Avery

by Lalaith Quetzalli

-Part 2 of the Menel series- They called themselves Agents of SHIELD, but what was SHIELD anymore? They were the Protectors of the Earth... until the serpent revealed itself. When the end of the world they all know comes, the Family is all the Team will have, as long as the Coward and Traitor don't tear them apart before the beginning. (CA2 spoilers, MCU guests, crossovers implied)

5. The Beginning

The Finale is here! Or the Beginning... I guess it depends on how you wish to see it.

I'm so happy you liked my introduction of James into this crazy story. He's in for the long haul.

Here you'll see my own version of the series finale, with some serious changes. Some things are still being kept the same, either because it was easier that way, I liked the scene too much, or I need something from there for the future. I hope you'll like it anyway.

We have a cameo here from F&F, I have no actual plans of turning this into a true crossover with that franchise. I just needed someone to cover that part.

So... enjoy!

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Chapter 5. The Beginning

When Skye's stormy blue eyes opened again, 36 hours had passed since she'd last closed them. It was no longer evening, and she wasn't in the park. Instead she was back in the apartment she shared with the other girls. Though, not everything was as it should be: the second bed, instead of containing Jemma, had James on it, and Skye could sense one other person in the apartment: it was Darcy. Matter of fact, the three of them were the only people on the floor... which didn't actually surprise Skye, she may have spent she first 24 hours going through both her memories and James's while repairing his mind. After that she'd spent a few hours resting, but since her 'awakening' to her true self and power, Skye did not need much sleep as she used to, which meant she'd spent the last few hours seeing the past and the present.

It was really rotten luck, that so much had happened precisely when she was incapacitated, but there was nothing she could do to change the past.

The morning after the meeting with James, Clint had gotten a call from Natasha, who told him she needed his help in getting out of the country unnoticed by the authorities while she worked some things out (Skye had offered to create her a new identity, but after blowing all her covers, some things had come up, and Natasha claimed she needed to tie up some lose ends of her old covers before she was ready for a new one). Phil had given Clint the keys to the smaller of the two planes they had access to, the one FitzSimmons and Koenig had flown out of Providence (Eric had since disappeared, somewhere, with help from Maria Hill, none of them had asked), so he could get Natasha to Eastern Russia (she claimed she could handle things from there).

That same afternoon the extensive research the team was doing with the files they'd gotten from Cybertek paid of when they found a probable location for Garrett and the others: a barbershop in la Havana, Cuba. They knew Garrett would be moving at any moment after the break-in, so the team had decided to go ahead, even with smaller numbers. At the last minute they had decided to leave Darcy behind, as none but Phil actually trusted James not to kill Skye the moment he woke up, and even if Darcy's experience as an Agent wasn't as extensive as everyone else's, she was a good enough shot, and FitzSimmons were confident the reinforced ICER could take down even the Winter Soldier.

Things hadn't exactly gone according to plan. After they'd landed in the smaller airport in the area the team had had to split: May, Trip and Phil had gone in search of the Barbershop and Garrett, while FitzSimmons were sent to the main airport to see if they could find the Bus. Both found the places and things they were looking for, but not the people. On the first half of the team, Trip at least had managed to connect Skye's flash-drive to a computer in the place to activate the missing part of Skye's Trojan Horse, before a group of Centipede-Soldiers made their appearance. May and Phil had managed to keep up with them for a short time (Phil especially surprising the others) before May used the Berserker staff to bring the whole place down. FitzSimmons on the other hand... they had found the Bus, too far away from the Barbershop for the rest of the team to join them in time; the biggest problem was that Ward caught them there, forced them to board the Bus, and then, on Garrett's order, got rid of them, by dropping the med-pod the pair had taken refuge in after a scuffle.

The first thing Skye did upon getting control of herself, even while unconscious, was to get some help for Jemma and Leo, before dropping by to see them and inform them of the fact... which was probably a good idea, seeing as the pair were beginning to work on a plan of their own, of the last-resource, desperate kind, that quite possibly would have ended with one of them dead.

Menel appeared in the middle of what looked like a medpod (a wall, in fact), to find Jemma and Leo having a rather intense argument:

"No!" Jemma was saying in a passionate tone. "I'm not leaving you here! That's ridiculous. We need a new plan."

"We're not discussing it, okay?" Leo declared ignoring all her pleading as best he could, it was all for her, after all. "You're taking it, end of story." He hesitated a second before adding. "I couldn't live if you didn't..."

"Well, I feel the same way." Jemma insisted, not giving up. "There has to be another way."

"You're taking it." Leo pressed the small oxygen tank with barely enough for one breath into her trembling hands.

"Why? Why would you make me do this?" She cried. "You're my best friend in the world!"

"Yeah, and you're more than that, Jemma." He admitted with a sigh. "I know I haven't always been the best at showing it. We've been together for years and it's likely that if we hadn't been caught kissing by Coulson that one time, the team would have never known. I'm not the most demonstrative guy, but I love you, I hope you know that."

"I do know that." Jemma nodded quietly. "And I love you too Leo..."

"I... I'm no good at words..." He mumbled, one hand inside the pocket of his pants, holding tightly onto something. "So, please let me show you."

He embraced her then, whispering sweet nothings into her ear before trying to, surreptitiously, slip something in his hand into her pocket. He failed, as she moved just in time for the object to fall to the floor, just for her to pick it up a second later. It was a ring...

"Leo..." Jemma gasped as she straightened up, ring in hand.

He had no words. His plan was for her to find the ring until it was all said and done, once she was safe, not then, and certainly not when her life was still in danger.

"No!" Jemma cried her denial. "You're not leaving me with this and then giving up! I am not becoming a widow before I get the chance to be a bride!"

"Jemma..." Leo's voice broke slightly in his fear for her. "You need to understand there is no other option. Only one of us has a chance at getting out of here alive, and it's gotta be you..."

It looked like Jemma was preparing to fight that statement when Menel finally managed to become visible (if not actually tangible) right next to FitzSimmons, as soon as their attention was called to her, she jumped straight into the conversation.

"I would ask if you'd rather I come back later and all that..." She quipped before turning sober. "But considering the circumstances I think it would be best if we could focus on getting you out of here sooner rather than later."

"Can you do that?" Jemma asked, so full of hope.

"Not myself, not as I am right now." Menel admitted grimly. "I cannot do any magic in this form, and seeing how my body is still in California..." She shook her body. "But worry not, I talked to someone, he'll get you out of here and as close to the beach as he can. He won't be able to push you all the way to dry land, but your situation will still be much better. I promise." She smiled. "You will come out in Miami..."

"And how are we supposed to find you?" Leo asked, worried. "I left the tracker in the Bus, but Phil and the others were in Cuba..."

"I know, we've tracked the Bus to New Mexico, we're all rendezvousing there." Menel informed the couple with a smile.

"And what about us?" Leo insisted.

"Once you get to Miami, go to the harbor." Menel instructed. "There's a mechanic shop there, administered by a group of old acquaintances. Ask for Suki, tell her Skye sent you. She'll get you to where you need to be as fast as humanly possible."

"Does she have a plane?" Leo asked, confused.

"No, better." Menel answered with a mischievous smile.

There was no way she was explaining about racers and the speeds they were capable of going to Leo; he might get a stroke at the prospect and then where would they be?

"I gotta go now." She announced before more questions could be asked. "Stay safe."

Even as she disappeared she couldn't help but wonder what Leo's face would look like when he saw what they would be traveling in? Or after the trip itself? Maybe he would be so shocked at how they even got to the beach he wouldn't pay attention to that part. The brunette couldn't help but wonder which one would be more shocking in the end to him: Suki as a racer, or her big brother: Jörmungandr?

"Are you finally awake, Sleeping Beauty?" The masculine voice coming from the other bed pulled Skye back to reality in a second.

"I've been awake for a while, technically." Skye informed him as she began stretching a bit to wake up fully. "There were a few things that needed my attention." She sat up, turning to look straight at his friend. "What about you? How long have you been awake?

"And hour or two, haven't really been paying attention." He told her with a lazy stretch of his flesh-and blood arm, which he'd been laying on.

"And why are you on bed still then?" Skye couldn't believe it. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Your friend is out there." James explained. "I can practically sense her tension. I didn't think she would like to see me up and about when you were still unconscious."

Skye nodded half-absently as she got on her feet and began looking for some clothes, she was in serious need of a shower...

"I cannot believe I haven't asked this..." She murmured as she gathered her clothes, turning again to her friend. "How are you James?"

"Wonderful." He answered honestly, using an elbow to move up a bit. "My head is so blissfully clear... I hadn't felt like this since the war!"

"Since you fell from that train...?" She guessed.

"No..." James shook his head, fully sitting up. "Since that bastard, Zola, began those crazy experiments on me while me and my men were prisoners..."

Skye didn't know what else to say to that. Thankfully, she didn't have to, for right then the door opened, allowing Darcy inside.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Darcy cried out with obvious relieved joy. "Clint just called me..."

"He's coming to pick us up so we can join AC and the others in New Mexico." Skye finished for her. "The program worked, they tracked Garrett, and we need to move in now."

"Right..." Darcy blinked in shock at that. "How did you know?"

"I talked to AC a few minutes ago." Skye answered honestly. "Astral projection."

"Right..." Even though she knew about her friend's power, she still wasn't used to them. "So I supposed you know already about FitzSimmons as well..."

"You need not worry about them, they're fine." Skye told her.

"You know where they are!" Darcy realized.

"I know, I found someone who could get them out of the bottom of the ocean and then managed to leave a message to an old friend to pick them up in Miami and get them to New Mexico, even paid them a visit to let them know before Leo did something insane and suicidal in an attempt to save Jemma..." Skye enlisted.

Darcy was still in shock by the whole thing. She knew the God of Thunder, had for years, she even knew she was technically under his protection! And yet, the idea of one of his best friends, whom she'd known for so many years to be as human as she... for that friend so suddenly have such power, to be... something else. It still shocked Darcy.

"Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna take a shower before Clint arrives." Skye announced, taking her change of clothes and leaving for the bathroom.

In all the, rather odd, exchange, Darcy had completely forgotten to be afraid about the Winter Soldier. When Skye left the room, James was expecting the woman to snap at him, run away, or something, instead he saw her take a deep breath before she stared straight at him.

"I don't trust you." She stated straight out. "Though, seeing how I don't actually know you, that probably isn't surprising. However, I do know and trust Skye, and if she says you're alright I'm willing to give you a chance." She let out a breath before saying in an easier tone. "I imagine you'll want to take a shower yourself... There is another shower in this apartment and if you wait a little, there must be something from one of the boys that should fit you."

"Thank you..." James mumbled shyly.

He simply did not know what else to say. It was one thing for a girl like Natalia, who was being trained as an assassin herself, or for someone like Skye, all alone and living on the streets, to trust him... most would say they'd had no other choice. But for an intelligent, obviously strong, woman who, quite evidently knew who he was, what he had done, to trust him... he was being incredibly fortunate, he probably had been since he first met Skye... the more he thought about it, the more he thanked whatever instinct made him decide to save her that night. She had truly changed his life, and (he looked at the cuff on his arms, he knew instinctively what it meant) he had a feeling she would keep changing it for a very long time.

xXx

Skye got a call from Suki when she and the team were preparing to storm the Cybertek facility in New Mexico, hoping to end their problem with Garrett and Ward once and for all. The woman informed her that they were in Texas and would be in Santa Fe, New Mexico in a two or three hours (which made Skye stop and consider how fast they must have been traveling). The young woman thought she could actually hear Leo shouting imprecations against both Suki and her, though his accent had gotten so thick (probably with his fear) that it was impossible to understand most of what he was saying.

"Three hours?!" Trip blurted, slack jawed when he heard everything she had to say. "Weren't they in Miami just this morning?"

"Indeed." Skye couldn't help her own smirk as she at least half-explained. "Suki is a racer."

"Illegal street-racing." May was the first to understand. "You've been there."

"A few times." Skye nodded, unashamed. "At different points during my time in the system I got into the scene, either someone else in the family was a racer, or I began hanging out with people who were there. Never actually raced myself, didn't have the kind of money to get into it. But even just watching was good... and when we would run from the cops!"

"Is this the kind of conversation we should be listening to?" Clint teased her.

"Please..." Skye drawled. "Hanging out with racers and their bunnies is far, far low on the list of things that could get me in trouble with the law..."

The top of the list was actually a toss-up between the files faking connections she did not have to Stark Industries to get the full-scholarship in college, the mix of hacking and magic that made her identity of Astrid Avery an official SHIELD Agent (with people believing she'd been to the Academy and everything), and her heritage... it all depended on who you asked.

"It's good to know FitzSimmons are alright, and we'll be able to pick them up once this is all over." Phil declared, making everyone focus again. "Now we need to do our part. Everyone needs to be fully focused. We'll only get one shot at this, so let's go over the plan one more time to make sure we're clear on exactly what we're doing, okay? Trip, Clint, James and I will crest the ridge, use a noisemaker to grab a three-wheel, maybe something with more fireworks, and open a window for the girls." He turned to the other three. "You crawl in, grab the dealer, force his hand. He'll get us our ace in the hole, and..."

"Then Clint and Trip will make sure no one gets out, while you and James will go after Garrett." Skye continued, her attention fixed straight on Phil. "I will join you as soon as everything's under control with the dealer and the others, make sure none of them are liable to turning the tables on us. With their situations they shouldn't..."

"But it's still good to make sure." Phil finished for her.

"Roger that." Darcy and Clint called at the same time as they armed themselves.

"Makes it sound easy." Trip commented with a smile.

"Coulson, Skye, it's a solid plan you've mapped out, but it hinges on a gamble a big one." May couldn't help but be the one to remind them what was at stake.

"And backup isn't coming." Phil nodded.

Skye regretted that even with all the people with various abilities, sometimes even extraordinary abilities, that she met at one time or another, there just wasn't anyone she could call on for help. On the other hand, she'd been able to find help for FitzSimmons, that was something.

"It'll be just the seven of us." Phil went on. "We'll be outmanned and outgunned. But Fury always said a man can accomplish anything when he realizes he's a part of something bigger. A team of people who share that conviction can change the world. So, what do you say? You ready to change the world?"

Most of the people getting ready on the back of the small plane couldn't help but smile. Phil had always had the makings of a leader, the ability to motivate a group, make them believe the things he did, was no easy feat.

"No." May smirked as she cocked a gun. "I'm ready to kick some ass."

"That works, too." Phil agreed.

They all went to get ready for the landing then and, somehow, Phil and Skye ended alone. She was actually about to join Darcy, when AC stopped her.

"Skye..." He called softly, hesitantly.

"AC?" She turned to look at him over her shoulder in confusion. "Everything alright?"

"You..." He shook his head. "I..."

"You're not trying to get me to sit this one out, are you?" She asked, arching a brow as she turned fully to face him.

"No!" He shook his head. "I know better than that. I just... I know I cannot keep you from fighting, but I want you to be safe..."

Skye smiled softly at him before she got close enough and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"You cannot die." He said in a raspy voice, hugging her tightly. "You hear me?"

"Same goes to you." She replied with a nod. "No dying today."

She began pulling back and then, as if finding more bravery in him than he knew he was capable of, Phil pulled her back to him, kissing her full on the mouth. It was the first time he'd initiated one of their contacts, and Skye couldn't help but practically melt into it, into him.

Eventually they had to break the kiss to breathe, and even then it took Skye several seconds to fully regain her footing.

"We're having a long, serious conversation when this is all over." Phil announced in his most authoritative voice, breathless as he still was after the kiss.

"Roger that, AC." Skye answered cheekily.

She even went and stole one more quick kiss before forcing her body to pull away from him and turn to join the rest of the team. They had a job to do and a battle to win!

xXx

Things went pretty well for the first part. The men got a Humvee, opened a 'window' for the girls to get into the Manufacturing Facility, before attracting the attention of the Centipede Soldiers. May and Skye knocked guards out with an ICER before Darcy strolled right in, waving around a back-pack, supposedly filled with explosives. It was a ruse, the craziest one either of them had ever been a part of, but one the workers were sure to fall for.

"This is a bomb." Darcy announced flippantly as she waved the bag around. "You know what those do. You've seen Agent May here through the eyes of your super soldiers, so you know what she does; and even if you've never seen Agent Avery and myself... you would do well not to underestimate us..." She twirled in a show of craziness as she kept waving the supposed bomb around. "My point is, you don't want to mess with us."

"You're not gonna be able to hijack our soldiers." The dealer stated, trying to sound like someone who still had the control of the situation, even if he was the furthest from that. "We've thought through every emergency scenario, including this one."

"Don't tell me you just switched the soldiers to default directive." Skye drawled, arching a brow at the boss, her gun still ready.

"Yeah, I did." The man sound pretty satisfied with himself for a second, before he realized how wrong it was for the women to know that. "And how did you know about that?"

Unknown to everyone Skye was keeping an eye (so-to-speak) on the guys, with a mix of her 'remote viewing' and her connection to James. She knew when the soldiers went into their 'default directive', going to protect Garrett. Something AC and the Soldier took advantage of, following them, while Trip and Clint went to make sure Quinn and Raina wouldn't be able to escape, or anyone else who might be Hydra for that matter.

She also knew that was her cue to call Ward's attention, so without a word she took the dealer's phone and dialed:

"Hi, John." She called cheerily into the phone. "Just calling to catch up."

"Agent Astrid Avery..." He greeted her with what sounded half like surprise, half teasingly. "You sound different on the phone, huskier..."

"You curious why I'm calling from your soldier control center?" She challenged him, though still in a joking tone.

"No, I'm not too concerned." He replied unconcernedly. "You see, if anyone but the assigned handler gives a directive to one of my men... well, kaboom."

"Ah, darn it." She pretended to pout, as if they hadn't known that already, since they studied the first implanted eyes in fact. "Coulson didn't think of that. You outsmarted us again."

"Phil's around?" Garrett sounded hnestly glad by that. "Great. We actually have a lot to talk about." His voice turned almost sinister before he added. "Oh, and I wanted you to know your scientist friends they were brave until their last breath..."

"Ah... you mean FitzSimmons?" It wasn't part of the plan, but she just couldn't help herself. "I know how brave they are, though I'm sure Fitz will have all kind of inflated stories to make once they reached New Mexico in a couple of hours or so..."

"That's impossible." For the first time, Garrett was honestly surprised.

"Nothing is impossible for some of us." Skye said good-naturedly, before her voice turned to steel. "You have no idea who you've chosen to mess with."

With that, she hung up on him.

"I think that'll call his attention, alright." Darcy whistled in approval. "You certainly knew how to push his buttons girl."

"He was trying to push mine, telling me about FitzSimmons being 'brave to the end', the bastard." Skye hissed. "It was only fair." Her voice turned smoother in her satisfaction. "Now if Ward doesn't have the balls to come and get me on his own, Garrett will send him after me, to kill me just for angering him... men like him are so predictable."

"Sounds like you have previous experience." Darcy commented, a bit more worried than she wanted to appear in that moment.

"Some." Skye nodded calmly. "Never quite from this close, but still." She shook her head to return to the present. "Well, I must be going now."

With that the younger brunette slipped off her leather jacket, offering it to the older one, who had already pulled her hair into a tight ponytail.

"Are you ready for this?" Skye inquired.

"Completely." Darcy nodded, putting the jacket on. "You really think he'll mistake me for you? I mean, shouldn't he know you better?"

"When I first came back with the new identity he did not know me." Skye answered honestly. "Things haven't gotten much better since then. He refuses to see me as anything but the little, innocent, frightened girl he believes I was when he and AC first took me from my van in LA in September last year..."

"Little, innocent, frightened...?" Darcy parroted in disbelief. "Did he ever know you?!"

"Apparently not." Skye shrugged.

Without further ado, Skye turned her ponytail into a bun to prevent someone from using her long hair against her. Aside from that she was wearing a black skin-tight black thin-strapped top with equally tight black-leather leggings that disappeared into knee-high dark-leather boot. And over that she was wearing an off-the shoulder, long, loose sleeved dark-violet tunic that reached to the top of her thighs. Also, unknown to most she was wearing an aketon over the top, mithril-lined leather-and-mithril arm-guards under the sleeves of her tunic and finger-less dark leather gloves on her hands. She was also carrying her two handguns (one strapped to one thigh, the other on the small of her back) and half a dozen knives (both boots, her arm-guards, one of her thighs, and the longest one high on her back).

Every single Cybertek employee who happened to see Skye as she marched out of the offices and to meet with Phil and James couldn't help but gape at her; a reaction caused not only by her attire or the number of weapons she carried, but also for the way she carried herself. She was a Warrior Princess, and she knew it, and even those who didn't couldn't help but sense the power and the authority that laid inside her, and react to it.

Once Skye was gone Darcy adjusted the leather jacket a bit on her, Skye had a slimmer frame, so the jacket wasn't exactly a perfect fir, but it did not matter. Aside from that Darcy was wearing black jeans, low boots and a long sleeved dark-blue shirt.

"What are you people doing?" The dealer asked, in obvious confusion.

Darcy chose to ignore his question completely, taking a deep breath before getting back into character, she still had a part to play.

"I have to hit 'snooze' on this every minute to keep that from blowing." She announced in a non-chalant tone as she waved her phone around (which Skye had given to her, and its real use was so to keep a channel to Deathlok open for when the right moment came to use it) with one hand while signaling to the pack she and Skye had taped to the man (right after they secured him to the swiveling chair he'd been sitting on.

"Look, I will die before talking, but there's nothing to tell." He insisted. "There's no way of controlling the soldiers unless there's an actual handler at the machine."

"I'm not interested in that." Darcy surprised him with that statement. "I'm more interested in why you're willing to die for Hydra." She pulled back a bit. "Are you a true believer? Is Hydra the plucky little family you never had? Or are you here because of the Incentives program?"

The last part of the question only shocked the dealer more, but before she could push him further they were interrupted... pretty much as expected.

"She's not gonna kill you." Ward stated confidently as he entered the office. "She had a chance to kill me before and couldn't do it. And she hates me a lot."

"Me?" Darcy asked innocently as she spun around. "Oh, I think you have the wrong girl here, former Agent Grant Ward..."

"You're not Astrid..." He mumbled, freezing in shock.

"Really, I hadn't noticed..." She drawled, taking great pleasure in his reaction. "You know, I didn't actually believe her when she said that a ponytail and this jacket would be enough to make you think I was her, I mean, we look nothing alike!" She turned to the dealer. "Do you think we look anything alike?"

She wasn't actually expecting an answer, but by the expression of disbelief in the man's face, it was obvious he was as surprised as her by Ward's mistake. Really, Darcy had heard once that a lot of people sometimes could look the same from behind if they were wearing similar-enough attires, but it was ridiculous!

"I cannot believe because of you I'm losing the bet." Darcy muttered, annoyed.

They really had bet on whether Ward would recognize her (or at least that it wasn't Skye), the older woman hadn't thought he would be that bad. He claimed to be in love with Skye right?! How could he be in love with a girl when he couldn't even differentiate her from another simply because they were both brunettes and wearing a leather jacket?

"Who are you anyway?" Ward demanded, doing his best to push his confusion aside.

"Darcy Lewis S... and that's pretty much all you need to know on that front." Darcy told him in a flippant tone. "Agent is an old friend of mine, from the last time I was here in New Mexico, actually! After SHIELD sank... well, you can say that we are the kind of family that closes ranks when the situation gets tough, rather than running away or choosing the other side... unlike some people I could name."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Ward said in his most condescending tone.

"Please!" Darcy snorted. "If anyone is out of their depth here it's you." She shook her head. "But you know what, I'm not actually angry at you. No, I pity you. I feel sorry for you betraying the only people who gave you a chance at being a decent human being. Fitz... I haven't known that boy long, but he was a hero like you'll never be. Wanna know why? Because he still wanted to give you that chance, after everything... he still believed in you. You did not deserve that belief. And you proved that when you threw him and Simmons into the ocean."

"Skye said they were alright..." Ward mumbled.

"Of course!" Darcy retorted. "No thanks to you!" She shook her head. "Never thought I would say this, especially with the kind of people I've met in my life that made me think the exact opposite but... but maybe some people really are just born evil..."

"Yeah." Ward agreed. "Yeah, maybe they are." He stlked towards Darcy. "If you knew the things I know about... Astrid." He tried and failed to say her real name out-loud. "She and I aren't that different, you know?"

"You're not the evil I was referring to." Darcy pointed out with a smirk. "Though, if the shoe fits and all that I suppose..." She chuckled. "No, I was talking about John Garrett, he is evil. You... you're just weak, doing anything you're told, like a good little slave... Astrid had it right when she called you 'Traitor and Coward'." She paused briefly before continuing. "I wonder... if Garrett told you to walk into traffic, or to go and jump off a bridge, would you do it? I bet you would. I mean, you already joined an insane, psychotic, Nazi organization that intended to kill 20 million people just because!"

"You are right... there is a weakness inside me." Ward declared darkly. "A weakness your friend awoke in me. For the first time in a while, I wanted something for myself... Maybe I'll just take what I want... maybe I'll even wake up something inside of her. Where is she?"

"She's not afraid of you Ward, and neither am I." Darcy declared, approaching him. "And about where she is... that's none of your business. Lets just say, she has bigger fish to fry. You are such a nobody, she need not bother with you."

That proved to be a bit too much for Ward, who threw a punch at Darcy, not that it did much good, as she moved to a side to evade it before kneeing him in the stomach; then she jumped back a few feet to get away from his range.

"You cannot take me on, Lewis." Ward stated with obvious satisfaction. "Whatever connection you might have to SHIELD, it's obvious you're not a field Agent, whereas I'm a specialist. I can take you down, easily."

"Oh you are so wrong..." Darcy drawled. "My connections to SHIELD are irrelevant. If you knew who trained me you wouldn't be so egocentric as to believe you can take me." She snorted. "But as much as I would like to take you down, fast and hard, I did agree you were all hers..."

"Hers?" Ward wasn't expecting that. "Who?"

"Yeah." Darcy smiled predatory at him. "You ever heard the saying: 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'? Well, you're gonna experience that saying first hand..."

That was the cue, and before Ward could look any more stupid in his ignorance, a well-aimed kick from Melinda May threw him several feet away, and then their fight began.

The dealer was still watching the whole thing in a mix of confusion and shock when Darcy took a hold of him and began hauling him with her.

"You and I." She announced as they left the office by a different door. "We are gonna have a little talk about Incentives..."

xXx

Phil wasn't fully sure what surprised John most, the fact that Phil's punch was enough to make the other man stumble, or how fast Phil got up after Garrett returned the punch.

"I can see you have finally woken to the power inside you Phil..." Garrett declared in what sounded like an approving tone.

"You will never be able to understand what I've woken inside me, John." Phil replied.

"But of course I do!" John insisted. "We are the same Phil! Blood brothers The same power now runs through our veins..."

Phil shook his head but did not insist, he knew there was no way John could ever understand, Phil himself hadn't understood until very recently, when the last piece of his lost memory returned to him, the one that held all the answers, that connected his old life, with his new one:

Phil, a very different Phil than the one anyone might have known during his lifetime, but Phillip Coulson nonetheless, paced in a side of the majestic room that seemed to be paneled in the most exotic woods, precious metals and jewels decorating all around. There was a huge table on one side of the room, filled with all kinds of foods, the most delicious dishes from every world, every time, and all around the most beautiful women in the universe attended to those present. They were the Warriors, the Heroes, those who had done a feat so great in life, and who had died in battle, that their reward was to be there, in Valhala.

Phil was there, dressed in finery like nothing he had ever seen on Earth, styles and quality like he could have never been able to afford. But he cared little about that, about any of it. The clothes, the food, wine, even the women, they were of no relevance as far as he was concerned. More than once he'd been congratulated on being the first human in hundreds of years to achieve such an honor as reaching Valhala, but none of those who congratulated him understood that, for him, being there was not a reward, but a punishment, a curse. He had failed. His boss, his friend, had ordered him to stay, and he had been unable to do it, just like he'd been unable to stop the alien sociopathic sorcerer who had taken control over a number of his men, including someone Phil considered as precious as family.

Phil didn't even know for sure how long he'd been there. It was like time had somehow lost its meaning... or as if it changed somehow. There were moments when he was sure he'd been there for years, and others when he didn't think it could have been more than a day or two. It was way too confusing, especially for a man who had mostly lead a simple life.

Even working for SHIELD, some things had always been clear for him. He might not have been a very religious man, but he was pretty confident on what could be, and could not... even with insane things happening like Dr. Banner becoming a strange creature after a failed attempt at recreating the super-soldier serum, or Stark with his crazy flying eyesore of a metal suit. Then he'd been sent to New Mexico to supervise an operation, found what looked like a hammer, embedded in the sand, impossible for anyone to move... and then he'd witnessed someone (looked like a man, claimed to be a god) wielding it against a metallic monster at least three stories tall, capable of shooting fire from its helm!

Then, as if that hadn't been enough to shake anyone. Yet another so-called god, the warning that an alien invasion was coming, and he died only to end up in Valhala!

Phil had, therefore, no idea how long he'd been there when the woman approached him. She called his attention straight away, it was quite obvious she wasn't one of the Valkiries, she wasn't there to tend to the Warrior's needs, was one herself... and yet she was still different... more. He could see it in the way she carried herself, in the beautiful turquoise dress with the elegant armor on top. The woman was a Warrior, but she was also more than that, and she knew it.

"Are you not enjoying the celebrations, warrior?" She asked, standing beside him.

Phil took the glass of wine she offered him, if only to be polite, but once the question was asked, he couldn't help the honesty of his answer:

"I find little cause for celebration." He declared. "I am dead..."

"Indeed." She nodded. "And you perished doing such a deed, the Fates have seen fit to grant you as a recompense, entrance into Valhala..."

"Something that hadn't been granted to a human in centuries, I know, I've heard." Phil cut her off, almost annoyed. "I've heard it from many mouths in the time I've been here, however long or short it might have been. And while I know I should be honored... I can only see this as a curse. A reminder of the fact that I died, that I let people down, behind... I wasn't ready to go!"

"Hardly anyone who dies is ready for it." The woman pointed out. "And even less truly deserve it. You are one such case, I believe."

"Not like it changes anything." Phil snorted.

"Perhaps it may..."

Phil had no idea what she meant, but it was in that moment that he seemed to realize he hadn't the slightest idea who she was, and how rude it was that he hadn't even tried to introduce himself or even greet the woman properly, she wasn't as annoying as some of the others... and it never hurt to be polite.

"My apologies if I've offended you my lady." He declared respectfully. "But if you wish to enjoy your time here, I'm afraid I'm not the best of company. Ah! And my name is..."

"Phillip James, Son of Coul, I know." She finished for him.

The particular way in which she recited his name gave away her origins, and the fact that she knew anything about him began giving him an idea; though a part of him was sure there was no possible way it could be...

"I am Frigga, wife of Odin Allfather, mother of Thor and Loki, once Queen of Asgard."

Except it not only could be, it somehow was. The lady before him, to whom he'd been so bitterly complaining about his death, was the queen of the gods.

"My apologies my lady, if my comments have offended you in any way." He declared, adding a quick but deep bow to his words.

"Worry not, Son of Coul, you were just being honest, I find no fault in that." She assured him. "I truly do understand that sometimes one may not wish to depart the living just yet... even when one knows its for the best, even... especially for those being left behind..."

The former Agent of SHIELD wondered if she spoke from experience, it sounded like it, but he dare not ask.

"I did not imagine to see you here, my lady." He commented next. "Are you visiting someone?"

He'd read such a thing was possible, if only for the king and queen of Asgard, though it did not happen often (if ever it had).

"I am as much a resident of this realm as you are, Son of Coul." She told him honestly.

Phil wondered what exactly had happened, how and when things had gotten so bad; his mind couldn't comprehend a situation, short from the end of the world, that might explain a woman such as the queen of the gods dying in battle...

"Some things have happened, and some have yet to." Frigga declared cryptically. "As your sharp mind may have noticed already, time is of little consequence in a realm like Valhala. We exist outside of the known universe, of what is called the Nine Realms, in a separate dimension. There is one exception, though, the Convergence, when the walls separating the realms become so thin... like a semi-translucent curtain, or smoke even. And while the main event, the full connection, lasts barely a few hours, hours the time matters the same to everyone, and instead it is space that loses its significance, making travel between the 9 Realms very easy, and between dimensions... at least a little less complicated... There is another part to it. The Convergence is so huge, it takes months for every realm to settle into its rightful place, and during those months smaller connections are made, between Realms, and even between dimensions sometimes..."

"Why are you telling me this?" Phil asked, hesitantly.

He didn't think he understood, a small, the smallest glimmer of hope was beginning to grow inside him, but he refused to allow it to flourish until he knew for sure he and the queen were on the same page, otherwise there was no point.

"Do you know what an Eihenjar is?"

Phil pulled himself out of his memory right as John signaled half a dozen Centipede soldiers at him. He did not even bother raising his guard, there was no need, for right as they began moving two figures jumped on them, one on each side of Phil. They were James and Skye. The pseudo-super-soldiers were down in a matter of seconds.

"Damn man!" James muttered. "That wasn't even good for a warm-up." He pushed one of the fallen men with a foot in disdain. "Is this really what they're calling super-soldiers nowadays? Because if it is I'm so disappointed..."

"You may be a bit biased on that front James." Skye pointed out.

"Or very biased..." James corrected with a smirk. "Of course, no one could ever compare with my good man Steve!"

Phil was about to say something to stop their theatrics (funny as they might be, especially with how they seemed to unnerve John), he hadn't been around the two of them together for long, but it had already become obvious that they seemed to enjoy greatly teasing each other and playing games of oneupmanship (either fighting or making jokes, sometimes silly, incongruous, even outrageous ones). However, before he could speak, John did:

"What the he... you're the Winter Soldier!" He called to James. "You're Hydra, what are you doing with SHIELD?"

"Hydra might have enslaved me for the last... too many years, but I'm my own man again now." James announced with obvious satisfaction. "Thanks to my girl here." He signaled to Skye. "Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, friends call me Bucky... though of course you're no friend of mine! Ready to serve my country... and since right now that means kicking Hydra asses to kingdom come, I can say I'm greatly enjoying my job right now!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Garrett demanded. "You're supposed to be on our side?"

"Is he deaf or just slow?" James asked Skye in a conspiratorial manner, though loud enough for everyone to hear him.

Furious, Garret pulled out his gun, shooting at the pair several times. Skye managed to evade two bullets, and before the third could hit her James was there, using his metallic arm to deflect it (he too had dodged a few shots). When he was about to fire the seventh shot, a bullet went through his own hand, forcing him to drop his gun in the process. The wound itself healed fairly quickly, as did the half dozen caused by more shots fired by Phil as he forced Garrett to back away from James and Skye.

"I am your opponent John." Phil stated as he dropped his gun, knowing it would be useless for that confrontation. "So, if you're so sure of yourself. Fight me!"

"But I don't want to fight you Phil!" Garrett insisted as he straightened up again. "I told you already. I don't understand why you're even trying to stop me. We should be on the same side. We're the same!" His eyes were wide, pupils dilated, looking as crazy as he sounded. "You must have seen the big picture, the big bang, the timeless frozen ocean... everything is connected, you and I know it. And through this connection, we've become something greater..." He let out an almost maniacal cackle. "It's like that speech Nick liked so much to give, about how one man can accomplish anything once he realizes he can be something bigger... Well, now I am!"

"A part of something bigger!" Phil corrected with a snap.

"Did he go all cucko because he misunderstood a speech spirits-know how long ago?" Skye asked in absolute disbelief.

"I think he was already insane." James offered. "I mean, only insane people join Hydra... or, you know, those that are being put through electro-shocks and frozen every so often!"

"I'm the origin of all things..." Garrett went on.

"Can we put him down now?" Skye asked to Phil. "Because he really is missing more than a few screws and I really, really hope insanity isn't contagious!"

Phil rolled his eyes but did not answer, instead focusing on John. He had considered making the fight more physical, but his 'old friend' seemed to have no interest in such a thing, so Phil decided to hold back, thinking it might be best not to reveal everything about himself until they had no other choice, after all, he was quite sure that if he really tried he would be stronger than even Garrett, but that wasn't something the traitor needed to know.

"You may have been able to take down the other soldiers, but they were just incomplete versions of us, the real soldiers." He signaled to Mr. Peterson and himself. "You will not be able to take down a real Deathlok as easily."

"We are not here to take Mr. Peterson down, only you." Skye informed him matter-of-factly.

"That's not going to stop him from taking you down." Garrett pointed out, almost with glee.

At a signal from him Mike raised an arm, weapon at the ready, aiming at Skye, who did not even flinch, standing tall and proud.

"You seem strangely unafraid Miss Avery..." John Garrett commented, trying his best to sound confident, though Astrid's nonchalance unnerved him.

"Oh, that's because I have nothing to fear." Skye said unconcernedly, before turning to look straight at Mike. "We're on the same side, Mike."

Only Skye noticed the minute change in the way Mike stood, right then; she could only hope it meant that Darcy had suceeded with her side of the mission: she had gotten the 'Ace in the hole', and notified Mike of that fact...

Her hopes, and pretty much the final success of their insane plan were proved when Mike changed targets, firing on Garrett before he even had a chance to try and stop him.

The attack blew Garrett back several feet, making him crash against a wall; there were also several severe burns on what skin could be seen.

"You can't do this, Mike." He called, trying to sound authoritative and only managing to sound increasingly desperate. "I order you to stand down! You must obey me! You need me to translate the words of creation..."

His words were useless, and Mike kept moving against him, while the other three did nothing to stop the man, help Garrett, or anything really.

"You don't want to do this, Mike." Garrett turned to his friend for mercy. "Tell him, Phil! Tell him to have mercy on me!"

"Mercy?" Skye and James snorted at the same time.

"The same mercy you took on Skye when you ordered Ian Quinn to shoot her in the stomach, twice, all so you could gain access to a highly classified drug?" Phil challenged in a freezing tone. "All because you were a coward, afraid to face your own mortality, your death..."

"You say that, but you are here as well Phil." Garrett still tried to convince him. "You were returned to life as well!"

"I wasn't afraid to die!" Phil snapped back. "When I went against Loki on the helicarrier, I knew how that confrontation was most likely to end, but I did so anyway, because someone had to, and I was willing to die to protect the innocents, like we all swore to do when we joined SHIELD. But that is something you never understood, and never will, because it's impossible for you to think on anyone other than yourself."

"It's also why you don't know the meaning of words like loyalty, compassion, or mercy..." Skye added. "So how can you ask for a thing you don't truly know?"

"Hydra doesn't know the meaning of those words, at all." James hissed.

"Mr. Peterson's free to do whatever he wants." Phil added for good measure.

One more hit was really al it took, John Garrett, the original Deathlok, wasn't getting up again, or at least that was what they all hoped.

xXx

Things went relatively easy after that. Darcy had released all the prisoners of the 'Incentives Program', which immediately turned most Cybertek workers to their side. With their help it was easy to round the remaining Centipede Soldiers without risk, as the dealer gave them orders not to attack, and eventually the effects of the latest dose of drugs would run out; once the implants were taken they would be just men (and most of them were innocent too!). Darcy closed her participation releasing the high-ranking soldiers that Ward had locked up after Garrett murdered a seventh; then, making use of everything she had learnt in Poli-Sci she was able to convince the men that she and her team were SHIELD, and still the good guys, taking down all who were Hydra (hopefully that would make things easier with future missions, which she just knew there would be, no matter what anyone else had said before). Clint and Trip arrived shortly afterwards with an unconscious Raina and a slightly-beat-up Quinn, who had tried, and failed, to escape. May took Ward in, with some injuries and a broken larynx. Phil spoke to the military after Darcy had, making sure to confirm everything and supervise the end of the mission.

Meanwhile, James and Skye watched Mike Peterson walked away. Skye had tried to convince the man to stay, to go to his son, but he refused, stating he needed to make amends, for his son if not for himself. James understood.

"You don't have to stay either, you know?" Skye told her old friend quietly after Mike had vanished among the trees.

"Yes I do." He insisted, lightly fingering his cuff.

"That won't stop working if you leave my side." She insisted. "We might be connected because of what I did to save you, but you are not my slave James..."

"I know." He assured her. "I actually considered leaving, after this mission was over."

"But..." She really didn't understand.

"You're going after Hydra, more of Hydra I mean." James explained. "I know that. What better way to make amends than to help bring down those who used me for so many years? Besides, who knows? Maybe when all my memories finish sorting out themselves I'll even have some more information on targets and such to contribute..."

He had so many memories, after so many years; but even after the things Skye had done to help save him, most of those memories were scrambled, in the wrong order, some pieces mixed up. It would take a while for him to be able to recall everything the right way; hopefully when he did those memories would actually help, bring something good, rather than just the memories of every person he'd killed for Hydra.

Having solved that matter the pair returned to the main building, where the team was finishing the last details. May and Phil were just about to surrender Ward to the military, waiting just outside, he would be the last prisoner to be taken (they already had Quinn and Raina, along with a reliable list of their crimes), all that was left with them in the room was John Garrett's corpse, which had been placed inside a white box for transportation.

"Well... it seems like we actually missed the party." It was none other than Nick Fury.

Everyone was so shocked by Fury's appearance no one said a word, not even when Maria Hill and Victoria Hand (looking a little worse for wear, but still standing tall and proud) followed him into the room.

"Really." Nick went on dramatically. "I cross the country from one end to the other, looking for you, to make sure you haven't gotten yourself killed... again... and this is what I find?"

"One would almost say you were expecting me to die without your help Nick." Phil drawled, before his voice turned cold. "And talking about dying... we need to have a very, very serious conversation about that... about TAHITI..."

"I know we do." Nick admitted. "And you have the right to say whatever is on your mind... but right now I'm more interested in how you handled everything around here."

Phil's mind, as well as May's, were working a mile a minute. They knew how huge it was that the team had managed to do everything with no other back-up, and they also had a pretty good idea of how Fury was going to react to the backup they had... they never got the chance to make any plans to stop Fury from discovering everything though, as they could all hear Skye's enthusiastic voice right then as she entered from behind them.

"It's done AC!" She called brightly. "All Centipede soldiers are on their way to getting detox, our military friends can then root out the truly bad ones from those who were just blackmailed and threatened into joining the program. Mike's gone now, but he says he just wants to help... I will keep trying to convince him to go back to his son, maybe one day it'll work, hopefully... James says he wants to stick around, help us kick some more Hydra asses and..."

Her tirade cut-off abruptly when she finally laid eyes on the people in the room, especially the Director (or was it former Director) of SHIELD and the two women behind him. She was still trying to process what their presence their might mean when she became aware of the change in their body-language, and the tension coming from beside her gave the reason right away. Skye didn't even stop to think about it, she simply reacted, pulling her electric gun and black knife from the holsters on her thighs before swiftly moving to cover her old friend.

Twin shots came from the women behind Fury (ICERS, thankfully), one which she deflected with the blade of her knife, the other she caught on her forearm, the armguard beneath her sleeve protecting her from the dendrotoxin. Fury had just raised his own gun (with actual bullets) when it was shot straight out of his hand by none other than Phil himself.

"Nobody move!" He ordered in his strongest voice.

And if that hadn't been enough to shock the new arrivals, the way the team closed ranks around Skye and James, certainly did.

"You cannot be protecting..." Maria Hill cut herself off in disbelief. "The Winter Soldier is an assassin! A menace!"

"That might be, but James Buchanan Barnes is a hero, and deserves to be helped." Phil replied.

"Not this again..." Victoria grunted. "First you help that disrespectful brat from the Rising Tide, and now you're helping known Hydra members?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance." Phil tried to reason with them.

"The Captain tried that, almost got himself killed." Fury pointed out, trying to make the memory of his old hero make Phil reconsider.

"Yet he survived." Phil pointed out.

"How do you...?" No one expected him, them, to know that yet.

"Did he tell you who it was that 'fished' him out of the water?" Phil went on, before stopping to ponder on the matter a little and turning slightly to James. "Does he even know?"

"He knows, or suspects at least..." James answered honestly. "I'm not quite sure. After what happened in that helicarrier I didn't dare go looking for him; wasn't sure how I might act, what his presence or his words might end up triggering. I knew I had to leave before I lost control completely. It was then that I decided to find the Little Cloud."

"Please!" Hill called in disbelief. "You cannot tell me you believe that."

"The man is an assassin, a danger to the whole world." Victoria began in a rather vicious tone. "All the people he has killed."

"Are all the people Hydra made him kill!" Skye called, voice rising over Victoria, making her stop. "It's not James's fault that Hydra infiltrated SHIELD and none of you noticed, or that that bastard Alexander Pierce was a worse monster than the one who created Frankenstein..."

"What do you even know about any of this, Avery?" Both women demanded at the same time.

"Astrid..." Phil murmured quietly, warningly.

She could sense by his tone and his stance that he wasn't against her words, he just wanted her to be careful, not to put herself at risk. And yet, Skye couldn't help but think maybe it was time she did exactly that. She had taken a moment when she was walking by Ward to use a bit of magic and... sort of scratch him from her 'trusted family' list, which automatically activated the magical protection from her father, making him forget anything Grant Ward might have ever known about her true heritage, her parents, her powers. And in any case, Phil had been standing up for her for months, since he first decided to give her a chance to join the team, maybe it was time she stood up for him as well...

"I know everything about this." She announced as she stepped out of the protective circle of her team, her family. "More than any of you do, I would bet."

"And how would that be?" Fury asked, honestly curious.

"Because while you may know me as Agent Astrid Avery... that's not all I am, that's not all I've been..." Letting out a breath she let her hair down and pulled her sunglasses off at the same time she dropped just enough of the spell for those who had met her before to recognize her (and to make them believe that had been her disguise). "I know all about AC... Agent Coulson's second chances, because he gave me one..." She fixed her eyes straight on Hand. "You hated me on sight when we first met, you even did everything you could to kick me off the team. But that's alright, you had more than enough reason to doubt me. I would hope my attempts to keep you safe recently would have shown you there is more to me than the Rising Tide hacker that got into your systems. And really, most of the time I did that wasn't even to hurt you!"

"For all we knew you could have been Hydra." Hand defended her actions, even as she couldn't help but touch her strapped ribs.

"But I wasn't." Skye replied calmly.

No she wasn't, and in that moment Victoria Hand knew, with a clarity she'd never experienced before, that if it hadn't been for her, for that girl she'd so pushed down, she wouldn't be alive in that moment. The Senior Agent owed her life to a girl she had never given a chance... who had saved her (and not just her), who had even been there at all, because one day Phil Coulson thought to give her a chance...

"You are the consultant Skye?" Fury wanted to clarify.

"I am." The blue-eyed nodded.

"You were reported dead on December." Fury eyed Phil and the rest of the team suspiciously. "And then you came back, with a brand new name... and the files claim you even went to the Academy! Agent Astrid Avery..."

"Yeah well, SHIELD has never exactly had a reliable tech team..." Darcy snorted from behind. "Remember how... Tony keeps hacking you all the time?"

"And you were too busy going off-grid to pay attention to what was going on." Clint added for good measure. "Never there when you were needed."

He remembered what Phil had told him, about desperately trying to locate Fury when Skye was shot, only to be told he was off-grid. And that hadn't been the only time even!

"Going back to the dead girl being alive." Fury commented.

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Phil declared flippantly. "It would have been as easy as sending her to TAHITI for some R&R, wouldn't it?"

Maria Hill actually flinched at that, but Nick's eyes only narrowed, he wasn't giving up that easily. The only one who didn't seem to understand, at all, was Victoria Hand.

"You would never do that." Fury stated after what seemed like forever, completely confident of his assessment.

"No, I wouldn't." Phil agreed as he stood beside Skye. "Which was kind of the point, actually."

"He didn't need to." Skye declared, deciding to give just a little more, as much as Maria Hill already knew. "I manifested." She opened her left palm, making the knife float and twirl over it.

"Telekinetic..." Hand murmured in disbelief. "But I thought psychics were not real..."

"Yeah... not quite." With a wave of her hand Skye sent both of her weapons to their sheaths.

"Show-off..." Darcy and Clint snorted from behind her.

"That's not all you can do." Hill pointed out.

"No, it's not." Skye admitted, but did not volunteer more. "We don't know what all I can do. But a part of that included allowing me to survive after Ian Quinn shot me in Italy. It took hours for me to recover enough to even wake up, but I did. Still, it wasn't like we could explain my recovery..."

"There was also the fact that a preliminary interrogation of Quinn had revealed that he had shot Skye on orders from the Clairvoyant, whom we now know was John Garrett." May offered from behind them. "It was believed that Phil would never let a member of his team die, and to save them he would find out how he was saved, and use that to save Skye..."

"We only came to realize that later on." Phil added. "After Nash was killed, when Skye and I realized that the Clairvoyant wasn't psychic at all, he was a SHIELD Agent with high security clearance." His expression turned to stone as he looked at Nick and added. "He planned that move, shooting Skye, to find out how I survived since you didn't leave any trace of what you did. Not that it would have ever been enough for him..."

"He still found a way to replicate the drug." Hand pointed out, as she signaled to the white box that contained Garrett's corpse.

"That wasn't on us." Trip defended the team.

"No, it wasn't." Fury agreed. "That still does not explain how the Winter Soldier fits in all this."

"Not the Winter Soldier, James." Phil clarified.

"He's an old friend of mine." Skye decided to go with the truth. "Met him when I was seventeen, living on the streets after running away from my last foster family. He saved me one night, taught me to protect myself. After a month he was given the order to kill me, we'd become too close, and I was a liability. He refused to do it. I convinced him to run..." She shook her head. "It was a fool's errand, but we still tried. We went for the Canadian border, never made it through. We were found. James sent me away before the men after him caught us. I ended in a river and eventually somewhere in North New York, from where I kept moving." She shook her head, there was no need to give everyone her 'sob story'. "A few days ago he left me a coded message. He needed my help. We met, I managed to help him through his triggers and mental breakdowns, and then he decided to stay and help us bring Hydra down."

It was probably a rather insane way of summarizing everything that had happened, but it wasn't like they needed to know the rest.

"He's not Hydra anymore." Skye stated in her strongest voice, her eyes staring straight into where she knew Fury's were, despite the sunglasses he wore. "He only stayed because he wanted to help, help me, because we're friends. I won't let you hurt him for what Hydra made him do!"

Fury didn't respond to that, instead he just observed. He could see the way everyone in the team backed up the young woman's stance, agreed with her words, the way they all protected the man they should have been cowering from. It confirmed two things as far as Nick was concerned: he would never understand that team, and he was getting way too old to deal with the insanity Phil seemed to create everywhere he went! It had begun with Tony Stark's 'I am Iron-Man', continued with a hammer of all things falling from the sky, and it obviously hadn't ended with his death! It also confirmed Nick that he was making the right choice, all that was left wa to inform Phil of it... and listen to him rant about Project TAHITI.

"You do realize that the Captain will come looking for his friend sooner or later, right?" He asked eventually, looking at all of them.

"I know." Skye agreed. "Friends and family are always welcome."

They were, on both fronts, and they were no longer just a team, they hadn't been for a long while. It made Grant Ward (waiting in the back, watching the team, what had once been his team, defend a man so intensely...) wonder, if only briefly, what his life would be like if he had chosen a different path. Would they have defended him with the same passion? Would Skye have given him a chance? Probably no to the second, he could see there was something in the way she and Phil stood together, like they were equals, despite the huge differences in their pasts and their experiences. Still, a part of him couldn't help but believe (maybe hope) they would have defended him, if he'd just given them the chance. If he'd chosen them.

Grant Ward stood by John Garrett because the man had once saved his life, given him a new one. At a time when Ward was so sure his life had ended, that he had no future, no hope... and what had that given him? Maybe for a while it had seemed worth it. Truth be told, until he met Agent Coulson and the team he formed he never imagined a different choice, never until he met Skye did he imagine someone being more important than his almost-father... For a time he could almost forget that the life he was living wasn't real, that one day he would have to give it all up, betray them all. He knew he could have gone to Phil, the man would have given him a chance. Hadn't he seen him do that before? For Skye, Dr. Franklin Hall, Akela Amador... Grant was sure there had been others, even if he couldn't actually remember them. Yes, Coulson would have given him a chance... but it was too late to think about that. He had made his choices, and the consequences were right there. He was standing alone, waiting to be taken in for interrogation, and then imprisonment. He couldn't help but wonder if that had been his destiny all along, since he set fire on the house with his big brother still inside when he was sixteen...

xXx

After the rather tense stand-off, other decisions were much easier to make. The group decided to go to the old SHIELD facility in New Mexico (abandoned since Dr. Jane Foster had gone to England the late the previous year), it was actually where the Bus was parked, and where Suki was dropping FitzSimmons off; though she wasn't told anything about SHIELD, only that it was important and classified (she apparently had previous experience with that).

Right as they had been about to leave the Cybertek facilities Hand had insisted that there was no need to keep Garrett's body; it could even be dangerous, considering all the experiments he'd been through, the drugs that ran in his veins, what if Hydra recovered the body and found out something to use against SHIELD or humanity as a whole? So, by popular decision, they'd burnt the body before leaving.

Finally, the so-awaited conversation between Phil and Fury had somehow ended up including everyone; or at least with everyone as witnesses. No one said a word to question it, they simply stayed where they were.

Phil didn't wait long to begin his tirade, he actually started almost as soon as everyone stopped moving (either sitting down or just out of the way):

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, and cruel, and very stupid!" He practically snapped.

Skye felt like laughing (and she was almost completely sure she wasn't the only one), but she didn't dare to, not because of Phil, as she was sure he wouldn't mind (he probably was expecting it, to a point), but Nick Fury was a whole other matter.

"I think you've made your point." Fury muttered dryly.

"Why bring me back in the first place?" Phil asked, he of course knew the other side of things, but he still needed to ask. "Clearly, I didn't think it was the best idea. I warned you about people losing their minds."

He really worried about that, even with Lady Frigga helping him, what if it hadn't been enough? Just considering everything he had forgotten...

"Agent May was on top of the situation." Fury answered promptly.

May nodded from her spot against a wall.

"She says you're fine." Fury went on, then added, almost as a challenge. "Aren't you?" He shook his head. "It was a 'break glass in case of emergency' situation."

"Yes, but that emergency was supposed to be the fall of an Avenger." Phil insisted.

"Exactly."

The moment the word left Nick's lips Skye couldn't help the smile from blossoming; and she could see the reaction mimicked by practically every single person present. From the first day she (all of them, really) met him she had known he was a great man, one of a kind... it made her happy that others realized the same, especially someone who Phil held in such high esteem, and that he was willing to go to such lengths to bring him back...

"And I'm damn glad I did it, too." Fury added. "When you want to build something, you need a strong foundation." He lent forward on the chair he'd commandeered, staring straight at Phil through his eyeglasses. "Now, you know how few people I trust, Coulson."

"You can count them on one hand." Phil answered almost automatically.

"And I'm not afraid to cut off fingers." Fury reminded him. "The principle S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded upon was pure..."

"Protection." Several of those present finished almost automatically.

"Protection, one word." Fury agreed, nodding at everyone. "Sometimes, to protect one man from himself, other times, to protect the planet against an alien invasion from another universe..." There was a snort from someone, but Fury ignored it. "It's a broad job description."

"No need to tell me." Phil really didn't need him to, he knew enough, more than Nick would ever be able to realize, in fact.

"But the belief that drives us all is the same, whether it's one man or all mankind." Fury went on.

"That they're worth saving." Once again the end of the statement came from several voices around the room at the same time.

"That truth lives inside you, Coulson." Fury stated in an almost solemn tone. "Before it was torn apart, S.H.I.E.L.D. was a lot of moving parts. Guys like you were the heart..." The man got on his feet at the same time he pulled a small black cube out of his jacket, offering it to Phil. "Now you'll be the head..."

Skye froze, and she wasn't the only one. Suddenly it made perfect sense for them all to be present for that 'conversation'. It had never been about Phil's 'revival', no, it was about his promotion...

The clapping, whistles and congratulations didn't wait. Everyone seemed to be delighted by the prospect of, not only SHIELD rising again, but Phil leading it. When the man actually turned to look around, searching for their reactions, they each nodded, they would be delighted to follow him, to become part of the new SHIELD...

And that reminded SHIELD of the little box in his hand...

"What is it?" He asked Nick.

"A toolbox to help you build it back up." Fury answered.

"You want me to start over, rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D from scratch..." Phil still seemed quite shocked at the whole idea.

"Take your time and do it right." Fury recommended. "And I'm sure everyone present will do their best to have your back, aid you as best they can."

All kind of nods and affirmative responses were heard around the room; there had never been a doubt about it.

"There's no one else I trust with this." Fury assured Phil.

"Thank you, sir." Phil couldn't help but straighten up in pride. "How do you..." He corrected himself. "How should I proceed?"

"That's up to you Director." Fury stated with a smirk before turning to leave.

"And you, sir where are you heading now?" May called as the ramp was opened for his exit.

"Well, I'm trading in my bird's-eye view for two solid feet on the ground." Fury announced. "This is the last time you'll be seeing me for a stretch."

"You're gonna disappear, nowhere to be found." Darcy commented, brow arched.

"Nowhere?" Nick actually chuckled at that. "You know me better than that, Phil." He moved his eyeglasses enough to show both eyes. "I'll be everywhere."

"I'll be leaving too." Hill announced right then, calling everyone's attention to her.

"I thought you would be staying." May admitted, confused, before turning to Victoria. "Will you be leaving as well, then?"

"No, I will be staying." Victoria nodded respectfully at Phil. "At least if the Director allows..."

"I would be very glad for your assistance in this Agent Hand." Phil nodded with a smile, before turning to the other woman. "Maria..."

"I work for Stark Industries now." Maria reminded him. "And it's better this way. Fury and I, we're the most public faces of SHIELD, with Fury supposedly dead and me visibly in SI, you should have less trouble slipping through the cracks as you take care of Hydra."

Phil couldn't help but agree.

"I'm sure if you find a way to let other people know of your intentions, loyal Agents will come forward, willing to serve." Maria assured him.

"I'm sure we can find a way to do that." Phil nodded.

Standing closest to him (something that had become almost instinctive recently), Skye nodded. She would find a way.

They might not be sure of a lot of things yet, but at least a plan had been drawn, goals set: Recover from the recent battle, Rebuild SHIELD together, and take Hydra down. It wouldn't be done quickly, in fact, it probably would take them years, but they were all quite willing to work on doing what was right. Regardless of how Hydra might have taken them by surprise, might have even won some of the battles... they would win the war...

xXx

The team were on the air fifteen minutes after Nick Fury and Maria Hill were gone; and they had a route shortly afterwards, when Phil opened the 'toolbox' as Fury had dubbed it, to find a number of things, beginning with a set of coordinates.

The group then came together again, to congratulate Phil, assure him they would be right there to help. Skye was already working on a way to find more people. It was a bit complicated. She had sent a question on every SHIELD channel; the answer would tell her if that person was loyal to Hydra or to them. If it was the first that information would join the growing database created by the Trojan Horse on Cybertek systems; if it was the second they would receive a second question. Through a handful of those Skye intended to determine not only the loyalties of the individuals, but also their willingness to return to service and to work to take down Hydra (and to not turn them in to the military). It was complicated, and would probably take a while, but she also hoped it would lessen the chance of them bringing another traitor into their midst. They had a war to win and no time to deal with such people, such situations.

While they were at it, the team also got the chance to celebrate Jemma's and Leo's engagement. The young biochem was practically glowing in delight as she showed off the simple but striking ring on her finger. No one knew for sure how long the two had been together, but if there was a couple that definitely deserved to be together, and happy, it was them.

"You know, for the longest time it's been SHIELD policy not to allow couples to work together." Victoria Hand's comment interrupted the celebration.

"What?!" No one was expecting that.

"It is dangerous." Victoria tried to explain. "If an Agent is working with family, or worst, with a significant other, they become compromised. They cannot be trusted to make the hard decisions, because their priority is always the one they love, rather than the mission."

"It's not like it changes much, we are a family." Skye shrugged.

"Exactly." Victoria nodded. "You are already all compromised, and..."

"That's enough." Phil interrupted in a kind but strong tone. "I understand where you're coming from Agent Hand. But even if that was SHIELD's policy, it is not mine. We've seen where old policies have taken the organization. People working together, towards goals, for missions, but never truly connecting to each other. Hundreds of acquaintances, but very few friendships. Maybe it's time to see what happens when things are done differently." He focused straight on her. "I know you believe working with family rather than just colleagues is dangerous. But this team, this family... they rescued me, less than 72 hours after I was taken by Raina."

"They were more focused on saving you than on taking down Centipede and its labs." Victoria couldn't help but point out.

"But they gave you the information so you could do that, didn't they?" Phil asked in return. "And I cannot say I'm angry about being saved." He shook his head. "You say as a family they cannot focus on the mission. But it has happened already. In Italy. One by one we all fell from that train, until only Fitz and Skye were left. They weren't field agents, and still they chose to push forward. It was thanks to them that we got Quinn that day, that we learnt of his connection to Cybertek, and of Deathlok..."

"And your Agent almost died." Victoria insisted.

"That was my choice." Skye stepped in. "I didn't do it for duty, or because I was following orders. I did it, because it needed to be done. Maybe I wasn't the best person for the job, maybe I would have died if I weren't as fortunate as I am... but it was my decision, and I don't regret it." She let out a breath. "I told you that day, right here on this plane. The 'protocol crap', it doesn't matter to me. The people on this team, they are what matters. They are my friends, my family. We've been through hell together, and it's made us what we are. Hydra... they didn't just mess with a secret organization, they messed with Our Family... and that's exactly why they're going down. We are going to protect this world, and every other world." She offered a hand to Victoria. "I know you were a wonderful agent for the old SHIELD, following their rules and protocols to the dot. The question now is: Can you work with us? Following our rules?"

That was the question. Victoria Hand was a remarkable woman, and could be of great help in rebuilding SHIELD, but could she work with such unorthodox individuals as Phil Coulson and his team of misfits? A part of her was horrified, yet another, steadily growing part, the part that was filled with Maria, feelings, and opportunities that had never before been available to them, that part wanted nothing more than to at least try...

"I would be honored..." She declared, finally, shaking Skye's Hands. "Ma'am..."

Skye was left frozen for a handful of seconds. It was true, they all recognized it, even if no one was exactly sure when or how it happened; at some point Skye had become Phil's second-in-command. It had never been announced formally, but it was impossible not to notice the way they relayed on each other, the way she followed his every order without question, his and no one else's, or the way he seemed to always be searching for her support. It was strange, with all their differences, but maybe that was exactly why it worked. They each brought a completely different view of things to the table, and together managed a much clearer view of the whole. In any case, no one was complaining.

"Agent Hand..." Skye whispered when she finally got her wits back.

"Victoria." The woman corrected, and for the first time since most of those present had known her, her expression illuminated in a kind smile.

"Then welcome to this team, Victoria." Phil called, offering his hand next.

It was a welcome to a team, to an organization... and it was also so much more, a welcome into a tight group of friends... into their family.

They really were nothing like the old SHIELD, but maybe that was alright, maybe that would allow them to be better. Go back to the basics, protect, and with the group in charge trusting each other as much as they all did... the new SHIELD might just manage to finally be what its initial founders had always envisioned...

xXx

Their arrival to the new secret base, this one called "The Playground", had mostly gone without a hitch. It was quite shocking for everyone to meet what seemed like two Eric Koenig's though, as it turned out, the second was his twin brother Billy. Both brothers were delighted by Skye's presence and spent quite a while thanking her for saving Eric, assuring her that they were at her service for whatever she might need. They also insisted on having everyone except Phil (and Skye, if only for their gratefulness towards her) go through the 'Induction' before handing over the passes to access all the areas in the facility.

It was at that point that Skye's new position as Phil's second in command was made official. If the Koenigs found it odd that a girl who was, perhaps, the youngest agent in the room was SIC, neither of them made a comment, simply granting her the necessary security (which she'd pretty much earned, even in the old SHIELD). Even Melinda and Victoria did not seem to mind; Melinda was more used to piloting and fighting, to backing up others and following orders than to giving them; Victoria was used to being a leader, but the 'new SHIELD' was too different from what she was used to, and she felt more comfortable watching and learning. The rest of the team supported the move whole-heartedly.

It was already evening by the time they got to the Playground, and while the island where the base seemed to be located (somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic) still was getting some sun (either because it was close to summer and the days were longer, and they were close to the equator), they were all tired enough to retire. There was also the fact that with the way they kept jumping time-zones in their travels the group had grown used to sleeping when their body needed rest, regardless of the position of the sun.

Somehow Phil and Skye ended on their own, sitting by the bar in the main lounge of the facility. Each holding a cocktail prepared by Skye.

"This is good." Phil commented eventually, sipping his drink. "What did you say it was?"

"It doesn't actually have a name." Skye answered honestly. "There was this girl, she was one of Josef's girls. We called her Rose, she was a latina, a bartender, and very good at mixing drinks. So good she began making her own combinations. This is one of those, one of her special ones, less alcohol, more fruit, and a little bit of something unexpected for a kick."

"What happened to her?" Phil inquired, curious.

"She left about halfway through my stay with Josef." Skye answered. "She had been with him for over a year already, always insisting she was in no rush. But the situation was beginning to get complicated, she was among those Josef sent away before they could become targets. She went to San Francisco, I think, opened her own bar with a couple of other girls and money Josef gave them. Far as I know, they must still be there." She took a sip before adding. "We should go there some time. I'm sure she has a lot new drinks by now."

Phil smiled, he definitely enjoyed those moment, learning more about Skye, little by little. Even if they were still skirting around whatever it was that happened in LA that caused a mansion to blow up and... and that shocking scene he'd gotten from her head if only for a flip second. But he was still learning, they were learning from each other.

"So." Skye spun around in her stool to face Phil directly, half-empty drink in hand. "Any plan on what we'll be doing next, aside from kicking some more Hydra ass, Director?"

The tongue in cheek was quite obvious, and Phil couldn't help his own smirk as he answered.

"Nothing yet, Deputy Director." He winked at her. "I'm confident it'll come. And meanwhile, I'm sure we'll be busy... kicking some asses, as Melinda and you like so much to say."

"Because it's the funniest part of our jobs!" Skye replied with a peal of laughter.

Seeing her like that, so happy, so carefree, Phil couldn't help himself. He bent over to catch Skye's lips with his in a short but intense kiss. The brunette barely had the thought to put her drink down before she reacted to the contact, snaking her arms around Phil's neck, burying her fingers in his hair and arching her body into his, completely surrendering to his control. She'd never let go so much, and in only one kiss... it was terrifying and exciting at the same time!

The kiss went on for what seemed like forever, and when it finally broke off, Skye had to take a moment to breathe, they both did.

"Wow..." Was all she could articulate afterwards.

Phil smirked at her, unable to contain the satisfaction at leaving her so completely speechless. And because Skye wasn't the kind of girl to just take it, she had to return the favor.

Eventually the kissing stopped, the couple ended curled up against each other in the love-seat, half-finished drinks forgotten on the bar.

"I like this..." Skye murmured quietly, pressing her head against Phil's chest, his heart-beat slowly returning to normal against her ear.

"Me too..." Phil agreed, nose buried in her hair, taking in her scent: lilacs, and ice and a fresh breeze... he loved that smell.

"I think you mentioned something about a serious talk, earlier today." Skye commented suddenly, though refusing to move, she was so comfortable there.

"I did." He nodded. "Though I'm not sure it's actually needed."

"AC?" She inquired, confusion coloring her voice.

"This is what we want, isn't it?" He questioned, placing a kiss on her hair for emphasis.

"It is what I want." Skye pointed out, placing a kiss of her own against his chest. "But it's not like you ever seemed like you want it."

"I was trying so hard not to give into temptation..." He admitted quietly.

"Temptation?" Skye's brow arched, and Phil could practically feel her disbelief.

"Of course. You're the most amazing, beautiful, tempting woman I've ever met. I might not have always acted as such, but that is the truth."

"You're quite amazing yourself, you know? And very handsome too."

"I'm an old man. I'll be fifty in a few weeks. You're so young... I didn't want to make you feel you didn't have other options, better options... I could see Ward was rather taken with you."

"Ok, to address each point in turn: First, Age is inconsequential; I've always believed that, and it's even truer now, with us being who and what we are... Second, you've never been 'an option', you're the best, quite possibly, only option, I'll feel like the luckiest girl that you like me at all! Third, Ward... he wanted me, like a child wants the new toy in the market, like the bad boy wants the nice girl, because she's pretty, and the novelty, and it's something no one else has..." She shook her head. "I'm not sure Ward ever actually grew up, not really. Always following orders, and the only time he wanted something for himself, he reacted as he did. He never bothered to know me, the real me. He kept forgetting about my power, my past, who I really am... you would never do that. You see me, the real me, accept me as I am..."

"Of course I do! You're an amazing woman Skye. I love everything you are... I love you..."

The declaration came unexpectedly, neither of them had planned for it, not even him. But once it was out, neither of them could have regretted it either. It wasn't a big confession, not really, just the truth, a natural progression. Phil loved her, and even if it had taken him a very long time to acknowledge the fact even to himself, and until that moment to admit it to her... it was still the truth. One he was quite willing to live up to... as was she.

"I love you too AC..." She whispered back, raising her head to kiss the edge of his mouth.

"Call me Phil." He replied with a full smile.

And then they were kissing again.

---

So, I really hope you liked this.

I realize that some of my characters, mainly Phil, are getting more than a bit OOC, I think it's part of the growth of the character, the way the situations and his new abilities are changing him, and of course Skye. Though I promise to do my best to keep true to him. I love the real character too much to try and change him completely.

Regarding Skye's new position... I swear it wasn't planned! In fact, my original idea had the team forming a sort of council, like a Board of Directors, that would help Phil make the hard decisions (Skye would have been heading the Tech part of things), but somehow, when I was writing that scene with Victoria, I just ended up making her Deputy Director. It just happened... I hope you like it anyway, I did explain why it fit...

Some people have been asking for a reunion between James and Steve, and about Natalia... that is all coming, first thing on the next part of this story. I promise (that chapter is already written, just needs to be edited).

After that, we have the craziness that is me turning this universe into a mega-crossover (I'm a tad insane, as you'll soon find out... or you probably already realized it by now).

The sequel is currently in the works, I just need to work out a few kinks on the planning department and write it (I'm currently on the second chapter). Like I've said several times it will be a multiple crossover. There will be mentions and suggestions of several characters and fandoms, though only seven will be fully in the story (aside from what is already a part of the MCU, meaning all the Avengers-related movies and AoS). Also, my offer right now is, whoever guesses right most of the crossovers I plan on making (books, tv shows, movies) from the things that have been revealed thus far (especially in this story) I will offer the chance to be a minor character either in Astrid or in the next story: Meneliel. I'm quite sure no one will guess them all, for the simple reason that there is at least one fandom I haven't even made a suggestion of. Still, whoever guesses the most wins (and I think at least two must be quite obvious by now).

In any case, and regardless of whether people guess or not. The crossover is coming, I hope you'll enjoy it. See you next week with the first chapter of "Astrid"!