Chapter 14
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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 for your support. Trigger warning for Self Harm.
"What do you mean Skye needs me? What's going on?" Clint asks.
"The short version is that Skye knows thanks to her ability that one of her parents are going to be hurt on this mission, not seriously, but hurt, and it will cause a fight between both of them, but if she warns them then Hydra will hurt innocent people." Bucky explains, "She's upset and she feels that whoever gets hurt will be on her, she ran out of here. She needs someone and from what I understand that person is you." Bucky explains as everyone walks over to listen to what he is saying.
"Do you know where she has gone?" Clint asks.
"No." Bucky answers.
"Jarvis, where is Skye?" Tony asks.
"Sitting on the main balcony Sir." Jarvis answers.
"I'll go talk to her." Clint says, "Here take my place." Clint says passing Bucky the pool queue as he walks past him.
"Clint no. Let me." Natasha says blocking her partner's path as if Skye is doing what she thinks she is doing then Clint doesn't know about that and because it is such a surprise he might not be able to handle it well when he first sees.
"What don't I know?" Clint asks, the worry clear.
"Something you don't want to find out like this." Natasha says handing her partner the pool cue before leaving the room.
Walking fast but just short of running Natasha makes her way to the balcony where she will find her niece.
When she walks out onto the balcony Natasha can feel her heart drop as she sees what's in Skye's hand and what she is doing with it.
"Skye, Ребенок, drop the knife." Natasha says to her niece being sure not to walk to close to her niece as she doesn't know how she will react.
"тетя Наташа?" Skye asks surprised looking at her, "How did you know?" she asks.
"Bucky said that you needed Clint and Jarvis told us where you were, but after what Bucky said you said I had a feeling about what you were doing and I know you wouldn't want Clint to find out like that, so I came instead." Natasha explains, "Do you want to give me the knife?" Natasha asks.
"I'm sorry, I was doing it before I realised what I was doing, you must hate me" Skye admits as she looks down at her side which now has several long, but thankful, not deep looking cuts on it, "And thank you, Uncle Clint doesn't know, it's one of the only things he doesn't." Skye explains.
"You slipped, it happens." Natasha tells her niece, "I love you Skye, this doesn't change that, but can you hand me the knife?" Natasha asks, having a slight difficulty saying the word love but she knows that it is what Skye needs to hear the most at the moment.
"You've never said that before." Skye says surprised.
"I know I haven't." Natasha tells her niece, "But you are a huge part of the reason why I can, you showed me, through this family you made for us all that love isn't just for children." Natasha tells her niece, "So please Skye, give me the knife." Natasha requests and Skye lays the knife flat on her hand allowing Natasha to reach down and grab it.
"What happened Ребенок? What was the trigger?" Natasha asks her niece as she sits down next to her putting the knife in her pocket as she does.
"I know too much тетя Наташа, ever since I got my memories back after being de aged I know more than before, in so much more detail." Skye admits, "Mom is going to get shot at on this mission and Dad is going to push her out of the way and because of that Dad's going to get shot in the arm and Mom's going to be pissed at him for protecting her and Dad's going to be pissed that she's pissed. I can stop that from happening, but if I do then we are going to lose our chance to get those Hydra agents and no matter what innocent people will get hurt before we can catch up to them again. I have to let my Dad get shot to protect innocent people." Skye reveals, "I know it's the job and I know what they would say if they were here, but they don't have to live with the four knowledge." Skye tells her Aunt, "My dreams have gotten worse, I know so many horrible things going on in the world тетя Наташа, and I don't know what to do." Skye reveals.
Natasha is surprised but that and she takes a few seconds to find the right thing to say because she knows that if she says the wrong thing this could end badly, "Living with horrible things isn't easy." Natasha says putting an arm around her niece, "But you need to keep reminding yourself that you are the one doing these things, it's not you. I know it won't change how much it hurts but it just might help." Natasha explains, "We'll try and figure a way to control your abilities more, limit what you see in your dreams." Natasha tells her, "I know that's a crap answer but it's the best one I've got. I know it must be almost torture to see that every night and I'm so sorry about and I don't know if I can help but what I do know and what I promise is that I am here for you day or night." Natasha tells her niece.
"Thank you." Skye says quietly as she leans into the hug a bit more. "I've got to let Dad get shot, don't I?" Skye asks about a minute later.
"I don't see another way." Natasha admits, "How bad is it going to be?"
"A deep graze. Mom will patch him up even though she is pissed, they will be back by tomorrow night." Skye answers.
"Good." Natasha answers and as she does she looks down at her niece's shirt to see the blood and she realises that Skye's injuries need treating, "We need to patch you up Skye, we can't risk them getting infected not after your other injury." Natasha tells her niece.
"Can you do it?" Skye asks, "I don't want everyone else to know. They'll just worry." Skye tells him.
"If you're not ready for the others to know then that's okay that choice is yours." Natasha tells her niece, "I can take you to the medical area and patch you up myself if you would like?" Natasha asks and Skye nods.
"Okay, let's go." Natasha says and the pair stand up and head back into the tower.
Back in the games room Clint is sitting wondering and worried about what is going on and more specifically what Natasha knows that he doesn't. Clint is aware that there is something that Natasha knows about Skye that he doesn't and while he has wondered about it he has never pushed to know because he felt that Skye would tell him when he is ready, but as he sits in the games room he feels is worry grow with every minute that passes and he can't help but wonder what it was that Bucky said made Natasha think she was the better choice to talk to Skye.
"Sit on the table remove your shirt, you know the drill." Natasha tells her niece as they enter the medical area.
"Yeah I know." Skye says, "I'm sorry, you love pool and beating Uncle John and Aunt Maria and I took you away from that." Skye says feeling bad about that.
"You're more important than pool, and I can beat them any old time." Natasha tells her, "it's okay." Natasha assures her niece as she starts to treat the wounds.
"None of these are overly deep which is good." Natasha tells Skye several minutes later as she cleans the cuts.
"I wasn't trying to seriously hurt myself, actually I don't know what I was trying to do." Skye admits then she sighs, "I know it might not be possible what with the danger and Hydra but I want to go Home. I love this place and it is a place I consider to be home but right now I want my home, you think I could spend the night there?" Skye asks her Aunt.
"Yeah, I think we can do that." Natasha answers.
"Thank you." Skye responds and the pair drift back to silence.
"There I'm done." Natasha says a few minutes later, "Skye, what is it?" Natasha asks when she notices the look that her niece has on her face.
"Uncle Clint is really worried." Skye reveals.
"Do you want me to get him?" Natasha asks.
"No." Skye says quickly, too quickly.
"Skye what is it? Talk to me." Natasha request in a kind voice.
"Once he knows he's going to look at me differently." Skye tells her, "He's been through so much, his parents, Barney, Yanklin and everything else that has happened to him and he's stayed strong, he is strong and me, I'm weak, and I don't want my best friend to see me as weak, to look at me with pity in his eyes, or to reject me all together." Skye explains, the main reason why she has kept this a secret from her Uncle for so long is because of how he'll react.
"Skye, you're strong, stronger than most." Natasha tells her niece, "This, doing this doesn't make it weak. It means that everything that has happened to you and everything that you feel is too much, which is okay, we've just got to figure out a different way for you to deal with it." Natasha explains, "Clint won't judge you and he will never reject you." Natasha tells her niece.
"How can you be so sure?" Skye asks.
"Skye think for a minute, is there anything that has happened in the past two years that would make you think that Clint would ever reject you?" Natasha asks her niece.
"No, but he might, it's what people do when they find out." Skye tells her Aunt.
"Clint won't." Natasha says moving so that she is looking at her niece right in the eyes, "There is nothing you could do that would stop him from loving you and he will never reject you." Natasha tells Skye, who still looks uncertain, "Do you want me to message him to come down here?" Natasha asks and Skye hesitantly nods.
"Okay." Natasha says and she pulls out her phone.
In the games room even though everyone has continued on with their games and the pool game has become Steve and Bucky verses Maria and Garrett, there is a clear tension in the room and there is no doubt as to what is causing that tension, worry for Skye.
Like he has been doing since Natasha left Clint is sitting by himself worrying. He doesn't hear his phone when his message tone goes off but he does feel the vibration which gets his attention. Once he reads the message Clint is up and half way to the door in a blink of an eye.
"What's going on?" Pepper asks when she notices.
"Nat want's me." Clint says simply as he leaves, ignoring the worried looks that the others exchange as he does.
After leaving the games room Clint heads straight down to the medical labs where Natasha said to come. Just the fact that she wants to meet him in the medical labs Clint can't help but imagine the worse.
When he gets there he finds the door locked so he knocks loudly. Within a minute Natasha opens the door but she doesn't let him in.
"Nat, what's going on?" Clint asks confused.
"Before I let you in you need to think before you say anything." Natasha says stressing the anything, "And listen to what she is saying as well as what she is not saying." Natasha tells her partner, "Can you do that?"
"What? Of course I can do that. Let me in Nat." Clint says.
"And no angry voice." Natasha says as she lets him in, "I should go tell Tony that we're going to the house, so he doesn't worry, you okay with that?" Natasha asks Skye.
"You won't tell him what happened will you?" Skye asks.
"Of course not." Natasha responds and Skye nods, "I'll be back soon." Natasha says leaving the room, knowing that this conversation is going to be hard enough for Skye that she doesn't need her presence to make it harder.
"What happened?" Clint asks once Natasha left.
"There is something you don't know." Skye admits, "There is something that I used to do that, that I stopped but that I did again tonight." Skye explains.
"Okay." Clint says confused.
"I'm not proud of it, It was stupid, I was stupid, I don't even know why I did it, I know it doesn't help." Skye admits, "I was stupid, and weak, and pathetic, and you're going to realise how much you shouldn't want anything to do with me." Skye reveals to her Uncle.
"Hey, just tell me." Clint says walking over and grabbing her hand, "Whatever it is, just tell me." He says, "You're not weak Kid, or pathetic, as for stupid we call all be a little stupid sometimes but there is nothing you could say or do that would make me want to have nothing to do with you, nothing." Clint assures Skye.
"I used to cut myself." Skye reveals, "And tonight, I broke a six year streak of not cutting by doing it again." Skye reveals.
"That doesn't make you weak Kid." Clint reveals, "Stopping doing something like that is one of the hardest things a person can do and six years, that's really good. Tonight you slipped and that's okay, it happens, and it doesn't make me want to have nothing to do with you." Clint tells Skye.
"It doesn't?" Skye asks.
"Of course not." Clint says giving his niece a hug, "I love you Kid."
"I love you to Uncle Clint." Skye responds.
"Do you want to talk about what happened tonight?" Clint asks, "See If maybe I can help with something?"
"I don't know if you can." Skye responds honestly.
"Try me." Clint requests, "Skye if there is something I can do to help you then I'll do it, always without even needing to think about it." Clint tells his niece, "So tell me what happened tonight." He request.
"Okay." Skye says and she begins to explain everything that has happened.
After leaving Skye and Clint Natasha makes her way back to the games room to talk to the others. The second she walks into the room Fitz and Simmons are in front of her asking what happened and whether Skye is okay.
"Skye, Clint and I are going to spend the night at the house tonight." Natasha explains
"House?" Tripp asks confused.
"The Coulson family home, it's in Queens." Steve explains and Tripp nods remembering hearing about 'the house' when he heard his mom talk to Melinda when he was a child.
"Natasha, is Skye okay?" Steve asks.
"Not really, but I think this could help her." Natasha tells them.
"We've got to call Phil and Melinda." Pepper says.
"We can't." Natasha tells her, "If we call them they will come back and what Skye is trying to prevent from happening will happen." Natasha tells her.
"The Hydra agents hurting innocent people." Bucky says and Natasha nods.
"Phil and Melinda will be back tomorrow night, I'll tell them then." Natasha explains, "I don't like you any more than you do but it's what we've got to do." She says noticing the looks that the others have on their faces.
"What happened?" Tony asks.
"It's not my place to say." Natasha tells them, "I just came to fill you in on what is going on." Natasha explains before leaving.
"Tasha avoiding answering a question, never good." Maria says worried.
After leaving the games room Natasha goes to hers and Clint's room then Skye's to pack a few things that they are going to need as even though Skye has stuff and Clint and Natasha have a little bit of things there they still need stuff.
When Natasha returns to the medical area twenty minutes after she left she finds Clint and Skye sitting side by side, Clint having his arm around his niece.
"So are we ready to go?" Natasha asks.
"Go where?" Clint asks curious, "What is actually going on?"
"I want to spend a night at home and I guess you both are coming along." Skye comments.
"Yep, we are." Natasha says all three of them know that there are many reasons why that is happening but none of them need to be said.
"I'm ready to go." Skye says jumping down from the table.
"Yeah, so am I." Clint responds.
"Good, then here and here." Natasha says handing Skye and Clint a bag each.
"How did you know what we need?" Skye asks.
"I know you two." Natasha says and Skye and Clint follow Natasha out, exchanging one more amused look as they do.
Twenty minutes later Clint, Skye and Natasha are getting out of one of Tony's cars in the garage at the house.
"You know Uncle Tony is going to be pissed that we took his favourite car." Skye comments.
"He'll never know." Natasha comments as Clint's phone rings.
"He already has." Clint says "Hello Tony. Oh sorry, hey Steve." Clint corrects when he realises who is actually on the other end, "Yeah, it was Nat's idea." Clint says.
"Hey." Natasha says annoyed as the trio enter the house.
"It's true." Clint tells her, "Yeah, we were careful. We will, thanks Steve. We owe you." Clint says before hanging up the phone, "Pepper realised what car we took so Steve is covering for us." Clint explains.
"Go, Uncle Steve." Skye says amused.
"But we've got to make sure we don't do anything to the car otherwise Steve's ass will be on the line as well as ours." Clint says.
"Oh Crap." Skye says.
"What?" Natasha and Clint ask concerned.
"We took the car that was his Dad's, that's why he's so protective of It." Skye says feeling bad now, "I didn't know."
"Me either." Natasha admits, "I just really wanted to drive it." She explains.
"Well as long as we don't do anything to It It will be okay." Clint comments.
"Yeah, I still feel bad though." Skye comment, "I'm going up to bed, I'll see you guys in the morning." Skye says heading upstairs.
"You want to sit by her bed and watch her sleep just in case she has nightmares don't you?" Natasha asks her partner.
"Can you blame me?" Clint asks
"No." Natasha says with a sign, "Doesn't mean you should." Natasha tells him, "I call the bathroom." Natasha says heading upstairs.
As he stands in the lounge room of the Coulson family home ever instinct of Clint's is telling him to call Coulson and Melinda but he also knows that that is the one thing that he can't do so instead he heads to the kitchen and puts on a pot of coffee.
A few hours later once Natasha has fallen asleep Clint sneaks out of their room, or what is technically the guest room but Coulson and Melinda both said that it is basically theirs, and into Skye's. Being as quite as possible Clint makes his way into Skye's room and sits on the arm chair near Skye's bed
As he sits and watches his niece sleep Clint realises that while he might not be able to call her parents so they can be with Skye, the people she truly wants with her even if she won't admit it, he can watch over her until they can.
Back at the tower Clint isn't the only person who's not sleeping because they are thinking about Skye. Both Fitz and Simmons are awake having a doctor who marathon because neither of them can sleep because they are worried about their sister.
One of the newest members of the Tower Bucky is sitting on the balcony and even though he doesn't know Skye as well as everyone else he is worried and he wishes that there was something he could do to help her because she gave him his life back, the least he could do is figure out a way to help her. She deserves that.
While others in the tower are asleep, it didn't come easy, because there is not a single person at the tower who thoughts weren't on Skye as they fell asleep.
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