Chapter 1
From the day you strolled in, my heart was stolen

Skye was rudely awoken from her peaceful slumber by her phone that kept buzzing under her pillow. Groaning, she sat up, squinting her eyes against the bright light in her bedroom. She let her hands wander around, trying to locate her phone. After a few seconds her fingers collided with the device and she pulled it into view.

Unknown number

she frowned, but pressed the answer button anyway.

"Hi." She said, trying to sound more awake than she actually was.

"Hello, am I speaking to Skye?" A woman with a British accent said.

It took Skye a second to form and answer, momentarily distracted by how sweet the voice on the other end of the line sounded.

"Uhm, yes, this is her." She finally managed to get out.

"Hello. My name is Jemma Simmons and I am calling you in regard of your advertisement in the newspaper." The woman, Jemma, said. "You are the right person I hope."

"My ad in the newspaper?" Skye puzzled. She was not awake enough to be having a phone conversation with a stranger right now.

"Yes, about the dog sitting job?"

Skye slammed her hand against her forehead, "Of course. I'm sorry. Yes, that's me."

"Good, I was already doubting I had phoned the right person." The other woman said. "Now that we have established that, I was wondering if you were still available."

"As a matter of fact I am. One of my regulars just cancelled. When do you need me?"

"I was thinking about a meeting first," The woman said, sounding serious, "too see if you are adequate."

"Sure," Skye replied, "when would you like to meet?"

The other woman was quiet for a moment, and Skye took this time to lean back against her pillows, twirling a strand of her hair around her fingers.

"Are you free tonight?" Jemma asked, breaking the silence.

"Let me check, give me a second." Skye covered the microphone on her phone with her thumb and waited fifteen seconds before coming back, hoping it would give Jemma Simmons the idea that she was checking her agenda.

"I have nothing planned for tonight, so I would be able to meet you then." She said, inspecting her nails.

"Perfect!" The woman on the other end said excitedly.

She gave Skye her address and phone number, so Skye could call her if they had to postpone their meeting for any reason. After that, they said their goodbyes and hung up.

Letting her phone drop back into the sheets of her bed, Skye stretched her arms above her head and let out a yawn. Looking at the clock she noticed it was around ten in the morning, way to early to get up and do something productive. But she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now, so she opted to get up anyway.

Her usual days consisted of sleeping in, having a late breakfast alone in her apartment and going to work at one in the afternoon. Since she was now up way before her normal schedule, it meant she had a lot of time to kill before it was time to leave for the pet shop.

She could go for a run, but then again, she didn't really feel like doing anything active today. Instead she opted for taking a long, hot shower and maybe reading a few chapters in the book she was currently reading.

She loved the late starts at her job, but today it meant that time was passing excruciatingly slow. After her shower only 45 minutes had passed, and she still had two more hours. The pet shop she worked in was just down the street from her apartment, and walking there only took five minutes.

She made some toast and coffee for herself while she thought about the odd phone call this morning. When she had placed that ad a few weeks ago, she hadn't expected anyone to contact her about it. She needed the extra money to keep paying for her expenses, and her job at the pet store didn't pay enough. And besides, she loved dogs.

When one of her regulars dog's died, she had one slot open that she desperately wanted to be filled. She wasn't sure what this woman wanted from her, but she hoped she would get the job.

She took a sip from her coffee and scrolled through her emails. Apart from some newsletters, her inbox was empty. She sighed and put her phone down.

Looking outside, the sun was shining and the weather report had predicted a nice warm day. Maybe going for a run wasn't such a bad idea after all. She sent out a text to her friend and got a reply quickly. Turns out Trip already had plans for this morning.

Running alone it seems, Skye thought to herself. I really have to find more friends. She chuckled.

Putting her breakfast dishes in the sink, she got ready for her run.


Later that day she was standing behind the counter in Coulson's Pets World. There was no one in the store right now, save for herself. So far she had only seen three customers, and only one of them had bought anything. It looked like it was going to be a calm day at work. This meant she had more time to cuddle with the bunnies the shop sold.

Ever since Skye had started working here, she had had a soft spot for the long eared animals in the glass cages. She didn't know what it was, she just loved to run her fingers through their soft fur and stroke their ears. One bunny in particular had hopped its way into her heart.

The brown animal had been at the store for two months before Skye came here, and was already too old to be sold to a customer. So Skye had bought it with her first pay check. Since her apartment was too small to give him enough room to run around in, she had kept it here. She had named him Hunter Snuggles, and many had laughed at that.

The owner, a middle aged man named Phill Coulson had given her permission to use one of the cages. He never said it out loud, but he loved to hold Hunter and play with him, so Skye knew it was okay to hold him here.

At night she sometimes missed him. Missing being able to hold his soft body in her arms and kiss him between his ears. (He loved that) But she knew that he was much better off here, where he was being looked after by the other employees. Both Bobbi and Trip loved her little buddy, and he got more attention and cuddles here than he would ever get at home.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by someone clearing their throat loudly in front of her. The woman was holding a few cans of cat food in her hands, and was obviously standing there to pay for them. Skye mumbled an excuse and got to work.

When the woman left the store two minutes later, Skye was alone yet again. She walked over to the glass cages that held the other animals that were for sale and stopped in front of Hunter's little home. The other hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits followed her movements with curious eyes.

"Hey Hunter," She softly said, petting him on his head, "are you ready for some play time?"

As if he understood her, his ears perked up and he looked right at her. "I'll take that as a yes." She laughed.

She picked him up, careful to support his body in the right way and lifted him out of his cage. She placed him on her left arm and scratched between his ears. He relaxed and practically melted in her arms. After petting him for a few minutes and whispering soft words to him, she placed him on the ground.

She trusted him not to bite into anything that was on the floor, and she had learned him not to come too close to the door. She couldn't risk someone not looking where they were walking and stepping on him or kicking him or something equally as bad.

He contently hopped away from her feet, sniffing the ground with a happy glimmer in his eyes. She looked down at him, a soft smile on her face.

She turned back to the other small animals. She always made sure every single one of them got some cuddles every day she was here. They spent all day long in those transparent boxes, and she couldn't imagine how boring that would be. So she tried to give them as much 'play time' as she could.

First, she picked up one of the younger hamsters. He was a bit sleepy, but quickly came to his senses and started walking around over her arms. In the back of the store she knew were some of those plastic hamster balls. Some people thought it was animal cruelty to put the little animals in them, but Skye knew that most of them loved to run around freely. Or well, as freely as was possible.

After she put the first hamster in one and placed it on the ground, she did the same for four other hamsters. Mostly the younger ones because they had a lot of balled up energy. When all of them were running around, she made sure to place the 'Be careful when you enter' sign on the door, not wanting to think about what could happen if she forgot that.

She went back to her chair in the corner. From there she had a view of the whole store so she could keep an eye on Hunter, and the other animals just in case. She took one of the guinea pigs out of its cage and put it on her lap. She spend a good ten minutes playing with it and petting it until it fell asleep. She repeated that action with all the others.

After about half an hour, she let the hamsters out of their balls and back into their beds, all falling asleep instantly, tired from their daily activity. She got back to her chair and dug her phone out of her pocket. She checked her messages and scrolled mindlessly through her social media feeds.

It was almost closing time, and through experience she knew that the chance of another customer at this hour was very small. So to say she was surprised when the door opened was an understatement. She looked up from her phone screen and relaxed when she saw it was her boss. Mr. Coulson strode in, a smile on his face and his sunglasses still hiding his eyes from view. No matter what weather, he always wore his sunglasses everywhere. When Skye asked about them, he waved her off. She suspected it had something to do with him wanting to look cool or something.

"Hey MC!" She greeted him with a grin. "Deciding too join you subordinate today." She asked with a wink.

"Always," He replied with the same grin on his face. "I need to check in on you regularly to make sure you behave."

"Ah, so that's the real reason. I knew it wasn't my extraordinary sense of humour."

Coulson laughed, finally taking of his sunglasses. "I have to be honest, that is a part of the reason why I come down here to often."

"Part of?" Skye challenged him.

"I came here to see my man, why else?"

As on queue, Hunter came hopping around the corner of the cash register.

"There he is!" Coulson said, "Always eager to see me."

Skye laughed out loud, and Coulson feigned hurt.

"He has you wrapped around his little paw, admit it." Skye smiled.

"I never denied that." Both smiled at each other and sank into a comfortable silence.

Coulson was like a dad to her, and seeing him cuddling with Hunter almost felt like he was admiring his very own grand child. Everyone who worked in this store had become her family over the years, and she had learned a long time ago that family didn't mean bound by blood.

She was blessed to have all these amazing people in her life, and she knew that.


Sky was standing in front of the black door, number 339 in golden letters telling her this was really the right address. Even though she had done this quite a couple of times before, she still got a bit nervous right before going in. She didn't know this woman, and for all she knew she was some kind of creep.

Even though Skye didn't believe anyone with such a cute British accent could even come close to being creepy, she was still careful. Gathering some much needed courage, she knocked on the door with rapid beats.

Inside, she could hear a dog bark and its paws making ticking sounds on the floor. At least the woman hadn't lied about owning a dog, that was a good sign. It didn't take the woman long to reach the front door, and Skye heard a key turn in the lock. She mustered a smile on her face.

The door opened and revealed a young woman, about Skye's age with light brown hair reaching her shoulders. Both were about the same size, but unlike Skye's, the woman's skin was pale and her eyes were a lighter shade of brown. But the thing that caught Skye's attention the most was the way the woman was smiling at her.

Jemma's whole face looked happy when she smiled, her eyes lit up and her cheeks got a rosy red colour. Even though Skye had just laid eyes on the woman for the first time, she already knew that her smile was probably one of her best features.

"Hello, you must be Skye." Jemma's voice brought her back to the present.

"Yes, that's me." She extended her hand for the other woman to grab, "Nice to meet you." She added with a smile.

Jemma shook her hand and then invited her in. "I put Peggy in the next room for the time being." She explained. "She can get a little shy with strangers."

"That's understandable." Skye said as she looked around. "But I am a very likeable person." she joked.

Jemma laughed but didn't respond. While the other woman was quiet, Skye took the opportunity to take in the room around her.

The walls were painted a dark blue/grey with dark wood on the floor. The furniture looked like it was all hand picked from a high class living magazine. The whole room gave off a rich, yet homey feel.

"So uh.. would you like to meet Peggy?" Jemma broke the silence.

"Sure." Skye smiled.

Jemma moved to open one of the doors that apparently led to the kitchen, and immediately an adorable fully grown Beagle came barging in. The dog looked up at her with caution in her eyes, carefully moving towards her.

"Hey Peggy." Skye said, lowering her hand so she could sniff.

Soon enough, she felt a wet nose pressed against her hand, and within minutes after that, Peggy allowed her to pet her on her head.

"I think she likes you." Jemma said.

"Good, because I like her too." Skye said, mostly towards Peggy.

She got upright again when Jemma asked her if she would like something to drink. "I've made some tea already, but if you rather want coffee I can make you some."

"No, tea is fine." Skye said.

She moved over to the big grey couch and sat down, letting her hands wander over the soft fabric. She felt Peggy press her head against her knee and she smiled. She let her hands run over the dog's back and scratched her behind her ears. Peggy let out a content sigh and dropped down at Skye's feet.

Skye continued to pet her until Jemma came back to the living room, carrying two cups filled with steaming tea.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted in your tea, so if you want anything, just let me know. "

"I always drink my tea without anything in it." Skye commented.

"Then I'm sure you will like this tea." Jemma said with a smile.

Skye took the mug in her hands and sat back against the couch.

"So," Jemma began, "I take it this isn't your first time you took care of a dog?"

"Nope, have been doing it for the last two years actually."

"Okay good." Jemma took a moment before speaking again, "It's comforting to know that Peggy will be looked after by someone with experience."

Skye agreed with her. "So, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself and your situation and why and when you need me to look after Peggy?" She asked.

"Of course. I work for a science lab here in the States, but my job requires me to travel to England one week every month for meetings and other necessaries. It is in those weeks that I would like to hire you for looking after Peggy."

"Okay, sound reasonable." Skye said. "Would you prefer me to only take her for walks and come in at night to feed her, or go for the whole package?"

Jemma looked puzzled. "The whole package?" She asked.

"Yeah, some dogs get lonely when their owners leave, so they ask me to practically move in for the time that they are away so that their dog doesn't feel too abandoned."

"I understand. I think that is indeed what Peggy needs when I leave." Jemma takes a sip of her tea. "I used to take her with me on the plane, but she really hates flying and I don't want to do that to her any more than absolutely necessary."

"Okay, that's settled then." Skye smiled. "I'm sure me and Peggy will manage." She gives the dog a scratch behind her ears. "When would you like me to start?"

"The next time I have to go to the UK is next week. Is that too early for you?"

"No, that perfect." Skye replied.

"Great," Jemma looks relieved. "I am happy about this arrangement." She added with a smile.

"So am I." Skye said, "I think this is going to be one of my better jobs."

Jemma laughed, "I sure hope so."

I wouldn't doubt it, Skye thought to herself. She was positive this was her best job so far, and after meeting Jemma and Peggy, she was even more convinced than this morning. She was going to love this job.


A/N: All the titles are from the song Golden by Lady Antebellum.

I hope you have just as much fun reading this as I had with writing it.