Chapter 9
Skye entered the kitchen, ready and excited to help Melinda. She liked helping in the kitchen, it was a nice break from everything and the end result was delicious food. “Ready?” Melinda asked her. Skye nodded gleefully and quickly washed her hands. Natasha joined them. Bobbi had already left for the movies - Izzy and Hunter had picked her up - and Leo was out in the backyard with Phil, playing soccer.
“Alright. Let’s start with pancakes?” Skye nodded, rolling her shoulders. Melinda had her mix flour and water in a bowl, then instructed her to step away. She slowly added hot water to the mixture and used a spatula to mix it. A few minutes later, she started kneading it with her hands. Skye gasped. “Don’t worry, it’s cool enough to handle,” Melinda said with a gentle smile. She added some more water and kneaded the dough. “Tasha, preheat the oven please. And Skye, get your hand in here. Knead it with me, come on.”
Skye did what Melinda said, letting her foster mom guide her hands. She liked kneading the dough. They did for a few minutes before Melinda declared that it needed to rest at room temperature for about an hour.
“You like cooking, Skye?” Natasha asked as they dried the duck with paper towels.
“It’s nice, and we get to eat tasty food,” Skye answered with a grin. She was feeling much better today, having slept well. She had woken up in Bobbi’s room, this time between Bobbi and Natasha, both of them holding her in their sleep. It had been impossible to not wake them up when she tried to leave. Neither of them minded though - Bobbi had a date and Natasha was going to help in the kitchen.
“Well done girls,” Melinda said. She asked them to move away and took a big knife and started to make cuts on the duck. “It is called scoring the duck. It is done for crispy skin. You guys want to try?” Melinda asked. Natasha nodded but Skye refused - the knife was quite scary. She watched as Melinda and Natasha scored the duck.
“Why does everyone say you can’t cook?” Skye asked. “It sure doesn’t seem like that.”
“I have been making this since a long time,” Melinda explained. “Ask me to make a pancake - like the ones Phil makes - and they will be burnt or undercooked or on fire. Yes, that has happened.”
“How it happened is still a mystery,” Natasha teased.
They moved to cooking the duck, first in a skillet and then in the oven to bake. “It’s ready,” Melinda declared. She put it aside. “We will warm it in the oven when we are ready to eat.” They started working on the pancakes after that. Skye enjoyed using the rolling pin and also separating the two cooked pancakes. She and Natasha took turns at that, while Melinda focused on cooking.
“This smells marvelous,” Leo said, walking into the kitchen. “I am hungry, when will they get back?” He reached for a hot pancake and Skye shielded it.
“They should be here soon,” Phil said, and immediately the doorbell rang. He raised his shoulders as if saying ‘see’ and went to open the door. There was silence for a few seconds and Skye shared a look with Natasha. It sure didn’t sound like Bobbi. And Bobbi had the key. Why would she ring the bell? “Pull out another plate, Mel,” Phil said, entering the kitchen. He was followed by a tall, black man with an eyepatch. Skye noticed Melinda’s body tense up.
“Maria is safe,” the man said. “Domestic life suits you, May.”
Melinda finished cooking the pancakes and turned off the stove. “What the hell are you doing here, Fury?” she asked. Her demeanor had changed. She was not the pleasant and kind and gentle woman. Her body was tensed and her palms were fisted. Skye felt a little scared and she could tell that Natasha and Leo felt the same. They both moved to stand beside her, behind Melinda.
“It’s alright,” Phil said, looking straight at them. “This is Nick Fury, our former boss. Fury, these are our kids. I would tell you there names but I am sure your agents tailing us have filled you in.” The man - Fury - smirked.
“You going to tell us what you are doing in our home - unannounced and uninvited?” Melinda asked. She did not sound very happy to see him.
“Just dropping by,” Fury said with a shrug. Melinda tilted her head and Phil folded his arms. “Alright. Alright. Need your opinion on something important. Hartley told me about the invitation, thought it would be a good time.”
“You want to talk to her too?” Melinda asked. The man didn’t reply. Skye was starting to doubt his sanity. If Melinda talked to her like that, she would be running for the hills. “Since you are already here, make yourself useful and set the table.” Skye’s eyes widened and she looked at Natasha and Leo. Did Melinda just tell her ex-boss to set the table? He asked about the plates. “You are a spy, use your skills,” Melinda told him while washing her hands.
A giggle escaped Skye and she tried to hide it behind a cough. But then she locked eyes with Phil and they both burst into laughter. Skye saw Melinda roll her eyes and heard Leo laughing beside her. Natasha was just smiling. Fury started looking for the plates and found them, setting the table. Not even an hour later, all of them - including Izzy, Vic and Hunter - were sitting around the table, enjoying the duck with the pancakes and the sauce and the cucumbers and spring onion. It was delicious and Skye absolutely loved it. She was sitting next to Bobbi, who was telling about the movie, with Hunter adding his own opinion.
Skye liked Hunter. He talked a bit funny and tried really hard to be funny but he was an okay person. Izzy was cool. She told lots of story about Phil and Melinda. She also talked to Skye like a grown up, asking about her opinions and listening to her. Vic seemed like a calm person, who didn’t really talk much. She spoke less but when she did, everyone on the table listened to her. Phil and Melinda had good friends.
“This is delicious as usual, Phil,” Vic said, once Phil served the dessert. Skye agreed with her but she was too busy eating it to compliment Phil. It tasted heavenly. Once they were done eating, the adults shooed them to the family room.
“We should play Cluedo,” Bobbi said, going over to the games shelf. She pulled out the game and began setting it up. They sat around the board and began playing, chatting and laughing. They all shared stories about their friends from school. It was fun, despite the heart eyes Hunter kept making towards Bobbi.
“How do I keep losing?” Hunter asked after losing sixth game in a row. Natasha had won three and the rest of them had won one each.
“Because you are a terrible player,” Leo said, poking his tongue at Hunter. Skye laughed at Hunter’s face. They played and laughed and teased. Natasha even threatened Hunter, promising to hurt him if he broke Bobbi’s heart. He assured them that he had no such intention.
Fury left about an hour later. He came to say goodbye to them and also told them that he’d help if they are looking to join the FBI. Melinda had glared at him and even Izzy had been unimpressed. “Why do you guys hate your boss so much?” Skye asked.
“Because he is a pain in the ass,” Izzy answered. All the adults scolded her for her language.
“She is not wrong,” Phil explained. “Fury has a certain way of doing things. He is damn good at what he does but after a time, hearing him make the same speech to a criminal who is threatening to blow everything up gets boring. And irritating. He has our backs but the dramatics…” Phil fake shuddered.
“And why does it feel like he is afraid of Mom?” Bobbi asked.
“Sweetheart, everyone’s afraid of your Mom,” Izzy said. Melinda rolled her eyes. “She’d walk into the room and kick everyone’s assess. Don’t glare at me, you people. You know that’s the truth. We competed for the second place, because the first one was always hers.”
“That is so cool,” Skye whispered. Melinda rolled her eyes and took away the coffee-tea cups. She did not seem to be enjoying this conversation. They all chatted for about another hour before the others left too. It had been a fun day. Skye had enjoyed it, despite the sudden appearance of her foster parents’ ex boss. Before she had come to live with Phil and Melinda, Skye had never liked it when her fosters had guests. Some expected her to stay in her room - which got boring - and others wanted to drink - which could get dangerous. The memory also brought Skye to a realization; she had never seen Phil and Melinda drink.
That night after dinner, Phil and Melinda asked to talk to her alone in their room. Skye followed them upstairs and into their room. She had been here once before but she had not really paid much attention before. She looked around now, feeling much more comfortable with them. The bed was a king’s size, with a nightstand on each side. There was a door to the bathroom and another to the balcony. There was a pull out couch in one corner and a shelf with some books and photographs.
“Is that your dad, Phil?” Skye asked, looking at a photograph of Julie with a young Phil and a man.
“Yes,” Phil answered. “Robert Coulson. He passed away when I was a kid.”
“I am sorry,” Skye whispered.
Phil smiled at her and showed her another picture. “That’s Mel with her parents - Lian and William May,” he told her. “And that’s Mel ice skating.”
“Wow,” Skye said, admiring all the pictures. There was a photograph from what Skye assumed was Phil and Melinda’s wedding. There were also pictures of Bobbi, Tasha, Leo and - and her. They had her photo in their bedroom with the photos of their family. It was of the time she had been playing soccer with Leo in the backyard. There was another one from the night they had been playing. Skye squeezed her eyes shut, willing her tears to stop but they didn’t listen to her. She felt Melinda come and stand beside her. Skye turned and threw her arms around her, whispering a ‘thank you’ into her shoulder. Warm and safe.
Skye sat down on the bed with Melinda on her side and Phil in front of her. Melinda was holding Skye’s left hand and Phil was holding her right. Skye liked Phil. He was funny and goofy. He cooked mouthwatering food. He never shouted or screamed or hit her - or anyone for that matter. Skye remembered Natasha getting really angry one evening before Melinda had returned home. Phil had been calm about the whole thing.
“I understand that something is bothering you but this is no way to talk, Natasha. You can talk about what is bothering you. You can take a break. You can sleep or eat. If you want, you and I can do some exercise or go bike around the neighborhood. Whatever you need but this is not the right way. Now I want you to apologize and calmly tell me what is it that you want.”
Natasha had apologized and asked to be left alone. An hour later, she had come back to find him and they had a long conversation about whatever had been bothering her. Skye had been in awe. Phil had been calm with the whole thing. He had been calm when Skye had been angry about the shrink.
“Skye,” Melinda said, gently caressing her hand. “We just want you to know the plan for the next week. On Monday, you and I will go talk to your school authorities about Grant Ward. Okay?” Skye nodded. It felt good to know she didn’t have to hear his words anymore.
“We have booked you an appointment with Dr. Morgan on Wednesday at four,” Phil told her. He was holding her hand very gently, like it was something precious. (If she had asked Phil, he would have told her that the hand was a representation of her trust in him.) “Melinda will pick you up and take you to the appointment.”
“But Wednesday is your busiest day,” Skye said. One of Melinda’s employees had left in August and she was still trying to find a replacement. That made Wednesday her busiest day of the week as she had to cover the other classes too.
“You are more important, baby,” Melinda said, squeezing her hand a bit.
“How does the plan sound so far?” Phil asked.
“Good,” Skye whispered.
“Great. On Thursday, Mel and I will be visiting Dr. Morgan, where she will tell us how we can help you. She won’t break confidentiality. She won’t tell us anything you tell her.” Skye nodded. This all sounded good in theory. Could it really happen?
Skye pondered over that question through then entire Saturday night, through Sunday and through half Monday. That was when things went a little crazy. She was with Leo, Jemma and Trip in the school grounds when Ward cornered them.
“You think you can get me into trouble?” Ward asked. “A stupid orphan like you will complain about me and just walk away?” He shoved Skye with a hard push to her shoulder. Skye fisted her hands and rushed to Ward but Leo got into middle, pulling her back.
“Back away, Ward,” Trip warned. Ward scoffed and kept talking about how her parents hadn’t wanted her. He started talking about Leo’s parents too. Skye was seeing red. She was gonna hit him. She wanted to but someone was holding her back. She had no idea who. She could only see Ward and only hear his words.
“Jemma has already gone to get a teacher,” Leo told him. The next few minutes were weird. Ward was strangling Leo. Trip was trying to separate them. Skye pulled back her right arm and punched Ward, right in the face.
Phil Coulson was having a pretty normal day. He had also had a pretty normal weekend - except for the part where his ex-boss visited and told him that the group home which had starved his daughter may or may not have a shady background. But they weren’t talking about that.
He had spent his Sunday riding a bike with his kids, helping Leo with his social science homework, losing all games of UNO, teaching chess to Natasha and some quality time with his wife. It had been a well spent day and even with the morning rush today - they had to come in a bit early to report the bullying Skye had been going through - it was turning out to be a good day. He had just finished a class with one his daughters. And soon he would have a class with the second one. And in a few hours, he’d have all his kids near him.
His phone rang, breaking his thoughts. Phil answered it, feeling as jovial as ever. His good mood evaporated as he heard the caller speak. “Mr. Coulson, this is Principal Anderson from Millennium Middle School. Your son, Leo Fitz May-Coulson and your foster daughter, Mary Sue Poots, have been in a fight. They are both injured.”