A/N: I hope you enjoy this, everyone. Not totally sad, but sad enough to help me with the feels. Takes place after 1x19, but 1x20 doesn't happen. Leave a review on your way out, it would mean a lot.
There's certain things in life you cannot change
"He's HYDRA," Skye whispered into the phone. They were in some city after taking the Bus. She had a minute or two at most.
"Who?" Simmons asked from the other side of the line.
"Ward. Look, I don't have a lot of time, but Ward is HYDRA. He killed Koenig and he stole the Bus. He doesn't know I know, but just alert the team, okay?" she said quickly and quietly. Ward walked into the small convenience store and headed in her direction. "And Fitz is totally in love with you!" she blurted before grabbing a random magazine and flipping through it.
"So, where to?" he asked.
"Where to where?"
"The hard drive encryption."
"Right! Um, it's not too far, we should just drive."
"Your call, Rookie," he said with a grin. She almost flinched at the name the nice Ward had given her. The Ward that wasn't trying to kill everyone and take over the world. But, the nice Ward probably didn't exist. He probably never had.
How did it all fall apart?
"Okay, Robot. Let's get a car and head to the location."
I have been alone too many nights*Too proud to tell you when you're right
"Coulson, we need a jet," Fitz said, running with Simmons hot on his heels.
"Why?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"Ward's HYDRA. Skye knows, but he doesn't know she knows. She downloaded a GPS app on her phone and left us the passcode to the location," Simmons summarized, holding up the paper with the code.
"What about May?" Coulson asked.
"May's not with them," Triplett said from the corner of the room.
"Then where is she?"
"Her stuff is gone. She probably ditched."
"Fine. We'll take a jet and go to them."
So cold I know you can't believe it*Sometimes you got to face the feeling*You don't care if you get up again
Skye had managed to get Ward to drive somewhere she had contacts. San Francisco. Rising Tide members, sure, but contacts none the less. There were at least four.
This wasn't the location of course. The location was the orphanage. She noticed Ward constantly checking his watch, and she knew that if she didn't move quickly it would be even harder to attack. So she discreetly grabbed the hard drive, slipping it into her pocket and making some excuse involving the words "girl problems" before running to the bathroom. When she got there, she veered out the back door.
Michaela was already waiting for her there.
"We gotta go quick!" she whispered, and the two hopped into Michaela's car. Michaela drove, and Skye hopped in the back seat, her dark hair flipped over one shoulder, but flying back wildly as the wind ran through it. Michaela preferred a vintage look, a very cute, slightly strange look. Her lips were red and her honey hair was curled.
This was the hardest decision Skye had ever made. Ever. She was letting her family find her, but she was leaving him. Leaving him behind. She felt the hard drive in her pocket and they got on the bridge to Oakland.
Michaela's house was nice. Really nice. It was in a cute neighborhood that allowed her to get to her studio easily.
"So, I guess now that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s info is all over the internet, Rising Tide isn't really in business anymore. I have a job in the city. Very inconspicuous, because most people don't expect a dainty girl like me to secretly hack."
"Thank you so much for this," Skye said genuinely. "I don't know what I'm going to do anymore."
"Anytime. Just let me know if you need anything."
"Actually, can I use a phone?"
"Sure." Skye picked up the phone and dialed Fitz's number.
"Skye?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm in Iceland. Not much ice, just oak trees," she said. Michaela stared at her. She mouthed "code" at her.
"Oh! Okay. We'll head there. Dislocate the lines," Fitz said.
"Bye." Skye immediately removed a phone and deleted her GPS app. She then smashed her phone against the counter repeatedly before dumping it in the sink and letting water run over the broken remains.
"Tracers, right," Michaela said. "Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight."
"Night," Skye replied. Michaela headed into her room and Skye to the couch. She checked all the locks, even though they were of no use with all the weapons HYDRA had from the fridge. She armed herself with a gun and a few knives from the kitchen before falling asleep.
She dreamt of him.
If I had my way I would be right there next to you
He had waited thirty minutes. Whatever "girl problems" she was having had to be solved by now. He went to the backseat to grab the hard drive, but it was gone. Vanished. What the— And then he understood.
She had left him.
She had taken what she needed and run. He pulled out his phone to see if Skye's GPS signal was still there. Nope. She was gone. And only one question remained in his mind.
What the hell would Garett say?
I hope you know I can
Nine months after S.H.I.E.L.D. was rebuilt, Skye was a full-fledged level five agent. There was one time when a clueless agent had asked her to do an interrogation that had beautifully chaotic results.
"Hello, I am Agent Avery. I will be conducting your interrogation." She looked at the prisoner. Ward. To his surprise, she didn't flinch. To hers, he did. "What did you say your name was?"
"Grant."
"Okay, Grant. What happened to HYDRA?"
"As far as I know, it doesn't exist anymore. The new S.H.I.E.L.D. wiped it out."
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, hovering over him.
"Positive."
"Who are you loyal to?"
"A woman I met a long time ago. I trained her."
"Are you loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"If she is, yes."
"Are you loyal to HYDRA?"
"If she is, yes."
He was put in a cell no more than an hour later.
There's a thousand things I will not understand*How you're dealing with the hell I put you through
After months in a correctional facility and years in prison, Grant Ward was released with an ankle bracelet.
First thing he did was find Skye.
He did find the now level seven agent in a science lab talking to FitzSimmons, who were bickering as Skye rolled her eyes. Grant watched them as a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
When her eyes finally found his, they filled with fear that was masked behind an eye roll.
"Ward," she practically spat.
"Skye," he responded gently. "I—" She held up a beeping device.
"I have a meeting. Goodbye, Ward." She calmly walked past him and up to the conference room.
She did not actually have a meeting. She had a party for Coulson. It was the anniversary of his revival and each year they celebrated his life.
Triplett was there, as were May and the members of the Avengers Initiative.
"Skye," Natasha said, putting an arm around her. The Black Widow had become sort of like an older sister to Skye. Clint had become like a brother, as had Dr. Banner. Steve had been a friend, but it had been unclear whether it would end up being brother-sister or romantic. Stark was like a little sibling and Thor was like a celebrity crush that rarely showed up.
"Hey, Blue," Clint also greeted with a nod of his head.
"Hey, Delta." Fitz had referred to Strike Team Delta as STD once and almost gotten his ass kicked to Asgard.
They all walked around talking to one another and making jokes, telling stories about Coulson. Suddenly, a message went over the PA system.
"Could someone please tell me what room Agent Skye Avery is in? She has long brown hair and these amazingly beautiful eyes. She's gorgeous and the most beautiful person you've ever seen if you're sane. I lost her. I need to find her again. Please, someone tell me where she is?" Ward's voice filled the air. Skye dropped her jaw and Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Breaking more hearts, sestrenka?" Natasha asked with a small grin.
"Maybe." FitzSimmons entered.
"Sorry we're late! We had to finish stabilizing the serum for Bruce. Here!" Simmons declared, handing a vile to Bruce. "And also, was that Ward?"
"Yeah. I don't care who he is. I will hurt him with one of my weapons if he hurts Skye!" Fitz swore with a glare.
"Don't mess with angry Fitz," Coulson muttered.
"Coulson stories!" Skye declared. She got up on a chair. "Okay, so there was this one time, back when I had just become an agent. We were going to get an 0-8-4 and Coulson ended up being tied up by this girl he used to be involved with. And we all got tied up together, May, FitzSimmons and I and May had to break her wrist to get us out."
"Kinky, Coulson," Tony said suggestively, nudging him with his elbow.
"Oh! Me next." Simmons yelled. "So when Coulson came to recruit Fitz and I…" the stories went on for a while.
"I have one." The whole group turned away from Tony to see Ward standing there. "If you'll let me."
"Skye?" Coulson asked. "I can get May and Natasha to remove him."
"No. I wanna see what he has to say. But keep one member of Delta on each side." Coulson nodded and made the calls.
"When Coulson recruited me for his team, I thought that he was crazy. I was a specialist. I didn't do teamwork. I almost wanted to quit, until he made me the S.O. of this agent. She was the most amazing, oddest person I had ever met in my career. And suddenly, I was committed. I couldn't leave. But it was only supposed to be a mission from HYDRA. To find about Coulson's return. But I didn't want to go back to them. I was loyal to Skye. She had my heart from day one. I couldn't go back. So I didn't. Okay, maybe for a little while I did but it was all a double cross. I am loyal to Skye. I am in love with Skye."
She was crying.
Suddenly, she launched forward and threw her arms around him. He returned the gesture by wrapping his arms around her tightly.
"I'm not leaving you again."
"You better not. You better not still be a terrorist. Or I'll shoot you," she murmured. Natasha leaned in and whispered in Ward's ear.
"I'll shoot you too."
"I know," he replied.
Certain things in life you cannot change*Certain things I hope you know I can
A/N: Review. I'm desperate.