AN: Hey! Here's the next chapter for you all! It's again a day early because of the same reasons and unfortunately, I will not be able to upload next weekend, so I will see you all again in 2 weeks instead. As always, many thanks to MegaDiary123 :) Also the Warning from the last chapter will continue in this one, just in case, so...

TW: PTSD / Flashback

All rights go to Marvel

May's POV

I had the Cage prepped for when Coulson would bring Randolph in and as soon as that happened I went to the cockpit. I was checking everything in order to take off to the next location as soon as Randolph gave us one. After the stunt he pulled in Seville I was sure he knew where the last part of the stuff was.

I was in the middle of the usual checks I do when Simmons called. She had never done that before. "What's the matter?" I asked as soon as I picked up the phone.

"Skye is… not doing great" she said and I could tell there was something she wasn't letting on. "She wants to meet you at the cockpit, she's heading there right now" she expanded.

At that, I ended the call and I moved a few things around for the two of us to have space when she came in. This was a first, and if I was being honest, it worried me. A lot. It wasn't too long later when I felt that something was wrong. The Bus wasn't that big, Skye should have been here by now. Not being able to stand still anymore, I decided to go and see what was taking her so long. As soon as I opened the door Simmons almost bumped into me. And it was clear that she ran here. "What's going on, agent Simmons?" I asked wasting no time.

"Skye… flashback… Ward" she managed to get out in between breaths and it was enough for me to understand.

Fuck, I thought as I pushed the younger agent to the side and rushed to the main area from where I could hear Ward screaming at her. I arrived to see Skye cornered with her back on a wall, Ward towering over her as he pressed his phoned on her chest, hard.

At that moment something changed in Skye's eyes. They glazed over, and it was clear that what she was seeing wasn't what everyone else was seeing. That was bad, really bad. The flashback started and Ward, not only partly caused it but also walked right into it. I had to get him away.

Running with everything I had, I threw myself at Ward and tackled him to the ground, throwing both of us over and behind a sofa, as we took cover. Because of that, Ward barely escaped Skye trying to grab his arm, which would definitely be broken by now. "Stay down, agent Ward" I commanded, a threat evident in my undertone before I slowly rose to my feet. Now that no-one was close to her, while she was still locked into whatever memory she was seeing, she didn't make a move towards any of us.

Keeping my distance, I lifted my hands, showing that I meant no harm and briefly looked around the room. I needed everyone out. With a slow, careful and quiet voice I spoke. "Fitz, you and Ward head to the Lab. Simmons, you go and call Coulson, let him know what's happening and then go to his office with him. No-one is to come back here until I give the okay. Am I understood?"

Everyone agreed quietly and left the two of us alone.

"Hey Skye," I spoke gently. Her head turned to me. "It's okay, you're having a flashback," I said never closing the distance between us. "You're on the Bus with me. Jemma is here as well, so is Coulson, Ward and Fitz. You're not wherever you think you are. I'm going to call Clint, now, okay?" I asked but wasn't really expecting an answer.

I could see that she was still taking in quite sharp breaths. Her eyes, while trained on me didn't really see me.

What made me the most uneasy was that I didn't know she had PTSD, but I should have guessed. After everything that she told me regarding the Battle and what we talked with Natasha and Clint when I met them at the Tower. The worst part was that I had no idea what the flashback was about and if, based on the situation that she thought she was in, she would deem it was important to use her powers. That would be hard to explain.

Before I dialled the number that I knew by heart I clicked a different button on my screen and shut down the CCTV and the recording devices that were in the common room. Soon I heard the archer's voice in my ear.

"Hey, Mel. What's up?" He asked.

"Clint" I just said and I could imagine his tensing up at my tone.

The alertness was clear when he spoke again. "What's going on? What happened?"

Still looking at the girl in front of me, I answered. "Skye's in the middle of a flashback" I could hear him curse on the other end of the line. "I don't know what triggered it. An agent almost walked right into it but I managed to prevent any damage. Right now it's just the two of us. The room is secure"

"Put me on speaker" he said immediately and I did as asked.

I would have called Natasha, but I knew that she was on a mission with Rogers and Clint was my only other option. I was just glad he was available to speak.

"Hey Kid" he used the voice that he reserved only for the people closest to him. "It's Clint here. Just listen to my voice, okay? Focus on me. Loki's not there. He's locked away in Asgard and he can't touch you. You're safe. Mel is there with you, she's gonna make sure nothing bad happens…"

He kept talking to her gently as she started to calm down and her breaths slowed and deepened.

I watched as she appeared to slowly come out of it. Her eyes were now shut as she listened to Clint still speaking. "I think I can take it from here Clint" I cut him off at some point as he had no idea what was happening.

"If you're sure. I expect an update. And let Skye know I'm only a phone call away" he said and ended the call, not expecting an answer, instead giving me the room I needed and not lingering.

It was only a few moments later when she opened her eyes again and looked at me. Really looked at me and I could see the recognition this time. I smiled gently at her. "Hey" I said and waited. I didn't have my hopes as high that it would mean an answer from her. But I still hoped for it. "Is it okay if I come closer? What do you want me to do?" I asked.

It was clear that she was tired. Her shoulder were slumped, the fact that she leaned on the wall could be the only reason why she was still standing. As she didn't answer at my question, I thought of another way to present it. "Can you nod?" I asked first and foremost. When she did so I let out a breath. "Alright. Nod once, if you want me to help you to your room, nod twice if you want to go to the cockpit. In the first case you're gonna be alone, in the second I'll be with you. You can get some rest in either" I said slowly, making sure she understood what I was saying.

When, after a while, she nodded twice I took a tentative step closer. "Okay. I'm gonna come closer and help you lean on me. How does that sound?" I proceeded only when I received another nod from her.

From there on I explained everything that I was about to do and waited for the 'okay' from the girl. As soon as we got in the cockpit, I let her down on the co-pilot's seat. I grabbed a S.H.I.E.L.D. standard blanket and pillow that I had stored in the room and made sure she was comfortable before I lowered the back of the seat a bit further down. She was dead to the world not too long after.

I gave myself a few seconds to wrap my mind around what happened before I let the team know it was safe to get out. I turned the cameras and microphones in the common room back on and I called Coulson in the cockpit.

I heard the door open slowly and turned to see Coulson peek inside. "Hey" he spoke softly and I ushered him outside. I closed the door behind me. "What happened?" He eventually asked.

So I asked what Simmons had told him and told him an unclassified version of what happened when I intervened in the common room. That we had some common acquaintances and I called them up to help calm her down. He didn't ask much. Just asked if she was going to be okay and also informed me that he was gonna talk with Ward. After all, he was one of the main reasons why things happened.

He soon left and I saw him go to his office. My best guess was that he was waiting for Ward.

I walked back in and looked at the sleeping girl, brushing some hair off her sweat-cladded forehead. I took my phone out again and called Clint. He owed me some explanations.

Skye's POV

I came back to consciousness when the plane hit some turbulence. I didn't jump off startled. But just opened forgotten eyes and looked at the ceiling of the cockpit. I was a bit disoriented, having momentarily forgotten how I got in the cockpit and then it all came back to me. I titled my head and noticed May in the pilot's seat, focused on her job.

But, May being May, of course, had noticed that I had woken up.

"There's a water bottle and Simmons made you a sandwich. On your right" I looked at that direction and found the two items. "We're almost in Ireland. That's where the last piece of the stuff is" she added as I grabbed the two items moving in an almost lethargic way.

"How did you—?" I tried to ask but had to stop because my throat was too dry and had a coughing fit.

"Drink up" May ordered and I did as much. "You don't have to speak. I talked with Clint" she explained as I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. "He let me know what they would usually do after you had a flashback. When Simmons found me in the kitchen, trying to make you a sandwich she insisted she took over. She kept asking me if you were okay" she briefly looked over at me as I took another sip of the water. "You two talked" she didn't ask, she declared. "About damn time" she smirked and then turned her attention back at the evening sky.

I could tell that she was contemplating asking me, so I decided to make it easier for her. "When we were in the crypt and I saw him. He…" I had to stop to swallow a lump in my throat.

"That's okay. Don't feel like—" May tried to reassure me but I interrupted her.

"I want to" I met her eyes, speaking honesty. "I want to tell you, to try and make sense of this whole situation because I'm very confused" I confessed and she turned back, looking out of the front window giving me time to find my words. "You said you talked with Clint. So, you know that it's not something that affects me too much, at least not anymore. I've trained myself to expect it, I know my triggers. By now, I usually just get nightmares, I haven't gotten lost in a memory for a very long time. The reason why this happened" I pointed at myself, "is because it came out of nowhere". I took a deep breath, replaying the events that led to everything. Analysing everything, so that the next time something similar happened I was prepared. "He's Asgardian" I started with that, deciding it was as good a place to start as any.

"We know" May said and I turned back to her. "Coulson figured it out. It's the reason why he knew where the pieces of the staff are. It used to be his" she explained further. "How did you know?"

"He felt different" I remembered. "His body vibrations were different. He felt more… I don't know. 'Dense' could be one word to describe him. He felt like Loki. And then he called me something that unlocked a memory I guess. I think I had subconsciously surpassed the events that led to my mind control. But then he called me an 'experiment'" I purposely emphasised the word. "Randolph that is. And suddenly it wasn't him standing in front of me anymore, it was Loki, with his spear in hand, ready to control me. Looking at me as if he could see inside my soul as he called me a 'Kree experiment'. And then soon after that he touched me right here" I pointed in the middle of my chest, right over my heart. "And suddenly I was his to control"

There was a long silence that filled the room. "So, with Ward…?" May asked

I nodded. "I was going back and forth from that memory, trying to stay in the present as I headed to you…"

"But he had to stop you, yell at you and then press a sharp, metallic material in the middle of your chest" she finished for me. When I nodded she clicked her tongue. "That's unacceptable". I didn't disagree, but he was dealing with his own demons at that moment. I was about to argue but May stopped it. "No, Skye. It's unacceptable. He's a Level 7 Agent, who knows better than that. The staff that he touched compromised him, but that's no excuse to act the way he did. Simmons tried to stop him but he pressed on. He's trained, he should know the signs of a flashback, should have seen that you were struggling"

I saw she was gripping the wheel of the aircraft very tightly. I shook my head and got up. "How long 'till we land?" I asked as I folded the blanket and placed that and the pillow back to where they're stored.

"We're almost there" she supplied.

"Awesome, I need to talk to Coulson," I said and headed for the door. With my hand on the handle, I paused and turned back to May. "Thank you, Melinda. For everything" I told her with a smile and left the cockpit.

It wasn't half a minute later when I knocked on Coulson's door and he called me in. "Skye," he said surprised when I walked in. "I, honestly, wasn't expecting you to be up. How are you feeling?", he motioned for the chair opposite him for me to take a seat.

I nodded my thanks and, after closing the door behind me, I took the offering. "I'm going to be honest here, sir. I know you must have talked with the rest of the team about what happened and you have a vague idea. I have PTSD. It's not something I can help. But I've been handling it the last few years. Today…" I trailed off trying to express my thoughts properly. "Today was an exception. I would never endanger the team. And I understand that what happened today compromised me. I learned we're heading to Ireland for the final piece. With May and Ward you should have enough specialists to see this mission to an end. I would like to suggest I stay behind" I finished and waited for his reaction.

He just looked at me, saying nothing for a while. Until a singular word left his lips. "No"

I shook my head. "Excuse me?"

He got up from his chair and walked around his office. I stood up as well and waited for him to stand in front of me. "As we recently discussed, I trust you. And the fact that you came in here, to tell me that you feel unable to continue with this mission strengthens my trust in you. So, no. I still want you on this mission"

"I don't understand your point," I said genuinely. "Why would you risk—"

"Because I'm not risking anything," he countered and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know you would do anything for this team, and as I said I trust you. Plus, I had to bench Ward. Had he come to me and explained what was happening, he would still be on this case. But instead, he lashed out to the Lab and then to you. He didn't see that a member of his own team was struggling and made the situation worse. On top of that, I checked the tapes. He continued advancing towards you despite Simmon's requests not to do so"

I blinked a couple of times, digesting everything. "What did you say with May. She said the exact same thing" I smiled and he took that as his cue to go back to him seat.

"Well, I did talk with every member of the team. And Melinda and I go way back. Sometimes you'd be surprised how, when you know a person for years, you tend to see matters the same way"

"Prepare for landing" May's voice echoes through the speakers and we strapped in. Ireland here we come.