Borrowed Time

I had never been more of two minds about a place then when we arrived at the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. trauma center in Switzerland, Coulson and Simmons rushing Skye to the awaiting surgeon before we were all tucked in the most sterile of waiting rooms. On one hand we had made it and Skye was still alive. This was the place where they could save one of my best and only friends. It was a place where miracles somehow happened, like what happened to Coulson. They would take care of her. And I needed to be here for her right now even if there was no way I could help. There was a sense of we were right where we needed to be, despite the agonizing process of waiting for any piece of news.

But those thoughts seemed to be constantly grappling with a general sense of unease I'd had bottled within me since I took my seat in the sterile white chair across from Ward. It was almost like a buzzing in the back of my mind that left me sitting on edge, hunched over with my hands folded in front of me. Every time someone shifted or made a sound I found myself locking onto them like a heating missile before settling down again. I didn't have the slightest clue why though. Just that something about this place almost made me want to start running back to The Bus.

So here I sat, mind buzzing as I used my thoughts of Skye to anchor me to the chair. I took a breath and glanced around the room to check on my team, the best distraction I had. Ward alternated between staring into space and glaring daggers into Coulson's back. Clearly, he still had some feelings on who was to blame for this. I'd have to talk to him again later. Simmons was on the couch with Lee at her side, both of them with silent tears in their eyes. Lee had been at my side the entire ride over, but I had given up the spot next to him on the couch after seeing the haunted look Simmons had in her eye. Now that her work was done she almost looked ready to fall apart. May had her eyes only on Coulson who had been in a series of phone calls since they had taken Skye back- sounding more and more frustrated with each one.

"That's unacceptable," he barked, voice harder than I'd heard it in a long time. I could sense the fear under it though despite how hard he was trying to mask it. "I need to speak to Director Fury immediately, please."

"You can tell him I remember everything if it makes things go faster," I offered, trying to work up even the slightest hint of amusement. Unfortunately, my attempt seemed to fall completely flat and I went back to staring intently at the wall behind Ward's head when Coulson didn't even look my way.

"Why didn't I stop her?" Simmons asked, making me jump with my frazzled nerves. She wiped at her eyes. "I could have. Instead, I just followed her and now…now…"

Lee put a comforting arm around her. "As if you could stop Skye doing anything she's set her mind to." It was true and I went to agree when Ward cut in.

"It's not your fault. Neither of you should have been there," he practically growled, staring darkly at Coulson's back.

"Ward," I got his attention, shaking my head. I looked over everyone, searching for the right words. "I would be lying if I said I didn't blame myself. That it was my job to protect her and I failed. But we have to remember we didn't do this. Ian Quinn did." Maybe if I kept saying it I could convince myself. "It was Ian Quinn."

"Correct," May cut in after a pregnant pause, gaze leveled at Ward in particular. She seemed to know exactly what he was implying as well. "He is the one to blame. And none of this is helping her." Ward turned away from her, clearly still stewing. Maybe I could talk to him once we knew what was going on.

"Yes, the message is: I have an agent dying and there are questions only he could answer." He hung up with a sigh, phone beeping and making me jump slightly again.

Oh God, Skye was dying.

"The patient's not dead, but he's dying."

I looked around for the source of the unfamiliar voice, the only one that sounded confident right now. Maybe the surgeon was back with news. But a quick scan of the room showed no one there but the team. The sudden realization if must have come from my own head only made the buzzing grew louder, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut trying to fight it off. It was almost a pattern now- one completely familiar and yet not in the slightest.

"Ash?" I looked up, forcing my open to see Lee's eyes now locked on mine with concern. Red, tear-streaked eyes that absolutely broke my heart when I met them.

"Big boys don't cry"

I was instantly on my feet at the words, desire to flee overriding everything the moment they hit. The buzzing took form for a moment before it slipped away to merely dull noise. For a brief moment it had made sense but like all my dreams it simply vanished. All that was left was a pounding in my head. It was enough though. The side of me screaming to get out was going to win the fight because I needed to get out of here right now.

But before I could take a step I felt the hand on my arm and knew who it was without even turning his way. It was enough for me to take the steering wheel of my mind and come to a halt. I couldn't just run off like a scared child. I forced myself to take a shuddering breath, centering myself with the fact that I now had everyone's attention and concern. The absolute last thing they needed in this moment was for me to completely lose it on them.

"I'm okay," I promised, turning to Lee and locking eyes with him. I reached my trembling hand up to cover the one he was grasping my arm with. My cheeks felt wet but I couldn't remember crying. "I just need to step out for a minute and breathe."

He looked completely skeptical. And I couldn't say I blamed him considering my track record up to recently. I dropped my voice down so only he could hear it, fingers gently rubbing circles on his hand. "I'm sorry. But I think it's a memory thing. I just need to step out for a second and get my head back on straight. I need to be here for her."

He took a long pause before nodding, removing the hand from my arm to interlock our fingers together as they dropped to our sides. "I can come with you."

I shook my head, glancing to where Simmons was playing with her hands absently. Tears were freely falling and it sent a knife to my heart to see my friend like that. "I can handle this," I decided, feeling she needed him right now. I just needed a breath of fresh air.

An eyebrow rose and I almost laughed. "I can. Your best friend… she needs you right now. You need to stay here with her. I'll come back after I sort myself out in a few minutes."

"Are you sure? You don't need to be going through this alone."

He was giving me another opening, but I kept on my brave face- buzzing having dulled to the point I barely noticed it. "I won't be by myself- I'll have Cheesetauri." I glanced down to the ball attached to my hip where my pet mouse appeared to be dozing at the moment. Guess he wasn't as tense as we were. "We both know he's all I'll ever need," I quipped, squeezing his hand.

"Okay," he finally relented at my humor, placing a quick kiss on my forehead before pulling away and returning to his spot. It was enough to stop my hands from trembling and were I in a more appropriate situation I might have skipped out of that waiting room. But looking everyone over it did not seem like the most appropriate option. With one last nod as Lee took Simmons' hand I made my way out of the waiting room looking for the first door that could take me outside for some fresh air.

"Hold my hand."

Another electric shock of words flew through me and I nearly fell over. The buzzing grew steadily louder and I managed to get my back against a wall and slide to the floor, clutching my head in my hands. The tears came flooding down my cheeks as I almost struggled to catch my breath. It took a few minutes of heaving sobs to finally get control once again- heart rate gradually slowing as I rocked back and forth hugging my knees.

What the actual hell was happening to me?

I don't know how long I sat there, buzzing drowning out all the noise around me as I remained tucked in the small ball. It kept threatening to form into something I could put a finger on and recognize, dancing right on the edge of my memory in the most infuriating way possible. Well, I was starting to have enough of playing defense with my own memories. I finally leaned my head against the wall, mind desperately chasing them only to be outsmarted at every turn. It was starting to become a little infuriating.

"Crawford?" I snapped back to attention, opening my eyes to see Coulson leaning against the wall across from me. I realized I must look like a mess and used my long sleeve to wipe away the tears and snot. He seemed to be waiting for me to speak next as I mentally gathered myself, the distraction enough for the buzzing to completely slip through my fingers and vanish.

I thought a long moment on what to say, thinking Coulson didn't need my drama on top of everything else already going on. But he always seemed to know if I was hiding something so that really wasn't an option either. "It's hard to explain. I'm trying to be strong and I know there are great surgeons here. But there's this… dread inside me that makes it hard to be here." He just listened. "I… I can't tell you one way or the other if I've lost someone before, sir. We both know I don't have the slightest idea if I even have a family since apparently I was probably put together on some sort of assembly line. Who knows even I even had anyone I cared about like I do Skye who died." I pulled my sleeve down to expose the gnarled wreck of scarred skin on my wrist. "But… if it makes any sense I think I did." I put the hand to my heart, tears welling up again despite my efforts.

"It feels like I did."

"She's on life support. And they're asking me whether or not they should take her off of it." I felt like I was going to throw up. No. She hadn't… she hadn't discovered the truth about her parents. We hadn't solved the mystery of my memories together. She would never be willing to box me for practice again. She would never be in the kitchen with a stack of pancakes or in her bunk with her hands flying over the keyboard or sitting beside me on the couch clutching my arm during a scary movie. I was never going to get to see her face when I told her about Lee.

I felt paralyzed. Like if she couldn't move, then how was I supposed to move. How the hell was I supposed to keep going without her?

"I'm not going to operate on a dead man."

It was the confident voice again, and it was enough to remind me that it wasn't over yet. She wasn't dead and I was doing a disservice to saving her if I carried on now like she was. She had never failed me, and now it was my turn to make sure I didn't fail her. "So, what's the plan?" I inquired, voice stronger than Coulson expected from the surprised look on his face. "Because I'm not giving up on her," I made clear, rising to my feet. "And I know you never would either."

There was the barest hint of a smile as he stepped closer to me. "I think we both know Tahiti wasn't real. I died." I crossed my arms. I hated to agree with anything Raina has spouted off to him in that cursed house, but I needed to believe it if this was going to work.

"And yet here you stand," I offered my show of support. "Somehow, S.H.I.E.L.D. brought you back to life."

He nodded. "And they're going to do the same thing for Skye."

I started down the hallway. "Then let's not waste time. Let's get her loaded on The Bus and get her where they took you." He fell into step beside me and the two of us made our way back towards The Bus at the quickest casual place we could muster. The buzzing had completely vanished, replaced by steely determination. I could deal with my own stuff later. Skye couldn't afford for me to lose myself chasing my past right now. I needed to stay firmly rooted in the present.

We started up the ramp, only to be met by Ward running down the circular steps to greet us. "Sir, May just went in with Quinn."

I swore under my breath as Coulson instantly picked up the pace, following Ward through the lab with me right on their tail. I'm pretty sure I passed Fitz-Simmons in a blur, promising myself I would double back to check in once the immediate situation was handled.

Coulson threw open the thankfully unlocked door to The Interrogation Room to reveal May perched over a huddled Quinn on the ground. She seemed to have just landed a blow and quickly delivered another right across his face. It was kind of a work of art that made me quite the proud pupil as I observed her draw back again without hesitation.

"May!" Coulson shouted for her attention. "May!" She stopped at his voice, turning slightly towards him with her fist still at the ready. Quinn looked dazed, blood spouting out of his nose making his teeth red. "Outside. Now." I didn't know if it would be that easy, but like the professional she was May reigned it in at the order. She dropped Quinn with a pathetic cry from him and the four of us made our way out of the room as he lie there groaning weakly.

I made sure to lock the door before following as May stormed into the living area, fuming in a way I'd never seen from her before. "He deserves to die. Not her!"

I mean, she had a point. "No arguments there," I agreed with a few fake jabs at the air, mind thinking back to Donnie and Seth in the storm. "But you could've at least let all of us get a punch in. There was no need to be selfish."

Coulson shot me a look and I switched back into a more serious mode, crossing my arms. "Quinn doesn't matter right now. Skye does and I need you to pilot the plane."

Both May and Ward looked completely baffled at his request. "You heard what the doctor said," May reminded him. Wow. I had thought nothing to get to May. But she really did care and was hurting just as much as the rest of us were. And this time it was enough that she was letting her emotion drive her. Oh, Skye was going to have a field day with this one when she woke up.

"She said there was nothing more they could do for her, but there are doctors who brought me back from the dead. If they can do that, I'm betting they can save Skye."

"And we need to get to them," I backed him up, trying to give some support to his statement. "Because we need them to do it again."

I waited for May to begin her questioning of our sanity or ask just what they had done to our brains in the desert, but after a moment of processing she merely got a look of determination in her eye. With a nod, she was off in the direction of the cockpit, clearly getting ready to prepare The Bus for immediate departure.

I shrugged. "Well, that went a lot easier than I expected."

Coulson didn't waste a beat in starting towards the lab. "I'm going back in to tell them we'll be taking her and need a medical pod prepped to be loaded on The Bus immediately." Before either of us could answer, we heard the lab doors close behind them.

Ward just took the scene in a moment, almost like a buffering wheel was spinning in his head. I mean, it had been an awfully long day. He needed to stay with us though.

"Maybe you can make sure we've got the space for the pod cleared so there's no delays," I offered a sort-of order to give some direction. "And I should get to the lab myself. Let Fitz-Simmons know what the plan is."

"And talk to Fitz," he saw right through me. I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face that appeared at the mere mention of him. He gave a quirk of a smile as well. "Finally."

I punched him in the arm. "Shut up."

He punched me back, causing me to grab my arm in pain. "Just know if he breaks your heart I'm going to have to kick his ass."

I rubbed my arm. "Thanks. I think I can handle myself though. Also I think I liked you better as a robot."

"Don't worry. Same goes for you if you break his heart."

I snorted. "I'd like to see you try." He gave me a look, clearly not believing I was still anywhere near his league. "What? I'm scrappy."

He just shook his head. "I'll check on our loading space. You go see your boyfriend. I know he was worried about you." I stuck my tongue out at him as we parted ways, entering the lab and making my way right over to where Lee was obviously trying to distract himself by organizing his counter space.

I turned my attention to Simmons first. "Simmons, Coulson's working on having Skye loaded on here in a medical pod. Then we're taking off to where he went after New York." Both of them had the same questioning looks as Ward. "I'll let him explain. Point is, he thinks they can save Skye. I don't know if there's anything you need to get ready with her coming onboard."

"I'll have to put together some supplies. I'll go make sure we have everything we need before we leave." She quickly disappeared into the back hallway but not before shouting back, "Thank you Ashleigh!"

"Of course!" I then turned my attention to Lee, who was doing his best to not come off as overly concerned, but the furrow in his brow giving him away very easily. "I didn't intend to vanish as long as I did. I just got lost in my head and in turn lost track of time. In all sincerity now, I'm doing good. Cross my heart."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Later," I promised sincerely. "Right now, I have to keep my mind focused on doing whatever it takes to save the only person who can cook around here."

"I can visit you bunk when we all finally settle down."

I put on my Southern belle voice and fanned myself with my hand. "I do declare, Mr. Fitz, that was awfully forward of you."

He turned completely red in an instant. "I didn't… I wasn't saying… I completely respect… I would never… I mean I would… but not-"I silenced his sputtering with a quick kiss on his cheek that he seemed to completely mentally derail at. The fact it was that easy secretly kind of delighted me.

"Ah, I'm just messing with you. Sounds like a plan though. Right now, focus on Skye and I can deal with…" I spun my hand around my head. "Deal with sorting all this out later."

"You mean we can deal with," he playfully repeated my motion around my head, "sorting all of that out later. Because I may remind you I'm not letting you go through any of this alone." Cheesy as it was, I swear my heart skipped a beat as his hand covered the one I had resting on the bench.

I blew a strand of blonde hair from in front of my eyes with a devilish grin. "Okay. But only because Ward told me how absolutely lost and devastated you were without me. Can't have that."

He snorted with a smile, taking a step closer so we were practically touching. "You're bloody amazing, Ash." He tucked the piece of hair behind my ear and I suddenly felt like I had been set on fire by such a simple thing- I must have been the one with the red face now. "It's been a very long day."

I nodded, not sure where he was going. "I'd have to agree with that."

He leaned his head forward so it was resting against mine. "It's just… it's all kind of a blur and I might need a reminder. Make sure I'm not imagining things due to exhaustion."

"Can't have that."

"We're doing this?"

"We're doing this," I replied confidently before pressing my lips against his. It was quicker than back on the train, but equally powerful in making my head spin a bit as I pulled away. I forced myself to pull free of him with a content sigh, hands going to my belt.

"Well, look who's being forward now."

I gave him serious look. "I'm leaving Cheesetauri here with you for now. I'm going to get cleaned up and change while we have a few minutes." I looked down at my shirt and the copper stain in the middle of it that was far bigger than I would have liked. I paused, remembering Skye's white face as we loaded her into the chamber. No. She was going to be fine. She had to be fine. "I mean, Coulson went through the trouble of getting me these new shoes. Least I can do is put in the effort to match them."

I made a quick stop in my bunk to grab a fresh set of clothing before making my way into the bathroom, happy to throw the clothes with Skye's blood into a far corner where I could pretend they didn't exist. I tried to make things quick, knowing that Coulson would need all hands on deck as I felt us take off. Especially since I was the only one who had been there with Raina. I threw my new clothes on, covering the scar on my wrist as always before running a quick brush through my hair and lacing my new sneakers up once again.

When I made my way back into the lab, Coulson was standing with Fitz-Simmons. "Sir, you're saying… you're saying you actually died that day," Fitz clarified. I slid in beside him, handing him one of two foil bags of Pop-Tarts I had procured from the kitchen on my way.

"I am," he concurred. "But at Bethesda they managed to bring me back. They performed some sort of procedure and so that I was alive again."

"That can't be," Simmons remarked, clearly in disbelief. "What you're describing… it's medically impossible."

I unwrapped the foil and took a bite. "Might I remind you of the fact you're standing next to the genetically engineered girl from the future." I gave a wave. "Impossible is just kind of a word to us."

"But if blind faith and Crawford's existence aren't enough, I have some actual proof for you." He dropped something onto the table we were gathered around, sending an echo through the lab. We all leaned over a thick white binder with words clearly emblazoned below our familiar logo.

Classified Security Level 10

"My file, describing how they brought me back. The doctors, the procedures, the drugs."

They both merely stared at it. "Sir… it's against the law for us to read this." I wasted no time on Fitz's concerns though, flipping the binder open to start looking at the papers tucked inside.

"Ashleigh!" Simmons chastised me as I started reading the first page from the folder on top.

"What? I'm already a fake Agent? I could be a fake Level Ten Agent. 'Death and Recovery Report'. Sounds intense."

"I don't care about your clearance level," Coulson addressed my two colleagues. "I'm ordering you to read it." Without hesitation, Simmons snatched the folder I held and began looking at it herself.

"Hey!" I went to grab the next item, but Fitz managed to beat me to that one as well. "It's not like I can't read guys."

"True, but you can and will get your snack all over the pages," Simmons said in a way that might have been insulting if not for her accent.

Coulson got back to business though. "It's only recently Fury gave me access to this. I've gone over it dozens of times. I need you to decipher the medical parts of it I didn't understand." Well, I was out of this task. "Feel free to reach out to Dr. Streiten. He should be eager to answer any questions you may have."

Simmons didn't look up from her reading, already off to the races. "Yes, I'm sure I'll have a few."

I gave Fitz an elbow. "So, any future vacations to Tahiti are out the window. Wouldn't you say, sir?"

"I'd say so. Turns out, not so magical. Just false memories implanted to cover up what was done."

Simmons seemed to reach something that made her eyes widen. "Sir… it says here you heart was perforated. Torn in half."

I had been going along with Coulson's story without hesitation, but that was enough to even give me pause. He really had died, hadn't he? Heart completely torn in half. And I thought I had earned quite a few injuries since my time here. They seemed like nothing in comparison now.

"That part of it I understood. And yet, they managed to heal the damaged tissue completely. We need to understand how."

"That way we can do it again," I concluded, eyes finding a screen behind him which clearly displayed the pod Skye was clearly contained in. She was lying in a bed, pale with all sorts of tubes and wires connecting every which way on her.

Simmons followed my gaze, frowning as she took in the screen a brief moment herself. "We'll get right on it, sir."

"Thank you." There was the sincerity that would make you follow this man anywhere. He then turned his attention to the screen displaying Skye, vitals flashing and updating every minute or so in one of the corners.

I tapped my knuckle on the metal table. "Any way I can assist you?" They both shook their heads, noses buried in their reading material and already pointing lines out to one another. "Cool. I'll be here if you need an extra set of Level Ten eyes." I went over to Fitz's bench, dropping some lettuce into the hamster ball before hooking Cheesetauri back to my side. "Hey buddy. Lee didn't experiment on you while I was gone, did he?"

No quip back. Okay, so it was really serious time. I stepped next to Coulson, offering silent support as he continued to watch the screen. "This will work, sir. It has to."

"It will," he agreed. I watched the screen myself for a minute before turning to him as he spoke again. "For the record, if I was in charge you would absolutely be a fake Level Ten Agent."

And there he goes lifting me up like he always does. I don't know how he did it. "I really look forward to the day you wear the eyepatch then sir. Unfortunately, I don't think you'd physically pull it off as well as Fury does."

"Few could." We continued to stand there, leaning on each other's company while Fitz-Simmons read and muttered behind us. You could hear pages being flipped and spread this way and that across the table. But we just kept our eyes on who we were fighting for, both of us I think drawing strength from her. Sometimes I forgot how much Coulson and I had in common. It didn't seem like much on paper-the Fake Agent and the Poster Agent- but right now I could just feel it.

Both of us absolutely committed to protecting others.

We were interrupted by the lab doors sliding open and Ward making his way into the room. "We've got company," he announced. "They're expecting us to relinquish command for refusing to turn Quinn in. They're getting ready to board us right now."

Oh, we did not need this. We did not have time for this. I think most of us didn't have the energy for this. Coulson sighed and turned to an awaiting Fitz-Simmons. "Keep reading. Crawford and I will handle this." They nodded and went back to their papers as with one last glance Coulson made his way to join Ward. I gave a quick salute neither noticed before following. As we stepped through the doors and towards the living area I could now hear the sound of other planes very close to us.

Coulson clearly did too, and he did not seem to be amused. "Really? All the war and chaos in the world and S.H.I.E.L.D. sends a plane after us."

"Three planes," Ward corrected. "A small transport to dock and a pair of F-35's to make sure we hand over Quinn."

I groaned dramatically. "Even better. They sure know how to throw a party."

A loud thud sounded and the plane shook slightly, nearly throwing me off balance. The other two managed to hold steady though, glancing up to where another plane must have been docking. "If they scratched my paint, I'm going to be pissed. Come on, Crawford. Let's see who we're dealing with."

"Great!" I agreed, following. "Unless it's Hand, Hill, or Sitwell though I'm going to have no clue who they are though." God, please don't let it be Hand. I needed a few years distance between us before I had to stare at that disapproving glare again.

Ward took that as his cue to hang behind. "I'll await your orders, sir."

I wheeled around to face him. "You won't be able to miss it. I'll scream 'Viva La Revolution' and then we'll take The Bus." He merely rolled his eyes, clearly at his wit's end with me. "Keep your ears open, Ward."

We made it to the back few stairs tucked away that led to the roof of The Bus just as someone seemed to be making their way down. Luckily enough, that body did not seem feminine in the slightest. I proved correct when an older gentleman emerged- dressed almost for winter in a heavy coat and turtleneck as he took the two of us in.

"Garrett? What the hell are you doing here?" Well, at least Coulson seemed to know him. That hopefully improved our odds of getting our way by convincing this guy to take a hike empty-handed.

The guy took the both of us in, grin spreading across his face. Grizzled seemed the best way to describe him. He had clearly seen his fair share of missions. "Well, as opposed to the Level Eight jackass I'm staring at, I still follow orders." His voice was almost deceptive, making him seem a bit simpler and blue collar, but his eyes gave me the feeling he might close to the smartest guy in the room right now.

Coulson clearly tried to remain friendly, smirking. "You're the worst at following orders."

Garrett reached into his jacket. "Maybe… but I like this one." He pulled a piece of paper out, flashing the familiar eagle at the two of us. "You are to immediately turn Ian Quinn over to transport to the fridge."

I went to say something but was distracted as someone else made their way down the ladder to stand at Garrett's side. He was much younger, probably about my age if I knew it, and had dark skin with a shaved head. He had a much easier air about him, deceptively so, and that put me more on edge.

Garrett didn't waste a beat in starting introductions. "Agent Antoine Triplett. This is Agent Phil Coulson and I'm guessing this lovely lady here is Agent Ashleigh Crawford, the team's Communications Agent." He seemed to be noticing me for the first time and gave me a solid look from up-and-down before turning back to his main target.

I think I was starting to warm up to this Garrett guy. Flattery will get you everywhere. "I am indeed. It's a pleasure."

Garrett didn't even seem to hear me, though Triplett nodded at me. "You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Phil's one of our finest."

Triplett nodded politely at him as well, hands behind his back. "An honor, sir." I wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet honestly. Either he was genuinely polite or genuinely shady. I was leaning towards polite though I think.

"Trip joined me as my specialist after Ward came to your circus." Oh, so Ward had worked under this guy. I looked him over again and could actually see some of the borrowed mannerisms. The way he stood, the way he talked to us- it all was very Ward. "Go secure the prisoner."

"Yes, sir," Triplett nodded in a way that also reminded me of Ward- or at least the Ward back when we had all boarded this crazy plane. It kind of made me appreciate how far our little robot had come around us. I glanced to Coulson, but he nodded for me to let him by.

"Let's take this to my office," Coulson said almost casually. I led the way up the spiraling stairs, the two of them continuing the conversation behind me.

"You seem pretty hospitable considering you have me on your ass for disobeying a direct order. Which I have to say is nothing like the Phil Coulson I remember. What's next? Tea and cookies?"

We stepped in, Coulson rounding his desk to take a seat in his chair. I was tempted to step around with him but remained standing on the other side of Garrett to continue keeping things casual. I didn't want to give the appearance that it was us again him- even though is absolutely was. Instead, I merely perched myself on the edge of the desk.

"How can we help you, Garrett?" Coulson asked when he was settled, earning a snort from me I desperately covered. Leave it to my boss to immediately and impressively take control of a situation while seeming completely sincere. "Because I can assure you Quinn will not be leaving The Bus right now."

Garrett didn't seem as amused though. "Phil, come on. Just because Fury gave you this pretty plane doesn't mean they won't shoot it out of the sky."

Coulson immediately switched tactics, dropping airs to become more direct in the questions he clearly had been thinking over since seeing who our company was. "Why are you really here, Garrett? S.H.I.E.L.D. could have sent any security team to collect Quinn. Why you?"

Garrett looked at me and I nodded my head towards Coulson. "I would answer him. Otherwise, we've still got some truth serum we can shoot you up with downstairs."

A smile spread across his face. "Oh, Agent Crawford, I've just met you and already I can tell I like you. He has quite the talent for snatching up the best."

"That's very sweet of you," I thanked him before gesturing towards Coulson. "Answer his question."

I swear I heard him mutter 'Firecracker' under his breath. But he didn't seem to lose his cool in the slightest, something I could appreciate. "We've been on Quinn's tail since Malta. Long days, hard hours. Then yesterday, your little Italian job cost my team weeks of work."

So this was personal for him to it seemed. I hadn't read the file on Malta, but his tone gave the definite impression he had a Skye of his own. Maybe we could use that. "Quinn shot a member of our team," I informed him, trying to seem professional yet passionate. "And right now we're on the way to the trauma center in Bethesda where they saved Coulson. We loaded her in on a med pod and we are racing against the clock because right now she's on life support."

"Quinn actually pulled the trigger?" Garrett inquired, almost surprised at my words.

"Two of our agents infiltrated his compound in Malta," Coulson explained. "One made it out unscathed."

"But it seems Skye made her way somewhere and saw something that he took personally. What it is we are currently unaware of." We needed to convince Garrett to keep Quinn here. And maybe the way to do that was to make it seem like Quinn had some valuable information. "He seems to have a personal grudge so we're hopeful to figure out just what this whole conspiracy for lack of a better word is about."

Garrett contemplated this. "Interesting. I never took him for a triggerman. He pays others for that. I've lost three of my own chasing him."

I took a chance, stepping to put a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry to hear that Agent Garrett."

He turned to Coulson. "Oh, she's good."

Coulson nodded. "You understand why I can't give him to you until we save my agent then. Because if she doesn't make it… then I want to make sure he doesn't either."

Wait. What?

I had been going for information. It seemed like Coulson was going for the revenge tactic. Well, he did know Garrett much better than I did it seemed. Maybe this was the better tactic to get what we wanted. Whatever it took so that we made it Bethesda.

But there was also something in his voice that made me think it wasn't all a tactic. And it worried me.

Coulson seemed to have it right on the money from the nod Garrett gave a few moments after he finished, taking a step back. "Phil, I'd hate to kick you out of your office, but I have an important phone call to make if that's alright."

Coulson immediately rose, hand waving over the phone. "Be my guest. We'll be outside." The two of us stepped out of the office, shutting the thick door behind us. There was brief pause before Coulson addressed me. "I feel like it's going well."

"It seems you knew just what to say sir. How long have you two known each other?"

"Quite a long time. Long enough to know he's a man of action rather than one of planning and negotiation. And that he takes S.H.I.E.L.D. and those who work with him very sincerely despite the airs he can put off. When he's done we'll go interrogate Quinn and let him take the lead, work out some of his frustrations. It should be enough to keep him on our side for now."

I nodded, though something was still eating away at me. I took a moment before just deciding to speak, knowing I had never been penalized for it before. "Sir, did you mean it? When you told Garrett that if Skye doesn't make it Quinn won't either."

"Skye will make it," was his response.

"I know. She will. But I'm just… we don't get to decide that. I know you're frustrated with Fury. I am too. I get the feeling he knows a lot more about me than he lets on. And it doesn't seem right when I'm struggling with memories that he might be hiding away everything I need to understand who I was. But I'm still an Agent, a real Agent, and being an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. means it doesn't get to be about me. About what I want. It's about what the world needs." I paused, his expression completely unreadable. I had no clue if he was even listening to me anymore. "You taught me that."

We both stood in a somewhat comfortable silence until the door opening grabbed both of our attention. Garrett emerged and dramatically ripped the paper he had flashed earlier in half. "Well, how about we check in on our Guest of Honor and see what he has to say?"

"Lead the way," I offered, impressed with the guy as he confidently started down the stairs. He had to have been in there less than five minutes. And he already had them changing their tune? Remind me to bring him with me the next time I had to come face-to-face with Hand.

Suddenly, as we reached the bottom the sound of grunting and struggling made itself apparent to us. And one of the voices I could have recognized anywhere. I jogged into the living area to find Ward holding Triplett in a headlock against one of the seats. I knew he was a tricky one. I was about to make my way over and assist however I could in knocking the troublemaker out when Coulson barred me with an arm.

"Agent Ward, stand down." Ward didn't hesitate in obeying, stepping back and allowing Triplett to cough as he tried to catch his breath. He turned around to look at the group of us, giving a solemn nod when I mouthed asking if he was okay. "Agent Garrett, Crawford, and I have come to an agreement. He convinced H.Q. he could interrogate Quinn here on our plane so we wouldn't be required to detour from Bethesda."

Garrett draped an arm around my shoulder. "Well, like this one here, I'm a sweet talker when I need to be. Not as good looking though." He gestured to Ward, fondness clear. "You wouldn't believe what I could talk this son of a gun into." He offered his hand to Ward, who shook it with a smile that was usually rarer for him. "Good seeing you, son."

"You too, sir. And thank you."

"Ah, it's nothing. Saving the girl's top priority, and she might know something as Crawford here mentioned earlier." Huh, maybe I had been able to help convince him earlier after all. Or maybe he was just flattering me again- not that I minded. Especially in front of Ward from a man he clearly respected. Maybe it would rub off a bit. "Now let's get to Quinn and see what he knows."

"This way," Coulson led Garrett and I took a minute to approach Ward before following.

"How long have you two known each other?"

Ward didn't seem to have to think on it hard at all. "He was my Supervising Agent."

I beamed. "Great. Then he must have all sorts of embarrassing stories about you. I'll make sure to inquire about that later."

"You're impossible, Crawford."

I pointed both hands at him as I stepped backwards. "Well, we already knew that." With a last wink and a quick hard stare at Triplett as he smiled at me, I wheeled around and made my way to the Interrogation Room.

The sight I was met with was not quite one I had expected. Coulson was letting Garrett take lead it seemed, but right not Garrett was holding Quinn's tongue with his hand while staring threateningly down at the guy. "The only thing keeping Agent Coulson here from throwing you out of this plane is the very weak heartbeat of a young girl downstairs." His voice had taken on a completely new tone, one that almost made me feel sorry for Quinn getting the brunt of it. Especially with how pathetic he looked, bruised and bloody from May's previous assault. "And the only incentive I have for not tearing you tongue out is that you use it to answer my questions. Is that clear?"

Quinn nodded and mumbled feebly. Good thing this was getting recorded. I'd have to play this back for Skye when she recovered. I think she'd get a satisfied chuckle out of it. "You understand that?" Garrett asked the two of us.

"No," Coulson smirked.

"Completely lost," I played along. Garrett turned back to Quinn and seemed to grip his tongue tighter, causing the guy to nod much more vigorously, eyes wide in fear. Finally, Garrett seemed satisfied he had scared him enough to let go, settling back in the chair while Quinn pulled himself together.

"Tell us about Cybertek and the Deathlok program," Garrett prompted, resting his feet casually on the metal table. The threatening air had vanished, replaced by his usual calmer demeanor. Though it still seemed very clear who was in charge of this conversation.

"Deathlok?" I asked, not familiar with the term at all. I turned to Coulson, but he shook his head.

"Catchy, right?" Garrett answered us, eye never leaving Quinn though. "Sounds like some wrestler from the '80s. What is it really?"

Quinn almost puffed out his chest before answering, clearly still going for the air of impenetrability he had in our previous encounters. "Those are dangerous waters. The last agent that waded into them wound up with two in the stomach."

Coulson sprung, but luckily I was right there and cut in front of him before he could move more than a few steps. I kept my eyes locked on his. "It's not about what we want," I reminded him in a whisper. He finally took a step back and I wheeled back around to face Quinn. Garrett seemed to have risen as well, but sank back into his seat upon seeing the situation was handled.

"So… she's alive?" Quinn smirked, pleased that he was pushing our buttons.

Garrett returned Quinn's focus to himself. "Yeah. And you'd better hope she stays that way."

I crossed my arms. "Is that why you shot her? Because she saw what Cybertek delivered? Whatever this Deathlok thing is?"

He gave me a smug look that made me want to absolutely deck him. "No. I shot Skye because that's what the Clairvoyant told me to do."

Well, here we go. It looks like all our mysteries were starting to pile on top of one another like we suspected. But now we had a slight upper hand. We could hit them where it hurt in the finances. It was time to get started burning Centipede completely to the ground.

"The Clairvoyant claims to see the future," Coulson explained. "Predicts what is going to happen. Also has a way of sticking his nose in other people's business."

"He spouts off things he claims there's no way he could know and tries to act all 'Oz the Great and Powerful' about it," I added. Though it had seemed to prove true in more cases than I liked to admit. But there was no way I was giving Quinn that.

"Well, I personally find it surprising that a big-shot millionaire fell for some sort of psychic mumbo jumbo."

"Oh, I doubted it at the beginning. But then I realized it would be mutually beneficial."

I grimaced. "Ooh, sounds like he has something on you."

"Must be pretty terrible if it has you shooting an unarmed girl," Garrett agreed.

Quinn paused, look of fear flashing through his eyes before burying it under his ego again. "Let's just say I learned the hard way that obeying was in my best interest." Well then. Interesting. He clearly did not have the reverence Raina seemed to have. Seemed like even some of his 'friends' had their reservations.

I couldn't wait to kick his teeth in.

"Yet… here you are," Garrett reminded him with a grand wave of his hand.

"Let me assure you it wasn't luck that led me to your partner's black sedan in Berlin. Or that he'd open the door for a redhead… or those two Agents in Morocco." Now he was trying to hit Garrett where it hurt. "Do you think it was just a roll of the dice that my people found them in Riad? No. It was the Clairvoyant."

Coulson's words about Garrett rang true as his mouth became a thin line. The threatening tone came floating up to the surface once again as he leaned forward, eyes daggers. "Your Clairvoyant say anything about me knocking your teeth in?" It was enough to send a chill down my spine.

"The Clairvoyant sees everything." He turned his attention to me. "Except for the nature of our fake Agent from the future. He knows where you came from, but not why you're here. What exactly is your purpose? But I feel like not even you know." Before I could indignantly argue with him, his gaze shifted to Coulson. "But that's second hat… peripheral compared to you. Because the thing he can't see and wants to know more than anything else… is what happened to you."

Coulson's eyes widened and I found myself taken back to the two of us in that house- the line of questioning Raina had been throwing at him. "This is still about me," Coulson muttered.

Garrett rose, brow furrowed. "Wait. You're gonna need to rewind the tape, Phil." Oh no. We did not have time for all the explanation required between the two of us. And there was no way I was admitting anything with Quinn here.

Coulson pushed past my story though and kept focus on his. Which seemed to be the more important one right now. "You hear about my near-death before the Battle of New York?" He nodded. "There's more to it than that. I thought I was gone for seconds… turns out it was days."

"That's impossible." Oh, welcome to our world Agent Garrett. We lived in impossible.

Something seemed to click for Coulson in that moment though. "Which is why the Clairvoyant will do anything to know how it happened."

His words sparked the revelation in myself as well. "Including ordering Quinn to shoot Skye."

"Wait," Garrett cut in, still not quite on the same page. Not that I could blame him though. It was a lot of pages to skim. "So, you don't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. did to save you?"

Coulson nodded. "That's why we're flying to where I was treated."

Garrett turned back to Quinn, who looked even more smug somehow. "Shooting the girl forces him to figure it out."

"So the Clairvoyant can finally see."

"The only other option is to let Skye die," I realized, horror flooding through me. I had no doubt in which option Coulson would choose though and it provided some comfort. Though it didn't make me happy that we would probably be handing these bastards exactly what they were looking for.

"I think we're done here," Garrett decided. Coulson nodded, mind clearly flipping through all sorts of scenarios and possibilities.

"One second," I held a finger up. I went up to Quinn and squared off against him. "For the record, Donnie and Seth are okay. They're going to live great lives- no thanks to you. No one paid the price for what happened… except you. And now you'll be locked up so deep and you're never going to harass my boys again. And I can't wait to write them that."

As we stepped out of the room, I turned to make sure it was locked. The last thing we needed was Quinn attempting anything stupid that would cost us time we didn't have. Coulson had already vanished, but Garrett appeared to be politely waiting for me- or was making sure I did things properly. I couldn't blame him either way given the blow it seems his team experienced at Quinn's hands.

"I can't- I can't even imagine if that happened to my team," I spoke up, leaning against the wall as I face him. "Skye's in danger and already I want to throw him off The Bus- while we're in the air. I give you so much credit for holding yourself together."

Garrett nodded solemnly. "We have him now. That's what matters. And the next time I visit their graves I can tell them that son of a bitch is paying for what he did."

I took a beat before changing the subject, knowing there was another thing in that room which needed to be addressed. I just had to make sure I played my cards right. "About what Quinn said regarding me and this whole future nonsense- "

"I'm Level Eight, Agent Crawford," Garrett cut me off, though politely. "Which means I know all about The Mystery Box that dropped herself in Fury's office. Though admittedly not until it looked as if I was going to encounter you today. In that way it's need to know. But I do know."

I put a finger up. "I was going to say that it's not nonsense and is completely true. I am from the future and we have no idea how or why I'm here. Because it's important we have an honest rapport with one another."

He laughed. "You are a Firecracker. I can see why Coulson and Fury like you… and why Hand doesn't." I must have made a face at the last name because he gave my shoulder a playful shove. "She's the one who briefed me so let me assure you the feeling is mutual. In fact, she gave me a private set of secondary orders." He pulled another official paper out of his jacket. "I was supposed to bring you back with me as well, though not in the same capacity as Quinn admittedly. It seems she has some questions you've been dodging around- and not without help."

It was true. I hadn't spoken to her since being kidnapped despite her clear desire to judging by the calls Coulson told me had been placed. But he seemed to know it was the last thing I needed and quietly shook her off at any turn. Skye had even managed to patch my tablet so she was blocked from contacting me directly, and it had been much appreciated.

"I'm guessing that one didn't change when you talked to H.Q.?"

"It did not. And she stressed regardless of anything Coulson could do or say about the subject."

I crossed my arms, challenging. "You realize you're going to have to drag me out kicking and screaming- most likely after taking out my entire team along the way." None of them would go for this. I could count on that.

"I do," he clearly agreed. "Because in my briefing Hand also made me aware of what exactly you've been up to since arriving at S.H.I.E.L.D. And quite frankly, I value my wellbeing- and my face- too much to try and give Agent Ashleigh Crawford orders." He tucked the papers back into his jacket. "So, I'll tuck this away for now- keep it between you and me. And I'm old so I might forget about it by the time I leave. Unless you remind me of course."

I snorted despite myself. I might be able to pull out a few embarrassing stories about Ward before this was all through. It seemed like the two of us were getting along pretty well. "Don't count on it."

He smirked, patting me on the shoulder as he filed past me. "Oh, I am, Firecracker."

Trusting him to get where he needed to go I made my way in the opposite direction, heading towards where they had loaded Skye onto The Bus. I needed to check in on her- get some picture of her in my head other than one that involved her with a blouse soaked in her own blood. I logically knew there wasn't much I could do for her, but maybe somehow she would know I was there. That I wasn't giving up on her. That we were doing everything we could because we couldn't bear to lose her.

I had lost so many people already.

The dark pull of my thoughts from the machine loomed like someone was standing behind me. Faces flashing so fast that I didn't recognize but I felt like I should. Feelings of grief so strong it felt as though I was being torn in two. Strong enough to almost send me to my knees. I desperately shook my head though to try and shake the clinging darkness away. I didn't have time for this. Skye needed me and I wasn't going to waste my time mourning people I didn't even know.

But I did know them, didn't I?

"He was there."

"Crawford." I was thankfully pulled from my thoughts and looked up to see Ward standing at the other end of the cursed hallway Fitz had scared me in, eyebrow raised. I really needed to avoid this place from here on out. "Crawford," he repeated and I tried to focused my attention on him. It made it easier to push the shadows away, anchoring myself back in the present. The images vanished from my mind as I nodded towards him. He made his way over and I leaned against the nearest wall with crossed arms and a deep sigh.

"Sorry. My brain is… distracted to say the least." I tried to play things off. I didn't know if Ward had enough in him to be concerned about myself and Skye at the same time. He may have been growing as a human being, but baby steps were still necessary. Plus, I was firmly putting a Lee First Policy when it came to my memories in place from here on out. He deserved that from me at least. We were a team. "I was just heading to see her. My last image of her is pretty… brutal." His face barely changed but I knew him well enough to see it- the small deepening of his frown and the worry that sparked in his eyes.

"Well, I won't hold you up."

"You could come with," I offered. "I wouldn't mind the company and I'm sure she wouldn't either."

He shook his head, clearly focused on something. "I want to keep an eye on our company. They're playing along with us for now, but who knows how quickly that could change."

"I can't help but agree." I looked both ways to make sure we were alone before taking a step closer to Ward and dropping my voice. "Garrett has some orders on him to take me back to Hand with him. She's tired of me dodging her."

Ward snorted. "That's not going to happen."

I shrugged. "I let him know that. He agreed and said he'd be willing to forget about that part of his orders when he takes Quinn out of here." He nodded, putting me more at ease. "He was your S.O.- you think I can take that to the bank or should I watch out for a net when this is all over."

"Garrett's pretty straight forward. He only puts energy into the missions and aspects he considers to be important. He's not one for double-crossing or trying to outthink everyone else. I learned a lot from him but deception was not one of them. If he told you that then you won't need to watch your back. You can trust him on that." Good, it looked like my feelings on him were pretty accurate. Good to know I wasn't losing my touch in all this craziness. "Agent Triplett on the other hand…"

"You don't trust him?" Ward shook his head. "Okay then."

Ward took a step back from me, putting a hand up. "It's not that he's done anything or I have any evidence, but- "

I patted his arm. "But you've got a vibe. I get it. I'll be sure to keep an eye out too then." With one last look between the two of us we headed our separate ways down the cursed hallway. Luckily my head stayed firmly on my head and soon I was face-to-face with the pod that had been loaded onboard. Simmons stood outside it, head buried in the same file Coulson must have given her and Lee earlier. She didn't even hear me approach it seemed.

But my eyes immediately drifted to the figure behind the glass. Skye had been cleaned up, now wearing a sterile blue gown as she lay in the hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of monitors and machines. A tube was currently inserted into her throat- most likely to help with her breathing. She looked incredibly pale and still. If it weren't for the steady beeping I honestly might have feared the worst had happened. I stepped up into the window- hand pressing against the window almost unconsciously as I viewed the sterile white room.

Some of the numbers on the machines were red which I didn't like in the slightest. Whispers and shadows once again began to creep into the back of my brain, but I did my best to fight them off by anchoring myself here and now. "How is she?" Simmons looked up and noticed me for the first time. She looked completely exhausted.

"She's only getting worse and I don't think there's anything I can do about it," came the saddest voice I might have ever heard from her.

I felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me seeing how despondent she looked. But recognizing she needed me in that moment I placed a hand over hers at the table the file sat on. We would figure this out. We had to figure this out. "How close are we to where Coulson was treated? I mean, it shouldn't be too much longer, right?"

The look she gave me made my stomach drop even further. "You don't know?" She glanced back down at the file and tried to find the words. "It's all rubbish. The doctors and the operating room and wherever they claimed to have taken them. None of it is real. And then there's this file filled with experimental drugs and surgical procedures I can't even begin to fathom. The one doctor we know actually involved has completely vanished as if into thin air. Plus, there's the fact that even if we somehow navigate all these variables to save her that we're playing right into the hands of the psychopath who put her in this situation." She ran a hand through her ponytail exasperated before turning back to me with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just- "

"No," I cut her off, eyes going back to Skye. "I'm here. You say whatever you need to say. I-I can't do a lot here. This isn't my element in the slightest. But, like her, I'll do whatever I can to help." I turned back to her. "And if talking to me helps, then talk to me as much as you want. Whatever you need."

I didn't expect the hug that followed me words- Simmons clutching me tightly like I was some sort of lifeline. I quickly followed suit. "You're a good friend, Ashleigh."

"I learned from the best." She pulled back with her hands quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. I noticed movement behind her and saw Fitz approach the two of us, hanging back a moment so as not to disturb the moment. I waved him in once she had composed herself a little and his hand instantly slid into mine as he came up beside me. Just the anchor I needed.

"Anything new?" he asked his partner-in-crime as he focused on Skye himself. I squeezed his hand and without hesitation he squeezed back. From the look on his face it seemed he could make a lot more out of the monitors than I ever could.

Simmons flipped a few pages without even batting an eye at the two of us. "The only thing I've found remotely interesting is something called 'GH-325'."

Fitz peeled his eyes from Skye's still body to focus on her. "Some kind of drug?"

Simmons nodded, skimming a section again. "Agent Coulson was injected with that, and literally minutes later his wound showed signs of cellular regeneration."

"Wait," I spoke up, lost. "How- how could anything regenerate if he was dead? Like not mostly dead but all dead."

They both seemed to ignore me. "Even if this miracle drug does exist, we don't know where to find it," Simmons continued. "We have no coordinates. No logs of anyone's departure or arrival."

A small smile appeared on Lee's face. "I think maybe I can help with that." He let go of my hand to start out of the room back towards the hallway. "That's what I came here to tell you. Follow me."

With a last glance at Skye we both followed him down the hallway back into the lab at a brisk pace. We stopped facing the cargo hold where I instantly noticed the new addition of four large metal poles on either side of us and on the other side of the room.

"You've set up the Echo Chamber," Simmons commented. The two of them stepped into the hold and the four poles lit up to create the image of a three-dimensional box with the familiar eagle on it right in front of them.

Fitz clasped his hands together. "Yeah. I made a couple of calls. A buddy of mine works in the Archives at The Triskelion. Agreed to let us access it." His hand went to the box. "Hard to believe, but this cube contains all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s historical administrative data." I took a step forward to join them, completely drawn in.

Simmons didn't seem as won over. "Yeah, but if Agent Coulson's operation didn't take place at a S.H.I.E.L.D. medical facility- "

"We won't find any record of it here," Fitz read her mind. "I know. But this also contains all interoffice memos, travel arrangement, purchase orders. Maybe we can track down the locations through a virtual paper trail of some sort or another."

Simmons was silent a moment so I threw my voice in. "Well, it certainly couldn't hurt to try right now." Fitz nodded at that and with a flick of his hand the box began duplicating until the cargo hold was filled top to bottom with them. "Well shit." That was a lot of files and we didn't have a lot of time.

Simmons stepped up though, hands pulling so boxes slid by as she spoke. "Let's start with the travel memoranda from the date Coulson got stabbed." I had no idea how she managed to keep track of anything that was flying by but suddenly she yanked the files to a stop.

Clearly recognizing I was out of my element as the two of them dissolved into talking and flying through files I took a few steps back and perched myself on the edge of a table in the lab. I took Cheesetauri my belt from my belt and perched his ball in my lap- the two of us staring at each other while the two of them dissolved into the background.

"Just checking in," I whispered to him. I just continued watching him- extremely grateful that keeping my attention on him seemed to keep all the ghosts of my brain at bay. Whenever I could feel that familiar pull of a memory or that buzzing from the hospital I simply looked into those big red eyes and reminded myself where I was and how I needed to stay here. Skye needed me to stay here. And I could do that. "I couldn't do this without you buddy," I told him fondly before unlocking the ball and picking him up. I placed a quick kiss on his nose- tickled by his whiskers. "Thank you," I said with all sincerity.

As I tucked him back into my ball I glanced up and noticed a dramatic difference with the holograms. The boxes were gone and replaced with seemingly random numbers and letters scattered about randomly. As I rose and made my way over Fitz used his arms to tip all of them on their side.

What I saw brought me to a stop. The numbers and letters now formed the clear image of a mountain range that stretched before us. Fitz was immediately brushing past me to get back to his computer. "I'll cross-reference this geographically for a match." He typed furiously after holding his camera up to get a picture- Simmons and I ducking out of the way. After a brief moment he stepped back with a large smile. "We have a match."

I couldn't help but clap my hands together in celebration. "Of course we do! I never doubted you two for a second!" We had something and we still had time. We could do this. We could save her. A paper spat out of the printer and I grabbed it to see the coordinates neatly printed out. "I'll run this up to May." I took off at a run out of the lab, but not before sliding to a sudden stop and doubling back to Fitz. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "My genius." And then I was taking off again. "Proud of you!"

"Well, I've never seen you turn that shade before," was the last comment I heard from Simmons as I began taking the stairs two at a time- unable to stop the smile that formed as I went.

XXX

I live! Hey guys, long time no see. I'm not dead and neither is this story. Man a Physician Assistant program can be rough on your time. But I have now graduated! Thus, I'm hopeful and excited to continue working on my beloved CrawFitz. I thought I liked writing them flirty but writing them together might be even more fun. Plus, now we have Garrett on the scene. Boy… he's great. Trip though I'm not so sure about-seems shady. -Wink- The second half of this episode will be up in October and then we'll continue from there. Thank you all for your patience and continued enthusiasm for this story. I cannot wait to continue this adventure with all of you.

For all of those who follow my other stories or want to see the new things I've been cooking up while I've been gone here is a planned schedule for this month:

The Blank Slate (Episode First Part)- Monday, November 4

DEBUT! Known to Be Quite Vexing (Marvel)- Friday, November 8

Lori Disney? Not Likely!- Monday, November 11

DEBUT! On Thin Ice (Stranger Things Steve/OC)- Friday, November 15

The Oncoming Storm- Monday, November 18

The Blank Slate (Episode Second Part)- Monday, November 25

Thanks to all those who have added this story to Alerts in the intervening time. My goal is to be more active in your mailbox for the future. Thank you Nati1729, Ebookmuncher, , mayurie, Snowfire218, 3, Potterbooks215, Strange Chimp, asdfghjkl1292, KiyaNamiel, SaMiLuCaS1954, sugabee14, DoctorBoo24, Dreamingmydaysaway, apatheticBaker, Alison241, xBBX, SimplyAWeirdo, Ida-J, Ilovebooks1234, Dkthespaniard, Nick Fury's Daughter (Gasp!), Jenny Langer-Smith, Seraphina Ingrid Gilbert, Sy6tem, Sonata Fuling, Tallygirl02, EvilRandomCrazyPerson, Cubelz, iamwrll, KiaKia82, liveu, LotsOfCats, thisjustaverageforme, Mysterious-Nights, UnDecidedMel, AnaleighJames, CharlieLouN080901, MageVicky, IcePhoenix12360, randomindividual367, Alice-In-Wonderland22, Juneselene, Idiom Investigator (now I know who to call), FreyaHawthrone, definitelyanavenger (me too!), SummerRea, PinkDonkey, crazybailey1991, AUniverseWanderer, erajaviera, Eboyd089, Zomgirl47, acmbtg, jenkara, Loststeam, TwilightForever92, OneFan2RuleThemAll, Always1997, DarkVega1, beththedragonslayer, KookieSecrets, ReadingFairy1202, EllieDragon, Fayola98, selenastarsparrow1230, Pandakat312, , Nina3KPop, MysticDBRose17, and TheDeadlyKnightshade.

Thank you to all those who consider this story to be among the best by adding it to their Favorites list. It's an honor. Thank you Ebokmuncher, BurnerAccount, mayurie, 3, LenaMiaH, Strange Chimp, SaMiLuCaS1954, T.K. Roses, Ash Lightwood. Shadowhunter, DoctorBoo24, beloved of Naruto, akagami hime chan, Imagine831, SimpkyAWeirdo, Dkthespaniard, Nick Fury's Daughter, Jenny Langer-Smith, Seraphina Ingrid Gilbert, Samara Holmes, alexmo359, AnsCat, Bree-Anonymous, , svgfiction, KiaKia82, liveu, thisjustaverageforme, CharlieLouN080901, phoenixmoon25572, rondomindividual467, Alive-In-Wonderland22, Missymockingjay, Juneselene, FreyaHawthorne, definitelyanavenger, FreyaCabanas, Dragonsheartsong, girllyingbythesea901, PinkDonkey, crazybailey1991, erajaviera, Eboyd089, Zomgirl47, acmbtg, drewmitchell82, Loststeam, TwilightForever92, OneFan2RuleThemAll, Always1997, DarkVega1, Shannon the chameleon, KookieSecrets, EllieDragon, cattykat16, Paran mastered the deck, selenastarsparrow1230, voidwinchesters, Victoria cullen35, RandomMe66, ShugoYuuki123, docwhox, Pheonix-Jessica Winchester-Morse, LJS2301, PheonixxReborn, Kathiffel, BriaDeAngel, ClumsySloth, amandaaa1579, sydrenee, Mignight Hikari, Hokiegirl33, midm922, carleykann1010, Clo33ver and HailHathNoFury.

And finally thank you to the reviewers. I read and treasure each and every one. They kept me going and I cannot appreciate you enough for that. Thank you EllieDragon, definitelyanavenger, SummerRea, thisjustaverageforme, Anon, xBBx, akagami hime chan, DoctorBoo24, corrinpaul1, mlr96, Sengen, AthenaB, world-of-imagination-dreams, BlackDove WhiteDove, LeopardFeather, and of course my pal of pals eckles.