There Are Few Reasons Chapter 4: What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger, a Castle + Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Crossover fanfic

There Are Few Reasons

Disclaimer:
As always, I own nothing...Well...except for Richelle Rogers and Carlyssa Matthews.

Rating:
T

Genre:
Family/Drama

Lyrics Used:
Glee Cast "What Doesn't Kill You" (originally recorded by Kelly Clarkson, but, I only have the Glee Cast's version on my computer, therefore, that was the version I decided to go with for this chapter)

What Doesn't Kill You Make You Stronger

"Look, Alexis..." Richelle began hesitantly. "There's something I need to tell you and I need you to let me get through it, because it's...not exactly easy for me to say..." Watching as her sister silently nodded for her to continue, she began to elaborate on what she'd learned in the lab with Jemma. "Jemma performed an autopsy on your friend, Carlyssa, and she found that...Carlyssa died of a different strain of the virus than we previously dealt with...which means that our current anti-serum won't work..."

Leaping from her seat, Alexis began to pace anxiously as she processed everything Alexis was telling her. "So...what, then? We just sit around here and wait for me to die, like Carlyssa?!" She screeched, anxiously.

Rising from her own seat, Richelle reached out with her black-gloved hands to placated her sister. "Absolutely not...Jemma is down in the lab, right now, working feverishly on a new anti-serum. And, this is the woman that created the first anti-serum in just two hours. Now, we have seven times that amount of time to work with." Once she saw that her sister was completely calmed, Richelle softened her voice as she looked Alexis straight in the eye. "Look...It's like I told dad and Kate...Phil said it best when we dealt with this virus, the first time...'There is only one person on this plane that can find a solution for this...And, I'm willing to bet my life, that she will.'" When that seemed to get through to the young red-head, Richelle added one last piece of business that still needed to be addressed. "But, there may be something you can do to help Jemma figure this out..."

"What's that?!" Alexis asked, excitedly. "Tell me...I'll do anything, whatever it takes..." She added.

Grinning slightly, Richelle replied "Easy, tiger...Just tell me...This sort of virus transmits from person-to-person via electrostatic shock. But, it always originates from a piece of Chitauri...something..." Richelle struggled to find the right words. "Be it a helmet, a bracelet...something Chitauri..." She elaborated.

Alexis paused to think back for a moment before realization dawned on her face. "Oh! The day before yesterday, Carlyssa sent me a picture of this awesome bracelet she'd bought at a local flea-market, that day!" She replied, anxiously, fishing through her pocket for her phone. "Here!" She offered, extending the phone to Richelle.

"Alexis..." Richelle began, as an excited smile spread across her face while she looked at the picture. "Your friend was a friggin' GENIUS for sending you this picture! And, so are you for keeping it!" She declared, as she began to make a swift and silent exit. Reaching the door, one last thought crossed her mind. "Oh!...You mind if I take this for a bit? Just until we find the bracelet?!"

"Sure!" Alexis smiled. "The bracelet's probably in Carlyssa's apartment, since she didn't get to wear it to lunch, yesterday, after not finding the right outfit to go with it. Her address is in the phone." She explained.

Smiling gratefully, Richelle replied "Thanks, Alexis." And, with that, she was gone.

Barging into the conference room, Richelle scarcely noticed the startled looks from her teammates. "Phil!" She called, drawing her partner's attention. "I may have a lead..." She added, holding up the phone in her hand. "Alexis told me that Carlyssa sent her a picture, the day before yesterday, of a bracelet she'd bought at a flea-market. The bracelet looks to be Chitauri." She explained, passing the phone to Phil.

"Looks like you're right." Phil surmised, studying the picture on the phone in his hands.

"Did Alexis happen to know where we might be able to find this bracelet, now?" Jemma asked, hopefully. "It might just have the Chitauri DNA I need to make the new anti-serum."

"She said it's probably in Carlyssa's apartment." Richelle replied, turning her attention to Jemma. "She also told me the address in her phone." She added, pointing to the phone in her partner's hands.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?!" Grant injected, anxiously. "Let's go get the bracelet!"

"What about Alexis?" Richelle asked, somewhat worriedly. "I don't wanna just run off and leave her alone." She elaborated. "I actually already feel kinda bad about leaving her alone long enough to come in here and give you guys this information..."

"We can stay with her." Richard offered, stepping into the conference room with Kate close behind him.

Exchanging concerned glances with the rest of her team, Richelle had to admit that she knew her father and Kate would never take no for an answer. Just like she also knew they were seriously low on options, at the moment. Sighing lightly, she reached into a cabinet at her feet. "Just make sure you both wear these at all times." She warned, firmly, as she handed them each a pair of the same black gloves the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been wearing.

"Really?" Kate asked, sarcastically.

"I've already told you guys." Richelle sighed, impatiently. "This virus passes from person-to-person through electrostatic shock. These will protect you from the shocks that will infect you." She explained.

Finally accepting the gloves and placing them on their hands, Rick and Kate bid their goodbyes to the team as they made their way down to The Cage while the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents took off toward their vehicles to set off in search of the bracelet.

"Dad?" Alexis greeted, curiously. "Kate? What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Richelle didn't want to leave you alone, so, we offered to stay with you." Rick explained, lightly.

"I take it they all left to go look for Carlyssa's bracelet?" The red-head surmised.

"Yes, but, I'm sure they'll be back and this whole mess will be over and done with before you know it." Kate offered, reassuringly.

"Can I help you all?" A middle-aged man asked, accusingly, when he noticed a bunch of strangers breaking into one of his tenants' apartments. "You can't do that!"

"My name is Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D." Phil introduced himself, as he flashed the landlord his badge. "Do you know a young woman by the name of Carlyssa Matthews?"

"Yeah, what about her?" The landlord demanded.

"She's dead." Richelle replied, bluntly, before pulling out her own badge. "Agent Rogers." She deadpanned. "Carlyssa Matthews died of a virus and we have reason to believe there may be a piece of evidence inside her apartment that could help us help another young woman."

"Another woman?" The landlord, asked, curiously.

"My half-sister." Richelle deadpanned. "She's been infected with the same virus that killed Ms. Matthews. And, we have reason to believe that there is an artifact within Ms. Matthews' apartment which will help us find a cure for the virus."

"If left unaddressed, this virus could very easily cause an epidemic." Phil injected, tersely.

"Which is why it's so imperative that we find that artifact." Ward added, tersely.

Glancing around the group of agents before him, they all seemed legit. "Okay." The landlord conceded, as he fished the master key out of his pocket. "Just try not to leave too much of a mess. I gotta find a new tenant quick if I'm gonna make up the missed rent."

"Right." Skye sneered, in a uncharacteristically dark tone. "We'll bear that in mind."

Once they'd gained entry into the apartment, the entire team set to work searching for the bracelet. "Phil and I can the bedroom...Ward, you and May the living room...Skye, you search the living room..." Richelle instructed as the team split off into their respective directions.

"Hang in there, Alexis..." Skye sighed, taking in the sight of the cluttered living room. "This could take a while..." She mumbled as she began digging through the pile of magazines on the coffee table.

In the bedroom, Richelle had begun digging through the jewelry box and vanity while Phil had taken to digging through the dressers and nightstands. "Think we're ever gonna be able to find the bracelet in this mess?" Phil asked, sarcastically.

"Got it." Richelle declared, victoriously, as she withdrew the bracelet from the jewelery box it had been ensconced in.

"How do you do it?" Phil asked, in wonder, as he crossed the room to stand at his partner's side with his hand resting lightly on the small of her back.

"Woman's intuition." Richelle replied, smugly as she as bagged the bracelet to take back to The Bus. "A woman can always find any piece of jewelry anywhere..."

"Oh, Jemma!" Richelle called out, in a sing-song voice, as she entered the lab.

"Yes, Agent Rogers?" Jemma called, cautiously, as she looked up from what she'd been working on.

"I believe you were needing this..." The senior agent declared, proudly.

"You got the bracelet!" Jemma squealed, excitedly, snatching the bag from the senior agent's grasp.

"Yep." Richelle smiled, victoriously. "I'm gonna go tell Alexis the good news." She added, as she started to take her leave. "Oh! And, give her back her phone!" She amended, quickly.

"How's everyone doing?" Richelle greeted, smiling, as she joined her family in The Cage.

"Back so soon?" Richard Castle asked his daughter, playfully.

"Yeah, what can I say?" Richelle joked, joining her sister on the bunk. "Things run a lot smoother and more efficiently when you divide and conquer." She reasoned. "And, yes, we found the bracelet."

"That's great!" Kate replied, smiling. "So, you'll be able to make the anti-serum, then?"

"Yeah, just as soon as Jemma figures out a new formula that works." Richelle replied, confidently.

"How much time do we have left?" Richard asked, cautiously.

Checking her watch, Richelle replied "Mmm...'Bout ten hours..."

"You think that'll be enough time?" Kate asked, curiously.

"There's not a doubt in my mind." Richelle never even flinched under the scrutiny. "Like I already said, Jemma figured out the first anti-serum in only two hours. She has five times that, now. This shouldn't be a problem for her."

Author's Note:
I hope you all enjoyed this little offering! I can't promise when the next chapter'll be up, but, I'll try to have it up, soon, since we just had a major snow storm that isn't even over, yet. I may or may not go to work, tomorrow. So, that may give me a chance to get some extra writing done. Though, I may end up working on one of my other stories. I haven't decided, yet. It's all up to the creative monkeys in my head.

~Skye Coulson