Family
Coulson, Ward, and Fitz, piled out of the S.H.I.E.L.D sanctioned vehicle and gathered on the right side, a few feet away from an average looking house. Fitz was bouncing up and down, making the little gift box that he was holding make a rattling noise, with a huge smile on his face. Ward and Coulson both stood properly but Coulson’s foot and Ward’s thumb tapped as they tried to maintain their composure as they waited for May, who had been driving, to join them outside. She walked around with a black bag on her shoulder and looked confusingly at the men.
“What are you waiting for, let’s go”
Leo jumped a little and led the group to the front door, he stopped himself from banging on the door and instead moved obediently next to May. Coulson took a deep breath, the smile that he tried so hard to keep hidden was becoming more and more apparent, he pushed the doorbell and stepped back putting is hands in front of him.
The door flew open to reveal Skye standing with her arms wide open, she jumped up and down much like Fitz and let out a hushed scream. She grabbed Coulson and hugged him laughing, May and Fitz followed and then Ward who she hugged and then held him arms length bouncing.
“We. Have. A. Baby!”
Ward smiled and nodded.
“I know you do.”
“There’s a baby in there, Ward”
“I know.”
Skye let out another hushed scream and then bounded away, grabbing Fitz by the front of his shirt and pulling him into the house with the rest of the team following neatly with infectious smiles on their faces.
Skye led them through a very nice house to a little living room where Jemma was sitting on a couch holding a little pink bundle proudly and smiling. Skye sat down next to her, putting her arm around her and laying her head on the scientist’s shoulder looking at the little face in the blanket. The team sat around quietly with Coulson on the table in front of them and Fitz and May on the couch next to the new parents. Coulson leaned over to get a better look.
“We came as soon as we got the news but they wouldn’t tell us anything else.”
The baby garbled a little bit and stretched out her tiny hands and Skye awed and let the tiny hand hold her finger. Jemma sat the child up slightly on her lap.
“Well she’s up so I guess we don’t have to be so quiet”
The entire team leaned forward in a heightened suspense looking at the couple and their new baby. Jemma took a deep breath and looked around.
“Everyone, I would like you to meet Melinda Phillipa Simmons”
The team stopped and looked around and Ward chuckled and gestured to Coulson and May.
“Huh! You named her after these two! That’s amazing.”
Leo looked over Skye at Jemma.
“Why didn’t you name her after me?”
“I’m sorry, Fitz, we just didn’t think ‘Leopold’ was a good girls name. Maybe next time if we have a boy.”
Fitz put his head down a little disappointed but immediately redirected his attention to May sitting next to him.
“Is that a tear I see, agent May”
May looked at the younger man intensely and then said in a deep voice.
“No”
Skye stifled a laugh at Leo’s terrified expression. He swallowed and looked back at the women a little red.
“So, who gets to hold the little one first.”
“I do!”
Coulson said a little to quickly, he immediately composed himself and sat back on the table and cleared his throat.
“I mean, technically I’m the leader, so I should get to hold her first.”
The couple smiled at each other for a second before Jemma leaned over and gingerly handed the tiny baby over to Coulson who laid Melinda on his arms and smiled sweetly as the baby looked at him with wide blue eyes. Jemma hesitated before leaning back on the couch and wrapping her arms around Skye’s waist, she kissed her wife and then looked back at the agent holding their daughter. May spoke up for the first time.
“Are you guys ready to see the presents?”
Skye clapped lightly and Jemma nodded excitedly. May pulled out the black bag that she had brought in and placed it on her lap. Meanwhile Ward leaned in next to Coulson and tried to touch the baby’s hand but stopped when Coulson slapped his hand lightly and then went back to rocking the baby, Ward turned away disbelievingly and jumped into the conversation.
“I think Fitz should go first since he hasn’t shut up about it the entire trip.”
Leo handed Skye the wrapped box and held his hands up excitedly.
“I hope she likes it!”
They pulled the paper off together and lifted the lid off the box, Jemma laughed and picked it up off of Skye’s lap, pulling out a little book and holding it up. “Introduction to Calculus: For infants”
“This is amazing, Fitz! So adorable!”
She started flipping through the thick pages and Skye looked at Ward.
“The science. It’s starting already.”
Ward nodded understandingly and Skye looked down on the complicated math problems posed in baby friendly ways with wide terrified eyes. Jemma leaned over and hugged Fitz tightly.
“She’s going to be on our side in no time!”
Jemma giggled and Skye shook her head.
“Who’s next? May?”
May pulled a simple but rather large, elongated box and handed it to the couple proudly, it covered both their laps. The opened it and smiled as the looked at the contents. The box was split into three sections; in the first section was about five baby blankets of various colors, they were extremely soft and of some kind of expensive fabric. In the second section was a neatly folded pile of onesies, like the blankets, they were of various colors and patterns and finally, in the third section was a box, they opened it revealing a pair of tiny padded nun chucks. Skye pulled them out curiously and then shook them, sure enough they were rattles.
“This is absolutely incredible, May, thank you!”
May sat up proudly.
“I’m the only one who got her practical gifts.”
Skye looked at her and shook the little nun chucks with one eyebrow raised.
“It’s never to early to start them with self defense.”
Jemma nodded in agreement.
“My turn”
May pulled another gift out of her bag, this time from Ward and handed the wrapped bulbous gift to Skye and Jemma. They pulled the wrapping off and then Skye started laughing hysterically while Jemma pulled the soft object out of the paper.
“It’s a pillow. A laptop pillow.”
Skye took it and looked at it closer. It was soft and relatively large, right now, Melinda could probably sleep on top of it with room to spare but it held a very detailed resemblance to an opened laptop with keys and a screen and a Window’s meadow screen savor but scrolled on the screen part of the pillow was a little message in DOS style.
“So you can start becoming your mom’s little hacker early.
Love, Your Uncle Grant”
Skye put her hand over mouth and smiled.
“That is the sweetest thing ever! Thank you, Ward you big ol‘ teddy bear!”
Skye reached over and squeezed his hand, smiling, May interrupted their moment.
“Coulson, do you want to give them yours?”
He nodded and then reluctantly handed the little baby to Ward. He gently took her and cradled her, she look especially tiny in the big man’s arms. He made a goofy face as he looked down and little Melinda giggled, he smiled and played with her reaching hand.
“Yeah, your momma thought my face was funny when she first met me too.”
Jemma, who was the only on who heard this little exchange, laughed and covered her face and shook her head at Ward who just shrugged his shoulders, still smiling.
May handed a box to Coulson who took a breath and then handed it to Skye.
“I hope she likes it. I’ve never shopped for a baby before.”
The women opened the deep box excitedly and then pulled out the first item, Skye shook her head.
“I should’ve known.”
She held up a little Captain America T-Shirt, then pulled out the next layer, which was a soft Captain America pillow that was perfect sized for a baby and lastly she took out a Captain America story book and looked at it with wide eyes. Jemma laughed and then took the story book touching the cover which had a black signature on it.”
“Is this signed!?”
Coulson smiled proudly.
“Yeah, Cap felt really bad for not signing my cards before I died so now he signs everything on the spot”
“Oh my God, That’s incredible, Coulson! Thank you!”
Jemma placed Coulson’s presents on the table next to them with the rest.
“All of these are amazing. I’m so happy you guys are here.”
Melinda had been traded off to May who was standing up next to the couch holding her and smiling one of Melinda May’s rare smiles.
“Well, we’re very proud of you two.”
“If I may ask, though.”
Coulson reached over to see the baby in Melinda’s arms but moved back when he got slapped by May, Ward laughed lightly at the true chain of command in the team before Coulson continued.
“What are your guys’ plans with S.H.E.I.L.D?”
The women looked at each other before Jemma answered smiling.
“Well, I’ve got a job at a local S.H.E.I.L.D lab, it’s stable but it’s also going to be pretty interesting with the development and studies of new weaponry and even Asgardian weaponry. So at least while she’s little I’ll being staying in one place and right now Skye is still trying to find a suitable position within the Agency.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking about going into interrogation, maybe, at least until Mel gets a little older.”
The team collectively nodded and May handed the little baby who was now beginning to fuss to Skye who took her and then left to change her in the other room. Jemma looked worriedly at Leo.
“You haven’t got to hold her yet, have you?”
He paused, holding back a smile.
“Well, I’ll have plenty of time to hold her and get to know her later, seeing as I’ll be working in the same lab as you.”
Jemma stopped for a moment to let this information sink in and then screamed, practically launching herself into Fitz and hugging him whilst bouncing up and down.
“I applied for the lab and S.H.E.I.L.D’s letting me work there.”
“Oh, I’m so happy! We’ll still be working together! That was the only thing that I hated about this whole transfer. But it’s all okay now, we’ll still be partners!”
Skye, who had been listening to the whole thing from the other room, walked back in holding a much fresher smelling Melinda.
“And, you’ll be able to baby-sit. Yay!”
Jemma still had not let go of Fitz when her eyes went wide.
“Wait, you guys are staying here for the night, right?”
Ward laughed, he had been messing with something in May’s bag this whole time.
“Of course we’re staying here. We’re family, and as family, it’s our obligation to come into your house, eat your food, take up your sleeping space and spend time with your child. Now everyone get on the couch, baby’s first family picture.”
They all piled on the couch, with Skye and Jemma with Little Melinda in their laps looking up, completely confused by the commotion going on around her. Ward set the timer on the camera and then took his place on the couch, they all smiled as the little device clicked and took the first family photo of many to come.
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