Chapter 41: The Long WaitNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
May's POV
Fuck… Fuck… Fuck… Shit… were pretty much the only words that run through my head as I pushed the Bus to fly as fast as it had ever flown before. I hadn't felt like this for many years now. My heart was thumping in my head and I had a deathly grip on the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white from the pressure.
I needed to put things in order and calm myself down. And so I did.
I took a deep breath and started lowering my heart rate. Slowly, I managed to relax my hands and lessen my grip. I had already locked the cockpit door and so I took my phone out, knowing no one would hear or interrupt me.
I didn't call the Director, for I didn't know if he'd pick up. And calling Natasha or Clint was out of the question as well. I didn't want them rushing here only to find Phil in the waiting room. There was only one person that I thought was proper to call at this moment, and she answered only after a couple of rings.
"I am really busy right now May," she said and her tone let me know that she was working on something else simultaneously, not giving her full attention to the phone.
"Is the room secure?" I asked as a reply and I could almost see her pause what she was doing.
"What?"
"Is the room secure?" I asked again, emphasising my words.
I could hear a door clicking shut and keyboards being hurriedly pressed before she spoke again. "What happened, May? What is going on?" Maria's tone was a lot more worried than before and her attention was completely on me.
I took a breath and let it out, mustering the courage needed for the discussion we were about to have. "Skye's been shot"
We were all in the waiting room. FitzSimmons had taken one sofa, while Coulson was pacing back and forth never stopping. Me? I was standing off to the side, hands folded over my chest and jaw clenched, going over the discussion I had with Maria earlier.
She'd make sure that Skye's treatment would go unregistered and there would be no trace of her ever being in the facility. We'd refrain from letting anyone else know of this, anyone from the Avengers or her family, because them rushing here wouldn't have a pleasant result. But still, someone needed to be called, because if Natasha or Clint found out on their own they'd never forgive any of us. So, Maria took it upon her to—
My attention was directed to a new figure joining our group, her doctor from the looks of it. Everyone seemed to come out of their haze as she closed in.
"How is she?" Coulson immediately asked.
"She's alive," the doctor said and I felt like I could breathe again. "It was touch and go for a while, but we managed to stabilise her. The shot penetrated her stomach, but thankfully there wasn't too much damage" she nodded with a smile on her face.
"When will we be able to see her?" It was Simmons this time.
"We had to put her in the ICU in order to properly monitor the situation. We can allow one person to see her for now, she still needs to rest" she said firmly.
"Jemma," Coulson said and turned around to look at her. "You should go" the soft look in his eyes reminded me of how he used to look at Skye all those years ago.
"I-I can't, sir", she stuttered. Honestly, it was the first time I heard her stutter since the day I met her. " It is my fault this happened. If only I had been more careful—"
"The one to blame is the man who shot her" I cut her off. I knew for a fact that Skye wouldn't blame her, and I also knew that none of us did. We didn't blame Fitz either. "You should go," I said nodding in the direction of the nurse. "Skye would want you there" I put extra emphasis on that sentence.
She swallowed and nodded, her tear-dimmed eyes traveling to those of the doctor, who understood that this was the team's final choice. "You should call her family," she said before leading Simmons away.
As soon as the doctor was gone, Coulson stepped back to one of the armchairs and slumped over it, his elbows resting on the chair's back. I looked over to the side where Fitz was waiting, still standing, awkwardly now that Simmons wasn't close. I took out my wallet and hand him some money. "Go and get something to eat. Make sure to get something for Simmons for when she comes back". While he looked a bit perplexed but my move, he welcomed the distraction, and the excuse to leave the room, with open arms.
As soon as he was far enough, I moved so I was standing across from Coulson. "Sit", I told him and my tone left no room for discussion.
For just a second he looked like he might argue, but then thought better of it. He rounded the armchair and sat heavily on it, his head immediately falling in his hands. "How could I let this happen?" I heard him muttering to himself. "And now, I don't know anything about her. Who even is her family? I remember she had some friends up in New York but… there is still no file of her" he kept on whispering things and while my initial plan was to let him ramble about until he got it out of his system, this was going on for way too long.
"Phil," I said and the first-name use seemed to get his attention. "You might be the team's leader, but you're not all-knowing. There is no way you could have known this would happen. Quinn's people took us by surprise". Imagine how he'd act if he actually knew what Skye used to mean to him. "As for her family, I called Maria up and she let them know. I need to go and update her on what the doctor said. Now, can I leave you alone or are you gonna continue this self-blame thing you have going on?"
He looked up and met my eyes. Before my eyes I saw him gather himself up, straightening his back and clearing his throat. "I'll be okay," he said with conviction and I nodded. I made a move to go to the Bus' privacy to make the call when he said my name. I lingered. "How are you even so calm about this? Other than Simmons, you're the second closest person to her on the Bus"
I clenched my jaw at his mild accusation. My eyes narrowed and if he was standing up I'm sure he'd take a step back. "I'm furious this happened Phil," I said and let some of that emotion leak into my voice. "I'm worried and I am on the verge of going out there, tracking down Quinn myself and beating him so hard he'd wish he was dead. But what good would that make for Skye right now? None. So I save my energy and use it for what matters, instead of blaming myself and feeling self-pity. And what I need to do now is call Hill" and with that, I moved away and headed to the cockpit.
The silence of the Bus helped me calm down after the conversation with Coulson. I still had to take a few moments before I called the same number as I had done before.
"How is she?" I could practically feel the worry dripping from Maria's voice.
"She's okay" a sigh of relief was heard from the other end. "Well, okay might be an exaggeration, but she's alive. They took the bullets out, stabilised her, and put her in the ICU. Did you manage to contact anyone?"
"Natasha's on a mission with Rodgers so I called Clint. He's driving to New York as we speak"
I felt my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Why would he—?"
"Because right after that I had to call Potts. You know how close they are and Skye had made it clear that if anything were to happen she needs to know" Hill interrupted me. "She was with Stark and the guy took off before we even managed to hang up. He took his plane, Banner and I heard him mention Helen Cho. I don't know, Melinda. He's coming your way and from what I understand he plans to take Skye back with him" I could hear how tired she was with trying to sort out this whole situation.
If I were being honest, I wasn't too dissimilar myself. "This complicates things" I muttered. "I'm guessing there's no way to prevent this?"
"I tried to, trust me. As soon as Stark gets an idea in his big, fat brain there's no changing it"
I believed her. From the short amount of time I had spent with the guy, I knew that if he wanted to do something, the only person who could actually stop him was Potts and there was no way she was stopping him this time. I closed my eyes and pinched the base of my nose. "Have you managed to talk with the Director about this?"
"Not yet. He's stuck in a meeting with the World Security Council. But I think I might have a solution" I could hear the hesitation in her voice. Despite being Deputy Director for a while, I could always tell when she wasn't entirely sure of her decision. She was my Rookie after all.
"Fire away"
Jemma's POV
I've been sitting in the room with Skye for a while now. The tear trails have dried on my cheeks, as my hands grip Skye's limp one. I looked at the doctor's notes many times over, memorising every bit of detail that I could. While the rest of the team, with the exception of agent May, didn't know that I was Skye's designated doctor when she got hurt, I couldn't act on that part when she was sent off to surgery.
So, there I was. Sitting silently by Skye's bed as she had several wires link her body to the machines around us. Every time I closed my eyes I could see the same scene unfold in front of me, over and over again.
"Please wake up," I said, my voice wavering, I would say unexpectedly but that would be a lie.
I tightly shut my eyes as a new wave of tears was trying to make its way to the surface. I bent down, my forehead resting on our linked hands, squeezing even more, as if that would generate a reaction from the unconscious girl.
I didn't know for how long I was sitting there, trying to savour my time until someone came to tell me that I needed to go, that Skye needed her rest. I also knew it was selfish of me to just stay there, not to get up and go to the waiting room so that someone else, someone like May that Skye was very close to, could take my place. I just couldn't find it in myself to lift off the chair that I was currently occupying.
I heard voices outside the room, and I lifted my head to see what was happening. The idea of actually getting up and leaving my place to see what the commotion was even crossing my mind.
My curiosity was rewarded only a few moments later with May burst into the room, the lead doctor following close by, a frown clear on her face, while some nurses followed behind her. Said people started moving things away and preparing the bed to be moved. I reluctantly let go of Skye's hand. "What is going on, agent May?"
"We are moving Skye to a Medical Pod," she said as if that explained everything.
She nodded to the nurses who, by that time, had prepared the bed and the appropriate machines and took Skye away. I didn't know what possessed me to do so, but when agent May made a move to follow my hand found its way to her elbow, stopping her from exiting the room. "What is going on? Why does she need transportation?" Medical Pods were used to transport injured agents. I just couldn't understand why Skye needed to be moved at that moment. "Do we have a new mission? She needs to stay here, we cannot take her with us" I emphasised. If there was an emergency the best place for Skye to be right now was the hospital.
May's eyes travelled to my hand, which I immediately retracted as if burned. She then looked me in the eyes with more emotion than I had ever seen before from the woman. She looked outside the room to make sure no one was there before locking the door. "Tony Stark is on his way," she said quietly. "He wants to take Skye back to New York where her family waits for her".
I wanted to ask questions at that. Why did we need to move her? Why could we not just say no to Stark? Was it all just because no one knew of Skye's identity as an Avenger or was there something else at play?
But those questions didn't matter right now. What mattered was Skye. "I am going with". My voice was steady and full of conviction.
"No, you're not. How am I supposed to explain that to Coulson? It's bad enough that Skye has to suddenly disappear, how am I supposed to explain you going as well?"
"Agent May" I started off when she had finished. "I am the person with the most knowledge in regards to Skye's physiology. I have been her doctor ever since she came into S.H.I.E.L.D. after she gained her powers and I knew her even before then when we were together at the Academy. I know you know who she is and I know you have been in contact with the Director. However", I emphasised, "you can take this up with him if you want to, but I am not leaving her side. Should anything go wrong during her transportation to New York I am the most capable person to deal with this, no matter who Tony Stark has brought with him. You can take this up to the Director himself, but I am very positive he will side with me regarding this matter. And even if he sided with you, neither he, nor you, nor anyone else can stop me from going with her wherever she's being taken. I do not know what you'll have to use as an excuse for agent Coulson, but there is no way that Skye is leaving this hospital and I do not leave with her".
I tried my best to look at her steadily, despite the fact that my heart was beating so hard on my chest. I could hear the pulse so loudly in my ears that, in the deathly quiet of the room, I could have sworn that May could hear it as well.
The emotion that I saw before in her eyes changed and I could have sworn I saw the edges of her lips lifted upwards ever so slightly. "You take care of our girl. I'll deal with everything else" she said and left the room.
Notes:Jemma is very overprotective of Skye atm and rightfully so. I hope you all enjoyed this one as we are closing in to the end of the second Book of the story :)
Thank you for the support and take care, evryone! See you all tomorrow ^^
Chapter 42: Meeting The In-LawsNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Pepper's POV
I was going out of my mind waiting to hear news about Skye. Ever since Maria called me to tell me that Skye had been shot, I couldn't sit still. Bruce called me a few hours ago to tell me that they got Skye and that they were heading back. Because of course and it had to be Bruce who had called. Why would Tony let me know about anything that was happening?!
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Pepper" Clint called my name softly. "You're going to worry yourself sick and I can practically hear your thoughts. Please, try and calm down. Skye wouldn't want anything happening to us because of her. Especially you""She should have thought about it before she went and got herself shot!" I exclaimed back, dropping on the sofa cushion, my head in my hands.
I felt a dip on the cushion next to mine and I could tell that Clint had sat down as well. "She's okay. If she wasn't Banner would have called and let us know, he wouldn't let anything happen to her before she came here. You know that"
And I did know that. I heard something being placed on the table in front of me and I lifted my head to see Happy push a glass of water towards me. I smiled kindly at him and took a sip before letting out a heavy sigh. "I am sorry, I know you are just as worried as I am" my eyes met Clint's.
"It's alight. I have had a lot more practice at the waiting. You know, with Natasha and all" he said with a kind smile.
"Have you managed to get a hold of her yet? I don't even want to think how much she's going to flip when she hears about this". My thoughts started travelling again at all the possible scenarios of what could happen, making the headache that I had been mastering for the past few hours come back.
"Still on a mission with Rogers. Don't worry about her right now, okay? Worry about yourself because you already worry about Skye enough as it is. I will deal wi—" his sentence was cut in half with an alert coming in letting us know that Tony was landing in.
"Happy?" I called as I stood up and he was by my side in an instant, phone in hand and Helen Cho's contact number on the screen in case we needed to call her. She was our newest partner, a renowned geneticist, and leader of her own Research Group in Korea. While she was unable to come because of an emergency in one of her labs, she was kind enough to allow us to contact her with whatever we needed if need be.
By the time we had made it to the infirmary area, Skye would soon be rolled in. I was just about to run to her, see for myself that she was okay, only to be stopped by Clint's hand on my shoulder once again. I immediately glared at him and he retracted his hand, lifting them in a surrendering manner. "You need to give them space," he said with a soft voice. "I know it's not easy but they will let us know as soon as they can"
He was right. Of course he was. But that didn't make it any less hard to have to wait.
"Which way?", a clearly British voice was heard from where Skye was supposed to appear.
My head snapped in that direction and it wasn't a couple of seconds later when the gurney with Skye was rolled in, Bruce at the front guiding a girl and pointing at the room where Skye would go in. I watched as said girl went straight to business, helping push Skye into the room and starting connecting her with the appropriate machines and checking everything.
"Who is she?" I asked and when I was met with silence my legs lead me to the door of the room. "Who are you?" I demanded as she kept going over Skye with Bruce's help.
"If you're not medical personnel please leave, I will let you know how she is soon," the girl said without lifting her eyes.
As she was moving around the room I managed to get a good look at her face and I immediately made the connection to all the photos that Skye had shown me through her years with me. "Jemma Simmons?", I asked.
Her head snapped up at that, verifying she was indeed the girl that Skye would go on and on about. I could tell she recognised me as soon as her gaze landed on me, the frown on her face lessening ever so slightly. "Ms. Potts, with all due respect. I need to make sure that Skye is okay and having an audience doesn't particularly help. Dr. Banner and I have everything under control and will soon update you on the situation" and with that, she resumed what she was doing before as if I wasn't even in the room.
I was left speechless as I stepped back and closed the door behind me, watching from the window walls what was happening in the room. A crushing noise behind got my attention and I turned around to see Tony stumble in.
My jaw clenched as I moved closer, hearing him mutter curse words at the floor for making him trip. As soon as he saw my expression he stopped and took a step back. "How dare you not call once to let me know what is happening? Thank God Bruce was with you because otherwise I would have had no clue whatsoever about what was going. And how about the fact that Jemma Simmons is here? How did that happen?"
I see him open and close his mouth a handful of times before deciding on keeping it closed. I saw his gaze traveling at the medical room behind me before his eyes locked with mine, the emotion behind them startling me, making me snap out of it. My thumb gently rubbed on his cheek. I looked back at Clint ready to speak only for him to wave me off. "I will call you as soon as we have news".
With no further due Tony walked off towards the living room, where he immediately went to the bar only to pure himself a hefty portion of whisky. By the time he joined me on the sofa, he had already taken a large sip from his drink.
He sat right next to me, our knees practically touching as he leaned forwards, placing his drink on the small table and let his head hang and his elbows rest on his knees. I hadn't seen him so defeated since the whole ordeal we had with Aldrich Killian. His hands, clenched together, showed the slightest of tremors. My fingers immediately unwrapped his tight fists as I squeezed reassuringly. "Talk to me, Tony," I said softly.
"I don't like being useless," he said. "Especially when it comes to people I care about" he admitted.
The argument that I was about to start before all but died after this. "Tony," I said sternly and the 'look at me' that would normally follow was implied from the tone alone, as he did just that. "You are not useless. You brought her here, you brought her home. Bruce is taking care of her and we can monitor the situation. If anything, and I mean anything comes up we will deal with it. What is this about?", I asked. Because he knew all that, so there must have been something else that was bothering him. I saw his jaw clench and could tell he was about to start shaking his head, but I knew him and at this moment all he needed was the right push. "Tony, please". It wasn't a lot but it was enough.
"The only other time I've seen her so still was after the race in Monaco. Hell, that wasn't even the last time this happened. I couldn't protect her from Loki and his mind control, thank God Romanoff and Barton were there to bring her back. And then, I couldn't protect you from A.I.M. It's just that, I've been failing so miserably to protect my family and it's killing me"
I moved so that he could lay his head on my shoulder, my hand lifting to brush at his hair. "I know you won't believe me right now, but you can't protect everyone Tony. And we're all okay, you, me, Skye. She's gonna be up soon and will be so upset with you for blaming yourself like that".
He let out a shuddering breath as we both laid back on the sofa cushions, my hand never stopping massaging his scalp. I closed my eyes and tried to will time to pass so that we got news about Skye quicker.
It was a good few hours after Bruce came out to let us know what was happening that I found myself with a sandwich and a water bottle at hand walking in the room that Skye was in. Simmons, who had not left her side and the room in general since she was brought in, sat quietly in the chair next to the bed, her hand wrapped around Skye's.
I watched from outside the room as she was leaning back on her chair, eyes closed but the fingers of her intertwined hand were tightening every time they seemed to relax.
I knocked on the frame of the half-opened door gently, but that didn't stop Simmons from jumping the moment she registered the noise. Her tired, startled eyes saw me before turning to Skye's form. Her shoulders visibly slumped when she took in that the girl in the bed was still asleep.
"Hi", I said gently. "I brought you these" I lifted the items I was holding and placed them at the table next to her.
"Thank you, but I am not particularly hungry" she replied politely, trying to master a smile in my direction. She stood up and straightened her clothes a little bit. "Where are my manners? I guess you already know who I am but… Jemma Simmons. Please call me Jemma" She extended her hand for me to shake.
"Call me Pepper," I said as I did just that before letting my hand drop by my side. I nodded towards the sandwich, knowing all too well the feeling. "I understand, but please try and eat something. Skye would have our heads if she learned you've not been taking care of yourself" I said back knowing that it was the truth.
At the mention of her Jemma's eyes traveled back to Skye. "That does sound like her" she smiled fondly. Her mood seemed to change and she shook her head. "I'm sorry" she apologised. Before I got a chance to ask for the reason why she continued. "I've been monopolising Skye's time. She's talked so much about you. I am sure you'd want some time with her, I will leave you to it"
She made a move to stand but I refused to let her leave. "You don't have to go" I reassured her. "As long as you take care of yourself, get some rest and food in your system, I'm sure Skye wouldn't want anyone else more to be by her side when she wakes up. So please, don't leave on my account""Are you sure?" She asked. I could tell that she wanted nothing more than to stay and not go, but her manners didn't let her just do so without asking for permission more than once. "I do need to update agent May on what is going on".
"Don't worry about that" I dismissed. "Clint already called her. Now, please, make yourself comfortable" I pointed at the chair for her to sit back down as I took my seat on Skye's other side. I looked down at my girl, noticing that some of her hair had fallen onto her face. I tucked it behind her ear, straightening her hair as I did that before gently cupping her face.
"I'm sorry. This is my fault" Jemma's words rang in my ears.
I could feel a tear run down my face and I did nothing to stop it. It was never easy seeing Skye hurt. "I'm sure that's not true," I said never lifting my gaze.
Even without seeing her, I could tell that she was shaking her head hard. A sniffing sound coming from her is what made me turn to see her. Her hand had resumed its position on Skye's one, head down as tears were running down her face. "But it is," she said between sobs. "She got hurt protecting me. If it wasn't for me she would have made it out unscratched" she managed to get out, but just barely.
I felt my heart break. Both of them were so young, they didn't deserve any of this. "I am sure when she wakes up she is going to deny that," I said softly. "And from what Skye told me, you did the same for her not too long ago, did you not? Jumping off a plane?" I countered. For, of course, Skye had told me all about what had happened. Not going into details because of things being classified, but I knew enough. I could tell that she wasn't expecting me to say that and her breath hitched. But she didn't say anything back because she knew I was right.
Then I saw a determination in her eyes. Their shine coming back tenfold. "I'm not going to let this happen again," she said, a goal set in her mind. The confidence behind that statement told me she wouldn't waiver from it, no matter what. "I will make sure she won't need to protect me anymore".
It was heartwarming watching Jemma going back to gently holding Skye's hand, her expression the softest I had seen. The love was clear behind her eyes. I'm glad Skye has you, I thought but didn't say, instead just smiled. "I'm sure you both will do a great job protecting each other" I supplied. "Now, tell me something about yourself, I would like to get to know the girl that stole Skye's heart".
The deep blush that grew in Jemma's face was worth it. I would ask J.A.R.V.I.S. for the video recording just to get a screenshot of that later.
Notes:I love writing how motherly Pepper is when it comes to Skye. Also, it was about damn time the two of them met in person haha.
Take care and thank you so much for the support everyone! See you tomorrow for the final chapter of this part of the series :)
Chapter 43: Wolf Among SheepNotes:
All rights go to Marvel
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Clint's POV
Waiting for Skye to wake up was nerve-wracking. Bruce had let me know that she was alright and that we just had to wait for her to wake up from her anaesthesia, but it didn't make me worry any less.
Jemma and Pepper had gone in the room, and I did not want to overcrowd the room or to make Jemma feel pressured. She seemed to have a lot on her plate, there was no need to add any more to it. But she also looked very tired. I had spoken with her a handful of times in the past, especially when I was training Skye, but it had been a couple good years since I last spoke to the scientist. That didn't discourage Skye from talking about her a lot, so I felt like I still knew her pretty well.
I was in the vents, feeling better at watching the situation unfold from higher up. I had tried contacting Natasha again, but no luck there so far. Maria had also called a couple of times letting me know that she and Fury would be coming in as soon as they could. Probably within the next few hours.
So, there I was, sitting and waiting, watching Pepper and Jemma talk. I noticed how the younger girl would nod off but would jolt herself awake and look at Skye. I let out a sigh and climbed down. Gently, I knocked on the door and peeked inside.
"Oh, Clint," Pepper said and immediately stood up. "Any news on Natasha?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No, nothing yet" I had fully walked into the room. My eyes turned to Jemma. "Why don't you go get some rest? In a proper bed?" I said but saw her tired eyes travel to Skye's form once more. She clenched her jaw like she was stopping herself from talking back and let out a heavy breath. I then realised that my words must have come out harsher than I intended. "You can stay, if you want" I added as soon as I made the realisation. "I just meant that you need to get some rest. When was the last time you slept?"
Her free hand went to rub her eyes. "I don't know," she said after a long moment. "I just, I can't leave her," she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "What if she wakes up, or what if something happens?", I could hear a small tinge of panic behind her questions.
"Nothing's gonna happen to her," Pepper said from across the room and then went to Jemma's side placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "She's alright, we're in one of the most well-equipped buildings in the world. And if anything comes up, Bruce is on standby". There was still some hesitation behind her eyes, though her resilience was wavering.
"You wouldn't be of any use to her if you can barely function" I added gently, trying to reason with her even more. "We promise, we won't let anything happen to her," I said the last part with conviction, and her defeated sigh was enough of an indication that she had given in.
She nodded and moved closer to Skye, brushing a strand of hair behind her ears as she whispered something. The quiet of the room didn't really help her in concealing the words and I felt the corners of my lips tilt upwards as I tried to hide the smile that was spreading on my face. She placed a kiss on her forehead and stepped back, letting go of Skye's hand for the first time in hours.
Pepper put her hand around her shoulder, pulling her out of the room and guiding her to Skye's floor. Our eyes met and she nodded at me, mouthing a silent thank you as she led Jemma away.
I turned back to Skye, not moving from my spot.
It was hard seeing her like that.
Skye was this lively and very active person. Not the pale, very still silhouette that was lying on the bed in front of me. Were it not for the heart monitor and the small lift and drop of her chest, there would be no other indication of life whatsoever.
It hurt more than I could admit. Knowing that there is nothing else I can do but wait.
So I moved to where Jemma was sitting before, grasping Skye's hand in both of mine. "Come on, Kid" I whispered. "You are stronger than that. I need you to wake up, alright". My forehead was resting on our linked hands, as my eyes closed and I let the beats of her heart be the only sound in the room.
"Thank you for the help back there," Pepper said as she came back into the room. I had lost track of time, and only her voice brought me back to the present. "Sorry, I knew you must have wanted a moment, but I couldn't keep myself away from her any longer" she apologised as she took her seat across the room.
"No problem, I could tell she was only awake from sheer willpower. How's Stark?"
She let her shoulders slump and relax as she started brushing the back of Skye's other hand. "You know him. His coping mechanism to anything emotional is to go to his workshop and tinker away. I don't know what he started working on this time"
And I honestly don't have the energy to deal with that right now, is what she didn't say but was silently added. I nodded, as I knew the feeling. Natasha would have been at the gym, destroying the equipment, and I probably would have joined her. Both to make sure that she was alright but to also redirect some of the restless energy that was swirling within me. But, now this was where I needed to be, so here I was instead.
"It's been a long day, try and get some rest. I'll wake you if anything changes" I offered in return.
She just smiled softly and closed her eyes. Her fingers soon slowing down their gentle caress until they stilled completely and her breath had evened out.
I let the heart monitor sound lull me in a haze as I was willing the time to pass. At some point that haze was disrupted from a small twinge of fingers from the hand that I was holding. My eyes immediately travelled to Skye's face, where I saw that her eyebrows were slightly pushed together. "Pepper" I called and she didn't need anything more before she was fully alert. Her eyes travelled to where I was looking and saw the same barely noticeable movement.
"Come on, Skye," I said as I hovered even closer to the girl. I watched as her eyes, still shut, closed and relaxed a few times before she started slowly opening them and blinking. "That's it," I said again as her fingers moved once more in my hand.
In the background I heard Pepper asking J.A.R.V.I.S. to let the others know that Skye was waking up, but I didn't pay any attention to them, all my focus was on the girl herself.
"Coulson?" She asked when her eyes traveled to my form, her voice coming out hoarse.
I smiled gently, caressing her head. "Your other Old Guy" I corrected. "Clint"
I could see that she was still not really processing anything, and Pepper did too, as she gripped Skye's hand harder to make her shift her attention to her. As soon as her eyes landed on Pepper some more clarity filled them. "Mom?" She quietly asked.
Pepper paused only for a second before leaning in and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, sweetie. You need to stop scaring me like that"
"Where am— Where is— Wha—?" Confusion filled her words as her eyes travelled all around the room. Then, her eyes opened a bit more, as if realising something. "Jemma, is she— is everyone okay? I need to—" she made a move to lift herself off the bed but I quickly pushed her back on the bed. I was not fast enough, however, as she let out a painful grunt.
"Hey, hey, take it easy" I tried to coax her as I heard a commotion from outside the room. "You're okay" was all I could say as her expression was still tight from the pain. I looked up at Banner as the door opened, Jemma following close behind, and he nodded at me.
I tightened my jaw, knowing that I needed to leave the room and let them attend to Skye. Not that I liked the idea one bit. "I'll be right outside," I told her, not even knowing how much she was processing, as I strode out of the room.
Pepper soon followed after a brief talk with the doctors but my attention was on the girl on the bed, pacing back and forth trying to make time pass so that I'd be able to be by her side once more.
Jemma's POV
Soon after agent Barton and Pepper convinced me to go and lay down, J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice filled the room that I was staying in, and I found my adrenaline rushing through my veins. Dr. Banner was in the same elevator as me, as we headed a few floors down to where Skye was.
I could feel my heart beat in my throat, hoping that everything was alright. My leg's tapping increasing the closer we got to our destination.
The moment the doors opened I bolted, following Dr. Banner closely behind. The moment we walked in the room, Skye was my only concern. I noticed her eyes tightly closed and her eyebrows knitted together. I immediately looked at the machines around the room, taking note of her heart rate and other information. I listened to Pepper as she explained what has happened so far and then she left, clearing the room for myself and Dr. Banner.
I sat by her side, taking her hand in mine. "Skye?" I spoke softly. "Can you open your eyes for me? You are okay, everyone's okay" I tried to reassure her but simultaneously prompt her to look at me. "Come on, Skye, you can do it"
Her head tilted in my direction, her eyes opening ever so slightly. Her gaze met mine, and I smiled. "Jem?" She asked, her voice hoarse as she squeezed my hand and I felt immense relief wash over me.
"Hey, there," I said, squeezing back. "You are okay, everyone is okay. We are at the Avengers Tower" I attempted to explain.
She closed her eyes for a bit, letting out a breath. I could tell that she was trying to work out what I was saying, her brain still a bit confused from the pain medication and the fact that she just came to after surgery.
I noticed Dr. Banner adjusting her IV line nodding at me, not really being bothered that Skye hadn't acknowledged or even seen him. "How are you feeling? Are you in pain?" I asked though I knew the answer.
"He knew", she said instead of answering. Her head lulled to the side, her eyes opening once more, more clarity to them than before. "He knew, Jemma, he knew. How did he know?" She repeated again and again. I could tell that she was becoming upset and agitated as she started moving around a bit as if trying to sit up.
Dr. Banner, who was on her other side, placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her down, as I helped from the other side. As if just then realising that there was another person in the room, she turned towards that person confused. "Bruce?" She asked. "What are you doing here?"He just smiled kindly down at her. "Take it easy, okay? You are at the Tower. Tony brought you here, both of you" his eyes travelled up to meet mine as he nodded towards my direction. He waited for a response patiently.
"In the Tower?" She asked and when Dr. Banner nodded she turned to me for confirmation as well. "Where are the others?" Her attention was once more on me.
I shook my head. "I don't know. Agent May just said that you were coming here and I refused to let you come alone" I answered honestly. "Now, you need to actually answer me this time, okay?" I said seriously since she was becoming quite aware of her surroundings and was properly awake at this point. "How are you feeling? Are you experiencing any pain or discomfort?"
"No, no I am fine," she said too quickly for me to believe her. Especially when she flinched when she moved about the bed. "It's just, can I sit up? Lift the bed or something?" She asked.
"You are not 'fine' and we both know it," I told her. "Your stomach is quite tender so we need to be careful when we lift you. So, for once, don't be brave and tell me if anything feels off or painful, okay? I had enough of seeing you in pain for a long time" I basically begged her and looked at her softly hoping she wouldn't say no.
I could see her expression soften. And she nodded. As we adjusted the bed I could see her grit her teeth and holding her breath a few times, at which points we stopped until she gave the okay again. By the time we finished there was a very thin layer of sweet on her forehead. "There are a few people that would like to say hi. Do you think you'd be up for that? No-one will hold it against you if you can't"
Her eyes travelled to the transparent walls, for the first time taking in the others waiting outside. She smiled and, even if it was a small and tired smile, I knew she would say yes. She looked at me and her eyes said it all. "Okay, then. You should only see a couple of people at a time, so you don't overexert yourself"
I made a move to leave the room but her hand gripped mine tighter. "Stay" she got out and I did not have the strength to say no, as a huge part of me wanted to stay in the room as well.
"I will let the others know," Dr. Banner said from the other side, smiling at us. He grasped Skye's shoulder and gave her a small squeeze. "I know she won't let anything happen, but if you need anything I'll stay close by"
Skye smiled at him. "Thank you, Bruce. I really appreciate it. Can I have a minute with Jemma first?"
I sat back on the chair that I was occupying a few hours ago as Dr. Banner smiled and left the room. I turned my complete attention to her. "Sorry to have worried you," she said. "Didn't mean to get shot" she almost looked scared at my reaction, like I was going to yell at her or something.
But when had I ever done that? "I know you didn't" I answered softly, trying to let her know it was okay. Despite the fact that I had been worried sick, that I had to make sure to keep her alive until we reached the hospital, and that I had to wash her blood off my hands. "And you know that I will always worry. But don't think you can escape that easily. I will have you glued on that bed until I am more than sure that you are okay. Don't even think about missions and exerting yourself for a very long time"
She smiled tiredly at me. "Wouldn't dream of it"
I bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on. People want to see you" I smiled back and waited for her to turn to the others and nod.
I was content staying in that chair, our hands linked, as she spoke with her family.
Skye's POV
The next time I woke up, it was to voices arguing outside my room. I came to slowly, to muffled voices that were close, but not too close. The weight on my left hand was still there, which meant that Jemma was there.
Blinking against the light, I tilted my head to see Jemma look out of the room and towards the commission. I shifted my gaze to see what was going on, only to be met with Fury and Natasha having a very heated discussion. Maria was standing on the side, hand rubbing her eyes as she listened to the whole thing, probably trying to find a way to make them stop shouting at each other.
I squeezed my hand, making Jemma realise that I am up, as I turned back to her. "How long have they been at it?" I asked.
She sighed heavily. "A while. Agent Romanoff came soon after you went back to sleep, followed by Steve Rogers. She was waiting for you to wake up, but then the Director and Deputy Director joined us. From what I managed to piece together, he wanted to speak to you immediately and then agent Romanoff started drilling in him about you needing your rest and how you should not be bothered" she explained the whole situation without me having to ask. She knew I would want to know what was going on.
"Well, I'm already up," I said. Looking closer to her, I noticed how tired she looked. "Jemma…" I dragged out. "Have you slept at all?
"Yes" she replied quickly. Too quickly. She saw it on my face that I didn't believe her and she let out a breath. "I got, maybe a couple of hours of sleep? Pepper showed me to your floor at some point, but it wasn't long before you woke up"
She had averted her gaze by the time she finished talking, looking at her lap instead. She was close enough that I could lift my hand and turn her chin in my direction so that I had her attention. "Get some rest, please? For me? I promise, I'll still be here after you wake up. I'm not going anywhere". The way her shoulders slumped I knew that I had won this time.
I hadn't realised that my movement had let the people outside the room know that I was awake, as they had stopped arguing and were looking at us, all wearing different expressions. I blushed and retracted by hand to my side as I prompted Jemma to go.
Natasha walked in, closing the door behind her giving Fury a look, and letting him know that he were not to come in. As she came to my side, she pressed a bottom at the edge of the bed and the window walls fogged up, making it impossible to see what was going on outside. Huh… how come that wasn't on before? I wondered, but my attention was diverted back to my sister as she sat on the chair next to me.
I noticed her tangled hair, her slightly dirty face, and a gash on her chin. "What happened?" I asked, my hand lifting to touch the red spot, but I thought better of it and brought it back on my lap.
"Nothing I couldn't handle," she said with the voice that she reserved just for me. "I came as quickly as I could. How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. Mostly tired. I think I have enough drugs in me that it wouldn't hurt even if I started running" I chuckled but then felt a pull on my stomach, followed by some pain. I gritted my teeth, hissing as I tried to resist putting my hand over the aching area. "No laughing got it". I opened my eyes, which I had shut tightly until the pain subsided, and smiled at Nat. "I'm good, nothing to worry about. Got all patched up. Plus, I doubt I'll be doing anything resembling any sort of physical activity anytime soon. Not if Jemma and Pepper have any saying in it".
"And me. And Clint, and May, and Bruce" Natasha added. "Even Stark, not that he would ever admit it to anyone. Well, maybe to Pepper. And he probably has J.A.R.V.I.S. on high alert as well".
I really wanted to pay attention to Natasha, but my powers were acting a bit weird because of the whole situation. And while I was not shaking anything, I couldn't exactly tone down feeling what was going on around me. And Fury was being very obnoxious. Pacing back and forth, feet hitting the floor hard that the vibrations were equally as hard. He might as well have been shouting this whole time.
I closed my eyes and rubbed them with my hand, feeling a headache starting to build. I must have grimaced cause next thing I know, Natasha had stood back up and looked at me with even more concern than before. "What's wrong? Do I need to call Bruce?"
"No, I'm good. He's just very loudly restless for my powers" I sighed. "You said something about May before. God, I haven't even— has anyone called her yet?"
"Don't worry about it, she's been kept up to date through the whole situation and knows you'll call her when you can. Do you want to do that now?" She asked.
I shook my head. "I need to deal with them first. If he doesn't stop his pacing it will only get worse. I'll call her after. Do you mind giving us the room? I might as well get it over with"
She seemed reluctant like she wanted to argue. But she knew that once I made up my mind there was no changing it. "Want me to stay?"
"That's alright. I'm sure he already knows you will be staying right outside the room. I'll call you if I need anything. Plus, Maria will keep him in check, don't worry"
"I'll make sure she will," she said and made to move out.
"Love you" I called out before she got to the door and the most genuine smile spread on her face. "You too," she said before leaving.
I could tell that she was having words with them, as they took a while to get in here. This gave me some time to think about everything that led to me being on this bed and some decisions that I made that I knew Nick would not be very happy with.
And not long after I started contemplating things, the door opened and, quietly, the two of them walked in. I didn't even try to sit straighter, just inclined my head in greeting. "Maria, Nick. Hi. Despite them, and especially the latter, wanting to really talk to me, the concern was visible behind their eyes. "Please don't ask. I'm alright, just somewhat tired"
"Well, excuse us for caring," Fury said as he folded his hands over his chest. An annoyed expression on his face trying to mask his worry. It was weird. Sure, he had been trying hard after the whole 'Coulson' debacle, but he wasn't the kind of person that outward showed concern outwardly. He wouldn't be in the position he is if he did.
"Did you guys get Quinn?" I asked instead of dwelling on the 'caring' part. I knew he wouldn't like it if I did and I didn't have the energy for an argument. "What about the team?"
"He asked for further assistance in hunting him down. But we can't do that without bringing even more attention to our side project. At least more attention than we already have by going after him in the first place" Fury reasoned. And while I knew he was saying the truth, it didn't sting any less.
"And he just accepted that he had to drop this one?" We both knew who he was since it was only one person that we could have been talking about. And being in the Tower didn't really make it a secure enough place to talk about that without accidentally alerting the others. "There's no way that he gave up, you know him"
Fury sighed. "He didn't".
"But with the team losing two of their members, having Ward in leave because of what happened, he didn't have much of a choice" Maria supplied.
I closed my eyes and let my shoulders slump a bit. The whole situation weighing down on me. The others noticed, so they stopped and gave me a moment. "Look, I am tired" I started. "Tired of the secrets," I said as I opened my eyes and looked at them. "I need to tell the others about him, I cannot keep it from them any longer," I said.
I saw Fury's jaw clenched and so I continued. "It's been hard since the beginning, keeping this in. And having to lie about it to my family? I don't think I can do this anymore. They deserve to know, and it would make things so much easier. It's been, what? About 3 months since I joined the team? I'm sure you knew that sooner or later I would ask this of you" I paused to see if he would say anything. Which he didn't.
Instead, it was Maria who spoke. "She's right, sir" He turned to look at her, his one good eye opening as he tilted his head as if saying 'You too?'. She lifted her hands in a surrendering manner. "You can still say no if you want to, but I believe that at this point it is her choice on that matter. Don't forget that I was against this whole secret, to begin with".
I listened in slight shock. I was unaware of this, I had wrongly assumed that she followed his orders willingly. She saw my expression and she understood what was going on in my head. "It's alright," she said with a smile and a gentle expression on. "You had every right to be upset with me"
At this point Fury had given up on trying to change my mind, especially now that he knew that Maria was backing my decision. "I need to clear more of my schedule now, thank you for that," he said grumpily. "You will have to take care of it," he said pointing at Maria. "As for you…" his finger travelled to my direction. "You know that they will still not be able to see him, right? Cause if they do, he'll ask how they know you. And that will bring a whole lot of confusion to the table"
I stared equally as hard back at him. "I'm not hiding from them that he doesn't remember me, Nick. I'll tell them the whole truth, all of it. We will then decide, all of us, if it's a good idea or not to see him or wait. This will not be up to you" I said with unwavering determination.
He didn't like that. He didn't like that one bit, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Fine" was the only thing he said, and even that was hard for him to say.
I nodded and then felt myself sunk more in the bed, as I ended up spending more energy than I intended with this discussion. "What's gonna happen to the team now?" I decided to change the topic to something more light-hearted.
"Well… Ward's punishment was shortened and we're still looking at a member to fill in while Simmons is here. And she is to remain here with you until you've made a full recovery. We're currently going through options, our best being agent Barbara 'Bobbi' Morse. May scouted her and she also has a degree in Biology. I'll send you her file later" Maria was glad to provide the information.
"That's good, I'll look them over and tell you what I think. Thank you" I smiled at her.
"No problem" she smiled back.
"This doesn't have to mean we give up on Quinn" Fury added. "I mean, S.H.I.E.L.D. will give up on him, stop the search. We don't want more attention drawn to us. But I am sure Stark won't mind keeping an eye out. And Natasha pretty much threatened to go after him on her own". He saw that I liked that and I could swear I saw the edges of his mouth title upwards the slightest. "He tried to kill you. We take care of our own" he said with conviction.
He did try to kill me, didn't he? But not only that. I could feel my eyebrows furrow. "He didn't just try to kill me," I said thinking back to the interaction we had before he fired his gun. "He purposely led us there, so he could shot me. He said he had his orders. That the Clairvoyant says hi" I looked back up at them, realising something else. Remembering something very important. "He knew!" I exclaimed.
My eyes stopped looking at them, instead traveling back and forth as I was trying to piece the information together, to try and find the connecting link.
"What did he know, Skye?" Fury said, his tone concerned from how I was reacting to the whole thing.
I turned my attention back at him. "He knew that I was Skye! He knew that Jane was a cover, he knew that I was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he said the Clairvoyant told him. How did he know that Jane was a cover?"
"Do we know who this Clairvoyant is?" Maria asked, trying to help out.
I shook my head. "No, no idea. The only people who knew who Jane was is the team. We used the cover twice while on missions, one of them being with Quinn, as I explained" I looked at Fury as he nodded letting me know he remembered.
There was a long, silent, but tension-filled pause. "That means that someone from your team leaked information", Maria said what I was unwilling to admit. "There are only two people unaccounted for and agent Fitz also knows your secret" she pointed out.
"No, no. No way. There's absolutely no way that Fitz was the one. I wouldn't tell him classified information regarding our project, but I trust him enough to know that he's not the one".
"That's good enough for me," Fury said. "But that could only mean one thing…"
"Ward's a traitor".
Notes:Sooooooo... here we go! That's the end of Book 2 y'all. Thank you so much for coming to this journey with me and fr the support you've all shown!
Chapter 1 of Book 3 is up on fanfiction and I will post it here as well as soon as I manage to sort out the summary for that Book. Once that is up, I will let you all know there how the updating schedule is (which is nothing like the one I've had so far for the first 2 Books) so be prepared for long waits in-between.
Again, thank you a lot :) I hope you all enjoyed this Book. See you all soon in the sequel. Take care everyone ^^