A/N: This is my first SHIELD fic. Obviously I own nothing to do with Marvel, SHIELD, ABC, or any other affiliates with this show. This fic is based from the scene in 1x17 Turn, Turn, Turn and is an AU. Obviously the ending didn't happen, but What if? ;) Enjoy!
Until The End Of The Line
Beyond that door awaited a possible grave – a possible gruesome and bloody death. There wasn't much else they could do about it. She could only hope that he could take down the agents so that they could get through without harm coming to them. As far as they were all aware Victoria Hand was the Clairvoyant. They were in close proximity of one another. Skye could feel Grant's every movement beside her. Every little shift in his posture, she felt. Ward leaned toward the crack in the door and began to prepare himself for battle,
"Give me your Icer." Skye's dark eyes swept over to Ward, giving him a look.
"What are you gonna do?"
"Pave the way for you." He had to be crazy. The soldiers beyond that door, they were marching, and to her? There had to be way too many for Ward to handle. The guy was good, but no one was that good. Skye continued to give him the strange expression.
"There's –" She paused, staring in complete awe at Ward's boldness. " –like a hundred guys out there." Ward glanced over to her and then back toward the door,
"Twelve." He corrected easily, "Level five foot soldiers, basic armor package, and no other way through." There was only a momentary pause as he followed up simply with, "The others are depending on us."
Skye leered toward Ward, enunciating her words carefully.
"But it's suicide." As soon as the words left her mouth Ward turned his head toward her, his eyes meeting with hers.
"Not if I don't die." Ward then turned his gaze back toward the door where possible death waited. His hands worked with his own weapon, loading it with a load click. Two Icers against twelve or more guns. One agent against twelve soldiers. The odds weren't exactly in Ward's favor, but, he'd proven his worth more than once before. He sucked in a deep breath and Skye continued to stare at his back, critically analyzing anything he said.
"And if I do –" That sounded like a death speech. As if he wanted to die. Skye quickly tried to cease that speech. She didn't have the stomach to hear it.
"Wha – slow down." Ward was shaking his head, his lips pressed firmly together in a thin line, disapproving of his actions.
"Maybe I deserve to." He finished, ignoring her attempts. Skye stared at him with her mouth agape and her eyes full of of disbelief at what was leaving her fellow friend's mouth. "I killed an innocent man, Skye." The words sounded full of pain and self-hatred. A little noise came from Skye, the scoff full of incredulity at Ward's words.
"You didn't know." She tried to reassure, "You thought you were doing the right thing. You thought he was going to -" Ward turned toward her once more without hesitation,
"To hurt you." Skye's eyes widened a bit, her mouth shut instantly, and with a tightening throat she swallowed. That hadn't been entirely was she was suspecting. Sure, she had had feelings for her (once) S.O but protocol called against it. Maybe if it wouldn't get in the way, sure, but Skye knew it'd get in the way. Besides, up until now, Ward hadn't really reciprocated any kind of feeling being the guy that he was.
Silence rippled between them as Skye finally handed over her Icer, both of them rising to their feet as she gripped at her equipment. A sigh could be heard from Ward in the stillness of the closet. Another noise followed that sigh, as if he was taking in a deep breath to gather up the gall to go outside into the line of fire. His eyes darted back to Skye and he turned toward her a bit,
"If we make it out of this, maybe we can – grab a drink, you and me." Skye almost blinked, her eyes squinting at bit at her friend.
"Are you –" Ward cut across Skye, causing her to halt.
"Remember that bar in Dublin, you offered to – talk?" Understanding crossed Skye's face. "I didn't want to talk." State the obvious. She thought toward that comment. "I needed to...keep things compartmentalized." Skye wasted no time coming back at him.
"Like with May?" She tilted her head up defiantly and a sigh of frustration came from Ward, his eyes fluttering shut and head tilting away from Skye. Skye could assume he had thought he had kept that pretty well hidden. He shook his head a few times, eyes remaining closed. If Skye didn't know any better that had to be shame for getting caught. Or something. But she honestly hadn't seen anything bad in it. (Besides her jealousy, whoops.) But Grant and Melinda were grown and they could do whatever they wanted. If they wanted it, they wanted it. There wasn't exactly stopping stuff like that! But Ward's expression caused a bit of irritation within Skye,
"I'm not an idiot!" She hissed out in a hushed voice, "We live on the same plane together for God's sake!" Ward made an expression with his lips thinning out drastically as he tried to hide what looked like a smile at Skye's not-so Nancy Drew work.
"Well, with her, –" His gaze swept upward. "I knew I could. With you? I didn't want to risk it." Cry me a river. Skye thought. Wait. Is he talking about sex, or me. Skye immediately challenged that, her thoughts racing,
"I was offering to talk, Ward." A smile crept over her face as she gave him an incredulous look. He had to be losing it. "Not to have sex with you." She had to admit though, that wording was slightly amusing.
"I'm not saying that. I'm saying...I want a chance to take you up on it. To have that talk." Skye greeted him with silence as she continued to stare at him.
Ward shook his head, "Look I know I'm not that guy. I'm too locked down, too boring." True. Skye thought, remembering all the times she had been forced to wake up early in the morning for training with Ward when she first joined Coulson's team. Thought Skye loved hearing Ward say that stuff about himself, she cut over him.
"When we make it out of this, yes," Skye nodded with this statement, as if to reiterate she was accepting Ward's offer to talk. " – let's have a drink." She gave a smile at the end of her statement. Ward kept his eyes locked with hers and though his face was relatively blank a ghost of a half-smile tried to creep it's way on his face. Skye assumed he wanted to continue to try to keep things compartmentalized but the whole talk they had just had had contradicted that statement all the way to the moon and back.
Ward turned, obviously accepting what she had said. His hand reached out for the door. Skye didn't accept this, though. She reached out and grabbed Ward by the straps of his uniform, turning him around and pulling him to her. The two of them leaned into the kiss, their lips pressed against one another quite firmly. That didn't stop one thing though.
That didn't stop the unheard whispers they breathed against one another's lips,
"Hail Hydra." Ward breathed, Skye pressing her lips up against his as if to seal the deal.
"Hail Hydra." Skye whispered, their lips pulling apart as she stared up to him and he stared down to her, probably a bit surprised by her eagerness.
"You said you might die, so what the hell?" A laugh escaped Ward and a smile remained plastered on Skye's face. They were in this until the end of the line.
