i. Skye sat at the table, spinning a water bottle cap, trying to make as little noise as possible in an effort not to wake Hannah.
She looked up as Coulson walked into the room. Gesturing to the open seat beside her, he asked, "May I?"
She nodded and scooted over in the booth to make room for him.
"It's been a hell of a few days, hasn't it?"
She smiled and said, "Yeah. Who would've thought –"
"– that I would shove my hand into an Asgardian man's chest and fish around for his heart?" Skye smiled tiredly at his smug face.
"No. Well, I mean – I don't know. I just wasn't expecting May to do what she did."
Coulson raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "You mean protect her team? She doesn't hate you, you know."
Skye shot him a skeptical look. "I knew she would be willing to protect us, just –"
"– just not by using Hannah for bait?"
"Correct."
"She only did that to protect us, Skye." The two sat in silence for a little while before Coulson piped up again. "Hey, Skye, what's May's favorite day of the week?"
Skye shot him a look and shook her head slightly before saying, "I don't know. What?"
"Flyday!" When he was met with an unamused glare, he felt the need to explain. "Get it? 'Cause May's a pilot?"
Skye held up a hand to prevent further explanation. "Yeah, I got it, Coulson. And to think I said you were cool…" At Coulson's pretend look of hurt and shock, she laughed out loud, covering her mouth to keep from waking Hannah.
It was the way he delivered the terrible pun and the emotion lying beneath his eyes as he told it to her that set her gears grinding. "You don't have a family, do you?"
Coulson, startled by the question, looked Skye directly in the eyes. "Excuse me?"
"I mean," she said, "the way you treat everyone on this Bus – it's like you've dealt with stuff like this before." Before Coulson could answer, she indulged her impulsive side and added, "But there's a certain loneliness underneath. Like you've always wanted this but could never have it."
Coulson looked down, tracing figure eights on the table. "No," he finally said. "No, I don't have a family. Not one of my own." He knew her. She wasn't going to push him for more. He licked his lips and continued. "You see, when I joined S.H.I.E.L.D., I chose not to have a family. That's what many agents do. That way, when the hard choice comes, at least the decision's a little bit simpler."
Skye reached out and laid a reassuring hand on Coulson's. She nodded once, but she was so tired after the events of the past few days. Sleep was dragging her eyes closed, and it became increasingly difficult for her to stay awake.
Coulson couldn't admit it to anyone, not even himself, but at that moment in time, he chose her. If only he could have been there for her, to choose her, just nine years earlier. This was a girl who had shown her loyalties to the people on this Bus, as well as her love for them (yes, he said to himself, even May). She wore her heart on her sleeve, but there was so much more to her than that. A light burned brightly, beckoning people to come to her, and that light was warm. What he wanted was to protect that light before it had any opportunity to grow dim.
"You tired?" He already knew the answer, so he was not surprised when she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Hey, Dad?"
Dad. She called him dad.
His parents had both told him about the love a parent had for their child, and every superior officer at S.H.I.E.L.D. had said something similar: It was impossible to know the love of a parent without actually being one.
Well, now he begged to differ.
His voice was soft as he answered. "Yeah, Skye?"
"Do you really think I'm going to be the best at that index thing?"
"I know you are going to be the best at it."