Title: Agent Junior
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Skye, Natasha, Tony, Phil, Maria, Nick, Steve, Clint, Bruce, Sitwell, & Melinda; Melinda/Phil, implied Natasha/Clint & Pepper/Tony, with background Skye/Ward (maybe Skye has a crush on him and maybe they secretly bang behind Coulson's back, not that she'd ever admit to either of those things because he's Agent Toolbag)
Summary: In which Agent 10 a.k.a. Agent Skye Coulson is on the helicarrier when Agent Phil Coulson falls. An Avengers AU in which May and Coulson are Skye's parents and Howard didn't die so Tony joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
Warnings: Major angst, canonical character death, & canon typical violence.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This is really evil and I'm fully aware that I'm going to hell.

"Do you think Coulson's tried to make out with him yet?"

Skye could hear the teasing in Nat's voice and normally she'd have a come-back but a vision of her dad making out with Captain America filled her mind and the only thing she could muster was a look of disgust. Besides, Clint was off being mind-controlled by a psychopath; she didn't know how her pseudo-adopted big sister could make jokes at a time like this.

Then again, this was Nat.

"Nah, he's probably about to have a heart attack though." Tony mumbled through a mouthful of food as he approached and glanced out the window to the deck below where Phil Coulson was totally failing to hide what a fanboy he was.

Her dad was so cute with her adorably dorky 'oh my God, Captain America' smile.

"Do you ever stop eating, Stark?" Nat asked, her arms crossed.

"Nope."

"Is it weird that I'm rooting for my dad and his man crush to have a bromance?" Skye muttered, reaching into Tony's bag for a handful of nuts.

"I think it's weird your dad has a man crush, period, junior."

Skye rolled her eyes at her uncle-slash-godfather. All he and her dad ever did was bicker. They were like an old married couple; it was gross sometimes. She wasn't even sure why they were best friends.

Hell, the only reason her dad's rookie (and her big brother figure) Clint wasn't her godfather was because he'd shown up to her bris bat three hours late with a black eye so her father had reluctantly asked Tony to do it, which he'd smugly accepted (according to her dad Tony was always a smug asshole so there was no surprise there).

"Speaking of man crushes, shouldn't you be off playing with Banner in your new lab?" Nat asked as she moved away from command central.

"I will once you bring him aboard, Natalia-"

"Don't call me that."

They walked away, still bickering.

"And why aren't Fitzsimmons here? I need my science monkeys aboard-"

"They're not your slave monkeys, Tony!"

Skye shook her head as they disappeared, wondering if every ragtag family of agents was filled with idiots who did nothing but bicker or if hers was just special.

"Get ready for wheels up," Maria ordered and Skye moved back to her post, barking orders when needed. She wasn't sure if she wanted to be here but it beat sitting behind a computer at The Hub. She'd passed her field tests a week ago and she supposed this wasn't a terrible first assignment, even if her dad would freak out when he realized she was here.

He maintained the air of knowing how capable she was as an agent while simultaneously being in overprotective dad mode but she wasn't very well going to sit around while the world was literally under attack by aliens.

"Agent 10, what are you doing here?"

Ah, there it was.

Skye knew what he'd said but what he'd meant was 'young lady who gave you permission to be here?'

"Commander Hill, what is she doing here? This isn't her area of-"

"She's our top programming specialist, Agent Coulson, and a field agent. Did you think we'd leave her behind?"

Skye didn't know why they bothered with codenames for people like her or Trip or Sharon, people with family members who were already agents; everyone knew who she was after all which was evidenced by the awkward glances being sent her dad's way by her team.

"You! Gallaga? Seriously?" She scolded, wanting them all to get back to work.

"I think she's too talented to be stuck on this boat, Commander."

Skye shrugged. That was true.

"Coulson, she's not going to be chained for a desk for her entire career to make you feel better. It was this or I could have sent her to Russia with Ward; take your pick." Fury interrupted, sending a wink in her direction.

Now that she liked the sound of. Agent Robot was a toolbag but he had abs that she could spend all day lic-Skye cleared her throat when he dad shot a glare her way. He didn't like the mention of Ward one bit (was she that obvious?). Hell, he didn't like the mention of anyone she made sexual innuendos about.

Poor dad, one day he was going to have to accept that his baby wasn't a virgin.

Her dad grumbled and Skye smirked, walking past Fury to get to him. "Thanks, boss," she muttered, breaking her professional demeanor for a moment to give him a wink and to sneak a quick kiss on her daddy's cheek.

"Don't worry, daddy, I'm safer here with you than I am on the ground."

He gave her a proud smile. "I guess you're right."

"I usually am."

"Now you sound like your mother."

Skye shrugged, thinking there were worse people to be compared to.

He gave her another smile, kissed the top of her head, and left her to join Fury and Hill in command. Skye returned to checking the computers but glanced up every so often, hoping to catch a glance at the Cap. She wouldn't mind getting her hands on him and licking his abs for a few hours. He was the definition of dreamy; and her dad would be so, so proud.

Unless Thor showed up, then she'd be making her mom proud.

Sure, Cap was dreamy but Thor was a certified beefcake and like any good Jewish girl she never turned down a healthy meal.

And if she couldn't get her hands on a super soldier or a god she could totally bang Ward in the janitor's closet again before he left for Russia.

Either way it was a win for her.

"Let's vanish," Fury announced.

Skye sat down at her desk to check on the progress of her snooper sweep. She'd come up with a very complex program that could hack into every single satellite feed available from the NSA to the CIA and everyone in-between. Between her, Tony, Jarvis, and Nat S.H.I.E.L.D. was covered on the hacking front but that didn't stop them from having entire teams dedicated to it. It was like Skye's own personal playground.

Her eyes landed on her dad's stray for a moment and moved to check on his program. "Here, Agent Sitwell, try these parameters," she muttered, hovering over his shoulder to type for him. He was on find Clint duty which was almost as important to her as locating the Tesseract. Saving the world was her top priority but so was saving Clint. He was family and you didn't leave family behind. Fitzsimmons would find a way to bring him back; they just had to get to him first.

"Where are we with that?"

Skye glanced up to find the Avengers assembled (minus one delectable demi-god) and did her best not to squee internally. Sure, she was technically a super spy now but she was still a complete nerd; any child of Phil Coulson's was guaranteed to be one after all.

"We're sweeping every wirelessly accessible camera on the planet, cell phones, laptops; if it's connected to a satellite its eyes and ears for us.

"We still may not find them in time." Nat muttered, glancing at Clint's file on one of the nearby computers. There it was; she was worried.

A.C. (as she liked to call him at work) glanced Skye's way with a proud smile. "With Agent 10 on it we'll find them in time."

She tried not to feel a sense of smugness but it was warranted. She went back to work, putting in the information Doctor Banner sent their way about the spectrometers. They were going to find that douchebag Loki one way or another.

Poor Fitz, he idolized Banner. Maybe Tony would talk him into visiting their lab or the lab at Stark Industries; it would make his whole year. Simmons' too. She never passed up an opportunity to talk someone's ear off about science.

"It's a vintage set."

Skye's ears perked up and she shook her head; oh dad.

"It took me a couple of years to collect them all; in fact Skye found the last one. Speaking of, Captain have you met Agent-"

But Skye didn't get her introduction with her dad's idol because the computer at her Sitwell's station began beeping.

"We have a hit, sir!" He called, swiping at the screen furiously. "Sixty-seven percent match"

"That's not good enough," Skye barked, all but shoving him out of the way. She ran through a few other systems and sighed in relief. "Cross-matched...seventy-nine percent…not ideal but I'll take it."

When they got back on land she was going to fix these systems. Her set-up at The Hub was far more advanced; these were a joke. Did she have to do everything around here in regards to technology? Wasn't that why they were funded by Stark? To be the most advanced in the game?

God, the things she could do with Tony's billions.

"Location?"

"Stuttgart, Germany. He's not exactly hiding."

"Captain, you're up."

Skye met her dad's eyes with a small smile; she could practically feel his glee over seeing the Captain in action first-hand.

What a nerd.

Skye did her best to balance her mug under her chin and keep her donut in her mouth while scanning the security feed on her tablet.

"Why…" she muttered mid swallow, wondering why in the hell they were allowing a craft on-board. They weren't due for a weapons drop. She set her tea aside and flipped through the logs to confirm. A moment later something in the corner caught her eye and she pulled up Banner's scan for the Tesseract's energy source.

"Shit!"

She rushed for the bridge, turning her comm back on.

"We're under-" The plane shook as an explosion hit and she skidded to a stop atop the stairs. "Attack," she muttered, taking a moment to watch panic break-out before rushing down to get her team back on track.

"Diagnostics, now!"

Skye scanned through the heart of the boat and cursed. "FIRE IN ENGINE THREE!" She called frantically, trying to get it back online remotely.

"Agent! Talk to me!"

Maria appeared at her side and Skye shook her head. "We're mostly intact but I can't fix it from here. We need to get someone out there to make repairs which is impossible to do while we're in the air." A jet-pack would be mighty handy about now. She hoped Tony had packed that suit of his.

"If we lose one more engine we won't be. Someone's gotta get out there and patch that engine."

"Stark, you copy that?"

"Recalibrate the engine," Maria ordered.

"We need to get her over water," Skye pointed out. Her mother was a pilot; she'd picked up a few things.

"The kid's not wrong!"

Skye resisted the urge to roll her eyes; between her dad and Nick she'd always be a damn kid.

"Skye, talk to me!"

"Sir, I have this," she insisted, ignoring her now hovering father. She and Maria had a plane to keep in the air; she didn't have time to run a play-by-play past him.

Skye barely had time to register her godmother's voice yelling out that there was a grenade when her dad tackled her to the ground to keep her away from the blast.

"Oww," she muttered, her head pounding from where it hit the floor.

"I'm sorry, are you-" Skye quickly reached for his gun and fired before his would be assassin could put one in the back of his head. Her dad looked dazed for a moment before helping her to her feet. "Thanks."

"Anytime, old man," she said, shoving his gun into his hand as she reached for her own.

"We've got a perimeter breach!"

"No fucking kidding," Skye muttered as she fired again. It was hard to tell who was who considering they were all in S.H.I.E.L.D. gear but she figured anyone shooting at her was fair game.

"Coulson!" Nick called as Maria saved his ass. "You know what to do!"

"On it!"

Skye reached for a spare mag, her own empty, and felt a searing pain tear through her, sending stars swimming past her eyes.

"Skye!"

Great, she'd hit her head twice falling to the ground in the past five minutes. She was so fucking graceful.

"A.C. I'm fine, go!" She insisted as she pressed her hand into her side. She'd been told getting shot hurt like a bitch but man, this was…oh she wanted to shoot the bastard who'd gotten her.

Her dad was just as stubborn as she was and he was on his knees, reaching for her wound. Skye reached up and patted his cheek with a smile. "I'm fine, it's a flesh wound, dad. I'm wearing my vest. Go!"

He inspected her and when he saw the lack of blood he nodded and kissed her forehead before pressing a gun into her hand. "Get to the med pod; shoot anyone who gets in your way."

She nodded and watched him shift into angry dad mode as he raced for the weapons locker. Oh, great, now he was out for blood; just what she needed. As if his hero complex wasn't enough now he had a reason to pick a fight.

Skye moved her hand and winced at the amount of blood she pulled back. Yes, she was wearing a vest, but she'd failed to tell him that it had hit below the vest and she was now bleeding far more than she ever cared to. Her head began to spin and she knew she couldn't sit here much longer.

"Sitwell! Help me up."

Maria aimed over Skye's shoulder and fired and when Skye heard a 'thud' behind her she nodded at her gratefully. She'd been shot once today, she didn't need a second bullet; that would be overkill.

Sure she could make it on her own, she sent Sitwell off to collect anyone else who'd been wounded and stumbled up to the landing. Skye wasn't sure why she thought she could make it on her own (she'd later claim it was the blood loss) but she made it three steps before passing out in the hallway.

She didn't remember much, just flashes; Maria calling for help, the doctor ordering blood bags, and the pain of the bullet being taken out before she passed out for good.

"Agent Coulson is down."

Skye blinked groggily, ignoring the dull ache in her body. They'd been in such a rush to get the bullet out of her they hadn't sedated her. She forced herself out of bed and eyed the door, making sure she wouldn't be caught.

She wanted to believe she'd been in the middle of a terrible nightmare and that she'd imagined Fury's voice in her ear but there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away.

Skye risked pulling her stitches and went for the door. Everything was eerily quiet and she was able to slip out undetected.

She stopped when she spotted a crying Tony on the landing and she felt as thought she'd been shot again, pain ripping through her middle as she tried not to cry out.

"Was he married?" Steve asked, approaching Tony.

"Yeah," Tony replied numbly, staring at a bloody spot on the floor.

Skye clutched the wall, using it to help guide her towards them.

"Kids?"

Tony clenched his fist and looked away. "Oh God, Skye-"

"Is it true?"

They both turned to her and she stammered towards Tony, trying to keep it together. This was just a bad dream, it had to be. Her dad couldn't be…She shook her head as Tony reached for her with a look of pure agony on his face.

"No," she whispered, her eyes already filled to the brim with tears.

"Skye…"

"I need you to say it. You have to say the words..." Tony attempted to take her face in his hands but she pulled away angrily. "Just say it."

"Agent Coulson fell in the line of du-"

"Don't give me that protocol crap, Tony!" She was damn near hysterics and she didn't care. She didn't want to hear about what a damn hero he was, she just needed to hear that he was actually gone.

Tony's jaw locked and he nodded. "He's dead, Skye. Loki killed him and the med team…there was nothing to be done; he was gone. I'm sorry."

"I want to see him."

"Skye-"

"I want to see him!"

She didn't want to punch Tony, she wanted to punch Nick, it was his fault this was all happening, but she would punch Tony if he tested her. The fact that she had yet to hit anyone or completely break down was a testament to the amount of control she possessed. She was Melinda May's daughter and she would not give anyone the satisfaction of watching her break down.

At least, she would do her damnedest to make sure it didn't happen.

Tony took her arm and led her towards where she knew they kept the bodies.

"Agent, I'm so so-" Steve began but Skye cut him off.

"Don't. I don't want to hear how sorry you are, just get the bastard who did this and bring him to me alive. I want the satisfaction of putting one between his eyes myself," she spat, unable to look her dad's hero in the eyes.

Were he a real hero he would have kept them all safe and her dad would still be…

Oh God, her dad was gone.

A sob escaped her chest and she collapsed against Tony, wishing she was stronger but she wasn't. Her dad was gone and every particle in her body radiated with pain.

"Get that girl back to the med pod! What the hell is she doing up?"

Nick Fury had all but raised her father after his own had died and he was the closest thing she'd ever had to a grandfather but it didn't stop her from launching herself at him angrily. "This is your fault! You had to go messing around with alien technology you didn't understand! Loki was only here because of you!"

Skye didn't care how guilty he looked, she was furious.

"Someone sedate her-"

"You touch her and me and my money walk, Nick," Tony warned.

"I want to see him."

Nick looked at her sadly and shook his head. "He's on his way to a bird to go back to base-"

"I want to go with him."

"You're injured. You need to rest-"

"Then let me say goodbye, Nick!" Skye didn't care that she was making a scene she just…she needed to see her dad one more time. While he was still warm. Before…She wiped at her eyes angrily. "Please," she pleaded. "Just give me one minute with him."

"It's the least you can do, Nick."

Skye had never been so happy to see Maria in her life.

Nick didn't look pleased but he nodded. "One minute, that's it. Hurry."

Skye didn't know why it mattered that they transport his body right now but she didn't argue. She ignored the pain in her side (she was sure she'd ripped her stitches right open) and rushed after Maria, leaving Tony and the others behind.

She wasn't sure what she'd expected but the noise that came out of her body when she saw him lying in that bag wasn't human. Skye threw her body over his and began to weep. This wasn't a nightmare; this was a sick, cruel hell. How was she supposed to live her life without him?

Her dad was everything. He couldn't be-

"Daddy, wake up. Please! You can't be gone. Tony spent a ridiculous amount of money to throw you and mom a surprise thirtieth wedding anniversary party. You're…you're supposed to grow old together, remember? You promised.

Please, daddy, just wake up."

Maria reached for her but Skye violently shook her off as she used her sleeve to wipe the blood at his mouth.

"Dad?"

"Skye, he's-"

She shook her head and choked back a sob as she cupped his cheeks, praying desperately for a miracle. They were Jews, hadn't their people earned a miracle?

Skye knew he was gone, of course she did, but she refused to process that fact. She couldn't just let him go. Who did that?

"You're supposed to be there when I get married, when I have kids…How am I supposed to explain to them that they don't have a grandpa to spoil them? Who's going to spend hours telling them stories about Cap? I know I said I wanted to wait, but I'll give them to you now, daddy. I know you think he's a stick in the mud and yeah, maybe he is, but I've totally been having sex with Ward and I promise I'll make you a grandpa in nine months if you just come back!"

Skye felt a hand on her shoulder and when she turned to tell Maria to fuck off she was met with Clint's dead gaze and another sob escaped her. She didn't know why seeing him did it but it did. "He's gone?"

Clint nodded and she let him take her into his arms while she sobbed uncontrollably.

"They can't take him, I have to stay with him," she argued when they came for him. It took both Clint and Natasha to hold her back and by the time they released her she was too weak to keep fighting.

One half of the person she loved most in this world was gone and she couldn't do anything about it.

She hated feeling this helpless.

"We have to go, Skye," Nat whispered, stroking her hair.

"I'm coming too."

If there was going to be a fight she wanted to be there.

"You're bleeding all over the floor, kid." Clint pointed out sadly and Skye's eyes wandered to the bloody bandage at her side.

"So? I'll live."

Clint sighed in exasperation. "Your dad would kill me if I let you bleed out."

"Yeah, well, he's not here anymore."

She felt empty and yet so, so angry and filled with rage and grief and she wanted to punch someone. She left Clint and Nat, ignoring them as they called after her. To their credit they didn't come after her which was good, she would hate to lose a finger because she decided punching the Black Widow was a good idea.

Skye numbly made her way back to her pathetic little med pod and tuned out the doctors as they scolded her for being out of bed.

Her father was gone, what did it matter if she joined him?

Skye clutched her father's badge in her palm, feeling it digging in so deeply it drew blood but not caring.

In a minute she was going to have to destroy her mother's world. Everything else seemed meaningless.

She didn't know how she knew. Maybe it was a mom thing or maybe it was the whole living legend super spy thing but the moment her mothered entered the office they'd allowed Skye to use at the Triskelion to tell her in private she just knew.

"Was it quick?"

"He didn't suffer," Skye whispered and he mother nodded. She wasn't cold, the way people perceived her to be. She was filled with warmth and love and she was the best mother Skye could ever imagine. Yet she was solid, like brick, always there to protect the ones she loved and support them; the foundation holding them all together.

Skye wanted to be that for her now, if she'd let her. She wanted to tell her it was okay to cry, to break down but she knew she wouldn't, not here. Her mom, her strong, wonderful, brave mom would wait until they were home where she could grieve alone.

Just thinking about seeing her like that was enough to bring it all rushing back but Skye fought it off. Her mom needed her to be strong, she knew that.

"You're hurt," she whispered, moving to check Skye's bandages.

"It's nothing."

Her mother met her eyes and Skye saw her own pain reflected there and she wondered how they were supposed to survive this.

"We should get you home. You need to rest."

And she needed to cry. Skye could sense it. She wanted out of here now.

"Of course, mom," she whispered, letting her mom pull her against her side like she was a small child. "There's a car waiting. Fury…we can make arrangements tomorrow."

She nodded and led Skye to the car. Skye was thankful Tony hadn't sent Happy, she wasn't sure her mother could handle a familiar face. They settled in the backseat and Skye used her tablet to check on the mission. New York was in shambles but they'd won.

Somehow knowing her dad didn't die for nothing wasn't comforting. She wasn't sure anything would ever help numb the dull void he'd left in her chest. Her parents were the love of her life and now one of them was gone and he'd taken half the love she had in her with him.

Skye wasn't sure when she'd begun to cry again but she tasted salt on her lips and felt her mother holding her tighter against her side.

When they walked through the door of her parent's brownstone Skye found a handwritten note from Tony pinned to a basket of muffins.

Mrs. Agent and Agent Junior

Sorry it's a bad hab

Mel

Kiddo

Pepper and I will take care of everything. You have enough on your plate.

Tony

Oh, Tony, never one with words in these situations.

Skye took a deep breath, ignoring how empty the house felt without her dad, and turned to find her mother staring blankly at one of her dad's ties that he'd thrown over the couch (most likely on his way in from a long day). When was the last time he'd even been home? Days? Weeks?

Skye didn't have time to contemplate where he may have sat last or the things where his scent still clung because her mother was on the floor doing something Skye never thought she would see her do in her life: sobbing.

Sobbing and clutching his stupid Captain America tie in her hands.

She wasn't sure how but her heart broke even more at the sight. Her mother was the strong one and now it was her job to take care of her.

Skye moved to her knees and wrapped her arms around her mother, letting her cry against her chest while she fought off her own tears.

Tony Stark was many things but in this moment she was glad that he was family because he was right, she did have enough on her plate. Skye wasn't sure how they were going to survive this but they would. They had to. It was what the May women did, they endured, and despite the name 'Coulson' being on her birth certificate she was very much her mother's daughter and now it was time to prove it.