SHIELD's Little Surprise! Chapter 7-2, an agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. fanfic

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Little Surprise

Part 7 – Stark Tower, Chapter 2

This is a fanfic based upon the incredible television series, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is the 2nd installment of the seventh 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.

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! ;) )

This particular story also makes references to images and scenes from the "Iron Man" films, and from other Marvel movies. These depictions will be referenced by writing in italics, with a quick note relaying its source, to show that they are not my creation. Enjoy!

Summary: Post Skye's adoption, the team takes a weekend trip to Tony Stark's Tower.

…

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Little Surprise

Part 7 – Stark Tower, Chapter 2

(continued from Chapter 1)

Only 30 minutes after May and Tony's sparring match, everyone currently in Stark Tower, except Skye, knows all about it. Tony put out a call to his dentist who is currently en route to replace his knocked-out tooth, and May is walking around with a subtle, smug spring in her step.

Her first words to the team when she reenters the guest wing are: "Tony Stark is not to be left alone with Skye again. Ever. Got it?"

Everyone nods their agreement quietly, unsure of just how much anger she's still carrying around…

Jemma had been left in charge of getting Skye to go down for her nap, but as the child is incredibly hyped up after her flight around Manhattan, it is proving to be a monumental task.

"And we flyed through the buildings like this!" the youngster exclaims, her hand diving down fast with a 'whooshing' noise. "Then Mr. Stark showed me the Empire building and the… the Christ-er building," she adds excitedly, dancing around just out of reach as Jemma tries to get her undressed. "And Jemma, they were SO big!"

"The 'Chrysler' Building, darling," Simmons murmurs distractedly, pushing her own disheveled hair out of her face. "And that's wonderful, but…"

"And we saw SO MANY cars, Jemma, maybe even hundreds! And we flyed through Central Park and I even reached down like this, and touched the water!"

Jemma still hasn't managed to get Skye out of her jeans, and is beginning to feel her patience wane. She takes a deep breath and reminds herself, "she is only a little girl… she is just a baby". That helps her calm down quite a bit, and she hitches a smile on her face as she gets an idea. "Well, that all sounds just so exciting, little one! And you know what? Out in the bookcase I saw a picture book of New York. If you can put on your PJs, and climb into bed by the time I count to 10, I will go get it and you can show me everything you saw!"

"Okay!" Skye squeals happily at this idea and immediately starts fumbling with the button on her jeans. "Hurry, Jemma, hurry!"

Simmons shakes her head and lets out a weary chuckle, feeling like quite the genius. She counts slowly as she helps Skye change, and the little girl is eagerly laying under the bed covers by the time she gets to 8.

"Well done, darling," Jemma praises softly. "Now you make sure that Trip is ready for a nap, and I'll go get the book." As she heads out the door she whispers, "Jarvis? If you wouldn't mind… could you please dim the lights, and maybe play some soothing music?"

"Of course, Agent Simmons," comes the pleasant reply.

"Thank you so much."

Jemma tries to smooth down her hair, which is frazzled by the tousle with Skye, and she manages a small grin as she enters the living room and sees the rest of the team sitting together around a holotable. Her fellow agents all watch her as she makes her way to the bookcase, and give her questioning looks as she picks out the photo book. "Please… don't ask," she pleads wearily, waving the book in defeat. Simmons hears Bobbi and Fitz chuckle as she makes her way back to the bedroom.

"All righty then," Coulson states, amused, wondering what his daughter is putting poor Simmons through now. He turns his attention back to the team and the holo that they are all studying. "So, anyway, this is the second bombing of its kind in only three weeks. I'd like us to investigate the wreckage. After the first bombing in Houston, absolutely no evidence of any detonation device was found. If we come across similar findings in Mission Viejo, then we'll know that the bombings are connected. If we're lucky, we'll also find some clues that might help us confirm our suspicions of who is behind this."

"Namely Hydra," Mack offers.

Coulson nods. "It's likely. But we can't assume. We'll head back to California in the morning. In the meanwhile, I will be examining satellite feeds and any camera surveillance in the vicinity prior to the explosion. Hunter and Mack, I want you to look into bombings orchestrated by Hydra in the past, see if you can identify devices and tech they would be likely to use. Fitz, until we arrive, I want you looking into the history and dealings of the corporation that was bombed, 'Mainway Pharmaceuticals'. Once on site, I want you to scan for any forensic evidence using the dwarves. Bobbi, you and Jemma will assist in testing all surfaces on-site for the presence of chemical compounds that might be able to cause a blast like this."

Coulson looks around at his team. "Any questions on your assignments?"

Everyone shakes their head and goes about their business. Everyone but May. She looks pointedly at Coulson until he turns to address her.

"And May… I figured that you might want to personally ensure that Stark is not left alone with Skye. Ever," he adds. His tone of voice tells Melinda that he is being slightly ironic, but there is also a heavy sense of disapproval there. He turns to leave, but May moves swiftly in front of him.

"What exactly are you getting at?" she asks sharply.

Phil glances around to make sure that everyone else is out of earshot before he responds. "You know, Mel, the number of people in this world that I truly trust? I can count them on two hands. Stark may be arrogant, self-centered, pompous, and even terrible with children… but he is an indispensable ally. He is one of the few people on Earth who managed to *save it* from an alien invasion, and frankly, I'd rather not 'alienate' him because he made one bad judgment call in regards to Skye."

May looks livid. "A bad judgment call? You didn't see them plummet off the side of a *skyscraper*, Phil! Your daughter could have been killed."

"No matter what Stark may think of Skye, he is not an evil man, and he would never harm her. Skye is fine, SHIELD needs Tony Stark, and you need to let it go. Tony isn't even an agent of SHIELD, he can write us off any time he wants. He hasn't yet because he genuinely wants to help… to protect people. We can NOT burn this bridge, May."

Agent May purses her lips, trying hard to control her emotions and try, like Coulson, to see the big picture. Finally though, she has to ask. "So, putting me on Skye-duty for this mission… what is this, a time-out for beating him up?"

Phil scoffs. "No. You've made it abundantly clear that Skye's safety should be our utmost priority, and I agree. So who better to trust her protection to than you?"

The simple question helps May calm down considerably. She hadn't been lying when she told Simmons yesterday that she would feel better knowing that Jemma and Skye were close… under her protection. For Coulson to confirm that she is the most capable to keep Skye safe is a compliment, and she really ought to take it as such.

Seeing the change in his trusted companion's features, Coulson sighs and relaxes again as well. In a soft voice he adds, "I also thought you might like to spend some quality time getting to know your daughter. However, if you'd like Bobbi's assistance, I can assign her to you and Skye as well. Simmons can manage the…"

But May is already shaking her head. "No. Skye and I will be just fine."

Coulson smiles slightly and nods. "I thought you might say that." The Director places a hand briefly on May's shoulder, then turns to go, but stops and looks back at May. "You know… motherhood is really quite scary on you sometimes."

May can't help but smirk proudly. "Yeah. I know."

…

After Jemma finally gets little Skye down for her nap, she is filled in on the team's latest mission by Fitz. Assured by Jarvis that the team will be alerted as soon as Skye wakes up, Fitz leads Jemma down a few levels to where the rest of the team is congregated. They hear laughter and join the group, who are taking a few minutes to relax with a beverage of their choice. The pair sit down to listen to Tony regaling everyone with stories of the battle of New York.

"So, I land just outside here and my suit is almost completely out-of-power… seriously, it's useless. And I start talking a big talk about how we, as Avengers, are all mighty and invincible and other such BS… you know, just to stall. I'm trying to keep Loki occupied while Jarvis inputs the final protocols to my latest suit, and I know that I'm about an inch away from death… on my own I seriously don't stand a chance against this maniac. But, I keep my wits about me. Loki attempts to turn me into one of his mindless zombies, you know, like Barton… but as the idiot is striking the arc reactor in my chest again and again, it's not working. So, there I am, no suit, just me talking out of my ass, even making quips about 'performance issues', wishing that all this nonsense was over already so that I could down half a bottle of Fireball with Bruce, when he suddenly grabs me and throws me out the effing window. Literally, through it.

"So, I'm plunging to my death when *finally* the Mark VII decides to deploys. The sensors on my bio-bracelets activate and call the suit to me. I nearly flatten some poor saps down on the sidewalk… you should have seen their faces… then, I fly up here and inform Loki that we, in no uncertain terms… are fighting on your behalf, Phil."

The laughing, joking atmosphere changes suddenly as everyone turns their eyes to Coulson. He blinks in surprise and gives Stark an odd look.

Tony nods, in a rare moment of authenticity. "I meant it, Phil, every word. Had it not been for you… for your bravery and sacrifice… the world would have fallen to the Chitauri by now. The Earth destroyed, billions killed. The Avengers became a team and helped prevent all of that… because of you."

Fury had explained all of this to Coulson of course, when he had recovered. But hearing it from Iron Man's own lips is a surprise Phil would never have expected.

Pepper finds herself gazing at Tony in pleasant surprise as well for a long moment, before she turns back to Coulson with a fond smile.

Bobbi, who had been highly honored when Phil had contacted her to come join the team, says quietly, "just like you, Mr. Stark, our Director truly is a hero".

"Cheers to that," agrees May, lifting her glass.

"Yes… a hero. Dead or alive," Fitz states, then starts to stammer. "Though I-I'm truly grateful that-that it's the latter," he adds sheepishly, as that just hadn't sounded right.

"Oh, Fitz." Jemma shakes her head at the sometimes awkward engineer sitting beside her.

Amidst chuckles, everyone raises their glasses to Phil. "Cheers."

…

Two hours later Stark's tooth has been replaced. (Having been a bit tipsy had helped significantly with the pain factor.) Most of the team is up in Stark's lab, doing the various research that Coulson had assigned to them. Though he doesn't appreciate that Coulson won't share details of the mission with him as he doesn't have the proper 'clearance', Stark nonetheless sits beside Coulson to continue catching up with him.

"So, 'Agent Phil'," he begins, wondering at the rather boring street surveillance that Coulson's eyes are glued to. "Seriously… what's with the kid? How did that happen?"

Phil keeps his eyes on the screen as he begins to explain the complicated tale… all about the cave-in, the mysterious 0-8-4, Skye's adjustment so far, the discoveries on Asgard…

Once he's done, Coulson glances up briefly at Tony. Finally, he responds, "you know… now you need to tell me something. What do you have *against* kids?"

Tony raises his eyebrows. "Really? Quid pro quo, huh? That's how it's gonna be?"

"Yep," Coulson replies, dead-pan.

"Fine." Tony sighs, then makes a face. "Well… what can I say? They're loud, they're messy, they're needy, they're little germ factories, they cramp your style…"

Coulson can't really argue with all of that, but he still smiles as he thinks of Skye. "That may be true."

Stark looks intently at Coulson. "So, why do you do it? Keep her, I mean."

Phil sighs and cracks his stiff neck. "Well… we do it because we care about Skye. We know that she had a very rough childhood and saw a chance to fix that. And now… we get to enjoy her joy, her affection (and trust me, she gives a lot of affection), and seeing the world through her eyes." He turns to return Stark's intent look. "It's a beautiful thing. It reminds us of the innocence and wonder and kindness that we are dedicated to protecting."

Stark thinks about this for a moment, but then shakes his head, reclining back on the couch. "Yeah well… still. I've never even considered it." With a glance over at Pepper, who is on her phone outside on the walkway, he realizes that he now needs to.

"You know," Coulson says thoughtfully. "When you've spoken about your own father in the past, it hasn't been… fondly. You don't seem to have been a fan. Yet… at the moment, it sounds like you agree with a lot of the sentiments that you disliked so much about him. You're sounding a lot like him."

Tony is momentarily struck by this. What he had disliked most about his father was how Howard Stark had treated him. His famous father had no patience for him, never spent time playing with him or getting to know him, always treated him like a burden. Tony had been shipped off to boarding school at an early age so that he wouldn't, well… 'cramp' his father's style.

"Huh," Tony mutters, processing this information. He quickly tries to shake it off. "Well, there you have it. Given my less than stellar example, how would I ever make a good parent?"

Coulson shrugs. "Oh, I don't know. You're awfully intelligent. Sometimes life throws you these little surprises and you just have to figure it out. Being a parent is hard sometimes… I never would have thought it'd be something I was interested in. But I promise you this… each and every day, every headache and worry… it's nothing compared to all of the benefits." And on that note, the Director of SHIELD smiles softly and gets up to go check on his daughter.

…

Having been refreshed by a long nap, Skye is up and at 'em again. The youngster is currently having a little tea party with Jemma and Bobbi (and Trip, who is seated on a box to be seen over the table), in the guest wing. May is also enjoying some tea, though she has chosen not to partake in the tea party, but is seated at the breakfast bar overlooking the play. At the moment she is gazing down at a laptop, assisting Coulson in looking over the security footage they have just gained access to.

"Now, you must be very careful not to spill a single drop when you're pouring the tea. Like this… oh no," Simmons mutters, as a few drops land on the table.

Skye giggles loudly, and Morse laughs. "Oh, just like that, huh?" Bobbi then turns to the giggling girl sitting beside her and says, "oh yes, 'dahling', isn't this simply lovely?" in a mock British accent.

Skye positively cracks up.

Jemma stages a gasp and looks from Morse to Skye. "Are you two making fun of me? Well… that's not on!"

Skye giggles again and tries her best to mimic Jemma's accent as well. "That's not on!" Bobbi cracks up now and gives the little girl a high-five.

Simmons hides a chuckle and instead dramatically sputters with indignation. "Oh now, that does it!" she declares, and she breaks off a few pieces of cookie and throws one each at Bobbi and Skye. "Here, have a biscuit!"

Skye ducks, then exclaims, "it's a *cookie*, Jemma, not a 'biscuit'!"

Morse starts laughing so hard that her eyes start to water. Skye resurfaces, picks up a thrown piece of cookie off the table and pops it her mouth, then grabs another and tosses it back at Jemma, shrieking with delight.

May was thoroughly enjoying the play and had to fight back a laugh as well, but she looks sternly around when food is flung. "Kids!" she scolds, moving the laptop aside. "Is this proper behavior in someone else's home?"

Morse coughs in an attempt to stifle her laughter, while both Simmons and Skye shrink a bit in their chairs and hang their heads.

"Quite right," Jemma admits sheepishly, clearing her throat. "So sorry, Agent May."

Bobbi nods in agreement and puts her hands up in surrender.

May gets up and heads to the sink to set her empty mug down, shaking her head and muttering, "throwing food… honestly. Trying to teach the child proper tea etiquette." She sighs… then suddenly turns around and declares in an awful British accent, "you all could use some cooling off"! With that, she pulls the sink's water sprayer attachment out from behind her back and proceeds to spray all three of the 'ladies'.

This is what Coulson and Stark, who had decided to accompany Phil, walk in on as they emerge from the elevator: two SHIELD agents and a small child laughing and shrieking loudly, ducking for cover (and getting soaked nonetheless). Then there's Coulson's intimidating, stoic, right-hand woman, who is sporting a playful 'battle face' and dodging cookies being thrown in retaliation.

Stark raises his eyebrows and leans over to say nonchalantly to Coulson, "sooo, this is your life now?"

Coulson can't help but chuckle at the antics, especially as he's in utter disbelief at seeing May like this. "Yep."

He tries to hike on a stern voice. "Hey. Excuse me!"

May releases the trigger for the sprayer and Bobbi and Jemma freeze where they are. Skye however had been giggling too hard to hear her new father and tries to pelt Bobbi with another cookie. Due to her excellent reflexes, Morse manages to catch the cookie in her mouth, then grabs the little girl and guides her attention to Coulson.

"Ohhh," Skye says, in mild alarm, as she has never seen her father angry and hopes he isn't now. "H-hi sir," she squeaks innocently, giving Phil and Tony a little wave.

Both men have to stifle a grin. Stark also has to suppress what he currently wants to say, as he has absolutely no desire to incur the wrath of Agent Melinda May again.

"Oh, don't you 'hi' me, little one. Look at this mess you've made," Phil scolds gently, unable to do more than that.

"But… it wasn't just me!" Skye insists, pointing around at the other three culprits. This earns her playfully dirty looks from her guilty comrades. Bobbi even mutters, "little traitor," with a grin. May just smirks however, glad that her daughter has a natural sense of self-preservation.

"We'll… we'll clean it all up right away, sir," Jemma assures Coulson a bit nervously. She then turns to gaze sheepishly at Stark. "I'm so, so sorry about this, Mr. Stark. Our bit of fun got a little out of hand."

Tony however just shrugs and walks over, careful not to slip on the wet floor, and helps himself to one of the last remaining in-tact cookies. "Do you know how many times both this tower and my home in Malibu were attacked, or even destroyed? I think it can withstand some water and cookies." He gives Skye a wink, who giggles again in relief. "Come with me kid… we'll grab some towels."

The six year-old follows Tony down the hall to a linen closet, and the remaining agents just hear him say, "but… don't touch anything, you little cookie monster".

Jemma and Bobbi grin at each other, then start moving the dining chairs out of the way for clean-up. Still wondering what pod person overtook his very serious pilot, Coulson approaches May, who's starting to wipe down the counter with a sponge.

"You know… I'm surprised at you, Agent May," Phil whispers with a smirk to rival Melinda's. "Letting the girls make such a mess like this."

Melinda shrugs slightly as she drops a handful of cookie crumbs into the garbage disposal. In a quiet tone, she simply says, "a family that plays together…"

Phil smiles softly. "…stays together".

…

30 minutes later the dining area is perfectly clean again, and no less than seven towels are hanging on the outside balcony to dry. Shortly after that, everyone enjoys another delicious, hearty meal, with a Mexican theme tonight.

In 'punishment' for their behavior, Coulson decides that both Bobbi and Jemma are not to be trusted with down time. After dinner, he sets them the task of studying the list of employees for the corporation whose building had been destroyed in the blast, Mainway Pharmaceuticals, and cross-referencing it with a databank of all known Hydra associates.

As everyone now has tasks to work on, Coulson and May accept Pepper's offer to take Skye down to the movie theatre, (yes, an actual theatre within the Tower that seats up to 50 people). When Skye requests happily to watch 'Frozen' for perhaps the 84th time, Coulson gives her a hard time.

"I don't know, Skye… you really think I should let you watch your favorite movie after you had a food fight at my friend's house?"

Skye pouts adorably and looks up with wide, innocent eyes. "But I helped clean it all up," she points out. In truth, her 'helping' consisted of skating around the room on a towel, having almost as much fun cleaning up as she did making the mess.

"Well… you have a point, sweetie. Okay. Be good." With a sudden surge of affection for the little girl, Coulson scoops her up and plants a kiss on her cheek, then hugs her close to him. As the child lovingly lays her head on his shoulder and nuzzles into his neck, Phil feels that now familiar warm glow he's come to expect.

With difficulty, Coulson finally sets the youngster back down and lets her head off with Pepper. Miss Potts had made the mistake of admitting to Skye that she has never seen Frozen, and is already being entertained by the little girl's description of all the characters…

…

Just under two hours later, Pepper returns upstairs with Skye, the youngster just as excited as the first time she saw her favorite movie.

May looks up from the surveillance footage she is almost done with as she hears a familiar happy voice say, "and when Elsa grows up the ice castle from the ground, and it's SO pretty, huh?"

She stifles a smile as she hears Pepper respond, "oh yes… that might be my favorite part, too."

Skye spots May on the couch and runs over to her. "Hi! We watched Frozen!" she announces unnecessarily.

"So I gathered," Melinda responds. "And were you a good girl?" she asks, glancing up at Pepper.

The tall blonde woman smiles and nods. "She was… though she's probably not ready for a public theatre yet… little chatterbox," she teases fondly. "And she definitely needs to learn the concept of 'spoilers'," she quips with a chuckle. "But I actually see why she likes the movie so much; it's quite beautiful."

May smirks and shakes her head, knowing that Pepper is now under Skye's 'spell', like so many others before her. "Oh!" Pepper exclaims, pulling out her cell phone. "I took some video of her singing along with the songs. Do you mind if I send it off to 'The Voice', or 'American Idol'? Because, wow!"

May shoos Skye away from her laptop as the child is trying to look at the surveillance video. "I know, right? But yes, I would mind. Please don't…"

Pepper sighs and slips her phone back into her pocket. "Shame… for the world, that is."

Having given up on looking at the laptop, Skye instead picks up her mother's cell phone and starts pushing buttons on it.

"Qiānjīn, stop that," May scolds. The youngster had gotten into the bad habit of playing with any cell phone she came across, without permission. Despite each team member having secured their phone with a passcode, Skye was disturbingly good at cracking them. Sure enough, as May takes her phone back from the precocious little girl she sees that Skye had already gotten past the code. She sighs exasperatedly and gives Skye a quick swat on the backside. "You do not touch people's phones without permission, young lady. We've had this discussion."

Skye pouts and climbs up next to her caregiver. She lays her head against May's shoulder, prompting the agent to turn her laptop around, out of Skye's view. The youngster grumbles in frustration and says, "play wif me… please?"

Melinda sighs softly and turns to look into the pleading eyes. "Qianjin, I'm sorry, but I have very important work to do. I can't play right now."

"But I wanna go swimming again," Skye whines, flopping down on the couch.

May sighs again and reaches over to give her daughter another little swat, playful this time. "Well, little girl, I can't take you right now…"

She was just about to add, 'and it's almost bedtime anyway,' when Pepper speaks up. "I wouldn't mind taking her."

Skye bolts upright, looking hopeful. "Okay! Please?"

May groans and runs her hand over her face. The child's jetlag is going to drive her crazy. It's already nearly 9pm, Skye should be asleep by now. May knew it was a mistake to let Skye sleep in late this morning, but she did, due to the rough night. Skye's nap had been late too… but now that she thinks about it, maybe it's for the best. The child is really just still on California time, which will be handy when they get home to the base.

"Well… all right. Skye, you may swim with Pepper for half an hour… that's 30 minutes. How many minutes do you get to swim?"

"30!" the youngster replies happily.

"Yes. Then it's a bath, then bed. And are you going to argue with me when I come to get you?"

Skye shakes her head.

"And do you know what will happen if you do argue with me?" May asks pointedly.

The little girl's hands move behind her as she nods, and Melinda is satisfied that she does indeed know.

"All right then. Go on."

Skye immediately hops off the couch and starts to dash off, but she stops suddenly and comes back. She climbs hastily back onto the couch and plants a quick, somewhat sloppy kiss on May's cheek.

May can't help but smile as the happy child runs off again, even as she wipes a little slobber off of her cheek. She shakes her head and thanks Miss Potts, then turns back to her research. She's a bit distracted now though, as all she can really think about is how much she cherishes the child who has stolen her heart.

…

"Watch this!" Skye is soon exclaiming. She swims to the bottom of the pool and touches it with her hand before rising back up to the surface.

"Wow… you can touch the bottom? What a good swimmer you are," Pepper praises with a grin. Sure they're only in the shallow end of the pool, which is three feet deep… but that's apparently a big accomplishment at six years-old.

"Do you have kids?" comes the sudden innocent question, as Skye swims in little circles around Pepper.

Pepper blinks, raising her eyebrows at the youngster's frankness. "Uh… no, I don't, cutie. Not yet anyway."

"Why not?"

"Um, well…" Pepper begins, feeling wholly unprepared for this question. "Well, I suppose that… I've been very focused on my career, and… "

"When are you gonna have kids?"

Pepper chuckles softly and catches Skye as she attempts to swim around her again. "Hang on there, little one. You're making me dizzy," she teases, giving the child a gentle tickle.

As Skye giggles, Pepper asks curiously, "why are you asking me so much about kids?"

Skye gently splashes the water between her and Pepper, then says casually, "cause you'd be a good mommy".

Miss Potts feels her heart catch in her throat. She stares down at the little girl for a long moment before clearing it and asking softly, "and what makes you say that, sweetheart?"

Skye squirms a bit and shrugs. "Cause you're nice. And cause you have a *huge* house with a pool and with movies and books and stuff. And cause you play wif me. And you give good hugs. You should be a mommy." And as if these words aren't completely life-altering, the youngster then sticks her face in the water and proceeds to blow bubbles.

Pepper fails to breathe for several seconds. She looks down at the tiny girl she's holding gently in her hands, then brings her in closer. "How about one of those good hugs now," she offers in a whisper, wrapping her arms around the youngster.

Skye sputters as she lifts her face out of the water, and smiles brightly as she wraps her arms around Pepper's neck. After a moment of that nice hug, Skye suddenly blurts out, "if you want some kids, I know some! They were at the orphanage wif me."

Pepper chuckles, then actually finds herself considering the thought for a moment, before remembering that the children Skye had lived with have all grown up by now. The youngster just doesn't know it. Still… adoption wasn't something that Pepper had really considered before. Now though…

…

True to Skye's word, there is no arguing to be had when May comes to collect Skye for bed. Wanting to see what a typical bedtime routine looks like with a child, Pepper asks Melinda if she can tag along. The now weary mother agrees readily, grateful for any help offered.

When Pepper offers to give Skye her bath, May blinks in surprise, but agrees. She needs to report some findings to Coulson anyway. "Just don't wear anything that you don't want wet," she warns good-naturedly. "Call me if you need me."…

…

May brings her laptop to Coulson right away. "Phil… I think I have a lead on who might be responsible for the explosion."

Phil blinks, and looks up from his holo-recording. Rubbing his weary eyes, he states, "lay it on me".

May nods and swipes Phil's footage to a timestamp of 4:54pm the previous day. "Now… I took note of all of the people who visited the building regularly, everyday, for a week, to rule out employees. It seems that very few people outside of employees ever visit, which makes this woman stand out. Watch," she clicks the recording, and she and Coulson watch as a dark-haired woman approaches the front doors of the building, pauses, then walks in.

"This building closes at 5pm. She enters just five minutes before it closes, but…" May now fast forwards slowly until 5:30. "All of the employees have left by now, but she hasn't. The blast occurred around 7:15," she fast forwards again and it becomes clear that no one is leaving the building. "She never left. If we can identify every one of the employees in this footage and cross-reference them to Simmons' and Morse's list, we can be fairly sure that this woman is our top suspect."

Coulson nods seriously, thinking this a major breakthrough. "Good work," he praises. "Take it to them."

…

Meawhile, Pepper learns quite quickly why May suggested she change clothes, and she's grateful that she simply stripped down to her bathing suit again. Skye is apparently used to playing in the tub, which involves a fair amount of splashing. Potts soon gives up on wiping up the water mess as it happens, and just resigns to cleaning it once it is all done.

Skye's bath is somewhat exhausting, but goes well overall. The only real snag is when Pepper, not having experience in this arena, accidently rinses shampoo into little Skye's eyes. The child begins whining at once, and 'scolding' Pepper. "Nooo, not like that. You did it wrong," she accuses with a sniffle.

"Oh… I'm sorry, honey," Pepper apologizes sincerely. "I'm trying! And this bottle says, 'no tears'!" she adds desperately, thinking it false advertising.

Hearing the struggle as she comes in to the guest room to get ready for bed as well, Jemma pokes her head into the bathroom. "Hey now… what's going on?" she asks gently.

Skye sniffles again, rubbing her eyes. "Sh-she got soap in my eyes."

Simmons is rather curious as to how Pepper got roped in to giving Skye her bath, but she just smiles kindly at the bewildered look on Pepper's face and steps over to the tub. "All right, darling, I'm sure it was just an accident. Let's show her how we do it, okay?"

Soothed by Jemma's soft voice and smile, Skye nods.

Pepper watches carefully as Jemma pushes up her sleeves, cradles Skye in her left arm, and lays her back to rinse her hair. "Aha," she murmurs quietly. "Well… that's quite genius," that's admits, wondering why she hadn't thought of that.

"Oh, I had to learn it from Morse in the beginning," Simmons admits. Finished rinsing the shampoo out, she smiles and gives Skye a tickle. "Cute little angels like this one really should come with instruction manuals!"

Pepper chuckles… she can't help but agree with Jemma's comment.

Skye giggles and reaches up to hug Jemma, succeeding in soaking the biochemist. "Thanks, Jemma." The little girl apparently decides to forgive Pepper as she reaches over and pats her hand seriously. "It's okay. You'll do better next time."

Pepper bursts out laughing. "Oh! Well, thank you for that vote of confidence, little one!"

May reenters the bathroom at that moment. "Simmons… report to Coulson. There's been a development."

Jemma nods at once, "yes ma'am". She quickly leans down and plants a kiss on Skye's wet forehead. "Good night, darling. Sleep well tonight." With a soft smile all around, Simmons hops up and exits, pulling off her shirt to quickly swap it for a dry one.

"Well, you look squeaky clean, qiānjīn," May praises, giving Pepper a rare smile. "I hope you behaved. Doesn't really look like it though," May sighs as she glances around the soaked bathroom, pulling the plug in the tub. "Come here."

She wraps a towel around Skye when the youngster stands obediently. Pepper watches with a fond smile as May picks the little girl up and simultaneously hugs her while rubbing her dry. 'There really is an art to this', Pepper thinks to herself.

Miss Potts sticks around to see the whole 'get your pajamas on, brush your teeth, comb your hair' routine, and then sits on the couch to observe story time. Her eyebrows raise as she witnesses the incredible patience Agent May shows when bombarded with questions about vocabulary and plotline. When May finally glances at her and rolls her eyes inconspicuously though, Pepper can't help but chuckle.

"Okay… that's all the reading for tonight," May decides, when she finishes a chapter and Skye's eyes start to close.

"Nooo," the sleepy child whines. "Just a little more?"

May shakes her head, though she already knows she's going to give in. With a sigh she whispers, "go to sleep, young lady," then grudgingly opens the book once more.

A few paragraphs later and Skye is completely passed out at last. May leans her head warily back against the headboard and gives Pepper a slightly exasperated look. Pepper grins and nods, tilting her head slightly.

With a contented sigh, Pepper rises and comes to the bedside. "So, she wears you out?" she whispers to May.

With a low groan, Melinda stretches carefully, making sure not to disturb the sleeping youngster. "You have *no* idea."

"But… is it worth it?"

May gazes down at the little cherub lying next to her and smiles softly. "You have *no* idea."

…

The rest of the team have a late night, as Morse and Simmons are double-checking employee lists against known Hydra supporters, then cross-referencing employees on the surveillance footage with their electronic IDs. Fitz was now scanning the mystery woman's image through facial recognition software, on the hopes that they may find a hit on news articles, social media or in personnel files. Mack had managed to compile a list of common incendiary devices Hydra has used in the past, and is now aiding Hunter in researching more about Mainway Pharmaceuticals. Coulson himself is still watching surveillance footage, so sure that they must be missing something. He even goes so far as to ask Tony if the technological genius has any programs that can help further clear up the images and even add color.

"Of course… you don't?" the insomniac teases, and helps Coulson upload the footage into his program.

By the time the team finally turns in, Jemma has missed May soothing Skye through yet another nightmare. She just smiles softly at the pair under the soft light of a nightlight before closing her eyes and falling promptly to sleep.

…

With everyone's hard work the night before in mind, and the knowledge that the destroyed building isn't going anywhere, Coulson allows the team to sleep in a bit longer than usual. When everyone but Skye is up however, he decides that they need to get going.

"You guys go get some coffee or tea or… whatever, and pack up your stuff. I'll get Skye up," he offers, actually missing the youngster.

He enters May's room and eyes the sleeping child… or what he can see of her as her face is mostly hidden under her tousled hair. He can't help but smile as he sits on the bed beside her and gently rubs her back.

"Skye? Sweetie… it's time to wake up."

The youngster whines and simply burrows further under her blankets.

Phil chuckles. "Well, all right, but if you don't get up quick then Mack and Hunter are going to eat all of the donuts…"

At this, a still sleepy but now excited little girl sits straight up in bed. "Donuts? I can has some?" she asks in disbelief, as Jemma and May generally don't approve of them.

Coulson grins and nods. "Mr. Stark got us some for breakfast today. I think that this once, you can probably have a special treat. But we need to hurry!"

Approximately 20 seconds later, Skye is standing in the kitchen area looking up pleadingly at May. "Please?"

To everyone's amusement, May is standing off with the child, her arms crossed over her chest. "You think that you deserve a donut, qiānjīn?" she asks seriously.

When the child nods eagerly, the stoic mother asks, "why do you deserve a donut?"

Skye thinks fast. "Cause I've been good! I helped clean up the kitchen yesterday!"

"From the mess that *you* helped make," Melinda points out.

Skye bites her lip and hugs Trip to herself. "And I didn't argue last night, when I hadda stop swimming!"

May nods slowly at this… that actually had been impressive. "Uh-huh… that was very good, qiānjīn. What else?"

"I don't has anyone's phone!" Skye points out, holding up her hands innocently. Several people snicker quietly. Skye then looks around and spots Pepper pouring herself a cup of coffee. She beams and points at her. "I helped teached her how to give a bath! *And* how to be a mommy," Skye exclaims proudly.

Pepper fumbles with her cup and only just catches it in time. The kitchen goes strangely silent as all eyes turn to her. "I… she…" the normally composed professional stammers. "She may have… given me some advice."

Several people bite back laughs as Skye turns hopefully back to May, her hands clasped in front of her pleadingly.

Even Melinda finds it hard to keep a straight face. "Wow… that sounds like a lot of 'being good', especially for you, qiānjīn," she admits. "I suppose I better let you have a donut."

"YAY!" Skye shrieks, running over to the large box. Chuckling, Bobbi grabs Skye a plate and holds it as Skye picks out a donut with pink frosting and sprinkles. Jemma pours Skye a small glass of orange juice and brings it over with a fond smile. Coulson and May exchange a contented look… their little girl has no idea just how much she is doted on by everyone around her. Although maybe, though most children wouldn't, she does…

…

A mere 20 minutes later the team is packed and ready to go. Pepper is currently holding Skye in her arms, not wanting to let the child leave. Meanwhile, all of the SHIELD agents are shaking Stark's hand with various versions of "thank you so much for having us".

"You all are welcome here anytime. I now consider this the Avenger Tower, and as your Director is an Avenger… feel free to visit." Stark says amiably. He then turns to the youngster in his lover's arms and says quietly, "yes, even you. Even though you have cooties."

Finally recognizing that Tony Stark is being playful, Skye giggles and sticks her tongue out at him. He responds in kind.

"Oh… real mature," Pepper quips, though she enjoys seeing this playful side.

"She started it," Stark responds simply, then gives Skye a wink.

Pepper laughs, then turns to smile down at the little girl in her arms. Skye is busy playfully flipping Pepper's long blonde hair around her fingers.

"Will you come visit me?" the youngster asks, as she always must when she leaves a new 'friend'.

Honored by the question, Pepper grins. "Would you like me to?"

Skye nods eagerly, then thinks. "But we don't have a swimming pool. Maybe I should come visit you instead!"

Miss Potts chuckles and nods. "Well, like Iron Man over there said, you're always welcome, honey."

With that, Mack steps forward and takes Skye. "All right… c'mon princess. It's time to fly," he states, then tosses her playfully into the air.

Skye laughs and waves as she is walked out to the Bus.

Coulson then steps forward with a sigh. Pepper approaches to meet him and wraps her arms around him in a warm hug. "I just can't believe you're here… alive and well," she states softly.

Coulson returns the hug, then pulls back smiling.

Stark then addresses the Director of SHIELD. "What she said," he agrees. "Look… I know I'm not a SHIELD agent or whatever. But if you ever need *anything*…"

Phil nods gratefully, shaking Tony's hand again. "Thank you. Truly. For everything."

With last fond farewells and promises to keep in touch, Coulson follows his team out into the dazzling sunlight and boards the Bus.

…

Once everyone has stowed their bags and gotten buckled in, May's voice sounds through Coulson's comm, highly exasperated. "Phil… a certain little someone has apparently been in the cockpit, despite multiple warnings from me never to come in here alone. Every single switch and dial has been played with. This will take me at least 20 minutes to fix and double check." An immense frustration can be heard in May's voice, as she mutters, "and to think, I let her have a donut…"

Coulson groans, closing his eyes tight, wishing he could make this not so. He glances down at the adorable but apparently mischievous little girl sitting buckled up next to him. Oblivious to having been caught, she is currently swinging her legs back and forth and humming to Trip over the soft sound of the plane's engine. Her beloved stuffed monkey is buckled into the child's harness with her, by her insistence. The little one doesn't seem to have a care in the world. Phil certainly wishes that he didn't have to change that.

"Skye…" he says quietly. The youngster looks up. "Did you go into the cockpit without May? Without permission?"

Several of the other agents stop their chatting and look up, alarmed. Surely Skye didn't… she certainly knows better…

The little girl immediately bites her lip and starts to squirm. She wraps her arms around Trip protectively and hangs her head. She is the very image of guilt.

Coulson sighs heavily and looks around at his agents. "Our takeoff is going to be delayed, because a certain little girl decided to play with knobs and buttons that she knows she's not allowed to touch."

A few more exasperated sighs can be heard, but Coulson misses them. Instead, he hears a still frustrated May say in his ear, "Phil… you need to take care of this."

Coulson blinks, once again looking down at the squirming child next to him. "What? You don't mean… you don't expect me to…" he stammers quietly.

"Yes! Phil, you are her father. This unfortunately comes with the territory. You need to punish your daughter."

The word 'father' fills Coulson with innumerable emotions… love, pride, nurturing, protectiveness… but at the moment, it's mostly filling him with dread. He has never even raised his voice to the little girl before. The last thing on Earth he wants to do is punish her.

He realizes though that he doesn't have to punish her as the others might. Only slightly bolstered by this, Phil sighs heavily and addresses Skye again. "Sweetie… I think you know better than to go into the cockpit alone. And you definitely know not to touch any of the instruments without permission, don't you?" he asks softly.

Still biting her lip and avoiding everyone's eyes, Skye pulls her legs up to her chest (or to Trip, really) and slowly nods.

Phil nods, too, glancing around at his team. As much as it pains him to say, he gently tells the child, "then, Skye… I'm afraid you're going to have to go in a time-out."

Skye's head pops up in time to see Coulson point out toward the hall. Her eyes immediately fill with tears. "Nooo!" she whines.

Coulson swallows hard, but tries to stay strong as he turns in his seat and starts to undo her seatbelt. "Yes, little one. You knew better than to play in the cockpit. You were naughty… now you're in trouble," he says gently.

But little Skye glances back out toward the hall… the hall that will be empty and lonely, even scary by herself, and starts to feel frantic. She tries to push her adoptive father's hands away as she starts to cry. "Noooo," she whines again. "No time-out!"

"Skye," he says, still softly but with a quiet warning tone behind it. He reaches around her interfering hands and gets her harness unbuckled. "You're going to go sit in the corner for five minutes, and think about why you're in trouble."

But Skye jumps up suddenly the moment she is unbuckled and throws her arms around her loving, incredibly patient new father. "No time-out," she repeats around her sobs. "No time-out!"

Coulson's heart breaks, and he can't help but hug the little girl back. He glances up at the rest of the team, almost all of whom are giving him knowing but encouraging looks. Hunter even goes so far as to flex his arm, as if to say, 'stay strong!' Phil hears Melinda sigh disapprovingly in his ear.

"I'm sorry, Skye," he whispers to the youngster clinging to him, and starts to pull back from her.

But the little girl shocks everyone then by suddenly standing up, setting Trip aside and saying determinedly, "no time-out… y-you can spank me instead… okay?" With that everyone stares as little Skye actually tries to lift herself up and over Coulson's lap.

Phil blinks, utterly surprised, and with no idea what to do. He stops the little girl by placing his hands on her shoulders. "I… I don't want to spank you, Skye," he says gently. He sadly wipes a few of her tears away and looks at her carefully. "Are… are you saying that you would rather have a spanking than a time-out?" he asks incredulously.

Skye sobs, then nods seriously. "Uh-huh. No time-out! Don't send me away, kay?" she begs, pointing toward the hallway. Then, looking pleadingly up into his eyes with tears falling down her cheeks, the little girl squeaks out, "please… Daddy?"

The Director of SHIELD feels his breath catch in his throat. The world around him seems to fade away as he digests the word for the very first time. Daddy… he is a daddy now. This adorable little waif staring pleadingly up at him is *his*… his to love, his to cherish, his to teach, his to protect…

But as the youngster again attempts to lay herself over his lap he is reminded… not all of fatherhood is hugs and kisses, fun and games. Part of her being 'his to teach' is having to discipline. With his heart trapped in his throat now, he somehow manages to say, "okay sweetie," before gently helping her up and over his knees. Once there though, he just can't bring himself to do it… to strike the helpless little girl. He glances up at his team again and notices moisture in some of their eyes, from hearing the child acknowledge Coulson as her father. There are actually tears running down Simmons' cheeks, and the sensitive scientist smiles softly at him.

He hears a door click and sees May quietly approach from the cockpit. She knew by what she was hearing through the comms that Coulson needs some moral support. She gives him a very knowing, sympathetic look, then nods. He shakes his head in response, feeling almost as helpless as Skye probably does. May gives him a little look, then turns around and whispers into her comm, "it's not about what you want. This is for her. That's parenthood."

Much to his dismay and frustration, Phil feels his own eyes well up. He tries to hide it by glancing down at the sniffling youngster, in the cute little purple and teal striped dress she loves so much. May steps forward and places a supportive hand on Coulson's shoulder. He takes a deep, shaky breath, then proceeds to carry out his duty before he can spend another second dreading it.

Spank Spank Spank

Coulson swats the youngster's bottom firmly, clearly just wanting to get it over with. He tries hard not to hear her crying out.

Spank Spank Spank Spank Spank

Though Skye essentially 'volunteered' for this, it doesn't make the experience much easier on the little girl. She kicks her feet and squirms and cries, casting a deep sadness over everyone in the room. Fitz actually gets up and quietly walks out, and Mack rests his elbows on his knees with his face hidden in his hands.

Bobbi however puts a supportive arm around Jemma when she notices the young woman's tears, and plants a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Simmons looks up at her S.O. and gives her a soft smile. She leans up and whispers, "I'm not crying about this, this time." She gestures toward the spanking taking place. "I… I'm crying *for them*," she explains, nodding at the beautiful family unit.

Morse smiles and nods, giving Jemma a little squeeze. She understands completely.

Coulson manages a few more light swats before little Skye cries out, "no more, no more… please. I'll be good, Daddy!"

Phil audibly gasps, as if he's just had the wind knocked out of him. He stops spanking his daughter immediately. After a deep, shaky breath he picks up the sobbing youngster and walks right out of the room with her. He carries her up the narrow spiral staircase and heads straight for May's room. For the first time since it was purchased several months ago, he sits in the white rocking chair with Skye in his lap and hugs her close. Unable to stave off his emotions any longer, he lets out a quiet sob right along with his daughter and allows a few tears to fall.

When Bobbi offers to finish setting the plane's controls right, May accepts and follows Coulson up. She hears crying coming from her room and enters, stopping just inside the doorway. The stoic agent is touched to find her best friend and her child clinging to each other and fraught with emotion.

Skye looks up and notices her father's tears. She has never seen Coulson cry before, of course. No one has. She sniffles and stares at him, her crying easing up considerably. "Why are you crying?" she asks quietly, following a tear down his face with her finger.

Coulson gives a quiet chuckle and shakes his head, wiping the treacherous tears away. "Oh… just because," he begins hoarsely. "When you feel sad, I feel sad. I love you, Skye," he admits, brushing tears off her cheeks with his thumbs. "I love you so much. And… I finally get to be your daddy."

The little girl doesn't understand why he's crying about this of course, but the little empath seems to know what he needs to hear. "I love you too, Daddy." She leans up and kisses his cheek, then snuggles up against him again.

Phil lets out a contented sigh, then looks over and spots May in the doorway. He smiles softly at her and mouths the words, 'thank you'. These words are applicable to about a hundred things in his mind… 'thank you' for accepting Skye into the team originally, 'thank you' for protecting her countless times in the field, 'thank you' for agreeing to be little Skye's adoptive parent with him, even 'thank you' for making him handle her punishment tonight. Agent May manages a small smile and nods, then turns and heads back downstairs to the cockpit, deciding to give the two some time and space.

A few minutes later both father and daughter have composed themselves enough to get back on track. Holding Skye's hand, Coulson leads her back down to the hangar and gets her (and Trip) buckled back into her seat. Once he is seated as well the plane takes off, heading home to base.

…

Epilogue

Once they reach 20,000 feet seatbelts are unbuckled and the other agents get up to go work on their respective projects. As they pass the little girl they smile, stroke her cheek or ruffle her hair. She manages a smile back at them, the members of her new family, but once they have all scattered, she turns back to her father. "Can… can I go see May?" she asks quietly, worried that her pilot-mom is mad at her.

Coulson smiles and nods, sure that May isn't mad. He walks over and knocks briefly before opening the door to the cockpit. "A certain little someone wants to spend some time with you. You mind?" he asks quietly.

May gives him a look that clearly says, "don't be ridiculous". He smiles and waves the youngster over.

Skye rubs her bottom subconsciously as she passes Coulson and nervously enters the cockpit. "Can I come in?" she asks, in barely over a whisper.

May turns and looks the child up and down before saying, "that depends. Are you going to touch anything you're not supposed to?"

The little girl lowers her head before she shakes it.

May nods, then finally says, "then come on in."

Skye gives the instrument panel as wide of a berth as possible as she goes and sits in the co-pilot's chair. She sits quietly for a minute, fidgeting with her stuffed monkey, then says quietly, "I'n sorry."

Upon hearing this, May is struck with a sudden strong case of déjà vu. She thinks back two whole years ago to when the adult Skye had nervously joined her in the cockpit to apologize for bad behavior.1 These sudden reminders that this little girl truly is the woman she once trained still catch her off-guard. She swallows hard and tries to focus on the present again, and the naughty but repentant six year-old in her co-pilot's seat.

"Hmmm," May replies simply. Standing and holding her hand out to the little girl, she says softly, "come on". Skye rises and takes the offered hand, following May out of the cockpit. Melinda stays quiet, hoping that the youngster will elaborate on her own.

Skye sniffles and chances a glance up at her new mom. "Da… Coulson… spanked me," she informs her sadly.

"I know." May responds softly. Surprised by Skye's correction, she glances over at the little girl. May takes a seat on the couch in the lounge, and pats the spot next to her. "Qiānjīn… you don't have to call him Coulson anymore. You can call him Daddy… if you want to," she states encouragingly.

Skye climbs up next to May, biting her lip and fidgeting with Trip again.

May senses the child's question. "And, whenever you're ready… you can call me…"

"Mommy?" Skye asks, just above a whisper, staring carefully into May's eyes.

May had been about to say, "whatever you'd like," but frankly… she likes Skye's suggestion way better. She swallows her emotions and nods at the little girl. "Absolutely, qiānjīn. I'd like that… very much."

While Skye is very excited at the prospect of getting to use this term, of having this sacred person in her life at last, she holds off on celebrating just yet. Still a bit worried that May is upset with her, she bites her lip and finally says, "I'n sorry that I go'ed in the cockpit, and didn't ask, and pushed all the buttons…" The youngster sniffles, then adds quietly, "I'n sorry, Mommy."

May exhales sharply. That word is filled with such an incredible weight of responsibility, and yet, all May can think right now is that she wants to hear it as often as humanly possible.

With that in mind, May unleashes her biggest grin. Filled with sudden warmth and utter joy, she stands and scoops up her daughter. Ignoring the presence of several other agents nearby, May touches her forehead to Skye's and asks in a happy whisper, "what did you just call me?"

Skye grins and whispers back, "Mommy".

"Wait… I can't hear you, qiānjīn," May teases, lifting the youngster high above her. "What did you call me?"

Skye shrieks and giggles, then calls out loudly, "Mommy!"

"That's what I *thought* you said!" May pulls her daughter in for a warm hug and a kiss, then spins her around playfully. And for the very first time, everyone else in the room hears Melinda May, the 'Cavalry', laugh with pure, genuine happiness.

…

The End

1 This is in reference to my story Season 1, Episode 9 – Repairs, /works/4917202 .