[Video]

[morethan084]

[It's later in the evening when Skye finally tries the video feature on her communicator. Sat on her bed as she finally taps the button to turn it on.]

Uh, right. So, hi. My name's Skye, sorry, been a while since I’ve done something like this. Not that you would-

[Skye wants to turn the video off and start over, but she can't.]

Right. Forgot I can’t exactly start over. So, mine name’s Skye. I come from, well, a lot of places. I work for something called S.H.I.E.L.D., which, apparently, not a lot of people around here are familiar with. We helped protect the public from finding out about superheroes. And no, not just the Avengers.

Gotta be honest, not too happy to be here considering I was brought here against my will. But I know I’m not the only one here.

[Finally Skye pauses.]

Sorry. Kind of went off on a tangent. Is anyone even out there right now?

Comments

[hostage]

"The number of people who know anything about me is really, really small," Jesse replies with a light shrug. "Then again, you had plenty of time to do it before and you didn't. It coulda been our history that was stopping you, and that's outta the way now. But maybe there's something else. Maybe there's a part of you that thinks I'm right about all this."

[morethan084]

That response only serves to annoy her. Throat tightening up as she inhaled deeply, Skye can't help but be reminded of Ward. Who she had also grown close to, only to be betrayed. To have her feelings manipulated, or attempted to be manipulated by someone she had once cared about.

Because of that, it's easy to see the flash of anger in her eyes.

"Just because you used to know me doesn't mean you still know me. A lot of things have happened to me, and I'm not about to feel bad for you just because you've put yourself in this position. Whether you think it's the right position is your problem."

[hostage]

He knows she's thinking about Ward. That parallel has been drawn since before Skye ever even learned of Jesse's true nature. Jesse isn't angry, though. He's heartbroken, and even that pain is neatly tucked away for now, waiting for a moment alone. Rueful is as far as he'll go while she's watching. God knows he doesn't mean to make her feel guilty for condemning him.

"You're right. You got no reason to care about me or what I get up to or what happens to me because of it. Skye, whatever you decide to do is gonna be your choice. I can't fold but I also can't stop you. You're gonna do what you think is the good, decent thing to do. I always loved that about you. I'm not about to talk you out of it."

[morethan084]

Hearing him say those words, that he loved her. It made her feel sick to her stomach. Not only because of the things he told her, but because she also had absolutely no memory of him whatsoever.

"Yeah, well, you might change your mind on all of that." It could be perceived as a threat rather easily.

[hostage]

And he does perceive it as one. Jesse smiles anyway - not because he's laughing at her, but because he expected nothing less. "Do what you gotta do. But be careful. Don't make your move unless you can take all of us down. I can't protect you from the people I work for. I can't even protect myself."

[morethan084]

"I can protect myself." Skye replied stubbornly. It's not like that's anything new to her. Looking out for herself, it's literally something she's been doing ever since she was a kid.

[hostage]

"I know." Not that he wants to encourage her too much, because if anyone can get at her, it's Walt. But... "You're a hell of a lot stronger than me."

[morethan084]

Of course Skye doesn't know about Walt, and even if she had, she would've stubbornly said the same thing.

"Yeah, well..." Skye wasn't sure if he meant emotionally or physically. Or both. After all, she did almost kill him.

"I'm not going to tell anyone. But if I hear about something happening again, don't think I'll hesitate."

[hostage]

She's stronger than him in every way.

"Like I said... Do what you gotta do."

[morethan084]

"Do you want to be caught?!" He was literally making no sense what so ever.

[hostage]

"Nah. If I end up in jail, I'll be dead like within a day." Such is the system of maintaining silence and secrecy in their line of work. "I just know I'm not gonna be able to talk you outta anything. And I'm sure as hell not gonna lay a hand on you."

[morethan084]

So then she would've killed him either way. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Skye got up off the bench, all the while maintaining eye contact with him.

"But your sellers wouldn't, because what are they without their ring leader, right?"

[hostage]

Jesse stays right where he is, eyes fixed on hers. "I ain't alone at the top. Which makes me all kinds of expendable."

[morethan084]

"Right. The person's name who you won't say and are clearly scared of." Yeah, she noticed. Kind of hard not to.

"That's a shitty way to live."

[hostage]

"I'm used to it." It should give her some comfort, though, shouldn't it? Crime doesn't pay and the bad guy gets what's coming to him.

[morethan084]

Nope, it really doesn't.

"Why couldn't you have just been this upfront with me to begin with? Did you really think I'd never figure it out?"

[hostage]

"I knew, eventually..." Jesse sighs, sitting forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I loved you. I could pretend you loved me. And I liked the person I was with you, the person you thought I was. For a little bit, I got to live in a different life, you know? The life that had you in it. I wanted that to last as long as it could - before it turned into this." The rightful disdain she has for him, the evolution of their relationship from lovers into enemies.

[morethan084]

"Right, because when you love someone you lie to them," Skye replied with sarcastic sympathy. "You say you know everything about me and yet you lied to me, knowing how bad my trust issues are to begin with."

[hostage]

"What I did to you was wrong." Jesse will admit that without making any excuses for it. "It's unforgivable. I'd never ask you to forgive me for it. What happened between us is my fault. I hurt you in all kinds of ways you didn't deserve, and I'm glad you don't remember it now, because at least the pain is over for you. But even that... That doesn't undo it for me. I'm the same lying son of a bitch I ever was. I know that."

[morethan084]

"Except it's not over for me." Skye told him bluntly. "Every one around here, people I haven't even met before, or don't remember meeting, have such high expectations for me. They all expect me to remember relationships that I don't. And you-"

Skye inhaled deeply, feeling her heart pounding in her chest at this point.

"You know too much about me."

[hostage]

Jesse nods, raising his eyes to her again. He understands. In the same way Walt has an entire year of memories that Jesse doesn't have yet. He knows how this feels, that uneven emotional terrain and the sense that your secrets and the things you don't even know about yourself might end up thrown in your face. "I'm sorry," is all he can say. Short of killing himself, he doesn't know how to fix that problem.