Chapter four

But again this time a baby's cry interrupted the silence. Strangely enough, though, the baby was nowhere in sight although the cry was clearly audible. Jemma looked around the room and concentrated on the ever so repeating screaming of the baby's computer in its chest.

Skye's eyes shock open.

"Oh, shoot"

She said before jumping up and running to the door.

"Wait! Where are you going, where's the baby?"

"I was cleaning it up in the bathroom upstairs because it was full of puke but then the guitar-alarm went off and I forgot it's there!"

Both of them ran upstairs to the bathroom. By now it wasn't just the baby that was yelling.

"You forgot our baby?"

Jemma said sternly.

"You took my guitar!"

"But you forgot our freaking baby?!"

"No swearing, ay!"

"For fuck's sake, Skye, stop with the joking! Are you even taking this seriously?"

For a brief moment Skye's mouth formed a devilish smirk.

"Am I taking a baby doll with a programmed computer in its plastic chest seriously? I am taking this very seriously, thank you!", she said sarcastically.

Jemma was furious. She will not have her grade ruined because her project-mate wasn't putting any effort into it.

"Maybe it hasn't crossed your mind but I need to have a good grade on this project! I need to have good marks I want to go to college and simply because you don't give two shits about that kind of stuff, I shouldn't either?!"

"What are you even saying! You are getting perfect grades anyway. This, that I checked up on you and forgot about piece of plastic won't do any of us harm. Please just relax…God you're so uptight, how can you even walk with this stick so far up your ass."

"Relax? I have you us my project partner, and I should relax?"

The argument lost its volume. They weren't screaming or yelling furiously anymore, instead they were just bitter, mean and cold with each other.

"How can you not care at all? How can you be related with one of the strictest teachers in school and be so goddamn lazy! "

Jemma sighed before she said:

"I'm so sorry for your parents."

Suddenly Skye felt empty inside. She wished she had something to backfire at her but she had nothing in her hands. This, talking about her parents, is Skye's nerve and Jemma had already hit it the second time today. She knew she couldn't cry right now, she wouldn't give Jemma the satisfaction of showing any emotions but Skye knew where she stood with her parents. She knew how their relationship works and she knew that her parents love her, no matter what. With a cracked voice Skye said:

"No need to be."

Jemma's eyes flashed open as she realized how far from okay that has just been. She regretted saying that immediately after it came out of her mouth. Honestly, she had known idea what caused her to say that, really.

"Skye, listen I'm-"

Her voice echoed desperately.

"Please, you're not sorry."

Her eyes started to water and it hit Jemma that this was the second time today she had said such a thing. Jemma was looking for her voice to continue but even when she managed to continue speaking, it was still just with such a small voice.

"I am sorry, believe me, please. I know I can be an asshole, I know that, but really… saying something like that is way off-limits. Please, Skye, I'm sorry."

This whole thing felt strange. Why would Jemma apologize now but not earlier? Anyway, somehow Skye could feel the sincerity in Jemma's voice.

For a second Skye had to look around. Somehow she tried to avoid looking into Jemma's eyes because she felt like she'd cry if she did. Within split seconds Skye tried to remember the way from her room…

Was there anything on the wall that gave her secret away? Is that way Jemma apologized now but not earlier today?

Does anything in this house scream

"adopted child on board be careful with the following topics: 1. Parents 2. that's literally it, that's the weak spot. 100% of the adopted children will probably cry. Thank you for your attention."

?

Every effort not to get her eyes anyhow watery was unsuccessful. Skye sighed deeply before turning to Jemma before she waved it off.

"Forget about it, it's…well, not okay but it's alright"

Skye rubbed her forehead. This whole moment was intense but she knew sooner or later they had to get along and strange enough, the fact that Jemma apologized or realized that she crossed a line made the whole situation more bearable. At least they're making baby steps in the "tolerating each other's existence" direction.

"How do you like the name Ava?"

Skye asked carefully.

Jemma felt very relieved and smiled. She dried one eye and said that she loved that name.

"It's beautiful. You want to call our baby that?"

"Yeah, I guess, ever since we both like it."

"Ava it is."

Another silent moment passed before Skye said that she was going to fetch fresh towels from downstairs. In reality she just needed a moment to herself but as soon as she left the bathroom her mom was waiting at the beginning of the stairs.

Melinda looked at Skye coldly then she signed that Skye should follow her downstairs. The direction Skye would have taken anyway. Skye was sure that her mother had heard the majority of what just went down but she had no clue how she'd react or what she'd say, if she was going to comment on it anyway.

Once they'd reached the kitchen, that's around the corner of the stairs on living room level, Melinda waited a second for Skye to get inside. Once she was in sight again Melinda started to search the kitchen. She seemed somehow unsettled and upset, a state that's highly unusual for her. She poured water in a teakettle, put it on the stove and prepared three cups.

"Do you think Jemma likes berry tea?"

Skye was really confused. Her mom never cooks tea.

"I mean she's British, right, the British like any kind of tea. Then again I probably shouldn't settle with stereotypes because we come from great tea drinkers ourselves but we never drink it, so-"

"I'm sure any kind of tea is fine."

Melinda put the teabags down. She was with her back to Skye when she sighed deeply. This conversation they most probably were about to have wasn't a new one. In fact they had it numerous times because of different reasons. (But that never made it easier).

Like the first birthday Skye had spent with her new parents.

Skye was 11 at the time when Melinda and her husband Phil adopted her. They knew about Skye's past, they knew that she had troubles with the families she had been to this point so her behaviour in the May-Coulson household for her first months was not very surprising at all. Skye had tried hard not to get attached to Melinda and Phil, she never called them "Mom" or "Dad", always "Melinda" and "Phil" although both had insured her often that Mom and Dad would be fine.

Skye's birthday was three months after she was legally adopted or in other words: it had been two punched kids and four glue incidents since she got adopted.

For her 12th birthday she could invite however many kids she liked but the thing was: nobody she invited actually showed up. (Skye sure wasn't the most liked kid in school) Hence the whole party was quite sad but Skye acted as if it hadn't bothered her. She got used to being sad and she had ways to deal with her feelings, but crying was not a one of those.

So instead she rebelled. The infamous fifth glue incident happened that day but also something else that she had never experienced before happened. Not the part where Melinda and Phil yelled at her, she had a lot of people yell at her before and Melinda and Phil had been two of those people, no not that but instead they told her that they would not give up on her like that.

"You can try all you want, but listen, Skye, we will not give you up. You're part of our family now. You are in this family and whether you like it or not but we will not give you up!"

And then Skye did something she hadn't done in a long time. Sky cried in front of people and even more, she hugged Melinda and Phil. In the evening all three of them had a barbeque outside and eventually Melinda gave Skye her present. The third new thing within a day.

First she didn't even want to accept it but Melinda wouldn't listen. That day she got the golden necklace, which she's wearing to this day. It was empty when she got it but now it has Phil and Melinda's wedding photo inside.

The following days, she began to call them "Mom" and "Dad".

This was exactly the kind of conversation, it seemed, they were going to have now, too. Melinda, like so often, would ensure Skye that she's loved and wanted in this family even though Skye knows all of that. So when Melinda opened her mouth to say exactly that Skye had her arms tightly around her mother already.

"I know, Mom."

"And you know that we love you, nonetheless, right?, you know that you're the most important thing in our lives?"

"You're the most important thing in my life."

Somehow strange, all of them knew that their family wouldn't break up. In fact there was nothing that could split them up but still there was always this little spark of insecurity that just wouldn't go away.

For a moment they were just hugging and remembering that they have each other when they heard someone on the stairs. Soon after Jemma's voice came closer

"Skye? There were some towels- oh hey, Professor May"

"Hey, Professor May?"

Skye raised an eyebrow amused but Melinda ignored that.

The baby doll was wrapped in a purple towel, matching Jemma's shirt, and Jemma suddenly held it nervously in her arms. It's awkward to meet a teacher outside of school as it is, but actually being home at a teacher is even worse. And that it was one of her favourite teachers didn't help the situation, either.

Jemma looked like a deer in the spotlight of a car or at least she felt like that.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt-"

"You didn't, don't worry."

Melinda liked Jemma, too. She was an ambitious student, very bright and not too bad at sports, sometimes a bit too arrogant for Melinda's liking but all in all a good kid. But besides everything Melinda was certain that if she had no knowledge of Jemma's background whatsoever and heard the previous conversation, she'd stop liking her this instant.

"And Simmons, ever since you kind of impregnated my daughter and you two had the child within a day, science is amazing, you can call me Melinda here, unless that's too weird?"

"Kind of is, mom"

"Professor May, I think is fine, if you don't mind of course."

"No, not at all!" May rolled her eyes jokingly, "Hey, how about you stay for dinner?

You two can organize this whole baby project thing afterwards and then we'll drive you home.

How about that?"

Before neither Skye nor Jemma could say anything, Melinda took it as an accepted invitation and started chopping carrots.

Hello everyone!

I think it's far overdue to tell you guys how grateful i am that so many people enjoy this story so far (although, let's be honest, my grammar and English altogether sucks haha)

There were so many nice comments on this one already and I figured it's time I should tell you how i planned this story.

We're on the fourth chapter of about 12 (minimum 9, maximum 15 chapters. something between 9-15) and now that we're getting some background stories on the characters I think it's about time there will be a kiss now and then, ye, but at the moment it's just not right.

I hope you'll stick around for more, and please review (also possible on tumblr .com or twitter _jemmasimmcns) every feedback is a good feedback!

Thank you thank you

xx Laura

(ps: *brushes of tear* none of the characters used belong to me. all of the characters used belong to ABC's Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (if they were mine jemma would get treated better these episodes and bobbi and her would get a lesbian spy spin-off, amirite)