I don't own Agents of SHIELD nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.
Coulson wanted to kill Ward - that's what he set out to do when he went through the portal to Maveth - but he found he couldn't do it when it came down to it. The look of acceptance in Ward's eyes would have sealed his fate but the wheezed, "Do it" did the trick.
Coulson stepped back and kept a careful eye on him. "No."
Ward wheezed a bit more and he groaned, turning on his side. "Why not? Do it!" he taunted once more.
He shook his head. "You're coming with us." He was probably making a huge mistake but he had to try, even as angry as he was at the former teammate who had killed his girlfriend. "I'm giving you another chance, Grant Ward. Don't make me regret it."
Even though he was in a massive amount of pain - Coulson had broken a few ribs and he was still dealing with the gunshot wounds - Ward couldn't understand why this was happening. He groaned some more when Coulson picked him up and they slowly started to make the trek through the portal. "I don't trust you," he murmured.
"That makes two of us. Now shut up," Coulson ordered.
"What are you doing?" asked a frantic Fitz as he tried to wave him through.
"I'm saving him. Now, get us some help when you go through," he barked.
Fitz dove through, and Coulson and Ward slowly made their way through the portal. Luckily, medical attention was waiting for them by the time they came through the other side and landed in their world.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Skye questioned.
"Saving his life." Fortunately for Ward, he lost consciousness just seconds later as SHIELD's doctors got to work.
"But why?" she pressed.
"Because he never got that second chance so many others did, and I couldn't kill him. Otherwise, he would win - I'd become just like him. Yes, he's made some massive mistakes he has to pay for but think of this as a new beginning. We're wiping the slate clean, and getting him some help. Need to find a therapist I can trust." Coulson wished Andrew could advise them but unfortunately, that wasn't happening.
Three days later, Ward was finally awake for more than a few minutes at a time and aware enough that they could hold a conversation. "Why?" he burst out when Coulson entered the room.
"Because pain and cruelty has followed you your entire life, and I want the cycle to stop. I'm showing you compassion for once in your life. You're responsible for your actions, but there are a lot of people at fault for putting you in this position too. What did Garrett do to you?" Coulson should have asked that earlier but he had been too angry to even consider it.
Ward sighed and stared at the wall, ignoring Coulson's piercing gaze. "He took me when I was fifteen and left me in the woods for five years with only a dog - he later killed him after I failed to comply with his orders about doing so. He punished my numerous fuck-ups."
Coulson frowned. "Punished you how?" he probed, concerned.
"Beat the shit out of me," Ward answered, still not wanting to look him in the face. He was embarrassed about it and didn't want Coulson's pity.
He froze. "You were abused as a child by your parents and brother, Ward. Garrett did it too," he pointed out.
Ward wanted to deny it, had started to shake his head, but then he thought back over the last fifteen years of his life with John Garrett, and realized he couldn't. "But I thought he had dragged me out of hell. He only made it worse," he replied, his voice cracking as everything crashed down on him at once.
"He did, but that's why we're getting you the help you needed from the beginning."
Ward finally looked over at Coulson and hoped like hell the former boss he still hated wasn't paying attention to the tears coursing down his face. "I don't want your pity," he tried to snarl but it came out more like a whimper.
Coulson grabbed Ward's hand and tried to ignore the wince from the trembling man. He felt guilty about that but this conversation was important to him. "I don't pity you. I want you to be worthy of this second chance I'm giving you. You have a long way to go to redeem yourself. Do you want to?"
"Yes." Ward hesitated for about thirty seconds before he said something. "I need help," he reluctantly, finally admitted. He hated asking for help - and it never got him anywhere before - but he had reached his breaking point. He had hit rock bottom a while ago but he had a feeling Coulson already knew that.
Coulson grinned at him. "That's a start. Now get some rest. A therapist will be in to talk to you soon." He walked out of the room while Ward finally gave into the sobs wracking his body. Crying it out for the first time in a long time actually did make him feel better, for a little while at least.
Skye finally worked up the courage to visit Ward in in his new room on the base a week later. "How are you?" she asked for lack of something else to say (and also genuinely curious).
He shrugged. "Getting better and taking it day by day - that's all I can really do anyway, according to my therapist. I want to apologize, Skye. I did a lot of shitty things and hurt you, and there's no way I can ever make up for it."
"That's a start. I'll work on forgiving you but you also need to learn to forgive yourself. I'm guessing your therapist will work with you on that, though. And good luck. I may still be pissed beyond belief at you but I want you to succeed, Grant."
"Thanks." Fuck, he loved her so much but knew he had blown his chance with her. He had to learn to accept it even though it hurt - a lot of shit did now that he was reluctantly letting all the pain in.
"You're welcome." Skye grinned at him, waved goodbye, and then headed back towards her room.
As the weeks passed, Ward slowly started to make amends with the team. In the end, they all apologized to each other because the situation had been toxic all around. Their relationship might never be able what it was but that was okay because they were all starting over. The past was left better left where it belonged. And Ward finally started to heal from a lifetime of abuse, although there were definitely some bumps along the way. He joined them all during a movie night and it went smoothly. "We need to educate you on Disney movies," Fitz informed him after it was revealed that he hadn't seen many.
"Really? But we're adults," Ward pointed out to no avail.
Skye snorted. "That's never stopped us before."
"Yeah, get used to it. Disney movies are heavily in rotation here," chimed in Mack.
"We watched some on the Bus but not many. I tried to avoid them. Already knew I was in too deep," Ward explained.
Awkward silence until Mack interrupted. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore about that. We're here to make sure you get immersed in all things Disney. And horror movies, if Fitz has his way."
Fitz squawked in mock anger. "You like horror movies!"
"Not all of them!" Mack shot back.
An amused Ward could only shake his head. "God, I missed it." And he didn't feel bad about admitting it either - definitely a step in the right direction!
"So did I," Skye added, surprising even herself. Everything felt like it was back to normal and it was weird but she was also grateful.
And so the whole group settled in to watch multiple Disney movies and expand Ward's horizons while they were at it.
Six months after the incident on Maveth, Ward was still struggling a bit - he always would - but his bad days were few and far between. He threw himself into missions but he learned to ask the others for help and support when he needed it. Of course, they gladly gave it. Skye found herself falling head over heels in love with Ward again and didn't fight it - what was the point? They were drawn to each other for a reason and always would be. So, when the two of them were walking down a hallway on their way out to go the store, she grabbed his sleeve to stop him. "What are you doing, Skye?" he asked.
"This," she answered, surging forward to kiss him.
He pulled away in a daze. "Wow."
Skye giggled. "I take it you're happy."
"Very much so," he assured her before leaning over to kiss her again. "I will never stop loving you."
"Good, because I'm never going to stop loving you either." Skye grabbed his hand and the two of them went on their way.
Coulson would never once regret his decision to show compassion to Grant Ward - how could he? He and Ward still had problems, of course, but they worked through them together. And life went on for the team.