Chapter 2
Even once the door to the helicopter cabin was closed, the wind disappearing and plunging everything into an eere stillness, he didn’t release her arm. Instead the two of them just stood there, both of their chests heaving with the depth of their breathlessness.
They stood, drinking in the sight of one another; finally quenching a thirst that had lasted a year…
A whole year… plenty of time for her to think about what she would say if she ever saw him again, but now, standing face to face with him, not a single word came to mind.
The spell of silence was broken when a familiar voice called out her name, “Skye?”
She turned her head in the direction of the voice, “Fitz?”
It seemed silly that the two of them needed to confirm who the other was, as if she could forget the wide-eyed scientist she had viewed as the little brother she never had, when she had been part of Coulson’s team..
She lurched forward, intent on rushing towards her friend, but Ward’s grip on her arm was too tight and he seemed reluctant to let her go…
But that didn’t stop her as she ripped her arm out of his grasp and instead rushed towards Fitz, squealing excitedly as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him happily.
“So good to see you!” she let out as they hugged each other tightly.
“I had no idea we were coming to get us!” he said as he pulled back to look at her, his eyes still wide with disbelief.
“Neither did I.” she revealed, giddy with excitement.
Sitting back, he quickly appraised her, “You cut your hair!” he stated, pointing to her fringe, almost as if he had never seen her hair before.
“Ah, yeah.” she smiled, having completely forgotten what her hair had looked like a year ago; apparently he remembered though.
“And you're a Shield Agent now?” he asked, as if such a thing was an afterthought behind her new hairstyle.
“Yeah.” she smiled, “level four.”
“Nice.” he approved.
“Everyone buckled in back there?” she heard their team leader, Isabel Hartley call out to them.
“Yep!” she called as she quickly scurried to the seat across from Fitz and sat down next to Hunter.
“Alright, let's get out of here!” Hartley declared as she easily maneuvered the helicopter away from the hail of bullets that was directed at them from below.
“Thanks for the help.” Fitz said, looking over at Hunter gratefully, “Thought we wouldn’t make it out of there!”
“We almost didn't, thanks to your rookie!” a harsh voice interjected.
She felt a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach as she recognized that voice; she had been so caught up in seeing Ward and Fitz again that she had completely forgotten that May was with them as well.
“Her reaction time was terrible! Those guys on the deck shouldn’t have been able to get so close to us.” she stated, glaring at Hunter.
She blinked in surprise as she realized that after a year, she still seemed to hold a grudge against her; jumping at the first opportunity to tear her down, like she always did.
“Her timing was fine.” he said as he rolled his eyes, waving a hand at her dismissively, “And a thank you would be nice;” he added sarcastically, “we did just rescue you.”
“It was under control.” she fired back through gritted teeth.
“You sure about that?” Skye challenged; the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Seeming reluctant, May slowly turned to look at her, fixing her with such a fierce glare that she had seen more than men twice her size crumble under the scrutiny of.
However she remained unaffected, staring back at her unflinchingly, resisting the urge to smile at just how angry the specialist agent seemed to be, over her simple question.
The tension between them was impossible to miss as the two women glared at one another; a demonstration of wills as neither one of them refused to give in and look away.
“Hate to break up,” Hunter called loudly, forcing her attention towards him, “but could you get started on the hack?” he reminded her.
“Right.” she agreed as she grabbed her laptop from beneath her seat and perched it on her knees.
She assumed that it would have been Fitz’s job on the mission to install the decryption software onto the ship; it was the only explanation she could think of as to why he would be out in the field. Ward and May were clearly there to protect him if they were discovered. Which, evidently, they were.
The USB she had shot from her gun had already worked in bypassing the ship's security system, granting her unlimited access to the mainframe.
However some of the files were encrypted and it would take her most of the flight time back to their base for her to decrypt them. Something she was thankful for as it would keep her mind occupied and an excuse not to look at anyone else in the helicopter.
She could still feel the weight of Ward’s heavy gaze, watching every move she made, the whole time.
000
As it turned out the ride from the docks back to their secure base, that they affectionately named ‘The Playground’, was exactly long enough for her to decrypt the files from the ships mainframe; she just needed to upload them onto Shield’s server and they would be ready for viewing.
Once Hartley landed the helicopter and turned off the engine, they all walked across the helipad and into the base.
“Did you really shoot a USB into a harddrive from one-hundred yards away?” Fitz asked in disbelief.
“Yep.” she grinned, thinking of how much she had missed his wide-eyed expressions and infectious wonder in which he viewed the world; it was one of the many qualities that endeared him to her, when they had first met.
“How?” he asked, looking mystified.
“We call it the hack-tavist.” she explained as she touted the rifle on her back, its metallic purple and silver custom made for her, “one of the guys here made it for me.” she grinned.
“Really? I loved to meet him!” Fitz smiled.
As they walked into the loading bay, she spotted a familiar face, “speak of the devil.” she commented.
Mack was standing in the garage, clearly waiting for them, his large, toothy smile evident, even from a distance as he opened his arms out wide in greeting.
Suddenly impatient to greet her friend, she quickened her step before she jumped, launching herself into his arms. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground in a bone crushing hug.
“Glad your back!” he said after he placed her on the ground.
She smiled up at him happily; despite his formidable appearance, Mack was not a field Agent and always worried whenever any of the team went away on a mission.
“Fitz this is my friend Mack,” she introduced, turning to look at him, “he’s the guy who made my gun.”
Fitz blinked several times, seeming taken aback by not only Mack’s massive size, but the fact that he had been the one to create her gun.
“I’m a mechanic.” he said humbly, “And I more just put the gun together, actually basing it on your designs for the ICER.” he told him, eying him appreciatively, “That's seriously impressive stuff man.”
“Oh I don’t know about that.” Fitz said bashfully; to say he looked flattered by his comment was an understatement, he almost seemed flustered and latched onto Ward as he walked past, “This is Ward, he helped me refine the design for field application.” he told him happily.
“Grant Ward, Skye’s old S.O?” he asked curiously.
“Thats right.” he replied, staring him directly in the eyes as he did, like he was challenging him in some way.
She watched Mack's entire demeanor shift as a spark of recognition flashed across his face before he eyed him critically, “Ah huh.” he grumbled, those two words seeming to indicate that he already had a very low opinion of him.
The atmosphere grew unbearably tense as the two men glared at each other.
Skye looked between them; confused as to where the blatant hostility had come from.
Mack was perhaps her best friend in the new team and as a result, she had opened up to him a little bit about members of her old team; but she didn’t think she had said anything about Ward that would trigger such a strong reaction from him…
“Debreifing. Two minutes.” Hartley called as she strolled past them.
Thankful for the excuse to leave the strange staredown the two men were having, she grabbed Fitz’s hand and practically dragged him along with her as she scurried away.
000
Shield Team leaders were all the same in Hunter's opinion.
He thought his debriefs with Hartley had been overly detailed, but that was nothing compared to Coulson; he had joined the debrief via video link and seemed to have a never ending stream of questions not only about how the mission had gone wrong from his two agents, but how the extraction plan had worked out with their team.
He wanted to know every move they had made whilst onboard the ship; what doors did they pass? How many of them were there? How many security cameras? How many security guards? It was mind numbingly dull.
He longed for his days back on the army base, when he could talk to his commanding officer about a mission over a few beers and a fire pit.
Skye’s laughter echoed through the base and he glanced through the opaque window to see her lounging around in the garage with Mack and the young scientist, Fitz.
He wasn’t the sentimental type, but seeing his rookie laughing and joking with her old team mate, someone her own age, was nice.
She was the youngest on their team by quite a long margin and in a way, they were all very protective of her because of it.
And whilst she was far smarter and mature than he was at twenty-four; actually she was probably smarter and more mature than he was now, he worried that she didn’t have anyone around her that she could relate to.
That concern was easily put to bed when she saw her throw a piece of cereal at Fitz, where he proceeded to catch it in his mouth.
The two of them cheered with victory, Mack even adding a small clap at their shenanigans before Skye proceeded to eat another handful of cereal directly from the box.
He wasn’t the only one watching the group; the specialist on Coulson's team, Grant Ward, had barely taken his eyes off her from the moment they had gotten on the helicopter.
Hunter was aware that there was history there, painful history, though Skye often shrugged it off; either it wasn’t that important or she didn’t want to talk about it, and he was not inclined to press her for details about it either way.
But now that he had met the man and saw the way he looked at her… he began to wonder if there was something more there and he didn’t like it. He decided to keep a close eye on him, monitor the situation carefully, maybe run some interference if he tried to approach her.
There was just something about the way that he looked at her that was just a little too intense to simply be her old S.O...
“Alright, we should get to your base in around twelve hours to collect our agents.” Coulson declared once the briefing was, mercifully, over.
“Why such a long wait sir?” Agent May asked.
To be honest, he had completely forgotten that she was there; she had been so silent. But he hadn’t expected anything less.
The legend of Melina May, the Cavalry was one every agent had heard of. A woman with that kind of reputation had to be cold and calculating; so far she was living up to the hype.
“Well Tripp’s not as good of a pilot as you.” Coulson replied.
“I heard that!” called a somewhat disgruntled voice called out from off-screen.
“Plus we’re having a few mechanical problems slowing us down.” he explained.
“My man Mack is a pretty good mechanic, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking a look for you.” Hartley offered.
“That would be great; thank you.” he replied, “In any case, we’ll get there as soon as we can.”
“Yes sir.” May replied curtly.
He eyed her curiously, wondering what or who could make someone like her so eager to leave a place of refuge?
After saying their goodbyes, Coulson disappeared from the screen and he looked at their leader, “Finished?” he asked eagerly.
She rolled her eyes, “Get out of here Hunter.”
“Fantastic.” he let out as he practically fled the debriefing room and made a bee-line towards the garage, or more accurately, the minifridge Mack kept in the garage that was stocked with beer.
“Rook, why are you eating cereal out of the box?” he asked curiously.
“We’re out of milk.” she shrugged indifferently.
He watched as her eyes flickered to something behind him, before she very pointedly turned away and seemed suddenly enraptured in whatever Mack was saying…
It didn't take him long to realise that the other specialist on Coulson’s team, Ward, had followed behind him into the garage and was who she had glanced at, rather fleetingly, not moments ago.
He noted that even though Skye refused to look at her former team mate, her body seemed to unconsciously always be turned towards him, as he moved about the room; as if she was always aware of where he was, without looking at him.
“You want a beer Ward?” he asked, trying to be hospitable as he opened up the mini-fridge.
“No thanks.” he refused.
“Suit yourself,” he shrugged as he grabbed himself a beer.
“What’s the go with us Ward?” Fitz asked curiously.
“Coulson will be arriving here tomorrow. Told us to sit tight until then.“ he replied.
The scientist frowned, “by my calculations, it should only take them seven hours to reach us. Why the delay?”
“Engine trouble.”
Fitz looked nervous, “Engine trouble? I hope Simmons is ok.”
“I’m sure it's fine.” Ward told him, clearly attempting to soothe the situation by dismissing his teammates' fears.
“Five hours is a pretty significant delay.” the young scientist argued before he turned to Skye, “That’s significant right?” he asked quietly.
“It does seem like a long time.” she mused.
Hunter eyed her curiously as he popped off the top of his beer, Skye normally didn’t care about those sorts of things; timings or even destinations half the time. She may have looked like a picture of ease, sitting on the couch, but he could see the way her fingers were drumming along her thigh, similar to how her fingers fluttered across the keyboard of her computer; it was a nervous gesture she had.
Something or, someone, was clearly making her uncomfortable. Despite her very convincing act of seeming unaffected, he knew better.
“Well,” she began as she pulled the tabs of the cereal box closed, “I guess I’ll head to bed then.” she declared, pushing herself off the workbench suddenly.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ward suddenly become alert, a strange look of panic in his eyes before he quickly brought his expression under control.
“So soon? It's still early.” Mack commented.
“Well jumping across rooftops while being shot at, has really taken it out of me.” she reasoned with a cheeky smile.
“Is that your way of telling me we need to work on your stamina, Rook?” Hunter teased.
“Nope!” she replied a little too loudly.
He grinned in amusement.
“Night everyone.” she called over her shoulder as she left the garage
He looked over at Ward who was watching her go with something akin to regret in his eyes. The way he lurched forward slightly, he thought that he was going to chase after her… but he seemed to think better of it and stayed put.
“Hey Mack, have you got the telly working again?” Hunter asked curiously, “I think Liverpool is playing.”
“Don’t tell me you're a Liverpool supporter.” commented Fitz, sounding exasperated.
“Born and raised.” he declared passionately, “Don’t tell me you're a Celtics boy?” he guessed; with his boyish demeanor, he instantly pegged the young scientist as a pretentious team supporter.
“So what if I am?” he defended.
He wasn’t sure how long he ended up arguing about football with Fitz, he was enjoying that he had finally found someone who understood the ‘real football’ and not the silly game the Americans play, when a scream suddenly sounded throughout the base.
Everyone froze, alarmed and clearly confused by the sound.
But he wasn’t. He knew exactly what was happening and why; he immediately tore off running down the hallway, Ward half a step behind him.
"What's going on?" he heard Fitz ask in alarm.
"Skye." Mack replied before he rushed after them.
He passed by two different bunks before he came to the one that the screaming was coming from.
Pushing the door aside he saw Skye, tangled up in her bed sheets, tossing and turning recklessly as she cried out in her sleep, clearly in the throws of a horrible nightmare.
He could feel Ward behind him, breathing rapidly, as if he had just run a mile when, in actuality, it had been merely a dozen or so meters.
Hunter thought he felt him shift behind him, getting ready to step around him and make his way to her, but he quickly rushed over to her before anyone else had a chance.
“Skye!” he called as he reached out and shook her shoulder, “Skye you need to wake up.” he told her seriously, shaking her shoulder again.
She thrashed so wildly in her sleep, that if she didn’t stop soon, he knew she would injure herself; she’d done it before.
"Help me! Somebody help me please.” she sobbed in her sleep.
“Skye!” he insisted loudly.
Suddenly her eyes flew open and she bolted upright, a scream dying on her lips as she woke up. She looked around wildly before she tried to scramble out of bed.
He had to act fast; on more than one occasion she had been so frenzied from her nightmares, that she would launch herself out of bed and start running, sometimes hurting herself because of it. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her to his side as she cried.
“There’s too much blood!” she sobbed into his shoulder as she seemed to finally realise who he was, she suddenly clung to his shirt, her hands wound into tight fists, “I can't get up.” she cried, “I can’t get out!”
He sighed deeply as he rested his cheek against the top of her head, holding her close. His heart ached for her; the poor kid had been through so much, it seemed especially cruel to him that even in her sleep, she was still terrorised by the demons who haunted her.
“Your alright love, your alright, I’ve got you.” he told her, trying to keep his voice soothing and calm, “Just hold on to me and we’ll get through it.”
The thing about Skye’s nightmares is that she was often reliving something that had happened; it was hard for her to distinguish between the dream and reality when she woke up. She tried to run or fight invisible enemies that she was certain were still in front of her, even though she was alone in her room.
That was how they had worked out the system of what she needed to hear when she woke up; she needed to know where she was, who she was with and that she was safe.
She seemed to calm down a little, shaking like a leaf as sobs wracked through her body, but at least her breathing was slowing down
He breathed a sigh of relief: the worst of it was over once she had accepted her reality, where she was and who she was with. But that would give way to a plethora of emotions, none of them good, once she realized what had happened.
But at least the dangerous part, of her somehow hurting herself, was over.
He’d completely forgotten he wasn’t alone when he looked up to find Ward still standing in the doorway, staring at the two of them with an unreadable expression.
This moment was incredibly personal and he felt like Ward, or anyone besides Hartey’s team, had no right to see her in this kind of state; it was too brutal, too raw and he knew that Skye wouldn’t want her old S.O, or anyone else, to see her like this.
He locked his gaze with Ward and, staring him directly in the eye he said, “get out.”
The specialist didn’t move as he stared at Skye, crying in his arms, with something akin to guilt or regret. The only emotion he could correctly identify on him, without a doubt, was pain.
Thankfully Mack appeared in the hall outside her bunk and slid the door shut, blocking him from intruding on them any longer.
“You’re alright, love.” he assured her as he pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, his own eyes stinging with tears that he refused to let fall.
How dare he cry from the pain of seeing someone he cared about so distressed, when she was fighting her own demons, that still caused her an excruciating amount of pain.
All he could do was hold her for however long she needed him to.
000
“I’m fine.” Skye insisted as she sat on the bed in their infirmary.
“Your heart rate got up to one-eighty. You're not fine.” Hartley retorted.
“Yeah.” Hunter agreed as he stood by her side, “You haven’t had one that bad in a while.” he reasoned, “What do you think triggered it?”
She shrugged indifferently, but the truth was, she should have seen it coming.
She should have known better than to reminisce about her last mission with her old team; she was bound to have nightmares about being in the basement, bleeding out after Quinn had shot her.
She shuddered slightly as she could still smell the stench of gunpowder from her nightmare… it had been so real.
“Alright,” Hunter began loudly, clapping his hands together, the sudden sound startling her out of her thoughts, “down to the gym, five minutes, let's work it out.” he told her.
She didn’t bother arguing as pushed herself off the table and readied herself to leave.
“You’re going to the gym? Now?” asked Fitz in disbelief, who had been hovering around her, obviously concerned, since they’d brought her into the infirmary, “Don’t you think she needs rest?”
“What she needs is not to feel weak and helpless.” she heard him say tightly, “Getting her on the matts reminds her of that.”
This was the method they always used after one of her night terrors; she would head down to the gym and beat at the boxing bag, or go over some attacking techniques with someone, most often it was Hunter.
It was quite a clever strategy; giving her the positive reinforcement of her strength and capabilities that were always so shaken when she woke up.
It worked in that it reminded her that she was no longer the scared, inexperienced girl, unable to defend herself. Now she was a Shield Agent; she was strong, determined and well equipped to handle herself in even the most deadly situations.
But it was also strenuous exercise, which would often leave her so exhausted that she would fall into a dreamless sleep.
000
Her memories after she had been shot were a little hazy; she had been in a medically induced coma after all.
Eventually her curiosity got the better of her about what exactly had happened whilst she’d been unconscious; so she had hacked into the Bus’s security camera feeds and watched the footage of herself, lying in a hyperbaric chamber.
Even in the video she could see how grey and sickly her appearance was; covered in blood, she looked like a corpse.
The way the team gathered around her, wearing solemn expressions and tears in some of their eyes, it was very easy to think they were all at some sort of open casket funeral.
She remembered what she had heard them say in the footage and it also could have been mistaken as something that was said over a dead body, not of someone barely clinging to life as they rushed her to the closest medical facility, in an attempt to save her life.
“Her core temperature is hovering around forty-four degrees Fahrenheit. If we don't bring her back up to temp in the next few hours, she could sustain permanent brain damage.” Jemma informed them; her voice devoid of all emotion, obviously trying to distance herself from the situation in order to think clearly and objectively determine the best course of action.
Though she could see that the young scientist's resolve was dangling by a thread, and she could break down in tears at any moment.
“Why didn't I stop her?” she heard Fitz say in the recording, his voice breaking with emotion, “I could've.”
“As if you could stop Skye doing anything she set her mind to.” Jemma reminded him, she raised her hand, as if she was going to reach out and touch him, but hesitated and instead just moved to stand closer to his side.
“I shouldn't have let her go after Quinn by herself.” he continued, she couldn’t see his face in the recording, but she knew he was crying, “What was I thinking?” he whispered.
“It's not your fault.” Ward had interrupted loudly, “She shouldn't have been there. I'm her S.O. It's on me.” he stated, the hatred in his tone was unmistakable.
To this day she still wondered if that emotion was directed inwards at himself, Quinn, or someone else on the team.
“The one to blame,” May began loudly, stepping forward, her voice unnaturally calm and emotionless, given the high stakes of the situation, “is the man who shot her. Ian Quinn.” she finished.
“Well you loaded the gun.” Fitz accused suddenly.
Everyone in the footage had turned to him in disbelief.
Everyone that is, except Coulson; he had been silently looking down at her in the chamber the whole time, seeming oblivious to those around him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” May snapped as she fixed him with a devastating glare that she had seen Fitz crumble under before… but not this time.
“You made her doubt herself at every turn,” he accused, sniffing away the tears in his voice as he spoke, “so of course, on her last mission, she wanted to prove herself;” he continued, his voice breaking as the emotions got the better of him, “She took an unnecessary risk and look what happened!” he shouted, barely able to get the words out before he broke down crying.
“Fitz, calm down.” Jemma said quietly, her efforts to soothe him hampered by her own tears, “you don’t mean that.”
“Yes I do!” he insisted hysterically as he continued to glare at May.
There had been some indistinguishable shouting between the two of them before Jemma finally managed to calm him down, “Come on Fitz, lets get some air.” she had insisted as she practically dragged him out of the room.
Throughout the entire exchange Ward, and Coulson, had been silent.
She had scrutinized Ward carefully when she watched the video, going so far as to mute the footage, so she could focus entirely on him and not the argument.
When the two of them had first started speaking, he’d looked up, his gaze bouncing between Fitz and May for a moment, before he suddenly pressed his lips into a thin, hard line, almost as if he was biting his tongue in order to keep from speaking.
She’d sat up many nights, wondering about what he had wanted to say.
Once Fitz had left the room and walked out of frame, May had stood, breathing heavily, her hands balled into fists when she suddenly looked over at Ward, “What?” she had practically growled, “Something to say?”
Before he could even open his mouth, Coulson spoke for the first time.
“Get out of my sight.” he said in a small, tired voice, his eyes never straying from looking at her in the chamber, “Both of you.”
There was something about hearing their charismatic, caring and courageous leader sound so quiet and defeated, that even viewing it through the footage, it had felt like a kick to the stomach; she hated to imagine what it would have felt like to be in the actual room, when he said it.
She was so focused on Coulson when she had viewed it that it took her a few moments to realize where the loud bang had sounded in the footage.
Eventually she had shifted to another camera angle and had seen Ward slamming his fist into the car, in a desperate attempt to release all of his pent up emotions when he had been made to leave the medical bay.
She could see him gripping the bumper on the front of the car so tightly that his knuckles had gone white, whilst the others were dotted with blood, and the veins in his hands bulged out of the skin, straining against the strength of his grip.
He was slumped and his head fell forward; he looked… defeated.
May had joined him a moment later.
She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she did see, very clearly, as she reached out and placed her hand over his, looking so uncharastically tender that her heart clenched slightly; although she hid it, Skye could see the affection May had for Ward.
It was such a simple touch, but it was intimate, so much so that for a moment, she felt almost intrusive watching it.
But then something happened that, to this day, she failed to understand.
Ward had ripped his hand away from her grip, almost as if her mere touch had burned him, before he turned around and practically fled the cargo bay.
May was left staring after him for several moments after he left, before she turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
000
With her hands wrapped lightly in boxing bandages, she enjoyed the pain she felt in her knuckles each time she hit the bag; if her fists hurt, that meant that whoever she hit, would also be in pain.
Hunter, who was standing behind the boxing bag, pushed it forward slightly, simulating the way an attacker might approach her.
She ducked out of the way, bringing her outstretched hands tight against her chest before she turned to the side and unleashed a devastating spin kick to the bag.
“Good.” Hunter told her, “really twist your hips so you can get as much torque as possible.” he advised.
She did the kick again and was pleased to see that Hunter, behind the bag, was pushed back a few centimeters by the force of her kick.
“Now apply the same twisting motion to an elbow hit,” he instructed.
She did as she was told, driving her elbow into the side of the bag with force before she suddenly felt something flick her ear; it was Hunter, having reached around the bag to alert her to a potential threat.
“You dropped your guard, do it again.” he told her.
Gritting her teeth she dug her elbow into the bag once again, careful to keep her fist up to guard her face.
That was when he proceeded to reach around the bag, and flick his fingers into the other side of her head.
“Damn it!” she let out in frustration; by guardianing one part of her head, she had left another exposed for an attack.
“You need to twist enough to drive the elbow in, but you also need to move through it, stepping back or you're literally gonna fall right into the guy's arms,” he explained.
He proceeded to come up behind her, easily slipping his arms around her waist, trapping her arms, which were in the perfect position after the elbow hit, to incapacitate her.
“Now, try to get out of it.” he instructed, his hot breath on her neck as he held her.
Her first reaction was to launch herself forward in an attempt to throw him over her shoulder, but he was too heavy for her and didn’t budge.
“Nope, no judo throws!” he chastised, gritting his teeth slightly as she squirmed in his arms, trying to break his hold.
She tried to bring her hands up, grasping at his hands in an attempt to break his hold; he didn’t budge and she couldn't get enough purchase with her forearms glued to her side, to leverage against it.
“Nope.” he told her, popping the ‘p’ sound in her ear.
Her upper body was too securely pinned, meaning she had no hope of breaking his hold up there… so she would have to shift her strategy to her lower body.
Snaking her leg around his, she swept it out from under him, sending the two of them crashing to the floor, twisting her hips so that they both landed face first, breaking the hold he had on her hands as her chest hit the floor.
She groaned against the ground as Hunter released her; her body had taken the brunt of the force, not only carrying her own weight but as his as well. It caused her body to ache, as she felt the wind knocked out of her.
“Ow!” she complained before she started laughing, realising how ridiculous she must have looked, and how ill-advised the move had been.
“Nice try.” she heard Hunter say, clearly amused as he stood up.
Groaning reluctantly, as she realised how spectacular she had failed, she flipped over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, utterly exhausted.
“Come on Rook, get up.” he said as he offered his hand out to help her up.
Sighing in defeat she threw her hand into his and he hauled her to her feet.
Hunter seemed to notice something over her shoulder and frowned, “Why don’t you take a water break.” he suggested as he released her hand and walked past her.
Confused, she glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Ward standing by the edge of the gym matts.
His stance was firm, arms folded tightly across his chest, gaze locked on her. He was clearly here for a reason, but his expression was far too guarded for her to have any inkling of what he was there for.
Turning her back on him, she focused on going to the table nearby, grabbing her water bottle and taking a long, grateful drink before she placed it down. She grabbed her towel to wipe the sweat from her face, as she listened to Ward and Hunter's conversation.
“You were her S.O before right?” he asked, though she was certain he already knew the answer.
“That’s right.” Ward responded gruffly.
“Why didn’t you teach her southpaw in her boxing?” he asked curiously, “She’s right handed; so she needs to favour her left side to compensate.”’
“Skye’s not muscled enough for boxing power strikes, so I didn’t see the point of developing it too much.” he told him curtly.
“Ah that's why you taught her all that Jiu Jitsu stuff.” he commented knowingly, “Bloody useless if you ask me.” he said, sounding suddenly critical, “I’ve gone with Muay Thai, she can get that power striking from her elbows and knees.” he informed him promptly.
“I can see that.” he commented in a clipped tone, “You mercenaries always like to get things done with brute strength.”
She glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye; she was pretty sure that Ward had just insulted Hunter, but he seemed to take it in his stride, unaffected.
“Well what’s good for the geese is good for the gander.” he shrugged.
She figured that was some sort of British saying as she had no idea what it meant.
“If you don’t mind, I actually came down here to talk to Skye;” Ward stated impatiently, “alone.” he added firmly.
The thought of being alone with him made every muscle in her body suddenly tense up, her jaw locked so tight that she was forced to breathe through her nose; she watched them carefully.
As Ward stepped towards her, Hunter placed his hand lightly on his chest to stop him, “Nah, nah, nah mate, I do mind actually.” he said, his voice careful, but firm, “She doesn’t need you up in her space right now.”
He glared down at him murderously, a look that would have made most people back away in fear, but Hunter, to his credit, stood firm.
“Going to stop me are you?” he practically growled.
“If I have to.” he told him simply.
There was a frightful moment when she saw Ward tense up, planting his feet firmly and Hunter's hand by his side curl into a fist; her stomach clenched fearfully as she realised the two of them were getting ready to fight. To fight over her…
Before either one of them could make a move however, a new voice sounded, “Agent Ward, you’re needed in my office to go over some of the footage from today.”
All eyes rapidly turned towards the voice and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw Hartley standing in the doorway, looking over at them critically.
“Yes ma’am.” Ward replied through gritted teeth, he shot Hunter one last glare before he stalked out of the room, Hartley following after him.
The leader of her new team had been fully aware of her circumstances for leaving her old team.
She began to wonder if Hartley was deliberately trying to keep Ward away from her; the incredibly long debrief and now he was needed in her office? It was too much of a coincidence for her to ignore.
She felt a wave of affection for the woman who was the closest thing she had to a Mother.
Looking out and helping her with such a subtle and calm demeanor that nobody would notice her interfering; definitely a mum vibe.
Hunter was clearly irritated as he came to stand behind the boxing bag, holding it securely in place for her once again, but said nothing about his interaction with Ward and the two of them continued on with her training as if nothing had happened.