I'm Begging You To Keep On Haunting Me
The mission that Joey and Lincoln were talking about goes bad. Really bad. The Inhuman they were tracking winds up dead, courtesy of Hydra and Daisy takes a bullet in the arm. Which is beyond ridiclous because she's bulletproof. But she was distracted when Hydra agents were shooting at her, which was her first mistake. Never let your guard down when the enemy is near, it's common sense really. She was fine one second, until dark hair and her favorite Henley caught her eye.
Ward was standing there fire in his eyes and gasoline at his finger tips, and then he disappeared. And then suddenly he was right behind her, his skin warm on the back of her neck. He was gone. And then he wasn't. Daisy kept getting flashes of him over and over and over, until she was nearly begging out loud for him to stop. She was so focused on Grant, where he was that she didn't see the bullet until it was too late for her to react. The fight was shortly over after that, Coulson came with reinforcements and they loaded her on the quinn jet.
''Relax partner I've been shot before''. She tells Mack, they are now almost to the Playground and Mack has been applying pressure to her wound. ''Simmons is going to fix me, stop worrying''. Lincoln sits next to her in one of the seats and frowns. ''What?'' ''What happened to you out there?'' Daisy bristles, ''what are you talking about?'' ''Daisy I've never seen you that distracted in a fight before. Something set you off''. He's looking at her so concerned, so anxious that she almost tells him. But instead keeps her mouth shut and plays dumb, Daisy thinks he believes her.
''Put her on the table''. Simmons demands when Lincoln helps her into the lab. ''Simmons it's not a big deal, just a few stitches''. When everyone's back is turned Daisy slips the flask she's grown to love and hate into her hand, drains the contents before anyone sees. As Simmons is applying her stitches, Coulson walks in and stops in his tracks. Daisy notices a look she can't decipher between the Director and Fitz. ''Daisy are you hurt anywhere else?'' ''No DC I'm fine''. ''Good, Dr. Garner is waiting for you in the lounge when you're finished''. ''Okay''.
Dr. Garner is a touchy subject when it comes to her fellow Shield agents. They know exactly why she's going to him, who she'll be talking about for hours on end. Everyone here still hates Ward, except for Mack. No one really understands why she's still mourning a ''murderous traitor'' as Hunter put it a few weeks ago. Simmons stitches her up and gives her pain pills, sends her on her way. As she's getting up Lincoln stands and kisses her lightly. Mack gives her a look which she ignores.
Dr. Garner is silently sitting in a chair when she walks in, he smiles up at her offers the seat across from him. ''Good afternoon Daisy. I heard you were hurt, are you alright?'' ''Just a flesh wound, I'll be fine''. ''Glad to hear it. How did the mission go today?'' ''Bad. The Inhuman we were informed of was killed''. ''By Hydra I'm assuming''. ''Yeah''. ''I bet that was a touchy subject for you''. This gives Daisy pause. She supposes it does, since the organization was once run by Ward, maybe that's why she kept seeing him more frequently during the fight.
''I don't know. When I think of Hydra I still see it as an evil thing. But it wasn't like that before, not the way the old Director ran things''. ''Hydra is Hydra, is it not?'' ''Grant wasn't interested in Inhumans''. Dr. Garner smiles slightly suddenly. ''What?'' ''You're making progress Daisy. Usually when you say his name you wrap your arm around your torso. You didn't do that just now''. Daisy doesn't know if that's good or bad. ''Oh''. ''Does that upset you?'' ''Maybe. I don't, I don't know''. ''Healing is a natural part of life. Eventually time heals everything, even the things we think it can't''.
She almost caves, almost tells him how she got shot because her dead boyfriend kept getting in her line of sight. ''What if one day I wake up and can't remember what he looked like? Or if I don't remember the way he said my name? What do I do then?'' Dr. Garner clicks his pen open and closed a few times before responding. ''I had a friend once who married young, he was sixteen years old, had his whole life ahead of him. But all he wanted was to be married to the woman he loved. She died ten years later and eventually he remarried. He came to me once and asked me the exact same questions you did''. ''And what did you tell him?''
''The mind is a very complex thing, always changing and growing, adapting to your enviorment. As time goes on you forget things, little things that once seemed to mean so much to you, it happens with age. You can't stop it or slow it down, you can't freeze it or control it. It just happens. You may wake up one day and forget every single detail about Ward, or you may not. I don't know and neither do you. But right now those memories are strong inside of you, my advice is hold onto them for as long as you can. Because they could all be gone''.
Daisy sighs, looks around the room. ''I miss him''. ''I know you do''. ''It's not fair''. ''Life never is''. ''I'm a horrible person''. Dr. Garner cocks his head to the side. ''Why would you say that?'' ''Lincoln deserves better than me''. May's ex-husband puts his clipboard down, folds his hands together on his lap. ''We've talked about this Daisy. Lincoln knows about you and Ward, he has seen you love him and lose him over and over again. And he still chooses to be with you, this relationship between the two of you is not one sided. It takes two Daisy, Lincoln knew what he was getting himself into when he got involved''.
''But I still love Grant. If he were to walk in this room right now, I'd choose him''. ''And you probably always will. But the thing is Daisy, Ward is gone. Lincoln is right down that hall''. Her session ends an hour after that, she doesn't cry, Andrew says that's some kind of breakthrough. Daisy takes a deep breath before heading in the direction of Lincoln's bunk. She knocks on the door and he answers almost immediately, pulling her to him with such a fever it takes her by surprise. His lips are warm against hers and as he pulls her to his bed, she hopes yet again she will forget all of her troubles. Even if just for a moment. She's disappointed once more.
When morning comes Daisy is feeling dirty and tired, she slips on her clothes and quietly exits Lincoln's room, he doesn't stir when she shuts the door. After a quick shower she still feels like complete and utter shit. Her solution? Alcohol. Always alcohol. A voice from behind her makes her cringe for reasons she doesn't understand. Normally his precense is welcome, she craves it. But not right now. Maybe she blames him for getting shot? Which is the dumbest thing to think because you can't blame anything on the dead.
"So this is how you're handling things?" She ignores Ward who is leaning against the wall, angry set in his jaw. Daisy unscrews the cap on the bottle of whiskey, drinks and drinks until she hopes Ward disappears. She's on bottle number two and he's still standing there, arms crossed. "Skye stop it". She spins to face him. "Why? Why should I?" "Because it's not healthy! Dammit Skye you're killing yourself". She takes a huge sip before responding. "Why do you care? You're not really here, you're dead".
He moves away from the wall, fingers brushing her cheek. "I can't feel that". Daisy looks up at him, tears in her eyes. "Skye"- She closes her eyes. "Stop saying my name". "Baby just put the bottle down and talk to me". Daisy chokes down a laugh. "Take it from me. Go on Ward, take the bottle from my hand". Mirage Ward glares at her.
"You can't. You can't because you're not really here. I'm talking to myself, I've been talking to myself for months. Oh my god I'm going insane". Daisy turns her back to Grant, runs her hands over her face. "Skye". "Just stop! Stop it Ward. Stop saying my name, stop showing up, just stop! This is killing me". He's looking at her like he loves her, and he's so sorry. She drains the rest of the alcohol, goes to lay on her bed before Ward speaks again.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything". She licks her lips, gets up to turn off all the lights. Daisy goes back to bed, pats the space beside her as she lays back down. Ward joins her, they face each other. "It wasn't your fault". She can't touch him. She can't hold him or run her lips over his skin this is torture how is she supposed to live in a world he isn't apart of and he's haunting her and she can't breathe.
"What happened to you?" His hands drift over her side, he looks frustrated and sad and she wishes she could comfort him. That they could take comfort in each other. "Can you feel me?" She asks him, watching as his hands ghost over her rib cage. He flashes her his trademark cocky smirk. "I'm not real, remember?" "Ward". He closes his eyes. "No I can't". Her fingers reach for the side of his face, of course touching nothing. "Grant, what happened to you?" "I don't remember". He's not really here Daisy, he can't know how he died. She reminds herself. "I wish you were still with me". She admits, hand reaching for his, forgetting yet again he's not alive.
It never fails, no matter how many times she sees him, no matter how long, eventually she always forgets she can't roam her hands along his skin. Torture torture torture. ''You were mad at me earlier''. He says, eyes searching her face. ''Yeah''. ''Why?'' She pulls the cover around herself. ''I just want you to be here and you're not''. ''I can't change that Skye''. ''I know, I know you can't. But I wish you could''. His eyes drift down, stopping at her arm and she hears his jaw snap. ''What?'' ''Your arm. You're hurt''. Daisy glances the guaze on her skin.
''Oh yeah, I was shot''. He reaches out and then stops himself, cursing under his breath. ''By who?'' ''Hydra''. ''You can stop bullets with your hands''. ''I wasn't fast enough this time''. Judging by the look on his face, he doesn't buy it. With a sigh she turns over so she's on he back looking up at the ceiling, he copies her movements. ''I saw you in the field. Flashes of you, it was a lot to take in and I wasn't paying attention''. She can't look at him when she says this. Doesn't think about how she's only talking to herself and Ward doesn't have any emotions anymore.
''Skye I'm so''- ''Stop apologizing okay? You don't have to, not to me, not anymore. None of this is you're fault babe. I don't blame you for anything''. When he doesn't respond for a long moment, she turns her face and he's gone. Daisy drinks until she passes out, swears up and down that the pillow he used was still warm from his skin. ''Tremors. Tremors, hey wake up''. Daisy opens her eyes, pulls the pillow over her face. ''What?'' Mack is grasping her shoulder. ''Simmons needs to clean and change the dressing on your injury''.
''Just let it get infected''. Mack frowns, ''not on my watch partner''. Simmons and Lincoln are in the lab when they arrive, Daisy goes straight for the coffee Lincoln is holding out to her. ''Daisy how are you feeling?'' She sits on the table and Simmons takes off the guaze. ''I'm fine''. ''Did the medicine help?'' ''Yeah''. Daisy lets Lincoln hold her hand and catch strands of hair between his fingers to tuck behind her ear. Takes long sips of coffee and wishes there weren't so many people around so she could slip something stronger in between the caffeine.
Across the Playground in Coulson's office, May, Bobbi and the Director are staring open mouthed at the video monitor before them. Phil Coulson cannot believe his eyes. This has to be a sick joke. ''Sir I thought you said Ward was dead? That you left his body on that other planet''. ''I did''. ''Then why did our cameras pick up this image?'' All three Shield agents are looking at a picture of Grant Ward, head turned to the camera on purpose, because he knows exactly where they are. ''I have no idea''.
All they know is, this is impossible. Coulson crushed him, his breathing his heart everything stopped. He took Ward out of the world for good. Or so he thought. Bobbi glances at her boss, suddenly and fiercely afraid for his life. Because Grant Ward is alive, and whatever happened on that other planet won't be forgotten or forgiven. It will be avenged. And everyone in the room knows who the first target is.