Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
SHIELD's Little Surprise
Chapter 8 - Jemma's Unforgivable Act
This is a fanfic based upon the incredible television series, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This is the eighth 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 mid-Season 3. (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!
SHIELD's Little Surprise: Chapter 8 - Jemma's Unforgivable Act
(Continued from Chapter 7, Part 2 – Stark Tower)
During the flight from New York back to California, Fitz pulls up Stark's advanced imagery program and he, Coulson and Hunter carefully study the image of the mystery woman outside the entrance of Mainway Pharmaceuticals.
"Okay… it's now perfectly clear," Fitz mutters as he adjusts the photo.
Coulson and Hunter both squint, trying to take in every detail.
"Sooo…" Hunter states slowly, "we're looking for a dame of average height and slim build… nothing exactly extraordinary to narrow down the field, is there?"
"She doesn't seem like she could be carrying a bomb or any kind of explosive device. She's not even carrying a purse," Fitz points out.
"Fitz… zoom in," Coulson commands, standing to approach the screen more closely. The image of the woman grows steadily larger, and more detail comes into focus as Fitz again adjusts the controls.
"And now… we add color," Fitz murmurs, pressing one last button.
"Brown hair," Lance adds, shrugging at the lack of usefulness that provides.
"What am I seeing here?" Coulson suddenly mutters. He points to the woman's face. "Are you guys seeing this?"
Leo and Lance approach the screen as well and stare. "Is that… is her skin glowing?" Hunter asks.
"It looks orange," Fitz agrees, somewhat relieved that he's not the only one seeing the abnormality.
And sudden horrible realization dawns on Coulson. With a slow, sinking feeling, one word passes his lips. "Extremis."
The plane lands in southern California, and the team (minus May and Skye) disembarks with the SUV. Fitz sends the dwarves into the still-smoking building first to gauge the levels of radiation and carbon dioxide still present. Once the air has been deemed safe, the team enters and gets to work. Fitz continues guiding the dwarves in investigating every nook and cranny of the various charred rooms, while Morse and Simmons take samples from every surface. Hunter goes to examine and take inventory of the various medications stored throughout the building, in case that is what the woman had been after. Mack searches for security cameras and digital files containing footage that may answer more questions.
In the meantime, back at base, May invites Skye to the training room with her to continue her lessons in basic self-defense. It's hard for the warrior agent to be left out of the investigation, but she tries to enjoy her time with her new daughter.
Nonetheless, May is quite grateful when Skye goes down for her nap just before the team arrives back at base, and she eagerly joins them in the conference that Coulson calls.
"… so, once again, we have a situation where no bomb was brought into a building… our mystery woman *was* the bomb."
Everyone looks around in dread.
"Extremis? Again?" Jemma exclaims softly with a sigh. She pulls out her tablet and opens up files from two years before, detailing previous experiences with Extremis. "Well, it explains the lack of forensics in these explosions. And the heat signature here seems to be a match for the blast in Houston."
"You know… I thought that the Extremis experiments were finished," Mack states irritably. "Didn't Tony Stark take out all the last known people infected? He put an end to that Killian guy, right?"(Iron Man 3)
"Yeah well… perhaps he missed a few. Let's hope it's only a few, anyway," Fitz mutters.
Coulson sighs as he points up to the image of the woman. "So, here's what we know. This woman, whoever she was, was infected with the Centipede serum. Just before Mainway Pharmaceuticals was closing for the day, she entered it alone. All of the employees left the building by 5:30, so presumably she was the only remaining person there at approximately 7:15, when, as far as we can deduce, she succumbed to the Extremis within her. The blast was powerful enough to lay waste to most of the building's 3rd floor, which housed many of the company's stored medications.
"Judging by the trajectory of the debris and the extent of the damage, we have determined that the blast occurred here, in the main lab." Phil pulls up a holographic blueprint of the building, and indicates a room in the center of the 3rd floor.
"That is basically the extent of what we *know*. Now, we move into the realm of speculation. I do believe that based on this woman's situation and where she was when the blast occurred, there is a strong chance that she was seeking some kind of cure. She was most likely desperate."
Coulson goes quiet at this point as everyone processes the information thus far.
Agent Morse speaks up first. "So… there's one thing I don't understand."
"One thing?" mutters Hunter in disbelief.
Ignoring this, Bobbi goes on. "Several employees on duty that day were security personnel. Did they not find it odd that a random woman was entering the premises minutes before they were supposed to close? She was allowed to stay after closing? I would assume that they have all visitors sign in and/or show ID…"
The rest of the team puzzles over this as well.
Then Mack speaks up. "I was able to access the security footage from the lobby. Maybe we should take a look at it now."
Mack hands the thumb drive to Fitz, who pops it into the holotable. Fitz fast-forwards to 4:54pm and the team tries to take in every detail of the large lobby, from the two security guards seated at a front desk, to the metal detectors on either side, to the few employees lingering to chat.
Soon, they spot her. The dark-haired woman enters nonchalantly through the front doors. She pauses momentarily, gazing about in seeming curiosity. The next thing they know however, there is a slight blur, and the woman vanishes completely.
"What?!" several people mutter in surprise.
"Did the footage skip?" May asks, eyebrows furrowed.
Fitz quickly rewinds and plays it over again. "No… the time stamp moves consistently."
"Play it again. Zoom in and play it in slow-motion." Coulson orders.
The young engineer obliges, and the team watches again carefully. Several jaws drop at once and the room falls eerily silent.
"Did she just…?"
"Wait, did you see…?"
"How did she…?!"
Coulson sighs deeply and loosens his tie, which suddenly feels like it's strangling him. "Well, I believe there's only one explanation for this. Hydra must now be experimenting on Inhumans."
By delving further into the available details on the explosion in Houston, the team can be reasonably sure that they now understand this newest threat to the world. The shock that came along with the mystery woman in Mission Viejo 'magically' camouflaging with the background behind her had worn off… a little.
Having figured out that the woman was Inhuman leads Coulson to examine the ledger (now painstakingly devoid of any Terrigen crystals) to seek out the identity of the woman. He finds her, based upon the description of her Inhuman abilities, and discovers that her name had been Valerie Hoffman.
Knowing this helps Fitz to discover her personal information, which Hydra had attempted to delete from every known databank. Apparently… Hydra does not know of *every* databank, and he is able to hack his way into a tremendous amount of information.
"Apparently, Ms. Hoffman was one of the Inhumans that spent time in Afterlife, though she had not yet gone through her transformation before Jiaying's fall," Fitz informs everyone, gazing at his tablet. With a sigh, he continues. "She was reported missing by a colleague on November 17th. She didn't show up for work again after that and her information was erased from most databanks. For all intents and purposes, Valerie Hoffman fell off the face of the Earth."
Coulson now takes over. "So, someone somehow finds out about her alien DNA, she is plucked from her life, her information is removed from public databases and suddenly she has Inhuman abilities, and Centipede strength." He glances around and notes that he doesn't need to voice the obvious conclusion. Everyone else seems to have gotten there, too.
He goes on. "We were also able to hack into the Houston Police Department's records, and we tracked down a report that was tossed out as a hoax. They received a call that someone had robbed a jewelry shop…by walking straight through a cement wall. However, as the shopowner had illegally 'pawned' items in his shop, he chose not to press charges."
Several team members roll their eyes at this, although it is actually useful for their intel.
The Director goes on. "Not long after this incident was originally reported, a man listed in Jiaying's ledger as capable of moving through solid objects all but disappeared as well. We can do more to confirm our suspicions, but given this information, I'm willing to bet that Hydra is seeking out Inhumans to experiment on them. We already know that a faction of the ATCU, with ties to Hydra, had stockpiled fish oil pills and was activating transformations in Inhumans.(03x08) If the Inhumans they are seeking haven't already transformed when Hydra locates them, they are forced to. At which point, Hydra seems to be injecting them with the Centipede serum."
"So," Hunter begins slowly. "These Inhumans then not only have their unique alien-given abilities, but they are also granted super-strength?"
"That seems to be the case," Coulson agrees heavily. "Then it seems they are forced to do Hydra's bidding."
"'Super'," May mutters sarcastically.
"Their Inhuman abilities don't seem to be enough to quell the Extremis within them, however. Resulting in… well… we all saw," Phil adds gloomily.
"Two so far… who knows if there are others?" Jemma notes quietly, horrified by the thought.
"Indeed," the Director agrees. "So, new assignments. We need to locate as many Inhumans as possible, *before* Hydra does. Mack and Hunter, I want you both pouring through police reports nationwide, looking for any crimes that seem out of the ordinary. Fitz, I want you to do the same with hospital visits. It's a longshot, but people may escape after transforming, and seek medical help for their… 'changes'. Simmons, I want you and Morse reviewing all of the information we have on the Centipede serum. We know that Dendrotoxin can possibly stop people from exploding, if administered in the final moments.(01x01) However, we need an antidote that can be administered at anytime. It must also be compatible and effective with Inhuman DNA. Fitz, when an antiserum has been created, you'll need to create a delivery mechanism. Many, actually.
"I will be attempting to locate as many Inhumans as I can, using Jiaying's ledger. I will warn them of the danger, and once an antiserum has been perfected, will arrange for them all to receive one, just in case."
Coulson looks around at his nodding team. "Very well. Get to work."
As soon as the team disperses to carry out their assignments, Jemma Simmons feels the familiar pressure associated with being assigned a vastly significant undertaking. Creating an antiserum that can slow down, if not completely counter the effects of the Centipede serum and Extremis is a rather daunting task on a human… but add in the differences in Inhuman DNA... Simmons is taken off of 'Skye-duty' altogether and now spends approximately 16-18 hours a day in the lab, working nonstop.
Skye misses her gentle playmate very much. While Skye loves having so much one-on-one time with May, she still attempts to sneak into the lab to see Jemma every chance she gets. Much to the child's dismay however, she is always caught quickly and shooed back out. This has caused more than a few tears and tantrums from the little girl, who is used to spending a majority of her time with Simmons, and naturally doesn't understand the importance of the scientist's current work. It has also caused much heartbreak for Jemma, who misses the exuberant youngster just as much.
On the 3rd day of Jemma's obsessive work, something shows up in the small side office of the lab to distract little Skye a bit. Three lab rats, one brown and two white, suddenly appear in glass aquariums, and Skye falls in love with them right away. Having given up on visiting Jemma, Skye begins sneaking into the usually empty office to pet and talk to the cute rats. As the tanks are positioned above an empty cupboard, she manages to get away with it unnoticed. When the youngster sees or hears someone coming, she simply slips into the cupboard until the footsteps pass, then quietly sneaks back out when the coast is clear.
The day after the rats appear, Skye gives them each names. Quite predictably, given her 'Frozen' obsession, she names the brown one Anna and calls the white ones Elsa and Olaf. She sneaks the rats little treats from the kitchen whenever possible. Jemma and several other scientists have been puzzled to find little carrot and apple bits in the aquariums, but they just write these occasions off, assuming that each other are providing the treats.
Approximately four days later, Skye finds herself sneaking down to the lab once again to spend some time with her little friends. Unbeknownst to her however, Jemma has just concocted the first potential antiserum, and it is ready to be tested. Little Skye scurries quietly up to the window of the lab and sees that the rats' aquariums have been moved into the main lab for observation. The little girl is peeking in when Simmons picks up tiny Elsa, a syringe in the other hand.
"All right… fingers crossed everyone," Skye hears Jemma say to the surrounding assistants and interns, just before she injects the rat with the serum.
Skye winces, knowing how much shots hurt, and feeling very bad for her little friend. She figures that Elsa must be sick, and Jemma is giving her medicine to make her better.
Everyone is staring at the little white rat as Simmons returns it to its tank, so Skye stares too. She gasps quietly when moments later the small animal suddenly staggers, then falls onto its side and moves no more.
The little girl hopes with all her might that Elsa has just fallen asleep, but she then hears Simmons say, "oh dear. Well, now to figure out where we went wrong..."
Skye suddenly runs into the lab and straight to the small aquariums, pushing an assistant aside.
Simmons blinks and tries to stop her… "Skye! You are not allowed in here, young lady," she says sternly, as the little girl has been told this repeatedly since the serious endeavor began.
But Skye pushes Jemma's arms away determinedly, rather out of character, and continues to the aquarium containing her still motionless little friend. "No…" she whispers, quickly climbing up on a stool and reaching her hand in to prod the white rat. "Elsa… wake up. Wake up!" she cries, panic in her voice.
Simmons' heart plummets at the child's reaction, and especially at the fact that the child had apparently named the rat after one of her favorite characters. Utterly bewildered, she quietly presses on her comm and simply whispers, "Skye… in the lab…"
Jemma then gently but insistently moves the little girl's hands away from the deceased rat. She looks sadly at Skye, who has begun sobbing, and says in her gentlest voice, "oh, Skye, darling… I'm so sorry. This… this is just part of being a scientist…"
But Skye suddenly yanks her arms away from Jemma and shrieks, "you… you hurt Elsa! You hurt Elsa!" With that, the heartbroken youngster strikes out at Simmons, trying to hit any part of her she can.
Jemma backs up in surprise, tears filling her own eyes. "Skye, I'm so sorry, baby. I-I didn't even know that you knew about the rats…"
At this point, May, Bobbi, Coulson and Mack all enter the lab at once just in time to see Skye move forward and attempt to kick Jemma, shrieking incoherently in rage.
"Skye Daisy Mayson!" May scolds firmly, in disbelief.
Mack is the quickest to cross the room and scoop up the hysterical little girl, holding her tight to stop her attack. But Skye seems to have eyes for no one but Jemma right now, and those eyes show a devastating pain and betrayal. "You *killed* her! You killed Elsa! I HATE YOU!" the little girl shrieks through her sobs, squirming hard against Mack's hold. She shoots the words at her beloved Jemma like deadly arrows, meant to do as much damage as possible.
Simmons feels her heart breaking in two as she tries hard to hold back tears. "Oh Skye… please, please don't say that. I-I'm so sorry, little one! I love you so much and I don't ever mean to hurt you…"
When Jemma gestures toward the tank with the still rat in it, the bewildered agents crowded around start to understand what must have happened. Taking a deep breath, May moves forward and holds her arms out for her daughter. Mack gently hands Skye over as the tiny girl wails in despair, and the other agents gathered around hear her cry, "sh-she was my friend…"…
Agent May holds the little girl tight and strokes her hair, cooing softly to her as she walks her out of the lab. "Oh Skye… shhh, qiānjīn, it's all right, I've got you. Breathe, honey…" May glances back as she hears footsteps behind her and sees that Coulson is following along, looking concerned. Neither of the adoptive parents have ever seen the youngster this upset before.
Melinda carries Skye into their bedroom and heads straight for the rocking chair in the corner. She has barely sat down with Skye on her lap when Coulson approaches with both Skye's soft fairy blanket and her stuffed monkey, Trip. The loving father gently covers Skye with the blanket and sets Trip within reach, but Skye, who is still wailing in grief, continues clinging to her mother, her face buried in her shoulder.
The parents barely make out Skye miserably repeating, "she was my friend," and they exchange another concerned look. May hugs Skye to her with one arm while rocking the chair slowly. Her other hand pats Skye's bottom gently in a way that has always been comforting to the little girl. Melinda can still feel the child's sobs wracking her tiny body. Coulson sits on the end of the nearby bed and reaches out to rub Skye's back.
"Sweetie… you made friends with the rats, huh?" Phil asks softly.
With another loud sob, Skye nods.
Choosing to ignore the fact that Skye shouldn't have been in the lab at all for now, May gives Coulson a look as she holds her despondent child close, wordlessly warning him to choose his words wisely.
Phil nods in silent agreement, and thinks before he speaks again. "Well, Skye… those rats in the lab? They're called 'lab rats'… they are special 'science rats', and they help us save people's lives. A very important part of Jemma's job is to create medicines that can cure people of bad diseases. Before she can give the medicine to people though, it has to be tested, to make sure that it's safe. Scientists use the rats to test the medicine, and make sure that it's ready before giving it to people."
Coulson sighs now, and goes on gently, still rubbing Skye's back. "Sometimes sweetie… sometimes it turns out that the medicine isn't quite right yet, or won't work like a scientist hoped it would. And when that happens… sometimes the rat will die. It's sad, Skye, yes… but testing it on the rat first helps prevent us from hurting a person. Do you understand?"
Skye slowly lifts her head from May's shirt, which is now soaked through. The new parents see that Skye's sweet face is red and blotchy and sopping wet. She shakes her head.
"No! Elsa never hurt anybody! And Jemma hurt her. I *hate* Jemma," Skye repeats, as fresh tears fall down her cheeks.
May frowns deeply as she gently mops up Skye's face with a tissue. "Skye… that is a very mean thing to say," she scolds softly. "I know that you are very sad and upset, qiānjīn, but Jemma loves you very much. She didn't do this to hurt you or 'Elsa'. Like Daddy said, this is part of her job. It's science."
"Then I HATE science!" Skye shouts, then wails again as she thinks of her small animal friend and buries her face in May's shoulder once more.
May closes her eyes and sighs wearily, knowing that nothing will reach Skye at this moment. The little six year-old can't be expected to understand such complicated matters as scientific research, and she is fueled by pure emotion only right now.
Coulson seems to agree as he sadly mouths, 'give her time' to May.
Melinda nods subtly and just continues cuddling her child for as long as she needs it…
Meanwhile, back in the lab…
As May and Coulson take Skye away from the lab, Simmons loses the internal battle to keep her emotions in check. She finally lets out a devastated sob and sinks to the ground, pulling her knees into her chest. The child's scream of 'I HATE YOU' rings in her ears and tears at her heart. She has never felt so guilty in her life.
As Mack quietly asks the nearby lab assistants to give them some space, Agent Morse quickly kneels down beside Simmons and sets a warm hand on her shoulder. "Jemma… Jemma, honey…", she whispers delicately to the sensitive scientist. "I know that that really hurt. I know, honey. Skye is too young to understand a lot of things, and this is one of them."
Bobbi swallows hard before adding, "it really hurts when someone you deeply care about is this angry at you… it breaks your heart to hear them say they hate you. Doesn't it?"
The gentle but pointed tone of Morse's voice immediately leads Simmons to understand what she's getting at. The young scientist gasps and looks up at Bobbi as realization sets in. Less than a year ago, Jemma herself had flung those very words at Bobbi, when she had thought that Morse had betrayed SHIELD and the team.1 Fresh tears sting her eyes and she feels even worse.
"Oh… oh Agent Morse… I'm so sorry. I…" Jemma doesn't even know what else to say. She can't imagine having made someone else feel the way that she's feeling right now. Especially her mentor, whom she looks up to in so many ways. "Even though I was so angry, I-I… I didn't meant it and I should never have said it. I'm so…"
As she sees several more tears trail down her ward's cheeks, Morse feels bad for even bringing it up. "I know, honey, I know, shh. That's why I'm reminding you about it. We all say things we regret sometimes, even adults. Skye is very upset right now, and she is only six. She didn't mean what she said."
Morse gently reaches over and tucks a lock of hair behind Jemma's ear. "Deep down, you know that Skye adores you… she has ever since the moment that she 'met' you. Remember that?" she asks softly with a fond smile.
Simmons sobs subside for just a moment as she nods in acknowledgement, but she doesn't look much reassured.
Sitting down next to the ladies, Mack offers Simmons a box of tissues. He gives her a soft smile as he too remembers that day. "It's true. That kid was rather terrified of me at first, but she wouldn't let you leave her side for days. I still think you are her favorite person here."
Simmons manages a small smile but shakes her head. "Thank you for saying that, Mack… but she has parents now and…" she begins.
"Oh, no…" Morse stops her. "Coulson and May may have adopted her, but Skye is still 'all of ours'," she insists. "Have your feelings toward her changed since the adoption?"
Simmons shakes her head, wiping her face with a tissue that Mack has just handed to her. "No, of course not."
Mack smiles and nods. "Then why would her feelings toward you, or any of us, change?"
Jemma sighs as more tears fall. "You and I know why I did what I did… it's a necessity in medical research. But how can Skye ever understand? In her eyes, I'm… I'm a murderer."
Mack and Bobbi glance at each other, each hoping that the other has some great words of wisdom and encouragement. When words fail them both, they each just set a comforting hand on Jemma's back for the time being…
Skye's misery seems to permeate throughout the base for the rest of the day. Fitz actually catches one of the newest tech assistants, who hadn't even been present during the whole fiasco, wiping a few tears off her cheeks in a corridor. When he paused to ask if she was all right she turned bright pink and hastily wiped them away. "Yes!" she insists quickly. "I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I have no idea what's wrong with me. Hormones, I suppose." She blushes even brighter at that and hurries away.
As for the team, they are all at a loss how to comfort both Skye and Simmons, and the girls' misery hangs heavily over them as well. It is only compounded when May, feeling disproportionately angry and upset as well, seeks out Jemma after putting a still devastated Skye down for her afternoon nap.
Simmons is currently trying to lose herself in her work, diving back into the efforts of creating an effective antiserum with a newfound determination. She senses May's approach before the intimidating agent makes her presence known.
"Simmons… what the hell?" demands the moody mother.
Jemma blinks and turns quickly to look at May. "Ex-excuse me?" she asks timidly.
"How did this happen? Skye hasn't been allowed in the lab for days, yet she has somehow come to regard the lab rats as pets. Then you go killing one of them in plain sight?"
Finding this incredibly unfair, Simmons gasps softly, the accusation feeling like a slap in the face.
Morse reenters the lab at this moment, and immediately regrets it. She feels the tension and comes to a halt, looking from Jemma to May.
"Agent May… I have no idea how Skye became attached to those rats. And I had no idea she was there this morning. And I certainly didn't intend to kill anything, but I had to test the…"
Melinda scoffs and throws back, "I thought scientists are supposed to be observant. Maybe take a simple look around next time, before you go testing a potentially lethal drug."
Simmons visibly bristles. "With all due respect, I was taken off 'Skye-duty' this week. I didn't think that I needed to be supervising her at this time. The last I heard, she is *your* responsibility during this mission…"
"Jemma," Bobbi mutters warningly…
Jemma's statement only angers the currently unreasonable May further, and she plows on, starting to advance on Simmons. "I only left her for two minutes while she was coloring a picture at the kitchen table. Thus, I wasn't counting on my daughter having to deal with death today!"
Hearing the words, "my daughter" from May tugs hard on Simmons' heartstrings. *She* had been the first to meet little Skye, and has frankly done the bulk of taking care of her. Now, Coulson and May have rather swooped in and seemingly plucked the little girl right out from under everyone else, by adopting her and making her dream come true. Fueled by the unreasonable feelings permeating throughout the base, and still desperate to believe that she has done nothing wrong, Jemma snaps back, "well Agent May, if you wish her not to be exposed to violence, then maybe *your* daughter shouldn't be living in a SHIELD base! Especially with all the bodies *you* tend to leave in your wake!"
Melinda May's eyes flash and she steps determinedly toward Jemma, who gasps at her own daring and backs away quickly. Morse quickly jumps between them and blocks May's progress toward the young biochemist.
"Whoa! Okay… everyone needs to calm down right now." Bobbi looks sharply at the two women, surprised at both of them.
Recognizing the determined fury on May's face, Bobbi then adds quietly, "May… I'm her S.O. I'll take care of this."
Simmons blanches, and she sincerely hopes that Bobbi doesn't mean what she thinks she means. May on the other hand looks like she very much wants to argue, and insist on 'taking care' of Jemma herself. She sighs resignedly though as she reminds herself that she won't undermine Bobbi's authority in front of the other agent's ward. She just nods curtly, giving Simmons one last furious look before she stalks from the room and heads to the gym to go punch something.
Morse watches Melinda as she heads out, then turns to Jemma and scolds her sternly. "Jemma… that was very disrespectful! You do not speak to a superior officer like that."
While Simmons still feels this rather unfair, she decides to keep her thoughts to herself rather than risk further trouble. Morse places a firm hand on Simmons' shoulder and uses it to steer Jemma from the room. As she leads her down the hall she continues, "when you receive correction from a senior agent, you accept it, gratefully. You do not raise your voice, and you do not talk back. I'm ashamed of you… and you're in serious trouble." Morse gives Jemma a soft pat on the back as she says this, leaving Simmons a bit confused.
Upon arriving at Jemma's room, Bobbi gives her a half-hearted but dramatic-looking push inside and shuts the door firmly behind them. She then sighs heavily and holds up her hands to indicate peace.
"I'm sorry, honey," she says quietly. "I had to do that…"
Simmons blinks, looking utterly bewildered.
Bobbi shakes her head heavily. "I told May that I would take care of this. And I will. So that she won't." Bobbi looks regretfully at her ward and takes her small hands in hers, squeezing lightly. "Do you understand?"
Jemma does, at last. Morse is going to punish her so that May, who would certainly be *a lot* harder on her, won't. Swallowing hard, she nods dejectedly. "Y-yes, ma'am. Thank you."
Morse grimaces slightly. "I know that I'm your supervising officer, hon, but I still wish you wouldn't call me 'ma'am'. Makes me feel old," she teases. The beautiful, tall agent draws Jemma into a hug and says, "you didn't do anything wrong this morning, Jemma. I hope you know that. Everyone is just… on edge right now. Even I feel it. I don't know what's going on…"
Jemma, the scientist, knows perfectly well what's going on. She hasn't forgotten the warning from a certain Asgardian prince that little Skye's emotions are now, strangely, 'contagious'. It is blatantly clear that the hurt and anger going around the base are a direct effect of Skye's current misery.
"I do," Simmons sighs warily, and proceeds to remind Morse. "It's completely biological. Agent May clearly has a lot of latent hostility pent up, and now she's sensing Skye's misery as well. She unleashed her anger on me in response to a perceived misdeed."
Impressed at Simmons' ability to psychoanalyze right now, Morse just nods in agreement. "I think you're right. Still… let's just get this over with, huh?" she adds regretfully, beckoning Jemma to her.
Jemma can't help but whine softly as she walks over. "And now I am to be punished because May 'attacked' me! As if I'm not feeling terrible enough. How ever is this fair?"
Morse can't help but grin at the antics of her poor, emotional ward. "I know, honey, but don't worry. I'll go easy on you. Come here," she prompts with a smile and an outstretched hand.
Continuing the dramatics in a bout of self-pity, Simmons drags herself over to her S.O. then lays herself unceremoniously across Morse's lap with a huff.
Bobbi shakes her head, again stifling a smile. She gently rubs Jemma's back, then leans down and says softly, "you know… I know that you feel awful about this morning, even if it wasn't your fault. So, how about you look at this 'punishment' as a chance for absolution… to let go of your guilt?"
Simmons seriously considers this advice. She is painfully reminded of Skye's devastation and the sting of the words that the normally sweet little girl had flung at her. She slowly nods as her eyes well up with tears… "I-I'll try, Agent Morse. Thank you."
Now managing a real smile, Morse nods and replies, "good. Good girl. Well then, I'll stop when I believe that you have truly forgiven yourself. How's that?"
And without waiting for an answer, Bobbi raises her hand and brings it down with medium strength against Simmons' backside…
A few minutes later Jemma is sniffling, though she had only let a few tears fall. Just as she promised, Bobbi had gone easy on her, leaving Simmons just sore enough that she'll feel it when she sits for a few hours only.
"Feeling any better?" Morse asks softly, gently rubbing her back.
Sniffling again, Jemma nods.
Bobbi doesn't believe that Jemma has forgiven herself, but she doesn't have it in her to continue. "Good, honey. I'm glad. I'll let Agent May know that this has been taken care of. You know… she's so new to this whole 'parenthood' thing, and she's just being overprotective of Skye. Just… be on your best behavior around her for awhile, okay?"
Simmons nods, but is still subdued.
"Again, you didn't do anything wrong this morning, hon. You did your job," Morse says softly, gently helping her ward up.
Jemma sighs and wipes her face, and steps into Bobbi's warm embrace when her S.O. offers it. "Thank you, Agent Morse. Really. I do know that, actually. But in Skye's mind…"
"She'll come around. Give her some time, and just be your usual gentle, loving self with her. You'll see. Okay?"
Simmons nods, pulling away. "Yes, ma'am. I mean… Agent Morse," she corrects herself sheepishly.
Bobbi sighs, and shakes her head. "I'll never get you to call me Bobbi, will I?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips but grinning.
Jemma chuckles and shakes her head honestly. "I'm afraid not… Agent Morse."
Morse rolls her eyes good-naturedly and lands a light, playful swat on Jemma's slightly sore backside. "Have I ever mentioned how lucky you are that you're so cute?"
Rubbing her rear end, Jemma smiles and nods. "You have. And I'm very grateful that you think so."
The next two days pass painfully enough. As soon as she is able, Jemma tracks down Fitz and Mack and proposes a new science/tech project to them, practically begging for their aid. Intrigued by the challenge, they agree to look into it.
Skye actively avoids Jemma during these days, refusing to speak to or even look at her. Though the biochemist had expected this, it still hurts quite a lot. Everyone else on base is rather subdued, succumbing to emotions that are not quite their own. Jemma and Bobbi both take it upon themselves to remind the others about Thor's warning, and the knowledge seems to help everyone get a grip on themselves. When Simmons winces while sitting down after her 'punishment' from Bobbi though, she doesn't miss the smirk on May's face.
As for Melinda May, after allowing Skye some time to grieve, May finally confronts her daughter. The mother wants to know exactly how the youngster became 'friends' with the lab rats when she was not supposed to be in the lab at all. The little girl has no justifiable explanation of course, and ends up spending a little time across her mother's knee for being disobedient and 'sneaky'. This of course does nothing to lighten the mood around the base.
Throughout all this, Jemma tries to just let everything go, and focus her thoughts back on the formula and how to fix her relationship with Skye. On the third day, as she mentally sings 'Let it go… let it go," in her head as she walks down the hallway toward the lab, she smiles softly, thinking of the youngster. Then an idea dawns on her. She rushes off to find Coulson…
"Please, sir… *please*?" Jemma pleads a minute later, having located Coulson in his office. "Skye has never seen snow before. And think of how much she loves 'Frozen'!"
The weary Director sighs. "Simmons, we have rather a lot on our plates right now," he reminds the gentle young woman.
Simmons nods. "Yes, sir… but we can all continue our work en-route," she points out. "We have yet to locate any other Inhumans. It's such a short flight to Big Bear Lake, and they're due to get a fresh 12 inches of snow there tonight!"
Coulson just stares at Jemma, quietly amused by her enthusiasm. Seeing this as a good sign, Simmons goes on.
"Oh, please, sir? Skye is just so, so sad, and I think this may be just the thing to cheer her up. We could take her sledding, have a snowball fight, and build a snowman… think of her with her own little 'Olaf'! Just a few hours… please?"
Coulson sighs, raising his eyebrows when Jemma actually clasps her hands together as if begging. Phil knows how hard the young woman has been working, and how devastated she is by Skye's recent anger and rejection. Jemma very rarely asks for anything, and this is a relatively simple request.
Finally, Coulson decides to meet her halfway. "Simmons… your task of creating an antiserum is currently the most important one. I know that you're getting close, but until it's completed, I can't spare you for several hours. However, if it means this much to you, we can fly out to Big Bear, and you may disembark from this plane to spend *one hour* in the snow with Skye. After that, you will return and get back to work. Is that understood?"
Jemma's face lights up… she can't believe he actually agreed! "Yes, sir! Thank you so much, sir!"
Phil nods slowly, wondering if he's going soft because of his daughter. "You're welcome. We'll head out in the early morning," he adds, remembering his own excitement as a child to wake up to snow outside the window.
"I… yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" With a delighted smile, Jemma turns on her heel and tries to maintain her composure as she hurries out of the office. She spends just a few minutes gathering several items to have them ready for the morning, then hurries back to work in the lab. She spends the rest of the day listening to the 'Frozen' soundtrack through her headphones as she once again works diligently on creating the formula that will counteract the effects of Extremis.
Simmons pulls an all-nighter that night, desperate to get as far along on the antiserum as possible. Thus, around 5:45 in the morning, Jemma finally pulls away from her lab table with a big smile of triumph and stretches her very sore muscles. She is relatively positive that she has perfected the formula. All that remains now is to test it.
Jemma sighs deeply at this thought and rises. She knows that the world needs this antiserum *now*, but what if it costs the life of another of Skye's little 'friends'? She may never earn back the child's love and affection if she were to be responsible for that.
With that in mind, Simmons heads to the workshop. She hopes to catch a peek at how Fitz and Mack are doing on that favor that she asked for.
To her great surprise, when she enters, she spots Fitz seated at a table, staring avidly at a computer screen.
"Fitz! You're up early," Jemma states, stepping over to him.
Fitz shrugs. "Yeah, well… I know how anxious you are for this, so… thought I should finish it," he says nonchalantly, eyes still glued to the screen.
Simmons blinks and looks carefully at the screen as well. She can see sections dedicated to complicated codes of DNA strands, vital monitoring, and brain wave activity. She quickly realizes what it is.
"Oh, Fitz…" she murmurs softly. "I… I didn't expect you to go without sleep…"
The young, obviously exhausted engineer shrugs. "I know how much it means to you. And-and how much it will mean to Skye. It's nearly done."
Jemma feels tears of gratitude welling up in her weary eyes. She sets a gentle hand on Leo's shoulder and says, "thank you, Fitz". She then leaves, returning 10 minutes later with two cups of caffeinated tea. The two young geniuses spend the next half an hour discussing the specifics of the program Fitz and Mack have created…
At 7:00 on the dot, when little Skye regularly wakes up, Jemma steps up to the door of May's room. She is incredibly grateful that there are currently no other agents in the hallway, but knows that that could change at any moment. Feeling her face burn bright pink, Jemma steps as close to the door as possible and knocks.
At the sound of a small, sleepy voice saying, "yeah?" Jemma quickly reminds herself how desperate she is for Skye's forgiveness. The biochemist swallows hard. "Skye? Darling, it-it's me… Jemma." Then, while she would normally never, ever do this in public, Simmons knocks five times to the tune of one of Skye's favorite songs and starts to sing.
"Do you wanna build a snowman?
Come on, let's go and play!
I never see you anymore… come out the door.
It's like you've gone away.
We used to be best buddies. And now we're not.
I wish you would tell me why…
Do you wanna build a snowman?"2
With that musical announcement, Jemma slowly pushes the door open. Looking to the bed she sees her beloved six year-old ward sitting up and looking both curious and guarded. Simmons smiles softly at her and crosses the room to stand under the small, high window. "Darling… I know you're sleepy, but I'd like to show you something very special. Come look," she prompts, holding her arms out.
Skye seriously considers refusing. The youngster has proven herself both stubborn and surprisingly good at holding onto a grudge. However, the only character trait perhaps stronger than her stubbornness is her overwhelming curiosity. It finally wins out.
"Okay," the little girl states, crawling out from under the covers. She pads over to her 'big sister', her arms crossed across her chest. "But I'm still mad," she mutters, just to make that clear.
Simmons nods in acceptance as she gently picks up the little girl. "I know you are, darling. And I am so sorry. I know that you have been very sad, and I'd like to try to fix that," Jemma states softly, relishing the feel of the little girl in her arms. "I have a surprise that I think you will like very much. Let's take a look."
And with her eyes still on Skye to gauge the child's reaction, Simmons opens the blinds to reveal the magical-looking world outside.
Much to Jemma's delight, Skye gasps loudly and squirms, desperate to get closer to the window. Simmons lets out a quiet chuckle and moves her as close as possible, feeling Skye's small fingers dig excitedly into her arms.
"It's… it's SNOW!" Skye shrieks, staring all around at the blinding white scene outside.
"Yes! Yes, darling, it is! And guess who gets to go play in it?" Simmons asks happily.
Skye looks hopefully at Jemma, her anger and despair seemingly forgotten for the moment. "Me?"
Jemma nods with a big grin. "Yes darling… you."
The youngster takes a deep breath only to shout, "YAYYY!" a bit too close to Jemma's ear for comfort. The biochemist winces, but then chuckles and sets Skye down, acquiescing to her adamant wriggles. Skye immediately runs for the door, but Simmons quickly catches up and stops her.
"Oh noooo, young lady… you're most certainly not going out in the snow like that!" she informs the child, gesturing toward her light pajamas. "We've got to get you all bundled up. Come on."
Skye whines impatiently, but allows Jemma to dress her in several layers with only her normal (though considerable) amount of fidgeting. Once that is done and Skye has winter boots on, Jemma leads her to a closet next to the entrance to the base. Simmons pulls her own winter coat on over several warm layers, then turns to Skye.
"Here darling… just one more thing." Simmons gently wraps a dark blue and white striped scarf around the little girl's neck. "You know, I've had this scarf since I was your age. So… take special care of it, okay?"
Skye pauses to look up at Jemma in wonder. The child is familiar with the idea of certain items being handed down within families, and this feels very much like that to her. Even at only six, she's honored to be trusted with something that apparently means a lot to Jemma. "Okay."
"Good girl," Simmons murmurs happily, zipping up Skye's dark purple winter coat. "Now… are you ready?" she asks in quiet excitement.
Skye copies Jemma in turning toward the hangar door and nods quickly with an excited giggle. "Yeah!"
"Then… here we go!"
And with that, the hangar door is lowered and the brilliant biochemist and precocious little girl head out into the dazzling white winter wonderland…
The two had only been playing happily outside for a few minutes when Simmons suddenly receives a snowball to the upper back. "Hey!" she shrieks, turning around to see Agent Morse laughing about 10 yards away.
As Skye giggles and squats down to form a snowball, Jemma laughs as well at her playful S.O. "Where did you come from?"
Bobbi shrugs. "I am a superspy, remember? We're sneaky," she points out with a wink.
And at that moment, the amazing superspy is pegged in the back of the leg by another snowball sent by a much less sneaky little girl.
Morse blinks in surprise and whirls on the child. "Oh, really? That's how it's going to be?"
With a prowling look, Bobbi starts advancing on the child, who shrieks with delight and takes off running. Morse soon catches up to the youngster and snatches her up, blowing raspberries on her cold, pink cheeks. "My little snow munchkin," she teases before setting the little girl back down. She whispers something in Skye's ear, and grins as the youngster's face lights up. With a mischievous grin, Skye nods eagerly.
Simmons immediately grows nervous when she sees Morse turn toward her and advance with that same prowling look. She sees Skye mimicking Bobbi and starts backing away. "Oh no… what's going on here?" she asks. "Are you two ganging up on me, again?"
"Maybe… just a little bit," Bobbi responds, continuing her advance.
A moment later, Morse has pinned Jemma's arms gently behind her, and Skye is tossing amateur snowballs at the petite scientist….
For the next 30 minutes, everything feels completely back to normal. The very air is filled with laughter and joy, and one can almost forget that young Skye hadn't spoken to Jemma in days.
Simmons is so caught up in the fun and warm 'fuzzies' that she loses track of the time. Fitz is sent to get her, and they both report to Coulson.
"Sir… I have completed what I think will be an effective antiserum. All that is left is to test it, and well…"
Coulson understands the dilemma, of course.
Fitz quickly speaks up. "Sir, per Simmons' request, Mack and I have created a new program designed to replace our current methods of testing."
Jemma beams. "Then it's finished?" she asks eagerly.
Fitz nods.
"Well then… get to work," Coulson orders, with a gesture toward the door.
Ten minutes later, the antiserum has been tested and Jemma, Fitz and Mack are all beaming and congratulating each other. The formula works.
The results are reported to Coulson and the Director is very satisfied. To everyone's surprise, Phil orders all of the young agents outside to enjoy the snow for an hour, after which they will be leaving to head back to base. Mack and Fitz bundle up while Simmons grabs a small bag of supplies, and then they go back outside to find Bobbi and Skye sledding down a small hill. (They are using a metal shield that Fitz had once toyed around with, in an attempt to mimic Captain America's shield.) They join in the sledding for a bit, then spend the last 30 minutes helping Skye build her very own Olaf, much to the little girl's utter delight. Once that is done, Simmons cheerfully heads inside to prepare hot chocolate for everyone.
After Bobbi snaps a picture of Skye standing proudly next to Olaf, she kneels down and takes the opportunity to chat with the youngster. "Hey munchkin… c'mere for a sec." She waits for Skye to come over and sit on her knee, then wraps her arms around her in a snuggle. "Little one… I want you to know that you have Jemma to thank for all of this fun in the snow."
Skye looks up curiously at Morse, who nods. "Yep. She begged your daddy to let her bring you here so you could have fun. She worked very hard to give you this special day, even though we all have a lot of work to do. What do you think about that?"
Skye looks down again in thought. She takes a deep breath and lets it out, momentarily distracted by the puff of mist that rises from her mouth.
Morse goes on. "Well… I'll tell you what I think. I think she has been missing you. And that she has been so sad that you've been angry with her."
"But Auntie… Elsa…"
Bobbi smiles softly at the child calling her 'Auntie', not quite used to it yet, but interrupts. "Skye, I know. And I know that you don't understand, but you have to believe me when I say that Jemma did *not* mean to hurt Elsa. She was just doing her job, and trust me, she was very disappointed too that Elsa died." Morse pauses and kisses Skye's cold cheek when she sees tears welling up in the little girl's eyes. "Munchkin… you need to forgive her. Being angry at her, not talking to her… you're making her feel so sad. It's almost like you've put her in time-out. Imagine if you were put in time-out, not for five minutes, but for five *days*."
Quite unlike the youngster, Skye says nothing but bites her lip and fidgets a bit. Her little shoulders slump in defeat and she leans in closer to Bobbi for comfort. The agent knows that this has reached the little girl.
Morse holds her close. "So. No more being mean to Jemma, okay? You've 'punished' her, and she's learned her lesson."
With a sigh and another glance over at Olaf, Skye finally nods.
"Good choice, munchkin. I'm proud of you," Bobbi murmurs. "Now. Last chance to play in the snow!" With that, Bobbi tosses Skye playfully into a mound of soft powder…
A few minutes later Coulson comes to retrieve everyone, and receives several playful snowballs in response. He attempts to look stern, but fails miserably as a grin breaks through. Having grown up in Wisconsin he had loved the snow and its multitude of opportunities for fun. As he looks at Skye's pink cheeks and exhilarated expression, he can't be upset by the siege.
"Very funny," he teases, then crooks a finger at his daughter.
Without an ounce of nervousness, Skye runs to him happily. "Hi, Daddy!"
"Hi, sweetie," he mutters, wondering when he went so soft. "Have you been having fun?"
"Yes!" the child exclaims. "Did you see my Olaf?"
Phil chuckles, brushing snow off of his daughter's clothes. "I did. It looks just like him."
Skye beams. "Can we come play in the snow alla the time?" she asks, hopping up and down as the agents step onto the ramp and proceed to shake the snow off their coats and boots.
"Well," Coulson begins, kneeling to be at Skye's level. "Not all of the time… but maybe sometime we'll take a trip to where I grew up. There tends to be lots of snow there."
Somewhat appeased by this, Skye nods, and comes forward to give her father a hug. "Thanks for letting Jemma bring us here, Daddy. This is fun."
Coulson smiles and returns the hug. "You're welcome, sweetie. Make sure you thank Jemma."
"I will," Skye agrees, smiling up at Mack as the agent winks at her in passing. The little girl turns to go find her gentle friend.
Skye heads up the spiral staircase and comes to an abrupt stop when she spots Simmons in the kitchen. She hesitates, thinking about what Bobbi had told her, and actually feeling a bit guilty for having put her beloved Jemma in 'time-out' for so long. She knows just how bad 'time-out' feels.
Mack spots Skye lingering nervously outside the doorway and approaches her with a smile. He kneels down to not tower over her and whispers, "hey princess… you need some support?"
Biting her lip still, Skye looks up and nods.
"All right. I'm with you, short stuff."
"Heyyy," Skye whines quietly.
Mack chuckles. "Sorry, Princess. But you are short," he teases.
Giving Mack a 'scolding' look, Skye looks considerably more relaxed as she takes his hand and walks into the kitchen with him.
Simmons doesn't hear them as she concentrates on heating milk on the stove, so she jumps slightly when Mack clears his throat. She whirls around. "Oh… hello Skye, Agent Mackenzie," she says with her pleasant smile. "Here for some hot chocolate?"
"Sounds good to me," Mack states with raised eyebrows. He lifts Skye up to sit her on a stool then takes a seat next to her. Leaning over he whispers, "wasn't there something you wanted to say to Simmons?"
Skye nods, suddenly looking shy again.
"Well, go on. No time like the present," Mack encourages quietly, giving the youngster a soft pat on the back.
Skye looks up as Jemma sets a mug of freshly brewed hot chocolate in front of each of them. As Simmons moves away, the little girl licks her lips in happy anticipation of the treat. "Um… can we have some m…"
"Marshmallows?" Simmons replies softly, straightening up from the pantry and holding up a small bag. She smiles knowingly and nods. "Of course you may, darling."
Skye grins as she watches Jemma drop a handful of mini marshmallows into her mug, then immediately starts tapping them with her spoon. After a long moment of chewing her lip, Skye finally looks up again. "Jemma?"
Simmons turns to face the child, cupping her own freshly poured mug of hot chocolate in her hands. "Yes, Skye?"
"I… I'n… thank you for playing wif me in the snow today. And for getting Daddy to bring us here," Skye finally manages, squirming as per usual.
Simmons blinks, wondering who told Skye that it had been her idea. She does her best to hide her swelling heart as she says casually, "oh… you're very welcome, darling. Did you have fun?"
"Yeah!" the child chirps. "That was the best!"
Simmons chuckles and nods in agreement.
At another encouraging nod from Mack, Skye goes on. "A-and Jemma? I'n… I'n sorry that I put you in time-out for so long. I.. I guess that… that wasn't fair, cause you were doing your job, huh?"
Simmons almost chokes when Skye refers to her lengthy avoidance of her as a 'time-out'. She nods slowly and comes to the counter, to take Skye's little hands in hers.
"Well darling… I appreciate you apologizing. Yes, I was just doing my job. Skye," Jemma swallows hard as tears well up in her eyes. "I never meant to do anything to hurt you. I would never want to make you so sad like that. You do know that, right?"
Both Mack and Simmons can see the child considering this seriously before she finally nods.
Jemma smiles, and comes around the counter to give Skye a warm hug and a quick kiss to the cheek. "Oh darling… I have missed your sweet smile and your warm hugs so much. I missed playing with you, and doing experiments with you in the lab, and having your help with baking. I… I've missed you so much."
Skye returns Jemma's embrace, and the scientist soon hears squeaky little sniffles coming from the direction of her shoulder. The child's grip on Simmons' tightens as she breathes in her big sister's familiar scent and finds great comfort in her soft voice. "I missed you too," Skye admits shakily.
Simmons lets out a contented sigh and lets the child cling to her for as long as she needs. She and Mack share a tender smile, so relieved that this misery seems to be coming to an end at long last.
When Skye finally pulls away, Simmons says gently, "Skye… darling, I have something special to show you. Can you come with me?"
Skye nods, but then takes a big gulp of her hot chocolate before accepting Jemma's hand.
The biochemist chuckles at the chocolate-y 'moustache' this leaves on the youngster's face, then leads her into the lab. "I want you to know, Skye, that thanks to you, we will never test another medicine on a living creature again!" Jemma states excitedly. "What happened with 'Elsa' will never happen again… I promise. Take a look."
Jemma points up at the computer screen Fitz had been working at, which shows the various monitors and charts. "You see Skye… this is called a simulation. Instead of ever having to test a drug on a lab rat again, we can basically test it on this computer program. The program will tell us whether we did it correctly or not, and no animal nor person will be harmed. Isn't that wonderful?"
Skye nods as she stares at the screen. The little girl doesn't understand how it works of course, but is thrilled to hear that other rats will be safe now.
Jemma kneels down and cups Skye's cherub face in her hands. "Sweetheart, I want you to know… I am so very proud of you. I never really questioned how we tested new medicines, until you showed me just how wrong it was. You have such a beautiful, wonderful compassion for all living creatures. And I am so proud of that. Thank you, Skye, for leading us toward this program… for helping save lives."
Skye looks up into Jemma's serious, genuine expression and nods again. She thinks quietly for a moment, then carefully asks, "so… does this mean I'm a scientist now?"
Simmons laughs as she swipes a few tears away. "Oh, yes! Definitely! You are a wonderful junior scientist, little one!"
Skye beams with pride, deciding that perhaps science isn't quite so bad after all.
Epilogue
Due to this happy resolution, the energy throughout the entire base lightens significantly that evening. Everyone feels the difference, and is thoroughly relieved by it. While she would never admit she had been wrong, May's gentle squeeze to Jemma's shoulder upon hearing about the successful formula was plenty to satisfy the young biochemist. Simmons responds with a 'no hard feelings' smile toward the stoic agent. Fitz and Mack get back to work producing delivery mechanisms while Bobbi and Hunter familiarize themselves with the new computer simulation. Jemma happily takes over Skye-duty after dinner so that May can assist with the search for new Inhumans. Everything, and everyone, is seemingly back to normal.
Skye wakes up surprisingly early the next morning, and before 6am the little ball of energy bursts into Coulson's room.
"Daddy, Daddy!" the happy little voice shatters the quiet darkness, a bit like a cannon going off.
The Director of SHIELD bolts upright in bed. "Wha… what?!"
"Good morning, Daddy!" comes Skye's chipper voice, as she climbs up on the bed next to him.
Phil blinks and stifles a groan as he clicks the light on next to his bed. "Well… good morning, sweetie," he grumbles, tugging the child in close to get her to stop bouncing around him. "What are you doing here so early?"
The youngster shrugs. "I was bored, and Mommy said not to wake Jemma or Bobbi or Mack or Fitz or Hunter," she states innocently.
Coulson blinks again, finally starting to feel minimally coherent. "Well, what about not waking me?"
Skye shrugs again. "She said you're the daddy, so you gotta deal with it."
Coulson grumbles again, already trying to scheme up some effective revenge for a certain Agent May. "I see."
Skye just giggles at her father's indignation, and squirms herself up to sitting again. "So, Daddy? I've been thinking…"
Phil can't help but grin at the serious tone the six year-old is taking. He rolls onto his side and props himself up on an elbow to give her his full attention. "You've been thinking, huh? About what?"
The little girl nods and proceeds to choose her words carefully. "Well… Elsa's gone. Which is really, really sad." Skye looks at her father with wide eyes and a pout to demonstrate just how sad that is.
"Uh-huh…"
"And so, well… but we still have Anna and Olaf! So…"
"Wait, little one… who are Anna and Olaf?" Coulson asks curiously.
Skye blinks. "The other rats," she explains with an air of impatience. The look on her little features clearly says, 'geez Daddy, try to keep up'.
Coulson nods, stifling a chuckle. "Ah, of course. How silly of me. Okay, go on…"
Skye nods in approval and resumes fidgeting as usual. "So… Anna and Olaf need a good home now, and Jemma said that I saved em! So, I think… since I saved em, I should be their mommy now, and get to keep them! Okay?" the little girl reasons hopefully.
Without changing his expression in the slightest, Phil Coulson simply shakes his head and says, "no sweetie. Not okay."
Skye's face falls dramatically. "Awww, but why? Please, Daddy? Pleeeease?"
Coulson forces himself to sit up and look into Skye's pleading little eyes. "Skye, I'm sorry, but no, you may not keep the rats as pets. They don't belong in a SHIELD base, sweetie. Imagine if they got out, and got hurt, or…"
"I won't let them out!" Skye promises. "I'll take good care of em, and feed em and everything!"
Coulson sighs and shakes his head again. "You really want to keep them locked up in a cage their whole lives?"
Skye actually considers this, and does squirm uncomfortably at the idea. "But… but…"
"And Skye, sweetie… we travel all the time. We might be living on the Bus for a week or even a month if needed. Then there's no one to take care of them."
Skye huffs dejectedly at this and looks down at Coulson's bedspread. "But then Daddy, what's gonna happen to them if I don't take care of em?"
The loving, patient father gently strokes Skye's little cheek. "We will find them a good home, Skye. I promise. Scout's honor."
Skye considers this with a sniffle, squirming slightly again. "Well… until we do, can I take care of them?"
Against his better judgement, Coulson finds that he just can't deny his daughter anything else right now. "All right. You're in charge. That means you have to make sure that they always have food and water, and clean cages. Understand?"
Skye nods eagerly, and snuggles up to her father, laying her head on his shoulder.
Coulson smiles softly and enjoys the moment of quiet… until it is broken once more.
"You know Daddy… if we had a pet *monkey* it could come wif us on the Bus…"
Coulson groans louder than ever, though he can't hide the smile behind it. He grabs his little daughter and starts to tickle her, laughing along with her playful shrieks. Phil Coulson makes a mental note to confront Fitz about sharing his desire for a monkey with Skye. But for now he just enjoys both the tribulations and joys of having such an excitable and lovable daughter… even if she has no qualms with waking him in the wee hours of the morning.
The End
1 This is in reference to my story, "Betrayed".
2 Lopez, Kristen Anderson- and Robert. "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" Sung by Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn and Katie Lopez. Soundtrack from "Frozen". Walt Disney. 2013.