A/n: This starts with one change but really takes off into it's own plot as we get something like a ripple effect. Let's see how far we can deviate from the show with one little change!

Though chapter titles only name one character each, there may be more than just that POV in the chapter.

Chapter One

Ow.

This is what Grant Ward thought, standing over the nearly motionless body of The Calvary before him.

He would liked to have said this fight went much smoother than he'd expected. But he'd be lying to himself. He wondered what a fight between May and himself would be like many times in the past, knowing that eventually it would probably come down to that between him and his former lover.

He knew she was good. But he knew the same thing about himself too, and frankly, he had age on his side.

So when May managed to haul him off of her, he was fairly shocked. And not pleasantly. This was mainly where the "ow" Grant was thinking of had been caused, because she used a wheel to fling a large metal bar up to his head, which when it hit was basically, well... ow. And he'd been known to take a hit.

Even more shocked when she pulled a nail gun seemingly out of no where, and thank god that didn't connect with him, because he knew it would have hurt like hell.

He managed to dodge the nail gun well enough, swiftly grabbing a nearby wrench and hitting her upside the head, hard enough that she slumped lifelessly to the ground.

But she wasn't dead, and that was actually what was causing the problem.

He'd killed a lot of people. Ward knew that, he was pretty comfortable with the fact. Even Victoria Hand he'd had no problems with. But those were necessary under the orders he'd been issued. And it had never been someone he'd slept with, even if he didn't have feeling for the person.

If Garrett were here right now, he would want her dead, he thought.

Grant raised the gun up to Melinda May.

But he's not here. He didn't give you that order. He ordered you to find Skye.

He let his arm drop heavily. Finding Skye was the primary objective. If he spent anymore time here he may lose her.

Leaving the Calvary to her own chances of dying by concussion, he ran towards the elevator. He was pretty sure he knew where Skye was off to, based on the conversation she'd been having: the Incentive's program barracks.

He walked into the hallway where the family of all the Hydra "employees" were being held, gun in hand.

He saw her before she noticed him. She was unlocking and looking through a couple different rooms. Kyle Zeller, the man in charge of the Cybertek station was behind her (bomb still wrapped around his chest), and a woman behind him.

"What are you looking for?" asked Zeller, just as Skye opened the door and smiled.

'Our Ace in the hole," she answered, visibly relieved at finding who was inside. Ward realized who it was in a heartbeat.

Ward chuckled, making himself known to everyone in the hallway as everyone's head turned towards the noise. "Aw, did Skye make a little pun?" he mocked, stepping closer as she worriedly beckoned Ace out of the room to come stand behind her. "Or was that seriously the title of the mission? I mean, I wouldn't put it past you people."

Skye scoffed. "Look who's talking, Short Bus." Her face sobered from her quip quickly. "Where's May?"

"That's right Skye, no more 'weapon better than a bomb' to save you."

"Where's May?" she shouted, eyes narrowing.

She was wondering if he'd killed her. Well, if she already thought he was a monster, might as well let her imagination run wild.

"Well, if I had to have a hunch, I'd say she's exactly where I left her: lying on the ground."

Skye just continued to glare, but he noticed her chest go up just slightly as she breathed, trying to control her anger.

Ward grinned. "Alright Skye I'm going to make this real simple. Co-operate, and no one has to get hurt."

She shook her head. "That's not gonna happen."

"That's the only way it's going to happen if you want everyone in this room to make it out of here."

"Yeah? Forget about this?" Skye said, beckoning her head towards the other man's chest.

Ward laughed again, feeling pretty cynical. "We've gone over this Skye. You are not going to use that bomb."

Swallowing hard, Skye looked him right in the eyes. "I've thought over that moment a thousand times, you know," said Skye firmly, and Grant knew immediately what moment she was talking about. "And I know now I made the wrong decision. I should have let you die. One serial killer's life over god knows how many people Hydra will hurt from me giving you that hard drive."

He nodded, playing along. "Yeah, that probably would have been the smarter choice for you. Live and learn. And what we've learned is that you're willing to kill me. Doesn't mean you'll blow up everyone here."

"You're right, I won't. Still, this bomb is kind of interesting though... Fitz designed it. Called it the One Direction, and not just because he's a fan of the band," Skye told him, turning around and quickly unzipping the backpack around the man's chest.

Ward only had a moment to react before she was throwing the thing at him, taking cover behind a somewhat random desk in the middle of the hallways as he heard it clatter to the ground.

"God damn it," he whispered. As he covered his head to prepare for the blast, he heard Skye directing the others towards the stairwell. He thought the bomb would have gone off by now, thinking she would trigger the remote immediately, but perhaps she was waiting until they cleared the stairs.

He waited five seconds. Ten. At fifteen he made the call that she had been bluffing. The rookie still didn't have the guts to pull the trigger.

It was only when he walked out of his cover that he nearly kicked himself and ground his teeth together in frustration. There was definitely no bomb, but in its absence a small Avenger doll.

Ward tried to stifle the anger building up at his own stupidity and ran towards the stairs, focusing on finding Skye.

The incentive program's barracks were in the very middle of the building, floor eight of fifteen, made clear by the large yellow number plastered on the wall just inside the stairwell. He jogged down just a few of the concrete steps when he heard her voice.

"C'mon, c'mon! We have to keep moving," Skye's attempted whisper echoed through the area.

This stopped Ward dead in his tracks because her voice wasn't coming from below him, but above. Why would she go up? Maybe she had an extraction set up on the rooftop. He glanced skyward where there was no sign of her, but he couldn't see most of the upper levels. It didn't matter. She was up, so he went up.

Despite his running, and being in good enough shape to keep up the pace, it took Ward a few moments to get to the top, which (unfortunately) gave his mind a few moments to run as well.

He did like Skye. He openly admitted it to her just a few minutes ago. He openly admitted she was a weakness. But at this moment all his feeling towards her were fueled by anger, and determination to finish the order he'd been given. In the end, that's all this really was. Another mission. And like every other one, he was going to complete it.

She must have been slacking on her resistance training since he stopped being her SO, because as he rounded the final flight of stairs she was only just heading out of the door to the roof.

"Skye, stop!" he shouted, raising his gun. Somewhat surprisingly, she did stop, turning to leer at him while door behind her slowly creaked shut.

"Nice trick," Ward told her, taking a few generous steps forward.

Skye smiled. "Wow, complimented by the player himself; I must be getting good!"

"Enough with the games. It's time to go." Ward was becoming more and more anxious, as it entered his mind that their extraction could be there at an moment. Even if he had Skye, he needed to get to Ace before then.

"Really Ward? You're going to spout some bullshit about how your feelings for me were real, then cart me off to your precious Garrett, who, if you haven't noticed Ward, is completely insane!" she shouted angrily, but reined in her voice before she spat her next sentence. "I bet you didn't even bother to ask what they want me for."

He had asked. He just hadn't gotten much of an answer.

"They want you because you're special, Skye."

Skye scoffed, her face radiating what seemed to be an endless amount of disbelief.

"Do you even have any original thoughts?" She shook her head, again with an air of disappointment. "I guess you really do belong with Hydra. I've never known anyone to follow orders blindly better than a nazi."

"That's it." Ward lunged at her, pocketing his gun as he gripped her upper arm. Her hands had shot out to try to get the roof door open, but his hold on her had been sudden and was too tight. "Are you just trying to piss me off? Because that's all you're doing." He grabbed a pair of handcuffs from his back pocket, twisting her arms behind her just a little too roughly. Yep, he was definitely pissed.

He shouldn't have even tried talking to her; she was never going to come of her own will. She was just mouthing off to make him angry like some petulant child. She didn't understand anything.

He quickly frisked her, finding only her iPhone and walkie in her back pockets.

"Where's your gun?" he asked her, but she just stared ahead. "Skye!"

She winced at the shout so close to her ear, taking a beat to recompose before answering. "Well I don't have it, obviously..."

In her own sarcastic way, that probably meant she'd given it to that Zeller, because she definitely wouldn't give a firearm to a little boy.

Ward took out his own gun, expecting to be met with another one once he went out on the roof. He pulled Skye along as he walked out the door.

The roof was completely flat, save for a few heating vents. But the main point was that there was no where to hide, even for a small child.

"Where are they?" Ward demanded, shaking Skye's arm. "I know there was no extraction out here yet, I'd have heard the plane.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Skye said, speaking slowly, as if he was a child. "There's no extraction. There's no SHIELD! You shut it down, remember?"

"Then why the hell did you climb the stairs instead of trying to get out of the building?"

"Oh, I dunno, I thought maybe my 084 thing would kick in. Maybe I can fly." She shrugged. "Who knows? Well, I guess you might. You did say you learned things about me. I could have asked you, but you were a bit busy handling things with the Hulk, huh?"

Jesus Christ, this girl had lip; and Ward had had it up to here with her sarcasm. Hard to believe he'd ever found it one of her endearing traits.

Actually, he'd expected her to be a little more glum when he finally cornered her. Maybe fight back a bit more... physically. Definitely less talkative.

Unless...

"You're stalling."

A smug smile made its way up the corner of her mouth.

"Damn straight."

A/N: Please review if you like! I'm not sure I do... so I'd like to hear opinions. I'm going to try and keep this as close as I can to the show as far as in character and what could potentially happen. So questions like if Ward will be redeemed or not and such is just like with the show: you don't know!

Thank you Shadow375 for helping me with the title, and by helping I mean thinking of the title for me!