NOTE: Heeeeyyyy guys, long time no see? It's only been like, a feeewww months.
Firstly thank you to everyone who has commented and told me how much the love this story. It might not seem like it but your comments help a lot and I often went back to them when I was lacking motivation to write 3 On that note, I'd like to say something. If you plan on commenting, please know that I love the fact that you love my story enough to leave a comment, but if it is to simply say "when's the next chapter/update" -EXCLUSIVELY- then please don't bother commenting.
I can't tell you how disheartening it is to see the notification that I got a comment and its just "whens the next chapter". I'm just referring to comments that only say this, if you ask for an update on the fic and add that you love the story, or the chapter or telling me you are re-reading it, I love you so much and thank you for those comments. They keep me going!
Secondly, I've changed the timeline in Maria's story and brought it forward to 2010 in case anyone gets confused
Thanks guys and I hope you enjoy! :)
Operation: Shadows
Chapter 20
Maria
September 1st 2010
Maria hid from the pack a lot after the incident – she was also subjected to a number of tests, the majority of them being psychological. Essentially to make sure Maria was still Maria.
Unfortunately, despite Maria's best efforts, she was not allowed to sleep alone. The first night she tried staying alone in her apartment, Peggy came, grabbed her and literally dragged her ass back to the base and into the arms of a scowling Natasha.
Maria had never felt more like a child. From that moment on, Maria gave up trying to avoid them, knowing they would just turn up wherever she went.
Fury had taken steps to make Maria's life a living hell. He pulled her from fieldwork, until they could confirm that she would not be a liability (or unless the world was ending – which Maria had been praying for).
It has only been three weeks since the incident and thankfully she's not had another episode since then. All the psych evals came back, just the usual childhood trauma, PTSD from the marines & the attack - the usual. Since everything was normal, Maria had been pushing hard to go back into the field, she was starting to feel a bit restless, not to mention lonely.
The rest of the pack had been having regular missions. The only other person left behind was Victoria – and she was not Maria's biggest fan right now. Victoria was still glaring at her whenever they saw each other and would be practically frothing at the mouth when she Izzy and Maria interacting. She always quickly removed Izzy from Maria when she saw them together.
So needless to say, she was feeling a little left out.
Maria was currently heading back to base, feeling victorious as Fury finally gave her permission to go back into the field. Fury had also provided her with the final files of those who were going to be turned next.
Peggy's niece – Sharon Carter – was finally going to join them. The entire pack knew that she would eventually join after Peggy quietly admitted that she wanted to see her family again and would do anything to be able to interact with at least one of them again. The best chance of that happening was with Sharon – she was the only person from Peggy's family to join SHIELD.
It was clear to the entire pack that Sharon meant a lot to Peggy.
So Maria being Maria she had already claimed Sharon for her pack. It was a mixture of wanting Peggy's favour, the need to be in the best pack as well as some instinctual possessive need to have Sharon in her pack. The thought of the blonde going anywhere else made her scowl.
So naturally Maria would only be handing three folders to the alphas instead of the usual four. She wasn't even going to give them the option to pick Sharon. She was also going to do her best to keep it a secret from the rest of them until introduction day.
Thankfully it would only be Maria and Peggy at base tonight as everyone else was either on missions or running them. It helped hiding this from the other alpha's much easier.
'What's got you so happy?' Natasha enquired.
'Fury agreed to let me go back into the field. I have a mission in about two weeks that I need to start preparing for.' Maria happily replied.
'So soon?' Maria could practically feel the frown on Natasha's face.
'Everything has came back clear and there hasn't been another episode. No reason to keep me bound to the office.' Maria explained, hoping to ease Natasha's worries.
Natasha hummed in response. Her brain was rapidly recounting Maria's behaviour for the past few weeks – it always threw Maria how much attention Natasha paid to her.
'I suppose,' Natasha started slowly, 'but I don't like the fact that you will be going alone.'
'It's better if I'm alone. A bit difficult to explain this to people if another episode happens.' Maria reasoned with her.
'I don't even understand what's going on.' Natasha grouched.
'Trust me, it's better that you don't,' Maria warned her.
'Still don't like it.' Natasha grumbled, 'and I will find out eventually whats going on with you.'
'Eventually.' Maria agreed, there was no point in denying that. 'Just once I can guarantee your safety.'
'You know that doesn't help, right?'
Maria chuckled as she entered the elevator, quickly checking around before hitting the secret button to give access to their floor. 'I know.'
'I'll tell Peggy you're in the elevator.' Natasha said, a flash of concern coming across the bond.
Maria wondered if that concern would ever go away. Probably when Maria can make the walk from the lift to the living area without breaking down.
'Thanks. Also, I have the final list. When will you be back?'
'Tomorrow. Peggy's asked for everyone to be back by then.' Natasha replied. 'I take it you have already picked our newest member?'
'Yup.' Maria responded, popping the 'p'.
'Are you going to tell me who?'
'Nope.'
'You're such a brat sometimes, you know that?' Natasha sighed
'Yup.' Maria replied cheekily. It wasn't often that she was able to hold anything over Natasha, especially since she was always inside her head, so Maria took every opportunity possible to annoy the alpha.
"Hello darling."
Maria smiled as the lift doors opened to reveal Peggy. The alpha was dressed in joggers and an oversized hoodie. It looks like it was going to be one of those nights.
'I'll leave you in the capable hands of Peggy. Enjoy yourself.' Natasha smirked.
Maria rolled her eyes at the alpha before exiting the life and linking her arm with Peggy.
"Hey," Maria said, squeezing the arm she was holding. "How's your day been?"
"Slow," Peggy admitted. "It's hard to do anything on your day off when you're meant to be rotting away."
Maria gave her a sympathetic squeeze. It must be difficult to pretend to be dead in this day and age, especially with the amount of enemies Peggy had. If any of them caught wind that she was basically alive and immortal, it could cause a lot of issues.
Peggy also adored her family, especially Sharon who had wanted to be so much like her Aunt. The only direct family member to go into SHIELD. Maria knew it hurt the older agent that she couldn't make contact with them, only keep tabs on them and intervene as 'SHILED' and not 'Aunt Peggy'.
"At least you'll have Sharon soon." Maria offered quietly, hoping that it would bring her some comfort.
Peggy's eyes lit up as she turned to face Maria. "Did Fury finally agree to include her?"
Maria nodded, " she's in the next batch actually." She held up the files for Peggy to see. Maria flopped onto Peggy's bed as soon as they arrived at her room. She let out a long sigh as she relaxed against the mattress. Somehow office work was more tiring than field work. Maybe it was because she was dying a slow death by boredom.
Peggy was quick to join her, taking the files out of her hands, skimming through them.
"I thought you and Fury worked on the final list together?" Maria queried. She had a lot of input for the candidates but ultimately, the final decision was down to Fury and Peggy.
"Generally speaking, yes. However, Fury does not like me handling anything to with Sharon. I wasn't even hundred percent sure that he would pick her as a candidate," Peggy explained.
Maria shifted onto her side and frowned. She could see why Fury wouldn't let Peggy have any input over Sharon's career at SHIELD but it seemed cruel to keep her in the dark about wether or not Sharon would be brought into the programme.
"Honestly? I probably would have done the same. A good fail safe measure – also you know Nick, he never promises anything," Peggy said.
"I suppose I would have done the same. It would also be a good way to keep you in line and loyal to SHIELD." Maria admitted.
"Thats why you made a good deputy director. Not everyone can handle this type of mindset. I'm glad you understand, it's nice being around people who are like minded." Peggy responded, curling around Maria.
Maria smiled at the alpha and softly pressed her lips against Peggy's before snuggling close and sliding her hands through the older agents hair, gently scratching at her scalp. Peggy purred in delight and relaxed against Maria.
"So, what are we watching?"
Maria
September 15th 2010
Maria groaned as trudged towards the pack's base. She was tired and sore all over. The mission had went on longer than they originally planned and between being on the run and the fear of having another episode, Maria did not get much sleep.
Which did not help when she encountered her worst enemy to date: the dreaded corridor. The damn corridor that linked her from the elevator and her loving pack. She eyed the walls warily as stepped out from the lift, her hands clenched at her side.
She continued her cautious journey through the dreaded corridor, trying her hardest to not flinch at every distant noise she heard. Her hands twitch towards her gun as she heard footsteps coming towards her. Maria couldn't remember if the pack were in today, she knew at a minimum Peggy would be but she wasn't sure who else would be there.
Maria stopped in her approach and instead focused on the person approaching her. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her gun, ready to aim it at any second. Her heart was racing.
Maria's shoulders sagged in relief as a familiar red hair entered her vision. Her heart settled within her, understanding that Natasha meant safety, meant home. Feelings of love and concern flooded her as she made eye contact with Natasha.
"Hey Masha." Natasha softly said, stopping in front of her. Natasha glanced behind Maria, noting the distance between where they stood and the elevator. "New record. That's the furthest you've went without one of us. Is it getting better?" She asked, looking back at Maria.
Maria shook her head. It was not getting better, if anything it was getting worse. Although, that could be a result of the sleep deprivation.
Natasha hummed softly, looking Maria up and down, taking in her injuries. "Not healing?"
"I got hurt whilst on comms." Maria explained, looking down at herself.
Natasha stepped closer to Maria, her fingers gripping Maria's jaw and inspected her face. "They hurt your pretty face. If they aren't dead, I'll be killing them shortly." Natasha stated calmly.
Maria gave a snort, she appreciated the sentiment. She rested her forehead against Natasha's, she missed the alpha so much during her mission. "I missed you."
"I missed you too." Natasha murmured back and softly kissed Maria.
Maria leaned into the soft kiss, wrapped her arms around Natasha's shoulders. She tilted her head, parting her lips allowing Natasha's tongue to slip in. The alpha's hand moved sneakily from her waist, trailing up her back before gripping the back of her neck, changing the tone of the moment instantly.
Maria whimpered at the domineering act, her wolf instantly submitting in her weakened state. Natasha pressed her roughly against the wall, using her own body to pin Maria there. The alpha within Natasha coming out in low growls, her lips leaving Maria's as they quickly moved to her neck, settling over her mark.
"No one gets to leave a mark on you except me." Natasha growled against her neck.
Maria nodded her head, her own hands sliding down to Natasha's waist and gripping them tightly. "Understood." Maria mumbled, letting her head fall completely to the side. It felt like her legs could barely hold her.
Natasha purred with Maria's agreement and quickly bite down, remarking with ease. Maria groaned in delight as she was flood with feelings of love, security and acceptance. Everything she needed right now.
"What is it with you two and this corridor?" May asked, walking up to them.
"Replace bad memories with good memories." Natasha replied, pulling back from Maria's neck to look at her mate. Maria followed Natasha, letting her head rest against her shoulder. "Also the corridor just reeks sex appeal." Natasha joked, holding Maria tightly against her.
"How's our girl?" May enquired, stepping closer to them, sliding her hand into Maria's hair.
"Tired." Maria replied, turning to face the other wolf. She smiled softly as she realised this is the second time May has caught them having an intimate moment in the corridor but this time, it went a lot less aggressively.
"This time did go much better than last time. I think loved up, hurt, sleep deprived Maria is better than aggressive, hurt, sleep deprived Maria." Natasha teased, reaching out for May.
May smiled as she wrapped her arms around them both. She placed a small kiss against Maria's head, before pecking Natasha's lips. "C'mon, I left the two new starts together – that can't be good."
Natasha gave a snort, "Carter and Hartley are a sarcastic match made in heaven."
"How'd Sharon take to seeing that her aunt isn't dying in a care home with dementia?" Maria asked, lifting herself off of Natasha.
Both Natasha and May grimaced, both sharing a look. "Not so well." Natasha admitted.
"There was a lot of screaming." May said.
"Lots of crying." Natasha added.
"More screaming." May deadpanned.
"Some throwing of stuff."
"Some more screaming."
"And she slapped Peggy."
"Twice." May supplied helpfully.
Maria flinched at the thought of Peggy going through all that. She knew the older wolf was desperate to reconnect with her family, to explain why she did what she did and how much she loved them. Peggy had spent months pouring her heart out with the pack and quietly admitting to the more callous actions to Maria and Natasha during the nights they were curled up together.
"Peggy must be devastated."
"Yeah, she's pretty upset." Natasha agreed, "you should see breakfast, its extremely awkward. Let's go free everyone from it."
May gave a snort, "I think you two nearly fucking in the corridor just made things more awkward."
"They should consider themselves lucky to listen to us having sex." Natasha boasted, "it's the opposite of awkward."
"I think the pups are still trying to think of Maria as human and not some robot." May joked, guiding them back to the common space.
"Is there still food left?" Maria asked, leaning heavily on Natasha. May casted Maria a worried look.
"She doesn't look good Nat." May mumbled.
"I'm going to feed her then put her to bed, hopefully she'll be okay when she wakes." Natasha muttered back, keeping a firm arm wrapped around Maria.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Maria grumbled.
"Yes," they replied in unison.
Maria rolled her eyes but allowed herself to be lead to the table where the rest of the wolves were having a very intense breakfast. Maria slumped in a seat across from Hand, who raised an eyebrow at her appearance.
"You look like shit." Hand commented, glancing over at Natasha.
Peggy rose from her seat as the others sat and stood behind Maria. She tilted Maria's head back, fingers gripping her chin tightly. Peggy tsked softly. "Sloppy." She mumbled, turning Maria's face.
"What is it with you Alphas and gripping my chin?"
May gave a snort, "you haven't noticed?"
"Melinda. Don't spoil my fun." Peggy chided the other wolf, a smirk on her face. Peggy stroked her thumb over Maria's bottom lip and Maria did her best not to react. "Besides, she's hurt and she does a lot for us. I think Maria deserves to be pampered a little."
"You spoil her." Toby grumbled from where he sat, casting them a dark look.
"I spoil you all equally." Peggy countered, smiling softly at Maria before quickly pecking her lips and forehead.
Maria saw Sharon make a face from the corner of her eye. Feeling a little devious, she winked at Peggy and the two of them shared an amused look. Maria twisted in her seat, hand sliding behind Peggy's neck and pulled her in for a proper kiss.
"Gross." Sharon muttered from her seat, stabbing at her food.
Maria smirked against Peggy's lips, pressing a quick gently thank you against her lips before pulling back. She glanced over at Natasha who raised an eyebrow at her, before taking a sip out of her cup. Maria frowned. That was Natasha 'I know something you don't' move.
"What." Maria asked, looking at the smirking alpha.
"Nothing." Natasha replied innocently, her eyes flickered to Victoria. Victoria gave her a smirk back.
"What." Maria demanded this time, looking between the two.
Peggy moved back from Maria suddenly, "oh shit. I totally forgot." Peggy looked down at Maria with a grimace. "You'll find out soon enough, dear. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go hide."
"And miss the show?" Natasha grinned at the alpha, "I think you should stay. Its the most important part of your wolves lives and you're gonna miss it?"
"I think you should sit and stay, Peggy." Toby smirked at her.
"I'm in agreement, this is something would should all witness as family." Victoria said, stressing the word 'family'.
"Yes Pegs, when was the last time we were all together like this?" Jayden said, joining in on the teasing.
Maria looked between all the alphas, looking utterly confused. She glanced over at the other wolves, some looked as confused as her and other had the same knowing smirk.
"I hate you all." Maria grumbled as she reached for her food. She went for the toast, hoping that it had not yet went cold.
"Funny, I was hearing the opposite a few ago when you were with Nat and May." Izzy mused, a smirk firmly on her face. "What was it you were saying? Vic, baby, help me out."
Victoria wore a matching smirk and joined in on the fun. "Oh, I believe it was a mixture of 'I love you', 'please don't stop', 'I'd do anything if you let-"
"Okay, okay!" Maria snapped "I get it, I can't hate Natasha."
Natasha grimaced, they pushed a little too far. With Maria being injured and tired, the amount of teasing she would tolerate. She automatically slide closer, sliding her arm around Maria's waist and curled into her side. Maria put her arm around Natasha's neck, accepting the apology. Natasha pulled Maria's breakfast closer and nudged the woman to eat her food.
Maria rolled her eyes but finally began to eat her breakfast. She went back to her previous mission of eating her toast, taking a bite she grimaced at the dryness. Putting butter on it would probably be the best start. She quickly glanced along the table to see it sitting with Sharon.
"Mini Carter, pass the butter please?" Maria asked, turning to pout at the blonde.
Sharon gaped at her, her cutlery clattering to the table. Maria titled her head at the blonde, wondering why she was acting weird. She glanced around the table and saw everyone watching intently – although Peggy seemed to be shrinking into her seat.
"Everything okay, Carter?" Maria questioned, worry starting to build. Was there something wrong with their new pup?
"Sharon if you don't respond, she's going to freak out. She thinks something is wrong." Natasha cautioned from her side.
"Who fucking asks for butter as their first words to someone!" Sharon yelled at no one, standing up. "That is some bullshit! My soulmate is the deputy director and she asks for butter. Of all the things you could say to me for the first time it's butter."
Maria stared at her bewildered, the words 'Who fucking asks for butter as their first words to someone' was burning on her back. Her body leaned towards the blonde, the fragile bond already forming and pushing her to go to her mate and complete the bond.
Elation run through her. She's met her actual soulmate. Her beautiful, blonde, badass soulmate. She's been under her nose this entire time.
"And you! You've been making out with my soulmate! Not only are you not dying a slow and painful death, you're sitting here having the time of your life fucking this entire pack? MY soulmate! Fuck!" Sharon snapped, her angry taking over.
"Sharon, sweetheart-"
"Don't sweetheart me! I'm very angry with you right now, God, I could hit you again!" Sharon continued to rant.
Maria sat frozen in her chair, dread filling her. Her fingers gripped Natasha's tightly. She had heard about how meeting your soulmate felt like your world changed, that the only thing anchoring you to this life was this person. People talked about how they felt complete once they had met their soulmate. There was even cases of injured people being miraculously healed once they met their soulmate. For god sake, Maria was in Natasha's head when she felt her connection form to May, it was instant and unwavering.
But. But there was just one thing. One small detail. Maria didn't want to believe it. Of course they had this talk, back when Maria was first turned but she refused to believe it. But when presented with the facts, she couldn't deny what she was feeling.
"Maria?" Natasha mumbled, keeping her voice low.
How could she ignore it anymore? The talks of seeing your soulmate and how just seeing them made you feel safe, accepted. Like coming home after a rough mission.
Natasha made Maria feel all of that. Natasha is what Maria considered her home. Natasha, despite all the constant teasing, made everything so much more bearable for Maria.
Why the hell could Maria not tell the difference between her bond to Natasha and her fledgling bond with Sharon?
May
February 3rd 2015
This can't be happening. How the hell had their rookie been shot twice within less than a year? They haven't been doing enough to protect her.
May rushed through the hospital with the team in tow, doing her best to not look at any of the young wolves. She couldn't stand to see Skye look so lifeless. Couldn't stand to see the tear stained faces of FitzSimmons. The pack had long been blocked. She was unable to cope with her own feelings, never mind the feelings of everyone else in the pack.
Not for the first time, Melinda wanted to take Natasha and run away from it all. Run away from SHIELD, from Coulson, from the pack. She wanted to leave it all behind, go live a normal life and maybe have a kid or two. The thought of a miniature Natasha always brought a smile to her face.
She did her best to keep her face blank as the Doctor told them that if it was not for the chamber, Skye would most likely be dead. May quickly made eye contact with the Doctor – Elizabeth Wilson – and flickered her eyes between FitzSimmons and Skye, hoping that she would understand.
Doctor Wilson was one of the few Doctors who had worked with the wolves and often did their physicals. May was unsure if anyone had updated them on the newest member of the pack. The quick nod of understanding that Dr. Wilson had given her gave her some relief. At least someone in there would protect their secret and understand that Skye could handle more medication than a regular human.
It felt like years before Doctor Wilson came back with an update for them.
May could only stand silently as she heard Doctor Wilson deliver the bad news. She found it hard to believe that Skye, their little wolf, was dying. May thought she was holding it together well, until had given her a sorrowful look, cementing the fact that Skye was dying and there was nothing they could do.
They did not have another wolf serum on hand, it was back in the Triskellion and that was at least another 5-6 hours flight, with the enhanced speed of the Bus, and even then, there was no guarantee it would save Skye.
The serum saved Maria from the brink of death, but her death would have been from blood loss. None of her major organs had been injured – or if they were, it was not as severe as two GSW to the stomach.
May was ready to grab a Quinjet and risk it, if it meant Skye would survive but then Dr. Wilson told them she estimated Skye to only have a few hours left. That had pushed her over the edge.
She could feel her skin rippling as she did her best to control her emotions, but her best was not enough. May let out a low growl before stalking away from the group. She knew exactly who she could take her fury out on.
'Mel, talk to me. What's wrong?' Natasha begged, breaking into her mind.
May simply snarled in response, scaring a few workers around her as she headed towards the Bus.
'Babe. Please. What did say?' Natasha pleaded.
May knew her soulmate was hurting and the majority of her soul ached to be with her, to hold her, to soothe her as the pack went through this horrible scenario. But, the ever growing small part of her that was fiercely protective of Skye, screamed at her to destroy the person who hurt her – Ian Quinn.
That small part was winning.
'I'm going to kill Ian Quinn.' She informed Natasha with a level of calmness that did not reflect her true feelings.
'Melinda, no. You can't kill him, not now at least.' Natasha replied with an authoritative tone, making May falter.
'Is that an order?' May asked dangerously.
'Does it need to be?' Natasha replied softly, her concern shinning through their bond. May quickly ducked into the cargo hold of her plane, taking a moment to rest in a seat as she felt Natasha engulf her. 'I want to be there with you.'
'You can't.' May replied 'Coulson thinks that you think he's dead.'
'Stupid Fury and his orders. I can work a way around it.'
'Don't you have a situation to deal with?' May enquired, finally starting to calm down.
Natasha gave a groan and she could imagine her soulmate banging her head against the wall. 'It's honestly such a clusterfuck situation.'
'Is Maria awake yet?'
'No, but Sharon thinks she'll wake up soon. She thinks Maria's out longer due to exhaustion and is currently in a light sleep rather than the deep sleep she was in earlier.' Natasha replied, worry coating her thoughts.
'Sharon or you?' She questioned her soulmate.
May knew fine well that Natasha and Maria were hiding something form the rest of the pack and it had something to do with their bond. May has been trying to figure out what it is for the past few years but has yet to come up with a plausible idea.
'Mel, please, not now.' Natasha replied tiredly and May could feel the weariness rolling off her soulmate.
'Okay, but I'm not dropping this. Not again.' Melinda warned her mate.
Natasha let out an amused huff but agreed with her. 'Why don't you go beat the shit out of Quinn for me please? Just don't kill him, we need him alive for now. I think he knows more than he lets on.'
'Giving me permission to beat someone up? You really do know the way to my heart.' May teased Natasha as she made her way to the cage.
'Keep me updated on Skye, please. Do everything possible to keep her alive.' Natasha ordered her, the undertones of the Alpha command coated her words.
'Understood.'
'I love you.'
'Love you too.' May replied softly, and for once, allowed her love for Natasha to flow through their bond.
Natasha left her mind, giving her silence as she opened up the door. Her anger and worry for Skye came roaring back as she stared at the smug face of Quinn.
"Finally! I was-"
May slammed his face in to the table. Damn, that felt good. Her wolf purred in approval as she sought revenge for her fallen pup. She could hear Quinn's pathetic whines and complaints as she proceeded to give him the beating of a lifetime. May was never one to take pleasure in hurting or killing someone, but this time she had no such reservations. She enjoyed the way his body bruised and broke so easily under her fist and May contemplated breaking his jaw before realising that they need him to talk.
It took Coulson pulling her away from Quinn for her to stop. Her friend yanked her into the common area and just stared at her in disbelief for a few moments.
"May. What the actual fuck?"
May wasn't going to lie, the casual swearing from Coulson caught her off guard before she replied. "He deserves to die. Not Skye."
"I agree, but for now, he doesn't matter. We need to focus on helping Skye."
"You heard what the Doctor said." May snapped, anger rose within her. The situation was devastating for May. Ever since Skye had been shot, it felt like someone had wrapped their hands around her heart and was slowly squeezing it until it stopped. She wasn't one for emotions, but right now she wanted to grab the three young wolves and take them away with Natasha, keep them safe somewhere hidden.
"We can't do anything. Even if we wanted to, an order came in to not move Skye. Apparently her soulmate is on their way. Did you know she had one?" Ward supplied, resting against the door frame, frowning.
"She's mentioned it in the passing, I think they were taking it slow." Coulson replied, still watching May warily.
"We have to find a way to fix her." May said staring at the video feed of Quinn, who was groaning on the ground. He couldn't know their plans. Best to go knock him out.
Quicker than Coulson could move, she entered the cage and slammed her first into the back of Quinn's head and felt a surge of satisfaction roll through her. Good. She walked out back to Coulson and Ward. Ward seemed put off by what she did.
"I have a plan." Coulson suddenly stated, seemingly unbothered by the unconscious Quinn, "but it involved going against orders."
May turned to stare at him, "what's your plan?"
The grimace on Coulson's face told her that this was not going to be a great plan.
This was a terrible plan. May gritted her teeth as she watched Skye code for the fourth time. It was getting worse with each code and it was getting faster, soon they wouldn't be able to bring her back and what was worse, was that there was a voice in the back of her head asking if it is worth putting Skye through all this pain and suffering?
Simmons had the same thoughts and voiced them to Coulson – he did not like them and basically told her to shut up. A growl lodge itself in her throat at the way Coulson dismissed her. May touched Simmons back softly as she quickly left with tears in her eyes.
"It would be the best course of action to not piss Simmons off, since she is the only one on this bus capable of keeping Skye alive right now." May mutter to Coulson as he passed her. Coulson barely spared her a glance as he focused on Skye.
The plan that they were going with possibly had to be the most dumbest plan that Coulson has ever come up with and the dumbest plan that May has ever agreed with.
Bobbi had been on her way to the medical centre when they had taken Skye from under the staff noses, not only disobeying Maria's orders as the Deputy Director, but Natasha's as well. Nat had asked them to wait for Bobbi before they did anything stupid, but Coulson did not want to waste anytime getting to the facility that he supposedly recovered in.
May did not know much about Coulson's recovery, Maria never shared the details with them, only that he was give a formula that was used in the wolf serum. If the formula was used in their serum, it would hopefully not have any adverse effects on Skye.
At least that was the hope between May, Simmons and Fitz.
They had been about half way to their intended location before they got threatened to be blown out the sky. May had almost scoffed at that, Maria would have overridden that order before it went through but they had to play along.
Always playing along, she gritted her teeth. How many near death situations could they have avoided if they did not bother hiding themselves. Especially with the recent rise in superhero's – Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain American; the public and agents accepted them for the most part. Would it really be a big jump from accepting a god and a man who can shift into this giant, green monster to a bunch of agents who can shift into wolves?
May shook her head; it was dangerous to think along those lines. The pack was not ready to reveal themselves, not yet, it would be too much for them. It would cause a lot of instability within May's team, the Avengers and Maria's position at work. Maybe some day in the future when the world was no longer on the edge from an alien invasion.
As usual with all of Coulson's stupid plans, they nearly get killed. She watched with a scowl on her face as Garrett and Trip boarded their BUS, the friendly look on their face did not match the calculating look in their eyes.
After talking for far too long, Garrett decided to be generous enough to interrogate Quinn on board before taking him back as per orders from HQ. He also decided to lie on their behalf to HQ, spinning a story of some slight damage to the BUS that their 'little Scottish engineer' could fix and he would bring them back to the medical facility for Skye's soulmate to say goodbye.
May did not like how willing Garrett had been to go along with their plan, he was always so quick to throw Coulson and May under the BUS to try and become Fury's favourite (which is how he was never the favourite) - but she was not in a place to question the willingness right now. It was the only way the would be able to save Skye.
Now it was just May, Simmons and Trip left on the BUS, watching Skye code for a fifth time and May was really starting to wonder how much more the young girls body could take.
"She is healing." Simmons murmured quietly, her eyes quickly glancing at Trip as she checked over Skye. "It just that she's not healing quick enough. Her body can't handle the stress of healing, it's stopping her heart and she's reopening her wounds every time she codes."
May stared continued to stare at Skye, watching the way her chest barely moved with each forced breath. She attempted to enter the young girls mind again, but was met with nothing but darkness and pain. It pained Melinda to know that despite all their efforts, Skye was clearly still feeling some pain. She could only hope the young woman did not remember it once she woke.
"Where is Coulson with that damn formula." She growled, not bothering to lower her voice. Trip cast her a cautious look, his eyes curious.
Trip was too damn observant and Simmons seemed to enjoy his company, not bothering to keep her guard up and was letting little slips. She would need to remind her how to behave around others.
Thankfully they didn't have to wait much longer till Fitz arrived with the formula. She gripped the sleeve of his jacket tightly as they watched Simmons inject Skye as she once again coded. All three of them ignoring Coulson who came in screaming not to inject her with the formula.
Skye was already dying a painful death, it was not like this formula would make it any worse.
They held their breaths as they watched Skye continue to flatline. The seconds getting longer and longer. She had to refrain herself from launching at Simmons, from asking why it did not fix Skye.
"I think the kid is dead." Garrett commented, "that's a damn shame."
"Shut up." May snarled, "she is not dead until I say she is dead."
"I'm just say-"
"She said shut up!" Fitz snapped, surprising everyone in the room. "She's not dead! She's not dead, I can still...she's right there. She isn't dead!" Fitz stared desperately at them, turning to May. She understood, the connection was faint, so so very faint, but it was still there. Skye was still clinging to life.
"Fitz-" Ward started.
"No!" Fitz roared, tears streaming down his face. "I refuse to believe it, she's not dead!" He pushed passed everyone to get to Skye to start chest compressions. May's heart ached for her little wolf, watching as he tried to revive his pack mate in desperation.
Simmons only waited a second before joining his, lowly counting the beats under her breath before pushing air into Skye's mouth. The duo continued CPR for what seemed like forever.
"Keep going." May mutter, encouraging them to continue. If anyone could bring Skye back, it would be Fitz and Simmons.
The senior agents continued to watch as the younger agents trying their best to bring Skye back, Trip joining the scientist within a few minutes.
"C'mon girl, you've got a bunch of people rooting for you here." Trip pleaded with her.
"Skye. Please. Don't leave us." Melinda whispered quietly.
10 minutes had passed. Fitz showed no signs of stopping, Simmons continue to count under her breath and Trip was debating about giving her a shot of adrenaline.
"It could jump start her heart." He theorised.
"Trip, don't humour them." Ward snapped, glaring at the other agent.
Trip shot Ward a stern look. "I'm not. We just injected her with some funky SHIELD serum, who knows what that could do. Also, she's not cold."
May's head snapped up. "What?"
"She's not cold. If she were truly dead, she'd be showing signs of it."
"You mean the lack of breathing and no heart beat is not a good enough sign?" Garrett asked in disbelief.
Trip gave a shrug, "Fitz and Simmons have been preforming CPR for the past 10 minutes, ever since she flatlined. They are her heart and lungs right now."
"Do it." May ordered, anything to save wolf. "Now."
"May..." Coulson mumbled. She glanced over at her friend. He looked defeated.
"No. She's not dead until she's cold and dead. Right now, we still have a chance to bring her back. Trip, give her the adrenaline."
Trip injected the shot into her chest and everyone held their breath, hoping for a miracle.
May heard it before she saw it.
Skye's heart started gave a beat.
Her head snapped to the monitor, hoping it wasn't a fluke. She almost kissed Garrett out of sheer happiness when she saw Skye's heart beating again.
"Holy shit it worked!" Trip cheered. "Team work." he high-fived a frazzled Fitz and Simmons.
"Team work." Simmons mumbled back, looking at Skye's vitals – clearly not taking anything in.
"It worked!" Fitz cheered along with Trip, hugging the other agent out of sheer relief before pulling Simmons into his arms. The two scientist hugging each other tightly and Fitz whispered reassurances into Simmons ear as she broke down.
May was tempted to collapse, that was exhausting and she was only watching. Coulson had the same idea and seemed to be slumped against the wall, but his face was grim and his eyes distant. May watched in the reflection of the window as Garrett and Ward shared a subtle glance. It was quick, so small and subtle, May would normally have missed it. The glance between the two unsettled May. She was going to keep a closer eye on Ward.
"She's going to need another transfer of blood." Simmons suddenly said, pulling away from Fitz. "She's been losing so much recently and with that serum, the extra blood should help stabiliser her."
"I'll donate." Ward offered, stepping forward.
Simmons shook her head, "no, your blood type doesn't match up. The only suitable person is May."
'Peggy told Simmons that Skye is going to need blood to off set the GH325 like you would with the wolf serum.' Fitz informed her. 'She needs it straight away, Peggy said, which is why we aren't waiting till we meet back up with the pack.'
May nodded absently and walked towards the side of Skye's bed, settling into the chair as Simmons set up the I.V for a blood transfer.
"It's best we head back before Hill and Fury have our asses for disobeying orders." May commented, decided to change the tone. Got to keep everyone on their toes.
Coulson blinked out of whatever mood he was in and cracked a smile, "They like us too much to blow us out of the sky."
"I don't know, Hill's been awfully cruel lately. Personally, I think the woman just needs to get laid." Garret joked, elbowing Ward who gave a snort.
"She's need more than that." Ward retorted.
"Atta boy." Garrett chuckled, smacking Ward's back. "Let's go get a drink and catch up. You coming Coulson?"
"I need to file a report on this so that Hill and Fury don't blow us out of the sky – you know they love a good report. Should buy us a few minutes." Coulson joked with them.
"I guess that leaves me flying this beaut of a plane then?" Trip asked, his eyes lighting up at the idea.
May scowled and moved to protest.
"May, you're stuck there giving blood to the kid, you can't fly. Trip, go ahead. Enjoy it, no one else gets to touch the bus." Coulson grinned.
May scowled at her friend, but she was secretly glad as it allowed her and her wolves some privacy. "Fine."
"We'll see you when you are done. Fitz, will you be joining us?" Coulson asked the young wolf.
Fitz shook his head, stepping closer to Simmons and wrapping his arm around her waist. "Nah, I'm gonna stay here with Jemma."
Coulson nodded and gesture for the non-wolves to leave. Ward glanced back at Skye, a possessive look flashes over his face before Garrett grabbed his elbow and guided him out.
May relaxed against the chair, looking over at Skye lying on the bed. She glanced at the monitors around the young wolf, happy that everything seemed to be within normal parameters.
"Are we sure she's going to be okay now?" May muttered, watching as Simmons fussed over Skye.
"I'm not sure." Simmons bit her lip, pausing in her actions. She stared at Skye, tears welling up. "I- she should be fine. Her heart rate is back to normal, she's even breathing on her own. She's healing at an accelerated rate, even for our standards." Simmons muttered back.
Fitz paced back and forth at the bottom of Skye's bed, bitting the tip of his thumb. May repressed the urge to comfort the young wolf but watching him struggle with this was torture. The quicker they can get off this damn bus the better.
'It's going to be okay Leo, we'll be home in a few hours.' May soothed the young wolf.
'Not quick enough' Fitz grumbled back, but seemed to settle. He slide behind Simmons and pulled her close, resting his head on her shoulder.
The two scientist were not normally so affectionate in public, but in stressful situations, they always sought each other out. May was sure that the wolves weren't aware they were doing it, they had not displayed this behaviour before and no doubt when Natasha found out, she was going to do her best to train them out of it.
Just in case.
It did not take them long to get back to the trauma centre in Zurich. Simmons had removed the I.V from May a few hours ago and the three of them were sitting together waiting to land.
"Buckle up agents and agents, we're about to land." Trip cheerfully announced over the P.A system.
"Time to face the music." May grumbled.
"Do you think we will be in trouble?" Simmons asked, looking nervous.
"Let see, we left a medical facility with a critically ill patient, who's soulmate was on the way. Which, by the way, is a regulation that you do not move a critically ill patient away from their soulmate, especially when ordered by the deputy director. We then went to an off the book experimental facility, stormed the place, took an experimental drug and injected it into an unconscious patient who we did not have permission from or from their soulmate. We also defied an order to hand over a fugitive and corrupted other high level agents to join in with our defiance." Fitz summed up, he looked over at his soulmate "Nah, I think we'll be grand." He said sarcastically.
"Oh dear." Simmons mumbled, "Victoria is going to be so mad at me! She told me to behave and to not let Natasha's rule breaking pack get me into trouble and what have I gone and done? Gotten into so much trouble!"
May raised an eyebrow, "so that's how Hand views us. Good to know."
"We aren't that bad!" Fitz protested.
Simmons mimic May and gave him a pointed look. "Look at the mess we are in – not that I regret it, I would always do whatever is needed to save Skye – but still! Mess!"
The bus landed smoothly at the trauma centre and May had to begrudgingly give it to Trip, he was a good pilot. But he will not be touching her bus again.
"Let's just hope Maria is not waiting for us." May muttered, standing up and gesturing for the duo to go first.
Unfortunately, they were not lucky at all. Maria, along with several agents, were waiting for them as the ramp lowered. The scowl on her faced told May everything she needed to know – they were in for it when they got back to the house.
"Ah shit. Hill's here. Ward, take one for the team and fuck the girl, maybe she'll go easy on us." Garrett lowly joked.
Maria stared straight at them, the fury in her eyes increased at that comment. May could easily see the images of Garrett meeting a violent end flash in her head.
'Uh oh, Garret just made her more pissed. We are so screwed!' Fitz worried, unconsciously taking a step behind May.
"All of you are suspended until further notice. Give me your gun and badge." Maria cooly demanded.
Coulson grimaced, "Maria-"
"It's Commander Hill." Maria quickly corrected him, "You disobeyed two direct order's Coulson, did you really think you would not face the consequences of your actions?"
May sighed softly but complied with Maria's orders. She knew better than to argue with her in front of everyone, so did Coulson but apparently he forgot. She shot him a look before handing over her badge and SHIELD issued gun to Maria.
Fitz and Simmons quickly followed her lead, handing over their badges and the ICER's. Maria paused at them, quickly examining them before nodding. "I'll be following up with you two regarding these gun once your suspension is over."
"Yes Ma'am." The two scientist responded and quickly fell in line behind May and Maria.
The others slowly walked towards Maria, handing back their badges and guns.
"You owe me one, Phil." Garrett grumbled.
Coulson gave him a grimace. May snorted. That's what he gets for roping other people into his nonsense.
Maria turned to face them. "You are banned from returning to the offices until further notice, your access to our systems and resources will be revoked. An investigation will be conducted regarding your easy disregard for our orders. You will be monitored until the investigation has been conducted. Garrett, Trip." Maria turned to face the two outsiders, "you two will be suspended for two weeks then you may return to work. All of you are dismissed."
"Hill, we have Skye-" Coulson started protesting but was quickly silenced by Maria's sharp glare.
"I'll be personally handling her going forward since you clearly can't follow the rules regarding soulmates. I have a distraught agent waiting to see their soulmate and I'll be making sure that happens, unlike yourself," Maria snapped.
Coulson grimaced at Maria's tone, realising how pissed off the deputy was. He quietly handed over his badge, knowing better than to continue to push Maria. Maria snatched the badge, scowling at him before gesturing to the agents behind her.
"Please escort Agents Garret and Tripp to debriefing before escorting them out the building. They do not leave your sight." Maria ordered, four agents silently carried out her orders. "I'll be handling May personally but the rest of you, please take them to Hand for debriefing and await further orders from her."
The rest of the agents escorted Coulson, Ward, Fitz and Simmons were guided out the room. The two young wolves flung May matching worried looks, with Fitz lagging behind. His hand slowly reaching for her.
'I don't want to leave May.' Fitz whimpered, casting Maria a look.
'Fitz, go now.' Maria ordered quickly, ensuring that he wouldn't cause a scene. Fitz bodied stiffended as he complied with the order. 'You just need to debrief and then Tori will help you meet back up with us. Give us an hour or so and we will be on our way to the pack house.'
'Okay.'
May watched as Fitz entwined his fingers with Simmons, pressing against her side as they walked away. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
'I'll see you soon, pup.' May promised.
"Lets go Agent May." Maria commanded, walking away without checking to see if she was following. 'Are you okay?'
'I will be once we get home.' May mumbled, 'how's Bobbi?'
'Freaking out. I sent her to the pack house. Less of a scene, less chance of anyone figuring out that Skye is her mate. I don't want anymore targets on her head.' Maria explained.
'Makes sense. How are you holding up?'
'Lets get your statement so we can finally go home' Maria muttered.
May finally arrived at the pack house, she stared at the building with trepidation as Jemma, Leo and Maria carefully unloaded Skye. It has been a while since she was last here, a month or so before she joined Coulson's team. Natasha, Clint and herself spent a lot of time here during the aftermath of the invasion, clinging to each other as they dealt with Coulson's death.
Now she was here again with a recovering Skye, who was just inches away from dying. She was not liking this new pattern that was forming.
The door to the house open and a blur of light blonde fur come flying towards them. Bobbi did a sharp stop, but still managed to crash into Maria, almost knocking the woman over. Normally, Maria would roll her eyes and tell Bobbi that she needs practice stopping, but this time the woman just wrapped her arms around Bobbi's neck and rested her check against the top of her head.
Bobbi whined loudly as she saw Skye being unloaded from the Quinjet. May felt that. She walked over to the blonde wolf and rested her hand on top of her head. Trying to reassure both herself and Bobbi that everything would be fine.
Maria gave a nod to May before scowling over at the house. May raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for an explanation.
"Our guest has not left." Maria grumbled, "I rather he didn't know who made up the entire pack but I guess my thoughts on this don't matter."
Maria stormed off after that, leaving May feeling a bit perplexed. She watched the younger wolf sulk as she walked to the house, attempting to ignore Peggy and Natasha who stood at the door. Natasha raised an eyebrow at the sulking Beta, before glancing at Peggy. Peggy kept her focus on Maria and caught her by the shoulder. The contact was brief, but the look Peggy gave Maria spoke volumes.
Maria shrugged off Peggy's hand and continued to walk in the house, grumbling under her breath about stupid men blinding smart woman.
May signalled for the rest of her wolves to follow Maria, with Fitz and Simmons taking point on moving Skye. She looked down at her young wolf, her fingers gently ghosting across her face.
"Whats her problem?" May asked Natasha as she approached, watching as her mate looked up.
"She and Steve aren't seeing eye to eye at the moment." Natasha replied, 'Maria covered for Peggy, so Steve's pissed at her. Also before she left to meet you guys, she told Peggy it would be best for the rest of the pack identity to remain a secret for now.'
"She is right." May muttered, the pack needed to be kept a secret for a long as possible whilst they sorted stuff out. Maria didn't seem herself, keeping secrets again which she had Skye helping out on. Not to mention Peggy seemed more paranoid.
She stood quietly with Natasha at the house entrance, looking out into the fields. "Is Clint coming down?"
"Later tonight" Natasha replied 'Once he puts the kids to bed. They kids and Laura wanted to come, wanted to meet Skye for the first time – even if she was unconscious but with Steve here, they stayed away. Clint doesn't want him to know. Not yet anyways. He's in agreement with Maria.'
'I think the only person not in agreement with Maria is Peggy.' "I've missed you." May admitted, turning to look at the redhead. Natasha gave her a soft smile at her admission.
"I've missed you too."
May stretched her hand out, taking Natasha's and entwined their fingers. Natasha held her hand loosely until May squeezed her hand reassuringly. She knew it wasn't often that she made the first contact, not since Bahrain. She pulled Natasha close, resting her head on her mates shoulder.
"I want it to just be us tonight." May muttered, tightening her grip around Natasha's waist.
"What about Skye?"
"We'll be able to hear any changes. Plus, Bobbi will be with her all night. And Maria, since we're kicking her out." May smirked.
"Nope." Maria stated simply, appearing behind them.
Natasha chuckled at the look on Maria's face. May watched as Natasha pulled Maria in for a soft kiss, hugging her tightly before letting go. "Can't leave me alone for the night?" Her mate teased the Beta.
Maria rolled her eyes at the redhead "shut up. Like you don't want me around." Maria turned to May, a soft smile on her face as she pulled May into a hug. Maria nestled her head in the crook of her neck, her body slumped against her's. May easily held Maria up, holding her tight.
"Fine, you cuddly monster. You and Sharon can sleep with us." May conceded.
"Thank you." Maria mumbled against her shoulder. Maria seemed to have no intention of removing herself from May.
"I see Maria has already inserted herself into your alone time." Sharon said, coming to meet the three in the doorway. She leaned against the wall, watching the way Maria relaxed around the two.
'She's been so tense the past 24 hours. I think finally seeing you and Nat together is reassuring her that everyone is safe.' Sharon informed May.
May raised an eyebrow, making eye contact with Sharon. 'She didn't feel safe just seeing you?'
'Of course she did, but how could she feel safe and relaxed whilst you were still travelling with Skye? Nat was worried about you, therefore Maria was worried about you.'
'I think it's time Nat and Maria told us what is going on between them.' May mused, sliding her hand into Maria's hair. Maria purred happily and easily climbed May, clinging to her like a koala.
'You haven't figured that out yet?' Sharon asked, surprised.
May frowned at her, "what?"
"What are you two talking about?" Natasha asked, pressing against May's back and kissing Maria's forehead.
"You and Maria." May replied, not bothering to hide her discussion with Sharon.
"The bond?" Natasha questioned.
May nodded in response. She didn't wait for the conversation to continue as she began moving to their bedroom, intent on finally curling up on her bed with her mate.
"I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out yet." Sharon drawled, following behind them.
"You know?" Natasha asked, surprised.
"I say it's not that hard to figure out but I only recently figured it out." Sharon admitted, "it was the only thing that made sense. I think I knew a long time ago, when I first met Maria but I didn't want to believe it."
The four of them fell into a silence and continued the walk to May and Natasha's room. May finally reached her bed and gently placed Maria on the bed. Maria had fallen asleep quickly after she climbed May's body. May kicked off her shoes, shrugged out of her jacket and climbed into bed next to the Beta.
Natasha and Sharon quietly followed her lead, lying down on the bed. Natasha sliding in behind Maria, facing May. Sharon, however, decided that she wanted both Maria and May. She slid in between the two, pressing a quick kiss against Maria's forehead before settling on her back. May rolled her eyes at action, but allowed the blonde to pull her against her side.
"Now that we are all cozy, do you want to discuss this?" Sharon asked.
"I think May already knows." Natasha quietly said, staring into her eyes. May look away, unable to handle the intensity.
She did know. She knew the second her blood started to flow throw Skye's veins. The way Skye's heartbeat suddenly settled behind hers, right next to Natasha's, dominating the heartbeats of every other pack member. It was in the way everything about Skye was the most important thing in the world.
"You and Maria share a soul bond." May whispered.
Natasha sighed, rolling onto her back, "yeah. Peggy thinks it happened as a result of having too much of the serum. The wolf serum was designed to create a bond similar to a soul bond but not as intense. You know, we still don't know how much serum with given to Maria that day, we also don't know if she was given GH-325 either, a vial of that was missing when we did a stock check. Along with about 3 or 4 vials of various other things."
"It's so shitty that we will never know what happened that day." Sharon grumbled, burying her face against Maria's neck.
May instinctively ran her hand through Sharon's hair, trying to provide her some comfort. The three of them fell into a temporary silence. May reached out to her slow forming bond with Skye, checking in on the pup. She was starting to feel anxious at the thought of being kept apart from her, especially whilst she was recovering.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Natasha suddenly spoke, reaching over and poking May in the shoulder.
"I can see why Maria never leaves you alone." May replied, "you don't seem to be effected as much by the bond as Maria."
"I'm just better at hiding it."
"No you aren't. You push it onto me like all the time and I have to deal with not only my emotions but yours as well. It's exhausting." Maria grumbled, rising from her slumber.
"Hey sleepyhead," Sharon teased
"Mmm, hi." Maria mumbled, turning to face Sharon. May watched as the beta smiled softly at the blonde before slowly pressing her lips against Sharon's. Sharon rumbled happily and pulled Maria on top of her. May rolled her eyes at the overly affectionate pair and climbed over them, determined to cuddle with her own mate. Something she has been wanting to do since Skye was shot.
"Our bed is going to be so full." May grumbled.
"Good thing we have a wall to wall bed then, huh?" Natasha joked back. "We'll have to kick the pup out when we have sex though. I don't think your motherly instincts will allow her to see you like that."
May groaned, "this is going to be a shit show. One of us has parental feelings towards her and the other wants to fuck her."
"You're so behind on my relationship to Skye." Natasha laughed, "I don't know when it started to change but it did. It become more about cuddling and watching movies than sex. Must have been you influencing us."
"We already have one fucked up relationship between Maria and Peggy, we don't need another weird relationship."
Sharon groaned to the side, "can you please not talk about my aunt's relationship to Maria whilst I'm currently making out with her? It's weird!"
"It's not my fault she's hot!" Maria protested, looking put out by the conversation.
"I think it's more to do with your Mommy issues than how she looks." Natasha teased.
"It would explain her adverse reaction to Rogers." May mused, joining in with the teasing.
Maria's mouth fell open as she stared at the two. May resisted the urge to smirk at her, it felt nice to relax like this with the pack again, to openly tease and touch them – it was just like when she first joined the pack, minus all the fights Maria got into. The only thing that prevented her from fully relaxing was that she did not have eyes on Skye. Whilst she knew that Bobbi, Jemma and Leo were watching over her, she would not feel comfortable until she was with the girl.
"Gross!" Sharon gagged, "well there goes my mood."
"Good. I didn't want you having sex in my bed." May deadpanned.
"It's our bed, Mel. How many times do I have to explain this to you?" Sharon joked back, "Natasha and Maria are connected, so we are like, soul mate in laws? Is that a thing? Can it be a thing now."
Maria groaned and crawled out from under Sharon and made her way to Natasha. "Nat they are being mean about my sex life," she pouted.
"Aww, my poor baby. Come here." Natasha cooed at her, moving away from May and opening her arms. Maria quickly crawled into her arms and stuck her tongue out at Sharon. May rolled her eyes at their childish antics, but was secretly glad to see that Maria was finally relaxing.
"Fine, guess I'll go watch over Skye." May grumbled, flicking Natasha behind the ear as she left them.
"Don't forget to come back for sleep in a few hours." Natasha called, giving her a knowing look. May scowled light-heartedly, apparently she wasn't as subtle as she thought in creating a reason to check in on Skye.
"Don't wear her out Maria, I have plans." May joked as she left. She smiled softly as she heard Sharon claim that Maria was a total slut.
"Don't act like you don't get off on it." Maria yelled back.
May rolled her eyes again and entered the room that held Skye. She paused at the door to take in Skye's appearance. She looked a lot healthier than she did on the bus, her face no longer gaunt and the ashen colour of her skin had disappeared to a lightly flushed look. There was a significant lack of wires this time as well, all that was attached was a heart and brain monitor. It looked like the young pup was sleeping, not recovering from a near death experience.
She crept further into the room, trying to avoid waking the three wolves on the floor. It seemed like Bobbi, Jemma and Leo had decided it was best to sleep in their wolf forms and were currently curled up in a pile of fluff.
May climbed onto the bed next to Skye and gently curled into her side. She rested her arm over Skye's chest, making sure to stay well clear of her stomach, and held her tightly. May pressed her face into the crook of Skye's neck and breathed in her scent. It helped ease the anxiety that had started to build within her.
May finally allowed herself to relax against the bed. Natasha and Maria were safe, cuddling together with Sharon and Skye was safe in her arms. Her three wolves lay on the floor in the same room as her, Izzy was curled up with Victoria down stairs and Clint was currently with Laura. Everyone was finally out of danger, safe and with loved ones. May let out a breath as she closed her eyes, letting herself fall into a deep slumber next to her new soulmate.