They've been driving for eight hours now and Faye was becoming more and more anxious as the drive wore on. Who could blame her really? She and Diana left their circle after the whole Balcoin incident. Yeah, Graham was a nice guy and Diana wanted to believe there was something there, but she realized that the person she really wanted to be with was Faye. She gave her apologies to the older man, but he understood and he encouraged her to speak with her circle member as soon as possible. So, Diana gave a heartfelt speech and there they were driving away from Chance Harbor to god knows where.
"I know this was supposed to be some romantic gesture, but shouldn't we have a destination?" Faye asked from the passenger seat. Diana looked her over. The taller girl looked anxious. She grabbed her hand from the center console and started rubbing comforting circles on it.
"It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess I'll tell you. We're headed to Beacon Hills!" She said excitedly.
Faye looked at her with a look of boredom. "Did I miss something? What the hell is a Beacon Hills and why are we going there?"
"You're so cute when you are confused. We're going to Beacon Hills because there is a meteor shower tonight and one of the best places in the United States to see it is Beacon Hills. I thought it'd be cute to park the car on a hill in the woods and watch the meteor shower together." Diana was buzzing with excitement. Faye thought she was a beautiful sight to see when she was happy like this.
"Look at you being all romantic. I like it. I'm totally going to dismiss the fact that you just called me cute." She replied picking up their joined hands and giving an affectionate kiss to Diana's knuckles.
"I know it's hard sitting in a car for eight hours, but I promise it'll be worth it and look there's the sign." She replied focusing her attention back on the road.
Faye smiled and urged Diana to park off the side of the road so they can take pictures by the "Welcome to Beacon Hills sign".
"Why are we in small town, USA again?" Skye asked Jemma as they walked the main street of Beacon Hills.
"There is going to be a meteor shower tonight and since we have a few weeks off of work. I figured we could see something astronomical without there being an 0-8-4 behind it." Jemma replied whispering the last part. "Come on now, love. I'm feeling a bit peckish and I think I saw a diner up this way." She grabbed Skye's hand as they crossed the street.
They were eating at "Windsor's Diner" when Lydia looked around the establishment suspiciously.
"Lydia. Lyds. Hello. Are you listening to me?" Allison asked trying to get the strawberry blonde's attention.
"Hmm. Sorry. What was that?" She asked trying to focus back on Allison, but feeling something odd in the air.
"I said that after breakfast we could go to the woods and I'll teach you some archery and then we can go back to my place. My dad isn't home and we will have the whole condo to ourselves. Then, I can take you to Darwin's Hill later to watch the meteor shower." Allison explained again not losing patience.
Lydia smiled. "Alli, that sounds very romantic. However, I fear that we might run into trouble."
Allison was shocked. They couldn't run into trouble now. They just defeated the nogitsune. What could be happening now? "Lyds, honey, what do you feel?"
"I feel power, lots of it. Alli, I think something is going to happen tonight. Something bad. Something we have never faced before." She replies as she stares daggers at two girls that are sitting two booths down from them.
"Should we call the pack?" Allison asks starring into Lydia's green eyes.
Lydia focuses her attention back on Allison. "No, but I think we are going to need their help." She replies pointing at the two brunettes behind Allison.
Faye was stuffing her face with chocolate chip pancakes, while Diana sipped on her coffee and nibbled at her waffles when she heard whispering from a few booths in front of them.
"No, but I think we are going to need their help."
"Faye, we have to go. Now."
"Why?" She asked her mouth full of pancakes.
"There are two girls making their way over to us and I think they know that we are witches." She whispers leaning closely to Faye from across the table.
Faye swallowed and took a hearty gulp of her milk.
"There's no way, unless they are like us or witch hunters." She said sounding sure trying to calm Diana.
"Please, can we just go?" Diana asked panicked looking at a brunette and strawberry blonde approaching their table.
"Fine." She replied gently before reaching into her wallet leaving a $50 bill on the table to cover their bill and a nice tip for their waitress.
They both stood up at the same time, but timed their exit wrong and ran right into the pair that they were running from.
"Oh, great." Faye whispered to Diana.
The brunette of the two smiled warmly before greeting them. "Hello, my name is Allison and this is my girlfriend Lydia. We would like to ask you a couple of questions."
Faye gave Diana a questioning look.
Diana replied first, "Sure, perhaps we should go outside."
The four girls left the diner to go around the back not noticing two new patrons following them.
"Any special reason why we are out here instead of finishing our breakfast?" Faye asked rudely. She guarded Diana incase their meeting turned into a scuffle.
Lydia replied with just as much venom. "I could be asking you the same thing, sweetheart. Alli and I were enjoying our breakfast until you two were putting off some very strong supernatural vibes. Now, we want to know what you are."
Diana cut in before Faye replied. "I don't think you'd believe us if we told you. Wait, how do you know we had supernatural vibes? What are you?" She asked accusingly.
Allison let a ring dagger slide from the inside of her jacket sleeve. "Well, I'm a hunter, but before you make a mad dash through the alley just know that I never miss." The older girl explained.
Lydia's eyes turned purple and she let a hard smile grace her lips. "I'm a banshee and I sense something very off about today. Perhaps we could act like normal adults and talk accordingly."
Faye deflated at seeing Lydia's eyes change color. "I don't know, Diana. Should we be good little girls and talk to Snow White and Little Mermaid or should we give them a magic show?" The brunette asked trying to cover up her worry with bravado.
Diana stared at the two girls hard before replying. "I don't see any signs of them being witch hunters, so I think we can call this one a draw and talk normally. Besides, you know how I feel about magic now, babe." She replied saying the last part almost guiltily, which caused Lydia's ears to perk up in curiosity.
Allison kept her dagger out, but swung it around her finger much to Faye's amusement.
Lydia walked up to Diana her eyes now their normal emerald color. "You two are witches? Cool. I'll take that over a Nogitsune any day."
Diana gave a soft smile. "I'm not sure what a Nogitsune is, but I can assure you that Faye and I do not pose a threat. We are here to get away from our own version of crazy town to watch the meteor shower."
Lydia was perplexed at Diana's explanation. Maybe Beacon Hills wasn't the only highly supernatural town after all.
A cough ruined the groups small bonding moment.
Allison had to stop herself from throwing her dagger at the owner of the offending noise.
Lydia's eyes flashed purple, while Diana's turned a menacing black which shocked Lydia, but only a little. Faye clenched and unclenched her hand ready to help Diana if she needed an incantation.
"Sorry to bother you, but my girlfriend and I were wondering who we could see about this?" Jemma asked pointing at Skye's glowing hands.
The brunette felt a trimmer in her hand; she moved her hand back and released a blue ray of light, causing a crater to form in the wall behind Faye's head.
The younger brunette let out a whistle and an amused smirk. "And I thought we had problems. Welcome to the freak show ladies, we'll be here all week."
After the strange meet up of sorts in the alley behind Windsor's, the group met at Allison's Condo. They are now sitting in the Argents living room watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" of all things.
"Are we gonna actually talk about what's going on or are we just gonna watch Buffy kick the shit out of vampires all day?" Skye asked looking at her hands which have stopped glowing since the diner.
Faye let out a sigh. "Thank god, someone asked. I was beginning to think we were just going to forget about the whole thing. Nice super power by the way."
"Yeah, we have to figure out what's going because first two witches show up and then a biochemist and superwoman show up. This is no accident." Allison adds running her fingers through Lydia's strawberry blonde hair.
Jemma blushes at the acknowledgement and Skye kisses her lips proudly.
"Maybe we can look up what kind of meteor shower it is or perhaps since the majority of us have a supernatural connection we can research that as well." Diana said getting into Alpha female mode.
"Ooh, what a wonderful idea Diana. Allison you're a hunter, does your father keep a bestiary around?" Jemma asks excitedly, but the girl in question was gone.
The older redhead's question is answered from a shout across the condo. "Yes, he does! I'm coming with it right now."
Skye gets off of Jemma's lap in search of Allison's laptop which is right behind the couch in a study area.
Lydia, Jemma and Diana make more small talk while Allison comes back in the room with her family's bestiary.
Faye has slunked her way off the couch to stand behind Skye as she researches meteor showers in supernatural legend. It doesn't take long for Allison to join them as Lydia and Diana get into a battle of wits over Archaic Latin, which only amuses Jemma because they are both right.
It takes them two hours of research, arguing, banter and even laughter before Skye lets out a triumphant "huzzah"; before everyone is crowding behind her on Allison's laptop.
"Perseids: a meteor shower event that occurs in late summer. It is best viewed from the northern hemisphere." Diana reads from the screen disappointed.
Faye chuckles from her right. "I thought you were some computer genius. I could've found that on Wikipedia with a few key strokes."
Skye turns around to look at the younger girl pointedly.
"Hold on. The description said that the meteor shower occurs in late summer. It's still early winter." Allison pointed out to the group.
"Something definitely seems off. Why would a meteor shower that occurs in the summer happen in early December?" Lydia added grabbing Allison's hand and squeezing it affectionately.
"I think Diana's keen, but excited eyesight over looked that there is in fact a whole page beneath the description." Jemma jumped in.
"Don't be shy, Jemma. What does it say?" Lydia asked getting antsy from hearing people bicker, but not getting an actual answer.
"All right, here we are. Perseids are seen in Greek mythology as a means of rebirth. They are normally bright in color. Blah bloody blah. Oh, something good. In supernatural legends when the time has come for the human race to no longer have control over the mortal land; wiccans will seek out the banshee and hunter to help the beacon of restoration take back the mortal world in a heated battle on the night of the Perseids sky. If they are to fail, the human race will be exterminated and a new race known as the Echthroi will arise and plunge the Earth into chaotic darkness." Jemma finished with an exhausted sigh.
"Seriously, that's it?" Lydia asked sounding annoyed. She was half leaning into Skye's personal space to get a better look at the laptop and scrolled furiously, only to roll her eyes finding nothing after what Jemma read to the group.
"Another apocalypse? Great." Allison said sarcastically.
"So, do we suit up now or let the enemy take over our planet?" Skye asked leaning back into her chair.
"We are definitely going to need to do some more research before we do anything." Diana replied.
"Diana is right. We have to dig a little deeper before going in completely blind. This sounds like something none of us has ever faced before. We will have to bring out all of the stops on this one." Lydia added in. She moved away from the computer and settled herself back on the couch to look through the Argents' bestiary one more time.
"Uh guys, something is happening!" Skye said setting down her cup of water. The team have since found more mythological information on the Perseids as well as the Echthroi. Skye looked at her hands flabbergasted. Once again her hands were glowing blue and she had no idea what to do.
"Darling are you all right?" Jemma asked running up behind the brunette woman.
"I was just getting some water, when this started happening again." She replied turning slowly not wanting to harm Jemma in the process.
"Sweetheart, do you feel anything?" the redhead asked.
"Like what?"
"Fear, anger, hunger, perhaps gas."
"Jem, seriously? No. I was just thirsty. I didn't feel anything off before getting water."
"It's a warning sign." Lydia quietly spoke.
"Excuse me?" Skye asked slightly worried.
"I said, "It's a warning sign.". This whole endeavor seems to be a prophecy forged from Greek mythology. Unfortunately for you, you're the beacon. This means that you are the key to taking the Echthroi down, but you are also the signal for when they are coming." Lydia explained dejectedly.
"And judging by the brightness of your photo tonic light, they are definitely getting close. We need to think of a plan and fast." Diana replied sighing loudly.
"Maybe it's just like binding the circle. We combine all of our strengths together and use it to destroy the Echthroi before they plunge our planet into darkness." Faye responded sending Diana a nostalgic look. It seemed like just yesterday their circle was bound together and now the ache of being away from everyone was very dull.
"That does sound like a good plan. We only have five hours until sunset we have enough time to set up traps on Darwin's Hill. We trap the Echthroi on the clearing before it gets to the top of Darwin's Hill and then we hit them from all sides. I think Faye and I can distract them long enough, so Lydia and Diana can drain the life out of them and then Jemma and Skye can manufacture her photo tonic light to blast them into pieces." Allison had no idea where the instructions came from, but it definitely seemed pretty solid at the moment.
"Small question." Skye said raising her hand slowly. "How do I turn this thing off?"
"Oh, buggar." Jemma replied helpless. "Darling, have you tried mentally shutting it off?"
Skye blinked rather obnoxiously before giving Jemma her resolve face. "I love you, but for someone with two PhD's that was a rather obvious question."
The biochemist blushed in embarrassment.
Lydia was folding a page over in the Argent's bestiary absentmindedly trying to figure out a way to get the blinding blue light to stop.
"Oh, duh!" Faye let out happily causing the whole room to look at her questioningly. "It's like magic. Although, it may seem like your mind is perfectly clear the rest of your subconscious is dwelling on something in the back of your mind. I think after you ease that tension the light will dissipate."
"Ah, a psychogenic cause; nicely done Faye." Lydia said proudly as Diana gave the brunette a kiss on the lips.
"Of course. Sweetheart is there anything that's bothering you." Jemma asked softly rubbing comforting circles into Skye's hands.
The rest of the group was ushered into the kitchen by Allison to give the older women some privacy.
Skye looked up after the younger girls before meeting Jemma's hazel eyes. "This whole situation is crazy even for us. I mean a few days ago we were on the bus and now we are in small town USA and my hands can make photo tonic light. I want to call the rest of the team, but I think Coulson would lock me up because this all seems like a bad apocalypse movie and Jem I want tell the rest of the girls about who we really are, but that's against the rules and it sucks." The brunette relented looking crestfallen.
Jemma took that moment to pull the other woman into her arms.
"It'll be okay, love. It's all a bit mad, now, but after we deal with these Echthroi we can relax and take a real vacation. As far as our new friends are concerned I think it's best that we keep our professional work schtum. They seem to have a lot to deal with on a daily basis and they are just kids. It would be safer for them if they don't know what we really do for a living." Jemma finished. She was fondly playing with Skye's wrist before her hand entwined with the hacker's.
"Jem, no! I don't- hey the light's gone and your hand is still in it's beautiful shape." She replied giddily before kissing the biochemist's hand.
"You just had to be at ease. Skye, I think I might know why you've started to produce photo tonic light." Skye perked up at the revelation. "The drug that the team used to save you after Quinn shot you, it was Kree blood. I have reason to believe that the blood fused with your own causing well, other worldly abilities to start to develop. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just so happy that you survived and I had to make sure that I had all of the correct data."
Skye wanted to be angry, but she knew that that was the only way for Jemma and the team to save her. So, what happens now? Does Skye turn into an alien or the female Captain America? Whatever is happening to her she has to keep it controlled for Jemma and crazy enough the good of mankind.
"I'm not mad. It was the only way that you and the team could save me and for that I will be eternally grateful Jem. I just, I don't want to hurt you or anyone else if I can't control this thing." Skye said solemnly. She looked Jemma in the eyes before giving her a passion filled kiss. "Never feel bad for saving my life Doctor Simmons. Maybe now I can be an upstanding citizen. Ooh, maybe I can be a superhero." The brunette said excitedly.
"You would look really fit in one of those tight outfits." Jemma's eyes glazed over salaciously.
"Doctor Simmons!" Skye joked making a mock shocked face.
Skye's loud statement caused the rest of the group to usher back into the living room.
"Is everything all right?" Allison asked looking from one woman to the other.
Jemma's face was flushed, but she managed to answer. "Yeah everything is sorted. We also found a way to make Skye's photo tonic light go away at least for a little while."
Skye agreed with a nod of her head.
"Good because Lydia translated what the Echthroi look like into English."
Everyone sat on the couches accordingly waiting for the young redhead to read the description allowed.
"The Echthroi appear to humans as their worst fears. Their name is roughly translated to "the enemy" simply because they can drive any man to go insane just by praying on their fears. They travel in a small pack of three, but do not be fooled for they have been known to enslave other civilizations since the dawn of time." Lydia finished her face turning pale.
The room was deafeningly quiet.
"I guess now would be the time tell each other our worst fears before we go out in the woods to deal with these guys." Faye said breaking the silence. "I'll go first. I'm afraid of drowning." Diana rubbed her back soothingly.
Diana started by showing the group her scar on her hand. "I got this a couple of days ago. The symbol stands for Balcoin. It's a way for other Balcoin children to find each other. It's the reason why I don't want to use magic anymore. I have dark magic in me and I'm afraid that I'll give in to temptation and succumb to what that type of power holds." Diana fell lax against Faye feeling instant comfort as the brunette locked her arms around her. It was a lot for someone to keep on their shoulders, but the group admired Diana's strength.
Allison took that time to speak up.
"I don't want to be a murderer like my Aunt Kate. Everyone used to tell me how much she and I were alike and I'm afraid that one day I'll go overboard while hunting and take an innocent persons life." Allison's face suddenly clouded over. The nightmares slowly started to wane after the Nogitsune was defeated, but it was the PTSD that was hard to deal with.
Lydia took that moment to whisper something comforting in the older girls ear before telling everyone her worst fear.
"A few months ago I was bitten by a werewolf and that same werewolf used my then unknown banshee powers to bring himself back from the dead. I guess my worst fear is feeling helpless. I never want to feel someone have that much power over me ever again." Lydia has only ever told Allison and it felt just as good to tell her new friends. She felt Allison's hand intertwine with her own before giving her girlfriend a sad smile and mouthing an "I love you" to her.
It surprised the room when Jemma spoke.
"Well, this is definitely harder than everyone else made it look. I admire all of you for your grace and courage to share your fears with everyone. Alright, in my line of work there of course is a high expectancy for severe injury and even death. My main expertise is biochemistry, but I also have a focus in the medical field and from time to time I have to delve into that and help my co-workers. My fear is that I won't be able to save the people that I care about the most." Jemma ended her explanation looking at Skye guiltily.
Skye took that moment to wrap her arms around the older red head. A whispered "You'll never lose me" could be heard as she continued to whisper words of comfort in the scientist's ear. The embrace ended when Skye felt that Jemma was calm enough for her to let her go.
"I grew up as an orphan. I went from foster home from foster home just hoping that maybe this one would be it and I would finally have a family. It didn't work that way for me and when I was eighteen I started living in my van and doing the best thing that I knew how, survive. I started hacking for money and one day I caught sight of a group of people; people so extraordinary that they were the thing that comic books were written about. These people took me in and gave me a home. They made me one of their own. I guess now that I have what I always wanted, I'm afraid to lose it. My biggest fear is not having a family and being forced to live in this world alone." Skye finished trying to hide her face for fear of showing her tears to her new friends. What she didn't expect was to feel arms wrapping around her in a group hug.
The older brunette sniffled before addressing the group. "You should all feel special. I don't openly cry in front of anyone, well Jemma doesn't count because she's special."
The girls gave her a big "Aww" in reply before letting her go.
It was an odd feeling that permeated through the group. Just a few hours ago they barely knew each other and now it felt as if they've known each other all of their lives. It was the sort of camaraderie that old friends would have. It felt great and a heavy weight was lifted off of the girl's shoulders.
"The sun is setting." Allison said looking out of the living room window. It was hard for the rest of the group to tell, but her jaw was set in a way that said she was ready to face this thing that threatened her new friends and their planet.
"How is everyone with weapons?" Lydia asked standing up with mysterious glint in her eye.
"We've never used one." Faye replied pointing from her and Diana.
"We can teach you." Allison and Skye answered at the same time.
"I promise it's not that hard. I am also somewhat skill in the art of using a weapon when need be." Jemma said encouragingly.
The younger girls looked at Jemma and Skye questioningly.
"What is it that you two do again?" Lydia asked curiously.
"We work the government. Very boring stuff like paperwork." Jemma replied her voice raising a few octaves at her lie.
"I thought you were a biochemist. Why would you be stuck at a desk job?" Allison asked
"What Jemma meant is that we work for a biotech firm that deals with a lot of paperwork as well as hands on work in prospective teams. We'd tell you the name, but our bosses would literally kill us." Skye finished dramatically.
"Oh, well I guess we'll just drop the matter while we are ahead right, girls?" Diana asked the rest of the girls receiving slight nods in response.
"Good." Lydia replied before walking toward the bookcase. She pushed a spine out towards her and smiled as the rest of the girls gaped at the hidden room behind the wall. "Now I know that our plan isn't heavily surrounded by weapons, Allison and I thought it would be a good idea to take them with us."
The taller brunette gave Lydia peck on the lips before turning toward the rest of the group. "If everyone would please follow me. I would like to warn not to touch anything you've never seen before. I wouldn't want anyone getting hurt before our mission."
The armory was bigger than anyone thought it'd be. On the walls were weapons ranging from knives to Ak47's. Allison's weapons were gated off from her dad's. Her collection was just as impressive. She had knives, bows and arrows, with classic guns and of course military grade scoped rifles. She thought it'd be best for the group to pick from her collection.
Allison looked at Faye and Diana before seeing which weapons would fit them the best. "Okay, since neither of you have used a gun or any weapon for that matter. You two will have two weapons. I feel comfortable with giving you guys a pair of my ring daggers because hand to hand combat is easier with these instead of holding guns, but for the sake of everyone being well armed; you both will also be using Glock 35's with a .40 caliber. It's light weight and it has an easier accuracy of hitting it's target for beginner's." Allison explained as she showed the two younger girls how to hold and shoot the gun accordingly.
Across the cage Lydia was stuffing a few knives in her boots as well as a lightning stick. She then proceeded to pick up two M1911 that held colt capacity. She took that moment to tie her hair up and load up on extra ammo just in case.
"So, we're suiting up then?" Skye asked the younger redhead.
"Yup. Oh and next time you want to lie about not being a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. you should probably remember that I'm a genius and just because I'm not an excellent hacker or a biochemist doesn't mean that I don't snoop through my older sister's things. Natasha always taught me how to spot S.H.I.E.L.D. from a mile away." Both Skye and Jemma took a collective step back.
"You're Natasha's little sister?" Skye asked with disbelief.
"That's right sweetheart. She wanted to keep our native last name while the rest of our family kept our new one, plus there was this whole thing about not wanting to get the rest of us hurt. She always had a hero complex, but I can't blame her. She wanted to protect people and for that I will always love and admire her for it. I'm glad she got out of New York okay. I just haven't heard from her in a while, but I should be hearing from her soon." Lydia said sadly.
It was hard to believe that Romanov had a sister let alone a family in Beacon Hills that waited to hear from her, but it did make a lot of sense to both Jemma and Skye. Romanov was the best of the best and the young girl standing right in front of them was because of that.
Skye let out a sigh of relief. "We could find her for you if you want." The older brunette said catching Jemma's eye.
Lydia patted herself to make sure she was secure and ready. She looked up at the two women in front of her and gave a genuine smile. "I would like that. There are so many things that I want to tell her and I think she would be glad that I made actual friends not followers."
Jemma looked the younger redhead over. She was only 16 and yet she had the stance of someone much older. Growing up in Natasha's shadow had to have been either very hard or terrifying. Either which way she made note that Lydia grew up dealing with a lot. Having a few run-ins with werewolves and Nogitsune's didn't compare to the emotional scarring having her older sister away from her years on end.
The biochemist put a smoke bomb in her jacket pocket before picking up a .9mm Glock. "I promise that we will get in contact with Agent Romanov once we make it out of this. Most of us in S.H.I.E.L.D don't have families, but I'm glad Natasha still has hers. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you as well." The older woman loaded the gun, switched it to safety and stuffed her weapon of choice in her jeans. She knew that she wasn't taking much, but it was because she had something different up her sleeve.
Skye grabbed a handgun of her own. She smiled when she caught sight of Allison's silver arrows on the wall. It was something about the younger brunette that made her feel like she was in good hands. "Hey Argent! Have you ever used one of those before?" She asked getting the younger girls attention as she was readying her own weapons.
Allison walked up to the wall and plucked a silver arrowhead from the wall. "Yeah, recently. I used it to kill an Oni when we were fighting the Nogitsune." The younger girls look was far away. "I think I'll take a couple of these with us. Thanks for pointing that out Skye." She said bumping the older girl's shoulder in a friendly manor.
"No problem." Skye replied happily. Silver bullets were the talk of legend and the thought that the younger brunette used them on creature and they worked made her see a light at the end of this tunnel.
The girls were looking their arsenal over and going over the plan in their head. That was when Jemma spoke up.
"I think we should use a mirror." The room gave her a questioning look. "For our part of the plan." She gestured from Skye to herself. "If we have a mirror that bounces Skye's photo tonic light off of it we could produce pulse so powerful that it will literally obliterate the Echthroi. My guess is that if we hit one of them the rest of their pack so to speak will fall as well." She finished happily.
"Nice job, Biotech." Faye said genuinely happy that they would most likely live to fight another day.
"Sounds like a done deal. Let's go save our planet!" Allison said leading the group to battle.
The drive to Darwin's Hill was quiet. Thankfully most of the residents of Beacon Hills kept to the other side of the reserve, so they were safe from any danger.
They split up into pairs like Allison's plan suggested.
Allison and Faye stayed to the south side of Darwin's Hill, while Skye and Jemma were stationed to the middle of the hill and Diana and Lydia were north which would be ground zero for the Echthroi. The group all had an understanding that once the Echthroi touch ground they'd spread out in order for their plan to work.
Allison was restringing her bow when Faye decided to fill the silence with small talk.
"So, is being a hunter like being a vampire slayer?" Her tone was playful to the point that Allison envied the younger girls demeanor.
"Kind of. I have yet to meet a vampire, but I've been trained to the point that I think I would fair very well if I had to fight one." Allison replied as she corrected the sights on her compound bow.
Faye looked at her like she was a being from another world. "Cool. Do you think you could teach me after all of this? My magic is useless without the circle and I could really use a skill besides waiting for Diana to do something. She has powerful magic in her and I never want to force her to do something just because I can't protect myself."
Allison's movements stopped before she looked Faye in the eyes. On the outside she looked calm, but on the inside she saw someone scared. She understood that feeling and hated that someone else was feeling it as well. Allison set her jaw and gave an affirmative nod. "Of course. You're a very strong person Faye, with or without magic. Don't ever forget that."
Skye and Jemma were setting the small, but important mirror according the biochemist's calculations.
"Judging by how strong your photo tonic light is getting, once it bounces off this mirror it will make a 45 degree angle and takeout at least one of the Echthroi causing a domino effect." Jemma finished proudly.
Skye stared at her girlfriend for a moment or two longer for the other girl to start fondling with her hair.
"Do I have a bug on me or something?" She asked picking at her clothes.
The hacker laughed. "No, babe. You're fine. Actually you are better than fine. You are perfect and I love you." She replied quietly.
Jemma stopped her movements and smiled brightly. "I love you too. I do with all of my heart." The redhead made sure the mirror was in the correct location one more time before grabbing Skye by the waist and pressing her lips to the other woman's.
Lydia finished setting up small traps just in case the Echthroi got out of their perimeter.
Diana went from looking at the stars to clenching her hands in an almost rhythmic dance.
"You know that you shouldn't be afraid of your magic." Lydia broke their working silence to address Diana's fear.
The brunette looked at her like she said something offensive. "Why not? I have dark magic inside me, Lydia. I'm a monster."
Lydia looked at her in disbelief. "You also have white magic in you Diana. It's the things that we are afraid of that we let run our lives. Fear is what causes your magic to get out of control. What you should do is embrace it. I know it eats at you, but you are more powerful than that small part of you. You can control it. I promise. You're not a monster either. Trust me I met both supernatural and human monsters and I have to say that you are not vile in anyway shape or form. I know Faye believes in you and so do the other girls. You just have to believe in yourself." She finished taking some of her own words in stride.
Diana looked at her this time with confidence and breathed a sigh of relief that caused Lydia to smile.
"So, you can suck the life from people or I guess creatures? I thought banshees only signaled death on the battlefield."
"We do signal death, but we also have such a deep understanding for the universe that we can literally hear worlds within our own. I've been focusing on using different being's energy and reversing it to cause it to slowly decompose. I've read that only Morrigan's can do that. I guess I leveled up so to speak." Lydia explained while looking up.
The stars were beautiful. It was such a shame that so many romantic dates got cut short because some creature's wanted to start an apocalypse.
She contemplated the many worlds that were out there when she saw it. The first meteor streaked the sky in a violent blue hue.
"Get ready ladies!" Lydia's voice rang out through the coms in everyone's ears.
The sky was slowly but surely being lit up in violent shades of blue and surprisingly red. To everyone else that weren't the six women on Darwin's Hill it was a sign that the battle was just about to begin.
"Faye, they are about to touch ground we have to spread to our designated areas!" Allison yelled over the loud noise. It sounded like Godzilla and the reptilian monster from Cloverfield were going at it. The older girl was about to turn and run when she noticed that her partner wasn't answering her. "Faye?!"
The other girl was rooted to the spot and it looked like water was sputtering from her mouth.
"Shit!" Allison ran towards the other girl and started shaking her. "Faye, listen to me. It's not real! The Echthroi are coming at us from behind it's not real. Follow my voice!" She said soothingly. That was when she heard a disgusting spine tingling laugh echo around her.
The Echthroi had their own plan of attack and were coming full force.
Allison picked up her bow and readied a silver arrow. She forgot everything and just listened. The world was silent, but she heard crunching leaves to her left. She breathed in a shaky breath and fired her arrow. She looked up in time to see herself falling to the ground.
"What the hell?!" She yelled as the ground shook and the sky turned from streaks of blue and red to just red. "Guys listen to me. The Echthroi are taking the shape of us. They're trying to trick is into killing one another. Don't fall prey to your fears and stick with the plan!" She yelled into her com.
The Echthroi was still on the ground not moving. She ran to Faye just in time to catch her.
"You're okay. The Echthroi decided to take us by surprise and start from the bottom. The rest of the team should be okay." She reassured the younger girl.
"It felt so real." Faye coughed out.
"I know, but it wasn't. They're just trying to trick us we're gonna beat them." Allison replied she pulled the other girl up and they started to run towards the gun shots.
"Jemma just hold em' off a little bit longer." Skye said as she was readying her photo tonic light at the very small mirror. From the corner of her eye she could see her girlfriend scuffling with herself? She drew in a shaky breathe and focused on what Jemma told her too and released her most blinding blue light.
She continued to release the light even if Jemma tried to get her attention.
"Skye, darling you have to stop." She said. "You're killing our family." In that instant Coulson and the team appeared in front of her.
"This isn't real!" Skye seethed out. If at all possible the faux Jemma's face started to distort which only drew Skye's light even more. "You're not her!" She yelled releasing the last bit of her photo tonic light. She hoped that it bounced off and did what it was supposed to do before her world went completely dark.
Diana's eyes were charcoal black and she smiled when she saw Lydia's turn a dark purple.
"Remember who you really are." Lydia said before they split up.
The younger brunette felt the power surge inside her, but instead of being afraid of it. She embraced it and smiled at the girl that took her shape.
"You're killing us!" The other Diana screamed loudly.
She gave herself a menacing smile. "I'm freeing us!" She shouted back unafraid. "Lydia, now she whispered into her com." Knowing that she would hear her.
Diana focused so much on drawing the energy from the thing that dare take her face. She started to smile when she saw the power literally fall away from faux her as Lydia started to reverse the beings energy.
"You're making a mistake." The faux Diana said looking panicked and weathered and worn.
"I'm not. I'm not afraid anymore and you can't hurt me!" She yelled as she pushed the being mentally in the ray of bright light headed their way.
Everything moved in slow motion.
The faux Diana gave her one final look before exploding right before her eyes. Skye's photo tonic light went straight up into the sky causing it to stay blue longer than necessary. She could make out two small blotches of light from the rest of Echthroi that were in the woods joining their leader in a oblivion.
The world went from deafeningly loud to eerily quiet in the matter of seconds.
Diana's eyes returned to their normal brown color. She smiled when she saw Lydia's purple irises be replaced with her emerald ones.
"We did it!" The redhead said joyously giving the taller girl a hug. Their moment was cut short when a scream reverberated from deeper into the woods.
"Skye?!"
Jemma was cradling Skye's body rocking back and forth hysterically.
"Skye, darling wake up. We did it. Baby, we did it. Come back to me." Tears were streaming down her face as she stroked the other woman's hair willing her to wake up.
The group circled the pair.
"C'mon!" Jemma started to shout impatiently. The biochemist was checking the other girls pulse frantically. "Don't leave me. You promised that you'd never leave me. Darling, please come back to me!" The redhead was in shambles to the point that she didn't notice that debris in the woods started to float and a blue light was surrounding her and Skye.
"Are you doing this?" Faye asked Diana. When the girl gave a mere shake of her head in response she let out an impressive whistle.
In that moment Jemma stopped. She looked down at her girlfriend in the face. "Skye? Darling?" She waited a few seconds we she saw air being brought back into Skye's lungs.
The brunette went into a coughing fit as she regained her breathing. She was in a state of shock that she threw up her hands in protection, but Jemma stopped her before anything could emit from them.
"You're okay. We're okay, baby, you did it." She whispered happily kissing Skye on the forehead.
"We did it." Skye replied hoarsely. "Can we go to sleep now? I'm tired." Skye asked closing her eyes.
"Yes, love we can go to sleep now." Jemma replied carrying her bridle style back through the woods to Lydia's SUV.
The next day the group was finding it hard to say goodbye to one another and decided to spend a few more days together. Allison's dad still wasn't due home for another few weeks and Jemma and Skye didn't have to leave for their cruise for a few more days. Faye and Diana were on a leave of absence from school and weren't going to return unless they felt the need to return to Chance Harbor.
Skye was typing furiously on Allison's computer as the girls ate breakfast. She didn't care how long she took. She would find Natasha Romanov. That was when a sound pinged on Allison's computer. She clicked the blinking button and smiled when she saw Natasha's bored expression appear on the screen.
"Who the hell are you?" The assassin asked angrily.
"I'm a friend of Lydia's chill." The redhead relaxed when she heard her sister's name. "Lydia! Someone wants to speak with you!" She shouted so the other girl could hear her. The young redhead was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when she ran into the living room to see what Skye was talking about.
"You better have a good reason for interrupting my first cup of coffee." She said sounding frustrated.
"Hey, little sis." She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the voice come from the computer.
"Natasha." She replied.
"I know I've been away for a while. I hope you didn't forget about me." The older woman replied with a laugh.
Lydia was smiling happily as she took the laptop from Skye.
"I missed you." She started.
"I missed you too. I should be coming home in a few weeks. Don't tell mom and dad. I want it to be a surprise." Natasha replied giddily.
"I won't. So, how are you? Are you taking care of yourself out there?" Lydia asked fearing the answer.
"I'm hanging in there, Lyds. I've been eating three square meals a day if that makes you happy. Those agents I told you about always make me eat even when I'm not hungry, but at least it's good food and not the cardboard you tried to make me eat." The older woman joked.
"I was six and I thought triscuits covered in chocolate were good for you." Lydia let out a laugh.
"Hopefully, you've improved since then. I'd hate to see you killing that poor girlfriend of yours. How is Allison as ever?"
"I'd never. I solely improved just for her. She's perfect. I told you she was a hunter, right?" She asked excitedly.
"No, you didn't." She said sounding interested. "What does she hunt? Does she treat you well?" The older redhead started to sound protective.
"She used to hunt werewolves, but now she does this whole we protect those that cannot protect themselves thing which includes all creatures. She treats me very well and she even encourages my further studies into theorems and other discoveries." She answered proudly.
"That's good. Did you make any new friends besides that girl Skye? She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent you know?" Natasha said not sounding too happy.
"Hey, I like Skye. She promised to help me find you and she did. I know how feel about them, but she and Jemma are very good people. They helped us save the world last night. I wish you could've seen it, Nat. You would've been so proud." Lydia replied her eyes glazing over in reverie.
"I'm sorry I missed it, but I'll be home soon and we can go on adventures together." Natasha promised. "Now, who are your other friends?"
Lydia gave the full-fledged story about the last few months. She told her about the Nogitsune and how Allison saved everyone. She started to cry when she got to the part that she and Allison still suffered nightmares, but continued to smile when she animatedly talked about her new friends and the Echthroi.
Natasha gave great feedback and asked small questions about everyone.
Lydia was happy that Natasha had so much time to talk, but her face still fell when her older sister had to go.
"I love you so much, Lyds."
"I love you too, Nat. I'll see you when you get home in a few weeks."
"Sounds like a plan. Tell Allison that I look forward to meeting her and that your friend Skye should be more careful with who she hacks before Tony Stark sends out an APB on her." Natasha joked.
"I will." Lydia replied laughing.
"Bye, Lyds."
"Bye, Nat."
Lydia gave one more wave to her older sister before their signal was disconnected. She whipped stray tears from her eyes.
"You really miss her, huh?" Skye asked.
"Yeah, I do. I know that she's doing good things, but I just miss going to her apartment to visit her and having her show me cool fighting moves or how she would make fun of the dumb movies we'd watch together. It's the little things that I miss. It's okay; I'll see her in a few weeks." Lydia replied making sure her face was completely dry before calling the rest of the girls into the living room, so they could have a lazy day.
They were all settled on the couches with blankets over them, when Lydia whispered into Allison's ear. "My sister said that she looks forward to seeing you soon." The older girl looked happy, but shocked. "I'm glad you spoke to her, Lyds."
"Me too." Lydia replied.
The group spent the rest of the day watching tv shows and movies and falling asleep in their significant other's arms. It was a quiet day. It was lazy day that they all deserved.