It would be easier to hate the guy if it wasn't so blatantly obviously he was in love with Skye.

Miles, that is. Not himself. Ward's hands clenched into fists and he told himself that of course, that'd be absurd. There was no way he was in love with his Rookie.

Nope.

But Miles Lydon, the man currently in the Interrogation Room on the Bus, most certainly is - and he's not afraid to say it.

Or show it.

No matter how many times he was asked why he hacked SHIELD despite the bracelet still adorning his wrist, his answer was always the same: "It's the only way I could think of to get her to talk to me."

Even when the truth serum came out - the very serum he'll still deny exists if his Rookie asks him directly - Miles's answer didn't change.

When Skye finished her checks, she was able to prove that while Miles hacked into the SHIELD database, he hadn't accessed any sensitive information or downloaded any files.

He'd merely hacked into the system and waited until SHIELD showed up, whereupon he insisted he wouldn't answer any questions until he got to see Skye.

Skye.

Ward glances at the woman standing beside him in the briefing room, notes the way she has her arms wrapped around her middle as she stares at the screen showing her former lover sitting patiently at the table, waiting.

For her.

Coulson checked it was okay with her first, before making the offer to their prisoner. In exchange for information - anything new he'd uncovered on Centipede, anything new he knew about the Rising Tide - Miles would be allowed thirty minutes to talk to Skye.

She'd agreed, but almost an hour had passed and she'd still made no move towards the Interrogation Room.

Ward told himself that the reason he was still standing with her was because she was his Rookie. It had nothing to do with the way something inside him twisted uncomfortably at the thought of her being alone in a room with a man she'd once loved.

Maybe still loved?

"You don't have to do this." The sound of his voice startled him as much as it startled her but he thought he covered it well. "If you've changed your mind -"

"I haven't. Not really." She tried to smile but ended up biting her lips, tightening her arms around her middle. "It's just strange, seeing him again." Her gaze strayed back to the screen. "He looks different to have I remember him but I'm not sure if that's because he's changed or because I have."

Since Miles looked pretty much the same to him as he had eight months ago, Ward knew what the answer was. "You don't have to go in alone."

"It's what we agreed." She sighed but after a moment, she turned her head to look at him, a ghost of a smile on her face. "And it's not like you're not going to be standing here watching the whole time, is it?"

A little uncomfortable that she knew he'd planned on eavesdropping on the entire conversation, Ward shrugged. "I don't have to," he offered. "Coulson didn't make it an order; he doesn't think Lydon's a threat."

That made her laugh and she shook her head. "He's not going to hurt me, Ward. He's not capable of it."

"He loves you." What possessed him to say it, Ward wasn't sure. He shrugged again when she looked at him almost quizzically, as though the way he'd said it gave something away. "Do you still love him?"

It was Skye's turn to shrug, her gaze drifting back to the screen. "He was my first love, my first real love. I didn't believe such things existed until I met Miles. I didn't think anyone had loved me before him. Now I know different." Now she knew a whole village, not to mention a team of SHIELD Agents and possibly her only family members, had given their lives to keep hers safe. "Part of me will always love him for what he did for me, for the man I thought he was but..." She broke off with a sigh, a glimmer of something he thought might be regret in her eyes. "He's not who I thought he was, and I can't be who he wants me to be."

Squaring her shoulders before he could comment, Skye dropped her arms and pushed off from the table she'd been leaning against.

Without a word to Ward, she left the briefing room. Three minutes later, he watched on screen as she entered the Interrogation Room.

"You came." Miles's face lit up at the sight of her. If he hadn't been handcuffed to the table, Ward thought he would have got to his feet and reached out for her. "Skye, I -"

"Please don't." Watching her, Ward saw a sad smile grace her lips. "I know what you're going to say, Miles, but please don't."

The crestfallen expression on the other man's face didn't give him as much pleasure as he'd thought it would. Ward actually found himself feeling sympathy for the other man, who - unlike himself - let his emotions play out on his face, clear for Skye and anyone else watching to see. "But... I did this for you. So I could see you again. So I could tell you that I've changed, that I'm not -" He cut himself off and shook his head. "I've missed you. I've missed you so much -"

"Miles, stop." Skye bit her lip and wrapped her arms around her middle. "It's over. I'm with SHIELD now, and -"

"I can accept that," Miles interrupted. "I'll get used to it. Hell, I'll even sign up, too, if they'll have me."

"It wouldn't change things. I'm not... I'm not the person you think I am. I'm not the right person for you."

"And I'm not the right person for you?" Miles sat back in his chair, metal links of the handcuffs clinking. "Is there someone else?" He asked hollowly. "Have you met someone...?" His gaze flickered up to the security camera for a moment and Ward felt himself freeze even though he knew there was no way Miles could know he was watching. "Is it that Seal 6 guy? Agent Wade?"

"It's Agent Ward," Skye corrected, and Ward waited for her to deny Miles's claim.

His breath caught in his throat when she didn't, not directly, a long moment passing before she spoke again.

"SHIELD is more than my employer, Miles, they're my family. They're part of who I am and I wish I could explain that to you but I can't." She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I want you to be happy. You deserve to be. So when you leave the plane, you need to forget about me, okay? Or maybe not forget about me but just let me go? Find someone else, someone who's perfect for you, and be happy."

She turned back towards the door before he could argue, and Ward saw a tear slip down her cheek as Miles breathed out her name, a pained plea she couldn't answer.

"You should talk to her." The voice came from behind him, and would have made a less experienced agent jump. Ward turned away from the viewing screen to see May standing in the doorway, her expression as non-committal as ever. "She probably needs a shoulder right about now."

Ward stared at her, words failing him as an internal battled warred within him.

A flicker of a smile graced May's lips for a split second. "It's fine, Agent Ward. We both agreed we'd end our arrangement if it became necessary. I'd say it's necessary now, wouldn't you?"

She turned on her heel before he could comment, leaving him feeling... Confused? Relieved? Maybe surprised at the irony that their "arrangement" had begun shortly after Miles's first encounter with the team and his second encounter with them was the catalyst for it ending?

He lingered in the briefing room for a few minutes more, half expecting Skye to return and seek him out. Realising she wouldn't, not if she knew he'd been watching her conversation with Miles, Ward straightened and went in search of her.

She wasn't sure why she didn't head straight to her bunk, knowing that if she'd locked the door behind her, her teammates would respect her need for privacy and leave her alone.

At least for a while, she thought with a small smile.

Jemma would only be able to last so long before she'd knock tentatively on the door, offering tea and sympathy and a shoulder to cry on. Fitz wouldn't be far behind her, no doubt with a suggestion for a movie night on his lips. Coulson would find an excuse to check on her, tell her his office door was always open.

May wouldn't seek her out but she knew that if she went to the cockpit, it'd be to find the door unlocked and the co-pilots seat vacant and waiting for her.

And Ward... Well, he'd probably not look for her. Not if he'd stayed in the briefing room, watching her conversation with Miles.

Damn it, Skye.

She rolled her eyes at herself and cursed herself inwardly. She should have denied it, should have laughed it off... But Miles knew her too well, and he'd be able to see through any attempt she made at lying... Plus she felt she kind of owed him the truth; after all he'd done for her, all they'd been through, she owed him that much at least.

It was better than giving him false hope, she told herself. Better than letting him believe that maybe one day they'd be a them again.

She sighed again and pulled her legs a little tighter to her chest, resting her forehead on her knees as she closed her eyes.

When the door opened, she jolted, lifting her head and expecting to see Coulson...

... only to blink in surprise when Ward slid into the back seat next to her, closing the door behind him.

For a long while, neither of them spoke. Then her SO sighed, turning in his seat to look at her. "Are you okay?"

She laughed a little at that, the sound escaping her before she could stop it. "I'm fine, Ward. You don't have to worry about me."

"I know I don't have to. Doesn't mean I won't." He shrugged when she glanced at him in surprise. "Coulson's having Miles escorted from the Bus in five. If you want to say goodbye..."

"Already done. Kind of." She pulled her gaze away and stared at the headrest of the seat in front. "I don't think we'll be seeing or hearing from him again."

There was a short pause. "Should I be sorry to hear that?"

Skye shook her head but didn't look at him. "No. I don't think so."

They sat in silence for a while, long enough for them to hear the ramp being lowered, and then footsteps and muffled voices.

Miles, being escorted off the plane.

Out of her life.

For good.

The thought made her eyes sting but she was used to goodbyes. Skye leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes, listening as the voices stopped, the footsteps continued then disappeared and the ramp was raised once more.

Done.

The feeling of Ward's hand on her shoulder startled her, causing her to open her eyes and turn her face to look at him. The expression on his face startled her even more and she felt her breath catch in her throat just as surely as her pulse began to race.

"You're not alone," he told her, his voice gruffer than she could remember having heard it before. "No matter what happens, you'll never be alone again."

It was as close to a declaration as either of them were ready for, a silent promise of something more.

With a shy smile, she scooted along the seat towards him, his arm slipping behind her to settle over her shoulders and anchor her to his side.

End