Skye quickly hid her hand by sitting on it and mumbled an apology.
Melinda began to pour herself a cup of coffee and stopped when she realized Skye wasn't usually the one she yelled at about the nail biting. No, that was Jemma. Skye's nervous tick was playing with things, tapping on furniture, toying with her hair, all around fidgeting; anything to keep her hands busy. Instead she was now bouncing and tapping her foot while paying far too much attention to her soggy bowl of cereal.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Skye cried; her voice far too high. Her eyes went wild for a moment and before Ward could enter the kitchen she was dragging him out of it snapping that they needed to talk.
Melinda pinched the bridge of her nose, a migraine already forming.
It was way too early in the morning for this shit.
"Phil!" She called, pushing the door open to his office without knocking. She was prepared to yell at him but froze in her tracks instead.
"What in the hell are you doing?"
There was a toddler strapped to his chest, another dressed in a tutu, and she was pretty sure he was wearing rogue on his cheeks.
He didn't look like the director of an underground spy organization; he looked ridiculous.
"Hold on, Lin, I'm very busy with important business."
"You're brushing a toddler's hair," she replied tersely, wondering when the base had become an actual playground.
"I'm a pretty princess, Grandma!" Peggy announced happily from where she sat on Phil's desk. Phil turned to grab a tiara from his chair as baby Hunter swung his legs happily from his Bjorn while trying to grab his own toes.
A smile tugged at her lips as she crossed her arms. "Yes, you are."
Hunter pouted and a loud whine filled the air as he lost hold of his foot. He stared up at Phil, the big eyes he'd inherited from Bobbi filling with tears. "Papa, toes."
"Grandpa! My tiara's crooked!"
Phil looked overwhelmed for a moment, unsure of which child to tend to first, so Melinda decided to save him; their usual routine.
"Come here, handsome," she cooed, lifting Hunter from his restraints. She held his back against her chest so he could grab at his toes to his heart's content. He grinned gummily at her upon finally catching hold of them before shoving his foot into his mouth.
Just like his father, this one.
"Mum Mum, toes!"
"That's right, Hunter, toes," she cooed, humoring him.
"When will he learn a new word, Phil?" She asked, turning her attention to her idiot lover.
"Jemma says he's very advanced for his age," he replied proudly.
Melinda stared down at the baby who was now trying to stick his other foot into his mouth.
As much as she loved him she highly doubted that information was correct. Then again, she only had Peggy to compare him to and Peggy was an actual genius.
"Phil, we need to talk about your daughter," Melinda said, changing the subject to the reason why she'd come to find him in the first place.
"Which one?"
Melinda sighed. "Skye.
You do know the rest of them aren't really ours, right?"
He ignored her and she shook her head, wondering why she loved this idiot man.
"There you go, princess; all done." Phil kissed the tip of Peggy's nose and lifted her up so he could set her on the ground. She smiled up at him happily and gave a twirl in her dress.
"What do you think, Grandpa?"
"I think you're the most beautiful girl in the entire universe," he replied happily.
Oh yes, that was why.
Peggy gasped. "Even more than Auntie Skye?"
"Oh yes; and I think that she would agree."
Peggy beamed and threw her arms around his middle. "I love you!"
"I love you too. Now go show mommy how pretty you look in your new outfit."
Peggy gave Melinda a drive-by kiss on the cheek as she ran out of the room screaming for her mother.
Melinda sat on the edge of Phil's desk, bouncing baby Hunter in her lap, and allowing him play with the ends of her hair. He seemed to have given up his foot quest in favor of eating the long strands.
"What did my baby do now?" He asked, reaching for his coffee.
Melinda rolled her eyes. Skye was far from being a baby, but he would never see it that way.
"I think she let Ward knock her up," Melinda replied bluntly, thinking it best not to sugarcoat it.
Phil began choking on his drink and she did nothing to help him. As far as she was concerned this was his fault. He'd adopted a bunch of agents (literally in Skye's case) and it was his fatherly approval that had allowed this to happen. If she'd had her way Skye would have killed Ward when she'd shot him; instead they were shacking up.
And she was ninety-nine percent sure she'd caught a glimpse of an engagement ring on her daughter's finger. The thought of her marrying Ward made Melinda desperately crave a drink. But she couldn't have a drink because Phil no longer allowed alcohol in the base because of all of the children the other kids couldn't stop making.
They were agents of nappies these days, not agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"SKYE!"
Melinda made a face as Phil's voice rang through her ears. Hunter began to whine and Melinda sighed.
"Me too, buddy."
At least their baby would be cute, Melinda tried to assure herself. Grant Ward had to eventually be good for something; even if it was this.
At least she'd get an adorable grandchild out of him.
Skye appeared and a moment later Ward materialized behind her. "Yes, daddy?" She asked innocently, batting her eyes but for once Phil wasn't falling for it.
"Skye, do you have something to tell me?"
"Uh, well-you see…"
Ward took her hand and led her into the room. "Sir, I know I don't deserve her but Skye's agreed to marry me."
Melinda would have been impressed by his take-charge attitude had it not been accompanied by fearful looks in her direction. Sure, she'd been amused by the constant state of terror he'd been in when in her presence since Skye had taken him back (after all, he wouldn't screw up if he was afraid for his life), but now? He was going to be someone's father; it was time to be a man.
"Oh God, you are pregnant," Phil whined, covering his face with his hands. "You are…how…you couldn't wait to get married before you let him defile you?"
Melinda found his little outburst to be more than a little over-dramatic. It wasn't as if either one of them had delusions about Skye's virginity; had he forgotten about Miles?
Skye sputtered angrily, her cheeks puffing up along with her chest. "Excuse me but not being married doesn't stop you from letting mom climb on top of you!"
"Hey! I get on top too!"
Skye made a face. "That is so…THAT IS NOT THE POINT!"
"FINE! I'LL MARRY HER RIGHT NOW!"
"GOOD! I'D PAY TO SEE YOU FINALLY BE A MAN!"
They could go on like this for hours so Ward stepped in to calm them both. "Sir, Skye isn't pregnant. We're just-" He paused at the guilty look on Skye's face. "Skye?"
Melinda set Hunter down in his playpen and shoved both men aside before the waterworks started. She knew Skye well enough to know when she was about to begin blubbering through tears and snot.
"Sweetheart?" Melinda took Skye's face in her hands in an attempt to calm her. "Talk to me."
Skye hiccupped through her tears and began rambling. "I was going to tell you when I found out but then…I'm just so scared," she admitted. "I don't know how to be someone's mom! And I knew dad would freak out and you'd freak out and I'm not ready for this! And then Ward asked me to marry him and I thought maybe we could get married right away and I could pretend it happened after so dad wouldn't freak out then I couldn't decide who to tell first and oh God, I don't even know if Ward wants this! I can't handle being responsible for keeping another human being alive! I'm going to be terrible at this!"
Melinda pulled Skye against her chest and ran her fingers through her hair. "Breathe, baby girl, breathe."
"I can't do this," Skye whispered, clinging to Melinda.
"Yes, you can," Melinda replied. She kissed the top of Skye's head and pulled away so she could meet her eyes.
"All it takes to be a good mother is to love your child unconditionally, to put her first, and to learn from your mistakes. You're the most loving, nurturing person I know, Skye. Your baby will be lucky to have you."
"I don't know what I'm doing."
"You and every other parent in the world; none of us knows what we're doing."
"I'm scared," Skye whispered, looking much younger than she actually was.
"You should be," Melinda assured. "I'd be worried if you weren't.
And I was too. It wasn't like I had a warning with you. I never planned on being anyone's mom and then you came along and scared the hell out of me. I tried to fight it for so long but," Melinda cupped Skye's cheeks with a smile. "You were always meant to be mine. And it's terrifying, loving another person that much. I didn't know how to handle it so I pushed you away.
Nothing can prepare you for the moment when you become a mother but when it happens you're going to embrace it and you're going to be amazing, baby girl. I believe in you. And you won't be alone. This baby is going to be so loved and well-cared for. You're already off to a great start."
Skye sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "I already love her so much; I didn't know I could love anyone like this and I haven't even met her yet."
"See, you're already a good mother."
Skye sobbed and hugged Melinda tightly.
"Your baby will never go through what you did, Skye. She is always going to know she's loved and she's going to have a family and she's going to be kept safe. She's already better off than most of the children in this world. You and Ward can give her everything you didn't have growing up. Think about that when you feel overwhelmed.
And I will be here every step of the way, okay?"
Skye nodded. "Thanks, mom."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
"I'm going to be a grandpa," Phil muttered, as if realizing what Skye being pregnant meant.
Skye turned and wiped her eyes as she nodded. "You're already a grandpa, but yes."
He smiled. "I guess letting Ward have S-E-X with you is okay if it means another baby."
Melinda glanced at Hunter who had a stuffed monkey shoved into his mouth and knew he was smart enough to know what that spelled. She also knew his parents had probably engaged in it in front of him on numerous occasions. Whose sensibilities did Phil think he was catering to? The baby's or his own?
"I'm going to be a dad?"
They'd all forgotten about Ward and they turned to find him looking stunned.
Skye approached him with a frown. "Are you mad? I'm sorry I didn't-"
Ward closed the gap between then before she could finish and his kiss drowned out her words. Hunter giggled at the sight of his aunt and uncle making out or maybe it was because his uncle was full on crying when he pulled away.
"We're having a baby?"
The poor idiot was still stunned.
Skye still had tears in her own eyes and she nodded, unable to speak.
"Yeah," she managed to choke out.
Ward fell to his knees and hugged her around the middle, pressing his face to her stomach. "I love you so much, little one, and I promise I will keep you safe," he whispered through tears. He kissed the barely visible bump and plastered his hands over it. "You're going to be perfect, just like your mama."
Melinda knew they were intruding and once Skye began shaking with sobs she plucked Hunter from his pen and pulled Phil out of the room.
"We need to plan the we-"
"Not now, Phil. Give the kids some time alone."
He tried to protest but she was stronger than he was.
"Come on, let's give Hunter back to his parents and then we can discuss this wedding business." He would insist on something over-the-top and Melinda would make sure to talk him down. She knew Skye didn't need a real wedding, she'd be fine with just signing a piece of paper, but she'd do it for Ward.
Now, how to talk Phil into something simple?
"Baby girl, you may now kiss your man." Trip announced and Skye did just that, flinging herself at Ward.
Melinda met Phil's eyes with a smirk, still amazed he'd managed to not only pull this off in three days but that he'd talked Skye into getting married on a beach in Hawaii.
He'd promised Melinda a vacation but this hadn't been what she'd had in mind.
But with the smile on Skye's face she didn't care; all of their kids were happy so she was happy.
Trip and Phil shared a smirk as Ward pulled Skye to the side. Melinda's stomach dropped as she realized they were all up to something.
Skye smiled against Ward's chest. "Sorry, he made us promise to let it be a surprise."
"Melinda-"
"Oh God," she muttered, horrified when Phil got on one knee.
"Is that a 'yes'? Because I'm tired of not being married to you and Trip is ordained…"
"You're an idiot."
Even though only the kids were in attendance (Tony was going to whine for weeks when he found out there was a wedding he missed) she was still red in the face. Phil knew how much she hated being the center of attention.
"Yes, get up," she said quickly, wanting to get this over with. She'd eloped to one of those drive-thru chapels the first time around so her palms were sweaty at the thought of having to do this for real and with an audience (no matter how much she loved Phil).
Phil kissed her once he got to his feet and she couldn't help but smile; maybe she had the bride gene after all.
Or maybe she was just stupidly in love with this man who she couldn't bear to lose again.
"I'll make this quick so she doesn't hurt me," Trip began.
"Good idea," Melinda said, still smiling as Phil held her close.
An hour she was pressed to Phil's chest while they swayed to the jazz music playing on the speakers. The bus was parked on the same remote beach where they double-wedding had taken place and tiki torches lit their small party.
"Can I have a dance, Grandpa?"
Melinda glanced down to find their doe-eyed little angel staring up at him.
"Why, of course."
Phil took her hands and placed her feet on his but she pouted. "I want to be tall like you!"
He chuckled and hoisted her up so he was carrying her. "How's this?"
She frowned haughtily. "Not much better but it will do."
Melinda wrapped her arms around them both and kissed Peggy's temple. "You're such a brat," she teased, glancing around to see what the others were up to.
Fitz and Simmons were wrapped up in kissing (and basically dry-humping). Bobbi clutched Hunter to her chest while Lance held her from behind, smiling up at his son who looked happier than Phil with a new toy to be dancing with his mother. Clint and Nat were in the sand, pressed against a tree doing things Phil would yell at them for if he caught them. Trip, Sharon, & Kate were having a dance party of their own using one of their phones for the music.
And in the middle of it all Skye and Ward were lost in their own little world.
Skye's cheek was pressed over his heart, he held her close, and Melinda could tell they weren't aware of anyone else.
She hated to admit it but they were perfect for each other. Skye loved him and he made her happy.
It was time for Melinda to forgive him.
Plus, he was giving her another grandchild, proving he was useful.
"Grandma," Peggy said through a stifled yawn, "can we have more cake?"
"No, I think it's past someone's bedtime."
"Princesses don't-" another yawn, "have bedtimes."
Phil smiled and bopped her nose with his finger. "This princess does. Come on, I'll tuck you in and Grandma will tell you a story."
"I got this," Kate said, appearing from nowhere.
Melinda smiled proudly. It took a lot of talent to sneak up on her.
"Are you sure?"
Kate took Peggy from Phil with a scoff. "Boss man, please, it's your wedding night. You should be making babies, not taking care of them," she teased with a wink.
"Grandma can't have babies anymore," Peggy said through a yawn while still managing to sound just like Jemma.
Kate smirked. "Yes, well, they can still try."
"That means they're going to have sex-"
"Okay, come on, girls, before the vein in the boss' head explodes." Trip interrupted, ushering the girls towards the bus.
"Does this mean Auntie Nat and Uncle Clint are making a baby?"
Melinda caught Phil in a kiss before he could go into full 'dad' mode and Nat and Clint were smart enough to move it into the trees. By the time they came up for air there was nothing left for him to complain about and she'd pretty much rendered him speechless.
"I think I was mad about something but I forgot what it was," he mumbled, his eyes fixated on her lips.
"No, you were about to take me back to your office so we could consummate this marriage."
Phil licked his lips. "Yes, well, if you insist."
Melinda took his hand and pulled him towards the bus, stopping to catch one last look at their baby girl.
Sure, their little team was their family and they were all their kids but Skye was theirs.
"She's beautiful."
Melinda agreed.
Skye glanced up and gave them a smile before returning her attention to her husband.
"We did well, right? I mean…look at her. At all of them."
She knew what he meant. She thought back to that girl they'd pulled out of the van and a smile came to her lips. They'd done more than well. They'd built a real family and it was all because of Skye.
"She's perfect.
Now, about that baby making thing-"
His eyes lit up for a moment before he realized they weren't twenty-two anymore. "We can't-"
"No, but Kate's right; we can still try."
Phil smirked. "I like the way you think, Mrs. Coulson."
Melinda snorted as she pulled him up the ramp by his tie. "Oh, Director May, you're hilarious."