Chapter 20
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AN: Thank you to all who have added to alerts, read, reviewed or any combination of the three. It means a lot to me.
AN2: THANK YOU SO MUCH. This is the first of two chapters that I had to re-write and I'm not sure if it's as good as it was but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
As Coulson walks down the stairs he swears that he can hear someone crying. He pauses at the bottom of the stairs to try and figure out where the sound is coming from.
"What's wrong?" Melinda asks confused walking back over to him.
"Do you hear that?" Coulson asks her.
Melinda pauses for a minute and like Coulson she hears the sound of someone crying "Skye." She realises.
"I'll check on her." Coulson says. "I don't think it would be a good idea to crowed her." He comments.
Melinda nods agreeing with him "I'll handle those three." Melinda says referring to Ward, and FitzSimmons who instead of cleaning up the popcorn seem to be trying to see who can pile it up the highest.
"Skye?" Coulson asks knocking on her door, "Skye, can I come in?" Coulson asks and he hears a faint "Yes."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Coulson asks Skye curiously as he sits down on the edge of her bed, unknowingly in the same place Melinda was not too long ago. As he does he notices that she is holding her phone in her pasted hand which has a picture of her and Miles on the screen.
"I know he wasn't who I thought he was and he lied to me, but for a long time he was everything, all I had." Skye tells her father "And now he's dead because of me." Skye tells Coulson moving so that she is on her back looking up at him "I know you and Mom told me that his death wasn't my fault and that I shouldn't blame myself but I do Dad, I do. It hurts so much and I miss him and I just…." Skye says before her crying gets too much that Coulson can't understand her anymore.
Without a word Coulson pulls Skye up so that she is sitting up and puts her arms around her, allowing her to cry into his shoulder. "I've got you. It's okay, I've got you." Coulson tells Skye as she cries.
"Will it ever stop hurting?" Skye asks Coulson once she has stopped crying.
"Stop hurting, no. Hurt less, eventually." Coulson tells daughter, "When you lose someone that you care about it hurts, and you've got to let it, but one day it won't hurt so much. One day you'll be able to remember Miles and instead of hurting you'll be happy, you'll remember the good instead of how it feels right now." Coulson tells his daughter.
"What happened to him?" Skye asks realising that that she doesn't know "His body. Was it found?" She asks hoping that he was.
"Yes, Anna led the police back to him." Coulson explains "I arranged to have the body shipped back to Austin and buried there."
"Thank you." Skye tells her father.
"We can go visit his grave if you want." Coulson suggest thinking maybe it could help.
"Maybe." Skye says uncertainly not sure if that's what she wants or not.
"The offer is there if you want to." Coulson tells her as Skye lays back down. "Why don't you try and get some sleep." Coulson suggests as she does.
"Can you stay until I fall asleep?" Skye asks her dad.
"Of course." Coulson tells her.
Half an hour later Coulson quietly exits Skye's bunk. When he does he is surprised to find the plane is completely clean.
"Where is everyone?" He asks walking over to Melinda who is sitting at the breakfast bar picking at a salad.
"FitzSimmons went down to the lab, Ward went to train." Melinda explains "How's our girl?"
"Not good." Coulson answers "She's hurting over Miles, and she blames herself and there is nothing that I can say to change that." Coulson explains sitting down "I held her why she was crying and I felt useless. She is hurting so much and there is nothing I can do to help her. All I want is to take away the pain that she's feeling but I can't, I hate that she's hurting so much." Coulson tells Melinda.
"You did what you could, you held her, you were there." Melinda tells Coulson "I hate that she's hurting too but for now holding her, being there for her is all that we can do." Melinda tells him.
"I know that you're right, I just wish there was something we could do." Coulson comments as he steals one of Melinda's carrot sticks.
"So do I." Melinda tells him and the pair drift into silence.
"What are you doing?" Melinda asks confused when all a sudden a few minutes later Coulson has just gets up and walks into the kitchen and starts to look through the fridge.
"I'm making sure that that there is a nice dinner waiting for her when she wakes up." Coulson explains as he digs through the fridge.
"Do you need a hand?" Melinda asks knowing how much Coulson hates feeling useless.
"You're not allowed in my kitchen." Coulson informs her.
"Your kitchen?" Melinda asks unimpressed with his choice of words.
"You know what I mean." Coulson tells her "You don't have the best track record when it comes to stoves." He reminds her.
"I set fire to a couple of stoves and you never let me forget it." Melinda comments.
"Three Melinda, not a couple, three. Plus the one in my apartment that you and Tasha destroyed when you decided that Vodka, plus Sparring, in my kitchen, was a good idea." He reminds her.
"In my defence the sparring was Tasha's idea and Clint encouraging us." Melinda defends "Are you going to make that Chicken dish?" Melinda asks curious.
"Thirty years Melinda, it's been thirty years. I would have thought that you would know the name of 'that chicken dish', by now." Coulson comments.
"Of course I know the name." Melinda informs him "But I would never deprive myself the joy of your reaction when you think I don't." Melinda informs Coulson with a small smile.
"How long?" Coulson asks curious surprised that he hasn't picked up on that.
"About twenty seven years." Melinda answers "Do you have enough time to make your pudding?" Melinda asks curious "I think she will like it." She adds knowing that that is true but also knowing that Skye isn't the only one who will.
"Yeah, I have enough time, but I don't have everything I need." Coulson says as he starts to collect what he needs out of the fridge and cupboards.
"Write a list of what you need and I'll go get it." Melinda offers.
"You sure?" Coulson asks.
"Yeah, you won't let me help so it's the least I can do." Melinda tells him.
"Four stoves Melinda, four." Coulson reminds her as he writes the list
"You've got to let that go." Melinda comments though she is sure that he never will "I don't constantly bring up what happened when you tried to do the home renovations by yourself." Melinda points out as she grabs the list of Coulson.
"Yes you do." Coulson comments "For ten years you never let me forget it." He reminds her.
"Good point." Melinda admits as she heads downstairs.
Half an hour later when Melinda returns she finds almost every counter surface in the kitchen covered with different ingredients.
"When she shows up remind me that Tasha owes me twenty dollars." Melinda comments as she places the bags down on the only free surface.
"What for? Actually I don't want to know." Coulson comments.
"Has she woken?" Melinda asks Coulson curious.
"I haven't heard anything." Coulson comments.
"I'll go check." Melinda says and as quietly as possible Melinda sneaks into Skye's bunk and returns a couple of minutes later.
"She's asleep, she looks peaceful." Melinda informs Coulson once she returns.
"Good, she deserves some peace." Coulson comments.
"I've been meaning to run a diagnostic on the flight systems for a while now, I think now will be a good time to do it." Melinda comments.
"Is something wrong?" Coulson asks concerned.
"No, I've just wanted to do it for a while." Melinda explains before heading into the cockpit.
A couple of hours later everyone, except Skye is in the kitchen, about to have dinner at the table with the L shaped table which they have brought another a couple of chairs over to so they can all fit. While all the others are helping Coulson bring the food over Melinda is waking Skye.
"Skye, wake up." Melinda says genially shaking her.
"Huh? What's going on?" Skye asks confused.
"Are you hungry? Your Dad's made dinner." Melinda explains.
"Yeah, I am a big hungry." Skye admits, and once she does Melinda helps her out to the kitchen.
"Um, wow." Skye says surprised by all the food her father made "You didn't have to make this much Dad." Skye tells him.
"He does this all the time." Melinda says as she helps Skye sit down "He makes way too much food and we eat leftovers for days." Melinda explains. "Make sure you leave room for desert though." Melinda advices Skye "Your Dad's made the Coulson Family Chocolate Pudding and there is nothing better." Melinda informs Skye.
"Coulson Family Chocolate Pudding?" Skye asks confused.
"It was my mother's recipe." Coulson explains "Dig in" he tells her.
"Who taught you to cook, Sir?" Ward asks curious several minutes later.
"My mother, she was a great cook my mother." Coulson tells the others.
"So are you Sir." Simmons informs him.
"Thank you." Coulson tells her.
During dinner there is some pleasant conversation but for the most part everyone is enjoying the meal that Coulson prepared so much that they don't speak much.
Once everyone is finished dinner Ward and Fitz clear the plates while Coulson goes to the oven to get out the pudding.
"You really didn't have to make that much Dad." Skye comments as she sees how big the container that is full of Chocolate pudding is.
"With how much your mother eats of it, yes I did." Coulson tells his daughter as he starts to dish up the plates.
"Okay this is amazing." Skye comments after her first bite of the pudding.
"It really is." Melinda says.
Once everyone has seconds of the pudding, Skye and Melinda having third, they head over to the lounge area as Ward has suggested that they should all play Monopoly.
Many hours, several fights and one winner later the team have finished their game of Monopoly and everyone except Coulson and May have headed to bed. Instead of heading to bed Coulson and Melinda are sitting on one of the couches outsides Skye's bunk just in case she needs anything.
Half an hour after everyone else has headed to bed there is suddenly screaming coming from Skye's bunk.
"Skye, sweetheart wake up." Melinda says to Skye having reached her bunk first while Coulson signals to the others, who all rushed out from their respective bunks at the sound of Skye's yell to make sure she is okay, that they can go back to bed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Coulson asks curious once Skye has calmed down.
"No." Skye says quietly.
"What do you want to do?" Melinda asks concerned.
"Not sleep." Skye answers.
"How about I go make us some tea and we go and watch a movie? How does that sound?" Coulson asks curious not wanting to push Skye about her nightmare if she clearly doesn't want to talk about it.
"Yeah that would be good." Skye says liking the sound of that.
"Good." Coulson says and he heads to the kitchen to make tea while Melinda helps Skye to the couches
Sitting together on the couch the family drink their tea and watch a movie. Once the movie finishes Skye says she doesn't want to go to bed yet so they watch a second, which none of them make it through. Skye falls asleep nestled between her parents and manages to sleep in complete peace.
The following morning Coulson is the first one awake. When he wakes he realises that there is a person standing over them and a person sitting in the chair next to them but as he knows them both he doesn't worry.
"Morning Natasha." Coulson says greeting the person standing over them but because he is still half asleep it takes him a minute to realise what he said.
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