Based on S2-E5

The day before the "conversation".

May (serious): Phil, you need to tone down your "Dad" persona, if you want the team to see you as the "Director". And particularly with regard to Skye.

Coulson: Oh come on, May. I don't have a "Dad" persona! How old do you think I am?

May (smirking): You are 20 years older than many of the team, and the shock of Ward's betrayal has brought us closer together, more than before.

Coulson smirked as there might be some truth in what May was saying.

May: Operating as a family dynamic is not always efficient, especially if you are a "push-over dad".

Coulson (mock offended): What?! I'm not a push-over. Don't you remember how I berated Skye and brought her in cuffs to the bus after her sneaking out and warning her then hacker boyfriend?

May: I heard you then at Miller's place. You did not berate her at all, you demeanor was more of a disappointed parent than an pissed-off federal agent. Apart from the bracelet, you gave Skye no aditional punishments. I wish my motherks reaction to my sneaking out would have been as soft yours. And I didn't endagered anyone else with my stunt!

Coulson (curious): So, what did you mother do? I

May (ignoring his question): The team cannot be in any doubt of your authority. Lives depend on 5em respecting you and following orders.

Coulson (rolling his eyes): They all know that, May. And I haven't told you about the conversation I had to have with Simmons after her jump-out-of-a-plane fiasco. She knows better now.

May stored that information for another time. She was curious about it, since although less obvious than Skye, Jemma also saw Phil as a father figure. What had happened?

May: But what about Skye? She did not grow up with stable rules and consequences for misbehaving. Instead, she was an anarchist hacker, with no respect for authority and guidelines. She is becoming more and more argumentative, not wanting to be sidelined. And she is worried about you.

xxxxx

Coulson's uncontrolled alien engraving was getting worse. He quickly covered his desk, as the team entered his office for a debriefing about the deaths at that wedding. There was not much they could do, so best to concentrate on solving the mystery of these drawings.

Skye: What about the writings you've been giving me? Why don't you tell me your source and I'll follow up?

Coulson: I'm afraid that's classified.

Hunter: Well, you're the bossman. Maybe you could de-classify it.

Coulson (pointedly): I could. I won't.

Skye noticed that Coulson was definitely in a strange mood. Apparently, he was keepin the compartmentatization and "security levels" crap was. Also, he looked tired, as if he was sleeping even less than before. But that would not stop her from challenging him. It mattered not that they were not alone.

Skye: Why not?

Coulson (in a warming tone): I already answered the question, Skye.

Skye (confrontationally)): No, you didn't. You skirted it. There's a difference.

Tripp and Hunter's looked at each other in surprise. Could Skye not see that "dad" was not in the mood for challenges? But then again, she grew up without one, so perhaps she did not know when to "quit before there is real trouble". May gave a meaningful look at Coulson of "I told you so". Coulson decided to nip this public insubordination at the bud. He walked around his desk and stopped almost toe to toe with Skye, now sporting an uncharacteristically serious face.

Coulson (eye-to-eye with Skye): Then it's a difference I'm comfortable with, but if you continue questioning my authority then you and I are gonna have a very different conversation. One you will not be comfortable with. Is that clear?

Skye should have just dropped it, but she had had enough. She saw those same engravings in Coulson's desk. Did he think she was stupid?

Skye (staring back, said in a deadpan tone): No.

Time seemed to stop. Coulson hardly moved, but there was strange glint in his eye. Was it exasperation? Or was it resignation?

Five seconds later, Tripp and Hunter had already managed to slither out of the office, sensing that Skye had now propely overstepped. They knew that the team leader, would not reprimand her in front of an audience. May also left the office, but without saying "Better handle this properly, Phil".

A few more seconds passed, before Coulson spoke. It appeared he needed some time to decide what to do. To Skye it seemed an eternity…

Coulson (trying to keep his voice neutral, but irradiating disappointment): Do not test me, Skye. You have been behaving like a spoiled child for the last few days. Either you stop it right now and apologize for your lack of respect, or you're not going to like the consequences.

Skye (in an increasingly agitated tone): Are you kidding me? *You* are the damn source! We have no time to lose, darn it! John Garrett went crazy not long after he started to draw this crap everywhere, like you have been obvioulsy been doing Mr Level Eight!

"May was right", Coulson thought, as a different side of the "dad" persona took over. In a swift and fluid movement that almost looked like he had trained all his life for, he gently but firmly grabbed Skye's left elbow with his left hand, turned her ninety degrees clockwise and landed ten, perfectly aimed, and surprisingly strong smacks on her unsuspecting behind. Then he sat her unceremoniously on one of the two hard chairs in front of his desk.

Leaning against the latter, he saw that Skye's face was a mix of surprise and embarrassment. The swats had worked, as they curbed her rebellious mood. But now what? Coulson was not overly surprised that he had reacted like that with Skye - especially after he had to adopt unorthodox discipline with dealing with Simmons after her skydive. But he had talked to Jemma beforehand. Perhaps, this time his own childhood experience guided his parental vs. protocol reaction to Skye's rudeness. But he knew he did not hit her in anger, just in disappointment. Also, the lingering pain on the palm of his hand assured him that he didn't go overboard - *her* skin had been better protected than his had been. The cliché parental mantra of "it hurts me more" can be literally true. He was however worried that he had crossed a line - she might still see this as assault.

Skye's butt ached (the stupid chair being no help) but all she could think now was that she hadn't fought him off. What is the point of all that combat training if her reflexes are so lame? Or was it because she could never see Coulson as threat? Her indignation at Coulson's secrecy had vanished, now she was just ashamed and feeling like a naughty kid. Only one other time she felt like this - and the context had been eerily similar: she had mouthed off to the only nun in Saint Agnes that really cared for the kids. Any other nun would just make them write lines or scrub toilets as punishment for a misdeed. But Sister Maria believed in a more personal and immediate response to wrongdoing of this nature. But it did take a lot for anyone to get a smack from tye normally nurturing nun. Does this mean that Coulson cared for her enough to make sure she knew she had messed up monumentally? Why hadn't he just shouted at her? This emotionally charged silence after such a personal punishment, and his continual proximity was more difficult to cope with stoically. Traitorous tears fell on her wringing hands.

Coulson (in a low and calm voice): Skye, please look at me.

Skye could not make herself look up. She was afraid of what Coulson's face would reveal. FitzSimmons in particular, messed around a lot too, but she never heard them talk about being spanked by Coulson. But then again, would she ever tell them?

Coulson was niw questioning himself and his actions. Was Skye so heartbroken that she would no longer be able to trust him? Would she want to leave S.H.I.E.L.D.? He was really *not* ready to see her go.

He dropped down to her level to face her properly and his heart dropped when he saw her tears. His eyes misted over too, but he nonetheless gently placed a finger under her chin to make her look at him. As soon as they locked eyes, and Skye saw his sad face, she lunged into a tight hug and just started sobbing quietly. The hug felt nice so Coulson just held her, unsure how to begin. But Skye solved that part.

Skye (in a small voice): I'm sorry, dad - I mean - Coulson. I promise I'll be good. Please don't send me away.

Coulson (immediately and reassuringly): That will *never* happen Skye.

Skye relaxed her grip a tiny bit. Coulson's heart did a somersault: she called him "dad"! So she surely interpreted this weird interaction as he had: a well deserved paternal punishment. But they must still have that "uncomfortable conversation": what are the implications of what just happened to their relationship going forward?

After a good five minutes, Skye pulled away. She said nothing and avoided his gaze, but she had stopped crying. Coulson raised himself from his crouching position and sat on the other chair next to her. He took her hands in his.

Coulson: We have to discuss what happened. I think my paternal feelings towards you took over. It was instinct - I was not aware how strongly I felt as a surrogate parent until we were in this situation that reminded me of my own childhood.

Skye was very curious now.

Skye (with a a mischievous twinkle in her still red eyes): I did not peg you for a naughty boy, Coulson.

Coulson (with his trademark goofy smile): And I generally wasn't. But I remeber well this one time when I was maybe eight or nine and refused to stop rudely demanding information from my mother. I cannot remember all details but the location is quite clear. It happened in the kitchen when my mum was just starting to bake a cake. Unlucky for me, she was holding a wooden spoon…

Skye (sympathetically): Ouch!

Coulson: We should have talked about it first, Skye. I'm sorry. It was paternal instinct, not anger.

Skye: Seeing how I failed to reacted to your smacks as a proper S.H.I.E.L.D agent under attack would, my brain agrees, even if my butt does not.

Coulson: This changes things, Skye. I don't take my responsibilities lightly. If you are out-of-line like this ever again, you'll be punished the same way.

He waited for her reply. Skye stared back at him, frowning and with cheeks flushed once again with embarrassment. She liked the dad-jokes-telling and the huggable Coulson. But this I-will-spank-your-butt-if-you-are-naughty Coulson was still a bit too weird. She was an adult!

Skye (tentatively): Don't you think I am too old for this kind of discipline?

Coulson: A mere half hour ago I'd answer that question with a "yes". But we we cannot argue with the result. You did apologize for the insubordination.

"And I even called you dad", Skye mumbled. But Coulson heard her.

Coulson: I consider you a surrogate daughter, Skye. May has been worried that my emotional attachment to you was making me soft.

Skye (aghast): Oh no! You are not soft at all! My butt is proof of that.

Coulson gave a tiny giggle. Their special relationship did not break, it just grew and evolved.

Skye (a bit worried): But May and the guys don't need to know about any details of happenend just now, right? Otherwise I cannot face anyone ever again!

Coulson: May, yes. She is my sounding board. And you know that the secret is safe with her. She would never mention any of it to anyone or to you. You are of course welcome to discuss it with her…

Skye: No effing way, as Fitz would say.

Coulson: All the others will assume that I told you off very thoroughly. You cannot hide that you cried from a group of spy agents. And I can promise you that I would never spank you in public.

Skye (eager to change the subject): When are we talking about these drawings though? You cannot deny the source is you!

Coulson (firmly, leaving no room for debate): Not now Skye. Soon, but not now.

Just then there was a knock on the door. It was Fitz.

Coulson (sounding again totally Coulson-esque): Enter!

Fitz opened the door and saw the two still sitting next to each other. Skye had an obvious "I've-been-crying" face.

Fitz (hovering by the door): Errr… am I interrupting something?

Coulson: No. Come in. Skye and I just had to have our first official disciplinary discussion. So, what did you want to see me about?

Fitz (still feeling awkward): Oh, right… I just wanted to tell you that Mack and I have something you need to see down in the lab.

Coulson: Alright then. Let's all go.

Skye really wanted to discuss the images. But she also wanted a distraction from the emotional aftermath of being spanked by Coulson. The three of them left the office together. There was work to be done and bad guys to catch.