There's Nothing That I Wouldn't Do I'll Find My Way Back to You
''I want Daddy! I want Daddy I don't want you I want Daddy!'' It takes all of Skye's years of training not to react to this. To keep her face blank and impassive when all she wants to do is cry at her son's words. She gets it, Cal misses Ward they all do. He doesn't mean it, he just wants Ward and he isn't here. Skye understands, Cal hasn't seen his father in weeks. But it still hurts, Cal has never ever said anything like that before.
Skye has been trying to get him and Ellie Rose to fall asleep for half an hour now. Ellie's meltdown was ten minutes ago and now she's dozing off in her own bed. Cal however has been fighting her tooth and nail, struggling against her hands that try to hold hold him. ''I know you do baby and I promise he's going to home soon, but right now you have me. And I love you''. She feels Thomas come into the room and he takes a seat next to her on Cal's bed.
''Hey buddy want me to read you a story? Remember that new book we got last week? Want me to read that one?'' Without a word Cal reaches around on the floor and finds the small children's book and hands it to his uncle. Wipes his face and sniffles. Thomas smiles and pats Skye's hand, she shoots him a greatful look. Quietly Thomas dives into the story, even adds sound effects and it makes Cal giggle.
Once he's asleep Skye kisses his forehead and tucks him in. Checks on Ellie Rose, kisses her cheek and turns off the light. The moon night light in the corner puts the room in soft glow, it's messier than it usually is. Toys strewn across the wood floor. Normally Ward is the tidy and clean one, Skye will let the toys sit there for a couple weeks until she can't avoid it anymore. She leans against the doorway and watches them, sighs quietly.
''He just misses Grant, it wasn't personal''. Thomas tells her placing a hand on her shoulder. ''Yeah I know, it's just hard''. ''He'll be back Skye, I know my brother and he won't stop until he finds his family again''. Skye looks over to him, Thomas and Ward don't look similiar. If you didn't know from personal experience that they were related, you'd never know by looking at them. Grant once told her that he looks like their father and Thomas looks like their mother.
''Thanks for that, you being here has really helped''. Thomas squeezes her shoulder, ''of course. Anytime Skye''. He winks at her before going into the living room where Kebo and Mack are playing poker and drinking beer. They ask if she wants to join but she declnes, headed for the shower instead. Skye walks into her bedroom to get clothes and stops in the middle of the floor. It's nearly pitch black save for the moon peaking out of the curtains.
She hasn't slept in here since before she left to find Grant. Pieces of him come back in a flash, all the times they've spent in this room. Grant's smile above her, his laughter buried in her neck. The first time she felt Ellie Rose move and he was so excited, his palms warm on her belly and his tears on her skin. When she found out she was pregnant with Cal, how overjoyed he was. Kissing her and thanking her over and over for this beautiful life she gave him.
So many memories in this space. In that bed. It can't all be over. It can't just end like this. Their family can't be broken apart it's not supposed to happen. Grant needs to be here for Cal and Ellie's first day of school. When they start driving, school dances, graduation, college. She can't raise two teenagers on her own. She shouldn't have to, he's not dead. Skye rushes to grab clothes and closes the bedroom door, leans against it and closes her eyes.
If he can't leave that other world, he's as good as dead.
''You okay Quake?'' She blinks and nods at Kebo. Closes the bathroom door and turns the shower on. Setting the water as hot as it will go until the steam is nearly choking her. And cries. Cries over her son's hurtful words even though she knows he didn't mean them. Cries over the husband that might never come home. Weeps for her children that might never see their father again, she may never see Grant again. It just hurts and hurts and hurts.
She's in the shower for twenty minutes and finally leaves, joining the boys in the kitchen. ''God little Ward you suck at this game''. Kebo says as Skye leans against the counter watching them. ''Please stop calling me that''. Kebo laughs and opens another beer. Mack glances over his shoulder and raises an eyebrow, ''everything okay Tremors?'' She could laugh at the question, nearly does. It bubbles up in her throat for a few moments and then quickly dies.
How many times in her life is she going to lose Grant? He left her to chase after Garrett, those years apart when she hated him and he let her. And when she finally understood him and all of his monsters he became Inhuman and vanished from her life for months. When her mother was alive she left him to try and see if Jiaying really had changed, that blew up in her face. And now this, it was just supposed to be an easy mission.
The weeks spent searching for him in that other world to finally having him back in her arms only to be stripped away again. She's terrified to be alone, to be without him. It's a left over fear instilled all those years ago when she thought he was dead, it was the worst months of her life. Depressed, scared, angry. She turned to alcohol to ease her pain, to soothe the nightmares of his dying face. She can't to that this time, she has her babies to worry about to raise.
''He's not coming back''. Skye's voice is detatched, hollow. ''Quake you don't know that, Fitz is working on that portal right? It could work''. Kebo watches as she shakes her head almost violently. Her face begins to crumble. ''I can't do this alone he can't leave me again''. Kebo walks up to her never a stranger to Skye when it comes to Grant. ''Quake there's no way in hell Ward is going to stop until he gets home, you know that''. ''He's trapped in another world''.
''I know but''- ''And my son wants his father and he can't have him. He probably never will for the rest of his life and he needs his dad, he's so small and fragile he needs Grant to protect him to teach him how to throw a baseball. And when Ellie starts liking boys who's going to scare them all off? Who's going to tell her that she's Daddy's little princess? What if I wanted more kids? I can't have that now I can't do this I can't''- Kebo shushes her and holds her tightly.
Holds her until she stops crying, until the shaking in her bones subsides. ''I can't even make stupid pumpkin pancakes''. Kebo doesn't even fight the laugh that comes out of him. Skye leans away from his shirt to glare at him. ''There's got to be a secret ingredient or something Quake, Thomas you know how Grant makes those damn things?''
''Brown sugar and cocoa powder''. A voice from the back door says and Skye nearly jumps out of her skin. Turns around her heart in her throat. Because Grant is standing there leaning against the back door like he's been there the whole time, a wide smile on his handsome face. He looks tired but not injured or bleeding. He walks further into the room and Thomas ambushes him. Hugs his brother in the longest embrace the two have probably ever shared.
''You stupid son of a bitch''. Kebo tells Grant before hugging him also. Mack shakes his hand, tells him welcome home. Buddy flies out of nowhere and pounces on Grant, it takes at least ten minutes for their reunion to end. All the while Skye is standing in the kitchen frozen, eyes still wide. Looking at her husband like it's the first time. Like she did when he came to find her per Coulson's request, months after she shot him. She nearly lost him then too.
She watches him as he moves towards her, doesn't react until she can feel the heat of his body through her shirt. Grant's hands are warm as he cups her face, wipes away the tears with his thumbs. ''You know I would never break a promise to you''. He whispers. And then she's throwing herself at him. Arms around his neck her body pressed against every inch of him to the point where she isn't sure where he begins and she ends. Skye is kissing him wherever she can telling him she loves him over and over again.
Then he just settles down and holds her. Arms tight across her waist, her arms wrapped around him like ivory. Eyes closed his face buried in her hair. Skye's lips are against his collarbone, her fingers slowly drifting up and down his spine. ''How? How did you do it?'' She asks, wondering if this is a dream and if it is she'd rather die than wake up. ''That portal Fitz rescued Simmons with? Turns out it still works''. Skye lifts her face and kisses him slowly, carefully.
Like he is something fragile that is going to slip away at any point. ''Don't ever do that to me again Grant Ward''. She tells him when he breaks from her lips, leans his forehead against hers. ''I won't. I'm sorry''. ''I love you''. She doesn't have to be looking at him to know he's smiling like he always does when she tells him that. ''I love you too''. He's kissing her again making up for lost time, for the pain and anxiety he's put her through.
''I know two very tiny humans that are going to be so excited to see you''. Skye mutters before leaning away and taking his hand. This light breaks over his face and then he's pulling her along into Ellie and Cal's room, she can nearly feel the energy bouncing off him. Skye stops at the door and let's Grant coax them awake, sitting on Ellie's bed and leaning over to shake Cal to the land of the living. They could have waited until morning but nobody would really want to.
Ellie is the first to react, she gasps like she can't believe it, her eyes filling with tears. ''Hi princess''. ''Daddy!'' Like mother like daughter she flings herself into his arms blindly trusting him to catch her and he does he always will. Ellie is crying into his shirt and Grant is running his hand through her hair, telling her everything is okay that he won't leave her like that again. That he loves her so much, that's missed her more than anything.
''I missed you too Daddy''. And super spy best since the Black Widow Grant Ward breaks at that, starts crying as well. Holds his daughter like he never has before, kissing her forehead her cheeks. Cal begins to stir and Grant keeps one arm around Ellie while the other is waiting for his son. Cal sits up and rubs his eyes, asks for Skye. ''Mommy?'' ''Cal baby open your eyes, there's someone here that wants to see you''. It takes a few seconds for the haze of sleep to pass.
And when it does and Cal meets Grant's gaze the biggest smile anyone has ever seen takes over Cal's face. ''Daddy! Daddy!'' ''Hey buddy''. Cal hurls himself into Grant's waiting arms, crying, laughing. His small hands cupping Grant's face as if in wonder. Like his mother perhaps wondering if this is real and he isn't still asleep. ''Never leave again''. Grant kisses his son's forehead and promises he never will.
Skye wipes her eyes and joins them, wrapping an arm around Grant's shoulders and the other holding Ellie's hand. ''Mommy now you won't be sad anymore! And you can sleep in your own bed with Daddy!'' Ellie says and Grant gives his wife a look, which she ignores and kisses him instead. ''I love you Daddy''. Little Cal says, placing a palm over Grant's heart (something he picked up from Skye.) ''I love you so much''. Grant holds them as tight as he can.
Breathes it all in. He's home, and nothing or no one is ever going to take this away from him ever again. Skye has her arms around the back of his neck, Ellie and Cal soon fall back asleep on his chest and he wouldn't move for the world. This is where he's meant to be.
''Grant?'' ''In here''. Skye enters into their bathroom to find her husband deliciously shirtless brushing his teeth. It's been two weeks since he returned to them, and it's like he never left. There was no adjustment, everyone just fell back into their own routine before he and Skye left for the mission. Thomas went back home last week and promised to visit soon, Mack stops by for dinner nearly every night. Everything is back to normal.
Skye can sleep again, curled around Grant like always. They're all going to be just fine. She moves behind him and wraps her arms around his waist, lays her head on his back. ''You okay?'' She nods but he doesn't quite believe her. Turns around and takes her in his strong arms, kisses her nose. ''Is something wrong?'' She rolls her eyes and curses his super spy skills. ''You always doubt them baby''. ''I do not''. ''Talk to me''. She sighs and hides her face in his chest.
Says something muffled against his skin that he doesn't quite catch. ''What?'' Her brown eyes are warm when she looks up at him, he can feel her fingers shaking against him. ''Let's have another baby''. He stands there frozen for a moment, not sure if he heard her right. ''Come on robot, you said you wanted a big family right? Cal is three and''- His lips are warm and soft against her's. Lifts her by her thighs and sets her on the cool counter top.
''Let's do it''. He tells her, his whiskey eyes drinking her in from the top of her head to her painted red toe nails. ''Yeah?'' Her fingers run through his hair as she wraps her legs around his waist. ''Yeah''. He's kissing her with an urgency then, carries her to their bed and lays her down against the pillows. ''You think Daisy and Ward have reached this point yet?'' Grant stops trailing kisses down her neck and looks at her. ''You really want to talk about that right now?''
She shrugs, running her foot along his calf. ''You did say last week they were basically together''. ''I said they were slowly finding they're way back to each other''. ''You never could resist me, Ward is probably on his knees right now''. Grant laughs before kissing the space between her eyebrows. ''You're probably right. God I love you''. Skye takes his face in her hands, ''I love you too. Always''.
And that's enough, it will always be enough.
*
Daisy wakes to cold sheets and a dark room. Squints at the alarm clock on the night stand, it's six a.m. She sighs loudly and stretches, gets up and throws on the shirt from the floor by her foot. Pads into the kitchen full of sunlight, Ward's safe house isn't much. Nothing personal just walls with couches and the bare necessities to live. ''Good morning''. Daisy smiles at Ward, it's a genuine real smile that warms her from the nose down. ''Morning''.
She takes a seat at the kitchen table and he hands her a mug of coffee. Her eyes rake over his bare chest as he takes a seat across from her. It's been a couple weeks since they were able to send Grant home safely and since then so many things have changed. For obvious reasons Ward wasn't able to return to the Playground so he's still hiding out in the safe house Grant was staying in. Daisy went back to the base and told Phil Grant was back home.
While she was there she ended things with Lincoln (it was killing her that he was walking around thinking she loved him when she didn't.) He took it like she expected. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, told her he respected her decision. Kissed her cheek after he packed his bags and told her if she ever needed anything he was going to be around. More than likely at another hospital. He never did want to be apart of Shield and they both knew it.
She then told Coulson she needed time off after everything that happened and he agreed without a second glance. And here she is. In Ward's safe house while he's making her breakfast and looking at her like she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. She's sleeping in his bed and sighing his name at night when his skin is against her's. They don't know what this means or what it is but that's okay. It's perfect and they don't want it to end.
Daisy doesn't know what she's going to do when she goes back to Shield, or what Ward's next move is. She doesn't like thinking about it if she's being honest. She just wants to stay here in this warm bubble forever. She never thought she'd be here with Ward of all people. Safe, happy, not having the desire to punch him in his pretty face when they're in the same room. If someone told her a year ago she'd be sleeping with Ward she wouldn't of believed it.
So much has changed in these last weeks it's all a blur. All she knows is that the man she once hated has gotten under her skin once more and she doesn't try to fight it. Maybe it's always been inevitable her and him. They belong together in every universe so it seems. Why try to turn away from that? She's never been this happy in her entire life, not even their days on the Bus were filled with this much bliss.
''You're thinking so loud''. Ward comments as he slides a plate of food over to her. Daisy just stares at him. How the light shatters onto his perfect cheek bones, illuminating his skin as he gazes at her, warming his eyes and the tenderness in them. This quiet stolen moment in the middle of nowhere is just what she's needed. ''I'm happy''. Ward smiles at her, ''me too''. ''I can't remember if I've ever actually been this happy''.
Ward reaches across the table and holds her small hand in his. ''Me either. You're amazing, you know that?'' She gets up and sits in his lap. Curls around him and rests her face in his neck. Breathes in the scent of his skin and closes her eyes. Home. This is home. He is home. She's finally found the place she'd been searching for her whole life. It isn't a place or a Shield base. It's Ward. Daisy looks at him and sees everything she's been searching for.
If you asked Ward he'd say the same thing. He's been in love with her since the moment he saw her and will continue to love her until the world comes to and end. He knows nothing lasts forever and they can't hide out here much longer. Shield needs her and Ward needs to keep moving, he's still wanted. He still needs to work out a few issues of his own. This piece of heaven they stumbled upon will end, reality will storm in eventually.
But right now he couldn't care less. Daisy is looking at him like she's in love and that's all that matters. ''What do you want to do today?'' She kisses him and it lights him up, still not used to the non hostile attitude she shows him. Daisy tastes like sugar and he's going to drown in it. They abandon breakfast and lose themselves in each other on the couch. And for a few more hours it's like the world outside doesn't exist.
Lying on his chest on the brink of sleep Daisy wants to do this for the rest of her life. Go to bed with him wake up with him, Ward's whiskey eyes to look into for years to come. In one universe they're married with kids, who's to say that won't happen here too? Why can't they have that? Yes Shield still wants to kill him and they have a long road ahead. But one day it could work, it could happen. Daisy just wants to make him happy, to make him smile until he's old and gray.
She wants to live until she's a hundred and then die in his arms warm and sated. Ward looks down at her and reads the expression in her eyes. He's too afraid to say the words because everyone who was ever supposed to love him was cruel or left him. And if he lost Daisy again he isn't sure what he'd do. But he he loves her, he loves her more than he's ever loved anyone. He's jealous of his counter part and all that Grant has.
But maybe one day when things settle down. He can get down on one knee in front of her and she can be his. They can have children and Ward and Daisy can get the happiness they deserve. That they've fought so long and hard for. ''I want that too''. She whispers, hands roaming over his shoulders. Surprise colors his face, he didn't think he was wearing his heart on his sleeve but apparently he was. ''One day Ward, one day''. She kisses him softly, unhurried.
He hangs onto that. One day. Because he knows it will happen.
They're meant to be, no matter what dimension they're in.