Mandatory Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men or Agents of Shield. I'm just borrowing their characters for a bit of fun.

A/N: This story, while not officially affiliated with Ozhawk's Soulmates Shorts, is inspired by that work and a comment on one of those shorts about wanting to see Skye with more of the Quake powers. So for everyone who wanted to see more crossover 'ships coming from the Soulmates universe… I hope you enjoy!

This is set an undefined amount of time after s2e10; I left it intentionally vague, and only made reference to the time it has taken for Skye to learn significant control of her powers. In addition, I realize the mission details are a little sketchy. This was never really about the mission. It's a slow build.

As always, thanks to Ozhawk for beta reading and providing comments before I posted. It's a better story with her help. She also provided the cover image. :)

Chapter 1

"Quake, report," Mack's voice came over the comms. "What's going on in there?"

"I have no idea. Standby." Skye crept to the door of the Hydra lab the team had managed to sneak her into and listened intently, but she heard nothing. She was currently deep within the complex, alone because she was the only one currently undetectable to whatever – or whoever – was scanning the base for unknown minds.

Letting her search run on its own, Skye took a few minutes to tap into internal security. "Oh, shit. Why are the X-Men trying to bust into this place?"

"The X-Men? Hell," Mack cursed over comms. "I'll get Coulson onto it."

"Nevermind. I know why. I bet some of the people in holding cells in the labs are mutants." Skye sighed as her initial data search yielded its results. "Beginning data transmission. It'll wipe itself when it's done. I'm going to go get those people out of here."

"You can't do that on your own, Quake!" But Mack knew his protest fell on deaf ears. Skye was pissed; after everything Hydra had put herself and her family – both SHIELD and otherwise – through, she wasn't about to leave anyone in the hands of Hydra's whack-job scientists.

"The lab's not far," Skye said firmly. "I'll be in and out before they know what hit them."

Skye crept along the hallway of the research division. So far, she hadn't triggered any additional alarms; the bulk of security here was concentrated at the various entrances under attack. After his initial protest, Mack had used her link to security to monitor it for her. There were a pair of unconscious guards at the facility entrance, but so far that was it. That was about to change, though.

"Up ahead on your right," Mack's voice came quietly over the comms. "That's your lab."

"Got it," Skye whispered. "Thanks, Mack. See you on the flip side."

"Be careful, girl."

Skye grinned.

A solid kick had the door to the lab flying open. Skye rolled in and shot the first guard as she oriented herself to the earlier camera view. The prisoners were on the far end, in windowed cells. A dozen Hydra scientists scattered around the room. And four more guards at various points.

She saw the guards reaching for their weapons, but Skye threw out her hands abruptly. A burst of vibration threw everyone off their feet. A second wave, set to a particular frequency, caused unconsciousness in everyone within thirty feet of her. One guard managed to hide himself behind a thick metal desk, but as soon as he rose up to target her she shot him first.

Looking around to make sure all targets were accounted for, Skye crossed swiftly to the cells. Most of them hummed with energy; either electricity or some sort of shielding. She pulled out her tablet and quickly found the controls for the cells; shorting out the energy fields was inelegant, but it worked, and a moment later she had the electronic locks disengaged as well.

As the doors slid open, Skye moved to the first of them while calling out, "Come on out, please. Look, I know you don't know me, but I just want to get you out of here. The X-Men are outside as we speak; I just got here a little faster."

A slight young woman with bright pink hair was the first to emerge. She looked at Skye, her eyes full of distrust. She was joined by another teen of obvious Asian descent, and the two girls shared a glance. "I can't sense her, Megan," the young Asian girl said quietly.

"Telepath?" Skye asked with an arched brow. "They can't sense me. I don't know why, but that's why I came."

The girl shook her head but refused to answer otherwise. Skye just shrugged and watched as a blurry form zipped from one cell to another. A moment later, a pair of black-haired teens who looked enough alike to be siblings joined the group.

"She's let us out, so she can't be all bad, Shan," said the young man with a mild accent that Skye couldn't place. "If she can get us out of here, we can all split, yea?"

"It's fine," Skye agreed. "If you want to take off once we're out, that's your choice. But for now, we're better off sticking together."

The pink-haired girl nodded. "I'll be glad to see the last of this place."

"You and me both," Skye agreed as she led the way out of the lab. As they emerged into the hallway, Skye could hear gunshots and a low rumbling noise from the way she'd come in. "Damn. Mack, find me another exit?" she said into her comm.

"Down the hall, make a left, and take the stairs down a flight. There's an emergency door," Mack's reply came after a few tense moments.

Skye followed directions, running down the hall. She noticed that the one called Shan was having a hard time keeping up, though the pair she'd identified as siblings seemed to be helping her along as best they could. They'd just made it to the stairway when gunshots echoed down the hall. "Quick, down the stairs. Next floor down should have an exit. Go!" Skye braced herself in the doorway, firing back down the hall. She swore as she ran out of bullets and ejected the cartridge. She saw a blur move past her, felt the wind of someone's quick passage, and a second later there was a bright burst of light in the hall. Skye turned her head away and slammed the new clip into her gun as the young woman reappeared in front of her.

"That should buy some time," she said in a soft accent that matched her brother's.

Skye nodded and smiled. "Good job. Let's go."

The girl nodded. "Call me Jeanne," she said as the two darted down the stairs. The group slammed through the emergency exit and out into the rain. Skye swore softly to herself, but she knew that the rain would make it harder for them to be spotted. It was probably the work of the X-Men anyway. She led her little cluster of teens towards the nearest gate in the compound wall. They made it most of the way uneventfully, but when they got close Skye could hear the sounds of fighting ahead. She peeked around the corner of a building and then pulled back quickly.

"It's a melee out there," she told the teens. "Use your best judgment, I guess. If you want to stick with me until we're clear I don't mind. But I won't keep you with me if you want to go."

"I'll go get help," Jeanne said and zipped off before anyone could stop her – literally, the girl moved so fast that Skye couldn't even see her go. Her brother looked cross but didn't say anything. He just took a position in front of Shan and watched their surroundings.

Skye peeked around the building again and frowned. Concentrating on her control, she reached out with her power to the Hydra soldiers shooting at the X-Men. In order to avoid hitting everyone in range, she had to knock them out one at a time. She smiled when the first one crumpled to the ground. Then a second.

A short time later, her efforts combined with those of the X-Men cleared the area of Hydra soldiers. "Is it safe?" Megan whispered from behind Skye.

"I think so. Let's get you back to your people, hmm?" Skye asked and the girl nodded. She shyly slipped her hand into Skye's as the others walked just behind them. They turned the corner just as a small group assembled in the clear area just inside the gate. Skye studied them as she approached; a tall woman with long, red hair stood beside a man – the biggest man Skye had ever seen, who was apparently made of metal. A third person joined them, a young man who Skye thought might have been throwing ice at the soldiers. She was grateful for the presence of the kids around her, otherwise Skye would never have dared approach them.

The sight of the teens made the trio ahead relax, though. The woman even smiled. "Thank goodness you're safe," she said. Piercing green eyes met Skye's dark ones and the other woman's smile faltered. "Who are you?"

"Agent Skye, of SHIELD," Skye replied. "Though some call me Quake."

"Are you an X?" the woman asked. Then she made a face at herself. "My apologies. I'm Jean. This is Bobby and Piotr. Thank you for helping our students."

Skye nodded and smiled. "I was already here when your people started to attack," she explained casually. "When I realized the scientists had hostages… I couldn't not help."

Bobby nodded his head politely at Skye, accepting her words, but Piotr gave a shrug and allowed his skin to return to human normal before reaching out a large hand towards her. "It's a pleasure to meet a woman who would risk herself in the cause of another."

Skye reached out automatically to return his handshake as his words registered. Her eyes went wide and she stared up – and up, and up – at the man called Piotr. The man who had just spoken her soulmate words. "Believe me," she finally managed to find her voice. "Knowing what they would go through, I couldn't have left them there any longer than it took to get them out."

Piotr's eyes widened as well. Jean and the teens watched them, confused, but Piotr could only stare at the tiny woman who was his soulmate. He slowly smiled and used his grip on her hand to very gently tug her closer.

Skye closed the distance between them and smiled before returning her attention to Jean. "No, I'm not an X. I'm something else. But I don't really think this is the place to discuss it."

"Shit, look out!" Bobby yelled suddenly. Piotr grabbed Skye and held her against his chest as his skin armored up again just as gunfire sounded from the top of a nearby building. Jean threw up a shield around herself and the kids as Bobby ducked behind a nearby car.

Bullets pinged off Piotr's armor as Skye squirmed around in his grasp until she could see the building. She flung up a hand and her vibrations followed, knocking the men off their feet. As the rain of bullets stopped, Skye sent out another burst towards the rooftop that would knock out anyone still conscious up there. "I think we'd better vacate the premises before any more show up," Skye said, a little out of breath. Her head was starting to ache from focusing her powers, but she didn't have time for that now.

"Everyone alright?" Piotr asked as he set Skye on her feet. A chorus of "yes" and "fine" answered him and Jean began ushering everyone towards the open gates.

"Quake, report," she heard over her comms; she realized she'd been ignoring her radio for the last several minutes when she recognized Coulson's voice. "Damnit! Skye, answer me!"

"Sorry, sir. I'm here and I'm fine. I was talking with a couple of the X-Men; the teens are safe," Skye reported crisply. "Did you get the data?"

"We've got it. What's taking you so long?"

"Well, that's the thing," she began. She looked at Piotr, then at the others as they moved swiftly away from the Hydra compound and into the woods that hid the place. "I kinda met my soulmate."

There was a pause over the radio. "You're telling me that your soulmate is an X-Man?" Coulson's voice sounded strained.

"Yeah," Skye answered quietly, aware of the startled expressions around her as well. "AC…"

"Morse and Mack will wait two hours for you to make it to extraction," Coulson said crisply. "If you decide you're going elsewhere, let us know."

Skye sighed. "I don't even know if that's an option. I'll get back to you."

"Are you alright?" Piotr asked gently, his voice a low rumble that Skye found soothing.

"Yeah. I've been given two hours to get to my pick-up or…"

"Or?" Jean spoke up from just ahead. They emerged from the trees into a clearing, where Skye caught sight of a large plane – a Blackbird, or at least that's what it looked like to her.

"Or to tell them if I have another option." Skye looked from Piotr back to Jean. "I know none of us were intending this to happen. I certainly wasn't." She watched them exchange a long look and sighed. "It's alright. I'll go back to my team and leave you in peace."

"Wait," Piotr said quietly as Jean moved towards the plane. "I do not want to lose you. Please."

"I don't want to cause problems with your team, though," Skye answered him. "Or mine, for that matter." She smiled at him, resigned. She reached into her pocket and handed him a small card. "Here. Message me when things are settled; this doesn't have to be the end."

Piotr took the card and smiled. He scooped Skye up into his arms and kissed her, long and deep. Skye moaned and kissed him back, letting him feel her longing for just a moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck and just pressed close for as long as she dared.

When he set her down again, Skye grinned up at him. "You'd better get used to doing that. Otherwise I might have to climb you like a tree," she teased.

Piotr laughed. "I assure you, I will never mind holding you close."

"I'll remember that." Skye smiled at Piotr one last time before turning away from the plane. She began to walk quickly away and had to wipe away a tear when she heard the plane behind her take off. With a sigh, she slowed down; she had two hours to make the long walk back to the Quinjet. She was afraid she would need every minute of that time to come to terms with what she had just done.

"Are you crazy?" Bobbi asked when she saw Skye walk up the ramp onto the Quinjet. "You met your soulmate, and walked away?"

"I didn't walk away. He has my contact information. But I don't think anyone's prepared for me to bring him back to base," Skye said with a sigh. "And his team didn't seem terribly happy to have me around. So I told him to contact me when things settle a bit." She flopped into a seat and rubbed her eyes.

Bobbi's expression softened. "You overdid it, didn't you?" she asked gently. "Here." She handed Skye a bottle of painkillers. "We've got four hours until we get back. Strap in and rest for a bit, if you can."

"I will," Skye said. She took the bottle of water that Mack held out to her silently and downed the pills before strapping in. Mack settled in beside Skye as Bobbi went to the cockpit; Skye smiled and leaned against his solid strength when he offered a supportive hug.

"It'll work out, girl," he told her quietly.

"I hope so, Mack. I really do."

TBC...

Quick note: The teens Skye rescued are in fact Marvel Characters. I deliberately chose more obscure characters because I don't know enough about them in canon to be sure I could match their personalities. Megan is Pixie (Megan Gwynn). Shan is Karma (Xi'an "Shan" Coy Manh). The twins are Aurora and Northstar (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier and Jean-Paul Beaubier).