My ideas following episode 2x13 and the Promo for 2x14. Which means this will be AU in less than a week.

May finds him in his office, where he stands by the window. He lost his jacket and has his hands in his pockets, looking at the world outside. He looks weary, even from where she's standing.

He doesn't need to turn around to know that it's her. "Andrew left?"

"Yes." She says as she drops into a chair in front of his desk. The confrontation with him left her raw. Exposed to feelings she hadn't felt in a long time. It had been nice, however brief.

"Did you ask him to consult again?" His tone is neutral but May eyes him carefully from behind.

"He refused."

Coulson turns around at that. His face giving nothing away. "You're disappointed." It's a statement, not a question.

"I…" She takes a deep calming breath before meeting his gaze again. "A bit."

Coulson walks over to his desk, takes his hands out of his pockets to fidget with a few folders. "He's married again. Has a daughter." He says, his gaze carefully trained on his desktop.

May narrows her eyes at him and her tone takes on an edge. "I divorced him for a reason, Phil."

His head shoots up. "Yes. But things have changed since then. You're…." He trails off, searching for words.

"Better?" May supplies.

"Different." He says with emphasis. "I bet a year ago nothing short of mortal danger would have made you reach out to him."

"Just so you know, I blame you for that." She points out and Coulson doesn't miss her small smirk.

"For what?" He leans back in his chair.

"Making me care about Skye."

His smile is more triumphant than guilty. "It's not the worst thing that happened."

She doesn't contradict him.

"Speaking of…" He grabs a certain file and slides it over to her. "He recommended that she leave SHIELD."

May doesn't have to read the report to know that. Just like it goes without saying that Coulson would never let her do that. "He told me."

He takes a deep breath again, his eyes darting back out to watch the setting sun. "No way in hell. She's a good agent and you trained her well, but out there? I'm afraid she wouldn't last a week against Daddy dearest."

Melinda nods thoughtfully as they fall into a companionable silence. It's short-lived as Melinda finally plucks up the courage to talk about what else is bothering her. "There's something else Andrew said."

Phil cranes his head to look at her, patiently waiting.

"He said we haven't changed."

"What do you mean?" He asks warily.

"SHIELD. That we're still the same organization he left."

"We're not." He says with certainty.

Melinda sends him a pitying look that doesn't sit right with him. "We are."

Phil straightens in his chair. "What?"

"We're trying to protect Skye." She ignores the consenting nod of his head. "But all we do, all we are able to do, is lock her up and study her. To find a way to keep her from using her… gift. Powers."

Coulson visibly calms down at her non-confrontational tone. "What do you suggest we do? Because I would like nothing more than for things to go back to normal, but the others are not wrong. Skye is potentially dangerous."

Melinda takes a deep breath. "That's the other problem we have."

Phil nods knowingly. "Simmons."

"Yes." Melinda agrees. "She may be the most vocal about it, but she's not the only one thinking like that."

"She's scared." Phil tries to defend her.

"She is. But before this whole mess she would've studied this phenomenon with unbridled curiosity. Now she just wants to put a lid on everything."

Coulson shakes his head. "I can't send her away or lock her up somewhere else. We're talking about Skye."

"I have no idea how to handle her." She doesn't. And the helplessness is driving her mad.

"You'll find a way. You always do."

May can't help but shake her head at his unwavering faith in her. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Then she looks at him and Coulson can't help but smirk at the sudden expression on her face.

"Okay. I have an idea."

::

::

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Skye asks as she sets her backpack at her feet.

Coulson and May barely acknowledge her.

"Bobbi says she is ready to go in five." Coulson just tells May.

"What about Hunter?" May wants to know.

Coulson actually smirks at that. "Are you saying you miss him?"

May just gives him a look before she turns to Skye. She is dressed in the same black combat outfit Skye is wearing, a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Did you pack everything I told you to?"

Skye nods dutifully. "Yes."

"And you left all electronic devices? Everything battery operated?" May is insistent.

Skye wants to nod but Coulson is faster in catching her lie. "Skye." He admonishes.

"Fine." She huffs and pulls her laptop from her bag. Coulson takes it from her. "Now what the hell is going on? Where are we going and why can't I take my laptop?"

"You'll see." Is all May tells her while Coulson sends her what she supposes should be a reassuring smile. "Now let's go."

Skye grudgingly follows May and Coulson down to the hangar and they stop at the open ramp of the Quinjet. The engine is running and she can see Bobbi in the co-pilot's seat.

"Skye. Get on the plane."

"Not until someone tells me where we're going."

"Skye." Coulson just gives her a hard look and expects her to comply. Skye lets out a frustrated sigh and trots on the plane.

May turns to Coulson and gives him a long look. "I thought you would be on her side. You hate the plan."

Coulson nods. " I did until this morning."

"What changed?"

"Cal was spotted in Florida this morning."

May frowns at him. "That doesn't sound like him."

He agrees. "Which tells me that he is desperate. He will stop at nothing to get to Skye again."

"He won't find her. No one will." It sounds like a promise.

Phil smirks. "Divide and conquer. Your favourite strategy."

May just huffs. "When we played Capture the Flag at the Academy. This is hardly the same."

Skye leans out of the Jet. "Bobbi says we're ready to go."

May nods in acknowledgement before she shoots Coulson a quick smile and follows Skye onto the plane.

Phil can just watch as the ramp pulls up. He has to suppress the tight feeling in his stomach at the thought that no one would be able to find them. Including himself.

::

::

Skye has no idea where they are as May lands the Quinjet six hours later. Six long hours. It's warmer than at the Playground and when May and her leave the Quinjet and start walking through the busy streets of a foreign city, Skye thinks it feels like morning.

"Where are we?" She asks again, hurrying after May.

"China." Is the only response she gets.

Skye just rolls her eyes. One look at the people they were weaving their way through had told her as much. She has a hard time keeping up with May as the streets become smaller and the population grows around them. She tries to look for any clues as to where they are. Buildings that stand out or a newspaper on the street. But what she sees is in Chinese or whatever dialect spoken here and she doesn't understand a word.

May wordlessly makes her way through the throngs of people and leads Skye onto a busy street market. Unlike Skye she seems to have no problem navigating through the excited crowd flocking the vendors.

At first Skye tries to keep track of the turns they take and the stalls they pass. Not only in case she needs to get back, but also to have something to focus on.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Straight ahead. Right. Another right turn. And left again.

It's futile. She makes it as far as twelve turns, before she feels that it's too much. The sounds of the people around her, paired with the occasional moped is pressing on her while she feels confined by the people passing her by.

"May." Her voice is not loud enough to reach her S.O.

But May either seems to feel Skye's uneasiness or just wants to make sure not to lose her as she turns and grabs Skye's upper arm, making sure they wouldn't be separated. The touch is enough to ground Skye, letting her concentrate on something else.

May seems to have found what she was looking for when takes another right turn and stops at a small booth selling spices. She pushes her way to the front, never letting go of Skye's arm.

Skye doesn't understand a word of what May is saying to the small huddled woman behind the booth. But as she listens closer, she finds that whatever they're saying doesn't sound like the language she had been listening to for the last 45 minutes. Her ears peak up whenever she thinks she hears a name – Skye, Phil – but they talk so rapidly that it's gone as soon as she hears it.

She stops paying attention to them and starts inspecting their surroundings. It was a good alternative to keep her mind focused. She is contemplating if the grilled insects on a stick one stall over might be worth the stomach ache, because she is getting hungry. They had left in the middle of the night and although she doesn't know what time it is, to her it's mid-morning. And she didn't have any breakfast. The protein bar Bobbi had given her on the Quinjet didn't count.

May tugs on her arm and stops any further thoughts about food.

"Let's go." She mutters under her breath and takes hold of Skye's arm again. Skye doesn't even mind.

Skye just rolls her eyes and hoists her backpack higher.

The old lady appears from behind her stall and leads May and her through the market. After another left turn she ushers them through a gate and they find themselves on a less crowded back road. May lets go of her and Skye is finally able to breath freely again. Storming through large crowds while trying to keep it together? Not a great idea.

She doesn't have much time for a pause as the old woman hurries them along and Skye just follows May's lead.

A white battered van waits at the next intersection and when the side door opens May all but pushes her inside and follows swiftly behind. The old woman takes the passenger seat while May and Skye take a seat on the dirty floor.

It smells like chicken and feces. Skye wants to make a smart remark about it but a quick shake of May's head keeps her from saying anything.

Fine.

The old lady says something - again in that obscure language – and Skye notices that the driver just frowns in confusion. Seems like he doesn't understand a word either. May however just hums in agreement.

The potholes in the road barely keep Skye from nodding off and she is more than relieved when the van slows and comes to a full stop not half an hour later. May nods at her and together they slide open the door and step into the glaring sunlight.

They're on an airfield.

Or more like a runway and some run down barns.

The old lady jumps out of the passenger seat with an agility Skye wouldn't have deemed possible at her age. But by now she is convinced that most of her appearance is just an act. The driver gets out of the car and hands May a duffel bag.

Someone is calling them from a few hundred yards away, or at least Skye interprets it as calling. A man is waving them over from where he stands next to a small plane that has clearly seen better days. She follows May and the not-so-old woman towards him.

"May." She quietly tries to garner her S.O.'s attention. "What are we doing here?"

May just gestures at the plane ahead and raises her eyebrows.

"Okay, yes, I get that." Skye quickly says before she suddenly grabs May's arm and makes her stop. "Would you just stop for a second and tell me what the hell is going on? I think I deserve to know."

"You do." May agrees. "But not now. We don't have much time."

Before Skye can say anything else May keeps walking towards the plane and leaves her standing there.

The frustration she feels right now is doing nothing to keep her calm. Instead, Skye feels more like stomping her foot. But when May calls her, she follows.

The closer Skye gets to the small sports plane, the less she wants to set foot in it. The paint was gone in most places and it looked like rust was holding together the main parts. The owner, or what Skye assumes to be the owner, doesn't look much better. The few teeth he has left chew on a cigarette butt as he talks rapidly to the old lady. She hands him a thick envelope that seems to seal the deal.

As soon as he turns his back May pushes her towards the plane and hurls the duffel and her backpack inside. "Quick, let's go."

The other woman, who hasn't so much as uttered a single word at Skye, settles herself in the pilot's seat with May next to her. Skye sits down behind May and tries to keep a close look.

The take off doesn't take as much time as Skye had feared it would. But as soon as they are in the air, she feels safe enough to lose her death grip on May's backrest and open her eyes.

The view is breathtaking and something she will probably never tire of.

They're not flying as high as the Bus normally does so Skye actually enjoys watching the scenery they pass. It's mostly fields and fallow land until they reach what looks like a thick and seemingly endless forest.

The motor is too loud to hold an actual conversation without shouting, but when May turns around and gestures at the duffel bag, Skye gets the hint.

She slowly gets up from her seat and navigates to the back half of the plane. The duffel is heavier than expected when Skye hauls it towards her. May gets up as well and joins her in the back.

"What's this?" Skye asks as she opens the duffel and holds up two small backpacks.

Not backpacks.

Parachutes.

"No." She looks at May with wide and fearful eyes. "No way. I'm not going to jump out of this plane."

"Skye." May's tone is patient. "You have to."

"Forget it." Skye lets the parachutes fall back into the duffel bag and crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm not doing that."

The old woman turns in her seat and says something Skye doesn't understand.

"Skye." Not so patient anymore. "You will take this chute and jump or I will ice you and push your ass out off this plane."

Skye narrows her eyes at May as she reaches for one of the parachutes but lets her S.O. help her strap it on. "I hate you."

May just smirks at that. "Your shrink says you don't."

Skye just glowers at her and shakes her head.

They seem to have reached their mark when the woman at the helm says something to which May opens the side door. Then she turns to look at her where Skye clings to a clamp in the ceiling.

"You jump, count to five and pull the cord. Understood?"

Skye just nods. The plane starts shaking and she isn't sure if she's causing it or if it's just the machine's old age.

May reaches for her and Skye grabs her hand like a lifeline as she is being pulled towards the open door.

"There's a clearing a few hundred yards ahead, try to hit that."

She nods again.

Jump. Count to five. Pull the cord. Hit the clearing.

"Skye."

Skye whirls around to look at the old woman who had called her name.

"Good luck."

She just wants to smile at her when May pushes her out of the plane.

Holy-