ΑΝ: Many thanks to my awesome Beta MegaDiary123. Also, thank you all who read/followed/favourited/reviewed this story. Hope you like this chapter. Enjoy!

Skye's POV

We stayed out there in the quiet of the night for a few more minutes. And we would have stayed longer hadn't Simmons commented on how cold it was.

"Let's get back inside. I'll make some hot chocolate and we can talk if you want, or just sit on the beds or whatever. I really don't mind" she said as we headed to our room. I didn't say anything more, unsure of what to say exactly.

Once we reached our destination, we got inside to change to some more comfy clothes. "I'll make the chocolates, don't worry about it" I said and made a move to leave. I could feel Simmons getting ready to object but I turned to her and titled the edges of my mouth a bit upwards. "You've done enough today, please let me do at least that".

Normally I would leave without waiting for an answer, but I went against my habit and looked at my roommate. It took her a while, but in the end she gave in and sat on her bed while crossing her legs. "I'll be here then" she smiled back.

Simmons' POV

I watched as Skye's silhouette disappeared in the corridors of the Academy. My mind was racing to a hundred different directions.

Sure, it was a bold step calling her my best friend. We hadn't even called each other a friend before. But I was watching her for all those months, slowly opening up to me. Not too much, but I had realistic expectations to start with.

From our very first encounter I knew that she didn't talk about herself much and kept lots of secrets. And I wasn't really sure whether or not we would even get the chance to be friends. It would require a lot from my part and I didn't know if I would have the energy and the time to actually pursue something that seemed so hard. Instead, I had quickly decided to focus on my studies. And I would be more than happy with that.

But then the incident in the canteen changed every thought that I had made that far. She stood up for me and basically protected me, even though she didn't know me and didn't have to. She took all the teasing from the guy, who we would soon find out, was in the same training group as her.

This was the moment when I decided that no matter how much I would have to try, being friends with a girl like that would definitely be worth it.

The truth was that I was hoping for a better reaction from her part. Maybe not any reaction at all, or a smile at best but not her almost flying out of the building and out in her hiding spot. I couldn't let her alone there, I had watched her retreat there too many times to begin with and this was not a time for her to be alone.

Alone, I thought once more. This word pulled me out of the trance that I usually entered when my mind was running wild. I checked my clock and furrowed my eyebrows. Skye was gone for a good half an hour, she should have been back by now.

First, I checked the canteen. Dinner had finished a while back and though there were some students and teachers still there, it wasn't too crowded. It was easy enough to scan the tables and the coffee machine, where I knew that Skye would order the hot chocolates from. She was nowhere in sight.

The thought of her going outside again was quickly erased from my mind. She would have to come back to the room to get some warmer clothes. And she wouldn't go out in the cold with just her thin jacket, or so I wished.

However, there were still a couple of places she could be, but my feet moved me to the gym.

I was half expecting to find her going through her morning routine, despite the hour. Tai Chi I thought it was called? I shrugged, not my kind of stuff. When I slowly opened the door I just found her on the floor, legs crossed, palms on her lap and eyes closed. Two steaming cups of chocolate were on her left, likely forgotten.

The door creaked a bit and her head snapped my way. Once she saw that it was me, she let a breath escape her lips and relaxed a bit.

"I'm so sorry" she said when she realised why I was here. "I lost track of time" her tone was full of guilt.

She made a move to stand up, but I stopped her when I approached her. "I didn't mind it. Seriously, I was just worried that something happened to you" I kindly smiled at her. I found myself doing it more often than not when I was with her. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" She just shook her head.

We just sat there, in the silence that seemed to embrace us. A million questions were running in my head and I tried to keep them at bay, until I couldn't anymore.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to" I began whispering, but because of the quiet of the room my voice traveled to the whole length of the gym. "Why do you always keep the facade on? You know, when you're not alone that is".

At first, I thought that she wasn't gonna answer. But then I noticed that her body language indicated that she was still relaxed. So, I knew that she was going to speak even if it took her some time to find the proper words to answer back. I wasn't disappointed.

"It's easier not to trust people" she began and I could see that this was hard for her. Talking about something so personal, but, still, it was a step she needed to take.

"It's easier not to get attached. I tried it you know? Imagine a young girl in a class with people three years older than her. All I wanted was to fit in, I even tried to make friends" she grimaced at the memory of what happened. "But all they wanted was to make fun of me. So, they pretended to be my friends, that was until I ended up being humiliated in front of the whole school. From there on out I was the freak with the computer that was always alone"

I imagined a smaller Skye in the country yard under a tree or alone in the classroom during breaks, and even older kids making fun of her and teasing her all-day long.

"And in the Academy that I'm in? Well, all Hell will break loose for me if I don't keep the facade on, as you said. All they'll see will be weakness and they will be no different from those High School kids. And I have a feeling that things will get so much worse if I start letting people in". Her voice didn't hold much of any particular emotion and that worried me. This shouldn't be the voice coming from a fifteen year old girl.

"You know…" I began. "I had scoliosis when I was younger. It was so bad that I had to stay at bed almost all the time" her attention was fully on me. "My father would always take me outside and we would stargaze whenever we got the chance. It was one of the reason why I became a scientist, you know?" I smiled at the memory. "I put all of my effort into my studies and I ended up here, two years older than you and with two PhD's. Do you think people were always kind to me? No, so trust me when I tell you that I know what you've been through" I looked at her.

"Trust me, you don't" she said almost to herself, but I heard it all the same.

"Okay, maybe I don't. But I would like to know if that's all right with you. I want to show you that it's okay to let people in. Even if you won't admit it, I know that you'll always be there for me. Just like that first day we met" I saw a smile form in her lips and I knew I was in the right way.

"So, I guess I'm here to tell you that I'll always be there for you. It doesn't matter what you tell me about you, or what the circumstances may be. I'll be there. And that's all you need to know" I moved a bit closer to her and our hips now touched.

"Do you trust me? Because I definitely trust you"

Her eyes full of shock as I spoke those words. She carefully but willingly eased next to me and her head rested on my shoulder.

"You're one hell of a friend, you know that?" I heard her say.

"Well, I have my moments" I replied and hearing her laugh was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard.

We stayed like that for a few more minutes until she got up quickly. My confusing look must have been funny because her laugh echoed though the room once more. "We have to get back and get you to sleep?" She said as if it was obvious and she moved to the door dragging me behind her.

"Oh, do we?" I asked not sure where she was going with this.

"Of course we do, I'm gonna drag you with me tomorrow morning for some Tai Chi. Trust me, it'll make your whole day better and you have that exam next week, right? The one that you study so hard for?" We were at our room by now.

"Well, yeah. But you know my opinion about waking up early. Mornings are evil" we were both now at our beds and before I had the chance to say anything the lights were switched of.

"Don't you trust me?", she said, and I could imagine a smirk on her face despite my inability to see her. "That's a low hit, you know that, right?" I replied not really hiding my annoyance.

"And that's why we are gonna sleep so early. So, you'll get your full six-hours of sleep that you want to have at least every night" I couldn't really argue with that, so I sighed.

"Fine, you win. Good night Skye" I said and closed my eyes.

"'Night Jemma" my eyes snapped opened but made no sound. I waited until I heard her breaths even out and got back up opening my desk lamp, making sure not to wake her up. I quietly found my planner and opened it up.

February 26th.

I marked that day although I was sure that I wasn't about to forget any time soon. The first time that Skye called me 'Jemma' and not 'Simmons'. We made a lot of progress today.

Needless to say, I slept with a smile on my face.