Set post Season 3.
"Why is he here?" Skye asked, her lip curled in disgust.
"We need him." Coulson rubbed his metalic arm. Phantom pain, they called it. Only, it didn't feel ghostly at all. It felt real. And it never went away. Simmons had offered him pills that were supposed to help, but he couldn't risk it. He had to be sharp. He had to be on point. Everyone was relying on him.
"We really, really don't. Have you forgotten . . ."
Coulson's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "I've forgotten nothing! Not Hand, not Morse, . . ."
"So, you're just going to let a murderer back into the fold." She crossed her arms in front of her, the anger coming off of her in waves. It was all she could do to control her powers.
"He's one of the best we've got. The world is falling to pieces around us. We can't be as choosy as we once were."
Skye shook her head. "This isn't about being choosy. If he goes all psycho on us . . ."
"He won't."
She pressed forward. "If he does . . ."
"Then, we'll deal with him. I need you on board with this. Everyone's choosing sides. Things are spinning out of control. We need everyone we can on our side."
"Fine," she huffed. "But this is a bad idea. It's going to blow up in our face."
"You're probably right. But we don't have the luxury of throwing away resources at the moment."
"So, now he's a resource?" she asked incredulously.
"As long as he's useful."
"What happened to you?" Skye ground out.
"The world fell apart. We lost half of our operatives in one day. Our back is up against the wall. Look, your objections are noted. And when this all goes south, you have my permission to say, 'I told you so'."
"Thanks," she said dryly. "But it'll be a little hard to say when we're all dead."
000000
"So, Agent Ward, how was your vacation?" Simmons asked coolly as she checked his vitals.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the tablet that had all of his medical information. Everything checked out. Blood pressure. Heart rate. Every vital sign was optimal. He seemed no worse for wear.
She glanced over at the phalanx of armed operatives that were off to the sides. If anything happened, they were there to protect her. But, she'd seen Ward in action. If he wanted to, he could take down twice as many.
Ward sat up in the bed and gave her a brilliant smile, full of humor and goodwill.
"Tahiti . . . . it was a magical place."
Author's Note- This just planned as a one shot. However, more than once, my one shots have grown into multichapter stories. We'll see!
