Title: We Won't Turn Our Backs
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Characters: May, Skye, & Coulson; mild Philinda
Summary: "I won't turn my back on you, Skye. Whatever happens, we're in this together."
Warnings: Spoilers from the sneak peeks.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: I love these dumb babies so much.
Skye lingered in the doorway, being careful to not touch anything but herself. It was dangerous for her to even be here. She should leave; get away from them all for their own good but she couldn't help the need to look in on May. Her mentor, the woman who was the closest thing she'd ever had to a mother, had almost died today and as much as Skye wanted to run she couldn't abandon her; not now.
The floor beneath her vibrated and Skye jumped back in terror.
She'd already killed one person that she loved this week; she didn't need to make it two.
"Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to come in?"
The lamp above Skye shattered as she jumped in surprise.
When she turned back to May she expected to find her eyes open but she still looked dead asleep and Skye wondered if she was now imagining things.
"Come in here before you destroy everything, Skye." The corners of May's lips turned up and she cracked open one eye.
May should be afraid of her but here she was, smiling at her in amusement.
Skye's body vibrated as she began to cry.
"Hey, come here." May lifted the blanket on her good side and gave the bed a pat. Skye hesitated before deciding to rush for her. Skye burrowed in at May's side and hugged her, keeping her injuries in mind.
"You almost died," Skye whispered harshly, her wet face pressed against May's neck. She felt May weakly run a hand through her hair and her gut filled with guilt. May was supposed to be resting, not taking care of her.
She'd killed Trip; she didn't deserve to be taken care of.
May pressed her lips against the top of Skye's head and shrugged. "I've almost died plenty of times and nothing's killed me yet."
Skye knew she was trying to make her feel better but she felt worse. "I'm dangerous…I need to leave. To keep everyone safe," Skye whispered, knowing if anyone would understand it would be May.
"You're not going anywhere." May hissed, tightening her hold on Skye. "And neither am I."
Skye didn't doubt it. For the first time in her life she had people to fight for, people who were a good fit, and that was why she knew she couldn't be around them. She needed to keep them safe.
"They're terrified of me," Skye reminded and May snorted.
"Good, let them."
Skye lifted her head, ignored the puffy feeling in her eyes, and stared back at May sadly. "I'm the reason Trip is dead, May."
Something flashed across May's face that Skye couldn't decipher and May gave Skye's arm a hard squeeze. "Trip is dead because he was a hero and eventually that gets you killed. Nothing that happened was in your control. And don't worry about Mack, he will have to get over it. And maybe Hunter and Bobbi are a little scared but they also know none of this is your fault. This happened to you, it's not something you asked for."
Tears filled Skye's mouth as she spoke. "But I can't control this! That's the poin-" Skye froze as the bed began to shake and she recoiled from May and landed on her ass. She pressed her fingers to the floor and begged for it all to stop.
"Deep breaths, Skye. Control your emotions."
Skye concentrated on blocking out everything but the sound of May's voice while taking deep breaths. Once her heart stopped racing she opened her eyes to find crap littering the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest and pressed herself against the wall, too afraid to move.
All she wanted to do was hold onto May and cry but she didn't want to hurt her.
Skye had hurt enough people.
Agent Avery was dead because of her.
And entire village gone because of her.
She'd shot the man she loved to keep him from running after her into those tunnels.
One of her best friends was gone because he'd tried to save her.
Coulson had nearly died because of her father.
Jemma was still crying over what was left of Trip because she'd caused the earthquake that had crumbled him.
Everything was falling apart and it was because of her.
An involuntary wail left her body and she could feel the vibrations coming again.
"Skye-"
"No! It's not safe! Stay away from me!"
"Skye, just bre-"
"I have to leave!"
Another lamp shattered and Skye crawled towards the door. Maybe she could find Miles. He'd know of people who could get her out of the country. She'd find somewhere unpopulated; somewhere safe. Somewhere where she couldn't hurt anyone else.
"And where would you go?"
May's voice was loud and frightening and stopped Skye mid-flight.
"It doesn't matter, as long as I can't hurt anyone."
"There is nowhere to go, Skye. Anywhere you try to run you run the risk of hurting other people."
There it was; May had turned on her, just like Cal said she would.
He'd warned her it was what they would all do. Maybe…maybe he could help her?
"The only thing to do is to stay here and face this. Learn to control it and turn this into something you can use for good. Or, by all means, run and prove to me you're not the person I think you are."
Skye slowly turned to May in surprise and found her calmly sitting up in her bed, one hand nursing her broken wrist as she stared down at Skye with that look that made Skye feel like a scolded child.
"You…really aren't afraid of me?"
May rolled her eyes. "Yes, you're terrifying crawling around crying like a toddler. Now, are you going to keep throwing a tantrum or are you going to come here and take a nap? I hate to say it but you look like hell. Plus, we're on a budget; we can't afford to keep replacing shit every time you lose control of your emotions."
Skye blinked back at her, too stunned to speak. After a long moment she forced herself to her feet, her body shaking, and this time not because of her powers but because she really did need that nap. She hesitated, wondering if maybe she shouldn't go to her own bed, but decided that she was far more afraid of pissing off May than she was of accidentally causing another earthquake.
She slipped in beside May again, curling into her side like a small child.
"Now, I know someone who can help. You're not the first person to have something like this happen to them. It's going to take hard work and time but we'll figure this out."
We; Skye liked the sound of that.
"And no more talk of leaving," May whispered, meeting Skye's eyes. "We've all lost too much to even think about losing you too." May didn't have to say it but Skye knew she wasn't just talking about Trip. They'd all loved Ward and Fitz would never be the same and they would never be the same people they were when they first found one another.
"What if they turn on me?"
Coulson and May had made it clear they were on her side but the others?
There might come a day when her leaving wasn't her choice to make.
"No one is turning on you. Fitz didn't leave your side once today and Jemma? Jemma stood up to a man who tried to kill her just to protect you. Do you really think there's a person here who doesn't love you enough to stand by you?"
Skye gnawed on her lip and nodded. "Mack is going to be a problem."
May nodded with a sigh. "Don't worry, I'll deal with Mack."
Skye looked her over, thinking she shouldn't be dealing with anyone anytime soon but she also knew better than to argue with her.
May met Skye's eyes with a fierce determination. "I won't turn my back on you, Skye. Whatever happens, we're in this together."
Tears filled Skye's eyes again and she hugged May fiercely, burying her head under her chin.
"Try to get some rest, Skye. You've been through enough in the past few days; we don't need you compromised due to exhaustion too."
Skye wasn't sure she could sleep and she was terrified of what her dreams would hold but she closed her eyes anyway, to make May happy. She was surprised to find herself drifting off, aided by the soothing feeling of May's fingers moving through her hair.
She knew she'd been asleep for maybe an hour when she felt hands at her side followed by lips on her forehead. She recognized the familiar scent of Irish Spring Soap and relaxed, too tired to greet Coulson. She felt warmer and realized there was a heavy blanket over her and she smiled, feeling a happy fluttering in her chest.
May and Coulson were here, they weren't going to abandon her; this was what it mean to have a family.
"How are my girls?" He whispered and Skye cracked her eye open just enough to see Coulson cupping May's face in his hand. She held in a smile; about time.
"Your girls?" My asked skeptically.
He grinned and kissed her forehead. "My best girls."
She rolled her eyes and pulled Skye closer. "They're tired."
Coulson kissed her again, on the lips this time, and Skye forced her eyes shut to give them privacy. "Andrew's on his way…do you want me to move her? Or bring in a cot?"
"No, she's fine here for tonight," May answered, toying with Skye's hair before kissing the top of her head. "Let her sleep, she needs it."
Coulson trailed one finger over Skye's cheek before sighing. "She's going to be fine," he whispered, trying to assure himself but not sounding so sure of himself.
"She will; she has to be."
Coulson's lips brushed across Skye's forehead again and a chair scraped across the floor as he pulled it closer to the bed. She cracked her eyes open to find him sitting next to her, his hand in May's, and his eyes on her. She gave him a small smile and closed her eyes again, feeling for the first time in days that maybe everything would turn out okay in the end.