All right, ALL RIGHT! I can't take the screams of outrage, the threats and offers of bribery any more! Here's the damn chapter!

Independentalto and KennaWynters: I expect to find Jeremy Renner tied to my bed covered in chocolate NO LATER than tomorrow.

Chapter 26.

"Oh dear Lord!" Steve tried to look anywhere else, his face flaming as he scanned the room. No one else present. A man's shirt lying on the floor. A syringe on the bedside table. His eyes passed quickly over Skye and he couldn't help a stare. Holy wow, she was – no, Rogers, do NOT look!

"Oh," Skye was staring at him. "You look strong. You'll do."

"Skye – what the hell…" was about all he could manage to get out.

"Who are you?"

Steve froze. "Skye, it's me. Steve. Steve Rogers." He pulled his cowl up. "You know me."

"How lovely. Would you please fuck me? I really need it…"

Steve did his best to keep his eyes firmly fixed on the wall behind the bed as he approached, grabbing up the sheet and pulling it hastily over Skye's body, snapping the handcuff chain with a twist of his wrist. "Let's get you out of here, Skye. This isn't a good place. Lots of bad men here."

"Oh good," she giggled, twining her arms around his neck as he slung his shield across his back and stooped to pick her up, wrapping the sheet around her. "Maybe one of them will fuck me. A bad man would be great right now. But I'd like you to do it. Wow, what strong arms you have!"

"Skye, this isn't you talking right now. You've been drugged with something. I'm not going to touch you." Steve hesitated, looking at the syringe, and then picked it up, snapped off the needle and tucked it inside his uniform. "I have to get you out of here."

"But I don't want to go. I want to stay here with the bad men so one of them can fuck me, if you won't. Or perhaps lots of them." Skye began to wriggle in his arms. Her struggles exposed bare skin against his hands, soft and sleek. Steve prayed for strength, tightening his grip.

"Skye, I'll fuck you as much as you want. We've got to get out of here first, though."

"You will?" she went from frantic to docile in a couple of seconds. "Oh good." She started placing kisses along his throat, and Steve swallowed uncomfortably, trying very hard not to become aroused. More aroused. He was going to hell for this. Definitely. He set his jaw, wrapped the sheet more tightly around Skye, trying to ensure she was decently covered, and headed back out.

Thor was smashing things not far away, but so far all they'd found were more low-level goons. Steve shouted to attract Thor's attention, and the Asgardian turned, saw him, and came swooping over, hammer in hand.

"You have found Lady Skye, praise the All-Father!"

"Oh, you're beautiful too," Skye gasped. "Would you fuck me? Steve says he will but he keeps covering me up…"

Thor's eyes went very wide, and he stared at Steve, his mouth hanging open.

"Drugged. She doesn't know what she's saying, didn't recognise me," Steve said succinctly. "We have to get her back to the Bus. Now."

"A foul sorcery," Thor said, horrified. Skye was making grabby hands at him, and he backed off. "I do not wish to touch her…"

"If I hold on to her, can you carry both of us?" Steve asked desperately. The sooner they got Skye to the Bus and under Jemma's care, the better. Maybe Jemma had an antidote for whatever this was. Or perhaps she could put Skye to sleep until it wore off.

"That I can do," Thor agreed, "hold on to her tightly, Captain."

Steve adjusted his grip on Skye, and felt Thor grab him by the harness that held his shield. And then the lightning cracked again and they were rushing up into the sky.

Skye had gone limp in Steve's arms. He peered at her, concerned. Her eyes were open, but her pupils were constricted to pinpoints and she seemed dazed. He could feel her heart beating incredibly fast.

"Skye!" he shouted at her, over the scream of wind rushing past his ears. Thor seemed to generate some sort of force bubble when he flew with Mjolnir, which was good, because otherwise their skin would probably be ripped off, but even so some wind and sound got through. "Skye, are you with me?"

Her head lolled back against his arm and her eyes closed. He noticed, for the first time, blood on her lips. Her mouth looked badly bruised. Skye's lips parted and she whispered something he couldn't hear – but he thought it might have been the word please.

"Stay with me, Skye," Steve muttered, his voice cracking. He bent his head and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. "Stay with me."

Thor slowed, and Steve looked up. Ah, Sam. Good. They couldn't be far from the Bus. Sam waved them to follow and guided them in, and a couple of minutes later they were landing on the open ramp, though Thor took off again immediately, shouting something about having more smiting to do. Sam looked from Steve to the rapidly disappearing Thor in confusion.

"He can take care of himself," Steve shouted, "shut the ramp."

Clint was there, hanging on to a strap, and obeyed. As the ramp whined shut he came forward.

"What's going on?" he looked at Skye, limp in Steve's arms, quite clearly wrapped only in a slipping sheet. "How did you find her?"

The lab doors opened as soon as the ramp was completely closed, and Jemma came rushing out.

"Skye! Oh my God, what happened to her? This way, we need to get her into the medical bay, quick…"

Fitz stared, mouth open with shock as Steve carried Skye past, and Natasha came running down the stairs a moment later.

"You have her? Shit," as Steve laid Skye down and the sheet slipped further.

"Everyone out!" Jemma shouted, pushing them back.

"She's been drugged," Steve fished in his suit and pulled out the syringe, handing it to Jemma. "I think Rumlow injected her with something. I found this."

Skye's eyes opened then and she gazed up at Jemma. "Oh," she said blearily, "you're very pretty. Would you fuck me?"

Jemma started back, almost dropping the syringe. Outside the medical bay, Clint and Natasha both gasped in unison, and then Clint grabbed Steve's shoulder. "Steve, how did you find her? What was she doing?"

Steve was scarlet-faced and unable to speak. His head snapped back as Natasha slapped him sharply across the face. "Rogers, this isn't about you! It's about Skye! If this is what we suspect," she shared a look of dread with Clint, "Skye's life is in danger. Tell us. Now!" She shouted the last word, and Steve took a deep breath, fixed his eyes on the ceiling and started speaking.

"She was naked on a bed, alone. One hand cuffed to the bed. Her hand was," he gestured down at his groin, "and she was moaning Rumlow's first name. When I entered the room, she didn't appear to recognise me. She, uh, complimented my appearance and asked me to have sex with her. When we encountered Thor she asked him too."

"Shit," Clint and Natasha said in unison, and then Natasha turned on Fitz.

"You. Out. Get back to the lab. Go play with Falcon's wings some more." She looked at Clint. "You better go take over from Melinda. Get us out of here – somewhere friendly."

"There's a base in Portugal," Clint shrugged. "Best bet short of the States."

"Go for it, then. Send Melinda down here. She's Skye's SO."

Jemma was trying to put a blood-pressure cuff on Skye, hampered by the fact that Skye kept trying to pull her down to kiss her. "Uh, Agent Romanoff? I think I need some help."

Natasha scowled, staring at Steve. "Stay," she ordered him, pointing at his feet. He winced, but didn't move as she went into the medical bay and assisted Jemma in strapping Skye's arms and legs down to the gurney. She also pulled a little tool from a pocket and removed the remaining handcuff from Skye's wrist, tossing it into the bin with a disgusted scowl.

May came hurrying down a minute later and rushed in to join the other women. Steve felt the plane change direction at that moment and realised that Clint must have taken over piloting.

May was speaking urgently to Jemma, and really, she should be keeping her voice lower. Super-soldier enhancement meant Steve couldn't avoid hearing her.

"Jemma, this is a nasty HYDRA drug. We've seen it before, although it was aerosolised then, and the previous cases didn't appear to have the memory disassociation Skye is experiencing, but this is the drug for which form 7A WF 83429 was created."

Jemma obviously had to think for a moment about what May had said, and then her eyes flew wide and she said in disbelief, "The sex pollen form?"

"Yes."

Steve's mouth had fallen open as soon as Jemma said 'sex pollen'. He remembered that form; he'd had to fill it in when he officially joined S.H.I.E.L.D. He'd put Natasha down as his consensual person, after asking her permission. She'd laughed and told him it was a moot point. That particular drug didn't affect the serum-enhanced.

Natasha had been tapping on a tablet while May spoke, and she looked up now with an expression of dread. "I've found Skye's form."

"Who did she put down to grant consent to?" May looked at her.

"Grant Ward."

"Oh, hell no!" Steve started forward. "No! She'd rather die!"

"Steve, she could well die!" Natasha snapped at him. "This is a horrible drug: the person given it gets sicker and sicker the longer they go without endorphin release. Her pain levels and her heart rate are going to increase until her heart literally gives out. There's an antidote, but this drug obviously isn't exactly the same as the one we know about. Jemma needs to test the antidote before we give it to Skye or we could kill her anyway!"

"I could maybe give her something that would make her temporarily lucid, counteract the worst effects for a short period," Jemma said tentatively. "At least that way she'd be able to consent…"

May and Natasha looked at each other.

"I can do it," Natasha said softly, too low for Jemma to hear, though Steve picked it up perfectly. "For that matter, so could you."

"Let's get real, we'd both rather not unless she asks us to. And I'm her SO, it's my call. Jemma, give her whatever that is you were talking about. And then go test the standard antidote against what's in that syringe."

"Yes, Agent May," Jemma rushed out, and was back a minute later with another syringe. "This might not last long, so be quick," she warned, and then slipped the syringe into the IV tree she'd hooked up to Skye's arm while they talked.

They all waited, staring at Skye. She sighed after a few moments and her eyelids fluttered open. "What happened?" she stared at them all vaguely, and then suddenly her eyes went wide. "Oh my God! He – Rumlow – he touched me! I'm going to be sick."

Jemma hastily elevated the bed as Natasha thrust a bowl under Skye's chin. Skye retched helplessly, though she didn't seem to have anything in her stomach to throw up. Jemma stroked her hair back from her face and gave her a drink of water when she finally managed to stop.

"Skye," May said once Skye had stopped, "I need you to listen to me carefully. You've been given a seriously dangerous drug. HYDRA have used it before, although the variant used on you seems a little different. They use it to control and distract. It's colloquially called sex pollen within S.H.I.E.L.D. and there's a consent form." She carried on explaining, and as soon as she said Ward's name, Skye started shaking her head violently.

"No. No. I rescind my consent. Not him. Delete that form right now."

"Done," Natasha said quietly, swiping her fingers over the tablet. "We couldn't get him here, or you to him, in time to help anyway, so it's a moot point."

"I'm glad to hear you refuse anyway, Skye. But the fact is, you need to choose someone to help you through this. Jemma won't be able to get the antidote ready in time, and your heart won't take the strain, no matter what we give you," May warned.

"I need to pick someone to have sex with?" Skye whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

Steve wanted very badly to break something. Preferably every bone in Brock Rumlow's body.

"Technically you just need to trust someone enough to give you a lot of orgasms, until Jemma can come up with the antidote, although yes, sex is the easiest way to get someone stabilised until the antidote can be given," Natasha said coolly. She hesitated, glanced at May, then Jemma. "Both Clint and I have helped victims though this before."

Jemma gasped, and Skye glanced at her. "Not Clint. I couldn't do that to Jemma."

Jemma let out a gulp. "Skye, it's okay. He could – he'd take care of you. I trust him."

"No. Not Clint." Skye looked back at Natasha, then at May. And then she saw Steve outside the door. For a moment she went still. Then she said, directly to him "Are you offering? I seem to recall you did before."

I am so going straight to hell. "I was trying to stop you from offering yourself up as a HYDRA gang-bang victim," Steve said, and then kicked himself for tactlessness as Skye's eyes filled with tears again. "Oh, God. Please don't cry."

Natasha, May and Jemma were all giving him death stares. "Sam's here too, if you prefer," Natasha said softly. "Or Fitz, but…"

Jemma choked. "I, er, don't think I'd trust Fitz to have the expertise to do what would be necessary."

Natasha turned to look at Steve and very slowly raised one red eyebrow.

Steve hadn't thought he could blush any deeper, but right now his face felt like it was on fire. "Skye, I'll take care of you, if that's what you want," he said gently, not meeting Natasha's eyes. She knew very well he wasn't all that innocent. He'd spent a year in Hollywood and another one on tour with a bus full of USO girls. Just because he hadn't shown any interest in a woman since waking up – well, he had, but she didn't know that.

Skye looked at him for a long moment. "Steve," she said. "I choose Steve."

"Her heart's at 180," Jemma said then, "I need to get to work…"

"Everyone out," May ordered briskly, "Steve, make her more comfortable. And then bring her up to my office. At least there's a decent sized bed there. Jemma, go."

"One moment…" Jemma hastily disconnected the IV from Skye's arm. "All right."

A moment later the tiny medical bay was empty except for the two of them. Skye was beginning to pant, sweat pouring down her skin. "Steve," she said in a tiny voice, "please, Steve, it hurts…" her hips were shifting around uncomfortably.

Steve swallowed, realising exactly what May had meant by make her more comfortable. "Hush," he eased one hip onto the bed beside Skye. "Skye, I'll make it go away, I promise. I'll take care of you."

"Please," Skye sobbed it, and he saw that her pupils were constricting again.

"It's all right," Steve said gently, and he drew back the sheet.

WOW. Just, wow. Incidentally, I borrowed form 7A WF 83429 from the very excellent story (about Steve and Darcy) of the same name by victoria_p (musesfool) on Ao3. (Just paste 7A WF 83429 into the Ao3 search box, it's the third one on the list when I search this way).

And yes, I am going to write out the whole scene, so if explicit isn't your thing (in which case, how the hell did you get this far in this fic?) DO NOT read the next chapter.