Syke and Jemma were sitting at the pool, feet dangling in the water and talking quietly. Coulson had not expected them to become quite as close as they were now seeing as their personalities were so utterly different but seeing them now he was glad about the support the girls gave each other.
"Are you trying to look like a worried father or a creepy middle aged geezer because I don't think creepy is what you should go for as a cover."
May's voice startled him from his thoughts. He had not realised she had sat down next to him or that she had put a glass of wine in front of him. Unsure what to say he took a sip from the glass and looked at the girls once more.
"They are just children Melinda. Degrees and resourcefulness aside they are still just children"
"No they are not, not anymore. They were children when all this started but now all we can hope for is for them to salvage even a bit of their happieness and carelessness. They have seen hell and been cut by betrayal Phil."
She had called him Phil, which meant this was as personal to her as it was to him. What he hated was that she was right.
"There is still hope."Even to his own ears he sounded desperate but he would not allow himself to admit just how little he believed his own words.
When May answered her voice was uncharacteristically soft, reminding him of the May they had left in the ashes of Bahrain.
"We can try to help them find what is lost but we can not protect them from this anymore."
A sigh fell from his lips, "I know May. I just really wish there was more we could do."
Her hand found his on the stem of the glass and for a short moment she squeezed his hand before she stood and walked over towards the girls, a snack Phil had not realised she had had with her, in her hand.