Chapter 77 - ch 2, ch 3

Chapter 2Summary:Skye gets to safety, and Bobbi is having a godawful time with Real SHIELD

Notes:sooooo...

this is defenitely not almost half a year after the last update. Not at all. No clue where you got that from.

... I have absolutely nothing to say for myself except I'm sorry, and I'm trying, and at least now it's good quality? So yeah, there's that.

ANYWAY I live! Or at least I survive! Am not dead yet! We're lowering the bar, but I'm still nailing it. And for now I hope all of you enjoy the next part of Secrets We Keep!

PS: the chapter count got upped as well, because oooh boi. this is gonna take some words to get through

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextBobbi slipped into an empty conference room, pulling out her phone and quickly searching for a number. She pressed on the call button, hoping it would be picked up fast. She needed to be quick, to not draw attention. A click, and then a voice.

"Hi, Bobbi! How are you? Better than me probably, it's boring here." 

Bobbi couldn't help a small smile, but the reason she was calling was enough to quickly wipe it away. "Hey, you. Listen, I don't have much time."

A beat of silence, then, "That doesn't sound like a happy call." 

"It's not." Bobbi took a deep breath, and glanced outside the room, but there wasn't anyone around. "Hunter escaped. I'm going back to base to take in May, Coulson and Fitzsimmons, or, well…"

"That's what they think," Skye finished for her. "So you're still good then?" 

Bobbi sighed. "Yeah, I'm still good. Anyway, Coulson is ready for them. If, and I don't think it will, but if they succeed in taking over, you need to leave wherever you are."

"Noted. I'll see if there's a way out of here that doesn't trigger any alarms." 

"That's probably for the best," Bobbi agreed. She sighed. "I'm so sorry Skye."

"Don't be." 

Really, it was almost frustrating how willing Skye was to forgive her. "I'm part of the reason you're wherever the fuck you are, Skye. And for that I'm sorry."

Skye seemed to take a moment to think. "You did not give me powers, nor did you turn on me in the aftermath. You're trying to fix it, and thus you are forgiven, for you haven't done anything wrong yet. Not to me, at least. Coulson probably isn't happy with you right now, but then again, I know about six people who aren't happy with Coulson, so apparently he can go suck it." 

Bobbi chuckled as her heart warmed at Skye's words. "Thank you," she simply said, because what else was there to say? She looked into the hallway again, still empty, but she'd already been away too long. "Listen, I gotta go. If something else happens I'll try to let you know."

"Of course, and thank you too." Skye sounded so sincere, and Bobbi felt her heart warm. She hadn't fucked up everything in her life. It felt good. "I'll talk to you soon."

"See ya soon, Bob," came the cheery answer, and then she hung up. Bobbi stared at her phone for a minute, wondering how on earth Skye was remaining so positive, so good, through all the insane shit she'd been through. With a shake of her head, she forced herself back into her double agent mode. Or rather, triple agent mode, but Gonzales didn't know that. She put her phone back, straightened her shoulders and stepped back into the hallway. She had work to do.

Skye was just chilling on the couch. Just… another crossword puzzle. Her laptop was running an intensive search, but she couldn't do anything to make it go faster, so here she was, trying to finish yet another crossword. Maybe she could try a sudoku some time. That sounded fun.

A zapping sound from outside pulled her attention away from her puzzle however, and she felt every muscle in her body freeze. With quick and fluid movements, she placed her puzzle next to her on the couch, got up and moved towards the panel in the wall.

It showed no breeches in any security; no one setting off the laser grid, no one passing the perimeter. Yet she knew, instinctively knew, something was wrong. She could feel it. There was something, someone perhaps, out there. She grabbed her ICER from the table, and walked to the door. Her feet didn't make a sound; Natasha had trained her better than that. Natasha also had forced her to watch one too many horror movies, and her heart was beating in her throat.

With her ICER in one hand, she unlocked the door with the other and then slowly and quietly opened the door. It was dark outside, and quiet and empty. Skye let it wash over her, the sounds of the forest, the lake a bit out. An owl in the distance and the wind in the trees. Nothing human, no one there. She lowered her gun. Bloody paranoia driving her-

"Hello Skye."

Her gun was back up faster than she could think, and suddenly it pointed right at a man's head. The man cocked his head. "I'm Gordon." He nodded towards the gun. "Mind lowering that?"

Skye shook her head. "No thanks. How the hell do you know who I am?" She chose to ignore the fact that he had no eyes right now.

The man, Gordon as he called himself, sighed. "That is a rather long story. Please, may I come in?" When Skye made no move to step aside or lower the gun, he added, "I'm not going to hurt you. Though I suppose I'm not the first one who told you that. But you can trust me. I'm like you, Skye."

"Cursed?" Skye asked, curious despite herself.

"Gifted," Gordon corrected. "I can explain, if you just…" he gestured vaguely with his hand. Skye looked him over once more. No eyes, but he seemed to see her just as clearly as anyone else, and he'd managed to get here without tripping any alarm, and he still hadn't made a move to hurt her, while he so clearly could have. She sighed inwardly. Natasha would have her head for this.

She lowered the gun and stepped aside. He smiled and walked past her into the cabin. Skye threw one last suspicious look outside and then closed the door and followed him. Gordon was in the middle of the living room, hovering by the couch. He pointed at it. "May I sit?"

Before Skye had decided whether to tell him to fuck off or go sit, he'd plopped himself down. She couldn't help but slightly stare at him. "I wish you wouldn't stare," Gordon said from his place on the couch. He shifted. "This couch is very uncomfortable. Do you sleep on this thing?"

She startled out of her stupor. "Sorry. For the staring. And the couch?" She sighed. "Would you like a glass of water? I'd offer coffee, but it tastes awful coming from this machine."

Gordon laughed. "No thank you, Skye."

She crossed her arms defensively and leaned against the table. "Yeah, about that. How do you know my name again? Can you read my mind?"

With a shake of his head, Gordon shifted again and threw one arm over the back of the couch. "I can see that you're afraid. There's no reason to be. Like I said, I'm like you."

"You can see?" Skye asked, a bit unbelieving.

"Maybe not like you do." Gordon shrugged. "Different perspectives can be wonderful. But really, just try to relax."

Skye laughed. "When I relax, things start shaking."

"Fascinating," Gordon breathed. Skye's eyes widened at that. That reaction was certainly new. Just as she opened her mouth to say something like that, Gordon beat her to it. "I'm guessing SHIELD doesn't think so?"

With a sad smile, Skye shook her head, and Gordon sighed. "See, and this is where we are different. I had years to prepare. And I still freaked out, by the way. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you. With zero idea of what was going to happen…" He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought for a moment. Then he levelled her with a look. Or well, a look… "I had someone to guide me. The first thing she did after the mist was hug me. Tell me honestly, Skye, what was the first thing SHIELD did to you?"

Skye's mind flashed with the feeling of Natasha's hugs, Fitz's reassuring nods, Bobbi's and Clint's words of comfort, Garner's steady advice. And then to Jemma's disgust, and Mack's yelling. SHIELD had… well, she was here, wasn't she? In the Hulk's old cabin. She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. It was an answer in and of itself.

Gordon nodded in understanding, and leaned forward on the couch. "Your powers… what are they like?"

"Destructive," Skye immediately replied.

He shook his head, and Skye strangely felt like she'd given him the wrong answer. Instead of commenting on it, he asked another question. "And what does it feel like?"

That Skye had to think about. "It's a lot," she started. "It's this sort of humming, like I'm shaking inside my skin. Like a thousand bees trapped inside of me. And it never stops."

Gordon looked at her, and something told Skye that if he'd still had eyes, they would have been shining. "You seem to have the ability to tap into the vibrations around you," he told her, and he almost sounded in awe. "Everything in the world vibrates, on the smallest scale, and you… you can feel it. Influence it. Magnificent," he breathed in wonder.

Feeling a bit… she didn't really know how she felt, but it definitely wasn't comfortable. He seemed oblivious to it, or at least fine with ignoring it. "Your… friends, as you call them. They want you to restrain your powers, don't they?"

"I cause harm," Skye simply said. "To them, or to myself. Like I said, it never stops. And I don't know how to control it."

"Our gifts come with a price, but control can be taught." Gordon seemed to think for a moment. "When you are ready, I'll take you to a place where that is possible."

Skye frowned. "Where control is possible?" What was he talking about? Could she actually manage this? Also, "What kind of place?"

With a warm smile, Gordon stood up from the couch. "A place with people like us. Yes, there are more. It's a place where we can be who we were meant to be, where we don't have to be afraid of ourselves. We can help you there." He made his way to the door, and Skye made half a move to come after him, but his next words stopped her. "You're not ready yet, but I'll be there to get you when you are."

Perhaps Skye should have asked how or when or why, but instead she found herself merely nodding, and then he opened the door, stepped out, and closed it behind him. There were the sounds of footsteps fading away, then the same zapping sound that had announced his arrival, and then it was quiet again. She moved to the door, opened it, and found nothing but the darkness of the night waiting for her outside.

She closed the door with a sigh and locked it, before making her way back to the living room and sitting down on the couch. She pulled out her phone, hesitated for a moment, and then just pulled up Nat's contact and called. It didn't take long for her fiancée to pick up. Never did. She almost smiled.

"Hello, lyubov moya . Everything alright?" 

How could someone's voice settle her mind like that? She shook herself. "Hi, Nat. Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, though her voice definitely betrayed her not being quite fine.

Natasha obviously picked up on that. "Yeah, no, you're not. You also said you would call Bobbi instead of me today, and while I'm not complaining, you do have to tell me what's up." 

"I had a visitor. Just now." Skye waited for a lecture on not letting strangers in or something, but Natasha just patiently waited for her to explain. "He was like me. He didn't have eyes, but he could see me, or at least he could see in some way. I'm also pretty sure he teleported here." She sighed and leaned her head back. "There's more people like me, Nat. He said there's a place where they can teach me how to control this."

She knew she didn't have to explain what she meant with that. She also hadn't realised how wistful she'd sounded until Natasha spoke. "You want to go there." It wasn't even a question. Skye answered anyway.

"Yeah." She was silent for a moment. "If I can learn how to control this… the vibrations and the shaking, maybe I can just be myself again. Without worrying about hurting you when I have a nightmare, or without doing breathing exercises every time I'm slightly frustrated because I might bring down the base. I could just… be."

Natasha just hummed, a sign that she was still listening. Skye felt emboldened, and continued. "I did actually call Bobbi yesterday. They might come after me, and I can't have that. Gordon, the guy that was here said I wasn't yet ready and that he would come pick me up when I was, but I was basically ready to go when he was done. I just wanted to call you beforehand, really." 

"Sounds like he had a good sales pitch," Natasha said, and Skye heard the smile in her voice.

"You… you don't think I'm an idiot then? For believing him? And for wanting to go?" Skye asked hesitantly.

Natasha scoffed. "Of course not. I trust your judgement in people, and if you want to go, why would I stop you?" Before Skye could answer, Natasha continued. " Skye, in a perfect world I'd want you to come here to the Avengers Tower so we could figure this out together. But the world is far from perfect and I don't know how to help you. And it kills me that I don't, and I'd give a lot to change that, but I can't. So if this Gordon says he can help you, and you believe him, then yes. Go with him. Find your peace, and your control. And know that I will love you wherever you are, whatever you are. Because I love who you are." 

Skye was so not brushing tears from her eyes. Not at all. "I love you so fucking much," she breathed, not trusting her voice to actually speak. Natasha hummed. "I love you too, dorogaya. Now go and try to see if this Gordon guy can find you again." 

"I might need to go dark," Skye warned, though she figured Natasha would have picked up on that. "And don't tell Bobbi or Coulson unless it's really necessary. If they don't know where I'm heading, then they can't tell anyone."

"Sweetie, you don't even know where you're going," Natasha said with an audible grin. "And sure, just text me whenever you can, and I'll do the same. Oh, and please send Tony everything you've got on those bases before you go. He'll appreciate that." 

"Will do," Skye promised. "See you in a minute?"

Natasha chuckled at what by now was an old inside joke between them. "Of course, love. Always."

Skye smiled, feeling more settled than she had in weeks, and disconnected the call. She pulled up her laptop, quickly sending everything she had to Tony as requested, and logged out. Then she hacked into the camera grid around the cabin to make sure both Gordon's visit and her departure were properly covered, before deleting any trace of herself. She turned off the laptop and closed the lid. She briefly debated on what to do with the thing, and then a thought entered her mind. 

With a thoughtful frown, she put it on the ground and raised her arm. She felt for the vibrations under her skin, and tried to direct them towards her hands, and then outwards. The laptop shook, and cracks appeared across the case. She increased the force, a feeling of glee rising within her. The laptop cracked in two, and she stopped. They would need to put in a lot of effort to get anything out of that, if it was possible at all.

She turned away, going over a list of what to bring. Most of her personal stuff was either at Nat's apartment, in Nat's possession, or back in her bunk at the base. She had no idea if she'd need clothes. After thinking it over for a bit, she decided to just shove the gauntlets Jemma had made for her in a duffel bag, along with a set of clothes, grabbed her phone, and made sure she still had her ring. She made a final round of the cabin and then she stepped out and closed the door. 

It was very dark outside, far from any polluting light source as she was. She could see the stars shining in the sky as she looked up. A beautiful night to run away. Her phone hummed in her back pocket, and she quickly checked it. A text from Bobbi. 

Some agents are coming for you. Can't stop them. You need to go 

Huh. Bobbi must have had more trouble holding the ship afloat than she'd thought. She shrugged; it was whatever. She debated on sending something back, but it was probably better if they didn't know that she'd left, so she put her phone back. Then she took off at a brisk pace away from the lake, her duffle bag slung over her shoulder. She thought about how to let Gordon know she was ready, but before she'd gotten very far, she heard the zapping sound from earlier. 

She halted and turned towards the source of the sound, smiling when Gordon appeared from between the trees. "Long time no see," she said as a way of greeting.

He stopped in front of her. "You were more ready than I thought."

Skye nodded. "Yeah, well, you gave a good pitch. Just… needed to call someone," she said, basically repeating what she'd said to Nat. She shook herself. "So, how are we going to get out of here?" 

As he stepped closer, Skye could see a smile appear on his face. "Take my hand?" he asked, offering his. Skye took the final step towards him and took his hand. It was warm, a hand that was used to hard work, and Skye felt a surge of trust for this man. So when he looked at her and asked if she was ready, she nodded.

With a grin, he pulled her down, and then the world turned blue around her. She closed her eyes, and let herself be teleported away. 

Bobbi subtly pulled her phone out, sent a quick message and then casually slid it back in her pocket. To anyone it would have looked completely normal. Not that anyone was really paying attention to her; everyone was busy preparing for the raid. On the Playground. Where Coulson would now be readying his agents to give them a less-than-cold welcome. 

"Agent Morse!" Bobbi looked up, and quickly stood when Robert Gonzales approached her. "Are you ready, agent?" he asked, not unkindly. 

With an inwardly scoff, she nodded. Yeah, she was ready. Just… not for what he was expecting her to do. She so wanted to just go to sleep and wake up to find this was all a bizarre dream. But then her thoughts went to Skye, scared and far away and alone, and imagined what Gonzales would have done to her, and her mouth set in a determined line. She was so ready. 

He nodded thoughtfully. "The quinjet is ready. Good luck, agent Morse." 

"I won't need luck," she said confidently. It was true. It was all planned. Gonzales just smiled, and turned away. Bobbi pushed herself off her spot against the wall, and walked to the upper deck. 

Mack was waiting for her, and together they boarded the quinjet. They didn't talk; Bobbi didn't feel like it, and Mack seemed busy mentally preparing himself for what she supposed would be hurtful for him to do. Well, a good thing he wouldn't get to do it. 

The - silent - flight didn't take too long, and before she knew it, she was touching down in the Playground's hangar. She turned the engine off, and turned to Mack. "Ready?" she asked. He gave her a tense smile and a grave nod, and then they stood up and marched off the quinjet, where Coulson was waiting for them. 

"Agents Morse, Mackenzie," he greeted them formally. "Any luck with finding Hunter?" 

Right, because her ex was still missing. Add it to the list of things she needed to fix. "No sign of him anywhere, sir," she said truthfully. "But I suppose he will find us when he wants to." 

Coulson tipped his head. "No doubt. And I'll have a word with him when he does. Thank you for trying anyway," he added. "Please, rest a bit. Debriefing can wait." And with one of his classic soft smiles, he turned on his heel and walked away. Once he was out of earshot, Mack turned to her. "So, are we good to go?" 

Bobbi took a deep breath, but didn't look at him. "Yeah, we're good to go." He gave her another tight smile, and moved in the direction of the servers. Bobbi watched him go, feeling her gut churn in guilt. He was still her friend, but this was simply a choice she couldn't support him in. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt what she was going to do. 

Abruptly, she cut off that thought, forcing herself into mission mode, and made her way towards the labs. She needed May and Simmons. 

///

"What's your status?" Bobbi asked hastily, pressing her earpiece while she hurried down the halls. 

It took a beat for the answer to piece to croak to life. "Gonzales and Weaver have been rendered unconscious and imprisoned, as have most of the agents. Some surrendered themselves. How are you?" 

As usual, May's stoic professionality managed to settle Bobbi's racing heart a bit. "Well enough. Calderon managed to get a hit in; I couldn't surprise him. Apparently he's been expecting me to turn. But Woods just dragged his unconscious body to a nearby cell, so we're good." She hesitated for a second. "What happened to Mack?" 

"The server exploded, just as you two had planned," May answered, her voice carefully blank. Bobbi almost tripped over her own feet. "What-" 

"Fitz has a headache, and Mack was hit by some shards of plastic when he tried to pull Fitz away," the older agent continued, not giving her a chance to truly panic. "Both will be fine, although Fitz is grumpy and Mack seemed deeply upset by your… change of mind," May finished diplomatically. 

Bobbi sighed, closing her eyes and willing her anger and her guilt away at the same time. She'd made her choices. The lab came into view. "As to be expected. I'll go check on Simmons in the lab, see if anyone needs help after all the smoke we blew through the base." 

May confirmed her, and she pulled her phone back. The lab doors swished open before her, and she noticed Simmons helping someone clean their eyes out by a small tap. She quickly disinfected her hands and walked up next to her. "Right. Where can I help?"

///

Bobbi sat down in a chair she'd brought, outside of the cell. Robert Gonzales watched her with alert eyes. Bobbi looked down the hall, to the cells where Calderon, Weaver, and a handful of other agents sat. May was already back in the common room, after deeming it impossible for today to get anything out of then without... more drastic measures. But Bobbi wasn't ready to give up yet.

Gonzales continued to watch her. "So, agent Morse. To what do I owe the pleasure of a traitor's presence?"

Asshole. Bobbi refused to flinch under his silently angry face. "You know why," she simply said. "But I have some additional questions." She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair. "Why come after Coulson?"

"Why do you think?" Gonzales countered, looking at her like she was stupid. Bobbi just raised an eyebrow. "He was unstable, a danger."

She leaned forward. "A danger to who? Society? Civilians? He's still Phil Coulson, he'd do anything to keep the people safe, including sacrificing his own." She pretended to think. "A danger to his crew then? But they all chose to be here, to risk their lives. Besides, why would you care about them?"

Gonzales's eyes flashed, and Bobbi knew she was driving him in a corner. "That leaves him being a danger to you. To your 'Real SHIELD'. Or is there something I've missed?"

He huffed. "Just the fact that it was your real SHIELD until about two weeks ago, agent Morse. Or were you one of Coulson's spies from the beginning?"

Bobbi couldn't help but laugh, and he looked so offended at being laughed at, it almost became funnier. She shook her head. "I stayed with you, on the Iliad. And I've never regretted that choice. But I do regret following you into your new SHIELD, instead of Coulson into his. No, he's not perfect, and he sometimes makes mistakes. But by God, is he trying to protect the people and you... what? Try to get rid of Coulson? A potential ally, someone who is out there doing what SHIELD is supposed to do."

"Should I remind you that agent Hartley died under Coulson's 'tries'?" Gonzales said, his voice soft but his eyes challenging.

Bobbi narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare. Izzy died fighting Hydra, the way any agent should wish to go in SHIELD. Protecting the people. Meanwhile, there's agents on Coulson's side that fucking died trying to get some resources. Resources that we had in abundance, and that we only used to hunt allies. So don't you fucking dare to bring Izzy into this."

With a deep breath, Gonzales closed his eyes. "It was Skye, wasn't it? The one that made you decide to betray us."

She simply watched him for a moment, as he opened his eyes, the anger gone and just... tiredness remaining. He was an old man for an agent, Bobbi realised, and maybe he should have given up fighting years ago. "Tell me, Robert, what would you have done with her? And don't offend me by trying to lie, cause I'll know it," she warned.

It was silent for a few heartbeats. Then, "I would have locked her up." He shifted, trying to get more comfortable, a challenge on the hard beds of the cells. "I would have let Weaver investigate her, and if she'd lost control, I would have taken her down." His look turned challenging again, but it didn't hold the power it did earlier. "I would have protected my agents."

Slowly, Bobbi nodded. She uncrossed her legs. "Then I know I've made the right decision," she told him while getting up. She picked up the chair and turned back to face him one last time. "You're an idiot, Robert. When you're ready to realise that, please let us know where your fucking jets are, so we can take Hydra down for good."

She turned on her heel and walked away. He called after her. "An idiot I may be, you're the traitor here. At least I don't run from my mistakes."

She continued walking, not sparing Calderon a second of her attention as he sneered at her and spat at her feet, nor Weaver, who just stared coldly as she passed.

He was wrong, she knew that. She wasn't running from her mistakes any longer. It was exactly why she'd gone to Coulson when she had decided she could no longer be loyal to Gonzales. She'd admitted her mistake, and was now living to rectify it.

She barely managed a nod to the guard at the end of the hall, before she walked back to the common room, dumped the chair and beelined for the kitchen cabinet where she knew Natasha had left a bottle of vodka. The rest of the team's eyes bore into her back as she unscrewed the cap and took a swig, swallowing without a flinch.

Fucking asshole. Bringing Izzy into it. And Skye. And he'd just admitted that he'd have killed her if he thought it necessary. She took another swig. Still no one spoke.

An agent knocked on the door, and Bobbi turned to look at him. He almost stepped back, and Bobbi forced herself to soften her gaze. "What?"

He swallowed, but stepped into the room anyway. "Whatever you told him worked. Gonzales just told the guard the location of the jets."

Bobbi felt too wrung out to feel victorious, so she just nodded. She turned away, and took a third swig. Fuck, Nat really knew the good stuff. Coulson seemed to realise she wasn't going to hold this conversation and stepped in. "I'll walk with you." He stood up and walked the agent out of the room.

When they were gone, the team turned back to look at Bobbi, who was busy avoiding their gazes and drinking more vodka. "What did you tell him?" May asked eventually.

"That he was an idiot," Bobbi deadpanned. The bottle was about half empty by now. "But only after he called me a traitor and threw Izzy's death in my face." She was accepting that this bottle was gonna be finished tonight. Stepping back, she grabbed the cap of the bottle, not that she'd need it. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to punch something."

And with the eyes of May and Fitzsimmons burning holes in the back of her head, she walked out of the room. 

///

She was working up a sweat, her fists hitting the bag over and over again in a steady rhythm she could dream. Gonzales was an idiot, Coulson didn't quite trust her, Skye was missing, Natasha and Clint were gone, Mack wouldn't look at her, and Hunter… even when he eventually resurfaced, she doubted he'd want anything to do with her ever again. And she couldn't even blame him.

Distracted by her thoughts, she only barely dodged the bag as it swung back, and she quickly reached out to halt it. She had to take a deep breath. She needed to focus, or she would break down, and she really didn't want to do that right now. Not when everyone was looking at her, and talking the moment she passed them.

A gentle clearing of a throat stopped her from starting a new round. She looked over her shoulder, internally sighing when she saw one of Coulson's agents waiting for her. "Yes?" she asked, not feeling nearly as nice as she was forcing herself to sound.

"Agent Gonzales requested a word with you," he said, almost apologetically. He must have seen her tense too, because he quickly continued. "He said you were right, but that you would want to hear what he has to say."

Bobbi really didn't want to do this. She took another deep breath, grabbed the half empty bottle of vodka she'd abandoned earlier, and took a swig. Then she nodded. "I'll talk to him. Tell him I'll be there in five."

The agent nodded and turned to do exactly that, and Bobbi quickly grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off her face. She walked over to the shower room, freshened up as fast as she could, and then decided to just get this over with. The bottle of alcohol went with her. She walked quickly through the halls, if only so that she didn't have time to talk herself out of this before she'd arrived at Gonzales' cell door.

He was patiently waiting for her, and Bobbi crossed her arms when she turned to him, but didn't speak. He didn't seem to care. "I've done as you said," he started. Bobbi just raised an eyebrow at him. "And now I want to ask you to look into something for me."

Before Bobbi could ask why she would do that for him, he raised his hand. "I know. But you want to know why we went after Coulson, right?"

Reluctantly, Bobbi tipped her head. Gonzales gave her a small smile. He reached for his cane, and placed his thumb on the side of the handle. A small compartment opened, and out of it he took a USB, which he placed on the floor and shoved her way. "Look into the file named 'Theta Protocol'. And then ask Agent May about it. Then you'll see why we had to… interfere."

Bobbi looked at the USB, about a foot away from the invisible wall. She stepped towards the panel, opened a compartment. Then she bent down to pick up the USB, forcing her hand not to shake as she twisted it between her fingers. She stepped back towards the panel and closed the compartment. "Why don't you tell me what it's about right now?" she asked, more to just… say at least something.

He chuckled, though it was without any humour, and shook his head. "Because we don't know what it is, Agent Morse. And that is exactly what makes us afraid."

That… wasn't good. She pocketed the USB, the fingers of her other hand tightening around the neck of the bottle. She fought the urge to take a swig. "I'll look into it," she simply said. He nodded, seemingly satisfied enough with that. She turned around, barely keeping herself from looking back at him. She made to walk out of the hall, and then thought better of it. She turned on her heel, and walked to Mack's cell.

Mack didn't look at her, and didn't say anything either. Bobbi felt the guilt pull on her insides, and sighed. "I know you're mad. But I had to do this. It was… it was the only right thing to do. She is family, Mack." She shook her head, suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to cry. Maybe she shouldn't have drank so much.

"I was family too, Bobbi," Mack's heavy voice interrupted her meltdown.

Bobbi leaned her head against the artificial wall, not caring. "You were. You are. But fuck, you shouldn't have made me choose." She looked back up, and Mack was finally looking at her, but he looked so hurt that she almost wished he hadn't. And then he nodded. Once, shortly. But it was a nod all the same. Not forgiveness, though Bobbi was unsure if she needed that from him, but it was something akin to acceptance.

He broke their eye contact, and lay down on his bed. "If you see Hunter, tell him I'm sorry I hurt him," he said in his characteristic soft voice. Bobbi chuckled.

"That makes two of us." She sighed. "But yeah, I'll tell him." She pushed herself away from the wall, and turned to walk out. He didn't make any sign that he'd noticed, so she just left him to himself, and walked out. 

She thought about going to bed, but the USB burned in her pocket. She took another swig of the bottle of vodka, frowning when she found it almost empty. Maybe coffee would be better for this?

///

Bobbi was drumming her fingers against the desk absentmindedly, completely lost in the information on the screen. She lifted one hand to click around a bit, her other hand speeding up to keep the rhythm of a country song Hunter used to hum in the early days of their marriage. It comforted her. 

A gentle cough from the doorway startled her, and her head whipped too fast around to see who was there. She hissed at the sudden sting in her neck, and then widened her eyes in surprise when she saw May leaning against the doorpost. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" the older agent asked, not unkindly. 

Bobbi shrugged, and the woman moved closer as she turned back to her screen. "What are you doing that can't wait until the morning?" May prodded when Bobbi made no further effort to reply. 

With a hum, Bobbi turned her head again to look at May. She could tell her, she supposed. If she already knew, then it wouldn't be so bad. If she didn't know, well… Bobbi supposed at least they could share the heavy feeling that was now weighing her down. A win for her anyway. So she gestured wildly at the screen. "Gonzales gave me a USB. He said his reason for going after Coulson was on it, and he wanted me to check it out. And…" She sighed heavily. "I can't even fault him." 

She caught May's blank, but ever so slightly curious gaze. "What does Theta Protocol mean to you?"

And there, the tiniest bit of confusion that flashed through her eyes before it was buried beneath her mask of blankness. "Are you still spying on Coulson? Cause that's what I'm hearing," May deflected, and really, Bobbi would be offended at the attempt to fool her if it didn't scare her what it meant. 

"You don't know it," she sighed. Her hands had stopped drumming altogether as she leaned her elbows on the table to bury her head in them. Her voice was muffled by her hands as she muttered a single curse. "Fuck." 

There was a soft scraping sound and then May was sitting next to her. "I don't," she admitted. "So show me." 

Bobbi managed to raise her head from her hands, a pained look on her face she didn't bother to hide. "Just click through the files, and make your own conclusions, please. I don't… I can't fucking do this anymore." 

The look May gave her wasn't pitying, though it looked vaguely like sympathy, before the agent settled her attention on the screen, and the information on it. It offered Bobbi a brief moment to reflect on her past week, and she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing. 

No one was looking at her, outside of Coulson's original team. And even there… Fitz talked to her, as did May. Coulson gave her orders as usual, and a few of his agents went on with her as they had done before. But most of them regarded her with apprehension and suspicion, as if she could shoot them at any minute, Jemma amongst them. Gonzales' agents, regardless of whether they were in a cell, looked at her with anger blazing in their eyes. 

It was her job to gain someone's trust, and then betray them, but that was never meant to include her team, her family. And yet she had betrayed the trust of everyone she had ever cared about, most of them within the last two weeks or so. So yeah, that was… she was just really, really tired. 

A soft tap on her arm pulled her from her misery. She looked at May. "What-" 

"Go to bed. Call Skye, or Nat, or try calling Hunter again," May interrupted her. "I'm going to see if I can find anything about this on the servers. If not…" She sighed and shook her head. "We'll talk about it in the morning. But you need to get some sleep." 

Bobbi snorted, because if she didn't laugh she was going to cry, and that was a low she wasn't ready to reach just yet. "I don't think I'll sleep much, but sure, I'll give it a try." She stood up, and gestured vaguely towards the laptop, the USB still plugged in. "Do with that whatever you want." And with those words she walked out of the room, a slight stumble in her otherwise sure and long strides, the only hint that she'd maybe had too much to drink, that she was tired, that she was completely done with this entire mess. 

Her bed didn't look inviting when she finally reached her bunk, but it was better than roaming around the base again, or punching until her knuckles bled, so she changed into her sleepwear and fell down on the mattress. She pulled her phone from her discarded pants, and went over to her contacts. Her finger hovered over Hunter's contact, then over Nat's, and then her eyes caught the little numbers at the top of screen, and she sighed. She wasn't calling anyone at 2.26 am. She wasn't that desperate. 

She switched her phone off, shoved it under her pillow, and pulled the blankets over her head. Maybe sleep was a good idea. Before long, the dark overtook her, and she was out like a light. 

Notes:A tiny note on the timeline. If we take Skye's first day at the cabin as Day 1, we have now ended the night from Day 4 to Day 5. Yes, it only takes four days for shit to go this south. I actually think it's worse in canon. Or maybe about the same amount of bad. Anywho

Hope you enjoyed all of this. Updates will not follow any schedule, but I'm rewatching, and planning, and writing the next chapter. So we will get there. Slowly and not so steadily, we will get there.

Take care you all, I have missed you, and I love you still. Ciaooooo

Chapter 3Summary:Bobbi's life continues to suck, but maybe at the end of the day slightly less

Meanwhile, Skye took is on a rollercoaster, ecept she's enjoying (most of) the ride

Notes:So eh, this is alive. Still. I'm writing with a planning, which is greatly helping the process. Should have done that sooner, probably.

For anyone wondering if I'll update others fics anytime soon, the answer is unfortunately no. This one has to hold my attention, or I won't get any finished. It be like that sometimes.

The end notes contain a bit on the timeline which is handy, so make sure to read that. For now, without further ado...

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextSkye hummed to herself as she felt the world pull at her consciousness. She'd slept long, and well, and it felt great. She hadn't slept this… peacefully in a while, even with Nat by her side. Always scared that things would start shaking and she couldn't control it. 

Speaking of, why was nothing shaking? 

She opened her eyes, trying to blink herself awake. She tried to move, tried to sit up, but her limbs felt heavy, and they wouldn't move, and suddenly she felt a panic creeping up. A soft but steady hand on her arm stopped her in her movements - or, attempts to her movements. She rolled her head to the side, vaguely wondering why her head would move, but her limbs wouldn't. 

Gordon was there, his face focussed on hers, and she thought that if he had eyes, they would have been holding hers with an understanding kindness. "It's okay. You're safe." 

"What-" She shook her head when her voice croaked, and tried again. "Why can't I move?" Gordon opened his mouth to answer, but she still felt a hint of panic, and didn't let him answer. "And how long have I been here? Where is here ?" 

He raised a hand to stop any more questions. "Take it easy. You've been resting for a full day, and these-" 

"These needles are helping your body adjust to your powers, something it hadn't really done when you got here," a new voice interrupted. "That's why you were out for so long." 

Skye looked up to the source of the new voice. It was a young guy with blonde spiky hair and happy blue eyes. He looked like an overexcited puppy, for all the excited rambling he was doing. Reminded her of Fitz. 

She shook her head to get rid of the sudden feeling of homesickness, and looked back at Gordon. "Who is this?" 

The man smiled at her. "He's your transitioner. Don't worry; he's smarter than he looks." 

Skye's apparent transitioner mumbled something akin to 'how would you know', but Gordon ignored him as he stood up and collected his coat. "I have to go now, but I promise you that you're good now. I'll come by to check up on you soon." 

"I would wave," Skye said drily, "but I can't move my hands." Gordon laughed again, and grinned at the puppy as he brushed past. "She's all bark and no bite, Sparky, but I wouldn't test it out if I were you." 

And with that he was gone. It was awkward for a moment, with the guy shifting on his feet, unsure whether he could talk, and Skye unable to do much but lift her head to look at him. She rolled her eyes. "Alright, transitioner. How about you tell me your name, and we'll go from there?" 

He almost jumped, but quickly recovered, and pulled Gordon's chair closer. "Yeah, of course. Sorry, very rude of me. My name is Lincoln, and I'm the one who's going to help you adjust after the transition."

Skye nodded; that was about what she'd expected a transitioner would do. Suddenly a thought popped into her head. "I don't suppose I can borrow your phone for a quick call?" 

He shook his head, an apologetic smile on his face. "No phones allowed, I'm afraid. Don't worry, yours is in Gordon's possession until you decide to go back." His smile turned a little more certain when she merely nodded. "How about I get these needles out, and then you can get dressed and I can show you around?" 

"That sounds wonderful," Skye answered truthfully. She'd try to get a message to Nat later. First, clothes and a walk. Sounded awesome. 

Skye was fastening her necklace with her engagement ring when Lincoln gently knocked on her open door. She turned to him, frowning as she finally managed to get it clipped, and then she smiled. He eyed the ring briefly, but didn't ask, instead smiling at her. "Ready to go?" 

She grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair, and nodded. "Yeah, let's do this." 

Instead of leading her out of the room like she'd expected, he walked into the room, past her, and stopped before the windows. He gestured her closer. "You asked where we are. Well, I couldn't tell you if I wanted to, because no one but Gordon knows, but the official name is Lai Shi. We-" he paused, moving to open the windows, "call it Afterlife." 

The windows opened, and Skye gasped. Snowy mountains, green valleys; far away from anything resembling the civilised world. It was beautiful. She turned towards Lincoln, her eyes filled with wonder. He just smiled in understanding, and let her gaze back at the stunning view for a few moments longer. Then he gently nudged her with his elbow. "Come, I'll show you the rest." 

Bobbi strode into the briefing room. Her head was pounding, and all the noise and bright lights were doing nothing to diminish her massive hangover, but she'd be damned if she'd let anyone notice. Fitzsimmons just stood there quietly, waiting, but May threw her a look when she stepped next to her, and Bobbi sighed inwardly. Anyone except for May, because why did she think she could fool May? 

Coulson entered the room, all frantic energy, and Bobbi had to suppress a wince when he started talking slightly too loud. "Alright, Skye has failed to check in for two days, and hasn't responded to our attempts at contact, so I've sent some agents over to check on her, but there was no one there. They are on their way home with the cameras from the cabin, but someone has messed with them, so they might not be of any use." 

He caught their gaze, one by one. "Has anyone here heard anything from her in the past two days?" 

Bobbi felt the pounding increase as Coulson held her gaze for longer. "I haven't heard from her since I told her that there was a team of Gonzales' agents on their way to the cabin. Speaking of which, she never responded to that." 

"And where is that team now, agent Morse?" he asked, something in his voice that Bobbi couldn't quite pin down, but made her flinch nevertheless. "I have no idea, sir," she replied. "We'd need to ask Gonzales or Calderon." 

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm leaving that to you then, since you know them best." He turned to Fitzsimmons. "I'd like you two to take a look at the cameras when they arrive. We need to get a look at that footage." And with that, he turned and walked out. 

The scientists exchanged a look, and then quietly followed him out, both of them avoiding Bobbi's gaze. Once she was alone with May, she let out a deep breath and groaned. The older agent gave her a comforting pat on the arm, and moved to walk away as well, but then she paused. "Gonzales was right, by the way. There is something there. This… Theta Protocol. I found something, and I don't think it's harmful, but still. We'll need to do something about it." 

Bobbi nodded slowly. "Alright. Ehm. I'll just-" 

She was interrupted by Fitz practically skipping back into the room. "Hunter is back," was all he said, and then he was stepping aside, because Bobbi's legs were moving out of their own accord. She completely missed the amused look Fitz and May exchanged, as she made for her… something. A something that she needed to know she didn't fuck up completely. 

She rounded the corner of the hall leading towards the hangar, and there he was. He was talking with Coulson in low tones, but he fell silent when his eyes caught onto her. Coulson followed his gaze, and his eyes softened as the director seemed to realise that she was not really holding up. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod, said one last thing to Hunter and walked away. Bobbi walked closer. 

Hunter raised an eyebrow as she approached. "You look like shit," he said. 

Bobbi chuckled. She stopped in front of him. Her eyes flitted over his face, looking for any sign that he was mad at her, but found none. Her eyes lingered on the fading bruises on his neck where Mack had choked him into unconsciousness, and she felt her hands start to shake. "I'm so sorry, Hunter," she whispered, afraid her voice would crack if she spoke any louder. "I'm so sorry for lying to you. There's no excuse, but I hope you can forgive me." 

He raised an eyebrow. "You're so stupid, did you know that?" he said, but his voice was kind, and Bobbi felt a sob threatening to escape her. She quickly looked away, but gentle fingers on her cheek pulled her back. "I forgive you, Bob." 

She swallowed, refusing to break down right here and now. She'd never quite been immune to his kindness. She just took his hand, and held it for a moment, as her headache faded into something more manageable. "Thank you," she said softly, still not quite trusting her own voice. "I need to… I need to interrogate Calderon again. But I think we need to talk after that." 

"I think we do," he said, matching her soft tone. "You go on. I'm not going anywhere." 

"Promise?" she asked him, even though she had no right to do that. 

But he just grinned at her. "I just told Coulson I'd accept his job offer, so yeah. I'm not going anywhere for a while." She smiled at him, and he returned it easily. Then he winked, and the moment broke, but it was okay. 

She chuckled as she pulled away. "I'll see you around, stranger," she said over her shoulder as she started walking towards the cells, feeling lighter than she had in days. So she hadn't fucked up everything then. 

Now only if they could find Skye, everything would be alright. 

The next day, Skye woke up from another night of good sleep. Seriously, either the mattresses here were the best she'd ever had, or the fact that her powers had - according to Lincoln - finally settled made that much more of a difference. 

She had just finished tying up her boots when a gentle knock on the door had her looking up. She felt her powers prickle slightly, and frowned. Experimentally, she raised a hand towards the door, and sent out the smallest wave of vibrations she could. The person on the other side of the door yelped, and she quickly hurried to open the door. 

When she opened it, she couldn't help but laugh. Lincoln was standing there, one hand still slightly raised, probably because he was trying to knock again, but his back was against the opposite wall, and his eyes were wide with shock, though he still didn't look scared. And wasn't that refreshing. 

Slowly, her transitioner lowered his hand, and his wide-eyed expression gave way to a twinkling in his eyes she was coming to learn belonged to his mischievous side. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he grinned. "Today is going to be so much fun." 

With a roll of her eyes, she walked past him. "Breakfast first." 

After they'd finished breakfast - Lincoln had explained that Inhumans generally had a higher metabolism, so that explained why she'd been so hungry all the time - they made their way to yet another viewing point. This one was close to a temple, and from it radiated a sense of peace that Skye hadn't sensed in a long time. It didn't stop her from asking any and all questions she could come up with, as they sat in front of the view. 

Suddenly, after a while of comfortable silence, Lincoln scrambled to his feet. He turned towards her, and offered his hand to help her up. "Do you want to see my powers?" 

Skye took his hand, and nodded, her curiosity winning it from any reservations she might have. He smiled at her. "Keep holding my hand." When she raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, he chuckled and shook his head. "I've seen the ring, and I'm not flirting with you. Just…" He trailed off. 

His grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly, but before she could ask him any question, a soft prickling feeling made its way through her hand, up her arm, and then it spread through her entire body. A tickling sensation, and she immediately knew that it was some sort of electricity. A smile broke out on her face, and he grinned in return. 

And then her feet left the ground. She looked down, her mouth falling open in wonder as the air between her feet and the ground flickered with tiny lightning bolts. That was so cool. He beamed as he started walking around her, still holding her hand, and she turned in a circle while floating in the air. Then he gently lowered her until her feet hit the solid of the earth. "So?" 

"That is so fucking cool!" she said honestly, and his eyes shone in excitement. 

"See?" he asked, teasingly. "Our gifts can be cool!" Her smile disappeared, but before she could argue against him, he raised his hand. "I can control a form of static electricity. You think I never caused a power-out or even a fire in the beginning? It's all about control. And once you can control it, it'll be magnificent!" 

With a huff, Skye pulled her hand back and sat back down. "I thought I had control, but it turned out I was just breaking my own arms to keep it in." 

He looked down on her, and then sat down with a sigh of his own. "I kind of figured that was the cause of the fractures in your arms. Is that what the gauntlets were for? To protect you from yourself?" he added, and slightly bitterness to his voice that surprised her. 

"A… friend made it," she said. "To try to keep the damage to my arms to a minimum. Didn't really wear them though." 

He nodded. "Good thing you didn't. They would have doubled your recovery time here. It's too much based on human biology rather than Inhuman biology." Skye just shrugged. She had kind of figured that. 

They were silent for a while again, though it was a more somber silence now. Then Lincoln gently nudged her. "I've shown you mine, now show me yours," he said in that teasing voice of his. His eyes were still warm and kind, and Skye couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Sure, Sparky. But I don't think you want me to test it on you. What do you want me to shake?" 

He gave her a thoughtful look. "I don't think you just shake things. This morning, you managed to… reach me, without moving the door. How?"

Skye frowned. She had, hadn't she? "I felt someone outside the door," she said slowly, "and I just tried to move that." 

"Did you also feel the door?" he asked curiously. Skye nodded, and he cocked his head. "Did it feel different? How did you move me, but not the door?" 

Skye thought about it. "You feel… sparkly. I think it's the electricity. The door is more solid? Like, it would be harder to move, but it's still pliable. It's weird to explain." 

"I think you're explaining it excellently," he encouraged her. Skye offered him a small smile. 

"As for your other question," she continued, "I just did. I focussed on you, and then pushed out vibrations." 

He gave her a long look. "You didn't just push out vibrations. Those would have hit the door, no matter what you were focussing on. You actively moved my vibrations." 

There was wonder in his voice, but Skye didn't get it. "So? What's that mean?" 

He got up, excitement all over his face. "I think you can manipulate all vibrations, however you want." At Skye's raised eyebrow, he rolled his eyes. "Come on, that's so cool! It means that theoretically, you can freeze watermarked wood burn, crack rocks, and make the air really cold. Everything is made of vibrations! If you can really control them, you could basically control everything. Do you know how immense that is?" 

The words took a moment to settle. She slowly stood up, the realisations of the possibilities slowly sinking in. And with them, the risks. "All the more important I figure out how to control this then," she stated. 

He rolled his eyes again, and mumbled something about being a buzzkill, but didn't comment out loud. Instead he bent over and picked up a small stone that he handed to her. "Feel it," he commended. 

Unimpressed, and half sure this was going to be a disaster, she took the stone, and closed her eyes, focussing on the little stone. The buzzing under her skin settled, the faint vibrations of everything around faded away. Even Lincoln's electricity faded to a soft hum in her bones as she took in the solid vibrations of the stone. 

And then it suddenly got loud, and she almost dropped the stone in shock. Her eyes shot open, and she gasped at the overwhelming feeling of something . Lincoln was by her side in an instant. "What happened, are you okay?" 

"It's so loud," she whispered, half of her in awe, and the other half wincing at the onslaught of vibrations coming from the mountains in front of her. 

"The stone?" he asked, somewhat surprised, and she quickly shook her head, not responding except for a shaking finger pointing at the mountains before them. His eyes lit up. "You can feel the mountain?" 

She nodded, and as the sense of the stone settled in her bones, her wonder took over her uneasiness. "I can't practically hear it. I don't know how, but I can." 

"Remarkable," a new voice from behind them spoke up. 

Startled, Skye dropped the stone and whirled around. Without a focus point, everything came rushing back in, and she briefly winced. Lincoln noticed, and subtly touched her arm, a small rush of electricity running through her. She focussed on that, and the vibrations slowly settled again. She tapped his arm in thanks. 

Finally, she was properly able to take in the woman that had interrupted them. And when she did, her heart stopped again, but for an entirely different reason. 

Her own eyes stared back at her, and the way she had her head just slightly tilted… It was like looking in a mirror. 

"The way you tilt your head. It's just like…" Cal's words rang through her mind. Could it really be… 

The woman seemed oblivious to her crisis, and nodded towards Lincoln. "I see you're figuring it out," she said with a small smile. 

"I think we did!" he said excitedly. Then he turned to Skye. "Want to show her?" 

Skye forced herself to turn away from the woman and look at Lincoln. "Show what? What do you want me to do?" 

"Can you move the mountain?" the woman asked curiously. Skye resisted the urge to tilt her head. "I can try," she just said, and she avoided both of their eyes as she turned towards the mountains. 

She raised her hand, and tried to get back to that vibration she felt before. It was easier this time, and less overwhelming as she let it take over the other things she could feel. Once she had a firm… grip on the vibrations, she hummed. "Are you sure that this is safe? I don't know…" 

Her voice trailed off, and the woman stepped up next to her. "There's no one out here for miles, and I don't think you can hurt the mountain itself, so yes. It's safe." 

Her mouth pulled in a determined line, and she pulled on the vibrations. She moved them, or tried to. And then a rumbling could be heard in the distance. 

Her arm dropped to her side and her eyes widened in shock. The rumbling increased, and a curtain of snow started rolling down the mountain. 

On her right side, Lincoln actually whooped. "You made an avalanche!" he called out. His enthusiasm and almost pride made it impossible for Skye not to smile. She'd done that. She'd moved a fucking mountain. That was kind of cool. 

"Magnificent," the woman whispered. Then she abruptly turned around and walked away. Skye watched her go with confusion, and turned to Lincoln. "What's up with her?" 

He frowned briefly, then shrugged, not willing to let it spoil his excitement. "Jiaying is one of the Elders, the leaders of Afterlife. She probably has a ton of things to see to." 

With a shrug, she decided to settle for that answer. For now. But she couldn't quite shake the feeling - pun not intended - that there was something more to this Jiaying. Something to do with herself. 

Lincoln was leading her back to her room after their meal - unfortunately not the pizza he had promised, but a good meal nevertheless - when he said something that made her halt in her steps, and the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "What do you mean, 'the other one' ?" 

With a frown, Lincoln stopped and turned towards her. "Sorry, what?" Skye shook her head. 

"You said, 'compared to the other one'. I thought I was the only one in quite some time to go through the mist?" she asked, but the moment he looked away and then back at her, she knew the answer. And she knew who. "Where is she?" 

Lincoln raised a hand. "Now, take it easy-" 

"You lied to me, and you shouldn't have," Skye interrupted him, her voice cold. "Not about this. Where. Is she?" 

"She's one of us, Skye," Lincoln tried, but Skye had turned away from him. Her powers itched under her skin, and she let them out carefully, feeling everything around her. Lincoln stepped back, eyes widening, when he felt the vibrations tickle through him. Her powers moved further, all through the ground, the trees, the stone, until they reached something… familiar. Skye turned in that direction, eyes catching onto a seemingly abandoned hut. "She's in there, isn't she?" she asked softly. 

Lincoln very slowly reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. She let him, and he took the opportunity to try and pull her away. "Please, Skye. She's one of our own now, and she deserves help, just like you." 

Skye shook her head, but didn't shake his hand off. "She kidnapped my boss, led my psycho father to me, she…" She swallowed heavily. "Trip's dead, because she went down there," she finished in a whisper, and Lincoln's hand on her shoulder squeezed softly. 

"And I'm sorry that happened, but we owe it to her to protect her in this," he said, firmly despite the underlying kindness in his voice. 

With a nod, and a deep breath, she let her powers flow away, not even entirely aware she'd been keeping the vibrations going until she did. "I have to see her," she said, and before Lincoln could say something to dissuade her, she shrugged off his hand and marched towards the hut, calling over her shoulder as she went. "If you don't like it, come with me." 

She absentmindedly heard his feet hitting the ground as he hurried to catch up, as she opened the door of the hut, not bothering with knocking or anything resembling decent manners. The nuns always said she didn't have any, so why bother. 

When the light fell into the hut, and her eyes caught onto the figure hunched at the table, her feet abruptly stopped. "Raina," she breathed. 

The figure looked up, and Skye saw two eyes shine from under a hood. "Skye! I had a feeling we would meet again soon. And here you are." 

"Here I am," Skye replied. She felt Lincoln standing near her shoulder, but ignored him. Raina moved forward, a little more into the light, and took her hood off. Skye barely held her gasp as she took in the thorns covering the entirety of her skin, the different eyes, and the way they still looked at her the same. Like she knew more than you did. Skye hated it. "So," she said, a hint of venom to her voice. "Destiny, huh?" 

Raina gave her a wry smile in return. "Apparently. I thought it would feel like freedom, but all I feel is pain and fear. They say you should fear monsters, but it hurts more to be one." 

Skye scoffed. "You're telling me. I'm like this because of you. I hurt, because of you. People are hurt, or dead, because of you." 

"Spare me that nonsense," Raina said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Kill me if you want, but stop fooling yourself. You went in there, not because of me, and neither did agent Triplett. You went in there, because it was your destiny, because you felt the same pull I did. And agent Triplett, well, he went in because of you." 

Skye growled, and suddenly, Raina was gasping for breath. Lincoln moved to stop her, but she pushed him away with her vibrations. "Skye!" he yelled. "Stop!" 

But all she could see was Trip's form crumbling before her eyes, and Raina watching as the mist spread with a light in her eyes. 

"Finish it, end my nightmares," Raina challenged her, begged her almost. Skye was happy enough to comply, and stepped closer. But then… 

"Enough!" 

Skye whirled around, her hold on her powers falling away as she did, and Raina gasped for air, while Lincoln hurried past her to get to the other woman. Jiaying stood in the doorway, the fading light catching her frame, and Skye was once again struck by the fact that it was almost like looking in a mirror. Except her reflection was very, very angry. 

Immediately, Skye felt the need to defend herself. "You don't know what she's capable of. She killed people. Inhuman or not, she doesn't deserve help." 

Jiaying ignored her, and walked past her as well, crouching down before Raina, and placing a careful hand on the woman's knee. "Raina is capable of beauty and greatness, like the rest of us. As for the killing…" She stood up and turned back towards Skye. "Haven't you?" 

Skye stumbled back as if hit. "That's… I…"

"She's here for the same reason as you are. To heal, to learn control. Whatever you were, is not what you are now," Jiaying spoke dignifiedly. Skye considered what she'd been then, and then she remembered Nat's words.

Who you are, not what you are.

"It doesn't matter what we were," Skye said, her voice softer. "It matters who we were. And I can't stay as long as she's here." 

Jiaying nodded. "That's your choice, and one we will respect. But if you decide to stay, I will mentor you. I'll guide you, and teach you everything I know. And if you don't feel a connection worth exploring… Well, you are free to leave at any time. Just say the word and Gordon will take you wherever you want." 

With a heavy nod, and the overwhelming feeling of just knowing , Skye took a step back. Lincoln looked quickly at Jiaying and Raina, and then got to his feet. He walked towards her, and placed a hand on her arm, gently pushing her to turn around. She let him push her away, the fight drained out of her for now. 

It wasn't when Lincoln gently sat her on her bed, that she opened her mouth. No sound came out, however, but Lincoln seemed to understand. "Just get some rest," he said, still kind, but there was a slight wariness to his movements that reminded her all too strongly of how Jemma and Mack had moved around her back at the base. 

She rubbed her face. "Yeah," she said softly. "I'll try." 

Bobbi was feeling fresh. Sure, Skye's continuing disappearance slightly worried her, but only slightly. Skye could take care of herself, had been able to before she'd joined SHIELD, before she'd even met Natasha. And since Arlo and Carson both, separately had declared a lack of success in getting to her, Bobbi was going to assume that Skye was away and safe. If she'd been anything else, she would have let them know, somehow. 

Besides, if Natasha had been worried about such a thing, she'd come blazing in days ago. The fact that she hadn't done so, did a lot to alleviate any fears Bobbi held. 

Coulson didn't have that reassurance, and he was practically vibrating with restlessness as he strode into the briefing room, May on his heels. "Morse, what do you have for me?" he demanded immediately, not bothering with greeting anyone. 

With a deep breath, and the feel of Hunter by her side - back by her side - she started. "I got the names of the team that was sent to… retrieve Skye from the Retreat. They've been trying to find her all this time, and haven't been updated on the status of Real SHIELD, meaning that my cover was still intact. I texted the second in command, agent Carson, asking for an update, and made Gonzales call agent Arso, who's in charge." She paused momentarily. "Both agents say they haven't found her, or any trace of her, and the team agreed to stop tracking her on Gonzales' orders, which of course came from us. The team should be arriving here later this afternoon, and they're keeping me updated." 

Coulson nodded. "Have they been updated on Gonzales' status?" 

Bobbi tipped her head. "They weren't happy," she said by way of an answer, "but they won't cause any trouble." When Coulson opened his mouth, undoubtedly to ask if they could trust her on that, she raised a hand. "Desmond Carson is a good guy, and Arso has been nothing but a good leader. They know they can't win, so they will cooperate. I highly advise not imprisoning them, but rather recruiting them. It's a good team." 

"How could I ever trust them?" Coulson asked, a hint of doubt in his voice. Bobbi shrugged. 

"You give them a chance," she said simply. He nodded again, more thoughtfully this time, and turned to Fitzsimmons, who'd been watching the exchange carefully from the other end of the table. He made a motion for them to talk, and they hurried to explain. 

"Right, so we've worked on r-restoring the… the-" Fitz started. 

"Footage," Simmons finished softly for him. Fitz nodded. "Yeah, that." He scratched his neck. "The weird t-thing is, there's n-nothing wrong with the f-footage. The im-images we r-restored…" He trailed off, his stutter getting the better of him in his excitement. 

He gestured for Simmons to finish for him, which she did with a slightly surprised look on her face. "Right, the images are clear, and they show nothing unusual, except for Arso's arrival, but Skye was gone by then." 

Coulson looked between them. "There has to be something between me leaving and Arso arriving that would give us a clue, anything, as to what might have happened." 

But Fitzsimmons were shaking their heads in sync. "There is nothing, sir," Simmons said apologetically, and Fitz added "None of the c-cameras show anything." 

With a deep sigh, Coulson leaned on his hands on the table. "So she just… disappeared, somewhere between my departure and Arso's arrival, a rough four days, from inside the cabin, leaving no trace whatsoever." No one answered him, but it wasn't really something he needed an answer to. He took a deep breath, nodding to himself. "Alright, here's what we do. We narrow that period down as much as we can. Fitzsimmons, go over the footage again to see if someone's messed with it. Morse, I want you to ask Arso's team about anything they saw at the cabin that could help us. May, you're in charge of this." 

May raised an eyebrow, and Bobbi caught her eyes for a brief moment. "And what are you going to do?" the older agent asked. 

He sighed again. "As much as I want it to, Skye's case can not be our main focus. Hydra is still out there, even with Whitehall dead. Liszt and Strucker are our highest priority." He pointed at Hunter. "You're coming with me. We're going to visit an old… acquaintance." 

May's eyes narrowed, but she refrained from speaking up, and Coulson gave a decisive nod. "I'll expect regular updates. Dismissed." 

When Lincoln came to wake her up the first morning, she was already waiting for him, dressed and bags packed. He frowned when he saw it. "Are you leaving?" 

Skye nodded, forcing herself to smile. "Yeah, I figured that would be best for everyone." 

"Are you kidding?" Lincoln let out a disbelieving laugh, and walked further into her room. "I mean, if you want to leave, you can, of course. But don't do so on my account. Or Jiaying's, for that matter. She offered to train you, Skye. That's…" he trailed off into another chuckle. 

Skye raised an eyebrow. "Is that unusual?" 

"Unusual?" Skye was almost starting to feel offended by how disbelieving he sounded. "She's never trained someone since I got here, and that's been quite some time. It's really impressive." 

She started tapping her fingers against her leg. "So you think I should stay? Despite the fact I almost killed Raina?" 

Lincoln looked briefly uncomfortable, but then nodded decisively. "I think you should stay. Or actually, I think you should come with me to breakfast now, and then I'll bring you to Jiaying so you can start your training." He walked further into the room, and offered his hand. "Is that a deal?" 

For a moment, Skye just looked at him. The overexcited puppy who was her transitioner. Bright eyed and happy Lincoln, with sparkling powers and a Trip-like cheeky sense of humour. The honesty in his voice when he said she should stay. 

She stopped tapping her fingers, holding his gaze a few seconds longer, challenging him to back out. He didn't. 

She smiled then, and so did he as she leaned forward to shake his hand. "Deal." 

Skye's eyes followed Jiaying's movements closely as the older woman filled the glasses with water. She had an idea as to what she was supposed to do, but she had no idea. Feeling a mountain and then shaking it was one thing, creating sound another. But if Jiaying thought she could do it, she supposed it didn't hurt to try. She chose to ignore the voice in the back of her head that said she wanted to impress the other woman, because that was utter nonsense. She had nothing to prove. Least of all to-

"So," Jiaying's voice interrupted her thoughts. Skye shook herself, slightly embarrassed at being caught so off-guard. She was a spy, for god's sake. But Jiaying didn't seem to mind. "Let's begin." 

To Skye's confusion, she didn't step away from the table, but instead leaned towards the rightmost glass. "I play a note, and you hold it." She placed a finger on the edge of the glass and circled its edge, a low and slightly out of tune note rising from the glass. 

Skye reached out, and felt for the vibration of the sound. It was fluttery, not consistent or strong, but she could… The sound increased in volume, and Jiaying stepped away from the glass, but the sound didn't disappear. Skye felt a smile break out on her face. She was making sounds. 

"Wonderful," Jiaying complimented. "Now see if you can transfer it to the next glass." 

With a furrowing brow, Skye did, carefully directing the vibrations to the next glass, producing a slightly higher tone. She moved it to the next glass, even higher. Jiaying was stepping up next to her. "You're doing very well. Can you do two glasses at the same time?" 

Skye hummed, and tried. Lincoln had explained to her that she couldn't create vibrations, but that she could influence them. That meant that if she could expand her current soundwave, she could make more glasses sing at the same time. She closed her eyes in concentration, imagining the wave in her mind, and expanding it. 

A steady harmony made her open her eyes in shock. About five glasses were singing at the same time, and she laughed in delight. And while she laughed, her powers shifted slightly, and then the glasses shattered. She cursed, and more in a reflex than anything else did she push the shards away, so no glass could reach her or Jiaying. 

The glass on the ground shimmered in the morning light, and Skye felt that old feeling of dread rise in her chest, as she avoided Jiaying's eyes. The soft hand on her shoulder couldn't convince her to look up. "Skye," the older woman said softly. "That was some very lovely music you made. We'll drink from wooden cups at dinner, it's okay." 

Skye shrugged her hand off, and stepped away, rubbing her forehead. "Is it?" 

"Yeah?" Jiaying sounded confused, and Skye chuckled. 

"I dropped a glass like this at a foster family once," she said wryly, still not meeting Jiaying's eyes. "And I suppose after last night I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop." 

She felt Jiaying step closer. "Raina hurt you, it makes sense you lashed out. And no harm was done." She paused. "They sent you back because you dropped a glass?" 

"And because I tried some of their scotch, but yeah." She chuckled, and waved away whatever Jiaying wanted to say. "It's alright. I'm 25, and there's still no place on earth I've called home for more than two years, if I even called it home at all." She felt tears well in her eyes, and furiously blinked them away. "I tried to make my home with people, but… they never really stayed. A few did, and even they can't be here with me now." 

Fuck, she missed Natasha. She pushed the thought aside as more memories from her sorry childhood flooded her. "Did you know, they sent me away on my birthday once? Which is funny, cause nobody really knows when I was born." She tried to laugh, but it came out sounding like a sob, so she just shut her mouth and waited. For what, she didn't know. 

Again, she felt Jiaying move, but no in the direction of the table. Shards of glass clank as Jiayin brushed them off and they fell on the ground. "You're safe here," the older woman said. "This can be your home, and if you want it to be, I'll make sure you always have a place here." 

"Why?" Skye asked, and she longed for the answer. She dreaded it. 

Jiaying leaned against the table, and her powers had nothing to do with it as Skye felt her eyes burn into the back of her head. "July second," she whispered. "You were born on July second." 

Skye turned around, very slowly, until her eyes met Jiaying's, which had that faraway look in them that told Skye she was lost in a memory. 

"It was a warm night," she continued. "And for some reason, I don't know why, I cleaned the entire house before I woke your father." She chuckled, a soft sound that made Skye's heart clench. "Cal went over to the neighbours to borrow their car, but he didn't speak any Chinese. It was a mess." 

Skye involuntarily stepped closer. "Cal said you didn't age. It's… You're…" She couldn't finish her sentence, shaking her head. 

Jiaying looked at her, all kindness and understanding and… love. "I think deep down you knew." 

With a sniff and a chuckle, Skye shrugged. "It felt like looking in a mirror, in some strange way," she whispered. "But I couldn't hope. Hoping never brought me anything, y'know." 

Her mother - her mother - reached out, stopped herself halfway. "Are you okay? I wanted to run to you immediately, but…" She shook her head, and offered Skye a soft smile. "Staying here had to be your choice. You deserved at least that." 

Skye felt a tear roll down her cheek, and quickly brushed it away. "You were looking for me, weren't you?" Her voice sounded, hopefully, desperate. Skye didn't care. 

"For years," Jiaying said immediately, promising almost. "Your father and I scoured the earth; we did anything, we were ruthless. But one day I woke up, and I didn't recognise who I was anymore. Your father, he… He lost himself, because couldn't admit he'd lost you. I thought I had to accept it, for both of us." She was silent for a moment. "I came here then. I thought that if I couldn't find you, I could at least help others. But I never stopped hoping. For this. For you." 

Skye nodded. She could understand that. She could forgive it too. But… "And now?" 

Jiaying smiled, and reached out, offering a hand that Skye took with trembling fingers. "Now I'll make it up to you. We can get to know each other. But," she said, and her voice grew more serious, "we can't tell anyone." 

"You want to keep this a secret?" Skye asked, surprised, a voice in the back of her head screaming at how wrong that felt. 

"For your safety, yes." Jiaying squeezed her hand. "Our people have strict rules, and I don't want them to perceive you as a threat." 

Skye frowned. She didn't like that. But her mother squeezed her hand again. "Let's take a walk, and I'll explain as best as I can." 

Skye trailed after her, blinking against the sun in her eyes. They walked in silence through Afterlife. Skye barely heard Jiaying speaking with some guy named Ethan who was going backpacking in Prague. 

"He hasn't been through the mist yet," Jiaying told her conversationally. 

Skye shook her head, not really registering it. "You don't want to tell people, because you're responsible for… dealing with me." 

Jiaying gave her a sideways look, before leading her to the viewpoint from where she'd moved a mountain. "It's complicated. I'm responsible for the safety of a lot of people here. Favouritism undermines trust, and I've already had to pull some strings to handle your less than traditional entrance," she added, but it was with a smile, so Skye knew she wasn't being blamed. 

Skye nodded, then cocked her head. "Is it really that big a deal, to jump the line, so to say?"

Jiaying looked away from her, and out over the valley before them. "It's happened before. There was a woman, Eva, she didn't trust my judgement, so she stole some crystals and ran. She ended up with some criminals in Bahrain." 

With a shock, Skye realised what this story was about. Or rather, who. "She was killed, right? By a SHIELD agent," she said softly. 

"I wish it was that simple." Jiaying still didn't look at her. "She stole the crystals for her daughter. I'd refused Katya's transformation, saw a darkness in the girl, but Eva didn't care for my judgement. Katy was too young, and went insane. She leeched of emotions like a parasite. One touch, and you were in her control." Jiaying turned back to her. "It should have been me to stop her, not a SHIELD agent. I failed then." 

Skye thought about May, about how her SO still blamed herself for what happened there. About May's stoic expressions, her serious stance, her blank looks. And it suddenly made a lot more sense. She made a mental note to tell May it wasn't her fault, the moment she saw her again. She looked at Jiaying, understanding and acceptance settling inside her. "And now you're afraid people will think you broke the rules you set yourself." 

"Our people know all too well what a mother would do for her daughter," Jiaying said solemnly. "So yes, that's why it needs to remain a secret." 

"I understand." Skye took a deep breath. "I don't like it, but I understand. I won't tell anyone." 

It was Lincoln who came to find her for dinner later that night. Jiaying had excused herself, claiming there were things she needed to handle, but Skye knew that she needed some time. They both did, so it was fine. Skye had spent her time since then just sitting there, staring out over the valley. 

She'd done some of the breathing exercises she'd practiced with Nat, liking the way the vibrations seemed to fade a bit. She also spent time thinking. About her mother, about May, about Nay, about her future. It was a lot of thinking, and Skye wished she could talk it over with someone, because that always helped her order her thoughts. 

She was just in the middle of another breathing exercise when she felt the now almost familiar prickly vibrations of Lincoln approach behind her. 

Without opening her eyes, or giving any sign that she'd noticed him, she reached out with her powers and gave him a slight shove. He yelped in surprise, and then laughed. 

Skye couldn't help her smile. It was nice to do something with her powers that wasn't destroying things. Made it feel like it wasn't so bad after all. 

Lincoln came to stand next to her, still smiling. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" 

"Not at all," Skye responded, eyes still closed, but she gestured for him to sit down. He did. 

"Did you have a good day?" he asked, and he even sounded like he meant it. Skye opened her eyes to meet his. She thought it over for a moment. 

She'd made music with her powers, met her mother, and they'd talked for a long time. She found out her birthday, even. "Yeah, it was a good day." She unfolded herself, absentmindedly pulling out her ring to play with it. "I made glasses sing," she told him, grinning a bit. "And then they shattered, but the sound just before that was pretty cool." 

The feeling of the warmed metal settled her a bit. It also made her miss her fiancée, but she kind of did that all the time. Lincoln gently nudged her with a shoulder. "Do you miss him?" 

Skye paused. "Her. And yes, very much." He cocked his head, inviting her to continue talking, and she did with a fond sigh. "We were with SHIELD, just hunting Hydra, and we said we would get married when we were done. But then everything with my dad happened, and then my powers, and then we were never really done." She squared her shoulders. "When I leave here, I'm going to marry her." 

She looked sideways at her newest friend, and he smiled warmly at her. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Are you wearing a suit or a dress?" When she just stared blankly at him, not really knowing the answer, he chuckled. "Maybe think about that. Weddings take planning, you know. It doesn't sound like you want to do something Vegas-y with her." 

Skye decidedly looked anywhere but at him, and despite not being a spy, he immediately caught on. "Skye, what did you do in Vegas?" he asked her, somewhere between serious and very amused. 

"Ehm," she stared very convincingly, trying to search for a fitting lie. Then she decided that she didn't care about keeping this a secret from him. "So, maybe I met her there and we got married because she was on a mission and we needed to keep our cover intact?" 

Lincoln started laughing, and he wouldn't stop. When she shoved him, he just laughed harder, and she couldn't contain her own beaming smile. "We picked out flowers this time," she defended herself without any vigour behind it, when his laughing had finally died down a bit. "And a location. Just… not the rest." 

They sat in comfortable silence for a while then, before he asked a more serious question. "So she doesn't mind that you have powers?" 

Skye smiled, because what else could she do. "She keeps saying she loves who I am, not what I am. And she helped me with breathing exercises, and she supported me coming here. So, no, she's very fine with it." She hesitated, then decided the embarrassment was worth seeing Lincoln splutter. "She's also expressed… interest in what a finer control of my powers could mean for our nightly activities," she said teasingly. 

Lincoln spluttered, as predicted, and turned as red as a tomato. Skye laughed at him - hah, karma - free and happy. Yeah, that was so worth it. Lincoln just shook his head and sighed. "If I ever meet her, I can never look her in the eye," he declared solemnly, pulling another snort from her. He sighed again, then looked at her. "So, wedding planning?" 

She looked back out over the valley in front of them. "Yeah, we still need to decide on some things." She looked back at him. "Wanna help?" 

His eyes sparkled as he fully turned to face her. "Absolutely." He waited for her to face him as well, before he took off. 

"So, for your vows, I think it would be funny if…" 

Notes:So, we've reached the end of Day 6!

A note on the broader timeline:

- they met in 2011, just before Iron Man 2

- then we had the Avengers in 2012

- then In Your Arms installment takes place about a year after Avengers, post aos s1, so 2013

- and then season 2 of aos should end at the same time as Age of Ultron, which is 2015 and 3 years post Avengers. Meaning that s2 plus the time gap between the first two seasons takes 2 years. Which is bullshit. I made it one year. So, we are now in 2014, nearing the end of aos s2, and Age of Ultron. Everything after this will probably be a year earlier than the canon timeline.

- so Nat and Skye have known each other for 3 years, been sorta dating for 2.5, actually dating for 2, and engaged for 0.5/1 year (yes it's been that long, canon happened)

Then a note on the smaller timeline:

- the second half of aos season 2 is a month or something. It's insane

- some things that happened on the same day in canon don't happen on the same day here. It still takes a total of a month (and a half), but I've taken some serious liberties in the days to try and get Skye's, Nat's and Bobbi's timeline together. Not having Real SHIELD fuckrd with the time line, so now I get to redecorate

Yeah that's it for the timeline. It's a fucking mess, and I can't completely fix it. But now you at least know where we are

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! Really appreciate everyone who is still here. Love you all