Someone Will Love You, But Someone Isn't Me

Skye comes down from the shower to find Ward yanking off his tie and throwing it onto the coffee table. He sinks down onto the couch and runs his hands through his hair. She can tell by

the stress in his shoulders he's had a bad day, there's also a fresh bottle of whiskey on the table that he's currently pouring into a glass. He takes a sip and rakes both hands into his hair, she can hear him sigh as he pulls off his suit jacket.

''Rough day at the office?'' She asks him. ''You have no idea''. Skye walks over and starts rubbing his broad shoulders, he sighs, melts into her touch. Leans his head back against the couch cushions and closes his eyes. Skye leans down and kisses his forehead earning a gentle smile. She works his shoulders for twenty minutes until he's basically a puddle beneath her, kisses the space below his ear once she's done.

Ward hums and she does it again, places another kiss on his neck and another and another. Ward knows what she's doing and grins before grabbing her. Skye squeals as he places her on the couch and kisses her. Pins her below him and she's quick to undo the buttons on his dress shirt, her lips never leaving his. ''Why don't you greet me like this every time I come home?'' He asks, his hand running up her spine.

Skye has her hands resting on his biceps but doesn't asnwer. Just kisses him slowly and tells him she loves him. Grant doesn't think he'll ever tire of hearing her say that.

Every time he comes home after that from a mission she's always there with a warm smile and open arms. It's everything Ward has ever wanted.

*

Skye shakes off the memories in her head and focuses. The flash drive in her pocket feels like it weighs a hundred pounds, Coulson's silence seems so loud in the comms. Missions have become like a habit now. Day after day in between training and hitting the gym, Skye has lost sense of time. Days have turned to weeks once more and soon it's been nearly a month since she and Ward were at the restaurant and he ruined her interrogation.

She's doing what she did in the early days, the wake of his betrayal, throwing herself into the work. Being the perfect agent for Shield, whatever and whoever Coulson needs her to be. Today is different though, it's not her first solo mission at all, but it's the first time there is no back up waiting. Bobbi and Hunter are currently in Europe, May is back at the Playground with Coulson, Fitz and Simmons aren't cleared for the field and Mack and Trip are unavaliable.

Granted there are more agents around but Skye can handle this. For once she's not sneaking into a Hydra base to steal intel. Turns out Shield has more than one enemy at the moment. A small group similiar to the Rising Tide have managed to get their hands on vital information Coulson needs. Skye has no idea what it is but this mission should be simple. A few guards she can take care of, she can slip in and slip out.

Skye leans around the wall and sees the main server room, all she has to do is get her hands on a computer and it's all over. There's only one man inside and Skye shoots him with her ICER, tells Coulson she's hacking in now. It takes five minutes and Skye could high five herself, it was so easy. She's walking back down the hallway to the exit when the sound of heavy boots running across the next hallway reaches her.

She only has two options here. One face them head on which won't end well, or two duck inside the storage closet to her left. Turns out someone makes the decision for her. Two arms grab her suddenly and pull her into the closet, one hand around her mouth so she doesn't scream. The light in the closet is dim so it's hard to see, but it's not necessary. She'd recognize the chest pressed against her back anywhere.

The hand resting casually on her lower back, the fingers over her lips. She would know Ward anywhere even if she was deaf and blind. ''I'm going to let you go, but if you scream you'll get us both killed and I have no desire to die today. Okay?'' His voice is barely above a whisper warm in her hair, Skye finds herself fighting the urge to lean back into his chest. She's going to blame it on the fact that this is the closest he's been to her body in months.

It's just a physical response, a natural reaction. His hands leave her and Skye whirls around gun out waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low lit room. When they do Ward is standing there almost calm as if the gun to his chest does not make him nervous. (It probably doesn't.) His wearing the maroon shirt she got him a few years ago for his birthday, a leather jacket she doesn't recognize. Did he wear it on purpose? Did he know she would be here?

''What the hell Ward?'' He holds up his hands, ''I'm just as surprised to see you. Coulson really sent you in here alone?'' She detects anger in his voice, just a smidge but it's there. ''I can handle it''. ''Skye these hackers have their own personal security team, heavily armed''. ''I'm not a damsal in distress''. ''I didn't say you were. You're outnumbered it's fact''.

The gun doesn't falter it's aim still true to his chest. ''So what are you going to do? Kidnap me again? It didn't exactly end well for you last time''. Grant winces, ''no. Right now there's six gaurds patrolling the hallway, give it a few seconds and we'll take them out. We only have a two minute window before they find out we're here''. Skye scoffs, ''and you expect me to trust you? No way''. ''Skye''-

''You've given me no reason to trust you. God why are you even here? Why do you keep showing up? Can't you just leave me alone?'' Skye wasn't aware how desperate she was for that until the words were out of her mouth. Once more she longs for the days Grant was very far away from her, a shadow, a dream, someone she didn't have to face only think about. His eyes are sad but he does not respond.

The thing is sometimes Ward still sees Skye. Like a flash and then she's gone, doesn't matter where he is. She'll round the corner at a safe house or a dusty building he's in for a mission, and then disappear in a tangle of long brown hair. Or on the edges of sleep first thing in the morning he'll feel her warmth pressed against him in bed, her scent overpowering the pillows. Choking him.

A woman in a crowd sometimes has her smile, if the night is quiet he can just make out her laugh far away. Perhaps he is going insane. Because she's standing in front of him now with her hair up strands have broken away from the hair tie and fall across her cheeks. Her breathing is labored and he can't tell why, her skin is flushed but the gun aimed for his heart is steady. Her hands are not shaking, her eyes seem clear.

He wonders if it really came down to it, if she'd really shoot him. Ward also wonders if he would let her, would he put up a fight? Grant figured Shield would be after this team of hackers but with the man power they have he assumed Coulson would send Trip or Bobbi. Not Skye and especially not alone. What the hell was Phil thinking? What if she's hurt because of this mission, or worse?

What would have happened if Ward wasn't here? Skye was right she's not a damsal in distress but she's sadly outnumbered, and if he saw her so easily in the middle of the hallway, someone else had to as well. She's also right that he's given her no reason to trust him, hell he doesn't blame her at all. So he takes a deep breath and counts down, they can't hide in this closet forever.

''You're right you shouldn't trust me. But Skye I swear I'm going to get you out of here alive, if you don't believe me that's fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you''. He watches as she wrestles with this, her free hand grazes over her back pocket where he assumes she's stored the flash drive. Which Garrett needs, there's information on a new drug that could help him, it's just a coincidence these hackers were the ones that stumbled upon it.

So he can't leave here without it, John is getting worse each passing day. Only problem is how to get it from her. He's formulating a plan when Skye clenches her jaw and holsters the gun to her hip. It hasn't escaped his notice that she has yet to tell Coulson he's here either, briefly wonders why that is. ''You try and go out there alone you'll be killed''. He isn't about to let that happen, he'll follow her anyway even if she refuses his help.

She sighs, ''this doesn't mean anything Ward''. ''Okay''. He watches her lick her lips which means she's thinking it over, shifts her weight from her right leg to the left. He's about to say something when his phone vibrates softly, he doesn't even have to look at the caller ID to know who it is. ''What?'' The other voice on the line scoffs, ''rude way to answer the phone super spy''. ''I'm kind of busy right now Kebo''.

Skye's face lights up as it always does when Kebo is around. ''Did you bring any snacks?'' ''What?'' Grant pinches the bridge of his nose as Kebo continues. ''See I'm sitting here staking the place out making sure you don't die and I have no snacks. No pretzels or Cheetos also I drank everything on my person''. ''You literally called me in the middle of a mission because you're hungry?'' He sees Skye smirk.

''Come on boss it's not the worse thing I've done while you're on a mission''. He's right and Ward sighs in defeat. ''I'll get you tacos after this''. ''See? That wasn't so hard. Why do you sound weird?'' ''I'm in a closet trying not to be heard you idiot''. ''No it's something else. Oh god. Oh no is Skye there with you?'' Kebo starts laughing loudly and Ward has to cover the phone until he's done. ''Let me talk to her''. ''No''. ''Ward''- ''We don't have time for this''.

He hangs up and takes a gun out of the back of his jeans, Skye eyes it carefully. ''Open the door on the count of three''. Something flashes in her eyes and then it's gone, Ward can tell she's starting to slip into fight mode. She has no choice but to trust him and he can tell she can't stand it. Skye nods her hand on the doorknob, three seconds later it's open and Ward fires at the nearest guard.

Grant has one eye on the enemy before him and the other on Skye, if he had a moment to pause he would. This is a side of Skye he's never seen before. The Calvary is training her in hand to hand combat beautifully. She doesn't miss a mark all her blows are straight and true, she knows exactly what she's doing. Now is the wrong time for a spark of heat to travel up his spine but it does and Ward is nearly punched in the jaw.

An alarm goes off a few minutes later and more men come into the hallway, Ward braces himself. Skye fires her ICER at a few and ducks behind one of the pillars as they return fire. That familiar urge to protect her is strong, it takes all of Ward's self control not to step in front of her and take on all these men by himself. Which he very well could but he doesn't want to risk Skye screaming at him again.

They're nearing the exit ten minutes later, Skye's lip is bleeding but she's otherwise unharmed. Ward's left eye already has a bruise beginning to bloom but he's fine too. It takes a second for Grant to realize once they've stepped outside that there isn't an extraction team waiting for Skye. She's surprised as well and asks Coulson if there's a problem. If she's angry with Grant sticking close to her side, she doesn't voice it.

He's watching the area carefully gun out, the getaway car Kebo is waiting in is very far away, he's about to offer it to Skye when he sees a shadow pass beside them. Without thinking Ward throws Skye to the ground ignoring her muffled protest as the gunfire begins again. It's over just as quickly and he tries not to think of Skye below him, her face inches from his own. Her brown eyes the ones he's looked into a hundred times are wide and watering.

Grant knows he should push himself away, let her go. He doesn't have a second to pause there could be more guards coming, he knows this. But still he hovers above her and she's not saying anything just breathing, he can feel her ribs. ''Skye!'' But it's not his voice that calls out, it's Kebo's. Ward only has time for the back of his neck to tingle and he sees the gun aiming for the side of her head.

He doesn't even have to think about it. Just rolls over so his back is shielding her and the bullet meant to end her life strikes him instead. It sinks into the top of his shoulder blade, he's been shot dozens of times but it never fails to sting of course. Another shot goes out but it's Kebo taking out the man who just tried to kill them. Ward doesn't hear Skye's sharp intake of breath, nor feel her hands that suddenly cup his face.

Grant is only aware of the smell of vanilla and the frantic look in her eyes. There's a flurry of movement and Kebo is there helping him stand, everything is becoming hazy. ''Kebo I think they''- Is the last thing Ward says before it all turns black.