Skye was at the mall with Pepper and the baby. They were doing some last-minute Thanksgiving shopping. They were coming out of a shop and noticed the Christmas tree had been put up and was being decorated.

"That's how you learned right? Foster mother did that and taught you?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Skye said and she couldn't stop herself, she had to look, and as soon as she did the woman decorating the tree looked back at her and narrowed her eyes at Skye.

Skye swallowed hard. "We should keep going," she said as she started to walk away.

"Skyler, wait," the woman called out but Skye just kept walking.

Pepper noticed the glace between the two and walked pushing the stroller to catch up with Skye as she exited the mall. "Skye is that your former foster mother?"

"No," Skye lied.

"Skye," Pepper said softly.

Skye sat on a bench and Pepper at next to her.

"Yes," Skye said.

"I take it you don't want to say hello," Pepper said.

Skye shook her head.

"What happened in that home Skye, because I thought it was one of the better ones," Pepper said.

"It was the best, until the end," Skye said.

"What happened in the end?" Pepper asked.

Skye shook her head and put her head in her hands.

"You want to go home?" Pepper asked softly.

Skye nodded.

The two got up and Pepper pushed the stroller out to the parking lot and got the baby in the car before getting in and Skye had already gotten in.

Pepper started for home. When they were driving her phone started to ring.

"Can you check that for me please sweetie?" Pepper asked.

Skye did so "Kenneth Matthews."

"Answer put it on speaker, please," Pepper said.

Skye did so.

"Hey Kenneth, what's going on?" Pepper said.

"I'm just calling to say that the person who came forward that the dog was theirs. Turns out they don't want the dog anymore. The dog is free and clear," he said.

"Oh wow, that's a mix of sad and great at once," Pepper said before looking at Skye who was just leaning her head on the window tears falling. Pepper let out a breath, "Kenneth. Let me call you back," she said before she hung it up.

"Skye, I want to help you but I need to know what happened," Pepper said.

Skye shook her head, "I don't want the dog anymore."

Pepper nodded a little. She didn't for one second believe her but she didn't want to push her right now. When they got home Skye went inside and to her room, curled on her bed, and sobbed.

Pepper took James out of the car seat and went inside as well. She changed his diaper before putting him down for a nap before she went into the kitchen and started to pull out stuff to make dinner.

Steve and Bucky came into the kitchen from a run, both heading to the fridge for a bottle of water.

"How was the mall with Skye?" Steve asked Pepper.

"Well, it was going well. Until we saw someone decorating the tree in the mall. Skye saw this woman, and the woman saw Skye and called out to her. Skye took off and I followed Skye. She wouldn't tell me what happened but she was clearly upset," Pepper said.

"I always got the feeling that was one of her favorite homes," Steve said.

"Yes that's what I thought and I asked her as such and she said it was the best home until the end," Pepper said

Steve's phone went off with a beep. He looked at it and sighed "I have that phone call with Fury."

"Go, I'll try talking to Skye," Bucky said.

Steve nodded a little.

"Hey, I've got it, Steve," Bucky said

"Okay," Steve said before he went.

Bucky looked at Pepper, "Anything else said?"

"No," Pepper said. "Oh. But the veterinarian called. The owners of the dog decided they didn't want him anymore. Skye was with me when I got the call. She told me she didn't want the dog anymore. But I don't believe that."

"Okay," Bucky said before he went and knocked on Skye's door.

"Yeah," Skye said softly.

Bucky went in and closed the door before going and sitting on her bed. "You want to tell me what happened in that home?"

"No Sir," Skye said wiping the tear from her eyes.

"Skye, you're not in trouble," Bucky said confused.

"I feel like I should be," Skye said.

"Oh?" Bucky asked

Skye shook her head.

"I can't help you if I don't know why you feel that way," Bucky said.

"Maybe I don't want help," she snipped.

"Skye," Bucky said warningly.

"I just don't want to talk about it," Skye said softly.

"Okay, well I heard the dog is available again but you don't want him anymore?" Bucky asked.

Skye shook her head. The truth was she didn't feel like she deserved it. She didn't feel like she deserved anything good.

"Okay, I'm going to guess you will have a few days to change your mind. And I'm making you an appointment with a new therapist. You are going," Bucky said.

"No," Skye said.

"Not giving you a choice. You are going. End of discussion," Bucky said as he got up.

Skye mumbled something in French, "Va te faire foutre."

Bucky raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?" he said sharply.

Skye looked up at him eyes wide.

"I know French Skyler. And I will not let you speak to me that way," Bucky said.

"Sorry," she said quickly.

"Who taught you that?" Bucky asked.

Skye shook her head quickly.

"Speak to anyone like that again and you will be very sorry," Bucky said.

Skye nodded a little before Bucky left the room and went back into the kitchen "Do you know who has been teaching Skye French?" he asked Pepper.

"Wanda I believe why?" Pepper asked.

"She just swore at me in French and I want to know where she learned it," Bucky said.

"I don't know if Wanda would teach her to swear," Pepper said.

"Who is teaching who to swear?" Tony asked coming into the kitchen.

"Skye just swore at me in French, unaware I know how to speak French," Bucky said.

Tony smirked, "what did she say?"

"Tony it is not funny," Pepper said.

"Va te faire foutre." Bucky said. He knew they both knew French

"She said what?" Pepper and Tony both said they were stunned they knew the girl had been known to drop quite a few swear words. Even knew her to be snarky to the adults there but Skye did not talk to anyone like that.

"Wanda would not teach her how to say that," Pepper said.

"Teach who how to say what?" Wanda asked coming into the room.

"Taught Skye how to swear in French," Bucky said.

"I most certainly did not," Wanda said. "I've taught her some French but not how to swear. I do think she has been learning French online with a tutor. Some teenager in France."

"That would be likely where she learned it," Bucky said shaking his head.

"I would never teach her to swear," Wanda said.

"I didn't really think you would. And even if you did I know you would not teach her to swear at me the way she did," Bucky said.

"Do I want to know what she said?" Wanda asked.

"What who said?' Steve asked coming into the kitchen.

"Skye swore at me in French," Bucky said. "She didn't realize I know French."

"What did she say?" Steve asked.

"She told me to go fuck myself," Bucky said.

"She said what?" Steve asked angrily.

"She apologized pretty quickly once she realized I knew what she said," Bucky said.

"I don't care, she does not get away with speaking to you like that," Steve said before he went to Skye's room and knocked.

"Yeah?" Skye said.

Steve went in, "Do you fully understand what you said?"

Skye nodded a little.

"Skyler Sarah Rogers, where do you get the idea that you can swear at any adult here in any language and get away with it?" Steve asked

Skye sat up quickly. Her dad was angry. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"Where did you learn to swear like that in French?" He asked arms crossed across his chest.

"Online tutor," Skye said.

"I'm paying someone to teach you how to swear?" Steve asked.

"She is teaching me other things too," Skye said quickly realizing she might be about to lose the tutor and she didn't want to.

"Stand up," Steve said calmly as he undid and removed his belt.

Skye did so swallowing hard.

"Lose the pants and over the bed," he said as he folded the belt in half.

"I'm really sorry," Skye said as she pushed down her leggings.

"I'm sure you are. But I told you about what would happen if you were disrespectful to Bucky again. And you weren't just being snarky you were more disrespectful than I thought was ever possible for you. Over the bed I will not tell you again," Steve said.

Skye bent herself over the bed burying her face in her arms.

Steve brought the belt down on the top of her butt twice.

Skye whimpered. "I won't do it again."

"I'm making sure of that," Steve said before bringing the belt down again twice more, slightly lower.

Skye yelped but didn't say anything.

Steve continued to bring down smacks with the belt slowly moving down her butt.

By the time he landed two on her sit spots, she was sobbing.

He landed two more on the center of her butt before he quickly laced the belt back through the loops on his jeans.

"When you are ready you can fix your pants," he said softly as he sat on the bed.

Skye sobbed for a few more seconds before she fixed her pants and stood up she was pulled into a tight hug by Steve. He hated he had to be so hard on her but he would not tolerate that level of disrespect to anyone she was expected to respect.

Skye sobbed into him clinging to his shirt.

"It's over. You will apologize to Papa again and it will be forgiven," Steve said.

Skye nodded a little as her sobbing slowed down and she pulled away from him gently.

Steve reached up and wiped away a few of her tears. "But ifyou ever speak to anyone who is owed your respect like that again what I just gave you will feel like a tickle. Am I understood?"

"Understood Sir. I regrated it the second it came out of my mouth," Skye said.

"Glad to hear it," Steve said pulling her into a hug again.

Skye hugged him again.

Once they broke the hug Steve looked at her again "Go. Apologize."

Skye took a breath and went and found Bucky in the kitchen helping Pepper with dinner.

"Papa," Skye said softly

Bucky looked at her

"I'm sorry I was disrespectful to you," Skye said.

Bucky set the wooden spoon down and opened his arms to her.

Skye went over and hugged him. He wrapped her in a hug, "it is forgiven. But, little tip Skyler, in this compound. There are a lot of languages known, don't try that again."

"Noted," Skye said.

The next day Skye was playing Mario party with Morgan, Tony, and Bucky. When Skye's phone rang with the ringtone she had specifically for Happy.

She answered it on speaker, "Hey Happy what's up?"

"There is a Joseph Norton here, pretty instant on speaking to you. Do you know him?" Happy asked

Skye felt her heart in her throat.

Bucky looked at her, "do you?"

Skye nodded a little.

"Is this a teenager or anAdult?" Bucky asked Happy.

"Adult, and he is very insistent," Happy said

Bucky looked at Skye, "Need to know, are you going to be in trouble if I go speak to him?"

Skye shrugged.

"Skye, I need to know who he is," Bucky said

"Former foster father," Skye said.

"Husband of the woman you say yesterday?" Bucky asked

Skye nodded

"Do you want to speak to him?" Bucky asked.

Skye shook her head.

"Did they hurt you, Skye?" Bucky asked.

"Not in the way you are thinking no. They were not abusive in any way," Skye said.

"Skye, I need to know if you want to speak to him," Happy said on the phone.

"I can't," Skye said.

"I will let him know," Happy said before he hung up.

It was Skye's turn in the game and she pressed the button to spin the dice on the screen.

"We can take a break," Bucky said.

"I don't want to," Skye said softly as her little green guy (Yoshi) moved along the board.

Bucky nodded and they kept playing but Bucky as well as Tony could tell her head was not on the game. When the game finished Skye got up and went to her room changing into a pair of yoga pants and a crop running shirt. She put on her running shoes before she went to go for a run letting Bucky know where she was going before she left.

Tony looked over at Bucky. Morgan had since gone off to find something to do as well. "What are you thinking?"

"She says they didn't abuse her but she still doesn't want to face them she did something pretty bad that they will never forgive her for. Or. She will never forgive herself for," Bucky said.

"You have a name now. I'm sure if you ask Natasha will look into what happened in that home," Tony said.

"Maybe, but that is not how I want to find out. I want Skye to feel safe to talk to me, talk to Steve. Tell us herself what happened," Bucky said.

"Fair enough," Tony said.

Skye came back from her run three hours later and Bucky was sitting on the couch and looked annoyed.

"I called you, seven times," Bucky said.

Skye took her phone out of her pocket and sighed. "It was on silent. I'm sorry."

"You were gone three hours Skyler," Bucky said.

"I lost track of time," Skye said.

"You did not run three hours straight," he said.

"No, I didn't," Skye said.

"Where were you?" Bucky asked

"I had to talk myself out of doing anything stupid," Skye said. "I will not give details but that family was the last foster home I was in. I was nine. The day after I was removed from that home and put into my first home was the first time I used pot."

"Did you use today?" Bucky asked.

"No," Skye said. "I did buy. But I threw it out without using it. You can search me, I will go down to Bruce's lab and let him drug test me if you need me to."

"No. I believe you, Skye. I'm glad you made the right choice," he said. "But I will say if whatever happened is pushing you to almost using you need to talk about it."

"I can't," Skye said her eyes filling with tears. "I can't tell you or anyone something that I know will change the way you look at me."

"Does Tucker know what happened?" Bucky asked

"Yes," Skye said.

"Does he look at you differently?" Bucky asked.

Skye shrugged. "I told him before we were anything more than two people who got high together."

"And he still ended up being your friend, and you two are now together," Bucky said. "If it was really as bad as you seem to think would he be?"

"We both grew up in foster care. We both have done things we aren't proud of. It's different," Skye said.

"Skye, you don't think I've done things I'm not proud of?" Bucky asked.

"You didn't do those things. The Winter Soldier did those things," Skye said.

"I'm not talking about those things. I, as myself, have done things that I wish I hadn't," Bucky said.

Skye nodded and sat down on the other end of the couch from Bucky. "You are not the only person who I worry about looking at me differently. I can't lose the trust of people around here. You might have things you could compare to but I'm guessing most here don't have anything they have done that compares."

"Skye we have all made mistakes," Bucky said.

"Not like this," Skye said. "This is worse than when I had to take down the Hydra base."

"You didn't have a choice with that. No one holds that against you," Bucky said.

Skye nodded.

"And you told me you were nine Skye, what could you have possibly done at nine that is so bad that you don't want to tell the people who love you," Bucky asked.

Skye shook her head and looked at her hands.

Steve came into the room. "What are you two talking about?"

"Her former foster father, the husband of the woman she saw at the mall showed up here. Happy called Skye and said they were pretty insistent on talking to Skye. Skye refused but afterwards, she went for a run and was gone for three hours. Do you want to tell him what you did?" Bucky asked her.

"I bought pot. But I threw it out I didn't useit. You can search me and I will let Bruce drug test me if you don't believe me," Skye said.

Steve sat down on the coffee table in the room, "I believe you, Skye. And am proud of you for not using but if whatever happened in that house makes you want to use you need to talk about it."

"That's what I said," Bucky said. "She seems to think whatever she did at nine years old would make us look at her differently."

"Nothing you could have done will make me love you any less," Steve said.

"But as I said there are other people here who might not feel that way," Skye said.

"We can keep it between us," Steve said

Skye shook her head, "You can't keep that secret. And you might not love me any less but you also could lose all trust in me and might you worry about things."

"What things?" Steve asked.

"Bringing a baby into this home," Skye said her voice cracking.

"How could anything you could have done make us worry about that?" Steve asked confused.

"I can't," Skye said her eyes filling with tears.

Steve squeezed her knee. "Okay. We don't have to talk about it. But know, that I know there is nothing you could have done that would make us not trust you. Or make us worry about the baby when it comes to you."

"Agreed," Bucky said reaching over and squeezing her shoulder.