Yes, I know... another new story, while there are so many left unfinished.. But don't blame me, blame the muse... My fav OTPs all have their own times to come out and play, and I can't force them. (I could, but I won't, because this is a democracy not a dictatorship...)

If you like me to keep going with this, just hit me up in the comments!

CHAPTER 1: NOW THAT'S A ONE-TWO PUNCH... TO THE FACE

The slow, steady sounds of fists hitting the punching bag should have been warning enough. Because she never trains unless she has to, and if she would, she wouldn't choose the punching bag. No, when she's punching, that's when he knows something is up. And right at this moment, that can only mean one thing. Ward. He wishes it wasn't so hard on her. He wishes she wasn't so hard on herself, but there's nothing he can do about either. He can see it in her eyes still, even though she tries to be angry and hateful when she talks about him. He can see that she still loves him, still hopes for him. He can also see the guilt she carries around because of that love. He wants to make it easier for her, make her pain go away, protect her from it all. But matters of the heart, they don't just go away.

"What did that bag ever do to you?" he asks her, stepping into her eyesight. She pauses, rolls her shoulders and for a moment he thinks she's going to answer him. But she's not. She lands another one-two punch to the bag, and again. He knew she wouldn't answer, but he hoped anyway. It's like Einstein said: 'The definition of insanity is doing something over and over, expecting different results. If trying to talk to her when she's like this, makes him insane, then so be it. He won't ever stop. And even though it stings (really, it feels like one of those punches to the face), that she won't even look at him right now; he knows she'll come to him when she's ready. She always does. All she needs is some alone time, to cool off. And he's got a team to brief.

It took her 30 minutes of yoga to stop the shaking. Even though she had a handle on her powers (really, she does...mostly), things could get a little shaky when she was feeling particularly emotional. And if there was one thing Ward was able to do, it was make her emotional. She'd gone from loving him to fearing him to hating him to shooting him, and she still can't get him the hell out of her mind. He'd snuck past her defenses, the ones she'd so carefully constructed over the years. And then he betrayed them. He betrayed her. And all she can dream about now, are his lips on hers, his hands in her hair, and the 4 bullets she put in his chest.

It's hard, to look Fitz in the eyes. She feels like a traitor herself, still loving a man who tried to kill her best friends. Who hurt one of them. He broke Fitz, and he'll never be the same again. Loyal, trustworthy Fitz, who had believed in Ward up until the box had hit the water. And maybe even after that.

She needs to stop, needs to not love him. She wants so desperately to hate him, to curse him, to kill him. But she can't. There's a many great thing Skye can do, but she cannot stop loving the man who broke her heart. And she hates herself for it. Her friends would hate her for it, if they knew. She's got nobody to talk to anymore. Tripp would have listened, but he's gone now. Also her fault. So she keeps it bottled inside. Until she erupts. Hence, the yoga.

And now, they're bringing him back in. They found him, and they're going to bring him back to the Playground. And he will be too close to her. Too close to everybody she cared about. And she's not even allowed to go on the mission.

The walls start shaking again, so much for that damn time spent trying to relax. She sighs and stands, picking up her gloves and starts punching the bag in front of her. Punching to control herself beats yoga any time, anyway. Pun intended.

She doesn't stop. Not even when Coulson walks in. She's to pissed off. At him, at herself, at Ward and at the world in general. Because after all she's been through, doesn't the world owe her something?

They're gone for about 4 hours when she bursts into his office. He doesn't comment on that, because that might stop her from talking to him. He simply looks up from the documents he's reading and sees her drop onto his couch. She's not in the middle of it, and the fact that she's leaving room for him leaves him hopeful. He closes the file and moves over to her, dropping down on the couch as well, letting out a small sigh of relief when he puts his leg up on the coffee table. His healing hasn't been as fast as he would have wanted, but he's lucky to be alive. Being trapped in a tunnel with tons of rock and earth falling down around you does not often end in tibia and fibula fractures. At least not only that.

"Why am I still here?" she suddenly breaks their silence. The question could be answered in so many ways, given the recent events; but he knows she's not being philosophical at the moment. "Because… because last time you saw him, you shot him. 4 times. In the back." He pretends he doesn't see the glare she's trying to murder him with. "And we need him. Alive." She snorts at that. They need him? They've been doing pretty well without him so far! "I didn't shoot him in the back, technically. And also, who cares?! He's a murderer. A traitor. A liar! And we don't need his help. I don't need his help. I'll find Raina on my own if I have to."

She gets up from his sofa and starts pacing. "I'll find them both without his help, I don't want it." Her voice cracks at the end, leading him to believe she's not really talking about Ward's help anymore. He gets up and wraps his arms around her. She struggles for a moment, but eventually gives in, needing the comfort more than she needs the rant.

"You care, Skye. You've always cared. So that's why you are still here, because I don't want you near him. Not for his safety, but for yours. You don't need to be in more pain than you already are, and he won't be in any position to cause you more. I promise." He knows it's not a promise he can really keep, and he knows she knows it too, but the sentiment is the same. He wants to protect her, from it all. And even if he can't, his word is all she really needs.

"Thanks, AC. And, I'm sorry, for ignoring you earlier. I was just - " she starts to say, but he cuts her off. "You were just mad. And I get it. Just, don't do it when May can see it, and we're fine." She manages a smile at that. "I'm gonna go outside, play with the dirt some more." She says it with contempt in her voice, but he can see the excitement in her eyes. No matter how great the cost was, to their team, to her personally, her powers make her feel worthy to be on the team. Make her feel powerful and strong, even though she always was. It took her a while to feel that way about them though, the loss of Tripp weighing heavy on her conscience. But a talk with a certain doctor, who knows a great deal about controlling powers, helped her through it. That and training, learning to control the power and not let it control her.

"Sure. Just… Try not to cause another avalanche, will you? The last time it took us 3 days to clear the hanger bay." She smiles at him and walks out of his office, and he tries not to look after her for too long. He's been told it's creepy.

The call comes in just around 5 PM that evening. Package aboard, team inbound, ETA 7 PM local time. He lets out another heavy sigh, and the uncomfortable feeling in his chest grows a little. It seemed to easy, after 5 months of chasing their tails. He knows, they didn't find him. He let them find him. And now all Coulson can do is wait and see why. That's not something he's very comfortable with.