Author's Note: This goes along with A Different Path, which was recently reposted with a different version. It will also have a sequel/ one-shot fic called The Other Paths, which will discuss Skye and Ward's missions from the beginning of their partnership in 2006 to the beginning of A Different Path in 2010. You don't have to read those for this to make sense; in fact, it would probably work better to read this to better understand those, if anything. Also, I posted these on AO3.
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD or any other Marvel characters mentioned.
Agent Skye Coulson wasn't nervous. Okay, she was a bit nervous, but that was because she had graduated from the Academy less than a week before and was already receiving her orders and her partner. She always knew that there would be a downside to graduating early.
She had been in the Academy for six months when her instructors realized that they weren't teaching her anything that her parents hadn't already taught her and had asked for Fury to make an exception and allow her to complete all of her training within the first half of her freshman year. When he had agreed, she had been the only one to graduate from her class. That led to her being the butt of a lot of jokes that she didn't even want to try to understand.
It honestly wasn't her fault, though. Her parents had placed her in self-defense classes by the age of twelve and had taught her to aim a gun and pull the trigger while maintaining steady hands and a constant heartbeat at the age of fifteen. Her mother had taught her how to take on men twice her size and win a long time before she sparred with male cadets in the gymnasium and kicked their asses (while Romanoff and Barton laughed on the sidelines, because, as Barton had said to the shocked instructor, "You do realize that you're dealing with the offspring of the most efficient and most kickass agents in SHIELD, right?"). So, needless to say, her instructors hadn't been all that sorry to see her go. No one had been, really. Fury was happy to have her on his side and officially on his staff, Hill was happy that there was somebody capable of hacking and breaking bones within SHIELD's ranks, and her parents were happy that her talents weren't being wasted. It seemed that it was a win-win for everyone. Well, it seemed like it was a win-win for everyone until she got called to Fury's office so that he could assign her a partner.
"Sir, I really don't see the need to be assigned a partner. I'm perfectly capable of handling myself," she tried to protest after being informed of the man's plans. When he looked at her, his facial expression was less than impressed. "Okay, I understand why some people might think that I'm not capable of going out in the field and taking on missions all alone, but I am, sir. I know what I'm doing."
"All agents have partners, Agent Coulson, which you know. It's one of the very few rules that SHIELD has." He sighed and tapped his pen against the desk he was seated behind. "You are right, you know. There are people that think that someone that can't drink shouldn't be allowed to go overseas and take on career criminals and murderers. That is not an opinion I share, since I've seen you in action, but the Council is very adamant that you not go out alone, and I think I've pissed them off enough lately. So," he said, tossing a file towards her and shooting her a look that was a mixture of amused and annoyed when she caught it effortlessly, "meet your new partner. Agent Grant Ward, twenty-three years of age, two years on the job, an impeccable record, sniper, espionage, and combat skills like I haven't seen since Romanoff, and one of the coolest heads that I've ever employed as a specialist."
Skye flipped open the file and gazed at the picture before closing it. "Specialists and field agents aren't known for their interpersonal skills, Director Fury."
"Romanoff and Barton manage just fine," he reminded her. "And she's a cooler head than Agent Ward."
"Yes, well, Romanoff and Barton are… they're Romanoff and Barton. They're like that friendship that no one understands but no one questions. That's literally what they are for SHIELD." Skye brushed a strand of hair from her eyes.
"Well, this is the partner that everyone in the higher ranks agreed on, and Hill trusts him to watch your back as much as she trusts you to watch his." Fury gestured towards the door. "He's waiting for you in the common area. If you hate him as much as you seem to think you will, work on it. He's your partner. You don't have to be friends."
"Understood," Skye muttered sullenly, standing from the chair she was seated in and slamming the door behind her. She heard Fury's disapproving grunt from the other side of the door and smiled. Good. He could be as annoyed with her as she was with him.
She approached the common area and looked for the man whose picture she had seen in the file. When she spotted him, he already had his eyes on her, and he looked displeased. Well, okay, it seemed that she wasn't the only one that wasn't the biggest fan of this partnership.
She tried to paste a smile on her face as she approached the table that he was seated at. She took the seat across from him and sighed as his facial expression remained unchanged. "Let me guess," she said, not bothering to introduce herself. "You think that you're a big, bad specialist that doesn't need backup because you know how to take care of yourself."
"You're like Fury told me you were," he said, his facial expression unchanged. "I didn't know anyone could be that outspoken and sarcastic."
"Yeah, well, most people see them as personality enhancers." She sighed as she stared at him. "Look, I don't particularly want to work with you either. I'm straight out of the Academy, and working with a partner isn't something that I ever asked for. But SHIELD is almost insistent that field agents work with a partner, and they chose you. So, how about you stop thinking that you're too badass for a partner and start to realize that having someone to watch your back when everyone else around you is shooting at you isn't the worst thing in the world, huh?"
The man finally glanced towards her with a small smile on his face and extended his hand. "Grant Ward. It's nice to meet you."
"Skye Coulson. It's nice to meet you, too."
He chuckled as he shook her hand. "You know, I've never had someone tell me that I'm too badass for my own good within five minutes of meeting me."
"Yeah, well, I'm quirky. You'll get used to it. Now," she said, pulling the file for their latest mission out of her bag, "how do you want to start this?"
Author's Note: And that is the story of how Ward and Skye met. It's short, I know, but I didn't want to bore anybody. I will try to work on The Other Paths' first chapter soon. I'm currently listening to football and writing at the same time (yay for multitasking) so if there are any typos in this that aren't fixed by Spellcheck, I apologize. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and please review!