Skye tucked her hands deeper into the pockets of her duffle coat.
She had noticed that something was missing the moment she woke up this morning. There wasn't a mug of steaming hot chocolate on her bedside table. There wasn't a new scarf hanging by the door as a Christmas present. There wasn't a bouquet of lavender on the Bus table, nor was there a Christmas card with her name written in cursive alongside the flowers.
She padded aimlessly down the road, and tried to waive the thoughts.
Coulson had allowed her, Bobbi and Hunter two days off, so she took one of the cars and drove to a nearby city. That was different from last year too. Last year, someone drove her and they were going to a restaurant downtown for a candlelight dinner.
She stopped before a carousel. The spinning lights and children's laughter had her grinning ever so slightly, but somehow she just couldn't feel happy.
Christmases used to mean a great deal to Skye. She recalled the days when she smiled every time she saw other kids building snowmen or having snowball fights while she curled up by the window in a jacket that could barely keep her warm, her fingers dancing away on the keyboard of a computer.
It was true that she didn't make snowmen or have snowball fights, but she remembered how happy she got when it was time to open the presents. She never stayed in her foster homes long enough to enjoy Christmas, so whenever the nuns trotted in with tons of presents, she would dart out of her room and pick one before the others could get to it, in hopes of snatching a piece of that Christmas spirit.
Hiding beneath the Christmas tree was also one of the very vivid memories that came to mind. She would tuck herself under the pine tree just to allow a few minutes of solitude. It was also to hold onto the radio for a little while without anyone trying to beat her up for it. She would listen to "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" play from the raspy speakers and she would hope that someday, she would have a merry little Christmas where she's among a real family and, possibly, just possibly, in the embrace of someone she loves.
She had wished for someone to come and pick her up from time to time during Christmas, but she'd stop hoping a few years later, knowing that it was impossible.
Lost in her thoughts, Skye needed more than a minute to realize that someone was standing beside her. "Hey," the figure said.
She recognized his voice right away. "Here to put a ribbon on me and give me to my dad again?" she sarcastically hissed, turning to face the figure.
He shook his head gently, rubbing his frozen hands together. "Just a passerby who ran into somebody."
"Ran into?"
The left corner of his mouth formed a subtle smirk. "Kara sent me for hot chocolate."
"Ah, the first name basis," Skye returned her gaze on the carousel.
Ward fell quiet.
"Sorry," broke the silence after the lion on the carousel had been seen for three times. Ward turned his head to look at the brunette beside him. "What?"
"Sorry I shot you, I was just trying to get to the Obelisk," Skye managed to mutter.
The sharp turn that they both took to face each other left them inches from kissing the other.
"I have to go, Kara's waiting," he mumbled out of embarrassment, his face turning a brighter shade of red than it already was. His voice was trembling, and the reason was obvious with the absence of gloves, a scarf and a coat that was thick enough for this kind of cold.
Skye placed her hands together. "Give me your hand."
He hesitated.
"Give me your hand," Skye demanded again, louder than before.
His shaking hand reached out for Skye's. Skye grabbed his hand and he drew a breath sharply in surprise. Her hands were almost as warm as fire, returning senses to the tips of his fingers.
"H…How are you doing that?" his face lit up, amazement escaping his amber eyes.
Skye bit her lip. "D'you remember the building crumbling in San Juan?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"I touched the Obelisk and it unlocked my powers, long story short," Skye said as her hands grasped his fingers tightly. "Apparently, I can generate seismic waves, and seismic waves are related to friction which creates heat."
Ward couldn't draw his hand back because it was incredibly warm. So warm that, for a split second, he had wished that his hand could stay there forever, between her palms, and he would never have to pull his hand away.
The little infinity came and went promptly. Yells from the distance indicated the impatience of Agent 33 and Ward withdrew his hand. Skye looked up with a raised brow.
As he was about to turn away, however, she grabbed his right wrist softly and pulled him down, planting a kiss on his cheek.
Tears emerged at the brims of Ward's eyes, but instead of letting them fall, he managed a smile. He placed his hand to her back and pulled her in, engulfing her smaller frame in his larger one.
That was the moment Skye felt whole again. The nagging feeling of the peculiar loneliness was gone, and it was that very moment that finally brought out the liquid that had been hiding behind her eyes for a very long time. They stained her rosy cheeks as they hugged, seeping into the fabric of Ward's clothes.
"Merry Christmas," she uttered into his chest. "Not that I've forgiven you or anything."