Chapter 22: Stormy Horizons
Notes- This is unbeta-ed any mistakes are my own. Feel free to point them out and I'll fix them ASAP.
This chapter's driven me insane. I've restarted editing this about 10 times just this weekend. I think I've just been looking at it to long now and I can't see objectively anymore so again I apologies for any errors. The next chapter will be up faster I promise.
Grant's POV- Status: The Bus. Whereabouts: "On route to God knows where."
"Lock it or lose it." May's voice broke off the conversation in the lounge, making the team scatter to the cargo bay to buckle up.
Gramsy and Tommy looked at him for an explanation. "May means buckle up. We're getting the hell out of here." He translated for them.
Gramsy and Thomas exchanged a quick glace before scrambling for their belts.
"I don't like flying." Skye reminded him, looking panicked in the seat next to him.
"It's ok baby. Remember, close your eyes and it'll be over before you know it." He encouraged her, buckling them both up.
Skye shut her eyes tight and didn't open them till she heard May's voice over the PA system telling them it was safe to unbuckle.
The team wandered back into the room as he was unbuckling Skye. "I think we have a few things to discuss." Coulson informed the room at large, taking a seat were Skye had been moments ago.
He nearly gave himself whip-lash as he made sure Coulson wasn't squashing her, but Skye had climbed onto his knee without him even noticing; not that he minded. He was so used to her invading his personal space that it didn't seem to register with him anymore.
"I was about to ring and tell you Fitzsimmons have worked out what the 0-8-4 does, when Thomas rang me instead." Coulson informed him.
He wasn't getting his hopes up just yet. "And…" He prompted.
Fitz chimed in. "We think we've figured out how just touching the bloody thing turned Skye into a three year old and why." Fitz said anxiously, looking in Simmons direction for her to continue explaining.
"The 0-8-4 turns people into the age they were when something horrific happened to them." Simmons revealed. "It only activates when the toucher has a significant moment in their past that tormented them. It's an Asgardian weapon designed to return enemies back to a time that incapacitates them." She informed him, glancing apprehensively to Skye snuggled up in his arms. "We just need to figure out what that was for three year old Skye and get her to hold the 0-8-4 again and the process should reverse its self when she's come to terms with her demons." She explained, grimly.
He looked at them sceptically. "You want Skye to relive a memory from her past that torments her and hold that Asgardian thing and hope it turns her back." He clarified, furiously.
It just had to be Asgardian. He thought bitterly.
"Isn't being tormented by the past enough? Now she has to go through it again, so she can return to her rightful age. When will these Asgardians learn to put their toys away?" He spat angrily.
He stood up with Skye, grabbed their bags and headed for his bunk. He slid the door shut not caring that it slammed, he leaned against it heavily.
Gramsy's POV
The team was silent. "Grant's angry, but not at you." Gramsy assured them, seeing their dejected expressions. "He's spent his whole life trying to forget his past. He's just angry that Skye's going to have to relive hers so she can revert. He feels hypocritical, knowing he's going to have to ask her to do something he himself isn't willing to do." She explained to them gently, seeing they were at a loss.
Thomas shook his head next to her. "The past should stay in the bloody past. Its cruel making someone relive it." He said angrily, eyes drifting towards the door his brother had disappeared through.
"Unfortunately that's why it's such a valuable weapon. Loki created it to render his enemies useless until they dealt with their demons. He understood how easily the past can haunt a person's life and facing it can take a huge toll on a person physically and mentally until they deal with whatever it is that haunts them. The weapon allows rivals to pick off their enemy while they're vulnerable. HYDRA wants it desperately." Simmons said quietly, avoiding Coulson's face as she mentioned the God of Mischief.
Grant's POV
"What's wrong?" Skye asked him, looking worried.
His anger melted away as he looked into her innocent brown eyes. He sighed, pushing himself off the door. He hopped onto his bed with Skye securely held to his chest. "What do you remember about being little, baby?" He asked gently.
Skye went ridged in his arms. "Nuffing." She mumbled, turning her face away from him.
He didn't need to be a specialist to know she was lying. "I'm not sure I believe you, baby. You can tell me." He encouraged her, tucking her hair behind her ear, tilting her face up so she'd meet his eyes.
Skye's eyes were shining with tears and her bottom lip was trembling. "Don't wanna, don't make me. I don't wanna member." She whimpered, desperately.
The tears she'd been so bravely holding back cascaded down her little cheeks as she stared into his eyes. "Baby, talking about it might help." He suggested, lifting his hand up to wipe her tears away.
Skye scrambled off him, landing in a heap on the floor. "NO!" She shouted at him, pushing herself back up right.
"Baby, take it easy. You're going to hurt yourself." He said trying to calm her as he sat up.
Skye took off, running from the room as soon as he moved to approach her. It took him a minute to process her abrupt departure; he jumped up running out the door after her.
The lounge was empty as he looked around, no sign of Skye anywhere. She was fast, but not that fast, she couldn't have just vanished. She must be hiding from him. He heard voices coming from the kitchen and ran into the room, eyes searching every corner.
"What's the matter darling?" Gramsy asked him, seeing the concern etched across his face.
"Have you seen Skye?" He asked her, his eyes still looking around the room.
Gramsy exchanged a look with Coulson as they sat at the island bench. "Honey, Skye was with you. She hasn't been out here." Gramsy frowned at him, confused.
He sighed, meeting their worried faces. "She was with me." He corrected. "Until I asked her about what she remembered from her childhood." He explained, eyes darting around the room again looking for any sign of her.
"Well, she didn't come this way. She can't be too far." Gramsy told him.
"Ward, the planes at 37,000 feet. She's still on the plane." Coulson tried to reassure him.
He didn't feel reassured. "Oh no!" He exclaimed, suddenly realising something.
"What?" Gramsy and Coulson asked simultaneously.
He signed. "If she didn't come this way…then she must have headed for the cargo bay stairs. Skye always has trouble with them." He explained, running towards the stairs.
There was no sign of Skye on the stairs so he headed for the lab. "Have you seen Skye down here?" He asked the group crowding the work bench as he stuck his head in the door.
"Wasn't she with you?" Fitz asked him, looking up from whatever he was showing Tommy and Simmons.
"Yeah, but she ran off once I started asking questions about her past." He explained irritably.
Couldn't they just answer his question? It was a simple yes or no. He thought annoyed.
"Do you want help looking for her?" Tommy called after him as he started looking around the cargo bay. They obviously hadn't seen her.
"No, I'll find her. She can't be too far." He shouted back, looking around the side of the SUV.
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He was officially worried. He'd searched every room on this plane, twice. Opened every closet or cabinet, and still no sign of Skye.
Where the hell is she? He thought, desperately checking yet another place he'd already checked.
A thought suddenly hit him and he laughed out loud. "I'm such an idiot." He scolded himself as he stood in the middle of the kitchen.
"Are you alright Agent Ward?" Coulson asked incredulously, catching Gramsy's worried eyes as Ward continued to talk to himself.
He turned to them, still laughing at his own stupidity. "I know where Skye is!" He informed them, running from the room at a full sprint.
"I think your grandson's finally lost it, Liz." Coulson stated casually, as Ward disappeared.
"Oh no, he's fine. Skye just has that effect on him." She told him unconcerned, taking a sip of her tea.
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Grant took the stairs two at a time, passing Simmons on her way up.
"Is everything alright Agent Ward?" She asked him, concerned.
"I KNOW WHERE SHE IS!" He yelled back over his shoulder.
He skidded to a halt near the back door of the SUV. He pulled the handle, just like he thought, the door was unlocked.
Skye was curled up sound asleep in one of his hoodies; he thought he'd lost it months ago. The interior light flicked on and Skye shifted her arms over her eyes, scrunching up her little face trying to hide from the light.
He really should have checked here first.
With her arms affectively blocking the light, Skye continued to sleep. He closed the door and walked around opening the opposite side where Skye was curled up in her usual spot. Scooping her up he held her securely to his chest, just breathing in her familiar baby scent. "Don't do that to me ever again." He murmured to her as he quietly shut the car door.
He was nearly level with the lab doors when he noticed he had an audience. "What are you two looking at?" He asked scathingly, shooting Tommy and Fitz a glare.
Tommy snickered. "Oh nothing, ya big softy. Skye ok?" He inquired, jerking his head towards the bundle of hoodie and brown curls in his arms.
"I think so. Well, for now at least." He said glancing down at Skye's sleeping form. "How am I supposed to make her relive something so painful, when she doesn't even want to talk about it with me?" He asked them, feeling desperate.
"If anyone can get Skye to face her demons, it's you Ward." Fitz assured him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
"I guess." He nodded, walking up the stairs.
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Grant's POV
He was seated at the bench in the kitchen watching Gramsy and Coulson prepare dinner when Skye rubbed her eyes groggily. "Did you have a good nap in the car, bubby?" He asked her.
Skye gave a hesitant nod, obviously not sure if he was mad at her for running off.
As he helped her sit more upright, his hoodie slipped off her making her whine at the sudden rush of cool air hitting her skin. "Here baby." He helped her to put it on properly. "There you go, warm enough now?" He asked as he zipped up her (well his) maroon hoodie.
Tommy surprised them both by suddenly pulling the hood up over her head as he plonked himself down on the stool next to them.
He felt Skye jerk. "Thomas!" He scolded his brother for scaring her as he helped Skye push the hoodie back a bit so she could see. "Leave her alone." He told his brother, sternly. He didn't need to upset again.
"I didn't do anything. I was just trying to help." Thomas grumbled.
"Boys stop arguing. Thomas set the table and stop annoying Skye. Grant your squishing her." Gramsy chastised them as she checked the lasagna.
"I am not." He huffed, still not loosening his hold on Skye. She wasn't complaining, by the look of it, she liked the security.
Coulson got the plates and utensils out. "I like having you on The Bus. Ward actually listens to you." He commented to Gramsy.
"Well, he doesn't get much of a choice really." Gramsy said with a laugh.
"You're telling me." He mumbled under his breathe, loud enough that only Tommy could heard.
Tommy quickly turned a chuckle into a poorly discussed cough, as Gramsy raised an eyebrow at him.
"Dinners ready." Gramsy informed the room once the lasagna was out of the oven. She started serving up with the practised efficiency that shouldn't be found in a kitchen not your own. "Thomas, go and tell Jemma and Leo to stop working and have something to eat." She instructed, earning an approving smile from Coulson.
"You need help with anything, Gramsy?" He offered.
"No honey, go sit down." She insisted, dishing up another plate.
He sat down at the table with Skye still snuggling to him, she wasn't asleep but her eyes were closed. Gramsy placed their meals down and handed him cutlery.
"Here you go. Be careful, it's hot." She told him. Old habits die hard apparently, but it made him smile. He wasn't a kid anymore but he still appreciated her looking out for him.
He shifted Skye onto her own seat. "Want me to cut it up for you? It's hot." He asked her, leaning over to cut up her slice of lasagna. He could see the steam coming off it in waves.
He finished cutting up her lasagne and set it back in front of her as Fitzsimmons and Thomas walked in chatting animatedly about some new contraption.
"Ah, hot!" Skye pushed her dinner away.
"You ok baby? Did you burn yourself? Gramsy told you to be careful because it's hot." He reminded her, getting up to get her bottle of water. He handed it to her and she chugged it down.
"Hurts." She told him, glowering at her dinner.
He dragged her plate back in front of her and picked up her fork. "You've got to blow it like this." He told her demonstrating. He flew it towards her mouth like he's done at Gramsy's House.
Skye giggled around her mouthful. "Again!" She demanded. "Again, do it again." She said opening her mouth, ready for the next forkful.
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Grant's POV
"M'full." Skye mumbled, pushing her plate away.
He had handed over her fork, once her tea had cooled down so he could eat his own dinner. "Well, why don't you go wash your face? You've got sauce all over it." He suggested.
"Can't move." She complained, slumping down in her seat dramatically for emphasis.
"Do I have to get May to get you out of that seat?" He asked casually, taking a bite of his tea.
That worked, she was off and running towards the bathroom before he'd swallowed his mouthful.
The table occupants erupted into laugher. "You're lucky May didn't hear you use her as a threat just to get Skye to wash her face." Fitz told him as he stood with Simmons, taking their plates to the sink.
"What? It worked." He stated, standing up to take his own plate to the sink. "And she took a jab at my piloting skills so it's only fair." He told them, scowling.
"It was a cheap shot, Grant. Your punishment is the dishes so get to it Mr." Gramsy told him shaking her head, handing him her plate to wash too.
"Ohhh…Gramsy, come on." He whined.
"Grant Douglas." She said firmly, giving him a threatening look.
He wasn't really complaining. He just loved when she scolded him, he missed it.
"Grant Douglas has to do the dishes." Tommy mocked from the table.
"You can do the drying Thomas Andrew, so don't laugh." Gramsy told Thomas sternly.
He snickered, chucking a tea towel at his brother which hit him square in the face. The tea towel dropped into Tommy's lap and he scowled at him.
"All clean." Skye announced, twirling around to show him. She was sporting a t-shirt of his and his hoodie from before.
"Is that what you're wearing to bed, baby?" He asked, stacking the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.
"Yep." She told him.
"Are you going to be warm enough?" He asked her. He got an enthusiastic nod from her.
He scooped her up and took her to his bunk. Skye snuggled down in his bed, popping her thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes.
"Night baby." He kissed her forehead and flicked the light off. He Left the door open just a fraction in case she needed him.
Gramsy was reading a book as he entered the lounge. "I'm gunna take these into Skye's bunk for you. She's not sleeping in it so it's empty at the moment. I'm sure she'd rather you than Tommy, he's nosey." He said gathering her belongings.
On his way out of Skye's bunk, he spotted Tommy coming up from the lab. "Tommy grab your stuff. I'll show you were you'll be sleeping."
He helped his brother get his stuff and lead him over to the visitors bunk. "Here you go Tommy." He said stepping inside and dumping his stuff next to the bed. "Skye's normally right next to you but I've put Gramsy's stuff in there for the moment." He said gesturing to the wall behind Tommy.
"I'm gunna get some sleep. This has been a very long day." Tommy said yawning, sitting down on the bed, starting to unpack his stuff.
"It has" He agreed. "I'm gunna have an early night too. I just wanna make sure Gramsy's all sorted first." He said, leaving his brother to finish unpacking.
"I'm going to bed now. Is there anything you need Gramsy?" He asked her.
"Grant relax. Jemma gave me the tour and I'm going to finish my chapter and get some sleep too." She reassured him.
"Ok well, if you need anything, I'm only in that bunk there." He said, gesturing.
Once inside his bunk, he stripped to his boxers and got into bed. He shut his eyes and tried not to think about what tomorrow might bring. He wasn't looking forward to trying to get Skye to open up about her past.
He wasn't willing to talk about his past so he felt like such a hypocrite trying to get Skye to. Sighing, he rolled over focusing on Skye's steady breathing. It helped to relax him enough to drift off to an uneasy sleep.
