A Marvel Fiction

"Inspired by the love between Skye and Grant Douglas Ward. And also my twisted gut feeling telling me that Ward isn't going to stay HYDRA."

Ward's Redemption

Chapter 2: 'Unwell' Matchbox Twenty

Sky, LOCATION: Pacific Ocean

Ward knew the second he reached out and shook Coulson's hand (which in fact was quite hard to do with his hands behind his back) that he was making a commitment to be a better person then he was before. The traitor really didn't know what he was getting himself into until it was too late.

Coulson led cuffed Ward down to the vault, where they held all of their prisoners. The Director unlocked the door and gave a small grin and watched Ward walk inside. The door then shut and made a locking sound, leaving Ward alone in the small confined room.

Casually he walked over to the table, remembering when he used to be on the other side of it, slamming his fist in frustration when he didn't get the intel he wanted. He sat down on the scuffed chair, a slight yawn leaving his lips.

It felt like hours before the door finally opened and May stepped into the room. She held a large tray of food with various fruits and vegetables. Ward couldn't help but stare as the tray slid onto the table. May stared at him, her eyes like icy daggers. Grant didn't eat the food for his hands were cuffed behind his back. May seemed not to care about this matter.

Ward realized she did this on purpose. His stomach growled in hunger, but he tried to suppress the feeling. But the lively smell of fresh food almost got the best of him; he had to focus on not letting his hunger show.

May was just watching closely from the corner, her lips not even parting to speak a word. She was acting like she was waiting for him to beg. Ward knew that he would rather die than beg her to uncuff him.

Ward sat there for ten minutes, his taste buds overwatering. He anticipated what it would taste like if he actually got to bite into it.

Coulson walked into the cell; he was straightening his tie when his expression changed.

"May, is that necessary?" He asked, waving one hand out to Ward.

"No sir, it isn't necessary, but it is needed." May replied, not taking her gaze off of Ward.

"Oh for crying out loud. Uncuff the man and let him eat." Coulson said, placing one hand on his forehead, embarrassed.

May strolled over behind Grant and uncuffed him. Ward nodded his thanks and placed his hands in his lap. His wrists now purple and black, clearly showing the bruising.

"Go ahead, eat." Coulson said and leaned against the wall.

"Thanks." Ward muttered quietly and started to eat. Coulson couldn't help but give a slight smile; May on the other hand really didn't care and left the room.

Ward finished the large meal in less than five minutes, not even a scrap left on his plate. The Director then picked up his tray and cuffed his hands behind his back.

Grant fell asleep in the chair, his head hung low as he slept. From the observation room, Skye and Coulson watched the video feed.

"What if he just plays us again?" Skye asked, securing her hair in a bun.

"I guess he'll just have to earn our trust." Coulson answered, not taking his eyes off of the screen.

"AC, I just can't do this. Just . . . just keep him away from me." Skye said and walked away, leaving Coulson alone until May walked into the room.

"Give her time Coulson; she'll warm up soon enough." May said, walking up beside him.

"It's not her I'm worried about." He responded meeting May's eyes then glancing back at the screen.

The next day, May was sent inside the cell. This time she uncuffed him and watched him poke at the food.

"You should eat." She stated her voice and face expressionless.

"I'm not hungry." He responded and put the fork on the table.

It was 2 in the afternoon and Ward hadn't drank or eaten anything. May then snatched the food from his table and walked out of the room. She shut the door and walked towards the kitchen.

Ward sighed heavily, the only people he had seen so far was Coulson and May, not Skye or Triplett. Grant scratched his head; thinking about how he was going to forgive himself for killing Fitz and Simmons. But the more he thought about the more he realized that he didn't feel that bad.

He was truly evil, had Garret turned him to stone? Why couldn't he feel like the others? Why did he only listen to Garret? Did Garret manipulate him? But he owed everything to Garret, he couldn't betray him.

Ward banged his head against the table, feeling the throbbing headache get worse. He realized that May never cuffed his hands back together. It felt strange not to have them on. He always remembered the cuffs grinding into his skin, giving him cuts and bruises. He rubbed his sore wrists and closed his eyes.

He honestly didn't know what to do, but working out came to mind. He got to the ground and started to do his pushups. Ward felt weaker than usual, but nevertheless continued his routine.

Fitz and Simmons were standing outside the door, wondering if they should reveal themselves to him. Simmons wanted too, but Fitz was saying no.

May showed up beside them and entered first, making sure the scientists didn't enter until she had Ward secured to the chair with the cuffs.

Ward watched May cuff him and then she waved a hand towards the door and Fitz and Simmons stepped in. the breath was taken away from him and Simmons could tell you she had never seen Ward so glad. He was speechless, he didn't know what to say, but Fitz spoke first.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're so glad. You bloody traitor!" Fitz said with his Scottish accent.

Simmons remained silent, but her face told the whole story.

"But-but . . . how?" Was the only words Ward could manage to say, staring at them with astonishment.

Simmons gave him a little smile and she opened her mouth to speak, but Fitz cut in.

"Oh, I am so sorry Mr. Ward. Need to finish the job? I'm sorry that you couldn't kill us when you had the chance!"

"Fitz!" Jemma gasped.

"It's true Jemma. And I can guarantee you that he still wants to kill us." Fitz snapped, edging closer to the table.

"Fitz, just let me explain-" Fitz cut Ward off.

"No Ward! Listen to me, you tried to kill Simmons and I'll never-ever forgive you for that!" Fitz yelled, May just sat back and watched the scene unravel. Simmons was too scared to intervene what was about to happen.

"Fitz look, if you give me a chance-"

"No Ward I already gave you a chance, and what did you do? You tried to kill us!"

"Fitz just calm down." Ward said, never seeing Fitz so mad before.

"Ward why don't you calm down on that killing spree of yours? I'm sure you've killed too many people to count." Fitz said, pushing some of Ward's buttons.

"Fitz just shut the hell up!" Ward said, feeling the adrenaline pump through his veins.

"I'll give you hell!"

"Fitz!" Simmons gasped; Fitz pulled out a knife and aimed at Ward. Ward was able to dodge it but it still hit him in the shoulder, digging down close to his heart.

Ward yelled in pain and May quickly dragged Fitz away from finishing the job. Ward knew that May let that happen, she had plenty of reaction time. Simmons froze up, not knowing what to do.

Coulson stepped into the room, obviously he had been observing from the monitor.

"Simmons hurry and let's get Ward to the infirmary." Coulson ordered, uncuffing Ward and dragging him to his feet.

Ward felt the blood drain out, the knife must be close to his heart. His vision got blurry and he felt Coulson and May drag him away to the medical room with Simmons clearing a table away for him.

They laid him down on top of the table and Simmons got all the medical supplies she could find.

"We need to dislodge the knife." Simmons said, cutting off Ward's shirt.

May came into the room, grabbing Fitz by the collar and dragging him over to help. Ward just groaned, losing consciousness.

"Right." Coulson said, getting to Ward's side. The Director grabbed the handle of the knife while Simmons injected Ward with some sedative. She grabbed some clean rags and when Coulson pulled the knife out, she quickly applied pressure.

The rag was immediately soaked so Jemma applied another one, not wanting to take off the first rag because she'd break that barrier she's trying to form.

They spent hours working on him, but they finally got him stitched up in the end. Fitz was silent throughout the whole operation and Skye wouldn't even dare come down to help. The table was covered with blood and so was Coulson's shirt.

"Man, this was a new shirt too." He mumbled to himself and turned to Fitz.

"Fitz what the hell were you thinking?" He shouted, his anger lashing out at him.

Fitz flinched at his words but responded calmly.

"I had to get revenge . . . now were even."

"Don't do it ever again! What if you killed the man? If I ever see behavior like that on my bus, I'll have you kicked out. And hell, I expect one good apology." And with that Coulson left Fitz to think about it.

The whole time Skye watched them, she didn't want to go down there and see Ward for herself. Skye wondered if she would ever forgive him, but she doubted it. She didn't know the real reason why Coulson brought him aboard. He had just said that he deserves a second chance, but there was doubt behind those eyes. What was Coulson hiding? And why?

Ward woke up; voices could be heard off to the right of him. His hands and feet weren't cuffed, but he felt weak and tired. Ward turned his head slowly and saw Coulson and Fitz talking quietly. The memories of Fitz stabbing him came back and his heart seemed to skip a few beats.

Grant tried to sit up, but felt the aching pain in his chest. Coulson heard his grunt and walked over to him.

"How are you feeling?" Coulson asked, but Ward knew he wasn't saying that because he cared.

"Fine all thanks to Fitz over there." Ward snapped impatiently. Coulson sighed before replying.

"Yes, matters are being sorted out." He said, giving Fitz a glance over his shoulder.

"Think you can stand?" Coulson asked his mind on putting Ward back in the cell as soon as possible.

"Yes sir." The word 'sir' slipped through his lips before he could stop himself.

Coulson and Ward stared at each other awkwardly for one moment then Coulson helped him sit up. Pain surged down his body and he felt light headed. Ward brought his feet out and he slid to the ground. Coulson caught him before he could crash over and Fitz opened the door so they could pass.

With the help of Coulson, Ward managed to get to the cell, but before he got there he passed by Skye. Ward couldn't help but give a little smile, but Skye was looking away from him, a tear in her eye. By the time they reached the cell, Ward's heart was heavy with longing of Skye.

Before Coulson left, he injected Ward full of painkillers and cuffed his hands behind his back. The Director then left him alone in the room.

Coulson saw Skye going at the punching bag. Her fists were wrapped up and she wore sweats with a hoodie. Her hair was put up in a ponytail and her bangs drooped over her face. Coulson smiled before approaching her.

"Skye why don't you get some sleep." He said across the room, going down the stairs.

"With the traitor aboard? Not a chance." She replied, not meeting Coulson's eyes.

"He's locked up pretty good." Coulson smirked and placed his hands on her shoulders. Skye took a deep breath.

"I just can't sleep okay."

"It wasn't a question though." Coulson responded and watched her unwrap her hands.

"Goodnight AC." She said as she left the room and headed for bed.

Coulson then left to his office and sat down in the chair. He felt the sides and then looked about all his gadgets. His phone then started to ring and he answered it.

"Hello?" He said into it, holding it close to his ear.

"Sir, we have a situation here." Came Triplett's voice through the communications device. He had been set out on a mission; he was taking down HYDRA operations that were left.

"Is it something you can handle?" Coulson asked, drumming his free hand on the desk.

"No sir, we need backup for this one." Answered Triplett.

"But he's not ready." Coulson said, glancing back at the monitor screen.

"Sir, it's the only way."

The next day, the whole team gathered up for a conference. Coulson waited as May, Simmons, Fitz, and Skye entered the room. Who they weren't expecting was Ward, who was already there, standing next to Coulson. His hands were cuffed behind his back as usual, but he had a slight smirk on his face.

"What is he doing here?" Skye snapped, pointing a finger at Ward like he was some type of animal.

"He's here to help." Replied Coulson calmly, signaling them to join them in the conference room. All of them took their places around the table, trying to get themselves as far away from Ward as possible and not even making eye contact with him.

"Someone want to tell me the real reason why Mr. Ward is here?" Fitz asked, standing next to Simmons, who placed her hand on top of his shoulder.

"Give me a second and I will." Director Coulson said, gazing at Ward then back to his team.

"Alright, you all know about what Agent Triplett is doing, correct?" He asked and everyone replied saying 'yes'.

"Good, well we need Mr. Ward to go into their main facility and take it out from the inside. Back at the playground we had Mr. Ward implanted with a microchip which allows us to monitor his every move. And if we have to, terminate him."

"Of course that won't be necessary." Ward added, but everyone in the room flinched but Coulson and May.

"Okay here's the plan. Mr. Ward will go inside the building; we'll monitor him from the outside. He'll be armed with explosives, and when he rigs the place to blow, he detonates the bombs and gets the hell out."

"How will he set the explosives without getting caught?" Skye asked coldly, not even giving Ward a side glance.

"That's where we come in. We make a big enough distraction outside the base while he's in the inside." Coulson answered, placing his hands on the table and leaned forward.

"Sounds easy enough." May stated, loosening up her hands.

That night, May set course for the location. Triplett had given them the coordinates and he said he'd meet them there.

Everyone, including Ward, was in the lounge. Ward had passed out on the floor, while Skye gave him icy stares. Simmons and Coulson played battleship and May hovered over Simmons, giving her tactical advice while Coulson told her to stop cheating. Fitz was messing around with the Night-night pistol, having it just in case Ward tried to do something.

Skye sat at the end of the couch and studied Ward closely; she only liked to stare at him when he wasn't awake because he looked peaceful and not as threatening as he did when he was awake. Deep down she knew that what Ward was about to do was suicide, but she wanted to believe that Ward was going to betray them and be just what she thought he was, a traitor.

Skye watched as he fidgeted in his sleep, sweat streaking down his face. His skin was paler then usual and Skye wondered if his stab wound wasn't healing properly, but Simmons would've said something. She then wondered what he was dreaming about.

She imagined that it was more than likely about him killing all of them slowly. But when he started to whimper in his sleep, she started to doubt it. Skye looked around and realized she was the only one that heard him whimper because Coulson, Simmons, and May still loomed over battleship, and if Fitz did hear it, he was ignoring it.

Slowly, she placed her hand onto his forehead, it was burning hot with fever and Skye wondered if she should tell the others about his condition. But coldly, she decided he deserved to suffer for what he did, even though this could harm their mission.

Ward woke up with Skye looming over him. She instantly flinched back as she saw his dark brown eyes open. As he sat up, he felt like crap. He wiped his face, feeling his burning forehead but didn't mention it. He got to his feet slowly, feeling his body quiver from fever.

"Where are you going Mr. Ward?" Coulson asked, seeing that Ward was about to leave the room.

"Bathroom." He replied not glancing over his shoulder, but he knew that May followed him out.

When he reached the bathroom, May waited down in the hall while he went inside. He closed the door and turned towards the mirror. His face looked like hell and when he lifted his shirt up; he saw the frailness of his body. His ribs were starting to be seen, and his waist was getting really slim. Ward sighed and washed his face with cold water. After a few minutes he left with May right behind him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, sounding like she cared for a split second.

"You sound concerned." He commented, turning around to face her.

"Only about the mission." She snapped and pushed him forward. With his state, he almost fell over from the playful shove, that's when May realized something was wrong.

"Hold still." She ordered and he got down on his knees. May placed her hands onto his sweaty neck and face.

"You're sick." She stated her face expressionless.

"I'll be fine." Ward replied, yanking his head away from her touch and getting to his feet.

"Will it hinder you during the mission?" She asked, walking behind him slowly.

"No . . . no it won't."