A/N: Wrote most of this last night at work, had to wait until I got home from work today to edit it and get the last few paragraphs tacked on. There will be one more chapter after this, so I hope you'll come back for the exciting conclusion to this story!

Thank you to everyone who reads/reviews/follows/favorites - all of your support makes me very happy.

Enjoy!

"Skye. Open your eyes, Skye."

She can hear Simmons. Or is it May? Someone's talking to her. They want something from her.

"Skye."

Someone's hand is on her wrist. Someone else is tapping at her face. She can't really feel the rest of her body. She just feels hot. Really hot. Her lips are dry. She wants some water.

She tries to make her mouth form the word "water."

"Skye. Open your eyes."

Whoever it is, they sound upset. Skye can't remember why. She can't remember much of anything, except that she's thirsty. And her head is pounding; she can hear her pulse in her ears.

Her mouth tries to form the word "water" again. She thinks she's figured it out.

"Skye." That's another voice. A voice she remembers. He can't be here.

Her mouth now tries to say "Trip."

"Skye, you have to wake up," Trip says. "They need you."

"Water," she says.

Trip shakes his head. "No, Skye. You have to wake up."

"Water," Skye repeats.

"Open your eyes," Simmons says – Skye can hear her clearly now – as she pats Skye's face. "If you can look at me, you can have some water."

Skye rolls her head towards the voice and blinks. Her eyes burn. "Water," she says, though what she wants to say is Ouch.

"Skye," Simmons repeats, and the tapping on her face intensifies.

"Jesus," someone else says, the accent somehow different. Not Trip. Hunter. "What's her fever at now?"

"It's at one-oh-seven," May says. "And her heart rate is approaching three hundred. Simmons, tell me this is going to work."

"I have no idea," Simmons says.

"Trip," Skye mumbles.

The room gets very quiet. Skye reaches out in Trip's direction. "Trip? We go?"

"Give her the medicine," Hunter says.

"Water," Skye says, and she grabs onto whoever's holding her hand, gripping those fingers tightly. "Water, Trip. I want water."

"Give it to her," Hunter repeats.

"I didn't have enough time to test it all the way," Simmons says. She sounds worried. "And I made it in the kitchen of a…"

"Trip, water," Skye says. She rolls her head towards May. The room spins around her and the lights burn her eyes.

"Simmons, we don't have time for you to worry about whether or not it's perfect," May says, her voice somehow gentle despite all of the chaos in the room.

"Trip's here," Skye says to May.

The hand on hers tightens, and May says, "You tell that man we miss him, okay?"

"Her breathing's evened out," Simmons says. "Maybe the extra fluids we pushed are enough."

"Her breathing's evened out 'cause she's bloody dying," Hunter snaps. "She's talking to Trip and far as I know, he's still dead."

"But she's not shaking anything," Simmons points out.

"Because she's dying," Hunter says firmly. "Girl's got no shake to quake."

"Water," Skye says to May.

"Soon," May promises.

"Be gone soon," Skye says. "Water now."

"You're not going anywhere," May says. "Simmons, give the medicine to her. Hunter's right. We have nothing to lose at this point."

"Okay," Simmons says.

Skye opens her eyes and sees a blurry version of Simmons moving towards her with a syringe. "Thank you," she says to the scientist.

"For what?" Simmons asks, freezing.

"You took care of me," Skye says, and she tries to get her hand up to touch Simmons' face. "Thank you."

The needle slips into her arm and she grimaces. It feels like fire running up her arm.

"Trip?" Skye murmurs.

"I'm here, girl. Just rest."

"Okay," Skye says, childlike and docile, and she makes sure her hand is tight in May's before she closes her eyes again.

"She's still hanging on," May says to Coulson. "But we're out of options."

"I know," Coulson says. "I'm trying to get in touch with someone who might be able to help. But my connection's through Fury, so it's going to be a bit."

"As long as we're working on it," May says.

"We are," he promises.

"Phil."

"Hmm?"

"She was talking to Trip."

"The last time she did that it seemed to calm her," Coulson says.

"I don't know if that's what happened here," May says. "She just sort of passed out."

Coulson sighs. "No leads on her mother?"

"She said it was war," May answers. "There wasn't really a lot of time for discussion – Skye was ill and there's not much you can say to that kind of thing."

"Inhumans against us," Coulson says. "Sounds like the kind of thing I'm not interested in dealing with at the moment."

"Speaking of things we're not interested in dealing with… is 'real SHIELD' still there?"

"They really are," Coulson replies. "It's actually funny in some ways. Gonzales has basically one facial expression. Bobbi is convinced she's going to find Fitz if she has to evacuate the entire base."

"He got out?"

"He did," Coulson says. "I sent him on an errand."

"And Mack?"

"He's stalking around barking orders at the 'real SHIELD' goons because he's pretty mad you shot him." Amusement tinges Coulson's voice. "Bold move, Melinda."

"He deserved it," May says.

"I'll tell him when I see him."

"Do that."

"Anything else?" Coulson asks.

"Simmons thinks this is all her fault."

"She knows it's not, right?"

"Some part of her does," May says. "But she's convinced that because she can't fix Skye, she's inadequate."

"She's a biochemist, not a doctor skilled in treating Skye or people like her," Coulson points out. "This doesn't make any sense."

May doesn't reply to that. She's not even sure what to say.

"Why would Skye's mother want to kill Simmons?" Coulson asks.

"She really didn't like Skye's closeness with Jemma," May answers.

"Did you mention that mere days before, Jemma advocated for ending the lives of people like Skye?"

"Wasn't the time or the place."

"Either way, I'm glad they're both all right."

"Me too," May says quietly.

"How's Hunter?"

At that May cracks a smile. "Let's just say we're going to have to cancel the SHIELD trip to Disney World."

The sun rises over the little cabin and Skye is still breathing.

Simmons isn't sure how. She hasn't left Skye's side. Their fingers are laced together, and Simmons can feel the heat rising up through Skye's palm, and the speeding pulse of Skye's racing heart.

"Slow it down," Simmons whispers to Skye.

"Jemma." May's voice comes from over Simmons' shoulder. "Go get some sleep."

"I'm all right," Simmons says.

"There hasn't been any change in hours," May says. "I'll wake you if anything happens."

Simmons turns to May, her eyes glassy with tears. "I need to stay."

"You can stay," May says. "As long as you sleep here."

She hands Simmons a pillow and a blanket.

"Sleep… here?"

May nods. "The bed is big enough. Just lay down. I'll wake you if anything happens."

Simmons looks at Skye. "I did this," she says to May.

"No," May says firmly. "No one did this."

"I told her I wanted wiped out," Simmons sobs. "I said she was wrong. I said she was a freak."

"No," May repeats. "You have done nothing but your best to help her. Sometimes people get sick, and sometimes…"

Emotion chokes her. "Sometimes people get sick, and there isn't anything to be done."

May takes a deep breath. "You have done everything you could for her, Simmons. There is nothing more that you could have done. Lay down and get some sleep, okay? I'll let you know if anything changes."

She doesn't know what possesses her, but May leans in and kisses Simmons on the forehead.

The younger woman looks up, her eyes still shining, and says, "Thank you."

May nods shortly.

Simmons lies down next to Skye and curls in towards her friend.

May can't be sure, but she swears Skye's breathing gets easier, slower, less agonal. Maybe just a little bit.

Coulson hangs up the phone and a second later the door opens, ushering in Bobbi and Gonzales.

"Come back for round two?" Coulson asks.

"Who were you talking to?" Gonzales barks.

"Another member of SHIELD lite," Coulson answers.

Gonzales' brow furrows. "Yes. Let's talk about that, shall we?"

He limps over to the chair across from Coulson's desk and sits down. Bobbi stands behind him.

"We still haven't found Mr. Fitz," Gonzales says. "Give us time."

Coulson looks over at Bobbi.

She looks out the window.

"And I know you sent Agent May to pick up Agent Hunter," Gonzales continues. "So that leaves you with… what?"

"There's Raj in the garage," Coulson says, completely deadpan.

"What?" Gonzales frowns at him.

"It's really his name," Coulson says. "It just works out that he's a mechanic."

"Your time here has come to an end," Gonzales says.

"In the office? I suppose you're right," Coulson agrees. "I'm kinda hungry. I think I'll take a stroll down to the kitchen. Agent Morse, can I interest you in a Snapple? Or some Cheez-Its?"

"I'm all right," Bobbi says.

"Walk with me anyway," Coulson suggests.

Bobbi glances at Gonzales. He gives her a shrug.

"I'd be happy to accompany you," Bobbi says.

They walk into the hallway. Coulson closes the office door and they proceed down the corridor to the kitchen.

"Are you going to tell me what this is about?" Bobbi asks.

"I just want a Snapple and some Cheez-Its," Coulson says.

"I know you sent May and Hunter after Skye and Simmons."

"Hmm."

"Mack's figuring out where Fitz went," Bobbi goes on. "We're not going to let this happen."

"It already happened," Coulson says. "I'm sorry that 'real SHIELD' seems to just be playing catch-up."

"Skye is dangerous," Bobbi says sharply.

Coulson stops abruptly. "Right now she's dying of an Inhuman poison in Fury's Retreat, Agent Morse," he says, giving her a piercing look. "Right now, 'real SHIELD' is her biggest danger. She's not dangerous. You are."

"She wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't been obsessed with those alien symbols," Bobbi hisses at him.

"It wasn't the kind of thing I could just turn off," Coulson says. "And I think this would have caught up with Skye sooner or later. At least, that's what our two Inhuman visitors imparted when they were here."

Bobbi shakes her head.

Coulson heads into the kitchen and opens the fridge. He takes out a Snapple and hands it to Bobbi.

"I don't need one," she says, but she takes it anyway.

Coulson takes out another Snapple and opens it. He takes a long drink and then looks at Bobbi. "So what's the goal here, Agent Morse?"

"The goal?"

"What do you and 'real SHIELD' intend to do here?" Coulson asks.

Bobbi puts the Snapple down on the table. "You'd have to ask Gonzales."

"But I'm asking you."

"Why did I join Gonzales?" Bobbi asks. "I wanted to get away from searching for answers that don't exist, pursuing things that don't have any relevance to our true mission. I was tired of seeing people who trusted you having their lives ruined."

Coulson twists the cap back onto his Snapple.

"Your team failed to contain Ward," Bobbi goes on, "putting everyone else in danger. Chasing after people with powers was what caused Fitz and Simmons to end up at the bottom of the ocean, leaving Fitz with brain damage and Simmons forced to infiltrate HYDRA. Skye started out as a security risk and now she's been literally transformed into a risk to everyone around her."

"SHIELD is dedicated to protecting the rest of the world from the much weirder world," Coulson says. "Sometimes we're the rest of the world. Sometimes we lose people close to us. Friends. People who are more than friends. We don't have a choice in this."

"Except that we do," Bobbi says fiercely. "You had a choice. May had a choice. She should have put you down before you got violent, before you led us all to Puerto Rico, before Skye changed and…"

"This isn't my fault entirely," Coulson says, keeping his voice quiet. "I understand how it could seem that way, and I'm sorry for that."

"You can't win me back this way."

"I'm not trying to," Coulson says. He picks up his Snapple. "It's obvious you've already made your choice, and I respect that."

He tucks the Snapple into his suit coat pocket and grabs the box of Cheez-Its from the cupboard. "I've made my choice as well, Agent Morse, and that choice is to protect those who have given nearly everything to protect SHIELD. All my agents out there, the ones who 'real SHIELD' would like to hunt down, interrogate, test, classify, and in some cases, exterminate, they've given their all for the mission, no matter what that mission was. So you can make your choice; I'll respect it. I'm hoping you'll respect mine."

With that Coulson strides out of the kitchen, leaving Bobbi standing behind him.

"Simmons."

The voice is quiet, but Simmons rolls immediately towards it. "What is it?"

"Something's changed," May says.

Simmons sits up hurriedly and looks over at Skye. She doesn't have to ask what the change is; she can hear it. It's Skye's breathing – it's slow and even.

"When did this happen?"

"A few minutes ago," May says. "Is this… is this good?"

Simmons gently takes Skye's hand in hers. Skye's palm and fingers are cool with no indication that just mere hours ago the girl was nearly boiling from the inside out. A quick check of her pulse confirms Simmons' theory, as Skye's heart rate is eighty-five, a normal baseline for someone who is relaxed.

"It's very good," Simmons says.

May looks relieved.

Simmons gets out of bed and finds her kit, beginning a quick examination of Skye's condition, narrating for May what she can. "Her lungs sound clear, perhaps just a bit of a rattle but that's to be expected. Blood pressure's normal. Temperature is normal. Respiratory rate is normal. Oxygen saturations are at ninety-eight percent. And… oh."

"What is it?"

Simmons carefully picks up Skye's arm and gently pulls back the cast, exposing Skye's arm and confirming her theory. "The bruises are fading. And I think that if we were to do an x-ray, we'd find evidence of healed or healing fractures. I would hesitantly say that Skye will have very few, if any, lasting effects from this illness. Even these fever blisters might fade in time."

She turns Skye's palm towards May, showing her an arc of tiny hard bumps running from the knuckle at the base of Skye's pointer, skimming past Skye's thumb, and ending at the base of Skye's hand, nearly at her wrist.

"Your drug worked," May says.

"It's possible," Simmons says.

"It's all right to take credit for doing something well, Simmons," May points out.

"I agree," Simmons says. "But in this case we have no idea. It could be the antidote. It could be the antibiotics, fluids, and intravenous nutrients we provided. Or…"

She trails off and sighs.

"Or?" May prompts.

"Or whatever poison made Skye so violently ill, perhaps in combination with the antidote, reset something in her system. In her transformed cells," Simmons says. "Her mother was trying to exacerbate her powers beyond all reckoning, I was trying to stop that process… somehow together we pushed the reset button on Skye's body. I don't understand any of this."

"I don't either," May says, "but the good news is, it happened. Skye's still here. We can all figure it out together."

Simmons nods slowly. "I suppose you're right."

She seems unhappy despite all of the positive news, but both women are prevented from further contemplation by a small movement from the patient on the bed.

"Skye?" Simmons says quietly.

"Hmmm," Skye replies. Sleepily she rolls her head towards May. "Oh, hi."

"Hi," May says.

"I'm hungry," Skye says.

"We'll work on that," May promises.

Skye turns her head to the other side. "You fixed it," she says to Simmons.

"We fixed it," Simmons says, "and we're going to make sure it stays fixed. And somehow, we'll get a handle on your abilities."

She squeezes Skye's hand.

"I'm hungry," Skye repeats.

"I'll see what I can dig up in the kitchen," Simmons says, standing up and repacking her kit. "Is there anything that you fancy? I always like to have pancakes, but I suppose after being sick you'd probably want some…"

"Simmons." May cuts her off.

"Yes?" Simmons turns back to the bed.

Skye is fast asleep again, a blissful smile on her face.

Fitz looks up at the tall building before him. Strangely, he's not nervous. He had the entire flight to be nervous, and standing here, at his destination, he feels nothing but prepared. The weight of all the responsibility he'd been given isn't crushing him; it's like armor, holding him up against the dragons that are undoubtedly coming for him.

He reaches up and grips his backpack straps. The entirety of SHIELD's computer cores are in there, along with some snacks and a book and a few gadgets. Half of the mission will be protecting those cores. The other half can't start until he walks through the front doors and into the unknown recesses of the building.

He's got all the documentation he could possibly need; Coulson had let him know that "someone" had called ahead to announce his presence. Now it's time to carry out the rest of the mission.

Fitz steps forward and tugs the door open, striding into the marble-floored lobby. A woman with strawberry-blond hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail looks up at him. "Can I help you?"

Fitz swallows hard. "I'm… uh… I'm with the… uh… Quake Project," he says, giving the code name Coulson had come up with mere minutes before his departure from the Playground, the one Fury was supposed to pass on to these people who were supposed to be expecting him. If all the connections had been made, this entire thing should go smoothly. "And I'm here to talk… to talk to Dr. Bruce Banner."

"May I tell Dr. Banner what this is about?" the woman asks.

"Yes," Fitz says. "SHIELD has a gifted individual who needs his assistance."