I'm so sorry! I know its been ages but I took a break for xmas and then a lot of stuff happened. I have so much Uni work to do and my work has been hectic lately and I just lost track of time. I will keep trying to update regulalry but it's hard at the moment. Than you so so much for your patience and thank you for your reviews it means so much to me! :)

"Her family?"

"Yes Fitz, that's what she said. We agreed to help her look, to try to piece together her past. That was the only reason she agreed to stay and not blow the base apart, oh and we've agreed to give her full run of the base when she's medically better. But her memory's still fuzzy, she remembers an outline of what happened but specifics are still coming back to her. Plus, any normal adult forgets most childhood memories anyway and Skye's… abnormal." Simmons sighed, ruffling through papers "I know she's lying about things. She says she remembers a lot but I think she just wants us to think she's better, normal."

Fitz moved his chair closer to Simmons "That's understandable. She feels like an alien here, I mean she could even be an alien for all we know, and we are treating her like one. She's traded one prison for another"

"I thought you agreed with Hunter? That she's a risk"

Fitz blushed slightly "Oh uh I did, before. But now I think she just needs our help and we can give it to her. Do you have any leads on her family?"

"Not yet, honestly I wonder if the only person out there who knows her full story is Whitehall and he's gone. Skye won't give me straight answers, I think she's built up this family in her head but realistically she could have been sold to Whitehall or her parents could have worked for him or been subjects themselves…" Simmons huffed standing up "I'm going to ask Bobbi if Ward knew anything"

"What do you think?"

"What do I think?" May raised an eyebrow facing Coulson head on "I think she's a risk. She's well trained physically but emotionally she's all over the place. She supresses her emotions until they come boiling to the surface and then she shuts down again. She's terrified and acts as though her powers are under control when they're not."

"You think we made a mistake" Coulson summarised.

"No I think we made the right choice. She needs help and guidance. You saw how she looked at us, the fear in her eyes and the constant twitch in her fists. She's been through hell and now she can do something with her life, make it matter. That's how she gets better."

Coulson looked at May with a significant smile which made May roll her eyes, "May"

"What do you want?" May countered.

"I think that you would be an amazing SO to Skye" before May could protest Coulson cut her off "I know you have your reservations, not only about Skye but about yourself. All I'm asking is that you introduce her to SHIELD, show her what we're about and that we will help her if she wants it. Make her feel like she's one of us."

Skye slowly opened her eyes and shuffled onto her side. Her body ached but not in the painful way she was used to. Her fingertips ran over the soft satin sheets underneath her body and she sighed. Even whilst she was on the run, she barely had time to herself, things were better once she got her van, at least it had room for a thin cushion and blanket, but an actual bed. Skye rolled back over, relishing the way her body melted into the mattress. She didn't want to get up, but she knew she had to Whitehall would be mad if she didn't do her morning workout. Every morning she awoke to a pounding on the door which meant it was time to get up and do her exercises. She had to become strong enough to do missions or Whitehall would dispose of her. But she was so hungry…

Skye frowned, why hadn't they knocked yet? Carefully she sat up, her eyes adjusting as the lights flicked on. The walls were white not grey, suddenly she remembered where she was and scolded herself silently for forgetting. Deciding to test the waters, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and, holding the wall for support, managed to stand up. She was shaky and her legs hurt but it was bearable. Carefully, she walked over to a full-length mirror which had been fixed to the wall opposite the bed. She couldn't remember the last time she actually saw herself, had she ever seen herself before? Maybe reflections but mirrors weren't something she had chosen to buy with her limited budget on the run.

Curiously, she scanned her body from the bottom up. She didn't know what normal girls her age was meant to look like or how they lived but she was sure they were meant to look different. Her legs were thin and bruised, abnormal bumps stuck out from her knees and ankles. There were many scars littering her body and she pushed up her shirt to inspect her stomach. A bloodied bandage was wrapped around her middle and she tore it off, throwing it to the floor. Her ribs were a dark purple and there were scrapes scattered around her stomach. Her fingers traced a circular white spot just above her belly button where she had been punished with a hot stick when she was six. On her right hip she had a long-jagged line where she had been thrown into the edge of a table whilst on a mission age seventeen. Skye's eyes then moved to her arms, her left arm was covered in a plain white cast. She frowned, usually she was told to grin and bear it not to let it heal as that would mean she was too soft. Her right hand was wrapped in another bandage which she ripped off. No weaknesses. Looking further up she could see the dark bruises on her neck and collarbone and a dark bruise under her left eye. Her cheekbones stuck out and her face was pale like a ghost.

The thing that hurt the most was seeing her hair. As a child she used to have basic biology lessons, Whitehall insisted that a member of the lab give her some sort of education, if she had been good. In one of the lessons she had learnt about genetics. She imagined her mother having the same dark brown hair whilst her father had her eyes but now, she looked like a doll, broken. Running a hand through what was left of her hair, a single tear streamed down her cheek. The longer pieces fell down to just above her belly button whilst patches were shaved or sat just above her shoulders, all of it was tangled and rough. That scientist girl, Simmons and Bobbi looked beautiful whilst she was lying in the bed looking like an abandoned toy.

In anger she kicked the mirror smashing it to pieces, the sudden adrenaline fuelling her body until she stumbled backwards. Her eyes found a door to her left and she went through it finding herself in a small bathroom. Quickly she took a shower, closing her eyes as images of her face underwater resurfaced. Once she was out, she found a pair of surgical scissors which had been left from the night before and cut. She wasn't an expert, and her hands shook but it was good enough. Her hair now sat just above her shoulders, but the bloodied bald patches were still visible. Skye sighed and found some clothes which had been set aside making sure to put the hood up on her black hoodie.

The next step was to get out. Skye walked to the door where the pod was attached and tried to push but it wouldn't budge. In frustration she closed her eyes and summoned her powers towards the door blasting it open, the same with the door after. She had no idea where she was going but kept walking regardless. The endless empty hallways made her uneasy, she didn't know what the time was or the day, she could have been asleep for days without knowing. Eventually the winding corridors led her to a lab. Without wanting to, her mind flashed to nights of torture, her small seven-year-old body being tied to a table and her brain fried. She shuddered pushing the thoughts from her mind as she stormed towards the cupboards. There had to be some pills here somewhere…

After a couple minutes of searching Skye found a bottle full of the dark blue pills she was used to. She took two out popping them into her mouth whilst pocketing the bottle for later. Immediately she felt her mind go foggy, not too foggy but just enough to help numb the pain. After taking a minute to adjust, Skye left the lab and wondered around the rest of the base before she stumbled upon a gym. The punching bag swinging in the middle of the room beckoned to her, it had been ages since she had trained…

May woke up earlier than anyone else on the base. She liked to complete her Tai Chi by 6am which meant starting at 5am, a routine which energised her for the rest of the day. When she reached the doorway of the gym, she was shocked to hear someone else in there. Cries of frustration echoed through the room and at first she had assumed it was a new enthusiastic recruit, there had been a lot of them lately, but after one look at the body's professional stance she knew who it was.

"Skye"

Skye continued to punch the bag like no one had entered. The girl was in a fury of attacks, putting all her weight behind her right hand leaving her left swinging by her side. At some intervals she would send a surprise kick and May could hear her breathing heavily from the corner of the room. She knew Simmons would be having a fit if she could see the girl now.

"Skye" May called louder trying not to startle the girl.

At the second call Skye stopped and whipped around, her arms coming up defensively before she saw that it was May and dropped them again.

"Nice hair" May noted.

Skye just nodded in response.

"Do you want some tea?" May offered.

Skye shrugged but followed May when she left to head to the kitchen. Despite being slightly annoyed that she couldn't complete her Tai Chi, one look at the girl confirmed that she needed to be distracted. Hell, she was surprised Skye had made it that far before passing out, didn't the girl have broken ribs?

Skye seemed to notice May analysing her and decided to answer the unspoken question for her. "I don't feel pain. Well I do but not in the way most people do. I'm used to it so my body doesn't really process it, if that makes sense." May nodded, she understood more than anyone would ever know.

When the pair made it to the kitchen Skye sat down on one of the stools whilst May made tea placing one mug in front of the girl and taking a seat next to her.

Skye waited, watching the steam rising but didn't touch the mug until May took a sip herself. Carefully, Skye watched her and seemed to mimic what the older woman did. May pretended not to notice before asking "have you ever had tea before?"

Skye shook her head "I like it. Not as much as the drinks Ward used to make though"

"Well this is far healthier than any coffee"

Skye hummed and took another sip. The atmosphere was calm but not awkward. The two women sat in silence secretly relishing the company. Neither one realising how much they were helping the other in that moment.

"Skye! There you are!" Simmons called rushing into the kitchen.

Skye raised an eyebrow, looking to May for some kind of explanation but May just shrugged.

Simmons sighed "I went to check on you but you weren't there. I-" her eye's widened as she acknowledged Skye's abandoned bandages and the light sweat on her forehead "what do you think you've been doing! Your body needs to heal, how are you even able to stand up right now?" Simmons ranted.

Skye crossed her arms defensively "who are you?"

Simmons blushed and took a step back "oh I'm sorry, I was just worried… I'm Jemma, Jemma Simmons. I guess we didn't get a proper introduction last night… I'm a biomedical scientist, I was the one who put that on" she gestured to the cast.

"Er, right thanks" Skye muttered.

"Are you in pain?" Simmons asked.

Skye shook her head ignoring the stabbing pain it caused to her ribs. Jemma's eyes narrowed but she said nothing.

"Uh Simmons, how about we cool the medical questions now and eat?" May interrupted, sending a poignant look at Skye's malnourished frame.

Jemma took the hint and started pulling ingredients from the cupboard. Immediately, Skye felt nauseous "I'm not hungry but thanks" she said, getting up out of her seat.

"Skye you need to eat. Afterwards I will take you on a tour of the base, okay?" May commanded, a hard look in her eye.

Skye sighed, hovering uncomfortably. In the short time she had gotten to know May, she had grown to respect her. But Whitehall's warning still rang clearly in her ears, "no attachments".