Disclaimer: Same as usual
Just wanted to say a very special thanks to trytoreachout123 for always leaving me great reviews!
They lost one man while Hydra buried five bodies. As much as Skye was upset about the lost lives, she let it go the best she could. They were at war and sometimes, they just had to do what needed to be done. Delmore was expected to make a full recovery, along with Ward who had suffered a couple cracked ribs and a mild concussion. The rest of Coulson's team came out with only minor injuries and much to Skye's chagrin, Coulson decided that they would stay in Europe at Delmore's Belgium base until he was well enough to run the newly recovered base in France. The mole had yet to be found and Skye knew Ward was anxious that Delmore's shooter would report that Ward was out of prison and working under the orders of SHIELD. He didn't want to discontinue their undercover exploits into mysterious SHIELD and Hydra bases.
Meanwhile, Skye was stuck running errands for Delmore himself, fetching this person, bringing him that file. She fulfilled her duties with a mildly sarcastic tone; even though he had apologized for doubting her abilities and loyalties, Skye still harbored resentment for the agent, especially now that she was being treated as his personal secretary. She guessed that Delmore thought he was being magnanimous by giving her these tasks, by allowing her to "serve" under him but rather than feeling grateful she was feeling mutinous. He acted as though Skye should be contented but she couldn't help but feel as if she was being shoved down with Delmore waving his authority all over her. He was the type of man that had made Skye hate men in suits.
Skye was sure that Fitzsimmons and Ward, who Simmons had restricted to bed rest, were having a good laugh together while she bolted everywhere to make sure Delmore was comfortable and placated. When the hacktivist wasn't busy with Delmore, she was with Coulson at the French bunker, sifting through Hydra files and setting up the new systems.
By the time she finished her tasks for the day, it was late into the night and Ward was usually asleep by the time she got to his infirmary room. Besides not seeing Ward, Skye often missed Triplett and May who were tasked with redrawing the French base's security and structure. Fitzsimmons were often absent tending to whatever things they were asked to do. Skye hadn't run into them since the time that Ward woke up after receiving the nasty blow to his head.
One time, however, Skye was asked to retrieve a doctor and after she had relayed Delmore's summons, she snuck into Ward's room. Fitzsimmons were nowhere to be found and Ward was propped awkwardly against his pillows, reading his copy of Matterhorn.
"Hey," She whispered, closing the door softly behind her as if a loud noise would bring work back down upon her and draw her away.
Ward looked up, wincing slightly, "Hi, can you help me-?" He shifted slightly and sucked in a breath sharply.
Skye rolled her eyes, only a little affronted, "First Delmore, now you."
"What?" He leaned forward so that she could adjust his pillows into a more comfortable position.
Ignoring him, she teased, "I thought you masked your pain for beautiful women."
Ward offered her a small smile, "Sometimes I just need beautiful women to know that I need taking care of."
Skye perched on the edge of his bed, her heart swelling when he admitted that he needed taking care of. She cupped her cheek with one hand, running her thumb over his sharp cheekbone and he leaned into her touch, his eyes gazing into hers.
Then he had to ruin the moment by saying, "So did Delmore already confess his feelings for you? Before I did?"
Skye huffed and pulled her hand away, "He might as well have. I'll be expecting a big fat Christmas card from him come holiday season. I'm practically his slave! 'Thanks Skye for running around the building to tell my secretary that I want to set up a meeting, something that I could just as easily have paged her to do. Oh, also, can you fetch me some new towels? These are too fluffy.' I mean, how can towels be too fluffy? Don't answer that," Skye added severely, seeing Ward open his mouth. He closed it quickly, eyes twinkling.
Skye crossed her legs, propped her chin up with the palms of her hand, "So how long are you confined to this bed?"
Ward reached out, almost unconsciously and touched the ends of her hair, "Simmons thinks one more week and after that, I can move about as I wish as long as I don't engage in any rapid activity, aka training and missions."
"Awh, what's Robot going to do? All your firm muscles will become un-firm." Skye mocked, giving his abdomen a hard poke. Which didn't give. At all.
"Ouch," She muttered as her finger glanced off what felt like rock, "You were flexing." She complained.
"Was not," Ward defended, one side of his lips turning up.
There was a soft knock on the door and it cracked open to reveal a timid looking nurse, "Agent Skye?"
The hacktivist sighed as Ward pulled his fingers from her hair and she turned her head to look at the interrupter.
"Yes?"
"Agent Delmore is requesting you."
Skye resisted from rolling her eyes and she told the nurse that she would be right there. Turning back to Ward, she leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"The master calls. I'd better go see if he needs me to readjust that crooked painting in his room."
Ward looked at her suspiciously, "You wouldn't happen to know how that painting became crooked in the first place, would you?"
Skye slid off his bed with a shrug of her shoulders.
"You'll come visit soon?" He called after her and she flashed him a smile.
"Count on it."
Before she left the room, she gave the framed painting opposite his bed a small nudge to the right.
The nurse hurried up to her, "Should he be handcuffed?" She whispered worriedly to Skye.
"Are you handcuffed?" Skye asked back, not unkindly.
The nurse was taken aback, "I-no, but-,"
"Then neither should he. Be handcuffed. If you aren't- nevermind. Just let Agent Simmons handle his case from now on, okay?" Skye said quickly before speeding up to see what Delmore wanted.
By the time Skye had finished all her assignments for Delmore and Coulson and returned across the border to Belgium to see Ward, he was fast asleep. Not wanting to wake him, she simply straightened the painting that was still hanging slightly to the right to let him know she had been there to see him. Anything else would wake up the specialist. But as she opened the door to slip through, she heard the sheets rustle and Ward murmured something intelligible. Skye turned, expecting to see him awake but his eyes remained closed and his hands clenched into fists while his head twitched to the side.
"Ward?" She whispered and his head twitched again. Skye looked at his heart monitor and saw that it was spiking abnormally and his brain activity had sped up. She contemplated going to get a doctor but a jumble of words left Ward's lips and she decided just to go to him, nearly tripping over a table leg in the process. It was only by the dim lighting that she saw that he was sweating and his eyes were moving under his eyelids.
He was dreaming. It wasn't all that weird, Skye just never gave much thought to the fact that the robotic specialist dreamed.
She pushed his damp hair off his forehead gently. Without the gel his dark brown locks were soft and fell loosely over his face, giving him a more youthful look.
"Ward," She whispered again, attempting to wake him, "Grant."
She traced a finger down his face as his head twitched again and said louder, more deliberately, "Grant."
He woke with a gasp, muscles flexing as he tensed for a second. A shadow fell over his face when he saw Skye and she backed up a little, wary. Even though she was sure he wouldn't hurt her intentionally, there was no telling what he would do when he was caught off guard or out of control. Grant Ward was a dangerous man.
Then the shadow lifted as his eyes lingered on Skye and confusion settled in.
"Skye? What's going on?" He tried to sit up but Skye moved faster, putting her hand on his shoulder to keep him down.
"Hey, whoa, relax, I just came in and…" Skye paused searching his face, "Were you having a nightmare?"
Ward slumped back against his pillows and covered his face with a hand briefly.
Skye didn't try to hide her concern, "I know you'd rather compartmentalize than have sharing time but-,"
Ward looked at her, his expression so disheartened that it crushed Skye, "It was about you."
The breath in Skye rushed out of her in a whoosh, "Oh," She said in a small voice, surprised that he confessed and by what he had confessed.
He continued to look deeply and desperately into her eyes and Skye was reminded of another time when he had looked so defeated, his emotions seeping through his walls, raw and uncontained. Not of the time when he had cuffed her to the stairs and begged her to understand but of the time when she had found him emerging from the flashback that the Berserker staff had sent him into.
"Don't leave."
Skye brushed his hair off his forehead again, "I'll stay until you fall asleep-,"
"No, Don't leave again like you did with Romanoff."
She touched her lips to his fleetingly, then pulled away and rearranged his pillows behind his head, twining her hand into his and laying her head on his shoulder.
"Sleep," was all she told him. After all, she never liked to give promises she couldn't keep.
Skye stumbled- literally- into May and Coulson on her way back to her room in the impossibly early hours of the morning. She had fallen asleep with Ward but had woken up suddenly five minutes ago, cold and the worst crick in her neck so she decided to return to her own bed to catch a few hours more of rest before the day started again.
"It's way too early for tai chi," She told May who scowled at her. The senior agent had a supportive hand on Coulson who was blinking confusedly as if he had just been dragged out of bed.
"Take Coulson back to his room," May instructed guiding the Director into Skye's hands.
Skye was startled by May's short tone. She hadn't been harsh to the hacktivist in a really long time.
Someone hasn't had their coffee yet," Skye remarked wryly.
"Now. And quickly, no one can see him out of bed in this state." May said, glancing around them surreptitiously.
"May, what is going on?" Skye asked, rubbing her neck. While falling asleep at the side of Ward's sickbed was romantic, the after effects on her back and neck were anything but.
"Skye," May's clipped tone now had a warning to it and Skye obliged, taking hold of the dazed Director. Besides, the sooner she got the oddly silent Coulson to bed, the sooner she could go lie in a proper bed.
She called after May's retreating figure, "I'm expecting answers later!"
"Make sure he stays in bed. He has an odd habit of wandering out of it." Was all May responded with.
Getting Coulson back into bed and making sure he intended to stay there was easy. He fell asleep almost immediately and on the way to her own room, Skye saw Fitzsimmons chattering away at the door next to Skye's which led to Simmons' room.
"Hey, what're you guys so intrigued about at this ungodly hour of the morning?" Skye asked, pausing at the threshold of her room.
"Dreams." Simmons told her, seemingly unsurprised to see Skye awake.
Fitz leaned around Simmons to look at Skye, "I suppose you heard…?"
The hacktivist stifled a yawn, "About Ward? Yeah, I know, weird, right? I never thought that a robot would have dreams…"
The scientists exchanged looks, "Ward?" They asked in unison.
Fitz shook his head, "No, no, about-,"
Simmons shot the engineer a look that Skye didn't miss, "Fitz," She warned and whispered urgently to him while Skye looked on and cocked an eyebrow.
"Guys? I'm right here you know."
Simmons turned back to Skye, a false expression of interest on her face, "What about Ward?"
Skye waved a hand dismissively, "He was having a nightmare." She walked closer to the scientists, "Wait, is this about Coulson? Because if it is, I just brought him back to his room and he looked totally out of it."
When Fitzsimmons didn't answer, Skye huffed and crossed her arms, "Guys, I deserve to know,"
"And you will," Simmons said firmly, "but right now, you look dreadfully tired."
"Yes, you'd better get some sleep and we'll tell you later. Once you're fully rested," Fitz chipped in, taking Skye's arm and guiding her into her room.
Simmons followed closely, nearly pushing Skye into her bed. Skye felt a pinch as Simmons' nail dug momentarily into her skin, "We'll let you know if anything comes up, Now, Fitz and I have to go, May's expecting us- sleep tight-," the biochemist threw the blankets over Skye and Fitz closed the door behind them. Skye made to get out of bed to follow them but before she could lift her legs off the bed, her head hit the pillow and she fell fast asleep.
"She hasn't…"
"….Been watching her…."
"…Sleep? But dreams…"
"…Impossible!"
"Shhh…"
"If Coulson…"
Skye inched closer but her toes caught the sensor at the door and the doors to Fitzsimmons' lab on the Bus slid up.
"Shit," She whispered, closing her eyes and berating herself silently.
Turning around, she walked casually into the lab, "Hey guys, I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Oh, hello, Skye, I trust you slept well?" Simmons asked brightly as May and Fitz turned away from the Holotable to look at the hacktivist.
"Uh, yeah, I did," Skye replied, "I have a bit of a headache though." She noted and she saw Simmons' smile twitch as the biochemist's eyes cut to the engineer's who looked slightly guilty.
"That's interesting. Are you still tired? Dizzy?" Fitz asked, leaning against the Holotable and folding is arms across his chest.
Skye looked suspiciously between the scientists as they smiled at her, "No dizziness…why would I be feeling dizzy?"
"Uh, no reason." Fitz cleared his throat and lowered his examining eyes to the floor and May turned her head to give him a look.
Skye turned to May, "Why are you guys all on the Bus? Shouldn't you be in France right now?"
May looked back at Skye, her face unreadable, "We're just running some diagnostics on the plane."
"Oh, does that mean we're leaving soon?" Skye asked, thoroughly unconvinced. Simmons just kept smiling at her, although it was beginning to seem a little more forced and Fitz stared determinedly at a fixed spot over Skye's shoulder and May replied smoothly,
"Just a routine check-up."
Skye sighed and pulled up a stool next to the Holotable, "Come on, guys, I know I'm not super agents like you are, but give me some credit! I'm at least a better liar than Fitzsimmons. What were you guys talking about? What's wrong with Coulson?"
May sighed and turned to the scientists, "We really need to work on your deception skills."
"Skye," Simmons glanced nervously to May who didn't give any indication of whether she should continue or stop, "Have you been… sleepwalking recently?"
"Sleepwalking? That's what this is about? That happens to like, a ton of people." Skye said, slightly disappointed. She was expecting something a little more dramatic.
"Not just sleepwalking. Have you been seeing strange patterns in your mind or have your hands been drawing without your control?" Fitz asked, leaning in.
Skye turned slowly to May, trusting her to give a straight answer, "Is this about my alien ethnicity -background?"
May's expression was level, "It's about GH-325. We're trying to see if you're experiencing the same phenomenon that Coulson is."
"And what would that be?"
Simmons left the lab and walked quickly to the back, returning a minute later with a slab of what looked like…
Skye's eyes widened and she looked from the immense slab to her fellow teammates, "Is that a piece of wall from the base?"
"See, we couldn't find out how to get rid of the scratches on the wall quickly enough, and no one can know…not even Coulson, so-,"
"So you cut out a wall?"
"It was the quickest way. It's only one layer, just the plaster. We can say it was just an accidental explosion from one of your experiments." May replied, helping Simmons lay the slab on the Holotable.
Fitz looked at her indignantly, "My experiments don't explode."
May gave him a look as if to say, think about it. And Fitz turned away, muttering under his breath.
The hacktivist hovered over the expanse of circles and connected lines, "Okay, so cool pattern, but unless Coulson carved this out with his laser eyes," but Simmons left suddenly again, calling Fitz after her to help.
"I was lucky I found Coulson before he got too far or before a patrol came his way. When I pulled him away, he had no idea what had happened and we've agreed that we should keep him in the dark until we figure out just what this is." May said in undertones as they waited for Fitzsimmons to return.
When they did return, they were balancing one of the lab doors that had to be replaced after they retook the Bus from Hydra. On the door was etched a similar pattern as the wall, only more complete.
"Garrett." Simmons said in explanation, "Ward told me,"
"He knows?" Skye looked up, dread filling her if Garrett also exhibited this behavior…
Simmons shook her head, "I only asked him about this when I visited a couple months ago. Apparently Garrett drew this after he was injected with some hybrid of GH-325 that Raina concocted."
"Well I don't think that I've done this before. I mean, I spend most of my nights with Ward and he would know if I left. Wait, this is the same pattern as the one from Akela Amador's case, isn't it?" Skye asked, realization dawning on her.
"Yes, Simmons and I have been looking everywhere for what this might be, but we haven't found anything, even with May's clearance. There's a possibility that it could be classified up to level eight, but we don't want anyone else to know, that's why we're on the Bus. We're only telling you because you had a different reaction to the drug than Coulson so you might know-,"
"What about me? Did you guys start a meeting without your Director?" Coulson stood smiling at the doors to the lab. He squinted at the Holotable, "What's that you got there?"
Heyy guys! So two things (kind of irrelevant):
1.I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy and now I understand the hype about Groot!
2.Who else is super psyched that Brett Dalton won TCA's Male Breakout Star?
Review please =)