Title: The Academy
Chapter 11: Skye
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: R
Characters: Grant, Skye, Coulson, May, Fitz, Simmons, Triplett, Sharon Carter, Mama May, Fury, Hill, Dr. Weaver, Garrett, Agent Avery, Grant's family, & other MCU people that will be thrown in when needed
Pairings: Skye/Grant, Antoine/Jemma/Leo, & Melinda/Phil
Summary: AoS AU in which it is Phil Coulson, not John Garrett, that pulls a young Grant Douglas out of Juvie: After saving Grant from himself and his family, Phil enrolls Grant in The Academy, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pre-communications Academy reserved for the teen children of agents and early recruits. There Grant meets Phil's plucky daughter who teaches him that there is something worth fighting for and he finds a family in the form of his ragtag new group of friends. Or a story in which I show John Garrett how you're really supposed to save a teenager because Phil Coulson is better than you.
Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, teenage shenanigans including underage drinking, dry humping, and unfortunate, awkwardly timed erections, plus Skye talks like a sailor and at some point she's going to rid Grant Douglas of his virtue.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This should really be called 'in which Melinda's momming is hella turnt up' or yunno, whatever. Melinda May is an amazing mom. Skye loves her mom. She is also a daddy's girl. It's a good thing Skye never had siblings because she likes the attention. Skye deserves all the love in the world. Can you tell I love Skye? Did I basically write tumblr tags in my Author's Note? I have two stories warring in my brain for attention; I'm beginning to lose it. Enjoy.

Skye stumbled into her room, ready for a nice, long nap. The moment she hit the mattress let out a groan and threw the comforter off her head; she wasn't alone.

"Hi, mom."

She glanced over to find that her mother was indeed there, perched on Jemma's bed with her arms crossed, just as she'd sensed. Well, at least she wasn't lurking in her usual corner.

"Daughter," she greeted with her eyes settled on the nest that was Skye's hair.

Skye smiled sweetly and shrugged in what she hoped was a cute and charming 'don't yell at me' way. "I may have gone to bed with it wet."

"You don't say?"

Her mom hated when she did that but it never stopped Skye from doing it.

She stood and crossed the room, taking a set on the Skye's bed. Skye sat up and dug around for her lost hair tie which she found inside her pillow case. She shrugged, not caring how it got there, and pulled her hair into a messy bun before hugging her knees to her chest. She tried to stifle a yawn and failed, earning her a disapproving glare from her mama bear.

"You can't stay in bed all day."

"Me? In bed all day? Of course not, I was just going to shower," Skye lied as she yawned again.

Mama bear gave her the 'I know you child' look and Skye leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Hi, mommy," she crooned, hoping to get that grumpy look off her face.

She narrowed her eyes. "You know, even after twenty years of marriage your father can't detect me in a room but somehow you can. If you would sleep less and focus more you could be an amazing field agent," she scolded as she reached out to push back a stray strand of Skye's hair.

Skye groaned. She was not in the mood for this. She was a hacker. She liked computers. Guns? Hand-to-hand combat? Danger? Not such much. She'd seen first-hand how that kind of work could ruin a person. Yes, her mom had endured but Skye never wanted to see the kind of horrors she had nor was she anywhere near as resilient.

"Mom, I'm not cut out for that-"

"I'm not saying be the next Romanoff, Skye. I'm just saying you're selling yourself short. You're more than capable and you'd be good at it. Look at your father, he does field work, helps with the welcome wagon, works special missions; it doesn't have to be dangerous. You're far too smart and talented to be stuck in a control room for the rest of your life, Skye."

Skye rested her chin on her knees. "Is that why you went back to the field? You got sick of sitting in an administration building all day?"

She sighed. "No…well, yes, but I don't miss the combat. I'd like less combat," she whispered with that same haunted look in her eyes that Skye had grown used to.

"Do you like working in the field with dad?"

A smile tugged at her lips. "I do. I'd forgotten it but we make a good team. I'd like to do more of it but Fury's…well, he'll come around' I'll see to it."

Skye highly doubted that. The man was pretty stuck in his ways.

"Knock, knock," her dad announced as he cracked the door open. "Can I come in?"

"See, he asks," she teased. Her mom was always lurking or surprising her, trying to keep her on her toes no doubt. "Come in, daddy!"

Her mom snorted. "He didn't spend thirteen hours in labor. You came into this world covered in my blood, child, don't forget that."

Skye rolled her eyes. Her mom's default argument for everything was 'I gave birth to you; top that.' It was getting old.

Sometimes she hated being a miracle baby.

"Thanks, mom, now I never want my own daughter."

"Good, I don't want some bratty kid calling me 'grandma'."

"Hey! That's my bratty kid you're talking about! And it's going to call you mee-maw just to spite you."

'Mee-maw' raised a brow. "Do you have something to tell me?"

Skye groaned. "No. No one will even date me, let alone get me pregnant!"

Mama bear rolled her eyes.

"As your father, I don't mind that," A.C. teased as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head before giving his wife's shoulder a squeeze.

"Of course you don't, if it was up to you I'd just stay your baby forever."

He smiled. "I seem to remember a little girl who wanted to marry her daddy so she never had to leave him."

She groaned. "Dad, I was like five! When are you going to forget that?"

He sat next to her and pulled her against him into a tight hug. "Never, princess."

She whined as he plastered her with kisses. "Daddy! Stop!" She squealed as she squirmed in his arms. "I also wanted a pony! I never got a pony! I don't remind you of that every chance I get!"

"No, but you've never shut up about wanting a dog," her mom reminded her.

Skye pulled away from her dad grumpily, embarrassed. She was seventeen. She couldn't be caught letting her dad treat her like she was five!

Even if she did still love daddy hugs.

"Where is Buddy?" Now that she had her puppy she wanted him around at all times. She was going to miss the big furball.

"I told you, your grandmother took him home with her."

Skye whined. "I know, dad, but I thought maybe you decided to keep him with you," she said with a pout.

"Well, you can come home this weekend and see him." Skye's eyes lit up with excitement. "Your mom and I are leaving Tuesday and I don't know when we'll be back so it'll be your last chance for a while." She was suddenly no longer excited. "Your grandmother will have him until we get back."

Skye sighed poutily. She didn't want them to go. She hated when they were gone. She worried; a lot. Having agents for parents was extremely stressful; always awaiting that dreaded and inevitable phone call and it never go any easier.

"Hey, we'll be back," her mom assured as she wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"One day you won't," Skye whispered, trying not to cry. She could never handle losing either one of them, let alone both of them together, and things were more dangerous now than they'd ever been. Their country was at war which only added fuel to the dangers that were already present in the intelligence community.

Her parents met each other's eyes and Skye knew they couldn't lie to her. They all knew someday she was going to lose one of them and no amount of comforting was going to change that.

"Princess…everyone has to die someday, nothing can change that. But I promise you, neither one of us is ever going to leave you without one hell of a fight, you got that?"

Skye allowed him pull her into a hug but it wasn't helping the dread she felt.

"I want to go check on Grant before we leave. Why don't you shower and meet me downstairs in thirty minutes? Your hair looks terrible."

"Dad!"

He chuckled and kissed her cheek as she shoved him away. She reached up and frowned. Okay, maybe her hair did look terrible. She mumbled that he was mean and he kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry, baby, but it's horrible. Maybe that's why you can't find a boyfriend-"

"Daddy!

Mom! He's being mean to me!"

She chuckled. "Sorry, baby girl, but he has a point."

Skye groaned and hid her face in her hands. Sometimes they were terrible but she still loved them. It was hard to engage in typical teenage 'I hate my parents' behavior when she knew that there were kids like Grant who didn't get to have the same kind of home life she had.

"What's wrong, Skye? I was just kidding; you're beautiful, sweetheart."

She looked up and realized she'd allowed her face to show off how bad she felt for Grant.

"No, it's just…I was just thinking about Grant. His parents weren't good to him, were they?" Her dad didn't answer. "I know you can't tell me but…I can just tell." She suspected that was why he didn't like being touched. "I'm glad you brought him here. It's not fair that everyone doesn't get to have parents who love them.

Loving your kids and being good to them should be a part of the job description."

Her mom took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know but not everyone gets the memo."

"There should be a test or something. I don't know. Assholes shouldn't be allowed to be parents."

Her dad frowned. "I know, baby, but we're going to help him. Your family doesn't always have to be the one you're born into, after all."

She knew that. S.H.I.E.L.D. was widely divided between people who were born into this and people who came from terrible backgrounds with a few scattered in the middle. And no matter where you fell on the spectrum the people you worked with tended to become your family.

Skye launched herself at both of her parents and gave them a huge bear hug. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, princess."

A.C. pressed a kiss to her temple before releasing her. He stood and held his hand out for his wife.

"Melinda?"

"I'll meet you there."

Skye shook herself off and wiped her eyes quickly. She shoved herself off the mattress and headed to her closet. "Why? Want to babysit me in the shower?" She joked.

"No, but I could braid your hair; it's been a long time."

Skye cheered up immediately.

Sure, they looked cute on her, but that wasn't why she liked braids; it was because she loved the way it felt when her mom fixed her hair. It made her feel safe and protected and who didn't like someone else doing their hair?

"All right, you girls have fun," her dad teased before leaning down and taking her mom's face in his hands. Skye scrunched up her nose while they kissed. She didn't mind the kissing. It was cute. Her parents were disgustingly in love and shit and they saved the PDA for private but the kissing sounds.

So gross.

"Get a room you two."

"We're in a room," her mom muttered as she grabbed A.C.'s tie.

"Eww, not my room! This is a sex-free zone, agents!"

Her mom stood and walked over to her so she could kiss the top of her head. "It better stay that way."

"Don't worry, Mel, there isn't a boy stupid enough willing to risk his life by touching your daughter."

She half-shoved him out the door. "That's right, none alive anyway," she teased with a wink before kissing him one more time and closing the door behind him.

Skye rolled her eyes and didn't bother to mention that Trip was still alive. She pulled out a cute red plaid dress that she threw onto her bed while searching for a pair of shows. She could feel her mom watching her and she glanced back at her mom warily because she was giving her that 'mom' look. Skye never liked it when she had that look. Unlike everyone else Skye preferred Agent May to her aggressive mom mode. She never knew what to expect when her mom was in one of her moods. Sure, her mom was loving and funny and amazing but there were times when she just did things that were so shocking it made Skye want to hide under a rock; like the sex-talk.

Oh God, she wasn't going to give her another one of those, was she?

Skye still couldn't eat a banana to this day.

"Mom? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Her mom sat perched on the corner of Skye's desk watching her with a sad smile.

"Nothing, I just realized that that you're a grown-woman now. Soon you're going to be a legal adult and able to do what you want and I might not be able to protect you anymore."

Skye scoffed. "Mom, please, I could be forty and you'll still have Seal Team Six tailing me everywhere I go."

"Don't be ridiculous, Skue; it'll be the S.T.R.I.K.E. team, the Navy isn't good enough to protect you, baby."

Skye rolled her eyes so hard she was surprised they didn't roll out. "And yet you want me out in the field?"

Her mom smiled and Skye got a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"You know…what your dad does is a lot less danger and a lot more saving people like Grant. He works with people in trouble; specifically ones with abilities. Even the ones from good families have to deal with the fear of those around them because they don't understand them. It's not easy suddenly being considered a freak and there has always been a stigma attached to anything society doesn't understand. If you're different you're automatically labeled a threat and with that comes danger. Not to mention you have these news powers you don't understand; it's terrifying.

And then there are the bad seeds; the ones who use their powers to do bad things and we need to protect people from them. Not just the public but the people closest to them.

You would be very good with them, Skye. With the kids S.H.I.E.L.D. saves. You have a lot of compassion, baby girl. People are drawn to you. They trust you, they confide in you. You could even work to help find the cracks in the system that permits kids like Grant stay in their abusive homes. There is no one thing that S.H.I.E.L.D. represents. We're here to help everyone that we can and there is so much that you could do in this world, Skye."

Skye hugged her robe to her chest. "You really want me out there, don't you?"

"I want you to reach your full potential and you have the potential to do and be so much more than you think you do, Qiaolian."

Skye wasn't sure about that but…

She thought about Fitz and Grant and all of the other people she'd met around here who had been used as someone's punching bag and she felt…angry.

The system was incredibly flawed; it was why she'd started hacking.

Maybe her mom had a point. Maybe she could really help people, the way her dad did. Maybe she could really do this.

"I'm already set to graduate early, mom, I mean…I'm basically taking one class at a senior level, everything else are actual Communications classes."

"Which means you'll have time to specialize in Communications and Operations and still finish with your friends."

Skye toyed with her robe. "I'm not exactly…physically fit enough to-"

"So you train. You don't need the level of training that Trip has, Skye. If you start now you can be as skilled as your father is. You just need to be able to defend yourself; not take someone out."

Skye tucked her hair behind her ear. "Dad's not going to like this."

"He'll be fine with it. Your father…" She stood and took Skye's face in her hands. "You brought us both back to life, baby. This job is hard; we've never lied to you about that. And we were both…well, I was…" She got that far off, haunted look again. "You start to forget what's important and why we do this and you gave us something to fight for," she said as she met Skye's eyes.

"He knows you're more than capable of doing anything you want he just worries about you because he still doesn't see it."

"See what?"

She smiled and caressed her cheek. "That you're not a little girl anymore," she whispered as she ran a hand up her face and over Skye's messy hair. "You're still young but you're almost a woman and he still thinks of you as that little girl wearing a Captain America princess dress that used to force him to re-enact Disney movies with her."

Skye glanced down with a blush. She was such a nerd back then. Okay, she was a nerd now, but still…

"Your father just doesn't want anything bad to happen. I think if you were ever hurt he would lose his mind. He loves you more than anything in this world and he just wants to keep you safe. He believes in you, baby, he just wants to keep you in a bubble. And the only way he'll stop seeing you as a child is for you to show him you're not one."

Skye looked up timidly. "Can I have time to consider it?"

Her mom nodded. "You don't have to make any decisions now. You could even finish your Comms training before you start Ops. Just do what you feel is right for you and don't let yourself believe you can't do something. I don't care what you decide, mǒ de ài, as long as you're happy. I just want you to explore every option because they're all open to you and you can do anything you set your mind to, baby."

"Jesus, mom, I think this is the most I've heard you talk ever," she teased with a small smile.

She smirked. "Yeah, well, your dad does enough talking for the both of us; it seems to be a Coulson family trait."

Skye withheld a chuckle and nodded before moving to the door.

"Before you go; one more thing. Come, sit."

Oh God, here it was; the sex-talk part deux.

She followed her mom to the edge of her bed and did her best not to show how horrified she was.

"So…" Skye muttered as she took a seat.

"Look, sweetheart, about Grant-" Skye's stomach dropped. "I know he's good-looking and a very sweet boy and with all he's been through to still be as kind as he is shows incredible strength but-"

"You don't want me dating him?"

"It's not that I think he's bad for you. But he has gone through a lot and he needs time to heal, Skye." Her mom took her hand and squeezed it. "Baby, you love so much and so hard and when you're a teenager the first time you fall in love it's always intense and life-changing and for most people they go on to have that over and over again but I know you, Skye. When you fall in love it's going to forever. And you're still so young.

He will still be there when you're both really ready. I don't want to see you get hurt and that poor boy-it wouldn't be fair to him to get hurt on top of everything else he's dealing with."

Skye glanced down sadly. "What makes you think I even want to date him?"

Her mom snorted. "Because, Skye, I know you. Your father, he knows nothing about being a teenage girl but I so. And you lived inside of me, I can just sense things. Sometimes I think I can still feel you growing. Your grandmother used to joke that I was sucking away her youth and sometimes I think you're doing the same to me. Your dad loves you baby, but you're literally a part of me.

I hurt when you hurt, I'm happy when you're happy, and the way I saw you looking at that boy over dinner…give it time is all I'm saying. I'm terrified you're going to run off and marry the first boy you fall in love with and I'd prefer it if you did that when you're much older."

Skye wasn't sure what was worse; that fact that her mom had a point or that she agreed with her.

"You ran off and married the first boy you fell in love with," Skye pointed out.

She smiled. "Yes, I did, which is why I know I don't want that for you.

I love your father; a lot. But we were stupid; twenty years old and breaking protocol to run off and get married. We didn't know anything about life then. And when things got hard, and they did get hard, Skye, we didn't know how to deal with it. To your dad's credit, he tried so hard. I don't think any other man could have tried as hard as he did with me.

What happened didn't just break me, it broke him.

We fell apart, baby; and it was because were just a pair of kids who didn't know how much work marriage took. And this world we live in, this job, it takes so much out of you. We couldn't handle both. I don't want that for you. You should be a functioning adult when you decide to get married and the person you marry should be there too.

I want you to have time to grow into the person you're supposed to be, not to be forced into it."

Skye toyed with her mom's wedding ring. "But…you guys got through it; enough to make me at least," she whispered as she glanced up to meet her eyes.

"I admit, you were the reason we decided not to give up and the day he found out that you existed, that day he became a father…it was the day he really became a man. Before that he was just a boy with a badge faking his way through adulthood.

You don't just become an adult the day you turn eighteen, Skye. It's hard enough for most people, being thrust into the real world, with no idea how to navigate life, but for you…

Baby, you've lived you whole life protected by S.H.I.E.L.D. I want you to go out and see the world and discover who you are without us and to live your life before you join it with someone else and make me a grandmother; because Skye, the moment you do that, there's no turning back. Your life will no longer belong to you; you'll have a responsibility to that life you've made until the day you die.

You're beautiful and impulsive and passionate and I just want you to experience the world before you settle in; don't throw your life away, baby."

Skye was beginning to miss the sex-talk.

"Mom, I think you just don't want to be a grandma before you're fifty," Skye said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Qiaolian, if you make me a grandmother before I'm fifty I will send you out of this world the way you came into it."

Skye chuckled. "Don't worry, mom, I'm not ready for any of that."

Her mom was right. If she chased after him she would only hurt him more and that wasn't fair to him. Because if he wasn't the love of her life she'd break him and if he was they'd both be too young to make it work and it would still break him.

And it wasn't even about Grant Ward.

Skye wanted so desperately to experience love and romance and sex now, while she could, because she knew she had the time to do it now. Maybe she could take her time with her education, move out of the dorms after primary school and while she worked on her degree, even take some time off before her first assignment to travel.

She hadn't been sure her parents would allow anything but dedicating her life to S.H.I.E.L.D. the way she had but maybe she just never wanted to let them go. And being here, dedicated to the organization they loved so much, that was their family, was her way of being that little girl in the red, white, and blue princess dress forever; just with better toys.

The rest of her life was just around the corner and it was slightly terrifying and shit; was this what growing up actually felt like?

Skye faked a groan. "Fiiiiiiine, I will wait until he's ready to make out with his face.

And you're wrong about me, mom," Skye whispered with a genuine smile. "I'm not going to marry the first good-looking guy I fall in love with; I'm going to marry the one who's just like dad."

It was meant to be a joke but she was completely serious; her standard for a life partner was Steve Rogers and since he was dead someone like her dad was the next best thing. She couldn't do any better than someone as selfless, kind, and nerdy like him; though if she could fine one with Captain America's hot bod she wouldn't complain.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Skye shook her head and kissed her mom's cheek. "I'm going to be fine, mom. You're just like dad; you worry too much."

"When you have a child and she's just like you you're going to understand the hell I have to go through raising you," her mom called as Skye left her room to shower.

She sighed with a roll of her eyes; raising parents was really difficult sometimes.

"There you are, all done," he mom announced as she pressed a kiss to her cheek. Skye whined before looking into the mirror; she didn't want her to go.

Skye inspected her braid with approval before turning to hug her mom around the middle. "Stay here. You could teach and never leave me ever," she mumbled grumpily. She didn't care if she'd literally see her mom and dad in three days; she hated being separated from them. If she could just spend her life stuck somewhere with them it would be great.

In fact, living with them forever would be preferable. Chinese tradition was that you took care of your parents when they got older. Whomever she wound up with would have to accept that she could not stray from her duty as their daughter to stay with them; she was going to work with them and live with them forever and no one was ever going to stop her.

Oh, who was she kidding? She never wanted to grow up; couldn't she just be Peter Pan?

"You do this every year and then by the weekend you're getting caught pulling pranks and having the time of your life; you won't even miss us."

That was complete and utter bullshit. "But you're the prank master; maybe I need you around to help me. Did you ever think of that?"

Her mom knelt to her level. "Skye Qiaolian Coulson, I know I taught you better than that. When engaging in a prank war we do not lose and we do not ask for help from our mothers. This is a matter of pride and honor in the May family; just because I let your father give his last name does not change the fact that you are a May at heart.

You prank the hell out of your classmates and you do it with things you came up with yourself and then you strong-arm your friends into helping you pull them off; got it?"

Skye pressed her lips together to keep from grinning.

Ah yes, this was her favorite side of Melinda May; cool mom.

"Aye, aye, sir!"

She straightened up. "Good. I expect you to be called into Avery's office by the end of the first week; if I don't get at least one stern phone call telling me that my child is going to be kicked out if she doesn't behave herself I'll be concerned that you're not really my daughter; pod people are real you know."

"Seriously?"

That was so cool-oh, her mom was joking, right.

"You're still my child, crisis averted," her mom teased as she kissed the top of her head.

"Aliens are totally real, okay."

"And when you discover that in your field work you can spend your life saying 'I told you so'."

Skye hadn't thought about that part of field work…

"Finish getting ready and I'll meet you downstairs; I need to check on something before your father and I leave." Skye pouted. "Don't give me that."

"Fine, but I'm still not happy about you leaving."

"Tough shit, life isn't always about you being happy," she reminded her as she left.

"I liked you better when you were being emotional mom!" She called after her with a huff. Okay, that was a lie; she was so used to her sassy as fuck parents that if her mom started getting emotional on her all the time she'd be convinced the body snatchers had arrived.

Skye slipped into a pair of ladybug flats and checked her hair in the mirror again. She smiled; she was adorable.

And she really did already miss her parents. She didn't care how needy that made her seem; she was a mommy and a daddy's girl through and through.

She found her parents out on the grounds being complete dorks; they were so embarrassing sometimes. Why did she let them go out in public?

"Stop, dad, if you keep this up people might think she loves you and if they find out she's not a robot the world will implode," Skye teased. Her mom was so not about the PDA; when people knew your weaknesses they could exploit you. It was why agents never wore personal jewelry like wedding rings. Of course, everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. already knew they were married with a child so Skye didn't think holding hands was a big deal but she did and Phil Coulson was a little shit (a trait Skye had inherited) and loved to test her.

He was currently trying to take her hand and every time she gave him the 'don't even Phillip' look he would then try to kiss her cheek.

She looked ready to kill him; or bang him into submission.

Skye made a face.

She'd already been traumatized enough by their sex life she didn't need to think about it willingly.

"I have a surprise for you, sweetheart-"

"A pony?"

Her dad smiled. "No, but your test scores came in; congratulations, you now have level two clearance."

She knew squealing wasn't very lady like but she wasn't a lady. She hugged them both. The day she'd gotten a badge was still the best day of her life and now she had one-upped both Sharon and Trip. She couldn't wait to rub it in their faces especially since they loved to tease her for her advanced placement classes.

Skye kept hold of her mom while her dad held them both and resumed his attempts to make-out with his wife.

"Dad, gross, I'm right here. I'm just a sweet, innocent child; I don't need to see this.

Plus, you're embarrassing mom."

He scoffed. "Skye, please; how do you think you were made?"

She groaned. "Dad, please, I don't need to relive that trauma." The sex-talk debacle had begun when she'd caught them banging on the sofa; she hadn't been the same since.

Skye wasn't sure which was worse; finding out her dad was a bottom or the time she and Trip had caught them dry-humping and she'd nearly died of embarrassment.

This was why she no longer made unannounced trips home on the weekend.

"I want you to relive it every time a boy tries to put his hand up your-"

"DAD!"

"Phil, if you don't stop your hand is never going-"

"Oh my God, now I do want you both to go."

Her mom released her. "All right, if you ins-"

"No!"

Skye hugged her again and buried her face in her shirt. "Never leave me. If you don't leave me you can't get hurt in some desert somewhere."

"Princess, your mom is not going to let me get hurt; the only people getting hurt are going to be the ones stupid enough to mess with your mom."

"Oh Phil, you're such a romantic."

"Hey, I'm not ashamed to admit I need my wife to protect me; in fact, it's super-hot."

"Yeah? Well, you're not too bad either, Agent Coulson. Come by my place later, my husband won't be home; it'll be our little secret."

This time she let him kiss her.

Skye couldn't help the giggle that came out of her mouth, even though her instinct was to groan at how disgusting they were. "I swear to God, guys, how do I not have like a dozen siblings? You're so in love it's gross." And so unattainable; it wasn't fair to have these two idiots as her relationship role models; she was never going to find that balance or connection.

"We thought it best to quit while we were ahead," he dad answered while her mom said "handling you is enough torture for one lifetime."

Skye rolled her eyes. "Stop pretending I'm not the best kid in the world, mom. No one's around; you don't have to put on the 'I'm Agent May and I can kill a man from a hundred yards away with a stare-blindfolded' show."

"She really can, I've seen it. That was the moment I knew I had to find a way to make myself hers."

"You're such a nerd, dad."

Skye knew the real reason she'd never gotten a sibling was that they couldn't. Her mom had gotten hurt bad in Bahrain. Sure, she'd inflicted a lot of damage, but that didn't mean she'd gotten out of it physically unscathed. The doctors had told her having children was out of the question but less than a year later Skye had decided to surprise them; she was a stubborn little shit that way.

It was probably a good thing her mom had been in such a vulnerable stage in her life when she'd gotten pregnant; Skye wasn't sure if her mother would have kept a kid before the trauma. She'd been so focused on her career then that it probably wouldn't have fit into her plans but after? When she wasn't sure if she could do the job anymore?

Skye was the only good thing to come from that whole nightmare.

She wasn't even sure if her mom would have wanted more; once Skye was old enough to walk and talk she was back to work; juggling raising her and being a living legend flawlessly.

Skye was often in awe of her.

Now her dad on the other hand…well, there was a reason he'd pseudo-adopted most of her friends; he was just born to be a dad.

Skye was glad it was just her. She'd never felt she'd lacked siblings; she had Trip and Sharon and then Fitzsimmons; it was enough for her. And it meant she got them mostly to herself which she really liked; being the center of their universe was everything to her.

Her mom cleared her throat. "Phillip, isn't there something you need to give her before we leave?"

Skye perked up. A present?

He sighed and reluctantly pulled out a set of car keys. She was only allowed custody of the Prius during the school-year; students were allowed to go home on the weekends if they were accompanied off-campus by a parent or if they got approval. And since A.C. was Fury's man Skye always got approval. She didn't even mind that it had a built-in tracking device because it meant she got to visit home a handful of times during the school year.

Sometimes the missing them got to be too much and she had to make sure they were still there with her own two eyes; phone calls and cam-calls weren't enough for her.

Skye reached for them but her dad pulled them away. "You can come home this weekend and you get one visit to your grandmother's to see Buddy, so use it wisely. No coming home until Christmas; and then we'll be the ones picking you up."

"Wait…Christmas? Are you guys going to be gone that long?"

"No," her mother assured. "But we'll come visit you once we get back. We don't like you making that long drive alone."

"Then what is the point in finally letting me get my license?"

Her dad smiled. "Because, little girl, you wouldn't stop crying about how unfair it was that you didn't have it and now that you do it comes with conditions."

Skye huffed but still eyed the keys greedily. They'd have to let her drive it every few days to keep the battery running which meant taking it out on the course and that could be a lot of fun. "Fine," she agreed, "now gimme!" She snatched the keys from her dad's hand and cried out triumphantly; she'd gotten one over on her old man.

"Someone needs to work on his reflexes."

"I let her have them."

"Sure you did, Phil."

He pouted and Skye threw her arms around him. "Thanks, daddy!" She said as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Just remember, while you're here, I get to play with Buddy more than you do."

"Dad!"

"Phil, you're worse than she is."

Skye shook her head and kissed her parents good-bye. She tried once more to get them to stay but it was in vain.

As they walked off she watched them sadly, feeling a gnawing ache in her chest.

Please don't let this be the last time I see them, she prayed. She didn't even believe in God, but just in case, she always said one when they left.

Skye felt eyes on her and she turned to find Grant, expecting to find him watching her with that goofy look of his only this time it was sad. She sent a smile his way and waved.

She wondered how his session went. Maybe she should try to ask him about it. He needed a friend he could talk to; someone who had a vague idea about his past. Her mom was right; he needed help.

And even though he was super adorable he was also someone who could use a good friend and Skye happened to be a very good friend. She'd just have to get over her desire to kiss him and she'd be fine.

"Hey, there you are; Avery's looking for you."

Skye groaned. She hadn't even been here long enough to get in trouble yet.

"She wants you to secure the firewalls before everyone starts arriving this weekend; something about the new IT guys being incompetent." Skye doubted they were but compared to her everyone was; she wasn't even sure why they bothered to pay people to do it when they always wound up coming to her anyway.

She glanced back at Grant sadly, seeing he was headed her way. She allowed Sharon to lead her to the administration building but she wasn't happy about it.

He'd been coming to her, on his own; that had to be a big deal for him.

When she was done she'd go find him and let him know she was here if he needed her.

But first she needed to get on Avery's good side; it was always beneficial to have the agent running the school owe you a favor, especially when you had a penchant for trouble.