div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"A Single Step/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"By a href="mailto:Freddyfrmelmst "span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="color: #0066cc;"Freddyfrmelmst /span/span/a/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel/DC/Agents of SHIELD/MCU/Saints Row or any other crossovers you see here a full list of all Crossovers will be listed at the end of the story,/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"AIDA smiled as she set the Darkhold down. The secrets of the Universe were at her fingertips. But she wasn't a fool a plan was needed to ensure victory. A wildcard was needed and she knew exactly what card to play./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Walking to a room where she had hidden many of her inventions made possible with the Darkhold./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grabbing a Portable version of the Frame Work she walked to a portal device and disappeared into the past./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Arriving in a Room in Paris she smiled as she saw Grant Ward sound asleep./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant Ward eyes snapped open as he woke up. He shivered slightly at the memories the dream had drawn forth buried from his mind./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Looking around his bunk he shivered again at the non-existent cold and threw off his blanket and got up./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Walking to the bar Grant poured himself a glass of bourbon and took a sip trying to calm himself down./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Bad dream?" came Agent Coulson's voice./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant looked over to the lounge where Coulson sat with a book./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Bad Memories Boss."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded. "I've had my fair share of those. Old Mission?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant shook his head./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""The incident in my file."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded. "I know I have no experience with no stuff like that but if you ever need an ear to bend about it I've dealt with enough weird shit in my career to be able to keep an open mind."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant looked at Coulson and pour a second bourbon and walked over and sat down near Coulson and set the drink in front of him./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""During one of my missions I was asleep in my safe house when I pulled through a portal and I landed in an alternate reality."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson took a slug of the bourbon./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""That's got to be one hell of a wake up."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Yeah it defiantly rated about a 9.6 on the weird shit-o-meter. The Portal dropped me at my family manor in Gotham City in Jersey. It seems that my brother Thomas in that world was enhanced with the power to open portals to anywhere in time and space and reality. He was born with this power. How I don't know and he summoned me there to protect him."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson looked at Ward./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Protect him from what?/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""No Man's Land."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""What's No Man's Land?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""An Earthquake that hit Gotham City in that reality The City was completely cut off from the rest of the Country and the Different Gangs and Enhanced Criminals of that World took it over as their own personal kingdom and the Government declared Gotham No Man's Land no one was allowed to leave no one allowed to enter. The Rest of my family had been killed and my counterpart had left for the service years earlier so Thomas was alone in No Man's Land with no but his dog and he was scared and he opened the portal wishing for me to come protect him like always had when I was there."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Where was SHIELD during all this?" Coulson asked./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant snorted into his bourbon./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""SHIELD was being run by Alexander Pierce who toed the Line when the Government declared it off limits. SHIELD agents guarded the boarders keeping people out and keep those who tried to escape in."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""So how long did you have to survive there?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""About a year I think no real way to tell time you try to track the days but after a few days you realize there was no point you just try to make through one more day. I ended up taking over a Gotham Street Gang and turning it into an Army to protect people. Hell there were even Costumed Vigilantes that work in the City who fought with us against the Whackos and Criminals in the city."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Sounds as close to hell as you can get" Coulson commented./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Yeah. But some good came from it. Tommy and I reconnected when I got home. Even became godfather to his son Bruce. It made everything I went through worth it."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Sounds like you went through some heavy stuff yet you came out the other side with a family again."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant nodded./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Yeah with my parents and asshole of an older brother dying in a plane crash just before the Battle of New York Tommy and I are the only ones of the Wayne Family left."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I always wondered about that why you changed your name from Wayne to Ward."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant just looked at Coulson./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Can you imagine the shit I would have to take if my trainers knew I was richer then Tony Stark?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson chuckled./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Fair enough. What's Tommy doing now?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant gave a proud smile./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""He just finished Medical School and his wife Martha is running a charity while he does his residency and Martha's Brother is COO of our companies while we do other things."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant smiled as he finished his drink./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I think I'm going to give sleep another try."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Oh Boss if Skye should happened to find out about my family without me telling her. Let's just say Lola will be in need of some serious body work."/span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson couldn't help himself he let out with a full laugh./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Was it possible to feel a piece of your soul dying? Was a question Grant Ward asked himself as he walked numbly back to the bus to pack up his belongings./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"He walked right past the team and didn't even notice them./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""What's with the robot he looks like he blew a fuse or something?" Skye asked Coulson as he came in a moment later./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson looked at the group./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Ward's resigned from SHIELD effective immediately. His brother Thomas and his sister in law were killed last night in a mugging leaving behind his 1 year old nephew who Grant is going to take care of./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Skye gasped in Horror./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"The Science Twins both gasped in Shock./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Even the quiet Agent May looked ready to cry./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Agent Morse will be joining the team as our specialist." Coulson informed the team./span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"As Ward came back down the stairs with his gear he was dogpiled by Fitzsimmons and Skye the trio proclaiming their sorrow at his loss./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Ward walked out of the Hub only to be met by John Garrett./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Hey Kid got a minute for your old S.O."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant's face steeled as Garrett walked over to him./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""What the fuck do you think you are do resigning? I didn't give you permission to leave your mission unfinished."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Fuck your permission my family is gone the only family I have left in this world needs me and I going to take care of him." Grant all but snarled./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Garrett smirked and walked over to him his hand resting on Grant's shoulder./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Don't worry about the kid I'll make sure the incentives program takes good care of him."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Garrett looked in Ward's eyes and saw they had darkened and were now completely black and in that moment John Garrett knew he had crossed a line that should never have been crossed./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Ward grabbed Garrett and to an outsider it would look like to old friend giving a hug, but Ward was the best since Romanoff for a reason./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Ward stabbed Garrett in the back with a hypo./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I just injected you with a million nano-emp generators a little fail experiment of Fitzsimmons not enough to hurt anyone or disrupt any piece of tech more than foot away from you but more than enough to shut down those implants that keep you breathing."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Stepping back from the hug Grant's black stare burning through Garrett./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I owe you yes. That's why you are still breathing but if anything happens to my nephew. You will be dead shortly thereafter. So remember that it doesn't matter if Hydra wants it done. If it happens you die as a consequence."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant patted Garrett's shoulder. "Let's see if Hydra is any better than SHIELD now."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"********************************************/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant walked up the long drive way to Wayne Manor./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"The last time he had seen this place it had been a rubble that Tommy was living in back in No Man's Land./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"The door was quietly opened by Alfred Pennyworth his Brother's Butler./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Hello Master Grant. Forgive me for meeting you down here. I just got the young Master to take a nap."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant gave Alfred a smile./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""No problem Alfred and I just want to say I can never thank you enough for looking after Bruce until I could get here."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""It was my honor sir I would always take care of Master Thomas' family."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I know Alfred but it should still be said."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Alfred gave a small bow in thanks./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Let's get you settled in Master Grant."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Not just yet Alfred I want to see Bruce."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Alfred nodded he understood./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant moved quietly through the manor and made no noise as he entered the sleeping baby's room./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Looking down at Bruce Grant's eyes teared as he noticed he looked just like Tommy./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I Swear by Heaven above and Hell below and everything in between I will protect your son Tommy." /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"A soft breeze from the open window blew past and a bit of warmth fluttered across Grant's check and for and instant he could've sworn Tommy and Martha were there and they had said thank you./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Bruce seemed to shift in in his sleep and made a noise like he was about the cry./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant leaned over the crib and gently stroked Bruce as he lifted his only living family up and held the little boy as he puttered around the room. Feeling Bruce relax Grant looked down at the Innocent Baby in his arms and smiled./span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"This Boy was the future and Grant was going to make sure it was a bright future./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"By a href="mailto:Freddyfrmelmst "span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="color: #0066cc;"Freddyfrmelmst /span/span/a/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel/DC/Agents of SHIELD/MCU/Saints Row or any other crossovers you see here a full list of all Crossovers will be listed at the end of the story,/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"AIDA smiled as she set the Darkhold down. The secrets of the Universe were at her fingertips. But she wasn't a fool a plan was needed to ensure victory. A wildcard was needed and she knew exactly what card to play./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Walking to a room where she had hidden many of her inventions made possible with the Darkhold./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grabbing a Portable version of the Frame Work she walked to a portal device and disappeared into the past./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Arriving in a Room in Paris she smiled as she saw Grant Ward sound asleep./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant Ward eyes snapped open as he woke up. He shivered slightly at the memories the dream had drawn forth buried from his mind./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Looking around his bunk he shivered again at the non-existent cold and threw off his blanket and got up./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Walking to the bar Grant poured himself a glass of bourbon and took a sip trying to calm himself down./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Bad dream?" came Agent Coulson's voice./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant looked over to the lounge where Coulson sat with a book./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Bad Memories Boss."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded. "I've had my fair share of those. Old Mission?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant shook his head./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""The incident in my file."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded. "I know I have no experience with no stuff like that but if you ever need an ear to bend about it I've dealt with enough weird shit in my career to be able to keep an open mind."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant looked at Coulson and pour a second bourbon and walked over and sat down near Coulson and set the drink in front of him./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""During one of my missions I was asleep in my safe house when I pulled through a portal and I landed in an alternate reality."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson took a slug of the bourbon./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""That's got to be one hell of a wake up."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Yeah it defiantly rated about a 9.6 on the weird shit-o-meter. The Portal dropped me at my family manor in Gotham City in Jersey. It seems that my brother Thomas in that world was enhanced with the power to open portals to anywhere in time and space and reality. He was born with this power. How I don't know and he summoned me there to protect him."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson looked at Ward./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Protect him from what?/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""No Man's Land."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""What's No Man's Land?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""An Earthquake that hit Gotham City in that reality The City was completely cut off from the rest of the Country and the Different Gangs and Enhanced Criminals of that World took it over as their own personal kingdom and the Government declared Gotham No Man's Land no one was allowed to leave no one allowed to enter. The Rest of my family had been killed and my counterpart had left for the service years earlier so Thomas was alone in No Man's Land with no but his dog and he was scared and he opened the portal wishing for me to come protect him like always had when I was there."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Where was SHIELD during all this?" Coulson asked./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant snorted into his bourbon./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""SHIELD was being run by Alexander Pierce who toed the Line when the Government declared it off limits. SHIELD agents guarded the boarders keeping people out and keep those who tried to escape in."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""So how long did you have to survive there?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""About a year I think no real way to tell time you try to track the days but after a few days you realize there was no point you just try to make through one more day. I ended up taking over a Gotham Street Gang and turning it into an Army to protect people. Hell there were even Costumed Vigilantes that work in the City who fought with us against the Whackos and Criminals in the city."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Sounds as close to hell as you can get" Coulson commented./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Yeah. But some good came from it. Tommy and I reconnected when I got home. Even became godfather to his son Bruce. It made everything I went through worth it."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Sounds like you went through some heavy stuff yet you came out the other side with a family again."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant nodded./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Yeah with my parents and asshole of an older brother dying in a plane crash just before the Battle of New York Tommy and I are the only ones of the Wayne Family left."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I always wondered about that why you changed your name from Wayne to Ward."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant just looked at Coulson./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Can you imagine the shit I would have to take if my trainers knew I was richer then Tony Stark?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson chuckled./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Fair enough. What's Tommy doing now?"/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant gave a proud smile./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""He just finished Medical School and his wife Martha is running a charity while he does his residency and Martha's Brother is COO of our companies while we do other things."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant smiled as he finished his drink./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I think I'm going to give sleep another try."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson nodded./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Oh Boss if Skye should happened to find out about my family without me telling her. Let's just say Lola will be in need of some serious body work."/span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson couldn't help himself he let out with a full laugh./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Was it possible to feel a piece of your soul dying? Was a question Grant Ward asked himself as he walked numbly back to the bus to pack up his belongings./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"He walked right past the team and didn't even notice them./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""What's with the robot he looks like he blew a fuse or something?" Skye asked Coulson as he came in a moment later./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Coulson looked at the group./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Ward's resigned from SHIELD effective immediately. His brother Thomas and his sister in law were killed last night in a mugging leaving behind his 1 year old nephew who Grant is going to take care of./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Skye gasped in Horror./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"The Science Twins both gasped in Shock./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Even the quiet Agent May looked ready to cry./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Agent Morse will be joining the team as our specialist." Coulson informed the team./span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"As Ward came back down the stairs with his gear he was dogpiled by Fitzsimmons and Skye the trio proclaiming their sorrow at his loss./span/div
/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Ward walked out of the Hub only to be met by John Garrett./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Hey Kid got a minute for your old S.O."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant's face steeled as Garrett walked over to him./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""What the fuck do you think you are do resigning? I didn't give you permission to leave your mission unfinished."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Fuck your permission my family is gone the only family I have left in this world needs me and I going to take care of him." Grant all but snarled./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Garrett smirked and walked over to him his hand resting on Grant's shoulder./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Don't worry about the kid I'll make sure the incentives program takes good care of him."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Garrett looked in Ward's eyes and saw they had darkened and were now completely black and in that moment John Garrett knew he had crossed a line that should never have been crossed./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Ward grabbed Garrett and to an outsider it would look like to old friend giving a hug, but Ward was the best since Romanoff for a reason./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Ward stabbed Garrett in the back with a hypo./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I just injected you with a million nano-emp generators a little fail experiment of Fitzsimmons not enough to hurt anyone or disrupt any piece of tech more than foot away from you but more than enough to shut down those implants that keep you breathing."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Stepping back from the hug Grant's black stare burning through Garrett./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I owe you yes. That's why you are still breathing but if anything happens to my nephew. You will be dead shortly thereafter. So remember that it doesn't matter if Hydra wants it done. If it happens you die as a consequence."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant patted Garrett's shoulder. "Let's see if Hydra is any better than SHIELD now."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"********************************************/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;" /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant walked up the long drive way to Wayne Manor./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"The last time he had seen this place it had been a rubble that Tommy was living in back in No Man's Land./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"The door was quietly opened by Alfred Pennyworth his Brother's Butler./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Hello Master Grant. Forgive me for meeting you down here. I just got the young Master to take a nap."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant gave Alfred a smile./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""No problem Alfred and I just want to say I can never thank you enough for looking after Bruce until I could get here."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""It was my honor sir I would always take care of Master Thomas' family."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I know Alfred but it should still be said."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Alfred gave a small bow in thanks./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Let's get you settled in Master Grant."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""Not just yet Alfred I want to see Bruce."/span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Alfred nodded he understood./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant moved quietly through the manor and made no noise as he entered the sleeping baby's room./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Looking down at Bruce Grant's eyes teared as he noticed he looked just like Tommy./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;""I Swear by Heaven above and Hell below and everything in between I will protect your son Tommy." /span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"A soft breeze from the open window blew past and a bit of warmth fluttered across Grant's check and for and instant he could've sworn Tommy and Martha were there and they had said thank you./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Bruce seemed to shift in in his sleep and made a noise like he was about the cry./span/div
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"Grant leaned over the crib and gently stroked Bruce as he lifted his only living family up and held the little boy as he puttered around the room. Feeling Bruce relax Grant looked down at the Innocent Baby in his arms and smiled./span/div
div style="background: white; border-width: medium medium 3pt; border-style: none none dotted; border-color: currentColor currentColor windowtext; padding: 0in 0in 1pt; mso-element: para-border-div;"
div class="aolmail_aolmailmsonormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; padding: 0in; border: currentColor; line-height: 11.65pt;"span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"This Boy was the future and Grant was going to make sure it was a bright future./span/div
/div