It's finally here, the Skyeward one-shot! I have been working on this baby for nearly a month now and its finally finished. This was inspired by the song Like Real People Do by Hozier and the title and some of the lines in the story came from the lyrics of the song. Please review!
Trigger warning for abuse, both physical and psychological.
Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of Shield nor do I own the song.
Present Day
"How bad was it?" Maria Hill asks.
Phil Coulson looks through the one-way glass with a grim look on his face.
"Bad. One of the worst I've seen."
"Phil," Her voice contains traces of the emotion she is trying to hide. "What happened? He hasn't spoken to anyone since we found him."
"Honestly, I don't know. When we caught Garrett we found them in the woods. The boy was covered in the dead girl's blood."
"Did Garrett kill her?"
"Maybe, I don't know. He was unconscious when we got to him. I don't even know if he knew her at all. He was covered in blood too so after the medics stitched him up the scientists screened it; it was his own blood." He motions to the boy behind the glass. "I've tried questioning him but he's been near catatonic. The medics have been giving me updates and he hasn't moved, eaten, or slept. Fury sent me to question him. Says that he might know something about Garrett. "
"What were they even doing in the woods? They were just kids, Phil."
"Hopefully we'll find out soon."
With a sigh Hill backs away from the glass. "I'll leave you to it then. I've got to go down to Room D see May. She's interrogating Garrett so Fury sent me to make sure she doesn't end up killing him. I bet he wants him alive so he can tell use him to catch the rest of Hydra." She says bitterly as she starts to walk down the corridor. The sound of her footsteps eventually die away until Coulson is left staring through the glass alone. With a sigh he makes his way through the door and into the interrogation room.
The sight that lays before his eyes is enough to send shivers running down his spine. Sure, he had been spending the past hour observing the man – no, the child, he is just a kid really– through the observation window but up close the image seemed so much worse. The circles underneath his eyes seem much more prominent and the stain of blood still lingered scarlet on his hands. But what bothers Coulson the worst are his eyes. They are not just a deep brown but they are rimmed red from crying. That paired with the vacant look that they house, the only thing that comes to Coulson's mind is 'he's given up'. Meanwhile, he still had not moved an inch.
"Hello Grant Ward," Coulson addresses the man sitting behind the steel table, "I'm Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD. I'm here to ask you some questions."
No response. Coulson sinks down into the seat across from him.
"How long have you known John Garrett?"
No response.
"What were you doing in the woods?"
Still no response.
"Who was the girl?"
That seems to rouse a reaction from Ward because his shoulders suddenly become tense (even more so) and he swallows hard.
"How did she die?" Coulson asks more gently.
Ward begins to blink furiously to stop tears from forming.
"Did Garrett kill her?"
"No." It's the first time since arriving that Coulson hears him speak. His voice is hoarse from crying and from the lump in his throat.
"Who did?" Coulson perks up in his seat. If Garrett didn't kill the girl then who did? Obviously not Ward so who?
Ward doesn't speak.
"Grant," It is the first time that Coulson addresses him by his first name. "You need to tell me who killed her so SHIELD can stop them from killing others. So they can avenge her."
"Her-her name was Skye." He swallows hard again. "Her father was the one that did it. But I as good as killed her." Tears start streaming down his face but he pays them no attention.
"Grant, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't have stopped him." In truth Coulson is not sure that Ward even believes him (he doesn't) but it is what he needs to hear.
"Yes I could have." His voice is a hoarse whisper but it is coated in anger. "If I only I had just asked her maybe I would have—maybe I could have saved her."
Six Months Before
"Shoot the dog." Garrett's voice rings through the open clearing. "Shoot the dog, Ward."
"What?" Ice floods through Grant's veins. This must be a trick, he can't be serious, he thinks desperately.
"Shoot the damn dog, Ward." Garrett says slowly and menacingly. "Or are you too weak? Did I waste all my time training you? All that hard work wasted because you can't kill a fucking dog!"
Buddy's eyes are wide and filled with trust as they stare at Grant. He is not even fazed by the gun pointed at it that Grant holds in his shaking hand.
"Forget this." Garrett turns and starts the walk back to his truck. "You're on your own now."
"Wait," Grant begs. "Don't leave!" He sounds like a child, and he hates that.
"Then shoot the dog! Prove to me that you are worth my time! Come find me when you're done." And with that Garret walks back to his truck. Grant determinedly aims the pistol at Buddy again.
Come on, do it. Just do it, it's easy. He won't feel anything. It will be quick for him just pull the trigger. But with each reassurance Grant tries to make his hands start shaking even more. Buddy continues to stare at him with unwavering trust in his eyes, as if this is just another game they are playing.
He falls to his knees and drops the pistol to the ground. I can't do it, I can't do it. He puts his head between his legs and whispers "I can't, I can't, I can't." over and over again. Buddy, finally sensing that something is wrong, bounds over to him and crawls under his legs to lick his face. After a few seconds of this (it feels like hours) Grant finally pulls himself together with a steely determination. He picks up the gun again, and with steady hands this time, he points it in the air and fires. Just like he knew he would, Buddy goes running towards the woods just like when Ward hunts for deer.
"Run, Buddy." He whispers as he slowly turns away to go back to Garrett. When he finally catches sight of the truck, he sees Garret leaning against it as if he knew all along that Grant would come through and kill the dog. Against his will, a surge of pride goes through Ward at seeing Garrett waiting as if he knew along Grant would follow his orders. By letting Buddy escape he didn't technically let Garret down. But like Garrett always told him, "What they don't know won't kill them."
Wrong, whispers the voice in the back of his mind, he said "What they don't know won't kill them yet."
Xx Linebreaker xX
It's a couple of weeks after Grant faked Buddy's death that Garrett comes back for another visit. This surprises Grant because Garrett normally only visits every couple of months.
"Sir," Grant asks, "What are you doing here?" He hopes to whatever deity there is that he did not sound insubordinate.
"I'm here," Garrett's voice is deadly calm. "To teach you another lesson." Grant freezes. The last "lesson" Garrett taught him was how to dodge incoming bullets. His method of teaching; shoot at him. He claimed that this was a skill that a real man needed to know and that Grant was lucky he was being taught in the first place. Before Garrett can see, he quickly swallows down his fear. It's a weakness, don't be weak.
But to Grant's horror, he drags out a skinny, chocolate Labrador from his truck and tosses it to the ground. Buddy. Buddy whimpers quietly and Grant notices how thin he is. It had been weeks since he helped Buddy escape and it looked as if he hadn't saved him at all.
"After everything I've done," Garrett seethes with anger, "After everything I have done for you, no less, you can't even follow one simple order! What did I tell you Ward? Or did your daddy and big old Christian box your ears in too hard? Now tell me what I told you to do."
Grant gulps and trying to breathe through the lump in his throat. "You—you," He is stammering now. Garrett hates when he stammers. "You told me to kill Buddy."
"Buddy?!" Garrett is yelling now. Grant can vaguely hear Buddy whimpering from the loud voice. "That dog shouldn't have a name! It's not even human! This is how you form attachments! You have the balls to give that dog a name but you can't kill it. You dare to choose a dog," He spits out the word like it's a nasty curse, "Over me." He suddenly whips out the gun strapped to his hip with a flourish and points it at him. "This will teach you not to make the same mistake."
Grant closes his eyes in anticipation of the pain. In spite of himself he thinks, Garrett would hate that. Look death in the face like a man. Don't be weak. The gun goes off with a loud crack and he braces himself for the pain. But it never comes. Instead, he feels the warm splatter of something wet on his legs. When he opens his eyes, he sees Garret wiping a speck of blood of his gun. Knowing all too well what he will find, he looks down to see Buddy's corpse laying at his feet. Blood continues to pour out of the clean hole between his eyes and gathers in a pool around him.
Garrett steps toward Grant careful to avoid getting blood on his boots. "Lesson of the day; never disobey me again." He gets back into his truck and drives away, leaving Grant standing in the pool of his best friend's blood. When the sound of tires finally disappear, he sinks down to ground and cradles Buddy's corpse. He ignores the wet, sticky fur, the overwhelming stench of metal drowning his senses, and the mutilated body of what was his only friend. As he cries, he swears I can't disobey Garrett ever again. This is the last time I will cry. This is the last time I will be weak.
When Buddy's body runs of out of blood to bleed is when Grant pulls himself together. Like a programmed machine, he begins to carry Buddy's body over to the stream nearby and begins to wash off all the blood and dirt. When he is clean, Grant almost thinks that he is only sleeping. But with a stern shake of his head he reminds himself that Buddy is dead and it's his own fault. He walks back to the cabin (with Buddy in his arms) and retrieves a blanket and shovel. From there he wanders deep into the woods far away from where the puddle of Buddy's blood continues to seep into the earth. Once he reaches a small clearing, he begins digging. All the grief and helplessness that he had felt, he channels into his work. Dig, toss away dirt, dig toss away dirt, dig again, toss away dirt, again, and again and again. When the sun is minutes away from setting, he deems the hole deep enough to bury Buddy.
"Why are you digging?" Grant jumps at the sound of the foreign voice. He hadn't even heard her approaching and can't help but think of the kind of punishment Garrett would give him if he ever found out. Never lose sight of your surroundings or it will be the last thing you do, Garrett had told him as he watched Grant dodge another bullet.
When he looks up, he discovers that the owner of the voice belongs to a girl who appears to be a year or two younger than him. Her outfit consisting of jeans, a loose fitting top, and heeled boots is far too casual for someone so deep in the woods. He can't help but notice the way the sun's setting rays look against her hair or the way her eyes sparkle as if she already knows all your secrets. She leans casually against a tree and observes him with quiet interest.
"What?" Grant finally finds his voice and hopes that it doesn't betray his nervousness. He's not nervous like he is around Garrett, he's nervous because this is the first girl he has spoken to in over four years and he can't help but care.
"I said," Her voice sounds like music floating through the breeze, "Why are you digging?"
"I'm burying something." He says simply. He really doesn't know why he is talking to this mysterious girl, he knows he shouldn't, but he can't help it. For the first time in a long time, he wants to do something entirely on his own.
"Well that part is obvious," She nudges her head in the direction of Buddy's wrapped up form, "But why?"
"Because –" Grant searches for an answer but he doesn't really have one. Burying Buddy just seemed like the right thing to do. But he's—it's—just a dog, he muses, Garrett wouldn't bury it so why are you?
The girl clucks her tongue. "Nevermind. It doesn't really seem like my business anyway." She says with a bitter edge in her voice.
"Who are you?"
She smiles and he can't help but think it's the prettiest thing he's ever seen. "Technically my name is Daisy." She says the name with a sour tone. "But I like to call myself Skye." Her smile becomes sad as she glances up at the purple-tinged sky above them with a look of longing on her face.
"My name's Grant Ward." It never occurs to him that she never gives him her last name.
"Are you going to finish burying whatever it is you're burying or are you going to stand there looking at me?" Skye says followed by an impatient look.
"Oh, umm, yes, I—I mean no." He's stammering again. Dammit. "I mean, I'm almost done." He quickly gathers the bundle of blankets and lays it down in the cool earth. He climbs back out of the hole to find her holding a handful of dirt. She throws it into the hole at which Grant gives her a confused look.
"You're supposed to throw a handful of dirt before you bury something." She says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. As an afterthought she adds, "At least that's what I think you're supposed to do." He nods to reassure her that she is correct (even though he's not very sure either) and follows.
After his handful of dirt is thrown, he picks up the shovel and moves all the dirt back in place. By then, the sun had set and small specks of stars begin to appear in the sky one by one. With an awkward wave (it's the first time Grant doesn't know what to do, it's not as Garrett ever gave him advice on what to do when in the presence of a girl) he turns around to walk back to the cabin.
"Wait," He hears her whisper. "Can I walk with you?" He knows he shouldn't, oh the things Garrett would do if he found out, but he finds himself nodding. She lets slip a look of what he thinks is relief before she skips over next to him. They walk in silence for a few minutes before his curiosity gets the best of him.
"Where did you come from?" This had been on his mind since the second he laid eyes on her. There weren't any towns nearby as far as he knew and not once has he ever seen anyone else in the woods.
Her reaction to Grant's question is immediate. Her fists clench and her mouth draws into a thin line. "Don't ask me that. Don't ask me anything like that." Her voice is hard and steely. "I know you don't have a very clean slate but you don't hear me asking questions. I will not ask you and neither should you. Promise me or I go."
He is stunned. What could someone like her be hiding from someone like him? Like she said, she knows he isn't exactly clean so why does she continue to stay? And because he doesn't want her to leave he promises. He later wishes he hadn't.
As they continue their walk they talk much more companionably. He learns that she is just as isolated as he is (though she never really says so) and she learns that the bundle they had just buried was his dog. They of course also talk about more trivial things such as favorite food, pastime, etc, etc. before all too soon the cabin comes into view and it's time for them to part ways. He finds that he doesn't want to.
"This was nice." She says. "It's been a while since I've actually enjoyed myself like this." He can't help but wonder what she could have possibly enjoyed while burying a stranger's dead dog and walking back with him somewhere she didn't know. But he doesn't ask.
"Yeah, me too." There's a long pause. "So umm, goodbye." He really needs to work on this.
She takes a hesitant step forward. And another and another until she is right in front of him. Just as she starts to lean closer to his face he begins to protest (very weakly). "We can't," His voice is slightly desperate. Desperate for her lips and desperate for her to leave. If Garrett found out….
"Why not?" She leans in a little bit more. He lets her. "Let's just kiss, Grant. Like real people do." He doesn't dwell on her odd choice of words because he is too busy crashing his lips into hers. The kiss isn't soft, sweet or delicate like the movies Grant used to watch before his life changed. It's a game of back and forth and it's hungry for something that they both need. Her hands fly up to grasp his hair in her fists while his hands wander down to grip her waist. The kiss ends when they both come up for air. They are both breathing deeply as if they had just run a marathon and it's the first time in his life that he feels normal. Here he is, Grant Ward, someone that just kissed a pretty girl who he likes (he knows it's probably too soon to say such a thing aloud).
"Goodbye, Grant." She says breathlessly as she gives him one last look before she walks toward the woods again and disappears off into the night.
He is left staring after her, for the first time not even caring about Garrett. Not even he can take away the hope welling up in his chest. It's not until he finally wakes up the next morning that he wonders if she was even real.
Xx Linebreaker xX
Skye's real all right. When he walks out of the cabin the next morning he finds her sitting on an old tree stump tapping her foot to a beat he doesn't hear.
"There you are," She says as if she had been waiting for a while. "I almost thought you had died or something."
"Skye, what are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you of course. It's almost eleven." Grant had overslept for the first time in four years. His dreams had been haunted by the girl currently sitting in front of him with a smirk on her face.
"You should go." If Garrett decided to make another surprise visit and found out that in the span of less than twenty-four hours he formed another attachment he would surely kill him. Or her.
"What if I don't want to go?" She says stubbornly.
"You have to!" There is a pleading edge in his voice that he has never heard before and he doesn't know why it's there. He's only known the girl for a day but she has somehow dug her way under his skin.
"Well I'm not scared if that's what you're hinting that I should be if I don't go. There are worse monsters out there."
And because her answer is just so damn cryptic and she is just sitting there with that smirk on her face and she has become his weakness in that short amount of time because he is so goddamn weak he strides over to her and pulls her into a bruising kiss. This kiss is even more desperate than their last one. It probably stems from the fact that for some reason they are so drawn to one other but they can't be. This kiss is him desperately asking her to leave and her saying that she won't.
"Was that kiss supposed to make me want to leave? Because it didn't work." Skye asks breathlessly. "You just gave me a reason to stay."
And he lets her because for whatever reason, he can't let her go.
Xx Linebreaker xX
They continue this for the next months to come. Every morning she'd turn up in front of his cabin and wait patiently for him to appear. Eventually he starts waking up earlier to greet her. They spend the day working on small projects like fixing the cabin, gathering small supplies, and getting food, which he is surprised to find that she enjoys. It's oddly domestic
When he asks her why she enjoys it so much she just responds, "It feels normal."
He doesn't question further because he promised that he wouldn't pry and ask personal questions. If he breaks that promise, she will leave and that's the thing that's what scares Grant the most. So he stays quiet and keeps his questions to himself.
That's not all they do together though. When all the work is over they gather a blanket and the food that they have managed to get and traipse their way to the clearing where they met. They set up a picnic and just talk. During those talks she learns a little bit about Garrett and his old life and he learns about her parents who she bitterly refers to as monsters. It appears that they've both got their demons. Those topics leave a bitter taste in their mouths so they normally try to avoid them. But like all things, they are mentioned in passing and in the occasional comment. Sometimes he is glad that they promised each other not to ask such personal questions. There are some parts about himself that he isn't ready to share with anyone, not even her. And she feels the exact same way.
But there are the days when she sees the new wounds and old scars on his body and he notices the bruises along her arms and that her eyes look more faraway and distant than usual that make them regret their promise. But she doesn't ask because she made him promise that he wouldn't and it wouldn't be fair if the promise didn't go both ways. So he doesn't question either. But in some sad way, they already know.
It's those days that they hold each other a little bit closer than necessary as if assuring themselves that they are real and this is not a dream they conjured up to forget about their pasts. They both know that each other's pasts are suspicious at best but they still don't ask. It's those days that she cups his face in her hands and whispers, "Let's just kiss, Grant. Like real people do." The very same words she told him during their first kiss together.
There are some days (not very often, thank God) that he can hear the sound of Garrett's truck driving along the trail leading to cabin. On those days he tells her to run and hide and wait for him to come back for her. Garrett notices that there is a change in Grant. The way he holds himself, "He's holding himself like a proper soldier would," Garrett thinks, the way he eagerly nods his head to whatever Garrett says, "He should agree with me, to him my word is God," (he's only doing this to get Garrett to leave faster) and the way his eyes look as if his missing void has been filled, "He's finally got someone worth fighting for now. Me." Garrett would think cockily. "Aren't you glad I got rid of that dog, Ward?" Garrett asked (rhetorically), "Now you don't have any other weaknesses holding you back."
When Garrett finally leaves, Grant makes his way to Buddy's burial site (Skye had planted wildflowers over the grass that had grown above the patch of dirt) where Skye is patiently waiting for him. When she sees him her face lights up with a relieved looking smile and she pulls him into a sweet kiss. She wants to ask him why he's so afraid of the man who visits but she doesn't ask. She already knows from all his scars.
Sometimes Skye doesn't show up in the morning like she usually does. At first, it worries Grant (What if something bad has happened to her, what if she's hurt, what if Garrett has found her?) but she always shows up the next day with a tired smile but a smile nevertheless. He doesn't miss the fact that she has new bruises on her arms to add to her collection but he swallows down his questions.
The first time they say 'I love you' they are lying down, facing each other during one of their picnics. His fingers are brushing through her hair and her fingers are tracing patterns along his spine and maybe it's the way her touch feels, the softness of her hair, the serenity of each other's company, or just the safe haven that they find in each other that makes him blurt out, "I love you."
She gives him a surprised look and stops her tracing. "Are you sure?"
"This is the most sure I've ever been in my entire life." And it's true. At her continued shocked silence he quickly goes on to say, "You don't have to say it back, we can just forget I ever –"He is interrupted by Skye's lips crashing against his.
"I love you too." She whispers against his lips.
They kiss again as if the world outside them doesn't exist. And for the first time Grant doesn't worry about the outside world, his past or Skye's, or anything at all. Because all that matters is the girl he loves lying in his arms knowing that he loves her and she loves him.
Xx Line breaker xX
The unmistakable sound of a truck reaches Grant's ears early one morning. Knowing exactly who it is he shakes Skye who is peacefully sleeping next to him (she started staying in the cabin with him after they first said 'I love you').
"What is it?" She mutters into his chest.
"Skye, you have to run and hide." He says urgently. "I'll find you later."
"Okay. I'll see you later." She leaves no traces of doubt as she presses a determined kiss to his lips.
She knows the drill for these days. She will run into the woods and wait for him to come back. It's something she despises doing but she does it because he looks so afraid. Would she like to know the reason why she is making a beeline towards the woods? Yes. But what she does know is that whoever visits on these days is one of Grant's demons, one of which he is not willing for her to face. And she understands that because she has her own. So she runs.
When Skye is out of sight and Grant is confident that she won't be found, he walks outside to meet Garrett. The sight that greets him is not comforting by any means. He finds Garrett smiling wickedly with a rifle slung over his shoulder.
"I've got a new lesson for you, son!" Grant freezes. "This is what you will be doing in the field when you're working for SHIELD."
"Sir?"
Garrett lets out a laugh that sends shivers down Grant's spine. "Of course you won't really be working for SHIELD won't you, son." He laughs again. "No, this is what you will be doing for Hydra." For me. His unspoken words lie thick in the air.
"Are we recruiting someone?" Garrett had once brought Grant along when he was sent to take someone out on SHEILD's kill list. Of course those orders had been ignored and they had ended up "recruiting" Donnie Gill. The phrase "recruiting" was a kinder way of saying brainwashing.
"You could say that." There is a dangerous glint in Garrett's eyes. "This particular person happens to be an 0-8-4."
"I didn't know that a person could be an 0-8-4."
"Well neither did SHIELD or Hydra! They are on both of their watch—lists. Chances of them being a powered or potentially powered person is very high."
"Do we know their most recent whereabouts?" Grant melts into mission mode. The sooner they get this done, the faster Garrett will leave.
"From what I gather, she was last seen someone around here."
"She?" Grant gulps. No, it can't be her, no. It's just a coincidence. There are a bunch of other people around here.
But there isn't. There aren't any towns here for miles. Now that I think about it, Skye never told you where she came from, she forbad such questions. That would explain it because she's—
"At least that's what it appears to be. For all we know she's an alien that would explain her 0-8-4 status." Garrett doesn't notice the growing tension in Grant's shoulders. "The sooner we can find the bitch the quicker we can get her to join our side. Even if she doesn't cooperate we can still get her to comply. I hope you know how crucial this is, son, SHIELD is already on our asses looking for this girl! She makes a valuable asset."
"Yes, sir." Grant says stiffly.
"You haven't seen anyone of the sort around here have you?" When Grant opens his mouth to answer (he really doesn't have one) Garrett says, "Of course you haven't, son! If you did you would have already informed me!"
"Where will be searching?"
"I've made a perimeter of about a five miles in diameter. I think we should start looking west." That's where Skye is waiting for him.
Grant makes a noise at the back of his throat. At Garrett's odd look, he says "Are you sure you want to search there? There are normally a large number of wild animals there, I doubt someone would want to hide there,"
Garrett takes a step towards him. "Are you questioning my decision? I've barely been here a minute and you are already being insubordinate?"
"No sir," Grant says quickly. Do not show fear, do not show weakness. "I only asked from a logical perspective."
"Well if you're coming from a 'logical perspective' you would know that that would be the place someone like her would hide because people like you would never think to look there!"
"Yes, sir, of course."
Garrett starts to walk towards the direction of Buddy's burial where Skye is waiting for him to reappear. With each step he takes closer to the burial site, the lower his heart sinks in his chest. When they arrive at the clearing, Skye is nowhere to be found. Grant is both relieved and afraid.
"Scope the place out," Garrett says through the scope of his rifle, "She could be hiding around here."
Just as Grant nods a blood curdling scream cuts through the air.
"What the hell." Garrett mutters before another scream is heard.
And before Grant even realizes what he is doing, because God he knows that voice, he is running towards her.
Xx Line breaker xX
Skye patiently sits in the middle of the clearing that she and Grant have come to know as their own. With a small sigh, she picks a wildflower from the ground and plucks its petals from its stem.
Why is he so afraid? She wonders. Who is it that he is so afraid of?
Releasing another sigh she drops the stem and watches it fall to the ground.
Grant has his demons, she knows, but the one that visits every couple of months seems to be the greatest of them all.
Whoever it is that visits he's only human, that's more that can be said about them. She gives a small shudder.
Suddenly the crack of a twig rings out through the clearing.
"Grant?" She calls out. The sound of crunching leaves is carried towards her by the wind.
It's not him, the truth dawns upon her, it's not him. He never makes that much noise.
Skye springs up into a stance she never knew that she knew. As the sounds grow nearer, she debates about whether or not she should run or wait to see who it is. Because what if it is Grant, what if something's happened to him that's causing him to be less careful.
She can start to make out the outline of a body through the thicket of trees. A shiver runs down her spine because she knows who this person is and it isn't Grant.
"Daisy," Her father walks into the clearing. "I've been looking for you, my darling."
Cal's hands are covered in blood, whose she doesn't know. Please don't let it have been Grant, she pleads to the skies above.
"I've been looking for you for a long time now." Cal's eyes flash with malice. "Your mother and I were heartbroken when we discovered you left us. She wasn't of any help finding you while she was broken though, so naturally," He smiles and flashes his bloody teeth. "Naturally, I had to kill her."
The blood Cal is covered in, Skye realizes, is—was her mother's blood. Skye brings a hand up to her mouth to stifle her sobs. Her mother had indeed been a monster just like Cal but she was the nicer of the two. Even if it was only slightly.
"And it's all because of you!" Cal's emotions suddenly do a one-eighty. "You left! You made me kill her! It's your fault she's gone! We can't bring her back so we will just have to go to her instead!"
Skye lets out a scream as Cal's arm hits her sending her into a tree a couple yards behind her. With a small groan she presses her hand to the back of her head to feel the now bloody gash there.
"I—"She coughs, "It wasn't my fault. You had a choice and you killed her."
With a roar of rage Cal rushes over, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, and aims a kick at Skye's middle. Letting out another scream she is hurled back to the center of the clearing.
"You left me and your mother! And for what, a pathetic human." He spits the word out like a curse. With a mirthless laugh he pins her down to the ground with an invisible force. He raises his hands and what should have been nails are long, sharp claws.
"You could have been magnificent! You could have been like her!"
"Never." Skye fights to breath against the invisible weight on her chest. "I never wanted to become a monster like her, like you."
Cal releases a guttural yell and closes his fist around her neck.
"Daisy, Daisy, Daisy," He tuts, "What an ungrateful little child you have become. Throwing everything away for your little human. Maybe if I keep you alive long enough you'll be able to watch me kill him. I think that would serve to avenge your poor mother."
No, he can't get him, he can't he can't, she claws at her father's hand desperately trying to break free from his death grip.
Suddenly, through the spots clouding her vision, she sees Grant and a man she doesn't know come crashing into the clearing from her peripheral. No, he can't be here, please let this be a hallucination, please let me be dead.
"Skye!" Grant's yell is hard to ignore. No this is not a hallucination, yes I am dying.
Cal's head whips around to face them and his lips curl into a vicious smile. Grant aims his gun at him with steady hands.
"So this is your little human, Daisy. I would put that down if I were you, human," He gestures to the gun, "Or you may just shoot my daughter. And I don't think you want that. She's mine to kill, you see." Cal hauls Skye up to her feet and presses one of his claws against her throat.
"Who the hell are you?" The man that Skye doesn't recognize speaks. "Rather, what the hell are you?"
"Who am I? I am one of the greatest of my people to ever live! The real question is, who are you?"
"I'm about to put you down." The man raises his gun but before he can even put any pressure on the trigger Cal runs straight up to him with lightning speed leaving Skye to fall to the ground. Ignoring Garrett and his upcoming demise, Grant rushes over to her.
"Skye," He cups her face in his hands, "Skye, are you alright?"
Skye lets out a low groan against his hand. The pain in her head had increased and the scratches on her neck from her father's claws were beginning to smart and sting.
"I'm going to get us out of here." Grant promises as he puts his arms under the backs of her knees and around her back. As he lifts her from the ground, Skye thinks for a moment that they actually will succeed in making it out of there.
"Where do you think you're going, pretty little human?" Cal's voice pops the bubble that housed her hope of escaping from him. "I do believe that it's impolite to leave without saying goodbye."
Cal's claws drip with even more blood than before. The man that had been with Grant was propped up against a tree with blood flooding from a wound in his side. Whether he was alive or dead, Skye didn't know.
"Get away from us!" Grant's voice doesn't waver and Skye can't help but feel a rush of love for him.
"I'm afraid I can't, human, we have a family reunion to be attending," Cal makes another sweeping motion with his arms causing Grant to drop Skye onto the ground and throwing him against a tree. "But you're welcome to join us," Cal prowls towards him with his blood stained claws, "I'm sure Daisy dearest won't mind, will she?"
"No!" Skye's strangled cry echoes through the clearing. With trembling limbs she manages to lift herself from the ground and onto her feet. "We all know that I'm the one you want. No one else matters to you."
"Skye, don't!" Grant yells from his spot. Skye sends him a withering look and moves her head a fraction towards the gun lying in the grass a couple feet away from his outstretched hand.
"Grant, its okay." She turns to distract Cal further. "Just do what you came here to do, Cal, mom's waiting isn't she."
Spurred on by Skye's encouragements, Cal steps forward allowing Grant to have a clear shot at him. As he reaches over for the gun. Cal senses the movement and quickly swivels his head to send him a blood stained smile. And instead and of going towards him like Grant thought he would do, Cal lunges toward Skye and sinks his already bloodied claws deep into her abdomen.
Skye lets out a small intake of breath more from surprise than pain. As Cal unsheathes his claws from her stomach she releases a small cry and cups her hand to her bloodied skin before collapsing to the ground.
"Skye!" A scream rips itself from Grant's throat. Before he can register what he is doing, he is grabbing the gun and emptying the cartridge into Cal. Faintly he notices that Cal stumbles and falls to the ground much like his daughter but he fails to notice the smile that still remains on his grotesque face.
Inclining his head so that he is in Skye's line of vision, Cal whispers with his crazed smile still tugging at his lips, "I'll see you in the Afterlife, my Daisy." His head slumps forward and his breaths cease. His body starts to convulse before slowly decomposing into the ground until there is no trace of him left on the earth.
"Skye!" Grant screams again. He runs to her and presses his hand to her wound attempting to stem the flow of blood. "You'll be okay, Skye, just hold on, just hold on." Tears cloud his vision because he knows, he knows, that he is lying. Because he has seen people with injuries like this and none of them made it after two minutes.
"Grant," Skye coughs through the blood piling up in her throat. "Grant, stop." Another cough.
"Please, Skye, please, please," It has been a long time since Grant has begged. The last time he did was when he was begging Garrett not to leave when he told him to shoot Buddy. He can't help but think that with both instances it results in his weakness dead and it's all his fault.
But Skye isn't just his greatest weakness. She is his greatest strength and he is losing her.
"Please, Skye."
"Hold me." Skye whispers faintly. "Just hold me." More coughs rack her small frame.
Gathering Skye up in his arms and ignoring the blood staining his hands, he gently props her up so that she leans against his chest rather than the cold earth.
"I love you, I love you," He murmurs against her matted hair like a mantra.
When her chest stops moving and her body becomes limp in his arms, he lets out a loud wail of grief. Copious amounts of tears flow from his eyes and trek down his cheeks and fall onto her. Sobs rack his body but he still manages to repeat unintelligibly that he loves her. Even when she turns rigid and her body has stopped leaking out blood because its given all it has, he doesn't stop murmuring those words to her.
And that's how Phil Coulson found him.