Electricity

Everything seemed to almost return to normalcy… except for the thing I wanted to the most. I still was learning how to fight with May with a minimal amount of dialogue between us, Skye and I still watched movies and had meals together, Simmons was puttering and working with me in the lab, Coulson gave me this amazing tour of his office, and Ward just was Ward. But Fitz… Fitz was an absolute brick wall that I crashed into day in and day out.

We could be in the same room- we were both adults, but he didn't say a single word to me in the almost week that stretched between missions. All Skye had to do was talk to him to have the slate wiped completely clean, but for some reason I created this deep well of anger in him that I honestly didn't understand. I mean, I tried to be respectful of his feelings like I had promised myself, but I didn't understand what I had done that made me deserve such scorn. He did his best to not even acknowledge my presence whenever I was around him which included looking right through me when I was in front of him to speak to someone and even reaching around me rather than asking me to hand him something. And it hurt an awful lot. But I tried to give him his space.

Both Jemma and Skye tried to talk to him. I didn't ask them to I swear. They just thought it had gone a little too far, especially with how quickly he let Skye back in and the unhappy mood that was quickly becoming the norm for me. Skye just came away from the conversation frustrated and ranting how he wouldn't even talk about the subject and was able to deflect her at every turn. I had assured her that was okay and that she had tried her best. Skye had been trying extra hard these days to seem useful to everybody in a desperate effort to prove herself and her trust. It wasn't necessary for any of us, but I think part of her was hoping Ward would notice. He was the only one who seemed to be holding her at bay, and like me with Fitz it was the one person who drove her craziest. I told her he'd come around and she just had to wait it out, but he was actually holding out longer than I expected. Maybe my anger readings were just really messed up.

Jemma at least got him to talk about it- though she couldn't tell me anything because it was in confidence. "He… he has his reasons, Ashleigh. And I'm convinced the only way this course will alter is if he's given the proper amount of space and time to sort out his feelings." Well, that was helpful. Thanks, Jemma for that useful bit of info that tells me absolutely nothing. But I had just nodded my head and promised I would try to do what he needed, especially because she seemed miserable that was all she could give me. That and her research into Missing Persons had turned up nothing. I hadn't been expecting it to though. I had done too good a job at making myself vanish.

After that conversation I stopped going to the lab at all- trying to give him this so-called space he needed. Fine. He could come to me when he was ready. I tried not to get angry back at him, but it got difficult no to get fed up with the whole ignoring my existence trick as the week wore on. May caught me hitting the punching bag a little harder than necessary one morning while Johnny Cash blared in my ears. He had become my favorite artist since Fitz and I had our Girl Talk Movie and Coulson had been kind enough to donate an old music player to me filled with all sorts of music for me to sift through and see if it rang a bell. So far nothing had, but I regularly alternated between a playlist of songs he had made for me and the Johnny Cash one that was my personal favorite. May had simply nodded at me and went about warming up on the other side of the mat with her daily yoga. She had stayed completely out of this whole thing, allowing us children to bicker amongst ourselves. So I kept swinging, trying to channel the anger I didn't want to have into something productive that could help me protect my team.

So, in short, the time that I should have spent in total happiness that I no longer had any secrets and was still a member of the team I needed was spent being depressed and slightly bitter about the actions of the person who had at one time been in my mind my closest friend. Life just never wanted to go my way, did it?

We were both interrupted from out musings by Ward coming in. All he had to do was nod for the both of us to stop what we were doing. "We're pretty close so Coulson's going to brief us on the ground. All I understood was something about an electrostatic anomaly." I pulled the headphones from my ears and started for the door only to stop with his hand on my shoulder. "Just so you know he's pretty miserable too." May brushed right past us for the cockpit where I intended to hide with her until we landed… after a shower of course. "I was just with him and I've never seen him so angry and combative in my life- almost physically fought with me over an ounce on the pistol. Just thought I'd let you know in case it makes you feel better."

I kindly shrugged him off, shaking my head. "It doesn't. I'd rather him be happy because then at least I know this was doing one of us some good." He just stared at me, almost confused at my words it seemed. He didn't understand how I could feel that way. "I'm sure your being miserable doesn't make Skye feel better." I hadn't given up on Ward and emotions- I mean obviously he had them. I just felt like he didn't understand them, especially some of the more complex ones. So I tried to be patient and help him along where I could. "If you don't like how Fitz is treating me, which seems to be the case, then do me a favor and don't do the same to her please." The nod was almost imperceptible but I saw it. "Thanks Ward."

I knew I was going to have to face him for the first time in a few days on this mission, but I promised myself to keep civil. This frustration needed to wash away with the shower for everyone's sake. So I threw on a short-sleeved turquoise blouse with a light grey jacket, a pair of jeans, and my classic sneakers before making my way to the cargo ramp. We had been even closer than I thought. I didn't even have time to throw my hair up as I had forgotten my ponytail back in the bunk, leaving my blonde hair to be thrown about mercilessly by the elements.

I jogged down the cargo ramp to find Coulson, May, Skye, and Ward waiting patiently. We seemed to be in some sort of preserve, trees all around us with a campsite just ahead. It was chilly but not enough that one was cold- it just kind of was refreshing to have the actual breeze on my skin after being cooped up for so long. I took a deep breath of the fresh air and couldn't help but smile.

Then Fitz-Simmons came down the ramp with their large suitcases, Fitz making a huge point of keeping himself focused on Coulson- who was directly on the other side of the group from me. And my blood boiled just a bit, but I tried to keep it under control as May had taught me. In fact, I decided to stick by her side since there was no one here for me to talk to at the moment, edging close to her and away from everyone else. I was worried she would say something, but she merely gave me a look that I understood these days to mean my actions were fine but I was still an idiot for coming clean. I got it a lot these days so I was really good at picking up on it.

We proceeded for the campsite, tension in the air between Skye and Ward as well. Other Agents were scouting the area as well and I managed to keep up the illusion to nod at them like I was their equal. None of them nodded back; too caught up in their work it seemed. "A troop was here when it happened," Coulson began as we came across the empty campsite. It was eerie- like a ghost town. Something had happened here- you could feel it in the air. "Troop leader's name was Adam Cross. Apparently, he heard something in the woods. Went to check it out." May started for the truck that must have been Cross's and I followed her diligently as the others fanned out as well. "That's where the electrostatic anomaly occurred."

"What I don't understand is," Fitz said from beside Coulson, "usually, they're created by a massive electrical storm-" I tried to ignore this was my first time hearing his voice in days and focus on the truck May was heading to which had a hole on its front suspiciously enough.

"But there wasn't a storm within a thousand miles of here last night," Simmons took the baton and finished the thought.

"This anomaly's different. It has a side-effect we've never seen before." With that, Coulson walked off to start investigating on his own. May threw open the trunk of the van and immediately seemed to notice something. I was not intimately familiar with the inside of a car these days so I just looked to her.

"The battery blew straight through the hood." Yeah, that didn't sound normal to even me. I was pretty sure cars didn't do that.

"Landed over here," Ward told us from across the camp where he and Skye were squatting. May had already made to follow Coulson where he had disappeared up a hill and I ran to keep up with her. "Hell of a force to create that kind of trajectory."

Coulson stood with Fitz-Simmons when I saw him. Adam Cross, who was obviously not alive judging by the fact he wasn't breathing, was simply floating in the air before us. There was no sign of any strings to make this a prank or an illusion- the man was simply defying the laws of nature and a dead body was airborne. Those poor kids. This really must have frightened the little ankle biters to see their leader like this when they were alone in the woods. It was freaking me out and I was a grown adult.

Fitz had already pulled the unfolding tablet out of his suitcase and was taking readings as Skye and Ward came up behind us. "So sad a man died this way," Simmons commented, putting black gloves on as we all watched the two of them work. "And yet, so amazing."

"Fitz-Simmons, any idea what could have caused an effect like this?" Coulson inquired, and the two of them launched into unintelligible gibberish to the rest of us as they talked over one another at their usual pace. Coulson clearly wasn't following and spoke for the rest of us when he tapped his fingers to his other palm. "Time. Let's try that again." He took a breath before speaking to the two. "Any idea what could cause an effect like this?"

"The hell if I know' Simmons admitted honestly at the same moment Fitz added, "Uh, no, no clue." Well, at least we all seemed to be on the same page. The fact that they didn't seem to know the answer thought unnerved me even more though. It looked like we weren't getting a straight answer in the near future at this rate. Who was this gentleman and how had he died?

Ward stepped next to Coulson, clearly having a Ward idea in his head. "Seems to me like we're dealing with a new high-tech weapon."

"Or a freak natural event," I felt the need to add; thankful no one seemed to write off my comment. Things were really okay for my being here and I couldn't lose that confidence now. "We need to know more about who the target was because at the moment I can't see why someone would want to use a weapon like this on a scout leader." Ward seemed to concede that point of me, nodding thoughtfully.

"Or could it be this happened because he was someone from you uber-secret index?" Skye joined in from behind May.

"There's no one on the index with this kind of power," May shot that one down.

"That we know of," Coulson added grimly, not throwing it out completely. "I'll contact Agent Blake at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, have him check it out. Whoever of whatever's responsible, we can't let this happen again." I couldn't help but nod in complete agreement. This looked like a horrible way to go.

"Fitz, see his forehead?" Simmons questioned with her usual science curiosity, making her way towards the body. Something like that just didn't sit right with me and I trusted my instinct to follow her while everyone hung back. "Look at the endothelial discoloration."

"Yeah," Fitz observed, "same dispersal pattern as the strike on the truck."

Simmons reached out to examine it more thoroughly, making all my hairs stand on end. I think she was taking her scientific curiosity a bit far for something we knew next to nothing about. She didn't even seem to notice I was next to her at this point. So my hand reached out stop her despite myself. "Could be an entry wound that cauterized immediately." My hand reached her shoulder just as she was leaning a little close towards the body for my comfort, just as a burst of what seemed to be static electricity hit me. One moment I felt a small zap and the next the body was falling to the ground as if the invisible strings holding it up had been cut. I reacted immediately, spinning Simmons away from it and covering her with my back to the body.

Nothing happened after the body hit the leaves though, just a moment of tense silence as everyone looked at us in worry. I pulled away from Simmons to see the both of us appeared to be completely fine and thankfully on the ground. I edged away from the body, regretting having been that close to it to begin with if there didn't seem to be any imminent danger. The slight zap to my fingers left me shaking them out as Simmons just smiled at me. It was almost like the shock had traveled through her to me which seemed really odd for the little I knew about science. "It seems the two of us discharged whatever energy was left in the body with our proximity. It should be fine- just a small shock." She turned to address everyone else, showing them she was fine. "Freaky," she told Fitz with wide, curious eyes.

"Freaaaaky," he agreed as he typed away on his tablet. Everyone else seemed to let out a breath that nothing had gone horribly wrong, including me. They all started to disperse and go their spate ways once again, leaving me and Fitz-Simmons with the body.

"Did you feel that?" I asked Simmons, examining my hand to see that luckily I hadn't been burned. It still stung though.

She nodded. "A little bit, but I thought my clothing and gloves were adequate to protect me from any sort of discharge. Hence why I thought it was safe to approach the body." Great. I could sense what was in that tone. She thought that I had thought she was an idiot and had tried to stop her. I had stepped on her toes in the one area it was proven I didn't have close to a clue in.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to- something just didn't feel right about the situation so I… acted I guess."

"I appreciate the concern and the attempt to save my non-threatened life," she told me sincerely as she went to look at the body again. "But when it comes to science I can assure you I know what I'm doing. Instincts are good, but we deal with cold hard fact that we've been trained in. Don't feel like you always have to run in and save us- you might just end up getting hurt when you don't have to." It stung a little, but she was right. I had been a little too hasty to rush in there. Everyone had trusted her, including her best friend, so I should have to.

"Lesson learned," I agreed. "I think I'm going to head away from the body and back by the others if you're all good here." She didn't even seem to notice that I had commented, so I turned and readied myself to head back in the general direction of the Bus.

He was right in front of me, making his way toward his partner in science. He gave me the smallest, the most cursory of glances before stepping around me and it made my blood boil. This was just being a child now. My mind told me to be the bigger person and keep walking, keep the distance and let him come around like I had planned. Remember my training and keep those emotions under control. But I couldn't help but resort to being a child as well, flipping off his back so he didn't see before continuing my walk down the hill.

I hate to say it, but it felt really good.

XXX

"I hear the train a comin'" Punch "It's rolling round the bend" Kick. "And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when" Jab. Jab. "I'm stuck in Folsom Prison and time keeps dragging on" Uppercut. Jab Punch.

"Crawford!" I heard from behind me, and I whirled around while yanking one of my ear buds out. Coulson stood there with a bemused expression as he took in the boxing gloves I had on my hands and the punching bag suspended on a chain. I had come back here once we got back on the Bus to let off some steam, but only after Skye and May had assured me that my help wasn't necessary on any front for the moment. I hadn't even bothered checking in the lab.

I removed the gloves from my hands only to see how red and bruised they were. "Sorry sir. I got in a bit of a zone, I guess." He tossed me a bag of ice and I thankfully held my knuckle against it. "I might have gotten carried away. How long have I been-"

"A few hours." Oh wow. I had no idea. "Skye finished her digging through information on Cross and is ready to present it. I thought you'd like to join us." I nodded in agreement, looking down and realizing I had basically sweated through the clothes I had chosen for today. I hadn't even changed before coming down here- just grabbing my music player and then swinging. My hair must have been a mess. I started with him towards the Briefing Room, catching my breath only to have him hand me a water bottle that I practically chugged. "I'm surprised you didn't join May for her interrogation."

They had been calling some of the boys who had been hesitant to talk about the incident. We had wanted every piece of information on the scene that we could- especially if one of the kids had maybe seen someone and had been hesitant to speak up. May had offered to take that task, citing that she did excellently with children. I'd even seen her in the kitchen making cookies which was honestly kind of trippy. "I figured she had it handled- my part is to be played by a plate of fresh cookies I suppose. I don't want to step on her toes too much, especially after how I doubted Simmons this morning and kind of upset her."

"You were following your instincts," he seemed to be reminding me. "And they're very good so you should trust them. Don't let the fact that the team knows the truth cause them to maybe unintentionally shrink your role and usefulness. You have a part here and I for one fully expect you to play it if we want to be successful."

It was like what I had been trying to get out all afternoon had melted away at a few words. I don't know how he managed to do it really. Next time skip physical exertion and go right to him. "Thanks, sir. I think I needed that pep talk."

"Of course. It's been a rough few days around here for you… mainly due to Agent Fitz." I looked down at that, playing with the ice bag still on my knuckles. "Do I need to step in-"

"No," I insisted immediately. "It's rough and I sometimes think he's just being an ass at this point, but I promised to respect his feelings. It's hard but I'm trying. We can sort this out ourselves… and we will. You have a lot of bigger things to worry about so let us handle our own little squabbles."

"Alright," he agreed. "Let me know if it becomes an issue though. We can't have you keep tearing up your hands and walking around with a frown on your face over a relationship with a member of your team. It should be the job that gives you the headache and the team that is a relief, not the other way around."

"I know, sir, but don't feel like you need to take extra personal investment in me either. Skye's having similar difficulties as well with Ward. I know now I may seem like a poor girl trapped in a world I don't remember, but I think I'm doing alright in making my way through it."

"Of course I'm taking a personal investment in you," he countered, facing me. "You're a member of my team and I need to make sure you're alright." I gave him a genuine smile, so glad to have a guy like this looking out for me, and he let go only after giving my shoulder a squeeze that somehow made me smile even more. I could always count on Coulson.

Ward was waiting for us and the three of us stood in front of Skye and the table in the Briefing Room. Skye had pulled up a variety of pictures and files on Cross it seemed, displaying them to us on the table to look over. Nothing seemed to jump out at me at first glance though as I crossed my arms and waited for her to begin.

"You found us some information on Cross?" I began before Coulson could, wanting to begin by showing her that I was here and on her side.

"A lot of information actually," she corrected. "But you already knew that thanks to my fancy S.H.I.E.L.D. house-arrest gizmo tracking my every key swipe, my online activity, my cholesterol." She shook the hand with the bracelet a bit, self-depreciating smile on her face. I know she had been at war with the thing these past few days and the fact that she wasn't fully trusted any longer. But she was trying to roll with the punches as best she could for the moment- with her typical sense of humor of course. Ward didn't seem too enthused though, staring at her pretty harshly. "Just wish it came in another color… or came off."

"The victim," Ward reminded her, causing me to cough loudly. He shot me a look but I just held it before he turned back with a sigh. "Please."

This seemed to give her a bit of extra confidence as she went into her findings. "Adam Cross… single, no kids, originally from Wrigley, Pennsylvania- not far from here." It all seemed to match up and be completely unsuspecting for the moment.

"Been there," Coulson added with a fond smile. "They have a nice little strawberry festival in the spring. Occupation?"

"Phys-ed teacher at the local high school and Varsity baseball coach and troop leader and volunteer firefighter," she rattled off, each more impressive than the last. My gut told me this was a pretty stand-up guy and not who we were looking for in this case. It was someone around him, not Cross himself. "This guy makes Captain America look like 'the dude'." She waited with a chuckle to herself, I think for us to laugh, but I know I just stared at her blankly. I think the others did the same based on her reaction to the group of us. "'The Big Lebowski.'" Still had nothing. It must have been a reference of some kind. I was behind on those. "Seriously? Ashleigh at least has the excuse of her entire memory being thrown in the trash, but you two-"

Ward decided to get things back on track. "What about a criminal record, restraining order, something that might give us a suspect?" Skye seemed a little shaken at being cut off, but regained her composure and changed the screen to show conversations Cross had online with others.

"Nada… not even a parking ticket. I skimmed all his posts, anyone linked to his pages, hoping for a crazy ex or super powered stalker and he's clean."

"Everybody looks clean their first go-around," Ward said through a glare, but he managed to dodge the elbow I tried to throw at him this time. I turned to him to say something when Coulson cut in.

"Ward's right." My words died right on my lips and don't think I missed the smirk that appeared on his face. "We're missing something. Dig deeper." Skye nodded and headed out of the room to where her laptop must have been set up, but not before receiving a smile from me as she left. The three of us stood for a moment as Coulson continued to look over the information. "You've been pretty tough on her."

"Thank you!" I couldn't help but join this conversation that really should have been between the two of them I admit. "I've been telling him that for close to a week now."

"The two of you seem to forget that she lied to us… contacted the Rising Tide while we were on mission."

"I lied too, Ward," I felt the need to remind him, willing to drag my name through the mud a bit for my friend.

"But you came clean by your own admission and earned that trust right back. If she wants the same thing she's got to earn it."

"The background she ran on Cross is a good start," Coulson seemed to be advising him to let up a bit. "Put it up on the server, Ward. I want May to have a look when she's done with her interrogation. Crawford, the two of us can head down to the lab to check on progress there." I nodded and followed him out of the room towards the back entrance of the lab. "See, it's not just your fight I'm personally invested in."

I couldn't help but snort at what was clearly meant as a joke. I could tell he was trying to keep me from thinking about going into the lab, which I was both aware of and perfectly fine with. "You sure did prove me wrong, sir." The two of us entered the lab to find Jemma in full science mode which meant the tablet and the goggles. My eyes couldn't help but find the body immediately, trying to calm my stomach from starting a revolt at it as it lay upon a familiar metal table I sat on days before.

"Excellent timing, sir. Hello Ashleigh," she greeted us, leading us closer to the body to my reluctance. "I've been analyzing sagittal and coronal images of the victim's brain."

"What's Fitz doing out there?" Coulson asked, and I looked up to see Fitz on the other side of the lab door at a table in the cargo bay. He looked up at the mention of his name, ignoring me naturally in favor of Coulson.

"He detected a strange energy coming off the body," Jemma tried to cover, obviously lying,

"He's afraid of it," I corrected her, knowing the squeamishness I had now must have been even greater in him from past experiences. I looked past her to try and make eye contact with him, which seemed to wind him up a bit.

"It's the smell!" I rolled my eyes, knowing that one wasn't true either.

"There's no shame in it, Fitz," Simmons turned to address him comfortingly, getting between the two of quite purposefully I think. "It's perfectly natural to be afraid."

The look he gave her meant we were in for a heated Fitz-Simmons conversation. "We'd better prepare ourselves, sir," I told Coulson. "It's going to be a minute."

"No. The only thing I'm afraid of is putrid, decaying flesh corrupting my pristine workspace." Simmons let out a small groan and though her back was to us I'm positive she rolled her eyes pretty hard. "Do you remember the last time you brought a dead thing into the lab?"

"Oh, not the stupid cat again," Simmons argued. I was listening to all this quite curious to learn about a Fitz-Simmons history moment they hadn't argued over yet. Coulson seemed to be losing his patience beside me though, especially when they started speaking over one another with Simmons talking about it being their lab and Fitz just pushing for us to be told the saga of the cat which involved a liver next to his lunch. If she got between Fitz and his lunch this situation must have been quite the scarring one.

"Guys!" Coulson cut in, ending their argument, clearly exasperated that they were choosing now to do this. "Can we please…?"

"Yes, sir," Jemma turned back to us, tapping at the tablet. Fitz went back to his work, but not before staring at me for a long moment in a way that cut right through me. I tried to focus back in though, knowing Coulson was counting on me. "Um, as I was saying, this is the victim's brain." We turned to the screen in the lab where the brain looked as if it had been charred.

"Looks like a burnt baked potato," Coulson quipped as the two of us turned back to Simmons.

"That's what happens when it's hit with close to 2,000 mega joules of electrostatic energy. That's almost double the power of a lightning bolt." Okay. So we were talking about something really powerful then. It looked like eye witness accounts weren't exaggerating about the blast.

"Kid's clean," May reported as she entered the lab from the back, coming right up to the table without a shred of fear. I envied her greatly. "You figure out why the body was floating?"

"Not yet," Simmons admitted. "The molecular density of the victim was temporarily altered by an unknown energy source." Maybe I was spending too much time here because I was actually following this time around. I had come quite the ways in my understanding of science. "I'm hoping to shed some light on its effects one I extract a brain-tissue sample." There was the shiver going up my spine. Just don't form any mental images. Don't do it. Don't do it.

"It's happening again!" Fitz suddenly interrupted my thoughts, rising from his chair in the cargo bay.

"It's science, Fitz!" Jemma shot back, clearly fed up. "I have to dissect something."

Fitz came right up to the glass and held up his tablet. "No, the satellite's picking up another electrostatic event not 20 kilometers from here." May and Coulson didn't even hesitate, making their way to head straight for one of our cars. I immediately set out through the back door to grab Skye, knowing we would need her to find out exactly what they were walking into.

I found her digging through her information on Cross at her laptop in the living room. She looked up as I knocked on the frame of the door, gritting my teeth as it sent a bit of pain through my knuckles. "We need you in the lab. There's another event." She instantly shut her laptop wordlessly and followed me back, taking up residence at one of the tables on her laptop while I hovered at her side. Fitz-Simmons had pulled up the image from his tablet on their larger screen and it looked like a vehicle was already missing.

"I think it might be getting a bit, uh, crowded in here for this," Fitz spoke as he scratched at his neck, trying to seem causal. "Someone should go check on Ward."

"Ward went with May and Coulson and you know that. Seriously, Fitz?" Jemma chastised him. "Now?"

"I'm just saying it's not like she's doing anything useful." I had to literally bit my tongue to keep from saying something I didn't want to. It was so hard. I just kept my eyes focused on Skye and her computer, refusing to give in. He wasn't going to break me.

"Fitz, leave her alone," Skye came to my aid as well. "Just give me the coordinates of the event." Both of them seemed to have worn him down as he gave them to her without another word, returning to his part of the work. "I'm sorry," I heard Skye whisper form next to me and it was only then I became aware of how hard I was biting my lip. I just shook my head and gestured for her to keep going, watching as words flew across the screen.

"Fitz, what's the latest reading?" Coulson's voice came through the speakers a few minutes later.

"We're at 324 mega joules and growing stronger… dangerous territory, sir."

"There's a farmhouse a mile north of you," Skye informed him. "Right at the center of the signal. That's got to be it."

"Skye, dig up everything you can on whoever lives at that farm." She was already on it, hands flying furiously once again. "We need to know who we're dealing with."

Just then a beep sounded through the room. "Hold on, now," Fitz said a bit frantically. "What just happened? Um, it's gone." I looked over to the screen, seeing the red had indeed vanished.

"What's gone?"

"The electrostatic signal… it seemed to pulse, then disappear." Yeah, now I was lost. I had been holding out so well with the science but it was only bound to be a matter of time. I watched as the dot signifying the car then went off road before coming to a halt at where the center had once been.

"Be careful," I whispered under my breath as I watched the still blinking dot, suddenly wishing I was with them. At least then I'd be away from the dead body which would be a plus. Whoever couldn't have gotten far.

I almost let out a breath when Coulson came back over the speaker again. "Skye, we need real-time SAT surveillance on this area right now." Whatever they were looking for wasn't there.

"Hang on," Skye said from her laptop. "I think I found something you might want to see first. Sending it over now." The clack of the keys continued as I made my way over to see a picture of four men in front of a fire truck- one of them certainly being Cross. A label came on another with the tag Frank Whalen. "The guy who owns the farm's name is Frank Whalen. He's a volunteer firefighter at the same station house as our first victim, Adam Cross."

"The two victims were friends," I realized as I stared at the picture, pieces starting to click into place. It left a hell of a lot of questions still though. I wiped a hand over my forehead, realizing I had even worked up a bit of a sweat over it.

"They were both responders when the aliens crashed New York." She paused and the turned to me. "Last year-"

"I read about it," I stopped her kindly. "I'm good. Continue."

"Two victims from the firehouse found in the same weird way," Ward said thoughtfully, trying to connect things as I'm sure we all were.

"We're looking for a killer," Skye said what everyone else was afraid to. There was a long pause before Coulson spoke again.

"Fitz-Simmons, come here with Skye to look over the scene. Find whatever information you can. The three of us will head to the firehouse and see what we can find there."

"I'm coming with you," I spoke up. "I can jump cars when we cross paths. If we're going to talk to the firefighters I want to be there."

"Agreed," Coulson said without hesitation, earning an exhale from me. My heart was beating pretty fast but I should have known there was no reason to get worked up. "We'll see you when we cross paths."

It only took a few minutes for Fitz-Simmons to load up their supplies and Skye to grab her laptop case and cords. I took those few minutes to throw on some clean clothes and try to appear presentable, though I still left my hair down. Soon we were loaded up into one of the cars, Simmons taking the wheel once they all silently remembered I wouldn't be able to. We sped along in a very tense, awkward silence created entirely by myself and Fitz just folding our arms and staring out our respective windows with a grimace. If he wasn't offering anything, then I sure the hell wasn't. Besides, I was starting to feel pretty tired- probably from all the punching I had been doing earlier.

We soon came across their car and both pulled to a stop as I climbed out and took a seat next to Ward in the back, both of them setting out in their opposite directions once again. This car was equally silent, but this time I felt it was out of sheer focus to the mission which made the whole thing a lot less uncomfortable. I settled into my seat and just watched the scenery go by as it started to get dark outside, unable to will my mind to think about the mission too much. I clearly needed some sleep.

We had just about reached the firehouse when Coulson called Skye. "What did you find out about the firehouse?"

"It turns out they sent an engine to New York with a dozen volunteers after the Chitauri invasion, including Cross and Whale. Maybe it has something to do with why they were targeted?"

"Or how they were killed," Ward was clearly thinking ahead. I honestly felt a little out of my league. The others had seen New York, outside Coulson I guess, in all its destruction. I had only read a few notes in a file. It somehow paled in comparison.

"You mean like… an alien weapon?"

"We don't know that," Coulson was quick to remind us before our thought strayed too much. "Let's just make sure we get to those firefighters before anyone else does."

We pulled in a few minutes later, climbing out and heading over to where four guys were around a table having what must have been their dinner. I tried to give them a warm open smile, hiding the fact that I was looking for one that might be a possible murderer.

"Evening, gentleman," Coulson began, and I waved at them all. They seemed to relax at that as Coulson showed his badge. "Agent Phil Coulson with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"We were with you in New York," I added warmly. "Agent Crawford," I also contributed, flashing a pretend badge.

"Right. S.H.I.E.L.D." It was the older guy, the one standing who spoke first. "What can we do for you?" he asked pleasantly, though a little guarded as was to be expected.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," he nodded towards me and then to Ward and May, "take a look around." The two of them set off on their own to just that as the firefighters looked on, still a little wary. I went to say something funny to try and put them more at ease when another larger man entered, sweating up a storm.

"Hey guys," he took us in. "What's, uh… what's going on?" Coulson looked to me and gave a small nod. I stepped forward, hands on the table.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this gentleman, sincerely. I'm so sorry. But we just came from where we discovered the body of your co-worker Frank Whalen." They all seemed to be taken aback by this, reacting as one expected they would- anger and grief all rushing at me.

"What do you mean?" the sweaty one asked. I needed to learn his name quickly or that was going to stick. "Frankie's dead?" All I could do was nod, making sure to meet the eyes of everyone there to express how bad I felt for them. I couldn't picture losing a brother in arms and I knew it was about to get even worse for them. "You know how it happened?"

"The same way your other friend, Mr. Cross, died the day before," Coulson came up next to me, knowing it was time to move past sympathy to information. Hopefully I had warmed them up though.

"Which was how, exactly?" Sweating Man pushed, setting off warning alarms in my brain.

"I'm sorry," Coulson addressed him directly. "Your name is…?"

"Tony," he spoke, seeming to sweat even more. "Tony Diaz."

"Mr. Diaz, are you feeling alright?" I asked, noting how he seemed to shrink at the question.

"I'm actually not feeling so hot," he admitted, edging back down the hallway he had appeared from. Coulson made his way around the table and I was right on his heels, knowing he wanted me right behind him in case anything happened. I indicated for the others to stay put.

"Ward, cover the back door," Coulson made him aware of the situation. "Nobody comes in or out."

We followed Diaz back into the kitchen of the firehouse where Diaz was looking around perplexed. "That humming noise… you hear that?" He seemed to be quite out of it and it was starting to really worry me. My heart was beating faster again and something told me this whole thing wasn't right. We needed to get away from him.

"No. I don't," Coulson tried to keep things calm. "Were you in New York with Mr. Cross and Mr. Whalen after the Chitauri invasion?"

He just continued to look around. "Come on. You don't hear that?" He sighed. "It's driving me nuts."

"Mr. Diaz," I tried. "Just talk to us. What-?"

Then the pan behind him started floating and the air in the entire room seemed to shift. I was instantly behind Coulson as he needed me to be while he pulled out his gun and aimed it right at Diaz. I had to remove my getting hurt from the equation so he could do this if he needed to. Meanwhile, I had to get the most out of him before he did something.

"Whatever you're doing, make it stop," Coulson ordered sharply for both our sakes. Diaz put both his hands in the air, thankfully not looking like he was going to attack. I was still on my guard though.

"I-I'm not doing anything!"

"Where's the weapon?" Coulson ordered.

"The what?" He seemed to be genuinely confused which was odd. Maybe he was out of it a bit.

"Coulson, I found it," May came over the comm. "It's a Chitauri helmet."

"What are you doing with the helmet?" Coulson changed tracks, gun still pointed threateningly at Diaz.

"What, the… the alien thing? I-it's a souvenir." He then seemed to notice the pan and it dropped to the floor the moment he did. "Aah! Not again!"

"Tony," I tried gently, hopeful I could get through to him in this state. "What happened with the helmet?"

"The first time anyone's touched it since New York was a couple nights ago," he answered, hands still in the air and even more terrified than before.

"Why?" Coulson demanded.

"It had rust all over it. We were cleaning it." My gut told me he had to be telling the truth. The guy was literally shaking right now and confused beyond belief.

"That wasn't rust," Simmons voice cut through our exchange. "May, don't' touch it! Sir, he's not using a weapon… he's infected. I think the helmet was the source of an alien virus."

A moment later, I heard Ward and May come up behind us followed by the rest of the firefighters. Diaz was still frantic across from us as he faced down the gun. "All we did was clean it… I swear. Me, Frankie, and Adam… we… we were bored on the third shift, so… so we decided to clean it." Then the realization started to hit him just as my stomach completely sunk for the poor man. "Adam and Frankie…"

"Mr. Diaz, I'm putting the gun away now, okay?" Coulson told him before he slowly did so, my hands going to my mouth. Tony had the virus too. What happened to them was about to happen here… and there was nothing we could do about it.

"Sir, he's at 600 mega joules and climbing." No one moved. "Sir?"

He turned and went to May and Ward. "Clear everybody out," he ordered low and calm. "Clear everybody out… now." They instantly heeded him and scrambled down the hallway with the firefighters. He turned to me but I clenched the counter tight.

"I'm not leaving him. And I'm-I'm not leaving you." Coulson seemed to accept this, shutting the door slowly leaving just the three of us.

"I-I'm gonna wind up like them, aren't I?" Diaz asked, clearly scared out of his wits. I could only look at him sympathetically.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Coulson offered, taking one himself after Diaz did. I hovered just behind, hands clasped tightly together. "You have any family… wife, kids?" Diaz shook his head, obviously having trouble grappling with all of this. "Is there anyone you want to talk to?"

"Is there anything we can do for you?" I added, holding back tears to appear strong. No one deserved what was about to happen to him. No one.

"Sir, you have to get out of there right now!" Fitz shouted into our ears. "He's going to-"

Coulson and I both pulled them out at the same time, him setting it on the table while I held it in my hand. I didn't know what to say really. What do you say to someone going through this? "Listento me," Coulson spoke soft and strong. "I've been where you are right now. So please believe me when I tell you you don't have to be afraid."

"What are you… what are you talking about?" Diaz asked, and it even took me a minute to realize what he was speaking of.

"Your job… gets pretty dangerous, doesn't it?" The smallest of nods. "Mine too. I got hurt once… pretty bad. And I… I died." My chest clenched at the words and I had to remind myself it was okay. He was right here. I let Coulson continued, so wrapped in his words myself I couldn't dream of interrupting him. "Some say it was only for eight seconds, but I know it was more than that. I know I wasn't here anymore. I was there."

"What's it like?" Diaz asked so quietly I almost missed it.

"It's beautiful." A moment later, electricity sparked in Diaz's hands and I knew it was almost time.

"You two had better get going," he told us, but we both couldn't seem to move. "Go." Coulson rose and gestured for the door, guiding me towards the door slowly with a hand hovering just behind my back. I looked back one last time and blew Diaz a kiss. He closed his wet eyes as soon as I did like that was the last thing he wanted to see. We quickly exited the firehouse, Coulson always right behind me as if to prevent me from running back in. Because I wanted to. And I think needing to get me out kept him from running back which he clearly wanted to do as well.

The door slid closed behind us as we exited to where everyone else was waiting. We fell in line with them, my heart sinking like a stone as the entire building soon crackled with electricity before going out. I had to wipe the tears from my eyes with my hand, for the first time actually missing the functionality of my long sleeves. Three. We had lost three men to this and in that moment I vowed we weren't going to lose any more. I bargained with the devil in that way, saying they'd just have to take me first.

I went back to the room where Diaz's body was floating in the air, eyes closed and thankfully looking at peace. I wanted to be there with him until they came to take him, spending pretty much the whole night just sitting at the table watching him. Coulson had stopped in between his calls but I assured him I was alright- just doing something I thought I needed to do. I might have even dozed off for a bit between thoughts. Hopefully he was with his other two friends now in that place Coulson had talked about- together past the end.

I heard someone and turned to see Fitz enter the kitchen followed by all sorts of Agents in white suits that covered them from head to toe. And looking at him after everything I'd just been through… my anger was gone. I couldn't do it anymore when life could be as fleeting as his was. I needed to make things right with him right now. I needed my friend back because I was going to lose my mind without him. This was my Lee and I needed him desperately.

"We're heading out," he spoke before I could, sounding like he was talking to a piece of cardboard rather than a human being- rather than his Ash. "The other firefighters are going into quarantine until Jemma finds a cure- which she will."

"I know she will," I agreed, trying to find some common ground. "Fitz-"

"We also have the helmet. We're taking it to Sandbox, which us actual S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent know to be-"

And just like that I was pissed again. It was like a switch flipping, his irritation quickly becoming mine as sentimentality faded and I remembered just how fed up I was.

"I know what it is," I tried to be polite. "I read a lot about it when I was studying." I gave Tony one last glance and watery smile before turning back to Fitz. "I'm coming." I started towards him as the other Agents filed past, noticing the device in his hand. "Coulson said you need to scan us-"

"He's fine so I imagine you are too," he said before taking off down the hallway, getting away from me as quickly as humanly possible. I merely grumbled to myself before following him, climbing into the car Ward was now driving with May and Skye, arms crossed. I kept my eyes on the fire station for as long as it was within seeing distance before leaning my head against the window as the sun started to peek over the horizon and sighing as I nursed a headache that was coming on.

This whole day had left me feeling awful in every respect really.

XXX

I took a short nap as soon as we were back on the Bus, an hour or two at the most. I still didn't feel quite like myself when I woke up though. I clearly needed a lot more sleep but I couldn't afford to have it just now. I instead freshened up a bit before finding Skye working in the kitchen- pancakes there as if she was psychic. I thanked her with a smile and grabbed a few. "Where's Coulson?"

"He's in the lab. Simmons found something." I nodded and started that way through the living room with a wave, grinding to a halt as I saw Fitz there, pancakes on the table beside him as he worked away on his tablet.

"That body must really be starting to smell," I quipped, earning a withering glance from him. He then went back to his tablet without a word, and I don't know how to explain what happened next. I felt awful already and this just seemed to be the nail in the coffin. It was like with that one gesture something snapped deep inside me. My brain started screaming my mantra of time and space to me, but my heart was done just lying down so he could step over it.

"What the hell is your problem?!" I shouted louder than I expected, causing him to look up almost in fear. And then I couldn't stop. "I lied to you! I get it! I'm sorry! But that doesn't give you the right to treat me like less than a member of this team!"

He slowly rose to his feet, my anger fueling his as he finally looked at me for the first time. "You aren't a real member of this team."

Nope. He wasn't evading that easily. "Neither was Skye, but you still forgave her with one apology!" She seemed to have the sense to stay in the kitchen, despite the fact she could obviously hear us. Maybe she had made a run for her bunk."

"Skye was different," he insisted.

"Why?! Because you have a teenage crush on her?!" I was literally red now, hands clenched at my sides. I could almost hear a buzzing building in my brain I was so furious.

"Because she didn't lie to me about the very moment that made us close friends!" he shot back, now at my intensity. Wait, what? "You lied about being an Agent because Fury ordered you too," he took it down a notch, though still in a tone that I didn't dare interrupt. "You have no memory and a tattoo. That's fine. Like the rest I don't care. You worked your way out of a tough situation how you saw fit. But you having no memory means you were lying to me that entire story about your parents." Oh my God. How had I forgotten that? Oh no.

He seemed to see my recognition. "Yeah, the story about how you became an Agent and made the tough choice to stick around- the moment that made me respect you and consider you to be a close friend because you trusted me that much with that. The moment we became Ash and Lee. Imagine my disappointment upon learning it wasn't real."

"It was," I insisted, trying to hold my ground. He had put me through too much to just give in now. "The meaning behind what I said-"

"It wasn't real," he said again. "So how am I to know if any of it was real or if it was all part of you trying to follow that tattoo? Is that why you tried to save me after Peru from those guys? Because the tattoo told you too. Is our whole friendship you playing me because of some bloody scribbles on your wrist?!"

And there is was all out in the open. He didn't think I really cared about him. There's the way the conversation should have went from here and the way it did go. I should have understood what he was saying and how deeply he was hurt. I would even take a moment to process it. Then I would have told him that I was sorry for what had put him through, that he was my best friend and of course that was real. He was the only person I could turn to and I'm sorry I hadn't trusted him. And he may not have forgiven me right away but our relationship would have started to repair with the hopes we could one day be what we were before- Ash and Lee.

Instead I let my anger over the past week drive me. I almost felt my hands burn I was clenching them so tight. "Then why didn't you just tell me all this so we could fix it rather than ignoring me and acting like I wasn't even worthy of you looking at when I was once upon a time one of your closest friends!" I lashed out. His eyes went wide and he took a step back, but I was on a roll. "Do you even know what this last week had been like for me?! I've been-"

Crash! I snapped out of my rage and whirled around to see the television had seemingly fallen to the floor… a solid distance from the cabinet it had been…

It all crashed into me as I realized things I hadn't noticed while I had been shouting. I was sweating up a storm through my clothes despite not moving for the past few minutes. The burn in my hands… it was more like shocks when I took stock of it. I felt miserable inside and out. The television had just floated. And Fitz was looking at me like I had grown a third head.

"I'm infected," I managed to put to words. My head was reeling as I tried to grapple with what was happening. "I have the virus. I have the virus and I'm going to… I have the virus. But you said Coulson was clean?" He nodded, still almost in shock. "So I didn't get it from Tony. I- Cross. When Simmons and I were by Cross. The body shocked us and then fell."

I know I should have been grappling with my own mortality at the moment, but I could only think of one person right now. "Simmons," I said again before sprinting towards the back entrance for the lab. She had to be okay. Maybe I had got the brunt of it and she was fine. She had to be fine.

I came running into the lab to see Simmons staring at the floor where a metal tool was sitting- a metal tool that I knew needed to be kept sterile on its tray. And I knew that look in her eye because it was probably the same one my eyes held right now. She turned to me and a thousand silent words seemed to pass between us.

I took a deep shuddering breath, realizing how difficult it was to do. We were both infected and somewhere over the ocean right now. We would go off and possibly take the entire Bus down when we did. Simmons was the only hope for a vaccine and she was sick too. Which meant I needed to get her through this. I needed to keep her calm and focused because a lot of people were counting on her… including me. But I was last on the list of priorities- she was first.

Coulson was behind the closed lab doors and I managed to meet his eyes, seeing the apology within them. I just took another shuddering breath and gave him a look of ferocity, showing him I wasn't letting the two of us go down without a hell of a fight. He didn't smile, but there was a fond twinkle in his eye at that.

"Simmons! Simmons!" I turned around and closed the other lab door before he could reach it, shaking my head at him once he was within view. He took a few steps back and immediately retreated, running to go around the long way so he could see his best friend.

I turned back to Jemma, realizing there was a buzzing in my ear. "We're going to be okay," I assured her, trying to keep the whole situation calm and cheer her on. I wanted to hug her and just hold onto her for a minute but I knew there wasn't time for that. We needed to get to work.

Because time was something we didn't have a lot of right now.

XXX

So, this is my favorite episode. Agents was good, but this is the episode that hooked me in for the long haul and made Fitz officially take the crown as my favorite character for eternity. I hope to do it justice and have really been looking forward to diving into it, especially the back half when two people are in danger now.

This story just continues to grow and I cannot thank you enough for that. Thank you for making this so fun and for accepting what I call CrawFitz so readily and hugely. It means the world.

Thank you to the new recruits of the team for following and joining our adventures: Olivia and oreos, myharlequinromance321, Katelandier, , WhiteRabbit1231, LilyHiddleston96, RogueAngel36, TheDuckKnight (which win best name so far and I bow to you), kklvshorses, DreamingOfThatWorld, Aelius Ker, NeedtoRead10, and NeonMcQueen.

Thank you to those who favorited for putting this story on the most elite of your lists: 06bromleys, SimplyKelly, TheBetrayed0-0, Olivia and oreos, ICan'tThinkOfACleverUsername (which comes in second, but only because I imagine DuckKnight was already taken), , WhiteRabbit1231, Connie Weasley, Pruple T, Rogue Angel36, kklvshorses, DreamingOfThatWorld, myharlequinromance321, and soshesays.

And thank you to our Communication Agents for all your loving and kind messages and reviews: myharlequinromance321, Lift The Wings, GiraffePanda2 (who swore at me quite a bit and I loved it), Enecs, White Rabbit 1231, HoneyBunnyLemon, Mulisha Maiden, SimplyKelly, ad Connie Weasley.

I also need to give a special shout-out to myharlequinromance321 for adding this story to her C2s OC story list. It is an honor.

Thank you everyone again because you guys truly are the greatest and I will see you for what will be the thrilling back half of this episode- swear on Fitz's monkey.