With every step she climbed something increasingly heavy seemed to weigh down on her. But she didn't have another choice. She had to do this. Screw the fact that it was past midnight, that she had most likely destroyed the best thing she'd ever had in her life for the most stupid reason.
She knocked. The second worst part was done.
No answer came. Of course. He'd be asleep. Maybe he wasn't even in. But she didn't dare to ring the door bell. She'd just come back tomorrow. Or never.
Skye was already back at the top of the staircase when the door behind her opened. She turned around. Benji stood there, strangely expressionless, in sweatpants and his grey sweatshirt jacket.
"Hi," she got out, and thought she deserved the thin sound of it. "I, um -" She probably should just turn around and leave after all. That weird non-reacting air he had, hand still on the door, ready to close it in her face any time, was killing her. He was way better off without her, someone who'd just leave him in the face of a stupid job that didn't suit her – tears entered her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time since she'd last left that flat three days ago. "I didn't leave," she stated the obvious.
Benji still didn't say anything, and suddenly it broke out of her.
"I'm so sorry, Benji. I wasn't thinking. I don't know what I – I couldn't board that plane." She stopped for a second to keep herself from crying, but it got harder by the sentence. "I sorted things out with Hunley. They actually took me back. So... if you ever..." Now she couldn't stop the tears escaping her. "I know I have no right to ask you to forgive me, but I just wanted you to know that I'm staying. If this really is what you want, then I..." Her voice broke. Benji's hand had let go of the door, but other than that he hadn't reacted in any way. "I'm sorry," she managed to say once more. Then, after one last look at him, she turned away, ready to descend the stairs.
"Have you been out like this?"
The familiarity of his voice sent up new tears in her. She had missed him so much that it hurt. She looked down at herself, her trainers, her jeans, her short-sleeved blouse that weren't made for a cold night in D.C., before she slowly turned back to him. "Well, I was kind of set for the Caribbean," she said in a very small voice.
Without another word, Benji stepped out into the hallway, took off his jacket and put it round her shoulders, gently tugging it in place, and pulling it closed in front of her chest while simultaneously pulling her closer. "You're staying?" he asked, and only now she saw that he was on the edge himself.
She only managed to nod, before he drew her in an embrace. The last of her tears ran down her face and got caught by Benji's shirt. Only this time they were out of relief. "I'm so sorry," she said again and again against his chest, while he buried his nose in her hair, still holding her tightly.
"I'm sorry, too. I was an idiot, I shouldn't have said what I said. It was stupid."
She took a deep breath in order to get a grip on herself. "You're worth a thousand CIA jobs, Benji."
They stayed like this for a while, until Benji suddenly started laughing. "Look at us," he said chuckling, wiping his eye with the back of his hand before proceeding to Skye's tears in a more gentle manner.
She had to chuckle as well, although it came out half a sob, but she was smiling.
"Come here," he said, and pulled her closer again before he kissed her. Gently at first, but then both of them became aware of their three-day deprivation of that.
Skye tasted ice cream. "Chocolate?" she asked, when her lips were just barely not touching his anymore.
"Do you wanna come in? I got lots more inside."
They smiled at each other, then Benji suddenly became aware of something.
"Um, one thing. We gotta be quiet. I got Brandt asleep on the sofa."
Skye raised an eyebrow. "Brandt?"
"He stopped by with a bottle of scotch. I kind of was in a bad shape."
She immediately looked guilty again, but he smiled at her and nudged her shoulder, until she smiled back. A second later the door shut behind the two of them.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Brandt's inner alarm clock insisted it was time to wake up, but the rest of him was so caught up in the haziness of sleep that his eyes refused to open. He heard a door, footsteps, another door, and then water running. Slowly, he opened his eyes. For a second he wondered where he was, because this wasn't his office – or, god forbid, his apartment – but then he realised he was still at Benji's place. A near empty bottle of scotch came into focus. With a slight groan, Brandt sat up. While the techie had been grateful when he had shown up at his doorstep, Brandt had ended up drinking the majority of its contents while listening to Benji's ramblings. They had discussed Skye, and Ethan, and the CIA, until they were both sick of it and Benji had put on Pacific Rim. At some point Brandt must had fallen asleep.
More awake now, Brandt got up. There were still noises coming from the bathroom, so he decided to check the kitchen for coffee. He stopped short at the door.
"Morning," Benji said over his shoulder when he saw him. "Coffee?"
"Please," the analyst replied and took the offered mug. After the first sip, it occurred to him. "Wait. You're here."
"Yes?" Benji said.
"Then who..." Brandt pointed in the direction of the bathroom.
"Right, so..." Benji began, when Skye already joined them.
"Good morning," she said to Brandt and smiled.
Benji put an arm around her and kissed her forehead.
Brandt wasn't sure what to say, but his facial expression must have betrayed his anxiety about what this meant. He couldn't even feel his frown anymore. Over the past weeks it had become part of his face. "So you guys...?"
"She came back last night," Benji said. The analyst wasn't sure when he'd last seen him this happy. The contrast was drastic. "After you fell asleep."
"Don't worry," Skye said unexpectedly seriously. "I already told Benji last night. I don't know anything and I'm not gonna ask." She paused. "I trust you."
Brandt emptied his coffee despite its soaring temperature to bite back any remarks or frustrated sighs. This could get funny.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
HAVANNA, CUBA
"It's the best hardware I could get short notice," Ethan apologised.
"It'll do," Luther said.
Ethan turned away to let his friend work in peace. He looked briefly out of the window, at colourful cars from long-past decades going by, before he turned to the wall. It wasn't quite finished yet, and at times he worried it might be a bit too on the nose, but this was after all the CIA. Better to make sure.
Luther placed the battered phone carefully on the shelf. "Try the sync again."
Ethan turned away from the world map plastered with newspaper headlines and photos from the files Benji had uploaded to the secret server. He sat down at the laptop and refreshed. This time it worked, the camera transmitted directly. "Perfect, thank you."
"And you're sure about this, brother?"
"By the time they find this place I'll be two steps ahead already. You'll plant the intel that will lead them here, that's probably gonna take them another couple of weeks." He looked at his friend's raised eyebrows. "Don't worry," Ethan added emphatically.
Luther sighed. "So how much of a head start do you want?"
