Part Three

The following day, Jemma does her fair share of eavesdropping and manages to learn that Agent Phil Coulson is going to be on campus tomorrow, which is good and bad news as far as Skye is concerned. It's clear that she's looking forward to seeing the man, even if he's not going to be able to see her and she seems convinced that a first-semester Academy student is going to be able to convince Coulson to take the necessary steps to help her and get her out of this weird limbo state. But the fact that they still have to wait twenty-four more hours to see Coulson is concerning.

"Something is happening, Jemma." Skye tells her as she follows Jemma across the campus to her next class. "Something feels…different."

Jemma tries to surreptitiously glance in her direction. "Different?"

"I feel less…connected." Skye says. "It's harder to stay."

The fact that Skye disappears more than she hangs around definitely makes Jemma impatient in her own right. She doesn't share Skye's certainty that she'll be able to get Agent Coulson to listen to her but it seems like their only choice. The idea of trying to get an audience with the senior agent, let alone having to explain everything to him, ties her stomach up in knots and makes it hard to focus on anything else. If she's already this much of a wreck, she can only imagine how she'll be tomorrow when she's actually trying to find the man.

Jemma and Fitz are sitting at one of the tables in the dining hall when Skye reappears after hours of being AWOL. Jemma looks up suddenly, dropping her fork and Fitz just looks at her strangely. "What is…" He trails off, looking at the three empty chairs at their table. "Is it…you know? Skye?" He lowers his voice as he says her name, like anyone could possibly hear them over the constant chatter in the room.

Jemma just nods and Skye smirks and shakes her head. "If only I was a ghost," she says wistfully, "then I could have some fun." She tries to push Fitz's tray across the table but it doesn't even budge.

"Yes, it is a shame. Think of all the pranks we could pull." Jemma remarks with a shake of her head.

Fitz goes from looking unnerved by the fact that Jemma is talking to thin air to looking disappointed that being known as the pranking masters of the SHIELD Academy is out of their reach.

Skye's smile also fades, her expression becoming solemn. "Does the name Ian Quinn mean anything to you?"

Jemma purses her lips, thinking, before finally shaking her head. "No, I don't think I've heard of him." She looks over at Fitz. "Fitz, do you know the name Ian Quinn?"

Fitz just shakes his head and Jemma feels a stab of disappointment. She doesn't know why she expected Fitz to know anything about this guy but it still seems disappointing nonetheless.

Skye just frowns, her forehead creasing. "His name just keeps repeating in my head. It seems important."

Jemma just adds the name to her notes of Skye's description of where she believes she's being held captive. Maybe Agent Coulson will take her seriously if she has all this stuff written down.

It's doubtful but if believing that will keep her from having a panic attack than Jemma's going to go with it.

It isn't until later, when Jemma and Fitz have parted ways and Jemma is heading back toward her dorm as the sun sets below the imposing Academy buildings that Skye finally asks the inevitable question. It's one that Jemma has heard several times over the past few weeks and she's honestly surprised that Skye hasn't said anything before. Most people jump right to conclusions. "So…is Fitz your boyfriend?" She asks this with a smirk on her face and an arched eyebrow, like she's more amused by the idea than looking for something to gossip about.

But Jemma still rolls her eyes. "No, of course not." She mumbles. "It's not like that between Fitz and I."

It's also inevitable that people question why this is and Jemma always worries that they might uncover the real truth of the matter, that someone might realize that it's not just Fitz that doesn't appeal to her but all male Sci-Tech students. And she knows that it shouldn't matter but it still does and with Skye is seems to matter even more because she figures that Skye would easily connect the dots and figure out why Jemma is always blushing when she's around.

But Skye doesn't press the issue or insist that Fitz likes her or that Jemma is just blind to her feelings. She doesn't claim that men and women can't just be friends or tell Jemma that she should let herself warm up to the possibility of there being something more between her and Fitz. In fact, Skye seems almost pleased by Jemma's answer.

Back in her dorm, Jemma Googles the name Ian Quinn and discovers that he's the head of Quinn Worldwide, a company that promotes safe mining practices and other Earth-friendly agendas. On paper he seems like a saint: a generous philanthropist who seems to want nothing more than to find and promote cheap, safe energy sources that would benefit even the most improvised countries. But for some reason looking at his picture gives Jemma the shivers and Skye seems to feel the same.

"I think we were investigating him in Shanghai." She mutters, peering over Jemma's shoulder.

Jemma wonders if she's doing this on purpose because there's plenty of space on either side of her that wouldn't require Skye to be practically hanging on top of her. But Jemma doesn't rush to point this out.

"I just feel like I know him." Skye says. "Like it all goes back to him."

Further digging doesn't turn up anything incrementing and Skye disappears before she can walk Jemma through hacking into the SHIELD database again. Jemma spends most of her night tossing and turning and fretting about trying to talk to Coulson and worrying about where Skye might have gone and what she meant when she said that she felt less connected to everything. When she finally does fall asleep she dreams about being stuck underground and desperately calling for help, though her efforts are in vain. When someone finally comes for her it's Ian Quinn with his smarmy smile and expensive suit. Jemma wakes up with sweat on her brow and her heart thumping in her chest and she wonders if she dreamt about Quinn because she'd been looking at his face the night before or if Skye is right and he's got something to do with all of this after all. Of course, she feels ridiculous for thinking along those lines. She doesn't believe in precognition or dreams that look into the future.

Of course, a week ago she didn't believe in ghosts or out of body experiences either. So there's that.

This time when Skye appears without warning while Jemma is brushing her teeth with one hand and her hair with the other, she manages not to jump in surprise. She considers that progress.

Skye doesn't wait for Jemma to get herself together before she announces, "I know that it's Quinn. I remember him. You have to find Coulson and tell him now. They can track properties owned by Quinn Worldwide in Shanghai and the surrounding provinces. And don't forget to mention the water and the basement and-"

"Hold on, Skye." Jemma says as soon as she's finished brushing her teeth. "How do you know it's Quinn?" She has the feeling that the more details she has the better.

"I heard his voice." Skye tells her, her expression still wild and impatient.

Jemma can't keep her eyes from going wide. "You heard him? Fascinating. So you aren't dead and you're clearly still connected to your physical body in some way which is-"

"Fascinating, yeah I got it. Can we have science class later please?" Skye gives her a look. "Right now you really need to find Coulson."

Jemma fidgets nervously, tapping her hairbrush against the palm of her hand. "Skye…I'm just not sure this is going to be a good idea. I'm going to sound absolutely insane and that's if he even makes the time to talk to me at all. Maybe there's another way we could communicate with him, so that he would know it was you. I'm just a student and a freshmen at that. I'm not sure there's anything that I can do."

Skye looks surprised and betrayed by her words, her face falling and her eyes filling with surprise. Jemma feels her heart constrict at the sight. "Jemma, please. You have to help me. I'm running out of time, I can tell. I can feel it. I need you. Please." She reaches out to take Jemma's hands but Jemma can no longer feel her touch. Instead her hands pass right through Jemma's like they've done with everything else.

When Jemma looks up at Skye, she's certain that Skye's face mirrors the expression of shock and anxiety on her own face. "Yes, let's talk to him shall we?"

Jemma might not have any idea about what's going on here but she's pretty sure that can't be good.

Actually finding Coulson requires the help of both Fitz and Skye, who has the advantage over both of them because she can walk through walls and scope the situation out without anyone being the wiser. Unfortunately, she also has a tendency to disappear so Jemma and Fitz find themselves doing more eavesdropping than probably any other SHIELD Academy student. Thankfully Lily Kane is an expert on sniffing out the information that she's not supposed to have (if she wasn't so terrifyingly good at engineering weapons Jemma would have thought she was at the wrong Academy) and Fitz overhears her talking about how her meeting with Professor Clemens was canceled because of a meeting with some SHIELD big shot.

Jemma practically runs out of Professor Vaughn's class as soon as he ends the lecture and doesn't slow her pace as she hurries across campus, hoping to make it to Clemens' office before Coulson goes elsewhere or, worse, leaves the Academy all together.

"Did you find him?" It doesn't even strike Jemma as bizarre when Skye just materializes as she walks into the Engineering and Design building. She's going to have to ask Skye how she manages to find her so effortlessly but now is not the time for collecting data.

"Hopefully." Jemma says, pausing briefly to catch her breath. Physical training at Sci-Tech consists mainly of lugging giant tomes across campus.

Jemma hasn't spent much time in the Engineering and Design building; working with gadgets is definitely not her area of expertise. She could use Fitz right about now to show her the easiest way to get to Professor Clemens' office. Unfortunately she left him and the rest of her classmates in the dust when she bolted out of her last class.

Jemma turns the corner toward Clemens' office just as Clemens is coming out of the room with another man in tow. Jemma doesn't recognize him but the cut of his suit and the way he carries himself suggests that he's not a new SHIELD recruit.

"That's him." Skye says brightly. Her tone is cheerful but her face betrays her longing and loneliness. Jemma can only imagine how it feels to be separated, perhaps forever, from the family you've made for yourself.

Before her nerves get the better of her, Jemma blurts out, "Mr. Coulson. Agent Coulson. Sir. I need to speak with you."

"Not now." Coulson says without even looking in her direction. He resumes his conversation with Clemens as they go walking past.

Jemma quickly follows after them. "Sir, it's extremely important." Neither of the men turn in her direction. "It's about Skye. Er, rather, Agent Bradford." No one has ever said that she was good at being smooth.

But Coulson stops and turns back in Jemma's direction. "What did you say?" His brow knits as he takes a step toward her.

Skye is practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Tell him about Quinn. And the house and-" A quick glare in her direction renders her momentarily silent.

Jemma clears her throat and shifts nervously. "Perhaps we could talk in private, sir?" The fewer people that hear the madness that's about to come out of her mouth, the better.

Coulson sighs and shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I'm too busy for this right now."

As he starts to turn away, Jemma says, "I promise I'm not wasting your time, sir." She hopes he won't consider her story about seeing his missing agent when no one else can a waste of time. "Please. Just a few moments of your time?"

Coulson hesitates, his gaze sliding toward Clemens, who just shrugs. Skye purses her lips and clasps her hands together. "Come on AC." She mumbles.

Maybe he can hear her after all because he relents with a sigh and Clemens offers his office for them to use and Jemma starts trying to mentally put together a speech as she follows Coulson back into the room. It no longer seems important to make herself seem like less of a crazy person; she can deal with the ramifications of looking like she's suffering a mental breakdown, even if it gets her kicked out of the Academy. All that matters is that Coulson listens to her and tries to help Skye.

Coulson shuts the door behind them and looks at Jemma expectantly. "And you are?"

She introduces herself quickly, though she has the feeling that Coulson doesn't care about her focus in biochemistry. "This is going to sound a little…well, honestly, a lot crazy-"

"This is not instilling me with confidence." Coulson tells her, glancing at his watch. "Time is of the essence to me right now, Miss Simmons. You mentioned one of my agents. I'd like to know how you know her and what information you have about her."

Jemma opens her mouth and then shuts it again when she can't bring herself to start speaking right away. She's sure the fish on dry land look isn't helping her case either. She glances over at Skye, who just gives her a thumbs-up. "Well, you see sir, that's the crazy part."

Jemma takes a deep breath before launching into her story. She starts with first running into Skye in the library and how it quickly became obvious that no one else could see her and how they realized who she was because of the information she gleaned from Agent Hill's tablet. But she doesn't get to deliver any of the information that Skye has managed to remember because Coulson is shaking his head, a disappointed expression on his face.

"I don't have time for this." Coulson says, an expression of disgust on his face. "One of my agents is missing, possibly in extreme danger and you waste my time with this ridiculous story."

Coulson yanks the door open and Jemma grabs onto his elbow without thinking and she wonders how he fares in interrogations because the look that he gives her is terrifying enough to make her want to beg for mercy and confess to stealing Susie Clayton's coloring book in grade school.

"Please, sir, you have to listen to me. I know it sounds crazy. Believe me, I know. But you have to listen. Please." Jemma begs.

Coulson jerks his arm free. "I can assure you, Miss Simmons, I don't have to do anything."

"Tell him about Quinn." Skye says, coming to stand in front of Coulson as though she can possibly keep him from walking out of the room. "Tell him that I think that it's personal for him because of what happened in Malta."

Jemma looks from Skye back to Coulson, wondering if she looks as desperate as she feels right now. Because if he walks out that's it, she's not going to get another chance. And she might get expelled from the Academy to boot.

"Ian Quinn." Jemma blurts out. "You were after him in Shanghai, right? He has Skye now. She thinks it has something to do with what happened in Malta?" The confidence leaves her voice quickly and now she feels like she's asking questions instead of delivering information.

Coulson looks at her for a moment, confusion crossing his features. He steps back into the office and shuts the door once more. "Who are you?" He doesn't sound exactly curious, just guarded and a little suspicious.

Dumbly Jemma says, "Jemma Simmons, sir."

"How do you know about Quinn? And Malta?" Coulson takes a step toward her and Jemma gets that interrogation room feeling all over again. "And Shanghai for that matter."

Jemma's eyes flick in Skye's direction and Coulson follows her gaze. Of course there's nothing for him to see. "Explain." He says gruffly.

Rather than waste time going over the whole seeing people who aren't there thing, Jemma just tells him the rest of the things that Skye has been able to remember about the house and the water in hopes that she'll somehow sound more credible. But she feels like she just sounds more crazy.

"I don't have time for this." Coulson says again. "I can't waste time and resources on this wild goose chase. I know that the seriousness of this matter is lost on you because you're just a student but I can assure you that I take the safety of my team very seriously. And I'm not going to jeopardize her safety by taking your word for it." He turns toward the door once more. "Now, excuse me."

"Please, sir, you have to trust me." Jemma says desperately, aware that she's only one step from dropping to her knees and begging him. Hopefully she can keep that remaining shred of dignity. "Time is running out. She doesn't have much longer. Please. You have to do something."

Jemma realizes halfway through this plea that she's giving herself away. Her personal investment in Skye's well-being and her feelings for Skye have suddenly laid themselves bare in front of Coulson and Skye and there's no going back now. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if Coulson thinks that she's unprofessional and desperate because of her developing feelings for Skye as long as he decides to listen to the words that she's saying.

Coulson looks at her for a moment longer and his gaze seems to soften and Jemma thinks that maybe she's gotten through to him after all. But he finally just shakes his head and sighs. He doesn't say anything as he leaves the office and this time Jemma doesn't bother to try and stop him because, honestly, there's no point.

Jemma just sighs, feeling her shoulders slump and for some reason she wants to start crying right there in the middle of Professor Clemens' office. Instead she just takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"Don't worry, Jemma." Skye says softly and when Jemma opens her eyes, she's surprised to see Skye standing right beside her. It's strange not to be able to feel her anymore. "At least you tried. And maybe he'll listen anyway."

"I'm sorry." Jemma says softly. She feels like they both know that her conversation with Coulson isn't going to be enough.

Skye reaches for her hand and knowing that she won't actually be able to feel Skye doesn't stop Jemma from trying.

When Fitz asks Jemma if she was able to meet with Coulson, she keeps her answer as brusque as possible, not wanting to rehash how her encounter with Coulson failed so miserably. The fact that Skye has been appearing and disappearing like a bad TV signal just makes things worse. The only silver lining that Jemma can see is that no one has showed up to do a mental evaluation on her or tell her to pack her bags. At least, that hasn't happened yet.

Jemma feels like it's pure exhaustion that causes her to fall asleep the second that her head hits the pillow because she's definitely got enough on her mind to keep her up for half the night. She barely manages to finish the conversation that she's having with Skye before her eyes drop closed and she's lost in dreamland.

This time when Jemma dreams, she dreams of Skye. But she dreams of Skye as she's technically never seen her: whole and solid and warm and completely alive. They're in a place that's unfamiliar to Jemma but in the dream she feels comfortable and content, happy to be exactly where she is. Of course, she figures that that has more to do with the fact that she's there with Skye than with anything else. Skye is smiling at her and when she pulls Jemma to her, an electric heat spreads through Jemma's body and she can taste the smile on her own lips. In a burst of daring, she closes the distance between them and kisses Skye and the kiss is returned with a fervor that makes Jemma's knees go weak and her skin grow hot.

Skye takes her face in her hands, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She kisses the tip of her nose softly and Jemma closes her eyes and smiles and pulls Skye closer to her. "Jemma." Skye whispers her name softly, like it's a sentence all on its own and Jemma opens her eyes and kisses Skye again and swallows anything else that she might think to say.

Jemma wakes from her dream way too soon and is surprised to find that her heart is beating and her chest is heaving for a completely different reason than the last time she woke up like this. Her skin is flushed and Jemma feels a longing so strong that it's almost physical.

Shaking off the last vestiges of the dream, Jemma sits up and switches on the bedside lamp. For some reason, she feels imbued with a strange sense of courage and while she's sure that late-night, sleep-muddled confessions are never a good idea, she feels like she might need to make one anyway. For better or worse.

"Skye, listen I -" Jemma pauses when she realizes that she's alone and even though this has happened before it still feels odd. "Skye?"

It's not like Jemma's expecting an answer but her heart still drops a little in her chest. She switches the lamp off again and pulls the blankets over her head, trying to will herself to fall back to sleep. It's not like Skye has never just disappeared before and it's not the first time she's ever disappeared without a warning. She'll just pop back up at an inopportune moment, just like she always does. So why does Jemma have a hard time believing that?

In the morning, Skye is still gone. Again, this isn't exactly strange but for some reason Jemma can't shake the feeling that something has happened, that something is different. That whatever is going on with Skye is permanent and that she won't be coming back. Jemma feels her body grow cold as she thinks about what that might mean. She was too late, she didn't do enough to help Skye, she didn't say enough to Coulson. She never should have let him leave without promising to believe her and help Skye. And now it's too late.

Jemma tries to shake these feelings, to assure herself that she's just jumping to conclusions but each hour that passes without Skye materializing to distract her from the work she should be doing just makes Jemma more and more certain that something horrible has happened. And what can she do now?

When Jemma tells Fitz about her concerns, he attempts to comfort her but his efforts seem flat and without any real feeling or certainty. Not that Jemma can blame him. After all, not having Skye around now isn't any different for him.

By the end of the day, Jemma is convinced that there's definitely something going on. At orientation, SHIELD's policy on secrets and information that was parceled out in pieces based on clearance level made complete sense to Jemma. Now she just finds it incredibly annoying. You'd think she would have welcomed the day that she stopped seeing people that weren't there and could return her focus back to her studies.

Jemma doesn't sleep much that night and she doesn't dream, not even the mundane dreams about homework and her class schedule that she used to have all the time before she came to the Academy. And when she wakes up in the morning, she's still alone and it's still disheartening. She was never able to truly understand how the whole thing worked, how Skye was managing to materialize in the first place when her body was elsewhere so Jemma can't even begin to speculate as to what her absence means. Did Coulson listen to her after all and send the rescue team? Or did time run out and bring Skye's limbo state to an end? Jemma doesn't believe in ghosts or the afterlife or anything that extends beyond the realms of scientific explanation. And science is pretty clear on what happens when biological function comes to an end. Jemma can only hope that whatever happened to Skye that it has more to do with the former of her hypotheses and not the latter.

"Are you all right?" Fitz questions when he meets Jemma outside her building so they can walk to Professor Hall's class together. "You're looking a bit knackered."

Jemma rolls her eyes. "Thanks Fitz." She mumbles.

Fitz's expression becomes more sympathetic and he puts his hand on her shoulder. "Is Skye still, you know…gone?"

Jemma figures that her silence is answer enough.

They find their seats in the lecture hall and Jemma forces herself to focus on the mundane activities of getting out her books and pens so she can take notes because she can't afford to let her lack of sleep or distractions impact her school performance. Her studies are the only thing she has to put her energy into now and maybe that's how it should be.

Professor Hall calls the class to order, an uncharacteristically large smile on his face. "I thought it would be interesting to you all to learn that your peers have already begun assisting active SHIELD agents in the field. Thanks to efforts made in part by our brilliant engineering students, a SHIELD agent that had been previously missing in action has been recovered and a member of the Centipede organization has been apprehended." Hall informs them. "So I hope you all continue to take your studies seriously. What you do here does matter."

Jemma sits up straighter in her desk, fighting down the urge to raise her hand and request more information from Hall. He's clearly said all that he's going to say on the subject if his shift toward the practicality of Gravitonium is any indicator. Fitz looks over at her and the expression on his face lets her know that he's thinking the same thing that she is.

Professor Hall's class has never seemed to drag on this long before.

As soon as they're dismissed, Jemma makes a beeline for Professor Hall's desk and he gives her a polite smile but doesn't pay any attention to her until she comes to stand right in front of him with an expectant look on her face. "What can I do for you, Jemma?"

"The agent that was rescued, do you happen to know her name, sir?" Jemma questions, fidgeting impatiently.

Professor Hall arches an eyebrow. "I never said it was a female agent." He remarks. "How did you know that?"

Jemma waves her hand dismissively. "That's not important."

"Oh, I think that it is."

But Jemma just bypasses that question. "Is she alive?" Hall doesn't respond and Jemma feels frustration bubble in her chest. Stupid SHIELD and their stupid secrets and their stupid levels. "Please, sir. Is she all right?"

Hall hesitates for a moment longer before replying, "All I know is that she was in bad shape when they took her to the SHIELD hospital. I don't know if she's pulled through or not." He gives her an almost sympathetic look. "I'm sorry."

Jemma thanks him for the information and goes to join Fitz, telling him what Hall just relayed to her. Fitz promises to try to dig up further information and Jemma nods without really listening. All she can think about are Hall's words about Skye's prognosis. "Bad shape" for a SHIELD agent is typically a lot worse than the phrase would suggest.

Jemma is surprised when Fitz meets her for lunch and is practically bursting with information about Skye's recovery. Apparently the engineering professors weren't quite as mum on the subject and have been gloating about their hand in the apprehension of Quinn all day. "I would have loved to see the looks on their faces when I told them the real reason they found that Quinn guy." Fitz remarks with a smile. "It would have been brilliant."

"Fitz." Jemma says impatiently. "What did you learn about Skye?"

"She's at the SHIELD hospital about an hour from here." Fitz tells her, looking disappointed that she isn't finding the humor in the situation the way that he is. "Apparently there are doctors there that Agent Coulson trusts. But that's all I could…wait, Jemma? Where are you going?"

Jemma is already getting to her feet, turning away from the table where she has been sitting with Fitz. "To the hospital." She replies without turning around.

"What about Professor Vaughn's class? Not to mention the rest of your classes." Fitz protests. "Jemma?" But she's already out of earshot.

Jemma never thought there would come a day when she would ever even consider skipping her lectures. But there's a first time for everything.

Getting past the waiting room of the SHIELD hospital proves to be far more difficult than talking to Coulson or getting even vague information out of Professor Hall. And by difficult, Jemma means downright impossible. She considers it a plus that the receptionist doesn't have security throw her back out into the parking lot. Jemma finds herself pacing the length of the room as she tries to think of a story that will convince the woman to let her see Skye or at least let her know that Skye isn't dead or dying. Jemma is starting to resign herself to the fact that she might never see Skye again and is trying to convince herself that that'll be okay as long as she knows that Skye is all right.

Unfortunately improvisation and lying have never been her strong points so Jemma's brainstorming isn't going very well. Plus the receptionist is just watching her as she paces, an unimpressed look on her face, so Jemma feels like even the most ingenious story won't get her very far.

It's difficult to say who is more surprised: Jemma when she turns around and sees Coulson walking through the automatic doors or Coulson when he takes off his sunglasses and sees Jemma standing there gaping at him. Coulson just sighs and beckons to Jemma and she can't see any other option so she just slinks over.

"I'm not sure what I'm most curious about right now." Coulson begins. "How you knew exactly where to find Skye or what you're doing here right now."

Jemma isn't sure whether or not she's expected to offer up any sort of reply so she remains silent until Coulson gives her an expectant look. "I heard that you found her." She tells Coulson. "I wanted, I mean I had hoped, I thought I might…" Jemma sighs and takes a deep breath. "I wanted to make sure that she was okay."

Coulson starts down the hallway toward the elevator bay and gestures for Jemma to follow after him. She can't resist giving the receptionist a victorious smile as she goes walking by.

"I don't understand any of this." Coulson says as he steps into the elevator with Jemma at his heels. "But I'm sort of past the point of caring right now. We were lucky to find Skye when we did. Quinn and the rest of his group had been torturing her for information; she was dehydrated, malnourished, not to mention…" He trails off and Jemma is slightly grateful that he's deciding to omit the details of exactly how Quinn had been trying to get information out of Skye. Jemma is pretty sure she doesn't have the stomach for that sort of conversation. "You were right. She was out of time. I don't know how you did it, I don't know what any of this means. But thank you."

Jemma returns his smile, surprised by the gratitude. At least there's someone other than Fitz who doesn't seem to think that she's completely crazy. It's a relief. But so is knowing that Skye is alive and recovering.

Coulson walks Jemma down the hallway toward Skye's room and offers to give her a few minutes of privacy with Skye, which Jemma feels is his way of continuing to thank her for whatever strange part she played in all of this. Jemma takes a deep breath as she steps into the room, feeling a nervous fluttering in her chest. This feels different from all the other times she's seen or been around Skye. This is something else entirely.

Skye looks like a far cry from the woman that Jemma has been seeing for the past several days. Her face is bruised and spotted with lacerations and her neck and shoulders don't look much better. Her arm is in a splint and any further injuries are hidden by the thin blanket draped across her torso and lower body. Jemma draws in a breath, curling her fingers into the palm of her hand. She hopes that the SHIELD agents currently responsible for interrogating Quinn are giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Skye stirs and her eyes flutter open and Jemma takes a step toward her, her mouth going dry, fumbling with the proper way to greet Skye. What exactly is the protocol for this situation? The barrage of emotions flooding through her body right now aren't exactly helping her think straight.

"Hello." Jemma says softly and while it's not exactly witty or personal, it's a start.

Skye looks at her, her expression slowly turning to one of confusion. "What are you doing here?" Her voice is raw and lacking the verve that Jemma has come to expect and love.

Jemma inhales sharply and feels her heart plummet. Skye doesn't know her. It seems completely unfair that after everything, after the connection they'd seemed to share and the feelings that Jemma had been unable to ignore, that Skye would have no idea who she was. But that Skye isn't the one that Jemma is seeing now. Jemma takes a step back toward the door and gives her an apologetic smile. She'd rather leave than try to explain any of this to Skye, especially not when she feels like her heart is breaking.

"Don't you have class?" Skye continues, mustering a weak smile. "I thought nothing came before class."

A wave of relief floods through Jemma's body and she can't keep from grinning, feeling tears prick her eyes. She blinks them away, feeling foolish but she can't seem to get the stupid grin off her face. "I think I can make an exception."

Skye holds out her unbandaged hand and Jemma goes to her side immediately, twining their fingers together. This time, Skye feels warm and solid beneath her touch.

end.