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Leave the gun, take the cannoli.
She'd been leaving the gun for a long time, now. A long, long time.
But leaving the gun hadn't changed anything. She was still a killer. She still got the job done. That's who she was. It's who she'd always be.
At least as long as she stayed with S.H.I.E.L.D.
It was time she learned who she was away from S.H.I.E.L.D.and she was going to do it with the person who'd known her before she was a specialist. Before she was a killer, a gun. Before she was the Cavalry.
She smiled to herself as she slipped her red bikini into her bag. Andrew loved her in red. That's part of why she wore so much black.
That, and it was badass. Not that she'd admit it.
She hefted the bag onto her shoulder and swung her locker closed, ready to see the world again with new eyes.
But after a few steps, she turned back.
Take the gun. And the bikini.
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"Still no word from May," Skye reported from her position in front of Coulson's desk. She'd been saying the same thing every day for over a month now, and he'd been saying the same thing back.
"You still have tabs on her?"
"Yup," she nodded, whipping out her cell phone and pulling up an app. "Currently about 40,000 feet above Jakarta."
Coulson chuckled humourlessly. "How much you want to bet she's backseat piloting the whole way?"
Skye smiled loyally even though he'd made that same joke two dozen times now.
He looked up and met her eyes, expression not changing. "Keep me posted."
"Will do, Boss-man," she nodded before letting herself out.
"C'mon May," she whispered to herself after closing the door. "Get back here."
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"Australia?" Hunter asked.
"Great Barrier Reef," Bobbi nodded. "She told me once she wanted to dive there."
Hunter and Skye turned to her in surprise.
"What?" she asked, looking confused.
"May told you she wanted to dive the Great Barrier Reef?" Skye asked skeptically.
"Yeah," Bobbi nodded again. "It's on her bucket list."
"May has a bucket list?" Hunter asked in shock.
"Of course," Bobbi shrugged, clinking bottles with Mack as he passed her another beer.
"You gotta have a reason to keep up the good fight," Mack nodded taking a sip.
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"Peru," Skye said, looking at her phone.
"Machu Picchu," Coulson nodded. "Probably head to Chile next, then hop on over to Easter Island." He jotted down a note on the file in front of him, punctuating it with a loud stab of his pen.
Skye looked at him apologetically. "If you want, I could book you..."
"That'll be all."
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"South Africa?" Fitz asked, distracted by the scans he was doing on the rock in front of him.
"Yeah," Skye said, frustration evident in her voice. "She's flying all over the world like some sort of jet-setting billionaire," she threw up her hands as she ranted, "And meanwhile Coulson's got one arm--"
"Hey," Fitz frowned. "He'd have two if he'd wear the prosthetic I made him."
"Ward's rebuilding Hydra--"
"Bastard."
"And Jemma's stuck in a..." she trailed off on her own that time as she saw Fitz flinch. "Sorry, Fitz," she apologized, moving closer and giving him a hug. "We'll get her back."
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"Chicago?"
"Yes, sir," Skye confirmed. "But with all of the flights she's taking in and out of O'Hare, she's basically mayor for life."
Coulson frowned in confusion. "Pretty sure that's not how the electoral system works," he said blandly.
Skye rolled her eyes and held up the screen on her phone. "Swarm," she said, holding up the Foursquare app.
"Of bees?" Coulson asked with spread open hands and a lost expression.
"Have I teased you lately about being an old man?" she asked.
"Have I told you lately that I can fire your ass?" he asked in turn.
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She strolled up to the Playground with a swing in her hips and a smile on her face. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She actually waved when the video monitor engaged.
"May!" Skye gasped on the other side of the screen, her eyes opening comically wide and her phone actually dropping out of her hand.
"Hey Skye," she grinned. She was grinning. She loved having a grin.
"You're back!" Skye shouted excitedly, trying to stand up, reach down for her phone, and stay in the frame all at the same time.
"I'd like to be," May nodded. "If Coulson lets me back in."
Skye laughed, relief bubbling up inside her at having May back. "Oh, he'll let you back in," she said, alerting security she needed an escort. "If only to comment on those tan lines."
May looked down at her shoulders, bared by her strapless sundress. "Guess I should have left the bikini."