Forever Cullen- That's classified. ;)

They arrived at the trauma center in Bethesda. Coulson and Simmons rushed Skye into the emergency room and the doctors took her into the surgery room. There was nothing else they could do. Skye's fate was in the doctor's hands now. All they could do is wait.

So that's what they did. They waited in that waiting room for hours receiving no updates on how the surgery is going. It was torturous. Skye was had a big role in each of their lives. She was a great friend, a great girlfriend, a great daughter. She deserved the world. But instead she lay on a table barely clinging onto the life she's always wanted.

They each had their own way of coping with the anticipation. Simmons kept herself busy by doing some work on her tablet, Fitz read the magazines on the coffee table, and Ward would go to the bus every once in awhile to blow off some steam.

Coulson and May looked terrible. Eyes red and puffy, Skye's blood all over, and their faces showed exactly what they were thinking. There was no point in any type of distraction. Nothing was going to take their mind off the fact that they might loose their daughter tonight. So they just sat there. Coulson's arm over her shoulders while her head rested on his shoulder. Together they stared into space- for hours.

Finally, a doctor walked into the room. They all shot off their seats and waited for what she had to say.

"How is she?" Coulson managed to say.

"Not good. The shots perforated her stomach and penetrated the large and small intestines. We resected what we could but.. I'm afraid there's been too much damage."

'This isn't good news', Coulson thought.

"So what's next?"

"We can keep her comfortable, but you'll need to make a decision on whether or not you want to keep her on life support."

He looked at May. She was sitting back down bent over with her hands covering her face. He could hear her crying.

"So you're saying there's nothing to be done?", his voice was broken. The team never heard his voice like that before.

"I'm very sorry Agents Coulson and May."

The doctor left the room and they all sunk into their seats. Coulson sat with wide eyes breathing heavily, May lost it with her face in his chest, Fitzsimmons were having trouble processing it, and Ward grew with rage.

"That son of a bitch is gonna pay for this.", said Ward before he stormed out of the room.

Ward barged into the cage on the bus. Quin had a smug smile on his face.

'Look at him-", Ward thought, 'he just shot an unarmed girl and he's smiling. And not just any girl. My girl. The girl who opened up a part of me I didn't know I was capable of having. This guy has to pay. He has to know that he messed with the wrong people'

"Finally, I was starting to think you forgot about me."

Ward slammed Quinn's head against the table. Words came with each punch.

"Do you- have any- idea- what you've done?"

"You- you can't!"

"Why? Because you're defenseless? Like she was?"

He continued to beat the crap out of him. But then the cage door opened.

"Ward! Stand down.", he couldn't hear Coulson. He was too focused on making Quinn pay.

"Ward!"

He looked at Coulson. He had blood and sweat dripping all over his face. Then he looked back at Quinn and shoved him into the ground. He walked out to the common area out of breathe. He sat down.

"He deserves to die Coulson! Not Skye."

"Agreed."

"How are you being so civil? That's your daughter. She's dying. There's nothing to be done.", he was on the verge of tears. Coulson could hear it in his voice.

"There's always something to be done."

"But you heard what the doctor said, Coulson!"

"I know. But there are doctors who brought me back from the dead. If they can do that I bet they can save Skye's life."

Coulson had been searching more and more about what exactly happened in order to bring him back to life ever since he was kidnapped. Everything that SHIELD told him was a lie. He never went to Tahiti, those were false memories implanted into his brain to hide what really happened. And it wasn't just a close call. He was dead for days. That was all he could figure out. He couldn't find what actually brought him back to life. But whatever it was he had to find it now.

All day he went over the files again and again. He told Fitzsimmons everything so they could figure out what they can do with this information to help Skye. Ward was tasked with dealing with the agents on the ground who want to take in Quinn. He left May alone in the cockpit. She couldn't handle anymore stress. Skye lay in a med-pod down stairs. He kept the video feed of that room running on his office monitor, looking at it once and a while to motivate him.

SHIELD sent Agents John Garrett and Antoine Triplett to take Quinn into their custody. Garrett and Coulson were old friends. They both had Fury as an SO (but it was obvious that Fury like Coulson more). Garrett was also Ward's SO. So that's why Garrett was cool with helping them save Skye.

Coulson and Garrett went to interrogate Quinn.

"We want to ask you a few questions about your latest project."

"Oh but there's so many to choose fr-", Garrett grabbed Quinn's tongue.

"Let me be clear. You have no rights. You have no lawyer. The only thing keeping Agent Coulson from throwing you out of this here plane is the very weak heartbeat of the young agent down stairs. And the only incentive I have for not taking your tongue out is that you use it to answer my questions. Is that clear?"

Quinn tried to say ok.

"Did you get that Coulson?"

"No."

Quinn nodded and Garrett let go.

"Tell us about Cybertek and the deathlock program."

"Deathlock?"

"I know- it sounds like some wrestler from the 80's."

"What is it."

"Those are dangerous waters. And the last agent that waited into them wound up with two in the stomach."

"You son of a-" Coulson was about to jump Quinn but Garrett helped him back.

Coulson stormed out of the interrogation and walked straight toward the lab. He found Fitzsimmons packing up the holochamber.

"Tell me you guys found something."

"Actually we did."

"We found where they treated you."

So they went to the the location Fitz and Simmons found. At there were no doctors, just guards. The place was very secretive. When Coulson, Ward, Garrett and Fitz broke in, one of the guards started a timer for a bomb to go off. There wasn't a doctor in sight. They were running out of time. Coulson and Fitz went to search for the GH-325 while Ward and Garrett tried to defuse the bomb. Eventually they did find the drug. But Coulson saw a door marked, "T.A.H.I.T.I.". He needed to know what they did to him so he went inside.

He was not prepared for he was about to see. He saw a dead, blue alien floating around in an incubator with tubes draining its insides. This is what brought him back to life. This is the reason they had to replace his memories. This is what was about to save his daughter's life. If this drug saved her life she would undergo the same mental suffering that he went through. He couldn't do that to her.

He walked through the hall of the underground facility looking like he just saw a ghost. All of a sudden he noticed Garrett dragging him out of there. The place was about to explode. He had to get out of there. They got to the bus just as the ground caved in. He ran down to the med pod, hoping he wasn't too late.

"Don't give it to her!"

He was too late, Simmons was injecting the last of the drug.

"What harm can it do? I was losing her anyway."

The entire team and Garrett watched for what the drug would do to her. Then suddenly she started to gasp for air. Her chest raised as she tried to breathe. This is what Coulson feared.

"Stop it! How can we stop it? Skye!", Ward pleaded.

"What the hell is happening?"

"I don't know.", said Simmons.

May clutched Coulson's jacket.

"Do something! We have to do something!", said Fitz.

Skye was doing this for seconds but it felt like hours.

Finally her chest dropped back on the bed and the gasping stopped.

"Her heartbeat- she's stabilizing"

"Simmons."

"She'll be fine, Sir."

Everyone in the room sighed. She was going to be ok. Garrett saw Coulson and May looking at their daughter.

"Ok. Good work guys. Let's give them some space."

He shook Coulson's hand on his way out. Fitzsimmons followed. Ward took the time to kiss Skye's forehead before he left.

May walked over to stroke Skye's hair.

"Phil- why didn't you want them to give her the drug?"

"I didn't want her to suffer the way that I did.", he looked back at Skye, "But she didn't. So I guess it was all worth it."

"Yeah it was."

He looked at May and saw that she had dark circles under her red eyes.

"Melinda, go get some rest. I'll stay with her."

"Thank you." she reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you too."

She left and he took a seat right next to Skye.

"You're gonna be ok."

Thanks for all the nice comments. Anyone hear the rumor about an avenger making an appearance in AOS? That would be awesome tbh.

Questions, comments and suggestions are encouraged. Thanks for reading:)