Chapter 18
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and I am not making any profit from this.
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 all the support of the story. For the person who asked last chapter in the next week I may just give you a double update.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO STARFIRE25 WHO EDITED THIS CHAPTER FOR ME
When the car pulls into the Towers garage four hours later Skye is feeling slightly better as she managed to get some sleep on the way back. She also realised that she owes Tripp another thank you as she started to feel a nightmare come on and he woke her up.
They have been back at the tower for a couple of hours when Tony walks in on Skye in the kitchen using ice to try and reduce some of the redness of her eyes which didn't go away during the drive like she was hoping.
"So how hangover are you?" Tony asks curious, "And why are you hiding it?"
"I'm not hangover." Skye tells her Uncle.
"Yes you are Kiddo, trust me. I know when someone is hangover." Tony tells his niece, "So how much did you drink?"
"Half a bottle of tequila." Skye answers.
"Wow, impressive." Tony comments and Skye has to smile at that.
"You know I think you are the only person who would respond like that." Skye admits.
"That's because I'm awesome." Tony comments, "So I'm guessing you're trying to hide the fact that you are hangover from your parents, but how haven't they realised?"
"James gave me sunglasses this morning and they think I was sick last night." Skye explains.
"Why do they think that?" Tony asks.
"Because I was, and James had to help me to bed but apparently Uncle Steve arrived back at the suite just as James was coming out of my room so he told him that I was sick." Skye explains, "And they don't know because I don't want them to worry about me."
"So skipping over the whole 'James helping you to bed' thing for another time, why do you think they would worry?" Tony asks.
"Think about it Uncle Tony when was the last time you saw me drink?" Skye asks.
"At the Alps." Tony answers.
"And before that?" Skye asks and Tony is quite.
"You know I don't think I can remember another time." He admits.
"Exactly, I don't drink much, something that Mom and Dad have realised so if they knew that I had drunk half a bottle of tequila, they would worry." Skye explains.
"Right, I get it." Tony admits, "So what happened with you and Bucky?"
"I could barely walk so he helped me to my room and gave me a glass of water." Skye explains.
"So he and I are the only ones who know." Tony comments, accepting the explanation as from what he has seen and knows Bucky is almost as much of a man from his time as Steve is so he very much doubts something more happened.
"And Tripp." Skye adds as she notices the time, "And I'm almost late for Archery practice with Uncle Clint." Skye realises.
"You're going to practice Archery while you are hangover?" Tony asks surprised.
"Of course." Skye says as she walks past him.
"This I have to see." Tony says following Skye out of the kitchen.
Skye and Tony are part way to the gym when Tripp walks over and happily and quite loudly says "Hey Skye." And puts an arm around her he does this because he knows that she was drinking the night before because she was miserable so he's made it her mission to make her happy even if it annoys her.
"Do you have to do that?" Skye asks as Tony laughs.
"Yep." Tripp responds.
"Why?" Skye asks.
"Because my Grams said that your Mom is her adoptive daughter which makes me and you cousins. That means that I finally have someone to be the loving older cousin to that Sharon is to me." Tripp explains with a grin.
"You're an ass." Skye says with a smile.
"I got you to smile didn't I?" Tripp asks.
"Is that what your point was?" Skye asks as Tripp removes the arm.
"Yep." Tripp says running off in the opposite direction.
"Don't even try to claim that you don't like that he called you his cousin." Tony tells her, "I saw your face."
"I wasn't planning to." Skye admits, "What I was thinking is that I've got to think of ways to be the best little cousin I can be." Skye explains with a grin that Tony learnt from the time he looked after her when she was a child means she's planning something.
"You're going to start a prank war aren't you?" Tony asks.
"Like I would tell you my plan." Skye says as they enter the Gym.
When Skye and Tony enter the gym they find that Clint is the only one present.
"So what are we doing today?" Skye asks her Uncle curious.
"Well I was thinking if you were up for it now that you've had been training with Nat for a while that I would show you some ways to use your bow as more than just something to fire arrows but as a different type of weapon, how does that sound?" Clint asks.
"Good." Skye responds.
"Good, and I'm guessing you don't want me to mention the fact that you are hangover." Clint comments as he walks across the gym to get both his and Skye's bows.
"I would appreciate it." Skye says as Tony laughs.
"Kid." Clint begins to say but Skye cuts him off.
"I know, but it was just one time." Skye tells him.
"I'm here, you know that right." Clint tells her.
"I'm missing something." Tony says looking between Skye and Clint.
"I know and you are." Skye answers, "So where are we starting?" Skye asks her Uncle as she takes her bow off him.
"First you've got to understand that while these bows are strong they are not indestructible." Clint tells his niece.
"You know I could probably make them indestructible or close to it." Tony comments.
"You could?" Skye and Clint ask together.
"Yeah, give me a couple of weeks." Tony comments, "I might actually go start working on it." He says leaving the gym.
"Stopping looking at me like that, I'm okay." Skye tells her Uncle.
"Are you? Are you really?" Clint asks.
"It hurts to know what I know, and getting a call from Ward hurt too, but I am not going down that path again. I know where that leads and I'm not going to do that to myself." Skye assures her Uncle, "I can't do that to myself." She admits.
"Kid I know you better than most, and I know that I know things that your parents don't know, which means I also know when you're pretending to be okay." Clint tells his niece, "And I need you to know that you never have to pretend with me." Clint tells her as he walks over to the door and locks it, "Jarvis please warn me if anyone approaches." Clint requests.
"Yes Sir." Jarvis responds.
"It's just me and you now Kid, no need to pretend anymore. So talk tell to me, tell me everything you're trying not to say." Clint requests.
For several minutes Skye is quite avoiding looking at her Uncle because she knows that he is right.
"Kid, please." Clint requests and that causes Skye to look at him, when she does she sees the worry and the love on his face and before she finds herself talking, telling him everything that the Tequila allowed her to admit to Bucky the night before and everything that she hasn't allowed herself to admit out loud.
Apart from the main gym where Skye and Clint currently are there is also two other gym like rooms, once that has cardio equipment set up and another that has weights. Even though he really doesn't need to but he wants to see just how much he can do Steve is in the weight's room using the equipment. He is using the bench press when he hears the door open and Bucky walks in.
"Steve, can we talk?" Bucky asks
"Sure, what's up?" Steve asks sitting up.
"Can you teach me to use a cell phone?" Bucky asks as while he was being controlled by Hydra he never had to communicate with anyone because he knew he had to be somewhere, do something, go back.
"Of course I can." Steve tells him.
"Thanks." Bucky responds, "Skye said something last night that I was curious about, who's the Clairvoyant?"
"Sit down, it's a long story." Steve says and Bucky sits down on one of the other pieces of equipment, "The Clairvoyant is the person who kidnapped Skye when she was three months old." Steve explains, "He experimented on her and gave her the energy that gives her powers." Steve explains, "After an employee of his got her out of the facility she was being healed in he spent decades trying to find her but couldn't, even though he had the power that Skye has." Steve explains.
"Then why couldn't he find her?" Bucky asks.
"We discovered or Skye specifically that because the abilities are the same they couldn't be used against or to find out anything about one another. Bruce's theory is that because the energy is the same than it couldn't be used against itself." Steve explains.
"What happened with the Clairvoyant? Is he still around?" Bucky asks curious as from the way Skye was talking and the way Steve is he guesses that he isn't but he isn't sure.
"He had his son kidnap Skye. Skye was lured to a warehouse by a former abusive boyfriend of hers killing another of her ex partners, kidnapping someone else who matters to her and threatening others. Skye managed to escape from the son and a few months later Melinda, Natasha and I were captured by them when a mission went wrong." Steve reveals, "The team showed up and Skye faced the Clairvoyant. The Clairvoyant used his powers to make a huge ball of energy that would have killed us all and if he was killed it would kill us." Steve reveals, "Skye took that energy into herself knowing that it would kill her, and once she had Coulson shot the Clairvoyant." Steve explains.
"But Skye is still alive so the energy didn't kill her?" Bucky asks, though he knows that it is possible that it did.
"She was dying but we weren't going to let that happen." Steve explains, "More specifically Tony, Jemma and Fitz weren't going to let that happen. She had twenty four hours to live and they were determine to find a cure by then." Skye explains, "Skye was in pain, a lot of it." Steve reveals remembering when he saw Skye not long before she was changed, and how much even though he wasn't as close to Skye as he is now it hurt to see her like that, "Her nerves were dying and there was nothing to stop it until Tony, Fitz and Simmons figured out a way to get the energy out of her temporarily but in doing so it would de-age her." Steve explains.
"She told me about that." Bucky admits, "But she has her powers now? So I'm guessing that the energy didn't stay gone."
"No it didn't." Steve answers, "As she aged the level of the power she had increased to a level that made her stronger than both the Clairvoyant and how strong she was before she was de-aged." Steve explains, "The Clairvoyant is the reason why Skye wasn't raised by her parents, her ruined Skye's life, and Phil's and Melinda's." Steve explains.
"Wow." Bucky says surprised, "She's been through a lot hasn't she?"
"Yeah, she has." Steve answers, "Why are you so curious about Skye?" Steve asks interested.
"Because she's my friend, and she helped me, gave me my life back." Bucky explains, "She mentioned the Clairvoyant last night but it seemed like it was a painful topic for her so I decided to ask you instead of causing her pain." Bucky explains.
"Right." Steve says though he can't help but think that there is something that Bucky isn't saying.
For ten minutes Clint listen to Skye talk without interrupting and then for fifteen he holds her close while she cries.
"I just don't know if I can keep doing this, it hurts so much." Skye admits.
"I can't imagine how much it hurts, and I don't know a way to take that pain away, all I know is that you've got to keep going." Clint tells his niece, "You told me what happened after Lard and how glad you were when things got better that you didn't go through with it. I don't know how and I don't know when, but I do know that things get better, that's the one thing I've learnt over the years, and I know you're going to want to be here when that happens." Clint tells his niece.
"I know that." Skye admits, "But I lately I'm having a hard time remembering it." Skye admits, knowing that Clint is the only person who she would actually admit that too.
"Then I'll remind you of that." Clint tells his niece, "Once a day, twice a day, a hundred times a day, if I have to, I'll remind you." Clint promises his niece.
"Thanks Uncle Clint." Skye tell him as she wipes her eyes.
"Anytime." Clint tells her giving her another hug and kissing the top of her head.
"Can we start practicing now?" Skye asks curious once they break apart.
"Sure." Clint responds and he finally let's go of his niece and walks over and unlocks the door.
"Oh, and could you help me figure out a prank to get back at Tripp?" Skye asks.
"I'm not even going to ask why, but sure." Clint responds, "I'm not going to tell your parents Kid, but there may come a time where I have to, I need you to know that." Clint tells her. He knows that Coulson and Melinda may hate him for keeping this from them but at the moment them knowing isn't the most important thing, what is helping Skye get to a place where she is ready to tell them herself because then he will know without a doubt that she is doing better, and if he were to tell Coulson and Melinda before she reaches that point then he is pretty much guaranteeing that she will never trust him again.
"I do." Skye assures, "Where do we start?" Skye answers.
"With showing you the most effective ways apart from with an arrow that a bow can be used as a weapon." Clint explains and Skye nods.
Skye spends several hours training with Clint and for the first time in weeks, including when she was drinking the night before her mind is clear, there is no extra knowledge forcing its way in.
After showing and getting cleaned up Skye heads to the lounge area as she had an idea of something she wanted to test out, and while she knows that Tony would be more than happy to let her use one of his more powerful computers for what she is going to attempt to do she would prefer to use the laptop he made her and a tablet which is what she is doing.
She has been working for about half an hour, so focused on what she is doing that she doesn't even hear someone walk up behind her.
"How illegal is whatever you are doing?" Tripp's voice ask.
Reacting so fast Skye manages to close the lid of her laptop down and lock her tablet in a matter of seconds.
"Very illegal I'm guessing." Tripp realises sitting next to her.
"Don't do that." Skye tells him.
"You know if you don't want to be caught doing something illegal then don't do it in an open area." Tripp advices.
"I never said I was doing something illegal." Skye tells him.
"You're actions do." Tripp answers.
"I'm not." Skye defends and Tripp just raises an eyebrow at her, and looks at her disbelieving, "I am creating Trojans and firewalls and encryptions in the form of a maze so that when I do something that could be considered to be slightly illegal no one can tell it was me." Skye explains.
"Who are you planning on hacking?" Tripp asks.
"It's better that you don't know." Skye responds with a smile then becomes curious about something, "So you've known my Mom a while right?" Skye asks curious, "I mean she babysat you and everything."
"Yeah she did." Tripp answers, "I've known her my whole life." He reveals, "I apparently met you when we were both little kids, before you were kidnapped. I don't remember but Grams has pictures." He admits, knowing that for years Peggy didn't keep the pictures in the open so that she wouldn't hurt Melinda.
"Seriously?" Skye asks shocked.
"Yep." Tripp answers with a grin.
"Wow." Skye says in complete shock, "If you have all this history with my Mom and she's basically a daughter to your Grandmother then why don't you call her Aunt?" Skye asks curious, putting out of her mind the fact that what Tripp just said means that the he's known her mother longer than her.
"I used to." Tripp admits.
"You did?" Skye asks surprised and Tripp nods, "Why did you stop?" Skye asks curious.
"Because when I started at SHIELD I was coming in as the grandson of a howling commando and the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D, I was cousin to a rising star and nephew to the legend. I didn't want to face claims that I only got where I am because of who I am." Tripp explains.
"I get that." Skye admits remembering how she was treated at the academy.
"You do, don't you." Tripp comments noticing the look on her face.
"I spent some time at the academy and I didn't get a second of peace." Skye explains, "Everyone thought I only got where I was because of my last name and the connections I have." Skye explains.
"I did my best to try and avoid that." Tripp explains, "I'm extremely proud of where I come from and who my family are but I don't want to be judge on that. I talked to your Mom before I started and I said that I wanted to keep things professional at work." Tripp explains and Skye realises that it explains the first time she met Tripp and how he and her Mom acted like they barely knew each other, "But ever since the fall I have been wanting to start calling her Aunt Melinda again, but I don't know how she would react."
"You should start, I think she would like it." Skye reveals, "Now, race you to Jem and Fitzy?" Skye asks, realising that they both need some fun after what they were just talking about.
"You're on." Tripp says and the pair both get up and run almost running right into Maria and Garrett.
"Any idea what that's about?" Maria asks.
"No idea, he's your boyfriend." John comments.
"You know?" Maria asks shocked.
"Of course I know." John comments, feeling insulted that she thought he didn't "Tripp's a good guy and I know you like him, I just don't get why you didn't tell me." John comments, hurt by the fact, not that he would ever admit that.
"I didn't want things to be odd between us, and I didn't want you to go crazy protective." Maria admits.
"And you didn't want to admit that this could be serious." John adds.
"Have you been talking to Natasha?" Maria asks
"No, I just know you." Garrett responds, "You don't need me to go overprotective of you I know that if he hurts you you'll kick his ass yourself and I'll be ready with a case of beer and several bottles of scotch just in case." John tells his best friend, "But that being said, he's good for you Maria."
"Thanks John." Maria says with a smile, "You know Melinda, Natasha, Pepper and I can work on finding you someone if you want." Maria offers.
"Don't even think about it." John requests as he starts to walk away from her.
"Why not?" Maria asks following him.
"Because I remember what happened last time." John argues.
"Okay admittedly that could have gone better, but I just want you to be happy." Maria says in a sing song voice.
"I'm happy being single." John informs her.
As soon as they started to run Skye knew that Tripp was faster than her, actually before she started she knew that, but that didn't stop her from trying and in fact she makes headway by jumping down the stars, as Tripp Tripped when he tried the same thing, she would have stopped to make sure that he was okay but she knew that he was so she didn't bother. Even with her advantage they end up arriving at the lab at the same time and both try and push the other out of the way as the enter the lab, where not just Fitz and Simmons but Tony and Bruce are working too. All four of whom look up as they enter.
"Who won?" Skye and Tripp ask together.
"Who looks the most like an idiot? That's a hard choice." Tony comments.
"That' not what we meant." Skye says rolling her eyes, "I mean who got in here first?" Skye asks.
"I think Tripp got here first." Simmons comments and Tripp grins at that.
"Do you two want to explain what is going on?" Bruce asks curious.
"We were racing." Tripp answers.
"Why?" Tony asks.
"Because we can." Skye and Tripp answers.
"Jem, Fitzy, I was thinking if you guys aren't that busy do you want to play Mario Cart?" Skye asks realising just how much better she feels after talking to Clint, it feels like that the weight that has been weighing her down for weeks, no actually, months, is gone because she finally admitted it.
Fitz and Simmons exchange a look both of them aren't sure if they can play or not because of what they are working on.
"Go, we can handle this without you." Bruce says realising how much Fitz and Simmons want to.
"Thanks." Fitz and Simmons say.
"Yeah, thanks." Skye says and the four of them leave the lab.
"You know I think that's the happiest I've seen Skye in days." Bruce comments.
"I think it is too." Tony admits, "Guess it's just the two of us." He comments.
"Guess it is." Bruce responds.
Half an hour later Skye, Fitz, Simmons and Tripp are in not the main living room but another room which is set up similar but with a couch, bean bags and gaming consoles, they are on about their fifth round when Skye notices someone walk past.
"JAMES, COME AND JOIN US." Skye yells, almost right in Tripp's ear who she is sitting near.
"I don't even know what you are doing." Bucky admits from the doorway.
"I'll show you it will be fun." Skye tells him.
"Skye's right, come and join us." Tripp says and Fitz and Simmons nod.
"Okay then." Bucky says and he walks over and head to the couch.
"Not on the couch, over here." Skye says pulling one of the spare bean bags down so that it's next to her, "Just watch me this round then I'll show you what to do and you can have a go." Skye says to Bucky.
"I'm alright watching." Bucky insists
"Skye you're about to run of the road for about the hundredth time." Fitz reveals.
"I thought it was paused!" Skye says turning back to the TV.
"Who said it was?" Tripp asks.
"It's common courtesy." Skye argues.
"No it's not." Fitz, Simmons and Tripp say together.
"Oh, it's so on." Skye says and she tries even harder.
When the game finishes a minute later Skye finds herself in 6th place above Fitz but behind Simmons and Tripp.
"Okay, you're turn now." Skye says to Bucky.
"How do I play?" Bucky asks and Skye starts to show him what to press.
"You know this is the console from the Bus, more than four people can play." Fitz comments.
"Seriously?" Tripp asks.
"I altered it." Fitz explains.
"Then connect it." Skye says to Fitz, "You'll pick it up easy enough, it's not that hard." Skye assures Bucky.
"You think?" Bucky asks and Skye nods.
"Here." Fitz says as he hands Skye another remote.
"Let's play."
Several hours past due to the fact that they are too busy playing their game, Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Tripp and Bucky don't even realise that it is dinner time, but everyone else does and they are in the dining room waiting.
"Jarvis where are Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Tripp and Bucky?" Tony asks.
"Bean Bag Games Room Sir." Jarvis answers.
"Tell them that Dinner is ready please." Tony requests.
"Yes sir." Jarvis responds and Ten minutes past without any sign of the other five members of the Tower.
"Jarvis are they coming?" Pepper asks.
"They said that they were Miss Potts but then continued to play their game." Jarvis answers.
"Okay, this I have to see." Maria comments standing up.
After exchanging a look everyone else stands up too and follows her out.
Down in the room that Jarvis called "Bean Bag Games Room" Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Tripp and Bucky have switched to Super Smash Brow,
"Do you have to keep pushing me off?" Tripp asks Skye.
"It's how you play the game." Skye argues, "You take no prisoners."
"Then why are you going easy on Bucky?" Fitz asks
"We're a team." Skye and Bucky say together, "We had to be when you and Jem started protecting each other." She explains.
"What about me?" Tripp asks, "Don't I get a team mate?"
"Nope." Skye, Simmons and Fitz say.
"Jemma and Leo are currently beating the rest of us so Tripp why don't you join Skye and me and the three of us gang up on them?" Bucky suggests.
"I'm in." Skye says.
"Same." Tripp adds.
"Now that's really not fair." Simmons argues.
"You started it." Skye says with a grin.
"We will crush you." Leo promises.
"Bring it on." Skye says.
"As good as that sounds Dinner is ready." Coulson informs the four from where he is standing behind the couch amused at what is going on.
"Later." Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Tripp and Bucky say, none of them looking at the others.
"Who's who?" Clint asks curious.
"Well the one who just went flying of the building is Skye." Fitz explains.
"And the one who just exploded is Jemma." Bucky adds.
"Tripp is the one jumping up and down for no reason." Jemma says.
"Fitz is the one who just got stabbed." Skye says.
"And Bucky is the one doing the exploding and the stabbing." Tripp explains.
"What can I say, I'm really good at this game." Bucky explains and Steve can't help but smile as apart form when they talked in the kitchen this is the most relaxed he has seen Bucky since he got back.
"Yeah well I kicked your ass at Mario carts." Tripp responds.
"I would like to point out that kicked both your asses at that." Skye says
"And I bet all three of you." Simmons reminds them.
"Really?" Tony asks surprised.
"Jemma is amazingly good at Mario Carts." Fitz explains as he takes out both Tipp and Bucky.
"Damn it." Tripp and Bucky both say, "Skye it's up to you." Tripp tells her.
"I will honour you." Skye says in a very serious voice, causing both Tripp and Bucky to smile.
"No, you will get thrown of the side." Simmons tells her sister.
"Crap." Skye says as her character dies
"Looks like you win, congratulations." Bucky tells Jemma and Leo as the game over comes up on the screen as after they defeated Skye Jemma an Leo killed their characters at the same time.
"Thanks Bucky." Fitz says, "At least one of you can admit that we are better." He comments.
"Congrats you guys." Tripp says and he nudges Skye.
"Yeah, congrats." Skye responds.
"Dinner is upstairs if any of you are interested." Coulson says and Skye, Fitz and Simmons manage to stand up without problem though it becomes very clear that Tripp and Bucky don't find it quite as easy.
"A little help." Tripp requests and Fitz and Simmons each grab one of his hands and pulls up while Skye uses both of hers to pull up Bucky.
"Thanks." Bucky says and Skye smiles at him and everyone heads back upstairs.
"See Kid, its things like this." Clint tells Skye in a quiet voice as he puts his arm around his nieces' shoulder.
"I'm getting that." Skye responds and she gives her Uncle the first truly happy smile she has given him in a while.
PLEASE REVIEW
PLEASE REVIEW
PLEASE REVIEW