Skye put her feet up on the dashboard and looked out of the car window, her impatience barely concealed. "I get that we're going to the mountains…sort of," she said as she looked around at the flat terrain, "but where are we going to stay?"

Grant sighed. The two of them had been driving in the SUV for hours. At first Skye had been fine with his explanation of going somewhere remote for the two of them to experiment with their gifts but now she was getting bored. She'd napped, listened to music, played on her phone and even watched a TV show on her computer. However, now that they were out of cell range, she was bored with her laptop and the scenery was dull, so she was ready for both action and answers.

"We're getting close. I told you that I had somewhere for us to stay that didn't involve camping." He looked over at her and winked. "Although I must say, our last camping experience was pretty fun."

She nodded, smiling at the memory. "Yeah it was. It was the first time I started thinking that maybe you were just as into me as I was you."

"What gave you that idea? I thought I hid it pretty well."

Skye pretended to consider this. "I suppose it was partly because you finally dropped your Agent Toolbag persona long enough to treat me like a person instead of a trainee…" she grinned wickedly, "but mostly it was because when we shared the sleeping bag, we were so close that I could feel everything – and I do mean everything – about you."

Grant groaned good-naturedly. "I was afraid of that but there wasn't anything I could do at the time. I kept hoping you were asleep."

"Yeah, right. How could I sleep when I had such a beautiful hunk of man right next to me? One who was warm…," she smiled slyly at him, "…impressive, and clearly had sexy thoughts on his mind. Sleep?" She snorted. "Not on your life! I mean, I am only human, Grant."

Grant subtly held his breath, hoping that Skye's mind wouldn't go where he thought it would. Just as expected though, her teasing expression was replaced by the sad look he'd grown used to seeing the past couple of days. "We're still human, Skye."

"You can't know that!"

Grant sighed. She's right. "You're right. I can't. And maybe we aren't. But I do know that it doesn't matter."

Skye stared at him. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? Of course it matters!"

He shook his head. Why can she not see this? "Do you remember when Coulson told you that they thought you might have alien DNA because you weren't affected by the GH formula?" He waited to continue until he saw her nod. "I decided way back then that it didn't matter." Still keeping his eyes on the road, Grant reached over to take Skye's hand. "You're one of the best people I know. And that's going to be true whether you're 100% human or have alien DNA."

Skye turned her head away to look out the window. Grant suspected that it was to keep him from seeing her tear up. Sure enough, he saw her wipe away a few tears but then she turned back to face him, a soft smile on her face. "If you haven't already won the Boyfriend of the Year Award, then you've definitely catapulted to the top of the list with that one." She shook her head, the smile dropping off her face. "Whatever did I do to deserve you, Grant Ward?"

Now it was Grant's turn to look away. He wasn't used to displays of great affection, especially not ones that were directed his way, and he didn't know what to do. If he responded by listing her wonderful attributes, then it looked like he was sucking up or wasn't sincere. But if he said nothing, then maybe Skye would think that he agreed with her when, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I don't deserve her! Besides, he was driving, an activity that didn't really lend itself to big emotional displays.

Grant chanced a look at Skye and saw the vulnerability on her face. "Hey," he said gently, "it isn't fair for you to say things like that when I have to keep driving. What do you say that we return to this conversation a little later when I can properly assure you of how I feel and show you just how worthy you are?"

"Deal." She looked around at the scenery and grimaced. "Speaking of driving, are we going to be there any time soon? It feels like we've been driving forever and I can't even remember the last time we saw another car."

"Patience is a virtue," Grant said loftily as he slowed the vehicle down and turned onto a side road, "but since you asked, we're almost there. Just a little further."

"What is this place we're going to? It's in the middle of nowhere. How did you even find it?"

"I didn't. The place used to be John's. He gave it to me a few years ago. He said it was because he knew how much I loved the peace out here but he probably just wanted a place that was off the books in case he needed it." He glanced over just in time to see Skye's look of disgust and smiled slightly. "If you can overlook how I got the house, I think you're really going to like it."

Twenty minutes later, Grant could see that he was right. They pulled up to the two-story house surrounded by miles of undisturbed wilderness, no neighbors in site, and Skye's mouth dropped open. The view of the mountains was incredible but she seemed more interested in the house. While she could only see the outside, it was a place that screamed money and comfort with its aesthetically pleasing log structure, ornate door and wraparound balcony. "This is where we'll be staying?" She turned to look at him reproachfully. "I thought for sure that we were going to be roughing it in some one-room cabin with no running water and only a fireplace for cooking food!"

Grant laughed. "I considered it but I didn't want to be accused of not showing the woman I love a good time." Skye punched him lightly in the arm, her entire face beaming. "Besides, this is one of my safe houses. If I ever needed to go on the run, there's no reason why I couldn't do it in comfort." He pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. He dangled the key to the house teasingly in front of Skye who promptly grabbed it and took off. That left him to unload the groceries and their minimal luggage but he didn't mind. Skye's happiness was all that mattered and she'd had little enough of that recently. Things at the Playground had been a mixed bag.

Flashback

After sleeping for 12 hours straight once they got out of the contamination unit, Grant woke and looked contentedly around the room. Skye was still lying next to him, fast asleep. If she hadn't looked so peaceful, he might've considered waking her up. They hadn't had time to properly express their relief to each other for their survival. Grant grinned a little as he imagined how it would go but his smile faded as he reminded himself of the challenges ahead. Skye wasn't taking this well and Fitz, as helpful as he had been, had only bought them a little time. There will be a reckoning and it's not going to be pretty.

Grant eased out of the bed, trying hard not to disturb Skye, so he could sit in his beloved chair and think. They desperately needed to experiment to see the power and limits of their gifts and learn how to control them. They also should research just what exactly SHIELD did with gifted people on the Index. He and Skye had to know what their options were. But the most important thing at the moment was for them to blend in with their teammates. Grant remembered the advice John hammered home to him right before he left to go to the Academy. Son, the easiest way for people to discover what you're up to is for you to stick out. No one notices all the fish going with the flow. But they sure as hell pay attention to the one swimming upstream. Grant had perfected the art of blending in with his environment over the years. Mostly.

But Skye was a different story. With her youth, beauty, uncanny ability with computers and snarky attitude, she'd stood out from Day 1. It was different now, she was different, but what hadn't changed was how much everyone noticed her. Now she loved and was loved by everyone on base, so much so that any small discrepancy in her attitude was going to be noticed. With all the pressure she's under right now, maybe we should start small. He glanced over at her, his expression softening as he saw a small smile on her beautiful face. Almost as if she felt his stare, Skye opened her eyes, her gaze locking onto his.

She smiled lazily. "I should've known you'd be in your chair even though it's…" She consulted the alarm clock, "…way too early. How did you ever get by without it?" And boom, just like that, her haunted look and dropped smile telegraphed that she remembered their circumstances. Was that a small tremor?

Grant pretended he didn't notice. "Not easily," he said lightly. "When you first got it for me, I thought you were crazy. But now I don't want to go anywhere without it. I think I missed this chair more than I did some of our teammates. Hunter for sure."

It did the trick. Skye laughed a little, sitting up in the bed and leaning against the wall. She immediately became serious again. "What do we do now?"

"I've been thinking about that," he said leaning back in the chair in an effort to look casual. "I have some other ideas but first I think we need to socialize with our teammates. So…what about we make breakfast for them?"

Skye's expression went blank. "You want me to cook? Voluntarily? Do you hate our teammates or do you just want them to hate us?"

Grant laughed. It was good to see Skye joking around. He stood up, going to the closet to dress in his usual black pants and t-shirt. "You're right. That's a horrible idea. Your cooking really would be a bridge too far."

Skye threw a pillow at him. "Hey!"

Grant easily dodged the pillow, finished pulling his t-shirt over his head as he sat down on the bed and leaned in to give her a lingering kiss. He pulled back to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "I guess we should both stick with our strengths. I'll do breakfast. You stay and rest."

Skye nodded and smiled, exaggeratedly leaning back with her arms behind her head. "Don't forget the muffins."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Grant stood in the kitchen enjoying the quiet before the morning rush. Everything was either baking, heating or already on the table and he had nothing to do for a brief moment. He'd chosen to make a cross-section of foods that everyone could enjoy: smoothies and oatmeal for May and Bobbi, pancakes for Kara and Mack, muffins and cherry turnovers for Skye and Hunter, hearty English food for Trip, Fitz and Jemma. Coulson generally ate a little of whatever was available.

Kara was the first one in the kitchen. She stopped dead at seeing Grant at the stove, flipping chocolate chip pancakes with syrup warming in a smaller pan next to him. Grant grinned as her mouth dropped open. He'd almost forgotten that Kara hadn't been around the last time he went all out. It was pretty funny the way her glance slid from Grant to the table already set with plates, silverware and glasses for 11 people and back to Grant again.

"You made this breakfast? You. Mr. I-Barely-Eat-Anything-But-When-I-Do-It's-So-Healthy-No-One-In-Their-Right-Mind-Would-Eat-It-Besides-Me?"

Grant leaned back on the stove, arms crossed. "What? I can't grow and change? You wound me, Palamas." He smirked at her, shrugging, before turning so he could flip the pancakes onto a platter. "I thought everyone could use a good breakfast."

"Well, I don't know about everyone else but I definitely can," Trip jogged down the stairs and strolled into the kitchen, a delighted smile on his face. He gave Kara a playful shove on his way to the table. "Kara, stop hassling the man. He might think we don't appreciate this and never do it again." He sat down at the table and immediately poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe sitting on the table.

Grant placed the pancake platter on the food board beside all the other delicious dishes he'd made, then glared at Trip. "Dude! I slaved over a hot stove all morning. The least you can do is serve yourself."

Trip gave Grant a mock salute as he took a plate and got up. "Yeah, Trip," Kara sing-songed. She looked at Grant standing there with his arms crossed, a mock serious expression on his face and her own expression turned sad. Grant cocked his head quizzically and was about to ask if she was OK, then he grunted when she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him for all she was worth. "I thought we'd lost you," she whispered.

Grant hugged her back. "You should know you can't get rid of me that easily."

"Isn't that the truth," Trip commented.

Kara leaned back, smiling up at Grant. "Well, I for one would like for that to not be put to the test so often. Do you think you can manage to stay out of trouble for a while?"

"No," Trip said in concert with Fitz, who'd just come halfway down the stairs and was peering into the kitchen. His mouth also dropped open as he surveyed all the food. Grant smiled to himself. Mouths dropping open seemed to be a thing this morning. Without another word, Fitz backtracked up the stairs, poked his head into the hallway and yelled, "Jemma! You'd better get down here. Ward made breakfast again."

"Hey!" Grant put his arm around Kara in a friendly manner. "I'll have you know that I almost never get into any trouble I can't handle."

Trip just shook his head as he started eating his bacon. Fitz appeared to have already forgotten about everybody else as he was loading up a plate with enough food to feed an army. Kara's smile turned into a frown as she put her hand against Grant's forehead. "Are you sure you haven't overdone it? You're burning up!"

Uh oh. "I'm fine. I've just been standing next to a hot stove all morning, remember?" He sneaked a look at Jemma who had just entered the room, Bobbi following on her heels. The last thing he wanted was for Jemma to get interested in his temperature. Time to redirect. He gestured to the plates of food sitting on the sidebar. "Speaking of…you'd better eat while it's hot and there's some left. Once this crew gets through, you'll have a hard time finding even crumbs."

"That's just because we're neat," Bobbi scoffed. Grant thought she might have had a bigger point had her plate not been so full.

Kara eyed Bobbi's heaping plate. "Right. On it!" She grabbed a plate and quickly started filling it up.

Apparently, Fitz's yell to Jemma had echoed down the hall because Hunter came skidding down the stairs, breathing hard. "Did I miss it or is there still food left?" he asked Bobbi. Her mouth was too full to answer, so she just waved at the food still sitting on the sideboard. Hunter grabbed a plate and moved quickly towards it. "Oh, thank god. When I heard Fitz yell at the doc lady, I thought everything would be gone."

Grant surveyed the scene with satisfaction, watching as May, Coulson and Mac joined the group. The made the usual exclamations at how wonderful it all was. This group really needs to get fed more often! Only Skye was missing which, of course, didn't go unnoticed. Grant was just wondering if he needed to go get her when she came down the stairs, a determined smile on her face.

She kissed Grant on the cheek, then checked out the minimal amount of food left. The sideboard looked like locusts had swept through. Almost all the plates were empty except for a few bits and pieces of pancakes, muffins, bacon, eggs, tomatoes and toast. She looked dejected. "I guess this is what I get for sleeping in, huh?"

A cacophony of voices replied to her simultaneously.

"I'm sorry, Skye. I didn't realize you hadn't eaten or I wouldn't have taken so much," Kara said regretfully.

"We can scrounge up some food for you." Coulson answered, glancing around the table with a scowl.

Jemma took her dismay in a different direction. "Fitz! How could you eat so much when everyone hadn't gotten some?"

Trip shook his head at her. "Girl, you know the rules: you snooze, you lose."

Hunter snorted. "Why should we be responsible? You should talk to your boyfriend. If he was any good for you at all, he would've saved you some." Bobbi looked approvingly in Hunter's direction. He winked at her.

The whole table got silent with heads turning to look at Grant. Fitz was the only one to keep his concentration on the food, scraping up the last remnants on his plate like he wouldn't eat again in days. Grant tried to maintain a glower but couldn't keep it up long. "You're not as dumb as you look, Hunter." He walked to the other end of the kitchen and lifted the napkin that was covering a plate. Beneath it was a plate filled with food, especially of the sugary variety. He picked up the plate, locked eyes with Skye and handed it to her with a flourish and a bow. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

There was a brief second of silence in the room, just enough time for Skye's eyes to fill with tears. Then she quickly backed away, laughing as Grant ducked from the shower of pieces of muffin, toast, pancake, and fruit that rained down on him accompanied by a series of groans and shouts.

"I think I actually miss the prickly poop," Coulson said in a tone of wonder.

"Have you done a physical on him recently?" Kara asked Jemma. "He may be broken."

Jemma smiled at Grant. "I think it's sweet. Other people should take note."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You're making us all look bad, mate."

"Oh my god, get a room," Bobbi grumbled.

"They already have one. It hasn't helped," Mac responded.

Trip nodded and doffed an imaginary hat. "Nice."

Grant watched Skye laugh at all the jokes and comments. Mission accomplished. This was a nice family they had. He smiled at the group and raised his voice loud enough to be heard, "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves because I'm not the one who's cleaning this up!"

That had been fun but the rest of the day went downhill from there. Grant worked out by himself for a while then headed to his room to do the ever-present and ever-annoying paperwork. He shook his head in disgust. For an unofficial organization, they certainly like their after action reports! He looked up as Skye came into the room. She slowly unwound the wrapping around her hands, then went into the bathroom. Grant could hear the sound of water running, like she was washing her hands or face. He hastily put away his laptop. If Skye wasn't talking, something was wrong.

Skye came out of the bathroom and noticed that Grant was looking at her expectantly. She crossed her arms. Uh oh. "So Fitz interrupted my training with May today."

Grant frowned in puzzlement. "Why would he do that?"

"He didn't say anything in front of May but clearly it was because he thought I might need a break before I lost control. Did you tell him to do that?"

"No," Grant said warily. "Did you need a break?"

"No!" Skye sat down on the bed in a huff. There was a slight tremor. "Maybe." The tremor stopped. "Yes! I don't know!" There was another tremor, a little stronger this time. Grant wanted to rush to her but stayed in his chair, steadily watching her. Skye got the hint and started her calming routine. After a minute or so, she looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Grant, I can't keep living like this. I don't know when I'm going to get upset and the not knowing is killing me! And hiding this from everyone is just making it worse."

Grant was proud that she was holding it together even through her obvious distress. But she was right. Something needed to change. They'd just gone through an incredible ordeal and hadn't had a moment in which to process it. Which is exactly why at the first opportunity he marched down to Coulson's office, requested and received a week's vacation from SHIELD for both of them. Grant knew exactly where they'd go.

Present Day

The next morning, the two of them loaded up their backpacks with food and water and drove out to a remote area. They left the car by the side of the road and hiked for 30 minutes to a place that was devoid of much besides grass, rocks and a small river. They certainly didn't want to accidentally damage the car. It would be a very long walk back if they did.

Grant shrugged off his backpack and looked around. "This looks good. Do you remember what we practiced?" Skye nodded as she placed her backpack on the ground. Grant waved his hand around. "Then have at it."

He watched as Skye closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then…nothing. She peeked at him, saw he was looking and quickly shut her eyes again. Another deep breath. Nothing. Grant walked silently to her side so that she gasped when she opened her eyes again and saw him right in front of her.

"Dammit, Grant! I hate it when you do that." She looked at the dry grass. "How can you be that silent out here?"

"I've had practice." Grant said shortly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What's wrong?"

Skye glanced toward the mountains, embarrassed. "I don't know. I guess I'm just scared. I'm not sure if I even want to know what I can do." She met his eyes. "What if it's horrible? What if I can't ever control it?"

Grant sighed. Well, I royally messed that up! Some SO I am. He took her hand and walked over to a large rock, sitting down on the flat expanse of it and leaning back against the vertical part of it. He pulled Skye down next to him. "Maybe we should start more slowly." He smiled at her. "I just realized that I've never asked you anything about your gift. What does it feel like for you?"

Skye thought about it for a moment. "It's intense. Like 1,000 bees are trapped inside of me. And I feel it, all the time."

He nodded. "That's how it is for me too. Except instead of bees, I feel like I have a sun inside of me."

Skye's eyes widened. "That sounds…uncomfortable."

Grant gave her a hint of a smile. "Are the bees uncomfortable for you?"

She shrugged. "Not really. It's more of an awareness than anything else. It was really weird at first but now I've kind of gotten used to it. What about you?"

"The same. The sun is always there but it isn't like it's burning me or making me too hot." Grant paused, gathering his thoughts. He wanted to be sure he was expressing himself well. "I haven't experimented with it much but it feels like if I focus on it, I can use it."

Skye twisted around on the rock, pulling one leg up on the flat part and leaning her chin on her knee. "Is that what happened with Raina? You focused on the sun in you?"

"No. I didn't realize that I'd changed then. All I knew was that she was killing you and I couldn't make her stop. I got so angry…" His voice faded away as he thought back to that moment. He hadn't wanted to kill Raina; he'd just wanted to her to quit hurting Skye. Maybe that's why I didn't really touch her.

Skye jumped to her feet and started pacing. "You know what the difference between us is? I can't seem to control my power. You can, just like you can do practically everything. All I can do is feel that buzzing. It's always there and I can't stop it."

Grant chose to ignore the crack about being able to do everything. That was clearly a conversation they should have another time. I need to get the focus back on Skye. "That's why we're here. So you don't have to stop it."

"But I do have to! You've seen what I can do. I destroy everything around me."

"I don't think so. I did some research and I think that your gift is about more than just shaking things. There has to be a way that you're able to do that. Every object in our universe gives off a vibration. Did you know that? Nothing rests – animals, trees, people, even these rocks. And you, I suspect that you have the ability to tap into those vibrations." He noted her unimpressed look. "Don't you see, Skye? Think of what you could do! But instead of figuring it out, you're letting your fear inhibit you, constrain your energy." He smiled at her. "That's not the girl I kidnapped."

Skye appeared unmoved by his attempts to tease her out of her distress. "My powers, you know that I can't control them."

Grant stood up. "Most gifts come with a price. I of all people should know that." He glanced around at the Wyoming wilderness, thinking briefly about his time in the woods. It was here that he first learned control. Somehow I need to teach Skye what I learned. "But you could learn to manage them. That's what we're doing here, Skye. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"You say that so easily. You weren't the one who almost killed us all in the tunnels. You aren't the one who keeps losing control and causing things to break." She paused and he waited, knowing that this was a decision he couldn't force her to make. Skye had to be ready. She blew out a slow breath, then looked up at Grant, an intensely vulnerable look in her eyes. "I can't keep living like this, constantly afraid of what I'll do. So…OK. Let's see if you're right."

Grant let out the breath he'd been holding. That's my girl! "We'll start slowly, focus on fundamentals." He gave her a brief smile. "I know how much you love that. Concentrate on the water. See if you can feel the vibrations in it."

Skye closed her eyes. All of a sudden, a small column of water rose up from the riverbed in a zigzag pattern. She's doing it! The water swirled a little in the air then dropped back into the river. Skye opened her eyes, a triumphant smile on her face. "You're right. It is about the vibrations. I could feel them, manipulate them." Grant tried valiantly to hide his satisfied smirk but knew by Skye's narrowed eyes that he wasn't entirely successful. "What's next?"

Over the next few hours, he had Skye move up from rocks to small patches of land, even trying to move some air as well. Each time, Grant made certain that she was able to stop her gift herself, to exhibit control. That was essential, both to keep everyone safe and to help Skye feel good about what she could do.

The sun was nearing the middle of the sky when she demanded another water break. Skye took a big gulp of water and glared at Grant. "How long are we going to keep this up?"

"Until we can be sure that you have control over your gift. Come on Skye, you've only been at it a couple of hours. After lunch, it'll be my turn."

Skye looked at Grant speculatively, a gleam in her eye that made him uncomfortable. "I think I've mostly got it. Let's eat lunch and then do you."

Grant shifted uncomfortably. Was that a double entendre? He and Skye hadn't had sex since they'd transformed. First they were in the open contamination room, then they were too worried about losing control while in the Playground. The night before Grant had insisted upon an early bedtime so that they'd be fresh and ready for today. "You're right. Let's eat. I'm hungry!"

"Yeah. Me too," Skye said casually with a slight grin. There was that expression again. Was that another double entendre? Grant felt off-kilter. He wasn't used to not being able to read Skye. He started sweating even though the day was relatively cool. The two of them unpacked their lunches and started eating.

Skye looked around curiously. "It's kind of barren around here. Is this what it was like when you lived here?"

Grant shook his head. "No. Wyoming has a lot of different topographies. The area I lived in was more like a forest. There were lots of beautiful trees and plenty of wildlife. People had cabins there for hunting, fishing and hiking."

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes. I definitely miss the peace and quiet. And I miss seeing the beauty and feeling like I was a part of something much larger. Living at the Playground is tough because we never see the sun or the trees or feel the wind unless we leave. Some days it feels like we're living in a tomb." Grant stopped talking when he saw Skye look down and realized that she was feeling bad. "But there are a lot of things I don't miss too. Eating was a constant source of stress and I was lonely a lot. I had Buddy," Grant swallowed hard, "but, other than John, I didn't have anyone who talked back to me."

Skye's hand slipped into his and he had to look away from her for a moment in order to compose himself. It never failed to surprise him how much emotion those memories could still stir up. Skye clearly wasn't having it though. He could feel pleasurable chills as she started nibbling on his neck. "I was lonely too," she murmured in his ear, "until you kidnapped me. Who knew that being yanked from my van and tossed onto an airplane was the best thing that would ever happen to me?"

Grant could feel his heart start beating faster and his skin heat up. He drew back, grabbing both of Skye's hands in his own. "Uhh….I don't know if this is such a good idea." He looked around wildly. "I mean, we're exposed here out in the open. I couldn't protect you if someone caught us by surprise."

At first Skye looked surprised by his hasty refusal but then a thundercloud passed over her face. She yanked her hands from his and backed up, climbing to her feet. "That's just great, Grant! You keep saying that I'm still me, that the changes are good, but now you're refusing to be with me?"

"Skye…"

"No! I've tried several times in the last few days to get closer to you only to have you push me away. You keep telling me that it's not a good time or that we don't know when my powers will show up but now that we're in the middle of nowhere in a place where you said I should let loose, you're still telling me no!" Skye looked as though she might cry but there still hadn't been any tremors. Despite the emotion of the moment, Grant was impressed with her control. "So which is it?" she demanded. "Either my powers are a problem or they're not."

Grant looked stricken as he got to his feet to start walking towards her. "They're not."

Skye kept backing up. "Do you not want to be with me because I'm different or is it," she paused a moment, searching his face, "something else that's holding you back?"

Grant stopped walking, not sure what was going on. His heart was still beating fast and he could feel the heat inflaming his body.

Skye stopped her backwards trajectory and stared at Grant as if she were going over something in her head. "That's it, isn't it?" she whispered. "It isn't me. It's you." She started walking towards him, her expression filled with compassion and sorrow. Grant took a step back, feeling intensely vulnerable. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going. "This whole time, you've been helping me with my transition. Who's been helping you?"

He frowned, swallowing hard. "I don't need any help. I'm your SO. I'm here for you, for whatever you need. You know that. And don't be ridiculous. Of course I want to be with you. It just isn't the right time or place."

Skye kept walking towards him but slowly, as if she were trying not to startle a wild animal. "We're here for each other." She reached him and caressed his cheek tenderly. It took everything in Grant's power not to cry. This woman! "I'm so sorry that I've been selfish. You've been helping me through everything while I've just been ignoring your struggle."

"No, I…"

Skye gently pulled him down to sit beside her on the grass. Once he was sitting, she rose on her knees and straddled him so she could stroke his face and hair. "That's the problem, isn't it? You're scared to have sex because you don't know what will happen. You've been so busy helping me with my powers that you don't know much about your own. Do you?"

He shrugged and looked away, trying to pass off his ignorance as something he planned. Grant hadn't truly worried about his powers. They were always in the back of his mind but his attention had been solely on how to help Skye. Until he thought about having sex with her and started panicking.

"Hey." She took his chin in her hand and lightly turned it so he was facing her again. "You're my SO and I've loved every second of it. Well, maybe not the early mornings or the sit-ups but I enjoyed the time I got to spend with you. But maybe it's time to revisit that. We're a lot more than trainee and SO now. We're partners. That means that you need me as much as I need you."

"You don't understand." He shifted beneath her uncomfortably. "I'm the guy they send in to get the job done. Alone. And sure, being part of a team has been great but I help them, not the other way around. Whenever you need me, I'm there. I can figure out my stuff on my own. You don't need to worry about it."

Skye took a deep breath. "I get it. You've spent your whole life taking care of other people and old habits die hard. I thought you were getting used to having other people help you." She looked down, embarrassed. "I know when all this alien stuff started happening and we started looking for my dad, you dropped everything to help me. And maybe being out here in this place where you on your own for years is messing with your head. But Grant, if we're going to be together, you need…no, I need for you to let me help you."

Grant's head was buzzing. There was so much being thrown at him all at once: the idea that he and Skye should be on equal footing, that she needed him to let her help him, and then there was that insistent heat source inside of him. Not to mention how good it felt to have Skye on top of him. He took a deep breath, remembering that his therapist told him that he didn't need to be strong all the time, that people would still love him even if he couldn't do something or didn't know all the answers. That's a hard one. Skye shifted, taking him out of his thoughts.

"And what would really help me right now," she whispered in his ear, "is for the incredibly hot man beneath me to let me kiss him. I'm literally burning with desire."

Grant couldn't help laughing. Skye was really the limit. But it isn't that easy. He lifted her off of him and set her down gently beside him. Her lips tightened in anger but he shook his head. "If you really want me to let you in, then I need for you to not be distracted." After her reluctant nod (was that a pout?), he continued. "You're right, I'm scared to have sex with you. I don't know what my powers are or even if I'm fully in control of them." He paused, anguished. "What if in the heat of passion I burn you? I don't know how this works. What if I overheat or shoot off fire or even explode? Fire is nothing to mess around with. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."

Skye stared at him, clearly mulling things over and Grant once again started to sweat. He hated not knowing what she was thinking. Finally, she nodded. "You know what's funny? I had the same fears. I've been worried that maybe I'd shake you too hard and break you, kind of like Shaken Grant Syndrome. But you just looked so hot today," she smiled slightly, "and it's been so long for us that I didn't want to wait." She shrugged. "Maybe I'm affected by the environment too. Being out here with you has reminded me so much of our camping trip, of me wanting to jump your bones but knowing I couldn't."

Grant smiled a little too, shaking his head. "Skye…"

"But you're right. Maybe it is too early for us to have sex. You need to be comfortable if we're going to have any fun at all. So let's do this. Let's keep working on our powers and when we think we have them under control, we can try this again."

Grant nodded, appreciating Skye's understanding but frustrated with the situation. Letting her help me is going to take some getting used to. Plus, he really wanted to have sex with her. He suspected that relieving his sexual tension might make his powers easier to control. But that too would have to be tested.

After lunch, they started working on his power, making certain that they were close to the river at all times. They discovered that Grant had the power of fire manipulation. He could shoot out fire but also change the composition of it, even extinguish it altogether. He also could heat up air molecules and move small objects with them. Grant was pleased with his progress and with what he could do.

As the sun started setting, the temperature dropped and Skye shivered. "Brrr….I wasn't prepared for this and we still have to walk back to the car," she complained as they reloaded their backpacks and started the trek to the SUV.

Grant put his arm around her and pulled her close. He concentrated on purposefully stoking the fire inside him, just to see what would happen. He was hoping he could increase his body heat without damaging himself. This could be dangerous but what's experimentation without risk?

Skye gasped as the heat surrounded his body. "Well, that's a nifty trick. What other girl is lucky enough to have her own inferno to keep her warm?" She leaned back to look suspiciously at him. "This isn't hurting you, is it?"

"Nope," Grant smirked. "Just glad to be of service," Maybe these powers aren't so bad after all. When they got in the car, he focused on banking the internal fire and his body temperature cooled almost immediately.

That night, the two of them cooked dinner, watched a few episodes of their favorite TV series on DVD and then went to bed early. Both of them were extremely tired. The next day, Grant proposed that the two of them stay around the house, practicing smaller tasks. Skye worked on blending a smoothie, gently moving grass and vibrating smaller items like rocks. She also tried to "shove" items away from her without damaging them. Grant concentrated on warming things like water and food, controlling his internal temperature, and lobbing small fireballs into a tub filled with water. He practiced starting a fire in the fireplace and changing its heat level from hotter to cooler. Once again, he was pleased with his progress and felt like he was getting the hang of it.

Toward the end of the day, he and Skye agreed to show the other what they could do. Grant decided to hold some of his skills back for a surprise later that night. It quickly became apparent that some of their powers could work well together. It all started with food. Of course. The two of them had been talking about what to do for dinner.

Skye looked mischievously at Grant. "You always do the cooking. How about letting me do it for a change?"

"Ummm…." Grant hedged, trying to think of a nice way to say, "No way in hell! I prefer to avoid food poisoning!" without offending her. "You've had a long day. Why don't you let me…"

Skye burst out laughing. "I wish you could see your face!"

Grant mock glared at her. "So you don't want to cook?" He was relieved Skye wasn't upset about his poor estimation of her cooking skills but wondered what she was up to.

"No, I do," Skye said, gaining control of herself again. "I've figured out an easy way to make a vegetable soup." She poured some pre-made vegetable broth into the blender, then added some Spice Seasoning and a whole carrot, an onion, and an entire stalk of celery.

"Skye, you really should…"

"Cool your jets there, Fire-Boy. I'm showing you something." Grant watched closely as the vegetables started coming apart in the swirling broth without Skye ever having touched the blender controls. He glanced over at her smug expression. "Voila! Soup! The only thing we need to do now is heat it up."

She started to get out a saucepan for the now-blended soup mix but Grant touched her arm, preventing her from getting it. "Allow me," he told her with a smile.

Now it was Skye's turn to watch in amazement as the soup mix still in the blender started simmering. "That's awesome!" She got out two bowls and spoons for them but then whipped around, leaning back on the kitchen counter, her eyes alight with excitement. "Grant! If we can do something like this together, what else can we do?"

He mulled it over, his tactician's brain whirring, starting to get enthusiastic at the possibilities. He grinned at her. "Looks like we have tomorrow's training agenda."

Surprised, Skye drew back to look at him. "You don't want to do this right now? I thought you were always about doing now what I prefer to put off until tomorrow."

"Nope," Grant said lightly. "Some things are more important." At Skye's disbelieving look, he gave her a slow, seductive smile. "Don't you think?"

Skye nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I completely agree." She grabbed the bowls again and went to pour the soup.

After dinner, the two of them chose to sit in front of the fire, just staring into its depths for a while. Grant particularly was mesmerized, enjoying the differing hues of orange, yellow and red that he saw there. Fire is so fascinating. I can't believe how lucky I am to have it as my gift. He looked over at Skye who seemed equally absorbed by the fire. Doubly lucky.

Grant leaned over and blew lightly into her ear. Skye shivered and grinned. She kept the smile on her face as he traced a small line down her arm. "I guess this means that you feel comfortable with your powers now."

"Yes," he whispered in her ear, smiling when she shivered again. "What about you?" He started nibbling on her neck.

Skye turned her head so she could kiss him deeply. "Well, if I can master soup," she murmured as her hands ran down his chest so she could take off his shirt, "then surely I can handle you."

Grant couldn't help laughing as he lifted his arms to help her remove his shirt. Skye eyed his abs and chest appreciatively. "It's been way too long, Fire-Boy," she said as she pushed him backwards so that she could climb on top of him.

"Skye, now is really not the time to be calling me a boy." He flipped them over so that he was on top and placed his hand between her legs. Skye's eyes widened as she felt the heat even through her clothes. Grant smirked. "But the fire part is accurate."

"Oh my god!" Skye swallowed hard as Grant started slowly pushing up her shirt, kissing every inch of skin as it was exposed. She tilted her body up to help him pull the shirt over her head and hurriedly unhooked her bra when he started skimming the edges of it with his tongue. Her loud moan reverberated in the living room when Grant lightly sucked on her left nipple, letting his powers heat up both his mouth and the hand that was gently swirling around the tip of her right one. She suddenly sat up, panting, her eyes wide. "Can you do that with…all…parts of your body?"

Grant nibbled at the area connecting her shoulder and her neck, then pulled back to meet her eyes, grinning wickedly. "I guess we'll have to find out." He gently pushed her back down and resumed his sucking and swirling. When she moaned again, he lifted his head, gave her a half smile and murmured, "I told you there would be benefits to these powers."

Skye laughed shakily. Grant thought he detected a mild tremor. Uh oh. But he didn't stop his activities because they needed to find out how this worked. "It's OK baby, nothing to worry about, just concentrate on breathing," he said in-between kissing a trail down her stomach, his hands working to undo her pants.

"Grant?"

He looked up. "Yeah?"

"Shut up!" His mouth fell open as he suddenly found himself gently moved to the side, his back against the couch. He'd barely felt a thing.

Skye sat up, shucked off her pants and started working on taking off his. He lifted his hips to help her wondering what she had in mind. Once they were off, his pants went skating quickly across the room. Grant barely had enough time to register that she'd just used her powers when she climbed on top of him, straddling completely naked. She kissed him with such passion that he was breathless.

"Two can play at that game," she whispered as her hand trailed down his chest, a crazy feeling of buzzing along with it. Grant was about to tell her that she shouldn't mess around with people's vibrations, that things could go horribly wrong, when her hand started stroking him and the buzzing was all-encompassing. He moaned loudly and Skye smiled in triumph. "Concentrate on breathing, my ass!"

Grant rolled his eyes and leaned back against the couch, enjoying the sensation of Skye's hands and her body against his. He ran his fingers through her hair, loving the silky feeling of it, then moved down the rest of her body. Skye caught her breath when Grant slid a finger into her folds. He pumped his finger into her a few times, Skye's body writhing on top of him. When he couldn't bear it any longer, he unexpectedly picked her up and placed her on the couch, settling on top of her.

He shrugged at her questioning look. "We needed to get more comfortable."

"Comfort's….ummm…..good," she half said half moaned as he slid inside of her. Grant concentrated on warming just particular parts of his body. In addition to bringing Skye pleasure, he wanted to know if he could do it. He was pleased to discover that he could and, if Skye's sounds were any indication, she was enjoying it immensely. He rocked higher, changing the angle of entry slightly but keeping his thrusts at a moderate speed so that he could pay close attention to Skye's responses. When Grant heard the sound of books falling on the floor and scooting across the room, he figured she was close to release, so he increased his pace, pressure and heat.

"Oh my god, Grant! YES!"

Grant felt light-headed at the sensation of both the pulsing of her inner walls and the buzzing. She's trying to kill me! There was the familiar tingling in his spine and then he experienced the most intense orgasm of his life. He thrust a few more times, then turned Skye sideways so that he could collapse onto the couch without having to withdraw from her warmth.

Still breathing hard, Skye moved one of the couch pillows underneath both of their heads and stroked his face gently. Grant was grateful that she didn't add any buzzing. He didn't know if he could take any more sensation, especially not with how good he felt at the moment. She smiled at him. "You were right."

"I usually am," Grant replied. He smiled back at Skye and tried to slow his breathing. "What was I right about this time?"

Skye was practically glowing. "These powers are awesome!"

Grant laid back against the pillows, listening to the sound of Skye putting together a snack for the two of them. To no one's surprise, they'd decided that vegetables soup simply wasn't capable of sustaining them through several hours and multiple rounds of powerful, athletic sex. He grinned as he thought about all the different things they'd tried that night, then his smile faded as he analyzed the experience as an Agent rather than a person.

He'd always been able to bounce back quickly and he was in excellent shape but tonight had surpassed even the exploits of his youth. Grant had made good use of his time at the Academy with regards to sex. After all, he had a lot of years to make up for. He'd frequently gone a few rounds in a single night – occasionally with more than one partner – but he'd never done what he was able to do with Skye tonight. Not to mention that their encounters had been the most intense and rigorous sexual experiences of his life. Skye had seemed amazingly resilient too. Looks like our transition might be about more than just our powers.

All of a sudden, he heard a loud crack and the sound of glass breaking. Skye! As quick as lightning, Grant was out of bed, putting on a pair of boxers, and racing into the kitchen. He skidded to a stop when he saw Skye was standing in the kitchen, the remains of several plates and glasses scattered beneath her feet, staring at one of the strangest looking men Grant had ever seen. The man was tall and thin and appeared to have a flap of skin over his eyes. Skye seemed unharmed and the man wasn't exhibiting any of the tension Grant associated with people wanting a fight. If anything, he gave the impression of being completely at ease.

He casually nodded at Grant's entrance, almost as if he could see and they were being introduced for the first time. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your evening like this," the man said calmly, "but we thought it was time that we had a talk."