It took three helicopters to lift the entirety of the werewolf group. Everyone was fairly silent during the ride, swaying with the pitch and roll of the winds. Grant rocked and bumped the person sitting next to him.
"Sorry." He murmured.
Caleb just looked at him softly and squeezed his hand a bit. They had been like that since they sat down. Silent. Connected. The smaller hand thread about Caleb's as he looked over the group they had with them.
"So quiet." Caleb said just as softly with a touch of sadness.
He scanned his poor pack. Jenna was huddled against David. They were usually a talkative couple but not now. Steven had tucked himself into the far back corner and hidden beneath a baseball cap. Nathan was on the other plane with one group and Lisa had the last. Tama was directly across from him. All the younger and more volatile wolves were on this plane. He actually hadn't wanted Grant to be on this copter but on the other hand he needed him here. Even little Thomas, the over-excitable eight year old was docilely leaning against his other side.
"Are you ok?" Grant asked.
Caleb looked down. His hands were shaking. Badly.
"Nerves." He said.
Grant nodded sympathetically squeezing the fingers in his grip in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. Finally the birds touched down but Caleb got the feeling they were still high up. He didn't go to stand like Grant did.
"Come on." The agent tugged him lightly to his feet.
Thomas vacated his presence to run over and cling to Steven. The back hatch cracked open and Caleb walked to the forefront still clasping Grant's hand. They walked down the ramp and Caleb looked about blinking in the sun. They were still in the air. The other wolves got up slowly to follow.
"Come on." Grant repeated. "This is my team."
Caleb finally released his captive limb to shake hands. He was much friendlier in person.
"Good morning." Skye flushed lightly. The guy was quite the looker.
"This Skye, Fitz, Simmons, Agent Coulson. And May is probably on the ship."
"Or not." A hard voiced female came up behind them.
Grant didn't jump. He had heard her coming. "Or not. This would be May."
"Pleasure to meet you all." Caleb nodded his head.
The three trickles of people had rounded into a mass. They were the first large group of ordinary,not people to ever board the massive plane. One person stepped away from the other and set down little Thomas. The guy walked towards Caleb who watched him curiously. He pushed back his cap and let it fall to the deck revealing his face.
Coulson gasped. "Captain Rogers."
The man continued forward sternly and Coulson braced himself to be punched. He would deserved it. He had heard through the vine that Steve had had it rough when he had died. The Captain probably felt betrayed. The agent flinched under his gaze. His hero might be the one to kill him and he would be glad for it. The soldier walked right up to him. But instead of a blow two arms wrapped around the older, smaller Shield man.
"I smelled you on your agent. I don't need to know how you survived or why you didn't tell us but I'm damn glad you're alive." Steve said.
Coulson swallowed hard. Steve released him and went back to the group picking up the kid he had been holding.
Caleb just chuckled. "I guess I should have known you knew Cap'n Steven. He's the other one I was telling you about." The blue eyes met Grant's. "The other one with soldier eyes."
Grant huffed laughing a bit. "Shall we?" He gestured forward to the doorway littered with doctors and specialists.
Caleb nodded. The whole group moved in response to them. They stepped forward. And that is how werewolves stepped into the Shield program and how Caleb stepped into Grant's life.
A Year and a Half Later.
Pilot Wally Jennerson was a good worker. He flew when they told him, where they told him. He got a good pay and good benefits from Shield. That was why he was out flying a retrieval mission on Christmas Eve. He really wanted to be home with his family. His wife. Kathy. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him second only to his two little boys. Ryan, the eight year old and James, the five year old. Kathy would have to move all the presents without him tonight. At least he could get home before morning. He wasn't worried about it. His passenger was quiet and docile just like the weather on the way back was supposed to be.
"I'm really sorry about this."
The pilot didn't look back. They were headed toward a bit of weather and he didn't want it shifting on him.
"Hey don't worry about it." He responded.
The big passenger smiled sadly. "Still. You must have family somewhere and they're a hell of a lot more important than me."
"Sir, I've found that if you do what you're told, they'll getcha home on time." Wally grinned.
They pulled over the clouds and spotted the massive black platform of SHIELD's Helicarrier. On the deck there was the big black plane commonly called "the bus". There was motion everywhere. This place always swarmed like a broken ant hill. At one place it cleared for him to land and someone, one person only, stood still. He put down the helicopter and opened the door. A smaller dark haired agent was waiting, arms crossed and impatient.
"Merry Christmas!" He passenger waved hurriedly.
"You too." Wally said quietly.
There was no way the other would hear now. He was already sprinting off the side. His feet hit the deck and the other person started to move, running forward. They collided like magnets held apart for too long. The pilot smiled. He really didn't know how they did it but the whole long distance relationship thing worked for them. As for him, Kathy was waiting for him.