The Reunion
Eventually, most of the group retired to their rooms. Now that everyone feels reassured that Skye is out of the woods and May and Coulson are taking care of themselves again, they are comfortable waiting for news in their own rooms and getting some real sleep. Every time a new person left the room they made it a point to ask Jarvis to keep them updated and wake them if they were needed which he confirmed for them.
After a few hours the only people left in the common room are Coulson, May, Natasha, and Clint. Coulson and May were not willing to be so far away from the medical bay if Skye woke up so they were going to try to get some sleep on the couches and Clint and Natasha made it clear that they would not leave them alone. No matter how much Coulson and May tried to convince the two that they really didn’t need to stay they were unmoved. Of the four of them Clint was the only one who had gotten any actual sleep in the last 30 hours or so and he announced that he was staying to make sure that Coulson and May actually slept. Natasha was staying because she wasn’t planning to sleep anytime soon anyways so she was going to keep watch with Clint.
Once Coulson and May realized it was pointless to argue the two each claimed a couch and laid down to try to get some sleep. When they chose couches that had been pushed close together by Fitzsimmons so that they were practically touching each other, neither Clint nor Natasha made any comment apart from a knowing smirk shared between them. As the two worried parents, because that’s what they are now, no point denying it, finally fell asleep Clint brewed a fresh pot of coffee, poured some for Natasha and himself, and the two settled into a couple of comfortable armchairs to wait.
Line Break
Fitz feels like he can finally breathe again, after not being able to for months. Having Skye back, having her in front of him, her bruised hand in his, Jemma asleep in the chair next to him, her head on his shoulder, he feels whole again. They are his family. Skye and Jemma, Coulson and May, they are his family. When Skye was missing it was like he forgot how to function. His brain stopped working. Again.
When he got his brain damage, and he couldn’t function like he used to, Skye was there for him. Simmons left, Coulson was busy being the director, May was busy taking care of Coulson. Skye was the one who tried to help him. When she was gone it was like all the progress he had made with her help had just stopped, like he had gone back to how it was in the beginning. Even with Jemma back by his side, helping to search for Skye, it wasn’t the same.
Fitz is used to not being able to function without Jemma, he hasn’t been able to go without her since they first met in the academy. He never thought he would feel that way about anyone else. Until he met Skye.
Sure, it’s not the same with Skye. She doesn’t stay by his side in the lab and help him through all the puzzles that science throws at him and she isn’t the one who finishes his sentences. She isn’t the one that he is in love with. But, still, she has become an integral part of him, a part that he can’t live without. Sitting here, holding Skye’s tiny, battered hand, listening to her breathing, he feels at peace for the first time since she was taken.
Gently, Fitz leans forward and pulls the blanket up from where it had slipped down Skye while she slept, then sits back and pulls Jemma tighter against his side, relishing in the feeling of having his world back together, the way it should be. He allows his eyes to slip closed, grateful for the fact that when he opens them they will both still be here.
Line Break
About six hours after Coulson, May and Fitz finally allowed themselves to fall asleep the tower is rather peaceful. People have just started to wake up and go about their day, Clint and Natasha are in the common area still, watching over Coulson and May, Tony and Bruce have gone to the labs, both feeling the need to work on something, Maria and Pepper have gone to the office to get some work done, and Steve, Tripp, Mack, Hunter, and Bobbi are in the gym working out. It feels like things are trying to get back to a sort of normal routine, people are doing what they would normally be doing at this time of day, more or less.
Clint decides this is a good time to start making breakfast for the group so he heads to the kitchen with Natasha tagging along to help. She may not be a master chef like Steve and Clint but she is no slouch in the kitchen.
About halfway through the two’s breakfast cooking May and Coulson wake up. They take their time getting up off the couches, both of them clearly groggy still, but eventually they shuffle into the kitchen, Coulson taking advantage of the fresh pot of coffee while May begins to make herself a cup of tea.
For a second the four are swept up in the nostalgia of it. A lifetime ago, when the four of them made up Strike Team Delta, they had more than a few mornings like this. After a long mission or a late night, whoever was up first would head to the kitchen to start making breakfast, except May who is not allowed to be alone in a kitchen due to more than a few mishaps which she does not tolerate anyone mentioning. Then as the others got up they would join in the cooking and eventually they would all sit down to breakfast.
It was a time that the four of them loved. The quiet moments in between missions, when they could just enjoy each other’s company. It’s when they became more than just a team. With a glance around the kitchen, Coulson knows he isn’t the only one thinking of those times. He looks over and sees the soft smile on Melinda’s face which he can’t help but return. Neither of them would trade their new team for anything, but having their old team around has made them both realize just how much they missed them.
The four are snapped out of their quiet reverie by Coulson’s coffee mug suddenly falling off the counter. They all snap to look at it and then each other, no one moving. That’s when they notice the tiny tremors running through the floor. May and Coulson’s eyes both snap to the hallway leading to the med bay just as Fitz comes running out. He slides to a stop as his frantic eyes land on the four in the kitchen.
“It’s Skye. She was having a nightmare so Jemma woke her but she’s stuck in some kind of flashback, she doesn’t think we’re real, and we can’t get her out of it.” He says hurriedly, his words coming out so fast they are difficult to make out through his Scottish brogue. May and Coulson understand enough, though, and they both take off toward the med bay as the tremors seem to be getting stronger.
When they enter the med bay Coulson and May find Skye in much the same position she had been in the first time she woke up, pushed up against the headboard of the bed, her legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them looking as if she wants to make herself as small as possible. This time though, instead of seeming unnaturally calm, Skye’s eyes are wild, her body is trembling, and she is muttering something that May and Coulson can’t quite make out.
Jemma has her hands placatingly held out in front of her but she is making no move to get close to Skye as the room shakes more and more violently. Jemma’s eyes flash over to May’s and a wave of relief seems to pass over her as she gladly steps back and lets the new arrivals take over, slipping out of the room.
May and Coulson slowly approach the bed, both lowering themselves slightly to be in Skye’s eyeline. May reaches out a hand toward Skye as she begins to speak to her.
“Skye, it’s me. It’s May. You’re safe now. We’ve got you.” Skye gives no indication she has heard them, she just keeps muttering to herself. May decides to get closer to try to understand what she is saying but it is hard not to lose her footing with the way the ground is shaking. She knows that they need to snap Skye out of this and get her to stop using her powers before they are left with no choice but to sedate her again.
“Skye, can you hear me? We’re here sweetheart. We aren’t going to hurt you.” Coulson says as he too inches closer to the bed from the other side. By now he and May are on either side of the foot of Skye’s bed, they both keep slowly moving closer and closer to where Skye is crouched at the headboard.
“Not real. Just a nightmare. They will go away. Just need to wake up. Not real. They already gave up on you. They aren’t coming. Just wake up.” May is finally able to make out the words Skye is muttering to herself and her heart breaks. She looks over at Coulson and knows he heard too. She turns her focus back to Skye.
“We’re real. Skye. Me and Coulson. We are really here. We are so so sorry we couldn’t save you sooner Skye. But we are here now. Please. Just look at me Skye.” Skye stops muttering when May starts speaking again, her eyes flickering up to May’s for a split second before she squeezes them shut and turns her face away, pushing herself even harder into the headboard.
“Go away!! Please! Just let me wake up! Wake up Skye! It’s not real. Stop thinking about them! They aren’t here! You’re alone!” Skye starts screaming at herself, as if she wants to drown out the others in the room. Coulson starts talking over the screams, trying to force her to hear him.
“We are here Skye! We aren’t leaving! This is real sweetheart! You need to look at us!” Coulson yells back at her but it doesn’t help, Skye just puts her hands over her ears to drown him out while the shaking gets stronger. Finally, seeing no other option, May lunges forward, taking Skye’s face in her hands.
All at once everything stops, the screaming, the crying, the shaking, it all stops as Skye’s eyes snap open when she feels May’s hands touch her face. Skye’s eyes lock onto May’s as she takes in a shuddering gasp. Skye’s nightmare versions of her family never touched her. Not like this.
“M..May?” Skye whispers after several long moments of silence.
“Yeah baby. It’s me Skye. It’s really May.” May has tears running down her face too.
“May… you came?” Skye asks and falls into May’s arms. May deftly catches her, moving to sit on the bed so that she can hold all of Skye’s weight. The girl sobs loudly and unreservedly into May’s shoulder for several long minutes before finally pulling back to look into May’s face again, almost like she needs to confirm it’s still her and she is still really there. Tears keep streaming down her face as her eyes scan every inch of May’s face.
“C..Coulson?” Skye asks suddenly. Coulson wastes no time getting her attention from the other side of the bed.
“I’m right here angel eyes.” He says, emotion clogging his voice and tears running off his chin. Skye turns with so much speed May is sure her ribs must be in agony. Skye gives no sign of it though as her eyes land on Coulson now. She lets out another sob as Coulson sweeps in to take her into his arms, sitting on the bed beside May so they both share Skye’s body in their laps.
Skye cries for what feels like forever, and so do May and Coulson. The three lay on the bed together, just holding each other, soaking up the comfort of being together again. Skye is completely on top of the two, her casted arms switching from being wrapped around one or the other to both of them every so often, until eventually she is sandwiched tightly between the two and they are all cried out.
Once the crying has subsided the trio are silent for a long time, no one is sure what to say or where to start. May and Coulson both think they should wait until Skye is ready. Skye finally breaks the silence after ten minutes of simply laying with her parents.
“I didn’t think you would come. I did at first, I know you told me you would come. But I stopped. I’m sorry I doubted you.” Skye says quietly, not looking either of them in the face. Coulson and May should have expected that Skye would not blame them and would of course take the blame onto herself, but hearing her apologize nearly breaks the two all over again. May sits up and gingerly pulls Skye into a sitting position too. Coulson sits up behind Skye and pulls the girl back so she can lean against him a bit to take the strain off her aching torso.
“Skye, look at me, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. We are the ones who owe you an apology Skye. For not finding you sooner, for not saving you when we saved Coulson, for letting Hydra get you in the first place. We will be saying sorry for the rest of our lives for letting you think that we abandoned you. But you never have to apologize for thinking that. You were a prisoner, for a very long time, and whatever you thought, whatever your mind told you while you were a prisoner is not something you are responsible for. You owe us nothing. We owe you Skye.” May says with the most sincere, most firm voice she can muster without breaking down again. Skye’s chin trembles and she struggles to keep eye contact as May speaks. As soon as May finishes Skye falls into her once again, her sobs renewed as May just holds her close.
Over Skye’s head May sees Coulson. He gives her a smile and a nod, feeling like she is already proving him right for everything he said before. She is the one who can help Skye the most now, and she’s already doing it. After a while, Skye’s cries once again subside and she is laying mostly on top of May as Coulson sits and watches the two, one of his hands gently stroking Skye’s hair.
“Where are we?” Skye asks.
“We are at Avengers tower, in the medical area.” Coulson responds as Skye’s eyes widen.
“Seriously? I guess I really did see Captain America. I thought it was another hallucination.” Skye says. It was supposed to be a joke but it doesn’t have the intended effect as Coulson and May share a nervous look over Skye’s head. They decide to table that discussion for another time.
“Yeah, he was there before you passed out. All the Avengers were. They have been helping us try to find you. Ever since you and Coulson were taken.” May says.
“Wow, well that’s… wow. Why do they care about me?” Skye asks. May and Coulson share a pained look, worried just how bad Skye’s headspace must have been if she is asking questions like that.
“Because you are important Skye. When they rescued me I told them that they didn’t have to stay but they were all in. No one was leaving or giving up until we found you.” Coulson continues. A few tears trickle down Skye’s face but she doesn’t give any response. After a while Coulson decides its time that they let the no doubt very anxious doctors back in to check on their patient.
“Skye, I’m sorry, but we really do need to let Simmons and Banner in to check on you. You have a lot of injuries and we need to make sure that none of them were aggravated when you used your powers.” Coulson says calmly, hoping that Skye agrees to let them in. Skye’s face goes pale and her body rigid.
“I used my powers?” Skye says in a whisper. She almost looks like she would curl up in a ball again if May didn’t have her arm around her.
“Yeah, when you were having your flashback. But it’s ok Skye. No harm done.” May says calmly, noticing how tense the girl got.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Skye says quietly, turning her face into May’s side so neither of them can fully see her.
“Hey, it’s ok. You were scared and confused. It makes sense that they came out like that. When you are feeling better we can talk about learning how to control them if you want, but none of us are scared of your new powers Skye. Do you understand that?” Coulson asks, trying to get her to look at him. Eventually Skye turns her face enough to see him and gives him a small nod. Using her powers is the last thing she wants but she isn’t about to tell him that so she just nods to try to change the subject.
“Great, now, what do you think about Simmons and Banner coming in to check up on you? Does that sound alright?” Coulson asks, satisfied with her nod for now. Skye doesn’t say anything for a second, she just looks more unsure. After a minute May decides to try.
“They don’t have to both come in. We could just have one of them come in. You can pick who you are more comfortable with. Maybe Simmons could bring Fitz if you want to see them both. Or maybe you want to wait before seeing them and you could meet Dr. Banner. I think you will like him.” May says. She wants to make it clear to Skye that she is in control, whatever Skye says goes. If Simmons or Fitz will be too overwhelming right now then she doesn’t have to see them yet. If meeting a new person is too much then Simmons will be happy to come in.
“I think... I would really like to see Fitzsimmons right now… but you guys will stay right?” Skye wants to see her brother and sister so badly but she is not ready for May and Coulson to leave. She doesn’t want to be away from them right now, regardless of who else is in the room with her.
“Of course. Is it alright if I leave to go get them and update everyone real quick while May stays with you?” Coulson asks. Skye turns her eyes onto his for a second before slowly nodding and curling impossibly closer around May. Coulson gets a small smile on his face as he leaves the room. If anyone else in any other circumstance tried to cuddle with Agent Melinda May she would leave them in a bloody puddle on the floor, but right now it seems like May needs this as much as Skye and she is making no attempt to leave the bed.
Line Break
When Coulson enters the common area everyone is once again gathered together, waiting for news. With the exception of Maria and Pepper who are still at work, everyone is right back in the same positions they were in the last time that he came out here when Skye was still unconscious. They all stand when he enters the room, coming to stand in front of him expectantly.
“She’s ok. She was having a nightmare and she thought she was still trapped in it and that we weren’t really here. May was able to snap her out of it and once she knew she was safe her powers stopped. Did she damage anything?” Coulson asks.
“Just broke a few plates, mugs, a couple beakers in the labs, but nothing major. I made the tower to withstand a helluva lot more than that.” Tony responds.
“Good. I know everyone is going to want to see her and she needs to get checked out but for right now she is only ready for Fitzsimmons. Jemma hopefully you can do whatever exams she needs right now and relay the information to Bruce.” Coulson says.
“Of course, just upload any relevant information to her digital medical file Jemma and I will check it out. If there is anything urgent message me, otherwise you can take care of her.” Bruce says to Simmons. As much as he would like to go in and inspect Skye’s stitches and her arms to ensure she hasn’t done additional damage by using her powers he knows that her mental and emotional health is just as important so right now a familiar face makes the most sense. He trusts Jemma to do the relevant tests and let him know if he is needed.
Simmons nods to Bruce as she and Fitz begin to move toward the room with Coulson following along. Coulson stops them before they can go inside however.
“She… she’s not in a great place. She thought we weren’t real because it seems she has been dreaming of us abandoning her. When she finally calmed down and accepted that we were real the first thing she did was apologize for not believing in us.” Coulson says sadly to the two in front of him who are as much his kids as Skye is.
“That’s… how could she possibly blame herself for that?” Fitz exclaims.
“Because she’s Skye. Her abandonment issues are going to be worse than ever before and we all know that she takes everything on herself. She carries the weight of the world and right now she is being crushed by it. We all just need to be there for her to remind her that she is not alone or responsible for any of this.” Coulson says.
“Of course, sir. We will do anything for her, you know that.” Simmons says.
“I know Jemma. One more thing. She didn’t remember that she had accidentally used her powers and when we reminded her she got very tense and didn’t not want to discuss it. Just be careful how and if you bring up her powers.” Coulson says and the other two nod. With one more deep breath from each scientist, Coulson opens the door and the two calmly walk in.
Line Break
Skye is in the bed alone now but May has pulled the chair up so it is basically touching the bed and Skye is leaning over with her head on May’s shoulder. It would be adorable if it didn’t betray the deep need for attachment and comfort that Skye feels after her ordeal. Skye’s eyes immediately fall on Fitzsimmons as they enter the room, her eyes tracking them as they come in. They both are very careful to walk calmly to the bed, not betraying their joy at seeing her awake or how badly they want to envelop her in a hug. Skye keeps eye contact for a second before dropping her gaze to the floor.
“I’m sorry you guys had to see that.” She mumbles. That’s the last straw for the two scientists. They rush to her bedside and each throw an arm around their sister. Skye tenses for a second before she melts into the group hug.
“Don’t ever apologize to us, not for anything. Do you understand?” Fitz says through his tears. Skye nods against their shoulders unconsciously wiping her tears all over their shirts.
“We’re the ones who are sorry. We missed you so much Skye. We are so happy you’re safe.” Jemma says as she sobs. Skye just holds tightly to her two best friends in the whole world as the three of them cry, their parents looking on with tears in their eyes too. For the first time in a long time, Skye feels like maybe she will be ok.