All Roads Lead Back to You & I

by NCISVILLE

Ward has escaped and now he's disappeared but left clues only Skye will recognize to find him. He knows how to find her father and promised to take her to him. When she agrees to go, revelations happen, feelings uncovered, and hidden secrets from her past revealed. But at the end of it all will they end up together? (One Shot after A Fractured House)

No lie I've been working on this for the past two weeks. I saw a picture on Tumblr saying how the season needs to progress now that Ward has escaped (on the SkyeWard front anyways) and I needed to see that happen so I spent all this time writing it. It is a one shot and a very long one at that but I hope you ll like it. I will be updating my other two SkyeWard stories very soon. BE sure to leave me a review at the end.

All Roads Lead Back to You & I

He'd spent a week leaving just enough breadcrumbs for only Skye to recognize. So far he'd been good at keeping his head down. It hadn't taken much effort to disappear. He'd done so before for years and he was a trained specialist. He had safe houses all over the World and stockpiles set up with ID's and cash. His first move after escaping was making sure he hid and was off the radar. It took about a week of traveling before he finally managed to wind up in his safe house up by the lake in Michigan. Once he knew he was in a secure location he set to work at altering his appearance. The beard was the first thing to go. He then died his hair to be brunette and slipped in colored contacts that changed his eyes to be grey. He wasn't overly fond of this look but it was necessary to ensure he wasn't recognized.

A month passed of gathering Intel on his brother's operation and Skye's father before he finally began planting things for Skye to find that would lead her to him. He ordered something online under the name T-1000 Battleship and made the delivery location was the coffee shop he frequented. He also hacked into the Hydra frequencies and left the message Mr. Reasonable and Firm co. by the Big Lake down past The Beach. His last breadcrumb was allowing himself to be caught looking at the next town over's bank's security camera. After he made the trail he waited in his hand built, log cabin and continued to reach out to his contacts to learn everything he could about her father. It took her three days to burst into his house with her weapon drawn as he was drinking his coffee.

"You made it." He said happy to see with a mega watt smile on his face. Skye didn't say anything but he could tell she was confused. "Oh, this is my disguise, well, technically I'm Arthur Maltese, but you had to have known I would alter my features."

"Because that's what you do. You manipulate people and you draw them into a false sense of security." Skye said angrily.

"No, Skye." Ward said adamantly, standing up with palms raised. "Because I couldn't have anyone catching me when I was busy reaching out and learning more about your father, like you wanted."

"No! Because all you do is you manipulate my emotions and you try to find a way in so that you have a reason to see me. Very clever too, leaving those breadcrumbs that only I would understand." She retorted cocking her head with her gun still pointed at his chest.

"I thought you'd like that." He said with a sad smile. "But I never manipulated your emotions Skye. All I've been doing is trying to rebuild trust with you and the rest of our team."

"There is no OUR!" She said angrily. "You gave that up! You traded us for him!"

"That's not fair Skye. Coulson is to you exactly what Garrett was to me. You follow him everywhere just like I did with Garrett. I was convinced I was doing the right thing. That I was on the right side. You're just lucky that you had Coulson. Because you'd have turned out the exact same way I did if you were in my shoes." He argued getting angry himself.

"At least Coulson wasn't a psycho evil killer who turned me into you." She defended insulting his father-figure.

"That's exactly who you are Skye! They trained you and now you are exactly who I was when you first met me. You're that person now." Ward said with a laugh of dis-belief.

"I am not you! I don't go around killing innocent people for Nazis!" She yelled finally lowering her weapon and jabbing him in the chest.

"I made a mistake Skye, that doesn't make me a Nazi!" He bit staring down at her frustrated.

"No it makes you pathetic for even trying to come back."

"I'll never stop trying. I'm only doing this for you. I only want for you to trust me again. I don't care about everyone else because they'd rather see me die." He spoke softly.

"You think I don't?" Skye countered with a sharp tongue.

"No. You don't, because I know how you feel about me, despite everything I've done, everything I ever said; I know how you feel because I feel the same way."

"You're delusional." She retorted in denial with a scoff.

"No. You're in denial because you don't want to admit you're in love with me because of the things I've done."

"Oh that's rich. The guy with the distorted view of a father telling me what love looks like." Skye quipped crossing her arms, her gun now holstered.

"Tell me then that you don't." He challenged invading her personal space. "Look me in the eye and tell me you're not in love with me." For just a brief moment Skye met his eyes and she couldn't say it. She scoffed and broke their eye contact.

"I'm not going to even grace you with considering the notion of loving you." She said with a scoff turning her back on him.

Ward smiled. He had his confirmation.

"Oh and you look more like a Brett." She said drawing out a cell phone.

"Don't call them." He said quickly after she withdrew it.

Skye laughed and whirled around. "Why the hell would I not call them and let them know I found you?"

"Because I already made arrangements for you to meet your father." He answered holding up a piece of paper. He saw Skye's focus tunnel vision onto that paper.

"You…you found him?" She asked changing her tune. She was suddenly interested and teary eyed.

"You call them and bring me in and you'll never see him. He disappears from this location in three days. Come with me and you'll have the answers you've been searching for or take me back in and lose your only shot at seeing him." Ward could see that Skye was weighing the choices in the ultimatum he'd given her but he also knew she'd chose the chance to finally meet her father, even if he was a monster.

"The offer expires in ten seconds Skye, which will it be?"

"Alright. Fine, I take your deal." Ward smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that. I hope you packed a bag. We've got a lot of traveling to do before we get there. Oh, and I'm gonna need you to hand over your comm receivers, trackers, and Bluetooth. No electronics what so ever.

"What makes you think I'd agree with that?" She scoffed in disbelief.

"You can keep your gun. But you won't need it. I'd never hurt you. You were right. I am weak, weak when it comes to you. I'd sooner kill myself than hurt you."

Skye didn't respond but withdrew all her tracking devices and communication and put them on the table. A small smile came to his face.

"When do we leave?" She asked curiously.

"Right now. Let me grab my bag and re-locate your comm set and we'll leave."

"You really are planning on disappearing for the rest of your life, aren't you?" She asked looking around his house.

"Nobody wants me anywhere but a prison cell or six feet under, and I'm being hunted by my brother. Of course I'm going to stay hidden." He replied sadly, giving her a smile anyway.

"That's not true." Skye murmured after he had left the room.

As she waited for him to return she decided to look around the cabin and noticed how simple, yet warm, and inviting it was. There was a fireplace and a mantle with just two pictures on it and one of them had fractured glass that radiated out from the center, as though someone had put their fist through it. It was a picture of himself and Garrett. The second picture made her stop and throw back to a nearly a year ago. She gripped onto the frame so tightly her knuckles were white. Tears stung her eyes as she remembered the event. He had Fitz take the photo for them after she'd gotten her badge. It was such a huge step for her, like being an official member of the family. Everything had seemed so perfect in that moment. She had him, a family, and a badge. She was so distracted by the painful memory that she didn't hear him walk up.

"I like looking at that too."

Startled she nearly dropped the picture but Ward's reflexes were fast enough to reach out and catch it.

"Sorry." She apologized. "Where did you get this?"

"One of my many drop locations. I took it with me and stashed it before it could be destroyed or taken from me. Reminds me of the good times." He said with a warm small smile placing the photo back on the mantle. "Let's go." He directed grabbing a set of car keys from a bowl on the table and re-shouldering his backpack.

Skye followed him outside and to a run-down, red, two seater, pick-up truck. The sky had turned dark since she had first entered the cabin. "We need to stop at a motel in the next town. That's where I left my bag." Skye informed.

"Okay." He replied turning the key and waiting for the engine to roar. It took fifteen minutes alone just to reach the road from the place where his cabin was hidden. Skye had to give him props; he really did know how to disappear. Small town no one had heard of right next to the largest wooded area around and he was hidden within there. Their ride was silent apart from Skye telling him the name of the motel she had holed up in for the past few days as she searched for him. Ward didn't blame her though. This was the longest she'd ever been around him since their days on the Bus and all of their conversations so far had just been about information he had. He personally had no idea what to even ask her. He had no idea what she was busy doing on a daily basis. He only ever got to see her maybe once a week for five minutes.

As he drove he noticed Skye continually looking at him from the corner of her eye. Her eyes kept landing on his arms and his scars. He tried not to let her know that he was watching her watching him but it was difficult to not just meet her eyes. He couldn't hide how he felt about her nor did he want to. Secrets had destroyed him once and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Coulson doesn't know I left." Skye spoke up. "He stopped looking for you after a week and he's on a mission with May right now.

"I knew you wouldn't." He stated as a matter of fact.

"How?" She questioned curiously.

"You never give up on anything." He replied with a smile and quick glance. "And I wanted you to find me. It just took me time to get things in order and reach out to my contacts. I told Coulson before he put me in that van that I was going to keep my promise to you."

"How did you get out of the cuffs?" She asked.

"Broke my thumb and wrist." He stated wiggling his right hand.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "How did you fight those guys with a broken wrist? You must have been in a lot of pain."

"I'm used to pain. And I wasn't about to allow myself to be put back under Christian's abusive hand."

"So that wasn't an act. You really were terrified of him?" She asked.

"Yes. Wouldn't you be if you were being willingly handed over to the person who made your life hell as a child? The person who beat me when he was supposed to protect me. I would have endured a lot more not to have been in his clutches. I never lied about my brother Skye. He really is just as bad as I said." Ward spoke tensely, white knuckling the wheel.

"I'm sorry. I didn't have any say in that." She spoke feeling ashamed of what they had done to him.

Ward remained silent unsure how to respond. He just kept his eyes focused on the road and his surroundings in the increasing darkness. They were quiet again until reaching the motel after an hour and a half of driving.

"Let's just camp out here for tonight and we'll hit the road early in the morning."

"Fine." Skye replied getting out of the truck. She lead the way to her room and grabbed the key for the room from underneath the vending machine right beside her room.

Ward smiled. He was quite proud of the long way she'd come from her first training session. When they were inside Skye stopped and said dejectedly, "Oh."

"What's wrong?" Ward questioned hoping he could fix whatever had gotten her down.

"There's the one full sized bed."

"Yeah and…" He questioned not seeing what the hang up was.

"Well where are you supposed to sleep?" Skye said troubled.

"On the floor." He said looking at her as though the answer was obvious.

"What?"

"I'm sleeping on the floor. Where else was I supposed to sleep? That's your bed." Ward stated throwing his bag on the floor beside the bed.

"Oh. Yeah, right." She said looking away trying not to turn red. She had automatically assumed they were both just going to share.

"I'm gonna go shower now so we can just get up and leave." Ward informed taking off his shoes and socks and throwing them into the corner with his bag.

"Right, yeah." Skye replied a bit flustered.

"Are you okay Skye?" He asked concerned.

"I'm fine." She replied. "I'm just gonna go walk down the street and get a sub."

"Use cash, no cards."

"I know how to stay hidden Ward." Skye said annoyed with a roll of her eyes.

"Right. Sorry. I keep forgetting you're not a rookie anymore. I'm proud of you. You've come a long way." Ward spoke with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

He disappeared into the bathroom and Skye left to go to the Subway not far from the dingy motel they were at.

Getting the food hadn't taken as much time as Skye had been expecting and in just fifteen minutes she was returning with two foot-long BLT's from Subway. When she entered the room she was struck speechless and was unable to move from just beyond the threshold of the door.

There in front of her stood Grant Ward, the one she had known. His eyes weren't foreign; they were the beautiful hazel she'd fallen so hard for. There were locks of his hair that were it's original jet-black color. Water was dripping off his body and being absorbed by the white motel towel around his waist. His six-pack had evolved into an eight-pack that was so well defined she could practically use it as a washboard. His arms, oh God, those arms. So big and muscular, those arms that were capable of pinning her to a wall. She hoped her eyes didn't look as lustful as she felt but she could see a spark in his eyes. She knew he was thinking the exact same thoughts she was, well not quite the same, but very similar in nature. She dropped the subs onto the table beside the bed and walked up to him keeping her eyes locked with his. A smile appeared on his face and suddenly Skye felt anger well up inside of her. She was angry at herself. She was letting him get to her again, after she'd told herself she would keep her distance, here she was running away with him and now she was standing just inches away from him.

Filled with anger and self-loathing she grabbed his hair and pulled his lips onto hers. They crashed together with such a bittersweet taste. Ward wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him as they fought for dominance over the other. Skye bit down on his lip and drew blood in an attempt to gain control and pushed him backwards toward the bed. With a lustful rage she shoved him onto the bed and climbed up pinning him down. Fighting back, Ward sat up and clamped his teeth onto a patch of exposed skin on her neck. She was not going to let Grant Ward have this easy so she shoved him back down and growled in his ear.

"We're doing this my way. I'm in control." She growled.

Ward raised his hands in surrender the way he always did and let Skye have her way.

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Skye awoke at the crack of dawn and found herself clutching onto Ward on the small bed. Her head lay on his arm and their legs were entangled. She then realized they were both still naked and that despite angrily having sex it was by far the best experience she'd had and she wanted to do it again, just not angrily. She looked up at his face and saw his prominent jawline and cheek bones. She hated herself for letting down every reserve she'd had and sleeping with him but he really did have the figure of a god and boy was he just…something else. Wanting to have a repeat of last night's events before they left to go see her father, Skye stretched her head up and kissed his jaw and let her hand wander over his abs. Ward awoke and looked around before he realized what was happening. He felt Skye's hand on his stomach and felt his stomach clench.

"Is this your way of asking for morning sex?" He asked sleepily.

"There is no question."

"You're right, there's not." He replied taking a hold of her and flipping them over so she was below him. Her breath hitched and Ward smiled down at her. "You know you're beautiful, right?" He asked.

"Shut up and kiss me Ward." She commanded.

"Not until you acknowledge the fact that you are beautiful." He said teasing her as he traced her thigh.

"Alright, fine, yes, I get it, I'm beautiful." Ward smiled and leaned down to capture her lips. Their kiss was visibly different from last night. It was much gentler and much sweeter.

"Now it's my turn." Ward whispered kissing her jaw.

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They were delayed getting on the road by nearly an hour, but come eight am they were on their way with cheap McDonald's coffee and fulfilled desires. Sure they'd have to talk about things but for the moment they were both satisfied. Music filled the air as Skye looked out the window and Ward focused on the road. It was a comfortable silence between the two of them for the time being, and Ward tried not to smile the whole time.

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After driving nearly twelve hours from Garden, Michigan, Ward found a motel with hardly any surveillance in St. Louis, Missouri to stay for the night so they would be rested to finish the last leg of their journey, to Fort Morgan, Colorado the next day. The tension between them had lessened significantly and Skye had even teased him and joked around for a few minutes. Ward saw this as development in their relationship and hoped that maybe soon it could be defined as a proper relationship. He longed for that day to come and hoped it was closer than he thought. Sure he didn't mind at all sleeping with Skye, he'd imagined it many times, but he wanted more, he wanted to have it all with her. He only hoped she wanted the same.

As he parked in the motel's terrible parking lot covered in potholes, he looked over at Skye after cutting the engine. She was asleep against the door with her hand propping her head up. He could only imagine just how sore her wrist was gonna be. Ward debated whether or not he should wake up and finally figured it was in his best interest to at least let her know where they were.

"Skye." He said softly shaking her shoulder.

"Mmm." She said annoyed swatting at him. Ward could only smile. It reminded him of back in her first days of training. He'd have to go in and shake her awake for training.

"We're at a motel. I'm going to go in and get a room, okay?" He informed with a soft tone.

"Meh." She mumbled going back to sleep. Ward chuckled and grabbed his wallet. He threw his hood on and sunglasses despite it being nine at night and shut the door behind him.

As he strolled inside he flashed the teenager a smile who just smirked at his attire. He knew she probably thought he was drunk. "I need a room for two just for the night."

"Uh huh. That'll be sixty-nine bucks." She said.

Ward opened his wallet and pulled out three crisp twenty's and a ten and handed them to the girl who in turn gave him back a dollar. She reached behind her and grabbed a key.

"Room 24. Upstairs and the last one on the right." She informed handing the key over to Ward.

"Thanks." He replied giving her another smile.

"Uh huh." She responded trying not to laugh.

Ward walked back out to the truck and saw that Skye was still asleep. He opened the door and announced, "Skye, we have a room so now you can sleep on a bed."

"Mmm." She groaned. "Hush." Ward laughed aloud and shook his head. He had missed moments like these. Ward slung his backpack over his shoulders then walked around to the other side of the truck and tapped on the window to let Skye know he was about to open the door. When he opened the door she just groaned and moved her head to the back. "Come here my little spy." He said trying to get a hold of her. It was difficult trying to grab her but after some time he managed it and picked her up. Awkwardly maneuvering he managed to get her out of the truck and kicked the door shut. He'd return for her bag after he managed to get her inside. Skye wrapped her arms around his neck and curled into his chest drowsily. Taking even breaths Ward walked the distance with her, his grip never waning. The stairs were what really took a toll on his muscles but his grip still didn't loosen. Now came the hardest part, getting the key from his pocket and opening the door. He didn't know if he'd be able to do it without having her move. The only way was to squat so his hand would be closer to his pocket. With a groan he held her as he squatted and withdrew the troublesome key. Now for the fun part of trying to get back up. He took a few deep breaths like the ones before he had snapped his wrist and quickly stood up with a burst of energy. Blindly he tried opening the door and after a little bit of a struggle the key turned and unlocked the door. Getting creative he managed to push down on the handle and push the door open at the same time. Wasting no time he walked to the bed and set her down on it gently. Despite the burning in his muscles he made sure to carefully set her down. Ward threw off his backpack and welcomed the relief of weight on his shoulders and arms. He knew Skye wouldn't waste time waking up to change, so he took off her shoes and socks and stripped her of her jeans and jacket leaving her shirt on. He pulled the blankets out from underneath her body and wrapped her in them.

Skye snuggled into the warmth and murmured, "Thanks."

Ward kissed her forehead in reply and whispered, "Sleep tight Skye." He closed the door behind him and went to go fetch her bag from the truck and lock it up.

Before he got into his own bed he changed into a pair of shorts and made sure to use the bathroom and brush his teeth. He took great care in making sure all of his activities were as quiet as could be so he wouldn't disturb Skye. Then again…he wasn't sure that woman would wake up for anything less than a tornado. She was such a heavy sleeper it was always a pain to wake her up if she didn't do it herself.

With a yawn Ward climbed into bed exhausted from driving and the lack of sleep from the previous night. He was out in seconds.

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Skye woke up the next day upon hearing Ward puttering around the room.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled cracking open one eye.

"Oh hey, you're awake." Ward spoke with a smile. "I got something for you." He held up a bag and a cup of coffee.

"Are those what I think they are?" She asked hopeful with both eyes now open.

"As long as you think they're four Boston Crème doughnuts and a pumpkin spiced latte." He played along. Skye sat up in bed and held out her hands, waiting for him to put the goods in her hand.

"Where's my thank you?" He asked with an eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Get over here and I'll give it to you." She replied with a grin. Ward grinned and walked the distance over to her. He leaned down for her to kiss him and waited with his eyes closed. Instead he felt the bag and coffee ripped from his hands. He opened his eyes confused and saw her smirking face take a bite of one of the doughnuts.

"You played me."

"Just like the old days. Some things never change. You were always subject to my charms." She teased with a crafty smile

Ward could only smile. "Why are you being so nice to me? You know I'm in love with you but last I checked you couldn't stand me." He inquired curiously.

"Maybe because I just want things to go back to normal. It's not as if I actually liked hating you." She explained in between devouring her first doughnut. "You hurt me Ward, and I admit I dealt with it wrong and some of the things I said to you were…cruel. But…I did love you, really, but as soon as I found out you were with Hydra…after Miles betrayed me I thought I could always count on you. I never thought you'd betray me too. That's why I lashed out so wrong. I was in love and I was betrayed…again, and I didn't understand why and the only thing I knew how to do was hate you. I thought hating you would help, and it didn't. It just made me think back to how things used to be. How I wanted them to be again." She explained. Ward sat down on the edge of her bed and was looking at her with such sorrow and remorse, with deep grief and guilt.

"I'm so sorry for the mess I made. I never meant to hurt you. The one thing I wanted to do was protect you. I know I made bad mistakes and that I killed people on the wrong side but I promise you I'll never stop trying to make up for that. I know I was loyal to the wrong man, but he made me into the specialist I was, he saved me from my family, he taught me how to survive." Ward said his eyes downcast.

"I get it Ward. He was the father you wish you'd had. You didn't know who he was when he got you out. I understand. I don't excuse your actions but I do acknowledge you made them because of who he made you to be."

"But I'm not like that anymore." Ward spoke desperate for her to know.

"No."

"I'm changing."

"Yeah. But you're going to need to see a therapist Ward. I know it's not ideal but you need to find someone who you can talk to, and it can't be me. You need a shrink who can help you make sense of everything and come to terms with it." Skye said placing a hand on his cheek.

"I can't. They'll think I'm a monster as soon as they find out how many people I killed for him." He spoke afraid and sad.

Skye lifted his chin up and pulled him to her. His lips met hers and he crushed her body against his trying to make her feel just how sorry he was and how much he really loved her.

Skye pulled away when a lack of oxygen intake began to stifle her breathing. "Let's disappear. After I meet my dad, I want to stay with you."

"What?" Ward asked shocked.

"We can stay off the grid together."

"What about Coulson?" He asked concerned about her sudden want to run away.

"A new guy on our team once told me S.H.I.E.L.D wasn't a life, just a job. He's right. My life is with you." Skye said.

"Skye, where's all this coming from? Just yesterday I had to convince you not to call in the team. Now you're ready to leave them all behind?"

"Yes." She answered simply. "You were right Ward. I do love you." Despite all the confusion Ward couldn't stop the smile from engulfing his face. He kissed Skye and pulled back with a twinkle in his eye.

"You really want to do this? Run away and have a life together. Just the two of us?" He asked incredulous.

"Yeah." She replied with a smile.

"Wow. This is…wow. I mean I only ever pictured this happening in my dreams I never thought…just give me a minute to wrap my head around this."

"You do that and I'll eat another doughnut and enjoy this coffee." Skye said as she reached into the bag and picked up the cup again. She was done fighting her feelings and denying herself the chance to be happy again.

Ward got up from her bed and walked outside to get some air and process what had just happened. Skye was really going to just leave the team. To live with him, to disappear, live under a fake identity. She was going to leave behind everything she had worked for, for him. He was having difficulties wrapping his head around this sudden occurrence. He was overjoyed but he was also still in shock. He watched some people come and go from the motel and stared at the beauty of the sky. When he walked back inside maybe ten minutes later Skye was out of bed and he heard the shower running in the bathroom.

He knocked on the door and asked, "How long do you think you'll be?"

"Give me five more minutes and we can leave here in twenty." Ward looked at his watch and marked the time. It was just about eight now. He'd give her until eight-thirty.

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They were stopped at Flying Jay. It was mid-day and Ward was filling up the tank as Skye was inside getting them lunch. There was a cool breeze blowing through his hair and for just a moment he closed his eyes to enjoy the beauty. He kept his hand on the nozzle but allowed the weather to whisk away his thoughts. He was snapped back to reality when Skye slugged his shoulder with a smirk on her face. He was startled but didn't let it show.

"What are you doing super spy?"

"I was taking in the beauty of the weather." He replied winking at her.

"Oh, I see. Well, I'm gonna take in the beauty of this Big Mac from McDonalds."

"Don't get my truck dirty!" He shouted as she disappeared into the truck with a mischievous smile.

Ward shook his head and took a look at how many gallons had been pumped into his truck. At the exact same time it stopped pumping and clicked. Ward locked the cap back on and jumped into the truck. "What'd you get for me?"

"Chicken and Ranch Wrap Meal Combo with fries and a Dr. Pepper."

"Thanks." He said with a smile and eagerness as she handed him his bag.

Ward carefully took a bite of his wrap before boxing it back up and placing it beside him.

"Not hungry?" Skye asked with a mouthful of burger.

"No, I am. This place has cameras. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary.

"Well you're wearing sunglasses."

"Yeah but that won't stop Coulson from finding me, especially since you're missing." Ward said fairly nervous.

"Alright. Well, let's blow this popsicle stand." Ward smirked and started the truck. "Do you want me to feed you?" She asked with a tone that made Ward cautious to answer yes. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You scare me." Ward spoke as he pulled onto the highway.

"Good." She replied with a smile climbing into the middle to feed him.

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Three pm found them singing along to some eighties songs on the radio with smiles on their faces and Skye bouncing around pretending to be singing into a mic. Six pm found them in Salina. Kansas, (still seven hours away from their destination) at Sonic sitting at one of the tables teasing each other as they waited for their food. They were both laughing and smiling and the atmosphere was light and playful like they remember it used to be on the Bus. Eleven pm found Skye asleep using Ward's lap as a pillow and Ward yawning but trying to make it the final hour without having to stop.

Finally Ward saw the welcoming sign of Fort Morgan and smiled. They'd made it. He pulled into the cheapest motel just ten minutes from Skye's father and texted his contact to let him know they had arrived and to set up a meeting for the following day…well…later on in the morning. He looked down at Skye and shook her with a smile.

"Skye we're here." It was only due to Skye's nervousness and excitement that she woke up after Ward shook her.

"What time is it?" She asked with a yawn.

"It's 12:49 in the morning. We're gonna sleep here tonight and meet up with your father later in the morning after we've rested." He informed. Skye yawned and nodded. She shouldered her backpack and jumped out of the truck. Ward followed suit with his own bag and they made sure not to look at any of the cameras and to make sure their faces were concealed. Ward paid the man the fee and they walked to their designated room before crashing for the night. This time there was a single bed and so Skye curled into Ward and wrapped her arms around him.

"Goodnight Ward." Skye said through her yawn.

"Goodnight Skye." He replied with a smile.

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Skye awoke early the next morning without any prompting and found that she had even woken before Ward. Poor guy, he was probably exhausted from three days of driving. She was grateful though. Skye wasn't sure why she'd woken up so early. It had to have been anxiety and curiosity. Knowing that Ward was a light sleeper she stayed in his arms and just started thinking about everything. If she was honest with herself she was a little surprised at how quickly her tone and mood had shifted since first finding him in the woods. But she wasn't playing him, it was just her spontaneity deciding that she'd had enough of playing the soldier and wanted to settle down somewhere and build relationships. She'd always pictured herself doing that with her future husband though at the time she'd first thought of it, she'd envisioned Miles at the altar with her. Now she was sure it would end up being Ward, sometime in the distant future anyway. Her thoughts drifted from her running away with Ward to meeting her father. Her calm heartbeat began to speed up and she had to pause to calm herself down but found her thoughts still running rampant.

What if he turned into a monster and killed her? Was he really a murderer? Was he set-up? Why did Hydra want to take her away? Why was she special? Was she really an alien? Would she become a monster too?

Skye found herself beginning to panic and she gripped Ward tighter trying to get rid of all the anxiety and fear. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to filter in pleasant memories, good thoughts, but fear began to override logic.

Ward awoke startled by the sudden death grip on his chest and heard small whimpers come from Skye.

"Skye, what's wrong? Hey, hey talk me, what's going on?"

"I'm scared."

"About meeting your dad?"

"About the possible answers he'll give me." She replied gripping him even tighter with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Hey, Skye, it's gonna be okay. Calm down. Take a deep breath and open your eyes. Look into mine." He instructed in a soothing, calm voice. Skye did as she was told. "Tell me what you see when you look in my eyes."

"Adoration." She replied feeling her mind begin to let go of the fear and focus on the task she was given.

"Okay, what else, think about it."

"Pain. I see regret, and guilt." She answered sadly, wondering how she hadn't noticed before. "I see fear. What are you afraid of?"

"Losing you." He replied stroking her hair. "I'm afraid of waking up and not seeing you." He answered letting her see all of him right down to the parts of him he'd rather keep hidden.

"You never lied about what your brother did to you, did you."

Ward shook his head and gave her small sad smile. "No. I wish I had. But my family history really was all about abuse."

"I'm surprised you're not worse off considering that and being brainwashed by Garrett." Skye mused.

"No, Garrett never brainwashed me Skye." Ward denied shaking his head.

"Yes, he did Ward. Just because it's not the same method Whitehall used doesn't mean you weren't. I went back and I dug into all the records, reports, files, everything. I read article after article and did so much research. He conditioned you after he broke you out of juvy. He made you into a killer and he pushed you into making the decisions he wanted you to make. He probably had some key phrase that he always used to test you too." She said mumbling the last part angrily.

"Weakness." Ward spoke as though Skye had given him a revelation. "Every decision I wasn't comfortable making he always would ask me, 'That's not a weakness, is it?' or he would just say, 'If the job was easy it wouldn't be any fun'. You're saying that over the course of fifteen years he made me into the specialist I was by using those two things alone just to shape my thought process and mold me into a killer without questioning orders. I always just thought he was acting like a father, but he was just using me, shaping me into who he needed me to be to get what he wanted." Ward found himself shedding angry, bitter tears. His entire life was a lie.

"Hey, hey, don't cry Grant." Skye said softly putting a hand on his arm.

"My whole life is a lie Skye. Who am I?" He asked feeling the sudden weight of the existential question most people struggled with in their teens and early adulthood.

"You're Grant Douglass Ward, survivor, protector. An abuse victim who's been handling life fairly well considering all the crap you've endured and gone through."

"I killed people for him Skye. Because I thought he cared about me, I compromised my friendships, my emotions for him because I thought he had my best interest at heart. All those innocent people…I have their blood on my hands. I'm a monster." He said letting go of Skye and getting out of the bed beginning to pace back and forth.

"Grant calm down. You're not a monster. You made the only choice you thought you had. I may not excuse your actions but I also know if it wasn't for that bastard, I'd have never met you. Look at the silver lining, I'm here." She said slowly approaching him getting him to calm down. She put her hands on his arms and looked up at him as he looked down with such bitterness and sorrow.

"Who am I?"

"You're whoever you want to be. You get to choose who you define yourself as. Who do you want to be remembered as Grant?"

"I want to be remembered as someone who was kind but just, loving, protective, independent, a gentleman. I just want to be someone you can love and look at and not be disappointed in." He answered wishing he'd had such a different life.

Skye stretched up on her toes and pulled his head down to meet her lips. "So then do it." She whispered. "You control who you become. It's not up to anyone else. But you do get to choose who has the power to influence you."

"Help me Skye, please. I don't even know what a real relationship is supposed to look like or what people are supposed to do. All I know is manipulation and lies and abuse." He defended.

"Well we're not like everyone else. We can make our own rules. We can have food fights in the kitchen, dance around the living room listening to Christmas music in July. We can play battleship every evening and watch jeopardy curled up on the couch together. You can sing me to sleep every night while I cuddle into your chest. The possibilities are endless. I can come home from working and set up a nerf gun war for when you get home and the loser cooks dinner. We can do anything we want to as long as it doesn't involve lying or manipulation. It's about honesty and trust and being willing to die for each other. We don't have to let other relationships define ours. And right now, this is what couples do. They talk through their emotions, their fears, doubts, dreams, all of that." Skye said with a smile. Ward occasionally huffed out a laugh and let a smile slip as Skye gave her speech. "So…what will Grant Ward become?" She asked.

Ward smiled and kissed her. "Your protector." He answered.

"You already are." She replied returning his kiss.

"You know I love you right?" He asked.

"I know." She replied taking her shirt and wiping away all his fallen tears. "I love you too." Ward met her eyes and for just a brief shining moment she saw joy in those orbs that had seen so much pain.

"Why?" He questioned.

"Why do you love me?" She quipped.

"I asked you first."

"And I asked you second." Skye retorted.

Ward shook his head. "Skye, why? I've taken innocent lives."

"So have I." She replied. "I released information that compromised operations."

"That's different." He dismissed.

"No it's not Ward. Look, we're both messed up okay. It's not about loving someone for what they can give you. I love you because I think you do have a heart of gold. You've made mistakes, you've been hurt, so what. I have too. I love you with the beard or without it. I love you because despite your past you were still willing to risk your life to save others. That doesn't constitute a monster in my book." Skye answered.

Ward was about to reply when his phone began to ring. He walked over and picked it up. "It's my contact." He said before answering the phone. "Go for Ward…yeah man…okay…yeah no, we're up…okay…tell him we'll be there in an hour…yup…thanks…no we're even now…bye Riley." He hung up the phone and looked at Skye. "Looks like it's time to get ready. We're meeting your father at the iHop down the road for breakfast."

Skye took and released a deep breath. "Okay." Ward kissed her again and pulled her close for a hug.

"It'll be okay. If he tries anything I'll get you out of there. I promise." Skye nodded and released another deep breath. "So do you want to try showering together or separately." Skye smirked at him.

"I'm not sharing my hot water. You can shower after I'm done thank you." She replied sassily.

Ward laughed. He had honestly not expected that as her answer. "Don't take forever. I want some hot water too." He shouted after her.

"We'll see if I'm feeling generous." She said with a wink before closing the door behind her. Ward shook his head. Boy was she something else.

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Skye sat nervously bouncing her leg in the booth with Ward's arm wrapped around her. "Where is he? I thought you said an hour." She said to Ward anxiously.

"I'm right here." A voice said from behind. Skye gasped and whipped her head to the direction the voice resounded from.

"Skye." He said with a smile.

"You're…you're my father?" She asked as if the moment was surreal.

He nodded. "My name is Irod."

"Irod?" Both Ward and Skye asked in confusion.

"Ah. And you must be Ward. Thank you for bringing me my daughter. Yes, Irod is my name. I'm Asgardian."

"Wait, so I'm an alien?" Skye said having to stop and take a breath. Ward placed his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze.

"I don't understand. How long have you been here? Was her mother Asgardian too?" Ward asked the questions Skye couldn't yet manage to ask.

"No. Martha was human. She was a college student studying abroad in China when we met. I was her Professor. And to answer your first question, I've been here since the frost giants invaded. " Irod replied.

"Why was Hydra after us? I don't get it. Why would they want me? Why am I so special?"

"Because you have alien blood and human blood and they wanted to recreate people like you. I don't know why you don't have my strength. I think that part of my DNA is just lying dormant in you because you also have your mother's genes. And you're special because you're my daughter. Hydra came to me and wanted me to build some weapon for them after they learned I was from the same planet as the tesseract. I refused and they went to kidnap you but there was no way your mother was going to let that happen. She died protecting you and then S.H.I.E.L.D stole you from me and they made sure you disappeared so I couldn't find you."

"Is it because you're a monster?" Skye inquired fearful.

"I'm not a monster, Skye. I took revenge on the people who killed your mother and tried to take you. I would hardly call avenging my family monstrous." He spoke calmly but bitter.

"What about Raina?" She asked coldly.

"Raina threatened to keep you away from me." He said grounding his teeth.

A waitress walked up to their table and the conversation halted. "My name is Marissa and I'll be your server this morning. What can I get for you all?"

"I'd like a cup of coffee and one for my girlfriend as well." Ward spoke with a smile.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Irod said.

"Alright. I'll be right back with your drinks." She said walking away.

"Thank you." Ward spoke kindly giving the woman a smile.

"What's my real name?" Skye asked trying to fight tears at the overwhelming information.

"Aubaelvyn Martha." Irod answered with a small smile as he remembered her mother.

"I wanted you to have an Asgardian name but she wanted you to have a name common to Earth so we made your mother's name your middle name."

"Why did you leave Asgard?" Skye questioned overwhelmed, but wanting to know everything.

"I wanted to explore Earth and I fell in love with it and decided to stay." He answered with a smile. "Couple hundred years passed and I'd become rich and knowledgeable. I'd decided to move to the Hunan province to teach some courses for the study abroad kids and like I said, I met your mom and boy was she a looker. Hundreds of years and she was the only woman to ever catch my eye. I still remember the first time I saw her too. It was the first day it was cold in a couple weeks. She was wearing washed out blue jeans, white sweater, pink flowery scarf, knee high brown leather boots. Her brunette hair up in a ponytail with her bangs hanging down. Oh god, she was so gorgeous. And her eyes…they're just like yours, so beautiful and enchanting. It didn't take long for me to spill everything to her. We fell in love and for a year I was the happiest I'd ever been. Then we had you and just a week after you were born everything went sour." Irod spoke first with adoration then bitterness upon his last statement.

Tears dropped from Skye's eyes. Her mother had died protecting her and then the SHIELD agents who had died protecting her. Ward rubbed her thigh with his hand and Skye took a hold of it and gripped it tightly. She needed an anchor.

"And I promise you I will continue hunting down those SHIELD agents who stole you away and ruined your chance at a normal childhood."

Immediately Skye's tears halted and she looked up at him with horror. "What?" She questioned.

"Wait, you were the one who killed Agent Avery and the others?" Ward asked trying to clarify.

"Yes and there's at least one more that's hiding. I'll find him and make him pay too."

"Why would you do that? They spent years protecting me, they put me in an orphanage to make sure I'd stay safe." Skye said becoming angry.

"They weren't protecting you. They kidnapped you! They took away my baby girl!" He shouted gaining the attention of the other patrons.

"They kept me away from Hydra and a monster they saw kill an entire village!" She defended. "SHIELD was my family! They've been looking out for me my entire life!" Skye matched his shouts and even stood up.

"I'm not a monster!" He roared, slamming his fist so hard on the table it cracked and broke in two. Now on high alert Ward jumped in front of Skye seeing just how scared she had become. "Move out of the way boy. I'm having a talk with my daughter." Irod growled.

Ward steeled himself and glared back at Irod. "No. You need to calm down and back away Irod."

"Get out of the way now boy or I'll hurt you." The other patrons looked on in fright at the showdown that was about to go down with frightened looks.

"Skye, run to the truck, now." Ward instructed pulling out the keys and handing them to her while keeping his eyes locked on her father. Skye did as she was told and took off running.

"If you think I'm gonna let you take my daughter away from me you're sorely mistaken. I'm not losing her again." He said with a crazed look in his eye that Ward knew meant trouble.

"You already lost her when you killed those agents. And I will be running away with Skye and you'll never hear from us again." Ward said anticipating the punch that was soon to be thrown. He bobbed left and ducked down delivering a two-punch combo on Irod's ribs.

Irod sucked in a groan and lunged out in rage tackling Ward to the floor. They grappled and Ward tried with all his might to keep Irod from pinning him but he was no match for Asgardian strength. He felt a snap in his arm that Irod's hand was wrapped around and a pop as he pulled at his shoulder. Ward fought the urge to black out. He had to ensure Skye's safety. Two hands wrapped around his throat and Ward saw the irate, desperate, crazed look in Irod's eyes. As the air in his throat disappeared more and more, his vision began to blur and his ears began to hear muffled screams. A gunshot rang out and the vice grip on his throat loosened until he felt a body fall on him and crush him. Ward tried to suck in air but the body was so heavy and crushing his chest that he was unable to take in enough air. In seconds though the overbearing weight was removed from his chest and he was rasping, taking in gulps of air despite the burn in his throat.

"Grant! Grant! Stay with me, come on baby." It was Skye whose voice was muffled, and she was coming in and out. "You can't pass out yet Grant. We need to get out of here, now. Coulson will be here soon and we need to get you out of here." Skye tried grabbing a hold of his arm but it was the one that Irod had dislocated from his shoulder and Ward screamed out in pain.

"Oh no, oh no. What did he do?"

"Shoulder. Dislocated." Ward spoke in short, raspy, pain filled sentences. Skye went around to the other side and pulled him up with a lot of effort and managed to get him to lean on her.

"Come on, we just need to make it to the truck and then you can pass out." She said hurrying him along to the truck parked outside and running. Ward stumbled to the truck and lay across the seat clutching his right arm to his chest trying not to jar it too much. Skye slammed the door making sure his feet wouldn't get hit and ran to the other side of the truck. She picked up his head as she slid in and placed it on her lap.

She made haste pulling out of the Ihop and did double time on the road trying to make it to the Hospital. The last thing Ward remembered before allowing the pain to knock him out was hearing Skye speak to herself in a panic as she stroked his hair. It was soothing and just what he needed to ease him to sleep.

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Despite pulling up to the front of the ER and stopping with a fast halt, Ward still didn't wake and this worried Skye. She ran inside and ignored the person who was in line talking with the nurse at the desk, cut in front of them and said, "I need help. My friend's arm is dis-located, possibly some broken bones and he's passed out. I need help getting him in.

The nurse at the desk waved to some other people and they came up to Skye as she went back to the person who had been interrupted. As the orderly came out to help Skye she pulled out the gun she'd kept hidden and cocked it.

"You're going to take my friend to the back right now without paperwork and help him or I'll start killing people, starting with you." The orderly nodded with a frightened look, not wanting to call Skye's bluff, and pulled Ward out of the truck and placed him on the stretcher he'd taken out with him. "Good. And be careful, it's his right arm." Skye followed behind and hid the gun away as they walked back inside and by-passed all the nurses going straight to X-rays. Skye watched on with a hurried sense of panic and anxiety. It wouldn't take long for Coulson to hear about the Ihop kerfuffle and for the local police to be looking for them. Despite the threat of dying hanging over his head, the orderly seemed to be working calmly and talking to the doctors without disclosing the fact he was held at gunpoint. As they waited for the X-rays to come back Ward began to wake up as they stuck an IV in his arm and started pumping some morphine through his body.

"Skye." He mumbled, his throat sore.

"I'm here." She replied running her fingers through his hair. "Shh, don't talk. Everything is gonna be alright, I'll take care of you." She hoped he couldn't hear just how worried she was about him and the anxiety she felt about being caught.

"Hospitals…too risky." He spoke dry coughing. Skye poured a Dixie cup of water and gave it to him. He slowly drank it, his throat burning each time he swallowed.

"Don't worry. We'll be out soon. We're waiting on X-rays and then I'll make sure you get taken care of and we'll be out of here within the hour." She kissed his lips hoping it would help calm him. She tried calling to mind all her training with May but found herself unable to do so in the current situation. The police would soon be looking for them, Coulson would join the hunt, and it'd soon be difficult to run away. After waiting another ten minutes the x-rays came back and the doctor came in and told the three of them that his shoulder was dis-located and would need to be popped back in and also that both his ulna and radius were broken on his fore-arm and he'd need a cast for that and how it would take a while for them to get him in because of the bak-up. Skye took her gun out again and quickly explained her dilemma to the doctor and not a minute later Ward was being rushed to another room to have his shoulder popped back in and have a cast put on and a sling. While the doctor delegated this he went to go grab a bottle of morphine pills from the pharmacy and bring them to Skye. Skye didn't like having to threaten them with a gun but she needed to ensure that everything was being done quickly so they could get out of there.

Just as she told Ward, he was having the IV taken out on the hour and then being wheel-chaired out to the truck where the orderly helped Ward get back in. Skye made sure she had the bottle of morphine in her pocket and thanked the orderly and apologized. She made sure they looked inconspicuous driving out of the hospital before she began speeding up as soon as she hit the highway heading back towards Michigan. She had stopped just beyond the border of Colorado when Ward awoke from his drug-induced sleep and looked around confused. He had on a sling and a cast and Skye was nowhere in sight. He tried swallowing but found it hard to do so and saw that there was a bottle of water in the cup holder. He made the mistake of trying to chug it down and almost spit it out it hurt so much. After a minute he saw Skye come walking out of a gas station convenient store with a hat and sunglasses on, carrying a plastic bag. She smiled when she saw that he was awake and hurried to the truck. She hopped in and tossed the bag into the middle withdrawing her sunglasses and hat.

"Hey." She said with a small smile.

"Hi." He replied. "Where are we?"

"Hey, your voice sounds a little better. And we're just beyond the state lines of Colorado." She answered

"What happened?" He asked taking another sip of water.

"Well…Irod was about to kill you and I shot him in the head. I got you out of there and took you to the hospital where I pulled the gun on a couple people to make them treat you faster and now we're on our way back to Michigan." She explained seemingly a little distant. Ward took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry you had to kill someone." Ward apologized staring at her with those sad puppy dog eyes of his that Skye found so heart-breaking.

"Thanks for trying to protect me." She replied squeezing his hand lightly. "I got you a smoothie because of your throat and a couple other drinks."

"Thank you." He replied leaning close to her. Skye closed the remaining distance and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too Grant. Now, let's disappear." She said with a smile turning the ignition and starting up the radio.

Ward smiled and dug through the bag for his bottled drink. He was ready to finally live a quiet life and never have to go on another mission ever again. With Skye by his side he knew he'd be in good hands to heal and re-learn what a relationship is. No matter what paths they had taken in their life, no matter the decisions, the mistakes, life would always make sure their paths would merge because Ward knew all the roads he traveled led back to Skye.

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The End

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