Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
SHIELD's Little Surprise
Chapter 4
This is a fanfic based upon the incredible television series, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is the fourth chapter in a series of stories that takes place not long after the Season 2 finale. These stories are meant to be fun, sweet, thought-provoking and heart-warming. They *may* or may not contain scenes of corporal discipline (spanking), possibly of a minor child. This is *not* a 'condonement' of spanking children in any way, and any such scene will be depicted in a very loving, non-abusive manner. If this may still be a trigger for you, I encourage you not to read this series.
Nearly every character referred to is directly from the show/Marvel Universe, and I hold NO claim to the characters or the plotlines of the show that many of my stories are based on. I *highly* recommend watching the first two seasons of episodes before reading these stories, as many references to events in the episodes will be made, and therefore, better understood. WARNING: These stories will contain spoilers from the show, up until the Season 2 finale. (Minus what happened to Jemma Simmons there, because I refused to accept that! ;) ) Enjoy!
"Every one to Command, immediately. We have a mission."
Mack heard this announcement in his comms, as he was just about to set Skye instructions for her lesson today. "Copy that," he responds quietly, then turns back to the girl and lightly ruffles her hair. "Okay princess… you've been doing so well with building from models… I'm going to give you a treat today," he tells her, and smiles as her face lights up. He dumps a huge container of large blocks out onto the floor. "Today, instead of following any instructions, you get to be the architect. I want you to make a castle fit for a princess… for you! It better be big, and it better be grand. You got me?"
Skye nods happily, looking excited. "Got you!"
Mack feels a slight shutter in the plane, and realizes that it has just changed direction. Whatever is going on must be serious. "Okay." He turns his attention back to the little girl in front of him. "Now… I want it to be a surprise. So, I'm going to step out for a bit so you can work all by yourself. Sound good?" he asks, wondering how Skye will react to this, as he had never left her alone during 'class' before.
Skye nods again, already diving into the blocks.
Mack chuckles. "That's my girl." He ruffles her hair playfully again as he rises and heads for the door. "When I come back, I want to see a beautiful palace," he exclaims in a sing-song voice. Glancing back to see the child feverishly beginning to build, he grins and shuts the door quietly, then hurries to Command.
Everyone else is already there, gathered around the holotable. Coulson looks up as Mack enters. "Skye?" he asks simply.
"In the rec room, sir, building me a princess castle."
Several people snicker at this strange-sounding statement, but look back to Coulson attentively right away. Trying to stop his own lips from curling up, Coulson gets right to business.
"All right, listen up. I've just gotten word that a SHIELD safe house in Toronto was attacked last night. Two agents who had been seeking refuge there were killed, another is in critical condition." The team falls silent, save for a couple frustrated sighs.
"This was Hydra, then?" Hunter asks heavily.
"Most likely," Coulson responds. "All of the security cameras were somehow cut before the culprits entered the house, which seems to show alarming intel. It may have been Hydra… especially as one of their apparent new leaders was familiar with that house," he adds heavily.
The team is silent another moment before realization dawns on May and she speaks up. "Ward."
Coulson looks to her and nods solemnly.
Trying to bite back the bile rising in her at the thought of Ward, May explains. "Ward spent time at that safe house. He was assigned there several years ago, to guard a high-level SHIELD agent during a dangerous hostage exchange."
"So," Coulson goes on, "Ward knew that safe house's location and it's defenses. All that would have changed would have been security codes, which he could have succeeded in torturing out of someone."
Bobbi swallows hard, trying to prevent her heart from racing. She ignores Hunter's concerned stare, which she can feel boring into her. "The agents that were attacked… did he have any connection to them? What would he want with them?"
"I don't think that they were the draw. The safe house itself probably was. Chances are they were just there at the wrong time." Coulson feels May tense beside him, and notices her hands curling into fists out of the corner of his eye. He continues. "The Toronto safe house was also a storage space for information on dangerous weapons and artifacts that were stored in the Fridge. It was deemed prudent not to keep the items and their intel in the same location. Ward and Garrett raided the Fridge over a year ago, stealing countless dangerous items and weapons. Now it seems he may be after their instruction manuals."
Many dark looks were exchanged at this.
"May has rerouted us toward Toronto. We will be completely in the dark on this one. Security cams are down, we have no idea if Ward is working alone (which he is certainly capable of doing), or if he has a small army behind him. What's worse… Hill tells me that another small band of level 5 SHIELD agents are due to arrive at the house two days from now. Communication with them has been lost, so our priority now is to neutralize the threat before they arrive.
"Of course, we have another issue," Coulson begins…
"Bloody hell," Hunter grumbles, wondering what else they could possibly have to deal with.
"… Skye. I want her nowhere near any of this, in case fighting breaks out. So… suggestions."
Everyone goes quiet once again, clearly thinking hard. Finally, Bobbi is the first to respond. "Sir… my sister lives in Ohio with her husband and kids. It's right on the way to Toronto. We won't be too far from her, but she'd be well out of harm's way," she points out.
Coulson stares at Bobbi, considering this. As no one else offers up any suggestions, he finally nods. "Fine. We will drop you off with her. You two can stay there," he decides.
Bobbi immediately opens her mouth to protest this, to state that Skye will be perfectly all right there with her sister, that she wants to come along and help. Coulson however gives her a stern look and shakes his head. "You are not cleared for combat, which we will most likely face. And… we are not giving Ward another chance to finish you off. Just like Skye, I want you nowhere near this," he adds quietly.
Bobbi sets her jaw, incredibly frustrated… even more so when she notices Hunter nodding firmly in agreement.
Coulson takes pity on the stir-crazy operative and adds, "look, if there's a need and opportunity for you to join us and run point *from the Bus*, we'll send the quinjet for you. But for now, we need you to stay with Skye," he says gently. Phil looks back around at the rest of the team. "Everyone… get ready."
….
Two hours later the entire team is packed, has stocked up on ammo and has formed a rudimentary plan. They have also all stopped by to admire the 'castle' that Skye has built, which is, in all sincerity, impressive. They all praise her and hug her and ruffle her hair playfully. She has no idea yet that they are saying 'good-bye… for now', in their own ways.
Bobbi goes to see Skye last, after she has packed bags both for herself and for Skye as well. She gushes over the child's creation, and even takes a picture of it, so it will last for all eternity. She chuckles as Skye proudly poses next to it.
"You are quite the little architect, munchkin!" Bobbi grabs Skye up and brings her close, tickling her. "Maybe you can design us a new base someday."
Morse chuckles as she sees gears immediately start to turn in the giggling little girl's head.
Bobbi sits Skye on her lap, wrapping her arms around her. "Munchkin… we need to talk for a minute. Director Coulson needs everyone to go take care of a very important job. So… you and I get to take a little vacation! I'm going to bring you to visit my sister. She lives in a beautiful place, and has kids for you to play with. I think it will be a lot of fun!"
Skye tries to take this in. It does sound fun, but she also feels nervous at the thought of being without the rest of the team. "For… for how long?"
Morse bites her lip… she truly has no idea, and doesn't want to be wrong. "Well honey, I'm not entirely sure right now. Maybe a couple days, maybe a week? Just long enough for the important job to get done. Okay?"
Skye leans against Bobbi, twirling the agent's long blonde hair around her fingers. "Okay…"
Morse grins with relief and kisses Skye's cheeks. "Okay! Well then, we are almost there. Let's go get Trip and get you buckled in for the landing."
Five minutes later the plane lands and Bobbi and Skye disembark. Simmons almost can't let Skye go when she gives her a last hug good-bye… it's only when Coulson quietly reminds her of the agent in critical condition that needs her that Simmons finally stops fawning over the child. Coulson himself is the last to kneel and hug the little girl. "Okay Skye… we will see you soon. Be good, and have fun, all right?"
Skye nods, hugging Coulson tight. "Okay, sir. Do a good job," she states, attempting to sound grown-up.
Coulson chuckles and strokes Skye's cheek. "We'll do our best."
A minute later, Bobbi is walking Skye down the cargo ramp. The cloaked Bus had landed in the immense, empty parking lot of an abandoned warehouse. They walk all the way around the building until they spot another vehicle. Waiting near a white SUV a ways away is a young woman who resembles Morse, though with short hair and a light blue dress on.
"Barbara!" rings the woman's voice, as Bobbi and Skye approach.
Skye makes a face of confusion and looks up at Bobbi, but Bobbi is focused on her younger sister.
"Hey Jenny!" Bobbi responds, jogging over and hugging her sibling tight. "Thank you so much for doing this. We were in a bind," she whispers, then pulls away. She turns to Skye and says proudly, "Jenn, this little munchkin is Skye. Skye honey, this is my sister, Jennifer, or Jenny as we all call her."
Skye fidgets slightly, feeling shy. Jenny smiles warmly and kneels down for the little girl, offering her hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Skye." Timidly, Skye shakes Jenny's hand as she's been taught to, and in almost a whisper replies, "nice to meet you".
Jenny gives Bobbi a simpering look, and Bobbi just nods in agreement. The child is precious. Turning back to Skye, Jenny points at the stuffed monkey in her arms. "And who's this?"
Skye turns her monkey around to look at him, and says, "this is Trip." She then holds his paw out to shake.
With a chuckle, Jenny shakes the offered paw. "Well then, very nice to meet you, Trip!"
The drive to Jenny's house passes relatively quickly. The scenery outside of the car is beautiful, and Skye focuses on discussing it quietly with Trip while the grown-ups catch up on family business. Once, Jenny tries to ask how 'work' is going for Bobbi, to which both then say together, "sorry, that's classified!" and laugh. Morse's sister shakes her head as she pulls into the driveway of her large home, turning to gaze at Bobbi. "You know, I don't know what you've been up to all these years. You disappear for months at a time. I just hope that it's nothing… dangerous."
Morse glances in the rearview mirror as she sees Skye look up curiously at this. She hastens to say, "of course not… don't be silly. It's just… classified."
Jennifer sighs. "Yeah, all right, whatever."
Skye looks back out the window and sees several kids coming down the front steps. She fidgets uneasily, feeling much the same way she often felt when taken to a new foster family's house. She squeezes Trip more tightly.
Bobbi helps Skye out of her booster seat and goes to set her down, but Skye clings and whines desperately. Surprised by this, Morse instead picks her up and holds her close. "It's okay, munchkin. I'm right here. This is my family. They're very nice."
But the little girl can't resist the shutter that moves through her body, nor the feeling that something bad is about to happen. She hides her face in Bobbi's shoulder, overwhelmed.
At that moment, two children that look to be around Skye's age run up to Bobbi. "Aunt Barbara!" they both shriek, throwing their arms around her.
"Hey kids!" Bobbi retorts, hugging them each with one arm. Her other arm still holds Skye, who squirms uncomfortably. "I've missed you so much. And you've gotten so big!"
A man approaches with a kind smile and kisses Bobbi on the cheek. "Hey Barbara… long time, no see," he quips. Bobbi cringes slightly at the continued use of her given name, which only her family regularly does.
"Hey Dustin. Yeah, I know, I just got an earful from Jenny about it. What can I say, I'm a career woman," she admits sheepishly, grinning.
Dustin looks at the little girl hidden in her arms and raises his eyebrows, "not completely, it seems. Are you joining our ranks in parenthood, perhaps?"
Bobbi seethes inwardly, not used to dealing with… 'regular people' anymore. How on Earth is she supposed to answer that in front of Skye, without it feeling like a rejection? After a moment of careful thought she replies, "not exactly… but this munchkin is very special, and she does seem to have me wrapped around her little finger," she admits. "This is Skye."
She smiles and nuzzles Skye softly, trying unsuccessfully to get her to look up. "Hey honey… can you say hi?"
But Skye just shakes her head and burrows deeper into Bobbi's shoulder. Morse sighs. "I think she's feeling shy."
"That's all right." Dustin heads to the trunk of the SUV. "Maybe she'll perk up a bit when we've got her settled." He grabs their bags from the car and heads inside, calling for his kids to follow them.
As Bobbi carries Skye behind him, the child peeks up enough to get a glimpse of her surroundings. It is quite pretty and peaceful here, lots of very green grass; tall, abundant trees; colorful flowers and a few babbling creeks. There is a pleasant smell of citrus and eucalyptus in the air. The neighboring houses are placed a good deal away from each other. It is 'lovely', as Jemma would say, but Skye still doesn't feel right about being here, and is already missing the Bus and the base and their inhabitants.
As they approach the house, Morse rubs Skye's back and murmurs, "it's all right, munchkin. No need to be nervous. Look, they have some kitties!" This does catch Skye's attention and she looks down to see two cats, one an orange tabby and the other a calico.
Dustin pops his head back around. "Here we go. Let me show you to your room."
Morse follows Dustin down the hall, snuggling the nervous child. He points them into the guest room with a, "just let us know if there's anything you need."
"I could use a shower," Morse admits, aware that if she's called out to join the team, she may not get a chance to take one again until their mission is over. Bobbi looks around the small but inviting guest room and hitches on a smile. She almost can't stand the thought of possibly leaving the little girl behind if the need arises.
Morse sighs softly and opens up the bag she packed for Skye. "Let's unpack your things, honey," she suggests, moving to place some of the child's clothes into the dresser drawers.
"No!" Skye cries suddenly, looking positively horrified. She hurries over to Bobbi and pulls her clothes away, trying to stuff them back into her bag.
Morse blinks and stares at the youngster. She puts a gentle hand on Skye's back. "Hey… what's the matter?" she asks, alarmed.
Skye shakes her head. "We can't unpack! We… we're gonna go back home!" she tries to explain, sounding flustered.
Morse stares at her further, trying to understand. "Munchkin, of course we're going to go home," she says softly, but then she understands. After having been moved so many times, Skye must have recognized and established certain patterns. Clearly, to her, unpacking her bags means settling down, or setting down roots in a place. A deep sadness flows over Bobbi as she is once again reminded of what this tiny six year-old has been through. "Okay honey, you can leave your things in your bag," she says gently, not wanting to upset the youngster.
Dustin reappears in the door then and offers Bobbi a towel. He then smiles at Skye and says, "hey kiddo, I'm taking everyone out for frozen yogurt. Why don't you come with us while Barbara gets cleaned up?" he suggests, then steps out to corral the rest of his family.
Bobbi accepts the towel with a smile, then turns back to Skye. "Frozen yogurt… that sounds good, right?"
Skye shrugs, sitting on the edge of the bed and hugging Trip close.
Morse has an idea of what will get the little girl to go. "You know what? It would mean a lot to me, if you would go and get me one! I really love strawberry."
Skye still looks hesitant, but finally slides off the bed. "Okay."
Bobbi smiles, and gives the child a gentle tickle. "Good girl."
Reaching up, Skye twirls Bobbi's pretty long hair around her fingers again. With a confused look, the youngster asks, "why do they call you Barbara?"
Bobbi sighs and rolls her eyes. "Well… that is my name. Bobbi is more of a nickname. Only my family still calls me Barbara. But…" Morse leans in closer and whispers, as if sharing a big secret, "I like Bobbi better."
This makes Skye smile a bit… knowing that she uses the name that Bobbi prefers.
"Okay munchkin… so, you go get some yummy frozen yogurt. I'm going to take a shower, and I'll be looking forward to the treat you bring back for me." She pulls the little girl in and plants a kiss on her forehead. Skye wraps her arms around Bobbi and squeezes tight. Morse then sends her on her way with a gentle pat to her bottom.
Somewhat against her own instincts, Skye allows herself to be led out to join Dustin and the three kids, still clutching Trip in her hand.
…
15 minutes later, just as Bobbi is getting out of the shower, Jenny hurries into the guest room and knocks sharply on the bathroom door. "Barb? Hey… your phone has been blowing up. And you just got a text that says, '911'… I think you'd better check it out."
Morse immediately opens the door, clad only in a towel, and grabs the phone from her sister. She sees that the texts are from Coulson and immediately returns his call.
He picks up on the first ring. "Bobbi... I know that you guys just got there, but we need you after all. A quinjet is on its way there to pick you up."
Morse blinks. "Sir… what's happened?! You were just going to spend the next 24 hours doing recon. My brother-in-law took Skye out for frozen yogurt, I won't get to say good-…"
"Bobbi… Hunter has been compromised."
Morse's heart plummets and her side of the line goes silent for several moments.
"I'm sorry, Bobbi. We need you here to run point on the Bus, right away."
"Of-of course," Bobbi manages to get out. "I'll be ready in five minutes."
Morse really has no choice. She dresses in about a minute flat, repacks her shower items and seeks out her sister. She explains that there has been an emergency and asks Jenny to please, please take excellent care of Skye, and let the child know that she will be back as soon as humanly possible for her.
"Of course we will," Jenny promises. "Just… whatever you're doing, Barbara… please be careful."
"I will, I will," she states distractedly, jotting down a phone number. "Look, if there is an emergency with Skye, or you really, really need to get in touch with me, you can leave a message at this number. I'll get back to you as soon as I can, though it may not be right away."
Jenny nods, her concern for her big sister growing ever stronger.
Bobbi sighs heavily and throws her bag over her shoulder. She gives her sister a quick hug, with a genuine, "thank you, so much," then adds, "oh, and Jenny? Skye only knows me as Bobbi. Please… make an effort…?"
Jenny chuckles and nods. "Yeah, yeah, all right. Take care… 'Bobbi'. We'll see you soon."
Morse forces a smile, her heart aching for Hunter, and waves as she hurries out to the large backyard, where a quinjet stands waiting on the far lawn.
….
15 minutes later, Dustin returns home with all of the kids. Skye had been introduced to their children: 7 year-old Blake, 5 year-old Kaitlyn and 2 year-old Tyler. She had actually cheered up a little over her frozen yogurt, and by playing an 'I Spy' game in the car. Now, as Dustin pulls into the driveway of his home, Skye can't wait to present Bobbi with her yogurt… strawberry, as requested.
The youngster waits impatiently as Dustin helps her out of her booster seat. She runs into the house, the yogurt held in one hand, Trip swinging from the other. "Bobbi!" she calls out. Skye runs first to the guest room, then glances into the bathroom where Bobbi had showered. Her smile fading a bit, she runs out to the kitchen and calls for Morse again. Entering quickly from the next room, Jenny intercepts her.
"Skye… hey there sweetie. Did you like your frozen yogurt?"
Skye nods, but continues to look around. "Yeah. We got Bobbi some…" she adds, holding it up. "I wanna give it to her."
Jenny nods… "well, that was really nice of you, to bring some for her," she begins, with a kind smile. "Listen honey… Bobbi got a call from work. She had to leave immediately, to go help. So, you're going to stay with us for a while, until she can come back and get you, okay?"
Now it is Skye's heart that plummets. She looks around, then turns and runs back to the guest room. She looks around for any sign of Bobbi… and notices that her bag is gone. What's even worse, Skye finds her own bag empty and pulls out a dresser drawer. Much to her horror, her bag had been unpacked for her while they were out. Skye feels her throat constricting, and takes quick, shallow breaths as panic starts to set in.
As Jenny comes in to check on her Skye runs past and straight out the front door. She looks in every direction, sure that she will spot Bobbi leaving and can run to catch up with her. At last though, after a long moment of frantic searching, she must concede that Bobbi really is gone.
Tears well up in the little girl's eyes, and she suddenly throws the cup of frozen yogurt down into the lawn, as hard as she can. She falls into the grass and bursts into tears of utter, heart-wrenching despair.
Blake and Kaitlyn come out onto the front porch and stare at Skye, while their mother pushes past and runs down the steps toward her. "Skye! Honey, it's all right. She won't be gone long. She'll come back for you as soon as she can," she tries to assure the little girl, very surprised at this strong reaction. She reaches out a hand and tries to stroke the child's hair.
But Skye pulls away from the woman's touch, still sobbing hard. "No!" she cries, standing up again and backing away. "She won't come back. She's never coming back! She left me here because… because they don't want me anymore." With that Skye then runs past Jenny again, back into the house and straight to what she believes is her new room. She slams the door, then throws herself face-down on the bed and cries harder than she ever has before.
Her little six year-old mind starts to spin. She should have known better. She should have known it wouldn't last. She should never have gotten attached. She shouldn't have trusted. Yet… this must be her fault. What had she done this time? She hasn't gotten in trouble over the past few days… so why would Coulson and May and Bobbi send her away now? Why was this happening, yet again?!
There is a knock on the bedroom door, and a gentle voice asks, "Skye… can I come in?"
When the child doesn't respond but continues to cry into her pillow, Jenny enters and sits down on the edge of the bed. She doesn't know much about Skye's past, but understands that the little one must have had it rough to believe that she would just be abandoned like this, like an unwanted puppy at the pound.
Jenny wants so much to comfort the child, to hold her or stroke her hair or rub her back. From Skye's reaction outside however, she gauges that this might not be a good idea yet. Instead, she sits quietly for a moment, then gently states, "Skye… I know that it might have been a shock to come back and find that Bobbi wasn't here. I'm sorry… and she's sorry… that she had to leave so suddenly. But honey… it doesn't mean that she's not coming back for you. I know her well, and I can see that she adores you. She will come back for you very soon, I promise."
Skye wants to believe Jenny… she really does. But while she wants to believe the woman's words, past experience has taught her otherwise. She loves Bobbi… and hearing that Bobbi may have loved her too is just all the more painful, when Skye is convinced that the beautiful agent… nay, the whole team… has just discarded her once and for all. Foster families never come back. They have never fought to keep her, or returned to the orphanage to get her after giving her back. Once she was removed from their home or their care, she never hears from them again.
At this thought, Skye is filled with such an unbearable grief. She wails in despair, crawls off the covers, drops to the floor and promptly slides underneath the bed instead.
Jenny tries to stop her, but isn't quite quick enough. "Oh, Skye…", she begins, but trails off. Dustin had just entered the room, having heard most of what had happened. He puts his arm around his wife and nods toward the door, mouthing, 'give her some time'. Jenny hesitates, but then finally nods in agreement. "Honey, we'll be real close by, when you're ready," she says gently, then allows Dustin to guide her out.
Skye cries hard for another five minutes or so, then slowly crawls out from under the bed and retrieves Trip. She stares at him, wondering how she could have been so wrong; she had believed that he meant something. To her, receiving him had meant that her greatest wish had come true. She has a sudden angry urge to rip him apart, or to throw him away like she had done with Bobbi's yogurt. In the end though she can't do either. He had been too special. She does however quietly open her door, and set him outside in the hallway. She needs to let him go, just like she needs to let Bobbi and Jemma and Coulson and the rest go.
That done, Skye closes the door and slides back into her hiding spot. Eventually the little girl cries herself to sleep right there, underneath the bed.
…
Completely unaware of course of what's going on back at her sister's house, Bobbi tries to keep it together as she heads to Toronto in the quinjet. She is debriefed on what has happened by the pilot, who explains that when the team arrived at the safe house, they had hidden the Bus, cloaked, in a discontinued airfield not far from the house. The plan was to observe any comings and goings and other action from afar, while Fitz sent the dwarves to surround the house to surreptitiously gather intel.
Hunter had been assigned to watch camera footage of the back of the house from the safety of the Bus. When he caught sight of Ward through a crack in the curtains of a window, using a telephoto lens, his emotions overcame his senses and he made his move. So determined to get revenge on Ward for what he had done to Bobbi, Hunter tried to sneak up to the house through the cover of a dense area of forest. Unfortunately, the enemy was ready for this. A trap had been set in that area, so that as soon as Hunter entered it, a large net sprung up, hoisting him 20 feet into the air.
Lance couldn't cut himself free or else he would freefall to certain injury. Before anyone could answer his distress call via comms, he had been surrounded and quickly taken hostage. He was now tied up with a broken nose at least and no comms, being held prisoner inside the safe house by none other than Grant Ward and a large group of cronies. Ward knew that Hunter made quite the bargaining chip, and was now using Hunter's comms to try to negotiate his own gang's safe escape with the plethora of dangerous information they had gathered.
"Damn you, Hunter," Bobbi whispers to thin air, her uninjured knee bouncing in agitation as she counts the seconds until she will arrive to help…
…
The next two days do not pass happily in Dustin and Jenny's household. Skye spends the entire next day in her room, either laying on or under the bed, crying. Jenny had tried several times to reassure the little girl and to coax her out of the room, but to no avail. The woman had also tried to bring Trip back to her, but Skye had pushed him away. Skye had not accepted food, nor said a single word to anyone, and Dustin had had to resort to removing the door knob completely as Skye kept trying to lock them out.
On the second morning, Jenny and Dustin were seriously getting concerned. Skye again refused to speak, nor to touch the eggs, toast or fruit that were offered to her. The youngster hadn't slept well, mainly because she was hungry. The already thin child looked pale and worn from all the crying.
By lunchtime, the adults decide that what is happening is very unhealthy for the child, and can't go on. They had tried being very kind and patient… maybe the little girl needs some firmer guidance. Jenny informs Skye that she won't be allowed to just stay in her room like this, and that she has to come eat something. After a full day and a half of no food and nonstop misery, Skye doesn't have the energy to fight Dustin when he comes to direct her to the kitchen. She allows herself to be placed at the table, looking like the frail, shattered little waif that she is.
Being around the little family is very hard on Skye. She again feels as she always had at every new foster home she was sent to. She can feel the other kids staring at her curiously, not understanding her behavior. They are already established… these three kids are Dustin and Jenny's kids, and as usual, she is just an outsider. She doesn't respond to any questions; and she keeps her face hidden in her arms on the table. She pushes her plate of grilled cheese and apple slices aside. Skye even refuses the offer of a cookie from Jenny, feeling her eyes well up at the thought that Jemma and Bobbi wouldn't approve of her having a cookie without eating her meal first.
At a complete loss of what to do, Dustin and Jenny decide to bribe Skye with the only thing they know matters to her right now. As the other kids are dismissed to go play, Jenny tells Skye that if she wants to leave the table and go back to her room, she has to eat some of her lunch first. Over the next 15 minutes, the miserable little girl manages to choke down about half of her sandwich and two apple slices. Finally satisfied with this, Dustin tells Skye that she may be dismissed, and the youngster heads straight back to her room.
Feeling slightly sick, Skye closes the knobless door behind her. She goes to stand by the window and look out. It is the beginning of autumn, and a beautiful day. Leaves are falling from the multi-colored trees, and she watches Blake and Kaitlyn run out to ride bikes. Skye thinks about how right now she should be playing with Mack on the roof of the base, or reading a story with Bobbi, or gazing up at the galaxy with Jemma, or playing hide and seek with Hunter, or watching May train, or or or…
Stricken with grief yet again, Skye moves back to the bed and lays down, rubbing her aching tummy. She eventually drifts in and out of sleep… a sleep interrupted by many dreams. She dreams of normal things, like playing outside with Fitz, and of being surrounded by friendly animals. But then she has a dream that she can't understand… she is locked in a glass room, with something like tubes attached to her. She's trying to clean up some broken glass when she suddenly feels glass piercing her hand. She looks down and seems to be covered in blood, and the piercing pain won't stop, and there is no one there to help…
Skye wakes up crying, feeling so alone and helpless. She sits bolt upright and looks down at her hands, surprised and confused at not finding any blood there. She is still sitting there, gazing at her hands, when Jenny rushes in, having heard Skye's cry.
"Skye? Are you okay, honey?" she asks, in alarm.
Skye glances up at her through her tears, but doesn't respond.
Looking deeply troubled, Jenny sits on the edge of the bed and strokes back Skye's messy, slightly damp hair. The woman wonders at this… Skye doesn't feel like she has a fever, but she's a bit clammy. "You know what, love? I think it's time you had a bath. Do you like bubbles?"
Skye again doesn't respond, but gazes out the window absently.
Jenny draws Skye a bubble bath, and the little girl doesn't fight being undressed and put in it. Jenny talks to the little girl soothingly, again promising that Bobbi will be back for her, and that everything would be okay. A few more tears fall, as Skye remembers how fun baths with Bobbi and Jemma were.
Jenny is very gentle while bathing the unresisting child, and tries to get her interested in some bath toys. She's glad when Skye absent-mindedly dunks a toy dolphin in and out of the water, but is starting to feel heart-broken herself. She doesn't know what to do to reach or comfort this distressed little girl. She also finds herself unwillingly starting to resent her sister for putting this on her… she doesn't hear from Barbara for months, then she shows up out of the blue with a complicated child and disappears? Bobbi could have at least provided some background information on Skye before up and leaving, so that they were better prepared for this.
Jenny sighs and pushes this all aside. No point in fretting about this now. She starts to hum soothingly as she washes Skye's long, dark hair, careful not to rinse soap into the youngster's eyes. When Skye is all clean, Jenny considers asking the little girl if she'd like to stay in the bath for a bit, as Skye at least looks somewhat peaceful there. Little Tyler begins fussing from the other room however, apparently awake from his nap, and Jenny knows that she can't stay. "All right, honey. All done, come on."
Skye stands and allows herself to be plucked out of the tub. Jenny helps dry the child off gently but quickly, as Tyler's fussing grows more insistent. As she lets the water out of the tub, she looks back to Skye and asks, "do you think you can get yourself dressed, love?"
Skye gives an almost imperceptible nod and moves to the drawer she dislikes so much.
"Okay… good girl. I'll be right back," Jenny tells her with a smile.
Skye dresses herself slowly in a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt with pink paw prints that Jemma had gifted her, that says 'Purrr-fectly Adorable'. Jenny returns carrying Tyler, who has his head on his mother's shoulder and is rubbing his eyes with his fists. The sight of this bothers Skye, though she isn't entirely sure why. She is tense and unhappy though as Jenny combs the tangles out of her wet hair.
After this, Skye returns to bed. She gets out of a 'family dinner' that night by pretending to be asleep when Dustin comes to get her, but does drink the cup of chocolate milk that is left on her bedside table.
Skye's sleep is interrupted throughout this night as well. She seems to be having a lot of dreams, most of which she can't remember. One that sticks with her though involves her old life at the orphanage. In it, she is back there and surrounded by screaming babies. Everywhere she looks there are more, and grown-ups just keep bringing more and leaving them without a second glance. The nuns are yelling at her to be quiet and take care of them, and although she is doing her best and not saying a word, she keeps getting yelled at to be quiet. The babies keeps screaming and little Skye is finally slapped in punishment.
When Jenny comes to get Skye for breakfast, the little girl has had very little sleep, is hungry and yet has an upset stomach, and is feeling angry and hurt from her dream. She still can't wrangle up the energy to speak… and there is nothing she wants to say.
Skye wants to fight having to go to the table and get stared at again, but she doesn't. She goes and sits down with her face in her arms again, her legs swinging under the table. She is in a very grumpy mood.
Although Skye doesn't know it, Jenny put in a call last night to the number that Bobbi had left her and left a message. She let her sister know how the child was doing, and asked for advice. Then she and Dustin had discussed the situation at length before bed, and had come to the conclusion that the little girl was not going to snap out of her rut on her own. They agreed that they would need to be firm to break the current routine, and that the youngster would eventually come out of her shell again. Dustin encouraged Jenny to 'treat Skye exactly as you would Blake or Kaitlyn when they are acting up'. He wanted to know that she could handle things while he had to work a double shift today.
Skye can smell eggs and bacon, and hears a plate being set in front of her, but her stomach hurts and she really doesn't want to eat. A moment later though, Jenny is gently pulling Skye up to sit straighter and pushing her chair in. The little girl frowns deeply and pushes her chair back again, to lay her head on the table.
She hears a sigh from behind her and frowns as she is once again prompted to sit up. She squirms and frowns even more deeply as Jenny kneels down to be eye level with her and whispers firmly, "Skye, you need to eat breakfast. You're not going to be excused until you eat." Jenny was determined to be strong, for Skye's own good.
Skye however, apparently has other plans. The frustrated and angry little girl looks directly into Jenny's eyes, then picks up her cup of milk and pours it in her plate of eggs. Then, for good measure, Skye turns and throws the cup across the room.
As she feels the eyes of the other kids on her again, Skye is reminded of just a couple weeks or so ago, when she had behaved a bit like this with Bobbi. Maybe she should have realized that Bobbi's own sister may react in a similar way.
Quickly getting over her shock at this very defiant behavior, Jenny reminds herself, 'treat her as you would any of the kids'. With that in mind, she pulls Skye's chair back out, lifts her out, and plants a swat on the little girl's bottom.
Skye struggles against Jenny's hold, but the woman is much too strong for her. She can't do much to resist as Jenny leads her out of the kitchen.
"Skye… that was not okay." Jenny scolds. "I know that you're upset, little one, but you will show respect while you are in this house, and you will not throw things. You're going in time-out." With that, she sits Skye down in a corner of the hallway, and turns her to face the wall. "You stay there for five minutes, and think about your… "
But the stubborn little girl is too upset to make good choices, and she was already getting up again. Jenny frowns, takes her arm, and gives her another firm pop on the rear end. "Skye, no. You sit down and stay there, young lady. You're in time-out… five minutes."
Tears are welling up in Skye's eyes as the weary, determined little girl attempts an escape yet again. Jenny sighs sadly and bends down to one knee, taking the miserable youngster across the other. "You are being very naughty, little one," she says regrettably, then lets her hand fall firmly onto the seat of Skye's shorts.
Spank Spank Spank Spank Spank
Skye squirms and begins to cry right away, but she ceases fighting. She knows now that there's no point… she's stuck here in this house with these strangers and their rules, and there's nothing she can do about it. Just as it's always been.
When Jenny sits Skye back down this time, the child doesn't move. Skye just buries her face in her hands and cries. After a moment Jenny says softly, "five minutes". Skye hears Bobbi's sister walk away, then hears a timer being set in the kitchen. She spends the next five minutes sniffling miserably in her corner and feeling so alone.
The timer goes off at last, bringing Skye out of a daze. Jenny turns the timer off, then approaches Skye quietly. "Okay Skye. Do you know what you did wrong?"
Skye fidgets for a moment, then nods, avoiding eye contact like the plague.
Jenny considers making the little girl tell her, but as Skye hasn't said a word in three days, she decides it would be more of a battle than she's willing to fight. Instead, she says, "okay. And are you ready to behave nicely?"
Another nod.
Jenny gently rubs the little girl's back, then offers her hand. "All right. Come on." She now considers once again insisting that Skye eat something, but she doesn't think she has it in her to spank the little girl again, if it doesn't go well. Nor does she want to clean a second meal or glass of milk off the floor. Deciding that she'll wait for now and try again in about an hour, she says, "Kaitlyn and Blake have gone to school. You can come watch a show with Tyler."
Skye accepts the help up and follows along to the living room, rubbing her bottom subconsciously. It didn't hurt much anymore per say, but the shock and sadness of it remained.
Jenny ushers Skye in to watch an episode of Dora the Explorer with Tyler. Skye may have been interested on a good day, as she so rarely got to watch any cartoons on the Bus, but today is just not her day. She stares out the window absently for a while as she lays down on the floor. She gently pets the calico kitty named Angie when the cat wanders over and nuzzles the child.
All is well for about 10 minutes, until Skye hears a noise from behind her and looks around. Jenny had gone to retrieve a load of laundry, and at first the youngster can't figure out where the sound had come from. Then, from across the room, Skye spots Tyler playing very roughly with something. As she watches, realization dawns on her and she sits bolt upright. The item that Tyler seems to be happily trying to tear apart is almost as big as he is, and has brown fur.
Feeling anger boil up inside her, Skye jumps to her feet and runs over to the toddler. She tries to tug her abandoned, yet beloved, Trip from his arms, but the child has a strong grip. As he gives an angry cry of protest, Skye grabs Trip and gives Tyler a little shove. The toddler falls backward onto his rear end, letting go of the stuffed monkey, and starts to howl.
Jenny gasps, having just reentered the room and seen Skye's aggressive move. "Skye!" she exclaims, finding it hard to hold back her anger.
Skye hears the anger in the woman's voice and immediately feels afraid. As Jenny moves to gather up her crying toddler and comfort him, Skye runs from the room, through the kitchen, and straight out the back door. She looks around frantically and spots her means of escape. Dashing for a thick, nearby oak tree, she quickly climbs a rope ladder, (made more difficult by her still clutching Trip with one hand), and ducks into a small treehouse.
As Jenny comes hurrying out the back door carrying a whining Tyler, Skye quickly draws up the rope ladder. Jenny growls in frustration and calls up to the very naughty girl. "Skye… you need to come down here right now, young lady. You are in big trouble. Barbara… Bobbi… is going to be so disappointed when I tell her about your behavior!" she warns, just about at her wit's end.
Skye has mixed feelings about this. At first, she is very nervous, because she knows that if Bobbi could see how she was behaving, she would indeed be in very big trouble. This fear fades away however, as Skye reminds herself that Bobbi isn't coming back… none of the agents are. Bobbi left her here without even saying good-bye, and Skye would no doubt never see her or the rest of the team again. She then even entertains the defiant thought that, 'good. If being in trouble will get Bobbi to come back here for me, that's fine!'
And so, Skye ignores the dire warning and scoots to the other side of the small treehouse, where she can no longer be seen. She checks Trip over and feels relieved that aside from his fur being disheveled, he seems okay. She hugs him closer to herself and cries into his fur, as she has so many times before.
Skye stays up in the treehouse for most of the day, curled up with Trip and thinking about her life. She is tired of having to move, tired of being handed over to strangers, and even more tired of being given back to the orphanage. She feels an anger and jealousy toward kids like Jenny and Dustin's, who have never been sent away or had to question who their family is. And as hard as Skye tries to fight it, her thoughts keep returning to Jemma and Bobbi and May and the rest of the team. How much she loves them, how much she misses them, and how angry she is that they promised they would never send her away. They had lied, and they had dumped her… just like everyone always had. Just like everyone always will.
At one point in the early afternoon, Skye hears Jenny down on the ground talking into her cell phone. The woman was lamenting the fact that they somehow don't own a ladder that reaches high enough. She could hear her arguing with whoever was on the other line, as the woman disappears back into the house.
Skye returns to her thoughts. She clings to the same hopes that every orphaned child does… that their parents are out there somewhere searching for them, and would one day come to get them. Then all of this uncertainty and feeling unwanted would come to an end. She would know where she belonged, and who she belonged with.
As the afternoon wears on Skye is truly starving, even feeling a bit dizzy. She has cried a fair amount, is seriously lacking food and sleep, and is utterly heartsick still. But she has made a decision. She is going to escape this cycle she is stuck in. She is going to sneak down as soon as she can, and set out to find her real parents. They have to be out there somewhere, they just have to be!
As the sun sinks lower in the western sky, Skye can't wait any longer. She is very thirsty, and longs for a drink from the creek. Checking carefully that the coast is clear, she slowly lowers the rope ladder. She lets Trip drop to the ground, then climbs down as quickly as she can. The little girl then stumbles slightly over to the creek, where she drinks handfuls of water.
The back door suddenly opens and Skye whirls around to see Dustin in the doorway, squinting at her. "Skye?" he calls.
Skye jumps to her feet and takes off running in the opposite direction. A woman's voice calls after her… "Skye, no… stop!" But the youngster keeps running, as if for her life.
Her little legs are no match however. Just as she reaches the edge of the forest that she hopes to hide in, fast footsteps catch up with her and she is scooped up from behind. Skye gives out a hoarse whine and struggles frantically.
"Skye… munchkin, stop. It's me," comes a stern yet soft voice that Skye thought she would never hear again. The child stops struggling long enough to look into the face of the person holding her.
It's Bobbi. Her eyebrows are furrowed as if she's upset, but she also looks concerned and caring. Skye has one moment of desperate relief and hope again, before anger and resentment takes over. She squirms hard to be let down, and when she is set down, she bursts into tears and gives Bobbi a shove with all her little might.
In utter shock, Bobbi takes an unsteady step backwards. Skye tries to shove her again, so angry at having been abandoned, so sure that she can't trust Bobbi anymore. Bewildered and upset by this reaction, Bobbi catches Skye up after the little girl's third attempt to push her away.
"Skye… what on Earth do you think you are doing?" the tall agent asks sharply. Unable to read the little girl's thoughts, she can't assume anything other than this is more of the awful behavior that her sister has just told her about. "Skye… I hear that you have been very naughty, and you are in big trouble. You have a chance right now to explain your behavior to me. One chance… before I give you a good spanking."
But Skye is beyond the point of reasoning. Frustrated, angry and 'betrayed', Skye fights hard to get down again. When this doesn't work, she gives Bobbi's arm a hard pinch.
Morse grimaces through gritted teeth and gives Skye's bottom a firm smack. "Ok, you had your chance," she states, in a disappointed tone. She hoists the struggling child up over her shoulder and walks purposefully back toward the house.
Bobbi had intended to take Skye into the guest room for some privacy, but when the little girl starts pounding her small fists on Bobbi's back, Morse decides that they've gone far enough. She sits down on a lawn chair and quickly bares the squirming child, then drapes her over her knees and immediately starts spanking her.
Spank Spank Spank
Skye continues struggling, squirming and kicking hard. The little girl is even more angry at being so helpless, so out of control. She's also angry because she doesn't want to be angry at Bobbi! She wants to beg her forgiveness and be her munchkin once more… but she's too hurt and doesn't want to trust again.
"Skye… I have no idea what has gotten into you. The things that Jenny has told me… you tried to lock her and Dustin out of the guest room… "
Spank Spank Spank
"You have refused to speak to them, which is quite rude, and even refused food and drink. Now, what do you think Jemma is going to say about that?" Bobbi adds, reproachfully, knowing that Jemma has already taught Skye quite a bit about health and nutrition.
Spank Spank Spank Spank Spank
Skye begins to cry and attempts to put her hand back to block the firm though reasonable swats to her bottom. When Morse gently moves her hand out of the way and continues spanking her, Skye cries even harder.
"Next, I hear that you made a mess of your breakfast this morning, and even threw your cup." Bobbi states, in disbelief. "We had a discussion about throwing things not very long ago. I guess you didn't learn your lesson, young lady." With that, Bobbi ups the intensity of the swats just slightly.
Spank! Spank! Spank! Spank! Spank!
Skye gives out a genuine sob now, and most of the fight goes out of her. Her little feet still kick in an effort to lessen the light sting of the swats, but she otherwise lies relatively still, rather worn out.
Steeling herself to go on when she really doesn't want to, Bobbi finally says, "then… Jenny tells me that you pushed poor Tyler down, just for playing with Trip. Skye… Tyler is just a baby. How could you do that?" Morse's voice is soft, but clearly expresses her exasperation and disappointment. She gives Skye a moment to respond, but when the girl makes no sound beyond her crying, Bobbi sighs and continues with five more firm swats.
Spank! Spank! Spank! Spank! Spank!
Skye sobs again, her whole tiny body going limp. Her crying becomes heavier and more heart-wrenching than ever.
Morse looks down at Skye's light pink bottom and feels tears welling up in her own eyes. She had hoped that her reunion with Skye would be a happy one, full of hugs and kisses and tickles… certainly not a spanking. She shakes her head, letting a tear fall. "Baby… why did you do this? Where did all of this bad behavior come from?" She rubs the little girl's back, hoping for a response, but somewhat worried that the child will never speak again.
But from amongst the little girl's sobs, a muffled, incomprehensible sound was heard.
Bobbi wipes a tear away and leans down, closer. "What, honey?"
Skye coughs a bit to clear her hoarse throat, then cries out, "you left me!" She is overcome with sobs again, and her little body trembles as she cries.
Closing her eyes with a deep sigh, Bobbi replaces Skye's shorts, then picks Skye up off her lap and into her arms. She notices with concern how light the child feels, even in comparison with just a few days ago. "Oh munchkin… I explained that you would be taking a little vacation," Bobbi points out exasperatedly.
Instead of clinging or cuddling as she normally would, Skye pulls away, still crying and rubbing her sore bottom miserably. "No!" she shrieks. "You were sposed to be here with me!" she insists. The look of utter despair and betrayal on the little girl's face was absolutely heart-breaking.
Morse stares at the youngster, thinking hard. She had warned Skye that she might need to go help the team at some point… hadn't she? She tries to recall… did she ever actually say that Skye might be left there alone, without her? Much to her horror, she can't think of a single instance in which she made that very clear. "Baby… I know that Jenny told you that I had to go help the team. Did you really think that I just left you here? Did you think that we wouldn't come back for you?"
Skye nods, sobbing with her head bowed.
Well… now it all makes much more sense. Once again Bobbi thinks of Skye's past. How many times had the tiny child just been dropped off somewhere new, and handed over to strangers? How many times had she felt unwanted and abandoned by those who were supposed to care for her? Here Skye thought she was experiencing it all over again… and on top of all that, Bobbi just spanked her! Morse feels horrible for a moment… then she swallows hard and stays strong. Whatever the reason, Skye's behavior had been reprehensible, and had to be addressed. Still…
Bobbi eyes the sorrowful waif before her and slides off the lawn chair to kneel in front of her. "Baby girl," she whispers softly, gently lifting Skye's chin with her hand. "I am right here. You belong with us. You are such an important part of this family. There may be jobs that you can't come with us to, but we will always, always come get you again after. I promise," she swears, gently brushing Skye's disheveled hair behind her shoulder. "We will never, ever leave you, Skye. I understand that it may take you some time to believe that. And I should have done a better job explaining what was going on, before I left. Munchkin, I am so, so sorry," Morse adds in a choked voice.
Skye sniffles and even hiccoughs. She looks up at Morse intently, and now that her vision isn't quite so blurred by tears, she can just make out a dark purple bruise on Bobbi's jaw as a stray tear rolls down it. Skye stares at the bruise sadly and reaches out to touch it. Although it hurts, Bobbi allows her to, just grateful for the physical touch. She smiles reassuringly… "I'm all right, munchkin. Don't worry." Then she presses Skye's little hand to her cheek before planting a kiss on it.
At that moment, Jemma appears in the back doorway, looking concerned. "Skye! Oh, darling…". Simmons moves over to them on the lawn and falls to her knees, her arms open wide, with a warm smile on her face. Skye hesitates only a moment before moving over and allowing Jemma to hug her tight. As Simmons holds Skye tightly with one arm, she quietly hands Bobbi a note with a reassuring nod. Morse opens it to read, 'he's settled, stable and resting'. She sighs with great relief and smiles her appreciation at Jemma. "I'll be right back, munchkin," Morse says quietly, and heads inside to make a phone call.
Simmons smiles back, stroking Skye's hair, then pulls back to plant kisses all over the little tear-streaked face. "Oh darling, I missed you so much," she coos. She pulls back to look into the child's eyes. "I hear that you were quite naughty though," she adds, in a voice that she means to sound stern, but instead comes out more concerned. "And that you haven't eaten much at all for Three. Whole. Days."
Simmons emphasizes these words with three pats to Skye's bottom to show her disapproval of this. As soft as the pats are though, Skye can't handle being scolded by the always-kind Jemma. She hides her face in Jemma's shoulder and starts to cry once again.
Jemma's heart sinks. She had worried that Morse may spank Skye, and this seems to confirm that she had. Having just conversed with Jenny to find out about the lack of eating, she had heard much about Skye's behavior over the past few days. She could hardly believe it of her 'little angel'… but if half of it was true, she wasn't surprised that the youngster had been punished.
She certainly didn't need to add to it though. "Ohhh, honey, shhh. There, there, you're all right," she coos, standing and picking Skye up. She holds her close and rubs her back soothingly. Finally she says, "now darling, I need to look you over, okay? Not eating is very unhealthy, and I need to make sure that you're all right. You're looking awfully skinny," she adds, tickling the youngster gently.
Skye manages a small smile and squirms a little, a much more subdued reaction than normal to tickles. Simmons grows more concerned. "Let's go inside."
As Jemma carries the youngster back in through the back door, Skye sniffles and asks quietly, "can we go home now? I wanna go home…"
Simmons melts yet again and hugs the little girl tight. "Well, not quite yet, darling. You are going to spend a little more time here, but I am going to stay with you. Is that all right?"
Skye pouts and shrugs, playing with a button on Simmons' shirt. Finally, she admits quietly, "I think they're mad at me though."
Jemma looks carefully at Skye as she sets her down on the bed in the guest room. She thinks of how to respond. "Well… did you give them a hard time these last few days?"
Skye scrunches up her face and shrugs again.
"Hmmm… I think you did, didn't you?" Jemma prompts, opening up her bag and fishing out a few medical tools.
The youngster squirms slightly, and finally nods.
Simmons sighs, listening to Skye's heartbeat with her stethoscope. Once that's done, she asks, "why did you behave like that, Skye? Why were you so naughty?"
The little girl traces the pattern on the bedspread with her finger, before answering wearily. "So they'd give me away, too."
Jemma gasps quietly, unnoticed by the youngster. The fact that Skye would mention being 'given away' so casually is disturbing, but when she adds the word, 'too' on the end, it breaks Jemma's heart. She swallows hard and blinks back tears, pausing in her examination of Skye to gently cup the child's face in her hands. "Darling… I know that you've gone through very many moves and… and changes in your life. But I do hope you will soon come to realize that all of that is over now," she states gently. "You have a home now… two of them in fact! And you have a family… a big one, that cherishes you. We won't be 'giving you away'. All right?"
Skye looks up for only a moment, briefly meeting Jemma's eyes. Then she looks back down again, shifting uneasily.
Simmons shakes her head and continues her examination, checking Skye's lymph nodes. "And don't worry, darling. Bobbi will speak with her sister and her husband. I'm sure that they won't be angry with you," she reassures her. She had gotten the impression from talking to Jenny that the woman was more upset with her sister than with Skye. "However," she adds, "I do think it would be a very good idea to apologize for your naughty behavior. Don't you?" she asks softly, though expectation can be heard in her voice.
Skye sniffles again and rubs her eyes, then finally nods.
"Good girl," Jemma coos fondly. Determining that the little girl needs to gain a few pounds, but is otherwise only suffering mild dehydration, she sets her tools back into her bag. "Now. It is almost dinnertime, and you are going to eat dinner, young lady," Jemma states, finally able to sound firm. "I'm going to give you some water and a piece of bread to eat right now. Would you like it toasted?" she offers.
Skye fidgets again and shakes her head.
"All right. Come with me." Simmons holds out her hand with a soft smile. When Skye takes it, Jemma pats the small hand in hers and leads the child back out to the kitchen.
Bobbi is standing there talking to Dustin and Jenny, looking as though she has just been thoroughly scolded, too. The conversation comes to a halt when Skye is brought in, and she feels the three very tall adults staring at her. Skye turns to hide behind Jemma, but Simmons won't allow it this time. She ushers the nervous little girl over to Bobbi.
Bobbi nods at Simmons and takes Skye's hand in hers. Skye gives a frightened whine and covers her bottom with her free hand.
This scared little action melts everyone's frustrations at once. Dustin and Jenny knew that the little girl had been punished, and after (finally) learning about Skye's background, they had found a lot more patience and compassion within themselves.
Morse picks the little girl up and rubs her back. She whispers to the child, "I'm not going to spank you again, sweetheart. But I think there's something you need to say to my sister and brother-in-law, isn't there?" she prompts gently.
Skye takes only a second to wonder what 'brother-in-law' means, then returns her focus to where she knows it's expected to be. She gulps and glances over at Jemma, who has just reappeared with a slice of bread in her hands. Simmons nods encouragingly.
"I… I'n sorry I was so bad," Skye squeaks out, then turns and buries her face in Bobbi's shoulder.
Dustin manages a small smile at Bobbi, and Jenny steps forward to say softly, "Skye, honey… *you* are not bad. I know from everything Bar… Bobbi… has told me, that you are a very good girl. We were disappointed in your behavior, and the choices that you made. You made some mistakes, and you were punished… but we understand. You are not a bad girl." As Bobbi gives her sister the most grateful smile she can manage, Jenny smiles back and gently strokes Skye's hair.
As she moves away, Dustin steps forward and pats Skye on the back. "Yeah… you're all right, kiddo," he agrees. "I think it would be nice if we could just start over, and try to have some fun now. What do you think?"
When Skye nods, Dustin ruffles her hair playfully. "That a girl. I hope you've got your appetite back… we're having spaghetti."
Skye's face lights up a bit. She loves spaghetti (which Bobbi had told them, of course.) She is actually ready to eat… now that she is reunited with two of her favorite people, she feels a bit better.
"You know, maybe after we eat dinner, we can take Bobbi out for that frozen yogurt she missed," Dustin suggests kindly.
Skye's face lights up even more as she looks quickly up at Morse. "Yeah… but you have to come with," she demands.
Morse chuckles and nods. "Oh, yes 'ma'am'." She leans in and gives Skye an 'eskimo kiss', causing Skye's first giggle in days. As per usual, all of the adults around her felt a happy warmth emanate through them at the sound.
Simmons steps forward then, smiling around, and speaks to the youngster. "Ok darling, I have a piece of bread for you. Why don't you go outside with Bobbi to eat it," she suggests, as dinner was currently being made in the kitchen.
As the two head out into the front yard Simmons offers to help with dinner, but is shoo'ed away. She accepts this somewhat happily and goes to join Bobbi and Skye. Her jaw drops when she steps out onto the porch. Sunset was upon them, in all its incredible glory. The sky was an exquisite array of colors: bright orange to red to purple to light blue to dark blue. She spots Bobbi sitting at the edge of a pond, which is reflecting the sunset beautifully, Skye kneeling comfortably in the grass next to her. Simmons makes her way over to them, thrilled at getting to spend some quality downtime with them both in this enchanting scenery.
As Jemma approaches she sees that Skye is crumbling up the crust part of her potato bread and tossing it into the water. "Hey," Simmons scolds, placing her hands on her hips. "That bread is for you, young lady."
Skye squirms slightly. "But Jemma, look!" she exclaims, pointing at the water. A moment later, a large goldfish has swum up to the surface and stolen the bread crumbs away.
Simmons blinks. "Oh… I see," she states, thinking that that was indeed rather neat.
Morse chuckles and shakes her head, secretly thinking that Jemma will be a pushover for life with the little one. "Gimme that," she mutters, taking the bread away from Skye. She rips off the crust, then hands Skye the inside of the bread. She holds up the crust for Skye to see. "Eat your part, then you can feed this to the fish."
Simmons nods in agreement and sets a water bottle down next to Skye. "Yes. And you need to drink all of this, too."
Skye sits back on her heels, looking somewhat dejected, and starts nibbling on her bread.
Morse plants a kiss on the top of Skye's head.
The little girl continues watching the water, apparently deep in thought. After she swallows a small bite of bread she turns back to look at Bobbi and Jemma. "What was the 'portant job? Why can't I come? Where is May and Fitz and Director Coulson and Mack and Hunter? When are we going home?" She asks all of this in a rush, as if it was all bursting out of her.
Morse blinks and looks at Jemma. There's only so much of this she can answer, and she has to be very careful when she does so. The team had already discussed, at length, the dangers of telling Skye anything about their missions. Six year-olds have a tendency to repeat whatever they hear, and what if important Intel fell upon enemy ears?
"Well… let's see," Morse begins, stalling a bit for time to think. "We had to go stop a bad guy from stealing something important. And you couldn't come munchkin, because we don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't get hurt," Skye insists, finishing her bread. "I wanna come next time. I can help!"
"Oh… you won't get hurt, huh?" Morse asks, with her eyebrows raised. "Well, both May and Hunter got hurt, so what makes you think that you…" Bobbi stops herself, horrified at what she just said.
Skye gasps and jumps to her feet, staring at the agent. "They… they got hurt? No!" She whirls around to look at Jemma. "You gotta go fix 'em!" she exclaims, tugging on Jemma's arm as her eyes fill up with tears.
Morse groans inwardly and gives Simmons an apologetic look. A slip like this was very, very out of character for the skilled and experienced spy.
Simmons hurries to reassure the child. "Oh, no darling… it's all right! I did… 'fix' them, I promise. They will be okay… but Director Coulson took them to see a doctor in a hospital, just to make sure," she explains, stroking the little girl's hair. "That's where everyone else is. They won't have to be there long. Then they'll come get us, and we'll all go home. Okay?"
Skye looks only slightly reassured. Morse gets an idea. "You know what, munchkin? Maybe tonight, after frozen yogurt, maybe we can call the Director and say good night. He has really missed you," she adds, with a soft smile.
Skye sniffles. "And… and I can talk to May and Hunter, too?"
"Maybe," Bobbi says, to which Simmons quickly adds, "unless they're resting".
Eager to get the child's mind off of missions and injuries, Bobbi hands her back the bread crust. "Here you go, cutie. Let's feed those hungry fish…"
Five minutes later the sun has dropped beneath the horizon at last, and Jenny calls from the front doorway, "dinner!" Morse stands up and scoops Skye into her arms, leading the way back to the house with Simmons following behind.
Bobbi suddenly realizes something and addresses Skye. "Hey… you still have one more apology to make." When the little girl looks up at her questioningly, Morse says, "you need to apologize to Tyler, for pushing him down."
Skye frowns and her eyebrows furrow. "But… he had Trip! And he almost hurt… "
Before she can argue any further however, Bobbi frowns back and lands one more swat to Skye's backside. As Skye whines Morse says sternly, "you do not argue with me, young lady. You say, 'yes, ma'am'. You did something mean and you *will* apologize to Tyler."
Knowing that resistance is futile, Skye buries her face in Bobbi's shoulder. A very muffled, 'yes, ma'am' can just barely be heard.
"Good girl," Morse whispers, hugging the child gently to her.
The trio enters the house, where the delicious smell of spaghetti and garlic bread waft over them. As Jenny dishes up the meal, Dustin is holding Tyler, playing peekaboo with a napkin.
Bobbi approaches him with Skye still in her arms, thinking that the little girl can use some moral support. "Hey… Skye has something she wants to say to Tyler."
With a gentle nudge, Skye looks up at the adults, then looks at the toddler. She chews on her lip for a moment before quietly saying, "I'n sorry I pushed you, Tyler."
Morse smiles and rubs Skye's back proudly. Dustin smiles too. "Thank you, Skye. That makes it all better now," he promises. Then he adds, "we put Trip back in your room for you, where he's safe."
Skye nods and lays her head back down on Bobbi's shoulder.
Dinner goes well tonight. Everyone sits in the dining room as the kitchen table isn't big enough with all the guests. Skye finds that back in the company of two of her favorite adults, her tummy doesn't hurt much anymore. She manages to eat a healthy portion of spaghetti and garlic bread, and chats a bit with Blake and Kaitlyn. They then go out to frozen yogurt as promised, where Skye makes sure that Bobbi gets her strawberry yogurt, and also makes sure that Jemma gets something too, (which turns out to be her favorite, lemon sorbet).
When everyone gets back home from frozen yogurt, Skye positively pesters Bobbi until the agent agrees to put in a videocall to Coulson's tablet, though the agents make Skye get all ready for bed first. Just as Morse was gently explaining that Coulson may not be able to chat in the hospital, the Director picks up the call. "Hello?"
As soon as Skye sees him, she happily shrieks, "Director!"
Phil blinks, having expected it to be Bobbi. He quickly recovers. "Well, hello Skye! So good to see you, sweetie. How are you?"
Skye shrugs, "I'n okay. But Jemma says I'n too skinny," she answers honestly, glancing down and poking at her own stomach. "We went out for frozen yogurt!"
Coulson grins, "wow. You really get all the good treats, don't you?"
Skye nods happily, then her face turns more serious. "When can we come home?"
Phil sighs. "Well, we need to stay where we are for another day, maybe two. After that, we will come get you ladies."
Skye considers this. "And then May and Hunter will be all better again?"
Coulson blinks, then glances to the sides of the camera, as if looking for Morse and Simmons, wondering which one of them blabbed. "Uh… yes. They will be just fine. Don't worry. In fact…" Coulson looks to his left, then nods. "Agent May would like to talk to you. Hold on."
Skye sits up straighter, clearly excited. So excited that she accidentally drops the tablet onto the bed. Bobbi chuckles and picks it up, holding it still for her.
May enters the frame. "Hello, my little qiānjīn. I hear you were asking about me. How are you?"
Skye beams, then looks very carefully at what she can see of May. "I'n okay," she repeats, seemingly eager to get past that question. She leans back against Jemma, who gives May a smile and a wave. Then the small empath asks, "Did you get hurt? Are you okay?"
May nods. "Yes little one, I'm okay. I hurt my arm, but it's healing nicely. Simmons took good care of me," she explains, with a grateful look at Jemma.
The little girl turns back to Jemma and beams again. "She's the best doctor in the world!" she exclaims, remembering Bobbi's words the first day they met.
Simmons blushes slightly at all the praise, and just gives Skye a gentle squeeze.
May nods seriously. "Yes, she is," she agrees. She softens her gaze at Skye and says quietly, "I miss you, my qiānjīn."
Skye sighs and frowns. "I miss you too. I wish you were here to tell me a story," she admits sadly.
May nods again. "I wish I was with you, too. But you know, I can still tell you a story. Climb under the covers, little one."
Skye scrambles happily into bed… she has missed May's stories. As soon as she is settled, Melinda begins a tale of a young woman whose elderly, crippled father was suddenly drafted into the army. In order to save her father from going to war, the young woman disguised herself as a boy, and went in her father's place. While she faced many hardships, and was almost discovered for her deception several times, that young woman became a fierce warrior and finally saved the empire.
Skye is held captivated by this wonderful story, and even keeps her usual bombardment of questions to a minimum in order to listen. Bobbi rather enjoys it too, and is especially amused when she glances over at Simmons a few times to find the young biochemist completely caught up in it, as well.
As intrigued as Skye is with the story, she has had a long, rough day. By the end of the tale, her eyes are starting to droop and she is beginning to nod off. She awakens long enough to clap her hands and thank May, then asks to say 'good night' to Coulson as well. When the Director of SHIELD re-enters the frame, Skye says, "good night!" and kisses his cheek… or the image of it, on the tablet. He flushes somewhat, touched by the sweet gesture, and blows a kiss back to the little girl.
Skye feels so much better by now that she even agrees to Bobbi leaving to go be with Hunter at the hospital… as long as Jemma stays. She spends that night in the guest room cuddled up impossibly close to her beloved Jemma, as she refuses to let her out of her sight. Although the young doctor very much needs sleep, she doesn't mind not getting much. Skye is quite the squirmer, which leaves Simmons wondering how May ever gets any sleep with the child in her bed on the plane.
The next day passes peacefully, and all is almost right in the small child's world again. She gets to color in a coloring book with Jenny, ascend into the tree house again with Trip and Jemma, go on a nature walk where Jemma teaches her much about trees, flowers and herbs, and finally play hide-and-seek in the forest with Blake and Kaitlyn when they get home from school. In an effort to fatten her up a bit, Skye also gets to have second helpings of anything she wants, even dessert. Before bedtime another call is placed to Coulson, and Skye gets to catch up with Mack and Fitz too, much to her delight.
When she says good night to Coulson again, complete with another kiss to the screen, Skye learns that she and Jemma will be picked up the next morning. The child actually climbs out from under her covers and starts jumping on her bed, cheering at this, much to everyone's amusement.
The two are picked up right after breakfast. Dustin and Jenny are actually sad to see them go at this point, and they stress that they would be happy to baby-sit Skye any time. As the cargo ramp is lowered on the plane, Coulson, Bobbi, Mack and Fitz are revealed standing at the edge. Skye gives out a cry of delight and runs to pounce on all of them. After that cheerful reunion, May makes her way down the spiral staircase and gets pounced on too… though Skye is careful with her arm, which is bandaged in a sling. May receives a gentle, heartfelt kiss on the cheek and a big hug from the youngster that leaves her glowing with warmth from the inside.
Next, Skye gets to go to the med bay and see Hunter. He is sitting up in bed, a bandage on his nose and another around his rib cage. He looks somewhat beat up, but he manages a smile at the child. Skye approaches his bed cautiously, and without a word holds up Trip in offering. Hunter winces slightly, knowing how much the stuffed animal means to Skye. "Ah, I can't take that, cutie. He belongs with you." But Skye insists until Hunter gives in. She then climbs up on his bed and sings him her favorite song, 'Let It Go', to make him feel better. Everyone melts…
Now the little girl is home, and while she is worried about the injured members of her 'family', all is indeed finally right in her small world again.
Continued in Chapter 5