Winter Wonderland

Skye groaned sadly when she couldn't reach the top shelf. Some idiot, probably Mack decided it would be funny to put the cookies on the top shelf of one of the pantries. Bobbi came in and got them and then decided to see where the joke went and left them there! Now Skye's hungry, low on caffeine, has three more security programs to write, and now she can't get her damn cookies.

"Need some help there?" Came the calm voice of one Grant Ward as he lifted his barely covered arm over her head from behind her and grabbed the box of cookies.

"Thanks," Skye said dejectedly as she opened the box and crammed a cookie into her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Ward asked leaning against the island. He must've just came from the gym, Skye thought as she took in his gym shorts and sweat stained grey t-shirt. Skye wasn't complaining about his wardrobe, the shirt stuck to his chest like a second skin and the sweat on his brow was very appealing to her.

"Some jackass thought it would be funny to put the cookies where my short ass can't get them." Skye huffed as she leaned against the counter. "I hate being so short."

"You do know you're like the second tallest girl in the base, right?" Ward questioned a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, in comparison to a bunch of guys and one girl who thought it would be funny if they all grew like trees." Skye responded irritated.

"There's nothing wrong with your height, sweetheart." Ward said calmly as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

He pulled her against his frame and despite the sweat and BO that was becoming prominent, Skye leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Since he came back they were nearly inseparable. People kept finding them in positions like this or worse. Skye chuckled at the memory of Koenig not knocking on her door one morning before opening it and coming face to face with Ward's naked backside and Skye's tendency to be a little loud in the morning.

"Meet me by the entrance in 30 minutes." Ward said suddenly shaking her from the light sleep she had fallen into.

"But it's freezing outside." Skye whined as she hugged the cookie box close to her chest.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it." Ward promised as he pressed a kiss to her head before leaving for the showers.

The PLAYGROUND was based in an area that got pretty heavy snowfall. The first winter Skye was here showed her the most snow she had ever seen in her life. This time was no different and she looked at the two feet of white beauty in front of her.

"What are we doing out here?" Skye asked. Ward handed her the winter coat hanging on the hook near the door. She wrapped the garment around herself trying to keep the chill out of her bones.

"I want to show you something." Ward said as he took her hand back in his and started weighing through the thick snow.

Skye tried to walk through the snow, but her legs weren't long enough to give her the reach she needed. Ward was walking like it was second nature to pad through snow. Skye surmised it was due to growing up in Massachusetts and then the five years he spent in the woods for Garrett.

Skye tripped on a hidden rock and fell into the soft mesh. A low volume curse left her lips as she tried to get up but couldn't get a hold of anything inside the snow.

"You OK?" Ward asked kneeling beside her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Skye said tensely.

"Come here." Ward said as he moved to kneel in front of her. He slung her arms around his neck and motioned for her to pull herself out of the thick snow.

Skye pulled herself up and threw her legs around his waist. Ward cupped the back of her thighs and held her there before he started trekking towards the hill Skye could see through the few trees in the area.

"Thanks," Skye mumbled into his neck. She smelled the musky scent his skin kept embedded and felt her eyes drifting shut. He made her feel safe and safe meant time to sleep in the recent months.

Once Ward made the trek up the small hill he set Skye's legs back into the snow. Skye let her weight back down and felt the snow dip around her.

Ward sat down and tugged her arm to have Skye resting between his knees with her back against his chest.

"Do you see it?" Ward asked pressing his face against the side of her head and kissing it.

"No, what am I supposed to be looking at?" Skye squinted her eyes at the landscape. It was all pretty much white as far as she could see. The tops of the trees were covered in snow and what little green they had left was vastly outweighed by the white.

"Look down," Ward said as he chucked a small pebble towards the ground away from the hill.

Skye looked and saw something that took her breath away. The pebble hit the water making a ripple. That break in the water released steam which played off the leaves forcing a few twigs to fall into the water setting off more ripples. When Skye looked up from the water she saw it.

It was a family of deer. A strong buck, a doe, and a baby. They were drinking out of the lake and Skye had never seen a more precious sight. She placed her hand over her mouth to avoid startling them with her gasp of wonderment.

Skye turned her head to look at Ward. He had a small smile playing on his face as he watched the deer. Skye smiled contently as she snuggled into Ward's arms and watched the scene playing out before them.

The baby was sniffing at its father's leg and the father bent down. The baby then bopped its nose into the father and took off running. The father chased after it and when they stopped the father returned the gesture making the baby sneeze. The mother just watched the two play.

Skye was enraptured by the display. She had never seen anything like this pardon shows and pictures but they don't do the real thing justice. This was beautiful.

"So what do you think?" Ward asked her quietly, making sure to keep his voice low so the deer didn't run off.

Skye couldn't speak. She was at a loss for words and decided to go with the next best thing. She kissed him before burying her head in the crook of his arm.

Winter really was the beautiful time of the year.