Chapter 3
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As soon as she sees he friend Jemma is even more positive that something is wrong. Closing and locking the door behind her Simmons walks over and sits down next to Skye, who is sitting upright on her bed with her legs up against her chest and her arms around them crying. "What happened? What did Coulson want?" Simmons asks assuming.
"He.." Skye beings to say but she isn't able to get much else out because she is crying.
"It's alright." Simmons says putting her arms around her friend not sure what else she can do to help.
For about Fifteen minutes they stay like that Skye crying why Jemma holds her. "Here you need to drink." Simmons says pulling a water bottle out from under Skye's bed where she keeps a stash of food and water hidden for reasons that she won't explain. "You will get dehydrated if you don't."
Skye grabs the bottle of water off of Simmons. "Drink it slowly. Small sips." Simmons advices and Skye does just that. "Would you like to talk now?" Simmons asks curious once Skye has had several sips of water and her crying has stopped a bit.
Skye nods and after taking a deep breath trying to calm herself down she begins to speak "You know that I never knew who my parents are and that finding them was the reason I joined the Rising tide." Skye tells her.
"Yes, you told me that." Simmons answers.
"I had one lead and that was a piece of paper that was redacted, by S.H.I.E.L.D." Skye explains "After what happened with Miles I gave Coulson everything I had and he told me that he would look into it and he did. When Coulson and May dropped us of at the Academy he and May went to talk to an Agent who was the partner of the S.H.I.E.L.D Agent that took me to the Orphanage. He told May and Coulson that his team was sent to find a 0-8-4, me. I apparently had powers, I was found asleep in the arms of a dead Agent. When the team got back to the States they started to get killed. The reason I was in so many foster homes when I was a kid wasn't because no one wanted me, but it was because it was a S.H.I.E.L.D protocol to keep me safe." Skye explains.
"Do you know what kind of powers?" Jemma asks interested.
"No. Apparently the Agent never saw them, but a whole village died protecting me." Skye explains not being able to keep the guilt out of her voice as she thinks of all the deaths that have happened because of her.
"I don't understand if Coulson told you all this a few days ago, what did he tell you today that made you so upset?" Jemma asks concerned.
"There's more, and I'm not upset, I'm… Overwhelmed." Skye explains having difficulty trying to find the word that explains what she is feeling "After hearing what the Agent told him Coulson couldn't help but think about the similarities that my story had with that of his and May's daughter who was taken when she was three months old by an organization like Centipede. They took their daughter to use her as a test subject for whatever it was that they were creating and so that one day they could train her to be the perfect weapon against S.H.I.E.L.D, wanting to know if his suspicion was correct Coulson got you to run a DNA test." Skye explains.
"Oh my." Simmons says realising what Skye is saying "That was your DNA sample, yours, Coulson's and Agent May's. You're their daughter." Simmons realises and Skye nods.
"Oh wow." Simmons says not sure what else to say.
"I don't know how to handle this Jemma." Skye reveals a couple of minutes later "I was starting to think that I would never find out who my parents were and that it didn't matter because I have a family in S.H.I.E.L.D but now.. I don't know what to do." Skye admits. "What do I do?"
"Only you can answer that." Simmons tells her friend. "But Skye, I've heard you call out a night, I've heard your cries. You wanted to know who you parents are more than anything and now you've found them. I understand that this must be a shock and it will take you a while to digest it, but whether you want to get to know Coulson and May as your parents, whether you want to let them have the chance that was stolen away from them, or whether you want to keep going like nothing has changed, is up to you, but know you are not alone. You have me and Fitz and even Ward. We're here for you no matter what you choose to do." Simmons tells her friend.
"Thank you." Skye says "It's just all too much, I don't know what to do and I don't know how to act around them. Coulson said that loosing me is what changed May, I'm the reason she is how she is and I'm the reason they got divorced. I don't know how to handle that. I don't know how to be a daughter. I don't know how to be a part of a family. What If they realise that and don't want me?" Skye admits as she starts to hyperventilate.
"Skye, look at me, please, look at me." Simmons instructs and Skye does just that "I need you to do exactly what I am doing." Simmons says and begins to do very deep breathing "In and out. In an out." Simmons keeps repeating and slowly Skye begins to do just that. "Good, that's good. Keep doing that." Simmons instructs and for several minutes that is exactly what Skye does.
"I don't know why that happened." Skye admits once her breathing is back under control "I haven't had a panic attack since I was a teenager."
"It's okay, you're overwhelmed. It's completely understandable." Simmons assures her friend.
"He gave me this." Skye reveals showing Jemma the picture that Coulson gave her "It was taken the day I was born." She reveals. "I've never seen a picture of myself from before I started school. Never. I always believed there were none."
"I've never realised before, but you do look a lot like Agent May." Simmons comments looking between the picture and Skye herself.
"You think?" Skye asks surprised as she gets the photo of Simmons.
"Yeah I do." Simmons answers.
"I'm tired." Skye says a few minutes later "And I don't know what to think, or say, or do."
"Well get some sleep then." Simmons tells her friend, realising that between the panic attack, the crying and everything she has been told today she is likely to be exhausted, most likely because everything is too much for her "I'll make sure no one disturbs you and if you sleep through dinner I'll make sure there is something for when you wake up."
"Really?" Skye asks surprised.
"Of course." Simmons tells her. "I'll even make sure Fitz and Ward aren't too loud."
"Thanks." Skye tells her as Simmons stands up.
"You're very welcome." Simmons tells her with a small smile.
Simmons is almost at the door when Skye stops her "I mean it Jemma, thank you. I've always looked after myself and during my whole life there has only been a couple of people who looked out for me. So you looking after me means everything to me." Skye tells her friend.
Simmons isn't sure how to respond to that so she just gives Skye a small smile and leaves her friend's bunk. After Jemma leaves Skye gets changed into her pyjama's, which consists of a tank top and sweat pants, and climbs into bed and closes her eyes, holding the picture that Coulson gave to her close to her chest as she does.
As soon as Simmons walks over to Ward and Fitz they bombard her with questions
"What's going on with Skye?"
"Is she okay?"
"Why was she crying?"
"Did something happen to her?"
"Enough with the questions." Simmons says loudly over the many questions coming at her.
"Simmons, is she okay?" Ward asks stressing each word.
"She's overwhelmed and dealing with some things, things that are personal and private so don't ask her about what she is dealing with unless she tells you first, but yes she is okay." Simmons explains "What she needs more than anything is time. She needs time to deal with something's so until I say otherwise no one but me is to go near her bunk. She needs space and you both are going to give it to her." Simmons explains shocking both Fitz and Ward with how forceful she is being "She is currently attempting to get some sleep so neither of you are to make any loud noises that could wake her. Am I clear?" Simmons asks and both Fitz and Ward nod. "Good. Now who else would like to play a nice quite game of dominos?" Simmons asks the boys both of whom nod.
Unknowns to Simmons, Ward and Fitz, Coulson is standing at the top of the stares that leads to his office listening, and May is standing in the corridor that leads to the cockpit doing the same. Both are thankful that their daughter talked to someone about everything, glad that she isn't dealing with everything alone.
After hearing Simmons's little speech May heads back into the cockpit. Like she has been ever minute since Coulson told her that the youngest member of the team is actually her daughter that she thought she lost a long time ago, May is thinking about Skye.
Since Skye joined the team she has let very little of her past be known. From what Skye has said and the way she acts May has observed a few things and behaviours all of which make her realises that Skye, her daughter, didn't have the easiest life, something that she hates because it was never meant to be like that.
As she fly's the plan May thinks about how even not knowing that she is their daughter Coulson has gotten to know Skye. He has spent time with her and she has opened up to him and knowing who Skye is she can't help but be a little jealous of that. Ever since Skye joined the plan, since the whole team was founded May has been hard on her partly because given Skye's history she was worried about her loyalties and partly because it's how she looks after people. She was hard, maybe even too hard, on Skye to protect her, but she doubts that Skye realises that.
For more than twenty four years she has been thinking about what it would be like to see her daughter again and what she would say, but now that the day has actually come she doesn't know what to do, she doesn't know how what to say.
Like his ex-wife Coulson is also thinking about their daughter. He is thinking about all the things he never got to do with her and everything he missed. Ever since May found out that she was pregnant Coulson had plans for his child and was determine that he would always be there and that she would always know how much he loved her and that he would always be there for her. Something that disappeared as soon as they woke to find her gone.
When he told Skye that he has about ten copies of the picture of the three of them the day she was born he wasn't exaggerating. After she was taken the only things that they had left were pictures and memories. Ever picture they took from when Skye was born to when she was taken both May and Coulson got multiple prints of. Neither one of them wanting to loose one of the few pieces of their daughter they had left. One of those pictures is what Coulson is currently looking at. It's is a picture that at the time he didn't realise May took.
The picture is of him holding Skye while sitting in Lola. He remembers that day very well. Skye was only a two weeks old and fusing, he thought May was asleep so he took Skye out into the garage so that May wouldn't get woken up and showed her Lola. He remembers telling the baby that the car was special and that when she was a bit bigger that they would go in drives in the car together and that one day when Mommy wasn't home he would show her that the car can fly. May told him later that night that he will not be taking their daughter for a fly in the car until she was at least ten.
A few hours later the team minus Skye are in the kitchen about to sit down for dinner.
"Is Skye joining us?" Ward asks Simmons thinking that she would be the only one who knows the answer, but as he has noticed that both Coulson and May are quieter than normal, something that in May's case is difficult to do, he suspects that they know too.
"No, she's still asleep." Simmons reveals. "I told her I would leave her something if she did sleep through dinner."
"Good." Coulson says and when Ward and Fitz aren't looking he gives Simmons a grateful smile that she returns.
"Is there any new mission Sir?" Ward asks once everyone is sitting at the table and being very quiet, something that usually doesn't happen during their group dinners.
"Not at the moment. We're going to stop for a refuelling and supply stop in the morning and I will work on our next mission then." Coulson explains and the whole group goes back to eating. Coulson and May not feeling like engaging in conversation.
"Sir, what don't Fitz and I know?" Ward asks as few minutes later, wanting to know what is effecting his team because he can't protect them if he doesn't know.
"Nothing that you need to know Agent Ward." Coulson tells him.
"I believe I do Sir. Skye ran out of your office crying and locked herself in her room and took a nap during the day, something that she has never done since being on this bus. You, Agent May, and Simmons clearly know what is going on and Fitz and I don't. We are a team Sir, I think we should all be informed about something that is affecting one of our team members." Ward explains showing just how far he has come from the Agent who didn't even want to be a part of a team a few months earlier.
"You don't need to know Agent Ward." May says angrily as the rest of the team don't need to know anything until Coulson, Skye and her figure out what the latest revelation actually means for them and the team "If it is decided that you need to know then you will know." She says before getting up and going back to the cockpit leaving half of her dinner un eaten.
"Do not ask again Agent Ward." Coulson says before grabbing his plate and heading upstairs to eat the rest of his food in his office.
"I told you not to question what was going on." Simmons reminds Ward as soon as May and Coulson are out of hearing range.
"You told me not to question Skye, and I didn't." Ward explains "I just want to know what is going on with Skye." He explains as given how Coulson and May have reacted he has become even more concerned about Skye.
"When she is ready for you to know I am sure that you will." Simmons tells him "Don't question Skye or Agent Coulson or Agent May about this again. It won't end well for you if you do." Simmons explains.
"Jemma please, what is going on? We're worried about Skye, that's all." Fitz tells her, concern for his friend very clear in the way he speaks.
"I know that Fitz and so does Coulson and May, but for now you've just got to stay in the dark about what is going on." Simmons's explains.
"Why?" Both Fitz and Ward ask.
"Because for now at least it's not important that you know" She explains before standing up and starting to clean the plates that have been left.
As Simmons clean up Ward and Fitz have a quite conversation about what they should do and they decide that they will give it twenty four hours, assuming there is no mission, before they ask again. If they do get another mission they will ask sooner.
Hours after all the others have gone to bed Skye wakes. She walks into the kitchen and sees a sticky note on the microwave. "Skye, heat for three minutes and enjoy. Jemma." Skye is very thankful to Jemma for remembering to leave her food because she is quite hungry, but after a lifetime of broken promises she is also surprised that she did. After setting the time on the microwave Skye grabs her cutlery and a bottle of water for herself.
Once her food is ready Skye collects and sits down on one of the couches and eats. The whole time she does she thinks about May and Coulson and the fact that they are actually her parents. A few weeks after she joined the team, before the incident with Miles, Skye remembers that she made a joke about Mum and Dad fighting when Coulson and May were fighting but she never even thought in her wildest dreams of the possibility that it could be true, that May and Coulson could actually be her parents.
As she eats she thinks about everything Coulson told her and as she does she is thankful that he told her the way he did. Glad that he told her everything about his and May's past and what they went through before telling her that she was their daughter because it allowed her to understand more and she guesses have fewer questions, though she still has a thousands more.
Once she finishes eating Skye washes up her plate and tries to decide what to do. Due to her long nap she is no longer tied and she doesn't really want to be alone, but as it is the middle of the night the last part may not be a choice. Until she remembers that there is a person on the bus who seems like she never sleep.
Skye stands in the kitchen and debates what to do. She realises that if she goes into the Cockpit she will be spending time with May for the first time since she found out that she was her Mother, but as Coulson's words about how May wouldn't be able to handle losing her again come to her she realises that maybe it's just what she should do. Even though she is still not sure how she feels about Coulson and May being her parents she knows that Jemma is right, that getting to know her parents is the one thing she has wanted more than anything in her whole life.
Skye decides that she is definitely going to go into the cockpit to sit with May but as it turns out deciding to do something an actually doing it are two very different things. After a lifetime of feeling like she wasn't wanted Skye can't help but think about what she would do if she lets Coulson and May in, if she starts to actually see them as her parents and then it turns out that they don't want her, that she isn't the daughter that they want. After all how could she be? They are legends and she is a hacker.
As she stands in the kitchen having almost completely talked herself out of going into the cockpit she realises that she already wants this, she wants to have a relationship with Coulson and May. Before she found out that they were her parents she wanted their approval and to be a real member of the team, but now she wants them to accept her for who she is. She wants to get to know them as her parents.
Taking a deep breath Skye leaves the kitchen and walks to the cockpit. When she reaches the door she hesitates for a minute before pushing open the door and entering.
When the door opens May expects to see Coulson, the last person she expected to see walk into the cockpit is Skye.
As she walks in Skye sits down in the chair across from May without a word. Feeling like Skye will talk when she is ready, and not minding the silence as just the fact that Skye came into the cockpit to sit with her means a lot, May doesn't say anything either.
"What did you guys name me? What's my real name?" Skye asks. Finally speaking after more than fifteen minutes of silence as it is one of the many questions she has had as long as she can remember.
"May." Melinda answers "May Philippa Coulson." She answers.
"Really?" Skye asks surprised and a little amused that they managed to name her after both of them though she does like it.
"Really. It was your Dad's idea." Melinda confirms "Almost every day since we found out that we were having a girl Phil and I discussed names, and every time we did it ended in a fight. Your name was the only thing we couldn't agree on. We agreed on everything else except that. When you were born your Dad suggested that we put May as your first name and Coulson as your last, I agreed but insisted that in that case Philippa was to be your middle." Melinda explained surprising Skye with how much she said.
"May Philippa." Skye repeats "I like it." She tells Melinda with a small smile.
"I'm glad." Melinda responds truly meaning her words. "Skye you need to know that your father and I never stopped looking for you. Even after we got divorced the only thing we wanted was you back with us and we did everything we could to find you. If we had even the smallest idea of where you were we would have come and gotten you in a heartbeat, no matter what it took." Melinda explains needing Skye to know especially considering her history that the one thing both her and Coulson always wanted was her back.
"Coulson told me that you never stopped looking." Skye tells her "But he also told me that me it was because I was taken that you guys divorced." Skye admits.
Trying to think of the best way to phrase what she wants to say Melinda slightly curses Coulson, he shouldn't have told her that she was the reason they got a divorced "You been taken from us changed us both and we became different people. We were both hurting so much and sometimes we didn't realises the other was hurting just as much. After Director Fury told us that there were no more leads on you we both devoted everything we had to two things, finding you and the job. We let everything else fall away. Eventually we realised that we were just hurting eachother and destroying everything we had left, everything we were, by staying together. But that wasn't because of you. It was because of us." Melinda explains.
Skye nods feeling like it wouldn't be the best idea to argue with May but she can't help but still feel like their divorce was her fault.
"It's a really pretty view." Skye admits looking out of the front of the plane, partly because she wants to change the subject, partly because it is a really good view.
"I've always thought so." May tells her.
"It is a little cold in here though." Sky admits thinking that maybe wearing a tank top and sweat pants wasn't the best idea.
"There's a blanket in the cupboard behind you." Melinda informs her daughter.
"You don't mind if I stay?" Skye asks her question having more meaning than simply being what she is asking.
"I would very much like it if you did." Melinda tells her realising the double question in the question.
Glad with the answer Skye gets up and opens the cupboard that May directed her too she opens it and grabs out the blanket. Once she does she puts it around her and snuggles into the chair. Neither her nor May saying anymore.
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AN: For those of you who are curious about how much I have written in comparison to how much I have posted at the time of posting this chapter I am working on chapter seven.