A/N: Nanowrimo started, I'm 5,000 words behind and literally forgot FF existed until yesterday. Making edits and updating what I can. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and to all the Americans, have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Summary: Agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson are put on a new assignment to look after an object of unknown origin, an 0-8-4. The only catch is this 0-8-4 is a person. A fourteen year old girl who's spent her life in the foster system is now in more danger than ever. A man beast is hunting her and SHIELD has to make sure that it doesn't get close to her. AU, MCU characters will be used.

Chapter Eleven

September 10 Saturday 2011

"Remember if you want to leave, all you have to do is send our safe word and I'll come get you," Melinda said as she stood by Skye in the parking lot.

Yesterday Simmons had invited Skye to join her and the boys to hang out for a couple of hours at the city mall. Skye was hesitant to agree, but against her better judgment decided to come and was slowly regretting that decision. She had never been invited to functions like this and was in new territory. Melinda had been able to tell Skye was uncertain and told her that if she wanted to leave at anytime, felt uncomfortable or anything, all she had to do was send a text to Melinda and the woman would come.

"If they ask why you're leaving, just say there was an emergency of some kind," Melinda went on, "I'll stay in the area so you won't have to wait long."

"You don't have to do this, I can just wait it out," Skye said, her eyes on her feet.

Melinda placed a hand on Skye's shoulder and to her surprise, the young teen didn't flinch away.

"Like I keep saying, I don't have to, but I want to," replied Melinda.

Skye looked at the woman then, "I appreciate it. I know it looks like I'm ungrateful, but-"

"You don't have to explain," Melinda said softly, "Now go on, have a good time and be a teenager. Just don't do anything crazy alright?"

Skye offered her a small smile, "Alright. Bye Melinda."

Melinda nodded before walking back to her car. Simmons and her friends were already inside waiting for her, Melinda had seen them already, but kept Skye a little longer to go over her escape route. It was important the young teen know that she wasn't trapped here and she could leave at anytime if she wanted to.

If she wanted to go, she could send Melinda quick text of their safe word, Hula girl, or call Melinda and say, "Have you seen my hula girl anywhere?"

Either would let Melinda know that Skye was ready to leave and wouldn't draw any attention to her. Skye took a breath before walking inside to meet her friends. Fitz wore a simple blue t-shirt and blue jeans, surprisingly looking the most casual of the group. Simmons was dressed in a sweater with a white collar and nicer pants.

"Hey Skye, glad you could make it," Lincoln said with a wave.

He wore a white shirt, blue hoodie the hood up and jeans, the style suited him as far as Skye was concerned.

Skye nodded, "Yeah, glad I could to."

Trip nodded, "Your Mom making sure you good?"

Skye felt her throat tighten at the word Mom. Something she would never have.

"Uh foster parent," Skye corrected softly.

No one said anything at her revelation, though the pity glances didn't go unnoticed by Skye. Except Ward's was more understanding than pity, which peaked her curiosity.

"Well," Simmons said, "Where would you like to go first?"

Skye frowned, "It's your birthday celebration, we should go wherever you want."

"If Simmons had it her way we'd be at the science museum by now," Ward said with a grin as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Besides, her real birthday celebration won't be until later. This is just us hanging."

Skye raised a brow, "How come?"

Simmons shifted, her demeanor unsure, "Well I like to celebrate with my relatives first then with friends. My dad won't be back for another two weeks, so my actual birthday party of sorts won't be until after."

Skye nodded in understanding, "That's sweet."

Trip spoke next, "So, where are we headed first?"

"Laser tag," Lincoln said without hesitation.

A chorus of yes's filled the air. Skye remained quiet, she had heard of laser tag, but had never been. Robbie had tried to sneak her there once, but once Hyde caught on, it ended badly for the both of them. The idea of laser tag now made her nervous, even though the idea sounded fun.

"What do you say girl," Trip asked her.

Skye pursed her lips, "I've never been."

"Never," Ward asked surprised, "Really?"

Skye shook her head, "Nope."

"Well that settles it, we're going," Fitz said, "I'm not very good at it, but it is definitely a fun activity."

Simmons nodded, "I have a feeling you'll love it Skye. Plus with the six f us, we can have even teams. Fitz and I, Ward and Trip, Skye and Lincoln."

Lincoln grinned, "Sweet. Let's get going."

The group of teens headed through the mall, occasionally stopping to do some brief window shopping. The walk was quick enough, Skye had to say she enjoyed the laughter and conversation. It flowed easily enough and she felt like a regular teen, a feeling she wasn't familiar with. All too soon they were in the laser tag area, there wasn't anyone else around so they just went in and waited for an employee to get them.

Skye had to admit she was a little nervous when they were brought into a dark room, though she liked that her white socks glowed. Fitz said it was because of the black light above. After a brief explanation and some instructions, they each put on their vests and studied there shooter. It had different modes, blaster, sniper or rapid fire. Skye bit her lip as she followed the others into the dark room that lit up in a few places and had smoke all around. Her chest tightened as she followed Lincoln to a corner, while their friends went elsewhere. Skye leaned back against the wall.

"Alright so we can either make a plan or wing it," Lincoln said, "We'll split up and shoot like crazy."

Skye's eyes widened at splitting up, but she reminded herself that it was safe and she would be fine on her own.

"Okay," Skye said.

Lincoln sent her a comforting grin, "Don't worry. It's really fun once you get into-"

Lincoln didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when his vest lit up and made a weird noise. Skye jumped in surprise and Lincoln turned around to see Trip with his blaster up.

The noise sounded like a firecracker, but it was much louder and more sudden.

Lincoln made an inappropriate gesture with his hand as Trip moved away laughing loudly. Lincoln took off then leaving Skye alone, the sound of the vests filling her ears along with footsteps.

Scattered footsteps were all over, she was tripping on her own feet until an older kid picked her up and ran through the smokey hall. The smell of burning wood hurting her nose.

Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest, it wasn't as dark as the cellar in her previous foster home, but it was close enough to make her anxious.

She curled into herself against the cement wall, the air sending chills throughout her body as she struggled to stay warm.

What if she couldn't get out? What if the others leave her? Forget about her? Would she ever escape? She gripped the blaster tighter in her hands, forcing air into her lungs as the questions raced through her mind. The sounds of the lasers firing over head along with a few flashes briefly brought her back to the present. Skye forced herself to breathe normal, but it did nothing to settle her heart rate and before she knew it, her breathing turned shallow.

She was hiding behind a couch, two other kids huddled next to her as they cried silently in terror. Her grip tightened around them, around Matt and Donnie. How could she protect them, how could she protect herself?

Ward had appeared then and shot her, the vest came alive and she gasped in surprise shrinking back. Ward laughed at first, but he paused when he noticed she wasn't responding. A choking sound escaped her as she started to get lower to the ground.

"Skye you okay," Ward asked lowering his blaster.

He couldn't see her all that well, but he knew the face of a scared kid. It was an expression he was all to familiar with.

"I, I," Skye stuttered glancing around, "I'm okay. Just uh, just uh."

Skye glanced around again, her eyes blinking rapidly and her breathing labored. Her chest hurt as she slipped further down the wall, now only half standing with Ward in front of her.

"Skye listen," Ward said as gently as he could, "There's nothing to be afraid of, okay? These can't hurt you and the only thing here in the dark is your friends."

"I don't have friends," Skye whispered.

Ward touched his chest in mock offense, "I'm wounded." He paused realizing that probably wasn't the smart thing to do, "We're your friends. And we won't hurt you. Come on, we'll have an alliance and take out everyone else."

Skye swallowed, "I don't, I don't think that's-" Skye was cut off by Trip appearing beside her, shooting her vest.

Jasper shrieked after the sudden pop, red liquid quickly staining his favorite NASA shirt. She could feel his weight on top of her, felt the blood seep into her own shirt.

The younger girl jumped in surprise. Her heart skipping a beat before the pounding continued to get worse, her breathing turning slightly more ragged.

"Trip, not the time," Ward said coldly.

Trip raised a brow, "We're playing laser tag dude. How is it not the time?"

"Skye's a bit out of it," Ward said simply.

Trip looked at his new friend, "Sorry girl, didn't meant to shake you up."

"It's uh, it's fine," Skye tried to say, but her throat tightened.

Suddenly it seemed a lot darker than it had before and all she wanted to do was run away. Where could she go? It wasn't like the doors would just open, they had to wait until the time was up. Her heart started pounding harder, hard enough for it to hurt and before she knew it, her eyes were burning as tears filled them. Why was she so weak? There was nothing to be afraid of.

"Come on girl stay with me," Trip said in front of her.

When had he gotten so close?

"Do you want us to get the person to let us leave," Trip asked her curiosity.

Skye shook her head, the words not coming out. Recovering in here she would have to do, there was no way they would let her live this down. Having to leave in the middle of their laser fight, especially after paying to come here and now she was ruining their fun? She had to tough it out, she couldn't be this weak.

"Okay, uh oh I got it! Here, hold up your blaster… yeah point st me.. and pull," Trip instructed.

It felt heavy in her hands and wrong. She could hear the cries echoing in her ears. She forced from her mind as best she could.

Skye pulled the trigger and his vest lit up, Trip laughed, "See? All good right. Once the light goes out, hit me again."

Skye waited for the lights to fade and fired again, his vest lit yo and made the strange sound. Once again, Trip laughed. Skye found herself smiling lightly as a tear slipped down her cheek, she was too embarrassed to wipe it away.

"See it's all good," Trip reassured hsr, "Come on girl, follow me."

Trip held out his hand to her and hesitantly she took it. Skye let him pull her up a ramp and to the side where the others were engrossed in firefight. Skye tensed as they paused their attacks to look at her. None of them moved, they stood there. Skye anticipated the part where they all fired at her or taunted her for being so afraid.

"Fire when ready," Trip told her.

Skye glanced at him, "What?"

Trip gestured to the group of teens, "They won't shoot at you until you get the hang of it, so fire when ready."

Skye hesitated, there must be more to it than that. However no one said anything else. Skye lifted her blaster and fired, it took a few times, but she managed to hit Fitz-Simmons, Lincoln and Ward. When the lights faded, she fired again and this time a laugh escaped her. The fear had slipped away and before she knew it, she was jogging throughout the room, up and down ramps and through the mazes during and being firing on. All too quickly the game ended, their laughter not stopping until they made it back into the light.

Skye had never been more relieved to see a bright and crowded place in her life. No one questioned her about what happened, but it was decided they wouldn't go back there for a while. Skye had to admit if she wouldn't have panicked, she would have really enjoyed laser tag. Lincoln suggested they head to the bowling alley and arcade next door. No one opposed and Skye knew that couldn't really cause her any trouble. She had been to an arcade once before with Robbie and had a great time. Though bowling was not something she had experience with.

Her and Trip were partnered this time, Simmons and Lincoln while Ward and Fitz were together. Skye started out rocky, but eventually got the hang of it. Simmons and Lincoln ended up winning the round, but Skye was pleased she and Trip were second in terms of combined scores. Fitz struggled and even ended up using the bumpers towards the end because of all the gutter balls.

Skye wasn't sure how many rounds they played, but it was at least seven. Soon they were all sitting in the food court each with their own tray of food. Trip and Lincoln had gotten Chinese, Skye and Ward had gone for pizza while Fitz-Simmons were enjoying hamburgers and fries. It was easy for Skye to forget about everything that had happened to her in the past. Where she was no longer the orphan freak Mary Sue, but just foster kid Skye. It was a nice change of pace.

May would be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried about Skye, or really a lot worried. Two days ago, May found Skye crying in the kitchen at 3 in the morning because of some nightmares. What exactly the nightmares were about was beyond May. The only coherent thing May could get out of Skye was a name, Mr Hyde. That was a foster parent Skye had been with back in March before being removed from his care due to neglect and abuse.

The very thought of anyone mistreating Skye was enough to make May's blood boil which was ridiculous considering May knew growing attached to this girl was a problem. Not to mention May had planned to leave soon, but Coulson was right. There was no way she could leave now, not after getting to know Skye and be there when she was most vulnerable. Skye was so used to people leaving, how could May leave her so soon as well? The answer was simple, she really couldn't leave her.

May sighed as she leaned back against the car headrest, what was she going to do? She would have to think more on it later. Skye appeared at the mall entrance doors, walking with her new friends towards May's car. Based on her body language and smile, May could tell that Skye was enjoying herself. This sent a wave of relief through the shield agent. Skye climbed into the car, waved goodbye to her friends before closing the door.

"So, how was it," May asked turning the car on.

Skye grinned, "It was actually a lot of fun. It didn't start out great because of a mild attack, but they were really helpful and understanding about it."

"Are you okay now, what caused it," May asked with a frown.

Skye glanced away, "We were playing laser tag. It was dark and the blaster sounds reminded me of times I'd rather forget. It didn't last long, Ward was the most help then. After we went to the arcade and bowling, you would not believe what happened at the alley."

Skye paused, her breath caught as she struggled and failed not to laugh at the memory. May wanted this moment to be burned into her memory, the sight of this broken girl smiling like no tomorrow and laughing like she was truly happy. How she wished that this would continue for the young girl. May tried to push those thoughts away, but she just couldn't do it. This young girl was already becoming too important to her.

May would define this as the moment she finally understood what Coulson had said days ago. About how he was already attached to her. Now May understood why and what he meant. Nothing would happen to Skye, not just because of the mission, but because they both genuinely cared about her. By the time Melinda pulled into the driveway, Skye's story was over and Phil had yet to return home. Most likely he was having a meeting at the university he taught at or was meeting with some other agents about an upcoming mission.

When Melinda saw the note on the fridge, she realized where Phil was. After speaking with Skye's social worker and Agent Morse, it was decided Skye would need to see a therapist. Mr Peterson had been trying to get Skye to go talk to one, he spoke with several foster parents about it, but none of them were actually willing to do so. The young teen needed the sessions if she was going to start healing.

"Skye" Melinda called to the teen sitting on the couch, "Do you remember Mr Peterson talking to you about a therapist?"

Skye looked over at Melinda with a scowl on her face, "I remember. Why, is he asking you and Phil to bring me to one?"

Melinda nodded, "He thinks it will be best for you. Your other foster parents never brought you which he says was a mistake."

Skye shrugged, her expression bitter, "I don't need a therapist."

"You don't think so," Melinda said walking over to Skye.

Though Skye had been for the most part easy, both Phil and Melinda were waiting for the other shoe to drop. The reports on Skye depicted her as this demon child, but based on their interactions she was just a rebellious teen. She didn't like being told what to do, when to do it or how to do it. The young woman also hated when anyone touched her personal items, something Phil would not do again.

That had resulted in a tough conversation for both Phil and Skye. Phil because he had to be tough on her, Skye because she was afraid Phil would show his 'true' side. Skye was convinced that Phil and Melinda were still pretending to care, or in her own words 'give a damn' about her. It was only in the moments where Skye was completely vulnerable that she would trust them, otherwise she was cautious and acted nonchalant for the most part.

"No," Skye answered with a raised chin, "I don't need to sit in some old person's office as they ask me about how I'm feeling and tell me nothing useful."

Melinda raised an eyebrow, "Therapists do more than ask questions about feelings. They help you work out problems and find the solution you can accomplish."

Skye glanced away, "I don't want to go."

"I can understand why," Melinda admitted gently, "You don't want someone telling you what to do about your issues. You don't want to even tell them what's wrong because you don't want to admit it. Well you can only pull off that act for so long before it catches up to you and slowly consumes you."

"You sound like you have experience," Skye whispered.

Melinda replied simply a weak smile on her face, "In a manner of speaking. Phil and I won't force you to go, but we think you should at least go to one session. And if you really hate it, we won't bring you back."

Skye narrowed her eyes slightly at Melinda, curious about the offer. It seemed like a good deal, but she was hesitant to take it. Therapists always bothered Skye. It wasn't like they actually cared about their patients, they just wanted money for talking about another person's problems.

"Fine," Skye said a little too cold for Melinda's liking.

Melinda wondered if she correct the girl or scold her in some way, but she decided to let this one go. It was a subtle way for Skye to release her frustration, so Melinda would leave it at that.

"Next Saturday, 2 o'clock," Melinda said standing from her seat.

Skye didn't saying anything, she only nodded once before turning her attention to the tv.