In which Kara takes in a stray and Grant adopts a cyborg.

"This is not happening right now," groaned Grant, running his hands through his dark brown hair as he titled his head to glare at the ceiling accusingly.

"We couldn't just leave him there," protested Kara.

"But now you want to keep him," he huffed indignantly.

"Well, we can't just throw him back out into the world. That would be cruel, Grant. Besides, he likes me."

He glanced down at the puppy in Kara's arms as if it were the source of all the problems in his life. They had taken down another Hydra base. They had pretty much the same objective every time. Release the prisoners, grab objects of possible importance, and blow the place to kingdom come, taking down enemy personnel if necessary. Except after the last base they sent sky-high, his companion, who had managed to figure out her real name, had found a damn Husky pup in the woods. He felt bad for it; he wasn't heartless, contrary to Skye's belief. But they were two fugitives and taking care of puppy wasn't really something they should be doing.

"Kara-"

"Please, Grant," she insisted, tilting her chin down and pouting.

Oh no you don't. "Don't give me that puppy dog look."

"Look at it," she pressed on. "He's scared, hungry, and needs a family. We found him in the woods. The woods! Lost and alone! Doesn't that remind you of someone?"

His jaw twitched and he narrowed his eyes. Yes, it did remind him of someone. Himself. He needed help, someone to care for him, and he never got it. But he could give this puppy the thing that he never had. A family. She was guilt-tripping him and it was working. He sighed, scratching at his beard.

"Fine," he growled.

Her lips curved upward as she grinned at him. "Thank you so much! Oh, this is gonna-"

"You're buying him everything he needs," informed Grant. "And I'm not budging on that."

She nodded eagerly, grabbing her purse from the counter. "Of course! Don't worry, Grant. I'll go right now. This'll be worth it!"

"You'll see!" she added as she sprinted out the door, shutting it behind her.

He glanced down at the Husky, who was currently in a sitting position staring right back at him. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. If Kara Lynn was happy, then he'd have to get used to the dog.

Because she deserved happiness.

They both did.

A knock on the door woke him from his nap. He sat up quickly and glanced around. Kara wasn't in the room, but she had a key, so she didn't need to knock. Cautiously, he reached for his SIG Sauer P226. He pressed the magazine release, catching the clip and checking to make sure it was a full mag before inserting it back in. The knocking grew more persistent.

"Coming," he called, his voice even as he made his way across the hotel room.

The door had no peephole, so he opened it slightly. His heart froze at the sight of the person standing in front of him. Mike Peterson's scarred face stared back at him, his body covered in a black trench coat and black jeans. Black on black's my thing, he thought momentarily. His gun hand shot up and he leveled the firearm with Mike's head, backing up slightly. "Peterson," he ground out.

The cyborg seemed unfazed with the gun aimed at him, instead gesturing at the doorway. "May I come in?"

Did Peterson seriously think Grant was just going to let him walk right inside? That would be a stupid move. Then again, standing in front of a cyborg with missiles implanted into his forearms was a pretty stupid move as well. This was not happening. Except it was. "You don't have any of those heart stopper things, do you?"

The man cracked a small smile. "Sorry, fresh out of those. I do deeply regret doing what I did to you."

"What are you doing here," he questioned, ignoring the apology.

He shrugged casually. "I caught wind of two people clearing out Hydra bases. I decided to look into it and turns out it was none other than you and Agent 33."

"It's Kara," he growled defensively. "She has a name."

"Sorry," he amended. "You and Kara. You need an extra person?"

Grant frowned. "You serious?"

Mike nodded. "Dead serious. The only condition I have is that we broaden our range. You're taking down brainwashing operations. I want to expand to their incentives program. I was forced to do things I didn't want to do because they had my son. That should never have to happen to anyone. And I want to help stop it."

Grant examined him for a minute, watching his body language for any signs of lies. When he found none, he nodded, lowering his pistol. "Five months ago, I would have put a bullet in you the second I saw you. But now, I'm starting to believe in the whole second chances thing. I want to change, and Kara is giving me the opportunity to do that. So, I'll give you the same chance. Come in."

Mike stepped inside, examining the rundown motel room, the walls and sheets a sickly beige color. Grant kept a watchful eye on him, just in case. But Mike's attention was already focused on the little ball of fur in the corner. "Is that…a puppy?" he asked in disbelief.

Grant laughed loudly. He blinked in surprise as he almost doubled over. It was an honest, genuine laugh. An almost non-existent thing for him. Once he calmed down enough, he gave Mike a smile. "Yeah, Kara found it in the woods outside a Hydra base. She took it upon herself to take it with us and now we're keeping it."

Now, it was Mike's turn to blink in surprise as he knelt down to pet the pup. "You're not the same Grant Ward I remember."

He furrowed his brows. "Really? How can you tell already?"

Peterson smirked up at him. "The Grant Ward I remember wasn't stupid enough to pick up a stray while on the run."

Ward opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, Kara shuffled through the door, dog food and other paraphernalia in hand. She practically dropped it on the floor in triumph, crossing her arms proudly.

"So, Grant," she turned to face in their direction and paused mid-sentence upon seeing Mike. "Uh…what did I miss?"

AN: This is a series of one-shots that take place after the events of my one-shot, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". There's going to be fluff and adventure, so let me know what you think. Rated M for future chapters.