Awakening Quake
By Misha
Disclaimer and Notes in Chapter One.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Changes
"Thank you," Skye told Steve quietly later that night as they washed the dishes.
Bucky and Jemma were talking in the living room. Bucky had been flirting with Jemma all night and Jemma had been shy, but responsive.
"For what?" He asked, putting down the plate he was drying.
"For trusting my instincts." Skye told him, "and coming over here tonight with Bucky."
She knew how protective Steve was of Bucky and how important it was for him to keep Bucky safe and for now, that meant keeping him out of S.H.I.E.L.D's radar.
"I trust you with my life," Steve told her simply, "If you trust Jemma, then I do too." He glanced through the kitchen door. "Besides, I'm glad we came, I haven't seen Bucky this relaxed since before the war." Steve grinned. "He was always happiest when he was flirting with a beautiful woman."
Skye laughed. "It's good for Jemma too, she's pretty reserved and well, there's not a lot of opportunity to meet guys on the Bus." She knew her friend had possibly cared for Tripp as more than a friend, but had never gotten a chance to explore those feelings. Skye felt a flash of pain as she thought of Tripp, deep down she still blamed herself for her his death.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked, obviously noticing her change in demeanor.
Skye shook her head. "Just some sad thoughts," she told him, "I was thinking about my friend Tripp, the one who died in the temple. He and Jemma were close."
Steve wrapped his arms around her and Skye leaned against him, drawing comfort from his presence.
"Miss Skye?" JARVIS asked politely.
"Yes JARVIS?" Skye asked, still leaning against Steve.
"Agent May has requested your presence."
Skye made a face. "I should go see what she wants." She told Steve. "I am acting a liaison."
Steve nodded and released her. "I'll collect Bucky and get out of here."
"Don't bother." Skye told him. "May asked for me, not me and Jemma. You guys stay here and entertain Jemma and I'll be back as soon as I can." She didn't want her pleasant evening to end, just yet.
"Ok," Steve agreed, he looked Skye in the eye. "Whatever Agent May as to say to you, don't let you doubt yourself."
Skye knew that Steve had been upset by the fact that Coulson had questioned whether she should be on this mission and she smiled at his protectiveness. "May's pretty reasonable." She told him. "Yes, she was supportive of my leaving S.H.I.E.L.D, but in the end, she was right and it was the best thing for me."
Steve didn't look convinced and Skye knew that he didn't trust May or Bobbi, though he was willing to trust Jemma for her sake. "I just don't want you to doubt yourself." He told her. "We wouldn't have agreed to this mission if we didn't trust you and Natasha to handle it."
"I know." Skye told him and she did. She was slowly starting to feel more secure and comfortable and she owed a lot of that to Steve and his unwavering faith and support.
"JARVIS let Agent May know I'll be down in a moment." Skye told the AI. She gave Steve a quick kiss and then exited her apartment and headed for the elevator.
She wondered what May wanted to speak to her about. While she didn't think May would deliberately undermine her, she knew that the older woman couldn't be comfortable with the parameters of this mission and Skye's role in it. Skye knew how much she'd changed in the three months since she left S.H.I.E.L.D, but did May?
"Is it just me or is Stark hiding something from us?" Bobbi asked May after they finished the dinner, which had been delivered to their guest suite.
"It's not just Stark." May told her. She had a feeling that the Avengers were all concealing something. They had been very clear about restricting her and Bobbi's access to the Tower and had all been polite, but distant.
It was obvious that while the Avengers had called S.H.I.E.L.D in on this mission, most of them weren't comfortable with the decision.
"It could always be personal," Bobbi said, rolling her eyes, "I'm sure Clint isn't thrilled that I'm here."
May had noticed that as well. Bobbi apparently had that effect on men. Hunter had called her the She-devil and Barton practically snarled at her. However, while there was definite tension between Bobbi and Barton, and to a lesser extent Romanoff, May didn't think that was the reason for the lock-down.
"I'm going to talk to Skye." May told Bobbi and she reached for her door, but it was locked.
"I'm sorry Agent May, but Mr. Stark has requested that you not go anywhere unescorted." The AI informed her.
"I just wanted to go see Skye." May said, though she felt stupid talking to the air.
"The residential floors are restricted only to the residents of those floors." JARVIS told her. "However I will let Miss Skye know that you wish to talk to her."
May thought about pointing out that Simmons had been given access to Skye's floor, but she decided she'd wait to bring it up with Skye.
"Yeah, definitely hiding something." Bobbi told her, plopping down on the couch. "Not that this place isn't comfortable."
The apartment was very nice, May had to admit. "I wonder why Simmons is with Skye?" After all, this guest apartment had three bedrooms, it would have made sense to keep all the S.H.I.E.L.D agents together."
"Skye probably wanted to catch up on the girl talk." Bobbi said with a shrug. "She and Jemma are close. Maybe, she wanted to fill Simmons in on her romance with the handsome Captain."
Yes, May had picked up on that as well. They hadn't been overt, but May noticed that Steve Rogers was constantly watching Skye and had noticed the casual touches and smiles the two exchanged. There was definitely something there.
"Miss Skye is on her way down." JARVIS informed them a moment later.
"Good," May responded, maybe now she could get some answers.
A moment later, there was a knock on the door and then the door opened and Skye entered. "You wanted to see me?"
"I wanted to see how you were doing." May told her honestly. "I was going to check on you, but the AI said that wasn't permitted."
Skye smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, most of the team is pretty resistant to outsiders and they take privacy very seriously." Yet, they had readily accepted an unknown into their midst, May noted. Something wasn't adding up.
"Is Simmons restricted to your apartment?" Bobbi asked.
"Yes." Skye answered easily. She smiled apologetically. "I only have three bedrooms or I would have put you all up. I didn't want one of you to be alone though and I didn't think you'd begrudge me some extra time with Jemma."
"Of course not." May answered. On the surface it seemed reasonable, but she felt like there was more to it than that. Still, she didn't press, she just resolved to ask Simmons about it later. Unlike Skye, Simmons was a terrible liar.
"You look good." Bobbi told Skye after a moment.
"Thanks." Skye said with a smile. "I feel good. It turns out that this was the right place for me."
"So you have your powers under control?" May asked her, remembering how broken Skye had been after San Juan.
"Not only under control, I'm learning to fine tune them." Skye told her. "Thor and Bruce have been helping me. I've also resumed my training, Natasha's working with me."
"You can't get a better teacher than Romanoff," May told her, "though when she was with S.H.I.E.L.D she always refused to take on any rookies. She must see something special in you."
But then Skye was special. May had been doubtful when Coulson had first brought her along, but she'd proved herself time and again. She'd become a valued member of their team and while May was convinced that letting her go was the best thing for everyone, the team wasn't the same without her.
Thar was one of the reasons May had agreed to the mission, even though she'd had doubts when Coulson had informed her Romanoff and Skye would be leading the mission. After all, the Skye who had left S.H.I.E.L.D hadn't been ready for such an operation, but seeing her now and how confident she seemed diminished May's doubts. Skye had obviously changed and May was intrigued to learn just how much.
