Summary:After walking into an argument between her team Skye realizes she can't stay there anymore. Fitz is at odds with everyone defending her. Jemma thinks she is something to be eradicated. Mack thinks Trip's death was her fault. And they said that they need protection from her. So she leaves. And that's how she ended up here on the steps of Avenger Tower.
Notes:Hi! So I know my followers want updates to my Clexa stories but I wont be able to type a word about them until I get Skye out of my head and into words. There is mention of past rape, I don't go into any details, just how it has effected her.
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
Chapter 1Notes:So I reworked this chapter, I'm not entirely happy with it but its much better than the first one. I will probably come back to it again for some more editing and fine tuning but this is what I've got tonight. I want to get to the next chapters so I can get to a point where I can move forward with the story and be putting new chapters out. I started this 7 years ago and just found the time and motivation to actually work on it so please be patient with me as I remember where I wanted to go with this and if I am even going to take it in the same direction.
Chapter TextSkye isn't exactly sure when she decided to come here. Her initial plan was to erase herself again and go off grid until she got a handle on things herself. She couldn't stop replaying the argument in her head. She heard them long before they knew she was there. She had nightmares about Jemma trying to turn her into an experiment before "eradicating" her. She remembered Fitz defending her and arguing with his friends just because of her. She remembers feeling more than ever that Trip's death was her fault. All of these things won't leave her mind at peace. She can never escape the last few moments of Trip's life replaying over and over in her head like a nightmare on a loop.
What are the protocols here? Is there a receptionist desk inside? Is there a buzzer on the door? She hasn't let herself get close enough to even see. Should she just walk in? "Hey I'm here to see the Avengers, I'll show myself to their floor." If she's being honest with herself she knows that they probably already know she's there. She's been standing there like a total creeper for about 20 minutes unsure of where to go from there. She knows Coulson probably had everyone on the lookout for her the moment he realized she was gone. Probably has Fitz monitoring security footage everywhere, not that he's as good at it as she is. She doubts that Avenger Tower has anything less than the best security cameras and they know she's there.
"Might as well get it over with, no point in becoming a statue on the front steps" she mumbles as she walks up the steps towards the door. As she suspected there was a receptionist at a desk in a ridiculous and extravagant lobby. She was looking at her like she had been waiting on her to come inside for a while.
"Hello Skye, Mr. Stark will see you now. He is on the 42nd floor and says to let you see yourself up. Welcome to Avenger Tower." She smiled like she was trying a little too hard to be pleasant. Skye wondered how many crazies she had to deal with a day in this place. Images of crazy cosplayers trying to get to the elevator and being chased by security caused a giggle to escape and the receptionist side eyed her like maybe she was crazy too.
As soon as she stepped on the elevator and pushed the button for floor 42 she nearly jumped back out before the doors closed. "Hello Miss Skye."
"Jarvis?" She had heard about Stark's AI but this being her first trip to the tower was also her first interaction with him. So she would refer to him as a him, not it. He was too polite to be an it.
"Yes Miss Skye, how are you doing today?" Way too polite to be an it.
"Uhm.. I'm alright I guess. You can just call me Skye if you don't mind."
"As you wish Skye, we are almost to the 42nd floor. It's the Avengers main floor. It holds the kitchen and dining area as well as the living room and theater room. They are all home at the moment with the exception of Miss Romanoff and Mr. Barton." Holy crap does that mean Thor and his arms are here?
She didn't have more than a moment to think about that possibility before the doors were opening. Tony Stark was standing there with a confused frown on his face.
"Skye is it? Hi, Tony Stark. Why are you here?" He doesn't mince words does he?
She didn't even know how to respond to that. She figured honesty was the best option. "I don't exactly know. I guess I didn't know where else to go."
"And why did you leave your team? We all got a call yesterday from one Melinda May, supposed agent of Shield, saying that you were a part of her team and had taken off and to keep an eye out for you and to call if we see you. Seeing as how we have never met and I don't associate with any part of the tattered remains of shield I was a bit surprised when Jarvis recognized you and alerted me to your presence." He answered without giving me much time to elaborate. "By the way, were you talking to yourself on my front steps?"
Of course he noticed that. And seriously? May called? They are obviously still keeping Coulson a secret. That one should go over well when it comes out. "I left because I had to. I couldn't stay with a team that is afraid of me and looks at me like some monster that needs to be crossed off." Sky wondered how little she could get away with with sharing and still be allowed to stay. "Things have changed, I have changed, and it wasn't a very welcome change for some of my team members."
"Care to elaborate?" Steve Rogers chimed in coming around the corner.
Captain America. It's Captain America. Skye had to remind herself that this was the least opportune moment to let her fangirl tendencies take over. It wasn't long before they were joined by Bruce Banner, Pepper Pots, and fucking Thor.
"Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere more comfortable, she looks a bit shaken up and she obviously has a good reason for being here." Bruce says with a reassuring smile on his face.
Skye was led to the huge dining room and they all took seats around the table. She was a little nervous about telling these strangers about anything that had happened. But she needed somewhere to stay where she would be safe and everyone around her as well. She didn't want to be alone again. She had never had a real family until Shield and she may not be able to have it with the Avengers but she at least doesn't want to be alone.
"I grew up as an orphan moving from family to family and never stayed anywhere for very long. I went out on my own when I was 14 years old and taught myself about computers. I was the best talent that The Rising Tide had. I even hacked into your tower a few times, I apologize for that by the way. Anyways, I got on shields radar and made myself pretty obvious and they walked right into it and grabbed me and brought me on board May's plane for interrogation. We had a bit of an odd team but it worked for us. After that first day I was offered a place on the team and I took it. Everything was fine, or as fine as it can be in Shield, until Hydragate destroyed everything. I had literally just gotten my badge. I had that thing for like a day" she said wistfully before getting back on track.
"Things were pretty normal for a while, as normal as things can be in Shield I suppose. Things took a turn when I got hurt pretty badly and my boss had to go to some pretty shady lengths to save me, please don't ask me to go into detail" she asked pleadingly before moving on. "That was the beginning of the end for me, after that I wasn't quite treated the same and my team started to be a bit more wary of me." She had to turn some things around and leave some things out to avoid accidentally bringing Coulson into the conversation.
She paused and considered the best way to bring up the next part, the most important part. This was the make or break, they would either let her stay or she would be out on her own again trying to cover her tracks and stay off her team's radar. At least that lifestyle was a familiar old friend, she would survive it like she survived everything else. She decided she needed to finish her explanation when Tony started to get fidgety in his seat, his patience waning.
"Something happened to me on a mission. Something really huge. We got mixed up with some really bad people and in all of that mess I ended up being somewhere I shouldn't have been and everything about me changed." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Everything physically about me changed. My entire DNA to be exact. I'm not the same person I was and it has had some... dangerous side effects that I'm hoping someone here can help me learn to live with and control."
Skye waited with baited breath to see who would respond first.
They all just stared at her for a moment before Thor spoke up. "I sense Kree on you, can you tell me more about what happened to cause this change you speak of?"
Skye knew it was a foolish hope that she wouldn't have to have this part of the conversation, the pain was just still so fresh. She was going to have to accept that a level of transparency she was entirely uncomfortable was going to be expected of her.
"One of the bad people we got tangled up in was working with my father." That admission resulted in several confused looks and a raised eyebrow or two. "I know I said I was an orphan, and I was. I never knew my parents. This woman was the one who told me that he was alive and that he wanted to meet me. I was obviously skeptical but it turned out that she was telling the triuth." She took another steadying breath knowing the next part was going to rip at her still gaping wound. "Long story short there, the woman and my father were both obsessed with this idea that my destiny was entwined with hers. She led me to an underground temple where we both went through some kind of transformation."
Everyone was blessedly quiet while she gathered herself, clearly fighting not to let her emotions get the better of her before she was done explaining things.
"When we went into the chamber where the transformation happened one of my team mates followed me inside and we were locked in before he could get out. For some biological reason, the woman and I survived the transformation but he did not. When the transformation was finished the entire chamber started to shake. I don't mean a small tremor, I mean earthquake level shaking. Everything was crumbling around me and took me longer than it probably should have for me to admit the truth to myself."
They once again sat in silence for a beat, processing everything they were being told. It was Pepper that decided to voice her curiosity before anyone else. "Admit what to yourself exactly?" She knew, if she was being honest with herself, she had put the pieces together.
Suddenly the room started lightly shaking. It wasn't even enough to knock anything down. Just enough to be very noticeable. "The earthquake wasn't just an earthquake. It was me. I have little to no control over it, this is new to me and completely overwhelming. It was just luck that I managed to cause a little bit of vibration to show you guys that I'm not batshit crazy and I'm telling the truth." She looked around for their reactions. Bruce looked fascinated, she hoped not in the same way Whitehall was. Pepper looked concerned, and there was pity in her eyes. Steve looked thoughtful. Tony looked elated, like she had just given him a new shiny toy.
"Can you do that again? Please do that again." He said like an excited child. It seemed like he had no concept of appropriate behavior. He was clearly more excited about it than she was. And didn't she just say she has no control over it?
"I can't control this. I don't even understand it. The best I have been able to figure out is that I can hear the vibration that things give off. Everything I have come across has a vibration. It seems nothing is ever still. I am able to amplify those vibrations. What you just felt me do was take the vibrations in the floor and amplify it a little bit. It mostly seems to be tied to my emotions, which sucks. I'm kind of an emotional train wreck." She said with tears still threatening to fall.
"Would you mind letting me run some tests on you? Make sure you're okay?" Bruce, ever the scientist, just had to ask.
"Sure, Simmons ran about a thousand tests and quarantined me but Fitz changed her results so I never even got to know the real results. I do know that my DNA is completely changed, so that should be fun for you." She said not missing the excitement in his eyes.
"What made you decide that you had to leave because they were afraid of you? Did they tell you that they were afraid or did you just assume the worst and take off?" Steve asked trying to better understand the situation with the limited information being provided. Anyone at the table could tell this woman was giving only the information she thought was absolutely necessary and not a word more.
"Jemma Simmons has a strong mistrust for all things unknown. She is a biochemist and got too curious about the unknown and she somewhat blames herself for my team mate's death. She feels like she allowed it by being so curious about the temple. So when we got back she didn't know yet that I had changed, but she had ran into an obviously different Raina. She started talking about dna and powered people like they were a plague that needed to be eradicated. Her words were "sure plagues are good for research but eventually they need to be eradicated." Or something like that. I remember the word eradicated for sure. She said Raina needed to be put down. And I couldn't help feeling like she would want me to be put down as well if she knew. That's what made Fitz change my results. He had gotten the same impression from Jemma. We were both scared of her. Mack is terrified of anything alien and he blames me for Trip's death. I walked in on an argument they were all having. Fitz wanted to protect me from them, but they said that it was them who needed protection from me. That's when I knew I had to leave. I want to control this and learn how to use it and how to keep it put away. I want to make sure that everyone around me is safe. I don't want anyone to fear me."
They all looked thoughtful for a moment. Not seeming to know what to say. Finally Tony flashed a grin at her and said "Welcome to Avenger Tower, I'll see that Jarvis finds you a suitable floor. You can stay if you promise to let the mad scientist do tests on you and make things shake" with excitement and an optimism that she assumed was meant to make her feel better. She could see Pepper shaking her head looking like a mother who is at her wits end with her child's behavior.
"Thank you so much. It means a lot to me. And I'll do my best to refrain from hacking the tower. We should really discuss the holes in your security though. I could do wonders for your company." She had a slight smirk at the look on his face.
"Once you get settled I expect you to find my office and tell me exactly what you mean by holes in my security and you did mention earlier that you hacked me. We clearly need to have a talk." He didn't look like a happy child anymore, he looked slightly awed and slightly irritated. Good.
She answered a few more questions from Thor and Bruce before they dispersed and Jarvis told her which floor she would be staying on. Steve didn't have much to say, he was just thoughtfully staring at her. Taking her in.
Jarvis took her to the 38th floor. He made small talk on the short ride down to her floor. Seriously, an AI making small talk? Apparently Steve is above her and Natasha is below her. She wondered when she would meet the famous Natasha. The one responsible for all of Shield's secrets being made totally public. She was torn between drooling over the thought of meeting her and being totally terrified. Black Widow had her reputation after all.
"Welcome to your new home Skye, the entire floor is yours. There is a kitchen, dining area, bedroom and en suite bathroom, entertainment room, and living room. If you need anything just ask. I'm always around" the AI assured.
"Way to sound totally creepy J. But thanks. I will probably be bugging you a lot, my bad in advance."
"You are no bother Skye, I assure you. Enjoy your new apartment."
When Jarvis went silent she really took in her surroundings. This place was huge. High ceilings and an open floor plan. From where she was standing in the entrance of the room she could see the kitchen and the island that even had a breakfast bar. She could see the dining area with a small kitchen table and 4 chairs. As she walked further in she saw the hallway that led to the bedroom and entertainment room she guessed. She had just been in the living room, she wasn't sure she liked the elevator opening right into her living room but Jarvis had assured her that it was the private elevator and only the Avengers had access to it. Small comfort that was. She walked into the first room she came to down the hallway and realized it was the home theater room. It had 4 comfy looking recliners and a huge screen on the wall, she was going to like this room. The room at the end of the hall was her bedroom. It was huge with a California King bed against the back wall. She had a solid wall of windows that she seriously hoped had shades. She had a dresser and a vanity and pretty dark leather settee. She had a walk in closet that was 5 times the size of her room on the bus, and barely any clothes to put in it. The bathroom was glorious. She had a huge shower and a garden tub, she would definitely be soaking in that. But for now she wanted a shower and a nap.
"Jarvis do those windows darken?"
"Yes Skye, Would you like me to black them out for you?"
She sighed in relief. "Yes please, I'd like a nap after my shower."
"Right away Skye."
Darkness started to descend on the bedroom as she was finding something clean to wear in her bag for after her shower. She had been gone for a whole day. She hadn't showered or gotten any sleep since leaving the Bus. She decided to face life after her nap. For now she just wanted to be able to relax for the first time in she didn't even know how long.
Chapter 2: Chapter 2Notes:Once again, this won't be perfect tonight but it will be better(imo) than the first time. I intend to finish reworking the existing chapters tonight and getting at least one new one written and posted. So forgive any errors since I wont be proof reading tonight just making the changes to the story that I want to make before proceeding.
Chapter TextSkye didn't think she had ever been in a shower as divine as this. First and foremost the pressure was amazing, and then there were different settings. She currently had it on the massage setting and she was standing there enjoying the pulsating spray on her back. It's not often that she thinks she might fall asleep standing up but today might be the day. She wanted to stay in there until all of the tension from the past 3 days melts away. She wants it to run off of her body with the scalding water. She knows it isn't going to be that easy but she stands there anyways.
When she can finally bring herself to get out and dry off she only feels like a little of the weight has been lifted. Yes she managed to get away from her problem but that doesn't mean it went away. Her team is still at the playground, still scared and weary of her. She has removed herself from the environment but that doesn't mean she removed the issue.
She decides to focus on the positives of the day. She has some place safe to stay. Some place with people that aren't so different than her. She can't be any more dangerous than the Hulk, at least when she goes off her rocker an icer will halt her in her tracks. She doesn't have to fear for everyone's safety here. At least she hopes.
When she's finally dressed in some comfortable shorts and a tank top she sinks into her new bed and lets out a content sigh, almost a moan, at how comfortable it is. The last thing she wonders before sleep takes her is if the sun is setting. Maybe she'll just sleep until tomorrow morning. She can only hope as she finally drifts off.
Natasha loves coming home in the middle of the night after being off on a mission. She can get to her floor and take a shower and go to sleep without anyone bothering her. Sure some of the Avengers are definitely still up at this time but they are usually doing their own thing. The ones that have trouble sleeping stay to themselves in the wee hours.
She nearly falls into her living room when the elevator doors open and she steps out and no longer has the walls to support her weight. She is not in the best shape after her last mission. She's been busy tying up all of the loose ends she created when she spilled all of her secrets onto the internet. She can't really complain too much, she did it to herself. But it was what had to be done and she can accept that and do what she needs to in order to fix her mess.
It isn't easy to walk with a gunshot wound in her thigh, luckily it missed her arteries and the damage is minimal for her. She just needs to get the bullet out and get off of it and she should be good as new by morning. She may be a little stiff and sore for a couple days but the wound will close and heal. It's the only part of her red room programming and experimentation that she can appreciate. She actually would like to live a full long life and in her line of work accelerated healing is pretty much the only way to increase the chances of that happening.
After she showered for at least 45 minutes washing blood and grime off of her body she couldn't think of anything she would rather do than sink into her bed and sleep for a couple of days. In reality she knew that after about 6 hours she would be completely rested, but days would be nice. She just needed to wrap her wound and put on some pajama pants and a t shirt. She was just about to drift totally off when she felt the shaking. It started as a small vibration just barely noticeable making her question if she was losing her mind. As she laid there trying to decide if it was real or in her head it got stronger and the glass of water on her night stand started to tremble.
Skye was feeling nothing but complete and total paralyzing fear. The person staring at her through the glass of the quarantine room on the bus was not her friend. She had the body of Jemma Simmons but it wasn't her. She was looking at Skye with coldness and hatred in her eyes and disgust in the curl of her lips. "It's better this way Skye, you are a danger to yourself and everyone around you. This thing you've become isn't natural. It isn't human. This is as much for you as it is for anyone else. It needs to end. You can be at peace." Skye couldn't believe what was happening.
Terror seized her as she looked around the outside of the room as her team looked on. Fitz wasn't there and she was scared to death of what they might have done to him. May looked on with her blank face perfectly in place. Emotionless. No pity, no regret, nothing at all. Coulson looked at the floor, at least he had the respect not to look her in the face while allowing this to happen. Mack wouldn't look at her at all, probably too disgusted with her existence to be bothered with seeing her. Bobbi and Lance looked at her with fear and pity, she didn't want or need either of those.
She wanted to try and reason with them, talk some sense into them. She wouldn't hurt anyone, she didn't want to hurt anyone. She would do anything they asked her to do. She would be put on the index, she would go wherever they wanted her to go to train. She could learn to control it! She opened her mouth to try and plead her case but nothing would come out. She tried and tried but no sound came out. What was happening to her? Had they already done something to her while she had been asleep? Her voice just would not cooperate with her.
"Just close your eyes Skye, I promise it won't hurt. You'll just fall asleep and then you'll be free. This will all be over." She probably meant for the words to be reassuring but the lack of any emotions in her voice just broke Skye's heart instead. This is it, it's happening. A feeling of absolute hopelessness seized her heart. She was about to be put down like a dog who had bitten someone's child. She was considered too dangerous to live by the people she called her family. She is used to rejection by now, it doesn't come as a surprise. But just because it isn't a surprise doesn't make it hurt any less. She feels like her heart has just been ripped from her chest and she's forced to live on with the painful hole it left behind. But the pain will be over shortly. Jemma is doing something on her tablet so she assumes it's about to happen.
Despite knowing what's coming she tries to speak once again, trying her hardest to scream but still nothing comes out. She hears the hiss before she sees the mist coming from the vents. The room is filling up quickly and she moves around the room trying to find any way out in a panic. When she can't escape the growing cloud of mist she tries to hold her breath. She squeezes her eyes shut and closes off her airways. It works for a few minutes but then the need to breathe and her will to live forces her to suck in as big of a breath as possible.
She immediately regrets it. As the mist fills her lungs she chokes and hits the floor. Jemma lied, it hurt so badly. She doesn't ever think she's felt this kind pain. It's a searing burning feeling as it enters her lungs. Her mouth and throat and nasal passages all feel as if she's just inhaled acid. Her lungs seize like there is a set of hands squeezing them refusing to let them expand. Not that she wants them to, they are being seared from the inside out. At this point all she wants is for the end to come. She just wants to feel blissful nothingness. She is wishing for death, silently begging for it.
"Jarvis what the hell is going on?" Natasha yells flying out of bed thinking the place is under attack. She already has her gun in hand, heading to the elevator ignoring the pain in her thigh.
"It would appear that Skye is having a nightmare. I don't think she will do any damage to the building but she is in a lot of emotional stress it would seem." He sounded as concerned as an AI could. Who the hell is Skye? "She is on the floor above you, I would hurry Miss Romanoff. "
Wondering who Skye is and why she's here, she gets really impatient waiting for the private elevator to get to her floor. "Jarvis why is the elevator taking so long?"
"Steve is currently on it going to Skye's floor. It should only be a moment."
She decides to use her stairs, the shaking is getting stronger. It takes her no time to run up the single flight of stairs between her and the source of the quake. The door is unsurprisingly locked so she wastes no time kicking it in. She gets through the door at the same time as Cap rushes off the elevator. Both of them, knowing the layout of the apartments, head for the bedroom. They heard the screaming as soon as they were on the floor so they know the nightmare must be bad. Natasha having experience with these things doesn't want to rush right to her and wake her up, that sort of thing has proved dangerous in her past experience. Steve however has no such apprehensions. He runs through the door and directly to her bed. She gets her first good look at the thrashing girl, she looks so young and scared.
"Skye wake up!! Come back Skye, you have to come back!" Steve is yelling at her trying to shake her gently enough to not harm her but strong enough to wake her. It works, she wakes up gasping and shaking.
Natasha is not too relieved seeing as how the shaking hasn't stopped or even let up. The girl is trying her hardest to get out of Steve's grip begging and pleading and apologizing. Nat has no idea what's going on in her head but clearly this dream was a bad one. Before she had a chance to take action she heard the others arriving. Clint came in through the vent, Banner came in on the elevator, Tony had Jarvis open the window for him and he flew in wearing the suit carrying a very worried looking Pepper, Thor flew in right after him.
When Skye finally realized what was going on and felt the vibrations extending from her body the fear set in. She finally realized it had been a dream but now she doesn't know how to stop the quake. She isn't even sure who it is that is holding onto her. Her eyes are screwed shut and she's trying her best to concentrate and stop the shaking. She can hear voices all around her asking what's going on and voicing their concerns. She tries her hardest to block them all out and get herself under control. She hears Tony mention that the tower is strong and the most she will do is knock the stuff off the walls and maybe crack the paint. That eases her panic a little.
"I can't stop it, I'm trying. I don't know how. Sedate me! Someone needs to sedate me before it gets worse. Please!" She pleaded with whoever was listening to her. She knows her powers can get much stronger than this and she's getting more frustrated the longer she shakes without being able to make it stop. Frustration isn't going to help her control herself. She became aware of someone kneeling in front of where she was sitting on the edge of the bed trying to get her to focus on them.
Natasha snapped to attention hearing the girl beg to be sedated. She wasn't going to let that happen. She didn't know this girl from Eve but she knew the feeling of thinking you're dangerous. Skye is so afraid of herself she wants to be put under to stop from hurting anyone. She is in no place to be comforting someone but she's gonna give it a shot. She'll say it's because she doesn't want the tower coming down, but really it's because she knows this feeling, this pain. "Skye look at me, listen to my voice and focus." She didn't get much of a reaction so she puts her hands on the girls hunched shoulders and straightens her up to look at her. "Skye, focus. You can stop this. Relax and focus and let your body calm down." Honestly Natasha has no idea if calming her body will do anything, it's just the logical theory. It seems to be coming from stress and fear. She hopes what she's saying will actually work.
Skye hears her and she's trying. She finally lets herself look at who is it and she's shocked to realize its Natasha. This woman she's never met is trying to talk her down. She tries to focus, she looks her in the eyes and listens to her voice and tries to relax her body one area at a time so she can focus on stopping the vibration. She can feel it working much to her shock and elation. It's slow but she feels the shaking decrease in intensity before it stops altogether. Natasha looks as surprised and relieved as she is. "Thank you" she says shakily, still reeling from her dream.
Skye looks around the room at the crowd and suddenly she's overwhelmed with humiliation. All of these people she just met got to see her at her most vulnerable and dangerous. She braces herself for the yelling and accusations and the order to pack her bag and get out. She can't meet anyone's eyes and can't even bring herself to apologize or say anything. This isn't Skye. Skye is strong and brave and she's known rejection all her life. So why does she feel like a dog that's been kicked? Probably because her teams rejection and the dream are still heavy on her mind.
"So.. That was something. You feeling better tremors?" Count on Tony to sound completely unbothered after something like that. Skye felt her cheeks burning and knew she was blushing, a new wave of embarrassment coming over her. What's wrong with her? She's acting like a scared little kid.
She takes a moment to take in everyone's expressions. Natasha is still standing in front of her but a few steps back watching her cautiously. Barton is standing back against the windows watching from a distance. Pepper looks concerned and sad at the same time. Banner looks nervous. Thor looks contemplative and Tony looks ecstatic. Steve is standing next to Natasha frowning, it looks like he didn't like not being able to get through when Nat did so easily.
"I'm sorry. I'll just get my things." She looks back at the ground and makes to move through them to get to the closet where she has put her still packed bag and retrieve her toiletries from the bathroom. She is trying to put her wall back up and swallow her emotions. She has been an emotional wreck for days and she's sick of it. She is the one who doesn't let things bother her. She's the girl who was passed around and unwanted and she knows how to block that out. She can take care of herself and this won't hurt for long. The team, The Avengers, and Shield will be better without her and she can start somewhere fresh.
She almost gets to the closet when a metal hand grabs her arm and turns her around. "And where exactly do you think you're going?" Tony asked sounding gently outraged.
Skye scoffs, getting some of her fire back. "I could have brought your building down with all of you inside it. I need to leave." She tries to remove her arm from his hold but it doesn't work out like she hopes.
"Oh please, have some faith in my tower. You would have to put in some serious effort to bring this thing down. The Hulk lives here. If you want we can have your floor reinforced the way Bruce's is but when I said you could stay that wasn't conditional. We could use you, and it seems you could use us as well." She didn't expect that at all. He must have noticed her expression. "Don't think I'm being sappy, I like the way you make things shake." Of course.
"Okay let's give her some space. I think it's under control so everyone can clear out of here. Skye, if you need anything just tell Jarvis, he'll get someone here immediately." Pepper said with all the loving authority of a mother hen, and thank goodness for her. Skye is getting really irritated with the people in her room watching her like some circus attraction.
Everyone gets on the elevator together, Tony griping about the door Natasha kicked down and the vent Clint busted through. Mumbling about how they cause more damage than they're worth. Barton holds his hand out to keep the door open and gives Nat a questioning look and she shakes her head. The doors close and it's just them.
"So I guess now's as good a time as any, I'm sure you already know who I am, it's a pleasure to meet you. Wanna tell me why you're here?" She asked not exactly unkindly. She didn't seem harsh, just wanting information. Needing to understand what's going on. She's a spy after all. Knowing things is her thing.
It was irritating enough to have to tell her story once, she definitely isn't going over the whole thing again. Natasha can ask the others if she really wants to know. She only told them everything because it was nothing they couldn't hear from May and she needed to be honest so they would let her stay. "I'm a shield agent, or I was. I was working with a mobile unit trying to rebuild shield under Fury's command. There weren't very many of us, but we worked well together. One of our team ended up being a Hydra sleeper agent and the trust just wasn't the same after that. When I got these powers it was kind of a bad situation and we lost one of our own. My team is afraid of me and they don't trust me and I couldn't stay on the plane anymore. Tony agreed to let me stay here. I'm sorry I woke you up."
She's back to looking at the floor. Not so much because she's upset, just confused about how to talk to this woman. She has never met her and only has reputation and rumor to go by. She's already made a spectacle of herself in front of all of the Avengers and the Avenger's first lady. The last thing she wants is to be analyzed by the best spy since Fury. She really just wants to go to sleep and come morning try her best to make herself scarce and be as quiet of a presence as possible.
Natasha knows why she cares. She's not cold. The Black Widow definitely is, but not Natasha. She isn't the warmest person and she doesn't go around making friends but she has grown to care a great deal about her team. She was once where Skye is. Dangerous, still trying to work through the horrors in her mind as Shield deprogrammed her. All of her memories coming back. Knowing exactly what she's capable of and how many people she's hurt. How many lives she's ended. She knows what it feels like to feel like you're too dangerous to be around people and feeling like everyone fears you. It isn't a very pleasant feeling.
"You wanna talk about the dream? It isn't easy to open up about what haunts you, but when I first joined it helped." Nat isn't sure whether she wants her to talk or if she prefers that she turn down the offer.
Skye looks up at her confused. Natasha freaking Romanoff is asking her if she wants to talk about her bad dream? Oh she thinks not. She does still want some of her pride in tact after this whole ordeal. Also, she's more reluctant to admit this, even to herself, but she's still shaken up about the nightmare. She doesn't need to look any more pathetic than she already does. And for some reason she wants to impress this woman. It's the famous Black Widow. She's always been somewhat of a fascination of hers.
"Skye I can practically hear you thinking. Look, you don't have to tell me anything. I mean we just met and you have no reason to trust me or open up to me. It would be silly to expect that of you. But I went through something similar when Shield first picked me up and Barton was there for me and I fought him far longer than I wish I would have. Talking helps. If you don't want to talk to me, talk to pepper." She said firmly knowing Pepper is the easiest person in the world to talk to.
Skye still isn't sure what to say. She raises her chin and squares her shoulders and says the easiest lie in the world to say. "I'm fine, but I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." She tried so hard to keep her voice level. Using the steady breathing to regulate her heart rate like May taught her.
Natasha knows walls going up when she sees them. She knows she's just been shut out. Nothing more she can do. It's all up to Skye now. Not her problem until Skye decides to talk, if she decides to talk. She can't shake it though. She doesn't want to leave it alone, but she will. "Alright, well get some sleep. Hopefully some restful sleep. The sun will be up in a few hours. We usually eat breakfast together if you decide you want to join us."
Skye just nods, wanting her out of there as soon as possible so she can fall apart in peace. She can feel the hysteria coming on again and she needs to work on her heart rate. She needs to put some soft music on and do tai chi and try to get that emotionless face of Simmons out of her head. She can almost feel the choking burn in her throat and lungs. When the elevator opens and Natasha steps into it giving Skye one last uncertain look before the doors close Skye finally releases her breath.
Chapter 3: Chapter 3Chapter TextThe rest of the week had gone by pretty smoothly. No more incidents, mainly because Skye hasn't gotten any more sleep. She's never had a nightmare while awake. Don't sleep, problem solved. The team has been giving her space to adjust but she can tell they're starting to get impatient. Bruce is really concerned with getting her into his training room to work on control and Tony just really wants to see her use her powers again. Natasha and Clint have been gone for the past 3 days and aren't due back again until tomorrow morning. Skye's happy to be getting a break from the most inquisitive set of eyes in the tower.
Even when she isn't looking at her she can always feel when Natasha's eyes are on her. She can feel the tingles on the back of her neck that you get when you just know you're being watched. It's like being studied. Like the assassin is trying to scope out a target. Skye doesn't know much personally about the other woman but she knows that she doesn't want to be a target. She knows that she doesn't want her eyes on her. So the past few days she's been coming out of her room more often. She comes and sits at breakfast with Tony, Bruce, and Steve. She never says any more than is necessary to be considered polite but she's there and it's a start.
She thinks Bruce can tell that she hasn't been sleeping. He keeps asking her how she's feeling and if she's had anymore nightmares. She always goes with the liar's standard and says she's fine. She doesn't want them trying to make her sleep and then her bring everyone rushing back into her room in the middle of the night again. She still isn't over the embarrassment of that. She doubt's it would be the same way again now that they know what to expect but embarrassing all the same. Pepper would be the main one badgering her about the bags under her eyes but luckily she's been gone on business since Monday and isn't back yet.
She also found out that her old team and Tony got into it pretty bad. Apparently Tony threatened them with the combined fury of the entire Avengers team if he came within 1,000 feet of the tower. It's honestly shocked her the way Tony has taken her in. She has this theory that he's trying to give her something he never had when he was growing up. He was raised by nannies and she was raised by nuns, they aren't so different. Obviously he had everything he needed and she didn't but they never had what they really wanted, which was loving parents. So maybe he sees her as some charity case, either way she could use some charity so who is she to question it?
It's 4am on a Friday morning and she has her sound system blaring Three Days Grace trying to keep herself awake. Riot is currently playing and she's been dancing around the living room singing at the top of her lungs for the last hour. Even with her training she's starting to get too tired to keep it up. She hasn't slept in 5 days and she's pretty sure if she wasn't part alien she would probably be in some stage of insanity by this point. She has to get out and walk around or she's going to lose the battle with herself and take her chances in the bed. What better place to go than the gym?
Of course as soon as she walks in she sees Steve pounding away at the punching bag, she really should have known it wouldn't be empty. She knows she isn't the only one with sleeping problems. She decides the best thing to do is just to ignore him unless he speaks and start a workout of her own. But going unnoticed is too much to ask for.
"Can't sleep?"
She closes her eyes and wills her face not to show the exhaustion her body feels. "I'm an early riser, figured I'd take a break from tai chi and check out the gym." Then an idea occurred to her. He may be a supersoldier but she was trained by Melinda May herself. "You wanna spar?"
His eyes grew wide and he started sputtering, seemingly trying to decline without insulting her. Ever the gentleman. He finally settled on "I don't want to hurt you. I'm sure you're perfectly capable of handling yourself Skye but I'm enhanced. And I know you're enhanced too I just don't want to hurt you."
"Easy there killer, don't hurt yourself." It was obvious that he was flustered. "I'm not enhanced, I'm part alien. My abilities were always inside me, they just needed a wakeup call. I can handle it. I was trained by someone who could give you a run for your money and she's totally human."
He looked contemplative for a second, like weighing the risk of saying yes and possibly hurting the girl. He finally decided to just go for it and pull his punches. "Alright take your stance."
Skye had a Cheshire cat grin on her face as she lowered herself and set her feet with her hands up at the ready. They started a slow circle, sizing each other up. Skye realized she was going to have to make the first move so she lunged forward and delivered a lightning quick jab to his jaw and connected with clearly more force than he was expecting.
He stumbled backwards, more from the surprise than anything. Even being enhanced this girl had a punch that he was proud of. He had clearly underestimated this girl, she was not only extremely strong but she was quick. He got back into his stance and started circling with her again, eyes more focused on her movements now than they were. She had a shit eating grin on her face now.
"Still think you're going to hurt me?" She was honestly surprised that she was able to move as quickly as she was with her lack of sleep. She never even knew the extent of her abilities but she's starting to wonder if shaking is only part of it. After 5 days she should be having severe problems functioning but she's feeling more refreshed than she has in days. Like she's gotten her 50th wind and she's ready to go.
"Don't let one punch make you cocky, Skye. It could get you hurt." Not by him of course. But he decided he needed to give her what she was asking for. He wouldn't hit her, but he'd wrestle that smirk off of her face. He lunged for her and grabbed her around the waist and with a graceful flip he had her on her back gasping for breath. It didn't take her but a second to get back up though and then she was coming for him.
She gave him little option when she started throwing very well placed punches at him. It was all he could do to block them and she got more than a few in. Realizing that he had actually severely underestimated Skye he started throwing punches back at her. They started a lightning fast dance of punches and blocks and everything came to an abrupt stop when Skye's foot connected with his solar plexus and sent him stumbling backwards.
Skye couldn't believe she had that amount of power. She could feel it coursing through her veins. She felt the hum of her earthquake powers under her skin as well. She was just overwhelmed and didn't notice the red hair and green eyes watching her. Before she could notice anything black spots started invading her vision then she was hit by what felt like a rocket straight to her face. Steve's concerned voice sounded like it was coming from a mile away. Everything faded to black and she was falling but she never hit the ground. Red and green were the last things she saw before she was out.
Chapter 4: Chapter 4Notes:There probably won't be massive differences after the first 2 chapters, just a little reworking.
Chapter Text"It's been 2 days Bruce why is she still out?" Natasha really wanted some answers. She has a feeling she knows what happened but with Skye's unknown physiology she can't be sure. She assumes it comes down to Skye not sleeping. There's no way after how bad that first nightmare was that Skye is sleeping and just not having another.
She had asked Tony if there had been any other incidents while she was gone and he said all had been quiet, including Skye. She was happy to hear that she had been coming out more often but not too happy to hear she was still so withdrawn. Without any new incidents she came to the conclusion that Skye hasn't slept since her first night in the tower.
She had gone to the gym to find Steve and get some sparring in when she saw them going at it. All she could do was sit there and watch, mesmerized. Skye moved with snake like precision and speed. Every hit and block perfectly placed. She could see that the girl had Steve breaking a sweat and giving it his all.
She couldn't believe the amount of strength she was seeing in Skye. She was physically moving the mountain that is Steve Rogers. She was in a trance until she saw Skye start to sway on her feet and swing wild a couple of times. She knew the signs of a collapse and she was moving her feet without a thought. Steve clearly hadn't noticed the change in skye because he gave her a punch to the face that could have knocked someone's head off, probably expecting her to block it like she had been. She went out like a light and Natasha was there to catch her.
Steve had looked like he would be sick and he hasn't stopped beating himself up since. Skye needed to wake up for more than just herself. Everyone was worried.
"I've had my suspicions about her not sleeping as well Tasha, just haven't been able to confirm it. If she really hasn't slept in 5 days then this sleep is a good thing. Her body needs to heal. She needs to catch up. She'll wake up when she's ready. She still has perfectly healthy vital signs."
"Got any theories on what you saw on the cameras between her and Steve? I'm honestly not sure she couldn't match me blow for blow. It takes a lot to impress me. I've seen a lot of shit in my life. That was unreal..."
When Tasha brought her in and told Bruce what had happened after his initial checking and fussing and getting her all hooked up and settled in he had pulled up the training room footage to see what exactly had happened when she went down. He saw the knock out blow of course but she was already on the verge of going down before he threw the punch.
Of course he had repeatedly told Steve that when he would come in hovering like a worried mother. It didn't change the guilt in his eyes though. Typical gentleman. He knew it was eating him up. Steve Rogers, the ultimate good guy, who would never dream of laying his hands on a woman in a negative way, had knocked out a young woman with a championship winning punch to the jaw.
Her jaw should have been shattered. It should have been totally dislocated and broken into pieces from the force of the blow. But it wasn't. There wasn't even a bruise. He has a feeling he hasn't even begun to scratch the surface of what all new abilities this girl has since going trough the change. The thought makes him giddy as well as apprehensive.
"I honestly have no idea. She's a total unknown to us from a scientific point of view. I have no way of knowing what all changed within her without extensive testing. And even then we don't know what changes will show themselves and which ones won't. All I know so far is her DNA compared to what I got from the shield database from before the incident is completely changed. She isn't a human anymore. I don't know what that means for her and I don't know what that means for those around her. But if she wants to learn control I'm willing to do everything I can to help her with that." Bruce said with confidence.
Natasha was a little surprised by the amount of conviction in Bruce's voice when he vowed to help Skye. She shouldn't have been though. Hadn't they all been where she is? Feeling so out of control of their bodies and minds? Bruce probably more than anyone. Her with her programming. Tony when his core was killing him. Barton when he was under control of the staff. That nightmare had gotten to all of us. Seeing her so terrified and in pain. All of them had started to care for her in the short amount of time she had been in their lives.
After that she left him to his work. She needed a break from the infirmary. Needed some space to think of a plan for Skye. This girl desperately needs someone on her side. She needs someone to have her back. After what Pepper told her of Skye's rambled background story, Skye has never had someone on her side before. She needs a mentor. A friend. Someone she can count on. Natasha has decided to be that person for her. Was there ever really another option? She owes it to Skye to give her what neither of them has ever had.
It was with that in mind that she found herself calling an old friend up to meet for lunch. She couldn't do this all on her own. Skye was so far gone in self hatred and self fear that it's going to take a village to raise her back up so to speak. To bring her back to herself. To undo the damage that her team's rejection caused her. The damage that her entire life full of rejection has caused her. She's going to choose her. She's going to make her a priority in her life. She'll train her. Be there for her. Listen to her. Make her understand that she matters. Just like someone did for her a few years ago.
She's going to be for Skye who Maria Hill was for her. And who better to ask for help than Maria herself?