Providence – timely preparation for future eventualities. Never had a word seemed so prophetic than this.

As Grant Ward walked down one of the sterile looking hallways of Providence base, he almost laughed out loud. Of course Director Fury would name his super secret base that. His life as he knew it was coming to an end, and Grant had a decision to make. Would he keep working for John Garrett as a HYDRA mole, or would he come clean to Coulson and give him all the intel he had on Garrett? It would be so easy to serve the man he had respected since a teen, the man who had pulled him out of military school and showed him how to become a man, but was it loyalty he felt towards Garrett himself, or did he want to help the cause HYDRA supported? Did he really want to see SHIELD fall to pieces after everything he had done with them over the years?

He had grown to truly care about the team. Fitz and Simmons were nerds, certainly, but they had saved the teams hides more times than Grant cared to think about. May, well, she was a force to be reckoned with – and even after sleeping with her he still had a hard time figuring out what was going on inside her head. They were a lot alike in many ways. Coulson – well, Grant had come to respect Phil Coulson. He never thought he would, but Coulson had proven to be an effective leader.

Skye was, well, she was the main factor in his decision making. Since meeting her, Grant had tried to keep his mounting feelings in check. He had been given a mission, after all, and that mission did not involve falling in love, nor did it involve making connections. He had steadfastly refused to open up to anyone on board the Bus, but then this brunette whirlwind had come on board and blown that all to hell. She referred to him as the Tin Man and T-1000 on more occasions than one, and Grant wanted nothing more than to tell her everything about him – but he was a bad man, and she deserved better. He had told her she wouldn't like the real Grant Ward, and he was still certain about that fact.

As he came around a corner, he practically knocked Skye over as she came around the corner at the same time. "Hey," Grant said, a smile coming across his lips as he looked into her eyes. He would give anything to be able to kiss her right now, or run his hands through that silky hair of hers. Her eyes were trusting as she looked at him, her smile genuine as she spoke.

"Hey yourself. Since everyone else is out on some super secret mission, that leaves us with the place to ourselves. Well, minus Koenig, of course. I think it's safe to say he's pretty engrossed in a game of World of Warcraft with his brother, though. So... how about that drink?"

At that moment, she could have asked him to rope the moon for her, and he would have done it gladly. Reaching out with one hand, Ward touched her hair gently, pushing a stray strand back over her shoulder. "I'd like that. Think they keep any bottles of Jack Daniels down here? Maybe... maybe we could grab that a some glasses and go to my room?"