Someone Will Love You, But Someone Isn't Me

The first time Ward sees her, he's a goner. With her long brown hair shining under the bar lights, this purple top that will become his favorite over the years, showing her smooth skin. He's just gotten back from a mission and Fitz invited him out for a drink with himself and Simmons, normally it isn't Ward's scene but Simmons insisted and he never can tell her no. Besides he needs all the intel he can get on these people.

The bar is loud starting to give him a headache and Fitz is laughing while Jemma smacks his chest, ordering more drinks and Grant can't seem to tear his gaze away from the woman across the room. He's been at the Triskelion for a few years now and is quite confident in the seeds he's planted so far, he's heard whispers rumors that he's rising to the top as a Shield agent.

Only twenty seven they've already started to refer to him as the best since Natahsha Romanoff, John jokes that he better not get a big head about it. But of course he won't. ''Oh good she made it''. Simmons suddenly cries breaking away from their small table and walking across the room. Ward is keeping an eye out ever paranoid when Fitz nudges his elbow. ''I should warn you Simmons is going to bring a girl over here''.

He must make a face because Fitz starts laughing and hands him a beer. ''It's the one you've been staring at for the past two minutes. Be nice''. It sounds like something Kebo would say and Ward just for a moment wishes his friend was here, but he's somewhere knee deep in Asia and won't return for a great while. Ward watches as Jemma tugs on the girl's arm and gestures to their table, she doesn't look at Grant.

If Kebo were here he'd tell Ward to stop staring that it's creepy, so he does. Instead focuses on the beer bottle like it's a bomb he's trying to disarm. The scent of vanilla is suddenly very close and when he looks up there she is. Standing in front of him eyes skipping over everyone at the table whom Simmons introduces her to. ''And this is Agent Ward. Ward this is Skye''. Skye. It sounds fake, forced like perhaps she chose it herself.

She looks at him with deep brown eyes and he finds it hard to remember he's supposed to respond back. ''Nice to meet you''. The sentence comes out gruff and unfriendly which wasn't his intention, usually Ward is an expert at being in control of himself. What he says how he says it, it's all carefully crafted, an art as John sometimes calls it on the rare occasion he compliments Grant. So why is he feeling flushed and out of sorts all of a sudden?

''Wow Agent Toolbag at work and off the clock''. Skye says with her arms crossed and Ward nearly chokes on his beer. ''Excuse me?'' Simmons laughs loudly trying to direct the conversation elsewhere while pushing Skye into the booth across from Ward.. ''So Skye you work at the Triskelion? IT Department right?'' Fitz asks throwing a glare at Ward. ''Yeah I'm good wtih computers, like scary good''.

''Ward you're good at stuff too aren't you?'' This is how it goes all night. While Ward is drawn to Skye and can't keep his attention off her for more than a few moments, it's very clear she does not like him at all. Which isn't surprising, most people don't like Grant when they first meet him. Simmons keeps trying to include him in their conversation and then Skye will brush him off, throwing her hair over her shoulder (which is distracting) and ignores him.

Which wouldn't bother him normally, she's Jemma's friend they don't know each other, he's not exactly the best when it comes to small talk. Unless it's with a target but that's not the point. When he goes to take a phone call he can feel eyes on him, when he turns back it's Skye's. Watching him slowly, it's unnerving. ''You do realize it's three in the morning here yeah?'' Kebo's voice is annoyed, thick with sleep when he answers Grant's phone call.

''How do you get a girl to talk to you?'' ''You're literally a grown man''. ''Kebo''- ''Oh right you have emotional damage I forgot who I was talking to for a second. Forgot John threw you out into the woods and destroyed all your social skills, flirting included. Which is odd because you have no problem if the woman is a mark''- ''Can you focus please?'' Ward glances around to make sure no one is hearing this.

''Shut up you're talking so loud. Okay wait a second you're calling me for advice on how to speak to a woman? Is it serious? Did you meet someone? Am I no longer going to lie awake at night worrying that you're going to die all alone and never know what it feels like to be loved?'' ''Please tell me you don't actually do that''. Kebo clears his throat, ''um no. That would be so weird''. Grant always knows when he's lying.

''Anyway just go over there and talk about anything, hey you love dogs. Women usually love dogs, try that. Oh wait, shit John shot your first dog didn't he?'' Ward doesn't like to think about that, Buddy was he first best friend the only comfort in those long years out in the woods alone. ''So are all the stories about you true?'' Ward looks over his shoulder to find Skye standing there leaning against the bar smirking at him.

''Who is that? Is that the girl? What does she look like? Oh send me a picture!'' Ward hangs up the phone and orders a whiskey. ''Depends on what you heard''. Skye takes a sip of her beer and looks at him from the tip of his head to his feet. He wants to tell her it's just a face that everyone he's ever known has exploited him for it, but he doesn't. ''That you're a robot''. Ah, he's heard that one too. ''And that you have the best shot since the Black Widow''.

Ward gives her a smirk that he uses on female targets because at this point he's out of tricks. ''Don't believe everything you hear''. They banter like that back and forth for a few minutes before he asks, ''how long have you been with Shield?'' He's confident he's never seen her before. ''A few years, joined when I was eighteen''. Years later he'll find out Skye wasn't ignoring him this night at all.

She had a boyfriend at the time and in her words not his, ''You were too damn hot for your own good, you were sitting there staring at me with your dumb puppy dog expression. If you asked me to get in a cab with you that night I would have, and I didn't want to do that to Miles''. After a few months though she ends things with Miles when they both realize she has feelings for someone else.

A year later she and Ward are running across the street arm in arm to her apartment the snow falling hard around them, the cold numbing their skin. Skye is laughing not caring at all about the temperature holding Ward as tightly as she can. They race inside and lock the front door keeping the lights off, Ward pulls off her purple knit cap and throws in onto the couch. The small room is low lit from the light on the stove.

Her cheeks are flushed her nose red from the cold, her hands are shaking even in thick gloves. Ward takes off his coat and takes her in his arms, grabs her hands and presses them underneath his shirt for warmth. Skye gives him a grateful smile and puckers her lips up, he kisses her slowly she tastes like apples and coffee, he can't stop kissing her. It's becoming something of a habit he's noticed, whenever she's around he just wants to always be kissing her.

Kebo blames it on the lack of affection Ward had as a child, and how he can't bare to be touched because of the horrors in his childhood. But with Skye he craves her touch all the time, can't stand to be away from her. Which is a problem. He can't get attached he knows this, but right now he couldn't give a damn. Skye is rubbing her cold nose into his neck her lips warm once more on his collarbone.

He kisses the top of her head cups the back of her neck, his arm wrapped around her waist. He's never had someone like Skye before. Someone who cares about his well being, who cries when he's injured, who makes sure he's eating and has fresh sheets when he comes home from a mission. He's never been in love before but if this is what it is, what it feels like, it's the most beautiful thing he's ever experienced.

The words just tumble out of him before he can stop them. Skye has moved to kiss his jaw and then lifts her leg, he picks her up and she keeps her legs locked around his waist. A warm smile and then she's kissing him. ''I love you''. Skye doesn't freeze up or run away screaming from the room like he expects, like she should. Because this isn't fair he's a selfish bastard she deserves better than this than him, a liar.

Instead she breathes deeply and kisses him, running a hand through his hair. ''I love you too''.

It's the easiest thing in the world, like they say it every other day. He's never been this happy in his entire life.

*

Skye strikes the punching bag over and over again sweat pouring down her back her knuckles scream in protest but she can't stop. She's currently picturing Ward's face and won't stop until it makes her feel better. It's been a few hours since she left the house, Skye will never go back there again. Doesn't want to think about the conversation, doesn't want to think about flowers or picture frames or lying husbands and how she loved him so much once.

Of course it does not work. What the hell was he thinking? Did he really think they could fix everything? That if he apologized and held her when she was crying like he used to, she'd forgive him? Come running back into his arms with a smile on her face? She will never forgive him. He's done too much spilled too much blood, ruined it all. Skye wasn't lying when she told him she was glad in the end that they weren't able to have kids.

How wrong would it all be? Their father would not be around, Skye would of left Shield and disappeared. What kind of life would she be able to offer them on the run? Ward wouldn't give them up without a fight and there's no way she'd let him around them. It's funny now how she wanted a child so badly then with Grant but now when she really honestly thinks about it, this isn't the kind of world she'd want to raise them in.

But she can't imagine having babies with anyone else either. So. Skye continues assaulting the bag until someone clears their throat behind her. It's Bobbi who tosses a water bottle at her, ''thanks''. ''You're picturing his face aren't you?'' Bobbi gestures to the bag and Skye nods. ''It helps''. ''Did he, he didn't hurt you did he?'' Skye told Coulson about Ward being in the house, the arguement they got into to.

''No, I'm good. Just pissed. I want it over with you know, just move on with my life. And I can't do that if Grant is still out there doing god knows what with John Garrett''. Skye isn't exactly lying. A small part of her longs to wake up one morning and not automatically reach for Ward, to not think about him nearly every time she has a free moment. Besides she hasn't actually processed the entire conversation they had, she'll save that for tonight.

''Well Coulson isn't going to stop looking for him and Garrett. We'll find him Skye don't feel guilty for not being able to stop him when May showed up''. She neglected to tell Coulson about telling Grant to leave, obviously. Skye still can't come up with a valid reason why she did that, doesn't she want him to pay for his crimes? ''I don't feel guilty I'm pissed''. She strikes the bag again, trying to feel the anger but instead it's just emptiness.

''Skye you're a good agent but not even I could capture Ward if we were alone. May just missed him by a second''. She and Bobbi spar for an hour before Mack tells them they are needed in Coulson's office. Skye stops by the lab on the way to his office to check on Fitz and Simmons. Who are moving cautiously moving around each other like if they accidently touch it will harm the other, this time Skye feels guilt.

Knows it's not her fault that Ward nearly killed them but she can't help it. They all trusted Ward that he would never hurt them, would die before that ever happened. They were wrong about a lot of things when it came to him. Simmons gives Skye a tight smile and gestures that she should go on, come back and visit later. She finds May and Coulson standing in the middle of his office, her shoulder burns and Skye knows she pushed too hard.

Her wound hasn't fully healed she's going to pay for it later. ''You needed us sir?'' Coulson turns to the pair and nods. ''We have a Hydra agent that's reached out to us, wants to make a deal''. ''What kind of deal?'' May and Coulson look at her and there it is, the pity she's come to loathe. ''Let me guess, he knows where Ward is''. A nod and May gives her a stern look, ''can you handle this?''

''Yes''.