New chapter time! We're finally at the big turning point... woohoo! I'd just like to say "Thank You" to my usual reviewers - Wolfca, byLunaA, Precious Heart Beats, Ace, firerosedreamer67, tptrek and my guest reviewer for their comments as always! Without wasting any more time... presenting... the first time Skye & Coulson say "I love you" to each other! ^_^
Disclaimer: Almost forgot about this. Oh well, I own nothing of Marvel nor AoS.
In the minutes that passed by since their kiss and Skye's sudden move to run away, Coulson kept replaying the events of what had occurred only moments ago and the more he thought about it, the more he found himself remembering the conversation he'd had with Ward once, about women being like puzzles and solving them was a challenge that came with its own rewards. He knew now that Skye was most definitely a unique puzzle, and if her running away changed anything it was only his resolve to do everything he could to try and figure out the why's and how's of this matter. She was special and certainly worth it. Coulson now had a single thought on his mind, he was determined to tell Skye that he loved her and hoped she would admit to feeling the same as well. At first he wondered if waiting until the morning was a good idea or not, seeing as it was unlikely they would get more than a moment's time to breathe around the others, which meant that he would have to talk to her now; that was when he realized something interesting. Glancing around the bar Coulson noted that instead of heading the way she had come in, Skye had run in the opposite direction which would have led her downstairs.
"I guess it's now or never." Musing to himself out loud as he left the bar and began to make his way to the lab, Coulson wondered if he could learn of a specific reason for Skye's abrupt departure without saying a word.
He knew that it couldn't have been the kiss... because if it was... it could only have been because she had initiated it first and it was completely unexpected, catching them both off guard. The low thrum of the Bus was relaxing and as he walked past the corridors towards the staircase, a sudden thought came to his mind; just before he reached the last step and found himself facing Lola and the van, Coulson slipped inside the lab where he knew FitzSimmons stored extra supplies for the team whenever the winter season was upon them and found what he was looking for in a matter of several minutes. Once he had what he needed, Coulson walked over to the van whose doors had been left open on either side and sure enough, Skye was inside seated over on the far side with her legs pulled up against her chest; her eyes were closed and she hadn't yet noticed his presence but he knew that she would soon and so he took this moment to gaze at her, all the while thinking to himself of how lucky he was to have found her that day in Los Angeles. He couldn't imagine what his life at S.H.I.E.L.D. would have been like once he returned if she hadn't been a part of his team and he knew in all his heart that he hadn't loved anyone as he loved her.
As if she could read his mind, Skye suddenly opened her eyes and sensing him nearby saw that he was standing outside the van but still not making a move to sit inside. They both met each other's gazes and as if remembering what she had done after breaking apart from the kiss, Skye turned away and rested her head on her knees. Since she hadn't said anything about him leaving, Coulson took her silence to mean that he was allowed to join her. Sliding into the passenger seat wordlessly, he closed the door behind him and then... reached forward, closing the distance between him and Skye, whose only reaction was slight erratic breaths, Coulson placed one arm around the head-rest of her seat and using his free hand, pulled the door next to Skye shut as well. Just before he straightened himself, he noticed that Skye was facing him again. It was time to end the silence between them.
"Here, take this. I don't want you catching a cold all by yourself if you're sitting in the van with the doors open." Handing her the blanket he had brought with him, Coulson watched as she waited for a second, possibly thinking if he would drape it around her or not, before taking the warm and soft blanket and wrapping it over her shoulders.
This was the opening he hoped she would take and say something to finally end the conflicting thoughts his mind was filled with; for while he didn't believe all of those questions and theories which would make him think that Skye did not love him and did not mean to kiss him, they were still there and he needed them to be disproven. She was the only one who could do that. And so, during the next couple of minutes, Coulson sat there in the passenger seat and waited patiently, giving Skye all the space and time she required. He was aware of the fact that she continued to stare at him all along and finally after what felt like an eternity between them, he heard her take a deep breath before the first words fell from her lips.
"I'm sorry." Skye paused only to glance at Coulson to see his reaction which was surprisingly, calm before she went on, "For running away I mean." Elaborating on her apology, she felt a sudden sense of relief at being able to talk openly and so she continued, "I don't usually do things that I don't plan on doing and this wasn't one of them either." The silliness of how she must have seemed to Coulson was still churning up unknown emotions within her and so she decided not to bring up the kiss just yet, there was a lot that Skye needed to tell him and she knew this was the right time to get everything out into the open.
"Skye..." Coulson started to say something but she cut him off before he could get any words out.
"Just... just hear me out okay?" Turning around in the seat so that her legs were angled in his direction, she faced him at last and saw the understanding in his eyes and hoped that she could do this. "I... I need to get this all out right here... right now because its been on my mind for a long time even though I may have only just realized that I needed to talk about it out loud. I don't really know where to begin." Shaking her head clear, Skye could feel the words on her lips but couldn't figure why they were stuck.
In that brief moment of Skye's hesitance, Coulson saw the look on her face and the sadness in her eyes as she struggled to get the words right; he assumed that her long pause all of a sudden was because she didn't want to say anything too direct or blunt which could hurt him or that she was still conflicted about revealing her feelings in front of him. Instead of speaking up, he simply reached out to place his hand on top of hers and when he caught her staring at him, he gave her a reassuring smile, hoping it would be enough. The last thing Coulson would ever want was for Skye to do something or say something that would make her uncomfortable but he also knew her very well and knew the determination in her eyes when he observed her then. Maybe this tiny gesture was really all that she needed.
"I guess I should start from the beginning since its the most obvious answer but before that, I have to say where this thing has suddenly come from and why... why it made me run." She could feel the rambling side of her coming to the surface but knowing that would just complicate things, Skye focused on the feeling of Coulson's hand in hers, for she hadn't let go of him.
"What you were talking about earlier, when the umm... topic about the Avengers came up and you started to tell me what really had happened in New York during the battle and how... what happened to you there... it made me realize something and I... I wasn't sure how I felt about that or what I thought about it. So I just left. And came here hoping that maybe I could make some sense of it all... but I don't think I've gotten very far in the last fifteen minutes or so." A small crack of a smile formed on her lips when she spoke and she knew Coulson was listening, "Hearing what you went through, what you did for them... I... it made me think about myself and... and I remembered that I'm not really the poster-girl for being a stand up kind of a person... I've never really had a chance to be good or to be so selfless and do things for others without having to think how it would help me in any way nor do I know what it means like to be a part of something bigger and so... so... real as protecting the Earth and everyone living on this planet from aliens and Norse Gods and all the other things out there."
It was probably the very first point of Skye mentioning not having a chance to be good that had Coulson lean forward, wanting to say something but she shook her head and stopped only to catch her breath before going on with her explanation.
"I know what you're going to say A.C. I'm not just talking about my past because you already know about that... lying my way into the team, hiding my secret from you and the others, betraying your trust, disobeying orders... the whole deal. There's more to it though. These last few days that have gone by ever since we got back from Monaco, I've been thinking about it now and I realize that my behavior has seemed so... childish and unnecessary and selfish because I never once stopped to think how that night must have affected you. I saw you there, on the balcony and..." Wincing as she remembered her attempts to seduce Daniel Quinn, she moved past that, "And even though I never meant to, I know it seems like I've been avoiding everyone since we got back even though that wasn't what I wanted... when I heard you talk about how your life was in the past, I saw the unwavering loyalty you have towards S.H.I.E.L.D. and your belief in the ideals of protecting people and fulfilling your duty... you're brave and yet merciful at the same time, you have a sense of knowing how people are like and want to do the right thing by them... you've been through so much and you still have hope that the world can be a better place, a safe place and someone like you deserves to be happy after all that you've done." Skye paused for a moment again and closed her eyes before finishing what she had started. "Regardless of what my feelings are, I shouldn't have sprung the kiss on you and even though I'm not sorry for that and I don't regret it... but... you're my boss and mentor and you're twice my age and the rules do forbid things like inter-relationships for good reason and I don't know if... maybe... maybe sometimes some things aren't meant..."
This time, Coulson didn't wait for Skye to interrupt him because the moment he heard her acknowledge that she did truly have feelings for him and heard what she was trying to say, he understood what she was going through and he stopped her mid-sentence as he held a finger to her lips. Now that he was aware of everything, Coulson decided that it was time he spoke up because no matter what Skye tried to tell him, he knew that she was unsure of herself and he would be the one to remind her that she was more important than she believed and good and deserving of happiness herself and all the love he could possibly give her because even if they seemed like a mismatched or unexpected pair, they were like pieces of a puzzle that fit together.
"I know what you're going to say and before you finish that last sentence... let me say what I have to first and then... we'll see where to go from there." He said as he waited for Skye's approval in the form of a nod and removed his finger from her lips, knowing she wouldn't interrupt him either.
"You may be right about everything you just said about yourself but what you don't remember is that there is so much more to who you are Skye... you've changed from the person you were on the day I first met you. You're a kind person, caring and very resourceful. You have a way with people too because you feel empathy differently than others, you never give up on anyone or anything because you believe that if there is a chance to help someone you'll find it, you're clever and think outside the box which has been proven a very useful talent many times, but more than that... you're compassionate. You wear your heart on your sleeve and are honest about your thoughts and feelings. And given all you have gone through in your life, knowing what you know about yourself, even if it feels less than what you expected, you also hold on to the hope that one day you'll find out the truth about who you are and who your parents were... you have a strength inside yourself that you're not always aware of but I've seen it firsthand and I know that you believe that everyone deserves a second chance, to be a better person than they were in the past... as for everything you said about me... there may be a few things you still don't know." Coulson paused then, waiting for only a minute because he was ready to tell Skye everything.
All this while, Skye had been listening patiently to Coulson's words and tried her best not to let him see the tears forming in her eyes which was hard since they were still staring at each other. Without saying a word, he reached out to wipe away her cheeks and smiled when he felt her hands intertwined in his.
"You mentioned the things you've done in the past and how you've changed since then... what you don't know is that I wasn't always the way you see me today. I've been trying to change myself from the day we both realized that there's more to what meets the eye when it comes to S.H.I.E.L.D. and its secrets and when I learned how I was saved. You said that you've unintentionally ended up avoiding me but the truth is, I was doing the same... its hard for me to completely distance myself from you because we're still a team and we work together, but... today... when I went to that meeting, I discovered something more than what I knew about who I really am... and I don't even remember it. This actually started the day we went to the Hub for our mission debriefing and May came to me later that evening with something she had found... part of the reason why Maria met me in Illinois was to confirm my doubts..." Coulson watched Skye's reaction and saw that she was looking worried, he needed to tell her the truth now. "There was a video... about Project T.A.H.I.T.I. when it initially began... as a way to help save the Avengers if it ever came to that... and... I saw that the person who gave the orders for this experimental treatment... was... me."
"How is that possible?" Skye spoke up at last, her voice a soft whisper, "How do you not remember?" It was the only thing on her mind just then.
"They must have wiped it from my memory... the video showed that I decided the risk was too dangerous and I told Director Fury I would be resigning, the project needed to be shut down." A shadow of pain crossed his features then and Skye noticed it for she used her free hand to cup his cheek and look at her once again.
"I didn't know when I was going to tell you this and I admit to being a little worried about how you would react once you found out the truth; but we can get to that later... my point is... that I'm not as perfect as you think I am Skye... I died... I've had my belief in the system shaken... things are changing and the world we live in is a dangerous place... but if there's ever any hope of happiness, I know that I've found that in you. No matter what our past lives have been, we know each other in the present and even if we're a little broken or imperfect, we're kind of right for each other. I don't know when I started to have feelings for you, but I do know that I've had them for quite some time now and I know that the kiss wasn't one-sided and not a mistake either. If you're worried about all those reasons you've listed why this is not meant to be, then you should know there's only one reason why I know this can work - Love. I love you, Skye. And if you love me too then it will be enough... to find a way to be together, to take a chance at happiness, to finally live the life we want."
As he fell silent and waited for Skye to say something, Coulson knew that there was a very high possibility that he had gottten through to her. It didn't take long for a reaction on her part because the moment Skye had heard those three words from his lips, she felt all her fears and doubts and worries vanishing as they were all replaced by happiness, joy, and awe when she realized that Coulson did love her. Leaning forward to close the distance between them, Skye grabbed his collar and pulled him for another kiss; the moment he felt her lips brushing against his, Coulson wrapped an arm around her waist.
Once they broke apart, Skye noticed that somehow, in the midst of their second kiss, she had ended up leaving the seat and found herself in Coulson's lap. He seemed to be aware of this but didn't say anything as he continued to hold her in his arms and was busy leaving kisses down her left shoulder. It was only when she giggled did he pause to look at her and when he did, she gave him a tiny peck each time as she said those words back to him.
"I. Love. You. Too." And she sealed it with another deep kiss.
For a while after, the two of them stayed in the van sitting together in the same position as earlier; only now, Skye was resting her head on Coulson's shoulder with a big smile on her face while he was distracted with twirling a strand of her hair. This was what it truly felt like to be happy and to be in love, it was only the beginning and he knew there was all the time in the world for them to spend together. Their peaceful bliss was suddenly disturbed when they both heard the beeping noise from Coulson's watch going off.
"6 am already." He said to Skye when she looked at him, "We've been awake all night." There was really no need for them to leave but Coulson could see the tiredness creeping in Skye and knew he had to take her back to her room.
"Where do we go from here?" She asked before he moved her slightly giving them enough space to exit the van even though she didn't have enough energy left, Skye managed to stand on both feet with ease; the night had been long and emotionally taken a toll on her.
Taking her hands in his, Coulson placed a kiss on them both as they walked together upstairs as he debated how much of the secret he should reveal to her.
"Well... first things first, I guess we'll have to tell the others soon enough. May already knows a little bit and I think Jemma..." Trailing off to see what Skye had to say about her friend, he noticed her blush and grinned.
"She knows everything. Or at least, she seems to. Even before either of us knew, she was already suspicious." Skye confessed, "What about Ward and Fitz? They don't seem to be aware of anything at all." She was a little surprised that both boys had turned out to be so clueless. Had she and Coulson really not been so obvious?
"If I'm not mistaken then Ward is a little pre-occupied with feelings of his own." Coulson replied, wondering if Skye knew. May had been the one to reveal her dalliance with Ward only a few months ago and believed it was still a secret from the others.
"I know, he mentioned some of it yesterday after we finished training." A sudden thought came to her mind and she couldn't help herself from giggling, causing Coulson to stop and stare at her wondering what had gotten into her.
"Did I miss something?" His hand was still holding hers but that didn't stop him from raising a curious and questioning eyebrow at her.
"No, sorry... I just... I thought of something funny just now. We've been talking about each other's relationships on the Bus and who knows about whom - May and Jemma know about us, we know about May and Ward, it sounds like something out of a soap opera!" Skye exclaimed and then realized something. "Wait. What about FitzSimmons?" Her eyes widened at that thought as she glanced to see Coulson's confused reaction.
"What about them?" For a moment he didn't know what Skye was trying to say but then looking at her expression he understood that she was asking if there was something going on between their other two teammates. "Oh." Was all he said as he stood there, wondering about what she had brought up.
"Do you think...?" She started to say but immediately covered her mouth with her free hand just then.
It was as if they were going to get the answer to Skye's question in that very moment without them having to debate over the topic; as soon as Skye had stopped giggling, one of the bunk door's opened and a sleepy looking teammate of theirs stepped outside, with complete ruffled hair and half-closed eyes, who was busy trying to stifle a yawn and hadn't noticed Coulson or Skye standing across, not more than 5 feet away.
"Fitz? Where is he going at this time of the morning?" Unsure if he could hear her, Skye's question seemed to be directed to Coulson who was trying his best to hide a knowing smirk from Skye.
"To his room apparently." He replied, waiting to see if Skye had figured it out yet. The morning had barely just begun and already it was turning out to be a pleasant day.
"What?" Skye turned around to the door which was still open but dark, then to Fitz who was still dragging his feet past the other rooms and back to Coulson as it struck her. "OH MY GOD!" She nearly screamed causing Coulson to hush her with his hand over her mouth.
Unfortunately, Fitz had heard her and he slowly turned around to see Skye standing a little far away from where he was but didn't register Coulson beside her covering her mouth with his hand.
"Morning Skye." He mumbled to her as he ran a hand over his hair trying to fix it. "I was just... going to my room. Went to say g'night to my girl."
"LEO!" Another loud voice similar to Skye's scream ended the slight awkwardness between the trio as Jemma stepped out of the door through which Fitz had just left; she was still dressed in her night clothes and looked more awake than Fitz but still flustered to see Skye and Coulson standing there.
"Huh?" Fitz walked back to where everyone now stood and blinked his eyes to see Jemma standing there looked stunned to have been caught by Skye... and Coulson. "Oh. Sir, good morning." He hadn't noticed Coulson the first time around but now he was more alert.
"Good morning to you to Fitz." He had dropped his hand and found Skye taking it in hers before Jemma even came outside saving them the embarassment of being caught.
Apparently the hand-holding was an obvious sign to the young agent for before anyone could explain anything as to why Fitz was sneaking out of Jemma's room at 6 in the morning or that Skye and Coulson were awake having come from downstairs most likely, together; she was hugging Skye and trying her best not to squeal too loudly as she put two and two to figure out what had just transpired.
"Skye! I'm so happy for you! When did all this happen? Have you been awake all night? And..." Before Jemma could finish her incessant questioning, there was another unexpected surprise when the second bunk door opened and Ward poked his head outside, wearing only pajama's and no shirt.
"What is going on out here? Are we having another meeting?" He asked them, confused by everyone's presence at such an early hour.
"I think we should all probably go to our individual rooms and get some sleep." Coulson managed to get an entire sentence out with zero interruptions or comments from Jemma or Skye or Fitz but the surprises weren't over yet.
With all of them gathered around in the corridor, Skye and Coulson standing on one side, Jemma beaming brightly next to them and Fitz finally wide awake standing beside her, it seemed that they had just realized the Bus was no longer airborne but seemed to have been stationary in the same landing spot as it had been for at least two hours now. Which meant that if May wasn't in the cockpit flying them to Boston then she was...
"Coulson's right. We have a couple of hours left until the next mission briefing in the afternoon so let's sleep." May's voice rung out as she appeared suddenly, behind Ward, looking completely unabashed wearing only a robe.
For about 30 seconds as they each realized what was going on; Coulson thought if Skye was the one who would break the silence first and surely enough, she did speak up but instead of echoing his sentiments that they should probably talk about this later that afternoon, her comment was directed to Ward.
"Good to see you finally took my advice." She couldn't help herself from saying so to him as she turned her giggle into a silent grin.
"It looks like you took your own advice too." He replied back with a smile of his own as he stared pointedly at Skye and Coulson's hands which were still entwined together.
That was the cue for everyone to finally let loose and they all laughed out together, marveling at the silliness of this unexpected situation they had found themselves in. It was probably not the best way for each of them to find out about the other but now that everyone was officially a couple with their respective partners, it was time to sleep again. After the laughter had died down and a rush of quick goodnight's were finished followed by another round of hugs from Jemma, Fitz, Ward to Skye, she and Coulson were the only ones standing in the corridor minutes later.
"Well that was... exciting." She said to him as they walked all the way to Coulson's office where they would definitely have a private moment.
"Just another day in the life of a S.H.I.E.L.D. soap opera." Coulson added with a wink to Skye who laughed as she shook her head, slipping her hand out of his as she turned to walk to her bunk.
"Goodnight A.C." There was one last thing she had to do; standing up a little on her toes so that she was on the same height as Coulson, she gave him a quick kiss.
"Goodnight Skye." His lips brushed against her ear as he whispered softly, not ready to let go of her just yet, pulled her back into his arms in a hug.
And so the two of them stood there with Skye leaning against his left side, her head resting near his chest with her arms around his middle while Coulson bent down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, holding her waist as he sighed happily. This was what it felt like to be content he thought to himself - in the arms of the woman he loved.
Aww! Look at that, a surprise appearance by all the team members! Ha... reviews? xD
A/N: Tiny sad news for you all... I've only just found out that my tickets to USA have been booked for 14th most likely so I've been in a mad rush to start closing up the house... which means... the story will have to go on a temporary tiny hiatus because I don't know when I'll update next. There's still chapters 11-18 left in this story but but but... don't worry, I'll still be writing everyday, so whenever I find free time to post new chaps I'll do it asap. Hopefully once a week might work? I'll keep you all updated though cause "Unknown Origins" and my Untitled AU Fic will have to wait until I get to California!