1

"I thought you were dead."

Skye's relieved voice came from behind him in the cargo hold of the bus. He turned around to see her coming down the stair case, her laptop tucked under her arm. Her messy hair and residue of mascara on her cheeks suggested she had been crying. Skye planted herself in front of him and looked up.

Looking charred and a little disheveled, Ward smiled, "Can't get rid of me that easily, rookie"

Skye punched his arm and smiled back. They fell into a comfortable silence before Skye's face grew serious.

"No really, we thought you died. What happened out there?"

Images of what had happened on the mission flashed in front of Ward's eyes. Gun fire, separated from the team, lost connection on the comms. He could see the timer on the bomb counting down and he knew he couldn't make it out in time. He just hoped that his team had. The last thought that ran through his mind was that he prayed to god that Skye was okay, before the bomb went off. Somehow, in the mess of it all, he made it out and managed to contact the bus.

Ward shook himself from the memory, "It doesn't matter." Skye nodded slowly.

He threw his good arm around her shoulder and guided her towards the stairs again, "How about we take it easy on the training for today and watch a movie with FitzSimmons instead."

Skye nodded against him and smiled. She grabbed onto the back of his shirt tightly as they left the cargo hold and he pretended not to notice.

2

"I thought you were dead."

Ward's soft whisper surprised a half-sleeping Skye. It was well past midnight and for some reason Ward managed to convince Coulson to let him take the night shift (not that Skye needed someone on the night shift in her opinion). From her position laying down she could see him, but he couldn't tell that she was awake. Ward was staring straight ahead and the clench in his jaw made it look like he was fighting against his emotions.

"I'm a specialist. I'm supposed to be prepared in situations like this. Situations like that," He paused, swallowed and then continued, "There was so much blood and you looked so pale when we found you. You were so cold when we lifted you up from the floor. I thought for sure you were—"

Ward stopped and swallowed again, then turned to face her finally, "You were dying and there was nothing I could do about it. I felt so helpless, I'm not supposed to feel helpless! It's my job to protect you and I failed. And because I failed I—we almost lost you. And I won't ever forgive myself for that."

Ward stared hard at her sleeping form and for a moment Skye thought that she had been caught. He rose from his chair beside her bed and ran a hand over her hair.

"I promise I won't let it happen again, rookie." He leaned over and kissed her temple before returning to his chair and closing his eyes.

With a smile on her face, Skye fell back asleep.

3

"I thought you were dead."

Skye bitterly spat out at him from her place on the stairs. Ward turned around and looked at her curiously. She tugged on her handcuffs for the eighth time and glared at him.

"Your heart stopped and I was terrified. As much as I hate you right now, I didn't want to see you die. I couldn't watch you die." Skye's bottom lip trembled and she hated herself for it. She crossed her arms and tried her best to turn away from him.

Ward's heart broke because he couldn't hold her.

4

I thought you were dead.

The words never leave her mouth. Seeing him standing there, alive. Happiness surged through her body as she came face to face with him. Seeing that he survived the four bullets that she embedded into his rib cage.

If Gordon hadn't pulled her away she might have done something that she would regret.

5

"I thought you were dead."

Is the subject line of the email sent from 'T-1000'. Inside is an article of a mission that went south a couple weeks ago and since then she hadn't gone out into the field, until today.

She smiled and typed back a simple, "Can't get rid of me that easily."

She was glad that he was watching her back.

6

"I thought you were dead."

It was an automatic response. Coming face to face with the body of Grant Ward months after assuming he was dead was shocking to say the least. Except it wasn't Grant Ward's body. This face was colder and the eyes didn't hold the same warm amber glow. That thing, whatever it was, was not Grant Ward.

It smiled menacingly at her and approached her gracefully. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Lincoln and Mack move towards her but she held out her arm. Skye stood her ground, never taking her eyes off It.

"He thought you would say that. After all you two did have a habit with that phrase." It spoke with his voice but it wasn't his voice. It was detached and power hungry. Grant's was smooth like honey (he only used that voice when speaking with her). At Skye's puzzled expression It only grinned wider.

"He's still in there. Fighting," the air left her lungs, "It's annoying really. He thinks he can protect you from in there."

Skye's eyes filled with tears but she forced them not to fall. She couldn't show weakness, not now.

"You were the last thing he thought of before he died." It taunted her.

Skye simply closed her eyes and lowered her hand letting Mack and Lincoln make their advance on It. They hit It with all they had before the thing left Ward's body. Mack and Lincoln torched it with the flame throwers that Fitz had provided as Skye slowly made her way over to Ward's body.

His eyes were closed and he wasn't breathing. Skye knelt down beside him and ran a hand over his hair, finally allowing the tears to fall. Tears that she had held in since she found out he was dead six months ago.

Skye felt a hand on the side of her face and she opened her eyes to find warm amber ones staring back. His soft smile and loving gaze made Skye start to cry harder. His thumb brushed at the tears on her cheeks and she grabbed a hold of his wrist.

Skye choked on the words, "I thought you were dead." The phrase was quiet, for only the two to hear.

"Can't get rid of me that easily, rookie."