Set after the events of 1x05. After Coulson has dealt with Skye's real reason for joining SHIELD, May deals with her betrayal of the team.
Descending the spiral stairs from Coulson's office, bulky bracelet secured firmly around her wrist, Skye was taken aback to find May leaning against the railing at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed firmly over her chest, dark eyes staring straight into Skye's own.
'A…Agent May' Skye stuttered, her usually quick tongue stilled by the intimidating agent's presence 'why are you here?'
'I think we need to talk' the petite agent replied, her tone neutral, but her eyes glinting dangerously.
With that she took Skye's wrist firmly, and began to lead her down the corridor, towards the reinforced room they called the Cage. Too taken aback by this turn of events to protest, Skye allowed herself to be led, uncharacteristically meek in her surprise.
Quickly reaching the room, May pushed her into the sole chair the room held, choosing herself to sit on the interrogation table, surveying her with eyes which held what Skye was beginning to recognise as thinly veiled anger, mixed with something she couldn't quite identify. Whatever it was, Skye began to feel decidedly uneasy at the uncomfortable silence, and was searching for some way to break it when May finally spoke one short sentence.
'Why Skye?"
Knowing instantly what May was referring to, Skye hung her head, finding this question as difficult to answer as she had only minutes ago in Coulson's office.
'I… I… don't know, it's hard to explain, Miles… Miles was all the family I had for such a long time, and I know I should have told the team, and not tipped him off, but…'
'You felt loyalty to him, you felt your obligation to him was stronger than that to us'
The words came as a surprise to Skye, she hadn't realised that the usually reticent agent was quite so perceptive, but she also realised that she was entirely correct. She did feel loyalty towards SHIELD, towards Coulson and the rest of the team, but in the heat of the moment, forced to choose between the two, she'd ultimately made the wrong choice, choosing Miles, who'd turned out to be so rotten, over the people who she'd started to feel so at home amongst.
'I don't blame you for your loyalty to him, he deceived you just as much as us. What I do blame you for is the choice you made to meet with him behind our backs, to jeopardise a mission by warning a suspect, to betray the trust that Coulson and I placed in you'.
At that Skye reluctantly raised her eyes to meet May's, which suddenly matched the tone of anger that laced her words. Guilty didn't begin to describe how she felt, and she tried to communicate through the glance just how sorry she was and how much she regretted it. When telepathy failed to work, she returned her gaze to the floor, too ashamed to meet May's steady gaze.
After another minute of uneasy silence had passed, May spoke once more.
'I know what I'd do if you were Simmons or Fitz, although they both know better than to behave like you have'
'What... what would you do?" Skye asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
At that question May slipped off the table, suddenly towering over Skye despite her petite frame.
"I'd treat them like their actions called for, I'd spank them'
'May, you can't be serious!' Skye interrupted, leaping out of the chair and attempting to put as much distance between herself and the now apparently irate agent. "They're not… I'm not a child!'
'Do you know how close I came to paddling you right then and there when we found you with Miles? You should count yourself lucky that all Coulson chose to impose on you was that bracelet, believe me he was not far from taking you over his knee himself' May exclaimed, the anger that she had previously been tightly controlled starting to rise to the surface. 'If you wish to remain on this team, then you will have to accept the consequence of your actions, and on this team, if you act like a petulant and selfish child, then you get treated like one. Now if you choose not to accept this then this will never be mentioned again, but I cannot promise you'll be able to regain our trust without atoning for your actions'.
After this outburst from the usually quiet and calm agent, Skye remained rooted to the spot, partially due to the shock of monosyllabic May saying so many words at once, and partly due to the crippling guilt she was now feeling at having betrayed the team and disappointed both Coulson and May so deeply. She now began to realise how much she cared that she had disappointed the two people who had begun to seem almost like parental figures in her mind.
'I… I'm scared May'
"And so you should be, it will hurt" May retorted, her tone harsh. Then, seeing how scared and penitent Skye looked she softened her hard gaze slightly, adding in an altogether different, almost maternal tone "but afterwards all this will be behind you".
With that, she beckoned Skye over towards her, her body language making it clear that she would accept no argument from her young ward.
Reluctantly Skye crossed the room, coming to a halt just in front of May. Before she could put up any other kind of resistance, May took hold of her wrist with one hand, and with the other pulled down the young women's jeans. Before Skye could protest, she found herself pulled face down over May's lap, with a strong hand placed on the small of her back to keep her in place.
'Tell me why you're here Skye"
'Because I betrayed the team, I lied to all of you, I helped Miles when I knew he was a suspect, because… because I abused your trust'
Satisfied with this summation of the young woman's crimes, May raised her hand and brought it down hard on Skye's small bottom, with a loud stinging SLAP.
Shocked at how much even the first swat hurt, Skye gasped with pain, but this didn't stop May from raining down an onslaught of forceful swats on Skye's vulnerable behind.
'You.. SWAT… will never… SWAT… deceive us… SWAT… like that again Skye, do you hear me?
'Owww yes May, I promise!" Skye fervently agreed, amazed at how much pain she was already feeling from the steady punishment.
Seemingly not swayed by her charges loud yelps May continued the onslaught of steady swats to Skye's rapidly reddening behind, making sure every inch was painted a deep pink, before moving on.
The pain began to get too much, and Skye flung back her hand to try and prevent the steady swats. All this accomplished was her hand being pinned to the small of her back and her black underwear being yanked down to her knees with an admonishing 'Bad girl, you deserve this'.
It was clear to Skye that May was taking this infraction very seriously, something that was only made clearer when after a solid few minutes of punishment she felt herself be shifted forward, allowing May to apply strong swats to her thighs.
SWAT SWAT SWAT SWAT
May kept up a steady tempo of swats to the extremely delicate area for another few minutes, until the entirety of her behind was painted a deep red.
Skye could no longer bear it, crying out 'please May, it hurts so much'
While inside May was finding it hard to keep going, she knew that Skye needed this, not just as consequence but to help absolve her guilt, so she simply replied, punctuating her words with another round of forceful swats 'I know, and next time you're tempted to lie, you'll remember this'.
At this latest round of swats, Skye finally let go, lying limply over May's lap, finally content to accept whatever more May felt she deserved, consumed by waves of sobbing, both from the pain of the punishment, and at being able to let go of the guilt she had felt.
Noting this approvingly, May continued spanking for another thirty seconds, before stopping altogether and reaching into her pocket for the implement she had brought with her.
'I'm proud of you Skye, you've taken this well, but I never want you to forget how this feels. Ten swats with this and we're done'.
With that, before Skye could glimpse what she was holding, May brought the wooden hairbrush down hard on Skye's abused posterior ten times in quick succession
SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK
Skye cried out, loud enough that even through the Cage's soundproofing she could be heard in the adjacent lab, and May dropped the brush to the ground, soothing Skye's burning rear end with a maternal hand.
'I'm so sorry May!' Skye sobbed 'I never meant to deceive the team, or betray your trust'
'I know Skye', May replied 'and that's all been paid for now, you shouldn't dwell on your actions, just on how to prevent them in the future'. Grinning slightly she added 'and please do because if you think you're sore now, you don't want to know how you'll feel if there's a repeat'.
At that Skye shuddered, but allowed May to draw her to her feet, wincing as she replaced first her panties and then her jeans, which suddenly felt all too tight against her burning behind.
Turning embarrassed eyes to May once more she said, 'the others, what will they think?'
May smiled wryly and replied 'they'll think you've been spanked, it will probably help them forgive you, you're not the first agent on this team to be punished like that!'
Comforted by that assertion, but also with her curiosity piqued, Skye allowed May to lead her from a room once more. This time she found herself being led to her bunk, to be tucked into bed, carefully avoiding her sensitive posterior, to sleep more soundly than she had in weeks, exhausted from her ordeal and with all vestiges of guilt eradicated.
A satisfied May slipped out of the room once she was sure Skye was asleep, visiting Coulson only to report that: 'I've dealt with it, and I think eventually that you'll be right, she wants to do the right thing, she could make a decent agent'.
Leaving the room once more before she could hear the inevitable 'I told you so', she left behind a smiling Coulson, keenly aware that this dysfunctional family may be gaining one more member.