Chapter 12
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November 23rd 2006
It has been eighteen months since Skye spent a day with Natasha and Clint, and Leo meet Natasha for the first time and in that time Skye has grown to dislike School even more. So, much so she dropped out a few days ago and has started working at a computer store, something which she hasn't told her mother as she left home to go on a mission in Bahrain before Skye woke up a day before.
Both Leo and Bobbi have now graduated from their respective S.H.I.E.L.D academies, Leo is working for at the Lab there and Bobbi is now officially an Agent, an agent who has worked with her brother on missions, though Clint, Natasha, Melinda and Fury are the only ones who know that, and it was a few missions before her brother even told Bobbi that detail.
It's is a Thursday evening and Skye is sitting down in the lounge room with Andrew playing a game connect four.
"Okay, tell me again why we're doing this?" Skye asks curious.
"Because you need to spend time away from your computer." Andrew informs his step daughter.
"But I like it." Skye objects.
"I know, but it's not good for you to spend as much time as you do on a computer." Andrew tells her.
"You worry too much." Skye says as she rolls her eyes.
"So I've been told." Andrew says and Skye's phone rings.
"Hello." Skye says picking it up of the table and answering.
"Skye." Her mother's voice says.
"Mom?" Skye asks, exchanging a look with Andrew as they both know that when on missions Melinda can't and doesn't use her phone unless it's something major, "What's going on?" Skye asks curious.
"I love you, Skye." Melinda tells her daughter, "Never forget that. I'm so proud of you." Melinda tells her daughter.
"Mom, your scaring me." Skye says as it almost sounds like her mother is saying goodbye, for good.
"Don't be scared, Skye." Melinda says, "Just know that I love you, that adopting you and your siblings was and will always be the best thing I've ever done." Melinda tells her daughter, meaning that.
"MOM? What's going on? What's happened?" Skye asks, starting to get upset and Andrew walks over and takes the phone off Skye, and pulls her up and into a hug.
"Melinda?" Andrew asks.
"Andrew." Melinda says, "We're going off book here... hostage situation, our guys inside." Melinda explains.
"You're going in alone?" Andrew says and Skye looks up at him.
"Drew, they have a little girl." Melinda explains and Andrew knows that there is no way that she is turning her back.
"Okay." Andrew says as he tightens the arm he has around Skye, "You've done this before. You always come home. Hey... she's going to be scared. Take a knee. Get down to her level. It'll help. If not, then just grab her and run like hell." Andrew says, it being the best advice he can give,
"Thanks."
"Do good, Melinda, but come home. I love you."
"Love you, too." Melinda responds, "Look after, Skye, and make sure my kids know how much I love them." Melinda says before hanging up as even though she called each of her kids individually she needs to ask Andrew to do that.
"Andrew, how bad is this?" Skye asks, it being clear that she is terrified and as Andrew looks down at Skye he realises that she looks even younger and vulnerable than she did when he first met her.
"Bad, really bad." Andrew says. Honestly he is terrified but he knows that if Skye sees how scared he is then she will become even more so he does his best to hold it together.
It has been an hour since Melinda called and Skye and Andrew have been sitting together in the lounge room waiting for more news. It took a while but after Skye was calm she told Andrew that they should call Bobbi, Clint and Leo, but Andrew said that they should wait until they know more, something which Skye reluctantly agreed to.
Skye and Andrew have been sitting in silence for a while when the silence is broken by the ringing of Andrew's phone.
"Hello." Andrew answers, as Skye looks hopeful.
"Andrew, it's Phil."
"Is she okay?" Andrew asks, not having a good feeling about Phil being the one making the call rather than Melinda.
"She's alive." Phil answers, having chosen his words carefully, "She's got some cuts and bruises maybe broken ribs, and was shot in the leg, but she's alive." Phil says and as he does Andrew knows there is something that he isn't saying.
"She's alive, but she's not okay, is she?"
"No. She's not." Phil confirms, "I should get back, but she wanted you and her kids to know."
"Thanks, Phil." Andrew says before hanging up.
"So?" Skye asks worried, confused about the alive, but not okay.
"You're Mom's alive. She has some minor wounds and was shot, but she's alive." Andrew tells Skye.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to go call Bee, Clint, and Leo." Skye says before heading upstairs as what she wants most right now is to talk to her siblings, then she's going to go out to the back yard and beat up on the punching bag for a while.
"Okay. I'll check on you in a little while." Andrew tells Skye, realising that she needs space.
Three days later
It has been three days since Melinda called Skye during a mission and Phil called Andrew to tell her what happened. As soon as she got upstairs she called her siblings, who already knew as Melinda called them too, though she only had time to tell them that she loved them, and Clint and Bobbi said that they would make their way home but Leo couldn't leave the lab, not without raising questions, something which he hates a lot as he is worried about his mother.
It's mid-morning and Skye is currently in the living room with Bobbi and Clint, waiting for Melinda and Andrew, who went to the base to meet Melinda, to get home.
"You should they would be here by now." Skye says to her siblings.
"There was probably just traffic, I'm sure they will be here any minute, Kye." Bobbi tells her sister and right on cue the front door open and Melinda and Andrew walk in, Melinda limping and slightly leaning on Andrew, the second they see their mother Clint and Bobbi realise that she is different, that she has a look in her eyes that neither of them can describe, but Skye doesn't realise, or maybe doesn't want to, she just rushes forward and hugs her mother.
"Are you okay?" Skye asks concerned when her mother doesn't respond to the hug how she would usually, in fact she tensed.
"I'm okay." Melinda tells her daughter, though it is clear that she isn't exactly telling the truth, "But I am tired, so I might go lay down." Melinda says before heading upstairs.
"What the hell happened?" Clint asks Andrew once he hears his Mom walk up the stairs, knowing that his mother isn't the same person she was when she left for the mission.
"I don't know." Andrew admits, "She still hasn't told me, and Coulson was outside so he doesn't know exactly what happened." He explains.
Two days later
Because she knew her brother would be hearing the stories that have been going around S.H.I.E.L.D about their mother and Bahrain Bobbi has made a trip to The Academy he so that she can talk to him in person and tell him what she knows.
It is about six am and because she sent him a message about it the night before telling him to meet Bobbi is waiting in a park near The Academy drinking her favourite tea while having Leo's favourite in another cup for him.
"Six am, really Bobbi?' Leo asks his sister as he walks towards her and as soon as she sees him Bobbi stands up.
"You say that as if you aren't usually up this early to get into the lab." Bobbi says as he hugs her brother and hands over his tea.
"I usually wait until seven." Leo responds taking a drink.
"My mistake, sorry." Bobbi says.
"How's Mum? That's why you're here, right?" Leo asks as he has heard the rumours and honestly doesn't know what to believe.
"Yeah, it is." Bobbi says, "Let's walk." She says and they do, "I don't know what rumours you've heard, I just know you shouldn't listen to them." Bobbi tells her brother, "I don't know the full story, but I know enough to know they aren't true." Bobbi informs her brother, "I'll tell you what I know when we are somewhere when we can talk, but what you need to know right now is that Mom's different Leo."
"What do you mean different?"
"I mean it's like a part of her is gone." Bobbi says, "Whatever happened on that mission changed her and it's honestly hard to see and even harder to explain, but for when you come to Christmas you need to know that she's is different, but that no matter how different she is she is still our Mom, you need to remember that."
"I will." Leo says, not being able to help but worry about his Mum.
For a few minutes the siblings walk in silence before Bobbi speaks
"So if you don't go into the lab until seven how about you tell me all about what you've been up to lately on our way to breakfast." Bobbi suggests.
"I'd like that." Leo says and they continue to walk and talk.
"So yeah, Simmons and I are just waiting for approval now." Leo tells his sister half way through breakfast.
"That's great, Leo." Bobbi says, feeling glad for her brother and proud of him.
"What about you? What have you been up to?" Leo asks his sister curious.
"Nothing much. Just the usual." Bobbi says with a shrug.
"I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that you have the same look on your face as the look you had when you didn't want to tell Mum you broke the all the coffee mugs in the house." Leo says, "What aren't you saying?" Leo asks his sister curious.
"It's nothing, no big deal." Bobbi says with a shrug.
"I think it is." Leo says, "What's going on, Bobbi?"
"You're going to think it's stupid."
"Try me." Leo says being surprised as it's not like his sister not to tell him something, although she has become a lot more secretive since she joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Okay, so I haven't even called Mom this yet, or Clint or anyone else, except for Nick but he doesn't really count, but through S.H.I.E.L.D, but at an actual college I've been taking biology courses for the past six months." Bobbi informs her brother, "I'm getting a biology degree."
"Bobbi that's great!" Leo says happily, "You love biology, this is perfect. What do you think? How are you doing?"
"Good, I think. I'm really loving it and it's soo interesting." Bobbi admits, "I mean it doesn't mean I'm switching disciplines, but it could be useful in the future." Bobbi explains.
"Yeah, it could be." Leo confirms, knowing that there are a lot of things that could put an end to a field agent's career so it could be good for Bobbi to have something else, "Do you know what your speciality is going to be?"
"Not yet."
"That's okay. You've got plenty of time." Leo says, "Tell me everything, I want to hear everything." Leo says and Bobbi does just that.
While Bobbi is visiting their brother Clint has shut himself in the gym at the Triskelion and has been for several hours firing arrows at different things, both official targets and not.
"What's going on with you?" A voice asks and Clint isn't surprise to see Natasha Romanoff as he expected to see her at some point, soon. Even though Natasha could guess what is going on she wants him to admit it as she knows that he needs to.
"Nothing." Clint says as he continues to fire more arrows.
"Want to try that again?" Natasha asks walking over to him.
"Nope." Clint say as he fires another arrow and this time, for the first time ever, he doesn't hit his target dead centre and Natasha just gives him a look which says, are you going to talk or am I going to have to make you? "I can't tell you specifics." Clint says as he lowers his bow with a sigh.
"This is about your Mom, isn't it?" Natasha asks once she makes sure that no one is around and she presses a button to disable all the camera's.
"Yeah." Clint confirms, knowing that now he can say whatever he wants because no one can listen in, "I don't know what happened in Bahrain. She won't talk about it, but I know that in all the years I have known her I have never seen her like this." Clint says sadly, "She's different too, and I know she needs help but I don't know how and I hate that." Clint admits, looking upset.
"Don't treat her differently, offer support, but don't act different." Natasha tells him, realising that this is something that she can actually help with, "Your Mom's going to need something normal, something familiar, because it's possible that nothing feels real to her right now. So be her normal, Clint. Be her familiar, her reality. She may never tell you what happened and you'll have to accept her, but that doesn't mean you can't support her, even if you don't know the facts, that's what she'll need most right now."
"Thanks Nat, that helps." Clint says raising his bow once more and firing an arrow, this time he hits the bullseyes.
December 17th 2006
It has been three weeks since Melinda got back from the mission and like her oldest siblings it is clear to Skye that her mother is completely different now and she doesn't like it one bit, which has led to Skye taking out her frustration on the punching bag more than once.
It is mid-afternoon and Skye is returning home from work, though she is pretending she is returning home from school, as she hasn't mentioned to her Mother that she dropped out as she thought that was best with everything else going on.
"Skye, can you come in here please." Skye hears her mother say when she walks into the entrance way.
"Hey, you're home early." Skye notes when she sees her Mother sitting on the couch.
"I put in a transfer to the admin department. I have a few weeks off before that comes into effect." Melinda informs her daughter.
"Wow, that's a surprise." Skye comments as she walks over and sits next to her mother as she knows how much being a field agent means to her mother.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Melinda asks her daughter.
"No." Skye lies, even though she knows that there is basically no chance that her mother will believe her.
"Really? Because I received a very interesting phone call from your school today." Melinda informs her daughter, "So, is there something you want to tell me?" Melinda asks again.
"I'm not, Leo."
"What?"
"School isn't my thing. I don't thrive there like he did, I learn things on my feet. I learn things practically not by tests and books, and I'm never at a school long enough to be anything other than the new girl, and I can't do that anymore it was easier when Bee, Leo and Clint were home." Skye tells her mother, "So I got a job, a job I really like, and yes I didn't tell you but I thought with everything else that has been going on lately that you didn't need the added stress." Skye explains, "Please don't make me go back, Mom."
"Why don't you want to go back?" Melinda asks her daughter, wanting to hear her full reasons.
"Because I hate school." Skye says, "It makes me miserable and I don't need collage to do what I want." Skye says as she already gave up her dream of joining S.H.I.E.L.D because as much as she wants to she knows she can't without a high school diploma, or she assumes she can't as she hasn't talked to her mother or Nick about it so that her dream doesn't get completely crushed, and she can't force herself to sit through high school even with how much she wants to join S.H.I.E.L.D, "I'm already doing it, so I didn't see the point of continuing to do something that made me miserable."
"You're only seventeen. How did you get a job without my permission?" Melinda asks her daughter.
"I forged your signature." Skye answers, pretty sure she is going to get in a lot of trouble for that.
"Skye." Melinda says in a warning tone of voice.
"Clint taught me how." Skye says quickly, feeling that if she is going to get in trouble she is going to drag her big brother down with her.
"Of course he did." Melinda says, not even surprised, "If going to school truly make you miserable then I won't force you to go back." Melinda tells her daughter.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Skye says happily
"But I want to hear all about this job and I want to hear all about what you want to do in your future so we can work out a plan. What do you think about that?" Melinda asks as she completely understands Skye's choice but she also wants her daughter to have her best chance.
"I think I can deal with that." Skye says sitting down next to her mother and the mother and daughter talk, Skye not mentioning that she would like to join S.H.I.E.L.D because she figures she has no hope of that and she doesn't want that confirmed as she wants to hold on to the the dream where it's still a possibility.
"Stop staring and just say what you want to say." Natasha informs Clint as for the last ten minutes he has been looking like wants to say something but then he doesn't say it.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" Clint asks Natasha.
"The same thing I always do, nothing." Natasha answers.
"Well what do you think about doing something different this year? Like spending Christmas with my family."
"I wouldn't want to intrude." Natasha says, feeling amazed at the offer.
"You wouldn't be. It was Bobbi's idea, and Skye and Leo would both be thrilled if you joined us and Mom and Andrew about both fine with it." Clint says, "Come on Nat, it will be great. Say yes." Clint requests, giving Natasha a pleading look.
"Okay. Yes. I'll join your family for Christmas." Natasha says.
"Yes." Clint says happily.
December 25th 2006
It has been a week since Clint asked Natasha to spend Christmas with his family and even though she has spent time with Melinda, Andrew, Bobbi, Leo and Skye individually Natasha hasn't spent time with them, and Clint, together as a family and because she can't even remember what it is like to have a family Natasha is a little nervous about that, not that she is letting it show.
At five to eleven Christmas morning Natasha finds herself knocking on the door to the May house being prepared to celebrate Christmas for the first time in a very long time.
"Nick." Natasha says surprised when the door opens and its Nick standing there.
"Natasha, if I was you I would head straight upstairs, first door on your right. Clint and the others will explain what is going on." Nick tells Natasha.
"Okay." Natasha says slightly concerned and as she walks across the entry way. As she does Natasha sees Andrew and Melinda seemingly in the middle of the fight and she realises what is going on, after watching for a few seconds Natasha heads up the stairs and once she is upstairs Natasha knocks on the first door on the right.
"Come in." Clint's voice responds and Natasha walks in. When she does Natasha finds Leo lying on one of the beds, Bobbi and Skye sitting on the ground and Clint sitting on the same bed that Leo is lying on, "Hey, Nat." Clint greats.
"Hey. You guys okay?" Natasha asks as she closes the door.
"You mean because Mom and Andrew are screaming at each other on Christmas day and even Nick can't get each other to stop?" Skye asks, "Yeah, we're great." She says sarcastically.
"I'm sorry." Natasha says as she steps over Bobbi and sits next to Clint.
"We were tempted to climb out the window, but that would just cause everyone to worry." Clint explains as if they weren't sure that it would case major panic they would have a long time ago.
"We have to do something; I don't know how much more of this I can take." Leo admits, looking sad.
"Okay. what we need is a distraction." Bobbi says, standing up and walking over to the stereo up and searching the draws for something, "I know it's not how any of us would like to spend Christmas but poker and loud music sounds good to me."
"Yeah, it does." Clint tells his sister, "Speedy? Leo? Nat?"
"Sure." Natasha responds.
"Why not." Leo says.
"I guess." Skye says and she climbs on the bed. It takes a couple of minutes but finally Natasha, Clint, Leo, Skye and Bobbi are all settled on the bed and start to play poker together.
About an hour, and several games of poker later the door to the room open and Melinda walks in. The first thing she does is turn down the music before walking over to her children and Natasha.
"I'm sorry." Melinda tells her children, "You shouldn't have had to have heard that." Melinda says as she sits down on the edge of the bed, "And I'm sorry."
"Is everything okay with you and Andrew?" Bobbi asks curious.
"I don't know, but I do know that I don't want anything else to ruin today." Melinda tells her children, "Lunch is ready, if you're ready to eat." Melinda says and all her children nod and one at a time Clint, Melinda, Bobbi, Leo, Skye and Natasha all stand up and head out of the room.
Even with the rocky start The May family, Andrew, Natasha and Nick do manage to have a pretty good Christmas lunch though there is a clear tension in the room.
March 12th 2007
It has been three months since Christmas and since Melinda and Skye talked about Skye's future and ever since them Skye has been working at a computer store with her mother's full knowledge and permission.
Another thing that has been happening a lot in the past few months is Melinda and Andrew fighting a lot more, something else Skye doesn't like, and has resulted in her staying with Clint or Bobbi, even Natasha a couple of times, depending on who's not on missions, more than once.
It is a Monday night and once more Andrew and Melinda are yelling at each other downstairs so Skye has turned music up very loud so that she can try and drown them out.
"Please Stop." Skye says to herself as she hates listening to them fight. Honestly she is tempted to climb out her window and disappear, but she doesn't want to do that to her mother.
"I'm sick of fighting." Andrew tells Melinda.
"And you think I'm not?" Melinda asks.
"I don't know Melinda; you don't seem to care about anything anymore."
"That's not true."
"It seems like it to me." Andrew says, "I want to help you but you, I'm trying but you're not letting me." Andrew says.
"That's because you're treating me like I'm your patient!" Melinda says angrily, "I didn't tell you what I did so that you could be my shrink I told you because you're my husband." Melinda says as she thought telling Andrew would help, but it has only made things so much worse.
"Am I? Lately it doesn't feel like I am." Andrew says, "You're slipping away Melinda, every day you slip away more and I hate it. I hate that you are in so much pain and I hate that you won't let me help."
"I tried to let you help but you just treated me like another one of your patients." Melinda says, repeating herself once more.
"That's because I don't know what to do, you won't let me help you in that way, or anyway." Andrew says, "I don't know what I can do anymore."
"I don't know what we can do either." Melinda admits and they both drift into silence, "I think you should go." Melinda says breaking the silence after about a minute.
"Melinda…" Andrew starts to say but Melinda cuts him off.
"We're just going around in circles Drew, and I can't anymore." Melinda admits, it being painful for her to do so but she knows that it is for the best.
"Neither can I." Andrew says, "I'll request a transfer, or maybe just leave S.H.I.E.L.D. I think it would be for the best."
"I think it would be." Melinda confirms.
"I'll get my stuff and say goodbye to, Skye." Andrew says and Melinda nods, while he heads upstairs.
Half an hour after he told Melinda that he would get his stuff Andrew is knocking on Skye's bedroom door.
"Come in." Skye's voice responds and she turns around and faces Andrew, "You and Mom are getting a divorce, aren't you?" Skye asks as she realised months ago that it was coming.
"Yeah, we are." Andrew confirms, "I'm going to leave tonight." He tells her.
"I'll miss you." Skye admits, "You were a pretty great Step-Dad." Skye informs him, forcing herself to get upset.
"Thank you, I tried." Andrew responds, "Skye, if you need anything I am just a call away, I'll always help you if I can." He tells her.
"Thanks, Andrew." Skye says, very much doubting that, but pretty sure that he believes that.
"I should go. Can I have a hug goodbye?" Andrew asks curious.
"I guess so." Skye says walking across the room and when she is close enough Andrew hugs her.
"Goodbye Skye."
"Bye Andrew." Skye responds and Andrew walks out of Skye's room. Skye waits for a minute before she too leaves her room and walks down just in time to see Andrew walk out the front door. Once she watches Andrew walk out Skye heads straight into the living room where her mother is sitting on the couch and she hugs her and together Melinda and Skye sit on the couch holding each other, both of them letting silent tears fall down their faces.
April 12th 2007
It has been a month since Andrew left and even though Melinda is spending more time at home Skye knows that the house, or any house they have lived in, has never felt more empty.
It is early evening and Skye is lying on her bed on her computer when she hears the front door open and someone walk in, figuring that it is just Clint, as he has been visiting more often lately, Skye doesn't make an effort to move, being pretty sure that he will come up and see her once he talks to their mom.
Just like Skye expected a couple of minutes after she heard the front door open she hears a knock on her door.
"Come in, Clint." Skye says and her door opens.
"I'm not, Clint." A voice says and Skye turns to see Natasha Romanoff, "Can I still come in?"
"Um, yeah, sure." Skye asks surprised to see her as she moves her laptop and sits up properly, "Is everything okay?" Skye asks as in recent months she has come to expect bad news.
"Yeah, everything fine." Natasha says as she walks over and sits on the edge of Skye's bed, "Bobbi asked me to check in on you, make sure you were okay." Natasha explains as Bobbi is worried about Skye and knew that she might be able to get away with lying to Clint but she wouldn't be able to get away with lying to her.
"I though Bobbi was on a mission." Skye comments.
"She was. We crossed paths." Natasha explains, "So are you, okay?" Natasha asks.
"I'm fine. Just worried about Mom." Skye answers as she knows Natasha well enough to know that she has no chance of getting away with lying to her.
"That's not surprising." Natasha comments, honestly not sure what else to say or to comfort to the teenager, but because she is Clint's sister, Melinda's daughter, and someone she has grown close to and grown to care about, she wants to try, "You're Mom is still your Mom, Skye, even though she's different now."
"I know that." Skye admits, "It's just hard seeing her like this because I know that she's in pain and I hate that."
"There's nothing I can say that will help with that, because there is nothing that will." Natasha tells Skye, feeling completely out of her element, something which doesn't hardly ever happen.
"I figured." Skye says and the drift into silence.
"So, Clint brought dinner if you're hungry." Natasha informs Skye after a few minutes.
"I'll head right down." Skye says and Natasha gets up and leaves. Once Natasha leaves Skye looks over at her bedside table and at the picture form her first Christmas as a May. As Skye looks at the picture she realises how much she misses the way things used to be, how much she misses her family and as she does she can't help but hate S.H.I.E.L.D a little for taking that from her, even though she knows that it is irrational.
