Everyone had always assumed they would end up together. Hell, they had considered the possibility themselves, on many an occasion. Ward had been by her side, ever since they had met. The night in shining armour, protecting her from a bully on her first day of third grade. He was the one she went to when she got a new foster home, and who she went to when she lost it. He had been there to tend her bruises from the drunken foster parents, and when she almost had to take the ninth grade again from skipping to many classes. He had always been there. Everyone had always assumed they were soul mates. It wasn't unheard of, meeting your mate before you were tagged. Just rare.

People joked that there would be no need for them to get timers, sophomore year, they would only go off two minutes later when they saw each other again. Skye had heard it enough times that she started to believe it. That's why, when all the sophomores at school waited in the hall to get their timers implanted to their wrists, she wasn't nervous. In fact, she was bored. She had waited for the past half hour, occasionally shooting a reassuring smile to Ward as he waited even further down the alphabetical line. Poots trumped Ward. She waited for the line to shrink, until finally, she was ushered into the nurses office.

Skye sat down, and held out her left wrist to the nurse, and winced as a cool gel was applied.

'Nervous, honey?' the nurse asked.

Skye just shrugged. 'I guess so.'

'This is going to sting a bit,' the nurse warned.

Skye nodded, and watched as the nurse places a small bar onto her wrist. Nothing happened for a moment, before needles suddenly sprung out from the sides, imbedding themselves into her skin. Skye gave a small gasp at the sting, but it was over as soon as it came. What ever that gel was, it was doing wonders at soothing the pain.

The nurse wiped away the left over gel and the small droplets of blood, and peered at the timer.

'Ooh, you're lucky, you don't have all that long to wait! I had to wait 10 years for mine to go off.'

Skye just smiled weakly, she couldn't see the timer from where her wrist was positioned, but she was sure it would say something in the matter of hours. Ward was still waiting, and she wouldn't see him till after school.

'Go along now, get to class,' the nurse said kindly.

Skye picked up her bag, and left, hearing the nurse call for another student as she went.

Finally, she was alone. She looked down at her wrist and her breath caught in her throat as she saw the time, ticking away.

1 year, 2 months, 6 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes, and 24 seconds.

Ward wasn't her soul mate.

Well, unless she somehow didn't see him for the next 21 months, and that was unlikely.

A series of conflicting emotions raced around her head. Sadness, relief, excitement, fear. She didn't know how to feel. Skye sighed. This had complicated things, and it was enough to consume her thoughts for the rest of her school day. Her teachers all seemed to have the same idea, allowing their students to talk away the period, instead of work. Skye sat herself at the back of each class, watching her timer tick away, and subconsciously making her own timer, counting down till she could talk with Ward.

Skye had been staring so intently at her timer that when the bell rang for the end of her final class, she jumped in her seat. Skye rushed to grab her bag, and was out the room before anyone had even left her seat. She all but ran to her locker, and was out the door and in the parking lot in a flash. Skye spotted Ward, slumped against his car, and made her way over to him.

'Ward!' Skye called his name from a couple of metres away, and he looked up from his wrist as soon as she spoke.

'Skye.' He greeted, some what sombrely. She ran the last few steps and slammed into him for a hug.

'You're not my soul mate,' he mumbled into her hair.

Skye pulled away and looked into his eyes.

'Hey, its okay. We always knew it might happen.'

Ward shrugged. 'I don't know how I'm gonna tell my mom. She was so sure about us.'

Skye smiled sadly. 'She won't care. She'll be happy with who ever you get.'

Ward nodded. 'You're right. How long have you got?'

Skye grinned, 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours.'

Ward laughed, and Skye stood next to him. They both brought their left wrists up, and held them parallel.

Looking down, Skye gasped.

'What?' Skye muttered. They were exactly the same, completely in sync.

Both clearly stated 1 year, 2 months, 6 days, 17 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds.

'How is that possible?' Ward asked incredulously.

'I.. I don't understand. What are the chances? That we meet them at the same time?'

Ward let out a laugh in disbelief. 'Well, we do everything together.'

Before long, everyone knew about their timers. After everyone was so dead set on them being together, it made the news so much more ridiculous. Over the next days and weeks, they were subjected to stares and gossip. Somehow, people were more interested in Skye and Wards timers than the ones on their own wrists.

That, along with the timers of Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers. That had come to a surprise to everyone. The lead line backer for the school football team, and the girl who had transferred in from England the month before had never spoken before in their lives. They had gotten quite the surprise, as their timers had gone off when they had walked into each other the day after the timers had been embedded. Now, they were the 'It' couple of the school, and the envy of everyone. Skye just felt sorry for them.

Skye slumped down in her chair next to Ward, just as the class had began. Their teacher, Mrs Weaver, settled the class before starting, 'Alright class. Today, we're doing Sex Ed.'

A collective groan ran through the class, and Mrs Weaver gave them a knowing smile. It was about half way through class, when she said something that caught everyone's attention.

'Now, I want to talk to you about Soul Mates. I understand you all got your timers, two weeks ago, and it occurred to me that not many of you know what that means.

Soul mates have often been cited through out History, and there has been a lot speculation on how it happens. No one knows, to be honest. Its one of those unexplained mysteries. Some think it's fate, others God. In my opinion, it doesnt matter, all that matters is finding your mate. The idea of timers where founded during WW2, when Howard Stark created a device that would alert a soldier when his vitals were dangerously low. It was completely theoretic to begin with, and the first of the invention worked seemingly well. The device was placed on the users left wrist, connected to the vein which runs directly to the heart. It is also why you wear a wedding ring on your left hand, on the ring finger. No one had foreseen the affect it had when the soldier was injured, and sent to hospital, where he met a nurse, unknowingly, his soul mate. It set the device of in the most extraordinary manner. Howard Stark investigated the phenomenon, and his research lead to the discovery of the true Soul Mate.'

A hand shot up, and someone asked, 'Miss, is this the same Howard Stark, Tony Stark from the senior's Father?'

Mrs Weaver nodded, 'Yes, it is.'

Whispers ran around the room, before Mrs Weaver commanded their attention again.

'There has been some controversy to this discovery, many claiming it had glitches. Some have found that upon finding their soul mate, that it is someone of the same gender, or in some extreme cases, that it is shared among more than two people. Since homosexuality and Polyamorous relationships have since then become more recognised in society, there is now without a doubt, Soul mates are real.'

Skye shot a look at Ward, with an eyebrow raised. Their timers were the same. What if they met the same person?

Ward shrugged, realising what Skye was getting at. He tapped his timer, and Skye understood. They would find out when it reached zero.

After a while, everyone seemed to get over the initial novelty of the timers , growing accustomed to seeing the numbers on their wrists everyday.

They got about their everyday lives, only throwing it a moment of thought every now and then.

It was one of these moments, as Skye and Ward sat above the hood of Wards car, staring at the clouds. They had taken their lunch out side, and were discussing what they thought their soul mates would be like.

All of a sudden, Ward nudged Skye's side and she looked at him.

'Look.' Ward grabbed her wrist and held it up to his own, counting down with it. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

1 year, 0 months, 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.

Skye grinned at Ward. 'One year. This is it.'

Ward smiled, and then froze. He let out a groan, and Skye sat up in worry.

'What? What's wrong?'

'We're totally going to meet them in the middle of the lunch hall, in front of everyone.' Ward banged his head against the car.

Skye winced to herself. 'There is going to be so much gossip!'

'Screw gossip! I always imagined it would be some big, amazing event. Like we see each other from across Grand Central Station and we are just drawn to each other and meet in a passionate embrace, like in the movies! Not in front of a bunch of spotty pubescent kids!' Ward groaned again and Skye laughed.

Poking him in the side, Skye teased, 'Look at you! Who knew you were such a romantic sap.'

Ward poked her back, before protesting, 'Well excuse me for trying to make it perfect! We're going to remember this for the rest of our lives! We'll tell our kids about this moment!'

Skye laughed, ' Okay, I know. But it wont matter how you meet. They're your soul mate, just being there will make it perfect. You know, seeing each other for the first time, and it clicking in your mind when the timer goes off. This person, they're mine, meant for me.' Skye smiled to herself.

'Huh, look whose the romantic sap now?'

'Shut up, you ass.'

It became tradition after that. Every time their timers came to a solid number, each month from then on, they would meet, and count down together. They would do it over the phone, when meeting wasn't possible, but they always counted down together. Like a little celebration that they were one step closer to zero, one step closer to meeting their soul mates.

Ward woke to his phone ringing. Reaching for the phone, he saw Skye's photo pop up on the screen. Quickly hitting answer, he held the phone to his ear.

'Skye?' he answered groggily, 'What time is it?'

He didn't get an answer as he heard sobs down the phone. Shooting straight upright, he almost shouted, 'Skye! What's wrong?'

He heard a whimper before Skye managed to choke out, 'Can- Can you come get me? I'm on the corner of Finchley Avenue.'

Ward was up and out of his bed in a flash, 'Of course, what's wrong?' He didn't get an answer as he heard more sobs down the phone. Chucking on a hoodie over his bare chest, and slipping on a pair of tennis shoes, he ran down stairs.

'Skye,' ward cried out in worry. 'Did he hurt you? I swear, if he hurt you, I'll kill him!' Ward growled. Skye's sobbing only increased, as Ward grabbed his keys and ran out the house to his car.

'I'm on my way, Skye, stay on the line.' Ward floored the gas, breaking who knows how many speed limits, in his rush to get to Skye.

He kept murmuring words of comfort as he drove, cutting down the 10 minute drive into 4. When he finally reached the corner of Finchley's, he saw a figure slumped on the ground by the lamp light.

He squealed to a stop, and threw his phone onto the seat next to him, ignoring it as it bounced onto the floor. Leaving the car running, he flung himself out the car and ran to her.

'Skye! Skye, honey, I'm here!'

Ward crouched down next to her and placed his hand gently under her head.

'Oh Skye, what did he do to you?' he murmured, trying to control his anger.

Skye turned her head towards him, and to his horror, he saw a long gash on the side of her face.

He took a sharp intake of breath. 'Skye. I.. I don't...'

'It's stopped.' Skye murmured.

'What? Skye, what stopped?' Ward asked in concern.

Skye let out another sob, and moved her hand away from her left wrist. Ward felt his eyes sting and his heart stop when he saw her timer.

'It's stopped ticking.' Skye cried again, 'I don't know what to do, Ward.'

'Shit.'

Skye's timer had indeed stopped ticking, in fact, it was almost torn away from her wrist completely, with the needles all bent out of shape. Blood seemed to flow freely from the wound, and was soaking onto Skye's clothes. Ward quickly ripped off a strip from the bottom of her top, and tied it around her wrist, applying a little pressure. Ward winced at the slight gasp of pain from Skye.

'God, Skye, I've got to get you to a hospital. We need to go, now!' Ward felt the panic rise in his voice, but he ignored it, as he scooped Skye into his arms, and practically ran to his car.

He hastily opened the passenger door, and placed Skye gently on the seat. He quickly strapped her in, and retrieved his phone from the floor, before closing the door, and running to the drivers side.

Quickly strapping in, he hit the gas, driving at breakneck speeds. On his way to the nearest hospital, he hit speed dial 2, and let in ring on loudspeaker, in his lap.

'Ward?' his mother, Carrie's voice rang out. 'What's wrong, why are you not in bed?'

'Mom,' his voice cracked, 'You need to get to the hospital, call Skye's social worker on the way.' Wards urgency was punctuated by a cry from Skye as they drove over a bump in the road.

'Ward, I'm on my way, what happened?' his mother responded immediately.

'I cant talk mom, I've got to call the cops.' Ward quickly dialled 9-1-1, and waited for him to get patched through.

When the voice answered, asking for the emergency, Ward quickly spoke, 'My friend got attacked by her Foster Dad. Its happened before, but never this bad. I'm on my way with her to the hospital now.'

'Sir, how is she hurt?' The operator asked.

'She's got a cut to her head, and I think a cracked rib, but... he tried to rip out her timer. She's bleeding heavily. I'm about 2 minutes out from St Marys hospital.

'Sir, can you give me the address of the Foster Father.'

With pleasure, Ward thought before quickly rattling off the address.

'Thank you, we will call you back on this number when we have news, and we can arrange for an officer to talk to you when your friend is recovering.'

Ward let out a thank you, as he turned up the drive to the hospital. Quickly parking across two spots, parking ticket be damned, he rushed out to Skye's side, and undid her seatbelt. Easing her into her arms, he all but ran into the hospital, much to the alarm of the receptionist.

At seeing Skye, she quickly called down a doctor, and Ward was taken to an emergency room, where he gently placed her in the bed.

'Her wrist.. Please help her,' Ward managed to choke out, before he was ushered out the room.

Ward waited frantically in the waiting area, after giving in Skye's details to the receptionist. After ten minutes, he was joined by Carrie, who demanded to know what happened.

Ward quickly told her, before he started pacing, looking up every time someone came through the doors, and huffing a sigh of frustration every time it wasn't the doctor. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came through the doors.

Ward immediately shot towards him, followed by his Carrie. The doctor answered the unasked question, that seemed to hang in the air.

'She's in recovery. She received an artificial head wound, a concussion, bruised ribs, and tearing of the muscle tissue around her timer. I've managed to recover what I can, but she may have a loss of feeling around the area, and a little scaring. I've put the timer back in place, and should be fully functional. It did not receive any damage during its attempted... removal.. aside from a few scratches on the surface, so once it was aligned back with the core vein, it rebooted. She's lost a lot of blood, so she should feel tired for the day or so but due to the concussion, we must wake her every hour. You can go in and see her.'

Ward lunged in and pulled the doctor in for a hug, muttering his thanks before he let go. Letting out an awkward cough, Ward quickly left, followed by his mother, to see Skye.

She was sleeping when they entered the room, and Ward quickly seated himself on her right side, so he could grasp her uninjured hand. Carrie sat on the other side, and she stroked the hair out of Skye's face.

'This shouldn't have happened,' Ward muttered angrily. 'I called the cops, and they should be taking the dirt bag into custody. What I wouldn't give to spit at John Garrett in a cell.'

Carrie made a noise in agreement.

'Grant, I was thinking.'

Ward looked up, his mother only ever called him Grant to tell him off, or to give him serious news.

'We've always said Skye was family. And I never want to see her hurt again.' Ward's heart raced in hope at what he thought his mother was implying.

'We all know this has been happening long before John Garrett was even in the picture, and it has to end. What I'm trying to say is, I love Skye like a daughter, so... why don't I adopt her?'

Wards eyes widened, and for the first time in hours, he grinned. 'Mom!' he exclaimed in an excited whisper. 'I.. I don't know what to say! Of course we should!'

Carrie beamed, before saying, 'Don't say anything to Skye yet. I need to speak to her social worker first, to see if its even possible. Then we can talk to her about if she wants to stay.'

Ward let out an excited giggle, much to his own surprise, and gave Skye's hand a soft squeeze. Ward and his mother sat there, quietly discussing how they would broach the subject to Skye, until half an hour later, a nurse stopped by, saying Skye had to be woken up.

Ward gently shook Skye by the shoulder, calling her name, and she pulled herself awake. After a moment, she seemed to remember what happened, and the heart rate monitor next to her bed began to speed up.

Skye opened her eyes widely, and they darted around the room, before settling on Ward.

'Skye, everything's fine, your safe. You're in the hospital.'

Skye struggled to get up, but Ward gently held her down.

'Easy tiger, don't wanna hurt yourself there, do ya.'

Skye frowned, before looking at her wrist.

'My timer. It broke.' Skye's eyes began to water, as she looked at her bandaged wrist.

'Skye, honey, it's okay. It's fixed,' Carrie reassured softly.

Skye looked uncertain, but nodded at the sincerity in their eyes. Sagging in relief, she drifted back to sleep.

The next time she woke, Skye had her bandages changed and Skye demanded to see her wrist. The doctored gently showed her the timer, and she winced at the sight of the cuts around it. She then looked at the countdown, conferring with Wards, to see that it was indeed working. It was perfect.

0 years, 6 months, 3 days, 4 hours, 13 minutes and 52 seconds.

A week later, Skye let out a squeal as she looked at the unsigned document in front of her.

'Carrie,' she gasped, 'Are you really asking me this?'

'Of course she is!' Ward nearly exploded from the couch next to her.

'Skye, will you be my daughter?' Carrie asked, with a smile.

'Yes! God, yes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!' Skye exclaimed.

Skye pulled Carrie into a big, although gentle, hug, and sighed happily.

'Where do I sign?' Skye asked, pulling away excitedly.

'Right here.'

Skye quickly wrote her signature, even writing 'Mary Sue Poots' was not denting her bubbly mood.

Once it was all done, Carrie sealed it in an envelope, saying she was going to drop it of at the Social Workers office, and promised Pizza on her return.

Once she was gone, Skye sat on the sofa next to Ward happily, and grinned at him.

'So, you're officially Skye Ward now.'

Skye's grin only grew wider.

Hey, guys, i hope you like this idea, i know its been done before, but its gunna have a little twist though. if you want a little spoiler, the post where i came up with the original idea is on tumblr at avengers-aos-fics post/111926065334/skimmons-fitzward-fic-idea (Sorry wont let me post proper links)

Im planning on a 3 part installment, but hey that might change, cus originally i was going to write it all in one go, but its 4 in the morning and i wanna post this before writing more tomorrow.

send a review of what you think :)