GLADES Chapter 6: Can You Be My Nightingale, a Glades + Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Crossover fanfic

G.L.A.D.E.S.

Disclaimer:
Y'all know the drill.

Rating:
T

Genre:
Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Pairings:
Coulsye
Shawkeye

Lyrics Used:
Demi Lovato "Nightingale"

Can You Be My Nightingale

I don't know what I'd do without you | Your words are like a whisper come through | As long as you're with me here tonight | I'm good

Staring at the unconscious form of his hacker, Phil could only stare in horror, wondering just what the hell they had done. Sure, they'd saved her life. But, at what cost. It was all too much. The flashbacks brought on by The Guest House. Nearly watching Skye die right before his very eyes. I gotta get outta here. The senior agent decided, wordlessly making a swift exit.

Shaelynn watched her former partner leave. Following after him briefly crossed her mind. But, she knew Phil. And, she could sense that he'd been overwhelmed. Hell, they all had. Sometimes, the best way to help Phil Coulson was just to back off and give him time and space to decompress. Instead, she opted for staying at her sister's bedside, continuing stroking the hacker's hair, gently, relieved to see her stabilizing-and, more importantly, staying that way.

Watching the senior agent's swift and silent exit, May stepped closer to Barton as she quietly asked "Something happen, down there?"

Turning to face the pilot, Barton just stared at her, helplessly, as he replied "I'm not sure..." He muttered, at a loss for words. "One minute, he's fine. The next, it's like he'd seen a ghost..."

An hour later found Phil and Clint alone in the common area. "I wanna thank you...Agent Barton." Phil spoke, warmly. "And, Shaelynn...For dealing with Quinn for me."

"Don't mention it." Clint smirked, glad to have his old friend back. "There's somethin' I need to ask you, Phil..." He added, hazarding a shot at the agent's first name just to see what would happen.

"Of course." Phil replied, the slightest ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips.

"We've known each a long time-" Clint began, only to be cut off.

"Yes, we have." Phil interjected, not missing a beat.

"Been in our share of tight spots, together." Clint continued. "If it'd gone the other way..." He began, cautiously. "If Skye hadn't survived...Were you really prepared to throw Quinn off this plane?"

Smiling smugly, Phil replied "You were the one who made that threat. I just wanted to save Skye."

Clint read the underlying message behind Phil's words. "You're right. It was me." He replied, smiling proudly. "My mistake."

"Till next time." Phil replied, extending his hand to the archer.

"Might be sooner than you think..." Clint replied, allowing the hidden meaning to hang in the air as he took his leave, leaving a very confused Phil Coulson in his wake.

"Do you mind?" Shaelynn asked, stepping into her former partner's doorway. The specialist took the friendly-if not somewhat unnatural-smile and shake of the head as permission as she carefully entered the office.

"You did the impossible, today." She congratulated. "You saved Skye's life." She added, lowering herself down into the chair in front of the senior agent's desk. "Why aren't you happy about it?" She asked, a saddened worried tone to her voice as she sighed wearily.

Staring into the eyes of his former partner, Phil Coulson honestly didn't know what to say. So, he opted to remain silent as he averted his gaze.

"You were yelling..." Shaelynn pressed. She knew her partner wanted to get something off his chest. She could see it in his eyes. "...not to give her the drug." She pointed out. "To not use it on Skye, why?" She demanded, softly. "What made you change your mind?"

Looking into the warm doe eyes of one of the few people he trusted above all others, Phil knew he was close to cracking. He could feel the walls of his defenses crumbling.

Exploring deeper into the lab where they'd located the GH-Three-Two-Five, Phil had found a light switch. Flipping it on, he found a shelf full of vials of a myriad of variations on the GH drug-all of which were connected to tubes leading into a strange chamber. Pulling the chamber open, Phil's eyes widened in horror as he saw a blue body of what he could only describe as a space alien with the lower half of its body missing, completely gone. The tubes connected to the vials disappeared into the open abdominal cavity of the body. In that moment, Phil suddenly realized just how fucked up his resurrection had truly been.

"Phil?" Suddenly, Phil was puzzled as to why he was suddenly hearing his partner's voice. "Phil!"

Phil Coulson was suddenly jerked back to reality by Shaelynn's voice growing in volume. "You all right?" She asked, concerned.

The senior agent stared off into the distance. He finally decided it might be beneficial for him to open up even just a little bit. "Being down there..." He began, carefully. "...seeing where I came from...I just got really scared that she would suffer..." He admitted, hating how vulnerable and exposed he felt-regardless of how much he trusted in his former partner and closest friend. "...the way that I did..."

Looking into her dear friend's eyes, she finally understood just how deeply Phil's death and subsequent resurrection had affected him. However, she simply remained silent to allow the senior agent a chance to the rest of whatever was bothering him off of his chest.

"But, she didn't..." He breathed, in sheer awe of his beloved hacker's resilience. "For...whatever reason..." He continued, smiling slight and not even knowing nor caring why. "...she didn't..."

Finally managing to get a moment alone at Skye's bedside, Agent Coulson just sat there, watching her resting peacefully. It had been one hell of a ride, but, there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Watching her sleeping, his mind began wandering through all the things he'd always wanted to say but never had the courage. But, if there was anything that this experience had taught him, it was that life was too short. And, if you missed your chance, you may never get another. Bravely taking Skye's hand in his own, Phil leaned over the side of the bed, stroking her hair gently with his free hand while he whispered into her ear. "I know things haven't always been easy for either of us-or even the two of us." He conceded. "But, I know that...I wouldn't be half the man I am now if it weren't for you, Skye. Dr. Streiten said that...That they used that...machine...to try to give me back my will to live...But, it didn't..." He admitted, tears pricking his eyes. "I never truly got that back until the day I met you...You were so full of life...So resilient even from day one...You helped me to see that...That S.H.I.E.L.D.'s way isn't always the best way...But, most importantly..." He added, swallowing the lump in his throat as the first tears stole from his eyes. "You showed me that it's okay to open up your heart to someone. I'm so sorry that I couldn't say anything before now...But, I love you, Skye." He confessed, quietly. "I never thought I'd love anyone again, after New York. I'd thought I'd found love, then-and, lost it when I'd died. But...What I felt for Eileen...That was nothing compared to what I feel for you..." The senior agent's voice had grown watery and had begun to crack and break. "Please, Skye...Just...Hang in there. Okay?" He begged, desperately. "Because...Because, I...I need you, Skye..." He admitted, pausing to recompose himself before he continued on. "Now, I never need anyone..." He added, trying to smirk at his own false bravado. But, that facade soon fell as he finished his declaration. "But, I need you..." Having said his piece, Phil stood and leaned over his beloved hacker to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Okay, I gotta ask..." Agent Ward spoke, popping open a cold beer before flopping down into one of the chairs in the common area. "And, I think we're all thinkin' the same thing..." He added, directing his question at Shaelynn. "I know we all know that the drug ultimately saved Skye's life..." He conceded, pausing for a long swallow of beer. "But, I'm sure we're dying to know...Just what the hell did you say to her?" He asked, curiously. "I mean, once you started whispering to her...She just...relaxed. Almost as if right on cue..."

"That was a personal moment, Agent Ward." Shaelynn replied, vaguely, sipping her own cherry-lime cocktail. "What I said was something very personal meant only for Skye's ears..." She added, with a cheeky smile.

"Oh, come on..." Fitz whined. "You've gotta give us something..."

"All I will tell you is that I simply told her everything that she needed to hear in that moment." Shaelynn clarified, vaguely. "I just told her what she needed to hear to give her the will to hang on and keep fighting for her life."

"Well, whatever you said..." Jemma interjected, a relieved smile spreading across her face as she raised her glass for a toast. "I think we can all safely say that it worked.

"Here, here." The rest of the group replied in unison, raising their own glasses for a toast.

Author's Note:
Okay, I know this chapters kinda short. But, I really just wanted to clean up the ends of the last chapter to tide y'all over till Tuesday's new episode which I'm all but certain will pick up where they left off in terms of Skye's recovery. I want to keep as true to the show as I can. In the meantime, enjoy! (I'll also try to get some work in on my other stories...But, no promises...)

~Skye Coulson