A/n:

Edit: I changed the title because even though I like the quote it came from it was a bit of a mouthful. And this one comes from a possibly more relevant quote anyway.

In this story Ward is not the best guy, but probably on the same level as what he's done on the show. We do get into his psyche a bit to see why he does these things. Whether you think his actions are understandable or redeemable based on this introspective… well, that's up to you. But I really don't think anyone would say what he's doing is ok. Cause ya know. Blackmail is illegal and stuff.

This takes place basically right after Skye's powers are revealed to the team and before Hunter gets kidnapped by Mack. (We're just gonna pretend this is a much larger time gap than is inferred between those things.) I started writing this just after 2x12.

Dear Skyeward shippers… please understand that this is not a fluffy piece. Though Ward has his reasons, they will not be together in the end. I think he has good intentions, but even though he is trying very hard he clearly doesn't make the right decisions. If this bother you and you know you will not like it, don't read. If you think you could possibly like it and end up not, please don't flame.

(Small trigger warning in end notes)

WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE AHEAD!

Chapter One

I can show you how the world glimmers and gleams (just look out through the cage bars)

DAY ONE

"Reservation for two."

"Name?"

"Should be under Ward."

The host pressed a single button on the keyboard. "Yes, here it is. Would you like me to take your coat, miss?"

Skye hugged the heavy jacket closer to her body. "No thank you."

"Skye. It's warm in here. You should give it to him."

"I don't want to."

"That's a fur coat, you're going to be hot."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have gotten me a pelt of dead animals to wear, dear," she sneered, and he grimaced.

She wasn't even trying to comply with the terms. He supposed that was just her. Skye always needed a few reminders before she realized sometimes it was best to listen to authority.

"She's fine," Ward told the man. "But you can take mine."

"Of course sir," he said simply, ignoring the strange spat between the two and doing just as he said he would. "This way, please."

He sat them near a large window that acted as the wall on that side of the restaurant, giving the couple a complete view of London outside. Just near the river.

The host left them to look at their menus, and Skye held hers up to her face immediately.

"Skye," Ward said. She didn't bring the menu down. He repeated, his tone less friendly. "Skye."

She slapped the menu to the table immediately, nearly knocking over the empty wine glass.

"What."

"You have to lose this attitude. What did I tell you?"

She wasn't looking at him. Not really. Stared right passed his face.

"Act natural," she said, wearing dead eyes.

"Right."

"I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Couples fight."

"We don't want to cause a scene."

She scoffed. "Oh, of course we wouldn't," she mocked. "And what about you? You used your real name."

"It's not about raising suspicion, Skye."

Her eyebrow rose. "Really. What's it about, then?"

He sighed. "It's about you giving me a chance. You'll never be able to see who I really am if you keep that "determined to be resentful" mask on."

"It's not a mask Ward, I'm resentful. I resent you. Completely and fully, with all my heart." She fluttered her eyebrows overly sweetly, turning the words to venom.

"Skye…" he warned. She knew his threat and he knew she was smart enough to realize when to stop pushing.

"Fine," she gritted out before donning a smile, wide and bright.

There she was. She looked so much more beautiful this way than scowling. He knew it was fake now, but she just needed to give this a chance. He could make that expression light up her face on his own merit, he just knew it.

"Thank you," he said with true gratefulness. "Now keep it up. You were flawless at Providence and I'm going to expect nothing less."

"Well, there's a little more motivation when you're playing someone you despise and not being obedient to him," she said, her voice perfectly even. Acting her part, but only in tone.

He couldn't help but smile at her playfulness.

"If this is going to work you'll have to get rid of those preconceptions about me."

Skye snorted on her water, bringing the glass down. "And you think I want this to work?"

"Of course not. You decided to hate me the moment you found out I was Hydra, and you've stuck to it. Because you're stubborn."

"Or because you're evil," she mumbled. He gave her a warning glare, but decided to let it pass. He'd show her he was understanding.

"I just want you to let your true feelings guide you. Let go of the past, and let me show you who I truly am. If you seem like you're not trying… well, you know what happens."

She pursed her lips, let out a harsh breath through the nose before answering. "Whatever. I'll play your twisted game. If this is the only way to prove to you and your messed up brain that I hate you, then I guess that's that."

He chuckled. "That doesn't sound you're looking at this situation with an open mind."

She smiled. Too wide with a closed mouth. "I'm sorry hun, it's just kind of hard to forget when the person across from you is a serial killer."

"You've always known I kill people," said Ward. "It's a part of being a specialist. And now you do, too."

"Bad people."

"Don't pretend you're that naïve. No one's truly innocent, or all evil. S.H.I.E.L.D. had me kill my fair share of people closer to the former, for the greater good."

"It's nothing like what you did for Hydra. To FitzSimmons. Kidnapping me…" Her voice dropped lower. "You murdered your own fucking family, War-"

"Hello, I'm so sorry about the wait," said a rather frazzled looking waitress. She didn't seem to catch a thing Skye'd been saying, breathing haggard as though she'd been rushing about. It was crowded in the place. "My name's Sadie and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

Skye didn't acknowledge the waitress. She was staring down, apparently caught in her own thoughts. Ward didn't think she was trying to be defiant. And there was certainly a lot for her to think about.

"We'll just have a bottle of Chardonnay," he told her.

The girl was a short brunette, charismatic and pretty. She was a little larger than Skye, but somehow that added a youth to her face that made her seem somewhat childlike, along with her personality.

He didn't think she'd be one to overhear Skye's mishaps in the terms or be suspecting.

"Coming right up sir!" she said, and Ward flashed her a charmed smile as she walked away to disarm her a bit, just in case. He leaned his head over the table as to be heard easier by his companion.

"We're not here to talk about that," he whispered.

Her eyes never left the table. "Then what are we here to talk about."

"Well first, I'd like to apologize for the meeting with your father not going as planned."

Her dark eyes trailed up to him at that. "And how did you expect for my kidnapping and meeting of a brutal murderer to go? You expect almond cookies too?"

"What? No. I expected-"

"For me to be grateful? For me to run into your arms, kiss you and forget about everything because you helped me find daddy?"

Well…

Something along those lines.

"You kidnapped me!" she repeated.

"You wanted to meet your father," he protested.

"How could you know that? You didn't ask me. You didn't give me a choice!"

"Because you wouldn't have come. I knew I could protect you from Hydra, but I also knew you'd never see that. You'd never believe me."

"Protect me?" she seethed. "Hydra would have never gotten their hands on the plans if you hadn't taken me. Triplett is dead and now I'm a monster because you took me there." Her voice was raw, her throat sounding tight.

The table started to shake.

Ward knew of this. He was aware Skye'd gained powers in San Juan, though he didn't think they'd be a problem as long as he had her friends. But if they were directly tied to her emotions…

"You are not a monster," he assured her quietly, trying to ignore the people he knew were starting to stare. "But you do need to stop."

"I can't," she growled through pure rage. "It's a curse, and I can't control it."

"This was in the terms Skye."

She laughed, slightly hysterical. "Do you think that makes a difference? I can't stop it! This is what you did to me!"

Alright already, enough with the blame. If she had just let him help her there wouldn't have been any problems.

This was why they needed the fresh start.

He sat up straight. "You shot me, Skye. And I couldn't protect you anymore. None of that would have happened if you would have just let me help you…" He rested a hand on her own.

The table shook harder. Skye's water fell over as a few other tables felt the rumbles as well.

She looked around, frantic and nervous before standing to leave, but he caught her arm.

"No."

"Ward, I-"

"You can stop it."

"No I literally can't. Especially not while looking at your fucking face."

"You have to, or I won't text my contact the code to let the mercenary live for another hour."

She ground into her lip. "Fuck. You."

"I know you can do this Skye. Just sit down, let me hel-"

"No, shut up," she snapped. He was about to reprimand her, but she did sit down. She closed her eyes, pressing hands into her temples as Ward saw her try to steady her breaths.

The chandeliers stopped shaking. People stopped panicking. It was just a small, random earthquake.

He couldn't help but grin. "Nice work, Skye," he said, sitting down.

"Don't compliment me," she spat. "I- It'll happen again."

"Fine." He held out his hands in surrender. "No compliments."

Skye looked tired. The powers must have been wearing her down for the worst. When Sadie brought them their wine, he poured her a glass and Skye chugged the thing right in front of him.

He then tried to keep the topics light, giving Skye an easier job of looking at the situation with fresh eyes, not bringing up a past he'd rather forget at the moment. Though eventually they'd have to speak of it again, in order for her to fully understand.

But she did well. She drank multiple glasses of the Chardonnay and was able to keep herself together. But the drink had obviously flushed her face, so he suggested again-

"Why don't you take off your coat, Skye?"

She stopped, mid-bite of her fish. "No."

"You're sweating bullets."

"I'm not taking it off, Ward. Why do you care so much?"

"I just care about your comfort."

She stared at him briefly, before huffing a chuckle. "Well if that isn't the funniest thing I've heard this whole evening…"

"What other reason would I have?"

She shrugged. "Oh I dunno. Maybe to ogle me in this Barbie doll dress you forced me into?"

He blinked at her. "You didn't have to put the dress on, Skye."

"Really? Because 'we're going somewhere formal and you need to look appropriate, here', followed by the shoving of a dress into my hands sure sounded like I had to."

"You needed a dress. You can have choices."

She looked up, her eyes snapping to his as though they were magnets.

"Can I choose to go home?" she asked, and he hated to hear the desperate crack in her voice.

But she didn't understand yet.

"No."

She breathed out in slight disappointment, slumping back against her chair. "There aren't any other choices that really matter, then."

Continuously trying to push back against Ward only to have to bow to his will time and time again left Skye's defiance wavering and her mind tired. She didn't speak on the cab ride back to his apartment.

The only victory she could revel in was never having taken her coat off. The dress was, in fact, gorgeous, and it wasn't even the most low-cut thing she'd even seen. It was short, though not skanky, a dark silver color.

But she'd felt exposed enough. Forced there against her will to help her team, having to listen to Ward. No, she would not allow him the satisfaction of seeing her dressed up like a doll to admire.

The apartment was simple, and Skye could tell he hadn't been there long. She could tell he wasn't planning on staying forever, either. Maybe just for this week that he planned to keep her there.

She'd wondered, why London? He'd baited them all out there. Caught Hunter and Bobbi in this country, and told Skye that they were to stay there. It seemed random. It must have taken valuable resources for him to get here.

But he was insane. So.

Ward brought her bag in; she'd been "permitted" to bring her own clothes. But he wouldn't let her touch it until he unpacked it, and she knew he was looking for any monitoring or communication equipment.

He wouldn't find any. Part of the terms was no technology, and Skye was going to follow his strange rules to the best of her ability. She didn't think Ward wanted to hurt her, but hurt her friends? She seemed to be the only one immune to his bloodlust.

She only feared for her dignity, as he had the leverage to make her obey. But she could endure that, endure his strange notions of "getting her to like him" in order to get Bobbi and Hunter back.

She sat on the couch while he ransacked her bag. He did it nicely, folding everything and placing it in cabinets to give the illusion that he was doing it for her benefit.

When she saw her pajamas, she stood. "I'm going to get changed for bed." She made sure it wasn't a question. She'd take back control however she could, in any small ways possible.

He nodded, handing her the sweatpants and baggy shirt.

The apartment was a studio, and she only spied out one bed. One bed, one couch, one TV, one table. Two chairs. Completely minimalistic. And the couch definitely wouldn't fit him, but she'd rather sleep there than in bed with Grant Ward any day.

Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the plan, judging by what passed Skye's sights on her way to the restroom. She couldn't help but still to a stop, as on the headboard hung a pair of handcuffs while another pair were entrapped around the bottom of the bed.

She stared at them, foreboding creeping over her skin until it met with her eyes, stinging them. She rushed to the bathroom. Once in the door she leaned over the toilet, promptly throwing up.

Skye had known this was a possibility. He was sick. He was a sick psychopath who thought he loved her, prepared to show her that by any means necessary. And, quite clear by any recent behavior of the man's, he had demented and skewed ways of showing her this.

Skye shrugged off the fur coat, letting it drop to the floor beside her. Ward had gotten her that as well and she didn't like the thought of showing that off either, but it was better than parading her bare skin around for him.

She cried as silently as she could, leaning her forehead on the back of the toilet. Skye had never asked for this. She'd never wanted to catch the attention of a murderer, become his only drive.

She certainly didn't want to be raped by the bastard.

But it was better than the alternative. That her team would die. Bobbi and Hunter were just the immediate threat if Skye stepped a toe out of line. But Ward had made it clear the whole team was in jeopardy if Skye didn't play along.

God, how could he think she would ever see good in him?

The end will justify the means. You'll see that, he'd said to her, when she'd asked the question to him.

She knew he wouldn't hurt her physically. But force love upon her, in the simplest way known to man? She could never put it past his mind.

Her stomach churned and she noticed just the tiniest of trembles to the area around herself. She wondered how she was going to do this. He instincts, her powers, would try to kill him. But she couldn't let that happen, she had to control it…

The dress suddenly felt far too revealing, even alone in the bathroom. She ripped it off and replaced it with the comfort of her pajamas as quickly as possible.

Skye curled up into the corner on the tiled floor. She didn't want to go out there. How could she go out there? He was waiting… waiting to…

Maybe she could talk him out of it.

Knock Knock Knock.

"Skye?"

She closed her eyes despairingly and let the tears roll down.

"Are you alright?"

She scoffed an incredulous laugh through her tears. What a question that was. Yeah, perfectly fine, just kidnapped by a crazy person about to chain me to a bed.

She wiped her nose, and got up silently to open the door. There he stood, concern painted on his face.

"You were in there a while," he said, looking into the bathroom as though someone might pop out. Good. Let him be paranoid.

"Where do I sleep?" she asked, quite frank. Might as well get down to it.

Ward looked slightly taken aback by the question. "The bed."

She nodded thoughtlessly, sidestepping him as to beeline for the bed. She thought to ask where he was planning on sleeping, but she knew.

Skye flopped onto the bed and curled into herself, leaning close as she could to the edge. Leaning away from him. Maybe he would just let her sleep.

"Skye."

But that was just too much to hope for, wasn't it?

His tone sounded rueful, sitting next to her gently on the mattress from the other side of the bed.

"What?" she asked, speaking into the pillow, specifically avoiding looking at him.

She heard the headboard's handcuffs clink together when he reached for them, and she couldn't help but clench her eyes shut. Willing this all to go away.

"You're going to have to put these on."

She cursed silently into the pillow before picking herself up to face him.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I need to know you're going to stay put for the night."

She looked up at him, confusion drawing on her face. It was not the answer she'd been expecting.

"What?"

"I just need to be sure you're staying in the bed.

She turned her head around, eying the other pair of shackles. When he attached both of them, she wouldn't be able to curl up or shy away if he did try to touch her. Not to mention, she wasn't expecting sleep to exactly be easy here, and that would be uncomfortable…

"You don't need to put them both on," Ward said suddenly, reading her thoughts.

She turned to him. "Then… why are they both here? You could have just had one and moved it."

Ward seemed to think it over. "I was just planning ahead. Making sure you had choices."

Trying to be accommodating.

As though she was just a normal houseguest, and he was making sure he had more pillows out from the closet.

He offered her the cuff in his hand, still attached to the headboard, and she scowled.

"This is stupid! I'm obviously not going anywhere when I surrendered to you. I met you at the place you picked out and walked in this apartment of my own free will!" she protested, but checked herself. "Ok, not exactly free… but I could literally kill you right now if I wanted to, but I'm clearly not. And you want to handcuff me to the bed?"

"Please Skye, don't fight," he said, and despite the wording, it sounded more like a warning than pleading.

"Fine," she said bluntly, letting a tone of defiance shine over what was actually relief.

She was relieved that her kidnapper was merely chaining her to the bed for the night.

God this was fucked up.

"Wrist or ankle. You're choice," he said, and left the chain dangling there for her to put on herself as he walked into the small kitchen.

She could only stare at it for a few moments, her mind having a hard time catching up to anything that was going on. But maybe this particular happenstance was good. Because she realized, if Ward didn't want her snooping around at night…

He had something to hide.

So she put the handcuff around her ankle that was attached to the bottom of the four-poster bed. She didn't try to keep it loose, surely he'd be extra cautious tonight. Well, who was Skye kidding? He was cautious all the time. But maybe if she could play along well-enough she'd get his guard down…

She wasn't sure why. It was only a week. A week of playing this game and then he'd let her go, and no one had to get hurt. She didn't have to escape. Not really. But, only as long as things kept going as they were.

She declined his offers of food and turned over in the bed, finding herself incredibly tired. And not to mention, the more she slept, the less time she'd have to spend with him. She just hoped this act would stay as tame as it seemed so far.

Somehow, she didn't think it would.

TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions of rape. But NO RAPE. It's not even attempted, just a concern.

So Ward… quite a debate on him in this fandom. Lately I've noticed fics showing him to be a villain, while others show him as an honest to god hero. Me? I definitely think he's an antagonist on the show and believe there is little to no chance him and Skye will be together. That said, I've spent like… over 100,000 words writing redemption arcs for him with happy skyward endings and I decided I wanted to try something I believe is a little more true to his character, but taking the side where he has good intentions but past abuse has made him pretty misguided. (Not that I ever think this will really happen, more of his thought process.)

This will not have an entirely happy ending. (And definitely not a skyeward ending.) Will most likely be six-seven chapters.