Nightmares were something Jemma had come to expect whenever she closed her eyes. That wasn't to say she had gotten used to them she had just accepted that they would be a part of her life now.
But that seemed to change two night after she had started bunking with Skye.
The nightmare had started off normal, she and Fitz's at the bottom of the ocean, Fitz lying lifeless in her arms but before it could get to the worst part, the part where she would have Ward smirk at her as her shoot ever member of her team while she just sat there and watched, the dream changed. At first it just faded away into nothingness then she was reliving memories of her childhood.
The same thing happened the next night. The nightmare started but never got to finished. Then the night after that the nightmare didn't even get a chance to start.
At first she figured it must have been the comfort of having another person sleeping in the room with her, maybe that had calmed her down enough to stop the silly nightmares.
But she knew that wasn't it when she noticed the bags under Skye's eyes. Jemma didn't need to be a genius to put together what was happening, even if it had taken her two weeks to put it all together.
Skye had heard her nightmare the first night and helped her out, searched around in her brain until she found something happy and played it like a goddamn video tape inside Jemma's mind.
"You said you weren't going to get inside my head."
Skye lifted her head to look at Jemma, her sleepy eyes landing on Jemma as she arched her eyebrows questioningly. "I did,"
"Then why are you doing it?"
Skye stared at Jemma for a few seconds before nodding, a look a faux innocence spreading across her face. "I don't know what you're talking about,"
"I haven't thought about those memories in years, I haven't even thought much about home in a while." Jemma admitted, sitting down at the table beside Skye. "I'm not annoyed that you were in my head I'm annoyed that you are losing sleep to help me."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Skye repeated. "But if it did I would say that those were the first good memories I came across. That's if I knew what you were talking about."
"Well, do you plan on stopping what you don't know what I'm talking about?"
Skye laughed quietly, her drowsy eyes watching her fingers as they skimmed over the surface of the table. "How long have you been having nightmares?"
"You know what they're about, I'm sure you can guess."
Skye hummed, tapping her finger against the table as she lifted her eyes to look at Jemma. "If I promised to keep you safe would that help ease your anxiety?"
"Do you mean it?"
"Of course, I wouldn't make a promise that I didn't intent on keeping."
Jemma nodded, a ghost of a smile etching it's way onto her lips. "Then, yes, that does ease my worries slightly."
"Is there anything else I can do to help?"
"Kill Ward?"
"You don't want they kind of thing on your conscious."
"I think it's something I can deal with."
Skye lightly shook her head, her eyes unfocused as a little frown appeared on her face.
Jemma watched Skye carefully, gently placing her hand over the back the other woman's, startling her out of her daze. "Sorry,"
"No, don't be. I get you wanting him dead, I do, but regardless if he is alive or dead you're safe. Your entire team is safe, I promise." Skye swore, curling her fingers around Jemma's.
"I believe you,"
Skye smiled at that, staring somewhat shyly over at Jemma.
Jemma glanced down at their hands, a realization dawning on her that, really, she should have realized long before now. Hunter way right, Bobbi was right. The looks from Fitz and Tripp were entirely justified. She liked Skye.
They are both broken, though, there is no place for a relationship in either one of their lives. Skye had just lost her brother, hadn't even came to terms with the fact he was gone and Jemma still hadn't gotten over everything with Ward and HYDRA.
"Hey," Skye murmured softly, gently squeezing Jemma's hand. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah," Jemma nodded, tugging a smile onto her lips. "Yes, sorry. I zoned out."
"Do you need a hug? That's what Lincoln does whenever I'm upset."
Jemma eyed Skye carefully, licking her lips as she turned her body a little more to face Skye. "Skye..."
Skye must've known what she was going to say. Maybe she read her mind or maybe it was just written all over her face. "I know what you're going to say. I know. It just doesn't feel like he's gone. I don't feel that pain in my chest anymore and I couldn't have gotten over it this quickly."
"What do you mean?"
"When he was killed I had this heavy pain in my chest but that only lasted two days. I woke up and it was gone, and I know that's not how grieving works, I grieved for my parents, I shouldn't have gotten over it this quickly."
"You saw it, Skye. You saw it happen."
"I know I did, Jemma." Skye snapped her hand back just before it began glowing red. "And it's killing me knowing that he's gone and I've gotten over it."
Jemma eyed Skye hand for a few seconds before lifting her eyes to look into Skye's, sliding her hand over Skye's lap. "Just being it doesn't hurt as much as it did before doesn't mean you're over it."
"I just feel like it should hurt more."
"He wouldn't want you to be hurting."
"It doesn't matter what he wants anymore." Skye answered quietly, her voice laced with pain and yearning.
"Do you want to come down to the lab with me?" Jemma asked because what else was she supposed to say to that? "I'm performing some tests on that stuff they injected you with."
"I'm not a scientist,"
"You can just come down to keep me company, maybe tell me more about that HYDRA base so we have an idea as to what we're dealing with."
"I'll come down and keep you company but I've told you guys everything I know about HYDRA."
Jemma nodded, patting Skye's knee before standing up. "Ok, just come down when you're finished your breakfast."
Skye bobbed her head, lifting up one of the four slices of toast that were sitting in front of her. "I'll be down soon."
"Skye, you can't eat in here." Jemma scolded and Skye froze, her head tilted back and the sour candy strip she was eating dangling from her thumb and pointer finger, with the other end trapped in between her teeth. "And where are you even getting all of the sweets?"
"Tripp and Bobbi heard me tell Fitz that I had never tasted candy before so they have been bringing me back whatever candy they can get their hands on," Skye explained, chewing on the piece she had in her mouth, looking down at Jemma who was working on the Kree blood. "These are my favourite."
"You really shouldn't be eating in here, we test a lot of dangerous things." Even as she said it Jemma knew it sounded ridiculous, Skye survived the Avengers and Ultron, a little bacteria wasn't going to harm Skye. "You should've even be sitting up there, Fitz will have a fit if he sees you."
Skye looked down at the counter she was perched on. "Do you want me to get off?"
"I don't mind but just know that if Fitz see you he will tell you to get down."
Skye nodded, swinging her legs has she pulled off another bite of her candy. "Have you found anything, doc?"
Jemma watched Skye curiously, amazed at how a woman who took down earths mightiest heroes could look so young, so innocent. "I don't really know what I'm supposed to be looking for. The structure of the blood is totally different from our own, which isn't much of a surprise, but the blood cells are kind of like a virus where by they take over a cell and reproduce."
"So you don't know why that blood hasn't killed me yet?"
"No, but I think I know why it has helped you heal after all the tests they done on you." Jemma said, nudging her head to the left, signalling for Skye to join her beside the microscope. "The radiation should have melted your insides like it probably did to the hundreds of tests subjects before you. And the fact they're reproducing inside you right now means you heal quicker than anyone else."
"But it didn't melt my insides," Jemma hummed as Skye came up to stand beside her, stuffing what was left of her candy strip into her mouth.
"Radiation changes the molecular structure your DNA but this blood somehow manages to find the cells that have been effected and kill them, preventing them from undertaking protein synthesis. That's why you would feel sick and lethargic after being injected with the stuff." Jemma explained and Skye watched as she set something up under the microscope. "Then after that first injection they blood helps protect the cells of the body, so I'm guessing, after your first injection you didn't feel as sick when they irradiated you."
"Irradiated sound bad."
"It is very bad." Jemma agreed, motioning towards the microscope. "Take a look, this is normal cells in with the Kree blood."
Skye leant down to look through the microscope lenses. "Are those cells from me?"
"No, Fitz. But can you see that the cells are just living peacefully with one and other."
Skye nodded. "I guess."
"Now, what what happens when it hit it with some UV radiation."
Jemma turned on the UV lap and pointed it at the Petri dish.
Skye watched has the blue cells, what she assumed was the Kree cells, enclosed the other cells, as if protecting them.
"What are they doing?"
"Protecting Fitz's cells." Jemma chirped excitedly, grinning widely when Skye turned to look at her. "This could be the answer to so many things. Cancer, Parkinson's, immortality."
"And that's a good thing?"
"For Parkinson's and cancer, sure, but immortality, that could cause a lot of problems. A lot of fighting."
"That's what most people want, right? Power, immorality?" Skye asked carefully.
"People want what you have." Jemma said, leaning back against the counter. "You're powerful, if you wanted to you could take down countries, if this power had been given to someone else that's what they might've done."
Skye frowned thoughtfully at that, "Where are you from?"
Jemma frowned, that wasn't what she had expected Skye to say, "I'm sorry?"
"You have a different voice from Bobbi and everyone else. So does Fitz, where are you both from?"
Jemma opened her mouth to tell Skye that where she was from wasn't the main issue right now, she had potentially figured out why Skye wasn't dead but decided against it. "We are both from Britain. I'm from England and Fitz is from Scotland."
"It's a nice voice, I like it."
"Skye," Jemma said softly, gently taking ahold of the woman's hand. "Are you ok?"
"You said it's still reproducing inside me, right?"
"Yeah," Jemma answered carefully.
"So it could kill me eventually, it could take over every cell in my body."
"No, I watched a few samples and not once had the blood cells taken over every cell, they take over just enough to survive. It is like they're thinking, deciding how many cells they will have to take over to produce just enough cells to protect its vessel, which is you. It is amazing."
"Why would it protect me?"
"Because you are giving it everything it needs to survive, it has no reason to kill you." Jemma answered simple. "That is how life works, it's called mutualism."
"I don't know if you're telling me the true or if you're just lying to me because you know I don't know enough to dispute it."
"I wouldn't lie to you," Jemma said in ernest and Skye seemed to sense that, giving Jemma a little nod as she smiled softly down at Jemma.
"Thank you," Skye breathed, her eyes running over every inch of Jemma's face, as if she was trying to map every line of the Brits face and imprint it into her mind. "For everything. Ever since I got here you've been nothing but nice to me, even when I was being an brat."
Jemma swallowed thickly under Skye's intense gaze. "You don't have to thank me," Jemma ducked her head, averting her eyes to look at anything but Skye. "I could tell you were a good person."
"Even after everything your were told,"
Jemma nodded, lifting her eyes to look at Skye who seemed to be much closer to her than she had been just a few seconds ago. "Even after that."
"Why?"
"I don't know." Jemma answered truthfully, her eyes sliding closed when Skye's hand tentatively cupped her cheek, her fingers touching the hair at the base of Jemma's neck. "Skye," She breathed.
"Hum?"
Jemma opened her eyes slightly to see Skye staring down at her, her jaw tensed, her thumb stroking Jemma's cheek bone.
"This is ok, right?"
Jemma nodded slowly but before Skye could lean in the lab door slid open and Fitz marched in, stopping mid-rant when he saw both women.
"Oh, sorry." Fitz quickly spun around and exited the lab.
"I should," Jemma motioned towards the now closed lab door, taking a step away from Skye as she ran her hand through her hair.
Skye nodded, clearing her throat and stepping to the side to allow Jemma past. "Yeah."
"I will see you in a little while," Jemma headed towards the door, stopping just as the door slid opened, turning to look at Skye who was staring down at the floor with a confused little frown on her face. "And Skye?"
Skye's head shot up, her eyebrows raised questioningly. "Yes?"
"Don't touch anything," Jemma said with a little smile making Skye laugh nervously.
"I won't."
Jemma grinned, nodding before turning and leaving.
Fitz was talking animatedly with Bobbi and Tripp when Jemma entered the kitchen but he stopped as soon as he noticed her. "Simmons,"
Both Bobbi and Tripp turned to Jemma with a grin. "Doctor Simmons,"
"Shut up, guys."
"Is it true?" Tripp asked excitedly. "Did you and Skye kiss?"
"No, we didn't." Jemma rolled her eyes.
"Were you about to kiss?" Bobbi clarified.
"No. I mean, maybe." Jemma stumbled over her words, tutting when Tripp whistled. "Shut up."
"Who knew doctor Simmons had game?" Tripp commented.
"What did you want, Fitz?" Jemma sighed.
"I wanted to tell you about my mission but you were busy," Fitz wiggled his eyebrows, leaning his elbows on the kitchen counter.
"Your right, I was busy. Busy figuring out why Skye isn't dead."
"Was the answer on her lips?" Bobbi tried to keep a straight face while teasing Jemma but a little smile broke out on her lips.
"I hate all of you."
"Why do you hate us?" Hunter asked as he and Mack entered the kitchen area.
"Jemma kissed Skye." Tripp said, bouncing on his stool like an excited child.
"I did not."
"Jemma almost kissed Skye." Bobbi grinned.
"Screw you guys." Jemma huffed, spinning on her heels, ignoring the whistles from her team as she headed back down towards the lab.
Even after telling Skye not to touch anything ,when Jemma entered the lab Skye had one of the lab rats in her hand. "We had ones like you at the base. Though, those one were a little more dirty and had a taste for human skin." Skye muttered to the animal, gently petting the fur in between the rats ears.
"That's Scooby." Jemma said as she walked up to Skye, pointing towards the other rat in the cage. "That's Scrappy."
"The ones that we had in our cell at HYDRA used to bite us in our sleep." Skye glanced up at Jemma, a content smile on her lips. "But I like this one."
"Yeah, they are nice." Jemma agreed, reaching out to pet the rat.
"Was everything ok?" Skye asked, lifting her eyes from the rat to Skye.
"Yeah. Everything was fine." Jemma nodded, "I'm going to go up to the room and go over some case files. You are welcome to stay down here with the rat as long as you don't lose them or touch anything else."
"I promise." Skye swore.
"Ok," Jemma smiled. "Come find me when you're done, we can have lunch or dinner."
Skye nodded, her attention fully focused on the little rat in her hand.
Jemma smiled at the innocence of it all, reluctantly leaving Skye in favor of looking over case files.
Jemma's nightmares came back in full force that night, she almost regretted telling Skye to stop helping her out.
Jemma startled awake when she felt herself being gently tugged backwards, her breaths coming out in short, shallow puffs as she tried to calm her erratic heart beat.
"Sh. You're ok." Skye whispered against the back of Jemma's head, tightening her grip around Jemma.
"Skye?" Jemma murmured, feeling herself coming out of her sleepy, and slightly terrified state. Skye hummed, burying her nose in Jemma's hair. "What're you doing?"
"You told me not to get inside your head anymore, this is the only way I could think of to make you feel better." Skye answered sleepily. "It's ok, right?"
Jemma nodded slowly, allowing Skye's presence and warmth calm her down.
"Is it the same dream?" Skye asked quietly, running her hand up and down Jemma's forearm.
"It's always the same dream." Jemma sounded just as exhausted as Skye felt.
Skye sighed, running her hand up Jemma's arm until she could lacing their fingers together just under Jemma's chin.
"Let me help," Skye whispered against the back of Jemma's head.
"No," Jemma breathed back, her hand clutching onto Skye's. "At least not like you have been, you have been exhausted recently. But this, this is nice."
"Ok. This I can do." Skye agreed, giving Jemma a little comforting squeeze.
Jemma turned to face Skye, her hands gripping onto the itchy SHIELD academy shirt as she sighed contently.
"You wanna see something?"
"Sure," Jemma agreed, looking sleepily up at Jemma.
"I'll have to get inside your head."
Jemma swallowed, remembering the last time she had shown her something but nodded anyway.
"This one wont hurt," Skye promised and Jemma just noticed Skye's glowing hand before she closed her eyes.
Jemma could feel head on her right temple then the sound of Skye breaths seemed to fade away and a vision of a beautiful sandy, beach.
"Skye," She turned around just in time to catch a boy running at her. He was young, maybe around seven years old, with messy, sea tousled blond hair and excited blue eyes. "Look,"
She looked down at what the boy was holding out to her, a golden starfish. "Where did you find this?"
"On a rock, come over, there are loads." The boy took off towards the rock, and she quickly followed.
"You can both go down later, dinner is ready." Both of them stopped running, the boy sighing as he quickly rushed over to set the starfish back where he had found it.
"Race you," The boy grinned happily, running off towards the house the voice had came from.
She stalled just as she was entering the glass doors, it shouldn't really have been a surprise to her that the reflection staring back at her was a young Skye, she was seeing this memory through Skye's eyes after all.
The memory began falling away just as she sat down at the table across from a woman, the boy she had just been playing with perched on the chair beside her.
Jemma blinked a few times as she came out of the memory, giving Skye a questioning look. "Your mum and brother?"
Skye nodded, her hand moving from Jemma's temple to run through the Brit's hair. "That was the last good memory I had with them before HYDRA took us."
"You were cute when you were a kid."
"You say that like I'm not cute now."
Jemma laughed softly, shaking her head. "That's not what I said."
"I want to go back to Hawaii," Skye whispered, ghosting her finger down Jemma's jawline. "To see if my mom is still there, to tell her we're still- I'm still alive."
"We can do that." Jemma nodded, closing her eyes of the sensation of Skye's fingers running down her jawline, her thumb ghosting down the side of Jemma's nose. Jemma's eyes opened slowly when she felt Skye's thumb trace Jemma's lower lip.
"You're very pretty, you know?" Again, Skye reminded Jemma of a child. There was nothing sexualized about the way Skye had said it, not like another other time a man, or a woman, had told her she was pretty. It was innocent, purely said as a compliment, to make Jemma feel good, to make her feel beautiful.
"Thank you," Jemma whispered, taking ahold of Skye's hand when it dropped from her face, playing with the woman's fingers. "So are you."
"Can I kiss you?"
Jemma swallowed nervously, nodding jerkily.
Skye licked her lips, leaning across the pillow taking Jemma's bottom lip between own and, God, Jemma almost melted at how sweet it was. It was innocent and tentative and probably Skye's first kiss.
"Was that your first kiss?" Jemma whispered once Skye pulled back, slowly opening her eyes to look over at her.
"My first real kiss, yeah." Jemma didn't know what that meant but she felt like it was a bad idea to ask, that it was something neither of them wanted to talk about, not right now.
Jemma nodded, her hand landing on Skye's cheek as she leant up to press a lingering kiss on Skye's forehead.
Skye was smiling when Jemma pulled back, her hand moving to run up and down Jemma's back.
"Do you feel better?"
"I do," Jemma hummed, resting her head back against the pillow, her hand moving to play with the hair at the base of Skye's neck. "Thank you for this."
Skye nodded, closing her eyes as she yawned sleepily. "It's no problem."
Jemma tucked her hands under her chin, smiling when Skye shuffled closer to her, her fingers tracing Jemma spine.
Jemma's slipped into a dreamless sleep, comforted by the sensation of Skye's hand on her back and the little puffs of air escaping the woman's lips.
