Oh, I feel overjoyed when you listen to my words. - "Overjoyed" by Bastille


Ward couldn't sleep.

He tried to, of course. Images of Skye, bled white and unconscious, would haunt his mind's eye. He would simply toss and turn, just because he knew Skye was a few levels below him, in the lab, and hovering on the brink of death.

He was doing that now, in his bunk. His sheets were tossed aside, messily piled on the floor. His hair was mussed and unruly. He allowed himself just an hour of crying, and so his eyes were bloodshot. Any which way of sleeping- on the stomach, his side, or his back- would not let him relax. He debated taking sleep syrup. But isn't that stuff addicting? he asked himself. Alcohol was out of the question. It would morph his thoughts of Skye into some horrid monster of a nightmare.

He had to go to the lab.

Ward decided to at least look presentable before he went down there. It would've been embarrassing if Simmons saw him in his boxers. So, he threw on some sweatpants and a grey t-shirt. He took his time, savoring the sense of purpose he felt. At least he could help himself.

When he stepped out of his bunk, the hall was still. Light peeked out from underneath Coulson's office. Ward thought he heard the low murmur of discussion. May, of course. May had occasionally checked on Coulson. Words usually weren't exchanged. Just a reassuring glance or a comforting pat on the back. Actions spoke louder than words.

Ward continued down the hall. The floor beneath his bare feet transitioned from soft carpet to cool steel as he entered the cargo bay to Fitzsimmons' lab.

Inside, the duo seemed heavily preoccupied with the tasks before them. Fitz was tapping away on the Holotable, analyzing a number of graphs and what looked to be like a heart rate monitor. Simmons was busy prepping a syringe. Fitzsimmons had a look of grim determination. It was a complete switch from Simmons' sobbing and Fitz trying to comfort her. Now they worked in sync, driven to keep Skye alive. Ward admired them for that. They could help her, unlike him.

Why hadn't he been there? Why couldn't he protect her like those other times, like at Quinn's mansion? If one wish was granted to Ward, he would've wished to switch places with Fitz. Fitz was there, and the one who let Skye in alone. Undoubtedly, Fitz had the most guilt. And yet, there were two redeeming qualities that worked in his favor. One, at least Fitz didn't let Skye go without protection. This was provided in the form of a Night-Night gun. Second, it wasn't Fitz who pulled the trigger.

Ward tried to open the doors, but they were locked. Too busy, Ward thought. No visitors.Instead, Ward tapped on the glass. It took a while for Fitzsimmons to register that he was there. Fitz looked up and pushed a button on the Holotable. The doors slid open with a small click.

"Oh, sorry about that," Simmons apologized as Ward entered the lab.

"Busy, I hope?" Ward replied. He looked to the hypobaric chamber in the middle of the lab. He gestured to it. "Any change?"

Fitz shook his head. "No, nothing major. However-"

"-We have took Skye out of her chamber to ease her exposure in the cold," Simmons interrupted, "Briefly, a sudden change in temperature would've been dangerous." Simmons turned to Fitz. "Sorry," she apologized.

"No, uh , it's fine," Fitz murmured.

Ward nodded. "So, Fitz, what do these graphs mean?"

"Oh! Well, this one," Fitz pointed to a blue graph, "graphs her internal body temp per hour. This green one graphs her heartbeats in a minute, and then graphs it per hour. And this pulsating line is obviously her heartbeat in real time. We're also taking observations on her appearance and blood loss. All the data in the graphs is tracked by the chamber itself; we're just compiling it for the doctors."

"Do we have an ETA on a hospital?" Ward asked.

"No, May hasn't said anything," Simmons confirmed. "Oh, and Ward? Skye will be coming out of her chamber, and I'll be administering an injection. You're welcome to stay."

"Of course," Ward replied.

Simmons prepped the chamber by lowering the pressure. When the chamber opened, Skye slid out on a white bed. Her appearance hadn't changed from the time they found her in the basement. Her olive skin looked waxy pale. A trail of blood on her mouth dyed her lips a shade of crimson. Her hair spread around her like an inky halo.

"Alright, first I will inject her," Simmons took a look at Ward's critical stare and explained, "It's a mixture of water and nutrients, along with sugars like fructose and glucose to keep her from freezing. Then, you can have the rest of the time. All this will have to take place in a 3-to-4 minute time frame."

"Alright," Ward said. He watched as Simmons found a vein in the crook of Skye's arm and injected the nutrient serum. She stepped aside.

"All yours," she said.

Ward slipped his hand inside Skye's cool grasp. He cleared his throat. "Skye, as your S.O., I order you to wake up," he shook his head, "What am I saying? Skye, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I can't help you, that I can't do anything. But Fitzsimmons, they're brilliant. Please, Skye. Coulson... I've never seen him so sad. He's such a nervous wreck. We all are. Wake up, Skye. I'm a mess too." Ward let go of Skye's hand. Time was up. He wiped away a few tears as Skye slid back into the container.

Ward stood at the chamber's side. It struck him, how much it looked like a glass coffin. A thought occurred to him. He chuckled. How absurd.

"Really? At a time like this?" Fitz said incredulously.

"No,no. I thought Skye looked like Snow White after she had that apple," Ward explained.

Simmons tilted her head. "Ah, I see. Skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony."

"Oh, yeah? Well, if Skye's Snow White, we're the seven dwarves keeping a vigil, and Ward's the prince," Fitz said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes.

"And only magic can save her," Simmons added with a sigh.

Ward shook his head.


A/N: This was originally planned as a one-shot, but I liked the idea of making it multi-chaptered. I have already written chapters for Ward ( chapter one) and Fitzsimmons (chapter two). This fic will also include Coulson and May, for a predicted total of four chapters. Please review!- Roxanne