It had been twenty three days since Skye had had a nightmare. She knew it was silly to keep track but now she wasn't having them so frequently it was a reassurance she wasn't likely to have one that night. In fact, she'd become so used to not having them that on the fourth night of owning Friday the thought of having a nightmare had barely crossed her mind as she climbed into bed and fell asleep.
The dream kept to the familiar theme of abandonment as nine year old Skye was placed back into the care of St. Agnes orphanage from a foster family she had become particularly attached to. She was faced with the image of her foster mom telling her that no one could possibly love the frightened little girl when she became aware of something nudging against her hand. In the confused state between sleep and waking she felt Friday press her head into the palm of her hand then pounce onto the free space on the bed and place one paw on Skye's stomach.
Her eyes fluttered open into the semi-darkness, sucking in several deep breaths before she could recognize the shape that was pawing her as Friday. She dropped her head back onto the pillow and let out a sigh of relief then lifted a shaky hand to stroke the top of the feline's head.
She waited patiently for Skye to completely calm herself down and for her to turn on her side before she nuzzled her body close to the woman's mouth. "Thanks, Friday." Skye mumbled into the cat's fur, placing a soft kiss on her head then relaxing and letting sleep wash over her.
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Skye placed her laptop down beside her bed, swallowed a yawn and made her way to the kitchen. She was as quiet as possible as she went through her late night routine, opening the microwave just before it beeped and woke anyone up before picking up her steaming cup of milk.
She was walking back to her bunk, blowing down on the hot drink, when she heard a little murmur. She couldn't quite place the noise at first. It was similar to the sound a child makes at the back of their throat when they're scared but it had a sleepy haze wrapped round it that made Skye's forehead crease in confusion.
She placed the glass of milk down on the ground then followed the corridor a little further to where the sound was coming from. It only took a moment for her to realize she was stood outside Ward's bunk, her hand placed on the door as she struggled to know what to do. She glanced around her for an answer, catching Friday just as she dipped her nose into the lukewarm milk.
"Hey," Skye whispered in a barely audible voice as she crept back down the corridor and scooped the cat up. "My milk," She murmured while wiping the white liquid off of the fur around her mouth, a thought reaching her just as she was about to turn back to her bunk. "Time to earn your keep, Friday" She added then silently carried the little feline down the corridor.
She paused again at Ward's bunk, hesitating only a moment before she pushed the door open and a slit of light brightened the room enough for her to see inside. Ward's limbs had become easily tangled in the sheets that seemed to suffocate him in his dream but he had finally managed to kick them off as he lay in a heap on top of his bed, a glaze of sweat on his forehead and a genuinely frightened look on his face.
Skye was noiseless in her approach, her hands cautious as she placed the cat down on the tiny space Ward didn't have his arms stretched out over. Friday turned her head up to Skye long enough for the hacker to nod down at the sleeping man and the feline turned her attention to him. She watched Friday nuzzle against Ward's face for a moment before she tiptoed back to the doorway. A small smile pulled on the corner of Skye's lips as his breathing steadied out into a normal pace and he rested a hand on Friday's side.
Skye had closed Ward's bunk, collected her now-cold milk and was almost back in her bunk when the two scientists peaked out of Simmons' bunk. "Do you think we should tell them we saw?" Fitz asked in a whisper as he stepped out into the corridor.
Simmons glanced down the corner then looked back at the engineer and smiled slightly. "Absolutely not,"
Fitz's lips tugged into a smirk then he nodded in agreement, mumbled a goodnight and turned back to his own bunk. Simmons watched the door of Ward's bunk for a second longer before she slipped back into her room and drifted off into sleep.
Huge thanks to Salkri Kachemench for the idea for this chapter. I loved the idea as soon as I read it but I had a little trouble starting off during a patch of writer's block. Anyway, it finally cleared so I thought I'd get a small chapter uploaded. Hope you liked it! Please review if you have time or add a suggestion to what you'd like to see Friday and the team get up to next.