I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I didn't have my laptop or any place to write. Whatever, here's chapter 5! Thank you all for your reviews! :)

It was almost eight o'clock when May returned to the pool, looking for the girls. After having lunch, regretting that huge ice-cream and spending some time with them, she had gone with Anne to see her family and then for a drink to catch up with her old friend. However, reaching the loungers she noticed that they were gone, leaving just a red towel behind.

Maybe they returned to the room, she thought, looking around her.

Nevertheless, when she was about to turn around and make her way back to the building, she saw that the red towel was moving.

Oh

That was not a red towel. She approached and realized that it was the back of Skye, who slept peacefully with her head hanging a bit at the edge of the lounger. She kneeled down and buckled her bikini again, trying to avoid pressing her burning skin.

"Skye, wake up" she said. Didn't want to touch her shoulder, which color would have caused the envy of a tomato, so just took her hand and squeezed it. "You fell asleep"

The girl finally seemed to return to the real world, lifting her head.

"May? How did you...? Ouch!" she moaned as she straightened. "Why is my back on fire?"

"You fell asleep under the sun" May helped her to stand up. "Where are the others?"

"Uh..."

"Hi, guys... Skye, what happened to you?" asked Bobbi, arriving.

"I was sleeping" she muttered.

"I'll take her upstairs" added May. "Where's Jemma?"

"Oh, somewhere over there, reading"

"Okay, go with her to the store and get some aloe vera or whatever you find that helps with sunburns" she indicated as she grabbed her bag and Skye's.

"Uh, sure" the brunette quickly left.

"It hurts" complained Skye, as they entered the elevator. She leaned against the cold mirror and sighed. "Ah, this feels awesome... What time is it?"

"Five past eight"

"Crap, the last time I checked my clock it was a half past four. How bad am I?"

"You're good... for a lobster." May frowned. "Didn't you put any sunscreen on?"

"Actually, no" she admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "Bobbi was swimming and Jemma reading, so I thought that sleeping for fifteen minutes wouldn't kill me... And I guess I continued long"

"Look profile"

The girl nodded and let out a not so nice oath. Seeing it from the side her skin seemed perfectly split into two, between red and her natural tan. Reaching upstairs they left their bags on one of the couches and opened the windows, regretting not doing so before, for the place had become a real sauna.

"Come on, let's go to the bathroom" said May, guiding her towards it. The bathroom was quite wide, with a big bathtub in one of the corners. The walls had been covered with white ceramic, one of them decorated with a few designs of mosaic, contrasting against the dark tiles of the floor. The towels were dark blue, and so were the bottles of shampoo and other objects from the hotel. "Get into the bathtub"

Skye took off her clothes, staying only with her bikini, and did as instructed, kneeling on the chilly surface. May picked up the hand shower and turned on the water. After confirming it was cold and the jet was not too strong, she addressed the roasted body of the girl. At first she was startled by the marked difference of temperatures, but then relaxed at how much water relieved her pain.

"Thank you, May" she muttered. "For real"

"It's nothing" the other replied. "But I fear tomorrow you won't be able to move. Or maybe you will, if Jemma and Bobbi bring the aloe vera soon"

"I hope so... Whoa, this feels great. I wish I could stay here for the rest of the day" she said, closing her eyes.

"Well, you can't. It wouldn't be very healthy, this is just to lower your corporal temperature" answered May.

In that moment Simmons and Bobbi opened the door, bringing some plastic bags with them.

"We brought the aloe and, uh, more stuff" announced the young biochemist.

May put the hand shower asides and got everything.

"Thanks, girls" she said, leaving them over the counter. "Now go to sleep"

"Don't you want any help?" asked Bobbi, seeing somewhat worried the scarlet back of the hacker.

"No, thanks, I got this. Besides, you're probably exhausted"

"Well, yeah... Okay, it's fine. Good night for you two"

"Night"

May returned to the girl's side, which seemed and felt like a grounded puppy. She turned off the shower and obliged her to come back to their room.

"Lay down on the bed" she ordered. The other did so. "How on earth could you possibly sleep under this sun without sunscreen?"

"I wasn't planning to" she muttered. May sat down next to her waist. Moved aside the hair from her back, then opened an aloe vera bottle and covered her with it. "Ohh thanks. And you don't have to do this, you know" she added.

May remained silent. To start, she knew that if she didn't do it the next day Skye wouldn't be able to move, and, on the other hand, she couldn't help but wondering if Skye had ever had someone who helped her as she did now, guiding and protecting her, and was not exactly thinking about her skin. Even if her mother had been pretty absent in her childhood, they had always been close, and realized how different it would have been not having a mother at all.

She continued to apply the cream. Jesus, the skin of Skye's back was boiling. Then she left the bottle aside to replace it with a coconut oil that the others had brought. Apparently it was good for burns, or so said the label.

"I think that's it" she said, standing up. "Don't rest your back for a while. I'll go to change in the bathroom"

"Okay"

May took her pajamas and went into the bathroom. She left her clothes aside and turned on the water, not even waiting for it to finish warming up before undressing and getting into the shower. Damn, it was like freaking eighty five degrees and it was half past eight p.m. She had never been a big fan of the heat, she thought as she closed her eyes under the cold water, but Hawaii was not half bad. Moreover, she wouldn't mind it at all if it became necessary to run away to Australia if Coulson...

No.

She was not thinking about it now. Now when she was taking 'vacations' and definitely not when she was so far away from him, too much to be at his side in the case something happened to him...

"He's fine" she said out loud, opening her eyes. "Geez, Melinda, you saw him yesterday"

Perhaps her concern was due to she was too tired. Yes, that must have been. She was exhausted and somewhat dizzy from the strong scent of coconut oil, which seemed reluctant to leave her hands. She took a flower-shaped soap and began to wash them, trying to replace the cloying smell with the orange one. She mentally reviewed the day, while planning the next. Damn, what do showers have that make us think so much? Hum, maybe she was not tired; maybe it was just the glass of tequila she had had with Anne making effect.

With that thought in mind shut off the water, wrapped herself in a towel and left the shower. She stood on the soft navy blue mat as she finished drying her body. Everything. Is. Fine. Phil is fine. Also Skye, something roasted, but she is. The other girls were fine and so were the boys.

For God's sake, just relax, Melinda, she ordered herself as she put her pajamas on. They are not in danger all the time. Just relax...

May sighed. She was about to leave the bathroom when something stopped her. Her reflection in the mirror. She approached it and looked at herself, something she never did, realizing that something had changed. Her face was not too tense; her eyes had regained some glow she thought was lost forever. Her body had lost that defensive and suspicious aura that used to take; now she looked more relaxed and calm. More vulnerable, perhaps, but there was nothing wrong with that. Yes, she was definitely different now. She was not sure if she was recovering her old self or discovering a new side of her, all she knew was that it had to do with her team, particularly with Phil and the girl who was waiting for her in the room.

She turned out the light and finally left the bathroom. She noticed Skye watching her curiously. She had also changed and was now using a nearly identical to her pajamas, a wide t-shirt with shorts; though of course Skye wore pastel colors and she gray with black. However, she immediately realized that that was not what had aroused the interest of her protégé.

"Where did you get that shirt" she asked. It was somewhat hard to believe, considering the time they had been living together, but she had never seen her on her pajamas.

"The Academy, why?" asked May, keeping her clothes on the closet. She left her shoes on the floor and after turning off the light sat on her side of the bed.

"Well, it's a boy shirt" Skye smiled, turning on the one from her nightstand.

She had her eyebrows up and a suggestive smile on her face. May instinctively lowered the sight to the t-shirt she was wearing and cursed herself. She had been sleeping with it for so many years she hadn't even thought about it before putting it on her suitcase as she packed.

"No, it's not" she finally said. Ah, cheers for her talent of keeping her voice calmed in any situation.

"Yes, it is" insisted Skye, determined to pry the truth. "Jemma showed me hers and it's different. It's also gray and with the logo of the agency, but it's shorter and more tight"

"Uh, yeah. But they used to be like this before" May lied, almost babbling as she ran out of excuses.

"That's not true, yours looks more like Fitz's… Oh, God, you're blushing!" exclaimed the young, surprised and amused for that unusual happening.

"Of course not"

"It's true! Your face is all red" she sang-songed.

"Mine? You should check your skin first" replied the other.

"Ha. Ha. Come on, May, just admit it… a boy gave it to you!"

"Fine, you win, a guy gave it to me" she finally confessed, desperately trying to avoid her blood from accruing in her face and hiding her embarrassment in a snort of disdain. "He was just a friend"

"Bah, friends don't give t-shirts"

"Of course they do" replied May. It wasn't really her style to give explanations to others about her stuff or actions, but not quite sure about why; she felt the urgency of convincing Skye that nothing interesting had happened with the damned shirt. "We were at his room watching a movie, it was very late and we knew that if I tried to leave I would get caught and that would certainly be a mess, so we thought that it would be better if I just stayed with him"

"And how did you sleep? On the floor?"

"Back to back" she answered, remembering that night.

"Ahh… Wait, back to back?" she asked. Geez, that girl never had enough answers. "Isn't that how you used to sleep with Coulson?"

In some training sessions, May used to tell her a few stories, mainly to keep her distracted from the tiredness. She had talked about risky crazy missions or about legendary pranks and had probably mentioned the arrangement they used to sleep in one or two occasions, but didn't expect her to remember it.

"Well, it's a form used by many agents" she said, sliding under the sheets.

"Nice try. He gave it to you, didn't he?" insisted her protégé.

"Fine, fine. Yes, he gave it to me. Happy?"

"Aww and you still have it? That's the cutest thing I'd ever heard!" exclaimed Skye.

"Just… sleep"

"Yes, ma'am"

With a cheeky grin of triumph on her face, Skye turned around to sleep, turning off the light. About ten minutes later, after complaining about her back and move quite a lot, she was peacefully asleep. She looked tender, May helplessly thought as she watched her, relaxed and smaller, more like the girl who had joined the plane. Although she was very proud of the young woman that she had become, she couldn't help but missing the girl full of questions. She wished she could get some rest as easily as her. Ahh, to be young…

May didn't know how much she spent like that, perhaps fifteen minutes or perhaps two hours, closing her eyes and trying to sleep. She turned once more on the bed to her right, frustrated, and it was then when she noticed her cellphone vibrating on the nightstand.

She reached out a hand to grab it and thanks to the ID she realized it was Phil. Looking to her left she saw Skye completely dead for the world and decided to take the call. She ran the window and entered the balcony, closing again behind her.

"Hey" she said. She sat down on one of the chairs, resting her elbow on the banister as she contemplated the waves absently.

"Hi" he replied. He was smiling, she could tell that by the simple sound of his voice. "How are you?"

"Good, you?" May asked.

"Fine, thanks… where are you? I can barely hear you"

"Sorry" May stood and walked around. "Better?"

"Better… You know, the guys didn't want me to call any of you" he commented, amused. "They said it would be, what did they say? Oh, yeah, a treason to my gender"

"So why are you calling?" she couldn't help but asking.

"I have no idea of where I put the keys of the safe-deposit box" he confessed, somewhat embarrassed. "And I need to get something"

She rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"Third drawer, right side. You're a mess"

Coulson smiled to himself, as he played with the key chain with one of his hands. He knew exactly where the keys were, he just wanted to hear her voice. Anyway he leaned over the drawer and opened it so she could hear it.

"You are my salvation" he said, leaving the keys and closing it again. "So, how's the trip going?"

"Pretty fine, actually"

"Yeah? What have you done?"

"I'm afraid that's highly classified" she replied. "And you?"

"That's certainly classified too"

"Ah, should I understand then that the place is still standing?"

"Yep" Coulson said. "At least for now. Things are not the same without you… With all of you, I mean" he quickly explained himself, noticing that his words might have a double interpretation.

"Well, that's the point of this trip… The ocean is beautiful"

"Send me a picture"

"Okay" she nodded, even if he couldn't see her. "Send me a photo of the new base. You know, when you have to find a new one after destroying the Playground"

"Ha, ha" Coulson rolled his eyes. "I'm offended by the grade of trust you have on me, Melinda. I'm a grown-up, remember?"

"We have almost the same age, that doesn't count… and fine, I know you're not going to burn anything"

"It's true" he smiled, crossing his fingers under the table. "I can't believe you're in Hawaii without me. We had a deal"

"It's true" May recognized.

She helplessly smiled, remembering the promise they had made when they had just started their unforgettable and legendary mission-season, as how they liked to call it. If a place was particularly special for both of them, they couldn't return unless they were together. For years they travelled the world, doing missions here and there, just having each other. A scar was a trophy, a snap from their superiors a funny story to tell. Everything was fun, laughter and the purest friendship, living carelessly with that touch of naivety that only inexperience can concede. Why did it have to end? Oh, stupid nostalgia…

"Melinda…" he started, insecure. He could hear her thoughts over the other side of the line, echoing his own and increasing the deep melancholia he also felt.

"Yes?"

There were so many things he wanted to tell her… But no, not like that. Not over the phone and certainly not when he wouldn't see her reaction.

"I gotta go" Phil lied, hating himself for it. "Bye, I'll call you later"

"Bye, Phil" she muttered, disappointment clear in her voice.

I miss you, she thought, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat.

Finally the line went dead. She sighed, asking herself why it had to be so damn hard to say out loud things that were so simple and so true. She contemplated the full moon for a couple of seconds, enjoying the gentle night breeze, so different from the sweltering heat of the day, and couldn't help but feeling overwhelmed by a wave of nostalgia. She missed Phil, but after all they had been separated for months before and knew that that wasn't the main reason. Maybe it was due to the fact of being there, in that dreamlike place, which made her confuse reality and illusion, the way she had felt all those years ago and how she felt in that exact moment…

"May?" Skye's voice startled her, something very weird. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded, not turning around. The young woman approached her and leaned on the railing, adopting the same position she was in.

"I woke up and you weren't here" she said. "You haven't slept at all? It's quite late"

May checked her clock, realizing it was half past two on the morning. Maybe she had lost track of time as she talked with Phil, or perhaps as she sailed through her ruminations. She made a move on returning to the room, but noticed that Skye didn't seem interested in going back to sleep.

"You know, I've never gone out of the country before" she commented.

"Skye, could you please tell me the state number fifty?" May replied.

Her student smiled, and then turned around to look at her, resting her back on the metallic surface.

"Okay, so it's pretty obvious that I've always sucked at geography" she admitted, slightly blushed. "And I meant the continent. My point is; I've never had vacations like these before. Thank you, May"

"This was your idea" said May.

"You can't take credit for anything, can you?" she asked, with a resigned and mockery smile. "Anyway, thanks" she whispered. "I know I don't say it enough"

May just shrugged and smiled to herself as they silently made their way back to their room.

A little Philinda moment at the end... Some Bobbi/Hunter and FitzSimmons coming soon! Reviews= happiness :D