Notes :
I wrote this after seeing ep.19, and I thought a bit into the future from that episode on.
So, in this story, the team managed to get Skye back (do not ask me how, I don't know either, they just did!), are still staying at the PROVIDENCE-base, and May has found Hill who gave her new orders. I assume that the team is aware that Koenig is dead and Ward HYDRA, but it is not relevant for the story.
As English is neither my mother tongue, nor the one of my beta readers, I can not guarantee for the linguistic quality of the work (while of course I hope it is not too bad)
„You're gonna send her back? "Coulson asked, sitting at the table in the office, making a call. „Yes, but you have to take him too. We can't risk Ross getting his hands on him."„I can live with that, thank you, Maria", he ended the call thinking he was still feeling a bit strange using her fist name, even if it meant that the chance to slip through surveillance was (hopefully) higher this way.
Phil left his office looking for the rest of his team to tell them the news...well the part that meant that May would come back; he wanted her to be able to see their faces when they saw the rest.
…
As soon as May stepped into the brake room all eyes lied on her and even more on her companion.
Coulson greeted Melinda with a simple „good to see you" picked up the little boy she had with her, hugged him and placed a kiss on his forehead while he turned to say: "FitzSimmons, Triplett and Skye. This is Charles May." The boy smiled friendly and Phil set him on his feet again handing him an Id-card and a key. The boy tried to pick up his bag and ended up caring it like a messenger bag, just that it was a full grown valise and even thought obviously not fully packed almost the same size as him and went to search for his room. Ignoring the stares and almost too meaningful smiles.
After May and Coulson also had left the room and the shock had fainted a little, a burst of chatter started, discussing the boys identity. Skye went for Mays son, Fitz agreed that she never had looked so gentle and caring at anything, not even the bus. This led Simmons to point out, that Coulson had looked at Chales in a way he not even looked at Lola, and that even though he looked definitely Asian the boy also could have some quite European figures. In the following silence Triplett stated that it would be highly unprofessional for Coulson to work with the mother of his child.
…
Nonetheless the rest of the day was largely spend by Coulson, May and Charles looking peacefully and trying not to laugh. And the others stared at the boy, analysed him, and when they later discussed the results, Jemma stated "Well I'm not a pediatrician but I think he is somewhat between 4 and 6, based on his height and weigh more like four or even younger, but he talks like at least six- But he really can't really be older than that because he's still having all his teeth...but from his movements he looks more like a very small six year old..."
„But that would put his birth in the time of Bahrain!" Skye made a face like someone had tried to tell her she was an evil Loki-like god.
„That's unlikely..." Fitz explained " As far as I've heard even the ones with office jobs get a mandatory leave almost as soon as SHIELD figures out their pregna..."
They silenced immediately at the sound of the door opening, and Coulson checking on their work.
…
The next Morning Skye walked in on both Mays sitting in the kitchen having breakfast. Surprisingly Melinda just continued the conversation after a brief "good morning" and Skye almost burned herself while brewing her tea as she heard what it was about.
„How's your dad?"
„Good, I suppose, he's about to marry, but I don't know exactly whether they plan to do that before they're done reproducing or after"
„Who is she?"
„Some strange CIA girl"
„Again?"
„Well he should be gone through all badges by now" the boy shrugged
„Wait you said reproducing, how old is she then!?"
„32 I think"
„32?! He's almost 80!"
This was the first time Skye had seen May in something like shock. Realizing Coulson approached the kitchen, she hurried towards the lab, a bit to much for not attracting attention and overheared a debate concerning the knowledge of ones parents birthdates.
After Skye was out of sight, Coulson sighted and asked „You always let it sound as if Charlies father and your mother didn't have any kind of relationship towards each other, don't you?"
…
„We need to test their DNA!"
„Why would we do that, Skye? And who exactly are you talking about?"
„The Mays and maybe Coulson even though he isn't the Boys father!"
Skey used the following hour to explain her observation in the kitchen to her laboratory coworkers and they made up a plan to get DNA samples of their „subjects". Mostly stealing cups and glasses.
It went quite smoothly, as neither of them was too possessive towards their drinking vessels or paid much attention on them.
…
While waiting for Simmons to run the test, Skye tried, quite unsuccessful, to hack the FBI. She was just unable to figure out, what she was missing. Slightly frustrated Skye went to check on Simmons process, passing May sitting on the sofa holding a sleeping Charles on her lap.
After a very short conversation with Simmons telling her, that the test would need at least another hour, Skye returned to her laptop. She saw a note on the keyboard. Someone had written a suggestion to change a few of the stings in her code to make it work. This someone had handwriting as scrawny as hers in second grade, and obliviously a sense for computer since. Skye was respectively confused, as the only other people in the Room where the Mays and Coulson, and she knew Melinda's handwriting and computer skills, as well as Phillips.
Looking at Charles, who now sat on the floor playing with a harvester and a Captain America action figure, she shook her head, it was impossible that he could have noticed this (and wrote a note about it), but she changed her code after the notes suggestions. While running it, she noticed a stream of breath in her neck, turned her head only to see Charles looking at the screen with a victorious grin. Murmuring "They really should know better by know...they really should..."
"Congrats, you just definitely blew your cover" May sounded...amused.
"Whose cover" Fitz showed up at the door frame
"My older brothers" May shrugged
"Your older...brother...? Simmons said he could not be older than six?!"
"Yeah well...I kinda stooped growing after she was born" Charles explained with a gesture towards Melinda.
"OK, but… why is he here then?...And how did he repair my code?"
"Well he belonged to the SANDBOX researcher, and it is pretty hard to find something he didn't study, I mean… how many PhD did you have? Seven?" Coulson tried to explain, while fighting to keep his composure.
"Ten, including one in computer since from '95" the boy answered and then went on to explain Fitz why the machine he build up did not work.
In the evening he sat with Simmons discussing the accuracy of DNA tests, as it is impossible to distinguish whether someone is a sibling or a parent.
End notes:
After I saw quite a LOT of those "May and Coulson are having a baby girl"-stories (really the child is always a girl and just a few month old or Skye) and after reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by thuri ( /works/441885/chapters/754071 ) (which is a recommendation that you all should read it as well ;) ). And seeing Mays mother, I got kinda possessed by this idea...
A bit more about Charles May:
He is 5 years older than Melinda. Their parents got divorced at some point, and their father has had quite a few other unsuccessful relationships and also other children.
While Charles has on the one hand a quite brilliant mind and can behave like an old professor, he also often prefers the behavior of a small child (with the cognitive abilities of an adult).
As it is canon that May and Coulson worked together for quite a while, he and Coulson know each other well, and of course he got the Captain America action figure from Coulson.
Also the way Coulson introduced Charles to his team is part of a play/game they already did before, because, well a man who hides in a dark corner to scare his new co-worker would have done something similar before, right (and of course he is also a like the child a high-rank SHIELD employe can never have to some people)?
80 sounds quite old for Mays dad, right? Well Ming-Nah Wen was born 1963 and I assume the character May as well. So with her older brother, her father must be old enough to have a son born in 1958 and as I would like the parents to be married I assumed that they where about 20 back then so Dad was born around 1938 and would today be 76 years old.
But Tsai Chin (the actress playing Mays mother) was born 1936 again, I assume that the character was born than as well, as usually men are older than their female romantic partners Mays father would be older than 78.