I'm On My Way Chapter 4: I Won't Let You Go, a Castle + Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Crossover fanfic

I'm On My Way

Disclaimer:
Come on...Y'all know the drill, by now...

Rating:
T

Genre:
Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Pairings:
Coulsye
Caskett

Lyrics Used:
Snow Patrol "I Won't Let You Go"

I Won't Let You Go

There's something happening, here | There's something here that I just can't explain | I know I'm where I belong | Deep down, inside, I'm no longer lost

"Skye!" Ward called after the hacker as he took off running after her toward the ICU pod. The rest of the team – confused though they were – took off running as well. When they arrived at the pod, they could only watch in wonder as their hacker stood over their fearless leader. Glancing up at the various screens and monitors Jemma had hooked him up to, they watched his vital signs continually deteriorating right before their very eyes. However, their attention was drawn back to the man on the bed as they watched Skye place her right hand on Coulson's forehead while taking his left hand in hers as another golden force field encompassed his body. The golden energy engulfed Coulson's body for several minutes as the entire team watched, not even daring to breathe, until the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor drew their attention, once more.

"Bloody hell..." Jemma breathed, hurriedly making her way into the pod to investigate the results of Skye's actions, for herself. "He stabilizing..." She breathed in realization.

Looking around the room at all of the curious stares of her teammates, the reality of the situation was hitting Skye like a Mack truck. She knew there would be countless questions that she just wasn't ready to answer, yet. First, she gets shot twice in the abdomen – perforating her stomach while puncturing the small and large intestines. Then, the next thing she knows, the man that she loves is unconscious on the floor next to a strange woman. Then, said woman shows her security footage of Coulson trying to kill her only to have her own powers throw him against a wall – nearly killing him. Now, she just used those same powers to save him? It was all just too much. Suddenly feeling the pressure crushing down on her, the hacker gave in to her fight or flight instincts – opting for flight – as she took off toward her bunk.

"Skye-" Richard called after his daughter, only to be stopped by his half-sister.

"Let her go." Brynna advised, gently, with her hand on her half-brother's arm. "If anything that Coulson's told me about her is true, the best thing to do for Skye – right now – is to just give her some space." She elaborated. "We've just dropped a lot of bombshells on her. And, we still have some more. She's already overwhelmed, as it is. Give her some time to digest before you go after her."

"Brynna's right, Castle." Kate added, gently. "Just let her have her space."

Apparently Skye wasn't the only one in need of some space as May half-heartedly glared at Ward before storming off toward the sanctuary of her cockpit. Knowing that a much-needed heart-to-heart was in store for himself and the pilot, Ward knew sooner would be better than later as he took off after her.

Curious about the strange disappearances of the pilot and the specialist, Alexis decided to go investigate for herself. "Alexis?" Brynna called, curiously. "You okay?" She asked, hinting at wanting to know where her niece was headed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." That much was true. "But, like you said...Everything's been pretty intense...I'm just gonna go decompress..." Again, not entirely false. She really did have a lot of things on her mind that she needed to sit down and process. Mostly growing feelings toward a certain raven-haired S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Also, she still had yet to figure out how she was gonna tell her father that she'd recently been accepted to the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy – under the operations discipline. She knew her dad always supported whatever she wanted to do. But, she also realized that he would know how dangerous this line of work could be – hell, they all saw that when they first saw Skye in a coma, fighting for her life. But, she just felt – in her heart – that this was what she was meant to do.

"Who was she?" May asked, a deceptively calm quiet to her voice as she heard the cockpit door close. She didn't need to bother turn around to see who it was. She already knew.

Sliding down into the chair next to the pilot, Ward released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Does it really matter?" He asked, lamely. "Look, I know what you and I have – it was only ever supposed to be sex. Nothing more. And that, if it ever became a problem, then we would end it." Ward explained, recalling the deal they'd made once they started sleeping together. "Well, it's become a problem, because I've found myself developing romantic feelings toward another woman-"

"Who. Was she?" May demanded again, finally turning to look at the specialist. "You're right. On a personal level, it doesn't matter." She elaborated, slowly. "But, if it's going to become a problem for the team, then, it matters."

"It's not going to be a problem for the team." Ward replied, vaguely. "I mean, hell, she's a civilian for God's sake..." He added – his voice trailing off as he suddenly realized that he may have said too much already.

"A civilian?" May questioned, curiously. "Who is she, Ward?"

Sighing, Ward realized that it would probably get out sooner or later, regardless. That was one of the draw-backs to living on a plane full of spies. Secrets never stayed secret for very long. "It's Castle's daughter." He conceded, finally.

"Alexis?" May questioned, looking for confirmation. When Ward only nodded, silently, the pilot paused for a moment to process the new information. "You're gonna have one hell of a hard sell with her father..." She warned, an almost smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

Nodding, Ward couldn't believe the way this conversation was going. He was so relieved that Melinda was taking the news so well. "Thanks for the heads up." He replied, the slightest ghost of a relieved smile on his face. However, little did the specialist know how much more complicated things would get once he stepped outside the cockpit door.

Walking through the lounge area, Alexis' mind had started to wander as she found herself outside the cockpit door. She had been just about to turn back when she heard voices on the other side.

"Who was she?" Alexis recognized the voice as that of their pilot – Melinda May, she believed the woman's name was. It sounded like there may have been more to the pilot's relationship with Agent Ward than she had originally believed. She knew she should turn back and give the two their privacy. But, her growing attraction toward the specialist had her admittedly curious as to where the conversation was going.

"Does it really matter?" The younger Castle heard the voice of Agent Grant Ward reply. "Look, I know what you and I had – it was only ever supposed to be sex. Nothing more. And, that if it ever became a problem, we would end it." Now, she knew she should have given them their privacy. "Well, it's become a problem, because I've found myself developing romantic feelings toward another woman-" Well, that settled that. Now, she had to find out where this was going.

"Who. Was she?" Melinda ground out, clearly growing agitated with Grant skirting around the question. "You're right. On a personal level, it doesn't matter." She conceded. "But, if it's gonna become a problem for the team, then, it matters." The pilot elaborated.

"It's not going to be a problem for the team." Grant argued. "I mean, hell, she's a civilian for God's sake." Now, that piqued Alexis' interest. He couldn't possibly mean me...Could he? She wondered, to herself, unconsciously leaning closer to the door.

"Who is she, Ward?" May questioned, again.

After a too-long pause, Alexis finally heard Ward sigh as he answered the question. "It's Castle's daughter." Mind-blown, Alexis just stared at the cockpit door, in shock, as she slowly backed away – still attempting to wrap her mind around what she'd just heard.

"Alexis?" She heard May ask in an unreadable tone. Well, that's it...I'm officially dead...She thought to herself, throwing her hands in the air and looking up at the ceiling in defeat. "You're gonna have one hell of a hard sell with her father..." Wait...Was that her way of approving? Alexis wondered, hopefully, leaning closer to the door once again to get a better listen.

However, she didn't get to ponder that question very long as the door smacked her in the face as she hurriedly backed away in surprise. Looking up into the face of the man she'd been crushing on since she first set foot on the plane, all the younger Castle could think was Oh, crap... "Alexis?" Ward greeted, curiously. "What are you doing here?"

Setting off in search of his half-sister, Richard Castle was rather surprised to see Agent Coulson slumped against a door. "Let me guess..." The author greeted, jokingly. "Locked out?" However, Rick immediately regretted the joke the moment his eyes met those of the senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. There was so much defeated hurt in them that the author physically ached for the man before him.

"I was hoping to talk to Skye." Phil replied, staring defeatedly at the closed door before him. "I can't believe I did that..." He whimpered, helplessly. I can't believe I tried to kill the very woman that I love...

Kneeling down next to the agent before him, Richard rested a gentle hand on his shoulder – only to immediately yank it away at the warning stare he'd received in return – before speaking again. "Look, Phil...We all said and did things we never normally would because of that woman that Sif was hunting." Rick conceded. "And, from what Brynna's told me of Skye...I know she would never hold your actions against you."

"What's goin' on?" Brynna asked, innocently, noting her half-brother and former SO kneeling on the floor outside of Skye's bunk.

Rising to his feet, Rick responded to Brynna's question. "Phil was trying to get in to talk to Skye but she's not letting anyone in."

Sighing lightly, Brynna replied "I'm not surprised." She conceded. "After she hacked into the security camera feed, she was positively sick with guilt." The senior specialist elaborated. "Let me see what I can do..." She added knocking lightly on the door.

"I said, I just wanna be alone, right now!" Skye's voice betrayed the false anger she tried so hard to hide behind. "Is that really so much to ask?!"

"Skye, it's me, Brynna." The senior agent called. "I just wanna talk." She added, keeping her voice at a calm, reassuring tone. "Just two minutes...That's all." She finished, before she finally heard the lock slide open. Looking between her brother and former supervisor, she decided "I think it'd be best if I approach her alone, first."

Exchanging a glance, Phil and Rick knew Brynna was likely right. Seeing their agreeing nods, Brynna drew a steadying breath before entering the young hacker's bunk.

"What, exactly, did you hear?" Ward asked, carefully, eying the young red-head for any possible signs of deceit.

Looking up at the specialist, Alexis wasn't an idiot. She knew lying probably wasn't her best option, right now. Sighing lightly, she decided to just go for broke. "I...everything..."

Aw, hell...Ward thought to himself, mentally bracing himself for the rejection he was sure was imminent. "I see..." He hummed, thoughtfully, before pausing to try to think of the best way to proceed.

An awkward silence stretched between the two as they both tried assess the other – attempting to figure out what to say or do next. Finally, unable to take the quiet any longer, Alexis blurted out "I like you, too, you know..." The words had left her mouth before she'd even realized it as she immediately clapped her hands over the offending orifice in a futile attempt to stop them. Shit... She thought to herself. I really shouldn't have said that...

Eying the woman that had stolen his heart at first sight, Ward attempted to calculate the sincerity of her response. "You do?" He asked, curiously.

"Y-yeah..." The young woman stuttered nervously. "I-I just didn't wanna say anything, though, 'cause it kinda looked like you and May had a thing and...well, to be perfectly honest, she scares the hell outta me. Oh God, I'm rambling!" Alexis rambled on, anxiously.

Chuckling lightly, Ward tried to save the young woman from herself. "Alexis." He called, gently, failing to gain her attention.

"Oh, listen to me! I'm so sorry!" The red-head rambled on.

"Alexis!" Ward called, a little louder, still to no avail.

"I do this, sometimes! Especially when I'm-" The red-head continued babbling until the specialist finally resorted to the only sure-fire way he knew of to silence her. Closing the gap between them in a single stride, he gathered the young woman into his arms as he pressed his lips to hers.

"Hey, Skye..." Brynna greeted, gently, crossing the bunk to sit beside the young hacker on the bed. "What's goin' on?"

Sighing, Skye stared down at her hands. "It's just...I know Coulson's out there and I know he wants to talk to me, but..." Her voice trailed off as she found she had no words for what she wanted to express.

"But, you're afraid of yourself, right now." Brynna offered, gently, wrapping her arm around the young hacker. "Is that it?"

Skye could only nod silently. "These powers..." She muttered, quietly, before turning to Brynna. "They scare the hell outta me. I mean, hell, I tried to kill Coulson, for Christ's sake-"

"Skye." Brynna interjected, gently. "Those powers weren't able to distinguish between friend and foe. And, you were incapacitated, at the time. Besides, Coulson's will and mind were not his own in that moment. He was completely at Lorelei's mercy. You both did things neither of you would ever do under normal circumstances." She explained. "But, right now, that man is desperate to clear the air between the two of you. And, I – for one – think you both really need that." Sighing lightly, the specialist decided to go for broke. "Because, as overwhelmed as you are now...the bombs haven't finished dropping, yet."

Staring up into Brynna's eyes in shock, Skye asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, there's a reason that I brought Mr. Castle, and his family on this Bus." Brynna began, vaguely. "But, you and I can discuss that, later. After you talk to Coulson."

Looking up into Brynna's eyes, Skye recognized that whatever it was that the specialist had to tell her, she was eager to know it. Also recognizing that the senior agent would give nothing more away until Skye had spoken with Coulson, the hacker knew she had no choice. "Okay." Skye replied, meekly. "Okay...I'll talk to him."

Smiling softly, Brynna silently rose off the bed and opened the door. Looking down at Phil, she smiled gently as she spoke. "She's all yours."

Exploring through the plane, Kate's eyes widened in shock as she mindlessly charged at the young couple, ripping them apart as she pulled her gun out of her belt, gripping the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent by his hair and shoving the gun into his throat. "The hell do you think you're doing?" She hissed.

"Kate, chill!" Alexis begged, terrified by her soon-to-be-step-mother's actions.

"Detective Beckett.." The specialist choked out around the gun in his throat. "It's not what you're thinking-"

"Really?!" Kate sneered. "So, you're weren't just sticking your tongue down Alexis' throat?"

"Kate, it's not like that, okay?!" Alexis screeched. "I'm an adult, now. You and my dad have to learn to accept that or you're gonna push me away and I might not wanna come back!"

That part had Kate's attention. She certainly didn't want to be the one to drive a wedge between Rick and Alexis. In her shock, she released her grip on the specialist.

Massaging his sore neck, Ward cleared his throat as he made another attempt to defend himself. "Listen, detective...I understand your concerns – believe me – I get it." He conceded. "But, this isn't just some sort of physical lust. I genuinely care for Alexis. And, I would never do anything to hurt her."

Looking into the agent's eyes, Beckett sensed that he was telling the truth. And, in all honesty, she trusted Alexis' judgment. She may have had some questionable taste in men in the past. But, she couldn't deny that Grant was nothing like Pi. Surely, she could at least give him a shot. "Okay..." The detective conceded, finally. "But, I'm not the one you gotta worry about..." She added, turning to Alexis. "Good luck selling this to your dad..."

"Hey, Skye..." Phil greeted, cautiously, as he stood anxiously in the doorway to Skye's bunk – sliding the door closed behind him.

Taking in Coulson's nervous body language only hurt Skye that much more. God, I can't believe I did this to him. "You can sit down..." She offered, lamely. "If you want..." She muttered, slightly more brokenly,

Smiling slightly in his attempt to ease her anxiety, Phil crossed the bunk to sit next to her on the bed. "Listen, Skye...I just wanted to apologize..." He sighed, lightly. "For everything. For-"

"Are you kidding me?!" Skye snapped, cutting off the senior agent's apology. Taking in his confused countenance, the young hacker elaborated. "Phil, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I can't believe I tried to kill you..."

"Well, in all fairness, I did try to kill you, first..." Phil offered, smiling lamely as he tried to diffuse the situation with levity. But, apparently, his attempt fell flat as Skye simply hung her head, shamefully. "Listen, Skye...I don't want you blaming yourself for this okay?" He offered, gently, wrapping the hacker up in his arms. "The only person to blame for this is Lorelei. And, Sif's already taken her back to Asgard to be punished for her crimes. She's gone. She won't be bothering us, anymore. And, I would love it if we could put this behind us and move forward..."

Looking up into the eyes of the man that had unknowingly stolen her heart, Skye knew she would give anything to do just what he'd asked. She would give anything to just put this whole mess behind them and look to the future. "I'd like that..." She managed, weakly, relieved at the small smile on Phil's face.

"Great." Phil muttered, softly, holding the unwitting owner of his heart in his arms another moment longer before speaking again. "Well, I better let Brynna and Rick back in here..." He conceded, regretfully. "They have quite a few things they really need to discuss with you..."

Nodding, Skye hated the idea of Coulson leaving. But, she also knew she was dying to know what other bombshells Brynna could have for her. "Okay."

"Did you guys patch things up?" Brynna asked, curiously, watching her former SO exiting the young hacker's bunk.

"Yeah." Coulson replied, slightly relieved after speaking with Skye. "I think we're gonna be okay."

"Good." Brynna smiled, turning to her half-brother. "Well...You ready, Ricky?"

"To tell my long-lost daughter 'Hey. Guess what? I'm your dad!'...No. No, not at all..." The author admitted, only half-joking.

"Come on, Rick." Brynna chided, almost physically dragging her brother into his daughter's bunk. "Sooner ya get this over-with, the better." She added. "Just rip the band-aid off and be done with it."

"Hey, Brynna." Skye greeted, in slightly better spirits than the last time the senior agent had spoken with her. "And, Mr. Castle. What can I do for you guys?"

"Well, the first thing you need to know is that...Mr. Castle is actually my half-brother." Brynna replied, smiling warmly at Rick.

"Oh, wow!" Skye replied, eyes wide. "That's so cool!"

"Yeah, it is." Brynna replied, before her face took on a more serious expression. "Listen, Skye..." She began, crossing the room to take a seat at the foot of the hacker's bed while her brother made himself comfortable on a chair across the bunk. "The reason I brought my brother and his family on-board is because he's had me working on a little side-project for a while, now..." Sighing lightly, she added "A project that...sort of involves...you..."

"Me?" Skye questioned, curiously, glancing back and forth between the agent and the author. "What kind of project could the two of you be working on that could possibly involve me?"

After sharing a worried glance with his half-sister, Rick decided to jump into the conversation. "Twenty-four years ago, I reached out to the CIA to help me find a daughter of mine that I had never been given the chance to know."

"Okay..." Skye drawled, trying to connect the dots in her head. "But, what does that have to do with me?" She repeated, still completely lost. "I mean, I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D. I've always been theirs...I've never been associated with the CIA in any way..."

"True." Brynna conceded. "But, our father worked for the CIA." She explained.

"Which was why I had hoped they could help me find my daughter." Rick interjected. "But, they kept stone-walling me."

"Which is why my brother finally came to me." Brynna interjected. "Rick knew that my level ten security clearance gave me access to files even the CIA doesn't know exist."

"So...What does..." Skye began, her voice trailing off as realization dawned in her eyes as they widened to the size of dinner plates. "Oh my God..." she breathed.

"Skye..." Rick began, drawing a steadying breath as he knew the hacker had finally figured out where they were going with all this. "I'm your father."

"But...I've been looking for my parents my whole life." Skye argued. "And, I've hit dead end after dead end. The only thing I ever found was a single document-"

"Redacted by S.H.I.E.L.D." Brynna finished her niece's statement. "I know." She added, softly, as the hacker looked up at her in wonder. "S.H.I.E.L.D. does an amazing job of covering their tracks. And, given your mother's heritage, we had a hell of a lot to cover up, after the massacre in China."

Suddenly, Skye's shock soon turned to anger as she rounded on Rick – all but leaping off the bed and storming across the room – towering over him. "Where the hell have you been for the last twenty-four years?!" She demanded. "All that time I bounced from foster home to foster home?! Thinking I wasn't wanted?! That I just didn't have anywhere to belong-"

"What? Y-y-y-you think I just abandoned you and your mother?!" Rick shot back, finally finding his voice, leaping to his feet and forcing the young hacker back. "You think I just had my way with your mother and never even gave her a second thought?!" Pausing a moment, the author suddenly realized that he really hadn't thought about Tien-Hou again until she'd sent him the letter about the baby. "Okay, maybe ya got me there." He admitted, quietly. "But, I have spent the last twenty-four years looking for you, Skye!"

In that moment, a heavy silence fell over the bunk as Skye and Rick stared at each other – chests heaving, angrily. Studying the author's eyes, Skye realized that everything he was telling her was genuine. Backing away, she simply muttered "Oh." Covering her mouth, she breathed "Oh my God."

"Your dad never gave up hope, Skye." Brynna offered, gently, rising up from the bed to wrap an arm around the hacker's shoulders. "Even after he heard about the massacre. There were no official reports – that he found, anyway..." The senior specialist added, with a knowing smirk directed at her half-brother. "...of your body ever having been recovered. Because of that one detail..." Brynna trailed off, staring directly into the hacker's warm doe eyes. "That one detail gave your father hope...Kept him going all these years. Just waiting for the day he finally got to meet you. ... Got to see you for the very first time."

Shifting her gaze from the specialist to the author, Skye paused – trying to process everything she'd just been told. Finally, at a complete and utter loss for what to say or do or how to proceed, she just launched herself into her father's arms. The force of the collision caused Richard to stumble back a step or two to prevent them both from crashing to the floor. Composing himself, Richard tightened his hold on his daughter as she buried her face in his chest, crying silently for all the time together that had been stolen from them over the years.

Author's Note:
There it is! The big father-daughter reunion. I hope y'all enjoyed it!

~Skye Coulson