#freke

"Freddy?"  Dark hair and sharp features flashed to the front of Dekes mind.

The four took off running down the hallways, then they heard a suppressed gunshot.  Daisy quaked the robots away and went to finish them off.  They rounded the corner and saw a woman bleeding on the ground and Freddy sitting against the wall.

"What is all this?"  Freddy asked breathlessly, staring at the three men.

"We're saving your life."  Deke answered and held his hand out.  "Let's go."

Freddy looked at him for a second, then took his hand and stood up.  Deke might have held on for a second longer than needed, but nobody noticed.

"We'll keep him safe.  Meet back at Koenigs."  Mack said, then followed Deke and Freddy down the hallway to the back exit.  Their stolen truck was back there.  Mack got in the drivers seat, Deke in the passengers, and Freddy in the back.

"The cops will be on us any minute,"  Deke turned in his seat to look out the back window.

"Any idea why they're after you, kid?"  Mack glanced in the rear view mirror as he drove.

"No, none."  Freddy leaned forward.  "I-I'm just supposed to make a delivery tonight."

"Well, if they wanted to stop him, we better make sure they don't."  Deke looked to Mack.

"Tell us where you need to go."  Mack said to Freddy.

A siren flared to life behind them, the cops were chasing them.

"Faster!"  Freddy yelled, looking out the back window.  "They're gaining on us!"

"This boat won't go any faster!"  Mack yelled back.

"We gotta give 'em the slip."  Freddy told the other two.

"Yeah, and we gotta lose them, too."  Deke suggested.  He felt Freddys eyes on him, and the look on his face told him they had said virtually the same thing.

Mack turned off the engine and drifted into an abandoned alley.  the three ducked down under the line of sight from the windows.  The police car sped off down the street, and the three men sat up in their seats.

Freddy laughed.  "So long, Coppers."

"Where do we go now?"  Mack asked.

Freddy smiled and clapped them both on the shoulder.  "Gotta deliver the goods."  Then he opened the door and jumped out of the car.

Mack and Deke made eye contact, then followed.  Freddy opened the bed of the truck, revealing their other clothes.  "Might wanna get out of those fancy duds, you kinda stick out."

As Mack grabbed his other shirt and jacket, Deke snatched up the radio.  "This is Deke."  He said into it.  "Hello?  Is anyone there?"  Nobody answered.

"What's that?"  Freddy nodded to the device Deke was holding.  

"It's like a, uh, telephone."  Mack tried to explain.  "Deke's an inventor."

"Hello?  Is anyone out there?  Daisy?"  Deke wasn't paying attention to the others.  "Jemma?  Coulson?"  A beat, and still no answer.  "These things suck."  Deke tossed the walkie down into the truck.  "They have, like, zero range."

"It's gotta be plugged into something."  Freddy said, like it was the most obvious thing.

"No, I know how they're supposed to work"  Deke picked up his clothes.  "I can fix it."

"This is the delivery?"  Mack picked up a bottle.  "More booze?  They'd kill you over this?"

"This is the highest grade giggle juice ever made."  Freddy took the bottle.  "A lot of people would kill to get their paws on the formula."

Mack sighed.  "If we're going to protect you, you need to be honest with us."

Then Freddy said something Deke couldn't understand even if he tried, and then they started driving again, to a train yard.

They carried the four cases of alcohol out of the car and set them on the ground.  

"Who's the buyer for all this?"  Mack asked as Deke looked up at the night sky and fixed his tie.

"Some guy, I dunno."  Freddy shrugged.

"What's he look like?"  Mack tried.

"No idea."  Freddy slipped his hands into his pockets.

"When does he get here?"  Deke asked.

Freddy smiled, like he just said something funny.  "He doesn't.  The meet-up is 500 miles away."

Deke and Mack shared a look.  "That's a lot of miles, we don't have time for that."

"Why'd you have us unload this, then?"  Mack sounded close to angry.

"So you can take the car and go."  Freddy told them.  "This is where we go our separate ways, fellas."  A train whistle blew in the distance, getting closer.  "That's my ride.  I appreciate you saving my life," he looked right at Deke as he said that, "I owe you one."

"We're not leaving you."  Deke said before he knew what he was doing.  Luckily, Mack nodded.

"I don't need no body guard."  Freddy shook his head, the train rumbling closer.  

"The cops that are after you, they're not the type to give up."  Deke said seriously.  "They're gonna keep coming until they finish you off."

Freddy stared into Dekes eyes for a long, silent moment.  Then he nodded wordlessly, and the three men got on the train.

Freddy was fiddling with the small radio, Mack was sitting on the floor of the box car, and Deke was looking out at the passing scenery.

"You really invented these?"  Freddy asked.  Deke looked back, met Macks eyes, who nodded, then back to Freddy.

"Yeah, I did."  Deke took off his hat and sat next to Freddy.  "It's just a prototype."

"And you can talk to someone on it?"  Freddy was smiling in disbelief.  "It doesn't have to be plugged in?"  He met Dekes eyes.  "You must be real smart."

Mack sighed, got up, and walked to the other side of the car.  "I'm going to get some rest."  The look he gave Deke conveyed: don't do anything stupid.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Freddy spoke.

"Deke."  He said the name like it was a foreign word.  "That's a funny name.  Where're you from?"

"Upstate," Deke said, the answer he gave anyone who asked that same question, "near lake Ontario."

Freddy smiled.  "Is that why you don't understand any slang from the city?  You've never been?"

"I think the slang is horrible and I'm not even going to try to understand, but I like the accent."  Deke laughed.

Freddy nodded.  There was another stretch of awkward silence.

"So, uh," Freddy scratched his head, "at the party, you walked in with a real pretty lady."

Deke furrowed his brow in confusion, then realized who he was talking about.  "Oh, that's just Daisy.  She's a friend."

Freddy laughed quietly.  "Just a friend?  You mean she's not your girl?"

Deke shook his head with a smile.  "No, Daisy isn't anyones girl."  

"That's too bad," Freddys smile sent something through Deke, "I would've thought a handsome guy like you would have girls lined up."

Deke flushed and looked away.  "You're really smooth, you know that?"

"I should hope so."  Freddy leaned forward and offered the Walkie-Talkie.  When Deke took it, their hands brushed.  Freddy leaned farther forward and placed his hand on Dekes arm.

The next thing Deke knew, a pair of lips were on his.  Something that surprised him very much.  The kiss short, but it was hot.

Seconds after it started, it stopped.  Freddy pulled back, looking slightly sheepish, leaving Deke red and breathless.  "Sorry, I shouldn't have-"

Deke grabbed Freddy by his tie and pulled him in again, capturing his lips in his own.  They almost fell back, but Freddy braced his hand on the wall of the car, bringing his other hand up to Dekes hair, still stiff from the gel.  Deke hummed and opened his mouth into the kiss, screwing his eyes shut.

Freddy got off his chair and climbed into Dekes lap, straddling his hips, never breaking the kiss in the process.  He leaned a little too far forward, and Dekes chain fell back.  The two fell to the floor in a crash, and they laughed breathlessly as they lay on the uncomfortable wood.  Deke was about to lean up for another kiss, when--

"Hey, are you--?"  Mack stood up in a hurry, and stopped dead when he saw the two men on the floor.  "Deke!"  Freddy pushed himself up and away from Deke.  

"Whaaaat?"  Deke dragged out the word with a sigh and let his head fall to the floor.

"Hey, if you got a problem with--"  Freddy stood up and tried to look threatening, but Mack waved him off.

"I don't care, just don't do that while I'm in the room!"  Mack ran a hand down his face.

"Do you want us to jump cars?"  Deke sat up shook his head, showing off his messily ruffled hair.  

Mack looked away from the two.  "Either that or stop."

"It's a box car, there aren't doors on the end you can just jump between."  Freddy piped up, fixing his tie.  

Mack shook his head and gestured vaguely to the opposite end of the car, walking back to where he dropped his coat and hat.

Deke pushed himself off the floor and offered his hand to Freddy, pulling him behind a stack of boxes that were there before they got on.  They both sat on the floor, Freddy with his back to the boxes and Mack, and Deke against the wall.

"So," Freddy started awkwardly, "your friend doesn't mind all . . ." he gestured between the two.

Deke shook his head nonchalantly.  "No, he's fine."  He smiled jokingly.  "He just thinks I'm annoying."  The rumble of the train and the slight shaking of the cargo drowned out whatever noise Mack was making, so their hushed voices wouldn't reach him.  At Freddys unconvinced expression, Deke gave a more serious answer.  "Where we grew up, it was different.  It was like a different time," he smiled softly at his own joke, "it wasn't exactly New York City."

"Greatest city in the world."  Freddy smiled sadly.  "My old man took a walk off a tall building after the market crashed.  I'm kinda glad he never found out about this."

"I'm sorry."  Deke reached out and placed his hand on Freddys knee, trying to be comforting.  "My dad, he . . . he left when I was twelve.  Died a few years ago."

Freddy placed his hand on top of Dekes and smiled sadly.  Something crossed his face, and he shifted himself forward.  "When I make this delivery, come with me."

Deke tilted his head slightly.  "What?"

"It's not just whiskey."  Freddy whispered excitedly.  "There's something else, and when I give it to the buyer, I'm going to get back everything my family lost and more.  Come with."  He kissed Deke quickly.  "We can--"

"Mackenzie . . ."  The radio crackled to life.  ". . . can you . . . information . . ."

Deke and Freddy quickly stood up and ran around the pile of boxes.  Freddy stopped short, staring at his open crates of liquor.

". . . Wilfred . . ."  Enochs voice fizzled out as Mack picked up the walkie.

"Enoch, I copy, do you hear me?"  Mack waited for a response, but none came.  Freddy slowly stepped around Deke and toward his shipment.  "Enoch, do you copy?  Over."

"What the hell was he doing?"  Freddy pointed to the alcohol crates and spoke to Deke.  He started rifling through them, making sure everything was there while Mack spoke into the radio.  "Wanna tell me why you're snooping through my goods?"  

Mack lowered the radio with a sigh, stepping closer to Freddy.  "I need to know who and what we're dealing with.  You may not think there's more to this, but I do."

Freddy turned back to Deke.  "So, was that just to distract me?"  His face went from suspicious to angry.  "Keep me busy while your friend looks through my cargo?"  The last few words grew to a yell and Deke shook his head.

"Just let me inspect the bottles."  Mack said calmly.  

"And get me killed?"  Freddy whipped back around.  "I deliver open bottles.  What's that say about me?  That I'm a snoop?"

"You're not curious?"  Mack asked.

"Curious'll get you kill faster than trust."  Freddy looked back at Deke as he said that.

"Let's just get him there and be done with it."  Deke said to Mack.  "It's ripples, not waves, right?"

Mack ignored Deke, instead stepping closer to Freddy.  "Step aside."

The two stood in a silent challenge for a moment, then Freddy stepped aside.

"Deke, give me a hand."  Mack said and picked up a bottle.  Deke hesitated, looking back at Freddy, before slowly following the order.

A gun clicked.  "Like I said," Freddys voice was quiet, "I can't let you do that."

"Put the gun down."  Mack said evenly.

"You need to listen to Deke, here."  Freddy gestured to the man in question with the gun.  "Just let me do my job, and we can all go home."

There was a long, excruciating moment of silence.  Finally, Freddy stepped back and pointed to two boxes.  "Both of you, sit down."  His voice was shaking, barely noticeable, but it was there.

Slowly, the three men all sat down.  Freddy refused to look at Deke.  They sat.  Time passes.  The sun rose over the horizon.  All in silence.  All with Freddy pointing that gun.

"Why don't you come clean."  Freddy said suddenly, the train still rumbling along the tracks.  "You ain't bootleggers, and you definitely ain't from around here."

"Okay, you're right."  Deke sat up straighter.  "We were sent a very, very, very long way to make sure that you don't die."

"Why?"  Freddy asked, leaning forward slightly.  "'Cause I'm this 'thread'?  What does that even mean?"

"It's complicated," Mack looked up from his hands, "but Deke's right.  Our job is to protect you.  How do you know your buyer?"

"I know her, the lady who sent me to do this."  Freddy gripped the revolver tighter.  "She knew my father.  And she's giving me a chance to be something he never could."  He looked at Deke, then, a question in his eyes.  A question of, would you still go with me?

Before Deke could do anything to answer, the whistle ripped through the air and the train car shook.  Mack leapt forward, tackling Freddy.  The gun fell from his hand, and Deke picked it up.

They brought the crates of alcohol out to the pier.  As Mack started looking for whatever was hidden inside, someone spoke from the other end of the radio.

"Mack?  Deke?"  It was Daisy.  "Are you there?"

"Hey, it's Deke."  He picked it up and answered.

"Finally.  We're on our way to you.  You guys have to be ready to leave as soon as we arrive. We have no time.  Where's Mack?"

"He's with Freddy."  Deke walked a little farther away from the pair, but kept his eyes on them.  Freddy spared a glance every now and then.

"Freddy is not what he seems.  He is very dangerous."

"Freddy?"  Deke turned around and watched the water, squinting against the sun.  "Nah, he's alright.  He's just in a tight spot.  We kind of have a lot in common, actually."  Thoughts of the previous night made themselves known in his head.

"No, you don't.  Trust me."  Daisy cut him off quickly.  "Do not let him out of your sight."

"Okay, don't worry."  Deke said nervously, looking back at the man in question, who was staring back at him.  "I-I got him in my sight and my finger on the trigger."

A beat of silence.  "You have a gun?"

"Yeah, it's Freddys."

Another beat.  "Take the shot."

Dekes eyes widened and he stared down at the radio.  "Pardon?"

"That's Wilfred Malick, future head of Hydra."  Daisy said.  "If you kill him now, you'll save thousands of lives in the future."

Dekes stomach dropped.  He stared down at the gun, not listening to Daisy anymore.  He set the radio down and approached the others.

"Mack."  Deke said seriously.  "They're on their way, and we have to leave as soon as possible."

Mack nodded and popped the cork of one of the bottles, and started pouring.  "We'll be ready."

"One more thing."  Deke looked at Freddy, then back at Mack.  "Daisy says this is Wilfred Malick."

Freddy looked between them.  Dekes hesitation and Macks shock.  "My name, so what?"

"She told me to kill him."  Deke couldn't look at Freddy, not even when he heard the sputtering questions.

Mack thought for multiple seconds, paying no mind to the vial of green liquid that falls out of the bottle in his hand.  "She did?"

Deke nodded, glancing at Freddy.  He was staring in horror back.

"Watch him."  Mack said and walked over to where the radio was set down.

Mack started talking into the radio, and Freddy started talking to Deke.

"My guy's here in a few minutes," Freddy sounded desperate, "we can still go, get everything we want in life."

"Freddy," Deke closed his eyes, "I can't leave my team."

"They want to kill me."  Freddy stepped forward and gripped the other man's arm.

"They're my family."  Deke hissed.  "Would you leave your family on a whim?"

Freddy gripped Dekes hand tightly.  "Please, Deke."

He sighed.  Then his head jerked up when he heard something.  A car.  A car with multiple police officers in it.

"Get down!"  Deke yelled and fired Freddys gun at the Chronicoms before ducking behind the wooden boxes.

By the end of the fight, Freddy was on his way to creating Hydra, Enoch was gone, and the rest of the team was in 1955.

- - -

"Deke, I gave you an order."  Daisy said over without looking up from the file she was reading.  "Why didn't you follow it?"

"It was murder."  He responded plainly, tossing aside his own file and picking a new one up.  "You ordered me to murder a guy who hadn't done anything wrong yet."

"It was a tough call, but--"

"I couldn't do it."  Deke cut her off.  His cheeks seemed to go slightly pink.

Daisy scoffed.  "Why not?  You never used to shy away from this kind of stuff."

"Daisy, he kissed me."  Deke looked at her and tossed the file down.  She froze and looked up.  He was definitely flustered, and he looked away as soon as she met his eyes.

"You're serious?"  Daisy lowered her voice to a whisper.  When his face just got more red, she laughed in disbelief.  "Oh, God, you're serious.  You made out with the father of the guy who sent your grandparents to a different planet."

"Don't mock me, I'm having a personal crisis!"  Deke hissed and glanced at the door to the lab.

"Does Mack know?"  Daisy leaned forward.  If possible, his face got even more flushed.  "I'm so sorry."  They went back to reading the files in silence.  Suddenly, Daisy spoke again; "So . . . if it was still 2019 and you met Freddy Malick, would you go out with him?"

"Daisy!"  Deke pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What?"  She glanced up from her file.  He was glaring at her.  "That's not a no."

Deke groaned and tossed his file aside.  "This crisis kind of ongoing, so id you can stop making fun of me--"

"Wait, shut up."  Daisy picked up his discarded file and stared at the name.  "We can talk more about this later."

"What is it?"  Deke leaned over to see what he missed.

"Daniel Sousa."

This man turned out to be important, and they needed to help him.  So, Yo-Yo and Deke went out to retrieve a device for Coulson and Sousa.

After the only words exchanged through the otherwise silent car ride were the directions read from a map, Yo-Yo tried to start a conversation.  "You're quiet."  She pointed out.

Deke tried to play it off as not being an experienced driver, but she could tell he was lying.

"In the 30s, you drove fine."  She leveled him with a look.  "Is it what Daisy asked you to do?"

Deke sighed an closed his eyes for a second.  "A little."

Elena waited.  And waited.  "And?"

"Promise not to laugh."  Deke glanced out the window at the houses.  "Daisy laughed and now I just feel worse."

"I promise."  Elena glanced at the street map again.

Deke blew a long sigh out of his mouth.  "In the 30s, Freddy Malick kissed me."  He was met with stunned silence.

"Is that why you didn't shoot him?"  Elena asked after a minute.  Deke shook his head.

"Not the whole reason."  He glanced out the windows again.  "He was scared, asked me to go with him to start Hydra.  I couldn't shoot him."

Elena sighed and studied the map again.  "Is that why Mack is acting weird around you?  He caught you two?"  Deke nodded wordlessly.  "Wow.  If you need to . . . talk about it, or something, you can talk to me."

"Thanks."  Deke smiled slightly.  "How close are we?"

"We . . ." she dragged the word out.  "We just passed it."

They split up as soon as they entered the house, searching for whatever briefcase they were supposed to get.  Elena drew her gun and walked up the staircase, while Deke explored the ground level.

Deke was walking through one of the bathrooms when he heard a floorboard creak on the other side of the wall.  A man stepped into view, and Deke started backing away, searching his pockets for a weapon that wasn't there without taking his eyes off the person in front of him.  He should have been more worried about the man behind him.

There was a sharp pain on the back of his head, and Dekes world went sideways and dark.

He woke up to someone slapping him, and he gasped and sat up.  He had been lying across the back seat of a car.

"Rise and shine, big brain."  One of his assailants said.  Deke was seeing starts, and not just because it was night.

He was dragged out of the car and into a large house, to a fancy looking study with a man sitting behind a desk.  As soon as the door closed, Deke jerked his arm out of the grip of the men who kidnapped him.

"Here's your scientist, boss."  One of them said.  The man behind the desk was shrouded in darkness, so Deke couldn't make out his face.

He stood up and slowly made his way around the desk.  He stared at Deke for several seconds.  "Leave us," he said to the two men behind the guest, "I want to speak to him alone."

This man knew who Deke was, but Deke did not know him.  The two men left the room, and now Deke was alone with this stranger.

The man reached out his hand to touch Dekes face.  Deke took a step back.  He wouldn't flinch, no matter how creepy this got.  The man seemed slightly hurt.

"Deke."  He knew his name.  How did this man know his name?  "Take a seat."

"I'll stand, if that's alright with you."  Deke tried to sound confident, smoothing out his jacket.

"You look exactly the same."  The man chuckled.  When Deke didn't laugh along, he frowned.  "Do you remember me?"

"Can't say I do, no."  But Deke was getting a feeling in his gut that he knew the man in front of him.

"That's fine, it's been a long time."  The man unbuttoned his blazer.  "The name is Wilfred."

"Freddy . . ." It clicked immediately.  This was Hydra.

Freddy smiled.  He reached out, grabbed Dekes tie, and pulled him in.  Deke did not expect to meet Malick again, and he certainly didn't expect resuming whatever they started in that train car.

The kiss was just as it had been twenty years ago (two days for Deke), hot and short.  Deke had no idea what to do.  He had to get back to the Zypher, back to the team.  But Freddy had him by the back of his neck and was biting his bottom lip.

Freddy moved his hand up until his fingers were tangled in Dekes hair and worked to loosen his tie with the other hand.  Malick had a beard now, and way more confidence.  Deke tried to pull away, but Freddy just gripped his hair tighter and kissed harder.

Deke gasped from the pain on his scalp, and Freddy took that as an invitation to use tongue.

Dekes tie had been fully undone and tossed aside, and the top buttons on his shirt were next.  The encounter had become sufficiently uncomfortable, seeing as he was now more than twenty years younger than the other man.  Deke needed to get out before this went any further.  

Deke brought his hands up to Malicks chest and pushed.  "Freddy," he tried to say, "Freddy, stop."  Freddy did not stop, but he slowed down.  Deke could finally pull his head fully away.  "I can't be here."

Malick sighed and bowed his head, catching both Dekes wrists when he tried to pull his hand away.  If he felt Deke flinch, he didn't care, because he didn't let go.  "So, you're a S.H.I.E.L.D scientist now?"

"Something like that."  Deke said stiffly, trying to free his right hand.  

"I'm guessing Agent Sousa told you about his suspicions?"  Malick squeezed the other mans wrists tighter.  

Deke had never met Daniel Sousa, but he had to play along to get out of this alive.  "I guess this is it."  He blinked and looked around the room.  "Hydra?"

Malick hummed and brought Dekes right hand up to his mouth, kissing it softly.  "I can make a spot for you.  It's not to late."  When he got no answer, he continued.  "You saved my life twenty-four years ago.  I want to repay you."

"Not like this, Freddy."  Deke whispered.  "How did your life get here?"

Malick finally let of him.  "You do what you gotta do."

Deke remembered those words vividly, it felt like he said those words years ago, and not just days.  "I can't be a part of this."  He said.  "My team--"

Malick scoffed and started rummaging around his desk.  "The same team that ordered you to kill me?"

"That was just one persons order."  Deke knew what he was about to say was completely stupid, but he said it anyway.  "Maybe . . . maybe she knew what you would go on to do."

A gun clicked.  The revolver looked so much like the one Malick pointed at Mack and Deke on that train.  Deke threw his hands out in front of him, he didn't know what for, though.  The gesture was useless.

"You're a smart guy.  Start making smart decisions."  Malicks voice didn't shake, and neither did his hand, not anymore.  "I offered you multiple chances to join me.  And you turned down every single one."

"Freddy, please," Deke kept his voice as steady as possible, "put that down."  Malick pulled back the hammer.  "What happened to wanting to repay me?"

Malick thought on that.  Slowly, he lowered the gun.  "Fine.  Get out."  Deke let a relieved smile cross his face, before turning to the door to the study and fumbling with the handle.  "One thing before you go."  Deke froze.  "If I ever see you again, I won't be so generous."

Deke nodded slowly and opened the door.  

- - -

Back on the Zypher, Deke was sitting in the lab by himself, rubbing his head where he had been hit.  He groaned softly when he touched the wrong spot and his head throbbed with pain again.

Soft footsteps made their way into the dimmed lab.  "Do you think you have a concussion?"  

Deke squinted up at Yo-Yo and shrugged.  "Maybe.  He hit me pretty hard."

Elena walked over so she was sitting next to him.  She placed a hat on his knee.  "You left this behind."

Deke smiled slightly and picked it up.  "Thanks."

They sat in silence for a minute, then,  "You okay?"

Deke nodded and winced again.  "Yeah, I think so."

"So, Malick again?"  Elena crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah."  Deke sighed.  "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Your tie is crooked and your hair is messy."  She pointed out.  "What happened in there?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it."  Deke tried to smooth out his hair but flinched.  From the pain of the wound or the memory of Malick, he didn't know.

"Deke, did you and him--?"

"I didn't want to!"  Deke said suddenly, refusing to look at her.  "But he . . . he wouldn't stop."

Elena stared in shock.  "He forced himself on you?"

It took a moment, but Deke nodded.  "It didn't go that far, but," he sighed, "it was really uncomfortable."

Elena hesitantly brought her hand up and placed it on his.  "I'm sorry."  She said quietly.  "That's messed up."

"At least he let me go."  Deke rubbed his eyes.  "He said he wouldn't be so generous next time he sees me."

"That's still not okay."  Elena frowned.  "You're lucky he didn't kill you."  

Deke held his right wrist in his left hand, as if protecting himself.  "It felt so . . . wrong."  He whispered.  "He wouldn't let go of me, and he grabbed right where my metric was."

Elena looked down at where hers would have been, but there was no scar.  Those arms were long gone.  Instead, she wrapped her new arms around Deke, her friend.  They hadn't been close before, but she was willing to change that.

"You'll be okay."  She told him.  "What's that thing Jemma always says?"