It was early, a lot earlier than she would be up normally. But she couldn't sleep, which wasn't anything normal, she could go days without getting any sleep. This time around, it felt, different in some way. Seeing that it's 4 am, Melinda finally gives up and rises from her bed. Starting Tai Chi an hour earlier than her normal routine doesn't really mater in this moment. Changing into her work out clothes, she heads for the hangar.
Reaching the catwalk, she comes to a stop, realising she isn't the only one that is up this early. Her eyes landing on Skye. Feeling how her eyes grows large at the sight in front of her. She has heard the hacker complain with early morning calls, she along side the science twins. So seeing her up at 4 am doing Tai Chi is a big surprise, that's when she realise the second thing.
Skye is down in the hangar, 4 am, doing near perfect Tai Chi movements, her eyes closed and from where Melinda is standing, it looks like Skye has a perfect breathing. Blinking a few times, Melinda is sure for a few seconds that she dreaming all of this, there is no way the hacker Phil picked up is doing Tai Chi this early in the morning. Opening her eyes and seeing that Skye is still down there, she recognise the third thing.
Ever since Phil picked Skye up, the young girl have made sure to wear shirts with long arms, or at least arms that ends at her elbow. Even the dress she picked up for her undercover mission where she ends up working with Stark had long sleeves, which Simmons had pointed out would be hot. But Skye wouldn't back down, there was nothing Simmons or herself could say that would make Skye change her mind about the sleeve less dress.
And here Skye is, up at 4 am, doing Tai Chi in the hangar, wearing a tank top and Melinda can understand why the young woman doesn't want to show her arms or back. From what she can see, a large scar is covering her back and upper arms, scars that looks to be quite old. But for a few seconds, the scars looks red and newly done to Melinda, she has seen the same type of scars before. She has helped treat and take care of the same type of scars.
The only difference is, the scars she helped with belonged to a young and scared girl who was broken beyond anything. A girl that Melinda had been forced to take care of, a mission she never asked for. A girl that somehow managed to warm her way into Melinda's heart and a girl she would do anything to protect. A girl that somehow become her own.
A girl that later on was moved and she never saw or heard anything about again. For years Melinda has tried to push that behind her, which to her surprise was a lot harder than she though was even possible. Even after what went down in Bahrain she couldn't stop thinking about little Mary. And now, years later, she is watching a back with similar scars on the hacker.
That's when things starts to add up, Skye's conversation about growing up in the system, how she didn't give them her real name. And the fact that she scared around men, how it took a while for her to allow Fitz close to her and how she still keeps Ward on a safe distance. How the hacker somehow managed to warm her way past Melinda's walls, she have done it once already.
Looking down at the hacker, there is only one way to find out if she is right or not. Slowly starting walking down the stairs, Melinda keeps her eyes on Skye who hasn't realised she is there. Coming to a stop halfway down the stairs, seeing Skye's movement up close, she can see that she is doing a very good work.
"Mary."
Saying the name she hasn't used in years, Melinda sees how Skye freezes up in her movement. Slowly opening her eyes, Melinda can see that Skye starts to tremble as she turns her head. Looking into Skye's eyes, Melinda can see a mix of emotions, fear, sadness, hope among some. Moving down the last few steps, Melinda is sure that the young woman standing in front of her is the girl she used to care for.
Seeing how tears starts to build up in Skye's eyes, Melinda surprises herself by grabbing the young woman's arm and pulls her into a hug. Skye grabbing hold of Melinda like her life depends on it.
"Shhh, I got you, I got you."
Melinda tells her in a low voice, trying to calm the crying girl. Looking around herself, her eyes lands on a hoody that has been placed on the seats to the side. Carefully releasing the hug, she grabs the hoody and leads Skye over to one of the SUV's. Opening the car door, Melinda let's Skye enter the before she follows, closing the door behind her.
The moment the car door is closed, Skye leans on Melinda once more, making Melinda lay an arm around her shoulders. Letting the young woman cry out, she starts to comb through Skye's hair, an action that used to calm her down when she was little and she is happy to see it still helps.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Melinda asks once Skye is calm enough.
"I didn't know how, and I was scared I haven't turned out what you or Coulson would think about me. And I can see neither of you are the same, something has change and..."
Skye starts to explain, working herself up in the process. Taking hold of her hand, Melinda moves so she can look Skye in the eyes.
"Hey, hey. Look at me, follow my breathing alright. Just do what I do."
She instructs and after a minute, Skye calms down once more, making Melinda pull her into a hug once more.
"We would never bee disappointed in..."
She starts to say, only to stop herself when she realises what Skye said before freaking out.
"Phil? Why would you be worried about what Phil thinks?"
She asks and Skye lifts her head to look at her.
"He never... of course he never told you."
Skye says in a low voice, which makes Melinda wonder just how much she has missed during the years.
"After they moved me from you, they placed me with Phil."
She explains, making Melinda shakes her head. She should have known, deep down she should have seen it coming, if Fury forced her to take care of a kid, of course he would put Phil through it too. And Skye's life was still in danger even if they moved her from Melinda.
"We need to tell him."
At her comment, she can feel how Skye freeze in her arms, not an action she was expecting to happen.
"No, no we can't... he... I..."
She tries to get a word out, not fully able to come up with what to say.
"Xiǎo xīngxīng, calm down."
Using the old nickname makes Skye calm down slightly and Melinda tries once more.
"We really should tell him, he has a right to know."
She says, hopping this will make things easier for the young woman in her arms.
"I tired, sort of. After he sent Miles away I gave him a memory card that contains a reduced version of my mission file. Not a single change in his eyes, he glanced over it so quickly."
Skye informs her and Melinda can feel anger growing in her, how could he not remember something so important. Feeling how Skye starts to shake once more, she turns her attention towards her once more.
"And, its easier like this. If he doesn't remember me it will be a lot easier for me to lie to my siblings if they were to call me when I'm here and..."
"Siblings?"
Melinda interrupts Skye's list on why she doesn't want Phil to know, she could have stopped her anywhere else or try to talk her into telling him. But hearing her say siblings, well there was another box she needs to open. This question however makes Skye smile.
"Okay so, when Coulson took me in... he had a hard time getting close to me and I wouldn't talk to him, you know, being myself. So he decided to call Clint to ask for help and with Clint came Natasha and then later on Maria."
Skye starts to explain, making Melinda smile. Happy that at least someone has been close to her this whole time.
"Then there was a break, I lived with agent Hand for two weeks before being placed in the system..."
Melinda can feel how her eyes grows big at the new information, seeing the grin on Skye's face when she realises it too.
"Yeah Aunt Vic wasn't all to happy with having to take care of me at first, but she grow into it quite fast."
Skye informs, her smile somehow growing even bigger when she says aunt Vic, which makes Melinda roll her eyes.
"Anyway, I was placed in the system again, ending up in a bad home directly from the start. I called Natasha and she came to pick me up, taking me away from that place and Clint and Maria was on their way to, apparently they just needed to get away from a mission talk with Fury or something like that."
Skye continues to explain, making Melinda realise when this had gone down. When Maria had shown up, asking her and Phil to tell Fury that she needed Clint and Natasha for another mission, they both had looked, worried and stressed. Now she got an explanation as to why.
"They decided it was time for them to step up, so I moved in with them, aunt Vic was informed, mostly because Ria needed her to delete everything S.H.I.E.L.D had on me and she couldn't do that from the safe house so."
Melinda nods her head slightly, it all falling into place. How she was able to disarm her so quickly, how she was already calm around Phil and not the other two male in the team.
"And Stark?"
Melinda finds herself asking, yet again not the question she first thought of. Feeling how Skye shrinks down beside her, she realises this had been a bad mistake.
"I meet Stark and the other Avengers after the battle of New York. I watched the whole thing from my van. Afterwards I used the back door I have into S.H.I.E.L.D system to see so Maria was alright to, only to find out that Coulson... that Phil..."
Skye starts to explain once more, not able to finish. Knowing fully well what she had seen, Melinda pulls her close once more.
"You don't have to say it. I understand."
Melinda tells her in a low and calm voice, surprising herself just how calm she sounds. It's far from what she really feels.
"The Avengers learned the truth and I went back to do what I had been doing. Trying to get as much information about Rising Tied as possible and make sure they don't get any important information from S.H.I.E.L.D... Ria and Vic put me on this small side mission when I realised S.H.I.E.L.D had been hacked by them the first time around. When I realised that they were on to me, I used the lines we agreed on to get me out, but somehow Ria forgot and she sent you guys. Imagine my shock coming face to face with Coulson again."
Feeling anger rise in her once more, Melinda takes a deep breath to calm herself. Now isn't the time to get angry over something so small. Skye is with her now and she is safe and sound.
"Does Maria know?"
"Of course, when Coulson left to get the truth serum, I called Ria, asking her what was going on. She gave me a few quick notes and after we blow a hole in the BUS, Ria come to see me, handing over the file on what Coulson has been through, everything about the T.A.H.I.T.I project. Not a very magical place if you ask me."
Silence falls over them at that statement. Skye being the one having more knowledge than Melinda herself in this moment.
"What do you want to do then? Phil deserves to know the truth and you know that, you know how sad and hurt he will feel if he finds out how long he has been kept in the dark."
Melinda finally says, returning back to the problem at hand, making Skye grow even smaller beside her.
"I know, I know. I just... I don't know... he..."
Going back to not knowing what to say or think once more, Melinda let's out a sigh. It was to much to spring on the poor girl. Having one guardian find out in one day is enough, she isn't sure Skye will be able to repeat everything she just told her.
"How about this, you will think out how to tell him, but for now, we will keep it between us. We have a few things we need to work out after all. Starting with your training."
Melinda tells her and she can see how Skye's eyes grows big, a hint of fear shining in them.
"I presume both Natasha and Clint have been teaching you have to defend yourself?"
Melinda asks and Skye nods her head at this.
"Good, then I know how to continue your training."
Seeing the surprised look in the young woman's eyes, Melinda rolls her eyes.
"Do you really think I would force you to train with agent Ward?"
She asks, making Skye quickly shake her head. Seeing a spark take life in her eyes, Melinda wonders what she has though t of now.
"Does this mean I can start training ballet openly and not when everyone is asleep?"
Blinking a few times, Melinda tries to process the question. She starts to smile however, she should have seen it coming.
"Yes. But for now, I think you should go back to your bunk and go to sleep! Something tells me you haven't been sleeping at all."
Melinda points out and Skye turns her head to the side, showing Melinda she had been right about that.
"I can't, every time I close my eyes I..."
She starts to say, only to grow silent once more. Looking at her carefully, Melinda tried to figure out what is wrong, and it finally hits her. Why she isn't able to sleep tonight, why Skye would be up this early in the morning, doing Tai Chi.
"Alright, how about we go to the cockpit. I could do with some flying and I will be able to be there if you have a nightmare, even if we both know a nightmare doesn't dare show itself when I'm around."
Melinda tells her, placing her own forehead against Skye's, feeling how she starts to relax properly.
"I'm here now Xiǎo xīngxīng, and I won't go anywhere."