A/N: Post Episode 15 - Yes Men, definite spoilers! There was SO MUCH to explore in that episode, it's crazy. I'm sure I'm not the only one with questions and concerns after those events. It's been a couple of weeks since I've had any writing time, hopefully I'm not too rusty! One-shot, Skyeward conversations.

WARNINGS: Discussion of non-con aftermath, powerlessness.

The sharp knock on the wall of her med pod tore Skye's attention up from her laptop. She wasn't entirely surprised to see her supervising officer standing there, but what she hadn't expected was what he was holding: a brown bottle, a larger, elegant one filled with amber liquid and a single glass. He held them up like a request.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Ward asked with a smile. Skye thought she must have imagined the slight waver in his voice.

"I can't imagine the warden would let me," she replied, glancing surreptitiously out the wide window of her cell.

"That's why the root beer is for you," chuckled Ward, twisting the cap off and holding it out to her. "Don't worry, I cleared it with Simmons. She's in the lab."

"Hallelujah!" Skye whooped, greedily snatching the soda from him. She drew several long gulps from the brown bottle and sighed happily. "Oh my God, it's cold, even. Shit, that tastes good." She leaned back in utter satisfaction, holding the cool drink against her cheek. "This is it, right here, Ward. I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth now."

He laughed richly and sat down on the bench beside the window. "If only I'd known it would be that easy!"

She sighed blissfully and took another long sip. "Okay, Ward. What brings you to Casa de Skye armed with such a noble gift? Something's up."

He was quiet, choosing to pour himself a drink of what turns out to be scotch instead. She gave him space, figuring he would come around when he was ready. She sat patiently, looking down at her bedsheets, knowing somehow that she needed to be as unassuming as she could. Eventually, after several sips of from his glass, he sighed.

"About Vegas…" he started, trailing off for several moments. "I had a talk with Coulson. About Lorelei. About… where I feel like I am after Vegas. He's our team leader, he should know what's going on in my head. I've got some stuff to deal with that isn't easy."

Silently, Skye's heart broke, but she didn't comment. He looked up from his glass and she gave him what she hoped was a sympathetic yet encouraging nod.

"Coulson suggested that I talk to you," he continued and her eyes went wide. "He said… uhh… he said you were really good at listening. He said that whenever he feels hopeless, that you always seem to know what to say to make it alright again." He took a deep sip of scotch and exhaled.

"Wow," Skye replied softly. "That's a pretty heavy recommendation. I hope I can do it justice. Ward…. you'll have to forgive the trope, but…. what happened in Vegas?"

He couldn't help it, he chuckled in spite of himself. "I don't think I've had enough to drink yet for full-disclosure, hang on." He swallowed the rest of the amber liquid in one go, and poured another.

"Easy, there, cowboy," she smiled warmly, pointing at him with the neck of her root beer bottle. "Or I'm not going to be able to keep up!"

"How much did Coulson tell you?" Ward asked quietly.

Skye shook her head. "Not much. Just that you were under Lorelei's control and I had to find you. You saved me the trouble, though by coming to us."

He nodded slowly. "And May….?"

Her brow furrowed. "Uhhh… nothing? I mean, I know you two went head-to-head upstairs. I could hear the glass breaking from here. She can't be holding that against you, though… right? I hope not. Ward… are… are you okay?"

He was staring blankly at a spot on the wall opposite. Eventually, he took a deep breath, and reached over to close the sliding glass door. Another sip, another sigh. "Full disclosure. May and I… we've been sleeping together for a while. Going back way before this," he glanced up at her, but her face was expressionless. "It was just an outlet, a physical thing. We both understood that. I… I want to make that clear."

Skye nodded, ignoring the despair that had inexplicably settled into her chest. His admission blind-sided her, but she knew it would be devastating right now to let that show. This wasn't about her. She gave him a small smile, and he continued.

"I took Lorelei to Vegas, I knew it would be… to her tastes. She wanted opulence, she wanted luxury. And I wanted to give it to her. She… uhhh… she was very pleased with me. She said she would reward me." He downed the rest of his scotch and swallowed hard.

A terrible feeling came over Skye, the feeling that she knew what he was trying to tell her. "Ward," she whispered, meeting the miserable look in his eyes. "You don't have to tell me about this, I understand…."

"I need to," he interrupted, his voice rough. "I need to get it out. It's like poison in my mind, if I can just get it out…." he broke off and closed his eyes.

Skye waited several moments. "Ward," she said clearly, "whatever happened, however it played out in Las Vegas… it wasn't your fault."

"That's not true," he spat back. "I loved every second of it. She was in my arms and against my skin and I've never wanted anyone so badly before." He shuddered, as though revolted with himself. "And so I took it, yeah. Her reward. I was ready to kill for it. She made me feel like a God."

Skye cocked her head at him. "How can you be to blame? Listen to yourself, Ward. You felt like a God?"

He looked at her, puzzled. "Yeah. She was intoxicating. And not like this," he held up a freshly refilled glass.

She shook her head. "You just said it yourself, intoxicating! Under the influence! That's not you, then. It's obvious. The Ward I know isn't like that. The Ward I know fights for the greater good, from the shadows. The Ward I know believes that powerful things should stay hidden. My Ward is a weapon, but a secret weapon. My Ward is a killer, but of bad guys, who do terrible things. He told me so himself. I believe him."

Skye hadn't noticed slipping into the possessive, trading "the" for "my", but Grant had. His hands began to shake, his head trying to wrap around her words.

Skye kept going. "My Ward isn't a God, he's an unsung hero. My Ward doesn't seize rewards, he accepts that what he does will go unthanked. Right? Don't you see that? I understand that you felt like you had control, but the things you're saying… they suggest otherwise."

His eyes had gone glassy and he nodded slowly. "You're… you're right. I felt… I… but I wasn't…."

"You weren't," she emphasized. "Remember what Lady Sif told us? Lorelei is a sorceress. You were under an enchantment. I know it sounds dumb, like a fairy tale or a myth or something, but we're talking about Asgardians! That's where we got our myths from, remember? She's like a… a siren, or whatever. Like in the Odyssey! We should have tied you to the mast."

She was so animated by this point, so eager to convince him of his inculpability that he couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her expression turned cross. "What?"

"You're so…. enthusiastic," he chuckled.

"Damn straight," she retorted, somewhat abashed. "You're like… like… you're the best person I've ever known, Ward," she said quietly. "You would never have done those things if you had been yourself, and I hope you can believe that. You never would have hurt your team. You never would have… ermmm… been.. intimate with the enemy. Not if you had control. She took that from you, absolutely. This is her fault."

He stared at her in disbelief. "You really do have all the answers, don't you?"

"Well I am pretty great," she smiled in reply.

"Know anything about Asgardian birth control, then?" he asked her, his face pained.

Skye's mouth hung open for several beats. "….oh."

"Yeah," he sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "That would be an awkward report from the dungeons of the Alfather, wouldn't it?"

Skye briefly looked pensive, then brightened. "Oh! Okay I may not know, but I know someone who might! I'll email Elliot!"

"Who?" Ward was confused.

"Professor Randolph," Skye elaborated, tapping away at her laptop. "Remember? The original Berserker?"

"Oh, him," Ward replied in a flat voice. "Wait… you call him Elliot? And you have his email?"

"Of course," Skye scoffed. "He's on Facebook too! He's got some really incredible Instagrams of himself unicycling in Portland, you should check 'em out. We talk every now and then, although mostly he just asks for pictures of Simmons…. okay, done. If anyone would know about the ramifications of interspecies sexy times, it would be him. Don't worry, Ward. We'll figure this out, I promise. Whatever happens, I'll be right with you, okay?"

He should have felt grateful, he knew that. He should have been moved by her selflessness… and he was, but only to fathomless shame. He thought about all the secrets he spilled to Lorelei, all the emotions he confessed about his rookie, and his gut twisted with self-hate. He thought he might be sick. "Oh God," he moaned, shoving his drink away. "No. Skye… I don't deserve your support."

"Bullshit, Ward. It's not your fault, any of…."

"I told her all about you," he cut her off. "Every secret corner of my heart, every forbidden thought I had, I spilled it out to her, just to prove how insignificant they were in comparison…." he stopped as he strangled back a retch.

Skye blinked at him. "I… I don't understand", she murmured. "Why would you tell her about me? I'm not a fighter, I wasn't a threat."

"No," he answered, wiping his lips on the back of his hand. "Not like that. I felt invincible, Skye. I wasn't worried about might, I was willing to fight the world for her. No, I told her because of something else. I told her that… that.. I had feelings for someone on my team. That I… desired someone else before her."

"Agent May," Skye whispered, but Grant shook his head slowly.

"No. No, I told you before, that was just an outlet. Black ops, constantly one step ahead of Death…. it does awful things to a soul, Skye. Melinda and I are cut from the same cloth, we offered each other something to hold on to, to keep feeling human. No, I told Lorelei about something more sacred. I betrayed it. I betrayed… you."

"Ward…"

"I offered all my feelings for you up as a sacrifice, as an example of something that seemed insignificant next to her," he confessed in despair. "And then… and then I fucked her in a Vegas hotel suite! Jesus Christ, Skye! How can I live with myself?"

He was blinking back tears, fury and self-loathing swirling around desperately inside him. His head sunk back down into his hands. He shouldn't have come down here. He shouldn't have listened to Coulson, this was a terrible idea. Skye was the only pure person he'd ever known, and she'd have no choice now but to push him away, to leave him to face himself on his own. It's what he deserved. He shouldn't have told her, he shouldn't have said any of this. It was poison, and now he'd poisoned Skye as well….

Incredibly, unbelievably, her cold fingers brushed against his hands. He frowned and lifted his head. Impossible. She was standing right in front of him, albeit unsteadily, albeit uncertainly. Her hands hovered in front of her, as though she was afraid to touch him. He wasn't sure what would happen if she did.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he whispered.

"There is nothing on this Earth that could keep me from your side right now," she replied, her voice rough. "Ward, listen to me. I forgive you. Do you hear what I'm saying? I don't blame you. Whatever you said to her, whatever you did to her… I forgive you. Please, Ward. Please try to forgive yourself."

He could no longer fight the tears. Too much scotch, too much Skye… his vulnerability was complete and he fell apart. As the first sob escaped his body, Skye lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him tight to her. He meant to push her away, to keep her purity as far away from himself as possible, but the strangest thing happened. As his arms went up to strike her, they wrapped around her instead. Instead of repelling her, he buried his face into her abdomen and sobbed. He clutched and cried and forced her to fight for her balance. If he was causing her physical pain (he knew he was), she didn't show it. If he had wounded her heart (he knew he had), she didn't say it. She held him like she was never going to let him go. She held him long after the wracking sobs had stopped. She held him until he finally pulled away from her, and looked up at her with tired, red eyes.

She smiled and gently pushed his dark hair from his face. With both of her hands alongside his jaw, she repeated her mantra. "I forgive you. It's not your fault."

He stood up wordlessly, requiring her to take several wobbly steps backwards. He leaned towards her and smoothly scooped her up into his arms. He moved up to the head of her bed and set her gently back down at her pillows, then pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Ward…" she whispered imploringly.

"I heard you," he replied tenderly. "You forgive me… which doesn't do much to convince me that you've made a full recovery, frankly. Are you sure you didn't hit your head at some point as well?"

She grinned. "You're just going to have to trust me, Ulysses. Everything you said, Ward… I know it was hard. Thank you for telling me. And it doesn't change my promise… we'll get through this."

He shook his head in incredulity. "I…. I just don't get you. You're too good to be true, Skye… did you know that?"

"I know a whole flock of nuns who would disagree with you on that one."

"Skye," he continued with a small smile. "The weird lens Lorelei put me under, the one that made everything before her seem… pale? Distorted? It's gone. It left when she did."

"That's…. that's good, right?"

"Yeah, I think so," he replied. "It's weird, though. All my hidden secrets are still exposed. I pulled them all out into the light, for her to see, and now I've shown you as well, so you would understand my betrayal… even if you can forgive it. I… I don't know how they make you feel. It's selfish of me, I know, but I had to explain it."

Her eyes searched his. "Ward… did you really feel that way ab…. oh!" Her glance flew down to her laptop, and his breath hitched. "It's Elliot! He emailed back!" She quickly scanned the message while Grant's heart froze.

"Good news, Robot," she looked up at him seconds later. "Seems highly unlikely that you'll be an Asgardian baby daddy. Elliot doesn't think we're… uhh… fertility compatible."

"Oh thank God," Ward gasped, dropping himself down onto Skye's bed in relief. "Of all my current worries, a potential cross-dimensional child support issue was looming pretty large. Thanks, Skye. I never would have thought of asking Dr. Randolph."

"It's cool, SO. This is how we're gonna handle all of it. We're going to set all those worries up and knock them all down, one at a time. I'm going to be with you each step of the way, you got that?"

"You… you really mean that, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Skye leaned towards him and extended her hand to his shoulder, pausing to meet his eyes, requesting permission before touching him. He nodded almost imperceptibly, and she began gently rubbing his upper arm. Her touch filled him, made him feel whole again.

"Thank you," he choked out. "I don't deserve it, but thank you."

Skye shook him lightly. "Don't say that," she chided. "I owe you everything, Ward. Or have you forgotten the desperate misfit you kidnapped out of her van and took under your wing? You gave me a life with purpose. You kept faith in me even when I broke your trust. I could never repay you for that."

He stared at her, open-mouthed, unable to respond.

Her smile was light. "I… I don't want to dig too deeply right now into what you told Lorelei, but… um… maybe when it's not so fragile, we can talk about it? If you still… I mean… if those feelings still exist…"

"They do, more than ever," he breathed.

"Okay," she squeezed his bicep affectionately. "Hey, Ward?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay with me a while?"

"Yeah."

Skye tugged on his arm until he swung his legs up onto her bed and folded himself around his rookie. It instantly calmed him, to his surprise, the warmth of her body seeping immediately to his core like a balm. She snuggled into his chest and he knew in that moment, everything would eventually be alright. It might be take time and it wouldn't be easy, but he trusted Skye. She'd be with him every step of the way.