No SHIELD AU
Skye had just returned home from school, finally ready to start her Christmas break. Freshman year of high school had proved to be a little difficult for the fourteen-year-old, but she still did really good, which she felt really good about since school had never been her thing before. She really did think it had to do with her living situation.
Since birth, Skye had been a foster kid and had been passed around from foster home to foster home. Because of that, it made school work difficult as all the different schools she had attended were at different areas of their lessons as well as different levels.
For the past year and a half, Skye has been living with the Coulson's. Her foster dad, Phil, was a history teacher at the high school she was currently attending. Even though it seemed most students would be embarrassed if their parents worked at their school, Skye found it a relief. She knew that if she needed him, she could always go to him. Her foster mom, Melinda, was an instructor at the martial arts studio nearby. After about six months of living with them, Skye had asked Melinda to teach her to fight and defend herself, to which Melinda happily agreed. Thankfully, Skye had only really needed to use self-defense once or twice since beginning to learn.
Even though everything seemed to be perfect, Skye knew better than to let her guard down.
She had never spent more than two years anywhere. With the two-year mark for living with the Coulson's coming up in a few months, Skye had a deep, down feeling that things were about to change very soon. They always did.
Skye was up in her room, playing on her phone, while Phil and Melinda discussed something downstairs in the kitchen. They were talking in almost a whisper, which scared Skye to death. They only talked in a whisper if they were discussing something Skye shouldn't know.
"Skye, can you come down here please?" Phil called.
Skye set her phone down as she got off the bed and headed downstairs.
She was met with Phil and Melinda, who both had worried looks. They motioned for Skye to take a seat at the table before joining her.
"We have something really important to tell you," Melinda began. "We-"
"Are sending me back to St. Agnes." Skye had had this conversation too many times than any kid in the system should have ever had.
"No, no, no!" Melinda assured her. "We promise. Your home is right here."
Skye let out the breath she was holding. It was only a matter of time before it actually happened. However, this time felt like it was going to hurt the most since she had grown to love the Coulsons.
"We, um..."
"He contacted us back," Phil blurted.
Skye's eyes grew wide. Something she has been wanting to do since she was about ten or eleven was to find out anything she could about her birth systems. This caused her to learn how to hack and crack systems at a young age. She obviously got caught by the Coulsons one night because literally nothing gets past Melinda. They weren't mad at her, thankfully, but they told her how dangerous it could be, especially for a girl her age. They told her that she may not like what she might find, and she replied, telling them that it couldn't be worse than what she has imagined. That's when they decided to help her out, and try to find her birth parents safely.
They weren't able to find anything on Skye's mother other than the fact that she was Chinese, making Skye half. Her father, however, they found out was working as a veterinarian a few cities out. With the Coulson's and her case worker's permission, she reached out. It had been a couple of months since then, so Skye just thought he wanted nothing to do with her, which was something she had figured a long time ago. But now that he's contacted back, her heart raced.
"And... what did he say?" Skye asked anxiously.
"He said he would like to meet you," Phil told her.
"Really?" Tears were beginning to build in her eyes.
Melinda rubbed her shoulder. "He was pretty shocked to find you contacting him after all these years, but he said he'd really like to get to know you, so tomorrow, we will be driving out to a coffee shop on the same street he works at. He will be requesting a couple of hours off for this if you really want to meet."
Skye nodded before putting her head into her hands, the tears finally escaping. Melinda bent down in front of her and embraced the young girl. Skye cried into her neck. After years of wondering where her parents were and why they couldn't care for her.
"Thank you," Skye said, through her tears.
Phil bent down as well and put his hand on her shoulder. "We're always here for you, Skye. We are glad we got to be a part of this and got to do this for you."
Skye didn't really know what to do with herself for the rest of the night. The thought that she was going to be meeting her birth father ran in her mind, keeping her awake as she lied in bed. Thousands of other thoughts filled her mind. Tomorrow was going to be the day.
After finding a parking spot, Phil, Melinda, and Skye walked the streets of the town. Skye laughed as Phil ranted about that stranger who stared at Lola, which was the name of the 1962 red convertible corvette that they had driven over. As they walked, they passed a veterinarian office, which Skye could only guess was the one her birth father worked at. She took in a sharp breath as the coffee shop was now in sight.
Melinda put a hand on her shoulder, telling her to breathe using the breathing technique they used in Tai Chi to calm her nerves. Phil also assured her that everything would be alright, and no matter what happened, they would be there for her.
The three of them entered the coffee shop, and Skye's eyes darted around the small shop, looking for the man in question.
"Skye?" a voice called.
Skye turned to come face to face with a man with brown hair wearing a white lab coat. Skye looked back to Melinda and Phil, who smiled and ushered her forward.
"Hi," the man said, holding his hand out nervously. "My name is Calvin Johnson, but you can just call me Cal. I'm your father."
"Hi," Skye replied, shaking his hand in return. "I'm Skye, but I guess you already knew that. I'm your daughter. Well, I guess you already knew that too."
Cal chuckled along with Melinda and Phil as Skye tried to find her words.
"Oh, um," she turned to the Coulsons. "These are my foster parents, Phil and Melinda Coulson. They helped me find you."
Cal smiled as he shook their hands. "I can't express how grateful I am that you guys are taking great care of my daughter."
"We're just as grateful to have her," Phil replied. "She really is a great kid."
"And I'm sure you're ready to find out just what makes her so great," Melinda said.
Cal and Skye took a seat at the table while Melinda and Phil found another table in the shop but close enough to keep an eye on Skye just in case.
Skye was so happy to finally get to know her father. He had told her about her mother, and how happy they were to have her. Thankfully, she was able to confirm with him that her birthday was, in fact, July 2nd. She found it through her hacks as the orphanage had given her a completely different birthday. Cal had told her that her mother, which she found out was named Jiaying, had cleaned the house before telling her father she was in labor. Skye also found out that the night she was born, it was hot, there was a full moon. Both Cal and Jiaying her elated to have their daughter. However, it all changed when her mother was killed. Cal explained that after her mom died, he went to a very dark place in his life. Things were so bad to the point where he had to make the best choice possible to give his daughter the best life. Cal expressed how much he didn't want to do it and how much it broke him, but he knew that giving her up was the only way she had a shot at a normal life. Sure, things didn't turn out as planned as Skye was still a foster kid fourteen years later, but Skye did not blame him for anything. She completely understood the reasoning behind it. It was just nice to know that he and her mother did have a whole life planned out that did include her.
After two hours, the two began to get up from their seats. Phil and Melinda got up as well, seeing that things were beginning to wrap up.
"I wish we could talk more, but I really have got to go back to work," Cal apologized.
"No, it's cool," Skye said.
"If you want, you can call Skye whenever you want," Phil offered.
"Maybe even stop by the house if you want," Melinda added.
The three of them walked Cal back to the vet office, where they stopped for a couple more minutes.
"Today has been the best day ever," Cal said. "Next to July 2nd." Skye laughed before Cal remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot!" He pulled out a small box that was in his pocket. He opened it to reveal a necklace. "It's a traditional Chinese gift to ward off evil spirits," Cal explained. "Your mother never got the chance to give it to you. Thought that, maybe, you might want a piece of her with you."
Skye lifted the necklace into her hands. She turned to Melinda, mentally asking her to put it around her neck.
"It's a perfect fit," Melinda said with a smile.
"Thank you," Skye said.
The tears were beginning to build in her eyes as she rushed forward to hug Cal. He was shocked, not so sure what to do, but he wrapped his arms around the girl he wished he could've raised.
"I will always love you, Daisy," Cal whispered.
Skye's eyes grew wide as she looked up at Cal. "Is that the name you gave me?"
Cal nodded. "It was your mother's favorite flower. She said there was a field of daisies right outside where she lived that she always loved to play in as a kid. She knew that if she ever had a daughter, Daisy would be her name. Do you like it?"
"I actually do," Skye said. "It's definitely better than Mary Sue Poots, which is the name the orphanage gave me."
Cal laughed. "Oh my. That is pretty bad."
Soon, they finally said their goodbyes. Cal went back into the office as Phil, Melinda, and Skye walked back to the car. Skye was still pretty overwhelmed as tears continued to fall. Phil and Melinda wrapped their arms around her as they walked back to Lola.
Skye sat in the car, her mind still racing about everything that had happened. However, there was one thought that stuck in her mind like the plague.
Daisy...
Christmas day finally came. The Coulson's house was all decorated with a Christmas tree and lights. It was truly the best Christmas Skye had had ever. However, it was only going to get better.
"We got one more gift for you," Phil said, handing Skye a large, yellow, official-looking envelope. Phil took a seat next to Melinda and held her hand tightly as they anxiously watched Skye open the envelope.
When Skye looked at the contents, her heart dropped. "These are... adoption papers," she uttered out. "You guys... want to adopt me?"
Phil and Melinda nodded.
"We knew since the summer that you were meant to be ours," Melinda said. "Will you allow us to be yours?"
Skye's tears fell from her eyes as she rushed forward, embracing both of them. They both returned the hug, squeezing the teenager tightly. Skye nodded in Melinda's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her neck.
After a few minutes of sitting in that position, Phil motioned to the envelope.
"There's something else in there," Phil told her, readjusting the glasses on his face.
Skye picked up the envelope and found a smaller envelope inside. It was addressed to 'Daisy'.
She smiled. Since first meeting her birth father, Skye had talked to Cal several times on the phone, and he had come to visit a couple of times. One of the times, Phil and Melinda said they had something important to discuss with him, so this was probably addressing it. Skye opened the letter and began to read it.
Skye,
I am so, so, so happy that I get to be a part of your life now. Melinda and Phil are also great foster parents, and I'm so grateful they are the ones looking after you. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter and a better set of parents for her. It is clear how much the Coulsons love you and how much you love them.
If you are reading this, then that means they already told you that they are planning on adopting you. The conversation we had the other night was them asking me for their blessing to be your parents, which I happily gave them. Now, it's up to you. I know about your past, and I hope you don't run away from this. I know you need them as much as they need you.
Now, don't think just because they are officially your parents that I won't love you any less. My love for you is endless, Skye. Remember that. I'm sorry I couldn't give you the life I wanted to give you, but you have a real chance with Melinda and Phil.
Again, I'm super glad I get to be a part of your life. You truly are the best thing to have happened to me. I will always love you, my Daisy.
Love,
Cal
About a month later, Skye's adoption day finally came. She wasn't aware of the audience Melinda and Phil had invited. There were a few of Phil's coworkers who were also Skye's teachers, which included Mr. Mackenzie, Ms. Rodriguez, Mrs. Hand, and Mrs. Price. There were a few of Melinda's coworkers from the dojo, which included Natasha, Clint, Maria, Bobbi, and Izzy. To top it off, they had also invited some of Skye's friends, which included Leo, Jemma, Lincoln, and Trip. The last person there in attendance, who had the biggest smile on his face, was Cal.
Skye sat with Melinda, Phil, and Sharon Carter, who was her caseworker.
"You ready for this, Skye?" Sharon asked.
Skye nodded. "I'm ready, Ms. Carter."
For as long as she could remember, she was Mary Sue Poots. The lonely foster kid that no family wanted. She gave herself the name Skye after coming home from a foster home when she was nine. Skye was the lost girl who just wanted someone to finally love her. At fourteen years old, she finally found that love. The people in attendance showed that.
Today, she was officially Daisy Skye Coulson.