It was nice to have this side mission. It took attention away from this freak-of-the-week portal jumper. Things were in a routine now. And I was a part of the team. I was completing missions and training with my SO. Everything was as normal as could be.

This meant, of course, that something had to be going wrong soon.

I pulled Skye aside. "Hey, I need to know what's going on with the Walk in Canada. Think you can help?"

She inhaled deeply. "I don't want to get in trouble with Coulson."

"I'll handle Coulson. Hell, I'll handle Fury if I have to."

She grinned. "Okay then." She snatched up her laptop and we headed to the war room.

I turned on the imaging table. "I'm interested in Eric. They kept Holtz on their payroll but I didn't hear anything about him."

She began typing away, back in her element. "Can do." Images appeared on the table, including their file on Eric. "Here we are…"

I touched one of the images to enlarge it. It was a document showing he had been placed back in California under some form of probation period. "Son of a…" I took a deep breath. "Basically, he's got a bracelet like yours. They let him go."

Coulson charged in, not looking happy. "What's going on in here?"

Skye froze.

I put my hands on my hips. "She just did me a favor. Unlike SHIELD." I pointed. "You know, aside from this team, I sometimes wonder if SHIELD knows its head from a hole in the ground."

He took a glance at the document. "Eric Williams is not our priority. We need to know how far the MODOK project really developed."

"Eric Williams still has connections to HYDRA and who knows who else!"

"Which is why he's being watched." Coulson crossed his arms. "It's not our assignment."

"Our assignment was to identify the cause of the retaliating magical flying items. We did that."

"And Stark is working on the portal box. What exactly do you want us to do, Sita?" His tone was not happy. I was crossing that line. I was not in charge and here I was, trying to push what I wanted.

"I…"

He waited.

I didn't know. Was it that I was just drawn to the Walk and the portals? Was there something that made me seek out only things consisting of that? If that was the case, that might have been where I belonged.

But Coulson was right, his team had an assignment.

"I want to close the chapter on Holtz and Williams."

"That ending isn't yours to decide."

Skye slowly closed her laptop, obviously uncomfortable at the tension.

"But it's the right choice," I pressed.

"It's not your call. This is the final discussion. We capture and bring in Tarleton and then move on from there. Until then, stay out of the databases." He looked at Skye. "Both of you." Pivoting, he left without waiting for any retort.

()

Ward closed his book when I came into our room, slamming the door as much as I could. "Problem?" he guessed.

I plopped down beside him and gave him the shorthand of what happened. "I know he's right. I shouldn't have mouthed off."

"But you know what Holtz was planning and you don't like it." He paused. "And you still want a way home."

"Grant…"

"No, I get that. You have loved ones there, too." He set his book aside.

"Holtz's experiments are a higher concern." I didn't want to admit he was right. I was really getting homesick. I wanted to talk to my friends about all this and I wanted to know how they were doing. Did Tammi get a new job? How were Ginger's kids? Those types of things didn't matter here. Because those people didn't exist.

"You were looking forward to this assignment to get away from the Walk and now you want to go back?" He shook his head. "You can't have it all."

"That's one thing I've figured out." I picked a piece of fuzz off my shirt. "I'm used to closing circles. I follow through something to the end."

"So why did you press for an assignment outside of the Walk?"

"I don't know, okay?" I snapped, getting up. "I'm batcrap crazy and I know it. I get lost after a while and I can't find my way. So I get angry, confused and eventually, I shut down! Is that what you want to know?"

His eyes went wide. "Whoa… slow down… That's not where I was headed."

I was breathing heavy, flustered. I hated being in the wrong and I knew that I was. I tended to lash out when that happened and I knew it. "I know. I know that you didn't mean anything." I balled up my fists. "I just don't like it when I'm not in control of everything. I'm a bit of a control freak."

He nodded. "Yeah, we've seen that."

My eyes narrowed. "Oh really?"

He raised his hands in defense. "Just saying…"

I sighed. "I just don't know where to go from here."

He pulled me back down to him on the bed. "You do this mission and then you take it from there."

"I don't even really know what I'm supposed to do on this mission."

"It's a capture and contain mission. Once we have him, he'll be shipped to an undisclosed location for interrogations and such."

"You should be doing this mission."

"I would. But I have another week before I'd be ready."

"A week? I took more than that off. You should wait at least three."

He shook his head. "My wound wasn't as destructive as yours. I'll be fine."

I closed my eyes. "I'm going to try and trust you on that."

"You have to learn to let go of all that worry. I'm a SHIELD agent. This is how it's going to be."

My eyes opened. "You can't tell me how to feel, Grant. It doesn't work like a switch."

He went silent. I was laying into him and I knew it. But I was just so confused and frustrated. It was hard to know what the right path was anymore.

"Let's get something to eat," I suggested after a bit.

He nodded. As he stood from the bed, he knocked off his book. "Oops." Bending to pick it up, he stopped and tugged at the corner of something sticking out from under the bed…

"Wait!" Too late. He was staring at the bridal magazine I had bought.

"What's this?" He went a little pale.

I snatched it and shoved it back under the bed. "Nothing. Let's just go eat."

He started to speak again but I went to the kitchen.

()

They'd gotten a lock on the aerial unit. I was geared up with a mini night-night gun and cuffs. I wasn't going to be alone though. May was coming along.

I swallowed thickly as we got into the SUV. "You really think I'm ready for this? He got the drop on me before."

"Which is why you'll be looking for that this time." She pulled out, heading down a dirt road. "Just get behind him before he can do anything, knock him out, and cuff him. Simple snatch and grab."

We parked a mile from the site. May had a GPS link on her watch to guide us the rest of the way on foot. I tried to keep my mind focused, keep my eyes open for anything out of the ordinary.

It looked like what might have once been an old bottling plant. May and I circled to the back, watching as two harmless guards played cards, their assault rifles propped up against the wall.

May slipped down, taking them both out quietly before signally for me to come on. She made some hand signal and I looked at her like she was speaking Greek. She sighed heavily. "Follow my lead." Going on in, we both gasped as a white light flashed before us.

()

"May?" Someone was speaking to my SO, trying to wake her up. Sounded like Coulson. I opened my eyes to find him peering down at me. "May, can you hear me?"

"What?" I asked, stopping as I realized my voice didn't come out of my mouth.

"Sita's still out. What happened?"

"What do you mean 'Sita's still out?' I'm right here." I sat up, holding my head. "Ow…" As things came into focus, I saw my body lying on another bed. "What the?"

"Sita?" Coulson looked confused.

I looked to the side and gasped at my reflection in the glass. May's shocked face was looking back at me. "Holy crapballs."

"That's Sita, alright," Ward confirmed.

My body groaned, sitting up as well. "Coulson?" May asked from my body, pausing when she heard my voice. "What's going on?"

()

FitzSimmons were having a field day in the lab with May and I, trying to figure out the body switch. Coulson and Skye had started to dig through whatever connections they could. Ward watched FitzSimmons working on us, his face completely blank.

"I have to use the restroom," I advised squeamishly. "I, uh…" I so didn't want to see May's naked body. "Well, I guess I can wait."

"Go on," May said. Her annoyed look on my face was so confusing. "We both have girl parts."

I hopped up. This body was stronger, toned to battle. It was still really weird to get used to. I finished my business in the bathroom, Ward stopping me before I headed back to the lab. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm not hurt or anything." I had to look up a little bit more to meet his eyes.

"This is…" He shook his head. "I still can't get my head around it."

"Baby…" I touched his arm, leaning in to kiss him and stopped as he pulled back. "Right. Sorry."

"Guess I'm sleeping alone tonight."

I chuckled. "Well, you could ask May if she was up to helping you sleep while she's in my body?"

"Er, no."

I chuckled. "Fair enough."

"Whoa… May can smile…"

()

When I made it back to the lab, May was holding a bucket, her/my face green. "What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"She's sick. Getting used to your speed I think," Simmons explained.

May looked up at me with my blue eyes. "How do you not throw up all the time?"

I was puzzled. "I don't ever feel nauseated."

"It's your body." May narrowed my eyes. Did I really scowl like that? Geez.

"Well, it's almost midnight. My body needs sleep." I looked to Ward. "Wanna do our nighttime ritual?" I teased.

Both Ward and May/Me glared at me.

()

Sleeping in another person's body is so weird. The next morning, I dressed in May's clothes and went to the kitchen. Ward was eating a bowl of oatmeal, looking baggy eyed and sleepy. "Honey, did you sleep at all?"

He shook his head. "No, and can you not call me that while you're… her?"

I took a step back. "Sorry."

He kept his eyes on the bowl.

"Grant, it's still me." My heart hurt some.

"I know. But… it's not. I can't kiss you, hold you, wake up with you in my arms…" He pushed his oatmeal away."

I sat down. "I'm sorry. Did you talk to May? I mean, I'm sure you could hold… her?"

He gave me a look like "you gotta be kidding."

"I'm serious. It'll be like holding me. It'll help you sleep." I picked up a banana, peeling.

"I don't know…"

"What's the worst-"

"Don't. Say. It." He pointed a spoon at me.

()

The trigger device was found at the now abandoned building. Fitz advised that he could have it repaired… in 24 hours. "Simmons and I have to map out algorithms for both of you. We want to make sure that we put you back completely."

We decided to have movie night for everyone else. We gathered on the plush white furniture, May and I flanking Ward on either side, a popcorn bowl in his lap. Coulson and Skye took chairs nearby. May closed my eyes, taking the opportunity to nap some.

Gotta admit, whoever picked out the romantic comedy should have been shot. We all dozed off in no time.

And woke to Ward crying out in pain as May/Me pinned his arm behind his back on the floor. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

I stood fast. "May!"

She released him. "Reflex. And with super speed."

He rubbed his shoulder. "I was half asleep! I didn't know!"

"Didn't know what?" Coulson asked.

"He forgot I was in Sita's body." She crossed her arms.

I tried not to laugh. "And what did he do?"

"Nothing!" he protested.

"He felt me up," May corrected.

"I felt her up! It… I…" He stammered as he sat back on the couch. "One more night. I can handle this."

()

The next morning, FitzSimmons was able to switch us back. We were going to have to take the device to a SHIELD headquarters in New York to be sealed up.

Simmons pulled me aside. "Are you feeling sick to your stomach?"

I shook my head. "No. It's tender but I think that's from May hurling."

She nodded and looked thoughtful. "Okay, well, I suppose that's that then."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wondering why she was so ill for a bit there."

I headed back to Ward's room and shut the door, trying to make a May face. "We have one more hour till they're ready."

He glanced up from his book. "An hour?" He shut his book. "Then this is the last chance for us to explore our forbidden love."

I sighed. "May already told you."

He smiled. "Yeah. Saw her when I went to grab water." He pulled me to him and kissed me hard, letting me know how hard two days apart affected him.

Breaking the kiss, I panted. "And hello…"