Hands That Heal Me
Disclaimer:
As always, I own nothing!
Rating:
K+
Genre:
Romance/Family
Pairings:
Skanner (Skye/Bruce Banner)
Melony (Melinda May/Tony Stark)
Lyrics Used:
Cher Lloyd "Sweet Despair"
Cher Lloyd "Bind Your Love"
I Will Always Find You
You've been foolish | And, I've been stupid | Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh | One mistake is all it really takes | To take my breath away | Go and put the knife in
I hear voices inside my head | Something's different inside this bed | I don't really know what's in the cards of life | All I really know is my tears won't dry tonight | Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
One mistake is all it really takes | To take my breath away | Go on put the knife in | Run away, don't need you anyway | Although, I wish you'd stay | Go and put the knife in
You've been foolish | And, I've been stupid | Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Bruce screamed at the top of his lungs as the electricity coursed through his body. Every nerve ending in his body screamed with pain. It was yet another experiment in a long series of trials at the hands of General Ross's lab staff. It had been three weeks and while they had pinned down the formula to control the Hulk while he was out … They were still tweaking the formula for preventing a rogue Hulk-out. These tests consisted of pushing Bruce to his physical and mental breaking points – seeing just how far they could push him without the Hulk taking over. Sometimes, they flat-out beat him to a bloody pulp. Other times, like now, they would send electric shocks – in increasing voltages – coursing through his body. As he cried out in agony, the only thing salvaging any shreds of his sanity was focusing on the knowledge that Skye was safe – far from the hell he, himself, was trapped in. "Skye…" He whimpered, clamping his eyes shut as he fought to focus on better times with his forbidden angel in his arms.
I'll be crying, you'll be screaming, I'll come crumbling down | Just the thought of you and I another face in the crowd | I'd rather wake up in an empty house than this battlefield | I'm on my own now, I'm on my own, now
Tony and Melinda watched, from the top of the catwalk, as Skye took out all of her emotions on the punching bag. "She's taking this hard." Melinda muttered, thoughtfully, laying her head on Tony's shoulder.
"I get it." Tony replied, wrapping an arm around Melinda's back and rubbing her opposite arm, comfortingly. "She's crazy about him … Which is making her equally crazy not knowing where he is…"
"You really think we'll find him?" Melinda questioned, uncharacteristically quietly. She wanted to reassure her daughter as much as Tony did. But, at the same time, she didn't want to give her false hope.
"Without a doubt." Tony replied. His voice was quiet, but, still so fervent that Melinda wanted to believe him. "If it had just been Bruce taking off on his own … I wouldn't be so sure. But, Ross … He'll make a mistake … And, when he does … We'll be there." Watching her daughter, Melinda felt helpless to comfort her. But, she had to believe that Tony was right. They would find Bruce … They had to.
"Guys!" Fitz cried out, breathless, as he charged into the common area with Simmons hot on his heels. "Come quick-"
"We've done it!" Simmons cried, clasping her hands together, excitedly.
"You found him?!" Skye cried, hopefully, leaping to her feet. "You found Bruce?!"
"Well, more specifically, I found Dr. Banner." Fitz corrected, smugly, earning himself a firm smack on the arm. "OW! What the hell, Jemma?!" He demanded, defensively.
"Now, is hardly the time to be playing 'Quien es mas macho'!" Jemma scolded, harshly.
"For the love of God!" Skye declared, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. "Will somebody please tell me where the hell Bruce is?!" She demanded, on the verge of losing her mind waiting for answers. It had been three weeks since Bruce had been taken and her sanity was wearing dangerously thin. They'd all seen it. They'd all been walking on eggshells around her. "And … more importantly … how we can get him back?!"
"General Ross made one fatal mistake-" Jemma began, only to be cut off by Tony.
"Called it." Tony interjected, hoping to cut the palpable tension that had been growing in the air ever since Bruce had been taken. However, one murderous glare from his daughter told him his attempt had failed … Epically. "Sorry." He apologized, awkwardly. "Please … Continue."
"As I was saying…" Jemma began, picking up where she'd left off. "General Ross made his mistake when he took command of a highly classified laboratory at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas."
"I've managed to hack into their video surveillance system and confirmed that Bruce is – in fact – there." Fitz added. However, before he could speak another word, Skye interrupted with another question.
"You saw him?!" The hacktivist demanded, desperately. "Is he okay?!"
"He's alive…" Jemma assured her, gently, hoping to not have to go into detail. The truth was, the Bruce Banner she'd seen was beaten almost beyond recognition – covered in dried blood and bruises, some healed and others still fresh. The biochemist just didn't have the heart to tell Skye what she'd seen.
They'd all seen Skye's face fall at those two little words. Before she could question Jemma further, May cut in. "I'll get to work clearing the way for us to get in, no questions asked." She declared, making her way to the cockpit.
"You do realize you're dealing with a military base?" Jemma questioned, disbelieving.
"I got a friend there that owes me a favor." The pilot replied, cryptically, before disappearing without waiting for any further questions.
Ooh, now I'm found, I'll never be lost | I'll stick with you no matter the cost | Whatever comes, we'll figure it out, I know that
When you call me, I will always find you | When you need me out, I'll come for you | And, when you're lonely, I will find a way to | Guide you home to me | I'll come for come for you
I will bind your love, bind your love to me, me | I will bind your love, bind your love to me, me | I will bind your love, bind your love to me, me | I will bind your love, bind your love to me, me
Rounding the corner, Skye and the team found themselves face to face with a wall of soldiers obviously charged with guarding the secret government lab. I so don't have time for this shit. Skye thought to herself, raising her weapon. Without a word, both sides charged one another simultaneously. Skye had managed to get off a couple of shots – taking out two soldiers – before a third soldier disarmed her. Switching to hand-to-hand combat, the hacktivist made quick work of her attacker with a knee to the groin and a swift punch to the face – knocking the soldier out cold.
"Damn." Tony muttered, to himself, inside his suit as he watched his daughter kicking ass and taking names. 'At's my girl. He thought to himself, proudly. Though, as proud as he was of his little girl, he couldn't deny how much of her mother he saw in her.
Speaking of the pilot, Tony turned to see her taking out another of the soldiers with a swift round-house kick to the face. Improvising, Melinda picked up a metal pipe laying on the floor, turning the pipe into a deadly weapon as she met her next attacker with a swift blow to the throat.
Before long, the last of the soldiers had fallen and the team had split up in search of the missing physicist. Weapon drawn, Skye stealthily rounded the corner into a doorway hidden in the shadows. Glancing around the door frame, she took advantage of the fact that both of the scientists in the room had their backs turned to her as she surveyed the area. However, her heart froze when she spotted the man she'd spent the last three weeks searching for strapped to a lab table. Shaking her head clear of all of her emotions, she opted – instead – to use her shock and her fear and her anger to fuel her fire. Taking her aim, Skye effectively took out the first scientist. As the other rounded on her, she fired a second shot – eliminating the second scientist before he could sound the alarms or retaliate against her. Stashing her weapon in the back of the waist of her jeans, Skye raced to Bruce's side.
Taking in the sights of the burns and the bruises and the cuts, Skye felt her hands begin to shake as they ghosted over Bruce's body. "Oh, God…" She whispered, her voice thick and watery – shaking to match the trembling in her hands. "Bruce…" She muttered, burying her face in the crook of the barely conscious physicist.
Teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, Bruce felt his head loll to the side where his bleary eyes only just made out the image of Skye standing in the doorway to the lab. "Oh God…" He forced out, his voice scarcely a whisper. God, no … Not her … Do whatever you want with me, just … Please … Not her … She can't be here! She can't! He thought to himself, hating how helpless he was to save her.
Just then, the sound of gunshots pierce through the fog in his brain. Struggling to make out what was happening, Bruce could only hope and pray that Skye was all right. All the drugs coursing through his system prevented him from being able to focus, properly. Just when he thought he was fading out, he felt familiar hands trembling as they ghosted over his badly beaten and abused skin. As raw as his skin was, Skye's touch soothed him to his very soul. "Skye…" Bruce muttered, tears stealing from his eyes – burning the cuts on his face as they trailed down his cheeks.
Snapping her head back up, Skye held her breath, praying she'd actually heard what she'd thought she heard. "Bruce?!" She called, quietly, frantically. "Bruce, can you hear me?!" She repeated, slightly louder. Watching the physicist's eyes glaze over, Skye felt the dam burst as his head lolled to the side as he blacked out. "Oh God…" She cried, quietly. "No … Don't you dare!" She muttered, turning toward the door as her heart stopped.
"Not … so … fast." General Ross drawled, closing in on Skye and Bruce.
Within an instant, Skye had snapped up with her weapon drawn. She was in no mood to mess around. "Fuck off, Ross." She hissed, in warning.
"My, my … such an obscene mouth on such a pretty face." It was sickening, to Skye, how Ross could tisk and purr in the same sentence.
Watching, through her peripheral, as Ross tried to stealthily reach for his own weapon, Skye knew she couldn't take that chance as she fired a single shot – placing a bullet squarely between the general's eyes. Satisfied that the threat had been eliminated as she watched Ross collapse, lifelessly onto the floor, the hacktivist returned her focus to the still unconscious physicist in her arms. Not giving a damn if she gave away her location, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "SIMMONS! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, NOW!" Turning back to the unconscious physicist in her arms, Skye made quick work of undoing the restraints around his shoulders, waist, and legs. "Hang in there, Bruce. You hear me?! Just hang in there." She instructed, quietly.
"What's the damage?" Skye asked, worriedly, as Jemma reappeared in the common area after her examination of Bruce's beaten and bloodied form.
Sighing, Jemma just decided to dive right into the bad news, first. "His injuries cover nearly ninety percent of his body." She spoke, sympathetically. "The bruises … the cuts … Those are all superficial and I'm not nearly as worried about those." She added, off-handedly. "Though, they do suggest to me that he's been violently beaten-"
"'Violently beaten'?" Skye repeated, in disbelief. "If you're not worried about 'violently beaten' … Then, just what the hell are you worried about?!" She questioned, dreading the answer, though, she knew she needed to know.
"The burns that we saw are actually electrical burns…" Jemma elaborated, wincing at her own words. The room fell so silent, Jemma was fairly certain she heard pin drop somewhere in China. "Which suggests to me that he was subjected to dangerously high voltage electrical shocks – repeatedly."
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Skye muttered, trying to digest all that Jemma was telling them, as her father instinctively drew her in close to his chest.
"Is there anything good you can tell us?" Tony questioned, hoping that he could get something to give his daughter some shred of hope.
"Barring any unforeseen circumstances … I see no reason for Dr. Banner to make anything less than a full recovery." Jemma replied, warmly, with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Jemma." Skye sniffed, quietly, as the biochemist gently stroked her arm.
"Dr. Banner was heavily drugged – with a myriad of drugs … most of which I can't even identify, let alone understand – which is astonishing – really-" Jemma began, not even realizing that she was rambling until Skye pulled away from her father long enough to grip her by the shoulders. "Simmons!" Skye barked, snapping her to attention. "Breathe…" She added, softer.
"Sorry…" Jemma apologized, sheepishly. "But, my point is … There's quite a cocktail of drugs in his system … That's quite likely what's causing his comatose state. I can't say how long it will take for the drugs to be completely worked out of his system, but, when that happens, he should wake up. Until then, though, it's probably best that he's unconscious. This will allow his body time to rest and recuperate from the trauma he's endured." The biochemist explained.
"Can I see him?" Skye asked, timidly. Now that they had Bruce back where he belonged, she didn't want to let him out of her sight.
"Of course." Jemma replied, warmly, watching the hacktivist hurry off toward the physicist's room.
Once again, Bruce felt as though cinder blocks had been lifted from his eyelids as he carefully cracked them open. But, where he expected to see the dim gray cell he'd been held captive in, he was pleasantly struck by the harsh white lights he recognized as those of a hospital room. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the blinding fluorescent lights, what he saw took his breath away. Next to his bed, he saw his beloved hacktivist curled up – asleep – in a chair with a blanket spread over her. Without even thinking about it, Bruce felt his hand closing around the smaller hand in his.
Feeling the grip around her hand coming to life, Skye snapped wide awake – sending the blanket flying to the floor, forgotten – as she stretched out, against the vociferous protests of her aching muscles. "Bruce?!" Skye muttered, hopefully. "Bruce?! Can you hear me?!"
"Skye?" Bruce croaked, his voice hoarse from disuse. Hearing Bruce's hoarse voice, Skye quickly reached for the cup of water on the table by the bed, placing the straw in Bruce's mouth. "Thank you." The physicist replied, quietly, after drinking his fill.
"How are you feeling?" Skye asked, gently, placing the cup back on the table before returning her focus to the physicist in the bed.
"Okay, I guess." Bruce replied, shrugging slightly. "Just tired … a little weak."
Nodding slightly, Skye replied "Yeah, Jemma said that was to be expected." She spoke gently, while still holding Bruce's hand in her own while using her free hand to stroke his face, tenderly.
Looking up into the eyes of the woman he loved, Bruce couldn't believe that she was here, with him. Honestly, he couldn't believe he was here with her. He couldn't understand how he'd gotten away from Ross. Would Ross come after him? Was Skye in any danger? There were millions of questions he needed answers for. Finally, he decided to start with the simplest. "What happened?" He questioned, quietly.
"My dad told us you'd been taken." Skye elaborated, gently, figuring it'd be best to start at the beginning to fill in any holes that Bruce might have. "We searched for you … tried everything we could think of … exhausted every trick in Fitzsimmons' playbook – actually … I'm fairly certain they even made up a few new ones – … but, we finally found you, three weeks later …" She added, with a small smile.
Bruce couldn't believe how lucky he'd been. Even after he'd purposefully distanced himself from Skye to protect her, she still put her life on the line to save him. "What about … What about Ross?" He asked, not really wanting the answer but knowing that he needed to know.
"He's dead." The dark, murderous voice that spoke those two little words was not Skye's. The tone should have terrified Bruce. But, somehow … knowing that Skye was willing to go to such lengths to save him … only served to make him fall deeper in love with her. And, I didn't even think that was possible … Bruce thought to himself, silently. Finally, Skye's normal voice returned to her previous warm, gentle, tone. "You're safe, now."
But, you're not … Was all Bruce could think. He still couldn't get his Hulk-out with Quinn out of his head. He still couldn't see how Skye would ever be safe with him. Sighing heavily, Bruce replied "That may be…"
Seeing where Bruce was going with this, Skye decided to head him off at the pass. "Don't you even dare think it, Bruce Banner!" She warned, firmly. "I know what you're gonna say and I don't wanna hear it!" She added, picking up her tablet. Loading a video file, she turned to Bruce. "Since you don't seem to wanna listen to me … Maybe you'll listen to 'The Other Guy'." She added, cryptically, before positioning the tablet for him to see.
On the screen before him, he saw himself confronting Quinn as he unleashed the Hulk. But, just when he'd been about to turn away, he heard the Hulk speak. "QUINN HURT SKYE! … HULK HURT QUINN!" Bruce couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd never known the Hulk to be protective of anyone. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear The Other Guy rumbling. Hulk not stupid. Somehow, his feelings toward Skye bled through to the Hulk.
"I can't believe it…" Bruce breathed, still struggling to wrap his mind around it. "He's never been protective over anyone, before."
"That may be…" Skye conceded, gently, as she put the tablet away. "But, he is, now." She added, gently. "So … Does this change anything?" She asked, hopefully.
After what he'd just seen, Bruce felt himself doing something he hadn't done in years … He'd begun to hope. He'd begun to think that … maybe … just maybe … he could actually have a relationship with someone he genuinely cared for. "This changes everything…" The physicist muttered, breathlessly, as he turned to look up at Skye.
Seeing the look on Bruce's face, Skye could see that she'd finally broken through to him. Slowly, she began to lean into him as she used her free hand to cup the side of his face, gently, before placing a tender kiss on the physicist's lips – mindful of his injuries. The kiss was chaste, but, filled with unspoken promises. Finally, Skye could breathe a mental sigh of relief as she could tell that Bruce as finally here to stay.
Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this fluffy little update. Please remember to leave a review! :D
~Skye Coulson