Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Only two more chapters left, you guys! Wow. Thanks for coming on this journey with me. :)

Enjoy!


Steering the SUV down the gravel road, Skye pulls into one of the parking spaces along the side of the motel building. She shifts the gear into park and glances behind her to see Grant still lying asleep in the back seat. He's been like that almost since the moment they left the base.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she shuts off the engine and then climbs out. She enters the lobby of the motel, walks up to the front desk, and gives the woman behind it a small smile.

They exchange pleasantries before she asks for a room, thankful that there's one available, and then makes her way back out into the cool evening air.

She returns to where she parked the car and pulls open the back door, grabbing both duffel bags out and closing the door. She steps up onto the curb and walks along the sidewalk, searching for room 117.

She slides one of the room keys through the lock and pushes the door open. As she steps inside she flips on the lightswitch once she locates it against the wall, immediately lighting up the room. She sets both bags on the small table in the corner of the room, taking note of the single bed sitting in the center. No backing out now.

Sliding the key cards into her back pocket, she turns around and makes her way back out to the SUV to wake up Grant.

Opening the back door of the SUV, the edges of her lips quirk at the sight of Grant curled up awkwardly in the backseat. She furrows her brows in thought, debating whether or not to wake him up because he's actually asleep but he's also going to be uncomfortable when he wakes up in that position.

Ultimately deciding that waking him up will be the best option, she takes a step forward and tentatively reaches a hand out to his shoulder, not wanting him to get startled and lash out at her.

Thankfully he doesn't startle awake, simply opens his eyes slowly and tilts his head to look up at her.

"Skye?"

"Hey." She gives him a small smile, pulling her hand back. "You fell asleep in the back of the SUV not long after we left."

He slowly pulls himself up into a seated position, looking out the car windows before looking back at her. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe we can rest," she tells him. "We'll be okay here for one night."

"Skye…"

She places a hand comfortingly on his arm. "I promise you we'll be fine, Grant. I've been driving all day and I need to rest. And so do you."

Grant sighs. "Alright." He climbs out of the car and shuts the door. "Where am I going?"

"We're going to 117."

"Just one room?"

She nods. "Yeah. It's just for one night. I think we can handle it."

He takes a deep breath and nods. "Okay. Lead the way."

Skye turns and makes her way down the sidewalk, Grant following close behind her.

Once they reach the room, Skye unlocks the door and pushes it open, allowing Grant to step inside in front of her.

"I'll take the floor," he says as soon as he gets inside and takes notice of the single bed.

"What?" Skye asks as she closes and locks the door, her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll take the floor," he repeats. "You can have the bed."

"What? Why?"

He shifts on his feet. "I don't want you to feel too uncomfortable."

She smiles appreciatively. "It's fine, Grant, we can share the bed. You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor; these places aren't exactly known for their cleanliness. That includes the floor. Not that the beds are much better."

"I don't know if it's a good idea," he says.

She rolls her eyes. "It'll be fine. I honestly don't mind being so close to you, it's not going to bother me." She smiles softly at him.

"If you're sure…"

She nods her head. "I am."

He nods. "Okay."

"Great. I'm going to go into the bathroom and get changed." She steps over to one of the duffle bags and unzips it, digging inside for her pajamas; a pair of shorts and a tank top. "I'll be right back," she tells him, heading toward the bathroom at the other end of the room. "Make yourself comfortable." She gestures to the bed and then walks inside the bathroom, flipping on the light and closing the door.

Grant stays where he is for a moment before stepping toward his duffle bag and unzipping it. He pulls his pajamas out of the bag; a pair of black sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, and then quickly changes into them, shoving his dirty clothes back into the bag.

He walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge of it for a moment before shifting and lying down, resting his head on the pillow as he stares up at the bare ceiling. He lets his mind wander as he lies there, thinking about whatever pops into his head.

"Hey, you okay?"

Grant turns his head to look at Skye standing next to the other side of the bed. "What? Oh, uh, yeah, I'm okay."

"You look a little stiff," she tells him, brushing her hair out with her fingers to get rid of some of the tangles in it. "Just relax."

"Relax, okay." He nods his head. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

Skye laughs quietly to herself and then climbs onto the bed, not bothering to get underneath the covers. She can feel Grant tense up even more beside her.

She turns on her side to face him and scoots closer to his body, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.

Grant freezes for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"Goodnight," Skye murmurs in her half-asleep state

"Goodnight," he whispers back.

After a minute of lying in the bed with Skye curled up against him he begins to relax, his breathing evening out and his heart rate slowing.

Without much thought to it, he wraps both of his arms around Skye, her body shifting closer to him when he does, and just lies there.

It takes him a while to actually fall asleep himself, many different thoughts actively running through his head, but he eventually manages to find some sleep.

.

.

.

Slowly cracking her eyes open, Skye smiles at Grant's arms wrapped tightly around her, the steady beating of his heart sounding strongly beneath her ear.

Shifting slightly on the bed, she tilts her head back to look up at Grant lying completely relaxed and she can't keep the smile on her face from growing wider, right up into her eyes.

With the life she's had, it's rare for her to wish to just stay in a single moment forever, but right now like this, not having to worry about anyone or anything else, she realizes that this is how it should always be. Grant looks so peaceful in this moment, like he isn't carrying so much weight on his shoulders, and she wishes more than anything that they could just stay like this.

Eventually Grant shifts on the bed and he turns his head toward her, a smile pulling at his lips when he sees her awake.

The sight of Grant actually smiling makes her heart swell and she can't resist the urge to run her fingers through his messy bed hair.

Grant closes his eyes and breathes in deeply at the gesture, his smile growing a little wider as he leans into her touch.

He shifts on the bed again and lifts his head off of the pillow, resting his forehead against hers. Skye shivers slightly as the unnatural heat of his body seeps into hers. She closes her eyes and smiles at the complete and utter peace wafting over the both of them in that moment. It's a feeling that neither of them has had in a really, really long time.

Before she knows it, Grant's lips are on hers in a gentle, yet loving, manner, his warm fingers threading themselves through her short hair, trying to pull her closer.

She doesn't hesitate in reciprocating the kiss, resting one hand on his cheek and letting her thumb rub at the small bit of stubble on his face.

Grant breaks the kiss after a moment, snaking his hand completely behind her head to draw her in closer to him, resting their foreheads together again. "Thank you," he mutters under his breath, his eyes closed as he just holds her there, not wanting to let her go.

Skye pauses, not sure how to respond. His words carry so much deeper meaning to them, so much that she doesn't think a simple 'you're welcome' can convey everything that she needs him to know right in that moment.

Instead, she tilts her head and softly slides her lips over his again, no rush or haste in the kiss, just her lips on his.

"I love you," she finds herself whispering against his lips before she can really help herself. But she doesn't regret saying it. Not even a little. Because it's true. She's tried to fight it but now she's giving in to it and embracing it.

"I love you too," he responds in a quiet, almost timid, voice. And she believes him. Without a doubt. She knows that he loves her.

Skye presses another small kiss to his rough lips before pulling back and curling up against him, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. She concentrates on the strong and soothing rhythm of his beating heart beneath her ear, letting it lull her back to sleep.

.

.

.

When he wakes up again a few hours later, the sun already high in the sky, Grant does his best to climb out of the bed without disturbing the woman sleeping next to him. He manages to disentangle himself from her and stands from the bed, stretching out his arms to help himself wake up.

As silently as possible he moves over to his duffle bag and digs out his jeans and a fresh t-shirt, quickly changing into them and shoving his pajamas back into the bag. He zips the bag up and then slips his shoes onto his feet, doing his best to remain as quiet as he can. He grabs the bag off the table and holds it securely in his hand as he walks the short distance over to the door.

His hand is touching the door handle, getting ready to turn it, when her voice makes him stop.

"Grant? What are you doing?" He can hear the slight tinge of hurt in her voice.

He doesn't turn around, he can't look at her. "I'm leaving," he tells her. "And before you say anything, I'll be fine. I've been on my own before, I know how to handle myself."

He hears the bed creak and then her bare feet padding across the worn-down carpet of the room. "Are you forgetting about what happened yesterday?" she asks him. "You almost lost yourself just walking down a damn hallway, Grant. You're in no condition to be out on your own right now, not like this. This isn't like the last time you were on your own. You have new abilities that you still don't have a complete handle on yet."

He sighs. "I'll be fine, Skye, I promise."

"No, you won't be," she says firmly. "Stop trying to convince me that you'll be fine because I've seen you lose control too many times recently to believe that for even a second. Now tell me what the hell is going on with you, Grant. Please."

He turns around slowly to face her. "I don't want this to end," he admits softly.

She furrows her brows. "What?"

"I don't want this to end," he repeats, taking a small step toward her. "Last night was one of the best nights I've ever had, I was actually able to fall and stay asleep without any nightmares waking me up or having to worry about someone trying to kill me in my sleep. It was just the two of us here in this crappy motel room, and it was nice. I don't want to go back to SHIELD, Skye, I can't go back there; but I can't ask you to leave behind the only home you've ever known for me. I'm not worth it."

He watches as Skye stays silent in her spot, her mouth opening and closing a few times, most likely trying to find a way to let him down easy.

After a moment she takes a few steps forward. She reaches out and grabs his empty hand in hers, linking their fingers together as she looks directly into his eyes.

"Don't ever say that you aren't worth it," she tells him softly. "And as for SHIELD being the only home I've ever known, that's only partially true. SHIELD felt like my home for a long time because that's what I needed at the time. But now, right now, I have never felt more at home than when I'm with you. SHIELD is my past but you are my future, Grant. I'm not going anywhere unless it's with you. SHIELD doesn't feel right anymore, but this does." She holds up their entwined hands between them. "Almost like it's meant to be. Like it was always meant to be."

Grant can't help the wide smile that grows on his face at hearing those words come out of her mouth. That's how he's always felt. He takes a step closer to her and bends his head down, pressing his lips to hers and pouring every ounce of his love for her into it.

And in that moment, he knows that he has it good. The woman he loves is never going to leave him again.

Skye slowly pulls out of the kiss and smiles up at him. He can see it in her eyes how much she loves him. "Let me change my clothes and then we'll get out of here," she tells him, dropping his hand to grab a change of clothes out of her duffle bag. "You can go and check us out while I'm changing." She hands him both key cards. "Just go to the front desk and return these." She gives him a small smile. "Think you can handle that?"

He nods. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good. I should be ready to go when you get back." She rises onto her toes and gives him a quick peck on the lips before turning and walking into the bathroom.

Grant smiles at the familiar feeling of her lips on his before turning and making his way out of the room, his duffle bag in his hand. He drops his bag into the backseat of the SUV before heading toward the front of the motel.

"Hi," he greets the woman sitting behind the desk as he steps through the front doors.

"Hello, handsome." She smiles at him. "What can I do for you today?"

"Um, I'm here to check out." He hands the key cards over to her.

"Which room were you in, sweetie?" she asks, taking the cards and turning to her computer.

"117," he replies.

"Oh, are you with that pretty little thing that came to check you both in last night?"

Grant gives her a small smile and nods. "Yeah."

"Good job." She smiles at him. "You're a very lucky guy."

"Believe me, I know."

She taps her computer keys a few times and then smiles up at him. "Alright, sweetie. You're all checked out. Thanks for staying with us and have a good rest of your day."

"Thank you." He nods politely. "You too." He turns around and makes his way back outside and heads in the direction of the car, eager to get back on the road and put even more distance between himself and SHIELD.

When he reaches the vehicle, he finds Skye leaning back against the front of it, her arms crossed casually over her chest.

He smiles as he approaches, stopping when he's right in front of her. "Hi."

She smiles back. "Hi." She pushes off the car and snakes her arms around his neck, her smile widening when his arms find their way around her waist. "Did you check us out?" she asks him.

He nods. "Mm-hmm."

"Great. Do you want me to drive?"

He shakes his head. "You drove all day yesterday."

"Alright. Shall we go then?"

He nods. "Let's."

They reluctantly pull away from each other, stealing a quick kiss before they do, and climb up into the front of the SUV, strapping themselves into their seats.

Grant turns over the engine of the car and shifts it into reverse. He turns his head to look at Skye. "Where should we go?"

Skye slides a pair of sunglasses on her face and turns her head to smile at him. "Just drive."

"Really?" he asks.

She nods. "Yeah. Let's just drive, see where the road takes us. We don't have anything holding us back anymore; we don't have to worry about SHIELD, so let's just go. Let's see what this beautiful country of ours has to offer us. What do you say?"

"I say," he starts, reaching out to grab her hand in his and link their fingers together, "that as long as I'm with you, I don't care where we end up."

She smiles at him. "Me too."

Leaning forward in his seat, Grant gives Skye a quick kiss on the lips before sitting forward and pulling out of the parking space and out onto the main road.


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Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!