The last few weeks of class went by quickly and soon Christmas break began. Once again, most of the kids were spending the holidays in the dorms, while some kids were off spending time with their families. Skye felt like she kind of had the best of both worlds as she got to stay in the dorms, but still spend time with the Parkers, who had become like family to her over the last few months. All the kids staying behind were treated to a trip to the local town mall, where they were able to do some shopping. Their team decided to draw names for a gift exchange, and Skye pulled Natasha's name. She found her a sliver necklace with a little gun charm and a circle charm that read, 'Shoot like a Girl.'

Christmas Eve was cold, with the promise of snow in the air. Still, most of the kids bundled up and spent the morning outside on the field. Coach May had left for a few days to spend Christmas with her husband, but Coach Garret was there, and Professors Coulson and Magneto were also there to watch over them. Principal Fury even came down to referee sparing matches. Skye learned pretty quickly that she was right about him. He had a lot of experience with fighting.

Thanks to Natasha's stepped up training program, Skye found herself facing Drax. He was more than happy to spar with her and help her learn to fight with the bigger kids. Of course, that meant that she spent most of her time on her back, much to the delight of the few STRIKE team members who were there. Rumlow and Rollins were happy to watch the proceedings and laugh when she'd lose.

"One of you boys wanna step in here instead?" Drax growled at them after helping Skye up from a particularly nasty pin.

"You think Sunshine wants to take me on again?" Rumlow grinned at Skye. "I'm up for it."

"Oh I'm sure she could, but I'd have so much more fun doing it. Shall we?"

Skye watched Rollins take a step back, obviously not wanting to get involved, but Rumlow, who looked like he probably never backed down from a fight in his life, began taking off his coat and walking toward them. "Oh yeah. Let's do it."

When he reached them, he motioned for Skye to step away and Drax smiled at him expectantly. Skye went to stand with the group that was now forming to watch. Principal Fury came over to referee.

This wasn't a short match at all. It was long and brutal. Both of them were far beyond Skye's ability in sparring. They weren't just trying to wrestle each other to the ground, they were actually fighting. She couldn't help but realize that she was very lucky that day with Rumlow, because he really could have hurt her. Not that she thought that Principal Fury would have let it go that far, but the idea still gave her chills.

After what seemed like an eternity, the match ended when Rumlow managed to get the best of Drax and send him crashing to the mat. He jumped down on him and held him until Fury called the match for him. Both boys looked exhausted, were breathing heavily, and to Skye's astonishment, they were both laughing. Rumlow moved, allowing Drax to get up. "Always a pleasure, Drax," he said as they shook hands.

Drax smiled at him. "Yeah, first time you've beaten me all year, buddy. Consider it a Christmas miracle." He turned and grinned at Skye. "You ready to continue your lesson?"

"Are you crazy?" Skye looked at him doubtfully. "After that?"

Rumlow grinned at her. "You better take your shot, Sunshine. I weakened him for ya." Skye just shook her head and got back on the mat with Drax.

Before he walked off, Rumlow grabbed her arm, leaned in close and whispered, "You probably want to avoid the left entrance to the dining hall. Someone hung some mistletoe up there, and I'm just guessing there are people here that you don't want to find yourself stuck under that with. Also, Drax favors his left side. Get him on his right and push him off balance." He then pushed her away and walked back to Rollins, smirking at her as he left. He whispered something to Rollins, which made both boys laugh hysterically.

Skye didn't know whether to trust his advice or not, so she took three more falls before giving it a shot. Sure enough, she did what he said, and she finally sent Drax tumbling down to the ground. Natasha and Drax both applauded her, and she did it once more before glancing over to where Rumlow was standing. She smiled slightly at him and nodded. He just shook his head and chuckled. She also made a note to avoid the door he mentioned too, imagining Ward lurking there waiting.

999999999

Christmas morning came and the ground was covered in fluffy white snow. Wanda and Skye dressed quickly and were headed downstairs for breakfast when Wanda opened the door and found a small brightly wrapped box on the floor outside of the room. She picked it up and looked at the tag before handing it to Skye. "This is for you, but it does not say who it is from."

Skye looked at the box and checked the tag herself, before turning it over to see if there was another tag somewhere else. "That's odd. I know Tony had me in the drawing, but he said that he would give me my gift when he and Jemma were back from their trips home, for whatever reason."

"Maybe you have an admirer?"

"Not likely, but ugh! What if it is from Ward? Doesn't that seem like something that he'd do?"

"Perhaps, yes. Do you want to open it?"

Skye sat the box down on her desk. "Umm….no. If it is from him, I don't think I want to know. Surely anyone else would mention leaving it, or put their name on it." She left the box on her desk, and walked out of the room.

Aunt May was in charge of the kitchens again for the holidays. Uncle Ben was making waffles to order, and there was Christmas music playing over the sound system. Everything was very festive. Skye was wearing a Green Christmas sweater that Aunt May had given her, which was causing fits of laughter from Natasha. She wasn't sure what Natasha found funnier, that Skye was wearing her lovely green Christmas Sweater happily, or that Peter had an identical one on in red. Peter seemed to think that Aunt May was determined to ruin both of their social lives forever, and Skye wasn't helping by going out of her way to stand next to him and draw attention to their matching sweaters.

Skye was pleased that Natasha liked the necklace that she got her. She also gave Clint a small long box, explaining that she saw the contents when they were shopping and couldn't resist getting it for him, even though she hadn't drawn his name. He opened the box. Inside was a pen that Skye had found at the sporting goods store. It had a person with a bow and arrow at the top of the pin, and a target at the bottom. When you turned the pen down, the arrow floated down toward the target. He turned it back and forth and watched it a few times, a grin on his face. "That is really cool! Thank you!"

She giggled. "It's silly, but I thought it was funny. I don't recommend you use it in class though, because knowing you, you will get distracted and get into trouble."

After breakfast, everyone wanted to go outside to play in the snow, so Skye and Wanda headed to their room long enough to grab their snow gear. As they were leaving, Skye noticed Ward watching them as they walked out of the room.

They ended up getting held up at the door as Natasha walked through the door that Rumlow had mentioned to Skye the day before, right as Wade Wilson was walking in. It was Natasha who looked up and saw the mistletoe hanging there, before grabbing Wade by the shoulders and planting a loud giant kiss on his cheek. Skye and Wanda couldn't help but laugh at the incredibly shocked and happy expression on Wade's face as Natasha let him go and moved to walk past him. He wandered off toward the kitchen mumbling about how this was the best Christmas EVER.

When they got to their room, Skye saw the box still sitting on her desk, and she shuddered slightly. She wondered if Ward was coming to ask her if she got it earlier, and then she began wondering if she could just throw it away and play dumb if he asked about it. Ultimately, she just left it there and went outside.

Three snowmen, a giant snowball fight, two hot cocoas and a complete Christmas feast later, Skye was sitting in The Commons playing Ticket to Ride with Natasha, Clint and Peter Quill, when Ward approached her finally. "Hey Skye," he said. "I just wanted to give you this." He handed her an envelope, and she took it awkwardly.

"Hey Ward? Get over here. It's your turn!" Rumlow yelled across the room.

He shrugged. "We're playing Carcassonne, guess I better get back. Merry Christmas."

Skye tried to smile at him. "Merry Christmas to you too." As he walked away, she sighed and set the card aside. "So what do I do? Open it here, or wait until later?"

"Open it." Natasha said. "He's going to keep staring over here until you do."

Skye slid her finger along the flap and took out the card. It was a simple card with a Christmas tree on the front. The inside was blank, except for a note that he had written:

Skye,

I figured that you wouldn't accept a Christmas present from me right now, so I got this card to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hoping for better things for us in the coming year.

Grant

She noticed that he was looking over at her, so she nodded slightly in thanks and he grinned back at her. She had to stifle a laugh when Rumlow slapped him across the back of the head to get him to focus back on the game.

Skye passed the card around under the table. "Yeah, that isn't creepy at all, is it?"

Natasha read it quickly. "Pretty much. I'm not sure what he thinks is going to happen in the New Year to bring about your sudden interest in being his friend. Is he going to suddenly grow a personality?"

Peter laughed. "That is something we'd all like to see."

Skye looked at him in mock horror. "No thank you. I'll pass on that, if it is all the same to you." She stopped and thought for a moment. "The weirdest thing is why he didn't just leave this card with the box that Wanda found by our door this morning?"

"What box?" Natasha asked curiously.

Skye explained how Wanda found the small wrapped box sitting by the door with her name on it, but nothing saying who it was from, so they thought it might be from Ward. "That thing has been creeping me out all day! It's just sitting there staring at me when I'm in my room. I keep waiting for it to explode or something."

Clint suddenly glanced up with a look of realization on his face, before banging his head on the table repeatedly and groaning. Peter appeared to follow what was happening and began to laugh so hard that Bruce Banner and Peter Parker, who were playing chess at the next table, looked over at them, concerned. Clint just gave Peter a sick look. "Come on man. Stop it. It isn't funny."

Skye frowned at both of them. "Mind letting us in on the joke?"

Peter had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing anymore while Clint kept his forehead on the table and his eyes on the ground. "The present in front of your door wasn't from Ward. It was from me," he sighed, without looking up from the floor

Natasha joined Peter in laughing at him. "Wait. You know someone has a creepy stalker lurking around, but you leave a box in front of her door with no name? I'm starting to think you have truly lost your mind, Clint."

Peter grinned and patted his friend on the back. "I could have told you that a long time ago, Nat."

He sat up enough to rest his head in his hands. "I didn't want to make a big deal about it, since it isn't anything big and then I realized that I forgot to put my name on it. I figured that she would know it was from me when she opened it, anyway. Honestly, I didn't even consider that she might think it was from him. I don't spend my time thinking about Ward unless I have to."

"I told him that he should just give it to you, Skye. You know, since it wasn't such a big deal." Peter scoffed at Clint's pained expression.

"Well, if it helps, I am very happy to find out that it is from you, Clint, and not Ward. Still, it isn't going to explode, is it?" Skye couldn't help joining in on the laughter.

Natasha spoke before he could say anything. "I really think you need to go get that box right now, Skye." She grinned wickedly at Clint.

"Ugh. Whatever. I don't care!" He shrugged as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Sorry Skye. I wasn't trying to freak you out."

Skye laughed. "No problem. I'm going to go get it, though. I'll be back." She ran up to her room and grabbed the box off of her desk before heading back toward the Commons. When the elevator doors opened, she was surprised to find Clint waiting for her in the Commons hallway.

"Nat and Peter said that I'd been punished enough, so they sent me out here so you didn't have to open that in a room full of people." He sat down on one of the benches that lined the hallway. "I swear, I never meant to make this such a big deal."

Skye sat down beside him, and smiled. "Awww….I understand, I really do. I really probably shouldn't have assumed that it was from Ward, but I couldn't be sure."

He laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah, but I probably should have just given it to you. I thought it would be funny to leave it though, so you'd see it first thing on Christmas morning. Kind of silly, I guess. You can go ahead and open it if you want."

She unwrapped the box and pulled the lid off of it. Inside was a small black leather woven bracelet that had a silver circle in the middle with a silver arrow holding it together. She took it out and looked at it. "This is so pretty!"

He shrugged. "It isn't that big of a deal. It's just something I made. I made a similar one for Natasha last year. Oliver wanted me to make one for Felicity, so I made one for you as well."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Really? You made it? I think it is amazing!"

His cheeks were turning red. "I thought since you seem to be enjoying archery, you might like it with the arrow and everything. Nat's just has the circle, because she doesn't do archery." Skye knew exactly the bracelet he was talking about, she'd seen Natasha wear it before.

She wasn't wearing her gloves, and really hadn't been wearing them except to class, since Halloween, so she had no problem pulling the bracelet around her wrist. She held her arm out and looked at it. "I love it," she said before giving him a big hug that made him turn even redder than he already was.

"Maybe I should have just made one for every girl in the school at once, then I could stop slowly humiliating myself." Clint sighed.

"You shouldn't be humiliated! It's cute. How did you learn to do the weaving part?"

That made him laugh. "Well, I actually learned that while learning to make rope, you know, back when I was with my brother in the circus?"

"Ahhh…say no more. That is probably best." She giggled, before dragging him back into the Commons area.

Natasha looked at the bracelet, and compared it to hers. "They are similar, but yours is much fancier. I think he must like you better!" She grinned at Clint again and once again red was creeping across his cheeks.