Conversation Hearts.

-o-

Zorro.

-o-

"Are you sure we won't get into any trouble?" Simmons asked for what must have been the fourth time.

"No, Simmons, we won't get into any trouble. For the last time, we have the night off. Coulson said, and I quote, have fun, just don't break any major laws." Skye smiled in satisfaction, clicking a few more keys on the computer. "Done. Our invites are scored." Skye paused to look over at the fidgeting scientist, who was busy making inventory notes in her downtime. "You guys need help with costumes?"

"Help with costumes? Pfft. Ya donnae know who yer dealin' with." Fitz closed up another piece of equipment, latching everything into place.

"My mistake," Skye said with a grin. She held her hands up in surrender before closing her laptop with a quick pop.

"Well, Trip and I are heading into town to see what we can find. Call me if you need anything," She yelled the last sentence over her shoulder as she scooped up her computer and exited the lab with a grin.

Simmons didn't answer her, attention focused on the list in front of her. The scientists were silent for a few moments, both of them busy with their own tasks.

"Simmons?" Fitz asked as he shut down the last piece of equipment.

"Hmmm?"

"Did we ever actually decide on costumes?"

"Erm…" She attached the piece of paper to a clipboard, intent on giving it to Coulson first thing the next morning, and turned to Fitz. "We might have discussed several different options without actually picking one."

"Great."

-o-

Skye slammed the door to the car and followed Trip up to the door of a nondescript warehouse just at the edge of the downtown arts district. She wrinkled her nose.

"You sure this is the right place?"

"Positive," Trip told her. "I borrowed a tuxedo from here for an op once." He knocked out a pattern of taps on the glass of the door in front of them.

There was a buzzing sound, like an automatic lock disengaging, and Skye's eyes spied a blinking red light in the corner above them. Not only was there a high tech lock in place, but security footage to boot. Maybe Trip knew what he was doing after all.

"Agent Triplett?" A feminine voice came through a speaker that Skye couldn't see. "I don't have you scheduled for a pick up."

"I know, Sally. It's kind of a last minute deal. The team's going to an event tonight." He winked at Skye, fully aware that he would still be visible on camera.

"Well… I'm not supposed to let you pull pieces without paperwork ahead of time…. But…."

When the door clicked open, Trip led Skye inside, nodding at the woman at the desk and giving a flash of his badge for good measure. Sally smiled at him, but there was a clear you owe me light in her eyes. Trip dropped an envelope on her desk in response, gesturing for Skye to follow him down a dark hallway.

"What was that?" she asked him.

"Coulson said we had the night off. I had tickets to a show, but since I'm not gonna be using them, someone should."

"Huh. You are always prepared. Were you a boy scout?"

He rolled his eyes and kept walking, Skye right on his heels.

Where he led her was a giant room full of racks upon racks of clothing, shoes, belts, bags, and other accessories. Anything a SHIELD agent could need to pull of an undercover operation at a moment's notice.

Infiltrating an illegal circus?

Skye spotted a clown costume, complete with oversized shoes and a purple wig. She shook her head.

Maybe you were being stationed in a police precinct?

Skye's eyes ran down the length of one side of the room. The rack was full of all kinds of police uniforms from all over the country, even a few other countries. Clear plastic cases were full of badges and handcuffs.

She was a little overwhelmed. She couldn't process the shear amount of stuff SHIELD had accumulated over the years. You could be anyone you wanted to be as easy as slipping on a new outfit. It was approaching insanity.

"Come on," Trip inclined his head toward the opposite end of the room. They stopped in front of a rack labeled simply miscellaneous. "It's easier to take something from here, this stuff hasn't been logged back in yet."

"Ugh." Skye flicked hangers on the rack faster than Trip could spy what she was seeing in the different pieces of clothing. "I should have known there would be nothing good left when the party's tonight. All the agents probably raid the closet."

"What are you talkin' about? This is great." Trip held up a button down shirt, draping it across his front so Skye could get the full effect. The bright yellow fabric was covered in a tropical print with aquamarine and purple flowers, deep green leaves connecting them across the entire print.

"Are you going as someone on vacation?" Skye quipped. "A tacky tourist?"

"Oh, no, I already got a costume made up. This is for you." Trip attempted to angle the hanger towards Skye. "You should try it on."

"I don't think so."

"There is nothing wrong with a tropical print. You just have to have the attitude to rock it."

Skye pursed her lips and eyed him in amusement. "Who are you and what have you done with Trip?"

"FitzSimmons pranked me and all I ever get sent to me anymore are fashion magazines. I'm running out of stuff to read." He paused, putting the hanger back on the rack. "Fitz took all the classics and hid them. He said if he ever catches me reading Moby Dick again, he's going to have Simmons poison my breakfast."

Skye laughed. "I don't think you have to worry. Fitz wouldn't actually have her poison you."

"Yeah. Unless I manage to piss them both off." Trip thumbed through a few more pieces. "How about this?" He held up a sparkly red sequined number with a smirk.

"I am not dressing up as Jessica Rabbit."

-o-

"You ready to go, May?"

"Yes, sir."

"You know, I think you can go back to calling me Phil tonight."

"You said we had a meeting."

"That's what I said."

"Who are we meeting?"

Coulson didn't answer her, just picked up his dry cleaning bag from his chair and led her to Lola. He eyed her outfit in something not too far from surprise.

"We're going to a meeting, not to a fight," he told her, gesturing to her tactical gear, complete with the hidden knife in her boot.

"All you said was meeting. I like to be prepared."

-o-

Skye experimentally clicked her heels together in the cargo bay. Satisfied that her quick spray paint job would pass the test, she shouted behind her toward the stairs, "Come on, guys. Time to go! We gotta head out and get back before mom and dad get home!"

"Mom and dad?" Trip drawled as he joined her, taking the stairs two at a time, adjusting the scabbard at his belt.

"What? You don't think they treat us like the kids they never had?"

Trip tried to glare at her, but he had to give up to tie a black mask over his eyes.

"Who exactly are you supposed to be?"

"Are you kidding me?" Trip tied the mask tightly at the back of his head, then gestured to his outfit with a flourish. He was dressed in head to toe black. The loose fitting long sleeved shirt had a v-neck with ties that he had left open. The sleeves of the shirt were slightly puffed. His faux-leather pants were tucked into an impressive pair of boots.

"A SHIELD pirate?"

"Have you never seen The Princess Bride?"

"What is that?"

"Skye."

"Trip."

"It's iconic."

She smiled at him, stifling a laugh. "Uh, iconic is The Wizard of Oz." She gestured to her own blue and white gingham dress and the pair of white heels she had painted a bright and sparkling red. She had fully intended to come up with some sort of clever tongue-in-cheek costume idea, but when she had seen the blue and white gingham dress in storage, something about Dorothy getting sucked into a strange world and making even stranger friends spoke to her.

Neither of them heard Fitz and Simmons coming down the stairs until Fitz tripped over his own costume and almost face planted at the bottom.

"Oh, Fitz." Simmons rushed down the rest of the steps to haul a Fitz-sized gorilla to his feet.

Trip and Skye exchanged a look of amusement. Jemma, in khaki shorts and hiking boots, binoculars around her neck resting on a loose fitting button down, didn't look drastically different than normal, just slightly more casual. Fitz, on the other hand, was in a gorilla suit, complete with gorilla-finger gloves and a rubber mask to hide his face.

Skye peered at him curiously. "Can you even breathe in there?"

"I can breathe jus' fine." His voice was slightly muffled from the mask, but Skye could still hear him, so she nodded.

Trip tapped his chin in thought, trying to work out just why Fitz was dressed as a gorilla. "Man, I thought you liked monkeys. Aren't gorillas apes?"

"I do. An' they are."

He glanced at Skye, trying to decide how he wanted to phrase his question.

"I think what Trip's trying to say," Skye said sarcastically with an eye roll for added emphasis, "is why the hell are you dressed as a gorilla?"

"It wouldnae make sense fer Simmons ta be Dian Fossey withou' a gorilla ta observe, would it?"

"I don't know how to respond to that," Skye remarked dryly.

"You don't know who Dian Fossey is, do you?" Trip teased her.

"Do I have to remind you guys every time stuff like this comes up?" She pointed to the middle of her chest. "High school drop-out. Lived in a van."

"She was a fascinating woman," Simmons said slowly, trying to shorten her vowel sounds and clip her consonants.

"Why are you talking like that?" Skye narrowed her eyes at the other woman.

"Fossey was an American." Simmons said American as a-mare-ic-kun, trying out the word slowly.

"No. Not tonight she's not."

"Nope."

Skye and Trip both shook their heads. Simmons huffed in indignation.

"Is it that bad?" she asked Fitz in her normal voice.

"I mean, it's no' tha' bad…" he offered under the mask where she couldn't see his face. They could all still tell he was lying.

Trip rolled his eyes and turned to Skye. "You never saw Gorillas in the Mist?"

"Why the hell would I be watching gorillas?" Skye threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Yeah, we're going to have to watch a couple movies our next night off. For someone who does an awful lot of pirating TV shows, you got a long way to go."

"Pirating. Heh. As you wish…" Skye trailed off with a grin, skipping her way to the car.

"Ha! I knew you'd seen The Princess Bride. Everyone's seen it."

"Is Fitz gonna fit in the car?" Skye asked, ignoring Trip's triumphant grin. Something else stopped her as she opened the door. "You guys didn't go out to get costumes." She paused before climbing in. "Does this mean you own a gorilla costume? Why?"

Fitz didn't answer her, just began cramming himself into the backseat of the car while Trip doubled over in laughter.

-o-

"This does not look like a meeting."

May crossed her arms over her chest and gave Coulson her best impassive look. She hadn't asked questions when they had stopped so he could change his clothes. And she hadn't asked questions when he had emerged in all black with a sword and a mask and a hat. She had learned to roll with it. But now that they were standing outside of a SHIELD facility where people were pouring into the building in various costumes, she was beginning to think she should have questioned him earlier.

"It's a fundraising meeting," Coulson supplied, holding his arm out to escort her up the steps.

She reluctantly placed her hand on it and matched his stride.

"You know I hate going undercover."

"That's why I didn't ask you to put on a costume. You can still be yourself." Coulson smiled even though he could feel her glare. "All you have to do is dance a little. Be my backup when the rich folks don't want to give SHIELD more money to protect them."

"Can I hit them if they say no?"

"We'll see."

She smirked.

-o-

"So, how does this work, exactly?" Skye asked the others as they walked up the steps to the big building in front of them.

"SHIELD holds fundraising events a couple of times a year to supplement their government contracts," Simmons explained. "They basically host a party, allow possible funders to mingle with officials, all in masks of course to maintain anonymity, hence the costume party, and at the end of the night, they give checks to the communications agents stationed at the party."

"How do they know who's an agent and who's a guest?"

"Agents wear these temporary SHIELD issued IDs that don't actually have their names on them," Trip explained, "but since you got your tickets through the guest backchannel, you don't get to be agents tonight anyway. You're guests." He paused and gave a chuckle. "You have to be at least a level six to attend an event like this."

"What?" Simmons voice was almost a screech. "You mean we aren't even allowed to be here?" She was practically hyperventilating under her khaki colored half-mask.

"It's fine," Skye reassured her. "What are they gonna do? Make us donate a pay check to the cause? We've all basically died for them at least once. I don't think they can take our money too. Relax."

She tied her own bright red mask over her eyes to match her shoes. She didn't really think covering up their eyes was going to hide their identities from anyone who knew them, but she was going to play by (at least some of) the rules for Trip's sake. He had agreed to escort them, and she wasn't going to get him into trouble. Besides, SHIELD was a big organization. How many other agents did they actually know?

Trip walked up to the SHIELD agent at security, showing his badge and the electronic invitations for the others on his phone. After a quick head nod and a smile, he very quickly waved the other three in.

"See?" Skye whispered, hand on Simmons arm as Fitz shuffled along behind them, "piece of cake."

-o-

"You're not dancing," Coulson admonished.

"Why don't you go dance with one of the donors?" May asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Most of the donors are rich straight men. They don't appreciate my Spanish come-ons like their wives do," Coulson told her matter-of-factly. When she raised an eyebrow at him behind the mask he had provided her with, he attempted to look innocent. It was hard to do in his getup. "What? You think I would come to something like this as Zorro and not use it to my advantage?"

She shook her head, the movement slight, but it was enough to let him know she was amused by his antics. She didn't protest when he took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. If it had been anyone else who touched her without permission, she might have put them through the wall.

-o-

Simmons clucked her tongue in delight when a woman dressed to the nines in a gorgeous ball gown with intricate beadwork and a matching masquerade mask enthusiastically ran her hand down Fitz's arm. Or rather, she ran it down the fabric of the ape suit covering his arm. Simmons stifled a laugh when she tittered about how the costume must have been very expensive, the fur was so life-like, surely it must have been real? And though she couldn't see his face because of the mask he was wearing, Simmons could feel the horror emanating from him when he took a step back from the regally dressed woman.

"Real fur?" His voice was muffled through the rubber of the mask, but his outrage was unmistakable. "Who do y'know tha' would skin a monkey? Tha's horrible."

Simmons hurried to his side, drinks in hand, before he could begin lecturing the woman on how close to humans monkey and ape species were, how interesting the animals were, why they really were some of the best creatures on the planet – all things she had heard from him before, at length. This other woman didn't know what she was getting herself into.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, holding out a plastic punch cup with one hand. "Excuse us," she murmured politely to the woman who, up close, appeared to be wearing far too much makeup under her mask and far too much hairspray to hold her curls in place under her plastic crown. Simmons could see where the powder had caked and cracked under the tightness of the mask, flesh colored makeup smeared over the edges of the fabric, the way her hair seemed stiff and stuck under the weight of the plastic piece. Fitz didn't even attempt to take the cup from Simmons, and she heard the intake of breath that meant he was about to start a speech, so she transferred the punch cups to one hand and grabbed onto his arm with the other, hauling him away with her.

"Did ye hear wha' she said?" He asked, muffled voice still laced with shock and anger. "Some people."

Simmons stopped dragging him along behind her when they reached a hallway that led to the kitchen.

They both stilled as a man dressed in black, his costume quite similar to Triplett's slashed a fake sword in the air with a flourish, delighting the woman passing by, but not the man on her arm. He leaned in to the woman and told her in lightly accented Spanish, "Mi descapotable rojo... es muy impresionante." The voice sounded familiar, but Simmons couldn't place it, and her Spanish was rudimentary at best. Judging by the way the man in black winked at the woman though, it was likely meant to be suggestive. The man with her scoffed and pulled her away, but the man in black shrugged and made his way back in the direction of the dance floor, so Simmons returned her attention to Fitz.

"Yes," she agreed with a roll of her eyes. "I don't know who would think someone would waste their efforts creating a Halloween costume out of real monkey fur."

She could feel him glaring at her, but she still couldn't see his eyes very well. She wasn't used to teasing him when she couldn't actually read his expression, and the result made her feel off balance. He must have sensed her discomfort because he reached below his chin and pulled up, the rubber mask resting on the top of his head when he let go. His forehead shone with a thin layer of sweat, and he attempted to take one of the punch cups from her gratefully, but the gloves of the suit impaired his grip, almost causing him to slosh the liquid over the side. Jemma giggled a little bit as he yanked off one of the gloves in frustration and took the cup from her, downing the punch in a few easy gulps.

"Honestly, Fitz. We should have come up with another costume idea. You're miserable in that." She switched cups with him, letting him drink hers too.

"I'm no' miserable, jus' bloody hot."

She reached up, running her thumb along his lower lip where a drop of red punch rested, trying not to smile at the way he bit down on his lip when she pulled her hand away. He was adorably predictable.

"Yes, I can see that." She pursed her lips. "You would have been much more comfortable if you had used my idea. I could have worn the gorilla costume and you could have – "

"Simmons, I donnae care how much ye like Tarzan, I'm no' wearin' a bloody loin cloth!"

"It was just an idea," she murmured softly, attempting to placate him, one hand brushing his to take the empty punch cup from him and set both on a nearby table. "And it's not as though I like Tarzan. There are so many inaccuracies in those stories. But they do feature some fantastic monkey species, which I know you appreciate. The original films were recorded in a state park in Florida, you know. They still have a healthy monkey population there as a result of several of the animal extras escaping. We should speak with Coulson about visiting next time we're in Florida. You would love it. And it would be fascinating to see how the different species have adapted there." She cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

She glanced up at Fitz with a smile, but he didn't seem to mind that she had been rambling, probably because she was talking about monkeys. Her smile widened when he took a step closer to her and leaned his head in.

"Ye know," he began cautiously, "May an' Coulson are out a' their meetin'… an' Skye an' Trip seem to be havin' a perfectly good time without us…"

"Mmm hmmm." Simmons waited, her eyes sparkling at his expectant expression. She was fairly certain she knew where this was going.

"We could go back ta tha bus. If ye wanted ta."

"Oh, I suppose we could…" she trailed off, eyes roaming the room to see if she could catch a glimpse of Skye and Triplett in the sea of costumes. "But," she cut in before he could latch onto her hand and pull her from the party, "you promised to dance with me, and you haven't. Not even once."

"Ye know I donnae dance."

Simmons tilted her had to the side and watched him squirm under her gaze. She always felt somewhat gratified when she could do that to him with just one look. There was a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, even if he was trying his best to look annoyed.

"Fine." He tugged the mask back down to cover his face, and pulled his glove back on. He gave a long suffering sigh. "Le's go."

She took his hand with a laugh and pulled him back to the middle of the room where the band had begun to play something that resembled a waltz. He stepped on her toes before she could even put her hand on his shoulder.

-o-

"Now that is something I did not think I would see," Skye commented, allowing Trip to carefully twirl her around before pulling her back to his chest. They had learned the hard way that the spinning motion ballooned the skirt of her dress up a bit more than was decent.

"What?" Trip turned them slightly so he could look in the same direction.

Fitz in his gorilla suit was being led around the dance floor by a giggling Simmons. They couldn't see his face under his mask, but his hunched back and shuffling feet showed he wasn't particularly enthused about being on the dance floor. Simmons, for her part was alternating between laughing and attempting to sooth him by counting steps and running her hand over his shoulder.

Trip grinned.

"He always says he can't dance," Skye remarked, "but I kind of just thought he was being dramatic about it."

"Naw. He really can't dance," Trip laughed. "I wonder how she managed to convince him to do a waltz with her."

"Oh, I can think of a way," she told him suggestively.

"What? They're not!"

"For our current resident super-spy, you are not very observant."

Trip gaped at Skye, then looked back over at Fitz and Simmons. "I would know."

"I share a wall with Fitz," Skye deadpanned. "I know. Unless there's some other reason Simmons would be making those kinds of noises in the middle of the night. In his room. Repeatedly."

"I think I'm going to have to scrub my brain out with soap now. Thank you for that."

"Oh, come on. You can't really be telling me you had no idea?"

Trip shook his head, and even though he was dancing with Skye, he kept his gaze firmly on the scientists, noting the way Simmons would lightly brush her fingers across Fitz's shoulder when he seemed to snap. The guy probably couldn't even feel it through the mountain of fake fur, but it still seemed to relax the tension in his posture every time. He watched when another person, an agent judging by the tag clipped to his Captain America outfit, attempted to cut in. Fitz, immediately tensing again, moved to back away, head down, but to Trip's surprise, it was Simmons who shook her head, curling her fingers firmly around Fitz's and taking a step closer to him, her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. When the other agent walked away, finding someone else to dance with, Simmons abandoned the pretense of the waltz, pressing closer to the gorilla suit and whispering something to the edge of Fitz's mask that had him gripping onto her waist more tightly.

"Huh. Well. Okay then."

"Told you."

-o-

The music changed to something a little darker and more dramatic than the waltz, and May immediately turned, ready to go back to her space along the wall and keep an eye on Coulson from afar. He had been alternating between dancing with her and dancing with donors, and she found it much more amusing to watch him dance with the wives of the rich men who were keeping SHIELD afloat. A whistle clearly aimed in her direction caught her attention, and she shifted her gaze from the space of wall where she was headed to the drunk man in a suit in front of her. Wasn't SHIELD supposed to be monitoring alcohol consumption at this event? Where were the agents actually working tonight?

"I'm a huge Tarantino fan," he told her, licking his lips, eyes heavy.

"How nice," she deadpanned, shifting her weight to move around him. It wasn't the first time she had heard the sentiment tonight. She was no longer surprised. Or pleased.

"Which one of his girls are you?"

He reached a hand out to touch her arm, but it very suddenly wasn't there, as Coulson had grabbed her hand, and was now leading her into a tango.

"Was that necessary?" She asked him flatly. "I could have handled it."

"He didn't say no to a donation yet," Coulson quipped, turning her sharply and dipping her low to the floor, the ends of her hair grazing the wood of the makeshift dance floor.

May rolled her eyes, but she played the part, wrapping one leg around his as he brought her back up. She even quit fighting his lead.

-o-

"I think we're being out-danced, Fitz," Simmons remarked with a laugh as space began to clear in the middle of the floor for a pair of tango enthusiasts.

"I donnae think tha's hard ta do," Fitz grumbled, keeping one hand around her waist and pulling her back into the crowd.

They watched along with the crowd of SHIELD agents and guests as the man in black they had seen earlier lowered a slim woman in tactical gear into a dip before pulling her back up against his chest. They moved nearly effortlessly across the dance floor, the woman with the toe of her boot pointed even as one of her legs was wrapped securely around the man's.

Simmons cocked her head to one side, eyes narrowing behind her own mask. "Fitz…" she hesitated as the duo on the floor began to dance in their direction, her gaze zeroing in on the woman's tactical wear. "Does her gear look familiar?"

"Standard SHIELD issue," he muttered to her.

"No, look at that sleeve," Simmons nodded, not wanting to point and draw attention to them, "isn't that the hole I sewed up? After May was stabbed? And those boots. Those aren't standard issue."

"Holy hell. This is their meetin'?" Fitz wrenched Simmons further back into the crowd, trying to obscure them from view.

"Fitz!" She hissed. "We could get into so much trouble if they catch us here!"

"Come on," he responded. "We 'ave ta find Skye and Tripplett."

-o-

Skye popped a miniature cream puff in her mouth and watched the dancing couple with a small smile. She wondered if Fitz and Simmons were panicking yet. She had spotted May about ten minutes after she and Triplett had raided the dessert table the first time. Trip had informed her they would probably be paying for all the sweets with double the training tomorrow, but the food was so much better than what they had on the bus, she didn't even care. She had decided not to warn him that May, and therefore Coulson, were here, waiting to see how long it would be before anyone else noticed that Zorro's pick-up lines and shameless attempts at flirting relied on the condition of Lola, his friendship with Iron Man, and his near death experiences.

She was still surprised that they had been here for two hours and hadn't had any mishaps. But now, with Coulson and May tearing up the dance floor in an incredibly hot tango (she was resisting the urge to shout go AC at the top of her lungs), she was pretty sure the rest of the team was going to realize their pseudo parents were a little too close for comfort. Coulson did some complicated footwork as the music drew to a close, he and May snapping practically to attention in the middle of the floor. He was a little winded, but May looked like she was barely breathing at all. The room clapped, Skye more enthusiastically than most. AC was a much better dancer than she had thought. She was weirdly proud of that display.

"Ecks cuze mee, Door oh thee?" Came a very bad attempt at a southern American accent from behind her.

"Oh god," Skye groaned as she popped another mini cream puff into her mouth. "Simmons, we said no accent!" She turned around, another cream puff already in her hand as she chewed.

"Shhh!" Fitz hissed while Simmons looked affronted. "Donnae use our real names!" He looked over his shoulder.

"They're out on the dance floor," Skye pointed out. "They can't hear me." Simmons still looked scared to death and Skye was sure if she could see Fitz's face it wouldn't be much better. "Fine, monkey boy, what's up?"

Simmons gasped. "You knew," she accused, returning to her usual voice, "that they were going to be here tonight, didn't you?"

Skye shrugged and gave a small smile. "Coulson might have asked me for input on his Zorro outfit. He looks good, right? I did a good job on that. Had to steal one of Trip's shirts though, don't tell him."

"Ye knew an' ye still brought us here on our night off?" Fitz asked.

"What? Like Coulson didn't expect me to find a way in when he told me about it and asked me for help? Come on, that was practically an invitation."

"No," Simmons pointed out, "the invitation was on the webpage that you hacked." She put her face in her hands and spoke through her fingers, "they're going to take away our badges, aren't they? God, we're going to have to go work for a horrible think tank or something, Fitz!"

"I donnae want ta work for a think tank," Fitz told Skye. "We should go back ta tha bus. Where's Trip?"

"You two have got to learn to live a little. It's a party! We aren't going to get in trouble! Didn't you guys ever do anything fun before you were on the bus?"

"Skye!" Both scientists yelled her name in unison, drawing the attention of the people around them before they all sheepishly looked at the floor.

"Fine! Trip went to the bathroom. I'll go find him. Meet us outside." She popped her last cream puff into her mouth and looked ruefully at the table. She wished she had a doggie bag. She'd stockpile those things. She waited until Fitz and Simmons began to make their way to the entrance before she grabbed a miniature cannoli off the table as well and started twisting her way through the crowd to the bathrooms. She was probably going have a sugar high later, but she'd work it off with the punching bag or something. It would be worth it.

Her route to the restroom had her winding around small groups of people, some guests, others SHIELD agents who were not taking their direction to mingle with the donors seriously. She was almost positive the one guy in the corner dressed as Robin Hood and glaring at everyone who tried to approach him was Hawkeye, but she wasn't positive since she hadn't met him. She decided it was probably better to not find out.

"Honestly, SHIELD should just mass market some of its patents. They'd make a fortune without anyone else's help."

Skye filed that idea away in the back of her head to use for later. That was actually not a bad idea. She'd bring it up to Coulson at their next meeting.

"I don't know who these people think they're fooling. We know they're all just spies up to no good."

Skye rolled her eyes at that one. No one trusted a spy. She would know. But everyone wanted the spies to keep them safe. You couldn't make anyone happy these days.

Just outside of the alcove that led to the restrooms, Skye spotted the back of a man dressed all in black. She tapped him on the shoulder and opened her mouth, ready to tell him that FitzSimmons were ready to head out, but when he looked over his shoulder at her, she realized it wasn't Trip whose shoulder she tapped, but Coulson's. Skye took a couple of steps back from him, waving her hand in apology and trying to duck her head so he wouldn't have a clear view of her face. Despite what she had told the others, she didn't want to get them all in trouble.

Coulson was the one to speak first though, a smile curling on his face. "He vivido y he muerto, pero ni en esta vida ni en la próxima he visto a una mujer más hermosa."

Skye tried to not let her shock show through. He didn't recognize her. Skye gave a small laugh, not loud enough that he would be able to catch it, gave him a thumbs up, and fled, almost plowing into Triplett on her way. She grabbed onto his arm, dragging him toward the front doors, not allowing herself to laugh until they were outside, Fitz and Simmons waiting for them at the bottom of a set of steps.

"What is so funny," Triplett started, "and why did you just run me out here like a bat out of hell?"

"Coulson – he didn't know it was me – he totally just hit on me." Skye's laughter began to slowly subside into giggles. "God, he's good too. If I didn't know who he was – " she let the unspoken words hang in the air.

"Wait, Coulson and May are here?"

"Yeah, the gorilla and the scientist didn't want to get caught, so we're heading back to the bus."

Triplett rolled his eyes. "You knew they were here, didn't you? You could have said something."

"Oh, come on, why does everybody say that like I committed some sort of sin?"

-o-

Fitz had already shed his mask and gloves in the car, but he was currently twisting around in the middle of the cargo bay, attempting to work the zipper on the back of his gorilla costume without even making his way upstairs.

"Chill, monkey boy, I don't think they're on their way back just yet," Skye told him with a chuckle. "We don't all need to see what's under the suit." Fitz glared at her and shuffled his way to the stairs instead of responding.

Simmons hurried after him, removing her mask and finger combing through her hair, ready to change into her normal clothes as well.

Skye rolled her eyes at the scientists in panic mode and turned her attention to Trip, but his phone dinged indicating an incoming phone call. He tapped the screen and raised it to his ear while Skye waited, tapping her shoe impatiently.

"Sir?" He raised an eyebrow at Skye.

She held her hands palms up, wanting to know what it was Coulson wanted.

"Yes, sir. Quiet night in. Nothin' goin' on."

Skye smiled at the way the lie rolled effortlessly from Trip's mouth over the phone. In person, she was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to manage the lie. There was something about Coulson that made them all want to tell him the truth, no matter how much that truth might have sucked.

"Yes, sir. Skye's behaving herself." He bit down on a chuckle. "You want to talk to her?"

Skye reluctantly braced herself to take the phone from him, but he shook his head.

"No. Thank you, sir. We already ate." He paused. "See you soon." Trip lowered the phone from his ear and disconnected the call. "They're only ten minutes away. They must have left right after us." He took the stairs two at a time, Skye hot on his heels. "Get out of your costumes, guys, they're on their way back," he bellowed down the hall.

"Red alert!" Skye added on, "this is not a drill, guys!" She hurriedly unbraided her Dorothy pig tails while Trip removed his scabbard.

Fitz and Simmons were likely far ahead of them though.

-o-

Coulson closed his eyes, the cool night wind sweeping across his face. Since she'd suffered through the party at his request, and she hadn't even been able to hit anyone for him, he thought it only appropriate that he let May drive them back to the bus. It was always odd when anyone else was in Lola's driver's seat though. At least with May at the wheel, the ride was always a smooth one.

"We're closer than ten minutes," May informed him.

"I know."

-o-

Skye and Trip collapsed at the table, a bowl of popcorn and a deck of cards between them. Simmons face was already beet red and Fitz was already shoveling handfuls of popcorn into a mouth in an effort to keep himself from talking.

Skye looked back and forth between the two of them. "If you can't sit here and not act suspicious, you should go to your rooms," she hissed as the sound of an engine slowing drifted up to them.

"I'm fine," Jemma protested, but she swallowed hard when she heard one of Lola's doors close and the cargo ramp pull up. "Maybe I'll just… go watch a movie or something."

Trip shook his head fondly. "We have got to teach her better lying skills."

"I've tried," Skye answered. "It doesn't really work."

"Hey, she's a lot better at it now than she was when we were a' tha Academy," Fitz shot back.

Trip watched him play with the popcorn in his hand before tossing some into his mouth, all the while listening to Coulson's footsteps echoing from below. "You want to go watch a movie with her man, that's cool." He tried to keep his expression neutral, but he was sure the teasing tone to his voice wasn't going to be missed.

Fitz eyed him curiously. "Skye told ya, didn' she?"

Trip grinned.

"Donnae tell Coulson."

"I don't think he'd care unless you guys were going at it in the lab," Skye teased, then her skin paled when Fitz's hand stopped half way to his mouth with another handful of popcorn. "Oh, god, Fitz! The lab? Really? I work in there too!"

Fitz shrugged and stood up. "I'm takin' the popcorn with me." He left the room, nodding to Coulson, but not saying anything to him when he appeared at the top of the stairs.

Skye gave a small shudder while Trip laughed.

"At least they're in Jemma's room tonight, right?" Trip whispered to Skye. "You won't have to hear them."

"You share a wall with her. Just you wait," she muttered.

Coulson dropped his sword onto the table with a clang. "What are you guys playing?"

"We haven't decided yet," Skye said, picking up the deck of cards while Trip poked the end of the sword, making sure it was really fake.

"Nice sword, sir," he remarked.

"Thanks. Yours was good too."

Skye and Trip painted twin expressions of innocence on their faces.

"What do you mean, AC?"

"Sir?"

Coulson didn't take a seat, just removed his mask and his hat as May walked by them.

"Wheels up in 15," she informed them, making her way to the cabin. Coulson nodded at her.

"Did you think I wouldn't recognize my own team?" Coulson smiled at them. "Simmons wasn't exactly in costume. And I assume the gorilla following her around all night was Fitz. Fossey and a gorilla. Nice touch. And Trip? You make an excellent Dread Pirate Roberts. Very suave."

Trip smiled ruefully. "Thank you, sir."

"What about me?" Skye asked plaintively.

"I gave you my best line, didn't I?"

Trip coughed into his hand to hide his laughter while Skye rolled her eyes.

"I should have known."

"You know," Coulson told them, as he gathered up his things and started for his room, "you all could have come to the event free and clear if you wanted to."

"But sneaking out was so fun!" Skye called after him with a laugh.

"Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, Dad," she deadpanned before focusing all of her attention on the guy still at the table. "Now, Trip, what were these movies that you said I just had to see?"

"I don't think Gorillas in the Mist is in my personal collection. We might have to stream that."

Skye groaned. "I don't think I'm in the mood for gorillas right now."

"Why not? It's a classic." Trip pulled himself to his feet, abandoning the deck of cards on the table. Skye followed his example. "And it's not just about the gorillas."

"You and your so-called classics." She shook her head. "I'm starting to think that word doesn't mean what you think it means."

"Watch out or I will make you watch The Princess Bride with me."

"You say that like it's some sort of punishment."

Without thinking, they both left the common area, Skye following him back to his room, intent on raiding his DVD collection for something to watch. She wasn't in the mood for the skills required to find something to watch online for free. They reached his room, only to hear a high pitched squeal coming from the doorway next to his. Either Simmons was very ticklish, or… Skye didn't really want to consider the rest of that.

"Fitz!" They heard her yell. "If you tickle me while Nine is on screen one more time – "

"Oh, thank god," Trip whispered, "they're just watching Doctor Who."

"Yeah, that's how it starts," Skye whispered back, giving him a significant look. The expression of horror that crossed Trip's face was probably, she thought, related to the numerous times he had marathoned the series with the scientists. "My room?" Skye asked, turning on her heel and not waiting for an answer.

"Yep." Trip followed her quickly, trying to make as little noise as possible to not let the scientists know they were accidentally eavesdropping on them.

"So, no gorillas," Skye reminded him as they reached her door. "What else you thinkin'?"

"I don't know… I'm kind of in the mood for some Zorro now. Coulson was a pretty good one."

"Ugh. We are not watching Zorro."

-o-

This is it. The final chapter of Conversation Hearts. This was one of only two chapters to go completely AU, but I wanted to write something fun to end it on. If you're still reading this, if you've taken the time to favorite it, bookmark it, review it, suggest a prompt for me, whatever else you've done, thank you! I appreciate all of it.

And since a few people have asked, yes, I do plan on doing an alphabet challenge throughout season two as well. Maybe next time around I'll actually stick with drabbles! Yeah, okay, probably not. Haha

The following people suggested some really interesting words or gave me prompts for the words: Salkri Kachemench (Explosion, Monopoly, Night),Blubo (Fear), Devan Alexander (underwear), and notapepper (Prestidigitation, Showdown, Xiphias, and Zorro).

And a huge thanks, as usual, has to go out to notapepper for being my beta for most of the chapters (probably all the good ones) and helping me get the last few done just in time for season two. She's also responsible for Coulson's pick up lines in this last chapter. She's got a fantastic new story out called "Out of the Lab-yrinth" that all of you FitzSimmons fans will enjoy.