Part Two

Jemma is in her dorm room, putting the finishing touches on her required essay for Professor Vaughn's class, when she suddenly feels like she's not alone. It's a strange feeling, one that makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention and her skin start to tingle. Normally she would just dismiss the sensation as a distraction or something that she was imagining. But now she's not so sure.

When Jemma lifts her head, the girl is standing off to her right and Jemma just barely manages not to jump out of her skin. She wonders what would be worse: being startled every time she appears or getting used to her showing up.

"You're pretty jumpy, you know." The girl, Skye, points out with a smile on her face.

Jemma rolls her eyes. "I'm not used to people popping in and out of my room whenever they feel like it." She mumbles. "Where have you been, anyway? It's been hours."

"You sound like you actually missed me." Skye teases, that smile still in place. Jemma thinks that she has a nice smile and she figures that it says something about Skye that, even in the midst of all this craziness, she's still wearing it.

Jemma doesn't know how to respond to that particular comment, so she quickly changes the subject. "I discovered some information about you today." She tells her and Skye's expression turns from sardonic to anxious. "Your name is Skye Bradford. Agent Skye Bradford. You do have a connection to SHIELD."

Skye is silent, letting this information sink in. Slowly recognition spreads across her face and she nods. "I remember." She says softly. "Skye." She grins at Jemma and Jemma finds herself returning the expression, unable to resist the urge. "What else?"

"That's it, unfortunately." Jemma tells her. "But at least it's a start."

Of course, Jemma figures that she'd probably be disappointed if she was some sort of ghost who couldn't remember anything and the only bit of information she was given was her name. But at least it's something, right? It's not like she can do everything. She has classes and assignments to contend with.

Skye sits down on the edge of the bed, only it looks more like hovering than actual sitting. It's strange, how the contours of her body and the blankets seem to blur together and just get fuzzy around the edges. Jemma finds herself unable to keep from staring, intrigued. It would be interesting to study all of this, to do a few experiments and figure out exactly what was going on and how Skye interacted with the laws of physics. Once they figured out what was going on, of course.

"How did you figure that out?" Skye questions, looking over at Jemma. "How did you find out who I was?"

"One of the higher-ranking SHIELD agents had your picture on her tablet." Jemma replies. "I happened to notice as I was walking by."

Skye seems to brighten, getting to her feet. "Well, let's go find her. Maybe she can answer some more questions and tell me…us…what the hell is going on here."

"I can't just go running off across campus. I have assignments that need finishing." Jemma informs Skye frankly. "Besides, it's unlikely that she's still on campus. And even more unlikely that she would actually tell me anything."

Skye gives her an unimpressed look. "Assignments? Really? That's what you're focusing on right now."

Jemma scoffs and shakes her head. "Nothing should get in the way of your schoolwork." She points out primly. She received that lesson from her parents plenty of times. "It's difficult to get back on track once you start slacking off."

With a dramatic sigh, Skye flops back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "You're probably right anyway." She mumbles. "Why would a high-ranking SHIELD agent tell you anything?"

Jemma bristles. "You seem pretty eager to talk to me." She points out with another roll of her eyes.

Skye wisely declines to say anything more on the subject. Jemma turns back toward her homework, attempting to force some tunnel vision so that she can ignore the fact that she has an invisible (beautiful) girl hanging out on her bed. It's strangely easy to do so, once she gets started.

Jemma moves from her essay to her neurobiology assignments and spends a while pouring over the notes that she's taken about her alien bacteria so she can begin to hypothesize about future behavior of the organisms.

"What are you working on, anyway?" Skye's voice startles Jemma and she jumps. At least Skye does a good job of disguising her laughter with a cough. She's peering over Jemma's shoulder, close enough that Jemma figures she'd be able to feel the heat coming off her if circumstances were normal. Instead her presence just fills Jemma with a strange vibration, like she's too close to an electric current. Strange, yet fascinating.

"Oh, it's…alien bacteria." Jemma says with a shrug, feeling self-conscious about the notes and work spread out across her desk. She's still not used to people taking an interest in the things that she does. Her classmates back in London barely cared about their own education, let alone the work that someone else was doing. And even though her parents encouraged her in all academic pursuits, they didn't understand much of what she was talking about once the subject shifted toward chemistry and biology.

Skye arches an eyebrow. "Alien bacteria, really?" She gives the papers on the desk a passing glance. "What does it do?"

"Mostly, it just grows." Jemma tells her. "But the fascinating thing is that it grows regardless of the conditions that it's exposed to. Extreme temperatures seem to have no impact on the growth rate and it seems as though it will continue to multiply and…why are you smiling at me?"

The smile on Skye's face is different than the one that Jemma has grown used to seeing. It's not much of a smirk or a wry grin. It seems softer somehow, more sincere. And Jemma doesn't know when she became the type of person to analyze people's smiles or why that sort of thing matters to her. But she finds that she likes being on the receiving end of this particular expression.

"What?" Skye asks innocently. "It's just interesting. And you're all excited about it."

"Well," Jemma turns away because she feels heat start spreading across her cheeks, "it is part of my assignment."

Skye shakes her head. "No, it's more than that." She remarks. "You really enjoy it. I can tell. You dig it here."

Jemma can only nod because, while she would have phrased it differently, Skye has just said what Jemma's been thinking since she first showed up the SHIELD Academy. This place…this is her place, where she's supposed to have been her entire life. The people here, the instructors and the students, they understand her. They know what it's like to think and wonder and want to know everything, to want to know how things work and what makes them stop working. And Jemma tries to explain this to Skye but she feels self-conscious and ridiculous trying to put it into words. That soft smile on Skye's face does help a bit, though.

"I know how you feel." Skye says softly once Jemma feels like she's finally talked herself out. "When I joined SHIELD I felt…like I finally belonged somewhere."

Jemma brightens. "You're starting to remember things. That's wonderful. Maybe that can help us figure out our next step."

"Yeah, maybe." Skye says but the smile on her face doesn't reach her eyes anymore and Jemma wonders if Skye is starting to feel like she's mislaid her faith. It must be hard when you have no idea why you don't have a corporeal form and the only person who seems likely to be able to help can't find out anything past your own name.

"We'll figure this out." Jemma says, hoping that she sounds confident enough to reassure Skye and cover up the fact that she doesn't feel confident at all. "There has to be a logical explanation for what's going on."

Skye just smiles at her again and Jemma feels that annoying fluttering feeling in her chest again. That's another variable she doesn't want to deal with right now.

"I think I remember my team." Skye says, the sound of her voice unexpected in the quiet of Jemma's bedroom.

Even though it's late and all of the Academy seems to be sleeping around her, Jemma welcomes the distraction. She's been tossing and turning for what feels like hours, unable to will herself to drift off to sleep. It's strange sticking to the normal routine and going through the motions of her daily life with Skye hanging around. Jemma isn't used to sharing her space with anyone else; she's an only, and heavily doted upon child and the SHIELD dorms are mostly singles. And she's definitely not used to sharing her space with beautiful girls. But that seems like the only option right now because Skye doesn't seem to be in charge of when she vanishes and the idea of her just wandering around the SHIELD campus until morning doesn't seem to sit well with either one of them.

Jemma is exhausted, both mentally and physically, but she feels like she's been mainlining caffeine for the past few days and sleep seems practically impossible. Because, even though she can't see Skye, she knows that she's there and when she's not worried about doing something embarrassing, she's thinking about the things she could be doing to help Skye other than sleeping. And of course Jemma knows that she needs sleep and that getting some shut eye is valuable to her thought process. But sleep doesn't seem likely, at least not anytime soon. So Skye's comment is definitely appreciated.

Jemma sits up, reaching over to switch on the bedside lamp. Skye is sitting in her desk chair, doing that weird hovering thing again and there's a faraway, thoughtful expression on her face. She turns to Jemma, surprised, when the light switches on. "Sorry. I know it's late."

"It's quite all right." Jemma assures her, resisting the urge to comb her fingers through her hair. She's sure it's on the verge of looking tangled and crazy thanks to her restlessness but she doesn't want to preen in front of Skye. Not that it matters…why does it feel like it matters? "You're starting to remember?"

"Bits and pieces." Skye replies. "It just seems to come back in fragments, like trying to remember a dream or something. Only, I'm pretty sure it's not a dream but, you know, my actual life. It's weird that I can't remember anything, right?"

Jemma wishes in these moments that she wasn't just a SHIELD Academy freshmen who has been enrolled in classes for barely a month. She wishes that she was some all important scientist with a bunch of degrees and experience and some actual, legitimate idea of what was going on here. Instead Skye got stuck with her; her only skill is getting her homework done on time.

"It does seem a little strange." Jemma mumbles only because not answering Skye's question doesn't really seem like an option. Neither does saying oh, I really don't know even though that's exactly what she's thinking. "It does threaten to disprove my idea of this just being a case of existing on two separate planes because there's no reason you would lose your memories during the crossover. Plus we know that you're a part of this world because of the information on Agent Hill's tablet. I wish I had been able to read more of what was in your file." Unfortunately they don't teach stealth at Sci-Tech or, if they do, it's later in the year.

Skye just sighs and hitches her shoulders in a half shrug. "If I could just remember…"

"Tell me more about your team." Jemma suggests, because she's curious but also because she hopes it'll get the forlorn expression off Skye's face. "Maybe that'll help jog your memory."

So Skye tells Jemma everything that she can remember about the four person team that she was a part of. Unfortunately, she doesn't have many details that she can offer into the conversation, just the general way that she felt as a part of the team. Jemma can tell that Skye found what every SHIELD recruiter promises every rookie: family and a sense of belonging. She can tell that that is probably what Skye misses the most.

"Don't worry, Skye." Jemma says, reaching forward and resting her hand on Skye's knee without even thinking about making contact. Skye feels solid enough beneath her palm, though still cold to the touch and she can still feel that humming sensation that seems to pass between them. "We'll straighten all this out."

Assuming, of course, that Skye isn't dead. And Jemma knows that scientifically ghosts are an improbability so she's trying not to dwell too much on that scenario. She can't do anything to fix dead and the idea of Skye being a ghost and not just rendered invisible by some freak but completely logical occurrence, or being trapped on another planet or plane of existence, is not an idea that Jemma likes entertaining.

They talk for a little while longer, mostly about things of no consequence and finally Jemma's eyes start drooping and feeling heavy and she thinks that she might finally be finished fighting off sleep. She feels less anxious around Skye now, less on edge about the idea of having her hanging around her bedroom while she's trying to sleep. Or maybe she's just too tired to care anymore.

Jemma switches off the light and pulls her covers tightly around herself. Her comforter no longer smells like home but like her dorm in the Academy and it makes her feel both homesick and right where she belongs at the same time. She has a brief, passing thought for what Skye's shampoo and perfume might smell like and Jemma quickly pushes that thought away, grateful that Skye can't see her blush in the darkness of the room.

"Thank you, Jemma." Skye says softly, her voice jarring Jemma from her embarrassing thoughts. "For just…for everything."

Jemma smiles faintly even though she knows that Skye probably can't see her. "I wish I could do more." She confesses.

"You're doing plenty, trust me." Skye assures her. "Just being able to be here with you…it helps a lot."

Jemma tries not to read too much into that statement as she finally drifts off to sleep.

A knocking on her door startles Jemma from her sleep and she opens her eyes, feeling groggy as she tries to focus on what's going on. What is going on, exactly? She doesn't often have people knocking down her door, especially not this early in the morning.

Jemma's eyes only get wider and things just get harder to process when Skye suddenly appears, moving through the door as though it wasn't there at all. "It's that same guy from the other day." Skye informs her frankly, a subtle edge to her tone that Jemma figures she'd pay more attention to if she wasn't focused on trying to wake up and trying to process just having seen someone walk through a wall.

"Fascinating." Jemma mumbles and Skye arches an eyebrow. "Oh, not Fitz." She clarifies quickly, her cheeks getting pink. "You just…" She gestures toward the door as though that will help everything make sense.

"Oh, yeah." Skye shrugs. "Just call me Casper." Fitz continues knocking and Skye looks at Jemma expectantly. "Are you going to get that? I don't think he's going to stop."

Jemma quickly gets out of bed, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to make herself look more presentable. She already feels annoyed with Fitz for just showing up, unannounced, so early. They never meet in the dorms before class and after her tossing and turning from the night before, she's not interested in starting that today.

As soon as Jemma opens the door, Fitz walks right into the room, oblivious to the glare that Jemma is currently giving him. "Fitz. It's seven in the morning. We don't have class for another hour and a half."

"We were supposed to meet for tea and study for Professor Hall's exam." Fitz reminds her and Jemma vaguely has a memory of making these plans. Of course, that was before she started seeing people that no one else could. "I waited for you for fifteen minutes."

Jemma sighs and gives him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, Fitz. I completely forgot."

Fitz gives her that who is this complete stranger look that Jemma has seen over the past few days. "You forgot about studying?" He glances around, his eyes passing right over Skye, before looking back toward Jemma. "Is she…are you still…you know?"

Jemma is pretty sure that Fitz wants to finish that sentence up with having hallucinations and going crazy. She's grateful that he decides not to say anything at all.

"Yes." Jemma glances toward where Skye is standing and Fitz follows her gaze but sees nothing but empty space. "Fitz, after seeing the-"

"I know, the mission file on Agent Hill's tablet." Fitz interrupts. "Look, Jemma, I'm really trying to-"

"That's it." Skye's voice distracts Jemma from hearing the rest of Fitz's words and she glances toward the other girl. "The file. Why didn't I think about this before! If Agent Hill had a file about me on her tablet then it has to be in the SHIELD database. We just have to access it." Skye grins widely, seeming almost giddy. "You have a laptop, right?"

Jemma rolls her eyes. "Of course I have a laptop."

Fitz stops talking and gapes at Jemma.

"But," Jemma continues, ignoring his expression, "I hardly have the clearance to access classified SHIELD files. I'm technically not even a level one at this point."

Skye just scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Who needs clearance?" She arches an eyebrow. "We'll just find our own way in."

For a second, Jemma doesn't realize what she means. "Oh, right, of course. Because I know so much about hacking top secret, classified information."

"I can do it." Skye says, seeming surprised by the conviction in her voice. "I know that I can do it."

Fitz watches silently as Jemma moves over to her desk, carefully organizing her assignments from the day before and clearing a space before taking her laptop from the drawer and setting it on the desk. Without thinking, Skye moves over toward the computer but her fingers don't connect with the keys and she lets out a groan of frustration. "Stupid ghost body." She grumbles. "Okay, I'll walk you through it."

Jemma looks at her doubtfully and Skye just rolls her eyes. "You were working on homework last night with words I couldn't even pronounce and you don't think you can handle a few computer tricks?"

"Oh no, of course not. Hacking SHIELD's secure files will be easy as pie." Jemma mutters. But she sits down at the desk anyway and waits as the computer boots up.

"I'm sorry, what's going on here?" Fitz questions, looking at Jemma with an expression of confusion etched on his face. "What's this about classified information?"

Jemma explains Skye's revelation about the file on Hill's tablet and how she believes that she can walk her through all the firewalls and security measures so they can access the file in Jemma's SHIELD Academy dorm room. "Easy as pie." Jemma repeats but her smile definitely isn't sincere.

Fitz just nods and looks like he's honestly given up on anything in his world ever making sense again. Jemma can relate.

"Okay, first, you need to connect to a secure server, not the SHIELD WiFi. They'd shut you down before you even thought about getting through their safeguards." Skye instructs, moving closer to Jemma so she can easily see the computer screen.

Jemma follows Skye's instructions to the letter, feeling as though her fingers are moving on their own accord. Which is probably a good thing, considering the fact that her brain seems to have stopped working. Skye is close enough that her hair is brushing against Jemma's skin and if this was a normal situation, Jemma would be able to feel the heat coming off her body. Right now, she's just feeling a chill and that electric humming sensation that always seems to accompany being close to Skye. It's even harder now than before to remember that Skye isn't really here, that no one else can see or feel her because she seems real enough and her presence is plenty distracting. Jemma wishes that things were different because moving even a centimeter would cause them to touch.

Jemma just forces those thoughts from her mind and concentrates on what Skye is telling her. Skye clearly knows what she's doing. For the first time ever, Jemma is able to sympathize with the people in her life who have had to listen to her talk about chemistry and biology. There are definitely some words that Skye is throwing out that Jemma has never heard before. But listening to Skye and hearing the confidence and fervor in her voice is strangely fascinating.

"Well, I guess we know what SHIELD Academy you attended." Jemma mutters as Skye's instructions allow her to bypass countless encryptions and measures that are designed to keep people from doing exactly this.

Fitz is watching her with an expression of confusion and admiration on his face. "How is this happening…?"

"I told you Fitz." Jemma arches an eyebrow. "Skye."

Fitz's expression turns to one of mostly trepidation and he looks at the empty space next to Jemma like he is finally starting to realize that his friend isn't going crazy after all.

And finally they're in. Jemma is surprised to find that her heart is racing and she doesn't think it's just from the fact that she's probably breaking ever single SHIELD Academy rule known to man. Doing something against the rules and getting away with it is a little bit thrilling. Or maybe it's the pleased smile on Skye's face or the brightness in her eyes that makes Jemma's heart race. Skye looks at her and grins and yeah, her heart is racing right now.

"Okay, we just need to find the current mission files…" Skye leans closer to the computer screen until she's practically cheek to cheek with Jemma. "Click…there." She points at the screen and her finger disappears through the monitor. "Damn it, I am so over this."

"Well, hopefully we'll find something pertinent and have you right as rain soon." Jemma assures Skye, following her directions and pulling up various files. "Ah, here we go."

Fitz comes to stand on Jemma's other side and she figures they all look pretty comical gathered around the small computer screen. Jemma's eyes scan the file quickly; there isn't much information collected about the team's mission to Shanghai to follow up on a lead about a potential Centipede lab. There's only one sentence that strikes Jemma as particularly important and relevant: Agent Skye Bradford, missing in action.

"Missing." Skye repeats softly, clearly having zeroed in on the same bit of information that drew Jemma's gaze. "I don't remember any of this. I don't even remember going to Shanghai, let alone being separated from the rest of the team and…" She trails off, her brow knitting. "I was on the South side of the building…they caught me by surprise…
Jemma shifts in her seat so that it's easier for her to face Skye. "Skye…"

"Missing in action probably means dead, right?" Skye mutters, ignoring her. "They just haven't found me yet. I'm definitely a ghost. Great."

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions." Jemma hopes that she sounds like someone who has a plan or some sort of proof that what Skye's saying isn't true. Because it's hard not to think that Skye's conclusion is the logical one. Aside from the fact that scientific proof involving ghosts doesn't exist. But Jemma isn't sure she's ready to hinge everything on that assumption.

"Why does that name sound so familiar?" Fitz questions in his just talking to myself over here voice that Jemma has grown very familiar with after all the time she's spent studying with him. His eyes are still scanning the file on the screen, clearly attempting to commit it all to memory. "Agent Coulson."

"He's the team leader." Skye supplies without any form of hesitation and Jemma relays the comment to Fitz. "He must be so worried…"

Jemma looks at Skye and the faraway look she has in her eyes and then glances over at Fitz. "Would you mind giving us a moment?" She questions with a polite smile. She's not sure if she's looking for privacy or just trying to avoid looking even crazier in front of Fitz by essentially having a conversation with herself.

Fitz just shakes his head but doesn't even bother to argue. When the door shuts behind him, Jemma suddenly finds herself feeling anxious, even though she's been around Skye plenty of times before. But it feels different now; everything will be different if what's happened to Skye is irreversible. Jemma doesn't like problems that she can't fix.

Without thinking, Jemma reaches out and takes Skye's hands in her own. As always, she's cold to the touch but it makes Jemma feel better holding onto her anyway. And Skye seems to feel the same, judging by the way that she gives Jemma's hands a squeeze and briefly links their fingers together. "Thanks for trying anyway." Skye mumbles, glancing down at their hands. "At least now we know."

"We don't know anything." Jemma argues and Skye looks up at her. "Missing doesn't mean anything. Well, other than missing, of course. We can't just give up. You can't just be a ghost."

Because if Skye's a ghost, then that's it. This is all that will ever exist between them. Jemma has no idea when she started hoping for a chance, for the possibility of meeting the real Skye when all of this was over but the realization that that's exactly what she wants seems to hit her like a ton of bricks. She's probably jumping the gun or thinking too much on things that don't matter or might not even be possible but Jemma refuses to let their possibility slip away.

For a moment Skye doesn't say anything. She just drops her gaze so that she's looking down at their hands again and how they're still clasped together, real and solid and connected. "I really hope you're right." She says softly.

"Well, if there's one thing I've learned from my instructors, it's that I'm always right." Jemma informs her with forced joviality. "Now, is there anything you can remember? Anything about what happened after you were in the building that might help us figure out where you are?"

It's easier to think and talk about Skye in the present tense; it's easier for Jemma to think about Skye as an objective, another question on an exam that needs answering. She doesn't want to let herself start believing that it's too late.

Skye closes her eyes, her face tense with concentration. "No…there's nothing. Nothing that seems real." She opens her eyes, meeting Jemma's gaze. "But this."

For a brief moment, Jemma thinks that Skye is talking about them and her mouth goes dry and she wonders if Skye might be sensing their grand and tenuous possibility. But then she realizes that Skye is talking about the fact that they're still holding hands and she's relieved that she didn't let something foolish slip out. "Oh, yes." Jemma says, suddenly feeling self conscious and she slips her hands free from Skye's and tries to make it look casual by tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "It is quite strange. Especially considering that you can't touch or hold anything else."

If this was some Katherine Heigl romantic comedy, that would probably mean something. But Jemma doubts that Sci-Tech is the ideal setting for any romantic comedy moments.

The fact that the door swings open and Fitz comes walking back inside before either Jemma or Skye can say anything more only reaffirms that suspicion. "I hate to interrupt…whatever is going on here," Fitz says, looking from Jemma to the empty expanse of the room, "but there is the matter of Professor Vaughn's exam to deal with. And you're still in your pajamas."

Jemma glances down at herself as though this truth has somehow escaped her attention. She is indeed still wearing her pajamas and the fact that the pants have pictures of playful kittens on them only seems to make things worse. She chases Fitz away with the promise of meeting him outside the building in twenty minutes and she quickly sets about putting together the day's outfit.

"I'm sorry, Skye." Jemma says apologetically as she opens the door to the adjoining bathroom. Sci-Tech is the only Academy that doesn't have communal bathrooms and the fact that the bathroom is barely a shoebox doesn't make Jemma any less grateful that she doesn't have to share the space with the rest of the floor. "We can continue to brainstorm after-"

"I know, after the exam. School comes first." Skye says, her tone slightly teasing. "I'll be here when you're done."

She's not and Jemma tries not to find that discouraging.

Even though it takes Jemma only seventeen minutes to join Fitz outside, he still looks at her like he's been waiting for ages. "Finally." Before Jemma can offer a retort to defend herself, he continues, "I remembered where I had heard Agent Coulson's name before. I overheard Professor Richards talking to Professor Hall and they said that Agent Coulson is going to be on campus later in the week. Apparently he wants to try out some new technology even though it hasn't been field-tested before." He looks pleased with his contribution to the growing strangeness that has become his life over the past few days.

Jemma grins and feels like this information is definitely important. Even if she's not entirely sure what to do with it yet.

When Skye finally reappears several hours later, Jemma doesn't waste any time before telling her about the information that Fitz passed along that morning. It's only after she delivers the news of Coulson's arrival in a burst of excitement that Jemma realizes that Skye doesn't look quite like herself. It's an odd thing to say, honestly, because she's only know Skye for a few days and it hasn't exactly been under the best of circumstances but there's still something different about her. For the first time, she's starting to look like the ghost that Skye seems to think that she is.

But Skye brightens when Jemma tells her about Coulson's impending visit and she even manages a smile. "Jemma, that's great. It's perfect. You have to talk to him."

Jemma looks at her quizzically. "And tell him what, exactly?"

Jemma is on her way to her next class and is acutely aware of people around her. She tries to keep her head down and her voice low in hopes that it's less obvious that she's talking to someone who can't be seen by her classmates. At the moment, however, talking to Skye seems more important than looking less than crazy in front of her peers.

"I don't know…tell him…everything, I don't care." Skye says with a shrug. "But you have to talk to him. He can help, I know that he can."

"But there's nothing that I can tell him, aside from that I can see you when clearly no one else can." Jemma protests. "That won't help anything and he'll probably ship me off to wherever they put the unbalanced Academy students."

Skye's brow knits and she worries her bottom lip between her teeth as she thinks. "We can't just not do anything." She mumbles. "I mean what are the odds of him showing up here anyway? You have to try. I need you, Jemma."

Jemma tries to keep her face expressionless even though her chest is filling with heat. She tries to remind herself that Skye is only saying those words because of whatever strange occurrence has made it possible for Jemma to see her. She'd be saying those words to someone else if things were different.

"I'll do my best, Skye." Jemma promises. "But perhaps if you can remember some details or information? Something substantial I could tell him."

"I'm trying." Skye says softly. "Most of the time there's nothing."

Jemma reaches for her hand, even though she's sure she looks absolutely ridiculous to anyone who spares her a passing glance. But that doesn't seem to matter.

Especially because, before too long, Skye is gone again. Jemma finds herself missing her presence more than she would have thought a few days ago, when having Skye hanging around was nothing but a distraction. Now it feels odd not to have her there and Jemma tries not to worry about what this all means. But that's easier said than done.

Most of the day goes by without Skye hanging around and even though most of her life has passed in this exact way, Jemma now feels like something is missing. That, more than worrying about Skye, makes her feel foolish. Talk about getting ahead of yourself. So she tries to chalk it all up to concern for Skye's well-being (assuming that they're not already too late and that Skye is a ghost after all) and leaves it at that.

Jemma is in her room, reading ahead for her neurochemistry class, when Skye reappears and she doesn't even realize that she's there until Skye starts speaking. "I think I'm in a basement. There's a tiny window and it just feels…damp."

Jemma jumps at the sound of her voice but her surprise is quickly replaced by a feeling of relief. She lifts her head from her textbook and Skye still has that strangely ghostly aura about her but at least she's here, so Jemma isn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"A basement." Jemma repeats, setting her book aside. "That's not really a lot to go on."

Skye rolls her eyes at her. "Cut me some slack, okay? It's not exactly like I was in the position to be taking notes as they were dragging me into the house."

She comes to sit down on the bed beside Jemma and Jemma shifts so she and Skye are face to face and the proximity makes her blood start to hum, though she doesn't know if that's a side effect of being close to Skye while she's in this incorporeal state or just a side effect of being close to Skye.

"You don't remember anything else?" Jemma presses gently.

Skye starts to shake her head but then she stops. "It's a big house, at least three stories. On the edge of the water. I remember smelling salt in the air when they were dragging me inside."

Even though she doubts she'll forget, Jemma grabs her notebook and scribbles down all these details. It makes her feel better to be actively doing something even if it's just cataloging information and taking notes. She's very good at taking notes.

Of course, the details from Skye's memory are written down on the same sheet as her notes about the composition of alien DNA so she's going to have to rewrite everything and she realizes this with a hint of annoyance. Skye glances over her shoulder at the words on the paper and arches an eyebrow. "So all of this really makes sense to you, huh?"

Jemma just smirks at her. "All that computer talk makes sense to you, doesn't it?" Most of the words that Skye had used that morning went right over her head but Skye's voice had been full of confidence and the self-assurance that came from a place of experience.

"Touché." Skye says with a smirk. "So what else do you like to do, Jemma Simmons? Other than homework and talking to invisible people, of course."

That's a question that Jemma can't readily answer. Since she got to the Academy, her entire life has been centered around her classes and research and assignments. Fitz is the only friend that she's made and that sort of happened by accident when they were paired during orientation. She hasn't made the effort to get to know any of her other classmates and she hasn't felt like she's missing out on the comradery that the other students seem to share. It's always been that way though; she lost herself in her work and studies because she couldn't seem to figure out how to bridge the gap between herself and her peers. It's different with Fitz because he seems to understand her in a way that people never have before; he understands the importance of studying and focusing on academics. But, for some reason, when Skye asks her about her other interests, Jemma is suddenly embarrassed to admit that she really doesn't have any. The focus of her life lies in her studies and learning how the world works. Everything else seems unimportant.

Except that's not entirely true; the past few days have changed that at least. Because helping Skye and figuring out what's happening to both of them has become just as important to her as all the rest of it. But Jemma can't very well give Skye that answer either.

So Jemma just blushes and shrugs her shoulders, ducking her head. "Oh, I don't know. My workload has been pretty intensive recently." She lies. "I haven't had much time for anything else."

"The burden of being a genius, huh?" Skye teases. She bumps Jemma's shoulder with her own and Jemma smiles. "You have a nice smile, you know?"

That doesn't really help with the pinkness in her cheeks. "Oh, well, thank you." She says because she can't think of anything particularly witty or smooth to say. No one has ever told her that before, especially no one that looked like Skye.

Skye just smiles at her like she knows a secret about her that even Jemma isn't privy to. Jemma wants to tell Skye that she has a nice smile too but the idea makes her tongue-tied and nervous so she just picks up her textbook and starts reading again. Skye makes herself comfortable on the bed, propping herself up with Jemma's pillows and, despite that weird hovering thing, she looks like she belongs there. That thought makes Jemma smile and she hopes Skye doesn't notice.