It took Raina less than thirty minutes to decide that she didn't really like her engagement ring. The band was all platinum with two rows of diamonds glittering around a big square-cut stone. It looked gigantic on her delicate hand, but it certainly made a statement.

"Coulson really went all out, huh?" Trip said, noticing the way she kept glancing down at her left hand.

She gave a slight nod. "Agent May's a lucky woman."

"May?" Trip sputtered. "Coulson and May aren't… at least I don't think…"

"If you say so." She said, shrugging her shoulders. It was silent for a few moments before she spoke up again. "I don't like it."

He glanced at her for a moment before looking back at the road. "Don't like what?"

"The ring. It's too big for me, too flashy." Raina explained.

"Really? You seem like the type of person who enjoys flashy."

"It has its moments, but I've always preferred simple elegance."

"Like flower dresses?" He grinned.

He was too focused on the road to notice the way her face fell just a bit at his question. "Who doesn't like flowers?"

They'd been driving for about half an hour in an SUV that had been waiting for them at the airfield. Trip had stowed their meager luggage in the trunk before climbing into the driver's seat and typing the address Coulson had sent them into the GPS. Despite being late November, the air was pleasantly warm and slightly humid, but that was likely to change as they made their way to Boston. First, however, they needed to fill the empty carseats in the back row of the vehicle. She had to admit that the idea was daunting, and she really hoped that Coulson's friend had some advice for them before they became the temporary guardians of these little girls.

The woman who greeted them at the CPS facility had short, silvery hair and rectangular glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. "I'm Dr. Ann Fielding, I work in the psychology department here. You must be from Coulson's team." She said, shaking their hands in turn as they confirmed that Coulson had sent them. "Good, I'll try to make this brief. They both seem to be exceptionally resilient, but I'd like them in a normal home environment as soon as possible."

"We understand." Raina said.

"How are they?" Trip asked as he and Raina began following her down the hallway.

"They're both doing surprisingly well. Addison is just developing a concept of object permanence, so she most likely doesn't understand that something has happened, but Melody does. She's been surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal. You have to keep in mind though, that children have a very different grieving process from adults." They nodded their understanding, and Dr. Fielding continued. "I've put together some reference material for you on helping children through periods of grief, and I'll give you the number to my office in case you need any further assistance."

Raina thanked her as they turned a corner into a new wing of the building and Dr. Fielding stopped walking.

"Now, before you go and get them, I want to warn you that as far as Melody's concerned, the four of you are about to enter into an elaborate game of 'house' in which you two are the parents. Get used to responding to 'Mommy and Daddy'."

As if Mr. and Mrs. hadn't been weird enough, now they were Mom and Dad too. Trip couldn't help but think that his day was just getting weirder and weirder with the passing time. Dr. Fielding led them a little further down the hall, where she ushered them through the door of a classroom-like space. The specialist recognized Melody's dark curls right away, and Dr. Fielding was quick to usher them over to her. The chairs at the table were tiny, and he probably looked ridiculous, but Trip sat down next to her anyway. He glanced over to Raina, who somehow still managed to look refined in the child sized seat, before trying to talk to Melody. "Hey, I like your picture."

"Thanks." She said in a surprisingly serene voice. "It's a gingerbread house with a cookie family that lives in it."

"I see that. I'm Trip, and this is my friend Raina. You're name's Melody right?"

Melody still hadn't looked up from her picture, but she nodded her head in the affirmative as she picked up a pink crayon. "Miss Ann said I was going to live with you guys."

Trip was about to respond, but Raina beat him to the punch. "Just for a while. Would you like that?"

She finally looked up, apparently finished with her gingerbread family, and looked between them with curious brown eyes. "Can I bring Addie?"

Again Trip was cut off, this time by the return of Dr. Fielding. "Of course Addie can come with you. I just need someone to hold her so I can get some paperwork together." Immediately Raina's arms were outstretched, and the psychologist was transferring the baby in her arms to the other woman.

"Hello." Raina cooed, rocking the infant a bit and earning a small gurgle in return. Trip didn't really know what he'd been expecting to happen, but it certainly hadn't been for Raina's maternal side to make an instantaneous appearance.

"If you'll join me in my office." Dr. Fielding prompted. The paperwork took only a few minutes and within the hour he was shaking Dr. Fielding's hand and heading back to the room that Melody and Addison were waiting in.

Raina was still sitting in the tiny chair when he returned, rocking Addison as if it were second-nature and animatedly talking to Addison about the picture she was working on. "I just need your signature on a few things before you leave." Ann said to her. It took a bit of doing, but after a few moments Raina was scrawling a fake name onto the small collection of documents and trip was standing in the middle of the room holding a baby.

He'd thought he would be more nervous, but once she was settled and staring up at him with the same coffee brown eyes as her sister he felt a sense of focus wash over him. It was the same kind of clarity that he felt when he was on an op, reaching for his gun, analyzing the best way to avoid casualties if things should go poorly. And then he remembered that this was an op, and despite the perfect innocence of the girl in his arms and the one sitting just a foot away, they were in danger.

"We're ready." Raina said, holding her arms out for Trip to place Addison in.

As Dr. Fielding led them back out of the building, he reached out for Melody's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. He wasn't totally sure which one of them he was trying to reassure, but the pressure of her little fingers on the back of his hand was incredibly grounding.

Once both girls were secured in their carseats Trip and Raina turned to face Dr. Fielding, who pulled out a yellow folder and a business card. "Here's the reference material that I was telling you about, and my card in case you need anything."

"Thank you." Raina smiled, taking them both and tucking them into her bag.

"I know this is going to be an adjustment for both of you, but if it makes you feel any better, I don't think Coulson could have sent two more qualified agents. You two are naturals, and I know you'll do what's best for Melody and Addison."

With that final reassurance, they said their goodbyes and climbed back into the car.

"Ready to go?" Trip asked, glancing into the backseat.

"Where are we going?" Melody asked, swinging her feet over the floor of the vehicle.

Raina turned over her shoulder to look at the five year-old. "Massachusetts." She smiled. "How do you like the sound of Boston?"

A/N: If you have a moment to leave a review I would really appreciate it. Also, please check out the updated author's not in chapter 1 so you can better understand the story.