Skimmons Elevator

“Let’s go, Jem, I’m starving!”

Skye paced in front of the hotel room door, waiting impatiently for her fiancé to get her stuff together so they could go eat. Simmons was tracing every inch of the room in search of some little lost necessity of hers.

“I’m coming. I’m coming, just give me a minute.”

A little noise of triumph came from the other room and Skye looked over to see Jemma walking over holding a little container of chap stick.

“Really? That was what all the fuss was about? We could just got you a new one.”

“Perhaps, but why?”

Skye shook her head, a little exasperated smile showing through, and opened the door as Simmons walked past her into the hallway of the dinky old hotel that they were staying at for the time. The situation had made them tense and it was certainly putting a bit of a strain on their relationship as they tried to juggle the chaos at work with the emotional ups and downs of being engaged.  They continued chatting as they walked down the hall towards the elevator, they weren’t going very far but Jemma still insisted on bringing two purses and an emergency kit with them anyway, she was anything if not prepared. They pushed the button and entered the elevator where, after punching the correct floor, Skye took the left corner and Jemma took the right corner. 

“I wish they still played music in these things.”

“Yes, that would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

They were about halfway down when everything stopped and the lights flickered off, both the women were jolted down with the sudden stop. 

“What happened?”

Skye’s voice was panicked and high, she remained in the corner while Jemma stood up and rummaged through her bags.

“The electric must have gone out. A lot of these old places don’t have the back up generators that the cities do. I’ll see if I can get a call out.”

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number only to put it down a few seconds later. 

“Damn! Cells out too”

She turned around and started searching through her bags for the flashlight that she had brought, completely oblivious to Skye whose breathe was becoming increasingly more erratic and panicked. 

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait it out.”

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

The scared tone in Skye’s voice caused Jemma to look back, it was so unlike her fiancé’s strong and confident voice.

“Probably not very long.. Skye, are you okay?”

There was no reply and the scientist turned around and made her way to the other side where Skye was, in the dark lighting it was nearly impossible to make out her features. Jemma slowly got down on her knee’s, trying not to jostle anything or fall in the dark. She reached out an uncertain hand to the corner where Skye was sitting, The woman flinched violently as her hand came in contact with the agent’s arm and her breathing became more rapid.

“Skye.. Are you.. Are you claustrophobic, darling?”

She was answered with a tiny sob and suddenly the weight of the current situation became clear to the scientist. She grabbed the little flash light and turned it on, facing the ceiling. Skye jumped again and now Jemma could see some of the discomfort her fiancé was going through, the agent was pressed as far back as humanly possible into the corner. Her knees were drawn up and she had her arms wrapped around her legs which were shaking, her face was nearly buried next to her drawn up legs. Skye’s eyes were dilated and wide as she looked straight ahead intensely at nothing in particular and her face was red with drops of sweat falling over her puffy cheeks. 

“Baby, don’t worry, we’re going to get out of here very soon now.”

The encouragement had absolutely no effect on the panicking woman and Jemma looked around hopelessly for help that wasn’t there. She reached over slowly and gently wiped some of the sweat off Skye’s brow and lightly pushed some of her hair away from her eyes.

“Skye, baby, I need you to lie down for me, okay”

She moved her hand down and tried to move the panicking woman’s shoulders down a little but stopped when Skye tensed up and pulled away, her breathing getting increasingly worse until Jemma was legitimately worried that she would pass out.  She moved a little closer and blocked Skye’s line of vision until she had no choice but to look the scientist in the eye. 

“Skye, do you trust me?”

The agent paused before nodding, tears beginning to fall down along with the sweat. 

“Okay, so I need you to trust me when I say ‘lay down’. I’m right here and we will get through this, okay. Now come here, I promise I’ve got you.”

She pulled on the agent’s shoulders again, this time Skye let her pull her down to the floor where she closed her eyes and tried yet again to breathe properly. Jemma moved her leg underneath the agent’s head, she stroked her hair lightly and hummed an old nursery rhyme that she had learned back in school. Skye’s breathing was still labored but as she lay using Jemma as a pillow with her eyes squeezed shut, she slowly began to calm down, it wasn’t great but she wasn’t hyperventilating anymore.  Jemma looked around willing the power to come back on, she guessed that she could probably figure out a way to get the elevator moving again but she was afraid to leave her Fiancé’s side. Skye opened her eyes and looked up at the scientist, inhaling two quick breathes consecutively.

“Thank you, Jem..”

Jemma looked down and tilted her head. 

“For what?”

“For taking care of me..”

The scientist smiled and put the cool side of her hand on the agent’s hot cheek.

“I’ll always take care of you, Skye, I promised that long before we were even together.”

Skye closed her eyes again as another wave of panic swept through her.

“Yeah, I know.. I just-- I just feel so weak right now..”

“That’s okay, Skye. That’s why we have each other.. We’re not always going to be strong but we always know we have each other to lean on so you don’t always have to be strong because I’ll be here to help you back up when you fall. And I know you’ll do the same for me..”

Skye’s eye’s had begun to wonder as Jemma spoke softly and sweetly until she looked almost as if she was about to fall asleep.

“Yeah, but you take care of me a lot more than I can take care of you.”

Jemma laughed 

“I doubt that somehow.”

The women were just starting to calm down when the lights flashed on and the elevator creaked alive violently with a jolt downward. The women jumped and grabbed each other instinctively. Jemma got up and hit another button with more force than was usual for her, Skye took a few more deep breathes and then smiled as the doors opened back on their floor. She practically ran out into the hallway despite the fact that she was still rather weak from the experience. She looked around and then turned around to face Jemma.  

“Wait.. We’re back on our floor.”

“Yes.”

“What about the food?”

Jemma took Skye’s hand and led her down the hallway to their room, the event had finally hit her and she look pale and tired now that she knew Skye was going to be okay.

“We’re ordering a pizza, darling."