I Like the Sad Eyes Bad Guys Mouth Full of White Lies

The first thing he sees is blood. Which is a sight that has never particulary bothered Ward, he's shed and spilled so much in his lifetime. Then he notices the pale chalk of a face, how the breathing in the room is labored and soft. Grant has seen this scene too many times to count, the person on the floor is going to die, there's too much scarlet flowing onto the ground to doubt that.

Her eyes are closed, she's limp in Coulson's arms.

What.

Is.

Happening.

There are instincts inside of him telling him to walk to move his legs and go to her, the woman in Coulson's embrace that means more to him than he realized until now. She's been shot.

Skye.

His Skye.

And he doesn't know what to do, he's frozen, like the world stopped turning when he ran in this basement to find her. She's dying.

If she dies, then so does he.

*

Five Hours Earlier

''Coulson hasn't found anything on your parents yet?'' Grant asks Skye, handing her a coffee mug. ''We've been digging but there's nothing, it's like the files that need to be there aren't''. ''Can I help?'' Skye smiles at him, ''you have been, I'm good. I just need time''. He lays back down beside her, her head comes to rest on his shoulder. ''You know we have a few hours until we land''.

She whispers in his ear, her hand traveling down his chest. The mission is tracking down a package from Cybertek that's being delievered to Ian Quinn. It's for Mike Peterson, to make him an even better and stronger super solider. John is getting restless, pulling out all of the stops to find a cure. He's starting to make Ward nervous, if he's being honest.

Lately the missions on this plane have started to involve more of Hydra than anything else, and Ward knows that it'll happen soon. Hydra will reveal itself and Shield will fall, never to rise again. He told Skye this last night and while she wasn't happy about it, she accepted it. Like him and Kebo both told her before, she knew what she was getting herself into.

Ward's plan before that happens however, is to get Skye somewhere safe. He doesn't want her around if things his way fly south, if Garrett decides he wants Ward to take everyone out on the Bus, he doesn't want Skye to see that. No matter his feelings towards Coulson, May and Fitzsimmons, Garrett gets what he wants, and Ward will always ensure he has it.

Skye has never been fond of trains, for reasons she can't explain they make her nervous. So she sticks close to Grant as they walk down the aisles to a spare room, the rocking movements of the tracks making her nauseous. Everyone has their own job and Ward's it to find the package.

He already knew where it was long before he stepped foot on the train, but Mike needs it so he's going to take his time trying to locate it. Skye's role is to get a key pass for her and Fitz to use, it was too easy. There's already one in the back pocket of her jeans. ''They couldn't of picked an easier way to transport a package? Like a car?''

She complains as her and Ward walk into a compartment and he shuts the door. ''You sound like Kebo''. She gives him an offended look, sticks her tongue out.

*

''I know the bar scene isn't really your thing, but I needed this''. Ward looks over the rim of his glass and smiles at Skye. ''I'm fine with you here''. They've been together for a few weeks now and Grant doesn't think he even knew what happiness felt like until she walked into his life. There was something missing inside of him and she filled it with easy smiles and warm kisses on cold nights.

Skye had a pretty crappy day and usually when that happened she'd hit the bar in her single days, pick up a guy to make her forget about her troubles. Now though, Grant makes her feel better, with a look or a touch of his hand. It's a nice change, one she welcomed fairly easily. They are both very guarded individuals so opening up to each other has been an odd experience for them both.

Skye does not trust easily and Grant has kept everything locked down and controlled for so long he didn't know any other way to live. But they're good together, they balance each other. If Skye sees Ward start to close up she calls him out on it and they talk about it. If Skye's walls grow too high for him to scale he sits her down and they discuss it calmly and rationally.

She takes a sip of her whiskey which is a nice surprise for Ward, he thought she'd be a pink drink with an umbrella kind of girl. Usually he's spot on with reading people, but with Skye she's so unpredictable, it's a nice change of pace for him. She keeps him guessing, wondering, a mystery. Grant's never had that.

''How was your day?'' She asks him, looking around the bar with little interest. He does the same, but it's to survey for an signs of distress or something that stands out that shouldn't. ''Nothing too interesting happened. Yours? We don't usually meet at a bar''. Ward takes a sip of his own drink, looks into her eyes. She has a purple dress on that makes it hard for him to sit across from her.

Skye rattles the ice cubes around in her glass before answering. ''Just something from my past came up today I wasn't prepared for it''. ''Bad?'' She shrugs, ''you could say that. An old foster brother of mine contacted me and I don't know how he got my information. Which normally wouldn't bother me but he wasn't all hugs and warm gestures when I knew him''.

The way she confesses this makes the red flags quiver slightly. She raises her eyes to meet his. ''He wasn't cruel or anything, just not very welcoming to a twelve year old girl who accidently called his mother mom one time''. Grant takes her hand across the table. ''What did he want?'' ''Just to see how I was, I never responded to him''.

She throws the rest of her drink back, admires the way Grant's leather jacket and five o'clock shadow look under the dim lights of the room. ''You want another?'' She nods as he takes her glass and gets up from the booth. He stops in front of her and she lifts her face up to him, his lips warm against hers.

Skye watches him as he walks across the bar, smiles slightly when the few women inside notice him, their eyes big and faces flushed. Instead of sitting across from her again he slips in beside her, brushes his knuckles against hers when he hands her her drink. ''Now everyone in this bar knows we're doing it, it's pretty obvious when we sit like this''.

He covers her smile with his lips, his hand on her shoulder, the other cradling her cheek. ''Jesus Mary and Joseph''. Skye jumps at the deep voice beside them, opens her eyes to see Grant rolling his, his jaw clenched. She leans around him to see a man standing in front of them, dark leather jacket, bald, very very tall. He has the same dangerous edge to him as Grant.

''Ward what the hell?'' The man demands, his mouth hanging open. He rushes into their booth, sitting on the opposite side of them. ''Kebo what are you doing here?'' Ward unwraps himself from Skye but keeps his palm on her thigh. ''Thought you were in A-'' Kebo snaps at Ward. ''No shut up we are not talking about me right now''.

He has a slight accent that Skye can't place. ''When were you going to inform your best friend that you had a girlfriend? You're Grant Ward, you don't have girlfriends, ever. And if you did you never take them out into the public eye, I almost just had a heart attack''. ''I'm sorry, who are you?'' Skye asks, looking at Grant.

Kebo clears his throat, smoothing out his face. ''Sorry love, I'm Kebo. I'm the only friend of Ward's you'll ever meet because he's an unsocial robot who bite is far worse than his bark''. He shakes her offered hand, smiles at her. ''I didn't know Grant had friends''. She teases him, laughing softly when he sends her a mock glare.

''He doesn't, just me. So back to the girlfriend thing, when were you going to tell me? And may I just say how gorgeous you are? Far better than any other broad I've been with''. ''Um, thank you?'' Skye manages to finish off her second glass as Kebo rants and raves at Grant for keeping her a secret from him. ''I was going to tell you''. Ward says.

''When? How long have you been together?'' ''A few weeks''. Skye answers, taking an immediate like to Kebo. He smiles at her. ''You sure must be something for him to make a commitment like that''. Ward sighs. ''Kebo why are you here?'' Kebo orders a beer before responding. ''Change of plans, turns out I wasn't needed as expected''.

For the next few hours Kebo and Skye take turns exchanging stories about Grant, Kebo obviously has far more to tell than her. He's funny and charming and Skye enjoys how quickly he exasperates Grant. 'You're kidding!'' Skye laughs into her sangria, squeezes Grant's shoulder. ''No dead serious. The maid comes in to clean and Ward is standing there naked as the day he was born''.

''That's not exactly what happened''. They ignore Ward and chuckle until tears are coming out of their eyes. It's late when they leave the bar and head back to Ward's apartment. Skye leaves them in the living room to take a shower and Kebo sits on the couch. Makes fun of Grant when he sees the blanket thrown across the cushions. ''She's already taken over your life''.

Ward shrugs, looks out the patio doors. ''I don't mind''. ''Ward I've never seen you like this and I'm happy for you. It's clear she's good for you''. ''She is''. ''But you know how dangerous this could be, if Garrett finds out''. ''He won't''. ''Look you deserve to be happy after all the shit you've seen. I just don't want him to ruin this like he does with everything else''.

Grant gives him a look. ''You don't know him like I do Kebo''. ''I know enough, I know that he'll try to talk you into giving Skye up, convince you that she's a distraction''. ''We're not having this discussion''. Kebo holds out his hands in front of him. ''Just looking out for you mate''. ''I can handle it''. ''I hope so, because it's clear Skye means the world to you already''.

*

''Be careful Skye''. Grant tells her as he's changing his shirt, slipping into his undercover role. ''I will. I promise, you too. Try not to get shot this time, okay?'' He gives her a smile before bending down to kiss her smoothly. ''I'll do my best''. He can't shake this feeling though that lingered when he stepped onto the train. That something bad was going to happen.

Like this mission that is supposed to be so simple is going to turn out so wrong. He buries those feelings down, deep inside and gets his head in the game. His mission, his real mission is to get the package to Quinn. Skye leaves him to go find Fitz, and if he knew how this day would end, he would have never let her go.

''We've been made''. Ward sprints down the aisle with Coulson, and they jump off the side of the train, adrenaline pumping through his blood. Shield doesn't know that this is all according to a bigger plan, that Grant very carefully made sure he was found out. He's just as desperate as John nowadays.

Together him and Coulson make it back to the Bus and Grant is growing cold with worry. Skye is still on that train, she could be dead or on her way to Quinn himself right now. He's not there to help her, her only back up is Fitz and that doesn't do a thing to assure Grant. Ward closes his eyes, calms his body.

He trained Skye himself, she knows how to use a gun, knows how to defend herself just enough to get away. She'll be fine, she can get out unharmed. He repeats this over and over in his head until he almost believes it, almost.

They have a plan in motion when they hear from the local police, and when Ward goes down the cargo bay, Coulson stops him. ''I know how worried you are about Skye, but she's proved herself plenty of times. She'll be fine Ward''. Neither of them know how wrong Coulson realy is. Right as they are getting ready to leave the plane, May shows up, bloody and beaten.

''You alright?'' ''Wheel's up in five. The train didn't disappear, Russo sold us out''. ''And Skye? Fitz?'' May shrugs at Ward, ''I don't know''.

Skye and Fitz hide behind a car in front of Ian Quinn's mansion. She knows what she has to do, and nerves are growing in her belly at all the thoughts screaming inside her mind. ''Skye this is a horrible idea. If anything happens to you''- ''It won't, Fitz I'll be okay''. ''Ward is going to kill me''. ''He will not, look we can't let Quinn get away again''.

''If Coulson were here he wouldn't le that happen, he wouldn't want us to let that happen''. ''You're right''. Fitz takes off his backpack , ''let's do it''. ''Can you disable their cars?'' ''With my bare hands''. They share a smile and Fitz hands her an ICER. ''You'll need it out here''. ''Just take it. Be careful okay?'' Those lines Skye thought she drew in stone, are starting to wash away.

She enters the mansion, her stomach a wreck and hands shaking. She can do this. She just has to find the package and bring it back to Shield. No big deal. If she wants to be an agent she'll have do to this kind of stuff all the time. It's then she remembers what Grant told her last night, about Shield being ready to fall.

Skye isn't entirely sure she wants that. She hears voices in the basement and goes down to investgate, eyes widening in surprise when she sees Ian Quinn and Mike Peterson. ''What did you do to him?'' Quinn and his men easily disable her and she watches in horror as the package they tried so hard to keep out of his reach, his revealed.

They put Mike back together, more machine than man and it makes Skye sick. ''I know you get your orders from the Clairvoyant so that means you're not allowed to hurt me, right?'' Quinn asks Mike who nods. ''What if I tried to hurt you?'' Ian pulls out a gun, cocks it. ''Would you stop me?'' ''No I would not''.

''Mike listen, I do not know what they're doing to you but we have to get out of here, now''. ''And if I wanted you to hurt her''. Quinn points his gun at Skye and she back pedals. ''You know to kill her, will you?'' Skye is looking at Mike wide eyed, her palms starting to sweat. ''Those aren't my orders, she's not who I'm supposed to kill''. Mike leaves him and Skye demands of Quinn once more what the hell he's done.

''You know I didn't recognize you when we first met, but since I started working with the Clairvoyant I know exactly who you are. You're agent Grant Ward's girl, aren't you? And what would hurt him more than to have the only person in his miserable life taken from him?'' Before she can even think to run, a shot goes out. And Skye feels every inch.

She looks up at Quinn in shock, holding the wound she can't believe what has just happened. She's too numb shocked to do anything and the pain is so intense and violent so white hot and angry it burns and leaks- Quinn walks up to her, catches her as she falls. Puts another bullet in her, she can't breathe.

''A message from the Clairvoyant, love is a weakness''.

Skye feels as if she's drowning, her lungs can't seem to strangle or gasp for breath. Her body starts going numb her vision blurry, she can feel the blood pouring out of her, there are stars and suns beneath her eyelids. ''Help, soembody help me''. She manages with all of her strength to drag herself to the door, but then she's spent. Her mind going dark.

Her last thought? Regretting how she never told Grant she loves him.

Ward enters the mansion, ICERS in his hands and iron in his blood. He's going to find Skye and if Ian Quinn harmed her in anyway, screw what John says, Grant is going to kill him. He takes out all of Quinn's men and Coulson has the millionare cornered. Ward takes Ian and slams him against the wall. ''Where the hell is Skye?''

''Oh agent Ward I was hoping you'd show up, you know I thought I saw you're girlfriend come in here''. Grant notices the fresh blood on his hands and punches him in the teeth. ''What the hell did you do?'' Quinn glances at Coulson, ''you know agent Coulson it's dangerous to keep sending her in like that all alone, when she means so much to you and agent tool bag over here''.

Ward's grip on the other man tightens and he struggles to breathe before Ward knocks him out altogether. ''Search the house, find her!'' Grant doesn't have to be told twice. They split up and Ward is going downstairs to the basement, when he hears Coulson's voice. Choking on tears, strangled in sadness. Grant's blood runs ice.

*

Present Time

''She's been shot''.

''I've got no pulse''.

Ward stares down at Skye, her cold pale form in the chamber Simmons ordered they put her in. They're flying her to a Shield hospital not too far way. This is his fault. All of it. She was shot because of him, he brought her into this world and now he's paying for it. He never should have let her step foot onto this plane.

He puts his hand on the glass, listens for her small shallow breaths to fill up the lab. He doesn't understand. Any of it. Why she went in there by herself unarmed, why Fitz let her, why she was shot. Quinn had no orders of any kind, there was no reason for Skye to be harmed at all. There's so much sound in his head. ''Skye''.

And suddenly it's quiet, like Grant has sucked all of the noise out of the atmosphere. ''You're going to be okay, you have to be. I can't, I can't lose you. You're everything to me. This is all my fault and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I didn't protect you''. His forehead rests against the glass, and he bites his tongue to keep from crying.

''She'll be alright Ward, she will''. Coulson's words offer him no comfort. There's something inside him, something dark and painful choking and growing into his throat. This hurts far worse than being shot himself, than anything he has ever endured. If she doesn't survive, Grant doesn't see how he will either.

Sadness fills him, rage, and all of that energy forces him to spin away from the lab. Grief hits him so hard so quickly, anger has him lashing out. He punches the hood of a Shield vehicle until his knuckles ache. He buries his head in his hands, lets out a scream. ''Don't blame yourself''. He glares at May, tears in his eyes.

''I don't blame myself''.

That's the lie of the century. He promised he'd keep her safe always and he failed. When he's alone in the cargo bay he pulls out his phone, dials the only number he needs right now. ''Yeah?'' Ward loses it. Cries into the phone, his hand running madly into his hair to keep it all locked down. ''Skye's been shot''.

There are words he never thought he'd say, and those are one of them. Her blood still stains his skin.