Blame Snarkysweetness for this.
Carefully hunkered down behind the counter, May listened in heavy anticipation for the familiar ding of the door to the coffee shop. She'd been thrown on the morning shift, starting at 4 am. This particular shop, however, was thought to be a meeting place for a radical underground group on SHIELD's watch list. Her entire goal in this place was to identify the members and attempt to get invited into one of their meetings. Once she was inside their group, the rest of the team would move in and take them down. But until then, she was stuck working this undercover operation with her current handler: one John Garrett. A man who's controlling, overbearing methods were starting to drive her nuts. He needed to cool off, just a little. And she had every intention of helping him do exactly that.
Glancing around the counter to a point next to the door, she smirked a little while eying the balloon launcher she'd rigged to the front door. It was 4:45 am and they weren't even open yet. The only reason she'd left the door unlocked was that Garrett was supposed to show up for a quick meeting that morning. It wasn't the most elegant design, but given she'd been inspired at 3 am, it wasn't a bad one either. It would definitely suffice. A quick check of her watch told her Garrett should be arriving any moment to boot.
Sure enough, there's a faint jingle as the front door to the shop begins to open. However, the voice that cuts through the room is definitely not Garrett's. "Excuse me, are you-" The voice is promptly cut off by a startled shout and sputtering as May hears the spring on her little trap snap.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. She'd hit some poor, unsuspecting soul rather than Garrett. Shit.
Jumping up from behind the counter, May was already apologizing as she jumped the counter to check on her unintended victim. "I'm so sorry. That wasn't meant for you-"
"I'd hope not, otherwise I'd be concerned about how you knew I'd be coming in." The man's notable British accent held the edge of a laugh, enough that May halted in her bolt for the napkin dispenser to blink at her surprise visitor.
He was tall. It was the first thing May really noticed; the man towered over her. His black hair, pulled away from his face by a hair tie in a half knot, would have been more suitable on a hippie than a man in a find suit, but it suited him all the same. But what really caught and held her attention were his eyes: laughing orbs of green that said he understood entirely what had happened and he found the matter amusing.
"I don't suppose you have a towel, do you?" continued the man, snapping May out of her analysis of the man's appearance and prompting her to, again, go for the napkins.
"In the back, I'll go grab you one but I have napkins too," explained May, swiping the box and turning back to the man.
He made a bit of a face at the dispenser and just shook his head. "A towel will do just fine, thank you. Those things leave awful residue."
"Right," muttered May, turning and leaping back over the counter to snatch up several of the towels they kept on hand. She hurried back around the counter, mind already moving ahead to how she could diffuse the situation. "Again, I'm sorry about that. I was expecting someone else."
"Your boss?" suggested the man, taking one of the towels when she offered it and rubbing it over his face and hair. "He must have done something pretty terrible to deserve this kind of treatment. Or was this an ex-boyfriend?"
"Boss," replied May, going with the option closest to the truth. Technically, Garrett was her boss after all. Well, for now he was at least calling the shots. "He's a bit hot-tempered."
"And you thought you'd help him cool down," finished her visitor, his smile morphing into a smirk as his eyes fell on the make-shift device. "It's a bit crude, but efficient."
"I built it on a whim at 3 am," explained May with a shrug. "At least it works."
He nodded, glancing back at her and offering another smile. The sight did something odd to her; her stomach flipped a little, body reacting to the mischief written on his face. "Rather well, too. I can attest to that."
"Again, I'm very sorry about that," repeated May, eyes closing a bit in embarrassment. Normally, she was a lot more careful with her pranks. Though, to be fair, the shop wasn't open yet. He really shouldn't have been there. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I'd rather appreciate a cup of tea," admitted the man, his smile softening a bit as he shifted his shoulders and slid off the heavy coat he'd been wearing. At least his coat didn't appear too wet. Tossing said coat on a table, he knelt to get a better look at the device. "Do you want to reset it? I'm sure we can still catch your boss with this."
May glanced over from where she was filling a cup with water, about to say yes, when she spotted Garrett standing outside the shop. He gave her a raised eyebrow and look of clear disappointment before turning and walking away down the street. Right, he wasn't about to come in while someone else was around. He'd probably wait for the man to leave before coming back and, frankly, that suited May just fine. She needed another hour before she dealt with Garrett if she could get it. "No, it's alright. I'll get him another time."
"I'd be happy to help you with that," proposed the man, finally standing from the device and strolling across the room to the counter May was currently standing behind. She handed him the cup of tea she'd just finished making as soon as he'd approached, offering him another apologetic smile. Even though at this point she wasn't feeling guilty, she had to at least pretend to for the sake of her cover. It wouldn't exactly be good if she got fired for trying to prank Garrett during a mission, even if it was early in the morning and at a time that she never should have been caught. "In fact, I would gladly take that as an apology."
Wait, what? May was pretty sure her face had to snow some degree of surprise as she blinked at him and tried to process exactly what he'd just aid/ "Are you suggesting we team up to prank my boss?"
"Precisely," confirmed the man with a grin. "I'm a fan of a good prank and you clearly have some skill. Life is no fun if you don't stir up a little chaos now and again. So what do you say?"
For a long, quiet moment, May considered if she wanted to go along with this or not. She didn't even know this guy's name, and he wanted to help her prank her boss? What were his motives here? Did he know she was SHIELD? "Why do you want to help me prank someone you don't know? You don't even know me."
He laughed a bit, more of a deep chuckle than anything else, and May felt her stomach flip again. "Because I enjoy the chaos that arises from a good prank. Besides, who wouldn't offer to help a beautiful young woman such as yourself take a bit of revenge on an overbearing boss?"
Slowly, May nodded, her elbows coming up to rest on the counter as she looked him over with a critical eye. Was he really suggesting this? It had to be the weirdest way she'd ever been asked out. "So, you're suggesting a date where we come up with a way to prank my boss."
"More or less," confirmed the man as he took a sip of his tea. How he did it, May wasn't sure. The water was still scalding hot. "I'm Lopt, by the way."
"Melinda," supplied May, forcing her uncertainty down. Her instincts were good, but they weren't screaming this man was bad. No, the feeling that was settling into her blood was something else- more attraction than caution. "You know, most men ask a woman to dinner."
"Yes, but where is the fun in that?" countered Lopt with a smile that was softer than the previous one he'd offered her. "Besides, again, I love pranks and find planning and executing them a lot more fun than sitting at a table while trying to hold awkward conversation."
"True," conceded May, nodding a bit as she straightened up before offering him a smile in return. Behind them, the door bell dinged again as two men in sweats entered the shop. Glancing at the clock on the wall, May cursed a bit as she realized it was somehow 5:15 am. They would start getting busy very shortly. Turning back to Lopt, she easily retrieved his cup and scribbled the number of her undercover phone along the side. "I get off at noon."
"Then I will be back at noon," countered Lopt before he leaned back. "What do I owe you for the tea?"
"I hit you with a water balloon filled with cold water, the tea is on me," dismissed May before she hurried down to the register and turned her focus onto the man at the counter. But even with her back to the man, she could still feel him there as she wrote down and retrieved the orders of her customers. It was several minutes before he left, and when he did it felt a bit like the air had been sucked out of the room. With her first actual patrons of the day satisfied, May allowed herself a moment to consider the encounter she'd just had and groan. What had she potentially gotten herself into?
May groaned as the memory faded back to the dark recesses of her mind. Opening her eyes, she found the ceiling of her room in the Playground, as she had every time she'd woken since they arrived there almost three months ago. It was slate gray and completely smooth- like the ceiling of any reasonable government building. The thought of painting the ceiling had crossed her mind more than once, but she had no clue what she'd paint it even if she did.
Why am I contemplating paint colors at...rolling her head, she caught sight of the clock and nearly groaned again. Two am, lovely. She should be used to it by now- it wasn't like her nightmares didn't routinely wake her up. But this time, it wasn't one of her usual nightmares. Those she could handle. No, this time it was a memory she'd tried to force away so long ago. Apparently, it hadn't worked.
Groaning, May slowly sat up and stretched her arms above her head. She was awake now and going back to sleep probably wouldn't happen right then at least, if it did that night. Maybe some meditation while it was quiet would help though. It was usually how she calmed down after a dream like that.
Pulling on some loose workout clothes, she pulled open the door to her room and headed for the lounge area. Though normally the loudest section in the base, this late at night it was almost guaranteed to be quiet unless Fitz and Simmons were using the room. Those two could stay up all night watching marathons of Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. She still remembered the last time they'd had one of their marathons; both had crashed afterwords for nearly 12 hours each.
Turning the corner towards the lounge, May froze as she glanced down the hallway. Her heart-beat sped up a bit and her whole body went into a hyper-awareness mode she hadn't entered in a long time-even in battle. The last time she'd been this aware of someone had been almost 25 years ago. She knew she should speak, ask what he was doing there, something. But she couldn't get the words out. Every part of her was so far beyond shocked that she couldn't actually process what to do. Then again, she'd assumed she'd never see her ex-husband again.
"Melinda?" His hypnotic voice drew her out of her shock, bringing her focus truly onto him. Green eyes met her brown orbs from down the hall, his black hair pushed back from his face and held by what she could only assume was gel. His hair had been longer before, so much so that he used to pull it back at the nape of his neck. But despite that, he looked exactly the same down to the black sports coat and slacks. He looked good, she wouldn't deny that.
One question kept running through her mind though, and it was one she needed an answer to: how had he gotten inside a secret base? He didn't work for SHIELD and Coulson wouldn't have just brought him in without warning her. He'd disappeared for years, so how was he showing up now, out of thin air? Immediately, her suspicion kicked in. Too many weird things had happened in the last year for her to allow anything like this to even remotely slide by her. When they'd been married, she'd suspected he was hiding something, but she'd assumed it had to do with the family he never discussed. Now, she wondered if it was something else all along.
"Lopt," greeted May, forcing her voice to remain stable. "How did you get in here?"
Lopt scoffed in response, turning his attention back to the door in front of him. "I walked in the front door. How do you think I got in here?"
"I don't know," growled May, her anger pushing away any latent longing she still held for the man in front of her. She stalked forward with that anger, used it to keep herself above his hypnotizing gaze and soothing voice. "But this isn't a public facility so I'm wondering how deep of a cell I need to throw you into."
"It wouldn't hold me," dismissed Lopt casually, giving her a sideways look. "And don't give me that look, Melinda, you are the one who kept things from me."
"It was part of my job, you knew that when we got married," reminded May, stopping a few feet from him. She wanted to punch him on some level and it was only the knowledge that she'd ended things that kept her from wailing on the man. She'd already caused him pain, she wouldn't cause him more without reason. Though his sudden appearance was reason enough in most situations. "What are you doing here and how did you get in."
"I teleported in," replied Lopt with that same bored, dismissive tone he used when someone was irritating him. He'd never turned it on her before though, and on some level, even though they hadn't been married for years, it hurt. "And I'm here to see my daughter, the one you failed to mention to me."
All of the air left May in that moment. Her lungs felt as if they had been squeezed clean. It was like being punched in the gut, only far worse.
She could still remember the tiny baby girl- the one everyone else had forgotten existed overnight. It was impossible to say how or why, but May had awoken one morning and found her daughter gone. But it hadn't just been hear little girl- it was photos of her daughter in the hospital and cradled in her mother's arms. Every sign of her daughter was gone; even May's memories of the child had felt like a haze. It was only her still-swollen chest and stomach, the aching exhaustion, and the panic- the overwhelming panic- of not being able to find her child that told May it wasn't the dream everyone else said it was. No one had remembered the infant and it had left her with no way to find her daughter. She'd looked- every day for the last 24 years, she had checked every source and lead that could ultimate let her find her daughter. It was the big drive behind her request for a desk position. It was the reason she'd shut down. But no evidence or sign of her little girl had ever appeared. Eventually, even she'd begun to believe the little girl was possibly just a dream.
Yet here was Lopt- her ex-husband and her daughter's father- declaring he was there to see his daughter. His daughter. He had a daughter- he had confirmed they have a daughter. It wasn't a dream; it was real.
"Our daughter," repeated May, the anguish, pain, and horror from all those years ago rising over her like a tidal wave. She'd pressed it all down to the point of nearly suffocating herself; it was what the staff had used to fuel her rage, what she was so afraid of unleashing. And Lopt's words had torn it free in one simple strike.
For the first time in almost 24 years, May felt tears pour from her eyes. Her body felt weak, but she managed not to show it. Well, she thought she hadn't. Something must have given her away, because two arms were wrapped around her waist and her cheek was pressed against a surprisingly firm shoulder. Lopt always had been oddly firm for an academic man.
"You didn't know either," whispered Lopt, his arms tightening around her in a tight hug she hadn't been expecting under any circumstances. She felt his lips press against her head, soft and familiar. Their time together was over and neither would argue that- they'd both changed as people. But that didn't mean he didn't still love her on some level or that she didn't still love him.
"I thought she was a dream," whispered May, taking a deep breath and stepping back. Lopt let her go, his hand sliding down her arm to grip her fingers softly. It was a marker of support; even now he knew how to give her what she needed. And she needed the touch to ground her as her thoughts threatened to tear her mind apart. "I woke up one morning and she was gone. But not just her- everything I had of her was gone. All of my photos, her furniture and toys, it was all gone with her."
"Like someone had made her disappear." sighed Lopt. His eyes met hers, filled with pain. "I'm sorry, Melinda. If I'd known he had done any of this, I would have fixed it long ago."
May felt darkness and anger swirl up from the pain. Lopt knew who had done this; he knew who was responsible for taking their little girl. "Who."
The look he gave her was a cross between pain and frustration. "Melinda..."
"Who. Took. Our. Daughter." May hoped her words were as demanding as they sounded. She needed to know who had taken their child- who'd put her through absolute hell for the past few years.
Again, Lopt winced, though he actually took a bit of a step forward. One of his hands reached for her cheek, moving slowly so she could see him coming. It was so gentle, her mind actually seemed to be struggling to process what was happening. No one treated her this way, like she might bolt if they moved too fast. Most people just gave her space, they didn't try to touch her. She didn't wince as Lopt's fingers brushed her cheek though, or when he used the hand he was still holding to tug her a bit closer. "I've taken care of the matter, Melinda." Sighing, he shook his head again. "But, as you are insistent, this was my father's doing. I am unclear why, for she was never brought into our home, but he was the one responsible for hiding her all the same."
"Where did he take her?" asked May quietly, not bothering to step back. His close proximity was making her uneasy, but her mind was telling her to stay put. It had been one of the major issues that broke their marriage- her inability to handle touch after Bahrain. Now, she held still as best she could; after all, he wasn't maintaining physical contact with her in an attempt to help her alone. This was for him as much as it was for her.
"I don't know," replied Lopt quietly, his fingers shifting to stroke against the back of her hand. "I was just informed that she was here, now."
"Here?" repeated May, her body tensing as her eyes met Lopt's. "She can't be here, Lopt. I know everyone here."
"I was told she was here," insisted Lopt, a growl edging into his voice. May just raised an eyebrow in response; he'd never been able to scare her before and intimidation wouldn't work now, either. "She must be here, Melinda."
"You're sure it was the truth?" asked May, excitement and dread mixing in her stomach. If their daughter was here, there was only one person it could reasonably be. Simmons looked nothing like either of them and the other agents that would be joining them didn't arrive until tomorrow. That left one person in the base who could be their daughter, and it would explain Lopt's belief she'd known where their daughter was this whole time.
"The man who was responsible for tracking her believed I was my father when he told me," assured Lopt grimly. "It is the truth."
May nodded slowly, stepping back a bit with a deep breath. "Then it must be-"
A shot suddenly rang out overhead, sending May and Lopt to the floor automatically. He threw his body over top of her, an instinct that would have been funny if they weren't being shot at by someone. She could beat him easily; why did he feel the need to pretend to protect her?
Lifting her head, May spotted Coulson down the hall, gun raised and pointed in their general direction. "Let her go, Loki."
May groaned. Great. She hadn't said anything when reviewing the Helicarrier video footage, but it hadn't exactly been hard to identify a man she'd spent five years married to, either. He hadn't been the same man then, though. She'd seen the madness in him and Thor's insistence his brother was in pain had been an explanation she was willing to accept. Thor might know Loki better, but she'd still been married to him. There were some things you just learned about a person. And she knew first hand how much pain and loss could change a person.
"Put that thing away Phil," ordered May, sliding out from beneath Loki to block him from view. "He isn't here to hurt anyone."
Coulson scowled from down the hall, his finger twitching as he lowered the gun. Behind him, she could see Trip enter the hall as well. Great, there was going to be an audience for this. "Get out of the way, May. He's dangerous and you know it. You saw what he did to New York."
"He came to talk to me," stated May, shaking her head. A tap on her shoulder drew her attention back to the man in question, who was no only standing but extending one hand out to her. She took the hand without thinking about it, letting him pull her back to her feet. "Thank you, Lopt."
"Always, Melinda," stated Loki, a touch of mischief glinting in his eyes. He knew what she was doing; it wasn't exactly rocket science. Not that letting Coulson know Loki was, in fact, her ex husband was likely to do them any good, but still, at least it would be a little amusing.
Sure enough, the choking sound that echoed down the hall told her Coulson had picked up on exactly what she expected him to. The glint from before turned into a grin as Loki turned his attention down the hallway. "Do you need help, Phillip?"
"Not from you!" shouted back Coulson as he managed to finally get his breath back, approaching them wearily with Trip behind him. The specialist was remaining silent for the moment, thankfully, but he still had his weapon in hand and ready. "May, please tell me this is a bad joke. Please tell me you didn't sleep with him!"
"He was my husband," sighed May, shrugging a bit. "It was a surprise to me, too."
"You certainly seem unphased," remarked Loki, raising an eyebrow curiously. "You must have at least suspected I was more than I professed to being."
May scoffed a bit. "We were married for five years. Even on grainy security tapes, I could identify you."
The face of discomfort Loki pulled was almost amusing. Well, it would have been if people hadn't still had their guns out. "That was not my most...auspicious moment."
"Not even close," agreed May, shaking her head a bit and glancing at the others with a sigh. "Coulson, Trip, put those guns away. It won't do any good, anyway."
"May, there is a mad god standing in the middle of the base," pointed out Coulson as if she didn't realize the exact situation they were in. "I'm not putting my gun away. Hell, I might go get a bigger gun. I think this situation might warrant one."
May shot Coulson a look of strained disbelief, a look she was sure Loki was mimicking. Mainly because Coulson shot back a glare in Loki's direction. "He's insane, May."
"He seems pretty sane to me," remarked May dryly. "And I've only been talking to him for five minutes longer than you."
"I will admit, I may not have been fully in my right mind when I attempted to invade your planet," admitted Loki with a minor shrug, as if he'd committed some minor slight rather than attempted to forcefully conquer an entire planet. "But I promise, my purposes here are entirely peaceful."
"Peaceful," repeated Coulson with a shake of his head. "You stabbed me, killed 80 people, brainwashed one of my best agents along with about 10 others, and caused hundreds of other deaths when you let an army of aliens in using a portal that crossed the time/space continuum. Please, tell me how any of that qualifies as peaceful."
Loki opened his mouth as if to say something, but May cut in before he could say something that would make things worse rather than better. "You of all people have seen how grief and betrayal can change people, Coulson."
"Betrayal? What betrayal would that be?" spit out Coulson, shaking his head firmly. "Being adopted isn't a valid excuse."
"What about being lied to for over 1000 years?" countered Loki, a scowl curling over his features. "Or being told repeatedly as a child that you are equal to your brother when, really, you are being kept as little more than a political bargaining chip? A treasure captured in war and meant to be lorded over others as a sign of victory?"
May winced a bit at his explanation, eyes falling momentarily onto her former lover. The pain was apparent and suddenly his sense of inequality with his family (the reason he'd always given for never allowing her to meet them) made perfect sense. Even if he hadn't known, on some level he'd always guessed something was amiss. She had to admit, that would probably be enough to make her temporarily loose her mind.
Even Coulson looked momentarily mollified, though he never relaxed his grip on his gun. Instead, he refocused on May again, giving her a look that was probably meant to be self-assured but looked more desperate instead. "May, we have no evidence he was ever a peaceful person."
"What about when he was married to me?" asked May calmly, folding her arms in front of her chest and shooting him the raised eyebrow she used when she knew she'd made a point. "He was a mythology professor for a local university. It's not exactly a violent profession."
"I really am more of a scholar than a fighter," confirmed Loki with a shrug. "Not that I'm opposed to using force where necessary, but I assure you my brother is more violent than I am under most circumstances."
"That doesn't really help your case," remarked May, glancing back at Loki briefly. "Thor throws glasses on the floor when he wants more of something."
Loki winced visibly. "Point taken. Thor is a bit of a brute at times, though I have been assured his more...aggressive tendencies have been tempered by his mortal lover."
"Women do have that effect on men," admitted Trip, dropping suddenly into the situation. His gun was lowered by now, hanging a bit at his side, though his grip was still tight. "Speaking of which, can someone please explain what is going on? If we aren't under attack, I'd like to go back to sleep."
The incredulous look Coulson sent the specialist was actually borderline funny, enough that May's lips curled a bit in amusement for the first time in what felt like forever. She did feel a bit bad for the specialist though, opting to tell him the truth rather than Coulson's paranoid version of events. Not that he didn't have a completely valid reason to be paranoid, but it wouldn't help things any. "Loki is my ex-husband-"
"And the mad god who killed me and tried to destroy New York," growled Coulson, glaring at May as if her explanation were completely understated.
"Would it help if I apologized for that?" offered Loki, his tone completely bored. "Because I can if it will make you feel better."
"I'd feel better if you'd never killed me in the first place," growled Coulson, glaring once again at the god.
Loki just shrugged a bit, raising an eyebrow at Coulson. "If I recall correctly, you threatened to shoot me first. I was simply defending myself."
"Both of you stop," ordered May, her patience for this rapidly decreasing. "You are literally talking in circles." Turning to Trip, she offered him a put upon sigh. "Loki and I were formerly married. Just after our marriage broke up, I gave birth to a child who mysteriously disappeared one night along with all evidence she'd ever existed and everyone else's memories of her. I was the only one who remembered she was real. Now, it turns out his father," she gestured to Loki calmly, "took the child and wiped her existence from everyone's memory except mine."
"He most likely attempted to do the same to you," admitted Loki, his nonchalance belied by the tension and hit of anger in his tone. "It simply did not hold."
"My body wasn't exactly back to normal," stated May simply, shaking her head a bit. "It wasn't hard to figure out my pregnancy wasn't all in my head."
"Wait, you had a child?" asked Coulson in shock, eyes widening in an almost comic way. "When did that happen and why didn't you tell me?"
"It happened 24 years ago," sighed May, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You were there, Coulson. You're her godfather. The nurses almost had to pry her away from you in the hospital so she could sleep."
The look of absolute shock that crossed Coulson's face was almost heartbreaking. He looked like a puppy who'd been kicked. "I was? Why the hell can't I remember that?"
"Because Odin, in his infinite wisdom," the sarcasm was so heavy, it practically dripped from Loki's tone, "decided hiding my child was the best way to ensure I'd stay in Asgard rather than come running back to Midgard." The scowl that had been on Loki's face when May first ran into him returned with a vengeance. A sentence fell from Loki's mouth next that May couldn't understand, but she was more than willing to guess was less than flattering and likely aimed at his father.
Even Coulson looked a little pissed now, though the anger didn't appear directed at Loki anymore. His attention turned to May, the anger melting to sadness and confusion. "Why didn't you try to remind me?"
"Because I had no proof," sighed May, pinching the bridge of her nose to forcefully keep her composure. "She was just gone, Phil. Every sign she'd ever been there except the post-birth symptoms I was experiencing were gone." Shaking her head a bit, May let her gaze fall to the side. "And before you ask, I looked for some sign of her every day."
"It's why you took an administrative position," stated Coulson quietly, understanding suddenly dawning across his features. "You said it as Bahrain, but it was so you could look for her."
"Yes," confirmed May, forcing her gaze back on the others. "Apparently, she was being hidden from everyone- including SHIELD."
"What do you mean?" asked Coulson quietly, his brow furrowing in concern as he approached May worriedly. Loki didn't move from behind her, though he did let the other agent reach out to grip her shoulder. "Who was hiding her from SHIELD?"
"Other agents," replied May, rubbing her eyes as her mind, once again, tried to settle around the ideas flying through her brain. "The ex-agent we grabbed in South America and the one who died."
"The one we grabbed in South America?" questioned Coulson, his brow furrowing for a second before understanding and shock spilled across his face. "The one we spoke to in connection with-"
"Could you all please shut up?" Every head in the hallway swiveled to glance down the hall at the disheveled head currently sticking out of one of the doorways. Skye glared at every single person there was she blew a few of the black strands out of her face in irritation. "It's 2:30 and some of us are trying to sleep."
"Skye," whispered Coulson, his eyes darting between the irate hacker, May, and Loki. It was like he was trying to draw conclusions based on what he could see.
May just sighed and motioned for the hacker to join them. "Actually, Skye, I think we need to speak with you."
"Can't it wait until morning?" groaned Skye, thumping her head on the door fame. "I just got to bed like...an hour ago."
"It could," stated May calmly, meeting the hacker's eyes with a grim look. "But I don't think you want us to wait."
That got Skye's attention. Almost immediately, she straightened up and pushed back her hair, eyes darting between everyone standing in the hallway and finally landing on Loki. The nervous look that crossed her face wasn't a surprise; May should have guessed she would recognize the man that tried to take over the world immediately. "Uh, why is the guy who tried to flatten New York standing in our hallway? And why is no one shooting him?"
"Coulson tried to earlier," stated Trip with a shrug, offering Skye a reassuring smile. "I think we're passed the shooting stage now."
"Right," muttered Skye, turning to look at Trip. "What the hell is going on?"
"I'm still not sure," admitted the specialist with a shrug. "Apparently he and May were married at one point and they had a kid who vanished."
"Vanished?" repeated Skye, eyes falling back on them. "Wait, you," she pointed at May, "were married to him," her finger slid to Loki, brow furrowing further as she did. "How the hell did that happen?"
"It involved a coffee shop and a water balloon," replied Loki, a touch of a smile tugging at his lips. "It's actually a rather amusing story if you would care to hear it."
"Uh, yeah, definitely," confirmed Skye, nodding slowly. "But later." Her eyes then fell back to May. "So, why is he here if you aren't married anymore?"
May shifted a little, unease sinking in as she considered what she was about to do. If Loki was right about their daughter being here, there was only one possible candidate. She was the only one with no home, no origin, and who looked like both of them. It wasn't hard to see; the thought had crossed her mind more than once. It was part of why she'd been so harsh to Skye: she couldn't get her hopes up. Now, maybe those hopes had been founded. "Skye, 24 years ago, I gave birth to a baby girl who subsequently went missing. No one could remember her except me and I hadn't found out I was pregnant until her father had already disappeared."
Skye's brow furrowed, her eyes darting from May to Loki and back again. May could practically see the thoughts shooting through the hacker's mind, the conclusions she was drawing from the information May had given her. But the doubts were there, too. The uncertainty. It flashed through her eyes and it was clear Skye was choosing her words carefully when she spoke again. "No one just disappears. There's always a trail."
"Except in this case," spoke up Loki, stepping up beside May. "In this case, my father made our daughter disappear using magic. It would be impossible to find her if he did not want her found."
"Okay," stated Skye slowly, eyes darting between the two of them nervously. "So, what do you want me to look for?"
"Look for?" repeated Loki, brow furrowing in confusion as he glanced at May. "What does she mean?"
"She's a hacker, Loki," explained May, shaking her head a bit as she reached out to lay a hand carefully on Skye's shoulder. "Skye, we don't want you to help use search for our daughter."
"Then why do you want to talk to me?" asked Skye, the weariness turning slowly to hope and nerves. Her eyes kept darting between May and Loki, like she wasn't sure who look at.
"Our daughter would have appeared suddenly wherever she ended up, with no records and no indication of where she came from," explained May quietly. "No one would have any way of tracing her back to us. The same way we have never been able to trace you back to your parents."
"But my parents were killed in a fight in China," whispered Skye, shaking her head slowly. "That's what Coulson said: they were killed trying to keep me away from the people who were trying to take me."
May met Loki's eyes, nodding at him to explain. He could do it better than she could. After all, he was the one who actually understood what had happened.
Shifting slightly, his only sign of nerves, Loki mimicked May's earlier move an lay his hand carefully on Skye's other shoulder. When she didn't bolt away, he seemed to settle a little. "My father would have made her appear wherever he put her as if she belonged there. The only reason I know her location is that my father's accomplice in this matter informed me she was here, in this base."
"In our base," confirmed Skye slowly, eyes again darting between the two before she twisted to look at Coulson nervously. May couldn't see what her commander did, but whatever it was, it must have put Skye somewhat at ease. Slowly, her eyes shifted back to Loki and May, again bouncing between them. "Wouldn't Simmons be more likely?"
May's brow furrowed heavily and she could feel the jolt of surprise from Loki beside her. A glance at him confirmed he was just as confused as she was. "Skye, why would you think Simmons would be our daughter?"
"She's smart?" suggested Skye nervously, wrapping her arms around herself as she stepped away from both of them. "Simmons is smart, brave, she follows orders. I mean, she's got a PhD. She can do anything. She's brilliant and she was a member of SHIELD for a long time. I was a delinquent hacker who had to get arrested to end up here."
She couldn't help it, May actually laughed. It wasn't actually funny; Skye's reaction told them exactly how firmly she'd convinced herself she'd never actually meet her parents. But that she thought Simmons was a better candidate than herself was just preposterous. "Skye, Simmons is the opposite of what I'd expect any daughter Lopt and I had to be like."
"Lopt?" repeated Skye, her unease disappearing into momentary confusion. "I thought his name was Loki."
"Lopt is the name I gave your mother when I met her," explained Loki with a shrug. "It is simply another name."
"Right," muttered Skye, eyes darting briefly to Loki before returning to May. Her disbelief returned rapidly with his declaration of May as her mother, a look of suspicion crossing her face. "I don't get it though. You're both smart, and you're loyal May. I mean, you joined SHIELD. You've got to be loyal. That's like...Simmons in a nutshell."
"And it's you, too," stated May softly. A hand pressed against hers and she didn't even think about it as she looped her fingers with Loki's. "You're loyal Skye, otherwise you would have left a long time ago. Most people would have run from this job well before now. Don't diminish your intelligence, either. No one here, not even Simmons or Fitz, can hack the way you do."
"Besides, Melinda and I both have a delinquent streak," added Loki with a touch of a smirk. "And a marked interest in practical jokes. Neither of us are good at following orders."
"You've seen that yourself, Skye," pointed out May gently. "Do I need to remind you about Odessa?"
"No," muttered Skye as she took one more step back and allowed herself to lean heavily on the wall behind her. Her arms were still wrapped around her body, like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. Silence reigned for a long moment as everyone gave her a chance to absorb everything she'd just been told.
May felt her anxiety rising the longer Skye remained silent, even if she was careful to keep her face neutral. There was the chance Skye would reject what they were telling her, fight against everything they'd suggested. May wasn't sure what she'd do if that happened; she couldn't loose her little girl again.
A gentle squeeze of her hand drew her attention down to where Loki's fingers were still entwined with her own. Her eyes rose a second later to his, her fears reflected in his eyes. Even after all the lies, after everything that had happened to him, the man she'd married looked back at her with the same worries she faced. He'd been selfish at times, yes, but so had she. They'd been young, too young if she was being honest. Well, she'd been too young; Loki didn't really have an excuse.
"It will be alright." His words, whispered in her ear so only she could hear, were more soothing than she'd thought they could be. He followed the action with a kiss to her cheek, gentle in a way she hadn't expected. The man standing beside her wasn't the man she'd seen in the videos of New York; he was the man she'd been married to 24 years ago- sweet and supportive when she needed him to be. They couldn't be together; it wasn't possible now. She'd changed too much and so had he. But that didn't mean they couldn't support each other now.
"You really think I'm your daughter." Skye's words were barely a whisper and the tremors that would occasionally run through her body were visible. Her eyes were locked on the ground, body tense as she stared a hole into the ground.
"Yes." May wanted to hug the poor girl; she'd wanted to when she found Skye staring at the photo she'd taken of Ward after he betrayed them all. Her fear that she would become attached to a motherless child because she'd lost her own little girl had stopped her though. And now, it was Skye who was stopping her.
"You even look like them." Coulson's voice was a surprise and Skye jumped a little as he spoke up, her eyes shooting up to the man in surprise. Coulson just offered her a small smile, stepping up beside May and Loki both. "Skye, you wanted to meet your parents. You've wanted to find your parents for forever. And what they're saying, it makes sense. Your 084 status could be explained if you're half," he glanced at Loki, gesturing slightly at the man, "whatever Loki is." Shaking his head a little, he refocused on Skye again. "And you look like May. A lot like May. I thought it before but didn't say anything because I didn't think May had ever had children." Stepping up to stand beside Skye, he carefully caught her eyes before speaking again. "We can have Simmons check in the morning, run a DNA test to prove definitively if you are or aren't their daughter. But Skye, just looking at you, I can tell you the results will probably come back positive."
Skye nodded slowly, sliding down the wall to finally sit on the floor. She didn't look broken, just shocked. Again, silence fell over the group until she rose her eyes a minute later and spoke: "I want Simmons to run the tests."
"Alright," agreed Coulson, offering her a hand up. She took it unflinchingly, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Then we'll table this whole discussion until tomorrow morning."
Loki was going to object, May could feel it, and almost automatically, she covered his mouth before he could speak. "Agreed. A night isn't going to change things. Though," she made sure to hold Loki's irritated look, "we will all have to stay here tonight for that to work." She then glanced at Coulson, repeating her statement forcefully. "All of us."
Coulson made an unhappy face, shooting Loki a distrusting look but nodding all the same. Skye was precious to Coulson, even if he would never admit it. He would do almost anything for the hacker. "Alright. He can take one of the spare rooms. But if I catch him anywhere he isn't supposed to be-"
"I'll watch him," stated May simply, glancing again back at Loki. "If he wants this resolved, he'll behave himself."
Pulling his face back so he could speak again, Loki raised an eyebrow in defiance. "Does this mean I can't magically change the Son of Coul's hair color?"
May felt a touch of a smile pull at her lips at that particular memory. "As fetching as purple is on him, no."
Feigning a put upon sigh, Loki offered her a bit of a pout in return. "Fine then, I shall find other means of entertaining myself."
"Or you could sleep," suggested May, shaking her head a bit. "It is what normal people do."
"Yes, but, as you have said yourself, I am not normal," pointed out Loki, as if he'd somehow made a point.
May just shook her head and refocused on Skye. "Go back to sleep, Skye. We'll deal with this in the morning."
"Right, sleep," laughed Skye darkly as she turned down the hall in the opposite direction of her room. "That's not gonna happen."
Coulson's brow furrowed in concern, his frown deepening as he watched Skye walk away. "Where are you going?"
"The data center," replied Skye, waving her hand slightly as if to dismiss them. "To stare at the security monitors. Night." She didn't say anything else as she disappeared down the hall.
May just shook her head and turned away from the gathered group with Loki in tow. Neither of them would be sleeping either, and she knew it. The lounge was as good a place as any for them to stay up all night. At least there were things to do in there. Loki didn't say a word, just followed her with his brow furrowed until they were out of sight of the others.
As soon as they rounded a corner, he spoke up, confusion tinging his voice. "Why would she stare at the security monitors? Does she not trust us?"
May almost laughed at the implication. "She isn't going to actually stare at the monitors. She's going to make a call."
"A call?" repeated Loki curiously, cocking an eyebrow at May. "A call to who?"
"Our former teammate," replied May, her lips pressing into a thin line at the thought. She knew Skye called Ward despite his current place behind bars. She also knew the hacker needed the contact. Even if May and the rest didn't like it, Ward and Skye had a special bond that could only be formed by two people who went through similar life experiences. They could support each other, and right now that support was what Skye needed.
"Former teammate?" asked Loki, brow furrowing in concern. "Why is he a former teammate?"
"Because he betrayed us all for Hydra," explained May, voice dark and just a touch bitter, "but Skye still sees something in him."
"You don't approve though," stated Loki with his own unhappy tone. She could see the conclusions forming in his mind, and she knew it was the wrong conclusions he was drawing.
"No, I don't," confirmed May, "but I don't stop her either because she needs him as much as he needs her. They've been through similar experiences in their lives, similar hopes and pains. They can support each other in ways we can't understand."
"So you allow her this contact because you believe it helps her," summarized Loki, humming a bit. "Does she love him?"
"Maybe," sighed May, pulling him into the lounge and releasing him once they were inside. Immediately, she went for the cabinet and began searching for a deck of cards. "He loves her, that much I know."
"Which is also why you allow the contact," guessed Loki. She heard him move away from her, towards the other side of the room.
"Yes." She didn't need to look to know he was pouring them both a drink. The click of glass suggested as much and, sure enough, when she turned a second later with a deck of cars and a box of poker ships in hand, he was walking towards the couch with two glasses of what was probably scotch in hand.
He reached the sofa at the same time she did, offering her one of the glasses once she'd put both the chips and cards down. Both of them took up seats on the sofa, making sure they were far enough apart that they couldn't see each other's cards. When they were both settled, he picked up the cards and began to shuffle them while she took a sip of the drink he'd brought her. Well aged scotch met her tongue, helping her relax a little after the events of the passed half hour.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Loki, satisfied the cards were well shuffled, set the deck down and picked up his own drink. "Well, what shall we play?"
"Chinese poker," replied May, reaching for the shuffled deck. "How much should we each start with?"
"We could play strip," suggested Loki, a smirk drawing over his lips slightly. "I certainly will not object."
"Yes, but Skye is in the security center and she can still see the video cameras," stated May, dealing out the hands. "If she is our daughter, she doesn't need to see her parents playing strip poker."
Loki winced a little, rubbing his eyes slightly. "Your point is valid." Flipping open the box, he divided up several stacks of chips and passed one of the piles to May. They wouldn't actually play with money; when they had played with real consequences, it was always more interesting than that. Neither of them had the energy for that, either. This would be a way for them to pass the time and nothing more.
Picking up her cards, May sorted her chips, then threw a handful into the middle. "Raise."
"I will trip you if you pace passed me again," threatened May, shifting her shoulders against the wall where she was leaning. The walls outside the lab weren't comfortable, but there was no where to really sit. Skye was inside the lab- she was the only person Simmons would allow in there while she ran the tests. Probably because Skye looked like she might collapse from nerves. Everyone else had been remanded to the hallway, where they were all gathered and waiting with impatience. Some worse than others.
Loki paused in his pacing to glare at May halfheartedly before recognizing her threat as a statement of fact and moving to stand beside her. "How are you so calm?"
"I'm not," stated May, turning to look at her former husband. "I've been living with this for the passed 24 years. I learned to push it down."
"If she isn't your kid, I'm going to call for a redo of the test," stated Trip from where he was tossing a ball up and down in front of the lab doors. Simmons had told him to 'guard the doors', which really just meant keep everyone else out. He'd already thrown a baseball at Coulson when the man tried to sneak in; no one else was willing to try.
Of course, May knew Loki could just teleport inside, but he wasn't for whatever reason. She suspected it was because of her. Or because he didn't want to piss off his daughter before he got to know her, either was possible. Then again, she sort of wished he would- his nerves were irritating her.
"I second that," stated Coulson from where he was standing down the hall. He'd been tossing the baseball Trip had thrown at him up and down for the passed twenty minutes; it said a lot about his nerves that he was fidgeting so much.
The door to the lab hissed open before anyone could say anything further, Skye stepping out with a sheet of paper in hand. She looked shell-shocked but not disappointed, something May hoped was a good sign. Almost immediately, the hacker bee-lined for both May and Loki, passing the paper silently to them. She leaned on the wall then, chewing her lower lip nervously.
May shared a look with Loki, who came around to stand slightly behind her as she unfolded the paper. Tears pressed against her eyes as she read the results. Skye's DNA was a match. Half of it matched her and the other half matched Loki. Skye was their daughter. She had her missing daughter back.
"So, I don't know what you want to do about this," started Skye slowly, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, I don't know what you're expecting..."
"We aren't expecting anything," stated May gently, glancing at Loki. He met her eyes, nodding slowly for her to continue. Pain was in his eyes and she knew he understood exactly what Skye was going through. "This is a lot for you to take in. We will do whatever you want to and at whatever pace you want to."
Skye nodded slowly, eyes turned down towards the ground as she stared at anything but her newly-found parents. "I think, I'd like to get to know you both. I don't- I don't need parents anymore, but I'd like to know about you."
"That sounds reasonable," stated Loki gently, his eyes meeting May's. "I cannot stay permanently, but I can visit as frequently as possible."
"That sounds reasonable," agreed Skye slowly, shifting around as she pushed off the wall. "Um, hey, this probably isn't cool, but can I-"
"Go ahead," stated Loki gently, nodding at her reassuringly. "This is never an each matter to face and you do need time to absorb everything that has happened. I recall my own rather sudden realization I was adopted and who my father actually was. Take whatever time you require."
"Thanks," muttered Skye, pausing before she pushed away though. "Will you still-"
"I will stay for a few days, to give you time to adjust and speak to me when you feel inclined," assured Loki, offering her a soft smile. "Please, do not hesitate to approach or ask me anything you please when you feel ready."
Skye nodded slowly, offering them both a shaky smile. "Thanks, both of you. I just- I'll probably want to talk later."
"We understand, Skye," soothed May, offering her a watery smile. "I'm just glad you're safe."
"Thanks," muttered Skye, shifting uncomfortably as an uneasy silence momentarily settled in the hall. May just watched Skye silently, waiting to see what her daughter (that would take time to get used to), would do. It took a second, but Skye just finally waved and half-ran down the hallway towards the security center.
May watched her go silently, mentally reminding herself that Skye would still be there in a few hours. Loki wasn't going to let anyone make Skye disappear again; it was a promise he'd made last night over their card game. They might not be married anymore, but she knew he would keep that promise, too. He didn't want their daughter to disappear again any time soon. She was theirs, and they both intended to keep it that way.