You Know the Truth Hurts But Secrets Kill
''I can't believe you had sex on my couch''.
Ward looks out the window into the backyard and ignores Kebo. ''I mean there was a perfectly good bed that I don't use a few feet away. But no you two just had to defile the one thing I sleep on. Why was Skye even here anyway?''
Grant takes a sip of coffee before responding. ''You forgot to call her''. He hears Kebo drop something and then swear.
''Oh right I was supposed to do that''.
Grant isn't entirely sure what any of this meant. Yes Skye came here because she thought he was dead, she still hates him made that pretty clear. But why read his file? Why listen to Kebo? Is she looking for a reason not to blame him for all that's happened? Is she trying to find some excuse so Shield can say he's mentally unwell and Garrett forced him into doing all these things? Not that anyone would believe it.
Ward will always be branded traitor to Coulson, brain washed or not.
''Wait are we happy or sad that Skye was here? Your face says no but I can never be sure''. Grant looks over to Kebo who is throwing the couch cushions into the washer.
''Thanks to you Skye now thinks I was brain washed''. Kebo knows he must tread very carefully with this subject, like he told Skye Ward thinks his relationship with John is normal.
''Look boss I just told her what Garrett did to you, I can't make her believe anything. You're the one who should have told her about your past with John not me. Maybe if you did that in the beginning she wouldn't hate you so much now''.
He has a point and it causes Ward to clench his jaw. ''Well there's nothing I can do about it now''. Kebo closes the washer and walks up to his friend. ''She came here of her own free will, I'd say that's a pretty good start''.
''We got into a fight''.
''You two are always fighting. Maybe Skye realized there's more to this than meets the eye finally, maybe she's coming around Robot''.
Grant finishes his coffe, closes his eyes and tries to get the taste of her from his mind. It's futile of course. He's missed her so much, a lot more than he realized until she was back in his arms. Now that he thinks about it, he probably should have gone after her.
''Did you give John the drive?''
''No Ward I just drove for ten hours got to the base and had a beer with the man''.
At Grant's expression Kebo sighs, ''yes I did. He wants you there as soon as posssible''. At this Ward shoves on a shirt, ignores the pain his body feels.
''Oh we're going right now? You up for that?'' Instead of answering Ward grabs two bags, a gun and is out the door in less than twenty seconds.
Kebo shakes his head, bloody idiot is going to die young.
When they make it to the base Kebo's phone has gone off five times. Assuming it's Skye Ward doesn't say anything, but he can't quite hide his discomfort from Kebo.
''Jesus I wish you two could just talk it out like adults. Why am I always in the mdidle?'' ''Kebo I ask myself that question every single day''. John does not look happy when he sees Grant, it makes the Specialist weary.
''Everything okay John?''
Raina slides out of the lab and not for the first time Ward agrees with John about her, there's just something unsettling about that woman. ''There's a problem with the flashdrive I'm afraid''.
''What's wrong with it?''
''Why don't you ask your wife?'' John spits. crossing his arms and Ward is on the denfese. Oh Skye what did you do? Garrett answers his unspoken question, ''she programmed it so only she can access it.
Did she know you took it from her?''
''No sir. Skye was under the impression I was unconscious the entire time''.
Garrett sighs, ''you mean when you took a bullet for her''. From his mentor's expression Ward feels very very small, like John is glaring at him from under a microscope.
''It was tactical Garrett''. Kebo says, stepping up to Ward's side.
''Oh Kebo we both know it wasn't. She's a weakness Ward, and what do we do about those?''
Ward hides the sudden panic in his voice when he automatically answers, ''eliminate them''.
Garrett smiles, ''good boy. I have a mission for you''. Ward can already tell what that is. ''You're up Romeo, find your wife and have her crack the drive. You have twenty four hours, if you fail screw it and bring her to me''.
A look passes between Raina and Garrett that causes Ward's breath to hitch.
Does he honestly think Ward is going to stand by and allow Raina to torture his wife? Juding by the look on John's face that's exactly what he expects.
''This is a bad idea boss''. Kebo mutters after Garrett has left the room and Ward is tucking a gun into the back of his jeans. Grant closes his eyes, he can do this. All he has to do is convince Skye to unlock the drive, Garrett expects him to seduce her for the information, he's done it to several targets before.
But Skye isn't a meaningless target, John doesn't understand that though. He's never been in love. He doesn't understand that Ward can't just turn his feelings off for Skye, it's different with her it always has been.
''I have a bad feeling about this''. ''It'll be fine Kebo''.
They get into the car and Kebo turns the radio on. ''What if this is just a distraction?'' Ward pulls out of the base and onto the highway.
''What?''
''I mean this drive has the supposed cure for Garrett on it right?''
''Yeah''.
''What if he knows he can't crack it and is just looking for an excuse to come after Skye?''
Ward has thought about that. ''Skye is going to be fine''.
''You know she won't hack that drive''.
''She has to''. Kebo looks sad as he glances over to Grant. ''And if she doesn't? I don't think you'd let Raina touch her''.
''I won't''.
''So what's it going to be boss? No matter what you do or say you can't make Skye do it. And she won't when she realizes it was you who stole it from her and it's for Garrett. Your twenty four hours will be up and then what?''
Ward blows out a heavy breath, turns off the radio. ''I don't know Kebo, okay? I have no idea. John needs me''.
''But so does Skye''.
And that's the crux of it all isn't it?
Skye finds a bottle of whiskey from underneath the kitchen sink and opens it, sits at the table. Doesn't even bother with a glass just drinks it straight, her throat burning. It's so late everyone at the Playground is long asleep, even Fitz and Simmons who when Skye checked on them were still going strong in their Star Wars marathon. Dear god what did she do? She can still feel Ward's mouth on her skin, his hands on her hips.
Okay she can rationalize this. It was a moment of weakness. She thought her husband was dead, she made an impulsive decision. A mistake, a terrible mistake that will never happen again. That's it, just a very bad call in judgement. Skye can lie to the team if they ever find out, but to herself? God she's missed him. Didn't realize how much until she was back in his arms, his teeth against her neck.
Somehow though the moment is always ruined, how can he not see how toxic Garrett is? Kebo had no reason to lie to her, if it's all true then John is the real monster here. It doesn't forgive or excuse all the awful things Ward has done and he needs to pay for those, but it may shed some light on why he is the way that he is. Maybe everyone was wrong, maybe he is just a loaded gun that John tells when to pull the trigger.
Grant left one hell only to be dropped into another. A family of abusive monsters, a father figure who's worse than all of them. Skye tries to think over the past six years, she only met John once right before she and Ward were engaged. The memory is a little hazy but she doesn't remember anything off about him. He was a close friend of Coulson and Ward, she saw no reason to look for red flags.
Skye has spent months thinking her husband was a cold blooded killler with no remorse, just a puppet who followed Garrett. But maybe that's not the case. Has she really wasted all this time hating him? In this moment Skye hates herself for the way she's acted, did she not promise Ward to stand by him through everything? And when it got bad really bad, what did she do? Rejected him, threw him out hated him like everyone else at Shield.
She can't forgive him, not when Fitz and Simmons are sleeping across the hall, not while John Garrett is still alive. But perhaps Grant Ward isn't the devil she's been convinced he is. Maybe he was just dealt a crappy card and played it the only way he knew how, survive. Do whatever you can to get out alive and if you get hurt along the way walk it off. Does John really hit him if Grant does something he doesn't like?
All those cuts and bruises she saw on his body after a mission were they really from his target or John? Kebo wouldn't lie about something like that. What kind of wife did that make her? How did she not see it? Skye already knows the answer, because Ward didn't want her to. Could it be even then he was protecting her from the truth? Skye shakes her head and takes another sip, she's so tired.
A few minutes later Mack walks in and while they aren't very close he can tell something is bothering her.
''Everything okay Skye?'' He leans against the kitchen counter and can tell how exhausted she is. When he first came to the Playground he was cautious about her, despite what Coulson and May said. Surely Grant Ward's wife had to of known he was Hydra, but it turns out she was just as blind as the rest of them and he feels for her.
He watches her take a long sip from the bottle, brush the bangs out of her face. ''What if you did a bad thing?''
Mack is going to assume she's a little drunk, otherwise she probably wouldn't be talking to him about whatever hypothetical bad thing she did or didn't do.
''How awful are we talking?''
She chuckles and takes another huge sip. ''Like mom and dad would ground me bad''. He doubts May and Coulson would punish her anyway.
''Like I knew it was wrong even before I did it but it happened anyway. And I'm afraid this bad thing will cause a lot of trouble''.
She's afraid Grant will think it means they're back together, that she wants to work all of this out. She doesn't.
Mack takes a seat across from her, ''did you hurt anyone?'' Skye seems to think about this, ''myself probably''. The answer comes to him so easily it takes them both by surprise.
''Well you put yourself back together before. Do it again''. He gives her a smile that Skye finds comforting, it might be the first time she's ever seen one on his handsome face. The next mission she goes on a few hours later, that sentence sticks with her. What happened with Grant broke her but she fought back, didn't let it destroy her. This time doesn't have to be any differrent.
Mack is with her this time and Skye thinks they could become friends in time. Bobbi and Hunter go into the building first, a known Hydra bulding where they've been smuggling drugs in and out of the city. May is in their comm saying to tread carefully, there's always a possiblity of some unwanted guests to show up. Skye nearly rolls her eyes, no one has to say it but she knows they are all on the look out for Ward and Garrett.
There's a fight, these days there always is. Skye gets seperated from the group, chases a Hydra agent out the back door. Her gun is raised she's breathing heavy, adrenaline strong in her veins. The sun blinds her for a moment but that's all it takes, just one second for the enemy to get the upper hand. Turns out there were more agents outside than they realized, three in total. Skye shakes off the light and attempts to duck behind a large crate.
It's shoved away and she's grabbed by the arm, grits her teeth and kicks the man in the leg. Skye manages to take him down goes after the second one, but then a shot goes off. Then another. She doesn't feel it at first, is very surprised when her hand comes back dripping blood. Looks down to find her stomach bleeding profusely and the man in front of her grinning, gun in hand. He shot her? She's been shot?
She isn't aware that she's sunk to the ground, all she sees is clouds and the clear blue sky. The pain comes out of nowhere but Skye can't find her voice to cry out, to call for help. There's just white hot pain blood in her mouth sweat and tears on her lips. Someone is calling her name but she's floating away somewhere else, a place where nothing hurts. There are more bullets ringing beside her but she can't be sure.
A face then two swims into view but she can't make them out. Her vision blurs.
She's sinking.
Down
down
down
down.