A/N: I neglected to mention in the last chapter that "World Counterterrorism Agency" is actually pulled from the comics - it's the name of a spy agency that Bobbi/Mockingbird really did start at one point, at least in that universe. :)

Also - I know Fitz and Simmons seem to have fallen off the face of earth, but they'll be coming back around. :)

Daylight was slowly fading into the ombré of sunset outside the windows of his office as Coulson closed the folder on his desk with a relieved sigh. "Well, that's the last one, for now. If Bobbi wants to go after anything else, she'll have to track it down herself. Or fight us for it," he added ironically.

May, leaning against the desk, quirked an eyebrow. Her response was sober. "Should we be anticipating that?"

Coulson grimaced noncommittally. "Beats me. You'd think if there was anything they wanted from us, they'd have taken it already." He sighed again. "I'm honestly not sure what their next move is. We'll have to keep our eyes and ears open and roll with the punches."

May's lips pressed together in grim agreement.

Brrrrrring! The phone rang, and Coulson picked it up quickly. "Yes?" May watched in concern as his countenance fell, and he rested his elbows on the table, pinching the bridge of his nose. "When?"

Deep breath in through the nose, out through the mouth...heart rate slow and even...blood pressure steady...

Fzzt

Skye took another deep breath, exhaling it slowly before opening her eyes to check the printout on the vibration monitor Fitz had tricked out for her. "Ha!" she crowed triumphantly. That was the lowest reading so far in response to stimulus.

As much as she was growing to hate the randomly-generated electrical shocks, delivered through any of the electrodes dotted all over her body, that she was using to test her response, she had to admit that watching those readings gradually decrease was totally worth it. And even though the shocks sucked, they were the best way she and Simmons could think of to simulate the element of surprise in a real-world setting that might trigger her vibrations.

Fzzt

The numbers on the vibration monitor spiked, and Skye's bottle of water flew off the table.

Well, crap.

She bent to retrieve her water, noticing as she straightened that a transmission was coming through from Simmons, who was on "Skyewatch" that day. She clicked it through.

"Emergency briefing," Simmons informed her tightly. "I'll bring you along."

Skye held her breath.

Coulson cut to the chase. "We've had another attack on a SHIELD team, this time in Louisiana. Same drill as before - false intel, ambush, unconscious agents - but one difference this time. The entire team was knocked out, but only the female agent had needle marks in her veins upon waking." Brows were furrowed around the table, including Coulson's. "We're quarantining all three of them, just to make sure."

Simmons pressed her lips together tightly. "I'll make sure the lab is ready for samples." Every ambush meant another round of endless blood testing. Still, nothing had come of any of it. And this made fifteen agents total in quarantine for at least the next four months. That was a lot - especially given recent events.

No wonder Coulson looked grim.

"What was the bait this time?" May asked.

"The team was responding to an invitation, supposedly from a former SHIELD agent, to make contact - they were investigating it as a recruitment possibility. That's three now like that - Miami, Guatemala, and this one. Each time, we thought we were meeting up with a friendly. But clearly we weren't."

Skye pursed her lips, putting pieces together. "Well, all that information is out there now, in cyberspace. I erased our team's identities, but anyone who wants to could grab an identity and pose as a former agent."

Coulson frowned. "Have we made any progress with tracking these people down?"

Skye shook her head, feeling a little guilty. Despite working through the night far more often than she ought to be lately, she had found nothing but old trails - nothing fresh that would help them find the people who were doing this.

Coulson crossed his arms, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We can't stop following up on former agents trying to make contact. We need every one we can get." He thought for a moment. "Is there any way to detect intel that's coming from this source? We've been trying to track them down; but at this point, I'd settle for keeping our agents out of harm's way. If we can tell which tips are traps and prevent them from taking down any more of our teams, that would be a very welcome improvement."

Huh. Skye blinked, her brow creasing thoughtfully. "Yeah," she said slowly. "Yeah, I think I might be able to find something." She began tapping at the keyboard.

"Was the team wearing gas masks?" May asked quietly. That was part of the new protocol Coulson had initiated after Miami for SHIELD agents responding to anonymous or unverified intelligence.

"They were," Coulson confirmed. "But it wasn't gas this time. The agents weren't entirely sure what knocked them out, but when they woke up, their ears were bleeding. Medical team thinks it may have been a sonic weapon."

"Does SHIELD even have one of those?" Hunter asked with surprise, looking over at Fitz.

Fitz shook his head. "Too much, uh..." He scrunched up his face, turning to Simmons. "When you take out the wrong guy...?"

Simmons slid her hand reassuringly over his, and Skye, glancing at the screen, raised an eyebrow at the familiar gesture. "Too much potential for collateral damage and friendly fire," Simmons explained. "The designs were scrapped. As far as we know, there are none in existence."

Hunter nodded.

"Except apparently there may be," Coulson corrected. "Koenig, let's update our protocol to include ear protection as well as gas masks."

Koenig nodded, tapping away on his tablet. "On that."

Coulson rubbed his temples, exhaling forcefully. "Okay. Skye, let me know what you find out."

"Yeah," she said absently, absorbed again in her work. "I think I may be on to something."

"Everyone else," Coulson said heavily, "you know the drill by now."

The agents scattered to their tasks, and the transmission disconnected. Skye hardly noticed.

A few hours later, the concentration on her face melted into cautious triumph, and the tempo of her fingers on the keys sped up. Her eyelids were getting heavier, but she pressed on for a little while longer until, after waking up twice in a row with her forehead on the space bar, she reluctantly gave in to the need for sleep.

The rattling seemed quieter now than before, the glass cold against Skye's nose as she watched the scenery roll by outside the hatchback's windows. These hills were so familiar, but she still couldn't place them. She just knew they made her feel as if something was very wrong.

Skye sat back, feeling the seat belt anchor her securely to the seat. "Mom?" she asked, tasting the word carefully as she tried it out.

"Hmm?" Seated beside Skye in the back seat, May turned to her, tilting her head.

"Where are we going?"

From the front passenger seat, she heard Coulson's voice, strangely sad. "We're taking you home."

Skye scrunched up her face in confusion, looking back outside. The road curved up ahead, and as they came around the bend, it came into view: the sprawling brick building with peaked roofs and large windows.

St. Agnes.

They were taking her back to the orphanage.

The car faded, and suddenly Skye was in the lobby, the team towering around her. Coulson, May, Simmons, Fitz, Hunter - she didn't understand why everybody seemed so tall. Coulson was talking to a man whose collar marked him as a clergyman, the director of the orphanage.

"It just...wasn't a good fit," Coulson said sadly. "We wanted to keep her, but we couldn't. We didn't have the resources to support her. It was too much of a drain." He turned to look at Skye, and May stepped forward, putting her hand on his arm.

"We have to do what's best for everyone," she said firmly, and Coulson nodded.

"I have to make the hard call," he sighed.

"It's no problem," the clergyman replied. "We have room for her here. This is where she belongs." His voice sounded familiar, and a shock of horror washed over Skye as she put a name to the voice.

Cal.

"No!" she cried involuntarily, and one of the sisters stepped forward from somewhere, gripping Skye forcibly by the arm to pull her over to the director. "No!"

"It's okay, Daisy," the man said soothingly. "You're exactly where you're supposed to be. This is your destiny."

"You belong with your own people," came the mellow voice of the sister, and Skye looked up to see Raina's eyes boring into hers. "You are beyond their comprehension."

"No!" Skye pleaded, her voice breaking.

"No one else will understand you," Cal intoned urgently.

Skye looked wildly back and forth between him and Coulson. May linked her arm with Coulson's, pulling him away. "Poison tree, poison fruit," she reminded him.

"No...no..." Skye whispered desperately.

"Change is terrifying," Cal reminded her, and Skye felt hot tears begin to spill down her cheeks. She locked eyes pleadingly with Coulson, whose heartache was evident in the lines of his face.

"Bye-bye, Angel Eyes," he said softly, and turned to leave. The rest of the team turned to follow him, one by one, looking at her sorrowfully.

"No - no!" Skye cried. "May! Fitz! Simmons! Hunter! Don't leave me!"

She stood in shock, the adrenaline pounding in her veins as grief and panic swirled around and through her. The team receded across the impossibly huge lobby, beginning to disappear one by one out the front door. She heard the rattle of the old hatchback - the Brodys' hatchback - as the engine roared to life.

"No! Please!" Skye heard her own voice crying out, and realized it was the voice of a little girl. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

The nun with Raina's face grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, restraining her as she tried to run after them.

"No! Don't leave me!" Skye screamed. She twisted in Raina's grip, striking out frantically to free herself.

"Bloody hell!" A male voice trickled into Skye's consciousness, as her vision of the orphanage swiftly faded into the gray blankness of the Cage.

It was the middle of the night. It had been a dream.

Skye sat up in a panic, suddenly aware that Hunter was sitting beside her on the edge of the cot, rubbing his jaw where she had apparently just hit him. She vaguely remembered that it was his night to keep an eye on her.

"Remind me not to spar with you," he griped testily. "Hell of a right hook."

"What are you doing in here?" Skye asked wildly. She looked around the Cage, noticing that all the loose items in it were flush against the walls. She must have been letting off some major vibrations during that nightmare. It was completely unsafe for him to be in there.

"Well, everything was already -" he gestured in a sweeping motion - "up against the walls, so I figured I wasn't in danger of being hit by anything flying through the air." He sounded irritable, and Skye glared back at him fiercely.

"You shouldn't be in here."

Hunter looked at her for a moment, irritation fading as a softness came over his face and voice. "You were screaming," he said, still a little defensively. "I couldn't just leave you."

Don't leave me!

Skye gasped quietly, and Hunter looked at her with confusion, apparently unaware of how his words had echoed her dream.

Skye crumpled, covering her face with her hands as sobs began to wrack her body. Hunter gingerly put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, as if desperate for something to cling to.

"I was at the orphanage." She vaguely knew that wouldn't make sense to him - he didn't know that much of her story, after all - but the words just kept tumbling out of her mouth. "It was just like when I was a little girl, and the families I wanted to stay with sent me back, over and over and over and over again. Only this time it was all of you. Coulson and May." Another sob shuddered through her, and Hunter rubbed her back as she wrestled for control. "They - they said I wasn't a good fit. Too much of a drain." She hiccuped. "Like what Bobbi said. Too much manpower, too many resources. And then - you all turned to leave."

Hunter wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulder, bracing himself as he felt pulses coming off her. He was beginning to second-guess the wisdom of coming in here, though he couldn't handle the thought of leaving her alone in this state.

After a few minutes, Skye's sobs began to quiet a little, and the rattling from her shock waves subsided. She sniffled and pulled back, suddenly self-conscious about the way she was draped all over him like that. If he had still been with Bobbi, it would have been downright embarrassing. As it was, it was awkward. She glanced up at him through her tears, but he didn't seem uncomfortable. Thank goodness. Then she didn't have to feel quite as uncomfortable.

She wrapped her arms around herself instead, and the words started spilling out again. "When my f- when Cal last saw me, before...everything happened, he told me that afterward, no one would understand, that everyone would be afraid of me. That I would be alone, and I could go to him. But I wouldn't go to him," she said vehemently. "I wouldn't go near him. And I won't. But I..." She trailed off, her voice fading to a whisper as she articulated the fear she'd barely been willing to acknowledge to herself. "I really don't want to be alone again."

She bent double, burying her face in her hands as they rested on her knees, quieter sobs now shuddering through her body.

Hunter rubbed her back gently. To his surprise, he felt the raw burn of anger kindling in his chest - not anger toward Skye, but toward these fears that were tormenting her. Toward Raina, and Bobbi, and whoever else had the temerity to make Skye feel like there was any chance in hell they were going to give up on her.

He had to set the record straight.

"I know what it's like to be alone," he found himself saying, gently but emphatically. "And you aren't. I mean, look at them. Coulson jumped into a tunnel full of armed explosives to come after you. Fitz and Simmons are working 'til their fingers bleed and their eyes cross to find answers for you. You're the only person I've ever seen make Agent May smile with pride.

"These people are never going to leave you. Your - Cal may have said that, but he doesn't know them. They'd die before they sent you away." He paused, then added softly, "We're never gonna send you away."

At his words, Skye's sobs intensified momentarily, then began to subside, gradually quieting into sniffles. She nodded into her hands, still trembling from the exertion of her tears. "You're right," he barely heard her whisper. "You're right. I just needed to hear someone else say it."

"Well, I'm saying it," he murmured, rubbing her back reassuringly. Skye's distress had triggered his protective instincts, and he was vaguely aware that it felt nice, for once, not to have them thrown back in his face.

Skye wiped the tears from her eyes with both hands, then looked around for tissue and settled on the crumpled T-shirt she'd been wearing earlier that day. She mopped the goo off her face, trying not to feel self-conscious about it.

She turned to find Hunter looking at her steadily. "You're a remarkable woman," he said frankly, in a quiet voice. "This team needs you."

"Thank you." Tears brimmed again in Skye's eyes. She was mildly surprised at Hunter's candid praise, but too grateful to overthink it. "I - I should probably let you get back to sleep," she said shakily.

"Okay," he replied softly, his eyes searching hers. "You gonna be all right?"

Skye nodded. "Yeah." She sniffed hard. "I'm going to try to go back to sleep. Maybe I'll have a dream that's not a nightmare." She forced a watery smile.

Hunter nodded hesitantly, then stood up, offering a hand to pull Skye to her feet when she moved to follow him. She walked him over to the door, which he opened, turning to face her.

"Thank you," Skye said quietly. She appreciated it - more than he knew.

"Any time," Hunter replied seriously. "Though I hope you don't have to go through this again."

Skye smiled faintly. "Me too."

"You're not alone," he added softly. "Remember that."

Skye hesitated for a beat. "Neither are you," she reminded him earnestly.

They stood there, holding one another's gaze for a moment, and Skye found herself wishing he didn't have to go. But it was the middle of the night, and they both needed to sleep.

Hunter caught her lightly by the arm as she turned away, and she turned back, looking at him questioningly. Something in his face seemed to have changed, his dark eyes radiating an unfamiliar intensity.

He hesitated for a moment. "Come here," he murmured huskily, and gently drew her closer, cupping her cheek in one hand and leaning in to bring his lips to hers.

Skye stiffened at first in surprise, and Hunter loosened his grip on her arm, shifting as if to pull back. But then something seemed to burst in Skye, and she impulsively pressed into the kiss, a tingly warmth spreading through her body as it dawned on her how much she really did want this. She slid her hands up around Hunter's neck, feeling the warmth of his skin under her fingers, carding them through the short hairs at his hairline.

Emboldened by her response, he wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him, and tangled his other hand up into her hair as their kisses grew more confident.

This was crazy, Skye thought vaguely. But the craziest part perhaps was how utterly right it felt - as if the pain and chaos and heartbreak of both their worlds was fading into this safe place of warmth and strength, softness and security. Fear, uncertainty, and alienation were burning away as Lance Hunter's touch ignited explosions of relief in her body and in her heart, and she felt an exquisite, familiar ache rising up inside her, instead of an endless well of grief and fear.

"This is crazy," she murmured against his lips.

"Unexpected," he managed between kisses. "But not crazy." He kissed her again, soundly, as if sharing in her sense of relief, then bent in to brush a kiss to her neck. Skye suddenly felt weak in the knees. The room seemed to tilt, and for once, it wasn't from an earthquake.

Hunter returned his lips to hers, then walked her back a step and pushed the door closed with his foot. He backed up until they were pressed against the wall before returning his attention to Skye's neck. He knew what he was doing, and Skye felt the warmth in her body beginning to intensify pleasantly into heat. She let the analytical part of her mind shut off entirely.

Hunter felt the change in her response and smiled, enjoying the reaction he was able to elicit from her. He was pretty sure she hadn't felt this good in a long time, and he liked being responsible for that. He dipped down to dribble kisses along her flawless collarbones - which, truth be told, he hadn't been able to help noticing from the moment he first laid eyes on her. That black v-neck shirt she always wore didn't make it easy.

Skye was melting into his touch, tracing her fingers along his arms, when Hunter hissed softly in pain and pulled back, visibly fighting to keep his expression steady.

"What is it?" Skye asked, alarmed.

He didn't mean for his face to give away anything, but she saw it anyway. Something had happened. She had done something to him. And he was shaken.

She jumped away from him, letting out a strangled cry as fear and shame crashed over her mercilessly. "Go," she choked out, turning away. "Go before I hurt you."

"Skye," he began softly.

"Please go," she whispered, cutting him off. Her eyes were burning, and she heard the table legs begin to rattle. She was losing control again, and it terrified her. Hunter reached a hand toward her, and she ducked away, fearful of hurting him by touching him. "Please," she pleaded.

He stood there, a conflicted mixture of confusion and concern in his eyes. "Skye...I'm sorry - I didn't -"

"Just go," she repeated more forcefully. She pulled the door open, bumping it into him.

He yielded and left, looking back at her uncertainly one last time before closing and locking the door.

Suddenly she was alone. Skye stood, motionless, letting her momentary peace and security shatter to the floor like the glassware in the lab at the Party House. A cacophony of rattling filled her ears, gradually subsiding as her heart rate came back down.

Of course, she reflected bitterly, she should have known better. Normal and real and right were just a memory at this point. Normalcy, especially such safe and precious normalcy, was something she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to hope for again. You didn't get to live a normal life when you went around emitting shock waves and triggering seismic activity.

I guess that extends to relationships, too.

She'd cried out all her tears. She had nothing left but to curl up on her cot numbly until welcome oblivion overtook her.

A/N: If you're here for the Skye/Hunter...hope you approve of the progression. Let me know what you think! :) If you're not here for the ship, trust me when I say "it's all connected"! (Let me know what YOU think, too!)

Yes - Skye/Chloe Bennet has exquisite collarbones. I think Hunter would notice.

Reminder - the Brodys were the foster family Skye told Ward about early in the first season, one she really wanted to stay with. She even tried out calling her "Mom." But in the end, they took Skye back, saying it "wasn't a good fit." (Of course, we now know it was all part of SHIELD's plan to keep her safe.)

May's comments in the dream are not at all meant to imply that I think that she is mean or heartless; they're just expressions of Skye's fears, and echoes of what Skye herself is thinking in the secret places of her heart.

The sound made by the electroshock machine is a tribute to the episode of AoS that hooked me for good. :)

Reviews and feedback make my heart feel super happy! (Also...3 days! Ahhhhhhhh!)