Ivy here.

I kept up with Skye, sprinting down toward the entrance tunnel.

With my usual talent for thinking things through, I hadn't considered that I'd actually have to go down and be near that freaky obelisk.

We made it into the building alright.

I put a finger on my teleporter – just in case.

Raina stood in the center of the room, watching the obelisk.

"Raina, I don't know if I've ever said this before, but you're completely crazy," I said. "And coming from me, that really means something."

"I'm not crazy." She addressed Skye. "Your whole life – our whole lives have been leading up to this moment."

"Sorry. I don't buy into the whole "this is your destiny" thing. We're taking the obelisk, and we're leaving. There's too many lives at stake." Skye stepped toward the obelisk.

"You got it all wrong. Whitehall, everyone has got it all wrong. This doesn't destroy. It gives life – new life. We finally get to find out what we become."

"I don't think I'll be becoming anything," I said. "And you might not like what you become."

"Who are you exactly?"

Oh, right. She hadn't seen me as the Fortune Seller. "Call me the Fortune Seller."

"Are you one of us?"

"I don't think so. And you're creepy."

"Why are you the Fortune Seller?"

"I know what you'll turn into, Raina. In a different circumstance, I'd sell you the information, but you don't have any money with you and I don't know if there's anything you could have for me in exchange."

"I remember Dr. Whitehall mentioning you. He thought you might be one of us. He thought the same of Ariel Dalton for a little while."

"Ariel Dalton doesn't have some kind of super power. I know how she learned to sing like that. It's all skill and training from a good teacher."

"Are you friends?"

"I saw the future while in the past."

"How did she do it?"

"That's her... very personal secret. Mainly, though, I can say it took work. A lot of work. Probably more hours of work a day than is healthy." Can't argue with results though.

"Back to the topic of the evil glowing alien thing," said Skye, "We have to get this out of here."

Raina stared at her. "Why would you do that? This is your destiny. Surely, someone who's seen your future would agree." She glanced at me expectantly.

"I don't believe in fortune. I believe in people making their own choices in life." However, Skye not becoming an Inhuman could pose a problem...

I decided now was as good a time as any to make an exit.

"Skye, there's just one thing you need to know."

"And what's that?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil, writing down the number my clients contact. "Call this number when you need me – and I think you will. Very soon."

She stared.

Agent Triplett entered behind us.

"Skye, I need to leave. Right now." I pressed the paper into her hand.

I grabbed Agent Triplett's arm and hit my teleporter.

We emerged in the room with FitzSimmons.

Ariel was sitting up. FitzSimmons spun around simultaneously.

I grabbed Ariel's arm. "Sorry."

I hit the button again, and we were standing in the middle of my kitchen, in my tiny apartment in London.

There was a moment of silence.

"What... was that?" asked Agent Triplett.

"Just a moment, please."

I crossed to my cupboard and retrieved a syringe full of knockout drugs – courtesy of a customer.

I jabbed it into the back of Ariel's neck.

She twisted around. "What did you –" She collapsed onto the floor.

I don't think real life sedatives work quite that fast, but these are from an alternate universe, so I don't worry too much about little things like dosage.

"I apologize, Agent Triplett. The situation I find myself in is... complicated. The things is... you're supposed to be dead."

He just stared at me.

"I think I had better explain this over tea."

He said nothing as I put the kettle on, nor while I made the tea.

Over the peppermint tea, I explained everything to him. About how he was supposed to be killed when the Obelisk transformed Skye and Raina.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Pick up Phillip from his baby sitter. Come with me, please." I got up and walked to the door.

He followed, warily.

"Did the director tell you to just go along with whatever I said or told you to do?"

"Yeah."

Thank you, Director Coulson. I know you'll probably never read this, but still.

I knocked on my neighbor's door.

Mary Watson opened.

"Hello, Ivy. Phillip's just sleeping. He's been a very good boy, as always."

I followed her in. Phillip lay in the cradle I had provided.

"Who's your friend?"

"Just a visitor."

"Customer?"

"Not quite. Thank you."

We returned to my apartment, where I put Phillip back in his crib.

"You're now in the universe of Sherlock – if you want, I can switch it, but you're not longer in the same universe with everyone else. You can now do whatever you like – or, if you want, I could take you back to your own universe and possibly destroy time."

"I'd rather not. And the universe is fine... I guess."

"I have money – I am, after all, a business woman now. I have a... contact who can set you up with a new apartment and a nice job doing whatever you like."

"Who?"

"Do you watch Sherlock?"

"No, though I've walked in on Simmons watching it a few times."

"Have you ever read the books?"

"Yes, I read the entire series years ago."

"In Sherlock, Mycroft is a politician. He and I have an... arrangement. He'll set you up with whatever you need, where ever you need it." I'm not going into the details of that happened. Let's just say it involves me giving them information that led to them clearing Sherlock's reputation while he was faking his death. Mycroft Holmes is a regular client... but of course, I can't say anything else. He probably has people monitoring everything I send – including these. I wouldn't like to get the person who types them out in trouble or anything. Myself, I'm not worried about – Mycroft can't do anything to me because I'll leave and he won't get any more from me. He's not willing to risk that – are you, Mr. Mycroft Holmes? I know you're hearing this. Don't worry, the people in the other universe think this is fanfiction and that it's not real, and no one from yours will ever see it.

"You're… very calm about this, Agent Triplett."

"Director Coulson made sure to tell us what to do if this kind of thing happened. Basically, do what Ivy says."

"Thanks. I'm sorry about all of this."

"I'd be dead otherwise, so I can't complain too much."

I made a brief phone call to another client who will remain anonymous, who agreed to set up an apartment in the States. I have awesome contacts. Seriously. A phone call and I can get things done that take most people months. How cool is that?

Two hours later, Agent Triplett was on his way to America.

What else was I supposed to do? Let him die?

I turned my attention to Ariel. She had lain silently on my bed for the entire time.

Who to call? Her parents were dead, and she had no family that I knew of… oh, right.

I picked up the phone and dialed a number I hadn't used in months.

"Hello?" said a voice on the other end.

I couldn't respond for a moment.

"Who is this?"

I pressed a button which was supposed to garble my voice. "Hello, Agent Romanoff."

"Who is this?"

"Call me the Fortune Seller."

"I'm not interested in a horoscope or a palm reading or –"

"I'm not selling anything! I was wondering if you wanted to know where Ariel Dalton is." And by the way, I put as much stock in horoscopes and palm readings as I do in the Easter Bunny.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is… my business. As far as what I want, long story short, Ariel is with me right now. Sleeping. She's fine. I just wanted to know if you would like to come get her."

There was a long silence. "How exactly?"

"I'd ask you where you are right now if I thought you'd tell me – it would make things easier. Where do you want to pick her up from?"

"What do you want?"

"To send her home, she's been through enough the last few days. How do you want me to bring her to you?"

"So I'm just supposed to agree to get her without knowing who you are, what you stand to gain from this, why I should believe you're not going to try to murder whoever shows up, and whether or not you actually have her?"

"Well… yes. Kind of. I have no proof because she's sleeping and…"

Ariel groaned.

"Never mind, she's waking up, hang on a second."

I set the phone down on the bedside table. "Hi, Ariel."

She looked up at me and frowned. "What… happened?"

"You fell asleep. Here, someone wants to talk to you."

I held up the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" A pause. "Yes, it's me. How can I prove it? Uh… the first time I ever met you was at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base. You kind of yelled at Ivy for something. Also, have you heard from my brother yet?" Another pause. "I'm… in someone's apartment. Yes, I'm fine. My head hurts, though, and I feel funny. What happened? I… don't want to talk about that right now. I just want to go home." She pulled her head away. "She wants to talk to you."

"At her friend Ivy's house. Five o'clock tonight."

I glanced at the clock. Four o' clock already. Lucky thing I own a teleporter.

"Alright." I hung up. "I'll be taking you home really soon, okay? But you need to sleep."

I got another sedative to make her sleep.

At ten to five, I half pulled her out of bed and teleported us to my house.

The place was empty. No family. No Bucky – though Miranda or Edward probably had him now. Still, it would have been nice to see him again. There's nothing quite like walking through the door and being greeted by a big, happy dog.

I set Ariel down in a chair.

Behind me, there was a tiny scratching sound.

I spun around, slamming my fist into the stomach of the person who had tried to sneak up on me.

A hand grabbed at my hair, but I deflected it before they could pull off the wig. They grabbed my arm, wrenching it hard.

I stomped on their leg and shoved them, sending them staggering back against the wall.

"All right, that's enough."

I angled myself to see both at once.

Former agents Barton and Romanoff had turned up to collect Ariel. They probably had a bunch of backup outside, too.

"Hi," I said. "Here she is, as promised. She's fine, just sleeping."

Barton dropped down next to her and immediately started inspecting to make sure she was okay. He frowned when he came to the injury on her head.

"I had nothing to do with that," I said before he could say anything.

"I suppose you had nothing to do with bruises on her throat? Or her face?"

"I have no idea how that even happened. I only managed to get her a few hours before I called you."

"Speaking of which, how did you?" asked Black Widow.

"It involved S.H.I.E.L.D. remnants, a few contacts of mine, and a favor. Besides, I'm a fan."

"And why did you call me?"

Oh… yeah. "I'm the Fortune Seller. I know things."

"Why do you call yourself that?"

"Because that's what I sell. Fortunes. Foreknowledge." I put my finger on the teleporter, just in case. "You've heard of me, of course."

Barton picked Ariel up out of the chair and took her outside.

"It's really rather a long story," I said.

"I've got time," said Black Widow.

"I don't really. Look me up, you'll find out who I am soon enough. Bye." I pressed the button and found myself back at my hotel.

It was about time I got to investigating those bases.