Grant arrived at the office much earlier than usual on Monday morning. He'd spent the weekend poring over intelligence reports that implicated SynesTek, a company involved with cutting edge nano-technology development, in research and experiments involving 0-8-4 technology acquired on the black-market. Since SHIELD regulated all such technology very carefully, it was now Grant's job to organize a flash mission to recover the 0-8-4.

If the reports were correct, SynesTek scientists were experimenting with something of Chitauri origin, a likely leftover from the Battle of New York. Various weapons and technological devices had littered the streets in the aftermath of the battle, and many of them had been collected and sold by opportunistic bystanders. SHIELD had been busy tracking and recovering the items for a couple of years.

However, recovering this particular item was going to prove difficult because Grant had yet to figure out a clean way into the research facility. Located in Arlington, it featured top-of-the-line security and a heavy rotation of armed guards, though he was less concerned about the guards than he was about cracking the security system to get into the facility. It was offline and not susceptible to an outside hack, which meant it would have to be done on site. And if the intel he had on the system was accurate, it was going to be a bitch to crack.

He only knew three analysts who could get around that system. There was Greg, the nervous young man he'd encountered on his first day back at the office months ago. He'd worked with him a few times since then, but he didn't have a very high opinion of the man's ability to work well under pressure. While Greg had completed some field training at the academy, he'd never been recommended for any live ops.

Mark Freemont was an analyst with a level six clearance. Unlike Greg, he had advanced field training and worked well under tight mission constraints. Unfortunately he 'd had a bad experience six months before and had yet to clear the psych evaluation that would allow him to work in the field again.

That left Skye, and Grant had serious reservations about using her in the field. She hadn't even attended the academy, much less received any sort of field training. Field work was about more than just following a mission protocol. It was also about knowing how to adapt on the fly to changing conditions. If things went sideways, as often happened with live ops, she could be hurt.

Grant rubbed his jaw as he considered the information before him. They wanted to switch out the device rather than steal it, which would likely prompt SynesTek to procure another one through black market channels. They also needed to download whatever studies their scientists had already recorded on the artifact. The key was to get in and out of the facility undetected, but the number of guards meant they needed a distraction. If the guards were all looking one way, he could sneak Skye into the facility. He would stay with her from beginning to end; he could even tap another agent to work with them, forming a three man team to recover the artifact.

But first he'd need the okay to take Skye into the field in the first place, and that might be a hard sell with Coulson. Though it was still early, Grant knew Coulson would likely already be in his office. Deciding to take the direct approach, he grabbed the intelligence report and walked down the corridor to Coulson's office.

The door was open, and Grant paused when he realized Coulson wasn't alone. Seated across from Coulson was Agent Clay Quartermain, a level eight specialist who headed up SHIELD's Paranormal Containment Unit. Grant had never worked with Quartermain but Garrett had, and Grant had heard the stories from their time tracking Plan Chu in China more than two decades ago.

Both men looked up at Grant, and Coulson motioned him in. "Agent Ward. What can I do for you?"

Grant nodded at Quartermain and approached Coulson's desk. "I have the intelligence report on SynesTek. I reviewed it this weekend, but there's a problem. Their security system is layered, and it's offline. Getting in to switch out the 0-8-4 without their knowledge is going to be difficult."

"But not insurmountable if you're here talking to me," Coulson observed. "It's not like you to beat around the bush, Ward."

No, it wasn't. Grant got to the point. "There are three analysts who can get around that system, sir. Freemont could do it, but he hasn't been cleared for field work yet and I can't afford to take him in if he's going to crack mid-mission. Greg is capable, but I think using him in field ops is a bad idea because I know he'll crack mid-mission."

Coulson nodded. "Agreed. That leaves Skye, doesn't it?"

"Yes, sir." He watched as the older man flipped through the intelligence report, his expression inscrutable.

Finally, Coulson looked up at Ward. "I don't have to explain my concerns, but I'm going to anyway. Skye is capable, yes, but she's impulsive and she lacks field training of any sort. You and I both know that makes her an incalculable risk in a field mission. I've approved her to work with you in the planning stages, but frankly, I wasn't expecting you to want to take her into the field."

Ward had been expecting this argument, and he'd already thought of how he would counter it. "I'm aware of the risks, sir, but I think she can handle herself. She might be impulsive, but if we give her this chance, I think she'd follow the protocol exactly as I give it to her. I've been working with Skye for months now, and she hasn't disappointed me yet. She's smart, and she has good instincts. Her mission assessments have been spot-on."

Coulson sighed. "What are you proposing, exactly?"

"A three man team disables the security system and gets into the main facility while a second team sets up a distraction to take the guards' focus off of us. I would stay with Skye from start to finish, sir."

"Taking untrained personnel on field ops is a damn risky business," Quartermain said, his customary Texan drawl on display as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Sounds like a bad idea to me."

Coulson glanced at the other agent briefly but didn't respond. "I want a full mission plan on my desk with every contingency accounted for before I even consider saying yes, Ward. Sit down with Skye and hash it out today and then get back to me."

"I'll be hanging around here for a couple of months, and I was planning to volunteer for flash ops," Quartermain told Grant, his blue eyes assessing as he ran a hand over his stubbled jaw. "I could step in if you haven't picked a third for your three man team."

"You just told me that your sister and her family are in town," Coulson pointed out. "I'm sure you'll be busy with them."

"We're talking, what? A few hours at most? It won't be the first family dinner I've missed," the other man replied easily, ruffling his dark blonde hair casually as he stood up. "My teenage nieces will probably want to go shopping anyway, and I'd rather be dropped into the middle of a live fire fight than take them to the mall again. So, what do you say, Ward?"

Grant glanced between the two men but refrained from giving a direct answer as he tried to get a feel for the undercurrent that told him he was missing some crucial information. "You can drop by my office after I work up a mission protocol."

After Quartermain left, Grant closed the door and turned back to Coulson. "Sir, is there some reason why you don't want Agent Quartermain involved with this op?"

Coulson sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. After a moment, he finally answered. "I don't believe he and Skye would work well together. If I approve Skye's involvement, I think it would be better to use someone else."

There was definitely more to the story. However, Grant let it drop because he could see that Coulson wasn't planning to share it. "Understood, sir. I asked Skye to come by my office this morning, so I'll get to work on a mission plan and full risk assessment. I'll have it on your desk first thing tomorrow morning."

Coulson nodded, and Grant headed back to his own office. He was already hashing out a rough plan when Skye arrived holding a tray of coffees and a small pastry bag.

"Hey," she said, setting the tray and bag on a corner of his desk before passing him one of the coffees. "You look busy."

"Thanks," he told her as he accepted the coffee and took a sip. "I'm working on a mission plan for a new flash op."

"What can I help with?" she asked, sinking into a chair opposite him. "AC said it involved me when I dropped off his breakfast a few minutes ago."

"If you're willing, I want to take you into the field on this one."

Skye leaned forward, surprised. "Wait, seriously?"

Grant nodded. "Seriously. But there will be a strict protocol and you'll have to follow every order without question. We'll need to plan this out carefully, consider every potential problem, before Coulson will even consider approving it. Assuming that he does approve the mission plan, is this something you'd be interested in?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "Would I be going in with you or someone else?"

"You'd be with me," he confirmed, "and maybe one more person."

Skye took the intelligence report he handed to her and began reading it carefully. After a few moments, she asked, "Why swap out the artifact instead of just taking it?"

"We're hoping that if we swap it for a modified artifact that they might lose interest in the research altogether," Grant explained. "We've had some success with bait and switch missions in the past. If we steal it, they usually just attempt to get another one through whichever black market channels are providing them. Unfortunately for us, every time we shut down one market, five more spring up."

"I know," she said. "I helped Stark develop a Tor-based search engine for the dark web and SHIELD has been using it to uncover black sites selling technology found after the Battle of New York. We're modifying the program to search within other networks but you're right – by the time we get one, several more pop up."

"Besides swapping out the artifact, we'll also need to access and download whatever research data they've already amassed," he told her. Passing her another folder, he added, "Here's what we know about both the security system and their internal systems."

Over the next several hours, they went over the intelligence reports amassed on SynesTek, the blueprints for the building, the specs for both external and internal security, and employee profiles.

Skye had been busy with her laptop for the past hour while Grant made notes on the perimeter security. When she started snickering, he looked up. "What?"

"The CEO, Alan Synes, is also one of the head scientists," Skye said, "and he seems to spend most of his time at the office. Like, almost all of it. No wife, kids, girlfriend, not even a dog. If we need to get into his computer, we need to make sure he's not hanging around the lab that night, right?"

"Right," he said. "Any ideas?"

"It turns out Dr. Synes has very singular tastes," she said with a smirk. Turning her laptop around, she showed him a web page featuring a busty woman dressed in black leather. In her hand was a padded leather paddle.

Grant stood up and rounded the desk to sit in the chair beside Skye. "He visits the site or the women?"

"Oh, he's definitely getting paddled for real," Skye said. "It looks like he had a standing appointment with Miss Spanks-A-Lot up until she dropped all of her clients a month ago. No explanation, though she offered a referral service afterwards. Now, if I can interest him in a new Mistress of Pain, we can be sure he's otherwise occupied when we go in."

"How did you even find this?' he asked curiously.

"Their security system and data may be offline, but they still use the Internet. He used his phone to arrange appointments in the past – not his smartest move," she told him. "I can route messages through this server so that he thinks he's getting a referral from a known source. The question is who to refer him to?"

"I might know someone," Grant said. He considered his contacts – specifically, a woman named Kiara who occasionally passed information to him on the minor peccadilloes and more serious offenses of D.C.'s elite.

"Oh, really?" Skye said, raising a brow in a teasing manner. "So were you the spanker or the spankee? I wouldn't have pegged you for that kink, but I like that you're unexpected."

Grant tried not to smile, but with Skye that was so often a losing battle. His lips twitched, and he said, "Sorry to disappoint you, but neither."

"What, no kinks? I really don't believe that. It's always the buttoned-up types," she said, clearly amused now.

"Everyone has a kink," he told her. "Anyone who says otherwise is a liar or they're fooling themselves."

"Well, you know what they say," she said, leaning forward slightly. "It's only kinky the first time."

A throat clearing in the doorway interrupted them, and Grant leaned back when he realized how close he was to Skye. Looking up, he saw Coulson standing in the doorway, and he shifted uncomfortably as he wondered how long the older man had been standing there. "Sir."

"Ward." Coulson looked at him for a moment before shifting his gaze to Skye. "I'm ready for lunch if you are."

"Yeah, I'm starving," Skye said, closing her laptop and standing. "We were just discussing how to find the good Dr. Synes a new dominatrix. Apparently Grant knows someone."

"Kiara?" Coulson asked.

"Whoa, hold up," Skye said, turning to Coulson. "You have a kink? One – eww. Two – I don't need to know that. Three – eww."

"I don't have a kink," Coulson told her, looking exasperated. "She's a contact."

"Sure," Skye said. "Does May know what kind of contacts you have?"

"May also knows Kiara," Coulson said, raising a brow.

"Well this day is just full of surprises," she replied. "Let's pretend you didn't just tell me that you and May like threesomes."

"We don't…" Coulson stopped suddenly. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Yep – you're so easy," she said with a smile, grabbing her bag.

Ward realized he was smiling again as he watched Skye winding Coulson up. He would never have suspected that the two of them would be this close. They'd clearly fostered a relationship that was part mentor and mentee, part father and daughter, and there was clear affection between them. He turned to go back to his desk, but Skye stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Aren't you coming with us? I mean, it is lunch time," she pointed out. "You could use a break if we're going to be at this for the rest of the day."

He hesitated. "I don't want to intrude."

"You're not intruding," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Come on, Agent Spanky."

He tried not to laugh. "This is going to be a thing now, isn't it?"

"Welcome to my world," Coulson said drily.

Fifteen minutes later they were at a popular nearby park that featured several food trucks and a picnic area beside a pond. A walking path circled the pond, and several people were feeding the ducks as they walked. Although the daily temperature had cooled, the days were still warm enough to encourage people to enjoy the sunshine as much as possible before the long D.C. winter set in.

Grant watched as Skye went straight for the ducks with the bag of food she'd brought them. While most people tended to feed the ducks bread from their sandwiches, Skye had picked up duck pellets and various seeds from a local pet store, and she kept a bag of the food at the office so she could feed them whenever she had time. He suspected she'd keep coming to feed them until they left the area for warmer climates during the winter.

Coulson had insisted on buying and was standing in line to pick up their orders while Grant chose a table near the area where Skye was sharing her bag of feed with a small, pig-tailed girl and her mother. He smiled as the little girl shrieked with laughter, tossing the pellets wildly when the ducks got close to her and ducking behind Skye, who was also laughing.

When a shadow fell over the table he looked up to see Quartermain standing beside him.

"We meet again," Quartermain said with a smile. "How's that mission plan coming along?"

Grant stood up. "It's coming together."

"Good," Quartermain said as a tall, blonde woman who appeared to be in her late forties joined them. She was followed by two teenage girls, probably eighteen or nineteen. "This is a co-worker of mine, Grant Ward. Ward, this is my sister Alanna. She's visiting from Texas for a couple of weeks. And my twin nieces, Henrietta…"

"Henna," the girl replied, rolling her eyes.

"Henna, and Jenny," Quartermain continued, shaking his head with amusement. "You used to like it when I called you Henrietta."

"I was eight, Uncle Clay. I'm in college now and Henrietta sounds like a grandmother," Henna told him as she sipped her iced coffee.

"Yeah, I guess it does," he conceded, reaching over to ruffle her blonde bob, earning him another eye roll. Then his eyes shifted to something over Grant's shoulder; anyone else might have missed the way his shoulders tensed up, but Grant noticed it immediately.

Grant glanced to his left and saw Skye approaching the group slowly. "Run out of food already? I noticed you were sharing."

"Yeah," she said, smiling at him hesitantly, but it was clear that her earlier good mood was gone. She seemed nervous, biting her lower lip as she nodded at Quartermain and his sister.

"Men are terrible with introductions," Alanna said, smiling at Skye and extending her hand. "I'm Alanna Johnson, and these are my daughters, Henna and Jenny."

Skye shook Alanna's hand briefly before pulling away. "I'm Skye."

"Skye – that's a pretty name," Alanna commented. "Have you met my brother, Clay?"

"We've met," Skye replied shortly without looking at the tall agent. She crossed her arms, looking relieved when Coulson joined the group with their food.

Grant noticed that Coulson went straight to Skye, taking up a casual, though defensive, stance near her. "Alanna – it's been a long time. Missing the D.C. intrigue yet?"

"Not at all," she answered, looking at Skye quizzically. "I'm just your average librarian these days, but the girls are at Georgetown now. I try to make it up a few times a year. How's May?"

"Running the recruits ragged," Coulson replied, placing the bags on the table. He touched Skye's elbow, a brief gesture of reassurance, and Skye relaxed slightly. "You know May."

Grant was surprised that Coulson seemed to know Quartermain's family so well and reasoned that Alanna must have worked for SHIELD in the past. Despite the familiarity, the mood was rapidly becoming awkward. Alanna was looking between her brother and Skye, while Skye was actively looking everywhere except at Quartermain.

"Well, we won't keep you," Quartermain said suddenly. "We were just heading out anyway. Ward, I'll drop by your office later today."

Alanna stepped forward and gave Coulson a hug. "It's been too long. Tell May I said hello." She hesitated but then reached for Skye's hand, squeezing it. "It was nice to meet you, Skye."

Skye nodded but didn't say anything. Quartermain looked at her, a faint line between his brows betraying the carefree smile he wore, before turning to join his sister and nieces as they walked towards the park exit.

A heavy silence settled in their wake, and Grant could almost see Skye mentally closing herself off.

"I got that burrito thing you like," Coulson told Skye. "And the churros."

"I'm not hungry," she replied quietly. "Sorry, I just…" she broke off and walked back towards the pond, sitting on the bank and drawing her knees up under her chin.

Coulson sighed. "Do you think you could give us a minute?"

"Why don't I take the food back to the office," Grant said, even though a part of him wanted to go to Skye and let her know she wasn't nearly as alone as she looked in that moment. He watched as Coulson walked over to Skye, sitting beside her without speaking.

Grant felt like he was intruding so he turned away and began walking back to the Triskelion. He might not have all the information, but there was clearly something going on between Quartermain and Skye. He mentally connected the dots as he walked. Quartermain had worked in China for a couple of years when his unit was tracking Plan Chu, and some of that work had been undercover. That was roughly twenty-five years ago, and Skye had admitted that the biological father who had abandoned her was a SHIELD agent.

Clay Quartermain was Skye's father.

A/N: Okay, so this is now three parts because I'm incapable of editing without adding and adding and… yeah, you get the idea. Really, I had no intention of adding the meeting with Alanna here. It was supposed to happen in part 4 and in a different way, but then I just suddenly felt it needed to be here and in this way. Chapter 3 is written, I just need to tweak a few things. I'll try to get it up before the end of the weekend, and that will complete The Only Exception. If you're familiar with comics, I've dropped a few Easter eggs here that I'm planning to mix a bit with current canon (Plan Chu? Anyone? I'm taking liberties though.) I'm pulling this version of Clay Quartermain from Earth-616, though he's clearly my take on the character. I'm picturing him as a slightly older (fiftyish) Gerard Butler, with dark blonde/light brownish hair. He fits the look of the character for me and could certainly portray a Texan specialist IMO. In comics he had a brother named Alan and two nieces, but I changed Alan to Alanna for reasons. Hope you enjoyed the update!