S2 promo scene has me all aflutter so I penned this to settle it down. Hope you like. Redemption arc MUST happen but slowly.
GR interrogation, Session 1. September 23, 2014
The room was small but when they brought him in, it shrank even further. Not seeing Ward ever again had been her preference, but after their latest mission to get something meaningful on HYDRA had gone south, again, AC had asked, then ordered. Ward refused to see anyone else.
She kept her eyes firmly on the wall, a tiny rebellion against the powers that had driven her back to him, and the confines of this room. Stale air and four walls used to be comforting but were the opposite now.
Get the info and get out, before he got under her skin - simple. Those feelings from before were dead, murdered by him along with all those people, but they resided in a shallow grave - threatening to climb out and choke her at every turn. No. She was definitely over it. Definitely.
Resolute, she gave him her back as he shuffled further in, chains at his feet and wrists rattling hard. The burn of him ran along her spine, and lower, but she held in the shiver it called forth. She wouldn't be pulled into the dark this time - let him rot down there, forever, alone.
Folders tucked safely under one arm, she strode over to the side table, against the far wall, and poured a glass of water from the jug. It used to be glass but he wasn't permitted within a hundred feet of anything that could be used as a weapon. She smiled to herself - if only they knew about her - took a slow sip, and, finally, turned to face him.
Faded bruises shadowed his forehead, and heavy bags weighed on his eyes, but she was braced for it. Solitary for three months, and then maximum security for the past two, only permitted out for questioning, was bound to have taken its toll.
'We can do this one way, or the worst way.' her eyes raked him, head to toe, 'I'd say the worst way is something you're familiar with.'
Hungry eyes coasted over every inch of her until the air between them pulled taunt and a tiny smile quirked at his mouth. He'd lost weight but gained a beard. Neither suited him, but it was the expression in his eyes that had her heart squeezing in her chest. It was all there, bleeding and raw, right on the surface - he was concealing nothing now. Good.
Out of sight, she stabbed nails to palm and told herself he was just like any other prisoner. A serial killer, a murderer. Mistreatment was deserved and then some, but a hushed voice spoke up in the din of racing thoughts, whispering passionate kisses, strong arms and second chances.
Their last confrontation in the bus flashed across her mind.
She'd watched the footage back since then, many times, when she was still desperate enough to want to understand why. The pure grief she'd witnessed on his face, after she'd told him she'd never give him what he wanted, was a balm she'd missed on the first go round. But when she thought of what he'd done to Fitzsimmons (she hoped they'd beaten him to seconds from death) and May…vengeful fires there burned swift and bright. They'd all protested against it but an order was an order, unless it was from AC, then it was a directive.
Finally, he came to life. Swallowing hard, he raised a hand but when the chains prevented him, his hand dropped once more. 'Skye…'
'That's Agent Marshall, Mr Ward.' she motioned to the chair, 'Sit.'
Something flashed in his eyes but was quickly extinguished and his eyes swept instantly to her left hand. 'Marshall?' he said.
'That's right.' Her own private joke. SHIELD had demanded that she pick something, can't have an agent with no last name. How could they file things properly? She'd tried on a few others but Marshall worked, and it appealed to her sense of fun. She was a L4 Agent now, 'marshaling' all the remaining strength of SHIELD, with their ragtag team, for those who couldn't defend themselves, or against those who wanted to exploit and harm.
Her expression flattening, she pointed to the chair. He sat, all emotion drained from his eyes.
She opened the first of three folders, 'What do you know about Vector 31?'
'Nothing' he bit out. 'Who's Marshall?' Ward the operative was back.
Skye tapped her pen against the table. 'Henders Uger? Who is he?'
He shook his head, eyes never leaving her face. 'No idea. Skye-'
She held up a hand. 'Where can we find Grace Petra?'
'Skye, I told I wasn't a good man -' her eyes flew to his face and whatever he saw there brought the silence she wanted.
He shrugged, 'Somewhere.'
Skye leaned forward, 'So you know her?'
'No, but if you do, then she must be somewhere. Everyone is somewhere, Agent Marshall.' he murmured, voice catching. May's fracture had changed the sound of him. Before it was a soundtrack of inoffensive pop music punctuated by rogue baselines - courtesy of DJ HYDRA, she supposed - but now, it had a rough, discordant texture like garage cleaving through jazz. Not bad, but nothing you'd want to dance to either.
'Where is HYDRA HQ?' she said, and their eyes clashed. His written with a thousand apologies and heat, hers a wailing wall of bitterness and regret. She let him see it plainly because she would never be back where they were, ever. They had three of these sessions ahead of them, once for each folder, so she needed him on the same screen. He still wanted her, badly, she could sense it, undulating across the table, teasing her. It gave her immense pleasure to deny him, again. 'HYDRA? HQ? Where is it.' she prompted.
'No idea.'
Gone was the upright stance of robot Ward, in its place the slouch of a man untethered. It made him extremely unpredictable. AC had warned that Ward would fall back on every bit of his training and try to get her to react, to storm out.
Under the table, he shifted his legs so his thigh grazed her knee, and when she didn't move away instantly, it began to brush back and forth, over and over, in a smooth rhythm. The expression that met hers was steady, unaffected. Ready for something of this nature, she left her leg where it was, quelling the thrum of it. 'Have you ever been there? With Garrett?'
Shaking his head, eyes closing briefly at the mention of Garrett but opening they soldered to hers once more. 'No, never. With him, or anyone.'
She flicked at pages, for something to do with hands that wanted to slap and scratch. 'Have you even seen it?' He smelled the same, of guns, and danger, and musk. It was a signature cocktail and her lower belly clenched.
He sighed, but moved his leg up higher on the next pass so thigh met thigh. Internally, Skye screamed. Why was he doing that? Never mind, she'd work the lot of out on the bag later. She'd drawn his face on it, with a sharpie.
He shook his head. 'That one again. No, I've never been to a place I don't know.'
His cooperation was surprising but what intrigued her was the stonewalling, he definitely knew something, but he was holding back. And she didn't understand why - there was nothing left to salvage, so why not let it all burn to the ground?
He still wanted her, the greed in his eyes told her that, but she knew he was too smart for that to be the only reason why she was here.
She wondered what he'd when they told him what she'd done? For a few weeks after his arrest she'd gone AWOL, and the result were something she wasn't proud of, but if it wounded him, worse than he had her, then she was willing to risk it. Although, timing was everything.
Fed up, she closed the folder. 'And when will you get out of here?'
His eyes flew to hers, and he drew his leg away, but the gaze that met hers was speculative. 'You tell me.'
Dropping her voice, she leaned in, pleased when he did the same. Their faces now just inches apart, eyes tracing brows, eyes, cheeks, lips.
She leaned a little more, mouths just a breath apart, 'I'm thinking never,' she whispered, glanced at her watch, and stood. 'Time's up.'
She was at the door before he said, softly, 'Do they know what you are yet? Because I do.'
To be continued…(part 1/3)
A/N: Man alive, I realise the scene between them will likely be nothing like this but I hope we get max feels out of it still. Also, posted to tumblr ribbonhats