Skye had wired up three monitors at her desk, so she had multiple things running at once. She was currently focused on the screen furthest right; it was filled with open windows and the notepad in front of her had scribbles all over it. She'd pulled an all-nighter, getting caught up in her research on 'The Wall', and she hadn't found a single piece of useful information.

There was a light knock on her door, and she quickly minimized all the windows and turned toward the door.

"Come on in," She called out, and Simmons poked her head into the room.

"I was wondering if I could catch you before breakfast, and ask you some questions… why are you in here so early?" Simmons asked, and Skye rubbed the back of her neck, leaning into her chair.

"Yeah, sure, come on in. Sorry I don't have an extra seats in here," Skye said, and Simmons shook her head, entering the room and leaning her hip against one of the other desks.

"No problem."

"I, um… actually have been in here all night," Skye admitted, and Simmons gave her a disapproving look. "I got caught up in work."

"Skye, you've been spending too much time with Director Coulson. You're turning into him," Simmons teased, and Skye laughed.

"I'm not that bad," She joked. "So… how has your research been coming along?" Skye asked carefully, and Simmons sighed in frustration.

"Not very well. There's not much I can do without knowing what the serum really is; where it came from. All I can say is that mixing the blood causes very strange reactions – which shouldn't really be a problem for you two, since you don't go around making blood pacts all the time."

Skye was surprised by Simmons' sarcasm, but she figured the scientist was more than a little frustrated, by this point.

"And the blood doesn't exactly explain the… other reactions you two have been exhibiting." Simmons added, frowning at the notebook she held in her hands. She looked up at Skye quickly. "Have you been having any sleeping problems? Other than getting caught up in work, I mean?"

"Insomnia, you mean?" Skye asked, and Simmons nodded.

"Sure. Or… bad dreams? Anything unsettling?"

"Depends on your definition of unsettling," Skye muttered, crossing one knee over the other and leaning her chin against her palm. "I mean, my dreams are fine, other than the one's I have about Coulson, and then I wake up quite 'unsettled'."

Simmons made a face.

"I don't need details." She said, and Skye nodded.

"Good." Skye took a deep breath. "Insomnia… I guess I haven't been sleeping as much. It hasn't been a real problem – I just get around five hours of sleep now instead of six or seven."

"We have all been fairly busy, lately," Simmons agreed, jotting down notes. "This hasn't affected your productivity in any way?"

"Nope," Skye shook her head. I'm not having much luck with my research, anyway. She bet Simmons would be able to help her a little, but she and Coulson had agreed to keep this from the team, for now. We have to keep the team safe. If Simmons discovers something... I don't want to put her at that risk. It's already bad enough that people are after Coulson and I.

"How about your, ah, affection? Has it diminished? Increased? Changed in any way?"

"Is that really important to our problem, or is this just friendly curiosity?" Skye mused, raising her eyebrow, and Simmons laughed nervously, glancing away.

"Although I do think – and you've both confirmed – that you were attracted to one another pre-serum, I believe that post-serum there are imbalances in your systems." Simmons hesitated, then smiled hesitantly toward Skye. "I'm also kind of interested." Skye shook her head, a little embarrassed.

"It's weird," Skye admitted. "And unpredictable. We'll have days where we have no problems at all; I sit in his office, we talk about work, and it's like none of this ever happened."

"… But…?" Simmons prompted, and Skye sighed.

"But there are other days that start out no different – except I can't even look at him without thinking 'sex'." Skye said, and Simmons blinked, leaning her head to the side a little. She wrote something in her notebook, and chewed on the end of her pencil for a few moments before speaking.

"Have you physically lost control?" She asked, and Skye shook her head.

"Sometimes I catch him staring at me, but he looks away too quickly for me to call him out on it, or for me to react to it."

"Staring at you?"

"You know," Skye said pointedly, and Simmons pinched her lips together, looking back down at her notebook. "But no, we haven't lost control or anything like that."

"Has any of this…" Simmons couldn't think of a good way to get around it, "inability to look at him normally happened during an operation?" Skye made a weird face, but answered,

"No. Granted, we've planned most of them so that we don't see one another during the op."

"That's smart," Simmons approved, writing. Skye rolled her eyes. "I want to explain to you some of my theories," Simmons said, shifting her feet, and Skye sat up straight, giving the scientist her full attention. "I would like to do some testing with the two of you, if you wouldn't mind, to see if any of my theories hold any weight."

"What kind of testing?" Skye asked carefully, and Simmons quickly explained,

"Nothing that would make anyone uncomfortable. For instance, from some of my observations, I wonder if you are releasing some kind of pheromones, specifically tailored toward one another. I would like to put the two of you in a room together, in varying states of mood, and see how the other person reacts. Or how one presence effects the other."

"Why do I feel like a lab rat?" Skye muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry," Simmons said sincerely. Skye shook her head.

"No, I know, I know. It's hard to study stuff that doesn't exist…" Skye glanced at her computer desk. "Pheromones? Like, what animals do? And what do you mean from some of your observations?"

"There have been a couple of times that Coulson's been frustrated and tense during briefings. Every time, you stand next to him, and by the end of the meeting, he's relaxed and occasionally even making his horrible jokes."

"Hey, his jokes aren't that bad." Skye said, and Simmons gave her a look. "Okay, yeah, you're right. His puns are pretty awful sometimes." Skye shuddered, and Simmons smiled.

"Traditionally, pheromones such as the one's we're talking about haven't been found in humans, but since neither of you are no longer completely human…" Simmons trailed off, and Skye looked disturbed for a moment.

"So my joke about mating season might actually be a real concern?!"

"Um…" Simmons wrinkled her nose. "Do I want to ask?"

"No, no." Skye quickly shook her head.

"I wouldn't be concerned about anything such as that," Simmons continued. "For the most part, your biology is still almost entirely human. However… with the fact that your frequent but minor physical contact has diminished the amount of times the two of you lose control, I believe that physical contact is very important with the species." Skye relaxed somewhat, comforted that she and Simmons were sort of on the same page.

"And because you don't seem to be causing the same reactions in any one else in the team, I believe that the two of you are the only ones able to pick up on each other's pheromones. I'd like to see to what extent these things work. I've observed your ability to calm him down, and we both know that you can also… rile him up,"

Skye barked out a laugh, and Simmons blushed bright red.

"With the help of the Retriever's, and inside of an enclosed room, I might be able to pick up on some of the airborne molecules, and I would be able to study them further." Simmons finished quickly. Skye shrugged slowly.

"Sure, I guess. I mean, sitting in the same room together is all we do now, anyway. Would we be able to work while we're doing this?" Skye asked.

"Occasionally," Simmons replied, "But I'd like to study varying different factors and situations."

Skye wondered if she was going to hate herself later for agreeing to this. Coulson might.

"Alright." Skye agreed. "Anything that will get us closer to figuring this whole thing out." Simmons grinned widely.

"Fantastic!" She stood away from the desk and wrote frantically in her notebook. "There is a lot I'm going to have to prepare before we get started on this… perhaps by the end of the week, we can have our first session?"

Skye groaned.

"This sounds like a therapy session."

"This is biology, chemistry; not psychology." Simmons corrected, and Skye leaned her head on her hand again.

"Any other of your theories you wanna tell me?" Skye asked before she left the room.

"Oh…well…" Simmons hesitated. "With both of you exhibiting such an increase in libido, I really believe that there will come a point where holding back will become dangerous." She spoke as gently as possible, and Skye scoffed, looking off to the side.

"We're handling it."

"One of these days will come an operation where you will be forced to work together on the field. You can't be focused on each other – "

"I know. We both know." Skye interrupted, looking back toward Simmons. "That danger was there when we were just regular old SHIELD agents. Now we're aliens, too. And he's the Director. And I'm an 0-8-4. Simmons, we're already constantly in danger. We know not to be stupid during an op."

Simmons looked apologetic.

"I just … couldn't lose either of you." Simmons admitted softly, and Skye rubbed her hand across her eyes, softening her tone.

"Sorry, Simmons." She sighed, and smiled lightly at her friend. "It's been a long night. I know you're just looking out for us. I appreciate it."

"Director Coulson…" Simmons bit her lip, glancing toward the door. "He's a particular man."

"Yes." Skye agreed, and Simmons quickly continued before she could go off track,

"Just… when the time comes, when it feels right to you… you need to make sure he knows." Simmons said, and Skye squinted at her. "He won't make the first move if he believes you are being influenced by the serum." Simmons finally said.

"I don't know; some of the kisses we've shared…"

"He's very particular about sex." Simmons said, and Skye raised her eyebrows.

"Wow, Simmons – sex and Coulson in the same sentence, and not one hesitation. I'm proud of you." Skye teased, and Simmons glared at her.

"I'm trying to keep this all very clinical," She said slightly reprovingly, and Skye held her hands in the air. "I'm going to get some breakfast. I suggest you join me." Simmons pointedly ended the conversation, and moved to the doorway.

"Yeah… I'll need coffee, too, to get through the rest of this day." Skye stood and stretched slowly.

"It hasn't even started, yet," Simmons teased, and Skye groaned, locking the door behind her as they stepped into the hall.

By the time they reached the dining area, they were engaged in a safe conversation about Doctor Who, though Simmons was doing most of the talking. The rest of the team were already gathered in the room, and Skye groaned quietly when she noticed Coulson by the coffee machine.

"It's gonna be one of those days," She muttered, and Simmons hesitated, glancing toward her boss.

"Take advantage of it," Simmons suggested, and Skye looked at her in surprise. She was looking toward the tables, however, where Fitz sat carefully propped up next to Trip. Skye's expression softened and she squeezed her friend's hand.

Fitz was doing far better, but he still looked very rough. He was pale, drawn, and had dark circles under his eyes. He was still hooked up to an IV line, and the bag hung on the stand next to him, an uncomfortable shadow. Skye had visited him multiple times while he had still been secluded in the medical room, but she had been the one to do all the talking. She was sure that he spoke with Simmons, at least a little, but she didn't think anyone else has heard his voice yet.

"Go sit with him. I'll get your breakfast." Skye offered, and Simmons smiled gratefully. She told Skye what she would like, and quickly moved toward Fitz, giving him a smile. He looked up from his plate when she sat across from him, and Skye could see a change in his eyes, but he didn't smile back.

Skye bit her lip once she was at the counter, facing away from the others. She wished she could help Fitz. She missed him – but he hadn't been the same since Ward.

None of them had been the same since Ward, really.

"Skye?" Coulson's soft voice made her jump, and a tear landed on the countertop. He had slid next to her, his shoulder touching hers. She quickly swiped at her eyes, sniffing lightly. "He'll be okay." Coulson assured her, and she nodded. Her hands shook as she pulled out bread to put in the toaster, but she pretended that they weren't. Once she pressed the lever down, Coulson reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, rubbing his thumb across her skin. She took a deep breath, held it in for a moment, and then let it out slowly.

"Thanks," She whispered, glancing up to see his furrowed brow. He nodded, his hand slipping away, and he turned his gaze back toward fixing up his cup of coffee.

"Would you like some?" He asked quietly, and she nodded, reaching for an apple. She watched him make the coffee while she waited on the toaster. His movements were slow, methodical, and he didn't ask before dumping in the two creams and one sugar that she preferred.

She got caught up in the movement of his fingers, and jumped when the toaster popped.

One slice with marmalade and one with strawberry, she grabbed the two plates and Coulson followed with their coffees. Skye smiled at Simmons when she set her plate down in front of her, and Simmons returned a grateful smile, but Skye moved to sit at one of the other tables further away. Coulson followed, still silent, and sat across from her without question.

"Did you stay up all night?" He asked, watching her eat. Skye knew she looked a little worse for wear, so she didn't bother trying to lie.

"Yes… tried finding anything about those symbols on The Wall. Zilch. I'm sure SHIELD has some documentation somewhere – this is alien, after all – but I haven't even come across any redacted files."

"It could be an alien we haven't come across, before." Coulson pointed out, taking a sip of his coffee. Skye stared at his lips as she replied,

"But it isn't, because Fury had it locked up in a facility and was running tests on it." Coulson winced, and began softly,

"Skye, I was – "

"Fury was the one who decided to keep this all a secret. Even now, he hasn't told you anything about TAHITI. But if May found that message between the two of you, there has to be more documentation. Somewhere." Skye interrupted.

"It could have all been in that facility," Coulson admitted unfortunately. "I blew it up."

"You were pressed for time," Skye shrugged lightly, and Coulson gave her a look. Skye grinned at him, and his eyes did that 'almost-smile' thing that she loved. "You and I both know that a man like Fury doesn't put all of his eggs in one basket. Once my security program finishes rendering, I'm going to start scanning in files." Skye ate the rest of her toast. "Once they're all in the system, they'll be a lot easier to rifle through. First thing – while I want it to be finding Raina – it needs to be making sure no GH files get seen by the wrong eyes…"

Coulson gave her an appreciative look.

"I know… me, saying something like that." Skye scoffed lightly, and Coulson reached his hand across the table. Skye glanced behind her, toward the others, but they weren't paying any attention to the two of them. She reached out and rested her hand in his.

"I'm so proud of you." Coulson told her, and Skye smiled, relaxing and slipping her hand further across his, her thumb brushing against his wrist.

"There are some secrets worth keeping secret." She quoted him, and he smiled a little. "I'll just make sure those are marked Level Ten, and send 'em to you." Coulson gave her a long, careful look.

"You won't be able to open them, once they're Level Ten," He pointed out, and she nodded.

"I know." She said. She took a deep breath, then added, "I'm a part of this, too – but this was yours, first. Your death, your recovery, and – as we learned later – your original project. I feel like…" She shook her head, not liking that choice of words, "I trust you that if I need to know, you'll bring me in on it."

"You don't want to find out that I tortured this being, or knew about the side-effects long before I tried to end it." Coulson said darkly, and Skye squeezed his hand.

"AC," She said, softly correcting him, "Some of these files will probably be yours. Personal. I'm not digging through those." He looked appreciative, but then his brow furrowed again.

"If you deleted all of our personnel files when the Triskelion fell, there shouldn't be – "

"Fury loved you, AC. He has copies of your file somewhere, I'm sure of it. Probably has 'em of all the Avengers." Skye interjected softly.

"Perhaps in that box…" Coulson mused quietly, and Skye grinned around her coffee mug.

"You still haven't dug through that thing?" She teased, and he gave her an exasperated look.

"For such a small device, it has a lot of information in it." He waited a beat, then added, "And I've been a little distracted lately."

"Have you?" She wondered, and he brushed his fingertips lightly against the underside of her wrist. She sucked in a breath, and could feel her eyes widen slightly. Simmons was right; maybe there are some pheromones involved here. He was looking at her intently, with The Look, and she took a careful sip of her coffee before setting the mug down.

"I hope you've been careful during your researching," Coulson warned her, his eyes still boring into her in that way that told her he was not thinking about work.

"Of course I have," Skye scoffed, slipping her bare foot toward his, thankful that she had forgotten to slip her shoes back on before leaving her office. "Stark can't even get through my security wall." She promised him, pressing her foot lightly on top of his. His brow twitched questioningly, and she smirked, brushing her toes against the inside of his ankle. He gave her a sideways look, as if he didn't believe that she was really going to do what she was doing, and she took that as a challenge.

Her foot slipped up all the way just passed the inside of his knee before he jerked, his free hand snapping down to grab her. She jumped and let out a short laugh, and he quickly pulled his hand from hers on the table, leaning back in his seat. He adopted a stoic look on his face, which told Skye that she had attracted the attention of the others, and she grinned cheekily at him, knowing they couldn't see her face. His expression didn't change for a few moments.

"What have we said about flirting in public?" He chastised her, his voice low and quiet.

"You do it all the time," Skye retorted quietly. "Just because no one else notices…"

Coulson grinned, brushing his thumb across the arch of her foot. She jerked and sucked in a breath, biting her tongue so she didn't make a noise. He looked smug.

Skye frowned, jerking her leg back hard enough that he let go, and she crossed her ankles underneath her seat. They were staring at one another with heavy, challenging looks when Trip walked up to the table.

"Hey, ready for weapons training?" Trip said to Skye, and she and Coulson both leaned back and looked up at him. He had a curious look on his face. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

"Nope," Skye said, hopping up and grabbing her dishes. Coulson reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. She looked at him in surprise.

"I'll get them." He said, and held onto her arm just a moment longer than necessary.

"Thanks, AC," Skye managed to say, before focusing on Trip. "I'll go put some shoes on and meet you at the range." She said, and Trip nodded, turning to watch her leave. He looked carefully back toward Coulson, who had stood and was gathering the plate and mugs.

"Everything alright, sir?" Trip asked, seeing tension in Coulson's eyes.

"Fine, Triplett." Coulson assured, and hesitated before walking toward the sinks. "Let me know if she still says 'bang' when she fires the gun." He said with some mirth, and Trip grinned.

"Yessir," He said, chuckling. Coulson sauntered off, and Trip frowned as he headed out into the hall. Being a man himself, he recognized the walk men would do when – Trip grimaced. Then he halted in the middle of the hall. Coulson's got a hard-on for Skye? He narrowed his eyes, and looked suspiciously in the direction that Skye had gone.

A/N: Clark Gregg's swagger.