Previously: Skye got rescued by the team, where Deathlok helped them get Wolfe in custody though they couldn't contain Graviton and therefore had to let him go. Skye had been gone for days, some of that time being held at a Hydra facility after being captured by Ward.

Chapter Eleven

Skye was so happy to be back on the BUS. She'd gone to her bunk for the mere reason to inhale the familiar scent and even went on Reddit and Youtube just to use her laptop again, as she didn't feel the need to do any hacking.

She'd given Ace a near life-threatening hug with how hard she squeezed the kid, after he'd finally let go of Mike. Deathlok actually requested if the team could take his kid home without the man seeing him at all, but there was no fuel left in the aircraft and it was difficult to come by now. It dispirited Skye to know that he was still going to be dropped off with his aunt, but at least he was safe.

Now Skye knew the inevitable had to come. It had to come before Wolfe woke up because they needed to interrogate him, and they needed to interrogate him with as much information as they could possibly have.

She wasn't even sure why she was so completely opposed to talking about it. It wasn't like they'd tortured her. Well, not much, and not without an incentive of research. She wasn't tied up or thrown into a cage for days or left without food. Heck, three of days she was gone she wasn't even awake!

But the more Skye thought about it, the more she realized she was ashamed.

She was ashamed for needing to have Ward come save her neck when she couldn't hold in her screams.

Ashamed for letting yet another person trick her into trusting them. Spending time with him, believing without a doubt that he was there to help her.

She was even ashamed for her very being. She didn't even know what that was, but it was obviously something different, something special as everyone kept telling her.

And Wolfe said he knew what she was. Skye didn't know if she believed all that crap about him being her father, but what if he really did know what she was?

What would it mean?

"Hey girl," Triplett stated, startling Skye out her pacing in the kitchen.

"Hey," she responded lightly before jumping up to sit on the counter. "Is everyone waiting for me?"

"Pretty much," he said casually, biting into an apple he'd just grabbed.

"Urgh…" she growled, lying back on the table. "You can go ahead and tell them for me. I'm just gonna, like, nap here."

"You know I would do anything for you, but I have no idea what happened either."

"Yeah. Well, feel free to make something up. I'm sure it will at least be entertaining," Skye said as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Hmm… I'll give it a shot." Trip cleared his throat. "Wolfe is actually an undercover hair stylist, and he kidnapped you so you could be the test dummy for all his new creations."

Skye sat up, fixing him a look. "That's an interesting imagination you got there. Didn't know you had it in ya."

"Well it would at least explain it."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Explain what?"

"Your hair."

"My hair?"

"Yeah. Did he make you do that?" Trip asked, and Skye wasn't sure if he was serious or not.

"Did Wolfe… make me get bangs?"

"Yeah."

"Um, no. I did it to get to the scissors. What made you think he would force me to cut my hair?"

"Well, when you rescue a prisoner it's not very often that they decided a hair cut was on their to do list while they were captured. Tactically? I thought he may have had you do it to change your appearance and stay under the radar."

"Oh." She nodded. "That was… a more detailed explanation than I was expecting."

"I always aim to catch people off guard." He took another bite of the apple. "Though bangs wouldn't really do much. I'd have made you go blonde."

"Yeah? Well then, please try never to kidnap me. I could never pull that look off."

"I'll try but, no promises," Trip said with chuckle and a full mouth, just before swallowing the rest of the bite. "So, you ready?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

Skye hopped off the table gracefully, and let Triplett lead the way to wherever the team was waiting.

Ward was sitting in the very corner of the comms room. He hadn't spoken and wasn't planning on it, not unless he was directly addressed. It was no secret that he was just a visitor here, an unwelcome one at that, but also perhaps convenient. They didn't want to get rid of what could possibly be an asset.

And with nowhere to go, he didn't want to leave.

Coulson and Simmons were discussing something quietly. It was just speculation, something about Dr. Hall and the Gravitonium. How they'd know more when Wolfe woke up and was able to give them some facts.

It was May that kept an eye on Ward and he knew she'd put him down straight away if he tried anything. Her stare never left him. It was an obvious stare, one meant to intimidate. Unlike the nonchalant way he was keeping her in his vision, though he was sure she knew he was.

He was becoming fairly relaxed in the situation when Triplett and Skye walked in. Coulson and Simmons talking trailed to a stop as they looked at the newcomers.

Skye was hugging herself, her body language screaming uncomfortable and anxious. Ward could see that she'd rather not talk about what happened.

But that was of course why they were doing it here in the comms room instead of in the Cage or another interrogation room as they usually would. This team wasn't protocol, it never was.

They treated each other more like family.

And to be honest, he was surprised he was invited to this particular debriefing. Maybe they were really trying to integrate him back into their team. Though he doubted it.

"So, I get kidnapped by a rogue SHIELD agent and all he got me was this Wal-Mart t-shirt," Skye quipped suddenly, before looking down at it. "Actually, he got me like four."

"Wolfe bought you clothes?" asked Coulson.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "He was like, really nice to me at first. Well, for most of the time actually. You guys came and got me right when I… discovered him."

"Did he get you the fringe as well?" asked Simmons curiously. "I mean, it looks wonderful, obviously, I was just wondering, why…?"

"No…" said Skye. "I cut my bangs. In a bathroom with sewing scissors."

"Oh you did it!" Simmons exclaimed. "That explains it then… But I mean you did such a fantastic job. It looks professional!"

"Anyway," Coulson stepped forward when Skye was caught in a half-offended, half-amused stare by Simmons' comment. "Why don't you start at the beginning? With Hydra."

"Well, you were there for most of that. You or… him."

Skye nodded to Ward. It was the first time she'd admitted to his existence since they'd rescued her.

He could feel her eyes on him and was suddenly antsy, like he didn't know how to react. What he should be looking at or focusing on, where his hands usually were.

It wasn't a feeling Grant Ward was used to.

Coulson nodded encouragingly. "Well, give us a recap."

Skye explained everything. She explained how Ward had captured her, how she'd tried to get Ace out, how Coulson had taken the punches for her (which she apologized profusely for) and how Raina was using her for testing.

Then she got to the memory machine.

"It hurt so bad… and I could see things I know I shouldn't have been able to see: fire and screaming from when I was an infant and I could feel every bit of it. It felt worse than..." she trailed off, her hand just grazing her stomach. It seemed subconscious. Everyone knew what she was referencing, even if she didn't realize she was doing it. Then, sighing with an air of disappointment, she continued. "I couldn't help it. I cried out, or screamed or whatever, but Ward came and made Raina turn it off."

"Yes, Ward told us about that," said Coulson. "That's when Garrett attacked you, right?"

Skye nodded. "Said he wanted to see what I was like on the inside," She rubbed the gauze on her hand, almost subconsciously again. Her mind must have really been somewhere else. "He cut my hand open with a medical tool."

"I still want to look at that!" interjected Simmons.

Skye grinned. "I know. And I still want you to look at it, but later."

Simmons nodded quietly, taking a seat to listen again.

"That was pretty much all she wrote with Hydra. Next thing I knew, Raina was claiming to give me something to numb my hand and I realized too late that wasn't the case. It knocked me out and I woke up on the top of a Ferris wheel three days later."

"What?" shouted Simmons.

"I know, right?" Skye said with a strange disbelieving smile. "Really weird. And Wolfe was there. That's how he got me to trust him. Saving me from this crazy situation where I had no idea what was going on." Her voice changed suddenly, from disbelief to disgust, with herself, it seemed. "I guess that's why I was so quick to believe him, I was just so confused…"

Coulson stepped forward, placing a hand on the shoulder of the hacker that was now staring at her shoes. "No. You believed him because he really was a SHIELD agent. Has been for twenty-five years."

Skye started for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"T-twenty-five?" she gasped.

"Yes," said Coulson curiously.

Skye looked in shock. Or like she was realizing something. Like she was about to admit something as her mouth hung open and Ward was sure some kind of a revelation was about to come out-

"Wait for me, wait for me!" came Fitz' voice, soon followed by the man. He doubled over once he was in the room, out of breath. "Oh good gravy, has she started with the story already?"

"Missed a good chunk, I'd say," said Triplett.

"Damn it… can she start over?"

"No," said Coulson, May, Triplett, and even Ward simultaneously.

Fitz backed up, his hands held in the air.

But all Ward cared about was what Skye was going to say. He walked up to her, not even realizing what he was doing until he'd done it.

"What were you going to say, Skye?"

She scowled. "Nothing."

They stared at each other for a good few moments, and Ward couldn't read her. He decided she did this deliberately when she was around him. He was fairly good at reading people, and he could read Skye, but whenever he showed her attention she shut down.

"Alright, can we please address the elephant in the room?" asked Triplett through the silence.

"Oh! Skye's hair?" asked Fitz.

Skye shook her head, turning away from Ward to face Fitz. "What is the obsession with my hair?" she exclaimed.

"Ah. Nothing," Fitz said stiffly. "Looks fantastic." He smiled, to which Skye looked incredulous.

Ward sighed. "I think the elephant Agent Triplett was referring to was me."

Skye turned to him. "Funny, you don't look that big," she said, echoing his words from the first day they met with a cynical grin.

He smiled. "Cute."

Her grin quickly dropped. "Don't call me cute. Don't call me anything. You know what, don't talk to me at all," she spat, before adding quietly in the midst of a scoff: "traitor."

Ward was honestly shocked by the comment.

"Alright, how about we calm down," said Coulson.

Skye shrugged. "I'm calm. Who's not calm? Simmons, you calm?"

"Skye-" started Coulson.

"No, you know what? I'm not calm. I'm here pouring my heart out over what just happened to me, how I trusted someone and got burned again, and the person who first did that to me gets to sit and listen to everything I'm saying like he's just a member of the freaking club again?"

Coulson blinked. "We thought it would be wise since he could fill in the gaps of your story-"

"Well, in that case let's just bring Wolfe up here too," she snapped. "God, do I not get a say in anything? Do I not get to do anything on my own in my life? Am I even my own god damn person?"

"Oh, Skye…" said Simmons.

"Look, don't pity me Simmons," Skye sneered. "I'm aware that I'm rambling like a five-year old here." She spun around to look at Coulson. "But if what you say is true, and Wolfe came to SHIELD twenty five years ago then the timeline adds up, and that man down there could be my father."

The shock that plastered onto everyone's face was immediate. No one had been expecting that.

Skye continued, her eyes filling with tears. "My crazy father, who apparently drugged me, kidnapped me, and sent super powered freaks after me for god knows what reason! And now he's going to tell me what thing I am, what kind of freak I am, because, that's right, I'm probably not even human!"

"We did…" Simmons started hesitantly. "We were actually informed about your 084 status."

Skye threw her hands up, the tears making long streaks down her face now. "Of course you were. I bet that's the reason why you want to look at my hand, you want to see my blood too. Want to cut me open and see what's in there, just like you wanted to with that Asgardian."

Simmons shook her head frantically, her own eyes starting to shine. "No Skye, I would never do that to you unless you asked me to."

Skye ignored her, turning to Fitz. "And you. You said you'd 'hate to meet the guy', the 084, remember? That mean you hate me? I'm an 084 Fitz, am I dangerous?"

Fitz looked at a loss of what to say, and Ward doubted if he did remember what she was talking about.

Skye scoffed, throwing her hands into the air, yet again. "I mean, maybe I am. Who the hell knows? I guess maybe the guy downstairs. The guy that lied to me and will probably lie to me again if I try to ask him." Skye pulled at her own hair, pacing around the room in hysterics. "Like, is anyone here even real? How can I trust anything, how can I trust anyone if all they're after is me and my stupid blood and my stupid god damn DNA!"

With that, she kicked the underside of the comms' table, which held an assortment of devices that came crashing to the ground.

Skye seemed to suddenly become aware of her situation; aware of the confused and concerned faces that stared back at her while they allowed her to go off on her tangent. The tears piled up even more, as she slapped a hand to her mouth in horror and started to crumple to the floor.

May was on her in an instant. She didn't let the crying girl get to the ground as she placed an arm around her shoulder and the other hand clasped to Skye's arm, forcing her to stand and guiding her out of the room.

They heard her sobs even as she went down the hall.

"That… did not go as expected," admitted Coulson.

"Sir, that was downright awkward," said Triplett.

Simmons looked somewhat flustered by the event, but shook her head. "Oh, come now. Skye's just been through a traumatic experience! One we don't even know the extent of yet. All she needs is a proper amount of time to realize she's safe."

"Yeah but," started Fitz, "isn't she sort of right? If what she's saying about not being human is true… how safe will she ever be?"

And no one could say the answer to that out loud. No one wanted to, because they were almost positive of what the answer was.

She wouldn't.

A/n: Oh Skye, don't break down just yet, I have so much more to put you through! Hah, haha…. Yeeeah, I'm pretty sure I'm evil. I told ya not to get used to the fluff! I'm honestly considering changing the genre to hurt/comfort at this point… but don't worry, plot will be progressing again soon.

THANK YOU for everyone reviewing, you guys make my day!

Ps- QUESTION: If you guys could see any guest stars in this story, (new characters from the show or people from Avenger movies) who would you want to see? Or should I just keep it as is?