Here's chapter 2!

Okay, I really hope this story is good enough and you're enjoying it! ;) Reviews are always welcome!


I heard noises in the hall and in just seconds the team was in the room, crowding around my bed, happy smiles on their faces.

Jemma's voice filled the room as she rushed to my side and gave me a hug, trying not to hurt me while doing it.

"Skye! Oh god, you made it! You made it!"

My Dad rushed to me as if unable to believe I was really there and cupped my face, planting kisses on my forehead and saying "Thank you" several times. I had no idea whom he thanked though. All I could think about was that he was my Dad. My Dad was right there with me and he loved me.

I hugged him and the next word just kind of slipped out of my mouth:

"Dad!"

The room fell silent. A.C. stilled. I nearly stopped breathing. I didn't mean it to be that way, didn't mean to tell anyone about my discovery just yet.

He slowly pulled away to look at me, his face stricken. He never thought that coming. He thought his secret was safe. Although he was planning on getting rid of that secret after nearly losing his daughter he never thought the secret would be out before that.

"How do you..."

I let go of him and turned my head to the side. I could feel every person in the room stare at me but I didn't know neither what to do nor what to say.

I heard him try to get me to talk but my thoughts were elsewhere.

"Skye, look at me"

"Talk to me"

"Skye, it's okay. I would tell you anyway, especially after you nearly died on us. How did you find out?"

Finally came a question I could answer.

"She told me when I was over there. She was trying to make me come back to the world of living"

"She? Who is she?"

"My Mom"

I saw his eyes get wide and his eyebrows go up from surprise and confusion as he sat right in front of me and continued looking at me.

The room seemed even more silent than before. The only noise came from the machine that was monitoring my heart. A little bit more silent and I would be able to hear my heart beating.

Eventually A.C. spoke, shock still evident in his voice:

"Where have you been?"

"I dunno. Some place in between the world of living and the world of dead, I guess. It wasn't heaven but it was still very calm and peaceful. I was tempted to stay"

My dad wasn't a man not to believe this kind of stuff. He's seen too much weird stuff not to. He's been dead for days and still there he was, perfectly alive. So he neither asked any questions nor asked for proof. He was used to weird things.

"Oh god. I'm so sorry, Skye. It's all my fault you almost died"

I got so mad at him and the other for blaming themselves that I screamed, regretting it immediately as I felt the pain in my stomach get worse:

"NO! None of you are to blame for this except for Quinn. He shot me and left me alone to die. Clairvoyant told him to anyway"

Each team member threw her a look that said explain what you've just said.

Grant asked me, getting closer to the bed, with a hint of anger in his voice:

"What? What did Clairvoyant have to do with this?"

Apparently he was unable to stay away from me for too long, which was perfectly fine with me.

I was forced to remember the shooting, the pain and Quinn's words before he left me to bleed out there all alone, which made me subconsciously frown and Ward slightly flinch.

"He said that he was sorry and that he had his orders too"

Ward's anger and rage were starting to show and that scared me because I didn't want him to experience that rage again and do something rash.

He started pacing around the ward, his teeth gritted and his fists clenched, his breathing heavy.

"I am going to kill that son of a bitch. He shot you, twice, and left you to die! I am going to kill him!"

He was getting out of control. His rage was about to overwhelm him and it wasn't good at all. As he got to the door, about to leave and probably go find Quinn and kill him, I called his name, desperately trying to make him stay with me, as much as possible, both for his sake and mine. God knew how much I needed him right now.

"Grant! Please, stay with me, I need you"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at my face. I wasn't sure what he saw there but his expression changed. He walked back to my bed and sat on the other side and brushed my cheek with his hand, and I closed my eyes from pleasure. When he spoke, I could say he'd calmed down, his voice was soft and gentle, meant just for me.

"I'm sorry. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me to"

"And I won't ever do that"

"Good. But now you need to rest. You're still weak and need your strength back"

I wasn't ready to close my eyes again just yet so I couldn't help inserting a sarcastic remark:

"So we're back to Mr Fun Machine mode…"

"Skye, I'm just concerned about your health, just as anyone else in this room. We almost lost you so you gotta obey and get some sleep, okay?"

My dad as well as everyone else in the room seemed to be of the same opinion, which left me no choice in the matter. It wasn't that I didn't agree that I needed rest, it was just that I didn't want to be separated from my family again, even if it was for sleeping and only for a short while.

"Have some sleep, daughter. We'll still be here when you wake up"

I looked at Grant with a sad face. I didn't want him to leave me yet, neither now nor ever actually. I wanted him by my side so bad right now though. I had an urge to wrap my arms tightly around him so that he couldn't get away and for him to hold me close to himself, though it would be pretty hard considering the wound in my stomach. But he looked terrible, I bet he hadn't had any proper sleep in a while, worrying about whether I live or die and blaming himself for what had happened. I really wanted what was best for him and right now he needed a proper bed to sleep on. I would just have to suck it up and be on my own and let my family rest but it didn't mean I couldn't but feel sad and didn't mean I wouldn't be scared of the nightmares to come, didn't mean I wasn't scared to close my eyes and see Quinn shoot me over and over again.

Suddenly I was aware of the dull pain in my stomach and almost swore. Until now I didn't notice but now that I thought about Quinn the pain was back. Not the kind of enormous pain that I felt when the jerk shot me but it hurt like hell anyway. I tried not to show it but I was pretty sure it was unsuccessful when I saw Grant look at me suspiciously.

He asked me in a worried voice:

"Skye, baby, are you hurting?"

I felt cold sweat on my forehead and felt a little bit dizzy. I knew it was pointless to lie, I bet I looked like crap and needed some pain relievers. My hand went to my stomach where the wound was. I looked down, removed the blanket and gasped seeing blood. It couldn't be.

Grant was by my side in a flash, everyone else followed him.

"Oh god, Skye!"

Seeing my pale face he put his palm on my cheek to calm me down and said to Simmons with a mix of anger and worry in his voice:

"Why is she bleeding? Didn't she lose enough blood already?"

She lifted the hospital gown to have a look while Grant's eyes stayed on my frightened face as he kept stroking my cheek gently. A moment later Jemma said:

"Calm down, you two. She just needs to change the dressing and a painkiller, okay?"

Jemma removed the dressing that had blood on it and I tried to have a look at the wound but Ward looked at it before I managed to and pushed me gently back on the pillow , then said:

"Skye. Don't look"

He didn't let me even have a peak at the wound. I looked at the shocked faces of the others and thought maybe Ward was right and I shouldn't see it because I might as well faint. My father was standing not far away with his eyes closed, unable to look at the wound that had almost killed me.

Jemma changed the dressing quickly and injected some painkiller in my IV.

"You're going to fall asleep soon, Skye"

My dad walked to my bed and placing a kiss on my forehead said:

"Get some sleep, Skye. We'll be here when you wake up"

After telling me to have some good rest and sleep everyone left until it was just me and Grant. I was feeling really sleepy due to the meds that Simmons had given me.

I lifted my hand and put my palm on Grant's cheek. He looked exhausted and sleep deprived and I was to blame for that. I had to make him leave and get some good sleep even though I hated to let him go.

"Close your eyes, baby. I'm not going anywhere"

He said it as he took the hand that was on his cheek and kissed my palm.

"No. You need to go and get some sleep in a proper bed. Sorry to tell you but you look like crap"

He chuckled at my honesty and said, smiling and stroking my hair:

"I won't be able to sleep when you're too far away. I'm not going to let you off my eye sight very soon, if ever. I'll sleep on that couch over there"

He pointed at the small couch by the window. As much as I wanted him to stay I also wanted him to rest properly and stop torturing himself because of me.

"But Grant…"

He interrupted me:

"No buts, Rookie. I'm not going anywhere and you're almost asleep by the way"

He said as I felt my eyelids dropping. My eyes closed and the last thing I felt were his lips on my forehead and his soft voice saying "Sweet dreams, baby"

It was surprising I didn't have any nightmares but that was probably because my dear Robot was guarding me, in all senses of that word.

Instead of finding myself in that cellar again I found myself on a beach again. But this time I wasn't dead like before, just dreaming.

I sat down on my knees and buried my hands in the soft sand and felt myself relax, closing my eyes and inhaling fresh air.

I opened my eyes and instead of seeing Agent Avery like I did when I was there before I saw him and smiled, instantly feeling warm, and absolute happiness filled my heart.

He kneeled in front of me, a matching smile on his face, and I asked him:

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking after my Rookie"

I giggled. It was so nice when he was like that, caring, soft and gentle.

"Is that a problem for you?"

His voice sounded a bit offended and I chuckled and smiling at him, said:

"Noooope"

The sun was shining but it wasn't hot. A nice breeze came from the ocean and my hair fluttered in the wind. The air was filled with the smell of the ocean that I loved so much. It was the perfect kind of weather.

He got closer and sat down beside me, our shoulders touching. I took his hand and entwined it with mine. Our hands fit perfectly and it felt so right. Him. He felt right. The kind of right when you feel you have everything you need when he is around and just know that as long as he is there you're going to be perfectly fine, more than fine even, you know he makes you happy, blissfully happy when he is by your side holding your hand and looking at you as if there's no one else.

He spoke after a long time of silence:

"Why this place?"

"I love the ocean. And the beach. It's so peaceful here"

He put his arm around me and pulled me to himself. I sighed contentedly and closed my eyes, feeling my body relax into his touch.

"But you are the main piece of the puzzle"

He looked down at me and I explained:

"This is my happy place but you are the main element. I'm happy when you are with me. You are my home, Grant"

He hugged me closer and put a kiss on the top of my head.

"It's the same for me, Skye"

I slowly opened my eyes. It was dark and I couldn't say where I was at first. I kept staring into the darkness trying to distinguish something that would tell me where I was.

Before I started to freak out I heard some movement somewhere close. I turned my head in that direction sharply to see what was there but soon felt him close and his palm on my cheek calming me down.

He whispered:

"Shhhh it's okay. I'm here"

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, needing some comfort, my heart beating fast.

"Are you in pain?"

"No"

That wasn't completely a lie. The pain wasn't that bad, especially when he was there with me.

"Liar"

"I'm not"

"I'll call the nurse. I don't need you to wince in pain in front of me"

He didn't let me say anything, just went for the nurse. She came in and injected the painkiller and was out of the ward soon.

I grabbed him by his shirt, my hold strong but getting weaker as the effects of the pain meds started to kick in.

"Will you stop being so commanding?"

Before he replied I pulled him close to me and kissed him on the lips softly, unable to wait anymore. He answered the kiss but pulled away too fast.

He chuckled at my brave move and said, putting a small kiss on my cheek:

"Take it easy, Rookie. There'll be plenty of time for that when you feel better"

I pulled him even closer, still clenching his shirt and said in a low voice:

"Get your ass in bed with me or else"

He laughed and I I saw him smile widely, then he said:

"Wow. My super sarcastic Rookie is back"

I had too little time left before my eyes closed so I decided to let it slip for now.

"Just get in here with me"

When he didn't move I added, my voice sounding desperate:

"Please"

That was it. All it took to make Ward do what I want is my pleading and he was done. I definitely was going to use that method again sometime soon.

"Fine"

He gently put his hands underneath me, lifted me up and moved me a little closer to the edge, then took off his shoes and lied down on his side putting his right arm around me, bringing my head a bit closer to his chest.

Planting a kiss in my hair, he asked in a low soft voice:

"You comfy, baby?"

"Perfect. Thank you"

"Skye?"

"Yeah?"

"Look at me"

When I did I saw something in his eyes that made my heart race and the world around us just stopped moving. It was just me and him in our perfect little world.

His next words were the most beautiful words I'd ever heard.

"I love you. More than anything in the world. You know that?"

I smiled at him feeling the happiest girl in the world. Three magical words that meant the world to me when they were coming from him. Simple as that, just three little words that could make me the happiest I've ever been in my life. I loved him with all my heart and soul and even beyond that. It seemed only natural to say those words back:

"I love you too, Grant. You are my soul mate"

My dear Robot smiled like an idiot and pulled me in for a soft kiss on the lips.

The painkiller made itself known as my eyes started to close. I was asleep in seconds, feeling safe and protected knowing he was there holding me tight. I wasn't bothered by any nightmares through the night.

It took me two weeks to be released from that prison that they call S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility. I tried to make them let me go earlier and begged my Dad, Grant and even Fitzsimmons and May to do something to make them release me earlier because I was bored to death and tired of lying there not doing anything, especially that time when the team went on a mission once and I had to be alone, although Ward almost went ballistic when he was made to leave me there on my own as he clearly didn't trust the guards that were assigned to watch my ward with my life. But when I begged him to take me home to the bus he said that I had a serious injury and had to be in a place where I could get immediate help should something happen. He's been looking after me, taking care of me and even changed my dressing himself all the time I had to spend in hospital, which satisfied my dad a lot because he trusted Ward to protect me and keep me safe. I didn't mind that a bit. He made me feel like a princess and he actually started calling me that.

So eventually I was brought home to the bus, a place where I thought I'd never get to return to. I honestly thought I was going to die when I was in that cellar with a gashing wound in my stomach. So when I was finally in the bus, carried from the van to my bunk by Ward (he insisted), I felt tears start to fall down my face.

"Baby, why are you crying? Does it hurt?"

I tried to control the tears and make them stop but ended up completely weeping in front of the scared-looking Grant and mumbling:

"I thought… I thought I'd never come here again"

His arms were around me in a second, his hand rubbing my back soothingly.

"Oh, baby, shhhh. I've got you, you're safe now, you're safe, you're at home"

"I truly believed I was going to die and not see you or the others ever again"

I wept into his shirt and he just held me. I found the strength to speak about what happened in the cellar with Quinn.

"You know first he was trying to make Mike shoot me. He didn't do it though, he said I wasn't the one he had to kill and walked out. I tried to stop him but he was gone. So then I turned to Quinn and… it all happened so fast. I just felt the pain…"

My voice broke and I buried my face further into him and wrapped my arms around him tighter.

"Skye… You don't have to bring all these memories back right now, you're still recovering…"

I knew what he meant but I wanted to tell him anyway.

"and then he gets closer and puts one of his hands around me…"

I felt Grant suddenly tense up and bring me closer to himself. I stopped talking feeling he probably wasn't ready to hear all of that just yet but he said in a grim voice:

"What was next?"

I frowned at the memory but wasn't even trying to fight my tears any more although Grant's shirt was already soaked in my tears and spoke again, my voice a whisper:

"He held me close and that's when he pulled the trigger again…"

"Then he slowly lowered me to the floor and said he was sorry and that he had hos orders too. Then he left"

He pulled me on his lap and started putting kissed all over my face. I could tell he was on the verge of breaking down.

"I knew I should have killed the motherfucker. But May insisted on doing the work herself"

I froze. Did she kill Quinn?

"Did she kill him?"

"No. Beat him almost to death but let him live. I know I should have finished him off"

May really did that for me?

"Grant, you can't let your rage take over you. You're not a murderer"

"He almost killed you, Skye! He got so close to taking you away from me!"

"Yes but killing him wouldn't help me"

"I know. I should have protected you like I was supposed to. I'm sorry. This never should have happened"

Oh no, please not that. Grant Ward and his hero complex.

"Please don't go there and don't you ever dare put the blame on yourself, Grant! The blame is fully on Quinn and the Clairvoyant. Not you, not Fitz or my dad are to blame!"

He went silent so I looked up and cupped his face, brushing it gently with my thumbs.

"Please"

I repeated: "Please, Grant, do it for me"

I knew he couldn't resist my pleading and I wouldn't deny using it to my advantage when needed. I had my S.O. under control, almost.

"I promise to try"

Then he continued, his voice deadly serious:

"Don't do anything like that again, Skye. Because God knows I can't handle any more of your shananigans. Do you understand? No more rash decisions, unnecessary sacrifices and dangerous actions"

"Got it, S.O. I'm sorry I was stupid enough to think I could handle it. I wanted to make you all proud"

He said, looking me right in the eyes:

"Skye, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. We all are proud of you and we believe in you"

I saw in his eyes that he really meant it. It meant so much to me that he truly believed in me.

I looked at his beautiful face that I loved so much, his chocolate brown eyes that now had a sparkle in them, his messy hair that were in fact messy because my hands always seemed to end up in them… seeing him so close I had only one thought: I just had to kiss him.

So I leaned in and kissed him senseless, like I've never kissed him before. He answered the kiss fast, instantly deepening it, his hands went under my shirt, roaming on my back, making my skin tingle and my head spin. I felt weak but in a good way. His hands felt so good on my body, holding me gently, his mouth so tender on mine, kissing me with so much passion and lust I thought I'd faint from feeling so much.

Suddenly he pulled away.

"You need to lie down, baby"

"Spoilersport!"

He pushed me gently on the pillow and put my legs on the bed and said, lifting my shirt to check on the wound:

"Remember what the doctor told you, princess? Bed rest. There are five more people on this bus who are going to make sure you do what the doctor said. So you better listen to what I say and be a good patient"

This was Ward and his obsession with my health. I wasn't going to have any fun anytime soon judging by what he'd just told me. Sometimes he was so annoying and so not fun when he talked about orders, protocol, health and other boring stuff like that.

One particular thing that made me very happy about the whole situation was the fact that I was banned from training for a relatively long period of time. I didn't have to get out of bed early in the morning and could get some more sleep while Grant had to get up for his training (not that he was complaining). After training though he got back to the bunk, joined me in bed again and I wrapped my arm around his torso and sighed contentedly. He then tried his best to wake me up because he didn't want to sleep anymore and as he said "as much as I love watching you sleep I'd rather you wake up, Rookie"

Of course he promised me that as soon as I have completely recovered the training was going to resume and gradually he was going to add more hours to make up for lost time and said that I better keep that in mind and do not relax completely.

The ban also applied to field work though, which meant I could only do the hacking. I wasn't happy about that and when I tried to object, Ward gave me one of his looks that meant I better not complain.

"Skye, you are not going anywhere near the field with that wound in your stomach"

"But…"

"No buts! You almost died because you are so stubborn! I almost lost you! So I won't take any buts from you when I know exactly what is better for you. I worry about you, Skye. You were seriously injured and now what you need is to fully recover. So no, you are definitely not going into the field until you are fully recovered and healthy again. Is that understood?"

I listened to what he said without even trying to interrupt him and prove him wrong. I was looking at him with a sad look in my eyes while he was speaking and realized that he probably had a point. I was the one to blame for almost dying and leaving the team hanging out to dry. But at the same time the decision I'd made to come in and not let Quinn get away was still right because he was dangerous, had a connection to Clairvoyant and needed to be caught, and moreover, I did succeed in at least buying them some time to catch him. But by doing that I scared the hell out of everyone by getting shot and almost bleeding to death and they weren't going to forget the sight of me bleeding out and without a pulse sometime soon.

I got kind of lost in my thoughts and only when Grant raised his voice did I start hearing him again.

"I hope now you're going to think better before making a decision to risk your life from now on!"

I looked up at him with a guilty look on my face, unable to say a thing.

His face softened as he took in my expression and said in a concerned voice:

"Skye?"

I looked away, tears already pricking my eyes, and felt his warm palm on my cheek.

Pulling me to his chest, he said in a low voice:

"I'm sorry. I just want to protect you"

"I know"

I still had one thing to do that I should have done a while ago. I needed to tell the people I call my family just how much they mean to me and how grateful I am to have all of them in my life.

So when all of us where in the control room I thought it was my chance to speak.

"I want to tell something to all of you"

I saw five pairs of eyes turn to look at me, confused at what was it that they all needed to know.

"I never told you how much all of you mean to me and how much I love every one of you. You are the only family I have ever had and I am so incredibly grateful to have you. You are my gift from the universe. I don't know what would I do or where I'd be if I hadn't had you, guys. So I wanna thank you, dad, Grant, for kidnapping me from my van. You've changed my life and I've never been happier"

When I finished speaking I realized I had tears on my face. My dad reached me and pulled me in a hug, his hand holding the back of my head and the other on my back.

"Thank you, Skye. Thank you for hacking SHIELD and finding us. Oh god, I can't believe I just thanked you for hacking SHIELD"

I was a survivor, a fighter. I survived two bullets to my stomach and was good as new, perfectly alive and ready to fight again. Quinn couldn't break me. No one can. My name is Skye Coulson and I am stronger than you think.


So this is it! That's how I wanted to put it:)

Thank you for reading!