Second Chance
Ward banged his fist against the wall for a fourth time in as many minutes. He couldn't believe it. After years of being training himself and being trained to swallow his emotions during ops, he cut loose once. Just once, for a brief second, he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. In doing so, he killed a man. A man he thought to be a threat to him and his team. To her.
But, he wasn't. He was just a man; a puppet invalid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was a mouth piece for the insane Clairvoyant, and he fell right into his trap.
He wouldn't have been surprised if he knew he would do that. Of course he did; he walked him by the hand right into the decision, and he let him.
His fist banged against the cold metal wall of the interrogation room. Warm, scarlet blood and pain dripped out of the wound like a barely turned faucet. He cursed, his clean hand clutched the bleeding one tightly.
Why did he do that? That question rang through his skull like a taunting tease. The answer was right on his tongue, but still eluded him like his own shadow.
He put a bullet through a man's chest to protect his team, yet, he wasn't a danger to them. He wasn't a danger to him, or Coulson or May or Fitz. They were safe, because he was just an invalid in a wheelchair. For God's sake, the man had a breathing straw in his mouth!
He banged his good hand softly on the table, and breathed a frustrated sigh.
He had never, in his entire career, leaped off the deep end like that. Because, he was a lone wolf. He fought against everyone that fought against SHIELD. He performed his duties proficiently, without question and without delay. He obeyed the protocol like it was the Gospel, most of the time.
Why?
It hit him.
Skye was in danger from him, so he thought at the time.
He said that they were going to kill her to get what they wanted from her. He could have only assumed that it had something to do with GH-325, which meant draining her blood. He couldn't have let that happen. He wouldn't. He would go through Hell and back to protect her. Seeing her lying on the floor of Quinn's mansion, bleeding and dying… he didn't want to see that again. He wouldn't, if he had anything to say about it.
Skye would be safe. As long as he still drew breath on this Earth, he would make sure that she was safe and sound and able to do all the silly things that he hated.
Why?
Why was he so hellbent on protecting her? She was a SHIELD agent now, for about as much as that meant. He himself had trained her, meaning that he was sure that she could have taken care of herself without him hovering over her like a hawk.
So, why was he so determined to keep her safe? Why would he risk his job, his life's his lively hood, to shield her from harm?
The answer was simple. He loved her.
She was his second chance.
Thoughts of his younger brother flashed through his head at that realization. So vibrant, so young, so playfully silly. Ward loved his brother more than anything in the world. He swore that he would always protect him from harm. And he did.
Until he didn't.
Not couldn't. Didn't.
His older brother, Maynard, was a bully, to both him and Grady. That bastard terrorized them everyday, and he just stood there and let him. He couldn't even raise a fist against him to protect Grady. Even when Grady was drowning in a well, he didn't do anything to help. He just stood there, like a little bitch, and let Maynard laugh and taunt Grady.
"Grant!"
He could still here Grady's voice calling out to him for help, his loud sputters as he struggled to keep afloat in the well. He was so scared.
Never again.
Never again would he let some bully hurt his family. That was what Skye was to him now, family. She was the sister he never had, and another younger sibling to try again with. He would move heaven and earth to make sure she stayed safe.
To hell with protocol and to hell with Coulson. He would fight anyone, kill anyone who tried to hurt her. He would shoot Fury himself between the eyes if it meant that Skye would live to see another sunrise.
She was his family now, his only family. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her.
She was his second chance. The second chance he needed to prove to himself that he could protect someone he loved.
He very nearly failed when Quinn shot and almost killed her. He was so beside himself that he nearly lost it right then. Thankfully, Simmons and Fitz discovered that drug, whatever it was, that could have saved her. Two lives were lost and millions of dollars in tech and research were blown sky high, but he didn't care. She was safe, that was all that matter.
His second chance was still there.
He loved her, like he loved Grady. But, he failed Grady in the worst way possible. He was gone. Dead, because of him and his lack of the balls to make the tough calls. He could make those calls now. He had made that call just then with Nash, and he would keep making them against anyone who tried to hurt his sister.
He failed Grady then.
He wasn't going to fail again. Not this time.