"Hey Jemma. Skye." Ashley smirked.
"You?!" Skye asked in surprise. Tears were brimming in her eyes and Jemma tried to shield Skye with her body by putting her arms around her. Skye had clearly trusted this woman.
"They told me this would be useful." Ashley said as she pulled a pen out of her pocket. It looked exactly like the one she used to take orders at the diner, just an ordinary pen. Jemma recognized it as a syringe when Ashley clicked the button and a small needle poked out.
"Find a way out!" Jemma shoved Skye away from her and stood ready for Ashley to come at her. She could tell that she stood a chance because Ashley obviously wasn't a good fighter. She looked like she didn't have much muscle, maybe not even as much as the average woman.
Skye wasn't going to let Jemma get hurt because of her. This was exactly what Skye feared when her friends had found her. She feared that one of them was going to get hurt protecting her, and now her nightmare was becoming reality. It was worse that it was Jemma. If anyone on the bus was her favorite, it was Jemma. When Ashley's fist collided with Jemma's face, a blind rage encased Skye's mind, blocking all rational thought.
She didn't know how to fight, but she charged at Ashley anyway. Ashley's back crashed into the wall beside the open front door and Skye struggled to keep her there. As Skye drew back her fist she forgot about the friend she had been living with for the last six months, another friend who she began to trust that betrayed her. Skye threw her fist into Ashley's jaw with as much force as she could manage, not noticing the prick in the side of her neck.
Jemma noticed it though. As soon as she recovered from her blow she saw Skye and Ashley struggling against each other. When she saw Ashley shove the needle into Skye's neck, a cold feeling washed over her entire body. What was disguised as ink flowed out of the pen and into Skye's veins.
Jemma wanted to help, but she didn't know how. She did her best and ran over to help put in a few hits because Skye was getting noticeably weaker.
Skye let her fury take complete control as she pounded hit after hit into Ashley's stomach. Skye thought Ashley had been her friend, her first normal friend. She thought Ashley was a kind person who would help someone on the street. Skye wondered how many others of the friends she had in town were set up. Was Ryan's mission to bring Skye back to the apartment? If she hadn't hopped in his car, would he have made them?
Skye's vision blurred and she shook her head to clear it, but only brought on a wave of dizziness and nausea.
Jemma stopped attacking Ashley for just a moment to take a glance at Skye, her body was slowly shutting down. This was a mistake. Ashley took the opportunity and wrapped a free arm around Skye's head and pulled her close, holding her in a headlock and preventing her from breathing.
"Step back, Dr. Simmons." Ashley commanded, knowing she'd won control over the situation. Jemma did as she was told, but only because she didn't want to see Skye continue to choke and gasp for air. As the effects of whatever drug was put into Skye's system began to take hold, Skye fell limply to the floor.
Jemma knew she had lost now. She wouldn't be able to get out with Skye if her friend was unconscious.
"Take her into there." Ashley told Jemma, motioning to a nearby closet. Ashley's hair, which was in a neat bun moments earlier, was now messy and strands were hanging across her face.
Without taking her eyes off of Ashley for fear of being attacked, Jemma locked her arms under Skye's shoulders and dragged her inside the closet, which Ashley promptly closed and locked. Jemma couldn't help but be annoyed at Skye for not finding it suspicious that her friend had a nearly empty closet with a lock on the door.
"Skye, can you hear me?" Jemma kneeled next to Skye and tapped her cheek. Skye didn't respond, her head just fell to the side. Jemma pulled Skye onto her lap and hugged her body close. Jemma didn't feel it was wrong at all, she wanted to be close to Skye and this was as close as possible. Jemma leaned back against the wall and inhaled the scent of Skye's hair as Skye's body fell against hers. Jemma pulled her sleeve over the back of her hand and tried to wipe the tear streaks off of both of their faces. She hoped Ward didn't wait until those twenty four hours were over to come looking. God, she hoped Ward was still alive.
Maybe Coulson, May, and Fitz would return to the bus earlier than expected. They had been off trying to catch the two gifted people they were after before Ward found Skye, and they hadn't been present for the last few major events.
Jemma waited silently in the closet cradling Skye, checking her vitals every ten minutes to make sure the drug wasn't harming her. It took three hours for Skye to finally stir. Jemma hadn't felt Skye move, but when she looked down she was staring into Skye's round eyes. Neither of them said anything for a minute, they just held eye contact.
Skye was the first to move. She sat up and Jemma immediately missed the contact between them. Though it surprised Jemma when Skye only moved to lean against her and rest her head on Jemma's shoulder.
"How are you feeling?" Jemma whispered, not particularly wanting Ashley to know that Skye was awake.
"I feel drugged." Skye mumbled groggily. A small smile crept onto Jemma's face. Without thinking, Jemma turned to her right and kissed the top of Skye's head, which was still on her shoulder. Jemma was stunned and she mentally cursed herself, she kept acting on these feelings unwillingly. What if she scared Skye off and they couldn't be friends again?
She felt stupid that she kept doing things exactly like Ward, as if she was trying to catch up. Skye told him about the eight months and then he kissed her on the head, and she just did the same thing. What was wrong with her? Jemma was annoyed with herself for acting so childishly.
But much to Jemma's delight, Skye didn't react badly. Instead she took a deep, satisfied breath.
"Hey Jemma?" Skye asked.
"Hm?" Jemma acknowledged her as she tucked her chin over Skye's head.
"You're a much better friend than Ashley." She said. Jemma could tell Skye was completely out of it because of the drugs. She knew Skye's mind wasn't working the same way it usually did. That's why Jemma felt so guilty later about what she had done.
Jemma moved out from underneath Skye even though she protested childishly and took her face in her hands. Jemma slowly moved in and pressed her lips against Skye's. Her lips were round and soft, and Jemma loved kissing Skye more than she'd ever thought she loved kissing guys when she was still in the shield academy. Skye responded, but not sexually. Skye giggled. Jemma pulled away and when she looked into Skye's bright eyes, even though the closet was dark she knew she wasn't really kissing Skye. If Skye didn't will it to happen, it didn't count.
"Girls don't kiss girls." Skye laughed, poking Jemma in the arm. Jemma definitely knew then that Skye was not a lesbian and that she'd probably just lost her friend. Jemma was worried that as soon as the drugs wore off of Skye she would realize that Jemma took advantage of her and Skye probably would never speak to her again.
"But I think I like it." Skye added, looking up with her eyes as if in deep thought and catching her bottom lip between her teeth. Jemma snapped to attention. There was maybe a sliver of a chance that Skye maybe felt the same way.
When Skye's eyebrows furrowed and her mouth twisted into a frown, Jemma's heart dropped down to her stomach. The drugs were wearing off. When she saw the ignorant cloudiness disappear from Skye's eyes, Jemma knew she was looking at the real Skye, the one who was probably about to react very badly. But she was silent.
Jemma figured she didn't have anything to lose, Skye clearly knew what Jemma had done by the way she was staring at her, so she took a leap of faith. She leaned in towards Skye hesitantly and placed one hand on one of Skye's cheeks. Jemma felt an explosion of emotions radiating off the both of them when Skye leaned in as well. When their lips touched for the second time, Jemma felt even more overwhelmed than the first time.
Skye was amazed. When she had finally escaped her drugged haze, the first thing she remembered was that Jemma kissed her and the first thing she wanted to do was do it again. She stared at Jemma, trying to figure out if what she thought just happened actually happened, and she admitted to herself that she hoped it had. She had never even thought about Jemma in this way, but all she wanted to do right now was either stare into her eyes or share the air she was breathing.
When Jemma leaned in, Skye's breath hitched in her throat, and when Jemma gently placed her hand on Skye's cheek, Skye's brain went halogen. When Jemma kissed her Skye responded immediately, her body acting before her brain told her what was ok.
Skye's hand went to Jemma's waist and she moved closer to Jemma so that they no longer looked like two awkward giraffes kissing each other. Both of their bodies were pressed against one another, generating heat as they each fought for dominance of the kiss.
Jemma pulled back for an instant, for two reasons. One, to make sure Skye was ok with what she was doing, and two, to take a breath, because kissing Skye had knocked it right out of her.
Jemma had been dreaming about this moment without knowing it for months, so she wanted to make sure Skye wasn't doing it under the influence of an unknown drug. She stared into Skye's eyes and just knew that Skye was feeling exactly the same as her.
Just before Jemma could finally, truly act on her feelings, the closet door swung open with force. Skye flew into Jemma's arms while they were still on the ground and Jemma could feel Skye's entire body shaking when she saw a woman in a lab coat holding a gun surrounded by a few very built men. Skye was gripping Jemma so tightly and shaking so badly that Jemma was surprised Skye hadn't wet her pants yet. When Jemma took a second look at the woman who instilled so much fear in Skye, she recognized something.
"Skye, take this." Ward shoved a gun into Skye's hands and handed another to Jemma. They had real bullets in them. Skye quickly glanced at Jemma's gun and then up to her face. Jemma was hurt when she saw a tiny flicker of hesitation or fear in Skye's eyes.
Simmons realized why she saw that fear in Skye's eyes, Jemma had been wearing a lab coat at the time and she probably looked a lot like the woman staring at them now with interested eyes.
The woman nodded towards Jemma and Skye. Two of her men entered the room. One of them tore a screaming Skye from Jemma's arms while the other held Jemma to the ground. Jemma wasn't even worried for her own safety, she was so concerned for Skye. When Skye wouldn't stop struggling, the man roughly threw her to the ground.
"Skye!" Jemma called out. The man who attacked Skye held her on the ground in the same position as Jemma, on her stomach with her hands pulled together behind her back and the side of her face pressed against the carpet. The two were facing each other, and Jemma's eye contact quieted Skye's protests. Hand cuffs were placed on Skye's wrists and Jemma could see the Skye she knew quickly disappearing and the terrified one Ward found slowly coming back to the surface.
The woman saw the way the two girls looked at each other, so when the a guard pointed a gun at Jemma to cross her off, the woman held out her hand to stop them. The woman walked over to the man holding Skye to face Jemma as the man lifted her, struggling, to her feet. Before the woman even laid a hand on Skye Jemma could see Skye clench her jaw and try fruitlessly to pull away.
The woman backhanded Skye roughly in the face and Jemma struggled against the man restraining her in fury.
"Don't touch her!" Jemma growled. The woman smiled with satisfaction at Jemma's reaction walked over to her, only stopping when her shoe was right next to Jemma's face.
"Bring her along, she could be of much use." The woman spoke for the first time since entering the scene, and the emotionless tone of it sent a chill down Jemma's spine. She could only imagine what memories the voice brought up for Skye. Jemma didn't even want to think about it.
Cold metal handcuffs were placed on Jemma's wrists and she was yanked onto her feet. As they left, Jemma glared at Ashley, who was being handed an envelope undoubtedly full of payment.