Chapter IV - Being Missional

"A mission!"

Skye and Simmons sighed.

"You're sending him on a mission when we've been here less than a week?"

They had known this wouldn't be pretty, but Georgia going hysterical was not foreseen by either agent.

"I can't believe it!" the girl muttered for the hundredth time.

"Georgia, listen to me," Simmons groaned - also for the hundredth time. "Your father told Director Coulson that he wanted to get back in the field as soon as Coulson needed him."

"And Coulson needs him!" Skye added, praying it would get through to Georgia this time. They'd been in the lab debating this for the past half-hour.

Georgia, as usual, was quick to fire back. "He's been on the run for 346 days from Hydra, and five days into our stay, Coulson decides to send him into a Hydra base."

Georgia was breathing faster and faster, her small chest rising with her anger and anxiety.

"Georgia, breathe," Skye interrupted, sitting the girl down and taking a knee. "It's going to be ok. If Coulson thought this mission was too dangerous, he wouldn't send us in."

"Yes he would," Simmons thought with alarm. "He'd just tell us the chances of coming out alive." She could tell Skye was thinking the same thing. But Georgia didn't need to know that, it would only worsen her anxiety.

"Georgia," Simmons began weakly. "While your dad's gone, why don't we get to work on the serum?"

Georgia stood up, her face red. "Stop changing the subject like I'm a five year old!" Skye heard the cracks in her voice and enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm scared, Skye." Georgia whispered.

"I know," Skye murmured. "But it's going to be ok."

The team - Coulson, May, Ward, Ridley, Fitz, Bobbi, and Mack - left early the next morning. Georgia, Trip, Skye and Simmons were up early to see them off. Hunter had chosen to sleep in and had given his goodbyes and good lucks the previous evening.

The departing of a portion of the team was always hard, but the remaining men tried to keep their farewells short. It wasn't necessarily a dangerous mission, but the team would be gone for a couple of weeks working at several different locations.

"I love you," Skye whispered, giving Ward a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too, Skye." Behind her, Trip cleared his throat.

She stepped away, blushing, as Trip and Ward shook hands.

FitzSimmons had stuck to shaking hands, though anyone could tell that both wanted more than that. Georgia smiled weakly, praying this wasn't the last time she was in her dad's arms.

Why am I so afraid of him leaving?

He's got an entire team.

Nothing bad's going to happen.

Ridley kissed his daughter on the forehead, then nodded to Coulson.

"Let's head out," Coulson declared.

Simmons squeezed Georgia's shoulder as the BUS took off. "Let's go make breakfast."

Trip flipped pancakes as he whistled happily.

"How many?" He asked Georgia over his shoulder.

"Four, please."

"Skye?"

"Four."

"Simmons?"

"Just three."

Trip pretended to be offended Simmons didn't want more. The four of them were still laughing when Hunter stumbled into the room.

"Good morning!" Georgia greeted cheerfully.

Hunter grunted in return and blindly trudged to the fridge.
"We made pancakes," Trip offered.

Hunter grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat down at the counter next to Skye.

"Really, Hunter?" Skye groaned. "Beer for breakfast?"

"And now we're all out," Trip sighed, noting the absence of bottles in the fridge.

"Honestly, Hunter, you need protein," Simmons said, always being the doctor. "You're an agent. Eating healthy is vital to your well-being."

"Says the agent eating chocolate chip pancakes doused in whipped cream and syrup."

"Yes, well I'm not on a mission right now."

"Neither am I."

Skye snorted and Georgia laughed. When Simmons and Hunter were in the same room, it was always a grab-the-popcorn kind of event.

"Well," Simmons said, standing up. "I had better get to the lab. See you later."

Georgia sunk onto the couch, grabbed a controller, and flipped on the console.

"Trip?" Hunter was asking.

"Mmhmm?" Trip was washing dishes.

"Do you think pancakes would taste good if you put, well, beer in them?"

"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that and tell you to go do something useful."

"Thanks, Trip."

"Anytime."

Even though Skye was rather clumsy when it came to objects in the lab, she followed Simmons into the lab. Too many questions had been bothering her. The problem was, she wasn't sure how to ask.

Turns out, she didn't have to.

"What's wrong?" Simmons asked nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off her sciency things.

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Oh Skye, you're my best friend. I can read you like a book."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Simmons looked up at her best friend and motioned invitingly for her to sit down, which the hacker did. "What's on your mind?"

"It's about Georgia," Skye answered, spinning around on her swivel stool. "She said something the other day."
"What did she say?" Simmons asked as she took notes on her specimen.

"She said Hydra was after her."

Simmons stopped writing and looked up. "Why?"

"Georgia said her computer knowledge, but I don't think that's it. I mean, I know computers and Hydra doesn't want my head."

"Maybe they think she'd make a good spy. Young, innocent, not too many strong ties."

Skye debated this for a minute.

"But Georgia could just be telling the truth," Simmons added, returning to her work. "She doesn't seem to be much of a liar."

"I like to think she isn't."

"Me too, Skye," the scientist sighed. "Me too." Simmons stood up to return the specimen to its case. She placed her hand on Skye's shoulder. "Talk to Coulson. He'd want to know this sort of information."

"No," Skye replied quickly. "If Coulson finds out, he might send them away."

"Skye-" her best friend began.

"Georgia's fourteen," Skye interrupted. "What were you doing when you were fourteen?"

Simmons shrugged, "School, I suppose. I spent most of my spare time with my friends or reading."

"Exactly. She's a kid, and she needs the chance to be a kid. She had to grow up fast - I know the feeling and it sucks, Simmons." Skye exhaled slowly. "Promise you won't tell Coulson."

"I promise."

"Do you do this a lot?" Georgia asked, shaking the blue bottle of nail polish.

"Every Friday," Simmons replied, still trying to decide between two colors.

"Brought some snacks," Skye announced, closing the door behind her. The three of them were holed up in Skye's bunk, blasting music and talking about things Georgia hadn't talked about in a long time. They were painting their nails too, which Georgia had rarely done as a kid but still enjoyed nonetheless.

"And none of the boys ever eavesdrop on you?" Georgia questioned, keeping an eye on the door in case Hunter or Trip showed up.

"Hunter did once," Skye grinned. "But he learned his lesson."
The three of them laughed.

"This is a really pretty blue," Georgia thought aloud.

"We call it Skye Blue," its namesake replied.

"Fitting," Georgia smiled, admiring her painted toes. "Jane and I used to do this when I was little."

Skye and Jemma glanced at each other, smiling.

"Why do you call your mom by her first name?" Simmons asked, praying she didn't upset the teen.

"Well, I called them by their first names when they fostered me," Georgia explained, thankfully not bothered by the question. "But when they adopted me, I just never started calling them Mom and Dad."

Skye almost dropped her bottle of nail polish. "You're adopted?"

"Yeah, why? Is that a problem?"

"No!" Simmons interjected. "It isn't a problem at all, it's just that-"

"I was in the foster system too," Skye finished.

"Really? Did you ever get adopted?"

"No."

Georgia's face became downcast. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's cool. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s the best family in the world."

"Definitely," Georgia agreed.

"So, when did Ridley and his wife adopted you?" Simmons asked, opening a bag of chips.

"I was nine," Georgia answered, stealing one of Simmons's potato chips.

"Wow," Skye remarked, also taking a chip from the scientist.

"Quit stealing my crisps," Simmons reproofed, hiding her bag behind her protectively. The three of them laughed and the conversation moved on. But Skye was smiling like an idiot all night long, even in bed way later that night. She and Georgia were so similar she could be her little sister. That thought was so comforting Skye closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.

The days passed rather quickly. Between video games with Trip and Hunter, hanging out in the lab with Simmons, and swapping stories with Skye, Georgia could hardly believe her father had been gone for nearly two weeks.

"When they get in tomorrow," Simmons said at breakfast one morning, "they'll be exhausted as well as extremely busy analyzing and working with their new information."

Georgia nodded slowly, taking a long sip of her orange juice. Director Coulson had already been sending Skye and Simmons assignments.

"Has Coulson reported any injuries?" Trip asked as he slathered butter and syrup on his stack of waffles.

"No, or at least nothing major," Simmons replied flatly. Georgia sighed with relief. Her dad was alive, unharmed, and coming home to her again.