Apparently this site freaks out a bit when you try doing desktop operations through a mobile interface, so my apologies for the wait on this chapter. Thanks so much for the support from you all! You guys are the best :)

Permission

"This better be good," was the exact look May was giving Coulson as the three of them piled into his office. He shut the door carefully behind him before looking to Bobbi for some form of explanation after they had all sat down.

"I need to bring my daughter Isabelle here," she stated calmly. For a moment Coulson and May just stood there dumbfounded. The director's mouth was open slightly. One of May's eyebrows rose a few millimeters higher than normal.

"Your daughter," Coulson repeated. "Did S.H.I.E.L.D. know about this? Because I checked over your file..."

"I hid my pregnancy from S.H.I.E.L.D.," Bobbi said.

"How old is she?" questioned May.

"Four years."

"Is Hunter the father?"

"...No," Bobbi lied automatically. It would only complicate matters worse, and the first person she planned on telling that Hunter was Isabelle's father was Hunter himself. That was a whole other can of worms. One guarded by a dragon and a moat of lava, although she wasn't quite sure why the dragon in her analogy would want to be so protective of the can of worms anyways. "But he doesn't know about her either." She explained the situation to them in as few sentences as she could, and by the end neither of them had any more questions. She had shocked them into silence.

"Having a child here?" May said finally. "It's not a good idea, Phil. We can't be responsible for keeping track of a small child with everything else that goes on." She addressed Bobbi directly. "What happens when you go on mission?"

"I'd also like to take three weeks on inactive duty." She paused. "It's unorthodox, I know, but I don't have a choice. If there's an emergency, then of course I'll help, but... This is something I have to do."

"Your mind's made up," Coulson noted, expression unreadable.

Bobbi nodded. "I'd also like permission to take Agent Triplett and a Quinjet to California to pick her up."

"Assuming nothing comes up between now and when you leave, permission granted," the director said. May gave him a sideways look but said nothing. "Understand, Agent Morse, that you will be responsible for Isabelle on this base," he continued. "Not only her safety but the working capacity of the Playground as well. There are areas that will be off-limits to her, and when agents are working she needs to be kept out of their way."

"I understand," Bobbi replied.

"If not, we may have to make other arrangements including you leaving the base," Coulson warned. Bobbi nodded again. The worst part of it over, the director smiled. "Then I guess some belated congratulations are due, Agent Morse."

"Thank you, sir." Bobbi stood from her chair. "May, before we get back, could you brief the rest of the team and get this place squared away a bit? It's going to be a big change for Isabelle, and I just want the transition to be as smooth as possible."

May's gaze softened just a fraction. "Of course." The warmth was gone a moment later. "But you're taking care of Hunter."

"Actually, he has that assignment with Mack today," Bobbi said. "He won't get back until Thursday afternoon."

"By which time Isabelle will be here," May raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to give him any warning?"

"I think it would be better to tell him...later..." Bobbi said, shifting slightly on her feet.

May's face retook its normal stoicism. "It's your funeral."

"I've got to go call the adoption agency, see what paperwork needs to be worked out. Thank you, both of you." May gave a stiff nod and Coulson smiled again. Bobbi exited his office, closing the door softly behind her but remaining in place, listening. At first, nothing.

Then: "I still don't think this is a good idea," May said in a low voice.

"We'll find a way to make it work," Coulson replied. "Morse is one of our best agents—we can't afford to lose her, especially after Bruges. And we don't turn our backs on our own, especially not when there's an innocent child involved."

"I'm more concerned with how innocent that child will be after a year here," May intoned darkly. "She would be safer as far away from here as she possibly could be."

"Not necessarily," Coulson said. "Morse went into Hydra under her own identity. Now she's a traitor to their ranks. I don't want to imagine what Whitehall might do with the child of his enemy."

"Compliance will be rewarded."

"Exactly, if not subject of some inhumane experiment. I think Agent Morse is making the right decision, under the circumstances."

"Doesn't mean I like it."

"Doesn't mean any of us like it, but we do what we have to do," Coulson replied. "Now, while we wait for the rest of the team to wake up, you said you wanted to discuss our next weapons purchase...you wanted a batch of the forty-sevens?..." Bobbi stepped away from the door, marginally comforted by the director's approval but feeling a little guilty on her use of S.H.I.E.L.D. specialist espionage training on her boss: what's said behind closed doors was often more important than what was said to your face.

Returning to her room, she pulled out her phone and found the adoption agency's number. She dialed it and began to pace as she listened to it ring.

"Mirwood Adoption Agency, Laura speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Barbara Morse, calling about my daughter Isabelle," Bobbi said. "Could I speak to Delilah please?"

"Of course, one moment, Ms. Morse," the cheerful voice replied back. There was a click and a soft melody began to play. It wasn't more than a minute before the line crackled again and Delilah was back on.

"Thanks for waiting. Have you come to a decision regarding Isabelle?"

"I'd like to adopt her," Bobbi said, each word feeling foreign in her mouth. For a moment after she said it adrenaline surged through her body as the full impact of her words coursed through her, but she managed to tamp down her sudden-onset anxiety with a few deep breaths. She knew what she was doing. She did.

"That's great news, Ms. Morse," Delilah replied. "I'll have the necessary papers drawn up at once, but I'll need your adoption ID number off the original custody papers and the last four digits of your Social Security number before I can disclose any more information over the phone." Bobbi went to her dresser and pulled open the middle drawer, sweeping her T-shirts and shorts aside to access the false bottom underneath. She moved the cloth-wrapped handgun from atop the stack of papers and began sifting through them quickly. About halfway through the neat pile she came up with the adoption forms from four years ago.

"Yes, I have it right here: 5367-57890," Bobbi read off. "Social Security 6721."

"Thank you," Delilah said. "There will be a lot of paperwork to go through before you can take her, but you're lucky that you opted for an open adoption in the beginning, or this wouldn't be possible. When will you be able to come by the agency and pick her up? The earliest we can do is today at five o'clock or tomorrow at three."

"Tomorrow sounds fine," Bobbi said, calculating in her head. "I'm flying in from New York."

"All right then, I'll book you for then."

"What...what can you tell me about her?" Bobbi asked haltingly. It was amazing how hard her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for the answer. She hadn't been able to ask that question for four years, and it wasn't that she hadn't wondered.

"Well, as I said before, her adoptive parents returned her to us early yesterday morning. She's been staying in our small children's unit, which usually has a one night limit but I think we can bend that rule this once since you're flying in from out of state. As for Isabelle herself...she's shy, but that's to be expected with all the confusion in her life right now. She's well-behaved as far as I've seen, but her parents told me she could be quite mischievous at times." Ahem, Hunter's genes. "She's a beautiful, healthy four-year-old, really," Delilah assured her. "You'll find out the rest when you meet her."

"Thank you," Bobbi said. "I can't wait." Well, that last part was partly true. The thought terrified her beyond belief, electrifying like a thousand tiny bee stings whenever she thought about it. But nor was the thought of not meeting the little girl her baby had become palatable either. She had strongly mixed feelings, and Bobbi didn't like mixed feelings. Black and white was more her style when it came to her own mind. The sooner she could reunite with Isabelle and get past this hump of paralyzing uncertainty, the sooner she could get back to being the collected, in-control S.H.I.E.L.D. agent she was trained to be.

"All right, you'll just need to bring..." Delilah listed off a mountain of paperwork, identification, and other such materials so long that halfway through Bobbi had to reach for a piece of paper and pencil.

"Thank you, see you then," Bobbi ended the call. She turned to see her room door open and Mack step inside.

"Hunter and I are just about to leave, but I wanted to check in with you first," he said. "Told Hunter I was checking the fuel reserves. Have you decided?"

"I'm going to be a mother," Bobbi said, unable to stop the smile from spreading across her face as she said the words aloud.

Mack nodded his approval, holding out his arms. They embraced. "You were always a mother, Barbara. You never stopped caring."

Next chapter we meet Isabelle, I promise! Please leave a review if you can spare a moment - I would love to hear what you thought!

Responses to Guest reviews:

Shawn: This is sooo not the last you'll see of Bobbi's occasional momma-bear-ness. Just wait :)

Andy: Here it is; I hope you liked it!

Sasha: I think all the different names they have for each other (including Hunter's insulting "hellbeast" ones) will find their way into this story. The names are very representative of their relationship at that moment, and I intend to make full use of that.

Holly: Wow, you hit it on the nose! Congratulations, you're exactly right :)

Grace: You will soon see... Thanks so much for your interest!

Guest: There absolutely should be more Mockingbird/Huntingbird fics. Thanks for your support!

Ana: I have no idea how that ship name came about; it makes no sense to me either. I actually have never seen it before, but it's a really interesting idea. I'm glad you like the Skye/Bobbi friendship, because there will definitely be more of that later on!