A/N: Sorry for the wait. A lot's been happening. We had two floods and then our electricity broke. Yay. Plus the kids are back to school where I am so I've got a few more kids to tutor and my kiddies for my nighttime groups to plan for. Busy, busy busy.

PLUS I posted three new fics...have you read them? *cough* shameless plug *cough*

Anywhoo, enjoy this chapter! Thanks for the love. xx

Lance climbed into bed beside Bobbi and found himself missing her juvenile Captain America sheets, and resenting the plain white ones on their borrowed bed. Even if they were Egyptian cotton with a ridiculous thread count. Their softness did not outweigh the unfamiliarity.

But God, were they soft. So soft.

"What's up, Teacup?" Bobbi asked him quietly. She had a book in her lap above the covers, but he knew it was a prop to look relaxed more than anything. She had been on the same page since before he went in the shower. Bobbi smiled at him and put a hand on his cheek. "Okay?"

He nodded and turned his head to kiss her palm. It had been a long couple of days and he was exhausted. Not just tired, but proper draining exhaustion where he honestly thought he could feel it in his bones. Talking to his mother had taken whatever he had left out of him, but having Bobbi by his side through it all, well, she made it easier. Hunter kissed her hand again.

"I thought Skye might wake up, you know? First night in a strange place." Lance said. He lay down and turned on his side, propping his chin up on Bobbi's hip. "But I checked on her." Hunter smiled. "Still out like a light." The little girl hadn't even stirred when he had checked in on her.

"That's good." Bobbi smiled.

Hunter breathed heavily out of his nose. "She'd chucked all the covers off. And the pillow."

Bobbi threw her book on the floor over the side of the bed and threaded her fingers through his hair.

"I covered her back over with the duvet." Hunter said. "Had to leave out the pillow, though. Couldn't figure a way out to get it under her head without waking her up."

"As long as she's okay." Bobbi said quietly, and then sighed. "God, this must be so confusing for her. It's confusing for me and I'm twenty-five. She's just a baby, really."

"Mm." Lance agreed. He closed his eyes and nuzzled closer to Bobbi, nudging up the t-shirt she was wearing for bed, his t-shirt, with his nose and pressing a kiss to the bare skin of her stomach. "My mum called." He said after a minute.

Bobbi's hand didn't stop its movement in his hair. Lance was fully aware she already knew of the phone call, but he was struggling to find a way to bring it up, and bless her heart, his darling wife seemed not to want to bring it up herself. She was good like that, always let him have his quiet inner reflections and never nagging him. Well, never nagging him about said inner reflections, the woman was perfectly happy to nag him all damn day about doing the ironing and not putting her bras in the dryer.

"My mum called." Lance said again. He curled an arm around Bobbi's waist. "She wanted to let me know that they've found somewhere to live." He felt Bobbi's stomach tense under his cheek. "Spain. She won't tell me where. Says it's none of my business." He said bitterly.

"That's not fair." Bobbi said quietly. Her fingers rubbed at a spot behind his ear.

"She's my mum, Bob." He said. "She used to walk me to school every day until I was ten. She used to make me beans on toast and let me eat it in the living room so that I could watch Blue Peter."

Bobbi kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back.

He swallowed thickly. "I don't know what happened. She just started hating me." He craned his neck to look up at her. "I don't understand how she just stopped loving me."

"She loves you." Bobbi said. "I'm sure she does."

Hunter scoffed. "She's taking my sister away from me. She won't tell me where they're moving to. She talks to me like I'm scum. I don't know what I did wrong."

"You did nothing wrong. Nothing. This isn't your fault."

Lance nodded and sighed "I need to go back, Bob."

Her hand stopped its movement. "Back where?"

Hunter opened his eyes and looked up at her. "London." He said, although he was sure she could guess. "My mum said they're leaving next week."

"Next week?" Bobbi sat up straighter, dislodging Hunter from resting on her stomach.

He sat up properly and ran a hand over his face. "I wouldn't even mind if I thought they were looking after Jem properly." Lance dug his fingernails into his palms in frustration. "But they're not. They're not, Bob."

She gently flattened his hands in hers. "Don't do that." She said quietly, and kissed the little red arcs on his palms.

"Sorry." He muttered. Lance turned to his wife, and the kind look on her face had his anger dissolving into sorrow. "They obviously don't even want her." He swallowed hard. "Mum could've just taken her and moved if that's what she wanted, but she's calling me and telling me that they're taking Jem. Like she's trying to provoke me." He shook his head. Bobbi put an arm around his shoulders and he laid his head on her chest. "I asked about her school, and my mum said she was just going to sort it out when they get there. I don't think a responsible parent would just pluck their child out of school in the middle of the term and dump them in a new one where they can even speak the language."

Bobbi made a soft noise in the back of her throat. "You think she's trying to get you over there to bring Jemma back with you?"

Lance shrugged. "Sometimes. But she's making it difficult for me."

Bobbi kissed his temple. "When has she ever made it easy?"

Hunter had to agree. Maybe once upon a time, when he was very little, he and his mum had had some sort of connection. Maybe once over they had been a loving mother and son, but for too long it had felt like he was just fighting with her all the time. It wasn't fair on him. It wasn't fair on Jemma.

"She wouldn't let me speak to Jemma." He admitted. "Said if I wanted to see her again, I had to get back over there before they left." Lance lifted his head and squeezed Bobbi's hand. "I need to go, Bob. Convince them to let me have Jemma. She deserves better than the life she's having with them."

"I agree." Bobbi said. She put a hand on his cheek. "A lot is happening to us right now, but we can't let that stop you from doing something you've been trying to do since you turned eighteen. Jemma deserves a loving family." Bobbi leaned forward and kissed him. "She deserves you."

Hunter bumped his nose against hers. "What if I go and they take her away from me anyway?"

"Don't let them." Bobbi said assuredly. "Bring Jemma back with you. Bring her home."

He frowned. "But what if-,"

"Bring that little girl home, Lance Hunter." Bobbi said.

Lance found himself nodding. He couldn't argue with her. Bobbi's confidence in him was overwhelming.

"I love you." He told her. "Honestly, Bob, I know I'm not always the best husband, that I can be a right arsehole when I want to be, but darlin'," Lance closed his eyes for a second, then looked back at Bobbi's shining back at him, "you make me better."

She shook her head. "You're perfect already, beautiful." She smiled and kissed his nose.

"I'm an idiot."

"You're an idiot." Bobbi agreed with a grin. "But you're perfect, and I love you."

He slumped against her side. "I love you. Never leave me, you psychotic Hell beast."

She kissed his hair. "I never could, little Teacup."

"Bob?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you not call me 'Teacup' in front of the lads? Tony's been taking the piss out of me."

Bobbi kissed his forehead. "Don't worry, Teacup. I'll kick his ass for you."

Hunter smirked and cuddled closer to his wife. "Thanks, love."

…

When Phil woke up at five thirty in the morning, Melinda was already out of bed. It was unusual. Rarely was he second awake to his wife, and certainly never at that particular early hour.

He got up and began a quick search for her through the house. The search came to an abrupt end before it had really even begun, when he found his wife curled up in Skye's bed.

She had her back to the door and the duvet pulled up past her shoulders, but he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't asleep.

"Mel?" He asked quietly, stepping into the room.

Melinda turned onto her back, head falling to the side to look at him. She smiled. "I'm okay."

"Sure?" He asked, perching on the edge of the bed. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure climbing into your absent daughter's bed in the middle of the night is considered 'healthy' behaviour."

"I used to sleep in Bobbi's bed after she moved out." Melinda reminded him and he smiled.

Phil rubbed her shoulder. "And Nat's, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah." Melinda sighed. "The sheets smell like her. It's comforting."

There was one of Skye's pyjama tops peeking out from under her pillow. Phil pulled it out and pressed it to his nose, breathing in heavily. His chest panged with a need to hold his little girl in his arms. Phil rubbed the sleeve of the top between his fingers and tried not to cry.

Melinda squeezed his hand.

"A therapist would have a field day with us." He muttered.

Mel rolled her eyes at him. "I could pretend that I'm in here because the baby is making my back ache and Skye's mattress is more comfortable than ours', but I wont bother." Melinda held up the comforter for him and Phil climbed in beside her.

He groaned as he turned onto his side. "Oh my God. Skye's bed is way comfier than ours'."

"I know." She smiled.

"We should buy a new bed."

"I'm all for that." Mel said.

Phil arched his back and resisted the urge to groan again. "Seriously, this is amazing, where did we get this?"

"I dreamed about her." Mel said.

He tuned to look at her, all thoughts of the mattress long gone. "What?"

"I dreamed about her last night."

"Skye?" Phil asked.

"Mm." Melinda nodded, smiling. "It was nice. It made me miss her so much, that's why I came in here."

"What was it about?"

Mel shrugged and curled around him. "Can't remember. It was nice, though. She was happy."

Phil laced their fingers together. He kissed her head. "Go back to sleep, Mel."

"I don't think I can." She said, although her eyes had closed.

"Try." Phil instructed gently. "Baby needs you to sleep."

Melinda's mouth quirked into a little smile. She moved their joined hands over her belly and flattened Phil's out to rest there.

Phil imagined he could feel the tiny curve of her belly under his palm as the growing baby caused it to protrude slightly, but he couldn't be sure that he wasn't just wishing he could feel it. The baby. His baby.

"You're tiny, aren't you?" Phil whispered to the baby. "But you'll get bigger."

Melinda opened her eyes to glance at him. "Something I'm not looking forward to."

"Mommy's just joking." Phil told the baby, rubbing Melinda's belly.

Mel chuckled. "Mommy's just thinking about all the pairs of jeans she won't be able to fit into."

Phil gently stroked her belly. "But think of all the shopping for new stuff you'll be able to do."

She quirked a brow at him. "I hate clothes shopping."

"Fine." Phil said. "Think of all the new stuff Bobbi will be able to buy for you and the baby." He kissed her cheek. "We let Bob loose in Babies 'R' Us and the kid'll have enough clothes to last until it's thirty."

Mel snorted. "You're an idiot."

"Mm." He kissed her. "I love you, too."

Phil lay in Skye's bed with Melinda, alternating between stroking her belly and stroking her hair, until she dozed off. Even after her breathing became deeper and the worry she carried around her eyes had smoothed out, Phil stayed by his wife's side just to make sure she was okay.

Make sure she was okay. Yeah, right, Phil thought. The only thing that was ever going to make Mel 'okay' again was something beyond his control. She needed her little girl back.

Not just Melinda, either. Since Skye had been gone, Phil had been feeling a rabid emptiness within him. His little girl was living with her sister just ten minutes away, and yet, Phil felt as though a part of him had been ripped out.

It was cliché, but Phil felt as though he were missing a limb. It was as if he'd lost his left hand.

Eventually, he placed a gentle kiss to Melinda's cheek, careful not to wake her, and extracted himself from the bed. He tucked Skye's pyjama top under Mel's chin and she hugged it to herself like a stuffed animal, unconsciously in her sleep.

Although he had been up for a while, it was still early when he left Melinda to go downstairs. Nat and Clint were still in their room and it was early enough that Phil had to switch on the lights when he got into the kitchen. Even the sun wasn't awake yet. He thought that sounded like something Skye would say.

For a second, Phil just stood in the kitchen.

The quiet was too quiet. There was no little girl hanging from his arms and keeping him company while he made breakfast. He made his coffee and had no one to remind to be careful around the hot drinks. He ate his cereal with no little voice 'ewing' at the grossness of his muesli.

Phil missed his Skye.

As he was putting his dish in the sink, his eyes caught on the sonogram, still pinned up on the refrigerator amongst the other papers. The dark image stood out, and Phil found himself reaching out to trace the little outline of the baby.

"You picked a good family to get born into." He said quietly. "Best mom in the world, you know." Phil smiled to himself. "I'll be a good dad, too. I promise. And Skye can show you the ropes. She'll teach you about spies and how to correctly play with Barbies." He chuckled. "Because apparently there is a right and wrong way."

Phil closed his eyes. "You'll be loved here. Just like Bob, just like Nat, just like our Skye, you'll be so loved."

…

Skye woke up with a goal in mind.

She didn't want to mope around the house. She didn't want to dwell on the absence of her mommy and daddy. She didn't want to be coddled by Bobbi and Hunter all day.

Skye wanted to go to school.

She got out of bed, got dressed, and even tidied the room a little. Well, soft of. She made the bed and replaced the pillow that she had thrown off the night before. The room looked almost as neat as when she had first seen it. Skye placed Mr. Snow at the head of the bed to keep watch, but when she made it to the bedroom door, her desire to keep him with her became stronger, and she ran back to get him. Sometimes Mr. Snow got lonely.

Brushing her teeth and going to the bathroom with the bear under her broken arm was a little difficult, but she managed. She had intended to wash her face, too, but with the dressing still over the cut on her forehead, Skye left it be and decided one day of having an unwashed face wouldn't hurt her.

"You're up?" Bobbi said when Skye left the bathroom and almost bumped into her in the hall. "I was going to let you sleep in."

Skye hugged her sister around the waist, pressing her face into her tummy. She was still wearing her pyjamas and she smelled like Hunter's clothes. Bobbi hugged her back, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. When Skye pulled away, she looked up at Bobbi with determination.

"I want to go to school."

Bobbi looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yes." Skye said. She tugged on Bobbi's pyjama top. It had a soccer team's logo on the front and Skye wondered if it actually belonged to Hunter. "Please, Bobbi. I want to go."

"I'm not sure, Skye." Bobbi ran her fingers through Skye's hair and grimaced a little when she caught a snag. Skye hadn't brushed her hair yet. Mommy usually did it for her. "I think maybe you should take a few days off."

Skye shook her head. "But I miss my friends."

Bobbi sat down in the middle of the hall and leaned her back against the wall. She tugged on Skye's good arm and pulled her towards her. "It's just, you only broke your wrist a couple of days ago. I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"But it doesn't even hurt anymore." Skye said, which was a little bit of a lie because the bones ached a bit here and there. Bobbi frowned at her. "Well," Skye mumbled, "it doesn't hurt a lot."

"Honey," Bobbi sighed, "I just don't want to send you off to school and then have you getting upset."

"I won't." Skye argued. "I won't be sad, I promise."

Bobbi shook her head. "It's okay to be upset, Skye. It is, I'm not saying you shouldn't be sad, it's just, I don't want you to go to school when you didn't have to."

Skye sat down on the floor next to Bobbi and tucked herself into her sister's side. She closed her eyes and held tight to Mr. Snow. "I miss Mommy and Daddy, and they're the only thing in my head." She looked up at Bobbi. "Nothing else can get in here." Skye tapped her temple.

"And that's why you want to go to school?"

"Yeah. I wanna go and play spies at recess and listen to Miss Potts tell us stories." Skye looked down at her arm in the cast. The mommy and daddy drawn on there were still happy. "Mommy wouldn't want me to be sad."

Bobbi leaned over and kissed her temple. "No, she wouldn't." Her big sister was quiet for a few seconds, until she laced her fingers with Skye's peeking out from the cast. "Okay. You can go to school."

Skye grinned. "Really? I can?"

"Yes." Bobbi smiled. "But you want to come away, just say the word, and I'll have Pepper call me and I'll come get you. Okay? All you have to do is ask, and I'll come and get you."

"Thank you." Skye put her arms around Bobbi's neck, being careful not to whack her on the head with the clunky cast. "I love you."

Bobbi held her tightly. "I love you, too, Skye." She kissed her. "Things will get better."

Skye believed Bobbi, because Bobbi was her big sister. Bobbi was a grown up, she was smart, and she could draw really well, and if Bobbi said things were going to get better, then Skye had every reason to believe her. To know that Bobbi had such confidence in things improving, gave Skye a new spark of hope.

"When everything goes back to being perfect again," Skye said, "I'm going to make sure they'll be perfect forever." She looked up at her sister. "How do you know that it's going to get better?"

"Well," Bobbi said, "I met someone yesterday who was very optimistic, and I'm taking a leaf out of her book."

"What's optimistic mean?"

Bobbi smiled. "It means being positive. Believing that good things will happen."

Skye nodded. "That's what I'm gonna be."

…

Usually either Mommy or Daddy dropped Skye off at school, and they would walk her from the car to the gates, and then she could run off into the playground to find her friends. That was what happened on a normal day, but today wasn't normal because Mommy and Daddy weren't there to take her to school and Bobbi had to take her instead.

Bobbi walked her all the way up to her classroom. Other kids looked at them weirdly because it was unusual to see an unfamiliar adult inside of the school. Skye didn't care though, she liked that Bobbi held her hand all the way inside.

"Okay, then, I guess I should leave?" Bobbi said. It sounded like a question, and she waited for Skye to say something before she continued to speak.

"Yeah." Skye said. They were still holding hands.

"You sure about this?" Bobbi smoothed her hand through Skye's ponytail. She had brushed her hair for her, and helped wash her face, even taking off the old dressing on her head wound and replacing it with a cool green band aid. "We can go back home?"

Skye shook her head. "It's not home, there."

Bobbi got down on her knees even though the hallway was dirty off all the kids' shoes and she was wearing light jeans. "You just ask Pepper and she'll call me." Bobbi said, putting her hands on Skye's shoulders. "Got it? I can be here in like six minutes if you need me."

Skye cocked her head to one side. "Really? That's fast."

"I'd have to break a few laws," Bobbi said flippantly, "but I could do it."

"Please don't break any laws."

"Skye, for you, I'd break all the laws."

Skye giggled at Bobbi's fake serious face. "Okay. But I don't want you to go to jail."

"Noted." Bobbi kissed her forehead. "I guess I'll see you later, baby sis."

Skye hugged her tightly. "See you later."

Even when Skye hung up her coat and backpack, and went into her classroom, she caught sight of Bobbi standing outside of the door, peeking in. She pretended not to see Bobbi and walked over to her desk to sit by Ward.

"Hey, Skye." He grinned, before she even made it to her seat. "I was worried about you 'cause Dad and Pepper told me what happened, and they said you hurt your wrist-," he stopped speaking abruptly when she sat and he caught sight of her cast, "Oh my gosh, Skye. Is that a real cast? Can I touch it? Does it hurt? Are you okay? I like your band aid."

Skye was a little taken aback by all of Grant's questions. She cradled her broken wrist to her chest and glanced over her shoulder. Bobbi had left, and for a second Skye considered running after her and asking her to take her home, but then, they wouldn't be going home, they'd be going back to the house. Skye would rather be at school.

"Skye?" Grant put a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?"

She tried to smile at him, but it was hard. Instead she just nodded and traced the little drawings on her cast with her fingers. "I wasn't supposed to come to school today. But I wanted to."

"Oh." Grant said.

Miss Potts wasn't in the classroom, Skye wasn't sure where she was, and some of the kids in the reading corner were being noisy and laughing. It made Skye feel a little anxious. She wished she could have brought Mr. Snow to school, but Hunter had been right when he warned her she might lose him at school. Hunter had promised to take care of her bear until she got back. She trusted him, and anyway, when he'd come down for breakfast he'd seemed a little sad, and Mr. Snow was good at cheering people up.

"I'm not allowed to see my Mommy or Daddy." Skye told Grant. She kept her voice low and eyes on her lap.

"I know." Grant said. "Pepper and Tony told me."

Skye looked up at her friend. "You called him 'Dad' before."

Grant smiled and it made a lot of Skye's bad feelings go away to see him so happy. "Yeah. Um, yeah. Tony's my dad. I'm just getting used to it."

"That's good."

"Mmhm." Ward rested his head on his hand. "He says you'll be able to see your mom and dad soon."

"Things will get better." Skye repeated Bobbi's words. "I'm being optimistic."

Grant scrunched up his nose. "Huh?"

Skye chuckled and poked his cheek. He shook his head like a dog and batted her away.

"It means believing good things will happen." Skye told him, simultaneously attempting to poke him in his sides while he squirmed away.

Grant caught her good wrist in his hand and held it away from him. "Can you still be a spy with a broken wrist?" He asked. "Because you weren't here yesterday and playing spies on my own isn't fun."

"You could have played with someone else?"

He shook his head and let her hand go. "I tried to play with Jess and Peter, but they weren't good at it. They just wanted to pretend to be spiders."

Skye frowned. "Why?"

"Dunno." Grant said. "Guess they like spiders."

"I like spiders." Skye said. "But I don't wanna be one. I like being Agent Skye, and Agent Skye doesn't let a stupid broken wrist stop her!"

Grant Ward grinned. "And Agent Ward will be here, anyway, so if Agent Skye needs help, he can save her."

"Agent Skye won't need saved. She does the saving."

Miss Potts walked in the room from the hallway, and Skye caught sight of Bobbi leaving. She must have been speaking to Miss Potts out of view of the window instead of having left as Skye had thought. Miss Potts called for them to be quiet and get into their seats, and Skye turned and kept her eyes trained on the window in the classroom that looked out onto the playground.

She had to wait a few moments, but eventually she saw Bobbi crossing the empty playground and leave through the school gates.

Grant whispered to her. "Do you want to go with her?"

Skye shook her head. She couldn't see her sister anymore. "I want to play spies."

"Yeah." Ward said. "Me, too."

"Okay, everyone. Can we put on our listening ears, please?" Miss Potts said, and the kids quietened and turned their attention to her. "This morning I'd like for you all to get into the same groups as yesterday and we'll continue with our projects."

Kids around Skye began moving their seats and setting up the tables in new arrangements. She watched nervously as Jessica Drew skipped over to her and leaned on her table.

"Hi, Skye." She said too loudly. "We need your chair."

"Oh." Skye said in surprise. "Why?"

"'Cause we do." Jess said. "We need it for our group. We used that chair yesterday so we need it today."

"Just get a different chair, Jessica." Grant said a little irritably. He pushed her arms off his and Skye's desk.

She put her hand on her hips. "But our group had that chair yesterday. We need it. Give it to me."

Skye didn't want a fight, and just to avoid any more interaction with Jessica, she stood up out of her seat.

"Skye, don't-," Grant began to say, but Jess interrupted him.

"Cool." She said, grabbing Skye's broken wrist. "Skye's got a cast." She said it loud enough that children from the surrounding tables began making the effort to lean over one another and see her arm.

Grant stood up and tried to push Jessica away from Skye, but the girl caught sight of the little drawings on the bandage and pulled harder on Skye's arm.

It hurt. Skye tried to get Jess off, but she wouldn't let go, and it was hurting her.

More and more of the kids in her class starting pushing to get around Skye and see her broken wrist for themselves. A little boy Skye didn't know, tried to climb over the table behind her and ended up pushing Skye forward into her own desk. It didn't really hurt, but then Jessica pulled her arm at an awkward angle to show one of the other girls and Skye began to cry.

"Get off." She told Jessica. "Get off."

"Wow." Jess said, still holding her arm. "Don't be a baby, Skye. I just wanted to see."

Skye thought that she might hit Jessica. The kids around her were still pushing. Jess was still holding her cast. It was noisy, and hot, and Skye's tummy felt tight. She knew it was wrong, and that Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be happy with her, but Skye really thought she was going to hit Jessica Drew.

And then Grant Ward walked around the desk and pushed Jess to the ground.

"Hey!" Miss Potts shouted, properly shouted like Skye had never heard before.

All of the kids went silent. Grant stood frozen, staring at Jessica on the floor. She turned slowly to Miss Potts.

"Grant pushed me." She said, almost astonished that it had happened. "He pushed me over."

And then the floodgates opened for the rest of the children to throw in their own opinions, and all hell broke loose.

"I saw. Grant pushed Jess."

"Yeah. He did!"

"No. Jessica was being mean."

"Uh-uh."

"Uh-huh!"

"It was Skye's fault. She was mean to Jess."

"No. She was mean to Skye. Grant was helping Skye."

"Was not."

"Was so!"

"Enough!" Miss Potts held up her hands. "Everyone back to their desks." No one moved. "Now!"

The children all mumbled to one another as they went back to their seats. Skye, even through her tears that had not yet stopped, could see many of the other kids watching her as they passed. She sat down, keeping her eyes on her desk where drips of tears fell from her nose.

"You three, with me." Miss Potts said.

Skye didn't look up to see who she meant, but she could make an educated guess that was confirmed when Grant took her hand and led her with him. She sniffled and he hugged her once they were out in the hall. It was quick, but it made Skye feel better.

Miss Potts knocked on the door of the classroom across the hall. "Could you watch my kids for a little? I need to deal with something."

The T.A. from the other class smiled and nodded, sending a passing glance at Grant, Skye and Jess before stepping in their class. Miss Potts led them a little further down the hall until they reached a quiet space between classrooms. She gestured for them to line up against the wall. Skye stood next to Grant, keeping him in between her and Jessica.

"Okay. "Miss Potts said, looking between them. "Explain."

Skye wiped at her eyes but said nothing. She looked to Ward but he was looking at Miss Potts' shoes.

"It was Skye's fault." Jess said.

Grant's head whipped around to her. "Are you kidding me? This was you."

"Grant." Miss Potts warned.

He sputtered. "But-but, it was her. You." He pointed to Jessica. "This was your fault, not Skye's."

Jessica looked down. "I didn't even do anything."

"You hurt her." Grant said. "You were pulling on her arm and it's broken."

Miss Potts looked at Skye. "That true?"

Skye nodded and hugged her wrist to her chest. "I-I asked her t-to get off but she wouldn't."

Jessica huffed. "I just wanted to see it. She was being a baby."

"Her bone is broken, Jessica." Miss Potts said. "Do you know how much you could have hurt Skye with what you were doing?"

Jessica was quiet.

"However," Miss Potts looked at Grant, "what Jess did to Skye does not forgive what you did to Jessica. Tell me what you did."

He opened his mouth to answer and Miss Potts held up her finger.

"Be careful, now, with what you're telling me." She said. "Because I saw what you did, Grant. Don't try to lie to me."

Grant wrung his fingers. "She wouldn't leave Skye alone. She was hurting her. Skye was crying, Pepper."

"And? What did you do?"

He looked away. "I pushed her over."

Miss Potts nodded. "Alright. Does anyone have anything they'd like to say?"

Skye thought maybe she should say she was sorry. She didn't feel sorry, and she wasn't really sure what she had to be sorry about, but when you got into trouble that's what you did. She looked over at Grant, but he was still looking at the ground.

He was upset, Skye could tell. Grant didn't like hurting people. When he was Agent Ward he almost never used real, bullets, he liked to use the special guns that put people to sleep that Skye refused to call 'night-night' guns because it was a stupid name. She knew he was sorry, he was just stubborn.

Skye elbowed him and he looked over at her. "Tell Jessica you're sorry." She whispered.

Ward frowned. "Why?"

"You pushed her. Just say you're sorry." Skye said. "I know you feel bad."

He sighed and looked to Miss Potts.

"Grant?" She asked.

"I'm sorry I pushed you over, Jessica." He said, looking at Jessica's shoes rather than her face. "I was just trying to help Skye. But I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"S'okay." Jess shrugged. She didn't really look that upset about the whole ordeal, then again, Skye thought, Jessica often got into trouble for things so maybe she was just used to it.

"Jessica," Miss Potts said, "maybe you have something to say to Skye?"

Jess walked around Grant to face Skye. She wrapped her arms around her and Skye stood frozen, unsure how to react. She was about to push her away when Jessica let her go and took a step back. "I'm sorry that I hurt your arm, Skye. I won't pull on it again, promise. And I'm also sorry that I called you a baby. That wasn't nice, either."

Skye didn't feel like smiling but she nodded. "It's okay."

"Great." Jess chirped far too cheerily. "So now we're all friends again."

Grant exchanged a glance with Skye. "I guess."

"Cool." Jessica grinned.

Grant appeared as surprised as Skye felt at the change in Jessica's demeanour. The two of them stood side by side and watched as Miss Potts dismissed Jess, and the girl skipped down the hall and waved to them as she went back into the classroom. When the door closed behind her, Grant turned to Miss Potts.

"That was weird." Grant said. "She's very happy for someone who just got into trouble."

"Well," Miss Potts said, "Jessica is no stranger to hallway talks." She tipped her head at them. "Unlike you two. What happened in there, guys? You both know that's not how we act."

"I'm sorry, Pepper." Grant said. He rubbed at his cheek. "I was mad. She was hurting Skye."

"I know, sweetheart." She hugged him quickly and Skye thought that if they weren't in school then she would have hugged him longer.

Skye wiped the last of her tears away. "Thanks for pushing Jess for me."

Miss Potts gave her a disapproving look.

"I mean, thanks even though it was a bad thing to do." Skye corrected. "Thank you for getting her to stop hurting me."

Grant smiled. "You're welcome."

"Skye, are you okay? Is your arm okay?"

Skye nodded. "Yeah. It's okay now."

"Good." Miss Potts smiled. "I could call Bobbi if you'd like?"

Skye found herself considering the offer more than she thought she perhaps would. She looked over at Grant and he smiled at her. Having her best friend by her side made things a little easier, and now she was friends with Jessica again (apparently), going back into the class didn't seem so bad.

"I'll be okay. I wanna stay."

"Great." Miss Potts smiled brightly. "Well how about we go back into class and Grant can show you what he was doing yesterday."

They walked back down the corridor and Grant told her about his project on lions and how she could help him with it if she wanted since the rest of the kids were in groups, and Skye didn't feel so nervous anymore. As expected, the other kids in the class all looked up when they walked in, but Jessica smiled and gave Skye and thumbs up from where she was sitting with Peter Parker. Jess said something to him and he waved, too.

She helped Grant with the lion project, colouring in the lions he had already drawn the day before, and trying to help read the facts in the big book they had. Miss Potts helped when the words were too hard.

When it was time for recess, Grant and Skye both had big plans for Agent Ward and Agent Skye, but when they arrived at their special secret base underneath the slide, they were met by Peter Parker and Jessica Drew. Jessica smiled at them.

"Since we're friends again, I thought we could play." She said.

Grant glanced at Skye. "Well, actually, we were gonna play spies."

"We like playing spies." Jess said. "Right, Pete?"

"Sure." Peter said, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"But yesterday you wanted to be spiders." Grant said. "We can't have spies and spiders. How would the spiders catch up with the spies? They'd be too small."

"We could be spider-people." Peter suggested quietly. They all looked to him and he blushed.

"Go ahead, Pete." Jessica said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be shy, tell us your idea." When she spoke to him, her voice was soft and not at all how she sounded most of the time.

He paused. "Um, well, you could be Spider-Woman and I'd be Spiderman, and we could help the Agents."

Skye smiled. "That sounds cool. You guys could have powers."

"Yeah." Jess squealed. "Like shooting webs and stuff. Good idea, Peter."

"Yeah, Peter." Grant said. "Good idea."

Peter blushed again and shrugged. "So, can we play?"

"Sure." Skye said. She was excited to start their new game. Jessica smiled really big at her and Skye grinned back. "It can be girls against boys. We have to go on a mission to save…" She trailed off.

"Save the world." Grant said. "It's a race to save the world."

"Okay." Jess laughed, and struck a dramatic pose.

"Cool." Peter smiled.

"Ready?" Grant looked over at Skye. She nodded. "Go!"

…

"But she's my sister. My parents need Clint and I." Natasha said into the phone. She had been arguing with the head of absences at their college for the last twenty minutes. Clint could only hear her side of the conversation, but from what he could gather, she wasn't winning.

"Please understand what I'm telling you-," Nat said. "No, but- hey, listen to me- don't interrupt me." She paused. "No, you are the rude one, sir."

They had called with the intention to get some more time at home with everything that was going on, but the college had been less than forthcoming with their sympathies.

"Well, fuck you!" Natasha exclaimed into the phone.

Clint looked over from where he was attempting to feed Lulu the tarantula some live crickets without them escaping into the house…again. He dropped the two insects into the tank and tried to remember if there had originally been three he was meant to feed her. Clint looked around himself and decided that if there had been three, then Mr Cricket number three had earned his freedom and he could be let go.

Nat growled at her cell phone. "I'm sorry for swearing but it was that or a death threat, and what would you prefer Mr Hannigan? I've got a colourful selection of threats. At least twelve of them are in Russian and it makes them sound super angry."

"Okay." Clint said and took the phone from Tasha's livid grasp before she actually threatened the man with murder. She tried to take it back but her kept her away with his whole hand over her face. She squeaked in surprise. "Mr Hannigan?" He asked, using one foot to push Nat back.

"Hello?" The man replied.

"Yeah. Hi, Clint Barton here." He said. Nat tried to bite him jokingly and he had to alter his hold and put her in a headlock. She grinned at him and he blew a raspberry in her face. "Not you." He clarified to the man on the phone. "The fart sound was for my lovely girlfriend. Listen, sir, we need more time off school. That's all we're asking."

"Barton," the man barked, "as I told your little girlfriend there, before she got disrespectful with me, I cannot give you any authorised absences from your classes."

Nat stopped struggling playfully and sidled close enough to him to hear the other end of the phone conversation.

"But our family needs us, and it says in our course binders that we 'can apply for authorised absences for family emergencies'." Clint read the line directly from a binder open on their bed.

"From what I have heard so far, this 'emergency' does not require your presence." Mr Hannigan gave an exasperated sigh. "You're expected to be in your classes next week. Both of you. Now stop calling me."

"But-," Clint tried.

"Stop calling, Barton. Goodbye." The man hung up on him and Clint glared at the phone for good measure.

He looked at Nat. "What a dick."

She flung her arms in the air. "I know, right? Urg, such a dick."

Clint smirked. "I can't believe you told him to 'fuck off'."

"He deserved it." She muttered, leaning against his side.

"I know. I'm proud that you resisted the urge to threaten to kill him."

"It was so hard." Natasha admitted. She sighed. "I guess we just have to hope all this has worked itself out by the end of the week."

"I guess so." Clint kissed her. "Finger's crossed."

"Hm." She wrapped both arms around him and Clint hugged her back. He kissed her hair and gently rocked them from side to side. He paused when his eyes fell on Lulu and her dinner.

"Nat?"

"Yeah?" Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"There were only two crickets, right?"

She pulled her head back and looked up at him with an arched eyebrow. "No. Three."

Clint grimaced. "Aw, cricket, no."

Natasha patted his arm. "When Mom freaks out because she finds a cricket in her bed, you can explain how it got there."

"Great." Clint said. "How about next time we give Lulu food that's already dead?"

Nat swatted him. "Tallulah likes the chase." She smiled and let go of Clint to crouch by the tank. "Don't you, baby? Yes you do. My gorgeous girl likes to murder the crickets herself." Nat cooed. "Oh, baby girl likes to murder, yes she does. Yes she does!"

Clint looked on at his girlfriend making kissy faces at a spider with half a cricket in its mouth. "Remember when I said I'd marry you? Yeah, I take it back."

She threw a shoe at him. "Too late, Barton. Can't get rid of me now."

"Damn." He smiled pulling her up and back to him. "Guess I'm stuck with you, then."

Tasha kissed him, letting her hand run through the hair at the nape of his neck. "Guess so."

…

Skye was so distracted with helping Jessica colour in her picture of a giraffe, that it took for the other girl to nudge her with her elbow, for Skye to realise the teacher was calling her. They had been drawing African animals since lunch, and while Skye and Jess were making a big giraffe, Peter and Grant were cutting out strips of green paper to be the grass.

She left Jessica and her drawing to make her way over to Miss Potts and a person Skye knew worked in the office. Miss Potts smiled at her, but it wasn't a real smile. She looked worried.

"What's the matter?" Skye asked immediately. "Something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong." She told Skye. "But you need to go to the office with Ella. Okay?"

Skye glanced at Ella, and then back to Miss Potts. "Why?"

"Bobbi's here." Miss Potts said. "She'll explain."

"Do I need my stuff?"

"No." Ella said. "Just leave it here. Come on, Skye."

Skye didn't want to go with Ella. Although she had seen her walking the halls, she didn't know her at all and Skye didn't really like going places with strangers. She stepped closer to Miss Potts.

"I don't wanna go." She said. "Not on my own."

Miss Potts smiled at her and called Grant over.

"Could you go with Skye to the office?" She asked him. "Go with her and Ella, then come straight back, okay?"

He didn't question her, just nodded and took Skye by the arm to lead her out of the classroom. Ella walked ahead of them and Grant spoke quietly to Skye.

"What's going on?"

She shrugged. "They said Bobbi's here but I could leave my stuff."

He frowned. "So, you're not going home?"

"Dunno."

They reached the office and Bobbi was waiting for them. She waved at Grant and he smiled back. Skye hugged Bobbi tightly. She was a little afraid and she didn't really know why.

"Back to class, Grant." Ella said, ducking back into the office.

He nodded. "Later, Skye." Grant said, and walked back to class. He glanced over his shoulder twice before turning a corner slipped him from view.

Skye turned her attention to Bobbi. "What's going on?"

Bobbi bent down and picked Skye up. She didn't need to be held, but the way Bobbi rocked her a little from side to side gave Skye the impression that maybe holding her was more for Bobbi than herself. She laid her head on Bobbi's shoulder.

"Nothing bad, right?" Skye asked.

Bobbi kissed her. "I hope not."

Skye cuddled her sister. "I'm being optimistic. It's not gonna be bad."

"Good thinking."

Skye looked up when Principal Weaver exited her office with a policeman and a guy in a suit. He looked kind of mean and Skye tightened her arms around Bobbi.

"Alright, gentlemen." Weaver said. "I'll be in our staff room if you need me." She smiled at Skye. "Just do your best, alright."

Skye nodded, even though she had no idea of what she was agreeing to. Principal Weaver left, and the two guys by her door ushered Bobbi into the room. Bobbi patted Skye's back and walked into the office, sitting down at one of the chairs across from where Weaver usually sat. The man in the suit took that seat and the police officer stood by the closed door.

"Hello, Skye." The suit man said.

She looked up at Bobbi and her sister smiled at her. It was the same smile Miss Potts had given her earlier, fake.

Suit man drummed his fingers on the desk. Skye turned to him.

"Hi." Skye said to him.

Suit man smiled and he didn't look so mean. It felt a little like her first meeting with Nick Fury. He had seemed scary at first, but then Skye had liked him a lot. Maybe this guy would be the same.

"My name is Detective Blake." He said. When he stopped smiling his face looked mean again.

"Your name is 'Detective'?" Skye asked, and she felt Bobbi chuckle.

Detective Blake glared at her. Maybe he wasn't so much like Nick Fury.

"Just call me Blake, Skye. Okay?"

Skye nodded. "Okay."

"Well then," Blake said, "lets get this over with and we can all go on with our lives."

Skye turned to look back at her sister. "What's happening? I wanna go back to my class."

Bobbi kissed her. "This man is a police officer. You just need to answer a few questions, then you can go back. Promise."

Blake coughed to get her attention. "Skye, you were in car accident." He said, twiddling a pen in his fingers that Skye was sure didn't belong to him, but was Principal Weavers from her desk. "I want to know who is responsible for that accident. Can you tell me?"

"Hey," Bobbi said, "she's eight, could you be a little kinder?"

Blake rolled his eyes. "Skye, can you tell me who is responsible, please?"

"Yes." Skye said, and all eyes in the room seemed to zone in on her.

"You can?" Bobbi said, seemingly surprised.

Skye looked up to her. "Yes. I was there. I saw it."

Blake knocked his fist on the desk. "Trauma can warp memories. Is it clear in your head? The memory of the crash?"

"I don't like thinking about it."

"But can you?"

Skye held onto Bobbi's arms around her. "If I tell you, can I go home with my Mommy and Daddy?"

Blake sat back in his chair. "It might speed up the process. Not making any promises, though?"

"But it might help?" Skye asked.

"Yes."

She nodded. "I'll tell you, then."

A/N: Comments? Seriously, I love to read them. All of them. I hope you all have good weeks, loves. All the best!