Sometimes, It's Easier To Lie
Disclaimer:
You know the drill, by now...
Rating:
T
Genre:
Romance/Angst
Pairing:
Coulsye
Lyrics Used:
Taylor Swift "Everything Has Changed"
Author's Note:
This chapter skips ahead a week to Skye and Annie getting the results of the paternity test back-as a little treat to those of you wanting to know if the baby is Phil's or not. Enjoy! :)
Everything Has Changed
I just wanna know you | Know you better, know \ You better, know | You better, now
I just wanna know you | Know you better, know | You better, know | You better, now
And, all I know in my stomach is butterflies | The beautiful kind | Making up for lost time | Taking flight, making me feel right | Taking flight, making me feel right like
I just wanna know you | Know you better, know \ You better, know | You better, now
I just wanna know you | Know you better, know | You better, know | You better, now
I just wanna know you | Know you better, know | You better, know | You better, now
I just wanna know you, know you, know you
"Okay, Skye..." Dr. Gorham greeted the young hacker with a professional smile upon her countenance. "As you know, I've called you and Annie in here to go over the results of your paternity test." She added, opening the beige file folder in her hands. The veteran OB/GYN had invited the young mother-to-be and Annie into her personal office in order to discuss the test results, privately. "Are you guys ready?" She asked, a combination of anxiety and excitement in her voice.
"As I'll ever be..." Skye sighed. This was it. The moment of truth. After thinking it over all week, she still wasn't at all certain which way she wanted it to go. She couldn't see a positive outcome, either way-especially after Mile's threat if the baby wasn't his.
Annie, for her part, remained silent. She knew how nervous the young hacker was about these results. Instead, she merely opted to squeeze her hand, reassuringly. No matter what the results said, she knew she would always be there for Skye. She would do whatever it took to make everything as okay as it possibly could be for her.
"All right, then..." Dr. Gorham began, passing the open file across the desk for Skye and Annie to read. "Now, as you know, we weren't able to get a sample of Mr. Coulson's DNA for comparison." She reminded them. "However, you were able to provide us with a sample of Mr. Lydon's DNA." She explained. "Now, Mr. Lydon's results conclusively proved that he is not the father of your baby. However, Annie, there was a twenty-five percent relatedness match to your DNA." Watching the two young women before reading over the results in front of them, Dr. Gorham knew that they had already put two and two together. "Now, from those results, we can safely determine that-"
"It's Phil's baby." Skye breathed. She honestly didn't know how to feel about that. Part of her was relieved to know that the baby was not Miles' and would not tie her to him. However, she also worried about the threat that Miles had levied in the event that he was proven not to be the father. And, then, there was the matter of confronting Phil. Now that she knew, for certain, that it was his baby, she knew she couldn't avoid him any longer.
"That's correct." Dr. Gorham replied. "Now, we have the original paperwork on file in our system. These are copies that I've made for the two of you take home and do with as you will."
Understanding that Skye would need time to process the news she'd just been dealt, Annie opted to speak in her place. "Thank you, Dr. Gorham." She replied, gratefully. In all honesty, Annie didn't even know to feel about the results any more than Skye did. She, too, remembered Miles Lydon's threat. Plus, she wasn't wild about the idea of confessing to her brother that she'd been lying to him for the last ten weeks.
Rising from their seats, Annie and Skye both thanked Dr. Gorham. "Now, remember, Skye..." Dr. Gorham spoke as the two young women prepared to leave her office. "I'll want to see you back here in a couple of weeks for another check-up." She reminded the young mother-to-be.
"I won't forget." Skye replied, smiling nervously. With all of their business dealt with, Annie and Skye proceeded to leave the office.
Once inside the car, Annie was the first to break the silence that had stretched over them the whole way out of the office. "You okay?" She asked, gently.
"I just..." Skye began, still staring at the folder in her hands. "I don't even know what to do, now." Releasing a breath she hadn't even realized she'd taken, she admitted "I guess I just thought that, once I had the results in my hand, I'd just...know...Somehow, I thought I'd just know what to do, next." Shaking her head, she added "But, I was wrong..." Thinking for a moment, she added "I don't know if I can face Phil with this...And, I don't even wanna think about what Miles will do when he finds out..."
"Well, as for Miles..." Annie began, her mental gears already shifting into overdrive thinking about how to best protect the young hacker from her former paramour. "You just let Auggie and me deal with him. As for my brother..." She added, thoughtfully. "Would it be easier for you if I talked to him, first?" She offered, gently. "It might help if I soften him up a bit with my confession about lying to him about you, before we drop this bombshell on him..."
Snapping her head up to look at Annie, Skye's eyes widened in awe. "You'd really do that?" She asked, amazed by everything the younger Coulson was doing for her.
Smiling warmly, Annie replied "Sweetie, you have completely missed the entire point of everything I've been saying for the last ten weeks. One more time..." She stated, feigning exasperation while the smile on her face gave her away. "You are family. I will always do anything for you..."
"Just who the hell are you?!" Agent Grant Ward snapped, fiercely, when he spotted a strange blonde woman boarding the bus. "You have no business being on this plane."
"Actually, Agent Ward, I do." Annie replied matching Grant's fierce stare, the idea of backing down never even crossing her mind. However, she couldn't resist an ever so slight smirk at the dumbfounded look on Ward's face. "I'm here to see my brother, Agent Coulson." She added, flashing Agent Ward her CIA badge.
Shaking his head to regain his composure, Ward replied "First of all, that's a CIA ID." He pointed out, obviously. "It has no value on a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle. And, second, Agent Coulson doesn't have a sister." Ward explained, a smug smirk planted firmly on his face.
"Actually, Agent Ward..." Phil interjected, emerging from his hiding place behind Grant. "I do."
"Okay, you really need to stop doing that!" Ward snapped, whirling around to face his boss. "And, since when?" He demanded, his voice rising an octave he would never admit to-even under the worst of torture. "You've never mentioned a sister, before."
"It's part of an agreement that we both entered into when I first joined the CIA." Annie explained, casually. "We both decided that the best way for us to protect each other from our respective enemies would be to not discuss our families at work." She surmised, simply.
Grant looked back and forth between Phil and Annie for a moment before speaking again. He knew they had him on his first point, forcing him to cling to his second for dear life. "That still doesn't give her any right to be on this plane!" He insisted.
"Maybe not..." Phil conceded, shrugging lightly, never taking his hands out of his pockets. "But, I do..." He corrected. "Annie called me, earlier. We arranged for her to meet me here to discuss some...classified business." Sensing that Grant was about to argue the matter further, Phil silenced him as he continued to speak. "Business of a personal nature, Agent Ward."
Agents Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons merely watched the exchange between Annie, Phil and Grant intently. "This is better than cable." Fitz commented. "Did you know that Coulson had a sister?" He asked, curiously, munching on their shared bowl of pretzels.
Unsure of how to answer the question, Jemma instantly froze. She knew she couldn't lie to Fitz. She was a horrible liar in general. But, she also felt that answering the question truthfully would violate Coulson's trust. Finally, she settled for a half-truth. "That's...classified."
Curious, Leo glanced over at Jemma who hadn't even looked at him once as she answered his question. The scientist was hiding something from him, he could tell. But, before he could call her on it, he noticed the exchange they had been watching continuing.
"Annie, why don't you come with me?" Phil suggested, gesturing for the younger Coulson to follow him to his office. "We can talk in my office."
"Sounds great." Annie replied, smiling. As she walked by Grant, she couldn't help pausing as she spoke with a sly grin. "Nice meeting you, Grant." The seasoned CIA operative didn't have to look back to know that Ward's jaw was firmly planted on the floor.
Following her brother into his office, Annie closed the door behind them to ensure their privacy. "So, Annie..." Phil replied, settling into his chair behind his desk. "When you called, wanting to see me, I assumed it had to do with Skye." He assessed, struggling to keep the desperate anxiety out of his voice. "So, I have to ask..." Taking a deep breath, Phil voiced the question weighing heavily on his mind. "Did you find anything?"
Moment of truth. Annie reminded herself. Mentally bracing herself, she stated "Before I get to that, Phil..." She began, nervously. "I have a confession to make."
"A confession?" Phil parroted, brow furrowed in confusion. "What kind of confession?"
Unsure of her brother's reaction, Annie cringed nervously as she released her confession on a single breath "The kind where I tell you I actually found her the day after you asked me to track her and that I've been hiding her at my place..."
Utterly dumbfounded by his sister's revelation, Phil found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't believe Annie would lie to him about something like this. Sure, he'd had some difficulty believing her whenever she would tell him she hadn't found anything. But, he'd also known that Skye was extremely resourceful. He'd never really thought to question his own flesh and blood. "What?" He breathed, both shocked and devastated. "That was over two and a half months ago!" He roared, angrily.
"It was never my intent to lie to you, Phil." Annie inserted, desperately. She could see how upset Phil was by her confession and would have given anything in the world to make things right.
Angrily rising from his chair, Phil snapped "Then, just what the hell was your intent, Anne Catherine!" Annie always knew she was in trouble when Phil resorted to using her formal given name. And, she was in deep when he combined it with her middle name, which she despised.
"The original intent was to convince her to come back here!" Annie plead. "I tried to convince her to come back to you. But, when that crashed and burned, I thought the next best thing would be to let her stay with me and Auggie until such a time as we could convince her to come back to you." She argued. Seeing that she was getting through to her brother, she pressed on. "I figured at least, then, she would have a proper roof over her head-rather than just living out of her van-and Auggie and I could keep an eye on her. Keep her safe and out of trouble." She reasoned.
Stopping to mull over Annie's arguments, Phil had to admit that her logic was sound. And, he did appreciate her giving Skye a place to stay. Though, he was still hurt that she would lie to him. "But, why couldn't you just tell me that she was with you? Do you have any idea how much I've been going completely out of my mind worrying about?! Wondering where she was? If she was safe?! Did that ever even occur to you?!" He asked, feeling more vulnerable and desperate than he cared to admit.
"Because it was the only way she would take my offer..." Annie replied, softly. She hated lying to her brother, but, dreaded the next bombshell she had for him. "She was afraid that, if I told you where she was, you would come for her. And, if you came for her, she knew you'd convince her to come back. She was too terrified to come back because she knew you'd never back down from May's threat and that you would ultimately risk your career for her." She reasoned, gently. "And, be honest, Phil. You know she's right."
"But, May is long gone!" Phil shouted, angrily. "I got rid of her the day Skye disappeared!"
"You know that and I..." Annie trailed off, correcting what she had been about to say "Well, I frankly assumed as much." She amended. "But, Skye didn't! I tried to tell her, but, she wouldn't listen!"
Knowing the young hacker as well as he did, he knew Annie was right. And, he certainly knew that Skye was justified to worry about him risking his job for her. Hell, he'd risk his life for her, if it ever came to that. Sighing, he knew he had to admit defeat. "Yeah, you're probably right..." He conceded. "But, I take it that-since, you're here and telling me all this-that she's ready to come home?" He asked, hopefully.
"Actually, Phil..." Annie began, wringing her hands, nervously. "That brings me to my next bombshell." She cringed, bracing herself for the worst.
"There's another one?!" Phil demanded, half-squeaking. "What else could you possibly have to drop on me?!"
"Oh, you'd be amazed." Annie muttered under her breath.
"What?" Phil asked, not quite hearing his younger sister.
"Nothing." Annie covered, quickly. "It's just..." She sighed. Better just get it over and done with... She decided, gathering her courage. "About a week after she came to stay with us...Things got...infinitely more complicated..."
"How so?" Phil asked, suspiciously. Annie was acting rather strangely and it had him on edge. He'd never seen Annie act this way and he didn't like it. Annie had always been confidence personified. He'd never seen her so hesitant and nervous.
Suddenly, Annie seemed to have forgotten how to speak. She had no idea how the hell she was supposed to just completely turn her brother's world onto its head. Before she realized she'd even spoken, the younger Coulson blurted out "Skye's pregnant...Phil..."
And, just like that, time stood still. Phil couldn't believe what he had just heard. Skye's pregnant? Oh my God...Phil thought to himself. "How far along?" He breathed.
"About ten weeks." Annie replied, an unreadable look on her face.
At a loss for words, Phil asked "Does...Does she know who..." In shock, he couldn't even complete the thought.
Taking mercy on her older brother, Annie replied, sympathetically "She does..." Laying the folder in her hands on her brother's desk, she added "We just got the results back, this morning..."
Staring at the beige folder on his desk, Phil didn't know if he had it in him to open it. He didn't even know what he wanted it to say. "Who is it?" He breathed, never taking his eyes off of the folder.
"Why don't you open it and see for yourself?" Annie asked, trying to encouraged her brother.
"I don't know if I can..." Phil admitted, quietly, before another question occurred to him. "Wait a minute...How did you get these results? I mean, I slept with Skye ten weeks ago..." He reasoned. "Wouldn't you have needed a sample from me for comparison?" He wondered.
"Well, that would have been ideal." Annie conceded. "But, after everything she'd done, Skye was too terrified to come to you to ask you for a sample." She explained. "She wasn't sure she could face you, so, I offered up a sample of mine in place of yours. Since Skye managed to get a sample from Miles Lydon..." Annie didn't miss the jealous sneer that ghosted over her brother's face. "We figured that-since you and Lydon were the only two men she slept with ten weeks ago-if his came back conclusively proving that he was not the father and if there were any relatedness match to my DNA then-"
"Then, I would be the father..." Phil finished his sister's thoughts for her.
"So, I reiterate..." Annie prodded. "Open the file and see for yourself."
If Phil was hoping for any sort of indicators in his baby sister's face, he was sadly mistaken. CIA operatives gave away even less than S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives...If that was even possible. Finally realizing that he would never know if he didn't look for himself, Phil reluctantly picked up the file. Part of him wanted to be the father. Although, he'd never told anyone, he'd always wanted a family. And, he wanted that family with Skye. But, he wasn't sure how he'd react if the baby were Miles Lydon's. Either way, he knew he still wanted to be with Skye. He loved her. And, whether her baby was his or not, he would love them, too. But, if Lydon were the father, he would always be a part of Skye's life-and, by extension, Phil's life. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Deciding to settle the issue once and for all, Phil drew a deep breath before finally opening the file in his hands. "I don't believe it..." He breathed, reading over the paperwork in his hands.
Deciding that she would have to tell him, sometime, Skye picked up the phone Annie had given her. It's now or never...She told herself, as she dialed the number. Waiting through the first two rings, she braced herself as the line clicked to life before the third ring. "Hello?"
"Hey, Miles..." Skye began, nervously.
"Skye." Miles Lydon, greeted, an unreadable tone to his voice. "Did you get the test results back?" He demanded.
"Yeah..." Skye sighed, nervously. "Yeah, I did."
"And..." Miles prodded, impatiently.
"I'm so sorry, Miles..." She began, terrified of how this conversation would go. "But, you're not the father..."
The other end of the line went eerily silent. A million thoughts raced through Skye's mind. Ranting and raving she could deal with. At least then, she would know where she stood. But, the silence was truly terrifying. "What?!" Miles hissed, dangerously.
"I'm so sorry, Miles..." Skye added, pleadingly. "I know how much you wanted this baby to be yours, but-"
"I already told you, I'm not raising that pedophile's baby!" Miles snapped, angrily. "I meant what I said. You and I are meant to be together." He insisted. "But, that can never happen until you do something about that...freak's lovechild!"
"Would you stop that, already?!" Skye demanded. She couldn't believe Miles still thought she would ever get back together. "Look, at the risk of sounding like a Taylor Swift song, we are never getting back together! Ever!" She snapped. "And, I'm sorry. But, I am not 'doing something' about this baby! I am going to keep my child, Miles. I of all people know how much it sucks to grow up without knowing who your parents or who you, yourself, are or...Where you came from! I won't do that to my baby!" She shouted, before an even more bone-chilling thought occurred to her. He couldn't possibly mean what I think he means...Not taking any chances, Skye decided to address that thought, anyway. "And, I sure as hell am not going to get rid of this baby!" She hissed, venomously. "I will die before I will murder my own child!"
"Have it your way, then..." Miles replied, a frighteningly calm tone to his voice. "But, just remember..." He paused, building the tension. "You're not half as sorry as you're gonna be..."
Before another word could be said, the line went dead, leaving Skye with nothing to do but tremble in fear. She didn't want to think that Miles would ever actually do anything to intentionally hurt her. But, after his display in the coffee shop, she couldn't be so sure, any more.
"As you can see, Mr. Lydon's DNA conclusively proved that he is not the father of Skye's baby." Annie explained, watching the pure awe wash over her brother's face. "And, given the twenty-five percent relatedness match to my DNA that means that-"
"I'm the father..." Phil breathed, his hands trembling so much that he nearly dropped the file in his hands. "I don't believe it..."
Rounding the corner of his desk, Annie moved to stand next to her brother as she gently removed the file from his shaking hands, laying it back on the desk. Stroking his arm, supportively, she replied "I know, Phil. But, once we knew that you were the father, we knew that we couldn't keep hiding her from you, anymore."
Looking up into Annie's eyes, Phil asked "Why didn't she come tell me this, herself?"
"Well, we thought about that." Annie admitted. "But, she just wasn't sure she was ready to face the rest of the team, just yet." She explained, gently. "So, I told her that I would talk to you, first." Just then, she recalled Miles Lydon's threat. "But, Phil...Look, I really think you need to come back to my place and talk to her. There's something else you need to know..."
Backing away in shock, Phil actually squealed. "'Something else'?!" He demanded. After everything Annie had just told him, Phil couldn't imagine what could be left for him to 'know'.
"Look, when Skye asked Lydon for his sample..." Annie began, not wanting to revisit the coffee shop incident. "He didn't really react...favorably..." She explained, cryptically.
"How...'not favorably'...exactly?" Phil asked, a disturbingly unreadable tone to his voice.
"I believe his exact words were...'That damn well better be my baby. Because I will not raise some creepy old pervert's kid.'..." Annie cringed, nervously, waiting for her brother's reaction.
Phil remained bone-chillingly silent as he processed everything Annie had just told him. "You're saying he actually threatened Skye?!" He demanded, quietly.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if the threat was directed at Skye or the baby or both..." Annie conceded.
"Take me to her." Phil decided, finally. He needed to see Skye. He needed to talk to her so they could decided what to do about the baby. He also needed to bring her back to the bus where she could be safe. And, where their baby could be safe. Safe from that son of a bitch, Lydon.
Author's Note:
Okay, so, I originally planned to add Phil & Skye's big reunion into this chapter. But, once I saw how long this, alone, was...I decided to put the reunion in the next chapter due to the length of what I have in store for them. But, the good news is that next time I update, PHIL AND SKYE GET BACK TOGETHER! So, please, enjoy this little offering!