The Blank Slate

by disneylover3212008

Ashleigh Crawford awakens in Fury's office with no memories and a strange tattoo on her arm telling her she needs to join someone named Coulson. She's pretty sure she's an Agent with a purpose, but is nowhere to be found in any database. She will now travel with the team trying to figure out just what the hell is going on and what she's meant to do to "save him". AU Series Fitz/OC

19. Beyond Explaining

Beyond Explaining

The first thing my senses registered was a very horrific assault to the ears in the form of pounding on a door. "Ashleigh Crawford! It is two in the afternoon and though you needed rest this is getting ridiculous!" I let out a groan, having been ripped from unconsciousness as the pounding continued without any sign of slowing. I sat up slowly, pushing the hair cascading around my head messily behind it with one hand while wiping the sleep with another. "Ashleigh!"

"I'm coming!" my voice hopelessly squeaked, clearly better but nowhere near one hundred percent in volume. God, I sounded like a mouse. Naturally, the person on the other side of the door didn't hear it over her incessant pounding so I was forced to rise and make my way to throw the door open with a glare. "I said I heard you."

I was met by the sight of Skye, naturally. Leave it to her to have no respect for someone's sleeping habits. She didn't seem intimidated by my look at all though, wincing more in sympathy than anything. "Nice pajamas." I glanced down, remembering I hadn't even changed after Ward left and instead sporting a blood-stained sweater and a pair of jeans to Dreamland.

She stared at me a moment, eyes hovering on the neck. "Not going to lie, you look pretty rough right now." I turned slightly so I could glance my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the yellow and purple splotches around my neck being enough to prove her unbelievably right without even glancing at the hair.

I turned back to her, eyebrow raised as I became slightly more alert. "So what brings you pounding on my door?" She snorted at the squeak, but thankfully didn't say anything.

"We've been waiting for you to get up so we could go grab lunch downstairs. Fitz-Simmons insisted we let you be, but I was starting to become convinced that if I didn't come now we might all starve to death." She rolled her eyes fondly. "No offense, Ashleigh, but between the virus and everything you've been through I feel like you've spent most of your life unconscious."

"That's because I get knocked around quite a bit when I'm awake unfortunately," I yawned, needing caffeine in my veins. Skye just looked at me, not really having any room to argue with that. Though I suppose I wasn't going through much the other members of my team weren't. "Give me five minutes to change and I'll meet all of you downstairs." She nodded and I shut the door, going to my backpack to rummage for some new clothes.

I pulled out a brown sweater, shedding the one I was currently wearing into the trash with a frown. There went my favorite sweater. I didn't dwell for too long though, throwing my hair up in a ponytail to try and pretend I had tamed it in some fashion. Then I pulled out the scarf Simmons had been kind enough to lend me and threw it around my neck with no regard for fashion or any real clue what I was doing. I just wanted to make sure it covered the whole situation up. I glanced at the mirror with a frown. It would have to do until I showered. I then threw on my shoes and grabbed Cheesetauri, planning on grabbing some lettuce for him to munch on.

I tripped over Fitz- who had perched himself on the floor leaning against my door- as I threw the door open and rushed out, crashing to the carpet. "Oh… oh no. Cheesetauri… he's okay. I've got him Ash. Ash? Ash, I'm sorry. Uh, I didn't mean to- are you alright?"

I rolled onto my back with a groan to see he was now on his feet, towering over me with worry. "You're lucky you didn't break anything." With that I extended my hand and bounced to my feet as he gave a tug, nearly crashing right into him once again and only halting my momentum by putting my other hand on his chest.

What would normally happen from here is I would give him a solid punch to the chest with a snarky comment about not wanting him to starve before strolling arm-in-arm with my best friend to join the others. It was textbook at this point for the great Ash and Lee.

But for some reason, that didn't happen this time. Instead, I became aware of how close we were and took a giant step back so my hand fell through the air to my side awkwardly. And for some blasted reason I couldn't control, my cheeks started to heat up just a bit as I recalled the direction my thoughts had turned in last night. And how I had tried to talk myself out of it by reminding myself of his flaws- like his bravery, loyalty, and just how brilliant he was. About how he was willing to do anything for someone he cared about and all the other qualities made Fitz the greatest guy I knew.

Needless to say, talking myself out of it hadn't really worked. I looked up to see he was staring at me like he feared I had somehow hit my head and lost my marbles all over again. I smiled, trying to play it off with a friendly punch to the arm and forcing myself to pull my eyes away from staring into his. "Didn't want to send you toppling to the ground. Because I'm polite."

"It was an accident!" I grabbed Cheesetauri from him and started down the hallway with him instantly falling into step beside me. "I just figured I would wait for you since you probably don't even know the way."

"And I appreciate that. But next time… lean against the door across from mine so we make sure I don't break my nose too."

He let out a laugh, giving himself up. "I might have, uh, gotten a bit disoriented as to which room was yours and thought that was what I was doing." I just shook my head as we reached the elevator, allowing him to slap the button. His voice got lower even though no one else was on this floor I was pretty sure. "I also just wanted to see how you were handling… uh… the thing." I just tried to think of which of the many he was referring to when he started humming the Back to the Future theme.

"Yes, that. I chose not to think about it at all last night." I didn't add that it was because I was thinking about him but I thought that for sure. Focus, Ashleigh. Focus. "I mean; I don't remember any of it of course. And it makes sense. Unfortunately, it also makes Sitwell right."

I paused before speaking again. "But yet at the same time it doesn't really answer any of the thousands of other questions that come up because of it. So, I almost feel like nothing has really changed. I should be freaking out, but I'm not… at all." I shrugged. "Maybe… maybe it just hasn't sucker punched me in the face yet. Then I'll freak out properly." I didn't mention the permanent pit that seemed to have settled in my stomach, the only sign the news had processed at all. It wasn't sitting well with all of me it seemed.

I didn't realize he had pulled me in for a hug until I was crushed against him. "And I'll be there when it does. I promise." I relaxed against him, letting my internal jittering slow to just enjoy the moment. "It doesn't change a single thing about you." The elevator doors opened and we pulled apart to step in, riding in a comfortable silence to the bottom floor. I tried to keep my cool, but it was becoming abundantly clear a switch had flipped that I couldn't quite flip back. And I completely blamed Skye for all of it. She and I would be having words.

He led me into a small hotel dining area when the doors open with a buffet against the wall and the smell made my stomach remind me how long it had been since I had actually eaten. The two of us piling up our plates with all the delicacies that weren't enjoyed on the Bus- like cheeseburgers and chicken tenders and all the fries and pizza and a piece of apple pie because of course you need dessert and an apple you're going to eat but feel obligated to grab. I deserved to treat myself after my last couple of days. Don't worry ice cream machine, I was coming back for you.

There were only a few people milling around so I quickly spotted the table occupied by Skye, Ward, and Simmons. May and Coulson must be off de-briefing the mission somewhere. I slid in next to Skye with Fitz coming between Simmons and Ward across from me, noting it looked like they all had mostly finished in the time it took myself to get down here. So I wasted no time in digging right in with a vengeance- only coming up for air a minute later to find I was the topic of conversation.

"I think she might actually do it," Simmons commented to Ward.

He scoffed. "Simmons, it is physically impossible."

"You weren't there for the time with the cake."

Skye nodded. "That was scary."

"Are you guys good?" I spoke with my mouth full, making everyone cringe at how unladylike I was being. I swallowed before speaking again. "Because I can go right back upstairs and eat there. And then I can go back to bed. It would be living the dream really."

"You could do that with your one day off with no clue when we may get another one," Skye smiled, "or you could hang out with your friends on your day off because Fitz has offered to buy whatever movies we want." He was shaking his head so she pointed at him. "You promised and you know it. So I vote movie marathon and continue your education in classic cinema."

I was about to speak up when there was a tapping on my shoulder. I turned to see there was a kind looking older woman who had been sitting a few tables over. I smiled in greeting and was surprised when she pulled my hand up in front of me.

"I just wanted to say how brave you are," she spoke quietly with a smile that said she thought we were in on some secret together. I wish I knew what it was, because I didn't have the foggiest notion. She put her hand over mine and something fell into my palm. "You deserve better and now you have a chance. I wish you the best of luck, dear." And with that, she rejoined her husband and exited the room with a last little smile back at me.

I looked down to see I was now clutching a twenty-dollar bill to my utter bafflement. I wheeled back around to show everyone else, only to be met by a cluck from Simmons as she rose. "Stand up." I did as she said, holding still as she adjusted the scarf around my neck with a fond smile. "Your bruises are sticking out a bit. That and your nose is a little swollen right now."

"I tripped over Fitz out the door. I wasn't punched in the face or- "Oh. Oh! It clicked together like a giant puzzle. Disheveled, apparently starving young girl in clothes she's been wearing a few days walking around a hotel with bruises on her neck and a messed-up nose with her pet mouse… certainly lends itself to a certain category of person. Simmons pulled away, satisfied. "I should give this back to her. Tell he I'm just extremely accident prone."

"It's best you don't draw attention to yourself anymore," Ward shook his head. "Plus, I'm not quite sure she'll believe you." I nodded, sitting back down and returning to my food- leaving the money sitting on the table awkwardly. "Just goes to show how much you look like crap."

"Yeah, well I look how you probably feel on the inside," I stuck my tongue out at him. Ward and I fell back into our respective roles easily, making me think my assessment last night had been true. He had been high on whatever that staff had done to him to the point it took a hammer to the common sense part of his brain. He didn't want to be with me- he just wanted to be distracted from how messed up his head was now. Release some of that rage in a very different manner. I mentally patted myself on the back for my ability to act like an adult in a rough situation. "How are you feeling today, Ward?"

"Better," he shrugged. He looked like he hadn't slept much, dark circles under his eyes. I felt bad for him in that moment, thinking how I was pretty much out when I hit the pillow. But he did honestly seem better than yesterday and I'm sure a day off would do him some good. "Thanks-thanks for your help last night… forcing me to get my head on straight as only you could. You're… you're something." His tone was low despite the entire table hearing what he had said.

Nope. No. We weren't doing this. He wasn't being coy or making this into some fun little thing. Yesterday wasn't cute. It wasn't something to joke and whisper about like it was some kind of inside joke. I was willing to put up with a lot from Ward, but he was not turning this into some smiling secret between us. "Well, if you ever need me to shoot down the two of us having sex the same day you attempted to choke me to death you know where to find me," I said with a completely straight face.

The impact was instant. Fitz seemed to be choking and Simmons was slapping him on the back, Skye's eyes were now the size of her face, and Ward went white as a sheet- eyes narrowing in a way that might be dangerous to anyone but myself. Because I wasn't afraid of Grant Ward. "Crawford, what the hell?!"

I rose, shrugging. Maybe I would realize I was acting without thinking right now, but right now I felt pretty satisfied with what was happening. "I don't do the secret thing anymore. It's exhausting. We both know it was the staff and nothing happened anyway." I feel like this was directed at Skye more than anyone. "I'm getting some ice cream."

I went back over by the food, already starting to regret what had happened. There were literally thousands of ways I could have done that better. Millions possibly. I sighed, grabbing a bowl and staring at all my options overwhelmed. With my strict diet on the bus, I didn't recognize what half of these things were. And if I did I sure couldn't remember what they tasted like. "I'd recommend the gummi bears, Ash. They've, uh, always been a favorite of mine." Fitz came up next to me, grabbing a bowl of his own. I nodded, scooping some of them into the bowl. I could tell what he was waiting for and decided not to drag it out. It was practically impossible with him.

"I just… with you guys I sometimes forget all the things I don't have in my head," I tried to say lightly. "Like things to put on ice cream apparently. It's a good thing I'm on the Bus nearly all the time or I wouldn't make it." I pulled the lever on the machine for vanilla, drowning the bears. I turned to face him, heart skipping a beat at his concerned look. But I forced a smile to my face. "Nothing happened. It's fine."

"I'm not- that's not what's important. I don't care if anything happened." That was a lie from the unconscious twitch of his face, but I let it go. "What's important is that I, as your designated Girl Talk, companion, want to make sure that you're okay. Because that back there… was something I'm not sure how to describe. And I know how rough yesterday was for you and now you had that on top of everything else." He waited a beat before continuing. "I think you just got sucker punched. So… are you okay, Ash? And I'm not going to be tricked if you lie to me."

I wasn't, but not because any of the reasons he probably thought. The sucker punch was of a much more different nature. Because when Ward had asked me if I wanted a relationship with Fitz I had been reeling at the thought of maybe. And now watching my best friend grab two spoons and seem focused solely on my wellbeing, I had a much stronger answer. Of course I did, because I had feelings for him that I couldn't ignore anymore. He made me feel safe and secure in a way not even Coulson could. But there was no way I could tell him that.

"I'm not," I admitted, taking the spoon he offered to me. "It's crazy upstairs- a complete free-for-all really. But I'm going to be," I uttered with confidence. "I have to be. I will be. I just need a few days." He nodded, hand going to my back, accepting this as we walked back to the table still devastated by the wake of my little bomb. He gave me a little shove back towards my spot and took his own, the two of us eating in silence among them.

"Ashleigh…," Ward began, but my look cut him off. He still kept plowing forward. "You deserved a lot better than how I treated you last night. You're right, I was letting what happened drive me and didn't even consider what I had just… that wasn't me. I have nothing but respect for you. So I'm sorry." I just nodded, wanting to move past this as quickly as possible. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"You'd better," I nodded, letting him off the hook as I took a bite. Okay, gummi bears were solidly in the good category.

Things settled a bit for the rest of the day- returned to a shaky sense of normalcy. The topic wasn't brought up again. Skye and Ward went to the gym to train while I joined Fitz-Simmons in Fitz's room to watch movies they had on the television. There weren't many good options and I'm pretty sure I slept through like two of them, but it was nice to just spend time together without any sort of ticking clock or mission hanging over our heads.

We didn't talk much, which seemed fine by everyone. Skye was clearly upset with Ward, and I felt kind of bad for putting him in the doghouse like that. But I was more often than not getting distracted by Fitz and his attempts to cheer me up and keep things from weighing too heavily. And it seemed to be catching Simmons's interest from the way she kept glancing over at the two of us perched against the headboard of the bed. I took the hint, taking a break to hop in the shower and actually put on some clean clothes, grateful to finally have Randolph's blood out of every pore in my body. I came back to find the two of them chattering away, and what normally would have put a smile on my face actually kind of put an unwelcome stab of ice in my heart. I didn't want to feel it, but it was there. Cold reality and a much needed reminder of how delusional I was being with my mental ramblings. Nothing was going to happen, and the sooner I accepted it the better off I would be. So I sat on the arm of the chair next to Skye, stealing her bowl of popcorn for my famished self.

Something did weigh on me though, and so after dinner I managed to round up everyone along with Coulson and May in Coulson's elaborate suite. Apparently being our leader meant you got all the nice perks of the job. "I promised myself that I wouldn't keep any more secrets from all of you. I may be a spy on paper, but I do not want to hide things from the only people in my life I can trust and count on. You deserve to know. And I know I said I wanted to let the past thing drop, but that just got a little harder recently. So, I wanted to talk to all of you about something Sitwell said- something I didn't tell you because it seemed… impossible really." I scratched my head. "Or at least yesterday I did."

They were all looking at me plainly, schooling their features for the news I was about to give them. Fitz gave me a silent thumbs up as I took a deep breath. We had talked about it briefly on the way to dinner, and he was nothing but supportive of my desire to get everything out in the open. Secrets had become this very toxic substance to me and I had no intention of having any. Not if I could help it. Fitz had agreed, mentioning how this could possibly lead to a breakthrough for Simmons with my blood or provide May with something that would trigger a thought from Fury. Together we might be able to solve this thing whereas alone I would just be suffocating again with something I hid. So here I was with my best friend offering nothing but positivity.

"Sitwell suspected the reason I was able to enter the office and have this really weird thing going on with my blood is because of how advanced the technology is," I began, desperately hoping none of them would cry witchcraft or something of the ilk. Or think I was crazy. "So advanced that no one they were aware of was capable of creating that. I know you all knew that. But… the conclusion it led him to ultimately was that the reason the tech was so advanced was because it came… it came from the future." Everyone remained blank, processing. The silence was unbearable to me though. "That the reason I'm nowhere to be found is because I'm from the future."

It was a beat before Simmons spoke first. "Well, that's just impossible." No one said anything. "I mean, the scientific ramifications alone of someone entering a time in place they didn't originate from and altering events… we'd be lucky the universe is still standing."

"We just saved the life of an Asgardian who had possession of a Berserker staff that turned everyone into the Hulk," Skye reminded her, clearly having my back as I expected her to. "We deal in the impossible every day."

"Well, this isn't just impossible. It's improbable. One cannot travel through time and expect the world around them to remain intact. Especially us in the epicenter of her."

Skye wasn't ready to give in though. "Again... element that flips gravity of a building, man who can set himself on fire, a disease from an alien species that shocks your brain, and do I need to keep going with New York in and of itself." Simmons let out a huff.

"You don't understand. Those events are probable. Are they extraordinary and sometimes elude explanation- yes? But there is one- scientific fact that we may not understand but is clearly present. Like the staff and how it affected Ward's behavior chemically. But time travel... there is none."

Skye leaned forward in her chair. "Well... maybe in the future it is."

Simmons turned to Fitz, clearly waiting for him to throw in a word of support. When he didn't she put a hand to her head. "You're seriously considering this? Despite what it would mean for all of us? Fitz-"

"That's enough," May cut everyone off sternly, folding her arms. "We're merely going in circles at the moment with this conversation and wasting everyone's time."

"How about we let Crawford expand upon her thoughts?" Coulson cut in. "She clearly has a reason for changing her mode of thinking and mentioning this to us now." He turned back to me, nodding imperceptibly for me to continue.

"So, I thought the same thing. Completely insane. Didn't even bother mentioning it." I was speeding up to the point I seemed to be rambling a bit, so I tried to tighten the pace of my words. It was fine. This was my team. They had put up with a lot of crazy from me already, so they could handle a bit more. "But then Randolph said something in Interrogation- that the reason I bothered him so much was because I was wrong. I was a mistake. That I shouldn't be here because- "

"Because you were in the wrong time," Ward couldn't help but finish. He folded his arms, deep in thought. "I thought it was all just bluster."

"So did I at first," I admitted. "But it became a little hard to ignore in my head. So I asked him… after I saved his life and he was still and ass. And his answer is I basically have a giant sign on my forehead saying that I'm out of my time. To him it's pretty obvious… and then it just… it started to feel right to me too."

"Did you remember something?" May inquired, face still as blank as could be. I was trying to avoid looking at her really, else I lose practically all my nerve. May wasn't going to agree on flights of fancy as Coulson might. She was going to need cold hard facts like Simmons and be much more intense about acquiring them. Hopefully it didn't involve a table and handcuffs. I was really sick of handcuffs when it was clear I was far from dangerous in any capacity.

Now I know I had just gone on a whole secret rant, but the Thor memory was something I wasn't quite ready for yet. Partly because I had absolutely no context into what it was or when it could possibly be. There was a battle with Thor- big surprise. I literally had nothing to offer them in that regard. Just because you were beside Thor in battle didn't mean you were any kind of important. There had been plenty of people on the ground in New York doing their part I'm sure. I didn't know what the words meant either. It was currently just a big blob of confusing, and I wasn't going to get anywhere with confusing.

"Nothing that gives an answer in the slightest," I admitted, telling the truth but not offering elaboration. "It makes things come into focus though. It explains why I apparently have this technology in me that changes my blood at random and somehow appeared in Fury's office. It might be a good explanation to the whole memory dilemma- can't have me knowing the winning lottery numbers and all that."

"It explains the tattoo," Skye lit up, clearly having thrown her hat into the ring on this theory. "That's how you knew to join a team before there was a team." Her eyes were sparkling with how excited she was. "Oh my God! The reason you have to save someone is because something goes horribly wrong and it leads to a future where we're ruled by villains. And so you were sent back as our last hope to change the course of history and make sure heroes triumph in the end! But the process was untested and wiped your memory, leaving you in an unfamiliar world." She laughed. "Just when I thought you could not get any cooler. You could have your own comic!"

"We still haven't addressed the issue of time travel yet though," Simmons cut in, not as overjoyed. "If we do say this is possible, then that means Ashleigh's mere presence has altered everything she has touched or affected since her arrival. She would create a schism in the timeline that could eventually threaten the very fabric of the universe itself. Sending her back would mean the possible death of everything."

"Or maybe in the future they figured out a scientific way to avoid that," Skye countered.

"I'm with Simmons," Ward chimed in. "I may not understand all the logic behind it, but it's a pretty hard pill to swallow without a shred of proof. Even with everything we deal with. Sorry, Crawford." I shrugged, unaffected by his disbelief. Sure, I wanted everyone to believe me. But I had come in expecting a few detractors.

"What do you think Fitz?" Skye prompted, clearly not as content in having people disagree with her.

Fitz sat there for a long moment, taking a deep breath. Finally, he looked up and his eyes met mine. "I believe Ash." And I'm pretty sure if it were possible, I would have melted into a puddle right then and there. I swear I felt my cheeks heating up into a slight blush despite a desperation to not give away my feelings so easily. And I couldn't stop the smile that creeped on my face either. "I know the science isn't there at the moment- goes against it in fact. But if she thinks this is the truth… I've learned by now not to doubt her."

Oh God, I had it bad.

May and Coulson still hadn't said anything though, so I turned to address them. "I don't expect you to believe me right away. I wouldn't believe me when I have nothing but an inkling. I wanted to put it out there though, because there's no way I'm going to find out it's true unless I have your help."

They looked at each other for a long moment, the closest thing to parents I had having a silent discussion before Coulson spoke. "We'll look into it, alright?"

It was all I needed to let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I could accept that. At least it wasn't cries of witchcraft.

We all split up to our individual rooms after that for the night, but I found myself completely unable to settle down by any stretch of the imagination. My brain just would not turn itself off to any degree despite how tired I was. So, I threw a blanket around my shoulders and knocked on the door of the person I felt I desperately needed to talk to in order to clear them.

Skye ushered me in quickly with a large smile, citing how bored she herself was without any sort of computer around, the two of us sprawling out on her bed and eating the secret stash of cookies she had snuck in her bag and somehow managed to keep away from Fitz. She waited it out, knowing I was working up the courage to say something and giving me the space to say it. Skye seemed to intuitively know when words were necessary and when they weren't. It was an amazing and comforting skill that helped make up what a great friend she was.

"You were right," I said finally.

"You're going to have to be more specific," she answered, and I could hear the smug smile on her face.

I rolled my eyes. "You know what about."

"I might not. It could be about how I told you tacos are delicious despite their appearance so you should try one. It could be about my theory that you are actually a superhero from the future. Or it could be my insistence that you wear less sweater because you don't have to hide your wrist anymore. So you're going to have to elaborate a bit."

I pulled one of the pillows over my face groaning. "Please don't make me say it." Silence. I was going to have to say it. "It's… about… Fitz. You were right about Fitz."

"I knew it!" She shot up, pointing down at me. "You've been acting weird around him all day. Not in a way that he would notice, so don't worry, but in a way I noticed. You were blushing and kind of self-conscious and your face when he stood up for you… love-struck. Pure and simple."

"I blame you for all of this. You put the idea in my head."

"I saw what was obvious. But if it gets something to finally happen then I will take all the credit. Thank me at the wedding."

I choked on air. "No. No. I'm not… nothing's going to happen. I'm not going to… we're not going to end up in a relationship." She looked down at me, eyebrow raised. "I can't compete with Simmons, Skye. He likes her- I've seen it since the whole virus thing. They're supposed to end up together."

"You have no way of possibly knowing that," Skye disagreed, her playful demeanor becoming serious. "You don't see the way he looks at you. How he is willing to do anything for you. How you make him believe in himself and he returns it right back. It's adorable. You might have a chance at being happy, Ashleigh. Like really freaking happy. All it takes is one question."

I hadn't expected to be won over, but the intensity to Skye's argument did seem to crawl under my skin pretty quickly. What if he did feel the same way? What if I was looking at this all wrong? Maybe… maybe… no. No. "I don't even know who I am, Skye. I could be dragging him into something awful and messy. We don't know who or what I left behind."

"You've said it yourself before- you are Agent Ashleigh Crawford. That is who he cares about. And I think he cares about you so much, is so connected to you, that anything you face won't phase him. It would be worth facing if he gets to be with you. I mean, that's how I feel and I'm just your friend."

I covered her hand with mine, squeezing it. I almost felt like crying at her words, because they were just filling me with this light and hope. They reminded me of my place in this world and centered me on the ground- stopped my hopeless spinning about in uncertainty. I was where I belonged. I was where I needed to be. "I'll think about it." And I meant it. I knew that and she knew that.

"Good," she nodded. We fell into a silence again, but this time I could tell she was trying to bring something up. And I got the sinking feeling I knew what it was. "Ward- "

"Has zero feelings for me," I made clear. "He came to apologize for the whole choking thing and then he made a move that I avoided. And I mean literally did a trust fall into the bed to get away." I turned my head towards her. "He didn't mean any of it. Trust me. It was just the aftereffects of the staff, of his desperation to forget whatever it reminded him of. He realized that the instant I turned him down and left. It… it doesn't change the way he feels about you."

She didn't say anything, but I hoped the words stuck. And soon the two of us drifted off to sleep next to one another- I didn't quite want to leave and she didn't seem eager for me to either- burrowed under our separate covers on the giant bed that fit both of us and then some. The only downside was I ended up waking up with her at seven the next morning. It was awful.

May also took it upon herself to drag me to the gym the following day, having rented it out so it was just the two of us. And I was quite surprised when she demanded I bring the belt and Cheesetauri.

"You do best when you're defending others, Crawford," she explained as we warmed up. "It's an undeniable fact. So I want to try something, base some things off having that rodent at your side because he might not be entirely useless yet." We rose and she took a swing that I ducked under. "Plus, if you insist on carrying that ridiculous thing we can't let it end up getting you killed by throwing you off balance. We know that's quite easy to do."

I gave a fake laugh, ducking another swing and twisting my way around her. And soon I started to recognize what she was talking about. My movement, consciously and unconsciously, were all based around keeping that hamster ball as far away from her as I could. I always put myself between the two forces and was always conscious to break my fall when she managed to knock me down in a way that kept him from hitting the floor. I moved faster so as not to leave myself open to her having a shot at him. And when she went for him was when I seemed to go on the sharpest attack, lashing out once with a kick I didn't even know I had that almost knocked her down. Almost. Needless to say, it was our most intense bout of training yet.

Because May seemed to be right. What should have been a major weakness, a hole in my defense ripe for exploiting, was actually something I was turning into a strength. And I won't say I was winning by any stretch of the imagination, but I was doing better. Not a drastic amount or anything- I didn't suddenly become Black Widow. But it was enough that it was noticeable and I left at the end with a few less bruises and aches than usual.

May actually seemed kind of impressed. She still refused to call him anything but a rodent though. I might be able to win her over in time though. The rest of the was spent with the others, just messing around. I tried to keep my mind of the Fitz thing, give it some time and space. Stick with the group and not run off just the two of us. It seemed to work to a degree. I was still a bit of a mess around him at the moment, though he seemed to be chalking this all up to my rough couple of days thankfully. Skye had been right about his being oblivious it seemed. And the looks he gave Simmons, maybe it was my imagination but they didn't seem as powerful to me as they had once been. It could indeed just be a friend looking at another friend.

I was scarily starting to convince myself I might have a chance.

Skye tried to take me for another driving lesson, but I refused until the others offered to come along. I soon learned that meant too many cooks in the kitchen and the lesson was cut short when one supposed teacher said go while the other said stop and I nearly got us all killed by a truck. It seemed like driving might not be in my future at this rate. I could tell we were all starting to get a little cagey though. A break was nice, but we were ready for the next adventure.

Which was why I was excited to get the text that it was time to get back on the Bus the next day and visit Coulson in his office. I took a quick shower, threw on my last pair of clean clothes and nice button-up short-sleeved shirt Skye had loaned me for a change of pace. I wasn't sure I liked it. The bruises had pretty much faded to a few yellow splotches thankfully which took some squinting to notice. I threw my hair up as I climbed the ramp, stopping in the kitchen to grab a Pop Tart, a missed part of my diet, before heading in for briefing where Coulson and Skye, tablet clutched in her hand, were waiting. She gave a nod at my fashion choice as I sat down in the seat next to her- stuffing the whole thing in my mouth.

"This you two," Coulson began, image of a woman appearing on his screen behind us, "is Hannah Hutchins. She lives in a small town named Batesville." He paused before presenting the point we had been waiting for. "We have recently acquired evidence… that it is strongly possible she possesses the ability to move and manipulate objects with her mind. And that she had no real control of it."

Skye caught on quicker than I did. "Wait, a telekinetic? I thought they didn't exist." She turned to me. "He told me they didn't exist."

"We have never verified one," he corrected, glancing between the two of us. "That's why we're going to Batesville… to conduct an index asset evaluation and intake." Ah, one of my fake specialties. Luckily, I had read the manual back to front on this one when I was cramming all the necessary S.H.I.E.L.D. policies into my mind. I could handle this easy. Just talk to the person and don't scare them.

Skye leaned over to me. "Does that mean-?"

"Talk to her and see if she is telekinetic?" I finished. "Yeah. It does."

"Well, no offense AC, but it needs a better name. Something less I.R.S. and more… better."

I snorted. "They seem to like being pretty straightforward around here, but what exactly did you have in mind?"

"How about the 'Welcome Wagon'." I didn't want to say anything too harsh, so I just kept my mouth shut as Coulson handed each of us a file. I immediately started glancing through it to see it was everything we probably needed to know about Hannah.

"I want you to pay close attention on this one, Skye," Coulson paused in front of her. "Stick close to Crawford and follow her lead. It's a good opportunity to learn how to deal with someone with newfound abilities."

"It's not like I've never done this before," Skye pointed out, opening the envelope. "I found Mike Peterson before you did."

"Remember how that went," Coulson reminded her, starting past us for the door to his office.

"My head certainly does," I quipped, rising to follow him as I glanced over things. Skye followed.

"Point taken."

"This is a chance to see how it's done when it's done right," Coulson started down the stairs with the two of us trailing behind him. My eyes came to a stop at the mention of a particle accelerator. But Skye cut in before I could mention it.

"How many people like this have you encountered? And how many did Ashleigh claimed to have encountered on her resume that she has the job?" I just gave her a dirty look over my shoulder that she smiled at.

"A handful. There's not many people on the index. And Agent Crawford had shown excellent navigation in one of the names that was to a degree that is saved two lives. She is able to inspire trust to a very high degree in a very short time. We are all evidence of that. I certainly feel comfortable letting her be your guide for this mission because of that." And I couldn't help but grin widely at that, flattered beyond belief as per usual.

"They must wig out when they see the S.H.I.E.L.D. trucks roll up."

"I don't think so," I took this one. "Some definitely would, but they're people. And all people act differently. That's what makes the whole thing so tricky. There's never a clear answer before you meet them."

"She's right," Coulson agreed with me. "Some people are in complete denial that there's anything unusual about them." We reached the bottom of the stairs now and started down the hallway, Skye finally flipping through her pages. "It's a delicate process, and from all the reports, this sounds like a particularly sensitive situation."

"'Particle accelerator explodes'," Skye read one of the newspaper articles from her town aloud.

I nodded. "It looks like she was one of the quality control engineers on the project from her job description."

"So was it her fault then?" Skye asked Coulson, switching to her tablet in a predictable fashion to get information faster. Reading was a lost art these days.

"The town blames her."

"It says four technicians died in the blast during her shift," I read off, happy to have beaten her technology with my old fashioned methods, noticing Skye had pulled up a picture of them.

"That's terrible… all those families." I couldn't help but agree as I looked at them, imagining being at the center of something like that. I don't know if I could live with myself.

"Small church community… they're pretty rattled."

"She must be too," Skye added as we started down the next set of stairs in the cargo hold to the lab. "Friends, co-workers dead. And on top of all that, she might have some crazy powers she can't understand. Or control."

Fitz-Simmons was waiting for us as we reached the bottom, Fitz and I giving our short little waves to one another before he switched into a more serious mode at her side.

"Sir, the Department of Energy's declared the particle acceleration lab too dangerous to enter," Simmons began, clearly disappointed.

Fitz took it from there. "But the good news is, we still think we can retrieve the disaster-event data from the instruments." I loved it when he talked science. My brilliant Lee showing the world how it's done.

Focus. Focus. It was back to Simmons now and I forced myself to turn my attention to her. "We'll determine the cause and see if there's any correlation between telekinesis spontaneously forming and a particle accelerator exploding."

Coulson shrugged. "Well, it foes use giant magnets to fire billions of subatomic particles into the anti-particles at the speed of light to create miniature big bangs. So… seems like a good place to start." He then seemed to notice all our jaws had dropped. I hated to say I doubted him, but I honestly didn't know he had that in him. "I read," he told all of us. Fitz-Simmons seemed to take this as a dismissal, heading back into the lab.

"I'll try not to mention bug bangs when we talk to Hutchins about the explosion," Skye decided, showing that was good judgement within her.

"Probably for the best," I agreed.

"You'll stay in the car," Coulson ordered. Skye looked ready to argue, but he beat her to it. "This is a delicate situation. We don't know what kind of danger this woman poses, so I'll make initial contact with Agents Ward and May. Crawford will stay in the car with you and keep you from getting into trouble."

"Wait," I interjected. "She has to wait in the car because she's unqualified so I'm the one who gets punished and has to baby-sit her? What happened to the whole asset to the team speech you gave her before?"

He turned to me, completely serious. "Let me remind you, Agent Crawford, that not only are you supposed to be on suspension this month but that you are in actuality not a qualified Agent in any sense of the word. I meant what I said, but you're there for the car ride back and what happens next after the three of us as trained Agents in this regard approach her. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," I agreed instantly, in no mood to argue with him in the slightest. He was right. I was still a lying liar who lied about my qualifications. Coulson may trust and believe in me, but it still made me unqualified in a lot of areas he had once let me run freely in. I was just going to have to show him I could listen and work my way up to it.

He gave a hint of a smile, almost able to sense what I had been thinking. "Good. And plus, you're the only one who seems capable of keeping any of them slightly in line. I'm afraid I'm going to be coming to you for a lot of baby-sitting, Crawford." Ah, so I was officially the oldest sibling in a way. This was going to be fun.

"Wheels up in five," May stepped out from upstairs to announce in her usual harsh tone. "Better strap in."

We started up the stairs to find our seats, myself planning to head to my usual spot in the co-pilot seat and get this reading done front to back. Skye elbowed me. "Good thing he's bringing along warm and fuzzy for the delicate situation."

"I don't know," I disagreed. I thought back to how May had thought outside the box for the sake of making me better in combat. She clearly cared about people, just in a different way than most were used to seeing. "I think there's a lot more to her than you give her credit for."

"Hey guys," Ward announced from below us before Skye could answer, having just arrived. Almost late, which was quite unusual for him. And they accused me of sleeping in too much. But maybe sleep was good. Maybe we would be able to put this whole freaky staff behind us now.

"You're late," Mya fired at him before heading to the cockpit with myself behind her. I silently took my usual seat, Cheesetauri in my lap munching on some cheese with enthusiasm, and set about memorizing everything I could about Hannah Hutchins. Because I wasn't about to let anything else happen to this poor girl.

XXX

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were waiting for us when we touched down and started down the ramp. Coulson climbed into a car with May and Ward, ordering Skye and us to take another and follow them. We were then to remain in the car and if Hannah was stable enough when we talked to her then she would ride back with us. We instantly agreed that Skye would be the one driving, wanting to put Hannah's comfort above all else. And my habit of hitting the brake so hard everyone almost got whiplash wasn't comforting. Fitz and Simmons would meanwhile go with another team to the site of the accident and gather whatever data they could from outside it. I gave him a solid pat on his back as we crossed paths, telling him to go be brilliant. He told me to keep Skye out of trouble.

So we followed behind their car as instructed, S.H.I.E.L.D. logos clearly emblazoned on both of our vehicles. Skye had been unsure of that and wished we took the Jeep or something of that sort, but this was perhaps more for the public than Hannah herself it seemed. And that became abundantly clear as we turned into the cul-de-sac where she lived and found people surrounding her house as police officers attempted to hold them back. It was pretty much chaos. And there was Hannah, standing on her porch and just… enduring it. Just taking all their hate and scorn to her face.

"We know what you did!" One shouted.

"She blew up the gas station," a woman cried. "Why aren't you arresting her?" Oh, this was already getting a bit out of hand. The sooner we get her out of here the better. Coulson had climbed out of his car with May and Ward, making their way up the porch to her. It would have been a great moment to observe them and learn proper protocol, but we were so far away and it was so loud I was pretty sure the learning opportunity had gone up in smoke.

Skye was already at the door already on edge, but I had the sense to lock it from my side and just keep a wary eye on her. She could do whatever she wanted and get herself in trouble except for the fact that my neck was on the line too with this one. I would tackle her at this point before I let her put on foot on the street. "I'm not going to do anything. I know how to listen," she argued.

"Sure you do," I responded with a roll of my eyes, turning most of my attention back to the scene.

"Get out of here!"

"This seems like a lovely neighborhood," I mocked. "I might consider moving here when I retire from being a time-travelling superhero."

"I'll be sure to mention that to Fitz." I looked at her to see she was smiling in a very evil manner.

"Shut up."

I looked back at the sound of an outburst, seeing someone had thrown something at Hannah as it looked to be upsetting her even more as the people just started rising in volume.

And then something unbelievable happened. One second I was watching warily as the others tried to keep everything under control and the next, well the next my head was slamming into the dashboard for no proper reason. Like someone had the back of my head and threw me into it full force. Only I'm positive Skye was the only other one in here with me. I pulled my head back, groaning as everything blurred, to see her wide-eyed next to me.

A police car was currently moving towards everyone with siren blaring… only no one was in the driver's seat. It was as if it was possessed. Everyone was officially panicking now, Hannah clutching her head and looking scared for her life.

Skye was going for the door. "Skye, you can't-! "

And then my head was sent flying into the dashboard again, this time leaving me reeling a bit and with a bloody nose. My nose just was not having a great week was it? I blinked a few times to clear my swimming vision.

"Ashleigh!" Skye's voice cut in. "Are you alright?" There was a commotion going on now as officer pulled a gun on Hannah as she tried to run from the scene.

"Shit!" was my response. It was getting really hard to stay in the car with the chaos unfolding around us and I found myself unbuckling my seatbelt. People were running and shouting at her with such venom I just wanted to knock them all out. Skye had something dark in her eyes as well, looking ready to jump out the second I did. Then the car door was thrown open on its own and properly spooked me into closing it again and staying put. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"What is happening?" Skye seemed to have the hairs on the back of her head standing on end as well.

"I don't- "And then my head was sent hurtling into the window of the door I had just shut, cracking it as a shot rang out from the scene. Only our way of seeing what had just happened was now pretty damaged, forcing me to throw the door open and step out of the car. Skye followed suit and came around to join me, clearly worried and checking briefly to see I was alright.

Things had settled down as May towered over the now unconscious Hannah, Ward and Coulson flanking her. The police seemed to get their goddamn gumption back and started driving people away from the scene, allowing Ward to gently pick her up. Coulson turned and gestured to our car, only to stop at the sight of the two of us clearly out of it. He did not seem too pleased and I readied myself to calmly explain the trouble with that plan

The police managed to hold a line of spitting and snarling people as he made his way over to us, Ward behind him and May covering his back. He noticed the car window before he noticed my nose. I looked at the shattered glass, chill running up my spine for a reason I couldn't quite place. There was almost a faint tickling in the back of my brain, but I forced it out to turn to Coulson.

I opened my mouth, ready for that calm explanation. Except words just came flying out. "We tried. We really tried. It was going well, but then the car got possessed. It threw me around quite a bit and soon it became clear it was more dangerous to be in there then out of there. We still didn't do anything. We were so close. But I feel these are what you would call extenuating circumstances, given the nature of a possessed car. Please don't be mad at us."

He just shook his head. "I just hope on day we manage to accomplish a mission that doesn't involve you bleeding. Make sure you have that looked over when we get back." I nodded, having no intention of doing so.

He turned back to May and Ward. "Ward will go in this car with Skye. May and I will take Crawford with us and lead the way. She shouldn't come to for a while, but let us know if her state changes. Also, grab a blood sample for Fitz-Simmons to analyze. We'll then disembark immediately for the Fridge." Well, that sounds ominous.

I followed May and Coulson to their non-possessed car, crawling very ungracefully into the backseat and buckling myself in. I waited until we had started our journey back with the horrors of suburbia behind us, Skye following at our tail, to bring up my questions. "What is the Fridge?" I hadn't really seen that one in all my readings. "Because to be honest, the name makes it sound really ominous and scary. Like we're going to throw her in there and swallow the key or something."

"It's a secure facility off the map," Coulson explained. "She'll only be kept there until her powers develop to the point she can control them and we can re-insert her back into society- preferably with a new identity and a handler. It's for her safety as much as everyone else's." I nodded this, accepting it hesitantly. "It's not a row of cells, Crawford. She'll be well cared for. I promise. If you truly desire, I can grant you some leave time to visit and inspect it yourself. Maybe keep you out of trouble for a few days."

"Okay," I verbalized my response, feeling better about the affair. I then went to my next topic, leaning forward so I was gripping a seat with each hand. "Why did you sedate her?"

I was worried May would take my question as disagreeing with her decision, but she seemed to grasp my intent as mere curiosity. I just wanted to understand what went into her choice. "The situation was merely growing in terms of panic and threat of violence. She did not appear as if she would be calming down in the near future with the crowd around her, meaning her possible powers would continue to be in effect. And I wanted to prevent her or anyone else from getting hurt. So I made the best possible choice in the moment even if it wasn't ideal, something you'll find yourself having to do often."

"Are you worried about how she'll feel when she wakes up?"

"No. I feel confident she'll understand the situation, given how adverse she seems to hurting others. I doubt she'll want to be friends, but it's a sacrifice that will pay off if we get her to the Fridge safely without hurting anyone." She turned to face me. "What would you have done?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I would have kept talking to her, trying to calm her down. I seem best at the words thing. If I shot her, I'd probably end up hitting someone in the crowd and starting a riot."

May turned back, facing forward. "It might be time we consider adding weapons training then."

"My luck is to the point where I get beat up by a window and you want to put a gun in my hand?" Coulson snorted despite himself at my disbelief.

"Under my supervision, I'm confident we can develop your talents to make them a further asset to our team. I feel if the situation demanded it… that the chance of you missing would be very low."

I leaned back, unsure what to say to that. May was speaking highly of me and my brain didn't quite know how to compute this. She almost seemed to have found something that made her believe in me in an aspect that no one else did. I knew calling her out on it would do me no favors and possibly cause her to take her offer back. So I defected to my usual method of humor. "Well, I'm glad one of us is confident."

The rest of the drive was silent until we pulled up to the waiting Bus, cargo ramp down and waiting for us to come back on. Fitz-Simmons must be back from their field trip then and hard at work putting all of this together. I hope we would be able to give Hannah some answers soon, something that might help her grapple with this whole mess. Because the way she looked- the poor girl seemed to think she deserved this kind of torment.

I slammed the car door shut to be met by Coulson's finger pointed at me. "I mean it. Get Simmons to check that out. Otherwise, we might just have to put you on bedrest for the remainder of this mission." Shoot. He had seen right through me.

"I will, sir," I promised.

"And I don't know why actions were only taken against you back there, so I want you to be extra careful. We can't afford anything happening while we're in the air." With that, we started up the ramp and I directed myself straight towards the lab where Fitz-Simmons was hard at work with some of the data they had gathered- chattering back and forth to one another at Mach speed.

I fell onto one of the metal stool, shouting to get their attention. "Paging Doctor Jemma! You have a patient awaiting assistance in your office." They both turned, and Jemma let out a huff at the sight of me.

"What did we do this time?" she asked, putting on gloves as she made her way over to me. "If I recall, all you had to do this time was wait in the car." Fitz came up beside her as she looked at my nose and then the side of my head. "Ashleigh, how did you get glass in your hair?"

"Telekinesis plus a car window." She began muttering to herself as she turned to grab a pair of forceps, preparing to remove the glass and make sure none had pierced my skin. I noticed Fitz hovering behind her, clearly worried. "Nothing to worry about, Lee. It's only a flesh wound." I paused. "Am I-?"

"Monty Python," the both answered at the same time as Simmons turned back and began dropping slivers of glass into a metal tray with the forceps.

"We'll take care of it later," Fitz added, still not assuaged it seemed. Simmons worked in silence for a few moments before Skye entered through the back door, vial of red liquid in her hand.

"This is for the two of you compliments of Ward." She gravitated toward me because I didn't have enough of an audience already. "How's she looking? Will she live?" she quipped.

Fitz didn't seem to take it as lightly as the rest of us. "I thought I told you to try and keep her from getting hurt this time."

"It's Ashleigh," was her response. "Do you want me to walk on water too?"

"This is serious. She's already hit her head and received a concussion while on a mission. Continued trauma to the head could permanently- "

"Lee," I cut in as Simmons finished up, nothing having pierced my skin luckily. She handed me a rag to wipe my nose. "I'm fine. I promise. Just a bit of a headache but nothing to worry about. I have an extremely thick skull." It didn't make him laugh, but it did make him back off a bit as he nodded and went back over to his work. Skye shot me a look but I ignored it.

"Here," Simmons handed me a Tylenol and water.

I swallowed it quickly. "Thank you very much. Could you- "

"I'll tell Coulson you're cleared. We wouldn't want you to end up on actual probation, now would we?"

I rose from the stool with a smile. "You're the best Jemma. I'll leave you guys to your science. I want to go read up on Hannah and hopefully be allowed in when she wakes up."

"She sent your head into a window… and you want to go back in there?" Fitz questioned, not glancing up from his work though. He seemed to be about at the end of his rope with me.

"She has no control of her powers. It was an accident and I want to help her. Poor girl seems like she could use a break after all this- the way the people were treating her back there. I want to show her not everybody's like that." Everyone was staring at me now, so I shrugged and started for the door as Fitz-Simmons returned to their work, Skye observing.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with her," I heard Fitz say.

"You're going to keep me around because you would be lost without me," I called over my shoulder.

"Keep telling yourself that, Ash."

"Every night, Lee." And with that, I exited the lab and made for my room. I removed Cheesetauri from his cage and placed him in his ball, allowing him to run about the space around my bed to make up for his lack of stimulation today. I poured over the file on my bed, studying every aspect of the particle accelerator that was open to me. Most of the science was lost to me, but the people weren't.

The room momentarily shifted as the Bus took off, sending Cheesetauri into the dresser. But then the world righted itself and he seemed absolutely no worse for wear luckily. The little guy was as tough as I was.

I was surprised when it was May who was at my door an hour or so later. "We're at the Fridge already?"

She shook her head. "We've still got about six hours. She's waking up though and you're coming in with Coulson and I."

"Really?!"

"We've come to the conclusion you followed orders… well enough back at the house. Now come on before I change my mind." I sprung to my feet, making the decision to put Cheesetauri back in his cage. I didn't want to risk anything happening to him if Hannah got out of control. Better to keep him safe rather than sorry.

I followed May down the corridors towards the Interrogation Room, almost having to jog to keep up with her brisk pace. "Do you have any orders for in there? I know Coulson was nervous about my being targeted earlier."

"Just be yourself. Talk to her. But at the same time, be prepared to exit if anything starts to move outside the realm of our control."

"Got it." We rounded the corner to see Coulson waiting for us, sans tie and with a water bottle in his hands. He offered it to me and gestured for myself to head in first. I took a deep breath and did so, heading in just as Hannah was sitting up on the lone mattress in the room. It looked like everything else had been removed for her safety, making us look particularly cruel.

She turned to me, eyes red from crying earlier, and shrank back into the corner of the mattress folding herself up as small as she could be. And I didn't blame her. I knelt before her, uncomfortable with the idea of towering over her menacingly and extended the bottle. "Hi. We brought you something to drink." She just stared at it. "I'm Ashleigh. Behind me is Coulson and May. We want to help you."

"How did I get here?" she asked, looking over the three of us.

"I sedated you," May answered simply. I wanted to shoot her a look, but kept my focus on Hannah.

"I apologize for brining you in that way," Coulson followed, using May's comment as a lead in for his gentler statement, the two of them playing off each other with a kind of efficiency I'd never seen before. I hope I knew someone well enough to do that one day. "Things were escalating. It was for everyone's safety."

Hannah registered this and finally took the water bottle. "Everyone's safety. Good. Okay." She sat for a moment before realization seemed to hit her and make her upset again. "Oh, lord, what have I done?"

I reached forward, lacing my hand through her free one and making eye contact. It was taking all my restraint to not hug this woman. "Hey. Hey. It's okay. Nothing got out of hand back there. Everyone walked away just fine. You didn't hurt anyone, I swear." A little bit of a lie, but a necessary one in my eyes.

She looked at the ground, completely defeated. "Wherever I go, things turn bad."

"Were you angry at those people, back at the house?" May asked, trying to get to the root of things while I still kept her fingers laced through mine and taking it as a good sign that she hadn't let go.

She looked up, confused. "Um, angry? No. I know most of them. They were angry." A haunted look crossed her features and she looked ready to cry again. "I understand. Oh god. Frank's wife… the way she was looking at me." She seemed to curl up even farther.

"Frank Delacort," I recalled, face from the file appearing in my mind.

"He died in the accident," Coulson continued, crouching down at my side.

She nodded, looking away from all of us. "Because of me, they're gone. I killed them." And with that she removed her hand from mine to hug her knees.

I swung beside her, sitting on the other end of the mattress. "It was an accident Hannah. Just a random bad thing that happened." She was shaking her head but I kept going. "And bad things… they do that. They happen and no one can explain why. But we have to push on and not blame ourselves when there's nothing we could have done."

"I could have done something," she disagreed. "It was my job to do something and I failed. And now they're dead and everyone should hate me."

"Talk us through what happened, the accident," Coulson probed gently. "What makes you think you failed, miss Hutchins?"

She leaned her head against the wall, taking herself back. "For weeks, I was getting reports from section two complaining that the coupling assembly was coming loose at the bolts." A smile came to her face. "Tobias is the…" And then it was gone. "He was the technician down there." She took a second before getting back on topic. "We replaced the part, and we triple-checked it for damage. Seems like I went down there every few days."

Something wasn't adding up. "But you found nothing wrong?"

"No. But clearly, I missed something."

Coulson took it from here. "My team is working to determine what really did happen and what might have happened to you." And now it was out in the open- the big matter at hand.

Hannah just blinked at him. "To me? What do you mean?"

I put a hand on her arm. "There is evidence that the accident may have caused you to gain some form of abilities. Telekinetic abilities."

As soon as the words landed, she pulled her arm away hastily. "You think it's me? The police car, the gas sta… you think I did that?" She was getting upset now and that wasn't good.

"We're not sure," Coulson admitted, trying to keep her calm. "And this can be a hard thing to hear, but all these events have one thing in common."

She caught on instantly what he was saying. "Me, but I'm not causing it," she insisted. "It's not me. I wish it were because then maybe I could make it stop."

May stepped forward so she was kneeling in front of her now, reinserting herself back into the conversation. Hannah regarded her warily. "Then what is it?" I asked.

She shook her head, tearing up again as she put her face in her hands. "You all wouldn't believe me."

She looked up, tears running down her face, right into May's eyes. And May stared right back, saying her next words with such conviction yet tenderness it floored me. "Try me." I had never heard her sound like that before and it was astounding.

Hannah's face instantly changed, letting her sorrows out in a measure of trust. "God's punishing me. He abandoned me. He doesn't protect me anymore." Oh boy. I had no clue what I used to believe in, but Ashleigh Crawford had never really taken the time to look at her belief system. It had always been kind of on the back burner, a non-essential compared to other things. I had no opinion and no stakes in a conversation like this because I didn't know my own opinion.

It looks like it was coming back to bite me in the butt now.

"That's why this is happening," Hannah uttered, completely convinced in this clearly.

"Protect you from what?" Coulson asked.

"Demons, sir," she uttered, and I felt a chill run up my spine. "I'm being haunted by demons."

Coulson rose, face grave. I don't know if he believed her, but he clearly knew Hannah believed this was true. "I see. I'm going to talk with my team and see what we can come up with. Let us know if you need anything at all. We're not trying to make you suffer." He started for the door with the two of us following, myself patting her on the knee before I did.

"Do you believe me?" she asked us before we were out. "Or do you think I'm crazy too."

"We've learned not to exclude the impossible," May answered, glancing at me for a split-second. "We will find out what this is and do whatever we can to help you." Hannah seemed to accept this, leaning against the wall as we exited.

"Have everyone gather around the holocom," Coulson ordered me and I went right to it, stopping in the lab to grab Fitz-Simmons with Fitz looking relieved I had emerged unscathed. Skye wasn't there though and I was surprised to find her at her laptop in the living area, though the look on her face instantly told me why.

"Ah, you got the whole 'two semesters minimum of holographic engineering before you get to touch this' speech," I deduced.

"How did you know that?"

"Because I have been on the receiving end… twice."

"Even you can't get Fitz to crack?"

"No. Lee is very serious about that. Come on." She rose and I nudged her, smiling. "Luckily, I happen to have observed the exact sequence it takes to load it up a few times. Maybe once this mission is over and they're distracted we can have some fun with the stuff they don't need anymore. Off the books."

She smiled back. "Are we sure you're not a supervillain?" I laughed at that, sobering as we entered the Briefing Room and joined the others around the Holocom. We seemed to be joining a conversation already in progress with Simmons having the floor.

"Delusions of being persecuted aren't uncommon after trauma," she explained.

"She's certainly been through her fair share," Ward agreed, clearly sympathetic.

"She's blaming herself," Skye added her two cents as she joined the circle with myself at her side. "It's guilt."

"I think she's all of it," I couldn't help but add, thinking over her complexity of emotions in the cell.

"I agree," Coulson weighed in. "She's broken." He turned to Fitz-Simmons. "Pore over the accident site. If that tragedy gave her powers, we need to shut them down. If it wasn't her fault, even, but until then, she's a danger to all of us." With that, he strode out of the room for his office. May followed and everyone else split up from there- myself having the intention of grabbing Cheesetauri and then getting some food.

"Skye, you up for- "

She brushed past me. "Sorry, but I want to talk to Coulson about something."

"Okay," I called after her. I went back to my bunk, hooked Cheesetauri in his ball to my waist, and made my way to the kitchen to find Ward must have had the same idea I did.

"Hey," I greeted him, taking a stool.

"Hey. Want a sandwich?" He gestured to the bread he was laying out.

"Sounds great, my friend." He pulled out another four slices of bread. "I'm not going to eat that much."

"No, but you are going to run to Fitz as soon as I'm done and he's going to steal half. I'm just trying to keep you nourished." Well, that was thoughtful. But then we fell into a bit of awkward silence as he buttered the bread for toasting. I became acutely aware it was our first time alone since the whole debacle in my hotel room. He was clearly hesitant to say anything or address it, to say the wrong thing. So I decided to face it head-on and do some repairs.

"So… I remembered something about the future." He instantly halted his movements, almost completely frozen. "About you and me."

"Wh-what?" He turned to me and I was surprised to see he almost looked scared. I never would have thought I had the power to make Grant Ward scared of me, especially in something he didn't really believe in.

It was pretty awesome.

"Uh-huh," I continued, trying to seem sage and wise. "You see, in the future I remembered, we've put your whole emotional breakdown and using of one another behind us. Water completely under the bridge. Don't even think about it. I'm happy with someone and so are you. Or we're happy alone. Whichever works for you. Details are fuzzy."

He was catching on judging by the smile that now crossed his face. "Oh, really?"

"Yep. Perfect symbiotic big brother-little sister relationship. Having each other's backs fiercely half the time, at each other's throats the other. How it was meant to be for the rest of our days."

He pulled out some tomatoes and grabbed a knife, putting the bread in the toaster. "Sounds nice."

"It is," I agreed. "I haven't even told you the best part yet."

"What's that?"

"It's going to be real soon. So don't worry, because everything is going to be fine."

He looked up from his tomatoes to stare at me a moment before going back to them. "I'm glad to hear something's certain at least." The silence now became more comfortable. This was interrupted by Skye hopping on the counter in a huff.

"I take it the talk didn't go so well?" I probed.

"It would have if May wasn't there!" she complained. "I just don't understand her at all. Everything to her is just… Target Acquired. Threat eliminated."

"That was a horrible robot voice," I made clear.

"She's a specialist," Ward reminded her.

"In one thing," Skye fired back, clearly letting out a lot of worked up feelings. "You can catch a lot more flies with honey than with napalm… just saying."

Ward sighed. "Hand me the lettuce." She did just as the bread finished. He went over to the toaster, but not before handing me a sliver. "For the mouse."

"His name is- "

"Not there yet, Ashleigh." I smirked, placing the lettuce inside the ball.

Skye was continuing her rant though, coming to stand on the other side of the counter. "She says I need to stay away, but you know what I think? I think she needs to get laid."

I'm pretty sure my head exploded, but I managed to recover more quickly than Ward, turning to face her. "Never say that again." She opened her mouth. "I mean it. Never say it again. I will not be responsible for your dismemberment if she hears you."

"I'm not scared of her," Skye talked big, only to take it back. "Well, I am, but just because the Calvary shot one hundred guys on horseback doesn't mean she knows how people work."

That sounded completely mental. "What the hell?" I asked as Ward turned, back on his feet and rejoining the conversation.

"Horseback? Where'd you hear that?"

"Fitz-Simmons."

"Were they messing with you?" Ward asked. Skye seemed to pause a bit.

"They were so messing with her," I confirmed.

"Story gets bigger every year. It wasn't a hundred guys… it was twenty," Ward began the tale as we faced him. "May crossed them off with one pistol, no support."

"She rescued a bunch of Agents?"

"Mm-hmm. There definitely wasn't a horse."

"Of course not," I chimed in. "Anyone who believes that is… is a lovely hacker of a gal who was duped by two mean geniuses."

"Well, if it went so well," Skye questioned, "why's she so squirrely about the name?"

"I don't know," Ward admitted. "May's not in it for the glory. She got the job done. End of story." He turned back to his work. "Where'd I put that knife?"

I shrugged. "You're clearly losing it in your old age it seems." He grabbed another one and finished chopping everything up and assembling two delicious sandwiches for myself after Skye had left the room in a bit of a huff, set on looking into some things. I then made my way for the lab, knowing to give her some space and let Ward take this one.

I popped into the lab, mouth biting down into my sandwich, only to see Simmons in front of her hologram. "Where's your lesser half?" I quipped.

"He's grabbing some couplings in the maintenance hallway," she answered. She glanced my way, noticing the sandwich with a smile on her face. "Oh dear, that looks like it could get cold. You should probably go find him."

She was acting weird. "You're acting weird."

"Sorry, just… I know he's starving and it's making him annoying. He should be right down the hallway. Just shout his name… and I'm sure he'll find you." The smile still had not left and it was creeping me out.

"Oh… kay…" I edged out of the room, waving to her as I did so before proceeding to the darkened maintenance hallway where we kept all the parts and things that kept the Bus going. I had honestly never been down here before. It was kind of ominous. "Lee!" I shouted, voice echoing. "Lee! Simmons said I'd find you here!"

There was no answer, but I swore I heard some sort of movement from the other end. I took a few steps into the hallway, looking in doorways. "Lee! Lee!" Maybe he couldn't hear me behind these. I opened one only to find it empty. My hairs were standing on end a bit now. "Lee! Where are you?!" I continued forward into the darkness.

"Boo!" a gas-mask adorned figure jumped out of the next door before I could open it. And it was like a switch flipped in my brain as I fell onto my butt.

"Fuck!" I shouted, profanity I'd never used in my short life streaming from my mouth. And just like that it was like my head was being assaulted, the room spinning as my heart thudded in my chest. I felt nothing but terror, pure terror that made me want to cry. My breathing became haggard as flashes assaulted me, pictures appearing but I was unable to tell what any of them were. I just knew they made my brain feel like it was being squeezed. There was a figure over me wearing a suit. I could see him through the flashes. And he made me more scared than I had ever been in my life.

"Ash!" a voice cried, but I shrunk farther back against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut.

"He's always up here," I uttered, needing to get the words out.

And then it was like it passed- like a wave that now ebbed. I opened my eyes again to see there was no man in a suit, just Fitz kneeling in front of me sick with worry. The images were gone and the words once again made no sense.

My second memory… and it was even worse than the first. God, my old life really seemed like it sucked.

"Ash!" I forced my head clear and focused on Fitz. Fitz who held a gas mask in one hand and had scared me. The sandwiches lay tossed on the floor and Cheesetauri was squeaking from his ball in worry. I looked down to see my hands were literally trembling. "Ash, are you- "

I saw his hand coming and shot back, a little bit of what had passed over me still there. "Don't you fucking touch me!" I shouted, lashing out with venom. He drew back instantly and I forced myself to my feet. I shook my head to force it clear, gaining the rest of myself back in the process. Making the anger and fear drain away. "I just… I need some space. Please… don't ever do that again." I started backwards away from him.

He nodded instantly, practically white himself. "Never."

"And please… don't follow me." I needed to be alone for a moment. I needed to get a grip on this.

"I can't ever promise that," he shook his head. And my heart skipped a beat, back to its normal state when it came to Fitz. No longer so… animalistic. I can't believe I had just sworn at him like that… twice. What the hell was happening to me?

But I couldn't deal with him right now. I couldn't risk it before I took a few deep breaths. So I didn't answer, I just ran. I ran out of the hallway and slammed the door shut, taking deep shuttering breaths and trying to force my hands to stop shaking. Cheesetauri was still squeaking, something clearly wrong in his eyes.

I had never known fear like that and I never wished to know it again.

Especially directed at Fitz. I couldn't take it.

I paced a bit in front of the door when I heard the scream from the lab. "Simmons." My personal woes instantly forgotten, I was off like a shot, bursting through the door with Coulson right behind me. "If this is another prank," I muttered under my breath.

"Simmons!" he shouted as we spotted her on the floor in a corner. I glanced to see their holographic table had been shattered, glass splinters thrown all around the lab. This was no prank. This was serious.

She climbed to her feet, shaken. "Sir, Hannah's telling the truth. She's not telekinetic." She looked between the two of us, face grave. "There's someone else on the plane."

Hannah's demon. It had to be. I turned to Coulson looking for input when suddenly the lights switched off, the red emergency ones coming on a moment later and casting us in what I could only describe as a hellish glow.

"What was that?" I asked, terrified of the answer.

"Plane's lost power," Coulson stated simply. And then my stomach started to pitch as I felt the plane move at an unnatural angle I had felt only once before. And I didn't like what it meant in the slightest as the three of us looked at one another. Coulson vocalized it first. "We're going down."

Oh sensation of falling. How I despised thee.

XXX

So I think this chapter was cursed by a ghost itself. Word crashed and left me having to write a huge chunk of this a second time. But like the team I got through it and am happy to present this chapter full of quite a lot of developments and questions. Things are picking up speed now as the team finds themselves literally free-falling. It's only going to get crazier from here too.

Thank you all for your patience and support. I'm so happy to be back in business and ready to type the back half of this and have it up soon. It's pretty tumultuous, just how I know you guys like it. Ash and Lee seem to be in need of some major Girl Talk though. I hope they get the chance.

Thank you to those who chose to have their fingers on the pulse of this story by following: Mmjohns, OnyxRing, Miradcastle, GreenEcho, AlexJMP, MissTigerLily1013, MisterShiryo, MateriaGirl16, TomTomGirl, chase83, Mickii10Minnie18, EmilyyMarie, Rythomas12, SkyFl0w3r, PixieCharm, aussieKayz, KirikaAndo, marco794, Evangeline Pond, and 3Silvia. It continues to astound me how this number grows. Thank you.

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And thank you to those who have reviewed and given me such enjoyable feedback to read and converse with you about. I read them all multiple times and they never cease to make me smile. Thank you DreamingOfThatWorld, Evangeline Pond, GuestCat, MissTigerLily1013, iblamegreenberg, OnyxRing, NessieBooEvans, MulishaMaiden, FutureOlympian, XxAmyTheGreatxX, Cow-Lover2214, LeaopardFeather, stormrunner74, GiraffePanda2, DarknessHitsMe, Guest, and of course my friend Eckles. Thank you for leaving me words of encouragement and delight. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one.

Have a great one guys. See you soon. Promise.