Coulson was in his office when he heard the screaming. It was high-pitched and unlike any sound he'd ever heard from her, but nonetheless he recognized the voice at once. Skye. And then the scream suddenly stopped.

He was out of his chair and in the hallway faster than the echo could die. And there was May, looking ready to fight ten men at once if need be. Fitz and Simmons were nowhere to be seen, and where was Ward? Had they already been captured? Killed?

"Kitchen," May announced quietly. They were there in half a minute, approximately. Coulson's heart both lifted and fell when he heard scuffling. If he'd been a religious man, he'd have breathed a short prayer.

"Go straight in?" he asked May.

In response, she went in. And there immediately froze. "Ward?"

Coulson could see now. Agent Grant Ward was standing practically on top of Skye, with barely any light between them. They were wriggling and struggling, and his hand was placed quite firmly over her mouth. She tried to scream, but it was muffled.

Noticing the newcomers, both agents froze. And then Ward jerked his hand away like he'd been burnt. "Gah!" he cried, staring at it. "She bit me!"

"Ha," Skye responded cleverly, rubbing her mouth, which tingled.

"What is going on here?" asked May, her mouth set in a hard, angry line.

"It's perfectly understandable, May," Coulson said from the side, trying to look as though he hadn't run all the way here. "What agent hasn't attempted to strangle his rookie at least once?"

Ward stared at Coulson in horror, finally realizing that he was there.

"I told him," Skye said, "that if he didn't stop touching me, I was going to scream."

Two pairs of eyebrows rose. Ward immediately took two steps away from Skye. "Not like that," he said. "I was trying to make her practice the new move I'm teaching her."

"In the kitchen?" May asked.

"That's what I said," Skye cried.

"It was punishment work," Ward argued.

"You can't punish me!"

"Punish her?"

"She was eating my ice cream."

"The ice cream is for everyone!" Skye fussed at him.

"No, the mint is mine!" Ward snapped back. "No, no, I know how this sounds," he said towards the older agents. "I found her eating my ice cream. I tried to tell her nicely that it was mine, but she was rude, and so I told her she couldn't treat me like that… and it got out of hand." He coughed. "Sir."

May turned to stare at Coulson with blank black eyes.

Coulson nodded seriously. "No, you're right, May. This is a very serious incident. I think we should revoke their ice cream privileges."

Skye cried, "What?" in real horror.

May spun around, stared at her, stared at Ward, opened her mouth. "How old—" she started, and then shook her head. "I'll be driving," she said, and turned around and walked away. The second she was gone, Skye made a dive for the ice cream.