A/N: I'll admit, I'm not super pleased with this chapter, but it helps me set up everything I need to in the best way without it being too obvious, though I'm worried it doesn't have a good flow to it. But after at least three re-writes, here we are. I hope you guys enjoy it and have an awesome day!

Sidenote: There is a pretty long flashback scene and I didn't like it all of it in Italics, so it's blocked off. If that doesn't look right to you guys and you'd prefer Italics, let me know and I'll change it.

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 Seventeen

Skye looked at herself in the mirror for the most part satisfied with the way she looked. Despite herself, she couldn't stop the nervousness from growing in her stomach spreading throughout. The only Halloween she could remember 'trick or treating' was when she was five and the kindergartners got to go to the classes and get treats. It had been fun, but likely not as good as the real thing as far as Skye was concerned.

She tugged the red hood over her wavy hair, straightening her shoulders and she nodded approvingly. This would be fun. They would go trick or treating for an hour, maybe stop by the neighborhood haunted house then come back to watch scary movies in their costumes.

Skye turned around to look at Simmons who was sitting neatly on her unmade bed, her smile wide and eyes excited. It came as a slight surprise that Simmons and Fitz would be this invested in Halloween, one minute they sounded like most adults and the next they were very much like kids.

"What do you think," Skye said gesturing to herself, "Do I make a decent Red Riding Hood?"

Simmons nodded, "Perfect. I'm glad you liked it enough to actually put it on."

Skye chuckled, "Well, you and Fitz can be pretty persuasive."

Simmons stood up quickly, "One of our many talents. Now come on, I heard the doorbell which means someone else has arrived."

"Great," Skye said a little less than enthusiastic.

Simmons frowned, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, let's go," Skye said walking out of her room, Simmons right behind her.

The two girls made their way downstairs, but stopped in the middle to look and see who had arrived. Skye found Lincoln had arrived and was talking to Phil with Fitz and Melinda setting something else up on the side. His costume was unmistakably a wolf. Lincoln was dressed in a grey wolf onesie, the hood from what Skye could see had ears and maybe eyes, but she wasn't sure.

Maybe she was just a little happy that she agreed to be Red Riding Hood now that she saw her best friend. Of course her and Simmons were close, but Lincoln was her closest friend out of the group.

Phil glanced their way and waved, "Ah, Red Riding Hood and Marie Curie, come on down."

Skye rolled her eyes as she made her way down stairs, though Simmons was beaming at being called Marie Curie. Though she guessed Fitz told him, she was still happy about it.

"Pleasure to see you again Simmons," Phil said with a smile.

Simmons nodded, "And you too sir. Hello Lincoln, I love the costume."

Lincoln grinned, though it was stiff given all the face paint he had on, "Yeah, my sister was thrilled when I told her and couldn't resist helping to paint my face. I'm glad to see Red has decided to join us."

"Hahaha," Skye said sarcastically, "We're going for an hour."

Lincoln scoffed, "Trust me, we'll be gone longer than that. If it's okay with your pare- foster parents."

Skye didn't remark on the slip up.

"It's fine by us, as long as we get a text," Phil said with a smile.

He couldn't comment on the slip up either. It shouldn't have bothered him, to be referred to as Skye's foster parents. It was true after all, she was his foster daughter, he wanted to say the bothered feeling came from the fact that he wasn't truly her foster parent. That he was an agent sent to watch her.

However, deep down, he knew that the real reason it bothered him is because he wished the foster part wasn't there. He glanced at Melinda who had a barely noticeable wince on her face as her eyes met his. She felt the same way. She went back to moving some items around behind the counter while Fitz moved to join the group on the other side.

"So," Skye started, "Any updates on Ward and Trip?"

Lincoln answered, "Yeah. They're going to come here first to hang with us for a while."

"Are they going somewhere else," Melinda asked from behind the counter.

Simmons told her, "There was a Halloween party that Akela was throwing."

"And you guys aren't going with them," Phil asked, he looked at Skye, "Sounds like it could be fun."

Skye shrugged her shoulders, but didn't say anything. She was visibly uncomfortable now. Lincoln didn't look much better either, but neither Fitz nor Simmons to notice as they continued talking.

Fitz spoke, "It's not an open party, it's for the Specialist program students only, though Skye and Lincoln could have gone."

"They are recruits for the program so they got an invite, but they chose not to for reasons," Simmons added.

Lincoln sighed, "I already told you, parties aren't my thing."

Fitz scoffed, "No, you decided not to go because-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll kill you," Lincoln said sharply.

Melinda spoke to Skye as the boys bickered, "You're being recruited by the Specialist program."

Skye licked her lips and kept her gaze on the floor, "Yeah."

"Skye, that's amazing," Melinda said, she smiled as best she could despite how angry she was with whoever recruited her, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Skye shrugged her shoulders.

Lincoln came to her aid, though he gave a pointed look to Fitz, "We aren't allowed to talk about it."

Phil frowned, "Really? Who told you that?"

"Some man with an eyepatch," Lincoln answered, "He didn't give his name though. Just that he was one of the really higher ups. He took me, Skye and a handful of others into a room, told us we were on the list to become a part of the Specialist program."

Phil and Melinda shared a look with each other, one of confusion and the other anger. Once the teens were gone, they would have to talk about this. Why on earth Fury would be recruiting Skye was beyond either agent, it didn't make any sense and rubbed them entirely the wrong way.

Melinda didn't want Skye to be wrapped in SHIELD. Of course she did love SHIELD and all it stood for as well as being an agent, however sometimes she had to wonder if she would have been better off without it, especially after what happened to her in Bahrain. Granted, SHIELD did save lives and help people, but Melinda knew people could easily be destroyed by that lifestyle and she didn't want that for Skye.

Phil was just confused. Though he thought Skye could make a great agent one day based of her hacking abilities and how quickly she picked up on new skills, he wasn't sure why Fury of all people would recruit her. It was Fury who had been working on her case, who was talking closely with Maria and another agent about Skye's 0-8-4 status. It didn't make sense as to why Fury would be trying to recruit her.

"Anyway," Skye spoke up, her nerves rising, "We should get going, we can meet Trip and Ward out there. I'll text you guys when we're on our way back or if we get held up."

Melinda wanted to stop her, but Phil shot her glance. It was clear that Skye didn't want to risk giving anymore away about what was going on, he couldn't blame her.

"Okay, be safe," Phil told them.

The teens nodded and left the house. Once that front door closed, May's anger could be seen on every feature of her face. Coulson was honestly surprised with how angry she appeared, considering how well she could keep her emotions in check, for her to show this much anger must mean she royally pissed.

He was more or less confused. It was Fury and Hill who assigned them to this case, they obviously knew who Skye was, so why would they be recruiting her into the specialist program? A program that would lead her to become a field agent like them. If Skye's 0-8-4 status turned out that she was gifted, there wasn't a chance she could go into the field.

SHIELD had super powered people, but to keep them protected, they kept them out of the fight. It wasn't there job to fight crimes and protect themselves all the time from the dangers that awaited them. Putting them on the frontline went against the purpose of protecting them, of keeping them safe.

"What the hell is Fury thinking," May said through gritted teeth.

Coulson shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine. He knows she's an 0-8-4, it doesn't make sense. But maybe he just wants to make sure that she can protect herself out there? I mean, when this is all over we won't be keeping close eyes on her like we are now."

May leaned on the counter, "I'm calling him."

Coulson frowned, "May wait-"

"No, I won't wait. I want answers as to why he thinks recruiting Skye into the specialist program is a good idea," May interrupted sharply.

Coulson honestly shouldn't have been surprised by how upset May was about this news. He wasn't that happy about it either, though Coulson guesses for entirely different reasons. It was strange that Fury would go directly to Skye and start recruiting her. Something was wrong with that picture.

"You don't think it would have anything to do with his initiative," Coulson asked as he followed May to the basement.

May paused at the bottom of the stairs, she looked up at him, "No one knows if Skye is gifted, least of all Fury. Besides, she's fourteen. Why would he consider her for if?"

"Unless he knows something we don't," Coulson commented, "But I can't imagine what he could know that would bring that to mind. We're probably overthinking this."

"No kidding."

May and Coulson froze for a moment at the new voice. They quickly made their way down into the open area of the basement to see Agent Hill sitting in the couch. She grinned at them. Maria wasn'r typically one for surprises, but she supposed she could make an exception. Seeing how worked up May and Coulson were at this moment, she figured joe was the perfect surprise or maybe the worst time.

"When did you get here," May asked, arms crossed over her chest.

Maria stood from her seat, "A couple of minutes ago. My timing couldn't be better. You heard about Mary? No, she goes by Skye now. Her recruitment."

"You mind telling us what that's about," Coulson said, he gave a slightly pointed look.

Marie shrugged her shoulders, "Fury think's she could be a great agent one day."

"Despite her 0-8-4 status," May asked, she gritted her teeth, "He shouldn't have moved her to that program at fourteen. Especially if there's a chance her 0-8-4 status is something serious and dangerous."

"Perhaps, but given the recent developments, it stands to reason it could be useful," Maria remarked.

"What developments," Coulson asked.

"Unimportant right now," Maria stated, "Your mission is the same. Keep her safe. This doesn't change anything."

May narrowed her eyes, "What aren't you telling us Maria?"

"Classified," was all the agent said before leaving.

Neither Coulson nor May stopped her.

Skye was having the time of her life trick or treating. She had to admit, running around with her friends in these costumes and going up to random houses to get candy was a brilliant idea. Currently, she and Simmons were running down a hill with Fitz right behind. Trip and Ward were pulling up the rear while Lincoln was the last one.

Okay, so they weren't just getting candy. They had pulled a few harmless pranks from time to time, throwing one or two toilet paper rolls, playing ding dong ditch, stuff like that. It was all harmless and in good fun, but this woman and her friend were not happy with this group of kids.

Simmons and Fitz were actually a bit terrified, stranger danger and the authorities being called since they were vandalizing someone's property. Ward and Trip were far from concerned, if anything were to go wrong, they were more than prepared to handle anything that came their way. Lincoln was more or less along for the ride as he ran. He had been the one to ring the doorbell and if he was caught, had no problem taking the blame.

Skye was loving the adrenaline that was racing through her in time with her heartbeat. However as she rounded a corner, a scene across the way with another group of teens pulled her out of the present and into the past. One teen was driving slowing by a house as another kid jumped into the car, away from yet another angry homeowner.

"Come back here!"

It didn't help that the voice sounded familiar, from angry man she didn't know, from memory that was hardly a few months old...

*Flashback*

"Get your ass back here!"

It didn't take a genius for her to know that the man was not very happy with her and in all honesty, she really couldn't blame him. Against her better judgement, she had decided to play a dangerous game in a dangerous part of town where almost anything went. Though she tended to acquire information, sometimes she would join the fun. It would seem less suspicious that way, but she was hired to hack and gather intel first hand, not play cards or pool. No one else knew that though.

Like Nathan, most people saw her as a common street kid. She didn't care what they thought of her, most of it was rumors anyway. What she did care about was getting into a fight, which did happen quite often. Stopping to speak to him would only end badly for her, she really needed to get home soon or else Hyde would have her head.

Now she found herself wondering what would be better, having to deal with the man she had just conned or deal with her foster father on a Friday night. Mary glanced at her wristwatch, the watch-face was cracked, but at least she could still tell the time. It wasn't midnight yet, he wouldn't be home until one or two which gave her time.

"You hear me," spat the man, "Come back here cheater!"

Her heart began to pick up speed, she was done for if she stayed here. Despite the warm June air swirling around her, all she could feel were the shivers of fear racing through her body. Trying to act calmer than she felt, Mary turned around to see the man, Nathan, standing in front of the entrance to the underground gym/bar where she had walked out from.

Nathan couldn't have been older than twenty-five, a bulky build and stout frame. She looked him up and down, he was stronger than her and more powerful, luckily she knew she would be faster than him. All she needed to do was run away and leave him in the dust.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied smoothly despite her rapid heart rate, "I won fair n' square."

"Bull," hissed Nathan.

Fear stole her breath and she felt herself begin to tremble. To hide her shaking hands, she slipped them into her jean pockets. A smug look on her face, yet her brown eyes only held fear in them. This was not going to end well for her, she could already tell it was over before it even began and there was nothing she could do.

Wearing a smug facade, she replied, "I played the game, same as you. I didn't cheat, not my fault the cards were in my favor tonight."

Nathan scoffed, anger in his eyes, "Everybody knows you're a con."

The girl shrugged, "Yet none of you can prove it."

"Don't need proof 'round these parts," Nathan said and took a step towards her, "Now, we're going to settle this."

She swallowed with difficulty, her mouth was dry. If he got too close, he could hurt her and her work tonight would have been for nothing. Besides, she wasn't interested in adding any more bruises to her ever growing collection. The girl shook her head, she forced herself to smirk at him, even though all she wanted to do was whimper in fear.

"Fraid I can't do that," she sneered, "I've got places to be and you can't stop me."

That was a complete bluff on her part, he could very well stop her or get someone else to stop her. However she was just hoping to get far enough away that he wouldn't be able to catch up or send someone after her. With any luck, her ride would show up soon and grab her before things got ugly.

"You wanna bet little girl," mocked Nathan with a twisted smile.

No, she really didn't want to bet because she knew it was a gamble she would lose. The sound of screeching tires mixed with the revving of an engine filled their ears. Nathan turned around, to find the source of the noise while the girl released the breath she had been holding. Looks like her ride came through. Headlights shined on the pair, chasing some of the darkness away which immediately made the girl feel more relaxed.

"This was fun Nathan," the girl said bringing the man's attention back, "Sorry I have to cut this short."

Without waiting for a response, the girl spun on her heels and started to run down the sidewalk. Nathan shouted after her, but she wasn't paying any attention. Instead her focus was on having some momentum and being able to get into the car without hurting herself. This wasn't the first time she had jumped into a moving vehicle and she knew it wouldn't be the last time. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she was surprised that it hadn't burst yet.

"Jump girl," she heard the driver shout.

The car was right behind her now, she waited a moment longer before turning to the side and jumping into the back of the car. She slid into the back seat, resting on the leather seat as she tried to catch her breath. Underneath her, she felt the car jerk forward, followed by the slamming of the backdoor. Safe. They were safe. She was safe.

"Perfect," she panted, "timing Robs."

"You're getting better at jumping in," Robs said with a grin, "You get what you needed?"

Mary had been living with Robbie and his younger brother Gabe for awhile now. Both of them worked for Hyde, he was their foster father, but he only saw them as money bags, whether from the state or from the underground fights he sent them too. They would be tag team there and they had their own way of doing things outside of the fighting scene.

Robbie was a street racer, she was more of a thief and secret finder. When he had races, she would be the one to collect the money. If she had some work to do of her own, Robbie was her getaway driver. That was how their partnership worked, nothing more and nothing less. Sometimes he would act more like a brother to her than a colleague, but that couldn't always be the case.

"Yeah," she said climbing into the front seat, "I learned a lot of interesting things. I shouldn't have played cards though."

"Tough loss," Robbie questioned with a smirk.

As if she would ever lose.

Grinning, she replied, "Nah. I won, that guy was pissed because I got to keep his deck of cards and fifty dollars from his pocket."

"Sly girl," Robbie nodded.

Mary grinned at him, "I try my best."

*Flashback Over*

"Skye, you alright?"

Skye blinked rapidly as she realized she wasn't with Robbie, she was still in the neighborhood on Halloween night with her friends. Her breathing picked up slightly in speed, she looked around confused and out of sorts.

"I, what happened," Skye asked.

Trip answered her, "You turned into the trees and just kind of stood there like a ghost. It was like you were somewhere else."

"You alright," Lincoln asked, "Did something trigger you?"

Weeks ago, Skye would have bristled and shied away from the question, but after a few therapy sessions and learning to trust her friends, she was okay with them asking. Besides, it was better that they asked instead of ignoring it or brushing it aside, saying that it wasn't real and all in her head.

Skye looked at him, "I don't know. I thought triggers only brought up bad memories. When I saw those kids jumping into that car... it made me think of a night when I was scared sure, but it wasn't that bad. I don't know why it would have brought me so deeply into it."

That was confusing and horrifying to Skye. It didn't feel as if she had been lost in thought or lost in the memory, it was as if she had been forced into it. Sure, there were times when that did happen, but it was usually something traumatic. Like on the fourth of July when the fireworks went off, she was forced into a memory where a foster parent had threatened some kids with his gun. It should have only brought up stuff like that.

Skye frowned as she tried to think why it would have reacted so sharply, she replayed the moments before she was pulled into the memory. The car wasn't like the one she jumped into, the area was completely different. Sure the shouting had been similar, but otherwise there was truly nothing there that should have brought up this kind of reaction.

Then it hit her.

That teen who was driving, he had short black hair and warm skin from what she could recall. He looked like Robbie, if not a few years younger. There was no mistaking it, he looked like her old foster brother. The one she had been forced to leave behind not too long ago.

"That guy," Skye whispered, "He, he reminded me of an an old... Someone I haven't been in contact with for a long time... It's whatever, come on, let's go."

Skye marched forward, her friends all exchanged worried glances before going after her and continuing her night.