So clearly I can't be trusted when I promise it won't take a month to update again, but I do have an excuse... I wrote this chapter in an actual paper book using a pen and everything and it turns out I have really shitty handwriting... Long story short, I can't read my own writing, spent a week trying to figure it out, then gave up and rewrote the chapter on computer.

What about if I promise I'll TRY not to make it a month before the next chapter?

P.S: No spoilers for S.H.I.E.L.D please! I haven't seen past episode 2 and I already know that Bobbi and Hunter leave, but I don't want to know who the Fallen Agent is (I had to unfollow everyone on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and blacklist AoS tags on Tumblr).

P.P.S: Just tell me it's not Daisy... Or May.


CHAPTER 3

Bobbi had to steel herself with a deep breath before opening the door to Skye's bunk. The small bunk was cluttered with the small amount of possessions and clothes that the girl had brought, the flashing light of her computer power button blinked at her from the bedside table,the blind was drawn down over the window, blocking out the pre-dawn light.
The girl herself was tucked under a mountain of blankets that definitely weren't S.H.I.E.L.D, so that the only thing visible was her brown curls and very top of her forehead. It wasn't cute. Not even a little bit. Especially not when Skye shifted in her sleep and batted at some imaginary thing on her nose like a kitten.

Bobbi had to do what she came here for now, or she'd be watching Skye sleep for the next two hours. "Skye." The girl doesn't wake. "Skye." An incoherent mumble in response. "Sk-"

The second Bobbi had touched the younger woman, light fingertips grazing the back of her hand as she pulled the blanket coccoon back, Skye's own fingers had wrapped around her wrist in a vice grip and her eyes had opened with such alertness and clarity it was nearly impossible to believe she'd been so asleep as to not hear her seconds ago. "Agent Morse." With those two - ever so sinful sounding - words Skye released the blonde's hand and the hard look in her eyes turned to a playful smirk. "If you wanted to join me in bed you only had to ask."

Blue eyes rolled, not willing to dignify that with a response. Because her response was that she very much wanted to ask. Because she very much wanted to kiss the smooth expanse of skin she could see peeking out from under the blankets. "Get up, we have work to do."

"Work?" Brown eyes blinked once in confusion. "Coulson wants me to hack something?"

Well, that technically was what she'd been hired to do. "No. You and I, we have work to do." Bobbi corrected, tearing her eyes away from the smooth skin. "So get up and be in the lab in ten minutes." And then she fled because Skye had started to sit up and - Oh God! - she sleeps naked! And that wasn't something Bobbi could handle so early in the morning when her Soulmark was still buzzing from the mere graze of fingertips. God, how could Skye just ignore the inner turmoil? She'd been trained for three years at the Academy and it was driving her insane.

By the time Skye strolled into the lab it was 20 minutes later - not 10 - and she was clutching a large mug of coffee. Bobbi pursed her lips, taking the coffee as soon as Skye was within reaching distance. "The fuck?" Brown eyes narrowed into a glare as Skye's hands automatically reached to snatch her coffee back. "Gimme!"

The blonde lifted the cup to her own lips, letting the coffee - black, no sugar, apparently Skye needed strong coffee in the morning - scorch her tongue. "Every Cadet needs to pass a medical before they join the Academy, make sure they're not gonna drop dead during training."

"That's great." Skye rolled her eyes, "but, I'm not a Cadet."

"Yet." Bobbi let the word hang ominously in the air as she took another sip of Skye's bitter coffee and Simmon entered the lab with a clipboard and Fitz trailed pushing a cart of instruments. "FitzSImmons will do your medical since I'm obviously not allowed, and we'll go from there."

"Right." Simmons took that as her cue to begin. "We'll start with the paperwork; name, age, date of birth and such." The Englishwoman smiled brightly, lifting a pen and staring at Skye expectantly. "Full name please!"

"Skye." Three pairs of eyes stared unblinkingly at her. "The only other name there is, is the one the nuns gave me and I swore when I changed it that I'd never repeat it." Nuns? Bobbi watched with a careful eye, that only made more questions and didn't answer any.

"I see." Simmons tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, casting nervous eyes to Bobbi for instruction. The blonde just sighed and gave a short nod, adding name to the long list of things she needed to get out her Soulmate. "Birthdate?"

"April twenty-ninth, eighty-nine... Maybe."

No! Bobbi had to physically restrain herself from correcting that. That was a date she'd never forget as long as she lived. July 2nd, 1988, right in the middle of naptime. What was this girl doing?

"Mothers name?" Simmons questioned after marking down the wrong date of birth. Bobbi would have to fix that later.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Skye shrugged, brown eyes wandering through the lab with forced casualness. "Same for father. And any potential siblings. My whole life is just one giant clusterfuck of question marks." The woman answered before Simmons could say anything else., now she was picking at her nailpolish, but the tightness around her lips gave away that she was far from the relaxed and bored demeanor she was trying to exude. "I was a system baby, so anything on me was made up by the nuns anyway so this is pointless."

System baby. That answered the question of her birthday. If they didn't have the date of birth they used the day the child was admited to the system. There must have been someone then, someone must know who she was because there was nearly a 10 month difference between the Mark on Bobbi's hip and the date Skye had given.

Simmons looked lost, she looked sad, she looked pitying. Bobbi wasn't the only one that noticed the pity if Skye's glare was anything to go by. "I see." Simmons cast a looked around, searching for something to end the awkward silence.

"Allergies." Bobbi was the one that spoke in an effort to remind the younger doctor what she was meant to be doing. Information. Get all the information on Skye and do a physical.

"Right! Any known allergies, health defects, diseases, or ailments?"

"No, no, no, and no." Skye replied, boredom colouring each denial.

Simmons sighed as she marked down each answer. "You know, this would be a lot easier if we could access your medical history."

"Be a lot quicker if you let me do it myself." Skye's fingers wiggled in the air, waiting for the clipboard to be handed over. Simmons cast a questioning look to Bobbi who waved her hand in response.

Simmons nodded, passing over the clipboard and pen. "Well, alright, but if you have any problems, don't hesitate to ask."

"Sure." Skye waved her off, already marking boxes and writing answers. "You know, this would be a lot easier on a tablet."

"Easier to hack the system, you mean." Bobbi cut in earning a roll of Skye's brown eyes.

"What would the point in that be? If wanted to change the answers, I could just lie right now." She scoffed, still ticking boxes as she spoke. "It's just easier; plus save the trees and all that."

Bobbi sipped at Skye's coffee, wandering around the table Skye had lifted herself onto. From the front angle she couldn't see any of her answers. From the side all she got was a blur of ink. From the back she could see the top left corner of the page. The question about previous injuries, Skye's hand was still moving for that question, broken arms, broken fingers, burns, concussions, fractures. Bobbi's throat constricted and her stomach twisted and her Mark burned as she read what she could see of the page. What had happened to Skye? Who would do that to her? Who would hurt her like that?

Bobbi got a queesy feeling in her stomach and the nearly overwhelming urge to kill someone.

The coffee was barely warm by now, but she took the distraction and gulped the rest of it down so the mug obscured her view of Skye's injuries - so she didn't have to read it anymore. Simmons had moved on to taking blood and listening to Skye's heart and breathing as Fitz seemlessly passed various instruments and tools between his partner and the cart.

Bobbi didn't need to be there, she was surpluss to the situation at that point, Fitz and Simmons were more than capable of doing a medical check. And yet she continued pacing around the lab, keeping careful blue eyes on the puppy-children chattering in the center as Skye's medical progressed. Healthy lungs, healthy heart, a couple of old scars that Skye refused to talk about, a little undernourished, but otherwise healthy. Good.

The undernourished diagnosis rang in Bobbi's ears after Fitz and Simmons had left to go have breakfast and Skye was staring at her expectantly. "Go eat." She'd been living in a van, of course she didn't have steady access to healthy meals. "Be in the gym in half an hour." Skye was still standing in the middle of the lab looking like a confused puppy when Bobbi turned on her heel and left. Half an hour should be long enough for her to beat the shit out of a punching bag.

Except the tap-tap of feet didn't go up the stairs and to the kitchen, instead they followed Bobbi and she had to force herself not to go postal on the punching bag. "You don't have to pity me." Skye's voice was soft, but it still held an undercurrent of defiant anger. "I'm not some little dog that can't function in society. I was raised in the foster system, not some back alley trafficking ring." Bobbi didn't turn around, Skye kept talking at her back as she struggled to contain her anger. Who could hurt her Soulmate so badly that she didn't even care that she'd been hurt? "And I turned out just fine; better than ninety percent of people who were actually raised by parents-"

"You were living in a van!" The words came out before she could stop them, turning to face the girl who was glaring at her with defiant anger.

"By choice!" Was the automatic response and Bobbi couldn't help but scoff at that. "What? Don't think the poor little orphan can be anything other than a street rat?" Before Bobbi can deny it, can say that she never thought of her as a street rat, Skye continued. "I've been working my ass off for most of my life. I could take a computer apart and put it back together with ten times the processing power by the time I was twelve. I've been fixing that piece of shit van since I bought it when I was sixteen and it runs better now than when it was made. I hacked into Goddamn Shield from a laptop. I've been fighting back against people who thought I wasn't worth anything from the day I could talk back, so I don't need your pity, I don't want it, and if you insist on having pity for me I can suggest a place for you to shove it where the sun don't shine."

Bobbi really shouldn't have been turned on by that.

She took a slow, deep breath to contain herself. "Go eat." Bobbi repeated, softer, gentler, but in no way pitying. "Be back here when you're done and we'll start training."

Brown eyes blinked once in confusion. "Training?"

"If you're going to be here I'm not going to trust your word that you can fight. You'll train with me every day until I know you can take care of yourself and won't endanger everyone on this bus." Skye still looked confused at the sudden change in tone of the conversation. "Every morning at six-thirty until I'm sure you've got at least enough training to pass the Academy exams." Bobbi had to look away again because the bond was affecting her mentality and looking at Skye was starting to feel like looking at the sun. How could she be so affect and Skye so not? "Think you can handle that?"

Skye scoffed, turning on her heal, her voice was further away when it reached Bobbi. "Think you can handle me?"

No. Not at all.


Okay, so maybe Bobbi could have had her training sessions later in the day and it wouldn't have made any difference, but any other time of the day Skye would be awake and alert. And when Skye was awake and alert, she was flirty and teasing and Bobbi couldn't stand to be around her without aching to kiss her.

Turns out that whilst Skye wasn't completely alert - shuffling into the gym in her loose sweat pants and a-size-too-small tank top - she was awake enough to know that Bobbi was staring. The smirk on her lips was absolutely filthy for someone who was still rubbing sleep from her eyes. "You're late." She grabbed the tape from the seat next to her, gesturing for the brunette to sit across from her.

"By, like, ten minutes." The words were muffled by a yawn as she flashed the time on her phone at Bobbi. 13 minutes, actually, but it was the closest Skye had come to being on time all week. The first day Bobbi had had to wake her up an hour after they were meant to start, so at least Skye was getting up on her own. "I wouldn't be so late all the time if you let me sleep in."

"If I had to suffer through early morning training for three years, so do you." Bobbi's fingers are gentle and practiced as they wind the tape around Skye's.

Skye snorted and Bobbi glanced up to see her rolling her eyes. "You're nuts if you think I'm sticking around for three years." Her taped fingers flexed as Bobbi moved onto the other hand. "Never stayed anywhere more than a few months."

"So what? Get what you're looking for and leave? Just like that?" The tape moves deftly between her fingers.

"I'm here because Coulson invited me-"

"You're here because you want something-"

"I don't want anything except to sleep in-"

"I'm not stupid, Skye, I know you want something from someone higher than Level Seven." Bobbi hissed, watching the girls eyes widen ever so slightly. "Play whatever games you want, but just know that until you prove yourself I'm going to be there every time to stop you." Bobbi was aware she was towering over the girl, she was aware she could look intimidating, she was aware that nothing she did seemed to have any affect on Skye. "You need to decide, Skye-" brown eyes glared back at her. "-if what you're looking for is worth more than what you could have. With Shield." With Bobbi. "Or if you're going to let whatever it is define you." Skye looked like she'd just been given the answers to a million questions, only to have a million more be asked.

Coulson's voice sounded over the speakers, calling everyone to the briefing room. Bobbi held Skye's gaze a moment longer, waiting. Waiting. Waiting for the woman to give her something. A reason to hate her. A reason not to. Anything. Skye looked away, stepping back and picking at the tape around her fingers. "Like I said-" Skye tossed over her shoulder as she started to leave, pulling the tape from her hands. "-never been anywhere more than a few months."

Bobbi is left in the gym feeling like she might have been on the cusp of a breakthrough. Skye was breaking. Three weeks in and Skye was finally starting to break, and Bobbi hoped she would open up soon so she knew whether or not she was allowed to hope for a future. Coulson was waiting in the briefing room with the rest of the team though so she would have to wait to contemplate her never-ending Skye-based frustrations.


The news that Doctor Franklin Hall had been kidnapped had hit FitzSimmons hard as they babbled over each other about his theories and a class they once attended. Bobbi had been to one of his lectures once too, the man was brilliant, an absolute genius. The kind of scientist Bobbi had once hoped to emulate before she transfered to Operations.

The crime scene was nothing like Bobbi had ever seen. A semi-truck was overturned with the cab caved in from the force of... Agent Mack said it was nothing. There had been clear road, and then the truck had colided with nothing. May was standing guard, FitzSimmons were examining the front of the truck and the area around it, trying to figure out what happened. Skye was wandering around and Bobbi was taking the Agent's statements.

There was no doubt to Bobbi that it - whatever it was exactly - had been a targeted attack intended to take Dr. Hall when there was the least security surrounding him.

Fitz was the one to bring up Gravitonium and the word still left a foul taste in Bobbi's mouth. A scientist in S.H.I.E.L.D custody, an unknown element, and the previously mentioned scientist had been kidnapped.

"Guys!" Skye was in the lab with FitzSimmons, Bobbi just happened to be there too, waiting for the search to finish on anyone else that had notable mentions next to Dr. Hall or Gravitonium. "High school dropout here." The blonde frowned at the back of Skye's head.

"Okay, well, uh..." Simmons looked perplexed for a moment, trying to rephrase their explanation of Gravitonium. "You see these... Squiggly bits-" the amusement on Skye's face made her roll her eyes.

"She's jokin', Simmons, she understan's." Fitz cut in before Simmons could make a fool of herself. "You're a hacker, we know tha' means you're not stupid."

"Oh. Right." Simmons flushed before resuming her normal explanation.

"Spoil sport." Skye grumbled to Fitz, sticking her tongue before her tablet dinged and her eyes widened at the screen. "Well, looks like we know where Dr. Hall went." That caught her interest and she had to fight for a spot to seen the screen between the little science babies.

"Ian Quinn?"

"Of Quinn Worldwide, after Stark Industries he's the biggest privatised research company."

"Better yet." Skye hopped off the counter she'd been sitting on. "He used to work with Doctor Hall until Hall accused him of stealing his research; Quinn made billions - holy crap, billions with a B - and Hall stopped publishing papers after Quinn took credit for a theory they released together on-you guessed it; Gravitonium." FitzSimmons spoke over each other about the injustice and the outrage as Skye started walking, FitzSimmons followed, and it was apparently up to Bobbi to steer them towards Coulson. "Oh would you look at that!" Skye stopped in the middle of the hall, Simmons crashed into her, Fitz crashed into Simmons, they were all too entranced in Skye's tablet to get themselves out of the mess so Bobbi had to get them walking again. "Quinn is holding an unveiling party at his property in Malta this weekend with all his investers and partners. Apparently he's revealing something that will 'change the face of science'."

Bobbi tapped her comms on. "Sir, we've got something." She felt like she was leading a group of sleepy toddlers; Skye refused to look up from what she was reading and nearly walked into a wall - twice - Simmons was trying to glue herself to Skye's back in an attempt to read over her shoulder, and Fitz kept trying to bustle upbeside them to read as well, except he'd get flustered and stammered every time his arm accidently brushed Skye's. By the time they reached the briefing room Coulson and May were already there. "Ian Quinn-" Skye tapped at her tablet the pages she'd been reading from transferred to screens around them. "-genius, billionaire-"

"Playboy, philanthropist?" Coulson smirked with a shake of his head. "I've dealt with worse."

"He's got history with Doctor Hall, and Gravitonium-" Simmons provided ever-so-cheerfully.

"-an' he's hosting a party to make a big reveal this weeken'." Fitz added, pointing at one of the screens. "Tomorrow, actually."

Coulson looked like he was about to speak, about to lay out plans to infiltrate Quinn's party and rescue Dr. Hall. "In Malta." Bobbi had to say it. Because S.H.I.E.L.D didn't have jurisdiction in Malta. They couldn't go in guns plazing, they couldn't take over the property, they couldn't even flash a badge without being kicked out. Because S.H.I.E.L.D could do absolutely nothing in Malta.

"Well, that complicates things." Coulson sighed, casting his eyes around the room. "Shield has no jurisdiction in Malta; we can't go in, and we can't extradite him." He explained to Skye, since everyone else should already know.

Silence rang in the room, hanging heavy in the air.

"I could go in-" the blonde began, hands planted firmly on the table separating them all.

"We have no jurisdiction." Coulson cut in with a shake of his head. "If you're caught..."

"So I won't get caught." Bobbi challenged, Skye started tapping away on her phone, FitzSimmons started talking about theoretical ways to get a message to Dr. Hall, May crossed her arms. "I go in alone, Quinn will be expecting Swat teams and Strike forces, not one person. I go in, I get Doctor Hall and I get out whilst Quinn is busy inflating his ego at the reveal party."

Coulson shook his head again, "if he's even half of what Stark is, that place will be on lock down, no-one gets in without his say-so. We'd need to establish a cover, it could take months or years to have an Agent work their way in close enough to get to Doctor Hall." They didn't have months or years, they didn't even have more that 24 hours. "We could try to get the Maltese government on our side, but even that would take too long..."

"Or I could just walk in." Skye spoke up with a smirk, all eyes darted to her. To the tiny girl who had hacked her way in and who wanted something from them. Before Coulson could say that, no Skye couldn't go in because S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't have any authority in Malta, the girl spoke again. "I'm not an Agent," she reminded and... Bobbi couldn't argue that because technically it was true. "And, I have an invite... Well, techincally an e-vite, but whatever." A flash of her phone screen showed what she'd been tapping away at... She'd hacked Quinn Worldwide from her phone. From. Her. Phone.

The silence was slight awed this time as Skye smirked at them all.

"No. No way." Bobbi was the first one to speak. "You're not going in there alone." All the scenarios of Skye being caught and hurt and killed and so much worse flashed through her mind and made her want to vomit.

"It's not my first rodeo, I can take care of myself."

"That's what I'm afraid of." No it wasn't, she was afraid she'd never see her again. "You hacked your way in, just like you hacked Shield, what's to say you won't jump ship and join Quinn? What's to say you haven't already joined him and are just looking for a way to get back with everything you've taken from Shield?"

"Why would I work with Quinn and then give him up, huh?" Skye shot back, "I was offering a solution. You can't go in, I can."

"And that's rather convenient, isn't it? Out of all the trained Agents, you're the only one that can go in. Alone. With no-one there to make sure you don't sell us out." Her voice was raising and she wasn't even sure that she was trying to stop Skye to protect her. Because everything she was saying was true, and that mixed with the distrust made for a dangerous combination.

"Enough!" Coulson stopped either of them from shouting back. "FitzSimmons, get Skye fitted with a comms unit, Morse with me." May stalked off without needing to be told to redirect the Bus to Malta... Or somewhere close to Malta.

Bobbi followed Coulson to his office, eyeing all the memorabelia on the shelves to avoid having to look at the disapointed look he was giving her.

"Is it the girl?" Coulson asked, blue eyes feeling oddly like her Dad when she got in trouble as a kid.

"Excuse me?" Did he know? He couldn't know, she'd never told anyone that Skye was her Soulmate. If Coulson knew, though, it was cause for probation at best - dismissal at worst. Any Agent was meant to report and file as soon as their Soulmate was found, especially if it was during a mission or on a case, even more-so if it involved someone they worked with. Bobbi ticked all the boxes; met her Soulmate, met her Soulmate on a case, her Soulmate became part of the case and was now a consultant she worked with 24/7.

"Is it the girl? Did she do something to offend you?" Coulson clarified, "did she stab you in the heart with an alien sceptor? Because that's the only reason I can think of that you would show such open hostility towards a member of your own team." He thought she hated Skye. She wished she could hate Skye, that would be so much easier than the constant turmoil in her own head. "I chose you for this team, Morse, because not only are you the best, but you're a team player." Right now Coulson didn't look anything like the Mr. Unassuming people always thought he was, but ever inch the Level 8 Agent that was Fury's right hand man. "I'm not seeing that now. I'm seeing an Agent, my Agent jeopardising this team every time I turn around because... Because why, Agent Morse? You offered to train Skye, to work with her, why do that if you can't work with her?"

"I don't trust her." The words came out automatically, Coulson opened his mouth to say something, most likely to vouch for Skye's allegiance. "She's Rising Tide, she's a hacker-"

"All arguments I've heard before." Coulson cut in. "And you worked with her before, why not now?"

"Because I don't trust her." He didn't understand. How could he understand what was going on in her head though? "She has training from somewhere. Psychological training, physical too I'm guessing. But, you don't just get that good at resisting without having training." Bobbi finally burst, "I mean, I do have training and I still can't fight it, but Skye-she's-"

Coulson held up a hand to silence her. "What are you talking about? Did Skye tell you this?"

"No, Sir." The Mark on her hip tingled, she absently let her hand find the spot where it was over her clothes. "She didn't need to." Bobbi let out a sigh as her thumb tugged down the waist-band of her pants just enough to show the words of her Mark.

Coulson's eyes widened as the words came into view. "Is that...?"

"Yeah." Bobbi let her pants cover it once more and settled her hand over the spot. "The first words I said to Skye, nothing. No reaction at all, not a twitch or a blink or a quickening of her heart rate even. Nothing." Still nothing. Still no acknowledgement, no questions, no apparent craving to inhabit the same space as her. "That takes training, and discipline, and control... And if she has that level of control then what else is she hiding? What's she really here for?" And when she got it would she leave S.H.I.E.L.D? Would she leave Bobbi? "I don't trust her." But, every fibre of her being wants to.


Despite Bobbi's objections, and May's disapproving glares, and every other reason under the sun; Coulson was letting Skye infiltrate Quinn. Alone. Alone-ish.

May, Fitz and Simmons were running back end from the Bus, waiting for Skye to cnnect to Quinn's system. Coulson and Bobbi were waiting just outside the properties perimeter from the laser grid to be shut down so they could go rescue Dr. Hall. And Skye was the one the whole plan hinged on.

Bobbi could still feel the press of Skye's body as she gave the younger woman a crash course in disarming an assailant. Her Mark had made her uncomfortably wet and needy when Skye's back pressed to her front, her Mark fit snug against the top of the younger woman's ass - and Dear God, that had to be where her Mark was!

Skye hadn't reacted at all.

"Sir. About earlier," they were alone, their comms were off, it was the only time she could talk about it. "You know, about Skye being-"

"Your Soulmate." Coulson provided as they waited. Waited. Waited for Skye to come through or bail. "You know I have to report it, it's protocol to have something like that on file."

Which was exactly why she hadn't said anything when she found out. "Right."

"But, you know how paperwork can accidently be filed wrong. Or not at all." Coulson was looking at her with that Mr. Unassuming look again. "If it starts to affect your duties, however, I may have to check that it's filed properly in the future." Do your job right and I'll keep your secret.

"Yes, Sir." Bobbi tried not to feel so relieved.

"Comms on." And just like that Coulson was back on mission and Bobbi knew she had to be too.

"Sir," Fitz came over the comms sounding like a panicked Scottish puppy. "Skye's gone off comms."

Bobbi tried not to shoot Coulson a smug look - she really did - but didn't she say this would happen? Didn't she say just yesterday that Skye would jump ship and join Quinn? Althought she had to admit she was surprised, as far as she knew Skye hadn't got whatever it is she wanted from S.H.I.E.L.D.

"May-maybe she just went to the bathroom." Fitz suggested hopefully, "I know I wouldn't wan' anyone listening if I had to use the facilities." Poor niave Fitz, too sweet and trusting for his own good. Skye hadn't gone to the bathroom, she'd flipped on them. Just like Bobbi knew- "oh, wait, the signal's coming through!"

This time Coulson was the one looking smug as Fitz deactivated the laser grid - Bobbi through a pebble just be sure instead of risking life and limb on the genius' word. The two of them are nearing the main building when Bobbi's hears the crash of breaking glass and the shouted order for someone to 'get her'.

"I'll get Doctor Hall, you get Skye." Coulson commands, and Bobbi knows it's because he knows her mind won't be on the case if Skye could be in danger. Coulson goes in one direction and Bobbi towards where the crash came from. She rounds the corner in time to see Skye climbing out of a pool whilst two men are trying to swim towards her.

What, did they all just decide to go swimming in the middle of a chase?

"Bobbi." Sky runs at her and the girl looks like a wet little puppy as she clings to the blonde's arms.

"Are you okay?" A quick scan of the younger woman's body doesn't show any outward injuries, but she can't be too sure right now. "Are you hurt?" The two men in suits have finally climbed out of the pool.

"I'm okay." Skye nodded and that's all Bobbi needs to hear before she turns on the men.

One starts to aim his gun at her and he's an idiot because he just climbed out of a pool so the gun is useless, but she lets him aim it, and then kicks it out of his hand before he can shoot. A punch in the head and he's dazed enough for her to get him into a headlock. The other guy tries to come at her, aiming a kick at her head, but she turns at the right time and the man in the headlock takes the blow instead, knocking him unconscious. Bobbi tossed him back into the pool before facing the second man, reaching behind her back for her escrima sticks. The thunk-thunk of metal against bone is sickly satisfying before she digs the electrified barbs on the ends into the mans neck and watches him twitch and splutter. Water and electricity don't mix well.

"Are you okay?" This time it's Skye asking as Bobbi abandons the bodies in favour of the woman.

"I'm-" the shakes violently beneath them. "Coulson." It's not hard to follow the path of incapacitated guards that Coulson left behind to the room with Doctor Hall and Coulson... On the ceiling. Why the Hell were Coulson and Dr. Hall on the ceiling? How were they on the ceiling?

Skye peeked in the little window on the door beside Bobbi, still shivering and wet. "What the fuck?" Yeah, Bobbi mused, that summed it up pretty well.

The ground shook again, violently, knocking Skye off her feet, and toppling Bobbi on top of her. That one must have shaken the foundations of the building because a piece of concrete crashed to the ground nearby and Bobbi held herself over Skye a moment longer just to be sure she wouldn't be hurt if any more concrete fell. By the time they were back on their feet Coulson and Dr. Hall were standing on the wall-what?

Coulson and Dr. Hall were standing on the wall as casually and easily as she was standing right now. Oh, that wasn't good. The Gravitnonium must be unstable. The Gravitonium in the middle of the room that is spiking and swirling with each shake of the ground and shift of gravity in the room. If they don't do something now she doesn't know what would happen.

Coulson looks like he's trying to reason with Dr. Hall who isn't looking very sane in Bobbi's opinion, the building shakes again and this time Bobbi manages to keep both her and Skye standing and they watch in slow motion as Coulson holds onto something to stay hanging in the air and Dr. Hall falls across the room. Falling. Flailing. Trying to reach out and grab something.

The Gravitonium spikes out and Bobbi can see the soundless scream as the metalic-grey substance swollows the scientist and Coulson is dropped to the ground. The real ground.

Coulson comes over to the door and unlocks it, still looking shocked as he looks at them both. "Get Fitz and Simmons in here to secure that thing." He stepped out of the room, starting to head for the exit. "Good work, Skye." As an afterthought. Bobbi looks back into the room, to the Gravitonium. It's not spiking anymore, the ground isn't shaking, the gravity isn't shifting. She doesn't want to stick around in case it all starts again.

Especially not when Skye is soaking wet in that ridiculously sexy pink dress.


Skye is already in the gym when Bobbi walks in at 6:00 AM the next morning; her hands are wrapped - messily, Bobbi will have to keep working on that - and she doesn't even look away from the punching bag when the blonde approaches. Instead of saying anything, Bobbi walked over and held the bag still, feeling the punches and absently making notes on how to improve them as she waited for Skye to speak.

Ten minutes and Skye didn't say anything. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes is when Bobbi calls an end to it, gently tugging the brunette away from the bag despite her protests. "What's going on?" Bobbi sits on the bench and waits for Skye to sit too before asking. Skye takes her time, taking a sip of water, looking down at her hands, picking at the tape, before finally looking up to Bobbi.

"You ever wanted something so bad you'd do anything to get it?" Yes. But, Bobbi didn't answer because this wasn't about her. "I have. I do." Present tense. Blue eyes watch Skye carefully as she speaks. "Mike Peterson was a good guy, you know? And I told him not to trust Shield when Shield was what saved him. And Reyes just wanted that Tesseract thing for herself, not to help people... I want to help people, I want to make sure there's not another Ace Peterson who isn't as lucky to have Shield save his father." Skye looked away, her fingers reaching into her sports bra - Bobbi had to remind herself now was not the time to think about the contents of Skye's bra, no matter how tempting. A memory card, probably the same size as her thumb nail. "No kid should have to grow up without their parents." Bobbi had never heard such raw truth from Skye before. The truth. Finally, after three weeks, she was finally getting the truth.

Skye held the memory card out and Bobbi was hesitant to take it. "What's this?" Small, blue, non-descript.

"Everything I have." Skye's shining brown eyes looking back to her.

"On us? On Shield?" That didn't feel right, but she had to make sure.

"On me."