A.N. Sheesh, this one took a while, but it's much longer than the others so hopefully that makes up for it.
Someone mentioned in a review that they were curious about what happened in Vegas….
XX
"Put her on the table," Jemma orders, her voice taking on a hysterical edge, as she steps around Ward to clear off the other half of the lab table.
"Jemma, you need to be examined as well," Coulson is saying as he stepped into the room behind them.
"No," Jemma says with an air of finality. She nearly loses it when Ward places Skye gently on the table and she cries out in pain.
"Sorry," Ward says softly, stepping back. He looks to Jemma helplessly. "I'm sorry."
Jemma begins digging through a drawer next to the table, and then she slams open another. "Fitz, please, I need gauze, tape, butterfly bandages." She leans over Skye, who is lying whimpering on the table. Jemma's lips twitch as tears threaten. "Skye, sweetheart, I'm going to give you a shot for the pain."
Her face crumples, and she bites back her tears when Skye shifts slightly and it makes her moan in pain.
Jemma feels a hand press gauze to her face as she leans over Skye to insert the needle into her arm. It only takes a moment for Skye's entire body to slacken as the effects of the drug work quickly through her system.
Jemma turns her head enough that Fitz can secure the gauze and tape to her forehead so she can continue working.
"Jemma, I'm sorry."
There are more words that follow those, but Jemma tunes them all out. Skye is lying on the table before her, one hand pressed over her eyes, trying to conceal her tears in front of their boss, and one pressed against her ribs as Jemma stitches up a particularly nasty gash along her thigh.
"We think that they somehow hacked our coms and tracked each of our locations inside the casino."
Coulson continues to try to explain how it is that they were made. So far their undercover missions have both been failures and both ended with Skye injured.
Finally she turns to him, and her expression is so thunderous that he stops mid-sentence. "Sir, if you don't mind, I'd like a little peace while I put her back together."
Coulson swallows hard, his eyes boring into hers, but then he nods and leaves the room without another word.
Jemma turns back to Skye, and frowns at the obvious tension in her body, the way her chin is quivering under the weight of her unsuccessful attempt to keep her tears from spilling over her cheeks. Jemma bites her lip to keep her own tears from spilling as she thinks back to their time as prisoners of the gang of thieves calling themselves The Brotherhood of Chaos.
It makes her heart ache a little when she thinks about how excited Skye had been for this mission.
XX
Skye is absolutely beaming. "Vegas, baby!"
Even Ward quirks a grin. "Never been before?"
Skye rolls her eyes. "Oh, I forgot about all the foster families that took me."
Ward ignores her sarcasm and goes back to cleaning his gun.
"I don't see what the big deal is anyways," Fitz mutters. "It's all bright lights and…breasts." His face flushes. "It's all to distract you from how dirty the city actually is."
"It's Vegas," Skye says, like that explains everything. "Celebrities, free drinks, all you can eat buffets, bright lights, music. It's the ultimate party city."
Fitz wrinkles his nose and resumes tinkering with one of his gadgets about to be used for their new mission.
"Well I think it sounds lovely," Jemma supplies when Skye looks a little crestfallen at the boys' lack of enthusiasm. "Even though we'll only have one night to really enjoy it."
And enjoy it they do.
Skye and Jemma convince the rest of the team to get all dressed up with them for dinner. They don't get too many opportunities to have nights out together, so they take advantage. They have a few drinks, and even gamble a little before Coulson and Ward go into work mode and insist on getting a better lay of the land for their operation the following night.
Skye and Jemma don't complain much when May excuses herself to follow along with them, and they lose Fitz a few minutes later when a cute girl catches his eye as he stands over Skye's shoulder while she plays roulette.
Jemma insists she stay away from the blackjack table, because she's read about what they do to people who count cards in Vegas, and she knows her brain would probably do it without her even realizes it, and she can't afford to be blacklisted with the casino before they even start the mission.
Besides, it would totally defeat the purpose of fighting so hard to remain at Skye's side if she can't even get through the front doors.
Skye suddenly turns from the table and grasps Jemma's hand, pulling her through the main floor of the casino. "Come on, let's go wander."
"Alright," Jemma agrees easily. She feels bubbly and light.
Skye keeps a hold of her hand and pulls her away from the bustle of the main casino floor. She pauses as she gets to the lobby, looking left then right and tugs Jemma along again.
The floral scent hits her before the vast array of colors as they arrive in the botanical gardens inside the hotel.
Jemma gasps as she takes it all in. "This is beautiful."
Skye's eyes remain locked on Jemma's beaming smile. "Hmm. Believe me, it is."
Jemma's eyes cut to her, and the meaning of Skye's words sink in and she flushes beautifully. "You can be so sweet when you want to be."
Skye shrugs a shoulder and pulls her to slowly meander through all the flowers.
Jemma points out different flowers as they walk, and occasionally leans over to press her nose to a bloom. Skye listens intently, not so much to learn about flowers, but just to hear the other girl speak.
Once they've made their way through the gardens, Skye is tugging gently at her hand again. "One more thing we absolutely have to see."
Jemma follows along happily, feeling the warmth of Skye's hand radiate up her arm and bloom into her chest.
The warm, dry desert air hits her with an almost audible 'whoosh' as they exit the hotel and make their way out front. It's just getting dark and the strip is absolutely lit up around them and it's humming with activity.
Skye feels so alive in the moment. She's with quite possibly her favorite person (besides Coulson) ever, in the city that truly never sleeps and they have hours before they have to get to work.
"What are we doing out here?" Jemma asks, tugging at Skye's hand to pull her closer.
Skye grins and allows herself to be pulled into Jemma's body close enough to press a lingering kiss to her lips.
As if on queue, the fountains in front of the hotel light up and begin the show. Skye isn't really a fan of the pop diva's music that's suddenly blaring up around them, but the fountain is quite a sight, and even better, the expression on Jemma's face is absolutely priceless.
XX
"Are those from…fingers?" Ward asks, his eyes zeroed in on Skye's thighs where her dress has ridden up from being moved into the medical pod from the lab.
"Everyone except May, get out," Jemma orders suddenly, her voice breaking as she tugs at the short hem of the dress Skye has on, trying to preserve as much dignity as she can.
She's relieved when the rest of the team clears out immediately. She certainly isn't prepared to answer questions about how bad things could have gotten.
May hangs back and helps Jemma get Skye into a gown. Once they're done she exits the room and stops just outside the door, crossing her arms over her chest to stand guard.
Jemma reaches for Skye's hand resting over her abdomen and frowns when Skye flinches at her touch.
The hand covering her eyes lifts slowly, and just enough for Skye to realize that it's only Jemma and she sighs, relieved. "Sorry," she breathes.
Jemma shakes her head. "I need to look at your ribs, sweetheart."
Skye removes the hand covering her stomach slowly, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling as she nods, and she presses her hand tightly over her eyes again. "Sure."
Jemma frowns suddenly. "You hit your head, didn't you?"
Skye takes in a deep breath, and it makes her wince. She nods her head after a long moment. "He threw me down on the ground."
Jemma bites her lip and desperately tries to focus on what she has to do to put Skye back together physically before she can focus on putting her back together emotionally. "You might have a concussion." She flips on a smaller lamp attached to the side of the bed, and she moves to shut off the bright overhead lights, hoping it will help ease the pain Skye is feeling.
Skye sighs as soon as the lights go off, and she's able to remove her hand from covering her eyes. "Thank you."
Jemma is at her side again and begins to lift the gown. She feels Skye stiffen the moment she touches her, but she relaxes almost immediately. When Jemma pulls Skye's gown up enough to examine her ribs, her eyes are instantly drawn to the dark bruise covering most of Skye's side. The tips of her fingers trail over her skin lightly and it makes Skye flinch away and suck in a pained breath. "Ticklish, remember?"
XX
Jemma lets out a throaty laugh, her head tipping back, and it makes Skye pout.
"I'm glad you think it's funny," Skye grumbles as she presses the palm of her hand against the ribs on the other side of her body. "Just because you're a total weirdo and aren't ticklish. At all."
"Don't make me poke you again," Jemma threatens idly as she settles back into her lounge chair.
They're both in tiny bikinis, resting comfortably in lounge chairs around one of the giant pools behind the casino. The sun is bright, the air is hot and the team is taking advantage of the warm weather because as Agents, they never know where they'll end up next. And the girls wouldn't even think about passing up on a chance to see the other in a teeny bikini.
"Worried about tonight?" Ward asks softly from Skye's other side.
Skye's hand instinctively moves to her belly, and the two scars marring the perfect skin of her stomach. "A little."
A warm hand slides over her other wrist and she turns her head to find Jemma watching her with a soft expression. "The Brotherhood has no history of being violent. I'm sure we'll be just fine."
Ward and Fitz both groan. "And you jinxed it!" Fitz groans, tossing his hands up.
Jemma cringes. "Sorry?"
Skye can't take her eyes off the other girl and she grins mischievously. "You're looking a little pink, Jem. I think we should get you out of the sun."
Jemma catches her drift, instantly recognizing the tone of Skye's voice. "I think you might be right."
"We have more sunscreen," Fitz offers, holding up the tube. But it falls on deaf ears as the girls are up and out of their chairs before another word can be uttered.
The girls flash their room key to security and board an elevator with too many other people for Skye's liking. What she wants is to shove Jemma against the wall of the elevator and do all kinds of things to her.
The doors open at the eighteenth floor and the girls exit and head to the room they're sharing down the hall. The moment the door is closed, Jemma has her pressed against it. Their lips are pressed together in a series of soft, but hurried kisses.
Jemma nudges Skye's jaw with her nose, urging Skye's head back to give her more room to work. She trails her lips over sun-kissed skin so lightly, knowing it drives Skye crazy. She trails one hand down Skye's chest, between her breasts, and stops at her belly, and those two scars. She feels Skye tense against her body.
"Don't," Skye breathes, swatting Jemma's hands away.
"Look at me," Jemma insists softly, waiting for dark eyes to meet hers. "You're beautiful. And these scars are proof that you're a survivor. So they're beautiful too, for that reason."
Skye's lips twitch just enough for Jemma to notice, and that's all the go-ahead that she needs to resume teasing Skye's skin with her lips and hands.
"Mmm," Skye hums as her head thumps heavily against the door. Her hands slide up over Jemma's hips and around her waist. One hand tentatively begins to travel north and her fingers tease the underside of Jemma's breast. She smirks into the next kiss when Jemma leans into her, clearly liking the way things are going.
Skye pulls the other girl's body in closer, easing a thigh between Jemma's legs, her fingers playing with the ties on Jemma's bikini. If they had more time, she'd be tugging them apart. But they literally only have enough time to get ready before they have to meet the security team that will be assisting them.
Skye feels a little pinch where Jemma's lips are attached to her collarbone and she smirks, knowing she'll have a hickey to cover up.
"God, Jems, we have to stop," Skye tells her, cradling Jemma's face between her palms to coax the other girl into a kiss. Then Jemma's teeth sink into her bottom lip and her stomach flips. "Mmm, maybe we have five more minutes."
Jemma grins wickedly, and it turns Skye into putty in her hands. She had no idea someone and sweet and innocent could look so sexy with one grin, and that's all it takes to be locked in another feverish kiss.
Jemma shifts just enough that she can press her body further into Skye's. Her fingers dance down over Skye's ribs until they stop just above her bikini line. She trails the backs of her fingers slowly across the skin at the hem of the white bikini Skye is wearing, and Skye sucks in a sharp breath.
Jemma's head drops to Skye's shoulder, knowing she really does need to stop. She's not about to let their first time be a quickie before a mission. She wants to be able to take her time. She presses a kiss to Skye's chest, then her neck, and then finally her lips.
"You are exquisite," Jemma whispers against her lips.
Skye grins, because she's never been very good at taking compliments. She's used to people complimenting her because they want something from her. Whether it be hacking or sex, but with Jemma, she knows it's different. She can feel it deep inside that Jemma means the things she says to her.
"I-" Skye feels her throat tighten and choke off the other three words she had intended to follow the first. She swallows hard, and smiles, kissing Jemma instead. "We should get ready."
Jemma, as usual, can see pretty much right through her, but she smiles as well. "We don't have much time now."
Skye smirks. "When they see you in the dress you'll be wearing tonight, their brains are going to fall out of their heads and they'll forget we're even late."
"Flatterer," Jemma says, a light blush creeping into her cheeks that are already pink from the sun.
"It's not flattery if it's true, sweetie," Skye tells her with a wink as she disappears into the bathroom.
XX
Jemma fights tears every moment she spends putting Skye back together. She's been suturing and soothing, and even though Skye has a pretty high dose of pain medication in her system, she still lets out a whimper or grunt of pain every now and then.
Jemma is taking a mental count of several things as she goes. She counts the number of pained breaths Skye takes, the number of sutures forming jagged lines over her skin, the number of cries, whimpers, and even tears she sheds.
She counts so she knows exactly how much pain to inflict on Skye's behalf if she ever sees Jacob again. She knows he and his team will be locked up, probably for a very long time, in a S.H.E.I.D. facility somewhere.
She wonders idly if she can get Skye to find out where and pay him a little visit.
"Jem?" Skye rasps.
Jemma is torn from her daydream and is by Skye's side in an instant. "What is it, sweetheart?"
"It hurts," Skye whispers. Her eyes are closed, her forehead pinched tightly in pain.
"I know it does, baby." Jemma runs a soothing hand over her forehead, frowning at the heat of her skin. A glance at the monitor next to the bed tells her that Skye is running a slight fever so she stands to administer more medicine.
"I'm sorry," Skye says a moment later.
Jemma reaches into a drawer to pull out a small ice pack and cracks it, wrapping it in a small towel. She presses it against Skye's forehead, watching the crease disappear almost immediately.
"This isn't your fault, Skye," Jemma tells her, moving to sit near the head of the bed so she can hold Skye's hand and kiss her if she needs to. Because she needs to.
"I know," Skye whispers, once she realizes that Jemma is close again. "I mean I'm sorry I got hurt again and it makes you worry."
"Again, it's not your fault," Jemma says.
"Do you think we're making a mistake?" Skye asks after a long pause. "Being together with our jobs?
Jemma's stomach suddenly lurches through the floor. "No." She's fighting tears again, but for a totally different reason, and she's silent for so long that she isn't sure if Skye's fallen asleep. "Do you?"
Skye winces when she shrugs one shoulder. "I wonder if we're setting ourselves up for even more pain by going down this road."
Jemma sucks in a deep breath. "I don't care if I am. The risk is worth the reward. And besides, I love you either way, so why keep ourselves from being together?"
"Hmmm," Skye hums, clearly fighting the effects of the medicine. "You're right. You're so smart, Jems." She opens her eyes and stares at Jemma. "Don't let me go, Jemma. This is the medicine talking, but I mean it. I'm scared, but please don't let me go."
And suddenly she's sound asleep.
XX
Everything is going according to plan. Ward and Coulson are closing in on the thieves. May and Fitz are acting as the distraction perfectly. Skye and Jemma are tucked away safely in the casino security office, and they are giggling at Fitz pretending to fight with security after being 'caught' counting cards.
Both girls glance up when they hear the door lock disengage and the door is pushed open. They both share a smile with one of the security guards that has been in and out of the office, helping to monitor the situation. The girls go back to watching the feed on the computer screen, not thinking much about anything.
Then they hear a gun being cocked and everything goes black.
When she comes to, the first thing Jemma notices is the blinding headache that she knows is a side effect of the sedative. It's certainly more unpleasant than waking up from a blast of the night-night gun.
"Jemma?" Skye's voice is thick and raspy, like she's been crying.
Jemma squints into the darkness, trying to locate the source of the voice, and she finally spots Skye slumped in the corner of the room. She tries to move closer, but that's when she realizes she's bound at her hands, behind her back, and her ankles.
Suddenly she's terrified.
"Where are we?" she asks.
Skye shakes her head. "No clue. Are you hurt?"
Jemma takes mental stock and shakes her head. "No. You?"
"No." There's only a moment of hesitation, but it's enough for Jemma to know that Skye is lying to her.
Suddenly the door bangs open and it startles both girls. A man stands in the doorway. He's tall and muscular and Skye immediately recognizes him as the leader of the gang they've been watching. He's a rogue Centipede soldier and his strength clearly gave him the advantage when it came time to pick someone to follow.
"Hello, ladies," he says, and his voice instantly sets Jemma on edge. He flips the lights on and Jemma squints through the sudden brightness to desperately get a good look at the other girl in the room. She gasps when she sees the side of Skye's face is bleeding and swollen and turning more purple by the moment. She can see more blood, but she's not sure where it's coming from. The way she's sitting lets Jemma know that she's in a lot of pain.
It makes her want to throw up.
The man, Jacob, smirks when the gasp escapes Jemma and he clasps his hands behind his back almost jovially as he begins to pace in front of the girls. "Jemma Simmons." His eyes watch her as he says her name, as if he wants to see the reaction to the knowledge that they know exactly who the two girls are.
"This," he says, pointing to Skye for a moment, "is what happens to little girls who try to fight what's happening here." He leans over her, a menacing smile suddenly appearing. "Tell me what I want to know, and I'll leave you both alone, and alive, here for your team to find you. If you don't, I'll have my boys make things very unpleasant for you both. My boys like pretty, young things like the two of you."
"Please," Jemma begs suddenly, and it makes her stomach turn at the look of absolute pleasure on his face at her begging. "Let us go. Our team will be here to rescue us any moment. You should try to get away while you still can."
He lets out a full-on belly laugh, his head thrown back. He points something at one of the walls in the room and suddenly a huge monitor springs to life. The girls watch May, Ward, Coulson and Fitz sitting around a table, with several large, armed guards standing around the four of them.
Jacob grins at them both. "Your team isn't coming for you, girls." He takes a long look at each of them before stepping closer to Jemma. "Now, you look like just the kind of girl my boys will really enjoy."
"We don't know anything," Skye tells him hurriedly. Anything she can do to keep him away from Jemma. "We don't have clearance for any information you can really use."
He smirks and makes his way closer to her. He crouches down in front of her and grasps her face in his hands, pressing down on the bruise covering most of the left side of her face, making her grunt and try to pull out of his grasp. "Don't lie to me, Skye. I know they gave one of you the security override code so you could have full access to their security system. I want that code."
"They didn't," Jemma cries, her face twisting in pain as she watches Skye squirming against him. "We don't know anything."
He presses harder and it makes Skye cry out.
"Stop!" Jemma shouts, unable to stand watching Skye suffer.
Jacob releases Skye and stands again, turning back to Jemma. His face is twisted in a wicked smile as he approaches. He suddenly looks almost thoughtful. "I thought for sure that breaking your innocence would make your girlfriend spill her guts, but it looks like I have it all backwards."
"Jemma, don't tell him a damn thing," Skye rasps, slumped further into the corner.
Jacob suddenly smirks as he looks down on Jemma. "So, you do know something."
Skye's face goes pale when she realizes she just spilled the big secret. Who has the code. Her stomach is suddenly in her throat when she realizes that because of her, Jemma will probably be tortured for that information.
Then Jacob turns to her.
Skye's eyes go wide as she realizes she has it totally backwards. Jemma won't be tortured for that information. Skye will be tortured for Jemma's information.
Jacob's lips purse tightly, and he lets out a shrill whistle. The noise makes both girls flinch, and Jemma can feel her stomach roll with a horrible wave of apprehension. She has no idea what's coming, but she knows it's going to be very, very bad.
Skye's eyes lock on hers from across the room, and she shakes her head. "Don't you dare say a word. They will come for us."
"Skye," Jemma begs, and her voice cracks; her nerves are beginning to hit her full force. "Now isn't the time to be brave."
Jacob grins wickedly. "Yes, Skye, don't be brave for her sake." He turns as another man enters the room. He's a clear follower. It's like everything he's done to himself is to try to emulate Jacob, but he clearly falls short. He's wearing a cheap suit, his haircut is bad, he's wearing a fake watch, but he still tries very hard to live up to the image of his boss.
"What's up, boss?" he asks as he rakes his eyes over Skye.
"This," Jacob says to the girls as he claps the other man on the shoulder, his grin turning cold, "is Eric. He's going to make sure Skye is very comfortable." He turns to Jemma. "I just want the code, then all this goes away." He turns to leave. "Remember that when he's fucking your girlfriend while you watch."
"Jem, don't you dare!" Skye yells, even as she's digging her heels into the ground to try to push herself further into the corner, away from Eric.
Eric reaches her quickly, hunger clear in his eyes, as he takes in her form in the short dress and heels. Even bruised and beat up, she's quite a sight.
"Oh, honey," Eric says as he approaches. "I'm gonna show you what a real man feels like."
"Right," Skye replies sarcastically. "It takes a real man to take a girl while she's tied up. Asshole."
His face suddenly twists angrily and he rears his foot back to kick her hard in the ribs, making her yelp. She's gasping to breathe, but still puts up a fight. She kicks out at him and tries to head-butt him twice. But he grips her thighs and yanks her body closer, causing her head to collide heavily with the floor. Her eyes clench shut and she grunts, trying desperately to keep from crying out in front of him, but tears are leaking out of the corners of her eyes.
Jemma tries to move to her. She knows she can't really help much in her current state, but she also knows she can't just sit and watch this thug rape her (almost?) girlfriend.
She's suddenly blinded by pain as the butt of a gun cracks across her face.
"Jemma!" Skye cries.
Jemma can feel the tears sliding down her own cheeks. Or maybe it's blood. Her head swims with the pain as her eyes remain locked on Skye, who opens her eyes long enough to shoot her a look that clearly says do not say a word.
But then Eric gropes her with one hand and reaches for the hem of her skirt with the other, and Jemma has had enough.
"Wait!" Jemma yells, just as Jacob reaches the door.
Jacob turns, a smarmy grin on his face. He makes no move to call Eric off of Skye, clearly waiting for Jemma to come up with the information he's after.
"I'm waiting," he tells her, glancing at Eric, who has Skye's panties halfway down her legs.
"7-6-5-8-2-1-1."
"Jemma!"
"Enough, Eric."
"Skye, I'm sorry!"
A blast suddenly shakes the foundation of the building. Jacob yanks Eric up by the scruff of his neck and throws him towards the door. "Go! Find out what the hell that was." He shoots Jemma one last look. "Thank you very much, Jemma."
Jemma doesn't register much other than the fact that he's left the two of them alone, and she does her best to crawl to Skye's side with her hands and feet bound. Between them both, they manage to get Skye's clothing straightened out enough to preserve her dignity.
The last thing Skye sees before she passes out from the horrible throbbing pain in her head, is May kicking the absolute crap out of Eric.
XX
Skye wakes up on and off as Jemma finishes up with her, so she injects her with a mild sedative to help her sleep off some of the pain. Skye falls asleep almost instantly, and Jemma is left there stroking her hair and feeling such a horrible sense of deja vu that the next thing she knows, she's throwing up in a trashcan across the room.
Once they get her moved into her own bunk and Jemma finally takes the time to clean herself up. She peels back the square of gauze that Fitz was hastily able to secure to her forehead and she winces as she takes in the swollen gash that still seems to want to leak a tiny trickle of blood down her face.
"You okay?"
Jemma is surprised that of all the people on The Bus, Ward is the one standing behind her in the lab checking on her.
Jemma nods her head, turning to him, her hands loaded with supplies. "Skye is sleeping, so I have a moment to take care of this."
"Let me," Ward says softly, tilting his head to indicate that Jemma should take a seat on the table.
Jemma knows better than to argue with him, so she hoists herself up on the table as Ward picks through the supplies.
"And now you know why I didn't pass my field exam," Jemma mutters quietly as her guilt finally surfaces. She meets his eyes. "I can't stand to see anyone or anything suffer. I always give up information to prevent suffering."
"You did what you had to do to keep someone you care about safe," Ward says softly as he coats the gash on Jemma's forehead with ointment. "Don't apologize for that. Ever."
"Do you ever regret joining this team?" Jemma asks after a quiet moment. She's thinking about Skye's words earlier.
Ward seems focused on his task, so he doesn't answer right away. "This team is unique in every way. We're bound to form ties that no other team could, or even should. Don't punish yourself for getting close to someone who's constantly going to find themselves in danger."
"I think I could love her," Jemma says quietly. She shrugs. "I do love her as a friend. But I think I could…it could…"
Ward smiles softly. "This job can be scary, and it can be really hard, and we all put ourselves in danger. If you find love – or something that could be love – you should hold on to it. Tight."
Jemma smiles tiredly. She sits a few more minutes, patiently waiting for him to finish up so she can go sit by Skye's bed.
Ward begins clearing up when he's done. "You'll let us know when she wakes up?"
"Of course," Jemma tells him with a nod. She's suddenly overwhelmed with emotion, and throws herself in his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank you for saving her. For saving us both."
"Of course," Ward says, squeezing her tightly before releasing her.
Just as she's almost out the door, she turns back to him. "Jacob showed us a live feed of the four of you being held captive. How is that possible when you were the ones that rescued us?"
Ward smirks. "We knew they hacked our feed, so we made it look like they had us locked up. Then we looped the feed and saved our girls."
Jemma gives him one last smile before making her way down the hall to Skye.
XX
Jemma is surprised to find Skye lying awake in her bunk when she pulls the door open. She lets out a sigh that she feels like she's been holding in for hours.
"You're awake." She moves to perch on the edge of the bed and grasps both of Skye's hands between hers.
"Hi to you too," Skye teases, her voice thick from the drugs.
"Of course, hello," Jemma says softly, leaning forward to press their lips together slowly. She takes her time, because she can.
"God, sweetie, look at your head," Skye says softly, reaching up to press her palm to Jemma's cheek, frowning at the swollen, bruised gash across Jemma's head. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Jemma dismisses quickly. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got tortured for information that my girlfr-" Skye stops short when she realizes what she almost said. "That my favorite girl almost gave away for free."
Jemma blushes at Skye's almost-slip, and the words that replace them.
"You gave him a fake code," Skye says softly.
Jemma smiles a little. "I thought, at the very least, it would give the team a little more time to find us." She frowns thinking back to why she had to give false information in the first place. "Are you sure you're alright? He didn't…?"
"You saved me just in time."
Jemma sighs with relief knowing that Eric hadn't put one finger on Skye. But then her guilt comes crashing to the surface. "I never should have let it get that far. I should have told him before anyone laid a hand on you."
Skye stares at her for a few long beats. "Jem, you did everything exactly right. You held out as long as you could, and you protected me. I don't blame you for one scratch or one bruise."
"You should," Jemma points out softly, reaching her hand up to trace across Skye's collarbone. "At least for this one."
Skye smiles at the memory of that hickey, but the smile is fleeting as she shifts and groans. "I hate Vegas."
"The first 24 hours were sort of magical," Jemma reminds her. "That I won't be forgetting any time soon."
"That was pretty awesome," Skye agrees; then she tries to hide her yawn.
"Get some sleep, sweetheart," Jemma tells her, standing up. "I'll be right next door."
"Can you stay?" Skye asks. "Please?"
"Of course," Jemma tells her. "Let me clean up and change, and I'll be back."
Ten minutes later, she's pushing Skye's door closed again. The lights are off and Skye is resting on her side, clearly saving half the bed for Jemma.
Jemma crawls into bed, pulling Skye's curled form into her body, and she feels Skye shift and adjust until she's comfortable, drawing as much of Jemma around her as she can. Her nose presses against Skye's back, between her shoulder blades and she takes a few minutes to just breathe her in.
"I meant what I said," Skye says quietly. "My head had me asking if what we're doing is the right thing. But my heart wants to keep you."
"My heart agrees with yours," Jemma says, tilting her head to press her lips to the back of Skye's neck.
"So we're good?" Skye asks.
"We're just fine," Jemma tells her with a soft smile. "Sleep, sweetheart."
"Night, Jem," Skye whispers over the familiar hum of the plane.
"Goodnight, Skye," Jemma whispers back, holding her just a little tighter.
Because she's going to take Ward's advice and hold on to this. Because in their line of work, they might not last another month, another day even. So she'll hold on until she can't.
And even then, she'll try.
XX
A.N. I'm taking prompts, so shoot me your ideas and I'll try to make them happen. Thanks for reading!