AN: Hey guys, I have an announcement to make. I am a bit behind on schedule as far as the chapters are concerned... Also, I know how I want the story to continue, I just don't know how to execute my thoughts on the plot yet resulting in a lot of planning and writing from my part. So, next week I will upload only once (on Saturday) and hopefully we will continue with 2cpw from the following week. Please thank my Beta MegaDiary123 for this chapter and I will talk to you all in a week.

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

"May?"

Her form moved from behind the couch and she came to stand in front of me. From the corner of my eye I spotted the other two agents who had yet to move, not surprised by my question. Good, they were briefed over our relationship.

"Hello Skye" May's warm voice reached me with an indescribable desire to hug her. True, I had distanced myself for the past couple of months but ever since I explained the reason for my actions she had been so helpful on finding out more about my past. We talked more often than we ever did before and she was always very keen on knowing what was going on in my life. Ever since the training camp had begun we hadn't really had the chance to properly chat and it was like a dream seeing her in flesh standing there.

I could see that all she wanted was to hug me as well, but she contained herself. I had to remind myself that this was not appropriate and we would be working together for the time being. Maybe when we would be left alone we would have more freedom to talk and relax in the presence of one another.

I could see her eyes analysing my face, trying to guess what my next move would be. "You forgot to introduce me to the rest of the team" I simply told her, relaxing the muscles in my body that had unintentionally tensed.

She sighed with the corners of her mouth titling up as she giggled ever so slightly. This made a smile appear on my face as well. She came around and placed a hand on my back, pushing me a little towards the other members who were just looking at us. "Maria told me that you just got the assignment, we have to properly brief you".

Hill's POV

Just as she was asked and was expected, Skye was running back end in this operation. Given her history with hacking she got the role of monitoring the comms, the cameras and basically scanning anything and everything that she could get her hands on about the place that was to be infiltrated. And, just as expected, I was in the same van as her, driving through the dark streets.

Not long after we were parked in an even darker alley. I had made sure that we would be close enough to the place we were to raid so that Skye would be able to connect to the servers, but far enough so that we wouldn't be easily spotted or not at all. And given the mission, I highly doubted we would be seen. Once I had pulled the handbrake I climbed back and sat next to the young girl whose eyes were glued to the monitors in front of her. She was so focused and I could feel the anxiety coming off of her in waves that it brought back a lot of memories from how I was in my first ever assignment with Melinda as an S.O.

"What do you see?" I asked after picking up my set of headphones that was just lying around waiting to be used. Maybe asking her for a progress report would relax her a bit, since she wouldn't keep everything inside.

She raised a finger and pointed to one of the screen to her right that had the camera feeds from the well-guarded estate. "This is the place where the 0-8-4 is kept. The dance that O'Brien hosts serves as a good distraction and has me looking all over for potential threats as they could be hiding everywhere. The face-recognition software helps though" was her reply as she continued typing fast. "There are no cameras that show the 0-8-4 directly and so I have to monitor the ones that appear to be closer to it. That, however, leaves the team hanging as to what traps may await for them as soon as they pass the door" she indicated a different feed that was focused on a metal door.

Of course and there isn't any camera that shows the 0-8-4, I thought to myself but didn't share my thoughts with Skye. She was tense all over and she didn't need my help to be even more so.

"There isn't much that you can do in cases like these" my voice echoed in the closed and tiny back of the van. "All you can do is keep yourself focused and alert them as soon as something seems out of place. Anything really. This is why I am here as well, I am kinda like your S.O. after all" I told her but it was obvious that my words entered from one ear and exited from the other without being truly processed or just registered.

I sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder which made her jump out of her skin. "Relax Skye" I said as I squeezed my hand. "You are doing great. And whatever happens behind this door, I am sure that May will be able to handle it".

Not knowing what else to tell her I sat back on my seat and let out a breath. I saw the oh-so-familiar May breathing exercises being executed by the girl as she tried to let some of the tension go.

"You're right" she finally said after a long pause. Of course I am right, I refrained from replying just as I fought not to role my eyes. "May can handle anything". It was obvious from her tone that she believed that sentence wholeheartedly, and it was something that the many years that I had spent with May had led me believing the same thing.

The minutes went by as I watched her keep switching between the screens and resumed checking the camera feeds and several lines of coding that she had written in order to bypass their security. Knowing about where she was coming from I could definitely see the people that affected her in the way that she acted.

I remembered Melinda's deadly seriousness in every case that we had met, and I could totally see a similarity in a mission-mode Skye. Clint's funny remarks were something that one could easily see in Skye if she decided to open herself up. And her closeness and lack of attachment was a trademark of Romanoff's. And then Coulson, well, he was responsible for her hacking so there was that.

As my thoughts kept running wild, the time for the actual mission came and May with agent Hart went in the ball. Agent Woo was in a nearby rooftop, riffle at hand just for the formalities, since we weren't really expecting any emergencies to come up.

And, as expected, the operation went smoothly. Honestly speaking, I highly doubted that Skye would make any mistake when it came to hacking or when it came to a situation where Melinda was involved. She shut down the systems to help our agents get into the mystery room and get the 0-8-4. After the systems came back up, most of the security near the weapon was either unconscious or on the floor trying to understand what just hit them and S.H.I.E.L.D. was long gone.

But no matter the success, Skye was still on her toes the whole time, with her whole focus and energy spent on checking whether or not she missed anything or if something seemed out of place. Wanting her to relax once again, I placed a hand on her shoulder. She was startled once more and I made a mental note for her future training to have her pay better attention on her surroundings, just like before the sparring that we had some days before her birthday. This girl could get so lost in her mind that she could shut the whole world out if she wanted to. It was a very useful skill, but not during a mission.

I couldn't help it, I began laughing as she pushed my hand off her shoulder and refocused on the screens. The pout on her face just made me laugh even harder. Then her face turned all serious though I could clearly see that she was enjoying the whole situation. "Oh, don't be like that!" I playfully hit her in the same shoulder and eased back onto my seat.

Once she finished her work, she turned towards me with her hands crossed over her chest. An eyebrow was raised in a silent question that was too clear for me to miss out. Why is this so funny to you? Well, if she wanted an answer who was I not to deliver?

"You know that I was like that as well when it was my first mission with May?" The thought that was running in my head since the beginning of this mission finally out in the open. True, I called her Melinda since the history that we had together and all, but with Skye here I found it proper to use her surname. If I didn't she would definitely not let it slide and I didn't want to be the one to explain to Melinda why Skye suddenly started calling her the same.

I could see a light in her eyes once I told her about my mission with Melinda. Probably she didn't know a lot about the Asian's time as a S.O. so I was expecting a question related to this topic. However, for my surprise, it was quite a different one.

"You know your mood swings are kind of creepy right?".

Oh, that was interesting. I could truly hid the smile that went even broaden on my face or my whole body going up and doing in a failing attempt to suppress a laugh. "Please…" I said drugging the word more than necessary, "…continue". I knew my tone was playful and was glad to see her relax onto her car seat a bit more.

"Your personality is like a complete 180 from when we are at the academy. Plus, you are all serious in one moment and in the next you can be laughing for the most stupid reason ever". I didn't know where she found the courage to actually say all that, but I was glad that she was feeling secure enough with me as to express her thoughts in such a way. So I had to return the favour of her opening up and answer honestly.

"In the Academy it's different. I am a teacher there, an instructor. Here, today, I am just your S.O. and the one role compared to the other is completely different. I can be formal when I want and informal just the same. There is a lot you don't know about me, Skye, just as there is a lot that I don't know about you". Her eyebrows nearly reached her hairline at my latest statement and I raised my hands in a manner of surrender. "Fine, fine… guilty. I do know most things about you but this is only because of the clearance and my role as a trainer. But still, I don't really know you. I only know what is written in your file" I was now leaning in my chair, my elbows rested on my knees as they supported my whole upper-body weight. "But that's not who you are" I continued as I pointed to her chest. "You decide who you are and I would really like to know who you have decided to be". As I finished, I still had the corners of my mouth titled up, just as I did during the whole duration of my monologue, despite the seriousness of my words.

It was time for me to do something other than sitting and staring at Skye and so I got up and motioned her to follow me to the front of the van as I started the engine to get out of that alley.

"See…" she started talking while lowering herself down on the co-driver's seat "…you just say stuff so serious out of the blue and I am never sure what to expect next". Well, since I truly believe that she would pass the true meaning of this mission there was no harm in leaving clues, was there?

"Oh, don't worry. You will see more of me in the next years, you know, me being your S.O. and all".

"I thought that you couldn't have a S.O. until you graduated or for the last couple of years while in the Academy?" She asked quite unsure.

I knew that her roommate was a girl, Jemma Simmons if I was right, from Science and Technology and she probably got confused as to why they have S.O. so early on and why we, in Operations, don't.

"Well, this is how it usually works in Operations. We can't have each cadet assigned to a S.O. since a lot of people don't make it that far. But if someone wants to be a Specialist, then a S.O. is assigned to them during their stay at the Academy. Take Grant Ward for example, his S.O. is Garrett and he has been in that position for… three years I think" my eyes never leaving the road as I was explaining how the system worked.

"Yeah, that's all good but I am barely finishing my first year. When you said earlier that you are my S.O. I thought you were joking. I am guessing you are not?" She asked as the moving lights from the sides of the road seemed to relax her even more.

"I guess not, but you will find out more soon enough" I was smiling, something that I didn't even try to hide from my voice

Skye's POV

The rest of the ride to the meeting point after our talk was enveloped in a welcoming silence that neither Hill nor I dared to break. It was about twenty minutes later when the car parked and not far after when another two vehicles followed suit and stopped right beside us.

I stayed in the back with Hill, listening as the other three agents from our team arrange the transfer for the 0-8-4 and briefly talked about what would follow. I watched as the team dispersed and May came closer to where Hill and I were.

"Hey Maria, mind if I drive Skye back? We have some things we need to talk about" she plainly said as she stopped a few feet away from us. I could see Hill hesitate as if she shouldn't, and probably that was the case, but one more firm look from May had her sighing in no time.

"Fine, but you will have to explain about the report she should fill in after the mission and all the paperwork. I know you don't like talking about these stuff, you hate paperwork, but if I am gonna leave you two alone you might as well do me a favour in return".

"I trained you too good, you know that? Fine, I will explain everything. Will meet you back at the safe house" May said dismissing Hill with a wave of her hand though she couldn't hide the playfulness from leaking in to her tone.

Once all the others were out of site May closed the few feet that kept us apart rapidly and had me in one bone crushing hug. My hands were now wrapped tightly around her torso as I returned the gesture with all my strength. I had not realised how much I had missed talking to her until I told her about finding out about my past and I hadn't realised how much I missed her hugs until that moment. How much I had missed all of my family.

"You have a lot of explaining to do" May whispered in my ear, never once moving away. "I know. I will" I replied back and then she made a move to step away. I could see her eyes scanning properly over my form since she hadn't really seen me for several months now. "You lost weight" she said in a matter-of-fact tone and I was really glad for her not judging. Then her finger touched my hair "And you let them grow".

"Well, you know my relationship with my hair. They were always long and I never thought of cutting them, it would be too drastic of a change… you look good" I finally said, not really sure how to reply. She looked the same as she did the last time I saw her, maybe a little more tired, but I knew she wouldn't want me to mention it. "How are the others?"

We went into the car and turned the engine on as we got ready to take off towards the safe house. "Everyone is fine really. Natasha and Clint have been in more missions these past few months than they had in the past and Coulson is doing what he was doing before. Meaning he is basically being Fury's boyfriend and they are attached to the hip. They all miss you"

"I know they do. I miss you guys as well, but you know how it is with the Academy, you've been through it yourself" I said but the side look that I got from May before she focused back on the road made me raise my hands in a surrendering manner. "Fine, fine. It may or may not have been my fault that we stopped talking for some time but you have to understand my point of view". I relaxed back into the seat of the black SUV as I let a long sigh come off. "Did you find anything new? Did Fury say anything?"

I could see from the corner of my eye May fidgeting on her seat and I knew that she had learned something. But I also knew that she wasn't going to lie to me, not after how I had withdrawn within myself when I thought that they were hiding information.

"I did have Coulson ask Fury information about the redacted file that you sent over" she started and my head turned slowly at her direction when she paused. It was obvious that she was trying to find a way to bring up this matter as smoothly as possible and this didn't really help reassure me about what was found out.

My eyes were trained at May as her attention was on the road, though I could see from the far away look that she had, that her mind was in a whole other world. Not the safest thing to do when one is driving, but I wasn't brave enough to tell her that or sure that there would be a similar situation to learn about what she had found out. So, my gaze turned to the dark road ahead just to make sure but as expected we were the only ones on the road, no other car lights were seen anywhere.

We weren't going that fast, given May's lack of attention on the road. The speed, or the lack of it in this case, was something that I was grateful for until we were about in the middle of a crossroad. Where there were no cars, suddenly headlights shined too bright from my left and I could hear a car picking up speed rapidly.

"May, look out!" I screamed as I bent over to turn the wheel in a useless try to change the direction of the vehicle to avoid the hit, but my luck seemed to run short.

The unknown car crashed onto us in the back part of our vehicle and we were send spinning for what seemed like forever. The only reason why I wasn't sent flying out of the car was the seatbelt that I was wearing, but this didn't prevent my head from hitting the widow hard before everything went black.