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

26. Crazy Train

Crazy Train

I hadn't come to the decision easily. When it had flitted into my brain, at first I had rallied against it with everything I had. But then I would watch Skye in her room, typing so furiously and rapidly I swore her fingers were going to fall off any minute now. And the rest of the team was preparing in their own ways as well- Fitz-Simmons was hard at work in the lab, May and Ward were having more training sessions to push and improve one another, and Coulson was keeping everyone on task and focused.

The mission was to find Ian Quinn and take him down once and for all. Because a very interesting wrinkle had come up when Coulson used Seth's phone he confiscated to contact the man. We had found the financier of Centipede's plan it seemed. Because Ian Quinn had let it drop that he was in connection with The Clairvoyant, making him even more connected to this whole mess than we expected. Which made finding him the absolute highest priority in every respect.

There was absolutely nothing for me to do though. I was of no use in the lab outside holding the odd object, I still had my training sessions with May but I was nowhere on the levels she and Ward were, and often I felt I was distracting Skye by being around more than helping. I didn't have a role to play and it was killing me because I finally felt I was getting back to a position where I could be of some use.

I mean I wasn't whole and healed yet, not by a long shot. But I was starting to eat about two consistent meals a day and sleeping through larger portions of the night. I was starting to slowly put some weight back on and the bags had disappeared from under my eyes. My wrist was now just a lump of twisted and gnarled scar tissue that I still kept covered as often as I could, but Simmons had cleared that I was past getting an infection. I was communicating and spending more time with the team, trying to be more free with voicing my feelings and opinions. Sometimes I still did seem like I was burdening them more than I desired, but they all took it and did their best to help me.

Oh, and the mirror had been fixed.

There were still nightmares I couldn't remember or recall other than feelings that remained after I had sprung awake. But I had adapted in that respect as well. Now rather than hide it from the team I would rise from my bed, putting Cheesetauri in his little ball to accompany me, and make my way over to Fitz's bunk. Once I had awoken him, a feat that usually took a bit of effort, the two of us would go sit in the living area. From there we would talk or just sit in a comfortable silence, sometimes put something on the television. Eventually, I would drift off on his shoulder though… and be in the exact same spot when I woke up the next morning.

But despite that and doing everything is his power to appear as though we were perfectly okay, I could tell part of him was upset. I just knew it by the occasional look on his face or the small tensing in his shoulders when I would come over. He didn't want me to know though- clearly worried about turning me into a complete and utter train wreck if he voiced his opinion. And I knew exactly what it was. He was still upset I had confided in Donnie rather than himself. While the rest of the team had merely shrugged it off as my way of coping and who were they to judge, Fitz had taken it a bit personally.

I understood why. I really did. We told each other everything at this point, and I was a little bit at a loss with how to explain why telling Donnie had seemed like the right thing I needed to do. Why I had turned to complete stranger rather than my best friend. The only thing that seemed to come to mind was fate and familiarity, but that made absolutely no sense. I also felt like the honesty of not knowing what my sleep deprived, stressed brain was doing would help my case either. So I didn't know quite how to address it, not yet at least. I was determined to take care of it as soon as possible, knowing he must feel a pang of guilt on his part every time he felt that way. Which wasn't fair when his feelings were completely legitimate. So thinking of the words to say were what I spent most of my time doing actually.

The other time was spent desperately trying to find a way to contribute to the situation we were in now. There had to be a part I could play, something I could do to help my team navigate the chessboard Centipede was currently dueling us on.

The answer had seemed obvious when it came to me, but terrifying all the same. It was an answer I thing I was still scared of receiving, even after all this time and craziness. But then I thought about how I needed to protect my team against this group in any way I could just as the others were doing. And that meant facing my fears and owning up to everything.

So I had entered the lab where Fitz-Simmons was working, focusing my attention on Simmons first for once. I made my way over to her station, causing her to look up a bit nervously once I was leaning on the counter across from her. "We need to find out if the device with the random blood samples inside me is real."

She blinked a few times, mind clearly reeling at the suddenness of my words. "I'm sorry. I must have misheard you. Because I could have sworn you were suggesting- "

"That you cut me open right here and now?" I guessed. I crossed my arms, gathering my nerve. "I was."

Fitz obviously felt the need to insert himself into the conversation now, practically jogging his way to the other side of the lab. "Ash, I couldn't help but overhear, and well… I'm just thinking you didn't understand what you were saying."

I sighed, moving the long metal table in the center of the lab. "I did." There were all sorts of materials sitting on it, so I started to remove them until most were bundled in my arms.

"Listen, you had nightmare last night. You're probably just not thinking straight." I turned and just as I expected he was right beside. I pushed all the objects into his arms, smirking as he buckled a moment under the weight of them.

"I do," I disagreed again, removing the last few items and giving them to him as well. I then proceeded to hop onto the table, laying on my back so I was staring at the harsh lights of the ceiling. My hair fanned out around me, the only buffer I had against the hard steel my head was currently resting on. Neither of them moved, and with a sigh I swung so I was sitting up to face them once again. "Listen, everyone is currently busting their butts around here trying to find Quinn and fight Centipede. And I thought there was nothing I could do. But then I remembered they know an answer we don't- and that is what exactly the hell is going on with my blood and DNA and parent situation. They have something we don't and we can't afford that. So we need to even the playing field." I laid back down, crossing my hands over my stomach. "I need to do what I can to help. This is how I help." I turned my head, so I was looking at Fitz- albeit sideways. "I still protect my team, no matter what."

We locked eyes for a long moment and I saw that rise in his shoulders. But he quickly buried it, turning to Simmons. "She's not going to change her mind."

"You're not being serious, Fitz. The preparations alone will take a few hours."

He gestured to me. "You know she's not moving until we do this. And we're not getting any work done without that space."

There was a pause before she spoke again. "Ashleigh, are you sure about this? With the nightmares, I don't think I can recommend sedating you. The adverse reaction you have might be too great and a major step backwards in your recovery."

"Simmons, you're not going to change my mind," I said as gently as I could. "We both know what needs to be done. I know we do. You've schooled me on some of the big ramifications in my being here. I think it's time we face one of them head on and figure out what exactly might be going on here. Where I'm from. Who sent me. For science's sake."

That was that. Both she and Fitz left me there as they cleared things with Coulson, who was not happy but seemed to accept my decision, and got everything together and ready. I just laid there even after my neck got sore, fearing that if I moved I might lose my courage and change my mind. Just laying on this table was breaking back some less than fond feelings.

As they were finishing up, bantering away to one another, Ward appeared above me with crossed arms. "I never took you as a masochist, Crawford."

I shrugged. "I'm just committed is all."

"If it's worth anything, I don't think you should do this. It's too high risk for results which we don't know will be beneficial or not."

"Noted, Agent Ward. I, or course, greatly value your opinion. But I'm doing this."

He took a moment before speaking again. "Are you okay?"

I stared back up at the lights on the ceiling. "Yeah. Feeling like I have a purpose right now. And that actually feels pretty good." After that, he just hung back observing the situation with narrowed eyes. He obviously didn't like this in the slightest, but at least he knew better than to be vocal about it.

Fitz made his way over to me as Simmons made sure all the tools were sterilized to her like for about the third time. They both were in their grey lab coats now, goggles with lights affixed to their faces. Oh boy, they were actually doing this. "Now, the plan is we'll inject you with a trace amount of the dendrotoxin. It should be enough to knock you unconscious and keep you from feeling… well, the fact that we're cutting you open and probing around your insides. It'll be a very small cut though- we've got a probe that we think will work just fine. You'll wake up in a few hours back in your bed with a slightly sore abdomen for a few days. This means taking it easy and no training with May until Simmons clears you."

"And answers. Hopefully we'll have some answers." I took a deep, steadying breath. I felt the need to add something else. "I admit this is kind of reminding me of when I went into that machine and got my brain messed with, so I'm kind of ready to be knocked out. But then I'm worried about what I'm going to see." I took another long breath. "But mostly I'm worried that I'm going to wake up just as messed up as last time I was like this."

"You won't," he promised adamantly. "Because you're safe. And when you wake up you will still be safe- no matter what you dream between. You're here with us, uh, on the Bus. Your home."

"You're right," I agreed. "It's going to be just fine." At that moment, Simmons approached with a needle in her hand, trying to smile in as calming a matter as she could. The sight of it still sent my heart racing and dropped my throat into my stomach. "It's going to be just fine," I whispered to myself.

"So, we're going to get started," Simmons informed me. "Once we inject this, you should become unconscious almost instantaneously. I will then make a cut about an inch in length to insert the probe to navigate and see if we can find the device in question. You will wake up with some soreness, but it should be a quick recovery." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Ready?"

"We should wait for Skye," Ward voiced suddenly from his corner of the lab. "No offense Crawford, but you're white as a sheet. Skye will be able to calm her down."

I shook my head. "Skye's busy doing what she needs to do. We don't need to interrupt her. I just need to suck it up and do what I need to do." I turned to Simmons with my brows knitted together. "I'm ready."

But as she stepped towards me with the needle, my hand reached out almost of its own accord. It collided solidly with Fitz's, maneuvering as needed to that our fingers were interlaced tightly together. I squeezed as hard as I could, but he showed no signs of moving in the slightest. His hand was like a source of warmth and positive energy I desperately needed, lending me his strength so I could go through this. I turned towards him, our eyes locking.

"Don't let go."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

And I just kept my eyes there as I felt the cold of the antiseptic on my neck, followed by a small pinch in the same region. And then everything went black.

XXX

Snow. There was snow on the ground all around me and I was overlooking grand mountains in nearly every direction. It was breathtaking, but that wasn't my focus right now. No, I was focused on the man who sat before me. I felt overwhelming pity and sadness, anger drained right out of me. Burning anger just fizzling out at what I had witnessed here today. But he wasn't looking at me. His focus wasn't on me at all. He was clearly somewhere else, thinking of someone else.

So that's why when he rose the gun I was ready.

XXX

My body felt heavy as I returned to it, like it was loaded with lead and impossible to move- eyelids included. So I sat there for a few minutes for the weights to lift a bit before I opened them with a bit of force on my part. A groan escaped me as I stared at the ceiling of my bunk, feeling coming back to me in waves. The obvious one was a slight burning on the left side of my stomach. The one that took me a minute was a pressure on my left hand.

I turned my head, smile creeping on my face as I saw Fitz perched next to me, hand still laced in mine. His other propped his chin up, eyes closed as he leaned against my mattress. He looked peaceful and somehow comfortable, despite the fact his elbow must be killing him at this point. "Hey," I whispered, smile growing as he seemed to get his senses about him- eyes opening and blinking a few times.

"Hey," he greeted me as well. He showed no sign of letting go of my hand, not that I minded or wanted him to. "Glad you're up."

"How long was I out?" I tried to pull myself up the bed so I was in more of a sitting position, only succeeding once Fitz rose to provide me some assistance in the manner. I rested my head against the headboard, exhausted just from that.

"Only three hours or so," he reported. "Everything went smoothly and Simmons finished pretty much within an hour. Nightmares?"

"Not really. Nothing traumatizing at least. It involved snow I think." I had been working harder to hold fragments of my nightmares. Memories were flooding through me and I had yet to make another entry into the Memory Book Fitz had made me. There was never enough to paint a picture. The most I seemed to be able to keep hold on was the smallest detail. Like snow. What the hell was I supposed to get out of snow? Nothing, that's what.

Fitz thought for a moment before speaking. "There was one with snow last week. Any chance it was that one again? That you got more details?"

I reflected on what I could remember before shaking my head. I don't know how to explain it, but they didn't match at all. Not the emotions. Not the general feeling. Not whatever I was thinking. Not even the way I was thinking. They had to be two different beasts. "They weren't the same."

"So you've been in snow twice," he mused, trying to make it seem like this was a huge discovery. And it was enough to make me smirk and let out a chuckle. I glanced down to where his hand was still firmly laced in mine. He didn't seem to notice or care, keeping his eyes pretty strictly on myself. But as my glance he glanced down as well, thumb running over my hand and literally sending electricity shooting up my spine. "You told me not to let go. Simmons wasn't happy about it- my standing there, said I kept getting in the way when she was trying to work. That you'd have no clue whether I let go or not. But, and I know it's unfounded, but… for some, uh, reason I thought if I did it… that you'd know you were safe."

And there went my heart skipping again. It had been happening with a much greater frequency these days.

Because I think I was ready to move forward. I had been scared if I would know when I felt ready- worried that if I dove into this when I wasn't it would be horribly taking advantage. I would just end up hurting us both. But now I felt it. It was time. I had a true grip on everything that had happened and was finally truly ready to look forward rather than back, especially with this hand wrapped around mine. I actually kind of felt invincible right now.

I just had to make it clear to him now so he knew too. Because though he was my genius, he was also chivalrous to a fault.

But first there was something I had to do.

"I'm sorry," I started, lifting my head to look back up at him. I squeezed his hand. "I know… I know you're upset about Donnie- that I went to him with everything instead of you. That I told him everything I was feeling moments after meeting him when you had been patiently waiting in the wings the whole time. And I wish I could explain why I did, but I don't know how to other than it was the right place and the right time. It's pathetic, but it's all I have."

"Ash, we don't have to- "

"I see it; you know?" The guilt flickered past his face, quickly buried. "And I bet you hate yourself every time it happens- you think you're doing me some disservice. That you have no right to be upset because you didn't go through what I did. Well, you do. You have every right. You should be upset with me. I let you down. I didn't trust you with what I was really thinking. I checked out of our friendship. You could've helped me, but I didn't let you. And I'm sorry for that. And I hope you can forgive me. Because I am never going to let it happen again. You shut me out and I shut you out. It sucks. So let's never do it again. There is no one I trust more than you, Lee. And I hope going forward you will see that."

There is was- complete word vomit but at least everything was out on the table. I had finally put my thoughts into words. Now I just had to hope he let me put them into action.

He answered pretty instantly. I had thought it would take him a while, but he seemed to have an easier time finding words than I did. "Of course I forgive you, Ash. It's not even a question, really."

Despite the pain it caused me, I launched forward to wrap him in a large hug- finally releasing his hand from mine to do so. I gritted my teeth but fought through it, especially when he gently returned it. "I would be completely lost without you, Lee."

"Same for you, Ash." And then I pulled away slowly, just enough to relieve the pressure on my stomach. Our foreheads were practically touching though and I felt his warm breath hit my cheek with each exhale. All it would take was one of us leaning in. That's all.

"Ashleigh Crawford, what the hell did you do?!" We sprung apart just in time to look innocent enough for Skye's whirlwind arrival into my bunk, causing me to hit my head on the headboard in my haste. I must have looked like I was in pain, but she must have just written that off as the fact I had been cut open. "I get off my computer to go make a snack in the kitchen, and Ward of all people tells me you've spent today on the table being poked and prodded. And you didn't come and get me?!"

"You were busy with the Ian Quinn stuff," I tried to explain, both Fitz and I knowing this wasn't going to help our case at all. "I didn't want to bother you."

"No. You should have." She flopped on the end of my bed and sighed. "Don't give me that look. That look only works on Fitz and Ward."

"I wasn't giving you any look." I totally was giving her a look. She quirked an eyebrow at me, but eventually seemed to give up and fall back on the bed with her arms spread so there was barely any room for me even.

"For future reference, if it involves getting cut open on a lab table… bother me. Don't even hesitate."

"I have no plans to do this again. It was the very definition of a one-time thing."

"This is you we're talking about, Ashleigh Crawford. Nothing really seems to go your way ever." She had a point. "So what's the verdict?"

"Only one way to find out." I slid my way to the end of the bed, gently nudging Skye off it. I draped my feet over the side and held my stomach as I readied for actually getting to my feet. I huffed when I noticed the both of them were staring at me in concern. "I'm fine. I've got this." I pushed myself up, only to nearly fall over when my feet gave out under me.

Skye luckily grabbed one arm to keep my face from colliding with the carpet, and she was assisted a moment later by Fitz pulling me back up by my other one. We stood there for a moment, blonde hair having practically hidden my face. "Might have rushed that a bit," I admitted, trying to blow the strands from my face. Skye took pity on my efforts and assisted moving the hair out of view. "Appreciated."

They knew there was no point in trying to get me to sit down again, so they didn't even try. Instead, Skye allowed me to shift so I was leaning most of my weight against Fitz, the two of us making our way slowly but surely to the lab as she followed close behind. I was nearly supporting myself as we walked through the back's sliding doors, coming upon everyone else on the Bus gathered around. Their eyes all went to me, and I almost sighed at the matching worried expressions. I was still getting far too many of those these days.

"A party and I wasn't invited?" I said with my usual humor, smirking. The tension in the room instantly dissipated as I expected. I just had to keep being myself. In time that would be enough to ease everyone. "Tell me someone at least brought chips and dip?"

"I was about to discuss the results before coming to check on you," Simmons informed me as Fitz helped me onto one of the stools. I let out a small groan and grabbed my stomach. A moment later May had an ice bag extended towards me. "You should still be in bed." Her gaze went to Fitz and Skye who threw he hands in the air.

"You try stopping her from doing something she feels like she needs to do," she defended herself. "And I'm just saying, you must know the feeling since you cut her open today. Just saying."

"That's enough," May cut in before any arguing could start. We might have been stuck on the Bus together for a touch too long. "What did we find?"

Simmons took a deep breath, looking at Fitz before she began. "Quite frankly, nothing." She took a moment to let this sink in before plunging forward. "There's no device to be found. Nothing that is artificially manipulating your blood."

Everyone fell silent at this, glancing at me out of the corners of their eyes. Everyone was clearly very concerned on how I was going to be taking all of this. But there wasn't cause to start throwing equipment off the tables yet in my mind at least. Especially when I needed to stay focused on the purpose of all this. In fact, I was actually kind of ecstatic right now. "So that means the Clairvoyant has nothing, right?" I voiced, sounding relieved but tired. "He has no technology… or knowledge that he can exploit from the future? That's what you're saying right? That… that I didn't give them anything they can use to hurt us."

And somehow it was like the room got even quieter. I hadn't thought that was possible. Everyone was openly staring at me now, myriad of faces and emotions reflected directly at me. I just blinked at them a few times, almost tempted to joke around by looking behind me to see if Ian Quinn had just wandered aboard The Bus to turn himself in. Instead I settled for raising my shoulders up a bit defensively under their scrutiny. "What?"

Simmons cleared her throat. "Well, I can't say I exactly thought of it in that capacity, but I suppose you are correct in that line of thought. None of the data I gathered would have any useful applications for The Clairvoyant in whatever he is planning. You, to put it simply, were a dead end."

I couldn't stop the smile. "Excellent. I mean, I wish we could have learned something about me, but if we sacrifice that for everyone to be safe… I consider that more than a fair trade."

Skye smiled brightly. "God, it's so good to have you back."

I faked being puzzled. "I've been here the whole time though."

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"But we may have learned something about you," Simmons earned all our attention again. "On the surface these results seemed to be a dead end, but there was still the question of your blood typing and genetic matches to possible parents. I mean, Fury was able to pull genetic matches in the here and now when you aren't born for at least ninety years."

"Yes. My creepy combination of a criminal and a child that went missing which has horrible implications that I don't like to think about."

"But she's right," Coulson cut in. "Crawford, you parents would then have been at least ninety when you were born. And though we're in a bit of a tech renaissance right now I somehow doubt that's possible in such a short time."

"Not to mention they're both apparently boys," Skye reminded us.

"Exactly!" Simmons went to her computer and started typing. "So I decided to try something. I ran individual cells for their individual genetic material, a process so technical I honestly doubt anyone but myself and maybe one or two others is capable of it."

"Very humble, Jemma," Fitz ribbed her. She huffed at him.

"You know very well what I'm trying to say. The Clairvoyant couldn't possibly have gone to the depth and lengths that I did, meaning these results I compiled would put us one step ahead of him."

"About time," Ward chimed in. "So, what did we find?"

"Well, normally there are two sets of genetic markers found within a person- one from the father and one from the mother. Two cells that then divide repeatedly to make up a person. By my counts, Ashleigh has… at the very least twenty sets of genetic markers." Oh boy. Oh boy, oh boy. That sounded like a big anomaly.

"Twenty?" Fitz nearly choked on air. "That's bloody impossible. No one… that's saying she has twenty parents. That's crazy."

"Umm… do we need to remind you she's from the future?" Skye gave him a look. "Impossible is just a word with her."

"You suspect technology in the future that makes this possible?" May finally spoke up, having been mainly in observation mode for this presentation.

"It's the only explanation," Simmons offered, adamant. "And it explains the DNA results. They kept testing different cells and getting different answers to her parentage."

I felt an urge to speak because my head was starting to hurt. "There's still one thing though. So, we're assuming the technology exists that twenty cells can make up a person instead of the old-fashioned way. But to do that… I mean there's no natural way, right? Twenty people did not just come together and… make me."

"Someone had to build that framework artificially," Coulson finished my thoughts. Now I had to take a deep breath. Fitz instantly had a hand laced through mine, squeezing my shaking one in a form of support. I almost felt dizzy, but maybe it was my exhaustion catching up to me.

"Crawford was built," Ward voiced, making me cringe.

"Someone created her like that with a purpose in mind and then sent her back in time," Skye followed the train of thought, clearly more excited than I was. "But she doesn't know why because she doesn't have her memories. Do we know who the twenty people are? Maybe she's supposed to find someone like her tattoo says… said."

"My examination of the database I have access to yielded no results," Simmons informed us. "So basically we know that they are not anyone currently associated with S.H.I.E.L.D. in any capacity."

"Then how did Fury get results?" Skye questioned.

"The Director quite frankly has access to much larger search parameters than I do. I don't imagine he would be so inclined to share though."

"This is unbelievable," May sighed. She was telling me. "Someone made- "

"Stop!" I shouted, having enough and rising to my shaky feet. Fitz and Skye were both instantly at my side. "Stop with the created and the made and the built! I'm a person!" I pointed to myself. "I understand the results. I get what they mean. But I am a human being. I have cried. I have bled. I have been trapped in this crazy world with no memories and somehow am getting by. I'm Ashleigh Crawford. Not an object." With that, I felt my knees give out from under me and it was only with Fitz's assistance that I made it back to the chair. I was almost crying, desperate to get a purchase on what we had just learned. "I'm me."

"Of course you are," he voiced for everyone, completely sympathetic and sincere. "I know that. We all know that. It's alright, Ashleigh. It's going to be alright." And somehow it was enough to bring me peace if even for a moment. He turned to the group, taking on a bit of authority. "I think that's enough for today. She could use some more rest."

Jemma seemed hesitant. "Fitz- "

"It can wait," he repeated. "She's beat and the last thing we need is for her to go backwards now. Plus, she needs some time to digest all of this. It's a lot." He turned to Coulson, who merely gave a nod after looking at me. Fitz then went to help me up, but Ward quickly stepped in and got to my feet. Honestly, he was a much stronger form of support as we made our way back to my bunk.

I still would have preferred Fitz though.

Ward gently deposited me back on my bed, Skye tucking me in quite efficiently. "You've done this before?"

"When I was one of the older kids at the orphanage. Nuns don't quite know how to tuck the covers in properly." She patted the blanket where my hand rested. "Get some sleep."

"I don't know how I can after all that."

"Fitz is right. You're still you, just like I am. We're going to get to the bottom of this together. I promise. Do you want me to stay here?"

I shook my head. "Go get Quinn." She nodded with a smile, leaving me with my thoughts. Thoughts about how I had a purpose. A purpose that people had specifically hoped for me, planned for me. Maybe even trained me for. A purpose I couldn't even begin to remember. Maybe this explained all the exotic locations in my memories- the snowy mountains and sprawling cities. Maybe this explained how I knew Thor and had fought beside him. Maybe it even explained why my memories were gone- maybe someone had wanted to keep me from achieving this goal by taking it all away.

Well, they hadn't. I was going to get to the bottom of this like Skye had said. Find out why I had been sent here. And whoever had done this me, well, I was going to kick their ass for even thinking they could stop me.

Fitz peeked in while I was drifting off, the thoughts becoming more disjointed and hazy as my eyes got heavier and heavier. "You should be asleep."

I yawned, letting my eyes close and how tired I still was take over. "I was just thinking how many Christmas presents I'll get with twenty parents is all."

His laugh was the last thing I heard before I dozed off, not a single nightmare to be had.

XXX

I woke I don't know how much later to Ward not so gently shaking me. The moment I saw it was him I turned back on my stomach, burying my head under the pillow and groaning. "Ten more minutes."

"Only if you want to miss the mission briefing." That instantly caught my attention and I sprung up. Ward couldn't help but smirk as my gaze met his. "Skye's got something."

And just like that I was out of bed, frowning at the fact I was still in my clothes from yesterday. But we could worry about that later, maybe take a shower before we landed. Ward had already left by the time I ushered Cheesetauri into his ball and secured him to my belt. Then I was out the door to where everyone was already gathered around the holocom, giving a small wave to Fitz that he reciprocated instantly. On the table was an obnoxious picture of Quinn from the cover of a magazine, looking every bit the entitled jackass we knew he was. The jackass that nearly killed Seth and Donnie.

"We found him?' I inquired, crossing my arms and getting serious. Time to put this personal stuff behind me for the moment. Ian Quinn had a lot to answer for and we needed to make sure he did.

"No, but we think we know how we can," Coulson began his briefing. "Skye tracked down an invoice from one of his shell companies. He made a big purchase recently."

"Big for him or big from us?" I inquired. "Speaking of which, am I getting paid? We've never really covered the salary of a fake- focus," I righted myself on seeing May's raised eyebrow. "Focus. How much?"

"Ten million big," Skye informed us before leaning in towards me. "So both the first and second one."

"Thanks."

"Any idea what it is?" Simmons tried to get us back on track after a glance in our direction.

"No clue, but it was designed and built by Cybertek, Inc.- a small firm that deals in advanced technology and research," Skye resumed, pulling up the logo on the table. It didn't look evil at first sight.

"Which is where it gets interesting," Coulson continued. "They've hired a private-security outfit to transport the purchase… former military, ex-mercs."

Ward voiced everyone's thoughts. "Lot of muscle to move one package."

Coulson clearly agreed. "And they know S.H.I.E.L.D.'s got eyes on Quinn."

"Which is why they're transporting it old school," Skye told us, clearly getting into the mission part of things. We all geared up, taking everything in.

Coulson took the next part. "On a train, through the Italian countryside, from Verona to Zagreb… very rural, very isolated."

"So you think Quinn's on the train?" May questioned. Yeah, it seemed a bit too easy to me too honestly.

Coulson shook his head. "No, but I believe they're delivering the item to Quinn himself. We got our intel from Italian authorities who have been monitoring the situation."

"And they don't mind us taking over the op?" May seemed a bit surprised.

Coulson just gave her a look. "I asked very nicely." I couldn't help but snort at that. Sure he did. He'd just been as intense about this as Skye had. Something told me conversational hadn't been in his tone. "If everything goes as planned, Cybertek's security team won't even know we were on the train."

"So we're going in undercover?" Ward asked. Coulson merely nodded and Skye and I glanced at each other with huge smiles on our faces. Finally some real spy stuff. I slid my hand in her direction and she silently slapped it with hers in a high five.

May sighed. "I hate undercover." Well, that makes one of us. I was already starting to plan my secret identity. If there was one thing I could do, it was talk.

Coulson launched into assignments. "May and Ward, you're front and center. Once we locate the package, you'll tag it with a tracker. Skye and Fitz, you'll be running communications. Crawford will be accompanying you."

"To babysit naturally," I supplied.

"Listen, you don't have to assume that every time you're paired with us it's to keep us from screwing up and going off the rails," Skye laid into me a bit defensively. "I'm sure there's more to your part here. Tell her, AC!" He didn't immediately say anything and she instantly knew how to take it. "Come on!"

"In his defense, there really isn't much else for me to do," I supplied. "Unless you need someone kidnapped. I've proved properly good at that one."

"Not funny," Ward gave me a look. Okay, so it was too soon for those kinds of jokes. Point taken. I put my hands up in surrender which he merely rolled his eyes at.

"And what about the two of us, sir?" Simmons inquired.

"We'll tag along- keep an eye on things and help out in any way we can. If something seems to be going opposite how we want it to, we're the first ones to spot it and alert everyone. Our target specifically is Carlo Mancini, head of security." Simmons nodded, clearly already formulating an identity for this mission in her head. I think she was just as thrilled about the idea of undercover as Skye and I were. "We head out in two hours exactly. Everyone get ready… and get their stories straight."

"Time to raid the closet!" I declared to Skye, pulling her along with me towards the back hallway of the Bus. There was a room back there used for miscellaneous storage, including a selection of outfits and accessories that could be used on the fly for moments such as these. There wasn't too much- only two boxes worth- but there should be enough selections to inspire a fun backstory or get wrapped up in a character. I might be pretty good, considering I had faked Agent Ashleigh Crawford for some times without raising suspicion. And this time it wouldn't involve lying to those closest to me which seemed like a major plus.

"So what are we thinking?" I inquired as we started sorting through the box with more casual garb, the second being full of evening dresses that didn't exactly go with the occasion. I plucked a red bandana out and let down my ponytail to wrap it around the top of my head. "Backpackers maybe? We could stuff the gear you need in backpacks then? Plus Cheesetauri of course."

"I think that could work," she nodded, holding up a flannel shirt before casting it aside. I snatched it up- it looked rugged enough that it could maybe suit me. "I was thinking that three seems a little off though. Maybe we should split off and then meet in the back."

"Are you saying three friend can't go backpacking?"

"No. They could." She had that shine in her eyes though. She had something up her sleeve and I probably wasn't going to like it. I could already tell. "But even more plausible is someone traveling by themselves and then two people pretending to be a couple on a romantic tour through Italy." She pulled out a pair of shorts and tossed them to me. "Just saying."

"You're impossible," I rolled my eyes.

"And you need to get moving," she chided. "Because you know he isn't going to make a move first. Now when he's worried about your mental status still… especially now with all this twenty-parent's thing. He needs to make sure you want it and that he's not just cruelly taking advantage."

"Then I'll make a move when it seems right," I countered. "Because just throwing myself at him might give off that same impression."

Skye grabbed a few things and rose to her feet. "I'm pretty sure he's game whenever you are. Because if he keeps looking at you the way he does, then soon the Bus is going to spontaneously combust and we'll all die. Or your eyebrow fluttering might create the turbulence to take us down first."

"Very funny," I fake laughed. I rounded up the clothes I had selected and slid the box back where we had found it. "How are you holding up though, Skye?"

"The hunt for Quinn's been keeping my mind occupied," she admitted, playing with the fabric in her hands. "So I haven't thought about it too much. I imagine the same's true for you."

I nodded, getting to my feet as well. "Let's go catch that pompous jackass."

"Couldn't agree more. I'll be exactly five minutes behind you once you get to the luggage car where we can set up shop. Stagger things so we're not conspicuous." I saluted her and we went our separate ways for the moment.

I took a quick shower to freshen up, shaking off any leftover sleep that could remain, I needed to be on top of things if we were doing under the radar, especially since I was the first line to have Skye and Fitz's' backs if this all went to hell. Which given our luck it was most likely going to?

I wrapped a thick bracelet around my wrist to hide the scar, threw my hair up in the bandanna, and put on the khaki shorts with the flannel shirt I had rounded up. I nodded to myself in the mirror- I looked like I could be an avid outdoorsman in this get-up. I totally understood trees and the beauty of nature and all that crap.

I stepped out and went to my bunk to grab Cheesetauri when May approached me. "He wants you in his office."

I didn't hesitate in making my way up the stairs, wondering what could possibly be going on. I couldn't think of any reason I'd be in trouble right now. Unless he didn't think I was ready and wanted me to stay here for another mission. Or he had something else top secret for me to do on this one- one that was between us.

Most likely he was just going to lecture me on now getting kidnapped again though.

I knocked on the door before entering, coming to a stop when I noticed what he had perched on his desk. He stood on the other side with his arms crossed, clearly waiting for my reaction. It brought an instant smile to my face. "Oh, sir. You didn't have to."

"A promise is a promise," he reminded me as I made my way to where a brand-new pair of sneakers stood, looking like the perfect fit. They were a bright blue color that certainly stood out from the footwear the rest of the team sported. "I browsed several online sites and those just felt right."

I winked at him. "I guess you could say they're the perfect fit." Then without hesitation, I threw myself onto the carpet to slip them on. Once I did, I ran around the desk to throw my arms around him for a hug. "Thank you so much."

"Of course," he patted my back, chuckling a bit. "I know I can count on you to keep a good eye on them. Especially Skye. This has become almost… personal to her and it worries me a bit. But I know you'll be able to handle her. You're one of the best people I have."

"I promise." I pulled back, giving a little salute and realizing the significance behind the word he had used. One of the best people he knew. He always knew how to turn my mood around when I needed it most. "See you down there, boss." I practically bounced down the stairs, each one bringing a smile to my face as I glanced down at my new shoes.

I met up with everyone about an hour later, enormous heavy backpack stuffed with equipment on my shoulders. Since Skye was alone she was traveling lighter with my bag, Cheesetauri squeaking happily from his ball on the side. We took a few of the cars a few blocks from where the train was boarding, keeping mostly silent except for the odd comment about how beautiful the countryside looked. Simmons in particular seemed to be going through something in her head over and over to her satisfaction. Fitz seemed pretty calm though, giving me the warm smile that made my insides melt just a bit when I glanced his way. Skye was stuck between the two of us and rolled her eyes when she caught me staring a bit, but I just shot her a glare back.

Something was building between the two of us though. I could feel it- like a string that connected the two of us pulling us closer and closer together. And it felt completely natural, like it was what was meant to happen. It was what I wanted to happen. I just had to wait for the right moment, trust it, and go with it. Let the chips fall where they may/ I was ready to move forward. Because even I was starting to notice the eyelash fluttering at this point, which meant the problem had obviously grown completely out of hand.

We walked to the train in a staggered formation where it was parked at a station mostly surrounded by farmland on either side. It was at this point I realized that I had never actually seen a train that I could remember and I had to pause a second to stare at the glittering metal in awe. It also sent a lot of feelings through me: adrenaline, exhilaration, shock, and even a tinge of grief. I couldn't make sense of them or associate them with memories though. They just floated there on the surface awkwardly with no shelf to put them on. Fitz came to a stop beside me, gave me my moment, and then nudged me to where we would be boarding. I shook it all off and followed behind him, keeping a few memories close instead- Donnie and Seth, Hayward, and Mike Peterson. This was for all of them. Skye and Fitz. I had to keep them safe.

Everything else could wait.

The two of us made our way from the far end of the train to the other, the train already moving by the time we made it to the car Coulson and Simmons were in. We passed by May and Ward and I tried not to pay them any notice. Though it was difficult with that large fur coat she was sporting right now. I found two seat across from one another and took one, glad to have the backpack off my shoulders. "God, did you put bricks in here?"

"That's Skye's bag. You can blame her for that one," he defended himself. He opened his bag and tossed me a Pop Tart. "I packed mine with much more useful items for sure."

"You're the best," I reminded him as he pulled out a bag of his own, laughing as the two of us tapped them together before we tucked in. I drastically lowered my voice for the next statement, leaning forward. "That conductor was headed this way when we passed him. We'll have to snatch his keys when he comes by so we can get in the back."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. We both stayed in close proximity for another moment before I pulled back, clearing my throat a bit and taking another bite to bury anything I might just blurt out in the moment. He leaned back as well, considering me. "Are you alright? You seemed to have a moment back there before we got on the train."

"Just some feelings. No memories though. And nothing I have time to focus on right now," I added, nodding towards where the conductor had entered our car. It was almost go time.

Fitz nodded, finishing his Pop Tart with a giant bite and burying the wrapper in his bag. "So are we British or American?"

I finished my last bite as well, swallowing before dialing into Fitz's speaking pattern and tone. I knew it so well it barely took any time at all. "So are we British or American?" I repeated in my best Scottish accent, and his jaw dropped just a bit. "No good?"

"Quite good actually," he disagreed. "Very good. How… where did you learn that?"

The conductor was almost to our seats now. I shrugged, rising. "I don't know. Listening to you I suppose. Lord knows you talk enough."

"Well, you talk quite enough as well," he shot back, affecting an American accent that was actually pretty impressive as well. I gave him a nod of approval. "I used to watch a lot of American TV growing up. Some of it's quite good. Lots of nice teeth."

"I wouldn't know." I tapped my head to prove my point.

He just looked over his shoulder at the conductor. "I'll show you sometime."

"It's a date." I instantly realized the phrasing of my words and my hands went to my mouth. I felt a blush creep into my cheeks despite myself as I watched Fitz's head whip back in my direction with wide eyes. Oh no. Abort. Abort. "I mean- "

"Can I help you two?" the conductor, a kindly looking older man with tan skin and a warm smile cut in. The keys we needed sat clipped to his left pocket, within easy reach if one of us got close enough. My standing must have brought him over here.

Fitz stood too quick as a shot and the both us launched into sentences at the exact same time.

"Yes, you see we're looking for somewhere to sightsee in the next town over."

"Yes, you see we're looking for someplace to stay once we get off the train."

We both froze as soon as we realized what the other was saying. I was talking in my Scottish accent… and Fitz had taken on his American one. And I'm pretty sure from the way the conductor was looking at us that we both must have sounded a bit ridiculous.

"Well- "

"I mean- "

"You see- "Stop talking Fitz. Let me handle this.

"It's just- "

"Honey," I tried, but he didn't seem to take the hint. He just let his mouth keep running and now he was talking in a Scottish accent again.

"As I was saying- "

I did the first thing that came to mind. I grabbed his head and turned it before I launched myself in his direction, quickly placing my mouth over his in a quick peck. I barely even had time to register his lips before I pulled back, taking a second before my mind realized what I had just done. I quickly dropped the hand from his cheek like it had burned me, pulling them both back so they were hovering next to my head.

What had I just done?

What the hell had I just done?

I didn't have a moment to reflect though, gaze instantly pulled back to the conductor staring at us. I couldn't blow this. The team was counting on me.

"Umm… young love?" I shrugged. "He's a dork, but he's my dork." I turned to look at Fitz, thrown off a minute by the sheer look of shock on his face. He still hadn't turned his head back and his eyes looked dangerously close to popping out of his head. "Yep, my dork."

"I can see that," the conductor finally spoke, glancing between the two of us a moment. "Now, if you'll excuse me- "

Time for Plan B. He tried to step around us, but I pretended to fall forward and crashed into him. "Sorry. I'm not used to getting bounced around like this." I quickly snagged the keys, holding them out behind my back. Fitz seemed to gain enough sense to grab them from me as I pulled back. "I'm so sorry." I quickly realized I had just gone American and mentally kicked myself.

"It's fine," he dismissed me, clearly done with the two of us. Which did us a service, because he was so quick to get away from us that he never even considered the keys that should be in his pocket. I grabbed my bag from the floor.

"Let's go."

He pulled himself together enough to follow me, though we made our way through the few cars in complete silence. And now the comfortable kind. No, it was straight up awkward. I had no clue what to say. No idea how to even begin explaining what had just happened. It had honestly just been instinct, weird as that sounded. The easiest way to solve the problem. I hadn't even had the chance to enjoy it. I felt like it barely even counted as a kiss as it stood. I tried to think back on his reaction, but I had no frame of reference to know what was going through his head.

Maybe he hated it.

Okay, maybe just play it off. That could work. Act like it was just part of the act and it wasn't an impulse built on real feelings. I waited until I had unlocked the door to the luggage compartment, spotting a table to set my pack on. "So, Skye will be here in five minutes." Silence. "By the way, I was just… that was just… it was part of the act. Since we were pretending to be a couple and all that."

I instantly regretted the words the way his face fell, mentally kicking himself. "Yeah. Of course it was." He dropped his own bag and began rooting through it, pulling various electronic components out. "I was just playing along. I knew the whole time."

Oh no. I had somehow made this worse. Oh no. How could I fix this? What could I do? "It's just… I seemed to lose you for a moment back there. I just worried you thought I meant that as, like, a real deal kind of thing."

He shook his head, still buried his work and clearly closing himself off from me. "No. I got the intent since it was pretty much like kissing my grandmother."

My voice instantly sobered, upset that he was clearly upset. Playing it off certainly wasn't working. There had to be something I could do. Something I could say to make everything I was going through more real to him. That maybe that kiss hadn't quite meant anything, but I myself did. We didn't usually have disconnects like this. "Lee…"

He looked up at me and I just decided to let my actions speak for me, because my mouth certainly wasn't doing the trick. I took the few steps forward quick as I could, hands going to grip either side of his face possessively. This time I pressed my lips to his with all the force I could muster- putting everything that had building since the moment we met into where we connected. I let my head tilt slightly to the side to what seemed like the right way to fit together and stayed there a long moment savoring it before pulling back to look at him as I realized nothing was happening on his part, my hands getting scratched by his scruff as I adjusted them a bit in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

My eyes met his and I swear the entire world stopped as we stayed locked on to one another. I did everything in my power to convey how real what had just happened was- that my heart was now beating completely off time and my face was flushing just a touch. I just waited for something, anything. It felt like a buzz of electricity was building in the air to the point I could almost faintly hear it. Come on. The slightest twitch in the jaw or the straining of his neck. Some clue as to what was going through his head right now. Because the one time I was having trouble reading him was the one moment I would have given everything to know.

I hadn't expected him to close the distance once again, this time locking his lips over mine as his hands coiled their way under my arms and around my back- sending even more intense shivers down it as his hands grabbed fistfuls of my shirt. Or the force to be enough to make me take a few steps backwards so my back knocked into one of the rails of the luggage racks. But my brain instantly overrode the small surge of pain with the sheer ecstasy of what was happening as his mouth moved against mine, giving me back almost more emotion than what I had just given him.

Every nerve in my body was on fire as I got enough sense to move my lips against his, trying to match his intensity as my hands grabbed the short hair at the back of his head. He let out a small muffled groan and I swear I must have burst into flames the way my stomach flipped at the noise. It was deep and messy and not at all the moment I had pictured.

But I was on fire… and I was loving every moment of it.

Finally, unfortunately, both of us needed oxygen. It seemed to be a game of who could make it the longest, but finally I pulled back to rest my head against the bar my back was resting on. My hands slid to his shoulders, but his remained wrapped tightly around my back possessively. My eyes met his and I almost fell over with how much they sparkled. The grin plastered on his face was enough to make me fall for him all over again, almost in disbelief but clear that if this was a dream it was a very good one. His face was flushed and he was panting almost as much as I was.

"Let's see you grandmother kiss you like that," I managed, voice coming out a bit more growling than I intended despite the whisper.

He smirked, in a way that made me internally swoon, and then moved closer again, but we both became distracted by the sound of the door being forced open to this car. He tilted his head back in almost frustration. "Skye…"

I smiled gently, knowing it was time to get back to our scheduling program. Still, I quickly pecked him on the lips, similar to the first one on the train but with a bit more feeling behind it. "Later," I promised, my hands falling from his shoulders.

His hands dislodged from behind with some effort and he made his way back to the table just in time for Skye to come barreling in. She passed off my backpack to where I was still rooted, Cheesetauri giving a happy squeak at the sight of me. "You guys aren't already set up?" she questioned, going through her bag and pulling out her laptop.

We both glanced at each other, and I cleared my throat. "The… um… the door took longer to open than we would have liked."

"Yes," Fitz agreed a little too quickly. "Yes. That it did." Skye seemed to instantly pick up on things and looked at me and him for a moment before her eyes widened and she went to probably let out a cry of joy. I put my fingers to my mouth and worded later to her. She nodded enthusiastically and went back to pulling her supplies out of her bag. Fitz then looked over his shoulder in concern but I silently waved him off, closing the distance so I stood behind the both of them.

"Didn't you have a device that could have broken the lock though?" Skye questioned, clearly enjoying her role in making the two of us uncomfortable. Looks like someone else was the babysitter now. "Didn't have to spend that much time flailing around with the keys."

"Yes," Fitz answered in a measured voice, clearly trying to think of something on the spot. "But I wanted to see Ashleigh in action getting those keys. She was just so excited and all that to be undercover. I wanted to give her a moment besides just keeping an eye on us." God, he was adorable. "Plus, I'm always the gadget guy. Maybe sometimes I want to do things with my bare hands."

"You make the gadgets with your bare hands," Skye countered, clearly loving every moment of this. I just gave her a sharp look as Fitz sputtered a bit, my hand going to his shoulder to anchor him. Skye laughed. "Don't worry. Ashleigh will give me all the dirty details later. Because I expect them all." Fitz almost turned red before our eyes, but Skye quickly flipped a switch on the console before he could react. "Coms are live. Coulson, Simmons, are you in position?"

"Yes. Just waiting on May's signal," he answered. I turned to where Fitz was already looking through the security cameras scattered around the train. I brought my head next to his, scanning as well. And there was nothing awkward about sharing this space like I might have feared. We both had our heads in a very different space than before and focused on what needed to be accomplished right now.

"There!" I pointed my finger at the screen, recognizing the head of security pretty easily. "He's making his way towards their car."

Fitz switched on his comm. "He's headed your way." I pulled my head back, tapping my fingers on the chair impatiently. It was kind of hard just to be on the sidelines right now with half my team risking their necks out there, but Coulson knew what he was doing. I would do whatever was needed for this to go off without a hitch, even if it meant hiding safely in the luggage car.

"How's she going to tag him?" Skye asked, watching on the feed as Simmons crashed into the man we had been following- jar of dirt she was weirdly carrying with her scattering all over the carpet.

"His footsteps," Fitz explained proudly. "Once he steps through what she spilled they'll show up clear as day in May's scans so she can follow them. She's been working on it for a week in the lab."

"Wow," Skye complimented. "I don't know how she thought of that."

"Our Simmons is quite the genius," I agreed. Despite some of our differences, none of my affinity for the scientist had faded. She was just as much family as the rest of the team was, even though she was the one who had qualms about my coming from the future and what that meant. She was just being protective. I could understand that better than anything.

"May, coming your way," Coulson's voice suddenly came through. Fitz began typing away, switching the view to a black screen.

"Copy that," May stated. The screen flipped to the inside of the train presented in different shades of green, yellow, and red. Sure enough, green footprints clear as day made their way through the cars. The camera started to move in the same direction they did. "Following the target to the package."

"We see what you see, May," I informed her, watching her jump from one car to another and continue her trek. She must have been on top of the train right now, a feat that quite frankly I should have expected from her but was kind of blowing my mind. I was convinced there was nothing she couldn't do at this point. "You're going to have to teach me this."

"We'll see," was the answer I received, but it was as close to a yes as I was ever going to get. So I will take that for sure.

"All right, May," Fitz coached her. "Cybertek cases are usually lined with tungsten polymer to prevent scanning. It should appear black on your infrared."

May continued moving, only to come to a stop as a large black box appeared in a corner of her vision. She turned her head to focus on it, shape clear as day. "Bingo. Eyes on the package, fourth seat from the back."

We sat for a moment in comfortable silence when the PA sounded from a speaker behind us. It started first in Italian before changing to English. "As we round the bend, the passengers on the North side of the train can taking in the views of the famous Tre cime di Lavaredo."

"I wish we had more time to take in the scenery," Fitz pouted wistfully. "Three peaks of Lavaredo… supposed to be stunning."

I patted his shoulder. "Ah, I'll take you back some day. When I get that money S.H.I.E.L.D. might or might not be paying me."

Fitz beamed up at me, hand reaching up to clasp mine, touch sending a few stray sparks between us. But my attention turned to Skye, who was staring at the case with a suddenly sober expression. She caught me looking and nodded towards it. "Any chance what's in there could be an 0-84?"

I shrugged, but Fitz answered pretty frankly. "This? No. We may not know what it is, but we do know that it came from Cybertek."

"Right," I recalled. "It has a known origin." Unlike Skye. Unlike myself.

"And the one we found in Peru was a machine, but they don't have to be, right?" Skye inquired. I could see where she was going with this and worried the answers she was going to find. This was probing and searching without giving the full context.

Fitz seemed oblivious though. "No. No. I've read about all kinds… weapons. Spacecraft, energy sources. I suppose the only thing they really do have in common is that they're dangerous."

Skye's face fell a bit, just as I expected. "But you never know," I tried to interject. "There's still a lot out there that we just don't know about. Right Lee?"

He seemed to register something in my voice, finally turning and noticing just how still Skye seemed. His next sentence took on a much more comforting tone. "Hey, whatever this package turns out to be, we'll deal with it, like we always do." His hand squeezed mine tight. "We've faced worse and made it through."

"Fitz, have you ever heard of an 0-84… being a person?"

I tried to get in there, but Fitz was too quick to answer. "No. Although I… I suppose it's possible. Hate to meet the guy."

Recover this. Recover this. "But in a lot of ways I'm like an 0-84. We have no clue where I came from really… except the future. And all things considered, my life doesn't seem to suck too bad. It's crazy, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"Point taken," he agreed, and I looked to see Skye give me just the hint of a smile. But then the sound of static became abundantly clear from the com system.

"Whoa," Fitz noticed the screen with May's infrared was now black. "May's goggles are offline. When did that happen?"

The two of them started typing while I started talking. "May, do you copy? May?"

"All coms and phones are dead," Skye informed us. "Someone's using some sort of electronic scrambler."

We all instantly realized what that meant. "Cybertek knows we're here," Fitz voiced what we were all thinking. A pit quickly formed in my stomach. Only three of the seven of us were back here… and we had no way of reaching the others.

"We have to warn our team," Skye rose to her feet. I put a hand up.

"I'll go. You both stay here and try to get thing back up and-"

I was cut off by the sound of a gunshot, quickly scrambling to the ground under the table as several more followed. Fitz ducked to one side of the luggage and Skye the other as a man in a suit entered the compartment with his weapon drawn. "Shit," I cursed, pushing against the wall to make his shot harder as he aimed for me.

Fitz peeked out around his corner and fired the night-night gun at the goon, but he easily dodged the two shots. It did distract him long enough though that Skye pushed one of the crates lying around into him before attempting to disarm him. I took this as my cue too and scrambled out from under the table, hopping on the box to get a clear kick at the guy's face as Skye sent the gun tumbling to the ground.

She dived for it and he went to stop her, but I got in the way enough to jump on him. I only managed to hold on for a moment though before I found myself being thrown into the luggage racks once again. This time was much less hot though.

Fitz had entered the fray now, tackling the guy and sending him into the rack opposite of me, but he was quickly overpowered and despite putting up quite the fight received a punch to the jaw that sent him straight to the ground. "Lee!" I shouted, rising to my feet as quickly as they'd allow- already thinking of my next move. Maybe a solid punch to his temple followed by sticking my finger in his eyes. Unorthodox, but it would do the trick.

Skye had the gun by this point now though, and held it right at the goon. He was forced to take a few steps back until he was right next to me, and I gave a sigh of relief as Fitz rose to stand next to Skye. He seemed to be reeling a bit, but he was ultimately alright. The goon didn't seem upset though, reaching into his coat and pulling out some sort of pulsing blue device.

"We've been made!" Simmons rushed into the compartment, causing everyone to turn to her. The goon instantly latched his attention onto her and she quickly identified the situation we were in. "Oh, bloody hell."

"Jemma!" He took the step towards her, but I was there first- shoving him as hard as I could into the rack. The device dropped into the space between us, and suddenly a cloud of blue mist appeared.

The first thing I was aware of after that was the sound of voices talking in concern. And then my mind registered that the bomb or device must have malfunctioned, though it had enough force to knock me to the floor. So I sprung up to my feet as athletically as I could, charging the first shape I could make out. "Everyone get out!" I shouted, desperate to get my team to safety.

The figure quickly ducked my blow and clutched both my hands, preventing me from moving in a way that was almost familiar. "Crawford, stop!" I knew that voice anywhere.

"Ash!"

I paused, taking a moment to reorient myself and look around the car. The man who had broken into our car had vanished completely somehow in just a moment, replaced now with the worried faces of Coulson, Ward, and May who had me in the vice grip. They had come from the other direction it seemed. How did I get so turned around? How had they managed to get here so fast… and in different clothes too?

My eyes quickly found Fitz beside me, worry clear on his face. But the addition to this room also made me painfully aware of who was suddenly missing as if they had gone up in smoke. I pulled my hands back from May, apologizing silently for my mistake, before casting another glance around the car to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. "Where… what… where are Simmons and Skye?"

"They went after Quinn," Fitz explained, it seemed as much to me as the others. "They saw the box being unloaded once the train stopped and Skye convinced Simmons they needed to follow him. They have a tracker with them though, so we can follow them."

"Let's get moving then," Coulson ordered, giving me the impression it had been quite the long day for our fearless leader.

Something was off. Like really off. Because it seemed like I had missed a lot despite being in this car the whole time. "Lee, what the hell happened to me?"

"The device that activated between you two… it was an airborne form of the dendrotoxin. It put you both into some sort of black sleep, eyes open and everything."

"That's why it doesn't feel like any time's passed?" He nodded. "Can I just say this feels super trippy?"

"Come one Crawford," Ward gestured towards the exit. "I know you're still getting your bearings, but we need to move so we can get to Skye and Simmons."

"Absolutely," I agreed, making my way out the car door and into the dirt where several S.H.I.E.L.D. cars appeared to be waiting. The train must have stopped sometime while I was out, though we appeared to be in the middle of nowhere rather than any sort of stop. Ward led us to one of the cars and ushered for both of us to climb in, May and Coulson already starting theirs.

"I can't believe you let her go," Ward growled, upset as he sprayed dirt into the air from the tires peeling away from the train so fast. "You shouldn't have let her follow him."

"Hey! I tried, okay?!' Fitz shouted from the back seat. "I told her we needed to wait until the rest of you got here. That we weren't in a good position to go after them. But she was convinced we were all that was left- that we couldn't let Quinn get away again. You know how single-minded she's been about this whole thing. She was even convincing enough that Simmons followed her."

"He's right Ward," I cut in, knowing this bickering wasn't going to help anyone. Ward was clearly taking his worry out on the wrong person. "I don't know if anyone could have stopped her at that point. There's no sense in finding someone to blame except me."

"You?" they both asked in confusion at the same moment.

I nodded. Part of this honestly was a ploy to get them to stop arguing, but most of the guilt was already resting on my shoulders. "Coulson ordered me to keep an eye on her. He knew she might try to do something like this, and I was supposed to be the one who stopped her before she did anything reckless. But I had to go and get myself taken out so I was down for the count." I had failed pretty much everyone. There went Ashleigh Crawford down for the count again. I had to be the most useless Agent there was at this point.

"Let me remind you Ash, that having no clue what that thing did you still tackled that guy and made sure the rest of us would be safe. You're a bloody hero who did her damn best to save all of us like usual… once again with no thought about yourself."

"And what did you do Fitz?" Ward snapped, leaving me completely alone. "The two of them went in alone while you hung back once again."

"Okay, Ward," I snapped, eyes narrowing, "I get you're hurting, but now you're just being a jackass."

"I'm just saying what kind of guy once he realizes he can't stop them just sits back and lets them go- even if he doesn't agree with them?"

I almost sat up, ready to say something, when Fitz held me back by placing an arm across me. He stared down Ward through the rearview mirror, exhibiting a rare form of calm fury I'd never seen on him before. "You're right. I hung back and let them go. But is wasn't me pitching a fit that they refused to stay like I suggested. No. It was because I wasn't leaving Ash alone in that car with no way of protecting herself." My heart skipped a beat at his words, instantly turning towards him. He met my gaze and his voice instantly softened again. "After all that's happened, I'm never leaving her alone again if I can help it."

"Lee…"

"And maybe you'll mock my feelings on that one, say it made me weak, so allow me to follow it up with logical fact. It was dangerous to leave Ash alone. She is still someone from the future with a lot of memories we have no clue about locked in her head. The Clairvoyant took her once before, and something tells me they'd be keen to do it again considering they got nothing from her. So I couldn't leave her alone because it could jeopardize the entire future, and I tried to tell the others that. But they wouldn't listen."

Ward remained silent after that, stewing it seemed. And Fitz seemed to have no more to say, anger quickly petering out in favor of bouncing his leg up and down nervously as we sped in the direction of the tracker. Trying to calm him, I gently placed a hand over one of his knees- instantly having it covered by a hand of his own.

We soon arrived at a gated white mansion that towered over lovely gardens in front of it, cars waiting in the driveway for what must have been a planned getaway. Ward turned to the two of us as he loaded his gun. "Stay here."

"Not on your life," I disagreed. Skye and Simmons were in there and might need our help.

"The at least stay behind me," he sighed, clearly not in the mood. Gunfire echoed from one of the windows, drawing the attention of the driver and guards outside, giving Ward the perfect opening to run in and take them out with his usual efficiency. I just followed right behind him with Fitz bringing up the rear, making sure to keep myself out of harm's way. May and Coulson pulled up behind us and exited their car, but Ward had already dispatched with everyone outside. The man was on a mission and handling it with cold-blooded efficiency.

He nodded at Coulson and made his way to the front while Coulson started around the back with May. We took the steps two at a time before coming to a halt at the large front wooden double doors. "Stay here until the coast is clear," he barked, this time clearly an order we were going to be following.

"Okay," I agreed, knowing there was no time to fight. "Just… be careful."

He just threw the door open, two night-night guns at the ready, and the sound of gunfire quickly followed. It had to be close to a dozen shots before it stopped, and I didn't waste a beat in ducking around the door and entering myself.

It was a sprawling entryway like out of a movie, complete with winding staircase and a potted plant on a table in the center. Simmons was crouched in a corner of the checkerboard floor and Fitz and I instantly made our way over to her as Coulson slammed Quinn himself onto the table with Ward's assistance.

"Jemma, are you okay?" Fitz asked, clearly panicked. She nodded.

"Skye went in here alone and told me to keep look-out and try to find out what was going on, but I'm afraid I was quite easily spotted on the grounds." She pulled herself together and allowed the two of us to help her up. "I shudder to think what might have happened if you hadn't arrived."

"Well, we did," I offered kindly, pulling her into a quick hug. She paused a bit, but then reciprocated warmly. "The cavalry's here… and so is the rest of the team."

"Where's Skye?" Coulson's voice quickly cut into our reunion and I turned to see he had a gun pointed upwards into Quinn's jaw. And it definitely didn't look like a night-night pistol. Ward held him steady from behind and both of them looked unbelievably pissed.

Quinn just looked smug as ever, the bastard. "You know, Agent Coulson, it's dangerous to keep sending her in like that… all alone…especially when she means just as much to you as that one." My blood went cold as he nodded in my direction. "Oh, the things we have planned for you."

Coulson silenced him with an uppercut to the jaw, sending him reeling enough to get slammed back down onto the table with more force than probably necessary. "Search the house," he ordered all of us. Fitz-Simmons started upstairs without pause. "Find her! Now!" I shook my fear off and instantly focused in on our frantic search. Ian Quinn being creepy could be worked out later. Skye needed me now. I went to follow Fitz-Simmons, but halted and then went the direction Coulson and Ward did- around where the commotion had been coming from. They split off down separate hallways and I took a third, coming to a halt as the sound of shouting almost below me.

"Simmons! Get down here!" I instantly turned on my heel and ran back the way I had come, meeting up with Ward as we led the charge down a set of stairs Coulson had disappeared down. We followed them through a thick wooden door to what looked to be cellar, judging from rock wall and barrels scattered about the room.

What I saw next instantly brought tears to my eyes, hand going to my mouth. Coulson was clutching Skye around her shoulders where she sat slumped against a wall just beside the door. She was practically white and blood was dried on her lips. But that was nothing compared to the white shirt we had picked out now being completely stained crimson. It was enough to hit me with such force I fell to my knees beside Coulson, trembling in fear.

She couldn't be. She just couldn't be.

Simmons came around the other side and the others had appeared now as well, but I couldn't really focus on them at all. All I could see was Skye, one of my best friends, lying in a pool of her own blood. My hand reached out and clutched the one at her side. "Oh God," Simmons muttered as she took the scene in.

"She's been shot," Coulson stated, clearly reeling himself.

"Keep her upright," Simmons stated, looking her face over frantically.

"I've got no pulse," I commented from where I had been feeling her wrist, devastated that such a sentence had to be said.

Simmons could clearly see that herself and was desperately fumbling. "Uh… she's lost too much blood. I don't…" But then she seemed to spot something that returned every bit of her confidence. "Put her in there."

I turned to see the one thing that would have been really out of place in the room if there hadn't been a dying Skye. It was some sort of tube lying horizontally with a table attached. In some ways, it looked like the memory machine, but this one appeared to be able to seal all the way and contain someone inside.

"Do you know what this thing is?" Ward questioned harshly.

Simmons took none of it though, meeting his ferocity. "It's a hyperbaric chamber, and I said put her in there now!" Everyone paused a moment, which clearly wasn't fast enough. "Now!"

"Okay," May agreed, and we all pitched in together to lift Skye off the ground with ease and mover her quickly over to the gurney table that was sticking out one end. Voices all fell in on top of one another as we pushed each other to continue, working as a team completely in sync to move her across the room and gently set her down on the gurney. As I pulled my hands away I couldn't help but notice they were nearly stained completely red.

"I need to get her temperature down. Fitz." She and Fitz ran around to the controls while I helped Ward push the gurney into the tube of the machine, May and Coulson right behind us to close the large door and seal her in. All of us hovered over the glass, staring down at her. I had to keep wiping my eyes from the tears that threatened to blind me, breaths becoming gasping with worry.

"Temperature's driving," Fitz stated. "Pressure stabilizing." We all continued to look through the glass, but nothing seemed to be happening. Was something supposed to happen?

"Is it working?" May spoke for all of us. Neither of them answered.

"Is it working?!" Coulson repeated more aggressively.

Just at that moment though, Skye took a breath from inside the tube, air fogging up the glass. I let out a huff of joy, bloody hand touching the glass next to her head- showing her in some silly way that I was there.

"For now," Simmons warned us. "Sir, I feel I also have to let you know… Mike Peterson was here."

All our heads turned at once. "What? He's- "

"I thought so too," she agreed. "But I saw him. He's here… or he was at this point. He seemed to be… working with them."

We could deal with that later though. Right now, saving Skye was all the mattered in my opinion. The next mission could wait until we were all safe and sound and more importantly together again. And Coulson seemed to agree judging by how fast he got the chamber transported from the cellar to the Bus. We received word on the silent drive back that there was no sign of Mike Peterson on the premises, but something had indeed seemed to go down judging by all the bodies in the living area. In addition, Quinn had been secured in our Interrogation Room for when we were ready to visit him.

I had a couple of fists I was looking forward to him meeting.

We were all clearly dealing with our shock and grief, most of us just staring out into space the entire drive back. The thought of losing Skye… it was petrifying. She was as much a member of this team as any of us and… it felt like we could each lose a piece of ourselves. I kept finding myself almost ready to break down crying, staring down at Cheesetauri in his ball. Trying to ignore how red my hands were. And that was when I noticed a spot of faded red on my new shoes. Forever there to haunt me.

By the time we arrived back on the Bus, Skye's chamber had been placed in the lab. Simmons had been the only one to go with her and was running this way and that with various supplies and documents. Everyone entered the lab, but Fitz grabbed my wrist and halted me on the cargo ramp.

I turned to him and neither of us said a word before I crashed into him for a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around me as well, kissing my forehead without hesitation before resting his chin over the top of it. I took a deep breath, breathing in the smell that was just so completely him. Under any other condition it might be enough to calm me down completely, but now it at the very least allowed me a moment. A moment to seek comfort from the person who I wanted it from the most.

I took a deep breath before taking a step back, letting my hands fall to my sides. He did the same, both of us never losing eye contact though. I cleared my throat. "There'll be time for this. Right now, they need us more. We're doing okay but they're not Simmons needs you and I think I can take Ward."

He nodded with clear fondness in his eyes, silently agreeing with me. "When this is all over… when she's okay… I'm taking you out on a real date."

I couldn't help smile, watery as it may be. "I can't wait." With that, he kissed me quickly as a form of sealing our promise before the two of us stepped into the lab to join the others. Simmons looked like she had just been about to give everyone report, trembling despite herself. She was trying to seem calm, but her real emotions were certainly threatening to bubble over. "Her core temperature's hovering around forty-four degrees Fahrenheit. If we don't bring her back up to temp in the next few hours, she could sustain permanent brain damage."

Skye.

"We need to get her to a medical facility and fast. Until then, I'll do everything in my power to keep her alive." She sounded completely disconnected now, like a bomb about ready to explode. "Excuse me." With that, she went to step into the back hallway away from all of us. Fitz instantly followed after squeezing my hand one last time.

I turned my attention to Ward, whose steely silence this entire time was clearly hiding a lot of deeper emotions. Skye was so much more than his trainee and it was clear as day if anyone paid attention. He made his way out onto the cargo ramp and I followed, weirdly seeing May of all people move to follow before halting as seeing me do so.

He let out a grunt of frustration and punched a car, stretching out over the hood in anger. I cooled him down the only way I knew how, wrapping my arms around his torso behind him for a hug. He didn't pull away at all surprisingly, instead stilling and taking a deep breath. "She never should have gone in there alone."

"It wasn't your fault," I told both him and in a lot of ways myself. He rose and turned a bit, gently moving my hands away.

"I wasn't blaming myself." I followed his gaze through the lab doors to where Coulson stood staring down at Skye through the glass. I let out a deep, tired sigh. Ward was upset. There was no way I was going to be able to convince him otherwise at this moment. I just needed to wait this out and help him feel better. And for Ward there was only one thing I could think of.

I linked my arm through his. "Let's go get a drink."

We went to the bar and I only left him once May had joined a few drinks in for him. We had kept mostly silent, just taking comfort from company. I think it was the only way Ward knew how to. Soon after May arrived I made my way back down to where Skye was though, setting up a stool in front of the chamber, now washed hand pressing against the glass.

"Hey. When you wake up- every dirty detail. I promise."

Soon Simmons entered and began wandering about her side of the lab, looking to at least be in somewhat better shape than before. Looks like Fitz had done it. "You didn't have to save me back there… in the train compartment. Take that dendrotoxin for me."

I gave her a look like she was crazy. "Of course I did." There was another long stretch of silence as she seemed to be trying to figure out how to best say something.

"I have my issues with the whole affair… but if he wants it to be you then it should be. And you were right. You are a person. So if you want it to be him… then I suppose everything works out." She looked down at some papers, flipping through them absently. "He smiles a lot more when you're around after all."

"You'll always be his best friend."

"Oh, I know that. We'll always have science and our days at the Academy and our adventures here. But now he'll also have you- whatever- whoever you may be."

"Thanks Simmons."

"Just… try to be less reckless in the future. Because if you end up doing something stupid and hurt him… well then you'll have myself and my chemicals to answer to. Do I make myself clear?"

I smiled up at her, tired as it may be. "Crystal."

She kept mostly to her side of the lab after that, even when Fitz came down and took a spot next to me. I couldn't help but chuckle and look up at him. "I guess you meant it when you said you weren't going to be leaving me alone."

"You're bloody right I was." He pulled up his own stool and took a seat right beside me, hand resting casually on my knee like it was nothing at all.

"You're in for a rude surprise then. Because the frizz on this hair when I get out of the shower… yikes." I leaned so my head was resting on top of his shoulder.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." And somehow, despite the fear and panic that had my heart firmly clenched with no sign of letting go, just having him by my side was enough to send a spark through me to burn some of that away. There was never going to be a perfect time, so I just had to enjoy every moment that I could of him and the warmth he just sent through me. Of his strength and its ability to keep me going even in the darkest scenarios. That maybe now this was going to become the norm. That not much would change but it would all somehow mean that much more. That maybe now finally I was his and he was mine.

Skye was going to absolutely lose her mind when she woke up.

XXX

And there we have it. A moment a lot of people have been waiting for... Ashleigh getting her new shoes. Kidding. Kidding. I hope you all enjoyed it because this next stretch turns into quite the roller coaster as we know. I know it's been a long time, so thank you all for your patience and support. I hope the wait was worth it. I wanted to get it just perfect and hopefully am now in a space where updates can be more regular for future installments. I have some exciting things planned and look forward to sharing them with all of you. Especially now as Ashleigh is about to meet Garrett and dear Trip.

Thank you to all those who put this story on alert. I hope to be sending you an e-mail more frequently in the days to come. So thank you Crowned Soul, dalekchung, phoenixmoon25572, wendywithabluebox, ajriser, pocketdictator, Erudessa-gabrielle, .Twitch, Luckygirl1013, camster540, tommoisexy15, angel'slittledemon, GrlLama, ashellineaisha, DancingWithAngelsAndDemons, PonchoV, Elaine06, waywardlottie, Lauraaa9889, patamon642, AddaBlack94, mhdream, iwillforeverbeanerd (me too), BitterSweet256, Theresa5155, Littlemissheadphones, Sengen, screwtherulesihavegreenhair, Hard 2 Be Me, cailincarnell, royalteas, Pigless09, Agent of Hydra (Gasp!), ElfinCleona, Mizuki-the-dead, xDaughterOfThanatosx, Jacksmum23, JayMars, Down2earth360, Kullken, Emmuyasha, Em-x. everlasting, killy.k09, and OhBeClever.

Thank you to everyone who considers this story a favorite for such a great honor amongst giants. It continues to astound me how much this number grows. Thank you Crowned Soul, dalekchung, Lord-Disick, ajriser, DarkPrincess27, Erudessa-gabrielle, Luckygirl1013, isdagger, tommoisexy15, GrlLama, ashellineaisha, PonchoV, waywardlottie, patamon642, AddaBlack94, BitterSweet256, theresa5155, Sengen, Hard 2 Be Me, caitlincarnell, Pigless09, Agent of Hydra, Jacksmum23, Ghost 5926, monkeyharmony, JayMars, Emmuyasha, Em-x. everlasting, and killy.k09.

And thank you to my reviewers- the troopers who always make me feel the feels. I look forward to much freaking out from all of you . Thank you YoullBeAvenged, LeopardFeather, MiaR, BlackDove WhiteDove, GiraffePanda2, Guest, Andy Hearter, Guest, Erudessa-gabrielle, NessieBooEvans, Bittersweet256, Sengen, Pigless09, Guest, and of course my good friend eckles.

And now, onto the next episode. Time for some blue aliens.