He was Right

Disclaimer - Do Not Own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. Disneys' lawyers are too good.

Phil Coulson stood watching – waiting.

"Coulson?"

Fury had come up behind him. But Coulson never moved, didn't blink...

Skye could die if he stopped watching her.

"We aren't getting much out of Ian Quinn," Fury said. "But we found some security footage from the basement."

Phil Coulson could hear the sounds – but since he refused to stop looking at Skye, he didn't see the images. It was probably for the best.

The sounds would give him enough nightmares.

Quinn: And if I told you to hurt her? I mean, what would hurt Agent Coulson more than to lose his pet project?

Mike: Those aren't my orders. She's not who I'm supposed to kill.

Skye: Wait...wait...What the hell did you do to him.

The sound of the shot ringing out caused Coulson to flinch in pain, as if the shot had pierced his own heart.

Which maybe it had.

Gasps of pain could be heard, murmured conversation and another shot, this one more muffled.

Quinn: Sorry, I had my orders too.

A door shut in the audio, followed by soft cries for help and something being drug across the floor. Coulson recalled the bloody drag marks from halfway across the room. Skye had dragged her bleeding body to the door, begging her team to come, to save her.

Had they been too late? Skye was alive but would she stay that way? And if she lived, would she still be their Skye?

"She shouldn't be there," Coulson finally spoke. "If I hadn't brought her on board, she would never have been shot. If I had died – and stayed dead..."

"Loki killed you to hurt his brother," Fury said quietly. "Skye was shot to hurt you. And while Thor liked and respected you, I don't think he loved you. So yes, this is worse." When Coulson said nothing, not denying that he loved Skye as the child of his heart if not his body, Fury placed a hand on his agent's shoulder.

"I know. I know who Skye is."

Coulson froze, feeling as if he himself had been placed in the hyperbaric chamber they had used to save Skye.

"I don't know what you mean, Boss."

Fury scoffed. "You forget – my clearance is higher than level eight. Do you think I don't know she's an O84? Do you think I don't know a lot of good people died protecting her? But I don't think all O84s are a bad thing. She needed to be brought home – you brought her home. From the moment the first report of your encounter with her crossed my desk, I knew this would happen."

Coulson turned and stared at Fury in shock. Correctly reading his subordinates face, Fury shook his head.

"No, I didn't know Skye would be shot. But I knew she would follow you. I knew she would give you something special – a sense of family. Your team is made up of some of the most dysfunctional people in SHIELD. And that's saying something. But together? Together you work. And a lot of it is because of that little girl."

After a moment, Coulson turned back to continue his vigil. "She can't die. Skye – Skye is life. She can't die."

A single tear fell from his eye before Coulson spoke again. "He was right you know. The Clairvoyant – Quinn – whoever decided to target Skye was right. Nothing could have hurt me more. I've been wondering why it wasn't me. But they were right. Loki stabbing me hurt – but this hurts more."

He knew when his boss had left, but Coulson couldn't bring himself to react to anything else. He could only keep watching Skye and being angry...Angry at Quinn for shooting the girl, angry at Skye for endangering herself...angry at himself for being the reason Skye felt she had to go after Quinn alone.

But mostly he was angry at the words.

What would hurt Agent Coulson more than to lose his pet project?

Damn Quinn. Damn that bastard for being right.

A/N This is what happens when I wake at three in the morning and can't get back to sleep.