A/N: This is a short one shot for my friend, fancy blood. Happy birthday! Hope you like it hun! Love ya!
Ward was supposed to be here. He had promised.
Agent Angelica Maddox dipped her toes in the warm ocean in front of her. The salty waves lapped at her soft skin as she stared at the setting sun. She was leaving the spy business. She'd been a member of SHIELD for nearly ten years, but she was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. Angel needed an out and Grant Ward had offered her one.
The two of them were going to charter a helicopter and get the hell out of dodge. Not only was SHIELD looking to bring them back in; Maddox for deserting, Ward for his work with Hydra; but there were other, less than savory characters, looking for them in regards to promises broken. With a sigh, Angel watched as the tide began to rise. The waves were smaller at this time of the evening, but were still beautiful to behold. The sounds of the moving water did little to calm her nerves, however.
People never left the spy business unless it was through their death. Fury had made that clear the day she'd signed up. She wouldn't be able to leave. She would always be watched, always be owned by SHIELD. At the time, Angel wasn't bothered by that fact. She had no family, no friends to speak of. SHIELD would fill those voids and she had no problem with it.
Ten years later, all Angel wanted was a life with Ward and a family of her own. Her dreams would never come true if she was an agent forever. It was a dangerous business and the directors didn't look kindly on their people having lives of their own. They were expected to commit to SHIELD and never want more than they were given.
A cool wind blew from the ocean and tossed her ebony curls into the air. Her sapphire blue eyes closed to block out the final rays of the sun as it sank below the horizon. The beach surrounding her was quiet except for the approaching footsteps of the man she'd been waiting for. The sand shifted under his heels as he walked towards her. When he arrived where she stood, his powerful arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into his muscular chest. She sank against him, grateful that he was there to help keep her strong. She didn't know what was coming in the next few weeks, but if Grant was beside her, she could face anything.
"Where have you been?" She asked quietly, hating to break the sweet stillness around them.
"I took care of it." Grant's reply was tense and it made Angel uncertain. "Hill is going to help."
Pulling her body from his grip, Angel turned so her blue eyes gazed into his. Brown, deep and endless, stared back at her. There wasn't an expression on his face, but she knew him just as she knew herself. He was worried. "But?" When Grant didn't reply, Angel raised a dark eyebrow. "There is a 'but', right?"
"Hill is taking a risk helping us escape. So she asked me to do something for her." Grant spoke, glancing away to the darkened sky behind Angel. "We can't ever return."
The breath rushed from Angel's lungs. She knew she'd never be able to return to her previous life, but to hear it spoken aloud hurt. Hearing the exhale, Grant glanced at her, concern finally showing through his stoic expression.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Angelica?" Grant spoke softly, his brown eyes crinkling in his discomfort. "There is no going back from this."
Shaking her head and pulling in a lungful of the salty sea air, Angel strengthened her resolve. "I know. But I'm not changing my mind."
"They'll hunt us. SHIELD, Hydra, the Avengers... It'll never end until they kill me." Grant stated, reminding her of the true danger they were in. "Until they kill us, Angel." He lifted a hand to rest upon her cheek. "I won't let them hurt you. I'll go down fighting if I have to."
Angel held back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She refused to lose control. It wouldn't help them if she was a blubbering mess. "It won't come to that, Grant."
"I hope you're right." He whispered, stroking the skin below her eye with his thumb, sensing her sadness.
Angelica gave him a small smile. "I love you."
Grant stared into her eyes as he worked through his scattered thoughts. He wasn't the kind of man who showed emotion. He didn't enjoy companionship and he had never fallen in love before. His life had been turned upside down the moment Angelica had been assigned as his partner. They'd fought at first. Grant was a difficult man to get along with. But after that first year, the feelings had begun. Grant couldn't stop them and here they were, running from their organizations in an attempt to be together. Truly together.
Grant's hand worked its way from her cheek and into her thick hair, pulling her forward and meeting her mouth with his own. His lips were demanding and Angel willingly opened herself up to him. Winding her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, needing to touch him as much as was physically possible. With one hand in her hair, Grant used the other to trail down her body until he reached her hips. With an unrelenting grip, he gripped the belt-loop of her jeans and pulled her against him.
Angel could feel his desire growing and it took everything she had to pull away from him. As she met his gaze once more, she could see his swollen lips and feel his ragged breath. She wanted him, and he wanted her just as badly, but they had a mission to complete. "Grant..."
Angel could barely see the brown of his irises with how dilated the pupils of his eyes were. She wanted him, but this was neither the time nor place. Pulling from his grip slightly so that her breasts were no longer pressing against his chest, she sighed.
"Angel- don't." He begged, his voice taking on the deep tenor it usually did when he was aroused. "We might not make it out of this alive. Please give me this."
Angelica didn't second guess her decision. She pulled Grant back towards her with a fierce strength she hadn't realized she was capable of. He met her in a passionate dance of lips and tongues. It didn't take long for their bodies to lay across the cooling sand of the beach, limbs tangled and heat erupting between them. There was a long road ahead of them, but for the moment, they could get lost in each other and know that no matter what awaited them, they'd see it through. Together.