Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, and I am not being paid for the endeavor.
Author's Note: This is still during A Fractured House, shortly after Coulson handed Ward over to the transport vehicle.
Interlude
After supervising the prisoner transfer, Coulson allowed himself a private moment to collect his thoughts. He massaged his forehead, where a tension headache was developing.
That last interview with Ward had been harder than he'd anticipated. Summoning up genuine anger had not been difficult and was all part of the plan. When Ward had requested protection as part of the team, though, Coulson had nearly lost it. For Grant Ward, of all people, to invoke team loyalty, was almost beyond belief. His very presence on the team in the first place had been part of an elaborate deception.
Still, upon reflection, the very fact that Ward mentioned the team implied that he did, at some level, consider himself a part of it. He really had bonded with his teammates, developed an affection that Garrett had taught him to fear as a weakness. It was…tragic, really. There were so many things that Coulson wished had happened differently. If only he had seen the signs of the Hydra infiltration earlier…but how could he? Even Nick Fury hadn't seen it coming. The Hydra presence in S.H.I.E.L.D. was woven into its fabric almost from the very beginning. It didn't seem out of place because, in a very real sense, it wasn't.
Coulson drew in a long breath and let it out slowly, centering himself and focusing on the present. He'd set events in motion that needed to happen, and the death threat from Simmons had been an unexpected bonus to send Ward on his way. Her resentment could cause complications in the future, of course, but Coulson had learned long ago that it was best to tackle only one crisis at a time.
Ward's assertion that he would keep his promise to Skye was confirmation that events were proceeding according to plan. Coulson just hoped that Ward's guards wouldn't be too badly injured during his escape. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about that. The obelisk was a threat to the entire planet, and a few broken bones were a small price to pay to secure it. If a couple of men were killed, he'd have to live with that. This was not the first distasteful thing he'd had to do as the director of this newly re-constituted organization, and it wouldn't be the last. In any case, his part of Phase I was complete. It was time to begin preparing for Phase II.
Bellapaige88: Isn't their father-daughter relationship sweet? Hopefully, we'll learn a little more about all this tonight.