Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and I am not making any profit from this.

AN: Thank you to all who have added to alerts, read, reviewed or any combination of the three. It means a lot to me.

AN2: So after the epicenes of the new ep (I won't say anything about it due to spoilers) I decided to update earlier than I thought. I am currently working on chapter ten and I don't have Uni again to Tuesday so I should get be able to write quite a bit and continue to update daily. Hope you enjoy this story as much as the other and thanks for the support.

It has been five months since the discovery that Skye is the daughter of Melinda May and Phil Coulson and one month since Skye and Melinda have re-joined the plane after their extended stay in New York.

It is a sunny afternoon and the first day off that the team has had since Melinda and Skye re-joined the team and Skye and Coulson are away from the plane driving in Lola.

"So am I going to get my first driving in Lola lesson?" Skye asks her father interested.

"Yep." Coulson responds.

"Awesome." Skye responds with a grin. "So have you given anymore through to what we talked about the last time we went driving together?" Skye asks her Dad curious.

"Yeah, I have." Coulson tells his daughter.

"And?" Skye asks excited.

"I'm working on it." Coulson tells Skye.

"Come on Dad, give me more than that." Skye requests.

"I've got an idea for the ring but it's a matter of getting it." Coulson explains.

"What do you mean?" Skye asks interested.

"After my mother died I couldn't bear to go through any of her things, I just moved everything into storage. About ten years after she died, long after your mother and I were divorced, I managed to start to go through it all. In her things I found a note for me and her wedding ring which was my grandmothers as well. In the note she left me Mom told me to give the ring to the woman I loved truly with my whole heart, the only person who fits that is your Mom, part of my heart has always belonged to her." Coulson explains his voice going sad when he talks about his mother.

"Where is the ring?" Skye asks interested as she reaches out and gives her father's arm a squeeze in comfort.

"In the safe at the house." Coulson explains, "But the hard part is getting it without raising suspicion from your Mom." He explains.

"We'll figure it out." Skye tells her Dad.

"So you think it's a good idea?" Coulson asks interested.

"I think it's perfect." Skye comments with a grin. "What about the proposal?" Skye asks interested.

"Still working on it." Coulson comments as he pulls the car over. "You're turn."

"This is so hard for you to let me do this isn't it?" Skye asks amused as she gets out of Lola and walks over to the driver's side.

"No." Coulson responds.

"Liar." Skye comments amused as she gets in the driver's seat.

"Okay, start her up and then flip the switch." Coulson tells his daughter and that's just what she does and together they start their first flying lesson.

Half an hour later Skye is driving Lola back into the cargo bay after a very good first lesson. FitzSimmons and Ward are in the lab and Melinda is nowhere to be seen.

"So I did good right?" Skye asks her Dad.

"Yeah, you did." Coulson answers.

"Good enough to drive Lola more often?" Skye asks curious hoping the answer is yes.

"I'd say, four more lessons." Coulson tells her.

"Oh come on I drove just like you did, two." Skye counteroffers.

"Three and that's my final offer." Coulson responds.

"Done." Skye agrees as Ward comes out of the lab.

"Agent Ward." Coulson greats.

"Sir." He responds. "Agent May was looking for you, Sir. You missed a call from Agent Hill when you were out and she couldn't reach you on your car phone, Sir." Ward informs Coulson.

"I turned it off. Thank you Agent Ward." Coulson says before heading upstairs.

"Three Sir's in two sentences, really?" Skye asks Ward amused once Coulson is out of hearing range.

"He's your father, and he already doesn't like me." Ward tells her.

"And you think setting the world record for calling him Sir the most times will help with that?" Skye asks curious as they walk into the lab.

"It can't hurt." Ward comments.

"Actually it can hurt, you." Skye tells her boyfriend.

"It's being respectful." Ward argues.

"It's annoying." Skye responds. "You guys agree don't you?" Skye ask FitzSimmons.

"I think that showing your father respect is a good thing for agent Ward to do but I agree that you are going overboard." Simmons answers diplomatically.

"See." Skye answers with a grin.

As soon as Coulson leaves the Cargo Bay he goes in search of Melinda but he doesn't have to look far as she is sitting at the bar driving a cup of coffee.

"You do realise the phone in your car is turned off, right?" Melinda asks Coulson curious.

"It was Skye's first flying lesson I didn't want her to be distracted." Coulson explains sitting down next to Melinda.

"You willingly let someone else drive your precious car? I'm shocked." Melinda comments as while she knew that Coulson was planning on giving Skye lessons in how to drive and fly Lola she had some doubts about whether he would actually go through with it.

"Ward said that I missed a call from Maria." Coulson comments ignoring Melinda's previous comment as he knows that in part she is doing it to get a rise out of him.

"Yeah, call her back." Melinda tells him

"Did it seem urgent?" Coulson asks curious.

"No, not really." Melinda admits. "But she said that she wanted to talk to both of us when you got back." Melinda informs him.

"Both of us?" Coulson asks surprised, "We haven't done anything to make her angry lately have we?"

"Not that I know of." Melinda comments with an amused smirk.

"We should see what she wants." Coulson comments heading into the command centre.

"Guess we should." Melinda says following him.

"Agent May, Agent Coulson." Maria greats once the call is connected and she sees the pair.

"Agent Hill." The pair respond.

"You needed to talk to us." Coulson comments.

"Yes I did." Hill responds, "The Carter conference will be held in three days in New York and you are both expected to be there." Hill informs them.

"You must be mistaken." Melinda comments, "The Carter conference is for level eight and above, I'm only level seven." Melinda points out, never being gladder for that fact.

"You are correct the Carter conference is only for level eight and above agents." Hill confirms and Melinda can't help but give a ha ha, look to Coulson because she knows how much they both hate these conferences, "Melinda please remember you are on video conference." Hill says amused.

"Right, sorry." Melinda responds.

"As I was saying, the Carter conference is only for level eight Agent which you will officially be tomorrow, congratulations Agent May." Maria tells her friend.

"Congrats Mel." Coulson tells her.

"Thanks." Melinda responds.

"And looks like you're going to be right beside me." Coulson says with a grin glad that she gets to share in his misery.

"Joy." Melinda says sarcastically, "Why exactly are we expected to be at this conference?" Melinda asks curious.

"Fury's orders, that's all I know." Maria responds.

"What about the rest of the team?" Coulson asks "What happens to them while we're away for a week?" Coulson ask.

"Fury and I had several long discussions on that topic and we decided that given that they have a history of working with the team and that they understand the personal relationships among the team that Agent's Barton and Romanoff will be assigned to the team with Agent Romanoff being assigned temporary team leader." Hill informs them, "They will meet you in New York in two days where you are to report." Hill informs them.

"Yes Ma'am." Coulson responds.

"And I have a message to pass on from Director Fury." Hill informs them actually looking nervous.

"Tell us." Melinda comments.

"You two better not even think about pulling what you did last time, I will not stand for it and if I have to assign junior agents to monitor you I will. You are going to this conference and you will act like the senior agents that you are." Hill reads off a piece of paper.

"Told you he was still mad about that." Coulson tells Melinda.

"Do you blame him?" Melinda asks curious.

"Not at all." Coulson admits "Will we be seeing you there Maria?" Coulson asks curious

"Yep." Maria responds looking just as thrilled about it as they feel, "I'll send you all the specific details." She informs them before hanging up.

"Congratulations Melinda." Coulson says giving Melinda a kiss.

"I don't know how much of a congratulations it is. Congratulations you're level eight, now you get to spend a week at the most boring event in the world." Melinda comments. "What's the best Fury gave me my promotion just so he could torture me with this?"

"Fury wouldn't do that." Coulson tells Melinda who raises an eyebrow, "Okay he would." Coulson admits. "But I don't think it would be his only reason." He comments.

"We should let the rest of the team know." Melinda comments.

"Right." Coulson says, "Everyone to the command centre." He says through the plane's coms.

A few minutes everyone walk into the conference room.

"What's going on?" Skye asks curious.

"In three days Agent May and myself have to report to New York for the Carter conference." Coulson explains looking less than thrilled about the idea.

"The Carter conference?" Ward asks surprised, "I thought that was only for level eight and above." He comment.

"It is. My promotion won't be official to tomorrow but I am now level eight." Melinda explains.

"Ahh, congrats Mom." Skye says excitedly giving her Mom a hug knowing that it is something her mother really wanted.

"Thanks." Melinda says as she returns the hug.

"So the Carter conference, what is it?" Skye asks interested "And why do you and Dad look so thrilled to be going?"

"The Carter conference is a great thing, it's a weeklong conference were agents get together and discuss ops and what they can do better in the future and to discuss advances they have made that will help others. I've heard that it one of the most informative weeks an agent can have." Ward explains and Melinda and Coulson both look like they are trying not to laugh or snort.

"I'm guessing you guys have different opinions." Skye comments looking at her parents.

"The idea and intention behind the conference is a good one." Melinda admits, "But in reality it turns into a bunch of agents wanting to get their egos stroked which if they were any good at being agents in the first place they wouldn't need. It is a week of the most boring talks you will ever have to listen to." Melinda explains.

"I thought this conference was only level eight and above?" Skye comments confused, "If both of you only just recently made level eight then how do you know that?" Skye asks interested.

"We've been to other S.H.I.E.L.D conferences." Coulson answers, "Not the Carter but others, though the last one we went to was seven years ago? Things could have improved." He comments.

"I doubt it." Melinda answers.

"I thought agents were meant to attend a conference every two years once they reached level five?" Simmons asks surprised as that's what she though the rule was and she has been looking forward to her fist conference ever since she reached level five.

"They are." Melinda confirms.

"Then why haven't you attended one in seven years?" Fitz asks confused as Skye noticing the looks that both her parents got on their faces, it's the look they get when they talk about the pranks they have palled or some of the things they have gotten up to with Natasha and Clint, the look of embarrassment for their actions, "What did you do?" Skye asks amused.

"We stuck flasks into the final day of talks at the last conference we went to. We made a drinking game out of the lecture." Coulson explains.

"And that ended well?" Skye asks amused not seeing how it could have.

"No." Melinda ask as FitzSimmons and Ward exchange a look clearly realising that the people in the stories that they have heard are actually their bosses.

"So if you guys are away for a week does that mean we get a week of?" Skye asks interested "Or are we on our own for a week?" Skye asks interested.

"Neither." Coulson answers. "According to Agent Hill, Agents Barton and Romanoff will be assigned to the team while we are away with Agent Romanoff assigned as temporary team leader. You will all follow her orders as if they are mine." He tells them.

"Of course." FitzSimmons say and Ward nods.

"Yay Uncle Clint тетя Наташа. it's been way to long since I've seen them." Skye comments with a grin.

"It's been a month." Ward reminds her.

"Exactly, way too long." Skye tells her boyfriend.

"You're all dismissed." Coulson comments.

"I'll set a course for New York." Melinda says and everyone except for Skye and Coulson leave the command centre.

"Can we talk in your office?" Skye asks her father curious.

"Of course." Coulson responds and he and Skye heads upstairs.

"What did you want to talk about?" Coulson asks curious when they have entered Coulson's office and Skye has closed the door.

"I can get the ring out of the safe." Skye tells her father, "After you and Mom leave the plane for your conference I can go to the house and get the ring out of the safe and keep it safe until you get back and give it to you." Skye explains to her father.

"That would be perfect." Coulson realises.

"Good." Skye responds.

"You remember how to get inside the safe?" Coulson asks.

"Of course, you went over it a hundred times with me our first night home." Skye reminds him.

"Underneath all the papers and other things, right at the back there is a button, press that and part of the bottom of the safe will move to reveal a little alcove in that alcove is the ring." Coulson tells his daughter.

"Got it, I'll make sure I get it." Skye tells her father.

"Thank you." Coulson tells her.

"No need." Skye responds, "But this means that you have to start to seriously think of a kick ass proposal."

"I know, I'm trying." Coulson tells her. "But it's difficult to think of something good enough." He reveals.

"Good enough?" Skye asks surprised, "Mom loves you, your proposal doesn't have to be over the top in fact I think Mom would prefer something simple. You just got to think of a way that fits her, you know her better than anyone, it shouldn't be too hard." Skye tells her father.

"Thanks Skye, that really helps." Coulson tells his daughter.

"That's what I'm here for." Skye comments, "I'll see you later." Skye tells her Dad and she heads back downstairs.

Two days later the team have been at the New York base when Natasha and Clint arrive and a car arrives to pick up Melinda and Coulson. Everyone is down in the Cargo Bay saying Goodbye to Melinda and Coulson when said car arrives.

"Wait you can't drive yourself?" Skye asks surprised.

"They location of the conference is classified, everyone is picked up and taken there then driven back." Coulson explains, "Wipe that grin of your face" Coulson tells Clint.

"I'm sorry but I can't do that." Clint comments, "I'm just so glad it's not me going. Why exactly does Fury think you two going to a conference will be a good idea after last time?" Clint asks curious.

"Who knows, it's Fury." Melinda comments.

"Talking about driving, here." Coulson says handing the keys to Lola over to Skye, "No, flying. I'm serious about that." He tells his daughter.

"No flying, got it." Skye says shocked that her father is willing handing over the keys to his prized possession.

"You feeling okay Phil?" Clint asks surprised that he is willingly handing over the keys to Lola.

"Yes, I'm fine." Coulson tells his friend after rolling his eyes. "Be careful and tell Clint or Natasha if you plan to practice with your powers." He tells her as he hugs her.

"I will and I will." Skye assures her father "And I promise I will take care of your car." She assures her father.

"You better." Coulson whispers back "Don't let Natasha drive Lola, no matter what she says."

"Got it." Skye says with an amused smile as they break apart.

"Love you Baby Girl."

"Love you to Dad."

"Don't do anything reckless." Melinda says as she hugs her daughter

"I'll do my best." Skye responds.

"And talk to someone if you have nightmares." Melinda tells her daughter quietly, as lately Skye has been coming to find her if she has nightmares.

"Can't I call you?" Skye asks.

"No outside communication, sorry." Melinda tells her daughter.

"Oh."

"Talk to someone May, if the nightmares get bad talk to someone." Melinda tells her daughter.

"I'll try." Skye responds and Melinda nods because she knows that it is the best her daughter can promise.

"I love you Mom." Skye tells her mother.

"I love you too." Melinda responds.

"Don't destroy my plane." Coulson tells Clint and Natasha.

"We'll do our best not to." Natasha responds.

"If you guys do anything as hilariously stupid as last time please make sure someone's filming it." Clint requests.

"I think Fury would kill us if we did." Coulson comments.

"Probably, but it would be his own fault he hasn't forced either of you to go to a conference in seven years, and now he choose to." Natasha points out and they hear a honk for the car.

"Seems like our driver is getting restless." Melinda comments.

"We should make them wait a little longer." Coulson comments with a grin.

"Don't even think about it Phillip Coulson." Maria Hill's voice says.

"Maria?" Coulson, Melinda, Natasha and Clint say together surprised turning around to see Maria standing outside the door of the ar.

"Fury asked that I come and pick you two up, he didn't want to send someone else and have you traumatise them, we are already late, grab your crap and come on." Maria orders.

"Guess we should go." Coulson comments, "Be careful all of you." Coulson says his eyes drifting over each of his agents.

"Yes Sir." Ward and FitzSimmons reply and Melinda and Coulson walk away.

"Anyone else amused that Fury sent his deputy director to babysit them?" Clint asks the others as they watch them walk away.

"The better question is, is anyone surprised by it?" Skye asks.

"No not really." Natasha comments as Melinda and Coulson drive away.

"Okay, I'll be back in an hour." Skye says, once the car has driven away, waling over to Lola.

"Wow, wow, wow. Where do you think you're going?" Clint asks his niece.

"There's something I need to do." Skye tells her Uncle.

"What?" Clint and Natasha answers.

"That's classified." Skye says with a grin.

"Nice try, but everyone here has a higher clearance level than you." Clint tells his niece with an amused smirk.

"Okay fine." Skye says rolling her eyes she was positive that that wasn't going to work but she had to try anyway, "There's something I've got to do for Dad but it's a secret, happy now? Can I go?" she asks.

"You're not going alone." Natasha tells her niece.

"Fine, Ward can come with me." Skye comments as she was hoping that her Aunt and Uncle would walk right into that and now they have.

Natasha and Clint look at each other and realises what they just walked into "Nicely done Kid." Clint tells his niece.

"Thanks." Skye tells Clint, "See, told you I could do it." She tells Ward.

"Be quick." Natasha tells her niece.

"I will." Skye says as she hops in the driver's seat of Lola. "Let's go Grant." She comment and he walks over and gets in the passenger seat and Skye drives them out of the Cargo Bay.

"We really should have seen that coming." Clint comments

"We really should have." Natasha confirms disappointed with herself that she didn't

Ten minutes later Skye is driving her and Ward through the streets of New York.

"So where exactly are we going?" Ward asks curious.

"Home." Skye answers.

"Why?"

"Because I need to get something for my Dad that he couldn't get on his own." Skye explains.

"What?" Ward asks interested.

"That's a secret." Skye tells him

"You hate secrets." Ward comments surprised.

"Yeah I do." Skye confirms, "But this one is good one, one that needs to be kept." She explains.

"So that means you're not going to tell me." Ward realises.

"Sorry, no." Skye answer.

"Then why did you want me to come with you?" Ward ask.

"I wanted us to spend some time away from my parents and Aunt and Uncle and I thought that maybe you would want the same, if I'm wrong about that then I'm sorry." Skye tells Ward clearly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, of course I want to spend time with you." Ward says realising that he said something else, "It's just I'm surprised that you are keeping a secret for your Dad that's all." Ward explains.

"Dad trusts me with this secret and I'm not going to break that trust. I'm not the same person I was when you first pulled me out of my van." Skye tells him, "I still don't like secrets and I still think information shouldn't be as compartmentalised as it is, but this secret that I'm keeping for Dad isn't like that at all." Skye says clearly annoyed.

Not sure what he could say that wouldn't make Skye mad at him Ward remains silent.

For the rest of the fifteen minute drive to the Coulson house both Skye and Ward are silent.

"Wait out here." Skye requests once they are inside before she walks into the office.

Once she is in the office Skye walks over to her father's desk and sits down on the chair and does what she has to do to get the safe to appear and open it. Once it is open so that she can find the button her Dad told her about she has to take a lot of the contents of the safe out and put it on the desk. Once she finds the button a small part of the floor of the safe moves and reveals a little alcove inside is a ring box. Pulling out the ring box Skye can't help but open it and have a look.

"Oh wow." Skye comments as she sees the ring, it is a curved navette-shaped ring with a bezel-set European-cut diamond in the middle, with small rose-cut diamonds on each side, crafted in platinum over yellow gold. "It's perfect." Skye comments to herself as even if she didn't know the story and the sentiment behind the ring she would have thought that it was perfect for her mom.

Closing the ring box Skye puts it in her inside jacket pocket and puts everything back in the safe, being careful not to forget anything. Looking over the desk to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything and double checking that the ring is in her pocket Skye closes and locks the safe before getting up and walking out of the office.

"We can go." Skye tell Ward walking past her.

"Look, I'm sorry." Ward says grabbing Skye's hand as she walks past. "It's good that you're starting to see the value in secrets, and I do want to spend time with you. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise." He tells her.

"You had me worried for a minute, I thought you had gotten sick of me." Skye says with a small laugh at the end to make him think that she is joking though she is actually concerned about that.

"Not possible." Ward says before kissing her.

"We should get back." Skye comments when they break apart.

"Did you get what you needed to?" Ward asks curious.

"Yeah." Skye responds as they walk over to the door and Skye sets the alarm before closing the door and locking it.

When Ward and Skye get back to the plane twenty five minutes after they leave the house they see Clint waiting above the Cargo Bay

"What's going on Uncle Clint?" Skye asks interested.

"Mission, briefing in five." Clint tells his niece.

Skye and Ward exchange a look and both make their way upstairs, both wondering what the mission could be.

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