Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. This one's a pretty fun one. :)

Enjoy!


"Hey Skye, watch what I got him to do."

Lifting her head from her laptop screen, Skye smiles at the sight of Grant and Max standing together down in the front lawn.

Grant extends one hand in front of him, palm flat out towards Max. "Okay, Max, stay there. Now sit." Max instantly goes down on his back legs as Grant turns his hand palm down, staring up at Grant as he sits on the grass. Grant moves his hand down towards the lawn. "Lay down." Max lowers the upper half of his body until he's stretched out on the ground. Grant turns one finger in a circle. "Now roll over." Max takes a quick moment and then he rolls over completely and sits back up, staring up at Grant patiently, panting a little. "Good boy," Grant says with a smile. "Now...go get mom." He thrusts his hand out towards Skye. Max jumps up onto all fours and darts across the lawn to the porch. He quickly trots up the steps, stumbling a little, and then pads over to where Skye is lounging in the porch swing, her laptop open in her lap.

Skye lets out a small laugh as she smiles down at the puppy. "Great job, Max." She sets her laptop next to her on the swing and then reaches down to lift Max up into her lap. She runs her fingers through his fur and smiles as he settles himself in her lap, his head resting comfortably against her stomach.

"You got him?" Grant asks as he walks up the porch steps.

"Yeah."

"Great. I'm going to go inside and take a quick shower. You good out here?"

Skye nods. "Mm-hmm."

"Okay." He leans down and presses a quick kiss to her lips, and rubs Max's head, before making his way inside the house.

"You are such a good boy, Max," Skye says to the dog, ruffling his fur and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Yes you are. You are so small but you're already the absolute best dog ever. And I love you so much, Max."

"Oh my goodness. That is such a cute dog."

Skye lifts her head and smiles when she sees Carol standing out on the sidewalk.

"Hey," she says.

"Hi," Carol says back, casually strolling towards her. "I see you two got a dog." She nods with her head towards Max as she reaches the bottom steps, leaning against the railing.

Skye nods. "We did. His name is Max; we just got him a few days ago."

"Well he is absolutely beautiful."

"Thanks. We like to think he's pretty great." She glances down at Max for a moment before looking back up at Carol. "He seems to be very protective of my stomach, too. He actually growled at Grant the first few times after we got him whenever Grant tried to come near me or touch my stomach."

Carol lets out a small laugh. "That makes sense. A lot of dogs can be really protective when one of their owners is pregnant. I've heard so many stories about grown dogs being super protective over unborn babies. Never heard that many stories involving puppies, though."

Skye smiles down at her puppy. "Guess we just got a special one, then."

"Yeah, guess you did." Carol takes a deep breath. "So, how are you feeling?"

Skye breathes in deeply. "Pretty okay, actually. Haven't had any morning sickness recently."

"That's good. So does that mean you'd be up to coming to a party next weekend?"

"What kind of party?" Skye asks.

"Just a little barbecue we like to do every summer, invite some of the neighbors over. It's usually pretty fun."

"Well it definitely sounds like it could be something we might enjoy," Skye says. "What time should we come over?"

"Does 5:30 work for you? We usually start with dinner and then just hang out for a few hours."

"5:30's perfect. I'll make sure Grant knows."

"Excellent. Everyone else is looking forward to meeting the both of you. And feel free to bring your puppy over. There'll be some kids there so I'm sure they'd love to play with a dog."

Skye nods. "Duly noted. We'll see you next week at 5:30."

Carol smiles. "Great. See you then." She gives Skye a small wave as she turns and walks back towards her own house.

Turning her attention back on the puppy in her lap, Skye scratches Max behind the ears and drops a kiss to the top of his head. "I think I'm getting hungry," she says to the dog. "What about you? Are you getting hungry too, boy?"

Max lets out a soft yip.

Skye laughs quietly. "That's what I thought. Come on." She nods with her head towards the house, gently nudging Max down off of her lap.

Gathering her things together, she stands from the swing and makes her way inside, right behind Max.


"So what exactly is this party we're going to?" Grant asks his girlfriend as they stand in the middle of their bedroom getting ready.

"It's a barbecue," Skye replies from where she's sitting on the bed brushing out her hair as she reads over something on the open laptop in front of her. "Carol said that they do it every year with a bunch of the people in the neighborhood. This will be a great way for us to meet some more of our neighbors and maybe make a few new friends too."

Grant nods. "Ah, okay."

"It'll be fun, babe. It's a barbecue, those are usually pretty fun." She pulls her hair up into a tight bun on top of her head.

"Well aside from the two Fourth of July parties for your work, I haven't been to too many barbecues in my life," he tells her.

She closes the lid of her laptop as she stands from the bed and walks over to him, rising up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. She smiles at him when she pulls away. "Then we'll just have to make sure that you have as much fun as possible at this one."

He smiles back at her. "Yes we will."

Skye presses another quick kiss to his lips before stepping away from him. She moves out of the bedroom and down the stairs to see Max sitting eagerly by the front door, his tail wagging quickly behind him.

"Hey there, Max," she says, kneeling down in front of him and rubbing his head affectionately. "Are you excited to go to the party too?" she asks the dog.

Max lets out a soft bark.

"I think that's a yes," Grant says as he descends the stairs.

Skye stands up fully and smiles at him. "You all ready to go, then?" she asks him.

He nods his head. "I am."

"Great. Let's go."

Grant leans down to lift Max off the ground as Skye pulls open the front door, being sure to grab her keys off the hook as she steps out onto the porch. Grant steps out behind her, cradling Max in his arms, and pulls the door shut, making sure it's locked behind him.

They make their way down the porch and towards Carol's backyard, their hands clasped tightly together, Grant cradling Max comfortably in one arm, despite the puppy wiggling trying to get to the ground.

"Calm down, Max," Skye speaks to the puppy as they move towards Carol's house. "As soon as we get to Carol's you can run around in the grass all you want, I promise."

Max lets out a soft bark in response, wiggling again to try and get down.

Skye reaches out and rubs the top of the puppy's head. "We're almost there, boy," she says before leaning against Grant the rest of the short way there across the sidewalk.

Stepping through the gate into the backyard, Grant and Skye are immediately greeted by a group of people gathered together in the backyard. Some are sitting in lawn chairs, some are standing over near the barbecue grill, others, mainly the kids, are running around in the grass.

Max lets out a few yips again and wiggles in Grant's arms.

"Puppy!" one kid yells excitedly before a hoard of children run towards them, huge grins on their faces the whole way.

"Hi there," Skye says to the kids with a small smile on her face.

"Is that your puppy?" one little girl asks.

"Sure is," Skye says with a proud smile. "We just got him about a week ago."

"What's his name?" a little boy asks.

"His name is Max," Grant answers, gently rubbing the dog's head. "Do you guys want to play with him?"

Choruses of 'yes' resound from all the kids.

Grant smiles and bends down to set Max on the grass. "You guys all have to be careful with him though because he's still a puppy."

"We will," an older girl assures him.

"Okay." He looks down at the puppy. "Go on and play, Max." He gives the puppy a small nudge on his behind and then watches with a smile as he darts off across the lawn, all the children trailing after him.

Standing back up, Grant wraps his arm around Skye's waist and holds her close.

"You're going to be such a great dad," she tells him in a soft voice.

Grant looks down at her and smiles. "Thanks." He leans down to give her a quick kiss.

"Oh I'm so glad you two could make it."

Grant and Skye turn their heads to see Carol approaching them with a smile.

"Carol, hey," Skye says. "Thanks again for inviting us."

Carol waves her off. "Of course. And how are you feeling?"

Skye shrugs. "Today's a good day."

"That's great to hear. Are you two up for meeting some of the other neighbors?"

Skye nods. "Absolutely."

Carol smiles. "Excellent. Follow me." She turns around and makes her way through the yard, towards the group of people sitting in lawn chairs. Grant and Skye clasp hands and follow behind her.

"Ladies," Carol speaks up to the women in the chairs, "this is Grant and Skye, they just moved in next door. Grant, Skye, this is Paula, Brenda, Kathy, and Monica. We're all in book club together."

"Book club?" Skye asks.

Carol nods. "Yes. I know it may seem a little cliché, but it's fun. You should definitely come and join us sometime, Skye."

Skye smiles. "I'm not much of a book reader, computers are more my speed, but I will definitely consider it."

Carol smiles. "That's great. Grant, why don't you go over to the grill and meet some of the guys. Skye, you can join us ladies over here, get to know some of them a little better."

Skye looks up at her boyfriend. "That cool with you?"

He nods. "Of course." He drops a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll see you later." He gives her a small smile and then makes his way over towards the group of men standing around the grill.

"That's a very handsome man you have yourself, Skye," the woman with dark red hair, Kathy, speaks up.

Skye smiles as she sits down on an empty lawn chair. "Thanks. I like to think so too."

"How did you two meet?" the woman with platinum blonde hair, Brenda, asks her.

She shifts in her seat. "Oh, um, I actually bumped into his older brother on the street once, very briefly. But he and I didn't actually interact with each other until he approached me when I was sitting outside a café and my laptop had died. He started talking to me but he was very cocky so I didn't give him very much of my time." She takes a deep breath. "But then, we saw each other again two more times just out and about, and I asked him to be my date to my company's Fourth of July party. We also made things official that night, decided to try being a real couple. We've been together for just over a year now."

"Wow," the woman with strawberry blond hair, Monica, speaks up. "That's a great story. And forgive me if I'm wrong or anything, but is that Grant Ward, one of the members of Hydra?"

Skye nods and swallows. "Yes, he is. But I promise you he's not like all those other guys."

"Well obviously," Monica says. "He's with you and he's here. I don't think any of those other Hydra guys would do this."

"They definitely would not," Skye says, shaking her head. She lets a small smile grace her lips. "I certainly got the best one of them."

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.

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"Well," Skye says as she and Grant make their way back towards their own house later that night, Max sitting comfortably in the crook of Grant's arm, "I think today was quite the success."

Grant nods in agreement. "It most definitely was. Everyone there was pretty nice. And none of them seemed to care too much after they realized who I am."

Skye smiles. "That just goes to show that we picked the right neighborhood to settle down in."

"Yes we did."

They step up onto the porch and Grant pulls out his keys, inserting the house key into the lock and pushing the door open.

"It was definitely a fun party," Skye tells her boyfriend as she steps inside the house. "But this baby is already making me really tired, so I need to go to bed."

Grant smiles and drops a kiss to the top of her head. "You go on up. I'm gonna make sure Max is all situated and then I'll join you."

She smiles and rises up onto her toes to brush her lips against his. "Don't take too long."

"I thought you just said you were tired," he says with a small chuckle.

She shrugs as she pulls away from him. "Only time will tell." She turns around and makes her way up the staircase towards their bedroom.

Turning towards the dining room, Grant walks into the other room, over to where Max's area is in the corner of the room, containing his kennel, a bed, and his food dishes, as well as a few of his toys.

Setting the puppy down on the ground, he bends down a bit and rubs him on the head affectionately for a minute. "You be a good boy, okay? It's nighttime so it's time for you to get in your bed and go to sleep."

Max tilts his head at Grant for a moment before turning around and stepping into his bed. He just stands there for a moment, looking at Grant.

Grant smiles. "Good boy, Max. Now lie down and go to sleep."

Max hesitates for another moment before crouching down in his bed and then laying all the way down, stretching himself out before relaxing into the bed.

"I'll see you in the morning, boy," Grant whispers, standing up straight. He throws the dog a small smile before turning around and making his way towards the staircase.

He walks up the stairs and moves down the hallway towards the master bedroom at the end. Pushing the door open he steps through and smiles when he sees Skye lying on her back in the bed, one arm extended out towards his side of the bed and the other hand resting on her abdomen.

He crosses to the dresser to change out of his clothes and into his pajamas; a simple pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. He tosses his dirty clothes into the hamper and then moves over to the bed, pulling the covers back on his side and climbing in.

As soon as he's in the bed, Skye rolls over and curls up against him, wrapping one arm around his torso and tangling her legs with his.

Grant smiles and wraps his arm around her, holding her close and dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Sleep tight, Skye," he says quietly. "I love you."

Skye lets out a small, content sigh as she shifts on the bed to get more comfortable. "Love you too."


So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Also, I'm working on something that I think is pretty fun, so if you want to help, all you gotta do is let me know in your review why you love/ship Skyeward. I already know why I love/ship them, but I wanna know why you do too. :)

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!