Title: Don't Forget to Remember Me
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Characters: OT10 family with sprinklings of the four main ships focusing on May & Skye
Summary: When Fitz and Simmons announce a new addition to the family someone doesn't take it as well as the others and a little mommy-daughter bonding time is in order.
Warnings: Adorable, heart-breaking team family fluff.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This dumb family has ruined my life.

"Are you serious?" Skye covered her mouth in glee as Jemma nodded enthusiastically.

"Look, here she is," Jemma proclaimed proudly, holding out a sonogram picture for everyone to see. Skye couldn't believe her best friend could keep a secret this long; especially from her. "In twenty-eight weeks our newest project will arrive," she said with a smile, one hand on her tiny belly.

Fitz gazed at Jemma with cartoon heart in his eyes and a moment later the two adorable scientists were actually Eskimo kissing in between giving each other small pecks on the lips, never breaking eye contact.

Skye wanted to jump up and down, finding their giddiness infectious. She was so happy for them and they were so adorable she wanted to die. She didn't know what do with herself so she grabbed Trip by the shoulders and kissed his cheek. "We're going to have a little baby niece, Trip!"

"A cute baby niece, sister," he corrected.

"Oy, the little sprog could be a bouncing baby boy," Hunter offered but Skye and Bobbi rolled their eyes. A woman just knew and if anyone would be right it was Jemma. If she said it felt like a girl then it was a girl. And even she was wrong it didn't matter; Skye was going to be an auntie and that was all she cared about.

"I'm so proud of you both," Coulson said, pulling them both in for a hug.

"What's to be proud of? All Turbo did was let the condom break," Mack teased and Bobbi smacked him upside the head with a shake of her head.

"Your mom let the condom break."

"Let's hope Hunter doesn't let one break."

"Oy! I heard that." Lance called with a pout.

His ex-wife walked away from her best friend and strode past Hunter with a wink. "Don't mind him, baby, he's just mad because there's no one left on this base that will sleep with him."

"I heard that."

"You were supposed to."

Hunter smirked and grabbed Bobbi by the waist, pulling her closer. "Maybe later you and I forget all about condoms and see what happens."

Bobbi rolled her eyes but couldn't hide a smile. "Don't tell me you have baby fever."

"Maybe I just want to make sure there's a cute one around here."

She shook her head, kissed his cheek, and abandoned him in favor of taking Jemma into her arms. "Congratulations, Jemma."

"Oy, Ward, I can't breathe!" Fitz struggled to get out in-between Ward crushing him against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so proud."

Fitz rolled his eyes as his best friend released him and Skye had to look away before the baby fever infected her. She did not need to see her ex-almost crying over being an uncle and she certainly didn't need to think about what his reaction would be if it was their baby.

Nope, not at all.

In fact, maybe it would be best to let everyone make their rounds while she found something else to do.

Literally anything else.

Skye moved to busy herself with making tea in case Jemma needed some and froze. The one person she'd yet to see congratulate the couple was slipping out and Skye couldn't help but follow.

She knew she was like a damn curious cat but May was like a mother to her and well, Skye worried about her; even if she knew full well she could take care of herself.

Skye hesitantly stood outside the door of the cockpit with one hand raised, ready to knock. Maybe this was a bad idea. May had come here to hide. She wanted to be alone but…If something was upsetting her, Skye wanted to be there for her; the way May had always been there for Skye. She never would have gotten through the months after Ward's betrayal or been able to control her powers without May sticking by her side.

Melinda May had always been there for her and Skye wanted to do the same. It was what you did when you loved someone.

Sobs filled the air and Skye lowered her hand in mild shock.

May was crying?

Skye didn't hesitate before opening the door.

May froze and the crying ceased but Skye caught her wiping at her eyes quickly.

"What do you want?"

May hadn't taken that tone with her since the night she'd gone off on her for trying to find her mother. Skye shrugged off the painful sting of her anger, reminding herself that she'd intruded on May's alone time and she had every right to be upset.

"Mo-ay, what's wrong?" She often found herself wanting to slip into calling May and Coulson 'mom and dad' but she usually caught herself. She didn't think they were ready and she'd already spent most of her life suffering from the pain of rejection; she didn't think she could handle it from them.

"Nothing, I'm fine." If Skye didn't already know May was lying she would because of the sharp edge to May's voice, as if she were close to breaking down again.

Skye closed the door behind her and moved into the co-pilot's chair. She spared May a short glance before looking ahead to the garage. "It's okay, May," Skye whispered, "you can tell me anything. I won't tell anyone."

May's shoulders tightened and she said nothing so Skye tried a different approach.

"Are you mad at Jemma? I know having a baby is going to complicate things; she and Fitz won't be in the field anymore and we'll have to recruit a new engineer, a chemist, and biologist to pick up the slack but-"

"I'm not angry, Skye," May whispered weakly.

"Then what's wrong? You didn't even congratulate them. You just snuck out and ran in here to hide. It's okay if you're angry, May. When we all chose this life we also chose to give up having a family. We all know that it's a choice we have to make, and they're taking a big risk."

Skye had wanted a family her whole life. A place to belong, people to love, and for a long time she'd thought tracking down her birth parents was the way to have that. Even if they didn't want her she needed to know the truth and she'd always reasoned that the closure would help her move on. But the truth was it was the one thing that gave her a purpose, kept her focused, kept her from winding up throwing her life away on some good-looking guy and whatever lies he covered up as promises.

Of course she'd still been stupid enough to fall for some guy's lies. At least she'd been older when she'd fallen for Grant Ward; smart enough not to wind up knocked up like so many of the girls she'd been raised with.

But it'd hurt more because she was older; smarter. She'd finally found a real purpose, a real family, and some part of her had begun to want that other life. The life they weren't supposed to be able to have. You couldn't be a spy by day and come home and be a soccer mom by night. That wasn't how it worked. But he'd made her believe she could find a balance, before he'd fucked it all up.

And it didn't help, having him back around. Those feelings had never gone away, not really, and now…Some small part of her envied Jemma. Skye couldn't willingly put a child through having a spy for a mother but if something were to happen, something outside of her control, well she'd deal with it.

Some days she wished she could let herself slip, make a mistake, just to be able to have everything.

The team was her family. Cal…well, she didn't like to think about him. But even knowing she was where she belonged, with the people she loved, she still wanted that other life. To be able to give a kid everything she was deprived of.

She wanted a family that was only hers. It was selfish; she knew that, which was why she understood why May might think Fitz and Simmons foolish for bringing another life into this seriously messed up situation they were all in; still on the run, working for an organization that technically didn't exist, always in danger.

This was no life to raise a child in.

But even if it was selfish, didn't they deserve to be? What was the point in always risking their lives if they weren't living? If they didn't have something to fight for?

"Is that what Coulson told you? That we have to sacrifice having a family to be here?"

Skye detected the bitter note to May's tone and she did her best not to push for more. "No, but it's the choice a lot of agents make. I'm not stupid; I know this job is dangerous, I know you can't have it all. And I know that when you try to have it all people get hurt."

May sighed quietly and Skye caught an extra shake to her shoulders as May continued to try to keep it together.

"I also know he regrets making that choice," Skye whispered, turning to her S.O. "And I'm sure he's not the first," Skye offered, wondering if maybe her mentor didn't have the same regrets that she and the boss shared.

Skye didn't expect to hit a nerve; really, she'd just been trying to get May to open up. But when tears began spilling down May's cheeks Skye's first instinct was to rush to her S.O.'s side and wrap her into a tight embrace.

"May?" Skye whispered, terrified. May was her rock and while Skye appreciated being let in to this side of her she was at a complete loss. Sure, she could continue to hold her while she cried but she didn't know what else to do.

"I wanted it all, you know?" May whispered, much to Skye's surprise. "I never knew my father, he was another spy, someone my mother crossed paths with once but it never mattered; my mother found a way to continue being an undercover operative and raise me. And Phil…" Skye wanted to tell her to continue but she was afraid to speak, fearing her voice would spook May into closing off again. "He tried to make that decision for both of us so I moved on. I found someone who was willing to do it all but then…" Skye caught the haunted look in May's eyes and knew she was remembering Bahrain. "I wasn't fit to be anyone's mother. I'm a-"

"No, you're not," Skye insisted, cradling May's head against her chest for a moment before pulling back to stare at her red-eyed S.O. firmly.

Skye knew where this was going. May had once confided in her that she viewed herself as a monster. And if May refused to allow Skye to see herself that way then Skye wasn't going to let her get away that easily.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did, Skye. Don't settle. Don't…" May looked her in the eyes and swallowed hard. "Don't let your demons control you." May moved one hand to cup Skye's cheek and now Skye was going to be the one to cry. "I know you still think you're a monster because he is. And I know you're still afraid you'll hurt someone but that's not who you are. You're not damaged the way I am. Don't miss out on a chance to be happy because of this life. This job isn't everything. Yes what we do is important and yes it's hard to have it all but if anyone can do it you can. I believe in you Skye; don't ever forget that."

Skye's lower lip quivered and the tears spilled out despite her efforts to keep them in. But she wasn't crying because of May's words but because of what she wasn't saying. May had regrets, yes, that much was clear, but she still couldn't see herself the way Skye saw her and it broke Skye's heart.

"I don't think you're damaged. You believed in me when I wasn't sure I could do this, you stood by me when I had these powers I don't understand forced on me, and you've always tried to keep me safe. I know you think you aren't fit to be a mom but…that all sounds like what a mom is supposed to be to me.

You'll always be my mom, even if you don't want to settle for me."

Skye wasn't nine anymore. Even if calling May 'mom' wasn't a good fit she wasn't going anywhere; not this time.

"Skye…" May shook her head and Skye swore she saw a half smile before May leaned in to press a kiss to Skye's forehead. She tried not to let the butterflies in her stomach get to her but she couldn't help it; this was what she'd always wanted: a mother. A real mother; one who wouldn't send her away, who loved her, and who was proud of her.

Something she hoped to give a tiny version of herself someday.

"Anyone would be blessed to have you, Skye. You're not…Anyone who considers you second-best is an idiot." And Skye swore that sounded like a threat to anyone who would dare contradict her.

Skye threw her arms around May and this time it was Skye doing the crying, but silently, as May stroked her hair.

"My biggest regret is that you weren't mine from the start. You deserved better, Skye."

Skye held her tighter, not wanting to let go. It's what she wanted too. She felt guilty, knowing her own poor mother deserved better than a daughter who loved someone else this much, but if Skye had her way then May and Coulson would have been her parents. They would have raised her and the three of them would have been happy.

And because they couldn't go and change the past Skye was going to make sure that little baby Fitzsimmons had everything. That kid was going to be so loved and Skye planned to spoil the shit out of him or her. Maybe she couldn't have everything but her best friends were going to and she planned to be a very big part of that.

Skye couldn't remember falling asleep but she woke to fingers stroking her bangs back away from her face and a moment later lips tickling her forehead. She was too exhausted from all of the crying to open her eyes but she whined quietly, realizing she was freezing.

"Let her sleep, Phil."

"I'm just making sure she isn't cold," Coulson whispered, covering her with a blanket.

Skye tucked herself further into May's side, vaguely recalling May pulling her off the floor and into her lap.

"Mom?" Skye muttered, already slipping back to sleep.

May pressed her lips to the top of Skye's head. "Shh, baby girl, go back to sleep."

"You should sleep too, Lin."

"You think I can sleep now? Besides, these chairs aren't exactly comfortable. Pilots aren't meant to be up here sleeping, Phil."

"We can carry her to her old bunk; she'll be fine there for tonight."

"She's a tiny thing but I don't think either one of us should be carrying her, especially not with those stairs."

"Then I'll get one of the boys."

May stroked Skye's hair and Skye could feel her shaking her head. "No, sit, we need to talk."

Skye dreamt of herself as a baby again, watching as mom and dad argued. Most of it didn't make sense and she only recalled small snippets.

"How could you think I ever stopped loving you? I regret letting you go every day of my life."

"I'm not saying we have to do it, Phil, but I think she would like to be asked. We're the only family she's ever had."

"I don't need a piece of paper to prove she's our daughter, Lin."

"You're a stubborn jackass."

"You're both stubborn, just admit you love each other and make out already," Skye muttered when movement shook her awake.

A snort filled the air and two arms scooped her up and she yawned, still out of it. This is why she hated crying; it took everything out of her.

"Dad?" But she knew the moment it left her lips it wasn't Coulson carrying. The person's scent was familiar and judging by the painful tug in her heart she knew exactly who it was.

"Go back to sleep," Ward whispered.

"Hmm 'kay," Skye muttered, wrapping both arms around his neck and burying her face in it, inhaling his scent. He smelled really good, like the woods but in a good way. "I miss you," she whispered with a sigh, still clinging to him as he carefully lowered her onto the mattress.

She felt his fingers brush her cheek before a blanket was pulled over her body. He said nothing but she could feel his presence like a huge weight in the room. Before he made it to the door she weakly called out to him.

"Stay…if you want." She hadn't meant to come off pleading but she really did miss him and it was cold on this plane, she wouldn't mind the company or the extra body heat.

She opened her eyes, thankful the lights were off, and found him hesitating in the doorway. Things had been awkward, to say the least, but he'd more than proved himself and she given him his space to figure out what he wanted but despite everything she'd never stopped wanting him. Maybe it was time to give him a second chance.

Skye scooted back until she was pressed against the wall then pulled back the blankets so she could get warmer, leaving plenty of room for him to join her. He watched her for a long moment before moving to the bed. He removed his shoes and she realized he'd taken the time to pull hers off as well.

She didn't know why but that made her entire body tingle.

Grant slipped in beside her and Skye, knowing he wouldn't dare come closer, pulled him against her and tucked her head under his chin, resting her ear against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "I missed you too."

"I know."

Skye was wide awake now but she said nothing and when she slipped out to use the restroom she returned to find that not only had he stayed but he was finally fast asleep. She curled up against his chest and finally fell asleep, waking hours later with her face pressed against his neck and her body on top of his.

"She can do better," May grumbled.

"Cut him some slack; it's not like anyone's good enough for her. Except maybe Steve…"

"You're an idiot, Phil," May whispered and Skye could picture her rolling her eyes. She kept her face against Grant's neck to hide her smile, finding their little argument amusing.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt her again."

Skye peeked to find May giving Coulson a look that frankly reminded Skye of herself. "Oh?"

"Do you really think anyone in their right mind would hurt that girl knowing how much you love her? I mean I know what I'd do to him which leaves me terrified at what you'd do, Qiaolian."

She smirked and grabbed him by his tie. "Come on, she's asleep."

"When do you want to tell her-" May cut him off with a kiss and Skye squeed internally. Mom and dad were finally back on. About time too; Skye thought she'd be a grandmother before they got their shit together.

"Morning," she muttered, pulling him out of the bunk.

"It is morning-"

"Phil," May warned and his eyes went wide.

"Oh, right, morning. Because we still haven't been to bed-"

Skye giggled against Grant's chest once they were out of earshot and looked up to find him stroking her hair and watching her curiously.

She kissed his cheek happily and pulled the blankets snugger around them. "My mom and dad are going to get it on."

"And this excites you?"

She smirked and rested her head against his heart. "Shush, you know who you fell in love with, don't act surprised."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Well does my very strange girl want breakfast or are you not into that sort of thing?" He teased.

She glanced up at him with a mock-glare. He knew full well she loved breakfast. "Of course I do but Coulson and May are totally out there having sex somewhere. Just because I'm glad it's happening doesn't mean I want to see it or hear it."

"So we're going to just be trapped in here until they're done? What are we supposed to do?"

Skye smirked and shrugged innocently as she reached for his shirt collar. "Oh, I don't know, I may have some ideas…"

Two hours later she left the poor boy asleep, having worn him out with all of the kissing, and slipped off the bus, using her fingers to comb through her now messy hair. She heard Jemma's cheery voice babbling about how thoughtful May was and Skye stopped to lean against a pillar to watch the pair. The baby's picture was on the table along with a box filled with what looked to be a baby blanket, some books, and a few other things for baby. Jemma clutched a small tiger to her chest happily while May gave her a smile.

"He's a little old, but I'm sure the baby won't mind. And I was always terrible with knitting but I could help you make a few things-"

Jemma threw her arms around May happily. "Oh, May!"

May hugged her back. "I know you'll want your mom to help and to bring things from home but I wanted the baby to have Shang."

Jemma pulled back with a smile, tears in her eyes. "Oh, she's going to love him, especially since he was yours. He'll be like her little guardian."

May smiled and covered the box, pushing it aside. Everything in the box looked to be older, meaning it was either May's or things she'd set aside for herself. Skye smiled when May caught her eye. May gave her a nod and returned her attentions to Jemma who was now babbling on about a nursery.

Two hands squeezed her shoulders and Skye glanced back at Coulson with a smile. "You okay with this?"

Skye raised one brow in confusion. "What…May and Jemma bonding? Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged. "May wanted to save all of that for you but since Jemma got there first…well; she wanted Jemma to have something."

She…Skye glanced away, not wanting him to see her cry. She finally had found her family and it came complete with personal mementos? Like a real family?

Any lingering fears she had about May regretting embracing her role as mom left Skye as she leaned in Coulson who now hugged her from behind. He kissed the top of her head and Skye knew if she looked he'd be smiling proudly.

"Skye, when you have a minute May and I need to talk to you about-"

"I know, D.C. You two are knocking boots. About time, Trip and I were going to lock the two of you in the cockpit until you worked out all of your feelings."

"Skye," he muttered in annoyance and she smirked. "That is not-"

"Oh about the two of you wanting to adopt me?"

"How did you-"

She glanced back with a smile before leaning up to kiss his cheek. "I have powers," she teased.

"You overheard us."

"That's not all I overheard; I think I need therapy now."

His face went white and Skye left him to go talk babies with Jemma.

"Young lady don't think we're not going to discuss you and Ward," he called just as a sleepy Grant appeared in the kitchen.

May shot him a warning glare and Skye could see the fear of God in his eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry, dad, anyone stupid enough to mess with the Cavalry's girls deserves what they get."

And instead of 'don't call me that' May simply responded with 'damn right'.

Skye smiled smugly and pulled up a chair and her tablet. There were tons of books about babies and pregnancy she planned to illegally download to make sure her niece was properly taken care of.

"Wow, look what's going to happen to your nipples when you breast-feed," Skye teased before May plucked the tablet from her hands. She protested and Jemma threw a pen at Skye, red in the face. Skye smiled as May joined in on the teasing, pulling up birthing videos so Jemma could see what she was in for.

Her little family was small and it was far from perfect and things were going to keep being hard and dangerous but she was home and they were all worth fighting for.