A/N: Okay, I expect lots of love and reviews. I stayed up til 1am to write this chapter, then another four hours to type it all into my itty bitty little phone cuz I have no keyboard.

...

There came a knock on Coulson's office door. "Come in," he called out, only mildly interested to see who it could be. Agent Koenig didn't readily come aboard the Bus: May and Skye never bothered knocking; and last he heard, Fitzsimmons were raiding the kitchen for stuff to make sandwiches.

Still, he was surprised to see Agent Triplett enter, head down and with an air of wariness. Coulson set his pen down and regarded the young man; truthfully he'd almost forgotten Trip was even with them.

"Can I help you, Agent Triplett?" He tried to keep his one amiable, he really did, but this past week had frayed too many nerves, revealed too many paranoias. As a result, he may have either come off as harsh or trying TOO hard to appear calm.

Hesitant to answer to such a unwelcoming greeting, Trip shuffled awkwardly in the doorway.

"Trip?" Coulson's voice was a fraction softer.

Agent Trip took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind. "Sir, I've had some...worries and wanted to talk."

Coulson sat up a little straighter. "Worried about what?"

Trip stepped forward into the office, just a tiny step, and waited til he had permission from Coulson to come further and to sit down. "It's just..." he sighed, staring at his hands in his lap," When I...found out my S.O- when Garrett," he corrected himself; Garrett did not deserve the title of his S.O. "was the Clairvoyant, was HYDRA...I... didn't know what to believe in anymore."

Coulson listened quietly, a part of himself already knowing what Trip was getting to. "You once questioned my loyalty to SHIELD because of him," he continued," And now that we've found out about Ward..." He trailed off, but Coulson understood completely.

"You're worried I think you're a HYDRA sleeper too." It wasn't a question, it was an observation.

"You'd have every right to."

Well, no wonder he had been wary to talk to Coulson about this... Said senior agent sighed deeply and sat back in his chair. This was a delicate situation and neither party had any trust in the other. On one hand, Coulson could trust in Trip...but look where that got them with Ward.

On the other hand, the hand that exercised caution, the logical choice was to lock up Trio for the time being. It had been proven in the part that anyone in connection with Garrett turned out to be HYDRA.

Still... Trip had not spent near as much time with Garrett as Ward had; he had only been assigned once Coulson took Ward away to be part of his team. If Coulson locked Trip up and he turned out to be loyal to SHIELD, they would lose a valuable ally.

"This isn't easy, Trip," he spoke out loud," I want to give you a chance, I do, but you can probably understand my doubts."

"Yes, sir," Trip's agreement came readily enough, if a bit despondent.

"So I'll tell you what. For now, you'll be helping us in any way you can-" he began.

Triplett's head shot up so fast that it gave Coulson's neck a crick. "Sir-" he gaped in disbelief, but Coulson held up a hand to let him continue.

"-BUT, you'll be supervised at all times my May, just in case I'm wrong," he finished.

Trip sighed a breath of relief. "And..." Coulson stood up before continuing to turn around to open the safe behind his desk. A few moments later it swung open and he retrieved a small black box. "You'll wear this," he handed it to Trip

He accepted it, though not without a small amount of confusion. Upon opening it, he discovered a small silver bangle laid inside.

He stared at Coulson. "You have a tracker bracelet? I thought these had to be special issued."

Coulson just shrugged and nodded. "It was Skye's. We made her wear it when we were worried she was still Rising Tide and when she proved herself, I thought it a good idea to keep it around," he explained," You won't be able to use any computers to communicate outside the Bus and your movements will be tracked and recorded at all times."

As a SHIELD agent, Triplett was well aware of the limitations that came with these bracelets. As Skye had described them, it was a complete "shackle on freedom" and a "glorified leash". And yet, a wide smile broke out on Trip's face. "This is perfect, sir."

It surprised Coulson how quickly and eagerly Trio placed the bracelet over his right wrist. It was a little small on his thick forearm, but not too constructing.

Coulson blinked. "Just like that?"

Trip smiles in a grateful sort of way. "I came here fully expecting to be locked up, sir. Even warned Simmons in case I didn't come back."

"This," he held up his arm, newly decorated with the flashing silver bangle," gives me the chance to prove myself. You don't have to worry about me disappearing or giving intel to the enemy, and I can still help fight on the home front."

He was so passionate about proving himself, about proving his true loyalties, to SHIELD, that Coulson couldn't help but smile. It felt good to have someone like Trip on the team.

"I wish we had more like you."

...

Skye always knew Agent May was a hard-ass, but she took the term 'Mama Bear' to a whole new level. After the past two days of Skye's self-imposed isolation, May made it abundantly clear that she was NOT allowed to lock herself in her room again.

She warned her explicitly that there would be severe repercussions if she did.

So the instant Skye tried to, May 'asked' Tony Stark to bypass the lock on her door. When later asked about it,he refused to say just how the older woman managed to convince him to do it. But once he did, May had no qualms about marching in and literally dragging their resident hacker out by her ear.

That's when Skye learned that Melinda May was beyond terrifying when she wanted to be. For not only did she forcibly remove Skye from her self made lair, she proceeded to put her through THREE hours of hard core training. If Skye thought Ward was a tough S.O, she learned that he had nothing on May's regiment.

Which brought them to their current situation. The two women now sat in the living space of the Bus, mere minutes after one such 'training session'. All because Skye didn't want to come out of her room for breakfast. Said girl was lounging in one of the armchairs next to May, gingerly placing a heated rice pack in her stomach.

"Ahhh," she sighed in pure relief once it touched and the soothing warmth sank immediately into her sore muscles. Her poor, abused, sore abdominal muscles. "I don't think I've ever done so many sit ups in my life," she whined and leaned back into the plush cushions.

"It's essential to build your core," May said simply and Skye envied how she appeared completely unflustered, despite doing the exact same workout.

Skye scoffed. "Yeah, well I'm pretty sure you just killed my core."

May rolled her eyes at the mouthy girl, but didn't bother responding verbally. So instead the two sat for a few minutes in silence, enjoying the quiet of the Bus. For a moment, all was as well as it could be.

Then that peace was shattered by an angry yell. "Somebody tell me WHERE the hell Coulson is!" It was male, furious, and decidedly unfamiliar.

Skye tried to leap to her feet like May; REALLY, she tried. But the 500 or so sit ups she just did made that feel like an impossible task. Just sitting up was an ordeal, and then she set herself to the task of actually standing up. Luckily, May was already standing in front of her, guarding her like a true mama bear. One hand reached out, getting for Skye to remain sitting and conserve her energy. A second voice had been heard.

"Hey! You're really not supposed to be running around on our plane. Umm, sir! Wait up!"

Skye and May exchanged brief glances. 'Fitz?'

On the other side of the room, upon hearing another angry "Coulson!", said man's office door opened and Coulson poked his head out. "Who's yelling my name?"

"THERE you are!" The unknown man suddenly appeared in the doorway and stepped into the Bus's living space.

Skye's eyes widened in shock and May relaxed back into a standing position. Even without his black and grey SHIELD winter garb and donned in just a pair of jeans and black jacket, Skye recognized him from pictures almost immediately. Agent Clint Barton stood at the edge between kitchen and living room, looking for all intents and purposes like a Berserker warrior. With his feet firmly planted shoulder width apart, arms straight at his sides, fingers clenched into tight fists, he downright GLARED at Coulson.

"You let us believe you were DEAD for almost an entire year?"

Skye bit her lip and suddenly became very interested in her phone. Ooh, he sounded PISSED.

And you know what Coulson had to say? "I'm glad you found the place alright."

Skye had honestly never seen an Avenger splutter in complete frustration and lose all grasp of the English language. If there was anything small and projectile anywhere near Barton, he no doubt would've thrown it at Coulson's head.

Suddenly, he exploded. "We went to your goddamn funeral!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and his face was becoming redder by the second," Do you have any idea what that was like? What that did to me and Natasha?"

Coulson said nothing and stepped fully out of his office. He at least had the decency to look infinitely ashamed.

Clint's voice lowered, but was no less angry, no less hurt," You're our friend, Coulson. Part of the team. Didn't we have the right to know you were okay?"

It was incredibly heartfelt and an incredibly personal moment, and Skye almost felt like she shouldn't be witnessing it. It was bad enough to having a front row seat to Coulson being faced with a former teammember, but to see an esteemed Avenger nearly breaking down...she felt like she was trespassing.

"I'm sorry."

In the end, that was all Coulson could say. Sorry for not telling his friends that he was alive; sorry for letting them grieve for a whole year; sorry for only calling when the world was falling apart. Sorry for being a bad friend.

Just...sorry.

Next thing Skye knew, May's hand was on her shoulder and pulling her to her feet. "Come one," the older woman said softly, so unlike the May she knew," Let's go see what Fitzsimmons is up to." As May steered her away, Skye glances back at the two men, unmoving and hurting.

...

As it was, Tony Stark 'discovered' Fitzsimmons this morning and while he had many nicknames for the duo, his favorite was 'mini me'. Right now, he had cajoled the two of them into tinkering with some piece of metal equipment. It wasn't part of the Ironman series, and a few markings on it declared it Asgardian in nature.

Behind the trio stood Triplett, patiently waiting. While May had been training Skye, she has unceremoniously pawned the specialist off on Stark.

All four of them looked up when the two women entered the lab. Tony was the first to speak," So I take it Legolas didn't handle it too well?"

May shook her head, leading Tony to sigh and shake his head. "He's been a little...highstrung since New York," he admitted," Not as fun as he used to be."

"Possession tends to do that to you," Skye spoke up quietly," It...changes you." Almost as one, all eyes turned to her, various mixes of confusion and concern, but she was pointedly ignoring all their gazes. Instead, her hazel eyes stared at the piece of Asgardian metal on the holotable stand, illuminated as a hologram over the majority of the surface.

It was...pretty, to say the least. A piece of bronze colored metal, shaped into a delicate bracelet.

Possession, whether by someone or something of alien nature, never left good side effects. Skye had seen that first hand when Ward touched the Berserker staff. He...changed, and for a few minutes it honestly scared her. Scared her into thinking that he might not come back, that he'd be lost to his rage and memories forever. He had yelled at her, got in her face, tried to push her away...and she made excuses for him, only half believing them herself.

But he did come back. In that church, he pushed her behind him, protected her even as his rage consumed him and he fought like the devil himself. The strength and rage eventually diminished, but the hurt never did.

It was a long time til Skye saw him smile again.

The second time, Lorelei left a mark of a different kind. Not one of pain or anger, but one of shame. Shame that he had so easily fell victim to her enchantment, shame that he had once again proven himself susceptible to influence.

It worried Skye.

Now, all of it seemed foolish. Ward betrayed them of his own will, it was his own choice to be HYDRA, to kill so many SHIELD agents. And still...she worried for him. It made her feel sick to her stomach, just knowing that deep down a part of her still hoped. Hoped that this was nothing more than another possession and that eventually, he'd break out of it and come back. Hoped that he'd give her a reason to forgive him.

God, she was a terrible realist, wasn't she?

"No more moping," May suddenly spoke," or another hour of training." Skye blanched and before she realized it, she was hiding behind Simmons. Off to the side, Tony and Trip were chuckling.

"So do we get to hear what this thing is?" she asked, trying to turn the conversation away from her and her moping. She poked at the bracelet, making Simmons slap her hand away before it made contact.

"Honestly, haven't you learned not to touch anything alien?" she was admonished.

May frowned. "How did you guys get this past Koenig? I doubt he'd allow any unknown Asgardian jewelry into the base."

"That stick in the mud?" Tony scoffed, then grinned boyishly," What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" If looks could kill, May surely would've killed the man by now.

But he was already turned back to Skye and Simmons and thus did not see nor care for the glare May was sending his way. "Let her try it on," he was telling Simmons," I got it from some Asgardian professor from Portland; he said it would help with my anxiety. Really cool, actually."

Simmons still looked greatly skeptical, but that was enough for Skye. Before her best friend could stop her, her hand shot out and snatched the little bronze colored thing. The clasp opened easily enough and slid over her wrist, where she secured it again. There was a soft click, following by a whirring noise, like tiny clock gears winding up. As it did so, the thing TRANSFORMED, expanding like folded paper until it was five inches wide.

Once finished 'growing', Skye felt a surge of warmth spread deep into her skin and throughout her entire body. It wasn't a burning sensation, but like she had been submersed in a bathtub full of warm water and bubbles. It made her feel safe, content, calm...it made her feel like Ward was standing right next to her.

'A chill pill," she grinned happily and only realized she said that out loud when Trip suggested they give it that name. Simmons and May still appeared deathly worried, May might've looked ready to actually kill Tony, while Fitz was vastly fascinated by the brace.

Tony was grinning. "Pretty cool, huh? And comes off like this." He reached out for her arm, which she surrendered. She could feel one hand brace itself in her elbow, holding her arm secure, while the other's index finger pried gently under the metal and against her covered skin. He swiped his finger along some unseen panel and just like that, the arm brace folded back into a little bracelet.

Skye easily unlatched the small clasp and reluctantly handed it to Fitz. She felt cold and alone again.

"Fascinating," Fitz smiled, not seeing the frown on her face, and turned the bracelet over and over in his hands," It appears to be a medical instrument of some kind; perhaps to calm patients?" He glanced up at Skye," Did it feel like acupuncture at all?"

Simmons plucked it out of his hands," No, it's more likely that it has something to do with endorphins. We'll have to run some more tests on it, of course." She looked at Tony," You don't mind, do you?"

When she handed it back to him, he placed it back in his own wits and activated it. A deep sigh of relief escaped him a moment later, and he addressed Simmon's question," Go right ahead. I'm curious myself at how it works. Think maybe we can duplicate its effects?"

"If the professor had this all along..." May spoke up, a pensive look on her face," Why didn't he tell us when we recovered the Berserker staff?"

A legitimate question, and suddenly Skye felt anger rising in her. If they had this months ago, it would've infinitely helped Ward and May, both of whom handles the Berserker staff. They wouldn't have had to suffer as much, they could've eliminated the negative effects of the-

"It doesn't work on Berserkers," Tony shrugged, halting Skye's thoughts dead in their tracks.

'It doesn't work on Berserkers,' the words echoed in her head, and just like that, any hope she had came crashing down. It wouldn't have helped May. It wouldn't have helped Ward..

...

He dreamed a lot when he slept. That never happened before. Before, he'd have the occasional nightmare. Memories of his childhood, of his brother, of growing up and then the harsh training under Garrett and HYDRA.

He almost wished the nightmares would return.

No, these dreams were...happy...peaceful...and a thousand fold better than reality. Nightmares, he was used to; he could wake up from them, shake off the lingering fears and dread and he could face the day knowing it would be better than his nightmares. He could wake up and it would all be in the past, where it belonged.

Now, he'd wake up and the dread would settle in his gut and just GROW all day. Now, he didn't want to wake up.

Sometimes he'd dream of memories, time he spent on the Bus. He'd dream of playing Battleship with Skye. It felt so real, like he was back there and though in his mind he'd scream, his dream self would just smile and say," G2." Then he'd see Skye's face light up and he'd see the memory of her smile as she replied," Missed me."

Other times he'd remember sitting in the lab with Fitzsimmons, watching them tinker with the Night Night guns. Though he tried to stop himself, he'd feel his arm lift up one, testing its weight then hear his voice telling Fitz how to make it better.

He'd remember laughing as he his outside the door, listening to the three youngest members try to imitate him.

He'd remember sitting in the cockpit with May, just watching the clouds and world far below pass by. It was so peaceful and quiet and there was never any need to talk. It was a time to just relax and unwind.

And sometimes...he'd dream of what could've been...

...

He dreamed he never met John Garrett. He dreamed it was Phil Coulson who recruited him instead. He'd grow up within SHIELD happily, rising to level 7 til he joined Coulson's team, his S.O, on the Bus. The time he spent with the team would be genuine, unmarred by lies and covers, and he'd be free to be their friend.

A life with no debts except for the ones he owed to Coulson, to a man who didn't give a damn about debts.

...

He dreamed he had that drink with Skye in Dublin. He dreamed it was her room he walked into that night. They'd talk, of course, but fueled by alcohol, he wouldn't be able to resist and he'd lean forward and kiss her.

Half the time, she'd smile and tell him she'd only kiss him when he was sober. Then she'd send him to bed with a glass of water, a chaste kiss he would attempt to deepen, and a promise of more tomorrow.

Half the time, she'd give in too as they'd fall back on the sheets together.

...

He dreamed he had the courage to tell Skye how he felt, both before and after Lorelei, and she'd say," Me too." He dreamed he didn't care about his deep cover or he'd rationalize that he WASN'T compromised, and he'd freely show her how much he truly cared. Their affair would be torrid, it would be scandalous, they would get in trouble with Coulson and then Fury. Their teasing and flirting would be on a whole new level and the others couldn't bear to be in the same room as the two lovers.

He dreamed he could kiss Skye whenever he wanted.

...

He dreamed he told Coulson -or sometimes, Skye- the truth. There were so many chances, so many opportunities, to come right out and say it. To tell Coulson about HYDRA; to give the name of all the sleeper agents he knew about, then he'd step back and let SHIELD suppress the revolution before it even began. He dreamed he'd stand back, his hand holding Skye's, and know that it was all over.

...

He dreamed he confronted Garrett right after Skye was shot. He dreamed he shot Ian Quinn twice, just like he did Skye, and Garrett would be furious, or he'd laugh it off like he always did. But he wouldn't fall for it this time. He'd yell and yell and yell and tell Garrett that Skye was off limits.

He dreamed he turned his back on his S.O. and gave all of his allegiance to that dying girl in the medical bay.

...

He dreamed he never got in that plane with Victoria Hand. He dreamed he let Hand deliver Garrett to the Fridge as planned, and he'd stay behind at the Hub with his team. Skye would fuss over his injuries and would insist he let Simmons patch him up. He would feel his hacker's nimble fingers brush his hair out of his face and she'd say," It'll be alright."

...

He dreamed he ran away with them. He dreamed he was with them wherever they were hiding. He'd swear to protect Skye with his life. He'd run and hide, but he'd never feel like a coward.

...

He remembered that kiss in the Hub closet. He hadn't been lying when he contemplated if it was better he died. Then he wouldn't have to betray anyone. He would've have to betray HER.

But then she had to go and kiss him and just like that, any doubt was lifted from his heart. She cared about him, perhaps even loved him like he did her. But that kiss was all he needed. He left that closet with a smile on his face; he felt like he could take on the world and win, as long as she gave him more kisses when he returned.

...

He once dreamed that SHIELD or HYDRA never existed. He dreamed they ran into each other on the street, just two completely normal people. It didn't matter who they were, but when they met for the first time, something would just...snap. All of these 'what ifs' would somehow come together and they'd just KNOW...they belonged together.

She'd smile shyly at him, her curly dark hair blowing slightly in the wind. Her hand would reach out, offering a handshake. "Hi. I'm Skye."

He'd smile back, a familiar warmth settling in his gut, and he'd take her hand. "I'm Grant Ward."

...

And every morning he'd wake up with a smile on his face, but it would fade away the instant he realized they were just dreams. The outside world existed and no world existed where he could live happily.

And every morning he'd ask himself the same questions, questioned that made him feel like someone stuck a knife in his ribs and TWISTED.

What if Garrett asked him to kill Skye?

What if he couldn't?

...

A/N: Okay, a few things to address from this chapter. I thought it weird that the team so readily accepted Trip to be loyal on just Simmons' word. So I incorporated Skye's old bracelet back into the story.

Second, we all know that not everyone knew Coulson was back from the dead, including his old SHIELD teammates. So it stands to reason that at least one of them would be pissed off and emotional. Stark probably already knew (he likes to hack SHIELD every now and then), and I'm guessing the rest of the Avengers didn't know. So when Clint found out, I reasoned that he'd be pretty upset. Because after all, one of his close friends was presumed dead for the better part of a year.

Third, Tony's little Asgardian bracelet will play a part in this fic. I didn't just throw it in there for filler.

Fourth, I thought it'd be crucial to show a Ward that want just pure evil or pure good. I want him somewhere in between and he himself doesn't even know where he is. He honestly thinks he's doing the right thing by serving Garrett, but his subconscious through his dreams keeps tempting him with all the 'what ifs'. I want him to question everything, especially himself.

Halfway through his monologue, I realized I hadn't said his name ONCE. So I just went "eh" and thought it'd be a cute pattern til he said his name himself.