Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. As of right now, I only have one more final left to do. I took my Bio 101 final this morning and tomorrow I have my Personal Finance final. Then my family is picking me up on Friday. I'm so happy.
Tamara: Thank you so much. :)
Guest: Good guess. Keep reading. :)
And now, the chapter I'm sure you've all been waiting for. Skye's secret comes to light for someone on the team. You've all made some great guesses, they were definitely some popular guesses. I can say though, that none of you guessed correctly. I'm going to take that as a good thing. :)
So now, the chapter. Enjoy!
*March*
Feeling her phone go off next to her on the bed, Skye reaches over and picks it up. She unlocks the device and goes into the shell program, seeing an incoming video call from Grant. She hits the answer button and holds the phone up in front of her face.
A second later the call connects and Grant's and Jessica's smiling faces are filling up the screen. She smiles, "Hey, you two. What's with the video call?"
"We were just missing you and wanted to call and say hello," Grant says.
"Well that's very sweet," she replies. "And I miss the both of you too. Just a couple more weeks and then I'll be home for little miss Jessica's first birthday party," she smiles.
"I know," Grant smiles and nods. "Did you hear that, Jessie?" he asks his daughter, turning his head to look at her. "Mommy's coming home soon for your birthday party."
Jessica leans towards the screen. "Mmm. Mmm."
"What's she doing?" Skye asks with a small smile on her face.
"You know, I'm not too sure. Obviously you know how she's been babbling a lot more over the last few months, but for the last few days or so she's been doing that. I'm not exactly sure what it is, though."
"Ah, well it's very cute either way."
"Yes it is," Grant smiles. "I can't wait to see you in person again."
"Same for me about you," Skye smiles back.
"Mmm. Mmmm. Mmm." Jessica interrupts them, leaning towards the screen again. She reaches a hand out and Grant moves the phone back a little so she can't touch it.
"What are you doing, Jess?" he asks the little girl.
"Mamá," she says, reaching for the screen again.
Grant and Skye both freeze. They look at each other, then at Jess, and then back to each other.
"Did she just…" Skye trails off.
Grant nods, "Yeah, I think she did." He looks at his daughter while he points at the screen, "Jessie, ¿quién es ese? Who is that?"
"Mamá," she repeats, a smile on her face. "Mamá."
Skye beams with tears shining in her eyes, "Yeah, baby girl, I'm mamá. And I am so proud of you."
"This is incredible," Grant smiles, pressing a kiss to Jessica's cheek. "Her first word. And in Spanish too."
"I think we can have you to thank for that," Skye tells him. "You're always talking to her in Spanish. It's cute though. I like that her first word was mom in Spanish. Makes it a little bit more special, I think."
"Most definitely," Grant nods.
"Agent Morse, Agent Hunter."
The agents in question turn away from their discussion to see Coulson standing in front of them.
"Sir," Bobbi nods her head once in acknowledgement.
"I have an assignment for the both of you," Coulson tells them. "Follow me," he turns and makes his way out of the room, Bobbi and Hunter quickly falling into step behind him.
"What's the assignment, sir?" Bobbi asks.
"I need you to tail someone," he begins to explain. "You are to follow them and observe them quietly; where they go, who they talk to, what they do, and then report your findings back to me. Is that clear?"
Bobbi nods her head in understanding, "Crystal. Who exactly will we be tailing, sir?"
Coulson stops and sighs, turning around to face the two agents, "Agent Johnson."
"I'm sorry," Hunter speaks up, "I don't think I heard you right."
"You heard me very clearly, Agent Hunter."
"But why Skye, sir?" Bobbi asks. "She's one of ours. Why do you want us tailing her?"
"Because I'm concerned about her," Coulson admits. "Skye took a pretty long vacation which I can understand just fine; sometimes this job can be too much to handle. But she keeps leaving every few months since she got back and when she's here, it's almost as if she doesn't really want to be here. Like she'd rather be wherever it is that she goes when she leaves."
"Have you thought about just asking her what's going on?" Bobbi suggests.
"You know, that's actually a brilliant idea," Hunter says. "People usually prefer it when you ask them things about their personal life instead of having them followed, especially women. I've learned that the hard way more times than I'd care to admit."
"I've tried to talk to her, but she just says it's nothing and that I shouldn't worry. Skye's always been a bit stubborn; she's not going to tell me what's going on if I keep pestering her about it. That's why I need you both to do this for me. But if you're not up for it, I can always find someone else to do it and—"
"No," Bobbi cuts him off. "It's fine, sir. We'll do it."
Coulson nods, "Good. Skye asked for a couple of days off at the end of the week. You're both to follow her while keeping your distance and observe what she's doing. Then come back here and report to me what you find out."
"Yes sir," Bobbi nods.
Coulson looks back and forth between the two agents before turning around and making his way down the hallway.
"Are we really going to spy on our friend?" Hunter asks.
Bobbi sighs, "Well we don't really have a choice in this, Hunter."
"Still, it seems wrong."
"That's because it is," Bobbi says and then turns and walks away.
"You do know how massively uncomfortable I am with this, right?" Hunter asks Bobbi as they follow behind Skye's SUV in their own smaller car, watching as she turns onto a residential street.
"And you think I'm not?" Bobbi asks, turning the corner and following Skye down the street. "Skye's our friend; I'm not really okay with any of this either. But I guess it's better that it's me and you following her instead of some brand new agents."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. What do you think she was doing at that store earlier?"
Bobbi shrugs, "I don't know. It was Target, she could have been doing anything while she was there. Now be quiet, she's parking."
Bobbi stops across the street and a few houses down from where Skye pulled her SUV into a driveway.
"And what the hell's she doing in the middle of suburbia?" Hunter asks with furrowed brows.
Bobbi sighs, "I don't know. That's why we're here; to find out what she does when she takes all of her personal days."
Hunter nods, "Right, yeah."
They both watch as Skye climbs out of the car, stopping at the edge of the front yard as a small child toddles over in her direction.
"She looks awfully happy to see that baby," Hunter comments as Skye bends down to pick up the child and hold her in her arms, spinning her around and planting kisses to her face.
"A lot of people like babies," Bobbi tells him. "It's not really that much of a surprise that Skye does too."
"Well then who's that guy?" Hunter points out the window to the tall dark haired man making his way over to Skye.
Bobbi furrows her brows in thought as the man embraces Skye with a hug and kiss on the lips, "I don't know for sure, but I swear I've seen his face somewhere before."
"I'm sure you have, love," Hunter replies. "Oh, she seems to be the one in charge, no surprise there," he remarks with a chuckle as Skye smiles at the man and then jerks her head behind her to the car. The man smiles and nods his head, heading for the car as Skye carries the small child through the front door of the house.
"So are we done then?" Hunter asks as the dark haired man carries a black bag on one shoulder and a large wrapped box in his hands up to the house, shutting the door behind him.
"I don't know," Bobbi purses her lips. "I feel like there's a lot more going on here than just what we're seeing. And I know for a fact that I've seen that man before. I just can't figure out where."
"So then how long are we going to sit here?"
"For however long it takes to figure out what's going on."
...
"People have been going into that house for the past hour and no one's come back out yet," Bobbi says. "And they've all been carrying gifts. Clearly there's some kind of party going on here."
"Remarkable deduction skills, Sherlock," Hunter says from his seat, his head leaning back against the headrest with his eyes closed.
Bobbi turns her head towards him, "You haven't even been watching for the past two hours."
Hunter sighs and sits up, "Did you see how she acted towards that man and the little baby? Skye obviously has a secret family that she doesn't want anyone else to know about. That's why she's always leaving and looking so interested in her phone all the time. Way more interested than any tech person I've ever met."
Bobbi narrows her eyes, "There's no way that any of that is true. Skye would have told us if she had a family."
"Clearly you don't understand the concept of a 'secret family', Bob. Now come on," he reaches behind him to grab the door handle and pushes the door open, climbing out of the vehicle.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hisses.
"Finding out if I'm right," he grins, shutting the door and then crossing the street to make his way up to the house.
Bobbi curses under her breath before climbing out of the car and jogging to catch up with him.
The two make their way up to the front door of the house and stop on the porch when they see a colorful sign attached to the front door WELCOME TO JESSICA KATHERINE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY. COME STRAIGHT THROUGH THE HOUSE AND INTO THE BACKYARD FOR THE PARTY :)
Bobbi and Hunter share a quick look before pushing open the front door and making their way into the small home.
"Do you think this Jessica Katherine is the little girl Skye was hugging outside earlier?" Hunter asks.
"I'm going to go with yes," Bobbi says, pointing to a few photos hanging on the wall, most of them containing the little girl in question.
"Well should we keep going out to the party? Or should we just go back to the car and leave?"
Bobbi sighs, "We've already come this far. Might as well keep going."
Hunter nods his head in agreement and the two make their way through the rest of the house and towards the back door.
Stepping up to the sliding glass door, they peer outside to see a backyard full of adults and kids, a barbecue grill is set up to one side of the yard and a table full of gifts is set up on the other side.
Bobbi steps down onto the small porch, her eyes scanning the yard for Skye. She finally spots her sitting in a lawn chair talking with a raven haired woman and a blond woman.
"Skye," she calls out.
She watches as Skye freezes and the smile falls from her face as she turns her head towards them.
"Bobbi? Hunter? What are you guys doing here? How—how are you here?"
"Mamá!"
They watch as Skye turns her head towards the little girl approaching her and lifts her into her lap. "Hey angel," she smiles at the girl and presses a kiss to her temple. "What happened to your clothes?"
The little girl just smiles.
"I'm so sorry, Skye," the man from earlier in the front yard says as he approaches Skye. "She found the mud hole I've been working on filling in and decided it would be a good place to play in it."
Skye smiles up at him, "It's fine. We'll clean her up later because the moment I set her down she's just going to go right back for it."
"Yeah, you're right," he smiles and nods his head.
"Trevor used to do the same thing," the woman with blonde hair smiles at Skye. "Always getting into the dirtiest things he can find. It was a miracle if we could keep him clean for more than an hour."
"Jess is definitely proving to be one who's not afraid to get dirty," the man next to Skye chuckles.
"She really is her father's daughter," Skye smiles up at him. He just smiles back at her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head as he rests one hand on the back of her chair.
Bobbi's eyes go wide when she finally recognizes him, "Ward?"
The man in question stiffens and turns in their direction. His brows furrow, "Who—"
He's cut off when Skye places a hand on his upper arm, "Not here." She looks up at the two agents, "Inside." She turns towards the woman next to her, "Kara, could you keep an eye on Jess for me?"
"Sure thing," the woman smiles. "Come here, my little ladybug," she reaches out to take the little girl into her arms, immediately wrapping her in a hug and pressing kisses all over her face, making the little girl squirm and squeal.
Bobbi and Hunter watch as Skye whispers something to Grant and then retreat back into the house when they start making their way towards them.
"Okay," Skye breathes out when she and Grant get inside the house and slide the door almost all the way closed. She turns towards Hunter and Bobbi, "Why the hell are you two here and how did you find this place?"
"It was Coulson," Bobbi answers without hesitation. "He ordered us to tail you because he's concerned about you. We didn't really want to, but if it wasn't us then it probably would have been someone else."
"Damn it, Coulson," Skye mutters.
"Wait, Coulson?" Grant asks. He looks at Bobbi and Hunter and raises a brow, "You two are SHIELD?"
Bobbi nods her head, "Yeah. And you were too, if the stories I've heard about you are accurate."
"Well that all depends on what stories you've heard," Grant says, leaning against the wall next to him and crossing his arms over his chest. "What exactly have people been saying about me these days?"
"That you're a crazy murdering psychopath who doesn't care about anyone or anything he comes in contact with," Hunter answers bluntly. "And that was the nicest thing that's been said about you."
Grant sighs and chuckles, "I'm not at all surprised by that. Everyone in SHIELD sure knows how to hold a grudge." He looks at Bobbi, "I recognize you. What's your name?"
"Barbara Morse. But I go by Bobbi."
"I thought you looked kind of familiar. I think I've seen you around once or twice."
Bobbi nods her head, "Same for you. I recognized you when I saw the two of you outside. But it took me a while to actually place your name. Your success rate on missions was always one of the best. Some even said you were like the next Romanoff."
Grant shrugs, "All of that is in my past. I'm a family man now." He pushes off the wall and steps towards Skye, wrapping an arm around her waist and allowing her to lean back against him.
"Right," Hunter says slowly. "That's actually what we were a bit curious about."
"Yeah," Bobbi nods. "When exactly did...this happen?" she gestures between the two of them. "Because the last I remember, Skye, you were saying how much you hated him."
Skye chuckles, "Yeah, well, things kind of changed."
"And what she means by that is that she found out she was pregnant," Grant smiles.
"And when was that?" Bobbi asks.
"July of last year," Skye says. "I came out here in August and stayed for the rest of my pregnancy and then for another month after Jess was born so I could work on getting my weight back down to around what it was before I got pregnant so no one would notice."
"And how long have you two been together?" Bobbi asks.
"Well we made it official on New Year's last year, but we said 'I love you' for the first time this New Years. But before I got pregnant we'd been secretly sleeping together for a few months."
"Wow," Hunter breathes out. "I don't think any of us would have guessed that one."
"So you got pregnant, stayed out here to have the baby, then left her here with him and came back to the base?" Bobbi asks.
Grant's jaw clenches, "You don't have to say it like that. Ask anyone here and they'll tell you I am a damn good father to my daughter."
"Grant, relax," Skye places a hand on his arm. "Why don't you go back outside and hang out with Jess, okay? Make sure everyone is having a good time."
Grant glares once more at Hunter and Bobbi before dropping a kiss to Skye's temple and making his way back outside.
Bobbi shifts on her feet, "So, were you ever planning on telling anyone at SHIELD about all of this?"
"Not anytime soon," Skye admits. "It's just…well there's no chance it would go over too well with most of the people there. The minute Coulson sees Grant he would try to have him locked up or something worse. And I really don't need the father of my child to be in prison for the rest of his life or six feet underground. Plus, I don't want Jess around SHIELD. And I can't really leave yet, not until I know for a fact that my team can handle themselves without me being there and I pick someone to take over for me."
"And how long do you think that'll take?" Bobbi asks.
Skye sighs, "Honestly? I don't know. Hopefully not too much longer."
Bobbi nods her head, "We get it."
"You're not going to tell Coulson about this, are you?" Skye asks.
Bobbi thinks for a moment, shares a look with Hunter, and then shakes her head, "No, we won't tell him."
Skye lets out a sigh, "Oh thank you so much."
"No problem," Bobbi smiles. "But there's just one condition."
"What is it?" Skye asks.
"We want to meet your little troublemaker."
Skye smiles, "I think that can definitely be arranged. Follow me," she gestures with her head towards the back door and makes her way back outside, Bobbi and Hunter following right behind her.
...
"Can you believe our little girl is already a year old?" Skye asks her boyfriend as they stand in the doorway to Jessica's bedroom, watching her sleep soundly with her stuffed ladybug tucked right up against her.
Grant shakes his head, "It's honestly so hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday we were holding her for the first time in the hospital."
Skye nods, "I know what you mean. She's just getting so big. She's already walking and starting to talk."
"Our baby girl is growing up, Skye."
She lets out a sigh, "I know."
Grant steps forward and pulls the bedroom door closed quietly. He turns towards Skye and grabs her hand in his, gently tugging her towards the bedroom. "Come on, let's go to bed. It's been a long day."
She quietly nods her head and laces their fingers together, allowing him to pull her into their room.
"So, do you really think that Bobbi and Hunter are going to keep all of this a secret for us?" Grant asks after a moment as they're changing into their pajamas.
Skye nods her head as she pulls on a tank top, "Yeah, I do. I trust them. I think they'll respect our wishes to keep you and Jess a secret from SHIELD. I just wish that everyone there didn't have such a grudge against you. I know they'd all absolutely fall in love with Jess if they met her, but as soon as they saw you everything they feel about what happened would just come racing back to the surface and cause too many problems. And I really don't want to imagine what would happen then."
"Hey, whoa," Grant says, stepping towards her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "Don't talk like that, okay? Nothing's going to happen. You trust them and I trust you. If you say they aren't going to say anything to anyone then I believe you."
Skye smiles up at him, "I don't deserve you."
"Well too bad, you're stuck with me," he smiles.
She rises up onto her toes and ghosts her lips over his, "That's perfectly fine with me." She wraps her arms around his neck and presses her lips to his, smiling into the kiss.
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Alright. So Bobbi and Hunter know Skye's secret and are going to help her keep it. See what I mean when I said no one guessed correctly. You all had some pretty good guesses, though.
In this story, like I said at the beginning of the first chapter, Ward never kidnapped Bobbi and tortured her, so Bobbi and Hunter don't really have any kind of personal grudge against him. And out of everyone on the team, these two are the most qualified for tailing someone without being seen, besides May. Also, I have some really great interactions between these two and Jess coming up that I'm excited about. :)
Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!