AN: Hello there :) As always let me thank MegaDiary123 for being an awesome Beta, and thank you all for the support! This is the last pre-written chapter I have thus far, and while I am confident that will be able to finish up the next one by the 2 week mark, I might not be able to. So, in case there is a delay in the updating schedule, don't be alarmed. I hope you enjoy this one, and until next time...

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

"Can't sleep again?"

My head snapped towards the voice, not having heard them close in. May was leaning against the wall, a knowing look on her face. I shrugged as I went back to typing. "What are you doing up so early?"

"It's 5:30", she replied, which made me pause. Already?, I asked myself, my eyes briefly travelling on the digital clock. "Did you even go to bed?"

"I have decided a full-nights rest is overrated. I can function just fine with regular power naps throughout the day" I said instead of answering the actual question. She didn't say anything to that. Not that she needed to. Her silence spoke volumes. "I need to keep myself busy, that's all"

She hummed. "I'm sure Stark would be proud". She walked over and purposefully took my cup of coffee and threw the liquid down the drain. "How about we try some healthier ways of coping? You're never gonna get cleared if that continues"

"I actually just did. Well… just is a figure of speech. It was a few hours ago, after the last session I had with your ex", I said, still working on the laptop.

"You were?", I could feel her frowning from her tone. There were the faintest hints of disbelief if you could actually understand the emotion that May often hid behind her words. "That's great, Skye. Why did you not tell me?" She moved closer, hand on my shoulder.

I pushed down the screen of my laptop, sensing I was not going to get any work done from that point on. "I haven't told anyone, yet. Almost everyone keeps walking around me on eggshells, like I'm about to break". Except Jemma who was refusing to leave my side, and Bobbi who seemed to be going out of her way to make sure… something. I still didn't know exactly what, but it didn't seem to be malicious. She opened her mouth to say something but I interrupted her, "It's only been a week. I know, I know. But at the same time, it's been a week already. Two can play this game"

"Do I even want to know how you got cleared?"

"What? I don't seem put-together enough for you?" I lifted an eyebrow, teasing her. "Andrew thought I was ready, which… finally. I am not going to question him, especially if—" my sentence was cut sort from the vibrations of steps closing in.

It didn't take long before Coulson came towards us, tablet in hand. He hesitated for a second, when he spotted me but his eyes quickly travelled to May. "I tried finding you in the cockpit, but when you weren't there, I guessed you were practising. We got a new mission, we need to change trajectory to Utah"

May simply nodded, and left us there.

Coulson lingered, but the awkwardness in the air kept rising. He was simply standing there, his eyes travelling to me, but the moment we would actually make eye contact, they would seek another target. I wanted to say something, but it seemed like I couldn't find the words. The correct words whatever those were. "I'm gonna go and prepare the briefing. I will see you in a few hours" he got out and basically sped out of the room before I even got the chance to reply to that.

I let out a heavy sigh. It was the same drill for the past week. It was driving me crazy, just a little bit. But, I guessed, it was something that future me would have to deal with. Going to his office wouldn't make any difference. Not if he didn't want to see me. I could understand how this whole situation would have been hard on him, what ugly memories would bring up.

So, I forwarded him the clear that I got from Andrew and went back to working on my laptop.

I didn't know how much time had passed, before the others started waking up one by one. Their vibrations hitting me like a symphony that was being completed the more people moved around. As such, I made my way to Jemma's and mine's bunk, finding the other girl sleeping soundly. I felt a smile appear on my face, and despite how tired I was, the warmth that I felt gave me a boost of energy. I sat down next to her and let my hand brush her back, making sure not to startle her.

After a few seconds, she stirred, eyes blinking tiredly as she took in the room and me. "Hey, sleepyhead", I whispered. "We got a new mission and I didn't want May's announcement to wake you"

She turned around, still laying on the bed, but was now facing me properly. As soon as her eyes travelled to my face, I could see the pinch in her eyebrows. "You didn't sleep again, did you?"

I shook my head. "It's okay, you know I will crash at some point". It was pointless lying to her. Not with spending so much time together at the farm and the Tower, and not with us sleeping together. "But, I have something I need to tell you before Coulson calls us" I added.

It was clear that the sentence, no matter how softly it was spoken, woke her up more. "What's wrong?" The concern was obvious.

"Nothing's wrong", I tried to reassure her but as she sat up, it was clear it didn't really work. "Andrew cleared me. I passed my psych eval, and with your physical eval still standing, I'll be joining the missions again. More actively".

I could see her processing this. Before she simply said, "Okay"

I felt myself frown. "Okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. What more is there for me to say?" Her tone was very passive, she was not putting much emotion behind it.

I gently cupped her face, bending my head down to make sure she met my eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right? You don't have to be okay with this, with everything that happened"

"Oh, I am not, trust me" she easily said, as her own hand in turn cupped mine. "Do I want to see you go out there again? Absolutely not. But I know that no matter what I say, you will go out there, put yourself in danger. Because that's who you are. And I love that about you, I just hate how it makes me stressed out of my mind every single time you are anywhere close to danger"

I felt my jaw tense at the impossibility of the situation. "I'm sorry" I said. "I wish it was simpler, I wish I could promise you that nothing would ever happen… but—"

"—you vowed to never lie to me. I know". She leaned in to kiss me and I let myself melt into it, for just a moment before reality barged in on us.

"What can I do to help?" I whispered, pulling away for just a few centimetres.

She smiled, but it was sad. "There's nothing you can do to help. I need to deal with this on my own. I promise, it's okay. We are okay"

May's voice travelled through the Bus, letting us know we are to meet for a briefing. Right on time, I thought. "I will leave you to get ready", I gave her one last peck before making my way to the Command Center.

I was the first one there, waiting for everyone else to join as well. I simply received a couple of nods from people as they shuffled in one after the other. The tension, or apprehension, or whatever it was, was still very apparent but it started dying down ever so slightly.

From how stiffly Phil was moving, I could tell that this one was gonna be a doozy. An image of a blonde woman appeared on the screen as the debriefing started. "Meet Hannah Hutchins, a safety inspector that worked at StatiCorp in Batesville. She was responsible for supervising the works at the Particle Accelerator that the company was working on", an image appeared on the screen, the building destroyed. "It exploded, and four people died in that explosion". Newspaper articles now were shown, explaining the incident, most if not all of them directly blaming Hannah for the destruction and the deaths.

Then, a CTV feed with Hannah going into a gas station. "We believe that the explosion gave her powers, made her a telekinetic", we watched as things started flying off. Not long after, a fire broke out, which led to the complete destruction of the building.

My eyes travelled to May, from whom I felt the heart skip a bit when the powers were mentioned. I could see how she had tensed her jaw… even if I was possibly the only one that could tell. I turned back towards Coulson, not letting anyone else catch me looking at her. "We are to be the welcome wagon"

I felt the eyes of almost everyone turn to me with that phrase, even just briefly. The only one who was absent in that was Coulson who had yet to look at me once this whole time, despite having made eye contact with every other occupant in the room while explaining the situation. "She is scared, and rattled. The town blames her for everything, the technicians that died in the blast were on her watch. And on top of that, she might have some powers she possibly cannot even understand or accept"

"So, we are going in to put her on the Index?", Ward asked, his eyes travelling at the different data on the screen.

"Possibly, we are still unaware if she has powers, but evidence is piling up to indicate as such. FitzSimmons, we will team up with a couple of agents from our Utah base. You will head to the site of the explosion, try to gather as much information as possible. We need to see what happened during the explosion and how that could have given her powers" he nodded to the two scientists, who started mumbling among themselves, making notes of things to notice and take care of.

"For the rest, this is a delicate situation. We don't know what kind of danger this woman poses, so I'll make initial contact with agents Ward, May and Morse. Skye, you'll stay back here, gather as much information online as you can find, in relation to her, to the Accelerator, to the technicians who passed, everything", there was a finality to his voice that didn't quite match the tone of the other orders that he gave us.

"Sir", I quickly said. "If I may, I believe my expertise on the subject would better be utilised on the ground with you"

He was shaking his head before I even finished the sentence. "While I understand how that would be the case, I cannot let you on the field without being cleared" he countered.

"Which I was last night, if you want to check in with my designated therapist, he will verify that as well".

There was a pause, my reply catching him clearly by surprise, just as it did the other occupants in the room sans May and Jemma. I could see from the corner of my eye as Bobbi's eyes travelled from my face to Jemma's and back to mine, understanding dawning there. Even Ward had an understanding and small smile on his face.

"That'a amazing, Skye. Congratulations", Bobbi said, a gentle smile on her face.

"Thanks" I easily said back. "Now I get to kick your ass off and on field", I teased lightly which earned me a shove on the shoulder.

The lightheartedness that Bobbi displayed however didn't seem to be shared by Coulson. His jaw was tense, tablet firmly held in his hands. "Be that as it may, the plan still stands, you are to remain here". The finality came back, creating an almost strained air to fill the room. "Dismissed". He started making a move as if to leave.

It took me a second too long before I realised what's happening, it was surprising that Jemma was the one who spoke up before me. "Agent Coulson, I…", she cleared her throat, as some nerves made their appearance but she pushed them away. "While I understand the reasoning behind this decision, I would ask you to reconsider. Skye has a unique experience to first discovering powers, which the team could benefit from heavily", her voice was study, a strength there that I wasn't expecting, I smiled internally at that. I could see Bobbi's mouth fight not to be lifted as well.

"I can understand that, agent Simmons. However, Skye still remains one of our best in reading people, gathering information and pattern recognition. Her skills in figuring out what happened or how it could have affected our person of interest is invaluable".

Had he rehearsed those answers? He could normally see logically when it came to missions, was open to feedback or changing the plan, even when he didn't like it like back at Malta. What was this?

Everyone was looking around, almost awkwardly, eyes flying around, not sure what to do. I could see May frowning on the side. Frowning being a generous word, it was the closest she would get without revealing her hand to the others, but I could read her very easily by now. "Can I speak with you in private about this issue, sir?", I tried to offer.

He simply shook his head. "If you have something to say about this mission you can say so in front of the whole team", he countered. "Our plan of action remains unchanged and we have to get ready"

I took a deep breath, calming myself down. I was getting way too worked up about this. "Why does our plan of action remain unchanged?", I asked, using his own words. "We have given you arguments against changing the plan, and you have refused to even consider them. This is not like you, not normally, which leads me to believe this is about me". Oh, how many words I would normally have had about this situation if it was just the two of us talking, but I had to reign it in since this had now become a public display. "I have lived through getting powers, I know what it feels like to be different, to struggle for control and to not get it. To wonder what is happening and to not understand why it is happening to you. So, yes, as agent Simmons said, I do have a unique insight on this issue that would be invaluable to the team".

He stood tall, arms behind his back, as he looked at me. "I am listening to you, agent Skye. However, my opinion on the matter remains. There are many variables that I have taken into account and what you have stated thus far has not shifted my opinion", I could practically feel how tense he was, rigid in his posture and words. "My orders, as the Superior Officer on this team remain unchanged. Is that clear?"

He is playing the Superior Officer card now? I thought, but instead gritted out, "Yes, agent Coulson"

"Good", he answered back. "So, unless there is something else…" at which there was a pregnant pause when no-one even moved, "…dismissed" and with that he left.

"Want to spar?", I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Ward, standing on the side. I eased out of my Tai Chi form. I didn't know how much time has passed since the meeting, or during me going through the familiar movements, but I was more grounded than I was when I left the Command Center.

"I don't think that would be a good idea", I said, as I continued the flow, even with my eyes open this time.

He shrugged, still back on the wall, arms folded over his chest. "Offer is still there if you want it" he said. And then paused, almost unsure what to say next. "Things got a bit heated back there". I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, not saying anything. After a few seconds, "You doing okay?"

That made me pause, even momentarily. "You care?"

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Look, I might be getting on your nerves and you might be getting on mine, but we are still part of the same team. I wouldn't be here if I didn't". There was a sincerity in his voice that I was not expecting. I let my hands drop. "I don't think that how agent Coulson acted was right. He was clearly affected by everything that happened, as we all did, but your suggestion made sense. I agree with you, and wanted to let you know, that however you might not believe me, I will have your back on this matter if you decide to bring it up before we reach the base in Utah"

I tilted my head to the side, considering all of this. "Did Jemma put you up to this?"

"No", he scoffed.

"Fitz, then? Bobbi?"

He shook his head, hand flailing around in disbelief. "No-one put me up to this, okay? You don't have to believe me. I just…", he almost deflated a bit there. Some weight landing on his shoulders. "We didn't end things in the best way possible before…" he vaguely pointed towards my abdomen, "…you know. And I have been staying in the background, trying not to get on your nerves, you have had every right to be mad at me"

"I am not mad", I let my fingers massage my temple trying to give myself some time to think things through a bit more. "A lot of things happened between then and now"

"They have", he agreed. "And, I guess, you can say that this is me extending an olive branch. Which you don't have to take, obviously", he added the last part quickly. "But, it's there"

The nervous energy was rolling off of him, no matter how much he tried to hide it. So, I let a small smile grace my face, and walked up to him, placing a palm on his shoulder. I felt him tense under my fingers, but his gaze was trained on mine. "Appreciated, though I doubt sparring now would do us any good. We have a mission to prepare for, and so do the others. I will let FitzSimmons know they can go to their lab to get ready"

I left him behind, walking up the spiralling staircase. I could play the friendly role as needed. Didn't matter that my smile was fake, as long as he believed it, then the job was done.

Walking on the common area, I was surprised to only see Fitz and Bobbi there. Not really interacting with each other, but neither being awkward as they were slouching on the sofas. Bobbi, of course, was the first one to spot me and waved, which made Fitz jump and turn around.

"You can go and get your equipment ready Fitz, it's okay. Thank you for giving me the space", I said kindly.

"Ah, it was no problem, really. Whatever you need", he started speaking quickly, but surely. "Are you feeling better? Here", he said, and reached back to bring a plate closer to me. "I thought this might help, I know it always helps me".

And on the plate was his famous sandwich. Prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella, with a hint of homemade pesto aioli. As I took it, I felt something swell in me, which I could not affords to tap in right now. The corners of my eyes were suddenly slightly moist. "Thank you, I will make sure to honour it" I said as I gave him a hug, which he gladly returned.

"I am off to work, if you need me, you know where to find me!" He called out as he stepped away and towards where I had just come from. "Send Simmons down when she is done!", I heard his voice echo before his steps disappeared around the corner.

"Done?", I asked to myself more than anyone else. I turned to Bobbi, "Done with what?"

She shrugged. "Last I saw her she was heading towards the cockpit".

She knew something more. I could tell as much from her expression, but I could also tell that she wasn't going to give me anything more. Not at that moment, so my best guess would be to try and figure out what was going on, on my own.

I took a bite from the sandwich, before starting to make my way towards where May was. But as I started, and checked from my vibrational map, she was actually not there, but in Coulson's office. What is she doing?, I thought to myself.

As I stepped closer, I could pick up voices from the slightly open door and I stopped myself before making my presence known.

"—wrong, sir", I caught the end of one of Jemma's sentences. Her vibration could only be described as tight, while her voice held firm. "As I said, I had talked with Dr. Garner when he first started seeing Skye. I know that he sends a copy of his assessment not only to her, but also to Director Fury and to yourself"

"Simmons, please. You of all people should understand where I am coming from", Coulson's reply rang through, even though I had to strain myself to hear it from how quiet it was. "You want her to be out in the field after everything?"

I felt my jaw tense at the words, my loose hands turning into fists by my side. "I do not, but it does not depend on me, just as it does not depend on you"

"Of course and it depends on me. I am the leader of this team, and I can make it so she doesn't see the field again if I choose to", he answered, voice rising slightly, but I could tell he was not being as loud as he would wish. Probably so the whole plane wouldn't hear this conversation. A deep sigh followed. "She had to relive on of the most traumatic experiences she has had, just last week"

"Just as you did", her voice came out soft. "I can't imagine the whole situation was easy on yourself ether, sir. But—" , her tone adopted a more confident tint to it,"—this does not excuse you shutting her out. You cannot expect her to be okay with all of this, not when you refuse to stay in the same room as her, not when you almost refuse to look at her in the eyes ever since. She has had others treat her like that, and I can tell you that if you keep this up, it will only drive her further away from you. With all due respect"

I didn't stay any longer, there was no need for me to help Jemma out.