AN: Good day everyone! I hope you're all doing okay. As always, many thanks to MegaDiary123. Nothing much to say really, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I definitely enjoyed writing it. Until next time...

All rights go to Marvel

Skye's POV

Jemma was inside the sealed Lab, her back on the glass separating us while Fitz was sitting with his back on Jemma from our side. The tightness on my chest only increasing as I heard what Coulson was saying. "Simmons believes that she contracted the virus approximately 36 hours ago when she received an electrostatic shock from the first victim".

I hardly managed to swallow before asking, "How much time does she have?"

Coulson's normally stoic expression turned something akin to sadness when he turned to look at me. "Based on when the firemen were infected, how quickly their symptoms manifested… two hours at most"

That wasn't nearly enough time! I turned to May. "How long 'till we arrive?" I asked though I already knew the answer. Hoping for a miracle, more or less.

"Three hours" she replied slowly. "Our path to the Sandbox has us right in the middle of the Atlantic"

I felt a whimper rise in my throat but I pushed it down. After a while, Ward was heard. "Sir, correct me if I'm wrong. But if we cannot land in time—"

"Simmons will receive a pulse that will blow this plane right out of the sky" he cut in. "There's only one person in this plane capable of finding a solution for this, and I'm willing to bet my life that she will" and he turned to look at Jemma, as did everyone else.

"She's just a kid" May whispered.

The tightness on my chest had now increased so much that I was finding it hard to breathe. I lifted my gaze and found May watching me. I couldn't take it. "Excuse me" I whispered and practically run up the spiral staircase and went all the way to the cockpit. I could have gone to my bunk, sure. I would be alone. But I didn't think that I really wanted to be alone right at that moment.

I heavily sat on the co-pilot's seat. My eyelids were pressed together so tight that I would find it hard to open them again. I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest and all the way to my head, and my breaths were coming out short. I didn't even need to look down on my heart-monitor-for-a-clock to see that my heart rate was way higher than it should have been. I could feel my hands trembling and I knew that it was only partially from my mental state at that moment. I hadn't come this close to losing control in a very long time and at that moment I honestly didn't know what to do. I couldn't think clearly.

I just couldn't think.

My thoughts were too many and none at the same time.

I hadn't realized that I was crying until I felt gentle hands on my face, wiping the tears away.

"Skye, I need you to focus" I faintly heard May talking over the raging sounds in my head. "Come on, Skye. Focus on me" she spoke again but it did nothing.

I barely registered being pulled out of the seat and onto the floor as May cradled me to her chest, placing my head where her heart is, as she held me tightly. "Listen to my heart, sweetie. Just focus on my heart" she whispered to my ear, her hands holding me safely in place. She kept murmuring in my ear.

I couldn't tell you how long we stayed like that even if my life depended on it. It could have been a minute, it could have been half an hour when my breathing slowed down enough for me to get a hold of myself. I slowly took in my surroundings again, still keeping my eyes shut. We were still on the floor, May's hand still around me, but she had stopped talking. I slowly opened my eyes but decided to close them again.

"You back with me?" May softly asked and I hummed as a reply.

"How long?" I asked and my voice came out raspy.

"About 20 minutes". I moved a bit and she unwrapped her arms to let me swift to the side of the cockpit and place my back to one of its walls, facing her. "Has that happened before?" It took me a while, but I nodded, still taking deep breaths to relax. I looked down at my watch and my heart rate, happy to see that it had dropped to more normal numbers. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really, but from experience, I know it will help" I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. "This mission has just been a bit much" I started. "The Chitauri helmet, Coulson talking about when he was killed". About when I killed him, was what I wanted to say but didn't. Still May understood just fine. "And now, Jemma". I turned my gaze to meet hers and saw more emotion than I had during all of our time together. "I can't lose another person, Mel" my voice broke.

"I know" she whispered back.

"I can't lose her"

"I know" she repeated.

"No, you don't understand. I can't lose her" I said once more with more force. She didn't know what Jemma meant for me.

"Skye" she said a bit louder, with a little more force to get my attention. "I. Know" she gently smiled. "Okay?"

I felt a second wave of tears coming but I stopped them. "How?"

The small smile never left her face. She wasn't agent May right now. She was Melinda, the Melinda that I had grown up with. "Because despite all the years apart, you're still my kid. And I know you better than anyone".

I didn't know what to say to that. So we just stayed like that for another while before she decided I had stayed there long enough. "What are you still doing here? Go to her"

I shook my head. "She doesn't need me right now. I'm a mess. I would just distract her" I took a deep breath in and averted my gaze. From the corner of my eye I still saw her getting up and walking towards me as she extended a hand for me to take.

"Go…". My fingers wrapped around hers and she slowly lifted me up.

I, just as slowly, exited the cockpit and starting walking towards the Lab. Halfway there though I realized that I just couldn't and found myself to the briefing room, the large screen showing what's happening in the Lab from the camera there. Jemma working on a vaccine, pacing around the lab as she talked with Fitz.

Ward walked in shortly after, stopping at the door and looking at me. "Please, Ward. Not now" I asked of him.

"Why aren't you down there?" He said despite my plea for his silence.

I let a breath out. "They don't need an audience"

He took a step in the room and stood next to me. "I remember you and Simmons were pretty tight back in the Academy". When I kept staring at the screen and not say anything in return, he continued just standing there but instead of looking at the screen he was looking at me. "I know you feel helpless. You wish it was a person, a superpowered psychopath, someone you could hurt, someone you could… punish. But you cannot protect her from something you can't even see". He let out a breath. "You need to get ready"

"Get out" I told him.

He just shook his head. "I know it's hard, Skye. I'm not saying to accept it. But you should be ready"

"Fine!" I pushed myself off the table. "You don't want to leave, be my guest. Stay. I'm leaving" I told him and stepped out of the room. Coulson was coming downstairs from his office, a not so pleasant expression on his face. "What happened?"

He closed his eyes, collecting himself. "We got orders from up high. They said that if we have anyone compromised—"

"No" I interrupted him. "Just no" I said firmly.

He lifted his hands in surrender. "I agree. The 'connection' wasn't very good so the orders didn't quite come in" he said.

Just as I let out a relieved sigh, my eyes traveled to some noise and saw Fitz running from the Cage down to the Lab holding the case with the helmet. "Fitz!" I yelled and run after him, the rest of the team running behind me. By the time we reached the cargo hold, Fitz had run in the sealed Lab with the case and was arguing with Jemma. "…always do. We're gonna fix this. Together" Was what I caught of their conversation.

I caught Jemma's almost bloodshot eyes and then her attention was back at Fitz. She nodded and they started working. I know I was probably distracting her but I couldn't help it, the whole time I was right next to the glass, my face almost planted on the transparent material.

I couldn't understand half of the things they did, but I had the utmost trust that those two would make it. I didn't know what I would do if they didn't.

"Third time's a charm" Fitz said with the vaccine in hand. Looking up to Jemma. "May I do the honours?" And he walked up to the last rat that they had to test and used his machine to send a small electrostatic shock to him.

"I can't breathe" I said as I watched this whole thing unfold. I felt a hand on my right shoulder and looked over to see May there.

A few seconds passed, when nothing happened and Jemma let out a shuddering breath. "We did it" but as we all started hoping, a blue light left the rat and he started floating.

"No…" Fitz and I breathed out at the same time, eyes glued on the floating animal.

I looked over and noticed that Jemma had walked up to the glass, tears in her eyes as she faced Coulson. "Sir, I know the protocol in these circumstances, but could you tell my dad first? I just think my Mum would take it better if it came from him" she tried to smile.

"We're not there yet. There's still time" Coulson replied shaking his head ever so slightly.

"Sir, please" she said with a tone that all but said 'let's not kid ourselves'. After he conceded she turned to the others. "Would you mind if I had a brief moment with Skye and then Fitz?"

No-one questioned or said anything. The three of them just made their way upstairs, May giving me a last squeeze before walking away.

"Skye" she started when neither of us said anything for a while.

"No" I firmly said. "There's still time. There has to be" I started rambling. "You have… what? At least 40 more minutes. That's plenty of time to try again. Something might have—"

"Skye" she interrupted me again. "It's-" her voice broke. "It's okay".

I shook my head. "No! None of this is okay? How can you say that?"

"Listen to me". She placed her hand, palm open on the glass separating us. With a trembling hand I mimicked her move, 2-3 centimetres of thick material being the only thing between us. "We both know that if this were you, you would tell me the same thing" and she was right.

"We never had the time to discuss what you wanted to talk about" I said in a small and broken voice.

She gave me her small gentle smile, tears running down her face. "There is a lot of things left unsaid". Her hands curled a bit as if she wanted to break the glass and take my fingers in hers. "So many things". Her eyes lifted from our hands to my face. "You know I love you right?"

I felt my eyes tear up even more at that. "Jemma…" I said in a pleading voice. Why is she doing this now? Now of all times?!

She shook her head before meeting my gaze once more. "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I just couldn't not tell you. I had to—"

"I love you, too" I interrupted her, trying to smile but was sure it was more of a grimace. "You know that right?"

She gulped. 'I do' she mouthed, no voice coming out. A few seconds passed where we talked just with our eyes and she cleared her throat. Could you give me some time with Fitz?" She asked and I looked over her shoulder to see him over his desk, hands trying to adjust something.

"Of course" I reluctantly let go of the glass and took a step back. Then I willed myself to take another one, and another one until I was in the briefing area. The three other agents stopped talking when I walked in, they were all right across from me. "What's going on?"

May looked around the room. "Agent Blake is on the line. He wants to know what is going on. If Coulson won't answer, he'll ask for Ward"

"Orders are unchanged" Coulson quickly said.

Just as he finished an alarm went off. "What is this?" I quickly asked and May quickly typed on the digital table.

"Someone's lowering the cargo-hold ramp" she said looking at me.

It took me a second to realize what was happening. Jemma's name left my lips as soon as I sped towards the cargo-hold. I found Fitz trying to put a parachute on. As soon as he saw me he yelled over the loud noise of the wind, "The antiserum worked, but she jumped!"

Without thinking about it twice, I grabbed the antiserum he had with one hand and the parachute with another and I jumped behind her.