AN: Hey guys! I still exist. Who knew :')? I hope you're all doing alright. As always many thanks to MegaDiary123 for helping out by Beta-ing this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, I'm in the final year of my undergraduate and things have been hectic! Don't know when I'll be uploading again, but hopefully sooner than later. Thank you for the support, I appreciate it. Until next time... stay safe and take care.

All rights go to Marvel

Pepper's POV

I was going out of my mind waiting to hear news about Skye. Ever since Maria called me to tell me that Skye had been shot, I couldn't sit still. Bruce called me a few hours ago to tell me that they got Skye and that they were heading back. Because of course and it had to be Bruce who had called. Why would Tony let me know about anything that was happening?!

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Pepper" Clint called my name softly. "You're going to worry yourself sick and I can practically hear your thoughts. Please, try and calm down. Skye wouldn't want anything happening to us because of her. Especially you"

"She should have thought about it before she went and got herself shot!" I exclaimed back, dropping on the sofa cushion, my head in my hands.

I felt a dip on the cushion next to mine and I could tell that Clint had sat down as well. "She's okay. If she wasn't Banner would have called and let us know, he wouldn't let anything happen to her before she came here. You know that"

And I did know that. I heard something being placed on the table in front of me and I lifted my head to see Happy push a glass of water towards me. I smiled kindly at him and took a sip before letting out a heavy sigh. "I am sorry, I know you are just as worried as I am" my eyes met Clint's.

"It's alight. I have had a lot more practise at waiting. You know, with Natasha and all" he said with a kind smile.

"Have you managed to get a hold of her yet? I don't even want to think how much she's going to flip when she hears about this". My thoughts started travelling again at all the possible scenarios of what could happen, making the headache that I had been mastering for the past few hours come back.

"Still on a mission with Rogers. Don't worry about her right now, okay? Worry about yourself because you already worry about Skye enough as it is. I will deal wi—" his sentence was cut in half with an alert coming in letting us know that Tony was landing in.

"Happy?" I called as I stood up and he was by my side in an instant, phone in hand and Helen Cho's contact number on the screen in case we needed to call her. She was our newest partner, a renowned geneticist and leader of her own Research Group in Korea. While she was unable to come because of an emergency in one of her labs, she was kind enough to allow us to contact her with whatever we needed if need be.

By the time we had made it to the infirmary area, Skye would soon be rolled in. I was just about to run to her, see for myself that she was okay, only to be stopped by Clint's hand on my shoulder once again. I immediately glared at him and he retracted his hand, lifting them in a surrendering manner. "You need to give them space," he said with a soft voice. "I know it's not easy but they will let us know as soon as they can"

He was right. Of course, he was. But that didn't make it any less hard to have to wait.

"Which way?", a clearly British voice was heard from where Skye was supposed to appear.

My head snapped in that direction and it wasn't a couple of seconds later when the gurney with Skye was rolled in, Bruce at the front guiding a girl and pointing at the room where Skye would go in. I watched as the said girl went straight to business, helping push Skye in the room and starting connecting her with the appropriate machines and checking everything.

"Who is she?" I asked and when I was met with silence my legs lead me to the door of the room. "Who are you?" I demanded as she kept going over Skye with Bruce's help.

"If you're not medical personnel please leave, I will let you know how she is soon," the girl said without lifting her eyes.

As she was moving around the room I managed to get a good look at her face and I immediately made the connection to all the photos that Skye had shown me through her years with me. "Jemma Simmons?", I asked.

Her head snapped up at that, verifying that she was indeed the girl that Skye would go on and on about. I could tell she recognised me as soon as her gaze landed on me, the frown on her face lessening ever so slightly. "Ms Potts, with all due respect. I need to make sure that Skye is okay and having an audience doesn't particularly help. Dr. Banner and I have everything under control and will soon update you on the situation" and with that, she resumed what she was doing before as if I wasn't even in the room.

I was left speechless as I stepped back and closed the door behind me, watching from the window walls what was happening in the room. A crushing noise behind got my attention and I turned around to see Tony stumble in.

My jaw clenched as I moved closer, hearing him mutter curse words at the floor for making him trip. As soon as he saw my expression he stopped and took a step back. "How dare you not call once to let me know what is happening? Thank God Bruce was with you because otherwise I would have had no clue whatsoever about what was going. And how about the fact that Jemma Simmons is here? How did that happen?"

I see him open and close his mouth a handful of times before deciding on keeping it closed. I saw his gaze travelling at the medical room behind me before his eyes locked with mine, the emotion behind them startling me, making me snap out of it. My thumb gently rubbed on his cheek. I looked back at Clint ready to speak only for him to wave me off. "I will call you as soon as we have news".

With no further due Tony walked off towards the living room, where he immediately went to the bar only to pure himself a hefty portion of whisky. By the time he joined me on the sofa, he had already taken a large sip from his drink.

He sat right next to me, our knees practically touching as he leaned forwards, placing his drink on the small table and let his head hang and his elbows rest on his knees. I hadn't seen him so defeated since the whole ordeal we had with Aldrich Killian. His hands, clenched together, showed the slightest of tremors. My fingers immediately unwrapped his tight fists as I squeezed reassuringly. "Talk to me, Tony," I said softly.

"I don't like being useless," he said. "Especially when it comes to people I care about" he admitted.

The argument that I was about to start before all but died after this. "Tony" I said sternly and the 'look at me' that would normally follow was implied from the tone alone, as he did just that. "You are not useless. You brought her here, you brought her home. Bruce is taking care of her and we can monitor the situation. If anything, and I mean anything comes up we will deal with it. What is this about?", I asked. Because he knew all that, so there must have been something else that was bothering him. I saw his jaw clench and could tell he was about to start shaking his head, but I knew him and at this moment all he needed was the right push. "Tony, please". It wasn't a lot but it was enough.

"The only other time I've seen her so still was after the race in Monaco. Hell, that wasn't even the last time this happened. I couldn't protect her from Loki and his mind control, thank God Romanoff and Barton were there to bring her back. And then, I couldn't protect you from A.I.M. It's just that, I've been failing so miserably to protect my family and it's killing me"

I moved so that he could lay his head on my shoulder, my hand lifting to brush at his hair. "I know you won't believe me right now, but you can't protect everyone Tony. And we're all okay, you, me, Skye. She's gonna be up soon and will be so upset with you for blaming yourself like that".

He let out a shuddering breath as we both laid back on the sofa cushions, my hand never stopping massaging his scalp. I closed my eyes and tried to will time to pass so that we got news about Skye quicker.

It was a good few hours after Bruce came out to let us know what was happening that I found myself with a sandwich and a water bottle at hand walking in the room that Skye was in. Simmons, who had not left her side and the room in general since she was brought in, sat quietly in the chair next to the bed, her hand wrapped around Skye's.

I watched from outside the room as she was leaning back on her chair, eyes closed but the fingers of her intertwined hand were tightening every time they seemed to relax.

I knocked on the frame of the half-opened door gently, but that didn't stop Simmons from jumping the moment she registered the noise. Her tired, startled eyes saw me before turning to Skye's form. Her shoulders visibly slumped when she took in that the girl in the bed was still asleep.

"Hi", I said gently. "I brought you these" I lifted the items I was holding and placed them at the table next to her.

"Thank you, but I am not particularly hungry" she replied politely, trying to master a smile in my direction. She stood up and straightened her clothes a little bit. "Where are my manners? I guess you already know who I am but… Jemma Simmons. Please call me Jemma" She extended her hand for me to shake.

"Call me Pepper," I said as I did just that before letting my hand drop by my side. I nodded towards the sandwich, knowing all too well the feeling. "I understand, but please try and eat something. Skye would have our heads if she learned you've not been taking care of yourself" I said back knowing that it was the truth.

At the mention of her Jemma's eyes travelled back to Skye. "That does sound like her" she smiled fondly. Her mood seemed to change and she shook her head. "I'm sorry" she apologised. Before I got a chance to ask for the reason why she continued. "I've been monopolising Skye's time. She's talked so much about you. I am sure you'd want some time with her, I will leave you to it"

She made a move to stand but I refused to let her leave. "You don't have to go" I reassured her. "As long as you take care of yourself, get some rest and food in your system, I'm sure Skye wouldn't want anyone else more to be by her side when she wakes up. So please, don't leave on my account"

"Are you sure?" She asked. I could tell that she wanted nothing more than to stay and not go, but her manners didn't let her just do so without asking for permission more than once. "I do need to update agent May on what is going on".

"Don't worry about that" I dismissed. "Clint already called her. Now, please, make yourself comfortable" I pointed at the chair for her to sit back down as I took my seat on Skye's other side. I looked down at my girl, noticing that some of her hair had fallen onto her face. I tucked it behind her ear, straightening her hair as I did that before gently cupping her face.

"I'm sorry. This is my fault" Jemma's words rang in my ears.

I could feel a tear run down my face and I did nothing to stop it. It was never easy seeing Skye hurt. "I'm sure that's not true," I said never lifting my gaze.

Even without seeing her, I could tell that she was shaking her head hard. A sniffing sound coming from her is what made me turn to see her. Her hand had resumed its position on Skye's one, head down as tears were running down her face. "But it is" she said between sobs. "She got hurt protecting me. If it wasn't for me she would have made it out unscratched" she managed to get out, but just barely.

I felt my heart break. Both of them were so young, they didn't deserve any of this. "I am sure when she wakes up she is going to deny that," I said softly. "And from what Skye told me, you did the same for her not too long ago, did you not? Jumping off a plane?" I countered. For, of course, Skye had told me all about what had happened. Not going in details because of things being classified, but I knew enough. I could tell that she wasn't expecting me to say that and her breath hitched. But she didn't say anything back because she knew I was right.

Then I saw the determination in her eyes. Their shine coming back tenfold. "I'm not going to let this happen again," she said, a goal set in her mind. The confidence behind that statement told me she wouldn't waiver from it, no matter what. "I will make sure she won't need to protect me anymore".

It was heartwarming watching Jemma going back to gently holding Skye's hand, her expression the softest I had seen. The love clear behind her eyes. I'm glad Skye has you, I thought but didn't say, instead just smiled. "I'm sure you both will do a great job protecting each other" I supplied. "Now, tell me something about yourself, I would like to get to know the girl that stole Skye's heart".

The deep blush that grew in Jemma's face was worth it. I would ask J.A.R.V.I.S. for the video recording just to get a screenshot of that later.