Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, plots, or settings. Everything belongs to Marvel.
Chapter 2
Skye ran without a particular destination, sprinting through the forest away from the city and away from most of the population. The ground was shaking violently beneath her, but she somehow managed to stay on her feet. Tears were running down her cheeks and she was doing everything she could to hold it together. She came across an overhanging of rock and all but collapsed underneath it.
The earth trembled again as her hands fisted in the dirt. Her emotions were fluctuating sporadically and she couldn't seem to get her mind to focus. All she could see in her mind's eye was Trip crumbling to rubble right in front of her while she stood frozen, unable to do anything about it. A choked sob caught in her throat and she turned over, throwing up what little food was in her stomach. Her chest constricted, her breath coming in quick, short gasps as her head began to pound. She knew she was having a panic attack and didn't realize that with each gasp, the ground shook harder. She felt like she was dying.
Skye thought hard about May's breathing techniques and mind mediations, forcing her body to cooperate with her. She didn't know how long it took, but she finally came out of the panic attack and felt the earthquake beginning to subside. It took her a moment to realize that her wrist watch hadn't beeped once since before she'd went into the temple. She glanced down to see the thing had busted. There wasn't so much as a flicker on the tiny screen. She huffed, feeling irrationally irritated. That thing had cost like two-hundred bucks.
Struck with a sudden realization like a punch to the gut, she raised her hand toward the nearby bed of rock and thought really hard about wanting to move them. When nothing happened, Skye wondered if she really had gone insane. She'd just tried to move something with her mind. Knowing she had nowhere to go, she leaned back against the cave wall and brought her knees to her chest. Logically, she knew it wasn't wise to go anywhere until she figured out what the hell happened to her in that temple. Her father and Raina had promised a transformation, and the fact that she really didn't necessarily feel or look any different only worried her more.
When she thought about the random earthquakes, she was oddly reminded of something she'd read as a kid about the Greek god Poseidon. Supposedly, he had the ability to cause earthquakes. Of course, it sounded stupid to believe it was her causing the tremors. Sure, she'd seen some crazy things while with S.H.I.E.L.D, but never anything quite like this.
Skye suddenly irrationally wished that Coulson's silent presence was here to calm her down. She always could count on him to keep his head on straight during a stressful situation, and this was definitely stressful. Thinking of him sent a jolt of guilt and shame spiraling through her. She hated herself for running from them, but in the heat of the moment there'd been no other choice. Her first and only priority was to protect the closest thing to family she had.
It pained her to consider that they might never forgive her. She'd ran to keep them safe, but she wasn't exactly sure that they would see that way. If not for her, Trip might be still alive. She didn't think she'd be able to ever look Jemma in the eye again.
The sun was going to rise in a few short hours so she decided some rest was in order. Keeping one hand near her gun, Skye put her head back against the stone and closed her eyes. She dozed for a long time, unable to sleep because of her overactive brain. Finally, her body gave into exhaustion, and she slowly drifted off. Almost two hours into her sleep, she began to twitch and mumble as sweat gathered on her forehead, but she did not wake.
Her body started jerking and the moaning got louder. The ground rumbled along with her and trembled harder with each louder outburst from her. She finally snapped awake to the sound of a large crack above her head. Skye glanced up in time to see a good sized boulder coming right for her. Not having time to move, she plastered herself to the wall, shut her eyes and prayed she wouldn't be crushed.
As if by magic the boulder splintered into a billion pieces, which turned to dust just as they reached the top of her head. She cracked one eye open and breathed a sigh of relief to see herself not flattened like a pancake. Whatever the hell she just did to that rock saved her life. What she wouldn't give to talk to Simmons about this freaky new power. She could just see the number of blood samples the scientist would want to take. She almost grinned until she remembered what happened to Trip and how it would destroy her best friend.
The thought stole her breath away and tears gathered in her eyes once again. How could Jemma ever forgive her for getting Trip killed? Skye would live with it for the rest of her life.
She suddenly felt the need for a cup of hot chocolate and an AC hug. Although, after everything she'd been putting Coulson through the last thing he would probably want is a hug from her. She was honestly more worried about disappointing him than angering him. He would most likely see her escape as a violation of their sacred trust between them. Skye had seen Coulson and May's once strained relationship to know that he did not handle betrayal very well at all. It twisted her heart to think he might never look at her the same way ever again. Unable to think about it any longer without sobbing, she decided to put her mind on waiting for the sun to rise. She was going to move at first light.
…
Just as the sun began peaking over the horizon, Skye headed back toward San Juan. As she neared the edge of the city she passed several downed trees and wondered how much damage the earthquake did. It made her sick to think it was possible that she could have caused all of it. When she entered the city, she saw the complete devastation.
The streets of San Juan were packed with frantic people trying to get to their destinations; checking on family and friends, making sure their houses and cars were still in one piece. Light poles were down, a few cars were turned over, and even part of the road had caved inward. Police were doing their best to reroute traffic and direct people to safety while firemen were working on getting people out of the earthquake made hole. The glass was shattered and gone out of every store window that she could see.
Skye couldn't handle what she was seeing, knowing somehow deep down that she'd caused all of this destruction. Her breathing shortened and to avoid prying eyes she went down the nearest side alley and leaned against the closest wall. Her vision tunneled and her chest began to hurt from the erratic breathing.
"Oh God, what have I done?" she moaned, her fists in her hair as tears streamed down her face.
She thought she could handle this on her own without putting the team in danger, but seeing what she'd done to these innocent people; she would need the team to make sure she wouldn't hurt anyone else, no matter the measure that had to be taken.
She practiced even breathing and her meditation so she wouldn't cause another tremor. The ground rumbled and shook and Skye shut her eyes tightly, focusing all her strength on stopping it. She had to steady herself on the wall to keep from falling over but after a few tense minutes the shaking simmered down. She took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, finally letting her eyes flutter open.
Skye needed to get back to the team, but had no way of knowing exactly where they'd be. The only thing she knew to do was go back to the building surrounding one of the many temple entrances, and hope they hadn't gotten too far away.
It took her a little while to find her way back to the building, and right before she entered, she pulled her gun from its holster raising it slightly in front of her. She wanted to call out for May or Coulson, but was afraid she might draw the attention of any remaining Hydra agents. After clearing several rooms and finding nothing but dead bodies, she decided what the hell; she might as well shout and see if anyone was here.
"Coulson! May!" Skye yelled as loud as she dared and frowned when only silence answered her.
She should have never ran from them because now she had no way of getting back to her team. Just when she was about to break down and sink to the floor, she heard distant footsteps approaching the room she was standing inside. She pointed her weapon at the doorway and cocked the hammer back. She kept her finger on the trigger, waiting expectantly as the person edged around the corner and through the doorway gun first. Without any hesitance, she squeezed the trigger, firing at the other gun and knocking it right out of the guy's hand.
She heard a curse and couldn't stop the small smirk that flashed across her face. "Enter the room slowly with your hands raised or the next bullet will be imbedded in your chest," she instructed, her voice coming out harsh and unyielding.
The guy entered with his hands raised and Skye dropped her gun when she recognized who it was. Hunter looked just as shocked to see her as she was to see him. His expression morphed into indignation. "Skye, not that I'm not happy to see you but…what the hell! I thought you were bloody Hydra after you shot me!"
She rolled her eyes. "Shot at you, Hunter. I didn't actually hit you."
He crossed his arms and scoffed. "Yeah, but you bloody well about took my hand off."
She wasn't sure why exactly they were bickering at a time like this, but the distraction was more than welcome. There was no real bite to his tone; he actually seemed pretty glad to see her. She gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I sort of thought you were Hydra too. What are you doing here? Where's the rest of the team?"
Hunter bent over and picked up his gun off the floor, putting it back in the holster and Skye did the same. "Bobbi and I were ordered to stay behind in case you showed up. Looks like May's hunch was spot on. Coulson and May are up in the quinjet searching the area for you and the rest of the team is back on the Bus. Fitz had some gadget he thought might help."
He pushed a button on the walkie-talkie she just now noticed was at his hip. "Bob, I found Skye. Meet us at the front doors, we need to contact Coulson ASAP." A second later, Agent Morse's voice came over the static.
"On my way now. Is Skye alright?" Hunter glanced at her and she gave a hesitant nod.
"Seems to be, you can judge for yourself in a minute." He let go of the button. "It's a bloody good thing I found you. You being MIA for the past day has really had everyone on edge, especially the boss man. Any particular reason you ran?"
Skye wasn't quite able to hold his gaze then. She wasn't all that sure she could give a quantifiable answer. There really wasn't a good way to explain it. She decided he deserved the truth. "Something happened down there in that temple and I can't explain it but I haven't been the same since. It's freakishly weird."
He pursed his lips and she could tell he was trying to make sense of her cryptic explanation. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing SHIELD specializes in the freakishly weird." Hunter inclined his head. "Come on, let's get out of here."
She followed him out of the room, not needing to be told twice. Bobbi was already waiting for them by the front doors when they got there. She looked at Skye with narrowed elevator eyes before giving her a nod. "Good to see you're alright, Skye."
Skye smiled softly, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. She'd been expecting some anger from at least a few of the team members after they'd spent all that time looking for her. "Thank you, guys," she said, her gaze shifting between the pair.
Hunter shrugged. "Eh, you know Coulson's policy about leaving no agent behind. I really didn't have much of a choice. He told us we could help him look for you or leave."
Bobbi rolled her eyes at her ex before looking at Skye. "What he's trying to say is that we stayed to help because we wanted to. He likes to pretend because he's a merc, that he has no sense of honor."
He glared at her and Skye had to bite her lip to keep from laughing aloud. Standing there with them, it was almost easy to act like nothing bad had happened; like Trip wasn't dead, like she hadn't been transformed into some sort of monster. Bobbi saw her mood swing and her facial expression sober.
"We should go. We're rendezvousing at the Bus in an hour. As soon as we get a signal, I'll contact Coulson," the blonde agent offered as a way of distraction and Skye was grateful.
Hunter and Bobbi walked on either side of her as they headed in the direction of the Bus. When they got a ways from the building, Agent Morse pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. "Coulson," she greeted as they continued toward the edge of the city. "We found Skye." She paused, listening to his response.
"She's okay…yes, sir. We'll see you then." She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pants' pocket. "Coulson and May are going to meet us at the Bus."
Skye wondered if Coulson was angry with her, but didn't want to ask how he sounded on the phone. She wouldn't blame him if he did put her in the doghouse for what she did. She never should have went down into the temple against his orders. She'd been trying to make things right, but ended up only making it worse instead. She'd been stubborn and foolish, trying her hardest to prove that she had what it took to be an agent; one of the best. She'd wanted to prove her father wrong and make Coulson proud of her so bad. It was the worst kind of fate that her plan had back fired.
They walked down on a road that hadn't been destroyed and took it all the way to the edge of the city. Skye breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the giant plane finally came into view yards in front of them after the decently long trek. The back hatch was open already and waiting for them to board. Before her first foot even made it on the ramp, Simmons was racing toward her at break neck speed. The small scientist threw her arms around her neck and held on almost chokingly tight.
"Oh Skye, I'm so glad you're okay," Jemma said into her shoulder, heavy tears in her voice. She pulled away suddenly to get a good look at the hacker. "You had us all worried sick! Where on earth have you been?" she demanded, her tone rising in pitch.
Skye squeezed the arm she was holding onto and frowned. "It's sort of a long story, but I'm here now and I'm fine. I shouldn't have run." Shadows flashed in her eyes and she tightened her grip around the biochemist. "Jemma, I'm so sorry about Trip. I never meant for him to…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it.
Simmons swallowed thickly, wiping a stray tear as it escaped down her cheek. "It's not your fault, Skye. T-trip went down there of his own free will. He…wouldn't have wanted to go any other way than while trying to save a friend. Saving people was in his nature. None of us could have stopped him." Skye pulled her back into a hug again.
When they finally pulled away, Fitz was standing a few feet behind Simmons, looking a little unsure of himself, but like he wanted to say something too. Skye gave him an easy smile and pulled him into a hug too, ignoring his small grunt of surprise. After a second, she felt his arms come around her and hold her back. "Skye," he said, and that was all he needed to say. She could feel his relief as his hands tightened on her shoulders.
"Good to see you too, Fitz," she answered back, warmth in her voice as they let go of each other. Looking over Fitz' shoulder she made eye contact with Mack who gave her a firm nod.
The sound of the quinjet landing interrupted their reunion and Skye felt her stomach drop to her feet. She was suddenly extremely nervous at the prospect of seeing Coulson and May. She sort of felt like the rebellious daughter coming home after she'd run away. Simmons and Fitz took places on either side of her as they waited for their fearless leaders. She was sure she would have sprinted and thrown herself into Coulson's arms, but she found her body rooted to the spot.
Skye tried to decipher their facial expressions as they made their way toward the ramp where she was standing, but she was having no such luck. Nothing was said as they came to a stop in front of her and she didn't know if that was good or bad. She found her reluctant gaze settling on Coulson who was staring at her with unreadable blue eyes.
She bowed her head and slumped her shoulders, waiting for whatever scolding or punishment that would come. She startled slightly at the feeling of his hand on her arm and glanced back up at him once more. He cocked his head, looking deep into her eyes, and she wondered briefly what he saw there.
"Skye…" he said softly, and she wasn't sure if he was greeting her, admonishing her, or just saying her name to say it. From the look on his face, she thought, maybe it was all of the above.
Suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore. With a rush of courage, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck and holding on with everything she had. He was quick to wrap his arms around her just as tightly, one of his hands automatically going to the back of her head. She couldn't hold in the tears that leaked out as she clung to him.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, AC," she chanted into his skin and she felt his fingers tighten on her neck as the other hand rubbed soothingly up her back.
"It's okay…" he assured quietly, and his breath wisped over her hair with the words.
For the first time in almost forty-eight hours, May saw the tension slowly seep out of them as they both reunited with the person they needed to see the most. Everyone ignored Hunter and Mack's looks of shock at the open display of affection. If they had never noticed how close Coulson and Skye were, then they really weren't paying much attention. Anyone with half a brain could see that they were tight.
When she finally pulled slowly away from him, the hand on the back of her neck moved to rest on her cheek, reminding her of the last time she'd seen him. His blue eyes narrowed as he looked her over; his gaze settling on her face after he came to the internal conclusion that no physical wounds seemed to be present.
"Are you alright?" he asked, eyes boring into her own, looking for any hint of pain or unseen hurt that he needed to fix. She didn't have the heart to tell him there were some things that he just couldn't fix.
"Yeah, but the temple really did a number on Raina and me. I'm not sure I can explain it, but something happened down there…It changed me…" She glanced away, ashamed that she couldn't even talk without her voice breaking terribly. His fingers twitched on her cheek, but he did not pull away like she thought he would.
"Skye, you've been through one hell of an ordeal. We don't have to go over all the details right this second. First thing is getting Simmons to check you out." At her opening mouth to protest, he raised an eyebrow that dared her to speak up. "Second is getting some food in you. When was the last time you ate?" The hand on her cheek drifted down to her shoulder but stayed there, almost as if he needed the contact as much as she did.
She shrugged and he pressed his lips together firmly, getting ready to push it. "Skye that's not an answer," he prodded, but his voice was gentle, worried even. Feeling like she had an audience was not helping things, and May must have sensed her discomfort because she quietly ushered the others further onto the plane until it was just her and Coulson standing on the ramp. Neither noticed Bobbi offer to move the quinjet and May nod her consent or Bobbi walking past them.
"Honestly? I can't remember the last time I ate. Meeting your biological psychopathic father can really take away one's appetite." He winced and she couldn't tell if it was from her words or the verbal reminder that her murderous father was still on the loose.
"I'm sorry, Skye. You should have never had to come face to face with your father. I promised to protect you from him and then I let Ward take you away from me right under my nose." Or maybe the wince was about the guilt trip he was riding hard on.
She shook her head. "This isn't your fault, Coulson. It was nothing but my own foolish actions that led me into the trap. If I'd listened to you, none of us would be in this mess."
"How about both of you stop your walks of shame? The only people to blame for this is your father, Raina, and Ward." May spat the names out with such venom and they both startled slightly to realize she was still standing off to the side, clearly in hearing range.
The director sighed. "May's right. It doesn't help anyone if we blame ourselves. The best thing we can do is make it right." He squeezed her shoulder. "We can start by warming you up some of my famous cheesy potato soup."
She raised her eyebrows. "It is homemade," he offered, his hand coming to rest on the middle of her back as he ushered her inside the plane.
"Why? Because if it wasn't it'd totally be a deal breaker?" Skye asked dryly.
Coulson made a face at her back. "Oh, absolutely." May rolled her eyes. "Once you have the good stuff you'll never settle for less ever again."
...
Author's Note: I just wanted to say thank you to all those who read this, favorited, followed, and reviewed! It is greatly appreciated!
