Angry as a Hulk

It was pretty easy to meet up with Coulson, catching him just as he exited the Interrogation Room. Since he thought he was now alone, he let the frustration show clearly across his face as he stared at the wall opposite where he had exited. "I take… take it he's not being… very cooperative," I croaked, still unable to get my voice above anything but a whisper. He turned to me as I coughed, desperate to end the scratchiness but to no avail. God, Skye was going to need to make me some soup later because this was kind of agonizing. Scratch that. Ward was going to make me all the soup once he snapped the hell out of this and got on his hands and knees to beg for my good favor once again.

He looked at me for a long moment, or more accurately at my neck. I imagined it must look pretty rough and I don't think I had any turtlenecks to hide behind for the next few things. So everyone was just going to have to get used to the sight. He almost seemed to be weighing options in his mind, debating what he was going to say to me.

I had a hell of a day and I could see the hesitation in him. I probably was experiencing it too on some deep level I refused to acknowledge. I just seemed to keep getting knocked down and I doubted that was going to be slowing at all. This whole journey so far seemed to consist of me getting knocked on my ass and then having to jump back to my feet as quickly as possible. And Coulson seemed to be trying to determine how much longer I could keep getting up.

Well, I was here and I was on my feet. He wasn't keeping me away from helping him solve this thing. I stood a little straighter, trying to appear less tired and more focused. It was hard but I pushed everything aside battling for thoughts in my mind and forced myself into the moment. "So… so how are we… getting him to talk-talk, sir?"

And just like that he seemed to decide I had made the decision for him. "Follow me to my office. We'll keep an eye on him there." He started and I fell in step right beside him. "He claims to have no idea how the group found it- that he isn't assisting them in any form. He just wanted to be the first to study his life's work and watch myth become history."

"Given how they…they-"

"Go as slow as you need," he commented as we started up the stairs. "I'm listening."

I nodded, taking a breath and tried not to force it as much. "Given how they… left him, beat him up, and… flipped his car… I think that might be true. He was nowhere… to be found at the first site. If anything… we tipped him off to… the staff ourselves." We entered the office and Coulson took his seat at his desk, flipping the television on to display the Interrogation Room while I took the chair across from him and turned it the same way. There he sat, cool as a cucumber. Almost cooler somehow. "Something's not right." I could feel it.

"I know. I mentioned my previous encounters with Thor and Loki- the fact that they are not mythical beings but aliens of enormous power who came from the sky- which usually manages to turn a few heads-"

I glanced his way. "I'd imagine."

"He didn't even blink."

I nodded, glancing back at Randolph… whistling? Was he actually whistling? It was very unnerving. It made you feel like he somehow had the upper hand… when we had him locked up in a reinforced box on an airplane. I turned back to Coulson and quickly recognized the look on his face as one of remembrance. "You've seen this… before."

"Thor," he spoke after a moment. "Thor behaved the exact same way back in New Mexico. Same level of arrogance and keeping calm under pressure. The situation didn't faze him because in theory he could've broken out at any time." Coulson clearly was thinking this theory was a stretch, but for me it seemed to be more the solution that clicked everything into place. "Plus I still go back to that pen in his office. There is no way a professor of his caliber could afford something so rare. I'd have to save for close to eighty years personally." We were both putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, but I think both of us were tentative to say what the conclusion was that we were both coming to.

But the more I considered it the more the idea cemented it for me. "He wasn't… surprised to hear they were… aliens from the sky… because… he already knew that." I looked back at the screen, squinting at the man just sitting there. This man… was Asgardian? I mean it made sense and added everything up- how he knew so much about the whole affair. But it just seemed… this guy sure as hell wasn't Thor. And it still didn't explain why he had such issues with me personally. But it was a start, an angle we could use to finally get to the bottom of this.

"He's not going to tell us if we ask him," Coulson surmised, and I agreed with him. "We need to force his hand somehow- make him reveal himself." We sat for a moment, staring at the screen and trying to concoct a plan when a figure appeared in the open doorway. I turned to see Ward and felt a little ashamed at the shiver that ran through my body. I didn't need to be afraid of him I had to remind myself. He may be acting like a complete jerk right now, but I still didn't believe he would hurt any of us in his frustration. If anyone could overcome a drive for anger I had no doubt it would be Ward in his determination to protect us the rest of this mission. He'd have to dig deep… and then apologize his butt off.

And sure enough, he looked a little more put together and anchored now as he focused his attention right on Coulson, forcing himself to keep me out of his vision. It almost seemed like he would lose whatever nerve he had to come here now if he did. There was a bruise now visible on his chin from where I had landed my punch, giving me a brief surge of pride that my training seemed to be paying off slightly. And I was pretty sure Coulson noticed too from the look he gave me. "A moment, sir?"

Coulson didn't waste a beat in welcoming him, eyes still glancing to Randolph. "Come on in." Ward stepped into the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of him as he presented himself to the both of us- sweating and clearly a little shaken under his usual demeanor.

He finally allowed himself to glance at me. "I'm concerned that my exposure to the weapon has compromised my ability to do my job."

Okay, this felt personal. Like it was going to get really personal and uncomfortable with me as the third wheel. I started to rise from my chair. "Should I-?"

"You can stay Crawford," Coulson made clear and I dropped back down. "Agent Ward owes this explanation to you as much as myself if it helps illuminate his actions. I feel he perhaps wants to speak to the both of us." I highly doubted that, but was surprised when Ward gave the smallest of nods in agreement. "Go on."

"You're familiar with my family history?" This one I felt was meant only for Coulson. So I just kept my eyes on Cheesetauri on my belt, trying not to disturb the moment too much with my presence. "So, for obvious reasons, I don't think back to childhood. Ever. There are things I put away a long time ago. On lockdown. Because to do this, I have to be focused, tactical. I can't be distracted." Now, I sensed I could come in, glancing back up to see him staring right at my neck. "Especially by things that happened a lifetime ago." The poor guy in all honesty did seem pretty shaken up by this whole thing. I couldn't imagine having memories so bad you basically forced yourself to forget them.

But maybe that was exactly what I had done.

"You're saying touching the staff unlocked certain memories," Coulson probed, all business.

"My worst memory," he admitted, getting a far off look in his eye. It was almost like he wasn't in the room with us anymore mentally. His voice even broke under the next words. "The first time I felt… hate." He shook his head, tears almost in his eyes as he tried to pull free of that place. "And it won't go away."

And just like that I wanted to hug him. All my fear and anger was almost eaten away by the expression on his face right now. Because despite what had happened back in the lab, the fact of the matter was he hadn't asked for this. He hadn't asked for any of this- to be controlled by emotions he kept so buried I doubted I even knew the half of them. I had always figured Grant Ward as the perennial Boy Scout, but perhaps he had flirted in the darkness as much as the rest of us had. He was human after all, not the robot it was sometimes too easy to paint him as.

I decided right there and then that I would forgive him as soon as I got word that he had apologized to everyone for the lab. He was lashing out, inappropriately- hence apologies still necessary, because Grant Ward for the first time in a long time was scared of what he was feeling. And there were no emotions I could sympathize with more than that. I tried to make that crystal clear in my face as he looked at me, but it almost seemed too much and he turned back to Coulson.

"I don't trust myself," he admitted, which I knew was huge. I wanted to say something, but almost didn't trust myself to say anything that wouldn't only hurt him further. "The way I went off at Skye and Fitz-Simmons in the lab… what I did to Crawford back there- God, I nearly killed her…"

"Grant," Coulson interrupted, the picture of calm and warmth. Just what the poor guy needed right now. Coulson always knew exactly what to say. "You telling me this makes me feel I can trust you." And with one sentence Ward looked like a giant weight had been removed from his shoulder, rightfully so too. I know I believed he was still capable of protecting us to the best of his abilities like usual. This Ward was much more my Ward, analyzing his own flaws in terms of doing his job. He was going to come down from this and be okay.

Coulson focused his attention back on the screen to Randolph. "Him, on the other hand… I can't get the Professor to talk." He seemed to have an idea as he made his way around the desk to stand before Ward. "You've got some rage built up. Maybe it's time to let it out."

Alarms instantly went off in my head and I was on my feet, earning their attention with how sudden the movement was. I did my best to put some form of force behind my voice so it gave the impression I needed to be listened to. "Sir, I don't… I don't think that's the best… idea here." I coughed at the effort, perhaps undercutting my attempt.

It was just like I feared when I looked back up and saw Ward's face. I had said completely the wrong thing and he looked more wounded and guilty than perhaps I had ever seen him- all that confidence restored by Coulson gone. And it was because of what had just come out of my mouth. He thought I didn't trust him. He thought I didn't believe he could do his job. And to Ward that was perhaps the quickest way any of this team could cut to his core. He probably thought he even deserved it at this point. I had screwed up and I needed to fix this fast.

I stepped up to close the distance between myself and the two of them, folding my arms. "I don't mean… I just…" Best to just come out with it. "I think I should… go in."

They both just blinked at me, staring a moment before Coulson spoke up. "Crawford, you can barely even talk. You're in no position to be in the Interrogation Room. I know you want to be in the middle of the action, but using Ward's anger-"

"We shouldn't have to," I disagreed. "Ward… he seems to finally be… coming around from this… stabilizing. The last thing we should… be doing is abusing… his emotions… his darkest memories to our own ends. Not when we… have another option."

Coulson seemed curious now while Ward was staring at me with a completely unreadable expression. "Which is you?" our fearless leader probed.

I nodded, forcing my throat clear. Slow and steady was helping, but I was severely down in my words per minute. "You know there's something there. He hates me… he can't stand being near me… and we really have no clue why. Coulson, he doesn't like hearing… me talk. Put me… in a room with him… just the two of us… and let me talk. Just let me talk… drive him up a wall…and I will get him to admit it." And maybe I could get to the bottom of his feelings for me as well, personally. "You know he won't… be able to stand it."

"Admit what?" Ward asked the two of us. "What have the two of you cooked up now?"

"We believe Randolph is an Asgardian," Coulson finally admitted out loud, eyes never leaving me though. I stared right back, fists clenching at my side. I could do this. I needed to do this.

"Seriously?" Ward asked in disbelief, only to see we weren't joking in the slightest. He glanced over his shoulder at the television. "Never would have figured him for the God type."

"Alien," we both corrected, causing him to put his hands up.

Coulson was still staring at me. "You really think you can do this? Make him talk just by talking to him?"

I nodded, completely confident and with a bit of a smirk on my face. "Sir, I'm going to break him."

"Then that's our plan of action," he decided. "We send Crawford in and then if that fails we can always turn back to our plan with Ward." He glanced at the television one last time before turning it off. "Let's get going so we can get to the third part of the staff before our Norwegian friends." With that, he was out the door with the two of us right behind him. Ward, however, came to an abrupt stop and turned to me in the doorway.

"Crawford, you don't have to do this," he offered. "I know I did a hell of a number on you and no one will blame you in the slightest for sitting this one out. You could make this worse." I just blinked at him. "I'd be find with using this anger, really. Maybe letting it out will be good. It's hard to get it out of my head as it is. Dialing into that stuff is easy and-"

I covered his hand with one of mine. "Ward… you're finally you again. This team can't… can't afford to lose that." I could see he wasn't convinced, so I took a deep breath and prayed my next words were the right ones. "You do a great job at protecting us. So…this time… let me do this… and protect you." With that, I stepped around him and started down the stairs. I heard him start to follow once I was at the bottom, seeming to have stuck in shock for a moment. Grant Ward wasn't used to people looking out for him and caring about him… especially when he had choked them about an hour before.

He was damn well going to have to get used to it.

Coulson stood in front of the Interrogation Room door when the two of us caught up to him. He placed his hand on the door handle and I positioned myself in front of it, praying my voice held out long enough to get the job done. "You're sure about this?"

I thrust Cheesetauri into Ward's unsuspecting hands. "Let me at him." With that, the door swung open and I entered the room. Randolph didn't even look up from the table as it shut behind me. He just sat there like a smug asshole. So I cleared my throat loudly and the effect was immediate.

He was instantly on edge, refusing to look up though he knew I was here. "What are you doing here? I don't remember requesting visitors." He was trying to play it nonchalant, but his body language gave him away way too easily. He was already desperate to get me out of there. "Besides, I think you should be off recuperating- resting your voice."

I walked up to the table and stood across from him, folding my arms. "Actually…" And he was already cringing at a word. Bingo. "I think using it… might help the old pipes. So why don't you and I… talk about what you were doing… what that staff did to my friend… and how you knew where it was?" He just stared down, refusing to answer. But he was now fidgeting in his seat. "Allow me to repeat… my questions."

"I heard you the first time," he cut me off. "I just have no interest in speaking to you, darling." He looked up, but it was past my ear to the wall behind me. "Sorry. It's nothing personal."

I nodded, playing along. "Sure it isn't. I'm over here… by the way. And I may not… be a knockout… like the girl in your office… but I have to win compared to the other options… in this room." He squirmed even more and I smirked, ready to just keep running my mouth. "I mean we have wall," I pointed, "wall… wall… wall… table… floor… ceiling… pretty girl," I ended on myself with a large smile. He glanced at me and instantly turned back. "Come on. From what I saw… at your office… where we met… if you remember…that you like pretty girls."

"I'm afraid you're not my type," he told me in an extremely clipped tone, all of the bravado and confidence up in smoke. He was literally gritting his teeth at this point, obviously trying to hold back. Well, it looked like I just needed to get him to open up a little. Get to the bottom of how he really feels about me.

"And why is that?" I questioned, playing this up for all it was worth. "Is it the blonde thing? Or is it the… ponytail thing? Does it scream… to young? Then again… all you student… should scream that." He was glaring. "Come on… I saw you with that student. I'm not an idiot… or at least I like… to think so. But back… on topic." Wow, this was taking the wind out of my sails. But I needed to keep going.

"Is it the height… you don't like taller girls? I'm not that tall though… nearly every guy I know is taller. Though I admit I don't… know a lot. It's because I'm… an amnesiac you see. I don't remember close to anything… about my past." My voice was starting to go out, but I could tell I was close. I just needed to keep pushing. I had to be stronger than him. "Wait… is that it? Don't like girls… who can't remember… their own history? I could see how that's… quite the deal breaker." God, this was starting to hurt. "Or maybe… it's my sparkling sense of humor… and dry-"

"It's because you aren't right!" he snapped, leaning forward over the desk and finally meeting my glance for just the barest of moments. He then realized his mistake and leaned back, trying to appear calm. But I knew I was really under the skin now. "There. Now leave me alone and bring Coulson back in. I would like to speak to Agent Coulson, not some blubbering croaking girl."

"Wow… that hurts. But, sorry Professor… what the hell… is that supposed to mean? How am I not right?" He just stared at the wall. And I knew I couldn't do a long speech again. I just couldn't. My throat was already burning. But maybe, maybe I could bluff my way out of this. "Let me think about this… it could be-"

He groaned, knowing exactly where I was going with this- or in my case pretending to go. "Fine. You want to know? You want to know so you can leave me alone and get out of this room before I strangle you myself?" I answered with a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant. "You're not supposed to be here."

"That is still… vague as shit," I countered. Now I was losing the fact if I was pushing him to accomplish our plan or just to get to the bottom of mine. I had sworn off this personal stuff and I needed to keep to that. "I'm not quite… putting much stock… in your opinions."

"Let me complete my thought. Boy, you would fail my class." And I know it was completely childish, but I stuck my tongue out at him. After all this, he deserved it. He bristled at that, but kept going. "You don't belong here. I don't pretend to know how or why but you are not what is supposed to happen. Every word you speak should not happen. Everything you do alters things in way they were never meant to be changed. You are a huge mistake." His words were building now as he pushed his fingers down on the desk. "Every time you speak it is like nails scratching across a chalkboard. Even looking at you gives one a headache. It is best to ignore you because it keeps me from experiencing the greatest kind of annoyance and rejection my mind can muster. And there is nothing that can be done about it because you are still here wreaking havoc on how everything is supposed to be. You, Agent Crawford, aren't supposed to be here- in this place with these people saying or doing anything in this time."

I know I should have responded, participate in this game of ping pong I had now started. He had dished back what I had served and now it was my turn to go even further. But the words dried right up in my mouth as I registered what he way saying. It was all flights of fancy I could ignore and roll my eyes at until that final line- the final three words specifically. Because that line was way to freaking specific coming from someone who knew absolutely nothing about what I had been through. And it brought that conversation with Sitwell, the crazy part only Fitz knew about. And then there had been that freaky moment earlier- the memory I was becoming more sure I had.

The thing I had half a week ago been desperate to bury and move on from was now all but consuming my thoughts. Talk about a cruel irony.

But I needed to play the game. This needed to end. So I planted either hand on a side of the desk and leaned in real close, so he couldn't avoid looking at me. Eye to eye despite his best attempts to move out of range. "So I'm not right. I'm a mistake. I don't belong here. Your… supposed sixth sense… tells you this… by looking at me?" And I saw what he was talking about, the flickers of annoyance at the mere sight of me. I decided to stretch every word for ultimate emphasis, each one a blow to him. "And… how… would… you… know… something… crazy…like… that… Professor… Randolph?"

"Because I have the ability to see the world differently than most. I know more than most about the way the world should be."

"Why?" Nothing. But I wasn't about to let up. I didn't have much steam left, but I needed to plow through this one last thing. So I somehow got just an inch closer, smiling my biggest smile. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

"Because I'm an Asgardian!" He barked in one large explosion, finally at the end of his rope where I was concerned. And there it was, right out for everyone to see. I pulled back, now the smug one for a change. I had won and we both knew it. He blew his secret because he got annoyed by the sound of some girl's voice to the point it drove him mad. Pretty lame, Professor Asshole. "I mean-"

I held up a finger to silence him, not needing anything else on his part. I went to the door and knocked on it three times, always looking at him with the largest smile. "You heard the man. We got him."

I took a step back as Ward and Coulson came in, immediately heading straight for Randolph, who knew the game was up as he broke the handcuffs open to free his wrists like it was easy. Coulson and Ward, who looked a little more intense than he perhaps should be, loomed over him as he laughed to himself. I myself was standing between them a little farther back, very conscious that Ward at first had seemed bent on blocking my view by getting in front of me. "Wow. That was a very good show. Using her of all people… very clever. But I have to know how you all figured me out."

"Did the math," Coulson answered. "One… you're not the first Asgardian I've had in custody. You guys don't flinch or panic in captivity. Two… a Waterfield 44? On a lit Professor's salary?" Randolph gave a point at this, as if it was the clincher he should have seen coming. "I don't think so. And lastly, when I tell someone I've had some one-on-one time with an alien, they tend to be a little curious."

"Well, you're certainly more observant than most, Agent Coulson," Randolph offered, clearly impressed by him at least. With others in the room, he once again was focusing on them with all his might instead of me.

"So, you're the Asgardian warrior who stayed?" Coulson referred back to the story we… or he had heard. I had been thrown out of the room. Still a little sore about that really.

"Please don't tell anyone," Randolph, asked, sounding sincere. He and Coulson traded a few more words as I felt my mind going back to what he had said about time. It wasn't possible. It was practically impossible. But it was starting to become the only thing that made sense when you put the pieces together and that was pretty hard to ignore. It was getting even harder to ignore what exactly that meant for me and my past.

I was pulled back into the moment by the sound of the door locking, making me jump a bit. Randolph gave an amused nod. "Ah, locking me in. Well, I've been in tighter spots."

And just like that I was blocked again by Ward's back. I rolled my eyes in annoyance, not believing any threat out of this guy's mouth. "This room is made of a silicon carbide-coated Vibranium alloy. Meant for prisoners like yourself."

"But you're all in here too," he reminded Ward, giving a dramatic moment for the words to settle in. Ward's fists clenched. "And eventually, somebody will open that door."

"Not if I tell them not to," Coulson threw back, unbothered.

"Ah, maybe not for the two of you," Randolph agreed. "But people tend to get more lenient when a young girl is involved and screaming for her life. Especially in that grating voice of hers."

Ward looked over his shoulder at me. "Crawford, you should-"

"Like hell I am," I didn't even let him finish, stepping around him to get within sight again. "Please… he's nothing but bluster."

Coulson decided to get back on topic thankfully. "So, the myth is your autobiography."

"I didn't write it. I didn't want anyone to know about me. Then I had to open my big mouth."

"Were you captured?" Ward questioned. "Tortured?"

But we knew him better by now. "In love?" I added.

"More horny," he altered my thoughts a bit. "And you can stop talking now. Your part is done. You got me. So do us all a favor." He turned to Coulson, leaning forward as he launched into his tale. "Anyway, I met a French girl in 1546. Ah, she loved stories. So… I told her a great one, all about the peaceful Asgardian warrior who stayed. Now, how was I to know her brother the priest would write it all down and turn it into, I don't know, a thing?"

"Do you know Thor?" Coulson continued.

"Oh, sure, I spent all my day palling around with the future King of Asgard," he said with clear sarcasm. Seemed like he was his least favorite Avenger too. "No, I don't know Thor. I was a mason. I broke rocks. Mm-hmm." He chuckled to himself, the only one in the room even close to amused right now. "For thousands of years. If you can imagine that."

"I can't," I admitted. Ward looked at me and I just shrugged. "I barely managed… sorting rocks for a day. I'd lose… my mind."

"So I'm sure you can understand then that when they came asking for people to fight that of course I signed up. I think, really, I just wanted to travel." And I found myself understanding and connecting with Professor Randolph just a bit. Maybe we had more in common that I thought.

"But you had the staff," Ward brought up.

"I hated that thing," Randolph sneered. "Other guys loved all the power that comes with rage. No, I didn't like it at all. And you don't either, it seems."

"What did it do to me?"

"It shines light into you dark places. Doesn't matter if you're human, Asgardian. The effect is the same… unpleasant." I could believe that. Ward didn't look happy though- he was starting to get an expression that reminded me of the Ward in the lab. I quickly gave his shoulder a knock with mine, only to see it seemed to irritate him more. My bad. I tried. "It was forged from a rare metal and reacts to whoever is holding it. Or interacts. I went to such great lengths to make sure that the staff wasn't found. Unfortunately, since the myth was written down, people have been searching for it for centuries."

"That's why… we need to find the other piece… before they do. And you need… to help us… do it." He snorted, clearly still not my biggest fan.

"Oh, I am a pacifist now."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're just worried… about yourself. About your secret… identity."

"Listen, I wouldn't worry too much about these angry youths," Randolph tried to wax wisdom. "They always calm down, and eventually, they die of old age. And that is one of the pleasant aspects of life here." He tapped the table for emphasis. "Everything changes." He then glanced at me for just a moment. "Even things that really shouldn't."

Coulson clearly had enough of this. "I'll tell you what's gonna change… you anonymity… unless you help us find the final piece of your staff. You may not know Thor. But I do."

And I do too.

Whoa. Whoa. Where did that come from?

"My first love on this planet was Ireland," Randolph finally gave in. "There was a monastery, and the monks gave me a nice, warm place to sleep, some soup, and some mulled wine."

Coulson nodded. "'Near God.'" With that he started back for the door, it clicking open just as he reached for the handle. I was right behind him with Ward at the tail, scooping up Cheesetauri's ball from where Ward had carelessly left it on the other side of the door. My little guy didn't seem to mind too much though. "We'll set course for Ireland immediately. We need to get to this one first. There is no other option." The two of us nodded. "We'll keep the Professor comfortable in there for now. We'll need him to guide us when we arrive." He turned to the two of us as we entered the living area. "That was great work in there, Crawford. You pushed exactly the right buttons you needed to."

"Thank you sir," I smiled.

"Now take it easy on that voice and in general. I recommend a visit to the lab in your case. Ward, come with me to my office. I wanted to discuss a few things about when we land in terms of strategy." I took that as my okay to go and made for the lab while they branched off towards his office. I did remember my stomach halfway there though and ran back to the lab to make a pair of peanut butter sandwiches.

Fitz was hard at work at his bench when I approached, goggles on and cross-referencing something or other with his computer and very deep in thought. Simmons was looking over imprints on the staff over at her station, probably seeing how much she could decode. I handed him a sandwich and took a large bite of mine. I opened my mouth when he held out another pair which I quickly slipped on.

The second time I opened my mouth a pad and pen were slid in my direction. I blinked at them for a moment before going to comment. He beat me to it without even looking at me. "Ash, you are not going to talk to me this entire flight."

My mind panicked and it must have showed because the second he saw me his hands gripped my arms on either side. "No. No. Not like that. Sorry. I, uh, didn't realize how that would sound and… well… I mean I'm not letting you talk. You've put- well you've put a lot of strain on yourself back there so we are sticking strictly to written communication before you make it worse." I rose an eyebrow. "Yes, I am serious. Don't you Lee me!" With that, he released his grip and took a step back, pointing at the notebook before turning back to his work.

I let out a huff and flipped it open to the first page, quickly scrawling something and tapping him on the shoulder to read it. "'I hate you so much.'" He snorted. "Didn't need that written down to get that, thank you very much." He chuckled to himself so I took the opportunity to underline the 'hate' and 'so' before holding it up again. "It's for your own good! It's not my fault you don't understand the concept of brakes in cars or in life." I stared at him for a tense moment before going to write something. "I know- 'low blow'. Don't need that one written down either. It's clear as crystal." With that, he went back to what he was working on after a bite of his sandwich, lining some components up according to the grid on his computer screen.

I let him go for a minute before writing my next comment. 'But I really need to talk to you about something back there.' He glanced as I held it up before sighing. 'Like Girl Talk.' I added, breaking out our code.

"After Ireland," he vowed, serious now. "I promise." He went back to work. "We need to keep our heads on the mission right now anyway. And as the others pointed out, I tend to get sidetracked very easy when you drag me into something." I gave him a look I knew he read instantly. "What? They were kind of right. I need to let you do your job while I do mine. The science is the most important piece to things. It's about making things to benefit the team… not making magnetic hamster balls." Science. The one thing I could never really share with Fitz because he was so out of my league.

'Got it.' I left on the page before starting for the door, a little downtrodden. I was just reaching it when he glanced over and noticed the pad, quickly turning every which way until he found me. "Hey! I need my personal helper monkey to hold something!" I made my way back over and he put a tool in my outstretched hand. "I think I can have both you and science around at the same time." I went to grab the pad. "And here's where you would tell me that I could because I'm brilliant and awesome and a whole bunch of other adjectives." He scratched his head. "Uh, maybe one day you might convince me yet."

We worked for a bit in silence outside the chewing of our sandwiches as I held whatever he put in my hands in a desperate effort to make me feel useful. And though I saw right through it, I think I was so touched that he was trying I couldn't argue against it at all. It was enough, just being around him, to soothe my mind of all the storm upending it. I made my way over to Jemma to help her out a few times as well, still banned from speaking by Fitz even when definitively on her side of the lab. She had just given me a fond shrug about her best friend's antics. It only took me a few minutes to see she was running all sorts of data on Ward and how the staff was affecting him. Looks like the guy had more than one person concerned about him.

"Well, he did jump out of a plane to save my life," she had voiced about the subject. "What kind of person would I be to not even keep an eye on him when he's going through some major chemical imbalances even as he tries now harder than ever to exert control?" She turned to me. "I don't think he'll hurt you again if it's any consolation," she tried to comfort me. "He seems to have a much larger grasp on controlling his outbursts. Though I recommend you don't push him in your usual abrasive manner. Treat him the same but perhaps… tone it down?" I nodded and she beamed. "Good. Then we can avert one possible avenue of crisis during this trip. I mean we're just dealing with an alien associated with Norse mythology after all."

'Simmons. Calm down.' I wrote. 'You've clearly got the situation handled.' She just wove her hand at that and I made my way back over to the other side of the lab, noticing Fitz seemed a bit pricklier than when I had left. I considered the past few minutes and then realized Simmons had been talking a lot about Ward again. The poor guy thinking he had to compete with that. It wasn't like it even was a competition in my opinion at least. I had to trust Simmons was important to figure that out as well.

But I needed to cheer up my best friend right now, so I proceeded to draw my best caricature of Grant Ward with the biggest scowl I could manage. It managed to make him laugh when I showed it to him at the least. But it also made him pause, the two of us standing for a long moment before he finally said what was on his mind. "Just… stick close when we land okay? Because I'm positive even if I asked nicely you wouldn't stay on the Bus." He took off his protective glasses but was still looking down. "We don't… things could get hairy in the church… with Ward and he could go after you again. I know you think he won't but… the last thing we need is something else happening to you. Because too much has today. And we'd sort of be doomed without you having our backs, so uh you need to stick around."

I was quite touched by the words, but felt a need to write something important to me. 'I can take care of myself. Don't worry, okay? Let's just worry about keeping you safe because you're the important one.'

He shook his head. "Kind of impossible, Ash." He shook his head clear of something and finally looked at me, smiling his usual smile. "I mean, you couldn't even keep all of your teeth intact today. If that doesn't scream extremely accident prone I don't know what does. But, hey, maybe the Tooth Fairy give quarters for pieces of teeth so you'll at least have made some money off this whole venture."

I flipped all the way back to the very first thing I had written about two hours ago, underling 'hate' a second time. He just started laughing at me, the mood back to the light and airy thing it usually is when the two of us were together. Just me and Lee keeping each other sane, sometimes knocking shoulders into one another in the stretches of silence to remind the other we were there.

Skye soon joined us with her laptop, leading to a brutal mocking of my inability to speak on her part that ended with her laughing so hard she almost fell off her stool. Jemma even piped in from across the lab with a well-timed dig that she found extremely clever judging by that smile- the Cheshire Cat one I always called it. Except I couldn't right now and Fitz saying the words even in an impression of me didn't do it justice. And for a while I forgot. I don't know how, but I did. No emotional turmoil to be found.

Even some of the roughest days were made a lot easier by having these guys as my team. At this point, I think I could do this forever as long as I had all of them.

XXX

We landed soon after that, everyone flooding out into the cargo hold as we got ready- Fitz strapping Cheesetauri to my backpack so he could see the final leg of the staff mystery. And to keep me from running into danger stupid enough it could get us both killed. Protect the mouse at all costs.

Skye seemed worried about Ward as I climbed into the Jeep next to her, Fitz right behind me. But from the glimpses I had seen of him, the man had spent our few hours in flight making sure everything was under control enough to continue forward as he was needed. I couldn't explain why, but I still had all my usual faith in Grant Ward. And I usually wouldn't tell him that, but just this once I maybe said as much when I passed him to climb in. Anything it took to anchor him down. We could get back to our usual banter once all this was over… when he was making me all the soup.

Which my throat did feel better after a few hours of not putting it to work, but that was one of those things I couldn't let Fitz get a big head about. We just enjoyed the sights of Ireland and the coast, all three of us pointing here and there even under the cover of darkness as May drove without saying a word. Randolph had opted to take the other car with Coulson and Ward- I couldn't imagine why though.

We arrived at a small cathedral well off the beaten path about an hour later, all of us making our way into the empty and dusty place with Randolph in the lead. "Well, it's been a while," his voice echoed off the rafters as I took the place in. I wonder what religion I was in my old life- what I would have thought of Gods coming down from the sky to become my least favorite Avenger. Maybe my parents had dressed me up every Sunday to bring me to a place like this. Maybe I had come here before I had been plunged into this to help make whatever decision I had. Hell, I wonder what I believed in now. That seemed just as tricky, especially with the feeling I couldn't place when I looked up at the cross above us.

"I wonder…" Randolph pondered, approaching a worn and very old book depicting a man with others gathered about him. "Ah, yes. There it is. Still here. Well, the nose isn't quite right, but-"

"That's you?" Fitz asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. They venerated me a bit as a saint." As if this guy needed any more of an ego at this point.

"They're idiots," a harsh voice cut in. We turned to Ward, looking harshly focused on the whole situation. "Where's the staff?"

"It's upstairs," Randolph answered, leading us down the aisle.

Skye fell in next to me. "Is that the normal Ward or the new, angrier Ward?"

"He had a very… fair point," I made clear. "So I would say… normal." We made our way a few at a time up a set of stone stairs, Randolph going to a box once we reached the landing.

"It's quiet," May noted, clearly on edge. Which meant all of us needed to be too. I looked back over the church for any sign of movement of shadow, but there was none to be seen.

"Why do you think I trusted them with my secret?" Randolph fiddled with the box as I turned back to where the group was facing. "They take a vow of silence."

"But when you get them talking," a completely unfamiliar voice echoed through the place. But before any of us could place it or react a man emerged from the hallway next to Randolph, what had to be the third piece of the staff clenched firmly in his hand. "They squeal."

With a grunt, he buried the staff into Randolph's chest. And to keep myself from looking at the blood as he collapsed, I turned to the man. It took me only a moment to recognize Jakob Nystrom from his photo on the Bus. And it took a moment longer to recognize that gleam in his eye as the one Ward had when he was towering over me, hand around my throat. I took a step back, hand wrapping around Skye's wrist to keep from shaking.

Ward had stepped forward in the tense moment that followed Jakob standing over Randolph's body. The blonde had said something, but I missed it. And then I realized what Ward was about to do. "No" I shouted, or tried shouting- it just was a croak, running forward only to have a combined effort of Fitz and Simmons keep me at by as Ward gripped the staff piece and it lit up just as before.

Then the man who had been working so hard let out the most angry scream I think he could muster before charging at his opponent with more ferocity and strength than thought possible of a human. It was the best we could all do to move out of their way, knowing none of us stood a chance to this. I tripped on a floorboard and fell backwards onto my butt as we moved in a fit of grace, watching through everyone's legs as Ward and Jakob were sent tumbling over the bannister and into the church with a gasp.

And just like that everyone was in motion. Simmons made her way over to Randolph to start pushing on his chest, who I still couldn't stomach the thought of looking over at, with Fitz at her side kneeling next to her. May, Skye, and Coulson all ran to the balcony as sounds of grunts and things being broken sounded from below.

"We need to help him!" Skye shouted, taking off down the stairs before anyone could stop her.

"I'll get her," May told Coulson before following.

I needed to pull it together and freaking do something. I couldn't just sit here, I needed to help out any way I could. I looked between my two options and remembered what Fitz had asked of me. I was just going to end up killed down there. I managed to get my head on straight, gently shook my backpack off to the floor so Cheesetauri was alright, and made my way over to opposite Simmons and Fitz around Randolph, doing my very best not to look at the body as she pumped furiously up and down. Otherwise, I think I would throw up. And that was not the something I wanted to do.

"How is he?" Coulson asked from where he towered over us.

"I don't know what to do," Simmons spoke frantically, stopping her compressions and resting her bloody hands way too close for my fancy. I just tried to look up at her face, looking calm. The both of them were spinning their wheel trying to think of something fast. "He's not human."

Coulson knelt next to me. "He's dying."

"Yeah," Fitz stepped in to defend Jemma as always. "We know, but she doesn't understand his anatomy." I must have looked and sounded ready to pass out, because Coulson was distracted for a moment looking at me in worry. But Fitz focused his eyes on mine as we anchored one another, breathing desperately trying to get under control. "And if we did, we don't have anything to shock him if his heart stopped or stop the bleeding-"

Shock him. We needed to shock- Oh God. I had an idea.

And that's how I found my hand diving through the hole the staff had made like a kneejerk reaction. I didn't think about it. I didn't question it. I just did it. I did my something and the second I realized what I had done, I really regretted it.

"What in God's name?" "Oh, my God." Fitz-Simmons reacted with pure shock as I looked skyward, trying not to think about all the things I could feel right now. My skin was crawling and things were squishing. God, I might actually pass out now. I heard the vague noises of a fight below us, but that wasn't the fight I had picked unfortunately. I had picked to save Asshole Professor, by sticking my hand in his chest. Oh God. I swear I was getting tunnel vision. Everything was fading.

No. No. You started this. You finish it. I looked back at Fitz-Simmons, taking a deep breath. "You heard… what he said about me. What he feels just looking… and hearing me. I touch his heart… I give him the shock of his life."

Fitz was literally cringing while Simmons looked quite put out herself, though she recovered faster. "I'm not sure-"

"We don't have time. My hand's… already in here. Just tell me… what to do." I flexed my hand from its tight fist a little, trying to ignore everything it could possibly be touching. "I'm… afraid anatomy's… not really up there."

"Okay," Simmons buckled down for my sake, wrapping her hand around my arm. "We need to find the heart and make sure it isn't stopped or bleeding." She started to guide the angle of my arm, regretfully pushing me in a little deeper. "You'll know it when you find it. Trust me."

Fitz was still reeling a bit, the sounds a screaming battle downstairs probably wasn't helping. "We don't- even know if this- we need a better plan than use Ash as a human AED."

"Asgradians regenerate faster than we do," Coulson finally spoke up. "Maybe whatever she does can keep him alive long enough-"

"For the body to heal itself," Fitz realized. Just then, I felt my fingers brush the most solid thing I had felt since getting in there and Simmons had to keep me from jerking my hand back. Everyone was looking at me now, counting on me to do this. And, somehow, completely having faith that I would.

"I think I found it," I croaked. Just then, a body hit the bannister with a huge thud and I let out a cry of alarm, ducking my head down.

"Ashleigh Crawford, you look at me," a voice commanded. I looked up to Simmons who had her most serious face on. "I know it has been a bloody long and difficult day for you. And I know Professor Randolph has been nothing but extremely cruel and dismissive to you. But you are literally the only one who can save his life now. You can handle this. You've handled worse." It was incredibly sobering, like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on my brain and stopped everything. She could tell. "Now you grab his heart and clamp down hard. You need to slow the bleeding if there's a tear or rupture."

I nodded, moving my hand directly over the heart and grasping it as hard as I could. There was no noise but I swear the one in my head was so graphic I almost threw up. Another hand covered my free one, providing silent support.

The effect was immediate. Randolph apparently wanted none of this, even with his heart stopped. He started to basically seizure there on the floor, desperately trying to lose my hand. "Hold on!" Simmons ordered as the others moved back a bit for space. I did as commanded, following whichever way his heart jerked as he moved with an iron grip. Though now my hand was stretching so far it was physically paining me from the angle, but I gritted through it.

"It's working," Coulson guessed, relief laced in his voice. Randolph was getting more violent now as I felt his heart starting to beat a bit, and I had just about had enough. With one swift motion, I swung my leg over him so I was perched directly above him and riding every shock and jerk of his body.

"You're not… dying on me, Professor Asshole," I made clear. "You hear me. So stop… being a drama queen… and freaking live already." And then I felt the heart pick up enough rhythm that it was now basically hammering in time with mine.

Professor Randolph then let out a gasp and his eyes shot open. My hand let go of his heart, honestly cramping at this point. The first thing he got sight of was a in my opinion beautiful blonde hovering over him and he smiled. "Well, this clearly must be heaven." But then his eyes focused and he seemed to register who the blonde was, which quite changed things. Then he seemed to realize where my hand was.

Hence he gave me a fierce shove, pulling my arm out from inside me and sending me flying into the railing. I hit the wooden floor before that thankfully, meaning I didn't break my back against the stone as I rolled into a stop. "I'm okay," I made clear to everyone. It gave me a view of the ground below, where Skye was clutching an exhausted Ward and May gently set the full staff on the floor. That was my badass teacher ladies and gentlemen.

I still had some adrenaline so I was quick to shoot up to my knees, watching with slight disgust as Randolph was already back to his old ways ogling Simmons. "You are easily the most beautiful thing I've seen in a thousand years." I let out a groan and put my head in my hands, only to realize one was still very bloody and pull it away with a cry of alarm.

Coulson was already pulling away from the group of us, trying to get in contact with some other S.H.I.E.L.D. forces for assistance. It sounded like everything had ended down below with our team coming out the winning side thankfully. You could see dawn approaching through the windows of the chapel, a new day finally getting underway. Hopefully this one would have things going a bit smoother with a hundred percent less chipped teeth.

Randolph was soon on his feet with Simmons help, while Fitz made his way over to me. I was coming down from the adrenaline and found myself barely able to stand. He extended a hand with a smile and I reached mine out, only for him to pull away as I realized it was the bloody one. I flashed a sorry grin and the both of us switched as he hauled me off the ground to my shaking feet.

"You are just a mess right now, Ash," he shook his head fondly. "I guess we're lucky that none of it's yours today." I managed to get my feet under me as he guided me by the shoulder to the hallway we had been ambushed from.

"Well… you try sticking your hand… in someone's chest… and we'll see how good… you look," I argued with him. I glanced down at my blood covered hand, frowning as I realized it pretty much had stained my sweater close to my elbow. Well, that wasn't coming out in the wash. "Randolph so… owes me a new… sweater."

Fitz brought to a stop in front of a running fountain. "We'll make sure he pays up… or at the very least thanks you for bloody saving his life." He gestured for the fountain and I just rose an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure whatever powers that be will understand the need to not scare your friends to death when you approach them covered with blood. I mean, I'm having a difficult time just looking at you, let alone standing next to you."

I stuck my arm in, using my other hand to desperately scrub at the water turned a murky shade of pink. I felt a rip and looked to see Fitz had ripped off a piece at the bottom of my sweater. He ignored my death glare as he put it in the water as well. "It's ruined anyway. Now, uh, just keep looking at me. Hold still." I stared at him curiously as he pulled the sweater out and then gently took to wiping off the blood I carelessly had gotten on my face. And my heart did this…flip thing it never had before as he did, the two of close together. God, I'd better not get sick now.

"There. That'll have to do for the hero of the day." He left the piece of sweater in the water and used his own sleeve to dry my face with a few gentle lines down it. We both then just stood there for a moment, staring at one another, before he started walking past me back the way we had come from- but not before grabbing my dry hand in his and pulling me along. He grabbed my backpack as we went, Cheesetauri letting out a happy squeak I think at the sight of me. At least, I liked to imagine that.

We climbed down the stairs to see Agents had arrived and were moving bodies out of the building in their efficient manner. I barely had time to glance around when I was nearly tackled to the ground in a hug. "Simmons told me what you did," Skye told me breathlessly as she pulled back. "You seriously just shoved your hand inside?" I nodded, the both of us laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it. "You… are badass." Simmons had joined us now, and I pulled her in for a hug as well.

"You were fantastic, Ashleigh," Jemma said proudly. "You acted when I froze. I had no clue what to do and you just-"

"You were there… with me… every step of the way," I reminded her. "I was frozen… too. And you got me through… that. So thank you." She took my hand in her, squeezing it fondly.

"You both did amazing," Fitz made clear. Skye nodded. He went to say something else when Simmons's phone started ringing. She pulled it out and the look on her face made it instantly clear who it was. I squeezed her hand now to get her attention.

"Jemma… I trusted you." I nodded towards the phone. "Now please… trust me." She took a small moment before pulling away from all of us, hitting a button and moving the phone to her ear.

"Hi, Dad," she began, and my attention drifted from her to where Ward and May were sitting together, both of them looking exhausted.

"Is Ward okay?" I asked Skye. She shrugged.

"We'll see. Hopefully now that all of this is over things will go back to normal with him." With that, all of our attention turned to the staff laying on the ground, Coulson and Randolph hovering over it. And as I stared something came to me.

"I could touch it," I said quietly, though they both heard it. "I know I said… I didn't want… them back but… this would be so easy. I might… have all the answers." Answers to questions that were now literally burning through me.

Skye shook her head, beating Fitz to commenting. "That's not the way to do this and you know it. I couldn't stand to see you go through what Ward did for some lousy memories. You've been doing the right thing, Ashleigh, even if it's hard. You can't stop now." Fitz nodded in agreement.

I nodded, idea instantly fading from mind at her words. She was right. This wasn't the way to do it. I noticed Randolph then drift off on his own and decided what my other option would be. I turned to the two of them with a smile.

"I'm going to go… get my thank you." They both smirked and nodded, letting me make my way across the church to the pew Randolph was now perched on.

"Listen, I have no intention of thanking you for defiling my body-"

"I think… I'm from the future," I just went for, earning his instant attention. He wasn't quite looking at me, but it was close enough we could both pretend he was. "I don't… remember anything. But what you said… someone once told me… they thought that. And now I… think it might be… true." My eyes glanced down at my tattoo, focusing on it as he stared at me for a long moment. "You said time. I'm in the wrong one… because I'm from there."

"Well, I could've told you that the moment I met you," he actually answered, giving me the most concrete answer I hadn't been expecting. "That's why everything you do throws the world off in a way it wasn't meant to be. Like saving my life. Now every time I look down I'm going to think about how I was saved in a way I shouldn't have been and shudder. Maybe I was meant to meet my maker there. Maybe someone else saved me. The course has been changed by something that shouldn't have been and my body knows it."

"Next time I won't… bother."

"I hope so," he took me up on my bluff. "Yes, Agent Crawford, I think you have indeed come to this team from a time outside your own. But when I look at you." And he surprisingly did now. "I get the feeling that is just scratching the surface of everything there is to you. You're going to keep things interesting for a very long time."

I whispered the next line, almost afraid to say it out loud. "I'm not… like you, right?"

He laughed at this, big and loud. "No. Definitely not. You are human… or close to human at least." With that, he rose. "I'm afraid I can't stand to be around you any longer."

"It's the chipped tooth… isn't it?" I couldn't help but say to him.

He started to walk away without answering, not even dignifying my quip with a response. "Stay out of everything, okay?"

"I asked… because I've met Thor," I added, admitting what I had been holding all day and making him stop. "I've fought… alongside him. Or I will… but to me I have. It's all very… confusing." He was looking at me curiously now. "But when I look at him… I remember him. I was there and… so was he… though I'm not sure… where there is exactly."

He stared me a long moment as I fidgeted, completely terrified of what my revelation could mean. And I think he saw that, but for once decided not to be as asshole about it. "It looks like there is much more that even I was suspecting." He looked down before glancing back up again. "I hope… I hope you find the answers you're looking for. You deserve to with how disgustingly brave you are."

"Thank you."

And then his back was to me again- moment gone. "I hope to see you never, Agent Crawford."

I used the last of my voice to shout the last words. "That's be… too soon!"

With that, I allowed myself to be led back to the Jeep, shaking unconsciously as we began the drive to a hotel to get some much needed rest. S.H.I.E.L.D. had decided to treat us for securing such a huge artifact it seemed. Everyone seemed to take it as exhaustion and didn't say a word, Fitz offering his shoulder as we passed the now sparkling Irish landscape.

But I wasn't tired. So I pulled the pen and paper from my backpack with a smile at Cheesetauri and scribbled something down to show my best friend, needing to get the words out before I came even close to settling down.

'I'm from the future.'

He stared at it, before gently taking the pen from my hands and adding something below it.

'I know.' I looked at him so he added more. 'I figured it out after what Randolph said.' Of course. He was brilliant after all. And if he had known that long… he wasn't treating me any differently because of it. But I needed to get the biggest thing off my chest, taking then pen again.

'I'm scared.'

'It's going to be okay. We'll figure this out.' And then he underlined 'we'll' for emphasis. It was enough for the moment as I put my head back on his shoulder, just watching everything go by in a peaceful silence.

XXX

I was dozing off in my hotel bed, Cheesetauri on the dresser next to me, when there was the knock on my door. I took a deep breath and forced myself up, wondering who it could be. Fitz had gone to bed, so had Simmons, and Coulson had retired after a short compliment about how hard it was going to be keeping my name off this report with everything I'd done. That left May, Skye, and-

I was greeted by a very sheepish Ward, looking down at the floor. "Crawford."

"Ward."

"I came…" His eyes glanced at my neck, and having finally looked in a mirror I knew how awful and purple it looked right now. "I came to apologize to you… for everything. I already talked to Skye and-"

And surprisingly, I didn't need this. My anger at Ward seemed like years ago. I no longer needed groveling or speeches. After everything I'd seen him go through today for us, I felt like we were fine. So I crossed my arms and decided to return things back to normal. "Thank you. Actually… it's Cheesetauri you own… an apology too."

"Excuse me," he asked in surprise. I gestured to my nightstand. "The rat?"

"Mouse," I corrected. "And you did… slap him to the ground." He rose an eyebrow. "It really… hurt his feelings."

He took is surprisingly in stride, making his way into my room and over to the nightstand with crossed arms. I followed, watching with glee as he stared down at my pal. "I'm sorry, mouse."

"Use his name… and with sincerity please."

He sighed, but played along. "I'm very sorry for hurting you, Cheesetauri." And just like that, I was laughing. "I'm glad you found that amusing. Now, does he forgive me or-"

"He forgives you," I made clear, smiling wide as he turned to me. I covered his hand with mine. "He's also… very proud of you. You did exactly… your job today. So… thank you… for keeping us safe. Thank you… for facing all that… for us."

And just like that Ward was leaning in. But I managed to catch it quick enough to fall back on the bed to avoid him, rolling to the other side. "What…what was that?" I sputtered.

He shrugged. "I just thought we could-"

My brain was spinning in circles. "No. No we cannot."

"Come on. Take our minds off things like last time."

My heart clenched at the very thought for some reason is a very uncomfortable manner. "You're not… using me like that, okay?"

"Like you used me last time?"

"That was a… mistake. And it isn't… happening again." I stood a little taller now. "I don't want to just… sleep with someone. If I did… I'd want it to be real," I admitted.

"Real?" he asked, making his way around the bed to my side. I held my ground, trying to find the words I was looking for.

"Like with feelings," was what I came up with. "Real feelings." Like Skye has for you I added in my head, needing to keep that in mind as I handled this. I would not betray my friend like this. He seemed to think on this for a moment before shrugging.

"I can do feelings." He leaned in again, but I held him back. "I mean the two of us seem to have something. You kept me calmer than anyone else today if I'm being honest. You just keep me happier in general actually. I could try- I'd be willing-"

This wasn't happening. I needed to stop this now before this got to a place we couldn't come back from. "No. Not… it just… it's… it has to be…"

And then it was like something dawned on him and he took a huge step back. "It has to be Fitz."

"Huh?" Well, that was a turn I didn't see coming. "I don't… maybe..."

I was struggling, but he seemed to have found his answer. "You know what, you were right. This… I just fixed things and now I nearly wrecked them again. I'm sorry, Crawford." He started towards the door. My brain was just struggling now. It was too much. It was all too much. "Let's just go back to normal. I'll see you in the morning and you can give me a hard time about how much I owe you for the bruises." He opened the door and stepped through it. "Goodnight, Ashleigh."

I had nothing to say. So I just went with the obvious. "Goodnight, Ward."

The moment he was gone I fell back on my bed, mind in turmoil about what had just happened. And I decided the best way to solve all this was to finally put the day behind me and start tomorrow fresh. So I curled up in bed and drifted off to sleep, but not before realizing how much better it would be if Fitz was right here next to me.

I was in trouble.

Skye was never going to let me forget it, was she?

I was in super trouble.

XXX

Here we are everyone. I just have to thank you all again. The amount of reviews I received on the last chapter was astounding to me, and I promise I read each and every one more than once. Thank you for your thoughts and your love. It just drives me to make each chapter even better for you guys. There's a lot of exciting stuff coming as we make our way to the midseason finale (and how about this one Tuesday. Holy cow!)

Thanks to all those who have followed this story: Madalayna, , AlwayNorthman, OfficialLostGirl, Blood Alchemist23, FutureOlympian, AureliaPhoenixAnastasia, and Desert Vulpes Zerda. It means the world you choose to keep tuning in.

Thank to those who have favorited for doing me such a great honor: LeopardFeather.

And thank you to my fabulous reviewers for your kind words that mean more to me than you can imagine: eckles, Guest, FutureOlympian, VioletKane, AthenaB, MulishaMaiden, OfficialLostGirl, Guest, stromrunner74, romanogersfeels, GiraffePanda2, XxAmyTheGreatxX, NessieBooEvans, LeopardFeather, Connie Weasley, and MiaR.

Thank you all and I will see you soon as we make some Repairs.